A Dreamer Caught In The Crossfire

Chapter 19

Dust and ash, blood among rubble. The only sound she could hear was the sound of people screaming. Complete devastation and destruction was all she could see. The flowing white dress that once clothed her body was now wet and dyed a blood red. A pair a dark boots entered her field of vision through the wet strands of her that blocked it. Looking up fearfully she was met with the shadowy form of a man. His face was distorted but she knew exactly who it was.

Alfred Paige

The man who was supposed to be her father.

'Join me Jasmine. Then finally, you could be who you were born to be not who you have to,' he said as he held out a hand to help her up.

She didn't accept his gesture but instead got up on her own.

'You never spent a second in my life! You don't even know me!' she screamed, "How could you possibly know who I was born to be?!"

He honestly looked like he had to stifle a laugh.

'Oh my dear daughter, trust me, I know. It's either you join me and become the goddess you were made to be or return to that bastard,' he had said the last part full of venom gesturing to an area nearby.

Eluard was slowly approaching them.

'I told you to stay behind,' he called in a shaky voice, 'none of this would have happened if you had just stayed put!'

She looked between her father and the boy who had played part in setting her free.

'It's your choice,' said her father.

'There is no way in this lifetime that I'd ever choose you,' she spat as she looked him dead in the eye.

He openly laughed and drew a knife from his pocket.

'Well, aren't you a great disappointment," he mumbled before raising the knife.

She raised her arms to protect herself, but the pain never came. Instead she heard a yelp from nearby. She looked up just in time to see Eluard collapse to the ground, clutching the handle sticking out of his chest.

Jasmine was roughly pulled out of her nightmare when her face made contact with the floor. Brooke had dragged her off her bed again. It was the third morning in a row.

"Rise and shine ya lazy bum! Today's the day!" boomed Brooke's voice.

Jasmine groaned into the floor but complied anyways. Initiation was not something she wanted to oversleep for.

The nurse had used a quick-heal ointment that stung like hell afterwards but thankfully allowed a rough three days filled with endless training and practice and countless hours of Roxanne screaming in her ear (which she still felt was rather pointless as they were not standing on opposite sides of the world). Everyday had started with some morning cardio with Brooke, followed by combat training with Roxanne, then target practice with Gabriel and Eluard and finally, a lesson about the history of the war and the Hellfire Corps with Cam and occasionally Luke Bradford tutored her as well.

The death of Margret Mason still bugged her constantly but being with other people put her at ease.

Shaking off the effects of her latest nightmare, she got off the floor and made her way to the bathroom.

The outfit laid out for her was a standardized white and yellow short-sleeved top with identical form fitting flexible tights. Just looking at it made her stomach flip. It was going to be another rough day