Confidence
Wynnona
We enter the room to find the other two duos already seated, waiting for us. Lillian wore a deep blue dress, the same colour as Earth's oceans. Oriana wore a suit to match. Keya wore a floor length, emerald green, backless dress with different straps around her back and chest. The dress definitely showed off her chest and smooth skin. It also accented her deep tan skin perfectly, her hazel eyes shining. In short, she looked sexy. I'm amazed Brett is controlling himself and not pinning her up against a wall. I know I would if it wasn't Keya. Brett wears a black suit with a matching tie and pocket square to Keya's dress. I guess the people here just sorted us off into couples, which left Giovanni and I to be paired up.
"Hey." Brett says with a tight smile. I can tell him, and Keya are both exhausted. Star lays on the table, waiting for me to come. Once I sit down beside Keya, the two empty chairs at the head on the table to my left and Giovanni right across from me, Star climbs up my arm to rest around my shoulders. A waiter comes around to all of us, handing us a nice, leather menu. The pages were soft and smelt of roses, the first page a list of drinks the kitchen staff will prepare for you then the next two were food.
"You look amazing, all of you." I compliment everyone at the table, keeping eye contact with mainly Keya. I hear a soft, muffled giggle come from the other side of Keya, Lillian holding a hand over her mouth as Oriana smiled evilly at her. "Giovanni, switch places with Oriana if her and Lillian continue to act like horny teenagers." I make eye contact with him as I finish speaking. God, I sound like such a mom. I hate this. I grumble to myself as he nods.
"The rose petal drink sounds delicious." Keya skillfully changes the topic. She raises a hand to get the attention of one of the waiters, but I grab her wrist gently to stop her.
"Don't get it." I tell her sharply, my eyes intensely boring into hers.
"Why not?" She asks, raising a brow at me. I am reminded of my dream, how someone was talking about a rose petal drink.
"I just have a bad feeling, that's all." I sigh. Keya and Brett share a knowing look. Anytime I had a bad feeling it was always wise to follow it. They had both learned this over years of being around me. I now understand that it was likely because of my Celestial genetics trying to protect me. She nods and instead orders a different drink. Brett strikes up a conversation with Giovanni about something I don't pay much attention to. Oriana, Keya, and Lillian are talking about clothes and makeup. Another topic of which I don't engage. I look at the little watch that was in my small bag to see we have been sitting here for hours. We've eaten a three-course meal with no company from the two people who invited us.
"Where are the king and queen?" I ask aloud. Everyone turns their attention to me. I meet everyone's eyes, but before I can speak the large golden door of the room is opened and in walks someone I recognize. He's isn't an exact copy of him but looks close enough. Parker, Gunther's older brother. The symbol I have come to recognize as Needledrop is plastered to his chest plate. The armour he wears looks thick, likely difficult to penetrate. In a split second I see a hole in it I can get a knife in.
"Under the table." Giovanni says to the girls. Lillian and Keya slide across the floor to the feet of Brett and Oriana as the three flip the thick table on its side. I stand before the table, grabbing a handful of knives from my bag tossing one at his left shoulder, the hole in his armour. At the same time, he takes out what looks like a machine gun and starts to fire around me and the table. For a split second, after the knife hits his shoulder, he falls back a couple steps, giving me time to flip over the table and hide with my group.
"Everyone okay?" I ask, breath labored. They all nod. Oriana pulls a necklace from Lillian's neck, the silver metal morphing into a small sword. I really want one of those. I take a couple more knives out of my bag, getting ready to charge at Parker. Gunshots fill my ears and I can see more than hear the columns around the room crumble. Glass has shattered, leaving shards of the colourful panels all over the white and gold tiled floor. This table wouldn't last us long.
"I'll get them out of here, go." Giovanni grabs my bicep to tell me. When he pulls his hand away, I notice a bloody handprint on the place he grabbed. I frantically survey him for injuries and find his right hand holding his side, low on his stomach. At this moment I feel the need to take up Jake's role.
"You idiot, what happened? What were you thinking?" I growl at him, worry flooding my face. He lets out a humorless laugh that sounds all too breathy.
"You sound like Jake." He says lightly, sweat has overtaken his body, glistening on his pale skin.
"We will get him out of here alive Wyatt, I promise." Brett tells me. Lillian nods, determination shining in her eyes. Keya follows them, head hung low.
"We're gonna die." I barely hear her muttering to herself. This is wrong. She's always been the hopeful one, the dreamer. The one to always make Brett and I see that things can turn out okay. Something is very wrong.
"Go." I tell them. They rush out, Oriana changing her sword into a large shield, blocking the others. The bullets Parker fires at us are deflected by the shield. While he's distracted by the others moving, I sneak around the other side of the table, throwing two knives at his head. One cuts across his nose, the other across his forehead. This is, however, just me being a distraction for Oriana.
He advances on me, a wicked smirk on his face.
"Hello Wynnona, my dear." He all but purrs in what I used to think was a seductive way, now it's disgusting. A cold shiver goes up my spine. "Might I say you look rather ravishing in that dress." My fists tighten as I sink into a defensive position.
"You may not." I snarl at him, charging and throwing a fist. I hit him square across the jaw, Oriana charging forward at him. She plunges her morphing weapon into his back, not getting far with the thick armour protecting him. He turns and throws his fist across her face with enough force to send her across the room and knock her out. In his moment I take off the heels I am wearing and step back.
Charging at him again I jump up to kick his chest, then turn mid air to send the heel of my foot into his cheek. I do a back somersault upon landing to put some distance between him and I. He glares at me, a smirk slightly playing on his lips.
"You're definitely just as formidable as I remember you being," before I can blink, he is holding me in the air by my neck, "but I seem to have improved." My feet kick, my toes point to the ground, but they can't touch the cool floor. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Think Allen, think! I shout mentally to myself. I go for the place where the sun doesn't shine, ramming my knee as hard as I can into his crotch, right between his legs. It is an unfair shot, but I care more for my survival. He drops me and falls to the ground, crying in pain. Wimp. I rush over to where Oriana was passed out, but she's gone. I see Lillian motion me over to the group's hiding place. I rush over to join them, Parker's back to them as he's more focused on his crotch.
"We are going to die here. Why are we prolonging the process?" I hear Keya say to Brett. She sits on the ground in the fetal position. Tears stain her cheeks as we visibly watch Keya fall apart. I go to kneel before her, grabbing her shoulders to make her look at me.
"Keya, listen to me princess." This makes her look at me. I can see a soft orange glow coming from my bag. "You are the strongest of all of us. You are the one who suffers with Brett and I being miserable all the time. You are the one who makes us smile. You're our strength, the one who holds us together and pushes us forward. I know that's a lot of pressure baby girl, I really do, but you have always been the strongest one.
"So what, one guy gets a hold of you and you shut down?" My words have stopped her tears. "The guy who hurt you and Brett isn't standing here, kicking, and breathing like you are. You suffered years with Cobra, one guy is barely anything to you. You're a queen who should be feared across the entire galaxy. I swear, I will teach you how to defend yourself once we are out of this situation." I cup her cheeks, wiping away tears and kissing her forehead.
"You're right." A smile overtakes her face. "We will be okay, go kick that jerk's butt." I smile at her and Brett comes over to hold her close to him. I take the book out of my bag and give it to them to make sure I don't lose her. The orange stone starts to disappear, but not before the other stones start to glow along with it. In a blinding light someone stands before me.
Her skin is pale, almost as white as paper. Her hair is tied back in a long braid that falls over her right shoulder, ending at her waist. Her hair is white as paper, streaks of colour running down her hair. One colour for each of the stones, three were still black. I get too distracted by the fact that she is about to faint and hit the floor to admire her further. I catch her before she hits the floor, slowly laying her down gently. My attention is pulled away from her when I hear my name, however.
"Wynnona." Giovanni calls to me. His voice is weak, broken, hopeless. All the fight is gone from him when I divert my attention to him.
"No, you can't do this." I tell him. He looks deathly, his wound must have been worse than I originally thought. "You do not get to leave me, not when I just got you." I can feel the tears filling my eyes. "What about Jake?" I ask, just to be a brat so he has a reason to stick around. I'm starting to like him.
"I'm sorry kid. I guess it's my time. I knew the Elder Gods wouldn't let me go out peacefully or late." He lets out a breathy chuckle. "When Jake wakes up give him my necklace and tell him I love him more than anything in this life, or the next." Tears fell down his cheeks.
"Tell him yourself god damnit." I cry. I watch the light fade from his eyes, his piercing blue eyes fading to a clear blue, one that looked right through my soul. The smile on his face never faded. "No." My tears fall in an angry trail down my face. I grip the material of his suit jacket in my fists, my head falling to rest against his chest. I can't hear his heartbeat. "Giovanni no. Please come back." I cry softly as I hiccup and shake. Parker did this, and for it he will die. My sadness burns way for my searing anger.
We all hear a scraping of metal across the marble walls, heading towards our hiding place. Parker has finally come back into this fight. Good, I want to rip him limb from limb for what he did with my bare hands.
"Where are you Abrettden?" He says in a voice of pure insanity, just like Gunther did back on Earth. I see the visible shiver that runs up Brett's spine. I charge out of our hiding place, leaving a passed-out girl I don't know, an injured Oriana, fearful friends, and the dead body of my brother behind me.