(WARNING!!! This chapter will have a warning in front of each person's POV if there's something triggering there. This one is for Alec's POV which contains the mention of abuse and self harm!)
(ALEC'S POV)
TWO DAYS AGO...
Usually you'd remember the face of the one who wronged you.
Easily it's my own family.
But how are you meant to remember their face, when you can't even recognize them personally?
How can you remember the face of people who abandoned you, beat you, even used you for your abilities?
I thought I found my escape when I was seventeen.
She was eighteen, and everyone knew who she was.
Long platinum hair, silvery eyes, olive skin.
She was beautiful, hell, she still is.
The one everyone wanted to be with, yet she chose the most unavailable one.
Me.
Of course to you this sounds like some cheesy story in the point of view of a nerdy, white, high school girl, but it's more than that.
I can promise you that one.
Soon enough me and that girl became a thing, and I honestly thought I was the luckiest person in the world.
Things got worse.
It first started when she began to accuse me of cheating.
Knowing myself now I probably would've because I'm just that type of guy. An asshole who loves to break people's hearts before they break mine.
But of course, my dumb-in-love 17 year old self denied it to the point where she began to threaten me.
Stella Lunara began to threaten me with my reputation.
And yes, I know that's something that shouldn't matter but it did.
Back then I wasn't as much of a badboy, but just an outcast.
An outcast who managed to hold straight A's in order to impress and not be beaten up by my abusive parents, Nyx and Thanatos.
She said she would reveal to everyone that I cheated on the finals.
That wasn't a look...but we all know I'm dumb as rocks and had to cheat in some class in order to keep my grades.
So yeah. I just admitted to something I didn't do.
It wasn't that horrible, because after she just said it was all okay and began to "love" me again.
I didn't take that as weird at all but now I see it totally was.
I continued to date Stella, because not only was I helplessly in love with the girl, but my social status went up.
From outcast to total heartthrob.
After awhile I began to notice she was not doing well. In more ways then one.
Not only was she failing school and doing drugs, but Stella was hanging out with the wrong people.
People like my brother for a solid example.
Not a good older brother to look up to.
When I found out he had slept with her I flipped out, and broke up with her. Also distanced myself from him as well.
She started sending me threatening texts again.
Ones saying she'd commit suicide if I didn't go back with her.
I knew Stella had a problem. And I still liked her. Which is why I sent her to a mental hospital.
Two years later...when I'm nineteen and she's twenty, I believe she was released.
Or maybe she just escaped.
********
TWO YEARS AGO,
FEBRUARY 14th, 2019.
(STELLA'S POV)
(MENTAL ILLNESS WARNING)
I've come to believe that you are the one you should be scared of.
I've come to believe that the monsters we're trying to hide from aren't outside, in the big world, but hidden in ourselves.
In our brains.
In our hearts.
Deep down in our souls.
That real version of you that you hide behind closed doors, the one that can't escape unless you give it a chance to.
I think that's what people call dissociative identity disorder.
People just let go of trying to hide that real version of themselves, and when they let it do what it wants to do they become "insane" by the ordinary group of people.
I'm not questioned for who I am as a human being, not even when I'm her. Not even when I'm not the mask of myself.
It's because that monster knows how to blend in with those people, just to stab them in the back.
She calls herself Mira, which in Latin is wonderful. It's also a star in the constellation Cetus.
She's just me, and I'm just a mask.
At least that's what she tells me.
People's perception of normal, of fear, and of panic are deranged.
Normal doesn't exist.
Fear is the equivalent to excitement. You never know if you're scared or just excited. Your brain can tell you anything. Your brain deceives you.
Panic. A common state of pure anxiety, causing wild behavior. Panic has a nice ring to it.
I'd say so.
Panic is what I feel on a daily basis.
You tell yourself there's nothing wrong with you...there's something wrong with everyone.
Don't get me wrong, there may be that one perfect little human being, one that I would simply want to destroy.
Or perhaps just possess, to feel what they feel.
But even then, everyone has secrets, and everyone is hiding something.
You are.
I know you are.
Why don't you just tell them? Let it go. Put a smile on your face.
That's what she tells me when I look in the mirror.
But she's the one with the slit mouth.
Or maybe that one's me.
Reality is twisted.
When do you know it's not a long nightmare stuck on repeat?
I stare at myself in the mirror, seeing her watching me.
Or maybe I'm watching her.
"Stella..."
"Don't talk to me, Mira. You are a phantom of my previous existence."
I stare at a corner in of the room instead, squinting.
What is he doing here?
"Alec?"
I blink and he disappears, frowning to myself.
Why did he leave me here?
I thought he loved me.
"No one loves you."
She's right.
I think so.
I stare at the mirror, at all the black shadows behind me.
I'm okay.
Yeah.
They just want to be my friends.
Even though they killed mine.
********
(ALTHEA'S POV)
(VIOLENCE WARNING)
We all stand out, and my hands start to glow.
"Are you guys ready? We have to at least knock some of them out. We can't go down without a fight. Then we'll look bad."
Lars grins.
"Of course we would."
My eyes widen slightly when a dark black matter expels from him, and it forms another man.
A spirit of a man who looks just as creepy, with one pure black eye and the other pure red.
"Holy shit, what—no—who is that?!"
Lars looks at the creepy guy then me.
"My brother. He sacrificed himself in order to save me then we merged into one. Now he assists me in fights."
My eyes move to the spirit guy who nods at me as a form of greeting, smirking.
I blink a few times.
"That's cool. But sad. What's his name?"
"Lenox."
I nod, and everyone else gets their powers ready.
I realize each of them have some sort of special thing while I'm just here.
Lars with his brother, Daphne and her power activated pistols, River and her ghostly rain clouds, Neo with his golden chains that I assume are meant to choke people, Raven and her flock of demon ravens, Ace with his spooky deck of cards.
"Ace...what exactly do those do?"
He turns to me, before throwing one like a ninja star at one of the guards.
I cringe when it slices his throat before landing back in between Ace's fingers.
"Basically like a knife card and boomerang combined. Don't worry. I can also use mine control. Most people call me a wizard. A hot one though."
Raven rolls her eyes before yelling something to her demon birds which start to attack the guards.
"You guys better start doing something!"
"Sorry!"
I let out a small shriek when one of the guards comes at me, throwing an orb that hits them in the face with a splat.
"My powers are trash compared to you guys'!"
"Maybe because we practice using them, sweetheart."
Neo snakes the chain around a female guards neck, twisting it and watching as it sizzles through her flesh and her head comes off.
He looks at the blood on it then her body that falls onto the floor as well.
"Too bad. She was cute."
I sit there in pure shock, letting out a small screech when I get knocked over, my eyes widening to see Ace hovering over me and an arrow go over our heads.
"Pay more attention rather than gawking at the head on the floor, gorgeous."
"I—uh—thank you?"
He disappears, and I sit up, immediately roundhouse kicking someone else in the face.
I hear a small shriek and turn around to see River getting dragged away, and start to run towards her when someone else grabs my arms, fastening power straining cuffs to my wrists.
My energy almost immediately drops, and I realize this wasn't planned out considering they're trying to take our powers and drain them in the first place.
"You're going to prison, bitch."
********
I wake up, light headed and sore.
In a cell, yes, but with everyone else? No.
I feel like this didn't work.
"I feel like it didn't either."
"Huh?"
I turn my head to the left, my eyes going wide.
"Oh my fucking god...it's you!"
"Me?"
"You! What the...what the hell are you doing here?! I thought you were gone? Dead?"
"Dead is an overstatement, babes. It was simply a vacation. And anyways, Thea, there's such thing as faking your death. I was in the Twilight Zone."
"The Twilight Zone?!"
"Yes...it just happens to have become mating season in Duskmire Woods."
Myra grins, and her purple eyes spark.
"But I've come to alert you...that there's something coming, and if you wish to survive you'd better come with me now."
********
(AIDEN'S POV)
All three of us stare up at her, and I make the decision to speak up.
"Is there something you need from us? Or..."
"Of course there is, child. I see you've picked up the sass from your older sister. And perhaps those two burdens."
"Rude."
Alaric and Alec both roll their eyes, and I smile.
"Actually, I love these two warthogs. They're my best friends!"
I pat both of their backs because I'm too damn short to reach their heads.
"Shorty."
"Hey!"
I whack Alec's head and he grins. Alaric looks bored as hell.
"You said you had to say something, spit it out! My feet are getting tired."
Both goddesses snap their heads towards him.
"Be quiet you bratty little boy! Learn to shut up! I would say like Aiden and your brother but they can't be quiet either!"
We all shit our mouths and Hecate smiles.
"Thank you, children. You see, usually we'd kill anyone who's being this disrespectful and rebellious, but since all three of you are extremely important, we can't just dump you. We have to deal with you. There is a place in the Twilight Zone, Duskmire Woods, where there happens to be a group of werewolves."
I blink a few times before staring at both goddesses blankly.
"You can't be serious. Werewolves?! I'm going to be mauled."
Hecate rolls her eyes.
"We need you to get them and bring them back. Because I'm order to banish and get rid of all these burdens and monsters, we need the blood of the most important wolf pack. Which happens to be called Thornvale. Their leader, Dax, and that leader's mate, Myra, happen to be the most important ones. You find them and bring them back dead? We won't kill you. Otherwise I see no reason not to. As important as you guys might be."
Alaric makes a face.
"I made a truce with them like four months ago. I don't plan on breaking it or they're going to try and eat me again."
"Truce or not you guys have to get them. It isn't a choice."
Alec makes the same contorted face Alaric did.
"Y'all are mental. I'm convinced you are at this point. According to the law I have the freedom to do anything. Or not. I barely passed high school. But really...I don't wanna do that."
Alaric nods.
"Neither do I."
I shrug.
"I can agree with that."
Athena smacks her forehead.
"Listen to us when we say this is an order, and not a choice."
She gives us three a tight smile.
"That, or we kill the group of heathens."
*******
(HAZEL'S POV)
Pandora and I land with a thump in the middle of some mid evil looking room, and I cringe.
"Ow. Say goodbye to my perfect bones. They're probably fractured."
Pandora nods.
"Seriously. That hurt."
She stands up, dragging me up as well.
"Where are we?!"
We both look around, our eyes catching on a large door.
We run over, and I hold my hand out to Pandora.
"Shh! I hear someone."
She sneaks closer, and we both press our ears against the heavy wood door.
"I can agree with that."
Wait a minute...
Me and Pandora share a look, eyes wide.
"That was—"
"Aiden's voice."
Pandora finishes, and we're just about to open the door when we hear another voice.
A deep one.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
We both turn around, and my shoulders slump.
Three guards stare at us blankly.
"Well shit."
*******
(CARDEN'S POV)
They both grin at me.
"In the flesh."
I look at the girl and back at them.
"What in the living hell did you do to this girl?!"
Bryson rolls his eyes.
"The bitch deserves anything she can get."
"You better let the damn girl go now, Bryson, Blake. I'm talking to both of you. If you don't you'll regret it."
"Mmm! Mmm!"
"I know, I know. I'm going to help you, gem."
I glare up at both of them, and Blake's deep brown eyes glimmer with mischief.
"What're you gonna do, Cardi? Cast a spell on me?"
"Well maybe I can! And maybe I will! I'll turn you into a frog, bitch!"
"I'm sorry, but you are not very threatening, sweetheart. You look too innocent," Bryson's dark eyes glow for a second. "I can fix that for you."
"Shut it you bloodsucker! Let this innocent young lady go! She did nothing to ya, dude!"
Bryson moves his almost black eyes to mine with a sarcastic smile.
"Well actually, Carden. Miss Stella here actually tried to cheat us. She tried to trick deceivers. You know how fucking stupid that is?! We're deceivers, we're meant to lie, she thought we wouldn't catch her?! This one right here tried to take some of our drugs and not pay us with some of her sweet blood! So we had to kidnap her. Easy."
Blake looks at his brother before me with a sort of sick grin.
"We have a deal for ya, sugar. You come with us, we'll let her go."
"Okay. But go with you where...? You just need to let this girl go. And heal her."
"We won't tell you...not yet at least. You agree?"
I make a face.
"I'm not sure how much I I can trust a bloodsucker who's meant to deceiver people with lies, but yes. I'll agree. You have to let her go first."
"Fine."
Blake rips off the duct tape and Stella lets out a small scream, shaking.
Bryson unties her and dumps her from the chair, smiling.
"There."
"You guys are the literal worst."
I crouch down, lifting Stella's face up by her chin.
"You okay?"
She nods shakily, and I lift her up.
I hand her a pearl, enclosing it between her wrists.
"If you ever need me just hold onto the pearl like that and say what you want. I'll be there. My name is Carden, okay?"
"O-Okay..."
"I'm going to teleport you back to my place in the underworld. Stay there until I get back, okay? I've told my good girlfriend Ryder, she'll be there soon to see you and make sure you're okay. Alright?"
"Alright."
"Good."
I teleport her away, turning back around.
"Bryson? Blake? Where the hell did you guys go?"
I frown, walking further into the cave room.
"Hello?! Don't scare me again! Not cool!"
"Carden...over here..."
I jerk around at the whisper, running towards where it came from.
I'm at the face of the waterfall, hearing it's loud running water in my ears.
"Jump..."
"What?!"
"Jump..."
Before I can respond I feel a harsh force on my back, getting thrown off the rocky ledge, plummeting through the heavy water and air before landing with a loud and painful splash in the water, getting knocked out from the force of hitting my back on a rock.
I sink further and further into the water when I feel someone grab my waist, dragging me further and into a cave where I feel fresh air.
********
(ALTHEA'S POV)
Myra teleports closer, and she easily melts the metal of the chains in her hands.
She lifts me up easily, feeling my forehead.
"You're cold. Did they take your powers?"
I nod silently.
"Yeah."
"Interesting..."
She holds onto both of my hands and i yelp slightly when they sear my skin, my wide eyes following the glowing purple and orange liquid seeping into my veins.
Myra pulls back, and I let out a gasp, a wave of heat going through me.
I snap my eyes on hers, my mouth slightly agape.
"What did you just do?!"
"Give some of my powers to you until we find yours."
"I...umm...thanks?"
A grin spreads across her face.
"No problem."
"Why do I feel like I'm getting myself into something completely awful?!"
"Because you are. Just kidding. That was a joke. Even if you were...I'd protect you, babes."
She grabs my hand again, and I hold out mine.
"Wait!"
"Hm?"
"What about the others?"
Her eyes spark.
"Others?"
"Raven? Ace? Neo? Those people."
"Ohh...them. Don't worry. My people will take care of them."
I give her a suspicious look.
"I don't know how much I can trust that."
"You can, babe. I wouldn't hurt you or your little friends."
"But where are we going?!"
"You're such a clueless child. It's cute. We're going to the Twilight Zone."
"Right now?"
"Right now. I'm going to take us there."
"Okay..."
She takes my hand again, teleporting us onto the roof.
Saying it's now night the stars twinkle in the sky, and Myra grins.
"You see that?"
She points at a group of stars.
"Yes? The stars?"
"Yeah...that's Andromeda."
"The princess?"
"The constellation, silly. I always look for them."
I nod with a small smile.
"That's cool."
"I like to think so...I believe the stars each tell their own story, their own perspective. Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess who was saved by Perseus when tied to a rock by Poseidon and sacrificed to a sea monster by her mother, Cassiopeia's, constant boasting of their beauty."
I look up at the stars, watching them intently before looking back at Myra.
"That's actually really neat, Myra. But...what are we meant to use to get to the Twilight Zone?"
Myra grins.
"Easy. My horse."
She points at a gorgeous black horse with bright golden eyes, turning back to me.
"But—"
"He flies."
She climbs onto the horse, offering her hand which I take.
She pulls me up and onto the horse, and she pulls the reins.
I let out a yelp when we go flying into the chilly night sky, flying over the detention center before a large area of trees, and I look over at the large moonlit lake in awe, completely amazed by the sight.
"This is beautiful, Myra."
"Yeah...I do this at least twice a week."
Her light blonde hair swirls in the wind, and I hug tightly onto her waist as we fly down towards the ground, landing in a dark shroud of the forest.
"This is it?!"
Myra nods as we slow down.
"Yeah. These are the Duskmire Woods."
She gets off her horse, and I hop down as well, looking around uneasily.
"What're we meant to do now?"
Myra's eyes glisten in the moonlight.
"Wait for the full moon."
*******
(CARDEN'S POV)
I wake up with a horrible pain in my back, sitting up to see myself in some sort of cave room.
Again.
What the—
My eyes snap on a shadow in the corner, and I narrow my eyes.
"Yoo-hoo?! Hello? Where the hell am I?!"
The person moves their head towards me and grins.
"Carden..."
My name rolls smoothly off their tongue and a chill runs down my spine.
"Uhh...yes?"
They stand up, and my head moves with them as they rise to their full height.
"Holy..."
They walk over, crouching down to my level on the ground.
"They didn't tell me my meal was going to be cute..."
He grabs my chin harshly in his hand, lifting it so I'm forced to look into the empty darkness where eyes should be.
I blink a few times, reaching my hand up to grab his gloved one.
"Meal? I don't think—"
He chuckles, cocking his head to the side.
"Aren't you a silly girl...they didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"Your payment, for letting the girl go was to be my meal?"
I narrow my eyes.
"Please tell me who's meal I'm going to be. I don't want to be eaten by a guy in a mask. You better not be one of those deceivers."
"Oh no, I'm not. I'm their boss, darling. The one who orders the little bloodsuckers around."
My eyes widen, and I see his mouth stretch in a grin.
"I'm part vampire and part werewolf, and by your scent I can tell you that you'll be sweet."
My eye twitches.
"Sweet?"
"Or maybe fruity...like strawberry. That's the perfume you put on today, no?"
I blink.
"Yeah...how did you know that?"
"I don't tell my secrets, sweetheart."
I glare at him.
"Well mister secrets, who are you?!"
He pulls down the mask and my eyes widen, being met with the most handsome and the most interesting man I've ever laid my eyes on.
Holy shit.
Wavy blue hair, white and black irises, and pale skin.
Oh my god.
He can probably tell I'm staring because he grins again.
"Loving the view, darling? I'm sure you will more when I'm on top of you...tasting your skin...and blood."
I gasp.
"Jesus. That's horrifying."
"I won't make it too scary for you, babe."
I make a face.
"Yeah, uhh...whatever your name is...where am I?"
"Oh. The siren's home. I stay here sometimes with the other deceivers."
I nod slowly, and he grins mischievously.
"Fun. And I'm Rylan."