Of Ravens and Murder: OM&N Volume 2

2005 - Burnham, England

It rained in Burnham that day and though it was quite cold, it wasn't unexpected. Alix McÁed was currently living in Scotland, but that particular day she'd decided to visit the busy docks in Burnham. She wove through the crowds with well-practiced ease, letting the scents and sounds bring her mind back to a time a century or so ago when she'd meet her sailor friend to play at cards or drink. The pub they once frequented had closed years ago and her friend had long since passed on, but still, the memories brought a bittersweet smile to her lips. She settled down at the edge of one of the piers, stripping off her hi-tops and socks and rolling up her jeans to dangle her feet in the icy water.

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For hours Alix sat watching the ships and people come and go until the stream of people had thinned considerably. It was like an orchestra to her, an ever-changing symphony of colors that never dimmed. Finally, she seemed to come back from her reverie and she took a deep breath before climbing to her feet, lifting her things to pad barefoot back towards the streets. She paused in her stride when she saw the young girl sitting alone on the curb with her tattered bag clutched tightly to her side, her red hair slicked down despite the threadbare hood she was wearing. Her emerald eyes were cold and vacant like she'd shut down her emotions and didn't know how to feel anything anymore. Alix studied the girl for a moment, taking in her soul before she glanced around in search of her parents; everyone left with them was human and the girl was definitely not.
No, the girl was something rare, something Alix hadn't seen in a long time; she was an Alcaimynder, her feral nature reflected in her soul, but she was something else, too...
something strong and even wilder than an Alcaimynder...
something familiar.
Alix's liquid mercury eyes widened slightly when she recognized it: the girl was one of hers.
As she approached, the girl's gaze drifted up to meet hers; there was no fear there like her instincts had been overridden by her apathy. It broke Alix's heart. Alix crouched in front of her so that she could look up into her emerald eyes, quiet for a moment when she saw pain and loss in them that almost mirrored her own.

"Hey love," Alix spoke gently, "how long have you been sitting out here in the rain?" The girl shrugged.

"A while..." she ran her fingers through her red hair as she thought, the wild locks mussed even more in the rain that soaked them, "I'm not really sure...." Her voice was quiet like she'd gotten used to being dismissed or abandoned mid-sentence.

"And where are your parents?" Alix spoke softly, she wasn't sure she would like the answer. Something in the girl's expression told her that not much could scare her anymore.

"Dunno," the girl's voice was quiet, a barely audible whisper even by Alix's standards, "they're dead." Alix exhaled slowly, her fears confirmed.

"And what are you going to do now that everyone has gone home?" Again the girl shrugged a graceful gesture despite how annoyingly noncommittal it was.

"Dunno," she gestured to a dumpster in a nearby alley, "I was just thinking I might go sleep in that bin over there." Alix shook her head at the notion, straightening up again.

"I've plenty of room, warm beds, and hot meals, why don't you come with me?" She offered the girl her free hand, but the girl simply stared at her as if waiting for the catch. "My name's Alix, by the way." Still, the girl seemed to hesitate, so Alix flashed the first honest smile she'd worn in a little over 120 years, "It's alright, little fox, it's just for one night, then you're free to go." Finally, slowly, the girl took Alix's hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

"Thank you." Alix smiled softly before stripping her coat and draping it around the girl's small frame, pulling the hood up.

"What shall I call you, little fox?" The ghost of a smile flickered across the girl's lips at the nickname.

"Reyna, my name is Reyna."