You guys proud I didn't take another couple months? I hope you like this chapter, please please please review! It really helps me out, and I just love reading what you guys think.
Six Months Later
Sin spun around, his smile enormous at the gleeful giggles in his ear.
"Faster, faster, faster!" Cried Light, his tiny six-year-old arms clinging to Sin's shoulders, his legs wrapped around the older boy's waist. Sin's smile grew and he spun faster, before stopping and dropping Light down gently. The younger boy beamed as he stumbled slightly, clearly dizzy. Sin saw the world spinning in circles himself.
"Not so fast, guys," Hero called firmly from where she stood overseeing Sparky's latest project. Sin looked up, his arms crossed, to retort, when he noticed an exasperated grin on Hero's face. "You don't want to knock into something, and then have both Shade and Stickler on your asses."
"Oi!" Sparky cut in indignantly, looking up from her pile of scrap metal. "Las' time I swore in fron' o' Light, you 'n Shade got righ' pissy abou' it! Bloody hypocrites, the lo' o' ya!"
Hero rolled her eyes as Sparky continued to mutter under her breath. Sin snorted quietly as Light yawned. "When's Shade getting home?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. Sin reached down to pick Light up, swinging him up to sit on his hip.
"I dunno kid," Sin admitted, "She's helping Spider go through all the bins from here to Gladstone Court, so I doubt she'll be home soon." He pressed his lips together to keep from chuckling when Light pouted adorably.
"Who's gonna sing me to sleep?" He asked. Sin glanced at Sparky, who was watching the interaction. The shook her head hurriedly, turning her attention back to whatever her new project was, and Sin sighed. He raised his eyebrows at Hero, who rolled her eyebrows and approached the two boys.
"You owe me one," she murmured into Sin's ear as she took Light, walking him over to the bed mats. Once he was sure that he no longer held anyone's attention, Sin slowly slipped out of the back door and into the alleyway. The sun began to dip beneath the horizon as Sin started down the street.
"Oi! Sin! Where you off too, mate?" Sin shut his eyes tightly and cursed under his breath before turning around, a pleasant expression on his face. Wheels was jogging up to him, a small plastic bag slung over his shoulder. "If you're going to go train with Spider, he told me to tell you he won't be back for another couple of hours."
Sin hesitated before replying, "Oh, thanks - I think I'll just go practice by myself. See if I can finally tug some magic out of me."
Wheels snorted. "Well I hope you do; then you can show all of us, and Sparky can stop thinking we're all having her on." Sin chuckled and nodded before turning around heading back through the network of alleys. However, where he would usually turn right to get to the practice courtyard, he turned left and broke into a run.
Several minutes later he climbed over a tall chain fence, the barbed wire long since rusted and fallen to the ground. He dropped to his feet on the other side and turned a corner into an abandoned parking lot. Leaning against the fence on the other side stood Elena, looking bored.
"You're late," she drawled slowly, straightening up and approaching Assassin. The way she walked still put Sin slightly on edge; her strides were too graceful. She walked more like a panther than a person.
"By a few minutes!" He said indignantly.
Elena wasn't amused. "That's still a few minutes late."
"I got held up," he replied shortly. Elena raised an eyebrow.
"If you're not committed to this, then there's no reason for me to be wasting my time with -"
"It won't happen again," he cut in firmly. She gazed at him, and sharp contrast to how he had reacted the first time he had met her stare, he raised his chin and glared back. A few moments later Elena's lips curled and she let out a quiet chuckle.
"Alright then. Remember what I taught you last time?" She asked, and Sin nodded. Elena grabbed a small stone from the sack by the fence and chucked it at Sin, who ducked out of instinct. Elena sighed.
"Assassin," the vampiress said smoothly, "This isn't going to work if you keep finding ways to not use your magic. If you keep choosing the muggle path for everything, you're only going to be able to use muggle skills."
Sin didn't reply; they'd gone over this before. He didn't bother retorting.
"You can't let what happened with Toxic get to you," Elena added, picking out a broken shard of brick from within her sack. "You have to get over yourself."
Six Weeks Ago
Toxic grinned as the three teenagers heard a soft 'click' emit from the lock on the door. Hero straightened up, hiding the lock-pick in the folds of her hijab and placing her gloved hand on the brass handle. She pressed a finger to her lips three times, and Sin and Toxic nodded at her. They had roughly three minutes before the building security guards noticed the camera for this apartment was out and came up to check it out.
Hero pushed the door open and Toxic and Sin hurried inside the lavish apartment. Toxic headed straight to the kitchen while Sin found his way into the master bedroom. He opened an ornate jewelry box on the bedside table and grinned. A sparkling diamond necklace hung from a hook, with two earrings beneath it. He snatched the necklace up, not bothering with the earrings.
He left the bedroom just in time to catch Toxic stuffing a large cabbage into an almost overflowing canvas bag. He nodded at her and the ginger nodded back and they made their way out and into the hallway. Hero let out a quiet breath and shut the door.
"Hurry," Hero said as she started down the hall, "I don't think -"
"Shit," Toxic breathed as the elevator at the end of the hallway dinged quietly, and opened to reveal two uniformed security guards.
"Hey, kids, you alright? We got a security -" The taller guard's eyes dropped to the necklace in Sin's hand and he drew his gun, pointing it at Sin. "Drop the necklace," he said firmly. The second guard's eyes widened, and he put a cautionary hand on his partner's arm.
"Steve, they're just kids," he murmured gently. Steve shook his head.
"They're thieves, Jerry. Now drop the necklace, and I'll just call your parents and you probably won't go to Juvie. If you cooperate."
Sin's fist tightened around the necklace, and Hero stepped forward slowly, her hands up. "Look, gentlemen, there's no need to -"
"Don't come any closer!" Steve almost shouted, turning his gun to point at Hero.
"Officer," Hero said calmly, no longer approaching the two men, "Just let me explain." She paused, and when Jerry lowered Steve's arm she continued. "I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding. We're putting on a school play, and Mrs. Sanchez, who lives up on this floor, offered to help out. The necklace is plastic, you see, and we just needed one for a prop - the whole play is sort of centered around a magical necklace, and -"
Steve snorted. "If you think I'm going to believe you brats for one second -"
"Steve!" Jerry reprimanded, and he turned to face the thieves. "Look, kids, I'm not saying that I don't believe you, but it is a little suspicious, don't you think?"
"You honestly can't be believing this tosh," Steve set, turning to his partner with an incredulous look on his face. "Besides, she's a dead give away." He gestured to Hero. "If her kind aren't trying to kill you then they're robbing with you. It's just the way it is."
The temperature seemed to drop several degrees, and Sin took a step around Toxic. "I'm sorry?" He asked, his tone worryingly dangerous for a ten-year-old. "What was that?"
"Sin, don't it's not worth it," hissed Hero, but Sin ignored her. "She's a better person than you'll ever be," he spat at the two guards. Steve flushed and he raised his gun again, pushing Jerry to the side slightly.
"Drop the necklace, and maybe I won't shoot you."
At the back of his mind Sin was wondering how Steve even had a gun; Jerry clearly didn't, and he was pretty sure that civilians couldn't just buy guns whenever they wanted.
"Sin," Toxic breathed from the corner of her mouth, "Just drop the necklace and let's get out of here."
"Sir, really, it's just a prop -" Hero started, and there was a loud 'bang'. Sin felt the same white-hot anger and terror he had back with Smitherson, and in the fighting pits. He felt his stomach implode on itself, and he thought he was going to be sick. He whipped his head around to look at Hero, tears forming in the corners of his eyes - but the expression on her face was neither glassy-eyed nor pain-filled. She just looked surprised.
"What the hell?" It was Steve who broke the silence, his previously angry expression now drawn and anxious. There was no sign of the bullet, but there were shards of it littering the floor.
"Steve, you could get arrested," Jerry said anxiously, all the color drained from his face. "You fired on an unarmed child!" Steve took a staggering step back, before turning tail and sprinting down the hall. Jerry gave one last apologetic glance to Hero before chasing after his partner.
"Unbelievable," Hero said incredulously, "They're just going to leave us here?" She
shook her head in disbelief.
"Um - guys," groaned Toxic, and Sin and Hero turned to face the ginger. Sin's jaw gaped in horror at the red blooming from Toxic's left leg. "I… I guess one of the shards hit me, or something, but it - it really hurts, guys," she managed, sliding to the floor.
Hero swore loudly, and she had the dirtiest mouth Sin had ever heard. "We need to wrap the wound - it looks like it didn't hit an artery, there isn't enough blood, so you won't need a tourniquet…" She glanced around, tugging at the end of her hijab.
Sin began to tear the edge of his shirt and Hero nodded in thanks, kneeling down next to Toxic. "You have your pocket knife on you?" She asked Toxic, who nodded, gritting her teeth. Toxic pulled a small gadget from within her right pocket and Hero snatched it up, raising the leg slightly and beginning to cut away the part of Toxic's jeans that was stained red. Toxic hissed in pain and Sin handed the strip of his t-shirt to Hero, biting his lip anxiously.
"Will she - will she be okay?" He asked. Hero nodded and Sin's fear began to drain away, replaced with guilt. It was clearly his magic that had shattered the bullet, and if he had just shoved Hero to the side instead, the shard wouldn't have hit Toxic.
Hero wrapped the strip of cloth around Toxic's leg and tied it tightly. The ginger swore colorfully. "Fucking hell," she stuttered, "That's fucking awful." Hero just shushed her, still holding her leg raised slightly in the air. "God that hurts like a bitch."
Hero turned to Sin. "Get a phone. I don't care how, but get a phone, and call an ambulance." Sin nodded, his stomach roiling with too much guilt to reply. Hero slipped her lock picks from her hijab and handed them to Sin before turning back to Toxic. Sin stood, taking the tools as Hero began to murmur to the slightly younger girl.
Three hours later
Sin tapped his foot incessantly, his gaze fixed on the door that Toxic had been wheeled through. Every so often, his eyes would flick up to the clock beside it, and then turn back to the door.
Shade put a comforting arm around his shoulders. "She'll be fine. I spoke to the doctor, and she said that the shard didn't sever any major arteries, and it didn't even graze the bone. They dug it out and they're just stitching her up. She'll be good as new in no time."
Sin was silent. It was his fault. He should have just dropped the necklace. He should have just shoved Hero out of the way. Now, because of him, Toxic was in surgery."
"How come they haven't called the police yet? Why haven't we all been arrested?" Sin asked instead, not wanting to talk about why he was in such a foul mood.
"Stickler bribed one of his contacts into coming in and pretending to be our foster dad. 'Said he had to get back to work, but was just checking to see if his daughter was okay. He told them he'd be back tonight, so that they wouldn't badger him - or us - but we've got to get Toxic and get out of here before then. We can't risk the police getting involved in this."
When he didn't reply, she turned to look at him. "Sin." She pushed his chin gently in her direction. "You know it's not your fault, right? That you can't be expected to control it?"
He nodded numbly as the door opened and Toxic was rolled out in a wheelchair by a young man in blue scrubs. She looked very pale, but her lips broke out into a grin when she caught sight of Shade, Sin, Stickler and Hero waiting.
The three walked over to meet her. Shade and Hero immediately leant down and embraced Toxic while Sin hung back hesitantly. "Spider would be here," Shade said, her arms around Toxic's shoulders, "But he stayed back with Sparky to watch the little ones." Toxic chuckled and turned her gaze to Sin, holding her arms out.
"Come here, you," she said, her grin goofy. A little of Sin's guilt drained away as he hugged the ginger, smiling faintly.
"I'm glad you're better." He hesitated, before adding, "And - I'm - I'm really sorry for, you know, the bullet shard -"
"Nonsense," Toxic cut him off. "If it wasn't for you, Hero might be dead. Really, we should all be thanking you."
Sin ran his hand through his spiky hair, not convinced. Hero clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Really, Sin," she said quietly. "Thank you."
One Day Later
He had to do something. Everytime Sin heard a loud noise, or someone surprised him, he jumped, and imagined sending another bullet shard flying into another one of his family. Maybe the next time they wouldn't be so lucky; maybe next time, shattering a bullet meant for Spider's brain could embed itself in Roach's heart. He wouldn't be able to live with himself.
He stood up from his mat, everyone but Stickler still sleeping. Stickler was off somewhere trying to fence the necklace Sin had stolen. Careful not to wake the others, he began pacing around the warehouse.
He ran through possible solutions in his mind, each more unpleasant than the next. The only way he could think of to keep his family absolutely safe would be to run away, and there was no way he could bring himself to leave them.
A tiny, unwelcome thought began to worm its way to the forefront of Sin's mind. There was no way he could ask Shade for help controlling his power; she'd all but admitted that he would just have to deal with it, so she clearly wouldn't know how. The only other person who could possibly help him was not someone Sin ever thought he would willingly seek out… but he was desperate.
He slipped on a thin jacket and a pair of beaten-up trainers, before heading over to the small safe that Shade told everyone to stay out of. Sparky had hooked it up with a passcode instead of a key, which was good news for Sin, because he had watched Shade put it in several times and knew the combination. He unlocked the safe, wincing at the beeps that accompanied each pressed button. The door swung open, and two letters, a stack of photographs, a worn book, and what Sin was looking for. The small business card that the blue-haired woman had given him.
He slid it into the pocket of his trainers, gave the rest of the safe's contents one last, curious look, and shut the door as softly as he could. He had no idea where Knockturn Alley was, but there was one other place he might be able to find Elena, or at the very least the blue-haired lady. With the card in his pocket, he slipped out of a side door and retraced his and Spider's steps back to the Fights.
He still had an hour or two of night left, and to his luck, it seemed there was a Fight tonight. He approached the entrance, and Jerome raised his eyebrows at him.
"Well, well, well… if it isn't our little One-Hit Wonder, come back to play. It's been a while, sonny boy," he crowed. "You know the drill - five pounds." He held his hand out expectantly, and Sin hesitated. "No, cash, no entry, kid," Jerome said, crossing his arms.
Sin took the card from his pocket and handed it to Jerome. "Just - just give that to Elena. Or - if there's a girl with blue hair. Just tell them Assassin wants to see them."
Jerome looked doubtful, but he took a step into the courtyard and handed the card to someone else, whispering in their ear, before returning to his post. Sin briefly wondered, as he stood there staring, how much Jerome was paid. And whether Elena ran the whole thing, or was just the commentator. The mouthpiece of some shady underground mob boss who didn't want to show his identity.
It was a very uncomfortable five minutes, with Jerome leering at Sin the entire time. The young wizard pulled at the threads of his raggedy jacket, and when someone finally emerged from the courtyard he breathed a sigh of relief. Then his relief fell away as he met the sharp, deadly gaze of Elena.
"Hello again, Assassin," she said smoothly, her voice like melting velvet. She spoke as if there should be a condescending twinkle in her eye, but her terrible gaze looked as gentle as he had ever seen her, which wasn't exactly saying much, but still. It stopped him from throwing his plan out the window and bolting. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" She handed the small card back to him.
Sin flashed a nervous glance at Jerome, and Elena nodded in understanding. "Jerome, you're dismissed," she told him, her voice full of the confidence of someone who was used to being obeyed. Jerome gave a tense nod and took a skittish step around Elena, heading into the throng.
Sin turned the card over in his fingers. "Are you - are you Elena Van Rau? A - a vampire?" He asked shakily, not daring to tear his gaze away from Elena's.
Surprise flickered in Elena's eyes, but it was gone so quickly Sin almost thought he'd imagined it. It was replaced with a look of calm amusement. "Indeed," she replied silkily, curling her lip up. Sin gasped as he saw long, razor-sharp fangs protruding from Elena's guns. The vampiress chuckled. "So, you know about vampires. I assume you know that you're a wizard, then."
Sin nodded briefly.
"Then what is it you want from me? You seem to know enough about who you are already. That's what the card was for. How is that, I wonder? What manner of magical people have you found solace with, hm?"
Sin ignored the question. "I - I need to know if you can help me control it. My magic. So that it doesn't - so that it doesn't hurt anyone."
Elena raised a delicate eyebrow. "I take it something happened? You wouldn't come to me unless you were desperate."
"I am," Sin replied shortly.
Elena tilted her head, and her lips pulled up into a thin, wicked smile. "That can be arranged. Meet me here again tonight, ten o'clock." And with that, Elena turned around and loped back into the courtyard full of spectators and fighters.
Sin blinked. He hadn't expected it to be that simple - he'd been certain she would require something in return. In fact, it made him uneasy, how agreeable she was being. Hoping against all hope that this deal wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass, he turned around to head back to the warehouse.
He was not looking forward to have to keep the truth from his family. He had never kept such a secret from them before - even when Spider trained him in secret, Spider knew, and it hadn't been so awful when Shade had found out. He couldn't even begin to think of how Shade would react to him willingly seeking out Elena for training, so he swore to himself that he would never tell her; he would get Elena to teach him how to control his powers, and then he would leave.
Now
"Again," Sin said through gritted teeth, and Elena nodded. She rolled the small corner of brick around in her hand before tossing it towards Sin's chest. There was a tiny, wriggling feeling at the back of his mind that he silenced as he forced himself to stay still, and the piece of brick hit his torso. "Fuck," he swore, holding his hand to the aching area.
"Don't swear, Assassin," Elena said ordered. "It's unbecoming. Now, this time, don't force yourself not to react; just control the reaction."
"But you aren't telling me how," Sin growled at her. She ignored him, taking a modest chunk of cement between her long, pale fingers.
"Again."
Sin glared at her, but when she threw the cement, this time he didn't bother to silence the tiny wriggling feeling. He waited for impact - but the cement piece didn't hit him. He gaped as the small rock floated several inches from his chest. "How -" he started, and the piece of cement dropped to the ground. He looked back up Elena, and the woman's expression was much like it had been the first day he'd ever seen her. A hunger in her eyes that made him want to turn and flee.
"Again."
That was the longest chapter I've ever written... sorry guys. It just felt weird, to split it into two. Please please please leave a review!
