Transcendance

1

She was terrified. Jason had lied to her this whole time. Belle thought that he loved her and wanted to help her escape her shitty home. Instead he'd drugged her and she had woken up in a van full of confused girls. This was it. This was the end of her. She was going to be sold to some creep and forced into sex slavery.

They were ushered out of the car, women harshly shoving them out of the van and smacking them if they didn't move fast enough. Belle could hear the other girls crying. One woman harshly ripped off Belle's hijab and slammed her hard against another girl.

"Take your clothes off and change into one of these outfits." The woman snapped at her. Some of the girls looked terrified.

"Now! The Alphas don't have all day to wait on you!" A woman smacked a few of them with a horse whip. Terrified, Belle started to remove her abaya and leggings. There was no privacy here. There were very skimpy dresses available for them to wear. She pulled a green one on and the other woman shoved her roughly for makeup to be put on her and for her to be doused in perfume.

Belle wanted to scream and run but she was scared of what would happen next. This couldn't be happening to her. She was given a number and put in front of the line.

"Get on the stage!" A woman shoved her to the ground. She got up to see various men ranging from her age to much older men practically salivating over her. One woman roughly grabbed her by the arm.

"Please, Allah, please!" She was sobbing. "I don't want this to happen to me." She began to pray fervently. Please, Allah, save me. I'm scared. I don't want this!

Suddenly a woman in a black catsuit opened the floor.

"Party's over, mutts!" She shouted.

"Get her!" The woman shouted.

*******************************************************

I summon the Strings and wrap them around various werewolves before ripping them in half with a few pulls. Kyra emerges from a side door and starts shooting them. Jackson was grabbing them and tearing them into shreds with his tentacles. He had let his arms turn to his third form.

Heather and Lexi were freeing the girls. I get slammed into their ground by an older Alpha.

"How dare you!" He made his nails longer and sharper. I grab a silver knife and stab him in the ribs. He coughs out blood and I take it out to stab him between the eyes. I tear off his head with my Strings. I get up to see Jackson crushing the last werewolf's head and Kyra shooting a slightly moving one. I turn my head to see a trembling and sobbing girl on the stage.

I ran up to her. "Are you okay?" I ask. I know I must be terrifying, covered in blood and my hair smelling of iron. It's been one long year but it's back to its old length. We had all but wiped out two packs involved in this mess. This were the last motherfuckers who managed to evade us, until today.

She got up and hugged me, crying.

"Thank you." She says. "Thank you." I smoothed her back. Kyra and Heather come up, bruised and bloodied. Heather was accompanied by a few girls who were in various states of undress.

A few parents started to run in.

"Belle!" A woman in a hijab screamed, running to us. The girl lets go of me and runs to her.

"Mama!" She shouted, hugging her. She was sobbing hysterically in the woman's arms. "Mama, I'm sorry. Mama, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Belle." Her mother was holding her. A man and a younger boy came in, hugging them.

'I'm sorry, you were right about him." She was saying.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Did those monsters hurt you?" The man asked. A few girls ran by me.

"No, just a few shoves." The girl sobbed. I handed her my jacket to cover herself as needed. She threw it on top of her head into a makeshift hair cover.

"Thank you. I knew I could count on the Agency to find the girls." The man said. "Thank you for saving my daughter." I nodded. I see Amanda and Alberto trying to pass by the gross corpses we left behind.

"Good job, mija." Alberto put his hands on his hips. "You did an excellent job with those sorry pieces of shit."

"Thanks." I say. We're escorted back into Amanda's SUV. We'll all be blood splattered, smelly and sweaty but at least we're alive. Jackson and Heather are joking about something. I stared at the engagement ring that Brendan had given me. His last gift to me before his death. My heart always breaks into tiny pieces when I see it. He had died a year ago but it felt like yesterday. I had lost our baby too.

I wanted to accept his death but I never could. I had never seen his remains for the sake of my own sanity but I know Amanda had. How I wasn't burnt to a crisp was a mystery. I'm guessing that being under Huitzilopochtli's protection did something to me.

I closed my eyes and clutched it close to my heart.

"You have a new mission." Alberto spoke.

"So soon?" Jackson asked.

"The Fae kingdom is going through some shit." Amanda asked. "Their realm is dying."

"Oh boy." Kyra looked annoyed.

"Well their flora and fauna are. Apparently the King and Queen want us to escort their daughter, Princess Leira of Illinata to go marry the Prince of Meryll as an attempt to keep peace."

"Well, what's going on?" Kyra asked, crossing her arms.

"Apparently the Ravenwood kingdom has been trying to convince the Illinatans to marry off Leira to their King for a peace treaty. He's been trying to start shit." Amanda spoke.

"Oh, joy." Kyra rolled her eyes. Oh joy indeed.