Evabelle began to smile, but then stopped.  It may have been something so simple for someone to say, but not for Lucis, Evabelle realized.  This young man was the victim to a vindictive father who was the reason that Evabelle was where she was.  Averno was a hated man, and it was by his blood that everyone saw his two sons as potential versions of him.  They all thought that that awful man must of trained them and turned them into monsters like himself, and for some reason, it was especially seen that Lucis was like him, even though it was his other son, Del, that shared more of his physical appearance.         

Evabelle knew Lucis as the leader of their group.  He was someone who put others before himself.  He was someone who turned the other cheek when he was insulted.  He was someone who did not let his pain show, in fact, he acted as though nothing hurt him all.  Constantly, Lucis acted as though he were invincible.  A great leader for one to follow is one that does not show weakness.  But Evabelle knew that there was no one that was invincible, least of all Lucis.  Her friend, Faux, had said that he had once seen Lucis in the light of one that was impenetrable as well, but now he knew that Lucis was most certainly affected by the blows that were thrown against him.  Evabelle herself, had true confirmation of the statement.  Briefly, her mind flashed back to Lucis, smiling and helping others as they abused and scorned him.  Though his smile still shown, bloody slashes whipped across his skin at every spiteful remark.

            Evabelle shivered and felt a bit of bile rise in her throat.  She shook her head.  After pretending to feel invincible for everyone, it must be a relief to actually feel it, even if it was for just a moment.  "It's not stupid."  She whispered.

            Lucis glanced at her.  "Are you okay?"

            Evabelle blinked, realizing that she was looking at the ground with her eyes burning, as though she were about to cry.  She quickly straightened and shoved the nightmare away.  "Yeah, of course.  I really need to get back to my gardening."

            Lucis leapt to his feet and held out an arm.  "How about I help you?"

            Evabelle blinked up at him and took the outstretched hand.  "Thank you, but it's supposed to be a sort of training for me."

            Lucis pulled her to her feet, a little too quickly.  She stumbled forward and fell against his chest.  Hurriedly, she scuttled away, with her face in flames.  Lucis smiled calmly at her.  "You know you're not going to be fighting alone."

            When Evabelle's blush had receded, she looked up into those crystal blue eyes and that strong curved smile, and returned it.  "I suppose you're right."

            The pair returned to the garden, and Evabelle and Lucis finished with the rest of the flowers that Calandra had given her in a fraction of the time that it had taken Evabelle to plant the four others.  Lucis, who was normally so clean, was up past his elbows in mud, both his hair and his faces had streaks, but he still grinned and seemed perfectly content.  Evabelle sighed.  He had taken over all the dirty work as she had suspected.  It made her feel better, but also guilty.  "I'm not the right kind of princess."  Evabelle shook her head.  "You need the kind that's not afraid of getting her hands dirty."

            Lucis reached over and took her hands in his messy ones, getting the gunk all engrossed in between her fingers again.  "There you go."  He laughed.

            Evabelle pulled a face and pushed him away.  "I mean, seriously."  She rolled her eyes and began to scrape the crap off best she could. 

            Lucis closed his mouth, but kept the smile, and leaned back on his hands.  Even though he was covered in dirt, he looked rather cute.  Evabelle began to blush again, so she quickly shoved the thought.  "When you get my mud off, tell me what you see."  The Anahalian boy replied.  The teasing had left his voice.

            Evabelle looked at her hands, the fresh mud slipping off.  Her hands had once been soft and pink.  Today they were still coated in the old mud from before Lucis come and had taken her away to go falling.  But then Evabelle looked at her hands closer and saw beyond even that.  The once soft gentle hands now were the home to calluses from the training that her and Aza had been doing, and some new raw blisters from her work with the trowel.

            "Just like you said," Lucis spoke before Evabelle had a chance.  "You may not enjoy the work, but you still do it because you know that it will be worth it."  He rocked forward, pushing off from his hands and wrapped them around his knees.  "We don't need a princess who just runs into any fight she comes across.  We need a princess to knows when to fight and, even though she doesn't like it, she does it anyway."

            Evabelle looked up at him and smiled.  "You always know the right thing to say."

            Lucis shrugged.  "It's my job."

            Evabelle let her hands fall to her sides.  Soon it wouldn't be anymore.  Soon I won't always need consolation.  Soon you won't have to be the strong one for everyone else.  Leaning down, Evabelle picked up the tray that had held the plants.  "Well, I'm going to head in and get cleaned up.  Are you coming?"

            Lucis glanced around the garden.  It had been the place where both Evabelle and he had danced together with the fairies.  It was also  the place that Evabelle got her first glimpse of the real Lucis.  Since then, she had seen brief flashes of it.  Especially the moments when he was flying did the real him reveal itself.  The entire afternoon that they had spent together, falling and flying, gardening and laughing, Evabelle had felt like she was really seeing him as close to him as he had ever been besides that moment when they had snuck out and danced to no music. 

            "You go on.  I'll catch up later.  I think I'll just stay out here and admire our handy work for a bit longer."  Lucis finally replied with a smile.

            Evabelle adjusted the tray in her grip.  "Alright.  I'll see you later then."  She gave a nod in farewell, then turned back to the mansion. 

LUCIS

The Anahalian's gaze followed after Evabelle as she walked away from him.  The smile slowly slipped from his face as she ducked under the hedge's arch, leaving the garden.  Lucis could hear the cold taunting voice echoing in his mind.  He tore his gaze away from the girl in front of him and stared down at one of the pale flowers the two of them had planted, without seeing it. 

            Lucis hadn't told anyone about his little detour at Etheldreda's castle, even though Del had tried to get it out of him.  When the witch had come and taken him from his cage to be dragged up the steps to the room where his father's illusive form had waited.  The memory flashed back into his mind as vividly as if it had been yesterday.

            Pain.  It spiked as a particularly sharp heeled boot made impact with the back of his leg sending him down to his knees.  Lucis blinked, blearily, still coming to after Etheldreda had doused him in more of her sleeping drug, to keep him from fighting.  The blurry shape in front of him, slowly sharpened into a monster with dark leather wings and face of his brother.

            "Lucis," his voice, cold and heartless as ever.   Averno then waved his hand for Etheldreda to leave them, which she did, leaving him alone with his son.  "It's been far too long."

"I think you mean, not long enough."  Lucis said coldly, as he struggled to rise, but his arms, along with his wings were  tied now behind his back.  "What do you want with me, Averno?"

The demon man laughed.  "Must you even ask that question?  I am merely a father, trying to have a better relationship with my son."

Lucis glared silently at his father.

Averno's smile widened.  "What?  Don't you believe me?"  He swept around, the edge of his bat wing slicing across Lucis's cheek.  He felt heat as the liquid dripped down from his face.  "I think you know, Lucis, I wanted to check on you, see if you've been consumed by it's power, but obviously not.  It is to be expected after all.  You are my son.  Strength of mind is something we share.  Of course Delaney is more like your mother.  They're so much weaker.  If he was more like you, he would be able to control those visions of his more, and--"

"SHUT UP!"  Lucis roared.  "Don't you dare call my brother weak!"  His body shook with anger, his heart pounding agonizingly.  He could practically feel it pumping the poisonous thoughts into his mind, obliterating the walls that he had taken years to put up around that dangerous heart.  Lucis grit his teeth, trying to suppress it again.  "How can you say you're strong, when you're the one who's given in?  You're the one who's accepted it!"  He said through his clenched jaw.

Averno's teeth gleamed like skulls in his mouth.  "And it feels glorious."  He said over Lucis's shouts.  "I am free to be who I am, while you suffer to fight to be this lie of a man.  It will always be a war within you.  You will never be free until you embrace it and accept.  Once you do, you control it for your own bidding.  What you do will only bring pain to you and all of your little friends."

"I don't care what you say."  Lucis snapped back.  "I know who I am, and I'm never going to stop fighting to be just that.  I am the descendant of Angels!  I am the guardian of mankind!"  He took several deep breaths and lowered his voice but kept the anger.  "I know that I am not perfect, but I will always be fighting to be better.  But most of all, I know, with utmost certainty, is that I am not you, and I never will be.  I will never accept being a monster."

Averno smirked at Lucis's last retort.  "Never is an awfully long time, boy."  Then the fallen Anahalian had turned his back on his son, waving Etheldreda back into the room.  "But, if you insist of fighting a losing battle, who am I to stop you?"

The witch came over to Lucis and began rustling in her pocket for her Narcal powder to put him under again.

"Oh, and since I am such a compassionate father, I will give you this little bit of advice.  You've worked so hard to get where you are, and I wouldn't want to see you fail."

Etheldreda found the stuff and silently began to sprinkle it over him, and Lucis could feel his consciousness slipping, but he did manage to catch his father's last words to him, and feel the icy trill as it penetrated him to the core.

"Don't fall in love with the Angel, Lucis."  Averno shook his head, allowing Lucis to catch his cruel, vindictive grin.  "With that heart, you wouldn't have a chance."

            The sleeping powder did it's work and Lucis fell under once more.

            Lucis shook himself from the memory and glanced up, but Evabelle was long gone.  He pushed himself to his feet, shoved his filthy hands into his pockets, and exited the garden.  Instead of heading for the Sanctuary, he made his way back towards the cliff.  He wasn't quite ready to return to everyone yet.

            Lucis knew Averno had said that to get under his skin.  But he also knew that that demon had said it because Averno was well aware that it was too late. 

EVABELLE

Evabelle had barely ducked out from the arching entrance to the hedge maze that surrounded Calandra's more prized flowerbeds, when she heard someone screaming her name. 

            "EVABELLE!"

            Evabelle swiveled her eyes around only to land on the short, skinny, blonde running like a mad woman directly at her.

            "You gotta' help me!"  Evabelle's best friend, Aza, yelled out to her, a wild grin plastered to her impish face.  "The freaking goth gargoyle is after me!"

            Slowly, Evabelle's gaze slid upward where a dark shadowy angel loomed in the sky, streaking straight toward the whirlwind of small, blonde, and insanity.  She's dead.  Evabelle thought simply, right as Aza slammed into her.

            The two of them tumbled to the ground, the tray flipping over several feet away.  Evabelle barely had the chance to catch her breath before she was being dragged to her feet.  "Come on!  We've got to run!"  Aza screamed.

            Why?  Evabelle thought.  He's got wings.  We've got no chance.  But Aza was not one for believing logic.  Evabelle's friend dragged her away from the house and toward the twisted, gnarled orchard that glittered with fairy lights.  Some of the little creatures scattered as the two girls crashed and staggered over the large warped roots that stuck up from the ground. 

            Evabelle had not gone far in the little forest, maybe just skirted around the first few trees, but never as far as Aza was took her.  It did got rather dark and more enclosed, the deeper they went, but Aza didn't notice.  She glanced behind her, still grinning.  "There's no way he can get us in here!"

            "Aza."  Evabelle dug her feet into the ground, causing Aza to stop as well.  "What did you do?"

            The short blonde girl turned to look at her, her silvery eyes wide in mock innocence.  "Why would you assume that I did something?"

            Evabelle raised her eyebrows, right as one of the fairies drifted over them, shedding a bit of light on her friend.  The choppy hair had its usual braid with her mother's charm dangling at its end, but next to it Evabelle saw a sleek black streak in the girl's lighter hair.  Evabelle put her hands on her hips.  "You stole one of his feathers?"

            Aza giggled.  "Yeah, the idiot was just laying out in the grass, taking a snooze.  I just sort of crept over and plucked one.  He barely even stirred.  I think it's one of the special ones too."  She put a hand to her hair, brushing the feather.  "When he woke up, he didn't even have to look at me to know it was gone.  But seriously the look on his face was priceless."

            Evabelle shook her head.  "To take a munera is a more serious offence.  It's a part of their strength.  To be in a position with no munera is bad.  It's practically suicide."

            Aza eyes darted over the dark trees.  "Hey, I only took one."  She grabbed Evabelle's wrist again.  "He may not be able to fly in here, but that doesn't mean he won't be able to find us."  And again they were off.

            Evabelle began to worry about getting lost, when light from up ahead revealed the entrance.  Aza stopped a few trees from there and put a hand to her lips.  Then, slowly, the girl inched her way forward until she could get a good look out.  She gave a nod to Evabelle and bolted from the trees back to Calandra's Sanctuary.  Evabelle ran out to follow, just a few steps behind. 

            The two girls had barely made it out of cover when a blur of black feathers surrounded Aza and then shot up, taking Evabelle's friend with it.  Evabelle craned her neck and cupped her hands around her eyes to see the two of them soaring higher until they came to a stop.  They were too far away to hear, and Evabelle desperately wanted to know what was happening.  She didn't have to wait long before Aza's screams answered her question.  Evabelle's eyes widened as she watched her friend coming toward the ground very fast.  Aza flailed and cried out as she free fell through the air, getting closer and closer to death.

            Del hovered in the same spot, watching the whole display with an expression Evabelle could only assume was satisfaction.

            Aza was too close, and for a moment Evabelle thought he wasn't going to come, but just before Aza became a fiery blonde pancake, the dark knight dived, caught her, dropped from where she was, and swooped away.

            Aza spun for a second, before her knees buckled and she fell to her hands and knees.  She breathed heavily, her eyes as wide as saucers.  "H-he," She stuttered.  Evabelle noted that the feather was no longer in her hair.  Swallowing hard, Aza blinked several times.  Then she shoved herself to her feet and whirled to face the shrinking form of Lucis's opposite.  Her small hands balled into fists and she burst into a run after him.  "JERK!"  She screamed after him.  "You tried to kill me!  Just you wait!"

            Evabelle gave a laugh, watching those two.  There had been a time when Evabelle had really liked Del, but it was quite obvious that there was something else going on between him and her friend.  Evabelle strode back toward the hedge garden and picked up the fallen tray and began her way back to the Sanctuary again.  Her eyes traveled around for any more surprises. 

            The roof of the Sanctuary caught her eye.  Calandra, the beautiful mage, sat out reading one of her many spell books.  The third Anahalian, Faux, was up there as well, peering over her shoulder and speaking soft words.  Calandra ignored the flirt until Faux started to make kissy lips and the mage snapped the book on them.  That made Evabelle laugh again as the russet Anahalian rubbed his lips tenderly, while the mage gave a small smile.

            On the grounds, by the flowers at the front of the house, padded a small young girl with a thin black cat at her side.  The girl, though blind, had gathered an array of gorgeous flowers.  Evabelle beamed as Gem straightened up with her bundle and ran to the doors, so she could no doubt set up for her tea party in her brother's, Kai's, room.

            All the people at the Sanctuary, Evabelle had grown very close to.  There were others that Evabelle cared about as well, that she knew she had to help get back.  Along with her mother and brother back at the old McCarthy apartment, the inhabitants at the Sanctuary had become a part of her family. 

            The smile fell as her mind flashed to her nightmare.  Each one of her friends suffered.  Each one of them ended up covered in blood.  Each one of them, Evabelle had failed to save.  Evabelle closed her eyes, hugging the tray to her chest.  She let her mind drift to the other part of the dream.  The part that had really felt like a dream rather than a nightmare.  The man with golden wings and glowing smile.  The man who had told her that if something is worth it to you, then you work willingly.  The man with her  eyes and hair just like hers.

            Evabelle opened her eyes and began to run to the Sanctuary, her mind beginning to spin, and her heart beginning to race again.

            The man the claimed to be her father.

~(A/N: And ladies and gentlemen, we have chapter one of book 2!! Let me know what you think! Please vote and comment with any thoughts on this chapter! I love advice, tips, suggestions, etc. They really mean a lot!

So I'm thinking about possibly continuing on her even though, I'm still writing it. The updates would be farther apart and they're would probably be more mistakes. I would really love to hear your thoughts on this!! Would you prefer I wait and start posting in a few months instead, or would you like me to continue on and just have further updates from each other??? I'd love to hear your thoughts!! Thank you so much!!! :D)~