Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 29, 2017 20:06:53 GMT
Weiss closed her eyes, trying to take comfort in what her shadow spirits were saying to her. They circled her, curling around her shoulder, lounging in her lap. Anyone looking might have thought she had a dozen snakes slithering around her body. For Weiss though, this was normal. Ever since she’d snapped at Wally, she’d left the house less and less, and was spending even more time with her shadow spirits. They liked to remind her that they were always there for her, that they were the only ones who really understood her. On some days, for hours at a time, she’d close her eyes and let them whisper to her, their minds linked so they didn’t even have to speak out loud. Anytime she felt guilty about what she was doing, or how she’d been acting, they’d reassure her.
You’re doing this to protect yourself, so nobody can hurt you again.
We’re your true friends, Weiss. Nobody else understands the darkness in you like we do.
You can trust us. You don’t need anybody else. Only us.
Weiss breathed out slowly, taking the words in. Yes, they were right. They were always right. She didn’t need anyone else. She’d gotten this far without her friends or her family. She could keep going.
A dim noise registered in her brain, but she couldn’t make out what it was. She decided to ignore it. It sounded again though, a little louder. She frowned. Who was making that racket? She was doing something important. The noise sounded a third time, and she registered what it was.
“Weiss!” Her father’s voice sounded angry through her bedroom door, which he was banging on.
Weiss’s eyes opened, and she gave an angry sigh. The shadow spirits hissed, but they knew they had to put their bonding time on pause. They could resume again after hearing whatever stupid thing Weiss’s father had to say. The shadow spirits disappeared under her bed, while Weiss got to her feet and opened the door.
“Yes?” she asked, her voice quiet, almost tired. But Jacques didn’t seem to notice.
“Weiss, I’ve had it with this attitude of yours,” he said as he stormed into her room. “Ever since Mardi Gras, you’ve gotten this anti-social and moody attitude. I’m putting a stop to it, now.”
Weiss frowned. Did her father really think he was going to stop her from what she was doing? “I’m working on some voodoo,” she replied, which technically wasn’t a lie. “If I’m going to keep our reputation in the voodoo community, I have to be the best, don’t I?”
“You think acting like this is going to help our reputation?” her father snapped as he glared at her. “I will not have my only daughter be remembered by the press as an anti-social recluse!”
“I don’t care about the stupid press!” Weiss yelled. “What I’m doing is more important than any of that stuff!” She didn’t know how she’d lost her temper so easily. All she knew was that she was angry for her father lecturing her about this irrelevant stuff while she was working something tremendously important. What she was learning was going to help her become the voodoo queen, maybe one of the best. She couldn’t let her father get in the way of that.
“Don’t you start yelling at me, young lady!” Jacques shouted back. “Your insolent behavior will not be tolerated! You’d better shape up or-”
“Or what?” Weiss challenged. “You’ll disown me? Throw me out, like you did to Riku?” Weiss knew she wasn’t making the situation any better, but she couldn’t help it. She felt so angry, and any thought of trying to appease her father so she wouldn’t lose her chance of becoming the voodoo queen completely left her mind. Any negative emotions she’d been trying to keep in check came gushing out, and words flew out of her mouth in a torrent that she couldn’t control. “‘Cause that’s what you always do to people you don’t like, don’t you? You break them and hurt them and then you throw them away like trash! You’re nothing but a heartless, spineless-”
Weiss didn’t get any further. Jacques’s hand moved, striking her across the face. Her vision blurred for a moment as her cheek instantly began to sting horribly. The torrent of angry words stopped, and Jacques glared at her with eyes as cold as a blizzard. He opened his mouth to say more, but he never had a chance.
Before Weiss could even blink, her shadow spirits sprung out from under her bed like snakes pouncing on their prey. They lunged towards Jacques, pinning him against the wall hard enough to make a loud thud. Weiss’s expression of surprise and shock mirrored her father’s as the shadow spirits spoke directly to him.
“You will not lay a hand on Weiss Schnee again. Not if you want to face our wrath.”
For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, silence hung in the air. Jacques seemed at a loss at what to do or say, and Weiss was the same. The cat was out of the bag, and she didn’t know what to do. Out of all the ways for her secret to be revealed, she hadn’t imagined it going down like this.
Suddenly, her bedroom door swung open. Everyone turned to look. It was Weiss’s mother, with a staff in her hands. Weiss’s eyes widened. She hadn’t seem her mother wield that staff since her days as a prominent voodoo priestess.
"I had a feeling something fishy was lurking around this house," she said, glaring at the shadow spirits. "Now, I'm going to say this one, and only once. Pur my husband down." Ciri’s words were deadly and cold. The shadow spirits seemed happy to obey, although as soon as Jacques plopped to the ground, they launched themselves at Ciri.
“No, don’t!” Weiss cried, before all hell broke loose. It may have been a while since Ciri had used her staff, but her skill hadn’t diminished. She let loose whatever spells came to mind, bolts of energy bouncing about the room as she tried to fend off the shadow spirits. They lashed at her repeatedly, always been stopped by either getting struck with a magic bold or smacked with her staff. But it wasn’t enough. They could pick away at Ciri all day, letting her exhaust all her energy before they went in the for the kill. As she prepared to attack them again, Weiss ran towards her, trying to wrestle the staff out of her hands.
“Leave them alone!” she cried. “Don’t hurt them!”
“Weiss, these are creatures of darkness!” Ciri yelled. “They’re not staying here, not for another minute!”
“No, please!” Weiss begged. “They’re my friends!”
Ciri’s eyes widened in horror. She shoved forward, pushing Weiss away and making her stumble to the floor. Her angry eyes turned the shadow spirits.
“You’ve brainwashed her!” she yelled. “You’ve made her blind to what you really are!”
The shadow spirits hissed angrily. “We were there for her when nobody else was,” they replied, their voices cold and slithering. It made Weiss shiver. “She is our mistress now, and we will protect her.”
“That’s what you think,” Ciri snarled. The crystal embedded at the tip of her staff glowed as she started to chant in Creole French. Weiss realized what was about to happen.
“No, don’t! Stop!”
But it was too late. A beam of light shot from the staff, hitting a shadow spirit dead-on. It vanished within a second, like a cloud of steam that had been wiped away. Weiss felt her heart stop and she could only watch in horror as her mother took out her shadow spirits one by one. They were no match for the light that she had summoned. When the last one was gone, it became eerily quiet. Weiss’s body shook, barely comprehending what she’d just seen. Her father was the first one to speak.
“Are they…are they dead?” he asked as he got to his feet.
Ciri shook her head. “I just pushed them away, that’s all. It’ll take them a while to recuperate. Before then, we need to protect this house. I want wards placed around the borders of the property. Protective charms and voodoo dolls should be handed out to everyone here. And if they ever dare to show their faces around here again, I’ll have them exterminated.”
Weiss’s eyes widened in horror. ‘No, no, no! You can’t do that!” she cried as she stood up.
Ciri and Jacques whirled around to face her, as if just realizing she was there. Ciri spoke first, her voice angry. “How long have they been here?” she demanded. “When did they start serving you?”
“Back at Mardi Gras,” Weiss replied, her voice shaking. “When I was fighting Thrax. I summoned them, and they helped me fight him off. They’re here to protect me!”
“You don’t need protection from the likes of them!” Ciri yelled. “They’re evil creatures, Weiss. Monsters like that only want to get inside your head. You think they’re serving you, but it’s the other way around. They only want to use you.”
“Like you’re any better!” Weiss shouted, tears filling her eyes. “That’s all either of you do to me! You just use me for your benefit. You show me off like I’m some pretty new toy. They were there for me when you weren’t!”
Ciri drew back, horror plainly etched onto her face. She whirled around towards her husband. “We can’t let the press get a hold of this. If they find out Weiss has been with these creatures, they’ll run amuck with it. This whole incident stays in this house.”
“Agreed,” Jacques said, nodding. He could keep the press out of their hair. Warding off these shadow spirits though, that would be Ciri’s job. Sure, Jacques could do voodoo as well, but Ciri’s reputation as a powerful priestess outweighed his own. It was the reason they’d been matched together in the first place. Ciri was better at actual voodoo, Jacques was better with the business aspect of it. “We’ve already had one dark voodoo incident taint this family. If this gets out of hand…”
“No!” Weiss didn’t care about whatever past incident they were talking about. She just couldn’t let them take her shadow spirits away. “You can’t do this. I need them! They’re the only ones who understand me!”
“We won’t stand for this anymore Weiss,” Jacques said, his voice cold and biting. “These spirits have obviously done a number on you. No doubt they’ve been responsible for your change in demeanor. With them out of the way, you should be back to your old self.”
“You can’t get rid of them!” Weiss shouted, her voice shrill.
“Weiss, this is for your own good,” Ciri said. “You’re a LaFayette. You can’t run around with creatures like these. It’ll only drag our family down. I suggest you come to terms without having those monsters around anymore.”
And that was the final word on the matter. Ciri and Jacques left the room, leaving Weiss all alone. The sense of emptiness and loneliness washed over her and she felt herself shaking. Her shadow spirits had been with her for so long, she felt isolated without them. She collapsed to her knees and sobbed, feeling like everything she’d worked so hard for had been ripped away.
Evening fell, and the LaFayette mansion was quiet. Nobody around the house ever stirred this late at night. However, tonight would be different. On the edge of the grounds, a black lamborghini slowly crept to a standstill. Out of it emerged Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald, all of them dressed in black.
“I still think this is crazy,” Mercury muttered. “Thrax wants us to break into the homes of one of the richest families in the city. He’s insane.”
“But Weiss is there, so it’s where we have to go,” Cinder replied, her voice cool and calm. “Thrax wants her, and since he’s helped us, we have to help him in return.”
“But Cinder, even you have to admit, he’s been getting nutty lately,” Emerald said. “I thought he was bad enough after Mardi Gras, but ever since Pitch almost finished him off, he’s been getting worse.”
Cinder made no reply, although she knew what Emerald meant. Thrax was slowly losing his mind, and everyone knew it. His mood could change from calm to explosive in an instant. Sometimes, what he said made no sense. And the look in his eyes had changed from confident to crazy.
“That doesn’t matter,” Cinder said. “We’ve been studying this house for months. We know the entire layout and now the security works. We go in, Emerald hits Weiss with the chloroform, then we grab her and get out. It’s a simple process.”
Mercury and Emerald only nodded. While they may not trust Thrax so much, they trusted Cinder. They’d follow her anymore. Without anymore talk, the three of them headed over to the tall iron fence that surrounded the estate. Mercury was able to bend them apart no problem, thanks to his abilities. Their footsteps were quiet against the grass. Any security cameras on the place were either avoided, or overheated from the inside by Cinder. It’d take a while before anyone noticed some of the cameras were malfunctioning, but they still tried to move as quickly as possible. On the left side of the house, they spotted the exact window that belonged to Weiss’s bedroom.
“Now be on your guard,” Cinder whispered. “Thrax said she summoned shadow spirits last time he fought her. She could do it again. We need to be prepared for a fight if that happens.”
Emerald nodded. Mercury did the same, then let out a slow breath as the ground beneath them trembled. He raised up his arms, and from under their feet sprang a pillar made entirely of stone. It rose up and up, until it was completely level with Weiss’s window. Next was Emerald’s turn. A bottle of chloroform was strapped to her right side, while her left had a water canteen. A stream of water flowed out with a wave of her hands. Then, she carefully slid it under the window, found the lock, and turned it to the side. When Mercury pulled at the window, it opened easily. The three hopped inside and were taken aback at what they saw.
Weiss’s room looked like a warzone. Black marks were dotted here and there against the walls and ceiling, as if somebody had blasted magic with all their might. Books and papers were scattered on the floor. A chair was overturned. It looked like there had been some kind of major fight. But, the most alarming thing to them, was that Weiss wasn’t in bed.
“Where is she?” Mercury hissed. “She’s never been out this late before.”
Cinder was about to say something in response, when suddenly, she and her companions froze. The door handle was staring to turn.
“Hide!” Cinder whispered. The three dashed about, trying to get themselves out of sight. Mercury hid behind Weiss’s bed. Cinder tucked herself under Weiss’s desk. Emerald panicked, not finding any place that could hide her. At the last minute, she darted behind a tall lamp, hoping that the darkness would be enough to hide her from sight.
Weiss entered the room, yawning as she held a glass of water in her hands. She sipped from it as she shut the door behind her. She looked out at the mess that was her room, and sighed. She hadn’t bothered cleaning up after the fight between her mother and shadow spirits earlier. She’d been too upset and depressed. Everything was a mess. However, something caught her eye. Even with everything not in its place, she felt like something was up. She took a step, trying to see in the darkness. That was when she saw it: a girl with tan skin and green hair, hiding behind her lamp.
Emerald’s eyes locked with Weiss’s, and for a moment, they stared at each other in shock. That moment of hesitation was all Mercury needed. He sprang out from his hiding place, hand slapping over Weiss’s mouth before she could even make a sound. The glass of water in her hands fell to the floor, soaking the carpet. She started to scream, but any sound she made was muffled as she struggled to get free.
“Emerald, the chloroform, now!” Mercury hissed.
That snapped Emerald out of whatever shock she was feeling. Knowing every second counted, she made the chloroform pop out of the bottle at her side, soaked a rag with it, and handed it to Mercury. He clapped it over Weiss’s mouth and nose, and while she fought for a bit longer, her movements started to slow, and she eventually fell unconscious. All three gang members let out a sigh of relief.
“Okay, you two get going,” Cinder whispered. “I’ll leave Thrax’s note here.”
“Do we really have to do that?” Emerald asks. “The police are gonna look for her, even if he tells them not to.”
“It’s what he wants,” Cinder replied. “Besides, once he’s gotten her on his side, it won’t matter. He’ll take over, and we get everything we want.” That was the main reason Cinder went along with Thrax’s mad schemes. He’d promised her and her crime family a place at his side once he’d gotten what he’d wanted. And with him in charge, Bellerouge could be the Elemental Gang’s playground. She left a small piece of paper on the floor before joining Emerald and Mercury, who had Weiss tossed over his shoulder. The pillar of stone he’d made was lowered to the ground, and they made it all the way back to the lamborghini with hardly a sound. The note Cinder left behind said only this:
“Your daughter will be staying with me for a while. Do not call the police. You’l see her again, in due time.”
When Weiss awoke, the first thing that registered was that her head hurt. Her mouth was dry and her stomach felt slightly nauseous. Then, everything that had happened came back to her, and she awoke with a jolt. Her head whipped about as she took in her surroundings.
The room she was in was actually fairly nice. The bed she was on was cushy and had lots of thick blankets. She stepped onto the carpet, which was soft under her toes. Upon inspecting a dresser nearby, she found clothes. There was a coffee table, made of polished wood. On it was a sandwich and chips. She placed a hand on the wall. It felt like concrete, but it didn’t look it. It was almost shiny, like it was made of glass. There were two others doors. One was locked. Weiss figured that was the way out. The other one led to a bathroom, complete with a shower and mirror.
Weiss didn’t understand. What was all this? However, as she glanced at the mirror, she noticed something. It was perfectly embedded into the wall, with no way to pull it out. She couldn’t break it and use the glass as a weapon if she wanted to. In fact, everything seemed to be bolted down, no matter how much she tried to move it. This room was a prison. It might be a nice one, but it was still a prison.
Suddenly, there was a clicking sound from the locked door. Weiss spun around. The door opened, and she gasped as Thrax walked through, a smile on his face.
“Ah, you’re finally awake,” he said pleasantly, as if he was commenting on the weather. “Good. I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
Weiss let out a breath through clenched teeth. Whatever Thrax wanted to say to her, she wasn’t going to listen. She held her hand out, attempting to summon her magic power. But she felt nothing. Alarmed, she tried again. A flame should have appeared in her hand by now. But nothing happened.
“Don’t bother trying,” Thrax said. “You see this concrete?” He rapped his knuckles on the wall. “It’s a special kind. Within these walls, all magic powers are neutralized. Normally, it’s used for prisons or anyplace to keep Others quiet. But, thanks to my connections with Cinder, I managed to acquire some and build this room for you.” His grin widened. “Are you enjoying it?”
Weiss glared at him, trying to ignore the way her heart was racing. “Why did you bring me here?” she demanded. “What do you want?”
“Oh Weiss, I’ve wanted what I’ve always wanted,” Thrax replied. “A witch who’s part demon to help me descend this city into chaos. And that witch will be you.”
Weiss blinked. She hadn’t exactly been expecting that. “But…I thought you wanted Adeline for that,” she said. She remembered reading about how the demon had been relentless in his pursuit of her. Had he really given her up?
“Not anymore,” Thrax said, his voice growing hard at the mention of Adeline’s name. His hand curled into a fist. “She’s gone soft, thanks to Pitch Black. She’s of no use to me now.”
“So what are you going to do?” Weiss asked. “Make me part demon, like you did to her? Try and get it to take over?”
“Oh no no, Weiss. I”ll be doing something that will guarantee me results,” Thrax said. “You see, there’s another way for a magic user to come under a demon’s control. They make a pact, an unbreakable promise. Promises made with magic have absolute power.” He started to circle Weiss as he talked.
“Ideally, I would have used it with Adeline. But, the magic user needs to want to make it. They can’t be forced against their will. As soon as Adeline summoned me and saw what I was, she changed her mind. I gave her a demon side, in the hopes that it would take over, and she’d be willing to serve me. But, she’s resisted it. She was too good to let it convert her.” He smiled at Weiss. “Then, I met you. I saw the shadow spirits you summoned, the ferocity in your eyes. I saw a darkness in you the night we fought, and I decided then that you would make a good candidate. And now, here you are.
“You have no chance of escaping from here. In addition to this room severing your magic power, wards are placed around this building, to keep out those shadow spirits of yours. I don’t know why they didn’t come to your aid the night Cinder took you, but they won’t be able to help you here. The only way you get to leave is if you make a pact with me. And if you’re thinking of agreeing to serve me just so you can make a break for it, that won’t work. You’re no match for my power, especially with your little friends gone.”
Weiss felt her stomach churn and her heart beat even faster. There was no way this was happening. No way. She was stuck here, and the only way out was to become the monster Thrax wanted her to be.
“Why give me all this stuff?” she asked, her mouth dry. “If this is your idea of a prison…”
“Come now Weiss, do you really think I want you to look like a malnourished slob by the time you agree to join me?” Thrax asked. “No, we have to make an intimidating impression once I show you to the world. So, I’ve provided some resources for your upkeep. And once we take the city, everything will be out your fingertips. You can have everything you wanted and more.”
Weiss’s hands curled into fists. “You’re acting as if I’ve already agreed to become your servant,” she said. “Well, I’m not. And I never will. I promise you that.”
Thrax sighed. “I guess I should have expected that.” He stood up a little straighter. “Well, since you’ve made a promise to me, I should make one to you.”
Before Weiss could even react, Thrax’s hand shot out, wrapping around her throat. Her air flow got cut off as he squeezed hard, lifting her up so high that he feet dangled helplessly in the air.
“As long as you keep refusing me, I will hurt you in any way I see fit. I promise you that,” Thrax snarled. Gone was the casual tone from before, the light-hearted look on his face. Now, his voice sounded like a tiger, and his eyes flashed menacingly. “I can’t use my magic in here, but I still have every ounce of my demon strength. And trust me, I'll use it.”
Weiss couldn’t respond. She couldn’t even breathe. She pulled at Thrax’s fingers, trying to make him let go. Then, just when she thought she was going to pass out, Thrax opened his hand, letting Weiss crash to the floor. Her head missed the coffee table by inches, and she sucked in a shuddering breath before she started coughing hard. It took a moment for her lungs to start working normally again, but her heart was still beating a frantic pace. When she looked up at Thrax, his eyes were still cold and hard.
“I will be back tomorrow to ask you again,” he said. “I suggest you think about your answer.”
Weiss didn’t say anything in reply. She just watched Thrax turned around, walk out the door, and lock it behind him. The reality of the situation hit Weiss hard, and she felt fear and terror desperately clawing at her. She was stuck here, with a mentally unstable demon, and the only choices were to serve him or get hurt in horrible ways. Her dad hit her every so often, sure, but he never did anything like this. And her shadow spirits weren’t here to protect her. If only her mother hadn’t driven them away, they might have stopped Cinder and the others from taking her away. How could she survive this without them? They were her true friends, the only ones who understood her, the only ones who could get her out of this mess.
Just when she was about to drown in everything she was feeling, something caught her eye. The sandwich and chips were still on the coffee table. The bread in particular was what Weiss was looking at. And it gave her an idea. Despite everything she had gone through in the past 24 hours, and everything she might go through in the days to come, a small smile appeared on her face.
((Duh duh DUH! XD I'm really excited to get this plot underway. The whole plot will be done in fanfics, with the whole thing being 4 parts. I know that's a lot of fanfics, but I've got limited video-making experience and I don't think I can portray anything I have in mind with this in a video. Fanfic is just easier. XD Anyway, Part 2 will be up in a week. I'll be PMing some of you guys, asking to use your characters and stuff.))
You’re doing this to protect yourself, so nobody can hurt you again.
We’re your true friends, Weiss. Nobody else understands the darkness in you like we do.
You can trust us. You don’t need anybody else. Only us.
Weiss breathed out slowly, taking the words in. Yes, they were right. They were always right. She didn’t need anyone else. She’d gotten this far without her friends or her family. She could keep going.
A dim noise registered in her brain, but she couldn’t make out what it was. She decided to ignore it. It sounded again though, a little louder. She frowned. Who was making that racket? She was doing something important. The noise sounded a third time, and she registered what it was.
“Weiss!” Her father’s voice sounded angry through her bedroom door, which he was banging on.
Weiss’s eyes opened, and she gave an angry sigh. The shadow spirits hissed, but they knew they had to put their bonding time on pause. They could resume again after hearing whatever stupid thing Weiss’s father had to say. The shadow spirits disappeared under her bed, while Weiss got to her feet and opened the door.
“Yes?” she asked, her voice quiet, almost tired. But Jacques didn’t seem to notice.
“Weiss, I’ve had it with this attitude of yours,” he said as he stormed into her room. “Ever since Mardi Gras, you’ve gotten this anti-social and moody attitude. I’m putting a stop to it, now.”
Weiss frowned. Did her father really think he was going to stop her from what she was doing? “I’m working on some voodoo,” she replied, which technically wasn’t a lie. “If I’m going to keep our reputation in the voodoo community, I have to be the best, don’t I?”
“You think acting like this is going to help our reputation?” her father snapped as he glared at her. “I will not have my only daughter be remembered by the press as an anti-social recluse!”
“I don’t care about the stupid press!” Weiss yelled. “What I’m doing is more important than any of that stuff!” She didn’t know how she’d lost her temper so easily. All she knew was that she was angry for her father lecturing her about this irrelevant stuff while she was working something tremendously important. What she was learning was going to help her become the voodoo queen, maybe one of the best. She couldn’t let her father get in the way of that.
“Don’t you start yelling at me, young lady!” Jacques shouted back. “Your insolent behavior will not be tolerated! You’d better shape up or-”
“Or what?” Weiss challenged. “You’ll disown me? Throw me out, like you did to Riku?” Weiss knew she wasn’t making the situation any better, but she couldn’t help it. She felt so angry, and any thought of trying to appease her father so she wouldn’t lose her chance of becoming the voodoo queen completely left her mind. Any negative emotions she’d been trying to keep in check came gushing out, and words flew out of her mouth in a torrent that she couldn’t control. “‘Cause that’s what you always do to people you don’t like, don’t you? You break them and hurt them and then you throw them away like trash! You’re nothing but a heartless, spineless-”
Weiss didn’t get any further. Jacques’s hand moved, striking her across the face. Her vision blurred for a moment as her cheek instantly began to sting horribly. The torrent of angry words stopped, and Jacques glared at her with eyes as cold as a blizzard. He opened his mouth to say more, but he never had a chance.
Before Weiss could even blink, her shadow spirits sprung out from under her bed like snakes pouncing on their prey. They lunged towards Jacques, pinning him against the wall hard enough to make a loud thud. Weiss’s expression of surprise and shock mirrored her father’s as the shadow spirits spoke directly to him.
“You will not lay a hand on Weiss Schnee again. Not if you want to face our wrath.”
For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, silence hung in the air. Jacques seemed at a loss at what to do or say, and Weiss was the same. The cat was out of the bag, and she didn’t know what to do. Out of all the ways for her secret to be revealed, she hadn’t imagined it going down like this.
Suddenly, her bedroom door swung open. Everyone turned to look. It was Weiss’s mother, with a staff in her hands. Weiss’s eyes widened. She hadn’t seem her mother wield that staff since her days as a prominent voodoo priestess.
"I had a feeling something fishy was lurking around this house," she said, glaring at the shadow spirits. "Now, I'm going to say this one, and only once. Pur my husband down." Ciri’s words were deadly and cold. The shadow spirits seemed happy to obey, although as soon as Jacques plopped to the ground, they launched themselves at Ciri.
“No, don’t!” Weiss cried, before all hell broke loose. It may have been a while since Ciri had used her staff, but her skill hadn’t diminished. She let loose whatever spells came to mind, bolts of energy bouncing about the room as she tried to fend off the shadow spirits. They lashed at her repeatedly, always been stopped by either getting struck with a magic bold or smacked with her staff. But it wasn’t enough. They could pick away at Ciri all day, letting her exhaust all her energy before they went in the for the kill. As she prepared to attack them again, Weiss ran towards her, trying to wrestle the staff out of her hands.
“Leave them alone!” she cried. “Don’t hurt them!”
“Weiss, these are creatures of darkness!” Ciri yelled. “They’re not staying here, not for another minute!”
“No, please!” Weiss begged. “They’re my friends!”
Ciri’s eyes widened in horror. She shoved forward, pushing Weiss away and making her stumble to the floor. Her angry eyes turned the shadow spirits.
“You’ve brainwashed her!” she yelled. “You’ve made her blind to what you really are!”
The shadow spirits hissed angrily. “We were there for her when nobody else was,” they replied, their voices cold and slithering. It made Weiss shiver. “She is our mistress now, and we will protect her.”
“That’s what you think,” Ciri snarled. The crystal embedded at the tip of her staff glowed as she started to chant in Creole French. Weiss realized what was about to happen.
“No, don’t! Stop!”
But it was too late. A beam of light shot from the staff, hitting a shadow spirit dead-on. It vanished within a second, like a cloud of steam that had been wiped away. Weiss felt her heart stop and she could only watch in horror as her mother took out her shadow spirits one by one. They were no match for the light that she had summoned. When the last one was gone, it became eerily quiet. Weiss’s body shook, barely comprehending what she’d just seen. Her father was the first one to speak.
“Are they…are they dead?” he asked as he got to his feet.
Ciri shook her head. “I just pushed them away, that’s all. It’ll take them a while to recuperate. Before then, we need to protect this house. I want wards placed around the borders of the property. Protective charms and voodoo dolls should be handed out to everyone here. And if they ever dare to show their faces around here again, I’ll have them exterminated.”
Weiss’s eyes widened in horror. ‘No, no, no! You can’t do that!” she cried as she stood up.
Ciri and Jacques whirled around to face her, as if just realizing she was there. Ciri spoke first, her voice angry. “How long have they been here?” she demanded. “When did they start serving you?”
“Back at Mardi Gras,” Weiss replied, her voice shaking. “When I was fighting Thrax. I summoned them, and they helped me fight him off. They’re here to protect me!”
“You don’t need protection from the likes of them!” Ciri yelled. “They’re evil creatures, Weiss. Monsters like that only want to get inside your head. You think they’re serving you, but it’s the other way around. They only want to use you.”
“Like you’re any better!” Weiss shouted, tears filling her eyes. “That’s all either of you do to me! You just use me for your benefit. You show me off like I’m some pretty new toy. They were there for me when you weren’t!”
Ciri drew back, horror plainly etched onto her face. She whirled around towards her husband. “We can’t let the press get a hold of this. If they find out Weiss has been with these creatures, they’ll run amuck with it. This whole incident stays in this house.”
“Agreed,” Jacques said, nodding. He could keep the press out of their hair. Warding off these shadow spirits though, that would be Ciri’s job. Sure, Jacques could do voodoo as well, but Ciri’s reputation as a powerful priestess outweighed his own. It was the reason they’d been matched together in the first place. Ciri was better at actual voodoo, Jacques was better with the business aspect of it. “We’ve already had one dark voodoo incident taint this family. If this gets out of hand…”
“No!” Weiss didn’t care about whatever past incident they were talking about. She just couldn’t let them take her shadow spirits away. “You can’t do this. I need them! They’re the only ones who understand me!”
“We won’t stand for this anymore Weiss,” Jacques said, his voice cold and biting. “These spirits have obviously done a number on you. No doubt they’ve been responsible for your change in demeanor. With them out of the way, you should be back to your old self.”
“You can’t get rid of them!” Weiss shouted, her voice shrill.
“Weiss, this is for your own good,” Ciri said. “You’re a LaFayette. You can’t run around with creatures like these. It’ll only drag our family down. I suggest you come to terms without having those monsters around anymore.”
And that was the final word on the matter. Ciri and Jacques left the room, leaving Weiss all alone. The sense of emptiness and loneliness washed over her and she felt herself shaking. Her shadow spirits had been with her for so long, she felt isolated without them. She collapsed to her knees and sobbed, feeling like everything she’d worked so hard for had been ripped away.
Evening fell, and the LaFayette mansion was quiet. Nobody around the house ever stirred this late at night. However, tonight would be different. On the edge of the grounds, a black lamborghini slowly crept to a standstill. Out of it emerged Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald, all of them dressed in black.
“I still think this is crazy,” Mercury muttered. “Thrax wants us to break into the homes of one of the richest families in the city. He’s insane.”
“But Weiss is there, so it’s where we have to go,” Cinder replied, her voice cool and calm. “Thrax wants her, and since he’s helped us, we have to help him in return.”
“But Cinder, even you have to admit, he’s been getting nutty lately,” Emerald said. “I thought he was bad enough after Mardi Gras, but ever since Pitch almost finished him off, he’s been getting worse.”
Cinder made no reply, although she knew what Emerald meant. Thrax was slowly losing his mind, and everyone knew it. His mood could change from calm to explosive in an instant. Sometimes, what he said made no sense. And the look in his eyes had changed from confident to crazy.
“That doesn’t matter,” Cinder said. “We’ve been studying this house for months. We know the entire layout and now the security works. We go in, Emerald hits Weiss with the chloroform, then we grab her and get out. It’s a simple process.”
Mercury and Emerald only nodded. While they may not trust Thrax so much, they trusted Cinder. They’d follow her anymore. Without anymore talk, the three of them headed over to the tall iron fence that surrounded the estate. Mercury was able to bend them apart no problem, thanks to his abilities. Their footsteps were quiet against the grass. Any security cameras on the place were either avoided, or overheated from the inside by Cinder. It’d take a while before anyone noticed some of the cameras were malfunctioning, but they still tried to move as quickly as possible. On the left side of the house, they spotted the exact window that belonged to Weiss’s bedroom.
“Now be on your guard,” Cinder whispered. “Thrax said she summoned shadow spirits last time he fought her. She could do it again. We need to be prepared for a fight if that happens.”
Emerald nodded. Mercury did the same, then let out a slow breath as the ground beneath them trembled. He raised up his arms, and from under their feet sprang a pillar made entirely of stone. It rose up and up, until it was completely level with Weiss’s window. Next was Emerald’s turn. A bottle of chloroform was strapped to her right side, while her left had a water canteen. A stream of water flowed out with a wave of her hands. Then, she carefully slid it under the window, found the lock, and turned it to the side. When Mercury pulled at the window, it opened easily. The three hopped inside and were taken aback at what they saw.
Weiss’s room looked like a warzone. Black marks were dotted here and there against the walls and ceiling, as if somebody had blasted magic with all their might. Books and papers were scattered on the floor. A chair was overturned. It looked like there had been some kind of major fight. But, the most alarming thing to them, was that Weiss wasn’t in bed.
“Where is she?” Mercury hissed. “She’s never been out this late before.”
Cinder was about to say something in response, when suddenly, she and her companions froze. The door handle was staring to turn.
“Hide!” Cinder whispered. The three dashed about, trying to get themselves out of sight. Mercury hid behind Weiss’s bed. Cinder tucked herself under Weiss’s desk. Emerald panicked, not finding any place that could hide her. At the last minute, she darted behind a tall lamp, hoping that the darkness would be enough to hide her from sight.
Weiss entered the room, yawning as she held a glass of water in her hands. She sipped from it as she shut the door behind her. She looked out at the mess that was her room, and sighed. She hadn’t bothered cleaning up after the fight between her mother and shadow spirits earlier. She’d been too upset and depressed. Everything was a mess. However, something caught her eye. Even with everything not in its place, she felt like something was up. She took a step, trying to see in the darkness. That was when she saw it: a girl with tan skin and green hair, hiding behind her lamp.
Emerald’s eyes locked with Weiss’s, and for a moment, they stared at each other in shock. That moment of hesitation was all Mercury needed. He sprang out from his hiding place, hand slapping over Weiss’s mouth before she could even make a sound. The glass of water in her hands fell to the floor, soaking the carpet. She started to scream, but any sound she made was muffled as she struggled to get free.
“Emerald, the chloroform, now!” Mercury hissed.
That snapped Emerald out of whatever shock she was feeling. Knowing every second counted, she made the chloroform pop out of the bottle at her side, soaked a rag with it, and handed it to Mercury. He clapped it over Weiss’s mouth and nose, and while she fought for a bit longer, her movements started to slow, and she eventually fell unconscious. All three gang members let out a sigh of relief.
“Okay, you two get going,” Cinder whispered. “I’ll leave Thrax’s note here.”
“Do we really have to do that?” Emerald asks. “The police are gonna look for her, even if he tells them not to.”
“It’s what he wants,” Cinder replied. “Besides, once he’s gotten her on his side, it won’t matter. He’ll take over, and we get everything we want.” That was the main reason Cinder went along with Thrax’s mad schemes. He’d promised her and her crime family a place at his side once he’d gotten what he’d wanted. And with him in charge, Bellerouge could be the Elemental Gang’s playground. She left a small piece of paper on the floor before joining Emerald and Mercury, who had Weiss tossed over his shoulder. The pillar of stone he’d made was lowered to the ground, and they made it all the way back to the lamborghini with hardly a sound. The note Cinder left behind said only this:
“Your daughter will be staying with me for a while. Do not call the police. You’l see her again, in due time.”
When Weiss awoke, the first thing that registered was that her head hurt. Her mouth was dry and her stomach felt slightly nauseous. Then, everything that had happened came back to her, and she awoke with a jolt. Her head whipped about as she took in her surroundings.
The room she was in was actually fairly nice. The bed she was on was cushy and had lots of thick blankets. She stepped onto the carpet, which was soft under her toes. Upon inspecting a dresser nearby, she found clothes. There was a coffee table, made of polished wood. On it was a sandwich and chips. She placed a hand on the wall. It felt like concrete, but it didn’t look it. It was almost shiny, like it was made of glass. There were two others doors. One was locked. Weiss figured that was the way out. The other one led to a bathroom, complete with a shower and mirror.
Weiss didn’t understand. What was all this? However, as she glanced at the mirror, she noticed something. It was perfectly embedded into the wall, with no way to pull it out. She couldn’t break it and use the glass as a weapon if she wanted to. In fact, everything seemed to be bolted down, no matter how much she tried to move it. This room was a prison. It might be a nice one, but it was still a prison.
Suddenly, there was a clicking sound from the locked door. Weiss spun around. The door opened, and she gasped as Thrax walked through, a smile on his face.
“Ah, you’re finally awake,” he said pleasantly, as if he was commenting on the weather. “Good. I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
Weiss let out a breath through clenched teeth. Whatever Thrax wanted to say to her, she wasn’t going to listen. She held her hand out, attempting to summon her magic power. But she felt nothing. Alarmed, she tried again. A flame should have appeared in her hand by now. But nothing happened.
“Don’t bother trying,” Thrax said. “You see this concrete?” He rapped his knuckles on the wall. “It’s a special kind. Within these walls, all magic powers are neutralized. Normally, it’s used for prisons or anyplace to keep Others quiet. But, thanks to my connections with Cinder, I managed to acquire some and build this room for you.” His grin widened. “Are you enjoying it?”
Weiss glared at him, trying to ignore the way her heart was racing. “Why did you bring me here?” she demanded. “What do you want?”
“Oh Weiss, I’ve wanted what I’ve always wanted,” Thrax replied. “A witch who’s part demon to help me descend this city into chaos. And that witch will be you.”
Weiss blinked. She hadn’t exactly been expecting that. “But…I thought you wanted Adeline for that,” she said. She remembered reading about how the demon had been relentless in his pursuit of her. Had he really given her up?
“Not anymore,” Thrax said, his voice growing hard at the mention of Adeline’s name. His hand curled into a fist. “She’s gone soft, thanks to Pitch Black. She’s of no use to me now.”
“So what are you going to do?” Weiss asked. “Make me part demon, like you did to her? Try and get it to take over?”
“Oh no no, Weiss. I”ll be doing something that will guarantee me results,” Thrax said. “You see, there’s another way for a magic user to come under a demon’s control. They make a pact, an unbreakable promise. Promises made with magic have absolute power.” He started to circle Weiss as he talked.
“Ideally, I would have used it with Adeline. But, the magic user needs to want to make it. They can’t be forced against their will. As soon as Adeline summoned me and saw what I was, she changed her mind. I gave her a demon side, in the hopes that it would take over, and she’d be willing to serve me. But, she’s resisted it. She was too good to let it convert her.” He smiled at Weiss. “Then, I met you. I saw the shadow spirits you summoned, the ferocity in your eyes. I saw a darkness in you the night we fought, and I decided then that you would make a good candidate. And now, here you are.
“You have no chance of escaping from here. In addition to this room severing your magic power, wards are placed around this building, to keep out those shadow spirits of yours. I don’t know why they didn’t come to your aid the night Cinder took you, but they won’t be able to help you here. The only way you get to leave is if you make a pact with me. And if you’re thinking of agreeing to serve me just so you can make a break for it, that won’t work. You’re no match for my power, especially with your little friends gone.”
Weiss felt her stomach churn and her heart beat even faster. There was no way this was happening. No way. She was stuck here, and the only way out was to become the monster Thrax wanted her to be.
“Why give me all this stuff?” she asked, her mouth dry. “If this is your idea of a prison…”
“Come now Weiss, do you really think I want you to look like a malnourished slob by the time you agree to join me?” Thrax asked. “No, we have to make an intimidating impression once I show you to the world. So, I’ve provided some resources for your upkeep. And once we take the city, everything will be out your fingertips. You can have everything you wanted and more.”
Weiss’s hands curled into fists. “You’re acting as if I’ve already agreed to become your servant,” she said. “Well, I’m not. And I never will. I promise you that.”
Thrax sighed. “I guess I should have expected that.” He stood up a little straighter. “Well, since you’ve made a promise to me, I should make one to you.”
Before Weiss could even react, Thrax’s hand shot out, wrapping around her throat. Her air flow got cut off as he squeezed hard, lifting her up so high that he feet dangled helplessly in the air.
“As long as you keep refusing me, I will hurt you in any way I see fit. I promise you that,” Thrax snarled. Gone was the casual tone from before, the light-hearted look on his face. Now, his voice sounded like a tiger, and his eyes flashed menacingly. “I can’t use my magic in here, but I still have every ounce of my demon strength. And trust me, I'll use it.”
Weiss couldn’t respond. She couldn’t even breathe. She pulled at Thrax’s fingers, trying to make him let go. Then, just when she thought she was going to pass out, Thrax opened his hand, letting Weiss crash to the floor. Her head missed the coffee table by inches, and she sucked in a shuddering breath before she started coughing hard. It took a moment for her lungs to start working normally again, but her heart was still beating a frantic pace. When she looked up at Thrax, his eyes were still cold and hard.
“I will be back tomorrow to ask you again,” he said. “I suggest you think about your answer.”
Weiss didn’t say anything in reply. She just watched Thrax turned around, walk out the door, and lock it behind him. The reality of the situation hit Weiss hard, and she felt fear and terror desperately clawing at her. She was stuck here, with a mentally unstable demon, and the only choices were to serve him or get hurt in horrible ways. Her dad hit her every so often, sure, but he never did anything like this. And her shadow spirits weren’t here to protect her. If only her mother hadn’t driven them away, they might have stopped Cinder and the others from taking her away. How could she survive this without them? They were her true friends, the only ones who understood her, the only ones who could get her out of this mess.
Just when she was about to drown in everything she was feeling, something caught her eye. The sandwich and chips were still on the coffee table. The bread in particular was what Weiss was looking at. And it gave her an idea. Despite everything she had gone through in the past 24 hours, and everything she might go through in the days to come, a small smile appeared on her face.
((Duh duh DUH! XD I'm really excited to get this plot underway. The whole plot will be done in fanfics, with the whole thing being 4 parts. I know that's a lot of fanfics, but I've got limited video-making experience and I don't think I can portray anything I have in mind with this in a video. Fanfic is just easier. XD Anyway, Part 2 will be up in a week. I'll be PMing some of you guys, asking to use your characters and stuff.))
