Post by angelofmusic1992 on Nov 23, 2019 18:37:11 GMT
Weiss wasn’t exactly sure what to expect for the second test. All she and the other candidates knew was that it would test their mental fortitude, which was almost as important as knowing voodoo spells. They all gathered at Rose’s home since she was in charge of this test, much like how Hagi was in charge of the last one. It wasn’t a big opulent mansion or anything of that caliber, but it was still a relatively nice-looking home, with plenty of flowers in the gardens and vines climbing on the walls. It gave the whole thing a rustic touch.
Facilier showed Weiss and the other candidates inside and had them gather together in Rose’s sitting room, while Hagi went to “check on Rose,” whatever that meant. The plush couches and comfy chairs were nice to sit in, but the candidates sat on them rigidly, Weiss included. Tensions were high. Everyone had seen each other’s scores for the last test, and while some were satisfied with what they had been given, others weren’t so much. Jafar, with the lowest score out of the group, had a sour look on his face. And Ruber obviously wished he had gotten a 9 as well. The main thing Weiss noticed though, was how they looked at her. Most of the other candidates hadn’t thought much of her before, figuring someone so young and with a spotty past would fail instantly. And yet here she was, tied with Sypha for the highest score. She was a threat to them now, and she knew they wouldn’t underestimate her again.
“Why did we have to come out all the way to Rose’s house?” Lin asked. “Couldn’t this next test be done anywhere?”
“Technically, yes,” Facilier replied. “But this test involves potion-making on Rose’s part, and trust me, we didn’t want to have to haul around everything she needed. Best for her to work with her ingredients close by.”
“What, is she going to poison us? Is that the next test?” Ruber asked, making a morbid joke.
“Not exactly,” Facilier answered. “You’ll find out soon enough. This will be a more ‘private’ test, if you will. There will be no observing with this one.”
Weiss felt a little uneasy at that. What exactly was this test where they couldn’t watch the other candidates? Sure, it had been a little nerve-wracking during the first test, knowing that all those eyes were on her. But it had least given her an idea of what the other candidates were capable of.
Hagi suddenly opened the door and said “Rose is ready. We can begin the testing now.”
“Alright Sypha, you’re up first,” Facilier said. “Good luck.”
“Thank you,” Sypha said politely, and with her head held high, she followed Hagi out of the sitting room.
After that, the waiting was unbearable. The only one who seemed at ease was Facilier, who had brought a massive voodoo spell book to read and pass the time with. Everyone else fidgeted restlessly, or zoned out due to boredom. Weiss ended up counting all the roses she could find on the wallpaper to make the minutes go by a little faster.
When the door to the sitting room opened, everyone’s heads shot up. Hagi had returned, as well as Sypha.
“Well, what happened?” Howl immediately asked. “How did it go?”
Sypha didn’t reply. Weiss looked at her a little more closely. She seemed…weary, almost exhausted. Everyone else instantly picked up on it too. Sypha took in a long breath, straightened herself up, and then went back to the chair she had been sitting in before. She didn’t say a word.
“Jafar, you’re up,” Hagi said.
Jafar instantly looked nervous at that. If Sypha, who had one of the highest scores right now, looked shaken up by this test, what was it going to do to him? Still, he followed Hagi out of the sitting room.
Weiss tried to calm herself down and relax, but all sorts of horrible scenarios about what this test would do raced through her mind like crazy. And it didn’t help that when Jafar returned, he looked like just as weary as Sypha. Howl came back even worse after his turn. He looked like he’d gotten hit by a truck. Twice.
“Weiss, you’re next.”
Hagi’s voice brought Weiss out of her thoughts. She could see all the other candidates looking at her. No doubt they were wondering how she was going to fare through all this. She tried her best to ignore them as she followed Hagi through the door.
They walked silently along a long hallway. If not for the dread that she felt coiling in her stomach, Weiss might have actually liked the décor here. Paintings of various landscapes hung on the walls, and a vase or two gleamed on a stand.
“Alright, just step through here and Rose will start the second test with you,” Hagi said, gesturing towards another door.
Weiss swallowed, trying not to appear as nervous as she felt before she stepped through. To her surprise, the room was almost like a small kitchen. There was a stove, a pot, cupboards here and there. But Weiss quickly saw that it didn’t hold ingredients for meals. There were various herbs strewn about, like wormwood and five finger grass, as well as pots and cauldrons. This had to be the place where Rose brewed potions.
And sure enough, Rose was there, sitting at a small table with a glass in front of her. She gave a smile and gestured to the chair across from her. Weiss cautiously sat down as Rose pulled out a bottle with purple liquid inside and poured it into the glass.
“There you go,” she said. “Drink that and the second test will begin.”
Weiss eyed the drink suspiciously. Remembering Ruber’s joke earlier, she couldn’t help but ask “This isn’t poison, is it?”
Rose laughed. “No, no, nothing like that. Once you drink this, you’ll have to face and overcome an obstacle, just like the spirits you fought during the first test. Your mind will be tested. If at any point you want the test to stop, just say so.”
Weiss let out a breath. There was no way she was going to quit in the middle of this test. She had to beat this. Without anymore hesitating, she took the glass and down every bit of the purple potion inside. She coughed, the bitter taste overwhelming her taste buds. Just when she was wondering what the potion was supposed to have done, besides taste terrible, things started to change.
Rose and the table she was sitting at started to vanish. So did the kitchen and all the things inside it. Weiss stood up, alarmed, as everything around her started to fade into black. Her stomach started churning again and she started to feel dizzy. She closed her eyes, trying not to feel sick. Then, as soon as it had started, it suddenly stopped. Weiss slowly opened her eyes, and gasped when she realized where she was.
She was back at the entrance hall of LaFayette manor. It was just the way she remembered: the floors gleaming from being polished meticulously, the grand stair case, and the priceless art pieces that showed off the family’s wealth.
“I’m…back?” Weiss was confused. Had the potion teleported her here? But the house shouldn’t look like this. After her parents were finally convicted of the abuse they’d inflicted on her and Riku, the house had been thrown to the wayside, in a manner of speaking. Weiss had taken a few things she’d wanted to have in Riku’s apartment. Everything else was sold off or donated, and the house’s doors were shut forever.
“Weiss, did you really think you could do this without us?”
Weiss froze at the sound of that voice. “No, no, no,” she muttered to herself as she slowly turned around. In an instant, she felt her blood run cold. Standing at the bottom of the stair case were her mother and father, their eyes empty and chilling.
“You know having support from powerful families is the only way to become Voodoo Queen,” Ciri continued. “Without us, you’ll never succeed, even if you get through all these trials.”
“You never should have left,” Jacques chimed in. “You belong to us. You don’t deserve all the new friends you’ve made.”
“No, no!” Weiss backed away, shaking her head. “You’re wrong! I’m not your little doll!”
Jacques seemed to take offense at those words. He moved almost impossibly fast and grabbed Weiss’s arm, his fingers digging hard into her skin.
“You still stay here, where you belong!”
“No! Let go!” Weiss tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. And before she realized it, her mother grabbed her other arm.
“You’re our daughter, aren’t you, Wesis?” Ciri asked, her tone more menacing than Weiss had ever heard it before. “We’re your family. Stay here.”
Weiss struggled, trying to escape her parents’ grip, her feet sliding along the floor as they tried to drag her deeper into the manor.
“No! You are not my family! And I don’t belong to you!”
Her voodoo powers kicked in as she shouted, and a gust of wind blew her parents backward, making then slam into the steps behind them. Weiss panted for breath, but before she could even process what had happened, her parents and the manor disappeared. Everything turned black again, and that same dizzying/nauseating feeling returned. When Weiss could see clearly again, she saw she was someplace else. And it was a place that held just as much pain and horror as the LaFayette manor.
It was the room where Thrax had held her prisoner for weeks. The white walls still shone brightly. And sure enough, when she tried to use her magic, nothing happened.
“You should have joined me when you had the chance, Weiss.”
Weiss gasped and spun around. She gave a cry and jerked backwards as she found herself face-to-face with Thrax. His yellow eyes gleamed with insanity and an awful grin was on his face.
“We could have had it all, you and I. The two of us, bringing Bellerouge to its knees.”
Weiss felt her heart pound at break-neck speed in her chest as she tried to run. But Thrax was faster, his hand shooting out to grab her hair. She cried out as Thrax jerked her backwards, pain shooting through her skull as her hands desperately trying to pry his fingers loose.
“Who do you think you are, pretending to be this champion of justice? You’re no better than the parents that you condemn!”
Thrax threw Weiss forward, making her slam hard against the wall. She blinked, trying to see through the pain in her head and the stars bursting in her eyes. Thrax grabbed her arm, holding it out as his claw gleamed. Weiss realized what he was about to do and though she frantically tried to pull away, Thrax’s grip was like iron. His claw slowly dragged against her skin and she screamed as fiery hot pain ran up her arm. Thrax only smiled. When he finally let go, she jerked her arm away, cradling it against her chest as blood ran down it.
“You’re evil Weiss, just like me,” Thrax said with a grin. “And you’re a fool to pretend any different.”
Weiss could feel tears in her eyes. Her arm felt like it was on fire. Her head was still throbbing. But she still managed to spit out three words.
“That’s not true.”
Thrax seemed to pause. Weiss glared at him, fire burning in her eyes.
“I’ve made mistakes, and I’ve acted in selfish and hurtful ways, but I’m not evil. And I am nothing like you.”
Thrax gritted his teeth together. With a cry, he swung his claw forward. But Weiss was ready. Her magic may not work in this room, but she had something else. As soon as she finished the thought, her sword appeared in her hand and she thrust it forward, the blade instantly piercing Thrax in the chest. He froze, eyes widening in surprise. He looked down at her sword, almost as if wondering how it had gotten there in the first place. Then, he suddenly disappeared, like a puff of smoke. The room vanished as well, as did the pain Weiss felt in her arm and in her head. She looked around, sword at the ready, trying to prepare herself for whatever was coming next.
“We knew this would happen.”
Weiss blinked. She was suddenly standing on the surface of the lake that was in the middle of the bayou. And the cold voice of the shadow spirits continued.
“You’re scared. We can help you. We can make it all better.”
The shadow spirits curled around legs, moving like snakes as they rested on her shoulders and twined about her arms. Weiss felt fear welling inside her, but there was also…familiarity. And that brought a sense of comfort.
“We’re the only ones you can trust,” the shadow spirits hissed in her ear. “We’re the only ones who understand. This city will never accept you as voodoo queen. But we can make it happen. We can make them see. And you will be the most powerful voodoo queen Bellerouge has ever seen.”
The words sounded pleasant to Weiss, almost soothing. Maybe the shadow spirits were right. She desperately wanted control, to be respected, to be loved. They could give it to her. She would never be abused or hurt again. Just like an addict who wants one last hit, she found herself falling back into the familiar role of trusting the shadow spirits’ words. She glanced down at the surface of the water, looking at her reflection and the shadow spirits around her. But what she saw made her gasp.
In the water, her eyes were coal black, and purple marks glowed on her arms, looking like veins. She suddenly remembered. This was what the shadow spirits had wanted to turn her into. They’d wanted to make her a monster as horrible and cruel as they were. But that wasn’t who she was.
“No.”
The shadow spirits hissed at those words, but Weiss didn’t fear them anymore. No matter how tempting their words were, she had to remember that they were lies.
“You were never there for me. I have real friends now, people who care about me, and love me for who I am. I’m going to do good in this world, whether I become voodoo queen or not. And I don’t need you anymore.”
The shadow spirits gave horrible shrieks, but Weiss didn’t even flinch. She pointed her sword at them, and light magic coursed through her and shot through the blade. They hit the shadow spirits full force, and made them disappear. Slowly, she saw the lake and bayou around her fade away, and distantly, she could hear a voice.
“Okay Weiss, open your eyes now.”
Weiss gave a cry as her eyes shot open. Her heart was beating at a frantic speed, almost as if she had been having a nightmare. As she tried to steady her breathing, she realized that she was back in Rose’s house. And Rose herself was still sitting across from her at the table.
“What the hell was that!?” Weiss demanded in a breathless voice.
“The second test,” Rose simply replied. “We tested your mental fortitude by making you face your worst fears. I must say, yours were quite interesting to observe. And you made it through without quitting.”
Weiss glared at Rose. She still would have liked some kind of warning before going through all that. But, even she had to admit that facing things you were afraid of would definitely test your resolve. And it explained why this test had been done privately. Weiss was a little pissed off, but she would be even more angry if her fears had been seen by the other candidates as well.
“So you’re the only one who watches?” Weiss asked. “What about Facilier and Hagi?”
“They’ll trust what observed,” Rose assured her. “And we’ll decide scores from there.”
There was the sound of a door opening, and it made Weiss jump.
“Ah, Hagi. Perfect timing.”
Weiss turned around. Sure enough, Hagi was there, no doubt to escort her back to the sitting room and get the next candidate.
“Weiss had finished the test,” Rose continued. “You can bring Howl in next.”
Hagi simply nodded. It looked like that was Weiss’s cue to leave. She followed Hagi out of the kitchen, back down the hallway, and to the sitting room. The other candidates instantly looked at her, no doubt trying to guess how she’d fared. Weiss tried to ignore them as she took her seat, hoping she didn’t look too spooked or frightened.
After his test, Ruber wouldn’t look anyone in the eye when he returned. And Lin came back looking even worse than Howl had. Her face was drenched in sweat, her eyes red and blotchy, and she almost seemed to be dragging her feet as she re-entered the sitting room. Weiss didn’t even want to think about what fears she’d seen, or any of the candidates for that matter. Once Facilier gave them the all clear to return to their homes and when to tune in for the scores, they all sighed with relief. This had been a brutal test, and they all needed some time to recuperate.
“Are you sure you’re okay Weiss?”
“Hm?” Weiss looked up to see Sunshine with a concerned look in her eyes. Honestly, she and Riku had been giving her that look all afternoon. Weiss had told them that the second test involving facing her worst fears, and while she didn’t give any details, Riku and Sunshine had pretty good guesses as to what they were. And none of the options had seemed good. Ever since she’d gotten home, Weiss had been curled up under the couch with a blanket and a cup of peppermint tea. According to Adeline, who was an avid tea lover, it was supposed to help calm you down. Weiss wasn’t sure how well it was working though.
“You’ve barely said a word since you’ve gotten home,” Sunshine continued, sitting next to her on the couch. “Was the test really…bad?”
“Trust me, some of the other candidates came out looking worse than me,” Weiss replied. “I’ll be alright. I just need some time to relax a little.”
Sunshine didn’t say anything more on the subject, but Weiss could still see her keeping an eye on her. She sipped her tea as she turned on the T.V. Haggard would be announcing everyone’s scores for the second test soon.
“Is Riku still working late tonight?” she asked.
“Unfortunately,” Sunshine replied, giving a little sigh. “He said he’d try having the T.V. on though. He wants to see how well you did too.”
Weiss sipped her tea again, not saying anything in reply. She wondered how good she’d actually done. Sure, she’d managed to face all her fears, but how did she stack up against the other candidates? What about Sypha? She was Weiss’s main competition right now.
Any thoughts about her though disappeared when Haggard appeared on the television screen, looking like his usual old scraggly self. She immediately tensed up as he started going through his usual introductions and what the second test entailed.
“We award the following scores to the candidates…”
Weiss immediately tensed up at those words and she sat up a little straighter. Sunshine did the same thing.
“Sypha, 9/10. Jafar, 8/10. Howl, 6/10. Weiss, 9/10. Ruber, 7/10. Lynn, 5/10.”
The first words that came out of Weiss’s mouth was “Holy shit.” She hadn’t expected to get such a high score again, or for some of the other candidates to get such low ones. It looked like Lynn really had seen something terrible. Anything else Haggard said though was drowned out by Sunshine’s squeals of excitement.
“Weiss, you did it!” she exclaimed, giving her sister-in-law a hug. “You’re tied for first place!”
Weiss gave a little laugh, mostly out of surprise more than anything else. She was really doing good. She was tied for the lead with Sypha. Maybe she really did have a chance of winning this after all. The thought made her heart feel like it was jumping up and down.
Facilier showed Weiss and the other candidates inside and had them gather together in Rose’s sitting room, while Hagi went to “check on Rose,” whatever that meant. The plush couches and comfy chairs were nice to sit in, but the candidates sat on them rigidly, Weiss included. Tensions were high. Everyone had seen each other’s scores for the last test, and while some were satisfied with what they had been given, others weren’t so much. Jafar, with the lowest score out of the group, had a sour look on his face. And Ruber obviously wished he had gotten a 9 as well. The main thing Weiss noticed though, was how they looked at her. Most of the other candidates hadn’t thought much of her before, figuring someone so young and with a spotty past would fail instantly. And yet here she was, tied with Sypha for the highest score. She was a threat to them now, and she knew they wouldn’t underestimate her again.
“Why did we have to come out all the way to Rose’s house?” Lin asked. “Couldn’t this next test be done anywhere?”
“Technically, yes,” Facilier replied. “But this test involves potion-making on Rose’s part, and trust me, we didn’t want to have to haul around everything she needed. Best for her to work with her ingredients close by.”
“What, is she going to poison us? Is that the next test?” Ruber asked, making a morbid joke.
“Not exactly,” Facilier answered. “You’ll find out soon enough. This will be a more ‘private’ test, if you will. There will be no observing with this one.”
Weiss felt a little uneasy at that. What exactly was this test where they couldn’t watch the other candidates? Sure, it had been a little nerve-wracking during the first test, knowing that all those eyes were on her. But it had least given her an idea of what the other candidates were capable of.
Hagi suddenly opened the door and said “Rose is ready. We can begin the testing now.”
“Alright Sypha, you’re up first,” Facilier said. “Good luck.”
“Thank you,” Sypha said politely, and with her head held high, she followed Hagi out of the sitting room.
After that, the waiting was unbearable. The only one who seemed at ease was Facilier, who had brought a massive voodoo spell book to read and pass the time with. Everyone else fidgeted restlessly, or zoned out due to boredom. Weiss ended up counting all the roses she could find on the wallpaper to make the minutes go by a little faster.
When the door to the sitting room opened, everyone’s heads shot up. Hagi had returned, as well as Sypha.
“Well, what happened?” Howl immediately asked. “How did it go?”
Sypha didn’t reply. Weiss looked at her a little more closely. She seemed…weary, almost exhausted. Everyone else instantly picked up on it too. Sypha took in a long breath, straightened herself up, and then went back to the chair she had been sitting in before. She didn’t say a word.
“Jafar, you’re up,” Hagi said.
Jafar instantly looked nervous at that. If Sypha, who had one of the highest scores right now, looked shaken up by this test, what was it going to do to him? Still, he followed Hagi out of the sitting room.
Weiss tried to calm herself down and relax, but all sorts of horrible scenarios about what this test would do raced through her mind like crazy. And it didn’t help that when Jafar returned, he looked like just as weary as Sypha. Howl came back even worse after his turn. He looked like he’d gotten hit by a truck. Twice.
“Weiss, you’re next.”
Hagi’s voice brought Weiss out of her thoughts. She could see all the other candidates looking at her. No doubt they were wondering how she was going to fare through all this. She tried her best to ignore them as she followed Hagi through the door.
They walked silently along a long hallway. If not for the dread that she felt coiling in her stomach, Weiss might have actually liked the décor here. Paintings of various landscapes hung on the walls, and a vase or two gleamed on a stand.
“Alright, just step through here and Rose will start the second test with you,” Hagi said, gesturing towards another door.
Weiss swallowed, trying not to appear as nervous as she felt before she stepped through. To her surprise, the room was almost like a small kitchen. There was a stove, a pot, cupboards here and there. But Weiss quickly saw that it didn’t hold ingredients for meals. There were various herbs strewn about, like wormwood and five finger grass, as well as pots and cauldrons. This had to be the place where Rose brewed potions.
And sure enough, Rose was there, sitting at a small table with a glass in front of her. She gave a smile and gestured to the chair across from her. Weiss cautiously sat down as Rose pulled out a bottle with purple liquid inside and poured it into the glass.
“There you go,” she said. “Drink that and the second test will begin.”
Weiss eyed the drink suspiciously. Remembering Ruber’s joke earlier, she couldn’t help but ask “This isn’t poison, is it?”
Rose laughed. “No, no, nothing like that. Once you drink this, you’ll have to face and overcome an obstacle, just like the spirits you fought during the first test. Your mind will be tested. If at any point you want the test to stop, just say so.”
Weiss let out a breath. There was no way she was going to quit in the middle of this test. She had to beat this. Without anymore hesitating, she took the glass and down every bit of the purple potion inside. She coughed, the bitter taste overwhelming her taste buds. Just when she was wondering what the potion was supposed to have done, besides taste terrible, things started to change.
Rose and the table she was sitting at started to vanish. So did the kitchen and all the things inside it. Weiss stood up, alarmed, as everything around her started to fade into black. Her stomach started churning again and she started to feel dizzy. She closed her eyes, trying not to feel sick. Then, as soon as it had started, it suddenly stopped. Weiss slowly opened her eyes, and gasped when she realized where she was.
She was back at the entrance hall of LaFayette manor. It was just the way she remembered: the floors gleaming from being polished meticulously, the grand stair case, and the priceless art pieces that showed off the family’s wealth.
“I’m…back?” Weiss was confused. Had the potion teleported her here? But the house shouldn’t look like this. After her parents were finally convicted of the abuse they’d inflicted on her and Riku, the house had been thrown to the wayside, in a manner of speaking. Weiss had taken a few things she’d wanted to have in Riku’s apartment. Everything else was sold off or donated, and the house’s doors were shut forever.
“Weiss, did you really think you could do this without us?”
Weiss froze at the sound of that voice. “No, no, no,” she muttered to herself as she slowly turned around. In an instant, she felt her blood run cold. Standing at the bottom of the stair case were her mother and father, their eyes empty and chilling.
“You know having support from powerful families is the only way to become Voodoo Queen,” Ciri continued. “Without us, you’ll never succeed, even if you get through all these trials.”
“You never should have left,” Jacques chimed in. “You belong to us. You don’t deserve all the new friends you’ve made.”
“No, no!” Weiss backed away, shaking her head. “You’re wrong! I’m not your little doll!”
Jacques seemed to take offense at those words. He moved almost impossibly fast and grabbed Weiss’s arm, his fingers digging hard into her skin.
“You still stay here, where you belong!”
“No! Let go!” Weiss tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. And before she realized it, her mother grabbed her other arm.
“You’re our daughter, aren’t you, Wesis?” Ciri asked, her tone more menacing than Weiss had ever heard it before. “We’re your family. Stay here.”
Weiss struggled, trying to escape her parents’ grip, her feet sliding along the floor as they tried to drag her deeper into the manor.
“No! You are not my family! And I don’t belong to you!”
Her voodoo powers kicked in as she shouted, and a gust of wind blew her parents backward, making then slam into the steps behind them. Weiss panted for breath, but before she could even process what had happened, her parents and the manor disappeared. Everything turned black again, and that same dizzying/nauseating feeling returned. When Weiss could see clearly again, she saw she was someplace else. And it was a place that held just as much pain and horror as the LaFayette manor.
It was the room where Thrax had held her prisoner for weeks. The white walls still shone brightly. And sure enough, when she tried to use her magic, nothing happened.
“You should have joined me when you had the chance, Weiss.”
Weiss gasped and spun around. She gave a cry and jerked backwards as she found herself face-to-face with Thrax. His yellow eyes gleamed with insanity and an awful grin was on his face.
“We could have had it all, you and I. The two of us, bringing Bellerouge to its knees.”
Weiss felt her heart pound at break-neck speed in her chest as she tried to run. But Thrax was faster, his hand shooting out to grab her hair. She cried out as Thrax jerked her backwards, pain shooting through her skull as her hands desperately trying to pry his fingers loose.
“Who do you think you are, pretending to be this champion of justice? You’re no better than the parents that you condemn!”
Thrax threw Weiss forward, making her slam hard against the wall. She blinked, trying to see through the pain in her head and the stars bursting in her eyes. Thrax grabbed her arm, holding it out as his claw gleamed. Weiss realized what he was about to do and though she frantically tried to pull away, Thrax’s grip was like iron. His claw slowly dragged against her skin and she screamed as fiery hot pain ran up her arm. Thrax only smiled. When he finally let go, she jerked her arm away, cradling it against her chest as blood ran down it.
“You’re evil Weiss, just like me,” Thrax said with a grin. “And you’re a fool to pretend any different.”
Weiss could feel tears in her eyes. Her arm felt like it was on fire. Her head was still throbbing. But she still managed to spit out three words.
“That’s not true.”
Thrax seemed to pause. Weiss glared at him, fire burning in her eyes.
“I’ve made mistakes, and I’ve acted in selfish and hurtful ways, but I’m not evil. And I am nothing like you.”
Thrax gritted his teeth together. With a cry, he swung his claw forward. But Weiss was ready. Her magic may not work in this room, but she had something else. As soon as she finished the thought, her sword appeared in her hand and she thrust it forward, the blade instantly piercing Thrax in the chest. He froze, eyes widening in surprise. He looked down at her sword, almost as if wondering how it had gotten there in the first place. Then, he suddenly disappeared, like a puff of smoke. The room vanished as well, as did the pain Weiss felt in her arm and in her head. She looked around, sword at the ready, trying to prepare herself for whatever was coming next.
“We knew this would happen.”
Weiss blinked. She was suddenly standing on the surface of the lake that was in the middle of the bayou. And the cold voice of the shadow spirits continued.
“You’re scared. We can help you. We can make it all better.”
The shadow spirits curled around legs, moving like snakes as they rested on her shoulders and twined about her arms. Weiss felt fear welling inside her, but there was also…familiarity. And that brought a sense of comfort.
“We’re the only ones you can trust,” the shadow spirits hissed in her ear. “We’re the only ones who understand. This city will never accept you as voodoo queen. But we can make it happen. We can make them see. And you will be the most powerful voodoo queen Bellerouge has ever seen.”
The words sounded pleasant to Weiss, almost soothing. Maybe the shadow spirits were right. She desperately wanted control, to be respected, to be loved. They could give it to her. She would never be abused or hurt again. Just like an addict who wants one last hit, she found herself falling back into the familiar role of trusting the shadow spirits’ words. She glanced down at the surface of the water, looking at her reflection and the shadow spirits around her. But what she saw made her gasp.
In the water, her eyes were coal black, and purple marks glowed on her arms, looking like veins. She suddenly remembered. This was what the shadow spirits had wanted to turn her into. They’d wanted to make her a monster as horrible and cruel as they were. But that wasn’t who she was.
“No.”
The shadow spirits hissed at those words, but Weiss didn’t fear them anymore. No matter how tempting their words were, she had to remember that they were lies.
“You were never there for me. I have real friends now, people who care about me, and love me for who I am. I’m going to do good in this world, whether I become voodoo queen or not. And I don’t need you anymore.”
The shadow spirits gave horrible shrieks, but Weiss didn’t even flinch. She pointed her sword at them, and light magic coursed through her and shot through the blade. They hit the shadow spirits full force, and made them disappear. Slowly, she saw the lake and bayou around her fade away, and distantly, she could hear a voice.
“Okay Weiss, open your eyes now.”
Weiss gave a cry as her eyes shot open. Her heart was beating at a frantic speed, almost as if she had been having a nightmare. As she tried to steady her breathing, she realized that she was back in Rose’s house. And Rose herself was still sitting across from her at the table.
“What the hell was that!?” Weiss demanded in a breathless voice.
“The second test,” Rose simply replied. “We tested your mental fortitude by making you face your worst fears. I must say, yours were quite interesting to observe. And you made it through without quitting.”
Weiss glared at Rose. She still would have liked some kind of warning before going through all that. But, even she had to admit that facing things you were afraid of would definitely test your resolve. And it explained why this test had been done privately. Weiss was a little pissed off, but she would be even more angry if her fears had been seen by the other candidates as well.
“So you’re the only one who watches?” Weiss asked. “What about Facilier and Hagi?”
“They’ll trust what observed,” Rose assured her. “And we’ll decide scores from there.”
There was the sound of a door opening, and it made Weiss jump.
“Ah, Hagi. Perfect timing.”
Weiss turned around. Sure enough, Hagi was there, no doubt to escort her back to the sitting room and get the next candidate.
“Weiss had finished the test,” Rose continued. “You can bring Howl in next.”
Hagi simply nodded. It looked like that was Weiss’s cue to leave. She followed Hagi out of the kitchen, back down the hallway, and to the sitting room. The other candidates instantly looked at her, no doubt trying to guess how she’d fared. Weiss tried to ignore them as she took her seat, hoping she didn’t look too spooked or frightened.
After his test, Ruber wouldn’t look anyone in the eye when he returned. And Lin came back looking even worse than Howl had. Her face was drenched in sweat, her eyes red and blotchy, and she almost seemed to be dragging her feet as she re-entered the sitting room. Weiss didn’t even want to think about what fears she’d seen, or any of the candidates for that matter. Once Facilier gave them the all clear to return to their homes and when to tune in for the scores, they all sighed with relief. This had been a brutal test, and they all needed some time to recuperate.
“Are you sure you’re okay Weiss?”
“Hm?” Weiss looked up to see Sunshine with a concerned look in her eyes. Honestly, she and Riku had been giving her that look all afternoon. Weiss had told them that the second test involving facing her worst fears, and while she didn’t give any details, Riku and Sunshine had pretty good guesses as to what they were. And none of the options had seemed good. Ever since she’d gotten home, Weiss had been curled up under the couch with a blanket and a cup of peppermint tea. According to Adeline, who was an avid tea lover, it was supposed to help calm you down. Weiss wasn’t sure how well it was working though.
“You’ve barely said a word since you’ve gotten home,” Sunshine continued, sitting next to her on the couch. “Was the test really…bad?”
“Trust me, some of the other candidates came out looking worse than me,” Weiss replied. “I’ll be alright. I just need some time to relax a little.”
Sunshine didn’t say anything more on the subject, but Weiss could still see her keeping an eye on her. She sipped her tea as she turned on the T.V. Haggard would be announcing everyone’s scores for the second test soon.
“Is Riku still working late tonight?” she asked.
“Unfortunately,” Sunshine replied, giving a little sigh. “He said he’d try having the T.V. on though. He wants to see how well you did too.”
Weiss sipped her tea again, not saying anything in reply. She wondered how good she’d actually done. Sure, she’d managed to face all her fears, but how did she stack up against the other candidates? What about Sypha? She was Weiss’s main competition right now.
Any thoughts about her though disappeared when Haggard appeared on the television screen, looking like his usual old scraggly self. She immediately tensed up as he started going through his usual introductions and what the second test entailed.
“We award the following scores to the candidates…”
Weiss immediately tensed up at those words and she sat up a little straighter. Sunshine did the same thing.
“Sypha, 9/10. Jafar, 8/10. Howl, 6/10. Weiss, 9/10. Ruber, 7/10. Lynn, 5/10.”
The first words that came out of Weiss’s mouth was “Holy shit.” She hadn’t expected to get such a high score again, or for some of the other candidates to get such low ones. It looked like Lynn really had seen something terrible. Anything else Haggard said though was drowned out by Sunshine’s squeals of excitement.
“Weiss, you did it!” she exclaimed, giving her sister-in-law a hug. “You’re tied for first place!”
Weiss gave a little laugh, mostly out of surprise more than anything else. She was really doing good. She was tied for the lead with Sypha. Maybe she really did have a chance of winning this after all. The thought made her heart feel like it was jumping up and down.