#5

"I think the better question would be who are you?" Ky asked.

He was standing about six feet away from her, across the living room. He was tall, as she'd expected, and he looked like he did in the photograph. Dark hair and green eyes, but he looked worried or stressed. There were dark wreaths of bruise underneath his eyes, like he hadn't slept well in a while or he'd been in a fight. She didn't know which, but he looked tired.

He was also standing there in only his boxers. Ky almost felt like giggling. She found this scene rather amusing. Here she was, a hunter of the dark city, and there he was, a man in his boxers. She squashed the urge, and asked him the important question.

"Where is Tabitha?"

"How do you know Tab? And who are you?" he asked again.

"I'm a friend of Tab's, and we've been friends far longer than you've been lovers."

"What's your name? Wait, how did you get in here? Why is the balcony door open?" If he his mind had been sleeping before, it was coming to full wakefulness now.

"My name is Skye. Tabitha gave me a key, and I love the view from her balcony." Ky never used her given name with strangers. It was an old tradition- knowing the true name of something or someone was giving them power over you. Tabitha was the only human to know her true name. Thinking about that brought memories to her mind of sitting in this room with Tabs and Tabs telling her the name she usually gave out was an awkward one, and so Tabs had renamed her Skye, because it was where she lived and close to her true name, so she'd never forget to answer to it.

"Shit, I miss her," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" he asked, still looking at her with a perplexed frown on his face.

"Nothing. You still haven't answered any of my questions. Who are you? What are you doing here? Tabs doesn't usually let her boyfriends stay in her apartment." Which was true, but thinly true. Ky had walked in on Tabs a few times with a male friend in the apartment, but it was rare.

"My name is David Brendon. I moved in with Tab about a month ago, and I haven't seen her in a couple of days now. Have you?" He looked sincerely worried when he asked, his eyes glinting down at her (wait, when did he get that close to me? she thought) with hope starting to spark in them. His mouth curled up at the corners, not enough to be a smile, but at the least a beginning of one.

"Please, tell me, have you seen her? I've been so worried. She means everything to me."

"I haven't seen her either," Ky said. "It's been a few months since I've talked to her, so I came by to see if she'd mind some conversation. When was the last time you saw her? Exactly when?"

He sat down on the couch, and his head flopped back. "Two and a half days ago. It was Saturday night, around ten o'clock. I was already in bed and reading a book, and she came in to tell me she was going out to meet a friend. I asked her who and where, but she was mum about the details. She'd had this friend she'd spoken of occasionally, but in the barest of ways and she never talked much about her. That's all I knew- that it was a her. Anyway, she left and I haven't seen her since. I got worried when she didn't come home that evening, but I figured she'd be home in the morning and I just went to sleep. She wasn't back when I woke up and she didn't come home all day Sunday. I tried calling her cell phone, but she didn't answer. I left I don't know how many messages. I was starting to get frantic. I called the police, but they said she had to be missing for forty eight hours."

He laughed, a deep sardonic one. "When I told them the situation they said more than likely she went out with a friend to a bar or club, met a guy, went home with him and now she's avoiding coming home or answering the phone because she feels guilty. They told me she'd probably come home late that night or early Monday morning. She'd have to change to go to work, right? Well, I got a little pissed off at them for being so...." He struggled for the right word.

"Nonchalant?" Ky offered.

"Yes, nonchalant. They acted like her disappearance meant nothing. I tried to tell them that she wasn't that kinda person. She didn't go to clubs or bars and pick up guys. We met at the public library. They wouldn't listen though. So I asked if I called back on Monday evening and said she still hadn't shown up and if she'd missed work that day would they start an investigation? They said call and see, but forty eight hours have to have passed by the time they begin their investigation.

"So I called them tonight at ten o'clock, on the dime, and they said they would start the investigation in the morning. I was shocked. When I got upset, they said they had less manpower at night and it would be pointless to start now. I swear this city is going to hell on a one way train. No stops, no getting off, no way of turning back. We're all just gonna fry."

He sighed and closed his eyes as he laid back, his story told.

Ky started to ask him questions. "She didn't say anything about who she was meeting with or where? Nothing at all?"

"No. Not a word. When I walked out here and saw you here," he opened his eyes and looked at her, singling her out in an empty room, "I thought you were the mysterious friend. I was hoping you were here to tell me something- anything. At this point, I would be happier knowing she was avoiding me cause she did cheat on me, or hell, even if she wanted to leave me, as long as she was okay."

"No," she said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault. It's mine for letting her be so damn secretive. I should never have let her leave without telling me who or where at the least. Dammit!" He leaned forward and put his face in his hands. He sniffled, for just a second, and Ky turned away. His last word had broken on a sob and she could tell he was fighting down the tears. Looks like Tabs finally found a guy who was both sensitive and caring and strong, or at least, appearing to be strong, she thought.

Still facing away, she decided to distract him from his misery for a moment. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Sure," he answered in a quiet mumble. Her ears picked it up, but another person would've had to ask him to repeat himself.

She went into the kitchen, turning on the light and bustling around. She cleaned up for a minute, giving him time to regain his composure. "So, tell me about how you and Tabs met. You must have been dating a while for you to care so much, but I don't remember Tabs mentioning a guy at all the last time I talked to her."

"Well, I was in the public library about four months ago to do some research for my thesis. I'm studying for my doctorate in ancient history, mythology, that sort of thing. Anyway, she was standing there . . ."

Kat made coffee and sat down to listen. She wasn't much of a story teller herself, but she enjoyed listening.

#4

She landed on Tabitha's balcony. Tabitha lived in a well to do neighborhood, and had an expensive apartment just a story down from the penthouse in a medium sized high rise. It overlooked the park area and most of downtown. It was a breathtaking view that she and Tabitha had admired many nights while sitting out here and enjoying a few drinks.

She felt wistfully nostalgic for those old times. Tabitha had become busy with her life, and they hadn't had a lot of time for each other in recent years. While Tabitha had remained single in pursuit of her career, she still had the needs of most women and would form a relationship with a man now and then. They were mostly brief affairs, and Ky had always felt sorry for Tab. It seemed she could never decide what she really wanted from life, so she just spent her time working harder than most, and staying late at the office.

Ky shook her head, ridding these wasteful and useless thoughts; thinking about the past would do her no good and she knew that.

Tab kept a hidden key in a magnetic box inside the gutter that hungover the balcony. Ky hovered for a moment and grabbed it, and used the key to open the door.

The apartment wasn't entirely dark. There were a few lamps sitting on tables and wall lights that were left on. Tab had a fear of coming home to it being completely dark and she was willing to pay the extra money for peace of mind.

Ky wandered slowly around, looking at various things. She hadn't been over in a few months and things had changed a little. Tab had put a television set in the living room. She'd used to adamantly claim that television made people ignorant and stupid, and she had refused to have one. There was a new couch, made of black leather. Ky found this really surprising. Tab had abhorred leather furniture, she said it was guady and unnecessary.

A set of keys was sitting on the kitchen counter, ominous in its implications. Dirty dishes sat in the kitchen sink, and gave off a slight smell. They were old dirty dishes. The counters had some food messes spilled on them, splashes of sauce and crumbs of bread and cereal. As she walked into the hallway, she noticed pieces of clothing- a shirt, socks, a pair of underwear. Men's underwear, boxer briefs. Certainly not something Tab would wear. Tab believed women were supposed to wear lacy panties and bras, preferably in matching set. Ky almost chuckled aloud at the thought, remembering the day Tab had told her that with all the regalness of a queen explaining how things were done to an heiress.

She heard a sound, coming from the bedroom ahead and to her right. She chastized herself. She should've been paying better attention and she woud've heard it immediately upon entering the apartment.

She crept up silently as she always did when stalking prey. She had not made a noise since unlocking and opening the door, and that had been an understated muffle.

The door was open, not all the way, but enough for her to peer through. Someone was lying on the bed, but she could tell that it was not Tabitha. All of the lights were off and it was nearly pitch black in there. Tab always kept at least one dimmed light on when she slept. And the figure was tall, much taller than her petite friend, and broad chested.

It rolled over and she could tell it was a man, sleeping quite peacefully. He had a quiet look about him, and seemed nonthreatening. Ky knew better than to trust appearances however, and she backed away as quietly as she came. She quickly peeked into the other rooms and did not see anything else out of the ordinary.

But Tab was not here.

She felt frustrated and upset. She debated whether or not to go back in there, wake the man who was sleeping in Tab's bed, and threaten to rip his jaw off if he didn't tell her what happened to Tab and what the hell he was doing here in the first place.

She walked back to the balcony, fuming in her mind, and noticed something she hadn't before.

A silver frame sat on a side table next to the door; she had walked right past it when she came in. There was nothing else on the table, just the frame.

It was a picture of Tab and the man in her bed, standing in front of the Ferris Wheel at the pier amusement park, and they were both smiling. He had his arm wrapped around her and her arm was wrapped around him. Perhaps, she mused to herself, Tab had finally found herself a man worth keeping. Although, she thought, it was weird of Tab to continue dating and to let a man move in with her, who didn't wash dishes or pick up after himself. Tabitha was obsessive compulsive about how clean her apartment had to be. She remembered the time she'd spilled some wine on the floor and Tabitha had had a fit of epic proportions.

Again, her mind had lapsed and drifted off into better memories, and she missed the sound of footsteps behind her. They were soft and subtle, and the average human would have never heard them. If she had been paying attention to her surroundings, she would have, but she felt comfortable here and had let down her guard, despite the circumstances.

"Who are you?" a deep voice asked from behind her.

Ky looked up in shock, almost afraid to turn around. She knew who it had to be, but she couldn't believe she'd fallen off guard two times in the same evening. In the same hour, even! Much less that this human had managed to get the drop on her.

She was grateful she'd put her jacket back on when she'd entered rather than drop it over the balcony edge as she would normally have done.

She turned around to confront him.

copyright 2007 Shanna Wynne, all rights reserved.

#3

Hello anyone reading this. I've had a couple questions about the different between pt 1 and pt 2. Most asked (okay, let's lay it out straight here. I've had all but 2 questions and I think 2 readers, so I'll just be honest)... Both asked if the first part was a dream.

No, pt 1 isn't a dream, it's supposed to be the night before. She did her job, saved that woman, went home and slept through the day. Pt. 2 begins when she's waking up just after nightfall.

Now, between when part 1 was written and part 2 written, there's about 8 or 9 months of space, so I think I lost the thread of where I planned to take that story long ago. Pt 1 is like the first seam in a quilt or shirt or pillow or other sewing project that got set aside. Because it's a new project, the shape is undetermined and changes as the sewer changes it. I don't start out with plans and outlines in my stories, I just sit down and write. The story unveils itself to me through the keyboard and my fingers. So it's just as new to me as to any readers out there.

Mostly this blog story is kinda practice for me. Helps me get into the habit of writing each day. Of course, I skipped yesterday- slap me on the hands with a ruler, please- but I'll try not to keep skipping anymore.

So, all said and done. Here we go.

* * * * * * * *

The upper stairwell of the floor was empty. It led to another heavy steel door, light shining from behind the cracks. She leaned against the door and listened.

She could hear the barest scurrying sounds and whispers behind it. She grasped the doorknob in her hand and twisted it slowly.

The door squeaked with alarm.

She yanked it open in the blink of an eye, desperate to catch whatever stood hide behind it.

A lightbulb, hanging from the ceiling swayed back and forth. It was another stairwell, presumably the one that led to the floors in the building.

The swinging light, dangling from it's wires, cast shadows and spread light throughout the room.

There was nothing here.

She walked around the wall partitioning this set of the stairs from the next, expecting to find her friend's attackers cowering in fear or preparing to ambush her. She readied herself.

But again there was nothing there.

She couldn't hear any more sounds. No shoes running rapidly down the stairs, no doors opening or closing. Just complete silence.

Disgusted by her incompetence to catch whomever had been making the noises she'd heard earlier, she ran back up the stairs to the roof.

She walked to where her friend's body had lain. It was gone. There were no blood stains on the tarred floor, no pieces of flesh, no flecks of bone, no shards of teeth. Nothing.

She knelt down and scoured the ground, her hands running at first gently, then roughly over the surface. There had to be something here. She'd seen the body, smelled it's death, heard her screams.

But there was nothing there.

Kyserean was frantic. She looked around, desperate for any signs of the struggle. She paced back and forth, running all around the rooftop.

She stopped, wearied with worry and scared- really scared for the first time in a very long time. Could she be going mad? Could the madness plaguing her kind finally be showing it's demonic face in her mind? Has it eaten away at her sanity already?

She felt out of control, upset, angry, but most of all confused. She was too weak to fly home. The fear that permeated her mind was playing havoc with her abilities.

Suddenly truly grateful for the coat she'd had specially fitted, she walked back to the stairwell, still empty of any sound or person, and made her way to the next floor where she took an elevator down.

Leaving the building through the double glass doors and passing a questioning night guard at the desk, she joined the passerbys in the streets, the city's night people- an insomniac society that crawled over the city's dark houses and late night businesses, purchasing stolen goods from black market vendors, dirty women from the streets, drugs to make them forget their waking days, or just a companion to stave off the encroaching loneliness of their lives.

If she had truly gone mad, these were the people she belonged with.
She drifted, allowing the crowds to guide her through the streets, going whichever way the people in front of her went. She walked into a few porno theaters, unaware of where she was going, and quickly walked out again, keeping close behind a new set of guides.

Questions ran through her mind like wildfire, spreading a painful blaze with each inadequate answer. Did she just have a nightmare? Was she just worn out from her nightly hunts, did she need a break? She'd been warned the job could get wearisome after a time, and indeed it had begun to feel more like a burden rather than the satisfying killing spree it had once been. There were many other hunters lined up for this city. They kept reserves, someone always on call to take over for whichever guardian began to lapse. Perhaps her days of hunting were at an end.

She found the idea of leaving the city laughable. Here she had grown up, here she had made her first kill; this place was her home, the only home she'd known. She would not- could not- give that up.

She'd stopped her meandering while her thoughts traced the possibilities. She looked up into the night sky, and stared at the stars for a while, the people brushing her body as they walked passed. She could smell her prey close by, but it did not excite her as it should have- as it always had. There was something wrong with her, she knew it well enough.

She took a deep breath, enjoying the slight chill in the air as it bite into her lungs. Yes, there is something wrong with her, but she was not going mad. She would not walk that path.

"First," she decided, speaking to herself aloud while people passing her gave her quick glance and then turned away, muttering about the crazies in the streets at night, "I will find Tabitha."

She took off immediately for the first dark alley, and removed her jacket. She peered around, piercing through the shadows with her sharp vision. Seeing no one, she spread her wings and took off for the stars.

She headed north, towards the upper richer end of the city, and her friend's apartment.