the past Reading the future

Chapter 14 Atem

Atem began reading as Christine nuzzled into him.

halfway through the day found Bella standing in the bathroom in front of the sink. splashing water on her face trying to wake her self up. The day was going by too slow for her. So far they had found nothing that was helping them to solve the murders that were happening in their own town!

she sighed a bit turning off the sink and dried off her hands it some paper towels. she turned back to the sink and was surprised to see a stack of dueling cards sitting there on the sink counter.

"Wait...what?" Iris asked confused.

"Why do I get the feeling Bella is about to be attacked?" Selene asked with a concerned look.

"Probably because she always is" Melinoe replied causing Selene to pale and Iris to get worried.

"Why do I have a feeling my sister is going to fail this duel" bakura speaks up causing Christine to throw something at him.

"Possibly because I dont know how to duel" bella says shaking her head.

She stared at the deck suspiciously. Where had they come from? They had not been there moments before.

hesitantly she reached out and picked up the deck of cards confused and looked them over.

she turned around and jumped seeing someone standing there wearing a cloak and their face covered, but she could see a green stone which was on a string that wrapped around his neck as a necklace.

Bella felt her self getting sick from the aura that radiated off of the stone. It was dark and evil.

"who the hell are you!" she asked alarmed and tensed up. How did this guy manage to sneak up on her!? What did they want? where they the reason those cards were there?

*how the fuck did he sneak up on us!* christine snarled.

Christine giggled. "Pharaoh cussed" she says amused.

"Shut up Christine" Atem rolled his eyes at her childishness.

*that darkness! It's coming from his necklace!* Bella says as she brought her hand up to her mouth as she felt as though she was about to be sick.

"get ready to lose your soul" the man spoke up holding up his arm revealing a duel disk that activated as soon as he held up his arm.

Selene whimpered as she wrapped her arms around Iris and pulled her close.

"Her soul?" Iris asked looking shocked and worried.

Bella sighed "but which soul will be taken" she whispered.

*does this moron honestly think that the shadows will hurt us?* Christine growled

*maybe not you! But it makes me sick! And I dont think hes talking about the shadows!* bella says staring at the man.

"What else would he be talking about?" Bakura asked confused.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Bella asked cooly.

"Since you wont live much longer I guess I will tell you, Your soul will be offered to the great leviathan in order for him to resurrect" the man explained calmly.

"The what?!" Bella and christine asked in confusion and alarm.

Bella tensed up paling. *oh no!* she thought to her self. This could not be happening! What ever this wack job was trying to do she could not allow it to happen.

"ok...whoever you are...i don't duel...I don't even know anything about the game" she said taking a step back hitting the sink behind her.

"I dont think he cares about that" Mahad says looking at her worriedly.

"Ugh, they never do" Bella scowled.

Christine appeared beside her. "now would be a good time to do something" she said harshly.

"yeah but what?" Bella asked as adrenaline shot through her. she quickly shielded her eyes as a bright flash of light blinded her. carefully she looked down at her arm feeling something heavy. "a duel disk?" she said confused and then looked at the cards.

"you are going to have to duel him," Christine said gravely.

"But you dont know how..." Iris trailed off.

"i cant!" Bella exclaimed as panic coursed through her. *or I could* her hand went to her hip to get her gun, however her eyes widened realizing that her gun wasnt even in its Hollister.

"Damn it!" Selene cursed as she tensed up anxiously.

She looked down at the Hollister in surprise and fear. She always kept her gun on her.

"Looking for this?"

Bella looked up and saw that the man had her gun. 

"That son of a bitch!" Selene growled.

"How did he sneak up behind us and take it!" Christine asked alarmed. "I should have been able to see it coming!"

*how the hell?* christine cursed angrily. Bella gulped. Christine was going to kill her after this...if she survived.

"Why would she kill you?" Atem asked.

"Because she trains me. And if I mess up she gets really mad at me" Bella admitted reluctantly. "Honestly I'm surprised she isnt yelling at me right now...since coming here I haven't been able to hear her" bella explained.

"That will be explained soon enough" Horus spoke up setting her worry at ease.

"I'll go first" the man spoke in a dead cold tone making Bella shiver chilled to the bone. Christine, sensing Bella's fear, took control.

"it looks like we don't have a choice in the matter. alright creep you want to duel, lets duel" she said sliding the deck of cards into the Duel Disk.

"Christine!" Bella yelped. She didnt know how to duel either!

"I've watched the pharaoh and my brother's duels. I have at least an understanding of the game" she said as the duel disk activated.

Taking five cards from the top of the deck she watched the man set down three face downs. one monster and two in the spell and trap zone.

Christine looked down at the cards in her hands drawing the sixth card. *now the tricky part...reading them* she thought to bite her lip with a sense of dread.

"You can't read?" Shimon questioned.

"But you were reading just while ago" shadi protests.

"Different languages" Bella spoke up.

A glow caught her attention to a card that was in her hands. she took the card and placed it down on the duel disk in defense mode. Mahad appeared next to her transparent. "I will help as much as I can," he said with a nod.

"At least he is there to help" Atem says looking relieved.

Christine looked at him bewildered to see him there but relaxed a little grateful for the help. she looked up at the man with a hardened gaze. "i end" she said coldly. There was nothing she could do except play along.

Mahad sighs. "I hope that my help will be enough"

"I hope so too, you being there is a help, but if I dont draw the right cards we are screwed" bella says.

Mahad groaned a little as he takes the book from Atem eager to find out what happened.