Forty-Nine- Briar-Rose

Chapter 49

Briar-Rose

Ash has been taken. A dragon. It landed in front of him and blew white fire at him, Ash didn't even cry out in pain when he actually got burned, just looked at the charred skin with a look of WTF?! But by then I was too late, the dragon grabbed him in it's talons, and he was gone.

I was never scared up until this point, when I was left alone. I slept fitfully, and I woke up to the grinning face of my sister.

“Wakey wakey! I want your head on a stakey!” She sing-songs, skipping around in a circle. So the others get captured, and I get murdered by my soulless sister. C'est la vie. I stand up and stretch, and as I do, I wake up the plants, get them ready for action.

Ariel stops skipping and turns to face me, unsheathing her sword. “I don;t want to kill you just yet... maybe torture you a bit? Yes...” She hisses, “That sounds doable.” She then whips around in a circle, sword out, and a full grown pine tree topples to the ground, it's screams echoing in my ears. I grimace and Ariel laughs. Then she rips out a fistful of grass, and I hear it's cries.

“Ariel, why don't we make this like old times! No weapons, just fighting.” I suggest in a chipper tone, knowing that will catch her deranged mind's attention, thinking maybe it will hurt me to remember our childhood.

“That's a glorious idea!” She grins, throwing her sword onto the ground. Perfect.

We stand facing each other, and she darts out a fist to my stomach, I grab it and use it as leverage to kick the small of her back.

When I escaped Malum's I taught myself how to fight.

She's started by the blow and it sends her staggering forward a few steps. She turns back to me and I aim to punch her jaw, but she dodges and gets a hit in my side, knocking the breath out of me. I saw that coming, but it's hard to fight her, keep her from realizing that her sword is slowly creeping closer to me, and keep the grass moving the sword to me slowly.

I send another kick and manage to take out her legs, but she grabs onto me and takes me down with her. I punch her in the face and get up in the instant she loses her grip. She gets up, panting, her left cheek red, the other has dirt and grass sticking to it. We keep fighting as the sword crawls slowly toward me. She gets a punch in my jaw which sens me sprawling on the ground, my hand on the hilt of the sword. I grab it and stand up, pointing it directly at her.

“One thing about being twins. I know exactly how to manipulate you.” I say. Her face is shocked, wondering how she never suspected. My head is dizzy and my lip bleeds slightly, she looks about the same, but with a bruise forming on her cheek.

“It should've been me.” She growls. “I was born first, its my prophecy! My power! MY DESTINY!” She shrieks. “AND INSTEAD I GOT THIS?! I GOT TO BE RIPPED LIMB FROM LIMB, MY SOUL EATEN AND THEN LIVE THIS EMPTY LIFE?! AND THEN I GET TO WATCH MY SISTER FALL IN LOVE AND BECOME A HERO?!” She continues, panting. Then she starts laughing and crying. “You know what, you always were the universe's favorite, just do it already, just kill me.” She says, still laughing, and when I don't she screams, “KILL ME!” Now just crying, not laughing.

I hesitate again. She's my sister. Sure, she's deranged and wants to breathe in my soul, but... she's my twin. Then she opens her eyes and looks at me.

This is not my sister anymore. This is a monster, a soulless beast who needs to die, the empty shell of my sister. Tears continue to stream down her cheeks. I bring the sword back, her eyes shut, and her head is rolling.

I don't literally collapse, but I feel like I have as I stare at my sister. Then, movement catches my eye. Souls upon souls emerge from where her heart once beat. First a couple, and then a girl who looks like she was thirteen or fourteen. She doesn't immediately rise, she smiles at me, and nods, like I've done the right thing, and waits for another to emerge, she's missing a leg. Her mother and father hug her and they rise into the sky. Then a woman in a wedding dress and man holding her hand appears they kiss and the man takes my hand in a thank you. The souls continue to pour out and then they stop. After about a minute something sits up, rubs it's eyes, and yawns. Ariel, her soul. She grins and waves, back as an eight year old. She looks at me and mouths, “You're old!” and then points and laughs.

She gives me a hug and floats up to kiss my cheek. I wish she was tangible, I want to hold her, this innocent version of Ariel. This is how I'll remember her, not the dead body at my feet, but the laughing, prancing eight year old she was inside. Her soul wasn't gone, just frozen in time, unable to grow with her.

“I love you.” I choke out, not even realizing that I was crying. She hugs me again and then floats away toward the sun. I melt to the ground, wailing now, when I feel myself being lifted into the air. I open my bleary eyes to Jasper.

“Bry.” He sighs in relief. I don't say a word, just bury my face in his shirt and bawl while he stokes my hair and holds me tight.

Author's Note

Hey, I just wrote this,
and this is crazy,
but here's chapter forty nine,
review it maybe?
;)

Reviews

[Abbie]

awwww! you had Bry kill Ariel? I liked Ariel.......*pouts childishly* XD
anyway, great chapter Sophie! keep up the good work! :D

[Amanda]

So cheesy :)

[Sylvana]

The ending of the chapter was sweet (:
Haha, I was expecting for Briar-Rose to die, but it's a relief she didn't. Although now i'm curious as to what would happen if one did die...
Anyways, another excellent chapter, Sophie. ^-^

[Sophie]

So, I'm going back through this book cuz I'm bored and don't have school today, and it's funny because in a few chapters this review will be really ironic ;)

[Sylvana]

O.o

[Sophie]

*laughs evilly*