Replacement

by Wojciech Cram

  "There's an island about the same size some ways southwest of it. I know it sounds strange that it has remained undiscovered, but it's the same deal with the enclaves. When

  scientists, whalers, or anybody else looked towards it, they didn't see the huge island with castles and villages. All that they saw was the ocean that went on to the North Pole.

  Some explorers thought they sailed through it, but in reality they sailed around it, the spell creating the illusion in the mind. It's simple once you think about it," he finished with a

  shrug.

  "Does this happen to be the Damned Clan Island? Originally a post hell experience for those who committed treason against the Night World?" Thea inquired.

  "Looks like some of us would be going to the right place," Delos muttered from the window.

  "I remember Grandma Harman talking about that place. But Hunter stopped using it as his personal torture chamber when there were just too many traitors to keep in line."

  "Focus people," Fayth called with a slightly raised voice. "This could be a trap," she pointed out to Thierry.

  "Hunter may be any things, but when he wants a fight he wants a fight. He wouldn't ruin it by letting his employees kill his opponents before he sees them. No, by the looks of it,

  Hunter wants a true man to man combat. No tricks. Once again, the man is certain he will win."

  "The odds are in his favor," Delos admitted.

  "We don't have a choice," Keller stated flatly. Thierry glanced at her and nodded his head.

  "But what Thierry was thinking along the lines were: go to war, have Daybreakers in disguise on the other side, and they would get close to Mari and then, um, get her," Hannah

  finished weakly.

  "Eloquently put. But since we have some of the world's best strategists at hand, let's see if they have anything better," Thierry replied, and then ignored Poppy's suggestion to

  kidnap Colin Powell, followed by Keller's sarcastic response of resurrecting Winston Churchill. The daybreakers began to leave.

  "And what was the point of the meeting? You guys could of had this without waking the morning impaired up," Ash yawned as he walked slowly out of the room.

  "To inform us. And at least it was short," Gillian pointed out. Ash reached over and ruffled her light blonde hair. It was as if the girl didn't know how to complain.

  "When is David coming to visit? I have that brotherly duty to give him the third degree, you know."

  "He wants to come over and I don't want to stay. But since I have at least two other weeks, he'll probably be here by next Wednesday. You're not seriously going to be yourself

  around him, are you?"

  They reached Ash's door. "I'll think about it."

  "Isn't weird how we all know what's going to happen, but we're still being normal?"

  "Yeah, sorta. Besides, I think it will all end all right. Mari's with us, she's with them, she's with us…it's kinda stupid you know? Like Hannah says, whatever happens was supposed to

  happen."

  October 30, 1999

  Mari's apartment, New York

  Mari silently shut the door, crept up the stairs, and collapsed on her bed. She never felt this tired before. With all the work she had done in the past week there was no time left to

  sleep until she decided she was going to rest when she felt like it.

  In her opinion, all the hours of combat training produced nothing. And Hunter didn't even bother about the blue fire running in her blood. Clearly he thought there would be no point

  in making her practice with it because she wasn't going to use it. Or maybe he was afraid of it. But if she wanted to keep Hunter off her case, she would be a good little girl. She'd

  do anything to decrease the meetings with the overbearing, presumptuous reptile. After the first time she met up with him, she had almost thrown up. Who wouldn't, considering

  she had to be polite to the man who designed and destroyed her life?

  Mari had no idea why she was training for a battle. She scoffed at the idea of brawling side by side Hunter.

  "Why January 2nd? That's so far away," she whined into the pillow. "And that means two months more. BUT," she said loudly, suddenly sitting up. "What if Hunter doesn't *want* to

  kill me? That'd suck."

  Mari didn't believe arguing with one's self was a healthy habit, but she wasn't talking to herself. Mari was talking to her mother, her real mother. "And then there's the whole soul mate dilemma. God, I am just screwed up and I ruin everything around me." It wasn't self pity, just merely stating a never ending fact.

  Mari pictured her mother would assure her and comfort her. Her mother. Gwendolyn Marks. Her father's name was Teddi Tybal. Mari pictured he was just a man who was looking

  for a good time. Just a stupid man who meant nothing to her. She had no idea why her last name was Tybal, but she didn't feel like changing it. That wasn't important. But her mother was important to her, truly important. She was the only woman who cared for her not caring if she was a wild power or not. Gwendolyn was the only one who ever did that.

  "It would have never worked with Valdis, would it?" she asked her softly. "Because he would always look at me as a wild power, never as his soul mate. The Night World comes

  first, and there was never a second until he met me. That's why he hates me, because I'm a problem that he's not allowed to kill off. I saw all of this in two seconds, mother."

  And then her mother would say something motherly like, "I'm sure he doesn't hate you." or, "You could find somebody so much better."

  "But you never met your soul mate so you don't know what you're talking about," she snapped. Mari lay down on the bed again, mind whirling with ideas to solve her problems.

  There had to be a solution, the last being suicide, which she was sure wouldn't be too bad considering she should have been dead for a while now.

  "I have to stop doing this. I am not insane, I never will be." Mari desperately wanted to believe that but how could she when she was talking to somebody who was dead for

  eighteen years? Then that feeling came back, that feeling of apathy to both the worlds she knew. There was no way she could sit around in her apartment while there was the

  climatic battle deciding the fate of the world going on. The phone rang.

  She knew who it would be because there was only one person who knew the number. He was also the only one who knew where she lived. Let Hunter talk to the answering machine.

  "Darling, I know you're there but I can forgive your rudeness when I remember that you must be tired after training. After thinking for a while,"

  "Not your best skill," she spat at the machine.

  "…don't want to fight in the Final Battle. I completely understand. There would be far too much blood and gore for your taste and I would hate myself if you were hurt. But,"

  "Oh there's always a 'but.'" she said in a muffled voice with her face flat in a pillow.

  "…there. So that when we win, I can present you formally and properly to Night World. Everybody will mark you as an icon of the triumph in the Final Battle. There will be a place

  for you on a hill overlooking the field of violence so that you'll be out of harm's way. Of course I wouldn't dream of forcing you to stay out there alone so there will be two…"

  Mari stopped listening. Her life, on the scale of one to twenty, was close to negative ninety. She hated the idea of war and now he was going to make her watch it.

  November 8, 1999

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  "…and since that nobody has thought of a more feasible plan, we're forced to fight. I'm not going to make you to come along, so if you feel this plan is too stupid then you can leave

  now." Nobody moved.

  "Are humans being allowed to go?" Delos asked gravely.

  "Those with fighting experience. Otherwise they're going to watch over the children with the elderly witches. And there is no saying otherwise. I understand that this may be
/>   difficult, parting with some of your loved ones, but there is no other way," Thierry answered in earnest.

  "What are our numbers without the members who will not fight?" Rashel asked with a little wobble in her voice.

  "Around the world, roughly ten thousand," Lupe answered from the back.

  "How many in the Night World who will fight?" Keller tried to keep neutral.

  "Thirty thousand. Probably maybe a little less than that who will be on the enclaves during the battle. To ensure that the Night World will live on if there was a chance of defeat,"

  Quinn listed the facts automatically, absently staring at Rashel. Grasping the idea that Rashel might die and he couldn't stop it. All he could do was die with her. Many of the

  Daybreakers were sharing that thought.

  "What if we started to learn how to fight now? Could we leave in December?" David sounded so hopeful Ash felt sorry for him.

  "What are you doing? You're going to stay and watch the children," Gillian protested.

  "So are you," Hannah told her quietly. Gillian stared at her blankly before recovering.

  "What? But I have powers, I can fight. You know I can, you've seen me…"

  "You're too soft," Morgead told her shortly. "Even if you could make a whole in the world, we all know you would cry if you stepped on an ant. I doubt that you could kill."

  David opened his mouth but came up short. "I can't think of a defense," he whispered to Gillian. She shrugged and sat back in her seat with a stormy look.

  "The groups around the world will all take flight around seven am on December twenty ninth. The witches will arrive first to put up wards around our camp. We meet on our side of

  the island. They stay on their side of the island, we stay on ours until Hunter sends word," Thierry acknowledged in the same serious tone.

  "Two enemies on each side of the field and they charge at each other. Is that what he means?" James asked dully.

  "Why do I feel like we're going to lose?" Val asked miserably.

  "Because you're a pessimist," a serene Thea answered.

  "These months will pass by before we know it. Better get some sleep," Thierry declared standing up.

  "It's only one AM," Jez said softly. There was no point in arguing. The Elder shrugged and left the room, his soul mate thinking for a moment before she followed him.

  "Come on, we can't do much just sitting around," Morgead said gruffly and led Jez out of the room. Soon most of the Daybreakers were leaving the room, mostly in pairs until Ash

  and a few others were left. The others were all talking, holding hands, or hugging.

  He couldn't stand it, seeing couples at every turn. Within less than a second, he made a decision.

  Five minutes, two floors, and ten rings later, a groggy, irritated girl picked up the phone. "Do you know what time it is? I'm very happy with my long distance plan right now, so

  stop calling. Honestly telemarketers have no hearts," she said, her voice becoming more distant.

  "Wait," he called urgently. "Mary Lynette, it's me, Ash. I have to talk to you."

  November 13, 1999

  Mari's Apartment

  "I'm going to have to kill him, because if he's still around, I'll always think about him and I hate thinking about him," she went on. It was times like these when she wished she

  either had a girl friend or was an entirely different person.

  "Kill who?" Gwendolyn asked.

  "Valdis. Stupid, mean, cruel, evil Valdis. He's not good enough to be my soul mate. He's just this other half of me that I'm embarrassed about, like a zit. But my zit is equal to

  Hunter and that's not a good thing." Mari decided that she wasn't insane for talking to her mother, she was just having an imaginary friend to take away the loneliness. Four year

  olds had imaginary friends and nobody called them insane.

  Gwendolyn had no reply for that.

  "But what I'm worried about is the fact that if he is my other half, the one that I am meant to be with and if he…goes away, then I'll spend the rest of my life feeling heart

  breakingly alone."

  "But what if you went with him? Then you wouldn't be alone for the rest of your long life, just for a few seconds."

  Mari stared at the image of her mother, eyes wide with shock. Her mother was suggesting that she commit suicide? True, she had considered it time and time again, but it was

  strange that some one who should love her was telling her to kill herself.

  But when she looked closer she saw her "mother" wasn't her mother at all. It was Gwendolyn's dainty body but the other features were different. Soft, shining black hair and angry

  amber eyes. It was herself. "Oh, go away!"

  As if she was a flame to blow out, the small girl was gone from her bed. "I am not insane. It all depends on one's definition of insane and I am not insane."

  There were only forty eight more days until the Final Battle. Forty seven till she had to fly to that Damned something island with Hunter. With sudden lucid thoughts, she realized

  she didn't want Valdis to die while she watched.

  An hour later she was out the door to find him. There wasn't enough time to fully understand why or what she was going to do but it was clear that she had to find him. She had to

  November 13, 1999

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  For one day the house hold was filled with laughter and gaiety. It had seemed so long when they actually celebrated something important that it was necessary to have a party that

  the bride insisted upon not having. But in the end, Keller loved the attention the wedding reception had given her and Galen. After the wedding, they crowd (which would have been

  larger if some daybreakers had not flown back home to their families for the Thanks Giving holidays) followed the happy couple into the ball room.

  "I would have never thought this was going to happen a few weeks ago," she whispered to Galen as they swayed to the slow music on the dance floor with every body watching. He

  kissed her cheek softly before answering.

  "I've known ever since I met you this would happen. I just didn't know our marriage would happen so soon. Is that what you mean?" She nodded her head and laid it against his

  shoulder.

  "Do you like my wedding dress?" she asked with a gentle laugh. In such short notice, she had to borrow one from Hannah. The silk cream dress reached her ankles and was held up

  on her shoulders with two thin straps. In the right angle, light would show the spray of roses that were cleverly embroidered in a shade lighter than the silk.

  "You could have showed up in fig leaves and twigs and still look amazingly beautiful. I'm just happy we're here."

  "I wish your parents were here," she replied sadly.

  "I know, but they couldn't make it. You know they would have died to see you in a dress," he whispered, giving them both a laugh. Every where in the hall, there were flashes of

  camera light that would make them both a little dizzy.

  As the song ended, Galen recalled the day. Waking up at four was a usual routine but the rest was just a dream. He had Quinn and David help him with the ceremony rituals and

  Ash to calm him down. As Thierry escorted his soul mate down the aisle, he stood so still he thought he'd explode. And how could he forget the deafening applause that spread

  across the ball room when they kissed? Yes, it had everything that was usual in a dream. Galen was happy he was awake.

  They took their seats between Thierry , Hannah and Winnie, Nissa. After a number of toasts that seemed to be spoken by every body in Circle Daybreak, Thierry was one to give

  the last before every body retired to their rooms.

  "And I know that you guys would just hate to see our bride and groom go," he said with a smile. As he expected, there were loud protests that told him to send them away.

  "I have decided to send them to the safe house in Canada. You'll have the huge co
ttage all to yourselves. No arguments. Consider it a gift from me and Hannah since we didn't get

  you a blender."

  Keller stood up. "But what about Iliana? I'm supposed to be her…"

  But Iliana already had the answer for that. "There's no way I could keep you in the mansion for your honey moon, Keller. Besides me and Winnie already packed your bags. Galen's

  too. They're in the limo. Now it's off with you two love birds so that we could finally get some sleep around here."

  "I'm game," Galen announced with eagerness. Keller and Galen gave thank you's and laughs as they passed through the massive crowd. There was so many pats slapped onto

  Galen's back that he almost tripped twice.

  When they left the mansion, wedding bubbles were filling the air as the day breakers blew them with all the air in their lungs. Before Keller followed Galen in the limo she threw the

  bouquet of white roses and baby's breath over her head.

  "Out of my way!" Iliana hollered as a circle formed around her so that she could be the only one who would catch the flowers. "I won't be able to reach it!" she yelled. Val stepped

  from behind her and lifted her up by the waist so that she could snatch it in the air. "I'm getting married!" she declared happily as he settled her back on the ground.

  "I'd throw the garter, but Keller just won't allow it," Galen shouted from his seat.

  "Whipped!" his friend teased. With that note, Keller settled herself next to Galena and the group of Daybreakers waved them good bye.

  "Oh I hope a month and a half is enough for their honey moon," Iliana said sleepily. She decided she needed some sleep. In two days, Iliana would be on her way home for Thanks

  Giving.

  "It's enough," Ash told her as he went in his room and came out with two suit cases. "How come I don't get a limo to the air port?"

  "Because you don't have a wedding, yet," Quinn informed him. "Come on I'll walk you to the door. Rashel, I'll meet you in a few minutes." She nodded.

  "Bye Ash," she yawned as she trudged up the stair steps.

  "Bye Rashel. Come on Quinn, you need to help me through the treacherous path to the door." Ash offered his friend a bag which Quinn refused.

  As they walked closer to the garage doors the playful banter quieted down. As they loaded his bag in the trunk of the emerald green Toyota Landcruiser.