"What do you want?" I snap, disgust dripping from my voice.
Sylvia walks closer, perching on the seat across from me.
"You're missing a great party, Ashley. What's the problem?" She asks with her always present smirk on her face.
"I don't feel like playing your insane games, Sylvia. So just leave." I sigh.
"Is this about Zero? It's not my fault. Someone needed to be his escort to the party, and since you bailed, I thought I would volunteer. No hard feelings, right?" She taunts, and I'm so sick of her fake sweet voice.
"Go away." I grind out, putting my head back into my hands. A massive headache is starting to form, and the cause of it is sitting only a few feet away.
"Did you know Zero can talk? Imagine if that information got into Mrs. Clark's hands."
My head snaps up, my eyes widening. "How did you find out?" I whisper, horror leaking through me.
"Zero tends to tell the ones he trusts lots of valuable information, and since his little precious Ashley left him, I was the only one there to turn too." She says, a sympathetic pout on her lips. My breathing comes quicker with my building rage, darkness tinting the edges of my vision.
"No. Zero wouldn't do that. You don't know what you're saying."
"I don't? It sure didn't seem like that when Zero and I were having a lovely chat....among other things." I clench my fists together, battling my conscious which is screaming at me to jump at her.
"If you say one word about it to Mrs. Clark..... ." I grit out through clenched teeth.
"Too late. I already have."
My self restraint snaps and I jump up, ready to lunge at her, only for her to suddenly disappear.
Yes I said disappear, as in turn invisible and out of sight in just a split second.
I feel my eyes widen in shock as I look around wildly only to see Sylvia leaning against the rail, looking amused.
"How- how did you do that?" I stammer, wondering if I'm crazy or under a much heavier alcohol influence then I thought.
"Do what? I've been here this entire time."
"No, you were in the chair-"
"Who's the insane one now, Ashley?"
Just like that I'm taking a threatening towards her again, and like the last time, she disappears. I rush to the rail where she was a second ago, looking down into the pitch black water. Slowly, already expecting what I'm about to see, I turn around to find Sylvia sitting cross-legged on the floor, picking at her nails.
"What are you?" I ask, because there's no possible way she could move that fast.
"I'm Sylvia, duh." She says, rolling her eyes. Suddenly, two other Sylvia's pop into existence. The first one is the same chair I was just sitting in. The other one stands behind her, braiding her hair.
I stop breathing for a second, glancing between all three Sylvia's.
And I thought one Sylvia was a nightmare.
"What's wrong, Ashley? Speechless?" The Sylvia sitting on the chair asks.
"Don't be so dramatic. This is no big deal compared to the High Commander." The braiding Sylvia says with an eye roll bored look.
"High Commander?" I say, managing to find my voice, which is embarrassingly high and hysterical right now. Where have I heard of the High Commander before?
"Obviously, Zero needs to give you more lessons about Dalton if you're this stupid." Chair Sylvia says again.
"What does Dalton have to do with this?" I say, gesturing to three of them. Suddenly, two Sylvia's wink out of existence, leaving only one Sylvia, who's sitting in the chair. She smiles at me, gesturing to the chair across from her which had originally been hers....I think.
"Those were illusions." She says, when I don't make a move to sit down.
"Illusions?" I repeat, my voice even higher. Am I still drunk? Am I sleeping? Better yet, am I really the insane one?
"Sit down and I'll tell you."
Shakily, I make my way to the seat, slowly lowering myself down in case Sylvia will pop into existence again. When I'm fully seated, I eye Sylvia, hopefully the real one, carefully, watching as she clears her throat.
"Has Zero informed you about what Darklings are yet?"
I feel my eyes widen slightly. If they widen any more tonight they just might pop out of their sockets.
"How do you know about that?"
"Just answer the question." She snaps.
I nod slowly, and a hint of a smile tugs at her lips.
"Good, because I am one."
I feel my mouth drop open, my breathing stop. So many questions spill through me, many of them incoherent. Before I can even say on word though, Sylvia beats me to it.
"Darklings have the power to destroy, Lightlings the power to create, blah, blah, blah. Most Darklings, with the power to destroy, also get the power to spin illusions. It works great when trying to show your enemies their worst fear."
Silence, and then, "How do I know you're true telling the truth, and haven't just tortured the information out of Zero?"
She rolls her eyes, probably for the tenth time that night. "What? Were the two other Sylvias not proof enough?" At my blank stare she sighs, before her eyes zero in on the third seat beside me.
I follow her gaze, and gasp, because Shy is sitting there, shoulders slightly hunched in her usual position as she smiles at me.
"Hi, Ashley. The party's great, you should come dance." Her voice is exactly like Shy's.
"Shy?" I breathe out, my hand going to touch her arm.....and falling right through it. I yank my hand back, flinching when my hand goes through Shy.
"It looks so real." I say, turning to a smiling Sylvia. "Okay, let's say you are a Darkling and this isn't a trick. Why are you here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" She says, her hands splaying outwards. "I'm here for Zero."
I don't answer, even though I want to scream explain. She seems to get the message though, because she sighs, leaning back in her chair.
"I'm almost one hundred percent sure Zero has told you he's a Kinling, the species that does not fit with the Lightlings or Darklings. Where we destroy and create, they just....exist. That is their basic sole purpose. To survive. But, I doubt Zero has told you his position in the Kinling world."
"What position?" I grit out, almost furious that I'm learning this from Sylvia, Sylvia, and not Zero. But then again, I haven't really gotten the chance to talk much with him, or given him one.
"Darklings and Lightlings have a High Commander, and so do Kinlings, but their High Commander is slightly different from ours. The Kinling High Commander is usually the one who's lived the longest, and seeing as how we can live for hundreds of years."
Woah, woah, woah. Hundreds of years?
"Zero, is the oldest to survive, which means he is the High Commander of Kinlings."
As if the fact that Darklings, Lightlings, and Kinlings live hundreds of years wasn't enough, now I found that Zero is the oldest out of his entire Kinling people? How old does that make him?
"Zero never said the Kinlings have a High Commander." I mumble, wondering if I should trust Sylvia. She could just be insane. That's always an option when it comes to her. But then how does she know about all of this, and how is she able to make illusions?
"He never mentioned it because then he would have to tell you who it was, and he seems Hell bent on keeping that a secret from you."
I take a moment to process everything. If I am to believe her word, then Zero has a lot more explaining to do. I feel a hint of guilt at betraying Zero by considering Sylvia, but I need to evaluate my options. It doesn't matter now who I like and who I don't, it matters about who's right.
But something is bothering me. Why would she tell me all of this? Couldn't I use this as leverage against her?
There's this dangerous air about Sylvia, and I have the sudden urge to get away.
"We should go back to the party. People will be missing me." I say, standing up and sliding off the whole entire conversation we had like it was nothing. I turn to make my way back to the celebration, but a dark chuckle stops me.
"Ashley, Ashley, Ashley. You're so dull, it's laughable. Aren't you wondering why I haven't taken Zero back to Dalton by now?"
I slowly turn to face her, seeing the glint in her eyes which makes me want to bolt.
"It's because of you." She says with a sneer on her face as she stands up, stalking towards me. "Zero has connected himself to you, and he won't leave this island without you, but, if I were to sever those ties-" Sylvia says, and I can feel her breath as she towers over me, "-He will come running back."
I stare her down for a second, the words only taking a small amount of time before they register. It's a death sentence. She just flat out told me she's going to kill me. Brutal, but something I would expect out of Sylvia.
I leap into action, turning and sprinting, but suddenly, Sylvia is in front of me. I skid to a stop and run back to the small deck, planning on going around the other side, but she's there too. Two Sylvia's on both sides, at least one of them is an illusion.
I study both of them carefully as they stalk closer, wicked glee shining in their eyes. I have to take a risk. Run at one Sylvia and hope they're the illusion. I take a deep breath, before going with my instinct.
I barrel towards the Sylvia blocking the way to the party, closing my eyes as I get closer. I reach her in a second, opening my eyes just in time to see the shock register on her face, before I run right through her.
I let out a victorious laugh, but don't stop running, catching sight of the party up ahead.
So close, yet so far.
Suddenly, something yanks at me from behind, and I fall backward, catching a glimpse of a heeled shoe pressed down on the back of my dress before I go tumbling to the ground. A malicious laugh, and then a pointy heel against my throat, pressure lightly being applied. There's glass French doors right next to me, but the room is unfortunately evacuated.
"It's nothing personal, Ashley. Well, maybe a little. You did insult me after all. But this is for the best."
I hear a screeching noise as I claw at her foot, and realize she's dragging a small dagger against the rail. This increases my struggle,but then she presses down harder, and I feel the pointed part of the heel digging further into my neck. I still, shouting in my head for anyone to come. Wait a minute.
"HELP!" I shout in a sudden burst of air, causing Sylvia to close my airway beneath her shoe. But it worked, because while I choke and gasp, I hear footsteps come running.
Sylvia snatches her foot away, allowing me to breathe. She yanks me to my feet, rage in her eyes.
"I'm not even close to finished." She sneers. "And when your time comes, you better pray I'm not the one to finish you, because I promise it won't be quick."
And then I'm being thrown backwards, my back arching in pain as it hits the rail. The momentum sends me leaning over the rail, and my foot slips, causing me to dive over it even when my hands grab onto the metal railing.
I gasp as my arms pull taunt, holding me barely a few feet above the water.
My ears are ringing but even through it I hear distant shouts. I close my eyes, grunting as my hands start to slip. Someone please get here quick.
"Ashley? Ashley? Can you hear me?" Comes a voice nearby. It sounds like Peter.
"Peter?" I croak out. Everything is disoriented.
Suddenly, a blurry figure leans over the rail, and I blink, my eyes coming back into focus.
"Holy Sh-.....Hold on Ashley, I'll pull you up!" I feel hands wrap around my forearms them, and Peter manages to heave upwards, pulling me up until my stomach presses into the rail and Peter and I go sprawling across the deck.
I let out a groan as my back hits the wood, clenching my teeth in pain.
"Stay awake, Ashley. We're getting a medic." I distantly hear as Peter's blurry form leans over me.
"Aw, did I crash the party?" I mumble, rolling my head to the side to see a growing crowd blocking the small walkway on the deck.
Peter curses, saying something about me being delusional because of my injuries. Injuries? What injuries? I frown, because my whole body is starting to feel numb. Then I see Sylvia at the edge of the crowd, a small smirk on her face.
"Oh, no, Ashley! It's so terrible that Doctor Collins did such a thing while in a drunk state." Sylvia suddenly cries out, getting the attention of a lot of people.
My frown deepens, and I open my mouth to tell her that she was the one who caused this, but then I close it.
She probably made an illusion of Dr.Collins, the poor scientist. Sylvia walks forward, joining Peter at my side and I want to squirm away, but I can't move, my body refuses to listen at the hurt state I'm in.
Sylvia kneels by me, resting her hand on my forehead as she leans down, pretending to check my temperature.
"I never really liked Dr.Collins. He wasn't good at keeping his eyes closed and his mouth shut," She breathes into my ear, before retreating.
My head clears up a little, and I open my mouth to scream at Sylvia or tell everybody what she really is.
The world goes dark.
Hello, readers! Hoped you liked this chapter! Can you believe Sylvia is one of them? And what has she got planned for Ashley in the future? This chapter certainly took an interesting turn. Please vote, comment and try not to fall over the rail of a boat, cause I don't know about you guys, but i for one don't have the upper body strength to keep myself hanging for too long. Don't risk it! This chap is officially edited. Lots of love,
Dangeroustoken.