Cestil

"You're mine."

THat was how Eira Ottoline introduced herself to me.

We'd met on the outskirts of Srok Khmer. Of course, the moment I'd gotten near the city famous for its maps, I was ambushed by like-minded creatures. Apparently, I wasn't the only one sent by my leader to find the World Tree. At least that explained why she needed someone strong to do the job.

Eira and I had locked eyes as we stepped into view of each other but before we'd so much as said one threat to the other, one of the were-kind had attacked us. A foolish decision on his part, as it hadn't been night and there were two of us, but not much can be said for the animal's intelligence. It was after we'd taken care of the kid that Eira had staked her claim on me.

"And what makes you think that?" I asked, cockng an eyebrow.

"You're going to help me find the World Tree and then I'm going to kill you," Eira said cheerfully.

"Honey, I could snap you like a twig in the middle of my sleep cycle." I smirked at her.

Eira's eyes narrowed.

"But," I interrupted whatever thought she was going to voice next. "I do agree on the matter of finding the World Tree together."

"Why?" she asked, tilting her head slightly trying to look alluring. "Don't want to leave me?"

My lip curled in disgust. "As much as the thought of ditching your dead body is amusing to me, you're more useful to me alive. There are others that are looking for this tree and it would benefit both of us if we had a group we traveled with.Safer and we're more likely to find it and claim it for ourselves."

Eira stared at me for a moment. "Deal." Without another word, she grabbed the back of my head and sealed our deal with a kiss. That didn't stop.

For a long time.

Until, that is, I heard shuffling footsteps behind me and spun around, using fae-girl as a shield.

Eira did not appreciate the movement.

She pulled away from me and glared at the girl in front of us. "You interrupted us."

"Sorry," the girl responded, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Clearly your making out is more important than your mission."

Eira and I tensed at her words, ready to leap at the slightest movement.

"Calm down. I was just about to ask if I could join you two," the girl said. "I'm Seraphina. I want join you two."

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, mostly because you have a very good chance of finding the tree and when you do, I'd like to be there so that there's at least some chance the poor thing won't go into the hands of evil," Seraphina explained.

"You're going to fight us and expect to win?" I asked incredulously.

Seraphina put her hand on her hip. "I was sent here for a reason, you know."

"Can you fight?" I tested.

"Clearly." Seraphina rolled her eyes.

If I had both Eira and Seraphina on my side, I could stroll through this mission, not lift a single finger, bade my time and then kill them both before they could blink the moment we find the tree. I liked this plan.

My mouth stretched into a smile, the scar tissue on my left side pulling at my skin uncomfortably. I tended to avoid smiling.

"Okay. You're good to join us."

"Don't I get a vote?" Eira asked, an edge to her voice.

"Don't see what else needs to be added," I replied, shrugging. "It's a solid plan."

Eira huffed but spun around to face Seraphina. "Fine, you can join us, but remember, he is mine."

"Whoa." Seraphina raised her hands placatingly. "I want nothing to do with that. Just keep it in the bushes."

We stepped into the city and immediately blended into the shadows.I knew all too well the tensions between the duke and my kind.

"Where do we go?" Seraphina murmured.

"One of use to each university, obviously," retorted Eira."Cestil, go Layqa, Seraphina to Hamut'ay, and I'll go to Runakay. Get the beset map you can find from each and we can compare. Go!"

We didn't get very far. The moment we stepped foot into the street, we were surrounded.

I raised my hands up, mimicking Seraphina's earlier move. "Whoa, hey there. We want no trouble," I said lightly, backing up a step to give myself more room to fight. I had a moment to weigh my options. Stay and fight and kill people or go sneaking around and let the girls have all the fun? It was an easy choice.

"Oh, look, a little demon thinks he can wander about unnoticed. You can see the ugly on your face from miles away," snarled one of the guards.

I sighed and let my hands fall. "So much for peaceful. I'll have you know I'm quite handsome by most people's standards."

"I'll have to agree with you on that one," purred Eira.

I flashed her a grin.

"Girls, why don't you go about your business while I take care of this nuisance."

"I don't think so," one of the guards snorted.

"I tihnk yes," I replied brightly before reaching out and snapping his neck.

The next few moments were a blur of motion. Seraphina and Eira darted away as the other guards attacked me. But really, poisoning humans was such a simple matter, especially when they insisted on such close quarters.

I was finishing up the last two when a demon from my tribe appeared next to me. "Need any help?"

I ran my eyes down his body. Hot. "I'm good." I paused for a moment. "You can get a map from the Layqa univeristy, actually."

The demon grimaced. "I meant here."

"Yes, exactly what I said."

"I'm not going to-"

I pinned him to the wall with one hand.

"What are you doing here?"'

"I was sent to keep watch over you," the demon replied calmly, not even attempting to struggle.

"You're here to make sure I do my job? Then go get the maps."

I released him and stepped back. "Name?"

"Marlow. You're Cestil," he answered, rubbing his neck.

I nodded then stepped closer to him until he was pinned against the wall by my body. "Good. Now listen very carefully, Marlow," I murmured into his ear, flicking his earlobe with my tongue. "You're going to get a map from Layqa. Then you're going to return to me. Then you're going to travel with us. Is that understood."

Marlow nodded, his chin hitting my shoulder with every bob. "You're letting me come with you, knowing my job," he asked in a strangled voice.

"You're hot and I'm going to need someone on my side when it comes to killing the other two." I stepped back again, allowing Marlow to slump forward.

He straightened almost immediately, pushing away from the wall. "A map from Layqa?"

I nodded and smack his ass. "Find the other two and tell them to meet outside he city. We've called too much attention to ourselves as is."

Marlow nodded and scampered off.

I raced out of the city, smirking as I ran passed two bodies, evidence of the fact that Marlow wasn't totally incompetent, at least not when it came to fighting.

I barely had to wait twenty minutes before the others joined me. Marlow immediately handed me the map and stood next to me.

Eira's eyes narrowed. "Who is he?"

I wrapped an arm around him. "He is mine," I replied, echoing her words with a smirk.

Eira hissed. She marched up to Marlow. "Listen here, you little twig. Cestil is mine. Don't get too comfortable because the moment he leaves you, I will kill you."

"Okay, why don't we all just chill out and not kill anyone unncessarily?" Seraphina said, spreading her arms as if trying to force Marlow and Eira apart with her mind.

I shrugged. "I don't know, I kind of like it."

Marlow leaned away and looked up at me incredulously. "What?"

I ignored him and held out my hand for the maps. "Now which one do we use?"

"You're just going to ignore this?" Eira gasped.

"Bigger and better things to attend to, I'm afraid," I said casually.

"Ugh," she spat but turned to the matter at hand.

"Now how do we know who is right...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Phyllis

FELL INTO PLOT HOLE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ralda Hustress

When Ralda spotted an angel in the city she was in, she immediately took out her long knife and crept up slowly towards the beautiful creature.

Her dark eyes narrowed as a small smirk appeared on her face and immediately tackled the girl. The angel screamed out as Ralda pinned her to the ground, a devilish grin on her face as her knife raised slightly above the angel's neck.

"Four words, dearie. Why are you here? You better tell me or else I'll slit your throat with no mercy," the demon quickly stated, licking her lips for effect.

The girl's eyes widened as she struggled, but Ralda simply kicked the girl at her knees with her foot. "Why would I t-tell you?" the girl asked, a worried look on her face.

Ralda took a moment to observe the girl. She seemed like a beautiful creature. Perhaps she could leave her as a snack for a fellow vampire that could fall upon the body. The girl had brown hair with a slightly darker color of skin then pale. She met her green, widened eyes with a growl.

"Because if you do, I'll simply let you go and make sure you stay alive," Ralda simply stated, her devilish smile disappearing from her chapped lips. She raised her eyebrows, whispering, "And that's a hard deal to give up, now, dearie. So choose wisely."

"I'm...here to save the World Tree," the girl slowly said, her eyes widening even more when a bursting pain appeared at her neck. Ralda dropped the now slightly bloody knife and stood up, leaving the body behind as she continued walking by.

"Hey! Stop right there!" a male voice yelled. The demon turned, seeing what seemed to be royal guards of the city. She remained calm as she rolled her eyes and simply extended her arms, her odor waving past.

"Yeah, I stopped. You never said I could use my body to defend myself, you idiots," Ralda stated in a bored tone. The guards stumbled around, the smell entering the noses.

A few gasped for fresh air as others already collapsed on the ground, passing out from the horrible stench. The demon plainly laughed and ran off, her eyes finding something even better to play around with.

More creatures! Yay! That meant more blood for her to spill! Hooray!

The two seemed to also be battling it out. It was a vampire with what seemed to be a fae. Ralda simply laughed as she approached the two, quickly observing their skill before she decided to enter the fight.

The vampire seemed to try to be speaking to the other girl, apparently persuading the other to run along and pretend nothing ever happened. She knew the name of the vampire and saw her only once or twice. Vicky...Virginia...Vanessa! Her name was Vannessa. Ralda knew the vampire's ways too easily.

The fae seemed like a sweet girl. She had blond hair with an innocent look on her face, shaking her head and also trying to persuade the vampire to just give her their knife. Ralda rolled her eyes as she walked closer, seeing that the two didn't seem to notice her. She sighed as she decide to settle this the easier way then explaining to them that she was about to kill them.

Ralda tackled the fae down, a shriek being heard from the other. As quickly as she could, she stuck a knife in the woman's chest, quickly twisting and taking the knife out, wiping the blood away with the woman's shirt with a calm look on her face. She looked up, seeing the vampire cautiously looking at her.

"Vanessa, I believe we haven't personally met. The name is Ralda," the demon said, a mocking curtsy followed behind. A small smile appeared on her face as she waved with her right hand.

"Ralda, how about you run along and see if there are any other creatures. I'll help you escape this area since the guards are on the look out for us creatures," Vanessa calmly said, pointing towards the walkway to the street.

Ralda almost fell for it, but she had a strong ability. She managed a nod as she turned, walking slowly with her knife still loaded in her hands. And before Vanessa could even escape, she whirled around and threw her knife. It flew in the air and landed into the girl's back.

"Oh dearie, you don't dare lie to me. Or I literally will backstab you," Ralda stated, tisking as she walked towards the now cold corpse and taking the bloody knife out of the back. She turned and started to skip off, a calm look on her face.

"Woman, you stop in the name of the law!" a female voice yelled from behind the demon. Ralda turned, observing the guard as she rolled her eyes. "Catch me if you can!" she yelled, taunting them slightly as she started to run off.

So far, she liked Srok Khmer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marlow

There was quite a big fuss in the courtyard as we got ready to leave the camp. Lust for power drove our fellow demons to acts of charity. They brought food and water, extra clothes...more baggage to lug around...wonderful... Kali was making some huge speech thanking us, congratulating us...whatever. I was simply moving from one place to another. It was change in scenery enough to participate in, but boring enough not to make a big deal out of it. I noticed Kali was shooting nervous glances in between words of her speech that I wasn't listening to. Where was the other guy...? No sooner had the thought entered my mind, he entered the courtyard. Hello... He came into my line of sight with a lazy swaying walk, a patched up duffel bag slung over his lean yet muscular shoulder. His perfectly sculpted jaw line and pitch black hair contrasted scrumptiously with his scarred face speckled with an unambitious five-a-clock shadow. I couldn't help but let out a sigh of satisfaction at the sight of him. What can I say? He was a beautiful creature. I had no problem keeping an eye on him for the next few however long this thing would be.

"Nice of you to finally join your own ceremony." Kali knew him well. She wasn't surprised, but she wasn't pleased ether.

"Don't you think I'll be facing enough peril in this quest of yours without suffering through one of your speeches? Propaganda is bad for the brain, don't you know?"

She was not amused. I, however was enjoying this. "This is Marlow, he'll be joining you on your quest."

"Cestil". His eyes said his name for him. He shook my hand as if he were threatening me, and we exchanged a narrow-eyed glance of intriguing suspicion, mixed with a little amusement. Whatever his expression meant...it was sexy. Kali muttered a few more inconsequential decorations, and before I knew it, we were off.

"Srok Khmer..." I was reading the worn map of his as we walked through the dense forest, "A city famous for its...maps..." He didn't say much, this guy...I liked him more with every passing second. "You do realize that this is the most obvious move we could possibly make? Everybody too stupid to think this through (and that'll be several different species of various levels of trouble) will be there."

"That's because this makes the most sense."

"Not when you add a bunch of power-hungry angels and vampires to the equation."

"Only if they create a problem...which they won't."

"What makes you think that?" He slipped me a menacing grin from beneath his unbelievably strong eyes. Okay...apparently they won't be a problem.

We got to the city with little difficulty. Srok Khmer took everything I hate about this world and threw it all together into a swirling vortex of luxury and contentment. Everyone was happy...too happy if you ask me. Things were always good, the buildings were always golden and shinning in the seemingly eternal afternoon sun. Of course, if you ever told any of the intellectual snobs who lived there you didn't particularly like the city, you were jealous. They were big on maps. Literally an entire section of the city was dedicated to maps. Map makers, map sellers, map specialists, map universities, shady black-market map dealers...it's a big deal for them. We got to the little city within the city, short sand-colored buildings with quaint wooden signs depicting which type of map-related things that building was for, and I immediately sensed something wasn't right. "We should split up."

"Excuse me?!" He was joking, right...?

"We can cover more ground."

"Okay. First off, I'm not a coward, but I don't feel comfortable strolling around a city full of things that probably want to kill me, and probably can. Secondly, I'm supposed to..." Maybe I shouldn't mention that quite yet.

"What? Keep an eye on me?!" He let out an amused chuckle. "Look...Kali doesn't trust me to go through with this...and I don't blame her. But I think I can handle finding a map without my baby-sitter! And as for you...here." He pulled out a small horn on a leather string. "If you need anything..." He trailed off and began to scope the city. He was tough, but I could tell he wasn't heartless. "We'll divide the city by that street there. You take the left. I'll take the right." And, just like that, he was gone. I was beginning to regret getting into any of this as I jogged down the slope we had been standing on and into the city. Most of the people I asked about the tree just looked at me like I was crazy, then some pointed me to a different shop, to somebody else who looked at me like I was crazy. I was getting nowhere. About halfway down my second street, I heard music. A lonely cello was piercing the industrial vibe of the city with sweet, mournful pangs of melody. At the end of the street was a music shop. She was sitting in the corner, practically dancing with the instrument. She looked different than your stereotypical angel, but I could sense that she was one none the less. "That's quite nice." She stopped playing and shot me with startled, but equally startling brown eyes. "But shouldn't you be looking for a map?"

"Ugh!! I told them it would be stupid to come here!" She put the cello down as gently as she could while still looking angry. "I told them there would be others here, but noooo... nobody listens to Seraphina." She looked at me, suddenly nervous. "Look...I don't even want to be here, or even on this stupid quest. I'm not looking for a map, I just want to sit here and sulk until I can go home, so please... just let me be?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "You look. I don't want to be here either, but I also don't want to get killed, and that's what'll happen to me if I don't come back with the tree. Now, I'm not going to hurt you, but I wager there are a lot of things lurking around this hell hole that would without even batting an eyelash. You shouldn't be alone."

"Then neither should you." She shot back snottily.

"Then we're in a good position to make an arrangement, Seraphina."

"Ooooohh noooo!" She stood up to meet my expectant stare. "I'm not joining up with a demon...what do you take me for?"

"I take you for someone who's misunderstood, an outsider. No one from your clan likes you, and you don't like them, am I right?"

"Well..."

"Do you think they want you here? They'll probably ditch you the first chance they get!"

"How do you...?" She looked at me for a second. She was sharp, this one. That's probably why the angels hated her. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't. But what you do know is that we both want the same thing, and we want it for different reasons than the others...so I'll have your back...for now."

She thought for a while. "Okay." An angel and a demon shook hands for the first time in a long time. I had to convince her all over again when I mentioned Cestil, but she agreed and we began to look for him. Hopefully he managed to find the map, instead of a misfit angel. But, hey...you never know when something might be useful.

"Marlow!" That was the first time he'd said my name. He added a nice ring to it with his savory voice. Seraphina and I ran to meet him. "who's this?" I explained the whole thing to him, that she could be trusted, and he surprisingly agreed.

"Did you...you know...find it?" He gave me another menacing grin. "I pulled it right from that werewolf's cold, dead, hairy hands." He caressed the worn surface of the map, reminiscing about his recent kill. "Rowen, I think his name was. Oh, and there's something I need to tell you..." Before he could begin, two Archons came jolting from around the corner.

"I'll take the demons, Neri, you take the angel." They sang to each other as if they were dividing a piece of cake between themselves.

"Thanks for stealing all the fun, Gibil." They grinned at each other, then charged at us. Cestil was incredible. In one swift move the male was underneath Cestil in a contorted position on the ground. The poor sap didn't even have time to use any of his powers. Cestil leaned over him like a predator eying his kill and snapped his neck with graceful ease. The "girl" only paused with a brief shriek to mourn her partner before she lunged at me. I'm not a fighter, or even active in any way, really, but I am a show-off. A dagger to the heart was easy enough. Cestil and I looked at each other. Feelings are tricky things, I try not to bother myself with them. There are moments, however, when two people (or demons, in this case) just need to kiss. It doesn't need an invitation or an announcement or even an explanation, there's just an understanding that the chemistry and the moment are in line and you have to kiss. So that's what we did. I don't really know who started it, but both of us were enjoying it. He had his hands around my neck with that same seductive threat he shook my hand with. I could feel the enticing excitement of it bubbling up within me. Then the moment was ruined with the clearing of an arrogant and childish throat. "Excuse me?"

"You're excused." I didn't even bother to pull myself away from Cestil's eyes...which were surprisingly... alarmed? He pulled away, trying to disguise the apparent awkwardness of the situation.

"Uumm...right. Marlow? The thing I needed to tell you about..."

"Eira. The thing is Eira. I'm joining you on your journey. And also...he is mine." She strutted up to Cestil, her blond hair mocking me in alliance with her sing-song voice, and wrapped her arms around him. I thought I might be sick. "You have the map, dearest?" Yup...sick.

"Of course." Oh god, he reflected her sweetly sinister smile back at her...

"Good. Come along, dear, we have work to do. And make sure your slave boy doesn't slow us down." Okay...now she's taking it too far.

"Slave boy?! I'll have you know..."

She retreated from Cestil's embrace and skipped uncomfortably close to my face. "Look here, I killed my best friend just to go on this stupid quest. If you think for one minute I'm going to let you get in the way of what I want and who I want...you're mortally....and I do mean mortally mistaken."

The odd couple started down the dusty street, leaving me with Seraphina. I'd almost forgotten about her, to be honest. "Hold up." She had a mixture of disgust and confusion thrown humorously on her face. "WHAT...just happened?"

At this point all I could really do was shoot her an insignificant smirk and follow Cestil and...that thing down the road. "Well...this really ought to be fun..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vanessa Lancaster

I need to find the tree for my nest, but where do I start? Do I venture off into the wild and randomly search? Do I simply ask for help? No. Neither of those will do. I ponder this thought for a while. Think, Vanessa. Think. What would the Master Leader do? Now, I begin to pace my room. This stress and pressure is extremely hard to function under, but I have to make do. I have to prevail.

"Is there a map I own that I could use?" I think out-loud. Finished with my pacing, I rush over to my bedroom desk and search through the haphazard pile of books and random paper sitting there.

A mystery book? No.

Comic books? No.

Workout plan? No.

Random doodles? No.

My essay about hunting that I was supposed to turn in a month ago? No.

Love stories that if anyone ever finds I would die of embarrassment? NO.

"Yes! Here it is! A map of Aimsir," All the irrelevant papers and books flutter to the ground as they are pushed of the desk by my arm.While the map is somewhat helpful, it is very vague. My nest in Tikit is penciled on in a little bat with a bright red star. Various other nests are pictured by other little bats scattered about. Mir is drawn with angel wings and Were-Clan camps are shown by a full moon drawing. Various other symbols reside on the map, but I pay no attention to them. I solely search for anything that could help lead me to the Tree.

I need a better map. This one doesn't help me. I have to head to the Guild in Srok Khmer.

I pack up a couple of outfits and a dagger and anything else I think I would need into a light-weight backpack. I pull on my best running shoes and look around for anything else I could possibly be missing.

The necklace. My eyes fall on my necklace. The glass jar with a rose made of jade and ruby. In the center of the jade stem, I can see a small scroll. I have to take this with me. It was given to me by a human boy- David. I smile at the thought of David, but then quickly push him out of my mind. I can't go soft now. I have to work and save the Tree. I can't have any distractions.

Despite telling myself I can't have any distractions, I still grab the necklace and immediately put it on. Now I am ready to go.

"Goodbye home, nest, and Tikit. When I return, I will be a victor. I will return a champion," I whisper to my home. I slip on the backpack and begin to leave my nest. First at a walk, but then slowly progressing to a sprint. I will return home again. I must. Let my search for the Tree begin.

* * *

The trek across Aimsir had taken me no more than twelve hours, a trip which would have taken a normal human a good six days. It seems as if in no time I arrive at the gate surrounding the glamorous city of Srok Khmer. The gleaming white color of the gate reflects the sun into my eyes and on my skin, leaving a slight pink mark on my pale skin. In order to stop this from happening, I grab a shawl out of my bag, wrap it around my arms, and head into the city. Watch out Cartographer Guild, here I come.

Once I am in the city, it isn't hard to find Layqa, Hamut'ay, and Runakay, seeing as they are the city's prized colleges. The three colleges stand in a triangle-shape around a smaller building in the center. That just has to be the Guild. I pick up my pace and begin to sprint, but I stop dead in my tracks. Don't draw attention to yourself. You're not the only non-human here. Be careful, Vanessa. You can do this. I begin to walk again, but not too fast so I don't look in a hurry. The door is only twenty feet away, and yet it seems so much farther away.

Ten more feet. Five more feet. Three more feet. One more foot. I have yet to put even one foot through the doorway when someone rushes past me with a flash of a bright red. I wasn't first. I should've come earlier. Throwing my shawl on the ground in frustration, I run after the girl who just passed me to find out who she is. How can she run that fast when she is obviously not a vampire with her tan skin? She has to be from a Were-Clan. I'll find out which soon.

I catch up to the girl within a matter of seconds. She might be fast for human standards, but not for Vampire standards. I grab her shoulder and whip her around.

"What clan are you from?" I ask, my voice dripping with poison. The look in her pear-green eyes tells me that she can see that my voice is laced with mines- one wrong word and she dies. "And why are you at the Guild?"

She gulps before answering, "Why should I tell you? That could endanger even more people, and that would disgrace me."

I pause for a moment in fake thought before I reply, "Maybe you should answer me because you're life is in my hands. Well, maybe you should've answered me." I kill her then without a second thought, taking care to not get blood on me. I wouldn't want to ruin my outfit on the first day in the field. A sparkle on her torso makes me look down. Oh, a necklace with a bear and a 'U'. Hmm, Clan Ursa. I knew I would find out soon.

I step over her body and continue deeper into the Guild. How many species are here? So far it's the Were-kind and me. Now that I know there are others in the same building as me, I find a hidden corner to set my bag down in, and I take off running. It's a good thing I did too because right as I turn the corner, I hear a voice talking to itself.

"Almost to the center. We're so close!" A light angelic voice says. I freeze, then hide around the corner- cliche, I know, but if it works, it works. When the voice comes around the corner, I jump on her and tackle her to the ground. She is dead within a matter of seconds. She seems angelic, so I check her for a Mirai's symbol; sure enough, there is one.

More voices can be heard from around the same corner the blonde angel came from. These voices are anything but angelic; these voices are masculine and brutal. I begin to head over to inspect where the voices come from when I hear a scream. I'm running now, but I arrive after the owner of the scream is dead. She was stabbed in the heart by a sword, and a flower crown lays next to her. Her yellow eyes are glazed over.

I'm guessing that the owners of the masculine voices are the people who killed her, but I'm not sure. Another scream rings out. This time, I don't inspect it. I have to find a map and get out of here. I wander around until I come across a room filled with maps. Maps are everywhere, on the ceiling, on tables, tucked away on shelves, and one encased in glass.

That has to be it. Carefully, I remove the map from the glass. The map has practically everything on it. Every Vampire nest known is on it! This is it!

Behind me, a book crashes to the ground, ripping me out of the trance the map had put me in. This is my cue to leave. I turn around to see who knocked a book over, and a short man holding a sword meets my eyes. He immediately reaches for his sword and calls out for help. Ten more men fill the room, all of them with swords.

"I'm sorry, am I doing something wrong? I promise I just wanted to look at the map. I don't want to harm you, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to harm me. Is it a crime to look at maps?" I question them. Hopefully I can persuade them to let me go free, and even stop everyone else from entering the room.

"No, looking at maps is not illegal. However, stealing them is. Others have tried to steal them today. Many Demons, Fae and Ware-Clans have come looking for these maps," He replies in a deep voice.

"I don't plan on stealing this map. I just wanted to borrow it. I know all of the others who came here are definitely trying to steal it, though," I tell him. The look in his eyes tells me that he believes me. "If I was trying to steal it, don't you think that I would have a weapon on me?" Now I've got him.

He nods and lets me leave with the map. He waits until he thinks I'm out of earshot to say, "I don't trust her. Her story makes sense, though. Don't attack her, just escort her out of the city. Let her leave with the map. I do believe that she will return it."

This just can't get any better, can it. I have the map, I'm not dead, and now I have protection for leaving the city. I calmly pick up my bag, walk out of the building, and begin to leave the city.

It is a calm and innocent walk, or at least that's what I try to make it look like. I'm about four feet away from the gate when a gaurd calls, "Halt, Vampire! You're skin is burning, so don't try to act innocent. "

My once 'calm and innocent' walking act is gone. I full on sprint out of the city and I don't stop until I am a good ten miles out. Now I finally have enough time to take a long look at the map. Just like I thought, the tree is written on the map in a fancy gold leaf print. Smiling, cunningly and deviously, I fold up the map and carefully put it into my bag. Watch out World Tree, here I come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lauden Obediah

TOO BEAUTIFUL TO LIVE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mia Mackenzie Young

CHASED DOWN BY ANGRY MOB

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow Coast

The World Tree. Capture it and take it back from Good and Neutral. That's the only thing they've said to me. The only piece of advice I was left with. I grab my cape which I was given by Belle Hartsong and Jeera, sling it around my back and I start to begin my journey.

.............................................................................................................................

I feel as if I've been walking for ages. My feet are killing my and the Sun has been burning my skin for hours. Everytime I try to pick my cape up and pull it over my body to protect my skin, it resists and fixes its self so that it is behind my back again. Maybe it thinks one of the Angels or Werekind is trying to take my cape away from me. Maybe Jeere and Belle have enchanted to not just ward off Good and Neutral, but also, if I'm showing signs of weakness, it's making me embrace it.

I'm walking down the road when suddenly, I hit something or someone rather. "Oh. I'm sorry." says the girl I bump into, "I didn't mean to I was just..." She stops mid-sentence.

"Just what?" I ask. The girl looks worried and she's very fidgety. Her brown, wavy hair goes perfectly with her green eyes. I almost envy her. She wears a long sleeved white dress with gold lining the stitches. Strangely enough, she wears combat boots and they are the same color of her dress. Her dress flows with the wind so perfectly, it might have been the wind itself. On her right hand there are characters similar to the Sun and the Moon. It looks familiar, like a second language that I know.

"I was just looking for the city gardens. I am in Srok Khmer, aren't I? she asks as she tries to skip past me but I stop her by stepping in front of her.

"No. You're not. To get to Srok Khmer you take a left at the... how do you know about Srok Khmer?"

"Uh...I uh... heard about it in the news... paper?" She pauses for a little while. I give her a concerned look and she starts to run again but I stop her by running up in front of her.

"You remind me of someone or maybe a certain type of person. Do I know you?" I ask her

"No. I'm just a lonely girl trying to find her way to the World Tr... I mean the-" she stops speaking abruptly

"You're trying to find the World Tree? Funny, I sensed something was up." I contemplate on whether she's good or evil but right now it really doesn't matter what this girl believes in and what she is. Right now, I should be making sure that I'm the one who gets to the World Tree first, even if that means I have to kill her. She must see the look in my eyes because before I can pull out one of my throwing knives, she darts off into a crowd of people. I follow her, pushing the people away from me and leaving them lying on the street. I run in the direction the girl went and I'm led down a dark alley way. At the end of it are four girls, all with similar symbols on their hands. None of them look like the girl I followed here. One girl looks as if she is shape shifting, from a girl with waist-length blond hair and bright green eyes to another with purple hair and gold eyes. Looking at her makes my head hurt so I focus on the one I followed here. Another has hair with blue tips. The last one has beautiful red, curly hair reaching down to her waist.

"And who just might you be?" I ask the Angels with the girl I followed.

"We are the other Angels on this task as well as Elora." says a girl with blue-tipped hair.

"Oh. Isn't that cute. All you Angels have to travel in a pack, like wolves. Okay, suit yourself. It will just make it easier for me to kill you." I run towards them pulling out my knives and pulling my cape closer to my faces. Elora has her hands on the fence and her foot, donning the pristine combat boots, is in the air ready to kick me but I know something she doesn't. The cape that I have protects me from any type of Good magic.

As soon as Elora hits my cape, she's shot back into the fence and her boot gets stuck in a hole in it. I pull out my knife and hold it up in a position where I can stab her quickly and run. Just as my knife is in front of her face, something pulls back hard on my cape and it's pulled off of me. I whip around to see who the culprit is and I find the girl with the blue-tips holding the black fabric. "Give that back to me!" I demand.

"No. I won't. Not until you tell me what's so special about this cape."

"Never. Now if you could give it back to me, I'll make your death much quicker."

"You're never going to get this back. At least not while I'm alive." I find the girl's bravery stupid and sickening.

" Fine have it your way." I advance towards her and shove a knife into her throat. After the girl falls to the ground, I pull the knife out, take my cape from the dead girl's cold and lifeless hands, and look towards the other Angels. "Are there any other takers? Who wants to be my next victim?" I yell at the three remaining Angels.

"Seraphina's death shall not be in vain" screams the shape-shifter. "CHARGE!" She yells at the other Angels, though think it's more aimed towards me. I pull my cape out in front of me right before she hits me and she's shot back onto the ground. I run over to the girl and stand over her.

"You're not the sharpest knife in the drawer I see. Oh and speaking of knives..." With those words, I plunge the knife I used on Seraphina into the shapeshifters heart. I then look up to find Elora so I can kill her off as well but somehow she has escaped from the fence. I look up into the sky to find the idiotic Angel and her friend with the red hair soaring high above me and the other dead Angels. I scowl at them even though I know they can't see me. Suddenly, I hear footsteps racing towards the alley way.

"What happened here?" asks the individual. I'm guessing it's a female because of the long hair that sparkles like a diamond when the girl moves and the body figure, but I could be completely wrong.

"You look familiar. Do I know you?" I ask the girl. When she steps into the light, I can automatically tell she's a vampire.

"You look familiar as well." she replies. I notice her eyes go straight towards the two dead bodies around me.

"Is there a problem?" I ask her, very rudely if I do say so myself but it's not like I care.

"No there is no problem. I was just wondering, are you a vampire?" she whispers that last part.

"Yeah, and I can tell you are as well." I start to advance towards her, but not too quickly for she might see my motive.

"Oh. Thank goodness I found someone else like me. It's been so boring walking around looking for this stupid tree don't you think?"

"Yeah. I guess it has been boring but I guess your boredom will be over in a bit." I quickly pull out one of my knives and try to hit the vampire with it but she grabs my wrist right before I can.

"You didn't think I was that stupid, now did you?" the girl ask grimly

"No I didn't but I knew you wouldn't be smart enough for this." I take my left hand and pull out a knife from my pocket and thrust it into her side. She lets go of my wrist for a split second to look down at her side and I put the knife in my right hand into her chest. She starts to scream a little so I cover her mouth with my cape. I don't want any more people coming and stop me from getting to the tree first. She stands there for a little while before she smacks down on her back. I pull both knives out of her and wipe them off with my cape and put them back in my pockets. I then peer outside the alley way to see if anyone is looking in my direction. When I know the coast is clear, I start walking to Srok Khmer, to find the World Tree, the reason I was sent out here.