Facing Fate

~~Prologue~~

Laughter echoed all around her, filling her ears and shutting off her mind to all other noise. A cold, high-pitched laughter, devoid of all human kindness. A bright, green light flashed, temporarily blinding her. She tried to run, but there was no where she could hide. Her legs wouldn't obey her, the muscles not responding to what her brain was telling them to do. Panic filled every fiber of her being, clouding her vision, preventing her from thinking straight. Her heart was pounding and she couldn't take a breath. A shudder ran through her body before all went black, and she forced herself back to consciousness.

~~ Chapter 1 ~~

Calypso forced her deep brown eyes open for the third time this class. Math was definitely not her thing. She could barely stay awake. She had even dozed off long enough to have a dream. All she could remember from it was a lot of laughter. But still, it had seemed so real. Almost like a memory.

Tapping her foot impatiently, she glanced at the clock. Seven minutes left until the bell rang. Despairingly, she threw her head down on the desk, her blonde curls spilling over her shoulders onto the cool surface. Who needed geometry anyway?

She did, apparently. "Caly, could you please tell me about the Pythagorean Theorem?" Mrs. Tyeller asked her suddenly, completely catching her off guard.

"Um, well... it has to do with triangles. And...um..." she trailed off. Mrs. Tyeller had that look in her eye that meant she had only called on Caly because she knew she hadn't been paying attention. God, how she hated that.

Why did the people on the school board have to torture her like this? It wasn't enough that she played three sports for the school's teams, or that she tutored other students in English, or a million other things. No, it was NEVER enough!!!

"Calypso Panelle, please report to the main office for dismissal." Caly's head sprang up as the intercom clicked off. Every student in the class turned to look at her.

'Me? Why am I getting dismissed?' Caly thought to herself.

"Off you go then, Caly," said Mrs. Tyeller, who had stopped frowning at her when the office had announced her name.

Caly reached into her desk and grabbed her books before standing up and walking out of the class, leaving the murmuring students behind. She walked down the empty hallway, her footfalls echoing loudly. As she reached her locker, she leaned against it and took a deep breath.

"Something is wrong," she thought to herself again and again. "My parents would never dismiss me unless something was wrong." Caly's parents believed in a good education and never let her stay home from school unless she was halfway out death's door.

"Okay, relax. Don't jump to conclusions and get yourself worked up over nothing," she said out loud, in a commanding voice.

She opened her locker, grabbed her book bag and pocketbook and slammed the door shut. Then, taking another deep, calming breath, she continued down the hall towards the office, each footstep feeling like it was taking her closer to her doom.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Calypso sat frozen in her chair. The principal was mouthing words, but Caly's ears were shut. Dead. Her parents were dead. Those words kept rolling around in her head. Pulling herself out of her stupor, she managed to choke out a few words.

"How did they die?" she asked, not knowing if she wanted to hear the answer.

"The police aren't sure, honey. But they think they might have been murdered, although there are no signs of a struggle or any marks."

Murdered.

Caly was at a complete loss for words. She had no idea how this could have happened. She was completely numb all over and she was having difficulty breathing.

"Your aunt, Bella has come to take you home," said the principal. "She has requested that we excuse from school indefinitely. I have spoken with her, and while I admit I was slightly reluctant about pulling you out, it has all been settled now. Your absence will be excused."

Caly noticed a strange, distant look in the principal's eyes. It was almost as if she was being forced away from herself and was struggling to get back, but without prevail.

Caly searched the woman in front of her with a strange look.

"I don't have an Aunt Bella," she said, straining her memory for any recognition of the name. None came.

The principal gave her a funny look and said, "Well, I'm sorry but she has identification and your birth certificate. She said your mother wanted her to be your godmother."

"Wouldn't my mother have told me about her if she was my godmother?" Caly argued. This was all so strange. The shock of her parents' death still hadn't completely sunk in. She wouldn't let herself believe it.

There was a knock on the office door and the school secretary walked in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is a car out front waiting for you, Caly."

"Do you want me to walk you out, Caly?"

"No, I'll be fine. Really. I will." Caly stood up, grabbed her bag and walked out of the office toward the door. The principal's sympathy was starting to make her nauseous. She was so kind and loving, yet she was not herself.

A long, black car stood waiting outside and as Caly looked at it, a shiver went up her spine. It wasn't really the car that gave her the feeling. It was more the fact that there were people inside waiting for her that she didn't know.

She had never been good around strangers. When she had to meet new people she would say very few words and mostly let her parents do all the talking. It was better that way. She kept to herself and she didn't have to worry about rejection.

But now was not the time to be shy. There was no one here to talk for her and she was just going to have to suck it up and be brave.

She took a deep breath as the car door opened and a woman with long, black hair stepped out. She stepped toward Caly and gave her a very cold hug.

"So, you must be my niece. Get in the car." Her words hit Caly like knives. There was no kindness in them at all.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Caly blurted out before she could stop herself. She was instantly terrified. The woman turned slowly to look at her.

"My name is Bellatrix Lestrange," she said, as if she were talking to someone of absolutely no importance. Her name left Caly dumbstruck. So this was her Aunt Bella. Caly studied her discreetly. She was beautiful and sexy in a cold manner. The air about her seemed to scream that she was not someone to be reckoned with.

"It's nice to meet you Bellatrix," Caly said, putting out her hand. She was trying to regain the polite nature she had lost a few seconds earlier.

Bellatrix just looked at her again, her dark eyes searching deep inside Caly's soul. "I don't have time for this. Get in the car."

Silently, Caly let her hand fall back to her side. This was the woman who she was going to have to live with? Caly felt tears forming, but she forced them back. She would never cry in front of this woman. She would never let her see weakness.

As she got in the car, she realized that there were other people too. All of them looked cold and unfriendly. They all completely ignored her. At this point, Caly didn't care. She had too much to think about. She was alone and scared. She wanted to go to her room, curl up in a ball, and cry.

"Drink this," said a man with pockmarks on his face. He shoved a cup towards Caly. It looked like water. She didn't want to argue so she closed her eyes and took a sip.

At once, everything started to go fuzzy. She felt her eyelids closing and she felt an intense tiredness come over her. She heard laughter. Everyone in the car was laughing. She tried to fight the need to sleep, but it was too strong. Her head fell back against the seat and her eyes started to close.

The last thing Caly noticed before she blacked out was the fact that all the people had the same, strange tattoo on their arm, and that the car was driving itself.