2 comments/ 7812 views/ 0 favorites The Changed Ch. 01 By: Rubnesque Desdemona opened her eyes reluctantly. She'd been fighting consciousness for a while now, but the ever present, ever annoying ringing ensured she didn't fall back into deep sleep. Grumbling under her breath, she rolled over and reluctantly sat up. The silk covers pooled at her waist as she stretched and yawned, her long dark hair tangled over one shoulder. A timid knock at her bedroom door brought a small frown to her flawless face, but then she shrugged and called out to whomever disturbed her. The door opened hesitantly and a young blond woman stepped across the threshold. "I am Silvia and I was instructed to be present once you awakened." Desdemona sniffed the air delicately and grinned. The quaking woman before her was a virgin, terrified, and human. Yummy. "Silvia," she purred, "how long have I been asleep?" Silva turned bright blue eyes towards her in shock. Obviously she hadn't been expecting that question. Desdemona wondered at the training her servants were being given. "Tw-w-wo hundred years, ma'am." Two hundred years? That was it? The time frame she'd set for herself had been considerably longer. After what happened ... her thoughts stumbled to a halt. The only time she was to be awakened so abruptly was in case of emergency. Alyssa stretched her senses, but other then a few human servants scattered through the house, she was completely alone. Yet, something, had disturbed her. Which reminded her of the ringing she'd heard. Turning her head sharply, Alyssa realized a strange instrument was shrieking two floors down. "Silva, be a love, and tell me in what god's name is making that awful racket?" Silva's eyes rounded. "The phone ma'am." "Phone?" she quizzed. "Um..um..." "Dear, if you are to be employed by me, you must understand three things: I cannot abide persons who are unable to complete their sentences, I demand strict obedience, and lastly, when I am awakened ahead of schedule there had better be a fine damn reason why!" Having said that, Desdemona flowed from the bed and grasped the young woman by the waist. Normally she would have finessed this point, but her metabolism slowed for sleep had kicked in with a vengeance. Tipping Silva's head to the side, she licked the pulsing spot on her neck and sank her elongated fangs into the artery. A second later, she screamed and pushed the young woman from her. Alyssa frantically spit the blood from her mouth as it felt like fire. "But...but...you're human!" Silva made a moue of distaste at the blood she felt running down the side of her neck. A devious smile replaced the look of innocent shock. "You aren't completing your sentence, Charlotte. Tsk, tsk." The younger woman stepped over to where she stood retching and wrapped a silver torque around her neck. Desdemona straightened when she heard a snick. "Exactly what have you placed upon my neck?" She drew herself up to her full absurdly short five feet and two and a half inches. Despite all her powers and strength, she'd always felt it supremely unfair her second life didn't include at least seven inches in height. Silva, damn her eyes, snickered insolently. "Not so high and mighty now, Vampire?" "It's Vampyr not Vampire! If you are to address me, at least have the decency to do so correctly." Already awake five minutes and she could tell she did not like this time period at all, if this woman was any indication. Which reminded her. "Exactly what are you? You smell human, but you're blood is not pure enough." Outrage darkened Silva's blue eyes. She tugged at the torque and Desdemona nearly tripped in shock as electric bolts streaked through her body. Given her age, it'd been a very long while since she'd experienced pain. Now, not only was her mouth on fire from dirty blood, but her body felt as if a thousand knives were simultaneously slicing her open. Despite her unwillingness to show pain to enemies, she had no choice but the collapse to her knees. Breathing deeply, she channeled every bit of it into fuel for the blood-rage shimmering beneath it. Finally it eased and she was able to lift her head. Silva had seated herself at the edge of the bed and looked at her with amusement. "Oh, very good show, Vampire." She stressed the ending syllables. A knock at the door interrupted the little tete-tete and another human walked in. No, not human. Desdemona sniffed unobtrusively and realized these two were glimmered to seem human, but there was something off about their scent. If she'd not been so rudely awakened, she might have realized this sooner. The male glanced at the tableau and frowned heavily. Aiming a sharp look at Silva, he stepped lightly to Desdemona's side and offered a hand. Though she wanted nothing more then to spring at him and rip his fucking throat out, she realized it might be better to her advantage if she seemed cowed. "Thank you kindly, sir." Rising gracefully, she allowed herself to look into his eyes and stare. It was an old trick designed to lull the prey into a semiconscious state allowing the vampyr to feast upon their blood. The blond-haired man merely laughed and patted her head indulgently. "Now, now Charlotte. Your tricks don't work on us." Never in her extremely long life had she ever been so insulted and angry. Obviously they assumed she was one of the Lesser Brethren. Tamping down any vestige of anger she drew upon her considerable acting skills. Pouting, she stomped back to the bed and grabbed the silk sheet from under the visibly startled Silva. Feeling keen satisfaction at the way she flew across the room at Desdemona's tug, she wrapped the sheet around her toga style then whirled around to face the newcomer. They wanted something from her. "I do not understand exactly why you keep addressing me as 'Charlotte,'" here the disdain was real, "but I'd appreciate it if you'd cease it immediately!" She thought the stamp of her foot was a nice touch. The man bowed deeply, his form perfect. Impressed against her will, Desdemona recatorgized him from "shredded meat" to "meal." There was potential here and she definitely liked playing with her food. His physique was a little too muscled for her taste, but she would not let that deter her from pleasure. She rarely did. "My name is Brandon and of course you've been introduced to Silva. I apologize for the somewhat rough treatment you've had at the hands of my overeager colleague." "Will you take this collar off?" "As sad as I am to deny such a lovely lady a request, I must leave it in place." Hmn, so they were weaker then her. Interesting. That ruled out Were. Though the two races rarely fought, at least after the ending of the last interspecies war, they were almost evenly matched with strength and agility. The girl's blood was too polluted to be Dragokin, so what could they possibly be? She had not failed to notice they were similar looking with white gold hair, blue eyes, and tall lithe bodies. She smiled widely in an effort to show off her dimples. Desdemona knew her cute smile coupled with her height often lulled people into thinking she was a lot more harmless then she actually was. They were wary now, but eventually someone would lower their guard and she would pounce. But for now, she'd go along with their scheme. Besides, right now she was very woozy from lack of sustenance. "Well, since we're all friends now, can we get a move on!" Ah yes, Silva. She had special plans for that one. "Brandon, I cannot find myself agreeing with your decision, but obviously for the time being I am forced to go along with it. However, as you obviously know what I am, you will not be surprised I am desperately in need of a good meal." Brandon turned to Silva immediately, his pleasant expression fading into another dark frown. Silva shifted uncomfortably against the soft white carpet, a somewhat guilty look crossing her face before she drew herself up. "Brandon, don't look at me like that! You weren't in here! She tried to rip my throat out!" Desdemona huffed loudly at that extremely inaccurate statement. "Trust me, love, if I wanted to do such an awful deed, you would not be standing here with us. No, I was a little abrupt as the blood-lust arose sharp and hard." Deciding a peace offering was in order, Desdemona sauntered over to the visibly disturbed woman. Lightly brushing the blond hair from her throat, she leaned in and gently licked the two fang marks. Silva shuddered briefly then thrust herself away. "What the hell was that?!" "Apparently you do not know as much about Vampyrs as you think you do. I merely healed the injury." Silva reached up to her neck and touched the now smooth skin. Even the slight traces of blood were gone. Brandon looked at both of them, blond eyebrows raised high. "As you do not wish to be addressed as Charlotte, what might I call you?" Desdemona had no wish to enlighten them to her true identity, so she told them the first name that popped into her mind. "Natalia. I insist you call me Talia, though." "Talia, Silva was supposed to escort you to the dining room where your meal awaits. We have much to discuss with you." *** Desdemona closed her eyes with bliss as the blood from the femoral artery spilled over her tongue. She sipped delicately despite her intense hunger for she knew the human, this time a real human, would not be able to survive if she did not. Besides, she despised bad table manners, especially with strangers who may or may not be trying to kill her. She opened her eyes briefly when she realized the man she fed on was about to climax. Raising her head, she accepted the cloth napkin thrust in her direction. She pushed back from the table far enough to avoid being hit by the jets of come spurting from him. "Gross," Silva muttered. Desdemona whipped her head around and glared at her. The pleasure of the meal faded slightly as she contemplated her dinner companions. "Silva, you are an extremely rude young woman. One should never insult the chef as to the...ahem...spices he prepares his meal with." She was especially intrigued by the ire in Silva's eyes, but the arousal in Brandon's. Apparently she was the first feeding Vampyre they'd ever witnessed. "Child, we give them enjoyment in return for replenishing us. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement that has occurred for centuries." "It's still gross," Silva rejoined. The man shakily descended from the specially built table with the aid of Brandon's hand. Noting his gentlemanly behavior, Desdemona smiled slightly as she licked her lips. When the man brushed past her chair, she reached out and gave his now flaccid penis a slow stroke. He gasped as his cock eagerly began filling with blood again. Ignoring his erection, she smoothed her fingers over the area she fed from. The slight wound closed up and she released him. "He may go now." A yearning expression arose, but the man realized her words were final. A slight droop of his shoulders articulated his disappointment better then words. Turning from him, Desdemona fixed a now alert eye towards her captors. She'd gone to sleep two hundred years ago with the intention of letting a millennia or more pass before Awakening. The fact she was not surrounded by her own people, but in the hands of more-than-humans in a place far from civilization wasn't exactly promising. However, she'd escaped an execution planned for her by a disgruntled Roman emperor, so odds were in her favor she'd be able to get out of this too. "Now explain a few details to me please. First, why was I rudely awakened before my time, secondly, who or what are you, and lastly, why am I here?" Brandon returned to his seat next to her. Unlike her living meal, his contained more mundane items like vegetables and fruits. Silva did not partake of any foods, but stood near the door in apparent readiness should she try and escape. "Talia, I promised you answers. First, our intention was to let you awaken in your own natural time. We did nothing to hasten it. Secondly, we are Sidhe. And lastly, you are here because we need you desperately." Desdemona ignored the first and last point, instead focusing on his "Sidhe" portion of his response. Despite popular myths, the Sidhe were not small six-inch creatures that frolicked in buttercup fields and ate nectar for food. Yet, they also did not look like these two. Narrowing her green eyes, she looked at them and shock lengthened her fangs unintentionally. They were half-Fae. Of all the Netherworld races, Sidhe were the snobbiest and most concerned with keeping the purity of their blood. Of course, given they only procreated every third century or so, it was a wonder they had not died out already. On the other hand, Elves often intermingled with humans. Since it was over four hundred years since she'd seen one, one must forgive her for not seeing the truth. "Apparently the same books you researched for Vampyres also gave you faulty information about the Sidhe. You are no more Sidhe then I am. No, you are half-breed Elves." A distinct clicking noise brought her attention back to Silva. She pointed an ugly hand gun at her. Desdemona raised a dark eyebrow in question. "It's loaded with silver and garlic, bitch." Brandon stood, his hand outstretched towards Silva. "Enough! We are here for a reason even if you don't like it!" Desdemona watched in fascination as the girl drew in a shuddery breath before reluctantly subsiding and handing Brandon her gun. There was so much passion and anger there – it aroused her immensely. Of course, she was still obligated to tear her heart out and drink from it as it still beat, but there was always time for pleasure. The male half-elf turned back to her with a pained smile. "This is not how I pictured it. Truly. I wanted this to be a pleasant experience so you would be more inclined to help us." "Again you speak of services rendered. What exactly do you wish of me?" Brandon exchanged glances with Silva then faced her squarely. "We need you to kill Lord Magnus." The Changed Ch. 01 The Changed made everything more difficult than things had to be. Like zombies, the Changed were creatures that eat the flesh of humans. Only they themselves were human. No one knew why or how the Changed became what they are, but we know enough to fear them. The Changed are humans with a stunted brain, or at least that's what I think. They can communicate with each other and us just fine. They can walk and to a point, they have emotions. But they're slower than we are, they can only walk, and some of their senses are better than regular humans. Also, they have a thing for the nasty taste of human flesh. After the Changed showed up a lot of my hometown was destroyed. A few guys and I band up and started travelling to cities with less of the Changed, but that was beginning to become a challenge. It seemed like each day there were more Changed then before. My group started to run out of food. "Eric, check the back to see what we have to eat," the oldest of the group said. His name was Tom, and he was bossy but at least a natural leader. We needed someone like that. Eric sighed and unbuckled his seat belt to check the back of the SUV. I turned and did the same. We had two small bags of potato chips. "We have two craptastic bags of chips, Tom. Between the four of us it's not enough." He ruffled his dirty blond curls. Eric reminded me of a pig. He was pale, but had freckles. His nose was short and rounded, and he was a bit chubby—or at least he was before the Changed. I was his classmate in high school, but that was years before this shit started. "We need more food," Ryan whined. He was the youngest of us, 16 years of age. It was a crappy time for him and we all knew it. His mother Changed one day and ate his father. He had a mental breakdown...He said he recovered but we all have our doubts. "I know, I know..." Tom tapped the steering wheel with his forefinger. "I think there's a mall up ahead with a Wal-Mart attached. We could get someone to go in and get us some food." "But who?" Eric started to chew at his fingernails. I sighed. "I could do it...Again." I lost a lot of weight after the first wave of the Changed. When my family died, I started to eat less, partially because I was sad but mainly because food was becoming more and more of a pain to find. I also became stronger and quieter. I was the only one out of the four of us who could sneak into an infested place and get food without being noticed, and if I did I could out run the Changed. "Well, that could be dangerous this area looks really infest—" Tom stopped talking and hit the brakes of the car. "What's wrong?" I asked, moving closer to the front. There was a man with long shaggy brown hair wearing a lime green shirt that read THE BUIDLING. It looked like it might have been an organization of some sort, or perhaps it was a new one. There was a small group of humans gathered around him. I rolled my window down to listen. "It's a safe place for everyone to go to. A fortress that is impenetrable, perfectly safe from the Changed. I urge everyone to join us to save what we have of left of humanity." The more he urged the less people seemed to want to join. Before we passed them, just about everyone had left. "What is the Building, just to be technical?" I asked out the window. He smiled and waved me over. I told Tom to wait a minute while I went to hear the guy out. I got out of the car and went to the man. "It's an organization to protect the remains of humanity and Magic Users." Magic Users...After the Changed showed up the Magic Users arrived. No one believed them at first until a group of people witnessed a Water Magic User throw one of the Changed into the air and into the pavement using water... However, there wasn't a water source around for miles. Someone caught it all on tape and posted it on the internet before it crashed. Word quickly spread about the Magic Users. Some people liked them, others didn't. They were either help or here to help the Changed destroy us. I didn't care either way because we were all going to die in the end. I just wanted to be in control of how and when I died. "How could I find it?" I asked. If it was a way for me to survive I wanted to know everything I could. Since it was an organization I was even more wary of it. "That's the thing, we can't tell you. Not unless we're sure you will come to us. We want to keep our location as quiet as we possibly can. That way the Changed can't find us." "But I don't want to go there now. How will I find you later?" I was puzzled as to why they had to keep their location on the DL but at the same time I could kind of understand it. I mean, if I had a secure location I would want to keep it a secret too. But then, why invite people to it? "Find a Magic User. Chances are if they're a Magic User they'll be with us. And trust me, you'll know a Magic User when you see one. They're kind of aloof. Just tell them James sent you, they'll know who I am and you'll be guided to the Building." I smiled and nodded to James. "Okay, thanks." "Be safe," He said. A man bumped into him and before I knew it James had disappeared. * Back in the back SUV, Tom and Eric were arguing. "Dude, that isn't fair." "I don't give a damn! I can't risk our lives for hers." Tom hit the dashboard with his hand. I slid into the back seat and sighed. "Talking about me I see." I stared at Tom. "You know, I am a reasonable human. You could just talk to me; I don't bite like our human counterparts." Tom started to drive again and Eric went back to nibbling on his fingernails. Ryan was quiet as usual. "When you get to the mall we can only give you a few hours—maybe less depending of the infestation—then we have to leave. If you aren't in the car then it's too bad for you. We can't stay in this city for too long. There are too many of the Changed." "Okay, that's all you had to say Tom. I'm not going to risk Eric and Ryan just because I was too slow. And please, don't worry about me too much." I rolled my eyes. I rummaged through the back of the SUV and looked for my weapon of choice, a pipe wrench. Nice shade of red and long enough that I can get close to the motherfuckers but far enough I won't be eaten. It was my weapon and I was good with it. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't worry about me," I huffed as I jumped out of the vehicle. I didn't even get so much as a good luck as I left. I held my weapon tight in my right hand and started the jog to the mall's entrance. I could smell rotten flesh and I knew instantly that the Changed were here, and there was certainly more than one. Once I got inside, I was surprised at how quiet it was. Usually if there were more than one Changed they would chat in a group, like a herd almost. I had to be careful because they were either hiding OR they weren't in the area. I slinked from corner to corner, checking and double-checking areas before I entered them. I wanted to make sure that I was safe before I could move on. It wasn't until I got to a set of stairs did I run into at least five of the Changed. They were all fat, so they obviously had a good meal before the saw me. I did my best to slink behind them, but one heard me. Or perhaps he smelled me. "Hello, little skinny girl," He grinned maliciously. "I'm gunna eat you up, bitch." He smelt like dead flesh, and his clothing wasn't in the best condition. He had vomit and blood all over, and even before he changed I was sure he was just as creepy looking. "Fuck..."I whispered. I started to run up the stairs, but unlike some of the others I'm run into, this one was faster. He was at least five feet behind me. The thing about the Changed that most people didn't consider was, even though they're slow, they don't run out of energy. They just keep going, unlike us. Sure, we're faster, but after a while of being chased we slow down and that's when the Changed get us. They trap us like fucking wolves. "I'm going to get you, you whore," the Changed growled. By the sounds of it he was a bastard of a human and even worse as part of the Changed. I got so close to the entrance of the store, but the bastard was right behind me. I was sure he was going to grab my ankle and pull me towards him. I was preparing to bash his head in. A gust of wind pulled me into the store and yet at the same time pushed the Changed out. I looked around the store in search of the Magic User. There was a surprising amount of humans; I couldn't see a single Changed in the area, short of the bastard trapped outside. I took advantage of what the Magic User gave me—time. I ran around the store, sliding and skidding looking for the food and supplies my group needed. I was about to pull out a box of cereal when the first scream happened. Then soon after that more screams. People were scattering, like bugs trying to get away from the boot. I grabbed a man's elbow and shook him to get his attention. "What the fuck is going on?" I asked. "Somehow one of the Changed got into the store." I didn't need to be told twice. I grabbed my food and started for the second exit. I was close, until I heard his voice. "You little fucking bitch! Get over here now so I can fucking eat you!" The fat Changed yelled at me from the end of one of the aisles. I started to run the other direction but his friends had finally managed to catch up, and they were waiting for me. I was sure that I was absolutely screwed. I was going to die and no one would care. I felt someone take hold of my hand. I looked beside me and there stood a stranger, a man that I was sure I had never met and yet I grasped his hand back. "Let's run," he whispered. His voice was low, masculine, but so foreign to my ears. "Follow me." He made a quick turn to his right. He was fast, almost too fast for me. He made so many turns and twists that I was sure we were lost, but before I knew it we were at the exit. The doors swished open. "Slow down!" I huffed. Through all the running, all I managed to save was the cereal. "Sorry," He muttered. "I forgot..." We kept running for a long time. We never let go of each other's hands. It was the only way to feel safe. * "Who...Who are you?" I asked as my chest heaved for air. We ran for at least an hour, holding hands, trying to get back to safety. Or at least as safe as we can be in the world. "You can call me Mac or Mike. Either is fine with me." He stood next to me like nothing had happened. He wasn't breathing all that hard, and there was hardly a drop of sweat. Meanwhile I was dripping like ice left in the sun. "Those are two different names. Which one is it?" I finally managed to say. I stood up and stretched my legs. "Depends on how you pronounce my name. I've been called Machael, but it's really Michael." He looked into the sky and sighed. "It looks like it's about six O'clock. The sun won't start setting till about nine. Let's keep going." He tried to take hold of my hand again but I took a step back. "Where do you think I'm going?" I looked at the stranger. "I don't know who you are or where we'd be going to." Sometime during the run I had dropped my box of cereal, but I still had my wrench. I would be willing to use it. "I told you, my name is Michael. I'm the Magic User who sense you in the area and saved your ass. My brother is James, that guy you spoke to earlier, and we are the creators of The Building. Now, let's go before the Changed get to us." "You sensed me?" "You're a Magic User too, aren't you?" I snorted in laughter. "A Magic User? That must be a joke. I'm a regular girl who runs around using a pipe wrench to kill threats. I am no Magic User. And on that note, I am not going to follow you any further." I started to walk away but I was being pulled back to him. He was using his magic on me! "I think that with time you will find that you are one. And because I sense magic when I am around you I need to bring you to the Building to protect you." "Oh yeah?" I turned around and stared at him. "And what kind of magic do I have? Why would you have to protect me? Answer that!" My black jeans were sticking to my legs and I just wanted to find a cool spot to take them off and relax—at least for a little bit. I wanted the conversation to be over. "You haven't allowed your magic to be awakened. I don't know what your magic is but I can tell you it's a magic we need. It feels powerful. And that's why I need to bring you to the Building." He smiled. "And perhaps I want to protect you because I think you're interesting." I had to admit, I found him interesting as well. He was also handsome, black curled hair, slightly tanned skin, leather jacket, white t-shirt and dark blue jeans... And his eyes! They weren't blue, no, they were grey. And if what he said was true... It sounded as if they really needed more Magic Users. But I wasn't one. I didn't have a lick of magic in me. So why would he be so intent on having me join him? "You want to rape me." I blurted aloud. "What?" He said, shocked. "Why the hell would I want that?" "I don't know, you tell me!" "Honestly..." He sighed. "No, I will refuse to rape you. If you chose to have me, it will be out of your own free will, nothing more nothing less. I have given you my word and I will not fail to protect it." "Why? Why would you be doing this? You don't even know my name! Why do I matter so much to you?" He looked at me and smiled. "Tell me your name, then." "It's Shelby..." "Shelby, you matter to for many reasons. One being that you may be detrimental to us killing the Changed, once you magic is awakened. Two, my brother sensed your magic and trust me when I say that means something. And three, I find you arousing in the most interesting way. You cannot tell me you don't feel the same because I can smell your arousal in the wind." He gave me a wicked grin. "So that leaves us with two choices. The first being you come with me willing. Or, I kidnap you and bring you to the Building by force. Either way, we will be travelling together." "There is no choice there!" "Sure there is. But by the smell in the wind it seems like you enjoy being forced. Shall I kidnap you Shel?" He snatched my wrists and pinned the up above my head. He leaned forward and whispered into my ear. "When you choose to have me, would you want me to force you to do things only your imagination to conjure?" "You sure seem full of yourself." My voice was barely a whisper. He was right... I could feel a pool of wetness between my thighs. The only thing was I knew nothing about him. "What makes you think I want to be with you?" "We have some strong Magic Users who have talents in future seeing." He kissed the lobe of my ear. "But again, the closer to you I get the more potent your arousal is." The Changed Ch. 02 "We have some strong Magic Users who have talents in future seeing." He kissed the lobe of my ear. "But again, the closer to you I get the more potent your arousal is." I sighed. "I'm not a Magic User. But I might as well join you out of my own free will opposed to being threatened and forced." He let go of my body and smiled. "I would never hurt you, Shel. But I need you to understand how important you are to our survival." * We started walking in what seemed to be a very specific direction. After our discussion he turned on his heel and started to walk. He didn't stop to check if I was following him. I wasn't sure what to do, I could run the other direction or I could follow him. I did say that I was going to join him out of my own free will. To be honest, I didn't want to. Running away seemed like a smart idea...But he was just so desirable... I followed him. I stayed behind him with my hand on the top of my wrench, but I followed him. The quiet almost seemed deafening. He walked strongly ahead of me while I trialed behind him. His shoes made noises on the sidewalk and I wondered how he made it this long. The Changed would be able to hear him. I wore Convers because I could walk silently in them. "Tell me more about this organization." I ran up beside him. He looked at me from the corner of his eye and smiled. "My brother and I started the Building when my parents couldn't accept that my brother was gay. So we found an old factory and transformed it. My family comes from a long line of Magic Users that were supposed to hold back the Changed. But somehow, along the timeline, we stopped. It wasn't till the first wave that our past caught up with us." "What are you saying? That the Changed and Magic Users have been around all along?" I looked ahead and thought to myself, what a pretty sunset. I wouldn't have thought that if I was by myself. I would have feared the darkness. Just standing next to Michael made me feel calmer... "From what my family documents say, we've been around ever since God put us here. When Lucifer fell into hell the Changed were created. We were God's solution to the Changed issue. However, over time Magic Users were threatened enough by regular humans that we had to go into hiding—making our job much harder to do. And somehow, we just stopped." I thought about what he said for a few minutes. "I'm not in your family though. I didn't know who you were until 20 minutes ago. So, why do you keep calling me a Magic User?" "Obviously God wouldn't create only one family of Magic Users. The reason why you don't belong to a Magic User family is probably because God is creating more. The more the Changed appear the more Magic Users appear. God is just trying to fix Earth." "I don't believe there's a god." I said. "With everything that's happened I don't believe there's a god, because if he was so almighty and righteous none of this would have happened in the first place." He sighed. We were back to walking quietly. He suddenly when stiff and brought his hands up to his face, in a fighting stance. "At this point in my life I have to agree with you. Get your weapon Shel." I pulled my wrench out of my loop and held it in front of me. "I don't see or hear a Changed anywhere. Why are we on guard?" I whispered. I put myself behind him so that my back was safe, but so was his. "It's not a changed that I'm worried about." His hands moved in front of his face as if he was dancing, but the rest of his body was still. I looked around us, searching for this threat, but I didn't see anything. "Shel, on the count of three I want you to duck and roll over to that mailbox." I turned my head to the right and saw the rust red mailbox in question. Obviously Michael sensed something in the air that I couldn't. "Kay," I whispered. "One....Two....Three!" I fell to my knees and rolled to my right towards the mailbox. Once I got there I stood and pointed my wrench where I once stood. I wasn't prepared for the scene I turned back to. Michael had a man in a black hoodie by his throat, but not for long. Once Michael noticed who it was he dropped his hands and pulled the man into a hug. I heard a rustle behind me and I swung my wrench in that direction. I was lucky I was scared and completely missed because it was James. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I cried, thankful that I didn't hit him in the head. James gave me a saintly smile, "We sense you two walking and decided to catch up with you. Do you mind if we join you?" * "I'm sorry about sneaking up on you. We just wanted to see what you two would be like in a fight. Each mating couple has a distinct way of fighting together." James smiled as he applied an ointment on the black hoodie man. "I'm sorry I almost chocked Calc out," Michael said. The man in the hoodie looked at Michael and nodded. He thrust his right hand towards Michael and Michael took it into a hand shake. I figured that there was some sort of understanding. James looked at me once he had is bottle put away. "You see, every mated couple has a distinct fighting style. For example, Calc and I. I usually hid and aid him with my healing magic while he hides in the shadow realm and fights there. I can sense where he is at all times, which is what makes us such a good pair. However, you two almost seem clumsy..." "We're not mated, James." Michael looked at me with a wolfish grin. "At least not yet." "OH, well for not mated you two make a good match. But you should really get on that." "Mated? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I asked. Everyone looked at each other, almost as if they were silently trying to figure out how to explain this to me. "I can't really explain it," James said. Calc just shook his head and looked at the ground. "It's kind of like love at first sight. It happens to every Magic User once in their life, and the person they fall in love with is the person they stay in love with until they die. You know that saying 'there is strength in numbers'? It is almost as if God took that into consideration when he created the Magic Users." Michael said. "And yet, that explanation almost makes it seem like a joke. Don't get me wrong Shel, being mated is the most wonderful and most magical thing that two Magic Users can do." "Just because your 'Fortune Seers' saw us together doesn't mean that's actually going to happen. I think you're delusional for thinking that. And this mated thing sounds like something out of a romance novel or a scifi." I sat taller and looked at them in the eyes. "And I swear to you that I am not a Magic User." Calc finally stood up and looked down at me. His cold blue eyes almost seemed to shine, but it could have been because his long black hair had fallen from his hoodie and framed his face. "You can say that till you're blue in the face, but in the end you are one of us. It's best if you just accept it and move on." He turned and walked away. James made a "tch" noise and raced after him. Calc was an interesting person. Unearthly almost, even his voice. It was heavy, not low in tone, just heavy. But his voice matched his clear cold eyes. * The sun was just about to disappear when Michael decided to speak. We sat quietly, just looking over the horizon where we sat. The little park hill wasn't much but at least we could see what was around us with no problem. It beat wondering. "Calc is a mystery to us all." I turned and looked at Michael. It took me a moment to remember what he meant. I nodded in reply. "No, I mean he actually is a mystery. He's one of the Originals. He's lived through wars, disease, natural disaster...and no one knows how. He doesn't like to talk much, so we're not certain how he's managed to survive. Biologically speaking he should be dead for years now." He stopped and took a deep breath. "My theory is based on his magic. He works in the shadow realm. That's a place that normal humans wouldn't dare to go because it's a place between life and death. It's a very thin line and even one misstep can lead to certain death." "If it's such a dangerous place, wouldn't it be even more improbable for him to be alive?" I asked. I felt naïve asking these questions, because Michael seemed to know all the answers and I had no clue. And yet, at the same time it was so assuring that he was here with me. "I have never been there. But if the tales are correct—probably stories you've never heard because you've never had too—when he is in the shadow realm he is ageless. He could be there for days and it may feel like minutes." He looked at me and laughed. "Magic is like thinking about the universe—it's endless. The more you dig the more questions you get. I just wished I could answer all your questions." The sun was gone now and I sighed. I hated the darkness. "I was thinking about it." "Hm?" "Even if I don't have magic I want to support the Building. It's not much but maybe I can take care of the families there. My education background lays in elementary aged schooling, but I took enough classes that I could work with teens too. I dunno..." I smiled at him. "I'm babbering but...Maybe I can be of some use, even without magic." He burst into laughter and pat my back as he stood up pulling a flashlight out of his pocket. It wasn't a very large flashlight but once he had it on I could tell it was a very strong one. "That's very generous of you, and we may need that educational background of yours. But for now we really need your magic." He stuck his hand out for me to grasp. "Please work on that." "I don't even know what kind of magic I would have..." I whispered. "Maybe you don't know it now, but deep down your conscious knows. You just need to find some way to wake it up. It takes time to master magic fully, hell, even I have some trouble with my magic. But I never stop trying to master it." He started walking a head of me and stopped once he noticed that I hadn't followed. "You coming, Shel?" I smiled. "I don't let people call me Shel." "Well, you let me." * "You're wrong." "Pardon?" He turned to me and smiled. "I just haven't said that you can't call me Shel yet." I said, striding beside him. "Whatever you say, Shel." He chuckled and faced forward again. His smile was so bright. It was interesting because ever since the Changed showed up I haven't thought that like. I used to be a romantic, but since my priorities changed. My life suddenly became more important than my silly fantasies. But walking beside him, his smile... and it wasn't just the flashlight. His face actually lit up when he smiled. At it made my heart sing. "Well... I say so. Call me Shelby..." I stated as I tripped and bumped into his shoulder. "Getting tired, Shel?" "Hm?" "Let's take a break. Rest, get some sleep, and we will keep walking tomorrow. Hopefully we can find a car to use." * (I apologize for the brief repeat. The last chapter shouldn't have ended the way it did. Hopefully this one works out better. Thanks for reading!)