A/N: Since I rarely have much to say, why not instead replace the Author's Note with random quotes? As of now, the A/N shall now be the random quote of awesomeness.
I long to fly in total freedom
And yet these chains keep dragging me down
I want to be an angel of the devil himself
But I am nothing but a creature
Longing for the things I can't have
And the slit goes through my very soul
It's a wound that never mends
-The English version of Tanz der Vampires (Dance of the Vampires), Endless Appetite (Die unstillbare gier)
Sorry for the late chapter! I had writer's block…AGAIN.
Allie pulled away from Kal not much longer than a minute later, her face wet and her throat feeling raw. "S-sorry," she hiccupped, sniffling.
"Oh, don't be," he drawled, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "I'm used to emotional human females waking up from a magic-induced trance, breaking down, and soaking my shirt. It happens quite often, you know."
She sighed and wiped her nose on the back of her hand, wishing for a handkerchief. "I had some really bad…dreams."
Kal had peeled off his shirt; now he tossed it into her lap. "Here." He looked down at his chest; the skin there was taunt and shiny, as if it had a mild burn. "Let me guess," he said as she wiped her face clean, "you dreamed about me again."
"How did you--"
"Second time you woke up crying from a dream."
"Oh." She looked down at his shirt, and held it out. Kal shook his head.
"You actually think I want it back?"
"Guess not. Thanks." She put it down next to her, thinking back to what happened before she passed out. "I think…I saw a ghost. Before."
Kal shrugged. "It was some sort of hallucination, that's for sure."
"It was your mother."
He'd been staring off into the distance, pretending to be interested with a tree. Slowly, he turned his head and his eyes met hers. Allie flinched; she couldn't help it. It was the scariest she'd seen those eyes of his. There seemed to be miniature, jewel-colored flames dancing in them. "What?" he said, very softly.
"Torelie." She swallowed and cleared her throat, thinking that she must have been insane to have been hugging him not a minute before. "Your mother. I saw her ghost, think."
"Stop saying her name." She watched as one of his hands curled into a tight fist, his black skin turning grey over the knuckles, the way it went white if she did. Blood presently began to trickle out of his fist. "Say that name again, and I'll--"
"You can't kill me. You said so yourself. You said if you even raised a hand against me, you'd be hurt worse than I would."
"And how would that bother me, Princess?" He lifted his hand, as if noticing for the first time that it was bleeding. With almost conscious effort, he relaxed it; his claws had nearly gone all the way through his palms. "You were hallucinating, that's all."
"But Torelie--"
"Don't mention that bitch's name!" he yelled.
Allie yelled right back. "Why are you getting so upset?"
"Because I hate her! I hate all of them, understood?"
"Even your brother?" That seemed to strike a nerve. Kal fell silent, and blinked.
"What?"
"Your brother. Drel. D'you hate him, too?"
"Are you crazy?" he asked incredulously. He pushed back his hair with one hand, running his fingers through the knots. "I don't have a brother."
"Yes, you do!" Allie insisted. "I saw him in my dream, or whatever that was! He--"
Kal shook his head. "I don't have a brother," he repeated. "I'd know it if I did. I'm not stupid, Princess."
"But--"
He cut her off. "Just drop the subject. Go to sleep, or something. We'll leave tomorrow."
"But why tomorrow?"
He seemed to hesitate. "I want…I just have something to do, alright?" With an annoyed shake of his head, he flew into the treetops, then, using the branches like they were beams, walked out of sight.
Allie sighed and closed her eyes. He's not a nice person, or even polite, that'll never change.
But now…I know why. At least I know.
God, all that death…
Despite the fact that she had just awoke, she found herself drifting back into sleep. Before she did, she head, faint and distant, a violin.
"'Yanriizu kal'que…durrin ven reqq sae…kara na-te uaex'e…'" Kal murmured the words under his breath, in time to his music.
'sa'yeh, na-te tar'en, na-te deh', Death finished, landing on a branch a few feet above Kal's head and earning a dirty glare.
"Who asked you, crow?"
You used to sing that in your sleep, that's all. When you were younger.
Kal shot him another look and flexed his fingers. "Maybe you've heard of this thing; it's very highly coveted and even freaks like me want it: privacy, you kiiyen." He glanced down at the violin, and then began putting it back into its case. I can't even play anymore without someone interrupting me. Any longer and I'll start to get rusty. "You had nothing better to do than spy on me in my sleep, did you?" That, and always be turning up and cawing away when I want to be left the hell alone.
No, not really, Death confessed, but, like, I said, it was when you were younger…Gods, you must have been around four or five. Hard to imagine you being so young and innocent.
"Save your reminiscing for someone who actually wants to listen, crow."
Death shrugged, an odd gesture on a bird. You weren't so snappy back then, at least. Then, you didn't wake up in the middle of the night and decide you'd like to get into a quick fight or kill something…in fact…all you did back then, really, was…he trailed off, and automatically flapped away to a higher branch before Kal decided he wanted to hit him.
Kal narrowed his eyes. "You were going to say 'cry', weren't you, you little feathery bastard? You wanted to say 'all you did back then was cry'."
Um…no?
Kal shook his head. "You like to rub it in, don't you? It's funny, isn't it, the mass-murderer crying? Hilarious… 'Kara na-te uaex'e, Kalendrakk, kara, sa kiiyen-taraken, kii-kii, kii-kii, uaex'e drakk. Well, all you did was fly away, like a coward, then come back to pick at the kills, like a flea-bitten crow. You were a coward."
Forget I even said anything, Death sighed. You're just too unstable around… this time. Why don't you go to sleep and rest? In the morning, you can drop Alison off somewhere safe…
"Heh, safe. What the hell is 'safe'? Nothing's safe. No where's safe, not for me or her or--"
--and then you can leave for home early.
"'Home'? Since when is that deserted, ice-filled, warped, rotted cursed shack my--"
I give up! Death exclaimed in exasperation. There's no point trying to talk to you! You're as stubborn as an ox!
Kal smiled slowly after Death had left, and flexed his fingers, working the stiffness out of them.
Finally…now I can play my music in peace.
Allie yawned, waking up and wondering why the hell it was so cold.
"Took you long enough," Kal grumbled. "We're nearly there."
"Hmmm?" She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "What're you talking about?"
"You're staying at that annoying brunette's house for a few days…what's her name…the short one that hit me."
"What? Mel?"
"That's right."
Allie finally opened her eyes and could see that they were flying under the low rain clouds. So that's why I'm cold. God, in the morning, I'm so dozy…why didn't I notice it when I first woke up? Silly. She saw that Kal, though he was shirtless, didn't even have goose bumps. That's right, he like the cold…or something like that.
"That's great!" Allie began finger-combing out her hair. "We can get your clothes…I think we left them in her room or somewhere! And I really need a bath…and maybe we could fix your hair up!"
"I'm not staying," Kal told her. "I have…plans."
"What plans?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"Probably not." She dug into her bag, which was now showing considerable signs of wear, and dug out her hairbrush. "I probably look horrible…do I look horrible?"
"You look like a disgusting, repulsive human Princess, as always."
Stung, she elbowed him in the stomach (avoiding what looked like a recently-scabbed over bullet wound) and tried brushing out the worst of the snarls and knots. "I don't know why I even bother."
"That makes two of us, Princess." He shifted her in his arms, and she dropped the brush.
"Oh, nice going! What if that falls on someone? They could get hurt! And that was my favorite hairbrush! Do you know how much that thing was worth?"
Kal grumbled and shook is head. "Ranting this early in the morning? What if I were to get fed up with that, and let you follow after your brush?"
"Like you would actually do that."
"Do you want to find out?"
"No." She crossed her arms and pouted. "I'll borrow one of Mel's." She yawned again and turned her face out of the wind, but that meant she had to stare at Kal. Oh, well. Win/lose situation, I guess. "You never said where you got all of those scars, did you?"
"Not that I remember." He favored her with an irritated glance. "I thought it was obvious."
"No, not really. So…where did you get them all?"
Kal dipped his wings and they were suddenly flying down. "Why don't we save that for another time? And understand that when I say 'another time', I mean probably never." He landed hard at the gates of Mel's manor, jarring Allie and making her teeth clatter. The guards at the gate rushed to them and raised their muskets.
"Jeff! Matt!" Allie yelled, waving her hand and squirming out of Kal's arms. "It's me, Allie! And it's alright, he's my friend!" Hm, I think I just got a sense of déja-vu right now…
"Mademoiselle Alison! Welcome back!" Jeff opened the gates after setting down his musket. Matt did the same. "You've been gone for quite a while."
"Yes, I guess I have. Mel's here, right?"
"Up in her room, I think, with Mademoiselle Kelly and Messieurs Keith and Jordan," Matt said.
"Thank you." Allie gestured Ka to follow her, but he lingered at the gates.
"I'd rather cut off my right hand."
She glared at him and responded telepathically Kalendrakk Raee, you're coming with me, and you're going to say "hello" to my friends, whether you want to or not.
-bitch- he cursed, but walked behind her nonetheless.
"Mel! Kelly!" Allie squealed, tackling both of them in excitement.
Jordan crossed his arms and pretended to pout. "What, no hugs for us? What are we, chopped liver?"
Allie giggled and released Kelly and Mel. "I missed you all so much!"
"Then why didn't you write us?" Mel asked pointedly, after Allie had finished her hugs.
"Oh…oh, oops!" She blushed and sat down in a free chair. "I forgot all about that! I was so busy, just last month, and…I forgot."
"Can I go now?" Kal grumbled. Everyone looked up, al surprised (minus Allie) to see him leaning against the doorframe and scowling.
"Hey, you're still with him?" Kelly asked.
"Where else would I have been?" Kelly didn't answer, but shrugged.
"I don't know." But Allie caught something that sounded like a whisper…but inside her head.
With your senses, wherever they went.
Did I just read Kelly's thoughts?
"Well, we're still…traveling," Allie told them, choosing the first word that came to mind, "but we're stopping here for a bit."
"You're stopping here for a bit," Kal corrected her. "I have plans."
Keith adjusted his glasses in his usual, familiar way. "Really? What are you doing?"
"That's none of your business, kiiyen drose-t're."
"What?" Keith frowned. "What did you just call me?"
"You don't want to know," Allie and Kal said at the same time, drawing a laugh from her group. Kal just grumbled to himself and sat down.
"So, tell me…what have you all been doing the past month-and-a-half?"
Kelly grinned impishly. "Do you have a few hours to spare?"
Kal protested loudly, and Allie grinned back. "We have all the time in the world…and please, take your time." She flashed Kal a grin similar to Kelly's. "And don't leave out any details…"
