Scorpion's touch

Mina

~The next evening~

Ivy and I were in my bed together once more. Ivy was here because of her nightmares which were now getting much, much worse, however she slept peacefully when she was with me. We had come up with this arrangement this morning and it was clear that we were both enjoying it very much already, not matter how hard we tried to disguise it. That night as I fell asleep I began to slip into a strange dream....

~Vanessa's dream~
"Vanessa! Vanessa!" Mina cried.
"Mina there you are! We've been looking everywhere for you!" I exclaimed. Suddenly I stopped, looking around us. "Where are we Mina?" I asked. "Why, at the zoo of course! How could you not recognise it?" She replied, feigning an expression of shock.

~End of dream~

I awoke with a start to find Ivy leaning over me worriedly. "Are you ok Vanessa?" She asked. "I tried to wake you up but nothing would work."
"Ivy. I know where Mina is." I spoke.
"What, where?" Ivy asked an unfathomable expression on her face.
"She's at the zoo." I replied. "Come on we have to get the others. She might not be there for much longer." I said, getting out of bed and pulling my dress on. Ivy did the same, though she donned a pair of trousers and a jumper. She did not bother with tying up her hair so she did not waste valuable time. Ivy darted out of the room. Seconds later, I heard her pattering down the landing and knocking on the door to the room where Sir Malcom was staying the night "Sir Malcom! Sir Malcom wake up!" Ivy yelled. "Vanessa says she knows where Mina is!"
"Where?" Sir Malcom yelped.
"At the zoo. Come on get dressed there's no time to loose!" Ivy cried before running off down the landing and banging on Ethan's door. "Ethan Vanessa knows where Mina is. She's at the zoo come on we're going right now." She called. Ivy ran back into my room before standing to face me. "So, how do you feel?" She asked.
"About what?" I replied.
"About finding Mina." She answered.
"I'm overjoyed!" I cried, a smile on my face. At those words I could have sworn Ivy's eyes saddened just a little but then she smiled. Could it be possible that Ivy liked me too? Preposterous. I pushed the thought out of my head and busied myself with clattering down the stairs to meet Sir Malcom and Ethan, Ivy in hot pursuit. "Shall we go then?" I asked before opening the front door and stepping out into the night. We hurried down the streets before arriving at the zoo. Ivy pushed the heavy, iron wrought gates open and we all went in. "Mina would never reach out to me unless it was because she had a great need. I'm interpreting these signs as best I can." I said before closing my eyes and tipping my head back a little. "Whatever happens this night with Miss Ives, let it unfold." Sir Malcom ordered.
"What do you mean?" Ethan demanded. "Her gifts make her vulnerable and they also make her desirable." He answered.
"To whom?" Ethan queried, looking unperturbed at this statement. My eyes shot open and I shook my head at Sir Malcom. "Lets carry on." He said hastily, before walking off. Ethan stared after me as Ivy and I followed Sir Malcom. We strode down the path, occasionally passing cages with animals in them. "Is she here?" Sir Malcom asked me. "Shhh." I replied before a dark shadow whipped past us. I quickly turned around but I saw nothing. Ethan looked alarmed and looked worriedly around the zoo. Ivy however simply stepped in front of me, placing her slender body between me and the threat. "There's something wrong here. What haven't you told me?" I asked Sir Malcom. I turned around again and a wolf was stood on the path, it's hackles raised and it's teeth bared. Ethan pulled out his gun and the wolf growled, slowly stepping forwards. There was another snarl and a second wolf appeared. Ivy drew her knife. The wolves stalked towards us, more and more of them appearing from the shadows. Sir Malcom pulled out his gun and aimed at the wolves. Ivy quickly pushed his arm down. "Don't fire." She ordered.
"But your knife."
"Is a last resort." She answered.
"Vanessa, do not turn your head." She said simply, attempting an expression and voice of calm as a wolf stalked past me. I stood still, looking directly at the wolves that had gathered on the path before us. Ivy walked out, stopping a few metres before them and held her hand out. I looked worriedly at Sir Malcom but all he did was shake his head. A wolf paced up to Ivy, snarling at her, taking her fingers between it's teeth it continued to snarl before turning tail and heading into the bushes. As we walked hurriedly away we came to face a monkey enclosure. Strange noises were seemingly coming from it. We stalked round it. Something was not right. The grunting, snarling noises were coming from the bushes....

Ivy stepped forward and pushed the leaves back to reveal a man crouching on the floor, bright red blood smeared all over his face eating what seemed to be the remains of a wolf. When he saw her he stopped, his head shooting up, a stricken expression on his face. He stood up, looking at Ivy sideways before lunging at her. She jumped backwards before Ethan stepped forwards hitting him sending him to the ground. "No, Mr Chandler. Hold there. We should need some sturdy chains I think." Sir Malcom spoke firmly. Ethan put his gun away.

~Back at the house~

"What's your name?" Sir Malcom asked the man, crouching down so he was level with him. We'd chained the man to a wall down in the basement for both his safety and ours at least until we knew more. Sir Malcom straightened up. "My name is Fenton." He replied, looking up at Sir Malcom. He twitched his head towards me. "Her name is Vanessa." He smirked. 
"How do you know about that, Mr Fenton?" I demanded. With a roar of outrage he lunged at us before his chains dragged him backwards. "Oh, fear already?" He asked. "You'll not survive long in this cruel world."
"Who is your master?" Sir Malcom asked calmly. Fenton snapped again, tugging hard on his chains. Sir Malcom kicked Fenton hard. "Stop!" Ivy cried. "He may not be all human but he does not deserve this cruelty!" Fenton groaned in the corner before coughing  blood and lapping it up hungrily. "Where is your master?" Sir Malcom repeated. "He's here. Don't you feel him in the dark?" Fenton questioned. "The back of your neck. His breath. Now one finger reaching out. Do you not feel it? You see now and then... and then.... all light will end and the world will live in darkness. The hidden ones will emerge and rule. Amunet. Amunrah."
"Do you know the name Mina?" I asked. "No but I know the name Vanessa. Naughty girl mother. I will punish you, you cock sucking whore." He repeated. Sir Malcom grabbed the whip off the table and turned to face Fenton. "No!" Ivy yelled.
"Will you beat me mother?" Fenton asked. "Have I been naughty? I only want to eat like all poor creatures. I'm so hungry." He whined pitifully.
Sir Malcom whipped him. "Stop it!" Ivy yelled, jumping in front of Fenton. Sir Malcom brought his whip down again, accidentally hitting Ivy too. Ivy did not move despite the blood trickling down her arm from where the whip had connected with it. "Ivy!" I yelped but she simply shook her head so I stayed put. Where is your master?" Sir Malcom repeated.
"Didn't I tell you?" Fenton asked. "He's all around us. Beware!" He yelled. Sir Malcom brought his whip down even harder, his fatherly instincts for Vanessa overriding his common sense. He hit Ivy again, cutting her dangerously deep. Bright red blood dribbled from Ivy's gashes at an alarming rate. Sir Malcom raised his arm once more, preparing to whip Fenton. "Enough!" I yelled tearing the whip out of his hands before throwing it into a corner and grabbing Ivy's arm. "Are you ok?" I asked her worriedly. "I'm fine Vanessa." She insisted. "We're going to need Frankenstein to deal with Fenton though. I'm not sure I'm able to gauge what's wrong without tools."
"I'm sorry Ivy." Sir Malcom said.
"I wasn't thinking." He continued.
"It's fine, Sir Malcom. Anyway I don't matter it's Fenton who does." She answered. "I'm sorry Fenton." Sir Malcom said before announcing "I'm going to find Frankenstein" and leaving the room.

~Two hours later~

Sir Malcom had returned with Victor and after a careful examination of Fenton and proper stitching of Ivy's wounds Victor had a prognosis. "I'm not exactly sure what is wrong with Fenton however I am going to treat him like a patient with a blood disorder. I'll remove all toxins from his blood by transfusion as that has made an improvement. It might be a way to treat your daughter if she is similarly inflicted." He said, turning to Sir Malcom. Ivy opened her mouth to protest but before she could Ethan began to yell. "You have a kid chained up in your basement and you're treating him like some kind of science experiment!" Ethan thundered.
"Everyone here has seen loss, Ethan. No one here is kind." I said. "We must go as far as our hearts may let us. We must swear it now." Sir Malcom insisted. "I swear." Sir Malcom, Ethan and I said in sync. Ivy turned to me. "I'm with you." She said simply.
"I'm with you too." I replied.
"Since we're compacted I have a question for you." I said, turning to Sir Malcom. "Tonight in the zoo, Mina was not there did you know?" I asked.
"I feared." He answered.
"Why? Why?"
"I think it's possible that the creature doesn't want her. He wants you. "
"For what purpose?"
"I don't know."
"Tell me.
"I don't know."
"So I was bait?"
"Yes." He replied curtly. I stood still, shocked into silence. Ivy however spoke. "Why the hell did you think it was a good idea to use her as bait?" She exploded. "She could have been killed!"
"I wasn't thinking." He murmured. "It won't happen again."
"I'm sorry." Ivy said quickly, hanging her head and going pink. "It's ok." He replied. "It's just because you care about Vanessa. We all do" I wondered if Ivy did or would ever care for me the way I cared for her.