Alter by Gracie Cochran (iphone ebook reader .txt) 📕

She gets up.

 

I shake my head. “I wasn’t.” I smile waiting for it to sink in.

 

“Then how did you get up there?” she asks.

 

I roll my eyes. I laugh and let my wings reappear. She backs up. “Y y your…..” she trips and falls. I go up to her.

 

“What darling?” I say still smiling loving the feeling of fear that she’s giving off. Then something familiar reaches out to me and my smile drops.

“

Your scared of me? You’re one of my children.” I say.

 

She shrugs and the fear dissipates. Then it hits me. She wasn’t here before. “Why are you here?’ I ask. She smiles and it clicks. She’s here to distract me. I glare. “You will pay for this treason against your creator.” I fly quickly towards the cave I hear her laughter.

 

I get to the cave and fold my wings against me. I run in and look in the bedroom. Anger slices through me in waves. Damn it. She’s gone.

 

Anne’s POV:

 

I slowly wake feeling myself getting jostled. I am awake and alert immediately. I open my eyes and see Jim. He’s not looking at me as he runs. “Jim?”

 

His eyes move to mine and soften. “Hey sis.”

 

I smile. “It’s good to see you.”

 

He tightens his grip slightly as he turns.  We reach a familiar place. “Derek’s place again?”

 

He nods. “You can be better protected in here until we can get you back to heaven.”

 

That reminds me. “I need to speak to West. If need be I can talk to him through you. It’s important.”

 

He nods. “Ok. We’ll try first having you facing away from him.”

 

I nod and barry my face in his shoulder breathing in his scent. He knocks on the door still holding me in his arms.

 

The door opens and I smell Derek and West. “What’s wrong with her leg?” I hear West ask

 

I pull my face away a little so i can talk. “I told you what was going to happen. It was Satan. He didn’t like that I kept fighting him but that right now is not important. West it’s changed. The engraving is no longer the same.” I imagine my bracelet as a sword and Jim hand it to him.

 

West is silent for a couple seconds. “How?” he asks after a while.

 

“I don’t know. It started glowing while it was a bracelet on my wrist then went back to a sword.” I explain.

 

“This has never changed before. I wonder what could be the cause.” he  says.

 

“I don’t know. It happened while I was talking to the Devil angel.”

 

“When did you talk to to him.  Before or after the fact that he tortured you?” He says angrily.

 

I turn my head facing him with a glare. “You have no right to judge me. “

 

A dizzy sensation pull over me and I feel like I’m watching from a distance. I see his eyes widen. “You of all people know what happens down there. What did you do to stop it? Nothing you just made a little promise to yourself that you’ll do what you can to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” i hear myself laugh. “How’s that promise coming along?”

 

“That’s enough Anne.” I turn to Jim and feel like I’m back in my body after a couple seconds. I rub my head. “What was I even talking about? Not happen again? I don’t get it.”

 

“I’m sorry Anne I deserved that. I just don’t get why you weren’t sprinting while you had the chance. When Derek’s sister checked on you she said you were ok and that you were in the tunnels when she talked to you.”

 

I sigh. “I asked her to tell you that. I was injured when I was in the tunnel. He knew I couldn’t do anything. And I did fight west. My cougar even tried. That’s what got us hurt in the first place. He threw knives at my leg then ripped them out. The pain get to be to much for me and I passed out. He’s too strong for me to fight back. I was trying to change his mind about world dominance. That’s all I was talking to him about. The scary thing is, it doesn’t hurt when he touches me anymore. It used to feel terrible.”

 

“And now?” he asks

 

“It feels like it does whenever you touch me. Electrifying.” I push out of Jim’s arms and wince as I catch myself.

 

“I don’t think you should be walking.’ jim says.

 

I shrug and limp toward the door. I imagine my sword as a cane and walk out the door. I head to the forest sit down leaning against a tree. I imagine my cane turning into a bracelet and sigh.

 

“He cares a lot about you. It’s strange to see my master caring about someone other than himself.” I hear. I look up and see a demon in the tree.

 

“Come to take me away?” it shakes its head.

 

“No master is looking for you though. He got all upset when he found out you were gone.”

 

I laugh. “The most evil guy in all the realms is upset because I left? If you were placed somewhere against your will you would have done the same. I may have come to him. But that was not with the intent to live in hell.”

 

It jumps down and sits next to me. I tense and imagine my bracelet turning into to a dagger. It puts its hands up. “Master doesn’t want you harmed.”

 

I keep my dagger in my hand. “Why do you call him master?”

 

It shrugs. “He created me he’s my master.”

 

I hear wings flap. I get up. “You were just a distraction weren’t you?”

 

It shakes its head and disappears. I turn my dagger to the angel’s throat. I see it’s Michael. I relax. “Sorry. I’m on edge.”

 

He smiles. “It’s fine. I get it you’ve had a bad experience.”

 

I flop on the ground. “I didn’t mean to hurt West. It was like I was there but I wasn’t. I don’t even know what I was saying.  I didn’t recognize myself. I feel dirty. Tainted. I don’t like it.”

 

“He gets that it wasn’t you talking. He knows because he hasn’t told you about that yet. He will when he’s ready. Just know it’s the reason he is pushing to train you. He doesn’t want what happened before to happen again.” He says sitting next to me.

 

I groan getting a headache. “You ok?” he asks.

 

I shake my head. I feel distant again but this time I fight it. He grabs my head forcing me to face him. “Hey you can win this fight. I believe in you. West does, Jim does, even Derek.”

 

I smile. “You believe that she can win? Come on Mike. I think you know that’s not possible. It’s been what almost a hundred years since I’ve been gone. It’s sad that West can’t recognize me. The part of me that he left. The part he was scared of. I wrote the devil’s prophecy it’s what i needed to be able to awaken. I’m getting stronger. Soon She’ll be gone.” I laugh cruelly.

 

“It can’t be. Elizabeth? It’s impossible. You were killed.” He says looking at me conflicted.

 

I get up and spread my arms. “The one and only. He almost killed me. If West had stayed I wouldn’t have needed to chose little alter to be my body. I’m actually kind of glad. She’s very powerful.”

 

He glares. “She’s been through enough. She doesn’t need your issues on top of it.”

 

I roll my eyes. “I know. I hate how weak she is. She needs to grow some guts.”

 

I hear rustling leaves and smile. “Hey Derek. Come to play?” I ask turning around.

 

He glares but it fades when he sees my eyes. I laugh. “What? Weak Derek surprised again. You should have done your job. Now I’ve got to finish it for you.”

 

He becomes confused. Michael moves closer to me from behind. “What don’t recognize me? Lizzy or my real name. Elizabeth.”

 

I move to the side just as Mike grabs for me. I shake my head. “Nice try. You’ll have to do better that. She may not know much about combat but I do.”

 

I hear footsteps. “What’s going on?” I hear West ask.

 

I laugh. “What is this a party? Oh, wait no it’s not. I’m glad you decided to join West.” I turn to face him a cruel smile on my face.

 

I start walking towards him. My consciousness tries to fight her. She fights back with more power than I could muster. My feet still move towards him unwavering. Next thing I know I feel a sharp pain in my head and hear a loud clanging sound. Everything goes black.

 

Chapter 14

 

I groan. I try to move but find that I’m tied down. I also realize that my dagger is gone. My head is pounding and hurts really bad. I keep my eyes closed. “Did you have to hit her so hard?” I hear West ask angrily.

 

“She was about to go after you. Had to do something. It was better than killing her.” I hear Derek say.

 

I open my eyes. “Did you have to hit me so hard? I mean seriously. I was in the process of gaining back control or at least trying to.”

 

They turn to me. “Your back right?” West asks.

 

I nod. “Can you untie me please. I want to punch Derek.”

 

West starts walking toward me but Derek grabs his arm. “It could be a trick. She’s been a part of Anne since birth.”

 

I groan. “Seriously? Your only saying that because you don’t want me to  punch you.”

 

Jim walks in and sees me anger flashes in his eyes. I take in a deep breath, inhaling his scent,  and start to feel better. I smile softly at him. He looks at West and Derek. “Why did you tie her up?”

 

“Jim you don’t get it. The angel that also inhabits her body is dangerous. We have to take precautions. We can’t risk her harming herself or harming anyone else.” Derek says.

 

When I try pulling at the rope it starts to burn my wrists. I look up at Derek shocked. “You laced this with silver?” I look away hurt and give up completely. Closing my eyes I let out a sigh and relax so it doesn’t burn my wrist anymore.

 

“You took it too far.” Jim growls angrily.

 

I keep my eyes closed hoping no one will come over here thinking I went back to sleep. Tears are forming in my eyes and I try to fight them. A tear slips down my cheek. I open my eyes knowing it’ll be useless now. “I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t decide to have her in me. But your right Derek I’m a danger. I should be tied up like I am right? Treated like it right? Might as well stab a knife in my heart and twist it a couple time while your at it. Might as well kill me” Tears fall and my voice breaks.

 

I see West come toward me. This time Derek doesn’t stop him. I look into Derek’s eyes and see regret in them. West unties me and pulls me to him. I try to pull away but he tightens his grip. “Your not dangerous Anne. She is and it’s my fault. I was a coward. I