The Rosen Vampire Knight Series

Thread of Thorns: Chapter 17

Emma

"Emma!" The real or fake Kaito cried out. I couldn't tell for certain if the second was mine or not. I could hardly see as it was.

I laid on the floor, next to the first Kaito's feet. I knew without a doubt that he was an imposter. It sickened me to see him use my boyfriend's image and all that did was build up my rage. 

"I'd call that a wrap." The fake mused, laughing as he looked down at me.

"Yeah, yeah, we get the pun." Toran stepped up, separating himself from the line of people who were watching. "Now what do you want with her?"

The imposter looked at Toran, cocking his head to the side. "Didn't I say that before?" he replied. "I told you I wanted her DEAD."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zero moving in the shadows. He was trying to get to the side of the room where the imposter's back was facing.

"But why?" Toran continued, preoccupying the fake. "I mean, everyone who's tried to kill Emma so far always had SOME sort of reason." He countered, copying the fake's tone of voice.

"Hm, very funny." The fake hissed. "And the reason? Why? Does it even really matter? I'm your enemy." he shrugged, avoiding the question with questions of his own.

"We know," Toran glanced towards his brother. "That you're not the only one in on this. Your girlfriend was the one who watched over the hostages while you played our parts at the school."

Shapeshifter. So my guess had been right, I thought to myself.

"You came to Cross Academy desguised as Byron---you had already knocked and switched out with the real one before they had even arrived." Toran went on. "Keirrin didn't sense the difference because Byron wasn't much of a talker. All he did was follow orders of his mistress. There wasn't much acting involved." he paused. "Except that you forgot her luggage at the airport---something a butler always remembers."

"So?" The fake sneered. "I tripped up one time? What's it to you?"

"Except you didn't mess up once." Toran inturrupted. "When you wanted to take Kogeta's part, Byron had to vanish. You couldn't be two places at once, always switching out with your counterpart." he explained. "Although Byron's disappearance could explain for Kogeta's kidnapping, there wasn't enough evidence planted to ensure it was him. Therefore, the school had no choice but to suspect that the kidnapper could be anyone. That put stress on your acting. You had to do your best to be my brother, but even that wasn't a surefire way to protect yourself."

"And what you're trying to say is that I messed up big time on my acting. I let my anger show through too much. I should have played nice with you all." The imposter spat. "That would have made me even sicker, acting like your chum."

"Which is why we began to suspect you." Arashi stood up beside his friend. "Emma and I figured out you were a fake some time ago. I even know for certain you're the fake, and the one behind me is the real one."

The fake laughed. "Go ahead----amuse me." he taunted Arashi, folding his arms on his chest.

"Kaito was wearing a RED rose fixed on his collar." Arashi remarked smuggly. "Not a BLUE rose, like yours. You might be able to change your appearance, but not your clothing. That's you're biggest flaw."

At that moment, Zero rushed forward from the crowd and tackled the imposter from behind. He fell forward onto the floor with Zero on top of him. My silverhaired friend started struggling to pull his arms into the surrender pose. Their hands touched as they fought with one another...

And the strangest thing happened.

The Kaito-imposter, was now a Zero-imposter. Zero had been wearing the same black tux as my Kaito, plus a BLUE rose fixed to his collar. The fake and original tumlbed on the ground, confusing everyone of their real identity. When both stood up, fists at the ready, I had no idea which one was which. But I'd had enough of sitting things out.

I stood up from the vines, brushing the few remaining ones off my arms. The fake wavered as he saw me up and standing. That was all I needed.

A cold gust of air blew in through the open glass doors, frosting the floor as it made its way over to the fake. Underneath his feet, the floor turned solid ice so that he fell down. The real Zero stepped back, feeling that I had things under control.

"But HOW!" The imposter wailed as he strugged to get up on the slick floor. "How could you get out of my fiance's vines?!"

"Plants die with the change of seasons." I explained, glaring at him hatefully. "And winter kills all."

His eyes widened, then he scooted back on the ice away from me so that he was on solid ground. He scrambled to his feet.

"You may have killed those sickly, weak vines," he hissed. "But I bet you can't kill plants thicker than your arm."

At his words, the plants hanging around the entrance leaped to life. They came racing towards me. The others hardly had time to act.

I was wrapped again, but this time it was only my middle. I could still kick my feet as I was raised up into the air and squirm with everything above my shoulders free. However, the more I fought the more the vines tightened around me. No amount of icy wind would deter them either.

"You're going to let her go." someone growled.

I stopped squirming for a second to see who had spoken out. Many of the others on the dance floor paused too. Everyone looked around the room. No one admitted to saying anything.

Suddenly, the fake Zero laughed aloud. "You mean to say, YOU'RE going to stop me?" he barked in the middle of another laugh.

"That's right." She said.

I turned to see Keirrin at the ball room entrance doors. She hadn't come to the dance, but we had also believed she had been kidnapped. Apparently, she hadn't. She had only been hiding from everyone. Or at least, from the fake. Maybe she had known before all of us, or maybe not, but the fact was she was standing in the doorway.

I almost wanted to scoff along with the fake-Zero. Keirrin wasn't the first person I thought of when I pictured my rescuer.

"What are you going to do?" The fake taunted her. "ANNOY me to death?" he laughed.

"Well," She chirped with scary enthusiasm. "You got the death part right."

The cresent moon in the sky, which had been illuminating the party, suddenly disappeared behind a wave of clouds. Keirrin's appearance changed. She was still herself....but yet different. She didn't look like the same happy, cheerful person I knew. Without the moonlight, she looked dark and sinister.

At that moment, Shadows raced out from every corner of the ball room. The ones on the cieling stretched out to the next wall and down. On the floor, the shadows went around people's feet, targeting the fake. Instantaneously, the shadows on the wall crawled up the plants and took form while shadows consumed the imposter's feet. The shadow hands ripped at the vines and tore them to shreads. The shadows on the fake covered him whole like a bonfire. Although he couldn't move, we could hear his wails and cries from inside the darkness.

After several minutes of working, the shadows freed me from the vines I was wrapped in. One giant palm lowered me safetly to the floor.

"Forget about reminding me never to get Emma angry." Toran scoffed, talking to his friend Arashi. "Remind me to NEVER get Keirrin angry."

I slid off the palm and stood on my own two feet. I turned to my cousin, who was still standing at the doorway. Many of the other vampires looked like they were going to soil themselves after seeing the fake eaten whole by the shadows. The place where he had been standing was empty, but the shadows kept to the floor, waiting for their next target.

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" a female's voice screeched from one of the glass doors leading to the outside.

~"~

Nine, Ten,

What could have been?

Eleven, Twelve,

Into darkness, thou has delved.

Thirteen, Fourteen,

Feel my sting,

Fifteen, Sixteen,

You're not the only one who can be mean.