Guardians 2.0 {on hold}

Chapter 11

Everything was dark. It was the kind of dark that feels tangible, alive, moving under her misguided fingers. No matter how hard she tried, her eye just couldn’t focus. At least, she thought her eyes were open. Blinking her eyes a few times convinced Ivy that she was indeed awake, or at the very least, conscious. She couldn’t see her fingers in front of her face, or where her feet were taking her.  A light flickered on in her field of vision, and she moved towards it quickly. It snuffed out when Ivy came within the circle of light. 

“Did you really think it would be that easy?” A silky voice, laced with a light accent, spread through the darkness. Ivy flipped around, expecting to see someone behind her. “Such a silly little girl.”

“I’m not... I’m not afraid... of you. Whoever you are.”

“Didn’t your mother teach you about the Bogey Man?”

“She did. She taught me not to be afraid of him, because he wasn’t real.”

“Oh, little one, I’m more real than you’d care to believe.” 

The darkness collected, manifesting into a long, bony finger that curled under her chin, forcing her gaze upwards. What she saw almost made her scream, but she kept up her façade. Glowing yellow eyes smirked down at her over a long, pointy nose. Thin black lips curled into a twisted smile, and the long, limber body towered over her. “Still not scared, little one?” 

Ivy straightened her back, fierce determination shining in her eyes. “I’m not afraid of creeps in the dark.”

“Oh-ho! Look at that, you’ve discovered some confidence! Why don’t I have my daughter take care of that. Katelynn, dear. Come take care of our guest.” 

A chill ran down Ivy’s spine. “Katelynn?”

“The one and only.” Katelynn stepped out of the shadows. She looked like she was shrouded in some ragged cloth, but as she walked forward, it unraveled from her body, forming two giants wings. They seemed to stretch for miles, beating almost imperceptibly every time she took. “Hello, dear sister.” She snarled out the word sister, nearly spitting in Ivy’s face. A rough shove sent the her to the floor, and Ivy propped herself up on her elbows. 

“What are you doing here? I thought...”

Katelynn cut her off with a snarl, “Exactly. You thought. What did you think? That I was good? I never was. Never good enough in school, never good enough for that woman I called my mother. Especially when compared to you. But here,” she gestured around to the dark room, “I am treasured. I am valuable. And you aren’t.”

Ivy struggled to her feet, just as Katelynn hurled a punch at her jaw. The blonde rubbed at the spot, feeling a bruise starting to form. “Katelynn, this isn’t you.”

“Oh, but it is.” A twisted smile embellished her face as she punched Ivy in the sternum, leaving the blonde gasping for air. Her foot collided with her sister’s ankle, knocking her over. Ivy lay on the ground, still struggling to fill her lungs. Katelynn threw another kick at her, delighting in the effect it had on her sister. The brunette continued to beat the blonde, laughing as she did so. “It was nice to chat, sister! But I really must be going. Ta ta!” Katelynn waved, her wings beating in time with her hand. She strolled out of the room, content with Ivy’s beating.

And a beating it was. Ivy was still on the ground, coughing and inspecting her ribs. Several were bruised, possibly even cracked, and when she lifted her shirt a little, her torso was a rainbow of yellow, blue, and purple bruises. Raising a shaky hand to her face, she grimaced when she felt a patch of blood on her swollen jaw, and above her eyebrow. Ivy put her hands down in an effort to get up, only to groan and flop back down. “Bunny... Tooth... Jack.... anybody...?” Her voice was a hoarse whisper as she blacked out. 

“Jack...” 

His head shot up, straining against his restraints. “What did you do to her?!” Jack screamed at the darkness.

“Oh, you know, just gave her what she deserved.” The voice emerged to answer him, soft and silky in the blackness. 

Jack continued to struggle, attempting to stand and fight whoever was there, but the chains around his wrists prevented him. He was stuck on his knees, and fought the metal until his head was spinning and wrists became wet with blood. 

“Done fighting, sweetheart? That metal is enchanted, forged with dark magic. The more you try to escape, the more it drains you.” A hand reached under his chin, forcing him to meet a pair of cobalt blue eyes. Her thumb swiped against his skin. “You need a shave, Frosty.” 

He could barely keep his eyes open. 

“That’s right. Close your eyes, go to sleep. All you’ll see is her, bruised, bloody, broken.” Her laugh was sadistic, ringing in his ears.

“Ivy....” He swung back and forth for a moment, before slumping down, blacking out.

*A/N: heyy guys! this is a short update, but I'm doing a double update because you guys are awesome! thank you all so much for 5K reads; you're seriously fantastic. i'm doing some editing with the other chapters, so if you go back and read the book, it'll be a little different. love you all <3*