Poison

Poison part 2

ELEVEN

Vancaara peered quietly out the foggy, web covered window.

The crickets were chirping loudly outside and the air was cool. A fresh breeze was blowing in from the south promising more rain in a few days. It rustled the lemon-scented ivy leaves around the small shack she and Anne were hiding in with a soft hush.

They were lucky no one had found them yet. It was amazing in a way. So many guards had come around here, and even the Spades and the outsider a few times, but no one figured Vancaara was somewhere so obvious.

Vancaara narrowed her eyes as a bitter hate swelled up in her chest. It had always been there, just in the pit of her stomach. Every sense the horrid day everything changed. That day word got out of a new hero in this world. A new outsider. And somehow… by some miracle… that girl and her boyfriend had managed to defeat her. Taking everything. Her crown, her place on the throne, her power; and sent her spend her days sitting in blistering heat in a tiny barred cage with nothing to do but sulk and hate.

She had been rotting in her own prison for a year now. Her beautiful, blood red, curled hair had gone flat, long and tangled. Her beautiful sun tanned skin was pale as milk, and she was thin and bony. She hated it. Then, good, faithful Logros, whom she had presumed dead, and managed to find them, and break them out. But Vancaara no longer had her crown, she no longer had her power. So she couldn’t defeat her stinking brother who had taken her place in the palace. So, naturally, she had come up with a different tactic. She was determined to take over again, set things straight. The way they used to be. And this time, that little outsider girl couldn’t stop her.

Vancaara turned as Anne came up from the basement with two bowls of a strange looking mush. Anne had changed a lot too. Her hair used to be short and spiked, but now it was a shaggy mess that hung at her shoulders like some sort of dead animal. Her skin was even paler than Vancaara’s. But things would be better soon. The two of them were hiding out here, waiting for their plan to kick up and come into action.

Vancaara wrinkled her nose.

“What is that?”

“It’s oatmeal.” Anne answered plainly, sliding a bowl across the table to her. “Made it myself. Enjoy.”

“Ugh.” Vancaara ignored the food and looked back out the window.

“Any sign of her yet?”

Anne asked.

“No.” Vancaara leaned back on an old wheelbarrow. “She’d better hurry though. We need to go body scavaging again tonight.”

“You know, this oatmeal isn’t too bad.” Anne pointed out, completely off topic. Vancaara shot her a look. And went back to sulking. Back when she was the lovely red queen, she never had to work a day in her life. Now they were going out twice a week to pick up dead bodies before they could be burned and add to their army. Their undead army in a way. It was only a matter of time…

“Soon, this entire place will be mine again.” Vancaara growled. “I already have plans on what I’m going to do first-”

“Yes, yes, I know. Just eat your dinner.” Anne sighed. Vancaara resentfully put a spoonful in her mouth and wrinkled her nose again.

“That is, of course…if that stupid girl doesn’t start playing hero again.”

TWELVE

Avrie’s eyes snapped open, looking around the room frantically. It was pitch black, except for the small stream of moonlight coming through the window. She sighed, rubbing her eyes. The nightmare of her car crash and woke her up for the second time in one night. At the rate she was going, she would only get a few hours of sleep before the trip tomorrow.