Artemis Child

Artemis Child Ch10

  "So, what did he give you?" I asked motioning to her closed hand. She opened it to show a little dancing black flame. "Woah, why is it black?" Andrew asked pointing out the obvious. "I feel like I know how to use it." She said as she pulled her hand closer to her mouth.

She then proceeded to swallow the little black flame. I moved forward, but Serena stopped me. Gena stood up and held her previous hand in an upright position. A new black flame appeared and danced along her finger.

"It's mine to control." She said with a weird and distant look in her eyes. I got past Serena and grabbed Gena's hand, putting out the fire. "Listen Gena, until we know what that is or how it will help us. Promise me you won't use it." I said trying not to sound like a parent. She struggled against my grip and pulled away from my hand. I looked down and noticed she hadn't seen my new hand until now. "I can't use a gift, but you get to use that thing." She said like someone who got cheated out of something. Her pointing at it and calling it a thing made me feel even more distant to her than ever.

"Fine then. I'll be right back." I stormed off, without even caring to look back. I walked for fifteen or so minutes and soon found myself in an old shipping warehouse. It was filled with metal crates and cranes to move them.

My weapon fist slammed into an already damaged crate. Damaged from my beating it out of annoyance. "Why won't you brake, you stupid piece of tin." I yelled at the gauntlet holding onto my skin. I slammed it again, then pulled on it like trying to take off a glove. "Damn it. You're too clingy I think we should break up. Now get off me." I told it as if it were a over attached girlfriend.
I slammed it to the crate with more force than before. Suddenly a crate from over head, unclasped from the crane and fell. I reached up my right hand and the feeling I got when the chimera lion head almost bite me rushed through me.

I rolled out the way but the two ton crate landed onto my hand. "What the hell is wrong with me?" I asked myself as I starred up at the crate. I was stuck under the weight of the crate, my arm not crushed because of the guantlet. It still wouldnt let go. "Raaah" Escaped my mouth out of anger. "You can have your weapon back. If you wish." Said the raspy voice of the woman I hate. Only this time it seemed like behind me.

Turning around I found a woman in a green dress with red pulsing lines that glowed. She had dirty blonde hair, (actually with dirt in it.) Her eyes shifted colors: gold, amber, hazel, then brown on a twenty year old face. She was holding a small gleaming key. "What do you say? "She asked moving the key around.
"What is the catch? You take away my family to give me a ring, so what will it be to give me a key?" I asked, and rage of remembering my birthday made my fingertips glow red underneath the crate. I twisted my arm and pulled to get from under it getting into a stance for defense.

"All you have to do is leave your friends and be mine. My weapon, under my control." She said like it was something small. "No deal. I rather be a monster in their eyes than betray them." I said harshly and looked down to some of the poles that came from the broken crate to my left.

I slid my foot under one of the poles and kicked it up. I caught it out of the air and spun it with my right hand. Using momentum and my new strength, I hurled it at her.

It flew straight through her as if she was a hologram. "How childish. You thought I would show up with a body or without someone to fight you off? But if you want to be seen as a monster then you got it." She snickered and snapped her finger.

Pain pushed its way up my right arm. I lifted my sleeve to find my veins turning black. 'Ah it burns' I thought as I ground my teeth not trying to show any pain to her. "The rings full curse is now apon you. It will be done on the next eclipse, which is in three more days. Enjoy your self. Beast." She said as she started to fade.

The gauntlet turned to smoke, and left my arm. It condensed and fell to the ground, in the shape of two rings. Through the pain I picked them up and put them back together. I rolled down my hoodie sleeves and walked back.

I returned to the green building to see them sitting and all talking. I tried my best to not limp as I got closer. Gena has a large black fireball in her hand as if it wasn't anything new. She showed them tricks with it. "Look I can control it in every way." She laughed as she made it look like a donut. Making my way closer I sat down near them.

"Cory, just in time, watch this." Gena said shaping the flame to look like bacon. "Doesn't I look like the real thing? I mean maybe burnt, because its not the color. But still bacon." She said entertained my her new gift.

"So are we camping here tonight?" I asked, not having any energy to leave. "No I think we...." Serena's voice trailed off as my vision became blurry, maybe the black thing touching my veins was draining me, or the fighting took a lot out of me.
The bloody face of the girl showed up in my dream again. Her eyes looked so sorry, as the life left them. Something inside me was trying to claw out my chest. Trying to be free, maybe it was anger or maybe fear. What ever it was, it was trying to say it was there.
My dream turned sour and the girls eyes shifted. Bright glowing blue. She grabbed my throat, and choked me. Her teeth were now a distorted set of fangs.
"You are mine now!"