In the Darkness

Chapter 8

They dumped her under a tree where she tumbled into a pathetic heap. Ignoring the numbness that was slowly creeping through her body she dug her face deeper into the dirty snow and cried.

She didn't know how long they had been moving or when Nanashi had joined them. All she knew was that they were deep in the woods. The two boys were arguing about something but she was too preoccupied with her current misery to listen.

The destruction of her new friends house and the loss of their lives played over and over in her mind. The people of the town didn't deserve that. Duo and Agnes didn't deserve that.

She cried harder, her body shaking with each sob. She knew she was being weak but she couldn't help it. It hurt so much.

She heard her brother say something. She thought it was directed towards her but she was crying so hard she couldn't hear it clearly. Then she felt herself being lifted into someone's embrace.

He placed her head against his chest and rested his chin on top of her head. His bangs brushed against her cheek and she knew instantly that it was Nanashi.

Holding back her sobs and easing, but not stopping, the tears she was just able to make out what he was saying to her. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…"

Closing her eyes and letting the tears silently fall she snuggled up closer to him. She didn't know what he meant but she didn't care. She wanted…no, needed the comfort he was offering.

"We can't stay here," she heard her brother say. "We've only gone maybe five miles. That's not far enough."

"We should be fine," Nanashi's emotionless voice sounded a little forced. "The trees will hide us from things flying over and we'll hear ground troops long before they find us."

Her brother made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded close to a growl. He was getting angry. She clung to Nanashi, a sign to him and her brother that they were scaring her. She didn't want the two of them to fight. But her brother didn't stop.

"And I don't get her problem," he said indicating Destiny. "She was willing to risk her life for that…"

"Stop it!!" she yelled. Standing up she looked her brother in the eyes. "The two of them were my friends! Not only that but he saved my life." And in a softer voice she added, "And I couldn't do anything to save his."

"That's right," Nanashi said placing a hand on her shoulder. "You couldn't do anything and there's no reason to risk your life trying to do something impossible."

She looked at her brother, her eyes still filled with tears trying to get him to understand why she was hurting. After a minute of this he sighed, walked up to her and wrapped her in a hug.

They stayed like that until they heard a small meow. Looking the way they had come they saw a small black cat. It had a funny looking marking on its forehead and its ice blue eyes looked tired. Its whiskers and fur were singed and in its mouth it carried a small golden cross.

Destiny recognized the cat immediately. Closing her eye in obvious pain and unable to continue further, Whisper collapsed in the snow still clutching the cross.

"Whisper!" Destiny yelled silently, more to herself than to anyone else. Breaking from her brother's embrace she ran to the feline. She cradled the shivering animal as if she was a newborn infant.

'Tried…to find him,' she heard the little cat think. 'Really…tried.'

Destiny held the cat close. Duo was dead she realized. Agnes too. That knowledge struck something inside her. Any hope she might have had that they were alive was shattered. At that realization fresh new tears sprung from her eyes.

Her brother called to her, "Destiny! We have to go."

Standing up, still cradling Whisper, she walked back to where Nanashi and her brother were waiting.

"You're not bring that," her brother said when she reached them.

"And why not?" Destiny protested.

"We don't have time to be taking care of a nearly dead cat," he said curtly.

Ignoring him she walked by. Without question, Nanashi followed. Knowing he had been defeated in that small battle her brother followed after as well.

Not long after they started walking though Destiny stopped abruptly.

"What is it?" Nanashi asked looking at her with concern.

"I heard something," she said. The three of them stood there for a few minutes, listening to the silence around them.

"I don't hear anything," her brother said getting frustrated.

"I'm serious," she said. "It sounded like a small bell." Then she heard a giggle.

"I'm right here in plain sight," she heard a voice say. "Can't you see me?"

Destiny looked up and in one of the trees she saw a strange young girl sitting on one of the high branches. And she did mean strange. The girl looked to be about eight years old with ice blue eyes and silvery blue hair and pointy ears! She wore a short sleeveless dress that was a soft blue color with white fluffy hems. She also had matching gloves and hat with the same colored pointy shoes that had bells on the tip of the toes. She looked like one of Santa Clause's elves. The cold didn't seem to bother her.

"There you go," she giggled, a sound the mimicked the twinkle of the bells. "You found me."

"Who are you?" Destiny asked in astonishment.

"Well there's a question I didn't expect," the child laughed. "She asks for who I am but not what I am."

"Who are you talking to?" her brother asked.

"Up there in that tree," Destiny pointed. "Can't you see her?" the only response she got were looks that said, 'You're going insane Destiny.'

"They can not see," the girl said drawing Destiny's attention back to her, "because they have not opened up their third eyes(1)."

"What?" Destiny asked.

Ignoring the girls' obvious confusion the child asked, "You are worried about the one called Duo Maxwell are you not?"

Destiny nodded.

Smiling warmly the girl continued, "You need not worry any more for he is safe."

"But he was killed in that explosion!" Destiny yelled.

"Did you see him die?" the girl asked, "or did you just see the house fall?"

Destiny stared at her for a moment. "But Whisper she couldn't find him."

"Could not find his body," the child said matter-of-factly. "That does not mean that he is dead."

"But then how…" Destiny trailed off.

"Whisper could not find him because we had already taken him," the girl continued. "For if we hadn't he would have died and that would not have been a good thing."

"Who took him?" Destiny asked. "Who are you?"

"Again with that question," the girl said. "If you must know who I am then I suppose I shall tell you. My name is Clo and I am a Dryad."

"A dryad?"

Nodding the child said, "That is right. I am a creature of the faerie folk. We have taken Duo for healing."

"But why would you need to do that?" Destiny asked. "Why not let him die."

"Why?" the girl repeated. "Why for he is the Chosen One." After she said that the child faded away.

Destiny stood there looking up at where the girl once sat. "The Chosen One," she said silently to herself. "The Chosen One of what?"

To Be Continued

(1) Third eye: Many religions believe that a person has a third eye located in the middle of your forehead, above the bridge of your nose. In the Wiccan religion it is believed that you can see into the Astral and see different energies and auras as well as faerie folk. It's fun! You should try it.

<><><><><><><>& lt;><><><><><><><><>< ><>

<Corvus> We have a huge problem!!!!

<Clo> Really what is it?

<Corvus> What!!!!! Where the hell did you come from?

<Clo> Well did you just read the story? Now what's the huge problem?

<Corvus> What? OH!!! Firefly has lost both of her Muses!!!!

<Clo> *casually* Oh. I guess that is a problem. So what happened to them?

<Corvus> Here boyfriend dumped her and we don't know where Miguel is!!!!!!!!!!!!

<Clo> Oh my goodness. Her boyfriend dumped her. Poor Firefly I hope she's all right.

<Corvus> That's not the point. She doesn't have a romance muse now and we don't know where the Angst muse is.

<Firefly> What are you guys taking about?

<Clo> Oh Firefly. We were just talking about how you don't have muses anymore.

<Corvus> You talk about it as if we're talking about the weather.

<Firefly> I am worried about Miguel but I'm completely over Joe now. So you don't have to worry.

<Clo> But don't you need muses to write good fics.

<Firefly> I did it without any before I can do it again.

<Clo> Oh. Ok then.

<Firefly> Tell us what you thought of this chapter.

<Clo> And what you thought of me. R&R please

<Corvus> I'm just happy she didn't kill Duo. By they way where were you?

<Firefly> Being chased by all of those Duo crazed fans.

<Corvus and Clo> OH….