Chapter 3: The B's proposal
I opened the black metal doors, expecting big, towering pillars and a big throne, and shelves as high as the eye can see, y' know, like in those fairy tales.
But no. The B's office was nothing like that- except for the bookshelves towering above us. It was a quaint little room, with piles of papers strewn across the floor, and books covering nearly every inch of the small desk, smack dab in the middle of the room. The one part that wasn't covered in books was a little gap, which showed just the eyes and nose of a person, who seemed to be looking down at some papers, or something.
"Michael," the person mumbled, nearly incomprehensible between all the papers, "Close the door behind you."
I whipped my head back to face Edge and mouthed Michael? to him. He shook his head, which seemed to mean "later". He closed the door with a clatter, that sent most of the papers flying around the room.
"That's enough!" shouted the woman from behind the tower of books on the desk. Her hand shot into the air, doing odd swerving movements.
The papers stopped flying around immediately, piling up neatly in corners, sorting themselves, as if by magic, or something...
Even though magic doesn't, you know, exist.
But, then what was all that "Fallen" business about? And Mar- I mean Milo's thing about the turning-into-a-cat-thing. What was that about?
"So," said the woman I assumed to be The B. She was pushing all of the books on her desk over to the side, causing the books to topple to the ground, making a long boom on the cement floor.
Once I got a good look at the B, she was actually quite beautiful. She had long, dark brown hair, down to her shoulders, tucked into a long braid. Her face was pointy, with high cheekbone and full lips, that made her look quite Queenly.
"You must be Calista. Edge and the others have told me a few stories about you already."
All I could do was nod fearfully, looking down at my bare feet. They felt numb, because of either the stone floor, or how queasy I felt just then.
"I am told," she paused, scratching the bridge of her nose nonchalantly, "that you seemed to escape from the effects of the Fallen, rather easily. I am also told, that your body has rejected all the medicine to fight the transformation into what they call, "a vampire's brood", which is a type of, how shall we say, servant, to a Fallen."
"What? What do you mean? I was just told that I got away from the vampires! Edge never told me about transforming!" I looked at him with a piercing glare, that he ignored completely.
Edge sighed, and pulled a chair out of the dark corner and pushed it behind me, asking me to sit. I sat down, quickly pulling myself into a tight ball.
"Hmm, how should I explain this?"
Edge tapped his foot, seeming to be asking to speak.
The B looked at him for a moment, off in thought. After what seemed to be a few minutes, but it was actually just a few long seconds, she nodded at him, picking up a random book from the floor and opening it.
How infuriating is she?! Deciding to read while you're explaining to someone? That must get on the kids nerves, her practically ignoring them.
My thoughts were cut off by Edge's explanation.
"When you were bitten, you were, supposedly, supposed to scream in agony, which you did. You were supposed to fall to the floor, and black liquid was supposed to ooze from your body..." he paused, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
The B took over for him.
“And you were supposed to commence the painful process of turning in to a Vampire. But, oddly enough, you have no signs that you’ll be transforming any time soon. You may, in the future, but you seem to have your own antidote inside of you, like a…”
She silently returns to her book.
Edge continues for her.
“You’re already immune to it.” He puts simply.
There’s a long silence that seems to drown me, stopping me from speaking.
“So,” The B breaks the silence. “We’re going to have to find out which powers you have.”
Edge looks at me, and grins. “Right.”
What does she mean? My powers? I know that Milo said I have some sort of power, but can’t they just, like, look into my mind, or something? Like, get Simon to look into my conscience and just be like, “Bam, she flies.”?
“Impossible.”
Speak of the Devil.
Simon opens the door to the B’s “office” –wait, can I even call it that? - and looks at me.
“I can only hear what you’re thinking. I do not know what your notion of mind reading is, but it’s much more complicated than that. I cannot even hear how old you are. No one but the Mediums and very powerful Fallen have ANY notion of delving into the mind.”
For a 10-year-old prick, he sure knows a lot…
He smirks at me. “It’s a talent I have, to get under people’s skin, huh?”
Edge murmurs under his breath besides me, “You don’t know the half of it.”
“Enough.” The B stands up, making Simon jerk his head up and stare at her, eyes wide. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him frightened, now that I think about it. This woman means business.
“You,” She glares at Simon with an irritated expression. “Get the training room ready, and bring the girl with you.” She jerks her arm over to me, and my feet move a meter back, making me trip on a book, falling backwards.
I prepare for impact, but it doesn’t come. I open my eyes and see that Edge has caught me, pulling me up to my feet.
H-he caught me. I blush furiously, mumbling thanks, and he beams at me.
“Y-yes, ma’am!” Simon replies to the order by- seriously? - Bowing.
“And you,” She looks at me with her cold eyes. “You follow Simon and do what he says until I arrive, got it?”
That wasn’t a question, it was a command. I nod furiously.
“Good, now get out.” She flicks the door open with a finger and telekenetically pushes Simon out of the room, leaving me to walk.
Woah, does this woman have a bad temper or what?
I walk out, slowly, as to not bother her more.
While I close the door, I see her turn to Edge.
“We have a crisis.”
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I close the doors and they clatter loudly behind me, echoing in the hallway.
“Let’s go,” Simon turns down the hall, and motions me to follow him.
So, I wonder what The B wants with Edge? Is it a special mission that she needs his powers for?
“I assume it’s just a skirmish that she wants him to deal with.” He turns around, looking at me, all hint of rudeness gone. “And anyway, you still don’t know what his power is?”
He chuckles to himself.
I look at the wall, inhaling loudly. “Stupid mind-reader.” I huff to myself.
We walk in silence, ‘til we come to a wooden door, plastered with “do not enter’ and ‘no trespassing’ signs.
Is this the training hall? The door doesn’t look interesting enough.
Simon turns to me as he knocks. “Nah,” He tells me. “This is Wolfie’s room, ‘cause The B told me to get him.”
"Whos’ Wol-"
BAM!
There is a large amount of crashing coming from the interior.
“And, from the sound of it,” He taps his head, indicating his telekenisis, “Milo’s in there too.”
He beams, as the door is flung off its hinges as a huge bear-like wolf lopes out of Damien’s room, followed by a black cat, snarling at the first animal.
I scream loudly and prepare to run.
Simon flings his hand back, to stop me from smashing into the door, and points to them.
I stop struggling and watch.
The wolf- which, when I had taken a closer look, had russet fur that stood up in tufts, and it’s tail was long, and the fur flipped at the end, like a cowlick.
The kitten was small and sleek, though it’s fur was standing on end at the moment, and it had long tufts of fur coming from the tips of it’s ears, almost like hair.
“Oh, c’mon Mar!” Simon coos at the cat, who looks at him, noticing our presence for the first time.
I scream in horror as the kitten begins to change. Its back legs start growing longer, and it starts to stand on them alone. It’s face becomes longer, and it’s back straightens and stretches. The fur-tufts begin to transform into hair, and the fur on it’s face, legs and arms begin to fade.
Simon suddenly blushes and turns around, shading his eyes.
I turn to look at the cat and see a girl, stark naked, blushing furiously too.
It’s Milo.
She looks at me sheepishly. “Well, now you can’t say I was lying ‘bout the whole ‘cat-thing’, can you?” Her feeble excuse for a joke arises two low chuckles, that die instantly.
I turn to the wolf, who has buried it’s head in it’s paws, also looking away, and it hits me.
“Da…” I pause, “Mien?”
The wolf looks up and grins –wait, is that even possible? Ah, whatever. – making a yip-yip-yip noise, as though he’s saying hello.
I look at Milo, grinning ear-to-ear.
“Well, I’m going to go into wolf-boy’s room and get you some clothes-.”
“Oh, HELL no!” She cries out, flinging herself at me.
I side-step and she goes crashing to the floor in one fluid motion.
After a moment, she looks up. “My clothes,” She points to a heap in the middle of the corridor, “Are there.”
I hurriedly get them and bring them back to her.
I turn to Damien and Simon as Milo finishes undressing. “You two can look now, she’s not naked.”
Wolf-Damien raises his head and hops over to me, while Simon is less prepared to turn around.
“Hey, mind-boy,” I call out to him, proudly using a name for him I had sloppily come up with in a split-second, “Isn’t Damien supposed to change too? Should I look away?”
Simon spins around to face me, “Nah,” He looks at Damien. “He’ll change when he’s ready, and he somehow keeps his clothes on when he changes.”
Well, then.
Milo looks at Simon warily. "Did she-?"
Simon nods, ever so slightly and Milo sighs, grabbing my hand.
"We're off the the Training Hall. It's at the other side of the castle, so..." She trails off, looking in the direction of the huge wolf, looking up expectantly at Simon.
"Hop on." Simon tells Milo and I, as he clambers onto Damien.
Woah! I have to ride him? What's the deal?
Simon rolls his eyes at me. "Do you WANT to walk?" He asks exasperatedly.
I shake my head and hop on as quick as I can.
Simon looks to Milo. "Are you gonna-?"
"I'll walk."
Simon looks sckeptical for a moment then shrugs, "Fine, then. Damien," He addresses the wolf, "To the Training Hall!" He sticks his hand out, as though trying to fly, hah!
As if it's possible.
Simon turns and smirks at me, "It is!"
I sigh heavily and hold on to Damien's long, soft fur.
Damien starts at a walk, keeping pace with Milo, but then gets bored and starts to lope, at speeds that a car could compete with.
While I hold on for dear life, I have time to mull things over.
So, The B wants me to learn my powers, but how? And Damien's power is werewolf-turning-into, and Milo's is super-strength and cat-ness, but... What is Edge's power?
Simon's hand slaps his forehead, "You STILL haven't guessed it? Slightly sad, but okay..."
I look at him with distain, well, as much as I could muster without falling off.
"I'm SORRY I can't read minds!"
"Whatever," He gives me an infuriating smile. "We're here."
Damien-bus comes to a complete stop in an empty corridor, and looks at us expectantly, as if to say, "you can get off now."
I did so, falling to the ground in the process.
I watch from the ground as Damien stands up on two legs and begins to change back, smiling. After a moment, the normal, non-hairy Damien is standing before me, holding his hand out.
"Here," He smiles, "You want help up?"
"Thanks..." I mumble, standing up.
I look around the corridor for some type of door, but seeing none. "So, where's the Training Hall?" I look quizzically at Simon.
He looks at Damien, who chuckles.
What's so funny...?
"Well," Simon answers, reading my thoughts, "The Training Hall isn't a room, and it doesn't need a door."
Damien runs his hand accross the wall, searching for something, and seems to get it, because he smiles and pushes his hand against it. The wall makes a dent and a grate that I hadn't seen before opens up, revealing a hole.
"So, The Training Hall is in-?"
I can't finish my sentence, because Damien pushes me in, letting me plummet to my death.
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A/N: It's short, I know, but it was quicker than thew last uploads! That should count for something!
So I'm gonna upload more, now that school's out! *cry of joy*
So expect quicker uploads! ;D