I want to thank all of you, who have been reading so far! This story and it's characters have been in development for almost five years! I encourage each and every one of you to vote, comment and keep reading! I want to apologize for how short Chapters 3-5 are...they were just fillers. Just to give you some background and whatnot. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story and its sequels!
With Much Love,
Victoria
Snow:
It was if I was trapped somewhere, unable to see, or smell. I couldn't even hear. The only thing I had was my thoughts and my 'inner ear'. I could feel of course, and the pain was unimaginable. It was as if someone had injected liquid fire into my veins. This must be the Unspeakable's poisonous talons at work, working with the previous one, the first one I'd ever killed or helped to kill. I remember when I was sucked into the world where vampires sparkled and fell in love with humans. Bella Swan went through something like this. The pure darkness surrounding me but I could feel the pain eating away at me, at what made me, me. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs the image of Trevor's life ending replayed in my mind constantly, as if the pain and where I was stuck wanted me to destroy myself mentally. I wondered if this was the All Powerful One's doing. I wanted to call out to Lycan, to tell him I loved him, I wanted to feel his lips on mine. But somehow I knew I couldn't. It was like someone had clipped my vocal chords, silencing me; letting me be consumed by the white hot pain, like fire coursing through my fragile veins. I felt myself changing between wolf and human form and I knew I was scaring whoever was watching me.
I don't think I realized that Lycan couldn't be my true love; I couldn't comprehend him not being my True Love. I couldn't face the fact that if Trevor had been my True Love I would never wake up from this awful slumber, unlike my other trips into the dream world, I wasn't ever going to wake, not unless someone kissed me, or found another way to wake me. I was scared for the first time in my life, I was in a Death Sleep, I've read about it in the books my father gave me, it was a deadly spell cast by an Unspeakable. But I had done nothing to deserve this; I hadn't even killed this Unspeakable's maker. So I was left with this question, what did I do?
I knew deep within myself, that this couldn't possibly last forever, that someone would rescue me from myself. I had read about the countless attempts of Guardians trying to rid others of the Death Sleep. One case stuck with me though. It was the inspiration for the fairy tale, Snow White. Knowing me, I memorized the whole thing, the very first time I read the account. It wasn't difficult, most of the stories in Guardians; A History of Our Race it was full of the after affects of curses, jinxes, and spells Unspeakables and other creatures could cast. But the Death Sleep was what filled me with dread. It rendered the victim powerless, and confined within their nightmares. The only nightmare I have suffered from was one where I was completely alone; with no one but myself for company; I couldn't imagine what past Guardians saw and felt. The account was pretty straight forward really; but instead of an Evil Step mother, there was an Unspeakable, and instead of a beautiful princess, there was an equally beautiful Guardian woman. The Grimm Brothers got most of the facts correct of course, as they were Protectors at the time. But to keep with their themes in their fables, they changed some of the key elements; to make sure our race stayed a secret. Of course in the Guardian account, Snow White never woke up. Her 'prince' kissed her, and searched the land for a cure; but nothing was ever found. The Guardian died in her sleep; her Death Sleep while he was on his quest nearly ten years after his initial attempt. He died of a broken heart. I didn't want that for Lycan, of course I didn't want to die either, but the thought of the world without Lycan Taylor Johnston in it, just didn't seem right to me.
Lycan*
I sat there just holding her hand or her paw whichever state she was in. I was deeply afraid to kiss her, afraid for the failure. What if I wasn't her true love? What if I couldn't find a way to wake her? I could tell she was in pain. The constant transformations had to be taking a toll on her fragile frame and her recent injury. I knew she was in a horrible place, because of the close contact with her I could see her dreams,
'Kiss me Lycan, hold me, help me Lycan! I love you LYCAN PLEASE HELP ME!'
Startled by the sudden outburst in my head I released her and I leaned down and kissed her soft pink lips, at first nothing happened. I let my hesitation and reluctance go, hoping something would change. Her constant transformations kept going, but her eyes opened. I thought she could see me, but her pupils weren't dilating to the harsh light she was under. I felt another presence around me, it wasn't an Unspeakable, or the All Powerful One, the power was softer, but stronger. It was Echo.
"Hello Echo."
"How did you? Never mind, I have found a way to break the Death Sleep completely." How had she known I had kissed her? I turned and saw Echo holding a rather old book. The title cover was well worn, and was made from old leather, it was cracking in places, and peeling in others. The lettering was once gold, but now looked tarnished with age. It made out the title; just barely there; Guardians; A History of Our Race. How had she found the answers in there? Snow didn't, she had already recounted the tale in her mind as she was moving from one nightmarish scene to the next.
"Tell me Echo, I need to know," I came closer to her "Echo please. I'm sorry if I've hurt you with my love for her but please don't withhold this information, we need her,I need her." Echo let out a breath she must've been holding for ages. She looked at me with a sad understanding of my need; and slowly began;
"Lycan you didn't hurt me, I knew all along you didn't completely love me. Lycan you must understand my transition admitting I'm gay or bisexual or whatever I am is so goddamn hard, I'm lucky to have such amazing friends and an amazing girlfriend like Luna. But Luna had a vision of me dying Lycan, and I'm a bit shaken. I understand this information is important I do, but I don't think you're ready for this." My anger was growing flashes of ripping Echo's throat out and ingesting her torn flesh filled my mind, and it was all I could do to stay somewhat human.
''You don't get to decide if I'm ready for this! I do, and so does Snow. I am not going to lose her! What if Luna was in this Death Sleep? What would you do, what if I was the one withholding this much needed information and said you weren't ready?" I growled. The fierceness in my voice broke her resolve and she cried.
"Lycan I still love you! Why the hell can't you see that? I love Luna don't get me wrong, but you were the first person who made me feel important, loved. I let you go so you could be happy. Don't turn me into the selfish one. I will tell you the spell, but you have to be ready for the consequences and you have to ask yourself, is she worth it?'" I paused, my resolve weakening. If Echo, Snow's best friend, was warning me that her life might not be worth saving; then the task at hand must be hefty. What the hell did we have to do, to save our Alpha?
"What will happen Echo?" Echo's fear was evident in her eyes. She didn't want to tell me. She didn't want me to fulfill what the task demanded. But she saw my resolve building, and she knew first hand how stubborn I was.
"You will forget your humanity for a time, and in that time you will kill twenty-five people, to regain your humanity in that time the town people will be fair game and Snow will blame herself."
"It's worth it."
"You will not be able to distinguish who Snow is, or the Unspeakables from the humans." I paused, hesitant for a moment. What if I killed Snow? What if I killed someone we knew? But an image of Snow in a casket instead of our unusual sleeping arrangement settled my mind. It was obvious what I had to do, wouldn't anyone, if given the opportunity do the same for the one they loved?
"I said its FUCKING worth it didn't I? Give me the spell." Echo wrote it down earlier and she handed me a hot pink sticky note. Wake Spell was written on the top in her curly girly cursive writing. I read through it and smiled a weak smile, it was all in Latin. I took Latin in seventh grade, but I failed miserably. I also didn't have many of the ingredients. "Echo where do I get all these things? I don't think there's a magic shop in town."
"Before I learned I was a Guardian I dabbled in Wicca, I have everything you need and that's how I got the spell. Here." She held out a purple shopping bag with a crescent moon on the front and back. I took it and whispered,
"Thank you. I owe you."
"One last kiss will suffice for your payment Lycan. I don't expect anything more from you." I crossed the distance that separated Echo's lips from mine and quickly kissed her, no spark flew so I knew our choice was the right one, Snow's kisses all of them had fireworks. I released her lips and turned to Snow. Echo left the room quickly, I ignored her sobs, making myself believe they were for Snow, death like as she slept. The transformations had stopped, but she starred unblinking into the harsh light of the lamp. I knelt there, in front of the settee where she laid, with the mini cauldron Echo had given me and started my spell. I added the mint, and catnip, may-apple and basil. Eye of newt, and cinnamon sprigs. I started the chant, feeling ridiculous as I tried to sound out the Latin words,
'Wake now my love,
For this Slumber is
Not yours to sleep
Your slumber is for the dead
And condemned.
Your sleep is not yours to keep
Wake my love from your unnatural slumber
Wake from your Death Sleep my darling.
Wake with the name of the Goddess on your lips
Wake with the name of the God in your heart
Wake with the name of the Dreaded in your thrown away Slumber.
Wake My Love.'
I finished my chant, and a purple mist rose from the cauldron and went into Snow's nostrils and mine, I fell back onto the hard wood floor pain shot through my body, being a football player I knew pain, I've been tackled in as many ways as you can imagine and then some, I have broken almost every bone in my body since I started playing when I was thirteen. This pain was white hot, like someone took a branding iron and stuck it into my body and twisted, dragging it as if they were drawing a stick figure. Is this what its like to lose one's humanity? I blacked out from the pain and when I woke up I was in the woods. I was in my wolf form. I didn't feel anything except blood lust, hunger, and vengeance.
Snow*
I was there in the dark when I heard a scream, filled with pain. Lycan appeared in front of me, his hand outstretched.
'Come with me Snow' I followed the ghostly figure of Lycan, in some ways I knew this was a piece of Lycan, but if I had known this was his humanity and it had to stay behind in this horrid place, I wouldn't have followed. We came to a place with two doors that stood in the middle of a clearing. They didn't appear like they would go anywhere. But they did. To hell and to home. He guided me to the blue door, the HOME door, and told me he would follow me.
I became aware slowly of my corporal body, I was on a couch, and my eyes were burning, I looked to see someone had placed me under a lamp. I tried to sit up but I couldn't, I tested my vocal ability and I could hear faintly my almost inaudible whisper,
"Echo, Luna, Lycan? Accalia?" I laid back down and I heard hurried footsteps on the stairs. I waited for my friends and my True Love to appear. Luna, Echo and Accalia entered. Where was Lycan? Had he left me? Where was he. I scanned the room for traces of him. I couldn't see him. I couldn't smell him, but I could feel that he had been in the room recently. I smelled cinnamon, and mint. The room sparkled a little. "Where is Lycan?"
Echo looked down to the ground and shuffled her feet, as if she knew.
"I gave him a spell to wake you, and in consequence he lost his humanity. He sacrificed his humanity for you. But if he kills twenty five innocent people, as in they stood no chance of fighting him off, in twenty five days he will be the old Lycan."
'"No, No ,No! Echo you had no right!'
"I told him he wasn't ready. I would've gladly taken his place."
"How long since he performed the spell?"
"Two days we gave you something so you could have a restful sleep. You were in the Death Sleep for a week."
"How many people has he killed?"
"Twelve. Oh he attacked Terry! He didn't kill her but he killed everyone else in Strike em Down!" Luna wailed.
"This means he'll be his old self soon." Accalia said weakly. Had he killed someone we knew well?
"Who were they? Who did he kill?"
"Snow please, if we tell you, you'll never look at him the same." Accalia reasoned,
"Just tell me or give me a newspaper." I forced myself to stand up despite the agonizing pain I was in, especially my side; I grabbed the folded up newspaper from Accalia, and read to my horror the names of Lycan's victims the name that popped was Ralph, the owner of the bowling alley. I forced myself to stay standing. All the while thinking this couldn't be true. Lycan couldn't be capable of this. But I knew that without his humanity Lycan was capable of evil, pure evil. My only love was on a rampage, fighting to get his humanity back. I wanted to curl up and cry, I wanted to blame myself. But he did this for me, I have to support him. The best I can. For the sake of both our sanity's.
Lycan*
I woke up in the woods in back of Strike em Down and was covered in blood. Flashes of the night before came back as did tidbits of my humanity. I felt a small amount of remorse for those I had slaughtered. Terry I knew was injured but her husband, Ralph was dead, and inside of my digestive track.Ralph had been our friend; a kind soul. I would mourn him when the rest of my soul is returned. I couldn't change back into my human form I needed to kill more people, good people otherwise it wouldn't work. I would hunt tonight I needed my humanity. I sniffed around me, a campsite with the exact number of people I needed to kill.
The wolf inside me growled with delight, while the small percentage of human in me whined in horror. As night fell I came out of hiding. Being an all black wolf I had the night and darkness on my side. I saw a small girl maybe seven, an innocent person who didn't deserve to die, and then I saw Travis Dillenholer that was his sister. I attacked; I tore her to bits in front of him, hoping that I released her to a world without the D-bag brother.
Before he could reach for a weapon I snapped his neck with my teeth. He died slowly because I didn't sever him completely. I turned to the rest of his family and his current girlfriend's family. I saw Charity Bell and she screamed alerting her family. Good my victims are coming to me. I was much bigger than an average wolf and I could kill them all. But there was more than I needed. I will kill Charity for sure. The rest of the Dillenholer's and the rest of the Bell's I would leave Charity's best friends. I attacked and before they could even take a last breath they were dead.
I felt something change inside of me like a part of me was being sewn back into my soul. Pain shot through me, as my soul stitched itself back together again. I let out an agonized howl, and collapsed to the forest floor. Exhaustion overwhelming me, and the guilt over the innocents I slaughtered made me keel over and vomit. My humanity has returned; I raced back to Luna's, ignoring my screaming muscles, and ignoring my urge to vomit everywhere. Snow had been staying with Luna, as well as the rest of the Pack's, it had turned into the unofficial, official headquarters, and changed there. I was a human again and I was covered in blood and lots of it.
I raced across the street to my home and showered and got fresh clothes to change into. My humanity is back, those three days were horrid, and the people I killed didn't deserve to die the way they did. I completed my task in three days; when the spell gave me twenty-five. What did that say about me? Was I a monster? Was I more demon than angel? Or was it because the angel part of me was taken away along with the human part? When I got out of the shower I puked up the remains of my victims, they didn't settle well with my human stomach, I was ghostly pale when I finished vomiting and I grabbed a ginger ale from the pantry to settle my stomach, but it was mostly for something to do, as I went to Luna's.
Snow*
I sensed a change, in the air and in the traces of Lycan in the room. I heard the doorbell ring and I raced passed everyone to the front door. There in the porch light perfect and handsome as ever was Lycan. My true love standing before me. Blood free and hair dripping from a recent shower. His eyes betrayed what he had been through, He was no longer an innocent Guardian, he had killed innocents and it's all my fault.
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