"The Hippopotamuses"
Bree's POV

Sweat dripped off Bree Darkcaster's face, as she quickly thought of some way to knock down her attacker. He advanced slowly as if trying to frighten her, what he didn't know was that Bree didn't scare easily. Almost faster than humanly possible she spun out with a deadly back kick hitting the guy squarely in the chest with such force he was knocked right down on his ass. Bree gave him a giant grin before she reached down to help him up.

"Not bad Darkcaster." Matt said with slightly embarrassed smile.

"Psh not bad?! I kicked your sorry butt and you know it!" Matt was her best friend and had been as long as she could remember. Now they were 16 and it felt as if they had grown up together.

"Whatever." He said fake mumbling "However I will give you credit, I didn't see that kick coming!"

"Thanks! I've been working on it!" Bree said giddily.

Matt glanced at his watch, " Look Breezy I gotta bolt. Mom expected me home like twenty-five minutes ago. I'm surprised she hasn't already called the office." Shocked she glanced out of one of the small windows, just above the grey peeling walls of their local Manhattan gym. It was pitch dark out and clearly it had been hours since otherwise. It felt as if they had been training for minutes!

"Oh. Okay, cool. I'm gonna practice a bit longer." Bree said, slightly downcast at losing the company.

Matt looked at her, worry thick in his sea green eyes, "Bree you know there is other things in life than training right? Cause lately it seems like that's all you've been doing. I know you want to be the best but sometimes you need to take a break."

She sighed, "I know Matty, but I like being here" she swept her hands around the room indicating the gym, "its peaceful, and quite." He narrowed his eyes, instantly seeing through her flimsy excuse.

"Bree what's really going on?" She lowered he eyes so he couldn't see them. Matt had always been able to read her like a book, even though she was one of the best liars.

"Nothing" she mumbled quietly.

"This is about them isn't it?" he spat out the word as if it was poisonous. "

No" she said lied quickly, knowing he meant Robb and Beth. Legally they were her foster parents, however she preferred to think of them as the two giant hippopotamuses that inhabited her basement. It really wasn't such a far off comparison, seeing as both were vicious, cunning and ugly to boot (lets not forget both prey on small, cute animals). They had a mutual agreement with Bree. She'd stay out of their hair; they stay out of hers, but lately Robb had taken to drinking quite frequently, and effectively forgetting their understanding.

"Bullshit! Bree what did they do?" Without speaking she bared him the inside of her right forearm where the burns were worst, (did she forget to mention he smokes?). Matt let out a barley audible gasp of rage, shock, and sadness all mixed together. Slowly he kissed each injury tenderly. This wasn't an odd or awkward for them, it was like your big brother kissing a scrapped knee when you were little. It was a reflex. She winced when his lips touched the most recent mark, it had happened just this morning, Bree had gone into their shabby old living room/ dining room/ TV room with the intent of telling them that she had taken the liberty of officially changing her name from Bree Kent, back to given name, Bree Darkcaster. After she did…well lets just say they didn't take it as well as she'd hoped, Robb instantly slapped her across the face with the newspaper he had been reading and screamed loud enough to wake the neighbors. Then Beth had told her to leave the house and not come back until they were asleep that night, after of course, Robb snuffed out all three, (!) of his vile cigars on her arm.

Matt's head snapped up, and Bree could see the angry confused look settle on his face, "Why do you never just bash their heads in? You know you can! I haven't met anybody you can't take on, and you still just stand there and take it! I bet you let him do this, didn't you?" Bree said nothing, just looked away. "SEE! I just don't get it! I've only ever met the bigots once and I wanted to hook them up to one of those old Chinese torture machines!"She almost laughed at that part, " I'm serious though Breezy, why?"

"Because Matt it won't do anyone any good. Worst-case scenario, I get charged for assault, and get sent to one of those camps for "Speciality" kids. Forcing me to spend my days playing poker, using weapons made of plastic forks as gambling chips. Best-case scenario Robb gets knocked out from my amazing spinning back kick and never wakes up, causing Beth to go into shock and leave the country. You tell me which ones more likely." Even I could hear the despair laced through my voice. Matt must have to, because he stepped back and was looking down at the ground, visibly trying to calm himself. His light brown hair was darkened with sweat and his normally beautiful, calm features were tight with rage. Honestly he looked like he wanted to kick Mr and Mrs Kent's teeth in. The thought made her smile. "Look, I'll lay low for a while, stay out of their, way and even try to keep my sarcastic comments to myself, and it will be fine."

He grinned and looked up at the sarcastic comments part, and though his shoulders were still tensed, he looked less upset. "Good luck with that!" Laughing, together they left the gym and stepped out into the cold New York air.

"Pandemonium"
Nate's POV

Nate Harrington glanced around him. There didn't seem to be anything to suspicious in the all aged nightclub "Pandemonium", but then again the type of trouble he was searching for wasn't exactly going to pop right up in front of his face. He had to look pretty damn close to notice a hidden demonic form under those skanky clothes and bitchy attitudes. It would really make his job a hell of a lot easier if these two chicks would stop trying to take his pants off. He glanced around him desperately trying to search out his brother Landon in hopes that he would be able to distract them long enough for Nate to make his escape, when he saw her.

She was striking; with her long golden legs and silky blonde hair. She was dancing up a storm near the middle of the club with some guy. She reminded Nate of an open fire, uncontrollable and untameable. Flame. That was definitely the way to describe her. A bursting golden flame of energy, impossible to contain even in the largest building. In a moment she captured Nate's attention and Angel help him he couldn't turn away. So of course, now is the time Landon decides to show his ass.

"Hey man, find anything yet?"

"No…I think this was a dead-end. That kelpie had to have been lying, because there aren't any demons here." My eyes didn't leave the girl through the whole exchange.

"I think the half devoured corps I found out back would have to disagree." My head snapped around at that. His blue eyes looked deeply troubled, and I'm sure I had the same look. Not just because we were twins, but also because we hated being too late to save someone. "I really hate to say it, but if it is a Drakmi that we're dealing with here, he wont feed again until tomorrow so we might as well go home. We're just wasting our time now." Land's voice was thick with disappointment.

"Yeah okay, I'll meet you out back in two minutes okay?"

"Fine. But hurry." Landon had already turned to leave but I didn't notice. In the two seconds I wasn't watching, the girl had disappeared.

"Blue Eyes"
Bree's POV

It is freezing. That was the only thought running through my mind as I slipped out the back doors of Pandemonium. Matt was gone, he left with some girl, and now I was hurrying down the dark ally way heading to Rob and Beth's house. I honestly didn't know anyone was behind me until it was too late.

The impact of someone launching their entire body weight on me was something I was quite familiar with, so thankfully I barely panicked. I purposely fell to the ground and quickly rolled out from under my attacker. I was doing fine, almost free of them, when I looked back and saw what exactly, was attacking me. And I do mean WHAT. It looked like a giant cockroach at first glance, but if you look closer, everywhere there was supposed to be an antenna, there were multiple deadly looking spikes and of course the fact that it was running after me on two legs. I think I screamed but to be honest I'm not sure. It was on top of me the minute I ceased running and I withered helplessly beneath its massive weight. I was pretty much positive I was toast, when suddenly the weight disappeared. The last things I remember seeing, was two pairs of identical striking blue eyes staring back at me.