"Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." – Albert Camus
"Aren't you joining the others tonight?"
"I'm technically under protection, so I can't leave."
"Well, that's such a shame."
"I'm not really keen on violence, so it's fine."
Hailey smiled warmly at Itsuki, who volunteered to keep her company for the night; she was grateful since she felt the earth shook with anticipation when the moon spoke. It frightened her for a moment, but Itsuki managed to calm her down simply with her presence; she was not a big fan of being under the moon's gaze too much.
Looking out the window, Hailey examined the mountain that towered in the distance; she could see a strong yellow light. It was pale, but it was bright enough as it tore through the sky and kissed the moon; beautiful as though both worlds connected. She marvelled at the sight and wondered who could make such a power.
Surely, it's a mage.
Hailey answered her own thoughts as she let out a soft sigh and turned to her company; the human that sat in Jesslyn's couch had her eyes glued on a book that she was unfamiliar with. It had a girl looking at a phone, but her eyes were obscured as much as the cover was black and white with the title below the page.
There was a dim light in their room as Itsuki read; she was too engulfed in her book that she was not too worried about Jesslyn's work for the evening. She was passing the time whilst she waited for her candid performance later on; a smile crept on her lips just at the thought of it.
Perhaps I should sleep, Hailey suggested to herself as she walked away from the window; the howls and shrieks in the distance has begun. Partly, she was disappointed that she would not participate because of the danger that surrounded her; she even looked forward to it after she learned that the infamous Crimson Dragon would be the challenge master.
Fighting was not something she wanted, averse to it even, but if it meant she can unleash all of her powers for one night, then she would partake in it; not too much though. Looking down at her palm, she sat beside Itsuki and let out a soft sigh that the half-Japanese descent noticed.
"Want to talk about it?" Itsuki spoke softly without looking away from her book.
Hailey hummed, "What is there to talk about."
"Your capture, the man who tried to kill you," Itsuki suggested a few without retracting her eyes from the book, "Or, how about school? Homework? Boys? Girls?" she continued as she looked at her from the corner of her eyes, "Anything really."
Hailey leant back into the seat as she faced her, "Can we talk about Jesslyn and you?"
"What do you want to know?" Itsuki smiled as she closed her book as if to tell her she was listening, "Our story isn't exactly that exciting."
Hailey smirked, "Yeah, but you were included in Athena's endeavours, her trials from what I heard."
"And what exactly did you hear?" Itsuki raised a brow.
Hailey stared at her for a moment as she tried to find a good question to ask; there were a lot of things she wanted to ask her about Athena's ascension into Hybridity, but she was not truly interested in it. What she wanted answers for was how two humans managed to become friends with two powerful Non-Mortals.
"Have both you always been friends with Miss Thesalia and Miss Athena?" Hailey queried as she examined Itsuki's expression.
Itsuki nodded, "You should drop the Miss if you talk about them," she told her honestly which made the young teen raise a brow, "They hate having to hear honorifics from their friends."
I'm... a friend to them?
Itsuki giggled at the expression she had on her face; she was certain that she was in disbelief from what she just said, but what she said was not truly a lie. The nature of those two were 'your friends are my friends' which was why she told her not to address them with anything other than their names; Katherine was Hailey's friend and that was enough for them to recognise as a connection.
"The look on your face tells me your in disbelief," Itsuki spoke calmly as she read her expression, "The two powerful Non-Mortals in the world consider you a friend so embrace it," she smiled at her, "Even if you don't believe it," she placed a hand over hers, "But you're a friend to us already."
Heart beating against her ears, Hailey knew not how to respond, but merely smiled; she could not wrap her head around the fact that she became a friend to them – this family of powerful people. In all her life, she was always surrounded by nothing – even her family had already betrayed her; the very reason why she attended this institution to begin with.
"I," Hailey tried to speak but could not find the right words, "Shouldn't let that go over my head," she spoke as she took a deep breath, "I think."
Itsuki giggled, "I know what you feel."
"Bet you do," Hailey laughed as she stood up, "I better head to bed," she told her honestly as she proceeded towards the door, "Oh, by the way," she turned around just before she opened the door, whereas Itsuki turned to her, "Please, keep it down a bit later."
Face flushed at her words, Itsuki looked away as she responded with a nervous laugh; Hailey smirked as she left the human to her thoughts. She can hear it from where she stood even as she entered her room; darkness greeted her politely as much as a soft breeze blew from the open window.
Letting out a sigh, she approached her bed and plopped down onto her stomach; taking a pillow into her arms, she tried to think about what Itsuki had said. I have friends, she smiled at the thought; all her life she never once heard someone uprightly told her that she had. To hear it, made her a little bit giddy and she was very thankful to a certain someone for it.
Katherine.
Saying her name, she felt her heartbeat rise as much as she felt her face flush; her grey eyes invaded her mind as much as she recalled her kind gesture this morning. The way she sounded like she cared and how she offered her food just when she was hungry and lazy at that time from lack of sleep; no thanks to Jesslyn and Itsuki.
Smiling to herself, she hugged the pillow closer to her chest as she allowed the night breeze to lull her to sleep; even though the whole apartment was ventilated by the air-condition, she still preferred the touch of nature's blessing against her skin. It felt as though the world embraced her all the time.
Eyelids slowly dropping, she allowed herself to sleep; her thoughts lingered on everything that happened today. From her time with Katherine and towards the end of the day where they parted ways; her eyes wanted to see her as soon as possible. Sleep would speed time for her as she smiled at the thought of having a better friend.
You're a friend to us already.
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Wake up, Hailey.
What...?
Wake up, child!
5 more minutes....
Child, wake up you're in danger!
Turning about, Hailey refused to open her eyes and kept them shut; she did not wish to wake for her dreams were bliss to her as much as the cool breeze made it even better. Groping the side, she searched for her blanket as she ignored the sounds the echoed from the nearby battle; as her hand searched her bed, she noticed the dust that cradled her bed which made her slowly sit up.
The sounds from the nearby battle suddenly sounded much closer as she heard trees bend in the distance; cupping her face, she rubbed one of her eyes as she suddenly felt herself alight. Her eyelids sprung upwards as she saw a pair of red eyes running after her; she wanted to scream, but her fear would not allow her voice to escape her lips.
Where am I?
Hailey questioned her surroundings as she looked up and found herself in the arms of a full grown werewolf; its furry arm warmed the cold in her body, but her body remained shaken – fear crept along her spine.
The werewolf growled a little as they ran away from their pursuer; she quivered a little at how his chest suddenly vibrated from his growl. Who is he? Hailey wondered, but now was not really the time for it; they were still being pursued by the vampire behind them, who she could recognise somehow.
Running through the trees, Hailey tried to avoid any branches as the werewolf ran on three legs; it was not too fast as the vampire – who was still in human form, surprisingly – was catching up to them. We need to get faster! she exclaimed mentally as she looked up at the werewolf who was saving her.
"Let me on your back!" she shouted at it, but it growled in response and did not abide; she furrowed her brows as she felt his emotions that made her grew wide-eyed. She did not anticipate her to be the one to come to her rescue, which brought on the question as to how she knew she was in danger. "Wolfie, put me on your back now!"
Roaring in response, Katherine did as she was told, but still did not like the nickname she called her; slowly, she raised her arm over her head as she made sure that Hailey would not fall off of her. She wanted to confront their pursuer, but she did not wish for Hailey to fall prey to harm.
Not again.
"Who is he, wolfie?" Hailey nearly whispered her question as she turned back to look at their pursuer, who had taken the tall trees to his advantage; she grabbed onto Katherine's fur, as she ran even faster, probably aware that he was getting closer. "We need to get to Jesslyn!"
I know that! Katherine roared mentally as her limbs dug deeper into the earth; she searched for a viable shortcut at every possible turn, but they were too far away from the institution. There was a mountain in front of them, where the battle still raged between each races; she knew not how far their assailant would pursue them, but she was not going to take the risk.
Running even faster, Katherine felt adrenaline casually pump itself to her veins, but felt her body suddenly fall into slow motion; a strong punch knocked her off course that made her body flew towards a tree. Shit! Katherine cursed as she forced herself to turn and hug Hailey; she curled into a ball as they tore through a few pine trees.
Katherine left an arm out to slow their fall as she grazed her claw against the earth; she threw Hailey up briefly that made the blue haired teen to yelp whilst she positioned her body in the ground. Landing on all fours, Katherine ran once again as Hailey fell onto her back, trying her best to avoid a conflict now that the vamp had decided to attack.
As they ran through the forest, the mountain got closer. But so did their pursuer. Vexation pumped into Katherine's veins as she roared out loud, then turned just to punch the vampire away – something it did not expect; Katherine punched him far enough for her to not to see him, then resumed their escape.
Take a left and jump on the trees.
Running and running, Katherine gained momentum and jumped onto one of the trees after she took a left; she knew not why she had the urge to do so, but it helped her a bit. The vampire could not pursue them in thicket of leaves as she jumped lightly from tree to tree; it would be much easier if she was not a hulking werewolf.
It took her a second to contemplate it, but she did not go with it; she needed to power to protect Hailey and will not fail that one objective – not this time. She leapt from tree to tree in hopes of dissuading the enemy to pursue them any further; the loud crackle of chants thundered just beside her that made her eyes veer away from the path to the battle in the distance.
"Wolfie, watch out!"
Facing forward, Katherine did not see what came after; there was a cliff in front of her – the same cliff she encountered earlier, which meant she was near the Den. In mid-air, she shifted her body around as she pulled Hailey towards her; they were falling faster as the wind picked up at them as much as gravity pulled them down.
Into the great crevice, their body fell as Hailey clung to Katherine, who was trying to find a way to stop the long fall; the rush of water down below echoed in her eardrums as much as she can see the sharpened rocks at the end. Growling softly, she tried not to panic as she searched for a way; her leap was too far from the cliffs.
What am I going to do? Katherine questioned herself as they fell faster, nearing the rocks as much as death awaited Hailey – something she did not wish to happen. Looking up to the moon, she prayed silently in her head as if she wanted it to provide answers – a guide even, just to save her own comrade's life.
Glide your body, then impale your arm through the rocks.
Katherine looked at Hailey and hoped that she would read her thoughts, then slowly put her on her back; Hailey felt the sincerity in her as much as there was a chaotic glimpse of desperation inside her – the want to save her overflowed in her eyes.
Uncertain ran through her mind, she knew not how to comfort her feelings, but was well aware that now was not the time; their lives were in danger. What do I do? Hailey thought in a near panic as she tried her best to hold on to Katherine, who looked as though she wanted to say something, but just growled softly.
Hailey, get on her back and she will get you both to safety.
Nodding silently, Hailey made her way towards Katherine's back; she made sure not go too far for one false move would separate them in mid-air. She held onto Katherine's fur and made her sure that her grip was firm as she watched her spread her arms in an attempt to glide near to the cliff walls; nearer and nearer they got as she saw her impale her arm through the rock and nearly etched a vertical line on it.
Their descent slowed from Katherine's action as she tried not to look down; her heartbeat was through the sky that she did not know what to do. Leaning into Katherine, she tried to take deep solemn breaths after what just occurred; the slow, yet rocky fall only made her fear heighten, unsure whether they would have made it.
"Are you okay?" Katherine tried to speak as sniffed the air in search of their pursuer; so far, she could not sense his temperature nor smell his scent. Hailey did not respond as she tried to look at her, but she was deeply attached to her back that she cannot see into her eyes; she knew that she can sense her emotions, but she still wanted to know. "Are you hurt?"
There was no response. Katherine hung onto the wall a little bit more as she allowed Hailey to catch her breath; she can hear her heartbeat that has skyrocketed and wanted her to calm down, before she proceeded even if they were still being pursued. She wanted to proceed with their escape, but she did not want to stress Hailey in the process.
Half a minute passed and Katherine began her ascent; she can feel Hailey's fear as much as she can hear her faint sobs. There was a pain in her heart as she heard her whimper, which made her angry at herself for making her feel like such; she did not mean to hurt her, nor put her in such a situation, but all she wanted was to save her and nothing more.
"Wolfie," Hailey nearly whimpered as Katherine halted and looked over her shoulder, "I think I'm going to be sick."
Katherine growled, "Don't you dare hurl on me!"
A second went by and Katherine felt a cold, sticky substance on her back that nearly made her shiver; the smell made her shake her head at how strong it was. Rolling her eyes, she continued her ascent as she felt Hailey move up to her shoulders and hug her head; she can hear her heartbeat perfectly behind her head as much as she could tell that it was already calming down.
"I'm sorry, wolfie," Hailey whispered as she rubbed Katherine's neck, "I know you're mad."
Katherine huffed out of her nose, "You think?"
"Thank you though," Hailey whispered as she rested her cheek on top of Katherine's head, "You're really a good friend," she continued as she closed her eyes slowly and felt something inside Katherine warm up, "I don't know what would have happened if you didn't show up."
Katherine sighed out of her nostrils, "I didn't save you because I wanted to," she told her honestly, "I did it because my instincts told me to," she continued, "It's not like I did it for you."
"Wolfie," Hailey spoke as she held on tighter to her, "I can feel your emotions," she spoke, "But I don't understand what your growls mean."
Halting for a moment, Katherine rolled her eyes at her as she realised that maybe Hailey did not understand a single word she had said; she had been talking to her this whole time and maybe because of her werewolf state that she could not speak properly to other people – other than her own kind perhaps.
Ignoring this minor detail, Katherine resumed her slow pace up; she did not wish for Hailey to feel any more uncomfortable on her, in fear and disgust of her once again regurgitating on her. She may be werewolf now, but it does not mean that the smell would not transfer over once she was standing on her two human feet; she did not know how many baths it would take just to remove the stench.
Wolf, lean left!
Trusting on instinct, Katherine let go on her right and allowed her body to swing; a bullet pierced through the rocks as her eyes darted towards its direction. There on the other side stood their pursuer, his red vampiric gaze maddened her and infuriated her senses raw; she wanted to tear him apart after that shot, but she had to put a lot of restraint.
He's pissing me off, Katherine hissed mentally as she roared at the attacker; putting a hand behind Hailey, she resumed her ascent at a much faster pace while swinging from left to right, changing arms to shield Hailey from the bullets. She did not know much longer she had to do that as she was still a few more meters before she reached the top.
"Wolfie," Hailey whispered, nearly a whimper as Katherine kept on dodging left and right, "I'm not feeling too good."
Shit! Katherine cursed as she increased her pace, hoping not to bathe in any more puke; rushing upwards, swinging from left to right, Hailey felt all the more dizzy and her bowels have begun to boil, almost about to erupt from this constant motion. Trying to hold it in, Hailey gripped harder onto Katherine's neck as she tried not to get hit by the hail of bullets; they were almost at the top and she needed to hold it in for just a few more swings.
All of a sudden, Katherine roared out loud, which made Hailey open her tightly sealed eyelids as she sensed the pain that coursed through Katherine; she looked at her and saw her gritting her fangs shut as she turned to where the pain resided most.
To her horror, her left arm bled profusely from the bullet wound that dug deep into her shoulder as she waited for her to recover; she knew of their heightened recovery, but to see it fail her now made her own fear rise – from her bowels.
Now is not the time to feel your weak bladder!
Hailey chided herself mentally as the sight of blood nauseated her; she wanted to puke at the strong scent of metal as though there was rust on it. She can smell it clearly as much as she can see it rain down to the ground; the gush of the blood was prominent as though it was a drop of the falls nearby.
Her head began to spin as she tried not to faint; she was not fond of violence and would rather not see blood anymore. Katherine could not proceed any further without her other arm; she needed her other arm to shield Hailey from the storm and without it, would be difficult to proceed. Getting Hailey hurt was something she did not wish to happen – not again.
Recuperate as she wanted, Katherine could not understand why she could not close her wound; there was a pain inside her body that slowly spread, which made her shake her head at the fire that suddenly burnt into her body. She could not understand this feeling of being unable to breathe as though that shot sent a disease into her body; her body began to quiver, but she tried to shake it off.
I need to keep her safe, Katherine told reminded herself as she used her strong arm to removed Hailey from her shoulders and placed her in front of her torso, using her back to be the shield; she looked down at Hailey and offered a short apologetic look as she resumed her slow climb. Her climbing speed had been greatly reduced now that she was only climbing on one broken arm.
"Wolfie," Hailey whispered as she tried to recover, "You're bleeding," she breathed out as she tried not to puke from the smell, "Just leave me here..."
Growling in response, Hailey could not understand what she had said, but was certain that it was a no; her emotions of disagreement and anger ran through her veins that made her know that she was not going to give up. But for how long will she last? Hailey could not find a definite answer and does not wish to find out; she wanted to at least help her.
Close your eyes and concentrate.
I don't know if I can!
Do you want to die, Hailey? Waste the effort your friend has done to keep you alive this far?
But I...
Did you believe not too long ago that she was your friend?
Founding the will to survive, Hailey took a deep breath and closed her eyes; she darkened her surroundings and tried to ignore the whole world around her. Placing her hands together, she tried to loosen up as she breathed in the air, allowing her body to merge with the world; the world's resonance bound with her as she tried her best to focus her mind.
Almost there, Katherine thought as she took another bullet that made her stop and take the pain; her jaw clenched tight as her eyes found its way to Hailey, who had her eyes shut tight. She can smell the overwhelming fear in her, but found her heartbeat reduced to its normalcy; it made her wonder as to how as she hung there for a moment before she resumed her way up.
One bullet, two, then three; Katherine took several shots to her back and one in her spine that nearly made her wince in pain – enough to make her roar to the heavens and ask them: why was she in such a situation to begin with?
With one last reach, Katherine managed to reach the top as she immediately placed Hailey onto safe ground; she still had her eyes closed whilst she tried to get on. But before she could even manage to get on, a bullet pierced her ankle and made her slip; her body followed down as she rapid fell into the crevice.
Hailey!
Anger raging inside, Katherine forced her battered body to look down in hopes of trying to once again gain control of her fall; her arms were weak as much as she felt her body crumble inside for no reason. Try as must, she did not have enough strength to pierce the rocks next to her and to make things worse, her vision was darkening at the edges as much as she felt a little faint.
Crap, Katherine cursed mildly as one of her eyelids fell on its own; her back had taken too much damage for her to stay awake and her spine had nearly disconnected her lower half completely, which was nearly impossible for her to escape this situation. Oblivion awaited her at the end of this fall.
Rest young pup, you have done well.
Succumbing to the pain and fatigue, Katherine closed her remaining eye as she allowed her body to ease and fall down; she felt light despite the burning sensation that invaded her body which was neither good nor bad at the same it. At some point, she even felt at peace, but despite this, it did not ease her mind.
I refuse to leave it like this!
Katherine roared internally as she forced her eyes open; she did not wish to leave her mission part way and forced her battered, bloodied and beaten body to cling to the rock wall. She was not going down without having given it her all and she will fight until she has brought Hailey to safety.
Even if it would cost her own life for it.
Running up the rock wall, she ignored the pain as much as she tried not to let it get to her head; Hailey's life was in peril and she will die trying to save her. Higher and higher, she got closer to the ground surface, but that was not her goal; her goal was to let Hailey run whilst she distracted this bastard.
With all her might, she pushed off the wall and tried to aim for the other wall that was as far as the Drill's pit; she would not have made it if she was a mere human, but now that she was a werewolf, it was not really a problem.
Bullets no longer rained on her as she could smell the enemy's intent; she was certain that his objective was to capture Hailey and not hurt her, which far more different from the wolf that tried to capture her not too long ago. It made her wonder what the objective was truly; was it to capture or to kill?
Leaping up, she saw her target and roared at him as she landed with a great thud in front of him; she charged at him without hesitation as he reloaded his pistol whilst let go of a left claw, which scratched his arm deep. Before he could even move backward, Katherine followed with a deep bite to his neck and ripped a large chuck out of his body; blood sprayed across her face as much as she saw that her opponent did not even flinch from it.
What on earth?
Taking a step back, Katherine growled lowly as she saw what occurred; it made her eyes widen at him as if it did not hurt him at all. She watched as he resumed his reload and began shooting at her once again; she ran around as she wondered how he could still stay standing. He already tore a big piece of his flesh that his bones were clearly visible – enough for him to die.
Distracted by his impossibility, Katherine did not anticipate his shot that tore through her other ankle; she tripped forward as her body hit the bark of the three that made her take a deep breath. She used the tree to stand as she backed herself against the tree, but her ankles were no longer responding; the bullet in her spine ached like hell as if to tell her that it was time to stop.
This isn't good, Katherine mumbled to herself as she felt her chest heave air as though it was not enough; she turned her tired eyes at her opponent, who seemed to be approaching her whilst reloading his pistol once more, not even bothered by the amount of blood he lost and was not even trying to recuperate at all.
Glaring at her opponent, she tried to get up again, willing herself to fight once again; she knew not how far Hailey may have gone, but she had hoped that she gone far enough for people to find her – potentially safe in their protection. Katherine knew that she had done everything she could to keep her safe, but none will be able to do the same for her now.
Gun aimed at her, Katherine allowed herself to bleed as though it was the air she breathe; the smell of her own blood invaded her nostrils as though to tell her that it was the last thing she would ever smell. Staring at death, Katherine growled her final fight as she waited for the bullet to escape the gun.
It's been a good life.
Succumbing to her fate, Katherine waited with a glare as she heard the trigger pull; as if in slow motion, she watched as gunpowder flicked and burned as much as it ejected the bullet from its nozzle. Sitting there, she watched as images of her day came rushing into her head; at how she spent most of her day with Hailey after her brief retreat from the forest to her dinner with olds friends.
All of them coming back as though it was the last time she'll ever see them.
Closer and closer, the bullet came as darkness blocked the moonlight that ran the trees; a hulking beast of rocks stood in front of her as the bullet dug deep into its hide, slowing it down as Katherine rolled to the side to evade the bullet.
Who...?
"Well, well, well."
Darting her ears to the familiar voice, Katherine felt her heartbeat rise at the appearance of not one, not two, but three familiar faces hidden in the trees. They leapt onto the ground as she watched as Jesslyn attend to her wounds as much as Ford allowed her to lean onto his arm; she did not expect them to come here just in the nick of time.
"It seems that we have an abomination in our midst, Jess," Athena spoke as she stood in front of the enemy, whose blood has coloured the earth and moistened it red, "I would have expected a normal vampire."
"H-hailey..." Katherine tried to speak as Jesslyn and Ford slowly led her away from the battle, "I need to..."
Jesslyn offered a smile, "Kathie, we've secured Hailey," she told Katherine, who was already going in and out of consciousness, unsure if she could still hear her from the way she wobbled as they carried her away, "The wind told Athena of your situation."
"H-how...?" Katherine let out as she tried to ignore the pain whilst she profusely bled.
Jesslyn shook her head at her soft growl, aware that she wanted to know how it was even possible; she may not understand what she wanted to tell them, but she was certain that she had a lot of questions to ask. However, right now was not truly the time for that.
"We don't know, not even Athena."
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A/N: Things are starting to heat up; it even burned my fingers just typing this chapter! Who is this mysterious vamp? What is their purpose for taking Hailey alone? What hidden secret does the fiery blue haired teen have? Vote, Comment, and Follow if you haven't! (:
Dedicated to lheia1208 as my congratulations for reading SoB in one day xD I really appreciate people who've supported me and I will show it, because I want to! I care people! lols xD
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