Chapter 45
Aimee was sat in the CCTV. She was keeping an eye on her prisoners when she heard the voice in her head.
"Come to the meeting room and get me. If you dare." The message was repeated inside her head and she recognised the voice. She swallowed and left her seat. On her way she bumped into Robin.
"Did you hear that?" She asked. He nodded and they both ran with about ten others, including Will, to the meeting room. When they opened the door they saw Drew and Roan with their feet on the table looking at the shiny swords in their hands.
"Bugger." A Hunter said.
"Look we ain't gonna hurt you." Drew said getting up. "Shut the door and come in. I wont bite, but she might." Drew pointed to Roan and she snarled baring her teeth, making everyone jump.
"Look if it isn't my favourite person in the whole world. Thanks Will for what you did, you're a true friend." She wasn't looking at him though. She was looking at Robin and Aimee who refused to make eye contact with her. Most were amazed to see she was even alive. "Come on guys, did you really think Stella beat me up that bad? I was trained a Hunter. It's in my blood."
"Everyone weapons on the table and take a seat. Even though there is ten of you, we would beat you in a fight so don't embarrass yourselves." He said. Reluctantly everyone put their weapons on the table and took a seat.
"My word Drew you've changed." Will said.
"You haven't." Drew said. Will laughed nervously and then shut up.
"As much as I hate asking, I need your help." She said.
"Why would we help you, you're a traitor." Robin said.
"Says you!" Roan spat standing up and smashing her fists on the table. "Don't make this worse then it already is."
"Why do you need our help?" Will asked. Drew explained the situation and Roan went into slightly more detail.
"Why would we believe this?" Aimee asked.
"Why did I think you were my friend?" Roan asked. "Come on Drew clearly we have wasted our time. Hunter's wont help us. They want nothing but war and more innocent people to die. I don't get them." Roan got up to leave.
"I'm in." Will said. Roan looked at him and smiled.
"How come?" Drew asked. "Because neither of you two are bad people and by the look on Roan's face when she said all of that, either she is a very good liar, or she really needs our help." He said.
"Someone decent." Roan muttered.
"Look guys, come on. Stella has been bossing us around and telling us all Breathing Spirits are bad. Well their not. Clearly the three want peace and the fourth is still out there and they are still searching..." Roan looked at Drew and bit her lip, but Will continued. "I don't care what you all do, but I want this to end and I want peace between us. Roan wants are help and I think we owe it to her. She was helping the right side all along and we tried to stand in her way but she's still here and she's alive." Will said.
"I'm in too." Aimee said.
"And me." Another Hunter said and one by one people were joining up.
"I'll do it, but any funny business and you're both in for it." Robin said. Roan smiled.
"All right." Drew said.
"Knew you wouldn't resist Robin. We used to be friends and I wasn't bad then, was I? Did I ever try and kill you are change you? Do you really think I would lie to you when you could put me through all the torture again?" She asked. He looked down.
"First things first, the prisoners need to be released. We are going to need all the help we can get. You can keep them in handcuffs if you want, but bring them in here." Drew ordered. Everyone bustled out except Aimee that came up to Roan.
"I am so sorry Roan, forgive me! I was wrong and you're a great person and I should've never doubted you!" She then burst into tears. Roan hugged her friend.
"It's all right, I just wish Robin would see what you can." Roan said.
"He will." She promised. "He will."
Liam sat on his bed reading through old books, trying to take his mind off everything, but he couldn't. He didn't understand why she had lied and he didn't know if he had done the right thing. Someone knocked on the door and he looked up as Hazel came in. She liked to see him upset. It made her feel more powerful. She sat on the end of his bed and he refused to look at her.
"Come on Liam. You banished her yesterday, get over it." She said.
"I can't. I fell for her bad, but I feel hurt and I wish she had told me!"
"There, she deserved what she got, just let her go."
"But I can't." He said.
"You're so pathetic!" She said in disgust getting up off the bed. It was a bad idea to say that and he pushed out his hand in front of him and Hazel flew against the wall.
"Take it back!" He shouted at her. Winded she nodded and he let her down. She then left the room in a hurry. Liam put his head in his hands when Darren came in.
"There's something you need to see." He said. Liam rolled his eyes and went into his father's office.
"What?" He asked.
"It's a letter, well two letters actually." Lewis said.
"Read this one first." Darren handed him an already open letter. He read through it.
"I guessed the government weren't going to be happy." Liam said. "They should blame Roan, I did it for her!" He spat.
"That's girls for you, can't be trusted. They are snakes Liam." Lewis said. "They aren't all like mum was you know." Liam snapped. Lewis looked away.
"Sorry I'm just..."
"Annoyed, angry, upset?" Darren suggested. "We guessed."
"Here's the other." Lewis handed him the envelope. This time it was unopened. He read through it and his face told Darren and Lewis nothing as he didn't even know what to think. He left the room and went into his own room and read through the letter again.
Dear Liam,
I know you probably don't want to see me or speak to me at all. I wanted to tell you what was going on, but I couldn't, do you really blame me? What would you have done if I had told you? What if Jake and Hazel found out, or worse, your father? Look, I want you to know that if you really want peace, you are going to have to let me and Drew help you. We have a plan and it will work, if you help us out. I won't tell you what will happen, but be expecting me. I know you don't trust me, but you have to if you don't want war to break out. Don't trust Darren or your sister. They are up to something. Drew overheard them both and they don't want what you want for Breathing Spirits They will build an army up and try to outrun you. You're smart Liam, you will make the right choice. Trust me.
Roan
Liam just stared at the letter for ages before going downstairs and burning it in the fireplace. He didn't know what to do. Roan was trying to prevent war, but he didn't know whether to believe her or not. The whole letter was full of rubbish and he was just going to have to go with the flow. He wouldn't give her up, not yet. He believed in second chances, but was what she did going to get her that?
Darren and Hazel stood in the training room making their plans for what they were going to do.
"We have to build an army and we have to be sneaky about this." Darren said.
"How will we do that? Most that we know of are on Liam's side."
"But not all of them." Darren said. "Anyway we don't need them, we can just recruit, we're good at that. Think of how many fresh souls we can take" He added. Hazel licked her lips and they planned and planned. What they didn't know was that Roan and Drew were standing outside of the big, black iron gates. They weren't alone either. They had the ten Hunters and the prisoners with them.
"I am going to get that tracker and come and get you. If something goes awfully wrong, I will contact you, but please don't come in after me." Roan said. Everyone nodded and she crouched down on one knee. She became the black panther. She snarled at Robin who jumped back and she seemed to laugh before she pounced over the top. Robin crossed his arms over his chest and she transformed back.
"Good luck." Will and Drew said together.
"Not that you'll need it." Aimee added. Roan smiled at her friends and went up to the house. She decided to brave the back door as it was the easiest way in. She went round the back of the house and pressed down the handle of the door. It opened easily and she slipped inside. She went through a door on her left and it led into the ballroom. She shut it again and went for the one straight ahead. She entered the hall then. She kept close to the stairs and stayed hidden. Harold went up the stairs, but didn't see her. When he had gone she quickly and quietly ran up the stairs, except she only made it halfway before Hazel stopped her.
"Going somewhere?" She asked and took hold of her wrist and clicked her fingers. They reappeared in a little room in the basement. Hazel bound Roan's hands with strong rope and also her feet.
"You wont get away with this." Roan said.
"I think I already have." She then gagged Roan and went to the door and locked it.
Hazel ran back upstairs and went into the training room.
"What was that all about?" He asked.
"Just bumped into Roan. She's sorted out though."
"Roan?" Darren asked. Hazel nodded and Darren picked up the box in front of him. He took it out of the training room and into the ballroom. Hazel followed him.
"What are you going to do?" She asked as he placed it on a little wooden stand which was once in the corner of the room.
"I am going to get this thing to open." He said.
"How?" She asked laughing at him.
"Now that would be telling." He said. He then asked her to stand back and he then pointed his finger at the ground. As he did he began to draw a star around the back. It was the sign of power. On each of the five points of the star he drew five sacred symbols and in the middle of this was the stand and the box. Hazel just stood and watched, this sort of power was very rarely performed and there was no stopping him now. Except Harold had been watching them the whole time and he ran to find Liam who was in his room.
"Hazel and Darren are doing something in the ballroom." He said.
"What?" Liam asked.
"Darren is performing something with the box!" He explained. Liam got to his feet and got Jake and his dad. They then pelted downstairs and into the ballroom, disrupting Darren's chanting. He cursed as if you stop you have to start all over again to do it right.
"What are you doing?" Jake asked.
"What does it look like?" Hazel asked.
"Roan was right." Liam murmured.
"Oh yes and the best thing is, you didn't believe her!" Darren said. Liam was about to go for him, but Lewis held him back.
"You were meant to stand at my side!" Liam said.
"But you want something that no Breathing Spirit should live through."
"It's the only way we are going to live! The Human's have outnumbered us!" Jake explained.
"No, it doesn't have to be that way." Hazel said.
"You were meant to be on our side."
"No way. I shouldn't have to listen to you two. I'm the oldest!" She shouted. Jake and Liam looked down. This was not good.
Roan was sat in the little room still feeling cheated and annoyed at herself for not being more careful. She was stuck in there for...she didn't even know how long and she was going to have to get out somehow. She was starting to feel sick with the gag in her mouth and she was very uncomfortable. She just sat for a moment thinking. Nothing would work. She moved a little and winced and she was sat on something hard. Then she realised what it was. She moved so she was sat on her left hip and she reached for her back right pocket. Her fingers brushed her knife and she kept stretching until she thought she might tear something. She began to edge it out until it fell to the floor. She moved to get it. She clasped it as tightly as she could which proved difficult with her hands tied together. She turned it the other way and began cutting where the rope bound her hands. The rope rubbed harshly on her skin as she moved the knife and eventually she heard a snap. She smiled and pulled the gag from her mouth. She cut the rope to free her feet and stood up. She put the knife back in her back pocket and brushed herself off. She went to the door which was naturally locked. She clicked her fingers and ended up in her room. She grabbed the tracker she was after and came back down the stairs. She heard noises from the ballroom and she quickly went to the door. She looked through the sliver of a gap where it was slightly open and saw everyone in there. She saw the box behind Hazel and Darren which gave her an idea. She went through the door which led her to the small area where the back door was and the other entrance to the ballroom. Roan slowly opened it praying it wouldn't creak and slipped inside. She hid behind a pillar and when she knew Darren and Hazel weren't aware of her presence she tiptoed carefully over to the box. Liam, Jake, Lewis and Harold had noticed her and she held her finger to her lips and they all looked away from her. She got nearer and nearer to the box and her palms were sweating. Liam was nervous and wasn't sure whether to turn her in or not, but he stayed quiet. She was doing the right thing. She quietly grabbed the box and walked backwards to the way she had come in. She went through the door and closed it. Darren and Hazel had not expected a thing.
"I will get this box open and you will be sorry." Darren said.
"You may find that a bit difficult." Jake said.
"Why?"
"You don't have the box." Liam said.
"We do, it's right..." Hazel turned to point at it and her face darkened.
"Roan." Darren said.
"How did she escape?" Hazel asked.
"She's a Hunter." Liam said. Hazel cawed and the whole place shook. "Now you two had better get out of here or I swear I'll give you both hell." He said. Neither of them moved.
"Go!" Jake and Liam shouted. Darren and Hazel jumped back and he took her hand and clicked his fingers.
"I can't believe Hazel would..." Liam said.
"Don't worry about that now." Lewis said.
"Yeah, maybe we should let Roan back in now, seeing as she has our box." Jake added. "Come on Roan you can come in."
No one entered the room and everyone was worried she had done a runner.
"Roan!" Harold called.
"It's all right I'm here. Just this time with a few more friends." That's when Drew, the hunters and the prisoners came in.
"Human's!" Lewis shouted.
"Yes all right no need to wake the whole town." She said.
"Look Roan, hand over the box."
"I will once you say I can help and these guys can join your army." She said.
"Army?" Jake asked butting in.
"I don't think those two are going to come back without a fight do you?" She asked. Liam and Jake had a quick word with Lewis and then Liam turned back to her.
"We have a deal, just please give me the box." He said. Roan handed it to him. He gave it to Jake who disappeared off with it, that's when Liam recognised a couple of faces.
"Robin, Aimee...you're both...erm..."
"Hunters?" Aimee finished for him.
"And you're a Breathing Spirit, nope worse, Number Three." Robin said.
"You still haven't changed your tune have you." Liam said.
"Well when you find your best friend has been lying to you and betrays you, would you?"
"No, because I know exactly what you mean." Liam looked away from Roan.
"Look Liam I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but if you hadn't of forgiven me I wouldn't be standing here right now." She said.
"I know." He said, then he smiled and stepped towards her. He pulled her into him and she held him tight. "I think we are pretty much even now." He said. She nodded.
"Oh yes." She said. Robin looked away and Aimee took his hand. He just looked at her.
"Come on Robin, after all you did is she really going to choose you?" She asked. She didn't pulled away and neither did he. "I guess not."
"But you have me." She said.
"I do." He answered. "At least I don't need to wait any longer."
Aimee smiled and squeezed his hand. She had no idea how long she had waited to hear him say that.