Twisted Blood

Renee's attacks simmered down over the next few weeks and grew scarce until they seemed to have stopped completely. That only made the hunters more alert and more focused on protecting Dunon Academy and Dunon Town. The reason why Renee was so physically scarce was because she was mentally active. Invading Ryan's dreams to scheme on with her daughter while also invading Ridley's dreams behind Ryan's back. The function of invading Ridley's dreams was to pit her against Ryan, create a rift that matched the one Clarke shared with his brothers. Renee got clever; she started invading Dane's dreams too.

In the light of the setting sun, Dane was snorring softly in his bed while Marcus was listening to music and reading beside him. After a long day on watch, the last thing the Danish hunter needed was a dream to wake him up hours before he wrote the ultimate physics test.

In this dream, that Renee manipulated, Ridley was with Sayeed. Ankh at her side while Amenta, Nemyss, Scarab and Anubis were at his side. It was just after school and the dark sky was faintly speckled with stars. The moon was watching over the school in all its radiant glory and the sound of crickets was faint.

Sayeed's cast was still over his humerus but it was due to come off any night now. Ridley's loose black hair blew in the autum wind and revealed the teeth punctures on her neck. A mouth of teeth embossed on the base of her neck and Dane, from the pillar where he stood, could see that those weren't his teeth.

Both Ridley and Sayeed were laughing at what Sayeed was saying. She looked into his eyes then looked down as her cheeks flushed red. Dane furrowed his eyebrows, knowing very well that Ridley Dominique Axel is physically incapable of laughing for so long. Sayeed cupped her cheek tenderly and Dane could only watch in disgust.

Then, his disgust turned to jealousy at the sight of Sayeed's lips on Ridley's. Dane could hear Ridley hum her delight but denial settled in. He refused to believe what he saw. Not only was the girl he was in love with kissing someone else but she was now a truant. A traitor to the cause.

If that wasn't enough, the forbidden couple skimmed over their surroundings to make sure nobody would see Sayeed stem Ridley. She groaned her pleasure then clutched the ampyra closer to her, feeling his teeth deep inside her neck. Narrowly avoiding her nerves and her major artery.

Sayeed spun to pin Ridley to the tree he formerly leaned against. Ridley, in reply, reached for the buckle of Sayeed's belt. Dane was frozen to the spot! As much as he tried to flee the scene or just try and stop it, he was firmly glued to the spot. He couldn't close his either. His eyelids wouldn't allow it.

He had to suffer! He watched Ridley and Sayeed gyrate against the elm tree while her black blood trickled down her chest. Behind Sayeed, a man with a spear held ready for the attack crept up to the secret lovers. Dane could scream. Dane couldn't yell. Dane couldn't do anything other than watch.

When Ridley finally saw the man, it was too late. The spear went straight through Sayeed's back and came out the other side of the tree trunk. As the light vanished from both their eyes, Dane still couldn't do anything. Ridley's head fell to the side and with her dying breath she called out, "Dane..."

The Danish hunter bolted upright, feeling his dream fade to memory. Marcus coolly turned to his roommate while unplugging his earphones. "Calm yourself, sir," the goldblood stated. "Are you all right?" Dane exhaled heavily then nodded. "It was only a dream. If it spooked you, you're welcome to talk to me about it."

Dane caved back onto his bed then shook his head. "No offense," Dane added.

"None taken, sir."

Dane roughly slid out of bed and collected his belongings to shower. The piping hot water ran over the scars over his back. His Class E mother's attack left a physical reminder. He leaned his head into the tiled wall to let the water wash over him. The hunter closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath.

Sayeed and Ridley were physics partners and it kind of annoyed Dane. The Egyptian hunter clearly had an understanding of the simple science that was Ridley Axel. Usually she was bitter to people outside her circle - also known as the Guardian Program - but even them she kept at a distance. Ankh must've really soften up Ridley for him!

The hunter close his eyes and melted under the shower. A hand caresses his shoulder and her dark purple nail polish was the first thing Dane noticed. He turned around to find Ridley in the shower with him. She leaned into his chest with a pur. Her hair was drenched just as much as his.

Dane cupped her cheek and she straightened up to look him in the eye. "Ridley..."

She shook her head then backed away from him and only then did he notice that she too was nude. "You're not him," she stated. With that, he turned on her heel and modelled out of the dorm bathroom completely wet and naked. Dane couldn't register what happened.

He shook his head to rid himself of the fright he got. The water trail to the door was gone and the wet footprints were nowhere in sight. It was as if Renee... Ridley... was never there. Dane could still feel her hair and her hand on him. He knew he saw her and he knew he felt her but the evidence - or lack of evidence, rather - suggested otherwise.

The sun set bell tolled and the bathroom started filling up with the boys on Dane's floor. He hurried back to his room while Marcus was readying himself for the day. Dane caved onto his bed. He sighed then stared at the ceiling. "Fuck," he sighed defeatedly then shook his head. "Get your head out the clouds, man. Focus!"

At breakfast, Dane shook off the imaginary Ridley to full invest in his mug of blood. Kenneth was doing nowhere to be found and Simon-Paul was sitting with Lloyd. There was an uneasiness cast over the night and it had barely started. All around the dining hall, the moon students were oblivious to the threat around them but growing suspicious.

In the weeks of Renee's receding presence, hunters were more alert than ever. A goldblood attacking an integrated school was one thing - a surprisingly common thing despite the times - but an eldritch was a different game. Not to mention Renee had an army of Eurasian lynx to do her bidding.

Outside, Ridley was calling it from her uneventful daylight patrol. Ankh at her side, the oldest Axel twin clocked off while her sister came to take over the post at the east garden. Bubbly Axel glowered at her counterpart, who made nothing of it. Scary Axel and her wolf sidekick coolly left Ryan with a cold shoulder.

While the school hallways were filling with students, Ridley and Ankh made for Dr Coleman's classroom. The physics teacher hosted his daily evening walk-in classes. Danielle and Alex were talking with Dr Coleman when Ridley let herself in. The two non-ampyra students were regulars in the physics doctor's tutelage classes, since Ryan recommended him.

It was almost 20:00 and sun students' time frame for being outside was narrowing down by the minute. Ridley's entrance was a reminder of that so the two hastened through their questions while Dr Coleman cleared the board of Ms Kobliska's lesson so he could write out his own.

When they were done, Danielle made for the door as to not get into trouble. Alex was less hurried. Instead he ventured to Ridley, near the back. "Go. I'll catch up," Alex directed to Danielle, still making for Ridley who was buried in a book with Ankh laying next to her steel table. "H-hey. I was hoping to talk to you about-"

She merely looked up from her book with her eyes coldly on him. Ankh even growled, feeling Ridley's annoyed through their psionic link. The grey wolf sat up to take in the harmless human before her. Alex felt his heart pick up from the wild animal before him, even if she wore a vest, showing she was trained.

"I was hoping you could help me pick something out for Ryan. For her birthday. Your birthday," Alex corrected quickly. "For... that day. Please? She's been moody lately, and I just want to cheer her up."

Ridley merely flicked her eyebrow and Ankh crouched defensively and snarled viciously at him. "Axel," Dr Coleman called sternly without looking from his chalkboard. "Control your mutt or lock it up."

Exhaling heavily, Ridley calmed Ankh and the wolf laid back down. Alex shifted away from the front of the steel table to distance himself from Ankh. "You know her much better than I do; you're the same person in two bodies," Alex went on. "I know she would really appreciate it."

"Saturday. 14:30. Not longer than four," was all she said.

Alex exhaled his relief with a grateful nod. "Thank you so much, Ridley." He hurried out the classroom as it filled up. "Thank you," he echoed.

Under the shadow of the evening, moon classes were in session. Sayeed joined the work station he shared with Ridley. Slightly ahead of them them, was Dane and, his partner, Mehki. She - Ridley - didn't show any changes in her demeanour but Dane could tell she was feeling some way about having Sayeed as her partner. A positive some way, at that. The dream he woke up from was not inspiring confidence either.

Sayeed glanced over at her, diligently making notes from what Dr Coleman was teaching. Ridley let out a deep yawn from her growing lack of sleep. Ankh felt it too. The grey wolf let out a matching yawn then felt too overpowered by an alien force. It wasn't her link with Ridley; it was something more sinister.

Poor Ankh went amok! She snarled at the unseen intruder and angrily bit at the air around her. Students shrivelled away from her while Dane and Sayeed turned to Ridley. "Axel, Badr! Control your mutt or put it in a cage," their teacher bellowed.

Mehki trembled into Dane then turned to Ridley, when she noticed how caught in her spell he was. Sayeed watched Ridley's breathing grow heavy. "Ridley," he called as he skeptically reached to touch her arm. Dr Coleman coward behind his desk when Ankh got too close to the front. "Ridley, stop," he ordered when his hand touched her arm.

She fell out her seat. Sayeed and Dane rushed to her side while Ankh too fell over. "She's got a pulse," Dane stated with his fingers pressed into Ridley's neck. "She passed out?"

"No. Listen," Sayeed ordered.

Faintly, under the lightened breathing, Ridley Axel was snorring. Dane swallowed hard but still shook his head. "This isn't like her," he began while he carefully gathered her in his arms. "I've seen her go a whole summer without sleep. I think this is you-know-what."

Sayeed nodded while Dane stood up with Ridley in his arms. "Take her to the infirmary and page Clark," he ordered while making for Ankh. The wolf winced weakly as he cradled her out the class. "Chill, everyone. It's just a training exercise," he lied to ease the worry and tension. "We do this all the time at Charter House."

"Okay," Dr Coleman replied still uncertain while watching Sayeed coolly waltz out the classroom. "Back to shortwave radiation."

In Ridley's unconscious mind, she was in the clearing where Ryan would usually meet Renee. The wind was howling through the trees and it was cold. Too cold for a late October in the Mediterranean. The sky was clear with wispy clouds scarcely scattered. Ryan too was there, behind her sister.

"Why are you here," Ryan asked. Ridley looked down at her hands and they felt too real for her to be asleep. She ignored her sister then turned to take in the rest of the clearing. "Why do I bother," Ryan jeered to herself.

She planted her hands on her hips then felt a gun in a holster. An evil smirked lined her lips as she unsheathed it slowly. It was fully loaded and there was a round in the chamber. Coldly she aimed the firearm at her twin. She felt nothing but an overwhelming gratitude for what she was about to do. After all this time, she was finally getting what she wanted!

Ridley dug under her school skirt and pulled out her karambit knife, sending an oncoming danger. She could Ankh nearby and she was angrily charging towards them. With Ankh, there was purstening and snorting. Like she was trying to talk. There was urgency in the wild animal.

"... Ridley...!" It was a distorted woman's voice. Monstrous and tainted with a growl. "Ryan's got a gun!"

The huntress spun around to see her sister holding a gun up at her while Ankh pranced onto her, ensnaring Ryan's hand in her strong jaws. Still Ryan pulled the trigger. Without hesitation, Ridley made a swift slash with her karambit. She sliced the bullet in half before it shot her in the nose.

Ryan let out a bone-chilling wail from her agony as she fell to the ground, hand stil caught in Ankh's jaws. Ridley sheathed her karambit then kicked the gun away from her sister's hand. Ankh still hadn't let go of Ryan's jaw. The massive molars alone would crush the bones in the recognised hunter's trigger hand. With six hundred and eighty kilograms of pressure, Ryan's hand was broken at best and in need of amputation at worse.

The Bubbly Axel continued to scream from the wolf's jaws on her. "Ankh," Ridley pitifully. The wolf snarled as she spat out the chewed up hand. Ryan clutched her hand to her chest, whimpering weakly.

A swell of pity filled Ridley as she took in her sister. Unbeknownst to anyone except Ridley herself, her greatest weakness was Ryan. As much as she tried to block out her familial love for her sister, Ryan had a way of seeping in. She was to cold to her sister to save them both.

The more Ryan was convinced Ridley had no room for her in her icey heart, the less likely anyone would use them against each other. Before the twins were 'Scary' and 'Bubbly', they were ordinary motherless little girls. They only had each other to rely on and that's what Ridley feared.

Swallowing the wave of concern, Ridley turned her back to her sister. "Your aim was off," was all she said.

Ankh nestled into Ridley's thigh, sizing up Ryan. "Bite me," Ryan replied. "Why are you here?"

"I passed out."

"You're supposed be in class. Get out of my head!"

Ridley glanced at her sister over her shoulder. "How," she asked coldly then pinched her arm sarcastically.

"How should I know? I'm asleep. At least... I think I am." Ankh snarled as she chased her tail. "How intelligent."

"She's waking up," Ridley stated, sensing Ankh was picking up Sayeed's scent.

Ridley moaned then fell to her knees before her eyes spewed open and she bolted upright and got a fright from Dane next to her. "Are you okay," he asked worryingly. She took in the hospital cubicle and the minty green curtain was drawn, revealing Clarke's worried expression. "What happened?"

Ridley ignored him then dug for her phone in her blazer's inner pocket. She dialled Ryan. "Where are you?"

"In bed," she replied sleepily. "Do you have any idea what time it is? It's one thing to invade my dreams now you want to invade my sleeping time too?"

Ridley coldly hung up. "Not a dream," she replied as Clarke came in. Before he could voice his parental worry, Ridley cut in. "Ryan and I are linked. Same dreamscape."

His worry vanished from his demeanor as he nodded. "Dream telepathy," he replied. "At least that's what the book says. Identical halfritch twins are known to develop psionic bonds. Bonds that come with abilities that effect more than just you two. Dream telepathy, remote viewing, xenoglossy, bilocation."

"English, Clarke," Dane ordered.

"Remote viewing, perception of a target at a distance. Xenoglossy, suddenly speaking foreign languages without study. Bilocation being in two places at once." Ridley cupped her forehead as she sat up straight. "Those bonds are a lot more volatile than the ones with animals," Clarke went on. "You need to learn to suppress it."

Not far from the school infirmary, Ryan was taking in her phone. Her sister really did hang up on her for no reason. Then again, what was Ryan expecting? She tossed her phone onto her before laying back down. She looked at her hand, chewed up by Ankh. The wounds weren't as bad as they were in the dreamscape but it still hurt.

"Was that necessary," she asked through a yawn.

"Yes. I have to know how well my oneiromancer skills are in order for this to work," Renee replied from the darkness. "I am aging so depletion has no effect on me."

The eldritch turned on the light and Ryan groaned before burying herself under her duvet. "Bright," she groaned on.

Renee gripped the duvet and cast it aside. "I told you not to kill her until I gave the word," she roared. "How could you resist the mind control?"

"Fuck knows," Ryan hissed, matching her mother's rage. "I just know that if I get another chance, I'm taking it!"

Renee pranced! She pinned Ryan to her bed, snarling monstrously. Her blue eyes tinted to their fierce gold glow. "I will signal you when it's time to kill her. Try your luck again, and your death will be the massacre of the millennia! Do you understand me?"

"Oh bite me."

"Have it your way," Renee purred.

Shamelessly she impaled her teeth into her daughter's neck. Since goldbloods in general were stronger, all Ryan could do was scream. Renee showed no mercy in stemming her daughter. Panic and adrenaline flooded the huntress while sadistic pleasure poured through Renee.

"Daddy! Help me!"

Renee ripped her teeth out of her daughter's neck when the door barged open. Ryan sat up shaking with cold sweat streaming down her forehead. She was crying into her knees while one hand stopping the blood trickling down her neck. In place of Clarke or Esmeralda, Richard slammed the door wide open.

Ryan continued balling her eyes out but Richard did nothing but glower at her. He dug into his pocket and threw his handkerchief at her. He shook his head at her. "Stop crying," he ordered. "What's wrong with you? Why can't you be more Ridley?" Richard Axel was known for his familial scrutiny but his next question took the cake, "why can't you do anything right?"

"I was attacked!"

"So? Everyone around you has been attacked at some point," he countered. "Why am I talking to you? You're not a hunter. You're nothing like your sister," he concluded coldly. "Clean yourself up. You're bleeding."

He closed the door behind him and Ryan scowled angrily. "Now do you see why I need her dead," Ryan went on.

"He's not wrong," Renee purred. "Look at you. You only have the complete Nonentity series. When she makes hunt, not only will she complete the Nonentity series but, I wager she'll receive her Mana and her skill set gradus: Precision; Temperament; Control; Variety; Confidence; Patience; Killer Instinct. Chastity?"

Ryan sighed heavily with the handkerchief pressed into her wound. "I'm always compared to Ridley," she began ruefully. "It's never about traits I have. It's like she was bought on ClickIt and I was bought on Wish; I'm the defective one. And I'm-

"You could do better," Renee cut in. "Honestly," she chuckled humourlessly, "your supposed 'skills' aren't relative to hunting. Just look at the past week alone: makeup tutorials; nail art; sewing; making luminescent paint? Or rather, failing at making luminescent paint. That redblood bitch jumps down your throat about doing dishes. What makes you think she would help you aim properly, let alone encourage your individualism? Like you said, you're defective."

Ryan continued to cry softly as Renee degraded her further than Ruchatd did. "Esmeralda's been more of a mother to me than you will ever be!"

"Ouch! Here I am, trying to be a good mother," the eldritch replied sarcastically. "Motherhood is not for me. Ask your brother." Ryan sniffed but said nothing. Instead she was stunned. "Yes, you have a brother. Tomás du Luq. A beautiful boy," she added almost sadly.

"Where is he?"

"du Luq manor, in southern France. After what I did, he wants nothing to do with me," Renee sighed. She sat beside her hurt daughter then faced her. "Tomás... he... I did many terrible accidents in my years. Tomás is a good accident."

"I hope you didn't tell him that."

"In those very words," Renee replied ruefully with a nod. "Needless to say he did not take it well. I don't blame him."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Before I came here," Renee replied. "He and my sisters resented me for centuries. I am surprised you did not."

"I guess we bonded over wanting Ridley dead," Ryan replied. "How toxic are we," she joked and Renee beamed warmly at her. "Truthfully, you're the only person in my family who doesn't want me to like her. Don't get me wrong, I hate how degrading you are and the fact that you got Oliver killed but..." she shrugged. "You're my mother and, yeah."

"Did you never wonder about me?"

Ryan shrugged nonchalantly in reply while Renee took her hands in hers. "I was a major daddy's girl so. Besides that, you know when you see those movies and shows about the single dad with the daughter? The mother is usually dead so I always thought you were dead and I guess I convinced myself you were dead. Plus Ezz is my mom, now. I love her and daddy loves her."

Renee pursed her lips as she nodded. "Always the unloved du Luq," she chuckled humourlessly.

"No," Ryan replied squeezing her mother's hands. "Ridley..." the mere mention made the eldritch perk up. "It's hard to believe that at some point, I was the strong twin," she interjected under her breath, "but yes. Ridley used to really wonder about you. I remember I once told her you were dead and she just started crying. She never got over that. Actually, now that I think about it, she really didn't like it when daddy and Ezz started dating." Renee nodded showing nothing about what she felt. "What about your parents?"

Renee shrugged sadly. "What about them? They were French aristocrats. Papa had a ramrod so far up his ass it was a miracle he could walk. He died in the fourteenth century from The Plague," she replied. "Mama... she died birthing my little sister. I too was too young to really remember her. Maybe that's why I'm so fucked up; growing up with such a stern prick for a father." Ryan shifted closer to her mother with a weak yawn. "When I think of mama, I only see my older sister's face. Dominique had such a beautiful voice. Always singing to Aimée and I before bed."

"What about them? Your sisters."

"Oi vey! Dominique! You would love her. She is the life of the party with her graceful dancing, her enchanting beauty, sparkling conversation. And her skill! She could make any bag of wheat a priceless ball gown. Aimée, however, she is a demure woman. Buried behind a good book, more focused on her brains than her beauty. I am very glad Tomás had them."

"You gave Ridley and I the wrong middle names then."

"So it seems," Renee agreed with a sigh. "I'm sorry I bit you." Ryan through off her covers and gathered her mother in her arms. "Your pity is pathetic," she commented coldly.

Renee rolled her eyes the returned the gesture, gathering Ryan in her arms. "You're not as big a heartless, plotting psycho with a maternity complex as I thought."

"Hmm. You're still an insecure, remorseless, jealous, irksome little girl," Renee replied and Ryan rolled her eyes. "But you're my insecure, jealous, irksome little girl."

"Don't forget 'remorseless'."

"Go to bed," Renee ordered then let go of her daughter. "You've got patrol in a few hours."

"I need more blood," Ryan stated.

"There are too many variables at play to confidently predict when you will get the next taste of that sweet nectar. Learn some patience. You can add it to your skill set gradus," Renee countered.

"Is this your way of making up for not breastfeeding us?"

"Don't make me bite you again," she warned. "Enjoy the new psionic bond. Not only can you physically feel what your sister does, you can make her hurt, if you want."

"How?"

Renee smirked menacingly then slapped Ryan. In the infirmary, Ridley's cheek was turnig red and throbbing from her sister's pain. "Ow," Ryan replied. "So in order for Ridley to hurt, I have to hurt? Where's the fun in that?"

"Consider this me grounding you; making sure you don't develop a sadistic relationship in her agony. Good night," the eldritch concluded then jumped out of the open window.