The Night Walkers

by Elaine McGregor-Dawson

  "I was thinking the same thing."

  She grinned as they raced up the stairs, feeling the glass beneath them as it started to break. Suddenly, as though everything were about to disappear. The wall stopped closing in on them, the stairs didn't break, and the sound of the spreading gas began to stop.

  There was one final door in front of them and Kit walked towards it and opened it. Behind the door stood a shocked Headmistress whose eyes just stared at them as though she were unable to process what had just happened.

  "Well done," she finally said, "you two managed to score the highest so far. I guess you've won. The other team made it through to the second one but go confused during the very start of the third test. Remember our number one rule: never trust anyone that (a) doesn't look right and (b) hasn't had the correct instructions. I'll see you both tomorrow morning in my office and I will tell you the instruction for this very big task at hand. Well done."

  CHAPTER TWO

  TRANSFERENCE

  "I cannot believe you," Debra said, her previous mood entirely forgotten. Kit sat on the bottom bunk, her hands quivering at her sides. "Did you seriously get through with the highest marks as well as be able to work alongside Levi Larkson?" She shook her head incredulously.

  Kit gripped the cold metal bar with a distasteful look on her face. "It was scary," she inquired, recalling the three levels and being with Levi all the way through it. "I still can't believe I actually got through."

  "Was it hard?" she gave me a bit of a wink. "Or did he do all the work?" She started laughing incredulously, long blond hair bouncing in perfect waves. "I am so jealous. You were right, I should have joined."

  "Yeah, it was hard and no, we both got through it. He was completely different from what I was expecting. He wasn't like those other guys," she shrugged her shoulders, "I could be wrong, but I hope not."

  Kit checked her watch, loving the sound the soft tick's it made as it went all the way around. "I have to go to Headmistress's office, I think it's about the mission tonight."

  "Are you nervous?" she had a hidden cheeky look in her eyes as she said it, but Kit portrayed it as another one of her messing around things. Debra was always in a different mood, happy one moment, angry the next – she was a bit like a hurricane – Kit thought to herself that maybe Debra read too many of those "fighting" books rather than fictional ones like Kit.

  "I better go," she said, picking her jacket and slinging it over her white tank top. "I'll catch you later and fill you in on the information."

  "Alright, bye, have fun with 'you know who'."

  Kit closed the door with Debra's laughter empowering the stillness of the outside halls. With one small sigh, Kit picked up her pace as she made her way over to Headmistress's office.

  * * *

  Levi stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting for Headmistress to respond to his question. She was busy studying the clipboard in her hand rather than hearing what he had to say.

  Kit hadn't showed up yet, but he imagined that she was on her way now, heart racing in her chest just as Levi's had yesterday during the test. Finally, Headmistress stood up, hair a flurry of wild curls as she turned around to face him.

  "Alright," she finally said, "I have gotten all the results back. Is Kit here yet? She probably won't take much longer." The woman motioned for Levi to sit in one of the chair's as she took a seat at the large chair at her desk.

  As Levi opened his mouth to speak he heard the squeak sound of the door opening. "Kit Stone," Headmistress exclaimed as she gestured for Kit to sit beside Levi. "We have much to discuss. I imagine you are tired, but I hope you slept well."

  "Sorry I'm a bit late, I just got caught up," Kit smiled at Levi as she took the seat beside him. She wore a white tank top that showed the small curves of her hips and showed off her slim waist. Her face, soft and flawless, hinted a slight reading of nervousness.

  "That's fine." Headmistress bent her head down as she shuffled through a few papers in the draws at her desk. "Oh, I don't seem to have the papers. I'll be back in a minute."

  Levi watched the woman as she slipped through the door, leaving them in the silence, save the small crackling fire that stood along the gothic black walls.

  "Hi," whispered Levi, his mouth shaping a crooked smile. He had observed her the previous day, watching the way she moved like a glorious silhouette against the dark of the night. She'd looked like she'd had so much training as a Night Walker.

  "Hi," Kit said back, biting her lip. Her hands were shaking a little and Levi wasn't sure why. "Are you worried about the mission? Headmistress was telling me that it was pretty much the hardest one this year and that was why they had to hold the tests. You know, to see who could withstand everything."

  "Yeah, I figured. The other teams mustn't have gotten through all three tests before we did. I wonder whether anyone got through them all. Maybe we were the only ones?”

  "Hmm," he studied her expression, watching the way her cheeks turned pink slightly and she hid her head, so he wouldn't see. Levi grinned. She wasn't like those other girls. He'd only talked to her twice before last night. "I wonder whether we actually did something right."

  "Yeah, that last one was tricky, we had to get away from that poison or whatever it was. I can't believe people fell for the woman asking to stick a needle in our arms. Isn't that the first thing we learnt when we came here?"

  Levi laughed, "I know, it's stupid to not forget that. I almost did, lucky you were there."

  She hid her face again and he smiled that crooked smile just as Headmistress entered the room. "Right," she said down, "firstly, you two won the test and made us fully satisfied with a score of 27 points, no other team got that. For each level we scored you out of ten."

  Levi raised his eyebrows, "really? Wow that was definitely better than I initially thought." He laughed and looked at Kit who looked just as surprised as he felt.

  "That's really great, I think..." Kit trailed off and remained quiet for a while longer.

  "Indeed. Your task at hand is the main task of the year as it is now coming towards that time in the year where everything is a lot darker. The mason isn't exactly here. It's quite some time away. Your mission is in Philadelphia."

  "Philadelphia!" exclaimed Levi, whose eyes rose with excitement.

  "Philadelphia!?" repeated Kit whose expression matched Levi's. "Isn't that around six hours away? Why would we need to go that far?"

  Headmistress cleared her throat as she took her seat at her desk. "You both signed up for something very big. I never said that this task would be easy, did I? The reason you must travel this far is because the subject of our known matter has gone there. We need a spy to track them down and know what they're hiding."

  "Have you any idea where they would be?" Levi asked.

  The woman nodded. "There's a warehouse in the very big city and we have had alerts reading that they are doing something extremely weird. These are no ordinary 'bad guys'. They pose a threat upon this entire academy and we plan to take them down."

  "How will we do that?" Kit asked, her face matching Levi's. He felt bad for Kit in an odd way, she looked surprised and scared, almost as if she was worried about having to travel that far away.

  "We need you to get into that warehouse, find out what they're hiding and if you are detected then we want you to try and take down whoever sees you," she raised her eyebrows, "are we clear?"

  "I think so," Levi said uneasily, trying to find a plan in his head. "Will we leave today? During the night or during the day?"

  "Well, it would be best if you left tonight, did three hours of driving in the car – Levi, you have your licence, right?" he nodded. "Good, okay, I think it shouldn't be too hard. Watch yourselves. I'll equip you with correct armour and enough weapons and items to be able to communicate with you. We are not allowed to go ourselves because every instructor in this school is required to stay and instruct the rest of the school. Therefore, we need you."

  "I understand,"
said Kit, who looked a bit more at ease. Levi wasn't sure how to react. He'd never been beyond Manhattan and he knew that last year's major mission required two students to go into Pittsburgh of all places. But Philadelphia was a much bigger place. "Is that everything we need to know?"

  "Yes." She looked away and towards the window. "Just remember that whatever it is you see in that warehouse, may or may not, track you down which is why we have examined the two of your abilities very carefully and have made sure that you have the proper thinking to be able to undertake a mission of this standard. We will deliver your equipment later and wish you all the best."

  It was always that way, Levi thought to himself, they always said, "we wish you all the best" and really, half the time, they didn't even mean it. He smiled over at Headmistress.

  They both thanked the woman and left through the half open door.

  Levi closed the door behind him as Kit turned around. She looked slightly pale, almost like she was lost in her wondrous rally of thoughts. In a way, he felt the exact same.

  They walked side by side a moment, arms gently brushing, and Levi could nearly feel those slight shivers he occasionally got. He shrunk back slightly to look at her face. He could see from the delicate outlines of her mouth that she was biting her lip – a habit he'd noticed – and she was looking at her feet.

  "Are you sure you want to go?" he finally asked. Her face looked towards him with surprise and he began to think that she'd forgotten he was there. Kit must be one of those lucky people who were able to completely vanish the world around them when they were completely focused on one thing.

  "Oh, I, ah," she stopped herself and slowed down her face until eventually she faced him. "I really don't know. I want to go, and I'm not scared. It's the fact that I've never..." she trailed off, "it's stupid, don't worry."

  "No, Kit, don't worry, I won't judge," he gave her his crooked smile and her cheeks went slightly pink again.

  "Well, I've never been that far from away for anything. That's six hours further than I've ever been. This has been where I've stood since I was born and probably where I thought I'd always stay." She smiled as if thinking about something, "the only way I have ever been a few miles away, someplace else, is in books and I know that sounds stupid, but it's true."

  His eyes flashed up towards hers. Something about her words made him completely understand what she was talking about. From the moment he met her he'd known she was a reader or something like that. Kit was a shy girl who preferred to hide in the shadows than show herself the light.

  "I know what you mean. I've never been further than Manhattan and I know it's completely different. It may be fun, and I promise nothing will happen to you." Levi smiled at her and something in her eyes started to shimmer with happiness.

  "That means a lot. Thanks Levi. Do you want to meet here," she gestured around the common rooms? It was a simple room – very big – and the walls were decorated with large paintings that were made back in the 18th century, the couches were red and matched the big red curtains that hung in front of the stained-glass window. Levi noticed how a tall archangel's eyes greeted him with a sharp smile as he stared at the picture.

  "Yeah, that'd be great. I'll get everything we need. Want me to drive?"

  "Sure."

  * * * * * *

  Kit was pacing around her room again. She'd almost forgotten how nervous she got when she knew she was about to face something she'd never faced before.

  "Calm down," Debra said as she handed Kit a few more clothes that she had packed into a small bag. "I promise it'll be okay. Besides, don't you get to spend an entire three days alone with Levi? Once again, I am so jealous!"

  Kit smiled and chucked another top and a pair of jeans into the bag. She had on her black armour where a belt was attached to the middle part and a knife was sheathed at her side. Often, when she was in the darkness, she liked to keep her hand hovering over the knife always in case she ever needed it.

  "I know. He's nice, nothing like I thought he was. Do you know whether he's still going out with that Natalie bitch?" Asked Kit who was now starting to zip up the bag – she made sure to add her copy of Wuthering Heights in before she left. It calmed her down.

  "I don't think so, apparently they broke up last week, but Marline said it was a weird break up," Debra shrugged her shoulders and set her training book down. "I hate Natalie so much right now!"

  Kit nodded her head. Natalie was the school's version of a mean girl – the type that got everything she wanted with the blink of an eye. Everyone fell for her witty "charms”, but Kit had never liked her fake smile.

  "I would hate her," said Kit, "but I don't think there's anyone on this planet worth hating." When Kit was done belting the knives around her waist and securing her boots, she smiled at Debra. "I better get going now."

  Debra looked up, smiled, stepped down the ladder of her bunk bed and wrapped her arms around Kit's neck in a hug. "Bye, I'll miss you. Remember, don't die, don't talk to anyone you don't know," and on and on she went about things that Kit shouldn't do.

  "Whatever," Kit laughed as Debra let go of her bear-hug. "I'll see you in three days. Bye." And with that she stepped out the door, a tiny bag slung over her shoulder, and began walking through the halls. It was so quiet this time – probably because everyone was inside in their classes and on some more missions, but outside it was pitch black and only made Kit continue to clench her hands at her sides.

  She found Levi right where she'd told him to meet her. He had his eyes looking down at a piece of paper that probably had something about the mission on it. He didn't notice Kit until she was standing right in front of him, a smile on her face.

  He looked up, "oh, hello," he laughed, "I didn't hear you, you must be pretty light on your feet." He folded the piece of paper over and tucked it away in his pocket. "You ready?"

  Kit sighed and looked at her feet. "I guess, there's not really much else I can do about it now." She laughed to herself, thinking only about how stupid she was. She'd never thought she'd have to end up going to a place like Philadelphia. "Where's the care we're meant to be taking?"

  "Outside," he nodded his head towards the large front doors. "I parked it down the block last time. Headmistress recommended that I learn how to drive a car because it came in handy with some missions."

  "Okay, I never learnt how to, she said it was an option whether we wanted to or not."

  As soon as they left the school, Kit began feeling that same thing she felt. It was almost as if the shadows were following her, tying around her like an extra soul. Every time she turned around she'd find nothing following her and so she'd turn back only to feel it again.

  "Why do you keep stopping like that?" Levi asked, face a look of confusion as Kit's attention snapped back to reality. They were rounding one last corner, making sure to keep to the path, but even though Kit had Levi, she couldn't help but feel a few shivers occasionally.

  She sighed, not knowing whether he'd fully understand the way her mind functioned. Finally, she decided to tell him. "You know that feeling you get when you're walking alone in the dark and even though you know it's stupid and lame, all you want to do is run home?"

  He just looked at her – not with that what-the-hell-am-I-doing-walking-with-such-a-crazy-girl-? Look, it was more of a look that told her that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

  "You mean that dark shadowy eyes-always-watching-you look?"

  "Exactly! Someone actually understands what I'm saying." She kicked a rock with a slight laugh, watching as it rolled along to hit a metal gate.

  "I've always hated that feeling. All I want to do is run! Even though it seems embarrassing and stupid." And suddenly they were laughing quietly, and it was the only sound audible in the street.

  "Well," Kit finally said, giving off a cheeky smile, "why not just run!?" and she took him by the hand with her feet thundering down the road. He was laughing beside her.

  She felt like a shadow and a lost sou
l fighting though the darkened night. Except this time, everything was lighter.

  *

  After driving for nearly an hour with the rain hitting the windows and the sound of wind ripping through the trees outside, Kit started to feel slightly different. She felt like Sam from The Lord of The Rings just before he left the shire for the first time and now she understood what it was like having to face that.

  Yes, she had read that book several times when she stopped by a library when she'd finished one of her earlier assignments. She'd never read many books that were quite like that.

  "This is the furthest I think I've been, maybe even only half an hour away from Manhattan. They had entered a small town with lots of trees, a small river, a few shops and barely anyone able to fill in the population of the entire town.

  "Same here, I think I had to go two hours away, but never six hours. Should we space out the trip a bit and stop halfway somewhere? Or should we keep going for a full six hours?"

  "Hmm, maybe we should stop. I think you should rest a bit after driving." The traffic hadn't been that bad but the clouds above promised lots of rain, plenty of lightning and shitloads of bad weather. "If we get caught in bad weather we should probably stop somewhere."

  "Good suggestion."

  They drove on in silence.

  "Do you have a favourite book?" he asked a moment later. Kit's eyes rose a bit more and she looked at him from a slight angle. He had his gorgeous blue eyes set on the road, but also had his attention fixed completely on her.

  She never liked talking about her favourite books. It wasn't because she didn't like talking about them it was mainly since her books were hers and no one else would understand them.

  "I do."

  "What's it called?"

  "It's called Wuthering Heights." She looked away and continued to glare at the closing darkness as the sun landed on the perfect spot on the horizon. "I know Headmistress hates us reading mortal books, but I never thought there was anything wrong. It was so interesting. Do you have a favourite book?"