Pearl was relieved when she looked out of the window to see a crowd of students on blue and black trooping inwith snatches of conversations echoing below. She was nervous but she judged quickly that it was better than being all alone in such huge ancient classic mansion with no one else,not even an owl. She slipped out of her room to see a Parliament of owls flying all around the building,it was like the mansion was brought back to life. The students recognized she wasn't one of them and soon she was surrounded and severely questioned in which she replied in feverish attempts what's your name?.Pearl. from? Missing toe.
Who brought you here. Anastesia. Wow! Ms Anastesia is back then___probably the covenant brothers are back too... I love your hair. Thankyou.. you have been registered into the college? Uhm...yeah.. something like that... There were so many students that it was hard to place a personality on one until___ " Pearl Strawman from missing toe,why,I know you"came a girl's voice from the crowd. The crowd parted revealing a tall girl,a red head that had her fringes down her brows. Pearl didn't remember her at first
"Yes I do, you're the girl rumoured to be a witch giving out cookies and candies to children. You took them away at owl's night" she accused boldly forcing gasps from the girls around her
" I__"Pearl found it hard to explain "it may have been rumoured but you gave my sister your cursed cookies and she died the next day!"
"You're a bad blood?"someone gasped
"It_it must have been coincidence"Pearl stuttered
"Oh really"came the accuser's hard sarcasm then she added "what about at the public missing toe playground when I confronted you?"
A sharp memory of the red head plunged into her mind as she noticed the long scar cut across her face. Amanda Rooster! She knew her at the playground around half lid four, it was a warm evening;she and her fellow teen witches were playing around the swing__Amanda had accused her of being a witch,a bad blood witch. That alone caused her to lose her cool and there she tore her face savagely
"You had accused me and_and I wanted to defend myself. I am not bad blood"she denied "it's enough now, minutes have been wasted. Return to your rooms"came a voice alongside a heavy flutter of wings that sent light yet felt breeze towards the girls. Pearl turned to see a slim graceful woman descend with her great owl wings. "Matron Lily"someone said from the crowd "we're sorry. We only wanted to know her"a girl explained "and what a cruel way to. You must know that thirty minutes from now the doors will bi locked"Lily informed
The girls departed leaving Pearl alone once again but this time with the matron "you do not have an evening wear,do you?"the woman asked kindly that it forced her to speak th truth. "Uhm..I have a wool top I can wear. I_I am not fully registered"
"Some complications hinders you, I guess" "yes but everything will be set soon"Pearl added immediately to prevent further prying
"I know dear. You look famished,go back to your room. I will get you something to eat"
"Thankyou so much"she appreciated sincerely..
***
Graciana and the rest gave a long discussion after lunch and soon everything was settled to everyone's satisfaction.
"Since the covenant brothers are back then the cutting of ties will be done early tomorrow but Anastesia,is she aware that the process is very,very painful?"she asked staring at Anastesia
"I will let her know about that soon. I don't think that would be a problem for a girl like Pearl"she assured. Graciana rise to her feet and Klaus did same. Sebastian and Jury left with Ellie to show her around while Celestian and Anastesia were left alone
Celestian held her tender fingers and kissed them lovingly
"I missed you"he confessed as she melted into his arms "you did?"she looked rather surprised "of course. I must confess the night you departed angry,I didn't enjoy it"he said smothering kisses on her face__she felt engulfed by his advances "you didn't?"she whispered and he pulled her so she could look at him
" For goodness sake Tesia you seem not to believe me"he said seriously and she was afraid it would ruin their silent moment
"I wouldn't have Celestian. You told me in the face that you were cross at me,so cross that you didn't need me anymore"she said quietly
"Those were rather bluffs Tesia, you shouldn't have taken it literally"
"You looked toj serious"
He pulled her gently to himself"when everything is over I'll get a house at Cross yard then we will live together. Me,you and Sebastian" "we will?"
"I thought you'd love it"he said entwining his fingers with hers. Her eyes twinkled in delight
"If course. I do love it"she said and he smiled a little then she continued"I was only thinking of Ellie and Pearl"
"Ellie can stay in covenant but at least we'll get to know about her after the definition and Pearl__she can stay in covenant too"he said. She sat up "I'm her mother now. She has no one except me" " we'll know what to do then"
***
Pearl was taken to a different building inscribed COVENANT DEFINERS in block letters,she was nervous though, especially when she recalled Anastesia's statement that the process was painful and she wasn't going to be there.
"You must be pearl. Anastesia,your guardian told me a lot about you"a man with a pretty mop of dandy hair said and she fidgeted a little__a lot was to be said about her. She was led into a room by four women who were probably definers like him. Her clothes were taken off leaving her completely nude and then she was led like that into another room. Her face was red from embarrassment when she saw Celestian and another man who really looked like his twin. She was told to lay on a platform raised above the ground by four concrete stands. Under the platform were numerous candles arranged until it was like a bed of unlit candles. Her heart raced when her skin met with the cold smooth concrete
"You'll just have to endure"one of the women said and soon spell bound needles were and her was pierced with them. She felt every inch of pain__from the soles of her feet until they were half way to her small bossom. She whimpered silently at each thrust of the sharp objects
I'm doing this for you Missy,for Lena,for Sofia,for all of the people I have wronged and if I die by this process then it's probably a death for a good cause. I am never going back to mother__not even while I soul travel__if the covenant will bring me a good faith then I'm ready to lose my life just to have it. She thought crying silently as the needles covered up her entire arm. She swallowed wincing at the unbearable pain,blood; black and sticky sipped from every place the needles pierced. Soon the needles reached up to her neck and it was slowly reaching up to her face
"It hurts__oh it hurts"she choked tearfully as the needles was plunged to the side of her lips. She was beginning to lose consciousness but the others went on until her entire face was covered up with the glistening needles. All the candle lights from the chandeliers were blown off by the force of their whispering chants as they moved ceaselessly around the plat form. The bed of candles were suddenly lit uniformly until it got to the last two rows flickering yellow and swaying in rhythm with the fey chant. A kind of breeze came again indicating that the child was dead
...Her eyes fluttered open to the clang of multiple bells, she realized she was no longer in the cold plat form,she was now in a foggy environment and she was still bare. She looked ahead to see the missing toe play ground. She could hear the distant laughter of children and quickly she went forward. She wanted herself covered immediately. The play ground was indeed brought to life with children either on swings or on the see saw or on merry- go- round with flying gnomes as horses.
" Please someone help me with a shawl. I am cold"she said and at once everyone stopped and turned simultaneously to look at her. Some were teenagers like her but she neither embarrassed or afraid__she knew them toi well. They were all initiates like her,they were children from the coven of the bad blood. A girl on a ragged cloth walked up to her with a piece of cloth but she refused to hand it to her "why are you doing this Pearl?"she asked "I have to it's__it's the only way out. I need to be safe"
The ragged girl tore the piece furiously
"What about us__you have abandoned us. Why are you leaving"
Soon the statement was repeated by the rest and soon it was a hullabaloo__they were roary and sneering that in fear she took to her heels running through the wet woods. They followed her screaming and scratching trying to reach out to her. She shouted for help but got none but then in an attempt to look back she tripped and fell. They all pounced scratching and biting.
" Somebody help! please help!!"she screamed and cried aloud but was concealed by the the amount of bodies thqt enveloped her
"Mother will kill you"one of them sneered sinking his black claws into her skin. Soon they were all saying the same thing ceaselessly. No part of her body was left unharmed and she felt rather abused when fingers sought her bossom with no respect. She was aware of the sores everywhere even if sensitive parts. The loud sneer of mother will kill you decreased to a single sneer different and more mature
"I will kill you__i will kill you__i will kill you_i will kill you"
She opened her eyes,she was no longer in the fields with the angry bad blood mob. She was now standing in the warmth of her home back in missing toe. She was in the basement at a corner while her mother was at the door__it looked so much like something was stopping her from getting in__it was like an invisible boundary. She was pointing threateningly at her
"I will kill you..I will kill you.. I will kill you"
Her heart panicked and her knees buckled as she stared at the true form of her mother while she repeated the same statement "I will kill you.. I will kill you...."
**The blood on the platform started to roll down into the candles beneath but instead of dowsing the yellow flames__it stored up in the wax turning it black until every drip if blood had been seeped out of the lifeless body. The black wax started to change shade until it was now crimson even the flames changed as well as the rhythm of their endless chant. According to the wordings if their chant,the stored up blood from the candles started to rise like molecules going back up in slithering liquids__ni longer black but dark red. It slithered it's way into the holes on her skin through the needles. The chant went on until no single trace of blood was found__the candle flames turned green and all the needles were pulled out of her body and there was no single trace of piercings. The candelabrums were lit automatically but the girl didn't wake
***Graciana handed the report papers concerning Ellie to Jury who read it silently with his eyes from one end to another.
"Maggie from the defining unit said she is 'life jumbled' so it took hours to separate two lives from her"
Jury finally took his eyes to the older lady
"Like she's a sort of incarnate?"Jury asked, Sebastian took the paper from his hand and read it
"Ellie Brunte from Wet web__wow,what a place to belong. Nineteen years and__"he paused looking surprised now "__and a true blood?"he queried looking up at the other two
"She's a full true blood"he said merely hiding his surprise
"The way I see it"Graciana sighed "and the other life__?"Sebastian asked. Graciana explained with ease "that has not been settled yet. As long as we have her real blood type,there will be no problem finding the soul in her body"
Jury looked at Sebastian "what of pearl"he asked handing back the paper to Graciana
"Well..she is still dead but I think she'll be fine__assurance from Celestian.
Groovesman, Graciana's assistant came in his normal plain manner "the defining unit said Ellie should be called up for mirroring tomorrow"..