1st Day of Being Homeless

~ElvinDragon~

We chose this neighborhood for a good reason when we moved here. It wasn't too large but very far from being small. It was known for it's good people and had no hint of anything bad that has happened to it. There were parks with small laughing Moroi and Damphir children enjoying their playtime on the playground almost all the time. Beautiful cherry trees blossomed in the spring time. The petals would dance in the wind in complicated twirls leaving there intoxicating aroma in their wake. Flowers were always constantly blooming in every corner of the neighborhood. The green grass never turned brown and the leaves liked to whisper songs in the wind. The neighborhood was a peaceful one that was a paradise just suited for our needs.

Now our neighborhood was but an empty shell of what it once was. A darkened cloud seemed to have cast its demeaning shadow of danger over our happy paradise. No longer were the birds singing their melodies to all that listened. No longer were there even any listeners if the birds still voiced a beauty that seemed to no longer exist. Every shadow seemed to have eyes, watching every move that we made. Every rustle of the leaves on our beloved trees felt like an enemy ready to pounce. The streets were empty and the parks lacked the happy children that it once held. I didn't feel free here anymore. I felt like it was a trap to even be out here where our home felt unsafe.

"Let's get going." My voice held strong but my uneasiness was clear in the tone that I used. We quickly crossed the street with me leading and Dimitri bringing up the rear behind Lissa. Our hurried pace lead us to one of the many abandoned parks a few blocks away from our house. Lissa gave two sharp whistles and used her spirit to give plants around us a burst of energy that made them bloom crazy fast before they withered and died.

I looked around for any signs of movement that would give someone away.

"FFFFFFTTT" one quick shot of flames shot from the wood a few yards to our left. I looked at Dimitri to confirm our movement. He gave a short nod of approval before I took out a stake from around my waist. I crept forward with a silent ease of a cat stalking in the night.

"Pit pat pit pat" my feet made a soft noise as I walked on the fallen needles of the pine trees surrounding me. One darkened figure suddenly appeared out of thin air from behind a large Red Pine trunk.

"Eddie, it's great to see my helpful tips of stealth are still engrained into your brain." I smirked. Eddie was one of Christian's Guardians and one of my best friends.

" Geez Rose how is it I can never trick you?" He looked slightly miffed but couldn't hide the amusement that was hidden just under the surface.

"Eddie I just know you too well" I lightly shoved his shoulder in a playful manner.

"Snap" I turned quickly around readying my stake.

"Take it easy Rose its just me." Christian strolled from around the pine tree with his hands held up in mock surrender. Lissa then peeked around Dimitri and spotted Christian and a grin practically split her face in two. She ran our from behind Dimitri and jumped into Christian's outstretched arms with a quiet squeal of delight. They gave each other a little peck on the lips while they hugged each other close. Christian's other Guardian Silvia was closely shadowing her charge. She was a sweet lady that soon after meeting her felt she was a good addition to our group. I quickly scanned Eddie and Silvia and saw they were armed just as heavily as Dimitri and I. Silvia had silver enchanted throwing knives on a belt across her chest and ten stakes in a belt at her side. Eddie had some stiletto knives strapped in on his back and stakes lined his chest vest. He had a gun at his hip and most likely a pouch of bullets on his other hip.

"Christian you said you pulled some lines and had a few options for us to go to." Lissa's soft voice seemed to echo in the silence of the empty park.

"Yeah, I do." Christian motioned us for us to come closer and get deeper into the woods. We cautiously walked into the pine grove with our guards fully up.

"Alright we will be staying in more of a secret place… I can't say anything much more then that. I gave an oath that I wouldn't." I stared at him a moment sizing him up. His eyes had a fierce determined look and of care for his friends. I trust Christian and his judgment.

"Alright lead the way Fire Head" It had been a nickname I had started up a while back referring to his element, rebellious nature, and bad temper. Christian just rolled his eyes in the only acknowledgement of my mild teasing. Christian turned north and Eddie went off in a sprint first with Christian running right after him with Silvia taking up the rear. We followed them in the same formation we had come. We stuck to the shadows with a stake never leaving our hands. We never let our guard down and ran as quietly and swiftly as we could manage. I couldn't help but look at empty house after empty house that we passed. Even some abandoned cars that had been stuck in traffic when their owners had heard the news on the radio. The earth seemed to have stopped except for the fact that it was more like there was no one alive just the remains of what once used to be a part of life. I almost ran into Christian when they suddenly stopped in front of an alley. It was one of many that we had already been through so if he was stopping this must be it. Christian slowly approached the dead end of the alley with confidence. He stopped at the old crumbling brick wall that looked to have seen better years. He stretched out his hand and to quick for our eyes to see pushed on different combinations of bricks. He then quickly ran to another part of the wall and once again pressed many combinations of the bricks.

"Snick" A narrow doorway opened up near me on the side of the alley. I peered in and walked in with caution. Once all of us had entered the small room the door shut silently behind us. Christian walked to the front once again and walked straight towards the opposite side of the seemingly empty room. He knocked on it four times then lit his hand on fire and pressed it right in the middle of the wall. A slot opened and I could tell that Christian was conversing with someone on the other side of the wall. Then another door opened up and Christian beckoned us to follow him in. Once again the door shut behind us I stopped mid-step at the sight in front of me. How did Christian know him? The person who stood before us shocked me.