Verboten

By Amelia Carter

There was a story of a girl: a girl who fell in love with the wrong person; a girl who had so much power and she didn’t even know it; a girl who almost destroyed the universe.
She trusted a boy with her heart, hoping that everything would turn out okay in the end. It didn’t.
A girl.
A song.
A lover.
A demon.
A murder.
But will she make the right choice the second time around?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781291552201

Book preview

Verboten

Verboten

By Amelia Louise Carter

Cover illustration by Ellie Rose Turner

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright © Amelia Carter 2013

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-291-54831-0

Chapter One: Extermination

The four members of the host of angels sat in silence, wearing shapeless, silky white robes, on a breathtaking balcony. They stood above a large, white room that lay inside the grandest castle in Heaven; The Castle of Glory.

In the first seat of the balcony sat an angel with an abyss of black curls flowing to the small of her back. She had light skin that glistened in the sunlight that was pouring through the arched window behind her. The halo above her head shone a radiant light blue. Her lips were tinted a pale pink, her eyes a praline brown and on her left cheek ran a long jagged scar from her right eye to just above her mouth.

Beside her sat a boy with blonde hair that stopped at the nape of his neck; his curls hugging his face. His light blue eyes stared thoughtlessly into the distance, away from the crowd below, silently wishing himself anywhere but this room.

Next to him were twin girls, each with long red hair and pea green eyes that darted across the room. Their deep blue halo’s were wavering as they worried over what was to come.

They gazed upon the many pairs of magnificent wings of the angels below, each tinged with a colour on the tips of their feathers. Their halos were casting an assortment of white, pink, or blue auras above their foreheads.

I was the last angel to walk into the crowded room.

My wings hung gracefully on my shoulder blades, the tips of each feather tinged with black. Some say my eyes shimmered an ice blue in the sunlight, complimenting my fair skin tone and my soft, straight blonde hair that fell over my shoulders to my waist. Yes, I was beautiful. All angels were.

I was wearing a black strapless dress that ended just above my knees; tiny blue flowers were expertly sewn onto the top of the bodice; and a light blue ribbon tied around the waist, ending in a bow at the back.

My halo was as black as the tips of my wings. I stood out from the other angels standing in the room, causing most of them to stare at me; however, I just kept on walking, ignoring their prying eyes.

Pushing past the other angels, I attempted to figure out why the whole of Heaven had been instructed to gather in this room. I mumbled my apologies to the people that I was delicately manoeuvring past until I came to a halt, standing in front of a woman.

Katalina, you’re finally here! Do you know what’s happened? she asked.

Of course I don’t, mother, I replied, looking up at the balconies where four vaguely outlined figures sat, looking down on us.

My mother opened her mouth to reply, but when a large, muscular man dressed in black entered the room, she snapped it shut.  He closed the doors firmly and turned to stand at attention in front of the entryway. The dark haired girl from the Host of Angels moved forward into sight and started to speak.

Welcome all! she shouted so that everyone could hear her.

Everyone in the room fell silent and watched her.

Now, as you all know, my name is Angelica Farrell. I am from the Host of Angels and I’m sure that you’ll be wondering why we are all here, she announced.

Nods of agreement and a slight murmur began to spread across the room.

Well, The Rule-Maker has decided, as we are the guardians of the human race, no longer can we stand by and let these disgusting vampires destroy those we are sworn to protect and do nothing but observe. So we have devised a plan to exterminate them. I am sure you can all agree that it is for the best.

There were gasps around the room as the shock of this murderous act settled amongst us.

I was interested in what else they had to say. I had never liked the vampires, even before they had taken James away from me. But to commit murder…

Our plan is to send undercover angels down to Earth to scope out and kill the vampires without our beloved humans noticing. But in order to do this, we need some angels to volunteer to be the ‘assassins’ as it were.

I stepped forward.

My heart leaped in my throat; this was it. My mother used to always say to me ‘the leap of faith is such named, as it is the hope of success and freedom that drives it.’ Finally my time had come.

Before I could stop to think about what I was doing, being drawn by anger and the need for the revenge, I walked into full view of the four angels whose eyes were glued to my every move. I moved forward, my hands shaped into hard fists at my sides. I came to a stop and looked up at the balcony.

What does she want, Darren? one of the twins asked the blonde haired boy that sat next to her, but he just stared at me. If I was in my right mind I would have blushed and broken eye contact, but I was frozen in place by a feeling I had never even come across before. I couldn’t even describe it – a blended form of anger, retribution, and determination.

Hello? Darren? she persisted.

What do you want, Alana? Darren snapped as he finally stopped looking at me and turned to glare at the girl beside him.

Should we let her speak? Alana’s twin asked Angelica, ignoring the other two.

Thank you, Millie. Yes we should, Angelica replied, giving Darren and Alana a quick glare before she looked down at me.

She raised her hand, signalling that I was allowed to speak. Curtly, I nodded as the thought of James’ death lingered at the back of my skull, making me the strongest I had ever been, as if my hatred of vampires was giving me power.

I would like to volunteer to be an assassin, I called up to the host.

The room went silent. Even the angels that had made their way to the door to leave had stopped and turned to see what was going on.

My mother’s face filled with a dread that almost broke my heart, but I couldn’t let it deter me, even as she ran up to me, grabbing my arm.

"No! You can’t do this, I won’t let you. We might not be able to see you again if you do this! It’s dangerous. I will not let you," she screamed and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me gently, her eyes filling up with tears. Looking at her with pity and sorrow I carefully detached her hands from me, shutting off all emotion.

I can and I’m going to - for James’ sake, I said as I turned away from my mother. I looked up to the four angels that were trying, unsuccessfully, to hide their shock.

Alana raised one eyebrow. Are you sure?

I nodded my head slowly. I heard my mother screaming behind me, yelling at me not to go.  I knew what I had to do, for all the humans who had lost their loved ones to these monsters, and more importantly, for James.

The hosts were chatting to each other, discussing what they should do next. After all, they had never even considered the possibility that someone would volunteer this soon.

Darren ruffled a hand through his hair, thinking over possible ideas and solutions when suddenly his eyes widened.

Why don’t I train her? He looked over to the other angels, who seemed interested in his idea. Either that, or they were just relieved that he was willing to take on most of the responsibility.

Good idea. Angelica raised a hand to me again.  I realised that my mother had stopped screaming and trying to reach me through the mass of angels, tears streaming down her cheeks.

You shall go to be trained by Darren Roberski. You might have met him before around the town square, and I’m sure you will get along very well.

Angelica turned to look at Darren.

She nodded to him, excusing him to come to me. He spread his wings out and flew down to me, the breeze blowing his shaggy blonde hair out of his face.

I looked up at the beautiful being that stood before me and quickly shifted my gaze to the ground and started to fiddle with my hands, all my confidence suddenly dissipated.

Um…Hi, I managed to choke out.

Hey there. As you already know, my name’s Darren.  I’m going to be training you and we’re going to be spending a lot of time together. This is not a problem for me whatsoever, because  I get to spend time with a pretty lady, such as yourself, and it’s counted as work! I’ve hit the jackpot, he said as he winked at me.  I was taken aback by his confidence - the way he stood, the way he talked; I would never be able to talk to a stranger in the same way that he had with me. I blushed.

Oh…cool, I said, the words tumbled awkwardly out of my mouth as I carried on concentrating on the floor.

Very cool indeed. Now, if you would like to follow me, we’ll get started. He led me to a door a few steps away. I followed him through it into the dark hall before he closed it behind us.

So, what’s your name? Darren asked as I looked at anything but him.

Katalina White.

Darren smiled quietly to himself, and then frowned. He lifted his hand up to brush away the stray blonde hairs that were falling in front of his eyes.

I’m sorry about what happened with James, Darren sighed.

Yeah, it can be hard sometimes, but I just try to keep my mind off it. I looked up at him. He was nothing like James. James was shorter than Darren and had shoulder length black hair. Darren reeked of confidence, whereas James was always shy. He never used to talk to anyone but me, especially after his parents were murdered by vampires.

For the rest of the journey we were silent. Darren didn’t know what to talk about and I didn’t really want to talk at all.

We stopped and Darren opened the old door that lay in front of him before leading me into the room. It was a training room.

One side was lined with workout equipment, but not the type that you would usually find at any normal gym. There was a shooting post, dummies for aiming, an obstacle course, and a vampire simulator.

On the other side lay a wall for weaponry - there were guns, swords, throwing knives, daggers, ropes, and even bows and arrows.  My gaze instantly fixed onto a gleaming crossbow in the corner; it’s string taught, ready to fire at any minute, with a golden arrow sitting beside it. I had to stop myself from snatching the crossbow out of its holder and swooping down to earth to kill the monster that had murdered James. I stopped the urge, but still couldn’t cease my thoughts from running wild in my mind.

So, where do you want to start? Darren smiled at me.

Walking over to the weapons, I gently took the crossbow out of its holder. I admired it momentarily before I took the arrow next to it, loaded the crossbow and walked to the other side of the room, lining myself up with one of the dummy’s that stood there. Aiming at the plastic, I pulled the trigger and shot the arrow, where it soared through the air and landed in the middle of the dummy’s forehead.

The plastic body fell to the floor with a crash. The puncture wound was a clean, precise hole.

I froze in place. That couldn’t be normal – I had never used any sort of weaponry before. I was pretty sure that you shouldn’t be able to use a crossbow almost perfectly after the first try, otherwise why would they even have a training room? I gulped and looked over at Darren, a look of amazement that quickly turned to confusion on his face as he registered my expression.

There was a long silent pause.

Wow…Have you done this before? Darren kept staring.

No. I don’t know how I did that. I looked down at the floor.

You… He trailed off.

Yes? I asked, curiosity taking over, looking up to meet his eyes.

You are amazing. I. There was a pause I…You’re just amazing…In a good way.

Maybe it was just luck. I bet I couldn’t do it again, I teased, the gut feeling of wrongness easing slightly.

You could! He smiled.

I walked across the room to where the plastic dummy lay on the floor and took out the long, golden arrow, leaving a black hole behind. I moved the dummy to its previous position and walked over to the other side of the room and aimed, at the heart this time.

I pulled the trigger and the arrow shot through the air, the force nearly pulling my shoulder back. I stumbled as I watched the arrow fly in a straight line through the air and head towards the target.

It punctured the dummy’s heart, sending it tumbling backwards once again.

I watched, amazed. How was this even possible?

Turning to Darren, I caught him staring at me, open mouthed. I quickly flicked my gaze away.

Are you sure that you haven’t done this before? He grinned at me.

Very sure, I told him.

"Well, tonight, you’re bunking with me in my dorm. But you are definitely not bringing that with you," he said as he pointed towards the weapon in my hands and laughed. I smiled back weakly, looking off into the distance. I yawned; I had forgotten that I had next to no sleep the last few days. James’ death has been weighing heavily on my mind and affecting my sleep for months now.  Darren sighed.

What’s wrong? I frowned.

Darren laughed at my expression.

Nothing, I just realized I’m a little tired as well. Nice to know you care though. My cheeks burned red hot as I tried to come up with a suitable response.

Asking what’s wrong doesn’t necessarily mean that I care about you. I glared at him. He ignored my comment.

Come on, I’ll show you to my room. Darren walked over to the door on the far side of the room.  I put the crossbow back onto its holder, placing the arrow beside it. Then I walked over to where Darren stood watching me.

We walked to his room in silence. Our steps were the only noise heard along the long corridors as we made our way through the castle. He stopped outside a door and held a small gold key in his hand. He unlocked the door, opened it, and turned the light on.

We walked into the small room. The walls were painted red and there was a computer desk in the far left corner with a bookcase standing next to it. On the right side of the room was a set of bunk beds, both with red quilts laid carefully on top of the mattresses.

Darren walked over to the chair that sat beside the computer desk and sat down.

So, what do you think? he asked.

Very nice…  I looked behind Darren. There was a black and white photograph on the wall. It was of an old man with little hair and he had a cigar stuck in the side of his mouth. He was grinning.

Who’s that? I pointed towards the frame.  He followed my gaze.

That was my dad, before he died and met the gates of Hell, though not for the first time, I’m sure. Darren’s jaw was set, looking out the window, away from his father.  He hadn’t noticed the way my eyes widened. I had never known anyone who had gone to Hell before.

It was strange, because the man in the picture looked friendly and kind, not evil. But, then I saw it…the evil in his eyes.  He had a look as though he wanted something: power, wealth, fame, who knew? He wanted something so much, that he would have done anything to get it. I quickly flicked my eyes away as his stare became unnerving.

I know… Darren sighed.

I had a sudden urge to run towards him and hold him in my arms to comfort him, to reassure him that he was nothing like his father. I wanted to  tell him that he had chosen the right path, but I knew that I couldn’t. At least not right now.

Which bunk would you like, top or bottom? Darren asked, avoiding my gaze.

Bottom. I fidget in the night, so if I go on the top I might fall off. I smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Darren smiled back at me, but I knew that he was faking.

Darren climbed onto the top bunk and made himself comfortable as I walked over to the light and turned it off. I jumped into my bed and pulled the covers over my body, too tired to even attempt changing clothes.

I rolled myself into a ball, wishing that I were home, with my mother and father. I wondered why I was doing all this. Was I insane? But then I thought about James and it all came flooding back to me. I knew that my mind wouldn’t rest until they paid for what they did to him.

Sighing, I began to think about James and his death; about the vampires who I was being trained to kill; about how I could use the crossbow so skilfully, even untrained and wondered what else I didn’t know about myself.  These thoughts went on until, finally, I closed my eyes and drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Chapter Two: The night guards

Wake up, sleepy head! Darren sang from beside where I laid. I was soundly sleeping and didn’t even stir at his attempt to wake me. He must’ve realised that his voice alone wasn’t going to rouse me, so he walked over to the window and opened the curtains, allowing light to spill into the room. I finally began the journey back to consciousness.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, squinting around the bright red room until my gaze finally came to rest on Darren, who was watching me closely.

Stretching and yawning, I slyly pulled the covers over my head in an attempt to block out the light and grasp a few more minutes rest.  Darren was not having it and tried to pull them away from me.

Turn off the light, I croaked.

No chance!

Groaning, I turned my back to him, pulling the covers over my face once again.  As soon as I got comfortable, Darren snatched them away from me. I sat up and crossed my arms, glaring at him in defeat.

Finally! I get a response! Darren grinned.

I ran my fingers through my hair and  looked around. I was disappointed to see that I wasn’t in my own bedroom at my parent’s house and that my mother wouldn’t be calling me down to breakfast. However, I was happy that Darren was there at least. My eyes swept the room once again until they eventually rested on something familiar.

Recognising my suitcase lying in the far corner of the room, I got up out of my bed and walked over to it. Where did this come from? I asked, looking at Darren, who was now starting up his computer.

I went to your house this morning and packed a bunch of clothes and essentials that you’ll need for your stay here.  It seems like you’re going to be staying for longer than a night, he said. I shrugged and opened the suitcase to see what he had brought, seeing piles of clothes, shoes, and washing utilities.

Get dressed. I’ll give you 10 minutes, and then we’ll make our way up to the main training room today instead of the one we were in yesterday, he told me as he tapped his fingers on the keyboard of the computer.

"Main training room? I thought that was the main training room," I said, raising my eyebrows.

"That was just the emergency facility, and you, were definitely an emergency."  He smiled and I laughed at him.

Is that so? I walked over to the bottom bunk bed where I had slept the night before and sat on the end, crumpling the sheets.  I began looking through my suitcase to find something to wear.

You can go into the bathroom to get changed.  It’s quite spacious in there, so you should be alright, he said, his gaze now fixed on the computer as he gestured towards the door that was next to the desk.

I nodded and peered inside the large suitcase that held my belongings. I shifted aside dress after dress until I found my favourite, the one that James had bought me shortly before he had died. It was  light pink silk that had dark, velvet flowers creeping across the fabric, accompanied by a black ribbon that was sewn neatly around the waist.

Stroking it with the tips of my fingers momentarily, I admired the craftsmanship. Darren looked over to see my expression turn cold as I remembered his death.

Pretty dress…where did you get it from? he asked.

James bought it for me, before he… died. I trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. I sighed.

Oh, was all he said.

James’ death hadn’t affected me because I was ‘madly in love with him.’  The truth was, although I did care for him, I didn’t love him. It was more the shock of it all that brought tears to my eyes. He was a good person and he had deserved more from life.

I raked through my suitcase once again and picked up some black plimsolls before walking over to the bathroom, opening the door and locking it behind me.

Looking around the clear, white room that I had entered, I found a sink, shower, mirror, and toilet. It was simple, but clean.

Taking off the crumpled dress I had slept in the night before, I slipped the one that James had bought for me over my head. I then stepped into the black plimsolls, pleasantly surprised by the way they cushioned my feet.

Are you alright? Darren called through the door.

I’m fine…But it’s nice to know that you’re thinking about me, I teased. Through the other side, I heard a muffled laugh.

Opening the door, unclean clothes in hand, I walked into the room to find     Darren sitting and watching the door eagerly. I put the clothes inside my suitcase quickly then perched back on the end of the bed.

Ready to go? he asked, smiling at me.

Yeah…I think so. I looked down at my flimsy, though comfortable, shoes, hoping that running wasn’t going to be on the agenda of today’s training.

Don’t worry. The host’s going to buy you some proper clothes soon. I raised my eyebrow at him. For what we are going to do. Nice save, I thought, then smiled politely.

I walked to the door and stood beside the frame, waiting for him to unlock it. He opened it, sweeping his hand in front of him, motioning for me to move forward into the corridor.

Lady’s first, he said and I walked out. He followed quickly behind me and locked the door.

I looked over at Darren as we walked, taking in his bright Hawaiian shirt and sleek black trousers, and began thinking about his work robes. How different they were from his usual clothes! It confused me why the Host of Angels had to wear them, especially when they weren’t flattering on anyone.

Why do you wear those silk robes? I asked him, hoping that he wouldn’t take offence.

It’s kind of a work uniform, if you think about it. He frowned.

But why is it a robe? Why not a polo shirt that says ‘Host of Angels’ on it? I asked and then laughed at the thought.

I think that they wanted to put across the ‘traditional angel’ look, you know, angelic and pure, he explained.

Oh…well, couldn’t you choose something more stylish? I suddenly remembered who I was speaking to. No offence, I quickly added.

Darren couldn’t hold in the laugh that came.

None taken. I think we need a new uniform too but I’ll have to talk to Angelica about that. Maybe because you are so interested you could help with choosing the design?

I just laughed and carried on walking. We came to a large white door with a golden knocker that had angel wings carved into it. Darren lifted the knocker then released it, letting it crash against the wood.

I heard shuffling, muffled voices, and then footsteps coming closer to us from behind the door, before someone began to speak

Names please.

I looked up at Darren and he nodded.

Katalina White, I stuttered. Darren laughed and said his own name with confidence.

"You are on the list, it seems. Last minute entries I see, but you are there, so, you can come in." The door opened with a loud creak and we stepped into the room.

There were a few angels inside the room, strong men with their muscles rippling as they used the equipment with grace. But that wasn’t what caught my eye; it was the equipment itself.

There was a  ‘workout corner’ with weights, exercise bikes, treadmills, weightlifting benches, mats to do core exercises, and everything else you would want to strengthen your entire body.

On the other side was ‘weapon training’ where there was a shooting post, dummies for practice, a hand combat simulator, a vampire simulator, and many more kinds of weapon training apparatus.

Another part of the room held what appeared to be ‘survival training.’ There were many books, posters, and manuals that held valuable information on how to survive in different scenarios and different locations. Also in that corner, were ropes for knot tying and books to show you how to do it.

But the thing that made my eyes shimmer with interest was the wall full of weapons: guns of many shapes and sizes, knives for every possible use, lasers that would burn through flesh in an instant, grenades, bombs, and jars of dangerous liquids. On the far side of the wall, was what I was looking for -  the crossbows.

There were so many of them, and in all different sizes, each with a special arrow placed beside.  The arrows were made of the same wood as the crossbow.  They were all so beautiful in my eyes. My pull to them was unexplainable; it was like when I saw them, I had found a lost part of me. It was a strange, but wonderful feeling.

Cool, huh? Darren came up behind me and smiled.

It’s beautiful! I looked up at him with round eyes, excited even by just the sight of all this training gear. I noticed the silence around us and turned to see everyone in the room had stopped working and was staring.

Have these people volunteered to be assassins as well? I whispered to Darren, leaning closer so that he could hear.

No. These are the castle guards; they’re here to train because they have the night shift.  The guards on day shift train at night.

Silence  filled the room, as they all stood, staring at me until one of the guards did something that I had least expected.  He laughed.

Hello sweetheart! I’m ever so sorry, but the beauty contest is that way. He pointed to the left of him and chuckled. Darren stood with his fists clenched, glaring at the man.

She is here to train to be a vampire assassin. I am her mentor and I would appreciate it if you would treat her with some respect, Darren said through gritted teeth.

"A girl! The night guard roared with laughter and the others joined in. A girl can’t be an assassin. She’s too weak. I mean, just look at her!" He picked up my arm, shook it then dropped it back at my side to prove his point.

Just you watch, he told the night guard and turned to me. Go pick your weapon." I walked over to a golden crossbow and arrow, picked them up and joined Darren’s side.

I bet you that she can shoot that arrow into that dummy, giving the death blow in one shot, with no help, Darren said, pointing to a dummy on the far side of the room then crossing his arms around his chest.

Never going to happen. The night guard’s gaze fixed on me.

You’ll see.

She will never be able to do that, kid. He laughed and dug his hand into his pocket.  He pulled out a stick of chewing gum and peeled away the wrapper. He popped the pale pink slice into his mouth and smirked.

I looked at the dummy and the white line that indicated where I had to stand and gulped. I walked over to the line. Why was Darren  doing this anyway? Yes, I had been able to do it before, but that could have been just a stroke of luck. He must be insane to think that I could do it again.

Lifting up the crossbow, I aimed at the dummy, right in the middle of its fake white forehead. Thoughts were banging around in my skull and a voice inside screamed at me to run to the Host of Angels and tell them I take back being an assassin.  Just when I thought that the voice had convinced me,  I thought about James and his cruel, pointless death. Without being in full control of my body, I lifted the arrow into its place and fired. I watched the golden arrow fly across the room and sink into the dummy’s forehead with disbelief.

Darren smiled smugly as he watched me send the dummy reeling backwards.    He looked around his shoulder to see the night guards expressions; they were all staring at me with widened eyes.   Their leader was standing there with his muscled arms crossed over his chest. He then walked over to the dummy to check  and see if we had somehow cheated.

Told you so, Darren smirked.

The night guard’s face grew red with fiery anger as he glared at Darren.

Who do you think you are? he hissed and Darren laughed.

I’m Darren Roberski, from the Host of Angels.  Who are you? Oh and if you could please give Katalina here some respect, that would be lovely.

The man growled at Darren and balled up his hands into fists at his sides. He stared at the floor, looking defeated.

I am Joseph King, he said. He laughed cruelly. And as for respect, you are definitely not going to get it from me.

Anger bubbled up within Darren. He looked over at me as I watched Joseph cautiously.

When he looked back, he started to lift his arms up in defence as Joseph’s fist came pummelling towards his face at a tremendous speed.  He was too late, and before he could react to the first blow, Joseph came back at him with a blow to the stomach, followed by yet another blow to the head. He fell to the floor in a heap.

Rushing over to Darren’s side, I glared at Joseph who was smiling smugly. I stood up beside Darren’s unconscious body and stormed over to the man so that we were merely centimetres from each other.

Why? Just…why? What was the point of that? I pressed my palms to his chest and pushed with a force I didn’t know I had, sending him stumbling backwards.  I ran over to see how Darren was doing, still hearing Joseph’s cruel laugh.

Oops. It seems that my fist accidentally embedded itself into his face. I don’t care how much of a good fighter you are. To be absolutely honest with you, I think that you’re a freak of nature. Now, get yourself, and your pathetic boyfriend here, out of my training room, Joseph told her as he inspected his grubby, uneven nails.

Having no idea what I should do, I put one arm underneath Darren’s knees and one at the back of his neck and lifted.

To my surprise I was able to pick him up, and he didn’t even feel