CHAPTER 4:

The girl's body had slipped from her hands as others had, gripped by death in a brief moment of tenseness, then eternally limp as the soul left forever and the body became vacant and nothing more than just a body.

It. It was only a body now. Not a girl, not a beast, just a broken piece from which had emerged a soul that deserved to be damned.

Lishay stood there for a moment. Blood spread onto the floor, slowly creeping toward her. The strangest thing was that Lishay felt nothing. No guilt, no ease, no revulsion to the fact that she had just killed this girl. She felt nothing.

And that was terrifying.

The heavy thud of footsteps pulled her from her daze like an electric shock down her spine. She grabbed the thin knife off of the floor and called Zhamin into passive state. Lishay felt her heart hammering against her ribs as she darted to the narrow, high up window. The rough stone scraped her fingers as she pulled herself up.

The footsteps were louder. Lishay gave it a few seconds until someone rounded the corner. She crouched in the window, and took one look back before she stepped out onto the ledge beside the window just as the person attached to the footsteps stopped. There was a second of silence before a guttural sound.

She would always remember the screaming.

Lishay wished she could have stood there. Maybe to see if her emotions would catch up with her, maybe because they already had, in such force she hadn't known.

Maybe she would have stood there for hours, if she hadn't nearly gotten an ear taken off by an arrow.

She scanned the line of buildings for anyone, but the streets were silent. Unease mounted in her chest. Was it possible for anyone to disappear that fast? Apparently, but Lishay struggled to see how.

The arrow itself was made of what might have been oak, and the fletches were black. But dark writing spiraled around the shaft, curving and twisting.

"You will always remember that girl. She was one of many you have killed, but the first for only will remember the way she bled, the way she talked, and the scream of the boy who found her. If you wish to continue to kill this way you will need to conceal your identity. No one saw you this time, but make sure to keep it that way. As you and I know, people hold grudges like no other creature."

A chill ran down her spine. Lishay hadn't noticed anyone. If this person had wanted to kill her, the easily could have done so.

"Who are you?" She muttered to the night. There was no reply except for the low whistle of an owl, it's silhouette bold against the moon for one short second, then gone.

There ya go! So who do you all think it is?

Sorry for not updating! I had this written and kept trying to post, but alas- my internet connection was seriously suckish!

Since I made you wait so long, and this was short, I will not be demanding reviews for another update (But if you would tell me what you think, that'd rock :D).

So Happy Holidays! :)

- IADS (Queen of Cliffhangers ;))