((This is the first part of my current project. Reviews loved. Be they harsh kind, or whatever. I just want to know how to improve. Tell me what you think!))
"Ikera! Get up! You'll be late!" She heard this yelled from downstairs. The girl sat up in a big four poster bed, sighing. "I'm up! I'm up!" Slipping out of bed she ran to the bathroom, taking care of a couple things there. Heading back into the main part of her room she debated for a few minutes before deciding on a form fitting black dress.
After slipping it on she turned and regarded herself in the full length mirror on the back of her still shut door. Her up tilting at the corner eyes a bright, pulsing blood red. Her normally tan skin pale, and her waist-length black hair falling in gentle waves.
The dress showed no cleavage, though bared her neck and arms. She sighed. I look like a vampire. The thought ran through her head, and she smiled slowly. Then she shrugged and headed downstairs to the smell of bacon and eggs.
Down the spiraling stairs she went only to find that her parents had already left, leaving her lavender haired brother to make breakfast. This is unusual..He doesn't cook..What's the occasion? She wondered as she stood in the kitchen doorway, watching him.
When he turned around to put a plate together she noticed that he was humming some tune she couldn't quite place. Wait? He was humming?! That hadn't happened since they were kids! He looked up and smiled at her, his normally dark amethyst eyes gleaming brightly. "Hey twerp! I was getting worried. Mom called you like half an hour ago. Thought maybe you'd fallen into a black hole or something..."
She stared mutely at him for a moment then replied. "My Airu..What's the occasion?" He was defiantly being weird..Well, weirder than normal at least.
He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask Ike? I'm just happy.. Is that a crime oh wise sister? You better eat, it'll get cold!" She gasped at his use of her childhood nick-name. It had been several years since he called her that, usually never in front of their parents or friends. His made lewd comments at hers and hers all seemed to blush and fall quiet, later kicking his in the balls. Thus starting the process over. This had happened for years, and so moments like this were rare.
She blinked and started eating, noticing that he was bouncing up and down; he was manic! He grinned and poked her in the forehead. "Plus, last night, I was exploring the town..Don't tell mom and dad...And I met this really cute guy..We started talking and he offered to take me out. I'm so excited! His eyes were amazing, all emerald flecked with silver..It was incredible." He paused, looking at the clock.
"Aw s**t! Sis, we gotta go!..Run! Go get your bus! I'll see you at lunch." He was four years older than her, and a foot taller. He in his third year of high school she in her first, and yet they had the same lunch.
She nodded, took her plate to the sink and ran out the door. She caught her bus right as it was about to pull away, settling quickly into an empty seat. Looking around she noticed the tension verging on anger that all the other students glared at each other with. When they came to the next stop a single young man boarded. The young man whom all seemed scared of.
Ikera stared. Even though everyone else was looking away; some even pulling their hair aside to bare their throats as if he were superior to them in some way. The fear was nearly tangible. He's beautiful! It was the only thought she could think. Like all others had been shoved out of her brain.
His hair was glossy, black and straight. Running to the small of his back it was long for a guy, but looked good on him. Held out of his face by a thin gold wire clasp, it complemented the pale gold skin. His face long, almost thin. His eyes were the most stunning feature. Golden and spiraling, spinning and boiling like a storm cloud. It looked rather odd in a human face.
His build tall, thin. He appeared weak, no visible muscles. Though, he was wearing a cloak of all things, making it rather hard to tell. He moved like a predator, making her and apparently several others think him very, very strong.
At least, that was his guess. People had been scared of him from the start of school this year. Granted, he'd started school there only in the last week of the semester, and therefore hadn't had time to start anything. This year though all those that tried to beat him up met pain. They respected that he was dangerous. And obviously not one of them, not a vampire, and not a dragon. His power was a mixture of both, and for that they feared him.
He smirked slightly, though he knew he probably shouldn't he wanted to see if she was perhaps the one? She was a new arrival to the school, he could smell the curiosity on her. He relaxed slightly, allowing his scent to spread farther.
While she'd been staring he'd stalked over and sat beside her. She was swaying slightly in time with his heartbeat. He watched her bemusedly for a few moments, then blinked and looked away. Carefully not meeting her gaze, though she tried hard to make eye contact again. He sat as far away as possible from her on the small seat.
"Who are you?" His voice deep and melodic, pitched softly for her ears only. By now she'd stopped swaying, but it took her a moment to realize he'd spoken to her. A moment more to remember how to speak again. Once she managed to make sound come out she stammered repeatedly.
"I-I-I'm Ikera..I-Ikera Mithra..Who, or-or what are you?" He smiled slightly at the stammering, he knew all too well the effect a vampire's thrall could inflict. Even unintentionally. He didn't want to frighten her too much. Scaring off the child could be disastrous for all the races involved.
So he continued to smile disarmingly, and answered slowly. "I'm Zyrus, nice to meet you Ikera." He rolled the 'r' slightly, intentionally. Wanting to see her reaction. He figured it would catch a nerve, make her notice at least. She found herself smiling in return, why though she wasn't certain, there was just some odd appeal here, she was drawn to him and didn't quite understand why.
Zyrus fell quiet a moment, then continued in that same low, nearly musical voice. "I am a mutt. Nothing much of importance. My curiosity here rests with you, my dear. She who appears like one of us, yet falls in thrall with me so easily...Like a Human. So I ask, what are you?"
Ikera blinked, slightly frightened and very confused by this person. She scooted over to put her back to the window, pulling her knees to her chest. The skirt fell to her ankles, so she wasn't worried about being indecent. She really didn't care what would happen to her if the bus crashed.
He blinked slightly at the defensive posture, perhaps he'd overdone it a bit. She seemed frightened. Yet no power came off her, nothing changed other than her stance. Interesting.
"What do you mean? 'Like a human?' As oppose to what? A dog or a cat? Thrall, like vampires? 'One of us?' What the hell, is it a club of some sort?" Her eyes wide and dim, swirling rapidly. Her voice high, fear and anger mingling.
He blinked, watching her for a moment. As he opened his mouth to respond the bus stopped suddenly. She screamed, realizing too late that sitting with ones back to the window utterly thwarted any and all good the seatbelt might do in this situation. Too late she struggled against the forward momentum to get back into the belt, her struggles only sending her farther and faster into the next seat. As quickly as it had started her forward momentum stopped, when she was about halfway over the next seat. Thankfully the person in that seat had disappeared, though her brain didn't register it yet.
She gasped, then squealed as she noticed that she was moving backwards. A cold arm wrapped around her waist. In a moment she was sitting on Zyrus' lap. His cloak was spread wide, attached to him only by the clasp at his throat.
Underneath he was wearing black pants and a matching short-sleeved shirt. Beside him where she'd been sitting only moments before a sheathed sword rested. He gently but quickly curled her as she had been, just with one arm around her shoulders. He tilted his thighs up slightly to keep her there, unclipped the throat-clasp and refastened it around her neck too. As long as she leaned against his chest neither of them would choke. He quickly covered both of them with his cloak.
"You really must be more careful! I can not run around saving your butt all the time!" there was laughter and admonishment in his voice. She made a face. "This wasn't my fault!"
All the glass shattered inward suddenly, she screamed. He ducked and quickly covered her mouth. He felt the scream she was about to do and knew that if she let that out they'd likely die. She nearly struggled, but realized it was a moot point. He was right, screaming her lungs out wouldn't help things, no matter how tempting it was. Besides, he was stronger then she. She wouldn't be able to wriggle free, might as well enjoy the protection while she had it. The hood of the cloak had fallen, and a solid darkness enveloped them. "Hush." The single word breathed into her ear before he vanished from underneath her.
She gasped and threw the hood back. Uncertain how he'd done that, the next thing she saw was Zyrus. That sword in his right hand, unsheathed. He was surrounded by a small army of shadow things, that shining silver blade poised to strike. She whimpered softly as the beings gained a humanoid shape and attacked him.
He snarled and slashed downward, the being hit gave an unearthly howl and black blood spurted. She blinked; hearing another being scream, turning to see a young woman with blond hair standing a few feet away from them. She closed her eyes and listened, listened for the music that only she and her brother seemed to hear.
It took her a few moments to sort the confused strains out. Zyrus' was deep, and calm. Like a cello or a base violin in the hands of a masterful player. Her own was like a flute, high and fast. Flighty at times. The woman and the beings music was composed of flats and sharps, horridly discordant.
She found herself suddenly thinking of the song of fire, visualizing a bonfire. A high pitched, sharp scream cut off suddenly though it echoed in her mind for a moment. She tried to open her eyes, only to find the world spinning. She fell sideways, unconscious.
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