Grey Dawn

by K L Rymer

  Does White suspect Ashley’s double crossing him?

  “Ashley...” White warns, his voice dangerous.

  Ashley hangs his head, giving me a worried glance before he slips out the large black door.

  For the first time in my life, my knees shake. My palms turn clammy and my stomach queasy, and I wonder what the hell’s going on.

  I’ve felt fear before, but not like this. This is something else, the knowledge that I’m in the true presence of evil.

  My uncle was a cruel man, sure, but nowhere as bad as White. Not even close.

  With White, it’s like finding out Father Christmas was really a paedophile. And I’m sorry for the gross comparison, but I couldn’t find anything more fitting.

  The world’s supposed to be made of good and evil forces. Not one evil force, and then another that’s even more twisted, but just pretties itself up to look good.

  Finally, White turns around in my chair, keeping his steady blue gaze on me. We stay that way for a while, and my heart starts to thump.

  Those piercing blue eyes seem to cut deep into my skin, exposing me for all I am.

  “Sit, Misaki, and let’s talk.” He indicates a hand at the chair in front of my desk. Not his desk, my desk.

  Instead, I take a deep breath and step towards the window, giving him a good view of my arse.

  I know he still wants my body. If I’m going to act now and apprehend him, then I need to do it fast.

  I feel his eyes all over me, and I smirk, meeting my reflection in the glass. London spreads out below me, a stark grey jungle.

  The city’s always been a little on the rainy side, but the weather today was something else. It was almost sinister. As if White himself has brought doom to the capital.

  He’d even changed the climate of his own land. That once sunny aura had become a black ominous cloud, and now that same cloud settles over the sky of London.

  “What are you thinking about, Misaki, dear?” He stands to his full height, coming up beside me.

  He towers over me, even in my heels, but I don’t let that intimidate me. I will beat him; I was blessed with this demonic beauty for a reason.

  “I’m just feeling a little sad. All those people out there, not knowing what’s about to hit them. If only we could help them, but alas, there’s no other way.”

  White falls silent, gazing out the window with me. If I’m not mistaken, a flash of regret passes through his eyes, but it vanishes quickly, and he becomes that stoic, god-like creature again.

  “Alas indeed, Miss Black. A shame too. I always did like this city. It has its good and bad parts, but that’s humanity after all. It will never be perfect.”

  I pull a face in the glass. He’s contradicting himself now.

  “Well, not if I can help it. Tomorrow morning, only time will tell. Those who are truly pure and worthy will survive the cleansing. The rest... well, rest in peace.”

  I breathe a theatrical sigh. There’s the White we love and know. Thank goodness. Thought we’d lost him.

  “You’ve been a great help, Misaki. You have truly helped to clear up the Black name and make this world a better place. We will build it right back up from the ground again, a perfect balance of good and evil. Who says we can never be friends?”

  I turn to look at him, batting my eyelashes. “Well, I wouldn’t say never... Friends, sure. But why settle for less when we could be so much more?”

  White meets my eyes now, and they burn with fire. I step closer, taking his pure white tie in my hand.

  I can’t wait to taint it with my dirty Black filth.

  We stare into each other’s eyes. White could really pass for forty. His hair’s still thick and luxurious, and if he shaved, he would look like a model. Even beneath his sparkling white suit, his muscles are clearly defined, and I brush my hand over a hard pec, sighing in satisfaction.

  Just like a Greek god’s...

  He raises a brow, looking me up and down with lustful eyes. “Misaki?”

  I yank his tie and press my mouth to his, and he freezes in shock.

  Good. This is my chance. If I act now, I can finally put a stop to him and save the world.

  We fall back in my chair, and slowly he brings his large hands over my arse, cupping my tight, firm cheeks. I hear a little groan deep in his throat.

  I smirk against his mouth, leaning my hand down to my boot to grab my knife.

  It’s low, I know, but how else am I supposed to beat an angel megalomaniac? That’s what he is, after all. He does it for power, not for the betterment of humanity.

  Hence why he sits in my late uncle’s chair.

  White wants full reign of the world.

  I reach the knife up, and bring it down to his chest, but his hand closes around my wrist. The bone breaks beneath, and I let out a wail.

  Fuck, he knew. Of course he knew, but I don’t give up. I thrust my knee into his nose, and the blood vessels rupture, staining his beautiful suit.

  He throws me against the window, and I hit my head hard. It’s double-glazed, thank god, but one of us is sure to go smashing through the clean glass, and crash into the street below.

  It certainly won’t be me.

  It takes me a moment to get back up, but before I stagger to my feet, White blasts the glass, and it explodes into a million shards.

  I cover my face as the burning glass pelts across the room, and then a cold wind whips my hair around.

  He’s going to send me falling to my death, but not if I send him flying first.

  Get ready to fly, pretty birdie.

  White looks at me with nothing but pity now, and I grind my teeth, readying my fireball, but I’m still too weak to aim. The knock had really put me in a daze.

  His so-called Holiness gives a mock tutting sound, and I snarl, becoming a demon at last. My gold eyes burn my retinas, and a chilling growl reverberates deep in my chest.

  “Such wasted beauty,” he sighs, raising his hand. “But we can’t exist in this ugly world together, dear Misaki. Only one of us can live. From the bottom of my heart, I truly am sorry...”

  He sends out a white blast, and before it hits me, Ashley speeds across the room, knocking me out the way.

  The last thing I see of my teenage crush is his limp body as it goes soaring out the open window.

  “Ashley!”

  My feet move before I can even think, and then I jump out the window after him, spreading my wings.

  The cat-suit rips behind me.

  Just before my hand closes around Ashley’s wrist, White hits me with another blast, and then everything goes black.

  But before I crash to the earth, I call out one last time for help.

  “Eli... wherever you are, please save us. I need you.”

  21. Eli

  Crystal’s something else...

  I watch as she resurrects the forest, turning those blackened trees green once again. The burnt grass sprouts up at her feet, and even daisies pop up, smiling like the sun.

  The weather changes from grey and dismal to a brilliant blue. Then the frozen waterfall shatters, spurting free from its icy prison, and before long life has returned to the forest.

  Whereas I destroy life with my powers, Crystal creates it with just the mere touch of her hand, and I’ve never felt more like a despicable monster.

  What in the world did she ever see in a creature like me?

  She turns to me as I linger in the shadows, stretching out her hand. “Come out now, Eli. It’s safe.”

  A sigh leaves my lips, and I step forward, stopping at the sound of a little cry.

  It sounded like a small child, and Crystal and I gaze around.

  “What was that?” I whisper, unsettled.

  I’ve never heard anything more haunting.

  The cry goes off again, and it’s an animal of some sort, but I’m not well versed enough with wildlife to know.

  Crystal’s blue eyes expand, and then she rushes off into the forest “Dapples!”


  I arch a brow. “What?”

  She doesn’t answer and continues towards the sound, so naturally I follow, meeting her at an ugly chain-link fence.

  I draw a breath when I see the sight on the other side. A group of woodland creatures claw at the horrible wire, desperate to return to the forest, and my heart breaks.

  Poor things... I may be an evil demon, but I hate seeing any creature suffer. This was most likely White’s doing, the evil son of a bitch.

  He was no God, keeping these beautiful animals out of their home.

  The smaller animals dig beneath the fence while the birds fly over, landing themselves on Crystal, but a mother deer and its fawn can’t get through, and that’s when the helpless baby cries again.

  It’s like someone’s squeezing on my heart. Shit, I can’t watch.

  The fawn tries desperately to crawl under the hole the rabbits made, and if it’s not careful, it’s going to injure itself.

  “Dapples!” Crystal cries, trying to keep him out of harm’s way, and I roll my eyes, stepping towards the fence to place my hand on the cool metal wire.

  It melts beneath my palm, creating a hole big enough for the deer to fit through, and then the fawn scampers over to Crystal, jumping into her arms like a puppy.

  It licks her face and she giggles, nuzzling it with her cheek.

  I’ve never seen anything more adorable, and it tugs at the corners of my mouth.

  That was just Crystal, cute as a button. I’m not surprised the animals gravitate towards her. She’s a real-life Snow White.

  Suddenly, I feel several pairs of eyes on me next, and look towards a group of woodland creatures.

  Three rabbits, a red squirrel (I thought they’d gone extinct in the UK), the mother deer, and several birds watch me curiously, and it’s as if they’re trying to figure me out.

  Well, I’m a predator they should stay far, far away from. I’m a threat to herbivores after all.

  Crystal lifts the baby deer and looks my way, grinning ear to ear. “It’s all right, Eli. They won’t hurt you. They’re just curious.”

  “Why are they staring at me?”

  I meet the beady eyes of that little red squirrel and shiver. It’s kind of cute but also creepy, and I start to back away.

  Herbivores my arse. I think this lot want to eat me.

  Crystal laughs, putting a hand behind me, and I meet her shining blue eyes. She seems to really be in her element here.

  “Eli... they mean no harm. The fact they’re mesmerised by you only shows their trust.”

  “Trust in what?”

  “In you, silly. They know you’re not a threat to them. Animals are usually a good judge of character. Here, take Dapples.”

  She passes me the tiny deer, tucking its long, skinny legs beneath my palms to make it more comfortable, and it freezes up in my arms.

  The fawn stares up at me with its huge black eyes, and I can’t look away. It has thick eyelashes and a shiny nose, and I feel myself melting.

  The deer on my father’s land were never this friendly, but that’s probably because they were afraid of the monsters living inside the house. Father had even tried to take me out hunting once, but I never had it in me to shoot. He gave up soon after, telling me I was a disappointment of a son, but what do I care now?

  He’s dead.

  The fawn licks my cheek, and then I do the unexpected. I laugh. The sound carries over the forest, and I don’t even recognise myself anymore, but I hug the deer closer, wishing I had ten more of these cute little bastards.

  I’ll never eat venison again.

  THE COUNCIL CHAMBER fills out, and I feel every single one of White’s loyal followers’ vicious glares.

  It’s as if I’m the evilest creature that ever dared to grace this sweet earth, and if it hadn’t been for adorable little Dapples earlier today, then I probably would have agreed with them too.

  I’ve just always accepted the fact that I’m inherently evil. I was a Black, a demon born child after all.

  What else could I be?

  According to Crystal, the animals of the forest are a good judge of character, so if a bunch of fur balls believe in me, then I do too.

  Yet everyone still gives me evils, and I can’t help but feel sorry for them. White has fed them with so much propaganda. It’s not their fault they’re so blinded by real evil, one that hides behind an immaculate golden beard.

  Lydia Montgomery’s glare is the worst, and if my eyes deceive me, they even seem to glow slightly, making her look demon-born.

  Only Leticia and Leila sit on my side of the table in their new grey robes, while the rest go to Crystal’s side, and I see that Black and White divide.

  A breath leaves my lips, and I shake my head.

  See, it is divide that causes war in the first place.

  Personally, I thought this whole council meeting was an epic waste of time. Crystal and I need to get to London fast and help Misaki. But she wanted to gain the full trust of the council before we made our first attack. Plus, she thought they deserved to know the truth, something I can wholeheartedly agree on.

  If we can take away the last of White’s stronghold, then he would have nothing left. No blind followers, nothing. Just his evil black wings.

  Every single council member can’t take their eyes off Crystal, and it’s no surprise. The girl glows with an ethereal light. A few of them even cry tears of joy, and it’s such a stark contrast to the hate and fear they show me, and a little part of me wriggles with jealousy.

  I’ve never sought love or admiration. In fact, if I’d really wanted it, I could just take it by force like my father always used to.

  But to see Crystal gain it so naturally, it must be a wonderful thing.

  The room finally settles, and my eyes fall on that pile of grey robes in the middle of the table. Leticia and Leila had just finished dying them this afternoon.

  I don’t know what Crystal hopes to achieve. They’d never follow my family’s colour, even a watered down version (grey was just a watered down black after all).

  A few eyes still linger on me, and I keep my gaze on the far wall. Though my upper lip starts to sweat, and I reach up, wiping away a few stipples.

  I’ve never been the type to be so easily intimidated, and I pull on the collar of my robes.

  Crystal sits as cool as a cucumber to my left, and I roll my eyes, wishing I could just bury myself under the table.

  She calls the room to attention, and all eyes fall on her at once. The change is striking.

  How can a whole room go from hateful to loveable?

  “So... I... I guess you’re all curious to know why I’m here. After all... I was dead twelve hours ago.”

  Several murmurs break out across the room, and then a few hostile eyes land on me again, and I just thank god Crystal’s here. They’d tear me limb from limb if they could so much as get their hands on me.

  “No thanks to him...” Lydia hisses, fixing her glowing eyes on me, and she’s not the only one.

  Everyone else does the same, but I meet all those angry faces this time. One by one, they glance away. The only one who doesn’t is Lydia.

  “What do you mean?” Crystal asks, her curiosity getting the better of her. I’d have asked myself but I’m too numb with shock.

  I think I already know the answer.

  Lydia points a polished fingernail in my direction, and the blood rushes hot through my head. “Because he was the one who killed you...”

  I bolt to my feet, knocking the chair behind me, and everyone screams, scrambling out of their seats. Even Leticia grabs her little sister, yanking her away, but the fourteen-year-old stays put.

  She’s the only one beside Crystal who doesn’t move. In fact, she glares at Lydia with as much animosity as I do, even rising to her feet along with me, and I’m grateful for her at that moment. At least someone’s on my side.

  I flash my red eyes then, and more screams ensue. But I only have eyes for Lydia. Not once does
she look away, a tear running down her cheek, and I have to throw my hat off to her.

  Someone has been feeding her porkies, and I’d bet my right kidney that that someone was White.

  Heavy breaths escape my lungs as I stare the woman daggers. I know it’s not her fault she’s been lied to, but the accusation feels like a stab to the heart.

  I’d kill myself before I ever laid a finger on Crystal.

  “I would never...” I say, my voice breaking. “I... I love her... I’d never dream of hurting her...”

  I don’t sound so convincing with my deep, gravelly voice, but I meant every word.

  Lydia sticks to her conviction, but I see she’s breaking. After all, it must be hard to stomach the reality that the man you followed for so many years could be capable of such an atrocious act, and I see it inside every single one of them then. The denial.

  They only want to believe I’m evil, but they know deep down who’s the real enemy. The man who was perfectly content with cleansing millions, and it’s obvious they only follow him out of fear for their own lives and safety, and I vow to myself then that I will kill White personally.

  He’d accused me of hurting someone I love, even when I wasn’t around to defend myself.

  He’s going to fucking hell.

  Crystal cries silent tears beside me. They drip down her cheek, and all I want to do is throw my arms around her, but we have an audience.

  “Lydia...” she whispers, a strain in her usually sweet voice. “My father was the one who killed me. Not Eli.”

  A silence falls over the room. So profound, it’s almost deafening. All of White’s followers sink at her words, and I can’t help but feel sorry for them.

  They look like five-year-olds who just found out that Father Christmas wasn’t real.

  Crystal splutters, choking back a sob, and she shines a little less now. My eyes return to normal as I grab hold of her now, sitting back in my seat. I take her hand, giving it a squeeze, and I feel that magnetic pull running between us.

  “Come on... don’t cry now... it’ll be all right.”

  “I... I can’t believe he... I’m so sorry, Eli...”