Chapter twenty one

[Cara’s POV]

“Help me! Please! Anyone!” I sobbed and screamed. However, as I looked through my own eyes, my screams never left my motionless mouth and my sobbing and movements never connected with my own eyes and hands. I was trapped. I was trapped inside my own body and no matter how hard I tried screaming in my head, or tried to force myself to run away, I couldn’t do it. My body, now under the control of Malum, stood guard at the entrance of the dungeon. Wails and sobs of prisoners echoed horrendously through the long corridors and through the hole in the side of the castle wall the rain poured in, drenching the stone grounds and enhancing the putrid smells.

“Someone please help me!” I cried once again. Once again, it was only in my head and my eyes and body stayed motionless as I continued to stand as a perfect puppet. Due to the damage made by my friends on the cells and castle many of the cells were open, but no one dared to leave them – the ones who were physically able to anyway. They had tried, at first. The prisoners tried escaping and running out of the dungeon but Malum quickly let them know how bars and glass wasn’t the real cell holding them in. Every once in a while one prisoner would gather enough courage to run and-

In the corner of my eyes I saw a movement. And as I continued to stare blankly forward I could notice the dishevelled hair of an Abled – one who hadn’t been experimented on yet. “RUN!” I pleaded and encouraged silently, hoping that Malum’s invisible eyes wouldn’t see the Abled prisoner trying to escape.

Kill. Him.

“NO!” I shouted back in my head.

Kill. Him! Malum’s voice was echoing in my head, invading the only space I had left of myself.

“No! Please don’t make me do it! PLEASE!” I cried and cried and cried.

KILL! HIM! Malum’s husky voice screamed in my inner mind.

Without permission, my eyes moved, then my head followed by the rest of my body. “No! Stop! STOP!” I shouted in my head. The noise in the dungeon grew when everyone realised that he had been spotted. The Abled prisoner’s eyes snapped to mine and they widened as pure fear filled the windows to his soul. He turned suddenly and ran as fast as he could and once again, even though I tried so hard to stop my own body, my hands began motioning and circling until bright violet beams of energy formed between my hands. With the Abled prisoner in sights my body threw the beams of energy towards the prisoner and I watched, helplessly, as my own Godforsaken ability flew straight for his back.

“NOOO!” I screamed as my body’s beams pierced into his back and swiftly passed through him like a hot knife through butter. Suddenly the Abled stopped running and flopped straight down to the ground and, thankfully, out of my eye sight. I didn’t want to see what he looked like after having the beams slice through him. I cried and I cried, but of course my actual body never shed a tear. All my turmoil, all my fading hope and depression was stuck inside my mind with the little bit of consciousness I had left.

Well done, Chaos. You could very well be one of my favourite puppets with your abilities and obedience. Malum’s voice cackled in my head.

“I will never obey you! Never! I will always fight you, my soul will never be yours to completely control!” I spat back.

Not right now.... but soon. You wait and watch, dear Chaos. You will eventually, as will everyone. I’m only lacking one ingredient to my experiments.

Malum’s evil cackle resonated throughout my mind and if I had control of my body, I was sure to have been on my knees sobbing.

[Val’s POV]

My eyes snapped open as I quickly sat up in my bed. Sweat covered my body and I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes to try and forget about the dreams that continue to plague my sleep. The part that scared me the most was the fact that they weren’t dreams. The nightmares that had me tossing and turning every time I closed my eyes were memories of the time I spent kidnapped by Malum. Flashes and voices and faces seemed to be stuck behind my eyelids and I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

“You’re safe now. You’re safe now. It was just a nightmare” I chanted to myself as I rocked back and forth under the thin sweat covered sheet. I blew out a breath and looked outside at the pitch black landscape that would highlight the outlines with every flash of lightening. “I love rain... but this storm is becoming ridiculous” I whispered to myself.

There was no way I was going back to sleep. I threw the sheet back and padded over to the bathroom before splashing my face with cool water. I looked up at the mirror and noted the dark circles that buried itself under my eyes. My pallor was pale and I had lost too much weight. Even my hair that was cut short last year was growing longer again, though at the moment it was nothing short of a birds nest.

I quietly closed the door, careful not to wake Helena, and slipped on a pair of shoes before entering the corridor. I needed a walk somewhere, I needed to keep my mind busy so I wouldn’t keep thinking of the memories and Cara still stuck at the Stinger’s Hideout. I had no idea what time it was, but it must have been some time in the early hours of the morning. The air had a chilly bite to it and not a sound was made in the corridor or rooms. I didn’t realise where I was walking to until I saw Cameron sitting at the top of the flight of stairs.

“What are you doing out here at this time?” Cameron jumped and turned to see me before relaxing and shrugged.

“I don’t sleep much nowadays...” He mumbled.

I sighed, and walked over to him sitting on the empty space the stairs next to him. “I know what you mean.” I whispered. I winced as I bit the inside of my lip a little too hard and I felt that lip tremble. “I’m so sorry, Cameron.”

Tears quickly flooded my eyes, blurring my vision until I could see nothing but blotted colours. “What for, Val?” Cameron asked in confusion.

I sniffed and a fat tear dropped on my trembling fisted hands. “It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault that Cara was kidnapped with me. My fault that Malum kept experimenting on her. It was all my fault that she’s not here and stuck as one of Malum’s play things! I’m so so sorry!”

Trembles wracked up my spine and I began to sob as I waited for him to shout or yell at me. “What are you talking about, Val?”

“I tried so hard to fight them off and protect Cara, but I failed. I told Cara that we’d get out, and I failed because she isn’t here. I told her so many things, I promised her so many things about getting away from Malum and every single promise was broken-“

“Val!” Cameron shouted softly. “Surely Derrek’s already told you this isn’t your fault? I was there remember? I was down in the dungeon when Cara came out and attacked me! My girlfriend tried to kill me, Val. That wasn’t your fault, nor was it Cara’s. This is all Malum’s doing and I’m telling you right now if I ever get my hands on him he wouldn’t have the time to scream in pain before I put him out of it.” I looked to the side at Cameron and saw his hands clenched so hard on the metal railings of the staircase that when he released it the metal had bent into the mould of his fingers.

“What do you think the Deviant we saw earlier wanted?” I whispered. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it had something to do with me. Who knows how long it had been lurking in the forest, but as soon as it spotted me it had flown off.

Cameron slowly shook his head and sighed, rubbing his temples. “I have no idea. Us Elementals were left behind before Malum even began experimenting with animals. The majority of us still had some sort of consciousness to us but it seems like his experimenting is becoming more solid and easier to control...”

“... I’m scared” I quietly admitted. “I don’t want to go to him. I don’t want him to find me again. I don’t think I could handle it again, Cameron” The atmosphere felt cold and I wrapped my arms around myself as I took deep breaths and pushed my nightmares away again.

“Me too,” Cameron replied, “Me too.”

Cameron and I stayed sitting at the top of the stairs in comfortable camaraderie. Sometimes we spoke, other times we took comfort in the silence and company we both offered. I somehow felt a kinship with Cameron because we both felt a sort of responsibility over Cara and seemed the most affected by her being kept with Malum. It wasn’t until the first sounds of movement were heard that we both stood up and walked back to our apartments.

I entered my apartment and Helena looked up from her meadow and cocked her head. “I was wondering where you went this morning. Are you feeling okay, Val?”

I offered her a crooked smile and nodded. “Yeah, fine. I’m going to get ready for class. What do we have first?”

“Uh... we’re with the Elementals for their Elementals Skills class” Helena replied. “I’m all good to go, as soon as you’re ready we’ll meet up with Blake and Derrek”

***

“We’re not Elementals...” Derrek grumbled as we walked down the stairs behind Blake and Helena towards our first class.

“I’m aware of that” I laughed.

“Then why the hell are we going to Elementals Skills when we aren’t Elementals? Why did the teachers think we need to be attached to the hips with these Elementals?”

I chuckled and jumped the last step before continuing down the maze of hallways. “ I don’t know, maybe it’s because we work well with them and we know them best?” Derrek grumbled under his breath again and looked like an eight year old who had his lollipop taken away from him.

We rounded the corner and stopped when the normal classroom’s door was shut and a note was stuck to the front. I leaned closer and began to read.

Class -

Today we will require a larger classroom.
Please make your way to the classroom at the very end of the hallway.

Ms Avia

“A larger classroom?” Blake read out loud. “What in the world are we doing today?”

“Well obviously you’ll find out when we get there won’t you?” Derrek raised and eyebrow. Blake rolled his eyes but turned and he and Helena led the way down the hallway. “What an idio- ah!”

I quickly turned when Derrek yelled but he was no longer next to me. I looked around and then finally glanced down and saw him on the ground rubbing his backside with steam literally heating up around him. “What happened, Sparky?!” I called out flabbergasted just as Blake broke out in hysterics.

Derrek jumped and I saw the last of a patch of water dry up from where Derrek had fallen. The heat radiating off him was a little uncomfortable for me and when I looked back at his face I could practically see the pulse ticking in his temple. Derrek pointed a finger down the hallway and growled, “That Ice Prick laid a sheet of ice on the ground!”

Once again Blake’s laughter could be heard and I mentally sighed when Derrek growled again and began racing down the hallway. The next thing I heard was a solid bang, some shouting and quite possibly the smell of burning fabric. “Ugh, not again!” I groaned while I quickened my pace and immediately stopped when I found Derrek holding Blake in a headlock on the ground as another ice sheet was quickly evaporating beneath them. A large hole had been burned over the stomach of his shirt and every once in a while a little flame would light up on his hair.

“...HIM... OFF... ME!”

“... YOU REALISE YOU CAN’T WIN AGAINST M-...!”

“Take THAT!”

“You think that hurts?! HA!”

The two of them were literally rolling on the ground managing to get the other into headlocks or twisting the other’s arm behind him. I simply stared at the two of them and had nothing but ‘seriously?’ filled my head. I glanced over at Helena who was shaking her head and just as Blake put out yet another little fire that was burning the tips of one section of hair the ground between them burst up separated them apart forming a rock wall.

“Is there any problems here?” Ms Avia cleared her throat from behind the two fighting guys. Blake and Derrek shook their heads and the rock wall slowly retracted back down to the ground. “Come on you lot, everyone else is already inside!” The guys threw one last glare at each other and we quickly walked into class.

[Cara’s POV]

Through my still eyes, I watched as Malum stood directly in front of the hole in the castle wall. Even up to now I couldn’t believe the horrific changes in him. His appearance was much different than the decaying man that started these experiences and had I been able to control my own body I would have been covering my eyes. Every so often Malum would drag his eyes over the prisoners and they would all fall to the ground as though they were all being electrocuted.

A disturbing smirk would lift onto his face before he would turn back to the hole and watch the rain bucket down. Hours passed when, through the slashing rain, a dark silhouette grew larger and larger. Suddenly one of the experiments flew through the hole, splashing thousands of crystal droplets of water inside, and landed roughly with a loud thud. Large russet wings slowly folded themselves back in on themselves from his back and with a quick shake the water clinging to the feathers covering his wings and down his shoulders to his chest splashed off.

“Griffon” Malum announced softly. “What information have you brought me?” Although Malum’s voice fills my head when he commanded me to torture prisoners, I still have not, and probably never will, feel the automatic shiver run down my spine at the soft, wicked and cruel voice that spilt from the dead mouth of the evil Stinger.

Griffon opened his mouth but only a screech flew out from his pointed lips. Malum stared into Griffon’s dead eyes as he screeched and with a slight nod Malum smirked once more. A huge gust of frigid wind blew inside and the feathers that covered the top half of the experiment ruffled in the chilly gust. Finally the screeching stopped and Malum nodded slightly once more before turning.

“Looks like young Valerie seeks the shelter of Abled University once again” Malum cackled. “But not for long.”

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A/N

Just so you guys know, I uploaded a video on the side. Yes, that’s me (excuse my appearance), I just really felt the need to give a personal thank you to you all. I’ve had a really rough couple of weeks – residential school for nursing, soaring blood pressure that the doctor wanted me hospitalised (I refused), assessments and exams, I’m also in the middle of moving houses and I start clinical placements next week!!! I’m also sick as a dog so that’s why I sound a little weird.

I feel a little brain dead so I can’t really remember all too much what I’ve written over the last couple of weeks, I just hope it makes sense!

Sending my love and thanks to all you beautiful people,

Nix <3