Chapter 10: Atrum Aeterna pt. 1

–

"You're so lucky we don't have school tomorrow, or else I'd be at home sleeping." Morgan hissed at her sister as they watched the moon rise high in the sky.

"Chill out Morgan, breathe in the fresh night air. It's so relaxing." Down below a woman was being mugged. Morgan raised an eyebrow at her sister.

"Obviously, not relaxing enough." Lux smiled sheepishly as she followed her sister down a fire escape. Both landed in front of the mugger.

"It's not nice to hurt innocent women you scumbag." Morgan hissed as Lux shot a fireball at the guy, sending him flying backwards.

Morgan levitated the purse to the woman who hurriedly thanked them before running off. Lux gave Morgan a look.

"Trail her?" Morgan asked.

"She's a prime cut of meat for gang bangers everywhere." Lux smirked.

Morgan nodded and they both took off after the woman, making sure she got to her destination without being harmed. Off in the distance, two figures watched them. One was a boy, around the girls' age, with black hair and deep blue-violet eyes. The other was Dr. Crane.

"Those are your targets, got it? Follow them everywhere they go and if they ever separate, follow Lux. She's the one with white hair. Report to me every other day and don't give yourself away. Do you understand?"

"Yes Dr. Crane, I understand." The boy answered.

"Good, now go and follow them now. I want a full report the day after tomorrow." Dr. Crane ordered.

The boy responded by shape shifting into a black bird that flew off after the girls. Dr. Crane smiled, those girls were never going to get away, not as long as she lived.

–

Lux dreamed...

There was screaming, so much screaming. Then there was blood, its stench made her sick. The sound of men yelling drowned out her father's voice. She's scared, afraid, something bad is about to happen. She has to save him.

Fire...black fire, erupts around her. The ground shakes as the fire burns everything and everyone. The screams grow louder, the get higher. She's killing men...women...children. They fall before her, but she's doing this for a good cause. That's what they tell her. Her father will live. She can't let him die, he's all she's got.

And Morgan.

Without them she has nothing, she is nothing. They complete her. She's feels so empty, the screams have stopped. Someone is scooping her up in their arms. It is her father. She smiles as she looks at him. Then she screams, it is not her father. It is a man in a white mask frowning down at her. His hands encircle her neck. She can't breathe.

"Demon child! Kill her! Monster! Deserve to die!"

She did deserve to die. She deserved to have the life choked out of her. Her eyes begin to close. Morgan can't save her, neither can Daddy. She's all alone, she deserves to be alone.

All alone.

"Lux...wake up."

–

Lux's eyes shot open as she sat up in her bed. Wait, she realized, she had slept? Shaking her head, she climbed out of her bed and stood there. Something wasn't right, she had been asleep. Nothing could ever make her fall asleep. Not since that day...

Downstairs she heard a glass break. Looking at her alarm clock, she read 3:42 a.m. Were her father or Morgan up? Opening her bedroom door she walked downstairs and into the kitchen. She found no one, there was only broken glass on the floor. Someone was in her home.

"Who's there?" She growled, looking around.

There was no answer which only made her even more uneasy. If this person hurt her family. A creak behind caused her to whirl around and come face to face with a shadowy figure. She couldn't make out their face but red flags and alarms were going off in her mind. Danger, this person was danger.

"Who are you?" She snarled.

Their eyes glowed red and they gave a low dark chuckle before fading away. Lux lunged forward to catch them but got nothing. Frustrated she roared, waking up her father and Morgan. They came down to check on her but she ignored them both.

"Where's the hair dye?" Lux asked her sister.

"In the bathroom, Lux what's going on?" Morgan was worried.

"Someone was in here, and I intend to find out who." Lux hissed as she walked past them and went upstairs.

A half hour later, Night Shade stood atop the Dakota Clocktower, overlooking the streets. She already had one person in mind who could've broken into her home. Ebon. The person had been a shifting shadow after all. Leaping from the building, Night Shade took off towards the juvenile center, where Ebon and his crew still hung out. When she got there, she banged open the door and stormed in. She found the perpetrator sitting in front of several TVs, snoozing.

Ebon gasped when Night Shade wrapped her hand around his throat. "What the hell?!" Was his strangled plea.

"You're the only living shadow here in Dakota right?" Night Shade asked.

"Y-Yes, who are you?! L-let me go!" He gasped.

"You got any problems with the Willows family? Hmm?" Night Shade asked, squeezing before letting him talk.

"I don't know a Willows family, I've been here all night man. What is wrong with you?!"

Knowing he was telling the truth, Night Shade threw Ebon back into his chair before disappearing. The shaken bang baby was at a loss for words. He had heard the rumors but never thought they to be true. There was a new metahuman villain in town and her name was Night Shade.

Outside, Night Shade growled in anger. If it wasn't Ebon... then who attacked her family? Could it be that there was someone new roaming around Dakota? If so, then why target her family? It certainly wasn't a robbery, nothing was taken. It was more like the person was watching them. They were being spied on! But by who? Who needed to keep a watch on them so badly they'd send someone to spy?

"I'm such an idiot." Night Shade breathed when she realized who would do such a thing. Morgan had even warned her.

–

"It's difficult to go on a date with Richie." Morgan sighed as she plopped down on the couch. Lux gave her a curious look.

"How so?"

"Dr. Crane came her a few weeks back, before the Brainiac stuff went down. She said she was going to send people to watch us. Maybe she's caught wind of Nitrix and Matrix" Morgan explained.

"And you think someone's watching right now?" Lux asked.

"Could be...could be."

–

Lux was noticeably absent at school the next day. Morgan was noticeably worried about this. Richie tried to comfort her but she wouldn't have it.

"I haven't seen her since she had this blow up this morning." Morgan told him and Virgil.

"What happened?" Virgil asked, he was worried to. Even more so than he let on.

"She was in the living room, she woke my dad and I when she screamed and when we got down to her...she told us someone broke in. No doubt she went to look for them. What if she's hurt or dead?" Morgan's eye filled with tears.

Richie hugged her tightly as Virgil thought of a plan. They needed to find Lux, but where could she be?

"Did she say anything else?" Virgil asked.

Morgan knew she couldn't tell Virgil about the hair dye. It would raise to many questions so she simply shook her head.

"It's alright Morgan, we'll find her." Richie assured her.

"We just need to know where to start looking." Virgil added.

His answer walked through the door in the form of Ebon. Students screamed and ran as he walked towards the three superheroes. He looked pointedly at Morgan.

"Are you Morgan Willows?" He demanded.

Morgan nodded and stood, prepared to go on the defensive if the shadow attacked.

"I was attacked last night because of you, by Night Shade. She seemed to know you real well, so if you see her, tell her the Meta-Breed's looking for her." Ebon told her before walking away.

Morgan knew she was dead now. Richie and Virgil were smart and she knew they could put two and two together. She looked at them and found them glaring at her.

"Can I at least explain?" Morgan asked.

"Lux is Night Shade isn't she?" Virgil asked.

"You guys weren't supposed to find out. It was supposed to be a one shot thing." Morgan told them.

"You lied to us Morgan, why?" Richie asked, the hurt in his voice tugged on her heartstrings.

"Because it's who we are okay?! We still have missions and jobs to do for the government. That included capturing Shanice and giving her back to her creators." Morgan began to sob.

"You know, her parents were right, I don't understand why you two were freed." She watched as Virgil walked away. Her eyes flickered to Richie who she hoped would understand.

"I'm sorry..." Was all he said before following after Virgil.

Morgan couldn't believe it. She had just lost two of the greatest friends she'd ever have. And it was all Lux's fault. Clenching her teeth in anger Morgan sprinted out of the school. She was going to find her sister, and when she did, she was going to kill her.

–

Oh boy! Drama! I'm so excited.

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