a/n

A lot of Cursing
Racism
Cruelity
Plain old meaness
Violence
Descrpitive slight goreness


Alyera, Fall of 2008

Reily

When we made it home, we exited the car in a quiet, mouselike way - or the noughts did, that is. The house was filled with the scent of fresh food. I turned my head to the kitchen and saw a woman cooking there.

My mom.

"Mom!" I cried out in shock and growing joy. I felt my feet shuffle forward a little.

Joi's dad shot a look at me. It was a mix between scolding and threatening. I felt my breath catch in my throat, and I stepped back into line.

We were lined up against a wall. I noticed there were a lot of us, more than I had thought - at least twenty, if not more. Joi's dad began to put us into two groups. The second group had less. I was in the second group, along with the few teenagers that Joi's parents had gotten.

"You guys," Joi's dad began, pointing at the first group, "will be working in the luxphyte fields. You must obey every word that Simone and his wife, Marji, say. If not, you will not see the light of day again, and that's Simone and Marji," he finished while pointing at a couple with brown hair and hazel-blue eyes.

He turned around and looked at us, doing a clichéd vampire spin. And boy, did it work. He cocked his head to the side and smiled, his fangs slightly showing.

I'm going to die, were the only thoughts in my head.

No, you're not, he isn't going to kill you. He's just...keeping you in line.

I looked up and saw Charlie staring straight at me.

Relax. He's going to talk to you in three...two...one...now.

Joi's dad smiled again, this time without showing his teeth.

"You guys will be working here in the house as servants. You seven," he pointed to me and the other teenagers, "will be training under Caspia and Alex." He pointed to my parents, who were now talking in the kitchen, and with that, he left.

"Cassie, when you're done, meet me in the second guest room." Joi's mom's voice creeped out of nowhere.

"Joi, come along," Joi's mom said.

They ascended the stairs and began making their way down the hall. My dad came over and whisked the boys away, out to the fields. That left me, Ruby, Chyrs, and my mom alone in the kitchen.

"Girls," my mom began.

We snapped our heads up and looked at her. We were sitting on stools by a countertop, where Mom was putting cookies out to cool down.

"What's the matter?" she questioned.

"Why? Why are we slaves?" Ruby cried out.

Mom sighed as she began to dry her hands.

"Do you really wish to know?" my mom asked.

We looked at each other.

"Yes!" we said simultaneously.

"Because...we are the prey. We are the weakest compared to our Duo and Arch counterparts. Because we are seen as food. Those, my dears are the reasons why," Mom answered.

We just stared at her.

"How come they're so mean?" Ruby asked.

"Who?" my mom responded.

"The Arches and Duos," Ruby answered.

"To keep the fragile balance of society in order," Mom replied.

"Casspia!"

My mom's name rang through the house.

"Come on, girls. Let's go," she said

Ruby and Chrys ran ahead of us.

"Reily," My mom's voice stopped me

I turned around, and she looked straight at me. My mom was not a tall woman, at five foot zero*. I was taller by three inches**. Yet she was able to look at me and make me feel as if I was a young child.

"I have to warn you."

"What?" I said, confused.

"Promise me, no matter what, you'll never turn your back on Joi. No matter how much you end up hating or disliking her. You will never turn your back. Promise me," my mom said with rising urgency.

"I...I promise," I replied.

We dashed up the stairs and caught up with Ruby and Chyrs. We entered a large guest room. It was the size of a small apartment. It had a huge TV, and across from it was a bed the same size of the television. On the mattress was a woman. Her hair was braided all the way to her back. She wore an elegant yet very casual dress. Then I saw them.

A pair of gold-highlighted, angelic black wings protruded from her back. She turned her head towards us and smiled.

It was Joi's mom.

"Cassia. Take out Joi's hair, then wash it. After that, I'll run a hot comb through it," Joi's mom said.

I didn't see Joi anywhere.

"I'm getting my hair done today?" Joi asked.

Her head popping up from the other side of the bed. You could tell form how she was straining her neck she was sitting on the floor.

"Yes, at six o'clock," Joi's mom replied.

"Helena, do you mind if the girls do it?" Mom asked.

"I don't mind, as long as you help them," Joi's mom replied

"What would you like to watch, Miss Joi," Mom asked.

"Hmm...how about a bad movie?" Joi suggested.

"A bad movie?" Ruby and Chrys said sound really confused

"Yeah, a stupid or corny sci-fi, thriller, or horror movie," Joi elaborated.

Soon enough, we were sitting on the floor, watching a "bad movie" called 'Tremors'. Our hands were in Joi's hair, taking out her braids.


Joi

The morning sun peered through the window.

"Wake up, you lazy bum," a voice barked at me.

I looked out from under the covers – it was Charlie. He was dressed plainly in a white t-shirt and jeans. I just stared at him, taking everything in.

"So, why's your hair in a mess?" he asked.

I reached my hand to my hair to find the scarf I tied on last night not on my head. I leaned over the edge of the bed and was just able to make out a black blur on the ground. That's when I noticed it.

Charlie wasn't standing on or holding on to the ladder. I lifted my head up and saw his wings beating in perfect unison, keeping him from plummeting to the ground. Fiery feathers illuminated by the sun and streaked with gold and orange accents made his wings living, moving, breathing fire.

Are you gonna keep staring at them or are you gonna get out of bed?

I looked to his face and noticed his head slightly turned to one side with a smirk. He laughed, hovered down to the floor, and left my room with an echoing slam of the door.

Not five minutes after he left, I was out of the room, going to the bathroom. As I began my shower, I reminisced on the fact that mom had said we were going to have another talk. I could feel the shivers running down my back.

After the shower, I dressed. I threw on a plain blue shirt and some semi-worn blue jeans. The fog from the mirror had cleared up some and I could see myself. I just stared for a few minutes. My eyes were weird. A quick look at them and they were brown - anyone would agree. Yet, they were a black colorlessness. It's odd, as whenever I look to the mirror, I could see the brown in them more clearly. I felt my mouth open, and I studied my teeth. My fangs were noticeable, but just barely. My stomach began turning, and my head swirled with the memories of yesterday's events. I could feel my hunger rising again and stifled a moan.

I threw some water on my face and slightly stumbled out of the bathroom. I began walking from the third floor to the feeders held in the basement. Mom was still in her room, from the sounds I heard from across the hall. When I got downstairs, I could make out my dad's figure by the...the servant quarters. I continued to the basement. I had a feeling I looked like a drunk walking around, uncoordinated and unbalanced, tripping over my own feet.

The closer I got to the basement, the more I thought about what had happened. It was only a good thing Mom taught me how to control my feeding, even if I almost drained the whole person as I did last night after dinner.

I finally made it to the basement. The polished brown door opened, and I walked down the stairs. I could hear the blood pumping through their veins. The smell override my nose, and my mouth started to water. I went to the nearest cubicle. It was the size of four or five walk-in closets. The person there was a boy. He looked a little younger than me, around twelve or thirteen. He had brown hair and blue eyes, and a weird look on his face. He looked like a druggie waiting to get his next fix...from me.

I took a deep breath and went over to him. I bit his neck. Blood rushed into my mouth. Instantly, my hunger was satisfied, and I was full. My stomach growled. I sighed. I was hungry for some real food.

I went back up the stairs after cleaning the blood off, and the smell of bacon drifted towards me. My mom was sitting next to my dad, and Mama C (Cassie) was cooking breakfast. I snatched a piece of fried meat as I mumbled my good-mornings and hellos.

"Joanna!" my mom said and swatted at my hand.

"Mom!" I whined.

"You're not supposed to steal food," my mom scolded.

I growled slightly.

"Well, I can't put it back, since I already took a bite out of it," I returned.

"Are you trying to be a smart mouth with me?" my mom asked with a hint of rising anger.

I shook my head, saying, "No."

"Where's Reily?" I asked.

"Still in her room, I believe. Tell her she's gonna miss breakfast if she isn't here soon," Mama C said.

I nodded, snatched up two more pieces of bacon, and ran out the back door towards Reily's house.

I sprinted through the backyard, straight to the largest (and only) house near ours. It was white, and way smaller than my house.

My house was at least four stories tall, not including the basement, which was two floors. My house actually seems bigger than it is. It looks like it had more floors than it does. However, the house I'm looking at only seemed to have two floors. It might have a basement, since it's supposed to be modeled after mine. Behind the house I could see the Luxphyte fields. I could see the...the slaves working there. Most were adults. They were cutting at stalks of thick grass, like bamboo, that had electricity running through them. The stalks were as tall as children. I could see another building behind it. It reminded me of a small factory, not only because of its height or its color, but because of the smoke coming from it.

I knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice called out.

I opened the door. Joi's dad was buttoning the last couple of buttons on his shirt.

"Hello, Miss Joi," he said.

"Um...hi. Where's Reily?" I replied, coming in and looking around the living room.

"She's upstairs in her room, first door on the left," he answered.

I walked up the stairs. The only door that was ajar was the first one on the left. Reily's name was scrawled on a plaque. It was written the same way it was when we were young. The 'R' and 'Y' were written backwards, as if a little kid had done it. It was the same color as the door. Both were the old-fashioned chalkboard green. The hue clashed with the sterile white of the house. I could hear voices come from inside. I peeked inside and saw Charlie and Reily.

"Why? Why are you acting like this, Charlie?" Reily pleaded.

"Like what?" Charlie responded.

"Everything! You just dump all of us on a door step! You drop us a note saying you're leaving, and afterwards don't give us a head's notice unless you need something from us!" Reily yelled.

"I have to. I can't recognize you in public. Unless I need you," he answered in an angry, quiet voice.

"Why? Just answer me why," Reily said, growing exasperated.

"Because that's how they want the world to work."

"They who?"

"The Society! They want the world to work the way they say it. And if you don't abide by it, you'll make your descendants regret it for you," Charlie answered finally.

There was an eerie silence.

"Get out! GET OUT! GET OUT, CHARLIE! I SAID GET OUT, CHARLES!" Reily yelled.

The door flew opened. Charlie stormed out. He looked down at me, pushing me into the wall.

"Stop spying on me!" he half-whispered, half-growled.

I could see his fangs as he said it. He oddly resembled my dad when he had one of his rare, fleeting scolding moments.

My mouth felt dry, but I felt the words come out anyways.

"I wasn't spying on you."

He gave me a look of disgust, anger, frustration, and something I can't put my finger on.

"Keep believing that," he said, and without another word, he left.

Reily poked her head out the door. She gave a slight sheepish smile.

"Um...your mom says come for breakfast or you won't eat," I said.

We walked down the stairs and exited the house.

"So, how much did you hear?" Reily asked.

"Not much, just you yelling 'get out'." I replied

"Oh..." She replied, her voice getting softer, as if she was disappointed.

We entered the house in awkward but thoughtful silence. On the kitchen table, there was a breakfast feast. Food covered the table.

"This is not humanly possible," I said.

"Maybe it's superhumanly possible," Reily suggested.

"No, it's not superhumanly possible or zombiecly or vampiricly or angellicly or ghosticly or demonicly or any other paranormal creature-ly possible. What we are seeing is something that should not exist. Ever," I replied.

"Stop making a mountain out of a molehill," Reily protested.

"Hey, that's my line!" I joked.

We burst out laughing, beginning to relax in a way we hadn't in the past couple of days. We took our seats at the table and dug in.


After Breakfast


I got up from the table and put my dish in the sink.

"Joi."

I heard. I looked around.

"Dear, I'm talking to you telepathically."

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

she answered.

"N...nothing."

"Meet me in the second guest room on the right, and bring Reily."

"Uh...sure."

I tapped Reily on the shoulders. She was washing the dishes.

"You're finally done?" she asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "You're taking a break."

"Uh...okay."

I took her hand and began leading her upstairs. We went up a flight of stairs, turned down the hall, and made a right at the second door. Ruby opened the door for us. In the room was my mom, Mama C, Ruby, Chrys, Henry, and Charlie.

The room had no TVs or any other modern appliances. It had a fireplace and a picture above it. No, a painting of two families. I didn't recognize anyone, except for the two girls, who looked like me and Reily.

"You guys do resemble one another," I heard my mom say.

"Very strongly," Mama C added.

Reily was standing next to me, in front of the fireplace. She, too, was staring at it. Ruby and Chrys where sitting on the floor, looking between us and the painting. Charlie and Henry were mesmerized with the statement that mom had made and were staring at the painting. They were on a couch next to the two reclining chairs Mom and Mama C were sitting in.

"Are you and Mistress Helena related to them?" Chrys asked.

"Yes, we are. The nought girl is my great-grandmother, Amethyst. The Arch girl is Helena's great-grandmother, Katrina," Mama C answered.

"What about the other people in the picture?" Chrys asked.

"The Arch couple is Katrina's parents and the two boys are her older brothers. The nought couple is Amethyst's parents," Mom replied.

"Does this relate to why we're here?" Charlie inquired.

"Yes. Because of what happened with them both, The Society and V hunters always have eyes on us," Mama C answered.

"V hunters, too!" Henry and Charlie gasped in what sounded like surprise.

"What are V hunters and The Society?" Reily asked.

"Why do they keep an eye on us?" I questioned.

"How does it relate to us?" Ruby and Chrys asked.

Mom and Mama C looked at each other than back at us with bored, and maybe even exasperated expressions.

"We'll get to that," they answered in unison.

"The reason V hunters and The Society keep an eye on us is because-"

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Mom said.

My dad entered.

"Charne and Ellis are here. And by the looks of it, they are very impatient," he said.

Mom and Mama C looked at each other and sighed.

"Joi, Reily, come on. We're going out. Ruby and Chrys, you are dismissed. We'll finish our talk later," Mom said as she got up.

"And one more thing: Don't speak about this to anyone else or outside of this room. Understand?"

Mom continued telepathically.

We nodded our heads in unison. Reily and I got up and left after my mom with Mama C following behind. We ran downstairs, grabbed our coats, and put on our shoes. Outside was a limo, and standing in front of it were a woman and a girl.

They were both arches.

"Hi, Helen. How are you?" the woman asked.

"Fine, and you, Charne?" Mom answered.

"Fine," she replied.

"You girls get in," Charne said to us.

Reily, the other girl, and I entered the limo. There was a nought girl inside. She had dark hair and eyes.

"I'm Ellis, and this is Gem," the arch girl, Ellis, introduced herself and the nought.

"Hi. I'm Joi and this is Reily," I replied.

Gem and Ellis gave me surprised looks.

"Her name can't actually be Reily! Can it?" she said, her voice sounding a lot meaner than before.

I pressed my lips tightly together and went to speak.

"It's Reinstone, actually." Reily said before any words could leave my lips

I gave her what-are-you-doing look and she replied with one of her I-know-what-I'm-doing looks.

"Do you know where we're going," I asked.

"Yeah! Mom said we're getting our hair done and going shopping," Ellis answered.

The adults joined us in the limo and we began driving to wherever we were going. We parked in a gigantic mall parking lot. The mall was the size of a small amusement park, and the parking lot was about twice the size of the area the mall covered. We exited the car and made our way inside. We went up about five floors and entered the first shop on the left. A hair salon.


A/N

*= Five feet is about 152 centimeters

**= Three inches about 7 or 8 centimeters