SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 34- Snatched

"Human sacrifice?" Artemis asks in disbelief "Are you sure?"

"They left the bodies behind to prove it." I sigh "Aurora thinks they tapped into some ancient magic, and it's something that no one outside the Eternal Family should know about." I explain worriedly.

"No, no, no, no, no, that can't be happening," Artemis says, starting to hyperventilate.

"How do you know so much about this already?" Jewel asks, confused.

"It's... complicated." I sigh, still trying not to blurt out my identity. If the ones that snatched us are listening, the last thing I want is for them to find out who I am.

"She's been studying with the sages," Pearl explains. I had completely forgotten about my cover story, thank god she has my back.

"Look, I need to know everything that's happened since you all got here," I ask boldly, hoping to form some sort of plan.

"Aside from being locked up in here, they... looked over us," Jewel explains.

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.

"They studied our bodies and discussed whether we could be 'the one' or not, whatever the fuck that means." Artemis explains.

"How many of them were there?" I ask worriedly.

"Five." Pearl explains "Three girls and two guys. I guess one of the guys' names is Sterling, one of the girls is Cleo, and another is Marissa." I try to think about it, but none of them stick out significantly. Then, it hits me.

"Wait, Cleo and Marissa, are you sure?" I ask inquisitively.

"For sure." Jewel states "I heard them talking to each other and they mentioned their names. But, they also said that they weren't used to them. I don't get it."

"I've met them before." I begin "I ran into them on my way to the beach a while back, they both seemed really nice." I explain.

"How long ago?" Artemis asks nervously.

"A little over a month, I think," I explain, remembering the conversation.

"Sterling started acting weird a few weeks ago. That can't just be a coincidence." Artemis explains worriedly.

"What are you saying?" Pearl asks anxiously, seeming to get more and more terrified.

"I don't think that they're themselves anymore." Artemis explains, thinking hard about everything "It's like these people have a split personality, or... Oh shit." she suddenly stops, looking mortified.

"What? What's wrong?" I ask nervously.

"You said that the Eternals were the only ones who knew about what they found and that it seemed ancient, right?" Artemis asks, sounding terrified.

"Yea, they all seemed completely dumbfounded by it. They went down to the catacombs to connect the dots and see if they could put together what they were trying to do." I explain "Why? What are you thinking?" I ask nervously. Artemis seems completely lost in thought.

"Talk to us, what's going on?" Jewel asks worriedly as she approaches the bars of her cell.

"This can't be, but it all makes too much sense," Artemis mutters.

"What makes too much sense?" Pearl asks, terrified "Artemis, tell us, please."

"If they've already killed a few people, that means that what they're trying to do is already in motion, and we could be..." she says, suddenly looking around at all of us, her face completely pale "We could all be next... or worse."

"What the hell is worse than being a human sacrifice?" Jewel asks, scared.

"Everyone started acting different like they're not the same person. That can only mean one thing." Artemis explains, taking a deep breath "Body snatchers."

"What the fuck?" I ask, absolutely mortified "I didn't even know that was possible."

"Oh god," Pearl begins to hyperventilate "Oh god, oh god, oh god..."

"Wait a minute, how the hell do you know so much about this?" Jewel asks, sounding both terrified and confused.

"I've done a lot of studies into subjects like this," Artemis explains, and suddenly we start to hear footsteps coming down the hall. It sounds like two people.

"Sterling, I swear you have the worst taste in women." Cleo states as she approaches us "Out of everyone you could have chosen, of course, you bring in not one, but two girls who seem to have a decent head on their shoulders." she explains frustratedly.

"You say that like it's going to be an issue," Sterling states as he begins to study me.

"Whatever." Cleo scoffs "If anything goes south, it's on you, not me." she states as she glances around at the others "Ember has already picked one that she likes, I don't understand why you wanted another anyway."

"I have my reasons," Sterling states as he kneels down to look at me. I can't help but glare at him angrily as he studies my face "After I smelled her blood, I was intrigued. Sue me."

"Oh, so you just wanted another doll to drain, got it." Cleo states as she begins to pace back the way that she came "I don't care, but the others want to take a look at her, so grab her and let's go already."

"Of course," Sterling states as he pulls out a key, jamming it into the crusty lock and opening the cell door. I begin to step back as he comes closer, but all too soon, I hit the wall.

"Get away from me," I say as he comes toe to toe with me. I want to use my power to force him away, but even if it worked, I would have no idea how to get out of here, not to mention that I don't want to leave the others behind. Suddenly, he reaches toward my wrist, piercing it with his thumb. The next thing I know, my body goes limp.

"Let her go!" Artemis yells, but they both ignore her as Sterling picks me up, cradling me in his arms as he follows Cleo down the hall. I try to look back at the others as they take me, but I can't even turn my head. We turn around more corners than I can count, passing strange rooms along the way. Suddenly, I feel even more terrified as I see blank spots on the wall shaped like human bodies. This is where the members of Gael's cult were burned alive.

"We're back," Cleo states as we walk into a small room with what looks like an altar in the center. Sterling gently lays me down and he, Tex, and Cleo gather around my body.

"Huh, she's cute." I hear Marissa's voice start to come closer. "What made you pick this one?" she asks curiously.

"She smelled sweet." Sterling smiles twistedly as he looks down at the scratch he had caused on my wrist.

"You're gonna be pissed if Ember chooses this one then." Cleo scoffs as she walks to the other side of the room, casually leaning against the wall.

"Not her type." Marissa states bluntly, suddenly running her fingers up my side "She's not sexy enough, and you know how vain she is." she says as she turns my face towards her "She is pretty though, I wouldn't have minded getting to her first." she says as she slides her finger off of my chin.

"My find, my claim. Back off." Sterling states, annoyed.

"Would you all stop acting like children?" I suddenly hear a familiar women's voice say as she enters the room "I don't want to listen to this shit every time you bring a new body here. And this one-" She suddenly stops and begins to stare at me. I knew that I had recognized her; it was Aurora's assistant.

"Winona? What's wrong?" Tex asks nervously.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Winona asks aggressively as she slaps Sterling across his face, the sound echoing through the room.

"Excuse me?" Sterling asks in confusion.

"Damnit, the Eternals were already on our trail and now they're going to be searching ten times as hard." Winona huffs angrily.

"Why?" Marissa asks worriedly "What makes her so special?"

"This is Dante's daughter, you idiots!"