Ch.3

Hello, everyone! I'm back with a little look into Mamoru's past. Hopefully you'll be interested.

Thanks for the reviews! I love you guys.

Merry Christmas!


Mamoru

I was nineteen years old when I first saw him.

Born in a low-class family, I worked hard to support my parents and siblings. I had a job in our town Marketplace, selling crops and fruits that we grew in fields. We were known for being loyal, trustworthy, and fair. Which we were.

He stood in the same place for hours, observing people as they passed. Locals whispered to each other, wondering who this cloaked stranger was. His hood hid his face, and his cloak was black and heavy. It was very uncommon in our town to see people in such garments, since the temperature seemed to rise each minute.

I must admit, even I was curious to know who he was, but I knew my status. He was surely someone noble if he could afford a cloak like that, and I was just a poor farmer's son. I looked back down at my vegetables, sorting them. My shoulder-length hair fell in my face, shielding whatever was in front of me.

Busy thinking about our profit, I didn't notice the arms stretching out towards me. Cold fingers wrapped around my neck, and my head jerked up in alarm.

A voice said, "Did I scare you, brother?! You should really be more careful. Anyone could walk behind you and grab your neck!" My tense shoulders relaxed. That voice belonged to my sister, Rei.

Secretly relieved, I said, "Yeah, you did scare me, Rei." I turned to look at her.

Rei always looked like she belonged in a royal family. At fourteen, her long black hair and exotic features set her apart from everyone else. She really was one of a kind.

"Why are you so cold?" I asked her. She giggled and held up a fish that I hadn't noticed before.

"This fish! It's really cold! I bought it from that stall that's selling stuff from the coast. I thought that Mom could cook it tonight. Hey, I wonder how they got all of their products to stay fresh. Weird, huh?" I nodded and reached downward.

"Let me take this for you. I'm about through here, anyway. It's getting dark." I started packing up the remaining things we didn't sell. I took a quick look at the place where the stranger was standing, but no one was there.

"Come on, let's go home."

----

There were a lot of dark alleys and paths in our town. It had never occurred to me before, how many we had.

I gazed around the shadowy area we were currently walking through. I could have sworn that I saw the silhouette of a figure near us. I moved closer to Rei, just in case. She looked up at me, confused.

"Broth-?" Her sentence was cut off by her own scream. I whipped around to see what she was screaming at, but I was shoved against the wall of a building before I could do so. A hand slithered up to my throat and squeezed to the point where I could hardly breathe. I felt my body rising up the side of the building and the back of my head was scraping the uneven exterior. The skin on my neck was burning.

An unfamiliar male voice whispered in my ear. "Soon, I will come for you. Live these days like they are your last. You will die in next to no time." With his other hand, he turned my face towards his. I could clearly see his eyes: Inhuman; the deepest color of black I had ever seen on a person. They glanced over at the area where Rei was standing.

Though I couldn't see his lips, I knew he was smiling. A cruel smile, that didn't light those malicious eyes whatsoever.

He let go of me and vanished into thin air. I fell down the wall and landed in a heap on the ground, hearing my sister's feet scurry over to me.

"Brother! Oh, Gods, what just happened? Did you know that man!?" She was truly worried for my life, and so was I.

I shook my head. "I've never spoke to him before in my life," I replied honestly.

"He had you pinned for a while. It looked like he was biting your neck!" she exclaimed. I got up on my feet, a little shaky. I could feel the blood dripping down my neck from the wound on my head.

"I don't think so. You ready to leave, now?" I said. I wasn't as confident as I appeared. I was scared to death. What had he said? Live like these are my last days? I'll die soon?

It was the beginning of a nightmare, and I couldn't wake up.


I know that my chapters are super short, but I just wanted to get this out before Christmas. Next one will be longer, I promise!

May your Christmas rock!

hopester002