Chapter 13

The realization of feelings leads to a great darkness settling inside of herself.

Chapter Thirteen

A Great Darkness

           

                Maura sauntered silently into Severin’s room at their mansion in the downtown district of Crescent City. Severin had his head down his desk and he wasn’t moving at all.

            She hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to place a shaking hand on his shoulder.

            “Severin? Are you okay?”

            For a second he didn’t move but her touch seemed to rouse him from his sleep. He lifted his head and looked at her with squinted eyes and grinned broadly. She remembered falling for that same grin years before they had gotten married.

            “Hello, my dear. How are you?”

            “Fine, but…are you okay? You’ve been staying up unusually late for these past few nights.”

            “Business to attend to. How’s Nemesis?”

            “Severin, she’s fine. She hasn’t seen you in such a long time. She requests you. She needs a father figure, you know.”

            “Yes…yes, it quite seems so. Nemesis is a...”

            He glanced down at a photo on his desk. It showed Severin dressed in one of his many fine suits standing next to a girl with long white hair that extended as far as her mid-back. She was dressed in a pair of black jeans that hugged her curves and a tight-fitting top. Maura was on the other side of her with an arm wrapped around her shoulders. The girl was leaning her head against Maura’s shoulder.

            “Fine, wonderful girl. I can hardly believe she’s sixteen already.”

            “Yes, Severin…can you please stop wandering off topic, now?”

            “Yes. What is it you were going to ask?”

            “What business are you doing anyway? Must be pretty important for you to stay up all these nights.”

            “My business is to annihilate that brat of a boy Pierce who has been sniffing around too much with my project.”

            “Oh, God…not this again! Severin, I thought we discussed that we would just kill the boy?”

            “Not yet…Willow’s more important right now. She’d be too suspicious.”

            “Severin…God, how many times do I have to tell you? Just get it over with and kill the damn girl! Use her, then dispose of her. It’s that simple!”

            “No…it isn’t.”

            Maura’s fists were balled up. She longed to punch a hole through that annoyingly calm face of his. Frustration and anger were on the brim of making her crack right about now.

            “Gah! You know what? I am not going to deal with this right now!”

            Maura stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her with a mighty bang!

            Severin exhaled a breath slowly from his nostrils.

            “She doesn’t understand. She never has…Maura doesn’t know how important a tool Willow is to me. She is the ultimate sign as to whether the serum is working right or not.”

            He sighed in the silence and turned back to his desk, looking straight at the papers with information that contained Willow’s recent DNA update.

            Severin narrowed his eyes as he looked over the Waterman boy named Allister.

            He’s getting quite inquisitive, but the Pierce boy is who I’m after. He’s been investigating the private records of the labs that are supposed to be protected by an unbreakable cyber wall. He’s driven me to my last thread of patience! I gave him many chances, free chances, too, to stop what he was doing, but, of course, he had to go even further. Now he’s going to regret it by dying a slow, painful death…

            Severin grinned smugly at what he thought to be a most pleasant notion. He returned back to the work he had been doing minutes before Maura barged into his private space.

            Might as well put Nemesis’s talents to use...

            Severin smiled; an idea crept slowly behind him. He looked at his work; all the words on the paper were making him dizzy and tired…

            “I think I’ll just quit for the night. I’m too tired to deal with everything right now.”

            Severin gathered the papers up, including the stray ones that had fluttered onto the floor during the evening, and shoved them carelessly into his suitcase. He walked out of the room sluggishly, practically dragging himself because of his exhaustion. His eyelids were lead weights that could be barely held up on their own. Severin’s back was stiff and rigid from napping in his chair from all that time. He felt old and knew that, too, was also true.

            Nemesis will be perfect for my work, Severin thought. I do need someone to attain something for me…

            He clumsily shut the door of his and Maura’s bedroom and rested for the evening, falling into a deep, yet fitful sleep.

 

_____

 

            “So…why are you here?” Pierce asked Willow after he was finished with the younger kids.

            “Oh…I just, um, wanted to know if you…if you wanted to do a training fight…you know, just for fun…”

            “Sure…sure…right now?”

            “Yeah, that’s kinda what I was hoping. Hey…Pierce?”

            “Yeah?”

            “Is anything…wrong? With me?”

            Pierce gave Willow a confused look.

            “No…why do you ask?”

            “I…I was just wondering, that’s all.”

            Pierce kept staring at her as they headed out onto the mats. Willow pretended that she wasn’t at all aware of his gaze on her, but she did, in fact, feel very self-conscious under his eyes.

            Why did she ask me if there was anything wrong with her? Willow flushed as she noticed that Pierce’s eyes were in fact on her. She smiled nervously.

            Is she nervous?          

Pierce retracted his sharp gaze on her and concentrated more fully on preparing himself to fight with Willow. He strapped on his gloves, which would protect his hands from any possible injuries that would be bound to happen during it.

            He stared up at Willow. Her hands were on her hips, waiting patiently for him to be done from strapping on his gloves. He stood and she grinned brightly at him.

            “Ready?” she asked.

            “Not really…but, let’s do this.”

            The both of them folded their hands and bowed to each other with straight backs, and they then hopped up and placed themselves into fighting stances.

            “You scared?” he inquired.

            “Now why in the world would I ever be scared of a little sissy boy like you?”

            “Many reasons…let me give you one!”

            Pierce attempted to kick Willow but she slid to one side just in time to dodge it. She thrust out both her fists one by one and landed on her back when he tripped her.

            “That wasn’t fair.”

            “Most things in life aren’t.”

            Willow catapulted herself off of the ground by lifting her legs and putting all of her weight into it. Like a cat, she landed right on her feet, breathing hard. Her hair fell over her face in messy strands. She smirked tauntingly up at him and stood with great grace, her hands on her curvy hips.

            “I know…sad, ain’t it?”

            “Right…”

            Pierce attempted to punch her, but Willow caught his fist in one hand before it hit her in the face and twisted his arm back to his chest. Pierce’s face was twisted and contorted with pain. He dared not groan out loud because he knew that would be giving Willow the satisfaction.

            She than drew away for a moment, and Pierce thought he was safe at least until Willow flung him to the ground with a strong and painful roundhouse kick to the side of his head.

            “Hyah!” she shouted, kicking Pierce to the ground.

            “Ah!” he groaned, holding his head in both hands. It throbbed and pulsed painfully.

            “Pierce…oh my God, are you okay? I…I didn’t mean to! I didn’t know!”

            Willow drew him close and examined the place where she had kicked him.

            She grinned. “It’s not bleeding…which is good.”

            He chuckled, which was followed by a low groan. “I’ll just have one very big bruise. Thanks.”

            Pierce looked into her eyes and she looked into his. Something connected at that very moment…something deeper than a crush… Pierce gently took Willow’s waist and leaned in slowly. An unsure and nervous vibe radiated from Willow’s aura; she shook from the recent fight and shivered slightly. But, overall, she seemed to be pretty sure of herself. She leaned in.

            “Pierce, you okay?” asked a voice. Diane looked from Pierce to Willow and back to Pierce.

            “Yeah…yeah, I’m okay. Just bumped my head, that’s all.”

            “Alright…just making sure. Be careful.”

            “Will do.”

            By this time, Willow had moved away from Pierce.

            “Well…I’d better be going. Thanks for the fight. I hope your head is better, okay?”

            She smiled at him and he returned it.

            “Me, too. See you…”

            Willow headed over to the locker room to pack up. Pierce swiveled away from her and a miserable look overtook his face. A hand still on his head, he went to pack up himself.

            God! I’m such a dunce. I had the chance to kiss her. At this rate she’ll ever know how much I like her.  I wonder…is Willow Arachne?

 

_____

           

 

            Willow gathered up the last of her equipment, glancing back at Pierce as she did so. Her eyes changed from happiness to sorrow for no reason at all. As she zipped her bag, she cracked her wrists so that they wouldn’t ache as much. She exited the Academy by the front doors and swiftly left it behind her as she walked at normal pace. The sun had gone sooner as winter neared and autumn ended. The sky was a blood red color tinged with pinks, oranges, and a faint yellow.

            I wonder what’s up with Pierce? I wish I knew, she thought. I wish he’d just tell me. I’m not dumb enough not to notice. I thought we were friends…or maybe something more.    

Willow strode slowly down the sidewalk, her mind wandering to the farthest reaches of the past. She frowned as a faint melancholy feeling washed over her. She blew out a shuddering breath, trying to drive the sadness away, but it came anyway, more powerful than ever. It seemed like ages until Willow finally got home, and when she did, she was more tired than ever before.

            “I think I’ll lay down for a bit.”

            She tromped up the staircase and into her room, slamming the door behind her and throwing her duffel aside. She landed on her bed with her head buried beneath her pillows.

            Willow had no idea why she was crying. Maybe it was because of her ever-aching heart, which had been broken countless times over the last few years of her life. Maybe it was because of the recent passing of her best friend Viola in the past week. Maybe it was because of the revenge she had vowed to seek on her own father, whom she so far didn’t know where to look for.

            Or maybe it was simply a mixture of all these things combined that had stirred her heart to grieve at this very moment, that wanted to make her cry and scream with all the pain she had ever held and all the pressure that she held so nobly upon her very shoulders. Whatever it was, Willow tried to get it out through weeping, but it just didn’t seem enough. Her entire being felt empty and lonely. She longed for someone to listen to her, to love her, and to hold her.

            At that moment, the phone in her room was brought to life by a shrill ring. Willow drew herself from her trance and wiped her tears away in a tissue along with blowing her nose loudly.

            She picked up the phone with a shaky hand.

            “Yes?” she croaked into the phone.

            “Willow?”

            “Who’s this?”

            “It’s Allister. I just called to remind you of tonight. Is anything wrong?”

            “No…no, not at all. Just a little stuffed up.”

            “Well…okay. Just called to remind you, once more.”

            “Oh crap! I almost forgot all about it! Thanks for reminding me Al…you’re such a good friend. And I love you for that.”

            “I-I…better get going, then. See you tonight.”

            “See you.”

            As they said their good-byes, Willow found herself grinning like a complete idiot as she set the phone down into its cradle. She looked out the window and became immersed in her thoughts.

            He really does care. I just hate to hurt him in any way, especially with the heavy weight of my secret, Willow thought. He doesn’t know what he’s currently in for tonight. It’s so clear that he, too, likes me. What in the world am I going to do? I just don’t want to hurt him or Pierce. I’m in love with them both…

            Willow fell back into her pillow and gazed up at the gray ceiling, pressure weighing heavily on her being.

 

_____

 

 

            That night, the usually starry sky of Crescent City was overcast and cloudy, blocking the stars and the bright light of the moon. Willow finished arranging the pillows of her bed underneath her covers and stood back to view the effect. It appeared as if someone was snoozing in bundled covers.

            Willow smiled to herself, pleased at the effect she had created. She strode over silently to her window and opened her windows carefully. When they were opened half way, one window creaked from the pressure of the wind. Willow’s heart pounded wildly as she glanced back at her door. For a moment of panic, Willow believed that she was going to be caught in the act of sneaking out because footsteps had stopped right in front of them. Her heart pumped with fear and she stood frozen in one spot.

            The footsteps turned and receded down the stairs just as Willow released a silent breath of relief and continued her task of opening the windows. Once they were wide enough to stick the top half of her body through, Willow swiftly climbed out the window and down the thick covering of ivy on her side of the house. She gripped each vine tightly for fear of falling.

            As soon as she was as close to the ground as she could manage, Willow let go of the vines and dropped to the ground. She landed square on her feet with her legs stretched out and both hands in front of her to instinctively protect her body. Willow’s feet erupted in pain as her nerves shot from the shock of the fall. She sunk to the ground, grimacing. She wanted so much to cry out, but she knew she had to keep quiet until she reached Allister’s house.

            If she were caught sneaking out at this hour of the night, Agatha and Michael would literally rip her head out with a lecture on how she should behave better. Ignoring her poor aching nerves, she stood and darted her eyes from side to side to see if anyone had heard her. The streets were all empty and dark as she stood silently, observing the scene carefully and cautiously. Willow balled her fair hands into fists and set off, treading as quietly as she possibly could.

 

            Meanwhile, Al paced nervously around on his dark green carpeted floor. It was nearly midnight and Willow wasn’t even there yet.

            He wiped his sweaty, trembling hands on his shirt and anxiously flicked back a strand of his wavy brown hair on top his head. Allister wasn’t just nervous about telling Willow his deepest, darkest secret, he was also worried about getting caught. And with a girl, no matter. It would mean utter devastation for Al if his mom caught him with Willow and him alone in his dark room together at night. She was very protective of him.

            I shouldn’t have agreed to this in the first place! I mean…what if we get caught? What then? he thought. I have to tell her about Viola and I. She needs to know everything. Al anxiously took a quick glimpse at his window. Nothing. He continued to pace as he waited impatiently for Willow to appear. I really hope I know what I’m doing.

            A thump from his window submerged him from his thoughts. He swerved around to face the sill curiously. At first he saw nothing, but then hair, eyes and a full face gradually followed each other. It was Willow. She mouthed something inaudible to him. A puzzled expression passed over his face as he drew himself nearer until he was finally in front of the window itself.

            She rolled her eyes and strained herself to pull up a hand to point frantically to the window crack. Al finally realized what she meant and criticized himself for being so dumb in the head as he opened the window noiselessly and let Willow in. She hopped to the floor with a light thump.

            “Took you long enough.”

            “Sorry. I wasn’t sure about what you meant.”

            Willow smirked at him and raised an eyebrow questioningly, crossing her arms across her chest and cocking her head to one side.

            “Hmm…”

            “Wanna sit down?” Al inquired in a lower-than-normal tone, desperate not to wake his mom up at this hour of the night.

            “Thanks,” Willow replied. She sat down on Al’s bed as he still stood standing. The room was shadowy and dark from the lack of light. The moon’s light filtered in through the room from the window. Willow’s hair shone brightly in the light and her skin was half dark, half glowing from the pale contrast of her skin colliding with the moonlight.

            Allister glanced at the clock and noted to himself that the time was now past twelve o’clock in the morning. He shifted his gaze to Willow’s lovely face.

            “Willow…I-I…I have something to tell you…it’s about Viola…”

 

            Willow’s countenance turned from cocky to worried. Her brow furrowed in confusion.

            “What about Viola?”

            Allister placed a hand to his head and his face held a pained expression as if he were fighting some sort of demon deep inside his very soul. Willow stood from the bed and put a gentle hand on Allister’s shoulder from behind. She leaned against him, closing her eyes, and breathing in the faint, sweet scent of Al’s aftershave.

            “Whatever it is, you know you can tell me. I’ll listen.”

            “I-it’s…it’s just so difficult…I don’t want to hurt you…”

            “What…what do you mean by that?”

            “Willow,” stated Al softly, turning around while holding her by the shoulders and sitting her down once more on the bed. He plopped down next to her, looking down at his hands in place of her face. “What I’m about to tell you might make you hate me…or worse…”

            Willow leaned against him and took in the warmth of his lean figure. A small smile played on the edges of her lips as she spoke.

            “I’m sure it’s not that bad…okay? Just…just tell me…please…”

            “Alright…here goes. Willow…you remember back when Vi was alive, right?”

            “Yeah…we had so much fun,” Willow said sullenly from his side.

            “Well…I-I…at first, when you introduced us, I was surprised at Viola, but then…I gradually got used to her…she was a great girl…and…and…I eventually began to…fall in love…with her…”

            Willow lifted her head and turned her solemn eyes, which were now even grimmer than he had ever seen them in all the time he had ever known Willow, on his face that he was now cradling in his two hands.

            “Y-you…you were in l-love…with her?”

            “Yes…and I-I…I kissed her, too…but let me tell you that she pulled away and told me that she was protecting you by refusing me!”

            “Y-you…you k-kissed…her?”

            Willow’s voice began to crack from all the emotion. Hidden tears escaped her eyes, falling onto the bedsheets. How…how could she? Viola knew that I was in love with him! She knew…yet she went and kissed him, anyway! She knew! She knew that I loved him!

            “Willow…please…please don’t be mad at me…please don’t….”

            Allister didn’t get a chance to finish because Willow then pushed him away with an enraged look on her face.

            “I…I want you to stay away from me!” she rasped quietly. “And…and to think…I actually loved you!”

            Willow clumsily climbed out the window and down the few strong vines that stretched themselves across the backside of Allister’s house. Allister sat there on the bed, still recovering from the overpowering shock he had received from the words that had slipped so easily from her mouth.

            “She…she loved me?”

            He glanced at the window and ran over to it.

            “Willow?” he called quietly. “Willow!”

            But it was already too late for Willow had disappeared from his sight. Al slumped himself right over to his bed and landed in a pile of dirty clothes at the end of it. By this time he could hardly care what he lay in.

            “I am such a jerk! I-I…God! Why does everything in this world have to be so damn confusing? God!”

            He pounded his fists hard on the bed. Negative thoughts raced through his head, leaving him bare. Why couldn’t he have just kept his mouth shut? It would have been much easier…yet…an instinct deep inside of him told him that it was the right thing to do, but now Allister wasn’t sure of anything. He just wanted Willow to love him again.

            How would he go about gaining her trust once again after it had been broken already once before?

 

_____

           

            How…how could he? How could he kiss her? And how could Vi kiss him? She knew I was in love with him! But…she did it anyway…

            Willow ran and ran, her muscles aching. She refused to stop. She wanted to run like the wind forever, to forget about her troubles and just be happy for once in her entire life. That’s all she wanted…all she needed. Was that really too much to ask for?

            She eventually slowed her run to a jog and gradually to a walk, her arms hanging limp at her sides from exhaustion. As she thought more and more of the predicament she now faced, a wave of overwhelming emotion swept over her and brought tears to her closed eyes. Her throat closed up, and she could barely breathe.

            “No…no…I’m not weak…I-I…I won’t cry…I’m not…w-weak…”

            Willow’s voice was choked with sadness and dolefulness. One clear tear slipped down her pale cheek, lightly dampening it with a silver trail. Before she knew it, she drowned herself in tears as she walked. A great darkness overcame her being, immersing her in herself and robbing her of reality. She barely noticed her body, which suffered from a pulled muscle.

            She climbed the strong ivy vines that led beside her window on the side of the house. She took it slowly and easily. When she was in her room, Willow fell to the floor softly. After a single moment of lying there, she found the strength to bolster herself. Willow crawled over the carpeting to her bed, which she pulled herself onto and relaxed in comfort. She closed her eyes and tried her best to breathe deeply, but each exhale was interrupted by a shudder and a sniffle, resulting in yet another tears slipping gently down her cheek.

            “W-why…why does life…h-have to be so…s-so…p-painful?” she whispered, her breath coming out as quiet as a night breeze brushing softly against her window.

            Willow wrapped her arms hesitantly around herself and shook a little.

            “Why does someone always…have to hurt me? Why?”

            She sat up and drew her legs to her chest and held herself there, placing her head facedown into her lap.

            “Why d-does someone always h-have to…d-die?”

            Willow wept until she felt empty and numb. She breathed softly and listened. Nothing but the wind bushing against her windowpane. She lifted her head and rolled her eyes around the room. The room was delved deep with shadows. She rubbed her red eyes and got a tissue from the nightstand she had on the other side of the room. Willow blew hard to get the gunk out and disposed of it in the trash.

            She threw off her shoes and they landed with a lifeless thunk as they hit the carpeted floor. She turned around and fell onto her bed face-up to the ceiling. She looked at the ceiling with blind interest and submerged herself within her thoughts, pondering everything that had happened and thinking possible things out.

            Willow’s shuddering halted and had soon subsided to dull shivers, and she soon began to breathe deeply. Heavy exhaustion weighed down her eyelids. She closed them and let herself be overcome by the comfort of her bed.

Author's Note

And the love triangle begins. :)