Blood and Roses

|ONE|

"Two major accidents, all in one day. I'd say we've got a lot of work to do today."
"There's more. The patients appear to be unconscious and in unstable condition."
The two men exchanged glances as they briskly walked down the hall, parting ways as they went to meet the victims of the accident, and perhaps operate on them as well. This was a risky business, they had learned, and it was wise not to get your hopes up on whether the patient was still alive or not.
"Good luck."
"Good luck."
The doctors arrived at the patients' rooms, just in time to see the patients open their eyes.
"Do you remember your name?"
They both asked at the same time.
Both patients shook their heads, looking confused.
The girl had dark hair and blinding blue eyes, Doctor Wu noted.
The boy had light brown hair with strangely bright blue eyes, Doctor Smith observed.
The girl looked to be deep in thought. A few seconds later, she spoke.
"Rivere."
Startled, Doctor Wu stared at the girl with surprise.
"Rivere," she repeated. "My name is Rivere."
A few seconds later, the boy spoke. "My name is Jason."
He spoke confidently after thinking so hard, and looked right at the doctor as he talked.
Smith, a bit spooked at how his eyes seemed to look right through him, nodded and walked out of the room.
Wu did the same.
They strode down the hall, proud to have figured the mystery of the victims' identities.
They reported to the head doctor, Doctor Hanes, and explained their findings.
"Good. Go back and check on them again," he instructed. "Soon, we should have someone to call in and ask for them. They won't remain forgotten for long."
They nodded, but jogged down the hall to stop. Wu took a sip of water.
Smith, always the ladies' man, stopped and talked to an attractive brain surgeon, Maylee.
Then they continued in their way to the patients' rooms.
If only they had not stopped, then they would have caught them. For by the time the doctors reached the room, the patients were nowhere in sight.

The teens had slipped out of bed.
Why, you ask?
Because something deep inside told them to. Call it instinct, a gut feeling, whatever you like. But something told them to do it, so they did.
They walked down the hall, unseen by most. Those who saw them assumed by their height that they were one of their fellow colleagues. The world is a big place, after all, Doctor Chance, one of the newer workers, assumed.
Then the teens opened the door and stepped outside, still unnoticed. They unknowingly passed by both Doctor Wu and Smith, both doctors still absorbed in their tasks of drinking water and speaking to a feminine colleague.
Rivere and Jason both looked at each other, and an unseen connection passed through them. They knew what to do, so they did it.
They ran.
Rivere in the lead, Jason only a few steps behind, drawn to something unknown. Who knew where it would take them?

~

Dave awoke to stickiness. It surrounded him, on top of him, covering his body.
He groaned as he slowly got up, and looked down, seeing blood.
He gasped, looking around, feeling faint.
"Somebody, anybody?" He called weakly. "Help!"
Something clicked inside him. He knew where to go. He knew who he was.
"Dave." He spoke, knowing it was his name, knowing that and nothing else.
Then he got up and began to walk, sensing he was alone. There was no one to save him, to rescue him.
Pushing his blonde hair aside, he focused his brilliant blue eyes on what lay ahead.
He followed what his inside told him, not knowing where it would lead, but trusting it nonetheless. As he walked, he wondered if he had made the right decision.
He would soon find out.

~

Myra opened her eyes.
She saw darkness and nothing else. That was all.
"Dave!" She cried. "Rivere! Jason! Where are you?"
Of course, there was no response.
Tears streamed down her face. It was silent only for a few seconds before she heard laughter. It resonated through the... Wherever she was. She had no idea. But she knew who it was.
"Angmon! What do you want from me? Take me, not the children, please-"
She was interrupted by Angmon.
"NO! I have you. I need the kids!"
Typical evil king, Myra thought. She sighed. Even though the teens were precious to her, she had to place her life before theirs' because-
Before she could finish the thought, Angmon swooped in and grabbed her wrist, his long black nails digging into her skin. "You are mine," he hissed, pulling her into the darkness ahead.
Myra opened her mouth to scream, but no noise came. Just silence. She struggled to move, and dug her teeth into Angmon's arm, waiting triumphantly for his scream of pain. But he just laughed.
"You petty mortal! You think you can defeat me! In this place, you are weak. Vulnerable. The way it should be!"
"It's not fair," Myra said quietly.
"NOT FAIR? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S NOT FAIR! YOU DEFEATED ME IN THE MORTAL WORLD! YOU KNEW I WAS WEAK, YOU USED ME, YOU TOOK CONTROL OF MY LOSS OF POWER AND-"
"We've been over this," she replied softly. " I had to save the kids. I did what I had to for their survival."
He laughed again. "Oh, you think you are a hero?" He mocked her. "You are nothing but a mortal who wishes to be powerful! But you are not. You will always be weak."
Myra shook her head.
"Do you dare to defy me, Myra Jaye?"
Myra didn't answer. Her mind was working fast, and rage was taking over logic.
"I know what you did to him."
"What?"
Myra looked right at the Evil King. "I know what you did to him."
"WHO??" Angmon asked angrily.
"Robin. He was the whole reason this fight ever started, Angmon. This is between you and me, no one else! I know you killed him!"
"My dear Myra, have you not realized that it is your fault, this is all your fault!"
"How is it so?" Myra inquired, genuinely puzzled.
"You knew that if you made connections you would put them in danger. You knew whoever you loved wouldn't last! You are just a 14 year old girl, trying to act like an adult! The other children are older then you! Rivere is the only one who you are superior to, yet you still act like you are their mother! Why?"
Myra kept silent, and The Evil King chuckled.
"I will make sure you never make it out of here alive, Myra Jaye, if it's the last thing I do."