by Lady Lilium
Chapter One
One More
The girl glanced round nervously; wondering that someone was following her. Like a fox leaving a trail for hounds that were near. Nowhere was she feel truly safe, because of what she was.
Her pure white hair lifted as she turned and continued to run. Her matching white dress trailed after her in a ghostly fashion as her bare feet slapped with every step upon the pavement. Always she was searching around her for signs of danger, warnings that her pursuers were nearby. Her grey eyes never rested.
She would run until she found somewhere to hide. Then run again, before she stayed too long in one place and risked being caught.
As was her life. Because of what she was.
The woman slammed the door. Hoisting the strap of her handbag up her shoulder she stormed away down the stairs.
From inside the apartment silence ensued. Lucas aged nineteen stood just inside staring at the closed door. There were sudden hurried footsteps approaching from behind. His brother Reuben burst into the room, two years younger. Similar in appearance to his brother, with the same jet black hair swept back and pretty blue eyes. They were both very handsome.
‘What is it? What’s happened?’
‘She’s gone’ Lucas replied calmly.
‘What, again?’
‘Yeah.’
Lucas fidgeted on the spot, sticking his hands into his pockets, shoulders slumped.
‘What set her off this time?’
‘Just the usual’ Lucas replied ‘…nothing.’
His tone was weary.
‘Well…what do we do now?’ Reuben asked
There was a pause.
‘Lucas?’
Lucas looked back at his brother with a devilish glint in his eye.
‘I say we make some fun.’
Drake leant forwards on the desk with a huff, listening to the teacher drone on and on about something he had long since lost interest in. It was chemistry, a subject he usually enjoyed, however lately it had become more and more tedious for him. Now the lessons just dragged.
Drake was an ambitious adolescent nearing twenty, soon to leave the comfortable routine that college offered him. He looked forward to this, and his dreams were big. But nothing his teachers or his career advisors offered him was appealing, and he had yet to find something he wished to pursue. For he had skills that others hadn’t, skills he wished to use. If only he knew where.
Drake watched the teacher moving his lips and walking back and forth before the class, waving his arms around as he talked as he always did. Drake found himself wondering then, if he tied the man’s arms to his side, would he still be able to talk? His eyes drifted out of focus, as did his thoughts. He snapped back seconds later when the teacher suddenly raised his voice in enthusiasm about a particular point he was making. His lecturer was a fat balding man with glasses, friendly enough, if not a little annoying at times. The other students seemed to be paying more attention; they had their books and pencil cases out and about their desks. The exams were not far off, and most were listening eagerly, save for two girls who were whispering and passing notes.
Drake sighed again, beginning to fiddle with the studs and chains on his leather bracelet. He then checked himself in the reflection in the window beside him, flicking back his light brown hair and admiring his own handsome features. He sighed again, before returning to the doodling in his book. Naturally good at art though not interested in taking it on as a subject, now he added the finishing touches to his picture. A large breasted woman fighting with a sort of giant sea serpent, her hair sweeping dramatically back and spear thrust out at the serpent in mid lunge, its jaws gaping.
‘He’s up there’ Lucas said.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Positive.’
‘How do you even know his timetable?’ Reuben asked, climbing up on his brother’s shoulders.
‘I just know ok’ Lucas retorted, rising from his kneeling position to a wobbling stand.
‘Stand still’ Reuben hissed. ‘Get closer to the wall.’
Lucas did so, stumbling as he struggled to keep his brother straight and balanced as he held onto his shins. He gave a cheeky grin through the window they stood before to the classroom inside. Many of the students had noticed them, and more were turning to glance curiously their way.
‘Alright up there?’ Lucas asked, diverting his attention back to his brother.
‘Yeah’ his brother called back.
Inside the classroom on the second level, Drake had seemed to have suddenly noticed something drawn on the table. He glanced up at the teacher; then lifted his pencil, contributing to it.
Outside, Reuben fell against the wall, using it to balance himself better.
‘Can you see him?’ his Lucas asked from below.
Reuben craned his head further.
‘Got him.’
Lucas brought out a tiny metal ball from his pocket.
‘Here.’
He threw it up to Reuben who caught it swiftly. Reuben held it carefully in one hand as he tapped on the glass lightly.
Drake was distracted from his graffiti by a tapping noise. He glanced around to see the top of someone’s head at the bottom of the window, with light blue eyes staring back at him.
He looked forward again. The teacher had his back turned.
Still facing ahead Drake leaned to the side and slowly flicked the latch, pulling the window up by a tiny fraction. Drake silently took the small device Reuben handed him and leant back in his chair, trying his best to look inconspicuous. The teacher was still distracted. Standing on his tiptoes to write on the very top of the white board, book in one hand; pen in the other. Most of the rest of the class were paying attention to the teacher, Drake felt grateful that the whispering girls were distracted too. He quickly wrote a note upon his desk, and then turned his attention to the thing Reuben had handed him.
Drake fingered the device in his hand. It was a curious thing, one of Lucas’s own personal creations, for he had many. Many hours Lucas had sat in his room tinkering with toys of scrap metal and his mysterious powers and brilliant mind. And this was the result. A sphere in shape, it had many shallow ridges and grooves running upon it. Drake turned it over. It had what looked like tiny screw heads protruding out from the surface. He tweaked one of these; then sent it rolling across the classroom.
‘…and so the hydrogen bonds in water act unusually.’
The ball rolled under the teacher’s desk. There was a second’s delay, and then it exploded.
The entire class jumped in shock, coughing as the thick purple smoke enveloped the entire front of the classroom. Like a typical smoke bomb, very effective and just as fun as the last one.
By the time the smoke cleared enough for the teacher to realise one of his students were missing, Drake was already long gone.
The lecturer approached the empty chair, and saw the writing on the desk, next to the picture of a man with wings newly added.
Go to work, Go to school, Come home
Obey the law, Pay tax, Eat chips
CCTV
I am free
Running and laughing as they went, Drake raced the brothers out of the grounds of the college, feet pounding on the smooth grass in huge strides. It was far too lovely a day today to be trapped inside. Outside the gates of the college the streets of the town were busy, and people turned their heads as the three sprinted past them. Taking the shortest route from the college they cut across the streets, leaping over railing and darting across traffic causing strife as they went. The three were able to cover huge distances within mere minutes. Jumping impossibly high jumps rolling and running they carried on. They knew the streets well, had been born here, rais
ed here.
It was their home.
They reached the edges of the town, where the buildings became fewer and more spread out. Now there were mostly just homes and a few corner shops. But they kept going.
About half a mile or so beyond the homes and past an industrial estate, was an abandoned building. It had been empty for many years now, and was secured by a chain link fence that ran all the way round. This used to be an old hotel, but the owners had run out of money and the building was never finished. It was just a structure of brick and stone now, the only part of the building that seemed in any sense recognisable as a hotel was the reception at the front. There was a faded red carpet on a finished floor and a half-oval desk in the middle, with little else within the smooth walls.
There was the smallest gap in the fence outside. Lucas glanced about them cautiously as he pulled back the chain links, making the hole big enough to crawl through. Reuben went in first, scrabbling through the dirt as he squeezed through the gap. Drake followed next, holding back the fence for Lucas to follow after him.
The building was the perfect place for what they planned to use it for, however it was dangerous. Drug dealers and criminal gangs often chose this as their favourite spot, and very occasionally the homeless. Though they stayed no longer than they had to, and only if it was quiet. It was said by some that people had been killed here, and it was said by others that there were bodies hidden in the area. Lucas had scoffed at this, dismissing it as nothing more than an urban legend. The hotel was well known of, and people liked to fabricate all kinds of crazy fairy-tales about it, including those that said it was haunted. It was rarely visited by ordinary people. However, the three that entered it now, were far from ordinary.
‘Check the area’ Lucas whispered to the others as they drew closer, quietening their footsteps. ‘I’ll go in first, you two scan around the building, and be careful of the windows. Someone may be looking out.’
Reuben and Drake nodded seriously. The three had visited this place often, yet it had become no safer for them. On one occasion several months back, Lucas had rounded a corner within the hotel and been jumped. The man that attacked had seriously injured Lucas, catching him by surprise. Had his brother not been there, Lucas would likely have been killed.
It took only minutes to search though every room, and once the three had determined the building was truly empty, they relaxed slightly.
It was filthy here, the typical used needles and fag ends lay about in many of the rooms amongst other rubbish, even the occasional empty bullet cartridge could be found. The three made their way up to one of the higher levels and situated themselves in the largest room they could find, the one they were most used to. It was cleaner than the others, being brighter and more open. The sun in the sky was in the correct position to give them plenty of light while they worked. The floors were mere concrete and the edges of the open windows were sharp with brick and cement. It was chilly here, most of the building shut out the heat from the sun, yet the open windows and doorways let in the wind. Its howling could be heard throughout.
‘Are you ready?’ Reuben asked Drake.
‘Sure am.’
Lucas situated himself in the usual position by the window and gazed outwards, scanning the environment.
The two took their positions on opposite ends of the room and readied themselves.
‘Do you want to go first?’ Reuben asked.
Drake cracked his knuckles eagerly in anticipation, sneering at Reuben smugly. He stepped back, making a flourishing movement with his hand. A dark light fell around him.
Magic.
He became shrouded in a dark purple shadow. Long metallic poles of dark metal criss-crossed before him forming a sort of barrier. These metallic things were blunt at one end, and pointed at the other, their sharp ends jutted backwards in a sort of cruel angular hook. They levitated in the air around him, hovering up and down gently.
A flicker of a grin crossed Reuben’s face. He thought; then cast his own hand out.
From the ground at his feet lifted great vines, like the wide stems of huge deformed brambles, they twisted and curved in unnatural ways. They very slowly grew towards Drake, curling round themselves and twisting back they writhed, like their own existence caused them pain. They lifted up; touching the barrier Drake had created. Their contact created a series of flashing lights, a zapping sound, like an electrical current.
Lucas meandered around the pair and into the other room.
The vines drew back suddenly as if they had been struck. Calmly they crept forwards again. They were freakish; their relaxed persistent demeanour was almost frightening.
Lucas returned to the room and resumed his stance by the window again.
The metallic stakes lifted higher in the air, lowered again. They shot suddenly straight towards the vines, spinning so fast in the air that they became blurs. Screeching a high pitched sound so horrific it curdled the blood. The vines were struck, and faded out of existence with nothing more than a sigh.
Reuben stared coolly back at Drake, and summoned his next spell.
Lauralie was sitting cross-legged on the college grounds reading. She was learning about Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. She found psychology to be a very interesting subject, and one she was very good at. Lauralie was a very pretty girl, born with natural beauty. She had thick wavy ginger hair tied into pigtails, a rounded face, blue eyes and luscious lips. She dressed tastefully, yet modestly. But no matter what she wore, she always drew attention, from both genders.
It was an all around pleasant day, and the grass she sat on was dry and comfortable. The only distraction now being the small group not far away from her playing Frisbee and water pistol, a girl screamed as she was sprayed with water by her boyfriend. She stormed over and hit him on the shoulder when he complained he didn’t do it.
Lauralie turned the page, trying her best to ignore their racket. Her friends were in their classes now, some had gone home; she had decided to stay here. College was a place she really liked, her secondary school had been a bad experience, but here people were nice.
She closed the book as she heard a throng of people jostling out of the buildings. Lessons had ended now, and the more eager ones ran out of the grounds, some jumping on skateboards. Lauralie slung her bag over her shoulder and joined the people as the majority walked calmly towards the gates.
From behind her someone watched; a male character dressed in black and startling red. His leather trousers were red, falling over pointed leather boots that had a slight heel. The rest of him was dressed in leather, and he had black hair spiked forwards. He had a slim angular face of perfect proportion and an appearance that would make most girls swoon. Everything about him screamed confidence and a large ego.
He stalked up behind her.
‘Oh my goodness!’ Lauralie jumped.
‘Hey there.’
‘Jacob! You scared the life out of me.’
She took steady breaths to calm her speeding heart while Jacob took up a pose before her, hands on hips.
‘Well that was not my intention of course.’ He flashed her his most charming smile.
She frowned at him.
‘Say’ he began casually. ‘How do you feel about going out to see a film tonight?’
‘With you?’ Lauralie asked dubiously.
‘Uh, yeah?’
‘Sorry, I'm busy.’
‘You said that last time.’
‘And I’ll say it next time.’
She walked past him. He rushed after her, falling into step by her side, walking with his hands in his pockets.
‘You might enjoy yourself’ he said.
‘I might not.’
‘You won’t know until you try.’
‘I suppose you're right.’
‘So you’ll come with me?’
‘No.’
He sighed and made a noise of irritation.
‘I have to go now’ Lauralie said picking up her pace.
‘Where are you going?’ he asked looking suddenly and unnecessarily alarmed.
‘Nowhere in particular.’ She waved him away. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow’ she beamed teasingly.
‘I’ll keep trying’ he called after her slowing to a stop. He slumped his shoulders in disappointment, unable to think of any other reason he had to follow her, and cursing himself for it.
‘Good luck!’ she called back merrily, turning from him and jogging away.
A seeping mass of gold light grew out of thin air, growing brighter. It was so bright that Drake was forced to shield his eyes. It shot towards Drake, rolling like waves in the ocean and completely shattering the defence Drake had created. The light fell.
‘Alright’ Drake soothed, ‘I guess its hand to hand then.’
‘I guess it is’ Reuben smiled back.
Drake walked forwards, arms open, almost in a welcoming manner. Reuben curled his fists ready to strike.
‘Hold it!’ Lucas suddenly hissed.
The fire in Reuben’s palms went out.
‘What is it?’ he asked nervously.
Lucas craned his neck. He spied a figure a distance away entering the grounds. She pulled back a section of the fence and clambered through.
Reuben and Drake came to the window.
‘It’s Lauralie’ Drake said as he recognised her.
‘Dammit’ Lucas hissed, ‘I told her not to come here. Doesn’t she know it’s dangerous?’
‘She must have known we’d be here’ Reuben said.
‘No’ Lucas retorted, ‘she’s guessing. She has no idea whether or not we would be here today. How many times does she come here when we’re not?’
Drake slunk away from the window, sighing with disappointment that their games had been interrupted. ‘I guess we’d better go meet her.’
They descended the stairs, meeting her at the reception as she was entering the building.
