Roaring Thunder

He pulled the trigger, the gunshot echoing through the cafeteria. I squeeze my eyes shut, but I never feel the bullet. I open my eyes, seeing Alison standing there, the bullet in her hand.

“Gotta be better than that, Donnie.”, Alison says, smirking, tossing the bullet around in her hands. “You should know best.”

Martin pops up, wrapping an arm around her waist. I could see the flash of jealousy in his eyes. So there is something going on there, I think, right before Josh pulls me under the table, checking me from head to toe.

“Melody? Are you okay? I heard a gunshot!”, Josh says quickly, holding out my arm.

“Josh, I’m fine! Alison caught the bullet. But I’m worried about what Donovan’s about to do.”

“Why? What happened?”

“When Martin wrapped his arm around her waist, Donovan seemed jealous. I swear, if nothing happened back then, then he was hoping for something by now.”, I say, shaking my head. “I don’t like it.”

“OHMYFINGGOD!!!!! MARTIN!!!!!!!”, Alison yells, and we all rush out. Martin was lying on the ground, blood gushing out of his head. “Mirabelle …”, she was crying! “He’s still breathing …”

Mirabelle kneeled down beside her, and out came the bullet in Martin’s head. But he was unconscious.

“He’ll be okay, Alison.”

“But why the hell did he shoot him?!!!”

I knew the answer to that. But I wasn’t going to say anything. Why would I keep this information secret? Because Kevin would go insanely furious and possibly lock Alison somewhere. I didn’t want that. Josh kept his mouth shut, too, probably aware of the riot that single piece of information could cause.

“Well, lets all just get up to the cloud.”, Kevin says unemotionally. But we all knew what was going on inside of him. The same thing happening to me this very second. I say Alison’s like a sister, but she really is more like a daughter. And seeing her cry … nobody’s seen it since Sophie had died. It was foreign.

“You all go ahead … I’ve got a score to settle with Donovan.”, Alison growls, already starting to walk out the cafeteria doors. But Kevin grabs her, throwing her over his shoulder.

“Oh, no. You’re coming with us even if I have to carry you like this the entire way!”

♠ ♣ ♠

“Okay, so is there anything else we should know about him?”, Kevin asks, as we all were seated at the dining table. It seemed to be more like meeting table.

“Umm … he has no weakness. He can’t be killed.”, Alison shrugs. “And he taught me everything I know. Witch related. Umm … he likes to keep people on their toes, make them think before their next move, then completely slaughter them.”

“Anything else?”

“Umm … he’s going after everyone. He won’t stop killing everyone until he finally kills me.”, I fought laughter. Big mistake. Everyone turns to me curiously.

“Sorry, thought of this really funny thing that happened at lunch.”, I say sheepishly.

“Okay … umm … he has a thing for music. He likes it for some weird reason. I think it’s easier for him to manipulate people. He just came to my school — in daylight — and asked if I wanted to play a game with him and some friends.”

“Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to talk to strangers?”, Kevin asks, frustrated. He’s been trying to figure out Donovan.

“Yeah, but that’s just it, Kevin! I saw him before! I knew his name! It’s not the same thing!”, she was frantic, nearly in hysterics. “I kept thinking the entire time we were playing a game. I think a few people knew that we weren’t, and they left. I wish I hadn’t been so naive!!!!”, she was crying once again. You could tell the memories of the war she fought before us was flooding her mind. And she didn’t want to see it. She didn’t want to see all her friends die.

“I was actually apart of that war … if I’m correct.”, Ash says, frowning deeply. “How come I never got trialed?”

“You were killed during the war. No one saw you as a threat. She was really the only survivor. We let her go because we knew a five year old couldn’t have been the master mind.”, David shrugs, continuing, “But she convinced herself it was a dream, so we never bothered her again. Until she met you all.”

“That’s why we were sent here. To figure out where she was, and what she was doing.”, Rick says gravely. “The King was worried that being around you all would bring back the memories, and then she’d bail at the last minute.”

“But I remembered David,” she says through tears. “That was the most vivid thing from my memory. And as I practiced and practiced … I kept remembering.”

“That was the only downside to the King’s plan.”, Steve chuckles. “He thought she’d be less a threat with an army of demons, when she nearly wiped out all of us when she was five.”

“And I’ll never be able to do anything like that again.”

“Why not?”, I blurt out.

“Because he taught me how to do it.”

“Oh,” and there was an awkward silence that filled the air.

“Ugh, what happened?”, Martin grumbles, as he stumbles toward us. Alison helps him, setting him down in the seat beside her.

“You got shot,” Alison says indifferently, studying his head. “Does your head hurt?”

“Nope. I feel fine. How long have I been out?”

“Since lunch,” Kevin says, rolling his eyes. “And anyone mind explaining why he tries killing Martin?”

“Beats me. He likes to bring down the defenses in his prey. Take away the one thing that they’d kill to protect. In my case, Sophie. It would leave a huge scar on the entire group, too. He wants that.”, Alison stares up at the sky. “But I haven’t seen him for eight years. His entire fighting style could’ve changed. But one thing that hasn’t seemed to change is that he’s heartless. He has no emotions.”

“Yeah, he makes Kevin seem like he’s a saint with too much.”, Josh says, rolling his eyes. Kevin does a spit-take, shocked.

“I have a heart!”

We all burst out laughing. We know Kevin has a heart … but it’s very tiny. If he didn’t have a heart then we’d all probably be a bunch of idiots who never knew what to do.

“Hey! This isn’t funny!”, Kevin growls. “I have a heart!”

“Kevin, we know you do. Just out of all of us, it’s the tiniest.”, Alison says, shrugging indifferently. “I think Josh is the only one entirely convinced that you’re heartless.”

“I haven’t killed him yet.”

“My point exactly.”

It was odd how much those two were alike. I could even see the relation between them in appearance. It was a little freaky, seeing as how he was only related to her by when Elijah tried to reincarnate him. And the way they always seemed to act the same way … it was really like she was his daughter or something.

Alison’s eyes glazed over, and stayed that way for way too long. We all stopped laughing, and an eerie silence filled the air as tension began to build. All eyes were on Alison. But minutes passed, and she still hadn’t come back. I was getting worried.

Then she stood up, her eyes still unfocused. She spinned around quickly, kicking the air where a grunt was heard. Her eyes went into focus, and she punched the air, where Donovan appeared.

“Nearly forgot that you could see me whenever I’m about to attack.”, he grunts, doubled over.

“Bastard,” I growl, baring my teeth, standing up in sync with Kevin.

“Wow there, I’m clean!”, Donovan says quickly, taking a step back. Alison kicks him in the chest, and he grabs her foot. “You really don’t wanna do that.”

“Try me,” and she flips over him, as I skid on the ground, kicking his feet and sending him falling to the ground.

“Damn, I forgot about your little army.”

“What army? I’m nothing like you, Donovan.”, Alison growls, baring her teeth animalistically. “I died, sure, but now I’m thirteen forever. Betcha weren’t thinking about that.”

“You died three times.”

“What’s your point,” she snarls, glowering as she punches him. “I’m not your little puppet anymore, Donovan. I make my own decisions. And right now, I’m deciding that I’ll kill you.”

“I know your every move.”

“Which makes it more interesting.”, and they were at it. I soon joined Alison, Kevin right behind me. I kick Donovan down, and Alison punches. “GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HEAD!!!!!!!”, she snarls, punching him across the cloud, a trail of smoke following behind him. “Fucking damned psycho,” Alison growls, trying to walk away before Kevin grabbed her.

“What did he mean by you died three times?”, Kevin growls.

“It’s nothing, okay?”

“You died three times.”

“I heal fast when I’m angry,” she was growling. “I died once in the war, and again when he came back three years ago. I was pissed, so I healed.”

“Then why didn’t you when Raine killed you.”, I was confused with that. If she could heal after nearly dieing, then why didn’t she when Raine plunged that sword through her heart.

“I wasn’t angry. I knew what had to be done, so I did it. I didn’t think, I just fought. He planted it into my head when we were training for the war. All my fighting is instinct.”, she jerks her arm away. “And third times a charm.”

♠ ♣ ♠

Well, Kevin’s planning Donovan’s death, and Alison’s trying to calm down. I’m getting more curious by the second about what else has happened between Donovan and Alison.

“When the warriors fight while the fire is burning, death is up in the blazing sun of Hell. But only one will survive, in this bloody war. When the foolish mortals, rival against, everyone dies. But with one they leave alive, as she dies much like their phoenixes. When the King’s phoenix dies, it is time for the heir to rise …”, Alison sings quietly, skipping around. She had been doing that for awhile. I didn’t really understand it. David seemed to know exactly what she was talking about, though.

“Ohmyfinggod, Alison!!! You sing that damn song one more time and I will tape your mouth shut!!!”, David growls, glaring after her.

“Fine,” Alison grumbles, sitting down. “I’m trying to figure out his next move, though. And he obviously has something against the King, so by singing this song I’m hoping to keep him away long enough for me to concentrate.”

“I don’t get what the big deal is. It’s just a bunch of nonsense to me.”, I say, shrugging.

“It’s the song of the war. Someone wrote it after the attack.”, David grumbles, rolling his eyes.

“That’s why I know it. People were singing it as I was being trialed.”, Alison shrugs. “But I learned all the songs of the demons.”

“Sadly,” David grumbles, lying his head on the table.

“Why are you so against what you are?”, I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Because, when my dad’s phoenix dies … I’m stuck in hell until mine dies.”

“He can’t leave it at all.”, Alison says sadly.

“And I’ll have to get married.”

“I feel bad for you. Your mom’s been dead for most of your life. I don’t know what I’d do without mine.”

“You’re telling me! I’ll have to get married, knock her up, and then pray that it’s a boy.”, David says, rolling his eyes.

“Exactly how old are you?”, Josh asks, sitting down beside me.

“Younger than you. I’m only a hundred years old.”

I gape, my eyes wide. David hardly seemed like he was twenty! It was just unbelievable to think that he was a hundred!

“Don’t be so surprised, Melody. The King’s been around since Adam and Eve.”, Alison says, rolling her eyes. “But I’ve known who he was since I was five, though.”

“Good thing I got to you before the guards, though. They were pissed. They wouldn’t care if you still couldn’t walk. They were gonna murder you.”, David says, chuckling slightly. “First friend I made that wasn’t a demon. And could completely ignore any amount of screeching I gave them.”

“Yeah, I felt it,” Alison says, wincing. “I was just too ticked to scream.”

“And you choose now to tell me that?”, David says, rolling his eyes. “But give her some credit, guys. She’s probably the bravest five year old out there.”

“I still can’t believe that you couldn’t see hell.”, I say, staring at her oddly.

“Nobody gets it. I don’t even understand it.”, she shrugs, looking around. “It’s one of the mysteries of my life. Like, I can no longer do any amount of magic or paranormal stuff in Hell. I’m just human there.”

“That’s a little freaky,” Max says, walking over to us. “Oh, and thanks for that journal. That really helped with the research.”

“What research?”, Kevin asks, sitting up straighter.

“Max was helping me study my dreams again.”, she says, smiling. “So lets see the research.”

“Well, judging by these records of prophetic dreams, most of all your dreams are some. From the Sophie being kidnapped by Hell, up to something like us.”, Max says, as Alison flips through the file. “Donovan seems to be after something. And it’s something you must have.”

Alison winced at his name, but says indifferently, “He wants power and control. I killed half of Hell when I was five single-handedly. Imagine what he thinks I’m able to do know.”

“Yeah, but I think he’s after more than just power this time, Aly.”

“Like what?”

“He’s jealous,” I blurt out, instantly regretting it, continuing in a rush, “When he saw Martin with you back in the cafeteria … he was jealous. That’s why he shot Martin.”

“He has me in the palm of his hand.”, Alison grumbles. “He’s been around for awhile. He searched for power, he found it, but then he lost it. But he won’t be getting it back.”, she was reading through the files. “He’s stubborn, too. Once he knows what he wants, he won’t stop until he has it. He’s a shape-shifter. He can take the shape of any of us and more.”

“And he likes to get inside of your head.”, Martin grumbles from beside her. “I noticed that.”

“He can do a lot, guys. We worked together. We know how each other fight, and how we think. He doesn’t have to be psychic or a mind-reader to know my every move.”, Alison says, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “And I don’t need to see him to know when he attacks.”, she smirks, looking around at all of us. She stands up, spinning around, saying over her shoulder, “Oh, and Melody … there was more to Donovan and I.”

And she walked away. I was in shock. I wanted to know exactly what she meant by ‘more.’ I probably wouldn’t believe it if it turned out that they were dating. Alison was like five. And he looks like he’s seventeen. Who knew how old he really was. It was just too much to think, though … Alison and Donovan?

♠ ♣ ♠

Alison was listening to a song on her iPod, humming along quietly as we all sat around at the lunch table. She was using it as a distraction as her eyes continously unfocused. I was getting worried. She was fighting it so hard, but nothing happened.

“Ohmyfinggod,” Alison breathes, pulling out her ear-buds, squeezing her eyes shut and rubbing her temples. “I swear to Zeus I am going to murder his sorry-ass if he doesn’t shut up!”

“What? Is he talking to you?”, I ask, chewing on a bite of salad.

“Yeah.”

“Oh,” I honestly wasn’t expecting that. “How is he able to do that?”

“He knows how I think, Melody. It’s not hard for him to do what Cecilia can from China.”

“He’s in China?”, Dylan asks, looking up.

“I dunno,” she shrugs, lying her head on the table.