Awaking After Midnight
Chapter 1: Heroes Wanted
Aria breathed in the cold air and sighed as it blew past her. Being there were few people or crowds at this hour, it was perfect since she wouldn't be bothered by anyone. She delved deeper into the hood of her jacket to keep warm as her breath became visible like smoke.
It was late, but she didn't mind. It was not like her parents cared anyway, since they were too busy with their own business and they didn't exactly know what she was doing. Her parents avoided her more often now, even though they stopped once in a while to talk. They always seemed too occupied to spend time with her. It may have been like that from the beginning, and she only noticed recently because she was older. The only friend she had was Emily, a sweet charming girl who didn't shun Aria just because everyone else did. It was mostly from fear, or petty jealousy that most teenagers had, but it seemed that it was more than that. Aria never was at home with the normalcies of others, but she always tried her hardest to. Even though she had fun like most people, it had always felt to her that there was something missing, something else she should be doing. She felt the cold even more now because of these thoughts, and continued on until she found a sole bench to sit on.
"Perfect." she grinned and dug into her pocket.
She pulled out something that was wrapped in plastic. It looked sketchy, but it wasn't what you'd expect someone to bring in the middle of the night at a park. Aria removed the wrapper and smiled, the chocolate cake was partly squished, but she'd manage. "Happy birthday to me." she was about to take a bite when she heard a scream from close by. Great, who do I have to save now? She thought. People always managed to get themselves into trouble in the city. Her birthday was not celebrated as much as it used to be, so she decided from now on to just accept any gifts and treat herself to whatever delectable pastry she was in the mood for. She also didn't want to bother Emily with going through all that trouble in making her a party like she did last year.
Aria shot up and shoved the cake back into her pocket. The scream surprised her, but only for a moment, as her guard was down. She followed the source of the sound at a quick pace trying not to lose it. It wouldn't be a surprise if it was a mugger or some other vagrant, always likely in the city. It was unnerving to say the least that her day could not go on without something ruining it entirely. But if someone needed help, she had to go save them regardless of what it was.
"SOMEBODY HELP ME! PLEASE!"
Knowing that she was getting closer to the source, Aria increased her speed. She really hoped that she would get there in time, all this effort would have been for pointless. Her breath quickened, not wanting to fail someone who didn't deserve whatever was coming to him. His scream eventually led her to a dark alleyway, which was away from any main buildings or streets. Where were the authorities when something like this was happening? Did no one else hear the person in distress? This made her nervous, but also relieved since she wouldn't attract any unwanted attention. She was right in thinking that there was actually trouble, she saw the man quivering with fear as a figure held him up with just an arm. She was getting tired of all these delinquents, they needed to do something more productive and not waste time by hurting the innocent. But, she could not help her die-hard sense of justice, so she had to help the victims of meaningless violence, she saw enough of that already. Aria was no hero, just someone who wanted to fix the unfairness of the world.
"Found you, you lowlife" she huffed getting closer. Her face became hot with anger, as she glared down the alley, shadows crawling up the walls from the distant streetlights. She wasn't sure if they belonged to the unknowns in the alley or not.
The assumed mugger didn't notice her presence, so she stood her ground and waited. But as she peered closer the man didn't have a gun, or knife, he just held the man there.
She squinted and almost tripped into a trashcan. Were they, biting that man's neck…or was she seeing things?
What the hell? It surprised Aria; they must have been on something potent nothing recreational. With all the different poisons out there that people can put into their bodies, she wouldn't be surprised if this was a serious reaction to one of them. Drugs can do many things, like make people believe that they could fly. Or turn them into cannibals, she thought. The alley felt even smaller now as she shortened the distance between them.
"Hey! Let him go!" she called out as the figure attacked the man's throat. They quickly turned around and let out a growl and threw the man aside. It was a large man, and he didn't look too happy. Aria stood her ground as he hissed at her, but saw something she definitely couldn't believe.
The man's eyes were glowing like an animal.
While his teeth were long and pointed like fangs. Fangs.
And he was heading straight for her.
Hey guys I've wanted to make this story for a while but just never had the chance, now that I see people writing lots involving the books so I don't want to be left out. Feel free to leave a review or anything I can improve on, thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters besides the ones I created, all others belong to their respective creator, the author of the real series.
-Midori