Chapter 3: Marcella

As of right now, I am not sure how I'm even alive. A day ago, London and I were busy looking for the elusive killer, The Winter Cheshire. I did not expect that they would come to us. Right now I'm still trying to recount all the incidents that lead to this meeting.

8 Hours Earlier

After the discovery of one semi-working back up drive, which showed that the Cheshire went headed south, London and I decided to search the city for any clues. We also brought Samira along seeing as she was fluent in Hebrew and almost everyone knew her, but even with her help we found nothing.

So we decided to take a quick coffee break at the square in town. "We're getting nowhere." I sighed, "It's like they're not even real, like a phantom. They're always hundreds of steps ahead of us."

"Maybe we should split up?" Samira suggested taking small sips of her coffee, London gave a worried look, "That's too dangerous, what if the Cheshire decides to pick us off, one by one, I don't want anyone else to suffer like we did or how Percy is."

She was unfortunatly right, Samira sighed in agreement, "How about I go grab another coffee? London, caramel latte?" London smiled gently, "Yes please." "Marcella?" "I'm fine thanks." Samira smiled before entering the cafe.

Eager to try to lighten the mood and tease London I asked, "So waht's up with you and Samira?" London stopped drinking her drink as her eyes widened in shock, "What? We're just friends. What made you assume otherwise?"

I raised a brow at her and smirked, "You sounded very disappointed when you found iut she's getting engaged." London glared at me, "Well obviously, she's such a great person. I'm worried the person she's engaged to is just some arranged imbecile her grandparents set her up with." She said as she drank the last bit of coffee angrily.

"So you love her." London turned a bit pink, "Not like that I....oh Samira you're back." I looked to where London was looking at, Samira came back with two caramel lattes and gave a gentle smile, "Sibling troubles?" "Like you wouldn't believe." I said in agreement.

"So about the investigation...I thought about it and I think that your Winter Cheshire is trying to trad you into a trap." We both gave her confused looks what makes you see that?" London asked first.

Samira put down the two lattes and handed us an evelope, which onceopened revealed a piece of a slip of paper, "The owner gave me this after he asked if I was with the Weaver-Wren siblings."

The letter was written in red ink, "Blood." London glared at the letter so hard I was certain it would burst into flames. The contents of the letter read:

"I think it's time we stop playing this little game of cat and birds. Thanks for becoming my number one fans, I'm flattered that you're stalking me down. Your dedication to my work is so sweet, it's become sickening that I think it's time we meet up in person to discuss your obsession with me. Your theories of me wanting to make a statement are somewhat true, I know you must have already found that footage - yes it was on purpose, I am not by any means, sloppy like that Crest fellow.

Enough about him though, if you want to find me, I'll find you, just come to meet me at the coast of Bel Ombre and bring the Arab girl with you. It would be delightful to have some intelligent company after all these years. Oh, and the photos in the envelope - give them to her grandparents. They will have to let her get away after that shock.

Sincerely,

The Winter Cheshire - Not my official title, it is a quite boring, but I am however fine with the comparison to The Winter Soldier, fantastic character he is. I'm flattered.

P.S. You have two nights until I decide to take on another job and leave, so donnea take so long."

"What photos?" London asked, but Samira grabbed them and looked at them in shock. It was pictures of a man, most likely her fiance, and another woman, at a wedding altar, kissing. At the back of the photos was another note, "This happened yesterday at roughly 17:00 hours. It was one of the most mundane Islamic weddings I have ever attended."

Suprisingly Samira's reaction wasn't the hearbroken face I envisioned, if anything she looked relieved. I looked at her then London, "I'll prepare the hotel tickets and the jet you two go to Samira's grandparents."

The Present

"Hell, Bel Ombre is beautiful at night." I said as I relaxed on the villa of the hotel we decided to stay at. "Don't get too comfortable, we still have to find the Winter Cheshire." London said already prepared for a fight underneath al that leather, Samira did something similar but all of her weapons were hidden quite well under her her red abaya dress.I too was prepared but I carried less weapons as to not look too weird.

"Oh, well," I said getting up, "Lets go get this thing over with."

Luckily for us the lodge we decided to stay in was not too far from the beach, the beach was a bit bigger than I would've liked but we ended our search in Seychelles near a clearing of rocks. "How do we not know that we're being trapped."

"That's why we brought weapons Sami." Samira rolled her eyes at my sister, "I know that but not all traps can be solved with weapons, and if this Cheshire is as dangerous as you say, I'm certain they won't waste their time with something simple."

"Yer right lass, any thing that can be dismantled by simple means is no trap at all." Said the Scots voice that haunted our dreams we all stood out ground taking out our weapons, "Show yourself!" I yelled before Samira, London and I were trapped in some sort of glowing glass box.

Out from the woods appeared a figure, with a long, smooth, black cat tail, fluffy ears at the upper sides of their head along with what looked like horns just avove them, wearing a black tuxedo suit and a metallic cat mask/helmet looking thing and inside the mask one could see glowing dark blue eyes.

"Sorry, I'm late, I took a wee detour to Japan, their tuna sushi is amazin', I couldnea resist." I growled the beast in front of me, "Watch it lass, be sure to remember that I'm one of the worst people to anger."

"Why'd you trap us?" London asked angrily, the figure shrugged, "You carry weapons with you an' yer huntin' me down, why one wouldnea prepare a trap would suprise me."

"Why did you call us here?"

"I need you to help me." The figure said as it began to circle the box. "Why should we help you? You murdered out parents." The Cheshire gave a quick hysterical but dark laugh, "Yer parents banished my clan and I to the deepest part of Tartarus, which lead to our homes being taken by our enemies, whom of which I dealt with by myself as I was the only one to escape that hell. Besides anyone who works with the enemy of our house is sure to die by my hands."

Before London or I could say anything stupid or regrettful, Samira asked in a calm manner, "You're not human, are you?" London gave her crush a confused look, "What do you mean Sami? They're just cosplaying, what else could they be besides human." Samira sighed and the Cheshire chuckled.

"Think of it London, you said they dissapear in the shadoes like it's nothing and you say that this Crest turned into a bird. Well, I studied bio-chemistry and physics, teleportation devices can only be used for a limited time, and take about a minute to activate, once their energy is used up it can take hours to recharge. There isn't an effective way for humans to change into animals without permanent side effects, so either these two are highly advanced aliens with highly advanced technology or, and I hate to say it, they have magic."

The Cheshire applauded Samira, "And this is why I wrote that you bring this one along. She's clearly the only smart one here. Yer correct in both yer theories lass, I am what you humans would consider an 'alien' but I do have both highly advanced tech and 'magic' as you say."

"So you're an alien. That doesn't explain why you killed our parents." "Damn, you really are daft." The Cheshire mocked, "Did ya not listen to a single word I said?" "What that our parents 'banished' you to hell? It does sound quite believable doesn't it" London replied sarcastically.

As they said that, what looked like a phone-like device appeared in their gloved, skeletal hands, "Please yer parents worked with the family enemy and had their souls taken long before I got to them. If ya donnea believe me watch this." The device was tossed into my hands like there wasn't a barrier in front of us.

We pressed play and watched as we saw our parents, younger than what we've seen them, fightning with what looked like symbols and sone sort of machine which shot brilliant arrows of light directly and sent similar creatures to attack beings that looked similar to the cheshire in front of us, different coloured felines with horns and wings all wearing various types of masks, all being pulled and pushed into a large gateway, until only two were left.

The two who were left were refered to as the King and the Scourge by the reporter. Our parents managed to blast the King into the gateway but not before cutting one of the eight wings on his back off. We watched as the Scourge retracted their wings and avoided all the arrows shot by the machine whilst easily attacking the light creatures as if it was nothing, just when the Scourge was about to end our parents, a snake-like figures appeared alongside them, the newscaster said that th trio contained the current leader of the Chuta clan and her two daughters. The leader of the clan managed after a powerful blast of energy to send the Scourge flying into the fading gateway but not before magically dragging the leader with them. While the reporter gave a sorrowful ending her crew managed to zoom back on our parents and the other creatures, who pulled out our parents hearts. Then the screen turned black.

I looked at the Cheshire, "How do we know this isn't some fake?" I felt as though I could hear the Cheshire smile behind their mask, "You donnea but yer sister does, I think those extra classes to be a film director payed off." I looket at London who gave a dismayed look, "It's real, Marcy."

"Why do you want us to help you?" "I asked, "I want revenge on the people who did that to your parents and you are going to help me achieve that." They said before the cube disappeared and a golden bat like necklace was appeared around my neck while a bracelets of similar built wrapped around their wrists.

"Welcome to the team. Oh and just so ya know," They said as they grabbed my chin and whispered into my ears, "I'm the Scourge."