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Chapter whatever whatever

NOT EDITED. THIS CHAPTER I REPEAT, IS NOT EDITED.

RECAP:

Everyone looked at me like I was insane.

"What?" I asked, and glanced around for an understanding face. "Putting the enemy in chains because they put you in chains doesn't change history. I don't live to repeat."

"Are you crazy?" Trent shouted.

"Don't ask me whose crazy, sugar," I replied. "Look, what I'm proposing is still fresh and raw in your minds. So how 'bout we let that idea cook for the night, and then we come back with an agreement tomorrow?"

My mom barked a harsh laugh. "Words don't change anything, sweetie. You and the Beast of Citizens will fight. You can try to change history, but nature will always stay the same."

Whispers rose from the medallion again, heat growing across my heart and up my neck.

"Vhalerie," a voice whispered again.

I rolled my eyes and took the medallion from under my shirt. "Do ya mind shutting up? I'm trying to have a talk with my mother."

A hush fell over the crowd, silencing every Hero across the land.

"Where did you get that?!" my mom snapped.

+++

"She grabbed it out of your ass, grandma bear." Trent flashed my mother a dashing smile.

She looked ready to rip his throat out. "Grandma? I purposefully coloured my hair grey," she snapped, but his smile only grew wider.

"You may be able to avoid paying taxes, but you can't avoid old age."

I gasped, and pressed my hand against my cheeks. "Heroes don't pay taxes? I thought we lived in a democracy!"

The wind howled and a quick gust nudged everyone to shut the fuckup. "Enough." My mother's glare forced a silence across the hills. "Roger, the Beast of Villains is dead. Vhalerie, as the Beast of Heroes, must fight the Beast of Citizens. It's her nature. She cannot fight what she was born to do."

"Who gave you bossy pants privileges?" I asked.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" my mom argued.

"How 'bout you pop this vixen a bubble gum strip and I'll let you in on the rest of the plan?" I reached my hand out and watched several Heroes and Citizens fish through their pockets.

Stress lines formed along my mom's forehead. "Are you nuts? Candy isn't going to fix anything."

"Got one!" A hero placed the pink strip on my hand and I tossed it between my lips.

"Thank you, kind sir." I smacked the gum around my mouth, my chewing the only audible noise for the next five seconds.

"What—"

I put my finger on my mom's lip and chewed a bit longer. "I got it." I looked towards the army of Citizens and Heroes with bright eyes. "How about we do that thingy ma bobber the Citizens did back in their hay day."

"Wow, you pay attention in history class?" In awe, Trent placed his hand over his chest.

"For the night, we settle a truce. This gives the Heroes time to fix up whatever is wrong with their school—"

"You put a hole through our fucking ceiling," my mom dryly stated.

"—and the Citizens and I can camp out by the water. Once the sun rises, we meet back here and settle a new plan. This is fool proof."

A frustrated groan came from my mom. "Didn't you literally just suggest that plan?"

"Practical. Sensible. I like it," Trent stated. Cheers rose from the Citizens, weapons clanging against scraps of metal which they dared to call armor.

The heroes looked to their leader, my mom, and she gave me a long, hard stare before releasing a breath I didn't know she was holding. "For justice's sake, you're exhausting. Fine. You and I will meet here once the sun rises. Only you and I."

Weapons clattered to the ground and I could've sworn a relieved sigh left both sides of the war.

"Just forewarning you," my mom added. "Prepare for a battle. The Beast of Citizens could be here at any time. It knows you're here. You saw it yourself." She looked at my Medallion and narrowed her brows.

She spun on her heel, tightening the shawl around her chest before leading the army back into whatever was left of Hero High.

"Alright. Back to the water, folks," Trent ordered.

Exhaustion finally began to seep through the bones of Citizens, their travel not an easy one to get here. They shuffled down the hill, heading for the water where they'd have to set up their camps for the night.

A slap hit my shoulder and I turned to find a smiling Trent. "Good job, bubble gum bee."

I continued to stare down my mother's back. "How do they not pay taxes?" I exclaimed. "Like, who made that legal? Seriously?!"

Trent sighed, and guided me to the waterfront. "Let's not get into politics tonight, okay? Just keep chewing that gum."

"But we live in a democracy..."

"Say, what are you going to do about that Medallion?" He tapped the necklace dangling around my chest and yelped.

"What?"

"It bit me."

"Don't be silly. Necklaces don't bite people."

Trent shook his head and took his hand off my shoulder. "Well that one did, sugar pie."

I cupped the cold medal in my palm, whispers rising from the necklace as they snaked into my ear.

"Vhalerieee," it softly whispered. "Beeee carefullll..."

"A necklace that talks and bites?" I looked up to the gods. "I didn't ask for a dog."

Trent gave my shoulder one last pat before he was needed to help set up tents.

+++

The stars were our candles and the small fire pit was the only warmth for the night. It was chilly by the water, and most of the Citizens had left for their tents.

"Watcha drinking, sugar bean?" Trent nudged the jug in my hands.

I took another sip of it and offered it over. "Wanna try some?"

He shrugged a bit, taking it from my hands. "It can't be that bad..." The liquid met his lips and he spat it out. He rubbed his tongue against his arm to get the taste off. "Are you drinking gasoline?"

"It's good for the soul," I replied.

"Yeah, o-kay, tough one."

Trent rubbed the rim of his cup. "You know you can't face your mom alone tomorrow morning."

I glared. "Why not?"

"You need us. Even if you won't admit it, you need help. Don't try to push the Citizens away. This is our battle too now that our beast is alive. We will always be by your side."

Annoyance balled up in my chest. "Why the fuck do you Citizens show up everywhere?"

Trent's eyes twinkled and he leaned back in the stool, arms open. "Coincidence?"

I darkened my gaze. "Doubt that."

My nails grazed the counter, an itch building. They wanted something from me. I could feel it. Or maybe this was the gasoline talking. I couldn't trust anyone. Just thinking of that was punch to the stomach.

My fingers crunched tightly, enclosed into a fist. About to swing a new line towards Trent, his chuckle caught me off guard.

"Vhalerie. You look like you're about to murder someone."

Wrinkles of confusion creased along my forehead. "Kill someone? Why in the name of hell would I want to murder someone? I mean, especially at this time of night. This is sleep time. Not kill time."

"But in a war, it's always kill time."

I stared with stupidity, left dry of a response.

A smirk toyed at Trent's lips. "I get it. Loving is too much work. But killing is much easier. Just a snap of a neck. Crush of a skull. Just like"—he snapped his finger—"that."

With me left speechless yet again, he seemed satisfied by that and continued, "You and I both know your mother doesn't want a truce. She wants you to kill. She sees it as something you can easily do."

The certainty in his tone brought out my guilty look, using silence to admit the truth. I could kill. Very easily. I killed Roger. Why was this so hard for me to confess now?

He rose from his seat and tossed his cup into the fire. The flames growled and sparked before eating away the plastic.

He gave one last burning look at me and said, "If you don't want to kill, you better think of something else or tomorrow will bring death. You and I both know that."

Turning on his heel, he disappeared into the tent and left me with the shaking beer bottle wrapped around my fingers.

His comment made my body go rigid. Who was Trent? At one point, he was a freaky, odd ball with a strange vocabulary. And now he was some cunning, wiseass badass who could string together a proper sentence.

My mind was crammed with spilling thoughts and I held my head into my hands.

"Oh god..." I shot down the rest of the gasoline.

I was unsure how long I sat there. What was left of the pit was amber and glowing chunks of wood.

My mind was swimming in a pool of thoughts and possible lies and I wasn't sure who I was—why I was here—who to believe—what was the truth. Everything vaporized into a blank image. I couldn't function.

Sore confusion vacuumed my conscious right out. Never had I ever been so confused, so stressed, so... lost.

Words. A human's greatest weapon.

They could kill a human with a single syllable.

They could bring a human back to life, they could fix any broken heart. They could break hearts.

They could push excruciating pain to the mind when knowing which buttons to press.

I didn't think it would be possible for anyone to say such simple words to twist my world. But he turned it right upside down and inside out. Surfacing thoughts I buried, thinking I had my shit figured out.

Or perhaps I was getting wound up for nothing.

I groaned and put the cold jug sized bottle against my forehead. "Thinking is too much work."

"People are trying to sleep!" someone shouted from a tent.

"Then sleep!" I called back.

I hooked the jug of gasoline on my belt and disappeared behind my tent where the lonely mat waited for me.

+++

A hand flew over my mouth.

My eyes widened and hands pressed into my shoulders to keep me from moving.

"Shut up, princess," a voice hissed. They pressed the cloth deeper into my mouth and I gagged, the beast in my chest suddenly whimpering.

"Aren't the heroes supposed to save the princess?" one of the strangers quietly murmured. A warm chuckle came after. "Although, I don't think we can count this as saving..."

Another pair of hands held my legs down, my cries muffled under the cloth.

The darkness didn't let me see who these strangers were and I could only see a man's expression turn into a wicked smirk. A sea of green swarmed his eyes, and his grip tightened. My breath hitched.

"Sleep tight, princess."

I panicked and tried wiggling out but his nails only dug harder. Footsteps thumped behind us. He spun me to face several other kidnappers hidden in the shadows of the tent. My heart slammed onto my chest, knocking my breath out.

"Try not to fight it or the gas will burn even more," he murmured hotly.

I gulped and tried jabbing my knee up his crotch, but his hand caught it. Distracted, I flung my elbow to his temple and he hissed, staggering sideways.

I sat upright, but suddenly the wind was knocked out of my lungs and blackness swallowed my vision along with my conscious.

Moments passed before I realized where the hell I was. A dark room.

How typical.

The beast in my chest remained silent as I slowly sat up, blinking back to make out much.

"A kidnap" I whined. "Guys, I get it. Being the first one to attack is great and all, but a girl could seriously use some sleep before her big day to save the world."

Chuckles moved across the room and I slowly stood up, feeling the body heat of many humans.

Heroes.

I could smell their fear.

I wonder if mine stunk as bad.

"I can't believe you thought we wouldn't strike before sunrise. This is a war. There are no truces," a voice echoed.

I made a break for another part of the room except strong arms grasped my hips, throwing me to the ground. I scrambled back, heroes starting to confine me into the wall.

One of them reached for my leg and I kicked under their chin, hearing a nauseating crack as their head snapped. The hero hit the floor cold, stopping the others in their feet. I dove forward, nabbing the gun from their pants.

Rolling, I pounced at the door knob and was startled to see it crushed. I crazily rattled it, unable to turn. I smacked my hand on the wooden barrier.

I whipped around and a fist clubbed my nose. My head slammed into the door and I yelped, crumpling to my knees. The pain doubled when a shoe connected to my ribs. Throwing a curse, they lifted me from my dress, bringing his revolting grin to my face.

I stared into the once vulnerable being, his eyes radiating the wicked darkness that sent my hairs sticking up.

I swallowed a whimper. "So shitfuck. Are you ready for me to shove your foot up your ass?"

He ripped out his pistol and tapped it on his chin. He wandered his gaze to the ceiling before joining mine. "Um, and how are you doing to do that?"

I instantly flew my hands up, knocking his away. I drove a heel to his chest and scooped up the gun I dropped, making a break for empty space. A bullet swept past my ear, another missing my ankle.

I barreled into a door and felt around for a knob, quickly pulling it open, but something grabbed my wrist.

Heat flamed within my chest. I felt my eyes change colour and the hot fluid stir my blood. I snapped my head to the man holding my wrist.

I made an inhumane growl and my other hand clubbed his neck.

He freed my wrist and I pulled an upper cut, his chin cracking back.

Two heroes made a lunge and I grabbed a heroes' gun from their pocket in time to peg bullets into their hearts.

I dropped back to the ground, and started running. Someone swung their gun around the corner and I bent back, sliding under with my knees. Skidding up, I turned around and swiped my claw up their throat.

I was running in darkness.  Turning, a bag flew over my body and suddenly the ground disappeared from my feet.

"Come on," I whined, twisting around in the body bag.

"There's thousands of us, princess. And only one of you," a hero whispered.

I thrashed around the bag for a hella long time until I heard the beep and the sound of something unlock. "Would it be bad to mention I get car sick?"

The door opened and I got tossed into the backseat. The bag unzipped and a hand wrapped around my waist and arms and legs to keep me from squirming.

"What was the point of bringing me to Hero High if you were going to take me back out?" I spat. "Fucking idiots!"

"There was a change of plans," said a hero. "Your mother wants something else."

Someone unhooked the jug from my waist and I stretched my neck up. "I wouldn't drink that shit if I were you. I don't think you have a strong enough stomach."

The hero scoffed and chugged down the drink, it spilling down his neck and shirt.

"Wait for it," I sang.

The hero's eyes popped open and he coughed, spraying the rest of his friends with the liquid. "What is this shit?"

"Growing hair on your chest yet?" I laughed, and he threw the bottle on the seat.

"I can't wait to serve you as bait," the hero hissed and grabbed my throat.

"Bait...for...what?" I managed to spit.

A sparkle glinted in his eyes. "For the Beast of Citizens of course. You'll be strapped to a wooden stake by sunrise."

My inner beast roared, and the bones in my body cracked.

"About time," I mumbled, and felt the heat swirl in my stomach. Fire burst from my mouth, and the heroes in the car screamed, quickly dropping me.

My foot met a face and my claw scratched against a neck.

My gaze snapped towards the flames flickering around the seat wet of gasoline. An immediate trigger snapped in my mind and I threw myself at the doors. I broke them open with my weight as I slammed onto the gravel.

I skid forward; pain clawed across my stomach. Warmth bubbled in my throat and I opened my mouth, flames shooting along the door as I welded it shut. Their fists broke through the glass, an arm somehow poking out.

My heels kicked back against the gravel, scrambling away until a flash of speed caught the corner of my eye. A second car drove into the jeep, the driver behind tinted windows.

The crash happens in ten seconds. A hard surface smacked the side of my head and I hit the ground again.

There was a crack in my head. I could feel the air leaking out, a sharp whistling sound as I began to deflate.

This is how I saw the ten second crash:

The tires burned and the first car erupted in amber and gold.

A wave of heat washed over the car, sweeping away pieces of silver paint, leaving the metal stripped bare—a feast to behold.

Roaring flames devoured steel and the warm, pink flesh of the passengers.

Smoke swallowed the sky, blurring confusion and rage and toxins and the smell of blistering skin into an eye watering stench.

This potent odour infected the hot summer air, it putrid and heavy as lungs dragged to pump these thick clouds down their closing throats.

A hero laid in a meadow of broken glass. Gravel was caught between cuts and grooves in the skin, dark red stains smudged across the blacktop.

Deep nail marks were engraved in the chestnut leather of the steering wheel, one arm hanging over it as it dangled out the car door. The glaring sun catches the wink of a silver ring wrapped around a limp finger that was cracked back too far.

The wind yanked a flame to the right, scarlet streaks stretching to brush the ashes crying from the sky.

The flames snapped upright, sensing another presence and turned to the second vehicle that had reared into the front of the first car. The backend partly untouched, half the vehicle gleamed in copper as the rest was iced in layers of new paint and glossy steel. The approaching flames reflected in the fearful eyes of a hero, her body wrestling against the seatbelt in the second car.

But at the split second, the fire changed its mind. It didn't want the hero. A flame gave out one last lick before moving onto the next dish—the gas tank.

What really happened in ten seconds:

KA-BOOM. Scream. Scream.

KA-BOOOOOOM.

Silence ate the air along with the soft crackle of fire nibbling on metal.

Now there's some angsty, top notch imagery shit.

Sanity tried to make its way back to me, the cartoons and images and funny sounds quieting down as reality struck my conscious.

Human screams went off and burnt metal clattered to the floor. Groaning, I shifted my head, eyes wheeling to the chaos. Madness infected the area; heroes swarmed in from Hero High to see the commotion. I rolled over and saw a figure step out of the car that rammed into the one I was just in.

The car door dropped an inch from my neck and I flinched, death too close for comfort. Someone hauled my arm.

I gradually tried turning, but they snatched my elbow. They yanked me forward, and I stumbled, my legs tripping over themselves.

Their sturdy hand helped me to my proper stance, and I glanced up.

Trent shouted something except I couldn't hear. I was good at that. He yanked my arm again, ushering us to move. Citizens stood and watched, quickly waving their hands.

I shook my head, and blinked to see the whole picture. The car was split in half, the stench of burning metal infecting our lungs.

Flames danced on the vehicles, the hot colours igniting the black sky.

"I thought it'd be a good idea to crash the party," Trent said before wheezing. He doubled over, putting his hands on his knees to let out a harsh cough.

"You drove that fucking car into the jeep?" I winced, fresh cuts burning as I tried to stand upright.

"I saw you get into the jeep and the smell of trouble always attracts me. I couldn't get to you fast enough so I thought a car would be my fastest way of transportation."

I patted his arm, wincing again at the sudden movement. "Thanks, pal. I mean, I could've died if I didn't get out of that jeep so technically you were second away from killing me—"

"Shhhh. Don't disturb the peace and the peace won't disturb you."

I gave him the stink eye. "Hey, that sounds like a stupid line I'd say. What are you doing, stealing my dialogue and all?"

My inner beast shrieked, and my knees hit the ground.

"Vhalerie?" Trent yelled.

I released a howl, my mind crashing against the beast as it rattled and shook inside of me. Trent stumbled back at the abrupt sound.

"Vhalerie, what are you doing?!"

My beast forbid me to answer.

Because something else was calling to it.

+++

ARCHER'S POV

I heard it howling in the distance.

I smelled the moss crawling up the walls, tasted the last of my salty beads of sweat and felt my nerves crazily vibrate.

I viewed the specks of water trickling into my mouth.

I broke away from the chains that I forced myself in, feeling the grasslands of the Heroes squish beneath my feet. A tail swoosh behind me, my bones breaking and mending into an unknown figure.

My white eyes were dipped in ocean blue, swirled of a grey fog to then be devoured by the colour black. The same black that matched my soul.

Hell answered my prayers.

+++

A/N:

Holy crap.

Okay, so in my defence, I had prom and the after parties that followed, thus I couldn't update.

But I hope this satisfied you all. :)

What are your thoughts? I know it was a lot to take in.

I love reading your comments though! Keep it up! 

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Love you lots,

From your favourite type of pi,

Xx 3.14