So I wrote this for a friend. And I don't have anything new to put up here, since I've been in the middle of packing and moving back to school over the last few days. So I'm going to post this. Read and enjoy. Or hate it. Whatever. Just read it. :D
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"Is
she dead?"
He
nodded, water dripping from the tip of his long nose and the ends of his
grey-streaked mane of hair. He didn't look sad or angry. There was no remorse.
Just the hints of pooled red at his feet that marked where he'd bled her.
"What
was her name?"
His
mouth hardly moved. "Averly."
Trent
folded his arms and looked at the small body laying in the rain. She looked
peaceful. Xander had done a good job. He hadn't left a mark on her. She had
dark hair. The rain had made it black. Trent knelt at her side and brushed the
sopping strands away from her face. Trent was jealous of the big man. He'd
learned her name. Something that he hadn't been able to do.
She
was smiling.
"You
didn't know her? You two seemed so close."
Trent
frowned. Her family wouldn't see her again, neither would her friends.
Selfishly, Trent realized that he would never get to speak with her again. Only
once for that brief few minutes in the morning.
Kneeling
there, he looked at her more closely. Up close, she was much less perfect than
she'd seemed that morning. There was no sunrise reflecting off of her hair. The
rain had washed away the little makeup that she had worn. Eyeliner and mascara
ran down her face and down the side of her head, leaving tear tracks on her dimpled
cheeks.
"Not
really," he responded. "I saw her on the train earlier. Ran into her
again here. Didn't think you'd just...you know."
Xander
nodded again. "Seemed like you knew her better than that. Thought you were
working with her."
Trent
answered angrily, "Does she look like someone who I work with? Damnit,
she's what? Twenty?"
"So
are you."
"You
knew what I meant. I only work with older Lookers. I don't want to her into our
world. I didn't want to sacrifice someone like her."
Xander
tilted his head, confused. "Someone like her?"
"Innocent."
Xander
nodded. He didn't look at all concerned. Then again, he'd always been too dumb
to think about his actions after he'd gone through with them. Xander was a
Hunter. One of the best. The best.
He'd screwed up now, though.
"You
know what has to happen now, right, Xander?"
He
shook his head. Of course he didn't.
"You
killed someone without a contract on them. Someone who wasn't associated with
anyone with a contract on them...someone not associated with me." The big
man was nodding slowly. "You took an innocent life, Xander. You owe a
guilty one."
Comprehension
dawned on his broad features. "I only know two guilty ones, though, Trent.
Brad's so far away, though...can we get to him before they find me?"
Trent
shook his head and moved his long, wet hair out of his eyes. The Windy City
name didn't do Chicago justice. Rainy was better. Cold. Dead. Averly was almost
smiling. One corner of her lips was lifted. It looked like she was in the middle
of a nice dream.
"You
killed her quickly, at least? There wasn't any pain?"
Xander
shook his head. "No, no, no pain. Stopped her heart from across the park.
It was fast." He paused. "What about Brad?"
"We
can't get to Brad. He's in Europe. The other Lookers will find out about Averly
in the morning. They'll have found you by noon."
He
looked distraught. "They can't find me. They'll hurt me. They'll take you
back."
Trent
smiled. "They won't hurt you, buddy. But you're going to have to trade me
for the girl."
"Trade
you?"
Trent
tried to keep the shake out of his voice. It was hard. "You're gonna have
to kill me, big guy. I'll bring her back."
The
big man shook his head vehemently. "No, no, no I can't do that. I'm
supposed to take care of you. Your dad said--"
"I
know what Dad said. This is more important."
"But..."
"Hey!"
Trent hated raising his voice to Xander. Sometimes it was the only way to get
through to him, though. "Dad left. He's gone. And if we don't do this, they're
going to get you. You don't want that, do you?"
Xander
shook his head again. He would go through with it. Now Trent just had to
convince himself.
To be fair, you shouldn't even be here. Mom
traded herself to bring you back from the other side. You've done some good
with the extra time. The least you can do is let this innocent girl come back
and be with her friends and family again.
Besides, maybe they'll let you look
in on her now and again. And on Xander. He was good at his job, sure, but
somebody had to take care of the big lummox.
He tossed his
jacket off and stood up, planting his feet by the girl, Averly's, head. Trent's
hands were shaking so hard that he could feel the tremble in his legs. He'd
committed to this, though. Next off was his shirt. The wet fabric stuck to his
pale skin, but he eventually got it pried off. His tattoos, down the back of
his arms and his back, swirls and arches and symbols of black and gray, glowed
faintly in the light of the crescent moon.
Xander
was ready before Trent was. His hand was outstretched, the crosshair-shaped
rune on his hand staring Trent in the face. He smiled.
"Go
ahead, big guy. Make it quick."
The
crosshair touched his forehead and everything went black.
When
Trent opened his eyes, he was standing on a grassy hill, surrounded by flowers.
There was a lot of green and yellow. Some whites and blues. He smiled. He'd
nearly made it.
"Where
did you come from?"
He
spun behind him and saw her. Smiling, just like she had been on the train that
morning. Trent shrugged. "The same place you did."
She
nodded, recollection coming over her petite features. He smiled at her.
"You're
from the train?" Trent nodded.
"Do
you know where we are?" He nodded again.
Averly
smiled again. "Good! It's nice here, but it isn't home. I can't quite...I
don't know how I got here. Part of me wants to just lie here forever, but I
think I would miss home, you know?"
"Yeah,"
Trent said. "I know exactly what you mean. It isn't so bad here. But home
is better, believe me."
"You've
been here before? Do you know how to get back home, then?"
Trent
pointed behind Averly, over her shoulder. "Just turn around and go
back."
"It's
that easy?" She giggled and swiped a lock of hair behind her ear. Her
black hair was reflecting the light of the sun again.
"It's
that easy."
She
smiled and waved, then turned on her heel and started walking. Trent watched
her for a second, not sure what he would see when she made it. Maybe nothing.
She stopped and looked over her shoulder.
"Aren't
you coming?"
"No,"
he said. "I think I'm going to stay for a little while."
"Oh,
ok. I guess I'll see you around then. Will you be able to make it home
alone?"
"Yeah,"
he said.
"I
know where I'm going."