Innocence at its Worst

Sky Full of Stars... - 18

Rhea numbly runs her good hand along her arm, trying really hard to rub at least a little feeling back into it, but to no avail. She sighs, giving up once again and looks up at the sight of Charlie's shadow looming over her. "Bandanas hide it well," she comments.

"You think so? I was trying to find a headband, but I haven't worn one since I was eight, so I found a bandana instead." Charlie adjusts the orange bandana on her head, just barely hiding the long slash mark.

"I think it's great," Rhea smiles. "Are you good? No more randomly running away from training to cry by yourself because you think you're not good enough anymore?"

"How did you know?" Charlie narrows her eyes.

"I call it random guessing," Rhea grins. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be I guess," Charlie shrugs. "You think they'll notice?" she bites her lip worriedly.

Rhea laughs, "Of course they'll notice! You're wearing a bandana! Maybe you can be a pirate next. Anyway, my turn to practice! Arian just blew a hole in the guest bedroom, and I'm sure Mason was spying on us, right?" Rhea peers in a corner. "Eh, maybe not." She shrugs and leads Charlie to the living room. 

"Okay guys!" Rhea claps her hands, which turned into a terrible attempt at slapping her dead hand. "Um. Yeah, anyway!!" she grins widely. "MY TURN!!" she prances around the living room. "How do you use your power again?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

Levi shook his head, smiling secretly. "Rhea, it doesn't just come out. You have to focus."

Brook nods in agreement, "You have to feel it--"

"Like it came from your gut!" Charlie yells. "It's just there, like a raging fire, waiting to be let loose!" Charlie pats her belly. 

"It's actually inside my heart," Arian blinks in confusion.

"Mine is in my head," Brook says quietly.

Levi glances at Rhea, "I guess mine is in my spine. It sort of... moves in a wave out to my hands."

"Us too!" Charlie leans in closely, inspecting her brother. "Do you have random guessing too?"

"No," Arian laughed, "Rhea, why don't you give it a shot?"

Smirking, Mason met her eyes, "Try not to blow a hole through the house like Mr. Know-It-All over here."

"Hey!"

Rhea rolls her eyes, rubbing her hands together, she lightly blows on her hands. "Light up!" she coos at it. Nothing happens.

"Maybe your glove is in the way?" Arian suggests.

Rhea shoots a dark look at him, "No can do. You guys stare at it every single time, and it weirds me out just as much as it does you." She huffs and concentrates.

Levi feels a tingle in his spine, confusion flickering across his mind. What? I'm not doing this--

Darkness explodes from his fingertips, swirling around Rhea like a tornado, a swirl of inky blackness. She yelps, falling to the floor with her hands in the air in a protective manner.

"Levi, what are you doing!?" Charlie tackles him to the floor, but he can't control himself; he can't control his power. 

Rhea lets out a bloodcurdling scream as smoky tendrils encase her in a cocoon, silencing her sounds. 

"Rhea!" Mason becomes a soundless blur. One moment he was standing next to Brook, his hand hovering near hers, the next he was gone. Only Mason himself knows where he is, and what he's doing to help.

Charlie burst into golden fire at the sound of Maeve's dark laughter echoing throughout the room, chilling everyone to the bone. "Show yourself!" Charlie yelled, flames dancing at her fists and around her eyes.

Levi cried out in agony, cradling his head in his arms. Brook looked on in horror, her two floating snakes of water dropped to the ground in a wet splash, putting Charlie's fire out with a loud hiss. Mason reappears, half inside Rhea's cocoon, half outside. "Wake up, Rhea!" he tried tugging on her wrist, forcefully taking her, but she wouldn't move. She was stuck inside the darkness as if it were glue. 

Moaning softly, Rhea heard noises all around her in a daze. She knows they're her friends, but something inside her is yelling danger! Danger! 

Suddenly filled with the fear of them killing her, of them turning on her to kill her, Rhea screamed, light bursting forth from her hands in a torrent of blinding white purity. The darkness shied away from her pure white light, only to brave against it, tainting the pureness with it's own haggard being. Rhea's light gradually dimmed as the darkness overtook her once again, seeping into her skin and diving into her eyes. Everybody stood back in horror, entranced by this horrific sight. 

At the head of the attack was Levi himself, ropes of tendrils snaking from his palm where he conjured darkness. Rhea collapsed to the ground, seizing uncontrollably as the color was sucked from her. 

Enraged, Charlie took a step towards him, ready to burn his face off for hurting their friend, phoenix-like wings sprouted from her back in a blaze. Brook stepped in front of her, fear and a watery sadness emanated from her, cooling her sister down the barest of a degree. "What were you thinking!?" Charlie shouted in fury.

Lightning sounded from outside, the smell of rain wafted inside, filling and cleansing their noses from the scent of evil. Arian took a deep breath, his hands glowing a soft green, then a deep blue. He raised his eyes to meet Levi's own, disbelief filling him. "How could you?" he reached for Charlie's other hand, grounding her back to earth. Little did anybody realize that she had been floating along with her wings of fire. 

Levi looked down at his now empty hand, then to Rhea on the floor. Oh my God, what did I just do?

The darkness slithered around his feet, filling his head with taunts and accusations. This is all his fault. He never should have let anybody else find out about Maeve. He shouldn't have even admitted to Rhea that he heard the voices too. 

"Levi..." a sweet melodic voice cooed. "Come to me... Bring your little star with you. Both of you can be happy with me..."

Thanks to him, Rhea was almost dead; she was in the exact position that Maeve wanted. Levi recoiled with anguish, fear guising his inner turmoil. This is all my fault, he thought to himself as he surveyed the wreckage. Charlie's bandana had slipped away, revealing a much longer slash than he had anticipated. Brook was watching him with a wary eye, concealing her emotion from him for the first time in years. Arian was standing protectively in front of Charlie with narrowed eyes, watching his every move.

Falling to his knees, Levi suddenly felt weak as the weight of what he had done crashed onto him. "It wasn't me," he said in a fragile voice, peering at his hands like they were foreign substances. 

Mason's voice sounded in his ear, "Tell that to Rhea." Levi closed his eyes, feeling faint in the head. He then realized that Mason had siphoned his life for them all... He did this to prevent another disaster such as this to save them all.

"Thank you," Levi mouthed, already feeling distant from his body.

One more thing... Levi thought before he released his grip on the world, soon to join the trillions of stars up above. Maeve, you're going down with me. With that, Levi pulled on his affinity for darkness, seeking her out with his mind. Determined, he wrapped a tendril of darkness around her neck and yanked her with him as he ascended.

I will avenge you, Rhea...