Dormir

There was silence after Alpha Kain's outburst; even the air was still. Drip. Drop. Drip. The sound of blood falling on polished wood was the only sound. Virgo clenched her fist, the one that was not holding Sinbad, and scoffed with a shaking voice, "Pathetic liar." "I am not," Alpha Kain vehemently denied; he couldn't let her hit him again. "You never had a daughter; it was a son, and he's alive!" "Don't lie to me!" She screeched. She had seen the picture on his desk. That woman was obviously pregnant! "He's your son!" She shook her head and tugged on the shrunken skull on her neck. "Liar, liar, oh my, what a liar," she murmured. Her movement was jerky, and she didn't seem to be listening. "Cassidy was pregnant, but the baby died! I brought our son back from the orphanage, and she raised him like her own!" Virgo crouched, releasing Sinbad; tears flowed freely from her eyes, and her greenish face lost its strange hue. Her skin color became more human, and her dark eyes turned into the brightest shade of emerald. Aria gasped. "Don't lie to me, don't—" she cried. She turned to Sinbad. His face was pale, and blood was flowing from his mouth and nose. "My baby?" She called. She tentatively touched his face. "Why?" She pulled the chain from her neck and crushed it. "Why did you lie to me? Was it fun to watch me hurt my son?" Oh no. She was becoming agitated again. Aria pulled Ivy's hand into hers. "Back then you were not in the right state of mind; you were a danger to everyone, including him!" Alpha Kain said. He also sensed her rising emotions but he sure she wouldn't hurt Sinbad anymore, so he relaxed a bit. "You made me that way! You humiliated me and tried to kill me several times, and why? Because you felt I betrayed you?" "Your aim was to destroy my pack; was I supposed to sit back and allow it?" "Fine, that was my aim, but all that changed when I had your child! I changed for you, and you threw all that to the mud like it meant nothing!" Alpha Kain stiffened. "Since you love the pack so much, then watch it burn!" "Now," Aria whisper-yelled. She and Ivy snuck close to Virgo. Their hands were joined, and they opened their mouths to speak the word that would put Virgo to sleep. "Meddlesome maggots!" Virgo hissed. Aria felt the floor beneath her turn soft. She and Ivy were sinking. Ivy let go of her hand and tried to steady herself. They seemed to be sinking faster. Virgo didn't look at them; she faced the buildings of Clearwater Pack. "Ignite." Boom. Blue flames shot up from the general pack house. The flames licked the house, leaving only ashes in a matter of seconds. It moved onto the next building. If it continued, Clearwater would be gone in a few minutes. Alpha Kain watched as the hospital and school building burned up. Garsam reached Ivy and Aria just as the sand reached their waist. "We need to stop her!" Aria was panicking. She couldn't feel her legs, but that was the last of her problems. "Ivy, hold my hand; we can still do this!" Ivy was no longer struggling. Her eyes were hooded, and she was slumped over. The sand was sucking her in even faster. Garsam grabbed her and pulled, but the sand pulled back like a powerful vacuum. Ivy's eyes struggled to open. She tried to reach her hand across to hold Aria's, but there was no strength in her limbs. Why? Why was she still so useless? Even with the title of an Acabi, she still pulled everyone down. A slightly rough hand grabbed her own. Garsam grabbed Aria and Ivy's hands and joined them together. "Say the darn magic word and stop this bitch!" She growled. Ivy looked at Aria. They both nodded and turned to Virgo, whose back was turned. "Dormir." "Dormir." It was like a cosmic explosion in their heads. Aria screamed in pain while Ivy passed out. Even Garsam, who connected their hands, fainted. Ares was alarmed; he gathered power into a spell and pulled the two girls out. The blue flame consuming Clearwater Pack abruptly disappeared. Virgo's figure was stiff; she turned around mechanically and looked at them. She tried to move forward and stumbled. Her eyes turned to Sinbad. "My baby," she croaked. Cracks started to appear on her face, and bits of her face chopped off, revealing dark patches of flesh. She crawled towards Sinbad. "My baby," she repeated desperately. Her body froze up, with one hand stretched towards Sinbad. Her eyes lost their light, and a single tear slipped down her cheek. Ares hugged Aria. The pain of the spell lasted for a short while. Now she just trembled in his arms. "Shh, it's okay, it's all over." Aria sniffled into his shirt. Ares felt something surge behind him. He turned and saw Virgo's body crack like clay. Bright light shone from the clay. And dark energy surged around her. For the first time, his eyes widened in fear. He roughly pushed Aria away and ran towards Virgo. As he got to her, he put up a protective dome enclosing them both. Aria stood up and ran to him on shaking legs. The dome was transparent, so she could see him. "What are you doing??" She yelled. The light behind him caught her eyes. "She's going to...get out of there!" Aria yelled. "Get out now!" Tears blurred her view. Ares placed another layer of shield over the dome. With each layer he placed, Aria's voice grew distant and her image became blurrier till he could no longer see nor hear her. When he was done, he sat down cross-legged and watched Virgo crack. Pure and dark energy surged with her for dominance; no matter which side won, the consequences would be deadly for those around. With Virgo herself gone, Aria's sister was finally fighting to repossess her body. The dark magic that fueled Virgo would not make it easy. He didn't want to be here but had to be inside to strengthen a barrier this big and ensure it didn't break. He sighed. At least he had gotten to spend time with Aria. His heart constricted with pain, Aria's pain. He could only imagine what she was going through. But his life in exchange for hers wasn't a bad deal. Outside the dome, Aria couldn't see anything. She tried screaming the dome down, but her screams bounced off and put holes in the buildings behind them. She hit the dome with clenched fists, her frustration building. Why did he do that? For her? She hated herself at the thought. She didn't know what she would do if anything happened to him. An explosion like a deafening roar ricocheted in the barrier. Aria watched the dome visibly inflate from the force. Her heart shattered in two. No! Cracks appeared in the dome but were sealed as quickly as they came. He was still alive. Even in such a situation, he was still working to keep her safe! The shockwave rocked the ground and brought her to her knees, what felt like an eternity passed before silence was restored.