Blood and Light

by Rue Volley

  I looked up at her.

  “Me?”

  Sam drew in her breath and looked into my eyes.

  “Obviously you and Johnathan are attracted to each other…correct?”

  I looked off to the side.

  “Well yea…I mean we ummm, we are really good friends.”

  Sam smiled.

  “Ohhh…I see. Well sometimes with „FRIENDS" things happen and you have to be careful.”

  I blushed.

  “OMG… Are we having the „talk" here?” I asked her

  “Well…seeing that your parents are not here, I guess I am.”

  “You are not my mom.”

  I felt like I just sank through the couch to the core.

  She went on, like I wasn't even talking.

  “Listen Rue…you and Johnathan…you are both very special…”

  “Oh god, here we go, “ I said.

  “...You are both developing earlier then any protectors before you and things.”

  “Yea…ya know we had this class in school.” I pointed to my lower stomach, “I think the uterus is here.”

  She smiled at me.

  “...You know, well...we don't know what would happen if you two…”

  I got up, I had too…the thought of something like that had my hands sweating.

  “Look Sam…I appreciate the warning but Johnathan and I…we are not going to do that.”

  She looked at me, like she knew I was lying.

  “Really…? I see the way he looks at you and you give that look right back.”

  “Ohhhh...the „Look"… Wow,” I said.

  “What is this...? Would you feel better if I put on an promise ring?” I added.

  Sam stood up.

  “Listen, this is much bigger then you and your hormones Rue, I'm only asking you to be careful, both of you... Don't let things get out of hand.”

  “Listen Sam…I am not… I've never…”

  She smiled at me.

  “Ohh, I know.”

  167

  I crinkled my eyebrows. “What do I have a big neon VIRGIN sign on my head?” I yelled at her.

  Sam stood up… I thought I had pissed her off but she stumbled.

  “Are you okay?” I asked as I reached towards her.

  “It's Theodore... He needs my help,” she muttered.

  I looked around the room… “How do you know…what happened?”

  “I don't have time to explain it.”

  She flashed out the door… I followed, but when I reached her she was already talking to Josh. I had never seen that look on his face. He looked stoic, older, as if in an instant he had transformed.

  “We have to find a place with a large enough mirror to match, or at least come close to matching it's size,” Josh said. He looked at me. “She stays behind, they all do.”

  I ran towards him. “What...? No, what is going on?” I asked him.

  Sam looked at me, “It seems William and Grace are about to escape Valon…or at least attempt it, with our brother.”

  “Oh my god...my parents…? What do they need?” I was out of breath.

  Sam looked at me... “You should stay behind...to be safe.”

  “No…I will not… I can help, I can!”

  Josh started to head for the house.

  “You should not of told her Samantha...should have made her sleep.”

  “Sleep?” I yelled after him. “I've slept enough... If my parents need help, I am going to be there.”

  Josh turned to me, I stopped in my tracks.

  “You are a child… You don't have any idea what you are doing.”

  I looked at my hands and something changed in me.

  “I am not a child... I am Rue Volley, I am a protector just as you are... I will not stay behind, if my family is in danger. I will put you down myself if you try to stop me.”

  He grinned, “You...? Put me down?”

  I squared my shoulders, “Yes I will.”

  Sam came flashing to my side and stared at Josh. “We don't have time for this.”

  She turned to me… “We are going to the library...the ceiling is mirrored... We need it to portal.”

  I looked back and Kai and Johnathan were standing side by side. They looked as if they had just aged ten years. I yelled to them, “We are leaving.”

  ******

  Everyone ran toward the house...well flashed, I was the last to enter. Josh and Sam had ran upstairs and had returned dressed in white leather. I was shocked when they flashed downstairs. They looked like avenging angels...the ones you see in large stain glass windows at church. Josh passed me by and I looked at his back… He had two blades holstered on his back… They were not 168

  too large so you wouldn't even know he had them, unless you looked closely.

  Sam looked at me.. “Go put that dress on…until we are able to get you dressed properly, it will have to do.”

  I ran up to my room and quickly stripped out of my clothing… I reached into my closet and slipped the dress over my head. I knew Sam wanted me to have some protection, so I wasn't going to argue. I was just happy that no one had put me to sleep yet.

  ******

  We reached the library in record time. I looked at it from the car window, it never looked as ominous as it did, placed in front of a gray sky holding back the rain. A storm was coming...I could feel it. I looked down at my hands and a faint glow was building in my palms. I could feel the electricity in the sky, just wanting to make contact with the earth. Maybe it wanted me…I don't know. I looked at Johnathan and he squeezed my hand. I looked back towards the library.

  Josh and Sam jumped out and we followed. Josh turned to Sam, “We have to be quick…we don't know where Noble is.”

  Sam nodded and looked back at the three of us, “If at any point you guys become a liability, I will put you down.”

  Kai grinned, “You wouldn't kill me.”

  Sam sighed… “Not kill you... Put you to sleep stupid.”

  Josh and Sam flashed to the front doors of the library. They both pulled the blades from their backs and entered. Johnathan grabbed my shoulders… “Stay behind me Rue.” I nodded, no need for argument now.

  We stepped inside…the large entryway was dimly lit. It matched the creepiness of the exterior. We moved forward and saw Josh and Sam standing in the middle of the large room. They were staring at the ceiling. I looked up to see that the entire ceiling was mirrored. I had noticed it a thousand times before, but I had never thought that it would take on the importance that it had now.

  Sam and Josh faced each other and took each others hands. They lowered their heads and started to chant in Latin… White light started to form around their feet in rings. Each ring started to rise one by one heading towards the mirrors above us. I looked up and as the rings would reach the mirrors they would spread out into a larger ring… They increased in speed and intensity until I could start to see symbols glowing on the surface… Josh and Sam threw their heads back and started to chant loudly and a flash of light rose from them, slamming into the mirrors overhead. The reflection started to roll like ripples of water, distorting our images. I looked to Sam and they both started to back away from each other. Josh looked in our direction and yelled, “Back up!”

  Johnathan grabbed my arm and pulled me with him, toward the front door.

  I jerked my arm out of his grip and screamed at him, “I am not leaving!” Kai flashed to Sam's side. She grinned at him. We heard a metal bending sound… I had to put my hands up, to cover my ears…it sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard. I looked towards the ceiling and I saw the first feet start to come through... The body fell in a flash, crouching to the floor, blades drawn…blood 169

  speckled the bright white leather she wore. She stood up and I realized it was my mom. I screamed out and tried to run to her. Johnathan stopped me.

  Grace looked in the direction of the scream and she yelled out, “Get her out of here!”

  I looked at Johnathan and he
had a look of terror on his face. I knew he would try to drag me out, so I concentrated on my energy, light started to glow in my hands and I whispered, “I'm sorry.”

  I threw him off of me with a flash and started to run towards my mom. She looked at me for a moment and then quickly looked upward… I looked up too, not knowing what to expect.

  Bodies started to fall through the ceiling, dropping one by one to the floor.

  They landed so effortlessly that for a moment, I froze like I was watching a movie. Grace looked at me and threw her blades together above her head. A bubble of white light engulfed us just a blade came crashing down against it. I dropped to the floor, but the blade did not penetrate. Grace strained to hold it and I looked into her face. She looked down at me, “You have always been so stubborn Rue... I should have known you would be here!”

  “Mom…I'm sorry, I couldn't...” She reached down and grabbed me around the waist, tossing me out of the way. I slid across the glossed floor, almost to the side wall.

  I looked up and saw Sam fighting off a man who towered over her. She had a gleam in her eye, one I had never seen. She had blades glowing in both hands and she jumped up into the air, coming down toward his chest. She crossed her blades and slashed them across his chest…he fell on the floor at her feet. He looked up at her and raised his hands… She held one hand out in front of her and a bright light flashed from her palm… It hit him in the chest and he flew across the floor, hitting the wall on the other side. He didn't get up. Sam spun around just in time to stop a blade from coming down on her, she spun around his back and sliced her blade up his back… He groaned and fell to the floor… She jumped on top of him and brought both blades down into his chest…

  Once again a light flashed from her and again another protector laid still.

  I pushed myself up off of the floor and started to run, flashes of light were flying past my body. I felt a vibration and before I knew it, I was on the other side of the room. I had flashed to a new spot, glad that I stopped before I slammed into the wall. I turned around and a girl dressed in white had spotted me. I backed up against the wall as she flashed toward me. In a blur she was knocked to the side, I tried to focus on who had tackled her, but they rolled away from me.

  They stopped and rose from the floor. Josh stood in front of her, he looked back at me and grinned. Blood stained his face and the front of his clothes. He looked back at her and raised his blades. She jumped forward thrusting her blades at him, he dodged her and sunk his blade into her side. She cried out and fell to one knee. Josh raised his blades above her and jerked them down in one fluid motion, light began to glow from his palms and he placed them on her, she slumped to the side. He turned to look at me. I had a look of shock on my face.

  His grin faded and his eyes went wide and he came running towards me.

  170

  “Rue!” he called out to me. I turned my head just in time to see a blade coming through the air at me. In a flash Josh jumped in front of me and I heard him groan. The blade had cut through his upper arm. He fell to one knee. I looked up and saw the face of a girl in front of me. I reached down and grabbed the blade from Josh's hand and put it up in front of me, the blade came down and almost knocked it out of my hand. I gripped it and stepped out in front of Josh, holding it towards her. She smiled at me. I didn't know if this was a good idea or not, but I decided at that moment that Josh was not going to die at my feet.

  “Listen…we don't have too…” I said to her. She sliced her blade at me and I held my ground, it struck against the blade and I felt a vibration in my body...not from the strike.

  I stumbled backward, just a step and looked down at Josh. He was holding his arm and he said to me, “Give me the blade Rue!”

  “I got this,” I said to him.

  He jumped up and grabbed it out of my hand. In one throw, he slammed it in the center of her chest and she stood there and looked at us. Josh held his hand out in front of him and a light flashed hitting her. She slid across the floor away from us. He looked at me, “You did not have that.”

  I wanted to argue, but I looked out into the room and saw Johnathan, a red glow whipping at his feet… He had a boy coming at him, blades drawn.

  “Oh my god Josh!”

  Josh looked out and flashed to his side. He locked his arm to his and spun Johnathan around behind him. “Get out of here...! Take Rue with you!”

  Johnathan flashed to me, “We have to get you out of here Rue!”

  I took his hand and we started to run towards the door. I felt my body get jerked back and I slammed against the floor so hard that it knocked the wind out of me. I rolled to my side, holding my shoulder…a sharp pain was telling me that I probably dislocated it. I felt a hand reach around my waist and lift me into the air.

  A booming voice echoed through the library… “STOP!”

  A hot wind of energy whipped through the room… If I wasn't already trying to catch my breath, I'm sure it would of stolen it from me. The room stopped dead. Everyone lowered their blades and stared in my direction. I tried to struggle, but the grip around my waist tightened. I looked up behind me and recognized the face. It was Caine who had me in a tight hold.

  I looked out into the room and saw my Mother"s face, it was filled with anger.

  Caine looked at her, “Seems I have something you want.”

  Grace started to walk towards us, “You will let her go.”

  Caine laughed and dropped me to the floor. He lowered his hand to me. “Bind,”

  he said.

  I felt a heavy weight lock me in place.

  He pulled out his blades and pointed them towards me.

  “I would suggest that you realize that I have the upper hand in this situation Grace.”

  Grace stopped and laid her blades on the floor.

  He grinned at her, “Very tricky...leaving my mirrored room Grace.”

  171

  “I felt that we had spent enough time together Caine.”

  Caine scanned the room. “Oh, of course it was you Theodore…always so middle of the road. I am sure you protested this, but I see that Grace has swayed you.”

  Theodore shifted his weight, “I can not turn down a chance to wear such a flattering outfit as this.”

  “I doubt a change of dress is your true intention... You seem to have forfeited your pass to Valon.”

  Theodore sighed… “Somethings are worth the sacrifice, Caine.”

  Grace looked at the ceiling, “How did you enter this place?”

  “Oh, that...well you see Noble has many places to come and go. I simply swayed him, with the promise of power.”

  Grace looked around the room… “Well, where is that Judas hiding?”

  “Oh…seems that we didn't get a long, as well as I would of liked. He is no longer with us.”

  Grace smirked, “You don't like to share.”

  “You don't like to share either Grace.” He looked down at me, “This is a new beginning at my feet.”

  Grace stepped forward, “She does not belong to you or to Valon. She belongs to the creator Caine.”

  “Oh, I have every intention of showing her what she is capable of Grace… I will take care of her very well. Of course, it will take me some time to find her a suitable mate, since Johnathan was a failure.”

  Johnathan ran from behind him and Caine raised his hand... Johnathan flew back and hit the doors, crashing through them, falling onto the concrete steps out in front of the library.

  I yelled Johnathan's name. Caine looked down to me.

  “Ahhh, young love…you must know he is not suitable for you, my dear.”

  He looked towards the front doors.

  “Tedious mistake,” Caine muttered.

  Grace stood her ground, “That is no way to treat your son Caine.”

  “Oh, he is not mine...just an experiment I tried.”

  Josh stepped toward him, “What do you mean?”

  “Oh.” Caine waved a hand in Johnathan's direction,
“He is human... I simply gave him some of our power… I called upon the creator to infuse our power in him, at birth. I thought it would work, but obviously he doesn't have the will of our people… He would have taken her already, if he did.”

  Suddenly we heard a cracking coming from above us... Everyone turned their gaze toward the ceiling...a body came falling through, hitting the ground with a thud. The mirrors above us rolled violently and started to shatter. I threw my hands over my head and saw everyone shield themselves from the falling shards. The figure stood up in the middle of the room and I looked in his face. It was my dad.

  Grace ran to his side and he held her close to him, never taking his eyes off of Caine. He looked down at me and grinned.

  “Dad!” I yelled.

  “Are you alright Rue?” he asked me.

  172

  Caine started to laugh, “So glad you could join us, William.”

  I tried to stand, but I got pulled back down. I reached for my shoulder, it was throbbing so badly it made my eyes water. Caine flashed light down on me and I cried out in pain. “You need to sit still.”

  Grace turned to William… “I thought you had fallen my love.”

  He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

  Josh raised his blades and ran towards Caine. Caine raised his hands, glowing bright white, and threw white light in his direction. Josh jumped over him and brought his blades down in his direction, Caine grabbed him in mid air and threw him towards the doors. Josh hit the concrete in front of the library and rolled down the steps. I screamed out and Caine looked down at me.

  “I'm growing tired of you and your emotional friends.”

  “Screw you,” I said.

  “I see you have no manners either… We will have to work on that.”

  William started to move forward.

  Caine placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it… I cried out in pain. “I wouldn't suggest that.”

  William stopped in place.

  The pain was overwhelming... I started to feel a strong vibration in my body, stronger then anything I had ever felt. I looked down and blue flames started to rise all around me. I felt the energy building up in my body... I wanted to expel it, but I let it build. Caine looked down at me, with a look of surprise on his face... “Blue?”