Chapter 4: Sacrifices
{Keep Playing In Pursing Design by Versaemerge (the acoustic version) until the next song}
I willed myself to stop crying like some baby as I sat up from my bed, rubbing the tears off my eyes as fast as I could. I should know better than to weep like some child when life gets difficult. I should have some more dignity than that! What the bloody hell is wrong with me these days!?
"There is nothing wrong with you....You are still a child...You still have so much more to learn...Why are you in such a rush to grow?"
That stupid voice whispered through my thoughts as I sighed.
"Because if I don't then I'll get myself killed...just like Claude did."
The voice obviously had no response to that and I didn't expect it to.
You probably think I'm bloody mad or have lost my fucking mind by having a voice, but I've been use to it for a very long time...Ever since I was small, this voice has been haunting my mind. Ever since that night...
"Stay away from me!!"
I closed my eyes, forcing the memory back into place before I could fully relive it. Like I've always said, the past is the past and it can never be undone. Right now all I can do is look forward not backwards. Plus, I didn't have time for the past because I barely had enough time for the present. There's so much that I need to do before midnight. Lily's ritual has to be done before it's too late, and then after her ritual I had to go save the other Lee sister.
I had no time to cry.
I barely had time to breathe.
I stood up from my bed and walked over to the full-length mirror that stood in the corner of my room, taking one last look at this familiar stranger.
I guess I didn't ruin my make up after bawling like a baby. I still looked the same way I did before, I looked unnaturally....well....
Beautiful.
I just looked so different that it was...just so bloody scary.
It was abnormal.
I never really had the time to worry about my looks because my time was always consumed with trying to juggle school, slaying, training, visiting Lily, worrying about my father and mostly of course...
Slaying.
You see, vampires probably lost count of how many humans they have killed, well I lost count of how many vampires I've killed. I've been consumed by slaying ever since Claude was murdered, and to me it was all that really mattered anymore since the one person in the whole world that I loved most was gone, and he'll never come back..
I stared at the dark brown eyes that reflected in the glass and they looked as cold as ice and as hard as stone; it's as if they've seen much more of hell than heaven in this dark world; as if they knew the secrets that were kept by the devil himself.
And they did.
And they have.
A small spark of sliver glistened near the corner of the reflection as I took a step closer squiting my eyes to see where it came from. I turned around to see a silver box lay on the top of my dresser, just waiting, inviting me to come over.
I walked over to it knowing I had never seen it before in my life.
My father probably left it in here when I was asleep.
I saw a black envelope sticking out from underneath the box, I pulled it out as I flipped it over to see that my name was written in cursive, my dad's handwriting.
I ripped it open to see a letter slowly float to the ground.
I fell on my knees and picked up the paper and started to read,
Dear my beautiful daughter,
I have avoided writing this letter for quite some time, and it was selfish for me to do so. You are growing into a young and beautiful woman and it is time that I realize that. I do not wish for you to grow up so quickly because that would mean I would have to loose you so quickly as well...But I have come to learn that you are maturing more and growing wiser each day. Which means you are wise and strong enough to take my words. I understand you have responsibilities of your own to see through tonight and I will not stop you because I know you will do what is right, just like I know you always do. I'm sure you have heard of The Prophecy of The Dark Slayer from Melinda Dawn, the gown you wear is proof of it and it was something I prayed for you to never hear. Please understand, I only wished to protect you from Fate's hand. I had made sure that only a few knew of The Prophecy, that it never was spoken a word around you. The slayers believed that this Dark Slayer was a beacon in these dark times...A savior to humanity....Of course I knew it was you. Claude knew it was you. We all knew it would be you, but the path of this Slayer is a dark, lonely, and soul-destroying one. But you do have a choice, sweetheart. You can choose the path you wish to walk on. Fate gives you a choice and I will respect your choice no matter what it comes down to. I will always love you Abria, that will never change. Inside this box, is your choice. I want you to wear this tonight, if I never see you after this night I wanted you to have it. I planned on giving it to you when you were 18, but I see no better time fit then now. In the end, it will give you a choice.
Sincerely,
Your Father.
With trembling hands, I softly dropped the paper next to the ancient box.
I was really The Dark Slayer then...If my father knew...if Claude knew...If the whole clan knew....Then it must have been true. But could I really become that unholy dark being?
"But isn't that the being you've become? A being driven by only never-ending hate towards the species that killed your own brother...Don't you want to kill all the vampires that plauge this Earth?" The voice whispered mockingly.
Yes...I want them all dead for the pain they've caused me...For the pain they've caused in so many others; For the souls they've stolen away as they drank every last drop of life from them to satisfy their own selfish desires...
But can I really start a war?
Will I be able to live with myself knowing that I led this bloody massacre?
Will I be able to do the impossible and kill the Heir to the Vamperic Throne and avenge the thousands of lives he cut short?
Why does the very thought of this send my blood cold?
Why?
"Maybe you're not as cold-hearted as you thought you were...Maybe a piece inside you knows that there is forgiveness in even the deepest and unspent of hatreds...." The voice's words echoed in a undying silence.
"Maybe even because deep down you know that even if you do kill Kasper Varn...It can never truly bring your brother back...It will only make you as soul-less and as damned as they are..."
A sudden loud buzzing snapped me out of my thoughts as I jumped and looked over my shoulder to see my IPhone vibrating like crazy on my bed.
I walked over to the bed, and picked it up to see I got a text message from Jake.
I slided my finger across the cool screen to unlock my phone and read,
It's almost midnight. Picking ur sexyy ass up in five minutes ;)
I could feel my cheeks burn red in annoyance. That boy is seriously asking for more than just a bitch slap from me.
He's asking for a silver dagger up his ass.
I looked at the corner of the phone screen to see it was eleven forty...crap! I had to make it there before midnight! I ran towards the window, already lifting it up, and swung my leg over, about to jump, but I looked over back at my dresser to the box...
Dad's present.
I swung my leg back inside and opened the lid of the ancient box to see it revealed an oval amethyst colored shaped amulet held by a silver and fragile chain. But next to it was the silver Cross Medallion of The Pierre Clan...
The Cross that has been passed down to each and every Leader of the Pierre Clan for centuries....Some say that the cross could burn a vampire's touch; ward off the dark creatures and the evil that lurked in shadows, but all it did was protect a slayer. Myths and legends surrounded the cross, but they were no more than that, just legends and myths. They were stories twisted by age and time. But there was legend that was true; A legend that is as old and as ancient as the vampires. Three centuries ago the cross was only a sign of the slayer, of the guardians of the night, a talisman that was worn around a slayer's neck. During the great battle when slayers and hunters had succeed in driving out the Varns from Transylvania; where the myths of their kind originated and still roam, we were close to defeat, but only one slayer; Elias Pierre, was able to awaken the ancient weapon that slept dominant within the cross that hung around his neck as it glowed in purifying white light and formed into the heavenly weapon. Some believe that the heavenly weapon was crafted by Fate herself, a sign that she was on our side, as he slayed any vampire that stood his way with one swing a hundred vampires laid still at his feet as the royal family fled. As Elias Pierre stood drenched in blood, some say The Cross turned to ashes in the palm of his hands, it's purpose finished or glowed in the light of it's birth, and disappeared into thin air back to Fate herself, or that Elias destroyed it or buried the weapon; claiming that no weapon as powerful as his should exist in this word. No one really knows what happen to the powerful weapon after the battle. The Cross here around my neck was a mere replica of the weapon that saved my family, a symbol of my family's honor. It was a symbol of respect and leadership.
I smiled.
I guess my dad really believed in me after all.
I quickly slide the Medallion down the sliver chain as it clashed together with the amulet, and hang together side by side. I quickly put it around my neck and tucked it underneath the opening of my corset, and made a run towards the window. As I swung my legs over, feeling the air brush against my bare legs, I took one last look at my room because I knew after this night...
I will never step foot in this room again. I would probably never step foot in this house again, and maybe it was better that way... There are too many haunting memories rested in this house, and just maybe I would see Claude's encouraging smile when I find my own peace.
I shook my head, erasing all these thoughts of bliss and jumped.
I held on to the branch of a tree, swung, and with ease, fell on one knee, and hands planted on the grass. I stood up and brushed off the dirt on my hands.
And of course my landing is perfect, as usual I smirked.
I walked around the back to the front of the house to see the dark streets of London greet me.
I sighed taking in the London night air as it brushed against my skin. I felt some sort of peace come over me.
"Going somewhere Abby?"
And then that peaceful moment was shattered.
Not bothering to turn around , already knowing who that stupid voice came from. There was only person that calls me that.
"Go to hell Black, I'm not in the mood."
"Oh...Someone's a little feisty. " I could hear the sick smirk in his voice without even turning around. He was always so fucking cocky, and that alone was enough to drive me mad. I could already hear the echoes of his footsteps as he stood behind me, and feel his breath hovering over my ear,
"And that just makes you all the more hotter..." He murmured 'Seductively' in my ear, trying to use his charm on me, and he should have known by now that it would and will never work.
"Yes...and I'm going to be a little more than just pissed off if you don't fuck off right now," I hissed as I glared at him over my shoulder.
"What rose up your thong and bit you on the ass this time Pierre?" He smirked as he backed away.
This time I slowly turned around, putting on the mask I've hidden behind ever since Claude had died, and I could feel even my very soul turn cold.
"I mean it Black...Back. Off. Now." I practically growled at him, glaring straight through his brown eyes. But of course the bastard didn't silently back away from my sight, or apologize like a REAL gentlemen, he took a step forward, narrowing his eyes into mine, as if he were trying to burn them straight through the back of my eyes and into my soul.
A challenge was made.
A challenge for power, respect, and honor.
"You really don't want to take me on Pierre...Or it will be the last thing you do," He hissed, and I knew the Slayer in him had come out to play, but he forgets that I will always be stronger and better. Always.
"Remember your place Black," I hissed as I took a step forward closing every inch of space between us,
"Threaten the Leader of the Pierre Clan, it's punishable by...well... I think you know what," I smirked as I leaned back to fully watch shock slither through his Slayer mask as I watched his brown eyes go wide with sweet unmistakeable priceless fear....But he reclaimed his stance as he narrowed his brown eyes.
But he forgets.
I will always be able to see through his mask, no matter how hidden it is, I will always be able decode his little poker face.
Always.
"You're lying. I'm tak-"
I pulled out the cross from beneath my corset, as the silver glittered in the moonlight as I hung it in front of his face to see.
"Believe me now?"
His brown eyes narrowed into mine as he looked from the medallion to me in disbelief. When will he learn? I always win, and I will always be the best slayer there is.
"What's wrong Black? Cat got your smart ass tongue?" I smirked as I tucked the medallion back into my corset.
Before he could open his mouth for another threat or stupid comment, I heard a car honking from behind me as I turned around to see Jake's head sticking out from Simon's car with a smirk on his lips, and mischief sparkling in his blue eyes as he looked at me, but his expression altered, and his smirk faded into a straight line and his eyes only held suspicion for the person behind me.
I guess you can say Michael and Jake never really got along...
That's when a hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me backwards as my back hit against something hard!
What the hell!
My eyes flew open as I stared at Jake , who was already out of the car ready to kill with his blue eyes already shifting into a dangerous gold.
Before I could turn around for a kick one arm was snaked around my waist, and another was around my neck, holding me in place. I could practically feel his threatening gaze directed at Jake with a message.
Move and I'll snap her neck.
Jake stopped in his tracks, but his eyes still blazing gold with hatred swirling in them.
I just rolled my eyes at the two, knowing damn well I wasn't going to play the damsel in distress here. I raised my heel ready to kick, but before I could hit my target, Michael rammed his knee into the back of my knee as I hissed and bended over a bit, but his grip tightened around my waist, pulling me back. Then I could feel his hot breath against my skin as he leaned his lips towards my ear,
"Good try...Want to give it a second go babe? Go ahead. I can't promise you I won't make it feel like hell afterwards though.."
I cursed under my breath,
"You're so damn lucky I'm wearing heels and a dress you steroid taking asshole..." I hissed and I could feel his chest vibrating from my back as he whispered in my ear,
"Oh , believe me, ALL this muscle is real. I don't need pills to be this strong and hot Pierre...I just am." I heard the smirk in his words and it just made me want to kill him even more.
"You're so lucky I don't have a stake stashed in this tight fabric or I would stab one right through that huge ego of yours!"
"You could try, but it would only get bigger...Just like my worry for you."
My eyes snapped open and they found Jake's blue widen ones, and it was clear that I wasn't imagining what I just heard..
Did he really say that...
He tightened his grip on me and pulled me closer to his chest as he whispered in my ear,
"I know where you're going Abby."
And those words were enough to send scared chills crawling up and down my spine.
Does he know about the ritual or...
"And it's a suicide mission, even for you and that dog.." His brown eyes tracing back to Jake, and I could already hear the sound of Jake growling at him for that little comment,
"You can't take on the Varns...Not alone," He murmured in my ear, and this time in a flash I had flipped him with ease as he landed on his ass. I stabbed my heel down his chest as he laid on his back , staring up at me with wide eyes.
I crouched down to his line of eyesight, not letting his eyes escape mine.
"Don't underestimate me Black. I will save Violet Lee, I will bring back the heir's head on a silver platter, and I will bring an end to the Vamperic throne for humanity, and for my brother if not for him then nothing else,"
My eyes narrowed into his,
"And I will not let you or anyone else stand in my way."
"Abria...."
I turned around to see Jake looking at me with something in his eyes that I hated more than vampires...
Pity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The whole car ride to the Square was drenched in awkward silence, and it was driving me bloody damn mad. The only option I had was to just sit in the passenger seat and look out the window as the London night blurred by us. I let myself free fall into the life of London and the lives of the people that passed us by. Children were walking hand in hand with their mothers and fathers with weary eyes, constantly looking around for the bogeyman or any monster that lived in nightmares and went bump in the night; girls my age wearing dresses that looked more like shirts; laughing and giggling in excitement about maybe the club they were about to strut in and claim and how they would have the best night of their lives as they drank their alcohol and danced until their legs gave in.
I wasn't meant to be as them, I was far from the normal teenage girl.
I wasn't born into a normal world,
I was born into a dark one and taught to fight for the light in it.
As a slayer, my life belongs to the well-being of humanity, it never belonged to me.
And that's how it should be.
{Play All Around Me By Flyleaf}
"We're here."
The car pulled in front of the sky-reaching column that sat in the Square and the fountain that once sobbed out crimson on the night of the London Bloodbath , and where life changed forever. Lily who looked closer and closer to an early grave was sleeping as Simon held her in his arms, whispering sweet nothings into her ear I bet to keep her from death's grasp.
We didn't have much time left.
I reached for the handle of the car door, but a hand covered mine before I could pull.
I didn't turn around.
"I'm not changing my mind," I said as his hand tightened around mine.
"Neither am I," He murmmered into my ear as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me backwards into his chest.
I could feel the rhythm of his heart beat against my back, and I felt a little panic in the back of my mind.
We didn't have time for this.
I don't have time for his little games.
"Jake, stop. Whatever joke you're playing here is no-"
He grabbed the end of my chin and forced my eyes to meet his.
Even in the dark, I could see his light blue eyes and I couldn't see any joke in them.
He was serious.
"Just shut up."
That's when my eyes narrowed and I was ready to give him a piece of my mind.
I opened my mouth,
"Who the bloody hell do y-"
His mouth crashed into mine as he thrusted his tongue inside with a hunger that has never been satisfied as I fell back into my seat from the force of his kiss.
Without my control or will, I found myself letting go, my walls crumbling around my mind; the ones I fought so hard to build just fall.. as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
I could not see our boundaries, but I knew we've crossed them as his hands roamed through my hair as he undid my bun, letting my hair it fall loose around my shoulders.
Between his unending kisses he whispered,
"I told you to shut up Pierre."
I felt like I was falling and soaring at the same time, my heart racing against my chest and a lust in me I never knew surfaced as I let my fingers rush through his silky golden locks as I pulled him closer . He pressed himself further into me growling, wanting more of me as my back hit against the car window. His hands slid up and down my back, sending shivers down my spine and up my arms. I didn't want any of it to stop. I was free falling in a endless sky and I never wanted to come down...Until I had to.
My mind went back to Claude...
{Play the song Breaking by Anberlin for this scene. One of my favorite bands <33 }
To the London Bloodbath...
His open lifeless eyes..
The tempting scissors and stream of blood...
The pain of it all came rushing back at me and I just couldn't take it.
Protect yourself...
I pushed Jake off me, snapping out of the blissful trance breathless, trying to make sense of what we had just done.
"Abria! What's wrong?"
I looked up at him to see his eyes searching mine with hope, searching for the response he wanted.
My eyes narrowed into his.
"Don't you ever do that again." I hissed.
His hopes shattered in his blue eyes, but I kept mine cold.
"What?" His voice so soft I barely heard him.
"I didn't stutter. Now let's go." I turned around and opened the car door, but in a blur it was slammed back shut.
"We're not finished Abria."
I kept my back to him.
"Yes we are."
He slapped his hands down on my shoulders and forcefully turned me around, but I kept my eyes away from his.
"You're telling me you didn't feel anything when I kissed you? "
My eyes were looking out at the full moon.
We were running out of time.
I couldn't take this.
I didn't deserve this.
"Abria!"
I whipped my head around and glared.
"Yes that's exactly what I'm telling you! Happy now?"
He shook his head, not believing a word I said.
"You kissed me back. You're lyi-"
I cut him off,
"It was a mistake. "
"What a sinful lie child...Sinners pay in time. They always do, and you're next in line. "
I got out of the car and ran off towards Simon and Lily , away from Jake and my scattered thoughts and as my voice had said, my sins.
I never had time to even think about romance, nor did I ever want to. My revenge was all that mattered, my brother was all that mattered and of course so did Lily. I deserved no such comfort, I couldn't rest until my revenge was done. I needed to fight, I needed the battle, I needed the pain, I needed the concentration, but I didn't need the distraction. And love was one of them.
I stopped in front of the couple and smiled softly. Simon cradled her in his arms, holding her as gently as he could against his chest as if she were as fragile as a China doll, and she was. The paleness of her skin grimly reminded me of how easily she could break.
I cleared my throat as Simon jumped startled, tightening his grip around Lily.
Lily's eyelids slowly fluttered open, her hazel eyes glassy when they met mine.
"L-Long time no see A-A..." She wearily smiled up at me.
I gave her the best smile I could as I crunched down to her eye-level, and I could see time was draining her, and Death was not far behind. After years and years of slaying I knew Death's shadow; it's dark presence whenever it was near and it was laying right in front of me.
I looked up at Simon.
"What do I have to do?"
He stood up carrying Lily in his arms as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him as he gazed and smiled lovingly down at her. That kind of love only came once a lifetime, and I knew he wanted it to last both their lifetimes, but I could see the pain and the struggle of denying the haunting truth in his blue-grey eyes as he looked at her, that if this ritual didn't work it wouldn't and couldn't last. But we had to at least try. He broke his gaze away from her and looked at me; the doubt gone in his eyes.
"I'll draw the Pentagram around the fountain. You and Lily stand in the fountain," He gently laid her in my arms. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"And get this dress wet?"
"It's a stupid dress."
"It's vintage."
I heard a low chuckle from behind me.
"And since when do you care about dresses Pierre?"
I slowly turned around, not wanting to meet his eyes. If I looked, my resolve would break and I wouldn't be able to keep my walls concrete, but somehow I survived as I forced myself to face him.
Glowing under the full moon's light, Jake smirked down at me, his blue eyes shimmering with amusement; carrying candles and an athemay; a ritual knife in his arms. He was indeed a creature of the moon; a being of the darkness, but his soul, unlike vampires was pure. He was bound with a curse, but the curse didn't break him, but I felt like I did. That smirk of his was forced, and the playfulness was an act. He was wearing a mask of his own, but so was I as I smirked back at him.
"Since now Evermore," With that I turned on my heel, and walked towards the sobbing fountain, reflecting the tears I would never let fall.
From the corner of my eye, with the flick of Simon's hand, the water crying out from the fountain aprudtly stopped. If only our emotions could be controlled as easily with magic.
"Stand in your place Abria with Lily, and Jake pass me the knife and sit the candles on each point of the pentagram and..." I drowned out Simon as he and Jake walked around the square muttering directions under their breaths and was about to step into the fountain...
"Are you going to tell me what that was all about?"
I blinked and stopped at the edge of the fountain; looking down at Lily who looked at me with burning curiosity in her hazel eyes. I completely forgot she was in my arms!
I cleared my throat, stepping into the drained fountain "What are you talking about?" I played innocent as I watched Simon slit his wrist with the Athemay as he drew the pentagram with his blood; Jake whispering in his ear about something I couldn't I hear...
"First, since when do you care about dresses? And second, what is going on with you and Jake? You both looked so...broken.." I couldn't answer that as I watched Simon point to Jake where to leave each candle on a point of the star, occasionally he would throw a glance at me and I could see what Lily meant by us looking broken because I could see the cracks of his mask in his sad blue eyes when he looked at me. I had no time to fix him or fix myself.
"Because if you haven't noticed, I'm still a girl who can like girly things...and stuff." I shrugged and came up with a lame excuse.
I could hear her roll her eyes." You don't like girly things. You like killing things. And you even burned your own training bra when you were twelve."
"I was making a statement."
"You were trying to burn down the whole house."
I just shrugged.
I wasn't born innocent, I was born a slayer.
I sat Lily down on the ground as Simon and Jake lit the candles around us; remembering the lullaby Simon's mother taught us of the Dawn coven when doing a powerful ritual. Each candle was a symbol.
"The full moon is set. We only have one chance for this," Shifting into shadows Simon slithered through the air and crunched down in front of us, his blue grey eyes on me with a question,
{Play Lifestream by Dream on Dreamer for the scene on repeat, such an awesome song! The beginning of the song is my favorite<3}
Are you ready?
I silently nodded.
In a swift second he slit the palm of my hand and Lily's. Lily winced at the pain as I took in a deep breath and just embraced it. I would be able to save her, that's all that mattered. That's all that mattered. as our blood slithered the edges of the fountain like crimson snakes and traced the lines of the pentagram, tying our blood with Dawn blood, each candles lighting themselves with swirling coal flames, one by one. Black For Death, Sapphire for the Reckoning, White for Purity, Red for the sacrifice, and Violet for Fate's Empathy. The ground beneath us all shook, The concrete floor cried out in cracks beneath Simon, Lily and I. Jake cursing from outside the pentagram, yelling for u to get out, and Lily wrapped her arms around me, clinging on to me as I hugged her back,
Simon stood up and started to chant,
Blood of my blood,
Blessed Martyr of the line
Wielder of Fate,
Awaken, resurrect, answer this cursed reckoning.
The world exploded in black fire.
The flames of the lit candles towered over the three of us and rose in fury.
"ABRIA!"
I heard Jake's yells across the chaotic fire,
I closed my eyes and hugged Lily.
Please save her...Damn me....Not her...Not her...
Be careful what you wish for child.
Fate will start her game tonight and she is never kind.
"AWAKEN!" Simon roared out to the moon and sky, covered in shadows and darkness, his blue-grey eyes glowed as he threw his hands up, and sapphire light beamed from his hands like a dark beacon. The full moon casted over shadows and glistened in scarlet and not of silver; the starts that hung in the sky were burned out one by one; The flames roared and twisted once more and shifted into pure sapphire awakening a powerful being...
The first of the Dawn Line;
The Crowned Martyr;
The old one that questioned Fate and Death;
Lydia Aradia Dawn.
Illuminated in sapphire flames, Lydia's spirit towered over the entire Square.
Her hair as dark and as endless as this night, her blue-grey eyes shimmered brighter than the stars, her skin as white as snow; an aura of authority, of magic and blood more than surrounded her, it was as if it was a part of her as well. She looked down on all of us, and you could see the struggle, the wisdom, the tragedy, and the years that still lived in her eyes.
Her gaze swept by all of us, and landed on Simon; her descendent.
Blood of my blood, fallen prince to my throne...
Her silk and soft words echoed across our minds, her lips unmoving. I looked straight at Simon as he stood tall in front of his ancestor....Wait...She said prince? My eyes snapped back to Jake's shocked ones as he looked from the Ancestress of the Dawns to her descendent.
Simon is...a prince?
"Yes...I've summoned you for the Death Exchange once more..Their bloodlines have been tied. We plea for your blessing to complete the cursed exchange" He bowed his head to the Dark Being.
Her eyes rested on me as she spoke within the depths of my mind, "Abria Pierre, The Dark Slayer...You wish to exchange your lifeline for the human child; Lillian Lee? Is it truly your choice?" It was as if she could read my soul with her iron glance.
She knew my answer.
She slowly nodded.
"Then the saricfice is paid." She closed her eyes.
"No it isn't!"
My head whirled around to see Jake, with a knife to his wrist..
Oh no...
No!
"JAKE NO!" I screamed as I stood up, jumping out of the fountain blood-filled fountain, but Simon wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back in as I kicked and struggled.
"You can't break the circle Abria!" Simon yelled.
I looked over my shoulder to Simon to see guilt...To see sadness in his blue-grey eyes...My mind went back to them whispering away from the fountain...Was this their plan?
"He wanted to do it for you..."Simon whispered.
No...
No!
I whipped my head back around to see Jake lift his bleeding wrist over the pentagram as his blood dripped to the ground, and traced over the star and each candle burst with black and sapphire flames..
"Jacob Matthews Evermore...Your lifeline exchanged....The sacrifice is paid with your blood...Lillian Lee's Death is yours..." Lydia's voice boomed through out the entire square as she spoke out Death's sentence with Jake's full name, her eyes shot open and all I could see was black abysses in her eyes as they glowed with dark magic...The fountain rained out blood as Lily and Jake screams' pierced my ears. The candles roared out angry red flames. The world went by in slow motion as Simon dropped me into the pool of blood as I turned around to see him crunching down to Lily who glowed in the purifying sapphire light as she threw her head back, embracing the pain as I watched with bloody rain streaming down my face.
Her lifeline is switched with Jake's...
Jake will die on her death date...But Lily will live..
"Fate is never kind...Fate is not done with you yet Abria Pierre...You still have a choice to make." Lydia Dawn's voice echoed in my head.
{Paperthin Hymn by Anberlin. Keep playing until the chapter ends. Such a lovely song}
The candles blew out, and the raining blood stopped.
I slowly stood up, drenched in blood as I looked at Lily and Simon in a shocked daze. None of this felt real. Simon was holding Lily as she cried into his chest. Simon was breathing her in as he buried his head into her shoulder. I could see the sweat dripping down his neck and hear his hollow breathing, the ritual must have taken a lot out of him. But Lily looked more alive and healthy than she had in a long time. Her black inked hair fell loosely around her shoulders, her skin tone a healthy one. Death no longer hovered above her, but now Death caught another victim.
"How is she?"
I turned around to see Jake standing outside the fountain, with a scar that wouldn't heal on his wrist. I couldn't bring myself to look away from it...It might as well have been Death's mark on him; A symbol of his sacrifice...And I couldn't help but feel hate and anger boil in me. He caught me staring at his wrist and quickly shoved his hands into his pockets.
My hands clenching into fists.
How could he....Why would he..
That was my choice to make! Not his! Not his!
I stomped out of the fountain towards him.
"You fucking asshole!" My fist flew towards his, but he caught it in his right hand in mid-air without flinching.
His light blue eyes turning as hard as stone as I glared at him.
"I thought you didn't care about me Pierre. Remember? You said it was a mistake."
"No, you're right I fucking don't! Right now I want to shove a damn silver dagger through your skull!" I shouted, my vision going blurry as I blinked as hard as I could.
I would not cry.
I would not cry.
I would not...
"Abria..." Jake's eyes softening as he looked down at me, but all I could see was another coffin; another death that could hurt me and one I failed to stop...
"Who knew The Dark Reepers actually had a heart?" I heard a taunting voice from behind that was not Simon's or Lily's.
A voice that haunted my nightmares....The crimson eyes I never knew...
I slowly turned around to see a huddled group of vampires, standing under the glow of the scarlet moon. Why hadn't it changed back? The ritual was over..
"Who the hell are you?" Jake seethed from behind me, disgust leaked from his words.
The vampire that stood at the head of group took a step forward; his dark blue eyes shifting to bloodthirsty red; his long hair blew in the wind.
"Ilta Crimson." He smirked, revealing his long sharp fangs.
In a blur, I removed my blood covered heel and aimed it at the blood-sucker as the sharp end of the shoe pierced through the air, but he moved faster. Instead the heel stabbed into forehead of the parasite behind him; the heel's end sank deeply into his chest, stabbing through his heart, as his eyes rolled back and his body went down with a final thud.
"Boo," Ilta whispered in my ear and his arms caged around my waist before I could even make a move,
"I expected nothing less from Jean Pierre's pupil," He smirked as he covered my mouth with a cloth as I breathed in a strange chemical, feeling myself loose consciousness.
Chloroform.
The world was disappearing on me.
Everyone around me were just smudges and blurs.
Lily's screams were turning into echoes, Jake and Simon's grunts and yells were falling to huffs and struggle. The ritual had drained so much out of us all, our battle was already lost.
As I drifted off into blackness all I could hear was the laughter of madness behind me that echoed my nightmares of the London Bloodbath. With all my strength I managed to whisper out one question, just one.
"What do you want..."'
I could hear the smile in Ilta Crimson's in my mind as he answered,
"Revenge."
Then I was finally swallowed whole by darkness.
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That's the fourth chapter! I FINALLY got it done! I'll try my very best to upload next weekend if possible because high school can be seriously hectic. So I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I tried to make it as long as I could since if I haven't uploaded in a while. So vote, comment, and read. Hope you enjoyed it ~ The Dreamer