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============== signifies a flashback.

《》 signifies thoughts

Enjoy :)

It was like a scene from a movie. Everything around me moved in slow motion. My surroundings were blurred together, as I was thrust forward towards the hole that I had just seconds prior to blown my father through. As soon as I crossed the threshold of the house, I was transported to the mystical garden. Three hooded figures stood surrounding me in a triangle formation. Immediately I went on guard, but the hooded figures held out their hands in front of their bodies. The orbed shaped amulets Grams gave to us were dangling from their wrist.

"Nikolette? Nikola? Nikolas?!"

There was no response from the hooded figures. I tried to reach out with my powers telepathically to communicate with them, but it was like I was being deflected somehow.

I felt my panic rising in me before, just like it had with Niklaus. I was on the verge of losing control again, I could feel it.

The hooded people's hands began to glow with white light, but instead of blasting out at me, they traveled around to each other, connecting their light in some kind of triangular barrier...or cage.

My heart stared racing, at the realization of what they were trying to do.

They were trying to trap me, capture me as if I were some kind of animal. And then what? Torture me? Kill me?

I tried again to reach out to them telepathically, still holding out hope that these were my siblings and not some imposters. I didn't want to hurt them, but I couldn't let them capture me. Call it instinct, or my need for survival, but I wasn't going to make it easy for them to do whatever they had planned for me.

I was going to fight back. And if I went down, I was going to do a whole lot of damage in the meantime.

The light grew brighter, pulsating to an inaudible rhythm created by the hooded figures.

I readied myself, maybe I could make a run for it, disrupt their circle before they completed whatever ritual they were trying to create.

I gathered my strength and ran towards the space between two of the hooded freaks. I threw all of my power behind me as I collided with the light barrier. Without breaking a sweat, I was instantly thrown back into the center of the formation, rolling unceremoniously back into my original spot.

"So much for that idea." I said out loud, while slowly climbing to my feet.

The people in the formation began to chant in a weird language, one I didn't understand, but sounded familiar at the same time. Immediately, the formation began to close in on me. The triangular light barrier getting closer and closer.

"Stop. Please. I don't want to hurt anyone." I pleaded.

"But you did hurt...with your power." They all spoke at once in this collective voice. It didn't sound like my brother and sisters.

"I didn't mean to, that was-"

"An accident? You're powers are out of your control. You must be handled." They interrupted. The wind around us began to pick up. The mystical garden that was once filled with light, turn pitch dark. If it weren't for the light of the binding, I would've been completely helpless.

"Handled? I need to be handled? Says who?"

"Says us!" Their voices boomed. I could feel the ground quake in a mere display of their power.

"Who are you to decide my fate? A few mistakes doesn't make me an evil person. I'll admit that what I did was wrong, but I don't deserve to cease to exist because of that! I'm not evil!" I shouted to them.

"It has been decided, you will receive your sentencing now." Their voices echoed.

"I don't know who the hell you guys are, but you have no right to judge me, none of you do. If I'm such a threat that needs to be handled, you might not want to piss me off." I warned. My voice was dark and carried the full force of my threat.

They chuckled, "Your power does not compare to The Collective."

I smirked, "Yeah, well I wouldn't be so sure about that."

I closed my eyes and focused inward. I tried to recreate the panic and fear I felt when I hurt Grant. I tried to think of the anger and anxiety when I blast Niklaus through the wall. All of those feelings are what triggered that power in me before. It wasn't something I wanted to relive, but if it meant surviving whatever sentence that this "Collective" were about to bestow upon me, then I have to do whatever it takes.

I could feel myself changing. The dark power surged through me electrifying my entire being with pure, raw, unfiltered power.

My vision darkened, as I looked around at my captors. I could feel my lips twist in a sinister smile.

"You think you can stop me?" My voice was different. A little deeper, and darker. "You don't know the extent of my power."

The chanting intensified, as the formation grew brighter and closed in on me more.

"A show of desperation? You cannot contain me forever." I chuckled.

Slowly I lifted my arms up either side of me. I could feel my body vibrating with power. My hands glowed with purple light aimed at two of the hooded members.

"Any last words?" I taunted. They continued to chant without acknowledging me. I smirked and tilted my head. "Now you won't even acknowledge me...that's cold."

The power in my hands, built up until I was ready to release it fully in a dark light blast. Just as I was about to fire, a flash of light materialized in front of me, a figure emerging from it.

"Who the fuck are yo-"

Before I could finish my sentence, I was blasted by a light attack that sent me flying into the barrier. When I connected, instead of being deflected like the last time, the wall sent a surge of electricity throughout my entire body causing every nerve to feel like it was on fire. I screamed in agony, as the barrier continued to light me up like a Christmas tree.

After a moment, I fell from the wall onto my knees. My body smoking with the aftermath of being barbecued alive.

I chuckled softly at first, but then loudly. I flicked my head back, my eyes wide as I stared at a fourth hooded person standing inside the barrier with me. "Is that the best you got?"

The hooded figure shook its head, and closed the space between us so fast, it was almost as if he moved at the speed of light itself.

He held his hand out to me. It glowed with a weird symbol. He made a gesture with hood opposite hand, and two light chains sprung from the ground and bound my hands at my sides. I struggled endlessly, but whatever he did, I couldn't escape it.

"Let me go!!" I screamed.

The man ignored me, and pressed his glowing hand to my forehead. I could feel my entire body glowing with his light, and slowly my light was drawn into me. My body felt weak and I could feel myself loosing contact with my powers. Whatever this guy and his band of merry men where doing to me, it was taking away my light but I was powerless to stop it. I was slipping out of consciousness, but before I fell victim to the hooded people, I saw the one in the circle with me face.

"Niklaus..."

After that, everything faded to black.

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I woke up with a terrible headache. A wet cloth was draped over my forehead. I laid there, trying to regain my thoughts.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused me to jolt up in a sitting position. I immediately regretted it, as I collapsed back against the headboard. I slowly opened my eyes this time and looked around. I could tell at first glance that I was in my room, which was weird to me considering my last memory was of me turning dark and fighting some hooded people wanting to "handle" me.

"Finally you're up." Nikolas grunted from the doorway. He was leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed and a bored expression on his face.

I looked to my left and right and saw Nikolette and Nikola. At the foot of the bed sat my father. His expression was unreadable, but his posture was relaxed.

My last memory flashed in my head. Seeing Niklaus as one of the hooded figures. He was a part of the people that tried to kill me.

I rose my hand and willed a light blast at him, but nothing happened. I shook my hand, trying to ignite it somehow, still nothing happened.

"What did you do to me?!" I screamed at him. I saw Nikolas roll his eyes.

"Nikolai relax-" Niklaus started.

"No I'm not going to relax, you and those hooded freaks tried to kill me!" I glanced frantically at my sisters, "Did you hear me, he tried to kill me! Why is he even here?!"

"Must you always be a drama queen?" Nikolas muttered. "He didn't try to kill you, you're still alive aren't you?"

"But there were there hooded people that said I needed to be "handled" and that I was evil. He was one of them! I saw his face! Damn it!" I tried again to blast him, only this time I got a fizzle, almost equivalent to a misfired firework.

"What did you do to me?!"

I felt someone touch my arm, and looked to my left frantically at Nikolette. Her touch was warm and reassuring. Against my will, I could feel myself calming at her touch. I was still angry, but it was repressed somehow.

"You're doing this, aren't you?" I asked her in a more calm tone. She simply nodded, and removed her hand. Although she ceased contact, the effect of whatever she did still lingered.

"How?"

"You all have special abilities unique only to you." Niklaus spoke up.

I glared at him, but continued to listen.

"Nikolas has increased physical strength that surpasses that of normal faerie. As old as I am, his strength rivals my own."

Nikolas flexed his biceps as if to emphasize Niklaus' words.

"Nikola's ability allows her to heal herself, as well as others. It's a very rare talent indeed, there's only one other faerie I've ever known to possess that ability."

Nikola gave me a weak smile.

"I'm sure by now you can guess Nikolette's ability." He stated rather than asked.

"She's an empath." I guessed.

She nodded.

"That would explain why we were overcome with her anger the first time we saw you, and why she was able to calm me down just now. I'm guessing you have the ability to project what you feel onto others."

"Couldn't have said it better." Niklaus beamed.

I glared at him, "What about me? What's my great ability?"

"I don't know."

"You don't....know?" I was genuinely shocked. He who knows everything, it appears doesn't.

I couldn't help myself from laughing uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, but that's funny. The great and powerful Oz doesn't know everything, am I the only one shocked?!"

Nikolas looked at me like I had finally cracked. Nikola looked sad, and Nikolette just nodded in understanding.

I snickered, "I'm sorry but you've got to admit that, that was funny."

"Maybe you wouldn't think it was so funny when you hear why it is your ability hasn't manifested." Nikolas grunted. He seemed genuinely annoyed by my behavior.

"Oh please tell me then, don't hold me in suspense forever."

"It's because of your dark powers. They've masked your ability, and that's why we used that sealing technique to temporarily bind your powers." Niklaus stated.

"Wait it was you, all of you?" I looked around at my siblings like I was meeting them for the first time.

"It was us, but not really us." Nikola spoke up.

"It's complicated." Nikolas added.

"Well make it simple! What happened?"

"In order to explain it, I need to tell you everything just like I did with your siblings. Only then will you be able to understand."

I crossed my arms, "Fine. Speak."

"Since the beginning of our kind, there has always been a struggle between us. There were five faerie who governed our community. The were the first, and by right, kings and queens to the faerie race. Each noble member owned a part of our world and governed the people in their land. We lived in peace, and prospered. However that all changed one day."

His face grew solemn, and his whole demeanor took on a darker look. His face became more tense, his jaw clinched tightly in frustration, while his brow furrowed in a gesture of anger.

"Our Kingdom was attacked by an outside source. I was twelve years old by human standards, as I stood on the balcony of our castle overlooking the city. I watched in horror as our kind attempted to invade the city. Light flew through the air at sickening speeds disintegrating everything that it touched."

I could literally see my father shaking in fear, or anger as he retold his story. I had no idea he had this kind of history. Why didn't we know about this before? And more importantly, what did this have to do with me?

"These faeries that were attacking is were different. They were stronger, moved faster than us, and had no remorse or feelings for anything. It was as of they craved power, destruction, and chaos. My father and elder brothers fought bravely to defend our kingdom, and in the end succeeded in driving back the dark faeries. But we weren't without our casualties...my eldest brother Nikarus was lost in the battle, and soon after that our other brother Nikirus abandoned the kingdom and hasn't been heard from since. My father was nearly driven mad with grief after losing his two sons. I don't think he ever really fully recovered."

Nikola walked around and placed a reassuring hand on our father's shoulder.

"From that point on, our grandfather was obsessed with figuring out who those faerie were, and why their power increased and gave off a dark energy." Nikola started. She looked towards Nikola, I imagined she telepathically told him to continue since I didn't have my powers.

"He set out on a secret mission. Having captured one of the enemy faeries, he was able to get out a location of their stronghold. He infiltrated their base, and what he learned changed everything for our kind forever." Nikolas glanced at Nikolette.

"The faeries had come into contact with some sort of dark elixir that not only altered their appearance, but changed them completely. They were evil, held no emotions or remorse for anything, not even themselves. They were completely focused on death, destruction, and the consumption of more power. They were dark, forever changed."

Nikola picked up again, "But that wasn't the only thing that our grandfather found out that day." Nikola's face turned sorrowful. It was almost like she was struggling just to speak. "Apparently the dark elixir had been discovered by Nikarus."

"Wait, I thought he died in the war. How could he have been the one to discover the dark elixir?" I asked confused. There was no way he could've been the one to find it. All this wasn't making sense anymore.

"Apparently the dark elixir granted him with special powers that allowed him to create an illusion of some sort. He had been using the illusion for quiet some time, before he acted out his plan."

"Yeah but you said the dark elixir altered their physical appearance. No one noticed he looked different?" I asked.

Nikolas walked closer to me, "He can somehow shift back and forth between appearances. Its how he fool everyone, and instead of his twin brother Nikirus deserting the family, like everyone thought, he was kidnapped by Nikarus and chained in a dungeon and pumped with dark elixir until he too was overwhelmed by its dark magic."

"Wait! Just wait!" I gestured wildly. "You're telling me we have two uncles out there somewhere, and they're evil?"

"It's not entirely that simple, but yes, that is true." Nikolette spoke up. "Together their power rivaled all of the elder nobles. They set out on mission to destroy all of the nobles, our grandfather included. The succeeded in killing two of the first faeries, and nearly succeeded in killing a third, but was stopped by the remaining first, and together they sealed them away into another dimension."

"Why not kill them, be done with the threat?" I shrugged. That seemed like the logical choice to me.

"With only three of them remaining, and how strong the dark elixir made the twins, it was all they could do to seal them away." Nikolette stated.

I was a little more than shocked to hear all of this. I think I was more shocked by the fact that my brother and sisters had known about this, and didn't tell me. Regardless of how long they knew, they didn't tell me. We didn't all find out at the same time. We never kept secrets from each other, at least we never used to before. I couldn't help feeling betrayed and manipulated.

"So what's this have to do with me?" I asked.

This time Niklaus spoke up. "The dark elixir preys on the darkness inside of you. It's powers are attached to your emotions, which would explain why they manifested in your heightened emotional distress. Since your mother was human, for the most part, your emotions are more sensitive as all humans are."

"What do you mean "she was human for the most part?""

"Your mother possessed great spiritual powers. I don't know if she was aware of it, and I never read her mind. That's why you all have special abilities that us normal full blooded faeries don't. Honestly, it makes you all not only unique from other hybrids, but unbelievably more stronger. With your mother's spiritual powers, your powers rival that of a full blooded faerie, and that's without training in faerie knowledge and spiritual power knowledge." Niklaus seemed genuinely proud as he finished his last sentence. His pride radiated from his eyes onto each of us, as he glanced around the room.

"Let me get this straight." I rubbed my temples, "Our grandfather is like faerie royalty, his sons are evil and tried to take over the world but were banished. Mom was something like a witch and passed onto us some kind of power that makes us super strong. Oh and I'm turning evil too."

"You're not turning evil, my God you're so dramatic." Nikolas sighed.

"Oh thank you, but their is an unconscious faerie who would love to disagree with you." I replied sarcastically.

I silently cursed to myself, they had no idea about Grant, and I really didn't want to get into that whole mess right now. There was only so much I could deal with all at once, and I'm not sure that I could even deal with what I've been told so far, but there ain't no rest for the wicked. Or something like that. I just had to suck it up, put on my big boy pants, and deal with it.

"Dad's okay, so not unconscious." Nikolas gestured to Niklaus.

He thought I meant Niklaus and not someone else. Thank the powers that be for my brother's ignorance.

I just rolled my eyes, "What else could the reason be for me having dark light and blasting people through walls if I'm not turning evil?"

"Someone's been giving you dark elixir. Small doses, which would explain why you haven't changed completely...yet." Niklaus looked at me. Studying me with his eyes. I'm guessing he was trying to read my mind. He wouldn't do it to mom, because he considered it an invasion of privacy, but I guess his kids were fair game.

"Found out who is it yet then?" I asked, while tapping the side of my head.

"I'm not going to read your mind, not a lot of good that would do anyway." Niklaus said, breaking eye contact. "Whoever is poisoning you would be careful not to be seen doing it by you, or they'd wipe the memory from your mind."

I gasped. "They can do that?"

Niklaus shrugged, "Maybe, you all are still new to being faerie, you don't know how to protect yourself from other faeries who don't share the same restraint that I do."

"That's why we wear these." Nikolette said touching the orbed shaped amulets.

I glanced around and saw that my other siblings were absent mindedly toying with their amulets.

I felt my neck instinctively, but to my shock, my amulet was missing. I frantically looked around me for the necklace. I NEVER took it off...EVER. There was no way I had lost it.

"Looking for this?" Niklaus asked holding up the amulet.

Before I could respond, he walked around and placed it on my neck. He waved his hand in front of it, and it glowed in white light. My brother and sisters amulets mimicked mine and glowed brightly before diminishing completely.

"There, now you cannot take them off, and they have been enchanted to react in the presence of other faeries. Maybe that'll help you find out who's been poisoning you." Niklaus smiled down at me.

"And my powers?"

"Shall return to you shortly. With the amulet, you'll be able to suppress the dark elixir until it has all been cleansed from your body."

"I see." I nodded.

I got up from my bed and walked around my room. I hadn’t noticed before, but it was still light out. The sun was shining brightly, basking me in the rays that escaped through the cracks in the window. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. It was like the sun was rejuvenating me, making me feel strong again. The sun had always had that effect on me. I always thought it had something to do with me being a faerie, but after hearing that my mother had spiritual powers, I wasn't so sure anymore. I guess it didn't matter, she wasn't around any longer to explain anything to me.

I walked towards my dresser and dug through it until I found a pair of sweat pants. I pulled them up and over the under shorts I had on before. I took off my shirt and tossed it aside, and pulled on a short sleeve button up. I grabbed my tennis shoes and put them on too.

"Where are you going?" Nikolas asked.

"Away from here. I can't be here with all of you. Not right now."

"You can't leave! Didn't you just hear what we told you? You're-"

Niklaus placed a hand on his shoulder, "Let him go. He has a lot to think about."

I gave Niklaus a grateful nod, before exiting my room and the house. I got into my car and started the engine. It was too early to go to Fangtasia, the sun wouldn't be down for another four hours at least.

Shea!

I hadn't seen him since that night in the bar when he stormed out. That was almost a week and a half ago. I had to see him.

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I knocked on his door for the third time, and like my previous attempts, nothing.

I glanced at my watch, he should've been home. Even though we hadn't seen each other in a while, I still knew his schedule like the back of my hand.

Where was he?

I brought my hand up to the door to knock again, but the door swung open, and I was suddenly pulled inside. The door slammed shut behind me, as I was pinned to it trapped from escaping by two strong arms on either side of me.

I looked up to see two eyes staring back at me intensely. Those eyes looked familiar, but different somehow. They were still dark like I remembered, but they had little gold flecks.

"Shea?"

He let out this sort of noise that was a mix between a whimper and a growl. It was a weird sound, one I'd never heard from him before.

"What's going on with you? Why pull me inside and pin me to the door?" I reached up touch him, but he grabbed my hand and brought it to his nose and sniffed. He visibly shuttered, and the same weird noise escaped him.

I opened my mouth to say something to him, but was caught off guard when he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. He used one hand to push me up so that he was holding me level with him.

I broke the kiss, and looked at him. Something about him was different, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I mean he just kissed me. Like literally kissed me! I tried to squirm myself out of his grasp, but his grip on me was iron tight.

"Shea..."

"No." He whimpered. His eyes grew darker and the flecks of gold began to shine brighter almost eclipsing his normal color.

Another growl whimper noise escaped his mouth as he leaned forward to kiss me again. This time I turned my head. He gave a frustrated growl, but instead of backing away, he nuzzled against my neck, smelling and licking lightly at the sensitive flesh.

I involuntarily let out a moan that seemed to encourage him further.

"Shea stop....we....can't."

He leaned back slightly. "Shut up and kiss me."

I don't know if it was because of everything that I was feeling at the moment, vulnerable, wanting to be needed, or my family and dark faerie drama. It could have very well been the hardness of Shea's member throbbing against my covered bottom, but I couldn't find any reason to argue, or even care in that moment.

So I did the only thing I could.

I did as I was told, and kissed him.