Masquerade of Madness: Decisions of the Wrong Kind

It was Tuesday and raining. Sue hated this type of weather. Creed stood outside in the backyard, stretching out his wings. At last, they would get the cleaning they needed. The rain seemed to make them feel better. He opened his eyes when Sue sent Spike out to get him.

"Creed - Master."

He ignored her, wanting to enjoy the splatter of rain on his wings longer. Spike sat down and watched him, fascinated with his wings and Creed in general. He is more entertaining than TV,

she giggled to herself.

Sue called out to Creed, "School was canceled due to flood warnings."

"Okay," he replied casually. "Spike, you are going to get dirty sitting there on the ground. Go tell Sue I heard her."

Spike nodded and disappeared. Creed did not want to go inside yet. The rain reminded him of Casalynn before he had gotten involved with the council. He closed his eyes as he walked toward the house.

The Nards had almost forgotten what rain felt like on their skin. It itched from each drop that touched them. The pregnant female became calm as the baby kicked inside her. The two militant Nards started a hunt for food, even dragging a human to her, while the other two males looked for shelter.

They found an abandoned building on the outskirts of town. The militants took the upper floor, leaving the other ones downstairs. The others did not attempt to follow them, knowing it meant sure death. The female Nard considered herself lucky, but she knew if she slowed them down any, they would not hesitate to kill her.

She stroked her stomach, and the other two growled at her, complaining that it was disgusting. Nards had no respect for any form of gentleness. She snarled back, telling them to back off.

They told her they couldn't wait to taste her infant. She lashed out, fighting them. The militants were downstairs in a flash and took the pregnant female upstairs. The Nard with the missing eye, "One-Eye," leaned over her, gentling licking her wounds – she was his daughter.

One of the Nards on the first floor was the father of her baby, but they were no longer together.

Nards only mate, then they go their separate ways. Sometimes they stay together if they have more then one child, but this seldom happens.

The Nards decided to sleep standing up. The abandoned house showed no comfort, not even to these creatures.

Sue could not sleep. Her gauntlet kept her awake, unusually disturbing the quiet night. Crimson shot out of the glove, staring at the window and repeating, "They are coming."

Creed had felt something strange since this afternoon but kept quiet about it. He knew it was not Casalyian, but still the scent – the feeling of terror that gripped his insides – reminded him of that day. Creed sighed quietly and laid across his bed with Spike curled up against his legs, sleeping soundly. He knew he was not going to sleep tonight.

Irritated, Sue glared at the floating mist of Crimson. Her father had just left for a late night with his friends – checkers and chess were their games of choice. Sue leaned against the window, watching her dad leave with the Jeep. He always used the Jeep at night because it was not exactly safe to walk around then.

She went across the hallway and knocked on Creed's door. She slowly let herself into his room. "Creed, I can not sleep. Something's making Crimson uneasy."

Creed raised his head and patted a spot on the bed. "Then come over here and sit."

She nodded and meekly sat down. Spike did not move from her sound sleep. Creed laid back down, and Sue rested her head against his midsection, using him as a pillow. "You must have been through a lot, are you all right?"

"I am fine, why are you asking?"

"It's just that you said they took your brother."

Creed's eyes revealed the depth of his sadness. "I am sad. I try to hide it when others bring it up, but I am so hurt and angry at them and myself for being unable to help him, even though he told me he was all right."

"But . . ." Sue sounded exasperated.

"But what?"

"Don't you want to save him?"

Creed sat up sharply, making Sue fall off the bed. "Yes, every fiber of me wants to save him, but I know that if I go, they will catch me and then what good would I be?"

"But . . ."

"But what, Sue?" He threw off the covers, tossing them over Spike, who remained sleeping.

Creed stretched out his wings, causing Sue to worry. "Don't leave," she said with concern.

"I am not going to. There is something you do not know – I am half Nard." The words almost got stuck in his throat.

"What do you mean?" Sue asked surprised but holding onto him, afraid he would leave.

"It means I am something very gross and I have the same instinct as them, I guess. I may look like a Casalyian, but that is not me, well half of me." He put on a shirt. "Even if I say that is not who I am, the others still judge me for my Nard half, and they will punish my brother for it. I need to go for a walk."

"It's late. Lay back down."

"Why?" Creed studied her face.

"Because I want to tell you about the fire that destroyed my family."

"Okay." Creed moved back toward the bed and sat down beside Sue.

"When I was little, I thought I had everything and everyone." She brushed her hair behind her ear. "My world was complete.

"My grandfather was a leader in government, but one day the people rioted in the streets, screaming obscenities and throwing bricks. My grandmother went outside, and I heard horrid noises. She came in bleeding. I ran to her, but my mom stopped me.

Grandma called out for mom and me to run. Grandpa tried to save my grandma. He stayed with her and let the crowd kill him, too. They lit the house on fire. My dad wanted to lead them away, but they got to him. Mom picked me up and ran. They killed my mom, and they were going to kill me, too, but could not. They released me to wander the streets alone."