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reveriequill-rai · 5 years ago

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Blood Candy: Chapter 9

(POV Switch: Akira)

I have to admit I was a bit worried about Dakota. Seb was…a bit of a weakling, but now that he was a vampire I feared that Dakota may be at a disadvantage.

I wasn’t really sure what Seb’s next plan was after he was finished with him–I assumed he would just follow Jasper’s orders–but something tells me I wasn’t entirely safe either. We were close, yes, but so were Seb and Dakota, yet here we were.

Oliver took me downstairs to a computer lab, turning on the light.

“Akira, look,” he said to me. “This is where all the files are kept.”

“How do you know all this?” I asked the younger Kermit sibling.

“I spy on Jasper. A lot.”

I shrugged.

“With a brother like that, I can’t blame you.”

Oli sat down at one of the computers and logged into Jasper’s account. I decided not to ask how he knew his password, as I already probably knew the answer. He spent the next few minutes rummaging through his computer, looking for anything on ‘candy.’

“So,” I said, “When did you find out your brother was a vampire?”

“Only recently, actually,” Oli said. “Like a month ago. He doesn’t know yet.”

“He doesn’t know that you know?”

Oli nodded.

Suddenly, I heard the door swing open, and a battle-scarred Kaveri entered the room. She had bruises on her arms, one around her eye, a few tears in her jacket and several scratches on her face and on her arms.

“Oh my God, are you alright?!” I asked her. “You look terrible.”

“Is Jasper dead?!” Oli cried.

“I’m surprised you care, Akira,” Kaveri snapped. “I thought I was dead to you.”

I froze. She thought she was dead to me…but that just wasn’t true. She wasn’t…okay, that was a lie. She was dead to me, but the fact that she was willing to go out of her way and risk her own life for us…

“I…I wouldn’t say that…” I told her.

“Well, you did a year ago,” she reminded me.

I stayed silent.

“And no, Oliver,” Kaveri continued, turning to our adversary’s younger brother. “He’s not dead, but I knocked him out briefly. I’ll be alright though.”

Oli’s expression was unreadable.

“How’s the search going, Oli?” I asked him.

“O-oh, right…” he said, perking up.

He entered ‘candy’ into the search bar, causing only one folder to pop up:

‘Project:Blood_Candy.pdf’.

He clicked on it.

About ten or so documents were in the folder, but we only had access to four: ‘Entry 1,’ ‘Failure,’ ‘Success’ and ‘Dakota.’

——-

file_Entry 1:

*We’ve lost far too many units to monster and vampire hunters across the country. Just recently, an X-Caliber hunter took down one of our best vampires yet—Morgan ‘Morgue’ Caligari. Without her guidance, many of the younger vamps have been unable to last a day without a hunter—or worse, nature—getting to them. Thorne says we gotta purge the city of these hunters, but we can’t afford to sacrifice more units.*

*I proposed a solution. What if we could somehow control humans to get all the blood for us, then we can drain them once their work is complete? This would not only exponentially increase our blood collection, but also keep our top vampires safe. Harriet, being a skeptic, as per usual, asked me how in the world I’d be able to come up with this. Fortunately, I did come up with a plan later that evening: if I could infuse some sort of substance into candy that would brainwash my patients after I gave it to them, then I could have an entire army in no time.*

*Project Blood Candy commences tomorrow night.*

——-

“So they used this ‘blood candy’ to get humans to do the dirty work for them…” Kaveri said. “How disgusting.”

“Wait,” Oliver said. “Let’s check the next one.”

—–

file_Failure:

*I’m at a loss.*

*This project is going to be a failure.*

*I tried everything to make it work. But the results from every single one of my test subjects failed.*

*The first time, nothing happened, and my patient that day said that she could clearly taste blood, as she slowly pulled out something—a phone, maybe—from her pocket.*

*I had to get rid of her quickly.*

*The second time, after a modification to hide the taste of blood, the patient threw up. Unfortunately, I had to get rid of him, too.*

*The third time, I had to modify the formula and substitute what I had used to hide the taste of blood. But the substitute was even worse. The next patient doubled over, clutching his stomach as he violently coughed. His eyes were bloodshot, and his tears were…red. It took a while, but I quickly—and painlessly—got rid of him, too.*

*Somehow, modification after modification, it kept getting worse and worse. Patients violently falling ill, their symptoms worse than the person before them, and several patients even dying before I could get rid of them myself.*

*The others were right. I am too ambitious for my own good.*

—–

Kaveri looked at the file in disgust.

“So many casualties…” Oliver said, equally as horrified. “So many casualties, just for a botched experiment…” Tears filled his eyes as he balled up his fists in anger. “My brother is a horrible person.”

“Well, clearly,” I said. “How did he even manage to complete this in the first place?”

——

file_Success:

*After countless days and countless appointments and countless modifications….I did it.*

*I finally created the Blood Candy.*

*Turns out, the first few ingredients I had substituted just needed to be combined. Though, now I’m kind of annoyed that we lost around forty potential meals because I didn’t think of that the first time. But that’s not my concern. Forty lost meals will be nothing in comparison to what this new invention will bring us. We’ll make all of it up and then some.*

*Now, to test it out.*

——

We were out of words at this point, staring at the computer in horror. I’m not sure what it was or how it happened or why I was only just now realizing what was happening, but then it dawned on me the situation I was truly in.

I was facing a real vampire, an actual person that literally consumes blood for a living. This man was nothing more than a demon that dared to wrap itself in human skin.

And now my best friend had just been turned into one.

My best friend, my conspiracy partner-in-crime willingly turned himself into a bloodsucking demon to feed an ambition he was forced into.

But it wasn’t fear I felt…if I just play my cards right, I could avoid any real danger. Hell, I took a reflex hammer to Jasper’s head. That alone gave me enough confidence to face whatever I had to in order to save my friends.

Whatever fear I felt was immediately overtaken by anger. This monster had made a monster out of my friend, and I was getting sick of seeing people get screwed over by Jasper.

We just skipped straight to Dakota’s file.

——

file_Dakota:

*A kid came into my office today. His name was Dakota Foster, and he goes to North Clueham High—the same school Kaveri goes to.*

*With Dakota under my control, I could easily have him find Kaveri and bring her to Thorne, who’s absolutely hellbent on seeing her dead. Every time I tried to ask him why, he shot me a bone-chilling glare…though I think it may have something to do with his younger brother–again.*

*Some days, I envy Thorne and the lengths he will go to defend his younger brother.*

*I wish that I could feel the same way about my own.*

*Unfortunately, when I offered Dakota the candy…he didn’t take it. At least, not at first. Apparently he ‘hates sweets’ or whatever, which sounds like total bull, but I guess that’s the case for some people. But who wouldn’t willingly take candy, and free candy at that? No matter…the kid said he’d give it to his friend Sebastian, who likes sweets more than he does.*

*Hopefully this ‘Sebastian’ character will be useful to us.*

*For the sake of Thorne not killing me on sight, he better be.*

—-

“Funny,” I said, “at the end of the day, this is just about protecting their own kind.”

“That doesn’t make it right!” Kaveri cried. “They’re still hurting people!

“They’re hurting me!” Oli cried. “They’re hurting Seb! They’re hurting Dakota! They even hurt Kaveri! And they might hurt you, too!”

“I told you, kid, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“You clearly aren’t!” I cried. “Why are you putting yourself at risk for us? For me?”

Kaveri sighed.

“Because I have to,” she said. “You and Dakota wouldn’t be able to last without me, no matter how many conspiracies you and your now-bloodthirsty friend crank out.”

I turned away from her. Not that I didn’t appreciate her help, but I knew this was probably going to be the last time we ever talked. Like she said, she was going to go back to shutting herself out once this was all over. This was out of obligation, and that was it.

But then I realized…what made her more qualified than us to deal with Jasper and Seb?

“Kaveri,” I said. “Why did you leave? Tell me the truth.”

“Why does it matter?” she asked. “We need to stay focused on the task at hand.”

“If…if this doesn’t go as planned…I just wanna know. Why did you leave?”

Kaveri tried to ignore me, but I knew her better than that.

“Family emergency,” she lied. “I already told you.”

“But there’s more. What happened? Did someone die?!” I cried.

“Just can it already!” she finally shouted. “I can’t tell you…I can’t get you involved.”

“If it’s about…this,” I said, shaking with rage as I gestured around me, “then I’m already involved.”

“Can’t we just talk later?!”

“There probably won’t be a later!”

“I told you, we’re gonna be fine! I can take him!”

“How do I even know I can trust you?! How do I know I can count on you to keep us safe?!”

“Because I spent a year learning to defend the human race!” she finally admitted.

I stood in stunned silence. I almost forgot Oli was with us, only remembering when I turned to find him equally as shocked, yet…hopeful.

“Kaveri–” I started, before she cut me off.

“Don’t.” She didn’t face me.

“Let’s be honest,” I said. “I was gonna find out anyways. Kaveri, you can’t keep hiding from me. I’m…or…I was…your friend. Whatever this is, I’m willing to go through it with you. Especially if it means saving my friends. So please. Stop pushing me away.”

I swear that I saw tears well up in her eyes, but she wiped them off.

“I shouldn’t have let you come with me,” she sighed. “I should’ve just did this myself. Arthur Thorne is…a very powerful person. My family’s been trying to hunt down him and his younger brother for ages. And now I’m next in line to do what they failed to do for generations. That’s why I had to leave school, though it’s also because they found out I went to North Clueham. This entire project…I think they’ve been aiming to kill me, and take whoever they can in the school.”

Again, I found myself in stunned silence, tears forming in my eyes, too. All this time, I resented Kaveri for leaving me. Truth be told, she just wanted to protect me.

I owed her big-time.

“Kaveri, this is my friend–no–my friends we’re talking about. If they’re in danger, I’m getting myself involved, and I don’t care what anyone else has to say about it. I can help you! Seb and I can use our skills to blow the lid off this entire Blood Candy project!”

“I’ve been fighting these things for around a year,” she retorted, “I think I know what I’m talking about when I say you should’ve stayed back.”

“Well, sucks to be you…no pun intended…Because here I am.”

I turned to Oliver, ignoring whatever hateful look she shot at me.

“So, what now?” he asked me.

Suddenly, we heard a banging on the door.

“They’re in here!” an older woman said.

“There’s more?!” a male voice complained.

“Probably!” a younger male voice said, “unless Vigil is a really good voice actress.”

“Shut up and open the door!” the woman yelled.

“Hide!” Kaveri whispered, and slipped into a nearby closet with a much faster speed than normal.

Unfortunately, Oliver and I weren’t so lucky. In our panic, we spent far too much time searching for a hiding spot. Kaveri had taken the only good one in sight.

A trio of hooded vampires barged in and immediately caught sight of us. They had mysterious tattoos on their palm, and it looked like it was supposed to be the fangs of a beast. They went behind us and placed their marked palms on our necks, sending a sharp pain through me that soon subsided as the world around me turned black.

#blood candy #original story #urban fantasy #fiction #vampire

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pbpress · 5 years ago

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Blood Candy: Chapters 9 and 10

By Ruqayyah Pickel

Blood Candy Chapter 9:

I have to admit I was a bit worried about Dakota. Seb was...a bit of a weakling, but now that he was a vampire I feared that Dakota may be at a disadvantage.

I wasn’t really sure what Seb’s next plan was after he was finished with him--I assumed he would just follow Jasper’s orders--but something tells me I wasn’t entirely safe either. We were close, yes, but so were Seb and Dakota, yet here we were.

Oliver took me downstairs to a computer lab, turning on the light.

“Akira, look,” he said to me. “This is where all the files are kept.”

“How do you know all this?” I asked the younger Kermit sibling.

“I spy on Jasper. A lot.”

I shrugged.

“With a brother like that, I can’t blame you.”

“So,” I said, “When did you find out your brother was a vampire?”

“Only recently, actually,” Oli said. “Like a month ago. He doesn’t know yet.”

“He doesn’t know that you know?”

Oli nodded.

“Oh my God, are you alright?!” I asked her. “You look terrible.”

“Is Jasper dead?!” Oli cried.

“I’m surprised you care, Akira,” Kaveri snapped. “I thought I was dead to you.”

I froze. She thought she was dead to me…but that just wasn’t true. She wasn’t...okay, that was a lie. She was dead to me, but the fact that she was willing to go out of her way and risk her own life for us...

“I...I wouldn’t say that...” I told her.

“Well, you did a year ago,” she reminded me.

I stayed silent.

“And no, Oliver,” Kaveri continued, turning to our adversary’s younger brother. “He’s not dead, but I knocked him out briefly. I’ll be alright though.”

Oli’s expression was unreadable.

“How’s the search going, Oli?” I asked him.

“O-oh, right…” he said, perking up.

He entered ‘candy’ into the search bar, causing only one folder to pop up:

‘Project:Blood_Candy.pdf’.

He clicked on it.

About ten or so documents were in the folder, but we only had access to four: ‘Entry 1,’ ‘Failure,’ ‘Success’ and ‘Dakota.’

-------

file_Entry 1:

*Project Blood Candy commences tomorrow night.*

-------

“So they used this ‘blood candy’ to get humans to do the dirty work for them…” Kaveri said. “How disgusting.”

“Wait,” Oliver said. “Let’s check the next one.”

file_Failure:

*I’m at a loss.*

*This project is going to be a failure.*

*I tried everything to make it work. But the results from every single one of my test subjects failed.*

*The first time, nothing happened, and my patient that day said that she could clearly taste blood, as she slowly pulled out something—a phone, maybe—from her pocket.*

*I had to get rid of her quickly.*

*The second time, after a modification to hide the taste of blood, the patient threw up. Unfortunately I had to get rid of him, too.*

*The third time, I had to modify the formula and substitute what I had used to hide the taste of blood. But the substitute was even worse. The next patient doubled over, clutching his stomach as he violently coughed. His eyes were bloodshot, and his tears were...red. It took a while, but I quickly—and painlessly—got rid of him, too.*

*The others were right. I am too ambitious for my own good.*

-----

Kaveri looked at the file in disgust.

“Well, clearly,” I said. “How did he even manage to complete this in the first place?”

——

file_Success:

*After countless days and countless appointments and countless modifications….I did it.*

*I finally created the Blood Candy.*

*Now, to test it out.*

------

I was facing a real vampire, an actual person that literally consumes blood for a living. This man was nothing more than a demon that dared to wrap itself in human skin.

And now my best friend had just been turned into one.

My best friend, my conspiracy partner-in-crime willingly turned himself into a bloodsucking demon to feed an ambition he was forced into.

But it wasn’t fear I felt...if I just play my cards right, I could avoid any real danger. Hell, I took a reflex hammer to Jasper’s head. That alone gave me enough confidence to face whatever I had to in order to save my friends.

Whatever fear I felt was immediately overtaken by anger. This monster had made a monster out of my friend, and I was getting sick of seeing people get screwed over by Jasper.

We just skipped straight to Dakota’s file.

——

file_Dakota:

*A kid came into my office today. His name was Dakota Foster, and he goes to North Clueham High—the same school Kaveri goes to.*

*With Dakota under my control, I could easily have him find Kaveri and bring her to Thorne, who’s absolutely hellbent on seeing her dead. Every time I tried to ask him why, he shot me a bone-chilling glare...though I think it may have something to do with his younger brother, Wendigo--again.*

*Some days, I envy Thorne and the lengths he will go to defend his younger brother.*

*I wish that I could feel the same way about my own.*

*Hopefully this ‘Sebastian’ character will be useful to us.*

*For the sake of Thorne not killing me on sight, he better be.*

----

“Funny,” I said, “at the end of the day, this is just about protecting their own kind.”

“That doesn’t make it right!” Kaveri cried. “They’re still hurting people!

“They’re hurting me!” Oli cried. “They’re hurting Seb! They’re hurting Dakota! They even hurt Kaveri! And they might hurt you, too!”

“I told you, kid, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“You clearly aren’t!” I cried. “Why are you putting yourself at risk for us? For me?”

Kaveri sighed.

“Because I have to,” she said. “You and Dakota wouldn’t be able to last without me, no matter how many conspiracies you and your now-bloodthirsty friend crank out.”

But then I realized...what made her more qualified than us to deal with Jasper and Seb?

“Kaveri,” I said. “Why did you leave? Tell me the truth.”

“Why does it matter?” she asked. “We need to stay focused on the task at hand.”

“If...if this doesn’t go as planned...I just wanna know. Why did you leave?”

Kaveri tried to ignore me, but I knew her better than that.

“Family emergency,” she lied. “I already told you.”

“But there’s more. What happened? Did someone die?!” I cried.

“Just can it already!” she finally shouted. “I can’t tell you...I can’t get you involved.”

“If it’s about...this,” I said, shaking with rage, “then I’m already involved.”

“Can’t we just talk later?!”

“There probably won’t be a later!”

“I told you, we’re gonna be fine! I can take him!”

“How do I even know I can trust you?! How do I know I can count on you to keep us safe?!”

“Because I spent a year learning to defend the human race!” she finally admitted.

I stood in stunned silence. I almost forgot Oli was with us, only remembering when I turned to find him equally as shocked, yet...hopeful.

“Kaveri--” I started, before she cut me off.

“Don’t.” She didn’t face me.

I swear that I saw tears well up in her eyes, but she wiped them off.

“I shouldn’t have let you come with me,” she sighed. “I should’ve just did this myself. Arthur Thorne is...a very powerful person. My family’s been trying to hunt down him and his younger brother Wendigo for ages. And now I’m next in line to do what they failed to do for generations. That’s why I had to leave school, though it’s also because they found out I went to North Clueham. This entire project...I think they’ve been aiming to kill me, and take whoever they can in the school.”

Again, I found myself in stunned silence, tears forming in my eyes, too. All this time, I resented Kaveri for leaving me. Truth be told, she just wanted to protect me.

I owed her big-time.

“Kaveri, this is my friend--no--my friends we’re talking about. If they’re in danger, I’m getting myself involved, and I don’t care what anyone else has to say about it. I can help you! Seb and I can use our skills to blow the lid off this entire Blood Candy project!”

“I’ve been fighting these things for around a year,” she retorted, “I think I know what I’m talking about when I say you should’ve stayed back.”

“Well, sucks to be you...no pun intended...Because here I am.”

I turned to Oliver, ignoring whatever hateful look she shot at me.

“So, what now?” he asked me.

Suddenly, we heard a banging on the door.

“They’re in here!” an older woman said.

“There’s more?!” a male voice complained.

“Probably!” a younger male voice said, “unless Vigil is a really good voice actress.”

“Shut up and open the door!” the woman yelled.

“Hide!” Kaveri whispered, and slipped into a nearby closet with a much faster speed than normal.

Unfortunately, Oliver and I weren’t so lucky. In our panic, we spent far too much time searching for a hiding spot. Kaveri had taken the only good one in sight.

[Chapter 10]

I walked down the empty, dim hall, catching my breath as I silently thanked Kaveri for saving my life. Akira and Oliver should be okay, I figured, but then I remembered something...

“This hospital is one of the main headquarters of Clueham’s top vampire guild,” Kaveri explained earlier. How did she know all of this? If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve said she was a conspiracy theorist, too, and that’s the real reason Akira and Kaveri stopped talking. Rival conspiracy theorists were a thing, right?

Focus, Dakota! I thought to myself. You have a raging redhead vampire to find. But...where even was Seb?

The video Oli showed us had Seb in Jasper’s office...but I didn’t know where that was.

As I ran down the hall looking for Seb, I saw two “doctors” wearing surgical masks wheeling two patients on stretchers past me on both sides. Though the patients’ bodies were mostly covered, I still had enough information as to just how screwed I actually was.

In the precious few seconds I had to look at the two patients, I noticed only two things—the bite marks on their sickly pale necks, and the police caps resting over their faces. For a moment I was confused--then I drew my attention back to the police caps as the “patients” were wheeled away.

It can’t be...I thought. I wasn’t certain, but I did have a very bad feeling as to who those cops were.

“I called the police station for updates on the investigation,” my mom messaged me earlier. “They said that they’re gonna have to put it on hold for right now; they haven’t heard back from the officers that came by the house last night, so they’re trying to get in touch with them.”

Of course it was, I thought. It had to be. Like Jasper said, he couldn’t let anything happen to his new ‘colleague.’

This can’t go on like this. I have to snap Sebs out of this...trance...as soon as possible.

Against my better judgement, I aimed for the risky--yet probably more efficient--solution:

“SEBS!” I yelled, my voice bouncing off the walls. “WHERE ARE YOU?!”

I peered inside the glass windows of some of the rooms, thinking Seb must be hiding in there. Finally, I came to one of the rooms towards the end of the hall. The lights were shut off, but there appeared to be a figure sitting down--presumably dead or asleep--in one of the chairs. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see into the dark past my own reflection...when a blade was suddenly held to my throat.

I froze.

I turned around slowly, to find Seb with his black jacket, spiraling eyes, and the most malicious grin I have ever seen on his face.

“Look, buddy,” I said with feigned confidence, “you really don’t have to do this. I’m your friend. We know how this goes, we’ve both seen movies--you actually do try to kill me, then some rousing heartfelt speech or lovely memories of the time we spent together suddenly pops into your head and then you revert back to normal, then we can all go home and--”

Seb buried the knife into my shoulder. I cried out in pain, clutching my shoulder as I fell on my knees.

“...guess that’s out of the question…” I said. I watched in disgust as he went to lick the knife again, looking me square in the eyes as if to say, “this is who I am now.”

Then he stopped himself, shaking his head, and pocketing the knife into a sheath. The sheath had red, glowing markings when the knife was inserted in, and when he pulled it back out, the markings faded and the blades were completely clean.

What weird alien technology were these vampires using? I thought. If all of us manage to live through this experience somehow, then AkiSeb is gonna have one hell of a conspiracy.

I stood up, holding onto my bleeding shoulder.

“Why are you doing this, dude?” I asked. “You don’t have to listen to them. We’ve been friends for ages.”

Seb just gave me a blank stare, then smiled. He started to giggle, then gave me a chilling answer—or a question, rather:

“You believe me now...don’t you?”

And with that, he struck me with the blade again.

Or he would have, had I not grabbed the blade with my hand itself.

Counterproductive, yes, and my hand hurt like the devil, but it was either this or the blade goes into my neck.

“You know what?” I hissed, “fine. If you don’t want to listen, then I’ll make you listen.”

I punched Seb across the face. He let go of the knife and held on to his face. I took this opportunity to go for the knife--but Seb stomped on my hand without looking, bruising my ring and pinky fingers.

Fortunately, that wasn’t even my good hand.

As I recoiled away from the blow, Seb grabbed the knife. I rammed him into the opposite wall, but he kicked me backwards. My head banged into the glass, leaving cracks in it. He then threw the knife at me, but I managed to move out of the way in time, just as the knife landed right in the center of where I had banged my head on the glass. I stared at the knife in horror, thanking every god in the pantheon that I was even alive right now.

My prayers were interrupted when Seb grabbed my neck and threw me to the floor, pressing my head against the ground as he prepared to sink his small fangs in the exposed area of my neck. I kicked at Seb, punched him with my good arm, spat in his face, whatever I could do to get him off of me. But he was relentless. His bloodlust had consumed him completely. And with each time I tried to resist, his small grew closer and closer to my neck.

I almost wanted to give in. I almost wanted him to just get it over with already. I was human; he was a vampire. I was weaker than him.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps storming down the hall. I fought against Seb harder, but he seemed to gain a sudden boost in strength. He even risked a temporary glance in the direction of the storming footsteps--which I could only pray belonged to a potential savior.

Finally, he head-butted me, then took the opening I had left to sink his fangs into my neck. I screamed in pain, pushing Seb backwards—and into a sharp, wooden rod.

Kaveri had just come up behind him and staked him through the heart.

“SEBASTIAN!” I cried as he rolled off of me. “Kaveri, what the hell?!”

Kaveri looked up at me with furious eyes.

“He was trying to hurt you,” she said in a broken voice. “I had to.”

I had so many words I wanted to say to her…to Seb…but my words got caught in my throat. I collapsed to my knees near Seb, searching in his eyes for any signs of life. The peppermint swirl in his eyes slowed to a halt. His mouth gaped open slightly, just wide enough so I could see that his fangs had retracted.

His vampire side was gone.

But so was his human side.

I only came to this realization after spending who-knows-how-long screaming and crying and shaking my friend’s lifeless body, begging for him to wake up. Kaveri pulled me upwards, telling me to let go, he was gone, there’s nothing we can do, I had to, I’m sorry, please forgive me…

But I couldn’t. I had to, but I couldn’t. She saved me...and ruined my life. I turned around to face her, still on my knees.

Through my clouded vision, I could see nothing but the indigo mass of Kaveri’s sweater and the blood stained on her stake.

Seb’s blood.

I wiped my eyes, looking back at my fallen friend’s body. I stared into his lifeless eyes, the peppermint spiral fading. My breath quickened, my heart raced, as I realized…

“You lied to me,” I said, looking up at my best friend’s murderer.

“How?” she asked.

“You said you would help me.”

“I also said that if you didn’t want him to be a vampire, you’d have to kill him. Pretty sure the first thing you’d wish for in that kind of situation is for him not to be a vampire.”

“I don’t care if he’s a vampire,” I hissed, standing up. “I care if he’s my friend.”

“He tried to kill you!” Kaveri cried.

“You said you would save him!”

“I had no CHOICE, Dakota!”

“You did and you chose to KILL HIM.” I found myself storming towards her.

“Get a hold of yourself,” Kaveri said, pointing the bloody stake at me.

I knocked the stake out of her hand.

“I’m gonna need that, y’know,” she said. She picked it up and put it in her sheath. “Please...I know you hate me right now, but you unfortunately kind of need me to defeat Jasper.” She gestured to the bloody stake. “Unless you want it, of course.”

I shot a glare at her.

“Fine,” I said. “After this, I never want to see you again.”

Kaveri just shrugged.

“Deal,” she said. “Let’s just get this over with.”

#ruqayyah pickel #poetryfiction

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calorieworkouts · 7 years ago

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The Mental Strategies You Need to Lose Weight

What do you actually should do to reduce weight? The common solution will certainly consist of things like eating much less as well as exercising more, both of which are appropriate. Nevertheless, neither of those makes a bit of difference if you're not really doing them, a problem much more and more people are dealing with. What quits you from consuming less as well as exercising more? Perhaps you think it's because you're also busy, weary or worried. Maybe you think it's because you've attempted every little thing--- diet plans, gym subscriptions, weird exercise gizmos or awaiting the planets to line up properly-- and absolutely nothing seems to work.

Those are wonderful justifications, but maybe what truly stands in your means isn't your body, your routine or your whip-cracking boss, it's your mind.

The mental side of weight reduction is the most vital aspect of reducing weight. Your mind is what drives all of your choices as well as your options and also, if it isn't in the best location, your selections won't be either. Keeping that in mind, what are the mental techniques you have to finally reduce weight? They may not be just what you think.

1. Honesty. It's amazing just how simple it is to lie to ourselves. We lie concerning consuming too much: "Oh, it's just a few handful of M&M s. there can't be that many extra calories, right?" We lie about exercising: "I promise, I'll workout tomorrow. I know I said that the other day, however I actually suggest it this time!" Some people take it also further, avoiding checking out themselves in the mirror, pointering on a range or acknowledging when they have to get larger clothes.

Even keeping a food journal doesn't always maintain us honest. I had one customer that, if she ate the method she reported in her diary, wouldn't have the energy to get a glass of water, a lot less a pinhead. It ends up that a dinner of wheat crackers, fruit as well as some string cheese was also supplemented by three draft beers ("I didn't really count those as food,"), nachos ("I only had a few!") and some cookies ("They were on my kid's plate, so I didn't count them.").

She's not the only one. One research delving into the topic of underreporting calorie consumption discovered that 18% of the guys as well as 28% of the females in the study underreported their calories.

Being honest isn't simply concerning recognizing exactly what you eat and just how much workout you're obtaining. It likewise indicates being truthful regarding whether you're really all set making a lifestyle change.

Getting Honest With Yourself

Decide if you're ready to change - Taking the way of life adjustment quiz could offer you insight into exactly what you actually want on your own. If you're not all set, discover the best ways to take pleasure in workout as well as healthy consuming and also straightforward ways to take better care of yourself. Also if you're not prepared for huge modifications, little modifications make a difference.

Start a Weekly Weight reduction Checklist - Weekly, videotape your dimensions, compose down your objectives as well as intend out just how you'll reach them.

Create a Daily Check-In-- Together with your once a week checklist, create a routine where you sign in with yourself to evaluate exactly how you're doing. Update your fitness journal prior to bed or initial thing in the morning and make notes of just what you succeeded and also what you have to work on.

Keep an Honest Food Diary-- Self-monitoring is a needs to if you're trying to drop weight. You should determine parts whenever feasible, check food tags, seek out dietary information for dining establishments and also track every little thing you consume. After practicing, you'll be able to eyeball your meals without needing to be as meticulous. You could keep an online journal utilizing websites like Calorie Matter, FitDay or FitWatch or a journal such as DietMinder or this Food Journal Print Out.

Hold Yourself Accountable-- Throughout your day-to-day check in, note what you did well and what you struggled with. New behaviors require time to capture on and also there could be further issues to function through, like emotional consuming, stress as well as various other ways you could sabotage your weight loss.

Next: Even more Psychological Techniques for Weight Loss

2. Forgiveness. Here's something most people won't tell you concerning dropping weight: You will certainly fail sometimes. That doesn't mean you'll never reduce weight or that you possess a weak point of character that individuals don't have. It means that you're much like the remainder people-- occasionally you'll make healthy and balanced selections as well as often you won't.

Failure is actually a vital part of success. Talk with anyone who's lost weight and they'll no question describe a string of failings that came before.

It's those failings that instruct us how you can succeed.

Forgiveness is vital to getting yourself back on track after a stumble. We often utilize our mistakes to quit (e.g., "I obviously can't follow this exercise program, so why also bother?") or validate our habits (e.g., "I currently consumed way too much cake, so I might as well have the rest of it."). Use your blunders to do far better next time rather of penalizing yourself.

Forgiving Yourself

Admit it - Admitting your mistake as soon as possible can turn things around before you obtain as well much off track. Frequently, a missed workout could develop into weeks or months without exercise, making it that much tougher to obtain back to it. Recognizing your blunder initially can aid you stay clear of much longer lapses into old behaviors.

Decide Where You Went Wrong-- Did you get some rapid food since you were as well hungry making it residence? Or possibly you skipped your workout because you couldn't stand the idea of another boring program. Monitoring exactly what triggers those lapses will show you the vulnerable points that leave you vulnerable.

Make a Plan - Once you recognize that you have the tendency to eat convenience food when you're depriving, you can keep more snacks available so you could withstand the lure. Or, if you know your workout program is stale as well as monotonous, you could find other workouts or activities you could look ahead to.

Do Something Healthy Right Away-- A wonderful method to counteract shame is to do something healthy after a lapse. Take a walk, do some yoga or slice up some vegetables for a snack. It advises you that you're always one option away from getting it right.

3. Trust. When you initially begin a weight loss program, it's hard to count on yourself. The number of times have you said you'll do your exercise just to miss it? The number of times have you vowed you wouldn't have that added piece of pizza just to give right into temptation? Knowing ways to trust on your own may be just one of the hardest parts of dropping weight. If you recognize you'll occasionally fail, exactly how can you trust yourself?

Trust is not concerning being ideal or guaranteeing that you'll always do the ideal thing. It's about knowing you'll stumble, but that you could manage it without quiting. Ask on your own the amount of times you've attempted to reduce weight. You could feel like you've fell short at it, however that you keep trying is a certain indicator you haven't given up.

Trusting Yourself

Make it Easy on Yourself-- When you put on your own in at risk scenarios, it's hard making the appropriate choices. Do everything you could making the healthiest selection the simplest one making. Have your workout gear ready as well as a strategy in place to make sure that it's much easier to get started. Consume consistently throughout the day to ensure that you won't be attracted to blow your diet regimen. Give on your own deals with sometimes to ensure that you can appreciate the important things you enjoy without the guilt.

Set Realistic Goals - Part of trusting yourself is setting goals you understand you can reach. Going from no workouts to 6 days a week is an objective you could not have the ability to get to, physically or emotionally. Beginning with a routine that fits with your life as well as just what you're efficient in doing enables you to follow via, enhancing your self effectiveness and also sense of empowerment.

Reward Yourself - Rewarding your success it is an additional way to create confidence and also depend on. Whether it's finishing a week's well worth of workouts, finally trying that scary health and fitness course or reducing weight, celebrate with a night out, new exercise clothes or an hour delighting in your preferred task. Being healthy doesn't mean you can't have fun.

4. Persistence. Here's something else people don't always tell you about weight management: You will possibly question on your own eventually. It may be due to the fact that you're not getting outcomes, or not obtaining them as swiftly as you'd like. It might be since you feel sore, worn or simply bewildered by all the decisions you have to make. Whatever the reason, you may begin to question: Am I doing this? Is it worth it?

The enthusiasm that carries you via the initial couple of weeks generally fades, leaving you with the overwhelming activity of maintaining on your own going. That's where persistence comes in, staying dedicated to your program also if you're feeling some uncertainty.

Be More Persistent

Get Back to Basics - If you obtain also captured up in the details (e.g., "I only lost.23 pounds this week!"), obtaining a general photo of how far you've come may provide you a much-needed boost of self-confidence. Look over your fitness journal to see all the exercises you've done and all the meals you've logged. You might be surprised in any way the changes you've made.

Determine the Problem - Do you question on your own because you're not seeing results? Perhaps you are, but you're merely not acknowledging them. Probably you've hit a plateau or your exercises seem boring. Number out where the uncertainty is coming from so you could tackle it right away.

Make Changes - Once you've identified the trouble, find out how you could transform things. Do you require fresh workouts? Or maybe it's time to hire a trainer to jumpstart your training.

Allow For Uncertainty - The weight loss process isn't always black as well as white. It might take weeks for your body to reply to what you're doing, so uncertainty is something all of us need to cope with. Permit for that, knowing that your body will certainly provide you ideas for when you should alter something.

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orbemnews · 4 years ago

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How Trump allies stoked the flames forward of Capitol riot As 2020 light into 2021, a few of President Donald Trump’s most influential supporters — amongst them members of his inside circle who had been in direct contact with the President — spoke in ominous and violent phrases about what was approaching January 6. At the same time as anxious eyes flip towards the Inauguration Day on January 20, the phrases of those firebrands within the leadup to the riots on the Capitol elevate essential questions in regards to the relationship between the rhetoric of far-right figureheads and the violence that unfolded on January 6. “All hell goes to interrupt free tomorrow,” Bannon, Trump’s former high White Home adviser, promised listeners of his podcast — known as “Warfare Room” — on January 5. “We’re going to cheer on our courageous senators and congressmen and girls,” he added, “and we’re most likely not going to be cheering a lot for a few of them as a result of you’ll by no means take again our nation with weak point.” Quickly after, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol, killing a police officer and assaulting others earlier than charging inside — some carrying weapons and zip-tie handcuffs. “What we’ve is influential, highly effective individuals influencing the President and pushing out messages which can be radicalizing giant chunks of the inhabitants,” stated Heidi Beirich, chief technique officer for the World Mission Towards Hate and Extremism, a nonprofit group that screens extremism all over the world. “It’s totally harmful.” To make certain, as a rule most speech that does not convey a direct menace or incite “imminent lawless motion” is protected underneath the First Modification. However consultants advised CNN they consider Trump and his most seen allies bear quite a lot of accountability for stoking the flames that led to the January 6 rebellion. “When you find yourself an adviser to a President, formal or casual, you could take into consideration the impression of anti-democratic rhetoric,” stated John Hudak, an professional on governance research on the Brookings Establishment. “And the President himself, and quite a lot of the President’s supporters and definitely his youngsters, appear to consider that it’s liable for a President and his advisers and household to be anti-democratic. That is an actual drawback. And we have not actually skilled that in our historical past.” Trump has already paid a historic value for his phrases, with the US Home on Wednesday voting to make him the one American president to have been impeached twice — this time for “incitement of rebellion.” However whereas a lot consideration has been paid to Trump’s phrases within the run as much as the breach of the US Capitol, much less talked about is the fiery rhetoric of his most high-profile champions. Bannon and Giuliani didn’t reply to requests for remark. Stone rejected CNN’s questions as “defamatory makes an attempt to say that my perception in God and my view of the final election in apocalyptic phrases is someway inciting violence.” Alexander argued he had “no involvement within the breach of the US Capitol.” Flynn legal professional Sidney Powell, who herself is going through a defamation lawsuit over her claims in regards to the election (she’s denied the allegations), insisted that Flynn “encourages patriotism and lawful political motion,” and to recommend in any other case is “completely ludicrous.” Bannon’s menacing metaphors Within the weeks between the election and that day, Bannon and his company and co-hosts on his “Warfare Room” podcast relentlessly promoted conspiracy theories of election fraud and solid the struggle to overturn the election ends in war-like and sometimes apocalyptic phrases. Bannon’s menacing metaphors first landed him in scorching water just a few days after on Election Day, when he steered in a video that posted to a number of of his social media accounts that, if he had been in cost, he would not merely hearth FBI Director Christopher Wray and Anthony Fauci — the US authorities’s high infectious illness professional — however would put their heads on pikes “as a warning to federal bureaucrats.” Twitter completely suspended his account. In December, Bannon’s co-host tweeted a video of Bannon talking on “Warfare Room” overlaid with cinematic music and dramatic pictures from the well-known D-Day battle scene of “Saving Personal Ryan.” In it, he spoke of the “ethical obligation” Trump supporters must “the youngsters that died at Normandy.” He added that if they permit Biden — “that feckless outdated man” — to win, “I would like you to elucidate that to the 20-year-old child within the first wave on D-Day.” On December 28, Bannon insisted that patriotic Trump supporters needed to be able to struggle within the spirit of George Washington’s troopers in the course of the American Revolution and American troopers on D-Day in World Warfare II. “That is our DNA, that is the place we come from,” Bannon stated. Bannon started selling the upcoming DC protests of January 6. “l’ll let you know this,” Bannon stated the day earlier than the riot. “It isn’t going to occur such as you assume it is going to occur. OK, it is going to be fairly terribly completely different. And all I can say is, strap in … You could have made this occur and tomorrow it is recreation day. So strap in. Let’s prepare.” The podcasts additionally pointed to shut coordination with Trump’s workforce. “You and me had been speaking virtually on daily basis, many instances, you realize, 10 instances a day,” Trump marketing campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn stated to Bannon on December 28. In the meantime, a senior Trump adviser confirmed that the President and Bannon have been in communication in current weeks, discussing Trump’s conspiracy theories in regards to the election. ‘You both struggle with us otherwise you get slashed’ Simply earlier than Christmas, Alexander — a political activist who has organized pro-Trump rallies, together with one of many demonstrations that converged on the Capitol garden on January 6 — used violent metaphors to trace at what was to come back in January when chatting with followers of his livestream channel on the social media platform Periscope. In his freewheeling monologue, Alexander credited Roger Stone, a veteran Republican operative and self-described “soiled trickster” whose 40-month jail sentence for seven felonies was reduce quick by Trump’s commutation in July. (He was given a full pardon in December). “That is one thing Roger and I’ve been planning for a very long time,” Alexander stated. “And eventually, he is off the leash. So, you realize, it is a knife struggle and your two knife fighters are Ali Alexander and Roger Stone, and also you both struggle with us otherwise you get slashed. So I will allow you to guys know extra about what which means as we evolve.” Alexander has helped flip the “Cease the Steal” slogan that Stone launched on Trump’s behalf in the course of the 2016 primaries right into a rallying cry for conservatives across the nation. At a DC rally on the evening of January 5, Stone took the stage clad in one in every of his trademark pinstripe fits as a dance monitor titled “Roger Stone did nothing flawed” blared from the audio system. After repeating the falsehood that the election was stolen from Trump, Stone, 68, rallied the devoted with an us-versus-them battle cry. “That is nothing lower than an epic wrestle for the way forward for this nation between darkish and lightweight, between the godly and the godless, between good and evil,” he stated. “And we are going to win this struggle or America will step off right into a thousand years of darkness. We dare not fail. I can be with you tomorrow shoulder to shoulder.” Stone additionally has bumped elbows with extremist teams, most notably the Proud Boys. In September he endorsed the congressional candidacy of Nick Ochs, who based the Hawaii chapter of the far-right group. Ochs, whose bid for the US Home got here up quick, was arrested for his function within the Capitol siege. Legislation enforcement was alerted to it by the photograph Ochs posted on Twitter of himself having fun with a cigarette within the constructing, and by the feedback he made to a CNN reporter. Lengthy a dispenser of supercharged rhetoric, Stone was not muted by his current run-in with the legislation, and was speaking about election fraud even earlier than November. In September, he went on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ present, InfoWars, and the 2 mused discursively about “pretend ballots,” Massive Tech and the Clintons. “If somebody will examine the president’s authority within the Rebel Act in his potential to impose, impose martial legislation,” Stone stated, “if there’s widespread dishonest, he may have the authority to arrest (Mark) Zuckerberg, to arrest Tim Prepare dinner, to arrest the Clintons, to arrest anyone else who will be confirmed to be concerned in criminality.” Warfare analogies abound For his half, Jones has joined “Cease the Steal” efforts for the reason that November election and used inflammatory, darkish rhetoric to bolster the motion’s false claims. Two days after election day, Jones stated, “We’re within the tried overthrow of our nation.” When a visitor on the present talked about individuals displaying up in individual to protest the counting of votes, Jones drew a comparability to World Warfare II. “It is like when Hitler was bombing London, most Brits had been in opposition to a warfare as a result of that they had World Warfare I. However as soon as Hitler bombed them, over 95% stated let’s go to warfare,” he stated. “It is a warfare. This isn’t common instances.” Jones didn’t reply to CNN’s request for remark. Additionally using warfare analogies is one other beneficiary of Trump’s pardon powers — Michael T. Flynn, Trump’s former nationwide safety adviser. Talking to a fired-up crowd on the DC rally on January 5, Flynn — who was pardoned by Trump in November after he pleaded responsible to mendacity to the FBI about his conversations with a Russian diplomat — managed to pack election-fraud conspiracy theories, violent innuendo and a name to motion into a few sentences. “In a few of these states, we’ve extra useless voters than are buried on the battlefields of Gettysburg, or the battlefields of Vicksburg, or the battlefields of Normandy,” he stated. “These of you who’re feeling weak tonight, these of you that do not have the ethical fiber in your physique, get some tonight as a result of tomorrow, we the individuals are going to be right here, and we would like you to know that we are going to not stand for a lie.” A lot of the rhetoric main as much as the riot has been draped within the language of existential menace. Talking at a January 6 rally simply earlier than the siege, Rudy Giuliani — Trump’s private legal professional — spoke in grandiose phrases in regards to the stakes at hand. “That is larger than Donald Trump,” he stated. “It is larger than you and me. It is about these monuments and what they stand for. This has been a 12 months by which they’ve invaded our freedom of speech, our freedom of faith, our freedom to maneuver, our freedom to stay. I will be darned if they are going to remove our free and truthful vote. And we’ll struggle to the very finish to ensure that does not occur.” His point out of “trial by fight” was cited by the New York State Bar Affiliation, which has launched an inquiry into Giuliani to find out whether or not he must be expelled from the group. “Mr. Giuliani’s phrases fairly clearly had been supposed to encourage Trump supporters sad with the election’s final result to take issues into their very own arms,” the group stated in an announcement. “Their subsequent assault on the Capitol was nothing in need of an tried coup, supposed to forestall the peaceable transition of energy.” Specialists involved that incitement is way from over John Scott-Railton, a researcher at College of Toronto’s Citizen Lab who now works with others to determine extremist teams who had been a part of the Capitol mob, stated the rhetoric performs into the fantasies of armed protesters who’ve been gunning for a civil warfare. “They’re prepared — it is what they have been prancing round within the woods, enjoying gown up, making ready for,” he stated. “I am simply terribly anxious that they weren’t happy with what occurred on the sixth, and they are going to come again for extra.” As for Bannon, the tenor of his podcast took a flip as soon as the violence began unfolding. On the morning of January 6, earlier than the rally and march on the Capitol, Bannon echoed Stone’s phrases by saying the day can be a battle between “the youngsters of sunshine and the forces of darkness.” However the podcast’s tone shifted sharply as footage of the violence on the Capitol was broadcast nationwide. At the same time as Bannon and his co-podcasters continued to explain Vice President Mike Pence as a traitor, they absolved Trump and themselves from any accountability for fomenting violence. “What is going on on proper now was selections made by people who’re fed up with what they’ve seen occur,” stated right-wing activist Ben Bergquam on a Warfare Room episode later that very same day. “After I’m speaking to individuals on the bottom, that’s what I am listening to over and over and over, it has nothing to do with President Trump’s phrases.” Oren Segal, vp of the Heart on Extremism on the Anti-Defamation League, stated anybody paying consideration knew the occasions on January 6 can be a magnet for indignant individuals. The violence of extremists, he added, has traditionally been sparked by a worry that one thing is being taken away — be it a White majority, weapons or a lifestyle. “Whether or not it is unlawful or not, individuals have gotta know higher,” he stated. “You do not have to be a genius to understand how individuals are incited by phrases.” CNN’s Nelli Black, Scott Bronstein, Bob Ortega, Benjamin Naughton and Yahya Abou-Ghazala contributed to this report. Supply hyperlink #Ahead #Allies #Capitol #flames #HowTrumpalliesstokedtheflamesaheadofCapitolriot-CNNPolitics #Politics #riot #Stoked #Trump

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