“Please sir, please help me!”The man looks at the child, sadness in his eyes and picks her up, taking her into a building.
“You poor child. Let me save you.”The child seems happy; her face full of joy.
“Thank you sir, thank you!”
The man leans down and hugs the child before sinking his elongated teeth into her neck. Her screams pierce the air and then all is silent. You see the child gasping for air and withering in pain. Then you see him slit his wrist and bring it to her mouth. That night the child died and became, Tira, the night child...
Tira wonders the streets. She looks to be between about 17 and 20 years of age. She stumbles into a bar, already half drunk by appearance and slams her fist down on the counter. The bar tender smirks as he weaves his way over to her.
“What can I get ya tonight Tira?”
She rolls her eyes at him and waves her hand.
“The usual Max.”
Max nods and disappears into the back room, returning with a bottle of rum and a blood bag. A few patrons look confused at the exchange but Max only chuckles,
“Don't let this go to your head, remember the last time you drank too fast.”
She glares at him and bares her fangs, turning away from him.
“Bite me!”
He chuckles again, wiping down the bar and serving more customers.
“That's your job remember babe.”
She snickers and shoves past some dancers, who had stopped and had been watching the conversation. She hisses at them and one of them freaks out; running away from her, while the other seems intrigued. He follows her to her seat and sits down across from her. She glances up at him before taking a long gulp of rum.
“Can I help you? “
The man smiles and holds out his hand in greeting.
“Good evening, I'm Aiden. I couldn't help but notice your... difference... from the other patrons of the club.”
She glances around to see if anyone else is listening; ignoring his hand.
“Look I don't care who you are, you're invading my personal time... look, I could smell your Lycan blood the minute I walked in the door, so if it's a fight you want I suggest you leave. I don't want to fight you but continue to piss me off and I wont hesitate to rip your throat out.”
He seems to smirk as he pushes up his sunglasses, but it quickly fades as he grabs her; pulling her out the back door, throwing her to the ground before she knows what the hell is going on.
“Listen here 'cause I'll only say it once, I could kill you before you had a chance to breath or even blink. Now, I came to you because you seem smart and level headed. I have a proposition for you. I am starting a group...are you interested?”
She thinks for a moment before bursting out in laughter.
“Look, I don't know you or what you've got inside that brain of yours, but don't underestimate me. I let you overpower me because it's what I do. As for your little group, I work alone. I don't need friends or colleges.”
She brushed the dirt from her jeans and pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail. She didn't care what the guy wanted; she wanted to get drunk, get laid and go home.
Aiden seems more the a little annoyed now and is glaring at her. She turns around and faces him, bowing lightly.
“Look, I know you probably think I'm a bitch and as of right now I don't give a fuck, but give me your number and I might call you in the morning.”
He seems to smirk again, pulling out a business card and handing it to her.
“Does your kind operate in the sun?”
She laughs and mocks, wiping a tear from her eye.
“You shouldn't believe everything you read in books or see in movies Aiden. They can be misleading.”
She smiles and disappears into the shadows.
All seems black and white. Tira, quite young, is running, terrified. She glances over her shoulder as she flees, as though she is being pursued by some one. An older woman's screams can be heard, echoing off the walls surrounding Tira as she runs; piercing the night and shattering through the drakness. In her panic, Tira stumbles. A noise behind her causes her turn and she sees a dark, faceless figure headed straight toward her. She screams; pulling herself to her feet. She bursts out into the street and the welcoming safety of the silver moonlight but is grabbed by hands from behind her. The faceless man chuckles darkly and shoves a sack over her head...
Tira awakes panting; a visible layer of sweat on her brow. She quickly wipes it away and rises; scanning the area around her. She walks into her kitchen and turns on a pot of coffee. She jumps as the phone rings and she answers it. A murmuring voice can be heard coming from the other end. She rolls her eyes, sighing.
“OK, OK... I'll be there in...”
She looks down and sees the business card from the night before sitting next to the phone. She glances around her again and shakes her head.
“Look... I'll call you back later. “
With a swift, fluid movement, she hangs up the phone and then picks it back up, dialing the number on the card. She exhales loudly as she waits for an answer. The ringing stops and a mans voice speaks inquisitively.
“Hello?”
“Yes, I'd like to speak with Aiden please. “
The man chuckles softly before replying,
“One moment please...”
There is the sound of shuffling and someone makes a comment about a babe calling. Aiden picks up the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hi... This is the girl you spoke to last night... So, I wanted to know; what exactly are you looking for?”
He pauses a moment before answering. There is a distinctive whispering and another low chuckle.
“Meet me at the Planet in 10 minutes. I'll explain everything to you then. “
Before she can ask anything else, he hangs up the phone. She sets the receiver down and sighs.
“What have I gotten myself into...”
She walks out her door and disappears. She appears shortly afterward in front of the Planet, a well established coffee house in the central area of the town. She has only been inside it once or twice, but found the people who frequented it very annoying. She mumbles to herself,
“He must have wanted to meet here in case things got testy... Or because he wanted witnesses...”
To be honest, she really doesn't know why he wants to meet here and she is beginning to get anxious. After about 5 minutes, he steps into the Planet. He is wearing a nice, three piece business suit. Her jaw drops, looking at the man before her. The night before he seemed like the normal guy hitting up a bar, but the man standing in front of her looks to be a world leading business man. She glances around, seeing a few other women fawning and gasping as he comes in and a few almost falling over themselves to get a better look at him. A waiter comes up and offers to take his coat but he swiftly declines. Another approaches to take his order.
“I'll have two black coffees, and have the cream and sugar brought to my table.”
The waiter tries to seat him at a back booth but he waves him off and sits down with Tira; earning her a few not-so-happy looks. She glares the other women down and receives a smirk and a soft chuckle from Aiden. She rolls her eyes and jumps slightly when the waiter places the coffee on the table.
“I didn't order that... In fact, I didn't order anything.”
Aiden smiles and hands the waiter a tip.
“I know you didn't. I did.”
He takes off his jacket and drapes it over the back of his chair.
“So you want to talk about my offer do you?”
She gives him an uneasy look before taking the coffee and sipping it slowly. She isn't sure what to make of him.
“Look, I'm not saying I'll join your little band but I am asking questions about it...”
“Fair enough. What did you want to know?”
She sits, thinking for a moment; taking a sip of bitter coffee, placing the cup down - then picking it up again only to set it back down.
“What exactly are you asking for when you ask someone to join you?”
He smiles; taking a drink of his own coffee.
“Your abilities and your life of service.”
She almost rises from the table, but holds herself in check; her cheeks becoming flushed with some unreadable emotion. Her voice, nothing more then an angry whisper,
“Oh, I've heard that one before...You think I'm going to fall for this Order bullshit twice? You're fucking insane! Who sent you? Jodah? Kagan? Lucian....? Who sent you!?”
She chugs down the remainder of her coffee; not caring how it burns all the way down. She grabs her jacket and storms from the cafe. She is half way home when Aiden catches up to her.
“Who's the Order?”
She scoffs at him before slamming her fist into the wall of a near-by building. She glares at him.
“Leave me alone... It doesn't matter and for all I know you're just playing with me anyway... Look, I'm not some fucking guinea pig and as of right now, I don't feel like listening to you talk unless what you have to say is beneficial to me.”
She shoves open the door to her building and storms all the way to her pent house; Aiden following at her heels. She is about to slam the door in his face when he pins her to the wall and kisses her hard and passionately. She freezes, not knowing what to do. No one had ever done that to her before. He takes a step back, still holding her against the wall.
“Now will you listen to me? Or do I have to do that again?”
She nods her head slightly, still shocked by his actions. He takes her hands and leads her into the pent house, closing the door behind them. He sits down on a large, red armchair and motions for her to take a seat opposite from himself.
“Now that I have your attention and you're listening to me, I can finish. I know you're probably concerned by what I said, but I assure you, don't be. My people are not these men you call the Order and I can tell you I have no idea who any of them are, but I will say this, we are the Dragons of Heaven and we are looking for people to stand with us and fight against a great evil.”
She stares at the man in front of her, shocked and slightly unsure about what to say. She shifts herself slightly, taking in all he has said before choosing her words carefully.
“I don't know what you're talking about...Dragons of Heaven? Evil? Look, I'm just a chick, living in the normal world.”
He scoffs at her before tossing her a file. Her name is written on it in large, bold lettering and is stamped Confidential. She stares at him for a moment and picks up the file. Inside is her entire life. From the day she was born to the day was turned; everything. People she killed, people she loved, people who tried to kill her. She blinks a few times, looking at the pages of information before setting them down and turning her attention back to him. Aiden's mouth crinkles in the corners with the beginnings of a smile.
“My dear, I find you far from normal.”
She glances at him again before getting up and walking into the kitchen. Aiden remains in his seat smirking. She pours herself some water and returns to her seat, shaking.
“Where did you get that file? I thought you said you didn't know them!”
He sits, unmoving for a moment, letting her calm before he continues.
“I said I don't know them, but I have friends and people who work for me that do. They had acquired your file two days before I ever approached you.”
“So, you've been spying on me!”
“Don't flatter yourself that much. We heard about you and dug up your files, that's all. Then I saw you in the bar and figured I'd take a chance.”
She looks angry, violated and rather annoyed. She stands up and throws her glass across the room.
“Get out... You're just like them...GET OUT!”
Before he could stop her, she had fled into a safe room and had sealed the door. There was no way he was getting in there anytime soon. He leans his back against the door and puffs, somewhat defeatedly.
“Maybe I shouldn't have kissed her...”
She can hear him standing outside her door and she stuffs her head under her pillow, ignoring him. He isn't saying anything but his heartbeat, his breath; they ring in her ears like bells chorusing in a tower. Before long the sounds fade and she is left alone in silence. She rises from the bed and walks to her window. She pulls back the thick, blood-red, velvet drapes. Just because she isn't effected by the sun doesn't mean she had to like it. It is already past 12 and she is tired, annoyed and anxious. She knows what he wants, but doesn't trust his motives.
She had been in recent contact with the Order and heard of a will in which she was mentioned, leaving her her own portion of control, her own part of the Order itself. She hadn't agreed to take it but instead said she would think upon it; she had left the order for good reason and didn't want to be under their control again.
She sits back on the bed and stretches out, flopping backwards. With a deep sigh, she rolls over ,closes her eyes and lets her sleep take her away.
~Past~
A young man, about 17 or 18 walks into a dimly lit room holding a tray of food and some books. A girl, quickly recognizable as a stressed and sleepless Tira, sits in the corner going over paperwork and files.
“Tira, you need to eat and get some sleep. This going for weeks doing nothing but work is going to kill you.”
She scoffs ,waving the man off.
“I'm immortal, remember? Plus Jodah has dumped another three days worth of paperwork onto my load and if I don't finish it, no-one will. He's pushing for his new bill and he wants to start that new company...Alltech or something like that....anyway, I'm fine. Just leave the tray and go...”
She doesn't bother finishing or saying more; she is to wrapped in her files to care. The man sits across from her and with a wave of his hand the files vanish, leaving the desk clear and Tira enraged.
“Tira, I know you want to keep Jodah happy and you want to be the best but does it really have to make you this sick....?
Tira sighs and places her head in her hands, shaking it slightly.
“No Lucian, you don't understand. Jodah isn't giving me a choice this time. It's either finish the files or it's another week in the punishment room... I hate it in there... Normally I don't care about the dark... but something about it... Even a vampire cant see into its depths and it scares me... I don't like it. It's one thing to be in it for an hour or two, but a week. You hear things, your mind plays tricks on you, you feel things touching and crawling on you you want to scream but then you remember, any noise gets you more time... You feel so lost when you come out. You're pale as a ghost and you're lucky to still be standing...”
She trails off, shuddering slightly. Lucian stands and walks around to her, wrapping her in a loving embrace.
“No matter what, I will never let him do that to you again.”
She looks at him with uncertainty but then sees the love and caring in his eyes and nods her head softly before burying it in his chest. He wraps his arms tight around her and forces sleep to take over her. Picking her up, he takes her into an elegant bedroom and lays her on the bed. He covers her up with soft blankets, kisses her forehead and then leaves; closing the door silently behind him.
“Good night my angel. “
“One second Mr... um, may I have your name Sir?”
“Sons, Aiden Sons.”
“Thank you Sir. I'll put you right through.”
“This is Lucian speaking; what can I do for you?”
“Ah, good afternoon Mr. Curie, my name is Aiden Sons and I'm calling in regard to a former college of yours. Her name is Tira. I was wondering if I could trouble you for some information on her?”
“I'm afraid I can't help you Mr. Sons. Tira's file is strictly confidential and to be honest sir, even if it weren't, I wouldn't give you the information you are seeking. Tira is an old and close friend of mine. Her life is her own business, not yours and I am hardly in the business of distributing the personal information of friends to others.”
“Mr. Curie, I assure you I don't plan on using her in anyway. You see, I work for the Angelic Court. I believe you know of them, or at least should. I was asked to recruit her, that is all but I wanted some more information about a topic we found confusing... I know you have the information Mr. Curie and if you wish to keep Tira safe, you will give it to me.”
“Is that a threat, Mr. Sons!?!”
“No it is not. Only sheer fact. We have information to believe she is in danger. “
“Look Sons, I dont know why you're really here, or what you're really after but I swear to the Gods, if you hurt her I'll kill you.”
“I'm only working with her; not marrying her.”
“Good day, Mr. Sons.”
“Good day, Mr. Curie.”
“Hello?”
“Can you come see me...we need to talk.”
“I don't know... I'll...*sighs* I'll be there in 10 minutes.”