The eyes of the night could behold the mist, but no other eyes could see it. There were three sisters apart from the mist, and in the middle of the street, they took a stroll in the halt of time, and with everything in suspense. The darkness was around them, the chill that came with ghosts lingered in the unmoving air, and in this state, they couldn’t breathe, but could outlive everyone here.
“We should do this more often,” Janice said, looking at her sisters like one would for approval.Vivian was thrilled by the night, and the feel of darkness around her that once she smiled, time unfroze, and the humans whose lives were bound to time began to move about their daily lives. “That was fun.”“You think Chadwick has attained this state, the ability to move in the halt of time?” Susan asked.“I think so,” Vivian said with a grin. “Janice would know.”Susan looked at Janice. “Care to say?&rdPower for Susan was now so sacred that each time she tried to resist it, so would it overwhelm her. Thanks to the likes of Janice and Vivian whose presence alone caused her to behave, for if it were left to Hannah and Dena who were no match for her, she would have destroyed Beatrice and Jake in an instance.With each passing day, Susan felt her power growing, and found herself listening to Eleanor a lot.“Why do I sense that to you, I am merely a means to an end?” Susan said one day Eleanor appeared to her.Susan sat with a propped-up knee on her bed, while Eleanor slowly paced before her.“I—” Eleanor tried to speak.“Don’t lie to me,” Susan said. “I’ll probably know.”“Of course you would, and I am your prisoner,” Eleanor said.“Which gives you more right to say anything for me to trust you, hence, release you, then you’ll have your way.”Eleanor
It was almost midnight in High Town City when a large group of Chadwick’s followers thought it was best to flood the city and wreak havoc at night.Susan stood invisible in mid-air, her vision like that of an eagle as she looked through every part they came from.“The night will remain still,” Susan said.Fire from Susan consumed most of the smaller groups, briskly turning them into ashes, Susan faced the larger groups which were in three, and they were closing in on the city.Splitting her form into four, she ordered the three to stand before the group.In an instance, they materialized before these groups which paused in surprise, Susan’s original self watched from mid-air. These beings that had come from Susan said nothing, and did nothing, but were ready to kill only if she gave the order.Susan felt she had had enough blood for tonight, so she used the wind to try to stop these people, and it worked.The w
I had a new practice. Don’t worry, it wasn’t that of death. However, it was something I hated to do. Staying still with eyes closed. And whether my eyes were closed or not, I couldn’t tell, for even in this closed state, I still could see everything.I saw Vivian whisper words to Janice, Hannah, and Dena, and each of them looked at me like I was some form of time bomb. I could hear what they were saying, but I pretended like I couldn’t.Beatrice and Jake had reported to work, and they usually left early these days with police escorts, thanks to Elvis, else, some of the weirdness at home, they would have been there to witness it. It was with them I wanted to spend some time with, but my sisters had considered it dangerous due to Eleanor’s power welling up in me, hence, I took their advice and avoided going to hang out with Beatrice and Jake.I missed my favourite pass times which was hanging around restaurants to meet men to fall in love w
Don’t worry. You don’t know my name, and probably may not. But let’s get acquainted. I am the Queen of the blood sea, and the lines of powers, and I already know who you are, dear reader.From the way I have been portrayed by my daughter, Susan Hill, and having cursed her, I am quite certain you may see me as evil. And yes, dear reader. I am evil. Just not true evil.Like every bloodstone, I was created, and chosen by the royal line of the Hills which was the highest honour to any bloodstone. In other words, I was drafted to become the second, and most feared bloodstone on earth. I was forced by the Queen to forsake and forget my name when it was made clear that I would one day carry the title of Queen. And that I did.I went through rigorous training, strenuous exercises, and tiring education to be well acquainted with what it meant to be Queen. When my training and education were complete, my mother sent me to live above the blood sea with the huma
Susan stood on the top of a hill with her gaze to the west. Around her lay decapitated limbless bodies, and scattered skeletons. It wasn’t her fight, and not her deed, but she silently praised the being who had done this.She was an artist of death, and a designer of fear. She was a lady who knew her craft, and her desire, she sometimes failed to please.“I’ll be going soon, Mercy,” Susan said. “Surely, that’s not all you have to offer.”“Wake, Mercy!” the voice of a child echoed.There was a rattling as bones became one, Susan turned to see.Soon, a girl of five stood before her, and in the eyes of this girl was the glow of death.“Susan!” the little girl said.“Mercy!” Susan said. “Mind telling me what happened here?”Mercy took slow steps towards Susan. “I killed them.” She walked past her and stood to look at the west.“Th
Sitting here on my bed with eyes closed in my room upstairs, I could hear the words the ladies in the house whispered loud and clear. I placed both hands over my ears in a frail attempt to stop the chattering, but it only amplified it.Best I listen, then. Maybe, I’ll hear a thing or two. Hopefully, something useful.“She is bound to lose her mind,” I heard Janice say. “Where did she go yesterday? I thought you were trailing her.”“I am—I am, okay?” Vivian said. “She’s so fast for me to keep up these days. I don’t seem to see her at all, but the good news is, she’s not been killing lately. At least, I haven’t heard about any news of death for the past few days. It seems she’s gone into some kind of spiritual journey or something. I wonder what that curse must be doing to her. The actions it whispers to her breed madness. She’s our sister. We have to protect her as mother sa
Susan was with a guy named Trevor at a table in a bar on Russo Street. He was handsome, and with that smile, the world seemed right. But it was not.Susan had a major restraint on herself because Vivian was nearby. She couldn’t see her, but she felt her presence. Susan tried to distract herself with a little civil discussion with Trevor.“You’re from around here?” he asked.Chatterings were coming from different tables, the music came soft and sweet from the speakers, and the air had that of a romantic ambiance to it.Susan heard everything and everyone, and it wasn’t hard to decipher who was speaking. She noticed Trevor’s words come to her like a sweet tone, and she said, “Not particularly. But I live here.” She looked around with a smile on her face. “I love this place, and the city, actually.”“You must have been here a long time to come to that conclusion,” Trevor said.
Susan impaled a follower of Chadwick on a pike while Vivian and Janice watched. Dena was setting some bodies on fire, and Hannah moved to decapitate the heads of a few men sitting by the corner.With brute force, Susan tossed a man against the wall. Before his back could collide with it, she dreadfully aimed two rods for his shoulder blades. They passed through, spilling blood, and pinned him against the wall.The man wailed in pain, Susan walked up to him.“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do this,” Susan said, stopping before the man. “Now, I’ll like to know what you know. Rumour has it you’ve found a way to hide certain things from me. I need to know how.”“He was here,” the man said. “His representative. He said the chant would work against you, and we tried. We tried. Some said he was from the Red Haux. I don’t know how true that was. Seems they have something on you, tho
With fire and blood in her eyes, and with a speed that made time halt and made her unseen, causing Chadwick and the Red Haux to wonder, Susan engaged these beings all at once. It wasn’t with a curse she did this. It was with absolute raw power, and right now, she was in the blood rage.No sparks of fire lingered in mid-air, nothing to mark Susan’s presence save for the tearing and slicing of skins. Heads had been sliced off, but it was all still within a second, so her victims were alive, but briefly, for once the hand of time moved, it would be against them, and they would see a bitter end.But Susan didn’t stop. She didn’t want to. She loved the feel of their skin against her swords and sharp claws and the smell of their blood as perceived from mid-air. She could see the horror in their eyes, then Eleanor spoke.“Stop!”Susan zapped to a stop before her enemies, and they all looked at her. She unfroze time, and the Re
An army of visible translucent spirits stood with a storm wind, and they were like the colours of ice in the distance. Before them was an army of bloodstones all in red gleaming armours made from red diamond, and in the lead was Vivian, Janice, Hannah, and Dena.Vivian saw Chadwick standing twelve feet tall behind this ghost army with a host of others a few feet taller than him. They looked like men, but from here, she could see they had no eyes, no soul, no spirits. Surely, these were the Red Haux, and they made a perfect match for beings made from stones, she thought. Now, to make the first order. She just hoped Susan made it in time for mother was watching.No, mother couldn’t make it to this party. The throne required that she stayed on it. She leaving was definitely the last resort. But there was Susan, so there was no need for that.Flashes of lightning lit the dark clouds above both armies, and they simply waited for which army would make the first
Susan materialized before Vivian. “What is it?”“It’s time,” Vivian said. “Chadwick is here. Hannah has been called back to the blood sea to join the bloodstone army. Dena would be joining her. Janice and I have also been called back.”“What’s with the big preparation?”“He comes not alone, but with an army. There are things you need to do to ensure our victory, else, the casualties would be so great.”Susan gave a single nod. “What about the lines of powers, and all those under our control?”“They are currently preparing,” Vivian said. “The war will be fought on the surface. It won’t be beneath the blood sea like before.”“This means he has us at a disadvantage.” Susan briefly looked away.“There’s nothing to fear. You’re all he should fear. Remember that. I must go.” A red diamond armo
“They may fire me with the way you keep making me miss office hours,” Jake said to Susan as he had lunch with her at the Pelazio Hotel restaurant.Susan smiled. “Relax. I bought your company.”Jake laughed. “You can’t be serious.”Susan arched a brow and made a side head gesture.“Wait. You actually are serious?” Jake added.Susan chuckled. “Yeah, I am serious. And I need you to be the new managing director. Your old boss is under strict orders to educate you on all that you need to know. So, what do you say? Do you accept the offer?”Jake’s expression had the look of surprise mixed with unbelief. “Wow. This only happens if someone is in love with you. Are you in love with me, Susan?”Susan laughed. “So shocked,” she said. “What if I am?”“You—you—you play hard to get like nothing can go through you. And
Susan turned to leave.Vivian stopped her by the shoulder and tossed her with her back against the wall.Susan released herself from the wall. “You really want to do this here?” she asked. “I am ready if you are.”“Oh, I’m always ready,” Vivian said, Janice moved to stand next to her.Susan laughed. “Two against one. That’s fair. You two always thought you could restrain me, but I just thought to behave around you because you weren’t really who I was scared of, and quite frankly, I’m fairly certain Mercy wouldn’t want to involve herself in a bit of family squabbling. So, what’s it going to be? A lecture, or a fight?”“How about both,” Vivian said.Susan folded her arm. “Then, this would be interesting. However, Dena and Hannah should leave with the lady, for if they stay, or decide to choose a side, I doubt I would be merciful. Except to the lady of cou
Susan finished reading a newspaper as she sat on her sofa by the window in her room upstairs, then she kept it aside, and moved to pick up a novel by her bedside table. She returned to the sofa, opened the page where she had stopped last night, and kept on reading.Reading novels, Susan discovered, was perfect for distraction. It took her mind off recent happenings, of her world, and took her to a world of her own. In her world of fantasy, she didn’t care what happened in her and without, especially the disturbance slowly stirring in High Town City (which the news, and the newspapers carried), and the great, uncontrollable urge to kill. She cared for nothing in this state actually, save for the story she read, and this way, she could control her power.The voices in her head would always speak, and sometimes, they read to her. She loved it when they read—these voices could be soothing. But there was nothing more annoying than when she was the central subjec
Susan appeared with Vivian on red reflective tiles. Before her was a red veil, and Susan knew who sat beyond the veil. For some reason, she couldn’t stand because she didn’t have the strength to. So she stayed on her knees just how she had appeared, and she knew exactly why she had been brought here.Susan recognized this vast court as her mother’s privy, and it had lots of red silky curtains that danced to a wind circulating within.Vivian, in a red gleaming armour, bowed before the Queen, then she stood erect, and turned to face her sister, Susan.“The Queen wishes to know why you caused a war with the lines of power,” Vivian said.Susan laughed. “Like she cares. Why, can’t she end the war?”“You’ll behave yourself before the Queen, or—”“It better be with death you wish to threaten me with. Then, I’ll have no cares, and nothing to worry about. That way, I
At midday in High Town city, Beatrice walked into the Crystal Bank to make a withdrawal. Beatrice met a queue within the bank, but with a card Elvis had given to her in hand, she showed a security man, then he led her to a private room where she was quickly attended to.With a bag of money in hand, Beatrice was seen out of the room, then the sound of rapid gunshots was heard within the bank.Beatrice briskly turned to see lots of armed men, she laid on the ground and held her head.This, she thought would be the end of her, and so she stayed still and prayed.“Nobody move, else, we would kill you.”More gunshots were heard, and Beatrice flinched a little.Feared raked at her body, causing her to shiver. It was hopeless now, Beatrice thought. She would either be killed here, or she might lose her money. She remembered the failed robbery in her restaurant and wondered if such a miracle could repeat itself here, today.Soon,
Susan impaled a follower of Chadwick on a pike while Vivian and Janice watched. Dena was setting some bodies on fire, and Hannah moved to decapitate the heads of a few men sitting by the corner.With brute force, Susan tossed a man against the wall. Before his back could collide with it, she dreadfully aimed two rods for his shoulder blades. They passed through, spilling blood, and pinned him against the wall.The man wailed in pain, Susan walked up to him.“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do this,” Susan said, stopping before the man. “Now, I’ll like to know what you know. Rumour has it you’ve found a way to hide certain things from me. I need to know how.”“He was here,” the man said. “His representative. He said the chant would work against you, and we tried. We tried. Some said he was from the Red Haux. I don’t know how true that was. Seems they have something on you, tho