Chapter 16

'No new recruit hanging around H H?' The sound of his voice made her half jump out of her skin.

Turning towards him she couldn't help but give him the once over. He was tall, elegantly sleek, with straight, shoulder length dark blond hair, which he kept constantly tied up in a messy ponytail. She'd first met him after her own initiation into the Shadows six years ago and, despite getting on with him better than anyone else in Eva Shadows's rebellious crew, she still considered him the mysterious biker in the corner. The enigma she wanted to crack.

'I think you must have scared him off last night Nichee,' she played it cool, 'I think he's used to having the most dramatic death story.'

'Well considering up till now he's surrounded himself with Vii Sen, I'm not surprised,' Nichee shrugged, 'but now he's playing with the big boys and Nethher Herin don't all die pretty.'

'I don't know about that,' her eyes gave him a quick once over, 'but I think we should track him down. It would not look good for me to lose the first recruit I've ever been given to train on the first day.'

'You said we,' he smirked, 'what makes you think I want to help you track down the little renegade?'

'You can't become a renegade on the first day Nichee, you more than anyone should know that. I mean, you've been a Balancer for longer than Eva Shadows.'

'I know, yet she was promoted to Tracker before me,' a strange little smirk filled his face, 'I guess I should probably do a little more work and a little less play. Try and be a little more like you, huh H H?'

'Are you trying to suggest that I'm a Council good girl?'

'I don't know, are you?'

For a few moments she stared at him, whilst he met her gaze with a challenging kind of mischief.

'I guess I don't have to look for him right now,' she allowed herself to be lured, 'I mean, that's what the Council would expect and I wouldn't want to be seen doing that, now would I?'

'Adda girl.'

'So Nichee, what do you want to do instead?'

'Well, there is something I want to check up on.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah, it involves something that might interest you.'

'And that would be.'

'A couple of kids. Good kids. There's this plot going down to kidnap them from their parents. It… it's kind of a Balance matter and you know I don't normally go for the assignments the powers that be give me, but this one…'

'You have a soft spot for children?'

'No,' he shook his head, 'but I know you do, so I thought…'

'Are you flirting with me Nichee?'

'Please, since when do I do anything as conformist as flirting?'

'I…'

'Look, truth be told I did just want to offload this case onto the nearest pigeon going. But then I realised it would be a good opportunity for me to spend time with my favourite rebel.'

'And, of course, you couldn't pass up an opportunity like that.'

'So what do you say,' there was an odd twinkle in his eyes as he spoke, which made her melt almost uncontrollably.

'I'd say count me in,' she bit her lip in a flirtatious manner, as she tried to keep her cool. 'So what are the names of these kids?'

'CiCi and Damon.'

'Twins?'

'What is your obsession with twins?' Nichee shot her a strangely knowing look.

'I was supposed to be the other half of a set, remember? She lived and I was lucky enough to get this,' she indicated towards her surroundings, 'the Vii Sen dream,' she paused for a moment, lowering her arms and feeling inexplicably vulnerable. 'I like the thought of twins, because I miss my own.'

'Well then I'm sorry to disappoint you H H, but they're not twins.'

'Brother and sister?'

'She's eight and he's five.'

'So they really are kids then,' she tilted her head thoughtfully. 'Where are they?'

'What do you mean, where are they?'

'I mean, if this is a matter for the Balance Council to deal with…'

'They're somewhere safe,' he cut her off, 'that's all you need to know for now. Anyway, it's our job to stop the kidnappers.'

'So what's so special about them? I mean, why are the kids under threat like this?'

'For the only reason anyone under threat needs the help of the Council.'

'They're powerful,' she nodded slowly to herself.

'Exactly,' Nichee suddenly placed an arm around her shoulders. 'So Miss Holly, the only thing I have left to ask you, is where do you want to start?'

Joey was just on his way to Arados's room, when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around he was half surprised to find Duke stood behind him.

'Did someone Jump you here?' He frowned curiously.

'No,' Duke shook his head, 'I walked.'

'Why?'

'Because I didn't want Cat to bring me.'

'Why not?'

For a few moments Duke was painfully silent. Then he let out a strangely exasperated noise and met Joey's gaze with a kind of strained hurt.

'I don't know how else to put this, but… Cat kind of wants to use Arados as a guinea pig.'

'A guinea pig for what?'

Again Duke became painfully awkward. Something in his attitude caught itself in Joey and his mind circled weirdly.

'Are you alright?' Now it was Duke's turn to frown.

'What?'

'You're looking a little pale.'

'I'm just feeling kind of… not myself.'

The last two words seemed to come out of him of their own accord. He could feel there was something a little strange about them, but he wasn't totally sure what.

'Joey?' Duke's frown deepened.

'Why are you looking at me like that Duke, is there something wrong?'

'I don't know… can you hear yourself right now?'

'Hear myself?'

'You sound like…'

'Sound like what?'

'You sound like…' suddenly Duke's expression became pensive, 'a kid. But not a kid I recognise. At least not…'

'The Boy?' Joey gasped to himself, suddenly hearing how he was speaking. 'But the First expelled all the voices, why has one of the Nameless returned?'

'I… I don't know,' Duke back away from him. 'But maybe it was because… because you are the First now. Maybe they don't…'

'No, no, no,' he pressed his hands to the side of his head, trying to force the voice out of him, 'they all died. They all died when she took refuge in me. They shouldn't be around anymore. They shouldn't be around and I don't want them. I don't want her madness. No, no, no, no, no.'

It was strange, but even as he was speaking he felt as though he were fighting a losing battle. Something powerful overcame him and, after a prolonged moment, everything became dark.