Seeing with the Shadows

Chapter 16

I hate Ellevet so much. I hate detention. And I hate homework. Wait, no I have to keep doing homework… sleep… Lena groaned and punched her pillow. Quoim and Calista were sleeping so peacefully, and she wished she could join them. No, just finish this homework! Lena continued for a while, wishing she had Calista’s Power. Then she started to fall asleep, but she shook herself and stayed awake. The second time, she didn’t try to keep her eyes open. However, she wasn’t met with sleep. She was met with a vision.

“You will do it.” A man, he looked about thirty and was dressed in a plain gray t-shirt and dark jeans.  “Do not disappoint me, or you will pay the price. Do you love your children?”

“Yes.” It was a whisper, almost inaudible.

“Then I suggest agreeing to my terms.”

“But I can’t, I-“

“Alright then. Bring them.” A woman came in, holding two crying children with her… claws? Was she a Werewolf?  “I don’t want to deny you the treat... shall we?” The woman nodded, smiling with pointed teeth. Wait, Vampire or Werewolf?

No- it couldn’t be! Were they Slade and Vanessa?

Vanessa muttered something under her breath and flicked her staff. Two children, a boy who looked six and a girl who looked six shot up into the air.

The boy grabbed the girl’s hand, looking scared. Vanessa muttered something else, and both of the kids screamed. The boy shouted something not understandable, and the girl kept squeaking, tears streaming down her face.

“I- I agree!”

“Very good choice. However, as a loyal follower you would not do what I asked you, so we will have to punish you.” Slade levitated the man and the woman Lena hadn’t noticed before. They were carelessly shook about, and smashed into things on the walk down. Vanessa and Slade had left the children in the air, screaming and crying, as they hadn’t lifted the spell.

They were in a dungeon and there were lots of people in it, but they walked past them to another part. There were a rusty cages hanging from the ceiling, not unlike the ones from the unclaimed animals room at Half Moon. The cage doors swung open, and the two parents were flung inside. “We’ll come back for you in a couple days.”

“Please-” the woman begged, “Please, will you take the spell off our children? I’ll do anything.”

“Why would we do that?” Slade asked, feigning surprise, “This is all because of you, you brought this down on yourself and your children. It’s what happens when you disobey your masters. You’ll hear them screaming the whole time you’re down here, and you’ll be the only ones who can hear it. They may be perfectly fine and we’re just repeating their screams. You won’t know.”

“But they could die!” The man exclaimed, looking horrified.

“Then maybe you should have thought more carefully before

rejecting the offer.” Both locks on the doors clicked shut, and Slade and Vanessa strode away.

 “Lena! LENA! WAKE UP! LENA!” Quoim’s urgent voice cut into her vision.

“What? She’s horrible! How could she do that? It’s Vanessa and Slade, Quoim!”

“Okay, Calista, go get Talla. Those bites are making her crazy.”

“Who the fuck is Talla? I don’t know anyone here!” Calista snapped.

“Stay here! I’ll get her!” Quoim sprinted out of the room too fast for Lena to say anything else.