The cover page in the book was a blank page with different reappearing messages, written in a crisp, cursive font addressed to her twin Anex; each entry was signed from an unknown "Madame Mysterié". The book was divided in two halves: journal entries written by the mysterious madame, and the back half written by Anex. Accalia rapidly flipped threw the book, her finger flying faster than the speeding bullet that shot into the glass earlier, causing a hundred shards of glass to sprinkle down like flakes of snow.
"I'll be reading this dear book as you continue your rambling." Accalia broke out an evil phony laugh, diligently and keenly reading each word recorded in ink on the smooth pages.
Milly pouted her lips like a sad puppy dog, for she too wanted to unlock the hidden knowledge and secrets the book contained written inside. But, she quickly re-zoomed with her witchcraft, forgetting it all, mixing together lavender and the foul smelling, purple blood of the mageia hound.
Accalia flipped to a random entry in the back of the book, written by Anexia. It read:
January 12th:
Word has gone out that the Queen of Paremeth left—just left her husband. Although I'd probably do the same if I were stuck ruling a land full of monsters and hideous dark creatures—who am I kidding? I'm such a hypocrite. No vampire or demon is as cruel or disgusting as I am. And I too, left my kingdom. And the people made up of it were too horrible, mean beings. My parents kept me locked in my room most of the day for I am described as "dangerous" and "chaotic" when left unleashed around the palace. So today I made a run for it. I wanted to escape my problems. So, I somehow burnt the walls and booked it, taking my special journal with me of course. No one should have the privilege to see what she's written in this book. She communicates through it. It's like she's a part of me now. So I ran. And ran, and ran, and ran......But running away from my problems only lead me into another one: him. -Anexia
Accalia had a desire burning inside her as to who this Madame Mysterié was. And even more burning that that, who he was.
So she read the next entry:
January 13th:
I shouldn't have accepted his offer, but the way he approached me was so......cunning? It's almost indescribable. He understood my pain, suffering. He made me believe he wanted to help me, while benefiting for himself of course. Just the fact of meeting him in the woods was mysterious enough. He put forth the offer of raiding my own kingdom with him.....and being the moron I was, I accepted. It wasn't my kingdom anymore....not after the crown was ripped from my head and given to my younger twin sister. With one condition only though: he couldn't hurt my family. Even though I have such hatred towards them, I'm not entirely evil. I'm human after all; I have a heart. Or at least a small broken piece of it left. He even nicknamed me Anex, which is much better than than the horrifying sound of my name, Anexia. Ha, my parents gave a hideous name to a monster of a human being. Props to them. Well tomorrow will be the day I do it.....cast my revenge. January 14th. -Anex
Accalia flipped to the cover page of the journal. There, ancient letters in black ink started to form letters:
Do not enter the woods, my child.
Curiosity killed the Cat.
"Pffft—" Accalia rolled her eyes. "The only thing that killed the cat are my own fists."
For once she began to feel an aberrant passion brew inside her. It roared and ached eagerly with determination, like a prisoner with a craving desire to escape a jail cell. She was so tired of everyone telling her not to enter the woods. Maybe she wanted to. The woods were very intriguing when she first arrived. They felt mystical and beguiling. Grigori and Madame Mysterié had no right to tell her what she could and could not do. (This never goes well). Even if it was wrong, she had an aching pain to feel the rough bark of the forrest trees, or to hear the owls hooting in the dark. She closed the book and hid it under her bed. She sniffed her nose to a disgusting odor. Purple sparks and strange smells were arising from Milly's cauldron.
"Whatcha got there?"
"I'm glad you asked!" She smiled. "I've made so much progress today. I can't wait for the next creation we will make on Thursday! I've got this enchantment book that my Nana gave to me from my mother herself. My mother was a witch that worked alongside your mother, actually. But—I've never seen my mother." Milly's eyes turned glassy as she stared into the wall.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I never got to meet my mother either. A girl could dream." Accalia bit her lip at the sight of Milly's expression only fading into a frown. In an effort to comfort her, she said, "Please, continue about your enchantment."
"Oh right!" Milly giggled. " Unlike enchanters and enchantresses who are born with powers, witches have to cast magic spells and use potions. And this book I was given is full of them! It's how I found the spell to convey messages to other people's minds. Right now I'm creating an invisibility potion. It's very powerful and hard to make. Not to be trusted in the hands of goons like Alec." She jeered, " Ew. Definitely. The potion consists of lavender and mageia blood boiled with a quick dash of lemon. I can't wait to try it. The potions created in class aren't anything too powerful because you know, can't trust anyone. But I get the privilege of being a witch and professor Kontos likes me a—"
Milly probably could have gone on for eternity....
Accalia's eyes narrowed, "How long does this potion last?" She questioned.
"Five minutes."
"And how exactly does one use it on themselves?"
"Why...."
"Just curious."
"Oh! Well this one has to be consumed." Milly beamed.
"You know what? Enough with this potion talk. We should probably get to bed, Milly. I have Battle Arts tomorrow. I'm also really tired." Accalia lied.
"Of course! I should rest my voice up for tomorrow anyway. I'll meet you at the lunch door tomorrow, ok?"
"Sure thing." Accalia
Milly went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Accalia peered at the fireplace to see it burned down to just coals. She shoveled the surrounding ashes on top of them and changed into a silk nightgown. She tied her hair up and dove under the covers. Milly shortly came in, and flipped the room switch off, hurrying herself to her bed.
"Goodnight, Calia." She murmured.
"Night Milly." Accalia grinned. And this grin was up to no good.
Accalia waited a few minutes until she thought Milly was sound asleep. She carefully undid her covers and went for the glass florence flask on Milly's desk. She grasped it, still warm to the touch. She popped the cork and stared at the slimy purple liquid, swiveling it around.
"My goodness, thank god it pays for Milly to be so naïve. Now to—"
The smell of the liquid finally hit her nostrils. Nasty. She gulped and held the substance to her mouth.
"Here goes nothing," she whispered.
She chugged the gooey fluid and surprisingly, it tasted—sort of good? But man was it still hot.
"Ah! SHIT."
The liquid burned down her throat as it went. It ached in her chest. Her gaze fell to Milly, still snoring sound asleep. She went towards the door and grabbed her burgundy cloak and slipped it on over her white silk nightgown. She slowly opened the door and crept out, as silent as a white mouse. There was no sound. Just silence. The hallways were dark with the exception of the torches lighting the way. She scurried to the right as fast as she could down the hall. She almost collided into a maid, but proceeded to run. She went down confusing turns and passageways, until she reached the throne room.
3 minutes left.
She ran out the castle gate, lucky for her a guard was still on duty until midnight. She then ran through the town. Almost everyone was indoors besides the shop keepers closing up for the night. She ran, and ran. Until she reached it.
The woods.
And just in time she saw her body take it's solid shape again.
Ahead of her was a sign: Arcane Woods. Enter with caution.
She stopped, her heart nearly skipping a beat. Her blood ran cold throughout her pale body. There in front of her were trees beyond trees, stretching for miles. Owls hooted in the distance; the sounds of stray wolves howled. The trees had an eerie glow to them, almost as suspicious as the moon. The full moon. It sparkled and provided a dim source of light for the woods. The air bit at her fingertips. Cool chills sprawled throughout her body. Blue, deep, dark light filtered through the top branches. She smelt the composting leaves crackling as she walk through, branches touching above as she walk below them. She discovered hidden wonders as she walked around, a green meadow hidden in the folds of the forest, the earthy smell of beginnings and endings. She was alone surrounded by nature. It was alive.
But she wasn't alone.
Her head sharply turned in the direction of cackling laughs and the uttermost evil chuckles. There across the trees were three others; she had company.
"Did you see his arms? They ripped right off!" A mysterious voice echoed.
A deep voice answered. "Forget that, what about the poor little girl I decapitated?"
"Sorry brother, but I'd have to agree with the arms falling off. I almost died of laughter!" A female voice chuckled.
What the heck were they talking about?
As her vision became clearer she could make out the three beings. They all looked to be around her age. They each had on dark clothing along with black cloaks; each bearing an arcane circle symbol on them.
The first one was a guy. His presence looked a little older than she had thought. He had a very strong built body. You could practically see his muscles bulging out of his armor chest plate. He had hair darker than the night sky, along with some stubble and bushy brows. His green eyes were like a meadow, the color of grass and leaves that made the forrest. His pale skin complimented very nice with his dark hair.
Although something was off about him.
The second was a young lady who looked more like her age. She had the same jet black hair as the first guy. In fact, they both looked very similar. She had a square face along with beautiful high cheek bones. Her skin was also the color of a ghost. Although, her eyes were more enchanting. The more she gazed into them the more under a trance she felt; they could be mistaken for the finest emeralds. She was very put together; she had on black lipstick and winged eyeliner defining her gorgeous eyes, along with black eye shadow and just the right amount of contour for such a pale face. She had on a tight black gown under her cloak, which showed how curvaceous she was. She resembled someone Accalia had seen before.
Then there was the last guy. He had on a black hooded cloak that covered half his face. He took off his hood and exposed himself. There was something about him that made Accalia's heart tremble. He had a muscular shape, but nothing compared to the first guy. He wasn't as perfect as Alec, but he had just the right about of handsome features. He had more of a tall and slender appearance. He too had pale skin, but his hair was more a dusty brown that fell to his eyes. His eyes. Were they glowing? No really.... they're glowing.....a lot. All of their eyes appeared to glow, but his were sparkling. They were the color of the silver winter moon. His fair skin looked almost completely drained, dead.
As they approached closer Accalia saw the corrupt grin of the girl. White fangs contracted as she tried to manage her giggling.
Vampires. Shit. No wonder they were so compelling....and attractive but deadly looking.
The girl laughed so much she could hardly contain her breathing. She kept playfully hitting and resting her arm on the grey-eyed boy. Accalia couldn't help it but to feel a tad jealous. Her laughs were high-pitched and nasally. But the sounds completely stopped.
Accalia's eyes bulged open and she became almost as pale as them. Chills crawled up and down her arms and an unknown force took over. She could not move. Her heart was pumping faster than the speed of light, no wonder they seance her.
She was spotted.
The emerald-eyed vampires's eyes caught onto Accalia's. "Looky here boys, the last kill of the night. Looks like our fun ain't over yet!" She maliciously laughed, her eyes piercing into Accalia's.
The grey-eyed vampire grinned, not meeting Accalia's eyes. "Good. I wanted to see one more body crushed and soul drained. It's amusing for the eye."
The older looking vampire in armor glanced his attention over to her. "Alright, I'll take this one." He said heading towards her slowly.
"NO!" Big brother pleeaaase? I'm a big girl now. I want the amusement of killing this scarred, useless girl. Please let me do it big boy? I know Nerone would let me." She giggled, flashing her eyes and at the young man with the grey eyes.
Nerone smirked at the other guy.
"Alright fine."
The female retracted her fangs and licked her lips. She rushed over to Accalia in an instant.
Vampire speed.
Accalia shut her eyes tightly and prayed to God she wouldn't die. She was defenseless. As the female grabbed her arm, Accalia automatically shot water from her fingertips. It was boiling hot with jealously and fear.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" The female shrieked.
Once again she bolted to Accalia, only to have her dig her nails into her arm, boiling hot water eating away at her skin.
"Ugh!!" she cried. She tried not to burst out into tears from the pain. She resisted. She once again got ready to charge at Accalia.
"Lena, please."
It was Nerone; the grey-eyed boy. But he wasn't looking at her, he was looking at Accalia. His face went blank for a moment, but he then smirked. He finally had looked into Accalia's eyes.
"Leave the girl alone, sweetheart. Come on guys, let's head back before sunrise." He suggested.
"What!?" The female was enraged. She took one last look at Accalia, sneering as she turned around.
The boy in armor nodded his head in disapproval.
"Coming, Xavier? Or are you leaving like your mother did?" Nerone questioned bitterly.
Xavier scowled at him defiantly, before turning around to join him.
They each whisked away with their vampire speed, and Accalia was once again left alone. She decided now was probably a good time to head back.
Man was she stupid.
She walked back stunned at what had just happened. She almost got killed by three bloodthirsty vampires. If it weren't for that one boy.....there was something strange about him that bit at her. What was it? As she continue along she was met by yet another visitor.
A wolf.
In panic she just stood there hoping she would get lucky like the last time, but she was not. The moonlight gleamed in the wolf's eyes as it stealthily approached her. Slowly it encircled and snarled at her ominously as sweat began to bead on her forehead, her heart pounding. Suddenly it sprang at her with a gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth dripping hot saliva. It scraped at her legs causing a scratch. It stung as it bled. The wolf knocked her down with a thud. But Accalia did not attack back. She just laid there, tears dripping down her face. Her water magic wasn't there to save her.
And then the wolf stopped.
It's eyes almost looked sad. The wolf crawled by her knees, and whimpered.
"I don't want to hurt you. You're so cute. Who's a good boy?" Accalia cooed, daring to pet the stray beast.
It growled.
"Who's a good girl?" Accalia said, feeling threatened.
The wolf nuzzled up to her under the glistening stars. It's fur the color of tree bark; although, it felt like a fuzzy blanket. She rubbed it's head and stared into it's golden eyes. Accalia sighed under the influence of the moon. She knew it was time to go back.
"Goodbye you cute little wolf."
The wolf licked her palm and scurried away into the darkness.
She headed back towards the kingdom when she finally realized something terrifying that had been eating at her mind for the past hour.
It was HIM. Nerone was the dark figure.
A/N
Hi! I can't believe I wrote this in only 8 hours. I hope you enjoyed this section. We're finally getting into the plot some more. So.... That was intense, wasn't it? What do you think? Who really is this "Nerone"? And that girl.... sounds familiar... why did he let her live? Haha I don't want to spoil too much ;)
As always:
comment/vote/share and stay tuned! -Vic