Six (2 page)

The girl is a savage of a different kind.

Chapter Two

January 10th, Night

All my senses are on overload as we trudge through nothingness. The girl, Lana is completely at ease here. She tells me if I keep my magic subdued the savages will not attack. Knowing this a long time ago would have made me less fearful. I wonder why my mother did not tell me and I think perhaps she did not know. I feel a pang of something at the thought of her.

“Why did they kill her?” I ask, unable to shove the memories away. As I wait for her to answer I walk behind her and step in the same spots she does. Our feet are almost the same size. She looks at me warily over her shoulder, then turns back with her bow and answers.

“You know why. They are assholes. They want to rid the planet of humans.” She abruptly stops. I stand behind her as still as possible and shut my eyes tightly. I do not want any more savages to come. I also shut them because I do not want to see another gruesome killing. Lana laughs. My eyes fly open at the unexpected sound.

“I about shot you in the head, bitch,” Lana says to another girl. The other girl laughs out loud and they embrace each other in a familiar, friendly way. I feel another twinge of emotion drive through my body, but it is gone just as quickly. The other girl notices me for the first time and does not look pleased. In fact, she looks the opposite.

“Lana, you’re kidding right?” They both look at me oddly. Like something is wrong with me. I realize I am very different from them. The girl’s eyes are also matte and a stagnant silver color.

Lana shakes her head and tells the girl, “Afraid not, Bec. These freaks find me like I’m the leader at a lost animal shelter.” They laugh at me and I feel anger return. My face feels hot and although I do not understand the words she says, I know her attitude is harsh. I fold my arms over my chest. The other girl cocks her head and looks at me quizzically.

Lana speaks. “Look at her. She feels. She isn’t gone yet. I couldn’t just leave her out there. A savage practically ate her alive…but now she knows to turn the freak switch off to stay safe. I’ve already made progress.” I am furious as her words echo off the trees and resonate within me.

“I am standing right here. Do not talk about me like I cannot hear you,” I say loudly, surprised at the tone of my own voice. It sounds different—punctuated with a foreign note. My mother taught me to always have good manners and respect. My composure is slipping. The girl raises her eyebrows and approaches slowly.

“You’re right, Lana. This one still has fire. She looks weird—different, though. You know the others will be mad, right? Finn will probably cut off your head and feed it to the savages for bringing another one back.”

“No!” I scream at the girl. I do not want Lana to die. I do not want another head removed from a body. My heart pumps with a new terror. Lana walks over and puts her arm around my shoulders, though it does nothing to relax me. My breathing is erratic. I hear it passing my lips in exaggerated huffs. I have almost reached my limit and the magic wants out.

“It’s a figure of speech, Emma. Finn is a friend,” Lana says to me. She looks at the other girl, Bec, and spins her pointer finger in circles by her temple. These darklings are confusing.

“I figure Finn will shit tacks for a couple days, shoot me dirty looks for a few more, and then life will move on. What would make me the bigger asshole? Leaving her in the forest with savages eating her brains or subjecting her to the circle?” Lana asks. Bec looks away, considering which alternative would be preferable. I am glad Lana left the dark witches out of the options. All they do is make me angry.

“I hate the creatures. I prefer the circle.” I interrupt the silence. It cannot be worse than the stinking savages. It is then that I notice we are at the edge of nothingness. I see houses through the dense brush. The glow of lights captures and holds my attention. Looking away is not an option. The girls are talking, but I cannot hear the mumbled words they speak. My focus is on the new unknown before me. The houses are all very similar and they form a large circle. My eyes glow white.

“That is the circle?” I ask as I point off in the distance. Bec punches me in the arm. I grab my biceps in pain, but my eyes stop glowing and the magic dissipates. She smiles.

“Uh…yeah. That’s the circle,” Lana says. She takes my hand and yanks me to a walk. Bec hands me a small brown bag with a drawstring. There are small potatoes inside. My stomach growls instantly.

‘Thank you. I am very hungry,” I tell them as we walk forward, smiling my thanks. They are silent as I eat. I notice Bec’s walking stick is actually a sword. It still has wet blood dripping from it. I shiver briefly, but continue eating knowing I must get used to some things if I am to blend in with these new people.

Bec says, “I’m gonna hang back here while you two go in first. If heads roll I don’t want any part of this mess.” I want the girls to be safe and I do not want to cause them harm, so I know what I must do.

“I will keep my eyes blue.” I can pretend for them. To keep them safe I would do anything. I need protectors. I put the last potato in my mouth and hand the empty bag back to Bec. She shakes her head and sighs loudly.

“She eats a lot. Oh, yeah…Finn will shit knives, not tacks.” Both girls laugh. I force a smile to my face.

“No, don’t smile, Emma. That’s freaking scary,” Lana tells me. Her forehead is crinkled and she chews her lip. “Just keep your eyes blue. Even though your human color is fucking weird, too.” I drop my smile. I am too different even to blend in with my own kind.

“Why are we different? You are darklings, no?” I ask hesitantly. I do not ask very many questions, as I know my fate holds all the answers, but now I have eluded it for the time being. The need to understand things that never mattered weighs heavily on me.

“We aren’t the same, sugar cakes. Look at you. Look at us. If your mother was human, I want to know who your dark daddy was. Your eyes are light, your hair is blond…you look like something from the old world.” I stop walking, her words holding me to this spot.

“We are not the same then. I do not belong.” Lana and Bec gaze off in the distance and then back to me. They are deciding if I should know something.

“We are more human than witch. We’ve learned to suppress our magic for so long just to survive, that it isn’t a part of us anymore. While we were born with the ability to use and abuse the stuff, it wasn’t taught and we never needed to use it. If you haven’t noticed, we’re kind of badass.” Lana smiles. “It’s how we have survived out here since the end of the old world. You have to be able to feel to make rational decisions. Follow your heart and all that bullshit. Our emotions are our greatest weapon. It’s why I didn’t kill you like other darklings I’ve found. You still feel things…right?” she asks, her smile faltering a touch.

I want to tell her I feel all the things I used to. When I was a child I could feel
everything
, though I cannot remember any of it. Not a single memory that contains even a clue about what I used to feel—about the person I used to be. My stomach drops with the realization. I could have been similar to Lana and Bec and I would not even know it.

I take a long deep breath. “I feel fear…and now anger,” I tell her honestly.

Bec rolls her eyes. “She’s as good as dead,” she says.

“I am not! I need the correction,” I say, even though I know the correction means my death. They both roll their eyes again. Lana looks forlorn, like she made a grave mistake in taking me from nothingness.

“Go ahead, Lana. Correct her now. Save us all a lot of time and energy. You know it’s what he’ll do anyways. Fear and anger is what she feels. What’s next? She thinks something’s wrong with her…it’s too late. How old are you Emma?” Bec asks after she finishes saying horrible things that make my stomach hurt.

“I just had my birthday. I am eighteen.” I hold my chin higher. At my declaration, Lana raises her bow and aims at my heart—a heart that is pumping rapidly in fear…in confusion. Bec raises her sword from her side and targets my neck. I feel the cold metal against my skin and my eyes glow white. The terror is too much. I no longer control my own body. It is as if magic takes over ever cell in my body, urging me to do as it pleases, promising camaraderie, friendship…power.

“No!” A burst of hot magic explodes out of my body, shaking the air that surrounds me. The magic is fiery and grey and electrified with undercurrents of wrath. It is the first time I have fully used dark magic and it feels…right.

Lana and Bec are sprawled on the ground several paces away, blasted from the backlash of my outburst. Their faces are dirty, angry, and hold more darkness than even
my
magic. They stand in unison and stalk toward me, a perfect balance of skill and feral talent. I did not want to hurt them, nor did I mean to. I am suddenly angry at myself—at the fact that I have control over nothing.

“I do not want to die. I do not want to die like her,” I say as I sit on the ground, weary. Lana puts an arm across Bec’s chest to stop her approach. They lower their weapons at the same time.

“Strike one, darkling,” Lana hisses. Bec’s gaze is furious. “The dark witches will know where you’re at now that you’ve used magic. My bow won’t kill you tonight, but I can’t say what they’ll do to you.”

“What dark witches?” Bec asks, looking at Lana with confusion etched on her face.

“She escaped them. They came for her today and she ran,” Lana explains.

My eyes are blue again. I tell them, “I do not want that fate. My mother did not want that fate for me. Please protect me.” I bow my head and hope I look remorseful.

“You just tried to kill us,” Lana says. “Two more strikes…maybe one more, and my arrow will deliver a
fate
of a different kind.” She throws the bow back over her shoulder and walks toward the circle of houses.

I follow them quietly, fearful that I will upset them further. I am shaking because I used dark magic. I find it hard to concentrate on anything except the warm feeling that envelops my body, until we get closer to the circle.

The houses look different up close. They are made out of black wood from the trees in nothingness. The structures do not look as sturdy as my house. There are no bars on the windows and I wonder if the circle is warded to keep the savages out.

“Is it safe here?” I ask because fear is all I have known. Containment is safe and anxiety creeps into my awareness. The open fields surround the circle. Nothingness surrounds the fields. Creatures stalk the nothingness and the witches intermingle throughout. Containment is absent in such a place as this.

“As safe as you make it. Keep your eyes blue, freak. You’re about the meet some people,” Bec says. I stay behind Lana when I see more darklings surround us. Their silver eyes analyze me. I grab the back of her tattered plaid shirt and keep my face down. I do not trust my magic to stay buried.

“You are so naughty, Lana,” a girl sneers. Lana laughs. I relax a little when I realize she is not worried they will hurt me. I want to trust her, I want to trust all of these darklings, but I need to trust myself first. I used magic and did not mean to. A shiver runs up and down my spine.

“You know me. Always shaking things up.” She looks around the crowd, searching for a particular person. “And pissing off Finn,” Lana barks, laughing enthusiastically. “Is he around?”

“No, he’s out right now,” the girl tells her. I raise my face to look at those around me. They gasp and gawk when they see my eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. She’s a little freakish looking. The hair. The blue eyes that belong in outer space. I know, but she’s not gone yet,” Lana tells them. I will the corners of my mouth up even though I do not feel the emotion connected to it. I have the need for their acceptance here.

“I am Emmalina Weaver. I like your circle.” I gesture to their residences. I do not know why they laugh, but I smile again and it is easier this time. The anger and fear ease into something more manageable and I feel numb as contentment washes over me. Not emotional contentment, because that is impossible. It is just a blank sense of being “okay” and not in immediate danger.

They invite me to their fire and I sit with them. Perched on a tree trunk, I study the unfamiliar faces through the red, crackling fire that burns brightly in front of me. I listen to their stories like the words in my book. They seem trivial, meaningless, hollow words, but unlike the words in my book these words are paired with faces…and feelings. The darklings smile and laugh a lot. Lana leans over and touches another’s leg while bursting into a fit of giggles. I watch them with a detached sense of longing. I can no longer remember memories from my childhood that were full of life and sprinkled with sentiment. My fond emotions are now mute, but I can almost picture my facial expressions…and my mother’s laugh. I close my eyes to will a memory to surface, but something else happens instead. Something I am not prepared for.

I feel the energy of the fire, of the darklings, of everything surrounding me. I feel like I can soak it into my skin and absorb it into my being. I want to take this new power I feel and release it into the world…because I am furious and terrified. I am feeling all the undercurrents of the emotions I have to my name. Spite, dread, shock, scorn, disgust, but most of all I feel
envy
. It overwhelms me. In this weakened moment my magic slips—my eyes glow white, and my body shakes with the electric current that preludes an outburst of dark magic.