I just had to do this. Then I can go back home and get some fucking sleep. I ready my rifle, steadying it on the concrete edge of the apartment building I'm perched on. I look down at the party bellow before popping in my earbuds. God I hate my job.
I turn my music up, noise banging in my head. I aim my sniper rifle.
Ain't no rest for the wicked
Bang
Money don't grow on trees
Bang
We got bills to pay
Bang
Mouths to feed
Bang
Ain't nothing in this land for free
Bang
I watch the blood of my last target splatter on to wall. They slump over, deader than a doornail. The people below scream and shout in horror and disgust. Five targets. Five hundred dollars. That's all these people are. Targets.
Maybe I should reintroduce myself....
My name is DJ.
And I used to be a star being.
I stand and crawl off the roof. "Just targets." I remind myself. "They're just targets." I shove my hands in my pockets and stash my rifle behind a dumpster while I dig through my bag for a hoodie. I tug it on over my body suit, then I take apart my gun and stays the parts in my bag. That's probably not the best way to do it but I can barley afford my rent and groceries with what I get from assassination jobs. There's no way in hell I can afford a decent case.
It's been three years since the infamous "Starfall" happened. Since then, rumors have spread like wild fire. Mainly that the Star Beings were dead. That they had been privately executed by Anaideia. And part of that was true. The girl I was died that day. She burned with the tree that kept the base running. And I have the Star burned into my back to prove it. After I left Ethan's, I joined a crew of pirates and stuck with them for a while. But after about a year, they were in danger too. So I left them behind. I've been living alone since. And rent is high as fuck.
I call Lane and Natalie from time to time. The other Star Beings and I (plus Hera and Elian) meet once a year. And every year, it's the same thing.
"It's not safe enough"
Bullshit.
Anaideia Timor controls almost the whole goddamn planet. When is it ever gonna be safe? It's not. Hera and Elian just want to hide. And because they're technically our commanding officers, we have to listen. Even if the rebellion is all but non existent.
I slide the key into my door, unlock it, and step inside. Button runs over, rubs against my leg, and then meows loudly. "Yeah, I'll get you your dinner. Just give me a goddamn second." I mutter, tossing my bag into a chair. I grab her bowl and fill it up with Cat food. Then I set it back down. She looks at the food, looks back up at me, and meows loudly. "Oh fuck off." I mutter, flopping down on the couch and clicking on the tv. This is what my life has become. I go out, kill someone, come home, feed my cat, then sit down and watch tv while eating instant noodles. It's almost sad. When I was 15 I actually saw adventure and excitement in my future. Now all I see is tragedy and a wasted life.
I shake myself awake. Shit. I fell asleep on the couch again. I get up, stretch, and stumble into the kitchen. "Coffee." I start the machine, the smell of bitter beans filling my nose. I glance out the window. It's raining for the third time in a week.
I watch droplets hit my window, streaming down as if they're racing each other. It's oddly calming. A break in the storm of my life. The constant, crazy ass storm.
The coffee maker beeps. "Caffeine." I scramble over and grab my cup, adding a little bit of sugar and cream. If I knew it wasn't scalding, I would chug it right here. But it would probably burn my tongue off if I did that. I hear my phone beep. I grab it and glance at the screen. "A news report?" I say with slight surprise. I read the article. There's a new L.O. base nearby. I smile. "A chance to cause some chaos." Yes, Hera and Elian both want us to hide....
But they said nothing about raising hell undercover.
I open my closet, grabbing the black bodysuit and trench coat from the rack. "Where's my mask?" I mutter, digging through my clothes. Maybe I should explain.
One night I got tired of hiding in the shadows while the L.O. destroyed everything. So, I went out and raised some hell at a base. Someone nicknamed me "The Raven". I thought it was because of my wings but apparently it was because the L.O. saw me as an omen of death. Which makes sense. After that first night I just kept doing it, eventually making myself a costume that consists of a black trenchcoat, a black bodysuit, and a mask that looks like a Raven. I've been going out whenever I can since.
My hand finally lands on a cold metallic beak. I snatch it out of the pile of clothes. "There you are." I sigh. I toss the stuff on my bed. I'll have to go out tonight. It's not smart to attack a military base in broad daylight. Especially if you're only one person. My phone rings. "Hello?" "Hey DJ." I sigh in relief at the sound of a familiar voice. "Hey Nat. How's it goin?"
I stir my instant noodles, absentmindedly gazing out my window. The rain stopped, and now the sun is slowly sinking in the sky. I hear Button meow loudly before curling up in my lap. I slurp up the rest of my ramen and pat Button on the head. "I gotta go, kitty. So get off." I sit up, my cat leaping off of my lap. I walk into my room and change, slipping into my body suit. I grab my hair gel from the bathroom and spike my hair before putting on my coat and slipping my mask into a pocket. I strap a pistol to my leg. "I have to be prepared for everything." I sigh. I walk back into the living room, grabbing my keys. I really don't trust my landlord. The woman wants two hundred dollars worth of rent PLUS an extra two hundred to keep her mouth shut. And assassin work doesn't pay four hundred dollars a month.
As a way to keep myself afloat, I started competing in underground gladiator matches. I get a cut of whatever people bet on me, and I've made quite the name for myself. Which is ironic considering people still refer to me as "nobody".
I lock my door and head downstairs, waving at my landlord as I go. She scowls at me. Cranky old hag. I extract her money from my coat pocket and hand it over to her. "Here's your stupid cash. Two hundred for rent, plus the extra two hundred, PLUS another hundred for you to keep extra quiet this month." The old woman arches an eyebrow but says nothing. I step outside, going back to the news article as I go. I stare at the header image. I shut my eyes and focus on a spot near the gate. One no one will see right away. When I open my eyes again, I'm standing near the fence. I scramble away, hiding in the dark. The night vision on my mask clicks on.
I get a running start at the fence, climbing it with ease and vaulting over the barbed wire like it's nothing. "Easy." I huff, standing to my full height and glancing around the camp. "What could they be hiding here?" My eyes land on a sign that says "WEAPONS" in all caps. Ah. Probably that. I follow the sign, stopping at a fucking STOCKPILE of bombs. What do they even need these for? The rebellion is pretty much dead. I shrug. "FREEZE!!!" Some yells from behind me. Fuck. "Listen bud, I don't want any trouble. Just let me do my job." I say without turning around. "PUT YOUR HANDS UP!!!" The guard yells. Why can't they ever listen. I whip around and tackle the soldier. "I told you to let me do my work." I growl, wrestling then to the ground. "Stop... squirmin..." I grumble. I hear a gun go off.
I'm flung sideways into a building. "Damn that thing had a punch to it." I hear another guard mutter. I focus on the said "punch" that shot had. I feel it move from my side where I was hit to my fists. I heal my wound and stand. "You good dude?" I hear the second guard ask the first. "D-dude..." "what-" I punch him right across the jaw, sending him flying with the same force his gun had. I glare at the other guard, who quickly dares their gun. But I'm quicker. I draw mine first. We circle each other, waiting for the other to shoot. "Go ahead. Try it bastard." I growl. Well... they try something. They tackle me. I send a knee to their groin and poke them in the eyes with my free hand. They Yelp and fall backwards. My hand sparks up with electricity. I lunge towards the bombs. "See ya gents!" I yell, slamming my hand into the bombs. They beep three times. I hear the boom right as I teleport back home.
I collapse onto the floor, utterly exhausted. "God hero-ing can be a pain in the ass." I yell to no one. "But that doesn't stop you from doing it." I hear someone say in an amused voice. I scramble up, my hand flying to my gun. "Oh. It's you." I grumble. A cat like person sits on the edge of my open window. Kit. My neighbor, sparring partner, and shapeshifter that likes to look like an anime cat person.
"Please leave." I grumble, tossing off the raven mask and waking into the kitchen to make myself some coffee. "Nah, I'm good. Your place is cleaner than mine." They say, jumping off of the windowsill and trotting around my apartment. Kit knows everyone's dirty secrets. And for no fucking reason other than gossip. No bribes. No turning in people to the police. Just gossip. Hell, I could probably kill someone in front of their eyes and they'd just ask for a cup of tea.
"Then clean your damn place and leave." I grumble, pulling out my last clean mug from the cabinet. "Or I could, Ya know, not?" "Kit, if I could roll my eyes any father back in my head I would." I say, glaring at them. They just wink at me. Weirdly, I kind of liked Kit's presence at times. They remind me a bit of Hade. "So what's you do this time, mrs. Raven?" "Blew up a weapons stash about ten miles north of here. No big deal." I say with a shrug. Kit nods and picks up my mug from the counter. "I'm gonna need that back soon." I try to swipe the cup from their hands. They dodge, smirking as they dance over to the open window. "Then come get it." They jump out, grabbing onto a light pole and swinging over to their apartment. I groan. God they can be annoying.
I teleport over to their place, snatch my cup, and come back. I pour myself some coffee and sit down on the couch. I turn on the news. There's already reports on what happened. I click off the news and walk to my room. "Where did it all go wrong?" I grumble to myself. "Probably when you grabbed that disembodied hand and got yanked through the portal." I flop onto the bed. I'm not tired. But god the sheets feel nice.
I grab a bag of chips off of the shelf of the store and check my wallet. I don't have any cash. "Fuck." I shove the bag into my hoodie pocket, glance back at the cashier, and then teleport outside. I sigh and start back to my apartment. I could just teleport back but sometimes the city can be charming. I pass an old wanted poster. With my face on it. I tear it down and crumple it up, tossing it behind me. That girl is dead, why is Anai still looking for her?
I walk by an alleyway and hear a commotion. I stop and hide, peeking around the corner. There's four people attacking someone who doesn't look like they're from around here. I step into the alley. "OI!!! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" The three people whirl around and stare at me. "Maybe I will..." one of them says. He steps forwards and grabs me by my collar, lifting me up and slamming me into a wall. "Or maybe you should learn to do that yourself." He laughs. I squirm beneath his grip. "I could strangle you right here. That oughta teach you a lesson." He growls. I let out a hoarse laugh. "Kinky."
Then I send my knee to his nuts. He yelps and falls, letting me go. I rush the other two, knocking them off their feet with a blast of lightning. I grab the poor fool they were mugging and toss him over my shoulder. I wink at the three guys. "Nice meeting you. Hope you learned your lesson!"
I teleport home, dumping the person in the tub the moment I'm in my bathroom. They're a bloody bruised mess. I turn on the water and wash them off. Then I stitch up their cuts. I can't heal them. Too risky. I strip off their shirt and start to tend to the wounds there. What the hell did those nuggets do? Seriously, this is fucking insane.
After about two hours of waiting for them to get up, I give and stumble to bed. It's like ten PM and I'm fuckin exhausted. I collapse into my sheets. My eyes flutter shut. "Sleeeep...."
"WHERE THE FUCK AM I???" I hear someone yell. I open one eye. "Oh joy, they're awake." I grumble. I drag myself out into the hallway, staring at the idiot who woke me up. "You got mugged, I saved your ass, your welcome." I growl, walking past them and making myself some coffee. They scream. "Jesus you're loud. The neighbors are probably wondering what the fuck is going on." I scoff. "Wait... I know you." "Like hell you do!" I laugh. The person raises an eyebrow. "No. I know I do. You're that Star Being girl. JD?? KJ??? DJ! That's it!" I feel my blood run cold. "How do you know who I am?" "We met a long time ago. You washed up on the island I lived on." That's when it clicks. This is the kid that helped me after I woke up. Kyler? Kay? "Kai?" He nods. I grin. "Nice to see a somewhat familiar face. Now put on a goddamn shirt. Ya look ridiculous."
"So how'd you end up in the city?" "The island fell to the L.O. We were one of the last places to do so. I escaped on a cargo ship as a stowaway. And those guys who mugged me took the last of my savings." Kai sighs. I pat him on the back. "Sorry about that dude. I'd give you some cash but I'm pretty broke right now. My landlady is bleeding me dry." I grumble, taking a sip of my coffee. Kai laughs dryly. "S'ok. I bet you want me gone, anyways." I shrug. "You can stay for now. At least until I get some cash to get you." Kai smiles at me. "Thanks DJ. I appreciate it."
It took two weeks, but I got Kai his cash. "Here. Now get out of my apartment." I say, pointing to the door. Kai laughs and starts to head towards the exit. "Really though, you're welcome back anytime you need. This city can be crazy as fuck." I say with a small laugh. Kai smiles thankfully. "I'll keep that in mind. See ya around." He shuts the door behind him. I sigh and sit down on the couch. Finally. Silence. Sweet, sweet, silence.
Button meows loudly. "You just ate, ya little shit!" I shout at her. She jumps onto my lap. Spiteful little fucker. She stares at me. If cats could smirk, that's exactly what she'd be doing. "What do you want?" I ask. She blinks nonchalantly and meows again. I groan and turn on the television. There's some dumb sitcom on. Meh. It's better than the news.
I didn't even realize I fell asleep until I woke up. Button is still on my lap, though now she's asleep. I turn on the TV and stand, button half sliding half jumping off of my lap. I close the blinds and turn on the light. It's well after dark now. I walk into my room and toss off my shirt, jeans, bra, and underwear. I jump into the shower, washing my hair. "God, how'd it get so greasy?" I grumble as I finish up. I turn off the water and pull on some shorts and a sports bra. I glance at myself in the mirror and smile. I remember a time when a little bit of muscle hyped me up. And now... I chuckle and walk into the kitchen, starting on some instant noodles.
I look around my apartment, silently observing everything. And to think three years ago I was at sea. I sigh and shake my head. I still had my doubts about leaving Beck and Mako behind. I did it to protect them. It seems like that's the only way to protect people is to leave them behind. But that's life I suppose. I hear a whooshing noise. I look up right as someone falls directly on top of me.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!?!" I yelp, throwing whoever it is off of me. I freeze, staring at the curled up ball of pink hair and skin. "Oh my deity." I mutter. The person looks up at me and waves weakly. She has deep cuts in her back. "Lane?" "Hey DJ." She croaks. Then she slumps over, unconscious.
Two updates in a day? It's more likely than you think!