[Chapter 17]

I wasn’t sure what the vampires were trying to do, but all I knew was that the Nightmare-Vampire was leading me upstairs. For Noel, I kept silent as he forced me climbing the different set of stairs, till we were at the top floor.

The corridors were entirely black, so Nightmare-Vampire used the torchlight he brought with him, for me to actually walk without trying to trip. For that, I could thank him; but I was pretty sure he knew about it –since he was reading my mind.

It struck me strange that the soldiers weren’t alerted of the vampires’ presence yet. It struck me strange that no one was in the corridors, running around because of the blackout. But I didn’t think too much about it. Because there was a freaking vampire holding me hostage.

I did, however, stop when he motioned for me to climb the ladder up to the roof.

“You’re kidding. You want me to kill myself falling off the roof?” I asked, looking up after Burnt-Hands-Vampire climbed up. I didn’t even know how he managed to do it with Noel in his arm.

“I will hold on to you, princess. Just climb.”

“If I say no?” I rebuked. This craziness had to stop somewhere, and I wasn’t going to climb up the roof just because he said so.

“Your boyfriend ends his life falling down the roof.” The entire sentence was said with such truthfulness that I could not help but crumble. I bit the bottom of my lip and climbed up the stairs. On hindsight, I was glad that I wore my favorite pair of shorts instead of a skirt, or I would be giving the vampire a free-show.

The roof was as unstable as any other day, and I looked around in the dim moonlight, suddenly glad that Zane wasn’t up here. I wouldn’t know what to do if Zane was caught. Getting Noel in danger was enough for this.

Up ahead, I saw Burnt-Hands-Vampire making across the roof with no problem, Noel slung over his back. Burnt-Hands-Vampire had his hands stuck in his pocket, in a pose so casual that if I saw him on the street like that, I would just think him some normal guy. But he wasn’t. He was walking across the roof, with my boyfriend over his back, and he was a freaking vampire.

“Move, Princess. We don’t want things to get ugly.” Nightmare-Vampire said from behind me, and I jumped a little. That was pretty stupid, but I had been too caught up in wondering where we were supposed to go now that we were on the highest point of the school. The roofs of the other buildings were pretty low, and there wasn’t any way to go from here, except… down.

“Get moving.” Nightmare-Vampire urged, giving me a soft push, careful not to throw me off the roof. I had the idea that they needed me alive, to turn me into a vampire.

“Why are we up here?” I risked asking quietly, making sure I sounded all compliant and servile instead of rebellious. I hoped it worked with the vampires.

“Your school is ramped up with layers after layers of wards. Breaking in is not easy. Breaking out; we’ll just have to jump over the highest ward from here.” Nightmare-Vampire replied, keeping a hand on my arm as I began to make after Burnt-Hands-Vampire.

“Jump? Are you kidding?” I couldn’t help my horror as I stepped carefully over a loose tile.

Nightmare-Vampire actually chuckled. “Yes. It beats busting out again. No one will think to look up in the middle of a blackout.”

I took a quick peek over the edge, trusting the Nightmare-Vampire to want me alive enough to keep me on the roof instead of falling off. “But did you think that the entire school would be assembled downstairs? The staff will realize that Noel and I are gone soon, Vampire.”

Nightmare-Vampire pulled me to a stop, taking a look over the edge like me. I wasn’t sure why he wasn’t afraid of falling off, but I guessed it had something to do with his uncanny physical abilities. At the moment, I just didn’t want to know.

“Call me Kenton. Come on, princess, let’s move.”

“How did your friend get into the bathroom if you can’t teleport away directly from my room?” I asked when I guessed there was no harm asking.

“Roger over there once extorted a counter-ward from a Faen. Don’t know how he does that, but it sure came into handy at this point. We were planning to just charge into your room before Roger decided to give it a try. Didn’t really think him to be successful.” Nightmare-Vampire, the now-named Kenton, replied with a shrug, pushing me to move towards his friend waiting for us at the edge of the roof.

“Why do you always call me ‘princess’? I mean nothing to you.”

“Have you already forgotten that night, princess? Where I came to you, and I held you trembling in my embrace while I took your blood, swallow by swallow? You, Ashe, are our princess of the night. The soul of the Gifted is within you. You are Faen’s Child, and there isn’t anything we would like more, darling, than to turn one the likes of you to our side. Once you are changed vampire, you will help us win the war.” Kenton replied with a coo in his voice, a soft whisper beside my ear as I shivered.

We walked past a high window, carefully staying on the roof instead of getting too close to the edge. The tiles were pretty slippery in the middle of the night, and I cursed myself for not wearing my sports shoes –which had better grip on the floor.

Walking past a chimney that probably led to the kitchen downstairs, I saw a faint protrusion from the shadow of the chimney. It looked like an elbow that didn’t quite manage to hide in the shadow of the chimney, catching the moonlight. It didn’t take my mind long to realize that there was someone hiding behind the chimney, before I cleared my mind again, just in case Kenton heard something in my mind.

“Come on, princess. We don’t have all the time in the world.” Kenton pushed me again, trying to get me to walk faster as I did my best to take his attention off the awkward shadow.

We reached Burnt-Hands-Vampire, aka. Roger, at the other end of the roof, where one leap could bring me certain death.

Kenton nodded to the guy, who drew something that looked like a metal ball from his pocket. Surprised by the sudden technology, my eyes widened when Roger pressed something, and the display lit with soft red light. I didn’t have time to catch what exactly was on the ball before he casually dropped it over the side of the roof.

The three of us watched as it fell into darkness. Then, somewhere at the bottom, there was a loud explosion, vibrating. A shrill alarm sounded somewhere, but instead of darkness, I began to see something green around the wall; the perimeter. It rose till the height of almost three floors up, and I knew in an instant what it was.

Roger took a step backwards with a satisfied nod, giving Kenton a questioning look. Kenton didn’t move, still looking down, as if expecting something more than a boom.

“Where are Isaiah and the others?” Kenton asked, still looking down. Roger shrugged with a nonchalant look.

“There are others?” I couldn’t help but screech. All along; I had thought there were only the two of them.

“Keep quiet, or I’ll shut that mouth of yours up.” Kenton didn’t sound happy this time as he gave me a slap across the face. I nearly lost my balance, but his other hand kept me firm on the roof.

The alarm still sounded. I heard shouting downstairs, before I saw brief flares of fire that illuminated the darkness below for a quick moment. In those brief moments, I saw vampires, and I saw our soldiers, fighting.

“Isaiah’s on time and target.” Kenton finally sighed, then turned to look at Roger. “Let’s go.”

I watched as Roger nod, taking a few steps back to start running. I watched Noel, slung over his shoulder.

Then I caught something out of the corner of my eye. The shadow –the silhouette that had been hiding behind the chimney.

I gasped, and in the span of that moment, someone’s power filled the air so strong that I almost couldn’t breathe. Fire exploded in the air above us, illuminating everything. I watched as the shadow tackled into Roger-the-vampire.

Someone was here to help. With thoughts of breaking free, I summoned my power to me, and blasted air into Roger, forcing him to lose his grip on my unconscious boyfriend. The figure was still tumbling with Noel, but somehow he managed to get a grip on the roof, grabbing on to a handful of my boyfriend’s shirt.

Kenton, seeing trouble, immediately tried to manhandle me away from the scene, but I was ready. Still in touch with my power, I used the large fireball that hung over us, forcing Kenton to jump away from me as I rolled forwards. Knowing that the vampire would do anything to get to me, I plucked out a loose tile from beneath me with all the strength my fingers could manage, and then flung it behind me.

I heard the shattering of tile and loud cursing as someone stumbled back, and I knew I had succeeded.

But another pair of hands grabbed my shoulder, and I screamed.

“HELP!” The girlish scream escaped me as I was pulled above ground, and spun around to face Roger.

As I was pulled above ground, I began to be aware that I was directly in line of sight for everyone downstairs. Everyone; including the teachers. I needed to stall, now that I had screamed my help.

I tried to kick the vampire holding me, but he managed to somehow dodge, still holding on to me. He moved towards the edge, thinking to jump off with me as the ultimate prize, but I called my power again. This time, I summoned a fireball that flew right to his face, causing him to scream inhumanely as he dropped me.

Strangely, I heard someone’s familiar voice as the figure ran towards Roger, with a fist that was coated with fire.

“Fuck you, vampire! Stay away from her!” Zane’s voice shouted as his burning fist collided into the vampire’s abdomen. Roger shouted again, trying to bring his leg around to trip Zane, but the Guardian was already jumping.

“Don’t let me see your stupid face again!” Zane yelled again, and this time, he gave Roger a kick so hard that the guy rolled. We watched as Roger rolled and rolled, unable to catch his balance. Then the vampire made it over the edge.

I didn’t have time to celebrate. Someone grabbed me by the back of my throat, and began to pull me to the ledge. Struggling, I tried to call to my power, but my power didn’t seem to react to me at all.

“Time for a total blackout, princess. You’ve been a bad girl, and you will get your spanking later.” Kenton’s murderous voice came from above me as he dragged me over the roof tiles.

I screamed again, trying to hit his hand; but it obviously didn’t work against the vampire.

“Stay. Away. From. My. Friend.” I heard Zane say, and watched as a fireball exploded exactly before the edge, forming a barrier of fire.

“Stay out of this, Faen, and I will not kill you. Interfere with me, and I will render you limbless. You will regret the day you were ever born.” Kenton spun around with me in his hands, so I flew a bit, my back hitting the roof floor. Desperately, I tried to pluck out some more loose roof tiles, but none seemed loose enough for me to pry free.

“Keep telling yourself that, you bloody sucker.” Zane held out both hands filled with fire as he made towards us. It was awfully brave of him, but how could Zane win a vampire like Kenton? Sure we had thrown Roger off the building, but we weren’t sure if he was alive or not.

“You know what?” Kenton suddenly said, still sounding murderous as hell. Suddenly, the grip on my neck loosened and I fell to the roof floor. Before I could do anything, a rough grip on my arm pulled me up, till I was standing upright.

“I don’t want to fight a lousy Faen like you. Why don’t I make you fight your own friend? She means so much to you; then fight her to get her back.”

“Wait, I-” I tried to protest, but suddenly, like a chill came over me, I couldn’t move. I couldn’t talk.

I felt my eyes widen in shock, but I couldn’t open my mouth to say anything. Slowly, I felt as my body crouch to an offensive stance. I felt my power pulling in; but it wasn’t me. I wasn’t doing anything.

That’s right, princess. I am the one doing this. And your little friend over there knows it perfectly well. If he wants to kill me, he is going to kill you first. Let’s see what he will choose, shall we?

Kenton’s voice resonated in my mind, and began to understand. Blood magic. It allowed Kenton to read my mind. It allowed him to control my mind.

My power flared, and a made a fireball in one hand, a ball of air in my other. I heard my voice in a crazed laughter as I forced both the air and fire together, creating a mess of power and fire and air.

“Can you fight her like this, Faen? You should know better than to face a vampire with element alone.” My words weren’t my own as I lobbed the ball of power towards Zane, watching with a wretched heart as he dodged it, unable to throw anything back in counter. On Zane’s face, there was still ferocity, but he knew that he could not harm me.

“Fight, darling. Fight me.” I heard my voice in a pleading tone; something I would never do.

Zane stood before us, eyes glaring at Kenton only while both he and I laughed. Fist clenched, Zane snuffed out the fire on his hand, throwing a reluctant defeat.

“You win. Let her free from your control, vampire.” Zane bit out, but his power was still in the air, trying to help me.

“So that you can attack me, Faen-boy? I don’t think so.” Kenton’s voice replied him, but I could almost feel those same words on my lips, almost ready to speak. I had to break out of this somehow…

“Let. Her. Go.” Zane insisted, and in one moment, I saw a change in him.

His eyes flashed purple, and stayed there as he unclenched his fists. Something bright and blinding came from his hands, something screaming. I watched as the translucent glow form humanoid forms, floating and gliding over to the vampire; over to me.

Kenton took one step back, and he made me to the same. The humanoid forms grabbed on to Kenton’s arms, pulling at him, keeping him away from me.

“Spirits… You are another constellation Faen, no?” My voice spoke Kenton’s words, but I was twice as shocked as him, though I couldn’t show it.

Zane smiled. “Say hi to them. And then speak to my mum.”

One of the spirits –especially bright –came from Zane’s fingertips and formed a perfect translucent form with a gentle smile. There was no asking the similarity between the two of them. Even translucent, I saw Zane’s eyes on hers.

“Elise, hold that motherfucker down.” Zane instructed, and though she obeyed, she exclaimed.

“Zane! Wash your mouth!”

My feet began to work, and I took murderous steps towards Zane.

“No use… little boy. I still have hold over your friend. Spirits or no, you’re not going to do anything to her.” Kenton’s words escaped my lips and I blasted a wall of air towards Zane, watching as he stumbled back.

“Knock him out, Elise!” Zane shouted, but Kenton forced me to scream.

“Knock me out, and your girlfriend here dies!” My voice declared, and I watched as my feet move towards the edge of the roof. One mistake here and I would fall to my imminent death.

“Zane?” I heard his mother ask.

“You’re running out of time, vampire. Let her go, and leave.”

“No, you don’t understand. I take her, and I leave. The only option you have is to die or not.” Kenton replied.

“I’m not going to die, and I’m not going to let Ashe go with you.”

“Fine.” There was a smile on my lips, and then my foot landed deliberately on a loose tile.

The moment where Kenton let his mind-grip on me loose was when I was at the edge of the roof, unable to hold on to anything more.

I screamed as my fingers grabbed the drain pipe, barely keeping grip as one of my hands swung uselessly below me. I tried to grab the drain pipe with a better grip, but dangling with my body off the roof swung me around too hard.

I screamed, even though I could’ve used that energy to climb. The part of me which was a girl screamed like hell, because I couldn’t think of anything more to do other than scream and hold on.

Above, I heard Kenton laugh as Zane cursed.

“Thinking of saving your girlfriend? I will kick you over.” Kenton threatened, leaning to one side to peer at me, dangling. Beneath, I heard a few screams as the other students caught sight of me, almost dropping to certain death.

“THAT’S IT!” Zane finally lost it, and when his power came, it almost drowned me. In a bid to help him, I let my power bleed into the air, when something amazing happened.

My power blended with Zane’s. It was exactly what happened when I first mixed my power with Noel. It blended and mixed. And became one.

Zane seemed to know what was happening immediately. Calling both my power and his, he drew in so much that I had to choke.

“GET LOST!” Zane screamed, and for the first time, Zane controlled air.

A fire user wasn’t meant to hold air, but Zane perfected it as he summoned a column of solid air into Kenton. I watched, while clutching desperately on the drain pipe, as Kenton was hit straight in the head by the solid, dense air. Eyes of the vampire rolled back, and the body of the man who had terrorized me literally flew. He flew far and long, before he disappeared under the canopy of trees.

Again, we didn’t have time to cheer, as my fingers began slipping.

“ZANE!” I screamed my last hope as my fingers slipped from the metal.

“Elise, hold me!” I heard him shouting, and my fingers lost grip.

I began to fall, and my heart dropped with me. My vision went by in shutters, and I watched, gradually, as I moved further from the ledge. Beneath me, more screams erupted. I saw as a shutter of my vision showed Zane’s purple-tinged eyes staring down over the ledge.

Then someone grabbed my hand and didn’t let go.

All of a sudden, I stopped falling. The cold hand on mine was cold and hard. But it was firm. It was the best grip I had ever felt, and I never wanted to let go.

“Don’t let go, Ashe. Never.” Zane warned as he tried his best to cope with my weight while half of him was almost off the ledge too.

“Z-Zane…” I almost peed in my pants for the life-threatening shock, but I knew this wasn’t the end. I needed to be off this roof if I wanted to consider myself safe.

“I’m going to pull you up, but you have to work with me. Use air. Push yourself up.” He instructed, and I nodded mechanically.

I called my power to me, surprised when I felt Zane’s power come along with it.

“Zane…” I hesitated a little, but he glared at me.

“Use my power.” He insisted firmly.

And so I did. I called air to me with power I had never held before. And it obeyed me with no problems.

It took a few minutes for me to finally get grip on the roof again, and a few more minutes to get me fully on the roof, in which I fell on top of Zane, trembling.

He laid on the roof, a protective arm around me to keep me from slipping off again. We laid there, panting and catching our breath. My head was on his chest, pressed to hear his heartbeat that fluttered quickly as he struggled to catch his breath.

His hand was still holding mine, still holding tight.

And his power, still holding on to mine. Still holding tight.

“Ashe! Zane!” I heard panicked voices calling as footsteps made carefully across the roof tiles.

Feeling as if I was caught in the middle of something embarrassing, I scrambled up to my feet with Zane’s help, though he held on to my hand tight, to make sure I didn’t fall off again. I was beginning to develop a fear of heights.

We watched, under Zane’s strong firelight, as Mr. Arliden, Zane’s father and Noel’s father came up on the roof, trudging towards us carefully.

“Thank goodness you’re safe! We saw everything from the other side of the roof. Come back here; quickly.” Mr. Arliden ushered quickly, pulling us back away from the ledge of the roof.

“Wait, Mr. Arliden.” Zane pulled his arm away from Mr. Arliden’s grasp, and then jumped over to the other side of the roof with grace of someone who knew his way around on the roof. There was shuffling in the shadows, and then we saw Zane stagger out from the darkness, a figure leaning on him as he dragged it out.

“Noel!” Richard Cypher called, making towards his son carefully, taking the load off a grateful Zane’s shoulder.

“We’ll get back down before we talk, okay?” Lance gave his son a proud look, and before Zane could do anything to rebuke it, he turned and began walking away.

Mr. Arliden chuckled a little, taking slow steps as we made our careful way back to safety. Only Zane seemed at home trudging across roof tiles.

“He’s proud of you, Zane. I may not be as close to Lance as Richard is, but I can see it clear in his eyes. He’s the world’s proudest dad right now at the moment, so keep your words in your head if you don’t want to spoil his moment.” Mr. Arliden advised as we walked, watching as Lance led the way, Richard following close behind with Noel on his back.

Zane only stopped, waiting for us, as he sighed.

“I wasn’t going to say anything, Mr. Arliden. Besides, there’s nothing I can say.” He confessed, regaining his usual quick wits as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn’t used my power and element. As if he hadn’t saved me from certain death.

“Oh? You looked ready to say something.” Mr. Arliden was also taken to pretending that nothing happened. How I wish I could say the same for myself.

“Actually, yes. I was going to tell him that I know. I’m the best kid he’ll ever think to have.” Zane grinned.

As Mr. Arliden and I laughed, Zane took off before us, jumping lightly over the loose tiles that could bring him to potential doom.

That wasn’t all. Zane was laughing too.

And for that moment, watching him run and jump over the roof, I saw Zane truly for the first time.

I saw the Zane before his mother’s death.