Timed

Eyes closed. All I needed to see was Ace's face one last time. I knew I had failed. I failed. Kenny and everyone else was counting on me. But I failed. I had no choice but to try and keep my eyes closed, so everyone would think I had slipped into limbo, or I had died somehow.

“Did it work?” I heard a muffled voice ask.

“We are hoping it did, sir, so please be patient. We have done all we can, I apologize if she doesn't return in the next twelve hours,” another voice had responded to the muffled voice.

The muffled voice was easy to identify, the responder wasn't at all easy.

“What exactly did you use, Liason? Will Cullen approve of this?” The muffled voice asked.

“What he doesn't know, won't hurt me. I used wolfsbane,” Liason, the responder, had said.

“Wolfsbane? Does that really work?”

The voice was clear now; it was Kenny's.

“You, sir, are quite oblivious at this very moment,” Liason had smirked, and chuckled.

“Oh, right,” Kenny had taken a breath. “Wolfsbane was used back in the medieval ages to sustain a werewolves bite.”

Liason had nodded his head, letting his mouth hang open for a moment.

I slowly open my eyes; the lids slice through, and my cornea's get smaller as the shining bright light from the ceiling starts to blind me.

“She's up,” Liason had spoken.

“Welcome back, dear,” my dad rushed over hugged me tightly. My eyes became weak, and they hurt from the tears threatening to run down my face.

“How long was I out for?” I asked.

“Not very long—about four hours, but that's OK, we are still on schedule.” Kenny said.

“That's too long—why do I have wolfsbane on me?” I questioned.

“To help sustain you from turning into a werewolf; luckily, Liason here has helped us dearly, and managed to control you with this plant. You will be fine in an hour. And no, you will not turn into a wolf.”

I gulped. My head was spinning, I gawked at the withering vines that twirled around my wrist. I didn't like it much, but I needed it to help stop the phases I would have to go through. “Where's Ace?” I asked, my nerves beginning to tighten my stomach.

“He's at the council with the Were that attacked you,” Liason had spoken.

Liason and Kenny held out their arms, and helped me onto my feet.

“Do I?” I asked.

“Yes,” Kenny sighed.

“Where is Eustace and Claus, and Everlette?”

“Council,” he spoke softly.

We headed out onto a dirt road; it was foreign, and not what I was used to. We were no longer in America, but in a more natural climate.

“We are in France; the great wine country.” Liason had spoken, but his voice broader than normal.

“How far is it?” I asked.

“Only two miles,” Kenny said.

Liason and Kenny began to pick up the pace, and began to drag me along, and my feet starting to pound from behind and began to throw dirt up in the air from the road.

“When they come, make sure they have the girl,” Cullen said.

He overlooked the mountainous view from a balcony above the council's house. He wondered exactly where I was. And if I went cold turkey and ran home. He wasn't going to get away with harming someone I cared about.

Twenty minutes later, and the sun setting in the far west side of the sky, and night beginning to peak, Cullen glanced from the balcony, and sounded a horn, signaling that we were here. Two guards took a hold of me, clasping their tight fingers around my wrists.

“What's going on?” I asked.

“I'm sorry,” Kenny said.

“What do you mean?” I asked, before they had taken me inside without either Liason or Kenny.

“This is what I had to do in order to live on,” he said.

I flashed back, trying to figure out exactly what he had meant. I had never met my mother, but I had a picture. On the backside, there was a note. The note had said the wife of Kenny is to be sacrificed along with her own flesh and blood, and with the boy who is to save her.

I winced, I could feel my eyes becoming heavy as we stepped into the steel doors, and approached a corridor that led to a room that had chairs in it; this was the council.

Cullen turned head, and he gave a dark smile, as he rapidly approached me, causing his steps to be quiet. “Welcome,”

I did not speak.

“Are you going to say anything?” Cullen asked.

I turned my head to face the ground; a sharp grip got a hold of my chin and forced my head up, causing pain to circulate in the back of my neck.

“What should I say? You won, and I lost? Yeah, I should definitely say that.” I rolled my eyes.

A slap went across my face, it stung with agony and balance became the weakness in me.

“Don't do that, save that for them.” He snapped and pointed a finger.

“You can't do this; what if I got a second chance?” I asked, my eyes beginning to sting from tears.

“What if I asked for another chance?” He mocked me. “Doesn't work like that; I gave you twenty four hours, and since the time isn't up yet, and you are here, you now have to make a choice.”

“My father told me his story; he had to sacrifice my mom and me to become part of the Immortalis,” I spoke, my voice slightly shaking.

“You're father knows nothing!” He shouted in my face.

I spat, and the moisture of the spit began to evaporate and absorb on his face.

“Get her out of my face and have her approach them,” he pointed a finger.

They let go and made sure I had approached without trying to escape. I looked up at the three faces. One was the elder, and the others were second and third heir to the chair.

“Mademoiselle Ivory, please to meet your acquaintance.” He had spoken, he wore a darkened maroon hood over half of his head, and his fingers were shaking as he made himself get up.

“I apologize for intruding, sir,” I shot a gaze at Cullen, and then traced my gaze back onto the Elder that was standing before me.

“No need, we were expecting you.” He spoke.

“I know the reasons, but I need answers; why was I called upon you and the council, and why did I meet Ace?” I questioned, my eyes scanning the tile on the floor.

“Eyes up here! That's better. Now, you're here because you are aloof, and we wanted you to be sacrificed along side your mother, and Ace.” He spoke. “For meeting Ace, that was only a coincidence; no need to rain on our parade for wanting a nice, sweet, and humble girl to sacrifice and have them join us in this society.”

“A society that wants to be powerful, and wants the whole world to know we creatures do exist.”

“We are meant to live in secrecy for now, but we need two more people to complete the process.”

“You aren't even supposed to be real,” I whispered. “Yet,” I rose my head slowly, and locked eyes with the elder, “you are.” My head tipped to the side.

He sat down then, and drank from a copper wine glass. Our eyes still locked on each other.

“Show me Ace, please,” I begged.

“As you wish; you are a lady.” His voice was repugnant.

I scoffed, and turned my head to face the ajar door that was beginning to open.

Auburn hair had popped out. A torn up face had appeared from his long hair. They released his hands from the cuffs that were tightened around his wrists. His red eyes were no more than solid black orbs.

“Ace,” I gasped, racing over to where he was standing. Two of the guards that had previously let me go began to grab a hold of me.

“No, Ivory, please don't.” He had a sincere tone in his voice.

“Please, let me see you. One last time.” I begged once more. Tears were burning my eyes.

“As long as you don't shed,” he whispered.

I promise, I whispered to his mind. Hoping he had the same skill as me; mindspeak.

Well then, come. He spoke to my mind.

A smile grew, and my eyes dried up.

“Let her go, and bring him forth after they are done.” The Elder spoke.

I ran over and tugged into a tight hug.

“I don't want us to die like this.”

“Who says we were going to die,” a chain broke from his tight hand wrapped around a cuff that a guard was still holding.

He had swung the guard, I ducked so it wouldn't hit me.

The guard went flying, and the intensity of the throw caused the wall of the room to cave in, and small bits of material fell from the ceiling; a small crack traveled up rapidly, causing noise and dust to move about.

“I will make an offer, just stop, Ace.” The Elder implored.

“What's the offer?” He asked, his eyes growing wider, and my body still kneeling on the ground.

“I will tell you shortly.”

We had left the building, and were walking along the road, when Ace had stopped me for a moment.

“Tell me, why did you come?” He questioned.

“I wanted to rescue you, that's how much I care for you,” I felt ill for a moment. It then went away.

“Really? I was hoping you would return, if not, I would have been gone before you would look for me again.” He cooed at my answer.

“I need to talk to you,” I said.

“Well, now, that ruined the moment,” he smiled slightly, and walked ahead a few feet farther than me.

I ran after him.

“Wait, it's nothing like I never want to see you again, and you practically ruined my life by bombarding me with twists and turns, and having to sacrificed.”

“What is it then?” He stopped walking.

“You're a gargoyle, aren't you?” I asked.

“Yes, I am,” he looked towards the ground.

“What are your powers, what can you do?” I asked.

“I can only mindspeak, and I can also fly—believe it or not, but I can be the scariest being you have ever seen, or you can be nice, and I'll be the nicest being you've ever met.”

My head twisted and turned trying to figure out what he meant.

“I mean, I can try and kill you, like what happened back there, or I can be nice to you.”

I nodded to confirm my understanding.

“Show me your powers,” I said.

“Hold on there, fan girl, I'm not showing anything until you complete your quest, which is to find out about Miles,” he said.

I had realized that hadn't crossed my mind in the last four hours since I was bitten.

“What happened to that wolfsbane?” He asked.

“It's ri—” I looked over at my wrist, and it was no longer there. “Where did it go?”

“They must've taken it off before you walked in there, the Elder is allergic to that kind of stuff.”

“Well, in case he comes after me, I know exactly what to use to kill him with.”

“No,” he whacked my hand playfully, and tone turned serious, “don't use that knowledge against him; the offer took a lot of guts for him to try and work out with us.”

I looked at him, and then continued to walk, without saying another word to him.