Shadows of the Night

I.

July 2037

Nyx

"TWO LOCAL women were found murdered this afternoon in Celacali's northern suburbs, and chief of police, Isaac Silvia, has yet to comment on the ongoing investigation and why renowned detective Azeil Monroe has returned to the city-"

The wind ruffled Nyx's hair through the open window of the car door, tangling loose curls that didn't cling to her sun-warmed skin. The saline breeze filled her nose as she reached forward and abruptly changed the radio station, casting a weary glance towards her father from her peripherals. Leaning back in her seat, she turned her gaze to the abundant flora outside her window.

The drive from Malor to Celacali had been filled with soft, almost indistinct music from the radio and the brief conversations between them, neither daring to mention the ongoing case that'd partially resulted in their move. Or the permanent return for Azeil, who'd been living part-time in Celacali for five years.

She supposed it made sense that conversation came awkwardly. Even her father wasn't sure how to proceed after the days that had followed her parent's divorce- a divorce that'd dragged on for months- and the announcement of a murder case centred in the heart of his hometown. It still seemed selfish to her, to feel grateful that the days of hearing her parents fighting and their hushed arguments drifting up the staircase of their Malor home were gone.

But in the echoing silence that followed, came the swift move to Celacali.

Nyx's father, Azeil Monroe, had assured her that there was plenty to do in Celacali, though he always conveniently steered the conversation away from what exactly it was he'd done whilst living there those twenty-five years ago in his youth, and heavily emphasised that she was to be careful in her exploration of the coastal city. Giving her just enough to understand the appeal of the place, boasting of concerts he'd dragged his younger brother, her Uncle Asher, to. But he left just enough out that, funnily enough, it made Nyx want to explore whatever Celacali had to offer more, despite the risk of being spotlighted by its recent murder cases.

If not for her parent's divorce and the imminent investigation her father had been hired for, Nyx Monroe believed that her mother would've eventually divorced her father anyway. Blinking as if she had thought Azeil would start laughing and reveal that he was joking about where they were moving to, or back to, as the case may be. Alyvia, Nyx's mother, had been livid at first, throwing question after question at Azeil about how he could be so stupid as to move back there after everything that had happened.

But Azeil had brushed it off with a simple, "They're gone, Via. There's nothing to be afraid of in Celacali."

Nyx's older adopted brother had watched from the kitchen table, seemingly unbothered by whatever had gotten their mother so worked up. Although, that might've just been Xander. Not much seemed to faze her brother, but Nyx knew better than to assume that he wasn't thinking about it, knowing that if Xander had mastered one thing in his early thirties, it was a mask of disinterest. And even though he maintained a poker face for most things, Xander doted on his baby sister. He'd promised Nyx he'd come and show her his favourite things in Celacali, a comic bookstore being at the top of his list.

Xander had always been her reliable, dependable older brother. It had been his shoulder she'd cried on when she'd been afraid. It had been him she'd told about the golden-eyed beasts who lurked in the shadows on her way back from school or the late nights spent with her small circle of friends. Or even the nights when eyes seemed to glare back at her from the darkness of the streets. Always waiting. Always watching.