Chapter 3 – No Man's Land
2021
Luz was at the top of a building, watching the city as if waiting for it to tell her where to go. The sun was starting to go down and the moon was already clearly visible on the sky. The usual sounds of the city were all she could hear; cars, people talking, a TV with a really high volume. It seemed to be a peaceful afternoon on the Isles.
She was about to start moving to the next rooftop when she felt something tying up around her ankle, trapping her in the spot. It was a really thick vine that was tightly gripping her left leg, hurting her a little in the process.
Turning around to see where it came from, she saw a creature she had never seen before. It looked like a humanized mass of dirt that was, at least, two and a half meters tall; the vine coming out of one of its arms.
Another noise at her right made her turn her head to see what she could only describe as a griffin, just as big as the creature that trapped her, with a girl riding it as if the thing was a horse.
Then, the sound of footsteps made her look at her left, where a werewolf looking creature was, looking at her with its eyes shining in a bright red color.
Anxiousness crept through her back as she assessed the situation. She was surrounded by magical creatures, maybe even demons, and there was no way she could fight all of them alone. Even one of them would be a challenge. Her hands went cold with fear as she swallowed deeply, moving her left leg to see if she could escape the grip of the vine only to find that it would be useless to try.
The noise of steps on her right made her look again at the creature to see that the girl that had been riding it had come down and was walking towards her. It was there when she recognized her; she was one of the "troublemakers", a thing that confused her even more. Why would they be attacking her? Were they attacking her?
Also, she obviously knew about them and their individual "hero names", but she always thought they were just things people made up. Abomination, Griffin and Werewolf seemed like cool names to call them on TV, but she never really put much thought on why they called them that. She thought it was just something born out of rumors even if she knew magic really exists.
"Hi, copycat. Do you have a minute to talk?" Griffin approached her slowly, taking her out of her thoughts.
"What do you mean with "copycat", girl?" She asked, trying to sound as if she was not really scared at the situation she was in.
"Come on! I know you're not the real Owl Lady. You don't even have magic. Otherwise, I don't think you would have stayed there willingly." The girl sat at an empty plastic box beside her. "Now, we're not here to attack, but if we were, you would be a rag on the floor right now. We just have some questions, ok? So, why don't you sit down and we end this quickly?" Taking a look at the other three creatures surrounding her, she decided it would be best to do as they said and try to get out of that situation without a fight, so she sat down, feeling the vine on her foot fade away. "Nice. Now…" The girl signaled to the mass of dirt in front of her. "He's Abomination…" Then she signaled to the wolf. "He's Werewolf…" And lastly, she pointed at her chest. "I'm Griffin."
The sound of dirt moving made her look at Abomination again, seeing a man coming out of the dirt and approaching them slowly with a friendly smile on his face. Then she looked at Werewolf and saw that, on its place, there was only a tiny dog wearing glasses as if it was a person, also approaching them.
"Sorry I trapped you. I just wanted to make sure you didn't run away and made us run. I hate running in that dirt." The guy that came out of the abomination spoke in a friendly way and she just nodded, still confused and with her heart beating fast.
"You do have magic." She spoke almost in a whisper, but they were able to hear her still.
"Unlike you who are supposed to be a very powerful witch." The girl beside her said teasingly, as if trying to make her react and say something she could regret.
"I lost my magic the last time I fought Raventhorn. She took it from me with a curse." The lie came out of her mouth smoothly, having practiced it a thousand times on her head.
"Did your last spell was a de-aging one? Even though I can't see your face, I can tell you're younger than us. You still have the voice of a teenager. Besides, without magic, there's no way you could go around fighting crime at your supposed age. Taking out five armed men at your forties? It's just…" Before the girl could finish the sentence, she spoke again, trying to make her voice deeper.
"What do you want from me?" Her question made the girl chuckle and that actually made her kind of mad. Where they there just to pick on her?
"We just want to know what kind of copycat you are. Are you going to keep the Owl Lady's legacy or are you trying to ruin her reputation?" Abomination finally spoke, making the question as if it was just a regular thing you could ask a friend.
"Why do you care?" She answered with a little anger on her voice.
"We just want to make sure you're not an evil girl using the costume of a hero to do whatever she wants. After all, Raventhorn's return and yours were really close. So close that it might not be a coincidence." Griffin said.
"I'm trying to do the right thing, just like the three of you. I didn't know Raventhorn would be back and neither am I working with her." At her answer, the girl beside her stood up.
"That's good to hear. Now, last question: Have you ever been arrested?" The question confused and surprised her.
"No. Why?" Griffin started walking towards the actual creature named like that and the others started getting away from her too.
"Because the police has your DNA now, from last night's scene. If you're not on their system, you should keep it that way or else they will go after you." The girl hopped on the creature's back. "Let me warn you about something: We're not the only ones capable of using magic. If you mess with them, they might not be as gentle as we are." With a light movement from her leg, the creature spread its wings and started to fly. "Take care!" That was the last thing she could hear as the girl got further away.
With a quick look, she saw that there was no one with her on the rooftop again, a sight that made her sigh in relief.
Frustration came after that at how useless she had felt. Even if Eda had warned her about people with magic, she never thought that the advantage they would have against her would be something that noticeable.
Maybe the older woman was right and she should have waited a little more before going out to be a hero.
She shook that thought, thinking that there was no better and faster way to learn than with experience.
And so, she thought about her next movement. If people were thinking she and Raventhorn were together in some kind of crime partnership, then she needed to find her and bring her down, for good this time.
2015
"Are you serious? Don't you just want a partner to play ping pong?" Luz asked her as she took the racket from the table.
"I mean, it is a pretty fun game, but it will also help you with your reflexes. If our previous training tells me anything, it's that you won't be able to get even a single point for a while." The witch took a racket and the ball from the table too, getting into position.
"But why this? There are other sports in which the whole body moves, right? Wouldn't that be more helpful?" The older woman sighed and left the racket on the table again.
"I wasn't kidding when I said your reflexes are horrible. I'm sure you would end with a broken bone if I take you to play basketball or soccer so, we will start with something that won't get you hurt."
2021
"Detectives Amity, Emira and Edric, please come to my office immediately." Captain Clawthorne spoke with a serious look without entering the break room and then left in a hurry, making them all look at each other in confusion.
The three of them stood up, leaving the folders and papers they had been reading on the table and walking towards the captain's office quickly, freezing at the sight that greeted them as soon as they stepped inside.
"Father… I mean… Commissioner Blight…" Edric spoke, now as serious as the captain had looked.
"Detectives." The man sitting in front of the desk greeted them without standing up and with a calm look on his face. A look he always seemed to have.
"Commissioner Blight came to hear all about our investigation on the Raventhorn case so, please, tell him everything you have." The three of them nodded and then looked at each other after their captain's words, as if trying to pick which one should start.
"We found almost a ton of drugs on a warehouse after someone called the police saying they heard gunshots. When we got to the scene, we were able to catch four men that were still there and we also seized the drugs." Emira spoke first, trying to sound as professional as she could. Her father only nodded, expecting them to continue.
"On the scene we also found a napkin with an address and, once we went to check it out, we found another man involved in the shooting." Edric continued, earning another nod from his father.
"Upon interrogation, they all confirm that they fought against the vigilante we know as the owl lady, but they all refused to talk about Raventhorn and asked for a lawyer once we tried to get some more information." After Amity's words, the commissioner stood up and sighed.
"You didn't find anything that could lead us to Raventhorn or the owl lady." He said instead of asking, making the detectives shook their heads.
"We found some blood that, according to the suspects, came from a wound they inflicted upon the owl lady, but we didn't get a match in our system." Emira spoke quickly, trying to justify their lack of progress.
"And, just like on the old cases, Raventhorn's drugs are untraceable without the perps' cooperation." Edric said as soon as her sister finished, backing her up.
"Those old cases are from twenty years ago, when we didn't have the resources we have today." Alador walked towards the door and, before he went out, he turned to look at Lilith. "This is a very important case. Everyone in the city is already talking about it and about how the department was unable to do anything twenty years ago so, I expect you all to do your best so that we can catch both, Raventhorn and the owl lady as soon as possible." Without waiting for an answer, he left, walking with his head high as if he had won an argument, but the Blight siblings knew that was just his usual way of walking.
"I wouldn't have liked to pressure you since I know you're the best detectives I have, but I guess we are all under pressure now. Your shift is almost over and I won't force you into taking overtime, but if you can, please do it." The captain's words came out with a tired tone, unlike other times she had asked them to stay a few more hours. "But please, don't rush things and do your jobs well. I know the commissioner made it seem like we're going nowhere, but this was just the first day of our investigation so, keep doing your jobs as usual." The three of them nodded without saying anything and waited to see if the captain would say something else. "Dismiss." The three of them nodded again and walked out of the office quickly, still rattled about having seen their father.
Emira smiled at her phone in the elevator when she saw the text from her girlfriend telling her that she was already outside of her apartment, feeling excitement run through her body. It had been a while since they had managed to have a night for themselves due to their jobs and Viney's other activities so, she couldn't wait to be with her again, even if they were just going to watch a movie and have dinner together.
That was why she almost ran towards the brunette as soon as the elevator door's opened, although she had seen her earlier that day.
"Hey, cutie. Waiting for someone?" She said as she hugged the other girl tightly.
"Yes, actually. I was waiting for a beautiful girl but it seems I got the wrong apartment." Viney hugged her back and chuckled after her own comment.
"You're so mean. If you weren't so adorable, I would be mad right now. Like, really mad." They both laughed as they broke the hug so that she could open the door.
"So, you were able to get out on time today even with that big case you have." The shorter girl said as they both walked through the door, taking off their coats.
"Yeah. Ed and Mittens lent me a hand on that. They just asked for something in return." She hung her coat and took her girlfriend's to do the same.
"What is it?" She put an arm around the brunette's neck, bringing her closer to her.
"They want to meet you. And I want you to meet them too so that Ed stops teasing me about having an imaginary girlfriend." The brunette laughed as they walked towards the couch.
"But he's right, though. I'm too good to be real and you know it." Now it was her turn to laugh, letting go of her grip on Viney.
"Someone's pretty confident today." The shorter girl went to sit at the couch while she walked to the fridge to get a can of soda.
"I'm just stating the facts." She giggled at the comment and, with a soda on her hand, went to sit at the couch again. "Also, we met the owl lady today. Barkus was able to finally locate her."
"Really!?" Emira sat at the other end of the couch and then moved to lay on her girlfriend's lap, looking at her with surprise.
"Well, we met the copycat, but yeah."
"And what do you think of her?"
"She's young. Probably younger than us. And I was right; she has no magic." She made a surprised sound but didn't say anything to let Viney continue. "Also, I don't think she's connected to Raventhorn. She seemed to be just a girl that wants to be like her hero."
"I've heard so much today about how it couldn't be a coincidence they both returned almost at the same time, that I was starting to believe it too, honestly."
"I thought so too, but it seems we were wrong."
"Do you think she's actually good, then?"
"Yeah, I think so. I also think she will die young since she has no magic, but I can't judge her on her lifestyle." Emira sat again and opened the soda can, drinking from it and getting closer to the brunette.
"Then, why don't you help her?" Putting an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders, she rested her head on hers.
"I'm not sure about that. If she dies, then it would be our responsibility."
"You're right. But enough about that. Let's get to the good stuff." At her words, Viney turned to look at her with an enticing look.
"Really? I thought you wanted to see a movie and have dinner first." A light blush appeared on her face as she giggled at the brunette's comment.
"That's what I meant." She lowered her head to kiss her girlfriend tenderly. "But I wouldn't mind if we change the order a little." The shorter girl returned the kiss and quickly got on top of her, making her heart beat with anticipation and forgetting about everything else she had on her mind. Those problems would still be there in the morning.
Willow sighed with relief once she stepped out of the precinct, taking comfort in the cold air that moved her hair gently.
Ever since she was moved to the night shift, she had been feeling more tired than ever. The last couple of days had been the last straw.
She had been helping on Raventhorn's case, moving evidence around, making sure everything was in the right place in case it was needed, a task that was proving to be extremely difficult, given the amount of cops working on the same case and also, the amount of evidence they had on it.
That was why she decided to take a quick break away from all the noises inside the building, and there was no better place for that than the parking lot.
The parking lot was dimly lit by the street lightning, reflecting on the cars parked on it. The street was quiet too, which was a good thing because it meant there was no emergency now, since it was always filled with cops waiting to be called when something was happening.
After calming her nerves for a few minutes, she decided to go back inside and keep working on all the paperwork she had to do but, before she could go back inside, she saw a silhouette approaching her slowly, completely covered by the shadows of the night.
"Officer Park." The silhouette called her, still approaching her slowly until she could finally see who it was; the owl lady.
"You…" She spoke, surprised. "Why are you here? How?" Placing a hand on top of her gun, ready to take it out, she kept looking at the vigilante before her, now at only a couple meters away from her.
"I think we can help each other in order to find Raventhorn and bring her down for good."
Hey! So, I was a little late for this week's update, but I've been very bussy.
First: I'm still drawing kind of a cover for each chapter on my twitter so, if you wanna go see them, you can find me at gloomy_autumn and you will also see the other atrocities I sometimes post. This week I drew the cover for the chapter and also a sketch of the troublemakers.
Second: Maybe you don't know but, my main thing when it comes to art is music so, I made an intro for the fic (just a short thing) to like, I don't know, expand this story even further. I had a lot of fun doing it so, if you wanna listen to it, you can check my twitter where I posted the link (bc I can't post it here).
I will be doing some soundtracks for future chapters/scenes too so, suscribe if you liked this first one.
Now, back to the actual story, there are a couple of things I have to comment on: 1) I didn't write much about Alador or how the siblings feel around him because I felt like I would spoil some of the things that will happen in the next few chapters by doing so.
Before I write a story, I think about it until I've finished it in my head and I can never tell either how long will it take me to write it or how much content I will be able to put in each chapter so, some times things go a little slow, like in this chapter. Yet, I can assure you this is not the last time we see Alador and Odalia will also appear in the future.
And, 2) As you also noticed, the Lumity in this fic is going at a snail speed for the same reason I just mentioned. It will not take that long to set up but, it will take a while to get there (there's a lot of action that needs to happen before they even get a date) so please, bear with me. I promise you, Lumity will happen.
Anyway. This was chapter 3 and I hope you're really enjoying the story so far!
Thank you for your support and see you next week (most likely)!