Skulduggery Pleasant - The Fanclub Unites

ii //

-amaryllisss

As startled as she was to hear the familiar smooth voice of the man who sat in front of her, China lifted her head to look into his piercing eyes, displaying no signs of fear whatsoever. Shifting on her feet and crossing her arms over her chest, she raised a delicate eyebrow at the man in a silent question.

Carefully, the man with the intense gaze rested his book on the arm of the chair in which he sat as he fluidly lifted himself. Once his lithe frame was fully upright, he crossed the room towards China with slow movements, as if he was a predator about to pounce on unsuspecting prey.

"What, may I ask, are you doing here? I don't recall showing you how to get in this room." China said, keeping her sharp, blue eyes set firmly ahead of her.

"Did you underestimate me, my dear? I know you. I know how you think, despite how impossible you may believe it is." An evil smirk was evident in his voice as he prowled around China in circles.

Suddenly, a hand clamped around her thin, milky throat, cutting off most of her air, causing her to gasp. As he leant towards her ear, he let his breath raise goosebumps on the back of her neck.

"What... do you... want?" China just about managed, her face turning slightly red as she tried to grasp onto all of the air she could.

"I want the girl," he snarled, tightening his hand.

China felt trepidation start to creep into her mind as the skin on her neck that had been covered by the right hand of the man start to burn so severely that she tried to yell out, but instead, only managed to let out a breath.

"What... girl?"

"Do not try and play games, my dear, you know perfectly well whom I talk about." Though his voice was calm, China could practically feel the anger and frustration radiating off him in unholy waves. In one last attempt of defence, one of China's arm shot towards her shoulder, where she knew a sigil that could possibly help her was engraved into her skin, but the man was quicker and caught her wrist with his free hand. "Now what will you do?" he chuckled.

Without thinking, China slammed her right foot down onto his, the sharp heel obviously damaging the skin underneath his shoe, causing him to grunt and let go of both her wrist and neck.

Collapsing to the floor with shaky breaths, she tentatively reached a hand up to her neck, wincing as a sharp bolt of pain shot through her after grazing her manicured fingers over the now red skin.

"You stupid woman," the man snarled, looming over her. "You stupid, stupid woman."

China could only state up at the man helplessly through pleading eyes, cursing her own weakness as she gasped, "Please, Nefarian. Spare me."

"The girl," Serpine demanded, pointing his blood red hand down at her, staring into her eyes with vicious ones of his own.

"I don't know where she hides. Truly, I don't."

"Then you will find her, and when you do, then, and only then, will I let you live. However, if you fail to bring her to me... you will die."

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"The world is bigger than you know, and scarier than you might imagine. The only currency worth anything is being true to yourself, and the only goal worth seeking is finding out who you truly are."

- Derek Landy; sp