An alarm woke Nicoleta up, May and Charlotte opened their eyes soon after, still half asleep, the girls rose up from the bed, and climbed down the small ladder. Laura was already getting into her suit.
Nicoleta wore her gear, and rushed outside with May and Charlotte holding her hand tightly.
They reached the launch pad quickly, got into a croft, and settled inside. The croft shook violently as it lifted off.
The girls screamed, trembling with fear, as the flying sequence came to a stop the moment they were hit. The doors flew off, and the croft tilted making them all scream as they slipped down, the seat belts unlocking as an explosion broke down the system.
Nicoleta used her flame to direct her path downward, as a phoenix flew towards her, he was hit down by Levi and Nicoleta watched him finish him off on the ground.
she watched the chaos erupting all around her. Phoenix fought phoenix, kids battled to stay alive against a much experienced opponent.
Nicoleta tumbled onto the hill, and looked up as May was dropped toward her by a phoenix; she caught her just in time before she could tumble over the hill side.
May hung over the hill tears sprouting from her eyes, she looked up at Nicoleta with scared eyes, the very same fearful look Zylith had before she died.
Nicoleta pulled her with all her strength.
"I don't wanna die Nicoleta, I don't wanna die- " May sobbed her grip slowly loosening, Nicoleta held on tighter, "I've got you" she groaned, grabbing her elbow with her other hand to hurl her over.
As she did Charlotte came flying down and smashed into May making blood splatter over Nicoleta's face, as May's arm slipped away from hers.
May didn't scream, she couldn't. Charlotte tumbled down the hill side crashing onto rock after rock, and being finished off by a Phoenix that spit fire at her, turning her corpse into charred coal.
Nicoleta stared and could not look away, May and Charlotte, who she found out was alive just twelve hours ago, were now dead.
Her friends were dead. May and Charlotte were gone.
Her eyes dried from tears, rage bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Her blood boiled, as she rose up to her feet.
Rage wrapped around her like a blanket, her vision turning blood red.
She trembled with anger, her blood boiling with desire to revenge her friends.
Scarlet flame wrapped around her arms, and legs, taking over her like a lit candle.
The very same phoenix that killed Charlotte flew over her, Nicoleta looked up.
She propelled herself upward, and crashed into the phoenix ramming into its belly with her yellow flame. She grabbed its muzzle and twisted it with ease, making the phoenix fall to the ground. Dead. One down.
Her head snapped to a phoenix fight in the distance, one that she could assume was Levi was being beaten by the older Phoenix, she recognized that Phoenix.
Nicoleta let her scarlet flame burn true as she punched the phoenix through his stomach making blood fall on her as the phoenix fell to the ground with the other.
She grasped the neck of a masked giant, and twisted it, then cut through a female rushing at her with her flame, turning her into ash.
From left to right, attackers rushed at her, and each one was killed, each killed more blood spilled, and still she was filled with more anger.
She watched as a Phoenix flew over her, stabbing through six people with her flame.
Nicoleta took hold of the Phoenix burning it with her yellow flame, as she fell down with it ramming into it over and over.
The phoenix whimpered, not even attempting to fight back, as Nicoleta splattered her blood soaked skin with more each punch, each burn causing the phoenix to whimper and cough blood.
When the Phoenix died, she jumped on the ground. Her chest shook and vibrated with rage, her eyes only saw red, as attack after attack she took the enemy troops down.
When she rammed the last giant down into the earth causing it to dent beneath him, Nicoleta filled with a kind of rage indescribable, roared into the air causing the ground to shake beneath her.
She propelled herself into the air, and spun around making her flame travel everywhere before she landed.
Her eyes snapped to Laura who was being rushed at unawares as she fought a man.
Nicoleta pounced on the woman, punching her over and over. She grabbed Nicoleta's arms but she let her scarlet flame shoot through, killing her instantly before doing the same to the man Laura was fighting.
Nicoleta roared again, killing another attacker.
She looked all around her surrounded by bodies, all which were killed by her, Nicoleta stared down at her bloodied hands.
Her body began to shake, her hands trembled. Her knees buckled, and she sunk into more blood beneath her.
The flame died. "Thank you" Laura crouched next to her, grasping her bloodied face in her hands.
Tears poured down Nicoleta's face, she fell on Laura's shoulder, and cried, holding her tightly as she shook with fear.
What had she done?
Reinforcement arrived and found nothing to force, instead they helped the survivors into hover crofts; Nicoleta was given a new suit slightly bigger than her.
The croft she and Laura climbed was nearly full, with only two seats available.
Beside the commander, was another face she recognized, Xavier. He waved at her, and frowned when he saw her blood drenched form.
"Where's Isabella?" he asked, looking around her for May whose blood was beneath the many enemy troops Nicoleta had slaughtered.
She didn't answer his question, only sat down, and buckled in pulling on the belt to make sure she had locked it in properly.
Xavier's eyes were still on her as Laura sat beside her, Nicoleta only shook her head, leaned her head back, staring at the white metallic ceiling of the croft.
Xavier's invisible smile vanished.
They arrived in Base eleven in Eindhoven, some hours later, and the kids were told to settle in, commanders and generals all went into the same room, and the door knob though far from where they were could be heard being locked.
Xavier tapped Nicoleta's shoulder as he followed a tall officer to the boys quarters, she glanced at him.
Nicoleta was taken to a room where another girl already resided, and seeing the scared look in the girl's eyes, she turned to the female officer, "I want to share a room with Laura Glass" so they made her and Laura share the last room in the girl's quarters, which was gladly close to the bathrooms.
Nicoleta stripped off her uniform, and burned it in the dustbin, before going to the bathroom, no one was inside when she got there.
She drowned herself under the warm water that later became cold, and couldn't help but think about her father, step mother, brother, and wonder if the two were even alive.
She remembered May's cute smile, her clinginess at times. She remembered her passion for nursing, and beat her chest for never talking to her about it- it was always about Nicoleta, always about her problems, her happiness, her success, she never acted like their friend, even in their last hours she made it all about herself.
She cried over her selfishness, she cried over her father, she cried over her friends, over Zylith. She cried, breaths hitching, chest tightening.
She massaged her neck to rid the pain, and sunk to the floors, telling herself she deserved pain.
She left the showers after an hour. They were given new clothes, Nicoleta got into a tank top and sweat pants and avoided the new suit that was given to her.
She was no rescuer, she failed to rescue her friends, her father, Zylith.
She crawled into bed, wrapping herself in the bedsheets.
Laura sat by the foot of her bed, "you saved my life- " she paused letting out a heavy breath, "thank you" she touched Nicoleta's hand, squeezing it lightly, before the weight of her on the bed was lifted.
After some hours passed by, they received orders through the speakers to follow an officer assigned to them to the meeting room.
Laura tapped Nicoleta's shoulder, and she stood to follow.
When the officer saw them, his eyes locked on Nicoleta who wasn't wearing her uniform, "where is your uniform?" He asked, Nicoleta shrugged, she'd burned it when Laura was sleeping, but she was sure they had more to give her.
"I didn't get a new one" he refused to argue, and instead gave the two of them wrapped sandwiches.
"Next time notify mission control so you can get a new one" she nodded. Laura tore into her sandwich the moment the officer turned around.
They followed him, and soon the two joined a crowd of kids being taken to the meeting room. Along the way Xavier found them, and Nicoleta gave him her sandwich seeing that he didn't have any.
He smiled at her, "thanks" he said, taking a massive bite. He finished the sandwich in a second, and looked behind them with hungry eager eyes. How they managed to keep him alive in the war was beyond Nicoleta.
He ate more food than any human should be able to.
When they arrived in the meeting room, every child was taken to a seat. Nicoleta sat by Laurens, who she was glad to see alive, across from her was Leonardo, next Levi, and Evan, all three of them stared at her.
A man in a blue suit, with a red tie, his hair smoothed back black glimmering in the small light inside the meeting room stood in the middle of the meeting room.
The screens around them lit up, and similar meeting rooms popped on the screen, each of them packed with kids in the elite force, each of them with some person representing them.
The man in a blue suit clasped his hands together, turning to everyone in the room.
"Alright- everyone is here- " he smiled, then frowned, "I'm James Westinsenson for those who do not know me, I'm the man behind Westinsenson son, and mission control, though westinsenson son is in ruins as of two months ago. I created this organization to keep order in places where the military .. All across the world couldn't, or even solve problems nations struggled to combat, mission control is based in two hundred countries the other six being a bit difficult to convince- " he took a heavy breath. "However we have made a big impact all across the globe- and we continue to in this war even we have managed to save three billion people and transferred them to the civilian bunkers in Africa with the great help of the elite soldiers" the adults clapped, so the kids followed, Nicoleta clapped once and placed her arms down.
"But it seems we are not exactly on the winning side of this war, and anyone who has been fighting knows this, if it weren't for today's slaughter all thanks to Ms. Nicoleta Ariti- " all eyes landed on her.
Nicoleta squirmed in her seat, looking down to avoid eye contact with anyone.
"The most the elite forces have managed to eliminate is two hundred thousand soldiers. And one girl is behind that!" his voice became louder and louder as he spoke. "How come we have assembled the world's best military force, and one girl is the reason why you all survived today's attack!!?" He slammed his hand on the table, making every child flinch.
"We call you the elite forces because you're supposed to be stronger than us, better than us- capable of taking down your own people- one Girl!!" He slammed both hands onto the table, smashing it into pieces.
"What would have happened if Ms. Ariti wasn't there? Would the slaughter be against us? Because you all fail to realize that we have put every last defence in you" he asked calmly.
He threw his hands in the air, "look around you- half the army of Elite forces are dead!" He shouted. "We are losing the war" his voice calmed again.
"There isn't a minute chance of us winning this war, and what of the people in Africa? What happens to them when we all fail to protect earth from these- evil beings" it seemed to sting him to say the last of his words.
He shivered. "We need to think about something else- we have to win"
"What about giving them what they want?" A small girl's voice broke through the interface.
James Westinsenson looked at one of the screens, the picture had landed on a pale, blonde haired girl, with piercing blue eyes.
"State your name and position." Said James Westinsenson. The girl nodded, "my name is Emma Bakker" he nodded, "alright Ms. Bakker, what do you mean give them what they want?"
"Well at the start of the war on December 6th all smart devices were interrupted for a brief moment and a figure, probably their leader, asked for us to bring him/her the princess. So we should just locate the princess, and figure out what to do from there" James Westinsenson listened to her intently, nodding slowly as she spoke.
After she was done, James Westinsenson turned to everyone in the room, "well that would be a lovely idea Ms. Bakker- except if they really wanted the princess then these attacks have long killed her don't you think?" She agreed only to some extent before answering him.
"Well maybe they are so brutal with their attacks because they know where the princess is- maybe they are just terrorizing us for the fun of it, and once we surrender the princess after killing half of our troops you said, they will leave"
"I assure you that if they wanted the princess, they would have gone about it differently." General Lane spoke up, "we should try the girl's idea- there's no harm done if we try it anyway, it's a lose lose situation either way Westinsenson- our chances of winning might lie on the shoulders of this princess." Every other adult voiced their agreement with Lane, even some of the kids voiced their agreement, all but the girls of course.
"If we all want to try this idea then I will see what we can do"
All the girls were rounded up in two days, and were taken to the launch pad; it had begun to rain. They all sat on the benches waiting for further commands.
All the girls were scared, trembling or faint. Nicoleta couldn't tremble, her body had run out of energy, she was exhausted, her eyelids were heavy, her arms weak, she hadn't slept since the slaughter.
Every time she closed her eyes for even a second May's scared eyes would pop into her mind, May's blood lived behind her eye lids, her father's corpse made a resting place inside her brain.
Zylith's half body had settled into her mind.
She sat slumped on the benches next to Laura, trying to control her exhausted body.
Her eyelids fell over her eyes, and blue pierced through her own making her wake up abruptly.
James Westinsenson came inside, and through the blur Nicoleta followed Laura as words echoed all around her, she was too tired to hear a thing.
They all climbed on the crofts. Ten groups of girls. Twenty girls in each group.
The croft took off. In the air the croft stopped immediately. The doors were forced open and in walked a woman, wearing no mask, but rather a dress, a green bodice, and red skirts, when she got closer it seemed to be made of something hard like metal.
She stood several feet taller than even the croft, having to bend to fit inside.
Nicoleta held her breath with every other girl, as the woman scanned through the crowd.
She stopped in front of Nicoleta, and placed her index on her forehead, her thumb right above her nose, and her other hand at the center of her sternum.
Her head shot up, then she dropped to the ground.
"Satospansta" said the lady in tongue unrecognizable. Nicoleta looked all around her pears, her heart drumming.
She was the princess.