Critter Volume 3 Chapter 4 : Dog On A Leash

Bon Temps

Kelly sat at the kitchen table with her head down and her fingers running through her hair “what are we gunna do?” she asked quietly “ever since we found those things in the attic, Kyle has been different” replied Clayton as they both glanced over at Kyle who was laying on his bad on the couch, his eyes were wide open as if he was looking at something. It was clear that what happened had such an effect on him. They were both there, yet Kyle was the only one acting different. “Hold on” Clayton said as he headed up to the attic.

When Clayton returned he had the book that he and Kyle found in his hands. “I couldn’t find the locket, which is weird but I think we should at least look at this book” he said as he tossed it on the table”. “No” a small whisper came from Kyle’s mouth “No” the whisper got louder “NO!” he screamed as his eyes began to roll behind his head. “KYLE!” Clayton yelled. Kyle’s body then stopped, it lay still on the couch. “Come on I have an idea” said Kelly as she grabbed the book and her car keys and headed for the door. Clayton placed a blanket upon Kyle’s body “Hold tight bubba” he thought maybe calling him by his nickname would comfort him. Clayton followed Kelly out the door.

“There’s this old book store in town, the man has owned it since he was 18, all sorts of crazy literature in this place! Maybe he can help with the book” yelled Kelly as she sped off into town. “Ya know this is probably the first time the two of us have had alone time since I moved down here” said Clayton looking over at his baby sister “that’s not true! I’m just busy now, with the Mer’s and all” she explained “I know, your not a baby anymore, but I can’t help but miss you sis” Clayton said “everything is so different now, I wonder if anything will ever feel normal again” “is that what you want? For things to be normal?” asked Kelly “because I am who I am now, I can’t change back” she said “I know Kelly, that’s not the problem, it just seems like were always putting ourselves in danger and sometimes I forget to look out for you” he said as they pulled up to the book store “I know Clay, but we gotta help him, maybe one day all the craziness will be done and over with and we can be in peace. But for now, we gotta stay focused” explained Kelly as she hopped out of the car and wondered inside with Clayton.

“How can I help you” said the man as he leaned on a cart full of books “we were wondering if you could look at a book for us, maybe tell us a little about it, when it was made, who it belonged too?” Clayton asked the man “give it here” the man said with a tone that suggested that they were imposing. The man began examining the book, he seemed excited “where did you find this?” he demanded an answer “in my attic, the house belonged to Tyson Gabriel, the old farmer who lived there before me” he explained “any idea why Tyson would have something like this?” the man said “Uhh, well if I knew what it was maybe I could tell you”.

“This book belongs to a bunch of men who called themselves, The Black Group. Back in the 1300’s it was said that these men’s wives were murdered by towns folk after the town believed they were Witches. After they were killed and their corpses were burned, the husbands found that they were in fact practicing witchcraft. Driven by anger, sadness and revenge, these men used the witchery to try and bring them back from the dead. No one knows how they did it, but legend has it that they were successful. They were able to bring a spirit back, but it wasn’t the spirit they wanted, in fact it was a nasty one. Needless to say the men of the black group turned up dead, all except one. His name was, Salazar” the man flipped the book around “see here, his name is on the back. He wrote this book, created it to try once again to bring back his wife, only this time he was discovered. The legend says that he hid the book, along with some sort of portal. However, all of this was a legend, no one ever believed that the book existed, but it seems that it does.” The man threw the book on the table “I want no part of this”.

“Come on Kelly let’s go” said Clayton as they grabbed the book and began leaving the building “what about Kyle” she yelled. The man turned around and looked at them “exorkismos” he whispered “excuse me?” asked Kelly “did you read anything from that book?” “Yes,” replied Clayton “something the black group didn’t understand was that spirits with unfinished business, otherwise known as evil spirits are much stronger then the ones at peace. They tried bringing back their wives, when they actually brought back something horrible that ended up getting them all killed. If your friend is sick, this means that the spirit you unleashed is trying to take his body, and it will succeed, and you will die”. “How do we stop it?” asked Clayton. The man began walking away when Clayton took a large book and threw it through a window “HOW DO WE STOP IT?” he yelled.

Jordan took up writing; he thought maybe one day his stories would be worth reading to someone. He never cared much for fiction; he wanted to document his life. He will live forever now, as a vampire. He wanted to make his mark. A man turned Jordan into a vampire and he was killed shortly after, he had no guidance as to how to be a vampire. Yet he somehow had the bright idea to turn another. He often worried for Alex, she must be just as confused as he is. She was an 18 year old girl with a full life ahead of her, and now she has a life where she can never be who she truly is, she has to hide who she is in order to belong in society. This saddened Jordan.

Alex then came running through the front doors. She was covered in bloody tears as she ran to the couch and buried her face into a pillow. She let out a loud scream and then tore the pillow in half. “ALEX!” yelled Jordan “what happened” he said shortly after. Alex stared at Jordan with the look of guilt all over her face “where have you been?” he asked, when a knock on the door suddenly interrupted the silence. A woman by entered the house with long black curly hair “who the fuck are you?” asked Jordan “My name is Angel, I am a member of the Vampire Authority, and you two have royally fucked up” she said “what the hell is a vampire authority?” asked Jordan “did your maker not tell you about us?” Angel replied “my maker was killed the day after he made me, by warewolves” he explained “Holy shit, you have been a vampire for a year now I’m guessing? And you have no idea who we are? Bring him a book” Angel shouted to one of the armed guards surrounding the doorway. She tossed the book into Jordan’s arms “read this, you will understand. Anyway I don’t have time for this shit. I’m here to talk to your little pet over there” she points at Alex. “You created a little mess didn’t you?” she said as she began stepping towards Alex “I’m so sorry” she yelled “SAVE IT!” Angel snapped back, Jordan still confused about what they were talking about “seems like your little princess here is responsible for the death of two teenagers last night, luckily we have a man on the force. He was able to make it look like an accident, next time it may not be that easy” she yelled. Angel turned to Jordan “keep your dog on a leash from now on got it? One more fuck up like this, you both die”. She shouted as she zoomed past them out the door.

It seemed so easy, all Ashley had to do was pull the trigger and she could get what she wanted from Traci. She wanted power, but most of all she wanted answers. Where was Mitchell? Ashley knew from the beginning that the real motive for her coming to the witch was to save Mitch. She had to do it if she wanted any chance of finding him. This man, Paul, was one of the wolves that took her, beat her and fed her to a vampire. He deserved what he had coming. Rage took over her fingers. She pulled the trigger; Paul’s pleas became silent as his blood splattered. His head hit the ground, it was done. “Impressive, I really didn’t think you had it in you” Traci said. Ashley through the gun on the ground “If you teach me what I want to know, I won’t ever need a gun again” she yelled. “ Follow me, we will begin” replied Traci. Traci knew that Ashley was a friend of Mitchell’s, but it seemed as if she was sincere about her want for magic.

New York City

“Rachel please sit down!” the two of them sat in Lena’s destroyed apartment. “What in God’s name are you doing here?” she asked “I haven’t been totally honest with you” Rachel bowed her head in shame “well things can’t get much weirder for me then they are right now so come clean with it, whatever you gotta say” she demanded. Rachel stood from the couch; she paced around trying to find the right words. “Lena, as you know I came to Bon Temps because of Clay and Kelly, well I never told you the real reason why I found them, I never told anybody” she said as a tear fell from her cheek “you’re starting to scare me a little” trembled Lena.

Rachel ran to her bag, in it was a large black book. It was thick, like a school yearbook. She opened it to a page “What is that?” asked Lena “when I was 16 I tried to kill myself. When I survived a man came to me and gave me this folder, he said that everything I need to survive is in it, you follow?” “Umm I guess” Lena said brushing the hair away from her face “Well when I flipped through the book, there were only about 5 names in here. I put the book under my mattress and when I checked again after a couple weeks, it said the first 4 were killed. The only one left was Kelly, and the book told me where to find her. So I found her, and kept her safe. Became friends with the family; anyway about a year later, her name disappeared. Vanished. It was then I realized that this book shows me people who are gunna die, special people like Athena. “HEY! We don’t know for sure if Athena is Mer” shouted the protective mother “JUST LISTEN!” screamed Rachel “Every file that has appeared in this book, every person, has died. At first I thought it was out of my control but then I thought, whoever gave me this folder wanted me to save these people.” Lena looked into Rachel’s eyes “what does this have to do with me?” she asked “about a year ago, your name came up, your file appeared in the book. That’s why I was so protective of you. I felt an obligation to save you. Well now it’s a year later, and your file is gone, but another was added” Rachel flipped the book around to reveal the file “Athena” Lena’s pupils grew “Lena, someone’s after your daughter”.

Faetasia

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” yelled Megan “I did this once, hopefully it will work but I’m not promising anything” yelled Sam. He had been trying to build some sort of explosive device for some time now, he’d been working on it for a few months, collecting odds and end’s and putting the thing together. Mitchell came into the tent “They think Lauren killed Aaron, if we don’t hurry we may never get out of here” he whispered, “I am doing the best I can! I told you it would be ready soon!” Sam snapped back.

“WHERE IS HE!” Evelyn smacked Lauren clean across the face “Jesus, I told you I don’t know!” she replied while holding her face “The guards reported some sort of disturbance in your room, Aaron went in and never came out” she explained “ya know, you were supposed to be our princess, you were the one we have been waiting for and I never thought you’d be such a BITCH!” screamed Evelyn as she nodded to the guards. Two hefty looking men approached Lauren and pulled out a large knife. One held her down as the other started at the top of her arm and proceeded to cut downwards.

2 hours later

Sam was ready to go, the three of them had prepared for battle. Megan carried a large shank she had fashioned out of an old steel fence and Mitch carried a large whip he had found while working. A guard must have dropped it one day. Sam carried the bomb “no sudden moves, this thing is very unstable” Sam explained “We’re getting out of here tonight, you all know the plan”. The three of them snuck through a deteriorated portion of the wall. “Come on!” whispered Mitchell as he ran along the wall towards Lauren’s room. When they approached the front gates. A carriage making it’s way down the path startled them. Mitchell suddenly was overwhelmed with an idea. Unexpectedly, Mitchell lite the only match they had and approached Sam. He lit the bomb. “MITCH!” whispered Sam sternly. Mitch quickly and quietly ran to the carriage and placed the bomb on the back, he returned to the group unseen “we let them do all the work” he explained. The carriage made it’s way to front gates, it was let in. Every second was torture waiting for this thing to go off. 30 seconds had past “Great!” yelled Sam “I DON’T THINK THIS THING IS GOING TO-“ Sam was interrupted by a loud explosion. The castle walls crumbled to the floor. The panic of the Fae inside was all they could hear. Mitch stepped forward “LET’S GO GET LAUREN! NOW!”

Critter Vol.3 Ch. 3 : Life & Death

Faetasia

Lauren began to accept her fate. There was no way she could escape when she had no idea how. She was brought here, and now she was stuck here. “Come now Lauren, tonight there will be a feast, and you will finally meet all your new family” said Aaron as Lauren sat at the corner of her bed staring into a large mirror that covered the entire wall. “My new family? I HAVE A FAMILY!” she screams “now, now, you know by now not to try and push us away don’t you?” he asks. Lauren wanted to remain strong; she wiped away her tears and stood up. “Let’s eat” says Lauren. Satisfied with Lauren’s cooperation, Aaron leaves the room. He slams the door and locks it. This was Lauren’s opportunity.

Lauren saw a large tree outside her balcony. The branches of the tree brushed against the castle walls. Lauren stood upon the stone ledge. Her foot slipped a little, leaving rubble falling to the ground. She eyed down a few branches large enough to support her weight. “FUCK!” she said as she leaped into the tree. Her body breezed past the small branches, sending leaves and sticks plummeting to the ground. She was able to land among a thinker tree limb as she gripped tightly. She then heisted herself up and began climbing down. When her feet hit the bottom, she saw a few guards running in her direction. She lite them up with a fairy beam and ran in the opposite direction. She slipped through a crack in the castle wall and ran through the gardens and over a small stream. Barefooted and in a long white dress, it was getting hard to keep her balance. She fell to the ground and looked behind her. Several guards were chasing her; she could hear an alarm sounding. They knew she escaped.

Hearing the alarms and the shouting, Mitchell awoke and exited his tent. His tent mate, Sam also exited. Megan was already standing outside hers “what’s going on?” Mitch asked “Lauren escaped!” yelled Megan. In between the rows of tents, there was Lauren, running for her life. Ericka then stepped in front of her “PRINCESS STOP!” she yelled “I’m not your princess BITCH!” she yelled as she sent Ericka flying through tents with a light beam. Mitchell stood symmetrical from Lauren as she was running in his direction. He was waiting for their eyes to meet, and when they did, the feeling was indescribable. It was the first feeling of hope he’s had since he arrived in Faetasia. “MITCH!” she yelled as the guards took her away.

Bon Temps

Kelly raises her glass, and cheered her girls. A drop of froth hit the wooden table of Mitch’s Bar & Grill. She was finally enjoying a night out with her Mer clan. The three girls that were sent over from other districts had become a part of the small town they now called home. Simone, Chandra and Tara. Beautiful ladies with heart and power sat around Kelly with smiles across their faces. “CHEERS!” yells Simone. Kelly looked across from her table where she saw Kyle, sitting in a dim lite booth by himself. He didn’t look right. She could see the bandage still on his cheek from the picture smashing the other day, but he looked deranged. She stood up “I’ll be right back ladies” beer glass firmly in hand she walks over to her old friend.

“Kyle? Are you okay buddy?” asks Kelly. Kyle looks up from his untouched plate of nachos “you can’t be here right now, you can’t” he said. Dark circles consumed Kyle’s eyes; there was something dark about him. “Let me go get my brother, hold on” she said. She turned to walk away when she was distracted by the front door swinging open with such force; it forced a small scream from Kelly. A painfully loud, piercing scream then travelled through the room. Kelly fell to her knees and held her ears. Her beer mug hit the floor and smashed. Napkins flew around the room; Kelly opened her eyes to see that the entire restaurant hadn’t noticed a thing. She stood up, a dozen confused and concerned eyes staring at her. She then looked at Kyle. “She’s coming back, this time for good.” He mumbled and then continued to take a massive bite of nachos.

Jordan lived in his old farmhouse, his prodigy Alex, also lives in the house with him. Since he turned her, she decided to up and leave her family in respect to what she once was. She couldn’t have her parents see her like this. She realized, after months of soul searching, that Jordan was only trying to give her a life, after he took the one she had. Something about being a Vampire excited Alex. She loved the power and the feelings. Her senses were heightened and her strength was incredible. The one thing she had troubles with, the one thing she couldn’t control were her cravings. All she wanted to do was fuck and kill. All she ever cared about was doing guys and then killing them, and that’s exactly what she had in mind for her prom party. Her classmates assumed she died; the theme of the party was ‘Life & Death’ inspired by her alleged passing.

She sat in a bush awaiting her high school crush, she hoped that as he walked by she would snag him and possibly get the kiss she always wanted. She saw him go into a barn alone, this was her chance. She approached the barn and ran inside “hello Matt, it’s me, Alex” he turned around to see that the supposedly dead girl from his high school was standing right in front of him. “Oh my god! Alex! You’re alive!” he yelled. Alex ran to his mouth and closed it with her hand “shh!” she whispered. A girl then walked into the barn. She immediately let out a high-pitched scream. Alex then dropped Matt and ran to the girl “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” she yelled as the woman began running for the door. Alex grabbed her and threw her across the room; she landed on a turbine, piercing through her chest. She dangled from the tractor, dead. Alex was shocked by the power she had. Matt then let out a loud scream “SHUT UP!” she yelled as she grabbed him by the head, breaking his neck. Alex backed u from the body and looked around. She killed two teenagers. A drop of blood fell from her eye. She then left out the back door.

Traci sat on Ashleys kitchen table “I believe I told you that I never wanted to see you again” she explained “I want power, I want to be someone” she explained “whoa getting right to the point are we?” joked Traci “I want to be like you, and I know you can make me into one” replied Ashley. Traci stood from her chair “are you seriously asking me to teach you witch craft?” she replied. Ashley stared into Traci’s eyes “I have nothing left, I’ve been thrown around my whole life and I’m tired of it. Please, help me” she begged. “Come with me” replied Traci. The two walked outside, on Ashley’s front porch laid a piece of driftwood. She held it in the air “grab ahold” she said “what is that?” asked Ashley “It’s my origin, it’s what they call an item that reminds you of home, and when I say the spell, it will take us there.” She explained. Ashley gripped firmly onto the wood. Traci mumbled a few words, and poof, they were in her layer.

“Come” she said. Traci walked along a beaten path, leading to a giant hole in the ground. The hole was covered in a grey tarp of some sort. Traci handed Ashley a shot gun “Here, you think you can be a witch, you really think you have what it takes? Then finish what you started and we can talk” Traci then walked away. Ashley could hear whimpering coming from inside the hole. She was handed a gun, meaning she was tasked to kill whoever was in this hole. Ashley kicked it open and peered down the dark hole. A man with long shaggy hair looked up at her “who are you?” she asked “I’m Paul” he cried. It was then she realized, he was one of the wolves that kidnapped her. “Hello again, Paul” she said as she cocked back the shotgun.

New York City

Lena picked up Athena from daycare, as she walked to her car she tucked her baby girl into a large puffy coat. “Did you have a good day baby?” she said playfully. Lena had left work, and was on her way home. She picked up a job with her cousin Jasmine, she was a substitute teacher at the high school Jasmine worked at, she was vice principal. Lena liked it so far; she was subbing for a teacher on maternity leave until a more permanent position became available. She also picked up shifts in the cafeteria during the early mornings doing prep.

Lena reached her apartment; she buzzed herself in and walked to the elevator. The door was closing as a man yelled out “hold the door” so Lena kicked it back open. A tall man in a black suit. Came into the elevator. The man starred at Athena the entire time. “What floor” he asked Lena “11” she replied. The man reached over and pressed 11, and pressed no other button. Once the quietly awkward elevator ride came to the eleventh floor, Lena exited the elevator. She turned to the man “are you not getting off here?” and the man said nothing as the doors closed behind her.

“Some people can be so rude can’t they?” she asked Athena “No answer? How rude” she laughed. She put the key into the door. When she opened it, she just about dropped to her knees. Her apartment had been torn apart, from corner to corner. Table flipped, drawers torn open, and clothes laying everywhere. She was so startled by the site that she turned to run back to the elevator. She pressed the button again and again until it came to her floor. The button lite up and the doors swung open “RACHEL?” she yelled.

Faetasia

“Now, now, now! Lauren I hope this is a lesson for you” said Aaron as he was washing away the smudged dirt from her forehead. The water was steaming hot and it was dripping down Laurens neck and soaking her dress. “You can’t go running off on us again, you understand?” Lauren stared blankly out to the night sky. “I’m your fairy god father Lauren! I need you here!” he said as he placed his hand firmly on Laurens inner thigh. “Well, you will learn to love me” he said as he turned to wash out the cloth. Lauren took this as an opportunity. She stood up, knocking over the bucket of hot water. She went to run but slipped on the water and hit the floor. “You weren’t just going to run off on me were you?” Aaron said while he dangled his face over her. “You must listen to your father, Lauren” he reached out his hand to help her up “YOU’RE NOT MY FATHER!” she screamed when she reached out for his hand sending a light through. Aaron then spun towards the balcony, smashing his arm off the wall shattering his bone. He then fell straight down, his head smashed off a stone on his way down spewing blood all over the castle wall. When he hit the ground, he landed on his knees, sending his torso smashing to the ground with full force. The bones in his legs shot out of his skin and his spine burst from his body. His body lay on the ground twisted and demented. Lauren looked down as the body burst into black dust “oh shit”.

Critter Volume 3 Chapter 2 : It's Happening Again

Bon Temps hasn’t been the same for 9 months, ever since Mitchell, Lauren and Warren past away it has been unrecognizable. Apparently it took those three deaths to send the town overboard. Many people moved away from Bon Temps, but the locals still hung around. It wasn’t a ghost town yet. Mitch’s Bar & Grill was still very busy on a nice Friday night like tonight. Clayton was finally feeling the stress of becoming the new owner.

“Alright everyone, round up for a minute” shouted Clayton “the dinner rush is bound to show up any minute and I need to go over a few things. First and foremost I would like to welcome back my little sister Kelly.” Kelly stood with a grin on her face feeling grateful. Kelly took a well-deserved break from work after everything that has happened to her recently. It’s never easy to take a man’s life, even if he had it coming. The group clapped as Kelly nodded her head in thanks. “Love you sis” said Clay before he moved on to the next topic.

“Alright everyone put their hands in the middle.” Every night since the horror that struck, the group said a prayer before every dinner service. “Thank you God, for giving us a steady job, great friends, family and good health. Also thank you for helping my little sister out within the last year, amen” “AMEN” yelled everyone. “Alright Jenna, go ahead and read the specials, I’ll be in my office” said Clayton leaving Dayna, Alex, Kelly and Jenna to discuss the menu.

Kyle came through the front doors with an order form, he still delivers meat to the bar every week. Kyle walked through the dining room waving at some locals he recognized. As he approached the door, he could see that Clayton finally replaced Mitchell’s name with his own. He knocked and swung the door open “Hello” he said with a stern voice “is everything okay?” Clayton asked immediately “yup, just delivering the order” he replied “Oh great, I’ll sign for it”. “I have to tell you something, I haven’t been totally honest with you” said Kyle looking frightened “you okay Kyle, you don’t look to well” replied Clayton “I haven’t been sleeping much, I feel like it has something to do with that locket” explained Kyle “Kyle listen, we’re done with this shit okay? Nothing is happening to us!” Clayton said with a stern look in his eyes.

Kyle was ready to leave when the door behind him locked, he turned back to Clayton who was just as surprised as he. “What the fuck?” the sound of air rushing through the room was scaring Kyle “it’s happening again!” he yelled. The massive picture that hung on the south wall of the office then burst into pieces. Clayton ducked behind the desk, a piece of glass flew from the picture and cut Kyle’s cheek. The blood just about his the floor when it floated back up into the air and evaporated into little pieces. Kyle screamed and fainted from the sight.

Ashley awoke from a sweat. She had little determination these days. Knowing that she was upstairs the entire time Chris had broken in, knowing that she could have saved Lauren, it’s something she has not been taking lightly. She has since returned to work, although it was hard to stay focused when all she could think about were her friends. She poured herself a cup of coffee and wondered out onto her front porch. She wondered what became of Mitchell. She remembered when she disappeared into Kindred’s house; Mitchell never stopped looking for her. Ashley wondered if everyone was making a mistake by stopping to look for him, what if he was alive somewhere? This, and the thought of the witch took over Ashley’s thoughts. She was memorized by the power that the witch held. Nobody messed with Traci, Ashley wanted this power. She had been taken over by a Critter, kidnapped by Medusa and a pack of ferocious wolves, almost killed by a vampire and then a few days later, almost killed by a Siren. The one thing Ashley wanted more then anything was power. So she decided to visit Traci.

She had no idea where Traci resided. She decided to check online, when she sat by the computer she immediately thought of something, Chris’s website. She logged on to his supernatural hating blog and searched Witch. The only option was a short description on how to kill a witch. She decided she would skip the part about killing her and just summon Traci. It told her to think about the Witch she wanted to summon, then to pierce the skin and put the symbol of a half moon on your front door. This alone, would bring her to you.

Ashley felt stupid, but she could only think about Mitchell, so she did it anyway. She hated the sight of blood, so she gripped her finger tightly after she cut it open. She began painting the moon on her front door, while thinking of Traci. She then shut the door and walked into the kitchen to tend to her wound. Everybody had moved on since what happened. Clayton owns a new business, Kelly has her Mer friends, and Rachel didn’t seem interested in having friends. Ashley never felt so alone, a tear hit the counter top when she heard a knock on the front door. Ashley was frightened, but this was what she wanted. She slowly walked over her creaking wooden floors and reached out to the doorknob. The door then opened on it’s own. Traci stood in the doorway “you have to be fucking joking!” she yelled.

Rachel wondered through the gravesite. Her wounds were still fresh, she swore to keep Lena safe and she failed. When she came across Warren’s grave she wept for him, “I’m so sorry Warren” she said as she placed a white rose upon his tomb stone. She turned to leave when she was greeted by Warren, in the flesh, standing behind her. “You’re not real” she said “Just because I’m dead, doesn’t mean I’m not real Rachel” he replied “What do you want” she asked “”You need to get Lena back Rachel, you need to find her and keep her and her daughter safe. She needs to come home” “but I don’t know where she is, she didn’t tell anyone where she was going!” cried Rachel “she’s with family, the only family she has left” said Warren as he flowed away with the wind. Rachel remembered Lena mentioning a family member, a cousin she had “Jasmine” she whispered.

Lena heard the cries; she rushed out of bed and raced to the crib. She reached inside picking up her baby girl “hush now Athena, mamma’s here” she said calmly “what are you doing awake huh?” she asked as she stood by her window looking out onto the city “you see that hunny? That’s the Empire State Building! Look how big it is, just like you” she said with a smile. Nothing could calm Athena, Lena took her to the next room to change her and the entire time she stared at the man standing in the corner of Lena’s dark bedroom. 

CRITT3R

Critter Volume 3 Chapter 1 : Welcome to Faetasia

Thoughts, they were all Lauren was left with. She couldn’t wake up. All she had were her thoughts. Lauren would rather have nothing. The only things running through her mind were the horrible things that happened to her friends and herself over time. Time, this was another thing that baffled Lauren, how long had she been drowning in these thoughts. When she shot up gasping for air, it was as if she actually was drowning. When she opened her eyes, everything was foggy and warped. However she knew she was free, free of the constant replay of being shot by her ex lover. This wasn’t a thought or a memory, Lauren was finally awake.

Lauren hit the floor; the feeling of the cold stone on her sweaty palms calmed her. She rolled over on her back as her vision began to fixate. The sound of footsteps running her way filled the room. “LAUREN! YOUR AWAKE!” a man yelled. He placed his hands around her propping her up against the bed frame. “Who are you?” she whispered in a raspy dry tone. “My name is Aaron, I’m here to help you” Lauren’s vision was practically back to normal when she looked into the man’s eyes “where am I?” she asked. Aaron lifted her up “C’mon, on your feet. We have to get you ready, once word breaks put that you’re awake, there’s sure to be a celebration.” He said, ignoring her earlier question. “What do you mean celebration? Where are we?” she impatiently asked again “Lauren, follow me” Aaron began walking Lauren arm in arm to a large stone opening with white drapes. Lauren took a look around; this room she was in was beautiful. Aaron whipped back the curtains “Welcome to Faetasia”.

Critter Volume 3 Chapter 1

Mitchell was covered head to toe in cuts, bruises and burns. He was used to it by now, he grabbed his work boots and his vest and came running out from his tent. “Megan, Sam wake up!” he yelled as he threw rocks at their tents right next to his. The boy still didn’t remember anything about his past, he chose the name Sam and they decided to go with it. Sam came running through the rows and rows of tents with a bucket of water “here we go!” he said as he took a swig and handed the bucket to Mitch. Mitch began drinking when Megan exited her tent. “If my powers worked here, I could make us water and Sam wouldn’t have to walk 5 miles to get it” she complained as she zipped up her overalls.

In Faetasia, there are 5 sectors of workers; each worker is treated like a prisoner. Mitchell’s sector is run by a nasty fairy by the name of Ericka, she has a pixie hair cut and wears a long purple dress as she sits on her throne and orders everyone around. When Mitchell, Megan and Sam were sent to Faetasia, they were seen as dangerous to the Fae species and were ordered never to return home in fear of others finding out. There are at least 50 others in Mitchell’s sector who also were being held prisoner. Their abilities didn’t work in Faetasia, they had no idea how to escape so this has become their home.

Lauren starred out at Faetasia, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Horse drawn carriages were the mode of transportation; the nature surrounding the palace was breathtaking. It was nothing Lauren had ever seen before “this can’t be real” she whispered “of course it’s real” added Aaron “this is your home now” he added “am I dead?” she asked. Aaron laughed as he laid out a white gown on the bed “no silly, you’re not dead, you’re finally where you belong! With other Fae” Lauren assumed he meant fairies “now change into this dress and meet me downstairs, we will announce to the kingdom that you have awoken” he began leaving the room “WAIT!” yelled Lauren “how long have I been asleep?” Aaron turned around “none of that matters now! Things like time and worries all go away here” he added “PLEASE! Tell me how long!” she demanded an answer “well if you must know, you have been in a coma for 9 months and if it wasn’t for Evelyn you would be dead”. 

Mitchell was lined up with his sector awaiting Ericka’s orders. Megan and Sam had been his only friends throughout the 9 months living in Faetasia. Mitch remembered the old times working at the bar and just simply doing psychic readings every once and a while from his office. He was an ass hole back then but at least he was free. Ericka approached “Today the queen has ordered you all to tend the gardens” she shouted. “Well today’s gunna be an easy one” said Sam as they began boarding carriages that brought them to the palace.

Lauren walked down the stairs; there was a large wooden door that stood in front of her. Behind it, she could hear commotion. She swing it open and 3 skinny women rushed over to her and made sure she was presentable. They flicked her hair out of her face, did the zipper all the way up the dress and even doused her in make up. “ENOUGH!” a woman yelled “our princess is beautiful the way she is”. Lauren looked up and saw the same woman that stood over her body after she was shot; it was close to the only thing she could remember after being shot. That, and the screams of Kelly. “Welcome, It’s good to see you up and Adam” she said with a smile “I’m Evelyn, I’m the Queen of Faetasia and we have been looking for you, for a long time”.

Lauren was seated at a table with a cup of tea. “You must have a ton of questions, allow me to answer some of them for you” she explained “please” replied Lauren “You’ve already met Aaron, when you were born he was assigned to look over you, kind of like a fairy god father you could say. Anyway he clearly hasn’t been doing the best job at it and that’s why I came and retrieved you after you were shot. Now, you my dear are very special. You are the first known Fae in history that is half human; this makes you more powerful then ever. You are able to feel, think and react like a human but with the strength and abilities of a true Fae. Legend has it that when you would return to Faetasia, you would be our princess, and a princess you will be” Lauren sat there for a moment soaking in all of this crazy new information. “What if I don’t want to be your princess?” she asked “there simply is no choice” she replied as she placed her hand on Lauren’s “this is your destiny, this is your rightful place” “I DON’T WANT TO LIVE HERE! I WANT TO GO HOME AND I DON’T WANT TO BE ANYONE’S PRINCESS” yelled Lauren as she ripped her hand away from Evelyn.

Mitch was pulling weeds from a side garden when he saw hoards of people heading towards the balcony. “What’s going on?” he said to himself as men on horseback came riding through “EVERYONE TO THE BALCONY! YOUR PRINCESS HAS AWOKEN!” Mitchell looked over at Megan who was working with Sam. The three of them walked over and joined the crowd. There were thousands of people waiting to catch a glimpse of their so-called princess.

Evelyn was pacing around when she turned to Lauren with glowing eyes “YOU WILL DO AS I SAY! I SAVED YOUR LIFE AND I CAN TAKE IT AWAY JUST AS EASY! NOW GO OUT THERE AND SAY HELLO TO THE GOOD PEOPLE!” she screamed “I want to go home” she replied with a tear “THERE IS NO WAY HOME! YOU ARE STUCK HERE FOREVER WETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! NOW GO!” Two armored men dragged her to the balcony and revealed her to the people.

“Holy shit! That’s Lauren!” yelled Mitch. “What is she doing here?” “You know her?” added Megan “YES! That’s Lauren! We have to help her!” 

CRITT3R Premiers Tomorrow!!!!!