Dusk Chronicles: Among the Stars

Chapter 1: Papillon Venin du Crépuscule (3/5)

I bolted upright, heart racing, breathing heavily, my eyes stinging from the tears welling up as Amy's face faded from my mind. I let them trail down my cheeks, the memory of her hanging heavily against my heart. I haven't dreamt about that day since it happened. That was when I joined the Angel Guard, losing Amy made me train so I wouldn't lose anyone again. Being on the Angel Guard and fighting in Amy's memory is what landed me working for the Lingsteins. I protected Angela like I never could for Amy, but in the end I let them both down. Both of them were stolen away from me.

"He's been crying for almost an hour, stop sending me pathetic wimps you-"

"Don't take that tone with me Crépuscule!" I stifled my sobbing, wiped the tears away as I listened to the voices drawing closer.

"Don't think you can threaten me Grimm! You need me, I don't need you!" I barely recognized Dusk's voice, she did hiss a little. I could hear the anger in her tone and it froze me to the core. My heart skipped a beat, it's no wonder she is the world's biggest criminal, she's basically standing up to death right now. "Take him to someone else."

"You killed my other trainers, you useless piece of scales." Their tones were quieter, not yelling anymore, but just as harsh. "Deal with it." Footsteps receded from outside the door, one of them must have walked off. Someone mumbles something outside the door seconds before the handle turns and Dusk walks in. Her eyes narrowed on me, fury burning intensely in them. She walked over and whipped some clothes at me.

"Get your rear end in gear we need to leave ten minutes ago." She walked over to the window, peering outside as I began to get myself dressed slowly. Every movement sent fire rippling through my body, if this is what death feels like, I don't opt for a re-do. One second she was at the window, the next I was trying to put my arm through the button up shirt and she was at my side. "You're going to die if you're slow. It hurts but only because you're letting it." She yanked on the shirt, pulling my arms through it and buttoning it quickly. I tried not to fuss as her cold hands touched my skin. A moment later I was dressed, and she was ushering me out of the window and down into the bushes a story below.

"Are you kidding me?" I was having difficulty moving, already in pain, and she wants me to jump out of a second story window, "I'm not doing this, I'll die."

"Not my problem." she let out a hiss as she pushed me from the window, I let out a small cry of surprise , but landed painlessly onto the bushes. Watching her with wide eyes, she slid down from the window effortlessly, lowering herself to a crouch without a sound. She peered through the plank of the fence then motioned for me to follow as she made her way away from the street. "This way you overgrown man-baby." With a huff I followed her, brushing some leaves from my jacket. She moved silently, weaving between the trees as if on an unseen path. Now and then she would peer over her shoulder, but not to check on me, she'd look past me, maybe to see if we were followed. After what felt like twenty silent minutes, the sky was starting to grow dark, while the clouds began to reveal a beautiful array of the twinkling stars above us.

"What's the rush?" She gave me no hint of a reply, pushing onward I weaved behind her, although not silent or graceful as she was. "Where are we going?" My questions continued as we reached the outskirts of the town, but none granted a response from her. " Slowing down anytime soon? A break? Snack time?" She looked over her shoulder every now and again, growing ever more tense as we reached the city's border fence. "If you're trying to leave town there are gates, transport, tunnels even." I spoke with an irritated, childish tone as if we were on some long, road trip. Halted by the 200ft high fence that surrounds the city border; there was no way we were about to make the climb.

"What is that?" I approached her again but stopped as I heard a twig snap nearby followed by an eerie silence. I dared not speak a word, the feeling of being watched creeping over me. I followed Dusk's lead as she slunk into the shadow of a nearby tree.

"You need to leave. There's an opening in the fence not even a hundred steps that way." She spoke softly but her tone was still harsh. She motioned behind me with a quick wave of her hand. "Begone before she finds me." I froze in place, peering around the other side of the tree. I only saw nature's beauty at rest. The moonlight trickling between gaps in the trees, illuminating long blades of grass, budding flowers, and a light fog hovering low to the ground as if it was letting out a cold breath.