Ch. 4

Fate was both kind and cruel to us that day. On one hand, my brother and I got to spend a wonderful morning together. On the other hand, it was last good memory we would have for a long time.
~

The cliffs above the beaches were widely considered hazardous. Although the meadows above them were lush and often blooming with wild flowers, the rocky walls kept even the bravest of souls away. Sheer and jagged, anyone unfortunate to fall from their heights would face a straight drop into churning waters and hidden rocks. Thus, very few dared to traverse the grassy plains overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Rin and James, however, had no such fear. Rin had long since used the cliffs as a favorite jumping spot and had taken first taken James there when he had turned four. The two siblings had since claimed the cliffs as "their spot" and no one had ever shown up to dispute the claim. In fact, they were always the only ones there. Oh sure, people did meander along the cliff edges or try to scale the rocky walls every so often, but Fate was kind enough to keep such explorers away whenever the half-demon and her brother were around.

Now, Rin's powerful wings easily carried the two of them up to the grassy plains. James slid off his sister's back and trotted to sit at the edge of the cliff. His brown eyes shone as he viewed the sparkling sea below them. Rin watched him, sitting down on the soft grass and letting her wings hang loose.

"Doesn't get much better than this, does it?" she asked.

"I love it up here," James answered. He paused and looked back at his sister. "If more people had wings, do you think they'd come here?"

"Maybe. Good thing I'm the only one!" Rin flopped back onto the thick grass and stretched her wings. The bony spikes on the edges of the membrane clipped grass and dug furrows into the soft dirt. A good sign; Rin made sure to keep the spikes on her wings as sharp as her claws. With the upcoming trip to a foreign city looming over her head, Rin wanted to be ready for anything.

"Do you think there are cliffs like this in New York?" James asked.

"I doubt it. But we can always find a good spot like this." Rin shut her eyes, allowing the warm sun to splash over her face. Oh, it did feel good! Much as she loved the thrill of a night flight, there was something about the feel of the sun that soothed her wild soul. And right now, Rin needed a little bit of soothing. After all, in the sunlight, the bad dreams of the night before could never come true. She could feel it.

"Rin?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you nervous about going to New York?"

"Huh?" Rin sat up, staring at her brother. James was still seated at the edge of the cliff, his feet dangling over the edge. He was looking back at his sister, brown eyes alight with curiosity and, Rin was touched to note, concern.

"What makes you ask?" the half-demon asked, scooting over to sit next to James on the edge of the cliff.

"Well, you don't look happy when Mum and Dad talk about our trip. And you don't really like crowds."

"Hai, I guess." Rin shrugged and smiled at her brother. "I don't really like anywhere that's loud and crowded." Rin paused, trying to find the right words." "But... we'll be there together, so I guess it won't be all bad."

A smile stole over James's face. "Don't worry, Rin," he said. "We'll have fun."

Rin smiled and wrapped her wing around her little brother. James leaned into Rin's embrace, a contented smile on his face.

He really is the most wonderful little brother in the world. To hell with flying; Rin wanted nothing more than to stay here on the cliffs with James forever!

"You'll climb the Empire State Building with me, right?" James asked.

Rin grinned, fangs gleaming in the sun. "Climb? We'll jump off it together!"

"Really?"

"Sure!" Rin grasped James's hand. "A chance to fly off the tallest building in the world? Who wouldn't want that?"

"Won't that scare people?" James asked.

"Meh, they'll get over it."

"I thought Mum said you shouldn't try to scare people."

"Well, not all the time."

James giggled, still holding his sister's hand. "I guess if we do it once, Mum and Dad won't mind."

"Sure. Once a day!"

"Rin!" By now, both kids were laughing. Their merriment was cut short, however, by the blare of a horn. Glancing below them, James's eyes widened.

"Rin, look! A ship!"

Rin leaned down and squinted. She could make out the huge white cruiser cutting though the sparkling waters as it headed for the main harbor further up the coast. Swiveling her ears forward, Rin could hear the waves slapping against the ship's metal walls and the faintest hum of excited chatter from people on the decks.

"Are we going to ride on that ship?" James's eyes followed the vessel's path.

"Maybe," Rin answered. The horn blared again, advertising its presence. "One like it, for sure."

"I've never been on a ship that big," James breathed, excitement blossoming on his face.

"Neither have I. Better than an airplane for sure." Rin shuddered at the idea of a noisy cramped flight with a bunch of short-tempered humans. Ugh, those without wings were not meant to fly!

"I can't wait! How much longer until we go?"

"Not long. We're leaving as soon as your school lets out for the summer."

"We only have a week left. And we're mostly cleaning out the classroom now."

"Plenty to keep you interested then." Rin stood up. "Speaking of plenty to do, I could do with a little training. Want to watch?"

"Yes!"

"Then let's go!"
************************************************************************************************************************************

Rin hadn't attended a day of school since she was ten. Encouraged to be home schooled since "her presence made people uncomfortable," Rin had taken the advice to heart. With a few tips from her uncle and cousins, the young half-demon had built her own personal training grounds in a small glade on the cliffs. That way, she could focus on the skills that mattered!

The space itself was a perfect retreat in and of itself. A perfect circle, roughly a mile wide and surrounded by pine trees, Rin doubted if anyone aside from her and James even knew of the glade's existence. Well, that meant no one would come crashing through the branches and disturb her training equipment.

James seated himself by one of the thick tree trunks and watched his sister. Rin moved to the middle of the circle, facing west. In front of her, several thick wooden pillars were jammed firmly into the ground. On top of them were equally thick pieces of wood she had wrenched from the trees' misshapen branches. Just beyond the the pillars were two piles of rocks, one slightly larger than the other. Finally, a ragged scarecrow, swiped from a farmer's junk pile, dangled limply on a wooden stake. Its head- sloppily painted to look like a vicious horned demon- was tied back, exposing its burlap throat that was still firmly attached to its body.

Crouching down, Rin eyed the pillars. A soft breeze rustled the branches, tousling her hair and playing with the edges of her shirt.

3... 2... 1...

The wind settled and Rin sprang into action. Darting forward, Rin swiped her spiked wings at the wood pieces; she felt the spikes slice through the wood like it was butter. Skidding to a stop, the wood fell in chips behind her as Rin turned to face the larger pile of rocks.

Taking a deep breath, Rin felt power gather within her and let out a piercing shriek, aiming the sound directly at the solid stones. The rocks exploded into powder, dusting the grass with gray ash. Without missing a beat, Rin sprang at the second rock pile. Her powerful fists slammed into the boulders, reducing them to rubble in less than a minute.

Finally, Rin darted into the trees. She ran ten laps around the glade, moving so fast that the scenery became a blur. At the end of the tenth lap, Rin raced over to the scarecrow, grasped its shoulder and ran her claw over his sack neck. She was back by James's side before straw tumbled from its wound. James applauded his sister, eyes shining.

"That was amazing! You're so fast, Rin!"

The young half-demon beamed at her brother. "Glad you think so. Heh, that demon stood no chance!" Rin jerked a clawed thumb at the depleted scarecrow.

James nodded. "You could beat any demon who tried to hurt us, right?"

"No demon is getting their claws on you, James-chan," Rin promised, kneeling down next to him.

"Because none of them train as hard as you do, right?"

"Exactly!"

A sudden rumble made both Rin and James look upwards. The sky, previously a perfect blue, was rapidly turning dark grey. With a frown, Rin led James out of the glade and back to the cliffs. Angry black clouds were gathering over the ocean and as Rin and James watched, streaks of lightning slapped the churning water. On the shore, heavy waves pounded the sand, eagerly sucking up mouthfuls of grit and spitting up foam.

BOOM!

The thunder rumbled through the air, its fury scattering a flock of birds and sending squirrels ducking for cover. James shivered and moved closer to Rin.

"Odd. This storm came on quickly," the half-demon noted. Rin sniffed the air; she could smell the heavy air currents that practically screamed of rain. And not just rain. No, a torrential downpour was promised.

"It feels cold, too," James murmured.

"Hai. I can feel the temperature dropping." Rin knelt down. "Climb on up. We should get back. It's almost time for lunch anyway."

James clambered onto Rin's back, grasping her shoulders tightly. Rin could feel her little brother trembling and she doubted it was from the sudden chill. Come to think of it, she didn't really like the feel of this storm either.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Alright. Hold on." Rin jumped and spread her wings. She could feel the heavy winds swirling around her, but the gusts weren't yet strong enough to bother her. They would be in a little while though; all the more reason to get home quickly.

"Almost there. How about I make a fire when we get home?"

"Okay! Can we have some of the cake Mum made yesterday too?"

"Sure thing!" Rin spotted their house and dove downward. As she did, she felt the first drop of rain hitting her on the head. A single tear from the skies.

The first of many tears that would be shed that day.
~

Before you ask, no. There wasn't anything about the storm that made me think something horrible was about to happen. If I had sensed a demon or something, I would've gone after it. But you can't fight the forces of Nature.

I wish I could have.