Rise of the Titans

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

Lydia listened to the hellhound speak and tried her best not to look shocked. The thing had actually spoken…and been a complete asshole about it, but that was beside the point. Uncrossing her arms, she rubbed her face in frustration with both palms, her glasses knocked askew when she stopped.

This thing thought it was smarter than her. She knew that from the way that it talked but the fact of the matter was it was a dog that had an attitude problem. She didn’t respond well to people with attitudes and that made her blood boil.

She stepped closer to the dog and crouched down, staring it in the eye still.

“Okay, dog, listen. You know that’s not what I meant and we’re going to leave Hayden out of this for the moment. I want to know why you’re here and who conjured you. If we have to play rough to get the answer, we can, but it’s been a terribly long night already and you don’t want to piss me off.”

Perhaps she was speaking words that she couldn’t deliver on, but the hellhound would never know that unless he challenged her. Besides, she still had Steve with his hands on the noose in case things got out of control.

 

[Jedi_Khan]

Whether you liked it or not, getting knocked to the ground suddenly was not a pleasant experience, especially when the ground was an unforgiving concrete sidewalk. For Xavier, this time was no exception, as he was bowled over by some woman rushing out of the building next to him. It had been quite a surprise to him, but that didn’t last long. In short order, the woman was untangling herself from Xavier, and as they both stood up, Xavier saw the rather old books that had spilled from her satchel. One of the books caught his eye, for it had markings on it that looked similar to what he used as his calling card.

All these years, he had thought that he had created those runes himself, and now that he’s seen a book that has similar runes on it, he began to develop questions about those runes, like what they were, what they potentially said, and how he came up with them. It was these questions that caused him to not respond to the woman’s apologies, staring at her as he pondered those questions and more.

Now that he was looking at her, Xavier couldn’t seem to take his eyes off the woman who had run into him. Not only was she quite beautiful, in that innocent, naughty librarian way, but there was just something about her that was almost…well, for some reason, Xavier was drawn to the idea that if gods and goddesses did exist, she must surely have been one of their daughters. Xavier could almost feel the truth of that idea, but it was just too absurd to be true…right?

Xavier shook off those worrying thoughts as the woman handed him his camera, saying that she would pay to have it replaced if it was broken. She went on to say that she was in a hurry and that he was to leave his contact info with the owner of the store next to them. After giving another apologetic smile that simply emphasized her stunning, innocent librarian look, the woman hurried off in the direction of the subway. As she walked off, Xavier looked at his camera; it was indeed expensive, and with the plastic casing cracked like it was, there was a chance that the camera wouldn’t work anymore, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t buy the company that made the camera, let alone get a replacement.

Aware that the man that the woman had referenced, one Mr. Feng, was watching, Xavier fiddled with the camera as if determining if it was indeed broke. It was at that moment that Xavier realized that the prosthetics and makeup that he wore to disguise his facial features hadn’t shifted from the collision, and he was rather thankful for that; it took more than an hour to put on his disguises, and to have one slip out of place because of a little accident would not have been good.

After poking at the camera for a few seconds, Xavier went over to Mr. Feng and handed him a business card with the name Xavier Hernández on it, followed by a phone number that probably was assigned to some place in the southwest, and the words “Fotografía profesional” underneath. With a slightly embarrassed smile, Xavier gave a potentially unnecessary explanation of what the woman had asked for in a thick but understandable Hispanic accent, mixed with some words in Spanish for that authentic feel.

When that business was taken care of, Xavier headed back to where he was staying during his visit to New York. It was a modest hotel, nothing fancy like you’d find in the more influential areas of the city, but it was clean. By the time he got there, it was late and he was tired. Peeling off the prosthetics, Xavier let his mind wander back to the questions that had practically bum-rushed him after spotting that book, but he couldn’t come up with any answers of his own. What answers he did come up with seemed too farfetched to be true, like that woman being the child of the gods. If gods actually existed, Xavier would be living a decent life out in the open in northern Mexico instead of doing what he did now, wouldn’t he?

So many questions, so few answers. Maybe…maybe that woman had some answers, but that would have to wait. Tomorrow, he was going to call up the Ukrainian, Renko, and begin the next part of his plan. Maybe later he’d head back to that woman’s place, do some recon, maybe even talk to her…maybe, but now, he slept.

 

[Tight_n_ready]

Hellhound - Nemis

"Hayden? A pleasant name."

If the Hound could have smirked he would have done, but his alien amusement was evident enough in his voice. This girl was no interrogator, and with every sentence she only dug herself deeper, making mistakes with every word. She was a child, in more ways than one.

"I have no power over my summoner, I am unable to reveal the answer which you seek. No hollow threat or aggressive posturing will pry from me the secrets of my presence here."

She was right in front of him now, staring him down, or at least trying to. It was an impressive feat, to hold the baleful gaze of a Hellhound, alas, the superstitions of death from three looks were exaggerations. But to stare one in the eye was an impressive demonstration of sheer will, or utter stupidity. But she was close enough, and though he knew it would cost him he lunged forwards, his teeth snapping together literally a hair from her nose as the demigod restraining him was dragged forwards by the hound's weight.

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

The hot breath of the hound blew across her face as it lunged at her. She should have flinched but it happened so fast that she didn’t. She continued to stare at the hound as it was restrained by Steve. She prayed silently that Steve would keep his grip but she didn’t move from her spot. If she backed down now, the thing would win and she knew enough to not let that happen.

She took a steadying breath, making sure her voice wouldn’t shake as she began to speak again. She mulled over the words of the hellhound and was struck as she remembered a poem she had read once. In the Poetic Edda, the companions of Odin were described and they were just like this beast before her now.

“They are strong watchdogs and they keep watch until the doom of the gods.” She murmured, repeating the translated lines for the beast, knowing then and there why it was doing what it was charged to.

 

[Tight_n_ready]

Hellhound - Nemis

The hound flinched at the words, curling away from the girl, shrinking noticeably in size. The words were old, but the ancient terms of it's charge still held some power over it, whether the prophecies of ancient times were coming true or not.

"You know then, why I am here, the gods have had their time, and now the Titans wish for their world back, because it is theirs. I was bound for a long time, since their fall, and now they are returning, my bonds have weakened, theirs are only a matter of time."

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

She felt a sick feeling rise in the pit of her stomach as the dog mentioned the rise of the titans. This wasn’t a game or something to look forward to with enthusiasm any longer. Someone had sent a hellhound to kill them and the titans were coming back no matter what. She never took her eyes off the dog as she carefully thought over her words.

“It might only be a matter of time, dog, but I will tell you that they were defeated once and they can be defeated again. We are smarter and we are stronger and we will fight until the bitter end to send them back to where they belong. You go back and tell the one that sent you here just that.” She broke her eye contact to look at Steve and gave him a nod to let it go. “We’ll let you keep your live for now, but if you return again we might not be so forgiving.”

 

[DeathsKnight]

Steve Denver

He got yanked forward as the hound lunged forward, but he pulled back, the knot tightening only slightly. He frowned at that, this was no normal rope, the hound should be choking by now. He looked at the hound and then at Lydia as they talked,

"Uhm Lydia, I have a question. Hayden is the son of what...Orcus? Right? From what I've gathered he has to be some dark god or something. Since this thing..."

he motioned,

"Is called a Hellhound and Hayden said that it's not from his father's realm, which would probably mean some sort of hell, where exactly did this thing come from? Also Hayden stated that there has to be some sort of shadow for the rope right? I heard you say that these things flourish in shadows, yet this rope is holding it...doesn't that mean that perhaps, just perhaps they do not really come from the same type of Underworld than Orcus?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

"Well, since poochy here isn't so forthcoming with details we might not know where it comes from. He knows about Orcus and he knows about the Poetic Edda and Odin. That tells me that this little dog has probably been around a while. He only attacks what he's been told so he's serving someone and he so much admitted that they are waiting for our demise. Someone has invested interest in another Titanomachy and we're the block in their way, no matter where we've come from."

She crossed her arms and looked at Stever with a shrug as if the puzzle were easy.

 

[Tight_n_ready]

The hound chuckled darkly, a deep rumbling echoing up from somewhere in the pit of it's stomach. It reverberated across the room, even the shadows seemed to respond, rippling in response to the hound's merriment.

"You understand little of my existence, nor where I dwell and what your parents have to do with it."

His flesh rippled and the hound began to grow again, returning first to it's original size, then it continued to grow. The ropes began to press and cut into it's fur, then it's flesh and it grunted in pain as a thick, viscous black blood began to flow from where the ropes had broken it's flesh. The ropes were slowly engulfed in the black substance and subsumed before the pressure on it's flesh vanished and Steve was left holding only the end of a rope that was rapidly unraveling in his hands.

Nemis howled and whirled, his tail crashing into Steve and sending him flying, his head giving Brian the same treatment before it stopped with it's nose a millimeter from Lydia's face. The whole thing had happened so fast that she hadn't had time to move, but she still held his eyes.

"I am of the poetic Edda, just as I am of Tartarus, I was there when it was written, I am one and the same hound. The worlds of the gods cross more than you or your dark friend could ever understand."

It turned away, it's mistress had not wanted them dead, she had never believed him to be capable of it, and truth be told Nemis was not. He was powerful for a Hellhound, but these three could overwhelm him and though the short one had not reacted yet, waiting for him to leave Lydia, the sleeping demigod in the corner was the one he feared most, despite the weakness of his shadow magic against him. He sprang forward into a run, seemingly straight at the wall, but before he reached it his fur, then his flesh began to strip away, eventually there was only his skeleton left, dark, gleaming black bones until finally all that remained was the idea of a hound, and then that too was gone.

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

The breath wouldn’t leave her body as the hellhound flexed and broke its bonds. She stared in shock as it shook off Steve and Brian and turned to face her with a menacing look. She silently counted down the moments to the end of her life before the hound turned and bounded towards the wall, disappearing as easily as it had appeared.

Only then did she release the breath that had been trapped in her body, everything seeming to leave her with it. All the strength, the confidence, the will left in a single moment left her shaky and sick. She sank back against her desk, her knees wobbling as her strength ebbed and she took off her glasses for the first time, rubbing her hands over her face as she struggled to regroup and think through everything that had happened.

“Is everybody alright? Steve? Hayden?” She asked, finally looking at everyone.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Steve Denver

He picked himself up from the ground, rubbing the back of his head where he had bumped it against the wall.

"Man it really didn't hit me that hard did it?"

He shook his head to try and clear it, and looked over at Hayden, he moved over and nudged the big guy, there was a stirring and a hand appeared, waving him away.

"Hey big guy, the hound got away. Get up."

Steve went over to a chair and slumped down in it, gingerly rubbing his head,

"I think there is heavy hitters in this story if that is the sort of beasts they can command."

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

With a low grumble of dissatisfaction Hayden roused himself, lumbering to his feet he looked every bit like his father. Stretching out he almost touched the ceiling, then he rubbed his eyes,

"Leave you alone for six minutes and the whole world goes to pot."

He flexed his back, making the joints pop, then scratched his stubble,

"Lemme guess, you do not want to go after it, we have other things to discuss yes?"

He did not wait for a reply, instead he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

“That thing is a little fish in a big pond. It’s controlled by others and won’t do anything without orders. It does seem to be wary of Hayden though.” She looked at the big man and shrugged. “We can put that fear and hesitation to good use.”

She pushed off her desk, grabbing her glasses and putting them back into place. Moving to her satchel, she started unloading books onto the already cluttered surface of her desk and when that task was done, she sat down in her office chair and looked at the three assembled.

She reached into the pile of books she had gathered and tossed one towards Steve. It was kind of an idiot’s guide to the Gods and Goddess from all regions of the world. If he would identify his heritage then it would help them when they began tracking down their artifacts.

“I want you to read that and compare everything that you have ever experienced to those different Gods. When you find something that matches, let me know.” She distributed ancient texts to the other two with the same instructions only this time looking for any clue as to where an ancient Godly artifact might have ended up.

That done, she slumped back in her chair and sighed deeply. “Would you believe that I don’t know what to do next? We need to find Allison and Asuka, but for tonight, I would suggest going home and regrouping. We could meet tomorrow night or something.”

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

He hefted the weighty volume and smiled slowly, then he opened it and started to scan through the contents, most of it he already knew as he had taken care to get to know his father. Here and there were bits and pieces of lore that he had not read about so he studied that as well.

"I think it would be a bad idea to split up."

His low voice rumbled like an aproaching storm in the silence after Lydia spoke,

"We should at least try to remain together, you know how the horror stories go, the killer waits for everybody to split up because together they are too strong for him. I would suggest that we team up when we leave here."

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

Hayden’s voice was hard to ignore and she found herself staring at him for a moment, trying to process his words.

“We shouldn’t split up?” She repeated, her mind working into overtime at the mention of that. “No, no. That wouldn’t work. I have a job I have to do and I’m sure that’s the same for the rest of you. I’d just like to get home and sleep this evening off. I always think better first thing in the morning. Besides, what would people think? There’s three of you and one of…” She trailed off, blushing furiously as she grabbed her satchel as her panic rose. She knew she was babbling but she was nervous and growing weary.

She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder, looking at the three in her office as she gathered her thoughts finally.

“I’m going home. If it makes you feel better, come with me and check it out, but I can’t stay with the three of you all night long.” She knew she sounded ridiculous but she had deeply seated principles instilled in her by deeply religious parents and she still tried to live her life by them. “I just can’t.” She offered again before she made her way for the door and stepped out of the office, wondering if the others would follow.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

He almost smiled at Lydia's stammered excuses and slowly shook his head, he closed the hefty volume he was reading and nodded at Steve an Brian,

"Take the van, I'll meet up with you."

He stepped out after Lydia and halted her with a hand on her shoulder, he kept his hand there.

"I have a faster way, close your eyes and think of your home as hard as you can."

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

She was startled by the hand on her shoulder and looked at Hayden for a moment before she did as he asked and closed her eyes, thinking about her tiny shoebox of an apartment above Mr. Feng’s store. She knew that he could travel in shadows but she wondered if he’d ever transported anyone else at the same time. That thought made her nervous as she concentrated on home.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

Hayden looked as the shadows grew around them then closed his eyes, the cold touched his forehead and he knew that the cold touched Lydia as well, the moment he saw the image he pushed forward, but something was wrong. He altered their course, allowing them to step out of the shadows on the alley on a street opposite Lydia's block. He lowered his hand from her shoulder and looked up at her apartment,

"Something is wrong, there is a powerful precense in your apartment."

He pulled off his jacket and draped the huge cloth over Lydia's frame to help her regain her body heat after the shadow travel. He had forgotten how cold it was to others.

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

Her teeth were chattering and her skin was covered in goosebumps after they had stepped out of the shadows. She was startled by the fact that Hayden said there was something in her apartment. She shivered violently as she turned to look across the street, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. As his warm jacket draped over her, she thanked him and gathered the fabric around her chilled skin.

“E…everything seems alright.” She mentioned as she stepped out of the alley and closer to the building. Mr. Feng has closed up shop for the night and his security gate had been drawn. Her outdoor light was shining in the darkness and she could see something placed between the door and doorjamb of her apartment.

Mentally she groaned as she saw what it was. The business card of the photographer she’d plowed into on the street. He must have left it because she’d done some serious damage to the camera that had hit the ground. She pulled it from the door, glancing at the name on it before slipping it into the pocket of her jeans. She knew Hayden was right behind her as she fished the keys out of her satchel and put them in the lock.

Pushing the door opened revealed to her a normal interior, the staircase still cluttered with the same books she had placed there over the past few weeks. Still, something didn’t seem right, she thought to herself as she started cautiously up the stairs. Nearing the top, she saw things that were almost definitely not right. The window shade had been drawn and she could see shiny glass scattered across her countertop. She dared to glance to the side and noticed a chair had been moved. Then the smell hit her. A mixture of garbage and men’s cologne. She reached a shaking hand out to the light switch and flicked it on, flooding the room in light.

It was there she noticed the man with the gun…

 

[HotCider]

Jessup King

Jessup had learned to be a patient man. There were times where he would have to wait two days to a week for his target to come home just because luck had them make a change of plans. Fortunately, this wasn’t the case. Before his target entered, there was a spark of alertness in his chest. He didn’t understand why he suddenly felt on the edge, but when the apartment door opened, he suspected it might have been a sixth sense. Little did he know that he was sensing godlings.

The person who had entered the apartment was ascending the stairs slowly and carefully. He didn’t know how his target may have suspected he was already in there, but he didn’t let it bother him. She reached the top of the steps, and he got a good look of her before she even noticed him calmly sitting up against the wall. The golden light from the blinds outlined her body and face.

When she cut on the lights, a pseudo-friendly smile curled on his lips as he greeted, “Bonjour.”

He rose from his chair and threatened calmly, “If you scream, ah’ll blow yer head off, so sit yer ass down; ah got some questions t’ask you if you don’t mind.”

The whole time Jessup was waiting for the girl to do something flashy. Teleport, shoot lasers, or break out some wicked martial arts. His employer had said she was the least dangerous yet the most. If Lydia had cooperated with him, Jessup would demand:

“Tell me what’s goin’ on here. Why am ah here to kill a little girl? But ah could be wrong. You might not be what you seem to be, and this is why you need to tell me everythin’ or ah’ll scatter you ‘cross this apartment if you try anythin’ funny. What you do, drug dealin’? You look smart. Hacker? You fuck with the wrong people?”

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

She stood there staring at the gunman in silence for a few moments, praying that Hayden stayed down the stairs. She wrapped Hayden’s large jacket closer around her and did as he ordered and stayed quiet. The way he stared at her made her think that maybe he’d seen something that had left an impression upon him very recently. It was like he was waiting for her to do something completely out of left field.

Still standing at the top of the stairs, she frowned at his line of questioning. Her arms folding across her chest as she waited for him to stop talking.

“Do I look like a drug dealer? Cause if I do my mother would be sorely disappointed. She raised me better than that. As for being a hacker, I don’t care for computers. They’re artificial and cold. I’m a librarian and books are my trade. As to why you’re here to kill me, I can’t answer that. I don’t know that I have any enemies…other than a rather large dog that I had words with this evening. I’m assuming by your “professional” demeanor that you do this for a living and you’ve just been given a job that you’re uncomfortable with. I’m a “little girl” to you so it’s not the subject that makes you uncomfortable. You’ve obviously been hired because if you weren’t you would know exactly why you were. That’s leaves me with one guess and that’s the person who sent you here. They make you uncomfortable. Since you seem like the kind of guy that works for all sorts of shady individuals, I would say this person does something you’ve never seen before.”

All the while she talked she had slowly moved herself closer to the staircase. She was trying to use her knowledge and people reading skills against this man, confuse him if need be in order to make an escape but she was stopped by a sudden thought. This thought had her moving towards him, her brow drawn close in a frown.

“This person that sent you here…did they have a large dog with them?”

 

[HotCider]

Jessup King

The mercenary didn’t like how she remained where she was. The little shit! Did she think this was a game? When she opened her mouth, what came out seemed almost endless. Questions, suspicions, and assumptions…it made Jessup frown deeply. The bitch talked way too much. All her words did was drive him to the edge. Who the fuck did she think she was questioning him?

When Lydia stepped closer and asked about some large dog, Jessup whipped the gun toward her face, hoping the action would stun her or better yet knock her to the floor. Regardless what might have happened next, Jessup snarled, “Ah’m askin’ the questions here you fuckin’…”

Jessup’s eyes widened as though a vision had just played before them. It had been an epiphany; enlightenment that dawned on him at that moment. His golden eyes lingered on Lydia in his silence.

Know-it-all…, he thought; musing over the series of words he would have said next.

The girl was a know-it-all. She was a librarian and she had so far proved to be really sharp. The right corner of Jessup’s mouth twitched as it slowly quirked into a smirk. Laughter slowly bubbled within him until it left his lips confidently. He had figured out Lyra’s stupid riddle: least dangerous yet the most. The girl was a brainiac. Well that was easy to solve. He wouldn’t have to actually kill her.

He had a strong desire to kill the bookworm brought on by something he didn’t really understand. He wanted to squeeze the trigger and shoot her full of holes until he didn’t recognize her anymore. He wanted to hear the cracks of his pistol, feel the recoil, smell the smoke, and feel her warm blood on his hands. There was a large and malevolent grin on Jessup’s face as he continued to regard her. This was war, and she was his enemy.

Jessup’s right hand holding the gun trembled a little. Although he had these urges; these bloodlusts; he was born with human morality. Jessup didn’t go around killing babies or children. He went around killing thugs, kidnappers, and murderers just like him. The girl before him didn’t look like those kinds of people. Her previous spiel didn’t make her sound like it either.

His right eye was now twitching as it felt like two beings were disputing within his head. She was doing this to him. This was her power. She was fucking with him. He could feel it.

“What did you do? Tell me or ah’ll shoot you in tha’ face!” he threatened. It felt good to threaten, but the intention wasn’t entirely there. “Don’t say nothin’ else. You just tell me what you did in five seconds. If ah feel yer goin’ off topic, ah’ll shoot you in a special spot in yer head. You won’t be able to think no more, and you’ll be stuck between dead an’alive.”

“5…”

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

She stopped in her tracks as he turned the gun towards her again, mere inches from her face. She should have felt fear but just like with the hellhound she felt something else. It was like an overwhelming confidence. Confidence was a strange emotion. She lived most of her life in uncertainty, always second guessing even though she knew she was right. Standing before a man that could end her life she again knew she was right.

“Why don’t you tell me what I did? I think you know deep down inside why you’re here.” She held her hands up to appease him as he continued to hold the gun on her. The sleeves of Hayden’s coat slid down her arms finally, showing this man that she wasn’t a threat. “I can’t tell you something that I don’t know. I know a lot but not the answer to your question. I also know that you‘re not going to pull that trigger.” She wondered what Hayden was doing downstairs, if he was listening to this conversation and just what his own thoughts were. There was something seriously messed up with her, she decided, as she continued to stare at the man with the gun without fear.

 

[HotCider]

Jessup King

“1…”

The silence that lowered like curtain between them seemed thick. Jessup still had his gun aimed at Lydia, and the tension rose above his head to the point that he was drowning in nerves.

I also know that you’re not going to pull that trigger.

He didn’t want to. What was victorious about killing some unarmed girl? She wasn’t even a match. The mercenary’s eyes became distant and unblinking as though he was seeing something she couldn’t see. He couldn’t see it as much as he could feel it and knew its thoughts. What was this thing he felt? Was it him? It was a side of him he hadn’t encountered before. He had always given into the bloodlust, but now that he was refusing to fight, though he felt content, he felt furious. The magnitude of anger that he felt was like an earthquake racking his nerves to tearing. The muscles in his arms even felt fixed as though it wasn’t even him keeping the gun pointed at the girl.

What the fuck? Jessup thought in fear. Whatever it was stirring inside him, it frightened him. It wasn’t something he recognized and this situation with the girl was trying to draw it out.

Jessup’s arm struggled to lower the gun as though the simple task had taken all the strength in his body. His golden eyes were tinged with a haunting-hue of red as he stared at the pistol, making sure his arm obeyed him like he wanted. His index finger then trembled to put the safety on, but he managed to do so. As soon as the weapon lost its lethality, it felt like a great burden stepped out of him. His muscles no longer felt constricted, and he felt an odd lightness.

He couldn’t do this. Without saying anything to Lydia, Jessup turned and strode for her window. He grasped her blinds and yanked them down before proceeding to open the window. He had struggled with it a little. His hands were shaking and he felt nothing but irritation. He was in no mood to hear the girl’s voice. He just wanted to leave.

Jessup got the window open and he stepped out onto the fire escape. The cool air and the distant whisper of vehicles put him slightly at ease. He didn’t feel cramped. As he went for the steps, Jessup couldn’t stop thinking about that woman. He had a feeling that if he had went after any of the targets that she had given him—anyone but the one that she dubbed to be the weakest—he could have killed them easily if they had even dared to use their powers on him. But that girl had been powerless, and it had saved her life.

Jessup didn’t know what he was going to do. He didn’t want to call her to tell her that he had failed. He actually felt that taking on the other targets that she said were dangerous would have been easier, but the incident back in that apartment still had him spooked. He had wanted so badly to kill that girl, but he knew it was wrong, and a side of him didn’t care. Never had he felt so conflicted, and it could have been a side-effect of meeting her. It could have very well been her power, but it just didn’t feel like it. He didn’t recognize it, but it felt slightly familiar.

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

She watched as the assassin lowered his gun and turned on the safety. Daring to lower her arms as he did this, she studied him closer from her position. He was struggling with something in him, something that Lydia could oddly identify with. His eyes glowed in an oddly fascinating way. When he turned to leave, she shivered again as if she’d just been pulled Hayden’s shadows once more but it was more of the adrenaline leaving her body.

As he tore down her shades and left the apartment, she knew she should take the moment to run and find Hayden. It was her opportunity to escape but she found herself doing something so unspeakably stupid that her rational mind was screaming at her. Poking her head and shoulders through the window, she looked down through the fire escape, staring at the man for a moment before she found the voice to speak again.

“Hey, what’s your name?” If he didn’t shoot you before, he was most definitely going to do it now, she thought to herself.