Orchid

Okay, I Have Six Lives, But It's Going To Be Torture

I promise myself I'll ask Hero or Shira about the power of the yin-yang orb--if they have the power to turn someone good or bad.

 Xander shivers and his hands shake. Still, there's no denying the surge of goodness the light brought him--he's not entirely a Yin victory.

 "Xander," I press. "Why did you shake when you touched it?"

 Xander scowls as he stomps his foot in rage. "The f-ing power makes my soul think good. It's despicable." He looks down at his hands, as if they were someone else's hands.

 "Xander," I press him even more, trying to put persuasion in my voice. "Why did you even leave Yang....and your mother? She misses you, you know."

 Xander drops the rifle, brushing off his pants. "Don't talk about her." His voice drops in pain. "She's the reason I left." Then I'm free to move--he got too distracted. In a single movement, I swiftly pick the rifle up. He doesn't even stop me.

 "What happened?" My voice is soft.

 "I liked a girl. And she disapproved. Happy now?" He covers his face. "I even tried killing the girl I loved because I knew pain would lie ahead of her--but she just hated me more for that and reported to Airilia. So Lycaeon welcomed me with open arms and said that she would get the girl I loved. But once I pledged to her, my life has been hell. I've been forced to kill many. Her claws still cut into me and I'm flogged and tortured for doing something wrong. I'm her slave--her puppet---forever." He brings his hands to his throat.

 For a second, I realize he wants to go. He's done. His life has been nothing but a joke. He wants to settle down and just...die.

 I have to stop him. He can get his girl, his thirst for vengeance at Lycaeon. Shira can possibly remove his chains and bonds to Lycaeon. He doesn't have to die. I fight with myself and fling myself at Xander, forcing his muscular hands to go free.

 One thing I forgot: Xander is a good actor.

 In one heavy twist, he grabs me and flings me across the room. A claw of Air swirls around as he roars, "Bring me Hero and Zetah!"

 I fell for his sob story. I can't believe it. Now he's got me and the others.

 The door smacks and my two companions are blown in and forced with me to land in a heap.

 "Bloody git with shit!" Zetah yells.

 "You're a good rhymer," Hero comments.

 Zetah grins. "Thanks. I worked hard in kindergarten. So, how would you like ham with lamb?"

"No, but Xander would enjoy that. 'Cause we're the ham and the lamb now for his dinner," I say, shutting my eyes as the stars appear in my vision again. But this time, it's spurting blood, not starburst. How exciting. Now we're Xander's little delicious dinner. 

 We find ourselves in a grand, majestic hall with rich red carpets(like the Hollywood ones.) Xander is leading us down. "C'mon," he says gruffly, shoving us.

 Hero jerks at his touch and immediately blows fire at him. "Don't touch me." A metaphor, of course.

 Zetah struggles, shouting nasty words at him. She actually is strong enough to push him and fly past him down the hallway.

 "Stop her!" Xander yells to the guards near the entrance. "You can kill her, but make sure it's broadcasted!"

 The guards have long, nasty swords hanging on their waists. The one on the right, with a helmet with an image of a snaking dragon on it, draws his sword and hacks out with it. Zetah slips away like cool water and swings herself upward with the uneven sticking out blocks. It's s'posed to be a cool style, but it's just helping Zetah escape.

 Zetah's on the Track and Field team and boy, she can run. When the left guard swings at her, she uses the blade as a platform and jumps on it to the other side of the walls. Xander forgets us for a moment and lunges toward her. We stretch our limbs and I'm relieved we're free. But somehow, our powers aren't working. We speed out to try and help our friend.

 Suddenly Hero stops and taps me. "She'll be fine. She won't die."

 I stare at her angrily. "Wanna bet if a bullet goes through her heart?"

 Hero shrugs. Shrugs in a way that fires up my anger even more. "Do you have any idea why elementalists are different than humans?"

 "Oh, yeah," I spit at her as I gaze at Zetah, who's struggling to hang on to a loose brick. "I mean, a regular human can't set a building on fire with a snap of their finger, huh?"

 Hero slaps her forehead with her palm. "Orchid, you're not listening to me," she snaps. "Elementalists have two lives, and Warriors have six."

 This completely freezes me. "What?"

 "Yeah. An elementalist gains a life for every element. But the cost is that you'll lose an element everytime."

 I imagine a bleak world where I spend five lives in defending Vidalia and living out the sixth life in despair. That would be hell. Worse than hell. I would rather die without the joy of harnessing my powers. "That's horrible."

 "It's too late, Orchid." Hero nods her head to Zetah. The brick slips and crumbles into dust as Xander's gun fires into it. "Don't waste our lives."

 Zetah falls to the three hungry Yin soldiers and Xander yelps, "Don't kill her!" as one guard's sword cuts through her back and sticks out of her stomach. Zetah grows limp. Xander snarls.

 "Lukas, you are dismissed from my patrol," he growls. "She's just a little human. We have no use for her. Send her back to the Yang side in a wooden box."

 "Aye, Xander," the remaining guard says, picks up Zetah and slings her over his shoulder. The guard who took one of Zetah's lives hangs his head, disposes of his armor, and flees out of sight.

 I shudder. Zetah's going to be miserable. I pity her.

 Xander turns his cold eyes at us and points his weapon at us, walking toward us until it'll be fired at point-blank range. "And we're down to Hero and Orchid." He smiles at Hero. "How many lives do you have left?"

 Hero lifts her chin, jutting it out defiantly. "Um....it's a secret," she says in a girly tone. "My policy is that for boys like you, assassin, you have to take one of your lives first, then we'll see."

 Xander laughs. "You're the fun one." He turns to me. "What about you? Oh, I forgot, you just knew you had powers yesterday."

 Funny that I'm not tired at all. "So, what are we, your pets?" I try to sound bored.

 "Well, you're not mine, frankly," he says. "You're my mistress's." He nods toward the hall's end, the other side.

 "Yes, welcome. I love greeting my guests."

 We spin around. Hero clutches me in fear.

 It's the woman with venomous green eyes and dark hair. 

 It's Lycaeon.

 Unfortunately, she looks exactly like my sister.