Masks

Fly Away Butterfly

Five years later, Alexander, Pyre, and Miguel walk down a dark street listening to Miguel's banter on the Sabbat. Pyre truly wasn't listening to their conversation but listening to a Cubs baseball game that was played earlier in the day. She suddenly stopped and did a small dance as she heard a home run call that put up the Cubs 5-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Alexander chuckles and hugs Pyre after she is done dancing her happy dance. "And where can we go to that is close?" is a question that Pyre picks up on and turns down her radio.

"East St Louis if you want to go south, Montreal for the north, New York for the east, and Las Vegas to the west," Miguel explained quickly. Alexander nods and keeps Pyre in his arms and she makes no effort to get out of them. The both of them grew closer over the last five years. The Shreck.net has been built with Pyre's help along with other computer experts, and she prove her wroth in one year gaining status within the clan.

As for the both of them, their relationship grew stronger. For the first couple of months, she showed no sign of sadness at losing her sight...at least not in public. After one long night of programming, she simply left without telling her progress to Lars. After waiting about ten minutes, Lars sent Alexander after her. As Alex neared her haven, he heard crying that had a female tone to it. He start to run towards her, taking a crying Pyre into his arms and whispering soothing and loving words into her ear until she calms down. He gently strokes her hair as she calms even more down, as Alexander is able to her to go talk with Lars.

"...So you'll think about it and get back to me by one am?" Miguel asks as Alexander looks down to his watch and seeing it is nine pm. 'Four hours', he thinks as his gaze turns back to Pyre.

"Yeah, and I'll meet you where we talked about. And I might bring someone with if that is okay with you." His eyes flick down to Pyre and then back to Miguel and Miguel nods a yes. "Thanks, I'll talk to you later." Miguel fades into the shadows with his black shinny onyx eyes on Pyre.

"Where you going?" Pyre asks in an innocent voice as she fumbles around with her radio. She finally gets the on/off switch to switch off and takes the headphones off. She puts the radio into one of her trench coat pockets. And then she takes Alex's hands in hers, a happy and loving smile on her face for him.

"Probably St. Louis. Want to come with?"

"Maybe. Why are you going?"

"Because I want to try something new." Racing footsteps are heard as Miguel comes running back to Alex and Pyre, with identical looks of shock on their faces. "Miguel...what is wrong?" Alexander asks, getting control back and now having a commanding voice.

"Scourge...war path...we have to go now," Miguel says in one breath. Alexander tenses up and Pyre lets go of his hands. "Alex, now. Not later, but now."

Alexander blinks and nods, letting go of Pyre and kissing her lovingly. "I'll be back for you, my love.' Pyre holds onto his hand as he starts to walk away. As soon as he lets go of her hand, all Pyre can hear is running footsteps, both Miguel's and Alex's but a new set as well.

'It sounds like the scourge,' she thinks, as she stands there unable to go anywhere because she does not have a cane with her. She is afraid to move out of fear of hurting herself. And the scourge's eyes pierce her as she stands there, trying to figure out where she is without really moving away from where Alex and Miguel left her.

"Pyre...where did Miguel go off to?" The sheriff asks, his eyes darting around in the darkness around her.

"I don't know, Borka," Pyre says innocently, not being intimidated by the scourge one bit.

"Yes you do, Pyre." He sighs as his radio goes off as his deputy crackles into the radio that he is needed at Elysium for the Elysium meeting. "I'll be right there...tell them to start without me," he says into the radio. "And also tell them that I'm bring someone to be judged in front of the council as well." Pyre gets a look of shock on her face that only is on the lower half of her face, nothing up to the eyes as the sheriff helps her into his car to the drive to Elysium.

*~*~*~*

The lights from outside are seen through the meeting room of the council through the Elysium in the Mount Prospect library. However, almost all were bored as they listen to a Tremere banter on how a Chantry is needed in the city. Silence falls on the room as they individually think on how this would affect the community.

"Lady Tremere, there really would be no reason for it because of having Chicago so close if you want to go there for a Chantry in order to learn. Also, there is only you right now because the rest of the Tremere are in Chicago. There is no reason for such a building to be built which would take time and effort away from other things that would help Kindred more," Prince Montgomery says to the Tremere primogen.

"But, my Prince..."

"The Prince is right on this, Lady Tremere," Lars says as he takes all of this in. "Besides, it was hard enough to get you a voice on this council without an outcry from the rest of the city. They will not want a Chantry where possibly more of your clan can move in."

"So fear is why you are saying no."

"Yes," the Seneschal speaks up.

"Very well then. I will leave then and inform my clan about this. No Tremere will ever come to Mt. Prospect again, you realize this?" The Prince nods and the Tremere primogen shakes her head. "Your lost," she says as she leaves, the doors closing behind her with a bang.

As soon as a couple seconds after the Tremere leaves, Borka walks in with Pyre behind him. "Please excuse my lateness, my Prince, but the suspicions of Sabbat in the city was confirmed earlier in the night. Both came from clan Nosferatu...Miguel and Alexander." All look shocked at hearing the last name, but Lars gets paler as well. "Also, Pyre was there...it seems as if they left her behind." He walks over to his seat and leaves Pyre in the spotlight of the rest of the council.

"Pyre...why were you in the company of two other Sabbat members?" The Prince asks, and taps his fingers on the table waiting for an answer.

"What's a Sabbat? Can I have one for a pet?" She asks back, tilting her head to the side. "Is it a lizard or some type of furry thing?"

Many of the primogen mummers to the others but only one sits in silence. Lars watches his childe's ways and still seems to be in shock from hearing that Alexander went over to the Sabbat. 'The dark side,' he thinks, his mind still trying to wrap around the idea. 'I did not push him away from anything, but still...why? I know why,' he thinks quickly as the rest of the primogen ask questions of Pyre that she is unable to answer because she simply does not know. 'Pyre turned my first against me and made it so that he left to join the Sabbat out of hatred for me. She should be punished...but how...' And Lars comes back into the meeting as the Prince decides Pyre's fate.

"Pyre," the Prince starts, "you will not be punished for your actions as you did not know what they were doing. Lars will explain more to you tonight so the same mistakes do not happen to you again." Lars nods as he turns to Pyre, hatred in his eyes as he watches her. "Meeting ended then." And all get up to go their separate ways, Lars going over to Pyre.

"Home?" She simply asks with an innocent smile.

"Yes, Pyre...lets go home." And Lars takes Pyre home as the Seneschal watches; the same look of pity for Pyre as if she knows what is g to to happen next.

*~*~*~*

As soon as Lars enters Pyre's haven, he pushes her against the closest wall hard as she cries out in pain. The door closes behind him as he throws Pyre to her bed as she almost cries out in pain again. As she hears his footsteps come closer, she cowers and starts to softly cry. Lars almost goes to hit her but stops before he does so, looking at her. 'She is so fragile...but still...no...' Lars slowly walks away and out of the haven, leaving Pyre to her tears.