Sides of a Mirror

24- Grasping At Straws

Cancer was very worried when she received a mysterious text from Gemini. It read;

Come to my house. Now.

Usually, this kind of tone was rarely used by Gemini, a more amiable approach was used instead. Apparently not today, however. Cancer called the Emerens, just to be sure she wasn't hallucinating.
"Hello? Is this Cancer?"
"Yeah! Hey Taur, how's it going?"
"Oh, it's fine! Wait- Cap's coming over, I think he wants to talk to you. Just a sec!" The line went quiet. Cancer waited patiently, knowing Cap, he took his time when he could afford to.
"Hey Cancer."
"Hey!"
He cleared his throat, "Do you have something to tell me?"
"Even across phones you can mind read?"
"No, it has to be in person. But I know you enough to tell something's wrong."
"Gemini sent this weird text telling us to meet at her house..."
"You too? Huh, I guess we all got it."
"What?"
"Taurus got a similar message. Same concept."
"Should we go?"
"I think so... Seems to strange to be a coincidence."
"Yeah, I thought so too..."
"See you there, bye!" The line went dead. Cancer walked back to her house to tell her siblings the news.

Pisces had driven them all over to the house. Cancer had never actually been there before, and she was amazed at the sheer size of it. The house was a mansion, pristine white walls and ivory colums. The grand or made sense, however. After all, the Airibeqe siblings were the children of the town's current mayor.
The Emerens had arrived a few minutes prior, and were waiting for Cancer and her brothers. She waved at them, but stopped when Capricorn pointed to a point on the house.
That's when she saw what remained of a broken, charred door.
"Oh my!" Cancer put her hand over her mouth, unable to conceal a gasp. Capricorn walked over to her, mouth in a tight line.
"Yeah," he stated, "It's pretty bad." Who was able to do this, though?
Capricorn shrugged, "Beats me!"
Taurus, who'd been trailing her way over to the door, peeked inside. When she came back out, there was an expression of awe and shock on her face, her mouth gaping open.
"Guys!" She breathed, "You'd better come see this!"
Out of nowhere, a scream ripped through the tense silence. Capricorn jerked up his head, grabbing Cancer's wrist. "Let's go!" He lead her through the halls, walking through a living room scarred with scorch marks and slashes in the walls. As he pushed open the last door, they all stepped into a enormous garden. There, in front of them, was the source of the screaming.
Leo, being gripped by the throat and pushed against the rails of a bridge. A man in dark clothing was the one holding her there, a man the eight of them new all to well.
"Serpens..." Scorpio growled. Cancer then saw a panicked Aries racing towards them, clad in scarlet armor and holding a coal black axe.
"GUYS!" she shrieked, effectively getting the group's attention, "A LITTLE HELP?" Taurus and Scorpio immediately closed their eyes, obscured by flashes of light before becoming visible once again. Except Taurus wore a knee length green dress with leather arm braces and boots, while Scorpio was in a dark sea blue cloaked assassin's outfit. Both held weapons, Taurus a spear, and Scorpio a chain link sword (Like a sword but separated into sections and able to lash. A bladed whip, if you will.) They also were beside their animals, and Taurus leaped onto the back of hers, Cessabit.
All three charged at Serpens, only to slam into an invisible wall between them and Leo.

Aries screamed in frustration, banging her axe on the wall, but it was no use. She just couldn't break the damn barrier! Leo was in there, teetering over the bridge's edge, and she could do squat!
"Argh!" Aries slammed the axe into the barrier again, still nothing. This entire thing was really starting to piss her off, more than she'd been previously. Mess with her friends? Yeah, not good. Mess with her siblings, her youngest sibling, and she would bring down the force of Hell itself.
A potent rage bubbled in Aries' stomach, and the axe started to flare like it had not two hours ago. Aries grinned. I'll find a way in, and when I do, you will not live another second, punk!
Aries stepped back, trying to find a weak spot in the shield. That's when she spotted it, a shimmer in the glassy surface. She raised the axe with both hands high above her head, then poured all the fire and rage she felt into the blow, causing the axe to abruptly burst into flames. The blade struck with such force and fury that the shield shattered, no, exploded, into a billion shards, raining down on Serpens and Leo.
Aries grinned even wider, her eyes burning with fury that'd been contained for to long. "WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT, PUNK?" She charged headfirst at Serpens, but was stopped abruptly by a shadowy tentacle that wrapped around her throat.
Serpens smiled coldly, "Foolish child," he turned to Leo once more, "say your last goodbyes, imbecile!" Serpens blasted the railing, the tentacle still holding Aries in place. Then, sneering at Leo, he shoved her over the edge.
"LEO!" Aries screamed desperately. Not my sister! Not like this!

Cancer watched in stunned horror as Serpens shoved her friend over the edge of the bridge, smiling cruelly. She heard the horrified screams of Aries tearing through the silence, then fading into subdued whimpers. Taurus and Scorpio stared in shock, unable to do anything at this point.
Cancer couldn't accept this, she couldn't let one of her best friends die!
So she didn't.
Cancer ran to the bridge, stone suddenly a weight in her hand. She threw it to the ground, shouting a name that cane to her mind as she did.
"Liquet!" Cancer plunged into the water, glowing streaks swirling around her. She kicked her legs, which transformed into a lashing tail, blue as the sky on a clear day. Finding she could breathe and see, Cancer swam towards the sinking Leo, pulling her up by the arms.
Cancer heaved Leo onto the shore, pressing a hand to her friend's chest, and whispering words under her breath.
"Respirare," Leo gasped, coughing up water and gripping the sand. Cancer watched her anxiously, then noticed her newly acquired features, or rather, clothing. She had on a dress the color of the sky in the morning, powdery blue. The bodice was similar to a swimsuit, the fabric soft yet elastic. When she stood up, the delicate skirt swirled around her legs, sparkling iridescent blue sequins glittering in curving lines. A wreath of gold set with pearls crowned her head, and her gloves had been converted into silver armor. Most surprising of all, a leather belt wrapped around her waist, two gleaming silver daggers, elegantly curved, sheathed into its holsters. Serpens growled, raising a darkened blade above Cancer's head.
"Look out-!" Leo tried to warn her, but Cancer had already pulled out a dagger and deflected the attack. Serpens hissed in frustration, trying to find an angle at which to strike Cancer, but the girl was to quick, reading his moves and deflecting or dogung each one perfectly. A dark circle appeared underneath Serpens, and he disappeared, once again, from sight.
Cancer turned to Leo, her eyes filled with concern, "Are you alright?" She asked.
Leo nodded, "I'm perfectly fine, honestly! Thank you for saving me, I could've died back there!" Leo shivered. She hated that concept, death. It was her biggest fear.
Cancer hugged Leo, somehow dry even though she'd just swam in a river about fifteen minutes ago.
"You're welcome, Leo."

1304 words, not bad! Hey! I have a question for you; who do you think is Serpens? Or, really, who is he working for?
P.S., Next chapter is probably going to be couple fluff, but not sure. See you then, bye!