The Court - Finished!

Jas

I hurried after Kayla and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to a stop. "Wait!"

She jerked away from me. "Don't touch me, Jas, or I swear I'll - "

"What?" I challenged. We glared at each other for a long moment. "Look, we can't just run off into the city. We don't even have a plan."

"What do we need a plan for?" Lorraine asked. "Our orders were pretty simple. Kill them and be done with it."

"Yes, but who are we tracking?" I said. "The counterfeiters or Krissy?"

"Krissy?" Kayla asked. "Stop bringing her up! The Rogue says that she's dead! I killed them! It's obviously the counterfeiters who did it, as a warning. Let's check Gryk's house again."

Lorraine shook her head. "You two already went there."

"It's the only starting point we have, though," I said, sighing. "It's a lead. Let's check back there again and go from there, okay?"

Maria

I sighed as Krissy left. I got up and closed the door again. Then I unpacked my things again, putting them back where they had been. Who needs him anyway? I've survived this long without anyone; I can survive now.

But Grayson had done something to me; he had made me remember, if only for a split-second, what it felt like to love someone. And more importantly, he had reminded me how much I had missed it. And then he had decided that it was too hard, and left me in a worse condition than I had been in before. Much worse.

I couldn't take it any more. People said I was strong, and maybe I was, but this was just too much for me to handle.

That was when I made my descision. You've got to let them go Maria. Both of them. I felt my chest tighten. I got back up and slipped downstairs, then out of the house. I crept away, heading in the direction of the clearing. I found my way, even in the dark. It was eerily quiet, and lit only by the moonlight.

I slipped my ring off of my finger and looked at it, weighing it in my hand. It glinted in the moonlight. Let them go.

I hurled the ring as hard as I could into the darkness, letting out a yell. I poured my anger, my grief, my frustration, and most importantly, my hopelessness into this yell. I watched the ring sail away into the darkness and fell to my knees.

After about ten minutes or so I got to my feet. Then I turned and hurried back home, not looking back once.

I didn't feel much better at all.

GRAYSON

This was all so stupid. He couldn't stop thinking about that girl. Grayson kept running his fingers trhough his hair every nw and then, unconsciously.

Normally he was always so full of jokes and laughter bt today nt so much. The seriousness of what he had done seemed to dawn on him. He had never before cared for someone like he cared for Maria. And now he had simply just given her away claiming it was all "too hard?"

Grayson groaned. What had he done? Then again he couldn't keep going on refusing to know that Maria and Krissy were constantly threatening the Rogue day after day.

Grayson ran a hand through his hair. He didn't have any reason for his stupid action. He left Maria alone and by herself. Now there was no way to get her back.

Slowly the weighing truth seemed to make Grayson's chest ache more. If that was even possible. Soon, there would be a battle. People were going to die. Would that be him? Or Kayla? Jas? Grayson swallowed hard. Maria?

Maria could take care of herself. She had to because their was nothing Grayson could do for her now.

He got down on his knees and pressed his hands together, closing his eyes. Grayson was praying for the first time in years. In fact for the first time Miguel died. But that wasn't it. Grayson realized, after he finished his prayer that...he hadn't bothered about praying for the Rogue. He was praying for the safety of the enemy. For the safety of Maria.

Maria

I came back inside for the third time that night. I brushed past Krissy, who was coming down the stairs, and went into my bedroom, slamming the door. I changed into more comfortable clothing. The shirt had short sleeves, and you could see the multiple scars on my arms. I got into bed and put out the light.

That was when my emotions and thoughts consumed me completely.

The most powerful was an endless feeling of grief and sorrow. But accompanying it was anger, frustration, disbelief, hopelessness, and pain. Yes, physical pain. My chest and throat both hurt badly. An aching pain. I could take the sharp pain of a cut, or a stab, but I couldn't take this kind of pain. It hurt just as much, if not more, as it had when Mason had been killed.

My defenses against my emotions, that had normally been so strong, had been shattered. They tore at me like knives, beating me down.

I closed my eyes as one single tear slid down my face.

Then I did the only thing that I hadn't ever done. I gave up. Not on fighting the Rogue, nothing could make me give up on that, but I gave up on ever finding someone. Face it Maria; you're alone, and you always will be, and there's nothing you can do about it.

I wasn't sure how long I lay there. My emotions beat at me with a strength that I couldn't match.

After a while I drifted into a fitful sleep.

Krissy:

I looked up in surprise as Maria tore past me in the staircase. Something was bothering her again, I rubbed my eyes groggily. Grabbing a cup of water, I went back upstairs to find Maria's room quiet. I would leave her this time, she needed some time alone. I slipped back into the room where earlier I had found Daniel sleeping soundly beside me. I lay down again a wrapped my arms around him sadly.

Maria

It was morning. I had hardly gotten any sleep, and my head was throbbing. I stumbled down the stairs and went outside in a kind of daze. There was a bucket of water that had collected from the last rainfall sitting by the wall of the house. I knelt down in front of it and submerged my head. The water was icy cold and stung some. I kept my head under as long as I could muster. Then I straightened, gasping for air. I wrung my hair out, then went back inside.

Krissy and Daniel were still asleep, so I let them be. I went back into my room. I passed a mirror on the wall, and froze, staring.

My hair was wet and dripping, and hung loose around my shoulders. My skin was pale; even paler than my scars, which showed most noticeably. But none of these things had my attention. I was staring at my eyes.

They were dark brown pools that seemed endless. They were bloodshot, and had dark circles under them. But that still wasn't what I was looking at. It was the look in my eyes. Grief unmeasured was perfectly visible there, along with several other unwanted emotions. I noticed how very bad and unhealthy I looked; and it hadn't even been a day! I sat down on my bed and buried my face in my hands. I felt abandoned.

What is wrong with me?!

Jas

Gryk's house was just a dark, hulking shape in the moonlight, like a monster glowering at us. We halted outside the front gate, exchanging suddenly nervous looks. The house, so cheery and prim in the daylight, looked sinister now.

"Do you really think this is going to accomplish anything?" Lorraine asked. She had drawn one of her daggers, and it glittered in her hand.

I sighed. "No, but what other leads do we have to go on?"

Kayla reached out and opened the gate. It swung open with a loud, foreboding creak. Lorraine jumped back and stepped on my foot.

"Ooh, spooky," I said, smirking. "Come on, let's get this - "

Something moved behind us. We spun around. My hand flew to the pocket my knife was in.

A man stepped out of the shadows, a man I recognized instantly - the man who had thrown the fire powder in my face that night outside my barn. I started towards him, my knife in my hand.

He held up his hands. "Wait, I'm here to help you."

"Jas, wait," Kayla said, grabbing my wrist. I reluctantly took a step back.

"You're looking for the counterfeiters, aren't you?" the man asked. We nodded warily. "I can tell you where they are." Lorraine made a disbelieving noise, and he added, "Until tonight I was one of them, but they're going too far. They're killing too many people and making too many false coins. I'm done with them. I can tell you where the leader is, where the gold mine is, everything."

Kayla

She sneered at the man.

"Do you think we're that foolish to believe you?" She asked, flding her arms across her chest. "You may be stupid but we surely aren't."

"Hold your tongue, Kayla," Lorraine hissed. "We might need his help."

"We don't need his help. This could be a trap. Easily. And I'm not falling for it. I want the proof," Kayla replied, stubbornly.

Jas

I hesitated, looking from Kayla's stubborn face to the flicker of hope in Lorraine's eyes. I wanted to believe that this man had the answers we so desperately needed, but Kayla was right - we couldn't afford to trust anyone, especially not someone who had already attacked me.

"Thanks for the offer, but we can find these people on our own," I said. I turned away and opened the gate again. "Let's go, Kayla, Lorraine."

"Wait!" the man said. "Please! You have to believe me!"

"We don't have to do anything," Kayla snarled. "Don't you know who we are, scum? We're the Rogue's most trusted servants. We don't need help from anybody, and certainly not from a lying, good - for - nothing like you."

"Wait," Lorraine said softly. "Let's just hear him out."

I exchanged a frustrated look with Kayla - couldn't Lorraine see that every second we wasted talking to this fool was another second for the trail to grow cold? - then sighed. "Fine. But know this - if you try to betray us in any way, or lie to us, we will bring the wrath of the Rogue down on you, your friends, your family, everyone who has ever been associated with you in any way."

The man nodded slowly, then plunged his hand into his pocket. I tensed, thinking he was about to draw a knife, but he only pulled out a crinkled piece of paper. "The address of the counterfeiter's hiding place is written on this paper."

Lorraine snatched it out of his hand and scanned it. "That's right by here. Let's go."

I turned to the man. "You're coming with us. And if this is a trap, I'll kill you myself."

Lorraine
The man actually gave me something to believe in after many days. There was a small part of him that said that for the first time I should listen to someone else than the Rogue and myself.
He gave us a piece of paper where an address was scribbled.
"Have you heard of the attack tonight?" Jas asked the man while i was trying to understand what the paper said.

"I have never being too involved but I have not heard of attacks or murders whatsoever"the man answer, a honest hint in his voice. That made me pay attention to what he was saying.

"So...you don't know about this?" Kayla said a bit shocked, maybe not wanting to admit it. But i knew it, I suspected that this girl had to do with that, but it was hard to decide in such situation.

"I was just there this morning" The man added. "And I heard nothing about an attack to the Rogue"

I looked at Jas, who looked as surprised as Kayla, but confused was more like the feeling for them.
But as I was trying to pay attention to the man, I discovered what the paper said.

"Wait, I know this place" I said, very surprised by the address.

"What are you saying?" Jas asked, as surprised as I was.

"Yes, this is a tavern. My brother used to work there when he was fourteen. This is one of the most expensive taverns in the city." I remembered every sit and every window of it, not very pleasent memories I have to say. I first killed in that place.

"A tavern?" Kayla asked.

"Yes, le's get going" I said, hurrying out of the door of Gryk's house.

Daniel
He didn't sleep well, he flet Krissy get up many times before actually geting some rest. That made him uneasy and thoughtful. He thought about he face after killing those Birds. In rare occassion had he seen her like that before. But she was asleep and didn't want to wake her up.

When morning arrived, he woke up and went downstairs, realizing that it was really early. But somehow as he searched for a glass of water in the kitchen, hidden in one of he shelves he found his mother's wedding ring. He always kept it, for he knew it was precious to his father. He had to admit the ring was amazingly beautiful, but he had never liked it because he never really loved his mother. And in between thoughts, a sudden image of that ring on Kryssy rushed through his mind.
It was a crazy idea he knew but he liked it. Krissy wearing that beutiful ring, that wedding ring; him putting it on her and tasting her lipss on their wedding.

So he went back to his room, just to stare at Krissy quietly, before his male nature surfaced and made him go to her and kiss her softly.

"Daniel?" She asked, opening her eyes little by little. But he shushed her and kissed her again while she slowly threaded her fingers in his hair.

**awww so adorable. I can't post now as I am on an iPod but I'll post tomorrow**

Jas

The man seemed oblivious to the tip of my knife pressing between his shoulder blades as we crossed through the dark city streets, humming under his breath like he was on his way to the market. I, on the other hand, was much more tense, jumping at every shadow. My thoughts kept returning to the Rogue. I hoped he was still okay. And Grayson... Where was he? No one had seen him in days.

"Here it is," Lorraine suddenly said. We stopped in front of a dark, stone building. Trash littered the steps and a mangy stray cat, eyes gleaming, sat near the front door. A crooked sign read "The Cat's Meow."

"Why are all the tavern names in this city terrible?" I muttered. Kayla glared at me. "Well, they are!"

"Let's just go inside," Lorraine said, rolling her eyes.

"And walk right into a trap?" Kayla asked, raising her eyebrows. "No way. Let's send Jas in first."

"Hey!"

"Just a suggestion," Kayla said. She warily approached the steps. The cat stared at her, tail lashing slowly. "Let's kick the door in again. That was fun last time."

Lorraine, the man, and I followed her. The tavern looked deserted, and I was beginning to get a sinking feeling in my stomach. Something told me that this was going to be a huge waste of time. What if something had happened to the Rogue while we were following this strange man around? What if -

"Stand back," Kayla said. She kicked the door in, and raced into the dark tavern.

Maria

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to get my mind off of Grayson. And... I swallowed. Mason. I felt like I had lost him all over again. Throwing the ring away hadn't helped me forget; on the contrary, I was now thinking about both of them much more than I was comfortable with. A memory flashed through my head.

It was freezing outside, but Mason went out the door. I followed him, closing it behind me. He stood there in front of me for a moment. Then he turned around and looked into my eyes.

"Maria, I care about you more than anyone I've ever met before." He looked oddly nervous. "And, if you wanted, I was wondering if maybe..." He paused and reached into his pocket. "If maybe you wanted to marry me."

Wave upon wave of pure shock coursed through me. He pulled out a silver ring. It was beautiful. I was silent for a moment, and a worried look came into his eyes. Then I smiled. "Yes, yes I will." He smiled back and embraced me. He pulled away and slipped the ring onto the second finger of my left hand.

I wanted to scream. Why couldn't I stop thinking about him?! He was dead, and there was nothing that I could do about it. Grayson isn't dead. I thought. Then I shook my head. He had made it clear that he couldn't handle this. I got up and went outside again. It was chilly outside; a clear sign of the cold days that were on their way. I shivered in my short sleeves.

The sky was perfectly clear, save for a couple of white clouds hanging over the trees. They were tinged with pink. I stood there and watched as the sun peeked over the trees. The light caressed my face, warming me up some. I wanted to forget it all. Forget the Rogue, Mason, just everything.

But I couldn't. It was impossible for me to tear those memories out of my head. They had been there for so very long... Goosebumps crawled up my neck as I remembered once again the night that Mason was killed. The sun climbed a little higher.

Krissy


I propped myself up onto my elbows, looking curiously at Daniel.

"Someone's happy this morning no?" observing his flushed cheeks and glinting eyes.

"Just thinking about stuff that makes me happy." Daniel said softly, his fist tightening around something gently.

"Oh? What things are those?" I laughed, rolling onto my stomach.

"Lots of stuff, like rain, guitars and music of course, literature, nice quills, ring- um. Oh and you of course silly!" he said, as his face flushed more.

"What's this I hear, you enjoy what? Jewelry, if my ears do not deceive me." I giggled "Now don't you worry, it'll be our little secret."

Hopping off the bed, I felt puzzled. Rings? He never wears rings ... Oh well. I slid down the banner of the staircase happily, feeling like a child. I jumped into a chair and curled up there as Daniel padded down the steps.