{January 10th, first day in the city}
All around me...
Scyras...
Quills...
Urians...
And Ferrous...
"Jeremiah, lad, c'mon!" Isaiah calls for me from the front of the group. The tour is just now coming to an end and I really could care less. I am just amazed. Under the cold snow, I can sense plant life thriving off of the energy given by the people who live here. Not to mention, there isn't a single ordinary human in sight. I won't have to deal with my siblings finding me.
"Sorry!" I trip over a block of ice, catching myself before falling. I grip on to the straps of my bag as I proceed to run closer to the crowd. I catch up, accidentally bumping into a tag along urian and catching his attention. He stares at me for a good moment, clear with some sort of shock.
I glare at him every thirty seconds, still finding his oddly blue and green scyra eyes staring at me. Everytime I look, he appears more scared than before. Almost as if he knows me or something. I have to admit, the urian does seem kind of familiar with the oval on his forehead and diamond on his cheek.
The group comes to the last stop, I decide to approach the urian.
"Why do you keep staring at me?"
The giant tenses up, yanking me away from the group and to the opposite side of the statue we are at. The statue stands tall enough for us to lose attention from the group. He holds me by the shoulders, ensuring that I'm still. He stares heavily at my face, then gives a gentle push away as he gasps.
"Do the names Tahain or Arthur mean anything to you?" He asks, giving me intense anxiety for a moment. I realize why he recognizes me. He was there that night. He helped in the killing of Carlos. I scowl, moving back.
"Get the hell away from me." I express disgust. The urian flinches at my movement, looking to his left and almost like he might fall apart. It's just some acting I bet. A lot of scyras pretend to be things for their own sake. Then, I watch as him and his blue highlighted hair run back around the statue. He disappears into the thick crowd. I hesitate to join in again, but then remember the money being offered by Isaiah and his crew. I need something to live off of.
"Everyone line up!" Kaui calls out, immediately getting as she wishes as if a spell was casted. I get eighth in line. Luck seems to on my side lately. The person in front of me is a ferrous with blinding violet hair. She stands over six and a half feet tall, making me look tiny even though I'm quite heighthy myself. Ahead, at the front of the line, the second person leaves with a decent sized blue bag. I sigh, grabbing a seed pack from my pocket and pouring some of them in my hand. I practice with my powers as I wait.
One of the seeds sprout, lighting up my heart. The first step to my powers returning to normal.
"Aye! Jeremiah, get over here!" Isaiah yells for me. I pop my head up, finding that I'm next in line. I slide the seeds into my pocket, immediately getting a bag in my hand. The quill pats me on the back, slightly pushing me away from the line. I tumble to the side. "Good luck mate! See you around." Isaiah sends me off. I stand in the middle of the open space, scanning the scene. I spot the urian from earlier.
Maybe I could practice for Tahain.
I step in his direction, not paying attention to where he may be heading off to. He carries a bag of supplies from Isaiah. Perfect.
"Hey, you!" A drunken voice calls for me from the road. I turn to them, finding a scyra who appears to be a guy attempting to be a girl. His hair falls past his back. He has skin like mine, pale and freckled. His eyes are warm-toned pearls, making his hair look like a raven's feathers. He reminds me of Sonya. "You look like a," he hics, "nice guy. Can you help me out?" The scyra bursts into giggles, but yelps as he trips over the sidewalk. I watch him as he catches himself.
Great. A drunkie.
"Um, sure?" I answer, not knowing how to really reply. The scyra stands up straight, I choke on my spit. He seemingly has grown as he stood up, becoming even taller than the urian from earlier.
"My name's Josh. Anyways, you see that fucking giant urian up there? Yeah, I want you to scare the shit out of him, like scare him out if his wits, man." The drunk scyra explains. My first thought is why? My second being holy shit I know this guy. I almost killed him that night.
"Why? What do you mean?" I question him, not rushing to yell him about Tahain. Especially after the urian's reaction and realizing how drumk this guy is. Josh chuckles, then freezes up when he looks back at the urian ahead of us. I turn to his direction, seeing the urian walking to us. I suck in my breath, then release it all at once. The urian grunts when he gets up to Josh and I, he pushes the freckled scyra away.
"Dude, stop bothering random people on the street! Especially when you're- Actually, you need to just stop drinking altogether." The urian scolds Josh. Josh rolls his eyes, walking away and then around the urian. I silently watch, then find the urian staring at me. "I'm sorry he was bothering you. He has...issues."
"It's fine. Who are you guys?" I roughly assure, then run into curiosity. These two aren't what I thought them out to be. At least, what they seemed to be like that one night. The urian looks back at Josh, who is walking into a tavern of some sort.
"I'm Xavier. That's my buddy, Josh. Um." The urian replies, figiting and shifting in place. He takes a deep breath, then loosens up. "You probably hate my guts, but I want to just talk. Wanna come to the bar with me? I work there." The urian explains. I shrug and he nods toward the tavern Josh went into. We both make our way into the brick building and walk in. The first thing we meet is the sight of Josh holding a normal urian by the collar and yelling into his face.
"Touch me again and I'll FUCKING KILL YOU!" Josh screams, pushing the urian away to shrink to a completely new size. He walks to the counter, sitting down to sip on a beer bottle. The bar is silent all for the quiet whimper of guilt from Josh as he turns his back to everyone. He hides his face away from everyone, the bar begins to whisper like spirits in a haunted house. I look to Xavier, who is already running to Josh. I follow.
"Sa- Josh, buddy, what happened?" Xavier sincerely asks, not daring to touch Josh at all. I notice Xavier almost calling his friend something else. Josh lets out a drunken wail, throwing himself into Xavier's arms. Now, Xavier comfortably touches Josh as if he needs conformation to even think about touching the scyra.
"I'm an awful person, Xavier! I lost my temper again and I keep scaring people away." Josh cries, his body creating a strange radiation. The energy appears to be dark blue. Xavier rubs his fingertips on Josh's shoulder, ushering him to be quiet. The blue energy simmers down, Josh barely calms down. The palms of the black haired scyra are now the only radiating parts of his body. The little guy shrinks to a size smaller than I have ever seen him. He appears to be under five feet tall now, he's ridiculously tiny and his hair makes me think of a fairytale. He sneaks an eye at me after rubbing his wet eyes. Xavier looks back at me as well.
I stand quietly behind them, squeezing the handle of my bag. Xavier stands from his seat, inviting me to take his place. I huff when I sit down, then Xavier walks around the counter to tend.
"What's your name? Isn't it Jeremiah or something?" Xavier drops his bag on the floor, setting up his station in front of Josh and I. He takes an apron from his bag, sliding it on and tying the back before pulling a ring of keys from his jean pocket. He takes the key to a cabinet, unlocking it and opening it up to reveal shelves of alcohol and sodas. A chill runs past me when he opens it. There must something holding in the cold air in that cabinet.
"Yeah. You can call me Miah, I guess." I answer, watching him prepare a fizzy drink and then squirt what looks to be glowing violet liquid into the soda. I can smell a strong grape scent from the drink now.
"I guess? Would you rather me call you Jeremiah?" He throws back a reply, calling out the insecurity in my voice. The little fizz bubbles light up the palm of his hand when he hold the drink. He slides a hand under the counter, pulling out a lime green straw with purple stripes. He stirs the concoction. Then, slides the drink to Josh. I awkwardly laugh, both being drawn to the speedy process of bartending and anxiety building from Xavier addressing my lack of social abilities.
"Oh, you can call me Miah. I, um, I've just had a rough time recently. Sorry." I tense up, my voice being shakey. Now that it has come out of my mouth, I really have had a rough time lately. I literally ran away from home and only God knows how far away I am now. I might not see any of my siblings ever again. That's okay though, they don't need me around anyways. It isn't like they actually enjoyed my presence.
"Well, what would you like to drink, Miah? I'll pay for you." Xavier offers, I shake my head. I don't want to take his money and I don't think I need alcohol.
"Just get a club soda or something. Xavier won't stop bothering you if you say no." Josh whispers. His breath reeks of alcohol. I move my face away from the small scyra. The stench of whiskey and grape don't really mix well in breath.
"I guess I'll just have a club soda...?" I say, almost questioning what I am saying. Xavier already is pouring the fizzy soda into a glass. He sets it down. Looking up at me as if he expects more of an answer. I give him a dumbfounded face.
"Flavor?"
"Ooh! Pineapple if you have it." I laugh, wanting to slap myself across the face. Xavier giggles at me, Josh quietly sips on his drink with a cheaky grin on his face. I heavily glare both of them down subconsciously. Xavier goes silent, Josh presses his lips together to hide his smile. Negativity grows in my mind, I bring up a new topic. "Why did you guys kill my brother? Or was that just Tahain?"
Xavier freezes, holding a bottle of yellow glowing liquid in one of his hands. Grape soda splashes out of Josh's cup as if he blew giant bubbles into the cup. Two pairs of widened scyra eyes are glued to me as I sit with my fingers intertwined together on the counter. Xavier sets the bottle beside the unflavored club soda.
"Tahain paid us to come and deal with some guy named Arthur. Then we tried backing out and let's just say it didn't quite work out." Xavier explains, staring into my eyes. He sighs, going back to putting my drink together. I shift in my seat, finding Josh staring into his drink. Something isn't quite right.
"What happened? Why didn't you guys just run off or something?" I question them. Josh takes a deep breath, giving Xavier the eyes to explain. I give Xavier my undivided attention.
"Tahain isn't someone to have connections with. He offered money and free food to us but good God was it a mistake to take him up on it. He never mentioned actually killing someone so we thought it was just a 'oh this guy betrayed scyra royalty so he's getting punished for treason.' Not killing a human for no reason and then allowing Tahain to murder someone just over some petty drama." Xavier begins. He slides the bottle of glowing flavoring under the counter and pulls out a yellow straw. He scoots the glass to me, continuing with his rant. "We get to the house and Tahain tells us to beat the life out of his poor human for no good reason. I told him we won't do it but then he used mind control on Josh and I." The urian scyra slams his fist onto the counter.
"Hey, at least Arthur and his friends made it." Josh attempts at comforting Xavier in his state of frustration. I move my hands to my lap in discomfort. Xavier glares down at Josh, leading to the little guy just sipping on his drink and going silent.
"We still let Jeremiah's brother die. Not only that, your sister probably thinks you're a psycho after seeing you work with Tahain with no hesitation." Xavier snaps, grabbing the soda and pushing it back into the cabinet. "You don't want to admit it, but that night is by far the worst thing that has ever happened to us. I'm just scared that one day we'll run into those people again and it will turn into a giant fight."
"If you tell them what you just told me, they might actually forgive you. They have had their fair share of negative connections with Tahain. Arthur might actually empathize with you two." I say, offering sincerity to the two scyras. Josh smiles back, but Xavier shakes his head, looking to the side and going to another order.
"Hey, Miah," Josh takes my attention, "I'm sorry about what happened. Xavier and I are both really sorry." The little scyra apologizes. Tearing up and hiding his face with his hair. The amount of guilt locked up in this tiny scyra seems to shine through all the time. He gets shamelessly drunk but he is nowhere near shameless.
I turn my eyes to my drink, leaving myself to think. Josh stays quiet, sneaking wondering eyes at me every couple of seconds. Maybe if I open up to these scyras enough, I won't have to kill them and use them as practice. I'll just get them to help me or something. Josh is strong and can be intimidating, I'm sure he can scare Tahain enough for me to get a blade in that asshole's chest.
"So why did you come to the scyra city?" Josh breaks my thought, I jolt awake and look around confusingly before processing what is happening.
"I ran away from home and then I was brought here in a group. A lot has gone down in the last few weeks." I explain sipping on my soda and sinking my head into my arms on the counter. "I want to know where Tahain is, too."
"He's the king or whatever so I would suggest being careful. He killed the previous king so now he's in charge I guess." Josh shrugs. He waves for Xavier to get him another glass of soda. "He lives in a huge mansion that's uptown. It's on higher grounds and there's a gate. I've been there before but I haven't seen anything past the entrance hall. But let me tell you, that place is fuckin' giant."
"Why are you tell me all of this? Are you aware that I might go after him or something?" I rush to ask. Josh shrugs, waiting for Xavier to make his drink. I choose to dive for more information. "What do you know about Tahain?"
"Not much. I knew him before he was all messed up. Once upon a time, he was my cousin's best friend and then I was sent to the scyra prisons. I don't know what happened after that." Josh goes on, sounding mildly annoyed at the topic. "I don't know if this is important, but he used to have no powers at all until one day he magically had mind reading. That was one wild time. We used to be buddies but now he just pisses me off." Josh sighs, pulling his new drink closer and then looking up at Xavier. "Dude, do you have a hair tie?"
Xavier, pulls a thick hair band from under his sleeve. He tosses it to the other scyra and then turns to me, offering one to me. I shake my head, getting a thick curl in my eyes. Xavier laughs and just sets a hair tie on the counter. I make eye contact with Josh as he puts his hair in a loose bun. When he finishes, he grabs the hair tie and begins messing with my hair.
"You have pretty long hair for a scyra that lived in a human household." He comments, pulling my hair up to a single point on my head. He leaves the ponytail somewhat loose so I don't look ridiculous. He ties the band around my hair, then let's the hairdo sit. He turns me around, grinning with approval.
"Miah, do you have a place to rest? I'd be okay with you moving in to our place." The drunk scyra offers. I suck in my breath, huffing out all the air in my lungs. I turn back to the counter and stare at the back of Xavier's head. Josh laughs, coming up beside me to lean against the counter's edge. "Xavier won't mind. Matter of a fact, he's usually the guy who invites people over."
"What?" Xavier spins around, a roll of money in between his teeth. I straighten myself up, Josh loosens up even more as he puts a gentle arm around my shoulders.
"Can we bring him home with us? He's so nice and so far he seems pretty harmless!" Josh jubilantly asks, prying at Xavier. The urian meets eyes with me, seeing how sunken in my neck is with discomfort. He pulls the money out of his mouth, shoving it in his pocket as he sighs. He walks to the counter and picks up Josh's drink. He takes a sip and just like that, Josh springs off me and yanks the libation out of Xavier's hand.
"Well, I'm okay with it but I'm not sure if he is. Keep in mind, the kid is traumatized because of us." Xavier explains, taking the thoughts I had in my very mind. I turn my head down, stuffing my hands into my thighs. Xavier's shadow hovers over me, I look up. "Are you okay with-"
"Yeah."
"Okay, Sam- I mean Josh- will take you to our place after you guys are done drinking." Xavier informs. The two of us look over at the other scyra, who is downing his grape soda. He finishes, slamming the glass on the counter before bringing all of belongings together. He even picks up my bags as he makes his way to the exit. He had this all planned out since he first asked me, didn't he?
"C'mon! Take your drink with you. Xavier can bring it back tomorrow!" Josh calls back for me. I turn to Xavier, getting a close-eyed nod. I grab my soda and speed-walk to the other scyra who is now at the door. I trip, falling out the door and getting giggled at by Josh.
We take a turn down the sidewalk, walking under roofs of buildings and signs I can't read. Josh proceeds to speed ahead, making me nearly trip over my own two feet with how fast he is. He turns back at me every once in a while, making sure that I am still present. We gain closer to a slightly forested area, walking on a path surrounded with confusing trees. The path has frozen mud covering its cobble. Eventually, we come to find a miniature neighborhood. Around two blocks of about four houses each now surround us. Josh leads me to the most organized and fragile of the houses. The residential little building is painted light green, the door is white. He steps up to the door, setting down the bags to reach into his pants.
Out from the front of his sweats, Josh pulls out a key. He sticks the object into the door, pushing it open and then taking himself and the bags inside. I step into the living room, finding the hardwood floor creeky and the walls covered with chipped green paint. Though the house itself is like an abandoned home, the furniture is fairly organized and somewhat well kept. Josh tosses his own items on the couch, taking mine down a hall past the kitchen. I follow him.
"Sorry if everything is a bit messy. Xavier hasn't been home much lately and I've been left to make a mess of the house." Josh laughs, kicking a silver can with red writing to the side as he walks. As I go past it, I smell the reek of beer. Josh must be an alcoholic of sorts, something that gives me anxiety due to past experiences.
"It's fine. My old home wasn't all that organized either." I reassure the other scyra, who falls into the wall before making it into an open-doored room. I flinch at the bonk his head makes, stepping back before helping him up. He helps himself up, slapping my hand as I lend it to him.
"Don't touch me." He hisses, straightening his back and walking through the doorway. I take a deep breath, holding back any bad tendencies to just hurt or kill the other scyra. He gently sets my bag down on a rather clean bed. The bedding is plain, but the color is a vibrant teal. "This is the guest room, you'll be sleeping here." Josh firmly says, walking past me and into the hallway. I glance back, but then choose to let Josh be. He seems upset. I drop my backpack to the floor and come to my knees.
"Now, where is it..." I push things around in my bag, tossing things to the side and groaning every once in a while. Eventually, I spot what I'm seaching for. I pull out a packet, setting it on the floor, before putting ny belongings away. Turning back to the packet, I spot a rodent. "Ugh." I groan. I swiftly swipe my hand by the mouse, immediately hearing a tear from the packet as a rush of stems and leaves tackle the fuzzy creature. I just back, surprised by the burst of energy that just acted in front of me.
"Woah, holy shit!"
A voice echoes from the doorway and throughout the house. I twist around, finding Josh giving the scene wide eyes. I freeze, not knowing how Josh could possibly respond. He steps into the room, his lips pressed together when he bends over to get a better view of the, now dead, mouse.
"Dude, that was totally wicked. What else can you do?" His tone is deeply curious. The scyra sits beside me, waiting for a reply I get a dark confidence in my chest, leading to a rather rude comment.
"I can choke out a guy twice my size and nearly kill him. I mean, I did that to you, didn't I?" I keep my eyes to myself. I wave a hand over the vines and dead mouse, letting the dead body roll to the floor. Josh stays silent, but his eyes are burning the back of my head. I pick up the mouse by the tail, scanning the room to find a window. Luckily, above the bed, there is one. I crawl up to the glass, slidding it open with my free hand to throw it out. As I look outside. I feel my chest grow heavy.
I look back at the black haired scyra, then out the window again. Why do I expect to find my yard when I look out there? I won't ever go back.
"Why did you come to the city? Why aren't you at home with your family?" Josh breaks the silence he once had. The words drive through my chest like a dull dagger. I turn around just to glare at Josh.
"Why aren't you?" I cross my arms and legs. Josh's face goes from soft to firm rather quick.
"Because I remember barely anything about my family."
Oh.
"My name isn't really Josh. It's actually Sam, too. That Arthur guy that Tahain tried killing was actually my cousin. At least, I think so." Josh explains, sighing heavily. He stares at the ground and has his brows pressed together. I relax my body, feeling as if I should talk, but I don't. I just watch over him. "Xavier said that I have a sister. I didn't know that until he told me. Her name is Sonya apparently."
I perk up, immediately finding the resemblance between the two of them. Raven black hair, fairest of all skin tones, round eyes, and defined facial features. They even have similar tastes in style. I lower my head again, realizing some things.
"Huh, so that's why she didn't let me kill you." I whisper. Josh glares at me. I laugh when I notice. I speak in a normal tone next. "Hey, do you want to help me do something dangerous?"
"Uh, what?"
Josh gives me questioning eyes. I chuckle.
"I'm gonna kill someone and I will need help."
The scyra takes in a sharp breath, staring off in realization. He furrows his brows, his eyes switching from side to side as he thinks.
"That's why you came here, isn't it? You just want to kill Tahain." He whispers, slowly looking back at me. His chin tilts up and he shows me concerned eyes. I give him a comfirming eye. He calms himself, most likely having his heart jumping out of his skin. "Jeremiah, I might regret saying this in the morning, but I'll help you out. But! I'm only going to be there for protection. I won't fo anything unless I have to." The drunk scyra replies, placing a grin on my scheming face. I throw myself on the comforter of the bed, putting my legs out and arms behind my head.
"Do you think you could maybe convince Xavier to help out too?" I throw out a suggestion. Josh's chest rises and lowers. He begins standing up, his tense muscles make this action difficult for him. He nearly falls back when he comes to his feet. I keep him in my vision despite not facing him. The scyra turns to the door. "Sam?"
His arms immediately go stiff at the name I used. He huffs and forces himself to relax.
"I'll try."
{January 14th, The Attack}
I'm sorry Gabe.
I know you hate it when I kill things and this could be too far in your eyes, but this...
This has to be done.
"You want me to do help you do WHAT?"
Xavier raises his voice Leaning away from the couch towards Josh an I. It's been a few days since I moved in and Josh hasn't changed his mind. We have two plans so far.
Oh,
...and whe haven't mentioned any of this to Xavier until now.
"You are out of your goddamn minds. I am not attacking Tahain, especially Tahain out of all people. And for Christ's sake, I'm not letting you two do it either."
He goes on. Josh and I exchange looks. Josh lets out a sigh.
"Xavier, if Tahain killed your brother, wouldn't you want to get some sort of revenge?" Josh guilt trips Xavier. The urian glares at Josh, then huffs.
"Fine. But I refuse to get physical. I'll be the lookout or something." Xavier gives in. He grunts, standing up and putting his boots on. Josh frowns, following Xavier from behind. I watch, then I know what Xavier is doing.
"Wait, we weren't-"
"We're doing it now before I change my mind. Now let's go."
Xavier interrupts me, ordering Josh and I to get ready. I rush to my shoes and jacket, which are by the end of the couch. Nearly putting them on the wrong feet, I put my shoes on and then slip on my jacket. In a matter of minutes, I have a knife and several packets of seeds in my pockets while walking along the trail with Josh and Xavier.
And just like that, we're walking around the edges of the city. The forest guides us. Josh whips out a full blown bottle of wine as we're walking. He pops off the top, then Xavier slaps it out of his hands. The bottle falls to the dirt, red wine flowing through the little cracks of gravel and dirt. Josh yelps, gasping and then slapping Xavier's arm.
"Fucker!"
Josh grunts. Xavier picks up his pace, pointing ahead.
"There's the mansion."
I look forward, finding the gated property. Excitement builds up in my heart. I'm so close to getting blood on my hands.
Soon enough, Tahain will beg me for mercy. He'll cry for help as I drive a blade across his skin and then choke him to death with my bare hands. I'll gouge his eyes out, then stab him repeatedly. No one will find his dead body because no one will ever be able to tell if it's him or not.
"Miah, you okay?" Xavier places a hand on my shoulder, knocking me back to reality. I find my hands are shaking and my eyes sting from being open for so long. Xavier appears more than worried, he looks scared.
"C'mon!" I rush to the gate, brushing the moment off my shoulder. The entrance has been left ajar, so I let myself waltz through the gate. Xavier stays at the gate, Josh continues to the door with me. The door is pushed open easily as well, this is all too easy. Down the hall I begin going, then Josh stops me.
"Miah, I think we shouldn't do this." Josh says, stepping in front of me. I groan, rolling my eyes and seemingly losing emotion for the time being. I walk around him, he turns. "I'm serious! Miah, we could die!" I spin around, glaring heavily at me.
"I'll do it by myself then." I go to the door, throwing it open and leaving Josh behind. He pokes his head in the room, watching as I pull out the seeds in my pockets. I scatter them around, then send energy so they sprout. The various vines vover the windows, casting the entire room in darkness. Vines and roots cover the wooden floor ans walls. The room becomes pitch black, the only light being my green eyes and Josh's white eyes. I usher him away, his eyes vanish and the door closes, making an echo. I carefully move to the couch, slumping into the luxury furniture as I wait for something to happen.
I close my eyes, holding on to the handle of my knife.
Not to long later, footsteps become audible from the stairs. I sit up, making sure to keep my eyes dim as I search the darkness. I look around, immediately getting a bright ball of light a couple feet away from where I sit. I send a signal to the roots of the seeds I placed earlier, allowing them to tap the floor to imitated footsteps as the light-bearing scyra fondles with the vegetation. He twists around, freezing in place as I hold him where he is. He struggles, losing his light and letting my own eyes illuminate the room. I make my way to him.
"This is for hurting my friends."
I growl, making vines wrap around the scyra's neck. It takes everything in me not to smile from pleasure. So much fear is in Tahain's eyes. I stop, pulling the knife to his chest and beginning to press the sharp tip into his flesh.
"And this is for my brother"
I prepare prepare to impale him, grinning as I do. I get another idea, looking up at his face and then pulling the knife away. I tighten the vines, stepping back and then hurling my body toward him. The knife swings with my arm, but then a force prevents me from doing so. I grunt as I try to move, then I'm thrown back by the force. I lose control of the plants. The light becomes lighted up with violet light rather than my neon green. The force crushes my chest to the floor. I gasp, nearly crying out in pain. The force disappears, but my body aches and is still. Not too long later, I feel arms push me up and a cold metal is locked around my neck.
In that moment, life slows down to nothing.
Light fills the room as my energy drains away. The plants shrivel up into nothing when I can no longer support them. I screech, using all the energy I can find to tackle Tahain. He falls back to the floor and I hold him down. Banging his head into the floor, I violently pick him up to slam him down. He groans, easily overpowering me and tossing me aside. He stands, walking to the staircase.
"Bastard!" I shout, trying to send vines at him by instinct. Nothing happens. I find myself trying to search for plant life, but I only find emptiness. I frantically shiver, then find the reason for this is the cold metal around my neck. I tug at it, collapsing and choking myself on accident. I scream out, anger filling my senses. I crawl to Tahain, throwing my body at him to tackle him. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"
"Calming you down. Now shut up." Tahain says, glaring me down and kicking me away from him. I fall on my back, my face coming in full light. The monster stops in his tracks as he sees me. He steps closer, picking me off the ground by the collar. I huff in his face, he throws me back down. "No fucking way."
I grunt, he laughs.
"You're that stupid human's little brother, aren't you? Wow, you really did lose your fucking mind." Tahain snickers. I attempt at standing up, but my muscles give up. Just a moment ago, I had enough adrenaline in my body to throw myself at the violet eyed scyra. Now, I can barely step up to my knees. Tahain sighs. "Don't waist your energy, kid. It'll make things worse."
"Why aren't you going to kill me? I tried to kill you!" I try to speak, gasping between words. I glare at the door for a second, hoping that Josh and Xavier burst in for my rescue. Something tells me they already left completely. Tahain sits on the staircase, turning around. At the top of the staircase stands a much younger girl. Her hair is much like Tahain's, pitch black and silky, but it reaches past the chocolate colored wings on her back. She has darker skin which makes her symmetrical golden dots nearly glow on her skin.
"What's going on? Who is that?" The quill-girl asks. Tahain becomes tender in his face and body.
"Just a scyra," he turns back to me, "he tried to kill me a few minutes ago. Oh! He's also Gabriel's brother! Y'know, Alec, the one that ran away." Tahain explains, returning to his dark nature. I sit properly, straying away from my crawling position. I might as well relax if I can't do anything right with this goddamn metal collar on. "I think I might keep him for a bit and then take him back to the crew. I'm sure they'll like it." Tahain says, carefully studying my face and body as if he's memorizing something.
"As long as you don't kill or hurt him, I don't care. I'm going back to my room." The girl exits, walking back into the hallway. I glare at Tahain. He continues to watch me.
"What's your name? Isn't it Miah or something?" The scyra asks, getting no answer from me. Keeping my guard up, I watch as Tahain stands up. He seemingly invites me to follow him as he steps up the stairs. I stay put. He pauses, slumping his shoulders and looking down at me. "Listen, if you don't cooperate, I'll be forced to make you work with me. Now, come on." I stay still, he steps down. I scram to my feet, stepping away without really wanting to. Tahain slowly raises a palm with a calm face. "Hey..."
"Don't...don't come near me-!" I demand with a shaky voice. A ball of anxiety rises in my throat and my eyes burn with tears. Tahain slowly steps to me. I back away, hitting a couch as my heart painfully beats into my throat. "I said-!" Yelping, I fall back, rolling from the couch and to the floor. I cry out, curling my body as fear runs through my veins. Tahain stands over me, then crouches.
"I'm not going to hurt you, alright?" He tries at assuring me, but I only cowar more. I use my hands as a shelter from the violet rays from his eyes. Tahain rests a palm on my waist, reaching over my folded body as he does so. The sudden feeling of him touching me leads to a flinch, he shushes me. The moment stays still like this for a little while until his arm scoops underneath me. He pulls my torso off the floor, holding me up by the shoulder. "Let's go upstairs. I wanna do something fun."
Hesitantly, I stand up, following him far behind up the stairs and down to the end of the hall. He opens the cleaner and nicer door out of two, revealing a luxurious room that even has a balcony. I sit on the soft violet bedding, nearly shaking out of suspicion that Tahain is up to no good. He opens something behind me, coming back to me with various items of clothing.
"Your clothes look a little warn out and dirty. Try some of these on." He offers. I take a look at the clothing, finding that all of it is right up my alley. Most of it is silky purples and vibrant pinks. I scan Tahain's clothing, finding that these things are nowhere near what he would wear. Not only that, they're twice his size. "Go on. I'll let you be!" He ushers, walking to the balcony and closing the curtain to the windows as he leaves. I take the most eye-catching shirt from the pile.
A deep lila button-up. Long sleeves and an attractive collar.
Then I take a basic black pair of pants.
Baggy at the ankles with a band coming in to my leg.
I throw off my clothes, changing into the new outfit.
The shirt feels loose, especially around my thin waist and arms. The pants are okay. At least they fit my body's length.
I fold my old clothes, setting them neatly on the bed. I stand silently and still for a moment, looking around and processing what is happening. Why is Tahain being so nice to me? Why hasn't he killed me or really even hurt me? Should I even trust him? I clear my throat, taking a deep breath before traveling to the balcony. I kick a shirt laying on the floor as I walk. Oddly, it grabs my attention.
A creamy white button up. It's definitely dirty and old, matter of a fact, it's missing two buttons from what I can see. I pick it up, finding it to be rather small and meant for a tiny person. From the balcony door, rustling from Tahain walking in can be heard. He pauses in his tracks when he sees the shirt.
"Oh. You look nice." He pushes the subject aside, commenting on the clothing. I hum, not bothering to speak to him. Tahain grows awkward, choosing to bring up the shirt. "That's my...friend's shirt...um...he left it here."
"Hm. What's his name?" Curiosity takes the best of me. Tahain turns away, losing all formality with me.
"Um, you wouldn't know him. Anyways," Tahain goes to change the subject again, "do you like the clothes?"
"Yeah." I give a short answer. The tension in the room is heavy. Tahain sighs. I toss the shirt on the bed and turn to the door. Tahain allows me to leave.
{June 1st, A Familiar Face and an Attractive face}
Nearly six months.
I don't have the collar anymore, I can use my powers freely.
I live with Tahain and Alec now.
"Good morning, Jeremiah! You too, Alec!"
Tahain waltzes into the kitchen, light is in his step and he has a bright smile on his scarred face. Alec and I share confused looks, staring back at Tahain while he gleefully skips to the counter. He giggles, opening a cabinet and pulling out a box of cheese crackers. He tears the top open, digging in and stuffing a handful in his mouth. Usually, Tahain is hiding in his room or staring into the firepit with gloom. This is beyond strange.
"Gee, why are you so happy?" Alec calls him out, questioning the scyra when he settles down at the table. Tahain stares at her widely. He shakes his head after processing what she asked.
"Did you forget? I'm getting a tattoo today! Grayson's bringing the crew, I think, and coming over." He explains. I tense up as my heart skips a beat. Grayson is the guy Tahain has over a lot. And fuck. That guy makes my heart throb. I don't really know why either.
"Ah. Yeah, I forgot. Are you sure they'll all come over though? I mean, Arthur and Gabe are terrified of you and Aaron- Actually, Aaron likes you, but still!" Alec goes on. Tahain sighs, shrugging before tossing a cracker in his mouth. I stand from the table, taking myself to the living room. When they get here, I'm going to avoid them. I'll go outside and tend my garden most likely.
I sit down, pulling a hood over my head and lay back with my head on the arm rest.
"Gah- Shit- Heheheh..."
A voice echoes after a loud thud. I throw myself up, spinning around and finding the guest of the hour.
Grayson.
He and I make eye contact, leading to heavy thumps in my chest and burning sweat on my back. He appears dumbfounded before grinning and walking my way. I freeze up, eventually feeling his arm around me. I hide my face as my voice shakes. "Tah...Tahain is in the kitchen."
"Ahh, well I wanna get to know you right now? What's your name again? Jeremiah, right?" Grayson speaks fast. He lets his hand slide down my back and he chuckles. The white haired scyra leans closer, I begin almost breathing heavy. I can feel my face loosening in the weirdest way when waves of emotion come over me.
"Ye-Yeah." I face him, getting a better view of his pinkish-purple eyes. His smirk drives me insane.
"You're the only one who came?" Tahain steps into the room. He addresses the other scyra. Grayson moves away, I lean closer to him by instinct. Grayson gives him a blank face, then, gasps. He whips out a piece of paper and a pen. Tahain watches, confused. "Wait, didn't you use that to teleport here? Why didn't you already have it out?"
"Oh, my choker has a mechanism thing or whatever. My mom used magic that lets me come here whenever I need to." Grayson explains, pointing at the choker around his neck as he writes on the paper. I quickly come to the conclusion that he's about to bring the others here, meaning I should leave or hide my face. I reach into my inner jacket pocket, pulling out a mask I was given by Tahain. Grayson watches as I tie the mask's ribbon around my head. He goes back to writing after I have my hood and mask on. "Why do you wear that? It's not like my friends are bad or anything."
"Jeremiah has, um, he has trust issues. The only reason you're allowed to see his face is because you come over at random times without a schedule or planned event." Tahain answers for me. He gently smiles to me, showing that I should be okay. Tahain sits on the arm of the couch, looking over Grayson. "Who's all coming?"
"Ummm...Lyra, Gabe, Aaron, and Sonya." Grayson answers. I bite my tongue to force myself not to do anything irrational. Although, not doing anything at all is rather irrational when you know that your own brother will be around. "We have to pretend Gabe's a scyra when the piercer and tattoo artist are here. Also, Sonya and Aaron said they need to talk to you. I don't know why." Grayson finishes off whatever he's writing. The ink sinks into the paper. He looks up, searching the room. I blink, and then there's everyone who was said to be here.
I refuse eye contact, making sure my facial features are well hidden. Tahain turns to face them, carefully making eye contact with Sonya. Moments later, the raven haired scyras move to the kitchen. Shortly after, I join them. I bump into Gabe. He spins around to look at me but I steadily make my way into the kitchen.
"Why are you worried about your new power? I don't understand." Tahain's voice breaks my mind away from the moment I just had. I carefully listen but pretend to mind my own business. Sonya stares at me as I walk by. I open a cupboard, grabbing a glass.
"I- Well- The weirdest thing happened the other day. Aaron and I were just talking animals and suddenly I could talk to animals too." She attempts to explain. "You're probably thinking that I just got a weak ability like talking to animals but I know for a fact that isn't it."
"Why? What are you thinking?" Tahain doubts her claim. Sonya's breath shakes for a moment.
"Tahain. Aaron offered his powers to me and then I magically could hear millions of voices comimg from the animals around us. I heard his snake talk about how awful her lunch was that day and the birds outside were fighting over a worm!" She frantically explains furthur. Tahain's face grows dark. It's as if he is fearful for his authority while being fearful about her powers. He makes eye contact with me.
Jeremiah. Come here.
He orders me through telepathy. I walk to them, not looking at Sonya despite her looking at me.
"Do you give permission to Sonya to have your abilities?"
Tahain asks. Mental pressure forces me to nod. I allow myself to watch as Sonya's eyes glow. Out the window, I can see the grass growing thick. However, it isn't me who's doing it. Tahain stares at the window, then gives Sonya a petrified glare.
"You have my-"
He breaks off his sentence.
I immediately leave the room, running to the living room. This is too much. One person with that amount of power is incomprehensible, now there's two. I hold my breath, quickly rushing to the hallway entrance. I need fresh air. I need my plants. Upon reaching the door, I throw off my mask and hood, leaving them behind my feet. Another's footsteps can be heard from behind mine. I escape into the yard, each footstep I take kills a trail of grass behind me.
"Hey! Uh-" A feminine voice calls out for me, but I turn the corner and hide behind the mansion. I trip over a rock, falling to my knees. I stay in that spot and allow myself to rest.
A tight squeeze to the eyes send rainbows flashing before my eyelids. I harshly breathe into the ground. I don't understand why it scares me so much that Sonya has the powers of Tahain. She's a good person, unlike him.
I relax my eyelids and slump my back.
It'll be okay...
It...will be okay...