Lavy sat up straight, looking all around her. Though the dense fog she could make out trees but not much else. She stood slowly and promptly fell back down, to dizzy to keep her balance. She pressed her forhead against the cool grass for a moment before trying again. A sharp pain went though her whole body,making it near impossible to think clearly.
She made it to a close by tree and leaned against it, trying to figure out where she was. It had a sense of familiarity and yet seemed completely changed. She touched her leg and when she brought her hand to her face she saw it was covered in dark red blood. She sighed and slid to the ground. There was no use trying to walk around in the state she was in.
She took off her thin jacket and tore it into long strips. She wrapped one of them around her bleeding leg and pulled it tight, causing another sharp pain to go up and down her spine. She stood again, ignoring her throbbing head and started hobbling forward, looking for familiar landmarks or better yet a person.
"Lavy?"
Her voice was shaky and rushed, and Stacey slowly walked out from the darkness. "Lavy, what happened?" She wasn`t going to ask if she was okay; it was obvious she wasn`t.
Stacey immediatly gently pushed Lavy against a tree and pulled a knife out of her side. She tore a strip of farbic off of her shirt and splinted her friend`s leg. "What hurts?" she asked, totally ignoring everything.
"Everything," Lavy said trying not to try start crying, "My head the most."
Lavy let her head fall backwards against the tree and relaxed slightly. She tried to focus on something other then the shooting pain in her body but there wasn't much to think about, "Keep talking please, it helps with the pain."
Stacey clenched her teeth, her eyes spiraling dark green.
"What were you doing out here? This place can be dangerous if." She turned and pulled of a small packback and rumaged through it. She pulled out a sheet of white cloth and a small bottle. She wondered if Lavy noticed that her jeans were muddy and stained and her hair was a mess. This place wasn`t exactly welcoming.
"Here, take these." She opened the bottle and handed two little pills to Lavy. With a flick of her wrist a glass filled with water appeared. She handed it to Lavy and started tearing the cloth into strips.
Lavy took the pills and swallowed them. She took a deep breath but caught herself, realizing that that only made the pain worse, "We have to get out of here, they might follow me."
Lavy slowly pushed herself up, using the tree to brace herself, "Come on," She said stepping forward and almost falling face first into the grass. She sunk down to her knees, "We have to get out of here," Lavy repeated.
"Yes, we have to get out of here, but we can`t do that if you can barely walk." Stacey knelt down beside Lavy and rested hre hands on her shoulders. Her hands grew warm and started to glow slightly.
"You said that they might follow you; who`s they?" She asked, her eyes staring into Lavy`s eyes and hoping that Lavy wouldn`t have the sense to ask why ehr hands were glowing.
Lavy shook her head trying to clear it. It only made a spinning worse, "Some Russian mobsters. When Neo and I were still together they tried to cut some shady deal with us but I wanted to look into it. I found out they were trying to put some people in our organization to try to work in laws to make human and drug trafficking easier. So we cut them off."
"They've had it out for me ever since. And now that Aiden, my Aiden is out of the country for a few days, they thought now could be there only chance to make an example of me."
Stacey nodded, chewing the inside of her lip for a moment. She tilted her head to the side until her neck popped, closing her eyes.
"Is there anything else that hurts in particular besides your head?" She asked as she opened her eyes again. "And if you want to get out of here, where do you propose we go and how we get there?"
"We need to get to the school. If we go to the hospital everyone will hear about this and there could be more attempts on my life or someone I care for. The school would never release information. We may have to walk part way depending on where we are and if there is magic preventing...well magic."
She stood, again, slower this time, using a tree to support her. She focused hard on staying upright, "We need to get out of here as soon as possible. I don't want them to find us here completely defenseless."
Stacey couldn`t help but roll her eyes, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one foot.
"Seriously, Lavy. I mean, I know it`s been a while, but do you really think I`m defensless? And especially since I have an over protective dad that married a Muggle, I know how to shoot a gun." She leaned just sligthly to the side, her shirt pulling tighter on one spot where a cluster of weapons was hidden. "I`ll take you to the school-- we can Apparate, if you want-- and I`ll take you to the hospital wing." She tilted her head, standing up straight.
"You know, you look like crap."
Lavy started laughing but realized it was making everything hurt more. She forced herself to stop, "You don't want to play with these guys. You can see what they did to me, since according to you I look like crap."
She felt her face. Both of her lips were split and bleeding. Her eye was almost completely shut it was so swollen and she could feel a huge gash right above her next were she vaguely remembered be bashed over the head with a pipe and then a spell. She could only what the rest of her body looked like. She leaned towards Stacey for support.
Stacey hook her arm under Lavy`s, hunching over a little to hold her up.
"Whatever. You do look like crap, but I`m still sure I could do a few things they can`t." She smiled, her eyes glimmering to an emerald green. "Come on. If you want to get out of here, are you okay to Side-Apparate? You don`t look like you`re up for much."
((Shortness, but I don`t care. =P ))
((S'ok))
"I can try. If I focus just right when we do it I'll be fine. If not it looks like we are walking. Do you know how far into the forest we are. If it's far we might have to take a lot of breaks."
Lavy tried to stand up straighter with very little success, "Good, those Russians really know how to mess you up. I can't even stand up straight, let alone walk properly.
"We`re about... thirty miles into the forest. Not even on school property anymore, I don`t think. And it would be absolutely no good to walk. We would be making a lot of stops." Stacey frowned, her eyes darkening.
"We really should get going. I`m going to Apparate us to the edge of Hogsmead, just past the Three Broomsticks. Can you imagine that?"
Lavy closed her eyes and thought hard, trying to imagine everything from the sights to the sounds to the smells of where they were going. For a moment she could almost hear drunken men singing happily she was concentrating so hard...
And then her leg started hurting. More then hurting. It felt like she had been hit by a car while at the smae time being ran over by an airplane. She collasped onto the ground taking in deep breaths so she wouldn't puke. It take all her strengh in that moment to stop herself from passing out.
"Sorry...."she gasped.
(time to bring in Neo?)
((Whatever you want.))
Stacey had been a split second from Apparating. Her eyes were closed and she had been concentrating on that corner of the Three Broomsticks. She had felt the air across her skin and smelled the subtle smell of alcohol under the smell of ash.
But then Lavy fell.
"It`s okay." She said softly, lowering herself onto her knees and putting her hair behind her ears. "I take it the asprin hasn`t kicked in yet?" She added, digging through her bag again.
"I think...maybe it best for you to go first. Maybe someone can come back with you. And it will thow the Russians off enough so they wont know where to go for at least another half hour. Hurry, please."
Lavy pressed her head against the cool grass again, "Just make sure it's not some crazy...or drunk..."
Stacey brough out another bottle and opened it, holding out a large capsule and a glass of water appearing in her hand.
"Here, this is stronger, but it won`t interfere with the other one." She hoped Lavy wouldn`t ask her why she had all of these medications. "And there is no way that I`m leaving you here alone. You were almost killed, and I don`t think you could make it on your own if they came back. I can, trust me. I`ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve than you know about, especially if they have any different powers."
Lavy smiled and rolled onto her back. She took a few more breaths, "You're a good friend. Do you mind if I sleep a while. I'm so tired."
Lavy didn't wait for an answer. She closed her eyes and very quickly her breathing slowed and deepened. Just as soon as Lavy had fallen asleep a blue haze appeared about twenty feet away from Stacey and her. At first it was a could but it slowly began to take shape.
"Lavy n--" Before she could finish Lavy was already asleep. Stacey cursed under her breath, lookiing around and putting the meds away. She turned so her back was to her friend, her eyes finind the blue cloud. She cursed again and pulled out her wand.
"Lavy, I so wish you were awake right now."
The cloud darkened from blue to dark blue to black. It only took a minute to take a full shape of a man. He was tall and wearing all black. It was impossible to see who is was.
It didn't move at first. In fact the whole forest seemed to have gone silent in the presence of this person. He stepped forward a little and raised his hands, "Hi..." he said, "I'm looking for someone. I...well, I sort of followed her magic here. Have you seen Lavy Brown by chance?"
From where he was standing Stacey was blocking Lavy's sleeping body and in the dark he could recognize her.
Stacey narrowed her eyes, her wand trained on the man`s chest. Her fingers curled as if they were holding the handle of a knife. She knew that if she swung her arm like she going to throw something a blade would materialize and swing towards the man.
"Who are you looking for?" She asked, forming her own little dark cloud behind her to cover Lavy. She didn`t trust this man, whoever it was.
"Lavy. She goes to school here. I just...I can't tell you to much but I just wanted to make sure she was OK. This is were the trail ended so I assume this is where she stopped."
The man stepped forward a little more and only then did he notice Stacey holding her wand up, "I don't mean to startle you. And I won't harm you. I'm just looking for Lavy."
Stacey chewed the inside of her lips for a moment, her eyes dark grey as she thought.
"Sorry, but with some of the people Lavy knows, I`m afraid I`m going to have to ask you to leave." She raised her wand a little, as if to show she wasn`t afraid to use it. Like she would really need a wand to do some seriosu magic. Still, there was something off about man, something darker than innocense.
"And if you don`t want to leave willingly," She started again when he didn`t move, "I can always make you go." Of course, she didn`t exactly look very imposing standing there. She just looked to be a thin teenager with a well-targeted wand, but that didn`t really mean she could use it. At least that was what a lot of other people thought; but they, of course, didn`t know about the many sharp and deadly knives hidden across her bodice. She had taken to wearing them since the last time she had been taken by someone Lavy knew.
Neo stepped forward from out of the dark shade of the trees. He did so very slowly with his hands raised to his head. He didn't want to provoke this overprotectice girl. Whoever she was he was glad that Lavy had her for a friend.
"Please. I know you don't know me at all and you don't really have a good reason to trust me but...I just want to see her to be sure that she's OK. There was a lot of blood from where I came from and a lot of it was hers."
"She`s fine," She snapped, "Now please leave. I`m not going to ask you again, and if I have to make you leave there`s going to be a lot more blood and if any of it`s mine I`m not going to be happy." She flexed her fingers again without thinking and a hot blue flame sparked between her fingers and wrapped around them like a puppy wanting attention.
The cloud behind her grew larger and darker to hide Lavy while Stacey`s eyes grew slightly redder. She didn`t like opposition, and she tended to show off a little when it did appear, but that didn`t mean that she couldn`t kick some a$s when she needed to.
((Does Neo look the same, and does he remember her?))
(He lookes the same but doesn't recongnize her)
"I would love to trust what you say but you see, I've learned the hard way that if I can't see what's going on, something really bad can happen. I guess I should tell you who I am. Maybe that would help. Everyone calls me Neo."
Memories, oh memories. Stacey could remember all too well the night she had been out in the forest, just like any other, but something happened that night that made it special. A man by the name of Neo had kidnapped her to get to Lavy. She had been forced into a small cell guarded by a very perverted, rather bulky man and stripped of her powers by means of a magical bracelet. Never had she felt so violated before, never had she felt so wrong. It was as if a part of her soul had been ripped out and pinned on the wall for all to see.
Stacey hissed, taking a half step back and moving her arm into a throwing position. She couldn`t throw worth a darn, normally, but she could throw knives. Her eyes sparked bright red now, and her anger was more than easy to see.
"I guess you don`t remember me, but I remember you plenty well. I`m Stacey, and if you memory comes back you`ll find that I only want to help Lavy right now, and frankly you don`t pass the test for me. So you`re just going to have to trust my word or get the hell outa here." She raised an eyebrow, daring him to test her patience. She was quick-tempered at the best of times, and anyone that really knew her would be backing away slowly right now.
"I..." Neo thoughts hard, trying to think about what she was talking about. He looked at her, up and down, for a very long time but nothing came to mind. He wasn't surprised he couldn't remember. He could hardly remember a quarter of the things he had done in the past two years of his life.
If he had hurt Stacey, and from the look of her he was sure that he had, he knew it was bad, "I'm very sorry. I have done a lot of bad things to a lot of people and if you were one of them I'm sorry. I just need to see her. Please."
Stacey chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment, suddenly unsure. She didn`t like that feeling-- she was used to being on top of everything, not wondering if she was right about something. Lavy had said that he was doing better, but the last time she had said that... well, good things hadn`t happened. Before she even knew what she was really thinking, her eyes had lightened to a dusty red.
"I-- I can`t let that happen. I`m sorry, but if anything bad happened to her right now, I`m not completely sure she would make it through in one piece." Heck, Lavy was good as unconscious, and Stacey hoped that she wasn`t in pain even in her sleep. "She`s done a lot of good things for me, and had a lot of bad stuff happen to her. If she`s under my control, she won`t be hurt. I can promise you that much." She said softly, lowering her wand a little.
She was so confused. Could she trust Neo? She didn`t know. Was he really doing better, or had Lavy just said that because she wished he was better?
"What...what do I have to do. I just want to see her. I won't hurt her. I won't even touch her. I just...I've been trying so hard to get back to the way I was. I know my temper still flairs at times but I'm learning to control it. You can even stand right next to me. I need to see her."
He took another few steps forward. It closed the distance between them but he still stayed far enough away so Stacey wouldn't feel completely trapped. From inside the cloud a soft moan escaped Lavy's lips. It wasn't loud enough for Neo to hear but Stacey could.
The low moan reached Stacey and she stiffened.
*Lavy, you had better get conscious enough to answer me right now,* She thought, trying to push her some sort of healing enregy towards her friend whil blocking her thoughts from Neo. *Can he see you? I`m not going to let him touch you, and you`re in no shape to argue about thhat, but can he[/i] see you?* The thoughts were rushed as she tried to get an answer before Neo made it for her.
Stacey raised her wand again, I want you to take a big step back and take anything off of you that has any magic qualities." She said in a very in-charge sounding voice. She didn`t want him slapping another bracelet on her when he got the chance. "And I want your wand, if you have it."
There was no response from Lavy.
Neo took two steps back. He took off his heavy black jacket and tossed it to Stacey. He reached very slowly to his back pocket and pulled out his wand. He placed it on the ground and kicked it over to her, "That's everything I promise. I have a device in the jacket that can follow magic traces. That's how I got here."
Stacey caught the jacket and folded it at her feet, still waiting for Lavy to respond but having a feeling that she wouldn`t. She leaned over and picked up the wand, keeping one eye on the man. She looked it over, then tapped it once and slid it up her sleeve. She stared at Neo for a moment.
"I`m telling you, if you screw her up any more than she is, I`m going to kill you." It was plain in her eyes that she was dead serious. She really cared for Lavy, and felt like she owed her something for having needed help all of the time. With a wave up her hand she stepped to the side and the dark cloud lifted.
Neo watched as the cloud lifted up to revel Lavy's unconscious body. Neo's mouth feel open, "Lavy," In no time at all he was by her side, "Lavy, love? Wake up."
Neo moved her hair out of her face, "What happened to her?"
Stacey stepped closer to her friend, her wand still pointed in Neo`s direction.
"Attacked by Russian mobsters, she said, ones you knew." She raised an eyebrow, looking down at him slightly accusingly. She wanted to get out of here, and we tried to Apparate, but she fell asleep right before you got here." She sniffled, her eyes moving green. "She was worried they would come back and attack again, but I guess she didn`t know about my little sheild. Don`t know how you got through it." She flexed her fingers of her free hand, the little flame still there and still moving.
"My magic is slightly different from most people. Most spells and charms, even powerful ones don't effect me."
He pulled her jacket off of her slowly trying to prevent more pain but that didn't help. She moaned loudly, stopping him in his tracks, "Shh.....don't move Lavy. Your hurt."
She rolled to her side and looked up at him. She started to smile but it turned into a grimace, "...Russians..."
"I heard. Don't worry. I'll take care of them later," He looked up at Stacey, "We need to get her to a hospital."
Maybe it was the smile Lavy gave him when she opened her eyes, but Stacey found herself nodding.
"I know. I tried to Apparate, like I said. I was going to tra-- get her out of here another way when you got here." She said as she kneeled beside Lavy. She reached into her pocket and pulled out larger pill she hadn`t taken. "Here. Take it this time." She said, another glass of water appearing in her hand as she leaned over her and carefully opened her mouth.
Lavy shook her head, "I want to sleep."
Neo pulled her up into a sitting position so that her head rested against his chest, "Lavs you have to take this. It will make you feel better, love," He took the pill out of Stacey's hand, wondering what it did. He hoped it would kill ll the pain she was in. He hated seeing her in pain, especially when he caused it and in this case he felt responsible. He hadn't taken care of the Russians when he had the chance a few months earlier.
She shook her head again, "I don't want to take anything else. It makes me feel weird," She started to lose consciousness as she spoke.
"Lavs you got to try and stay awake, OK? You can't go to sleep on us."He stood and picked her up, "We need to get her out of here or she won't make it to morning."
Stacey rolled her eyes as lavy spoke the second time. Really, now she just wanted to shake her. Maybe then she`s realize what could happen to her.
"Lavy, come on, now. If you take that, everything will go away, okay? You`re not going to hurt any more, and when you wake up you`ll be safe." Her eyes moved to meet Neo`s, but she was still talking to her friend. "I promise you, I`m not going to let anything happen, but you have to take the pill." She held out the glass of water, trying to make it look as if her hand weren`t shaking.
She turned to Neo. "I can get her out of her and to safety, but if we travel my way... you can`t go." She said, her eyes slowly sinking black. It was the safest color to be right now; black wouldn`t let any of her emmotion leak through. "I`ve heard too much and been through too much to be able to trust you. If your intentions are good, I`m sorry for being so cold, but I`ve learned not to trust." She shrugged. "I can get her in a safe place. I can get her help. She`ll be safe with me. That pill`s gonna put her out for quite a few hourse, but it`ll be easier for her that way."
Neo looked at Stacey's eyes. She didn't trust him, that much was clear. He was slightly offended by that, considering his progress, but at the same time completely agreed with her. He wouldn't trust himself in her position either. In fact, the moments where he was close to sinking back to the madness that caused him to do so much damage to the ones he loved, he didn't trust himself.
"I can get all of us out of here, but you'll have to put down your shield for a moment."
Just as he said the words a loud crack erupted though the trees, silencing it once more. Nothing happened at first until though the trees a huge mass started approaching. It wasn't just in one spot. The mass stretched all the way around them and closed in.
"Russians...." Lavy whispered.
Stacey turned and growled under her breath, looking out at the people that surrounded them.
"Just give Lavy the pill." She hissed, raising her hands and swirling them around in figure eight motions like a conductor. An opaque sheild exploded into a large circle around the three, growing until it formed a dome above them. Stacey turned back to Neo and Lavy, much tenser than she was a few moments before. Her eyes had abandned the black color and were whizzing between lime green and a rather nasty looking purple. "Unless they can make shock waves, they shouldn`t be able to get through that," She started, a little out of breath, "but my other sheild is still us, and it`ll stay that way until you tell me where you`ll take us if I lower it."
She wrapped her fingers around one of Lavy`s wrist, again looking out at the large men circling her barrier. The top of the dome was flickering, obviously having trouble staying connected.
"You`d better hurry up. I haven`t done something quite this large before under pressure, and I don`t know how long it`ll hold. I`ve got a gun and knives, but I can`t save you or her if I breaks." That was a little lie. Stacey would make Lavy was safe from these people, whether that left Neo behind or not.
Neo took the pill and pressed it against her lips. Lavy turned her head away from him. He paused, pulling back his frustration. Lavy always knew the best way to annoying him. He didn't want to give Stacey a reason to hit him with a spell and fighting with a half conscious, slightly loopy girl was a good way to get hurt.
"Lavy made sure I couldn't Apperate onto the grounds so I'll take us outside the grounds. They'll follow us I'm sure," He said gesturing with his head to the mod outside Stacey's spell, "Or I could take us into the town, which at this point is probably be safer."
Neo looked up at the top of the doom. It was holding on my a thread, "Our other option is staying here while we have this conversation and wait for them to kill you and torture Lavy and I until we want to be killed."
Stacey snorted and flicked her hand. Instantly ten foot tall flames exploded around the outer edge of her large circle. She could see the Russians pulling away, alarmed, and cursing. She couldn`t help but smile, and she weakened that area of her shield. Fire was her specialty. She could do this all day if she had to.
Without even looking at Neo, she crouched down beside Lavy and took the pill, holding it against her lips. "You people have no faith in me. I don`t think Lavy`s really trusted me with anything since I got married." She frowned and flexed her left hand. Her wedding ring glittered in the dimming light, but somehow it was still beautiful.
"Now, you`re going to take us wherever you said you would, and once we get somewhere with substantial healing abilities, I can heal her just fine." She looked up at the man who had locked her in a cell, finding that somewhere deep inside her she was starting to trust him, even if it was just a little.
"Why wouldn't she turst you," He asked, picking Lavy up again.
(short i know lol)
Stacey looked around, but didn`t look at Neo.
"Well, she trusted me, but... it`s hard to explain to a guy. She trusted me when it came to things like this, but when it came to making the right choices for myself, I guess that`s where she trailed off. She never wanted me to marry Aiden," She almost said my Aiden, but she wasn`t so sure Neo would like to hear about him. "She wanted me to wait a few years, make sure I was ready and everything. I didn`t listen of course, but I`m still happy, so I don`t see the problem." She stood up nimbly, her eyes on the opposite side of the circle. Her fingers were still wrapped around one of Lavy`s wrists, and she didn`t let it go.
"Come on. Even with the fire, the dome isn`t going to last that long."
"I'm sorry," He started, "That's probably my fault. She and I ended really bad. Really badly. So she's kind of reluctant to things like love, especially young love."
"Lets get out of here," He said, seeing the blames going out by spells the Russians were thowing at it. He pulled Stacey closer into a kind of one armed hug, "This is going to feel weird. I do it differently then others."
Stacey flicked her free hand out, sending another wall of flames up; these ones were blue with heat, and she could see at least two men that caught fire.
"Yeah, I know. Now let`s just get out of here. Again, you have no faith in me. I know a lot more than the average wizard."
((Shortness...))
Neo was able to chuckle, even in a moment like this, "I'm sure you are."
The next moment they were in darkness. The fire and shouting men were gone replaced by the cool breeze of the night. Neo held Lavy closer to keep her warm. After all, her jacket was left in the forest and the rest of her cloths were pretty much shreds.
"We should get out of here, they'll be here soon enough when they notice we aren't there anymore."
Stacey rolled her eyes again, trying to calm herself down now that they were away from danger. Well, at least the biggest threat. She wasn`t sure about Neo, still. Old habits die hard.
"Like I said, I can get her out of her, if you`ll just let me." She held up her hand, still holding Lavy`s wrist. "You just gotta trust me a little. Besides, what have I done to you that you give you a reason not to trust me?"
This time he laughed outloud, although it was strainded, "As much as I wish I could trust you, I don't. Although you are very clever," He took a large step away from her, pulling Lavy out of her iron grip, "I don't really trust anyone, sometimes not even Lavs."
"You can come though, and we better make it quick," He turned walking down the pathway towards town, leaving Stacey standing there.
The very second he pulled Lavy from her grasp her eyes were red again, as were her hands. They glowed her a real heat, one that went down deeper than anything else.
"I`m not just going to let you take her." She said, suddenly right beside him, walking along. Somehow she listened to her common sense and didn`t try to stop him.
"I didn't expect you to. Besides-
The next second all three of them were on the ground in pain. There was a good twenty yards in between them. The night sky was lit up with what look like at first fireworks but as it reached the ground it looked like fire balls. What seemed like a thousand fire balls closed the distance to them. Neo stood up and lifted his arms above his head and a thin doomed film went around each of them. The fire balls landed on the force fields and rolled off.
Lavy lifted her head just in time to see Neo blown back by a spell. She wanted to do something or tell Stacey to do something but she didn't have the strength. At that moment she realized she was screaming bloody murder. She couldn't understand the pain. Very bone in her body felt like it was being smashed.
Stacey hit the ground flat on her stomach and she could feel a rib crack. She moaned in pain and rolled onto her back to get the weight off of her rib cage. She layed on her back, taking in what was around her. Her eyes were black as the night, as if they were trying to blend in, and there was a knife in each hand. She saw Neo raise his arms, then be blown back. She closed her dark eyes and dug her nails into the ground.
It felt as if the earth itself were moving. You couldn`t see it, but you could feel it; the air was being sucked away from them and the Russians, forming a thick dome around Neo`s, one that was much simpler. Great flames followed it, licking twenty feet in the air. Lavy`s scream was ringing in her ears, but she couldn`t lose her concentration. She crab-walked backwards over to where Lavy`s vocie had come from, almost tripping over her.
"D@mn it!" She yelled. "You should have let me take her. My magic isn`t traceable!" She yelled to Neo; whether he heard her or not, she didn`t care. She could hear the men yelling to one another in a foriegn tounge. She set one knife down and flung the hand in the air, pulling it back down quickly by pure instinct. A sonic-like boom went through the air, pushing against the dome. Stacey moaned again, the force hurting her more than anyone else. She moved her other hand around behind her until she felt Lavy`s arm. She cluthced it as if it was her lifeline, and in a way it was. Her body sucked the energies off of her, but she wouldn`t know it if she didn`t remember what Stacey could do. It wouldn`t hurt her at all, not even make her tired.
She sent another wave of flames out, those being what she could control the best. She sat on her butt, eyes open with the force of adrenaline. She slammed her hand on the ground, and the earth shook. Stacey gasped, a wave of pain shooting up her side. She clenched her teeth together and fell onto her side, curling up into a fetal position.
Lavy pressed her face to the ground, trying to muffle her screams. She tried to focus on anything, anything at all other then the feeling racking her body. Whatever spell that they were hit with, it seemed to be effecting her the most, probably due to her already weakened state. Not only did her bones feel like they were being smashed but her vaines felt like they were being pulled to far.
She felt tears pooling in her eyes and then running down her cheeks. She couldn't even comprehend the amount of pain she was in. Just was she felt she would puke from the pain she heard another scream, louder then hers louder then Stacey.
It was Neo, she could tell that much. But it wasn't from pain. Well, not physical pain, more emotional. What reached her ears was more of a battle cry. He was beyond angry. Before anyone knew it there was more screaming, but coming from the Russians. Lavy lifted her head in time to see Neo throw a massive ball of flaming red energy towards them. The whole ground shook again, but this time it was so powerful that the ground cracked open.
Stacey gasped again as the ground shook her broken side. Her sheild had shattered when she fell, but there was no way she could set it up again. It would require her to be in perfect condition and near a large power source, and neither of those was going to be happening. She dig into the ground again, dirt caking under her nails, and sent her remaining energy out. The air was tinged with the taste of electricity, and Stacey could feel that like sandpaper against her skin. She turned her face to the sky and slowly lifted one shaking hand to the air. Her skin glowed with a golden power, her essence.
"Neo, duck!" She yelled, only hoping that he heard her and listened. She made a starburst motion with her hand and the air exploded, literally. The ground had shook, and now it was the air`s turn. A sound ripped through everything, visably pushing things down towards the ground.
Neo heard her clearly over the roar of the earth and ducked just in time. He felt the heat all around him and thought in time to put a force field around himself, Lavy and Stacey. In his shield it was cool and warm at the same time. The sound of the air exploding was barely more then a whisper.
He laid on his stomach for nearly ten minutes before he looked up again. It was dark, it looked pitch black after the air was on fire. He let down his shield but left Stacey's and Lavy's up. He stood, looking around. He heard groaning coming from were the Russians had been standing and sprinted over to the sound.
A man was laying there whimpering like a baby. Neo leaned over him, "Who sent you?"
Stacey`s arm fell to her side as the explosion ended. She was gasping with each breath, a stab of pain hitting her in the chest every time she inhaled. It felt like she had swallowed a knife. Remembering Lavy she rolled over onto her hands and knees, moving towards her.
"Are you okay?" She asked, her fingers fumbling for her wrist to check for a pulse. She was still lying facedown, so Stacey carefully pushed her onto her back.
Lavy didn't answer her. She was dead.
(yeah I killed myself, no worries it's only for a bit lol)
((Wow, Lavy, that was an amazingly dramatic post.))
"Lavy?" Stacey`s voice hit a tone of hysteria that wasn`t very common. She leaned over her friend and placed her fingers on the side of her neck. Her eyes were the color of shock-- electric green.
"Lavy!" She screamed after not getting a pulse. "No, you come back here now." She didn`t care if she sounded crazy, yelling at a body, but she refused to believe that Lavy was dead.
Neo turned around from the dying man to see what Stacey was yelling at. At first it didn't connect. Her words were more of a jumbled mess then actual words. He looked at her for a moment seeing her over Lavy. He turned back to the man, "I'll be right back," he said with the slight smirk.
He started walking towards Stacey to see what all the noise was about.
Stacey moved to sit, grimacing in pain. Her chest felt like it was burning, which was an odd sensation for her.
"Neo," She snapped, "She doesn`t have a d@mn pulse." She pressed her hand to her cracked rib, wincing again. She cursed herself for not having any healing abilities. She might have been able to help her if she hadn`t made three sheild in one night. Now she was too weak to even stand up.
As her words reached him, his face feel. His walked turned into a full out run. He feel to his knees by Lavy's side, pressing his head against her chest, listening for a heart beat. He didn't hear anything, not even a murmur, "Lavs?" He said nearly a whisper, he listening again, and still nothing.
He looked up at Stacey, tears in his eyes, "Do you have healing powers," He asked. It took all his might to keep his voice steady and even.
Stacey looked at the ground, suddenly not able to meet his eyes.
"No. Not even if I tried. Not even if I was full-blown healthy. I guess I just wasn`t meant to save people." She turned away, tears in her eyes now. She never seemed to be able to help other people, but she always needed someone to be there for her, even if she didn`t want it.
"I...I can. A little. Broken bones, stuff like that. I'm not very good," He looked around them into the dark. No one had shown up yet. It was a shock. As much noise as they were making he excepted someone to come looking to see what it was.
'Come on. We have to get out of here." He picked her body up and stood, "Now," He said, his anger and frustration seeping though.
Stacey turned as Neo stood up and stared at the ground. She didn`t know if she could get up, and just thinking about it made her head swim. But she had to. If she stayed here, they would come back. It was inevitable. She leaned forward and put her hand flat against the ground, ignoring the dirt under her nails and the large cut across her knuckles that she must have got from one of her knives. She pushed up and carefully stood up, her chest throbbing in protest. She held her arms out to steady herself, closing her eyes. She could feel herself going into shock, but she just pushed that down and concentrated.
She could feel the overwhelming power of the earth under her feet, and she drew it in. She would need her power back if she was expected to be doing anything tonight, and her mind wandered to Aiden.
"Please, let me." She said as she opened her eyes. "I can use magic that no one`s figured out about, magic that they can`t trace." She hoped Neo wouldn`t question her, because she hadn`t made up a cover story for her father bing immortal.
He nodded, not concerned at the moment about how she came by these powers, "But first we need to get out of here." He grabbed her arm.
The next moment they were in a room. It looked like a hotel room complet with a huge bed and closet. There was a set of bay doors behind them, a warm sweet smelling breeze coming though them. The sound of the ocean reached their ears as well. Neo put Lavy's body on the bed and covered her up with a blanket that was at the foot of the bed.
"Aiden!" He yelled. The doors opened and a man came flying in. He was tall, taller then Neo even. He was wearing dark clothing as well, although not as heavy looking. His short hair made his broad shoulders look even wider.
"What the hell," He asked in a deep bass tone, looking at the three of them, covered in sweat and blood and tears.
Stacey clenched her teeth again.
"You should`ve let me do that." She mumbled, not caring if Neo heard her or not. She backed away from him until her back touched the wall,, and she sagged against it, closing her eyes and only opening them when she felt Aiden, Lavy`s Aiden, appear.
Her lime green eyes lifted to meet his.
"What the hell is right. I caught Lavy in the forest thirty miles off school grounds and then these stupid Russians appeared with him." She jerked her head towards Neo, slowly falling down the wall to the carpeted floor.
Aiden opened his mouth to say something but Neo stopped him, "She's dead, Aiden."
"Who?"
"Lavs is gone..."
Aiden stepped forward checking her pulse. "She's cold," He paused, "And you expect me to what, bring her back? Did you do this to her?" One moment Aiden was next to Lavy and the next he was on top of him, punching the living day light out of him.
Stacey was suddenly standing right next to Aiden, her strong hand on his shoulder. He didn`t know about her powers at all; they had only met once. He didn`t know that she was sucking the energy from him.
"Aiden, let him go. As much as he`s done to me in the past, he didn`t do this to her. The Russians did. Now get up, quit acting on impulse, and save her -- if you can-- before she`s even further gone." Her words were strong and commanding, no room for negotiation.
Aiden got in one more good swing before he got up. He took a deep breath, regaining composer. He went back to Lavy and sat on the edge of the bed. He placed one hand on her forhead and the other on her stomach. Nothing seemed to happen at first but when he whole body began to glow goldenrod.
Lavy took a deep breath, feeling uncomfortable. The last thing she could remember was laying on the ground screaming in pain. And then it all seemed to end. She opened her eyes it was dark still but a new face was over her, "Aiden?"
Stacey didn`t try to stop Aiden from punching Neo one last time. Later she might resent it, but now she just liked to think that it was payback. She stared at the ground for a moment then sat one the other side of the bed from Aiden. She didn`t look at Lavy, but closed her eyes when she caught the motion of a ragged breath.
"Thank God." She breathed, trying to hold the tears back from her eyes. She clenched her hands into fists, her dirty nails digging into her palm. Then she stood up suddenly. "I going to leave you guys alone for a few minutes and clean up." She moved towards the other door, which she assumed led to the bathroom, and disappeared.
((Gotta go. =P ))
Lavy rolled her side. It helped with her breathing, "What happened?"
By then Neo had already picked himself off the ground and was pacing backward and forward, "What do you remember?"
"I don't know. I was tryig to have a conversation with Dasha, you know the women who speacks for everyone, and then it all went south. Next thing I know I'm bleeding jumping all over Europe trying to lose them. And I ended up in the forest with Stacey...I don't really remember anything else other then a lot of pain."
"No doubt caused by Neo," Aiden said, glaring at Neo.
"Aiden. I swear it wasn't me. I've done a lot of things to hurt a lot of people but this just isn't one of those times."
Stacey emerged from the bathroon with clean fingernails to hear Neo`s last words.
"Aiden, please trust him just this once." She said, turning to the other man. Her eyes were brown, like they so rarely were. It was odd to call someone by that name when she wasn`t talking to her Aiden. "When he shwed up, I was ready to kill him. I have his wand here," She paused to pat her sleeve, comfored when she stillfound te extra wand against her arm, "and I took his jacket," --which Neo had picked up again before they left the clearing-- "and he`s done nothing wrong. If you can`t trust him, at least trust me. I have never had a bad thought about Lavy, and you can even search my mind if it would make you feel better. Neo didn`t hurt Lavy tonight; if he did, he probably wouldn`t be here." She looked at Neo, her eyes growing colder.
In this warm room, it was hard o trust him again. He had locked her in a cell, for God`s sake, and taken her powes from her. She just couldn`t see him as the good guy, yet.
Aiden has a slightly offended look on his face when he looked at Stacey, "Who are you?"
"She's my friend. Don't be such an ass."
"Sorry," He said apologetically, "As you can tell, trust has been a big issue in these relationships."
"Not all my doing."
"Oh, shut up. You think that because this time it wasn't your fault and you happen to actually help, it makes up for everything you've done in the past?"
"I didn't say that--"
"It doesn't matter what you say Neo it's what you do. After all this time I can't believe you still don't understand that! After what you've done to me and Lavy, be happy you're even alive because it it were up to me--"
"But it's not, so zip it,"Lavy sat up, "Why must you two always fight wit each other?"
Stacey clenched her teeth together to keep from agreing with Aiden. She would probably feel better when Neo was dead, and she knew that.
So instead she closed her eyes and answered Lavy`s rhetorical question.
"Because they`re guys. They feel all territorial of you, and they want to claim you, but they can`t." She opened her eyes and looked between the two men. 'You can`t fight over someone like Lavy. She`s going to do whatever it is that she wans, whether it`s the better thing or not. So just leave her alone and leave her to it."
"She's right you know. Just let me be," She swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
"You're not seriously considering getting out of bed are you?"
"Yes I am."
"Oh no you are not. Lavy you were dead, for a good give minutes you can go waling about like nothing happened."
"Sure I can. And I will. And don't try to stop me. That never ends well for you," She smirked, "Wouldn't you agree, Stacey?"
Stacey winced at some memory and nodded.
"Plus," she added, "If some kind of wat gets started, I`m on her side. After all, you wouldn`t even let me try anything helpful. You kept getting in the way. Maybe I shouldn`t have warned you when I made that sonic-bubble." She put her hand to her chin and pretended to think about it.
Aiden sighed and helped Lavy stand, "Thank you, Aiden," she kissed his cheek. He smiled a bit, "Ready to go?"
"Where are you going?"
"Going to go find me some Russians, what else?"
Aiden's face fell, "Lavy they just tried to kill you and now you want to go back? No way."
"Oh stop being so overdramatic."
"Can I please get some help?," He asked, looking up at Stacey.
Stacey raised an eyebrow, then reached out and wrapped her fingers around Lavy`s arm.
"You are not going after any Russians today, or within the next week or two. I couldn`t even hold them off, so how do you expect to attack them? And don`t you dare say that you are more experienced than me. You`ve been underestimating me all night, and yet I saved your life." She glanced over at Neo with a slight look of disgust. "And if he would`ve let me move you, we wouldn`t have been found the second time."
Neo rolled is eyes and scoffed, "They would have found you. And they would have killed you, very slowly."
"Shut up, Neo, God. Just shut," Aiden said standing up.
Lavy stepped between them, "Please don't do this right now. I don't want to patch you two up after you finish ripping each other apart. Stacey, can we go back to school. I'm tired of this."
Stacey looked at Lavy.
"We can go in a minute." She said, slowly turning towards Neo, her eyes getting darker. "First of all, my magic is different, unique. Lavy and Ginny don`t even know what it is. I`m not trackable. No one`s found out how to track me, that`s why me and my father aren`t locked up in Askaban. Our magic is different, much different, and I`m not going to explain it to someone who won`t listen." She stood up, still holding Lavy`s arm.
Neo laughed out loud, "You don't seem to understand me. Your not dealing with people who work in a normal plane here. You think because your eyes change color and your magic is different you are suddenly exempt from the rules. But your not. Let me try to put this into words that maybe you can understand. Your not a special as you think. I know what you can do. All of from start to finish every thing. You can't hide magic from me. That's how I can find people with little issue. In fact, the more unique it is the easier it is."
"People think they are so special because they can do more then the 'average' witch or wizard. But the fact is, more people are 'special' then normal. I could find you, using your best magic, in ten minutes flat. The Russians are better. Why do you think Lavy had to jump around. You could have Gods power on your side, literally, and they would still find you. Your trackable, you just haven't come into contact with someone who can recognize the pattern that your magic leaves. The Russians can. I can."
(lol wow he is a jerk)
Stacey raised an eyebrow, her eyes flaring red. She absolutely hated it when someone spoke to her like that. She was raised to not take any sh!t, and she didn`t. She put her hand on one hip, the image of a pissed teenager.
"My magic is different, but you don`t know what all I can do." She said calmly. She probably deserved a round of applause for that little fact alone. When she was mad, she was mad. "I know I still have you wand, but that doesn`t mean anything. I know you can still snap me if you wanted to. But one of the things that makes me different than you is the fact that I have a voice inside my head." She glanced at Lavy. "Not the normal voices like everyone else, but a single voice that`s trying to take me over from the inside out. His name is Jonathan, and he`s my uncle. How do you think he tracks me?"
While she spoke, she was carefully building up all of her blocks, just like Ginny had taught her, and started pushing her powers away from herself. Ever so slowly her eyes turned the warm brown that was her supposed natural color, and she couldn`t use her powers at all unless she took down her mental walls.
((Yeah, but Stacey`s defensive and hormonal. =) ))
(lol but Neo is a crazy dude being written by a girl...this could get intresting ;D)
His face feel. He was done with her childish games. Everyone thought that whatever they had was completely original and never heard of before. But he knew different. He could feel his old self coming out, slowly, but still coming. Part of him knew that staying in the room with three people he had tried to kill, two of which, he wouldn't have minded if he was successful, was dangerous. Part of him didn't care. That unquenchable need for blood was starting to dominate his thoughts.
"You look like a five year old having a tantrum. Your words me very little to me. I know what I know and I know you would never believe that someone could ever fully understand your capability without first asking you. But just because you don't believe it doesn't mean it's not true."
Lavy and Aiden glanced at each other. This was going to be a peeing contest. Who could outwit and outword the other. They sighed at the same time. What a drag.
Stacey shrugged.
"I`m not going to stand here and tell you that you`re wrong. Again, you underestimate me. I know that people know more about my powers than I do, but I don`t need magic to do my damage. Yes, I`ve killed people, and without magic. I don`t need spells and such to live my life. I`ve almost been killed, though, too. As you can see, I`m still here and well. I know how to control myself and my anger. I know how not to act around others." She paused, raising her eyebrow again. She took a step towards Lavy, squeezing her arm gently.
"And unlike you, I know how to treat the ones I love." She knew that her last statement may be a little risky, but she wasn`t all stupid.
A huge glass mirror across the room from them shattered into a million pieces, "Neo," Lavy said in a warning tone. Stacey was pushing him a little too much.
"Sorry, Lavs."
"We're going now. It will give you a chance to get yourself under control."
Stacey looked at Lavy and shrugged. At least she had cut it short, instead of going on and on about how she was right and he was wrong. She was a girl, she was good at that. She waved her hand and the glass swept itself into a pile. Her eyes were emerald green again; she just wasn`t comfortable if she didn`t have that tingle of magic in her fingertips.
"Come on, Lavy, where do you want to land?"
"Anywhere but here," She mumbled. She took Stacey's hand preparing to leave. Just was she was visualizing were she was going she felt someone grab her other hand. She looked up just in time to see Aiden's face come into sight. The next moment she felt the familiar uncomfortable sensation of teleportation come over her. She closed her eyes so she didn't get dizzy. When she opened them Aiden was still there, along with Stacey on her other side.
The air here was much heavier. The taste of salt was gone and the sounds of waves crashing into the shore had disappeared. The room they were in was bright and warm, a fire burning in the fireplace. The smell of baking was in the air. Like cookies or maybe cake. Whatever it was it smelt good.
"What..."
"You didn't think I was going to let you go off by yourself did you? Besides if I stayed with Neo I might have tried to kill him again. Big mess to clean up."
She smiled and looked at Stacey, "This is my aunts house. She's not really my aunt, both my parents were only children but she was my moms best friend while she was still alive."
Stacey closed her eyes, too, imagining that one corner just beyond the Three Broomsticks and the Apparation block. They would have looked odd if they popped up somewhere inside the shield.
But then she felt herself being pulled away, somewhere else, somewhere totally different. When she opened her eyes she saw a place that was definatly not tin Hogsmead.
She turned to look at Aiden, her eyes emerald with irritation and you could tell that she was tired.
"What`d you do that for? She was safe with me, you could have just come along. God, what is my Aiden going to think?" She let go of Lavy`s hand and wiped her eyes.