MasterMind

Chapter 12

Atathum stared at the ceiling of his room. Gül was explaining his treacherous plan.
    "And then, we can rip Anakin's limbs off slowly and--"
    "Gül, I'm trying to sleep," Atathum interrupted.
    Gül's orange eyes pierced at him in his dark room. They suddenly grew bigger.
    "I can put you into eternal rest!" Gül disorientated voice echoed.
    "Fool, you'd be dead as well," Atathum replied.
    Gül's eyes lit up the whole entire room at that instant. His eyes calmed down, but Atathum noticed that his eyes were now looking like a fire.
    "Gül, you can relax, your eyes don't always have to be flaming," Atathum said.
    "Oh, I am relaxed, you just made me more powerful," Gül replied.
    "Crap," Atathum murmured.
    "That just made me--"
    "I KNOW, OKAY!!"
    Atathum threw himself out of bed. He grabbed something off his nightstand and chucked it across the room. It clanked as it hit the wall and dropped onto the floor. He stared at the object like it was the one thing standing in the way of a normal life.
    The normal life he wished he had had.
    "Man, your past though," Gül replied.
    "Shut up, Gül," Atathum muttered through gritted teeth.
    "I mean, excruciating pain."
    "Shut up. Gül."
    "Loss."
    "Shut. Up. Gül."
    "Abuse."
    "I SAID SHUT UP!!" Atathum screamed as he felt the force flow through him, and this time, he didn't prevent it.
    The room exploded once more...
    And Atathum was still standing...not feeling tired.
    "See," Gül said, "with me, your Force Whirlwind is much more powerful, and you won't have to use as much energy."
    Atathum looked at his hand. It actually felt...it felt...
    "Gül, I think you're right," Atathum finally replied after a while.
    Gül grinned.
    The door was taken down.
    "Atathum!" Sebellrae gasped, noticing the floating figure.
    Atathum turned and faced her. He twitched his head. Sebellrae grabbed her lightsaber.
    "I didn't want to believe it; I didn't want to believe that you had some sith thing with you, changing you ways, but I was wrong, and I should turn you in to the council," Sebellrae said.
    "I suggest not," Atathum replied.
    "Atathum, I have no choice."
    "Yes, you do, this, you don't have to be my enemy, please, stay with me."
    "I can't, I will not abandon the Jedi."
    "I'm not either!"
    "Explain this to me, then, Atathum. Just who is this, a Force being with sith eyes?! He's got wings for crying out loud!"
    "You know, Sebellrae, I didn't want to do this, but, you left me no choice."
    Atathum lifted his hands, pulled back, and pushed a Force blow at Sebellrae, sending her out into the hallway. He watched as she slid down the wall, not opening her eyes. Atathum glared at her.
    A wave of guilt washed over. He stared at his hands. Gül's laugh was disoriented and echoing throughout his mind. He turned and faced Gül.
    Gül looked horrifying. He had fangs, he grew horns, his eyes and where his hair was turned into flames, he had wings, and his fingers were sharp and pointy.
    "Well done, Atathum," Gül applauded.
    Atathum looked down at Sebellrae, and he turned back to Gül. He didn't know what to say.
    "Gül, can you please leave me alone for just a half hour?" Atathum asked.
    "Sure, Atathum," Gül replied, disappearing with a laugh.
    Atathum walked over to the balcony and sat down on the marble flooring in an instant. His heart was pounding, his head was spinning, and he was feeling pretty messed up. He watched as the sun started to rise behind the towering skyscrapers, removing his mind from the current time period. All sound around him seemed to disappear, and all he could hear was his heartbeat, pounding vigorously in his head.
    "Atathum," a silent voice said.
    Atathum expected Sebellrae or his master to be standing there, and at the moment, he didn't want to talk to either of them. He kept on concentrating on the sunrise.
    "Yo, Coruscant to Atathum?" the voice said again.
    Oh...It's Lilak.
    Atathum sighed as he returned the sound to his head. "Sorry, what do you need?" Atathum asked.
    Lilak sat down on the floor. She was already wearing her Jedi robes. Man, I bet I look awkward in my waistcoat and pants. Atathum slightly reddened at the cheeks.
    "So, whatcha doin'?" Lilak asked, "I mean, watching the sun being blocked by a bunch of buildings and pollution is cool."
    Atathum sarcastically chuckled. "I'm just sitting out here; couldn't sleep."
"Ouch. Is that all you've been doing?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, Anakin was up earlier, too. I heard my master talking with Obi-wan Kenobi. I was just wondering if the two were related."
"I bet they were not."
"I knew it!"
Atathum smiled--even though it wasn't real-- as Lilak quickly motioned her left arm down, and unintentionally elbowing Atathum.
"Ow," Atathum whispered.
"OMI GOSH! I DIDN'T MEAN TO!!" Lilak quickly apologized.
Atathum raised an eyebrow while grinning. Lilak's face turned pink.
"I...ahem...sorry," Lilak corrected.
"That's better," Atathum replied.
Lilak nodded, clearly uncomfortable about the situation.
"Um, is it alright if I leave?" Lilak asked.
"Why?"
"I told my master I would be back before training, and I don't want him to ban me from the punching bags for a week, so."
"Oh, that's alright."
"Thank you."
Lilak stood up and shuffled out of his dorm. Atathum frowned. Something seemed...wrong about her.
Gül showed up as soon as his door slid closed. He was scowling at him.
"Don't tell me that she's going to be your one and only someday," Gül growled.
"No promises," Atathum replied standing up. He looked down, and took a breath, "I'll let you," he finally said after some time.
"What?" Gül asked.
"I said I'll let you into my head. This world has nothing left for me to save."
"FINALLY!!"
Atathum felt as Gül's sharp fingers dug into his neck, though it seemed he had more fingers. They were cold, and Atathum used the Force to prevent himself from screaming. He fell to his knees, sensing this new sort of power, but it was so painful! He felt his world haze in and out. He felt this numbness overcome his limbs, weakening him ever so slowly. He couldn't prevent the feeling from reaching his head. His head began to spin, along with the hazing. He looked down at his hazy hands. They didn't look different, but it felt like they were changing. He put his hand up to his head on the left side. It was hurting more than his arms and neck. It felt like his skin was being stretched across his scar. He felt his legs give way.
"Thank you for letting me in," was all heard when he hit the ground.