Chapter One: History
I will be told…
A slender girl slowly emerged from a deserted alley. No moon appeared in the sky, as it didn't every other night. The sky was a dark asylum, shading everyone from the outer world. The girl had no trouble crossing the street, no Turvoi dared to fly this low. The city glowed faintly with flickering signs of old casinos, stores, and restaurants. The girl strode along the cracked sidewalks that were once used in the past. She walked in the shadows. Everyone knew. They knew who she was. Where she was. Where she was going. But it seemed to her that she herself did not know where she was going. Or who she was. How did these people know, and yet, she did not?
I will be told what I am…
One day she would find out. She would search and search until she knew herself down to every blood cell in her body. Her dark crimson red hair was wrapped tightly on the top of her head. Maybe this was why she was looked at strangely? Her hair did stand out more than any other colour of hair. Her hair seemed one of the brightest things in this city. This dull, grey city of Hell. But what was so wrong with red hair? Did it remind people of blood that was once shed on this city everyday? Was it that it reminded them of black Magick? She had heard rumors of black Magick around the city. People still practiced it but in the secret places of the city. Sorcery was still frowned upon, even to this day. But she was sure she was not one of those people who practiced Black Magick.
I will learn what I can do…
She sighed deeply into the night's air. Wait… was it night? She could not tell anymore. Day and night looked the same, though temperature did seem different. But who could tell nowadays? She breathed in the chemical drenched air. Her nostrils burned, causing her eyes she randomly water slightly. Her skin had always been pale, milky white even. Since the sun was never out, no one ever received a good darken. Well, unless they got a spray from a tannery. She never trusted those things. After seeing many girls her age come out of them with orange skin, crying their heads off. Sometimes it was funny, but other times she very much felt terrible for them. Their skin basically poisoned with the spray, infecting their cells. Now that the air was so unclean, the chemicals in the air mixed with the chemicals in the spray, causing un-earthly diseases.
I will learn my strengths…
She was dressed in nearly all black. Her scarf was a lighter black, more of a grey. Her wore a black trench coat, which was hardly ever worn these days. She had it found in a small building off the Hall of Naill. Her shirt was snatched from a store. She hadn't had enough money for it, and her old shirt was ripping. So she snatched it. She had always been fast for a girl, fast for a human. Her pants were far too large for her. She had had them for longer than she could remember, and they were just beginning to fit without a belt. She wore a black tight necklace, which had a silver crucifix tide to it. It had a purple gem in the middle of the crossings. She never remembered where she got it, but she's always worn it. Her shoes were very old, and very worn. They made it look like she had sturdy shoes on, but really it felt as though there was just a cloth wrapped around her foot. She could feel everything, but they were… softer a little.
… And my weaknesses
She walked until she reached a Transpad, which she stepped on. The platform glowed a deep blue and shot into the air. She tried to stand correctly, but the pressure was so intense. Transpads were ripped apart a while ago. They used to have glass anti-pressure walls around them, so everyone could stand and walk correctly. The Transpad stopped, making her wobble a little. She bounced off it and only the Side-Transpad, which didn't move up and fast. But moved side to side. It was more like a moving sidewalk. People were so lazy they hardly had to move. But she moved. She moved a lot. She was now where it was busy, where people actually wondered. It was bright up here, mostly an electric blue glow. Everything was loud and peaceful almost. She looked around her and jumped off the Side-Transpad and onto the hooks that were attached to a building.
Off to work I go…
She swiftly crawled up them, like a genetically mutated human. She leaped off the last four and landed on the building silently. She smirked to herself and began in a charge, flipping off the other side of the building. No one would see her. No one looked up really, unless they were looking at all the new flashing signs. She landed in a handstand on the edge of the other building, and flipped over to her feet. She walked over to a window on the top of the building and shoved it open, dipping through it. She was now in a warm, carpeted, well-lighted building. She sighed and pressed a button. Soon a door opened and she stepped in, and the door closed. She looked up, seeing one of the mutated humans. She bit her lip and pressed down. It wasn't as though she was racist against them; it was that she felt bad for them.
I wish they re-installed those stairs…
When a loud beep went off, the doors open. She quickly walked out, and down the hall. She opened the door, seeing the bodyguard standing at the door. He glared at her, and she glared back. He opened the door for her, and he smiled. She turned and lifted up her right hand, pointing up her middle finger. She walked into the darkened room. Soon the lights flickered on. It was almost a normal room, a couch, a chair, a few plants, a table with flowers. And there she was, standing on a glass floor, water underneath her. There swam another mutated human.
… Gunther…
"I thought you wouldn't make it… sweets" His aquatic voice always bothered her, but she dealt with it. His voice came from the speaker on the wall. His now greyish purple skin was wrinkled a little, and his face drooped more than it used to. He always called her Sweets, and it annoyed her. She wasn't his sweet. She rolled her eyes and looked at him.
Yeah, call me Sweets again, and get you jaw ripped out…
"Yeah, I made it, almost got pounded by a pack of kids. Don't know why they're still out," she started. Of course the kids were her age. This was only her fifteenth year. But Sweets lived alone, not with her parents. In fact, she didn't even know who her parents were. Mrs. Foster supposedly found her in the streets. Mrs. Foster was her "mum." "So, let's get down to business. What I am not doing again is getting into The Afterdark again. They know me too much they wont let me in. No matter how many Sil you'll give me."
Yeah… last time, almost got knocked out by Lali…
"Ah… no… no… not again. The Force almost arrested me last time. This time I need you to get into… well… his office," Gunther quietly said. He knew no one else could hear him but Sweets, but he whispered anyway. The Force had infected before his office. "He has something I want… a gold Sil. Not a regular Sil, but a Sil that contains a chip that allows us to make Sil. Not even The Force could find anything wrong with them. You could be rich… you just you."
Is he crazy? Well, yes, but this is the most dangerous job yet.
"Him? Jesu, Gunther. Are you trying to get me killed?" She exclaimed. Her dark eyes looked almost scared-like. Him was not like her, he was a thief, but he was respected among millions of people, the government even. He was also a creature of the night, hardly seen in day. Hardly seen at all even. He was something that no one had screwed with in years. "I better get a bunch load of Sil for this, if I don't, it's your head." She made a swiping sound and hand movement.
Damn… I better make this out alive…
"Take care… Sidilria…" And with that, Sidilria vanished out of the door. Gunther smiled, his gill-like lips smirking. "She reminds me so much of… the last one…"
Gunther remembers things… a lot of things… he just decides not to tell me anything but my grabs…
Sidilria silently grabbed onto the hooks of the tall skyscraper, once she got outside. Her eyes flew around her, making sure no one was watching. People were cautious these days. They wouldn't talk to someone unless they knew them. But they knew her… they even knew what she was. So how come she didn't know? She sighed and swung up three or four hooks. She didn't want to waist her time. He would be waiting. She smiled to herself and leaped onto the white domed building. It was strange that he was public, seeing what he was. Usually they kept to the undergrounds, so no one would find them. Something had happened a while ago to them, so they didn't bother humans these days.
Damn Sid… you need a life… fifteen and still grabbing for Gunther… well I am his best Runner… ever since that one girl… but Gunther doesn't talk about her much… he only brags about her…
She clutched to the building as she dug in her bag. She pulled out a small metal rod, about the length of her hand. She flicked a switch and out popped a purple laser. Lasers were so old school, but they were still useful. She silenced the humming sounds and plowed it into the white roof. She made a small hole, small enough for her to repair in a few seconds. She slipped into the crevice and landed in a crouched position. She dug into her black bag and dug out a spray can, one that looked like hairspray. She sprayed it a few times and red lasers appeared.
And I thought he was better than this…
She dug into her bag and pulled out her pink blaster. Gunther had given it to her, saying he gave it to all to his Runners. She shot a blast and it cut right through the lasers making a path for her. Sid quickly ran through the path, just in time to see the lasers regenerate. She was sure there weren't any more. But He probably had loads of tricks up his sleeve. She reached to oak doors, which were rare, these days. Wood wasn't common, real wood that is. She pressed her ear against it, trying to focus for sounds. She had to make sure. She grabbed the goggles off her head and snapped them on her eyes, looking for movement. She decided she's go like this for the rest of the night. Not only were the goggles night vision, they were able to see through over four thousands different materials. She looked around the room through the door, seeing that there was no movement. She quietly opened the door, slipping in silently. She still wore the goggles just incase. She spotted a case, which had a force field over it. She saw the golden Sil.
There it is… come to mama…
She knew there were no lasers over it. But the force field was heat sensitive. She slipped on a glove that was in her pocket and dipped her hand in the glowing case, and grabbed a hold of the golden Sil. BANG! Sid swung around to see that the doors had been opened. And two shadowy figures hovered in it. She could see that their skin was a grey colour; they had bumpy foreheads and sharp teeth. They started at her, yellow eyes glowing. They growled. They growled like a lion.
Lurks… I don't like Lurks…
That quote ran through her head daily. But it was never in her voice. It was someone else's. The voice came from one of the girls from her dreams. He always had Lurks around. They were like his bodyguards. But Lurks aren't too smart. She was smart. This would be easy. She nabbed the Sil; slipped it in her bag and charged at the Lurks, spin kicking one of them in the jaw. The other screamed with rage and grabbed her leg, throwing her into the wall. Sid didn't like that, but she healed quickly, so it wouldn't hurt much. She took out her blaster and blasted one of them in the face, causing him to scream out in pain. She took the other by the arm and snapped it back, hearing the loud crunch of breaking bones. But they kept moving. She sighed and used her blaster again, shooting them in the chest, bellies and faces. One they were down on the floor, groaning and squirming, she took the moment to escape. Sid ran down the hall and jumped out of the hole that she had made.
No point fixing that…
She ran across the roof and leaped off. She loved falling. She felt so free. She closed her eyes and… THUNK! She landed on one of the passing Transporters, which was heading her way. She sat down and let the wind brush through her hair. She stood and looked down, seeing Gunther's place. She jumped from the Transporter and onto the side of the building. She crawled through the open window and blinked at Don, a slightly mutated bodyguard. She walked through the door to the office and crouched down to look at Gunther.
Hmmn… maybe I should tell him I'm having sushi for dinner…
"I got it." She reached into her back and pulled out the shining gold Sil. "Why would a fish like you want a Sil that could make more Sil? I mean… you have your water, what else can a fish want? OH! Do you want one of those toy castles or some little toy! You could have just asked, I would have gotten you one for Yulrus."
Yeah, like I'm wasting my Yulrus Eve lugging around a huge fish castle…
Gunther growled a bubbly growl. "I'm running low on Sil, if you must know. My account is going dry. I need more so I can pay little girls like you to do my biddings." He traced the Sil through the glass as he looked at Sid. She looked at him, waiting for her pay. "Don will give you your money… seven Sil will do?"
SEVEN SIL! Holy sh--… I could buy a house with that… maybe I should do more jobs dealing with him more often…
"See you tomorrow, bubs," Sid said as she stood and walked out the door. Don handed her the Sil and she slipped them on her wrist. It wasn't safe, but she could take care of herself. She walked out the door, which she hardly did. She loved to make an exit. She scooted her self out of the building quickly and out into the high parts of town. She walked the Side-Transpads, though it felt weird with it moving and all. Many peoples stared at her. She knew what was racing through their minds. She was a freak. An outcast. But did she care? Not one bit. They could all go to Hell. She passed by a few booths that were selling food, but not only did she not trust anyone on the streets, she didn't want to pass up Mrs. Foster's cooking.
Wonder what she's making tonight… I'm tired… so I'll eat anything…
"Sidilria."
Dammit…
Sid turned around at the sounds of her name, only to see Bobby Falk. "Falk." That was really all she had to say. There was no point talking to him. He was just a perverted teenager.
Yeah… just try to grab me this time…
"Looks like you just got a bunch of money… now maybe you could pay me back for those Burger-Dogs?" He said coolly. He stood at least four feet above Sid, who was quite small for fifteen. The two had gone to school together through out the years, and they still went to school together. Sid didn't like him… he didn't like her.
Is he kidding me?
"Bobby, that was freaking fourth grade! It was a school lunch! Sorry I didn't have enough money. It's not like you were wasting any of your money," she retorted. Bobby was an Upper. He was rich, loaded with enough money to buy the city, fix up every building, and hire enough people to kill off the Lurks. But did he? Nope. Bobby wasted his money on drugs, girls, and stupid things that he'll never use.
You jerkhole! Damn you! Now I can't even think straight!
"So?"
So? That's all you can say?
"Yeah, so back off," Sid said, and began walking. But that wasn't Bobby's style. He wouldn't just like some GIRL blow him off and not talk to him. He grabbed her shoulder and shoved her. Sid really didn't care he wasn't hurting her. He narrowed his eyes and kept shoving her. He gave her a huge push and she fell off the Side-Transpad. She was going down into the street. "Not… in this… lifetime…" She grabbed his pant leg, forcing him to fall with her. She struck him on the right cheek. He kicked her in her stomach. They were fighting as they fell! But Sid couldn't let him die, she's get arrested by The Force. She grabbed him by his coat and shoved him through the air and into a building. He grabbed one of the hooks and watched Sid fall. She growled and tried to grab the building.
Damn…
Sid hit the ground with full force. She fell face first, so her head was about three inches under the ground. The fall seemed so slow as she was going down, but when she was closer to the ground time seemed to go faster so she'd hit the ground harder. She raised her arms and slowly lifted herself up. She nose seemed unharmed, which was new. She had bruises and cuts. No broken bones or anything. This was new. She should be dead! Why wasn't she? She looked up to see Falk still dangling from the hook. He seemed to be looking at her… or something else. She slowly stood up and looked around her, seeing that she was surrounded by Lurks.
Oh fu--…
She was punched before she could finish her thought. She coughed and spun around, planting her fist in the Lurk's stomach. She took another blow at him, slamming her palm to his nose. He screamed and fell to the street, groaning. She took a woman Lurk and threw her against a man Lurk hard. She spun kicked, punched, side kicked, did roundhouse kicks, and everything else she could think of. Lurks fell everywhere before her, but not dead. But it seemed she was. She felt so weak, and it seemed she could hardly moved. Sid took out her blaster and began shooting the ones that still stood. Once they were down she began climbing the hooks, slowly inching towards Bobby.
Okay… OW!
"I'm going home…" She climbed over him and started upwards. She reached a Side-Transpad and sat as it moved her closer and closer to Mrs. Foster's place. Mrs. Foster WAS an Upper. Sid never knew why she took in a street rat like herself. She reached Sersian Pent, which was owned by the foster and contained some of the largest penthouses in the city. The guard helped her up saying some like Rough day, Sid? And let her in the building. She walked into the elevator and it took her up to the top, where Mrs. Foster had the whole floor to herself, and with Sid of course. People always said she should be living down in Versi, where all the other street rats lived. But what she really loved about Mrs. Foster is how she always sticks up for Sid. It really made her feel loved. The elevator let out a huge ding and Sid stepped out. She felt normal, not weak at all anymore. She smiled and walked down the hall where the entrance to the main hallway to the Penthouse. There were over twenty Penthouses on the top floor, and all the walls that connected them had been knocked out to make a huge Penthouse. She thought it was way too much for just her and Mrs. Foster, but they always had guests and parties, which Sid never attended. She wasn't very social.
Not very social at all…
Her footsteps echoed through the entry hall. It seemed to be all made out of crystal. The flowers were a whitish blue, and flowers were hard to come by these days. She dug her hand in the crystal bowl filled with dinner mints. She popped them all into her mouth and chewed. She opened the delicate doors and stepped into the Hall of Halls, which she liked to call it. It was basically a fancy hall, which led to more halls that led to rooms. She took the left route and opened the first door that she came to and entered another useless hall. She walked to the end of the hall and opened the door to a room. It was Sid's room. She had a regular room, a bed that was far too large for her, a desk, a computer, even a television. Around the room were clothes that she threw everywhere. The piles were organised, shirts, pants, belts, shoes, and socks. Sid hated dresses, and skirts. It gave people a chance to peek, like Bobby or Gunther, who always had an advantage with businesswomen who always wore skirts. She hung posters of old bands, very old, from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. But she really loved them, especially Jade Pudget from AFI and Kurt Cobain, who she adored.
Hmmn… mail
Sid walked to her computer and booted it up. It was one of the new fancy ones. She logged into her account and checked if she had any Turbo-Mail. There was one! She looked at the title "To Miss Karr." She thought it was just SPAM so she deleted it instantly. Her Inbox refreshed and the mail was there again… she sighed and deleted it again, and again her inbox refreshed saying she had mail. It was the same letter! Angered, she clicked on the letter and began to read.
Damn SPAM!
To Miss Sidilria Karr,
You are the Chosen, the Chosen One. You are the Slayer. It is your duty to stop the Vampires and Demons that will attack soon. It will be the Battle of End, the battle that will destroy the world if you do not start soon. Remember… you have friends in high places. Soon you will receive a package by a robed man. Take the package shut your door. Do not invite him in. Inside will be a book, a book of your past.
The Watchers Council
What fu—
Soon enough the doorbell rang. Sid got up nervously and walked to her door, and opened it. She walked down the Hall of Halls and into the entry hall. She cautiously inched towards the door. The door swung opened at her touch, and there stood a robed man. He held out a package and stood there. She didn't take any chances. She snatched the package, but the man still stood there. Closing the door would be wrong, and what if someone passed by. A note appeared on the box saying Open, she did as it said and there was another note saying In the heart. There on top of a large book was a smooth wooden stake. The man at the doorway took off his hood, showing his bumpy forehead, glowing yellow eyes and fangs. It was a Lurk! She took that stake and shoved it in his chest, piercing his heart. He screamed and turned to a greenish dust.
Jesu… did I just do that?
Her eyes flashed as she looked at the stake. She slammed the door shut and grabbed the package, running back into her room. She put the box on her bed and took out the large book, which had the word "Vampyr" on the cover. Se flipped open to the first page, which had a drawn picture of a Lurk… or Vampire. She began reading on how humans were infected with demons… and raised form the dead, looking for blood. They could not be killed unless they were beheaded, set on fire, or their cold heart periled with a wooden stake. They would turn to grave dust.
God… that's why they didn't die!
Then came Slayers. The Shadow Men used magicks to put demon into an innocent girl, giving her incredible powers. They used her to fight the vampires and demons. After she died, another rose, and that went on for many years. The book seemed to update… from Old English to English that she could read correctly. Then came another Slayer, a Slayer that died twice and rose both times. She destroyed The First, the first demon, and caused many Potential Slayers to rise. After a battle against many powerful demons, she was sucked into another dimension, causing the Slayers to turn back into Potential Slayers. A Slayer did not rise for about another two hundred years. And that Slayer was… Melaka Fray. She destroyed an army of Vampires, who was led by Harth Fray.
HARTH FRAY! It's… Him…
Were they expecting her to kill Harth? For her to save the World? To live up to Melaka Fray? How could she do this? She looked down at the stake. It couldn't last forever. Who would train her? Sure, there was the Watcher's Council, but they didn't send anyone for her. Side was smart, but not that smart. Harth was a Lurk… a vampire, probably one of the most powerful vampire known to date! How would she kill him? Maybe a stake couldn't kill him! What if she died and a Slayer didn't rise for another two hundred years? And then the world would be destroyed. Sid blinked… why was she thinking these things?
My history has unfolded…