Chapter 15
There I stood in the middle of the dreadful forest, heart pounding, blood rushing, and hands tingling. It was the adrenalin coursing threw my powerless veins.
It was exhilarating.
I was in position, my feet grounded firmly in the ground, hands balled into tight unmoving fists. The hunter who stood in front of me started off the battle with finesse and certainty, for who wouldn't think that they could win against me. I was only a pawn in this little game of theirs, someone they could demolish when the time was right but that time was far out.
I swiveled in a circle as four big men cornered me. The one to my left strikes first. He was quick and sneaky like a cobra heading in for its kill. He swung his leg from under me, sweeping me off my feet, so I landed with a loud thump as my head rebounded of the ground. I rolled over on the dirt and groaned in agony.
With my bearings still fuzzy and my head pounding, I tried to stand. Only resorting to slumping against a tree for support I pulled out my knife and swung aimlessly around myself hoping to catch a bit of flesh. A man lunged at me, from the fogginess that was my mind, I could no tell how close he was. With a little luck I was able to dodge his attack and gain back my sight. Filled with so much pent up anger I ran, full charge, at him and with all my strength smashed his head into a tree, knocking him out cold.
"You will never win this, Julia. Try all you might I will never allow that to happen!" Their leader ragged, his wide grin cracking his skin. "There's no reason for you to fight us, though. You can join us. Together we can bring them too their knees. Don't you want that, don't you want to be in control?"
"Never, I will never stoop to your level. Your vile and cruel and I am nothing like you!" I screeched.
"You are everything like me!" He grinned angrily.
"That's not true!" I fired back, the anger bubbling up inside me.
"It is true! You are just like me, stop resisting!" He seethed back, his foul stench filling my nostrils.
"No. I'm. Not!" The ground below me crackled apart and fire came spewing out. The flames engulfed my entire body and sucked me down into the ground. An ear piercing scream escaped my lips, causing even me to cover my ears in distress. It was the kind of scream that had your vocal cords raw and burning and your throat dry and scratchy from lack of care. It was the kind of scream that scared even the toughest of men.
"Julia!" A malicious voice hissed.
"Who are you, what do you want!" I yelled back panicked. My hands clawed at anything that would help set me free. I felt nothing, nothing except the chill that ran up my spine as the voice spoke once more.
"In time we will meet and I have a favor to ask of you but for now you must be patient. You are to valuable to lose."
"Let me out of here!" I cried again, the very act causing the creature to laugh. His cold demeanor shaking me to the core.
"I'm afraid that's just not possible, my dear. You belong to me and me alone. Your soul has been made for me and I will claim it." The air shifted around me and then I felt the cold touch of a dead man. The way his fingers wrapped around my hand, his ice hand making my blood run cold from fear. "I want you to listen good and listen closely all right?"
I nodded, bitting my tongue to hold back a remark.
"You must follow my instructions, Julia." The voice snickered like it found this whole ordeal funny. "Never and I mean never stray from the fate that has been set up for you from the beginning. Do you understand me?" It growled, I shook my head eagerly. "There are things in this world that you do not know about, things you can't possibly imagine!" A choir of voices hissed in my ear, making me shiver.
"You can't make me do anything! " I huffed stubbornly.
"Sweet child, you are too innocent and full of light. I hate It!" The voice cried. "Your soul shall grow to be tainted! I will make sure of that." The creature threatened, "Just remember Julia that there are no happily ever afters."
"Your wrong! I can find a way! I will find a way, I swear too it! I will get my happily ever after even if that means I have to ruin someone else's!" I screamed.
"And you said you weren't like me." The voice sneered. Its metallic breath hot against my bare skin.
"Shut up! Leave me alone, keep away from me!"
"Oh, but we will never leave you alone our little prodigy." It chuckled. "You look so helpless, child. Just like you've been your whole life."
"Be quiet!" I yelled, covering my ears while falling to my knees. "Go away!"
"I cannot leave you, child. I will always be by your side. You see, I am a part of you. We are connected you and I. Your will is my own and no mater how hard you push me away I will always be the shadow that follows you into the darkness. You, Julia, cannot stop what has been decided for centuries to come. You're only a pathetic little girl."
"Your wrong!" I swung around to face the creature. A black shade was all I met with black talons slicing through its skin.
"You know I'm not."
"You don't know what's in my heart!" I charged at the shade, only to fall right through him.
"Oh, yes I do. Better yet so do you. You know that you'll never be good enough for anyone and that scares you. To feel so helpless that no one will ever love you. Your scared that no one will ever notice you, that they'll always take you for granted."
"Thats not true!"
The shade hacked out a throaty laugh, "Once you stop lying to yourself Julia the happier you'll be. I mean it isn't the end of the world. There's no need for all these melodramatics, really. Why can't you see that you were made for great things. Things that only someone with true cruelty could accomplish. It's an honor to be picked."
"Well, than give it too another because I don't want it."
"Hmm." He pouted, "Too bad. Now listen up cuz I will only say this once. You will run into many twists and turns on your journey, child. The twists and turns are only there to guide you but to also trick you as well. If you chose the wrong path you will have to face the consequences Now, when the time comes that we battle it out, on the full moon when the planets are aligned, if someone you know fights then another will fall. Only you can accomplish what you were born for, no one else has the ability. Take warning though that something lurks in the shadows. Something that has been lost for quite some time. One of you will rise and the other will fall. So, its up to you who ends up the last to stand."
"What if I don't want this!" My blood boiled at the thought of helping this vile creature.
"You have no choice. If you don't cooperate then we will have no choice but to force you instead and we have our ways of doing that. You may think you know all Julia but in reality your like a bug. You exist souley for the purpose that was created for you. No matter how hard you stray from that path someone will always be above you. That someone will toy with you, make you think your free to do as you please, and then squash you when they get board. For example, like a child does with an insect. They inspect it, then they play with it, then toy with it, and eventually that insect is stepped on. That is all you'll ever amount to, Julia. You'll always be the lesser race." The shade whispered and then with one last breath it disappeared. A force in my awoken right then. An anger that was so pure it should have frightened me. It did not. Instead I welcomed it freely.
Seething with hatred I plunged out of the flames, laving the creaure behind. "Go ahead, do it!" The hunter to my right grunted as the initial shock wore over of what just corresponded. "Make dear mommy and daddy proud," He spat, "Kill us!"
"As you wish." I chuckled.
They dove.
They ducked.
They cried out.
They whimpered.
They fell.
They died.
Lifeless limbs scattered around, broken bones snapped in half, and beating hearts beat no longer. This is the way death took them. The stench of misery flowed through my nostrils suffocating my sinuses.
It was Glorious.
The taste of their iron blood danced on my taste buds creating a wonderful sensation. A sensation that could be compared to heaven.
To fade. To die. To shrivel up. Would be the outcome of my existence. I fall to the ground on my knees. Hot sweat running down my face like a stream.
The battle is over.
I have one.
The thought makes me smile a devious one. I close my eyes and fall asleep. But not before a shadow creeps into my sleep.
The memory ended as my wrist flicked its last movement. The design now created, finished, on the paper in front of me. My eyes traveled down to the image I had drawn only by the remembrance of a man I once saw. A shaded face glares back at me. His sunken eyes showing the ferocity and hate I so much mirror. His long face sculpted to perfection along with his crocked nose. Even his smirking lips are darkened to a deep black like his soul.
A frown falls upon my lips. I had drawn this man many a times before and could never draw his whole face. I frown now because I had done exactly that. I had drawn him fully and he was perfect. Almost to perfect. A man like this should not exist. Then again the face of an angel is said to be perfect and that is what he used to be.
Sighing, I say, "For another day," and walk over to my bed, folding up the paper, and stuck it under my pillow.
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Cole's dark brooding eyes sought me out in the crowd. He had just finished all the preparations for the up coming party that our pack was hosting, and now he was searching for me.
"Everyone please be on your best behavior to make the Red Moon Packs stay here more inviting. I want this night to go over smoothly with no interruptions of any sort. If there are problems be sure to tell me first and I will be happy to handle it." His hollow voice lowered to a deathly stance. "All right that's all I'm going to stress over the subject. Everyone prezume to your duties before you we're called."
"Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! Can you believe it we actually get to go to a party!" Tamara screamed in my face.
I covered my ears "I'm guessing you don't get out much."
"How did you know?" She asked bewildered.
"Just a guess." I winced.
She nudged me. "Oh my gosh you know what else I just realized!" She jumped up excitedly. "We don't have dresses!"
No! No! No! No!
"And do you know what that means?" She pressured.
"That we don't attend, skip the whole thing, avoid disaster, and eat ice cream?" I hoped.
"Nope! It means....WE GET TO GO SHOPPING!"
Kill. Me. Now.
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New chappy!!!!!!!!
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-Eden