You can tell?
"Somewhat. Golden eyes are a common trait for wolves, but it's rather clear that she's being possessed by a higher force."
As in she has a monarch soul?
"Not necessarily." I could envision Saphire shaking her head at my comment. "Wolf supernaturals are humans with wolf counterparts. Her wolf is an entity on her own and can take full control like I did with you during our encounter with Eric. I'm not saying she can't be some sort of monarch, but we're lacking plenty of information. She doesn't give off monarch vibes, but I feel as though she may be an alpha."
An alpha? Superior wolf?
This knowledge seemed new to me, but the topic had a familiar ring to it.
"Alpha males are common in wolf packs. Wolf shifters normally have a pack to belong to. If they don't, they're considered a lost wolf. Other terms could include omega, if they lose their sense of sanity from tearing out of a previous pack bond. Misfit is another term used for loner wolves with no pack to go to. Think of it as homelessness. In rare cases, it includes the sole survivor of a slain pack. A woman having a wolf alpha trait is extremely rare and, in some cases, looked down upon. Times may have changed their philosophy, but male packs are not fond of taking orders from a woman. To them, women are submissive with a few exceptions in combat, and it's only time and advancement of generations that will determine a different outcome for their traditional way of thinking."
You definitely have a shifter encyclopedia somewhere in there.
"I'm glad my knowledge seems useful in this time of observation."
"GET THE FIGHTING STARTED!"
"Ya! We don't got time to waste!"
"Show some power shit, you weaklings!"
"Put on a damn show of skill instead of wasting your time standing there."
The riled prisoners were only adding fuel to the potential fight that was seconds from continuing, but I kept my silence as my eyes slowly moved from left to right.
My focus returned to the taller of the two redheads, who let out a battle cry and charged forward.
The girl with neon hair took a step forward, and to my surprise, was in front of the other opponent with her hand wrapped around her neck.
She pinned the woman to the ground, the other redhead that had charged forward only now realizing she was merely baited as Kitty jumped from the ground and flipped through the air. Her arms crossed one another, and I caught the glint of her sharp nails that began to emit a dazzling gold that revealed a crescent moon symbol on each nail’s surface.
She has hidden symbols under her nails as well.
She slashed her arms out, and white threads of gold sliced at the woman's back, cutting through her uniform and wounding her with dozens of slashes that left her screaming.
The woman fell to the ground, hugging her body like it would stop the blood from pouring onto the white floor, all while the neon haired woman smiled maliciously as she kept her hand tightly around her opponent's throat.
"You all love foul play until it hits you in the face." Her low growl was followed with a wild giggle. "If I wanted to lengthen my sentence, I would have stopped you from enjoying another gasp of air."
With her words, she let the woman go, her choking coughs and gasps an obvious sign of surrender.
I frowned at the two of them, noticing that they didn't have anything else up their sleeves.
Disappointing.
"Disappointing."
Saphire and I had the same thought, and it felt as though we'd clearly wasted time to witness such a lack of combat. For a prison of supernaturals, I would have expected some crazy shit, but this was like watching the wrestling they tried to play on the few televisions on Level Three.
I was about to move from the door and make my silent exit, when a buzzing sound caught my attention and my eyes darted to Kitty to see the sudden blade that was about to stab her in the head.
She had to have sensed the sudden movement as her body jerked in a spinning motion to face her attacker, but there was no way she'd get out of this without that sharp, static-filled blade protruding from her eye or face.
This had to be due to my disappointment, the emotion clearly jinxing the room, causing this new turn of events.
My instincts kicked in and I took one step forward as I snapped my left fingers. The room went from hollering chants of 'YES' and 'FINISH HER' to pure silence - everyone's concentration now on the frozen, invisible individual that began to turn visible.
Her skin reminded me of a chameleon. The scales that were once so well blended to our surroundings now revealed her pale white skin.
She had both hands around the hilt of the sharp dagger blade that continued to sizzle with the force of magic she'd embedded into it, while her body began to float upward - encircled by purple magic with specks of orange.
The expression of triumph on her face slowly morphed into shock - the golden moment for them all to acknowledge my presence.
With another step, all eyes gravitated to me as my single step pushed the remaining prisoners off their feet and into the walls on my left and right.
Only the woman with neon hair was left standing, her wild golden eyes dimming to a sullen grey. They blinked a few times as shock settled in, but I navigated my cold gaze to Kitty to see her shuffling back from what surely would have been her grave.
Her white eyes descended back to their original blue form, and she immediately scrambled to her knees and bowed her head to the floor.
"Your Majesty!"
All eyes were on me as a devilish grin formed on my smooth lips. The empowerment that came with power was like being high and knowing you were invincible.
"I wondered why class was empty," I calmly announced to no one in particular. "I wish these prison organizers would know how much we value our time."
With a dramatic sigh, I snapped my fingers once more, and the attacker in question dropped with force. She groaned in agony, the blade in her hand dashing across the floor, far away from her grasp.
Analyzing the room, I returned my eyes to the neon-haired woman, noticing how she fought to hide her slight shudder. That ego switch had to be due to that commanding power of mine, and I thrived on every bit of it as I grinned.
"You." I didn't bother to point at her. Everyone who was conscious turned their heads to look at the woman in question.
She stood a little taller, and I watched her eyes flicker from grey to gold, in an ongoing back and forth motion that led me to wonder if they both were fighting for control.
"Your name."
It took a few seconds for her eyes to stick to their soft grey shade, and she proudly responded, "Ivy Vixen. Level Two prisoner."
Ivy.
Her name reminded me of poison ivy, the toxic herb that was so easily hidden in nature. This woman didn't belong in Level Two, but it was clear from her appearance and slight lack of confidence in her own abilities that they misjudged her potential.
It could have been for the better because she was about to be a worthy ally of ours.
Deciding to speak, I paused my train of thought as I stepped to my left, missing the shot of bullets that would have pierced through my body. My instincts were on point today because they had saved me again and again.
"Brave move," Saphire declared before her power rushed through me like a bolt of lightning.
I moved like a blur, missing the next set of bullets that shot out in an attempt to strike me down. All that did was penetrate through the prisoners laying against the left wall, their wails of agony followed with rushing footsteps as the remaining prisoners that could still move ran for the door.
As I turned around to locate my invisible target, more bullets were directed my way, but instead of avoiding them, I stood my ground and flicked my left wrist.
They slowed at a rapid pace until they hovered before me, and my sinister grin was followed by my narrowing eyes as I located my target in split second.
There was no time to think as I sent the bullets in the
opposite direction back to their sender. A cry of pain came from the shooter, and her body appeared from its chameleon state as she fell to the floor.
I thought it would be over, as the two sisters remained on the floor, but all the hairs on my arms stood up. Saphire shoved me right out of control as we seemed to spin with such speed it sent out waves of lashing purple flames.
My movement had only delayed the approaching attacker, her body coming into view as she recovered from my deflective move and pushed off the ground to attack me straight on. She carried a long sword, one that was filled with a dark red aura that reminded me of blood.
Saphire was still in control, and I couldn't predict her next move as she remained in place, but our eyes widened when neon strands of floating hair moved into our line of vision, and then things slowed down entirely.
Her body began to glow while she darted forward. She started off in a sprint until the sound of cracking bones reached my ears and a rumbling roar echoed around us.
Everyone watched in shock as her human body was now a large wolf, her fur not white or black, but a mixture of neon blue and purple and gold.
I'd never seen any creature’s fur the shade of colors she now portrayed, but that was least of anyone's worries as her mouth opened wide and those sharp, white teeth sank into the woman's diaphragm.
The scream that left her could haunt you in your dreams, but it was the crunch of broken ribs that made my stomach flip in hidden disgust. I had a strong feeling that the prisoner was done for. Her body went slack with the slight side-to-side shake of the wolf's head.
One last rough shake to the right sent the body flying into the wall, and she dropped to the floor like a lump of wood, blood already beginning to pool beneath her.
She looked like the other two, and it was obvious they were sisters.
The sister with slashed marks along her back rushed to her aid, but the one that suffered bullet wounds could only peer from afar.
Not an ounce of pity hit me at their sister's demise. They had every intention of hurting me, Kitty, and this woman named Ivy. What remorse should I carry for their deceitful tactic?
Soft fur brushed my wrist, and I merely looked down to see the wolf's tail was the culprit while the wolf protectively stood in front of me.
Kitty was up and quickly moved to stand over to my right, and even with her trembling body, she was in a defensive position, ready to protect me if necessary.
My ears caught onto the rush of footsteps. The door slammed open and multiple guards entered with their guns and tasers drawn.
"Everyone, freeze!" the man I'd deem the leader of the group declared. My dramatic sigh caught their attention as I looked slightly over my shoulder to give them a disappointed look.
"If you're now trying to stop what could have been a mass murder, you're beyond late." My dull voice followed up with, "Should have at least brought a mop or maybe some medics."
"Silence, you bitch! All of you are going to get punished for this!"
Kitty hissed and spun on her feet to point at the man.
"Hey! Why are we getting in trouble when we were ambushed? We were here for art class and were told this was the room it was occurring in. This lot of prisoners and the ones that escaped threatened to kill us and started all of this! It's thanks to Ms. Butterfly that we weren't killed!"
"Shut up!" One of the guards tried to poke her with a spear taser, but it paused an inch from her hip.
The man tried again and again, but he couldn't move, and his confused eyes lifted to meet my serious ones.
"Y-You bi-"
"Silence, you peasant." I was back in control, but Saphire's magic was riding through me. The pulsation of anger that was now bubbling within my body was enough to make the walls tremble.
"You know nothing but lies and yet you dare try to taser my servant?"
The man looked frightened as he quickly glanced back to his commander. "S-Sir! You said she was the culprit in all of this."
The man swallowed the lump in his throat and pointed at me with his trembling hand. "Prisoner 2222! Multiple prisoners told us that you started this fight."
"Are all the men who work here blind, or do you merely listen to the lies of the same prisoners who clearly set us up and then ran back to their cells in joyous jubilee, thinking you stupid illiterates would believe every single word that came from their mouths?" I was seriously about to pop a fuse, and I hoped it wouldn't add to my killing streak.
He was ready to defend himself, but the howl that sliced through the room silenced everyone. I looked to the wolf, watching her begin to growl, her sizzling gold eyes locked on the commander, who was now shaking uncontrollably and taking a step back.
"Nice...doggy...wolfy...whatever you are! Y-You can't kill me! I'm the commander of this shift. You-"
"WOOF!" Ivy was going to rip this poor man to shreds if I didn't interfere, her fur rising up in preparation to strike.
"She certainly can kill you, Commander," I acknowledged. "However, it would be a waste of energy, especially on someone as weak as yourself."
"How dar-"
"Why don't I make my presence clear?" My voice suddenly dropped like the temperature around us. Saphire's strong influence was supported by that flicker of warmth from the other corner of my mind.
Freya.
I took a step forward, followed by another until I was facing the trembling man in question - the rest of his guards cowering to the floor on their knees as they quietly begged for forgiveness.
The restraint I had on my raging energy was let loose, and the walls around us began to quake.
"Do you know who I am? What I can do?" If a voice could portray approaching death, that was exactly what I was doing with my monotone voice. "You dare stand before me and place accusations without fact? You must be testing my patience today, Co-mand-er, for I'm not here to play games."
I took one last step, my face an inch from his. I could smell the fear coming off of him and see the reflection of my cynical glowing orbs that danced between magenta, amber, and blue.
"I can bring down this entire prison with a simple command. Killing you and your fellow comrades would be a piece of cake, and you know it. Do you believe your rank is higher than mine? A monarch. Or is it due to my lack of memory that you now believe you overpower me?"
The beads of sweat that ran down his face were like it was now pouring rain within these trembling walls. His eyes were bloodshot, and his lip trembled like the rest of his body.
It was so delightful to see, that I laughed in amusement. I now could sense the darkness near me, aware that Titus was standing right behind me on purpose. No one else could see him, but I could feel the heavy sensation of his dark magic.
My heightened senses must have aided in the little discovery, but now it made sense as to why the Commander was staring slightly above me.
As though a towering force was backing me up.
"You've wasted enough of my time," I asserted, pulling back my magic with a swirl of my left index finger. The man dropped to the floor, shaking like the rest of them.
It was if they had suddenly regained their ability to breathe oxygen.
"I suggest you review your evidence wisely, Commander, or I'll have to inform my masters about my attempt to be among prison civilization, only for my servants and myself to be jumped and attacked. This may be a regular occurrence within these walls that do a poor job at holding back our magic and shifter abilities, but if you believe I'll be a part of your injustice bullshit, be warned now. I. Will. Not."
All he could do was bob his head swiftly. The rest of his guards pressed against the walls to stay as far away from me as they could.
With a dismissive huff, I walked around him and out of the room, feeling Kitty's and Ivy's energies stalking behind me.
We moved over to the room we'd supposedly been designated to have our class in, and I stopped by the desk that still kept my little sketchbook and pencil.
Turning around to face t
he two of them, I watched as Ivy's body was consumed with a soft golden glow and she was standing there naked the next second. I took a long look at her, noticing the hidden scars along her rib cage.
Scars? Survivor of abuse, or something more?
I kept my curious remarks to myself, feeling Freya's energy begin to retreat. I needed to express my gratitude for her involvement, as well as Saphire’s.
Freya. Saphire. Thank you.
The healing warmth that ran through my body was enough of a gracious 'you’re welcome'. Their energies both faded until it was just me.
It was odd to say I felt like a hollow shell, but I kept my ground and focused on keeping up my stronghold appearance.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Kitty bowed her head again and then turned to bow at Ivy. "Thank you, Ivy!"
Ivy let out a sigh, her eyes growing heavy as she slowly nodded. "No worries. Though, I'm not walking out of here like this."
As if her words had summoned a flow of magic, her body was cloaked with a black dress. She blinked and looked my way, arching an eyebrow in question.
I knew the magic wasn't mine, so I looked away as if I didn't want to be associated with the kind act. Taking a peek back, I saw her wide grin as she bowed her head.
"I'd heard your name when I first arrived, but to be pardoned from death and protected by being acknowledged as your servant…I'm thankful for your interference." Her solemn words held power as she leaned back up and her eyes twinkled with soft gold.
"You've earned my respect and friendship. You can deem me as a servant if you wish, but know that within these walls, you have me as an ally if you ever need a partner to rely on."
Friendship.
The idea of being friends with her spiked my interest, and I wondered if she could be trusted. So far, my instincts had never led me astray, and they told me that this woman's words held truth.
She wanted to be my friend.
"No matter the path a solider may walk, there is always room for friendships." Saphire's soft voice echoed through my mind, her energy then fading once again.
"Alisha Butterfly," I introduced myself and allowed a small smirk to grace my lips as I looked into her eyes. "Friendship doesn't sound too bad. However, be warned that I'm not one to play the safe card."
Psychic Prison Page 17
