Serena gazed at him. Suspicion ran through her mind He could be lying-she knew all too well what it was like to be lied to. She nervously looked past him to the door, knowing that he would not stop her if she tried to escape from the room.
    "Then tell it." Serena said softly. Taker looked at her blankly.
    "What?"
    "I said tell me your story. I want to know why I can't live my life. Besides, it beats trying to translate that stupid book!" Serena crossed the room and sat in the armchair. He quickly regained his thoughts and began to pace.
    "Well, in 1498, there was a young man named Matthew. He was the Duke of Lancaster, heir to a vast fortune. But the fortune wasn't what he wanted most, for he had fallen in love with a kind and gentle young woman named Emily." He sighed. "The two loved each other very much, and they were married. They were totally inseparable- even death could not tear them apart." Serena was startled by his last remark, but said nothing.
    "Emily was kind and gentle-and she had many admirers. Of course she stayed faithful to the one she loved, which made many of the suitors jealous. One young man became so jealous that he believed that Emily would either belong to him or no one. So one foggy night he stole into the Lord's castle and stabbed Emily in the heart, killing her instantly.
    "Matthew woke up to her screams and found his beloved dead. By this time the murderer had escaped the castle but had left his knife on the floor of the bedchamber. Lord Matthew combed the kingdom for the young suitor, but never found him. Enraged from his wife's death, Matthew was slowly driven into insanity. He quickly turned to the Dark Arts to punish the killer. Using the possesion of the man, the knife, Matthew put a curse on the family and descendants of the suitor's family, condemning them to lives of darkness and lonliness. He vowed that no human would love these creatures, so they walk the earth in total darkness..." Taker stopped pacing and turned to Serena. "I am the descendant of that young man."
    Serena couldn't believe her ears. The story he just told sounded like a fairy tale, a grim one, but a fairy tale none the least.
    "But what has this got to do with me?" She said with earnest. He looked at her and smiled.
    "Before Emily was killed, she and Matthew had a son. He inherited the estate when his father passed away." He came closer to Serena and tilted her head up to meet his eyes. "Emily was said to have beautiful long blonde hair and sapphire eyes."
    "You mean, me and Midian are related to Emily??" Serena gasped. She remembered an Emily on the family tree project she had done in fifth grade, but she didn't know the history behind her.
    "So you've come to claim what's rightfully yours." Taker smiled and evil grin. "Of course." He reached out his other hand to her. "Come with me now, Serena. Save yourself the heartache."
    Serena paused. She didn't know what to say or do. She stood and gulped. "No... you don't love me, and I don't love you. You'll never know what love is. You are too selfish to look past your own wants to see how you can help others."
    He frowned. All of a sudden, his eyes again saddened. He hung his head. "Don't you think I know that? I've been tortured because I can never know." He looked up at her. "The evil in my heart blocks the knowledge of love. I only feel lust-but with you, it seems different." He came closer to her. "I want to love you, to make up to you what I did in the past..."
    Midian knocked on the door. "Serena, wake up! Time to hit the road!"
    Serena glanced at the door. "Hold on!" She looked back at Taker. He was only about three feet away from her. She looked at him sadly and then did something she never thought she would do-she hugged him.
    "Why am I doing this?" She asked herself. Taker looked down at her with a strange look, then returned the embrace. The door clicked open and Midian entered the room. Serena gasped and panicked, but Midian laughed at her and smiled.
    "Are you practicing for Prima Ballerina?" Serena turned to see her arms were hugging nothing but the air. "Uh... no. I was just stretching."
    "Well, we're ready to go now." He kept looking at her. "You sure you're okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
    Serena frowned. "I'm fine, just a little tired." Midian went to the bed and grabbed her bags.
    "Anytime you wanna come to the car is fine." He shut the door behind him. Serena began to gather the books and papers back into her work satchel. She reached for her cell phone when she noticed something lying on the table. She glanced at it, then picked it up. It was a silver-colored ring, with a strange-looking T symbol on it. She glanced on the inside of the band and saw an inscription. She read it aloud.
    "All I refute and thee I choose." She heard a car horn and dropped the ring in her pocket as she sped to the door.

    Kane looked down at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl with suspicion. Serena gulped. Dennis had sent her alone to ask the brother of the Undertaker to help them defeat him. She had to admit that Kane seemed more frightening than his brother. Serena began to shake in fear.
    "I... I uh know this sounds really weird... but we do need your help." She said timidly. Kane grunted and then grabbed her throat. She screamed.
    "A simple no would have been better!!!" She yelled. He let go suddenly and backed away from her, and looked scared. "What's wrong?" Kane pointed to her forehead. She touched it. "There's nothing there." Serena furrowed her eyebrows as Kane backed away again. She went to the mirror and glanced at it. Sure enough, a red triangle had fixed itself on her forehead.
    "AHHH!! GET IT OFF!! GET IT OFF!!" Midian rushed into the room at the sound of his sister screaming. He looked at her as she tried to scratch the symbol off her forehead. He grabbed her arms and pinned them to her sides. Serena stopped struggling.
    "No Bunny! That's a good thing!" Midian said. Serena looked frightened.
    "A good thing??" Kane approached her and put his thumb on her forehead.
    "Power... Fire..."
    Serena's jaw dropped. "You mean, I can control fire?"
    Midian nodded. "Everyone has a special power inside them, but only a few people actually harness it to benefit themselves. Kane and Taker have harnessed theirs, and with Taker's help I harnessed mine."
    Serena shook her head. "Geez, when they tell you wrestling's not real they really tell a fib!"
    Midian laughed. "Well, this isn't something you really want to broadcast." He looked at Kane. "Will you help us?"
    Kane nodded a slow yes.

    Serena lit and relit the candle so many times that she was beginning to get a headache. She had to admit that closing her eyes and lighting something on fire with her mind was a little odd, but of course this was all going to be odd. She sighed and left the candle burning. It was the only light on in the room, and the flame pierced the darkness so that a thousand shadows danced on the walls. Serena felt so peaceful, so tired. Her eyelids grew heavy as she fell into a deep sleep. Taker slipped from the shadows and watched her sleep. He could kill his brother for showing her the power she possessed. He sighed.
    "You still will not come willingly." He said softly to her. "I will still take you by force. Not even your own brother will stop me." Taker caressed Serena's cheek with his hand and she stirred a little.
    "Soon my dear. Soon you will do battle with me and you will lose, I guarantee you of that."

    Copright 1999 by Lady Destiny

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