The Wolves of Nemesis (Discontinued)

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Noelle Nightshade

I stir when I feel vibrations. I slowly crack open my eyes only to see different lights and two figures I cannot recognize because it's only lights: bright lights. One of them has a bright forest green light and the other a swirling golden light. To be honest they give me a headache. They walk over to me. I can faintly see lips moving but I cannot hear them. But the vibrations coming from one with the green light are familiar but I don't know why. I squint to try and make out their faces but the lights dammit. As they walk over, I try to say something but a strange noise is the only thing that comes out. One of them places a hand on my forehead and all the lights fade to black.

Hayden de Luxe

I sigh and stare at the door which Nemesis has forbidden us from entering. Apparently the 'Fearsome Flash' leader managed to poison Noelle. "We were so horrible to her." I whisper sadly. "Why didn't we believe her?" Vance asks. Hailey just stubbornly looks away. I sigh. 'So she's going to be like that.' Parker catches Hailey's reaction and just shakes his head then turns back to the door. Just then the door opens and Nemesis steps out. "She'll be okay. The Healer said she will wake up in a few moments." Nemesis informs us with a relieved smile. We all reciprocate it. Even Hailey though it's only for a brief moment. "Just so you all know, you all barely passed the Second Trial. You did work well together on defeating Alther but you did not trust your comrade's instinct and for that, she lies in a cot suffering from Dreamshade poisoning. Luckily the Healer was willing to come." Nemesis looks at each one of us and we in turn lower our heads in shame whether we believed her or not. "Can we go see how she is?" Parker asks. She smiles and nods. "Of course." She steps aside and gestures for us to enter. Even Hailey does albeit unwillingly.

Noelle lies in the same cot she first woke up in. Parker and Lanie move to sit on either side of her while the four of us just awkwardly stare at the three of them. Noelle stirs as soon as she feels the shift in weight. "Who are you?" She asks blearily. "It's Lanie, Noelle. And Parker is here too. Do you remember us?" Lanie asks gently. "Yeah. What happened? Was I asleep?" She mumbles confused. "Yeah, you were poisoned by that smoky creep and you almost gave me gray hair with that stunt you pulled. Don't ever do that to me again." Parker warns and ruffles her hair playfully. She weakly swats his hand away and smiles up at him. "No promises." She smiles and her eyes flutter shut. Parker and Lanie gently shakes her but to no avail. "Noelle? Noelle!" We call out, alarmed. "Calm down children. She is merely asleep. A good night's rest will restore her strength. We shall proceed with the Trials tomorrow. Noelle shall make a full recovery by then. All of you must rest. Go home. Night has nearly fallen. Your parents will be worried. Tomorrow, I shall collect you at the place of your choosing. Where would you all like to meet?" She asks us. "How about my house?" Parker suggests. We all stare at him questioningly. "Well, you all know where my house is. Noelle included. So, I'll send her a text and... What time do we meet there?" Parker asks. "Do we plan on finishing all the trials tomorrow?" Lanie asks Nemesis. She strokes her chin.

"Well, I suppose it would be for the best. The longer we delay the initiation, the longer it will take for you to master your powers. Yes, you all receive different powers but one thing you all have in common is the ability to cast spells. So we shall start with those as soon as the Fifth Trial is completed. So we must meet early if we want to complete a majority of the Trials tomorrow. Time works at a pace unique to that particular location of the Trial. Magic affects lands in different ways." Nemesis muses. "So, is 8 o'clock okay?" I suggest. "Very well. We shall meet at the 8th hour of morn. Does that suit everyone?" Nemesis asks. Everyone agrees. "I'll message Noelle in the morning when I wake up. She'll be awake at around that time. If she's not, she'll wake up when she hears the alert tone." Parker says, tapping on his phone. "Am I the only one questioning why she's so comfortable with you?" Hailey asks. We all turn to Parker. "Good question. Care to answer?" Lanie asks curiously. Parker ignores us in favour of tapping on his phone. We look towards the bed. Noelle is wide awake and listening to every word. "Noelle? Did you hear us?" Parker asks. She just continues staring at us, her eyes glazed over. When Parker steps forward, the glazed look disappears but a wild scared look replaces it. "Wh-who are you? Why... Why am I here and where is my mother?" She asks scared. Something registers in Parker's eyes. "Hey Noelle? Noe? It's okay. No one here is going to hurt you. We're trying to help okay?" Parker tries to soothe her. She looks around and curls up. "Y-you didn't answer me. Who are you and why am I here?" She asks slowly becoming more and more hysterical. "Noe, it's me, Parker. I'm your cousin. Do you remember me?" We all turn to Parker shocked. "You're her cousin? That's how you know her?" Hailey hisses, somewhat... relieved? Parker ignores her. "And these are our friends. They're good. They won't hurt you, okay? Do you trust me?" He asks softly and extends his hand to her.