Stolen Hearts; Chapter Five

"The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are."- Author Unknown.

She was nudged awake the next day by Hannah who led her to the showers to wash and change. She had slept all through the day and it was now dusk, dinner time. Cala hadn’t drank in what felt like ages and gulped down the tap water eagerly before being cajoled into scrubbing her teeth for the third time until they were restored to gleaming pearls. Cala was walking in a dream state, not taking anything in and letting herself be lead around. Nicola did her hair and makeup while Hannah paced up and down apparently frustrated. So Cala started to evaluate things that had happened over the past few days over again in her head.

I should be in prison. Cala knew.

I should be dead. Cala thought.

I should be chained in a cell at the government’s hall and awaiting trial for war crimes. Cala frowned, confused. I’ve murdered more people than they can write on paper. I’ve killed their officials. I’ve ransacked their homes, burnt their villages, towns, cities, bridges, and buildings. She shook her head knowing she should be grateful for her life and not questioning why she was here and not locked away. They seriously think they could stop me from killing every child in this castle. Cala shivered just thinking about how many Whites she had the opportunity to destroy. Old habits die hard and all. The Black cause may not be any better than the White cause but I could still burn them all. Who’s going to stop me? I have my strength back. Cala smiled eerily, her eyes glossy and dangerous. It’ll take all the adults here together to have a chance at stopping me and I’m too good at disappearing for them to get a chance at that. Cala shook herself mentally and warned herself to not wander down that road of thinking again but she couldn’t help feeling smug inside, she felt like a fat cat who’d eaten a tasty dinner. She didn’t have to be second in command of the Black Nation to know she had the power to destroy thousands of lives.

James and Simon wouldn’t be in control anymore, this was her turn. She had three choices she could choose one side, and fight this war properly, she had the power to end it and Mebenna was waiting for her to decide. Cala cringed at the thought of how many people she’d be killing if she chose one side; at what point did it become a case of kill a thousand to save a million. Secondly she could kill the leaders of each Nation until a suitable leader was appointed, that minimized the lives lost. Or she could leave them all in their own mess and live her life however and wherever she wanted. Like she said before, no one could catch her. She was stronger than Xandu, she was stronger than Ruffelm and when it all came down to it there was no one else to stop her.

Below them a loud crash brought Cala out of her drifting thoughts and back to reality. Hannah and Nicola jumped in panic whispering advice under their breath as they ushered her to the door. Cala heard none of it.

"Just walk down the stairs and they’ll take you from there. Please don’t do anything stupid," Hannah muttered as she closed the door, anxiety etched into her face. Cala, now awake, looked down at herself. She was wearing a short pale blue dress with a white bow in her straight, long hair.

Why am I dressed so fancy?

Cala thought and she made her way down the white marble stairs. They were cold, she wasn’t wearing shoes and it reminded her of the first snow in winter except the stairs didn’t make that satisfying crunch or leave wandering footprints behind. She reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the common room once again. In the middle of the room stood James, Simon and seven other guys, all of them in tuxedoes.

"What’s going on?" Some of the guys scowled, she had talked without being asked to. Cala scowled viscerally back, daring them to forget who she was.

Sod them.

"We're having dinner in the hall with the professors. The council from each house are to be present but we can’t leave you unattended so you must come along," Simon explained. Cala resisted the urge to roll her eyes and walked towards the group. James nodded his head in greeting and started to introduce her to the party of people.

"Guys you all know Miss Hunt," James turned his back to her and faced the exit, pretending to study the walls. Simon continued "Cala this is Luke Freedom,"
Lucky name.

A blonde haired, blue eyed boy stepped forward. His hair was thin and swept across his right eye slightly. His jaw had the same clenched look as Simon’s but it wasn’t as permanent. His eyes still had laughter in them but his face had lost a lot of color. Like all the others he looked fit and slim. A 3.6.

Simon continued, "Connor Reeler," The Black haired boy who had been with James earlier nodded in acknowledgement.

"Kyle George and Paul Noman, from Lions house,"

Kyle was tall with dark auburn hair and eyes. He had a more thuggish look about him than some of the others. Cala was immediately panicked; without magic this guy could snap her like a twig. It took her several seconds to realise she still had magic and that she could snap him in half if she wanted. A 2.5.

Paul had neatly cut, coffee hair and his eyes radiated jade. He looked like a politician. A 3.

"Tom Andrews and Mike Savor from Hawks house,"

Tom had dark hair cropped very short and looked to be athletic, Cala could tell by the way he moved and held himself. His eyes were a pale eerie blue but he smiled slightly at Cala and his dark skinned face looked affable. A 3.

Mike had a dusty blonde color to his hair and deep rouge russet eyes. He got a little dimple on his left cheek when he smiled but he wasn’t smiling genuinely or Cala would have seen the second dimple on his right cheek as well. A 3.

"And finally Kenny Dean and Jake Wood from Scorpion house," This time Simon had almost spoke the names with spite.

Cala didn’t like the look of Kenny, his whole body language was an attempt at threatening and he seemed to be scowling constantly through thick coal eyebrows. His eyes didn’t have a color unless you can imagine every dingy, soiled and besmirched color all rolled into one. A 2.5. He stepped towards her and she flinched, her eyes narrowing in warning. Cala had started to notice the flinching now as well and she was ashamed but angry at James and Simon for causing it.

Jake wasn’t half as bad, in fact he could almost pass as friendly. He had light brown hair that was messy but not quite unruly and deep blue eyes. His face had an interesting look, with high cheek bones and a small mouth. A 2.5.

Simon seemed not to think he needed to say anymore and turned to face James, Luke and Connor. The four of them walked off for a bit leaving Cala to stand there with her arms folded starting down the boys in front of her. The others turned away but they walked with purpose towards the door beckoning to James and Simon before they left. Luke and Connor it seemed were not part of this group tonight.

Why the hell are they wearing suits then?

Cala had been escorted along what seemed like a labyrinth of corridors until she reached the main hall again. In the middle instead of the usual four long tables there was just a single smaller table. The group stopped and started to murmur, the teachers were not yet arrived so they were deciding whether to sit down and wait or go into the next room and wait. Most people voted to just sit down now but Simon got the last say and so it was decided that they go into the next room first. Cala had been using this time to take in everything but hadn’t got very far before she felt the snake like vice grips of both Simon and James on her wrists again. Cala flinched. James looked angrily and contemptuously down at her. She couldn’t help it. But Cala was not a meek little girl no matter how much she flinched. She stood upright and stamped down hard on his foot.

Time to decide.

Argh!

She wrenched herself away from him and Simon was so shocked he let go of her arm also. Cala saw her chance and retreated in a flurry to the far corner of the room, backing up until she could go no farther.

"That motherfu-," James growled gasping as the pain continued to shoot up his foot. He was about to run at her but Simon held out his hand preventing him.

She had gone past caring now; she wasn’t changing just because she’d been asked to. Cala charged her powers feeling the energy rush through her core like ecstasy. She would flinch for a long time to come but Cala had more pride and will in her than anything anywhere and she would fight to keep it. They were going to regret this.

Simon muttered something to the group who then scurried their way into the next room through an undersized mature wooded door, fearfully. Now it was just Simon and Cala and James in the room. Cala shook, she wasn’t scared, she could take James and she didn’t need to know Simon’s level to be confident of a victory.

"Cala," Simon’s voice carried across the room reproachfully. It sounded fake and hollow, somehow she got the impression he approved of what she did, but then there was that unbending bitter stare. If he wasn’t a pirate, he would make a good one for he could hide his true emotions more effectively than anyone Cala ever knew.

"What?" Cala murmured but in the large empty space her voice was amplified. She prowled along the wall towards the other corner which was now a greater distance away from Simon than the last.

"Stop, please," He said.

Cala did stop, she looked at him hard and he held her stare right back.

I'm sorry.

It wasn’t her words, they were his. She heard them plain and simple even though he spoke no sound. His presence in her mind was strong and gentle. The way he was so careful, treading so lightly around her thoughts calmed her but the shear fact he had managed to enter her conscious was enough to send a tremor of terror down her spine. In that instant Cala decided what she’d do. She was changing sides, she was going to end this war but not in the way anyone expected. She needed to stay at this school though. She was going to have to prove she’d changed.

Stop. She replied.

I can’t.

Why not? Just leave me to sort my way out of all this.

He had no answer. Ten minutes passed and then.

I'm sorry.

She didn’t know what hit her; suddenly she was flung across the room and collided with the floor at James’s feet. He recoiled away from her as she landed. Cala crumpled on her side facing James, who looked past her and anger momentarily flicked across his face, pure searing hot white anger. Cala groaned and she heard footsteps walk quickly towards her. Hands, Simon’s, lifted her up.

"Leave her there!" It was Ruffelm. The teachers had arrived. "We’ll make a sport of her tonight,"

Time to end this. Cala thought as she regained her feet. It’s time for everyone to move on. She shook herself and Ruffelm locked eyes with her knowingly. He was providing her with the opportunity to show she was no enemy anymore.
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Thanks for all the support you've been great! To Botts, thanks for your comment. Yes their lifespans are generally so short because so many people are dying in the war and you have to remember that Cala is being treated this way because of how many people she has killed. She is far from innocent but she's changing!:) Thanks again guys. xx