Young Writers Society

Scarlette Fawn

I slowly walk with Astral torwards the creature. His hand grips my arm tightly. My friends and brother stare at me shocked. They all are injured.

This is all my fault.

No!

This is all his fault.

"Don't leave me." I hear Carlos mumble but I don't look back. If I do my heart might just collapse.

I'm sorry. But I have too.

I mount Friskys back, and Astral sits in front of me.

"No!" I hear Matt yell. "Don't you dare take my sister from me!"

"Matt!" I yell as loudly as I can. He jumps back shocked.

"Let me go!" I yell.

"I just got you back!" He yells angry.

"Let me go!"

"Listen to her blondie." I hear Astral say. Matt looks like he will charge, but then he looks at me.

I mouth Save Them. Tears well up in both of our eyes.

"Please..." I whisper. My brother nods, and his face becomes red. "I won't stop." He promises.

Next. I stare into Carlos' broken and betrayed eyes.

"I'm sorry." I mouth. "I'm so so sorry."

"No..." He says. "No!"

And just like that we are gone. Zooming through the air away from the island that had been my home for the longest amount of time. They might die...because of me. I can't bring myself to do anything. My face remains emotionless, and I stare straight ahead.
Astral whispers something into my ear, but I don't hear him. I don't want to hear him. A shiver goes down my spine.
I suddenly become very dizzy, and the world around me begins to spin.

"You are mine now." Astral whispers into my ear.

Then the world goes black.

When I wake up I am covered in my own sweat, and I'm laying on the cold floor of a metal cell. I cling to the bars and pull on them with all my strength.
Nothing.

"This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real. This is just a dream...just a dream." I struggle in the chains holding me in one place.

"Oh, if only it was. Unlike your nightmares Scar this is very real." Across the room Astral sits in a chair on the other side of the cell reading a book.

"What do you want from me?" My hands shake violently. I want to scream and cry, but God knows I won't let him see me break.

"Oh nothing special. I guess, I just needed a toy."

"You demented phycopath!" I yell.

"Well, that wasn't a kind thing to say." He glares at me. I spit at him.

"Stupid girl." He wipes his face and comes closer torwards me. "This is a fairly simple process. Stage one. Physical pain. Stage two. Mental pain. Stage three Emotional pain. And stage four agonizing pain. Wonder which one will make you break first? Maybe you'll break at each one. Let's begin." He laughs, and pulls out a knife and holds it up to my face.

"Shame to mark such a beautiful thing." He quickly swipes it across my face leaving a gash. I wince and a small scream escapes my mouth. I feel warm blood rush down my face.

My heart beats faster, and my breathing becomes heavier.
He then pulls back the knife once again and stabs me in the side. I scream and fall to my knees.

"You...monster!" I gasp out.

"I thought that was you Scarlette." He kneels down to my level.
I look into his eyes as mine fill with water. For a moment I see a spark of emotion, but it quickly dispppears back to pure evil.

I deserve this.

I shake my head sending those thoughts away.
Come on brain. Don't lie to me now.

All your fault...this is your fate...you deserve it.

I look back down as my blood and tears stain the cold dark cement beneath me.

"Ever tried shock therapy? I've heard it's supposed to zolt the crazy out of you. Might shut up those voices in your head. Don't you think?" He asks.

"How did you-" I look up to see him push a button. I can't get out the rest of my sentence before pain jolts through my entire body. I scream for what feels like hours.

"Stop! Please stop!" I yell till my throat feels raw.

The pain is agonizing. He releases the botton and I fall completely to the ground. I lay there my eyes closed.

"Please...stop...this." I can barely say this through my staggered breathing.

"Again." He says.

Once again...nothing but pain.

Ty was the one that made sure we all kept moving. Ty was the one that made sure we didn't break to pieces. He helped me up and put my arm around his neck and helped me move. My eyes felt heavy and I fell unconscious before we even got off the beach. I woke up, who knows how many hours later, in the cave- the cold, freezing cave.
I didn't know what hurt more, the bullet in my shoulder that was pouring blood out, or the fact that Scar was now gone too. They were breaking our family apart, one by one. Ty saw that I was awake and walked over to me with a plastic bucket of water. He poured it over the bullet wounds carefully.
“What's this?” I said with a drowsy voice.
“Salt water. Helps to disinfect it.” he told me.
“How many times did I get shot? It felt like a million.” I confessed. Everything hurt and breathing took all my focus.
“Not a million...we took out eleven bullets. Most were in your legs and some hit your chest.”
“Does that mean I'm going to have cool scars?” I asked, managing a small smile. Ty smirked at me and nodded, before sighing heavily and frowning again.
“I should of taken these bullets.” he finally said.
“And let you be the hero? Please...” I smirked and then groaned in pain.
“You're the youngest one here...you should have been safe and...”
“Tucked away in bed? Home with my toys? I might be the youngest but this is my fight too.” I protested.
“I'm sorry...that's not what I meant.”
“I know. It's just...she's gone too now. First Kirsten, now Scar. Who's next? You or me?” I ask him seriously. I couldn't handle this. I wasn't as brave as Kirsten or Scarlet, or any of these guys standing here.
“Kirsten wasn't taken...she's coming back. I promise.” Ty said, loosing eye contact with me. I could tell he felt guilty for promising something he couldn't be sure of, something no one could be sure of. I looked over to Matt who looked shattered. His cheeks were wet and he looked exhausted, and I couldn't blame him, imagine how it felt, to have found her, and now...she's gone again. He was tying bandages around his leg bone and the rest stood in silence, waiting for someone to say something.
“How could that guy do that?” Davit asked.
“Powers...We're just not sure what it is yet.” Ty said.
“What now? How can we save her?” Matt looked at me and nodded. He agreed. We needed to save her now, who knew what he was doing to her or the pain she was suffering. Every second we were here chatting was a second wasted! I tried to stand up, but Ty pushed me back down in my seat without saying a word and continued bandaging. “Is she still on the island?”
“We don't know what to do. No one knows where he is or where he went.” Matt confessed. I looked over to Ty and wished he would answer- he was the guy who always had a plan. Didn't he care about Scar? His eyes flashed towards me and I realized how stupid that question was. Of course he cared. But he was doing what Scar would of wanted. He was making sure everyone was safe, then he would do anything in his power to kill Astral.
“We could...” I raced my mind for an answer. Anything. There had to be something we could do.
“Carlos, you should go back to sleep...even soldiers need to rest.” I looked at my bloody shirt and trousers, all cut open and torn. It was scary how much blood there was...and it was all mine. With that in mind, I fell asleep.

Kirsten

I woke up that morning surprisingly warm. when I had fallen back asleep after my shift on watch, the cold cement floor and the winter breeze was enough to freeze even me. But now I felt quite cozy. I blinked my eyes open, and once I sat up saw why, Leon's coat had been snugly wrapped around me. I looked over to the far corner of the room where he lay still asleep, curled into a tight ball to conserve body heat. I rubbed the coarse denim between my fingers, smiling a little. I had just ran into him the other night, and already he was looking out for me. He reminded me a little of Carlos.
Only more jumpy and less hyper.
I rose, slinging the coat over my shoulder and stretching. I crept as quietly as I could over to where Leon was, doing my best wake him.
As soon as I was close enough, though, the sound of my footsteps woke him. I'd never known anyone who slept so light...well, I might've once, but... you know....
Leon's head shot up, his eyes were a little frantic at first, but once he saw it was only me, he relaxed.
I tossed him the jacket. "Thanks." I murmured.
Leon shrugged, slipping the long coat back on. "Not a problem."
I scuffed my shoe on the concrete. "You didn't have to do that, you know. I've lived in colder places than this wherehouse."

"Oh? Where?"

"The tundra"

"That's where they dropped you?"

"Yep? Where'd you land?"

"Canyons. It was too deep there for anyone to get down to me, even if anyone was stupid enough to try."

I hesitated a little before asking, not really sure I wanted to know. "Hey...Leon, what exactly was this expirement?"

"The govornment started it because the police were swamped with all the crime going on. They decided to try and make their own superheroes by enhancing talents and abilities in a normal human, but something went wrong."
"The scientists didn't count on the formula working on our flaws too. Most of us became too unstable or dangerous to use, so they dumped us on the most remote places in the world, and called it done."

"Do, you think that's what wiped my memory?"

"Maybe."

"If you don't mind me getting personal, what did it do to you?"

Leon tensed, and then sighed. "It drove me crazy. I'm not exaggerating." Leon then told me about his other personality, Blak, and ho he'd sometimes take control of his mind. I could see he was expecting me to be scared, maybe run off, but through the whole explanation I felt eerily calm.

After he finished, Leon pulled hi knees against his chest, resting his cheek against them. There was a pain in his eyes that I had never seen before, not even in Carlos or Scarlette. I plapped myself down next to him, then, feeling the need to lighten the mood a little, joked
"Hey, it might not've been the serum, you know. Maybe you just spent too long in the same room with Astral."

He laughed at that, the as abruptly as he had started, he stopped, his eyes widened.
I knew what had happened. I had felt it too.
A searing feeling of horror.
I suddenly became short of breath. The sound of gunshots echoed faintly in my ears.
I stared over at Leon, our eyes met, the fear mirrored in each others faces.

Something was very wrong.

the next moment, Zandra's cell phone rang. She fished in out of her poscket with her Uncuffed hand and put it to her ear.
"Hello?" Silence as the other end talked. "Tybear!...What?" Zandra's face drained of color, and the feeling of dread deepened in me.
Zandra motioned me over. I rose and had to keep myself from snatching to phone out of Zandra's hand.

"Ty? Tybalt, what happened?"

"How did you--"

"I just know, okay? Tell me what happened."

"It's Scarlette..."

"Tybalt! Tell me!"

"Astral has her."
All the air left me in a rush as if I had been kicked in the stomach.

Astral...

"No..."

"I'm sorry, Kirs,--"

"No!"
I stumbled a little, hearing Tybalt talking, but not really understanding any of what he was saying. How could I have let this happen? I hung the phone up, not caring that Ty was still saying something on the other end. I sunk to the ground, and felt tears begin to streak down my face.
That...that freak kidnapped my friend! The grief I felt was replaced with rage as I thought of it.
Leon moved to settle beside me and put an arm around my shoulders.
I leaned against him, shock and rage and grief battling for control over me. "Astral has my freind." I whisper to him. Leon squeezed my shoulder, offering as much comfort as he could. I stood up abruptly. I needed something to do. Anything that would take my mind off Scar.
And the fact that I wasn't there when they needed me.
I picked up a peice of cement, and began scratching out the Symbols for teleportation. Why?
I have no clue.
At least I had no clue until the portal opened up on the island.
All in an instant, the emotions roiling inside me gave way to a stone set and grim determination. My past would have to wait. Now I was going back to the island. To my family, where I should have been in the first place.
I would find where Astral went.
I would track him down.
I'll save Scarlette.
And I'll make sure that creep never hurts her or any of us ever again.

Closely followed by Kevin, Leon, and Zandra, I stepped through the portal and back into the jungle.

Matt

I grimaced as Davit gingerly reset my bone." Ian's dead Matt. Your sister is gone. I think we should call base-" I shook my head angrily. "And what? They'll probably just kill them all. Besides I have a trick up my own sleeve." I motioned to my backpack, Davit brought it over. I pulled something out of it and he stared at it quizzically. Tybalt, the wolf man, walked over." You ok Davit?" He asked. Davit winced." All I can think of is how grateful I am for metal plating. I think I may have broken a rib or two, but I'm unsure." He winced as I sat up. "You don't want to walk on that brother. At least not for a while." Tybalt sat down by as we watched Carlos sleep.

"I'm surprised he's not dead." I said matter of factly." He took more bullets than anything."I picked up the package. Tybalt looked at it curiously. I spoke up." This is military information, but I don't expect you to keep it a secret. The lab who worked on the others and... My sister...well, they weren't the only. China did their own version. A U.S raid took out these kids... Except for one. He only goes by Ying. And from what I know... He's Astral's equal... Maybe even his superior. No one has any idea about this kid. Not even the president. The problem is, we can't call him in to back us up, because he's way to unstable. But that's not the point."

I pull out the package, which was a metal collar." This may be the only chance to take out Astral. These collars were originally made for the Chinese kid, and from what I could read, they were all designed for a certain kid. I found this in the package I was given by Leon. You see, this one was made for Ying... And since they share basically the same powers and stuff... If we get this around Astral's neck, it'll cease his powers. Some electro magnetic stuff, I'm not sure the details."

Tybalt stroked his chin." It's a good idea... But we need to find the kid first. And get that around his neck. But how do we get off this island." I sighed." That wasn't the only helicopter. We can get another one here in a half an hour." Davit nodded." I'll radio it in." He walked off, wincing with each step. I sat back down, resting my leg. Tybalt watched Carlos sleep as we all thought about what had happened when I spoke up." We need to talk to Leon. Or Blak. Although he's the scarier and more ruthless of the two, he's someone I'd follow. He knows what needs to be done. And they left me the info about Ying for a reason. If only I could find out why." I drifted off to sleep.

Astral Venceworth

Astral balanced the knife in the palm of his hand, watching Scarlette convulse as the shocks coursed through her body. Her voice had worn out a while ago, and now she choked in agony as the electrodes worked their foul magic.

“Just a little more,” Astral muttered. “Just a little bit more, and then we can stop.” He had been murmuring this under his breath for the past five minutes, but only now did he notice. With every spasm of Scarlette’s limp body, he could have sworn it had happened, that he had succeeded, and the tests could end. But science could not be dictated by hunches.

Astral grunted bitterly, rising from his stool. “I make my own science.” Seizing the wires that ran along the wall, he yanked them brutally from their sockets. Almost gratefully, Scarlette fell still, her eyes fluttering shut as she relaxed.

Glaring at the electrodes, Astral tossed the wires aside in disgust. Assuming he believed in the hokey science of shock therapy, he’d at least done something useful today.

Of course, this would be meaningless if Scarlette ceased to live. Opening the cell door, he stalked tentatively towards her.

She looked almost peaceful, now that the shocks had passed. Sitting down in front of her, he placed a hand over her heart. It was feeble, but still beating.

And...warm. Astral felt an odd calm settle over him, staring down at the girl before him. He could feel his own heart, pulsing within its cage, almost synchronized with Scarlette’s.

“Soft…,” he murmured, heat washing through his body. A coaxing compulsion niggled in the back of his mind, to simply sit there for the rest of eternity, with his hand on this girl’s chest.

Realizing the current situation, Astral withdrew his hand, clutching it as though reprimanding its actions. “I’m not a pervert,” he mumbled petulantly.

Cheeks slightly rosier, he drew closer to Scarlette’s face. A drop of crimson trickled from the cut he had made with the knife. Producing a flashlight from his pocket, he shone it on the wound in an attempt to amuse himself. A scarlet scar lit on Scarlette.

And yet the joke seemed hollow now. Drawing a white kerchief from his pocket, he dabbed at the cut until the bleeding stopped. Almost subconsciously, his hands began to move, pressing the cloth against the stab wound in her side as well. His fingers got a little bloody, but he didn’t care.

When his work was finished, he sat back, leaning on his hands, his once pristine kerchief now soaked in scarlet. Hunching over, Astral rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Why had he done that? The gashes weren’t fatal - he’d made sure of that earlier. So why…?

Astral filed the disturbance away in the back of his mind. It was irrelevant at the moment. His hand slipped into his pocket, his fingers grasping the warm glass of a syringe.

Drawing the syringe from his pocket, he glanced at the contents of the tube. A long time ago, he would have prided himself in such an invention. But perhaps the greatest achievement was for achievement itself to become commonplace.

The contents in question were an advanced form of the nightmare serum he’d administered to Scarlette earlier. The murky blue solution swished around in the needle as he examined it. This, he knew, was pure emotional pain.

With a sigh, he leaned forward, sticking the needle into Scarlette’s neck. Pressing down on the syringe, he emptied the nightmares into Scarlette’s body. Unconscious, she convulsed as her heart began to pump Astral’s torture through her bloodstream.

Heavily, Astral exited the cell, plunking back down in his stool. Picking up the book he had discarded earlier, he read the title. The Scarlet Letter. A classic.

Tossing the book aside in disgust, he sighed out wearily, hands groping over his face. Through the spaces between his fingers, he could see Scarlette shuddering in her cell as he tortured her into a goddess.

Shutting his eyes, he ran his fingers through his ragged hair. But the darkness in his eyelids reminded him all too much of Blak.

Astral’s eyes blazed open, yellow irises shining. “To defeat a monster,” he growled, “we will become gods.” His unnerving gaze rested upon Scarlette as she writhed on the floor in cold agony.

Kirsten


The portal spit is out on the beach. It would have looked quite peaceful if it wasn't obvious with all the blood and the huge crater in the sand that there had been a fight here.
I stared at the blood spattered over the shore.
Whose was it?
The next thing that caught my eye was the body. Obviously dead, but I didn't recognize who it was. I then focused on the crater and the huge paw prints in the sand. So, Astal had brought good 'ol Frisk with him, had he?
Leon was scowling at the carnage. There was a look in his eyes that I couldn't place. Zandra and Kevin were both examining the body, most likely trying to find the cause of the death.
Kevin's ear twitched, and angled itself at the jungle behind him. I jogged over.
"What is it?" I inquired a little nervously.
"Footsteps." Kevin muttered softly.
I looked out into the brush, listening intently. Soon I could hear the sound of someone crashing through the jungle as well.
The gait sounded too heavy to be Carlos, maybe it was Ty?
The footsteps stopped, whoever it was must have seen us.
So it wasn't Ty.
If he had seen me on the beach, he wouldn't have hesitated to come out to greet me. I searched the trees until I found his shadowed form, and narrowed my eyes at him.
"Well?" I said tersely. "Are you going to come out, because I'm not in the mood to go chasing people through the woods."
No reply.
I sighed in an exasperated way. "Look, If your here with Ty and Carlos, none of us are going to give you any trouble. And if you weren't on our side, chances are you would've attacked us already."
My reasoning seemed to reassure the person and he stepped out onto the beach. He was tall and broad shouldered with a mess of brown hair and a serious looking face.
Leon took an uneasy step back, eyeing the guy's rifle a little warily.
Seeming to sense Leon's agitation, he put the gun away. His eyes looked everywhere but the corpse on the sand. Finally he said "Where did you come from?"
I shrugged one shoulder "New York."
If this confused the guy he didn't show it. "You must be that friend of Carlos's. The one who left."
I tried not to wince a that. "Thanks for reminding me." I drawled. "Where are they now?"
"Cave on the other side of the jungle."
Without waiting for my companion to follow, I set off in the direction of the cave.
I stormed through the jungle, pushing leaves and branches out of my way. I could hear the others a little ways behind me, but I didn't stop to wait for them. Besides being ticked at Astral, I was also excited to see my two friends again. It had only been two days since I left, but it had felt longer than that.
I stopped short when I saw a guy I didn't know sleeping near the mouth of the cave. This gave Zandra, Kevin, and Leon time to catch up. The all looked a little out of breath.
"Thanks for waiting." Zandra snapped.
I had hardly heard her, though. My eyes had fallen on Carlos, fast asleep, and Tybalt sitting next to him.
Deciding to trust the other guy for now, I rushed in to greet Ty, who was the only one awake, and wrapped him in a brief hug before he went over to talk with Zandra. I settled myself down near Carlos, and examined his torn and bloodied shirt. That combined with the bullet wounds peppering his body led me to believe that most of the blood I had seen on the beach was his. No use waking him up when he obviously needed to rest. I would be here when he woke up. I wasn't going to leave now that I had come back, not ever.

Scarlette Fawn

Nightmare 1: The beginning.

I endure the pain until I lose conciousness. At first there is darkness, and then I'm transported to an empty city street. It's night, and the sounds of the city echo around me.

This isn't real.

But it feels so real.

I admire the city until I see two people walking together.
It's a women and a young child. The little girl has long curly blonde hair, and the mother has long curly chocolate colored hair.

The stay close together, and they are laughing. The mother quickly turns around, and I see her face.

Mom...

I run to her and scream her name, but she doesn't react.
She can't see or hear me.

That must mean that the small child is me, and that must mean that this is the night my mother died. Why else would I be seeing this?

I had no memory of that night, but I knew I with her when it happened.
I watch them as they enter the subway entrance, and my young self is skipping around my mother. She sings a song we learned at the school that day.
Besides us the subway stop is empty. Or at least that's what we thought.

"Can you please help me." A voice asks.
I watched as my mother and my younger self turned towards the man by the stairs. He looked disoriented and homeless. My mother gripped my hand tightly.

"Yes sir?" She tried to answer as politely as possible.

"Do you have any spare change I could use to pay for the subway ride?" He asks.

"Oh...uh yes. Hold on a moment." She releases her grip my younger self's hand, and pulls her purse from her side. She is digging around looking for some money when the man grabs my younger self by the hair. He pulls a gun to my head. I scream and my mother puts her hands up.

"Let my daughter go. Please...I'll give you whatever you want. I'll give you all my money. Please...just don't hurt my baby. Please I beg you!"
The mans hands are shaking.

"Skoot the purse over to me!" He demands.

She does as he says.

"Your jewelry too!"

Once again she does as he says. He collects the money and jewelry and stuffs the things into his jacket. While he is distracted, my mother lunges at him knocking him over, and knocking the gun out of his hand. She reached for the gun, but he was quicker. He turned and shot her in the shoulder. She collapsed and I ran to her.

"Mommy!" I yell, and the man once again grabbed me by my hair. He throws my younger self against the wall. A trail of blood was left as I slid down the wall.
My mother tried attacking him again, but he pinned her down choking her. My younger self slowly went unconscious to the sounds of my mother loud grunts, and screams. The scene in front of me melts away as my younger self goes unconscious. I only see what I was there for.

The last sound is a gun shot...then silence.

"No! I need to see more! I need to see his face! I need her...."

I hadn't remembered or seen that night...till today.

I fall to my knees crying as the next scene forms.

"Mom..."

TYBALT
Tybalt smiled as he gave Kirsten a hug. And then he saw Zandra behind her and went to give her a hug.

"Zandra!" He smiled wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "I missed you!"

Zandra chuckled and hugged back, "I know you did. You said that on the phone."

Tybalt kissed her on the cheek, "I know, but that's how much I missed you." He winked at her before turning to Kevin. "Glad to see you out of the lab, kid!"

Kevin however didn't hear him because he was to busy staring at Kirsten.

Tybalt chuckled and smacked the fox on the shoulder. "Kid? You hear me?"

Kevin jumped, "What? Oh yeah... What did you say again?"

Tybalt smiled, "Somebody's got a crush." He teased in a sing-song voice.

Kevin's face turned red and he tried to hide it by shoving Ty... bbut of course Ty didn't move. "Shut up..."

Tybalt laughed, "The little fox has a crush on..."

Kevin kicked him in the leg causing him to not be able to finish that sentence.

Kirsten looked over from where she was, "What's going on over there?"

Kevin, who was already red, smiled. "Oh... Nothing!" he chuckled nervous, giving Tybalt a glare.

Nightmare 2: The blow to the face

Next I'm transported to this scene of a bedroom. It's familiar... It's me and Matt's old room. The one we lived in before the kidnapping.
I look to the center of the room, and I see two young kids with bright blonde hair sitting on the floor leaning against the side of a bed.

My brother and I.

He looks about 13. So that means this must be when I was 9.

The year after my moms accident.

It's dark in the room, and we both sit crouched together on the floor. My brother is holding me while stroking my hair. My face is hidden in his chest. My tears are staining his shirt.

My gaze quickly shifts away from the two children to the closed door to my right. Bumps and yelling echos from the wood.

"Shh...Scar it's okay." He says. My younger self continues to cry harder.

"Scar. You need to stop crying or he'll hear you."

"I'm sorry." I apologize at the arguing outside the door grows louder. Something shatters making the two children gasp. My younger self starts crying even louder.

"God dammit!" A voice beams outside the door.

My fathers.

He charges into the room, and grabs my younger selfs arm so tight it will leave bruises. She screams.

I try to rush to my younger self but there is nothing I can do, but watch.
My brother stands and yells.

"Let her go dad! It was my fault. I screamed."

"Shut up boy!" And in that moment my father pulled his hand back and struck young Matt across the face. He fell to the ground, but he slowly stood back up. Tears fell from Matts eyes, but he didn't move. He just stared coldly at my father. His face was streaked red. Even back then he had to be stronger for me. He wouldn't let my father win.

My father realesses my younger selfs arm, and backs up in horror.

"Matt...I'm so sorry. My son. I. Never. I..." He tries to explain. He falls against the wall and slides down. He cries into his hands as Matt grabs my younger self's hand. He pulled me from the room, and we went and sat on the balcony of the apartment. We watched the stars like we always did when my father came home drunk.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"I'll be okay." He says.

"Why does Daddy not like us?" I ask.

"He doesn't want us Scar. He never wanted us."

"But what about before mommy died? He never did this before that." I say.

"He blames us. He hates us. It's all our fault..."

Astral Venceworth

“Mom…,” Scarlette sobbed, curling up on the floor. A tear fell from her eye as she shuddered, locked within her nightmare.

Astral grimaced. Somehow, seeing this elicited a sharp feeling in his chest. Quickly turning away, he returned to his work.

Frisky the Death Cat lay beside him, lounging on his stomach. The robotic lion’s head plate was removed, exposing the circuits inside. Astral picked up a screwdriver, and, reaching in, he fiddled with the circuit boards.

“Just a bunch of circuits,” he muttered. In a way, it was no different than a human brain. Clusters of flesh, blood, and electricity dictated by chemical programming. Just a machine. He was a machine.

Delicately plucking a circuit board from inside the steel skull, he smirked. If he was a machine, he was the god of machines. “And now,” he muttered, exchanging the board for the one in his other hand, “I create you, king of beasts.”

Screwing the circuit board in, he wedged the plate back into Frisky’s forehead. The lion’s eyes flickered to life with a low rumble. The beast drew up, resting on its haunches, regarding him with a cautious stare.

“So, yoooouu are Astral?” Frisky enquired in a voice of regal thunder. The lion measured out his words, as if he was unfamiliar with how they felt.

Astral leaned back, grinning, satisfied with his work. “Indeed I am, Friskington.” Reaching forward, he petted the lion’s mechanical mane. “But I’d prefer to be referred to as ‘Astral, God of Knowledge’ if that’s alright with you.”

Seeming not to this remark, Frisky shifted his head to stare at Scarlette. “And who is she?”

“A friend,” Astral said dismissively.

Frisky turned back to face him, his expression blank. “I was unaware that a god could have friends.”

“Hey now.” Astral swatted Frisky’s snout playfully. “The first artificial intelligence should be a bit more grateful. Besides,” he added, turning away to face his prisoner, “a god does as he pleases.”

Frisky gave no response, padding over to rest on his stomach beside Astral. Together, they sat in silence, watching Scarlette writhe in a pool of her own tears.

“Why are you hurting her?” Frisky rumbled.

Astral didn’t look at him. “To make her stronger.”

“But she will hate you for it.”

Astral glanced down at Frisky, his expression giving nothing away. “If she hates me, then so be it. Lions are unconcerned by the opinions of sheep.”

Frisky raised his head. “Then how about those of another lion?”

Astral rolled his eyes playfully. “It’s a metaphor, Frisk.”

Frisky stared ahead. “And yet, you have avoided the question. Do you wish to hurt her?”

Astral clasped his hands, resting his chin. “People get stronger by getting hurt. If pain becomes commonplace, then the concept of pain itself is no more.”

“Is that the power of a god? To be unable to feel?”

Astral glared at the lion, who returned a mechanical, blank gaze.

Frisky seemed to take a hesitant breath before continuing. “You do not wish to hurt her. Yet you feel you must in order for her to never be hurt again. She will never feel fear, never feel pain, never feel anger, and never feel love.”

Astral grunted, “She’s strong enough. She can handle it.”

Frisky replied, “Not everyone is so willing to cast their emotions aside for their ambitions.”

“She is,” Astral insisted. “She’s the most selfless person I know.”

Frisky seemed to sigh. “And if she refuses?”

Astral dropped his gaze. “I’ll just have to enlighten her.”

“Ah.”

The two kings sat there for a while, watching Scarlette twist in the clutches of her nightmare. The agony shot through her body, gripping her, making her cry out in pain. Astral said nothing.

“It must be lonely being a god," Frisky remarked.

Nightmare 3: The choice

I watch as the younger versions of my brother and I disappear. Next I see three padded white walls behind me, and steel bars in front of me.

My old cell?

I watch the next scene unfold like a movie.
I'm sitting in the center of the room, and my hand is full of something.

Pills.

The ones I stashed every day for months. That way when I saved up enough, I would have enough to...

My eyes go wide as I realize what day this was. I turn my attention back to my 14 year old self in the center of the room and watch.

She counts them and pulls out a stashed water bottle. Tears stain my face, and my hands shake violently.

"I'm sorry Mattie. I'm sorry... I couldn't be stronger." I slowly brought my hand up to my mouth, but I was stopped by the sound of screams down the hall. I put my stash back under my mattress as they shoved a girl with dark hair, a little older than me, into the cell in front of mine. She kept screaming.

"Let me see my brother you toads!" She slammed her hands against the metal bars.

"Let me out! This is not what I signed up for. I do not want to be put inside a cage!"

"You'd do best to keep your mouth shut." One of the doctors said calmly. They then left the hallway. She screamed and kicked the wall.

"Dang it!" She yelled.

"Be quiet." I say. "Or they'll come back, and taze you, or drug you if you keep screaming." She looks over at me.

"Look, I'm sorry. It's just this hasn't exactly gone to plan." She says.

"And when did you figure that out?" I ask.

"It's just...they offered so much money, and I thought it was gonna be simple tests. I should have a read the fine print..."

"Your lucky you even had the free will to sigh that damn paper."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've been here for 3 years. I was sold off by my father after he wanted to get rid of me. Killed my brother in the process."

"Oh my god."

"Yeah..." I rub my hollow face.

"What's your name?"

"Best not to get attached...most go pretty quickly. Most don't survive the first week. Those who do. Stay. Those who don't. Well I assume you can guess."

"Oh...How about the first letter?"

"S." I say.

"K." She says.

"Nice to meet you K."

"Nice to meet you too...S."



A few weeks later.

I'm back in my cell with the pills in my hand. Both of us have become skinnier, paler, and weaker.

"I can't go on K. I just can't." I say through tears. "So many tests. So many blurry faces, and nightmares."

"S. Look at me. You've got to hang in there. For me. Come on. Who will I play across the hall hockey with?" She slightly smiles and laughs. I don't say anything making her face go hard.

"S. Listen to me. You will survive this. We both will. You can't leave me to okay? I promise I won't leave you. I promise." I look up at her. "That's it. Now flush them down the toilet. Do it!" She pleads. I shut my eyes tightly and slowly stand up. My knees wobble but I walk over to the toilet and drop the pills inside. I push the lever and watch as my opportunity for a way out went down the drain. Literately.

"Good." She says. I got and lay on the floor by the bars and reach my hand through. She does the same grasping the end of my fingers.

"We'll make it through. We will. I promise." I hear her say.

And then I fell asleep.

Kirsten

Carlos woke up just as the sun was beginning to set. He looked around at the cave and at firs his gaze pased me without seeming to notice I was there, then he startled violently an his head swiveled in my direction.
"Kirsten!
He pushed himself into a sitting position and I threw my arms around him.
"I never should have left you guys, Carlos. I'm sorry, I should have been here.."
Carlos hugged me back, wincing a little. "It's okay, Kir. It's alright. I'm just so glad your back." We stayed that way for what felt like forever, holding each other like we hadn't seen each other in years. I can't believe in the few short weeks since I'd met him, I had become so attached to Carlos. We were close enough to be siblings.
This reunion would have been complete if Scarlette were here...
I stared out at the cave entrance where Leon was standing leaned against the wall staring out at the foliage. He looked so detatched, standing there alone.
I realized for the first time how often he did this, placing himself just outside the fringe of our group.
Was Blak the reason he isolated himself like that?
"Is that him?" Carlos asked "the guy you saw in those flashbacks?"
I nodded "Yep, that's Leon."
"Doesn't seem to like people all that much."
"He's a nice guy once you talk with him a little. Might be a bit jumpy but..."
I fell silent, misty because it wasn't my place to explain Leon's problems to Carlos.
I started thinking of Scar again. What was Astral doing to her?
Carlos guessed my thoughts. "Hey." He said "she'll be alright. Scar's the strongest person we know. No pun intended. She'll make it through. We all will."
Those last words echoed in my head, I had the distinct impression of hearing it somewhere before. My hands began to shake and my vision swam. "C-Carlos..." Was all I could manage before Carlos and the cave faded from my vision, replaced by the black and white image of a sparsely furnished bedroom. I saw a pair if hands gripping an envelope tightly,
"Mom won't let us do it, you know." A young female voice said. The view shifted so it was focused on the fir sitting on the worn bed across the room. It was then that I got it. I was seein this vision through someone else's eyes. I looked to be around 13 now, and I could see the worry in my young self's face.
"I know she won't, Kir." This voice sounded male, and judging that I couldn't see in the vision where in was coming from, it must be the voice of whoever' perspective I was seeing this from.
My brother's, most likely.
"But we aren't going to tell her we're leaving. We'll be long gone by the time she gets back from the diner."
My younger self's eyes widened. "You mean we're running away?"
"I don't like this any more than you do, but our family needs this money. With this much cash, mom can quit working all these jobs. Our family can have a better life. You know we're not doing this for us."
"I know, I'm just scared. What kind of tests were they talking about? And what if...what if they try and separate us?"
"They promised they wouldn't."
"People lie, you know."
"Then let's make a pact. No matter what, we stay together. Even if we have to fight them off. Deal?"
"Deal."
........

The scene changed. I was still seeing through my brother's eyes. We were in a small white room, facing a group of scientists. I was gripping my brother's hand tightly.
One of the scientists jotted something down on a clipboard and said. "Alright, it's nearly time for the final stage. Take the girl, and I'll get the boy."
"No!" I screamed. My brother's grip tightened on my hand and his other reached over to grab my shoulder. My young self clung tightly to his arm as a group of scientists attempted to pry us from each other
"You promised! You promised we would stay together!" I didn't know if the younger me was yelling this at the scientists or my brother.
We were outnumbered, though, and the scientists broke us apart and dragged us out separate exits of the room. I was dragged through a hallway I had never been in before, and I screamed the whole way. They shoved me into a small cell.
"Let me see my brother, you toads!" I screeched, banging my fists on the bars.
I yelled and screamed and kicked the wall until I heared another voice say "be quiet, or they might come back."
.........

The next part of the flashback was only a series of short pictures. Young Scarlette and I pushing something accross the floor to each other, me laying on a table convulsing in spasms of pain.

........

The scene changed yet again to a familiar vision, I recognised most of it from my first flashback.
But this time the flashback continued. The scientist swept away from Leon and I once again saw myself struggling against my restraints. "What did you do to them?!"
No reply. The scientist filled a syringe with liquid.
"No! Stop get away from me! STOP!"
................
My eyes snapped open. I was laying with my head on Carlos's lap, drenched in a cold sweat. As my vision began to clear, I saw that Leon, the new guy, Ty, Zandra and Kevin were all gathered around me outside, the Stars were winking in the sky and the moon was high on the horizon.
"Carlos, how long was I out?" I asked groggily.
"Almost all night. What did you see? You were screaming. Are you okay?"
I sat up a little unsteadily, mopping my brow with the back of my hand. I put a hand in my cheek. It was wet. Had I been crying?
"I saw the experiment. My brother and I..."
"Your brother? Did you recognise him? What did he look like?"
I shook my head, frustrated. "I'm not sure. I never saw his face." I was surprised by the bitterness I heard in my voice. I ran my fingers through my long hair. It was starting to get a little out of hand. I made a mental note to somehow find a way to conjure up a hairbrush. "I'm going to get some fresh air."
I stood and strode out of the mouth of the cave, and I could feel more than a few pairs of concerned eyes on me as I disappear into the wooded island.
I stopped at the bank of the river that only a few days ago I had been meditating on. There was a sound of a puff of air, and suddenly Leon appeared beside me. I whirled around, startled. "Don't do that! Ou nearly gave me a heart attack."
Leon smiled a little. "Don't worry. If you pass
Out again I promise I'll catch you."
I narrowed my yes playfully at him. "What d'you think I am? A fainting goat?"
Leon bleated and I lauged. "Stop that!"
"Do you remember that night when we first ran into each other?" Leon asked, suddenly becoming serious.
"It was only two days ago, of course I remember."
"You chased me along the rooftops, just jumping from one to another. Maybe it's another power, that you have enhanced agility or something."
"Wouldn't surprise me."
"I wonder ho high you could jump?"
"Let's find out."
I spotted a low handing branch a couple yards off and jumped onto it. Apperantly I cannto only jump higher, but farther than a normal human can. I leapt from tree to tree aiming for higher and higher branches, until I was sitting at the top of a tall birch, the island stretched out before me, a splotch of green in the middle of the briny blue sea. So high up in the air, I felt calmer, peaceful. I looked down to where Leon was yelling and waving his arms. I was too high to hear what he was saying, but I goy the impression that he wanted me to come down. I gave him a thumbs up and let myself slide off the branch. I summer saluted in midair and landed on a lower branch. I leapt down the staircase of limbs until my feet hit the grassy earth, wher I turned a couple of handsprings just for fun. Leon looked a little paler than he had been at the start of our experiment.
"Kirsten, don't youever do that again."
I smiled "no promises. C'mon, the others will get worried if we don't get back

*Warning it is intense! But I highly suggest you read it if you want the rest of the story to make sense from now on regarding Scarlettes perspective.*

Nightmare 4: The betrayal

I wake up in the center of an empty room. I know I'm still asleep, but it all feels so real. The walls are black, and the stone floor is cold beneath my bare feet.
It feels so real.

Next to my feet are two objects. A gun and a knife.

What could these possibly be for?

This aren't memories anymore.

This is worse.

I can feel my heart beating fast as I stare at the 6 speakers lining the walls. Minutes of silence pass until the first screams come from speaker number 1.

"Help! Please! Make it stop! Make it stop!! Aaaahhhh!" It's a females voice.

It's Kirsten.

Then all a sudden speaker number two turns on.

"Aaaahhhhh! No!" This time it's a male voice.

"Carlos..." I breathe out. Speaker three turns on. The noise grows louder.

"Zandra! Please don't kill her please! No! Stop!" Another male voice.

"Tybalt!" I yell.

Nothing.

They can't hear me.

The fourth comes on and I stop in my tracks.

"Get away from me you monster! How could you? How could you do that!? You freak!" It was my brother.

"No...no this isn't real. He wouldn't say that." I explain.

"Not until he knows the truth that is." A voice in the back of my head says.

The fifth appears, and at first it's hard for me to hear.

"You let me die! You didn't fight hard enough and now I'm dead! It's all your fault!" My mothers voice.

"You ruined our family! No wonder I sold you off! You're a disease needing to be terminated." My fathers voice yells through with my mothers.

"No...stop. Please stop!" I clutch my ears.

The last speaker knocks all the air from my chest. I can barely hear it over the screaming. But it echos through my mind.

"Do you realize something Miss Fawn?" The voice is calm, yet full of hatred. "It's all your fault that I won't get to see my daughter grow up. It's all your fault that we won't grow old. You killed both of us that day in the labs. You murdered us out of cold blood. Who says you didn't enjoy it? I bet secretly you enjoyed watching as the life drained from our faces."

"No..." I whisper.

"Make your choice!" The calm voice finally yells. The screams, the yelling, the agony, the dread. They all surround me now.

"Kill me..." I say. "Kill me now! Get it over with! If I'm such a monster then kill me!" Tears rush from my eyes and blood drips from the scratches around my ears. I listen to the voices of my friends, family, and victims grow louder.

"Please...kill me. Make it stop. Make it stop. I never. I never meant to hurt anyone!" I stand and run to the wall punching and kicking with all my might.

"Let me out! Let me out!" No use. The walls don't budge. I slid down the wall and crawl over to where the gun lays. I pick it up slowly.

Now I'm no longer surrounded by speakers...but by the people themselves.

Carlos has bullet holes across his body. His face is white. "You killed me." He mouths.

Kirsten has a slit throat, and her tongue is cut out. She can no longer talk me out of this...

Tybalt is carrying the dead body of Zandra in his arms. He stares at me grief and anger in his eyes.

My father and mother have their backs to me. There is a bullet wound in my mothers head.

The scientists stare down at me. There faces are fuzzy and dark hidden by surgical masks.

And then there is Matt pointing a gun at me.

It's now silent.

"Please...kill me." I beg.

"No... You don't derserve that. You deserve to live with the harm you've caused. To all of us!" He screams.

They all disappear and I'm left alone to sob until my throat bleeds raw.

We were all around the campfire I didn't even breathe it. I was still too weak they told me. Ugh, I might not be able to walk properly yet and it still hurts when I try to talk, but I can still breathe fire! I felt like dead weight around them, Kirsten was eyeing me when we we're eating, as if she was ready to hand feed me and Ty wouldn't let me stand up for more than ten minutes. It felt like I was being watched every second, which knowing them, I probably was.
“We need to call in another helicopter.” Davit said in half a whisper watching his shoes. Everyone looked at him like he had just said he had a crush on Voldemort or something.
“We can't! We don't know where Scar is!” Kirsten protested.
“Kirsten is right. We haven't checked the whole island yet and there are still some places I would like to look.” Matt said.
“Check!?” Davit stood up. “You can't walk and Carlos can't even breathe properly. We need to get off this island, get proper care, and come back with a squad.”
“I'm fine. Really.” I sat up more and tried not to groan as I did. Kirsten and Ty sharply looked at me and I was ready to roll my eyes. Calm down, seriously.
“Davit is right, but so is Kirsten. Davit and I will stay here and try to find her, you guys could get back to base and heal.” Ty said.
“I'm not leaving her again!” Matt said.
“Neither am I.” Kirsten protested. “I'm not hurt, I can stay here.”
“I think it would be best if Matt and Carlos went to get rest.” Kirsten said and avoided my eye contact. Great, at least she isn't watching me now....
“I say we all go. Even if you aren't hurt, all of you guys look exhausted. I say we get off this island and rest for as much as we can, send a team back for her rescue.” Zandra said. Her voice was strong and everyone was silent.
“What if she isn't on the island anymore?” Kevin asked.
“Exactly, we don't know a thing, imagine how much easier it would be to track her down if we had more than seven people...”
“But we can't just leave her...” I hated how weak my voice sounded. “She wouldn't do that to us. Any of us.”
“No, she made me promise to keep you guys safe. I need to keep that promise. We're leaving. All of us.” Matt said. His voice in pain as he said it.
“But..” Kirsten said.
“No more buts. We're leaving tonight. Davit, call in a helicopter please.” Matt said, standing up and wobbling over to the cave, finishing the conversation.
The helicopter was already waving over the beach before the sun went down. None of us had really talked at all since that conversation, some small nods and yes please as we packed, but everyone seemed to be rotting in their own guilt. As all of us left the island behind, supposedly to freedom, I couldn't help but feel more broken. We had left her behind. The helicopter landed on a military base near the ocean. We all jumped out, at least the ones that could, and were greeted by a tall bald man, who's name I didn't catch because I was looking around at the other soldiers. They all wore the same uniform and some were hanging around while others did training.
“We need to get these two to an infirmary.” Kir said, brushing my hair in a mess with her hand. I gave her a stink eye and she stopped giving me an innocent smile.
“Dr. Hernandez is working on base. He's right there actually.” My heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be. Could it? My eyes follow the tall bald man's hand pointing to an equally tall man with glasses, brown hair with a strike on white and hazel eyes.
“Dad...” I breathed. The whole team stared at me except Ty, he seemed as shocked as I was.

Matt

Leaving the others at the base with Davit, I hopped into a Humvee and drove off. Pulling to a stop in front of the infirmary, I leaned heavily on the private as he half carried/dragged me into the building. One of the assistant doctors, a cute red head by the name of Astrid, walked over. She sat down on my cot and started checking my leg. (On the low we were dating, but I had a reputation of cold hearted killer to uphold.) she began grabbing items and before long she had it all wrapped up. She sat back and listens, watching me carefully. I spoke." She was in my arms... Than that bastard... He took her." I looked at my leg helplessly. She spoke up with her cute French accent.

"Matt you did all you could mon amour. You can still get her back. And luckily you've always been a quick healer. You be good to walk by tommorow evening. And you'll be galloping within a week." Glaring sullenly at her I muttered." I do not gallop." She smirked and kissed me on the cheek." Yes you do mon etalon. You just don't realize it." She stood up, straitening her scrubs." Now I must see to Davit and the rest of your newfound friends. Dr. Hernandez will require my assistance. And I believe that Commander Speel would like to have a word with you." With that she picked up her bag and walked off.

I turned to face the commander as he entered. I tried to stand up but he motioned for me to sit. I obeyed without question, and no small amount of relief. He spoke up." You tried son. That's all you could do. Under military code A-4, I'm naming you in command of this base. I'll be leaving on the U.S.S Obama. You're promoted to Colonel. This base will now be aimed at making sure those kids... Are safe. I promise I won't try anything with them. Dr. Hernandez and your father will remain here to run a couple tests with the children's permission. Anything you need, radio it in. Try to rest easy, or you'll end up with a gimp leg like your father." With a salute he left the infirmary. Not even ten minutes later. A breathless soldier ran in. "Colonel, we're having a problem with the new arrivals."

With a grunt I sat up. He helped me into the waiting ATV and we raced over to the area where the others were being treated, to find a snarling Tybalt being held down by several marines, and a terrified Dr. Hernandez hiding behind armed soldiers. Stepping out of the vehicle and leaning heavily on the soldier, I yelled out." What the heck is going on here?!" A pale Astrid was Trying to calm down everyone. Glaring at Tybalt who was still struggling with the soldiers. Sighing I spoke up." Tybalt, if you don't get yourself under control, I'll have you sedated. Now is not the time for more fighting. Which means no light shows Blak." Blak pouted. Everyone else just glared at each other. With a groan I asked simply." Will someone please explain to me what's going on?"