||Twelve||
"Soon I know I'll wake from this dream.
Don't try to to fix me I'm not broken,
Hello, I'm the lie,
Living for you so you can hide,
Don't cry."
- Hello by Evanescence
🐾🐾
They had arrived at the spot where there was indeed a huge tree covering something that somewhat looked like a tunnel.
"Uhm... So what are we gonna do again?" Aquata asked. The Mermaid stood next to the Angel who had descended and folded his wings back into place.
"Kira, Tailor and I will move the tree." Kai replied matter-o-factly.
"Oh... T-then why am I here?" The youngest girl questioned. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and folded her arms... It was starting to get chilly out.
"Because you're a healer. If someone gets injured in sure you can help them. Right?" A reassuring smile.
You see, unlike most supernatural creatures, mermaids were a bit different. While Wolves and Skin Walkers aged faster so it would kinda be like dogs where 1 of our years is 7 of their years. Mermaids aged slower. While Aquata would be 28 in human years, she is just 14 in mermaid years. It's difficult to understand but that's the way they live. Meaning that even though Nixie was the youngest in human years, Aquata was far younger in supernatural years.
This meant that her mermaid abilities had just started to be figured out. She just found out she was a healer a couple weeks ago. She and Nixie had both learnt magic from Jinx but only Aquata could master healing.
"R-right!" She squeaked. Even though she could master healing doesn't mean that she has already. She barely knew the basics of healing. What in the world am I doing here?! She had thought to herself.
"Ok let's get the tree up." Kai snapped his fingers and everyone stood up. He stripped his jacket and dropped it on Aquata's shoulders before patting her shoulder gently. "You'll do fine."
The Skin Walker, the Angel and both Werewolves gathered around the tree to assess the damage.
"It doesn't look like that heavy of a tree, but it still looks like it would require some man-power." Pipped up the Angel to which the Skin Walked growled rather loudly, "I'm sorry some Woman-power." He fixed and smiled gently toward her.
"Okay Chase. Step back for a bit. We're gonna attempt to lift it. Keep a watch out for any suspicious behavior. Am I clear?"
"Crystal, sir." Chase replied before returning to the Mermaid's side.
"Okay, I want Kira in the middle, and Tailor and I will hoist this thing up from the top and try to toss it over." He instructed.
"Sir." They both nodded and stationed themselves where they were ordered to.
Without any difficulties they eased it up and tossed it to a side.
"Perfect. Now Chase, you know what to do. Take care of Kira for me. Let me know if anything goes wrong. We'll be right here to keep watch. Understood?" Kai spoke directly to the Angel and directed attention to the newest member.
"Yessir." His posture straight and his voice strong as he spoke to his alpha.
"On your way." The alpha ordered and Chase motioned Kira to follow him.
They made their way down the damp, humid, dark, cold tunnel and Kira urged herself not to spare a glance back. Both creatures could see well in the dark but it was still very dark... Which was expected of an underground tunnel of courses.
Chase made various turns when it came to crossways and forks in their path. He seemed like he knew exactly where to go and where to step, so like an obedient and well trained dog Kira followed along only steps behind him.
"Why are there so many other turns?" She questioned, her voice echoed through the empty hollow tunnels.
"Well, the entrance would be quite obvious to people who likely would pass by. If they decided to go in then they'd be lost within all the tunnels. It's kind of a way to keep people from figuring out what we actually use these tunnels for. Them finding this path is as slim as them finding their way out of the maze of a tunnel." He explained. He turned back to look at her as he spoke and him luminous eyes captured her attention.
Such a beautiful bright glow that entranced her. Sparkling and daring her to come closer and closer. A radiant gleam that beaconed her to keep looking or she might loose sight of such a beautiful miracle.
But she saw something else. Something hidden deep within his eyes that made her wonder. Why is there a twinge of darkness?
Yes, faintly but there nonetheless. A spark of madness maybe. All shrouded around purity. It chilled her to the bone wondering what this Angel was capable of.
How could such beauty be slightly tainted. It was like a perfectly expensive vase with a little crack on it. Visible but still able to be hidden by the work of beautiful flowers.
She studied his face. Dim, harsh lighting contoured his face, giving his cheekbones and other facial features a sharper look. His bubble gum pink lips perfectly set in a flat line. Long curled eyelashes framed the dazzling eyes. His eyebrows were raised ever so gently in a questioning manner.
His lips began moving but she couldn't hear what he was saying. Once again in her entire life she had become afraid- no! She had become terrified of this,- this thing!
"Kira? Kira? Kira!" His voiced drawled out. Hardly reaching her ears before disappearing into thin air. He became alarmed when her face had been drained of color completely.
She felt herself unconsciously take a sluggish, unsure, step back as he stepped closer to her. He rushed forward and grab hold of her left hand.
His eyes stopped glowing and she was released. Her wolf whined in frustrated and turned away.
"Are you alright?" He asked, holding his other hand to her cheek. Color finally returning to her skin.
"Y-your eyes!" She coughed out trying to pull away.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean it. I can't see in the dark well without them." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "It's the only way I can navigate through the dark."
"What's it?"
"Well, it's hard to explain."
"How long will this trip take?"
"About a day and a half."
"Well then we got time."
He looked unsure for a split moment. His eyes flickered between the floor and the Hazel eyes that pierced through his very soul. He sighed and nodded. His blond hair shifting with each bob of his head.
"Well if you must know, in fact you should know, you are now a member of this pack so... Hunter and I are twins. We... We were born about a couple hundred years ago. Mother was a demon. Father was an angel. They fell in love with one another. Mother gave birth to a horrible pair of twins. One was an angel and one was a demon. But to no surprise we weren't purebred, were hybrids.
"Because I'm too bad to go to heaven and he's too good to stay in hell were bound to the earth for eternity... Unless someone kills is of course. Jinx and Kai found us and we begged them to take us in. They needed more members to be secure and we needed a place to stay." The explained in a more demure tone of voice.
"That doesn't explain your eyes." She grumbled.
"It doesn't, does it. Look we really need to get going. If we don't get near there within nightfall then Kai will throw a hissy fit." He tried to get the long across that they really needed to get going.
"Fine. But you still need to explain." She demanded.
"Here, take my hand. Don't look into my eyes. And don't step where you see is wet or just the slightest bit damp." He instructed before tugging her along behind him.
"Why?"
"Because you'll track mud and maggots and all those things through the cave and we talked about not wanting even the slightest chance of anyone finding out where this cave really leads to....
And every inch of this place is booby trapped. Mostly in the puddles of water and mud."
"Ok, well got it.... Uhm continue your story."
"Ah yes, so you see because I'm not the purest of angels and Hunter is not the darkest of demons we're to stay on earth unlike real Angels and Demons that are allowed between the realms. But it also means that my powers... Powers that are supposed to used for strictly good are... What you'd say slightly Uhm, tainted I guess. It's hard to explain. Usually the glowing eyes of an angel would help heal a person yet mine enchants people... Makes them, well weird."
"And what about your brother?" She asked to which he let out a breathy laugh.
"Hunter can't tell a lie. No matter how hard the bloody Demon tries he just can't. In fact there's a lot of things he can't do. And that's where he's different from other demons. Other demons seek to do only bad. Hunter will only do bad if he's truly convinced or if it's something he really wants to do. Whereas only my powers are tainted. I'm still and Angel with wings and a deceiving halo." He snorted before shaking his head.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Silence fell around the two as the only thing breaking it was the patter of their footsteps on the ground. It continued this way for a fifteen minutes or so.
She jumped slightly when he began talking.
"Yes. We've not yet reached the intersection, sir. Yes. Yes. No. Ok. Yes. Bye. You too." She realized he wasn't talking to her most most likely the Pack Alpha.
"Kai says that night has begun to fall. We should rest now. He'll let us know when morning comes." He gave a somber smile and say down his back facing the stony wall of the tunnel.
"You said something to Kai I think just now. You said something about not meeting an intersection?" She questioned softly while sitting lopsided of him.
"We're not that far off. It's just a marker that we use to tell one another how far we are." He explained taking his bag and digging through it. "Are you hungry?"
"Uh no. But some water would be nice please." She replied sheepishly. Her throat had started to dry and she felt in desperate need of any sort of cold liquid. She was thankful when he handed her a thermos filled with nice, cold, refreshing water. She mumbled a soft thank you before taking a sip.
"So tell me. How do you like the pack so far?" He strikes up a conversation rather quickly with the Alpha girl.
"Well, everyone is nice I guess. Exceptions being Greyson and Tailor." Her demure reply came out softer than she had intended and he could see the tire in her eyes.
"Yeah well, give it time. They'll grow on you." He assured, blue eyes swimming with affection as he too spoke lovingly of his pack.
"It seems everyone I talk to says that." A coy smile graced her lips as she rolled her eyes playfully.
"Then I guess it must be true. Though is I have to say, those two can sometimes be a real pain in the neck when it comes to it. Worse when they're together." He whispered the last parts as if it were some kind of secret earning a giggle from the werewolf and a smile etched it's way onto his face.
They carried the conversation until it started to get drafty.
Kira turned wolf and Chase sprouted wings and enclosed then around himself.
<Look at us. Don't we look foolish.>She huffed out.
"Speak for yourself! I look amazing!"
And so they went on laughing and smiling together.