Out for Blood

Alnwick

"Well, maybe I can get my kill count up while I'm here. You saw the file." Aidan sighed. "Yeah, I did see the file, and that's exactly why I don't want you doing this case." Aidan pulled over to the side of the road, stopped the car, and then looked over at me, putting his hand on the console as he spoke. "You have never dealt with something like this before, not alone, at least, and I am worried, I am worried that, someday, I'm going to get a call saying that you managed to get your ass killed." I turned to look at Aidan as he spoke, my lips pursed into a thin line.

"If you think that I'm going to 'get my ass killed'" I growled "then you're wrong. I have killed my fair share of leeches. I'm not a little kid anymore, Aidan." My brother leant back into his seat, and looked up at the ceiling before closing his eyes. "I know that you're not a kid anymore." He muttered "You wouldn't have taken this assignment if you were a kid, you were smarter then."

"You mean I was weaker then." I shot. "Either way, it doesn't matter, that's not me anymore." I leant back, setting my face in stone as I stared at the building ahead of me. "Just get me up to the place, drop me off, and get out of here." Aidan looked over at me, sighed, and then turned the key in the ignition. "Whatever you say, Boss." He muttered before putting the car in drive, inching up the main road now, dragging out what should have been a couple minutes into at least five.

Once we got to the front of the building, I stepped out, slamming the door of the Prius behind me as I stepped out. Aidan flinched inside, and then followed my lead, though he shut the door softly. "There's no need to hurt my car." He insisted, and I shot him a glare over the roof of the car. "I'll do what I please." I said as I walked to the trunk of the car and opened it, being careful not to pull the secondary hatch that would reveal Aidan's stash of weapons nestled beneath the original bed of the trunk.

My own bag, one of my dad's old military rucksacks, sat on the false bed, propped up against the side. A second bag, a traditional suitcase, lay prone on the other side of the trunk. One of these bags contained the things that were normal for a teenager girl to have, my clothes, laptop, headphones, notebooks, and any other school supplies that I would need for the upcoming semester. I shuddered at the very thought of school, but the contents of my other bag made it better. Silver bullets in a stitched-in pocket, stakes put in the lining of the suitcase itself, my favorite revolver, all of the tools that I would need if I wanted to complete this assignment.

I grabbed both bags, and turned to face Aidan, who was looking over my shoulder. I cocked a brow, and followed his gaze to the woman who stood on the doorstep. If there was ever a woman that I could think of to be an angry principal, she certainly looked the part. She had high, narrow features, pert lips, and hard eyes that stared down at Aidan and I from where she stood at the top of the short flight of steps leading up to the academy's double doors. However, when she spoke, her lips curved up into a small smile, and her eyes actually sparked, casting away the initial impression that I had garnered of this woman as a hardass.

"Hello, welcome to Alnwick Academy, Ms. Summers." The woman greeted as she stepped down the brick steps, her sapphire blue high heels clicking against the stone as she went. "I trust that you found the way easily?" I scrutinized the woman before speaking, taking in every detail about her, in an attempt to discern if she could possibly be a target, or not. By her pencil-thin body and generally happy demeanor, combined with the fact that I didn't detect a hint of red in her eyes, I decided that she probably wasn't one of the leeches that I was here to slay. "Yeah, it was pretty easy, just follow the road, just like you told my Dad." The principal smiled, nodded, and then turned her attention toward Aidan, who stood somewhat awkwardly with his hands shoved into the pockets of his Levi's.

"Well, you certainly don't look old enough to be the father of a high school senior." Aidan flashed a half smile, and kicked at a rock with the toe of his combat boots, identical to mine, might I add. "Nah, I'm her brother, it's nice to meet you." Aidan took a step forward, extending a hand to the woman. "Ms...." The woman returned Aidan's smile, and shook his hand. "Bathory, pleasure to meet you." Aidan returned the sentiment, and then stepped back to where I stood. Ms. Bathory's eyes darted between us, and I could see her mentally comparing my brother and I, trying to find the similarities and, I had to admit, she would have a hard time.

While I was what one might consider a runt, standing at 5'2 and weighing in at a whopping hundred and two pounds, I checked yesterday, Aidan towered over me by more than a foot, and looked like he had stepped right off of the set of the last Captain America movie. Not to say that I didn't have muscle, it was just much less obvious that my brother's, and I liked it that way. My hair was black, his was brown, my eyes were blue, his were green, and I guess that's the sort of sibling comparison you ended up with when you were only half-siblings.

"Well," I said, breaking the silence that had settled in over our tiny conference. "I think it's about time for you to leave, bro." I said, nudging Aidan with my bag, anxious to get on with this case, so that I could get on to another one, even if that one meant working with him and Dad. As much as I hated to admit it, the place in front of me had an air of foreboding about it that I had not failed to notice, and I actually considered turning tail and backing out. Once glance to my side, at my brother's face ready to tell me that I could leave, turned my will to steel once more, and I smiled at Ms. Bathory as I waited for Aidan to get the hint.

"Do I at least get a hug?" Aidan asked as he turned toward me, leaning back on his heel as a bemused expression rose to his features. I shot him a glare, set down my bags, and reluctantly opened my arms for him. Aidan stepped forward, and actually pulled me off of the ground in a tight hug before whispering into my ear. "Last chance to back out." He informed me, and I put my arms around his neck so that I could whisper directly into his ear.

"Fuck you." Aidan chuckled, and set me back down, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Remember to call Dad as often as you can, and text me if you need anything, alright?" I nodded, and, with little subtlety, pushed Aidan back toward his car. "Alright, alright, go on, get outta here, they don't want your kind." I said, which elicited a chuckle from Aidan as he looked over my shoulder at Ms. Bathory.

"She just can't wait to get started here, meet the new kids and all, and I've been bothering her the whole way here." I glared at Aidan, and he held up his hands as though he were awaiting a full physical attack from me which, if he didn't get moving, I was about to launch into. "Alright, alright, I'm going." Aidan conceded, walking around to the driver side of his car and waving. "Love you, be safe." He called. "Would you leave already?" I shot back, and Aidan smirked before ducking into the car.

I watched as Aidan pulled away from the school, and retreated down the drive that we had advanced down only about five minutes ago. I stared at the back of his car until he went over edge of the hill, and I couldn't see him anymore. With that, I was utterly alone. I turned back to Ms. Bathory, and smiled. "Big brothers, right?" She laughed out loud at that. "Oh, don't I know it. I had three brothers of my own, you know, granted, they never accompanied on long travels like your brother had to, but they were still pains." I nodded, picking up my rucksack and slinging it over my shoulder so that it hung there, doing the same with my other bag, though onto the other shoulder.

"So, Ms. Summers, first off, may I call you Chloe? I really don't like the whole formality thing." I wouldn't have been able to tell that just by looking at Ms. Bathory, with her dress clothes and high heels, she looked like she could have just come from a high profile business meeting, and embodied the very thought of professionalism. However, I wasn't about to complain about not being formal. "Sure, if you'd like." I said as I adjusted my jacket, which had bunched up somewhat when I had put my bags over my shoulders. "Great, great. I was going to start with a tour of the campus, but it looks like you've got some heavy bags there, follow me, and I'll show you to your room. If we're lucky, maybe your roommate will be there, and will be able to show you around the campus."

"Alright, yeah, I would appreciate that." I said as I adjusted one of the bags on my shoulder. Ms. Bathory nodded, clapped her hands together, and smiled. "Follow me." She instructed, before turning, and opening the door into Alnwick Academy.