Has it been a while? Definitely. Nearly 3 whole months. Not that I didn't need the break to find inspiration. It feels good coming back to this story--to David and Ky. I kind of missed them.

So without further ado...

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

The kitchen was just as hot as the other rooms. David could almost feel the tile baking beneath his sneakers. Or it could have been his imagination.

He glanced around the room, noticing the dishes sitting in the sink, piled up and encrusted with food. He blanched, gagging at the subtle smell of sour food and stinking water.

But his stomach growled again and he dismissed the smell, hoping that the fridge would have been a safe haven for food untouched.

Stumbling across the floor, he knew he has to eat soon. Low blood sugar coupled with extreme emotional duress, the adrenaline that had pumped through his system earlier at the club wearing off, left him weak. He felt feeble, barely able to lift his feet to reach the fridge.

But somewhere in his mind, he knew this was an exaggeration. He wasn't that tired just yet. His mind was seeking an excuse to stop the search, to leave the strange events behind and curl up in bed. To forget Tab, forget the last few hours, the previous weeks, with sleep.

He wrapped his hand around the handle and yanked the fridge open.

Then he screamed, "Ky!"

##

In the bedroom where she was ruffling through Susannah's drawers, she heard his scream and dashed through the hallway. The thought flashed across her mind, barely slow enough for her to register, that he had screamed the nickname Tab had given her instead of screaming the pseudonym Skye.

She shrugged it aside, running into the kitchen to find David slumped on the floor, his back to a line of drawers. He held his head in his hands and cried.

"David," she said as her eyes scanned the room. "David," she said again, forcefully to get his attention. He looked up at her between his fingers. She could see the tears falling down his face.

"What?" She asked again.

He motioned towards the fridge and scooted away simultaneously. Turning his back on the door, he stared at the ceiling. His tears were dried up.

Ky approached the door, apprehension sizzling through her. She felt it like an electrical spark, moving from her fingers to her toes as she reached for the handle.

Yanking the door open, she cringed.

Stuffed between fallen shelves, a gallon of milk, and take-out containers was the body of Susannah Jones. Her skin was white, her eyes wide open in fear, and a purple bruise lined her neck.

Ky let the door handle slip from her grasp. It shut with sucking sound.

She turned to David, surprised to find him standing and staring at her. His face clear of tears.

"I figure they hid her body there so you wouldn't find her as soon. I don't think whoever it was thought we would go looking in the fridge." He had his hands in his pockets, the arms dangling free, casually. His jaw was set and his eyes hard.

"Her body is still warm at the core. I'd say it's only been an hour, maybe an hour and a half since she died. Whoever she was conspiring with found out that we were seeking Tab and killed her to keep her quiet."

"How is she still warm? She's in the fridge!" David exclaimed. "I mean, if she's been in there for an hour she's got to be cold all the way through, right? What if she's been in there longer than that? What if she's been in there for days?"

Ky glanced at the clock on the wall. It was after midnight and the night was passing quickly.

"Come on," she said, leaving the room. David followed, saying, "But what about my questions?"

"First," she said as she crossing the elegant living room, looking around one last time for possible clues, "I can sense heat, remember? I'm practically a walking thermometer. She's still warm at her core because of the way she was crammed in there. It would take longer than a few hours to cool her at the middle."

She picked up the letter she'd scanned earlier, back in its envelope, and handed it to David. He glanced at it, seeing nothing meaningful and shrugged.

"She hasn't been in there for days. She was alive earlier. Look at the date on the postmark."

He looked at the envelope again. It was stamped yesterday, in Washington D.C.

"Okay, so, it was stamped yesterday. So that means it had to have been delivered today, and that means she picked it up earlier."

"And she had to be alive to do that. So whoever killed her did it here. But it wasn't noisy. Strangulation usually isn't. But it's an intimate way to kill someone. You have to stand right behind them and hold them tight.

"Whoever it was, it was someone who knew her well, who'd been here before. They felt comfortable enough to shove her body in the fridge and leave it there to be discovered. If they've been here before, more than likely the doorman has an idea who it is."

She ran to the front door and hurried into the hall.

"Aren't we going to go out the way we came in?" David asked, trying to keep up with her.

"No need for that. I'll have to talk to the door man anyway. Might as well take the easy way down." She stood in front of the elevators, waiting when he caught up to her.

"So I'll get to see the Jedi mind trick in action again?"

"The what?"

He laughed. "Nevermind. I'll explain that to you when you explain Salioni the Red to me."

"Sounds fair enough."

The elevator dinged and together they stepped into the cab. Ky pushed the ground floor button and they descended, moving swiftly towards the unknown, but at least further away from the dead body in the fridge.

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


What do you think? Don't forget to comment!!!

Have any of you been eagerly awaiting this? Seriously, I want to know! I'm sure most of the few people who were reading this have already forgotten about it. I can't blame you though. It has been over 2 months since I touched this. I've been focusing on my horror stories and a couple other novellas I'm working on.

And today I just stopped by to take a quick peek at this again since I hadn't in so long and I started reading part 10 and I got hooked into it. When I finished I felt like, "Hey, where's the rest? What happens next?"

So here we are. I want to know what happens next. Do you?

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

David and Ky were blasted by the wave of heat pouring from inside.

"God, she must have the heat on full blast!" David exclaimed.

"If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen, right?" Ky laughed. "C'mon." She gestured to the door and they stepped through, David right behind her.

The inside was cheery. The walls were covered in flowery wallpaper, chrome or silver pictures frames glinted, highlighting people and places. The furniture was arranged artfully, centering around a majestic fireplace.

The coffee table was littered with papers and photographs. A half full coffee cup sat atop a precariously balanced pile of letters. Ky leaned down and picked the cup up, moving it aside to read the first letter.

"What's that?" David asked her. He looked around suspiciously, darting to and fro across the room like a wannabe James Bond. Placing his back against a wall, he carefully leaned around it and peeked down the hallway. "Nothing here, " he called out.

"But there's something here," Ky said. "Look at this. She's got eviction letters, disconnection notices for her water, electricity, phone. You name it, she's going to lose it."

"What? She's got money, why would she be late on her payments?"

"I'm not psychic, David." Ky tossed him a sheepish smile, "Well, not much. I don't know why."

"Then I guess we have to find her." David walked away, heading down the hallway towards the other rooms.

"She's not here, David."

"How do you know that? I thought you said you weren't psychic, much."

"I can sense body heat, David, and the only warm bodies in this room are ours." She looked thoughtful for a moment. She put her hand on her chin and sat down on the couch. He stepped back into the room and watched her think. "But somebody knew I was coming. That's why it's so hot in here. I mean, no one keeps their thermostat cranked to," she glanced at the thermostat in the hallway, "85 degrees when they can't pay their electricity."

David looked from her to the hallway and back. "You can read that from here? Holy shit, you got a pair of eyes on you, don't you?"

He did the double take a few more times and Ky watched him, laughing. "So what does the heat have to do with someone knowing you were coming here?"

"In this heat is gets very hard to read body temperature. Usually I can identify where someone, or something, is at just by entering a building. But in here, it's so hot even the walls are baking. It jambles my...umm...I don't know what you'd call it. I don't want to say sixth sense, because it's not, it's a physical ability, like bats reading the air ahead of them with sonic waves."

"You mean radar?"

"Yeah, it's like my own personal radar. But in here it's working all screwy and everything is showing up hot. But it's not so hot that I can't tell no one else is here. It'd have to be over 90 degrees for me to lose my radar.

"So someone knows enough about me to know how to screw up my senses, but not enough to do it right."

"What kind of people would know about your abilities?" David walked around the room, touching pictures, knick knacks, opening drawers and cabinets. "And how does that help us find Tab?"

"The people associated with drakon would know. Enemies, maybe. We've had problems with traitors before. I'm not going to forget Salioni the Red for a while."

"Who?"

"It's history, David. I'll tell you about it some other time. Right now let's find some information on Tab."

Together they searched through drawers and cabinets, moving their search from room to room. As they entered the last bedroom, used as an office with a desk, computer, and file cabinets, David's stomach growled.

"Oh, man, I haven't eaten all night." He grabbed his stomach and it growled again. "I'm going to go see if there's any info in the kitchen."

He staggered out the door, clutching the walls as he went, moaning about his hunger. Ky laughed as he went.

Alright, I know it's been a while since my last post. I've been working on other stories and I needed to take a break from this one. Now, I actually tried writing this a bit on paper--thinkin it would help me think--but it didn't. This story has consigned itself to type-period.

So.... let's see where we go today....

###

"David, there is a whole other world beneath the one you know." Ky turned to him, her eyes glowing purple in the streetlights.

They were walking the city streets, aimlessly it seemed, yet David knew that she was carefully guiding him to Tabitha's friend's house. He knew Skye was taking a circuitous route to alleviate his fears and let him regain his composure.

"There are things that exist only in your darkest imagination," she continued, "things that you would pray to your god to never exist, not even there--in your mind. But they do.

"Most of the mythology has been exaggerated certainly, but the basis of them, those ideas are true. Werewolves, vampirse, shape shifters--they all exist. They roam the streets, preying upon all mankind. They.."

"But what are you?" David asked her, point blank.

She stopped walking and faced him. He could see her mind turning behind her eyes, trying to decide if she could trust him. He started to talk, his mouth falling open to tell her that she could trust him, when she spoke first.

"I am a drakon. We are kin to dragons, such as has not been seen in thousands of years. Humanity has not been kind to them. We were created to be the guards for the dragons, to walk freely in both races. We hold two true forms-both our human skin and our dragon bodies. It is not perfect though." She snagged her coat in her hands, twisting it around. "We are given the ability to fly in both forms, and we must cover our smaller wings with thick long jackets."

"How did you do that thing back at the club? I didn't see it, but I felt it. This wave of heat boiled through the door and walls."

"We are weaponed with fire. Even in human form, I am mostly dragon, David. Don't ever forget that."

"Can I see your wings?"

Ky laughed, "Not now David. We are in public and it would be unseemly. Perhaps later I will show you. For now, we have other work to do."

"Fine." He grouched. "But what were those things at the club? You called them feeders."

"Feeders are the offspring of vampires and humans. Vampires are not like the vampires you see in movies and books today. They are immortal, given eternal life upon their 'turning' at the hands of a master vampire. However, they do not come back just pasty skinned with fangs. They are pale, indeed, but it is only from the lack of sun in their lives. They have fangs, to help them tear the skin of their victims open. But all their other plumbing works just as well. They can eat regular food, when they choose to, if it is necessary to maintain the facade of normalcy. They can only do this sparingly, perhaps once every few months. They will digest the food normally and excrete it as you would. We do not understand why, but when they digest normal food, they are given back the ability to procreate. A vampire can still get a hard one when it wants to," David laughed and she chuckled with him. "Yes, they can, David. However, they shoot blanks. Female vampires do not ovulate. However, if they eat a meal they are given sperm and eggs that can be procreated.

"When a male or female vampire eats a meal, and then has sex with a human, a child will be born. It is almost always this way. The birth is terribly hard and the woman who is pregnant with vampire offspring usually dies. A female vampire who bears a child survives every time. These children are feeders. They are not eternal, and they could be human if they truly desired it. They must eat regular food, they can procreate any time, and they can walk in the day if they so choose. But few do. Most are born with a need for blood, a need that is not necessary as it is for a vampire. They choose to drink the blood of innocents. They rarely step out in the sun, not from fear of death, but of a slight aversion. They feel a minor headache when in the sun, but no more. They know from who they are descended and they try to be more like their vampire parents.

"So they kill. They feed on people, then go home to eat a meal at home because they must eat human food as well. They hate their existence. They die of the same kinds of mortal wounds that human die from, but I choose to burn them. It is easiest. They have the strength of their kind, and they have killed my kind before."

She grew silent, pondering the lives of the other drakon in the city.

"So what we saw back there? The club of feeders? What was that?"

"Feeding grounds. They've grown bolder over the years and their number has increased greatly. We're not sure how. We've never seen a feeder actually mate with a human or a vampire before. They either die early or choose not to procreate. I think the increase is from feeders breeding with other feeders. They've started a few places like that over the years--places where humans will congregate and they can feed on them in the shadows. A vampire has dignity and morals, David, hard as that thought is. They do not kill en masse like the feeders do. We do not hunt vampires as long as they keep to the rules, and most do.

"But," she said, smiling as she glanced at the street sign, "that story is for another day. For now, we're here."

They turned and looked at the entrance to an expensive apartment building. A doorman stood in front of large glass double doors. He was dressed in red livery with bright gold buttons.

Only rich people, David thought.

"I don't think we'll be getting in that way," Ky said. "Do you remember what flood she lived on?"

"No. I've never been here before. Tab always said her friend lived in a house, and I didn't realize it was an apartment." He was still looking up at the building, unable to see where it ended. It was a tall building. Its size reminded him at once of all his poor history and inadequacy to love to a rich woman. He felt pathetically small standing there.

"It looks like some reconnaisance is in order. Stay here, David."

He stayed, and watched her walk quickly over to the door man. He couldn't hear the conversation, but he could tell she was asking the doorman a question. The doorman's face leaned down and then slowly cruised back up and he spoke, most likely answering her question. She smiled at him, and left. The doorman shook his head, his cap falling off. He bent down to pick it up, and then looked in the opposite direction of Ky and David. He did not turn around.

"He won't be watching us," she said. "Tab's friend is on the twenty-third floor. That balcony up there is hers. Are you ready?"

"For what? We can't get in, right? Why didn't you try your mind tricks on him like you did the bouncer at the club?"

"Where's the fun in that? You wanted to see my wings, right?" She took off her coat, and gripping it tight in her hands, she grabbed David around the waist. They were standing in a dark corner and at first all he could see where small nubs sticking up over her back.

"Going up? Hang on, David." He grabbed her as they lifted from the ground. He could see her wings spread out behind her and felt the breeze against his face as they flapped and pushed at the air. They were long, at least twice as long as her body laid out horizontally. They were thin and leathery, reminding him of bat's wings, and he wanted to reach out and touch one. He lifted a hand toward her wing and she stopped him.

"Don't do that, David. You'll screw up my flight. We're almost there."

He looked down at the dizzying height and nearly passed out. Her arm gripped tighter around him, it felt like a soft steel bar pressing into his ribs. He relished the feeling.

"We're here," she said as she gently lowered them onto the balcony. The lights were on inside and they peeked through the door.

She started to put on her jacket again, and David quickly reach between the jacket and her wings, running his hand down their length. They were compressed into what looked like long misshappen arms long her back. But they were still soft and felt paper thin.

"How do they hold you up?" He asked as he withdrew his hand.

She chuckled. "Learn about aerodynamics, my friend." She wrapped her hand around the balcony door's knob. It turned easily in her hands, and they heard the audible click of the lock sliding past the door.

"Ready?" She said to David.

"Yes."

She opened the door.

Here it is folks. Part 9 is in. I would say a different flavor, but it's not. It's the same story.

So.... here we go again.

*****

They left the building behind them as they entered the city streets.

Ky was still a few steps behind David, and he didn't quite understand why, but he did feel a lot more comfortable that way.

He kept his eyes to the ground, watching the lines in the sidewalk pass. People knocked into him occasionally, a shoulder here, an elbow there. He neither minded, nor noticed. He was oblivious to it all. His thoughts were on Tabitha and where she could be. And the woman behind him.

Where did she come from, he thought. I don't know, but she scares me, he answered.

His mind kept coming back to the balcony door. It had been open when he walked into the living room. There was something there, something wrong, but he just... couldn't.... what was it that hit him as odd. . . The thought seemed to be creeping up on him, catching up to his thought processes. He pictured the balcony door, the living room with the table and couch, the hallway, the front door.. It wasn't the balcony door, it was the front door.

"David."

He jumped a foot off the sidewalk. He'd paused while he was thinking, as the front door came into his mind.

The chain on the front door had been locked.

"Why'd you stop walking?" She asked.

"Ummm.. nothing." He looked at her again. She had the same heavy coat on. It was thick and her shape was indistuingishable underneath it. I wonder what's beneath that jacket?

"I was just thinking about where Tabitha might have gone. She liked to frequent this club on Ninth street. It's called "Downtown Showdown". I think if we're going to start anywhere, we should start there."

"Let's go then," she said, taking the lead.

They walked on a few more blocks, and Ky asked him about the club.

"It's a club for rich people, mostly. You practically have to show a bank statment to get in." He laughed at his own joke. Ky's lip did not move. "She liked getting together with her wealthier friends, and she never felt hassled there. The people there were her own."

"Is it hard?"

"Is what hard?" He asked.

"Being with someone- loving someone- who has money, when you come from a poor background." She said.

"Oh." He looked at his feet again as he walked, afraid of looking at her, of what she might see in his eyes. He wondered briefly, How much did I tell her about me?

"It can be. I've never been one to believe that love has classes- love is indiscriminate. But it is hard. My father worked hard every day to provide for me and my sisters, and my mother never worked a day in her life- not for money at least. The life I was raised in was a hard one. If the crops failed, we didn't eat. If they were good, abundant even, I had a good present to look forward to, for my birthday or christmas. I still remember working every summer in the fields. And I love Tabitha, but she can't understand how hard it is to work for everything you've got, to struggle when things aren't going right."

He stopped talking, the memories of his childhood and home plaguing him. "It was so hard sometimes."

"I can understand hard work," Ky said.

He glanced up at her, expecting her to be looking at him, but she wasn't. She was looking straight ahead, like the conversation was just something to pass the time. It felt like more than that to him.

He looked down at his fingernails, afraid to still see the dirt embedded deep in them. There was no dirt in them. This time.

"Life is hard. We struggle, and work hard, because it makes us stronger. The people who don't struggle- who haven't been through those lean times- are weak. They don't last. Not like we do." She turned to him now, the corners of her mouth tilted up in the ghost of a smile. "Tabitha has had to work hard. Maybe not the kind of work you've had to do, keeping a roof over you rhead and food in your belly, but she has had to work."

She looked back to the street again. They were standing at a street corner and a few blocks to the right was the club. She paused there. Ky felt the need to say something else, to explain that Tabitha could understand hard work too.

"Tabitha probably understands hard work better than most people. She's done it for the worst and best of reasons- her survival."

David was surprised. "What?"

"The club is down the street. Get a move on." The edge was back in her voice, a rusty blade in her throat. "Move it, David."

He did. They quickly made their way down the street. He tried to log that part of their conversation away. Remember this; don't forget it dammit. Ask her or Tabitha about it if we . . . when we find her.

There was a long line at the door, stretching down nearly half a block.

"It's pretty busy for a week night," Ky said.

"Yeah, well, rich people don't have to get up early in the morning, do they? Besides," he said, indicating the line of people they walked past, "these people aren't rich, they're the posers who want to get in the club and score a rich date."

Ky laughed as they reached the bouncer. He was a large man, about 6'2" with a broad chest and a shining bald head. She laughed again. Do all bouncers have to shave their heads? She thought.

She attempted to walk past him, expecting it when the hand reached out to stop her.

"Look," the bouncer said, the sunglasses turning towards her, "you can't get in. We're already packed for the night." A few people in the head of the line groaned.

"No, it's okay. I know the owner." She reached for the sweet spot in his mind, and pushed gently.

He took off his glasses and peered at her. He assessed her, from her feet to her head, stopping a moment on her breasts. He winked at her, and let her slide past.

David looked at the guy, amazed as he walked by.

As they entered the club, he caught up to her and whispered, "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing," she smiled. "All men are susceptible to a nice body and a pretty face, right?"

He didn't buy it. His nerves tingled through his body as he contemplated it.

They walked around the partition, and Ky stopped. David bumped into her.

"What is it?" he asked.

She shushed him, shaking her head as he opened his mouth to speak again.

"They're here," she said. "Can't you smell them?" She'd forgotten who she was talking to as the thirst whistled through her veins and her fire rushed up.

David felt the temperature change, rising impossibly in this air conditioned club. Beads of sweat spotted his forehead.

She snarled, sharp canine teeth protruding from her mouth. Her eyes glowed in the dark, a soft burning red. He blinked again, not believing what he was seeing.

"The club is full of them."

"What?"

"Feeders."

She growled, a low angry sound. An animal growl.

She's not human, David thought. Out loud he said, unable to stop himself, "What are you?"

She turned to him, eyes blazing now, and said, "Find a place to hide. An enclosed room. Go now."

He didn't hesitate. He ran.

It was her time now. She walked forward, each step echoing on the cement floor. A few strobes lights danced around her, highlighting her.

People walked around her, smiling, laughing, unaware of the danger they were in. She could see in the dark corners, only shadows to the average eye, where a feeder had a mouth planted on the neck or arm of a human, blood covering its face and the victims clothes.

She could smell them. The stench filled her nose, bringing vomit to her throat and tears to her eyes. A few wandered at the dance floor, a nervous look in their eyes as they smelled her but could not see her yet. They were covered in makeup, just a few green veins visible through the dark biege tint.

The hunt thrummed through her body, the fire burning to be let loose. She knew she would have to do it. She'd left her sword in her cave, thinking David would being to suspect something.

She reached the center of the dance floor, the entire club turning to watch her. Every eye upon her, except the human ones. She counted quickly, determing the human loss would not be much. But this congregation of feeders had to be stopped. A few human lives lost was a small price to pay to remind the feeders of their place. If they began to congregate here, where else did they have feeding troughs like this? The thought frightened her, but it excited her as well. Perhaps this is what Tabitha stumbled upon? Did these feeders kill her?

The fire raged up, tearing away at her throat, scalding her tongue and lips as it was freed. The tables, chairs, drapes, artwork, everything caught fire almost at once, as she turned allowing her flame full access.

Feeders were ablaze everything. Running around madly, some picked up chairs and threw them at her. But the chairs burned to ashes before they reached her. Everything they threw, in their last attempts at survival, disappeared in a cloud of smoke and ash.

A few ran for the doors, but she quickly turned towards them and cut off their exits.

The club burned. The fire burned out and stopped. It would be a while before she could use it again, before it was back to full capacity.

The last of the humans ran around, some already dead and lying on the floor, others dying on their feet.

She left through the flames, walking down the hallway David had run down. She found him in an office, a heavy metal door protecting him.

He grabbed her jacket, and shook her, screaming, "WHAT ARE YOU? WHAT IS GOING ON?"

She almost chuckled, his shaking was unable to move her. She grabbed his arms and led him through the exit door in hallway.

They stepped into the cool night air, and David fell to his knees in alleyway.

"Oh, God, all those people." He felt sick to his stomach. He put his face in his hands, trying to keep the contents of his stomach down. He failed, and threw up, barely able to keep it off his clothes.

She stood there patiently, on guard. Waiting. Retribution would come, and swiftly. They would have to leave quickly. She did remember the first time she witnessed a mass killing, and understood his reaction. It is sickening to the stomach.

"Why? How? What..." David tried to form sentences, to put his jumbling thoughts into cohesive ideas. "What are you?" He said at last.

"Better now? Good. We have to leave. Can you think of any where else Tabitha frequented?" She asked.

"Not until you answer my question. What are you?"

She sighed. She needed his help to find out what happened to Tabs, and she was rather proud he didn't just have a breakdown. Usually humans just had a nervous breakdown, their mind melting at the impossibility of the circumstances. Tabs was the only person Ky had met who had witnessed the hunt who didn't end up in a mental ward.

There was something else. Something she couldn't quite figure out. He didn't feel like a human to her mind. It was a familiar sensation, but one she just could not identify. She chalked it up to nerves and an overzealousness to trust him. He was just a human, that's all. And a tough human at that.

"Get up, and I'll explain what I can along the way. Where else should we look?"

David stood up, his knees shaking a bit. She held his shoulder and steadied him.

"I don't know. This is the only club she ever mentioned. She sometimes would get together with friends at Susannah Jones's place. She lives over on Rockford street. It's about a ten minute drive from here."

"Well, the night is young." Ky said, walking ahead of David towards the street. "You have questions, and I have time to answer a few." She looked back over her shoulder, the same predatory look in her eyes that she'd had in the club. "Just a few. Choose them wisely."

David felt a whoosh of hot air come from the club behind him and sprinted to catch up with her.

It's late. It's 1.35am in OK. My husband is tentatively sleeping next to me. Sometimes he rolls over if I bump something, sometimes he'll just snore a little. I think it's kind of cute. ;)

But now as I sit here, adjusting the keyboard straddling my legs, I decide.. OK. Time for 8.

It's kind of strange, seeing this new blog background. I've grown familiar with the other one, and this one is alien to me. But I'm exhilarated by trying something new and it's just so pretty. Cool? Neat-o? Eh. Whatever.

This probably won't be long. My supply of caffeine has run out unless I make a fridge run. Which I'm not. I could make coffee, but I really don't want to be up all night.


New readers and old.. here we go.

*****

David was staanding at the sink. He'd accumulated another two sink fulls of dishes in the day. His mind was wandering, a lilting stroll that meandered from thought to thought.

Wow, those are a lot of dishes for one guy in one day.

Eh, so what if I didn't rinse EVERY glass? I wanted to get a new one instead.

Tabs would be chewing my butt out if she saw this mess. There's a pizza box around the living room somewhere.. how did I lose it?

Oh, Tabs...

He washed the glass in his hand again for the third or fourth time. He rinsed it, and set it in the container to drain.The dish washer needed repairs, and Tab was "going to call it in," he finished, speaking aloud.

I wonder if she'll...

"David."

A saucer fell to his feet. He jumped back, his shoulder bumping into the refridgerator.

"How... ho.... how'd you get in here so quietly?" he asked.

"I have my ways." She answered, the slightest smirk appearing on her lips. "Are you ready?"

"Sure, just let me finish up here." He turned back to the sink and dumped the saucer he'd dropped into the water. Another good thing about Tabitha, she didn't trust anyone to use the good china.

"No. We must leave now." Her fingers gripped his arm, the nails digging slightly into his arm. They were sharp, razor sharp. He thought, although his mind recognized this as ridiculous, that if she wanted to, she could slice him open with just a finger. His arm bruised under her hand.

"Ow! Okay, okay. We'll leave now."

She released him, and he rubbed his arm, expecting to feel the slick, slimy grease of blood on his skin. All he could feel was skin, a little dry. I should drink more water, the thought crossing and leaving his mind as quickly as a non-stop subway train passes a station. As quickly as the razor blade nails had entered and exited as well.

He grabbed his coat and they left, the sink was still three-fourths full of water, soapy suds refracting the artificial light throughout the room. The door slammed shut and four of the bubbles sitting complacently on the water popped.

"Why the rush, Skye?" David asked, expecting her to not answer.

"I'm not a day person, David." She said, looking back over her shoulder as they stepped into the elevator. "I prefer to do my hunting at night."

"What do you mean- hunting?" He asked again.

He could see her face reflected in the steel elevator walls. It was contorted, an unperfect image that seemed more accurate than the look in her face. She was sedate, calm, almost laughable, the way her eyes had crinckled up, like she was having a laugh at his expense.

But her eyes were stone hard, frozen cold in an expression rife with hate or rage. Maybe madness.

She caught him still staring at her. He could tell her mind was somewhere else and had come back suddenly, as though whipped back to conscious thought by a muscle toting guard. She glared at him, the image of her eyes flaring red stuck in his mind, but only for a few seconds.

The moment of tenseness passed and he briefed a sigh of relief when the elevator doors open. He ducked out quickly, leaving her a few steps behind.

****

Okay, wow, I know that is ultra short. I'll write more first thing in the morning after two cups of coffee and some toast.

Okay, for most of the old readers coming to this one, you already know what's going on.

This is a story I'm writing here, just for entertainment and practice purposes, and comments are appreciated. Let me know if you like it- point out spelling or grammar errors, or if a certain part just doesn't make sense.

Part 8 is coming today. If you have any questions, email me or leave a comment and stay tuned for the answers.

Shanna

"Tabitha, why are you running away from me? What's wrong?" Ky yelled after her friend, her swaying blonde hair was all Ky could see.

Ky was chasing Tabitha down a dark hallway. None of the fixtures were recognizable. She felt lost, but somehow knew where she was going.

Tabitha kept running, about ten feet ahead of her. Ky thought she could take one large leap and grab her shirt.

"Tabs? Tabs, what's wrong?" she cried out.

Tabs stopped. She didn't slow down, she didn't fall or lean forward. Ky couldn't hear any heavy breathing like she'd been running.

Ky stopped running, slowing down. She was an arm's length behind Tabitha.

Still, Tabitha did not turn around.

Over Tab's shoulder, Ky could see the dim outline of a door in the murky light. It looked like a heavy duty metal door, the kind used to lock people out . . . or in. A steel door knob stuck out, and she could barely make out the keyhole in it.

She stretched a hand to touch Tab's shoulder. Her head started to turn towards Ky.

She came to with a roar, and a small burst of flame.

Ky stood up fast, shifting almost unconsciously to human form. She shook a little, the dream fresh in her mind.

She closed her eyes and counted to ten. She let the frustration and fear wash over her in waves. It was always bad when dragons dreamed. She refused to give into her feelings of premonition and fright.

"We'll find Tabs tonight and she'll be okay. I just..." she spoke aloud to herself.

Just what? her conscience quipped. Just imagined it? Hallucinated seeing her dead body? Did you dream that too?

"Yes. Something. I . . . I can't give up hope. She's been my only friend in so long."

Yes, well, sometimes we have to face the hard facts of life. Your friend is dead. You'll have to deal with that now.

"I know," Ky whispered in the dark.

So, head over to her apartment. Use David to help track down where she was last seen. You can't save her, but you can punish her murderers. The voice sounded gleeful, like a child going to a candy store with a new twenty dollar bill. We can punish her murderers.

"Yes," Ky said, her voice strong and unwavering now. "We will."

She changed her clothing. She had taken serious damage in the sunlight that morning, and had been unable to keep a grip on some of her clothing during her transformation. It was lost, sent back to the black material that made up matter, energy, light, dark- everything.

She learned long ago to be careful with her magic, and use it wisely. She had to keep a strong grip on it at all times. She could lose a piece of herself in the transformation if she was not careful.

She laughed grimly at the holes in the shirt and pants as she stripped. There were large circular patches missing, displaying pink flesh. Perfect circles. Just gone. Disappeared. The edges were not frayed or ragged. A smooth cut.

Shaking off the unease she felt at her lapse in control, she replaced the destroyed shirt and pants with a clean black blouse and jeans. She laced up her black boots, and donned her jacket. It's leathery cool texture soothing to her lightly sore skin.

The soreness would be fully gone by morning, but she relished in the fire this pain brought to the fore. It hurt more, keeping it burning so bright inside, but it was exquisite in its agony.

A dangerous look crossed her eyes, setting to blaze small fires in their depths.

"The hunt is on," she murmured into the night as she departed, the dark dream forgotten. For now.

copyright 2007 Shanna Wynne. All rights reserved.