Nocturne's Shadows

:jawdrop: That is...crazy. I mean, really cRaZy. But also good, cause Sloane and Sark are gone :D But then theres the aftermath of what Sydney did that she has to face... Cant wait for more! Thanks for the PM! ~Taylor
 
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Chapter 22

Sydney awoke with a throbbing headache as she found herself sprawled out over the rocks. She felt her forehead, feeling the scrapes from the night before. The sun pierced into her eyes and suddenly, she realized she was still on the beach, and day had broken. She found herself widely confused. She remembered getting into her car and driving off in a fury, yet here she was sitting on the beach right where she remembered killing Sark.

Looking around, Sydney noticed his body was gone, as was the blood that had seeped out of his forehead and onto the sand. There were no traces of a fight and a death having occurred that night. Sydney found herself even more confused. She didn't know why he was gone or why she was there still. Nothing made sense. Perhaps she hadn't killed him at all. Perhaps she had fallen on the rocks, knocking herself unconscious and dreamed she killed him. She had no idea. Her head ached.

Suddenly, Sydney noticed a man shadowing over her. He was dressed in a police uniform. She immediately noticed his gun in its holster sitting at his waste. She grew anxious, not knowing if he was a man from The Guildiya in disguise or someone sent by her father and Vaughn to pick her up. Or worse, maybe they had found out she killed Sloane and he was about to arrest her. Thoughts went on a rampage in her mind as the police officer eyed her suspiciously.

"Ma'am?" he said in a confident tone. Sydney simply eyed him, frozen by what she should do. "Ma'am, you're hurt. Have you been here all night?"

Sydney nodded, "Yes." Her voice was quiet.

"What are you doing out here?" He prodded.

"I... I don't know." She realized it was true. She had no idea what she was doing on the beach. In fact, her memory was fragmented as to what had been going on the last few days. She remembered killing Sloane, and then suddenly she was at a beach, and Sark was there. She remembered killing him. At least, she thought she had. Why she was here now and not miles away, she didn't know. Her mind filled with confusion as the police officer eyed her with suspicious curiosity.

"Maybe you should come with me," he spoke again. Sydney's eyes grew wide. Someone had sent him. He was not a random man here on the beach. He was sent here to get her. She had to get away from him.

The police officer offered his hand out to her in order to help her off the rocks, but she quickly shoved it away and tried to get up. Her balance was unsteady and she tripped, falling straight into him.

"Ma'am, I really should get you some medical help. If you'd please just let me help you."

"No!" she shouted as she managed to get up, wobbling in her balance. He grasped onto her in attempt to steady her. Taking it as a threat, Sydney pushed him over and started to run away, tripping over her feet slightly as she went. She managed to keep running though. She headed towards her car.

The police officer quickly got up and ran after her, catching up with her a few feet later. He grabbed onto her arm and pulled her to face him.

"I just want to help you, so if you'd just come with me," he said in frustration. Having noticed her dishevelled appearance and frightened demeanour, he wondered if she had a mental illness in need of treatment. He felt hurried to get her to the emergency so she could see the psychiatrist on duty there.

"Leave me alone!" Sydney growled as she tried to loosen his grip. But she was weak, not having eaten or slept soundly in a couple days. She was dehydrated and dizzy as well, making her more unsteady and weak.

"Come on," he said calmly, as he forced her towards his cop car. Sydney sucked in a deep breath and gathered up all her strength. She quickly hurled her body into him, knocking him down to the ground. He lost his grip on her and she quickly ran as well as she could.

Sydney sprinted across the sand, tripping over her own feet as she went. She kept running though, not letting herself completely fall to the ground. She was quickly being chased by the cop, who was far faster than her. She ran towards the rocks and climbed over them, one by one, careful not to slip and fall. Not having any shoes or socks on, her feet felt the sharpness of the rocks, but she continued on.

The police officer made his way over the rocks, swiftly, almost catching up with her. As she made it over the top of the wall, she saw the sand on the other side of the rocks. Sydney jumped for it and crashed into the soft sandy beach. She quickly got up and continued running, not looking back.

Suddenly, Sydney felt a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back. It was him. She struggled to remove it, but he was much stronger than her and managed to pulled her backwards and onto the ground. He sat yanked her onto her stomach and grabbed her arms, pulling them together as he sat on top of her. Before he could cuff her though, her strength grew with the rush of adrenaline and she managed to force him off of her and down to the ground. She sat on him and grabbed his cuffs, gathering his hands up and putting them on him. Sydney then took his gun out of the holster and held it at him.

"Don't even try to come after me!" she gnarled at him in an uneven tone.

"Please, I just want to help you," he said trying to negotiate with her.

"Then why did you try and cuff me?"

"To get you to a hospital. Its obvious you need help."

"Leave me the hell alone!" she shrieked as she got up off of him and turned around to leave.

"Ma'am, you need help!" he said with stubborn insistence. She felt bitter at the insinuation. She was not a mental patient, Sydney thought. Suddenly, she found herself turning back around and throwing herself onto him, punching into him.

"I don't need help! Why can't you all just leave me alone!" She cried.

"Stop!" he urged. But she couldn't. She was lost in a fury as her fists beat into his chest. After a moment, she pulled back, tears streaming down her face.

"Please," he said gently, as he watched her. Sydney looked at him desperately. She needed to get away.

Sydney ran away towards her car, taking his gun with her. He got up, running after her, cuffs on his hand. But she managed to reach her car before he could get to her. She started it and drove off as she yelled at her.

Tears continued to fall down Sydney's face as she drove faster and faster down the highway. She just wanted to run as far as she could. Outrun her problems. She didn't know what to do, so she just drove.
 
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Chapter 23

Several hours of driving had past as Sydney pulled into one of California's more northern towns. Her stomach burned and curst after a few days of almost no food. And her head felt woozy. She was still dressed in the same clothes - a very dirty tank top stained with sweat and dirt. Her pants were wrinkled and also noticeably dirty. She had lost her shoes and socks at the beach, not having thought of picking them up as she ran from the cop. Sydney's hair was a mess as well. Not having been washed in 3 days, nor properly brushed. Her messy appearance was unapparent to her however, being quite oblivious to how suspicious and awful she looked.

The sun was high in the sky as she drove. She had misplaced her sunglasses along the way so the brightness of the sun invaded her eyes. It was another hot California day. Sydney's skin was slightly red - both flushed from the heat and slightly burned from having been out in the sun without any sunscreen. Sydney's head ached as the air conditioning was blasted high, fighting the heat.

Taking in a gaping breath and letting it out slowly, she realized how dire her situation was. She knew she needed to change the situation. Driving aimlessly wasn't helpful anymore. She pulled over on a smaller street that was lined with busy shops. It was then that she realized she had no shoes on.

Noticing a dollar store with flip flops piled in a bin out front, Sydney gathered up a few dollars and got out of her car. As she briskly walked across the street, the pavement burning them in the sun, she got odd looks from people. Wondering if they knew she was a fugitive of sorts, Sydney grew worried. Quickly the grabbed a pair of plain baby blue flip flops out of the nearest bin and headed into the store.

"Miss, you can't come in here with no shoes," a small woman with red hair pointedly stated contemptuously from behind the counter.

"I can explain," Sydney said insistently.

"We don't want homeless people like you comin in here to get out of the hot sun. You’ll just have to go somewhere else.”

“Please, I lost my shoes, I’m not homeless. I have money!” Sydney pleaded.

“You look rather homeless to me,” she woman said stubbornly, looking up and down Sydney with a disrespectful glare.

“I swear-”

“You aren't welcome in here. I will call the cops!” She threatened.

“Fine, I’ll leave,” Sydney said defeated as she rushed out of the store. She tossed the flip flops on the ground and made her way back onto the hot sidewalk with a disgruntled attitude.

Stepping back onto the burning pavement, Sydney realized she didn’t know what to do. No one would let her in anywhere without shoes. She was starving as well and running out of money. Feeling the dizziness of the heat, she sat down on the ground against the side of some hardware store. Her head was beaded with sweat and she was exhausted. People passing her by were shooting out glances of dirty contempt for her. Sydney felt desperately alone.

A lump grew in Sydney’s throat as she felt the desperateness of her situation. The people she loved were ready to lock her up and the police were out to get her, she assumed. The Guildiya was probably looking to take her out after killing Sloane.

Suddenly she remembered how Nadia said she believed her. It was one of the most touching moments of the last month. Everyone was against her and suddenly she wasn’t alone. Would it still be that way? Sydney had no idea. A lot had happened since that moment. But it was Nadia, her sister, her solace amidst their own dysfunctional family, the sister she had hoped for her entire life and the one she had now, the one person she felt she could trust. Ever since the moment she rescued her, laid eyes on her, she realized she wasn’t like their mother, she wasn’t like Sloane. She was Sydney’s sister. And Sydney felt a trust for her that had been growing ever since. She had to call her. Nadia was her only chance at the moment.

***

Nadia sat on the edge of her bed, her face filled with sorrow. She had left APO the minute she found out about her father’s death. It was all too much to take. She felt so lost that she just sat there numb and shocked. Eric had insisted on being by her side the whole time. After a few hours of sitting with him, feeling the comfort he tried to bring her, she realized she needed to be alone. It was painful being with someone she loved and feeling nothing but a stinging sorrow that he couldn’t take away. Nadia sent Eric back to APO, ensuring him that she would be fine. As she sat there, alone and confused, she wasn’t sure if that was really the case. She wasn’t sure she really wanted to be alone at all. It was much to bitter for her to face.

As the moments passed, Nadia was overwhelmed by thoughts of her father. He had done so much to Sydney. But he swore he had changed. She believed him. Sydney never did, as much as Nadia tried to convince her otherwise. Sydney’s suspicions never let up. No one’s really did. Even Eric doubted Sloane’s change.

Nadia wanted so much to believe that he had changed though. He was her father and to think he was an evil horrible man, one that had jeopardized her own life, was something she couldn’t bear. Her whole life, she had looked forward to meeting her parents, to having them save her from her life as an orphan and bring her home. She tried to cling to parts of that dream as she tried having faith in her father.

At the same time, Sydney was a good person, Nadia thought. She wouldn’t just kill someone out of revenge. She needed a reason. Could it be that her father really did turn bad? Or was something seriously wrong with Sydney as Vaughn and Jack insisted.

As Nadia’s thoughts mulled over the bewildering situation, her cell phone rang. She gasped slightly as she noticed it was coming from Sydney’s cell. She quickly answered it.

“Sydney?!” She cried emotionally. The air over the phone was almost dead except for the vague sounds of uneven breathing. "Sydney, are you there?" Nadia swallowed hard as emotions verged through her body. She knew Sydney was there not knowing what to say, perhaps not being ready to say anything, so she waited a few moments.

Sydney sat on the burning sidewalk as she thought of what to say. Her mind went perpetually blank. After a moment of dead-minded silence, Sydney whimpered out sound beneath the tears that had started to form. "Hi," she said, simply and near silently in a whisper.

"Sydney," Nadia replied with feeling enthusiasm. After a moment, Nadia snapped out of her shock at hearing Sydney's voice for the first time in days. "Are you okay?! Where are you?!"

"I... um..." Sydney started. But there was too much to say. And in all honesty, she didn't know where she was. She never bothered to read the road signs coming into town. She was just there. Somewhere. Somewhere away from home.

"Sydney, you can tell me," Nadia insisted as she worried over Sydney.

"I really don't know where I am," Sydney stated with a trace of lost hope in her voice. Nadia sighed. She wanted to help Sydney, but she couldn't if Sydney didn't help her first.

"Well, how did you get there?" Nadia asked, continuing her insistence of prodding answers from Sydney.

Sydney hesitated for a moment. "I was drove alongside the shoreline.."

"Okay." Nadia didn't really know the geography of California well not having been there for more than a few months. She realized, nonetheless, that Sydney could be in any number of cities and towns by now.

"Summerland," Sydney said all of a sudden.

"Summerland?"

"I remember this place. Its on the way to Santa Barbara," Sydney replied, as she remembered the significance of Santa Barbara. Though she had never made it there with Vaughn, she had went there once with Will and Francie for the weekend. She remembered how they stopped in Summerland on the way to get something to eat. It was a bittersweet memory.

“That’s good. I can meet you there. Whereabouts in town will you be?” Nadia’s eagerness showed deeply in her voice as she tried to help Sydney.

“I don’t really have anywhere to go. I have no shoes.”

“What happened to your shoes?” Nadia asked with a questioning concern.

“I lost them. I’ll be in my car. I’m parked beside a cafe, Summerland Beach Cafe.” Sydney replied as she looked around. Noticing the street sign, she added, “its on Lillie Avenue.”

“Okay, wait there for me. I’ll be there in a few hours,” Nadia said as she quickly went to grab her car keys.

“Wait-”

“What?”

Sydney’s voice went dead, “Don’t tell anyone.”

“Sydney,” Nadia started, knowing she needed to let the others know where Sydney was.

“Please Nadia,” Sydney pleaded as her voice suddenly filled with emotion that had seeped away before. She couldn’t bare to have Vaughn and her father find her, put her in a hospital. “You’re the only one I can trust.”

Knowing that broke Nadia's heart. “Alright,” she replied reluctantly. “Just don’t do anything until I get there.”

“Just come. I need you.” Sydney hung up the phone as Nadia’s heart fell. She wanted to be there for her desperate sister. She quickly grabbed what she needed and headed out the door, not bothering to tell anyone where she was going.
 
I love your work!

And i also like that Nadia was able to put what hapened to Sloane in the backround and help her "lost" sister.
 
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Chapter 24

It felt like one more day in the drama of her life. Of being in a family of spies. Of having a father who was once a murderer and terrorist. Of growing up in an orphanage and always wanting that man, the murderer, to come save her and love her. Of wanting a sister.

She got a sister.

She loved that sister.

That sister murdered her father.

There was no use wiping away the glossy tears that streaked her face. They kept falling, berating her face in a waterfall of sorrowful emotions. Her red puffy eyes, filled with loss, continued to watch the highway roads as the stretching of ocean in the distance filled up with the sunny reflections of the California sky. The sun pierced into her body as if it were trying to revive her from the numbing storm she felt. She couldn't be revived. She couldn't be touched as the heavy rain inside bogged her down. The rain stretching down her face, clouding her eyes and her mind. Nadia felt truly lost.

Eventually Nadia pulled into Summerland and onto the long stretch of Lillie Avenue. She had no idea how far up the road the cafe that Sydney's car was parked out front of was, so she kept her eyes wide and searching. Eventually she noticed a white Victorian house with an American flag flying high out front. There was a sign that said Summerland Beach Cafe on it. As she pulled into a parking space amongst many empty ones, she noticed it was closed for the evening.

Nadia sat in her car for a moment as she wiped away the tears and gathered in a deep breath. As she let it out, she stared forward, her eyes glazed over, as her emotions brewed within. Swallowing hard, she composed herself and got out of the car. As she stood up, she noticed a silver sedan at the other end of the empty stretch of parking spaces.

Immediately, a distraught-looking Sydney arose from the car, her gaze staring deep into Nadia's eyes. She quickly moved towards Nadia and gathered her into an emotional hug with her tight grasp.

"Thank you," Sydney said in an exacerbated whisper, "Thank you for coming."

Nadia let Sydney continue hugging her tight for a few moments as she tried to gather herself. Taking in a deep breath, she pulled out of the hug and looked deeply at Sydney as if she were trying to read the whole situation from Sydney's eyes, eyes that stared forward at her in a desperate attempt to find hope. There was a silent moment between them.

A disjointed smile crept up on Sydney's face as she peered at Nadia, not realizing the torment she had put her through. Sydney could only feel her own torment and try to find hope in the fact that she finally had someone there standing in front of her. Someone tangible. She wasn't alone. Sydney relished in that idea, looking at Nadia with the ideal light of a saviour amidst the horrible storm.

Finally, Nadia broke the silence, "Sydney..." She tried to find the words, but honestly, she didn't know what to say.

Suddenly, Sydney cut in, "Not here."

"Oh, right. We should go somewhere. Maybe a motel?"

"Yes. I think... yeah, there's one on Ortega Hill Road. I saw a sign coming into town. Let's go there." Nadia nodded and headed towards her car. "Wait, let's take mine." Sydney said stopping her.

"Okay," Nadia replied, a little thrown by the idea.

"Come on," Sydney told Nadia with impatience. They quickly got into Sydney's car and drove towards the motel.

Nadia felt uncomfortable as they drove. Both of them were silent, not really knowing what to say at this point. Sydney's mind was enveloped in what she was doing. She felt she needed to get them somewhere private before she was spotted by anyone.

As she sat there, Nadia spied over at Sydney. Sydney's clothes were dirty, and her hair a mess. It was apparent that she hadn't groomed for the two whole days she had been missing. And she was noticeably frazzled as she sped along the street. Nadia felt a worried curiosity as the what had been going on inside of her, why she left, what she's been doing, what made her kill Nadia's father.

"Wait here," Sydney said as she pulled into the inn. She grabbed some cash out of her bag and headed towards the office.

As Nadia waited there, she felt her cell phone vibrating in her bag. Pulling it out, she noticed that it was Eric. She wanted to answer it but she told Sydney she wouldn't tell anyone where she was. Nadia felt a need to uphold that promise. It was her sister after all. Nadia couldn't betray her.

Noticing Sydney quickly heading back to the car, Nadia shoved her cell phone back into her bag. Sydney motioned for her to come, as she held up the keys and pointed towards their room, which was situated on the first floor, a couple rooms past the car.

As they headed into the room, Sydney locked the door behind them, and closed the partially opened curtain. She sat down on the bed and immediately buried her head in her hands. After a moment, Sydney took a deep breath and looked up at Nadia who had been standing there with a worried look on her face.

"I'm sorry," Sydney said as a tear formed in her eye.

"Sydney, I don't understand what happened?" Nadia started, "You need to tell me."

"Its a long complicated story, Nadia." Sydney said as she rubbed her face in exhaustion.

"Sydney, I need to know," Nadia insisted with a hint of emotion brewing behind her voice. Sydney immediately looked into Nadia's eyes and saw her confusion.

"Its The Guildiya. Sloane, he is... was there leader. I had no choice but to eliminate him before he carried out his plans," Sydney said, shaking her head.

"My father was the head of The Guildiya?" Nadia said in disbelief.

"Yes."

"He can't be. Sydney, how do you know this? What... What intel do you have? I need to know the truth."

"Nadia," Sydney started, looking pointedly into her eyes, "I know." Her eyes were filled with an unbroken confidence.

"How?!" Nadia exclaimed.

"You wouldn't believe me if you knew my source. But I assure you, he was."

"Sydney, tell me!"

"Sark."

"Sark?" Nadia's confusion grew.

"Yes. He works for The Guildiya. He came and told me Sloane's plan. He was going to use this Rambaldi device to incinerate APO."

"Sydney, that's crazy!" Nadia replied gruffly. "My father would never do that."

"He did once. What makes you think he wouldn't again?"

"He's changed. Sydney, I know you don't trust him. But I do. He's my father. He was my father until..." Nadia choked on her words. She couldn't bare to say it, "until you killed him." Tears began to stream down Nadia's face.

"Nadia, I had to! You need to listen to me. I had to do it!"

"No. It makes no sense!"

"He would have killed us all!" Sydney yelled back, her eyes filled with a stubborn fury.

"You're wrong!"

"I'm not wrong!" Sydney said with a furiously low tone. "I know the truth."

"How?! How can you know the truth. How can Sark be your source? He can't work for The Guildiya. He's in prison."

"No, that's his double. Project Helix."

"Sydney, your making no sense."

"Nadia, I need you to trust me. I did what I did to save us all."

"No," Nadia replied shaking her head.

"Yes," Sydney said calmly, as she got up off the bed and walked over to Nadia. She put her hand on Nadia's shoulder in comfort. "I'm sorry. I know the truth is hard."

Nadia looked up at Sydney with her tear filled eyes. As she looked into Sydney's own eyes, she tried to burry her anger. Her eyes portrayed a stubborn fury, an insistence and utter belief that she was right. They were fraught with paranoia over The Guildiya and Sloane. And behind the tears, her eyes shined with fear and broken sanity. Looking at Sydney, she realized how right Jack and Vaughn were. Sydney was sick and she needed to help her. She had to stop fighting with her and get her home.

"Sydney, you're right," Nadia said in a calmed voice.

"I knew you'd believe me." Sydney replied with a hopeful smile.

"Look at me, I'm a mess from crying. I should go have a shower. It might be soothing." Nadia said with a tired but upbeat face.

"Of course." Sydney said, smiling at her warmly. Nadia quickly went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Without taking her clothes off, she turned the shower on and pulled out her cell phone, pressing a number on her speed dial.

"Hello?" a man's voice answered.

"Jack," she replied in a whisper. "I've found her."

Chapter 25

Sydney sat on the bed of the motel room while Nadia showered. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that everything was about to go wrong. Worried, she went and looked out the window, peering around at the parking lot to see if there were any cops outside, anyone watching their room. She couldn't see anyone. Still, she felt unsettled. It was a feeling she had been plagued with most of the time in the last few weeks actually, and she was never quite sure what to think of it, whether to trust her instincts or not. She just felt like people were out to get her, to capture her and torture her and kill her violently. Her mind was burdened by these thoughts most of the day.

As Sydney stood at the window, she suddenly had a thought. She looked towards the bathroom. Why did Nadia so adamantly need a shower? She wasn't dirty. She wasn't all sweaty and sticky. She was dressed in fine work clothes that were only slightly wrinkled. Sydney felt suddenly suspicious of her.

Sydney quickly went up to the bathroom door and placed her ear up against the door. Amidst the water running, she thought she could vaguely hear a voice talking. Suddenly a feeling of stupidity came over her, enthralled over her. How could she trust Nadia so easily? She was surely working with Vaughn and her father.

A crushing pain fell upon Sydney's stomach. The only person she had, Nadia, was in the bathroom right now betraying her, giving her up so she could be imprisoned, or held captive in a hospital by people so adamantly assuming she was insane. Suddenly, all the thoughts of betrayal dissipated as she realized she had to take action.

Turning the handle of the bathroom door, Sydney noted it was locked. She could just leave now. Take the car and run, she thought. But once they got to Nadia, she would join forces with them to help capture her. No, Sydney had to take Nadia with her. Grabbing her gun that was tucked in the pack of her pants, Sydney started to think of a plan to get Nadia out of the bathroom.

Suddenly, Sydney yelled out loudly, "Oh my God!" A few seconds later, Nadia emerged from the bathroom with a worried look on her face.

"Sydney, what's wrong?" She asked with fraught concern.

Suddenly, Sydney lunged at her and pulled her to the ground, sticking her gun in Nadia's face.

"Sydney?!" Nadia cried out, "What are you doing?!"

"I know what you were doing in there," Sydney replied gruffly.

"What are you talking about Sydney?" Nadia asked, realizing inside that her plan had backfired.

"You called them!" Sydney said harshly, continuing to point her gun at Nadia's frightened glare.

"Sydney, stop! I was just trying to help you. You're sick. You need help. That's all I want-" Nadia pleaded as she was cut off by Sydney's grave voice.

"I am not insane," she growled, her eyes furious, her face reddening with rage.

"Please stop!" Nadia continued to plead, seeing that Sydney truly wasn't herself. She worried Sydney had become dangerous as she saw the look of madness in her eyes.

"Shut up!" Sydney screamed harshly as she whacked the gun hard into Nadia's forehead.

It wasn't enough to knock Nadia unconscious, but she was certainly shaken by it. She just stared at Sydney in horror for how sick she had become.

"Get up!" Sydney commanded, as she pulled Nadia's arm, forcing her to rise. "Don't try anything." Sydney said in a low tone, as they headed out to the car, a gun concealed at Nadia's back. As she forced Nadia into the passenger's seat, she dug out some plastic binding from the glove compartment and bound up Nadia's hands. Sydney then proceeded to get into the car herself, and sped out of the parking lot, driving recklessly around the corner and onto the street as a car swerved out of her way.

"Where are we going?" Nadia asked quietly.

"I can't believe you would do this to me," Sydney exclaimed, a few tears in her eyes.

"I just want to help you. Maybe if we get you to Dr. Jain, he can reverse this and you can go back to normal."

"You don't know what your talking about. I saved your life. I saved all of your lives!" Sydney said spitefully.

"You killed my father!" Nadia replied harshly.

"I had to. Why won't anyone believe me?!"

"Because its not true Sydney. My father wasn't part of The Guildiya, he wasn't a threat."

"Yes he was!" she screamed furiously as her eyes flashed with rage. She quickly swerved around the corner and up a more secluded road.

"You don't know where you are going do you?" Nadia asked pointedly, "You have no plan. You should just stop now before you do something you will regret."

"I know what I'm doing. I always know what I'm doing," Sydney replied trying to appear confident amidst the crumbling of her own mind. She had no idea what she was doing. She was just driving somewhere, anywhere. She had to find somewhere where they wouldn't find her.

"I love you. Why can't you see I'm just trying to help you," Nadia said warmly, though with fear and deep concern in her eyes.

Sydney looked at her deeply for a moment, and then turned her eyes back to the road. She was too confused to think about Nadia. Suddenly, Sydney noticed someone in the rear view mirror. It was Sark. Sydney gasped. What was he doing there? He was staring at her with his cold blue eyes. Sydney looked away hoping he would disappear. But soon, he spoke.

"You know what you need to do," he said pointedly.

Sydney's stomach fluttered. She looked over at Nadia. It appeared she never heard him. It made no sense.

"She's going to make sure you spend the rest of your life locked up," Sark spoke again. His voice was plain and calm as he spoke.

Looking into his eyes, at his skin, his face, Sydney noticed how cold and pale he looked. She wondered if he was a ghost out to haunt her. To get revenge on her for killing him. But at the same time, what he was saying was true. She didn't know if he was trying to trick her or help her.

"You'll never stop The Guildiya, you know, if you're locked up. Though, they are a growing organization. I doubt you could stop them," he spoke again, "In fact, they are making plans right now to eliminate you and everyone you love since you killed their leader."
Sydney's eyes widened. She looked over at Nadia. It was a horrible thought that she could be leading Sydney to her end, to everyone's end. Sydney had to stop The Guildiya and Nadia wasn't going to let her. Sydney's stomach churned gravely as her mind thought furiously of what to do.

"You need to get rid of her," Sark spoke. Sydney trembled at the thought. "If you don't, she'll end up killing you and everyone else, even if she doesn't do it with her own hand."

Sydney swallowed hard as her stomach fluttered and tears formed in her eyes. She didn't know what she should do. Looking again in the rear view mirror, she noticed Sark was gone. She was all alone in what to do. She felt her skin crawl and a lump form in her throat.

Sydney headed down a road leading to a less populated area. There were few houses, mostly of which were hidden behind trees. Driving fast, Sydney took a sharp turn, heading up a somewhat winding street amidst an array of trees. Quickly the paved road turned to dirt as they passed a sign saying Ortega Reservoir. Sydney drove around until she came to the end of the road, which ended up being at the far end of the reservoir. Quickly, she got out and went around and dragged Nadia out of the car.

"What are we doing here?" Nadia asked, having no idea what Sydney was planning at this point. Her voice was nervous with concern though, knowing it couldn't be good.

Sydney didn't answer, instead she dragged Nadia along towards the water with tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Sydney, what are you doing?!" Nadia asked with trembling fear as they neared the water.

"It has to be done," Sydney said with a dead tone as she tried to blink away the tears that wanted to fall.

"Stop!" Nadia commanded. But Sydney didn't. She continued to pull Nadia along until they reached the edge of the reservoir. Sydney then stopped and looked down at the water and back up at Nadia. Her eyes portrayed a burdened terror about what she was planning. Her stomach filled with painful fluttering. And her face scrunched up in emotional pain.

"Why did you have to call them?" Sydney asked as emotions brewed over her.

"Sydney, listen to me. Whatever you are doing, you don't have to do. We can talk about this," Nadia said trying to be calm and reasoning, though traces of fear brimmed her voice.

"You just had to call them. You just had to do it. You've ruined everything. I don't want to do this, but you've ruined everything and I just-"

"Sydney, stop, please," Nadia cried, as tears fell from her terror-stricken eyes.

"I don't want to, but you're going to get in the way of what I need to do."

"What?! What do you need to do. Maybe I can help you, if you'd just stop this."

"I need to stop The Guildiya, I need to stop Sloane."

"He's dead, Sydney, you've already killed him." Suddenly, Sydney looked at Nadia with confusion and then she remembered the blood on her finger, the letter opener in his neck, the little trickle of blood and the fear and betrayal in his eyes as she strangled him.

"It doesn't matter," Sydney said, swallowing hard as she looked down into the water.

"It does. Sydney, he's no longer a threat. There is no need for this. Please listen to me!" Nadia pleaded emotionally with tears streaking her face.

"Everything's a threat. Don't you realize it. People are after me and you won't let me run. They will kill me. I have to get away and you're not letting me do that," Sydney explained with a saddened frustration.

"Sydney-"

"I'm sorry, but I have to."

Sydney cried hard as she suddenly pushed Nadia over the edge of the reservoir, sending her splashing into the water. Tears bitterly overflowed as she watched Nadia struggle.

"I'm so sorry," Sydney whispered in sobs, "I'm so sorry."

~~~
Don't hate me and Syd before you find out what happens :eek:
 
(y)
:eek:
:(

I'm soooo waiting for the 26th paragraph. You're writeing is very good. I truely hope that Sydney realizes what she has done before Nadia will die. I don't want to hate Syd!!!!
 
Thanks :smiley:

Chapter 26

As Nadia struggled in the water, her hands still bound together, Sydney immediately turned away and ran back to her car, the pain aching through her body for what she had just done. As she turned the car back on, she seeped into a numb state of shock. She quickly headed back to the paved streets, not having any conscious thought, her eyes blurring in a semi-focus on the road.

Meanwhile, Nadia tried to stay afloat, but within a few seconds, her head submerged in the water. Struggling as her body sunk to the bottom, Nadia felt panic. She was drowning. There was nothing else to think or feel except sheer panic and desperation to breath.

As Nadia was in the water, a worker of the Ortega Reservoir, was doing a routine check when he noticed a black figure quickly sinking in the water. He yelled out for help and ran towards the edge of the water. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a woman.

"There's someone drowning! Get Help!" He yelled as loud as he could. He then immediately removed his shoes and jumped into the water, swimming furiously towards her. Taking a deep breath as he reached the spot where she had begun to sink, he dove down into the water, and grabbed hold of her clothing. He struggled as he tried to pull her up, her body weighing much more in water. Eventually he managed to pull her up to the surface. Nadia immediately gasped for air as her face rose above the water. She continued to cough hard and breath in exacerbation as the man got her to the side of the reservoir and the other workers pulled them out.

"Are you okay, Ma'am?" a tall, dark-haired man asked. Nadia continued to breath hard as she nodded her head. "An ambulance is on its way anyways, so you just sit here and rest for a few minutes," he told her.

After a moment, the man noticed her arms bound together. "Get some scissors," he commanded another person who had been standing there. "What in heavens are you doing with these on?"

Nadia avoided his question and looked towards the other man who was soaking wet, and spoke sincerely, "Thank you."

He nodded. "You shouldn't have been out there. If I hadn't been doing my checks, you'd have drowned," he replied

"I know," Nadia said, with a desperate look of anguish on her face as she thought about Sydney and what she had done. She tried to kill her. The pain of it stung deep.

"Why don't we get you inside now. I can get you both blankets," the tall dark-haired man said. Nadia and her rescuer both nodded as they got up and walked towards the main building.

***

Sydney headed north up a tree-filled street and within 5 minutes, she came to a fork in the road. Not knowing where to head, she sat there for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. It was at that moment that she felt a solo tear stream down her cheek. Sydney brought her hand to her face, blotting away the tear. Suddenly a stream of them came rushing down as Sydney realized what she had just done. She scrunched her face up hard in pain and let out a wail. Soon she was sobbing roughly into her hands, her whole body shaking with each cry.

"Oh my God," she cried, "Oh my God, what have I done! Nadia!" Sydney's face was red and her eyes puffy and streaming wet as she continued to cry. "Nadia... Nadia! No!"

Suddenly, Sydney looked up into the rear view mirror, turning it to face her. She looked deep into her eyes with horror, realizing the monster she was. She had no idea what to do. She had no idea who she was anymore. She had just murdered her sister and she didn't understand how anything could possibly be worth killing someone she loved so dearly. Sydney's eyes went into a dark sorrow as she stared at herself, her face cringing as she did.

"I have to go back," she whispered to herself. "I have to go back."

Sydney wiped her face with her hands, and screeched the car around in a sharp U-turn, soon driving furiously down the road towards the reservoir. Because of her speed, Sydney reached the reservoir within a few minutes. She quickly got out, stumbling slightly as she ran as fast as she could towards the water.

Standing at the edge of the reservoir, Sydney looked desperately for Nadia, hoping she was still there struggling to stay afloat. There were no signs of her. Sydney couldn't even see her body. But there were 21 million gallons of water before her, she couldn't see every inch of the bottom.

Suddenly a man called out. Sydney couldn't hear what he was shouting, but it rattled her as she realized she needed to get out of there fast. Sydney sprinted furiously towards her car, but as she did, she tripped over a rock and fell rolling to the ground. Having hit her head on the pavement, her forehead trickled with blood. Sydney ignored the pain as adrenaline rushed through her blood. She tried to get up, but pain shot up through her leg. She lifted up her pant leg quickly, but it didn't look broken. She must have sprained it, she thought.

The man was nearing her quickly, so she gathered up her strength and tried walking towards her car, limping roughly as she muffled her screams of pain behind her tightly closed lips. As she climbed inside her car, she realized it was her right ankle. There was no time though, so she started the car anyways, and whimpered painfully as she used her sprained ankle on the petals.

Sydney drove erratically up the street, ending back at the fork in the road. She quickly yanked the steering wheel right onto East Valley Road. Not knowing where she was going, she followed the tree studded road, as she drove unsteadily, her ankle shooting out sharp pains as she tried not to cry.

As Sydney drove west down the windy road, her thoughts suddenly went to Nadia, as her skin crawled. She could feel her. She swore she could feel her hands all over her neck, choking her in revenge. Sydney kept driving as the ghost hands tried to mangle her, or so she thought. Her driving became even more erratic as her mind was taken off the road by whispers of how she was going to die went into her ear. Sydney shivered hard as her face cringed in a whimper.

"Go away," Sydney cried as her eyes portrayed the terror inside her mind, "go away."

"You killed me. You murdered me and left my body to sink to the bottom of a cold reservoir," whispered Nadia into Sydney's mind.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Sydney sobbed, her eyes only partially on the road as she drove roughly.

"You're evil! You have Satan inside of you!"

"No," Sydney whimpered, shaking her head.

"Yes. Why do you think you are so different? Its because you're a part of the devil now. You deserve to die." Nadia's voice as cold and eerie as she spoke.

"No," Sydney continued to cry.

"I'm going to kill you and make it as bloody as you wanted my father's death to be. All your veins will open up and seep blood out, pouring out all the evil."

"Stop! You're not Nadia. She wouldn't do this to me," Sydney insisted desperately.

"You murdered me!" Nadia screamed in a shrill voice. Sydney covered her ears with both hands and wailed loudly, closing her eyes tightly, as the car headed towards some trees. Opening her eyes, Sydney noticed and quickly swerved the car back on track. Her heart palpitated loudly and beat rapidly through her chest as terror took over her. Suddenly sirens sounded behind her. Looking in her rear view mirror, she noticed a cop following her. She couldn't get caught, she thought, as she hit the gas. The police car chased her as she sped hectically down the winding road. Sirens screamed in the background.
 
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