The O'Sheas (02-04-2317)

[Lithium]

Matthew

Matthew raised one eyebrow. "Says the Ambians. Are you really willing to risk letting your daughter be sent off to a foreign land to be married to... enhanced and modified beings? They're barely even human! I mean you c––"

He stopped as he felt a ripple across his skin, then a searing pain that not even the pain medicines could prevent.

Something was ripping through his skin–– something soft, then coarse. His mouth ached and he rubbed at it.

Four of his teeth fell out at once.

He gasped as he looked at the canines in his hand, then felt his mouth again. Large, pointed teeth were quickly growing in their place.

Matthew backed away from everyone quickly. "Don't... don't come near me. I'm..."

His breathing grew ragged as he felt his body enhancing even faster, then faster. He was growing taller, more muscular. He could feel his muscles rippling beneath his skin.

Some of his hair flopped over his eyes and he saw it was now a mottled gray-white (but mostly white), like the pelt of a gray wolf.

"What's... what's happening to me?"

Cheiko

"Yeah." Jason said. "Like our language, our transportation..." he sighed. "And also our prejudice on other people. It's something we just can't seem to shake. We judge people before we even meet them, sometimes." he said with a slight frown. He shook his head and then turned back to her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to put a bad name on the Royales or anything."

Cheiko snorted. "I don't care. I'm Subterrean. I don't care either way. Although... I do find that Royales are more often the snobby ones and Subterreans are the ones who are naively prejudiced." She shrugged as they danced. "Are you... Royale?"

[Cytherea]

Cassandra

Cassandra watched in horror as Matthew started transforming. His hair looked grayish white, and he was growing taller.

"What's... what's happening to me?" he said.

"Matty!" she exclaimed. "What's going o..."

Cassandra suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. She gasped for breath, and then started convulsing. Her hair became even redder, and her eyes became sharper, and their bright blue became even brighter. Her lashes grew thicker and darker, and her nose a bit sharper. She felt stretched, and indeed she'd grown a bit taller. Her ears were pointier, and her teeth felt sharp. Her legs were longer, as were her arms. The pain continued to course through her, but it didn't hurt as much as it had before.

"This doesn't-" Cassandra stopped when she heard herself. It was her own voice, but it sounded... richer, and fuller. Her voice seemed to ring with its own, new-found beauty.

Cassandra spun towards her parents.

"You wanted this, didn't you?"

"Well, it was necessary for you to be able to be betrothed to the Senator of Ambia." her mother said. "We knew you'd protest, so we had to... forcibly apply it."

"What about him?" Cassandra asked her mother in a loud voice. "Why did you hurt him?"

"That was not part of the plan. I don't know why he's here, actually." her father said.

Another pang of agony shot through her, and she tried to push it away. She clenched her fists and tried to stay upright as she fought for control of herself.



Jason

"Are you... Royale?"

"Er..." Jason started feeling uncomfortable. "Well... yes I am. My parents died and I take care of my two younger brothers. We used to be Subterreans, though."

[Anwen]

Gillean was shocked by how the day was turning out. Shocked by the Hunt's calculating nature toward their own daughter. Shocked by Ms. Plum's aggressive attempted removal of Miss. Fletcher. But, most importantly, he was shocked by the speedy transformation of Cassandra into a tall fox-girl, and Mr. Fletcher's transformation of something like a werewolf.

"Well, I'm pleased see things are progressing smoothly." Representative Elcarnin said, walking into the room.

"What! You knew about this? And you're PLEASED?" Gil couldn't hide his shock any longer.

"You did well bringing them here, son." Rep. Elcarnin said. And before Gillean could say anything else, he transferred his attention back onto Matthew Fletcher.

"I've been informed of your objections to this arrangement, and have noted them. However, I will, in turn, inform you of something else." His steel gray eyes hardened and his voice became menacing. "OneNation Intelligence makes it one of their priorities to know the passwords of every legal business inside it's borders. It is a simple matter to transfer all your assets to your sister, or," he said, glancing at Miss Fletcher's defiant face, "some other relative that would be more pliable, and then banish you." He smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "And as for a reason, Christopher's little slip-up may prove useful. After all, wouldn't it be ludicrous to think of a wolf owning trillions?"

"So, Miss Hunt, I ask you." He purred. "Would you prefer to resist and see him banished? Or would you rather leave without a fight and know that he was safe here?"

[Cytherea]

Cassandra

"So, Miss Hunt, I ask you." The man purred. "Would you prefer to resist and see him banished? Or would you rather leave without a fight and know that he was safe here?"

Cassandra pushed the pain completely from her mind.

I need to be able to think. Clearly.

"I..." she looked at the ground. There was a long, long silence. She could feel everyone's eyes on her.

Finally, she looked up and stared Mr. Elcarnin in the eye.

"If I have your word." she said sharply. "If I have your word, that he will be safe here, then... then I will go."

[Lithium]

Matthew & Missy

Matthew frowned. It's a good thing I didn't fund more intelligence. I did transfer the rest of my money to that offshore, secret account... Missy will be well cared for by those agents if anything happens to me...

"Cassandra–– I––" He stopped, confused by the new sound of his voice. It was deeper and more rugged. "Cassandra, don't. All politicians are the same! They ALL go back on their word. I don't care if I get banished. We can be banished together. In fact..."

Matthew turned to Mr. Elcarnin, one eyebrow raised. "It states in the legal codes on marriage that no legally-recognized marriages can take place without the bride's and groom's consensus and the attempt to blackmail or bride any person into a marriage can be punishable by up to seven years in prison. I mean––"

He felt a sharp twinge in the back of his neck, then felt extremely sleepy. The darkness that was trying to overtake him scared the wolf part of him and he lashed out, lunging for Mr. Elcarnin and scraping him across the face before he was downed and immobilized by several guards.

"Matty!" Missy screamed. "Let him go! What have you done to him? He's a human being for goodness' sake! Let him alone!"

Matthew's breathing slowed until it was no more than a whisper and the guards started to drag him away.

"Jeeze. Was he this heavy before?"

"Watch his mouth. If he wakes up, we're dead."

"Look at those claws! I've never seen anything so strange..."

Cheiko

"Oh. I'm not Royale either. Matthew Fletcher needed a companion for his sister, Missy. So here I am. We've been friends for a long time now. It's a shame, though. She had to leave very suddenly this past evening. Something was wrong with Matty and his date."

She shrugged. "But that's enough about me. I mean, I shouldn't just tell an almost complete stranger my life story." She laughed. "Anyways..."

[Cytherea]

Cassandra

"Cassandra, don't. All politicians are the same! They ALL go back on their word. I don't care if I get banished. We can be banished together. In fact..."

Banished together? Cassandra thought as Matty told the other man off about marriage. He said he didn't care if he got banished. But I do care. I don't want him to be banished. Everything he's worked for his whole life would be destroyed because of me.

Suddenly, Matthew leaped onto Mr. Elcarnin. Cassandra watched as he attacked the man, with what was mixed with admiration and horror.

"Matty!" Missy screamed. "Let him go! What have you done to him? He's a human being for goodness' sake! Let him alone!"

Matty was dragged away and Cassandra spun around to face Mr. Elcarnin.

"Sir, I'd rather be banished with him, if you are going to banish him no matter what I do!"

Mr. Elcarnin pushed himself up and the nurses quickly started cleaning his bloodied face. He pushed them away angrily and made a dash for Cassandra, grabbing her tightly by the arm. He bended her backwards and squeezed her arm so hard the blood was cut from it.

"Then think of this. We are sending you, to complete a peace treaty. Do you want war? Because of feelings you have for Mr. Fletcher, you would let our country be subjugated to war. Is that what you want, Miss Hunt?"

Cassandra bit her lip, which was the wrong thing to do because of her sharp teeth. Her lip cut open and started to bleed.

"Alright. Alright." she said, looking away from him. "Alright. I'll marry the senator."

"Hmm. Smart girl."

Suddenly, Cassandra felt sleepy. She couldn't stand anymore, and crumpled to the ground.

Jason

She laughed. "Anyways..."

Jason smiled warmly at her. She had a beautiful laugh.

[Anwen]

Gillean was frozen in obvious shock as his father became someone he had never seen before. His father straightened, cheek bleeding, and turned to Miss. Fletcher. "Men, none of this ever happened to her." He said, gesturing with his head to her. He turned to the nurses who had hurried over to him. "Take Miss. Hunt to her suite, and fix up her lip."

[Lithium]

Missy

Missy watched numbly as Matthew was pulled down the stairs.

"Ma'am, please come with us," said one of the guards. "We'll be explaining everything about Mr. Fletcher if you'll just follow us. He needs to rest and relax and then you can see him."

Missy nodded, then allowed herself to be guided down the stairs, then into a room that was completely white from floors to walls to ceiling. There was a single chair in the center of the room.

"Take a seat, Miss Fletcher." The guard gestured to the chair.

She nodded again and took a seat, shifting back her long skirt. Suddenly, she was stuck. Straps had come around her waist and arms to prevent her from getting out of the chair.

One of the guards pulled a machine out of the wall while the other turned it on.

"What's going on? I demand you let me go!"

"I am sorry, Miss Fletcher, but we can do no such thing."

"At least tell me what's going on! Why am I strapped in? What's wrong with Matty."

"Since we're just going to wipe your mind anyways... your brother has been turned into an IS, one of the enhanced people from Ambia. He will be transported to the Badlands and dropped off–– banished. And because you are his legal heir, you will maintain full access to his money. But it will be more like he’s on an extended business trip.”

She scowled. “Let me go and I won’t tell them what’s going on.”

“Sorry.” The guard smiled before he clicked a button. “No can do.”

Missy saw a flash of red light, then everything went black and she passed out.

The guards waiting for the machine’s cycle to finish running before they put it away, undid her binds, then checked her vitals.

Her eyelids flickered slightly as she regained consciousness, but she kept her eyes shut.

“She’s all right. We’ll take her back to her apartment and leave her in her room. She’ll just think she came home from the party and crashed. We can install the cameras while she’s out.”

“I thought they were kidding about the cameras.”
“Can’t risk it with this one. She can’t remember any of this night. None of it. Otherwise, she’ll ruin everything. She’s the sister of a rich and influential man. She can do a lot of damage if she remembers.”

(End of Missy and Matthew’s night…)

[Anwen]

The rest of the night passed by in a blur. Litonya put her heart into every dance and allowed herself to be numbed into a sort of happiness, even though her soul still ached for her brother. She ended the night by singing a Capella:

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

Mr. O'Shea dismissed the guests, and the O'Shea household collapsed into bed.


[End of The O'Shea's day]