Chapter 12
Ash
Location: Unknown
I opened my eyes and looked around. I was in a car different from the one from yesterday, or at least I think it was yesterday. I thought back to what had happened, that human Jeremy had been trying to convince me that what he had had said was real but what Jeremy hadn't realized was that I already knew all about it.
My parents told me everything before they died and raised me knowing about the real worlds and to control shifting so I didn't hurt anyone, unintentionally. I had almost completely lost it yesterday when they kidnapped me. No one wanted to see me shifted, no one. When I was shifted it meant someone was about to take their last breath, more often than not.
I looked around seeing that I wasn't alone. Jeremy and a driver were up in the front. Across from me were two boys. They looked about the same age as me. Both had dark brown hair and emerald green eyes with a ring of gold circling the pupil. Accept for certain facial features they looked identical but I immediately recognized one of them.
"Nico?" I asked, cocking my head.
"Hey, Ash how's it going? This is my half-brother, Roman." Nico said enthusiastically, a bright smile on his face. Nico seemed a little too thrilled to be stuck in a car on our way to some weird island, but he always found adventure in every bizarre situation. At least that's what I had noticed over the past years. Nico was my best friend or only friend that wasn't in Alek's assassin group.
"Do you know where we are?" I asked debating if I should make a run for it.
"Not exactly, but Jeremy told us we would arrive soon," Nico said, shugging.
"Yeah, the Ash," I said looking at Roman's shocked/terrified expression, that was the normal reaction when people found out who I was and knew about my reputation. I guess Nico hadn't told him. For the past few years, he's been running from the worse off side of his family, for a very good reason. If Alek had found out my role in that I would be six feet underground.
A few minutes later the car slowed to a stop.
"We are here," Jeremy said. I gripped the door handle and swung the door open. I stepped out and looked around. There were a bunch of lush green plants and trees everywhere. I could see the ocean just beyond the tall trees. I spotted a bunch of metallic buildings and huge huts everywhere. I wondered if Sofya was here too. I hoped she was. I needed to tell her everything, before these buffoons told her a bunch of lies. A woman with short bright red hair with a nasty scar on her right arm approached us. I could tell she wasn't human, her aura was a fiery red matching her hair. She was a half-demon. I tensed.
"Hello, boys," She said, her icy blue eyes narrowed into slits. "Jeremy you are dismissed. I'm Ivanna, the leader of the island and the main trainer. This will be your home now. Follow me, we have lots to take care of and it's getting late." She said gesturing at the sun that had now fully set behind the mountains.
We followed her to the largest building and went in. We rode the elevator up to floor eight and into an office.
"I have to register you guys then I will bring you to your new homes. Just a few questions." Ivanna said. "First, you." She said pointing at Nico. "What's your full name, parents' names and castes, birthday, age, and abilities?"
"My full name is Nicolus Marasini, I'm 17 my birthday is March 10th, my parents were Marcella and Luka Marasini, my mother was a morai and my father was an incubus. I can charm any girl or woman and create complex spells with magic." Nico said, with a wink. Coating his lies with humor, Ivanna would never be able to tell. Also, that's a mild way of putting it. Nico practically seduced every female he met, just for that fun of it. He knew more about magic than almost anyone I had ever met. You wouldn't be able to tell by Nico's personality but in the brute strength he lacked, he made it up by outsmarting his opponents. He may be a jokester but his spells were deadly.
Ivanna asked the same questions to Roman then moved on to me.
"My full name is Ash Cercillia, I'm 17, my birthday is June 10th, my parents were Vasilisa and Zeke Cercillia, my mother was gyo and my father was seraphim, I can breathe underwater and I have magic," I told her. I decided not to mention I could read people's thoughts when I touched them and erased memories, that usually freaked people out. Not even Alek knew, if he ever found out he would kill me, and these guys didn't seem trustworthy for kidnaping us anyhow. Not one single soul knew of my true abilities.
"The Ash," Ivanna asked me. I nodded and studied her expression, she looked a little frightened, good she should be. "Let's go get your neria," She said after pulling herself together. Ivanna made her way across the room and out the door.
We followed her out then out of the building and back to the dirt road. Then walked for a little then stopped at a barn-like structure. Inside there were about 15 or so neria. We walked over and knelt. A little black one with silvery fur walked over and jumped on my head. I was about to swat it off but Ivanna stopped me. Then it was like something clicked. I could hear what the neria was thinking.
"Stella," I whispered out loud. I heard Nico say
"Sunny,"
"Luna," Roman said.
We sounded like we were in a trance. I shook my head as if to snap out of it and Stella fell into my lap. I petted her back, her scales were smooth and cool.
"Time to go," Ivanna said abruptly. As I stood up Stella jumped onto my shoulder, giving her wings a little flap. I walked over to Ivanna. Nico and Roman grabbed their neria and came over and we exited.
It was pitch back out. The light was the street lamps along the dirt road. We walked for a few minutes and stopped at one of the massive huts, it looked like a mansion.
"Ash this is yours, be at the main area at 8:00 am tomorrow," Ivanna said then walked away with Nico and Roman. I walked up the path leading to the door. I opened the door and stepped inside. There were fancy decorations everywhere, hardwood floors, and even a chandelier. Stella hopped off of me and raced in to go explore. I chuckled. I walked over to the largest bedroom. It had a huge bed inside with big pillows. There was a large walk-in closet in one of the corners.
After a quick shower, I went in, found some strange pajama pants, and put them on. Why didn't they have sweatpants? I shook my head and tugged my shirt off. Then hopped into the bed. It was comfortable, soft, and fluffy.
I closed my eyes and the nightmares were back. The ghosts of all the beings I had murdered. They visited nearly every night, reminding me of who I truly was. A killer.