Young Writers Society

Carus

As Rena glared at him, Carus smiled wildly back, "Okay, dear Steph, how about this. We battle out. No weapons. First to draw blood wins. Also, the winner gets to decide if they want to play it enemy-friends, okay? Everyone agree?"

He glanced around. Rena was still glaring at him. The Harlots were glancing at each other, as if conveying information through gazes. Rena cuffed Carus over the head and dragged him away for a quick quiet talk, "What the hell are you doing? Of course she's going to win, look at her!"

They both looked at Steph. She appeared to be stretching, a vicious smile on her face licking her lips as if she could taste Carus' blood. Rena raised an eyebrow at Carus, "Well?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I said no weapons. I never said what counted as a weapon, did I?" He asked smiling, and hidden in the gesture of wearily scratching his head he pulled one of his earrings out then with a polite hand covered yawn, slipped it into his mouth, tucked into his cheek so he could speak correctly.

Rena folded her arms, her eyes as sharp as a hawks, "That's cheating."

"That, my diplomatic friend, is exploiting loop holes," he whispered and then returned to the others, "Have we discussed this now? Is everyone up for the conditions? Or if you want we can go four on four and best three out of four wins then decides?"

Then, all of a sudden, the quiet one moved. It was a swift movement - and Rena cried out in pain as Lenneth unleashed her squirrel on Rena's leg. It had bitten down viciously, and now, Rena was slumped on the ground, bleeding copiously.

"What the - ?!" Rena whimpered as she attempted to get up on her feet, failing to complete the action. It was like her leg was paralyzed. "I can't get up!"

The other Devas stared at her in apparent confusion and shock before Amy rushed forwards to help her. Carus turned back to Stephanie, his expression hard and cold. "I thought we'd made a deal, Steph."

"We didn't." Her expression was upturned into a smirk. "YOU did."

(Er, sorry if I took it into a tangent you guys didn't want? I'll change it if needed...)

*I hope you get the reference. IF you don't look at your avatar Azrael*

With a flick of her wrist, Stephanie summoned a gray tiger. It growled at Carus.

He seemed unmoved and merely shrugged. "Nice kitty," he seemed to say as he playfully waved a finger at it.

"OK," Stephanie said, sighing.

Carus and several of the other Harlots tared at her open mouthed.

She gritted her teeth and stomped on the moist dirt, digging a small ditch. "You're right... we can't do this now."

Carus could only stare at her, clearly caught unguard.

"I'm not deceiving you," Stephanie whispered, sensing Carus's apprehension. "I'm not."

There was silence for the span of one minute. Even the lightning and thunder had stopped with the rest of the Earth. It was as if the world had now truly come to an end. But Stephanie knew that there was a threat that none of them could ever wish to face being as.. fragmented as life had been since the day the world as they knew it ended.

"What about my leg, you witch?" Rena stood up, leaning on Amy for support. "Your pet little Harlot just poisoned me!"

Stephanie waved it off. "She didn't. It was only a joke."

"It sure doesn't seem like one!" Rena was getting worked up again, but slowly began to calm down as she started to regain feeling in her paralyzed leg. She glared at Stephanie at she relinquished her hold on Amy.

"You'd better keep that - that thing away from me or I might just make her explode."

Stephanie gritted her teeth and snarled at her. Was she being serious? Would she really make it explode? Stephanie could picture it, she felt bile rise in her throat. It's acidicicy making her windpipe tingle.

"Don't," she said.

No one said anything. Stephanie only shook her head. They were getting nowhere. Were the Devas really that bloody think? "Are we going to do this or not!?" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. She grabbed clumps of her hair and rumpled them as if they were the most vile of serpents.

Carus looked at her as if she had gone mad.

Steadying her exasperated breathing, Stephanie whispered, "I'm not crazy."

One of the Devas giggled, but quickly put a hand to her mouth.

Rena shook the last remaining bits of numbness from her leg as Stephanie went around the bend. In Rena's opinion, she'd gone mad long time ago - she just needed a little push to trip over the line that separated sanity from insanity.

"I assure you that I'm not going to blow up whatever you think I'm going to blow up." Rena's drawl was bored, patronizing. "There's no need to over-react. I just want that nameless excuse for a Harlot to stay away from me."

"What nameless excuse for a Harlot?" Stephanie glared - in Rena's opinion, it made her look a lot like the monster from Greek Mythology, Medusa. Thankfully she couldn't petrify anyone with her gaze. Rena rolled her eyes.

"You know which one I meant." She gestured at the brunette that had attacked her. "That one."

"She's not nameless." Stephanie retorted. "Her name's Lenneth."

Lenneth. Rena thought wryly. At least I've got her name now.

Stephanie's eyes spasticly shifted around. I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy.

Half of the Devas glanced at her worriedly.

She looked away and stared at her fellow Harlots. They looked at her sympathetically. Ame walked forward and put an arm on Stephanie's shoulder. "There, there dear Stephy," Ame said.

Stephanie closed her eyes and wept.