Chapter 3 Duet Duty

The girl took one painful look at the shards that had sunk deeper into her flesh. It had been an entire day since she was kept here and she'd managed to retain her sanity up till now. She looked up, with one last spec of hope, at the small square shaped window, occupied by vertically running metal bars, up on the wall beside her. She could manage to climb through if only those metal bars weren't blocking her way.

Silver strands of hair rested on her eyes. She wiped them off only to realize how damp they were. It was quite humid and suffocating inside the small room. There was only a single table where a tray of food now rested. It had been there all afternoon and it was evening by now. She could tell by the darkness outside the square window.

Orange light from the bulb above her illuminated the room. She gaped at the metal rods at the window once again, narrowing her eyes. A slight ache traveled to the middle of her forehead. Her lips fell into a tight line as she tried to focus. More sweat trickled down the side of her face. If it had worked with the glass of water, it would surely work here as well. She just needed a little more time…

Just as the girl clutched her left arm, footsteps approached. Her head spun around swiftly and she let go of the arm. Tension swirled inside her and the ache was just starting to worsen.

"Where is that girl? What do they mean she isn't eating anything?" A sharp female voice echoed through the hallway. No sooner was there a woman standing behind the metal bars outside the room, glaring at the girl who averted her eyes from her immediately.

"What is this?"

The woman glanced at the untouched food on the tray that had gotten cold by now.

"Why have you not eaten?"

The girl didn't respond. She stared blankly at the floor beside her.

"Iris, I am talking to you. Look at me."

The girl's eyes met the woman's for the first time upon hearing her name being called out. Iris looked away again and hugged her legs tightly, pretending no one was there.

The woman's nostrils flared with anger as she took out a key from the pocket of her long coat and inserted it into the keyhole. There was a click and the bars shifted to one side with a screech, just enough for her to enter. Iris's expression didn't change but she clenched her fists for she was trying hard to conceal her fear.

The woman had long, black hair that swayed behind her as she approached. Her vicious, snake like eyes scanned the tiny hunched figure. She was wearing a long, red dress that reached her ankles. It suited her for she was a tall lady. Iris avoided eye contact. The lady's pupils flashed red. Iris's head snapped towards her to take in the full view, eyes wide with apprehension. The woman looked at her with pure wickedness.

.

Night was just as silent as the day had been. I was sitting out on the connecting metal staircase of the third floor, just outside my apartment. The tiny golden piece of glass rested on the palm of my hand. It had been glowing frequently the entire day. It would glow for a little while after every few minutes. Then it would fade and approximately an hour later, golden light would emanate from it again.

The longer I held it, the more it would remind me of the golden cube that had been in my possession until only recently. The cube would be about the size of a die. Something that small couldn't just be found anywhere. It was impossible to look for now.

I was staring into space, lost inside my own head, when there was a sudden creak behind me. Tearing away from my mind, I stood and turned in one swift motion, my shadow's scythe at the girl's throat. Dark eyes blinked at me confusingly. She didn't flinch, unaffected by the razor sharp blade an inch away from her skin.

"You know, if you sneak up on people like that while they're on duty, they might just think you're the enemy."

I drew my face closer to Cheryl's. "Are you?" I asked in a low voice.

She quietly stood there, without a word with a blank unwavering stare. I didn't actually expect her to answer. I retrieved my scythe and the shadow figure melted back into the stairs below me. I turned back towards the stairs, placing my hand on the railing.

"If you're done testing me…. it seems we're assigned to the same spot again," she finally spoke. "I saw you, lost in thought from the staircase above."

"That's funny, because we don't have enough guards to assign to the same spot," I pointed out, "You following me or something?"

I heard her chuckle behind me. I turned my head up towards the moon. It was the same thin curve in the sky, interrupted by clouds. The street lights below brightly illuminated the dark road ahead.

At that moment, Cheryl had gone pretty quiet behind me. I turned to look for her. For the first time in a long while, I felt my heart skip. She was so close to my face that I could see the reflection of the crescent moon in her dark eyes. She looked just as surprised and quickly retrieved her hand.

It took a few seconds to realize she'd been reaching for my jacket pocket. I looked down, trying to hide away any emotions that showed on my face. My pocket was glowing a bright orange.

"It's been glowing for a while now," she spoke in a low voice, backing away a few steps. I breathed out in relief, as if saved by the shard. I took it out and let it rest on my palm.

"Where'd you find it?" she asked, letting a little curiosity show.

"To be honest, right here when I was fixing this staircase this morning. It glows every now and then."

"May I see?"

I paused at the request, unsure whether to proceed or not. Then, slowly, I held out my hand to her. A smile flashed on her face, and not a fake one from earlier. It was a genuine, pretty smile that made her eyes sparkle as she picked up the piece. In the orange glow, her red hair radiated in a fairy-like manner.

"So does it have something to do with the girl?" Cheryl asked, looking up at me. I realized I'd been staring. I quickly retrieved the shard.

"I don't…" I trailed off, detecting something behind her in the distance. Without realizing, I'd already covered the distance between us, one hand slowly reaching for the back of her head. "Duck!"

She did so obediently. The minute we ducked down, something swooped past us at lightning speed. A strong gust of wind almost shook the whole staircase. I heard metal clinging from where it was still loose. I held her head down as I looked up. In the heat of the moment, I could hear a light pounding in my chest. The thing disappeared.

"What was–" I was cut off when I noticed her climb up onto the railing. My head snapped towards the empty spot beside me and then back at her in surprise. Panic started coiling up inside me.

'How did she get there so fast?' I pondered.

She pulled herself up, balancing on a thin metal rod while looking down. "Found you…" she was muttering to herself.

"Wait, what're you- You're too young to go for a dive like that."

I started towards her but she was faster. Adrenaline kicked in. With a racing heart, I jumped a second later than she did. In the moment, my head became very clear. My eyes quickly scanned the ground below us. I saw it clearly for the first time. It was a dark, swirling mass of cloud wearing a worn out, black cloak, ripped at the edges. I reached out for Cheryl, who seemed to have shielded her face from the thrashing wind. Her red hair flailed about recklessly. I grabbed her elbow and quickly pulled her close a second before another surge of wind hit from below, throwing us to one side. With one hand around Cheryl's waist, I let my other hand reach out as we fell. My shadow slipped through me, onto a staircase, grabbing us both with a sudden jerk. We stopped falling. With one hand holding onto the shadow that stuck between a metal railing, we dangled in the air.

With Cheryl so close to me, I could feel her heart beating a thousand miles per second, in a literal sense, which wasn't normal. I also could've sworn I felt a tiny jolt of electricity the minute I'd pulled her close. The dark cloaked being spotted us hanging from the second staircase, completely defenseless. In an instant, it came charging at us.

"Hang on," I said, and then realized she was already clinging to me. I let go of the railing, letting us free fall to the ground. There was a metal thud above us as the creature crashed into the staircase. My shadow swooped in below us, materializing into a large wiggly cube on the ground. We made impact with a jelly-like substance, safely breaking our fall and bouncing off onto the ground. My mouth suddenly felt dry like all the moisture had been sucked out by the wind. I could hear Cheryl's rapid breaths and carefully let her stand on her own. She had her fists full with my shirt which she slowly released as if just realizing we had stopped. I could see the surprise on her face as if she couldn't believe she was still alive right now.

"You okay?" I asked in a low voice.

She nodded quickly and looked up as if expecting the creature to still be there.

"Whatever it was. It's gone." I told her.

I looked up at the empty sky. It hadn't just been a coincidence. I had crossed paths with that thing twice in the same day.

"Stay," I told Cheryl.

"Don't. Don't go after it. You don't know how dangerous that thing is," she blurted.

I looked at her in disbelief.

"So you do know that. Is that why you went crazy and jumped after it?"

She looked away, choosing not to answer. I noticed a small cut on the side of her neck which hadn't been there before. Anger pinched me in the back of my head. Was the creature responsible for this?

"Stay here, I'll be right back," I told her firmly.

She opened her mouth to object but I had already leaped into the air alongside a building. My shadow materialized steps in front of me as I climbed higher up. The steps disappeared after I passed. The wind pressure grew stronger the higher I climbed and my body felt heavier. My jacket flailed behind me. I looked down to see if Cheryl was still there. To my surprise she actually stood her ground.

I was on the rooftop within seconds. A gust of wind blew hard in my direction. With squinting eyes I saw the dark shadow bounce off from one building to another. My shadow appeared beside me. A dark figure with the same height as mine, except that the boy had no facial features.

"Change," I said the words clearly in a low voice.

The boy's shoes shifted for a split second after which he deformed into a cloud of smoke that blew right into my face. I felt its cold grip on my shoulders and my lips quivered slightly but I didn't blink. I had only recently discovered this. The cold sensation spread throughout my entire body as the power spiraled towards the center of my spine. Black wings sprouted from my back. The next second ticked and I was airborne.

The wind beat hard at my face and my jacket swayed violently in the air. I zoomed up quicker than a bullet. My wings flapped hard but I could barely hear them over the sound of rushing wind. From this height I could see the entire town. I spotted the dark figure swiftly gliding from one rooftop to another.

I bolted down, cutting the air like a knife. The wind blew my cheeks back with so much force it felt like they would detach from my face. My wings curled up behind me, ready to spread at my command. A knot in my stomach tightened the closer I got to the roof. Just seconds before impact, my wings spread out wide open, blocking the wind with a sudden jerk. I twisted my body upwards till my movement became parallel to the roof. I was closing in. I could see the creature's black cape sway behind him.

"This chase ends here," I thought out loud. "Stop!"

My wings flapped harder, closing the distance between us. All of a sudden, it stopped moving. Something felt off. I stretched out my arm, aiming for the hood over its head. My wings began to flap continuously, faster, accelerating. I could feel my body being dragged through the air. I tried to stop myself but my shadow wouldn't listen, yet all the while the creature just stood there, waiting. I felt my body lunging at him. I held my breath. My fingers coiled around the edges of its cape, passing through as if it were made of smoke.

Suddenly, it sprinted out of my reach like an out of control beast, tumbling, jumping, crashing. Towards the end of the roof it jumped off and disappeared. The minute it vanished, I gained control of my shadow again. Detaching myself from my wings, I ran up to the edge of the roof and peered down. I could feel my breath coming in short gasps.

The thing zigzagged from one staircase to another, causing more dents in the railings for me to fix later. I breathed in, bracing myself for another flight when something stopped me. I looked down. There was a strange sensation on the palm of my hand. It was a black, sticky liquid covering my right palm where I'd touched the cape. I couldn't help but wince.

I landed in a crouch on the empty street lit by night lamps. My wings stretched wide open at either side until they thinned out and turned to smoke. The smoke condensed within seconds and my shadow was at my feet again. I looked around in the dim, orange night light, all the while trying to steady my heavy breathing. My hands and face felt cold from the flight.

The street was silent. Street lamps illuminated it at intervals. The buildings seemed more or less dead and vacant. I breathed steadily, craning my neck in every direction for any sign of threat.

"I know you're here somewhere. You can't just disappear like that," I figured.

I started in one direction, walking alongside the street. I made sure that my feet were as silent as a rat's. It would be easier to detect the enemy's movements if mine were muted. My hand suddenly felt itchy. I attempted to scratch it but the itching just wouldn't go away. I glanced down in irritation but could not find it in me to look away. My feet stopped for a moment.

Fear recoiled in my stomach. I hadn't felt this afraid in a long time. That thing had left its mark. My mouth slightly hung open as I gaped at the dark pattern of the substance that had now become part of my skin. The itching didn't seem like it would cease either, yet I just stared silently, feeling vulnerable.