Eternal Fire

Chapter 7

Parents week finally ended and things went back to normal. Well, whatever normal was for this place. I was walking back to the House of Warriors alone when a girl with red hair that was clearly died, and an icy look in her brown eyes. "Who do you think you are, " She asked me. "Coming in here, making yourself so easily famous?" I rolled my eyes, "You must be Bella. It's very unfortunate to finally meet you."

She glared as she crossed her arms, the large bangles on her wrists clanging together. She muttered some things in Spanish as she looked over my appearance. My fists were busted up from my training earlier and Batair said it would be good to not see a healer and let my skin heal on its own. Too bad my skin wasn't as strong as I was.

Then her eyes came back up to mine. "You must seriously be slutting it up in the House of Warriors. One girl in a house full of men, " She said accusingly. I rolled my eyes, "Please. I have things like class and training taking up any free time I have." I then moved around her to continue walking to the House of Warriors.

"You seem to have enough free time to hang with that half breed freak, " She said as she followed me. I had just turned the corner when she said that and I whirled around to face her. "He isn't a freak, " I snapped at her. I then noticed her horrified expression at something behind me. Just as I was about to turn around she screamed and fainted. I looked behind me and saw four people crucified against the wall of the school. It was Captain Roark, High Priestess Sonya, Professor Cho, and the Head Healer Angela Mars. Their tongues had been cut out, their hearts taken from their chests, and their eyes had crosses sticking out of them. I quickly called Batair before picking Bella up and moving her so when she wakes up again she won't see that horrific sight. I was barely able to hold down my lunch as it is.

Batair and several other warriors arrived a few minutes later. "Has anyone else seen it, " Batair asked me. I shook my head, "No sir." Batair ran a hand through his hair, "Shit this is bad." He and the other warriors then began to take down the bodies and search for evidence. Batair had some warriors go inform the rest of the staff. One warrior took Bella to see a Healer while Batair and I went to the House of Warriors. I leaned against the wall trying to get what I saw out of my head.

Batair stood before all of the student warriors, "Can anyone tell me when the last time anyone saw Captain Roark, Head Healer Angela, High Priestess Sonya, or Professor Cho?" Everyone gave their answers, saying the last time any of them has been seen was before lunch today. "What's this about, " One of the fourth year warriors asked. "They were recently found dead. Their bodies were still warm when they had been found, " Batair told them.

There were whispers going around the room. "Who found them, " Another asked. "It was Cleo and Bella Cardova, " Batair informed them. All eyes turned to me then. My eyes stayed on the floor. "Before accusations start being thrown, I can vouch that Cleo was training with me. She only had fifteen minutes to walk from the training room to where she discovered them."

"What were you doing with Bella though, " Reggie asked me, arms crossed. "She came up to me, tried accusing me of being a whore because I'm the only female in the House of Warriors all because she is pissed off I became the talk of the school for being something I had no control over. I tried simply walking away but she followed me and that's when we found them. She screamed and passed out while I called Batair. Now if this interrogation is over, I'm going to my room." I went up the stairs, leaving them all in the common room to talk amongst themselves.

I stripped off my clothes and went into my bathroom. I turned the water as hot as I could get it before stepping in. I let the water run over me, my facade beginning to crumble. "Cleo?" I heard Azazel say in my bedroom. "I'm in the shower, " I called out to him. I finished my shower before wrapping a towel around my body. I left the bathroom and saw him sitting on my bed wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He stood up and opened his arms. I stepped into them and he hugged me tightly, breaking my facade fully.

I let the tears flow and cried softly. After the tears stopped, I stepped away, "Thanks." It was a hoarse whisper. I went over to my dresser and grabbed some clothes before going into the bathroom to change into them. "You need to eat something, " Azazel told me. "I'm not hungry, " I said while getting into bed. He huffed, "I'll be right back."

I laid in bed, unable to close my eyes. When he came back he had a bowl and bag in his hands. I sat up and leaned against the headboard. "What is this shit happening to me, " I asked him.

"You were marked for a reason. It seems that darkness is upon us, and you're our hope to stop it, " He told me. "Now eat." He held out the bowl to me and I took it. It was chicken noodle soup. He opened the bag and handed me a fork. He then pulled a water bottle out of the bag and sat it next to me on the nightstand.

"They canceled classes for the week while they investigate, " He informed me. "No one is allowed on or off-campus except for the warriors the council is sending in. They're sending some of their elite warriors, meaning things are about to change for us."

"Change how, " I asked him after I swallowed a bite of food. "From what I heard some of the warriors say, they were forced to go fully back into our traditional ways, more than just the holidays. From how we have our hair cut, to how relationships are done, to how we train, to a whole bunch of things. I wonder how they plan to alter that to fit you in." "Great more change. What is going to be considered normal for me, " I asked with a groan.

"Being looked down on because you're a female, " He offered. I hit him with my pillow and he laughed softly. "It was a joke, " He told me. I rolled my eyes and went back to eating. My eyes went to the bed, my mind going back to the bodies. I put my half-eaten soup on the nightstand and ran a hand through my hair, "I didn't like the man, but I would never wish what I saw even on my worst enemy." It was a whisper but even that felt too loud.

He took my other hand, "What did you see?" "They were crucified to the side of the school. Their tongues missing as well as their hearts, " I told him, my stomach clenching. "They had crosses stabbed into their eyes. The blood was fresh, but none of it was pooled on the ground as you would expect after something so gruesome. I've seen dead people before, I had even seen my mom, but I had never seen anything like this before."

He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze, "Do you trust me?" I nodded, "Of course." "I'm going to bite you. Vampires have a type of toxin that puts those we bite to sleep. You'll be in a deep enough sleep that you won't dream and you'll be well-rested when you wake up, " he told me. I was hesitant before nodding.

He moved so his face was in the crook of my neck, "It will only hurt for a second." It was a slight pinch and then I felt like I was floating. He moved away and things were starting to feel hazy. He moved me to lay down then held my hand until everything became black.