Something was wrong. Ella could feel a growing uneasiness in her chest as she drove closer to her home. As Ella parked her car in the driveway, no sound came to her ears. Something was definitely wrong. Her dog should be barking inside as he always did when a car pulled up. She went and called to her dog. When no answer came, she quietly went from room to room. She finally came into her own room and saw that the window was open. He must have gotten out again… A sigh of relief escaped her, knowing that her neighbors would return him to her soon. She started to walk to the window to close it when someone, a man, forced a piece of cloth over her mouth and nose. Her lungs burned for air as she tried to wrench herself away from the stranger's iron grasp. She got free a couple of times, just enough to take a short breath of fresh air, before he'd be back on her. Ella grew steadily weaker and to her, it seemed the stranger never tired. He forced her onto the floor on her back, laying himself on top of her. His weight crushed Ella she realized that the cloth had been dipped in some sort of sleeping chemical. Everything else became muddled in her head and Ella no longer tried to fight the darkness that enveloped her senses.

His name was Philip, a member of the international power Nica. He'd carefully watched Ella for a long time. Ever since their childhood together in junior high, he'd felt something different about her. Now he knew. She was part of Lhaam and was currently the leader of one of the more major groups of Lhaam. Philip was low on the scale of authority of Nica and needed a way to boost his status. This is the only way, he thought. Everyone so far had unsuccessfully tried to get Ella and hurt her enough to damage the Lhaam. Now it was his turn. Through junior high and after, he'd tracked her. Now she was twenty-four, beautiful as ever.

The day of the kidnapping, he'd dressed all in black. He'd parked his car across the street from her house. Then, he went to the side of her house and pried open her bedroom window. A dog barked as he climbed in. Going slowly to it, he gave it a small tablet, a sleeping pill, and he was able to put him out of sight for the moment. Then he got a piece of cloth that he'd let soak in a sleeping solution and waited behind the door.

When Ella came in, Philip knew that Ella felt something was wrong. She came in and saw the window. As she started toward it, Philip left his hiding place and forced the cloth over her face. She fights like a wildcat. No wonder everyone had trouble getting her. But Philip knew that the only place she ever let her guard down was at her own home, and that was why he was the only one to be successful.

Finally, just as Philip was beginning to tire, Ella grew weary and stopped fighting. When she was totally still, Philip waited a minute longer before finally getting off her. He waited till nightfall to carry her out the door and into his waiting car, speeding away to the Nica council just beginning. A hush descended upon the group when he strode confidently to the center. Without a word, he presented to them Ella's unconscious body. The leader, Charles, was the first to break the bewildered silence. "Philip, you have bestowed great honor to your name. From this point on, you shall be second in command. Your name will forever be remembered as the one to triumph over Ella, the former leader of the Fire people of the Lhaam. We thank you." A roar of applause broke out as he walked back out with Ella slung over his shoulder. Philip brought him to Charles's room where she'd be initiated.

Ella awoke slowly, opening her eyes and finding herself chained to a bed. Nearby was Charles. "Nica!" she hissed.

He glanced over at her before looking out the window. "My name is Charles and I am the leader of the Nica. We've known since high school that you were of Lhaam and have watched you rise in rank. My warrior Philip has captured you and brought you here."

Ella paled. "If he captured me, why am I with you?"

"You are to stay with me here to be initiated into the clan. In the course of a week, I have the honor of doing whatever pleases me with the new captives and in doing so, I break the Spirit of your kind. Fight me if you like, but I guarantee I'll win. The only promise I will keep is to not sleep with you. I gave my promise to Philip that would be his privilege to you first." Ella's eyes flared. "But that doesn't mean I can' t enjoy you while I can."

Charles came over and tore off her clothing, slowly revealing her perfect body to his eyes. Now frightened, Ella begged for him to stop. He didn't heed her wishes and continued with his exploration. His lips started the tour of her body, first going through her hair, forehead, and slowly trailed down her body. She cried silently as he continued to become familiar with her, and continued to weep long after he had left her alone.

The rest of the week, Ella got angrier and struggled more each time Charles came, but as promised, a week long of fighting broke much of her Spirit. When the week was over, she was drugged and then transferred to Philip's room. She awoke when someone entered the room. Ella immediately brought her defense up and a weak fire flashed in her eyes as she glared at Philip. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Philip, your captor. Remember me? You'll be staying with me from this moment on. You're here now because when we met, I knew you were different. It wasn't until high school that I knew your secret. You were of Lhaam. I tracked you even more closely after that and knew that the only place you ever let your guard down was at home. And now you're here."

"What are you going to do to me?"

"Oh, I don't know. After I rape you?" He smiled, seeing her flinch. "I haven't given it much thought. But then again, it doesn't really matter. You're all mine now."

Ella trembled as he forced her down onto the bed. She fought, but she was weak, still under the influence of the drug they'd given her. Philip easily held her down and forced himself into her, causing her immediate pain. When he'd spent himself, Ella glared at him, eyes brimmed with tears and hatred. She shook uncontrollably. Little was left of her pride and self worth now.

Days, weeks, months, sped by and Ella was left alone and untouched by Philip. The only time she even saw him was in the evening when he'd come in and go to sleep, without even a glance at her. The thought of killing him never crossed her mind.

Finally, Ella realized that she was pregnant. She told Philip so, but he didn't seem to hear her. In reality, he'd been too astonished to answer her. When the baby boy came, Ella held him in her arms and named him Steven. She loved the child so much so that one day, when the child turned one year old, it absolutely broke her heart when Philip came in, took the sleeping baby, and walked out. By then, she was already pregnant with another child. She screamed her rage and beat on the locked door, but no one came, and she never saw the child again. Then the girl Angelica was born. And there were others. The same thing happened to each of her babies. It was useless to love them but she couldn't help it. So this is my purpose. To give them bodies to help spread their cause. Ella's heart ached.

Ella was now forty. Sixteen years and countless children older. No longer did anger spark her eyes. Just a nothingness that frightened Philip more than her anger ever did. Ella sat at the window of their room, staring at nothing. When Philip came in early one afternoon, Ella didn't even acknowledge him. "Ella… What's wrong?"

She studied him a moment, making him feel uncomfortable and surprisingly, vulnerable. "Wrong with what?"

"You."

"Me? How so?"

"You used to be full of life, anger, malice, and intelligence. Now you just sit there all day unfeeling, uncaring. What happened?" But he already knew.

"You came into my life. You stole my heart that first day in junior high. We became friends but once we separated, I never heard from you again. I moved on. Then you come back to kidnap me, take me here where my only purpose in life is to give you children, bodies to help you in the fight against the Lhaam. You rip them away from me! What else do I have? Not even my pride." Ella'd turned from the window and faced him, letting her tears stream down her face as her eyes once again kindled with a long lost blaze.

"Hey! Come on. It's not that bad!"

"Not that bad?! You ruined my life!" Ella screamed, lunged at him, and started to punch him weakly. Her energy had long gone though, and Philip gave in to the blows willingly, waiting until she spent herself. Ella sank to the floor and cried the tears she had kept dammed inside herself for so long. At first, she resisted his offer of a comforting hug, but she finally gave in. "I liked you so much then. I think I still do. I'm so scared. This isn't how life is supposed to be!" She cried herself to sleep and an idea whirled around in his head.

The next day, Ella sat in bed, brushing her hair. Philip opened the door and smiled at her. They had finally shared a night together, getting to know one another and much of the tension had gone from between them. As he came in, Ella noticed someone behind him. As Philip stepped aside, memories of the past flooded her. Ella screamed and shrank away from the stranger. "You're dead! I killed you a long time ago! What do you want from me? Go away!"

Philip didn't know what had happened but he beckoned for the other to leave as he went to comfort Ella. "What's wrong? That was Steven, our firstborn." Ella shook her head, denying it. When she'd calmed down, she confessed how when she was still young, she had seduced someone she knew was part of Nica and killed him. He'd looked exactly like Steven and that was why she'd lost control. "Tell me. Was his name Brian?" Ella stared at him, slowly nodding her head yes and questioning him with her eyes on why he'd asked. "He was my brother." Ella paled. "I never knew who the killer was, but I always knew I would avenge his death." Fear filled Ella but he gave a sad smile. "No, I won't harm you. I've done enough to repay the debt."

The next day, Philip and Steven went out and didn't come back. Nica got a notice from Lhaam that they'd been captured. No one knew what to do, but a friend of Philip's eventually told Ella. With no other choice, she faced Charles for the first time in sixteen years, asking for permission to return to her people and retrieve the missing men. Sullenly, he agreed and she was set free.

Ella walked far to a place only Lhaam knew of. She stopped when she came to a large group. "Stop!" The group whirled around from their chanting to see Ella and froze. They had all thought her dead, except for her best friend Becky. Becky rushed to her friend now, but stopped when she looked into Ella's eyes.

Now, the group split to reveal Philip, bound to a stake, bloody and barely conscious. Someone came toward her. It was Bryan, the man who'd taken her place as ruler. "You're alive." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Ella stared at the man before turning to the rest of the crowd. "I told you that he was trouble. I warned you against having him follow me. You have disobeyed me!" The crowd cried out, protesting that he had been the only qualified one but she silenced them with a wave of her hand. "I warned you that he would bring you closer to the ways of Nica and I see that it is true. It was always our principle to treat captives as humans. Not animals!" She indicated to Philip's body. "You have shamed my name." The silence grew as she met the eyes of all around her. "Let him go."

A gasp broke throughout the crowd. "You're crazy!" Bryan said. "He's our enemy!"

Ella's voice suddenly became weary. "What have I just told you? Let him go or I'll do it myself." The two stared each other down before Ella sighed and walked to Philip. Ella loosened the bonds that held Philip back. His eyes questioned, but instead, Ella said to him, "Go." With a fearful look at the crowd, Philip walked away. When he was gone, Ella went back to Bryan. "Where is the other?"

"What other?" he sneered.

"I grow weary of you. Where is the one that was with him?"

Becky answered for him. "He's dead."

Ella whirled around to stare at her and all saw Ella's face drain of color. "What do you mean dead?" Her voice was low and hoarse.

"We killed him yesterday."

"Take me to his body."

"We can't. He's been cremated."

Ella closed her eyes and steadied herself. "Then take me to his ashes." Without a word, Becky led Ella and the rest of the group to a secluded area. When Becky indicated to a tree, Ella went to it and slowly bent down to her knees. Quietly, so only a few could hear, she touched the pile of ashes. "Forgive me Steven. I didn't think it would be this way. I'm sorry for not having been able to protect you as a mother should. I'm sorry for shutting you out when you finally came back. Please forgive me!" Frantic whispers rushed through the crowd as they watched tears flow from her face. All stared at this woeful mother, weeping for the son she'd never known. Becky went to comfort her friend but Ella stood up. "I can't stay here now. There's nothing left for me." Ella stared at Bryan. "Consider me dead. I don't belong. Take your place as rightful leader for all I care. I hope you're happy." Ella left, never looking back.

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