SEVENTY-SEVEN | UNSPOOLED

"Red?!" Blue's beside me in a flash, holding me close as the world starts to go crimson at the edges.

*No, no, no-no-no! NO!* The familiar fire bursts through my bones as cold grips my senses. My jaw zings with pain as my fangs drop down and a few of my other teeth are suddenly replaced by shark-like points. My lips strain over my teeth, no longer bothering to shield them from the world as they gnash together. The automatic response is closer to that of a snarling beast than any I would normally give, but an insatiable thirst have over-taken my mind.

The scent of my blood hangs in the air like acrid smoke, but beyond that... Four hearts beat as one ahead of me. My cousins stare at me in surprise, every single one of their eyes are filled with alarm and surprise. *They didn't know... Good*.

That maniacal coolness over-takes my thoughts, time slowing as my body rises from the earth. I reach up to the offending thing sticking out of my neck and rip it out, not even flinching. I twirl the pen in my hand, feeling the weight of the sticky utensil and give my horrified family a triumphant smile. I move on instinct, rushing forward to return their *gift*.

"*Fuck*- Red, *don't!*" Blue's words are a distant warning. The droning of a fly in my ear as I close the distance between me and my look-alike cousin. I shove the pen deep into her left shoulder, sliding the thing in until it hits bone. Then to the one beside her, who's only now turning to try and stop me, his body moving like it's trying to move through water.

I catch Ryker by the throat, slamming his body into the ground, enjoying the resounding crack of bones succumbing to the earth's embrace. Blood spurts from his mouth, coating his lips, as his wide - icy blue eyes become even more frightened. I spare an extra moment to grin down at him. The dramatic slowness of his reaction so comical, I almost laugh.

By now Craven and Ivy have sprung into action, moving just a little faster than the other two. Craven breaks through the cuffs, shredding the silver in a mess of bloody spray, but he doesn't even allow his wounds to heal before coming towards me. He's fast, but still moving slow - at the speed of a human walking leisurely. I shove him back while I deal with the faster of the two., the force of my blow knocking him back a good fifteen feet.

Ivy is an impressive child. She's moving as I do. Her speed almost makes her a worthy adversary. Almost. Where her speed is impressive, she doesn't have the strength to back it up. The blows she tries to land to my body feel like rain falling on my skin. My smile widens, exposing the edges of my gums as I move to counter her strikes. The force of her own pitiful strength reverberating through her as I defend myself. This becomes tiresome after another moment and I decide to end the fight.

I grab her by the throat, ignoring her nails as they attempt to pry my fingers from her neck. The color of her pale skin begins to tint with pooling blood, darker and darker the shades become. Her eyes are bugging out of her eyes, wild and feral and full of terror. Triumphant shivers encourage my grip to become even tighter, until her eyes roll back and her twitching body goes still in my grasp.

I throw her aside to deal with the real threat.

Craven's managed to rise from the ground, the crazed wideness of his smile is almost like a grimace. The way his form's caught mid-lunge is so comical I allow the bubbling giggle to escape my mouth as it rises from my chest. The sound is higher than I'm used to, distracting me for a moment as my cousin reaches out in slow-motion to strike my face.

My head whips to the side, the humor turning to a hiss of annoyance. My jaw stings, neck aching as I turn back to see Craven's face has blanched. The way it had when he had last faced Hale. The sight of the terror on his face makes me hesitate yet again to attack. But when my cousin moves in to strike me again, I catch his fist and shove him back. The force of my calculated move and redirection of his own strength sends him to the ground a pace away.

I stand over Craven, finally leaving my speed behind. Around me, the others are on the ground, and the Azures are still staring in shock. I look down at my cousin, wondering how I should repay him for hurting Caly. Perhaps I can rip his stomach out or his intestines. Nothing that would immediately kill him, but enough to cause some serious suffering.

"What the fuck are you?" Craven breathes, his eyes fearful. It's only the second time I've seen that look in his eyes. His words are the igniting fire in my skin, the curtain of red falls and I stumble back - gasping lungful's of fresh air. The jarring impact of reality and my transformation causes black dots to dance across my field of vision, threatening to black out.

"Haven't you guessed yet, cousin?" I ask him, struggling to get the words out in one breath, ignoring the ache of my lungs. My righteous fury is still hot in my heart as I look down at him, fighting the inner exhaustion pressing in on me. "I'm still surprised she hadn't told you." I hiss, amazed our grandmother never told them. The news would have angered them all - fueled their hatred towards me. *Why did she keep it from them?*

"No, if Grandmother knew-" He frowns, a look of betrayal flashing across his face.

"Why do you think she's been hunting me this long?" I shake my head, fighting the dancing dots of darkness threatening to consume me as my exhausted body shakes. "She knew. Even before we left, she knew." I tell him, my voice strained as my squirming and cramping muscles begin their bitter dance along my bones.

"No. NO!" Emotions flicker across his face faster and faster - morphing his already terrifying features into a twitching mess of uncertainty, disbelief - and finally - anger. Raw anger. Anger not directed at me. I fall to one knee, unable to stand any longer. There's a wave of darkness for a second and I have to concentrate before it clears again. A high-pitched whine has begun in my ears, rising to an uncomfortable intensity as I blink.

Craven's no longer in front of me.

I suck in a breath, trying to fight the zinging pain and fresh bolts of lightning zipping through me as I try to focus. Mom and Hale are fighting with Ry and Paris, the pairs tag-teaming at a dizzying pace. Blue and Craven move in the corner of my vision, engaged in their own battle. Right now, Ry, Paris, and Craven are injured, but more than evenly matched with their opponents. I know someone's bound to get hurt. I know I should be helping my allies, my loved ones. But I can't move.

The rebound-exhaustion and pain from the brief transformation is wracking my muscles with intense spasms. Even my organs are aching, my bones on fire. Suddenly, I can't support my own weight and my body crumples into the ground. My vision blurs, the darkness rolling through as time seems to skip over me.

One second, I'm laying there, suffering in silence and watching the fight. Then the empty darkness shudders through and I'm alone. When my vision clears next, Ivy's recovered and is coming towards me...then darkness.