Eyloff looked to us and he looked startled, “Wait, what?”
I gave him a run down and his expression went from startled, to angry, to outraged
“How can I fight if I can’t watch the woman? Can I trust you to warn me?” He asked.
“You’re my guardian, and you think honestly I wouldn’t have your back?” I asked him “If it’s that bad depend on Dolphus like I told you, me and him are the only two.”
“I’ll depend on him then.”
“You’re such and ass.”
“Get used to it."
I rolled my eyes then looked back around the corner for Fang and Nixon, when I spotted them; I was nearly mortified by who stood with them, Nixon’s dad and brother Raven, his father held horrified Bliss tightly in his grasp along with Pandora, their mother nowhere to be seen.
“Oh god...” I whispered.
“What’s wrong Raine?” I heard someone ask.
I turned quickly moving towards them “They have Nixon’s little sisters and they’re being held by Raven and his dad... Fang and Nixon are next to them.”
Talon’s entire face turned ashen and his expression held concern, an emotion I didn’t think he was capable of actually having.
“We could grab them all at once but the girls they could kill them in their bare arms, we’d have to get Fang and Nixon then them.” Nickel told me.
“I know...” I stared at my hands and only shook my head “We need to move fa-”
Talon grabbed my arm and pushed me back towards the corner “Get me over there, now.” He practically hissed at me.
I stared at him and saw nothing but anger in his eyes that were now black as night, I knew I couldn’t argue with him right now, and I knew it was because Nixon and his family were in danger - along with everyone else - and he didn’t want the only people I think he’s grown close to harmed.
“Keep your eyes on my back, don’t look anywhere else, follow me and don’t look at anything.” I breathlessly said and took off around the corner, we moved like cats around the corners, weaving slowly through people to the point where we shouldn’t have been noticeable at all.
“In less than an hour, we shall sacrifice our four chosen, and in return take down this place!” Amamai yelled “The blood spilled of a human, a vampire, and enough dhampire blood to equal that of a full grown dhampire!”
I nearly froze hearing that, and I noticed out of my vision that Talon did in fact freeze, I looked back at him and his expression was unreadable but he spoke almost so silently I didn’t hear him, “She doesn’t mean...”
I swallowed hard and stared at my brother then Layre, and the two girls “We have to stop this, Talon.”
“I’m going to rip that so called goddess into pieces and burn them.” He hissed pushing me “Go!”
I moved on and didn’t even bother to be sneaky anymore; we made it to Fang and Nixon, in a minute really with how fast we ran to them, not daring to waste another minute.
I watched Talon move next to me keeping his gaze down and grab Nixon nearly shaking him to death “Snap out of it now!” He nearly screamed, I took hold of Fang turning him towards me and saying his name trying to get his attention, then heard Amamai scream.
“You two! Get those girls away from them, the rest of you, cease them!” She cried.
I felt panic taking over and just as the others began to charge towards us, Fang’s hand lashed out grabbing a vampire who stood behind me “What, in the name of the gods, is going on!” Fang growled.
Nixon appeared quickly, throwing two vampires off to the side and I pulled my sword up, turning and shouting out for Dolphus and the others as I started fending off guards.
A demon smiled in front of me, a sickly smile, he was too pale looking with eyes that had no pupils, no irises, nothing. They were entirely black and within a second of looking at him I fell to the ground choking on the air that I seemed to lack now.
I clawed frantically at my throat as it began closing feeling as if someone were choking me with their own arms, I thought I was going to pass out, die maybe until the air rushed back into me and I began coughing, Nickel was next to me looking worriedly.
“This is bad,” He murmured “Demons, vampires, half demons, hell dhampire’s.” He helped me up and looked at me “You realize us demons, have magic.”
I nodded “Try to pinpoint the demon’s, does fang have magic?” I asked him
“Some, he’s got enough to knock a few out.”
I grabbed tightly onto my blade and looked for the goddess and my brother, and the others now “What can we do, if we can’t kill them?”
“Maneuver around them, get to the source.” He said.
Talon ended up by me his eyes still the deep black color they were before “Think you can get me and Nickel up to Amamai?” He asked.
“I believe so.” I said and looked for her then spotted her slim figure, dragging Layre by her hair “There! Follow me.” I took off without wasting a second, beating my way around bodies, only focusing on the goddess. I snorted to myself recalling that she was in fact just that, a goddess, she was more of a nightmare to me, she belonged in hell.
“Dead ahead don’t look up!” I shouted.
Talon brushed past me at a speed my eyes couldn’t even follow, he went straight to the girls and I saw Amamai drop Layre, moving towards Talon, I yelled something that my brain didn’t even comprehend and hear, but whatever it was, Amamai stopped in her tracks and stared at me, smiling wickedly.
Nickel took off flying past me towards Layre and Tom, and I stared Amamai down, moving closer to her with each step.
“Don’t tell me, you are what they sent to kill us off?” She laughed “This is priceless, a weak human girl!”
I snarled at her and swung out my arm, she tried to move but the ribbon of blood welling from her shoulder told me she wasn’t quiet fast enough, and she stared at the cut for a moment before her lips curled up into a wicked smile that sent chills down my spine.
“You’ve got nerve girl.” She hissed “But, nerve only lands you in your death bed with me.”
“I’ll only take you down with me.” I smiled.
She laughed and then lunged at me, her nails looked all too sharp suddenly, and her own beauty nearly dissolving before my eyes into something so beautiful that it was actually disturbing and frightening.
I flew back, landing with an impact so hard into the ground that I cried out, her nails had dug deeply into my right arm and I lost the grip on my sword that now laid a good three feet away, she was standing up walking towards me.
“Stupid mortal.” she said laughing
I sat up struggling to get to my feet as I quickly moved for my sword, only to get kicked in the ribs, it felt like a car had hit me and I swear I flew back five feet if not more, she was a good distance away now though she was still coming for me, I got to my knees and began to push myself up, ignoring the searing pain and looking for something to use for a weapon.
“What, not going to fight me? How terribly boring.”
“Fight you? Without a weapon?” I called out, “That’s a bit unfair for a mortal.”
“I don’t like being fair, takes all the fun out of everything.” her voice was like a chime through the air, though I could still hear the fight going on around us, the clanging of metal, the screams of people, I noticed quickly that the people from inside no longer were there, but scattered around out here; either running for their homes or fighting.
I saw a sword and went to grab it only, I had looked around too long and Amamai was at me again, her cool hand wrapping around my throat from behind, her nails digging deeply into my fragile flesh as she held me up, I began kicking out unable to yell or speak, my hands clawing desperately at her hand, and she only laughed.
“It’s not a good thing to play with mortals, but it’s so fun, you’ll be fun to kill.” She cooed in my ear “I’ll start by cutting up that pretty little face of yours, then I’ll cut out that delightful tongue of
yours, maybe I’ll get Maldre to help, what do you think? Then we can keep you alive for hou-” She cut off and let out a shriek, and I noticed the cold sting of metal against the back of my knee.
She dropped me and it sliced up the back of my leg before I hit the ground and could turn to see what happened, A sword was sank through her stomach, and was making her white dress turn to a ugly crimson red color.
The sword pulled back out and came down on her arm making her cry out again before she moved away. “I’ll kill all of you for this.” She hissed and disappeared through the now dropping crowd of guards, they fell like flies to the ground, released from her spell, and others stood around dazed watching as they fell.
I looked up to see who had done her the blow, and saw Nixon panting heavily looking down at me, his eyes were a bright red color, matching that of the blood now dripping off his sword, his eyes met mine and he dropped the sword moving over to me quickly, looking me over.
“Raine? Are you ok?” He asked.
I only nodded feeling the sudden blast of pain that rocked my body, I tensed and probably winced from it and knew that he didn’t miss a beat at all; instead he looked even more worriedly at me.
“What - about - your sisters?” I asked each word I had to pause on gasping from the pain and hard time I was having with breathing “Raven? Your father?”
He looked at me holding up a hand “They’re fine, but I’m your guardian, I can’t worry about them and not you first, you’re my duty.”
I looked horrified as I stared at him unable to speak from loss of words and the pain that only grew worse, I just wanted to curl up into a ball and see if I could fall asleep and get rid of the pain, and apparently my body agreed with me since pain rocked my body again as Nixon shook my shoulder and spoke “Do not fall asleep Raine!”
I stared at him through half open eyes, and then felt him lift me up flying through the crowds of people, he kept saying my name as I began to fall into unconsciousness, only able to stay awake cause of him, my body was actually numb now, but I was so tired, it was hard to stay awake like he wanted me to.
‘Why can’t I sleep?’ I thought over and over wanting to ask him
I buried my face against his chest, letting my eyes close slowly again, only this time he didn’t notice and I let the darkness take over.
The Change
It was October fifteenth, my sixteenth birthday, a day that was supposed to be great and happy and something amazing for me, only it wasn't.
Since I had woke up I felt sick to my stomach once it faded I had a series of headaches and that was when I was at home getting ready for school, ever since I had got here, to the school I've been dizzy and angst, even my best friend Greg can't stand to be near me more than a few minutes today, and on top of it, I was late for history class.
I let out a grunt before slipping away into the girl’s bathroom that was where things only seemed to get worse.
I looked at myself in the mirror I was dreadful looking, tangled dirty blond hair, circles under my green eyes, my already pale flesh looking deathly pale, I wanted to start crying.
I looked utterly sickening. I slammed my fist down on the sink and let out a strained scream only low enough for anyone in the bathroom to hear, and that's when I saw it, I looked up in the mirror and I was on fire, literally on fire.
I started patting down the flames on my shoulders before my hair caught fire then my pants I hurriedly patted the spots out but when the fire in my hair was gone and clothes, I was shocked to find no damage - not burnt ends of hair, no burnt clothes anything, but my eyes.
My eyes were an unnatural orange color. I covered my mouth with my hands whimpering slightly as I backed away shaking my head and running out of the bathroom, I kept my head down and ran down the hall as fast as I could trying to find the stairs and the closest exit to the building.
My feet kept moving without my mind working as I ran down a flight of stairs, once I hit the flat surface again I kept going until I had slammed into something, no someone.
I stared wide eyed at Greg who was staring back at me his black hair was wet as if he just dunked his head in the sink, and his blue eyes swum with worry, wait no, his eyes they were never blue before, and was that color blue even normal?
I stared at him as he stared at me his mouth working but no sound coming from it as he grabbed my arm tugging me towards a set of double doors and out to the hallway to an exit.
"Hey you two, you know you should be in class!" I heard the security guard calling as we kept going "Hey!" He shouted again as we slipped out the exit and ran as fast as we could towards an ally and sat down where finally he actually spoke.
"So I'm not alone?" He asked silently staring down at the ground.
"W-What's going on Greg?" I asked shaking visibly as he moved over coiling an arm around me to try to suppress it.
"I think we're one of them." He said sitting back a little his lips twisting into a thin line of a grimace.
"You, you mean them, as in the people at that special school?" I asked in our day and age, it was normal for some students in various schools to come of age and develop powers, in which you were sent there, and lived away from those you once, knew even your parents.
It was normal in our small town, but anywhere else in the US it was almost unheard of, unbelieved in this society, there's just some things in life that are real that you would think aren't and this is one.
The thought that I may be something like that frightened me, but if Greg was too I wouldn't be alone.
He looked at me sadly then looked up his eyes were his normal brown, filled with worry and sadness, he placed a hand on my face then stood up holding a hand out to me "We should get home and pack, I'll go with you to your place and help, we can break it to your mom slowly, and then we can head for my place," He paused taking in a breath "That way we can both be there for one another."
I nodded grabbing his hand pulling myself up nearly falling into him as he steadied me, then pushed some of my hair from my shoulder and frowned a bit I knew what he saw.
I was marked, I wasn't just seeing things or going crazy I was one, I was marked with the sign of the gifted, a small intricate symbol that had grown over the past year that I thought nothing of.
"I guess everyone that’s got these are in different places and look different as well then." He said before pulling up his sleeve showing a small design on his left arm, it was what almost looked like vines twisting and turning before turning into intricate designs that almost made their own pictures in his skin.
"It's been growing more and more, since two years ago actually, I thought, if I wasn't taken in then that it obviously was nothing."
I smiled at him sadly as he just nodded and turned walking with his hands in his pockets, we were always an odd pair to see walking together, the scrawny short cheerleader looking girl with the tall dark haired bad boy looking man.
He was dressed in a black shirt with one of his favorite bands on it like usual, today it was Alesana, a leather jacket was clad over top of it with a pair of tight looking jeans gripping his legs, he was muscular looking but not the wrestling guy type he was more, unnoticeable muscular, his black hair went down the nape of his neck, usually when it was dry it was shaggy looking and fit around his face in layers, his bangs just barely covering his eyes when they fell.
Whereas I was only tall enough to come up to almost the tops of his shoulders, my blonde hair usually straight or tied back in a ponytail hanging on my shoulder, my eyes always were traced with eyeliner and my lips clad with gloss.
Today was the only day I had gone without it, I was in a pair of tight faded blue jeans with high-top purple shoes, with an off the shoulder lilac sweater and black tank top underneath.
The nearer we grew to my house the bigger the knot in my stomach grew, Greg shoved his shoulder into mine lightly looking at me whispering it'd be fine as we finally reached my house.
I stood at the steps just staring at the door,
I couldn't get my legs to move until he had to pull me with him opening the door and walking inside dragging me in as well.
"Mrs. Kenton." He called before my mother came around the corner looking at us confused and almost sad.
She was a middle-aged single mother; her brown hair was showing signs of grey everywhere the lines around her eyes showed her age, and her tiredness, she worked hard, too hard.
She was thin and a bit underweight, but her blue eyes; they were full of life when she looked at me usually. She herself always acted like a child it was just her, and I loved her all too much for it.
"Gregory, MichKayla." She said before pressing her lips together, "What is it dear?" She asked.
"Mom...” I whispered before throwing myself into her arms and holding onto her tightly before crying into her shoulder, she froze then wrapped her arms around me then spoke "What's going on? What happened?"
Greg shuffled then I heard him sigh "We're marked." He whispered.
"M-Marked? My baby girl?" My mom asked her voice cracking as she pulled my back smoothing my hair down staring at me with the same matching blue eyes as my own, all I could do was nod.
"Oh. Oh god, my poor baby." She said hugging my tightly before letting out a strangled breath "Well, this, this means we have to get you ready to go right?" She asked.
Greg mumbled a yes before shuffling again my mother let her left arm rise and pull him towards her, her hand laid against his pale cheek as she rubbed her thumb against it.
"Don't worry; it'll be good for you getting away from them." She whispered then let go of us both "Well I'll get your clothes from the wash and pack them, Greg can help you get some things from upstairs then we can have a quick talk about what we'll do." She said rushing us off.
I smiled weakly at her and turned to walk towards the stairs climbing them and going into my room, Greg was right behind me laughing softly as he walked in "You know it’s weird being able to walk in a girl’s room and nearly call it home." He said.
I raised my eyebrows then laughed a little bit "I guess we did spend most of our childhood in this room didn't we?"
The Darker Side: Short Stories Page 6