CHAPTER ONE
Hope is a waking dream.
- Aristotle
"Can ya see 'er? Is she
comin' yet?" he asked again. Every time a dark figure arose in the distance, the
same sentences poured from his anxious lips. His raven hair disheveled, his face
full of soot, his hands marked with newspaper print, the boy ran one hand
through his hair again – a nervous habit of many years.
"She must be comin' now. It's a quarter past eleven, an' she ain't
never more than an hour overdue!" he cried, patience wearing thin.
The second merely quieted him, annoyed at his recurring statements.
He licked his lips before speaking. "Hush now. Ya know she'll be comin'. She's
always true to 'er word, an' you bloody well know it. Now stop askin' me before
ya make me anymore noivous than I already am!"
A cold rain started to fall from the grey clouds, ushering those
still outside to head for the warmth of their homes. The first boy looked up at
the sky and shook his weary head. How much longer could they wait?
"Where is she…" the first whispered, just enough for his own ears to
hear, but out of reach for his companion's.
The air felt heavier as the humidity grew and the first boy noticed
an eerie calm covering the street – the people were heading for shelter, leaving
the road barren. His eyes squinted in the darkness, hoping, even praying to see
a familiar outline in his view.
The rain started to fall faster, tapping heavily against the
cobblestone streets, bouncing up as if the ground were too hot to touch. Steam
rose from the ground, blanketing the city with a heavy white mist.
The minutes passed and still no sign of their missing party. The
second wiped the sleep from his emerald eyes and squinted through the darkness.
His short, light-brown hair was clad to his scalp, the rain making sure not a
single strand of hair stood freely. Droplets of water dripped from his long
eyelashes and paved a river down his tan skin. With a heavy sigh, he turned to
the anxious male. "I'm not waitin' any longer. It's freezin' out and we're
already soaked to the bone! I say we head back to the lodge. She knows where it
is. She can find it on 'er own. Me bones want some warmth back in them and
soon!"
"She may very well know the way, but what if some evil lyin' in the
shadows of these streets has fallen upon her already?" the raven-haired boy
argued. "They are not safe for a woman."
"She is no mere woman, Bumlets. That you well know," he retorted.
Bumlets shook his head, turning his attention to the dark streets.
She was never late, that he remembered, and it only made his body fill with
worry. His companion drew a half-smoked cigarette from his shirt pocket and
quickly lit a match against the only dry place on the wall he could find. By the
time the first puff filled the air, the boys had an unexpected surprise catch
them off-guard.
The sleek hands of another crept over their shoulders, holding them
both under a firm grasp. "My, my, what have we here? Two lost boys, peerin' out
into the streets as if their life depended on a wanderin' soul."
The two froze at the firm touch, but as they recognized the voice,
both whipped around, pushing the hands from their beings.
"Gabrielle Adler, how dare you sneak up on us like that!"
"Peter, you know not ta use me real name in these parts!" she
scolded, staring at the first. Her glare changed to a smile as she looked
towards the second male. "Bumlets, good to see you."
"And I dare you, Blaze, ta utter me name like dat again," he
grumbled. "It's Glory and you well know dat bit of information!"
"Always his charming self, is he?" she asked of Bumlets, ignoring
Glory's glower.
Shrugging sheepishly, Bumlets chose not to answer her, as Glory was
already upset enough for the three of them as it was.
"Well, as nice as it is to stay out here in dis lovely
weather, what say we head back to da lodge? My feet have been beggin' me to sit
for the past three hours."
"What a pleasant idea," Glory snarled and pushed past her. "God
forbid ya show up on time once in awhile."
"I do show up on time once in awhile! Last time I was
early!" she protested loudly.
"And the five times before that, you were at least half an hour
late," he remitted and picked up his pace. "It's not like we have anything more
important to do then wait for you during the late hours of the night. And that's
another thing! Why can't we ever just meet at the lodge?"
"You know why we can't, and I shall not inform you again while out
in the open," Blaze hissed.
"Ain't you ever gonna learn not to upset a lady?" another figure
asked in the shadows of the alleyway.
"Jesus! Did you two take lessons on how ta creep up on
people?!" Glory shouted once the figure sauntered from the shadows.
Nodding briefly, the figure answered, "I was hopin' ya would notice
our skill. We've been practicin' all week, ya see… Just for you two."
"The look on Glory's face was precious," Blaze stated and
quickly moved a few steps away to stand clear of Glory's wrath. "Wonderful
skill, Autumn," she praised, nodding to her companion.
Autumn smiled and planted her hands firmly upon her hips. "I have
been practicin' awful hard ta impress the men," she reiterated with a
smirk.
"I should have known these two were attached at the hip! Next time
do us a favor and let us know we'll have to be putting up with both of you, not
just one!" Annoyed and somewhat embarrassed that two girls could cause his heart
to beat so fast, Glory continued on, forgoing anymore acknowledgement to either
girls on the walk home. He was in such a foul mood, that he stayed ahead of the
other three for the rest of the journey.
I've re-uploaded this story after changing around some tiny details. I mainly
just fixed dialogue here and there so it's nothing major. :-)
Hope you all enjoy!
Blaze