"WE LOVE YOU GYPSY BOY!" some of the girls screamed. "YOU'RE THE HOTTEST BAND EVER!"Then Braden replied irritably into the mike, "don't call me gypsy boy. We're called Bloodlust, get it right!" But the girls just squealed even more. Mitch was laughing, "I guess they liked us." Daaron who was already waving at the crowd replied, "no really."Colton didn't really like to go into the big crowds and just shrugged. They got off the stage and were mauled by fans.
"Oh he's so cute! I love his orange contacts, he plays the guitar so well" some group of girls hugged Daaron. "Aw shucks," he thanked. "Look at his smirk, WOW! The bass player is so sexy!" some girls giggled, as Mitch grinned, then he got a little too friendly, and for some reason the girls didn't mind... "Wow! He's so big, and he works out, the drummer is really handsome" another group of girls said as they stood in awe before Colton. Colton just nodded and smiled, the girls squealed. Oh, but the biggest crowd was definately around Braden. "How'd you get so hot!" "You sing really well! I love you!" "WE LOVE YOU GYPSY BOY!" Braden was trying to push them away. "Goddammit stay away from me! My name isn't gypsy boy!" They just tried to latch ontighter.
Meanwhile Iris and Bralyn were stuck in the sea of fans, not knowing what to do. "How do we get to them Bralyn?" Iris practically yelled over the crowd. "Normally, at vampire concerts I can just disappear and appear whenever in front of them, but with humans around...we'll just have to wait. I'm sure Braden will reach boiling point soon." Iris shivered at the thought of Braden reaching boiling point. Suddenly she felt a tinge, a feeling, like she was being watched. Iris looked back at the second floor in a corner. Is something there? Then Bralyn grabbed her hand, "come on, let's go upstairs and wait for them up there, we'll have a bird's eye view too." Iris nodded and followed Bralyn.
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"Good she's alone," a smile formed on a sinister face.
But the vampire Lieutenant is with her. The master reminded.
"She will be easily taken care of, the other four will be even easier.I have everything I need, soon the heads of the leaders of the vampire army will be mine."
Don't fail me. Make sure you bring the girlto me, alive.
"I won't and you'll get your freak in one piece, don't worry." The master was out of the witch's head. Then she peeked from the shadows to see Iris looking at her in the dark corner. She smiled even wider, "but first, I think I'd like to play with the outcast of my former homeland."
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"Wow, there really is a lot of people," Bralyn looked down over the railing to see the crowd."There always is, even if humans don't know what the hell is going on, if it seems big and important, they flock like moths to a light," Iris said her elbows resting as she peered over as well. Then Iris's head shot up. "Huh, what's wrong Iris?" Iris turned her head around.
I can feel it. Just a little bit, I can sense dark magic, it's somewhere here. There's a traitor here!
"Hey, Bralyn I think-" but Iris wascut off when she heard a cry of pain. The girls immediately looked down. Ont he ground floor Daaron was holding his gut, the gun of the mall security officer still pointing at him. All the crowd had stopped screaming now their eyes were empty, as if drones, then they began to attack the band.
"What the hell is going on!" Mitch yelled as he fought off some humans. Colton who had appeared, slung Daaron's arm over his shoulder then appeared before Mitch and Braden, "I don't know. I think the humans are all being controlled." Braden cursed, "damn, that means there's a witch here. We'll have to get past these mortals to get out of here." Then Iris's voice yelled, "DON'T KILL THEM! THEY'RE ONLY BEING CONTROLLED! PLEASE!" Braden cursed again, "I swear, that girl!" He dodged another former fan girl, hitting her on the back of her neck, rendering her unconscious. "What do we do leader?" Daaron said as the bullet pushed out and the wound healedl. "We'll still get past them, just don't kill anyone," Braden stated irritably. "RIGHT!"
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"Iris we gotta get you out of here," Bralyn said seriously. "Right, let's go," Iris said, but before she knew it. Some humans had tackled Bralyn. "BRALYN!" then a human had a hold of her, but Iris easily flipped him. Suddenly weapons seemed to be conjured out of thin air, and each human grabbed the waiting weapon. Iris could hear Braden's cursing. But then she realized Bralyn was in trouble. Iris looked back to see Bralyn kicking off a man with a crowbar. "What are you doing Iris? Run!" she ordered. "But-" "They're after you, they're only trying to keep us busy so the traitors can come get you. Go somewhere and hide, make it hard for them to find you until I come alright?" "But Bralyn-" Iris started. "I SAID MOVE!" Iris nodded, then ran off. Bralyn sighed then went back trying to hold off the now armed humans.
Kill her, kill the vampire Lieutenant, all of you kill her.
Bralyn was then being clustered by dozens of humans. "Oh boy!" She disappeared, then reappeared again, only to be tackled down again. Bralyn fought some off, but there were too many, she didn't even notice the machete about to be brought down on her. Then the wielder was thrown. "Iris! I told you to run!" Bralyn scolded getting off another human. Iris punched a girl in the gut, "and let you deal with this? Not gonna happen." Bralyn smiled a little but then they saw more come from the elevator and the escalators. "Oh crap!" Iris said as a new wave of people flooded.
"Did you notice that the crowd is thinning?" Daaron said hitting another guy in the gut. "The humans are moving," Mitch said as he flipped another guy. Then they all heard a scream, and Iris cry, "BRALYN!" Braden looked up to see his sister holding her neck as a man began to strangle her with a rosary. "F***! I'M COMING BRALYN!" Braden yelled and disappeared. "WAIT FOR US BRADEN!" Mitch and Daaron yelled, but Colton was already gone.
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"LET HER GO!" Iris yelled trying to make her way through the crowd. "ERRR GET OUT OF MY WAY! BRALYN!" Iris tried to reach over to her, and Bralyn outstretched her hand, but then Iris was pulled off. "No, let me go!" Suddenly the guy was pulled back, and Iris gave a sigh of relief as she saw Colton, who threw the attacker effortlessly into the Build-a-Bear behind them. "Good you're alright," Colton stated. Iris blushed, but the moment was cut short when a guy tried to strangle Iris with chains.
"You got till the count of three to get off my sister," Braden told darkly. The man of course said nothing and the burning of Bralyn's neck continued. "1.2.3!" he counted quickly and lunged forward to the man, but then holy water was sprayed at him. "AW F***! IS HE A SLAYER!" Braden cried in pain. But then he saw that the man was too old and not atheletic enough to be a slayer. "He's. A. Priest DEN!" Bralyn gasped. "WHAT THE HELL IS A PRIEST DOING AT A MALL!" Braden hollered. Then he was dog piled by seven humans. "Den," Bralyn gasped, she tried to disappear, but the priest held tight. Braden then reappeared behind the priest and knocked him unconscious. The rosary was still over her neck, still burning through the skin. Braden grabbed it and ripped the rosary, burning his hand. "S***!" Bralyn gasped and breathed deeply, "thanks Den. Where's Iris?" Braden then scanned the area for her, and spotted an iris.
Iris winced as a man with a switchblade cut her arm, but she then went on the ground, spin kicked his legs from under him. She had been cut quite a bit, but didn't even notice them healing up.Crap, this is never ending! Dammit, and the time I could actually use Chance's help!
Iris was close to the edge of the railing still trying to fight off a group of humans, when suddenly she was stabbed below her ribs. She cried out in pain. "IRIS!" she heard voices yell. The knife was ripped out of her, and before she knew it, she was pushed off the edge, falling to the floor below. "AHHHHHHH!" Iris screamed. Not again! Please, not again, I don't want to see those eyes again!
I'll be seeing you soon enough, little girl.
Braden saw that Iris was falling. "NO IRIS!" Then he was wrapped in a bear hug from behind, he then jerked his head back to slam it into the big guy holding him, but then he was mobbed by more people.
S*** I WON'T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO HER! IRIS!
Iris closed her eyes, waiting for the impact of the marble floor below, but instead what she felt was landing in someone's arms. Iris opened her eyes to see Colton holding her. "Colton," she said shakily. "You okay?" She nodded. His brow furrowed. Braden who was watching upstars, felt an air of relief, but at the same time one of anger, or perhaps jealousy?
Then out of thin air a woman with olive green air appeared. "Now that was unexpected, very impressive. But you do know we can't kill the girl, well more like we're not allowed to." Mitch had gotten through the mob and got next to Braden, and Daaron was helping Bralyn. "WHO ARE YOU!" Daaron yelled. "AND ARE YOU SINGLE!" Braden hit Mitch in the back of the head. "Just a question!" "Are you the one controlling all the humans?" Bralyn questioned. She laughed, "that would be me. Humans are so weak, their minds are so easily susceptible to suggestion, it was easy to control all of the humans in this establishment. And what luck!A priest was among them!" Braden growled, "you bitch." She stared at him. "Vampires on the other hand, their minds are so much more challenging." "I'll give you a challenge!" Braden threatened. She smirked, "I don't think you're in any position to make any threats Captain Dering. Besides, your mind may be challenging, but that freak of yours..." Braden's eyes widened as she turned her gaze on Iris. "COLTON GET IRIS OUT OF THERE!" But her eyes already caught Iris's, her mind trying to penetrate hers.
Fall under my spell, under my control. Become my slave.
Iris was silent. "Iris? Iris say something," Colton pressed. Then she opened her mouth, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU CRAZY BIMBO!" The witch blinked. "Why didn't the spell work?You should be weakened enough for it to work easily," then she saw the stab wound begin to close.This girl, she really is different. Iris glared at her, "I don't know what you're smoking, but to get innocent lives involved! You're one twisted psychopath!" The witch got angry, "fine, I should've known a simple mind control spell wouldn't work on you. Let's try this then." She held out her palm and conjured up a black doll. It had incantations written on it and was shrouded in a dark flame.
"Humans are such hypocritical creatures. Before, they would tarnish the name of witch, accusing other humans of being one, sentencing them to burning at the stake. They made witchcraft known as a taboo, and now look at them, trying to practice our art! Gypsy's, love potions from grape soda, moronic books on how to cast spells! They even turned the art of voodoo into a idiotic commercial item. They don't even know the extent voodoo magic has over a person." Her eyes narrowed as she held up the doll. Bralyn's eyes widened. "She's planning on using that on Iris!" "We have to get to her before she get's a chance!" Mitch told, and they all nodded. They began to rush towards the witch, but a horde of humans blocked them.
The human who had stabbed Iris then jumped to the side of the witch, and got one knee, presenting the bloody knife. The witch took it and held the knife. "That mind reading ability of vampires has always been pesky. But what's the use of knowing what I'm thinking if you can't do anything about it. All I need is to put some of her blood on the doll, and she will be cursed. I will control her life, body and soul." Then she held the blood soiled knife over the doll and watched as blood dripped onto the doll. "Drink up thy blood, and make her soul mine!" The doll pulsed and Iris stopped yelling. "Iris?" Colton asked worried.
The witch smirked, "yes, give me your life." Then she noticed something, the dark firewas dissolving, the doll began to lose it's incantaions and glow white, thenIris began to glow, Colton's eyes averted as the light got brighter.Braden looked at the scene,what the...
"What, what's going on! My doll! It's purifying! NO!" She cried as the doll shined brighter, and was then nothing but a pure white doll. Suddenly she screamed as she began to become shrouded in black fire.The Dering twins, Daaron and Mitch were before her. Bralyn spoke up, "all witch curses comes with a price, the price of voodoo curse is the death of the caster if the curse fails to control it's target."The witch fell to the floor, but looked up at them, andthen below at Iris."How? How could a worthless freak like her negate my curse? It's just not possible, there's no way to repel my... black...magic." The black flame then engulfed her, and she was no more. Bralyn picked up the white doll. Now I know I have to find out just what exactly Iris is.
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Iris stopped glowing, and then she blinked and looked at her hands. "What just happened?" Colton faced her, "you tell me." "IRIS!" Bralyn cried as she appeared before them. Braden, Mitch and Daaron appeared close behind. "Are you alright?" Daaron piped. Iris nodded. Then she noticed Bralyn's burnt neck. "Ah your neck." Bralyn covered her neck and smiled, "it's just a scratch." "Don't give me that bull!You guys can't touch blessed things right?That necklace was blessed wasn't it!" Iris accused."Nothing get's by you," Braden muttered. Iris glared but then motioned Bralyn to come closer. Iris placed her hand over the neck and a familiar white glow erupted and healed Bralyn's neck. "Wow, you're getting the hang of this aren't you?" Bralyn touched her healed neck.Iris just smiled then sighed as she grabbed Braden's hands, "what are you doing?" "What does it look like?" then her hands shined again, and his hands were healed. He looked surprised, but before he could say anything they heard groaning. "Uhhh, we better get out of here before all the humans wake up," Mitch announced. Colton looked at Iris, "hold on tight." She nodded and they all disappeared.
"What happened?"a girl asked as she woke up. "I don't know, but why does my stomach hurt," the guy next to her clutched his gut. "Hey, where did the hotties from that band go?" "I don't know, and I wanted to take a picture of gypsy boy on my cell phone." "Yea!" "Whoever they were, they were awesome." "Yea."
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"IRIS! THANK GOD YOU'RE ALL ALRIGHT!" Danae exclaimed worried as they all appeared into the house. "Colton, set her down on the couch," Danae told as she went into the kitchen, he complied and laid her on the couch. Danae came back out and gave her vial, "drink this, it will help." She closed her eyes and gulped it down. Iris's vision then blurred, "what the? I don't feel so good." "Don't worry dear, you'll pass out soon." "WHAT!" Iris yelled jerking to sit upright but then the room swirled and she fell back knocked out.
"I thought you said it would help, not knock her out," Daaron looked over the couch. "That vial just had crushed sleeping pills and water, she's just asleep." "You are one scary witch, you know that?" Braden studied the vial. She laughed. "Now you all want to tell me exactly what happened?Unfortunately that witch you were fighting was pretty strong.Once she revealed herself to you, I was blocked out. Your band put quite the show by the way Captain." Braden just scoffed.
"We'll tell you everything."
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"And then we fled from the mall," Bralyn finished. Danae who was processing this, sighed and then smiled looking over at the couch, "she is something isn't she?" "Danae, I've been thinking, Iris really isn't a witch at all is she?" Bralyn told. Danae looked amazed, then closed her eyes, "can one of you take her into her room?" Colton got up before anyone, bent down, craddled Iris, and disappeared. "He really cares for her, how sweet," Danae commented. Braden tried to ignore that, gritting his teeth discreetly. Colton reappeared just a bit later, hands in his pocket. "So why did you need Iris out of here?" Danae took a deep breath. "I didn't want her to hear."
"It is forbidden to talk about this, but considering the fact I've kinda been exiled, the rules don't apply to me any more!"
"GET ON WITH IT!" Danae coughed and cleared her throat. "Right. Well you see, Witch Territory is a rather large place. The border stops at the clearing where the compromise was held, and some mountains to the east. About thirteen years ago, five years after I was exiled into the human world, I got an urgent call from my best friend Leneya Belle. She had told me, that while her and her daughter Lena were going out on a walk, they found a half-dead girl either 3 or 4 years old in a forest, quite near those mountains.But what really caught my attention was they said she had black hair, and a browning iris clutched in her hand. " Danae took a deep breath, "at the time,no one was sure what she was.They said she didn't seem like a vampire, seeing as she had been in the sun for maybe days, maybe she was a human? But that was unlikely as well, anyways what ever she was, she wasn't welcomed. In Witch Country, anything foreign was seen as taboo." Danae sighed and her eyes softening, "but Leneya had always been the accepting type. She was too soft. She and her daughter took in the girl without a second thought. But the people immediately rejected the girl, they all said to let her die, she was nothing but a bad omen. But the Belle family line was considered the most powerful and influencial witch family that ever lived, so when Leneya resolved to take in the girl, no one could argue. When she was awakened, Leneya saw she had purple eyes, and her face, it was so...delicate , one would become serene just looking at it, Leneya told me, but it defintely wasn't that of a witch. She asked the girl questions, but the poor thing, she didn't even know her own name, let alone where she came from, and when asked about the iris she carried, the girl just said, she didn't know, but she felt like she had to keep it with her, that's when Leneya decided to name her Iris."
So, she was found by the witches, not really one herself.
"That girl... it was so hard for her. Everyone rejected her so harshly. Even Leneya's own husband had insisted Leneya abandon her, she couldn't perform any magic, so he didn't see any use in her. But, I was no different. I can still remember, Leneya visited me in the human world, Chance had turned 4, she had told me she found a black haired girl, who couldn't perfrom any magic. I told her the same, I told her to just drop the kid off somewhere, that she would lead ruin to the Witch's and to Leneya. Leneya of course exploded, and left me. It wasn't until years later did I realize I wronged her, and little Iris. But it was even stranger only a few years after Iris was with the witch's the war broke out I heard, and Leneya called me after years of not talking, if Iris could stay in the human world where she would be safe. I thought if I took her in, that would be my way of repenting for wronging Leneya, so I agreed. Eventually I got to know the girl and saw I was horribly wrong. I was picturing a little demonic brat, but what I got was a fragile, damaged little child. But she's changed now, for the better I suppose! So it's alright," Danae chirped. The band didn't really know how to respond. "You all better get to sleep, it's been a long day," she suggested, and they all nodded. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I thought I said you should go to bed Lieutenant," Danae called not even turning around to face Bralyn. "There is another thing you should know," Bralyn held out the purified doll. "Itlooks like a plain white doll?" "It used to be a voodoo doll,"Bralyn observed Danae's shocked face as she dropped the doll. "What! How! You said the curse dispelled, but I didn't think the doll itself would be rendered pure and useless as a curse!" "Her blood,I saw when the blood dripped onto the doll, that's what purified it. And this isn't the first time, before, when my brother bit her-" "CAPTAIN DERING BIT HER!" Danae almost screamed. Bralyn shushed, "it's a long story,anyway, he bit her, and when he was trying to drain her, he couldn't. Her blood had burned him." Danae tried to calm down, "what are you getting at Lieutenant?"Bralyn pulled out the Encyclopedis on all Existing and Mythical Creatures. "You who is maybe as wise as I am knows, we need to start reading up."
Braden who was sitting behind the sofa clenched his fist as hard as he could, and then he disappeared.
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Iris woke up the next day, in tears. She lied in bed a hand to her forehead.Last night, I don't know why, butI dreamed about mother. It's been a while since I have.I was still in witch territory. My poor mother, she and Lena had to face so many hardships, all because they took me in. Iris then smirked,I'm horrible aren't I? I was the reason whyfather left mother. He wouldn't look at me, and if he did,it would be cold. Mother was so distraught.Then when she left me with Danae, what I said to her...
Iris winced. I said such a horrible thing to her,but she just smiled and teleported me to Danae.
Iris pushed the covers offher, then looked at the other bed. Where did Bralyn run off to? Iris shrugged and hopped out of bed. She went upstairs to find everything empty. "Okay, where the hell did everybody go?" Then Iris felta hand on her shoulder, she back kicked the owner and got a grunt. "COLTON! Oh my God! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Iris tried to check for any damage. He just got up and sighed, "you're jumpy this morning?""That's because I'm a frog in disguise,arf arf!" He chuckled, "frogs go ribet ribet, first of all, and you're too pretty to be a frog." Iris flushed. "Uh, well, no, I think-uh-" Iris fumbled, and he just chuckled some more. Then he got serious.
"Look, I don't like lying, or pretending to anyone, so I'm going to tell you straight out. Danae... she told us about you, everything about you," Coltonlooked at her surprised expression,then she bowed her head. "Everything huh? So you know, I'm not really a Belle, at least by birth?" He nodded. "You don't remember anything? Before Leneya and Lena Belle found you?" Iris gave an awkward smile, "nothing,I didn't even know my own name, who I was, or even what I was. I still don't. Part of me always knew I wasn't a witch, but I kept telling myself that, so I could at least feel like I belonged." Colton grabbed her hand and began to lead her out the sliding door. "Let's go outside."Iris blinked and blushed madly. He-he's holding my hand! Wow,it's so big, and comforting for some reason, this feels... familiar. Iris squeezed his hand, but he didn't notice.
"Are you sure it's alright to stay out here?" Iris asked worried as they took a seat on the deck. "Don't worry, it's not even dawn yet, I'll be fine."He released her hand, and they were silent. Iris's heart pounded in her chest, she could even feel it in her throat. What do Ido! I'm here, alone, with Colton! AHHHHH!
Colton smirked. "You don't have to be nervous around me." She gave him an embarassed look, "you read my mind!" He smirked wider, "actually no, unlike my friends, I believe in privacy, so I normally stay out of other's heads, but there is an exception to that." Iris looked at him in awe, "wow, you're really thoughtful." He smiled at her, "it feels awkward to me I guess. Any way, the exception is Braden, since you're wondering." "Are you sure you're not reading my mind?" she stared at him in disbelief. He laughed, causing her body temperature to rise a couple of degrees. "I may not read your mind, but your face is like an open book." She blushed as he poked her forehead lightly. She rubbed her forehead, "is that so?" Then he placed his hand on her head. "You know you're no different from a vampire, in the memories area at least." She looked at him and his saddened eyes. "I don't remember either, I don't remember anything. Braden and Aylmer are one of the few vampires to actually regain their memories, how lucky they are." Iris didn't say anything at him at first, just stared, "do you want your memories back? Even after seeing what happened with Aylmer and Braden?" Colton narrowed his eyes. Aylmer had murdered his niece and nephew, and tried to repent by taking them in,never telling them the truth. Almost leading to death by Braden, and Braden, he was murdered by the man he loved most, then found out he killed his own parents.Do I really want to remember them?What if I remember something I don't want to?
Iris then felt a pain in her head. I'll be seeing you soon enough little girl. Iris eyes widened too, "I'm afraid, I'm afraid to find out. I wanted to keep on living in the reality I built for myself. That I was aBelle, that my magic would come sometime around, that my hair color will wash out." Colton looked a little speechless as she brought her knees to her chest. Then he slung an arm around her. "What would we want with some regular witch? I like the strange Iris you are." She blushed madly, and turned to smile at him brightly. "I've never seen you so talkative Colton." He shrugged, "I don't know, and I don't like wasting words either. But with you, it seems natural to talk." He smiled back.
It feels nicebeing with Iris, comforting in a way. Almost... familiar.
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"Braden?" Bralyn asked as she saw her brother staring out the sliding door at the deck, his fist clenched tight. "Didn't you hear me?" He didn't say anything. "I don't think he did, say it again Bralyn," Danae said taking out the book. "You won't believe this, but we found out what Iris really is."
