***
Downstairs K went into the room to check on Jarod and Jaron who were nailing the last of the crates closed. She stood in the doorway silently for a few moments watching the two of them work together, until finally Jarod caught notice of her. “Is everything ready?” she asked as she proceeded into the room.
“I believe so,” Jaron replied, while Jarod lifted the crate and made his way past her to place it by the back door. Once he had it situated amongst the others, he came back into the room and headed straight for the closet. Pulling out his bag and jacket, he proceeded to apply the various layers of gear that had become his trademark over the years.
He was about done when Dirik walked in, and catching sight of him decked out in black once again, shook his head. “There is something about all that black leather that scares the hell out of me.”
“Good, it’s serving its purpose then,” Jarod said as he pulled on the last glove. “Anyway, shouldn’t you be packing or better yet sleeping?”
“I’m done packing,” he said as he continued inside. Once he came closer, they could see he was carrying something in his arms, “but I wanted to give K something before I went to sleep. I forgot I even had it until we started going through our stuff.”
He walked toward her cautiously and handed her a neatly folded black coat. “It even has a hood, to hide your hair,” he explained as she unfolded it and slipped it on. It fit her like it was made for her, hugging her narrow curves perfectly as it flowed down to her knees.
“I love it, but where did it come from?” K asked as she pulled the fur-lined hood up over her head.
“He stole it,” Jarod said casually from behind her, steadily lining his pocket with various items from his bag.
Dirik turned on him. “I did not!” But after a side glance from Jarod, he huffed, “Okay, I stole it. But it was from the patrol station, everything in that place is already stolen anyway.”
“Thank you,” K said, her lips quirking at the banter, “but I would prefer it if you didn’t steal anymore, your luck can only last so long.”
Dirik puffed out his chest with a smug grin. “It’s not luck, its skill,” and with that he turned and marched out of the room, head held high.
Jaron sighed, “Cocky little guy isn’t he.”
“He has every right to be,” Jarod admitted, watching him bounce back up the stairs. “I have never seen anyone who could pull off robbing a patrol station, much less on a weekly basis. Kid’s got talent and one that will likely come in handy in the days that come.”
“Perhaps so, but he is still so young and has a lot left to learn. Anyway, back to business, are we ready?” K asked as she worked to button up the jacket.
“Not quite yet,” Jaron answered. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an ornate pair of thin, flat blades and handed them to her. “I brought you something, too.”
K’s face lit up. “You kept them,” she exclaimed, taking the blades from his hand and removing her hood. She worked swiftly to twist her long white locks into a bun, then inserted the two blades, one on each side, to secure it. “Now that is more like it,” she said, feeling to check that all was in place.
“Well, let’s be off then.” Jarod headed toward the door, and called back to Jaron, “We will be back in a few hours, this shouldn’t take long.”
Jaron nodded. “I will finish up things here.”
Stepping out into the night, K’s attention was immediately drawn to the sky, and the stairs shining brightly against the blanket of darkness. “I haven’t seen the sky in so long,” she murmured longingly, studying it closely as if to verify all the stars were still where she had left them. “Let’s go to the rooftops.”
“Are you sure you are ready for that?” But no sooner had he the words cleared his mouth than she had leapt to the roof of the building next door to the clinic.
“Oh yeah, I am going to enjoy this,” Jarod commented leaping up after her. It had been a long time since he had worked with someone who could not only keep up with him, but that actually might give him a challenge.
The two of them worked their way across town, moving silently from rooftop to rooftop, stopping from time to time to give K a chance to rest. Normally such an excursion would be no more strenuous than walking across the road, however her weakened state was causing her to wear out much more quickly. Sticking to the roofs, they managed to avoid the patrols that were out in unusually large numbers on the streets below. They were halfway across town when K stopped suddenly, peering over the edge of a roof to the street below. “I think we have one,” she said with a wicked smile.
“Who?” Jarod scanned around, spotting a seemingly ordinary Terrian walking below. “Him?” He studied the man as he walked away, from the clothes he was wearing and the way he carried himself, not to mention the fact he was out past curfew, Jarod figured he was a man of money and power, most likely a supervisor of some kind. “Any reason why? He doesn’t appear to be anything special, a piece of shit supervisor, sure, but no worse a criminal than the rest of them.”
“That’s because you are looking with your eyes,” she stated coldly, her intensity somewhat frightening. “Close your eyes and see him with your mind, hear his thoughts.”
“I don’t have your abilities, I don’t read minds,” Jarod argued.
Pale blue eyes turned and glared at him, effectively shutting him up. “You are capable of much more than you know. How do you think it is you always know things about the people you have never met before, like who the other members of their family are, their names, whether or not they are innocent? You have been using this ability for years, now it is time to learn how to control it, to focus in on the information you seek. Now, shut your eyes and your mouth, so you can open your mind.”
Still doubtful but knowing better than to argue, Jarod obeyed and closed his eyes as K continued to direct him, “Now relax and focus. Open your mind to the world around you and you should be able to hear what he is thinking.”
Jarod relaxed. However, he couldn’t hear anything except an alley cat screeching and a couple arguing in the house below. Beginning to get frustrated, he was about to give up when he heard a distant voice speaking in his mind, “I’ll show her, that bitch. She’ll think twice before she refuses me again.” Startled, Jarod opened his eyes and look around, but he and K were still alone on the roof. He closed his eyes again, but this time instead of a voice, a vision of the man on the street came to him. The man was inside a house with a young woman, screaming and beating the poor girl until her small body could take no more. He opened his eyes and looked to K in disbelief. “Was that real?”
K watched the man, completely oblivious of their presence, as he continued winding his way up the street. “It was a glimpse at his intentions; we can follow and see if he has the nerve to go through with it.”
Jarod nodded and they pursued the man as he continued through the narrow roads, finally stopping in front of a small house. There he stood staring while the two of them watched and waited for nearly half an hour. Jarod had decided he had lost his nerve when he finally made a move for the door. He didn’t even notice K had left his side until he saw her grab ahold of the man before he could knock and drag him into the alley behind the house.
Jarod smirked, jumping to the ground below. “I knew this would be fun.”
Turning the corner to the alley, he found K holding the man pinned against the wall. He was wiggling like a worm in her grasp and cussing various obscenities at K until he spotted Jarod standing behind her. “The Enforcer, good, this bitch has broken curfew and attacked me. I demand you arrest her.”
“Demand? No, I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he replied, casually leaning against the wall. “You see, technically I’m not even here, and if I was, your neck would have already been snapped for that little remark. But seeing as I am in a forgiving mood, I think I will just stand here and allow her to deal with you instead. Oh, and if I was you I wouldn’t call her a bitch, I don’t think s
he likes it.”
“I don’t care what she wants to be called, she is a Full-blood,” he yelled.
K removed her hood, catching her prey’s attention. Wide eyed and pale, his confidence abandoned him. “S-she isn’t a-a Full-blood.” Realizing his fate, he was about to scream for help when K covered his mouth and shook her head. In a flash she sank her teeth deep into his neck while Jarod stood back and watched. She made quick work of him, draining every last bit of blood, and allowing his lifeless body to fall to the ground.
Jarod walked over, picked up the body, and tossed him over one shoulder like a bag of potatoes. “I know where we can get rid of this,” he offered, turning to talk to K. Yet as they were about to ascend back to the rooftops, a young Terrian patrol rounded the corner. He froze, gawking first at Jarod holding the limp body, then shifting his attention to K and her shining white hair, he turned on a heal to take off. He made it only two steps before K grabbed him from behind and dragged him back into the alley.
“If you want to live to see another day, you will remain silent, do you understand?” she asked, slamming him into the wall, and he nodded as panic filled his eyes. She held him there with ease; hand around his neck, studying him carefully. “You are a good man and I do not wish to harm you, but if you continue to do this job, you will be forced to do things you know aren’t right.” She placed two fingers of her free hand against his temple. “So you will listen to me,” she demanded as her eyes locked with his, immediately his struggling ceased, “you will leave this job, take your family, and move them to a safer place before it is too late. You will remember nothing about what you have seen in this alley or any of this conversation, do you understand?”
The patrol nodded his head slowly, his eyes still locked with K’s. Gently she set him back onto the ground, dusted off his coat, and observed him as he walked away slowly. Jarod watched intrigued, “What did you do to him?”
“I helped him make the right decision. But we should go before another one comes, I have a feeling he was a rarity amongst these patrols.” K jumped on the roof nearby, Jarod right behind her. “Where are we going? I will follow you,” she said as he cleared the roof with the body.
“We will go to the factory. They keep a furnace burning around the clock to help forge the materials for the road. It is hot enough to incinerate him completely.”
K nodded and they took off back across the roofs. They made it to the other side of town in great time, spotting the factory in the distance. With the fresh blood coursing through her veins, K moved much quicker than before and was no longer requiring breaks to rest and recover. Once at the factory, they followed the continuous plume of black smoke until they came to the large stack of the furnace. Being so late at night, there was hardly anyone around to witness as they climbed their way to the top and dropped the corpse into the inferno below.
“Did you not intend on feeding tonight?” K asked as they stood looking down into the stack after the body.
“No, I am not supposed to feed outside the Tower, and if I do they will know. Besides, there is no telling what plans they have for me on my return tomorrow, so it is better if I wait. Some things are more easily tolerated on an empty stomach.” K appeared to be perturbed by what he had told her, but said nothing. Below them came a sound and they ducked out of sight in time to see a group on security patrol walk by.
“Well, shall we pay the Full-blood a visit then?” K asked, watching the group as they disappeared into the distance.
“Of course, follow me I know where his house is,” Jarod answered, jumping down and darting to nearest building.
As they neared the housing district where the Full-bloods were forced to live, it became increasingly more difficult to travel. The roofs in the area were thin, so much so that they began to buckle underneath Jarod’s weight. When one abandoned house nearly collapsed through with him, Jarod became worried, and decided it might be best if he returned to the ground.
“I will have to continue below, these houses won’t support my weight.”
K surveyed the street and the patrols that littered them. “No, you wait over there where they can’t see you, I will continue on alone. Just point me in the direction of the house.”
“It’s too dangerous. You don’t know how Rigar and his wife will react to seeing you at their door,” Jarod protested.
“I will be fine. Plus, I have the feeling your presence would be much more disturbing than mine. Now, which house is it?”
Jarod scowled. As usual she was right, but he still didn’t like the idea of her going alone. “It’s down that street over there, the third house on the left,” Jarod surrendered, pointing down the road.
“All right, but first things first,” she continued, pulling her hood off and taking a deep breath. A bright white aura enveloped her body, transforming her shimmering white curls to smooth, straight black locks, nearly as dark as his own. Focusing next on her skin, K concentrated on making each and every scar fade away, before finishing off by turning her eyes light brown. Jarod gawked at the lovely creature standing before him, looking nothing like she had only moments before. “So what do you think, do I look like a Full-blood?”
He was left speechless. He had seen her before as beautiful with the scars and all, but like this he could clearly see how truly gorgeous she must have been before all the years of living and abuse had taken their toll on her.
“Well, is it that bad?” she questioned, placing her hands on her hips.
“No, I’m sorry. You look ravishing,” Jarod breathed.
K’s eyes softened, then dropped to the ground as her hand subconsciously reached for the spot above her eye where the scar had been.
“No my lady, I didn’t mean it like that.” Jarod countered quickly fearing she had taken his compliment the wrong way. “You are beautiful. It’s just like this …”
“It’s okay Jarod. I know what you meant, and I am not offended.” Though her words said one thing, her down cast eyes and slumped posture told him she was anything but okay.
“Would you like to talk about it? What happened, I mean.”
A hard stare landed on him with such intensity that he instinctively retreated several steps back. “Would you?”
Dropping his gaze, Jarod shook his head. Of course she didn’t want to talk about it, and neither did he. More than anyone he understood. Somethings were better left unsaid.
“Then I’m off.”
She jumped onto one of the thin rooftops and disappeared in the direction he had pointed her. She easily made the short journey to the house; being much lighter and quicker than Jarod.
Once she reached a house meeting the description Jarod had given her, she jumped onto the ground and peered into a window to verify it was indeed the correct one. Inside Rigar sat with his wife, relaxing on a couch side by side watching a little girl, no more than twelve years of age, on the floor reading a book. The scene was peaceful, one she hated to disturb, but time was not on their side and in a few short hours the sun would be rising. Here we go, K thought. Taking a deep breath, she headed around the back of the house and knocked on the back door. It took a while for them to come, probably hoping whoever it was would go away, but as she knocked again Rigar came to the door, cracking it open just enough to look outside.
“Can I help you?” he asked barely visible from his station on the other side.
“Sir, please can you help me? I am not from this town and need a place to stay, the patrols have already spotted me once and I only narrowly escaped. If you would let me come in, I promise I will leave in the morning.” As she spoke K looked constantly from side to side, pretending to scan the streets for patrols.
However, Rigar remained firmly behind the door. “I would love to help you, but I have a family, and if I was caught with you in here it would put us all in danger.”
He slowly began to close the door, but K threw her weight against it, pushing back and easily holding it open. “Please, sir,” K begged, allowi
ng panic to fill her voice, “you are the fourth house I have tried. I promise it is only until the morning, please don’t let them catch me.”
Rigar pushed harder trying to force the door closed, but being unable to budge it, raised his voice angrily. “I’m sorry but I can’t, now get away from my door.”
“Honey, who is it?” a female voice asked from behind Rigar.
“Ma’am, please, I need a place to stay for the night, don’t let him turn me away. I would offer you money or formula but I have neither. I am begging you, don’t send me to my death.”
“Rigar,” Mirna’s soft voice began to plead with her husband, but he cut her off quickly.
“No, I will not put you and Sara in danger,” he snapped as he pushed once again on the door, trying to force it closed. But K held firm against the other side, making Rigar all the angrier. “Get away from my door,” he demanded again. “I am not letting you in.”
A sound approaching in the distance caught both of their attention.
K saw her opportunity. Dropping to her knees, while still managing to keep Rigar from closing the door, K wept. “Please, they are coming, don’t leave me out here.”
“Rigar, let her in,” Mirna begged her husband. “Once they have passed she can leave, but if you leave her out there you might as well break her neck yourself.”
K’s begging coupled with the pressure from his wife succeeded in wearing Rigar down, and as the patrols moved closer he reluctantly backed away from the door, letting K step inside.
“Just until they pass.”
“Of course,” K responded, lowering her eyes. Hearing the door close and bolt behind her, K moved to a far corner, before she chanced a glance around the room, which she now recognized as a kitchen. From what little she could make out, the house didn’t appear to be much bigger than the apartment at the clinic. But even though it was small size, there was a homey feel radiating throughout the house that spoke volumes of the love this family felt for one another.
K: The Awakening (The Shadow Chronicles Book 1) Page 30
