Dark Wngs (working title)
 

This is a story i've been working on... i just hate typeing, so i don't get many chapters onto my computer at a time.


"Adylure, you've got to stop showing off like that."
I wasn't showing off, Kenji," I argue, "I was helping a kid that was getting beat up. The only way I could do that, was by using my powers." We head toward our apartment.
Kenji rolls his eyes at me and sighs. "You've got to stop using magic, Ady," he grumbles.
"But, why, Kenji?"
"Sis, we've been through this a thousand times. You just... can't. It's the way things are here."
We enter our shabby little apartment, "And why is that," I demand.
"Because Veli owns the city," he yells. "I hate it, but that's how it is."
"I still don't understand why the people of the city don't do something about that bastard."
His hands ball into fists. "I know. But they're afraid, and weak, and human," he says through clenched teeth.
"Why doesn't anyone ask for help from the outside? You know, from mages like me, or the other races. Then we could defeat Veli and live happily ever after. Maybe some of the mages could stay and people wouldn't hate me as much."
We stand just inside our apartment, "No more of this, alright?" He puts a hand on my shoulder because Kenji doesn't really do hugs. "I'm gonna go get food. Stay in the apartment and out of trouble until I get back."
"But..."
"You're such a stubborn girl," he interrupts. "Just stay here, sis." He leaves closing and locking the door behind me.
//He's such a good surrogate brother. Always looking out for me. 'Ady stop that!' 'Ady, that's dangerous!' 'Adylure, you're attracting attention! Adylure! Adylure! Adylure!'... Adylure... the name he gave me after he found me in the forest just outside the city walls. I still can't remember a thing about my past. My only clues are my powers, and my necklace. It's a red orb with three black, glossy feathers attached to it. It hangs from a simple, silver chain. The orb glows when danger is near.I'm really grateful to Kenji for taking me in, but I hate living in this ugly city. I hate being so different. I mean, why does Veli only want ordinary humans in this city?//
Someone bangs on the front door. I open it and, suddenly, I'm pinned to the ground with a boy on top of me and the door is closed. He has a gun to my head. I look into his blood-red eyes and just behind him... wings! Glossy, black wings.
"Relax, kid. I... just need... a place to hide." He collapses on top of me.
I shove him onto the floor and poke his body. He is covered in blood. I brush some of his deep, sea-blue hair out of his delicate almost feminine face. //Is he dead? God he's cute.// Blushing, i reach up to stroke his wings. //So soft... just like the ones on my necklace.// I look down on that beautiful face, "Who are you?" I go about stripping off his big, bulky trench-coat, so I can see his wounds better. It's filled with weapons. //He's armed to the teeth! Oh, man. What have I gotten myself into? What happened to him? And... What is that smell? It seems familiar, but I can't remember.//
Someone else bangs on the door making me jump. I can feel my necklace begin to heat up with the light it must be projecting. //It's not very warm. Must not be too dangerous.// Another loud bang and the boy lurches up and points the gun at me with a hand trembling from blood loss.
I look up into his eyes and he sways a little. "I think I should get that."
"No," he growls.
"What if they break down the door?"
I heard loud bang, and someone calls, "Is anyone home? It's the police." The boy looks from me to the door and runs into the kitchen. "Open up!"
"Alright! I'm coming," I yell rubbing my eyes and tousling my hair on my way to the door. I yawn as I open the door. "What?"
There's a whole squad of police at my door. "Excuse me, miss," the one in front starts, "Have you seen a boy about your age with blue hair and black wings? He's a criminal, you see, very dangerous."
//No kidding. But I'm not gonna hand him over to these goons. At least not yet.// "srry, sr," I yawn, "I've been sleeping here for the last few hours waiting for my brother to get back. I haven't seen anyone at all."
Another officer tries to look in, "May we take a look around?"
"Got a warrant?"
He frowns, "Got something to hide?"
"No. I just don't like police," and with that I close the door. The first office barely had time to say, "Sorry to have bothered you," before the door is shut in his face. The necklace cools as i turn around to see the boy swaying in the middle of the room.
"Thanks," He rasps, "I'll be out of your hair soon."
I walk up to him and kick his knee out from under him. He collapses to the ground with a grunt. I smile down at him and say, "You're not going anywhere if you're going to be falling so--- gracefully like that. You'll be staying here for at least a few days until you heal up."
He glares up at me, "The longer I stay here the more danger you'll be in."
"I really don't care," I say with a shrug, "I'm already sort of in danger. You see. I'm a mage and, if someone finds out, I'll be taken away for questioning. Plus, I've already stuck my neck out protecting you're sorry ass." I walk to the bathroom and get the first aid kit. I can feel his eyes follow me wherever i go. Just when i get back over to him and kneel down to start dressing his wounds, Kenji walks in with two full bags of groceries in his arms.
"Hey, sis. I'm home," He calls as he kicks the door closed. He kicks off his shoes as he calls, "I ran into a patrol just now. Weird, huh? Anyway, they asked if i had seen---," His eyes widen when he sees the winged boy. He drops the groceries, "Holy shit!"
The boy tries to get up, but i hold him down, "Stay put."
"Gods, Adylure! The patrol is looking for him," he yells. "What are we going to do?" He runs a hand through his hair. "I know! I'll go get the patrol and they can come take him away," he turns to rush out and do just that. I run up to him and block the door.
He looks at me confused. "I know about the patrol. I just sent them away. the boy isn't leaving till he gets better."
He looks at me in shock for a moment before yelling, "Are you crazy?"
"Miss Adylure," The boy says from the floor where i left him, "you don't have to keep me here." He manages to sit up.
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course you're staying," I say absentmindedly.
"Why are you doing this? I mean, I force my way into your home holding a gun to your head," He looks down, "I could have killed you."
"You could have WHAT," Kenji yells.
"Kenji calm down," I yell. "If he was really going to hurt me, my necklace would have glowed hot and bright. It didn't glow at all, so I obviously wasn't in danger." I start picking up the groceries all over the floor. Kenji gives the boy one more glare and bends down to help. The boy watches from the middle of the floor as we pick up everything and Kenji takes them to the kitchen. I go back to him drawn to his scent. //Is it some sort of cologne?// "So, what's your name?"
He hesitates before answering, "Kurai."
"Well, Kurai, you're going to have to take off your shirt so I can take a look at those wounds." He undoes the buttons that go from just under his wing-joints to the hem of his shirt and takes it off, never taking his eyes off me. I look up at his wings and reach up to stroke them again. they flinch, fold into his back, and disappear. I start cleaning his wounds. "I'm Adylure as you heard, and the guy in the kitchen is my brother, Kenji." Once the wounds are clean, i start bandaging them. When done, I look into his red eyes and ask, "What are you?"
"He's a freaking angel Ady," Kenji answers from the kitchen door. He trows Kurai and me a couple of apples."And worse. He's a black winged angel."
"What's wrong with that," I ask through a mouthful of apple, "Other than the fact that he's not human?"
"When Veli was taking over twenty years ago, he tried to kill all the angels. Everyone thought he succeeded because no one has seen one since. Having one around is bad enough, but, since he's a black winged angel, this is worse."
"Why? So he has black wings. Big deal! I'm sure lots of angels have black wings."
"No, he's right," Kurai says. "I'd bring you lots of trouble."
"Well then that makes us birds of a feather because I bring Kenji lots of trouble too." I laugh. Kurai looks at me like I'm crazy. "In any case. Regardless of the danger we'll be in, Kurai will stay here till his wounds heal" I pull out my necklace and start toying with it.
"No way! I won't allow it," Kenji says, "He's armed."
"Just until his wounds heal. And I promise to put his gun away." I turn back to Kurai to see his eyes fixated on the necklace and his breath coming faster, as if he was trying to keep calm.
"You're talking as if you had picked up a stray off the street. This is a man Veli wants dead."
"But he's not, Kenji. He's injured and in need of help."
"Ady, we can't draw any more attention to ourselves."
"Me being a mage hasn't gotten us in trouble yet, so whats a little more risk. Most try to avoid me anyway."
"Where did you get that necklace," Kurai rasps.
"Do you know anything about it?"
"Where did you get it," he repeats.
"Don't know." Kurai lunges forward and grabs the necklace by the chain. I try to push him off, but Kenji is there and kicks him in his injured ribs. Kurai falls to the ground, his weight breaking the necklaces chain, and bangs his head on the floor unconscious. "Great! Now look what you've done! He's got to be dead now." Kenji looks at me like I'm crazy as i kneel down to see if he's dead. //He's breathing. Good// I drag him to my room and lay him out on the bed.

----------


//Where am I? I feel so… warm. What happened? The last thing… Veli! I was escaping and… that girl. She seemed familiar and she had the necklace. No. Impossible. I don't know her… But she saved me.//

I feel a cold wetness on my face. I hear the creak of old floorboards. "You sure you want to keep him here?" a voice asks.

"Yeah, I'm sure," another voice, this one female. "He just got exited. He's lost a lot of blood. It's amazing he was conscious for so long. Besides, did you see how he reacted to the necklace? If he knows something about it, he may know something about me."

//So it's that girl. Adylure her name was. And that man… the jumpy one… his name was Kenji.//

"Don't you think he would have said something the moment you two met?" Kenji asked.

"What do you expect from someone on the run?"

"Adylure…"

Silence.

"You're guilty about something, aren't you, Kenji? What did you do? …Come on, spill the beans! What happened?"

The sound of someone retreating from the room and Kenji's voice, farther away, "Sorry sis. I've gotta finish dinner."

"Bastard!" Adylure yells.

I slowly open my eyes to see that I'm in an unfamiliar room, on a soft warm bed. Adylure is sitting next to me. "Where am I?"

"In my room," she replies.

"How long have I been out?"

"A few hours," she frowns. "I expected you to be out for days; you're so badly injured."

"Don't worry, I heal fast."

"I don't care about that. I'm just worried about you." She looks into my eyes and her eyes seem to pierce my soul.

I look away and unsuccessfully try to sit up. "So you're a mage?"

"Yeah," she smiles. "It's kind of fun, sometimes."

Silence. I look back into her worried, amethyst eyes framed by brown hair with silver and purple streaks. She turns toward the door and pulls out the broken necklace. //That necklace… the one that…//

"You seem to know something about this necklace," she said. "Can you tell me about it? You see, I have amnesia, so I don't remember anything and…" She takes the broken ends of the necklace, holds them together, and a white light shines between her hands as the necklace seems to mend itself. She put it around her neck.

"It's mine," I state dryly. "It was stolen years ago…"

"That's sad, but it's mine now."

I stare at her, shocked. //I can't believe she said that.//

She shrugs, going to the window and looking out. "It's mine," she clarifies, "Because it's my only key to my past. I'm not letting anyone take it until I remember my life before I was found by Kenji in the forest a few months ago."

"I bet you don't even know what it is!"

"Damn right I don't! So why don't you tell me, oh beautiful Kurai?"

//Did she just call me 'oh, beautiful one'?...// "No, I won't explain," I reply. //This girl is crazy! I can't trust her. What if she works for Veli? She may be strong enough to, being the only mage in a humans-only city. But then- she wouldn't have saved me earlier. I don't believe she has amnesia. She would have forgotten all her spells, which she clearly hasn't. I should have hidden in the sewers.//

"Adylure, dinner's almost done," Kenji calls from somewhere outside the room.

"Okay! Make sure to bring some for Kurai, too!" she calls back.

"I'm not hungry," I lie.

"Too bad," she says, turning back to me. "You're wounded, so you have to eat."
I glare at her as Kenji walks in with two bowls. He places one bowl on the dresser next to me. Adylure grabs hers and immediately starts eating. Kenji leaves. I look warily at my soup as Adylure stops eating.

"We got lucky with money today, so eat while it's good."

"How do I know it's not poisoned?"

"Because, even though Kenji doesn't like you, he would never poison anyone. He's too chicken! Besides, in this house, soup is a rare treat!"

"I'm not hungry," I repeat.

Adylure frowns at me. I see the bowl levitate and feel a force sit me up, open my mouth, and start feeding me. She continues to force feed me until I give in and grab the bowl and spoon. "Better," Adylure nods and goes back to eating her soup. "I think any poison would have affected you by now, so dig in!"

We eat in silence until we finish and I ask, "Since you're a mage, why don't you try bringing your memories back through a spell?"

"Don't you think I've tried that? Every time I tried, all I got was a headache."
//She lies.// "Then why don't you try searching my mind for information on the necklace?"

"Because I want you to trust me. I respect most people's privacy, you know."

"Most?"

"Some people are ignorant bastards."

//She's amusing, I must admit.//

She grabs our bowls and says, "Get some sleep."

"I'm not tired."

"Just like you weren't hungry?"

"Not tired."

Adylure rolls her eyes, puts the bowls down, and leaps on top of me, knocking the wind out of me. She covers my eyes, and I start to feel drowsy…

I opened my eyes to see that it had gotten dark. I hear some light snoring and look over the side of the bed. //That crazy girl is just sleeping there.// I silently slip out of bed and stand up to find I can almost feel no pain. I turn and look at the little mage. She has the pendent clenched in her fist. I slip it out of her hand, open the window, and unfold my wings. A few feathers fall to the floor. I pick them up. Then, remembering how much she liked my wings, I place one where the necklace was a moment before. //Time to get out of here.//

I leap out the window, spread my wings and fly away, above the city. //Why did I leave the feather?// The night is cold, but wonderful because I'm flying again. There are no stars. The city's lights have stolen them away. I hold up my hand and smile at my treasure. //We're going home.//

"The city is pretty from up here isn't it?" I jerk my head to the side losing some altitude in my surprise to see Adylure levitating next to me. I flap my wings gaining back the altitude and speeding up, but she keeps pace. "So, where are you going," she continues. I ignore her, continuing on silently. //Maybe she'll tire.// "We're quite a ways from home. What of someone sees us?" I speed up. "Wherever you're going, you can't go there without the necklace," the mage teases. I hold up the pendent to show her that I stole it already.

Adylure speeds up and cuts me off. "I knew you'd try to steal it, so I pretended to sleep and made a counterfeit. The real one is safe and in my possession." I drop the fake and lunge at her. She dodges and, suddenly, I am held in place by some invisible force. Adylure sighs, "Kurai, you have to understand," she pleads. "Right now, you are the only person who can tell me something worth knowing about my past. I can't let you go." She pauses, "And besides," she says in a business-like tone, "you need a place to hide and Kenji finally said it's okay."
I feel a bit sorry for her and, for some reason, I want to help her. "Fine," I say grudgingly, "I'll stay."

Adylure sighs and then, suddenly yelps as I am free and she plummets. I immediately dive and catch her just in time. She clings to me trembling. I hold her tight and regain the altitude we lost. When she has calmed down a bit, she whispers, "I'm sorry. I just got so exhausted with keeping up with you and then holding you there, and…"

"Shhh. It's okay Adylure," I say softly, wanting to comfort her for some reason. "I've got you now. You're safe." I head toward the apartment with her in my arms. //Somehow this seems familiar.//

"Whe are you going to tell me about the necklace," Adylure asks quietly, interrupting my thoughts.

"Tomorrow," I respond.

"I have school tomorrow. Maybe in the afternoon?"

"Sure."

"You want to come," She asks after a long pause.

"Where," I ask confused.

"To school," she answers .

"I guess."

We reach her window and climb into her room. I lay down on the floor, and she gets into bed. "Hey, Kurai," she calls quietly after a few minutes.

"Hm?" I was almost asleep.

"Thanks for the feather," she says. I sit up to see her tie it into her hair before falling asleep with a smile on her face. I lay down with a slight smile and fall into a deep sleep almost immediately.

//I'm so tired. Must have been the flying yesterday. I hope all that flying yesterday was worth it… Shit! I'm late!// I leap out of bed and run to the bathroom. I see a cockroach and conjure a hammer, slamming it down so hard I put a hole in the wall. As I lean the hammer against the wall, Kurai rushes in, "What the hell happened," he demands.

"Roaches," I say as I brush my teeth. Kurai looks at the hole. I finish brushing my teeth and run my hand over the hole, repairing it.

Kurai follows me out to the kitchen and asks, "If you can do that, why not fix the whole apartment?" I shrug and fix some sandwiches.

"No drinks," Kurai asks as I pack it all up and head for the door.

"Can't afford it. Besides, the school has fountains."

"Don't they sell milk?"

"Yeah, but it's all rotten," I reply as I open the door.

"Really," Kurai asks a bit surprised.

"Well," I pause and look back, "I don't like it, and it wouldn't surprise me if it were." I look to the clock, "Time to go!"

"What about Kenji?"

"He left early this morning for work." I close4 the door and lock it behind us. As we head down the street, I look up at Kurai to see him looking around warily. "Don't worry about being seen. I set up an illusion so no one would recognize you. You look like a totally different person to everyone but you and me. You're a raven haired beauty with sky-blue eyes and tons of freckles across your nose. It should last for a day or so, and I spent a lot of energy on it 'cuz it's a new skill. If we get into a jam, you'd better help me out."

"Thank you," Kurai looks down, "You seem close to your brother."

I look up at him, surprised, "Yeah, I am."

"Why don't you ask him about your past?"

"He's not my real brother," I explain. "He took me in after finding me in the forest."

Kurai pulls me to a stop to face him, "What the hell were you thinking," he demands, worry written across his face., "For all you know, he could have been a rapist!"

"That did occur to me," I laugh, as I continue walking and we turn the corner, "But he helped me, you know? He offered me a place to live until I got my memory back. Over time we became a family. He is my big brother, and I'm his sister."

Kurai sighs, "You're strange."

I laugh, "Look who's talking angel boy!" We walk in silence for another block and see to the left a somewhat rundown school. Most of the kids milling about give me dirty sidelong looks. The bell rings and I steer Kurai through the throng of students to the classroom. I pull him to the back of class and lay my head on the desk to get some extra sleep and hear students whispering about the 'New Kid' and how I- being a witch and all- must have him under a spell. //If only they knew just how much of a witch I really am.// Once everyone is seated, the teacher starts roll call. When she gets to my name, I raise my head and drop it back down on the desk. The sound of clicking heels reminds me that Kurai needs a cover. She stops between our desks and asks, "Are you lost?"

"He's with me," I say waving my hand vaguely.

"Why is he here?"

"He's my employed stalker, paid with kisses. Smooch, smooch."

"Really," she demands.

I raise my head and look her in the eyes, "Yes really. Now I'm just dying to fill my mind with the quibble you teach us. Can we get on with class," I ask, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

The teacher rolls her eyes and turns to Kurai, "Name?"

"Iruka," I interject quickly.

She marks it down and goes back to the front of class. Kurai looks at me glaring, "Iruka? Why Iruka?"

"Because I suck at making up names and people are looking for Kurai, not Iruka." I lay my head back down to sleep.

"Why a stalker?"

"Sorry, I act differently at school." He looks away, and I go back to sleep.

After what seems like a minute, Kurai nudges my shoulder, "Lunch time." We swarm out of the class room with the other students and head to the lunch room. I lead to my usual table and sit down taking out the sandwiches I made for our lunch. I feel my necklace heat up and warn Kurai. "Big fight coming," I say in a whisper. We start eating.

"Why doesn't anyone here like you?"

I shrug, "They think I'm a witch, but it doesn't bother me, mostly they're all ass holes."

"You missed a lot in class today."

"On the contrary," I reply, "My brain practically absorbs information, even when I'm sleeping, so I'm smarter than all the baboons in this school combined."

Kurai shakes his head, "You're crazy."

"That's why we love her," a voice says from behind.

"Lucifer," I squeal jumping up and spinning around to hug him. Kurai looks from me to Lucifer, confused. "This is Lucifer," I explain to Kurai, "He's a really good friend of mine." //And the leader of a gang, one of the few people I know who know about the pendant…. And a guy who's been hitting on me since I met him.// "I missed you! Where were you," I demand.

I tense up when his arm drops to my waist, "Who's this Ady," Lucifer asks.

"His name's Iruka," I say, "He's a friend from my past."

Lucifer sniffs, "Doesn't look like much."

"Looks can be deceiving," A soft voice cuts in, "Especially when they're brought about by Ad-chan."

"Soro, I've missed you," I exclaim, rushing over to him and glomping him as well. "The vacation was just too long!" Soro catches me with minimal effort. He's one of those people who looks kind of scrawny but can fight really well and has hidden muscle. He's a sweet-heart whose eyes change color depending on his mood. Right now his eyes are a light, cool blue, which means he's happy to see me, but he's trying to keep his cool around Lucifer.

Soro and Lucifer are rivals, each leading a different gang. What's worse is that they both like me, and know it, so they fight and compete for me. Soro asks quietly, "Why don't you take that disguise off him so we can see what he really looks like?"

"Because I want to keep his pretty face all to myself," I say grinning.

Lucifer lifts my chin so he can look me in the eyes, "He's not the guy Veli's looking for is he?"

"Of course not," I scoff. "I'm not that dumb!"

"Then who is he," Lucifer demands.

"Ask me no questions, and I will tell you no lies!"

Soro chuckles and leaves. Lucifer leans down and kisses me in the cheek before leaving. Kurai glares at him the whole while. Lucifer laughs and says, "Just be careful who you run into."

Kurai and I finish lunch and head out to sit under a tree. I've almost fallen asleep when, BANG! Upon hearing the gunshot, I scramble around the tree to see Soro's gang and Lucifer's gang battling on the lawn. Kurai pulls me back just before a bullet goes into the tree where my head was. "Are they really that stupid," Kurai shouts over the gunshots.

"Apparently they are," I shout back, "Come on! We have to get to the library. It'll be the safest place, but the best way to get there is to fly. I'm not sure I can do it after last night."

"I can fly us. Don't worry." I turn us invisible as I hear cloth tearing and feel a gust of wind as Kurai's wings flap open. He grabs me around the waist and takes to the skies. Feathers shed from his wings and I set them on fire as we fly away. All but one is destroyed. Kurai flies us to the outer entrance to the library. I magic it open and close it behind us. I grab his hand and rush to the back of the library where the encyclopedias are kept and collapse.

"We should be safe here," I say, a little out of breath. And explosion sounds and the ground begins to shake violently. I look to Kurai and am about to ask if it's an earthquake, but my head starts pounding. It feels like someone is sawing through it. I watch as Kurai's face becomes a blur and darkness takes hold.

--

I reach into the darkness, surprised that I'm still aware and ask, 'What just happened?' A dark voice chuckles and I whip around only to find more darkness.

The laughter continues, "I've finally found you," the laughing voice exclaims, "It's been some time, and your powers have gotten rusty, but that's alright. We can fix that."

'Who are you?' A hand grips my arm. It startles me so much I yelp and try to pull away. There is a flash and I shut my eyes. The hand releases me.

"What the--," the voice grunts, But when I open my eyes again, I'm in a large cozy room. There is a fire burning in the hearth, comfortable furniture arranges around it, and a tall woman with midnight blue hair, sapphire eyes, and silver wings standing in the center. She seems to be comforting a boy of about five with blue hair, red eyes, and black wings. 'Is that Kurai?' I look closer, 'Oh, gods! It is! Am I in the past? Why is he so sad?'

He clings to the wom and cries into her shoulder. "Don't worry Kurai," she soothes, "We'll find her."

"When mommy? I miss her," He sniffs, "She's my best friend."

She strokes his head, "I know baby." Her wings encircle them in their own little world and it seems safe for a while. Men burst through the door and stream into the room, surrounding them. The men raise their guns and open fire on the two. Kurai's mother shields him with her wings and magic as bullets fly from their guns and she counter attacks. But eventually she runs out of energy and Kurai is ripped out of her arms by one of the men. He dashes through the door as the others hold the woman back. The close in on her and I hear her screams through the gunfire and as they disperse and leave, I am left with the image of Kurai's mother lying on the floor, in a puddle of her own blood, an arm stretched out for her stolen son, and her wings folded about her in bloody tatters. A shadowed figure comes in through the doorway.

--

I wake up on the library floor to see Kurai's face just above mine. He looks relieved and worried all at the same time. I sit up groaning, "What happened?"

"I don't know. There was an explosion and an earthquake, and, then, you passed out." He looks me in the eye, "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay. How long have I been out?" //Was that a dream?//

"A few minutes."

"What was that explosion?" Kurai looks away from me. I start to panic, "Oh gods! They're all dead aren't they?" He remains silent. It seems hard to breathe. "They're gone," I say in a hollow voice.

"What do you care," he snaps, "You said you hated them all anyway didn't you?"

I look around trying to figure out what to do, but nothing comes to mind. "What do we do," I ask him at a loss.

"We head back home," he says quietly.

"But, we can't do that. We need to-"

"We need to go now, Adylure," he interrupts, "I need to leave the city."

Chapter 4

// I feel like crying. For Soro, Lucifer, and any innocent people caught in the cross fire. And why does Kurai suddenly need to leave the city? He was going to stay until I gave him the necklace before, but, all of a sudden, when things get rough, he needs to leave?// Kurai pulls me along toward home. "Stop your sniveling," he snaps. //Bastard.// We round a corner and everything is normal. Life goes on as if nothing had happened. //How can they go about their business as if an earthquake… or explosion, hadn't just happened? And what about what I saw? Was I actually there or was it just a dream? It was all so vivid.// I look up at Kurai walking straight backed with his eyes focused ahead of him, and remembered the younger him. //And that voice. It spoke as if it knew me.

"I can feel you watching me," Kurai jerks me out of my thoughts," Quit it," he pauses. "I'm going to need the necklace… now."

I stop in my tracks," Excuse me?"

"I'm going to need you to give me the necklace," he repeats slowly, not looking at me.

"No. It's mine now, and you still haven't told me what you know about it." I glare at him, "And you can't just leave. People are still looking for you." I take a deep breath," Look. I'm sorry for what happened to your mother, but that doesn't…"

Kurai whirls around to face me. "You really are an idiot aren't you," he accuses. "Don't you know anything about what's happening in the world," he pauses seeming to have just realized what I said about his mother. His eyes narrow, "And what do you know about my mother?"

"No, I don't know what's going on in the world," I cry, tears in my eyes. "I don't know anything about what's going on or about myself. I can't help but want nothing more than to get my memory back."

"How do you know about my mother," he asks again in a deceptively calm voice.

"I don't. Forget I said anything." I back away slowly toward a wall.

Kurai grabs me by the shoulders pinning me against the wall, "How do you know," he demands yelling at me from inches away.

"I don't know! I dreamed it up after getting knocked out!" In a softer tone, I say, "I don't know how or why it happened."

He lets go with a sigh, "None of those thugs did, but Veli," he trails off. "I went crazy. When I was locked up. I escaped, but the same happened to me and my people where ever we hid. We haven't had the best life, and it all happened because we lost that pendant. I open my mouth to say something, realize I have nothing to say, and promptly close it again. Kurai tries for what appears to be a comforting smile and says, "One thing I swore to do is kill Veli and find the one who stole the necklace in the first place so I can make then suffer for the torment they caused my people." He continues on down the street.

//I guess he's a good guy… underneath his other problems. I hope he finds the thief. So, what about that voice? Who was it? I don't think I should tell Kurai, but the strange thing is… I think I've heard it before.//

We round the corner to my street and immediately Kurai pulls me behind a parked car as my necklace starts to heat up and glow. He points around the car at my building. A tall man with an air of authority is standing at the entrance with men that just scream bodyguard standing around him. The man has pale blonde hair and pale skin. "Veli," Kurai growls.

Kenji Opens the door, and, upon seeing Veli, clings to the doorjamb as a life line. I cast a quick spell to listen in as Veli chuckles. "Relax, Kenji," he says as if they were old acquaintances. I am simply looking for a young criminal that is loose in the city. I was informed that an officer was given some trouble when asking about him at this residence yesterday. He looks to be about sixteen with blue hair and red eyes. He stands at about 5'7" and should be injured. Have you seen him?"

//Oh, shit. I hope Kenji doesn't spill the beans. He's so shaky and nervous… more that I've ever seen.// "I'm sorry, sir. I can't say that I have," he says with a short bow.

"Are you sure," Veli presses.

"Yes, sir. I move around a lot for various jobs. I haven't seen anyone like that."

Veli sighs, "Oh well." He turns around and starts toward his car. He gets off the porch and a few steps toward his car and turns back. "I have heard rumors," he says as if it were an afterthought, "of a young girl who just arrived in this city a few months ago and lives in your apartment. I hear that she is a mage. Is she here now?"

//Who told him? Why does he want to see me? Crap! Is he going to lock me up?// Kenji straightens up with a scowl. "She is my sister, who recently came from another city to be with me. She isn't a mage; the people here just like to spread that rumor. I don't know why, and, no, she isn't here."

Veli seems to all of a sudden be in front of Kenji. "You are lying," he sneers.

"Sir, if you search the apartment you won't find anyone."

"Have we met before boy?"

A subtle flash of panic that you'd have to know him to recognize crosses Kenji's face. He shakes his head, no.

"Alright, but you are still lying about your sister being a mage."

"But she isn't," Kenji pleads.

Veli's fists clench, "That is the second time you have lied to me, boy. Care to try again?"

I start to rise out of my hiding spot to try and help my brother, but Kurai grabs my hand and pulls me back. "Let got Kurai! I have to help him," I hiss.

"We can't; it's Veli! He's too powerful."

"But Kenji is in trouble," I snap back.

"Tell me where my jacket of weapons is and I'll help him."

It takes me a moment to figure out what he meant. "Oh, it's behind the garbage can over there," I whisper pointing to the side of my apartment. I look back toward the house, "You go get your weapons and I'll go help Kenji." I stand up.

Kurai looks back to the house. "Get down," he hisses.

The command comes too late. Veli turns and looks directly into my eyes. Even at this distance, I can see that his eyes are a liquid, pale green. They have a hypnotic effect and, when he beckons, I must go to him. I try to shake his hold on me off the whole way and manage to stop just out of reach. I can see Kenji just behind him, eyes wide with worry. Veli stares at me almost hungrily. He steps forward and lifts my chin brushing my hair back, and taking note of Kurai's feather. He sort of feels my face for a moment, then his eyes drift lower. They land on the pendant. He looks so excited when he sees it and holds it inspecting it. While I had managed to stop, I couldn't move the whole time.

Suddenly he grins showing fangs and embraces me. He pulls away, turns around, and says, "Get in the car." I start to follow his command, but, when I get to the door, I feel someone else, someone familiar, trying to take control. I let them. //After all, I'm already being controlled.// My body turns around. Kenji looks confused. "Celesia," Veli says. I look up at him. He places a hand on my shoulder. "Celestia, get in the car," he says softly.

I feel my head shake, "I'm sorry, sir. My name is Adylure. You must have me mistaken with someone else."

Veli stares into my eyes. It feels like he is searching through my mind, but I know he isn't. He fingers the black feather, "Where is the Angel?"

I give him a blank stare. His eyes show anger before he lifts a hand sending Kenji flying into the apartment and against a wall. He collapses in a heap, unconscious. I glare a Veli and send him into the building next door with a flex of my own power. His body guards tackle me attempting to bind my body and powers with chains and locks. In a panic, I levitate them high into the air and drop them. I can hear bones break when they hit the ground. All are unconscious. //What? I shouldn't have been able to do that! I shouldn't have had this much power especially after all that's happened. //

I run to Kenji to check on him. He's unconscious, but otherwise fine. I pull his arm over my shoulders and try to stand under his weight. I hear clapping behind me and turn to see Veli in the doorway, "Wonderful, Celestia! You are more powerful than I would have expected. I'm proud." //Why is he proud?// I toss the thought aside and continue trying to lift my brother. "What's wrong, Celestia? Show me your power." He grins as if it is all a game, "I want to see what you can do!"

"But," I yell, "I can't do much!"

His eyes narrow dangerously. //Crap! I can't fight him like this.// I use my power to lift and throw a chair at him while trying to get Kenji to a window, but his legs trip me up. Catches the chair and sets it aside. Then, almost an instant later, he is kneeling beside me. He lifts my chin and places a cold kiss on my forehead. "After all these years, Celestia," he whispers, "I've finally found you."

"After all these years," I ask, confused. Veli stands smirking, then his eyes widen in shock. He reaches over his shoulder and pulls a knife out of his back. I take the moment to gather my will and unleash a lightning bolt on him. His back arcs and he falls to the ground convulsing as the electricity courses through his system. I use some more of my energy to lift Kenji and get him out. I meet Kurai at the door. "Thank you."

I hear maniacal laughter behind me and turn around to see Veli standing and advancing on us. Kurai pulls out a gun and shoots him. It barely seems to faze him. "Go," he orders, shooting Veli again. "Get him out of here. I gather Kenji up and run out of the house and around the corner to wait for Kurai to catch up.