The Chimera (Legends of the Dark Creatures Book 2)
Chapter Fourteen: Ashley's Insane Plan

For some absurd reason, Robert couldn’t help but think that Ashley was avoiding him that day. Earlier before classes started, he was about to talk to her when she quickly said that she had to rush for a class. He later met Samantha who told him that she hadn’t seen Ashley all day. Perhaps it wasn’t just him she was avoiding.

Robert slammed his locker shut and rested his back against the cold metal. Samantha had told him what happened yesterday; about how Stacy Hill escaped from the hospital and about the Dark Trinity. She couldn’t give him much information about the Dark Trinity because she was unconscious throughout the time and when she came to; she was inside Ethan’s car of all places.

God, what in the world had he gotten himself into, he thought.

He began walking through the hallway. Almost everyone was giving him weird faces today.

“Isn’t he, Ashley’s friend?”

“What if crazy Stacy gets to him?”

“I hear Jacob died protecting Ashley”

They were whispering so loud that Robert didn’t need to be a supernatural being to hear them. He bit his lower lip, placed his hands in his denim jacket, and continued moving.

As he passed the basketball court at the end of the hallway, he caught sight of a familiar figure. Small dark brown eyes, black hair dyed blue on one side, and a grin that Robert found quite irritating. Pushing the door slightly open, he went inside the court and closed it behind him.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” Deborah asked, her leather jacket creaking as she folded her arms.

“What do you want now?” Robert replied. “The Dark Trinity was the reason why you wanted to meet Ashley and Richard right... Your problem is already solved.”

Deborah raised an eyebrow. “Is it? A brainless teenager has a demon for a pet, a Fire-Demon walks around freely and a Water Mermaid who supposedly aided in the awakening of the Chimera has been playing ‘human’ in this town for God knows how long.”

Robert tilted his head. “Your point?”

A frustrated sigh came out of Deborah’s mouth and lines formed across her forehead. The thought was inappropriate but Robert kind of found Deborah cute when she was angry.

She walked closer to him and said, “You don’t even realize what you’re doing, do you? Dragging yourself into a fight you have no business in... unnecessary putting in danger the ones you care about... My destiny as a Hunter was sealed the moment I was born but you...”

Deborah’s words suddenly started carrying a pure stain of sadness with them as sorrow flooded her eyes. Robert found himself involuntarily drawn to what she was saying.

“In any case, I just wanted to inform you that you won’t be seeing your friend for a while”

“You mean, Adrian,” Robert said. He remembered the confrontation he had with his best friend and goosebumps run through his body.

“H-How is he?” he asked.

Deborah’s fallen face said it all and Robert asked no further regarding the matter. The sound of her boots faded as she walked towards the door and out of the court. When Robert was alone he walked up to the top of the spectator seats and stood near the large glass window.

Robert had immersed himself in his thoughts when he looked through the slightly opaque window. He saw Ashley seated behind the school. The place was secluded and scarcely visited by anyone and perhaps that’s why Ashley chose it. Her face was buried between her knees, her hands had covered her ears and even from such a distance Robert could tell; Ashley was crying.

A lump formed in Robert’s throat as he gazed upon the one girl he fell for but could never tell. The scene was both familiar and heartbreaking. It was the same scene he had seen eighteen months ago.

After the whole incident with Stacy, Ashley became distant and always kept to herself. She tried her best to appear strong in front of her friends but Robert always caught a glimpse of her crying right from this window.

However, he started noticing a few changes in her. She became happier but kind of secretive all of a sudden. That side of her lasted until about last year when Ashley was found floating at the bottom of a cliff; Destiny Cliff to be precise. The accident is what she usually calls it. No one knows how she ended up there but after that day, Ashley lost almost all her memories of that year, and ever since, she became an outgoing, strong, and courageous girl. Things would have been a lot better if only the memories of Stacy had disappeared too.

Back then, all Robert could ever do was stare from this window, in the background but now...

“Ashley,” he whispered, knowing and hoping that Ashley would hear him even from where he was. The perk of having a friend with super hearing, he thought.

Robert smiled when he saw Ashley remove her hands from her ears and look up to the window. She wiped away her tears and just looked at him.

“Ashley, I know it’s hard right now and I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re going through. I know you can hear what everyone in the school is saying... scratch that... Perhaps you can hear everyone in the entire town.”

It was quick but Robert was sure he just so Ashley giggle.

“But Ashley,” he continued. “Can you just listen for my voice, even if it’s just for today?”

And if possible, listen to my heart as well he thought.

Ashley raised her hand and signaled Robert to open one of the windows. Robert slid one of the big windows open.

Robert wasn’t totally surprised when he watched Ashley jump and land right next to him. Mermaids like her could jump and move at speeds that the human eye could never hope to follow. She walked into the basketball court and stood in front of Robert.

Unable to recall the last time he and Ashley were ever alone like this, Robert found himself dumbfounded and his heart was pounding no stop.

“Hey, you okay?” Ashley asked, reminding Robert that she could hear every beat of his heart.

“Um... um... sure,” he tried replying.

Calm down man... calm down, he thought, reprimanding himself.

“Can we seat?” Ashley said, walking towards one of the seats close to her.

Robert took in a deep breath and sat a seat away from Ashley. Ashley looked at him curiously but all he could do was play with his fingers. However, Ashley smiled at him and moved to the seat that was close to his.

“Robert Marshall,” she said, her gorgeous brown eyes looking directly into his. “Are you trying to avoid me?”

“What... No... I mean, why would I?”

Blast, that didn’t even sound half as convincing as Robert wanted it to.

“You are one to talk,” Robert quickly said, finally gathering up some words. “Every time you saw me today, you were turning the other way.”

Ashley’s smile faded. Her fingers curled together and she said, “I’m sorry Rob. I really didn’t mean to.”

That day Robert saw a side of Ashley that he had never seen. Her hands were shaking, her eyes were becoming wet with tears and her lips were pursed together, allowing only muffled cries to come out of her mouth.

“Ashley...” Robert quietly said.

“I- I thought I had become stronger, Robert,” Ashley said, her face becoming red. “After discovering what I am and the power I have... I thought I would never be afraid of anything again... But Robert I...”

Robert threw his arms around Ashley and held her in his embrace. This was probably the first time he had ever hugged her. Ashley rested her head on his shoulder and wept silently. A gentle rose scent emanated from her hair and Robert rested his cheek on top of her head. She tightly wrapped her hands around his chest and Robert bit his lips when he felt just how strong his friend was.

“It’s ‘who’ not ‘what’ Ashley,” Robert said.

“Huh?” Ashley asked, almost whispering.

“You said you discovered what you are... You are, and will forever be Ashley Morgan; one of my best friends and the girl who I know would do just about anything to protect the ones she loves. That’s who you are.”

“I never pegged you as the sentimental type, Robert,” Ashley chuckled. “Who would have thought that the guy who tried bullying me when we first met in third grade would be the one comforting me right now?”

“That brings back a lot of memories,” Robert said, knowing where this conversation was headed.

“That day... Stacy was the first one to come to my rescue,” Ashley said, chuckling silently.

“Rescue who now?” Robert said. “If Stacy hadn’t made in time my face wouldn’t be as gorgeous as it is today.”

“Don’t exaggerate, it was only a small scratch... healed quite well too,” Ashley joked.

The two laughed for a while and eventually, a strange thought came upon Robert.

“Ashley, just what is Stacy?” he suddenly asked.

“I don’t know,” Ashley replied. “All I know is that she can somehow see the future.”

Ashley slowly pulled away from Robert. She appeared to be lost in thought for a while until she said, “Robert, Stacy can see the future... just like Talya.”

“Who now?”

“Talya... Richard’s ex. She was the one who created the dagger that kept Ethan in an eternal sleep remember,” Ashley said.

“Okay?”

“Yeah, but that’s not the point... Both Stacy and Talya have had visions of Ethan’s return.”

“And...?” Robert asked.

Ashley suddenly rose to her feet.

“Ashley, you... alright?”

“Rob... I know this may sound crazy but I need to see Ethan,” Ashley said, putting on a serious face.

“Okay, you lost me there... W-What?!” Robert exclaimed. “You’re not serious, are you? This is Ethan... The Chimera... The guy we literally are trying to destroy and...”

Robert stopped talking when Ashley suddenly held his hand. That look in her piercing brown eyes, the gentle feeling of her hand resting in his... Robert had known Ashley long enough to know that she was serious right now. Not only that, but he also knew that Ashley had a plan; a plan he wanted to be part of.

“Then count me in,” Robert said, firmly rising a folded fist.

Ashley was taken aback. “Oh no Robert, this is something I need to do on my own.”

“Oh come on Ashley. Besides, if you didn’t want me to tag along you shouldn’t have told me about your plan.”

Ashley was quiet for a while.

“It’s going to be dangerous Robert. Yesterday, Ethan proved that he needs me alive but...”

“I know Ashley. I know what you’re trying to say...” Robert walked closer to her.

“Robert?”

“On the day Sebastian took you, I almost lost it,” Robert said. “I was useless and didn’t know what to do. All I did was wait; hoping... perhaps even praying that you’d make it. Ashley, at least let me be useful to you even if it’s just this once... Besides Adrian would kill me if he found out I left you to face that monster alone.”

Ashley wrapped her arms around Robert’s chest and hugged him.

“I too felt useless yesterday,” she said. “I couldn’t help anyone and all I could do was watch and let others protect me. Fine Robert, tonight... you and I are gonna face, Ethan.”

Robert pulled away from the hug and said, “But how do you plan on replaceing him?”

“I already know where to replace him,” Ashley said in an assuring voice.

“Really? How?”

“It’s actually kind of strange but I don’t know. It almost feels like I have been given directions to a place I have never been to before. I think it has something to do with the spell Ethan cast on me yesterday.”

Robert raised a brow.

“Ethan said that I would know where to replace him the moment I decided I wanted to,” Ashley said. “Tonight Robert... we are going after Ethan tonight.”

“And do what exactly?”

An exhilarating chill ran through Robert when he saw a smirk form across Ashley’s face. This was the girl he knew, he thought.

“Robert.” Ashley finally said. “Tonight, I am gonna do something that even Ethan himself will never see coming... or at least won't see coming so soon.”

Robert chuckled.

“What? You don’t believe me?” Ashley asked.

“No, it’s just... Seeing you like this reminds me of the nickname everyone gave you after you almost trashed my face,” Robert said.

Ashley’s face lit up into an embarrassed expression.

“A nickname, you guys promised never to call me,” she said and she walked towards the windows. “Come to my place at midnight... Or better yet, I’ll know where to replace you.”

“Sure,” Robert said, waving and he only saw a blur when Ashley jumped out the window.

Thanks again for reading this chapter, guys.

Also... The term Arzyrian, seen in previous chapters, refers to the race of beings that reside in the realm, Arzyria. They are blue-skinned, taller than the average human, have glowing white eyes, and are creatures with the natural ability to teleport... even from one realm to another. The term will pop up from time to time.