The Nightwalkers - Onhold

Unease

Sheila looked at Edward, surprised. "I...don't...understand."

Edward looked at her in desperation. "You must forget about them. Pretend you've never seen them in your life. They're dangerous; just stay away from them, please!"

Sheila sighed. She hated to see Edward, the one who had saved her all those years back, with such a pained expression. "If that is what you wish, I will forget this business entirely."

Edward and Sasha seemed relieved. Looks like Sasha knew about them too, Sheila thought.

"If you will excuse me, "Sheila said, getting up and grabbing her dishes, "I have quite a lot of work to complete by tomorrow."

Her relatives nodded, glad the conversation was over.

"Have a good night, dear."

"Rest well, Sheila."

Walking into the kitchen, Sheila dumped the dishes into the sink and went upstairs, making sure she locked her bedroom door. Walking over to her bed, something in the mirror caught her eye. "I'll have to throw this shirt away," Sheila told herself. "Blood sure is hard to remove."

Sheila took a quick shower, hoping to remove any visible bloodstains. After turning off the shower water, she stepped out with a towel wrapped around her body and another around her hair. She dried her hair, walking over to her desk where her laptop sat. Dumping the towel into her seat's back, she booted up her laptop. Might as well and finish all my work, she thought to herself.

An hour later, satisfied with everything she had done, she went over to her bed and lied down. I wonder who those people in black really were, she thought to herself. Even though she had promised her guardians that she would no longer think about them doesn't mean she won't think about them when she was not in their company. Dimitri sure hated them though, why would he act in such a way? She continued to ponder these thoughts until he eventually fell asleep.

Waking up the next morning, Sheila completed her usual routine - shower, eat, brush teeth, change...

After exiting the house, she made her way to school, expecting Alexie to jump on her again. When her friend did not show up, she started to get confused. Where was she? Sheila started to get worried. Alexie was never this late...

Alexie still didn't show up when break came around, sending Sheila further down the spiral of worry.

Sheila decided to distract herself. She's probably sick... Yeah, that's right. There's nothing to worry about... When it was time for Sheila to go back home, she was disheartened. It was rare for her friend to be away. For most her life, Sheila had never seen her friend miss a school day. When she arrived home, Sheila decided to lie down and rest. Her thought were in turmoil. She collapsed on her bed, falling into a deep slumber.

~Twelve Years Ago~

Sheila hid under her bed, crying softly. Tears continued to run down her face until her mother opened the door and found her. "Now, what are you doing down there?" she had asked, laughing softly. Her mother had pulled her out from under the bed and had sat the child on her lap. Sheila curled into a ball, hugging her mother. "Now, are you going to tell me, Sheila?"

Sheila had looked up misty eyes. "No one wants to be my friend. They say my silver hair belonged to a witch. Why do I have silver hair, mother? Why do I not have dark hair like you, or father?"

Her mother had continued to rock her back and forth, soothing her. "I don't know why, dear; but I know one thing is for sure. Your hair is beautiful, even if no one else realises."

Sheila looked up at her mother. "Beautiful? Everyone said it was a curse... th-that I would die soon."

Her mother laughed. "No, darling. You will not die for a very long time."

Sheila, finally convinced, looked up at her mother. "Do you think I'll ever get a friend?"

"You won't know till you try will you?"

Sheila, for the first time in months, started to smile. "Yes, mother!"

~A Year Later~

Sheila looked out at the raging sea from her rose-covered garden. She started to hum when a squeak made her spin around in alarm. A girl, with blazing red hair and equally fiery orange eyes, had tripped over the fence, and fallen face-first. Sheila looked down at the girl.

"I-I'm sorry!" the stranger flinched. "I know it's private property, but these flowers were just too beautiful... and I wanted to take one home to my sick mother!"

Sheila just smiled, hoping what she produced was a polite one. "Go ahead, I don't mind."

After the girl had stared at Sheila for quite some time, Sheila asked, “What’s wrong?”

"It's just that... your smile seemed fake... somehow... O-oh my! I-I apologise!" the stranger stuttered, blushing deep red.

Sheila merely nodded and walked away.

~Present~

Sheila woke up to find tears in her eyes. What was I dreaming about? she asked herself, confused. She did not know what it was she had been dreaming of, but it seemed to be something either truly happy, or heartbreakeningly sad.

She started getting out of bed when she heard raised voices downstairs. Strange... Edward never raises his voice. He’s a calm person. Creeping downstairs, Sheila tried to make little noise as possible. Sheila continued to follow the voices until she reached Edward's study, and pushed the door forward a tiny inch. In the room, she could just make out the silhouette of four people - her uncle, her aunt, and strangers clad in black. Wondering why the two strangers were here – realising that they bore a resemblance to the ones she had seen the other day - Sheila tried to listen in on the conversation.

“You are not taking her!" growled Edward.

"We won't be taking her," the leader – Sheila thought- said. "We'll only be keeping an eye on her. She is required to watch the Nightwalkers do their job for a year, and then she's free to leave. She can continue going to school, only one of our spies will be observing her every move."

"This is outrageous!" exploded Sasha. "I will not agree to it!" admonished Edward.

Sheila started to back away, not knowing what to do. These men were here for her. Who were they?! What were the Nightwalkers? More like, Who were the Nightwalkers.

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Hi guys, sorry if it was short. The next chapter I promise will express on what is happening more clearly and much better than this.

Your author, Devil Izuru