A/N: Dunno why I even write these. Nervous tic, probably.

Chapter 16: Shards

I couldn't help smiling and laughing with the girls as we walked out towards the less densely populated part of town. The chatty girl, who'd given her name as Jenna, was all over me verbally, asking me questions about a past I was making up on the spot. To her, I was a girl who'd grown up in Juneau with an older brother, spent a bit of time at odd jobs and had taken out to see the big city before getting a permanent spot at a local mechanic's workshop.

She was rather more reluctant to part with information, and the furthest back I could get was two hours, where she'd evidently started the party. She'd gotten bored of the venue she'd been at after an hour, and decided to trawl for another party with her friends. She had black hair, though it was probably dyed for the night, and bright blue eyes that matched her smile in intensity. Maybe I'd take her? Even if I did, she probably wouldn't mind it, but I couldn't do it here, even if I'd known how to.

One of the girls who hadn't said a word to me yet was glaring at me, furrowing her brows at every smile with which I answered Jenna's shallow ranting. Even as we approached our goal, a huge building with only a few lights in the windows, at the end of a road lined by concrete apartments and a few trees planted with the purpose of lighting up the dismal mood, I could feel her eyes at my back.

Along the road, Jenna, who'd given up on getting any more information out of me, walked over to the main group, leaving me to walk alone for a minute or so before the suspicious girl began walking slower, gradually approaching me. When she'd reached me, she moved closer in, about a foot from me, and began talking quietly into my ear. "Listen, bitch, I dunno what you're tryin' to do with my friends, but you're easy to spot. If you're gonna mug us or somethin' just because you think we don't expect it, give up, okay?"

Shit. This was bad. It came before I'd predicted. "Eh? Calm down, I'm not even stupid enough to do that. I don't have a cell, and you led me out here. I can't call for backup, and you're five. What makes you think I'll mug you?" I gave the already sharp words a slightly poisonous tone, like a normal person would if she'd just been accused of wanting to rob the friends she'd just made. "It's the way you walk... no, the way you are. You're out for something, and I can tell it."

She was steadily raising her voice, and the other girls were coming over, staring at us as if they were eagerly awaiting a public execution. Only Jenna looked worried. "Even if you've got a gun or somethin', give up. I'm not stupid. I'm prepared, and I can beat your ass anyway. Really, I can see that you can't even defend yourself without a weapon. It's in the way you look around."

The curiosity in the other girls' eyes had turned to horror. From what she said, she was probably armed. The question wasn't to survive, but to avoid killing anyone again. "I - I wasn't... I couldn't even think that way. Just don't do anything." Even though I'd just wanted to feign nervosity, a challenging note had crept into my tone. She seemed to bite upon that nuance, letting it fuel her paranoia - which, I had to admit, wasn't baseless. I wasn't being framed, I was being found out. "Stop being cocky, you cheap mugger whore. Wanna fucking die?" Her voice had escalated into a panicked shriek that betrayed her fear. She was afraid of killing me, but seemed to feel it was necessary to protect her friends. Playing on that would maybe scare her to let off me.

"Then go ahead. Kill me if you want, but I never wanted to do anything to you." Even as I said the words, I realized my error. The sentence might have won her over if I'd been aggressive from the start, but the snap was painfully clear. It sounded more like a confession of guilt than a challenge. Frustration welled up inside me, making my whole body feel like it was burning. She'd ignored my explanations twice and was now threatening me. I wasn't letting her go with this, not on my honor as a person or as a predator.

All the other girls had drawn back, but seemed reluctant to call the police on their friend. "Okay. So you finally admit it, do ya? You're hoping I don't hurt ya," she hissed, shaking slightly from the adrenaline. "I'm stronger than you, bitch, and I'm gonna prove it. Die already, goddammit!" As she stepped forward, I decided not to dodge too early. If she panicked, I might be forced to defend myself.

She lunged towards me with her left side first, rummaging in her coat with her right hand. She'd extended two fingers on her left hand. Dammit. Going directly for the eyes. She was trained. I'd seen Charlie do that once, when I'd snuck after him on an assignment to take care of a bar brawl. He'd been furious. But this girl wasn't old enough to be in the police. That meant no extra legal protection, no possible backup and no special treatment from the cops, so I decided to fight back. I choosed to fall backwards, easily breaking the fall with my left hand and sweeping her legs out from under her with a low kick. A reckless maneuver, but I was stronger than her, so I didn't have to be careful about such details. I used my right hand to flip myself upwards, expecting her to submit.

She got to her feet, an apologetic, scared expression on her face. I'd taught her a quick lesson. I was stronger and faster than her, and that -

Two loud bangs, a noise I'd only heard in movies.

A stabbing pain in my chest. The girl was standing with her right arm stretched out in front of her, looking as if she was shocked at the power of the gun she was holding in her hand. Eyes wide open, mouth twisted in a snarl, holding her gun as far in front of her as she could. The instant her look changed to something half disappointed, half expectant - I hadn't shown any signs of injury yet - my instincts took over, painting a red haze in front of my eyes and spitting fiery words through my mind.

Kill her. Don't hesitate. It's your life.

I was all too happy to oblige.

As I brought my leg up as high as I could, I saw the terror in her eyes, and as I brought it down, I saw for the first time the look a person has in their eyes when they know they're going to die. This time, I didn't avert my eyes, and I saw as my heel ripped through her collarbone. I saw as I smashed her ribcage, and I saw as I tore my leg through her body, smashing her pelvis even with just the residual force. It had happened again. I couldn't even look at the others, and I realized again that this was always going to happen before I got a hold on myself.

Now it was just the question of how to move on from here.