Chapter 22 A New Leaf

"Mom… Dad?" Cheryl said as she entered the house, her body bandaged all over. She'd just come back from the emergency.

It was a Saturday morning and they were in the lounge reading newspapers when their heads snapped up at her voice. Cheryl stood in the doorway followed behind Ricky. Almost immediately tears welled up in both parents' eyes and they rushed towards her. Both hugged her at the same time while crying on her shoulder. Her mom looked her over at all the scratches and bruises and bandages.

She didn't ask what they were for and just wrapped her arms around her daughter once more. Her body ached all over, despite which she just stood there, letting them ball their eyes out.

"I didn't know… I had a family. If I did… I would've rushed right over," Cheryl told them, hugging back.

"Mom, why don't you cook up her favorite. You said she really used to like the egg and chicken sandwiches you made," Ricky told her.

Both parents withdrew and looked at her with fondness. Her mom caressed her hair, pushing it behind her ear, looked her over once more before rushing into the kitchen.

"It'll take only five minutes," she said while leaving.

"You really have grown… You take after your mother," her dad was saying, patting her head while wiping his tears with his other hand.

"We'll be staying here for a while. At least until Dixon is discharged," Ricky stated.

"Ah yes… I wish I could thank him in person. He really did fulfill his promise. He loves you a lot, I can see that."

"While I'm here, I want to know everything about when I was little," Cheryl said excitedly.

.

Almost a month had passed since all of us almost died fighting underground. With our tattered bodies, we barely made it back onto the surface. Night force guards arrived just on time, raiding the place, searching every corner for whatever they could find. Most of the cells turned out empty as this was a newly constructed area. It did, however, hold clues to the whereabouts of the actual location of the facility in Darkwood. With Cheryl's help they were able to find it but that too had been abandoned, wiped clean as if they knew people would find them out. No one knew where all the kids disappeared to.

Scarlet was taken captive. After a series of tests, her power signature came back negative, proving that she could no longer hurt anyone ever again. In addition to that, her mind had regressed to that of a child's who needed constant help just to perform mediocre tasks. She was soon admitted into a mental facility where I hoped she would stay forever.

The girl who had woken up from a coma was taken in by the night force hospital where she spent her days in recovery. Apparently due to an accident during her childhood, she'd gone into an early coma. Just when her parents had almost given up on her, Scarlet took the girl away. She manipulated her powers into guarding the place and capturing intruders. The girl had no idea she was doing all that. She smiled at me weakly from the bed at the hospital as I passed by her room. I held my own discharge papers in hand. The name read, 'Dixon Darke'. It was the name passed down through generations, the name of the first shadow user, the king of the shadow realm.

I exited the patient ward, nearing the white reception counter. The man took one look at me and picked out a file, handing it to me.

"These are the prescriptions for your medication. Do not skip them… I mean it," he eyed me sharply. I nodded as I took the file from him.

I had lost count of how many times I'd walked through these halls with injuries that I'd sustained during my shifts. I was a regular here at the hospital. I walked past the waiting lounge and straight towards the lift. I looked to my right at the trash can, threw the file in as the doors of the lift opened up. I could almost feel the disappointment of the receptionist as he sighed behind me.

.

I opened the door to my apartment, only to find it lit up from the inside. I frowned, stealthily making my way in. My hand stretched out beside me and a scythe appeared as I inched through the passageway.

"Welcome home!" Jonathan jumped out at me, only to find my scythe in his face. He backed up, hands going up in surrender. "Hey, listen. Let's talk about this," he was saying nervously.

"Who else knows?" I said in a threatening manner, marching forward as he backed up further into the lounge.

"Surprise!" Meryl shouted out as loud as her lungs could possibly manage. Beside her stood Ricky, Cheryl, and even Iris, eagerly awaiting my return.

I gave Jonathan a questioning glance, withdrawing my weapon. He stood in one corner looking guilty as ever.

"Don't give him a hard time," Meryl said, stepping forward. "It was my idea!" she announced in a jolly manner.

I noticed that my only couch was missing from the lounge, replaced by new and useless furniture. There was a coffee table, even a lamp to the side. There were snacks all around and a cake sitting in the middle of the table. I was already regretting letting these guys have the keys to my apartment.

'I'll only get it cleaned up for you,' was what I remembered her saying. Subconsciously, I was making an extremely exasperated face as I looked at her.

"What did you do?" I asked simply.

Before Meryl could answer, Cheryl spoke up, slightly raising her hand. "I helped," she said.

I looked at her for what seemed like half a minute, then quietly went to sit down on one of the new chairs. I could already feel Meryl's teasing eyes loud and wide.

"It's fine, I guess," I told them in a low murmur.

"Before you start to sulk, you should know," Ricky was saying, sitting down next to me. I noticed he got his spectacles back. "We couldn't let Iris stay with you in a place that looked like a dump."

"Animal shelter," Meryl corrected as if it was necessary, sitting down beside him.

"I don't really mind," Iris was saying.

"Iris, you're on our side," Meryl was whispering to her, then to me, "We also turned the empty room you kept shut all the time, into a proper bedroom for her."

"Dude, there's even an extra bathroom," Jonathan complained. "How come everytime I needed to crash here you made me sleep on the couch?"

"You've seen how I keep the apartment," I replied, "You really think I have the time to fix up another room?"

"You see that is why I keep telling you I have no problem letting Iris stay with me," Meryl insisted. "She's been adjusting fine so far."

"No, that was only until I recovered."

'Only I witnessed what happened at the facility. I know something is off with Iris that nobody seems to notice.'

"On that note, are you going to go back to your regular night duties?" Ricky asked.

I grinned, "I start tonight."

.

Around nightfall I removed the empty dinner plates from the table. Iris sat with content, having had a filling meal.

"I didn't know you could cook," she was saying.

"Well, when you live alone you pick up a skill or two to survive," I said, carefully placing the plates inside the washer.

"Meryl warned me not to stay with you or the food would taste like garbage," she innocently blurted out.

I let out a short laugh and turned to look at her.

"Did it? Taste like garbage?" I asked.

"No, it was better than Meryl's cooking," Iris replied.

I grinned triumphantly, "You tell her that," and then looked up at the new clock on the wall. "Alright, time for bed. In half an hour I'll be out."

I walked into the second bedroom, turning on the lights. Iris followed closely behind, watching me fix her bed like an actual parent.

"Keep the doors locked at all times. Don't let anyone in… even if it's Jonathan."

Iris stood there in the doorway, listening to me silently.

"Why haven't you told anyone yet?" she said out of the blue.

My brows creased as my gaze slowly lingered in her direction.

"What about?" I asked, straightening the pillows.

"That you're dying," she blurted.

I flinched. For the few seconds that followed, I did not respond, yet she peered at me with unblinking eyes.

"I'm not going to die," I replied calmly. "And you shouldn't be thinking about stuff like that. Now, come on, off to bed."

I waited till she was tucked in, then left the room, lightly closing the door behind me. I stood there for a while, in front of the room, staring deeply at the shadows across the walls. A long sigh escaped my lips. I hadn't been to the shadow realm ever since Damon disappeared, simply because I was cooped up at the hospital with several eyes watching me. They would notice if I went missing or unresponsive. I didn't want to risk it, especially after all the accusations last time.

I glanced back at the clock. It was almost time for me to leave.

'Searching for Damon will have to wait…' I thought to myself, grabbing the keys to the apartment from the coffee table as I made my way out. I jumped onto the closest window outlet in the passageway outside. An ominous wind blew my way as a large pair of wings emerged from my back, along with a smaller pair just below. As my body fell forward limply, the two pairs of wings flapped, throwing a massive force of wind below me.

Within seconds I was airborne, speeding towards the sky with far greater speed than I'd ever felt before. Sound of wind bombarded into my ears.

'The more the shadows consume me, the stronger I get…' I remembered. It was odd, how after that last battle, my body recovered from injuries worth the wait of months, in just a couple of days. I couldn't have felt stronger than I did at that moment, ravaging the clouds as I burst past them.

The buildings ran behind, looking like tiny squares from the height I flew. I slowly angled myself towards the ground, descending like a plane. My wings flapped, throwing more wind below me to ease my landing. I was on the higher shift this time. The higher ones were usually pretty calm. The buildings slowly enlarged before my eyes, rushing past as I slowed down to a stop. My feet hit the roof with a loud thud, rolling over to ease my fall. My wings dispersed into the darkness.

I looked around, feeling a subtle, undisturbed wind caress my face as I rose to my feet. The atmosphere was a bit chilly yet calm at the same time. Winter had kicked in during my hospitalization and I was well prepared with my extra thick black leather jacket. I seated myself at the edge of the rooftop, looking down below at the several street lights. They lit up the town like stars in the sky, twinkling about.

I breathed in deeply with my eyes shut, and then exhaled a sigh of relief. It felt good to be back. I wasn't alone though…

It was faint. I casually rose to my feet, taking a step back. My ears caught the sound of a panicked footstep behind. A smile slid across my face.

"Still following me around?" I said out loud. There was a startled gasp. I turned around to see her standing there, looking guilty and relieved at the same time.

"I-I wasn't… we're assigned to the same spot," Cheryl blurted.

"I know…" I said with a laugh, taking a step towards her. Very gently I pulled her close into a well prolonged hug, tightly wrapping my arms around her. "Except… you don't work at the night force anymore," I hummed the whisper in her ear.

"Who cares…" she murmured, hugging back.

We stayed like that, glued to each other in an intimate moment.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you and Iris and the rest of the guys," she said.

I slowly pulled away with a frown.

"About that… I need to ask… about Iris's powers. What are they exactly? You mentioned them before in your warning message to Ricky."

Cheryl pressed her lips into a tight line, then bit them slightly before seating herself down the edge of the roof. She tapped the empty spot to her side with a hand as she looked up at me, urging me to sit. I sank down next to her, eagerly awaiting answers. She looked down as she spoke.

"Well… you and I both know that Iris is exceptionally smart for her age. It sort of comes with the powers… the knowledge of things, at least that's what I heard Scarlet brag on about when she first brought Iris at the facility."

I nodded as she continued.

"Sooner or later, Scarlet realized after failed attempts at trying to control the girl's powers, that she was dealing with something else entirely."

"The same thing she would do to you if you disobeyed her?" I asked.

"Yes… the same thing… that made me hurt you…" she whispered softly, balling her hands to fists. "And the worst part is… I can barely even remember it… She put holes in my memories, Dixon… That's how far she would go to control me,"

Her lips quivered as she spoke. I took her hand and gave it a slight squeeze. She exhaled lightly to let out her stress, flashing me a weak smile. Then she continued.

"Iris refused to do anything she asked. She was able to resist her."

"Strong kid…" I murmured.

"For years Scarlet had me search for something that would help make those powers hers once and for all. One day I stumbled deeper into the forest where a shadow waited for me with an offer. The same one that attacked me, by the way."

"The king's right hand man…" I trailed off.

"It was like he already knew about Iris's powers."

"Of course, he's been after it for centuries…" I closed my eyes, listening still.

"He sent one of his underlings to extract those powers, only on the condition that he would get to keep them. Despite Scarlet's objections it took off with it. I was forced to chase after it all over town."

"That explains why you were so eager to find that creature." I said, still holding onto her hand.

"I had to blend into the nightforce just to chase after it without getting caught by other night guards… but I made things worse." Cheryl smiled at me nervously. "Sorry you got caught in all this."

I laughed, having already figured that out long ago. I'd also known that she was behind the cracks all over the buildings, seeing her reckless powers. I put my arm around her in a light hug.

"You work hard. It's what I love about you…"

All of a sudden, my phone blinked. I paused, steadily removing my hand as I read the message, my brows creasing along with the words.

"Cheryl…" I said, already feeling her slowly inch away from me. I grabbed her arm to keep her from escaping while still staring at the screen. "Did you run away from home?"

I tilted my head as I eyed her. She rolled her eyes at me while still smiling nervously.

"Well… it wouldn't be the first time," she mumbled in a low voice.

I rose to my feet, pulling her along with me, and stuffed my phone back into my pocket.

"Let's go," I told her as she looked at me, then at the town below, frowned and threw me a baffled glance.

"Wait, I can go by myself," she resisted, her pitch rising in panic.

"Hang on tight," I said, disregarding her words completely. My wings unfolded behind me. I slid my arm around her waist before jumping off.

"Wait, what about your shiiiiift…" her words transformed to screams as we descended. The wind tore through her voice, making her choke. With my free hand I reached out for her face, turning it towards me in a kiss. I could feel her rapid heart rate slow down a bit as I did. The extra pair of wings retreated into my back, slowing us down considerably.

"It's okay," I told her as I pulled away.

She shivered as she looked down at the empty streets flowing past. I wrapped both my arms around her protectively, gliding through the air. A slightly less aggressive wind blew her hair back and she buried her face into my shirt. I gulped, feeling a tang of nervousness in my throat.

"Your heart… it's beating faster than mine," she commented in a muffled voice.

Within a couple of minutes we were hovering above the bookshop. I flew around the back of the house where I could see Ricky already waiting for us. He had his arms crossed, tapping his feet furiously against the cement pavement. Very carefully, I sat Cheryl down on the ground as we landed. A final flap of my wings blew dust into our faces while they disappeared behind me.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Ricky was saying to Cheryl, frustrated from all the waiting.

"I don't like your curfews," she complained, stomping her foot lightly on the ground, "I'll never see him if you don't let me go out after dark."

"He's at work at this hour. You can see him during the day," Ricky replied, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

I just stood there feeling awkward that for the first time in my life people were arguing over me. I gave Cheryl a light push.

"Go, I'll see you tomorrow. I Promise," I said quickly before the argument turned into a fight. She looked at me with puppy dog eyes but stayed put. I nodded at Ricky who nodded back. After that, I was off. A surge of strong wind flapped into their faces as I flew up into the sky. From above, I could see the two walking back inside the house, still arguing from what it seemed.

I shook my head, feeling amused as I soared through the sky. I looked down at the familiar market streets that would eventually lead towards the forest. Nostalgia hit me as I flew over a bumpy road that we had taken when we were trying to escape town. It was a place of many encounters. I remembered the distress call from Cheryl many nights ago when Iris had gotten lost inside the forest.

A silver haired little girl had rushed inside, disregarding the value of her own life. My eyes widened as I watched history repeat itself.

"Iris?" I wondered out loud, making out a tiny figure at the entrance of the woods, looking around as if she was lost. My heart almost sank. Her silver hair glowed even in the dark, making her more visible to the eye than a normal person.

I dropped down, angling myself towards her. More wind thrashed at my face as I squinted at her. She looked up, taking a step forward upon hearing the heavy swish of my wings.

"Hey, you okay? Are you hurt?" My wings evaporated a few feet above ground and I dropped to the floor in front of her with a skillful crouch.

"I don't know what I'm doing here…. or how I got here," she looked at me with tearfilled eyes, shrouded in confusion. "I can't remember…" her voice was breaking.

"It's okay, I'm here now." I said, taking hold of both her hands assuringly. "Come on, I'll take you home."

She nodded.