"Do you know anything?"
"No, I don't!"
"Do you know anything?"
"I told you I don't know!"
"Do you know anything?!"
Sighing out loud, Jesslyn slapped the back of Art's head which caused him to rub it and look at her; she did not assign him to any interrogation position for him to suddenly start asking questions towards their captives. The Morphling had already eased out into her human shell; a woman in her thirties by the name of Lauren Nicholls and the rogue wolf who turned out to be her husband, Hugo Nicholls.
Last night's misadventure and brawl had landed Katherine and Deckard in a near critical state; the amount of blood spilt in the forest was too great an amount, nearly a quarter of their body. It left Jesslyn with no choice but to ask David for assistance, to which the young Alpha of Greyhound obliged and sent an experienced healer to the Marshe house.
The old lady from the pack David had sent that had an unimaginable layer of sagging skin on her face, arrived by dawn; she was one of the elders of the pack and she took it upon herself to assist a close acquaintance of her former student. Upon her inspection of the two injured, she merely shook her head and asked to be left alone.
Hailey was devastated upon seeing Katherine's condition; she did not need to see it, but to feel her pain and anguish internally, she knew that she was certainly not well – far from it in fact. Even upon the elder's command, she did not leave Katherine's side, profusely refusing to leave her love.
"What was that for?" Art asked as he frowned at Jesslyn.
She merely glared at him, "Don't hold your breath," she said as she pointed to his eyes that already lost the dark stains all over it, "The renegade spirit inside him had already ran away," she explained as Art mumbled a soft 'oh' as she continued; "We can't do anything about them since even he doesn't seem to remember anything."
"I was hoping this loco could at least remember something," Art argued as he sighed, "About what he said last night," he began as he pulled Jesslyn away from their tied up captives, "What do you think it means?"
She shook her head, "I can't say for sure."
Art could only frown at her answer, then looked back to one of their tied captives; he wondered about what the spirits that entrapped him meant. He just sighed as Jesslyn walked up from the basement; she could not point her own thoughts into what he meant, only that it was a caution that they all must head.
What could they possible do? If what the renegade spirit did tell them is true, then it would only be a matter of time before both worlds would merge, tearing up the very fabric of reality. Worry would be an understatement for all of them, for fear would be the best description of what the inevitable would bring.
Ascending the stairs, Jesslyn made her way to Athena's former room, where Katherine and Hailey were. She stood by the door and looked through the gap of the open door, reluctant to go inside. She examined their condition – torn, tired and beaten; the two of them were caught in a web of fate.
Hailey's eyes spoke of worry – one Jesslyn had on her face as well; she could see the deep concern the young faerie had for the young stubborn, wolf. She admires the depth of Hailey's feelings for the wolf, holding her hand and petting her hair as she slept; it almost reminded her of a certain someone she used to do that on, but sadly could no longer do.
"Wolfie, wake up soon, okay?" Hailey spoke softly whilst caressing Katherine's hair. Jesslyn could only feel pin pricks on her heart as she frowned at what has happened; she still blames herself for not getting there any sooner. If she did, she may have prevented this from happening.
This is too much for just two kids, she thought as she slowly closed the door on them. As soon as the door silently clicked, the elder walked up to her with a small smile, but with eyes that could not show good news. She bowed before the elder as she nudged for her to follow her, using her walking staff to descend the stairs.
"How are they?" Jesslyn asked as they reached the end of the stairwell.
The elder shook her head, "I'm afraid that both of them collapsed their energy," she explained, "But their vitals are stable and they will be able to gain consciousness any time soon."
"That's a relief," Jesslyn sighed in relief, "Thank you for coming here, elder Angeni."
Angeni nodded, "You need not thank me, child," she replied as she opened the door to the basement, "I did not come here merely for them," she explained as she began descending the stairs with Jesslyn in tow, "But the spirits asked of me."
"You can see ghosts too?" Jesslyn questioned as they arrived at the bottom, where Art had been sitting there, watching over the duo; the Nicholls were chained at the wrists and were given limited space to roam, although both of them did not wish to.
Angeni shook her head, "Ghosts and Spirits are two different things, child," she replied as she stood before the two captives and examined them, "A ghost is a being of evil, who do not wish to cross the Plains of Silence to the afterlife – to the eternal place of peace – where they roam the earth to torment the living for their own selfish pleasure. Spirits on the other hand are entities that remain in the Plains of Silence that have taken it upon them to walk the journey to the afterlife, where they take an oath to guide the living, hence the Faeries' are able to ask them for help; they can cross over to the realm of the living, but only upon a contract with a Faerie, they may take the form of what they have agreed on."
"Although the spirits have sworn an oath, there are some that do not abide by them," she continued, "Souls who bear selfishness and are far from cleansing themselves for their arrival at the gate of the eternal place, encounter doubt and thus incite rebellion – the very spirits that you called 'renegades'. They are those who saw the black spirit depart from the Plains of Silence, after bestowing upon them a prophecy that would help them walk the mortal world once again."
"I see," Jesslyn nodded as Art did as well, finding the difference somewhat fascinating, "Then, who in the Plains of Silence have asked you to come?"
Angeni turned to her, "One of our ancestors who warned me of your young wolf's path came to me in a vision."
"A vision?" Jesslyn queried as she raised a brow, "What did he tell you?"
Angeni did not reply as she stood in front of the married couple and slammed her staff onto the concrete floor. It got the duo's attention and looked at her with pleading eyes as though asking for help; she only offered them a kind smile as she began chanting words that everyone in the room could not understand.
She approached the two as a soft gust of wind entered, almost blowing away some of the dust; she knelt down before the two and placed her right thumb on their foreheads. Jesslyn watched as the married couple closed their eyes and somehow, found peace inside of them to the point that their eyes no longer spoke of fear.
"Now then," Angeni spoke as she gave the married couple some space, "Do you recall where the renegade souls have taken you?"
Mr. Nicholls shook his head, "I'm sorry, but we don't remember," he replied with downcast eyes, "The only thing we know is that these souls have been targeting rogues across the world and that they would not convene in one place, like they can telepathically convey messages from anywhere around the globe."
Mrs. Nicholls hugged herself, "These souls have killed numerous children born on November second – the day of souls – and those that they saw fit to be the key, they captured; those who can see the spirits. They erase our memories on a daily basis that sometimes, we even forget who we are. The captured ones were tested, but if they failed to open the door – a white blinding door – they would be killed and left on some alley for people to see."
Hearing this, Art could only gasp in disbelief as much as Jesslyn remained silent; her investigations did prove true – the people in the pictures she showed Hailey were indeed like Katherine and her, gifted with the tongue of spirits. Her worries have only doubled upon receiving these pieces of information, making her fear for their lives.
"I thank you for your candour," Angeni nodded as she turned to Jesslyn, who seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, "Young master assassin, unshackle these two."
"Are you nuts you old hag?" Art exclaimed and earned himself a staff to the head from Angeni, who does not seem pleased with his mouth. "Lola you're seriously not considering this."
"They have served their purpose and the renegades will not think twice of using them," Angeni explained as she looked at Jesslyn, who was contemplating, "I will take them to the camp, where they will be protected."
Jesslyn sighed, "Elder Angeni, I'm very reluctant to hand them over to you," she replied as Art gave her a smile of victory, but the elder merely frowned at him, "But if you guarantee their safety until all of this is over," she continued as Art's eyes widened, "Then you make them with you."
"What?" Art shouted his disbelief as his eyes fumed, "After what they did to your hombre Deckard, you let them go?"
Jesslyn nodded, "I know what they did, but they weren't doing it on purpose, Art," she tried to explain as the escape artist merely rolled his eyes, shook his head and walked out on them, "They're innocent of their actions and you wouldn't understand them."
"Whatever you say, lola," Art scoffed as he ascended the stairs then slammed the door behind him. Jesslyn could only sigh at his stubbornness, then turned to the elder to bow in apology, which Angeni took nonetheless; she only found sympathy for her, at what they seemed to be going through.
Jesslyn raised her head, "Do you need an escort to the camp?"
"There is no need," Angeni shook her head, "These two are not mortals. They can take care of themselves."
Jesslyn nodded as she approached the married couple and unlocked their cuffs, "I hope you bear no ill will."
"No, we should be the one apologising," Mr. Nicholls spoke as he hung his head whilst trying to stand up straight but could not because of the deep wounds he sustained from Deckard's silver blades, "We were aware of what they were doing, we just-"
Jesslyn shook her head and smiled, "You don't have to explain sir."
"We must depart now," Angeni announced as the lot of them ascended the stairs with Jesslyn far behind; she directed them to the backyard, aware that Art would be in the kitchen sulking like a child. "Young master assassin, I pray you take care of those two children," she spoke as the married couple prepared to leave, "Fate has a plan for them, but I only wish you could keep fate away from them."
With that, Mrs. Nicholls transformed into a horse as her still recuperating husband climbed on with the elder; she jumped over the perimeter wall and left the young assassin wondering. The elder's words only seem to boggle her mind, adding to her already muddled thoughts of the warning left to them.
What does fate have in store for them?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"How is she?"
"She's awake in the other room."
"That's good."
"I know this isn't my business," Jesslyn spoke as she looked at Deckard right in the eyes, "But who are you, really?"
Deckard raised a brow, "Huh?"
"Nothing," Jesslyn dismissed her thoughts as Deckard merely nodded, "You're knives are over there," she pointed, "Don't lose them again. They are after all, your greatest weapons."
Deckard looked away, "Yeah sorry," and chuckled nervously, "When will I fully recover?"
"I'm not sure," Jesslyn shrugged, "Usually us humans recover for three or four days, maximum is a week just for the skin to hold together," she explained as Deckard looked at her almost as if he could not believe, "But I'll give it the day after tomorrow, so rest a lot."
Deckard just nodded as he lied back down into the bed, then exhaled out of his mouth. Jesslyn just looked at him carefully, almost as though she was suspicious of him; there was something about his wounds that was unusually recovering fast. Even elder Angeni told her so; for a human, it was abnormally fast.
She looked at him and found nothing unusual from him; no visible fangs, streaks of silver in his irises, no tattoos or birthmarks. Not even an unusual kind demeanour that the faeries have. So how could he be fully healed in a matter of twenty four hours? It's just eleven in the evening – not even midnight, yet he was already fully awake as though he could wrestle a bear.
Leaving him be, Jesslyn got up and walked out, then proceeded to Athena's former room, where she could hear Hailey and Katherine talking; she did not wish to eavesdrop on their conversation and walked past the door to give them privacy, but their topic seemed to have caught her interest.
"I don't know what they are, fae," Katherine spoke as she kept her gaze away from Hailey, who was listening intently, "I keep seeing these patches of white from time to time and something from the other side is always there."
"What things, wolfie?" Hailey questioned as though a little interested, curious, but mostly worried about what it might be. She could feel the hesitation from her, the fear of uncertainty floating in the air as much as the doubts that roamed her eyes; there were hints of discomfort in them that made her hold her hand tight just to tell her she was there.
"There were black spirits," Katherine nearly whispered, her fear evident in her voice, "They were screaming – screeching so painfully high that my ears would bleed," she explained as she rubbed her temples at the memory, "They were attacking a wall of some sorts that seemed to be blocking them from entering this world. Sometimes, I see more than just one spot, almost converging on me and making me lose sight of this world. Whenever that happens, I feel like I would lose myself and could not understand why."
There was a pause as Hailey noticed the sudden rise in Katherine's pulse, but the wolf growled at the memory; she was angry, but afraid at the same time. She wanted to be brave about it, but after what happened last night; she wanted to confine with her everything. It was as though death would keep coming for her and there would no longer be time left to spend with her.
Her thoughts were clouded with fear that she eased her hand out of Hailey's hold, afraid that she may not be able to protect her fully. She was ways away from being able to fully protect her; last night was the proof of that, at how she was unable to detect the danger because of Deckard's presence distracting her.
Katherine growled at herself, "If only I wasn't too distracted, I wouldn't be like this," she exhaled with frustration, "It's my fault that I even endangered Deckard," she growled at herself again; at the sound of Deckard's name, Hailey nearly clicked her tongue with vex. "Now, he's hurt and all of it is my fault!"
"Wolfie," Hailey spoke as she reached out to her, then caressed Katherine's cheek, but before her fingers could even touch her cheek, the wolf moved away. The look of disdain reflected in her eyes, failure and imperfection moulded together that seemed to fuel her hate. "Hey, it's okay, just don't worry about it."
"I need to think," Katherine spoke as she tried to get up, swinging her legs to the side, "I need some air," she told herself as she tried to get up, but her ribs ached at the sudden movement that she stumbled in her steps, making her groan; her breathing hastened as she tried not to move too much.
"Wolfie, just lie down," Hailey pleaded as she tried to assist her, making sure that she does not injure herself further.
"I need air," Katherine repeated as she tried to reach the door, only to falter in her steps. Hailey watched as she almost fell, gritting her teeth; she has had enough of Katherine's stubborn self. "All of this, my fault."
"Wolfie, stop blaming yourself," Hailey continued to plead as she watched her open the door and struggled to walk down the hallway. She tried to stop her from getting any farther by holding her, but Katherine would swipe her hand away from her. "You're still wounded and the elder said you need to rest because bone reconstruction takes days!"
"I don't want to sit down," Katherine replied as she descended the stairs.
"Stop being stubborn and get back to bed!" Hailey exclaimed.
"I don't want to!" Katherine growled as they both made it out the house, to the backyard. "I need to get stronger, to get better at protecting everyone!"
Frustrated, Hailey took Katherine by the wrist and pulled her, making her turn to her; she pulled her arm behind her head and made the stubborn wolf face her. She pushed her back and made her walk backwards until her back touched the perimeter wall; she pinned the stubborn wolf against it as Katherine merely growled in protest, unable to overpower her.
"Listen up, wolfie," Hailey nearly hissed, "I'm tired of you belittling yourself, overexerting yourself, ignoring me for the past few days and most of all, I hate hearing you say his name," she spoke through gritted teeth as she shortened the gap between them, almost intimidating the wolf, but she could only stare at her eyes, "Whenever I see you ignoring me or even being with someone else, I feel so pissed that I want to hit you, so much that I-"
Before she could even finish her sentence, her heart could no longer take it and instead, bridged the gap between them and allowed their lips to speak for themselves. Katherine did not fight back nor push her away, not because she could not, but because it was what she needed; she needed to know that she was still needed despite her incompetence.
Hungrily, Hailey did not stop her assault on Katherine's lips and eventually let go of her wrist that she raised over her head; she only wanted to assert her authority, but her feelings of care and love had gotten over her own head. Katherine meant a lot to her and she would climb mountains just to be with her, but when she was being unreasonable, that was when she crosses the line – especially when her patience had run low.
The starlit night graced them and hid them in the shadows as Katherine felt fire burn her body; a fire long consumed by her hunger for power that she had already forgotten, but now, lit up by her lover's touch. She pulled Hailey closer, slipping her tongue past her sweet lips and wrestled for dominance against her lover's tongue.
Parting, they tried to catch their breaths as they found themselves looking into each other's eyes; there was sadness in Hailey's as much as there was regret in Katherine's. The young fae hugged her lover close and hid her face in the crook of her neck, embarrassed to her core, yet worried that she may not be able to control herself.
"I'm sorry," she whispered as Katherine held her close, "Please, just go back to bed and rest," she pleaded in a whisper as she pulled back and looked into Katherine's obedient eyes; she kissed her once again as if to assure herself that nothing would happen to her, but she knew well enough. "Let's go back inside."
Nodding, Hailey held her hand and smiled before she turned around then began walking back to the house slowly; she did not wish to strain Katherine any further after pushing her too hard against the wall. It was unlike her to do such a thing, unable to condone violence much, but tolerant enough to defend herself; it was a conflict.
As they reached the middle of the backyard, the ground began to tremble beneath them. In a quick motion, Katherine pulled Hailey to her and hugged her before she hunkered both of them down, to wait for the quake to lapse; the earth beneath them has been having severe tremors as of late for reasons unknown.
"It will be over soon," Katherine assured Hailey as she held her tight, shielding her from whatever fright she was feeling. The tremors often lasted for a mere minutes, but this one, it lasted for more than what it often did; it left Katherine no choice but to slowly move to the house.
But as she got closer, the earthquake thundered beneath them, knocking several trees behind them. Cars were sent into a honking frenzy as much as the animals nearby whelped for help and shelter; screams of panic could be heard across the neighbourhood. Chaos was roaming the town as the ground shook fervently, leaving cracks on the street and leaving the people in a haze of panic.
"We're almost there," Katherine tried to comfort Hailey, assuring her that nothing would go wrong; she only hoped. As they got closer to the house, the foundations that held the patio roof began to fumble and eventually collapse; three pillars were falling in the struggling teens' direction.
"Quickly, get inside!" Jesslyn shouted from the other side of the house before the patio collapsed, but saw the situation; the foundation pillars would crush the two of them, especially at Katherine's condition. She knew that the wolf can evade this, but when the ground was shaking too much, both of them have placed their lives in peril.
"Katherine! Hailey!"
Without a thought for herself, Jesslyn rushed out of the house and charged towards the duo's direction; she could not stand idly – even if there was an earthquake – when her precious students were in danger. She would rather be the one injured than create more injury for them, a much deeper sadness to befall them.
Running as fast as she could, the foundations were about to hit them, which made her dive in for them, hoping to use herself as a shield. She closed her eyes as much as she saw the two teens did the same, only crossing their fingers that the pain would not be too much.
Once the trembling ceased, Jesslyn felt the two in her arms; she opened her eyes and examined them; much to her relief, both of them were unscathed. Hailey hugged Katherine tight to calm her fear as Jesslyn merely sighed, glad that both of them were safe. She was afraid for a moment that she would not have reached them in time.
Giving them space, Jesslyn stood up and found her eyes widening; her heartbeat echoed against her ears as the adrenaline had yet to cease, yet she was certain that anxiety ran wild once again. She looked around her surroundings, almost in disbelief of what was in front of them; there was nothing but a plain of white.
"What just happened?" Jesslyn questioned none in particular as her eyes kept looking around they endless void of white, "Where are we?"
Katherine looked around, "This place," she mumbled as anxiety throbbed inside her chest, "Feels familiar."
"Wherever we are, we need to get back," Jesslyn announced as she held her hands out for the two to take, "I don't really want to stick around this place," she explained as the two stood up, "It's giving me the creeps."
"Where do you think the exit is?" Hailey asked as she stuck next to Katherine, who seemed to have kept her arm around the fae's waist; her protective instincts were kicking in.
"I'm not sure," Jesslyn replied as she tried to look for anything in the void of light, "Let's just head in one direction," she suggested as she began walking with the two beside her, "Maybe we can find something in this place."
Walking about, all three of them kept an eye out for anything; the void before them seemed endless. For a few minutes, there was nothing in sight came up, not even a single soul or house; it was as if they were in the desert of Egypt, lost in the heat and in search for anything to quench their thirst.
Minutes turned to hours as the endless white gave them no solace; it almost seemed as though they have been there forever. Jesslyn was losing hope as much as her body felt light for no reason, but did not show it; her pride would not let her, she had a reason to keep going and for that lone reason she will keep walking. It has been a long time since she last heard from Itsuki and she will do anything to see her again.
"Wolfie, what's wrong?" Hailey queried as they stopped, which made Jesslyn turned around and looked at them. Katherine had her arm around her stomach as she noticed the amount of sweat beads around her forehead; she approached the young teen and examined her carefully, but the wolf was quick to dismiss her pain.
"Let's take a break here," Jesslyn suggested as she heard Katherine growl.
The wolf shook her head, "No, let's keep going."
"No, Jesslyn's right," Hailey affirmed Jesslyn's suggestion as she helped Katherine to sit, "Let's just take a short rest."
Katherine sighed in surrender, "Alright."
"How are your ribs?" Jesslyn asked as she sat cross legged in front of her.
Katherine shook her head, "They are recovering fine," she replied as Jesslyn raised a brow, "Just that, they are healing quite fast."
"What?" Jesslyn raised a brow.
Katherine growled, "I can feel my bones," she spoke in near jagged breathing, "I feel them," she growled again as she covered her ears, almost bending forward from the sudden pain, "Trying to reconstruct inside my body – the broken pieces feel like electricity that's coursing through my body at high speed."
"Just take a deep breaths, Kathie," Jesslyn suggested as she put a hand the wolf's shoulder that made her roar at her. There was a sudden piercing screech in the distance that made Jesslyn and Hailey turn to it, but looked back at Katherine after she roared back at it; her eyes shot forward as streaks of black invaded her eye balls, and further tainted her eyes into a deep black. "Kathie, what's going on?!"
Katherine growled and pushed both of them away, "Stay back!"
"Wolfie, what's-"
Katherine roared at her as she hunched on all fours and slowly began growling out loud, baring her fangs at them. Jesslyn sprung up and pulled Hailey away from her as Katherine manifested into her werewolf form; a black werewolf of a hulking size with streaks of silver joined at her head – the very beast they saw that night at the arena.
"Wolfie, what's wrong?" Hailey asked in worry as Jesslyn pulled her up, then began running on instinct, just as Katherine roared out loud at them. Her eyes were tainted black – a familiar trait Jesslyn recognised from renegade souls that stole a NoM's body; she did not turn around and look as Hailey tried to reason with the wolf as they ran.
Plead with her as she could but Katherine could not hear her pleas as if she was no longer there. Jesslyn just kept running and running until the land underneath them finally had form in the distance; there was a vast field that stretched for miles with a forest in the end, like they were in a canvas of black and white.
Adrenaline pumping through her veins, she ran and ran until her feet finally entered the fields; there were a few specks of what appeared to be formless bodies, like a blob with a core in the middle, that floated about in the fields and some even turned at them, then ran away at the sight of the werewolf.
"Run!"
"The reapers are back!"
"Run for your souls!"
Jesslyn ran past a scurry of blobs and headed into the forest, where most of them had hidden; she was uncertain if they were safe there and just kept running, unsure where to go or where to hide. She does not understand why that suddenly happened, but the look on Katherine's face told her that it was not in her control, as if there was someone else pulling the strings.
"Wolfie, snap out of it!" Hailey shouted in plea but nothing seemed to get through the hulking werewolf that was thrashing behind them; it was running after them on all fours as her snout salivated with her fangs out. "Wolfie, don't let anything control you!"
"Is there any way out of this place?" Jesslyn asked in between her breathing as Hailey failed to hear her; she was too blinded by what has happened to Katherine that she seemed to be trying to reason with her. Her legs were about to give way, running for what seemed like a few hours at an alarming rate was taking a toll on her endurance, almost making her curse herself for being this pathetic.
What am I going to do?
"This way!" she heard a man's voice shout, which made her look for it. A man – in the form a spectral grey light – wearing an old Caribbean jacket with a cutlass tied onto his sash directed her; Jesslyn did not think twice and followed. The man ran with them as a few blobs of souls converged around Katherine and got in her way, slowing her down as it overwhelmed her. "Follow me!"
Jesslyn nodded and followed the man, ducking and diving through several trees and eventually reached what seemed like an old castle. She walked in with him as the gate behind them rose up, further keeping them safe. The man in front of them led them further in and allowed them to sit on what looked like a very old, stone staircase.
"Are the both you alright?" He asked as Jesslyn placed Hailey down, who immediately dove in to hug the pirate. "My child, are you hurt?"
Hailey pulled back and shook her head, "Zan, I'm fine," and even proved it by spinning around to show her unscathed body, "But wolfie is-"
"I know," Zander nodded as he lowered his gaze, "It seems the renegades have found a way to control her," he admitted as Jesslyn clenched her fist at his explanation whilst catching her breath, "How they did is something I cannot understand."
"And of Hailey and I?" Jesslyn asked as she realised that both of them were in danger. "Will they be able to take hold of us too?"
"My child is immune to them," Zander defended as he sized up to Jesslyn for no apparent reason as though he was threatened by her words, "But both of you yet breathe and should not be in the plain of spirits," he backed off and turned to Hailey, "How did you phase here?"
Hailey shook her head, "It wasn't me," she shrugged and frowned, "You of all people should know I wouldn't."
"Are you suggesting that Kathie did it?" Jesslyn nearly demanded in tone as she looked up at the two as she tried to calm her chest.
"It may be possible," Zander nodded but Jesslyn found no comfort in his answer, "She was born on the day of souls," he continued as Jesslyn hung her head as she took deep breaths; her head suddenly felt light that made her head spin, but tried to ignore it. "So, she has the ability to do so," he explained as he shook his head, "But only if her powers were awakened."
Hailey shook her head, "She has not once awakened her powers."
"You can never be too sure," Zander replied as he looked at Jesslyn, whose eyes looked like she would kill him, but he merely dismissed it and said; "We need to get you out of here. I know a portal in this castle that can take you back to your mortal plain."
Hailey frowned as worry crossed her eyes, "What about wolfie?" she questioned, "She doesn't belong here either!"
"I know that, my child," Zander sighed as she held her hands, "I will make sure she returns to your plain, but for now," he looked at Jesslyn, who seemed to have gone pale and out of breath – the side effects of a mortal to their plain – her soul was slowly withering for it was left unprotected by a NoM's near immortality. "We need to get both of you out."
Hailey noticed the dread in the air as she turned to Jesslyn, who was breathing heavily. It made her gasp slightly as she watched her teacher slowly rise up to shake the effects, putting a smile to mask what she was feeling.
What's wrong with me? Jesslyn asked herself as Zander directed them up the castle; she could feel her vision wobbling, her body burning, her bones quivering. There was a hammering in the back of her head that made her doubt any painkiller could ever banish; her steps had gone heavy as they ascended the spiral staircase of what seemed like a tower.
Halfway through the spire, Jesslyn's feet gave out that made her fall onto her hands; her groans caught Hailey's attention and made the young fae shoulder her mentor. Jesslyn just smiled at her through the pain, the perspiration and the hard, laboured breathing.
"Hang in there, coach," Hailey encouraged her, "We're almost there."
Jesslyn gave a pained chuckled, "I'm... a poor... excuse... for a... gym teacher."
"No, you just exhausted yourself," Hailey replied to attempt to comfort her pain; holding her like that, she can feel the humongous pain she was in that could kill any living being. It astounded her at how she could still last that long; her face was nearly as white as the place they were in, almost as if she was merging with this reality.
"There," Zander pointed out as he turned to face the two, who had just reached the last step, "This portal is just one way, once you go in you cannot come back here."
There was a vertical square of dark blue in front of them that held the stars inside it; Hailey could not tell where the place was, but did not care, she only wished for Jesslyn to get out of there as soon as they could. Zander merely smiled at both of them as worry etched his face, feeling emphatic towards the staggering assassin in front of him; he knew well enough that sooner or later, she would die if she stayed here any longer – an occurrence he knew well from the past. He will not allow history to command the course of this young woman's river, even if it was he who has to make a new path for that river to flow.
"Thank you, Zan," Hailey spoke as she slowly walked towards the portal. As they got closer, the castle door boomed open and alarmed Zander, which made him nod at Hailey before sprinting down; there were loud shrieks from beneath their feet that almost frightened Hailey at the sound of it. "Be safe, Zan."
Facing the portal, Hailey placed one foot inside when she heard a growl from outside, making her halt in step. In the blink of an eye, a gigantic claw tore through the castle wall and grabbed them, squeezing them slowly as it pulled them out into the open; black stained eyes greeted them as a figure in black stood on Katherine's shoulder, a mask hiding his face.
"Wolfie, stop!" Hailey shouted through the pain, but her words merely fell on deft ears. Jesslyn could not feel the pain of Katherine's grip, for her mind was swirling in darkness; there were cracks of white along her vision that told her that her end was neigh. "Please!"
Is this how I thought I'd die?
Eyes closing, her vision had gone dark as she waited for the light to take her; in the dark of her vision, a lone figure walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. The night they met in that hideout, their nightly walks in the park, the night on a full moon she bent on one knee and proposed, that night they bickered over who ate the last pizza; all these memories came surging back in and reminded her the reason she should not leave yet.
Cupping the knife on her thigh, Jesslyn stabbed one of Katherine's fingers that made her open; as soon as her body felt free, she took Hailey's hand and leapt back into the tower. She fell face front on the floor, but got up as soon as she could; her face may have been pale and her body may have been weakened, but her will to live was never touched – it burned like the feelings she had in her heart.
"Get out of here," Jesslyn commanded Hailey through laboured breaths whilst looking at her over her shoulder, "Now!"
"But-"
Leaping into action, Jesslyn ran towards Katherine and threw a fan of knives at her, making the gigantic beast roar out loud; the person riding her only told her to back off, by patting her head. Hailey felt her heart quake with fear as she watched them fall back, making her look over the open edge; her eyes widened at the sight of a hundred black, winged figures flying towards them.
"We need to get out!" Hailey shouted as she pulled on Jesslyn who seemed to have fallen to her knees, broken into exhaustion as her long deep breaths echoed. Darting over to her, Hailey tried to pull her up as much as Jesslyn tried to do bring her knees to obey; try as she could, that last outburst was her final strength. "Coach come on, we need to go!"
Jesslyn raised her tired eyes and in her fading vision, she saw figures of pure black crawl into the hole with their scythes. A smile tried to crawl on her lips as threw a blade to scatter them for a moment, which gave Hailey enough time to pull her towards the door; Jesslyn watched as a swarm of them entered the hole, which made her think of it all.
Forgive me, my love.
The enemies have swarmed them as Hailey placed a foot through the passage way, pulling her weight as she tried to pull Jesslyn inside, only to hear her whisper a few short words; the emotions that coursed through her worried her, which made her fear for a moment as her own heartbeat echoed in her chest. Eyes widening, she was about to look at her when she felt her suddenly rise and push her in just as the swarm of figures engulfed the room.
"Coach!" Hailey called out to her with a hand outstretched to reach her as her body rapidly drifted away from the door; in her peripheral vision – of what was left of what she could see through the door – she saw Jesslyn giving all of her fight, without giving not a single one of them quarter with a smile of surrender on her face. It was as if she knew that sooner or later, it was coming to her.
As her body drifted, the white the encompassed her slowly turned into a sea of darkness; the door she came out of, vanished before her eyes. Her her body flew inside a vortex as her eyes shut tight, allowing the waves to take her away. The swirls eventually narrowed, allowing her body to land; there was grass underneath her palms, which made her eyes dart open.
She looked around in hastened breath, trying to find the door once again; frantically, she searched all around her as regret filled her chest, making her heart swell with great apprehension. Anxiety began to build as she tried to get up, wobbling in her attempt as the sun almost blinded her, making her shield her eyes for a moment.
Her senses came around as she smelt fragrance in the air that made her look down where she stood and found flowers of different types around her, but the roses were quite dominant; it boggled her mind for a second and asked herself where she had landed, only to dismiss it as she felt a throb in the back of her head, making her cup it with her right hand.
"Where am I?" Hailey mumbled as she once again tried to look for the door, but before she could even take a step, she heard another pair of footsteps behind her; her hope shot up as she clung to it, believing that Jesslyn had gone in the door as well or even accidentally falling inside. "Coach?!"
"Sorry, I'm not Jesslyn," a slightly mellow voice spoke that made her turn around; a pair of sharp, but softened blue eyes met her with a small smile on her face that seemed to have sent pin pricks on her heart. "Where'd you come from, Hailey Shepard?"
Unable to hold back her tears, Hailey began weeping there as she fell to her knees making her acquaintance rush over to her and kneel next to her; she felt her hand on back and pull her into her hug, rubbing her back further to soothe her. Her acquaintance felt surprised by her sudden outburst that left her speechless; she calmed down for a moment as her acquaintance pulled back, examining her face.
"What's wrong, Hailey Shepard?" asked her acquaintance, who was rubbing her tear strains. Hailey knew not what to tell her as an overwhelming pain throbbed inside her chest; she did not know what words to utter, what kind of face to show, or what kind of explanation to give. It was too difficult for her to say as she hung her head lower, allowing her tears to show her pathetic self.
"I'm... sorry..."
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A/N: Jesslyn has fallen, is this goodbye? I'm sorry my friend. It was done.
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