by John Victor
Natalie sent out her wind. She saw him. She could see through the wind. He was smoking as he entered her room. Disappointment was written over his face as he didn't see her on the bed. She saw him walk to her bathroom door and then stop. Maybe to think twice about the step he was about to take. He opened the door wide. The excitement on his face wore off as he closed the door and walked outside. What had he been planning to do? Natalie was shocked. He could have seen her naked.
* * *
Natalie came out of her hiding place and levitated to the living room, with speed. She was prepared to get him before he got out of the house. She was going to confront him. She saw him at the door. "Wait." She shouted as he almost walked out of the house. She could see the shock on his face. It later turned to a smile.
"Where were you? I was looking for you." Thank God you weren't in your bathroom. I would have done something terrible. We both would have regretted it.
His smile remained. What had he intended on doing. Natalie didn't understand him. She thought he liked her, but not for sex. She stiffled a smile. She needed to know what he was doing there. "What are you doing here?" She knew he could sense the anger in her voice, could even read her mind, but she cared less. He had to know how angry she was for him overstepping boundaries.
"Jeez. Nat. Calm down. I just wanted to check out if you were okay." Jasper was surprised. He didn't know why she was in a rage. She had been watching him. He should have known better. Now, he didn't have her trust again, but he still knew that she was head over heels for him.
Natalie felt her magic drifting with the wind. She tried to bring it back. It wouldn't bulge. She could see where it was going to. Exploring the whole city. It was taking her somewhere. Evalle could see where it was taking her. The only house in that area. Evalle. What had happened? She entered the house and her powers halted when it got to a part of the living room. Evalle was there. Her body sprawled on the floor. Lifeless.
"Jasper!"
Jasper turned his back too her and looked at her. His face was filled with concern. "What happened? You screamed my name."
Obviously. " Evalle. It's Evalle. Something has happened to her. She is at her house. We have to get there as soon as possible."
Jasper jumped. No. No. Nothing must happen to Evalle. He looked at Natalie. She had already taken off. How many seconds had he spent thinking? How did she become so fast? He followed her closely behind and towards Evalle's house.
People stared at them as they floated and sprinted by. Evalle. Who could have entered their place? Natalie was surprised at herself. She was over fast. Faster than she could ever imagine. She could feel Jasper behind her. His breathing was fierce.
They had reached Evalle's house. Jasper burst the door open and they entered. Evalle was still laying there. They lifted her up and carried her to her bed. They needed nobody to know about it. Her body looked fresh and it seemed nothing happened to her. They sat on her bed, beside her. She wasn't breathing, she was dead. Her body was not stiff. They planned on feeding her with their powers. Before they put their hands on her skin, her eyes opened. They jumped.
CHAPTER 13
Evalle saw herself moving into the darkness. It swallowed her, engulfed her, flowed through her veins. She felt as if she was darkness itself. She wanted to be light. What had the vampire done to her? Who sent it? She wanted to weep, but she couldn't. She could not even see her face, nor touch it. Evalle felt alone. As lonely as ever. Then she found herself moving towards the light. Finally. There is hope. She smiled as she continued towards it.
Evalle floated as she entered a large room. She looked around. People surrounded her. They didn't move. Neither did they say anything. They just stared at her. She wanted to shout at them, but she couldn't. She saw the man who bit her. He was standing there. She felt hatred for him. It vanished at soon as it came. Why were they stating at her that way? She wanted to melt, to disappear and get away from the prying eyes of the mysterious creatures. The human looking but beastly minded creatures. Evalle finally had the courage to speak. "Would someone say something?"
The man sitting on the largest chair in the room, spoke. His voice was out of the ordinary. Something that Evalle couldn't describe. "I am Vlad Montour."
Evalle knew she had heard that name before. It was very familiar. What? It's real? It was the name of the vampire in Dracula. A movie she watched some weeks ago.
The man continued talking. "You are at the council of the vampire elders. And I am the leader of the vampires."
Evalle summoned the courage to speak. "What do you want from me? Why have you brought me here?"
"You don't have to be annoyed. We have been watching you since the beginning of it all. We have seen your determination, courage and strength. We know the battle ahead of you. There's something you don't know. That is the fact that you were going to die during the war. The war to save the lives of your family was going to take your life."
Evalle was confused. They had been watching her and she knew nothing about it. She was mad but it didn't bother her than their I use of past tense. "Why are you using 'was?' What is going to happen now? Please tell me. Explain everything to me."
Alas, she is not adamant. "Evalle, you have become one of us. You are now a vampire.
Evalle shrieked and fell to the floor. Why? Why did they do this to her? She felt lifeless, stupid. How strong would she become? How would she explain to her friends?
As if he read her mind. "You don't have to tell anyone. You have to keep it to yourselves. Vampires are very rare and we would not want you to get into trouble. Especially since you are a powerful hybrid."
Evalle stood up from the floor. She could not say anything. She felt herself drifting away from the room.
She felt magic closing in on her. The truth dawned on her and her eyes opened.
* * *
Jasper was shocked. Her eyes was blood shot. He was scared. What had happened to her? Her breathing was slow yet out of the ordinary. He watched as her eyes returned to normal and darted about the room, searching for what nobody knew. Her eyes finally dropped on him. He felt like collapsing. He had just come to help her, yet it seemed she would pounce on them in a second.
Evalle smiled. Jasper was surprised. Why was she having change of mood? Something was wrong. He looked at Natalie. The expression on her face was exactly true same as his. Surprised. Evalle continued looking at them. She knew she had to talk or else she would arouse more suspicions. "Hi. I just slumped. You know. You guys should stop looking at me like I'm a weirdo. I'm going to freak out." She smiled at them again. She had to keep on playing the game till they leave her house. She needed time alone.
Jasper nodded his head slowly. "Jeez, you freaked us out already. Why did you send that blast of energy when you opened your eyes? It hurt you know?"
Natalie nodded in accordance to what he said. She was dumbfounded. Evalle. What happened to her?
Evalle could hear their thoughts. She didn't know how, but she could. Maybe it was one of her new abilities. She smiled again. "I'm sorry. I hit you guys. It's just that I've been stressed out lately and you know, everyone has limits." She winked as she sat up on the bed.
"Guys. Why are you staring at me like I just arrived from another planet? I promise you I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me. There's nothing wrong with me. I'll just take a nap and continue with my training later on." She looked at them again. She saw the hint of uncertainty in their eyes. Whatever. I don't need anyone disturbing my peaceful afternoon.
Jasper and Natalie stepped out of the room. They stared at each other. It was almost time for them to start their attack on the lawmakers and they didn't want anything to disrupt their plans. Evalle had to be in her best for them to be able to win.
Evalle stood up from the bed. She felt renewed. Her powers flowed through her body. She knew she needed not to join in the training anymore, but she also knew it she had to do it, in order to blend with the rest. She was glad that nobody had suspected a
nything. They could not even think to that extent because everyone believed that the vampires are myths. Evalle was now one of them and she would not want anyone to know. She had been warned and she was going to adhere strictly.
CHAPTER 14
The next three days were filled with various activities. The tension was building up. Even people who were not going to the city were both anxious and excited. The thought of them taking over the world once again was overwhelming. The people had competitions. Where the weaker magic vessels were to compete against the stronger ones. Nobody involved Evalle in any of the battles as they km new they would be floored. She was the strongest of them all and so she was made the judge. Jasper topped the board.
Evalle was glad she had not been chosen to participate. The competitions gave her a better opportunity of selecting people that will go with her to the city. She watched keenly with all interest as the people competed for one medal or the other. Even though it didn't really mean anything, they enjoyed the fun of it. Everyone had developed their powers. Magic was everywhere and the whole place was buzzing. Evalle watched as a certain man that she had not seen before, perform earth magic. They called him THE BUSTER. The battle was flawless. He defeated his opponent with one hit as he raised up the earth and formed a large fist that he used in hitting the opponent. Evalle ticked him as the first.
Natalie was the next. She was to fight against a woman she had known since she was little. They called the woman Jezebel. She didn't seem to age. Natalie swept her arms in the air as the wind engulfed her. Her eyes became white. The clouds darkened. Jezebel became scared. Her only problem was water. Water couldn't make contact with her skin or else she would get weak. She pulled out a large fire, but Natalie didn't seem to care as her wind blew the fire away. The clouds got even darker and thunder struck. The rain began to fall heavily and Jezebel fell to her knees. Natalie didn't know how she got stronger, but she was glad that she did. She was ticked as second.
Jasper put his hands on his opponent's head before the start of the match. That way, he knew what would happen. His victory. The match began as the hefty man, Tobias, landed a blow on Jasper's chin. Jasper almost avoided it, but he was to late. The fist had made contact before he could move. He felt weak. He couldn't surrender and let everyone down. Not when Natalie was going. He stood up again and shifted the man to each side. He made sure he had gained perfect control of the Tobias' mind. He sucked out his life force gradually. Tobias felt weaker but didn't know what was happening to him. He kept landing several punches on Jasper's face. As he was about to land the final blow, he collapsed and Jasper stood up. He succeed in paralyzing Tobias. Third.
The lady stood up and swerved her hair to the side. SCORPION. The name they called her. Her venom was strong. Stronger than that of any man. Scorpion was tried of power feeding and wanted to go back to normal feeding. She didn't want to continue training while some people went to the city. The man that was chosen to compete with her was her worst enemy. The most disgusting person she had ever met nor been with. She hated him since the day he tried to have sex with her. She gave him a scar that would make him remember what he tried to do. A missing eye. She had poked out his eye when he pinned her to the floor. That was the way she escaped. The sight of the man had brought back memories and fueled her anger. She jumped up and swung her tail in mid air. He dodged it and send bolts of energy at her. It pierced her side and she felt blood gush out. She endured and continued. She jumped again, this time noticing his pattern of movement. He favored his right leg. She hoped towards him and her tail stabbed his chest. She knew she had won. Everyone cheered for her. No one usually survived that because of its venom. But she had spared him and administered just a little to pay for what he tried to do to her. She needed him to know that she had not forgiven him. Ticked Fourth.
Goliath hopped to the stage. His huge body made everyone pave the way for him to pass. He knocked some people aside since they didn't give him a chance to pass and he smiled at his opponent. She was small. A little girl. They called her Caroline. Her fighting name was DEATH WISH. She stood there like the child that she was. Death wish curled her hair with her fingers as she waited for Goliath to pounce on her. The only advantage she knew he had over her was body stature. Nobody knew she was ninety-two years old. She never looked older than ten, and she was grateful. Goliath hurried towards her and smashed her head on the floor as he stamped his giant foot on her head. A loud cry was heard. And then a giggle. Death Wish was behind him, whipping her hair slowly. What she did whenever she was getting annoyed. She tickled him. He forced himself not to laugh. But he couldn't hold it. He knew that laughter was going to kill him, like it had killed other people. He fell to the floor and giggled involuntarily. The people watched, wide-eyed. The dwarf was defeating the giant. She stood atop him and bent her head closer to his huge ears. She could see the darkness inside. She whispered. "Say your final wish." He couldn't talk. He could only laugh. She dug her tiny hands into his two wide eyes and ended his life. Fifth.
The Maze: Game of Intellect and Skills. Only one contestant to be selected.
Five people were competing in the maze competition. They were to find their way to the bottom. They were placed at different angles that all led to the same end. The first person to get out was going to be the winner, while the others would remain trapped in the maze for a day. Most people didn't volunteer because of the consequences. Only five were courageous enough to enter the game. Lotus, Gwenivere, Madouse, Light buster, and Panthera. They began the journey. It wasn't just the brains, they had to fight too. In the maze, were monsters and other creatures. Madouse was to first to fall out. She was hit by one of the monsters. Panthera got out of the maze first. There were various scratches on her body. The maze disappeared with the others trapped inside. Sixth.
Evalle was getting more interested,. It was the last day of the competitions. The day for the final three vessels, that would go to the city, to be chosen. Even though everyone would love to have the invisibility ring, only few would wear.
Grimace stepped out of the crowd. He was the most handsome and was perfect with his bow and arrow. Evalle would have fallen for him, if only she didn't have other things on her mind. He was competing against Cornelius. The only surviving Centaur, apart from Justin of course. It was a fight of target. They were both equipped with their bows and arrows. The stage turned into a forest. Everyone looked agitated. Grimace was searching for Cornelius. Cornelius was stupid enough to be hopping around the place. Grimace traced the sound of his footsteps and found him. He sat still behind Cornelius as Cornelius kept searching. Grimace shot his arrow that found its way into the middle of Cornelius’ back. Seventh.
Dorothy stepped out of the cage she was hiding. As a shape shifter, she felt calm. She was fighting against Grain stalker. The only sorcerer with a stupid name. She knew him as a fool and everyone treated him as such. He was always looking for grain even though he wouldn't find any. Not in that part of the city. She always joined the people in reigning abuses at him and forcing him to keep quiet when an opinion was to be made. It was time to put an end to his misery. She changed into a bear. Her second shape apart from human and hopped at him. He comfortably got out of her way as if she was a tiny insect. That angered her. Her claws grew longer and her teeth sharper as she jumped on him and pierced his skin. She realized that his skin didn't leave the body. It was as hard as stone. Everybody knew his disadvantages but nobody knew what good he could bring them. Her tongue peeled off and her body begun to fall off. He was made of what every magician was resistant to. Podiac stones. She returned back to her human form. Everyone was surprised, including Evalle. Even though she had never seen nor heard about him. Eighth.
Evalle decided to end the competitions. She had already decided on who the last person would be. The guy that could tell the future. She couldn't remember his name but she remembered the face. It was him.
CHAPTER 15
Eating the normal food gave Evalle more joy than thinking o
f how the city was going to look like once again. It was the day for them to travel to the city, to take back their possession. Not everyone could be privileged to have powers. But those that didn't have should not look for ways to eliminate those that did. It was all because of jealousy. Evalle hissed. The sorcerers needed peace between the two sides and were ready to embrace it, no matter what it was going to take. Evalle cleaned her leather boots one more time and stood up from the bed.
Jasper was exhausted. Watching the competition that took place during the last few days had been exhausting. He enjoyed it. He stood of from his bed after releasing a loud yawn. He remembered that it was travel day. He hated to travel but he knew he had to stick with it, of he was going to participate in the destruction of evil. He wanted to try his powers again. He began to focus on the big chair in his room. He closed his eyes. His mind saw the chair being raised and then dropped at another corner of the room. He opened his eyes. The chair was where he put it. He left the room happily.
Natalie used her wind magic to sweep the floor of her room and arrange her things. Her discovery of weather magic had been a great change in her life. She looked outside and thought of a very hot sun. It was the perfect weather for that kind of day. The day their enemies would burn. The sun was exactly how she wanted it. She could hear the people outside, cursing under their breath. Some ran into their houses to take shelter. Natalie understood why she did it. Hot sun would be more preferable to heavy downpour of water.
Buster raised his arm in the air and landed a punch on the wall. The wall responded by sinking deep. He smiled. He pulled true wall back out and made a ball with it. He threw the ball to another wall and it sank. Everything looked normal again. He smiled. Another character about him that no one else knew was that he was made of earth, unlike the others. Everyone had wondered why he was stronger and better. But he never told. He was an hybrid. Part Earth and part fire. Something no one also knew. Even though it was an abominable thing, he was lucky to have survived but lose his parents.
