"I'll only ask one more time," I hissed to the man I had pinned to the wall of the alley. My blade was pressed up against his throat, just hard enough to pierce his skin, but not enough to cause major damage, at least not yet. I pressed down harder when he didn't answer right away.
The pathetic man let out a yelp and gasped out, "I told you, I know nothing. Please . . . I don't know!"
I lowered my knife as the man let out a sigh of relief. As I turned to walk away, a sinister smile appeared on my lips. I would play with my prey, the way a cat plays the mouse. I let him think he was safe, that I believed him, just long enough to throw him off balance, that's when I'd strike. I took a few steps towards the open end of the alley.
Now, I thought. I spun around and slammed the man into the wall. Holding him by his neck, I applied pressure. "Please! I-I don't-don't know."
"Even so," I growled through my gritted teeth, my head bowed, "I can't take that chance. Now can I?" I brought my head up quickly; the man's eyes widened and sparkled in fear. "How do I know you haven't lied? Hum?"
"I-I d-d-didn't! I would have-would have told you if I knew!" He choked out.
"Is that so?" I purred, "Well in that case...I'm afraid you're worth nothing to me."
"No!"
I sighed, "Yes, that's how it must be. Pity you weren't more helpful," I said with a devilish smirk.
Tears welled in the man's eyes, "Ok! I'll-I'll talk! Just please, please don't hurt me!"
I gave a humorless chuckle, "Oh no. You had your chance. Had you known nothing, you would've kept quiet," I paused and looked him dead in the eye, "but, you lied. What's stopping you from lying again?"
"I'll tell you everything!"
"Ha! No you won't. Will he?"
"No," came the voice of my partner, "he will not." Her voice was emotionless and childlike, as if she had been programed to say what she did. The man was now looking around wildly for escape and the source of the second voice.
"I don't believe you've met my partner," I commented as if nothing was out of the ordinary, "It's too bad you'll never meet her, she's really a lovely girl."
"Please."
"Foolish man! Can you not see your plea is useless?" My partner spoke to the man who was now limp in my grasp as she strode up next to us.
"Calm yourself Analiese," I called to her softly, "don't waste your breath on this filth. He'll serve as nourishment for the rats soon enough."
"No! Please! Please! Someone HELP!"
laughing darkly I said, "You think someone will hear you? That they'll come to save you? Maybe, but no one can outrun me," I lowered my head, "No one will catch me. I can't be stopped and you know it. So, what do you say human?" I spoke in an eerie calm and slowly brought my head back up. My eyes morphed to yellow gold, glowing in the shadows, "Maybe it's time to die."
The man let out a shriek that mimicked grinding metal. I cut him off abruptly and his neck snapped with a sickening crunch. The lifeless body slipped from my hands as a small trail of blood dripped from the corner of its mouth. His eyes were foggy and glassed over, the expression of pure terror still etched into his features.
I kneeled in front of him, "You should have told me what you knew," I whispered. Bringing my hand to his face, I closed the lids of his now pale eyes. "Such a waste of a life."
"He would have just been a loose end otherwise. I really wouldn't have wanted to deal with the mess he would've made," Analiese commented dully as she picked at her perfect fingernails. Flipping her long blond locks over her shoulder and straightening her headband, she stated, "I'm bored with this," and left.
I sighed and dug around in the deep pockets of my trench coat. Pulling out my blade once again, I propped the body in a sitting position. I flipped the knife open. Then, without hesitation, I lifted the man's arm and, in jagged letters, carved a single word, Lies. I stood an swiftly and flicked the blade shut.
I straightened my dark jacket and stalked towards the end of the alley. My shaggy brown hair fell across my eyes as I turned left, walking down the city street. Analiese was waiting for me, leaning against a lone street lamp. "Is it done?" she inquired with a hard expression.
"Yes."

With my reply a disturbed smile crept its way across her china doll face. Her deep chocolate eyes faded to a rusty maroon. Her tone was that of a psychotic mental patient, chilling and lifeless, "My dear brother, he's the third this week. When do I get a turn?"

"Ana, I am not your brother, and you will not 'get a turn' as you so lightly put it," with that she pouted and her eyes returned to their original shade. I whirled around and crept off into the night. Analiese was still so young, nearly four years younger than my seventeen. I regretted pulling her into this, but in desperate times the young must grow up and the weak must become strong.

I'd tried to convince the council that she wasn't old enough to train, but they'd held firm to their decision. I was part of a group, obviously non-human, that was more like a pack then anything. In the past the rules had been simple: take care of each other and keep the youngest safe. Eventually this changed after a few of the members revolted. They wanted the power of the pack all for themselves.

An all out war broke out and many of us died. Sadly the rebels got away and formed their own group. It took a long time for the pack to recover after that, we could no longer trust one another the way we had before. This lead to the creation of the council, a ring of the oldest and wisest pack members. Their job is to guide us and their word is law, unless deemed corrupt by the majority of the pack.

When I was nine, the council decided it was time to train the next generation. I quickly rose to the top of the classes and by age twelve was fully trained in hand to hand combat as well as espionage. Recently the rebels have been growing stronger, attacking our members in broad daylight. The council has been forced to recruit members from younger and younger ages.

That's where Analiese came in. In the pack we are assigned partners from the beginning of our training. My partner, Demi, was killed in a rebel's raid six months ago. About five months ago Analiese was assigned to me seeing as she was so young and I was the top scout there was.

Our group is very close. Once we feel a bond of friendship towards a member of the group we protect them as if they were out sibling, hence why we call our partners brother and sister. Ana is not my partner, Demi was and that's not going to change.

The pack members live together on a large exclusive compound, just east of the city. Each family had a separate house and one could come and go as they pleased at any hour. The sense of unity was maintained by the mammoth fence circling the compound. The council members shared a hotel like building in the middle of the land.

By now I'd have anyone guessing at what I was. A werewolf? a vampire? A creepy ghost demon thing? No. I'm an elemental, a person who controls an element or form of one. Each of our elders are in complete control of one element each. Most of us can only do things like freeze water or start a fire. Then there are some of us with enhanced talents such as making things grow or controlling snowfall.

Right now I'm looking for someone. Right now someone's hunting me. I have to keep moving. My next stop? Forks Washington, rainiest town in the USA. Great.