Adalia

Chapter 1

Blas stealthily approached the body and removed the bit of hair that was covering her closed eyes. Her skin was like ice, but what made him lean back was an electricity which went through all over his arm. He stared at her; she was wearing a colorful dress full of flowers. But what caught his attention was that she was too exposed for that cold time in the year. When his gaze sneaked her face, words were fired inside his mind: Wow, he found himself thinking, she is beautiful. However, he didn't have time to think about this feeling he had; he saw a giant bloodstain surrounding the girl. He reached her hand and confirmed that she was alive.

-Valentine, - He shouted to his friend. Valentine was the one in charge of the sick or wounded people from their missions, not him. The alley was obscure, and the girl was against the wall. –I found something.-

The boy with black hair turned and reached his friend's side to see what he had found. He had been searching for steps of the man they were following, in vane.

-She is alive.- Blas declared, getting up and folding arms. Valentine looked at him.

-¿Found something?- He said in a mocking tone, bending down so he could hold the girl in his arms. He was wearing a thin, blue jacket and black jeans. Blas was wearing black trousers and his favorite black leather jacket.

-Hmh, someone...- Blas replied dismissively and brushed his blonde hair; a constant habit he did a little too often. He had a poor lack of focus when it came to stuff that wasn't of his interest.

-And she is bleeding. Little detail you forgot to tell. - Valentine commented, worried, watching how tiny drops of blood crushed the floor when he lifted the girl. She was really hurt and needed instantly treatment. –We have to take her; this is definitely black magic.-

-How unpleasant. Why can't we ever find a hot model asking for help? – Blas moaned with an expression of disgust. He turned so he could not see the blood and stretched the palm of his hand towards the floor. –Aperta.- A few seconds later, and following his words, a blurred circle appeared on the floor. The floor of the alley was getting deformed until a solid black hole showed the way through the tunnel. Blas jumped, knowing where it leaded to. The tunnel was too straight and obscure; and he instinctively covered his nose with his fingers, as the sewage smell filled his nostrils. He looked up and waited for Valentine to come down trying to be as subtle as he could. He did not want the girl to suffer more.

-Close.- Blas said, pointing at the black hole from the other side, and this closed quickly. He turned and followed Valentine, stepping on top of the water puddles that covered the tunnel's floor, in which the vision was poor enough for them to spot the small but toxic plashes. They followed the well-known path, until they reached a more illuminated part. Big and elegant candelabras were hung in the walls. Blas was still covering his nose with his fingers, and he felt her eyes burn. –This place really needs a cleaning, more than my own room.-

-Well, then you'd better start cleaning.- Valentine replied walking like the girl didn't weight at all; she was very light and small. –People shouldn't know about the tunnel.-

-Before I clean this, you'll see me cleaning Zeus's bathroom.- Blas said and stepped forwards and stopping. Just on top of him, there was a golden circle, which opened when it recognized them. Slowly, stairs unrolled from the circle until they were firmly attached to the floor. Blas rushed away from the horrible smell and Valentine followed him, trying to be as delicate as possible. He was very gentle and patient when it came to delicate moves.

-Alice.- Called Valentine as he appeared at the main hall. The main hall was decorated in golden and beige colors. He had grown in that hall, jumping between the sofas, and between the cries of Alice. But the woman didn't seem to have heard him, so Valentine went out of the hall right into a dark hallway, decorated with big pictures and candelabras. He had to admit that it was terrifying.

When he had reached the bottom of the stairs, a small woman looked at him with impatience. She was very small, with purple hair and a rounded face. Her look was nervous, as always, but her expression turned into surprise when she saw the girl hanging from Valentine's arms. She had a long, lilac dress with pink details. She looked at the girl with hostility, because the boys weren't supposed to bring strangers to the Castle. But she dragged her gaze to the pouring blood and she started to panic.

-What happened?- She exclaimed, but didn't leave space for an answer. –Leave her in one of the rooms and I'll call Jessie.- Alice said turning around rashly.

Valentine inspected the hallway, observing if Blas was there, in vain because he had disappeared. So he walked into the room which was just aside with Blas's. Of course, it wasn't strange that Blas vanished, as he always did that when trouble loomed.

The room was decorated in pale pink and golden details. Valentine disarmed the bed and left the girl on top of the blankets. She didn't do any sound or move, and the boy reached her face with his fragile fingers. He guessed she had no more than eighteen. Her hair was ash color, with golden fire locks, she had an upturned nose and high cheekbones. Valentine scanned her with curiosity; she had a face like an angel, perfect and proportional. She was cold and pale, due to the great blood loose. Her skin was covered with scratches and bruises.

Jessie, a tall and stylized girl dashed into the room with a first aid kit in her hand. She had a shiny red head that fell to her waist. Anxiety was slipping from her eyes, looking at the girl, as her passion was to attend the harmed. She dashed an irritated look towards Valentine, who half smiled and left the room in silence. Jessie could be very demanding when it came to healing people.

She removed the blanket and saw the deep scratches in the girl's arms. However, the thing that caught her attention was a large blood splash in her abdomen. She cut the dress so she could work on the extensive injury. She then opened her first-aid kit and started doing what she knew: heal people with her herbs.