I'm so sorry I haven't written more; things have gotten really hectic and I've been creatively retarded, so please forgive me!
~Jacki
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Chapter Four, Part Two.
The once silent courtyard was now buzzing with activity. Men and women of all ages, even some children, milled about, speaking hurriedly in voices that seemed to hold just the slightest bit of panic, and there was an overall sensation of unrest. I heard snatches of conversation here and there- "Who was it?" "I heard it was a newblood" "I knew this was a bad idea", and so on and so forth. The sensation of having so many wolves nearby was new to me, and their presences buzzed in my head, the pressure making me wince.
"Rafael," I whispered.
"I know you have a lot of questions, but this isn't the proper forum," he replied, uncharacteristically serious.
Unsure of how to respond, I fell silent, following him through the Den's huge wooden doors. There were people here too, though nearly as densely packed as outside. Those who were in here seemed to be more collected here than outside. And they seemed to be generally older, too. Outside, no one noticed my presence, despite the fact that they cleared the way for Rafael, owing, no doubt, to his position as Beta. In here, I could feel the weight of the others glancing at me discreetly, and by no means accidentally. It was uncomfortable. I could feel that not a single person here was human, so perhaps only the higher-ups knew of me, as a Princess. Or maybe they knew that I was... a mutt. I still couldn't get over the revelation that I was not only a wolf, but royalty and an outcast. It was hard to tell what they saw in me, because their faces held no emotion. It was kind of creepy, and I unconsciously pressed closer to Rafael's back. He glanced over his shoulder at me, and I just stared back wordlessly. Weaving through the passages, we arrived at the carved double doors that marked the Council chambers. He breezed through, and I followed in his wake.
They were all there: Dionysia, Tassilo, Celestria, Adellinde, and... Aubrey... Their eyes were all hard, their mouths set in identical grim lines. However, the Alpha's held some softness, concern softening his gaze just the slightest bit.
"Athaliah," Aubrey said, his voice hard.
I flinched. "Yes?"
"Do you have any idea why you're here?"
"Rafael said someone is dead."
"Not dead," Celestria cut in imperiously. "Murdered."
My response was to stare at her blankfaced, though my thoughts screamed, "You fucking witch, accuse me of being a killer already." Rafael's face shifted to a look of mixed suspicion and understanding at the same time. He subtly tapped Aubrey's wrist, and they exchanged looks.
"If you cannot hold your tongue, Celestria, it can be arranged for it to be held for you," he said calmly, smiling through the threat. She stiffened, glaring at him. He turned to me again. "You are here because we need to know that you had nothing to do with it," he said. Celestria glared at me darkly, her eyes bearing nothing but pure hatred. It was clear that she felt certain that I was to blame.
I looked him dead in the eyes and replied, "I don't know anything about what happened."
"Do you swear on your sister's life?"
It was a strange response to my answer, but I answered "yes" unwaveringly. He nodded. "Well, she's the last. We're finished here," he said, standing up. As he swept out of the room, he grasped my upper arm and led me out. "We need to talk," he said.
"What, you don't believe me?" I snapped, planting my feet.
"That isn't the issue," he replied, attempting to pull me along.
"Answer the damn question."
He sighed. "I can't trust your answer. You don't have the experience that I do, and you have nowhere near the knowledge that I have. You need to accept this."
I set my jaw and didn't reply, though I was furious that I was being suspected for doing something that I hadn't. Or had I? If even Aubrey suspected me, something was definitely wrong. He had more faith in me than anyone else; sometimes even more than I had.
"Rafael," I whispered.
"I know you have a lot of questions, but this isn't the proper forum," he replied, uncharacteristically serious.
Unsure of how to respond, I fell silent, following him through the Den's huge wooden doors. There were people here too, though nearly as densely packed as outside. Those who were in here seemed to be more collected here than outside. And they seemed to be generally older, too. Outside, no one noticed my presence, despite the fact that they cleared the way for Rafael, owing, no doubt, to his position as Beta. In here, I could feel the weight of the others glancing at me discreetly, and by no means accidentally. It was uncomfortable. I could feel that not a single person here was human, so perhaps only the higher-ups knew of me, as a Princess. Or maybe they knew that I was... a mutt. I still couldn't get over the revelation that I was not only a wolf, but royalty and an outcast. It was hard to tell what they saw in me, because their faces held no emotion. It was kind of creepy, and I unconsciously pressed closer to Rafael's back. He glanced over his shoulder at me, and I just stared back wordlessly. Weaving through the passages, we arrived at the carved double doors that marked the Council chambers. He breezed through, and I followed in his wake.
They were all there: Dionysia, Tassilo, Celestria, Adellinde, and... Aubrey... Their eyes were all hard, their mouths set in identical grim lines. However, the Alpha's held some softness, concern softening his gaze just the slightest bit.
"Athaliah," Aubrey said, his voice hard.
I flinched. "Yes?"
"Do you have any idea why you're here?"
"Rafael said someone is dead."
"Not dead," Celestria cut in imperiously. "Murdered."
My response was to stare at her blankfaced, though my thoughts screamed, "You fucking witch, accuse me of being a killer already." Rafael's face shifted to a look of mixed suspicion and understanding at the same time. He subtly tapped Aubrey's wrist, and they exchanged looks.
"If you cannot hold your tongue, Celestria, it can be arranged for it to be held for you," he said calmly, smiling through the threat. She stiffened, glaring at him. He turned to me again. "You are here because we need to know that you had nothing to do with it," he said. Celestria glared at me darkly, her eyes bearing nothing but pure hatred. It was clear that she felt certain that I was to blame.
I looked him dead in the eyes and replied, "I don't know anything about what happened."
"Do you swear on your sister's life?"
It was a strange response to my answer, but I answered "yes" unwaveringly. He nodded. "Well, she's the last. We're finished here," he said, standing up. As he swept out of the room, he grasped my upper arm and led me out. "We need to talk," he said.
"What, you don't believe me?" I snapped, planting my feet.
"That isn't the issue," he replied, attempting to pull me along.
"Answer the damn question."
He sighed. "I can't trust your answer. You don't have the experience that I do, and you have nowhere near the knowledge that I have. You need to accept this."
I set my jaw and didn't reply, though I was furious that I was being suspected for doing something that I hadn't. Or had I? If even Aubrey suspected me, something was definitely wrong. He had more faith in me than anyone else; sometimes even more than I had.
Chapter Four, Part One.
When I woke up, I found a note left on my bedside table. In excruciatingly beautiful calligraphy, Aubrey explained that my sister was in the elementary wing, and if I could get my butt out of bed, I'd have time to pick her up before class. I delicately tucked it under my pillow, and rushed off to get my stuff together. I got to the room just as Carmen, Delilah, and two other girls were leaving.
"Lali!" Carmen hugged me. "Miss Kathleen" (The housemother, I assume?) "said you were sick, so I'd be with them for a day or two. Do you feel better?"
"Much." I stroked her hair. "Did you have fun?"
"Yeah!"
"Good, because the fun ends tonight, 'cause you're back to being with your boring sister."
She grinned.
Apparently, Aubrey had found a way to inform my teachers that I had been "sick". I made up most of the work in study hall, ignoring the notes and paper planes flying through the air. What struck me as odd was the look that crossed over Mr. Conricht's face when I came in. It was totally respectful, and if I wasn't mistaken, he inclined his head slightly. I sat at my seat and pretended I hadn't noticed. Aubrey behaved no differently, and neither did I, though it kind of stung that he was pretty much ignoring me after everything that had happened. Trent was in detention for the week because he'd set off a stink bomb in the girls' locker room, so it was quite peaceful. Brenner would never behave like his usual sycophantic self without someone stronger to instigate any harassment. Finishing my test, I looked up at Aubrey. When he was in class, he was a completely different person. Though I understood the need for a somewhat different attitude to hide his secret, why such a change? Maybe he'd tell me if I got up the nerve to ask... After all, we were partnered for life.
Lunch period came and went, the same as it always did. Overall, life remained largely unchanged, aside from my desire to howl at the moon whenever I caught sight of it, but that was to be expected. I fell back into my regular routine. That is, for a few weeks.
I was sleeping soundly when a sharp tap-tap-tap came from the window, rousing me. I figured it was just a tree branch, tossed in the wind, so I ignored it, rolling over to go back to sleep. The tapping came again, louder and more insistently. Okay, so maybe it isn't a tree. Annoyed, I rose and walked to the window, and there was Rafael, sitting in the tree. He was also knocking on my window with a really big stick.
I opened the window, stage-whispering. "What in the hell do you think you're doing? It's like, two in the morning!"
"You need to come with me."
"It's two in the morning, in case you missed that last part of my statement. What could possibly be so important?!"
He looked me dead in the eyes, all trace of his obnoxious sense of humor gone. "Someone's dead. And a wolf killed him."
"Lali!" Carmen hugged me. "Miss Kathleen" (The housemother, I assume?) "said you were sick, so I'd be with them for a day or two. Do you feel better?"
"Much." I stroked her hair. "Did you have fun?"
"Yeah!"
"Good, because the fun ends tonight, 'cause you're back to being with your boring sister."
She grinned.
Apparently, Aubrey had found a way to inform my teachers that I had been "sick". I made up most of the work in study hall, ignoring the notes and paper planes flying through the air. What struck me as odd was the look that crossed over Mr. Conricht's face when I came in. It was totally respectful, and if I wasn't mistaken, he inclined his head slightly. I sat at my seat and pretended I hadn't noticed. Aubrey behaved no differently, and neither did I, though it kind of stung that he was pretty much ignoring me after everything that had happened. Trent was in detention for the week because he'd set off a stink bomb in the girls' locker room, so it was quite peaceful. Brenner would never behave like his usual sycophantic self without someone stronger to instigate any harassment. Finishing my test, I looked up at Aubrey. When he was in class, he was a completely different person. Though I understood the need for a somewhat different attitude to hide his secret, why such a change? Maybe he'd tell me if I got up the nerve to ask... After all, we were partnered for life.
Lunch period came and went, the same as it always did. Overall, life remained largely unchanged, aside from my desire to howl at the moon whenever I caught sight of it, but that was to be expected. I fell back into my regular routine. That is, for a few weeks.
I was sleeping soundly when a sharp tap-tap-tap came from the window, rousing me. I figured it was just a tree branch, tossed in the wind, so I ignored it, rolling over to go back to sleep. The tapping came again, louder and more insistently. Okay, so maybe it isn't a tree. Annoyed, I rose and walked to the window, and there was Rafael, sitting in the tree. He was also knocking on my window with a really big stick.
I opened the window, stage-whispering. "What in the hell do you think you're doing? It's like, two in the morning!"
"You need to come with me."
"It's two in the morning, in case you missed that last part of my statement. What could possibly be so important?!"
He looked me dead in the eyes, all trace of his obnoxious sense of humor gone. "Someone's dead. And a wolf killed him."
End of Chapter Three.
School is starting in about a month, and I've been trying to make the time I have with my boyfriend meaningful, and make this summer really worth remembering, so I may not be writing very much. Sorry. Do know that I haven't forgotten about this story, it's just... Sleeping.
Thanks for reading!
~Jacki
Thanks for reading!
~Jacki
Chapter Three, Part Six.
Author's Note:
Oh, gosh, I am so sorry this update took so long... Like, what, four months(!)? I've had all this written for a while, but I just haven't had the time to type it, nor been in the mood (Cue guilt). Hopefully I can make up for it by the length of this part of the story. Chapter four is beginning, too!
As always, thank you for reading. Those few of you who are. :P
Breathing heavily, I turned my back to him, facing the balcony.
"I am not a beast. I'm a Shadow Child, not...That."
"You're right. You are no beast," Aubrey replied softly, appearing at my shoulder. "But make no mistakes: though you are not a Shadow Child, you're not a Hunter, either."
"So I'm back to when you first dumped all this on me. I don't know what I am... All these years, I thought I was human; I never questioned it for a second.Suddenly, I discover that I'm not, nor was I ever. And now, even my existence as this... thing... is up for debate." I dropped to my knees. "God... What the hell am I?"
Aubrey knelt, lifting my chin to meet his eyes. "You are Athaliah, daughter of Joche, the sole possessor of the blood of the original lycan line, and you are a myth incarnate."
I looked at him, grasping for words.
"There was a story about a wolf a long time ago who was the bastard son of a Shadow Child and a Hunter. Unfortunately, his mother, shamed by his paternity, deserted him in a village. Though he was taken in by a couple in the village out of pity, he never let go of the pain from his abandonment, and that weakness allowed his stronger Hunter blood to reign supreme. Susceptible to the full moon, he transformed into the sort of wolf that legend describes: not quite wolf, but not human, either, walking on two legs, with a beastlike muzzle and a mouth full of teeth designed to rip flesh from bone. He slaughtered the inhabitants of that village, including his adoptive parents, and those of two other villages before the survivors managed to trap him in a house that was burned to the ground.
Being of both clans, he could have begun to bridge the rift between us. But because he was raised in ignorance, he only contributed further to the necessity of living our lives in the shadows. You can do what he didn't. It's your choice... Unlike that pitiful creature, you have everything you need to know at your fingertips. And your Shadow Blood, being pure, runs stronger in your veins than your Hunter blood. Your first change showed that- you were in control one hundred percent."
"But I'm not supposed to exist."
"Yet here you are."
I had no reply to that, so I simply sat in silence for a while. "How did you know what I am? I don't mean you, specifically, but all of you."
"Your fur."
"...Huh?" The simple answer baffled me.
"We Shadow Children are all solid shades of varied browns. Hunters are always black. Your fur is black, tipped with brown."
"Oh." All this other crap is complicated, but that is the one thing that's simple? Christ...
"You are the most beautiful wolf I've seen. Celestria can say what she chooses. She's stubborn on a good day, and flat-out arrogant and self-serving on a bad one. I wonder if her skills as a negotiator went to her head."
"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you something else."
"And what would that be, Princess?"
"Why do you flirt with me? You took over Vera's job, and it doesn't seem that you've told me anything she couldn't."
He fidgeted. "Uh...God, you're probably going to eat me alive..."
"Just tell me already. I'm tired of being in the dark."
"Well, wolves don't choose their mates as humans do- you know, trial and error. We just... know."
"Okay, so what I'm getting here is that you're weird and you're acting like a human boy."
"Ehh, not really... Look, when I first met you, you were an infant. It's going to sound creepy, but the instant you opened your eyes and saw me, I knew it was you."
I stared at him, gaping. "You're lying."
"No, I'm not."
"Then why didn't I feel it?"
"You didn't?"
"Well, I um, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel or anything..." I mumbled.
"Look, why do you think you feel the need to defend me? Why did your heart beat so fast when we spoke alone for the first time?"
I flushed bright red and looked away quickly. "I don't know what you're referring to."
"Oh yes, I know about that," he said, laughing.
"So... What? We're going to get married, ride off into the sunset on a white horse, and live happily ever after?"
"We could, if you wanted to. We would still need to stay in contact with the pack, though. They need us," he replied, looking thoughtful.
"...I was being sarcastic."
"I guess I did a bad job of playing along." He cupped my cheek in one hand. "You're not ready for this on top of everything else. You've had your world turned upside-down, and then was tossed into another one. I know that, and so do you. When you are ready, I'll be here."
"I...I don't know what to say."
"You don't need to. Just answer this-Did you feel like you've known me for years when we met?"
"Yes."
"That's because you have. From the first touch, our souls have been connected permanently." he chuckled. "Sorry, that came out cheesier than I thought it would."
"But it's true, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"When do I go back to the Academy?"
"Whenever you like."
"I'd like to go now. Carmen needs me."
He leaned towards me and lightly pressed his lips to my forehead. "As you wish, your Highness."
And we left. Not another word was said; I was too busy absorbing everything I had just found out. I don't think he was so preoccupied, though, because he was sure to stroke my hair and kiss me again before he left my room.
Oh, gosh, I am so sorry this update took so long... Like, what, four months(!)? I've had all this written for a while, but I just haven't had the time to type it, nor been in the mood (Cue guilt). Hopefully I can make up for it by the length of this part of the story. Chapter four is beginning, too!
As always, thank you for reading. Those few of you who are. :P
Breathing heavily, I turned my back to him, facing the balcony.
"I am not a beast. I'm a Shadow Child, not...That."
"You're right. You are no beast," Aubrey replied softly, appearing at my shoulder. "But make no mistakes: though you are not a Shadow Child, you're not a Hunter, either."
"So I'm back to when you first dumped all this on me. I don't know what I am... All these years, I thought I was human; I never questioned it for a second.Suddenly, I discover that I'm not, nor was I ever. And now, even my existence as this... thing... is up for debate." I dropped to my knees. "God... What the hell am I?"
Aubrey knelt, lifting my chin to meet his eyes. "You are Athaliah, daughter of Joche, the sole possessor of the blood of the original lycan line, and you are a myth incarnate."
I looked at him, grasping for words.
"There was a story about a wolf a long time ago who was the bastard son of a Shadow Child and a Hunter. Unfortunately, his mother, shamed by his paternity, deserted him in a village. Though he was taken in by a couple in the village out of pity, he never let go of the pain from his abandonment, and that weakness allowed his stronger Hunter blood to reign supreme. Susceptible to the full moon, he transformed into the sort of wolf that legend describes: not quite wolf, but not human, either, walking on two legs, with a beastlike muzzle and a mouth full of teeth designed to rip flesh from bone. He slaughtered the inhabitants of that village, including his adoptive parents, and those of two other villages before the survivors managed to trap him in a house that was burned to the ground.
Being of both clans, he could have begun to bridge the rift between us. But because he was raised in ignorance, he only contributed further to the necessity of living our lives in the shadows. You can do what he didn't. It's your choice... Unlike that pitiful creature, you have everything you need to know at your fingertips. And your Shadow Blood, being pure, runs stronger in your veins than your Hunter blood. Your first change showed that- you were in control one hundred percent."
"But I'm not supposed to exist."
"Yet here you are."
I had no reply to that, so I simply sat in silence for a while. "How did you know what I am? I don't mean you, specifically, but all of you."
"Your fur."
"...Huh?" The simple answer baffled me.
"We Shadow Children are all solid shades of varied browns. Hunters are always black. Your fur is black, tipped with brown."
"Oh." All this other crap is complicated, but that is the one thing that's simple? Christ...
"You are the most beautiful wolf I've seen. Celestria can say what she chooses. She's stubborn on a good day, and flat-out arrogant and self-serving on a bad one. I wonder if her skills as a negotiator went to her head."
"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you something else."
"And what would that be, Princess?"
"Why do you flirt with me? You took over Vera's job, and it doesn't seem that you've told me anything she couldn't."
He fidgeted. "Uh...God, you're probably going to eat me alive..."
"Just tell me already. I'm tired of being in the dark."
"Well, wolves don't choose their mates as humans do- you know, trial and error. We just... know."
"Okay, so what I'm getting here is that you're weird and you're acting like a human boy."
"Ehh, not really... Look, when I first met you, you were an infant. It's going to sound creepy, but the instant you opened your eyes and saw me, I knew it was you."
I stared at him, gaping. "You're lying."
"No, I'm not."
"Then why didn't I feel it?"
"You didn't?"
"Well, I um, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel or anything..." I mumbled.
"Look, why do you think you feel the need to defend me? Why did your heart beat so fast when we spoke alone for the first time?"
I flushed bright red and looked away quickly. "I don't know what you're referring to."
"Oh yes, I know about that," he said, laughing.
"So... What? We're going to get married, ride off into the sunset on a white horse, and live happily ever after?"
"We could, if you wanted to. We would still need to stay in contact with the pack, though. They need us," he replied, looking thoughtful.
"...I was being sarcastic."
"I guess I did a bad job of playing along." He cupped my cheek in one hand. "You're not ready for this on top of everything else. You've had your world turned upside-down, and then was tossed into another one. I know that, and so do you. When you are ready, I'll be here."
"I...I don't know what to say."
"You don't need to. Just answer this-Did you feel like you've known me for years when we met?"
"Yes."
"That's because you have. From the first touch, our souls have been connected permanently." he chuckled. "Sorry, that came out cheesier than I thought it would."
"But it's true, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"When do I go back to the Academy?"
"Whenever you like."
"I'd like to go now. Carmen needs me."
He leaned towards me and lightly pressed his lips to my forehead. "As you wish, your Highness."
And we left. Not another word was said; I was too busy absorbing everything I had just found out. I don't think he was so preoccupied, though, because he was sure to stroke my hair and kiss me again before he left my room.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Chapter Three, Part Five.
Awed, I sat in silence. Even though I knew none of them well, this ceremony forged an unspeakable bond between us all. And with others who were not in attendance... I could sense their vague presences in the distance, probably sitting awake in the dorms of the school.
Then, it was time to go. In the same way we arrived, we left. Upon reaching the Den, the Council slipped back into the building, in step as humans. Noticing that the Alpha stayed back with me, Rafael paused at the doorway. Aubrey waved his hand, dismissing him. With a polite nod, he silently reentered the building, his eyes lingering on me with a look of unease on his face.
"We have a few things to discuss," Aubrey said.
"You're tellin' me. I've got a few questions for you!" I barked. "Like... How in the hell do I change back?"
He grinned. "This is your first change, so we'll have to get you out of the moonlight first. Come."
He walked back inside with me trotting beside him. "I'm gonna be naked when I change back, aren't I?"
"That you are," he laughed.
"Fan-flipping-tastic."
"Don't worry, I won't stare at your glorious nudity."
"Shut up."
We reached my mother's, well, perhaps mine at this point, room, and went in. I sat in front of the armoire as Aubrey flopped on the bed rather ungracefully.
"Are you going to tell me how to do this or not?" I demanded.
"All in due time." he answered.
I scowled, replying in my most impetuous tone, "If you don't tell me, I'll find someone else."
"Yeah, yeah; first, shut your eyes, and clear your mind."
I shut my eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. "It's kind of hard to clear my mind with you staring at me."
"Okay," he replied cheerfully, grinning.
"Face the wall!"
"I am facing the wall."
"The other wall."
"Oh. Well, you didn't say that. You should be more specific." He rolled over.
"You should be less dense," I muttered under my breath.
"Shut your eyes again. Clear your mind."
I obeyed.
"Imagine yourself changing from wolf to human. Really focus. There is nothing there but you."
True enough, my body changed again, and there I was, sitting naked on the cold tile. I squealed and scrambled to my feet.
"Change scare you?"
"No, the tile is cold!"
He laughed.
"Well, I'm glad to see you find it funny," I said, crossing my arms indignantly. Turning my back to the armoire, I dressed quickly. "Okay, first question. Why did Celestria call me a mutt, and why was she so pissed?"
"Well, dearest, it seems that you are not a pure-blood Shadow Child."
I stared at him silently, absorbing the magnitude of what he had just said. "I...What?"
He rolled onto his stomach and locked his green eyes on mine. "Your mother didn't tell you about your lycan heritage, and I think I know why now. Your father must have been a Hunter."
"You mean, my father was a bloodthirsty monster who murdered people, ripped them apart while... while they were still alive?!"
He didn't answer, averting his eyes instead. "I don't know; I never met your father, so-"
"No!" I screamed, cutting him off. "My father may have been a coward, but he was no homicidal maniac!"
Then, it was time to go. In the same way we arrived, we left. Upon reaching the Den, the Council slipped back into the building, in step as humans. Noticing that the Alpha stayed back with me, Rafael paused at the doorway. Aubrey waved his hand, dismissing him. With a polite nod, he silently reentered the building, his eyes lingering on me with a look of unease on his face.
"We have a few things to discuss," Aubrey said.
"You're tellin' me. I've got a few questions for you!" I barked. "Like... How in the hell do I change back?"
He grinned. "This is your first change, so we'll have to get you out of the moonlight first. Come."
He walked back inside with me trotting beside him. "I'm gonna be naked when I change back, aren't I?"
"That you are," he laughed.
"Fan-flipping-tastic."
"Don't worry, I won't stare at your glorious nudity."
"Shut up."
We reached my mother's, well, perhaps mine at this point, room, and went in. I sat in front of the armoire as Aubrey flopped on the bed rather ungracefully.
"Are you going to tell me how to do this or not?" I demanded.
"All in due time." he answered.
I scowled, replying in my most impetuous tone, "If you don't tell me, I'll find someone else."
"Yeah, yeah; first, shut your eyes, and clear your mind."
I shut my eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. "It's kind of hard to clear my mind with you staring at me."
"Okay," he replied cheerfully, grinning.
"Face the wall!"
"I am facing the wall."
"The other wall."
"Oh. Well, you didn't say that. You should be more specific." He rolled over.
"You should be less dense," I muttered under my breath.
"Shut your eyes again. Clear your mind."
I obeyed.
"Imagine yourself changing from wolf to human. Really focus. There is nothing there but you."
True enough, my body changed again, and there I was, sitting naked on the cold tile. I squealed and scrambled to my feet.
"Change scare you?"
"No, the tile is cold!"
He laughed.
"Well, I'm glad to see you find it funny," I said, crossing my arms indignantly. Turning my back to the armoire, I dressed quickly. "Okay, first question. Why did Celestria call me a mutt, and why was she so pissed?"
"Well, dearest, it seems that you are not a pure-blood Shadow Child."
I stared at him silently, absorbing the magnitude of what he had just said. "I...What?"
He rolled onto his stomach and locked his green eyes on mine. "Your mother didn't tell you about your lycan heritage, and I think I know why now. Your father must have been a Hunter."
"You mean, my father was a bloodthirsty monster who murdered people, ripped them apart while... while they were still alive?!"
He didn't answer, averting his eyes instead. "I don't know; I never met your father, so-"
"No!" I screamed, cutting him off. "My father may have been a coward, but he was no homicidal maniac!"
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Chapter Three, Part Four.
The Council trailed behind as the Alpha led me out into the courtyard, beneath the light of the full moon. I stared up at it, marveling at its beauty. A snuffled pulled my attention away. They had all changed into their wolf forms. Aubrey, slightly larger than the others, looked at me for a second, and then took off running. Though it took me a second to register what had just happen, it was instantaneous for the others.
He twisted through the forest, the Council moving in sync with him. I tried to keep up, but I kept stumbling in my new wolf body, clumsy paws scrambling over the forest floor that was so foreign to me. He finally stopped at a clearing that seemed to glow with its own ethereal light. There was a large, opalescent stone in the center, and the wolves circled around it. They left a gap between Aubrey and Adellinde to his left. She looked at me and gestured to me to fill it. There was another gap further away for Celestria, I noticed. So she was still gone. Why was I on his left? Something to do with the Zeta, maybe? I sat. They all stared intently at the stone. Suddently, Aubrey broke the silence, throwing his head back and howling. Rafael picked up the chorus, and the rest joined in the song. I sat silently, not knowing my own voice. Aubrey pawed my shoulder. I turned. He had stopped howling, and was looking at me with a wolfish smile on his face, tail wagging.
He barked quietly. “Sing!”
“I don’t know how,” I whined.
“Neither do I. Don’t think,” he replied. “Feel.”
He looked to the moon, and, once more, threw his head back and howled. I turned my face up to the skies and closed my eyes. Their woven voices struck a chord in my soul that I had never felt before. The music rippled through my blood. And then I opened my mouth, and let the song free. In one pure, unbroken note, I sealed my destiny. I was now a blooded Lycan, and would die as such. I didn’t notice, but the other voices, save one, dropped off. It was just Aubrey and me. And when, out of air, my voice dropped into silence, his continued as if it would never stop. I was still holding my breath when his song spiraled into nothing.
He twisted through the forest, the Council moving in sync with him. I tried to keep up, but I kept stumbling in my new wolf body, clumsy paws scrambling over the forest floor that was so foreign to me. He finally stopped at a clearing that seemed to glow with its own ethereal light. There was a large, opalescent stone in the center, and the wolves circled around it. They left a gap between Aubrey and Adellinde to his left. She looked at me and gestured to me to fill it. There was another gap further away for Celestria, I noticed. So she was still gone. Why was I on his left? Something to do with the Zeta, maybe? I sat. They all stared intently at the stone. Suddently, Aubrey broke the silence, throwing his head back and howling. Rafael picked up the chorus, and the rest joined in the song. I sat silently, not knowing my own voice. Aubrey pawed my shoulder. I turned. He had stopped howling, and was looking at me with a wolfish smile on his face, tail wagging.
He barked quietly. “Sing!”
“I don’t know how,” I whined.
“Neither do I. Don’t think,” he replied. “Feel.”
He looked to the moon, and, once more, threw his head back and howled. I turned my face up to the skies and closed my eyes. Their woven voices struck a chord in my soul that I had never felt before. The music rippled through my blood. And then I opened my mouth, and let the song free. In one pure, unbroken note, I sealed my destiny. I was now a blooded Lycan, and would die as such. I didn’t notice, but the other voices, save one, dropped off. It was just Aubrey and me. And when, out of air, my voice dropped into silence, his continued as if it would never stop. I was still holding my breath when his song spiraled into nothing.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Chapter Three, Part Three.
Dressed in a strapless white dress that tied in the back and fell to the floor, Aubrey led me forward to a long stone table. Adellinde stood across it, holding a blade as long as my forearm lightly atop her fingertips. Its ornately decorated hilt had a large, blood-red stone set near the crossguard, and the blade was glossy, black, and so sharp it just might cut me if I stared at it for too long. It must have been twenty pounds, but she held it as if it were a feather. The silence hung heavy in the air as Adellinde gestured for me to lie on the table.
As soon as I did, a few hooded Council members stepped forward to bind my ankles and wrists with rope, and retreated as soon as the final knots were tied.
“Don’t watch what I’m doing,” Linde muttered under her breath. “Lock your eyes on the ceiling.”
And then she gripped the hilt with both hands, and made the cut. The black blade was so incredibly sharp that the only reason I knew she’d done it was the feeling of warm blood dripping down my neck. Because it didn’t hurt, I felt a sense of security that would soon prove false; I had forgotten Aubrey’s warning: it wasn’t the incision that hurt. It was the vapor.
She pulled a small vial from her sleeve. The swirling liquid in it was a sickly green color. Remembering her advice, I averted my eyes. It began as a weak warmth spreading from the incision in a neat halo around it, then spread, growing in intensity until my body was on fire. Every nerve blazed with fiery heat. Through a haze, I felt Linde pinch the wound closed, sealing the vapor in my blood. I screamed and curled inward, straining at the ropes that held me captive, skin searing from the inside. As the heat peaked, my bones and muscles began to shift, taking on a new form. They buckled and shifted, growing and shrinking. I groaned, stretched to my limits and then some. After what felt like hours, they stopped, and the pain began to fade, though it lingered a little around my joints. Panting, my eyes fluttered open. Somehow my vision was different, but I couldn’t quite tell why. And it was so, so noisy… The rustling of the leaves outside, the whisper of the wind, the chirping of a chorus of crickets, and the croak of a lone bullfrog thundered on my unusually-sensitive eardrums. Rolling onto my side, my tail brushed on the stone.
My… Tail…? That sensation was new… What the hell, a tail?! I twisted to look for it. Oh my god, I had a tail!
I turned my gaze to the Council. Aubrey’s small smile showed warm pride, though he was the only one showing warm anything. The rest, aside from stony-faced Tassilo, wore mixed expressions of shock, confusion, and horror.
“What?” I asked, but it came out as a bark. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”
Aubrey stepped forward and took the vial from Adellinde. He uncorked it and dipped the tip of the tapered glass cork in the vapor, then reached toward me. I shrank back, knowing full well how much it had hurt.
He stroked my now-fuzzy forehead. “This doesn’t hurt,” he whispered. “I promise.”
I relaxed and looked at him. His green eyes sparkled as he smiled warmly. He leaned forward again and traced a circle on my forehead with the cork. It pulsed with glowing heat, then faded away. That was strange.
He cut my bonds. “Rise, Athaliah, heiress to the Cavailier line. You are now a-”
“Aubrey.” A clear, deliberate voice interrupted.
His eyes flashed yellow as he turned to glare at the source: a tall, supermodel-thin woman who looked like Linde if she were about twenty-seven stepped forward, pulling her hood back. “Do you really believe it is a good idea to initiate this… This mutt,” she growled, icing me over with a cold stare, “into the Order?”
His expression turned hard, angry. I hadn’t thought it was possible for him to show so much fury. “Celestria, you would do well to step down. It is not your place to question my judgment, and I will not allow you to interrupt a trial,” he seethed.
“Look at her!” she snapped. I cringed. “Daughter of the Cavailier line or not, she is not a Shadow Child!”
“Get out,” he growled.
“What?!”
“Did you not hear me clearly? Get. Out.”
Face red, she glared at him defiantly for a few seconds, then turned on her heel and stormed out, still maintaining the posture of a model on a catwalk.
I whined. What was she talking about? Wasn’t I a russet wolf like the rest of them?
Aubrey looked down at me, eyes green once more. “Now, where was I?... Oh, right. Athaliah, heiress to the Cavailier line, rise. You are now a blooded member of the Order, and you will take your place as Zeta.” I got up hesitantly. The dress I had been wearing hung on my body, no longer knotted to my frame. He gently removed it. “Come with me.”
I jumped down and followed him.
As soon as I did, a few hooded Council members stepped forward to bind my ankles and wrists with rope, and retreated as soon as the final knots were tied.
“Don’t watch what I’m doing,” Linde muttered under her breath. “Lock your eyes on the ceiling.”
And then she gripped the hilt with both hands, and made the cut. The black blade was so incredibly sharp that the only reason I knew she’d done it was the feeling of warm blood dripping down my neck. Because it didn’t hurt, I felt a sense of security that would soon prove false; I had forgotten Aubrey’s warning: it wasn’t the incision that hurt. It was the vapor.
She pulled a small vial from her sleeve. The swirling liquid in it was a sickly green color. Remembering her advice, I averted my eyes. It began as a weak warmth spreading from the incision in a neat halo around it, then spread, growing in intensity until my body was on fire. Every nerve blazed with fiery heat. Through a haze, I felt Linde pinch the wound closed, sealing the vapor in my blood. I screamed and curled inward, straining at the ropes that held me captive, skin searing from the inside. As the heat peaked, my bones and muscles began to shift, taking on a new form. They buckled and shifted, growing and shrinking. I groaned, stretched to my limits and then some. After what felt like hours, they stopped, and the pain began to fade, though it lingered a little around my joints. Panting, my eyes fluttered open. Somehow my vision was different, but I couldn’t quite tell why. And it was so, so noisy… The rustling of the leaves outside, the whisper of the wind, the chirping of a chorus of crickets, and the croak of a lone bullfrog thundered on my unusually-sensitive eardrums. Rolling onto my side, my tail brushed on the stone.
My… Tail…? That sensation was new… What the hell, a tail?! I twisted to look for it. Oh my god, I had a tail!
I turned my gaze to the Council. Aubrey’s small smile showed warm pride, though he was the only one showing warm anything. The rest, aside from stony-faced Tassilo, wore mixed expressions of shock, confusion, and horror.
“What?” I asked, but it came out as a bark. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”
Aubrey stepped forward and took the vial from Adellinde. He uncorked it and dipped the tip of the tapered glass cork in the vapor, then reached toward me. I shrank back, knowing full well how much it had hurt.
He stroked my now-fuzzy forehead. “This doesn’t hurt,” he whispered. “I promise.”
I relaxed and looked at him. His green eyes sparkled as he smiled warmly. He leaned forward again and traced a circle on my forehead with the cork. It pulsed with glowing heat, then faded away. That was strange.
He cut my bonds. “Rise, Athaliah, heiress to the Cavailier line. You are now a-”
“Aubrey.” A clear, deliberate voice interrupted.
His eyes flashed yellow as he turned to glare at the source: a tall, supermodel-thin woman who looked like Linde if she were about twenty-seven stepped forward, pulling her hood back. “Do you really believe it is a good idea to initiate this… This mutt,” she growled, icing me over with a cold stare, “into the Order?”
His expression turned hard, angry. I hadn’t thought it was possible for him to show so much fury. “Celestria, you would do well to step down. It is not your place to question my judgment, and I will not allow you to interrupt a trial,” he seethed.
“Look at her!” she snapped. I cringed. “Daughter of the Cavailier line or not, she is not a Shadow Child!”
“Get out,” he growled.
“What?!”
“Did you not hear me clearly? Get. Out.”
Face red, she glared at him defiantly for a few seconds, then turned on her heel and stormed out, still maintaining the posture of a model on a catwalk.
I whined. What was she talking about? Wasn’t I a russet wolf like the rest of them?
Aubrey looked down at me, eyes green once more. “Now, where was I?... Oh, right. Athaliah, heiress to the Cavailier line, rise. You are now a blooded member of the Order, and you will take your place as Zeta.” I got up hesitantly. The dress I had been wearing hung on my body, no longer knotted to my frame. He gently removed it. “Come with me.”
I jumped down and followed him.
Chapter Three, Part Two.
I woke up a few hours later. It was midday, and the sun was bright, casting lines of light on the floor through the gap in the drapes. A few hours of rest and I felt so much more alert… I got up and smoothed the covers out. Time to explore. Well, time to explore after I cleaned up a bit. There was an old-fashioned wash basin sitting on a small table, with a mirror hung on the wall above it. I washed my face and swished some water round in my mouth. A toothbrush and some toothpaste would have been better, but I had to make do with what I had. I put my jacket back on and pulled my boots on, then left the room, shutting the door behind me.
Even though the stone was like what I imagined would be in an ancient castle, it wasn’t drafty or dim at all. More light shone through the abstract stained glass than what normally could be expected. I couldn’t explain the lack of a draft, though… It would take a lot of time and work to make sure the building was sealed against the cold breezes outside. It was one weird work of architecture, for sure.
Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed me from behind. One arm wrapped around my waist, pulling my arms tight against my sides, and another snaked across my shoulders, pulling me close to whoever grabbed me.
“Good morning,” crooned a somewhat familiar male voice at my ear, warm breath on my cheek. I didn’t respond. “Aww, what’s the matter? Did I frighten you?”
I answered his question by digging my long nails into his legs behind me. He jumped back, giving me the opportunity to turn and backhand him across the face. The sound of my hand connecting with his cheek echoed in the hallway.
“Morning, Rafael. Did you sleep well?” I smirked, hand stinging behind my back.
He cracked his neck –what a gross habit- and smirked at me. “Only as well as you did, milady. No one can rest properly when a delicate rose as your majesty sleeps fitfully.” His eyes sparkled with mischief as he bowed in a melodramatic gesture.
“Ugh,” I groaned. “Drop the act. It reeks worse than the boys’ locker room at the end of sixth period.”
“Your suspicious wound me,” he moaned, clasping a hand to his heart with a gasp.
“Did you have something to say to me or are you just here to be obnoxious?” I snapped.
“I merely wanted to wish you luck, Lady Athaliah of the Stinging Backhand.”
“Ha, funny. Thanks, I guess.” Annoyed by his false formality, I turned to leave.
“You’re going to need it,” he said in a sing-song voice. “The Trial’s a bitch.”
“I deal with you on a regular basis, don’t I?” He chuckled as I walked away.
“Don’t get lost, or you’ll be late. First impressions are very important.”
I replied with a rude, one-fingered salute.
God only knows why Rafael annoyed me so much. I probably would have found him attractive if I didn’t want to knock his head from his shoulders ever time he spoke to me. Whatever, it’s not like it really mattered one way or another.
I paused to examine a tapestry hung on a nearby wall. It was a story about wolves, but I couldn’t tell much else. Some parts were faded and threadbare. While I stared at it, trying to discern the storyline, someone ran into me. I stumbled, almost falling. A bunch of heavy books fell to the ground.
“Aw crap, I’m so sorry!” A petite girl –obviously a wolf from her shoulder-length brown hair, light skin, and hazel eyes- bent to pick them up. “I was reading and I didn’t see you there.”
I crouched to help her. “It’s fine. I’ll live.” The books were old, with thick, well-worn covers. She stood up, fixing her glasses and looking at me.
“Ah! Athaliah. It’s nice to actually meet you.” She shifted her books to one arm and offered a hand. Her grip was unusually strong for being so tiny.
“How did you know my name?” Everybody seemed to these days.
“I’m on the Council.” She smiled. “The Memory Keeper, Dionisia.”
“Ohh. Aubrey told me about you.”
She nodded. “I thought he might. Well, I’m sorry, but I have to be going. Important Council-like business to attend to,” she said, making a face.
I stepped aside. “Of course.”
“See you tonight.”
As she walked away, I returned to examining the tapestry. Figures that someone was going for the dark-ages look. The thought struck me that I wanted to see Aubrey again. This place wasn’t telling me anything, and I wanted to know what lay ahead. He was the only one who seemed to know what was going on. I came upon the council doors. Maybe they would open for me, too. Replicating Vera’s actions from the day before, I breathed on the door, palms flat on the wood. Rock ground against rock, and I stepped back. A muscular, ghostly figure with a sword materialized in front of me, and before I could react, he had the tip at my throat. I stood motionless.
“Identify yourself,” he commanded, in a voice that sounded like that of a thousand men, all chorusing the same order. Acting on some unknown instinct, I replied, “Athaliah, daughter of Joche and heiress to the Cavailier line.”
His wrist twitched, and a couple of drops of my blood snaked down the blade. The metal took on a red tint as the individual droplets spread out over it. He paused, examining it, then sheathed the blade, bowed, and disappeared into the air. The doors grated open.
That was terrifying.
I stepped into the room, and the doors shut. Tongues of fire flickered to life one by one in the lamps mounted on the walls. What was I doing here? I sat, pondering the question. In the unlit gloom behind the table, a door opened and, to my surprise, Aubrey stepped out.
“Athaliah!” he said, obviously as surprised as I was. “What are you doing in here?”
“I… was actually wondering the same thing.”
“How did you get in ? “
“I breathed on the door and a guy with a big sword cut my neck, and disappeared, and then the door opened so I came in.”
“Oh.”
“Um…Yeah. Are you going to tell me what happened?”
“No.”
“…Fine.”
“You’ll understand more after the Trial.”
I made a face.
Even though the stone was like what I imagined would be in an ancient castle, it wasn’t drafty or dim at all. More light shone through the abstract stained glass than what normally could be expected. I couldn’t explain the lack of a draft, though… It would take a lot of time and work to make sure the building was sealed against the cold breezes outside. It was one weird work of architecture, for sure.
Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed me from behind. One arm wrapped around my waist, pulling my arms tight against my sides, and another snaked across my shoulders, pulling me close to whoever grabbed me.
“Good morning,” crooned a somewhat familiar male voice at my ear, warm breath on my cheek. I didn’t respond. “Aww, what’s the matter? Did I frighten you?”
I answered his question by digging my long nails into his legs behind me. He jumped back, giving me the opportunity to turn and backhand him across the face. The sound of my hand connecting with his cheek echoed in the hallway.
“Morning, Rafael. Did you sleep well?” I smirked, hand stinging behind my back.
He cracked his neck –what a gross habit- and smirked at me. “Only as well as you did, milady. No one can rest properly when a delicate rose as your majesty sleeps fitfully.” His eyes sparkled with mischief as he bowed in a melodramatic gesture.
“Ugh,” I groaned. “Drop the act. It reeks worse than the boys’ locker room at the end of sixth period.”
“Your suspicious wound me,” he moaned, clasping a hand to his heart with a gasp.
“Did you have something to say to me or are you just here to be obnoxious?” I snapped.
“I merely wanted to wish you luck, Lady Athaliah of the Stinging Backhand.”
“Ha, funny. Thanks, I guess.” Annoyed by his false formality, I turned to leave.
“You’re going to need it,” he said in a sing-song voice. “The Trial’s a bitch.”
“I deal with you on a regular basis, don’t I?” He chuckled as I walked away.
“Don’t get lost, or you’ll be late. First impressions are very important.”
I replied with a rude, one-fingered salute.
God only knows why Rafael annoyed me so much. I probably would have found him attractive if I didn’t want to knock his head from his shoulders ever time he spoke to me. Whatever, it’s not like it really mattered one way or another.
I paused to examine a tapestry hung on a nearby wall. It was a story about wolves, but I couldn’t tell much else. Some parts were faded and threadbare. While I stared at it, trying to discern the storyline, someone ran into me. I stumbled, almost falling. A bunch of heavy books fell to the ground.
“Aw crap, I’m so sorry!” A petite girl –obviously a wolf from her shoulder-length brown hair, light skin, and hazel eyes- bent to pick them up. “I was reading and I didn’t see you there.”
I crouched to help her. “It’s fine. I’ll live.” The books were old, with thick, well-worn covers. She stood up, fixing her glasses and looking at me.
“Ah! Athaliah. It’s nice to actually meet you.” She shifted her books to one arm and offered a hand. Her grip was unusually strong for being so tiny.
“How did you know my name?” Everybody seemed to these days.
“I’m on the Council.” She smiled. “The Memory Keeper, Dionisia.”
“Ohh. Aubrey told me about you.”
She nodded. “I thought he might. Well, I’m sorry, but I have to be going. Important Council-like business to attend to,” she said, making a face.
I stepped aside. “Of course.”
“See you tonight.”
As she walked away, I returned to examining the tapestry. Figures that someone was going for the dark-ages look. The thought struck me that I wanted to see Aubrey again. This place wasn’t telling me anything, and I wanted to know what lay ahead. He was the only one who seemed to know what was going on. I came upon the council doors. Maybe they would open for me, too. Replicating Vera’s actions from the day before, I breathed on the door, palms flat on the wood. Rock ground against rock, and I stepped back. A muscular, ghostly figure with a sword materialized in front of me, and before I could react, he had the tip at my throat. I stood motionless.
“Identify yourself,” he commanded, in a voice that sounded like that of a thousand men, all chorusing the same order. Acting on some unknown instinct, I replied, “Athaliah, daughter of Joche and heiress to the Cavailier line.”
His wrist twitched, and a couple of drops of my blood snaked down the blade. The metal took on a red tint as the individual droplets spread out over it. He paused, examining it, then sheathed the blade, bowed, and disappeared into the air. The doors grated open.
That was terrifying.
I stepped into the room, and the doors shut. Tongues of fire flickered to life one by one in the lamps mounted on the walls. What was I doing here? I sat, pondering the question. In the unlit gloom behind the table, a door opened and, to my surprise, Aubrey stepped out.
“Athaliah!” he said, obviously as surprised as I was. “What are you doing in here?”
“I… was actually wondering the same thing.”
“How did you get in ? “
“I breathed on the door and a guy with a big sword cut my neck, and disappeared, and then the door opened so I came in.”
“Oh.”
“Um…Yeah. Are you going to tell me what happened?”
“No.”
“…Fine.”
“You’ll understand more after the Trial.”
I made a face.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Chapter Three, Part One.
I woke up in a bed that wasn't mine for the second time in under twenty-four hours. This could be slightly problematic.
After stretching like a cat, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. The room I was in was much more plush than the room I had been in earlier. I was stretched out under silky sheets and a black velvet coverlet stitched with silver in a big, four-posted canopy bed that sat against the wall in a spacious, elegantly decorated room that I viewed from behind a sheer black canopy. I slid out of bed and padded to the window, barefoot on the black marble floor. The night's cape was beginning to blow back in the face of the dawn, with a golden glow that purpled the hem. It was beautiful. I admired the view for a while before pulling the thick silver drapes shut in favor of exploring the rest of the room. The room was dimly lit by a few wall-mounted lanterns near the arched doorway. After coming across a large candle lighter sitting on a table near the doorway(A pretty strange thing to find in a room so medieval-looking), I lit a few more lanterns around the room. The room glowed.
Satisfied with the lighting, I proceeded to the armoire that stood against the wall across from the bed. I opened the doors of the closet-like top half and found lots of threads that I thought might wrinkle if I stared at them too hard. High maintenance? Not interested. I flipped through the hangers anyway and came upon a white button-up that was just sturdy enough to not crease at the touch. It seems weird to want to put on some random clothes I came across in a room I had never been in before, but somehow I felt comfortable doing it. The clothes in the armoire smelled familiar, but it was faint and I couldn't place the scent. All I knew was that it made me feel at home. I pulled out the white shirt and shut the doors. Still curious, I opened up the drawers below the doors and found a black waist corset with purple stitching. Further down, I found a pair of stretchy black pants. Whoever owned that wardrobe had really good taste. After closing the drawers, I swapped my clothes from the night before with the ones I had just pulled out of the armoire. Everything fit perfectly. How completely weird.
Not wanting to leave the room to explore the hall -or whatever was out there- quite yet, I walked back over to the curtains and stepped through them to the balcony. It wasn't too cold outside, just pleasant enough for me to leave my black jacket where it was on the bed. I stood at the balcony railing, looking out over the forest. From there, I could see all of the courtyard. It was as eerily still as the forest immediately surrounding it. There was no sound aside from the rustling of the leaves as the wind made its way through. No birdcalls or anything. It was a little creepy, like something wasn't right and the forest was holding its breath, waiting for the final straw.
"Quiet, isn't it?" a voice said softly by my ear.
I turned to see Vera a little too close to my face, bent down over my shoulder. "Yeah... Are you all that stealthy?"
"Most of us are," she laughed. "It comes with time and the turning. Figured out why it's so quiet?"
"I think so. The animals know there are wolves here."
"You've got it."
"Doesn't that make us look like the bad guys? Even though they could possibly be eaten, you can still find birds near the caves of bears and stuff."
She shrugged. "I don't know, hon. No one's ever asked me that, so I've never considered the answer."
"Oh... So, um, Aubrey said my Blood Trial is today."
"Yes. It will be tonight, after the moon rises. You will be kept from direct moonlight until you're on the table, though. The first turn is unpredictable, and we don't want you to cause any damage to yourself or anyone else." I made a face, and she smiled reassuringly in response. "It isn't bad. You're a Shadow Child, after all."
"Well, I think I'll go pass out for a few hours. It's probably better if I'm not drowsy during the Trial." I walked back through the curtains.
"Okay. See you later." She opened the door to leave, but stopped and turned back to me. "By the way, your mom's clothes look fantastic on you. You look a lot like her." And then she was gone.
My... Mom...? I turned to look back at the room. This must have been hers. She was here, maybe when she was my age...And these clothes were also hers. I smiled as I was struck with an inconsequential concern, and carefully took off her white shirt and put it back on the hanger in the armoire. Can't have sleep-wrinkled clothes at my Trial.
Back in my own shirt, I crawled back into the big bed and went to sleep.
Monday, November 24, 2008
End of Chapter Two.
Hey, all.
This first post for chapter three is going to be very long. Already, I have one and a half written pages, and I haven't hit a pause point yet. We'll see how this goes. I may have to devise a new system of when to stop each update.
But until then, I've been looking for a good publisher and have found a large list of them. These are publishers that have bought the rights of a book from the author, instead of having the author pay for them to print it.
However, if anyone knows any published authors who've had the rights bought from them as debut writers, it would be great if you'd let me know which publishing company it was. Thanks in advance.
If you can't leave me comments here, I'll be creating a MySpace to make this more available to everyone.
*Update: The MySpace URL is www.myspace.com/janelleavalon. Please add me if you have MySpace.
~Janelle
This first post for chapter three is going to be very long. Already, I have one and a half written pages, and I haven't hit a pause point yet. We'll see how this goes. I may have to devise a new system of when to stop each update.
But until then, I've been looking for a good publisher and have found a large list of them. These are publishers that have bought the rights of a book from the author, instead of having the author pay for them to print it.
However, if anyone knows any published authors who've had the rights bought from them as debut writers, it would be great if you'd let me know which publishing company it was. Thanks in advance.
If you can't leave me comments here, I'll be creating a MySpace to make this more available to everyone.
*Update: The MySpace URL is www.myspace.com/janelleavalon. Please add me if you have MySpace.
~Janelle
Chapter Two, Part Nine.
I looked at him blankly. "Uh...huh... So, my mother was a Pathguide? Was she royal, too?"
"Yes. She didn't need to become one, but with her nurturing personality, the position spoke to her. She was loved even by newborns who weren't technically under her guidance, just because she cared for everyone without regard to who they were."
"Oh, I remember her being that way," I smiled. "But I don't understand something. Why didn't she ever tell me about what I was? She had to have known."
"You were too young. She wanted to protect you from, as you put it so well, 'the stuff of nightmares'. She talked to me about it once, and asked me what I thought of telling you. I think the reason she asked me is because I turned when I was very young, because of the strong blood of the Alpha."
"She... She talked to you? But you can't have been much older than me!"
His eyes twinkled. "Oh, can't I?"
"...What?!"
"Well, princess, the way we age is much different than how humans age. We grow to our peak, and then stop. Unless acted upon by an outside force, we can live forever. So I," he smirked. "Am much older than I look."
"...Then how old are you?"
"I'm about 110, give or take," he said, casually plucking a blade of grass beside him.
My jaw dropped in stupefied shock for a few seconds before I pulled it together. "110... Well, uh, looking good, I guess." Wait a minute, what the-? "What?!" I exploded.
He laughed. "I always did look young for my age."
"That doesn't even cover it," I snorted.
"I suppose not."
"So, you attending the Academy is just a cover?"
"Basically. It also serves as a way for us to discreetly congregate the Shadow Children."
"So that's why Carmen and I are here."
"Yes, that's exactly it."
"Sneaky."
"So it is." he looked to the darkened sky. The stars stood out clearly like pinpricks in the navy blue velvet. "Do you have anything urgent scheduled tomorrow? Any tests or the like?"
"Nothing academic, but I need to take care of my sister."
"She's a big girl, Princess." he looked back at me. "We'll arrange for her to be looked after by one of the house-mothers in the elementary wing."
"Why?"
"Your Blood Trial is tomorrow, and you've stayed out rather late tonight," he answered. I opened my mouth to speak, but I lost the thread of what I was saying and shut it. "Well, it's tomorrow unless you want to try to forget what you are and what you've learned tonight. If that's the case, I wish you luck. You'll need it."
"No, no, that's not it." I yawned. "I think I'm just tired."
"And you have all the right in the world to be. It's late." He brushed a lock of hair out of my face as I yawned again. It was strange how tenderly he treated me. If I didn't know better... The thought trailed off as he whispered, "Good night, Princess."
The last thing I remember was foggy... I was being carried and tucked into a bed by someone who was tall, strong, and smelled like the woods after it rained.
I thought it was Aubrey.
But, then again, I could have been just dreaming.
"Yes. She didn't need to become one, but with her nurturing personality, the position spoke to her. She was loved even by newborns who weren't technically under her guidance, just because she cared for everyone without regard to who they were."
"Oh, I remember her being that way," I smiled. "But I don't understand something. Why didn't she ever tell me about what I was? She had to have known."
"You were too young. She wanted to protect you from, as you put it so well, 'the stuff of nightmares'. She talked to me about it once, and asked me what I thought of telling you. I think the reason she asked me is because I turned when I was very young, because of the strong blood of the Alpha."
"She... She talked to you? But you can't have been much older than me!"
His eyes twinkled. "Oh, can't I?"
"...What?!"
"Well, princess, the way we age is much different than how humans age. We grow to our peak, and then stop. Unless acted upon by an outside force, we can live forever. So I," he smirked. "Am much older than I look."
"...Then how old are you?"
"I'm about 110, give or take," he said, casually plucking a blade of grass beside him.
My jaw dropped in stupefied shock for a few seconds before I pulled it together. "110... Well, uh, looking good, I guess." Wait a minute, what the-? "What?!" I exploded.
He laughed. "I always did look young for my age."
"That doesn't even cover it," I snorted.
"I suppose not."
"So, you attending the Academy is just a cover?"
"Basically. It also serves as a way for us to discreetly congregate the Shadow Children."
"So that's why Carmen and I are here."
"Yes, that's exactly it."
"Sneaky."
"So it is." he looked to the darkened sky. The stars stood out clearly like pinpricks in the navy blue velvet. "Do you have anything urgent scheduled tomorrow? Any tests or the like?"
"Nothing academic, but I need to take care of my sister."
"She's a big girl, Princess." he looked back at me. "We'll arrange for her to be looked after by one of the house-mothers in the elementary wing."
"Why?"
"Your Blood Trial is tomorrow, and you've stayed out rather late tonight," he answered. I opened my mouth to speak, but I lost the thread of what I was saying and shut it. "Well, it's tomorrow unless you want to try to forget what you are and what you've learned tonight. If that's the case, I wish you luck. You'll need it."
"No, no, that's not it." I yawned. "I think I'm just tired."
"And you have all the right in the world to be. It's late." He brushed a lock of hair out of my face as I yawned again. It was strange how tenderly he treated me. If I didn't know better... The thought trailed off as he whispered, "Good night, Princess."
The last thing I remember was foggy... I was being carried and tucked into a bed by someone who was tall, strong, and smelled like the woods after it rained.
I thought it was Aubrey.
But, then again, I could have been just dreaming.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Chapter Two, Part Eight.
"But I'm getting off-track," he said, breaking the line of discussion. "After their Pathguides assess them, New Bloods are brought before the Council, where they are evaluated, and then, if they pass, undergo a Blood Trial."
"Wait a minute."
"Yes?"
"What exactly is a Pathguide?"
"A Pathguide is an older wolf whose responsibility is to determine whether or not a New Blood should be recommended, and mentor those who pass the Trial. Though we decide our own rulings, the Pathguides' recommendations are crucial in determining the future of the New Blood.
"Now, the Trial. During a Blood Trial, a New Blood is brought into the main chamber of the Den."
"The Den?"
"Yes. The Den is what we call this area within the ivy walls." I nodded, connecting the dots, and he continued. "This may panic you, but you must know the truth first off. The one at Trial is strapped to a table, where one of the Council members, usually Adellinde, will perform the Trial. She takes a knife and draws it across the top of the collarbone. It's very sharp, so, initially, the New Bloods don't react. Then comes the real Trial, the real Blood test. She uncorks a vial of vapor, and pours it into the cut.
"You see, the Human hunters and the Shadow Children -us- evolved slightly differently. Vapor causes extreme pain to us both, and forces us to change. The Hunters, however, change into black wolves. We, the Shadow Children, change into brown wolves. Additionally, our slightly divergent evolution led to our ability to stave off the change when we're out of direct moonlight during a full moon. The Hunters do not have that ability."
"What do you do if they turn out to be Human hunters? You don't kill them off, do you?"
"No, we don't. We've found that if we inject silver nitrate, a small dose, into the bloodstream, the change can be permanently halted."
"So wolves have an aversion to silver, like in the myths." He nodded. "What if there is a new Shadow Child who doesn't want to join... this?"
"Well, we never force anyone into joining the clan, but we don't take any steps to prevent their transformations. Without guidance, they will be unable to control their own bodies over their instincts. Suffice it to say, they all come back eventually."
"So there is no real choice."
"In the end, no."
"Oh..."
"What is it? Do you wish to deny your birthright?" He smiled to alleviate the heaviness of what he had said.
I smiled back crookedly. "I don't know my birthright."
"Ah, right. Well now, princess, first, you are of Shadow Child descent. Second, you are no ordinary wolf. You are of the Cavailier bloodline."
"What makes the Cavailiers so important?"
"They are the original bloodline. Our version of royalty." My jaw dropped. Carmen and me? Royalty?! He laughed at my expression. "Not even blooded, and you're already of pretty high rank."
"What about my sister? Is she royal too?"
"Well, she's still a little young. The Blood doesn't always present in all descendants of wolves, either. Some are born human. As for your sister... I really don't know for certain. I don't think so, just based on her appearance."
"Her appearance?"
"You haven't noticed? We all have dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and pale skin."
"Ohh." Carmen had a slightly darker complexion than I did, with black hair and brown eyes. "Oh! What's with the yellow eyes?"
He was caught off-guard by the question. "I didn't know you'd seen that."
"I saw yours, Rafael's, and... and mine."
"Yours? But you haven't undergone your first change yet; your eyes shouldn't be turning at all yet." I gave him a quick run-down of the dream I'd had. His expression hardened. "This is troubling. Proceed with caution, Athaliah. Our dreams are more than works of the imagination." He chuckled. "Maybe our princess is in need of a bodyguard."
"Wait a minute."
"Yes?"
"What exactly is a Pathguide?"
"A Pathguide is an older wolf whose responsibility is to determine whether or not a New Blood should be recommended, and mentor those who pass the Trial. Though we decide our own rulings, the Pathguides' recommendations are crucial in determining the future of the New Blood.
"Now, the Trial. During a Blood Trial, a New Blood is brought into the main chamber of the Den."
"The Den?"
"Yes. The Den is what we call this area within the ivy walls." I nodded, connecting the dots, and he continued. "This may panic you, but you must know the truth first off. The one at Trial is strapped to a table, where one of the Council members, usually Adellinde, will perform the Trial. She takes a knife and draws it across the top of the collarbone. It's very sharp, so, initially, the New Bloods don't react. Then comes the real Trial, the real Blood test. She uncorks a vial of vapor, and pours it into the cut.
"You see, the Human hunters and the Shadow Children -us- evolved slightly differently. Vapor causes extreme pain to us both, and forces us to change. The Hunters, however, change into black wolves. We, the Shadow Children, change into brown wolves. Additionally, our slightly divergent evolution led to our ability to stave off the change when we're out of direct moonlight during a full moon. The Hunters do not have that ability."
"What do you do if they turn out to be Human hunters? You don't kill them off, do you?"
"No, we don't. We've found that if we inject silver nitrate, a small dose, into the bloodstream, the change can be permanently halted."
"So wolves have an aversion to silver, like in the myths." He nodded. "What if there is a new Shadow Child who doesn't want to join... this?"
"Well, we never force anyone into joining the clan, but we don't take any steps to prevent their transformations. Without guidance, they will be unable to control their own bodies over their instincts. Suffice it to say, they all come back eventually."
"So there is no real choice."
"In the end, no."
"Oh..."
"What is it? Do you wish to deny your birthright?" He smiled to alleviate the heaviness of what he had said.
I smiled back crookedly. "I don't know my birthright."
"Ah, right. Well now, princess, first, you are of Shadow Child descent. Second, you are no ordinary wolf. You are of the Cavailier bloodline."
"What makes the Cavailiers so important?"
"They are the original bloodline. Our version of royalty." My jaw dropped. Carmen and me? Royalty?! He laughed at my expression. "Not even blooded, and you're already of pretty high rank."
"What about my sister? Is she royal too?"
"Well, she's still a little young. The Blood doesn't always present in all descendants of wolves, either. Some are born human. As for your sister... I really don't know for certain. I don't think so, just based on her appearance."
"Her appearance?"
"You haven't noticed? We all have dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and pale skin."
"Ohh." Carmen had a slightly darker complexion than I did, with black hair and brown eyes. "Oh! What's with the yellow eyes?"
He was caught off-guard by the question. "I didn't know you'd seen that."
"I saw yours, Rafael's, and... and mine."
"Yours? But you haven't undergone your first change yet; your eyes shouldn't be turning at all yet." I gave him a quick run-down of the dream I'd had. His expression hardened. "This is troubling. Proceed with caution, Athaliah. Our dreams are more than works of the imagination." He chuckled. "Maybe our princess is in need of a bodyguard."
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Chapter Two, Part Seven.
The doors shut, and it was Aubrey and me alone. I felt my face flush as he gazed at me openly, then stepped away from his chair and walked closer.
"We haven't been formally introduced, have we? My name is Aubrey," he put out his hand, and I took it, to shake it, I thought. Instead, he went all old-timey gentleman on me and kissed my hand. My ears burned in response. "And we have met before."
"We... We have?" I stammered. He smiled, still holding my hand to his face.
"Yes. Mr. Conrich's AP American History class, third period?"
And then it clicked. That kid Trent and Brenner always picked on! It was him! How come he didn't make my heart beat at a million beats per second before?
"Oh my god! You?!" He gently released my hand, chuckling. "Sorry if this is out of line, but, ah, why are you such a pushover in there, when you're so high up on the food chain here?"
His chuckling crescendoed into a full-bodied laugh. "Because those jerks aren't worth it, Athaliah. It's worth more to me to ignore them, knowing I could easily dispatch them. Plus, it allowed me to watch your reaction, observe your character. And your temper." He winked at me. "You're kind of cute when you're mad."
Thrown off-guard by the small flirtation, I didn't answer. He continued. "Now, then. To address your history. Our history. And what it is to be of the Blood."
He turned and strode past me, opening the doors the same way Vera had. Still a bit dazed, it didn't really register that he wanted me to follow him until he turned back and beckoned.
He led me out, down a hallway, and into a courtyard within the building. Everyone else had disappeared into the other parts of the building, I assumed. Even though he was the Alpha, which I understood meant the leader of the group, I felt more at ease with him than with anyone else, even Vera, who I had instantly felt comfortable with. He sat on one of the wrought-iron benches sitting in a semicircle in the center and gestured me to follow suit. After thinking about it for a minute, I plunked myself down on the soft grass instead and grinned up at him, trying to avoid offending him. He didn't seem to get ruffled feathers too easily, though, and smiled back with a laugh.
"So, let's play a little Q and A," he said, moving from the bench onto the grass in front of me.
"Okay," I replied. "What is the importance of the Cavailier name?"
"Ah, the big question. Well, to first answer that one, I have to address a few other things first, such as what the Blood is."
"Well, that's good, because I was wondering about that, too."
He smiled, but not as widely as he had before. "The Blood is... Well, we're not sure exactly what it is. Scientists are more eager to disprove its existence than to find out what it is. But anyway. The Blood is passed on through infection and through mating. It causes a change in us. All of us. The first full moon after our Blood awakens in us, we transform for the first time. For a while, it occurs every full moon, but with time, with training, the change can be controlled at will."
"So you're... you're..."
"Go ahead, say it," he smiled.
"You're werewolves! Hell, if I have this Blood, then I'm a werewolf!"
"That's right. See, fairy tales all have some sort of truth to them."
"Don't you mean horror story?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Athaliah, we don't turn into mindless beasts who run rampant and rip people to shreds under a full moon."
"No, that isn't what I meant. Fairy tales are usually pixie dust, dancing babies, and pretty princesses in castle towers. What you are... What we are... Well, we're the stuff of nightmares." I curled up on the ground.
He sighed. "You're right. And it's sad that we've been painted that color." Stretching out his legs, he groaned. "But I can't say that our predecessors didn't earn the reputation. At least not truthfully." I looked at him questioningly, and he sighed again. "Our ancestors were brutal animals. They did, in fact, tear humans to pieces and feast on their flesh." I cringed. "But we evolved. A few of us developed past our primitive instincts, and broke off from the rest of the pack, choosing to coexist with humans instead of prey on them. The rest... Well, they ended up being hunted to extinction. Many by our own hands, some by the hands of the humans."
"You... You killed your own?" I asked in horror.
He looked at the ground. "We had to." he said softly. "Any rift will cause violence; all it needs is extremists to push war, and war will follow. There were many casualties on both sides, and many of us watched those we loved die." he pressed his fingers to his eyes, as if trying to block the memories. But why would he have memories? He was only about eighteen...Right...? "And so we vowed that it would never happen again. This is why we have the protocol for the New Bloods.
"Some wolves show very early that they would be hungry for the taste of flesh. Although many of us are opposed to the killing of humans, some show very early that they would hunt at every opportunity. Not all of us are able to responsibly bear the ability to kill. So we formed a Council. There is me, Rafael, who you already met, obviously," he raised an eyebrow. "I do want to hear about that, by the way." I shifted uncomfortably. "Adallinde, the girl who probably argued with him while you were there; Tassilo, the one who I was talking to before the Council was dismissed; Celestria, who usually holds her tongue unless her diplomatic skills are absolutely necessary; and Dionisia, who keeps documentation of Council meetings. The reason we repeat names and such is for her."
"These are all really far-out names. Am I going to get attacked for forgetting any of them?"
"They do have nicknames, you know," he laughed. "You probably already heard that Rafael goes by Ray sometimes, and Adallinde goes by Addy or Linde, Celestria goes by Cele, and Dionisia goes by Di. Tassilo and I are the only two without them, but you see me a lot," he winked. "And Tassilo's name is kind of hard to forget."
"But...But that doesn't answer the question..." I protested.
"It's alright, Lali," he said. "they won't hurt you. There's no reason to be freaked out; we're just wolves. Like you."
I squeezed my eyes shut. "Please don't call me that."
"I'm sorry," he said gently. "Do you mind if I ask why?"
"My mother always called me that because she thought it was cute that my sister couldn't pronounce my name." I whispered.
He didn't answer right away. After a pause, he said, "I'm sorry about what happened to her. Your mother was an incredible woman... I miss her."
I reached for the pentagram I wore. "Me too." Then something registered. "Wait, how did you know my mother?"
"Ahh, nice catch. I wondered if you would notice." he smiled. "Yes, I knew your mother. She was my Pathguide when I was a New Blood."
"We haven't been formally introduced, have we? My name is Aubrey," he put out his hand, and I took it, to shake it, I thought. Instead, he went all old-timey gentleman on me and kissed my hand. My ears burned in response. "And we have met before."
"We... We have?" I stammered. He smiled, still holding my hand to his face.
"Yes. Mr. Conrich's AP American History class, third period?"
And then it clicked. That kid Trent and Brenner always picked on! It was him! How come he didn't make my heart beat at a million beats per second before?
"Oh my god! You?!" He gently released my hand, chuckling. "Sorry if this is out of line, but, ah, why are you such a pushover in there, when you're so high up on the food chain here?"
His chuckling crescendoed into a full-bodied laugh. "Because those jerks aren't worth it, Athaliah. It's worth more to me to ignore them, knowing I could easily dispatch them. Plus, it allowed me to watch your reaction, observe your character. And your temper." He winked at me. "You're kind of cute when you're mad."
Thrown off-guard by the small flirtation, I didn't answer. He continued. "Now, then. To address your history. Our history. And what it is to be of the Blood."
He turned and strode past me, opening the doors the same way Vera had. Still a bit dazed, it didn't really register that he wanted me to follow him until he turned back and beckoned.
He led me out, down a hallway, and into a courtyard within the building. Everyone else had disappeared into the other parts of the building, I assumed. Even though he was the Alpha, which I understood meant the leader of the group, I felt more at ease with him than with anyone else, even Vera, who I had instantly felt comfortable with. He sat on one of the wrought-iron benches sitting in a semicircle in the center and gestured me to follow suit. After thinking about it for a minute, I plunked myself down on the soft grass instead and grinned up at him, trying to avoid offending him. He didn't seem to get ruffled feathers too easily, though, and smiled back with a laugh.
"So, let's play a little Q and A," he said, moving from the bench onto the grass in front of me.
"Okay," I replied. "What is the importance of the Cavailier name?"
"Ah, the big question. Well, to first answer that one, I have to address a few other things first, such as what the Blood is."
"Well, that's good, because I was wondering about that, too."
He smiled, but not as widely as he had before. "The Blood is... Well, we're not sure exactly what it is. Scientists are more eager to disprove its existence than to find out what it is. But anyway. The Blood is passed on through infection and through mating. It causes a change in us. All of us. The first full moon after our Blood awakens in us, we transform for the first time. For a while, it occurs every full moon, but with time, with training, the change can be controlled at will."
"So you're... you're..."
"Go ahead, say it," he smiled.
"You're werewolves! Hell, if I have this Blood, then I'm a werewolf!"
"That's right. See, fairy tales all have some sort of truth to them."
"Don't you mean horror story?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Athaliah, we don't turn into mindless beasts who run rampant and rip people to shreds under a full moon."
"No, that isn't what I meant. Fairy tales are usually pixie dust, dancing babies, and pretty princesses in castle towers. What you are... What we are... Well, we're the stuff of nightmares." I curled up on the ground.
He sighed. "You're right. And it's sad that we've been painted that color." Stretching out his legs, he groaned. "But I can't say that our predecessors didn't earn the reputation. At least not truthfully." I looked at him questioningly, and he sighed again. "Our ancestors were brutal animals. They did, in fact, tear humans to pieces and feast on their flesh." I cringed. "But we evolved. A few of us developed past our primitive instincts, and broke off from the rest of the pack, choosing to coexist with humans instead of prey on them. The rest... Well, they ended up being hunted to extinction. Many by our own hands, some by the hands of the humans."
"You... You killed your own?" I asked in horror.
He looked at the ground. "We had to." he said softly. "Any rift will cause violence; all it needs is extremists to push war, and war will follow. There were many casualties on both sides, and many of us watched those we loved die." he pressed his fingers to his eyes, as if trying to block the memories. But why would he have memories? He was only about eighteen...Right...? "And so we vowed that it would never happen again. This is why we have the protocol for the New Bloods.
"Some wolves show very early that they would be hungry for the taste of flesh. Although many of us are opposed to the killing of humans, some show very early that they would hunt at every opportunity. Not all of us are able to responsibly bear the ability to kill. So we formed a Council. There is me, Rafael, who you already met, obviously," he raised an eyebrow. "I do want to hear about that, by the way." I shifted uncomfortably. "Adallinde, the girl who probably argued with him while you were there; Tassilo, the one who I was talking to before the Council was dismissed; Celestria, who usually holds her tongue unless her diplomatic skills are absolutely necessary; and Dionisia, who keeps documentation of Council meetings. The reason we repeat names and such is for her."
"These are all really far-out names. Am I going to get attacked for forgetting any of them?"
"They do have nicknames, you know," he laughed. "You probably already heard that Rafael goes by Ray sometimes, and Adallinde goes by Addy or Linde, Celestria goes by Cele, and Dionisia goes by Di. Tassilo and I are the only two without them, but you see me a lot," he winked. "And Tassilo's name is kind of hard to forget."
"But...But that doesn't answer the question..." I protested.
"It's alright, Lali," he said. "they won't hurt you. There's no reason to be freaked out; we're just wolves. Like you."
I squeezed my eyes shut. "Please don't call me that."
"I'm sorry," he said gently. "Do you mind if I ask why?"
"My mother always called me that because she thought it was cute that my sister couldn't pronounce my name." I whispered.
He didn't answer right away. After a pause, he said, "I'm sorry about what happened to her. Your mother was an incredible woman... I miss her."
I reached for the pentagram I wore. "Me too." Then something registered. "Wait, how did you know my mother?"
"Ahh, nice catch. I wondered if you would notice." he smiled. "Yes, I knew your mother. She was my Pathguide when I was a New Blood."
Chapter Two, Part Six.
As my eyes adjusted to the low lamplight of the chamber, a long table covered by a thick linen tablecloth became visible. A group of older teenagers and some who looked a bit older, male and female, all clothed in velvet, leather, and lace. Their faces were blank, and they all shared the same light complexion and their eyes and hair were all colored similarly. It was like a creepy old horror movie. How cliche. My mouth twisted into a smile that I hid quickly. The "Council" that the girl had mentioned would probably not appreciate my humor.
"I humbly approach the Council with a New Blood," she said, kneeling beside me. As I looked at her, bewildered, she waved to me to kneel. I hurriedly followed her example.
"Vervain Chalmers, Pathguide, you are admitted, as is this New Blood," a slender girl with a ringing voice replied. "The Council will now convene." I looked to my companion, but her eyes were on the Council.
"Now that that's out of the way..." her serious expression dissolved, and she smiled. "Can't a couple of pretty ladies get some chairs?" What in the hell?! What happened to the seriousness?
"Vera, you really should abide by the rules better," grinned the guy who had attacked me earlier. Vera had said his name was Ray, and that he was the Beta. No excuse for being a jerk. As if he had heard my thoughts, he looked at me and winked. I almost toppled over in surprise, making his smile wider.
"Ahh, to hell with the rules," Vera said as she walked over to a corner of the room and brought over a couple of velvety chairs for the two of us. "Here, sit. This could take a while."
I obeyed. "I-, uh, do I have to ask permission to speak or something?" my voice sounded small in the large space, in sharp contrast to the other voices that had only just finished echoing.
"No, you don't," chimed the slender girl who had "admitted" Vera. She smiled kindly. "One thing first though. What is your name, just for the record?" Upon hearing the question, Ray smirked. Perhaps he was more informed than the rest of the Council.
"Athaliah Cavailier."
The girl's eyes widened. "Did...Did you say Cavailier?"
"Uh...Yes?" Even Vera was staring at me with eyes wide. Only Ray didn't react, aside from the smile that still played across his lips. He was kind of a creeper when he did that. Again, he reacted as if he had heard me, this time chuckling. Seriously creepy. The Council muttered to each other.
Vera turned to face me. "Do you fully grasp what you've just said?"
"What did I say...? Did I say something offensive or something?" Her jaw dropped. "Why are you staring at me like that?!"
"You don't know anything about your history, do you?"
"I... My what?"
The slender girl sitting at the Council table spoke up. "Rafael Cacciatore."
"Ye-es?" he answered slowly.
"Did you know of this girl's parentage before this assembly?"
"Adallinde Sebas," he accented every syllable mockingly. Either he didn't like her, or he didn't like protocol. "You, and all at this table, know that I research every New Blood in great detail before they are even aware that they carry the Blood."
"Why did you not inform us of the lineage of this one?"
His eyes sparked. "You seem to have forgotten that I am the Beta, and I answer to the Alpha, and only to the Alpha. I may be younger than you are, but I am not below you. You will do well to remember this fact." With every word, his eyes turned golden yellow, and his laid-back, know-it-all demeanor vanished, replaced with an icy anger. Adallinde stared back, chin jutted out stubbornly.
Suddenly, I felt as if I were intruding. The Council sat in silence during this exchange, some with an here-they-go-again vibe rolling off of them, some looking as uncomfortable as I felt.
The doors suddenly burst open, popping the tension like an overinflated balloon.
"I apologize for being so late. The gardeners were being extraordinarily nosy. Lucky them, they didn't get those noses bitten off, " quipped a tall, wiry boy who looked to be my age. He seemed so familiar. As he swept past me, he fixed his collar and buttoned his long trenchcoat. Pulling a leaf out of his long, wavy hair, he sat at a slightly elevated seat in the center of the table, Ray to his right. "Aubrey Champlain, Alpha, is in attendance. Now then," his velvety voice echoed around the room, sliding around every crack in the floor and walls. I bit my lip, trying to ignore how much I liked hearing him talk. Those annoying, giggly girls who would swoon over boys right after they asked them to "say more words" did not have the attitude I was trying to channel. "What's going on with this New Blood?"
Adallinde and Rafael sat in stubborn silence, glaring in opposite directions, away from each other. Way to act like two year olds, I thought, and Rafael smirked.
A deep male voice, issuing from a bulky older guy sitting at the end of the table, answered. "The Council has convened to discuss the birth of this New Blood."
The boy frowned. "Why did the Council deem it necessary to assemble so quickly?"
"Because this girl is Athaliah Cavailier."
"That makes it all the less necessary. She will be initiated immediately."
"What of her Blood Trial?"
The Alpha, Aubrey, stared at me, silent. Uncomfortable and completely confused, I raised my hand. He looked at me and smiled. "You don't need permission to talk, Athaliah."
I fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well, it um, it seems that everyone here knows something I don't."
He chuckled. "We know a lot that you don't, considering you obviously know nothing of your origins."
Gee thanks, I thought. Because I didn't feel inferior already. Ray snorted. Aubrey turned to him, then to Vera. "How long has he been doing that?"
She burst out laughing. "The whole time, sir."
"Dammit, Ray! The poor girl's already lost as it is and you're not helping!" he smacked the Beta lightly upside the head. I stared in shock. "Knock it off."
"Fine." he pouted like a toddler.
"Wh-?" I began to ask.
"He reads minds," Aubrey answered, grinning from ear to ear. "A neat parlor trick, but very annoying when he does it that much."
My jaw dropped. "He does what?!"
Most of the Council smiled, except for a grave-looking guy who had spoken to Aubrey earlier.
"Many of us have talents like that," he explained. "It's something that goes along with the transformation, for whatever reason."
"The...The what?"
He sat up straight. "You know what? I think I'll just have a conversation with you privately." My heart did a backflip. Talking to him? Alone? I think I'd rather not have a myocardial infarction. "The Council is adjourned."
"Good luck," Vera said, gripping my arm as she walked out. I stood up, moving to follow her, but she stopped me. "You have to talk to Aubrey," she smiled. "Don't worry, he's not going to hurt you." And then she was gone, with the rest of the Council.
"I humbly approach the Council with a New Blood," she said, kneeling beside me. As I looked at her, bewildered, she waved to me to kneel. I hurriedly followed her example.
"Vervain Chalmers, Pathguide, you are admitted, as is this New Blood," a slender girl with a ringing voice replied. "The Council will now convene." I looked to my companion, but her eyes were on the Council.
"Now that that's out of the way..." her serious expression dissolved, and she smiled. "Can't a couple of pretty ladies get some chairs?" What in the hell?! What happened to the seriousness?
"Vera, you really should abide by the rules better," grinned the guy who had attacked me earlier. Vera had said his name was Ray, and that he was the Beta. No excuse for being a jerk. As if he had heard my thoughts, he looked at me and winked. I almost toppled over in surprise, making his smile wider.
"Ahh, to hell with the rules," Vera said as she walked over to a corner of the room and brought over a couple of velvety chairs for the two of us. "Here, sit. This could take a while."
I obeyed. "I-, uh, do I have to ask permission to speak or something?" my voice sounded small in the large space, in sharp contrast to the other voices that had only just finished echoing.
"No, you don't," chimed the slender girl who had "admitted" Vera. She smiled kindly. "One thing first though. What is your name, just for the record?" Upon hearing the question, Ray smirked. Perhaps he was more informed than the rest of the Council.
"Athaliah Cavailier."
The girl's eyes widened. "Did...Did you say Cavailier?"
"Uh...Yes?" Even Vera was staring at me with eyes wide. Only Ray didn't react, aside from the smile that still played across his lips. He was kind of a creeper when he did that. Again, he reacted as if he had heard me, this time chuckling. Seriously creepy. The Council muttered to each other.
Vera turned to face me. "Do you fully grasp what you've just said?"
"What did I say...? Did I say something offensive or something?" Her jaw dropped. "Why are you staring at me like that?!"
"You don't know anything about your history, do you?"
"I... My what?"
The slender girl sitting at the Council table spoke up. "Rafael Cacciatore."
"Ye-es?" he answered slowly.
"Did you know of this girl's parentage before this assembly?"
"Adallinde Sebas," he accented every syllable mockingly. Either he didn't like her, or he didn't like protocol. "You, and all at this table, know that I research every New Blood in great detail before they are even aware that they carry the Blood."
"Why did you not inform us of the lineage of this one?"
His eyes sparked. "You seem to have forgotten that I am the Beta, and I answer to the Alpha, and only to the Alpha. I may be younger than you are, but I am not below you. You will do well to remember this fact." With every word, his eyes turned golden yellow, and his laid-back, know-it-all demeanor vanished, replaced with an icy anger. Adallinde stared back, chin jutted out stubbornly.
Suddenly, I felt as if I were intruding. The Council sat in silence during this exchange, some with an here-they-go-again vibe rolling off of them, some looking as uncomfortable as I felt.
The doors suddenly burst open, popping the tension like an overinflated balloon.
"I apologize for being so late. The gardeners were being extraordinarily nosy. Lucky them, they didn't get those noses bitten off, " quipped a tall, wiry boy who looked to be my age. He seemed so familiar. As he swept past me, he fixed his collar and buttoned his long trenchcoat. Pulling a leaf out of his long, wavy hair, he sat at a slightly elevated seat in the center of the table, Ray to his right. "Aubrey Champlain, Alpha, is in attendance. Now then," his velvety voice echoed around the room, sliding around every crack in the floor and walls. I bit my lip, trying to ignore how much I liked hearing him talk. Those annoying, giggly girls who would swoon over boys right after they asked them to "say more words" did not have the attitude I was trying to channel. "What's going on with this New Blood?"
Adallinde and Rafael sat in stubborn silence, glaring in opposite directions, away from each other. Way to act like two year olds, I thought, and Rafael smirked.
A deep male voice, issuing from a bulky older guy sitting at the end of the table, answered. "The Council has convened to discuss the birth of this New Blood."
The boy frowned. "Why did the Council deem it necessary to assemble so quickly?"
"Because this girl is Athaliah Cavailier."
"That makes it all the less necessary. She will be initiated immediately."
"What of her Blood Trial?"
The Alpha, Aubrey, stared at me, silent. Uncomfortable and completely confused, I raised my hand. He looked at me and smiled. "You don't need permission to talk, Athaliah."
I fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well, it um, it seems that everyone here knows something I don't."
He chuckled. "We know a lot that you don't, considering you obviously know nothing of your origins."
Gee thanks, I thought. Because I didn't feel inferior already. Ray snorted. Aubrey turned to him, then to Vera. "How long has he been doing that?"
She burst out laughing. "The whole time, sir."
"Dammit, Ray! The poor girl's already lost as it is and you're not helping!" he smacked the Beta lightly upside the head. I stared in shock. "Knock it off."
"Fine." he pouted like a toddler.
"Wh-?" I began to ask.
"He reads minds," Aubrey answered, grinning from ear to ear. "A neat parlor trick, but very annoying when he does it that much."
My jaw dropped. "He does what?!"
Most of the Council smiled, except for a grave-looking guy who had spoken to Aubrey earlier.
"Many of us have talents like that," he explained. "It's something that goes along with the transformation, for whatever reason."
"The...The what?"
He sat up straight. "You know what? I think I'll just have a conversation with you privately." My heart did a backflip. Talking to him? Alone? I think I'd rather not have a myocardial infarction. "The Council is adjourned."
"Good luck," Vera said, gripping my arm as she walked out. I stood up, moving to follow her, but she stopped me. "You have to talk to Aubrey," she smiled. "Don't worry, he's not going to hurt you." And then she was gone, with the rest of the Council.
Chapter Two, Part Five.
She smiled brilliantly again. Must be nice to be that cheery. "Anyway, you've slept for longer than we expected! It's time for you to meet the Alpha."
"The... The what?"
She stood up. Damn, she was a lot taller than I originally thought. "Come along, you'll find out soon enough."
I followed her out of the room. Even with my long legs, it was tough to keep up with her pace, and she seemed to be walking leisurely. There was definitely more to this girl than met the eye. As we walked to "meet the Alpha", whatever that meant, I looked around in an attempt to do some mental-mapping, but there were so many twists and other corridors that I lost track. Judging by the stained glass set into ceiling panels every so often, we were still in the cathedral-like building. We reached a set of doors with etchings across them and gold inlaid into the wood in ornate patterns. There were no doorknobs or handles or anything, just the decorations. I wondered how we would get in until she deliberately placed her palms flat on the door and leaned forward, so that her face was almost touching the wood. She breathed on it, and mumbled something incomprehensible but most definitely not English.
The doors rumbled open as she straightened up and stepped to the side, looking at me. "Go ahead." She smiled, noticing my hesitation. "It's okay; the Council won't bite. Unless you bite first, of course." Her eyes twinkled with mischief.
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks," I replied, sarcasm dripping off my lips.
"The... The what?"
She stood up. Damn, she was a lot taller than I originally thought. "Come along, you'll find out soon enough."
I followed her out of the room. Even with my long legs, it was tough to keep up with her pace, and she seemed to be walking leisurely. There was definitely more to this girl than met the eye. As we walked to "meet the Alpha", whatever that meant, I looked around in an attempt to do some mental-mapping, but there were so many twists and other corridors that I lost track. Judging by the stained glass set into ceiling panels every so often, we were still in the cathedral-like building. We reached a set of doors with etchings across them and gold inlaid into the wood in ornate patterns. There were no doorknobs or handles or anything, just the decorations. I wondered how we would get in until she deliberately placed her palms flat on the door and leaned forward, so that her face was almost touching the wood. She breathed on it, and mumbled something incomprehensible but most definitely not English.
The doors rumbled open as she straightened up and stepped to the side, looking at me. "Go ahead." She smiled, noticing my hesitation. "It's okay; the Council won't bite. Unless you bite first, of course." Her eyes twinkled with mischief.
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks," I replied, sarcasm dripping off my lips.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Chapter Two, Part Four.
My eyes fluttered open. I was lying on a small cot in a darkened room, and the thrum of silence surrounded me like a thick blanket. I sat up quickly, throwing off the light coverlet that someone had placed over me.
"Mornin', Sleepin' Beauty," drawled a feminine voice from a shadowy corner behind me. Startled, I leaped up, turning to face the source. A tall girl with copper curls tied into a tight ponytail winked at me, her athletic body slumped into a hard wooden chair. "Have a nice nap?" she grinned, her smile less threatening than the boy who'd knocked me out earlier. Then I remembered: The boy!
"What happened to that guy?" I asked hurriedly.
"What guy?" she answered slowly, tilting her head. "Oh! You mean Ray, don't you?" My mouth twisted in thought. He had never mentioned his name. "Tall, curly brown hair, wears lots of black and a pair of big boots?" I nodded, and she laughed. "Don't worry about him, honey. He's our Beta, and likes putting all of our babies to the test."
"'Our'? 'Babies'?" I asked.
She shook her head, face suddenly serious. "You don't-? Never mind. Not now. Everything will be explained to you later."
"Why later?"
"I can't be the one who tells you."
Author's Note:
Updating my own manuscript takes a lot of time, because I don't get a lot of opportunities to just sit and write. Sorry for the delay!
~Janelle
"Mornin', Sleepin' Beauty," drawled a feminine voice from a shadowy corner behind me. Startled, I leaped up, turning to face the source. A tall girl with copper curls tied into a tight ponytail winked at me, her athletic body slumped into a hard wooden chair. "Have a nice nap?" she grinned, her smile less threatening than the boy who'd knocked me out earlier. Then I remembered: The boy!
"What happened to that guy?" I asked hurriedly.
"What guy?" she answered slowly, tilting her head. "Oh! You mean Ray, don't you?" My mouth twisted in thought. He had never mentioned his name. "Tall, curly brown hair, wears lots of black and a pair of big boots?" I nodded, and she laughed. "Don't worry about him, honey. He's our Beta, and likes putting all of our babies to the test."
"'Our'? 'Babies'?" I asked.
She shook her head, face suddenly serious. "You don't-? Never mind. Not now. Everything will be explained to you later."
"Why later?"
"I can't be the one who tells you."
Author's Note:
Updating my own manuscript takes a lot of time, because I don't get a lot of opportunities to just sit and write. Sorry for the delay!
~Janelle
Chapter Two, Part Three.
My footfalls echoed as I walked across the cold marble floor. I had never before been here, but the same instinct that had called me from my bed sang "Home!" in my head.
"Welcome," a voice shattered the silence, echoing in the massive, empty space. It was deep and male, velvety soft and flavored with bittersweet dark chocolate. I whirled.
"Who are you?" my voice snapped sharply against the walls as I dropped defensively into a fighting stance, fists clenched.
"Come now, no need to be so skittish," crooned a tall boy, a year or two older than me, as he stepped into the square of moonlight that had been sneaking through a window. No wonder I hadn't seen him initially- he was clothed entirely in black: a black turtleneck and slacks over a heavy pair of motorcycle boots. What stood out, though, was his hair and eyes. He had dark, chestnut curls, and gleaming yellow eyes. "You don't know me, but I know all about you, Athaliah Cavailier."
I straightened up and stepped back uncertainly. "Wh- How do you know my name?"
He shook his head for a minute, eyes to the floor. I was getting even more nervous with each move he made.
"Like I said, Athaliah," his head snapped up with a predatory smile, "I know all about you."
And then he lunged at me, teeth bared, aimed right at my throat.
I dodged the attack reflexively, moving to the side and throwing a punch at his jaw in one smooth movement. He abruptly stopped his charge and caught my fist in his palm with a motion even more fluid than mine. "Very nice, for being untrained. A little time, and..." He chuckled. "We'll see." And then he pinched a nerve in my neck, and I passed out.
"Welcome," a voice shattered the silence, echoing in the massive, empty space. It was deep and male, velvety soft and flavored with bittersweet dark chocolate. I whirled.
"Who are you?" my voice snapped sharply against the walls as I dropped defensively into a fighting stance, fists clenched.
"Come now, no need to be so skittish," crooned a tall boy, a year or two older than me, as he stepped into the square of moonlight that had been sneaking through a window. No wonder I hadn't seen him initially- he was clothed entirely in black: a black turtleneck and slacks over a heavy pair of motorcycle boots. What stood out, though, was his hair and eyes. He had dark, chestnut curls, and gleaming yellow eyes. "You don't know me, but I know all about you, Athaliah Cavailier."
I straightened up and stepped back uncertainly. "Wh- How do you know my name?"
He shook his head for a minute, eyes to the floor. I was getting even more nervous with each move he made.
"Like I said, Athaliah," his head snapped up with a predatory smile, "I know all about you."
And then he lunged at me, teeth bared, aimed right at my throat.
I dodged the attack reflexively, moving to the side and throwing a punch at his jaw in one smooth movement. He abruptly stopped his charge and caught my fist in his palm with a motion even more fluid than mine. "Very nice, for being untrained. A little time, and..." He chuckled. "We'll see." And then he pinched a nerve in my neck, and I passed out.
Chapter Two, Part Two.
I followed them deeper into the woods, beginning to gain my wits back. Curiouser and curiouser... Next thing, I'd be seeing a white rabbit with a pocket watch, and I'd follow it down a hole. I grinned at the thought.
We reached an open set of heavy wood doors, covered thickly with ivy. I looked around the arched entry; this was so deep in the forest, I had never caught a glimpse of it. The walls surrounding the courtyard we were entering were as covered in vines as the doors, and were covered in hairline cracks. The ground of the courtyard was barren, but still held a contrary, regal sort of beauty to it. Strange... The isolation of the area should have made it impossible to keep the plants neat. But the most striking thing about where we stood was not the ivy walls or mysterious courtyard, but the cathedral-like building standing in the dead center of the garden.
But this was no church.
In front of the doors, a tiled pentacle was inlaid into the ground, top point aimed at the threshold. My breath caught in my throat. It felt familiar, tugging at a part of me that I didn't understand. Gothic and dark, the symbol carried an air of power of secrecy, silent as the grave. This building called out to me, pulling me towards it, beckoning me closer. I obeyed.
As I walked towards the doors, the wolves fell into step behind me upon some silent signal from the leader. But I didn't notice.
With each step upon the pentacle, my body tingled from the soles of my feet to my fingertips, and chills ran up and down my spine. Reaching the doors, I placed my palms flat onto the wood, feeling them with every inch of skin, pushing them open.
We reached an open set of heavy wood doors, covered thickly with ivy. I looked around the arched entry; this was so deep in the forest, I had never caught a glimpse of it. The walls surrounding the courtyard we were entering were as covered in vines as the doors, and were covered in hairline cracks. The ground of the courtyard was barren, but still held a contrary, regal sort of beauty to it. Strange... The isolation of the area should have made it impossible to keep the plants neat. But the most striking thing about where we stood was not the ivy walls or mysterious courtyard, but the cathedral-like building standing in the dead center of the garden.
But this was no church.
In front of the doors, a tiled pentacle was inlaid into the ground, top point aimed at the threshold. My breath caught in my throat. It felt familiar, tugging at a part of me that I didn't understand. Gothic and dark, the symbol carried an air of power of secrecy, silent as the grave. This building called out to me, pulling me towards it, beckoning me closer. I obeyed.
As I walked towards the doors, the wolves fell into step behind me upon some silent signal from the leader. But I didn't notice.
With each step upon the pentacle, my body tingled from the soles of my feet to my fingertips, and chills ran up and down my spine. Reaching the doors, I placed my palms flat onto the wood, feeling them with every inch of skin, pushing them open.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Chapter Two, Part One.
The pack regarded me, unmoving. Frozen, I stared back.
Then the leader rose from its haunches and walked towards me. Breathing shallowly, I stepped backwards for each step it took forward. Suddenly, my heel caught on a tree root, and I fell on my back.
When it got close enough, it leaned its head towards my neck, and I'm almost sure my heart stopped. But, for some reason, it sniffed me, and didn't tear out my throat. My heart resumed beating after that.
It turned to the rest of the pack and barked something before walking away to join them. Another smaller wolf trotted over to me and looked me in the eyes, then at the pack, and then followed them as the group began to leave. It paused to look back at me, then back at them meaningfully. I got up and followed it, wondering why it wanted me to.
The moon illuminated the way, cutting through the trees.
Author's Note:
Happy, Paige?
I decided to alleviate a little of the vicious cliff-hanger.
More LATER.
Then the leader rose from its haunches and walked towards me. Breathing shallowly, I stepped backwards for each step it took forward. Suddenly, my heel caught on a tree root, and I fell on my back.
When it got close enough, it leaned its head towards my neck, and I'm almost sure my heart stopped. But, for some reason, it sniffed me, and didn't tear out my throat. My heart resumed beating after that.
It turned to the rest of the pack and barked something before walking away to join them. Another smaller wolf trotted over to me and looked me in the eyes, then at the pack, and then followed them as the group began to leave. It paused to look back at me, then back at them meaningfully. I got up and followed it, wondering why it wanted me to.
The moon illuminated the way, cutting through the trees.
Author's Note:
Happy, Paige?
I decided to alleviate a little of the vicious cliff-hanger.
More LATER.
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