The Stronghold 2: Immortals

Beginnings

I looked up from my cereal and sighed. Pepper had been back for about five days and was acting really weirdly, smiling at me and laughing when I turned his hair blue. Laughing instead of cursing. 

Something wasn't right.

"Pepper, stop being weird," I said as he sat opposite me. I'd taken up permanent residence in the Stronghold after Georgina got fed up with me randomly arriving at midnight begging for food. 

"Sorry," he apologised. After returning from his trip across the world he'd become a lot more humble but a lot more weird.

"You're being nice to me," I continued, swirling the milk around in my bowl with my spoon. "It's not normal."

"Gallivanting across the world isn't normal," Georgina called.  Pepper bowed his head and accepted the slap across the back of his neck by his wife.

"Yeah, are you ever going to explain the reasons behind that?" Rebecca asked, wandering over. Her school for assassins was just next to the Stronghold and she'd one of the classes the task of getting into the building. With all the security that had been put up I was wondering if any of them would ever get inside in one piece.

"I already have," Pepper said. 

"Repeat it for us," Rebecca ordered. For someone relatively small she was incredibly fierce and knew how to use a sword, as she had proved to me many, many times.

"I wanted to start a new life where I wasn't recognised and didn't have so much pressure put on me," Pepper stated.

"But you came back because...?"

"I came back because I am a jerk that can't function without his friends," Pepper finished. Rebecca nodded her head and walked away again, swinging a sword between her fingers.

"I still can't believe Josh got shot and nobody told me," Pepper said, still thinking of when he'd got back. At his sentence I stood up abruptly and walked away, barely controlling my emotions. Subconsciously I took the route to the roof, the place where nobody else went apart from me. Soon I was sat on the very edge with my arms wrapped around my knees, contemplating life - or rather, what my life had been.

Josh was always the one that kept me sane. He was tall, strong and calm with arms that were always open for a hug. His hair changed a lot, not something that was my fault; he went from jet black to pale blonde naturally within the space of ten years, a feat I still marvel at. Marvel is the right word; he was built like a superhero and looked like Captain America, complete with American accent and full-on patriotism whenever I said something about his country. He used to be a member of the Time Police - until he was fired for being gay, that is (I hate homophobes) - and he went everywhere in the world, anywhere in time. The future, the past, the present; and yet he still stayed true to the homeland where he'd been rejected.

I sighed and lay back on the brick of the roof, hands behind my head like a pillow, fluffy brown quiff pointing to the sky. I missed Josh more than anything and yet, whilst people said that him dying was the cause of my depression, it wasn't because in my mind that's blaming him. I would never blame him for anything. He's Josh, not someone to be held to blame for all of my mistakes. 

I sighed again and turned onto my side, scratching my face against the roof but no longer caring. Stuff people, I was thinking. They can think whatever they want to think but I know what goes on up here. They don't know my opinions of them.

A little giggle escaped me as I thought of all my definitions of my friends. Pepper, the adventurer, the jerk, the insensitive, clever, wimpy guy who needed to take a chill pill. Brown haired whenever I wasn't around with dark eyes to match. He thought he was cool but no - nobody with his stature could be. He was scarily fast, though, able to sprint faster than a cheetah from a standing start. At times he was a blur but other than that he was a hyperactive, irritable puddle of intelligence. Liken him to Iron Man and you'll know what I mean.

Georgina looked sane compared to him. Her disbelieving eyebrow could give you chills and her shining metal arm was always up to give you a sharp slap, as I'd found out many times. She was logical yet obviously tired of Pepper's insanity. I could tell that she was almost glad while he was gone - not that I'd ever let on, of course. That was for her to tell him. And I wasn't risking being caught in the glare of her gold-blue-grey eyes when she was in a bad mood.

Despite trying to respect Peppina's privacy Rebecca, Sophie, Emmi and I had a betting pool as to when they were getting a divorce (I gave it another four months). Emmi ran it as she could actually be trusted with money, unlike the rest of us. And her magical animals were pretty fierce when it came to defending their blonde-haired, blue-eyed owner so not one person dared come near the money.

Stones dug into my back and I shifted my position so that I was sat up once more, looking out to the school that Rebecca runs. Her school is for budding young assassins and only the very best get accepted. She has the power of electricity and, coupled with spiky metal weapons, is a lethal force in battle. She also has major anger issues and very immature comebacks. Coupled with the look of an innocent little girl - brown haired and big eyed behind her glasses - she has the element of surprise. 

Talking of immature comebacks, Sophie is someone who would rather hiss at you than actually speak. It's not her fault really; she's part cat. A human-cat hybrid that gets on really well with Lulu, Georgina's dog. Sophie is just generally an animal lover that is kind to everybody but if you mess with any of her drawings then you'd better run before the screaming begins.

A smile twitched at my lips. My friends were good and all but they always ended up dying. Then coming back to life. Then dying again.

So much death.

The breeze whipped past my face and I flinched at the coolness. Then I realised that thinking about my friends was all good and that but what about little old me? With a reminder not to be too harsh on myself I immediately began to think.

I'm square-jawed with a slightly oblong face that manages to look pointed at the same time. I have sharp features, my bone structure pronounced clearly. A brown-blonde quiff settles neatly on my head and, as the quiff is the gayest hairstyle, it is also quite a clear representative of myself. My eyes are either jet black - including the white sclera - or pale blue with just flecks of darkness in. I'm a shadow demon, a god of light and the self-proclaimed king of the rainbows. In case you hadn't already guessed, I'm not human. Or sane.

By the time I was done processing all my memories the sun had almost set. Considering I'd gone up to the roof at just gone nine AM that was quite an achievement.

"Yay, I've spent another day being lost in the past," I muttered, turning on my heel and going down the stairs. A dark cloud had settled over my head and I wasn't prepared to speak to anyone. 

"Shaade, we're going out," Emmi informed me as I emerged from the dark staircase. "Do you want to come?"

"I think I'll stay here," I mumbled, not looking anybody in the eye. As I passed her Emmi grabbed my wrist, forcing me to look at her.

"You are going out whether you like it or not," she said sternly, a little blue penguin toddling around her ankles. "Trust me, you'll feel better."

I nodded and she let go of my wrist, moving to pick up her jacket. Emmi I could trust as she was the strongest out of everybody. A true fighter. 

"C'mon, Shaade," Pepper called. "There's going to be food."

I tried a weak smile and changed the colour of my jacket from black to midnight blue. Not much of a change but it was change enough for me. Following my friends to the lift I prepared myself for a night of drunken craziness.