CHAPTER FIVE  

PART ONE: THE REUNION

            Waking up, Greg remained still, keeping his breath slow. He knew a couple of things just from smelling and gently feeling around 1) he was in human form 2) he was captured 3) he was in a silver cell 4) he was burned, but not from the silver 5) there was someone else by him… someone that smelled like lilacs.

            Greg sat up with a jolt, and got a big head rush from it. He moaned and laid back down until the black dots behind his eyes were gone. Slowly sitting up again, he observed the damage on his body. Only 1^st and 2^nd degree burns… but what from? He looked over to the lilac smell and gazed in shock and awe.

            The first thing he noticed was, yes, it was the same girl. Her back was turned to him but she was still… different. She was clean, not unkempt like before. And she had wings. Glorious, strong, white angelic wings… that were not at the right angles. Is one broken? Greg’s eyes widened as he remembered what happened. Why’d it have to be her? Was she really the one that killed my mum? Or did mum have a heart attack? Oh, no, did I attack a helpless civilian?

Greg tried standing up, but thought better of it and continued thinking. But… she wasn’t a civilian, and she certainly wasn’t helpless. Oh… THAT’S why I have the burns. But I still attacked her. I wonder how she’s holding up…

Greg finally stood up and went over to her. Oh no. he thought as he saw all the bruises on her belly, and the claw marks on her face. He took care not to step on her wings and went in front of her. Looking at her peculiar blood, he reached through Julian’s orb, and moved his hand towards her face, but was stopped by another orb. Julian’s? Or… is it hers?

Going in back of her towards her wings, he noticed more of the interesting blood. Moving from side to side to get different angles, he watches as the blood went from silver to red, and back. Leaning as close as her orb would let him, he looked at it. Finally deciding that she had silver-red blood, or was it red-silver? Getting lost in his thoughts again, he jumped back when someone opened the door that was outside the cage.

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PART TWO: THE DISCOVERY

            Walking in to where he put the prince and the girl, Julian made sure the door was locked behind him. Finding the prince awake, he smiled, and then turned his attention to the girl. Her aura’s too dull. A couple more seconds of thinking and looking he noticed something.

            “Is she breathing, Greg?” Julian asked the prince. Not getting a response, he said a little louder “Greg. Is she breathing?” Greg finally looked at him.

            “What?”

            “Is she breathing?”  Julian repeated again, getting agitated.

            “Umm…” Greg went and stepped over the girl. Watching her very carefully he replied. “No, she isn’t.”

            “WHAT?!?!” Julian shouted. A sudden burst of aura and a gasp for air from the girl made both Greg and Julian jump back, squint and cover their eyes. Uh-oh…

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PART THREE: THE AWAKENING

            Silvia woke up and listened to the quiet calmness. She didn’t have to worry about breathing, or even moving, because she couldn’t. Why? Because her body was in silence mode, which, for her, is no heart beating, no breathing, just total deadness (except for the brain.) Getting her thoughts straight she heard a jolting:

            “WHAT?!?!” not liking the sudden noise, she jumpstarted her heart, and gasped in a large amount of air. Sending out a surge of power to make the others back off, she jumped up and backed against the cold silver bars of the cage and stayed there.

            She looked at the two familiars inwardly groaning, as the cuts on her face started to heal. She put up more defensive shields and squatted down against the corner as they stared in amazement. I hate upperclassmen. She thought as a burnt man came up to her. She smiled as he stopped where her barriers were.

            “Oh, I’m sorry, are you the dumb wolf that attacked me?” he just watched her. “Well, I hope those burns stay because you deserve them!” she said, knowing it would get his ticker going. But saying that only got her ticker going because he stayed as calm as ever. Growling, she tensed up.

            “Nuh-uh young lady,” said the blond outside of the cage, making ringlets appear on her wings. He opened the door and let the prince out. He beckoned for her, and sensing that she wouldn’t come, he gave the ringlets a magic tug forward.

            “Come on now missy, we have some tests for you.” He let it hang, then made the ringlets drag her towards out and with him as he walked away. She sensed the wolf meandering behind her, and a rowing smell of near-death. Uh oh.

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CHAPTER SIX

PART ONE: AN INQUIRING MIND

            Greg walked behind the girl, watching her wings and thought of something.

Walking past her, Greg stepped up next to Julian.

            “So… do you know where she came from?” he asked, hoping to get an answer. Not getting one, he pressed on, “do you know her powers? Geeze Jule, do you even know her name?”

            “No,” was the simple, yet infuriating answer he got. Then, yet another question popped into his head.    

            “What kind of tests are you going to do on her?”

            “Greg, you know I can’t answer any of that, it’s agenst your father’s rules.” Julian said slowly and calmly, as if it’d make Greg calmer.

            “Screw his rules! I want some answers!” he could feel himself changing, but he couldn’t help it. Will the “tests” be tests to get words out of her? Will they bring in the truthsayers and dig into her memory? Will they kill her? He didn’t know why he felt so much for someone who killed his mum. But, it was close to her time, wasn’t it? And according to the prophecies I sneaked a look into, a prophecies is supposed to be coming soon… is she the prophecy?

            Walking towards doors, the stench of death was overwhelming, way too strong for his delicate canine-like nose. “Jule, she’ll be all right… right?”

            Julian turned around and sadly answered “I don’t know Greg, I don’t know.”

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PART TWO: A GUILTY CONCIOUS

            Julian answered truthfully when he said he didn’t know what would happen to the girl. He just knew he was supposed to take her to the “chamber”, ordered by the king himself. Past the rich-looking merchants that were lined up, he saw a white room, filled with shiny silver. There were demons wearing masks and suits as if they were going to do surgery.

            He remembered going to the torture chambers, but this wasn’t one of them. This was a highly cleaned, highly sanitary room. In the back he saw the king, bringing the girl behind him, he asked: “what are you going to do to her, highness?” the king, suddenly angry, was consumed with a greedy look.

            “It’s none of your business, now go and leave this room. There are things to do and you are not in any of the plans.” Summoning the guards, the king grabbed the girls arm and was rewarded with a burnt palm.

            “What is this blasphemy? Burning the king? What have you done Julian?” the king asked, cradling his burning hand and turning back to Julian. Julian replied even as the guards grabbed his arms and toed him away:

“She’s a fiery one.” And cackled as she burst into flames, singeing everyone within three feet.  He didn’t know why, but he felt that the king should deserve every burn he gets from her. One way or another though, he vowed, I will get her back. She doesn’t deserve this and she won’t get that harmed… will she?

Still feeling that he had done something horrible, Julian let the guards drag him to a place most dreaded. The cells, where every person there was there because of him.

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PART THREE: THE PAIN

            Feeling a new, stronger, crueler magic hold on her ringlets, Silvia knew she shouldn’t’ve blew up. But it was the least she could do after the slimy, greasy king touched her.

            “Come, come now missus,” said a plastic-clad demon, “we have work to do.”  Getting dragged by her ringlets to a set of sharp-looking pull back hooks, she glanced around the room, glaring at the rich, cruel merchants, who smirked back. 

As much as she could struggle, it still wasn’t enough. She watched as the heavily muscled “nurses” pull her wings out straight, and as the others stuck the silver hooks deep into their flesh. They let go of the hooks, none too gently, and she bit her tongue as they pulled back.

            I will not scream for these bastards, and I will not be pinned like a captured butterfly. Reaching into her power supply she sucked her wings into her skin until she had a normal back again. She still didn’t scream when the hooks sank deep into her skin and pulled back, ripping the skin of her back. She did smile grimly when the hooks got embedded in the various nurses around her.

            “Naughty, naughty” said the first plastic-clad demon. He tightened the ringlets around her arms and legs and pulled her arms above her head until she was dangling just above the ground.

            “Come now, merchants, and drink of her power. Take all of it if you want, courtesy of the king.” The demon cackled wildly as the power-hungry merchants circled around Silvia. They each took one silver-clad nail and poked her skin, sucking in her power and her energy.

Having their fill, of ALL her magic, the king finally came over and grinned up at her. Taking out a black-filled syringe and needle he stuck it into her stomach.

“That’s what you get for burning me, wench” he said as the black poison ran through her veins, turning them black as it in the process. Only then, as she was going hazy eyed, and feeling the molten heat and dry iciness of black poison, did she let out one blood curling, painful scream.

Before she blacked out, or maybe died, she heard the crash of doors and screams.