CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:

THE BEGINNING, THE END, AND THE CHOSEN

Gwen left the room, and Shoko began to frantically secure herself in making sure everything stayed out.

"No, no, no," she felt him behind her. The flat of his chest pressing into her back. "Shoko, we both know you can't hide from us." HIs voice came straight into her ear; she froze.

"What do you mean 'us'?" her voice sounded more confident than she felt, but then again it always did.

"I mean my father and I. We need you Shoko. You are one of the Chosen; you know what happens to the Chosen."

She gulped and nodded to the rhetorical question. "I know what happens. I'm not stupid or blind, but I don't want any part in this. I never did!"

"Oh really, I don't believe you," he whirled her around. All she saw was a dark cape, but she knew him, knew him well. "All I see," a dark finger skimmed her chin, "is a fame-hungry slut who was made to be used-"

"You can't know that, even if you tried." Her eyes were fierce as they glared at him.

"Ah," he chuckled, "there is the little spitfire I used to know."

"You don't know me anymore. You never knew me."

"But I did, I do. I have been watching you Shoko; we have been watching you very closely."

"Because I'm Chosen."

"How smart you are? You really are different than before." He smirked.

"What have you come here for? First you sneak up on me a give me this," she pointed to the mark on her neck, "and promise that you will kill me one day. Now you say you need me?"

"Oh, I am sorry about that. It was an act of … Lust. But I do need you … Join Wolf Clan, Shoko, be our little earth mage once more." She knew this trick she had seen him use it on people before. His voice got silky and he … he … she couldn't think straight!

"No, No!" her mind was failing her, "Stop it! I don't want to be your slave! Stop!" and it stopped, but only after she blacked out.

Above her she could see, Gwen and Juan's worried faces.

"What happened to you?" Juan asked.

"I … uh … I," she frowned, "I have no idea." She looked in the mirror everything seemed okay. Her hair was as it should be, pink and puffy; her eyes were the same; her clothes were the same her shirt revealing her single tattoo, a smirking wolf … Then she remembered something.

"Juan did you get your guildmark yet?"

"Yeah, its right here," he pointed to his neck.

"Glad to finally have you, buddy," Gwen slapped him on the shoulder. "This is so exciting! We are all going to go the GMG together."

"I know, I can't wait to see all that talent!" Juan and Gwen began to plan exactly what they were going to wear, what Shoko was going to sing …

Shoko continued to look in the mirror staring at the familiar guild mark. Anger boiled up inside her, but she didn't know why. Around her the floor began to crack and her grip on the sink turned her knuckles white.

"Shoko," Juan warned, "calm down, angel."

"We've been tricked haven't we?" her eyes filled with tears and her voice wavered … her voice never wavered.

"I … I don't know … maybe." Juan looked confused. Behind them Gwen screamed in pain. On her back, her guild mark was twisting.

"Please … please stop it," she whispered. Shoko stared at her. Only one person she knew had a mind twisted enough to do this.

"Why of all people Gwen?!" Shoko cried. "Why her? All she wants is to make people smile and … and you do this to her? You are a monster. A cold monster who I hope never sees the light of day." She rushed towards her friend. "Gwen its okay, shhh, it's okay …"

"It isn't though. It's not okay …" Juan looked forlornly at his mark. He wished he knew how he got it.

A/N: Howd'y Owls! I'm super excited we only have three-ish more chapters left of the first arc and I'm planning a mega-amazing finale!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail; this is just the way and we all must deal with it. If I did own Fairy Tail I would probably write more torture scenes because sometimes I just need to ... you didn't hear a thing

Hoots,

Owls

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