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Post by Luna on Feb 16, 2013 20:33:43 GMT -5
I narrowed my eyes and grabbed her hand, but then I froze, feeling a memory set in again. Luna and Shadow were pretty much the best of friends… which I had kind of seen coming, even if they happened to be complete opposites. Luna was finally making progress in her attempt to be like me, at least to some degree – she was sarcastic and often cynical, picked many fights she probably shouldn't – all of which she won; she was an excellent fighter, and knew her way around a gun. All the same, there was something about her that was still young and soft; it was as though she resisted letting our situation turn her as bitter as it had me. Shadow was… well, a complete innocent sweetheart. He was adopted, not a true Markus, which was probably the main thing to account for his being quiet and studious, not picking up the slightest bit on the darkness that surrounded him constantly. At the least, he got our sarcasm; that much was entirely unavoidable. Why it seemed obvious that the two of them should be close, I wasn't sure. They seemed to fit together despite the differences, somehow – delinquent with quiet. Like Jekyll and Hyde… wait, that one didn't end well, did it? In any case, Shadow and Luna were meant to be close, to protect and care for each other. As for myself, I loved them and they loved me. By now we had all felt the hard side of abuse, and we tended to stick together, protect each other when we could and comfort each other when we couldn't – but I wasn't close to them. I was different from them. I was a solitary person; most of my time was spent on the streets or in what scarce, dead woods we had, hunting – whether that meant hunting small woodland animals or hunting vampires depended on my mood. I had been that way for years: gone most days – and most nights as well, and never in a huge hurry to return. Returning meant a savage beating for “running away”, as if it really stopped me from doing the same thing once I had recovered enough to walk. Luna and Shadow missed me at first, but with the passing years, Luna grew up and got over it, and she helped our adoptive brother to do the same. Lacey, to my extreme disgust, stayed, frequently talked with our guardians – I no longer referred to them as parents - behind closed, sound-proof doors, and gave me taunting, predatory little smirks at every turn. Ruby, like me, came and went a lot until, when I was around nine, she just went. I didn't see her after that. Today found me exceptionally pissed off – which meant I was in the mood to hunt vampires. Hadyn was an all-wolf, vampire-hating town - we couldn't help it; it was in our blood, a sort of pack mentality. The knowledge of what it was like here was widespread – yet bloodsuckers lurked in sewers and dark alleys, trying to get away with surviving. I supposed they took pleasure in the risk – an edgy lifestyle, of course. It was all very well; I took more pleasure in killing them. It was stress relief, for me – an outlet, like splitting wood or violent video games for a normal person. I, of course, had never pretended that I was normal – quite the opposite, really. And thus, hunting vampires equaled stress relief. Plus, it was exceptionally fun. I cut into a dark side alley; that was where they normally lurked - sure enough, it only took me one sniff in wolf form to pick up on the recent scent of at least three. A grin curved the edge of my lupine lips; very dark, maybe a little sadistic, and definitely not entirely sane – but hell, story of my life, right? "A dog?" The voice came from somewhere behind me. I turned quickly, lips curling up in automatic growl, eyes narrowing into fierce sapphire slits. My eyes landed (naturally) on a bloodsucker; one with the mangy, half-desperate look that was normal for vampires in Hadyn – really, you’d think they would just go live somewhere else. Then again, it seemed clear that he had the also-familiar stupidity; how else could have mistaken me for a dog? Where else could one possibly find a pure silver dog of my size? I lowered my head as another stepped up to join him; this one was at least marginally more intelligent, as his eyes widened the second he saw me. "Uh… that’s no dog." I gave them another fierce growl, showing them all my teeth – and then I did not hesitate to lunge. I was good at killing; it was a natural-born skill for any Markus. I took the stupid(er) one first, simply because he was slightly more annoying than the other; my teeth closed in his throat immediately, the taste of his blood flooding my mouth. I took an extra moment to spit it out in disgust, and then went straight for his companion. This fight proved slightly more difficult; he turned me, slamming me to the ground, and for a moment I simply flailed uselessly – and then the unnatural strength of any werewolf kicked in, and I snarled and threw him off. He landed hard – hard enough to wind him, in fact, and that gave me enough time to dispatch him. I looked up, an eerie grin beginning to spread beneath the blood. It was about then that I noticed the trap. I took human form, hastily wiping the blood from my mouth, to focus on the entire group of leeches that had now arrived in the already vaguely claustrophobic alleyway. My blue eyes scanned them quickly, counting: it came to nine. Terrific. I sighed and leaned on the side of one of the buildings, maintaining a classic unconcerned pose as I calculated my odds… well, briefly calculated them, until I realized just how against me they really were, and ceased to do so. Instead, I tipped my head slightly to one side, wearing my characteristic smirk as I examined them. "So," I said casually. "Is this some huge, possibly Lacey-driven conspiracy, or are you just the Hadyn clique or something?" They gave no response. The first one stepped towards me, eyes narrowed; I sighed as I prepared for the fight, thinking that I really could not have chosen a more pathetic way to die than at the hands of some weird and random group of low-life vampires… but then, life (and death) sucks. Who doesn't know that? The leech, whoever he was, took another step – a bigger, bolder one this time. And then he burst into flames. Really, it was that simple. One moment he was standing in the alley, moments away from attacking me; the next, spontaneous combustion. It lasted for maybe half a minute, with red and blue flames devouring him; he was too surprised to even scream, instead simply stood while his entire body burned. By the time he thought about such trivial things, he was already much too far in his chemical transformation to ash. Once he was dead, the fire vanished – simple, easy, just as though it had never been. I wasn't stupid; I couldn't be, to keep myself and my two little siblings alive in a place like Hadyn. It was beyond obvious that it was the work of a witch – something that was rare in the city, but not unheard of. What struck me as strange was that a witch was helping me; in a place like this, almost everyone was a free agent; even the friendliest of people were most likely not going to receive help when they got themselves into a fight, and I was really not on the list of Top Ten Most Social People. I also had no more time to reflect on it, because now, the magic was turning serious. Clearly deciding that the attacks were somehow coming from me, two of the remaining vampires made an immediate lunge. This time there was no fire, no dramatics; they simply fell halfway to me and remained there on the ground, lifeless. Those that remained had better senses; they had slowly begun to retreat, but I already knew it was too late for that. Whoever the witch was here, she was mad as hell. I watched, immensely amused, as three of the remaining six lost control of their actions. They kept identical bewildered looks on their stupid faces as they turned on their companions; two stabbing, the last simply twisting the other’s neck until there was a satisfying crack. Those deeds done, they turned as fluidly as though it had been rehearsed and killed themselves. I wasn't sure whether I should be laughing or preparing for a fight; I settled instead on focusing on the alleyway behind the now numerous bodies, my eyes narrowing slightly. “Hey,” I said coolly. “Whoever you are, I immensely appreciate your help. Now, if you intend to try the same thing on me… well, why don’t we just get it over with now, hmm?” I heard soft laughter – female – and then my savior moved into full view, stepping over the bodies of the vampires as she did so. She looked so different that at first I didn't recognize her; she wore some kind of lacy white top, with a leather skirt and knee-high black boots, and her hair was now black, put through with red streaks. "Flattering as the staring is… stop," she said dryly, and I blinked as I finally recognized her voice. "Ruby?" I asked incredulously. "In the wonderful, semi-Gothic flesh," she replied, and smirked. "Since when are you a witch?" "Since I learned witchcraft, genius." She surveyed the collection of bodies once more and smirked. "I think I’m quite talented, don’t you agree?" I shook my head. "It’s been four years. What happened to you?" "To make a very long story very short… I found a guy to teach me magic and all, and he wound up transporting me back to medieval times. Took forever to figure out how to get back here. They tried to burn me at least three times… I officially hate Catholics. Once I got back, I wasn't so fond of the guy, either, so I took his powers. Now I’m mega-power chick." I lifted an eyebrow. "And is he… you know… alive?" "Well… more or less. But he’s human, and he ain't messing with me anymore. That’s all that’s important." Since the conversation was now taking a dangerous direction, I chose to break it off by calmly padding out of the alleyway. Ruby pursued me with a grin, her boots thudding softly on the pathment in sync with mine. "So what’s new around here?" she asked. "You can’t tell me it hasn't changed in the last four years." I shrugged. "It hasn't. See for yourself – it’s just not a town that changes a lot. Luna’s all bad girl now, Shadow’s… well, Shadow, and I’m still in something of a power struggle with your bitch of a sister." She rolled her eyes. "Can you believe I actually forgot about her?" "Lucky you." I lifted an eyebrow. "I always wondered how you two are actually related." "Half-sisters," she replied. "Same mother. Different fathers. The mother tried to leave, be with someone less… psychotic. Kind of a normal guy, actually. Then, when I was maybe four, Lacey and Daddy Dearest found us. They killed my parents and took me with them, and I present my suckish life." At this last part, she rolled her eyes dramatically under her heavy eye makeup; clearly, her past did not affect her as it would most people. It didn't much affect me, either. "Thanks for the history lesson," I said dryly, and then looked up as we approached our house. "Well, it looks about as much like a house in Hell as it always did," Ruby said, smirking. "I suspect it always will." I lifted an eyebrow. "Are you going to see your sister?" "She probably believes I'm dead. I like that," she replied. I smirked at her. "What if I tell her otherwise?" "You’ll meet the same fate as that guy who taught me magic." "I’d like to see you try." "We can trade threats later," she said. "Right now, your family is in danger." I blinked. "Wait. What?" "Your family. They’re in trouble. Witches know things." "And you’re referring to my siblings, you know, my family that I wouldn't kill if I had the chance?" "Yes." I swore. "Why didn't you tell me?" "I just did," she said smugly. "Better hurry." I gave her one look through narrowed eyes, then ran up towards the house. It took me only a few moments to make the length of the driveway (though I had never been sure why they existed here; we walked or ram everywhere). The door, I found quickly, was locked, the key nowhere in sight. Not in the mood to deal with this, I simply slammed my heavy boot into the door, smashing it to splinters. "Luna!" I called. "Shadow!" No answer. I growled softly, on the verge of transforming to find them, and God help anyone who got my way – And then, to my right, I heard a soft, girlish laugh. I growled low in my throat, and then turned slowly. Down the short hall, I immediately saw Lacey and Shadow; she was holding him in front of her, a knife to his throat. His dark hair, as always, was a tangled mess in his face, his green eyes wide and pleading. There were bruises on his face. "You bitch," I snarled. "Let him go." Lacey chuckled, pulling my little brother closer to her. "That isn't how one negotiates, Lucie." "Then it's a good thing this isn't a negotiation, and don’t call me that." She merely lifted an eyebrow and pressed the knife harder against Shadow's neck, eliciting a soft whimper. I lowered my head, my eyes sparkling dangerously. If I shifted now and lunged, I could probably end her - but it would cost me Shadow as well; I knew that. It would take only seconds for me to reach her and put canine teeth in her neck, but less than that for her to drive that knife into Shadow's. I folded my arms over my chest. "What do you want?" "That’s better." She visibly lessened the pressure on Shadow's neck, though he still looked afraid even to move. I suddenly heard soft footsteps behind me, and then a new, female voice, soft and young: "Lucian? S-shadow?" I closed my eyes briefly; then, without turning, I said calmly, "Luna, run." "But – " "Go." "I didn't say she could go,: Lacey purred softly, the knife at Shadow’s neck pressing in just a little furthur. "Maybe not," I said calmly, "but to stop her would mean releasing Shadow, and then I would immediately go for you." "Or I could kill him if she goes out that door." "Then she’d be gone and he’d be dead. They’re the only ones I care about. You would have no leverage. I would unhesitatingly fight you to one of our deaths – probably yours." She was still for a moment, and then she laughed softly. "You’re good, I’ll give you that… but then again, I knew that. Fine. She can go." I turned so that I could look straight at my sister, making sure my eyes were clear and serious. "Go to the end of the driveway. There’s a witch there – go with her. Don’t come back." Of course, I couldn't be sure that Ruby would do me this favor, but I thought she would. She had always indicated that she liked Luna. "What happens to you and Shadow if I go?" Luna asked. Her eyes were wide, fearful; as much as she acted as if she could handle all of this, I knew she couldn't. She needed to go. "Nothing you could prevent by staying," I said shortly. "I’ll make sure he doesn't get hurt, but I can’t protect both of you all the time. You turn into a good enough fighter, you come back and help. Okay?" She held my gaze for another moment, and then slowly nodded. "I love you," she said. "You too, sis. Now, hurry." She took wolf form and was gone at once, away through the open space where the door had been. "Noble big brother," Lacey said, smirking at me. "That’ll change." "I don’t think it will," I growled. "Tell me what the hell you want." She licked her lips, sapphire eyes sparkling at me; she seemed to be savoring this moment. Finally, she said, "I want you to be my willing servant." I blinked. "I’m sorry, what?" She took the knife and began to trace light patterns on Shadow’s neck. I cringed inwardly, though doing my best to keep a calm exterior. "I’m saying what I mean," she said calmly. "I will tell you to do certain tasks, and you will do them. If you resist, if you even question, your brother here will suffer the consequences – and please realize that I don’t mean death, I mean torture – while you watch. If you run, rest assured that I will find you, and he will see you tortured before he dies. If you decide to attack me, even if you succeed in killing me – well. I do have followers of my own." I simply stared at her. "You're insane." "I’m well aware of that." "You want… a servant? You realize that you could just hire one." "Not for these tasks.” She smiled, showing all her teeth – vampire fangs included. “I’m not referring to housework, Lucie." Torture and murder. That much was obvious. "No," I said firmly. Lacey held my gaze for a moment, reading the defiance in it; then she turned Shadow’s neck to the side and made a small cut with her knife. Before I could tell her to stop, she was sinking her fangs in deep. Shadow screamed – a truly, terrible, heart-wrenching sound, especially to come from a ten-year-old boy. I shouted at her to stop, but each plead seemed only to make her somehow bite deeper – at least, the volume of his screams increased. "I’ll do it!" I shouted. "Okay, I’m your – your servant, or whatever. Just stop." She still took her time in releasing my brother; making a point, I was sure. Finally, she sent him stumbling onto the floor and extended one hand towards me, grinning through his blood. “Lucian, don’t,” I heard Shadow whisper, but I ignored him. My eyes blazed with a cold fury as I crossed the short distance between us, but it didn't stop me from taking her hand in mine and shaking it, just once. I dropped it at once, as though it might shock me otherwise. "Congratulations, Lucie," she said, her voice light and mocking, maybe even a little sing-song. "You are now mine."
I felt my mind snap back into the present and stumbled against the wall, holding a hand to my head. I had one moment to wonder what the hell was going on before I felt a hand crack against my face. "Sunny, what the hell?" I snapped. She offered no response but raised her hand again. I caught it inches from my face and swung her away from me - hard. She wet backwards down the nearby stairs, with too much force to stop herself, and slammed into the glass window at the bottom. I was still too angry to care.
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