Beneath The Light

2. Cold Blooded Murder

Cold Blooded Murder

Aden woke with a start, images of bloody daggers and broken wings burning behind his eyes. He'd had enough of nightmares to last him a lifetime, this past week being full of them. The only person who knew of his struggles was his older sister Alice. Alice was his best friend, someone he could go to for anything. She was planning a trip to the Dark World next week and planned on sneaking him with her. He was eighteen now. Surely he didn't have to obey by his parents' rules anymore? He got dressed in the usual white attire and headed downstairs to the basement where Alice and he trained every morning. She was teaching him how to be a proper Angel, not the shallow, naïve, gullible creature his parents were turning the whole Light World into. Angels no longer had to go to school, they said, which on the contrary was a horrifying thought. Without school where would the ambitions be? The qualifications? The imagination? Instead parents were bound by the law to teach their children everything they knew, and with Angel families gaining up to ten children in the Light World, teaching Angel children was a difficult task. Of course, his parents didn't care, their baby-making days were over, ended with Aden eighteen years ago. They changed the law last year and ever since there have been struggles and demonstrations, much to his parents' fury. Life was tumbling downhill for Aden, and he was beginning to get sick of the ride. "Is it sorted then?" Aden asked Alice, huffing out of breath after a hour's work. Alice had just entered the room in a waft of cloudy perfume, her long blonde hair fused in it's ringlets down her back, bound by a gold clasp, her white dress fluttering out behind her. Aden straightened. His sister wasn't looking happy at all. In fact, her expression was rather grim. "Aden," Alice's voice shattered his confidence, raising hairs on the back of his neck. "I have to leave, tonight." She said softly, pausing in the centre of the room, barefoot and pale with her wings flapping gently in the air behind her. "What do you mean tonight? You're not due to leave for another week yet!" His sister avoided his eyes. "There's been a murder," She whispered. "In the Dark World. I have to leave tonight to investigate."

"But why you? Why now? But... Why?" Aden threw his arms in the air in fury. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't the plan. "I'm sorry, Aden. If this was any other time I'd be back the same day but... I'm not going to be home for a while." Aden's face fell. "You said murder? This isn't just another Norant, is it?" Alice bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm not allowed to tell you anything else. In fact-" She turned on her heel guiltily, hurrying towards the door. "No!" Aden jumped off the beam he'd been standing on, flying in front of the door and trapping his sister in the room. "You leave this room and you're taking me with you to the Dark World, murder or no murder." Alice blinked at her younger brother. He may be one of the youngest, she thought, but he sure as Hell knew how to be the bravest.

Topaz pulled away thrilling in Kye's answering groan. "Pa-"

"Ssh," She put her blood-red finger-nail over his lips, his lust-filled eyes sparkling up at her in the dark. "That's enough for now." She said enchantingly, rolling off his naked body, zipping her dress back onto her body. "But," She paused by the door, her black hair a cloak around her slender frame. "When will I see you again?" Kye's voice shook with longing and she turned, her killer gaze sweeping the tattooed boy on the bed. "With any luck," She mumbled under her breath. "Never," Then she smiled dazzlingly at him, applying her red lipstick without a mirror. "In your dreams, Kye." She said in her sultry accent, sliding the lipstick back inside her bra and slamming his bedroom door behind her. Her heels swung from her finger, her humming light and happy as she padded along the concrete underground corridor, the rush of water rippling above her head raising chills on her back. "Paz!" For a moment she thought it might be Kye, but realisation dawned as she recognised her brother's voice. She paused in confusion before remembering that this was where his girlfriend lived, as well as her... Well... She wasn't sure what Kye was. "What?" She snapped, turning around to glare at her eldest brother standing shirtless in Louise's bedroom doorway. She shivered in disgust, his button undone on his jeans. "Classy chick you are." He said, nodding to her light and easily-removable summer dress. "I've learned from the best." She nodded to his jeans and he flashed her his killer smile. "Damn right you have. You off home?" She cocked an eyebrow. "No I'm off to the nightclub up in Light World, what d'you think, douche?" He shrugged and said, "Well, just make sure you eat summit, okay?" She shook her head in awe of her brother. He still tried to be protective even though she knew he was well aware of the fact that while he was in bed with his girlfriend, Topaz was in bed with his girlfriend's brother. "You staying here?" He winked at her and said, "Unfinished business little sister, something you wouldn't understand."