Darkness of the Woods

Chapter 31

Chase

He couldn't believe that the girl he liked was still a member of a crazy group that took over the school. Seriously what is with his taste in women? His last girlfriend, a vampire, had stalked him and would leave dead bodies of rats outside his room until she was sent to Valenta, the vampire kingdom, for a school there that would help her..... be less crazy. Damn. What's with him and running into craziness?

Currently Chase was standing outside staring off into the night sky. Another vampire was standing guard on the other side of the cabin. Since what had happened with Mia and Elfrida, Cammi had ordered that there would be two people guarding around the clock to make sure none of the Of The Woods would come back.

Chase, himself, doubted it.

At least, that any of them would come here to attack. He can't say anything about spying though. For all he knows, there could a dozen out there watching them all right now. As for Elfrida, he vowed that he wouldn't think of her ever again.

And then his mind wandered to the time they had kissed, then to his question that she had left unanswered before she disappeared from sight. He did go after her. He wasn't sure what he was hoping for when he chased after her even if he caught up to her. Maybe that he could convince her to turn away from the crazy group and come back. But he didn't. Somehow her scent just disappeared. Chase hadn't told Cammi or Akili, he will, just not yet.

"So much for not thinking of her." He muttered to himself, ignoring the fact that the other vampire could hear him.

He sighed and kicked the ground. Truth was, he stilled wanted to go after her, even though she didn't seem to want to be chased after. He didn't know what it was that held her in that group, but something is. She's a smart girl, how could she believe in whatever it is that keeps that group going?

That's the first question he's going to ask that Mia girl. Finally, his replacement came and he went back inside. He found Akili, Cammi, and Cole all standing, talking to Mia, in one of the bedrooms. Empty of anyone but them. He joined them.

Cammi

"Come on, you have to tell us everything you know about them." Cammi sounded frustrated. Apparently Mia was still avoiding telling them anything. She hadn't been in the talking mood since Elfrida told her she was proud of her. I mean seriously how crazy could you be that you tell someone who just betrayed you that you were proud of them? Cammi thought ruefully, my sister that's who. "Please just tell us what you know, they can't get to you with us around."

"That's where you're wrong." Mia looked up from under her hair. Since she told them about Elfrida still being a member, she's been keeping her head down, her hair falling in front of her face. "For all you know you could have other members here. I don't know every single member just the group I see when I go to my assigned meeting day."

"What do you mean assigned meeting day?" Akili leaned in closer.

"I mean everyone is only allowed to go to the meeting that they were assigned too, you never know who goes to the other meeting days, you only know what you are told, and you never talk to anyone about the group outside of gathering unless it's to the group leader."

"Why?"

"So that they can have spies in place in case something like this happens."

"How about this Master guy, or girl? Is he a fictional person?"

Mia's eyes widened, "He's very real......and you better hope you never have to deal with him yourself." Akili gave her a questioning look. Mia sighed. "They say he's a god, or like, used to be. I don't know a whole lot, but from what I've seen is that he can be incredibly cruel, or be like a beautiful angel, whichever suits him. All I really know about him is that does not mess around. He is determined to get what he wants."

Cole asked, crossing his arms. "And what is that exactly?"

"World domination. What else could it be?" She shrugged her shoulders in a helpless gesture.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe he just wants to own all the ice cream shops in the world." Cole said sarcastically. He glared at Mia. Apparently he doesn't trust her.

Mia glared back at him, she also apparently had started to grow a back bone. Cammi decided it would be best to interrupt this before you could get out of hand. "Why would anyone want to follow this guy?" she asked in disbelief.

They all knew her real question. Why would Elfrida follow this guy?

Mia shook her head. "You don't understand. It's not so much as want, as forced to." Her eyes seem to get a faraway look, quite a bit like how Elfrida sometimes did. This made the others a bit nervous. "You spend your entire first week seeing the evils of the world, both here and back in the home world, then you're told of how everyone's losing faith in the gods even though they became human to try and help us.

"Then they tell you of the Master's plan to put everything back in order. To bring all the different species together in peace once and for all. No matter what it takes? And that if you join you are, not only saving yourself, but your family too from what will come. That your family will be ensured a place in the new world, to be saved from the damnation of Welenta, from becoming another hell.

It may not sound like that much but they pummel it into your mind over and over again. They actually keep you in a looked room the entire time you're talking, no I should say listen, and it's only to one person. They keep the lights down so you can't see the walls, even if you have night vision, it just seems like oblivion."

There was a stunned silence. All of them absorbing the information down. Processing it. "Wh.." Cammi started "...what happens after that?"

"Well, as soon as they are sure that you believe what you are told whole heartedly, they start to train you in fighting, manipulation, tracking, whatever it is that they chose for you to specializes in. They train you so hard, that you have to be better, faster, than anyone else in the field." Mia closed her eyes, as though remembering her own training.

They all silent again. Cammi couldn't help but think about before all this had started. When her and her sisters were still back home, with their parents, thinking nothing could have separated them. What would have happened if she and Elfrida hadn't grown apart? Would they still be in this mess?

Then another question appeared in her mind. When was it that Elfrida joined the group? It must have been after they came here, because it seems that there was not a group in Welenta or anywhere else. She never even heard about them herself until she came here.

Cammi scowled at herself. No, it doesn't matter when her sister was enticed into this group, maybe. At least that's what she's going to keep telling herself till it becomes true. Will it ever become true?