My Little Dove

Chapter 19

Peter looked up from his hands, he was slumped in the brown, scrapped up chair Alexie sat in. He was fiddling with his hands not wanting to think about Teresa or James. He looked up to Teplova; who was slouched in her corner playing with one of her pitch-black daggers.

Sixteen. Thought Peter. Sixteen, and she's living as an outlaw and knows who to use weapons.

He looked back down to his hands. "Tep," he said quietly, "I'm sorry." He didn't dare look up to meet her gaze.

Tep looked up at Peter as he spoke. At first, she didn't respond, then she said simply, "I know." She stood up and walked over to the bed and sat down, her back against the headboard. "But... Saying you're sorry won't change any of the Protector's minds to stop hunting me." She stared at the wall in front of her. "I come down to the second level on my own sometimes," she said quietly, "and try to find mom-" she stopped and took a breath. "When I can't find her, I go to a school and watch the kids." She looked at Peter. "They just run around or stand talking and laughing. They don't know what's going on around them. They haven't seen what we've seen." She paused. "No kid should. No kid should ever go through what we did Pete. This magic tears families apart, and those Protectors don't care how much damage they cause."

Peter didn't know what to say. His heart sunk in his chest, and he felt sorry for her. "You-" he hesitated. "You look for mom?" Peter asked, ignoring the slander about the Protectors.

Peter and Teplova were siblings, yes, but only part. Tep had a different father, Peter's father had died in a car crash. Their mother married Tep's father and had her a year later. She was having a hard time with money and finding a job, but when the Rangers came, she gave Tep and Peter willingly to them.

Tep looked back to the wall and nodded. "Ya..." A tear fell from her eye and landed on the blade in her hand. She was crying, but there was no sadness on her face. "You know, maybe, maybe she'll want to see me." She wiped her tear away. "Anyway... I wonder how Teresa and Alexie are," she said, changing the subject as though it was as light as talking about games.

Peter straightened up in his seat, and was just about to say they probably just arrived at the Hospital, when Tep sat up and raised her hand to silence Peter. She put a finger to her mouth. Tep slid off the bed with a dagger in her hand. "Did you hear that?" she whispered to him.

Peter shook his head. He looked at the metal band around his wrist and a sword melted into his hand. "What is it?" he asked.

Tep looked around the room, and down the hall to the bathroom. "Nothing," she said. "I could have sworn I heard something."

"You're probably just on high alert, because you're nervous." Peter said, shrugging. "Or you hear something falling apart, this building looks like it's going to collapse any minute."

Tep shook her head and turned to face him. She started to speak when her eyes grew huge. "Duck!" she yelled at Peter.

Peter ran to the side and sailed over the bed. He looked up and saw a shadowy figure with a metal mask behind where he was standing a moment before. Tep threw a dagger at it. The black dagger sailed right through it. Tep backed up and grabbed another one from her belt and threw it, again the dagger went through the figure. "Peter!" she yelled.

Peter stood up and was about to through his sword at the figure when another sword clashed against his. He turned to see another shadowy figure; he could faintly see the room through it. Peter looked at its face, it had a metal mask with very intercede designs around the nose, eyes, and mouth parts. Peter rehandled his sword and spun it in his hand "What the heck are you?" Peter asked, more to himself than it.

"We are the Olroch, and we are here for the magic one." The thing responded.

Peter looked over at Tep she was pinned against the wall, the figure had a sword against her throat.

"We won't hurt her," the figure in front of Peter said. "We just need the magic one."

Peter raised his sword. "There are more magics here," Peter said, "you have the wrong people."

The figure in front of him lowered his sword and stuck the tip of the blade into the carpet. "We can sense they were here," it said. "Where is it now?"

Peter glanced over to Tep; who was breathing short a choppy, there were beads of sweat on her head.

"They left," Peter said, looking back at the figure. "They're not coming back. I don't know where she is now, and I don't know where she is going."

The Olroch looked to the other. "I have picked up sent. Let's g-"

The Olroch was cut off by a small explosion, green smoke filled the room. Before he knew what was going on Peter felt a hand clamp over his arm. "Let's go!" It was Tep, "and cover your nose and mouth."

Peter could hear the Olrochs yelling. He covered his face and ran to the window. They both climbed out and ran.