Chapter One

I awoke to a strange blue light. I realized I was strapped to a table, and I freaked, thrashing and flailing like I was about to die. 

"Easy there, girl", and smooth, honeyed voice said. I stopped long enough to notice a boy, about my age, sitting in a chair across the room. His was the voice I'd been hearing.

"They call me James", the boy said. "What's your name?"

 "Lucia," I answered automatically. I wasn't about to let him know my true name. 

"You're in a safe place. No one comes here." said James.

 I made a face. "Except for the thirty or so people that I've been hearing for, hmm, the past fifteen minutes." It was not a question. 

James actually laughed at this. "She's sharp. Show yourselves!" There was a rustling noise and I gasped. I'd thought there were thirty people, but I was off by maybe thirty. Sixty people!!! 

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, unable to say anything more. 

James gazed at me, his chocolate brown eyes never leaving mine.

 'We're the Diviners." 

There was an immediate reaction from me.

 "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!?!?!?!?!?!" I shrieked, not caring that they had saved me from an imminent death. 

"Calm down, Aelia." James looked uncomfortable. 

"HOW DO YOU KNOW MY REAL NAME?!?!?!?!?!?" I panicked. 

"Look." James growled, "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. Choose your fate." 

A frisson of fear tingled up and down my spine. "I think I'll choose...... the unicorn way?" James leveled his hard, cold stare at me.

 " Umm.... Never mind. I'll choose the easy way." 

In my mind,  I was thinking Sheesh. He doesn't get out much, now does he?  A small girl with curly blond hair shuffled next to James and whispered something in his ear.

 "Of course I don't get out much. This is the war between us and the earth."  

"Okay,"I sighed, feigning defeat. 

"No." James said. "We do not let you free." 

"How long will you keep me here?" I asked, panic rising to my throat. 

James' eyes flashed as he delivered the killer. 

"Forever and a day."

"Ha ha ha, that's the funniest thing I've heard today. Now let me go." My eyes turned stone cold. 

"I'm afraid not," James replied with the air of a fat ugly cat. 

"YOU FAT UGLY CAT!!!" I shrieked. I launched myself at him, or tried to; they had tied me down. 

"That's a new one," James commented. "Fat ugly cat..." 

The girl with the curly blond hair snickered, then said, "You know, James, I actually agree with her!" 

James growled. "ENOUGH!!!!!!" he roared. "What is your power???? WHAT IS IT?!?!?" 

"I-I-I-I don't have one." I stuttered.

The girl with curly blond hair whispered, "I'm Valkyrie, but you can call me Kyrie. We were drawn to you because of your powerful aura, which signifies a young Diviner." 

Suddenly, I heard my mother's voice. My mother, who died saving me. My mother, who I watched die. 

Don't trust anyone, Aelia. Don't tell anyone about what you can do, or they will hurt you.

I felt tears well up in my eyes. 

"I'm not a Diviner." I said, my voice suddenly hard and dangerous.

 "Yes, you are. I can read minds. James is very fast, faster than lightning. You have something you haven't told anyone about." I did a mental face-palm. 

She's a psychic, you stupid, I thought, mentally face-palming again.

 Kyrie laughed,"Don't face-palm yourself too many times, Aelia!" I couldn't help but smile. 

Suddenly, a low voice behind me said,"I know what she can do. Untie her." 

I studied James's face carefully. Was I wrong, or did I see.... Fear?

"Are you sure, Lucas?'"

"I am absolutely sure."

The ropes tying me to the table disappeared. "Okay, that is seriously cool," I said. "Who did that?"

Lucas came out of the shadows. "Me."

"Oh. Telekinesis?" I asked, feigning interest. 

"Yep." Lucas replied, and he slit the back of my shirt open. 

"Lucas!" Kyrie exclaimed, looking scandalized.

Luckily I had my tank top on underneath, but even so...

I heard a collective gasp. No, no, no, no, no...

"She's got wings!" 

Crap.

I snapped my wings out through the specially designed slits in my tank top and flew out of their reach. Where is the exit? I searched frantically. I have to escape.

"Come back!" Lucas yelled. Why would I?

"We need you to help us. We're losing the battle against the Decimatians!"

I stopped cold. Decimatians? Hatred ran through my blood. "What do you have against them?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral.

I could feel Lucas's audible sigh of the release of all of his pent-up emotion. "The Decimatians killed most of us. The are intent on the domination of the world."

"That's all?"

"Yes."

So they didn't know. They didn't know what the Decimatians did to people like me. I shuddered. Kyrie walked to me and put her arm around my shoulders. 

"What did they do to you?"

"They- they-" I choked, remembering how they had tossed me in a dark room and left me there for months. I had barely survived on a scarce drip of water and some toilet paper. Kyrie shuddered, reading my thoughts. "Toilet paper?"

I gave her a humorless grin. "It's very nutritious."

She smiled slightly. "I've heard..."

Then I remembered the excruciating pain, so agonizing that I could still feel the metal boring holes into my back, the needle grafting the wings to my shoulder blades. I remembered how I tried to fight using my power. I remembered seducing some, driving many crazy, and killing even more. But no matter what I did, they always came back with more knives, more surgical tools, more needles. My skin became pale, my eyes sensitive to even dim light. My hair turned wavy ebony black. I thought wistfully of my beautiful auburn curls. I lost more and more weight, getting more and more sick by living of toilet paper, until finally, the experiments stopped abruptly. I was put in heaven with real food, and given a warm bath. I'd never felt so good in my life, or what was my life then. 

Then it had all changed just  as abruptly as it started.

"Look at her eyes." One of them had whispered.

"I swear they were black before." The other one whispered back.

I thrashed, catching them off guard.

"Put her back in the cage." A high clear vioce ordered,

Author's Note

I haven't finished this chapter yet, but I wanted to post it just in case I forgot. Comment if you have any ideas of where this should go next, please! I seem to always get writer's block!

Reviews

[Cousitarian]

Okay, good idea. I love where you're going with this tale, especially the little mind reader... However, this could definitely use some editing. Now, I don't mistake this for being cold-heartedness or such but only a way of trying to help. I felt like your tale here was a bit too cramped for my tastes. You should hit "enter" to show an orderly method for who is talking. It distinguishes the speaker, shall we say?

So your main character talks. "Enter"
James speaks. "Enter"
Kyrie finishes. "Enter"
And so on, see? That or I may be trying to be too superior. Sorry if so.

Anyway, I'm trying to help you define your story here a bit better because I believe you could take it somewhere awesome! Seriously, every tale anyone writes is unique or has its own spark to show off. So, clearly, I liked your story and you should keep going with it. It deserves your attention and creativity. Thus, very well done here - regardless of my lecture - and I look forward to this fable's continuance. Keep being creative, you. :)

[Aelia Darkshadow]

Thank you, and no, I don't find you harsh. You're one of the people who actually improves my writing! XD

[Alys Jackson]

Wow... I'm not really into books like this but I nearly peed myself when this finished. Please write the next one fast! I reckon it's gonna be immense!

[Aelia Darkshadow]

Sorry, I got distracted while writing... It happens a LOT! :)

[Aelia Darkshadow]

It's supposed to read. "...tank top..." instead of "...ta..." Oops

[Alys Jackson]

heehee

[Krishna]

I love it! It's great!