When My Soul Became Fire - Chapter 2

[[ D E J A • vu ]]

How could you be so cold . . .

“Hey,” Hykuma looked up from the dinner she was making.

Syn glanced at her, and then sat on the couch, silent. He stared at the wall, a grimace on his face. Hykuma frowned at him.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, putting down the wooden spoon she was using to stir the soup.

“Nothing,” Syn replied swiftly. He stared at the wall for a long time before finally standing and pulling out his knife. Dried blood covered it; he hadn’t washed in a long time. Syn strode into the kitchen and grabbed a cloth from the drawer, and then sat on the counter beside the sink. He leaned over and wet the cloth with soap and water, and began to rub the blood from his knife away.

Hykuma’s frowned deepened.

“You only wash your knife when something’s upsetting you,” Hykuma said slowly. She walked over to him and leaned against his legs, supporting her arms on his thighs so she could look at his troubled cobalt eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I hate my past,” He merely muttered, and scrubbed harder.

“There wasn’t much of a past without me, Syn,” Hykuma told him, looking worried now. She stood erect and touched his ar. “Did you have an attack? Who upset you?”

“No,” Syn said quietly, sighing. He set his knife down and ran his fingers through his hair. He slipped from the counter and put his arms around her. Hykuma automatically leaned against his chest, her cheek resting over his heart. “You wouldn’t know about the thing that’s bothering me…”

Hykuma lifted her head to look at him. She looked hurt. “I thought you told me everything,” She said in a quiet voice.

He looked down at her, cobalt blue eyes big. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to think I was horrible.”

“Is it worse than killing your parents…?” Hykuma asked slowly. “Because I can’t think of something much worse than that…”

“It’s kind of worse…” Syn sighed and leaned down, resting her head on his shoulder. “Don’t be angry with me… I never thought to tell you until now…”

“Why did it start bothering you until now…?” Hykuma stroked his soft white hair, enjoying the feel of it as usual.

“Because of Vyna…” His arms slipped around her waist and he squished her against him. “I’ll tell you, just… I don’t want you to get hurt…”

“That’s what they all say,” Hykuma rolled her eyes softly. “Now tell me what’s wrong…”

Syn slowly let go of her, and stood. He looked down at her and said quietly, “My parents weren’t the first kill I made.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Kimata,” Teacher called.

Alabaster lifted his head slowly. He was sitting against the wall with the other students, blue eyes wide with shock.

“Me…?” The three-year old half-Reacher asked.

“Are you ready?” Teacher asked.

“Um…” Al glanced towards his opponent nervously. “Okay, I’ll try…”

He stood slowly, showing his thin, muscled body and long legs. His white hair fell into his face, covering his light blue eyes. Al stood at 3’10”, still much shorter than most of the pureblood Reachers here. Most of them were 4’10” to 5’6”, much smarter, and much older-looking, even though they were all the same age. Al knew it was because he was half-human, but he didn’t understand why he had to start with the rest of the Reachers; shouldn’t he be waiting until he got to be their size?

Reacher children developed faster than human children; at the age of three most Reachers looked to be around 7 or 8. Al, of course, only looked to be about 5, simply because he was half human.

“Approach,” Teacher directed.

Al stepped forward to face his opponent; a dark blond-haired girl with dark red eyes and a cocky grin.

“Acknowledge,” Teacher commanded.

The girl held her hand out, and Al shook it. The girl’s fingers squished his hand tightly, and he winced from the ache of it.

“Begin,” Teacher stepped back from the practice mat.

Almost immediately the girl had grabbed his arm and had him on the floor. He writhed desperately, trying to shove her off, but she was simply too strong.

“Two, one,” Teacher counted. “Ani, retreat.”

The girl got off of Al, smiling.

He lay there, little chest heaving from shock. She had gotten him to the ground before he had even realized Teacher had said begin.

“Kimata, are you all right?” Teacher asked, hands behind his back.

“Yeah,” Al sat up slowly. “I’m fine.”

He glanced at Ani, who was standing in triumph, hands on her hips. She had a grin on her face that said she knew he was weak and was going to use that to her advantage.

His eyes settled on the other students that were sitting along the edge. Each and every one of them was trying to hold back laughter.

Kimata got his butt kicked by a girl!

Al lowered his head quietly.

“Can I go?” He asked. “I don’t feel well.”

Teacher opened his mouth to protest, and then sighed, and said, “Excused, Kimata.”

“Thank you sir,” Al said in a hushed tone. He grabbed his bag and darted out as fast as he could. Tears swelled in his eyes, his throat choked up, and he broke into a run.

The other kids in the class never spoke to him, never did anything but hide their laughter from him. Behind his back, they called him weak, stupid, human, half-blood. Of course, they would never tease him, not in front of his face or in front of Teacher. He was still a Kimata after all, and everyone knew that his aunt was the Leader.

Al stopped at the doors to the Leader’s office, and struggled to choke down the tears. He wiped them away from his eyes and took a moment to breathe, and then slowly pushed open the door.

Kyth lifted her head when the door creaked, setting her pen down, glad to have a break from the paperwork. When she saw Al, she knew immediately that something was wrong. His eyes were teary and red, his lips pulled into a frown.

Instead of freaking out like most people would have, Kyth said, “Hey Al. Go ahead and sit down. Here’s a lollipop.” She held out a green one, his favorite.

The white-haired half-Reacher shuffled forward and took the lollipop, and sat in the chair across from her desk. He liked coming to Kyth to talk because she always made him feel better before talking about it. She knew what was wrong; he had come into her office crying many times. When he had gone to his mother, she had freaked out and started getting anxious, fretting over him and begging him not to take the classes anymore, but that had only made Al more upset. His own mother didn’t even believe he could do it.

Kyth, of course, gave him a stern pep talk every time, and that was why he game to her every time something like this happened.

The Leader continued her paperwork until Al finished his lollipop, by which time he was calm enough to talk.

“So what happened?” Kyth asked, setting her pen down once more.

“Teacher put me against a girl,” Al said quietly, his voice wavering again. “And she had me beat before I even noticed Teacher had said go. All the other kids just laugh at me… I don’t have any friends…”

Kyth studied Al for a moment, and then stood. She circled her desk and knelt down in front of him, patting his knee. “Al,” She said. “I’m going to tell you something that people should learn at a young age but they don’t; people are bastards.”

Al started at his aunt’s language, but said nothing.

Kyth continued, “You have to learn to find the people who aren’t like that, who go against the natural flow of things. But, you have the Ever Power, which means that there will also be people who will try to take advantage of you, so you have to watch out for them as well.”

“I don’t know how to make friends,” Al said miserably. “I’ve never been able to.”

“I think that those kids are just brats,” Kyth told him. “You need to stand up for yourself, Al, and stop letting them push you around.”

“How do I get them to stop…?” He asked.

“You tell them to,” Kyth stood, ruffling Al’s hair. “Next time they laugh at you, get up in their faces and tell them to shut their holes. And don’t tell your mom I told you to say that. She’ll get on to me.”

Al smiled a bit, sniffling.

“Oh, Al,” Kyth sighed, and she picked him up into her arms and rocked him gently. Al wrapped his arms around her shoulders and clung to her tightly.

The two had become increasingly close ever since Al had begun training. He was constantly asking her questions, and she was constantly teaching him fighting techniques. When he was practicing with her, everything seemed so natural, so easy, even though she was overwhelmingly more talented than all of the kids he went up against. He felt more confidence with fighting her, even though he knew she was barely even trying. He wanted to make her try one day.

Sniffling, Al wiped his eyes and sat back in Kyth’s arms. She looked at him sympathetically.

“You should go back,” She murmured. “If you stay away they’ll know they hurt your feelings.”

“Can you come and watch?” He asked. “They’re not as mean when you’re there…”

“Mm hm,” Kyth nodded and set Al down. She scooped up his bag and strode out the door. Al followed close behind.

When they entered the training gym, Teacher immediately stood straight and greeted Kyth with a bow.

“Ms. Kimata,” He said. “What gives us the pleasure?”

“I came here to watch Al,” Kyth told him. She glanced over at the children, who were shrunk back against the wall. “I was hoping I could help him.”

“Of course,” Teacher nodded. “Feel free to do as you wish, Ms. Kimata.”

Kyth gave a nod, and set Al’s bag down, and then leaned against a wall, watching carefully.

Teacher glanced towards the row of kids, and pointed to a tall boy, motioning him over. The young Reacher jumped up and jogged over to the mat, facing Al, who had gone very pale as soon as his opponent had stood.

He glanced at Kyth, who merely gave him a nod of encouragement. Just seeing her there made Al remember his training with her; balance your body, get ready for the impact, react as fast as possible. Because he was smaller, weaker, and slower, he had to make up for it some other way, but he couldn’t. Not physically, anyway. Kyth had reminded him that once he had begun to do real missions, he would be allowed to use his powers against his opponent.

Al readied himself, feeling an intense, driving urge to knock this boy to the ground instead of the awkward fear he felt normally.

“Acknowledge,” Teacher directed.

The two shook hands.

“Begin.”

Al didn’t wait to see what the other boy did. He went barreling straight towards his legs. Unfortunately, his opponent was much faster, and his reflexes were four times better. The boy leapt over Al and then crouched, sweeping his leg around to meet Al’s.

Al went toppling onto his back with a thud and a grunt.

Kyth stood, and the boy immediately bowed deeply and then darted back over to the wall. Kyth pulled Al onto his feet and took him to the other mat, and Teacher continued lessons.

“Hey,” Kyth murmured gently as Al wiped his eyes once more. “It’s all right, Al. Calm down.”

“I can’t do anything right,” Al said quietly. “I’m stupid and slow and weak.”

“No,” Kyth argued. “You’re not. Now take a stance.”

Miserably, Al took his stance.

“Now do what you did before,” Kyth said.

Al charged towards her, already knowing she was going to avoid it.

Instead, he was surprised to hit her legs, and she immediately bent forward, flipping over him and rolling, landing perfectly on her feet. She then turned to look at him.

“Good,” She said.

“You could’ve avoided that,” Al pouted.

“But you wouldn’t have learned anything,” Kyth argued. “Now take a stance.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Miles away from the Order lay an abandoned storage compound.
It was a large warehouse surrounded by smaller ones, all plain gray steel with dark blue roofs. They looked rusted and uncared for, and if one did not look close enough, they would not see the small signs of life in the compound.

Of course, no one ever looked close enough to notice. The compound had been shut down and abandoned years ago, and barely anyone took the road leading to it. The only occasional visitor was a lost car looking for a way into town.

So, the small population of people went unnoticed.

In the large warehouse lay a spacious, rectangular room. At the end sat a red loveseat, made of velvet, the wood so dark it looked nearly black was shined to a polish.

A tall girl lay in the chair, thin as a twig, her chest rising and falling shallowly. Her head was tilted back over the arm of the loveseat, her long black hair shimmering down to the floor. Her hair had a hint of blue in it, making it look like a raven’s feather. Her eyes were closed, as though she were sleeping, dark circles under her eyes. She was clad in black; a black turtle-neck shirt, black plaited skirt, black leggings, black gloves, even a black mask covering her chin, mouth and nose. Her toes poked out from the leggings, her knee-high ebony boots kicked off onto the floor.

The girl’s eyes opened when she heard the warehouse door open, revealing the deep, bright cobalt blue of them.

She turned her head lazily, looking as though she didn’t have the strength to even bother to sit up as the man approached.

“Yes…?” She asked in a quiet, whispering voice.

“Mistress,” He began. “We have an issue with…”

“Not so loud,” She begged quietly.

“Y-yes,” He stiffened a bit, and lowered his voice. “We have an issue with two of our recent members. They’ve been killed.”

“Ah,” The girl looked at the man in silence. “Well… Tell then… Get two more members…”

“You aren’t curious on why or how?” The man asked, surprised.

“You should know me better than that,” She closed her eyes, laying the back of her hand over her eyes to block out the dull lights in the room. “I know how they died, where they died, why they died, and who killed them…”

“Yes, Mistress,” The man bowed his head and then shuffled out.

“Leox,” She said quietly, and exactly on cue a younger man with dark blue hair dropped from the unseen rafters of the ceiling, and landed perfectly on his feet beside her. He looked down at her with bright orange eyes.

“Yes, Mistress?” He asked in a soft voice.

“I want to go to bed… My head is pulsing…”

“You shouldn’t use your powers so strenuously, Mistress. It makes the migraines worse.”

“The only downside to my powers…”

She lifted her hand weakly, and he took it, helping her stand. He leaned down and grabbed her boots before allowing her to grip his arm in her thin hands and lean against him heavily.

He led her to her sleeping quarters, which was in a good-sized office that had been cleared out for a circular bed and another loveseat, along with a bookshelf and a dresser drawer. She slumped down on the bed, head resting in the soft pillow.

“Do you wish for me to leave you alone?” Leox asked.

“Sit in here…” She motioned towards a chair.

Obediently, he sat in it, and waited as she became still in her bed.

He waited for a long while, until her breathing had evened out and she had become still and silent. He stood then, and began to walk out.

“Leox,” Her voice whispered, and he stopped and turned, looking at her. She had turned her head slightly, but hadn’t lifted it. “Stay in here, please… Don’t leave.”

“Yes Mistress,” He murmured, and sat back down. “Are you okay?”

“My head hurts…” Her hand came up, fingers tangling in her hair. “It’s making me… Unfocused…”

“Would you like me to get medicine for you?”

“Yes please…”

Leox stood once more, and started out the door.

“Wait,” The girl whimpered. He looked at her just to see that she was sitting up, looking at him anxiously. “You’ll have to leave?”

“Yes Mistress,” Leox said soothingly. “If you want the medicine I’ll have to leave to get you some.”

“Then never mind,” The girl slumped back down onto her bed. “Stay in here…”

Leox sighed and went over to her. He sat on the bed beside her and muttered, “Whisp, what’s wrong? You’ve been stressed for a long time now. This isn’t me speaking as your guard, it’s me speaking as your friend. What’s going on?”

“I want to do it soon,” She looked at him. “I want to let the Order know that I’m here, that we’re here.”

“The attack on Vyna Moen and her partner were quite convincing, were they not? You took her partner under control easily and she’ll tell everyone who did it.”

“No,” The girl shook her head. “They will find out like that, but I want them to know… Especially him…”

“Is this still about him?” Leox asked. “Why are you so obsessed with him?”

The girl smiled slightly. “It doesn’t matter… I want him to know that I’m here, whether he remembers me or not. I want that Leader, too, Kyth Kimata… I want her to know that I’m watching her.”

“She’s killed two of our people without problem, one of them used to be her own,” Leox said quietly. “Are you sure you can take control of her?”

“She has weaknesses, just like anyone,” Her blue eyes met his. “Even you have your weaknesses, Leox…”

“You don’t have to use them, though,” He murmured. “I serve you and only you.”

“Good,” She sighed slowly, leaning her head back. “Now, make arrangements… I need ten of the best guards to ready themselves for next week… We’ll be going to the Order…”

“For what?” Leox asked.

She smiled slowly, her blue eyes dilating slightly, wildly. “We’re going to take the Training Reachers… And train them ourselves.”

Leox started. “Whisp, that’s at least twenty kids. Some of their parents are the strongest around.”

“I want them to think that we want the Ever Power,” She told him. “I’m not afraid of any of those children or their parents.”

“The Ever Power?” He asked. “You don’t want that, though.”

“I want them to think I want it,” She murmured. “That way they’ll be focused on protecting Alabaster, and less focused on the other children.”

“Why the children, then?”

The girl lay limp slowly, and then grinned and laughed. Leox got a chill down his spine. His mistress was insane; everyone knew that.

She grinned, and said, “I want all of the Reachers to know that Whispering Unknown has now taken over as Leader of the Reapers.”

[/blockquote]



Just to take my lock away?