When It Breaks

| ELEVEN |

"Don't panic," Ray warned suddenly and I stilled, already expecting the worst.

As I tried to calm my nerves through slow and somewhat steady breathes, I looked up.

Slowly looking up, I saw what almost gave me a mini heart attack. More than a hundred black eyes were staring at us all at once. We were totally surrounded with no way to pass through.

"Don't panic, Fledglings feed on fear," Ray warned again.

The warning came a little too late as I could feel a full blown panic coming up. I looked at him to see his fully relaxed face.

In that moment, I wondered how he could stay so calm in such a dire situation. It was safe to say it was over and that was to put it in the simplest terms.

"Too late, Raymond!" I snapped, as the panic took over.

Hitches over took my breathing pattern as I battled to steady it. I couldn't make coherent thoughts. There were too many of them and I had only a handful of pins.

Even if I had enough, I doubted if I could get my hands steady enough to hit a target. Ray would not be able to fight a hundred Fledglings with or without my help. Either way, we were screwed.

"Get yourself together, Princess, we have to get out of here alive."

Ray stood up slowly and pulled me up. Standing on my shaky legs, I held onto Ray's arm, refusing to be detached from him even for a second.

I couldn't care less if he would tease me about it later. My eyes never left the staring Fledglings. They did nothing but stare. No movement or action, they didn't even blink.

"Stay behind me," he instructed before taking a fighting stance.

My eyes widened at his sucidal attempt. "Are you nuts? You will be killed in an instant. Don't you know basic math? It's one and a half to over a hundred Fledgers!"

"Did you just refer to yourself as a half?" He sounded amused and that fueled my dread. He was too relaxed. Way too relaxed.

"You didn't just pick a joke in this situation. Don't you see how much they are?"

"It was a good joke, you know," he said, making emphasis on the 'good joke'.

"Raymond!"

"You sound like an old couple, you two," another voice announced, causing both Ray and I to turn to the sound of this voice. A very familiar voice asked.

This time, I was totally and utterly stunned to see who it was. I felt used, betrayed and worst of all, hurt.

"Cat got your tongues?" Then she covered her mouth, looking a little embarrassed.

Embarrassed?

"My apologies for the wrong use of creature. Fledgling got your tongues?" Lucy chuckled at her own joke.

She looked and sounded different. She looked like the woman from the bar but with brown eyes. She also looked like Lucy but she had a glint in her eyes. Instantly, I knew who she was.

"Luciana?" I asked, unable to believe the sweet woman I traveled with and had gotten attached to was the witch standing In front of me.

"In the flesh, my friend. Did you miss me?" She asked with an almost polite smile but I was not fooled.

"Cut the bull crap, Luciana, where is Helen?"

She chuckled. "Mother dearest thought she could fool me by running off with the book of creation and leading me away from your cute self. It was a nice diversion but there is no way I would fall for that. What kind of a fool do you take me for, mother?" She screamed the last question causing all the animals around to flee.

With the amount of dark energy she was emitting, I would have fled too if I was them.

"What do you want from me?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "My, my, my, it seems like mother dearest did keep her promise after all. She told you nothing even after knowing I would come for you too."

"What didn't she tell me?" I prodded, hoping to finally get some answers.

She shook her head slowly. "I guess its time for me to be a good daughter. I will indulge mother just this once. I won't tell you what I need you for."

And there went my hope, thrown into the dust and trampled upon.

"Did you find your sister?" I asked sarcastically, a little shocked to see how I was speaking to her without fear. I guessed it was the familiar face.

She laughed again. "Oh, yes I did. The sister pages of my precious book of creation. I will get them in a short time. Mother has them and is currently running towards the opposite end of this forest, not knowing that I didn't take the bait she set for me. Aren't I one smart biscuit?"

"A crazy one too," Ray muttered and I realized I was still holding his arm.

Still I refusing to let go of him, I held his arm tighter as the gesture gave me a sense of security. He glanced at me for a second before looking back to Luciana.

"Ray, Ray, aren't you a cutie. It seems like beauty runs in the genes. Hunter was a very handsome one, too bad he chose to fall in love with that stupid Lilian.

"It was sad to have to kill him but… a girl has got to survive somehow, even if it meant killing handsome hunters," she said in an obviously fake tone of sadness.

"You evil-" Ray started, while advancing towards Luciana thereby making me release the hold I had on him.

But he was frozen in place with a wave of the witch's hand. I looked at him in concern but made no move to shift him. He was fine so I kept my gaze on Luciana.

She sighed, shaking her head like a disappointed mother. "This is my problem with you Blacks, you are always so temperamental. Hunter would do anything, even jump into a burning fire for Lilian.

"Too bad the last sacrifice he made cost his life. Now you, Raymond Black, look at you trying to protect my lovely friend. Tell me, do you love her?" Luciana asked with an excited grin.

"Drop the games, Luciana, tell me what you want from me," I demanded, trying to put an end to her jokes.

She had the guts to look truly offended. "Always so serious, even at the bar. Is that a thing with all the kids from the special school or is it just you?"

"It's just me with people I feel nothing for!" I retorted and she pouted.

"I feel genuinely hurt. You felt nothing? Not even for little ole Lucy?"

A frown covered my face at the thought of the funny woman I traveled with. It was Luciana all along.

"Why didn't you just kill me at the bar if you wanted to or on the road? Why go through all this trouble?" I asked, certainly confused but Luciana did not find that serious as she burst into laughter.

"That was golden." She laughed. "Sweetheart I didn't want to kill you, at least not yet. I needed to set the pace for everything to push through. Your first kill was absolutely necessary."

(•)

Thank you for reading.