The Revenant. [ Chapter 3 ] // edited //
OHMYGOD. It's been forever. @-)
I'm disciplining myself by meeting strict deadlines. -NAT- Anyway, just so you guys know, this chapter is supposed to be unclear (malabo, in other words). It's all part of my genius. *shot* If you don't get it, it's okay. You're kinda not supposed to, really. I'm repeating myself. There are a lot of italics. The big italic-y parts are past events or flashbacks--whichever makes sense.
By the way, my only editor besides me is Microsoft Word and he's a really sucky editor. Please correct my gramming and spellage. 8D
- CHAPTER THREE STARTS HERE -
“Another Spark has lit,” a voice spoke.
“That’s impossible,” another person-a woman-argued, seeming incredulous. “I would have felt it.”
“I can barely sense it,” the first voice said. “It’s as if it doesn’t want to be found.”
“But that would mean it’s just a Revenant,” the woman replied. “A mere Revenant.”
“Don’t underestimate their capacity,” he told her off. “Though this one’s Spark is vague, it’s still strong. You must get this one to join us before it falls into the wrong hands. The Unseelie Court gravely needs it.”
“Forgive me,” the woman apologized. “However, for a Revenant’s Spark to be so strong, it must be that of a-”
“Yes, an aetherium,” the man nodded. “Tamara has resurfaced.”
* * *
Helena Flood flipped her light brown hair over her shoulder, annoyed and slightly hung over. A few feet away from her, Julian was nonchalantly rearranging the books on a very disorganised shelf. Beside her, Kaye had dozen off and was drooling all over the mahogany table-her long, red hair a mess. Now frustrated, she slumped even lower in her seat refusing to get up even when the old hag of a librarian glared fiercely towards her direction for several minutes.
Moments later, after having finished an entire row of books, Julian sat down across his sister who stared back at him stupidly. He began, then, to lightly sermon her.
“I told you not to drink, ‘Lena,” he sighed in exasperation. “You just had to let all that alcohol sink into your damned bloodstream, get back to school past curfew and get caught by Luziano, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have gotten caught by that crazed Italian if you hadn’t ditched me, would I?” she retorted then groaned as her head ache returned. “Ugh, whatever.”
“Touché. Still, you should get up before Hawk-Lady comes back to scold all three of us again.” Julian said and tapped Mikaela to wake her up. “Sunday detention is not on my agenda for the weekend,” he grumbled, walking back to the shelves.
“It is now,” Helena mumbled in response as she staggered out of her seat. “What are we to do again?”
Julian sighed again. “We’re rearranging all the books according to the Dewey whatever system. I would be in my room, asleep, if you hadn’t dragged me along to go bar hopping last night…”
“Aww, I am so sorry to hear that,” his sister replied sarcastically. “But you’re my big brother. It’s your job to stick out for me, right?”
“Just shut up and get working,” he ushered her towards a shelf. “Kaye, get up. You’re not going to waste your morning throwing up on the tables.”
He felt a presence approach him from behind and hoped it would not turn out to be Mrs. Clark, the old hag he mentioned earlier. Upon seeing who it was, Julian breathed a sigh of relief. It had only been Caden. “What a surprise to see you three here,” he greeted. “And at this time of day… Shouldn’t Helena and Kaye be in town scrutinising peoples’ outfits or other?”
“Yep,” Helena said, approaching the two boys. “But my older brother just had to get us caught sneaking back to the dorms last night.”
“Here we go again…” Julian began to stalk off towards the opposite shelf but came up with a decent response instead. “Who was it again who fell down the stupid ramp again? I remember she was swearing so loud I could hear her from-”
“Quiet, Flood. I trust you are very familiar with the rule of silence we all must observe.” Mrs. Clark emerged from a gap between shelves. She was a small old woman who wore half-moon spectacles that rested on her sharp, pointed nose-behind them, her eyes were almost golden in colour. Her silvery hair was always fashioned into a tight bun at the top of her head. Her presence made the four students’ hair stand on end.
“Ah, Mr. Hall, I’m glad to see you voluntarily joining us for detention,” she continued to speak.
“Sorry, you must mistake me, Mrs. Clark,” Caden protested-or tried to, at least, under the woman’s piercing gaze. “I was only passing by when I happened to see-”
“It should be clear to you, then,” the old woman interrupted him. “These three are not to be spoken to while they serve in detention. Now, I want you to reorganise the books in the novels section. Can you do that, Hall?”
He nodded dejectedly in response and walked over to the said area leaving the other three behind-Clark was already beginning to scold Helena and Mikaela. This, truly, was not a way to waste time on a Sunday morning.
* * *
The sound of Chiara’s footsteps tapped lightly against the glossy marble flooring-the minimal noise was the only thing heard besides her slow, relaxed breathing and the humming of the air-conditioning system. It was awfully silent in the library. She passed by many rows of shelves as she headed for the exit-her watch read four-fifteen in the afternoon, meaning she had spent another whole day reading.
After reaching the end of the hallway-like section, she heard familiar voices. Peering through a gap between books upon a shelf, Chiara spotted caught the sight of the back of Caden’s head on the other side. He was only a few steps away. Behind him, she recognised Andrei Luziano, the Dean’s right-hand man and a professor at the school, speaking in a reprimanding way with Mikaela Reed, Helena and Julian Flood.
By mistake, Chiara overheard a part of their conversation which had caught her attention and curiosity. Straining her ears-and knowing it was wrong to eavesdrop yet refused to dissuade it-she began to listen and observe.
Mikaela looked wasted and Helena bored as they listened with much disinterest to the Italian man’s ramblings. Julian was a few feet from the table where the two girls sat, nodding his head and occasionally looking at his sister while giving her an I-told-you-so look.
They’re being lectured, Chiara thought. I suppose yesterday did not go well for them then.
“Putting last night’s events aside,” Luziano began lowering his voice, making Caden straighten up as if alerted or suddenly interested in the discussion.
“I’ve found something out…” Luziano continued, motioning for the four to come closer.
Caden left his place and moved in closer to the group. Julian looked around them as the others began to speak closer in a huddled circle-he seemed to be checking if there was anyone else around. Upon glancing at Chiara’s direction, he stared rather intently as if he knew or felt her presence was there-making her hold her breath and move aside a bit so as not to be seen. For a while, Julian’s gaze did not shift but afterwards, he shrugged it off and joined in with the group’s chat.
“…right,” Chiara caught only the end of something Luziano stated. It must have been important for the Concilians had puzzled looks on their faces. “The thing is neither Diana nor I know who. Its signs of presence are vague…rather unusual.”
“A revenant can do all that?” Helena’s formerly bored tone was now sceptical. “That’s impossible. They’re too weak to-”
“I don’t recall ever mentioning what stage its spark is in,” Luziano cut her off. “Or whose it belongs to.”
Spark? Revenant? Chiara furrowed her eyebrows, sort of envisioning that the words would be spelled out like proper nouns. What were they talking about?
“Tell us then, who?” Mikaela asked. The other three nodded, wanting to know as well.
“As I do not know who it is,” he replied. “Neither do I know whose it is.”
“So,” she heard Julian speak. “Will recruitment resume? Things have been hectic ever since Dave’s death.”
“Some may have faded,” Caden added.
“There are many things I’m unsure of,” Luziano said. “However, Diana says that it is a must to find him or her. It has great potential to become one of-”
“What happens if we can’t find it?” Helena asked, interrupting him.
“I doubt that would be likely. This one will be somehow attracted to us-as one of our kind,” Luziano explained. “We will talk elsewhere. We’re not alone.”
Julian looked around again and this time, caught Chiara red-handed. Their eyes met, Chiara’s vision blurred and she felt her body drop to the floor. She saw a silhouette of someone approach her and heave her up. Her surroundings spun and then she lost consciousness.
* * *
Arariel eyed Tamara carefully as she walked along the streets below. Beside him, Friedrich hung his legs over the edge of the roof, looking very much carefree. It was nearly time.
“What do you think she’s up to?” he asked his companion. “I didn’t think she’d throw everything away like this.”
“She’ll return,” Friedrich replied. He closed his eyes, feeling a light breeze blow past them. “You know how she is, always looking ahead. Tamara never does something without reason.”
“Do you think…” Arariel began. “Do you think this has something to do with the Courts?”
“Don’t ask me,” Friedrich shrugged. “You’re the smart one, you should know.”
“Well, I don’t,” Arariel snapped. “I ought to have a talk with her, before…” He left the sentence unfinished and jumped down. Thanks to the dark, nobody saw a winged figure drop down from the turret of the cathedral.
He chased after Tamara and once he had gotten within her earshot, called out her name. The woman halted and turned around to face him.
“No,” she said. “If you’re going to stop me again-”
Arariel shook his head. “Not anymore. I’d like to know what got into you to do this?”
Tamara sighed. “With me gone, things will return to the way they were.”
“How can you be sure of that?” he looked at her doubtfully.
“There are some things I can’t tell or explain to anyone right now,” she smiled sadly. “But one day, I’ll tell you everything. It’s a promise.”
He walked towards her, but she stopped him. “You’re coming back?” he asked with a longing in his tone.
Her smile turned cheerier. “We’ll meet again, but not in this stage. Good night, Arariel.” She turned around and walked the way she originally headed to.
Friedrich arrived behind Arariel, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder only to get it shrugged off.
“Bye, Tammy,” he shouted after her. Then he turned to look at Arariel whose expression had gone sour. “What?” he asked innocently to which Arariel rolled his eyes.
“She never uses that tone with me unless she knows I'm going to be upset,” he heaved a sigh and went away, dragging his feet until they were sore.
I'm disciplining myself by meeting strict deadlines. -NAT- Anyway, just so you guys know, this chapter is supposed to be unclear (malabo, in other words). It's all part of my genius. *shot* If you don't get it, it's okay. You're kinda not supposed to, really. I'm repeating myself. There are a lot of italics. The big italic-y parts are past events or flashbacks--whichever makes sense.
By the way, my only editor besides me is Microsoft Word and he's a really sucky editor. Please correct my gramming and spellage. 8D
- CHAPTER THREE STARTS HERE -
“Another Spark has lit,” a voice spoke.
“That’s impossible,” another person-a woman-argued, seeming incredulous. “I would have felt it.”
“I can barely sense it,” the first voice said. “It’s as if it doesn’t want to be found.”
“But that would mean it’s just a Revenant,” the woman replied. “A mere Revenant.”
“Don’t underestimate their capacity,” he told her off. “Though this one’s Spark is vague, it’s still strong. You must get this one to join us before it falls into the wrong hands. The Unseelie Court gravely needs it.”
“Forgive me,” the woman apologized. “However, for a Revenant’s Spark to be so strong, it must be that of a-”
“Yes, an aetherium,” the man nodded. “Tamara has resurfaced.”
* * *
Helena Flood flipped her light brown hair over her shoulder, annoyed and slightly hung over. A few feet away from her, Julian was nonchalantly rearranging the books on a very disorganised shelf. Beside her, Kaye had dozen off and was drooling all over the mahogany table-her long, red hair a mess. Now frustrated, she slumped even lower in her seat refusing to get up even when the old hag of a librarian glared fiercely towards her direction for several minutes.
Moments later, after having finished an entire row of books, Julian sat down across his sister who stared back at him stupidly. He began, then, to lightly sermon her.
“I told you not to drink, ‘Lena,” he sighed in exasperation. “You just had to let all that alcohol sink into your damned bloodstream, get back to school past curfew and get caught by Luziano, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have gotten caught by that crazed Italian if you hadn’t ditched me, would I?” she retorted then groaned as her head ache returned. “Ugh, whatever.”
“Touché. Still, you should get up before Hawk-Lady comes back to scold all three of us again.” Julian said and tapped Mikaela to wake her up. “Sunday detention is not on my agenda for the weekend,” he grumbled, walking back to the shelves.
“It is now,” Helena mumbled in response as she staggered out of her seat. “What are we to do again?”
Julian sighed again. “We’re rearranging all the books according to the Dewey whatever system. I would be in my room, asleep, if you hadn’t dragged me along to go bar hopping last night…”
“Aww, I am so sorry to hear that,” his sister replied sarcastically. “But you’re my big brother. It’s your job to stick out for me, right?”
“Just shut up and get working,” he ushered her towards a shelf. “Kaye, get up. You’re not going to waste your morning throwing up on the tables.”
He felt a presence approach him from behind and hoped it would not turn out to be Mrs. Clark, the old hag he mentioned earlier. Upon seeing who it was, Julian breathed a sigh of relief. It had only been Caden. “What a surprise to see you three here,” he greeted. “And at this time of day… Shouldn’t Helena and Kaye be in town scrutinising peoples’ outfits or other?”
“Yep,” Helena said, approaching the two boys. “But my older brother just had to get us caught sneaking back to the dorms last night.”
“Here we go again…” Julian began to stalk off towards the opposite shelf but came up with a decent response instead. “Who was it again who fell down the stupid ramp again? I remember she was swearing so loud I could hear her from-”
“Quiet, Flood. I trust you are very familiar with the rule of silence we all must observe.” Mrs. Clark emerged from a gap between shelves. She was a small old woman who wore half-moon spectacles that rested on her sharp, pointed nose-behind them, her eyes were almost golden in colour. Her silvery hair was always fashioned into a tight bun at the top of her head. Her presence made the four students’ hair stand on end.
“Ah, Mr. Hall, I’m glad to see you voluntarily joining us for detention,” she continued to speak.
“Sorry, you must mistake me, Mrs. Clark,” Caden protested-or tried to, at least, under the woman’s piercing gaze. “I was only passing by when I happened to see-”
“It should be clear to you, then,” the old woman interrupted him. “These three are not to be spoken to while they serve in detention. Now, I want you to reorganise the books in the novels section. Can you do that, Hall?”
He nodded dejectedly in response and walked over to the said area leaving the other three behind-Clark was already beginning to scold Helena and Mikaela. This, truly, was not a way to waste time on a Sunday morning.
* * *
The sound of Chiara’s footsteps tapped lightly against the glossy marble flooring-the minimal noise was the only thing heard besides her slow, relaxed breathing and the humming of the air-conditioning system. It was awfully silent in the library. She passed by many rows of shelves as she headed for the exit-her watch read four-fifteen in the afternoon, meaning she had spent another whole day reading.
After reaching the end of the hallway-like section, she heard familiar voices. Peering through a gap between books upon a shelf, Chiara spotted caught the sight of the back of Caden’s head on the other side. He was only a few steps away. Behind him, she recognised Andrei Luziano, the Dean’s right-hand man and a professor at the school, speaking in a reprimanding way with Mikaela Reed, Helena and Julian Flood.
By mistake, Chiara overheard a part of their conversation which had caught her attention and curiosity. Straining her ears-and knowing it was wrong to eavesdrop yet refused to dissuade it-she began to listen and observe.
Mikaela looked wasted and Helena bored as they listened with much disinterest to the Italian man’s ramblings. Julian was a few feet from the table where the two girls sat, nodding his head and occasionally looking at his sister while giving her an I-told-you-so look.
They’re being lectured, Chiara thought. I suppose yesterday did not go well for them then.
“Putting last night’s events aside,” Luziano began lowering his voice, making Caden straighten up as if alerted or suddenly interested in the discussion.
“I’ve found something out…” Luziano continued, motioning for the four to come closer.
Caden left his place and moved in closer to the group. Julian looked around them as the others began to speak closer in a huddled circle-he seemed to be checking if there was anyone else around. Upon glancing at Chiara’s direction, he stared rather intently as if he knew or felt her presence was there-making her hold her breath and move aside a bit so as not to be seen. For a while, Julian’s gaze did not shift but afterwards, he shrugged it off and joined in with the group’s chat.
“…right,” Chiara caught only the end of something Luziano stated. It must have been important for the Concilians had puzzled looks on their faces. “The thing is neither Diana nor I know who. Its signs of presence are vague…rather unusual.”
“A revenant can do all that?” Helena’s formerly bored tone was now sceptical. “That’s impossible. They’re too weak to-”
“I don’t recall ever mentioning what stage its spark is in,” Luziano cut her off. “Or whose it belongs to.”
Spark? Revenant? Chiara furrowed her eyebrows, sort of envisioning that the words would be spelled out like proper nouns. What were they talking about?
“Tell us then, who?” Mikaela asked. The other three nodded, wanting to know as well.
“As I do not know who it is,” he replied. “Neither do I know whose it is.”
“So,” she heard Julian speak. “Will recruitment resume? Things have been hectic ever since Dave’s death.”
“Some may have faded,” Caden added.
“There are many things I’m unsure of,” Luziano said. “However, Diana says that it is a must to find him or her. It has great potential to become one of-”
“What happens if we can’t find it?” Helena asked, interrupting him.
“I doubt that would be likely. This one will be somehow attracted to us-as one of our kind,” Luziano explained. “We will talk elsewhere. We’re not alone.”
Julian looked around again and this time, caught Chiara red-handed. Their eyes met, Chiara’s vision blurred and she felt her body drop to the floor. She saw a silhouette of someone approach her and heave her up. Her surroundings spun and then she lost consciousness.
* * *
Arariel eyed Tamara carefully as she walked along the streets below. Beside him, Friedrich hung his legs over the edge of the roof, looking very much carefree. It was nearly time.
“What do you think she’s up to?” he asked his companion. “I didn’t think she’d throw everything away like this.”
“She’ll return,” Friedrich replied. He closed his eyes, feeling a light breeze blow past them. “You know how she is, always looking ahead. Tamara never does something without reason.”
“Do you think…” Arariel began. “Do you think this has something to do with the Courts?”
“Don’t ask me,” Friedrich shrugged. “You’re the smart one, you should know.”
“Well, I don’t,” Arariel snapped. “I ought to have a talk with her, before…” He left the sentence unfinished and jumped down. Thanks to the dark, nobody saw a winged figure drop down from the turret of the cathedral.
He chased after Tamara and once he had gotten within her earshot, called out her name. The woman halted and turned around to face him.
“No,” she said. “If you’re going to stop me again-”
Arariel shook his head. “Not anymore. I’d like to know what got into you to do this?”
Tamara sighed. “With me gone, things will return to the way they were.”
“How can you be sure of that?” he looked at her doubtfully.
“There are some things I can’t tell or explain to anyone right now,” she smiled sadly. “But one day, I’ll tell you everything. It’s a promise.”
He walked towards her, but she stopped him. “You’re coming back?” he asked with a longing in his tone.
Her smile turned cheerier. “We’ll meet again, but not in this stage. Good night, Arariel.” She turned around and walked the way she originally headed to.
Friedrich arrived behind Arariel, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder only to get it shrugged off.
“Bye, Tammy,” he shouted after her. Then he turned to look at Arariel whose expression had gone sour. “What?” he asked innocently to which Arariel rolled his eyes.
“She never uses that tone with me unless she knows I'm going to be upset,” he heaved a sigh and went away, dragging his feet until they were sore.