Forbidden

~Chapter Thirty-Six~

A/N: I have only one question for you: did you see THAT coming? ;-)

Only two or three more chapters left! D-':

Dedicated to the lovely AquaKatie, my Katester Carrots, my supportive friend, and an amazing writer. Nuff said. Love ya, girlie!

ENJOY! <3

***

~Chapter Thirty-Six~  

Arabella stood in the very center of her human room, eyes closed, breathing meditatively to calm herself. She had never been involved in this version of her kind’s life before: she had always been on the sidelines. She was under no circumstances in one of the higher orders; in fact, she was placed in the precise middle, nothing overly special. However, this time, they needed all hands on deck to defeat their enemies, so Arabella’s “regiment,” as slang referred to them as, needed to join in. Anxiety levels were high…but so was determination. They had hope that they could win, even without the Elliots.

            For Arabella had failed.

            She hadn’t managed to bring River back into the equation, along with Layla and her individuality: the only mortal who possessed pure Luminosity. Without them, her side’s chances of winning, of surviving, were greatly diminished. And it was all her fault. If Arabella’s side—her best friends, her family—died, she was hoping she would be allowed to die with them. Nathaniel, Bernardo, and Madeleine had all playfully chastised her for her “silly, pessimistic notions,” but Arabella couldn’t help but feel hopeless. She knew that “Meaghan” had regained River for Their side. Not only did that hurt her strategically, but her heart also tore in half: she loved him. There was no denying her emotions any longer. Arabella knew that she loved River, had always loved him instead of Griffin, who seemed to be around less and less lately. It ripped her entire being into shreds knowing that he was with Them.

            But she couldn’t focus on that now. Instead, Arabella needed to prepare herself for the battle of a lifetime. She had heard many mortals say variations of the phrase before, but it truly fit her situation now: Win…or die trying.

            Remaining in the precise center of the floor, Arabella used her telekinesis to fling open the windows in front of her, careful not to disturb the Greshams. Inhaling deeply one last time, she let her human form go, taking on her true visage. Hurtling two steps forward, she leapt out of the window, unfurling her massive wingspan, and flew at light speeds towards her fate.

            Win…or die trying.

***

My heart pounded painfully against my ribcage; my lungs shuddered seemingly audibly with every breath. My sightline had narrowed to adrenaline-powered tunnel vision, urging me towards that familiar, eerie, comforting sphere of light. Ominously, thunder boomed from above my head, cracking into my eardrums, and, out of my peripherals, I saw lightning slashing through the midnight of the unnaturally dark afternoon sky. My gaze narrowed as I put one foot stealthily in front of the other, though leaves crackled beneath the soles of my tennis shoes. Oddly enough, the light seemed to be a cylindrical prism of sunshine, glistening only in one spot: it pointed directly at a flourishing purple flower ahead of me, twisting and turning on its stalk to a golden point. I gulped, unsure of whether to be optimistic about my current situation, or scared out of my wits.

            The back of my mind pondered the thought over and over again, my feet moving seemingly on their own: muscle memory, as Meaghan’s had performed such a short time ago. The forest faded behind me as I delved further into the foliage, working my way towards the light; subconsciously, I was startled by the fact that I had no vines winding their way around my ankles, impaling my bone and shackling me to one place. My breathing turned irregular, worried and, admittedly, frightened.