THE HUNTRESS

3

                            Death

Céline pursed her lips as hard as she could. Her head whipped from side to side, but his gorilla grip soon held her head in place. He saw that he was not going to get her to drink from the goblet forcefully.

The man in brown sighed. "Useless vampire!" He said. His claws were visible within seconds.

His claws dug into her ribcage. She felt the immense pain. She almost fell to the floor, but the grip on her jaw kept her upright. She groaned in pain but never opened her mouth. The vampire looked back at the man in brown and rolled his eyes.

"Idiot." He said nonchalantly.

"Aah!" Céline yelled out in pain. Claws dug through both her arms behind her back. The man in brown looked back at him and smirked. "Useless. " He gloated.

The blood ran down her throat. She choked when the chalice got put back on the tray. "I think I should get some credit too." Casey said when her claws retracted from Céline's arms.

"Wel done, Pup." The man in brown said. Céline fell to the floor, where some of the blood she was forced to drink had spilled. It got mixed with her own.

"Don't go to sleep yet, little hunter." His deep voice said. He crouched down and grabbed a fist full of her hair.

Angrily, he yanked her head up. Her vision was blurred of the tears that swam in her eyes. The side of her face was red. Blood dripped from her chin.

She looked up and saw a person being dragged right into the center of the school hall. His head full of curls made her scream. She recognized him immediately. It was her brother.

"Eddie!" She yelled and pushed herself up.

Beaten to a pulp, he looked up and saw his little sister in the very hands that had him beaten. "Céline!" He yelled, his voice hoarse.

"Eddie! Let him go, please!"

She begged for her brother's life. With her bloodstained hands, she held them together in front of their soon to be perpetrator. Tears mixed with the blood on her face. "You can take my life, just let him go. Please." She clapped her hands together and lowered her head.

"Please, please, please. Whatever wrong we have done to you. I shall take the blame. I shall take it all. Please let him go." She cried with her head low.

"Céline! Help me!" Eddie cried.

"Please!" She yelled and looked up at the cold gray eyes that stared back at her.

"He has not hurt a soul. Please. Let him go. I made a promise to always..."

Rudely, she got cut off. "Quiet woman!"

"He's disabled for goodness sake!" She yelled at his face.

Her head whipped to the side. More tears ran down her cheeks. A handprint was visible on her left cheek. "Shut up, hunter!"

"Many innocent folks have died on our side. On yours, none. It's time to even the score little hunter." He said and grabbed her hair.

"Céline! Céline! Sis!" Eddie called out.

He groaned in pain and grabbed his stomach. One of the men had kicked him. "Quiet, hunter!" He said. Eddie nodded his head. He brought his bloody finger to his lips. "Shh, shh, shh." The man got irritated and smacked Eddie across his face.

"Céline! Céline! Help! Eddie needs help!"

"TAKE ME!! KILL ME, but for Godsake, let him live! I beg you!" She held her hands together. "Please."

She felt the grip on her head loosen.  The man stood up and beckoned for her to go to her brother. Her heels went flying to the other side of the stage.

She sprinted and jumped off the stage.

Eddie's battered and bruised face lit up when he saw his sister running to him. Céline saw one of the men put his hands under Eddie's jaw. "Please! No!" She ran.

Then, she heard the snap. Eddie fell lifeless to the floor. She tripped on the dress and glided on the floor, past his lifeless body. Quickly, she crawled on all fours to her brother's body. "Eddie?"

Her voice came out strained. His name; a whisper from her lips. Gently, she nestled his head on her lap.

The audience just watched with no emotion. They just watched.

"Eddie, wake up." She shook his body.

Her hands trembled. "C-come on now. I promised mom I would look after you. Do you want to make me look like a bad sister?" She whispered. Her tears dripped onto his bruised face.

"I can't lose you too. Please, Eddie. I'll get you anything. Just don't leave me like they did." She cried.  "Please, brother."

"He's dead Céline!" Annoyed, Casey yelled from the stage.

"You have your father to thank for this!" She said and jumped down from the stage. Céline kept her eyes on her brother.

She went gliding across the floor. The impact from Casey's foot caused her head to spin. She took a blow to the head.

"Ey! That was not part of the plan, you mutt!" The vampire in black on the stage said.

Casey crouched down. "I was never one to follow rules and stuff." She said when she yanked Céline's head back.

"Casey, calm down!" The man in brown spoke up.

"No, I won't!"

"I am your Alpha! Do you dare disobey me?!" He spat and jumped from the stage. He grabbed Casey's neck and threw her to the side.

"Get up, hunter!"

Céline got to her feet. The world spun and spun. She fell to the floor.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" The Alpha grabbed her arm and dragged her to the door. She struggled to keep up with his long strides.

A few minutes later, she found herself at Salem High's gates.

"We'll send the body to the correct adress, don't worry. We know where you live." He said with assurance.

"Now, run!" He said and pushed her outside. She fell on the ground and got up as quickly as she could. Her Barefoot patted the asphalt as she ran further away from Salem High.