Chapter 1: The Dark When my mother was just a few years older than me, she underwent rigorous training, both magically and physically, to be able to join the Light. The Light are the secret organisation dedicated to protecting the world, and keeping the secret of magic from civilians. But my mother did not know, and had no way of knowing, that she was a descendant of the most powerful of the Dark. And so, she had to pay a price - her first two children would be cursed to turn completely and fully evil on their sixteenth birthday. My elder sister took the easy way out - suicide. But there was another catch - her second daughter - me - would not be able to die. And this is why I am so certain as to my fate. What, I wonder, defines the word 'evil'? The dictionary would conclude that it is "very immoral, cruel, and wicked," but then, what is "immoral?" Most would assume that "evil" has to do with killing and torture, but isn't that just a socially constructed idea of the word? How, may I ask, do we know that dying is a terrible thing? It devastates the living, but isn't it just the natural course of #life? And, why is it considered to be worse when a young person dies? Young or old, healthy or sick - death is death, and while you may say, "they died before their time," wasn't it fate? How is it that certain things happen at certain times to cause a certain persons death? I personally think, that these thoughts - they are my hopes. I try to reassure myself that in no way am I to blame for what I, sometime in my #life, am going to do to this world. Of course, these are just my idle thoughts, and it doesn't make the inevitable right, but it comforts me - only slightly, but even so, I'll take any comfort I can get. And so, the Dark - the group that opposes the Light, that wishes for the end of the world and practices Blood magic, an evil form of magic that all Dark children are born with - including me -they set out to find my sister and I, and to raise us to their wishes. But they found us too late. We had been kept in a safehouse for months on end by the Light, and when she heard the Dark coming, my sister killed herself. They found me, hidden in a cupboard in the kitchen, shivering from a combination of horror, from what my sister had just done, and fright, scared of what the Dark were going to do to me. As of last week, I have been in their custody for nine years of my #life. They have trained me well, I must admit. I am black belt in over ten different martial art forms, and I am fluent in the fifteen most common languages. But I have never gotten to know any of my trainers, not even their names. They have made sure that if I turn against them, I have nothing to tell anybody, no evidence to give. But now I have a chance - a chance to some freedom. I have a chance to attend a regular high school, something I have dreamed of since I was captured by the Dark. I have been trained how to blend in, how to react in certain circumstances, and I was confident that I would be able to pull this off. And I better had, because my first day was tomorrow Thoughts of the school I was going to attend in the morning were racing through my brain the entire day, and when I finally went to bed, I lay there for what felt like hours before I got any rest. ******************************************************************************************** That morning, I woke up at dawn, when the first ray of sun filtered through the dusty windows. A feeling of exhilaration swept through me, and I jumped from my bed. Changing into tight leggings and a sports top, I opened a hidden door behind my bed, and headed down a small staircase - what used to be the servants entrance to the bedroom. Stepping as quietly as a could, I descended into a top class gym. My trainer was waiting for me. As soon as she saw me, she snapped, "unacceptable! I could've heard you come down those stairs from a mile away!" I winced. I knew I had been loud, but I was so excited I guess I didn't think about the noise I had been making. "I'm sorry Trainer X." I hung my head. "Don't delay me! Start your morning exercises!" I sighed and walked over to a set of what were similar to monkey bars, but were three metres high and widely spaced out. Launching myself into a backwards aerial flip, I caught onto the first bar by the back of my knees, then swung myself upwards, catching on one of the steel ceiling supports. Using my arms to pull myself into position, I jumped, flipping and twirling as I fell. I rolled when I hit the ground, came up on one knee and pulled out my two daggers. Trainer X came up behind me, and I tried to flip, but she caught my foot and I was sent crashing to the ground. She stood over me, but I snaked my ankle behind hers, and she lost her balance. I seized the opportunity to jump back to my feet. She was fast though, and pulled out her single knife. She kicked towards me, but I knew it was just a ruse, so I followed my instincts and twisted out of the way of her oncoming knife. The trainer launched a punch at me and I blocked it, grabbing her fist. Using her own momentum against her, I flipped her, placing my knee against her chest and pressing my dagger to her throat. "Checkmate," I smiled, proud of myself, because it was rare that I ever bested my any of my trainers. "Congratulations, you are an exceptional fighter. Few would be able to best me like that." I nodded, my trainers were the best that the Dark could find, and they were incredibly skilled. "Now, I think you deserve a break," Trainer X said, "and prepare for your new school." I thanked her, and used a light step to leap up the stairs three at a time. There was no uniform in my new school, and I figured that the best way to blend in was to stand out. Changing out of my sweaty training gear, I walked to the bathroom and took a warm shower. I stood there, under the hot water for a few minutes, just thinking about how this was a once in a #lifetime chance, and how I'd better not mess up. Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped myself in a fluffy white towel and emerged into my bedroom. Now, for my outfit: I was going for I gothic look, with a red and black tartan mini skirt, layered with net to make it stick out. Decorating the edges of the skirt were crosses and spikes. Around my waist were several belts, each decorated with studs, spikes and metallic crosses dangling from the hoops. I wore a black cropped blouse, with studs and spikes covering the cuffs. Under the collar, I had a short red tie, loose and decorated with slim chains and a spider web pattern. Leather fingerless gloves extended up to my elbow and were laced together with a red string. I wore studded leather bands around my arms, spiked chokers and crosses dangling from slim chains around my neck. Picking up a few pairs of earrings, I put them through the holes that went all the way up my ears, and added my stomach piercing. I then donned a pair of fishnet tights and kneehigh Converse. I checked my reflection in the full-length mirror. The gloves and tights covered most of my scars - scars from a mixture of self-harm, blood magic and combat - but the cropped blouse revealed stripes of white, and the more recent stripes of pink and red. Just to be safe, I dabbed a bit of concealer on the scars, and set it with a pressed powder my exact skin tone. For the next few minutes, I worked on my makeup - dark eyeshadow, plenty of eyeliner and mascara to make my eyes stand out. I applied fake nails in a blood red colour, and waited for them to dry. I took a peek in the mirror again. Staring back at me was a girl whos long black hair tumbled down her back, and pale skin emphasised her beautiful large eyes framed by thick black lashes. She had a petite figure, but most of her skin was covered by her many chains and studded collars. I blinked again, and now what I saw was a girl hiding her insecurities behind a tough exterior. Perfect. Mysterious, but in a way that people would never get close enough to me to guess the real secret. Just before I left, I picked up a knife and pulled up the hem of the blouse, drawing a line of red just below my ribs - high enough that no one would see. Pressing my hand to the wound, I exerted my senses and drew the power from deep inside me, adding it to the store I had been building up since the day I discovered my blood magic. Unlike most of the Dark, I have never used my blood magic on another human, it has never held the appeal for me that it did others in the organisation. Storing the dagger in a sheath hidden in my boot, I made my way to the weapons room to pick a few extra things up. Walking up and down the room, a few almost dainty looking throwing knives caught my eye - knives were my speciality, I have always been talented with them. Then, just for extra protection, I took a small handgun with me. I stored this new weaponry in the folds of my skirt and other small sheaths hidden in my elbow length leather gloves and boots. Now, I was ready to leave. I silently made my way down the corridor, and down the main staircase. A hooded figure was waiting for me there. I stopped in front of him, and gave the customary bow. "This is your chance," came a male voice from under the hood,"and you had better not ruin it." This was the mysterious master of the Dark! I had only ever seen him twice before, once when I was first captured, and the other when my blood magic went out of control. I felt a thrill of nerves, and I knew that I needed to impress him. "Yes, master," I said respectfully. "If you try to escape, we will find you, and we won't give you another chance. You will be kept inside until you are a full member of the Dark." In other words, my sixteenth birthday. "I understand," I replied. And I did understand. This is the only chance I'm going to get, and if I mess up it will be my fault entirely. "You may leave," he said curtly. I nodded respectfully. I walked out the main door, and took a breath of fresh air. This was the first time I was allowed without someone accompanying me in years, and it felt good to be free. Without a backwards glance I walked out the gates at the front of the old mansion, and continued on towards the school that was only ten minutes down the road.