Blackness clouded my mind. As I ran, the world about me spun. I retched, realising that my powers were too great, at the moment, for my body to cope with. It was Hecate who stopped me from leaving the building, as I reached the front entrance of the academy, skidding to a halt in my black heels.
"Alex," she cried forcefully, holding out her hand to slow me down, which included blood red fingernails. "Stop running."
I shook my head.
"Let...me...go," I scowled at her, as her cold eyes met mine. I frantically tried to push past her defences. "I don't want to be in this academy for a moment longer."
"You know we can't do that," Another voice joined the two of us, this time it was Mr Allen, who came to a stop next to Hecate, clutching her shoulder, barring my escape for definite. "This is where you belong. This is your second home."
I let out a crazy laugh.
"My second home?" I retorted sarcastically, eyes wild in shock, although I knew that I had once considered his words to be true. "I almost killed a girl just now and yet, you say that this is where I belong and that it's my second home?"
"They both speak the truth." Vladimir's stern voice was the final one to join the throng. I spun around, to meet his serious gaze, heart and head pounding and eyes wide in fear. "You're not to leave this academy until I've given my permission and, up to that point, this place offers protection, support and comfort for all those within its walls."
I suppose that this situation, to you, might appear somewhat comical. I was now officially surrounded by a mysterious, witch woman, a tremendously, hot-looking vampire and an all-powerful, old man dressed as the crazy inventor 'Frankenstein'. I also joined this strange party in my Mrs Devil costume and I felt extremely exposed and embarrassed in my really short outfit. Nonetheless, despite his powerful authority, the craziness of the situation and my lack of clothes, I managed to find my voice.
"But I almost killed a girl." I repeated, trying to place a strong emphasis on this grave fact. "That surely gives you reason to not want me here?"
Vladimir fixed me with a steely gaze.
"We understand the seriousness of what we've just witnessed and acknowledge that your behaviour's cause for concern," Vladimir said, closing the gap between him and me. "However, knowing the strength of your powers, in addition to your potential connection to Mortimer, makes the matter more forgivable. After all," he concluded, "with powers like yours, they're very hard to control should your emotions get the better of you."
At hearing Vladimir's exclamation, I nearly cried. My emotions were all over the place and, to make matters even worse, his statement about this 'Mortimer' person sent shivers up and down my spine.
My heart stopped.
For some reason I couldn't explain, at the sound of Mortimer's name, deep inside of me, something stirred – something monumental.
This something had a huge impact on me.
This something caused me to become even more fearful, especially as I couldn't make sense of the situation.
This something, as crazy and as absurd as it sounds, could be summed up in one word - recognition.
Vladimir noticed the change in me instantly. Before anymore could be said on the matter or before I could explode, he sharply gestured for the others to leave the room.
"Please leave us." Vladimir told Hecate and Mr Allen in a firm voice, after he had somewhat recovered, although his eyes were racing with numerous emotions. "And tell no one about what the two of you've just heard."
As soon as Vladimir had spoken, I could tell that Hecate was both surprised and hurt by his dismissal.
Never before had he asked her to leave.
"But Vlad –" Hecate went to argue with him.
Vladimir cut her off with a sharp bark and a flash of his electric, blue eyes.
"I said leave us." His voice was cutting, unlike any tone I had heard him use before.
I swore that I could see Hecate's eyes begin to glisten.
With a frustrated sigh and sharp nod of her head, Hecate turned and left with Mr Allen, using his arm for support.
Now, it was just me and Vladimir Alcaeus.
"Sit," Vladimir told me, gesturing to a chair in the corner. "Sit, for I can tell that you're very weak."
As soon as he had spoken, I did just what he had asked me, without hesitation. My head hurt more than a migraine and I felt battered and bruised internally.
An eternity of time seemed to pass before Vladimir spoke once more.
"I can see that my announcement has severely affected you in more ways than one," Vladimir eventually said, his tone steady, which was in complete contradiction to his eyes. "And I can also see that, from your expression, you'd still like nothing better than to run away and leave this place behind. Nevertheless," he continued, "you must understand that I cannot permit that to happen, nor will I allow you to feel the way you do. Therefore," he finalised, "I believe that, in order to help you, I owe you an explanation."
As soon as Vladimir had finished, the world stopped spinning. His words of kindness and reassurance eased my mind a little, in addition to slowing my heartbeat. Therefore, despite my pale face, I permitted myself to reply. By doing so, I began to understand what lay ahead of me.
"M...Mortimer," I exclaimed, finding it terribly hard to say his name for some reason, which unsettled me. "You m...mentioned him. W...who is he?
At hearing my question, Vladimir didn't answer. Instead, I watched his brow furrow. As it did so, I realised that he was working out how best to tackle the situation. Ultimately, with a small, encouraging smile, he began his tale.
"Many, many years ago, a baby was born. Over the course of time, this baby grew into a boy and then a young man, who eventually had incredible powers. These powers were so amazing in fact that they rivalled my own. However," Vladimir looked forlorn and wistful, remembering old times well before I was delivered onto this planet. "This man was soon corrupted by evil that called to him in the darkness, so much so that he became more malevolent than any of us could possibly imagine, until it was almost too late to stop him."
Vladimir paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Then, he continued.
"Mortimer," Vladimir grew distant again and his eyes became misty with remembrance. "Now immortal and incised with rage and jealousy, gradually grew stronger as the years went by. What's more, he began to collect together an invincible army, unbeknownst to me, both made up of the living and the dead." Vladimir shivered. "Not long after his followers had been united, an almighty battle took place between his kind and our own. We fought for what felt like an eternity, losing many on both sides along the way. Then, in the last moments, which I had thought was lost on my part, I managed to defeat Mortimer and imprison him in a dimension far away from here." Suddenly, Vladimir looked at me with a haunted expression. "Despite all that, in present times, Mortimer's re-awoken and is planning to return to Earth to wreak his revenge on all those who wronged him, including me. That's why he must be stopped, somehow, once and for all."
Now, whilst Vladimir had been talking, the candles flickered threateningly all around us. This feeling deep inside me, this feeling of recognition, also became more disturbingly stronger the longer Vladimir spoke. Consequently, this lead me to enquire further about my supposed 'connection' to this tyrant.
As I did so, my voice became filled with terror.
"You said earlier that I'm 'connected' to Mortimer?" I cried, feeling my heart rate increase considerably in my panic. "However, I've never even heard of this man, let alone seen him."
At hearing my emotional outburst, Vladimir's features softened and he took my hand in his. I felt the strength of his own tremendous powers coincide with mine.
"I understand what you're saying and, to be honest, I still find that part of the situation a mystery. Nevertheless," he continued, "when I saw your powers a moment ago, as you created that huge, water wall and vortex, I know and so does Hecate that we're right in our suspicions. This conformation's also helped by the fact that Hecate's been keeping an eye on you for many days now and has reported back to me with information concerning your talent and nature!"
So that was why Hecate was constantly popping up whenever I was around? At least that made more sense now and I was relieved to think that she was clearly not some kind of stalker, even though she was still pretty odd. All this information was so overwhelming. Eventually, I asked the question that both of us were now thinking.
"H...how do we stop M...Mortimer?" I stammered, petrified. My stomach rocketed so much that I thought I'd be violently sick all over Vladimir's ancient, expensive carpet.
For the last time that night, Vladimir looked at me in both sympathy and sorrow. We had a similar idea with regards to the matter – an idea that terrified me more than you could possibly know and, as Vladimir turned my suspicions into a reality, it took so much effort not to scream.
"Truthfully," Vladimir clarified, "Hecate and I are still unsure about how we can put an end to Mortimer, once and for all. Nevertheless," he added, "as a result of your apparent 'connection', both of us believe that you're to play a strong part in this matter. All the same," he concluded, "whether you undertake this task alone is another matter best decided in the near future."
As soon as Vladimir had revealed all, I wanted the ground to swallow me up. If I was linked to Mortimer somehow then, from this moment onwards, I had to make it my main goal to locate Mortimer and destroy him, before he obliterated me and everyone that I loved. Such a happy thought! However, was this what I wanted, or was this all some part of an ancient, long-woven plan?
"W...what if I said no t...to all of this?" I suddenly exclaimed, eyes filled with fear at the enormity of the situation. "What if I said that I don't want anything to do with Mortimer?"
At hearing my defiant answer, Vladimir looked at me with an unreadable expression.
An age seemed to pass before he spoke.
"Then that would be your choice," he eventually stated. "No one's forcing you to go through with this task. Instead," he added, "people, like me, are just guiding you and acting upon their own beliefs, morals and opinions. At the end of the day," he continued, "although many believe in fate, it's those who go through life with independent thought alone who are the strongest. Furthermore," he concluded, "although we're all connected to one another somehow, sometimes for reasons beyond our knowledge, it's how we take control of these connections, using our free will to define our actions and the following consequences."
When Vladimir had finished talking, all I could do was sit there in awe. With this concluding speech, Vladimir had summed up the pinnacle of how I was presently feeling. Deciding what must be done, for now at least, I made my oath. I spoke in the steadiest voice I could conjure and hoped that I was making the right decision – a decision that was made by me and not anyone else.
"I, Alexandra Raven, daughter of Cathy and Toby Raven and great grand-daughter of the legendary Alistair Silverstone, pledge my word to accept whatever role I am to play and vow to do my best in bringing down Mortimer and all who follow him."
And so, from that moment onwards, my battle against evil truly began...
***********
AN
Well there you go. Lots of food for thought. What is this special "connection" that Alex shares with Mortimer? Is Alex truly ready to stand up against Mortimer? Is she destined to do this task alone? Lots of questions to leave you hanging on. However, fear not. One last chapter left to publish and it might feature someone who we know all about but never seen in the flesh before. Dun, dun, dun...