Chapter 1
I
watched through the lemon-tinted glass as tourists walked by the stores. So
many with grins on their faces, they are unaware of the disasters that would
befall them. One couple giggled and moved through the throngs of people as if
lost in their own waltz. Another small group carried a cloth doll and placed it
in random places, taking pictures of what locations they had been. Pulling my
glasses off my face, one woman caught a glimpse of my eyes. She fell aback,
startled but then a glance at my companion made her face turn in disgust, then
confusion. As I pulled my sunglasses back upon my face she continued on her way
that thought plucked from her mind like a fresh strawberry.
Vileb
and I had been friends, companions, lovers, fighters, and destroyers for all of
our lives, yet not all of those to each other. Our childhood riddled in
mystery, we were the sole survivors of an orphanage slaughter. Both so young
and fearful of others, we ran away before officials could find, interrogate,
and ship us off away from each other.
As
we grew older, strange abilities began to infest us. Yet this power did not
come without sacrifice. My eyes had shifted from a dark brown to an illuminating
gold, forcing me to hide them at all costs. Vileb often was consumed by a
vicious hunger that I can satiate for a few weeks but on the fourth he needs
the warmth of another.
At
first we considered this a curse, for the years went by yet we grew no older
than what appeared to be early twenties. Soon we came to discover others, but
their abilities slightly different and their plight vastly. We had seen new-found friends torn apart by the differences faced between Vileb and me;
however, we continued to hold the pact from after our home’s death and vowed to
end the war hidden in shadow.
“Kirsta,
you almost ready?” Vileb questioned. I looked to him, a faint smirk splayed on
my face. His caramel brown hair cascaded down his shoulders, flicks of auburn
dancing throughout. He wore a similar pair of shades to help divert attention
from me wearing sunglasses at night. We both were outfitted with dark colored
attire, his trenchcoat open to show the black sleeveless he wore.
I
adjusted the neck of my crimson jacket, shoving my hands into my pockets. As I
watched the full moon begin to rise over many of the skyscrapers, a familiar
scent began to waft over my nostrils. “Not yet, old friend. That rat is not
quite here yet.”
A
Lupe spy had been following Vileb and me for some time now. The Lupe were under
suspicion that we were cohorts for a rival organization called the Fangs.
Unfortunately for both the Fangs and Lupe, Vileb and I weren’t attempting to
help either of them. In fact it was quite the opposite. The scent became
poignant and I nodded momentarily to Vileb.
“So
the attack will commence tomorrow evening?” I questioned, the act beginning now
that the spy was within earshot. Vileb nodded, pulling his gun from within the
coat. He began to clean it, smiling. “Aye, my comrades are quite thankful for
your help. You will be spared when the enslavement begins. Perhaps you could
even be given charge of an area.” The rehearsed lines sounded so smooth,
Vileb’s tenor voice like silk.
“I
do not think that is necessary. If any of my brood learned of my deceit then I
am sure that they would start a rebellion with those remaining and take me out
first.” My eyes lowered, a few fingers nervously running through the bangs of
my brick red hair. I began to fidget with the braid in which it was fixed. “I
only request that freedom that you so generously offered.”
“Done,”
replied Vileb. He leaned in the chair at the outdoor cafe at which we had set
for this play. I could sense the spy getting closer and closer to our location.
Suddenly, I heard a faint click and a light chuckle. Before either Vileb or the
spy knew what was going on, I had snatched the gun from Vileb’s lap and shot
the kneecap of the spy hiding within the nearby alley. “Grabbing my crotch
again?” Vileb snickered.
I
rolled my eyes and walked over to the spy; he was whimpering and skittering
backwards into the alley. My abilities had surpassed many of the underlings
within the Lupe, just as Vileb’s had with most of the Fangs. I leaned in and
grabbed the spy by his shoulders, holding him up against the wall a few feet
off the ground. My eyes glowed fiercely, claws digging into his shoulders. “Here’s
your meal for the week, Vileb. He’s just some human they hired...”
“Oh
great, you know how much I hate using you. Sometimes I worry that I’m draining
your life away.” He grinned, his canines beginning to elongate and sharpen.
I
smiled at Vileb, saying, “And you know that it never seems to matter. It just
scars me, only thing that does nowadays... Maybe we should leave him alive, you
know, to send a message back to them?”
“I
think they’ll come looking for him eventually anyway. I’d rather drain him
completely. Make it easier for us in the long run. So you think he was one of
the Promised?”
I
leaned in to peer at the fear on the man’s face. “I’m sure of it. They’ll say
anything to some lanky human to get them to spy on us. Both sides have done it
now, and only turned up with a corpse. Think the Rebellion will eventually find
us?”
“Sometimes
I even wonder if the Rebellion is looking for those like us. Probably would
think us spies for the Fangs and Lupe. You know how trusting humans are....”
“Well,
this one is.”
Vileb
put his lips to the man’s neck. “Was.”
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