𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐈 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 + sokeefe and horror

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎: oh jeez what have we done

They were silent.

Shocked, terrified, stunned to the point of silence. Silence is usually the scariest thing. And Lunar collapsed there, blood dripping from her wound, eyes endlessly open, staring at everything and nothing - well, it certainly didn't make anyone feel better.

Keefe wondered what the best question was. Why? What? How? When?

But there was no good question, and there definitely wasn't any good answer. None of them spoke. The situation, this whole thing, seemed far too dire. Words were squelched. And then they heard the laughing. Keefe whirled around to see Sophie and Erica laughing. It wasn't normal laughing, however - it was cackling, pure evil cackling. Their eyes were still cold and detached, but their mouths were laughing, as if this whole thing were ridiculously funny.

"Oh, what happened?" A sickly sweet voice asked.

And this shocked Keefe the most, because it was Moexii's voice. It was Moexii, with layers of amusement but masked with mocking pity.

"Surprise!" Moexii cried, delighted. "What's that human song? I think it's Bad Guy, by Bill Eyelash or someone. Anyway, that fits this moment. I'm the baaaad guy."

"Moexii!" Biana growled, some parts of her body beginning to flicker invisible. "I knew it!"

"You knew nothing, shrimp." Moexii snapped, giving Biana an evil look that rivaled her own. "And you still don't know. You are such idiots. Keefe, I knew you were, but I thought the rest of you might know better! And yet..."

She let the rest of the sentence dangle in the air before continuing. "Anyway, I'm surprised you're all here. Some of the most powerful elves in, what, a quadrillion years, all gathered in one place and there's an Operation Genetic Mutation going on."

Everyone remained quiet. Pieces of the puzzle were clicking themselves together in his mind, but he hadn't quite figured out her plot.

"Jeez, you're dense! Sophie, sweetie, show them what's happening. I don't speak idiot."

Sophie nodded coldly, and then, with a snap, glowing holograms appeared in the air. "Forty years ago, the Council was excavating a site that they thought might be a better place to hold some of the more volatile creatures in the Sanctuary. Then they found this huge crystal." 

"So pretty, by the way." Moexii added.

Pieces were coming together in Keefe's mind, but not nearly fast enough.

"This crystal," Sophie continued, "This crystal was an amazing power source -"

"LET US GO!" Fitz bellowed, launching himself at Moexii.

Erica, who had gone to stand behind Moexii, waved as if she was swatting a fly. Fitz flew across the room and hit the wall with a sickening crack.

"You're a horrible human being!" Fitz yelled weakly.

"Shut up, Fitz," Moexii said sharply. "You're the equivalent of a participation award. So until you can find something smart to say, be quiet and let the big kids talk."

Biana giggled softly. Linh whispering, "I wonder how much brunt force trauma his skull can take before he gets serious damage."

Despite the very dire situation, they all snorted. Laughter was a defense mechanism.

Moexii smiled again, as if this whole thing was so amusing. "Anyway, back to me, darlings." She said brightly, snapping loudly. "Sophie, continue."

"They could've helped the humans. It would've helped them stop ruining their planet and slowly take a big step in the right direction. But instead, they hid it. Because they were scared. Because they thought that humans couldn't be trusted. It was their fault that humans were separated... but they still thought it was the humans fault -"

Sophie was about to continue, but Moexii clapped and said, "Thank you, darling, but I want the stage."

Sophie nodded and went to stand next to Erica.

"Since I'm going to kill you anyway, I'm telling you what's happening. I know this is what every villain does, and then they get caught and they feel dumb, but trust me, darlings..." Moexii looked into Keefe's eyes, her glittering pupils like frost, blaring into his brain. "You aren't getting out of here. So the story I told you about Cressa and me? Mostly true - except it wasn't Cressa who got banished. And Cressa wasn't the Mesmer."

Keefe gasped.

"I TOLD YOU SO!" Biana screamed, leaping at Moexii.

Erica made a fist, and Bianca flew up immediately, head almost touching the ceiling.

"Watch out," Moexii warned. "Or would you like to join your brother in sleepy land? How much trauma do you think your skull can take?"

Biana spit at Moexii, who deftly dodged. All at once, Erica unclasped her hand, and Biana plummeted to the floor so fast Keefe could barely see her falling. He heard Linh and Biana herself scream.

Seconds before she hit the ground, Erica made a fist again and Biana touched down safely on the ground. Moexii was on the floor, cackling with laughter. When she'd finally recovered, she stood up, eyes glittering, cheeks flushed.

"Thanks for that, sweetie," Moexii said, stroking Erica's head like she was a pet. "I needed a laugh. You were like, ahhhh! It was so funny."

Erica nodded and stepped back again. 

"Anyway," Moexii continued, smiling pleasantly, "In case people as dull as -" she fake-coughed and smiled at them, "Tam," fake cough again, "didn't understand, I was the Mesmer. Everything I told you was true - except Cressa was the poor, innocent little girl who didn't understand why her big sister had to become evil. Cressa was simple-minded and dull. When she turned me down, I couldn't pretend it hadn't stung. But she was my sister so I couldn't kill her... then she joined the rebels."

Everyone - including Biana, whose almost smirky expression of self-validation that had come from being proven right had been hanging on her face for over a minute - gasped loudly.

"Oh, I told you I'm millions of years old. That is entirely true. Cressa was as well - and she was one of the founders of the Black Swan to stop her dangerous, terrible, completely out of control sister. Even though I was willing to spare her..." Moexii's face now hung in between her fake, cheerful smile and a storm cloud glare. "She did not extend me the same courtesy. She killed the person I was in love with - my best friend - all so she could scare me. Cressa tried to kill me too - but I got there first."

Now Moexii's face was in a very terrible smirk.

"She didn't want to be my friend - so I made her. She stayed with me all the time. Cressa isn't dead, per say. Or... she wasn't."

Moexii tossed a look at Lunar's dead body, lying pale and cold on the floor. 

Then Keefe realized what had happened. He had made a very, very bad mistake.