EVABELLE

"What do you think?" CJ asked.

Evabelle blinked. She wasn't sure how, but somehow she found herself on a walk alone with CJ out on the grounds of the Sanctuary, which was more or less the entire estranged island. The two of them were walking around the perimeter, currently walking around the tangle of trees. CJ was showing her all these flowers that should not exist. "I read, from one of those books in that humongous library, that this one is a gildan. It means 'of worth'. I think it's beautiful. What do you think?"

It was a semi-closed flower where the petals spiraled around the pistil. The color was darker on the inside and got darker and darker as it reached the center. There was one of practically every color. "They are very pretty." Evabelle agreed.

CJ smiled and crouched down. "What's your favorite color?"

"Oh, CJ you don't have too." Evabelle said quickly. "Besides the flower will die."

He shook his head. "No, the book said that the gildan doesn't die so easily, even after it's been picked." CJ straitened with one of the delicate flowers in his hand. It was a dark blue, so dark it was nearly violet. He came to her and slid the stem behind her ear, tucking the blossom gently in her hair. His fingers brushed Evabelle's cheek as he withdrew, and Evabelle felt her face burning. "Evabelle you're... you're..." CJ turned his head, his own cheeks with their own rosy glow. "Beautiful." He whispered.

It had been two days since Aza and she had found the piano room. Lucis and Tru had returned that morning tired and in low spirits. Neither of them had any leads on the Averno problem. Currently the pair of them were sleeping.

Faux and Del had claimed they were preparing special training session with Calandra and had told Evabelle, Aza, and CJ that they could go out for a bit. Aza had gone up to talk to Kai. Evabelle knew she should have gone with her, but she still wasn't ready to face him. In the end it was just her and CJ, who had offered to show her the island, which he had been exploring.

"So this is what you've been doing when you cut out on training." Evabelle said once they were on the move again.

CJ nodded. "Yeah, I just feel so useless. I'm not a fighter. And I'd rather not be judged constantly by those winged things."

Evabelle sighed. "I know what you mean. I'm the farthest thing from a fighter that there ever was."

Suddenly CJ stopped again. Evabelle paused as well. CJ was looking passed Evabelle. "Now this is what I wanted to show you."

Evabelle turned and felt her jaw drop. They were near the edge of a cliff made of large round boulders piled up, but below them was the sea. It looked like a perfect ocean view. Evabelle had seen pictures of this on a postcard from Ireland. It was a place that Evabelle had always dreamed of going, but now she didn't really have to.

She stepped up to the edge, feeling the wind and the salty water blowing past her. She raised her arms as though she were going to jump and soar out over the water. Suddenly the thought of the Titanic 'king of the world' thing popped into her head and the realization that she was doing the pose, and then there was the thought of CJ behind her and she quickly lowered her arms. "This is amazing." She whispered.

"What about this place, isn't?" CJ asked who was staying several steps back.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you not like heights?" Evabelle took a step back.

Quickly CJ shook his head. "No, I'm not the biggest fan." He admitted. "But I brought you here, because I knew you would like it."

Evabelle smiled. "You're just too sweet CJ." They continued along the edge. Evabelle was careful not to get too close and CJ was even more so. The wind blew her hair around her and she relished it. Evabelle loved this feeling. It was like a glimpse of freedom. She kept glancing out over the water, drinking in the view. "It really is beautiful." She murmured.

"We could come back here when the sun is setting. It's even more beautiful then." CJ said.

Evabelle could just picture it; the orange and pink streaks reflected on the water. "I can only imagine. I never realized how well you really knew me, CJ."

"I know you." He whispered. "I know you love to read. I know you love beautiful things. I know you get nervous when you're speaking to others. I know you're frustrated with yourself, because you feel you are not good enough." He paused for a moment.

Evabelle kept her gaze firmly ahead. Her heart had started to beat a little uncomfortably.

CJ took a deep breath and spoke very quickly as if he said if he didn't say it quickly something drastic would happen. "You are enough. You don't have to be anything more. You don't have to be a hero. You are enough to me the way you are right now."

Evabelle inhaled sharply and whirled to him. "CJ—!" She gasped as her leg made contact with something solid and tumbled forward, skidding on the stones and slipping over the side of the cliff, her legs flailing, and her arms scrambling for something to catch on to.

"EVABELLE!" CJ screamed. He lunged forward and caught hold of Evabelle's hand.

Evabelle grasped his fingers, taking deep breaths. The initial feel of the fall had her heart racing, but luck was on her side as her feet had landed firmly on a jutting out stone, so even without CJ she would have been alright. His hand was comforting though. She let him pull her back up.

The two of them sat off from the edge gasping and wheezing. Evabelle glanced over at CJ. He was as pale as a ghost with sweat glistening on his forehead, and he was shaking so badly that he couldn't even push himself to his feet. It was the first time in Evabelle's memory that someone actually looked more scared than she was. "CJ, it's okay. I'm okay." Evabelle got to her own feet. Her heart was slowing to its normal pace, but CJ showed no sign of recovery from the brief scare. "CJ?"

CJ wrenched his glasses from his face and threw them aside and pressed his palms to his eyes. He was murmuring something under his breath with his thin shoulders shaking.

Then it hit Evabelle. CJ had had to lean over the side of the cliff to grab Evabelle. She had known Sophie's fear of heights was bad, but she had no idea that CJ's was just as intense if not worse than hers. Then she realized he had thrown himself forward to save her, even though he had been absolutely terrified. She felt her heart swell for him.

Evabelle went to her knees and wrapped her arms around CJ. "Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you, CJ."

Slowing the trembling subsided and he reached for his glasses. He slid them onto his face and looked up at Evabelle, his cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry for freaking out." He said finally.

Evabelle shook her head. "You don't have to apologize. We're all afraid of something. I was just a klutz, tripping over that rock." Evabelle glance over her shoulder to see the big stone that had stumbled over, but there was none. It was a fairly smooth way. Evabelle's eyes narrowed. She had felt something hard and solid scrape against her shin, but there was nothing.

"Yeah, well it doesn't stop me from feeling like an idiot for being such a coward." CJ smiled sadly.

The two of them rose to their feet. "You know we don't really have to come back here at sunset." Evabelle said.

CJ glanced at her. "Are you sure?"

Evabelle did really want to come back, but when she nodded, saw a bit of tension leave CJ's face. "Naw. I mean when you fall over the side of it, coming back just doesn't seem right."

The pair made their way back to the Sanctuary without any mishaps. Evabelle slid up to her room to change out of her jeans which now had several holes where she had skidded over the rocks. She opened the wardrobe, which Evabelle had discovered knew her exact size and always had what she needed waiting for her. However when she opened it then there was a pair of gray sweats and long-sleeved hoodie.

Evabelle held them up and stared. "What the—?"

"Special training, remember?"

Evabelle turned and saw Aza standing in the doorway, wearing an identical set of clothes as the ones in Evabelle's hands.

"Why are we wearing uniform, now?" Evabelle asked.

Suddenly a masked, black hooded figure swooped up behind Aza.

Evabelle dropped the clothes and let out a cry of fear.

Aza tensed and whipped around but relaxed quickly. "Stop being such an idiot." She said and tore the white, haunting mask from a laughing Faux.

"Oh, it's just too good." He grinned and looked at Evabelle, pointing at the dropped clothes. "Put them on. There's going to a surprise in the gym, my dear. And you're going to want to be suited up for it."

Aza put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, Halloween freaks against the joggers."

Faux winked. "You're not far off, darlin'."

Evabelle anxiously pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she entered the training room. The curtains were drawn, so the only light from the room came from the torches on the wall (yes legit torches.) There were three forms in the long dark robes, wearing the same eerie masks as Faux had been. Then there were two humans wearing the same dull gray sweats as she was.

Evabelle walked over to them. "What's going on?" She asked nervously.

"I think we're being inducted into a fraternity." Aza replied.

Before Evabelle could respond, there was a snap of fingers and a hiss of sound, and suddenly the fires burned somewhat brighter. "Alright," said a voice. Calandra, whom Evabelle had not noticed when she had entered the room before, stepped forward with her usual green robes. "Today things are going to be different. Today we are going to test what you are like under the actual pressure of a real fight." She gestured to three hooded ones. "These are the enemy. They will be careful not to seriously injure you, but they will be testing. I am here to give this more of a reality feeling. It should feel fairly real, but don't worry none of you will be too-badly hurt."

CJ leaned over. "Did she just say they're not going to seriously injure and too-badly hurt? I don't like this."

Evabelle agreed. This didn't sound like much fun. She glanced back at the hooded men and figured that Faux and Del were two of them, but who was the third?

One of them stepped forward holding three staffs. He lifted his mask, revealing Del. "You wanted a weapon, well here it is." He said and tossed one to Aza, who caught it clumsily. Then he turned to Evabelle and CJ and tossed them each one as well. "Now, as Calandra said, Faux, Kai, and myself will be representing the enemy, so do not hold back. You don't have to be sissies and worry about our safety. We can handle ourselves."

Evabelle tensed when she heard Kai's name. She was going to be facing him down? This couldn't be happening. Evabelle's hand began to shake on the staff.

"Tru and I will be watching to see how you act during this test." Calandra said, gesturing to herself and the blue Anahalian who was leaned against the wall, whom Evabelle also didn't notice before.

Evabelle glanced around the room, but there was no one else there. "Where's Lucis?" She asked Tru.

Tru shrugged. "Don't know, don't care."

"Alright," Calandra said again. "We will begin now."

"Wait, hold up!" Aza exclaimed. "I don't—"

Calandra let out another snake-like hiss. "Mut' confitura." And the firelight went out.

Evabelle could barely see the figure's outlines. She gripped her staff so tight her hand was starting to go numb. As one the "enemies" moved, vanishing into the darkness. There was an eerie stillness in which all Evabelle could hear was the sound of her and her friend's nervous breathing.

Someone's hand snapped onto her staff and tried to pull it from her grasp. "No!" She cried and yanked backward. It was her only weapon; she couldn't let them take it. Her adversary took advantage of Evabelle's wild tugging and released so that with her momentum she fell backward hard on her butt. Her hooded enemy leaned over her with that terrifying mask leering at her.

Evabelle swung her staff around which the enemy easily dodged. Evabelle rolled away from him, rising to her feet, but her opponent wasn't going to let her get away that easily. A gloved hand caught her wrist from behind. In a panic she released her staff with that hand and swung it around with the other, miraculously managing to jab them in the stomach. They released and once again vanished.

Evabelle grabbed her weapon with both hands now. Her head snapped back and forth around the room. She caught sight of Aza and her enemy. She heard her friend cry out watched him knock her friend onto her butt with her own staff. That had to be Del. On her other side she glimpsed CJ cowering on the floor, murmuring something that sounded like an apology, with his staff up as his opponent stood barely even trying. That had to be Faux.

Evabelle swallowed hard. That could only mean her masked man was... Kai. After everything that Evabelle had said and done to him, what if he wanted revenge? She was up against a vampire that she had been so cruel to. But vampires were supposed to be cruel. They were descendants of the demons.

The non-reappearance of her foe only increased the lump in her throat. Kai, she had to talk to him. But what if he won't forgive me? What if he... The sudden vision of Kai lifting his head from the limp girl on his bed, turning his gaze to Evabelle, his eyes in that instant, completely inhuman came to her mind in a rush. Then he came at her, his ghost-like hands outstretched.

The sharp gasp from the other side of the room nearly caused Evabelle to drop her staff. She whirled. From the miniscule shade of light in the room, she saw Aza, on her feet again and trying to wrench free her weapon, staring, with her hands frozen on the beam, at her enemy with a look that Evabelle had never seen before etched into her friend's features. Complete and utter horror. It was brief as her hooded enemy shoved her off, flinging her to the ground again.

"Aza!" Evabelle screamed. Something was horribly wrong. This was no longer at test. Something that could make Azalyn Kendall freeze with fear could not be someone just messing around. Evabelle started to run to her friend, when suddenly tight arm wrapped around her, pulling her backward. "NO!" Evabelle struggled, but to no avail. She swung her staff wildly, but wasn't in a good position to get him. She twisted and turned until her captor dropped her.

Evabelle rolled away, right up into a sprint, but she had no idea where she was anymore. The room was changing. It was different. It was only by little reflections of an unknown light source that allowed Evabelle to see anything at all, but the room, which had had nice white walls before, now was old and peeling. Evabelle skidded to a halt at the sight of a splash of blood smeared across these decaying walls.

Distantly Evabelle heard CJ's cry of despair. "NOOOO!" Evabelle whirled, but his voice sounded far away and echoey, so she couldn't even tell which direction it came from. "PLEASE, I-I-I WILL DO ANYTHING!" He was begging with them, the monsters.

With no warning Evabelle slammed into the wall with her own staff against her throat. The pale, papery mask leered in her face with its cold heartless eyes. Slowly the mask peeled itself away, revealing the person she had feared it to be, Kai; his stark face and blood red eyes. Evabelle could see blue veins webbing their way up his neck. His ragged breath smelled of death. She watched in horror as his canines stretched down to their points.

His gloved hands reached out and covered her own and he slowly began to lower the staff from her throat. She fought for a moment to keep that thin piece of wood between herself and the vampire. It was her only way of defense as useless as it seemed. *It was no use, however, his strength was just too overpowering. He leaned forward, his jaw widening as he prepared to sink his teeth into her neck.

Evabelle could no longer move. Her mind was completely devoid of rational thinking. This was death. Kai was going to kill her.

"Incen rerum."

The torches along the walls flared back to life, revealing the room to be exactly the way it had been before the lights had gone out. Evabelle's hooded opponent released the staff and took a step back.

"Well if that wasn't the most pathetic thing I've ever seen, I don't know what is." Tru said. She went over to CJ, who was being held in a tight merciless grip of his hooded oppressor, and grabbed him by a chunk of hair. CJ winced. "And, I think you were the worst of them all. Seriously, be a man." She let go of his hair. And his captor finally let him drop to the floor, where he scooped up his glasses that had fallen off. He was shaking worse than when he had saved Evabelle over the cliff.

CJ's enemy lifted his mask, revealing Del. "Maybe you should start coming to training practice from now on." He spat at him.

"You know we just barely started this training thing a few days ago. Do you really expect us to be experts already?" Aza asked her voice shook ever so slightly. She was still sitting in the floor. Evabelle looked at her friend. There was no longer that look of fear in her friend's eyes, but her face remained white as a sheet.

Del pulled his hood back. "I believe it was you who said that you thought you could take on me."

"Yeah, you. I didn't say I could take on Kai."

Evabelle's head snapped up to Aza's oppressor. Aza's hooded man had removed his mask, revealing the pale face and pointed ears. He reached a hand down to Aza to help pull her to her feet. "But really, Kai, I had no idea how good you were." Aza said. "You really know how to bruise a girl." She took a moment before accepting his hand and Evabelle saw the slight tremor.

"I'm sorry about that." Kai apologized. "I have to admit, you are pretty strong for someone so small, though." He pulled the tiny blonde to her feet.

"Yeah, well Evabelle did pretty good, I'd say." Faux said, revealing that it was he whom, Evabelle had been truly facing. He ruffled his already messy hair and grinned. "She got a good jab at me."

Tru nodded. "Yes, she at least did manage to hit her opponent. Although it was you, so I'm not sure if that's much of an accomplishment."

"Thanks Tru, I love you too." Faux sighed.

Calandra was examining each one of them with her calculating glare. "I should probably tell you now that that test was more than just testing you under pressure."

Faux looked at her. "What do you mean? You said this test was just for—"

Calandra put up a hand to silence him. "I didn't tell you, but I put a small trace powder called fovodroga into the room. It makes you see someone that you fear."

"Hold up, Calandra." Interrupted Del. "That was not part of the plan. The plan was just to make the scenario feel more real."

Calandra nodded. "What is more real than fear? This is a war. If you get into a war, what are you going to face? Real enemies, enemies that you will come to fear. So, I made it realistic by showing them what they must ultimately fight. Their fears." She took the mask from Del's hand. "You didn't see the way that they were really reacting. I made sure of that through these. I knew you wouldn't agree, so I masked you, so you wouldn't see or technically hear, what was really going on."

Del glared at her. "You--"

"Wait you're saying that when they were fighting us they were seeing someone they really feared?" Faux asked.

Tru shook her head. "Finally catching on, now are we."

Aza suddenly stepped forward, her mouth pressed tight, and her stormy eyes flashing. "You knew, and you still have the gall to call us pathetic? We saw some of our biggest fears, and you expected us to handle that easily?" Her hands were balled into fists.

Tru's eyes narrowed at the small human. "Well, what fear did you face that the big tough hero couldn't handle? What terrifies you so much you couldn't even fight back?"

Aza blanched and she looked about ready to throw up. "None of your business." She snarled.

Calandra sighed. "I was hoping to hear what all of your fears were, to deal with them properly, but if it is a personal matter, then fine." She turned to CJ. "Well, will you tell us yours?"

CJ rubbed his arms as if he were cold. "I-I saw a bully from middle school." He said quietly.

For a brief moment Evabelle felt a pang of sadness. Aza had gotten to know CJ before introducing him to Evabelle. She had told Evabelle that CJ had been a very deep hole when she had met him. He was geeky, but not particularly smart. He was clumsy and socially awkward, the perfect target of bullies. Evabelle didn't even really know about him until Aza started making them hang out with him after his transfer to their school. CJ had been friendless and lonely. Aza hadn't said it out loud, when Evabelle had asked him, but it was there in her voice. The boy had been somewhat suicidal. His parents hadn't been any help, too busy to pay attention to see how far he had sunk into depression. That's why he often stayed with his sister, and Aza had helped him out too, when she had decided to pretend to be student of another school just to see how long before anyone noticed, and actually met CJ and found out what was going on.

Calandra unaware of all this, seemed unimpressed. "Yes," she sounded bored. "That can be dealt with easily."

Evabelle did catch Aza tear her glare from Tru and onto Calandra obviously not taking to her lack of empathy for what CJ had been through.

Calandra didn't seem to notice and finally turned to Evabelle, who had been standing fairly resolute against the same wall where she'd been pinned. "Tell us who you fear." Said the mage.

Evabelle heart beat like a child with a drum set, obnoxiously loud. Who did I fear? There are a lot of people I fear, but...

It was instinct. Her gaze slid off Calandra and onto Kai. His washed out eyes widened fractionally. He knew.

Evabelle's staff clattered to the ground with a resounding clang. Evabelle stood in absolute horror of what she had just done. She hadn't changed. She was afraid of Kai. He was a kind good person and she was afraid of him. Tears streaked down her face.

Faux stepped toward her. "Evabelle, I—"

"NO!" She screamed as he reached out his hand to her. Evabelle smacked it away and shoved off from the wall and bolted from the room. She ran down the hall. Distantly she could hear the others calling after her, but she didn't stop.

How could she be a hero when she was afraid of someone who was kind and good? How was she supposed to face the real enemy who would be pitiless and vindictive? How was she supposed to save anyone, especially if she couldn't tell the difference between who was the innocent and who was the enemy?

~(A/N: So I've decided to post full chapters on the days I post, if I can. So here's part one and I'll post the next part a little later today.)~