Hmmmm...
(stares at single review for story)
...

How sad...

The stars above twinkled coldly, obliviously, to the world so far below. In the darkness, the denizens of the night trod on silent feet and wings, the trees reached up longingly to the sky in the hopes that the life-giving sun may grace them with its warmth once again, and in the city, life went on as normal for those people who made the night their own, be them merely the nocturnal breed of human or the ones of darker mind.

Oracle walked a well-trodden road, familiar and hated at the same time. No one on the dark road spoke to her, no one dared to speak with the imposing teen since the last time, when Oracle had promptly ground a rather distasteful individual into the ground, leaving him with several broken bones and worse. Now, people kept in the shadows when the orange-haired form walked past, as they were doing now.

Oracle walked through this hush unperturbed, her silent boots beating a regular pattern on the concrete below and her eyes flashing ominously every time a car drove past, the lights reflecting off from her strange orbs. Her mind was withdrawn into itself so much that she never noticed anything, thinking about the top of the hill, the sunset, the recent developments in her life, and her impending homecoming. The latter most of all, because she knew that her parents were very likely still locked in, unless they had managed to break a window to get out. But they wouldn't do that; it was too animalistic and unrefined for them.

Her feet suddenly turned down a small side street, heading off into the suburbs of the city and a deeper darkness than the bright neon lights and headlight-ridden roads. This was a place lit only by the occasional, ornate street lamp surrounded by an iron pike fence, a place where stray dogs never roamed the streets and everything was always as it should be. The ritzy neighborhood of the city that was never haunted by the disturbing reports of mass murder or strange events, as were the other areas…

At least, they weren't yet. Oracle was toying with some ideas to really make these 'distinguished' people get a shock.

Finally, she reached the house that was her own, characterized by the fact that it was the only one on the street that still had lights on inside; the neighbors had a thing about getting to bed at a 'reasonable' hour. The girl looked up, snorting at the overdone features. High above her, used pretty much only for decoration and storage, the spires that made the building look like an ancient Victorian castle rose into the sky, the points touching the moon and the resident bats swirling around in search of insects, their black forms only revealed when one or more of them made a swooping dive that brought them into the face of the celestial body.

The old, bloodstained boots clomped noiselessly down a perfect and pristine walkway of white marble, flanked on either side by a short brick wall and a thick hedge that was carved into the shape of various animals at intervals. Oracle brought the house key out of her pocket, the metal clinking against the other, more recently acquired ring of keys that belonged to a certain weapons shop. She jammed it into the door forcefully, throwing the hinged panel of wood open and slamming it behind her as she entered, not even caring that the carpet below her was getting scuffed by her boots or that the panels of glass on either side of the door shuddered from the force of her entrance.

"Oracle!" the shrill, nagging cry of her mother came just before the tall form strode into the room, elegant silk nightgown flowing like a ghost's robes from the thin and delicate body. The girl shuddered, trying not to listen to the voice that wheedled its way past her music and burrowed into her brain like some gigantic malignant tumor of sound, "Where in all the world have you been? We've been so worried about you, your father and I!"

"Out," she replied flatly, moving to brush past her mother and up the stairs without another word, but another tall, distinguished form blocked her, a firm hand gripping her shoulder almost painfully tight. Oracle narrowed her eyes, glaring up at her father as he glared back down at her sternly with his own deep brown gaze.

"That's not good enough this time," he said levelly, "Your mother and I have been talking, Oracle, and we've decided that we can't let you do this anymore. Either you straighten up and act like a normal human being, or don't bother coming back home at all. Our door will no longer be open to you."

"Is that so?" Oracle hid her growing glee behind a blank expression.

"You're nineteen, Oracle," said her mother shrilly, her thin arm snaking around her father's waist. The expression made Oracle try hard not to gag, and she managed to hide her reaction under a fake cough, "You should know better by now than to go gallivanting about this rough neighborhood! Something could have happened to you out there! We love you, Oracle, but we need to make sure you're kept safe. So no more going out at night, okay?"

"You know, mom, you don't make much sense," Oracle said, squirming out of her father's grip and leaning against the wall before smirking at her sadly misguided parents, "I just graduated, and like you said, I'm nineteen. That means that I really don't have to listen to you at all."

Her father stuttered, mouth opening and closing like that of a fish, and her mother gasped and fell into a lady-like swoon that Oracle promptly snorted at, not even bothering to try and catch the woman before she hit the carpet hard.

"I'll be out in a few minutes," Oracle said, clomping up the stairs and leaving her parents below, still stunned and gibbering at the abominable behavior of their daughter. Oracle didn't really care; all that was on her mind was the opportunity to finally get out of this place. She smiled widely as she trod down the dark hall to her room, wondering if somehow everything that had happened on this day was meant to be. She had a place where she could stay at, freedom from school, and no more parents to have to deal with. Her life was finally taking an upward spiral!

Almost joyfully, Oracle threw open the door to her room, pausing in the doorway to look at the place –her refuge- one last time. She had spent many years in the place, this bare-walled, featureless room with hardwood floors and a small, plain bed. A single, squat dresser sat next to the bed, on top of which were several pieces of paper with various penciled shapes and creatures. Next to that, set into the wall, was a gigantic closet that held just two shirts of exactly the same make and color of the one she was wearing, and a moderately large duffel bag that Oracle had collected in case of just this situation.

With a small grin, Oracle strode into the room, snatching up the duffel bag and stuffing her shirts into the bottom, opening the drawer and doing the same with her other items of clothing and some of her more important possessions. Even with every piece of attire she owned and all of her CDs, the bag was barely half full, and Oracle looked around the room for more to pack into it. She had never owned much, besides her CD player, CDs, and various art tools that she used from time to time… with that thought; she tossed in some of her drawings and sketching pencils, as well as some batteries for her CD player. But there was nothing else left to pack besides those scant items.

Nothing left for it now, she thought to herself as she hefted the blue bag on her shoulder, careful not to disturb the still-running CD player as she took one final look at the room that now had a strange feeling of emptiness that it hadn't had before, Time to get out of here.

Oracle swept out of the room, closing the door behind her out of habit, and strode down the stairs. Her parents weren't there, which was probably just as well, considering that Oracle would have no regrets about killing them if they tried to stop her; they had made the offer, after all, and she was going to leave whether they liked it or not. There was absolutely nothing tying her to this place anymore.

Well, except for…

With a sigh, Oracle turned on her heel and made her way towards the coat racks, fumbling about in the material before triumphantly pulling out an overly thick wallet and stripping it bare of everything, shoving what she took into her duffel bag and shrugging as she made her way out the door, which still had the key lodged firmly in the lock on the outside. The girl took the key out of the lock as she paused just outside the door, the handle still held in her limp hand as she cocked her head, as if listening to some unseen force, before she reached into the duffel bag and pulled out one of the various items she had stolen from the wallet.

Almost dramatically, Oracle swiped the match against the lighting paper, face framed by the eerie orange glow and eyes blazing with the inferno before she tossed it inside, watching the weak, sputtering flame just long enough to make sure it caught the carpet, spreading slowly like some infant virus on a path of destruction. With a snort, Oracle shoved the key back into the lock, twisting it before gently closing the door on the impending mayhem and striding calmly down the walkway, feeling happy enough to hum along with the track that had come on as she left her old life behind forever.

Feel no mercy, feel no pain, she thought as she hummed, closing her eyes slightly as she whirled onto the sidewalk, her feet unconsciously taking her in the direction of the only place she had left to go, I have no regrets.

But I am thirsty…

With that thought in mind, the direction of her feet took a slight detour, heading for another place that she often frequented when she had just finished a bout of training at the weapons shop. The night was deep and relatively silent around her; the only sound the faint call of crickets chirping and the dull roar of a car starting up from any one of a number of various nightclubs or dance parties that were held every night in the inner working of the city. Oracle lifted her face to the cold light of the moon as she walked, reveling in the soft intrusion of the weak illumination on her eyelids before she slowly opened them, hand moving to turn down the volume of her CD player as she listened for a repeat of the strange sound she had caught past her music.

Nothing but the sight of the cold night shadows and the whisper of the breeze could be heard, and if it was possible Oracle would have narrowed her eyes even further in suspicion as she made her way down the street. Her old neighborhood had been left far, far behind, further than even distance could account for, and only the fact that her new destination was coming into sight stopped the girl from halting to investigate the strange anomaly that had interrupted her twice in the same day.

It was a squat; square building, set on the corner of an almost deserted intersection. In appearance, it looked much like the weapons shop, except that the windows weren't boarded up and the lit sign towering on a pole high above the glass door -and also a double of it just above the entrance- was bright and vivid, reading in gigantic letters '24/7'. The inside that could be seen from the dark street through the large glass windows shone with light and color, several small racks of merchandise just crying out to be bought and consumed. From what Oracle could see, there was no one inside except for a rather bored looking clerk that was leaning against the counter, drawing something on a notepad with a pen.

Oracle pushed open the door, faintly hearing the sharp ring of the bell through her headphones and seeing the clerk straighten up from his bored position upon hearing the sound, looking at her with slight suspicion in his gaze as she ignored him to look over the racks in the store, considering the different items on the shelves. Nothing there looked particularly good, and as Oracle looked at the clock above the door, she knew that she needed to hurry if she wanted to get what she came here for before the machines were turned off

The girl made her way towards the back of the small convenience store, which really wasn't much more than five paces away from where she had been looking, before. With a smooth movement, Oracle lifted a cup from the dispenser on the back counter, considering her choices with an appraising eye as she folded her arms in contemplation. The machine before her gurgled as the contents swirled about inside, the three different colors of beverage just asking to be bought and tasted by the girl.

Icy ham? Oracle asked herself with a raised eyebrow, immediately discarding that choice without even having to consider. Her eyes roved to the next; a red drink the color of fresh blood, Cherry Doom? Hmmm… I do like cherry, and doom is always nice, but…

Her eyes reached the last choice, and Oracle grinned an evil grin, setting her cup under it and pressing the release handle. The machine sputtered to life, yielding the soft, icy goo within to the waiting cup below, the cold of the stuff causing a small wisp of mist to wrap around the container as it touched the slightly warm sides. Oracle waited until the stuff was threatening to overflow before finally releasing the tap, slapping a plastic dome cap on the cup and whirling on her heel, aware of the clerk watching her as she flipped a straw out of the dispenser and strode up to the counter, fumbling in her pocket for the money to pay for it. Finally, she pulled out a few dollars, and handed them over to the clerk, who took them with a squinted eye before he shrugged, ringing up the total on the register.

Oracle pocketed the change he handed back to her with a cold glare of her own, making the clerk gulp nervously as a single drop of sweat appeared on his right temple, and promptly turned to go when another ring alerted her to the presence of a third entity entering the store. She paused in mid-step, aware of the clerk looking at her as her gaze froze in surprised recognition which she immediately wiped from her face, lest the other notice and grow suspicious.

Really, the tall, shadowy form that entered the convenience store didn't look as if he was paying attention to much of anything at the moment, considering his head was down and his mysterious eyes were staring blankly at his long boots as he made his way unerringly to the back of the store, to the same machine that Oracle had so recently visited. The girl stared after him for a moment in slight curiosity, then shrugged and went outside, setting her duffel bag on the sidewalk as she leaned up against the concrete wall of the store, feeling the cold of the stone seep through her shirt and into her skin. Surprisingly, the glaive that Oracle had hidden was warm against her back, as if it had gathered a life of its own from the warmth of hers.

Languidly, Oracle unwrapped the straw she held, sticking it into the cup and sipping the freezing beverage as she closed her eyes.

Frosty Peanut isn't bad, she commented to herself as she rolled the taste about in her mouth. It was much like peanut butter, although sharper and more defined, not to mention ice cold and probably filled with caffeine. The girl almost regretted never having tried the Brainfreezys before in all the times she had been to the store; I'll have to try it more often.

The door dinged as it was opened, and Oracle opened one eye, her gaze shifting over marginally as she saw the mysterious figure walk out, a Cherry Brainfreezy in his hand. Instantly, the glaive against her back became ice cold, screaming at her voicelessly, and Oracle barely held in a gasp of shock. The weapon faded from its iciness almost instantaneously, but the meaning of its sudden signal was clear, and Oracle sighed slightly in exasperation before speaking aloud.

"Hey," she said, seeing the other pause and turn slowly, his intriguing gaze lifted just enough so that he could see her and the straw of the beverage sticking almost comically out of his mouth. His eyebrow rose in a questioning manner as the girl continued, "I've seen you around, and I was wondering if you might be interested in a little… competition?"

There was a pause, where the man slowly took the straw from his mouth and rose a hand to his chin, squinting at the girl that was still leaning against the wall and looking at him from one open eye, "What do you mean?" he asked finally.

With a shrug, Oracle reached back and with a quick movement had the glaive in her hand. She brought it into the light, twirling it slowly on her fingers so that it flashed in regular intervals in the reflected light from the store windows. The man before her looked on impassively, and then resumed sucking on the Brainfreezy straw before looking at the girl strangely.

"I don't know how I know, but I have a feeling that you know how to use things like this," Oracle said flatly, taking note of just the barest twitch of the man's eyes that signaled she had been correct. She fought down a smirk at the confirmation, "I've been itching to find someone who could match me in a fight for a while now," with a movement so fast that it was a blur, she had sheathed the weapon and returned to sipping at her straw, her headphones switching over to a new track as she focused her eye on the other, "If you're interested, meet me at sunset tomorrow at the overlook. I trust you know where that is."

With that, Oracle opened her other eye and leaned down to grab her duffel bag, throwing it over her shoulder and nodding at the slightly surprised, motionless man, a grin crossing her mouth.

"Nice meeting you," she said impassively as she walked silently off into the shadows, leaving the thin silhouette behind without a second glance, "And bring as many blades as you want; I like a challenge."

The man remained motionless as he watched her go, one eyebrow raised almost into his sparse, antenna-like hair. Finally, he shrugged and headed toward where he had been going before being interrupted, namely his car. The wind picked up, blowing several stray leaves across the street in front of him and rustling his hair before he reached out to take the handle.

"That was odd," he said to himself as he paused for a moment, gaze slowly moving back furtively over his shoulder towards the shadows where the girl had disappeared. He wasn't used to having people speak to him for anything other than insults, especially now that his hair had been partially lost. In fact, he wasn't used to people speaking to him at all.

What was with that girl?

"Oh, well," he mused, sucking up the last of the Cherry Doom Brainfreezy happily, "Sounds like fun."

Oooh, look. Tis Nny, for all you rabid Nny fans out there XD
Next chapter is really... well, twisted.
But I must have reviews, or I won't post it. I'm just evil like that.