"Where are you going?" Eduard asked as soon as the final bell rang. Ellie didn't answer him; she merely packed her backpack and left. Eduard followed her, but he had trouble keeping up with her fast pace. He broke into a jog, weaving through the sea of students rushing home. He pushed and shoved several other students, ignoring their cries of surprise and anger. He called out to Ellie, but she didn't seem to hear him. He'd only managed to catch up with her as soon as he exited the building.
"Hey, wait up!" he called out to her.
Normally, he and Ellie would walk home together, as they were neighbors. But on this particular day, however, Michelle Poole had other plans. She simply walked on, her every step seeming to pulse with determination and ... rage, perhaps. Eduard didn't recognize the girl walking ahead of him, this strangely adamant girl. Ellie was usually a level headed and calm person. She weighed her options carefully before acting. This Ellie was somehow ... reckless.
Eduard had no idea where the blond haired girl was going until they reached the parking lot. As Ellie approached a dark haired man who was loading a suitcase into a black Mercedes, Eduard realized what she was up to. He recognized the dark haired man - it was the teacher that Ellie had spied on earlier that day. The substitute teacher with those odd eyes.
"Apollo!" Ellie snapped. She said the name the same way she said a bad word.
The dark haired teacher looked up, and his strange two-color eyes (one blue left eye and one hazel right eye) seemed to gleam as a smile curled his lips. It was an unusual smile, one that seemed cold and unfriendly. Edward frowned, sensing something amiss. What was Ellie up to?
"Ah, long time no see, Bianca," the man Ellie called Apollo beamed.
"Bianca?" Eduard muttered, not meaning to say it aloud.
Ellie jumped, and Eduard realized that she didn't notice him following her. "Ed! What are you doing here?" she hissed. "Go home!"
Apollo's strange heterochromatic eyes flicked in Eduard's direction, scrutinizing the boy. Eduard shivered, suddenly feeling naked and unprotected. It was as if those eyes could see right into him, as if the man called Apollo had simply reached into his chest and split his heart wide open to look at what was inside. And that had unsettled Eduard.
"I see you've been covering yourself in ... mortal filth," Apollo said as he nodded in Eduard's direction. He shifted his gaze back to Ellie, whom he called Bianca. "That's not a life for you, my dear little Lady Cloade."
"It's your own fault I'm living in exile, Apollo," Ellie replied quietly. "You allowed Mr. Ashcroft and the Organization to overthrow the King and the other monarchs. You could've been a king yourself. You could've changed things ..."
"Ah, but it's time to forgive and forget, you see," Apollo drawled. "It's a time to mend all mistakes."
"Then why are you here?"
"It's simple, really," Apollo said slowly. "I've come to take you back to the Outer Arc, Bianca."
Eduard frowned. What was going on? Who was the dark haired man? Why was he calling Ellie a different name? What was the Outer Arc? What the heck were they talking about?
"What's going on? What-"
"Shush, Ed," Ellie (or was she Bianca?) interjected. To Apollo, she asked, "Why? Why now, and so suddenly? What are your motives?"
Suddenly, the air around them was dry, so dry it was hot and hard to breathe. Eduard coughed and gasped for air as his lungs tried to figure out how to breathe dry oxygen. Beside him, Ellie tensed, as if sensing something unusual. After all, she always seemed to have a sixth sense. And strangely, the man called Apollo didn't seem to have any trouble with the atmospheric condition. He seemed fine, and relaxed, somehow oblivious to the fact that the air was as dry as desert sand.
"Well, Bianca," he mused, "you'll find that out for yourself. Things have changed a lot since your parents and the Hunters' time. I'll arrange for your transport to the Outer Arc, and whatever costs will be settled by yours truly. We must leave as soon as possible." He shot another of his unsettling glances at Eduard. His gaze shifted to Ellie for a moment, then he stared at Eduard before continuing his train of thought. "Your dim witted friend, however, has been exposed to much of our conversation and therefore ... must die."
Before Eduard could react, a jet of water seemed to appear out of nowhere and speed toward him. He barely had time to think. Within nanoseconds, it would reach him ...
"Ed! Watch out!" Ellie (Bianca?) cried as she tackled him. The two of them fell onto the ground; Eduard landed on his hip and shoulder, scraping them while Ellie (or was it Bianca?) was cushioned by Eduard. Luckily, she didn't weigh much. She got up as quickly as possible, and shielded Eduard from Apollo with her own body.
"How did you do that?" Ellie cried, amazed. "You can't conjure up water out of thin air like that! It's just not done!"
"Wrong, my Lady Cloade," Apollo drawled. "Water is everywhere, my dear. You're just not as good as making use of it as I am. You're weak, Bianca. Life in the Inner Circle has softened your ability. If you'd stayed, you would have been able to manipulate the very water molecules in any organism's cell. Watch and learn, Bianca."
Eduard sat up, dazed and confused. He shot a glance behind him, where the jet of water had hit a T-Bird. There was a hole in the side of the car, and water dripped from it.
"Holy-"
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt two hands close around his throat, strangling him. He gasped for air as he tried to pry those hands away ... and all the blood in his veins seemed to turn into ice as he realized that the hands around his throat were his own. Somehow, his hands weren't under his control anymore. He tried to make them stop, but they wouldn't. And his windpipe was burning, his lungs were on fire.
"Let him go!" Ellie (Bianca?) shrieked. But she sounded far away, distant.
All around him, the world blurred and faded to gray, then black ...
"Hey, wait up!" he called out to her.
Normally, he and Ellie would walk home together, as they were neighbors. But on this particular day, however, Michelle Poole had other plans. She simply walked on, her every step seeming to pulse with determination and ... rage, perhaps. Eduard didn't recognize the girl walking ahead of him, this strangely adamant girl. Ellie was usually a level headed and calm person. She weighed her options carefully before acting. This Ellie was somehow ... reckless.
Eduard had no idea where the blond haired girl was going until they reached the parking lot. As Ellie approached a dark haired man who was loading a suitcase into a black Mercedes, Eduard realized what she was up to. He recognized the dark haired man - it was the teacher that Ellie had spied on earlier that day. The substitute teacher with those odd eyes.
"Apollo!" Ellie snapped. She said the name the same way she said a bad word.
The dark haired teacher looked up, and his strange two-color eyes (one blue left eye and one hazel right eye) seemed to gleam as a smile curled his lips. It was an unusual smile, one that seemed cold and unfriendly. Edward frowned, sensing something amiss. What was Ellie up to?
"Ah, long time no see, Bianca," the man Ellie called Apollo beamed.
"Bianca?" Eduard muttered, not meaning to say it aloud.
Ellie jumped, and Eduard realized that she didn't notice him following her. "Ed! What are you doing here?" she hissed. "Go home!"
Apollo's strange heterochromatic eyes flicked in Eduard's direction, scrutinizing the boy. Eduard shivered, suddenly feeling naked and unprotected. It was as if those eyes could see right into him, as if the man called Apollo had simply reached into his chest and split his heart wide open to look at what was inside. And that had unsettled Eduard.
"I see you've been covering yourself in ... mortal filth," Apollo said as he nodded in Eduard's direction. He shifted his gaze back to Ellie, whom he called Bianca. "That's not a life for you, my dear little Lady Cloade."
"It's your own fault I'm living in exile, Apollo," Ellie replied quietly. "You allowed Mr. Ashcroft and the Organization to overthrow the King and the other monarchs. You could've been a king yourself. You could've changed things ..."
"Ah, but it's time to forgive and forget, you see," Apollo drawled. "It's a time to mend all mistakes."
"Then why are you here?"
"It's simple, really," Apollo said slowly. "I've come to take you back to the Outer Arc, Bianca."
Eduard frowned. What was going on? Who was the dark haired man? Why was he calling Ellie a different name? What was the Outer Arc? What the heck were they talking about?
"What's going on? What-"
"Shush, Ed," Ellie (or was she Bianca?) interjected. To Apollo, she asked, "Why? Why now, and so suddenly? What are your motives?"
Suddenly, the air around them was dry, so dry it was hot and hard to breathe. Eduard coughed and gasped for air as his lungs tried to figure out how to breathe dry oxygen. Beside him, Ellie tensed, as if sensing something unusual. After all, she always seemed to have a sixth sense. And strangely, the man called Apollo didn't seem to have any trouble with the atmospheric condition. He seemed fine, and relaxed, somehow oblivious to the fact that the air was as dry as desert sand.
"Well, Bianca," he mused, "you'll find that out for yourself. Things have changed a lot since your parents and the Hunters' time. I'll arrange for your transport to the Outer Arc, and whatever costs will be settled by yours truly. We must leave as soon as possible." He shot another of his unsettling glances at Eduard. His gaze shifted to Ellie for a moment, then he stared at Eduard before continuing his train of thought. "Your dim witted friend, however, has been exposed to much of our conversation and therefore ... must die."
Before Eduard could react, a jet of water seemed to appear out of nowhere and speed toward him. He barely had time to think. Within nanoseconds, it would reach him ...
"Ed! Watch out!" Ellie (Bianca?) cried as she tackled him. The two of them fell onto the ground; Eduard landed on his hip and shoulder, scraping them while Ellie (or was it Bianca?) was cushioned by Eduard. Luckily, she didn't weigh much. She got up as quickly as possible, and shielded Eduard from Apollo with her own body.
"How did you do that?" Ellie cried, amazed. "You can't conjure up water out of thin air like that! It's just not done!"
"Wrong, my Lady Cloade," Apollo drawled. "Water is everywhere, my dear. You're just not as good as making use of it as I am. You're weak, Bianca. Life in the Inner Circle has softened your ability. If you'd stayed, you would have been able to manipulate the very water molecules in any organism's cell. Watch and learn, Bianca."
Eduard sat up, dazed and confused. He shot a glance behind him, where the jet of water had hit a T-Bird. There was a hole in the side of the car, and water dripped from it.
"Holy-"
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt two hands close around his throat, strangling him. He gasped for air as he tried to pry those hands away ... and all the blood in his veins seemed to turn into ice as he realized that the hands around his throat were his own. Somehow, his hands weren't under his control anymore. He tried to make them stop, but they wouldn't. And his windpipe was burning, his lungs were on fire.
"Let him go!" Ellie (Bianca?) shrieked. But she sounded far away, distant.
All around him, the world blurred and faded to gray, then black ...
