1 Chapter 1
Unedited
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"Smoke burned her lungs as she screamed for them to stop. But no, they needed to run more tests and that means burning her till she was near the point of death.
Her pain was beyond tears as her skin sizzled, her body bare and burnt beyond recognition. Her screams echoed through the room and gained volume as the pain hit its peak.
She screamed until her voice disappeared and continued with her mouth open and without sound.
Her silent screams died down as the fire disappeared and, while they marveled at the fact that she was already healing, she laid there, unable to move. The distant pleas of her other half, her sister, were a sure sign that Charolette had felt every jolt of pain she had.
Her skin was gone and the muscles that were visible were burnt black from the fire. Everything hurt as her body took its sweet time healing, needles poking her painfully as they took another sample of her D.N.A. for their experiments and injecting her with their latest creation.
Green eyes glowing with greed and excitement looked on at her pain. He just watched, not at all phased by her screams and her protests. In his mind, this is what she was born for.
She looked pleadingly at him, this man who held her captive, as her face healed to reveal a young woman around thirteen years old, her emerald green eyes dim with defeat as her flawless skin returned.
His hand reached out to touch her, tracing his fingers along her skin, making her flinch.
She managed to croak out one word, "Stop…."as her lungs regained the ability to utilize air.
He smiled, his snake like grin complete with his sharpened teeth, "I never will princess. Never."
His hand disappeared...
And the fire returned..."
.
.
.
Clarissa woke slowly as her nightmare ended. That memory still haunted her after three years. She doubted she would ever completely rid her mind of the evils she went through.
She had been tortured for most of her life and the memories of what went on inside the facility were never ones she wanted to relive.
She laid for a few minutes on the floor of the abandoned warehouse where she had slept for the last two hours. Hunting had been good last night and her last kill would fetch a high price in the underworld.
She got up, stretching away the stiffness and turned her phone on.
3 missed calls from Sydanne.
2 missed calls from Geo.
4 missed calls from Georgie.
0 missed calls from Charolette.
She tried not to feel hurt that Charolette had no desire to talk. They had exchanged phone numbers the day she left and neither of them had tried to call each other during the year she had been gone. Clarissa tried not to be to bitter about their loss of contact, after all, she couldn't blame Charolette for running away, what happened to them is something they both need time to heal from.
She sighed as she turned off her phone and checked her swords, knives and guns. She packed them all in a duffle bag, tied her fire red hair in a ponytail and slipped out of the warehouse unnoticed.
***********
(Meanwhile:)
He paced in front of his desk angrily.
He glanced at the worthless minions before him, fuming as he realized how incompetent they were. They had let his prize experiments get away.
"Where are they?" His voice was almost a growl.
And his question was met with silence.
"Where is she?! Where is her sister?! Where are they?!" he swept the papers off his desk with his hands, sending them flying to the ground as frustration overwhelmed him.
He went into a rage when his question was met again with silence. He roared and threw fire balls at his men, wounding or killing some while others managed to run out the door and out of his sight. Not daring to return until they did his bidding.
They had searched for months, years, and kept loosing track of his investments. Maybe it was time to but that old saying to good use. After all, it is indeed true that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.
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She arrived promptly at her destination, dropping her bags by her feet. It landed with a thud and she surveyed her surroundings, checking her phone for missed calls and messages. She sighed, no jobs today.
That's a good thing, she decided, I need a break.
Clarissa looked at her phone, the now blank screen showing her reflection. She tugged on her hair, the only part of her reflection she loved.
Her red hair was the first thing anyone saw when they looked at her. It was the color of fire and curled in such a way that as the wind moved through it one could mistake the fire-like strands for the real thing. Her green eyes were soft and innocent and her face was that of an angel's.
Anyone would mistake her for an innocent flower. But most knew different after a quick stroke of her blade, even if they didn't live long enough to realize their mistake.
She checked her watch as she stood patiently outside the simple iron gates of their new home.
She couldn't wait for the girls to see it. It was just what they needed.
She sighed as she saw how late they were. She shouldn't be surprised; they were hardly ever early.
She looked at her phone and pulled up a picture of the house.
It was a sizeable house, so big she hadn't even had the chance to explore it. It was fully furnished and located in a remote area....
With any luck he wouldn't find them there....
"Clarissa!" A familiar voice dragged her out of her thoughts," We're here!"
"Sydanne, I'm sure she sees that," Geo shook her head at the blue eyed ball of happiness bouncing beside Clarissa.
"You can't blame me for being happy... It's the first time in a while that we'll be safe, " Sydanne frowned, twirling her blue hair absently.
Clarissa played with the keys in her hand, "Not so fast Syd, we don't know if we're safe yet. Not until Georgie comes back from her recon mission. "
Geo sat on top of the stack of suitcases they dragged along with them," I'm still not sure you should have sent her. You know how fragile and caring she can be. "
"She's not helpless Geo," Clarissa hissed, "Now get up and help me get the luggage into the house, we have a long walk ahead."
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It was over a mile walk from the gate to the house and during that time they enjoyed the view of the forest around them. The rocky path gradually transformed into a perfectly paved road and the trees looped, over and under each other, over their heads, blocking them from the sun.
Throughout the walk, all Clarissa did was look over her shoulder, constantly watching for danger.
"Wow, " that was the only word Sydanne managed to say as the house stood gloriously in front of them.
It was a pearl white mansion with French windows and looked to be three stories high. It was straight out of a fairy tale, complete with a golden handle on the front door.
As they stepped into the circular driveway, a fountain, mounted in the middle of the stony circle, greeted them. Gardens of well-kept flowers outlined the driveway and Clarissa wondered for a second how stupid the past owners of this place were. They must have been very stupid to sell this piece of paradise.
Carissa walked up to the door, admiring the strange emblem that decorated the double doors of the mansion. It was a ring of gold with a flame like bird in the middle, its head and wings stretched upwards to the heavens.
She opened the door and the girls followed her, looking at the house with child-like wonder.
The inside of the house was spotless and the scent of fresh paint was faint but prominent. The house was fully furnished and everything looked expensive making Clarissa question the price she paid for the house. She wondered exactly just how much the house was really worth.
"OK, let's get settled in and I'll make lunch OK? " Sydanne's request was met by silence as both girls were caught up in their own thoughts, neither forgetful of the reason they needed such a remote abode.
*********
Georgie arrived around dinner time with good reports, their last escape had left their enemies confused and they, having searched everywhere for the girls, were dumb as to where to look next. The blonde was enthusiastic as she explained to the girls that she had taken every precaution to stay hidden and had been careful to mask her magic.
This news relaxed the girls and they knew they could breathe easy for a while. They enjoyed their mundane meal and made light conversation.
Little did they know that their desperate attempt at staying hidden had led them to the center of a war they couldn't hide from any more and at the beginning of a tale they would speak of for years to come.
