"With my existence linked to the girl's, there's no doubt in my mind that Michael will surrender and we will be victorious." Ariel smirked arrogantly. He strode towards the doors and glanced at me. "I'm going to help the students maintain the protection spell, make Michael work a little harder at saving her."
With that, Ariel left me alone with Baldwin, who did nothing but sigh heavily. He knelt down and stared at me.
"You know you wouldn't be put in this situation if it wasn't for Michael, right? We had to use you as bait. How could you be with a guy like Michael? Don't you know what he's capable of?"
I scoffed and shook my head as I sat up and leant my back against a bookcase. "After putting a curse on me, almost making me kill myself, slicing my wrist, and stealing my blood, I wouldn't think you'd be interested in my personal life."
"You can't blame a guy for being curious." He grinned.
"Yeah? Well, I can blame you for being stupid." Baldwin furrowed his brows at me just as I wrapped my fingers around his neck. Before he could react, I used my powers to quickly locate the light shining in his chest, signifying his source of life.
I closed my eyes and absorbed the life source slightly, refueling my own, just like Michael taught me. Two weeks ago, we had discovered that not only could I give life to nonliving things, but I could also take it away as well and use it to my advantage. Since light is a symbol for life, it was no mystery that I was able to yield it with ease.
Baldwin's eyes fluttered shut as he weakened, though I was careful to absorb only a small amount of his life source, leaving him just enough to keep him alive. My grip on his neck loosened and I shoved his body to the ground, looking at him in disgust.
"That's for almost killing me, asshole." I scowled and stepped over his limp body. With my shoes thumping hard against the floor, I marched out of the library and into the hallway, only to be met with chaos.
Everywhere, boys who looked like they were young teenagers to adults sprinted in all directions, screaming out orders to one another. A line of them were holding hands near a fire pit, chanting quietly, with Ariel at the front. The entire area was dimly lit, the only source of light being fire pits and candles.
"Hey! What is she doing here?!" A young boy yelled, causing a dozen pair of eyes to gawk at me. Ariel's attention snapped to where I stood, but before he could utter a word, a loud bang crackled through the air.
The front doors flew open, the metal cutting through the atmosphere and piercing the cement wall behind me. My mouth hung open at the impact, heart pounding at the unexpected sight.
"Ariel! Bring her out now!" Michael's voice boomed, words coated with rage to the point where it even frightened me a little. I sucked in a breath as Michael walked into the hall, a black leather coat slung over his tall frame.
Polished black boots clung to his feet while ruby red gloves decorated his hands. Striking blue eyes wandered around the room, dark with anger, as an intimidating scowl painted his plump pink lips.
"Get him!" A boy yelled and I watched as some of the boys began to chant out a spell.
However, before they could do anything, Michael had raised his arms up high in the air. One by one, each of the students' necks snapped at an odd angle. Their bodies fell to the floor, every ounce of life within them, gone.
"Kill him!" Someone yelled, right before all of the swords hung up on a wall flew towards Michael. He gazed at the sharp weapons with ease, a smile dancing on his lips.
"Nice party trick." He grinned, gloved hands waving in the air. All of the swords paused in the air before turning back slowly. A group of boys gawked at the weapons in fear, their cheeks paling by the second. "But I've seen better."
Blood gushed on every possible surface as each boy was struck by a sword, the blade piercing their hearts perfectly. The crimson liquid flooded the floor and I felt my stomach churn with nausea at the horrific sight.
"Where are you, Ariel?! Don't be a coward!" Michael shouted. Ariel had snuck away from the fire pit, abandoning his students, and disappearing from sight. "The longer you keep her away, the more of your students will die!"
Just as I was about to step in and stop him from killing any more people, a hand covered my mouth, smothering my voice.
"Not yet. You'll ruin our grand entrance." Ariel tutted into my ear. Harshly tugging my head to Michael's direction, Ariel forced me to continue to watch the blue-eyed boy's onslaught.
Michael! I'm over here!
I desperately tried to get Michael's attention, but it was as if he couldn't hear me.
What the fuck? Am I Bella fucking Swan or something?! Why can't he read my mind?!
Then, it dawned upon me: Michael was so blinded by his rage, he was oblivious to everything else around him, including my own thoughts.
Horror trickled through my bloodstream while Michael continued his actions. Blood smeared the walls as ear-piercing screams filled the air. Some boys ran from Michael, but others chose to fight, which led to their gruesome demise. Death surrounded me everywhere I looked.
"Just wait till I get my hands on you, Ariel!" He seethed. His bright blue eyes rolled upwards, both arms raised high. One by one, each head of the remaining students in the room exploded into an array of skull fragments and blood.
Holy shit!
Michael clenched his hands into fists and bodies of the last remaining students flew from different rooms. They were all dragged closer to where Michael stood. Fear and desperation were clear in their eyes as they begged for mercy, but Michael was deaf to their pleas.
"You're all a waste of space. I doubt you'll be missed." A dark chuckle trickled from his smiling lips as their bodies disintegrated into ashes.
"Okay, I think it's time to end our game of hide and seek, don't you?" Ariel whispered before releasing me.
"Michael!" His name fell from my tongue, coated with excitement, causing his eyes to connect with mine. A flicker of relief flashed through his facial features when he saw me.
I began to sprint to where he stood and Michael raised his arms out to me. Every cell in my body buzzed with exhilaration as I closed the distance between us.
"Now, now, Michael. You can't get her that easily." Ariel called out behind me and I instantly felt my feet fly beneath me. A yelp of pain escaped my mouth as I fell face-first onto the cold, hard floor. The wind was knocked out of my lungs from the impact and I gaped up at Michael in shock, not knowing what happened.
Suddenly, the air around me blew upwards as I was pulled away from Michael. My body was dragged across the floor by an invisible force and I screamed in terror, watching as my arms streaked the pools of blood on the floor. Nails dug deep onto the ground in an effort to stop my movement, but it was no use. Before I knew it, Ariel had grabbed me by the hair and pulled me back to his side.
That sneaky bastard!
"Ah, ah, ah!" He wagged a finger at Michael, who had raised his hand up, a sign that he was about to use his powers. A playful tone coated Ariel's words. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." Michael hissed.
"Because, if you kill me, you'll be giving her the same fate." Ariel smugly stated. "Our souls, our lives, are linked together as one. If one of us dies, so does the other. However, since I was the one who drank her blood, her soul will be the one to follow mine once we part from this Earth. So unless you want her to spend the rest of eternity in my Hell, I wouldn't test my limits if I were you."
"After all..." Ariel continued, tugging harshly at my hair. "With just one snap of my fingers, I could end my own life, along with hers. It's your choice, Michael."
"You wouldn't." The blonde haired boy took a step forward, though fear tainted the anger on his face.
"There's only one way for you to find out. And before you even try to use your powers, I want to make one thing clear: people have tried to use descensum to break the spell once their loved ones have passed. However, it has never worked. Do you really want to take the risk?"
Uncertainty danced in Michael's pupils as he gazed at me longingly, fury clouding his features once his attention wandered to Ariel.
"If you want what's best for you, you will let her go." Michael said.
"Or else?"
The ends of Michael's mouth turned up in a smirk right when Baldwin's body appeared beside him.
"Or else Baldwin dies." He vowed. Baldwin's eyelids fluttered open as he slowly gained consciousness. Surprise was clear on his face once he took in the sight before him.
"If you hurt him, I'll make sure to end my life as well!" Ariel said, though there was a tint of nervousness in his words. "Then, you'll have yourself to blame for her death. The only option you have, Michael, is to surrender and to agree to whatever I say."
"I will not be a slave to you! You have no idea who I am or what I am capable of!" Michael growled. "No one, and I mean no one, threatens me without facing the consequences."
"Let Baldwin go and surrender, Michael!"
"I answer to no one, especially you! You're nothing but a coward hiding behind his black capes, acting as if he was one of the most powerful beings who have ever lived!" Michael's eyes began to shift into a frightening black color as he spoke. "No wonder the witches have control over you! You're a pathetic piece of shit!"
"Enough! You don't get to talk to me like that!" However, Ariel's shouts were drowned out by the sound of the wind howling, though there was no window in sight. I glanced over at Michael, who had his eyes closed, and I realized that he was the one causing the gusts of air.
"Michael! What are you doing?!" I cried out, but he didn't respond.
"He isn't going to listen to you, Ariel! Just give him the girl!" Baldwin yelled in fear.
"No! Our efforts cannot go in vain! Michael must pay the price of abandoning his role as Alpha and for murdering our students!"
"Their deaths are your fault, Ariel! This whole thing was your idea!" Baldwin said in an accusing tone. He turned to Michael, hands clasped together in a merciful manner. "Michael, please, spare my life. I knew this wasn't a good idea, but Ariel refused to listen. Have mercy, I'm begging you."
"Mercy isn't something that exists in my world." Michael hissed, eyes fluttering open. He dug his gloved fingers deep into Baldwin's eye sockets, blood pouring from the wounds. I gasped in horror as Baldwin stumbled backwards, agonized screams rattling past his throat. "Did you have mercy for Estella when you almost made her kill herself? When you tormented her with memories of her parents' death?"
"Michael! Stop!" Ariel shouted desperately.
"You are just as guilty as Ariel, Baldwin, and just as idiotic." Michael's lips curled upwards in a scowl as the wind picked up speed. He reached out and wrapped a hand around Baldwin's throat, eyes turning pitch black once more.
"D-Don't do this." Baldwin weeped. "I'm sorry for everything!
"Apology not accepted." Suddenly, Baldwin's skin began to chip away, the vessels underneath slowly being lit into flames. The fire curled up his body as ear-piercing screams erupted from Baldwin's mouth.
I looked at Ariel, who had tears streaming down his face, as he watched his friend be reduced to embers. The disgusting smell of flesh filled the air and I gagged at the odor.
"H-He's going to lock me up somewhere and make sure I don't do anything stupid that'll kill both of us." Ariel whispered frantically, realization dawning upon him. "Then, if he ever finds a reversal spell, he'll do the exact same thing to me. He's going to treat me like an animal. I'd rather die than let that happen!"
"Wait, Ariel, stop! Stop! Please, stop!" I sobbed as Ariel raised his hands. Michael's attention was diverted to where we stood and shock blanketed the smug expression on his face. "Michael!
"Ariel, don't!" Michael yelled, but it was too late.
Ariel snapped his fingers, splitting his neck in two, ending his life. My lips trembled in fright as I stared up at Michael, desperation in his eyes.
"Estella-"
Then, everything went black.
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Author's Note: Ariel and Baldwin are dumb as rocks, let me tell you. I hope you liked this chapter and are excited for the next one! Let me know what you guys think! Feel free to add any commentary! Until next time....
Lizzie