Ch. 1.
Night
The children always wondered about the night. What secrets and whispers it held. What mysterious and ominous creatures lurked in its shadows. What music and laughter, if any, was hidden in its heart. They wondered why, at every mention of the night, their parents would pale and turn away, and the elders would scold them incessantly. Why the children never saw the night. Why everyone was so afraid. Some longed to escape from their huts into the night, to prove everyone wrong and say, "Look! There's nothing here!" But at the same time, they were also afraid, the night driving a spear of fear into their young hearts that they couldn't explain. What was it, they often whispered amongst themselves, that terrified even the bravest warriors and the wisest priests? What did everyone instinctively know to fear? Was it really that bad? Bad enough to secure triple locks on doors and windows? Bad enough to gather every day before the full moon and pray in the Temple? And even bad enough to ban the children from remaining outside past five o'clock? They whispered and wondered, but none dared to ask the elders. None dared to disobey.
Until one night.
It was the festival of the New Year, the one day when the children and grown-ups stayed outside past five. There was dancing and laughter and music, and everyone's fears were put aside and traded for celebration. The children danced around the maypole and played tagging games as the adults drank and conversed. Everyone was having a splendid time.
Of course, there were rules. No one was allowed to leave the village square, except to return to their huts, and only if given permission by the chief elder. All the children were forced to stay together, and two priests were sent to watch them. And the festival had to close no later than seven o'clock. But apart from that, there was much laughter and merry goings-on. No fear.
Seven-year-old Toshi Sahime played with her friend Maki by the rose bushes, weaving elaborate wreaths of flowers and placing them on her head in a fit of giggles. They sat apart from the rest of the children, but still close enough for the priests to observe them. A shadow fell across Sahime and she looked up to see Kaoru, her older brother, and his friends Onamoto Atoki and Onamoto Shigame, the twins.
"Hey flower face," said Kaoru, laughing. Sahime frowned cutely.
"What do you want, Onii-chan? Me and Maki-chan are busy."
"Maki-chan and I are busy, you mean," The Onamoto twins simultaneously corrected, both pairs of gray eyes sparkling mischievously. Kaoru laughed again. Sahime stuck out her tongue. Swiftly, Kaoru crouched by her side and lowered his voice.
"We're gonna go exploring. Wanna tag along . . . or stay here and be chicken?"
Sahime gasped. They were going to break the rules! They could be severely punished for that! But part of her wanted to prove she was in fact, brave enough to tag along. She didn't want her brother to think her a coward. She wanted to do something daring to show his big smug face how brave she could be.
"Sure thing," she replied. Maki gasped.
"Sahime-chan! Don't do it! You'll be caught!" she whispered urgently, catching hold of her friend's arm protectively.
"Only if you blab on us," said Kaoru, his amber eyes narrowing as he regarded the young girl. Maki sighed, knowing that persistence was futile. She released Sahime's arm and looked her in the eyes.
"Be careful, Sahime-chan."
"No worries!"
Kaoru and Sahime stood, then walked with the twins to the edge of the square. They waited there, blending in with the rest of the children, before scampering off into the forest while everyone's back was turned. Maki sadly watched them go, her little aquamarine eyes focused on the fading figures disappearing into the trees. She felt a little tug in her heart that something bad was going to happen, a tug that her mother called the Gift of Premonition. She walked over to the maypole game, mildly confused and concerned.
"Please be careful, Sahime-chan," she whispered to the gathering wind as she caught hold of a ribbon and started to dance.
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Sahime's breath caught in her lungs as she raced to keep up with her brother. He had the unfair advantage of being older and taller, and it was a struggle for her to maintain his pace. Soon she and the twins fell a little behind, winded. They were deep in the forest now, surrounded by towering trees and odd little shrubberies that were fresh to Sahime's eyes. She gazed with wonder at the long thorny blackberries and the tall arrogant pines, her breath floating out in front of her like pale, ghostly fingertips. Ahead of her Kaoru said something, and she started forward again to hear what he whispered.
"What is it, Onii-mffm!"
She was muffled by Shigame's hand over her mouth. She looked up at him, quizzically.
"Someone up ahead," he whispered, his gray eyes flashing. She nodded, showing understanding, and he removed his hand. Together with Atoki, they silently walked until they were in line with Kaoru, who stood unmoving, staring at something in the thick of the trees. Sahime squinted in the fast approaching darkness, but she couldn't see anything. True, her brother was one of the best scouts in the village, and he could see things from rather far off, things she didn't even know to look for. She tugged on Kaoru's arm urgently. She was beginning to fell the strange sensation of fear, like a lead ball was in the pit of her stomach. Something was there, but she couldn't see it, and by the puzzled look on the twin's faces, neither could they. She tugged harder on her brother's arm, but he ignored her, his amber eyes wide, staring at something no one else could see. In one swift movement, he shoved her behind him.
"Stay back," he called to the wind. His voice was unnaturally loud. Sahime could tell he was trying his best to be brave, but there was more than a hint of fear in his tone. Shigame stiffened next to her, and Sahime realized that he too could see something. She peeked her head around Kaoru's arm and watched, wide eyed, as a faint figure made its way toward them.
It was a person. A tall person, in comparison to the children. As it drew closer, Sahime gasped, for another figure was semi-concealed behind the first.
"Who are you?" Kaoru called, his voice wavering. The person stopped about thirty feet away from them. Sahime heard it say something that sent chills down her spine.
"Humans."
The person, a male, started forward again after a brief pause. Kaoru stiffened, if that was possible, and whispered, "I'll distract him. You guys go back to the village."
"No!" whispered Sahime loudly.
"That's right. We're in this together." said Atoki, nodding with Shigame.
"But I don't want us to be."
The mysterious person gradually grew clearer and clearer as he came toward them. He looked about the same age as Toru, Maki's oldest brother, who was fifteen. The stranger wore a long dark cloak, black like the night, that was secured by a golden chain that snaked across his chest. He wore an odd looking silver necklace, something that looked like an arrow shot between a pair of wings, that rested on the white cravat tied around his neck. His hair was black, longer than most of the village boys', reaching well past his ears and down the side of his cheek. And his eyes. They were the strangest shade Sahime had ever seen, a sort of deep purple violet, so different from her own fawn ones. He took no notice of her, but gazed intently at Kaoru, who was frozen with fear.
"Young."
Behind her brother, Sahime trembled as the stranger spoke again. Who was he? And why did he look at Kaoru like that? It was an expression of satisfaction, and something . . . something that Sahime could only describe as . . . hunger.
"There's more than enough," said a second voice, the other stranger. He stepped apart from the first, and Sahime realized that he wore the exact same outfit as the first. Were they related? He too had long black hair, but his was straighter and less unruly. His eyes were a deep green, the color of fresh grass, and they too watched the group with that strange look of hunger.
"More than enough of what?" asked Kaoru, standing his ground. The first boy started him down, a small satisfied smile playing across his lips. He raised his right hand in front of him, and Sahime bit her tongue to keep her from screaming. He had long, pointed, claw-like fingernails protruding from his fingers. Whatever he was, this person was not human. A constricted squeak escaped from Kaoru, his confidence finally breaking.
"More than enough game."
What happened next was a mull of confusion. A sharp hiss sliced through the ethereal silence as Kaoru screamed and fell, and suddenly Shigame and Atoki were pulling Sahime's arms and yelling at her to run, run fast. She whipped around when she heard Kaoru cry out, then moan. Something was rushing around, pushing past her, a blur of black. Shigame jerked hard on her right arm, and she stumbled forward, the world discombobulated and topsy-turvy. She had no idea what was happening. Everything was a muddled mess. She couldn't see. Darkness pressed in on all sides, mixing with the pained cries of her brother a few feet away. And then, he stopped. Silence. Dread welled up inside of the girl.
"ONII-CHAN! ONII-CHAN!" she screamed. She felt Shigame's grip leave her arm, and for a minute she was falling, the ground slipping out from under her like snow, when she was caught up in a crushing embrace from behind, held still against a protecting chest. She wiggled around, but whoever was holding her had arms of iron, making escape utterly impossible. She screamed again, but was met with absolute silence. Where was everyone? Had they deserted her? Or perhaps worse . . .
Hot breath on her neck made her snap back to reality with a jerk. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the face of the green-eyed boy lean in close to her, effectively trapping her in his embrace. There was something wrong with her eyesight, for the boy appeared to have yellow eyes, the color of the sun, and pupils like black slits. But that wasn't humanly possible.
Then again, whispered a voice in her head, are these people even human?
She screamed again as the person, the thing, opened his mouth to reveal sharp white fangs that inched closer to her tiny neck. She once again struggled, but to no avail. Her vision went completely white for a few seconds as she felt the fangs plunge into her skin, then reality slowly filtered back in, the pain sharp as a stinging nettle. She moaned and whimpered, but she felt the strength draining from her. Minutes passed, and the girl knew she would die. For one last time, she faintly struggled, then stilled as the light left her amber eyes forever.
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The chief elder paled when he received the report. Four children were missing, and their parents were ballistic with mortification. How they had eluded the priests was unexplainable. The elders gathered the soldiers of the village and sent them out first thing in the morning to search for the children. They returned hours later with news that corpses had been found in the forest of four children: three male and one female. They were taken to the village infirmary and identified as Toshi Sahime, Toshi Kaoru, Onamoto Atoki, and Onamoto Shigame.
A funeral service was held for the children two hours before sundown. Their parents were still in a state of shock, and a certain girl with the Gift of Premonition never forgave herself for letting her friend go. There were no celebrations for quite a while, and the whole town became possessed with fear. Because everyone knew.
They knew of the night.