Luminescent, the falling light of the moon cast an eerie glow over all left uncovered. Trees took on the iridescent glow, leaves shivering in the breeze that tore through their limbs. Light playing off the water so far below the cliff's edge, everything looked harsher, yet softer all the same. While the moon's glow seemed to show everything for what it was, emanation hitting each jagged edge of the broken cliff side, illuminating each wave as it crashed against the hard wall of rock, it seemed almost delicate. Almost as if falling wouldn't hurt, wouldn't kill any dreaded soul that happened to take a tumble, but rather that the light would envelop them, that each wave would just wrap them in a soft blanket of darkness, and they'd peacefully float off into oblivion.<br/><br/>A poetic way to die.<br/><br/>No sound could be heard above the crashing waves below, reverberating off the trees that scattered the cliff's line, the rustle of leaves and uncut grass waving lazily in the breeze. A light fog drifting through, any movement, apart from the shadows thrown haphazardly by the moon's spectral glow, was dampened, hidden. One didn't have to be seen should they not wish it, their very presence remaining unknown to the eye. Not that they cared if they were seen, but it was always nice to have that air of mystery, the ability to be hidden should they wish it.<br/><br/>Stepping from within the tree line, form staying close to the rough bark of the tree behind her, Chrystal's eyes scanned for her sisters, her coven. Frame standing at no taller than five-foot-six, she was easily concealed by the thick fog, the shadows the trees cast hiding her own easily.<br/><br/>They'd always met here, centuries of history housed within the stretches of the land, the water line hundreds of feet below. Something about a cliff's edge, the beauty of what could easily become impending death added to the sacred air of the place. While she'd never really thought it a big deal, it wasn't her place to comment, so she'd always held her comments within her burdened mind.<br/><br/>It was finally time.<br/><br/>Time for her to meet the rest of the members of the coven.<br/><br/>A mixture of nervous excitement flitted within her, a sort of jitter inhabiting her body as she stood there, arms clasping hold of herself to contain it. Meeting sisters meant she'd have a family to call her own. Granted, it wouldn't be a family by normal standards, but it'd be more than she'd ever had prior to this moment.<br/><br/>Living as a loner for most of her life, it hadn't been by choice, but by necessity. As it was hard to explain away the happenings that surrounded her growing up, she ran away.<span style="font-style: italic">Better to be alone than to hurt those I care for,</span>she'd always reasoned.<br/><br/>A solitary life with no risk.<br/><br/>Alone from the age of ten, she'd taught herself to hone her skill, her craft. It was a long process, arduous, riddled with errors, but she'd prevailed. Slowly taking a hold on her appearance, what was once a bright-eyed, chubby cheeked, curly-haired brunette, had shifted. No longer did curly locks of the darkest brunette lay claim to her features but instead a resplendent blonde, almost white, now resided. Her once green eyes, full of life and the envy of those who lay their sights upon them, now held the lightest blue, icy in illusion. Even her skin, once sun-kissed and warm, appeared ethereal, alabaster tones.<br/><br/>While Chrystal wasn't sure when all these changes had taken place, most who saw her would chalk it up to puberty, assuming such changes happened as she matured. It was far more...Far more than anyone on the outside would know, would want to know. Using her craft as much as she did, becoming one with her power, it was changing her. Her form was becoming so accustom to the cool, the ice, that the changes were inevitable. She was cooler to the touch, skin smooth...somehow soft yet oddly firm.<br/><br/>The small flickering of a fire appeared a few feet in front of her, small in stature, sprung up in the midst of the cool light. Hood concealing her own looks, she kept her head lowered, eyes watching the display from her perch against the trunk. Flame growing before her eyes, the vibrant red hair of her sister was illuminated, along with her warm skin, her golden eyes. A small smile pulling at her own lips, Chrystal made her way toward her, watching in her usual awe, of the control she had over her flame. Dancing on the tip of her finger, the flame jumped, swaying in the breeze, but didn't flicker out. Not once did the heavy winds coming off the sea snuff out its life.<br/><br/>With a small grin, she pursed her lips, blowing softly at her finger, icy crystals dancing in the air as they wrapped around her sister's finger, choking the life out of the flame until it finally subsided. A light, melodic laugh was loosed, her hood dropping back as a mirth flashed behind her eyes. "It's good to see you, Annelise," came her warm greeting, arms enveloping Annelise in a hug. Arms embracing her, Chrystal felt the usual goosebumps taking hold of her skin, a shiver wracking through her body at the proximity of their bodies. Something about fire and ice together always held such a reaction, from both parties, evoking knowing smiles betwixt the two. Pulling back, her eyes scanned around them, trying to see through the fog. "Where are the rest?"<br/><br/>A small shrug and half-grin later, and Annelise was staring her down, eyes lit from within in a sort of dangerous mischief. "They're here. They're always here." This brought a slight perplexed frown to Chrystal's face, wondering how she could have missed them, but she didn't voice it. "There's been a slight snag..."<br/><br/>Brow furrowing, her eyes turned suspicious. "What do you mean, a snag?" Her tone, turning just as icy as her gaze had, her body went rigid, preparing for the worst.<br/><br/>"Oh relax," Annelise retorted, brushing off her reaction with a flippant wave of her hand. "It's nothing like that. Just some minor details have been shifted is all." Chrys could feel her body relaxing a bit as she heard the words, but something lingered in the back of her mind, urging her to stay alert. "Something simple really. The coven would prefer to stay anonymous...That is, until you've completed your task."<br/><br/>"Task?" she repeated, not understanding. "I've done all they've asked. I've proven my power, proven what I'm capable of. I've passed every test you've ever given me...What else haven't I done?"<br/><br/>"Such a tone...doesn't bode well with us." Something about Annelise was changing, becoming more official, fuller sounding...As if she weren't the only one talking. But just like that, it was gone, and she was back, back to her usual alto, tone light. "That being said, we understand your confusion and welcome it. It's not that you've not done enough, but this final task solidifies your place among us. It's essential to your survival within our coven. Without it, you can never be."<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">One final task...</span>Chrystal thought to herself fervently.<span style="font-style: italic">Just one...and I'll have a family....I'll do anything...</span><br/><br/>"It's simple enough," she continued, eyeing her, gauging her reactions to each piece she said. "You must first find a man, pure in heart and in mind, willing to do anything. You'll know him when you see him, one of the rare few that still survive within this world of, a world that says you can have it all, a world of carnal urges, a world of<span style="font-style: italic">needs</span>.”<br/><br/>Pausing for almost dramatic effect, Annelise's eyes left Chrystal for the first time since the exchange began, turning to lock with each unseen member. Chrystal's gaze shifted as well, trying to sift through the fog, to see who she was at the mercy of, to see those that did this task before her. To see if it were worth it.<br/><br/>"Seduce him; Once you’ve done so, thoroughly besotted,  you must return him here. As the sacrifice, he will remain here for three days, being primped and preened for the final event. As the moon is in its apex, you must stop his heart, feel the dark side's pull in this act, and return from it unscathed. Take his life force into yourself, feel it fill you, feel it drain him.” A light shrug was given as though this was the norm for her, to speak of such acts in casual fashion. “The rest is arbitrary."<br/><br/>Feeling the gaze of a few others boring into her, she tried to process the news as calmly as she could. Sacrifices she'd done, though never of the human variety. A bird here, a frog there...It'd always seemed essential to gain connection for the more draining rituals they'd asked of her. But this? She wasn't sure if she could handle it. To take someone so innocent, so pure, and use them for this? Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, eyes flicking to the ground as her hands played nervously, clasping and unclasping, under her cloak. So loud was her heartbeat, she almost missed the pointed throat-clearing directed at her.<br/><br/>"Do you understand the task set to you?"<br/><br/>Eyes raising to lock with Annelise's, she nodded, lips set in a thin line, all humor her face had once held, fallen away a mere memory.<br/><br/>"Are you able to complete this task? Able to become a member of our coven?"<br/><br/>The pause was a weighted one, one that seemed to drag on as her mind tossed around her options. Inner war was waging, her heart torn, her mind conflicted, until one thought rang through amidst the chaos, so clear and true.<span style="font-style: italic">I can't say no, not after all that I've done to get here, to this moment...I can do this. I can do anything for my family...</span>Slow to nod this time around, the motion was just as drawn out as her thoughts had been, the weight of the world sitting on her shoulders.<br/><br/>"You've a year t-“<br/><br/>“A year?!” Chrystal repeated, in a harsh whisper.<span style="font-style: italic">I have to continue this charade for the entirety of a year? As if this wasn’t cruel enough…</span><br/><br/>“-To find him, seduce him, bring him here and complete the ritual,” came Annelise's rather matter-of-fact tone of voice, continuing on as if the interruption hadn’t happened. "I'll be keeping tabs on your progress. Don't disappoint us."<br/><br/>And just like that, she was gone.<br/><br/>In the blink of an eye, Annelise was gone. The fog had vanished. She was alone with nothing but the beating of her heart and the light of the moon to keep her company as she tried to strengthen her resolve.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">I can do this...This is what I want...</span><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #40FFFF"><span style="font-weight: bold">- - - -</span></span></div><br/><br/>Stalling: her new favorite pastime.<br/><br/>The weight of the task set to her was like a stifling blanket, cutting out all remainder of the world she lived in and instead the world she wanted to be a part of. How long had she been alone? How long had she been forced to figure this out on her own? And now, with the chance to gain a family, a coven, she was stilled in her efforts to complete it?<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">This is what you want, so stop being a bitch about it,</span>she scolded herself for the millionth time in the mirror, trying to come up with a reason not to leave the house. Every excuse had been used for weeks now.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“I’ve enough food to avoid grocery shopping,”</span>she’d said one day.<span style="font-style: italic">“I’m too tired to go out and see people,”</span>another.<span style="font-style: italic">“I’ve already got enough books here to read without stopping off at a book store.” <br/>“I’m one with nature, and don’t need the walk through the park today.”<br/>“I’m sick.”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">You need this family as much as they need you! So just do it! You can’t hide out from the world forever,</span>came yet another thought, one filled with annoyance at her lack of ability to get over her own distaste, her own unwillingness.<span style="font-style: italic">This has been the goal for years…one more year isn’t going to hurt, and what’s one life in the balance? People die every day. Why should this one matter more than you? You’ve paid your dues.</span>Her eyes hardened in the reflection, a spark lighting up behind their depths.<span style="font-style: italic">It’s time for him to pay his.</span><br/><br/>A quick glance at the calendar on her phone (still ignoring the texts from Annelise for all she was worth) told her three weeks had passed. Three valuable weeks. She didn’t know when she’d find this person, or where, or how long it’d take to get him to be as pliable as she needed, how much work would be involved. Sitting at home wouldn’t find him, not unless she somehow thought the innocent put up Craigslist ads for her to scour, like every other predator out there.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">No, not a predator,</span>she reminded her.<span style="font-style: italic">A lost soul, a lost sister, searching for the piece of the puzzle she’s missing.</span><br/><br/>It was only early evening, nothing terribly too late in the day. People were commuting home, going off to dinner, milling about as the late hour had not yet set in. Only then would those she’d often overlooked disappear into their homes, where any sane person would move to, when the darkness set in.<br/><br/>That was one of the reasons she liked the darkness, the late hours so much: the quiet, the peace, the lack of people to run into and potentially hurt. Sure, the years with the sisters had been good, and her control was far better; Damn near perfect. But, everyone always has that off day…it just happened that her off days were harder to explain away when other people were involved.<br/><br/>Being alone didn’t allow for her to find what she needed, who she needed, so that was going to be a sacrifice on her part.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Such a terrible sacrifice…</span>she could almost hear Annelise commenting wryly, causing her to shake her head and exhale deeply, a hand pinching the bridge of her nose.<span style="font-style: italic">It’s like a band-aid; You just have to rip it off.</span><br/><br/>Nodding to herself, with a few more affirmations, Chrys slid her arms into her coat, slower than she’d normally have done but the task was accomplished just the same. Feet slipping into shoes, and her purse grabbed, she paused at the door, hand halted on the knob. Frosty crystals began to form across the smooth, chrome surface, spreading across its length and onto the edges of her door, her mind too far away to notice.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">It has to be done…</span>was her final thought on it, yanking the door open before she lost the confidence to, closing it hard behind her and practically running out of the building, her steps harried. Despite how fast her body moved, however, her mind was far slower, lacking the gusto her footfalls held, instead of a low, resigned alto.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Day one of the search…Let’s get this over with.</span>