"Don't say anything, I know I took like a week Athena. Can't help it, procrastination is basically my twin now."
-ammahacku, about the previous chapter
I decided to keep that note to show you, dear readers, why updates have been slow. >_<
Anyway, ʂų℘ɛཞ ąῳɛʂơɱɛ ʄıɠɧɬʂƈɛŋɛ, ყɛąɧ!
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The three of them stood back to back, their weapons drawn.
"I hate clichés." Clary said, "Seriously! Isn't there one original idea out there?!"
"Of course not! Because if we weren't cliché, we wouldn't have gone to this place anyway!" Jessie argued, slashing her scythe at the nearest maid.
"Lezz talking, more fighting." Sophia advised, her knuckles white on the hilt of her dagger.
"Alright." Jessie gritted her teeth, "On the count of thre—"
"GO!" Clary shouted and nearly tackled Circe but missed, so she twisted and tackled a maid guarding the exit instead.
The maid grabbed Clary's wrist and twisted, making Clary yelp.
She twisted away from the maid's grip and punched her jaw with her brass knuckles.
The maid shrieked and let go of Clary, clutching her bleeding jaw.
She drew out an electrum whip and lashed it out on Clary.
She sidestepped and hooked her foot around the maid's ankles, sweeping her off her feet.
The electrum whip slashed Clary's arm and sent jolts of electricity in her system.
Clary shouted in pain, and ran towards the maid, kicking her in the chest.
The maid hissed and began to smoke.
"Um, wha..." Clary began and yelped as the maid transformed into a hideous monster, flames for hair, one donkey leg and one metal.
She bared her fangs and brandished her whip, "Foolish girl."
Clary took a step back, her body cold with fear.
The empousa flicked her hand and her whip flew out, wrapping around Clary's waist.
Clary panicked and tried to pull the whip away, which only left scorch marks on her palms; she tried to pull away, but the material dug deeper in her.
Oh... shit, She thought.
"Clary!" Someone shouted and she heard a whistling sound past her head.
A moment later, Jessie's scythe stuck out of the empousa's chest and she slowly crumbled to ashes, the whip falling to the floor around Clary's feet.
She turned around, feeling a stinging pain around her waist, and saw Circe staring at something in horror.
She followed the witch's gaze and saw Sophia with an electrum whip in hand, wrapped around the neck of a little boy.
"Turn back our friendz and let uz leave," She said, her eyes dark, "Or zis will be 'is lazt day."
"No!" Circe wailed, throwing her hands out as if to reach for the boy, "Please. I'll do anything, just leave my son alone."
"Sophia!" Clary called, staring in shock, "You can't possibly kill a child."
Sophia shot an icy glare at her, "I've zone it before, I'll zoo it again."
"That was an accident!" Jessie protested, "You're not a murderer!"
William The Guinea Pig poked his head out of Jessie's pocket, squeaking helplessly at Sophia.
"Shut up!" She snapped and returned her gaze to Circe, "First, turn back zee boyz."
Circe scoffed, "Girls these days, all about boys."
Sophia scoffed back and gripped the whip handle harder, "Zorcerers back zen, such 'ypocrites. If you zon't like boyz, zen why bother keeping zis alive? Hmm?"
Circe rolled her eyes, though that did not shake away the fear in them, "Fine. You win. I'll turn them back— though I don't get the difference between their old form and now, they're still pesky rodents—"
"Now." Sophia hissed, and gave a small tug of the whip, making the boy squeak.
Circe gave a small whimper then snapped her fingers timidly.
Red sparks shot from the and towards Jessie's pockets, making Guinea Pig Jace and Will squirm out.
They slowly grew and grew, changing back to human.
They were fully formed, sitting naked on the floor, covering up their nether regions.
"Uh..." The girls blushed deeply and looked away.
Circe groaned, "Ugh— I forgot you mortals have grown accustomed to clothing and see no decency in nudity."
A snap was heard and the girls looked, seeing the boys back in their old clothes.
"Now," said Circe, "The boy."
"Hmm..." Sophia began, "Zoo you promise to never bother uz again?"
"I swear on the River Styx."
Sophia shrugged and released the whip from the boy's neck, "Good enough."
The boy immediately ran into Circe's arms and trembled.
"Now get out!" Circe barked, snapping her fingers and sending invisible servants pushing the five out.
The doors shut abruptly behind them.
"I'm a real boy!" Jace exclaimed, hands cupped around his face.
"Yeah, yeah, Pinocchio." Clary said, wincing slightly as she sat beside her friends around a campfire.
"Clary, are you sure you're alright?" Jessie asked, her chin leaning on her arms.
She nodded, "Definitely."
"No." Jace said, "You're not. You need a doctor. Doctor Jace is here, never fear. Let's go."
And he stood up and dragged her to a tent, taking a bag of medical supplies with them, much to Clary's protest.
"Ow! Be gentle!" Sophia,scowling, complained from across Jessie.
(She kept the whip, btw.)
Will rolled his eyes and continued putting some sort of medicine on a gash on Sophia cheek, "I am being gentle. It's just the medicine taking effect."
"No, like, really gentle." Jessie said, "She's got really sensitive skin."
Sophia pouted and crossed her arms, not looking at either of them, "No."
"Explain these," Will asked, holding up her arm which had little red dents on them.
"It bit me." She was still not looking at them.
Jessie shivered and stood up, "I'll give you two some alone time, Mr. and Mrs. Bickering."
"Jessie get in here young lady!" Jace called, his head poking out from his tent, "YOU NEED TREATMENT TOO!"
Jessie threw her head back, "UGH FINE!"
"ARE YOU SASSING ME?!" Jace shouted.
"UH, NUH-UH!" Jessie replied, moving her finger from side to side while walking to the tent.
Jace's mouth twitched as she neared, and he moved aside for her to enter.
"Where's Clary?" Was the first thing she asked when she went in the tent.
"Sleeping." Was what he answered as he sat her down on a pillow and took out some bandages and medicine, "This might hurt."
"I know," She said, stretching out her leg, where the jeans were slit open by an electrum whip on the thigh.
Jace placed his hand on her lower thigh gingerly, "Ooh... that looks bad."
"Ya think?"
"Yep." He placed some medicine on a cotton ball and patted it gently on Jessie's wound, making her wince slightly, "Don't worry, you'll be fine."
She bit her lower lip and looked at him, "I'm not sure about that."
He finished putting on her bandages and looked at her, "Huh?"
"I'm-I'm scared, ya know? We might die. We'll fail. Everyone dies."
He moved himself so that he was sitting beside her, their shoulders pressed against each other, "We won't, okay? Promise."
"That's what they all say." She sighed, drawing up her good leg and leaning on it, "And Sophia... that thing she drank? What if she dies?"
"She won't." Jace's tone was unsure, "None of us will. Okay?"
"Um."
"Jessie?"
"Yeah?" She turned to look at him and he cupped the side of her face, kissing her lips.
She kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
The world seemed to fade around them, along with the anxieties of the past days.
He broke the kiss, "We'll be fine, okay?"
"Usually one of us dies when people say that, but, okay."
He grinned and hugged her as she buried her head in the crook of his neck.
"Does this hurt?" Will asked, pressing Sophia's arm with his palm.
She winced and shot him an angry glance, "What zoo you zhink?"
"I was thinking it might be venomous." He replied, ignoring her glare, "I just want you to be alright."
"I'm alright, don't mind me."
"You're acting pretty snappy today. Is this about the chocolate?" Will observed.
She shook her head and lay flat on the snow, squinting at the late afternoon sky, "No. It'z juzt... everyzhing is zo ztrezzful nowadays. And... what 'appened at zee labyrinth... it'z getting to my mind and, ugh, I feel like zhit."
Will lay beside her, flinching as snow touched his bare neck, "Hey. We all feel like shit, but we'll get through this together. Hm?"
She looked at him, "You're zo optimiztic... we're zo different."
"Different is good, right?"
"I guezz... but if we don't all zurvive—"
Will blinked, "Don't say that. We will, m'kay?"
She snickered, "Will. Wanna 'ear a joke?"
"What an interesting way to change the topic but fine."
"Why zoo you 'ate archery clazz?"
"Hmm? I do?"
"Becauze zee inztructor zaid, 'Fire at Will!'"
He grabbed a handful of snow and sprinkled it on her face, making her retch, "That was horrible."
"Admit it, you loved it."
"If I kiss you, will you shut up?" He asked.
"Mmm... n—"
He kissed her. On the snow. The freakin' cold, public snow.
She cupped her hands on his cheeks and pulled him away, "Are you going to kizz me 'ere in za znow where anyone might zee us? Not to mention where it'z freezing cold."
"Sorry, couldn't help it." He rolled off her and sat up, "You'd be great at Cinema Sins."
She sat up and huffed a laugh, "Among many of my other, amazing qualitiez."
"Lovebirds," Clary muttered, rolling her eyes and flicking their map while the others were to engrossed in each other to even concentrate on this hike, "Just go fuck each other already."
"What?" Jace's head snapped to look at Clary, leading them and standing alone, "Did you say something?"
"Noooo," She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "I definitely didn't ask where we were going the last hundred times!"
"Oh," Will pursed his lips, "Well... uh... we could um... go there—?"
"You know, inztead of ogling at me, focuz on zee road for once." Sophia snapped.
"Wha— what— I—" Will turned a deep shade of red and shaking his head, "I WAS TALKING TO YOU!"
Jace laughed, clasped a hand on Will's shoulders and shook them, "Riiiight. Well, I think we should go west, unless Mister Lovestruck says so."
"Like you're not." Will retorted.
"Am not—"
"Oh, shut up, Jace; I could here you kiss Jessie from the next tent." Clary said.
Sophia raised an eyebrow, a sly grin appearing on her face, "Iz zat true, Jezzie?"
"I-I— bitch no," Jessie sputtered.
Clary snorted, "Say what you want, at least I'll survive this quest with my virginity."
"Hey!" The four shouted.
Evening began to fall upon them and their feet were sore from all the walking.
"I— I don't feel so—" Sophia stumbled, rose to her knees, and puked on the snowy ground.
"Sophia!" Jessie's eyes were alight with alarm.
Sophia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, "I'm fine... juzt queasy."
"What is that?" Jace asked, shining his flashlight on the place where Sophia puked, "Is that blood?!"
"Zwat zoo you mea—" Sophia turned then cupped a hand over her mouth, she had gone alarmingly pale.
It was blood. A puddle of blackish red fluid standing out against the pure white snow.
Will made a sound like a squeak and held Sophia's arm, "You sure you're alright?"
She nodded, her mouth a tight red line.
He squinted at her then released her, "Okay. Maybe we should rest for the—"
"Will!" Clary shrieked in alarm.
Sophia's knees gave out under her and she collapsed.
Will nearly dived and caught her before she hit the ground.
He was unbalanced so both of them fell, him still clutching Sophia and landing on his butt.
"S-Sophia?" He asked.
She blinked and squinted at him, as if she had trouble focusing, "I.. I don't... feel... I feel like I'm dying."
"No." He said sharply, "No you're not dying."
"I... I zhink it'z zee thing I drank in zee cave. I... ugh." She whispered.
"No." He repeated, "You're not dying. Please, Sophia. Don't die."
She took a shaky breath, "It'z zo cold out here... my ztomach 'urtz..."
"Sophia... we need to go. Maybe the Moon River can cure you. Maybe... maybe...."
Her skin was feverish and she squeezed her eyes as if in pain, "No... we can't. Leave me 'ere, I'll only delay you. Go, Will. Go."
Will's arms shook with frustration and strain, "No. I— We are not leaving you!"
Her words came out as a venomous hiss, "Leave me. Why are you zo ztubborn?! Why can't you juzt go?! Why can't you juzt leave me behind, Will?! Can't you underztand? I. Don't. Want. You. 'Ere!"
His jaw dropped and his eyes stung. He shook his head, "I..."
She drew her dagger from its sheath and for a moment he thought she was going to harm him, "Go. Let me end my mizery. Go, godammit!"
"Sophia..."
She slapped his face with all the strength she had left and pushed away from his grasp, sitting upright, "Lizten to me for one second!"
She clutched her stomach and winced, and looked him in the eyes, "Do zis for me. Pleaze."
He sat there for awhile, frozen in place, before Jessie, eyes full of tears, tugged at his sleeve.
He stood up and followed the rest of the group, leaving Sophia.
A scream pierced the air soon.
None of them looked back.
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A/N: Hello, dear readers. ◕‿◕
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Ugh god, school's almost starting... Yay!!! (¯―¯٥)
Sophia's death is the death of my free will, so yeah. Okay. Please don't kill me since school did that well enough already◕‿◕