Plague, 04-10-12

Okay, so, I've been working quite a bit on Plague as well as Mercy, and I've added a lot to the beginning as well as adding on to the other chapters. So, here's a few of the first pages of the new version, mostly introducing all of the characters and getting the setting ready. I'd like to hear what you think!

Day 17

January 3^rd, 2018

Dear Diary,

Today was horrible. We all had to go to school, even with so many people out sick! There was a total of twenty-seven freshmen, thirty-two sophomores, sixteen of us juniors, and thirty-seven seniors. I had three substitute teachers, and my Chemistry class was canceled because Sister Joan was sick, and none of the other teachers who knew chemistry were well enough to teach. We simply had study hall for an hour and a half, and it was horrible.

Because of the subs, we had zero homework, and learned nothing! Now, don't get me wrong, I really don't like school. But sitting in a desk, doing practically nothing, for eight hours a day, five days a week, for nearly two weeks now, it's horrible! I would rather be getting lectures!

Most of my friends are sick, so it was just Ben, Sam and Sam, Katie, Lydia, Savanna, Michael, Morgan, Christie, Julian, Bee, and some others. Marie, my best friend, a senior, said that Kathy and Marissa are both out sick with the disease. All the students have started calling the disease Zombification, because it turns people, practically, into zombies. I think it's stupid, because the doctors think it's an airborne disease, but since it started, its stuck, and it isn't like we're going to change it.

The so-called scientists in Washington D.C. Have started calling it Plague Jupiter, because they think that the space shuttle came back with it last month. I think that 'The Space Plague' would have been more catchy, but I guess it's catching enough already, we don't need more people to get sick. Ha, ha.

Brad wrote to us, saying that they likely won't get the disease because of the location of his jail cell, but that he's scheduled to leave for the prison in Indiana next month. That kind of scares me. Mom and Dad are already sick, and so are my grandparents, all four of them. Grandma Mary is the worst. She can't move, and is getting worse every day.

I'm worried about her, but the scientists have come out with an anti-virus-thingy that they're spraying by plane tomorrow night at six, so we're all supposed to go for walks, play outside, open all the windows in January, and all that. I hope it works.

I have to go for now, my mom is screaming again. She needs her shots. Blegh.

• Sophie

***

Jacob sat in the street, sobbing shamelessly. People passed cautiously, avoiding the bulking figure. He didn't care what they thought, what they said, he didn't care about anything anymore. His girlfriend, Andy, was dead. He'd had to kill her. The funeral was next week Thursday. No one but the police, the judge, and Andy's direct family knew what he'd done. How she'd died. How she'd been murdered.

“Cob, I've been looking for you! You have to come home. We need your help at the shelter.” Kit tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up at her with miserable eyes.

“I killed Andy.” he said simply, and dropped his face into his hands.

“Yeah, big deal. She went insane, tried to kill you, and you smacked her. Whoop-de-doo. Now pick up that overgrown ass and come back to the shelter. Other people are going to die if you don't come help.” she said, and Jacob drew in a shaky breath. The other orphans needed him. They were his responsibility until next March, when he turned eighteen.

“Headmaster?” he asked, and Kit bit her lip.

“Not good. I tied her down again. She was screaming. Not even words anymore, just screaming. Scariest freaking thing in the world, I'll tell you. The kids are freaking out, especially the sick ones. Jamie got a fever this morning. Sawyer started the screaming. Andrea's dead.” she said, and Jacob looked up sharply.

“What? How? No!” he said, despair starting to take hold again. Andrea was only seven. Is. Is only seven. Kit shook her head.

“She screamed for six hours straight, then drowned in her own blood. That's what we think, at least. Her throat was bleeding pretty bad.” she said, and shivered involuntarily. Jacob stood, tears streaming freely again.

“Let's go.”

***

“The Homeless Evil Vanquishers!” cried Buggy. Nim Nim shook her head. Tigger nodded slowly, and Tri just giggled.

“THEV!” she said, and Buggy bobbed his head enthusiastically. Nim Nim shook her head again.

“We aren't homeless, guys. We have a home, right here, in our little... nook. Yes, our little nook.” said Nim Nim, looking around the makeshift shelter, nestled tightly in between the large bar that plays the football games every day and the public library, which were only eight feet from one another. Tigger often bragged about how long it had taken him and Buggy to assemble the wooden home, which stretched from brick wall to brick wall, all eight feet, and from the back of the alley about six feet out, and was five feet tall. The roof was solid enough to keep out the rain, made of the same wood as the walls and covered in a plastic motorcycle cover, cut to fit. They'd used a large quilt to cover the entrance, and it was nearly always dark inside.

Now the group of kids were all sitting in a circle inside, laughing, frightened, at how the sick people outside were going crazy. The conversation had turned into crazy muggers, and what they would do if they got mugged, and then to how they would all team up and defeat the evil forces.

“I like it. We are THEV. But Nim Nim is also right, Bug. We have a home. Took us a month to make it, and within the first month living in it we've acquired a momma hobo,” he gestured to Nim Nim, “and a daughter hobo.” he looked pointedly at Tri, who was tearing a newspaper into very tiny pieces.

“Who's the dad?” asked Nim Nim, who had folded her arms defensively. Tigger sat up straight, grinning.

“Why, me, my darling!” he shouted, and everyone but Nim Nim laughed. She hated when he acted so immature. Which was, always. For God's sake, he was nearly seventeen! He should learn to act his age! Tri continued giggling long after everyone else had stopped, and Nim Nim looked at her, a look of pure irritation scrunching up her face.

“What is it, you fool?” she spurted, and Tri giggled harder.

“If... I'm the daughter...” she sputtered, squeezing words out between fits of laughter, “then you're my mommy! My mommy's younger than I am!” she exploded, and started rolling around on the floor, making Nim Nim smile just a bit.

“Only by a year or so, and I'm almost sixteen, anyway, Trinia. Don't think yourself that much higher than me.” she said, and now it was Buggy who burst out laughing.

“Nim Nim's higher than Tri!” he squealed, and soon the whole group was laughing uncontrollably. When they finally settled down, Nim Nim smiled.

“Always the ten-year-old who gets the punch line.” she said, then frowned. “But really, if I ever catch any of you with drugs, I will bash your face in so hard...”

“Yep, Naomi's definitely the mom.” Tigger laughed.

***

Recording 1

Sparks, Anna

January 3^rd, 2018

“This is Anna Sparks, recording one, during my Plague Jupiter sickness. (cough) I, I don't think I have much time anymore.(cough) Sophie, Cassie, Ria and the younger boys seem to be healthy, but Peter and,(cough) Peter and I are just getting worse. I don't think the airborne anti-virus will help. I'm too far gone, I know that. (cough) My memories are fading, I can't remember my parents names, or if I had any siblings while growing up. You wouldn't believe how frustrating it can be. Sometimes, I'll wake up to (cough), I'll wake up and see Sophie crying by my bed. She says that I just start screaming and she has to sedate me.

“She hates doing it, I know, but I don't know how to stop it, hell I don't even know I'm doing it! (cough). I, I can't... (cough) I just can't...(screaming)”

***

04/06/12 Chapter 3, Part 1

I'm still eager to get feedback on what you guys like and don't like, and I still don't have many title ideas (yeah, I finally noticed that typo from the earlier post title), so anything is helpful!

 

Victoria and Richard walk, arm in arm, down a tidy garden path. They laugh in the bright morning sunlight. Tenderly, he leans over and kisses her before lowering himself down to one knee before her. Mortal love.

Gone.

3.

Revealing Truths and Lies

              Will was walking behind Medusa-Cornelia, and his eyes were fixed on her dread-locks. It must have been his imagination, but he could have sworn they were moving. Not just swinging as she walked, but actually moving. By themselves. He was probably just tired.

              “Will, could you stop staring at me like that? It’s getting really annoying.” Cornelia was still excited about her… discovery, and she was all but skipping down the uneven stone tunnels. Will quickly averted his gaze, then looked up again at Cornelia. He quickened his pace to match hers and spoke quietly.

              “Hey, how’d you know I was staring?” he asked, studying her scaly bare shoulder with intense fascination.

              “Will, I could see you.” She smiled brilliantly at him and he noted that her teeth and tongue weren’t shiny or scaly.

              “But how? You were facing forward. You couldn’t have seen me.” He frowned as her smile grew wider.

              “Don’t you know anything about Medusa, William? Look closely.” She pointed at her hair. Will did, but saw only the scaly shining dread locks, waving gently back and forth, occasionally rising and falling.

              “I studied vampires, Cornelia, not mythology. Not that my studies are worth anything, though. Anyway, what about it? You have… eyes on your neck?” he dismissed the idea as soon as it left his mouth. Cornelia laughed, like bells tinkling, and stopped walking. Daniel and Mercy caught up and stopped as well, shooting inquiring looks at Will. He shrugged. Then Cornelia’s hair started floating up, each dread lock hanging in the air sort of like… a snake. That was when Will saw that each one had eyes and a mouth. They weren’t dreadlocks at all, they were actual snakes.

              “And she keeps pulling tricks from her bottomless bag.” Daniel said quietly. “Nelly, I think we’re going to get along just fine.” He said with a smile. Cornelia smiled back, let her hair, or snakes, rather, fall back into place and continued walking. Will was careful not to stare too directly at the snakes after that, and instead studied Cornelia’s scales. They still clinked and chimed when they touched one another, and it sounded sort of like bells or even rain on glass. He walked in a trance of sorts, mesmerized by the golden scales and the sound they made.

              The group continued a short while, and the tunnel grew gradually wider and more comfortable, and Will noticed the walls were speckled with tiny glowing stones. As they progressed, the stoned got bigger and bigger, until their path was illuminated by the strange rocks. Cornelia shifted back to her most frequent shape, and they continued on quietly until the group met a fork in the tunnel, and stopped to consider the options. Daniel spoke first.

              “Willy, Nelly, you take the right, and us vamps will take the left. Follow your tunnels until they branch again. If you think you find something that indicates that-“

              “Ooh, ‘indicates’. Big word.” That was Cindy.

              “If you find something that you think indicates we’re on the right trail, head back here and wait. If neither group finds anything, we meet back here in six hours and pick a path at random. We’ll just do it this time, as we don’t have time enough to explore every branch. Everyone good?” He stopped, waited a moment, then started down the left corridor. No one had any better plans, apparently, so the two groups split up.

              Cornelia’s silence during their journey was broken by the absence of the vampires, and as soon as she and Will were alone, she prattled on and on for near two hours about ‘shape prices’ and how it felt to ‘shift’ and what her thoughts were on the overpopulation of creatures on this planet.

              “I mean, with so many immortals, it’s no wonder vampires are dying out. Not enough human cities to feed them all. And we have to keep you humans alive, because, well, without you, we wouldn’t stay in hiding, and then war would break out across the globe, dragons killing shape shifters, shape shifters killing shape changers, a gross species they are, really, the shape changers and vampires killing off the mystics and fairies, and the Monarchs powerless to protect us from ourselves.” She took a breath here and there, though Will could scarcely keep up, let alone understand what she was talking about.

               “The shape shifters would obviously be the lone survivors, besides the Monarchs, of course, I mean. It’s only common sense. We can deceive the most trained spell crafters, the most fierce warriors, make them believe we’re one of their own, then stab them in the back. Of course we’d have to get their shape first, and not everyone is open to that kind of thing, if you know what I mean.”

              “I don’t, actually. I have no idea what you’re talking about, Cornelia. I don’t know how any of this stuff works. What is a monarch, what is a mystic, how do you get someone’s shape and what is the- whoa.” They’d entered a huge, spacious cavern, lighted by three huge blue stones on the ceiling. There were two doorways beside the one they’d entered, and centered between them was a large, door-shaped carving. They started towards it, and Cornelia yelped.

              “It’s written in the language of the Monarch! I’ll go get the others, you stay here and, um, guard it or something.”

              “Wait! Cornelia! You cant just…” but she was already gone. He’d briefly seen a hummingbird before she was gone completely, and sat resignedly on the smooth stone floor, studying the strange carvings. They were beautiful, swirling, sharp designs, with no obvious pattern or repetition. Some vaguely resembled creatures or elements, such as fire, men, birds, water, but most were indecipherable lines or figures. Will wasn’t a linguist, but he guessed it was something like Egyptian, with a different symbol for each word or sound.

               They filled almost the entirety of the door shape, but one circle was left untouched in the center of it all. He stared at the blank spot curiously. This part of the carving seemed most important, as though the writers had designed the whole piece to revolve around the single spot.

              Will held his hand up to the circle, and found it was the perfect size for his hand. He pressed his palm against the cool stone, and it seemed to sink in, though he saw the wall was solid. He felt his hand sinking deeper and deeper into the wall, and finally, when his arm was in up to his elbow, he felt something. It was a knob of sorts, rough and round by the feel of it. He blinked a few times in confusion. His eyes still saw a solid wall with his hand pressed against it, though his nerves felt something much different.

              Will grasped the knob and turned it clockwise, and heard three clicks as he completed the motion. At the third click, fire and light filled his senses, and he lost consciousness immediately.

03-22-12 the story actually begins...

People aren't always what they seem. Both in real life and in our books or stories, people have more secrets than anyone is comfortable with admitting. Writing or reading is no escape from the lies, but it offers a new variety of lies that we can simply observe, instead of trying to fight against. Sometimes, it does offer an escape, when everyone just seems to get along. Here's a bit of both situations.

Will had rubbed sticky white goo all over her hand and then wrapped it in gauze. It itched, and she grew frustrated with it before he had even finished wrapping it. Mercy frowned, saying, “I don’t like the sunburn. I like going to the beach. Daniel, when was the last time you went to the beach? You must be too strong to do anything like that, huh? I bet there are more downs than ups to being powerful.” Daniel chuckled quietly, and put down his almost-statue. He looked at the pile that was Cindy and sighed.

“She should wake up soon. I suggest that you three get some sleep before she does, because once Cindy is rested, we leave. I’m going to explore a bit while you nap. I’ll be back in an hour, so be ready to leave by then.” He threw his bag over his shoulders and picked up his knife and flashlight. He had started to go through a narrow tunnel in the back right corner of the cave when Mercy stopped him.

“Daniel, is the Diamond in Blood Mountain? Or are we here for information? Do you have any maps of the tunnels, or are we going to be wandering blind?” Mercy lay down, using her bag as a pillow.

“Well, according to legend, the ‘exiled traitor’ guarding the Diamond lives underneath a ‘mount of death’ and that is one of Blood Mountain’s nicknames. And it also implies that the diamond is in the dragon’s dwelling place; here. I’m not sure if the dragon is an actual dragon, or if dragons really do guard stuff, or if that’s just a racist cliché, but it must have some guardian of some kind or it wouldn’t still be under the dirt after it was mined.

“Stories don’t say what powers the diamond has, or even if it has any, but people have been trying to get it for eons, so it’s most likely powerful in some manner or another. We are here to retrieve the Diamond, and get out as soon as possible. Too many rumors tell of too many monsters living down here. No one comes out sane, though, so no one can confirm any of the rumors.

“I have some books on this mountain with me that I’ve been meaning to read. I started one, it’s on all the mystical legends of the mountain, and it implies that there are entire cities in the depths of the tunnels. If that tale proves true, we may survive longer, but it could also mean we will die sooner, as well. The books on the Blood Diamond don’t say anything about a city being the location, but no one really knows, so it very well may be in one of them.

“None of the books have any maps in them, so yes, we will be wandering blind. But if we don’t get the Diamond to the council, you know what happens to us.

“What really discourages me is that no one has ever even seen it or the guardian. So we may just be chasing a fairy tale. On the bright side of that comment, we have enough rations to last us the entire month and then some. And if Nelly, may I call you Nelly, Cornelia? No? Oh, well, I don’t care. If Nelly here eats only in a smaller form, we should be good for a week after our due date. Now, I will go explore, you sleep. Then we will have a head start on our goose chase. Sweet dreams, cupcakes.”

Then he was gone, and Will stared at the spot where he had been, thinking on what he had said. On the ride here, Mercy had told him about a council of seven of the oldest vampires in the world. There were seven councils total; the Originals, the Dragons, the Vampires, the Shifters, the Walkers, the Fae, and the Mortals. She hadn’t explained what each race was, although he had figured out the Vampires and the Shifters.

Glancing at Mercy, who was blinking repeatedly with a confused look on her face, he lay down and fell asleep immediately.

***

Cindy awoke to Mercy and Chocolate Cake, or… Will. That was his name; he was the one who Daniel had kidnapped along with everyone else. They were talking quickly, in sharp tones, and the shifter she had smelled earlier was laughing at them. Cindy had been awake for a few minutes after Mercy had covered her… why had she covered her?

She had heard Cornelia’s name and knew, because Chocolate Cake and Daniel obviously weren’t nicknamed Cornelia, that the almost inaudible giggling in the background was coming from the Shifter.

“I never said I wanted to come, yet you just swooped me up and plopped me in the middle of your fantasy world! It may come as a surprise to you, but I don’t want to be here! This is why we broke up. You are controlling and ignorant to what anyone else wants!” Will was saying.

“Don’t you change the subject, William! You had no choice in whether you came or not in the first place, so I didn’t bother asking. And I broke up with you because you are human and you are stupid! You never listened to me. I dated so many guys last semester I didn’t even recognize you at first. I didn’t even know your name. Going on six dates is not a relationship, anyway, so it shouldn’t even matter why I ‘broke up’ with you!” Mercy had her back turned, facing Will, but her wings had torn through and Cindy suspected her eyes were red.

Cindy sat up, saying quietly, “When was the wedding?” and Cornelia burst out laughing uncontrollably. Cindy hadn’t thought her comment that funny, but she noticed just afterwards that Daniel had emerged from a tunnel in the back of the cave and said the same thing at the same time as Cindy had.

Mercy whirled around, and Will and Daniel looked at her as well. She sat up slowly, and then reached a hand up to her face.

“Did something happen to my face? What’s wrong? Will, don’t you just smell lovely today. Care to join me for a snack? Mm, didn’t think so. Well? Is anyone going to tell me why you are all suddenly obsessed with my appearance? Is my beauty just too much for your weak minds?” she smiled slightly, then remembered what had happened the previous day.

“I see. Yes, well, you are all going to forget about my little indulgences yesterday and we can get this party started. Anyone care to tell me why I am in a cave? And Daniel, be a dear and tell me next time you want to invade my territory without permission.

“Mercy? Why in the world am I wearing your midget clothes? Ugh, blue does not compliment my hair at all.” She stood, and that seemed to break the spell encasing the others. Mercy smiled at her last comment and handed Cindy her bag.

“I’ll fill you in on the way. We’re going to get the mystical legendary Diamond. Did you know it was Daniel in Paris?” she put her arm around Cindy and led her to the tunnel.

“Boys, stay here until we’re changed.” She pushed Cindy through first then came in herself. The tunnel was wide enough for comfort, and the entrance was small enough for privacy. Perfect for a changing room. Cindy frowned at what Mercy had said about Paris. She looked at her dubiously.

“It couldn’t have been Daniel in Paris; he isn’t the type to do something like that. Oh, is that why we’re getting The Rock? So Daniel can join council again? Damn him, he always ruins everything. I thought we were just going for the hell of it. Can you help me with this? You know your clothes don’t fit me. You’re too short. Much better, thanks.” Cindy dressed, and Mercy put her loaned clothes back on, and then gave Cindy her still-damp ones. They chatted for a few more minutes, then laughed as they heard Daniel comment on their ‘sheer womanly slowness’.

Laughing, Cindy and Mercy stepped back into the main cave. Chocolate Cake was sitting against the wall of the cave, near the entrance, throwing rocks out and watching them fall the long distance to the ground. Daniel was standing deeper in, his tiny piece of wood spinning and twisting in his hands as he chopped off tiny bits. The Shifter was clinging to the ceiling, in the shape of a bat. It snarled at her and dropped down to sit on Cake’s shoulder, shaping into a tiny yellow bird and nuzzling into his neck. He looked up, then stood, smiling at Mercy slightly. His eyes moved to Cindy and widened. Satisfaction filled her, and she moved her hip out to the side just a bit.

“Hi, I’m Will, we didn’t really meet. You’re Cindy, right? Um, yeah. You… look better today. I mean, you didn’t look bad yesterday, but today, I mean…you, um. Yeah. I’m just going to stop now.” He nervously dropped his eyes as Cindy watched in amusement. She was used to that reaction, but it was funnier every time.

“Charmed, Choc… er, Will. Lovely to make your acquaintance.” She smiled brilliantly as he looked up again, and his eyes found the floor once again. She turned to Daniel, who was watching the scene with just as much amusement as Cindy. “Just one question for you, Daniel.” She flashed a smile, earning an equally brilliant smile in return.

“Yes, my beauty? What is it? We must be quick, though, because we have less than twenty seven days to navigate the whole of the underground labyrinth.” He gestured to the tunnel in the back of the cave. Cindy’s smile fell.

“It’s actually about that, darling. You see, I was just wondering what the hell possessed you to go to Paris and completely—“

“We don’t have time for that story now, dear. Let’s move. I have much to tell you of my research on our, er, project. Ladies first.” His pupils had grown large, turning most of his eyes black and showing anger, and he gestured to the tunnel again. Cindy looked at him curiously before slinging the tiny bag she’d packed and strutting over to the hole.

Mercy had already gone in and had watched the scene from inside. She helped Cindy through then walked down the left path of the fork at the end of the hallway. Cindy opened her mouth to ask how Mercy knew which way to go, when she noticed light indents in the wall, leading down into the darkness.

“What’s down the right tunnel?” she asked instead. Daniel’s voice was close behind her when he spoke moments later.

“It’s a dead end, eventually. This way goes on for miles before branching again.” His words were clipped short and sharp. He spoke with precision, as if choosing the words carefully before letting them out. He was still upset about her question. Touchy.

They followed the path for a long time in silence after that, until it grew almost too dark for even the vampires to see. Daniel was pulling out a flashlight when Cornelia, back in human form, spoke.

“Batteries and electricity won’t work down here, not anymore.” Daniel bit his lip.

“I have torches, but only enough for a day or two. Why doesn’t electricity work, miss helpful?”

“There is something here. I … I can’t tell what species, but it doesn’t want us down here. Do we have to keep going? Okay. If we’re just walking, I can help with light. I should be near the front, though, for everyone else to see.” She glanced at each member of the group, assessing them with narrowed, thoughtful eyes. She sighed.

“I’ll need a ride, and since I don’t trust any of the vampires present, William, would you mind me riding your shoulders? Thank you. This form may appear a little… unusual. Don’t look me in the eye when I’m in this form. And, um, that’s it. This is really random, I know, but, I’ve never actually tried this before and this is my first opportunity and it’s kind of, um, forbidden in my culture to try it so it’s going to make it so much more fun. I like doing stuff forbidden ‘cause I like being kind of – sorry. Okay.” She took a deep breath and smiled. Then the air around her turned a sickly pink color, then reddish, then orange, and a series of gradual changes until it shone a brilliant yellow. It was bright, and soon Cindy looked away because of the pain. Bright light wasn’t a favorite of vampires.

When the light dimmed enough for her to see again, a large snake-like… thing was sitting across Will’s shoulders. It was glowing with a gentle yet bright yellow-ish light. It… she, had silvery-white scales, and would have looked like a normal silver snake, save for the glowing and the face. The face was the part that really creeped Cindy out. It consisted of a human-ish essence and two slits for a nose, with eyes that burned with white light, a pitch black slit down the center, like a cat’s. Cindy looked away from the fiery eyes quickly, the girl’s warning playing over in her head. The snake-thing’s mouth moved, and the words that came out were slow and low pitched. Creepy.

“Awesome. Totally, completely, absolutely awesome. The person I bought this shape from said it was rumored to have been the shape-shifters’ original form. From when we all lived in swamps, used our light to attract prey, then when they looked us in the eye, they froze and we could eat them while they just sat there, helpless. All the internal systems seem functional, and now I really, really want to try hunting in this shape. I wonder if…” she trailed off, and then the pink light started up again. When it dimmed this time, Daniel whistled. Cindy swore. William gaped and Mercy sat down on the cold tunnel floor, one hand covering her mouth.

Cornelia laughed and jumped up and down. She wore a human shape, but the scales, glow, mouth and eyes were the snake’s. She wore a dress of thin, golden shining fabric, which shimmered when she moved. Her voice was light and bubbly, and when she moved her skin, or scales, rather, a quiet ring sounded as her silvery-golden-shining-scales bumped into each other. Her glowing silver scaly face wore a huge grin, and she pushed aside thick dread-locks of glowing silver hair.

“I think I just discovered medusa!”

still need title idead, anything is helpful! thanks!

***

Daniel sat in a cave high in the side of a cliff, pacing nervously and checking the sun’s position frequently. He’d brought all the supplies they’d need for killing the guardian and retrieving the Diamond. He had all the things he’d need. All the people. So why am I so nervous? He asked himself, over and over.

At last, he heard, faintly, a car pull up at the foot of the cliff. He inched closer and closer to the edge of the cave, but couldn’t see because the sun was still in the sky, though now it was slowly descending. The half circle of light at the cave’s opening was getting slimmer, but it was still there. He closed his eyes and made use of his other enhanced senses. A man was talking, though he couldn’t make out the words. He sounded angry one minute then the next he sounded as if he were comforting someone. Then back again and so forth for almost a half hour. Then he heard the flutter of wings and Mercy landed in his cave. He opened his eyes and smiled.

“You smell good. Like old leathery flesh and ripe sweet blood. A touch of perfume… old lady? You’re getting bolder. I thought you only ate old men. I’m so glad you came. I’ve been sitting in this rock all day. I tried exploring, but there are so many tunnels and they go so deep that even I can’t see without artificial light. So I sit, bored, while you get to suck the juices of old Gladys Jane.” He gave her a fake pouting face, which looked very bad on his experienced features. He blinked his jade green eyes in a pathetic manner, making her scowl despite herself.

She looked down at the man below and scowled further. “Daniel, I hope you don’t mind, but I think we might be having an addition to the party. I caught it while it was unaware and it’s in my captivity. I’m not letting it go until it pays its due so either we both come or neither. She may be of help, though.” At this he smiled.

“Anything for my dear little princess. But Victoria? There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.” he said, approaching her, then stopping, “I’ll not say it in the presence of a snitch, however. Privacy, you see, dear, is incredibly hard to come by these days.” He frowned, gesturing at the cave opening. Mercy sniffed the air and jumped out of the cave just in time to catch a lizard transforming into a bird and flying from the rock face. She easily snatched it from the air without harming it and brought it inside the cave.

“Daniel, meet Cornelia. She’s the new addition. Tried to kill me, this one did.” Mercy threw bird-Cornelia gently towards Daniel and it shrieked, transforming into the form Will had recognized her in. she backed away from Daniel, hissing and making the sign of the cross quickly, and then she turned to Mercy, muttering, “You are a fool if you think you can trust this. If I am in captivity for you, I want you to make choices that keep me safe. And don’t you get Will hurt either. He’s nice to me.” She hissed once more at Daniel before becoming a hummingbird and flying out of the cave.

Daniel looked at Mercy and said, “You actually believed that she could kill you?” then at Mercy’s silence he said, “I suppose we have a lot to do then. Come at me. Mercy, come on, you have to know how to fight if you want to live. While we wait for Cindy, we have plenty of time for sparring. The council is going to come for you and you are going to die if you don’t know how to fight. And it’s all my fault that you are going to die.” He saw Mercy’s posture change, and he smiled.

“Good. Anger is good. No, keep your wings locked. The enemy is strong, and you want to keep your wings attached, right? No, like this, where they can’t see them. Good. Now, strategy. You’re small, so you have the advantage if the opponent is big. Stay low. Go for the legs and ankles, feet even. Be fast; make them think the air attacked them. You are the air— ow! Yeah, like tha—ouch! We aren’t sparring yet! Ow!”

They continued for hours, and when the sun was finally gone, they were both panting and sweaty. Mercy grinned.

“I haven’t fought like that since my two day birthday when you told me what I was. Remember? Yeah, you were so surprised. I was just like ‘wham’ and you were down. Then I started punching you and I totally kicked your ass.” She laughed, and Daniel smiled.

“Yes, you were certainly the tough one. You have to give me some credit, though; I was new at the whole sharing my powers thing. It took weeks before I was strong enough to change another one. You never met him, though. You ran off before I could teach you anything. That, and he died before the spell could settle in. I was so confused. So sad. Only one stayed with me for longer than you had. They all wanted to run, be free. Only one, and she only stayed for four days.” His gaze fell to the floor and sadness crumpled his features.

“Who was she?” Mercy asked, and Daniel looked up quickly, as if just remembering she was there. He bit his lip, then said, “No one of importance. Really, darling. You wouldn’t have known her anyway. I’m going to see where your Cindy is. You should check on the snack down below.” He flared his huge pitch colored wings and was gone.

Mercy walked to the mouth of the cliff. She closed her eyes and smiled at the coolness of the moonlight. It soothed her sore wings and filled her with energy. She jumped, then fell a long way before opening her wings. Then she glided in slow circles to the ground, still smiling. When she landed behind Will and tapped him on the shoulder, he spun around, punched her in the stomach, saw it was her and said ‘sorry’, then noticed he’d punched a vampire in the abs and winced with pain.

“I… I thought it was the other one, the… Daniel. Cornelia says he’s bad juju. I’m not sure if she’s right, but I’m not exactly getting good vibes from him either. He… made you, right? So that means you die if he doesn’t find his rock, right? What if he died before they had the chance to kill you? What if we killed him first?” The hope in his eyes told her he’d been thinking on this for a long time. She smiled.

“I’m sorry, Will, but it’s not exactly that easy. One, he would be incredibly hard to kill. He’s stronger than me and you and Cornelia put together. Two, I’m not sure what would happen to me if he died. The ties of our bond might be stronger than with his other spawn since I was the first. Three, we have to trust him, because if he is telling the truth, we have to do everything in our power to save my life, his life, and the lives of all his other changes. Later on we’ll talk about what we’re here for and what the plan is.” She smiled sadly, and then froze. She tilted her head and listened. Something was in the bushes. There was a good chance that it was a bunny or other animal, but… She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose.

Then she had Will by the waist and was soaring towards the cave high in the mountain. She frantically set him down, told him to hide far from the entrance, then flew out again. She heard his faint ‘wait’ before she was out of range and tracking Daniel.

***

Cindy was sitting atop the roof of a small, abandoned store. Daniel had tracked her for less than five minutes before he found her fresh scent in the air. It smelled of cherries, blood. and lip gloss, with a hint of her unique scent that each person had. He’d followed that for another ten minutes before he found her. He landed next to her and stopped himself from moving any closer or saying anything.

She was covered in gore from head to toe. Her short blonde hair has tinted pink and crusted with small bits of flesh. Her face, hands, and arms were covered in half dry blood, and her clothes were still dripping. She had taken off her shoes and had them drying next to her, small puddles near the openings. There were streaks of skin color on her face where tears had run and washed the blood.

She looked up at him. Her eyes, a bright blue, contrasted the blood on her eyelids and lashes. “I lost control.” Was all she said, then looked down again. There were three and a half mutilated bodies down below, flesh and blood and clothes were scattered around them. Daniel couldn’t tell which ones were male or female. He slowly reached down and took Cindy’s hand in his. The blood on hers was sticky and cold. He said, “We all do. Come on, let’s get you cleaned off.” Then picked her up and flew away, and he felt her head lean on his shoulder. He knew well what it felt like to lose control, to kill more than you could eat. It was, in short, humiliating, depressing, and frustrating. If you lose control, any vampire nearby who isn’t an enemy will undoubtedly come to your comfort.

And it was extremely hard to clean up after as well, Daniel soon was reminded. They had found a lake and Daniel was using a torn piece of cloth to wipe Cindy clean. She was still in shock, sitting in the shallows of the icy water as he tried to get the dead flesh from her hair. He sang quietly to her, nursery rhymes about teapots, twinkling stars, and other childish things. When you are in the state that Cindy was, you like nothing more than simplicity and warmth. Though he couldn’t provide warmth, he could see she was relaxing.

Mercy dropped into the water nearby, took in what was and had happened, then rushed to Cindy, saying, “Baby, baby, oh, honey. You poor thing.” Then looking to Daniel, she asked, “How many?” he mouthed ‘about five’. This got a hug from Mercy, and she took off her jacket. Handing it to Daniel, she said, “Have this ready when we’re done. For now, go away.” He obeyed without question, and was called for a few minutes later to find Cindy, dressed in Mercy’s dry clothes, clean for the most part, and Mercy, shivering in Cindy’s wet ones, which had been thoroughly cleaned.

“Put the jacket on her so she can warm up. Then I’ll go ahead and start a fire in the cave. Don’t land on the ground, there are wolves. I don’t know if it could even be the hunt, but just in case, don’t, okay? You carry her, and be careful.” Then she flew off, beating her wings hard.

***

Will sighed and sat down. Then he stood again and resumed his pacing. Mercy’s hurried departure had worried him. Daniel being mysteriously gone also worried him. Cornelia’s absence worried him. The fact that if Mercy didn’t come back, he’d be trapped in this cave for the rest of his life worried him. It was cold, and he had no food, water, blankets, or even wood for a fire. Then he scolded himself for thinking that; he had no knowledge on how to start a fire anyway. So he chose to wait patiently until Mercy retrieved him. A wolf howled in the distance.

Mercy swooped in, dropping an armful of wood of the stone floor before arranging it with inhuman speed. Then she ran to the far back of the cave, picked something up, and ran back to the pile of wood. Will watched with interest as she struck a match, then set flame to a pile of smaller twigs inside her pile of thick wood. The flame went out, and she tried again. It went out twice more before it finally caught flame. Then she looked at Will.

“Daniel is bringing my friend with him. Her name is Cindy. Do not look her in the eye and do not make yourself known. Stay as far back in the cave as possible and don’t move. She is dangerous at the moment and it would be best if no one else got hurt.” She looked around. “Where’s Cornelia?” then, without waiting for an answer, flew out of the cave. She was back in less than thirty seconds with another armful of wood. Then she sat next to the fire and closed her eyes. Will noticed she was dripping wet, and was about to ask her about it when Daniel dropped into the cave, carrying a blonde girl of her early twenties, like Mercy. She was pretty, and wearing clothes slightly too small for her. Will backed up until he was in the shadows cast by the fire.

Mercy took the girl, who was most likely Cindy, and sat down again next to the fire. Cindy looked afraid, and she was sweating a lot. She shivered once and a while, which made Mercy gently hug her again. Daniel was leaning against the wall, looking slightly worried and resentful.

“She should be feeling better in a few hours, but if…” his eyes showed something that may have been fear, but it was gone in a moment. “She’ll feel better in a while.” Daniel smiled.

Will shifted his weight, and a small voice in his ear whispered ‘shh’. He looked, and a tiny girl was sitting on his shoulder. She had pink insect wings coming off her back, and was dressed in a flower-like pink dress. She stood and brushed off her dress, faint sparkles falling onto his dark t-shirt, before it changed to a ferret and curled around the back of his neck. He smiled slightly and wondered briefly if she’d made that up, or if fairies really existed.

As the sun rose, Cindy fell asleep and the rest of the party breathed a sigh of relief. Will had dozed for a while, but had been woken by ferret-Cornelia’s cold nose in his face when Cindy was out. He stood, stretching, and looked around the cave. Daniel was whittling a piece of wood a few feet away and well away from the increasing half circle of sunlight on the floor. Mercy had covered Cindy in a blanket and was sitting in the shade with one hand under the sun’s rays. It was turning pink, and looked painful. It turned a deeper shade and Will started to worry.

“Mercy? Stop that, you’re hurting yourself.” He walked to her and pulled her hand inside farther so it was out of the light. It was hot and covered in burns. “Why…” he looked at her face, which was studying her hand curiously.

“I haven’t ever been burnt like this before. It means I’m stronger.” She looked up at Will and smiled faintly. “I like it.” She pulled her hand from Will’s and studied it. He reached up to pet ferret-Cornelia behind her small yellow ears. She purred with delight. Mercy looked up at her and smiled more broadly. “I didn’t know ferrets could purr.”

“I don’t think they can. Apparently, though, shape shifters can. Come on, and let’s treat that burn.” Will said, and was relieved when Mercy stood and followed him to where Daniel had put their bags after retrieving them the previous night.

***

3 more pages of the more pregressed one :)

The next morning, Will woke to the bright sun in his eyes and a light rumble in his stomach. The convertible’s top was down, letting the moist dawn air dampen his clothes and hair. The car was parked at a McDonald’s in a city he didn’t recognize and Mercy was walking out holding a small bag.

Jumping up to an unnatural height and landing with elegance next to him in the backseat, she handed him the bag of warm, tempting scents.

“Vampires shop at McDonald’s?” She just smiled and nodded, saying,

“We do eat food, Will. But dead people need blood to be not dead people. It mostly just keeps up from crumbling into itty bitty pieces. Speaking of, I wanted to have some extra strength for the ‘regaining of Daniel’s honor’, so I’m going to go grab some, er…”

“Fast food?” Will offered. Mercy smiled, thanked him and, jumping out of the car with still surprising height, ran out of sight. Will saw a map with written directions in the passenger seat and silently thanked Mercy. Then, jumping into the driver’s seat, he started the car, and just as he was pulling out of the parking lot and taking the first bite of his sandwich, he saw a huge black bird soaring overhead. Then he noticed who it really was, and tried not to think too much on what that ‘bird’ would be doing to a poor civilian in the coming hours.

***

Cindy stopped for a snack on the second day of her flying, popping her ear buds out and walking up behind the ‘gangster’, smiling lightly to herself. She put her iPod in her pocket and gently tapped the man on the shoulder. He spun around with impressive speed, for a human, that is, and had a gun pointed at her head.

She faked fear, gasping, and he removed the firearm with apology. He began looking her up and down, his primal, untrained eyes roaming from her black shoes, designer skinny jeans, up to her tight cherry-red top and black leather jacket, then abruptly stopping to stare, terrified, into her blood red predator’s eyes. Here she extended her wings, for drama mostly, and grinned.

He had a total of three seconds to see her short blonde hair and smiling, fang-filled mouth before he was lying on the ground, having the blood drained from his body.

After the blood was gone, she ate most of the skin, a few muscles, and one eye, so as not to let people guess his identity.

Pumped with adrenaline, she dropped the mutilated body, and turned to find the rest of the ‘gang’ standing there, staring. Cussing to herself for not making sure there were no onlookers, she snarled. A few ran when she did, a few stood frozen, and one came forward, brandishing a shiny silver gun. Cindy, who was no longer Cindy, but an animal on the hunt, crouched into a fighting stance. Bullets wouldn’t hurt her.

The small, civilized part, deep inside of her soul breathed in relief that she was too much covered in blood and other assorted body parts that none of the fleeing men could give a description to the police. Cops wouldn’t believe it anyway. The animal just smiled and snatched the fighter up, flying away and feeding on him vigorously.

***

Will followed Mercy’s directions exactly until they brought him to the entrance of a campground. He double-checked the directions, and, satisfied, drove in. following them further led him down a road, and to a nearly invisible road that he had driven past multiple times without noticing. The road wound in unpredictable ways, forking, and splitting in too many places to count. He found himself constantly checking and rechecking the directions Mercy had written, and idly wondered who and when had these barely visible roads been made, and how in the world would he ever find a way out.

Then something fell into the passenger seat, crumpling the directions and screaming “I’m sorry! I’m so so so so sorry! Please don’t eat me, please!” the shape curled into a ball and shook with sobs as Mercy dropped into the backseat.

“Hey Will, guess what I found! A little snoop following us from the air! Wanna guess what the little snoop’s name is, Will? Wanna know that she says she told you where to find me? Want to know that she was trying to kill me? Want. To?” Mercy’s voice was thick with anger, slightly distorted, with the slightest twinge of hysteria. Will had slammed on the brakes and was staring at the shape with awe.

“Cornelia?” he asked, though the answer was obvious already. The girl in the seat next to him sat up, but it wasn’t Cornelia. It was a girl who couldn’t be seventeen yet. She was slim and well dressed, tight yet not revealing clothes clinging to her. She had a shiny black bob and bright, tear-filled eyes. Her lips were full and pouting as she said, “I am so sorry I lied, Will, really. I was never married; I made that up because of my brother, Greg. I did want to see a vampire though, and I’d been tracking this one for weeks. I needed you to come to the shop. My brother bet me that I couldn’t get a man to come to the shop with me before Friday and it was Thursday and I’m so sorry.” She looked pleadingly at him. He stared at her for a while before turning to Mercy.

“Um. I don’t really know who this is, Mercy. I’ve never seen her before. And I have no idea whatsoever what she is talking about.” He placed his hand over his heart in the sign for honesty. She snarled.

“Change back, bitch. He’s clueless.” This, Will guessed, was aimed at the girl in the passenger seat. He looked at her and ‘holy shit’ fell from his lips as he saw Cornelia, the one from before, sitting in the seat, though only the tears on her cheeks showed any resemblance to the teen from before. This one had big blue eyes, long, straight red hair, and was almost the exact opposite of the younger girl.

“This, William, is why we don’t trust shape-changers.” Mercy snarled. Cornelia huffed.

“Shifter. Shape shifter. Do I look like a runt to you? No. ‘Shape-changer’, pfft.” Cornelia was muttering.

Will stared at the girl next to him, then at Mercy. Then he noticed her features had changed. Her eyes were blood red, no pupils, and huge black wings were spread behind her, sunlight glistening off the slick feathers. Her teeth had elongated, probable cause for the speech distortion, and she looked, overall, scary. This was the monster from last night, not the girl he’d eaten Italian with months before.

He stared at her for a while then said, “I’m guessing you didn’t, um, feed yet, did you?” she looked confused, and then slowly, her teeth retracted and pupils appeared in her eyes.

“I… don’t usually lose control. Sorry.” Then took off as fast as she’d come. He turned back to Cornelia.

“I lost my place.” He sighed. When she looked puzzled, he sighed. “I have no idea where we are.” She then pulled the crumpled directions out from underneath her and shyly handed them to Will.

“I didn’t think she’d get so mad at me. My brother bet me that I couldn’t kill a vampire by Tuesday. I bet him he couldn’t get one before me. Now he’s gonna since I am now in captivity. Woe is me. Woe… is… me.” She said and suddenly threw her face in her hands, sobbing violently. Will stared at her, eyebrows nearly touching his hairline. He reached out and gently touched her shoulder.

“Cornelia? You did try to, um, kill her. It kind of entitles her to be angry. Um, it is kind of awkward driving with you like that. Um, could you… calm… down, maybe?” he briefly noticed everything he had ever learned about human nature and being a psychiatrist was being thrown out the window and blowing away with every word he said. He comforted himself with the fact that this woman was not, in fact, quite human.

She looked up at him slowly, and pouted her lips even further. “You aren’t very compassionate, are you? Thought you helped people who were unstable. Fine, if it makes you feel better, I’ll be all tough girl and stuff so you can drive. Because you are the only person in the world that matters, right? I knew once she told you what I was that you would get all racist on me. And it’s my birthday, too. Big old man picking on a poor, lonely, nineteen year old shifter.” She continued to mutter like this as she suddenly became a kitten and jumped in the back seat. Her mutters became quiet whines and yowlings.

When Will looked back at her, he frowned, picked her up, and then gently set her on his lap, she huffed a sigh. He whispered a quick ‘sorry’ down at the cute orange fluff ball in his lap then picked up the directions.

“My life is so upside down right now.” He told the kitten. “I have a shape shifter in my lap, I am waiting for a vampire to come back from eating someone, and to top it all off, I’m actually driving a red convertible.” He sighed. Kitten-Cornelia snorted at him and settled into a more comfortable position.

3 more pages

Erika laughed as Jerome spilled his drink all over his new tunic. He grinned back at his little sister and snatched her from her seat, tickling her until she was crying with laughter. She was only eight, him twenty three. He only came to visit once every year, a time she always loved, anticipated, and rejoiced in. Family.

Gone.

2.

Voyage

As they climbed through the still-open bathroom window, the sun was getting high in the sky, and Will looked at Mercy curiously.

“Aren’t you supposed to, like, die in sunlight or something? No offense.” Mercy just grinned, and ran her fingers along four gashes in the wall. Then She frowned slightly, tightened her folded wings closer to her body, then turned back to Will.

“Yeah, I suppose, most of us do get hurt, but I hardly get a sunburn. Sunscreen eliminates even that. Only super-frequent-feeders actually die in sunlight, though. I only feed when absolutely necessary, which is about once a month. If I don’t go at least once in a month, I’ll just go on a killing rampage and feed on every human I see. Not to scare you, but you smell really good. You always did, though.” She blushed a little, as if she just realized what she said. Her smile vanished as she remembered why they were at her apartment.

“I’ll go pack, and then we’ll go over to your place to get your stuff, just a minute.” She vanished into the bedroom connected to the bathroom, and returned in less than a minute with a small bag full with clothes, she proceeded to open drawers, grab something, shut the drawer, and then go on with amazing speed. Fifteen seconds later she gave Will the bag then ran back into the bedroom. She came back almost instantly changed into a black hoodie and snug, but comfortable looking, jeans. Will couldn’t help but smile at how… normal she looked. She blushed again when she caught him staring, then took him by the waist and jumped out the window again, and Will briefly wondered why he didn’t find this as odd as it seemed.

***

Cindy flew around the city four times, but Mercy’s scent was gone. Hidden by another’s, a stronger scent than Mercy’s. It was intoxicating, like the smell of chocolate cake to a starving hobo. She stopped, hovering, and frowned. What the hell? She thought, that’s human talk. And not even good human talk either. She shook her head and flew on.

Following the scent, gliding on the near high it put her in; it led her back to her dorm. She dove through the open window, instantly going to the bedroom, where she knew something was waiting. The note on her bed was written in Mercy’s hand, telling Cindy to meet her, Daniel, and Will at the Blood Mountain’s peak. In Arizona. In two days.

What the hell? Who’s Will? When did Mercy make contact will Daniel? She could have been killed! Oh, Will must be the chocolate cake. Mmm…

Cindy locked the door and turned to the bathroom. She stopped, stunned. Daniel was leaning against the door frame. She sighed.

“I told you to stay away from her. Now you are going to get her killed. And for what? A rock? I told you when we agreed to this that I would protect her, no matter the cost. If that cost is killing you, you know I will.” She crossed her arms, and Daniel sighed softly.

“I know you will. That’s why you are coming with us. We need someone who can fight well, and you fit the bill alright. Be at Blood Mountain as soon as possible. Victoria, er, Mercy, rather, will be there tomorrow night.” He turned and started out the window, which was being used as an entrance more than the door recently. Then he paused and looked back at Cindy.

“And Cindy, be sure to wear that charm I gave you.” Then he was gone, and Cindy was left, scowling. She packed and was flying in less than a minute, once again gliding on her Chocolate Cake’s scent.

***

Mercy and Will, after packing Will’s necessary items, walked to the car dealer two streets down. There, Mercy influenced the owner to give her, free of charge, a red convertible that shone brilliantly in the bright sun. if influence meant scary red eyes and big teeth with a little 'gimme!' thrown in. By then she’d somehow put her wings away and Will couldn’t see them anymore. He noted, as he waited for her to finish with the owner, that there were slits, barely noticeable, hidden by extra fabric, in the back of her hoodie, and most likely in her shirt as well.

When they got in, Mercy was speeding down highway after highway, as if no speed were fast enough. She tried her best to tell Will all she knew of vampire and demon information. Not a whole lot, as it turned out. She tapped at the steering wheel impatiently.

“So, vampires, um, I told you about the sunlight, they can die, by a few things; drowning, sunlight, a stake through the heart, of course, that usually kills anything, decapitation, burning, um, probably some other things too. We’re super fast, have really strong senses, like, I could hear a pin drop across a football field. And our sense of smell is like, better than anything else in the world. We smell ordinary smells, like perfume, food, animals, and garbage, but we can also smell, literally, when a human is lying, afraid, happy, sad, angry, etcetera. We cannot smell other vampires’ emotions though. Nothing from the other races either. But everyone has a unique smell. Yours is like, amazing. Like something…” she trailed off, mouth still open, and Will could see her incisors growing longer. She ran her tongue over them.

“Whoa. Okay, I get it. I smell good. Don’t eat me. Move on to a different subject. Please.” Will tried a smile, and it worked. Her teeth receded back into her gums, and she told him various things of various importances. He listened with fascination as all his studying was sorted into the category of ‘omygosh I was right!’ or ‘whoa was I ever wrong’. Demons don’t die unless they have someone drive a stone knife or spear through their stomach or heart, or they are completely purified or forgiven. Drowning works on them too, but they come back after a while if drowned. Demons are like vampires, but stronger, more powerful, and eat everything but the bones, not just the blood. They can both fly, but vampires have more agility in the air than demons.

After a couple hours and more than a little nagging, she told him her story.

“ Fine. Um, how I died. I was eighteen. I’d had the perfect life. I was beautiful, rich, courted by many, engaged to this guy, Richard. He was nice, we were in love. My dad died before I could remember him, so it was just me, my sister, and my mother living in our mansion with eight servants. Well, anyway, I asked my mother to go for a walk with me, so I could tell her about my engagement.” Her eyes were fixed on the highway, mind elsewhere. Will wanted to hold her hand, comfort her, because he had a feeling that the story was going to take a bad turn.

“We walked, laughed. She was my best friend, my mother. She took the news with joy, just like I had anticipated. On our way home, we took a shortcut through an alleyway. There was a man there, he cut off our path. He was elegant, black hair, slicked back, wavy. I remember falling in love with him the second he caught my eye. He was kind, chatted with my mother for a while, and then invited us in for tea. We went, but I had this… feeling that something bad was going to happen. Inside, he locked the door without us knowing. Then he grabbed my mother, just took her by the shoulders and slammed her against the door, and bit her neck. He ripped the flesh off, and I heard her screaming.” she took a shaky breath. “ Screaming. I was backed into a corner. I saw her blood falling as he ate her. He was licking the blood off of her face. I heard every drop that fell onto his stone floor. He, he killed her. My best friend, and he killed her.” A tear escaped from her eye and rolled down her cheek; her voice broke at the end of the sentence. Now Will did take her hand. His own eyes were tear-brimmed. She glanced at him now, saying “He killed my best friend. Then… then, he killed me.”

Will stiffened.

“But he didn't take away your life, that's for sure,” Will started, comfort in his voice. “You aren’t dead. You’re alive, I mean you breathe. You sleep. You walk and talk and… eat. You aren't actually dead.” After a long pause of silence, he said “I know you're alive, Mercy. You have more life inside of you than anyone I know, or ever knew. I almost envy you your...” Mercy shot him a look, “Sorry. So do you have to sleep, ‘cause I do, so are we going to stop and rest or…” Mercy physically relaxed at the change of subject.

“I can go weeks without rest. It’s kind of like with the sunlight. The stronger the vamp, the longer you can go without sleep. You can sleep in the backseat. Sleep tight,” She said quietly. Then, with a small hint of a smile she added, “And don’t let the vampies bite.” This got a laugh out of Will, and he jumped over and into the backseat, where he lay and thought on his current situation a while, wondered if he’d be fired when he got back, and slightly wished Cornelia were here so he could talk about it with a human. Then, as he came upon something enlightening and useful, he fell asleep and the thought would be forgotten in the morning.

still cheesy, but soon, people, soon!! :D

some more of my more progressed book...

if anyone has some title ideas, i'd appreciate them, as this one's still title-less

Her wings were silent, her heartbeat as slow as possible. It wasn’t like the prey was going to hear her, with the slow, weak reflexes of a human, but sheer instinct had taken over, and Mercy was lost inside of herself, gone. The world was going slow, each beat of her wings seeming to go on for an hour. She loved and hated this feeling, where the world was hers, and she was the most powerful being, the alpha.

The prey came into the open, and she flew down the few remaining feet that separated her from her prey. He looked up, his unfocused, drunken eyes suddenly wide with terror. There was no pang of pity, no sudden stab of regret inside of her. Just want. Only hunger. The girl inside was gone for now, leaving only the monster. She landed, but kept her wings out, bathing in the waves of fear rolling from this small, pitiful creature.

She walked two steps towards it, closing the space between them. She leaned in, and whispered quietly in its ear. “You are sustaining me, keeping me alive. Don’t be afraid to die. I’ll make it quick, easy. Thank you, love.”

Then, in a few seconds, it was lying limp in her arms, its neck bent at an odd angle.

“Sleep now, little one, and dream.” She whispered, then took his wrist, and bringing it to her mouth, she neatly sank her teeth into it, indulging in the sour liquid. She drank almost all of its blood, as taking it all only make her intoxicated, and she still had to get home.

Her mind was clearer now, and she took the cover off of a sewer drain and dropped the man into the darkness, then replaced the cover quietly.

She was about to stand, but tensed as she heard a sound behind her. She had been so encompassed in her meal that she hadn’t been paying attention for intruders. Fool.

So soft that mortal ears would not hear it from this distance, she recognized the familiar scratch of a shoe on cement. She could feel the heartbeat, quicker now as the owner realized she knew he was there. She smelled the air, acknowledging that the spy was male, mortal, about six-two, and sweating nervously. There was a woman, too, but she had gone and was far away already. Mercy spun, and in one fluid movement, had the witness suspended by the shirt, pinned against the side of a building. Thunder crackled, and she felt like laughing at how much fear one mortal could produce.

She was quivering with excitement and adrenaline, her muscles pumping with ancient, newfound strength.

Not poor looking, he was well built, dark blonde, and, like she had guessed, about six-two, almost half a foot taller than herself. She recognized him from her literature class last semester. He was one of the frequent flirters. She’d dated him a few times as well, and he was a nice boy. Ryan, she thought, or Drew. Jack, maybe? Dillon. Easier just to ask.

“Who are you?” her voice came out like a growl, low and deep, making even more fear come from him. “What have you seen? Who do you work for?” she knew well that there were gangs of hunters out there, though she’d never encountered one.

His eyes…familiar… but who? Mercy felt a pang of recognition, but not for the last semester student… from someone else, someone she knew, as if from another life.

“N-name’s… Will. I-I didn’t see anything, I swear. Please don’t kill me too.” His lying skills sucked, but otherwise, he seemed honest enough. And he hadn’t recognized her yet, another good sign.

She cocked her head, a skill she’d acquired over the years, it was pretty cool, and hard to get it just right, but she did. She carefully traded her long fangs for regular human teeth and her jaw snapped into place. It was easier to talk this way.

“Hm. Well, Willy, seeing as if I let you go, you’ll tell every living soul you meet that I exist, there’s only two other options: kill you, or kidnap you and maybe make you a minion of mine.” She sighed as the power high faded and she gained control of her emotions again. “Whoa. Crap. Sorry. Blood rush. Happens every time, you know? Listen, Will, I’m sorry, you’re a good guy. I remember you from last semester Lit. class.” When recognition clicked in his eyes, shock and confusion overcame his fear, lessening even more her high. He relaxed ever so slightly.

“Mercy?” he asked, blinking several times, as if to clear her face away and replace it with a stranger’s. Something flashed in his eyes, but it was gone in a second, and he was afraid again. “Mercy, are you okay? I think you need serious help. You just like, killed a guy. Like seriously MURDERED him. Why did you do that? Who are you? ‘Cause you are so not that pretty little nerd from Lit. Class. I mean, you’re still really pretty and probably a nerd but… Oh my gosh, what have I gotten myself into. I mean, holy crap! Holy, holy, oh, killing is not holy, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. What the…” His words were cut off by some horrific thing he saw behind her, and she frowned as fresh waves of fear spilled from his skin.

She smelled another vampire, close behind her. She dropped Will and spun around. It was Daniel. His wings were spread in a menacing manner; his fangs flashed white in the darkness.

“Victoria, Victoria, how long has it been?” asked Daniel hypothetically. “We really should get together more often, you know? It’s been centuries. Oh, I see you’ve brought a snack. How kind.” Mercy paled. She hadn’t really known what it would be like to see her changer again. It made her feel weak, helpless, much like Will.

“Daniel.” She let it sink in, realizing that it really was her changer. “I…I don’t go by that name anymore. It is now Mercy, a reminder of how foolish I was to show mercy to a cursed soul like yours.” Daniel's face contorted for a moment, then he laughed, making her jump.

“Well, dear… Mercy, I have need of a foolish little girl. I thought of you when I- oh Mercy, your snack is running away.” He pointed to where Will was trying to escape. Mercy reached out with her mind and told him to come back. His humanly free will was nothing when it came to a vampire’s will. He came back, looking confused on why he was doing so, and stood behind Mercy, using her as a kind of shield. “What, you aren’t going to eat it?” Daniel continued, gesturing at Will again.

“No. He’s for my… midnight snack. I’m full right now.” She replied, patting her stomach, trying and failing to look unafraid.

“Oh, of course. Sure. Because one man satisfies a grown vampire’s appetite. You always were soft-hearted. Well, back to the subject. Yes, I thought of you when the council told me my… mission. You see, they want me to… get a certain… rock. A special and especially hard rock to get. You see, it’s called the Diamond and it is powerful and the only way the council will let me back in…

“They said ‘Danny dear, find us our jewel if you want to join the club again or its death for you and all your spawn. And you have one month to get it and every day after that month is one of yours dead. When we run out of them we come for you.’ Meaning me.

“I thought of you, since you were my first change. You also know and have befriended another female. Cindy, I believe the name was. Yes, you, Cindy,” here he sniffed Will, “yummy here, and I will go and retrieve a rock and fulfill a task that is my punishment. And it is such a punishment that seems made up by a four month old pup and crapped on by the full council to be approved and I don’t see why we even have to… Sorry. After the incident in Paris, I must do it, and you must come.”

Mercy gawked. The Blood Diamond wasn’t even real. Daniel was going to get her killed. And he wanted to bring the boy as well.

“Why do you need Will? Cindy won’t come, you know. I’m not going.”

“I will see to it that Cindy comes. And bring Will, because they said if I were to have vampire company I must have human company as well. And I can’t stand human women. And you’re coming, love, whether you like it or not. You die if you don’t. Now, meet me at the Blood Mountain in Arizona by this time tomorrow.”

Mercy fumed, “Arizona? I can’t fly that far in one day, let alone with another person on board! You didn’t even ask- and how the heck are we supposed to get ‘the almighty legendary Monarchian protected DIAMOND’ when I have to go into full overdrive just to kill a drunk? And what happened in Paris? I haven’t heard anything about… whoa, you mean that was you?” she was close to ecstatic now. “And, may I ask, how do you know Cindy’s a vampire? She isn’t, I would have known. If she could hide her scent that well she would’ve had to be a…” she saw amusement on Daniel’s face. He nodded. Mercy gawked. “So Cindy is really a greater? They’re extinct, though. She can’t be. That would mean all my knowledge of our origins is wrong and anyone could be a greater. Oh, god….”

“Arizona. Tomorrow. Fine, two days. But be there. Au revoire, my good friend.” He jumped into the air and was gone in seconds.

“Au revoire.” Mercy said quietly. Then, taking hold of Will, who stayed quiet and stiff, she flew back to the dorm, hoping with all her heart Cindy was at class, or anywhere, just gone.

She looked to the sky and realized it was dawn. Her feeding had lasted hours. Will had watched her be the monster for hours. She knew it shouldn’t bother her, but it did, somehow. She passed the feeling off by reminding herself that he was, sort of, her ex.

Her wings pumped harder.

yes still cheesy, but now im on page 37, and its gotten much better. again, ideas are welcome!

My Dream

I haven't posted on here in a while, and I will post more of my advanced book. I have over thirty pages done now! For now, though, here is a dream I had a few months ago. I wrote it down, as I do most of my interesting dreams, and found the paper it was written on under my bed while cleaning this morning. Hope you enjoy it!

      I was a traveller in a foggy country, where colors were dull yellow and gray, with the occasional blue or green, and everything seemed close to death. I was travelling with a small group of people, the leader of us, though, I'd never seen. The two girls closest to my age, a kind young girl with big blue eyes and blonde hair and a dumb, yet nice, brunette, not two years older than me, they said the leader was a woman named Lu, but she was Fox.
        They whispered the last part with fear in thier eyes, but I took no mind of it. We slept in abandoned buildings and run-down barns. We would travel all day, and go to sleep around 2 or 3 in the morning, and Fox, or Lu, made us wake up at 4:30 every day, which I, being me, hated.
       So one day, I hid under my blankets and slept in for nearly an hour, but soon I was dragged, literally, out of bed, then dropped to the floor, where my head painfully smacked against the dusty wood. My eyes swam with dots, and for for hours afterward I would be seeing only shapes and colors.
       "My dear, sweet girl, I've told you time and again, and over many times to obey Fox! It's for your own good, of course." said a sweet, motherly voice. I nodded numbly, my head throbbing. "Now, who's going to be a good, obediant girl from now on?" her voice was so nice, I thought, but couldn't figure out why my instincts were telling me to run away, to go somewhere she would never catch me.
       "Me." I whispered, but promised nothing. The next thing I knew, I was at the entrance of a huge, long dead temple to Hades. My friend, the brunette, was crying.
       "What's the matter?" I asked, and she sobbed.
       "You could have been hurt! Or killed! Who would see her then? You have to see her!" she whispered, desperate, in my ear. I never saw her again after we entered the temple. Later that day, back at the abandoned building, I was sneaking through the house, searching for Fox, hoping she wouldn't find me first.
        I saw a man, which was odd, since our group was only women. He pushed a bookcase away, slid into the concealed entrance, said something, then left, replacing the bookcase. I wasn't quite sure, but I thought he might have said 'fox', so I crept to the bookcase. I quietly removed seven books and peered through. The brunette whispered in the back of my mind: "You have to see her!" I looked into the room beyond.
       A stunningly beautiful woman sat at a vanity, combing her hair and dressing. The mirror on the vanity was broken, so she couldn't see me spying on her. At first her features were unnoticeable, but after much nagging from my dead friend, "See her! You must see her!", the beautiful face came into focus. She had yellow eyes, like a snake's, pure red lips, short, dark brown hair, much like my friend had had, and wore fool's gold around her neck in a large, showy necklace. "Thank you." whispered the ghost of the brunette, and rested.
      I replaced the books and ran. I couldn't understand why, but I had a terrible feeling of foreboding. Later, I sat at the bottom of a staircase, and overheard the young blue-eyed girl and one of the older women speaking.
      "Come, darling! I want to have some fun! Let's run away!" said the old woman. My friend shook her blonde curls innocently.
     "We are having fun! We have been all this time!" she said. The woman leaned in close, so I could barely hear her speaking.
     "But I want to have fun Without Fox." I spun around, eyes wide. NO, I thought. NO! But it was too late. The world was filled with bloodthirsty screeching. Fox flew around the corner on huge grey bat's wings, yellow eyes shining, long, pointed teeth bared. She ripped the old woman's throat out, and I watched her head roll down the stairs. Fox killed the innocent young girl, then turned her cold eyes on me.
    "Get away from me!" I screamed, and woke up. One of her shining yellow eyes was still staring at me through my window. I looked at my watch and smiled. 7:55am. Take that, Fox. But those eyes stayed with me all day, imprinted in my memory.

Well, yes, it is pretty creepy, and I guess, technically, I made it up, but not intentionally! I thought it was entertaining to read, though, and I hope it was for you as well. Oh yeah, I still remember what Fox's eyes look like, and believe me, they are every bit as scary now as they were those months ago.