Authors Note: "Andrew" is "Oliver's" first name.
[!] Warning! Rather boring chapter ahead! [!]
CHAPTER 04
[] Andrew []
Alexandra was going to shock. I held her shaking frame helplessly as we knelt on the damp ground in an empty alleyway.
It may have been a dick move of me to have left her alone to face the Soul demon, but it showed me what I needed to know. She was one of us. There was no doubt about it.
It was obvious she hadn't ever had any training, but somebody with no experience could never have moved with such speed and ferocity.
Alexandra put her head between her knees and her hair parted at the nape of her neck, exposing the Mark. It was fading, but I could still make out the swirling design of an elaborate eye against her pale skin.
I eased the silver dagger from her grasp, wiping the bloody blade between the folds of my sweater.
"I'm so sorry..." She murmured again and again, her hands clenching fistfuls of grass. "It's okay." I said as soothingly as possible. It were as if she couldn't hear me.
Biting my lip, I stuffed my hand into my jean pocket and pulled out my cellphone. I quickly punched two on speed dial.
It rang once... twice... I counted five rings before the other end clicked and Spencer's voice rang out.
"Yo." He intoned, seeming preoccupied. In the background I heard the computerized sound of a gun go off several times, then a man grunt along with a thud. "You have to come get me." I said urgently.
"What, you gonna' skip class again? No way, boy wonder. Plus, I'm kicking ass at A&D." There were a succession of gun shots then the sound signaling that he had leveled up. I sighed with exasperation.
"Screw Angel and Demons. Listen, something happened here. A Soul Demon attacked the school." There was creaking and a thump, and I imagined Spencer sitting up, his feet hitting the ground.
"You mean..." He breathed. "They're here." I finished. My words hung in grim silence as the meaning set in. They had found us.
"I'm coming." He finally said, his voice suddenly serious. "We're in the alley." I said, eyeing the large slash across Alexandra's shoulder.
"Wait. 'We're'? Who's with you-" I snapped my phone shut and slipped it back into my jean pocket.
"Alexandra." I said gently, placing a hand on her arm. She jerked away with a gasp, and I held my palms out in front of me.
"We have to do something about your shoulder." I said. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out a square package of antibacterial wipes. She nodded slowly, wincing as she allowing me to slowly peel off her jacket. I ripped the package open with my teeth, pulled out the wet tissue and tossed the package.
Alexandra braced herself, clenching her teeth as I tugged down the neck of her t-shirt. I felt my cheeks warm, imagining how this scene looked. I mentally shook my head. Focus.
The wide gash travelling from her shoulder to the edge of her collar bone now exposed, I could see It had already begun to heal itself.
I dabbed the wipe at the blood, cleaning around the wound. "This is going to sting a bit." I told her, sliding the wipe over the cut. She exhaled through her teeth, her body stiffening. "Good." I mumbled, dropping the bloody tissue onto her torn jacket. "Now, hold still and don't look." I told her, raising a hand to hover over the wound.
Alexandra ignored me and twisted around. "What? What are you going to do?" she demanded, beginning to pull away.
"I'm not going to hurt you." I said once again. Her eyes were wide and wary, and I knew she didn't believe me. Please don't make this any harder than this has to be.
"Yeah. I've heard that before. Right before you abandoned me and nearly had me killed." She accused. I remembered the anger and hate in her eyes as she brought down the dagger again and again into the demon's flesh as bursts of blood continued to soak her. Hardly, I thought.
"In fact, it was you who sent that thing here wasn't it? You- you set me up!" She continued, the words tumbling out of her in a rush. "What are you? What was that thing? I-"
"The Mark." I said, interrupting her. Alexandra's eyes narrowed. "What?" "The mark." I repeated. "On the back of your neck."
Alexandra swallowed, her fingers contracting as she resisted the urge to reach up and touch it. "I don't know what you're-" I interrupted her again. "I have one too." She went silent.
I stood, and after a moment of hesitation, she followed suit. I turned around so I had my back toward her and waited. She said nothing for a long time, so when her fingers brushed my neck, I almost started. Her light touch raised goosebumps as she traced the design along my skin, brushing my hair aside to get a better look. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply through my nose.
Alexandra still stank of blood, but buried beneath that, I could smell a different scent, fresh and invigorating. It smelled of something citrus-y. Like lemons and honey. Wet grass and flowers, but most of all, she smelled of... sunshine. It brought a strange nostalgic feeling to me, an empty ache in my chest, as I were remembering a lost memory from a forgotten time.
At the sound of a car peeling down the street she pulled her hand back, and we both snapped our heads around to see who was approaching. A black Volkswagen screeched to a stop at the mouth of the alleyway, parking nearly right on the pavement. The door swung open and Spencer stepped out, his hair a mess.
He stopped at the sight of Alexandra, his eyes widening as he took in all the blood. "Who-" I waved him off. "Don't have time to explain. Did you get everything?" "Yeah." Spencer said, his eyes still trained on her.
"Well, then let's go!" He nodded mutely, pulled his gaze away from Alexandra, and stepped back into the driver seat, slamming the car door.
I looked over at Alexandra, but she didn't meet my eye. "You have to come with us. You're not safe here. I'll explain everything later, but right now we have to get you away from them."
"I-" She stopped herself, biting her bottom lip. I waited, when suddenly her eyes widened, her gaze fixed at some point behind me.
I froze, then slowly turned my head, expecting another soul demon... but there was nothing.
Before I could realize what she had done, I heard her foot pivot against the ground. I instinctively grabbed for her, my fingertips brushing her arm, but it was too late. She made a run for it in the opposite direction, ignoring her bleeding shoulder. I had to admit, she was pretty fast.
I took off after her, with Spencer's voice echoing after me. "Hey! Where are you-"
"Evariste!" I yelled back. "Go!"
