The Dark Ones

Chapter Three:The Bright Ones

Rue paused halfway. Her eyes cleared like the morning that came after darkness. A sudden weakness took to her and she collapsed on the boy.

"What happened?" she raised her head, staring at him in confusion.

"You saved our lives," he smiled, combing his fingers through strands of her half-silver hair. "Your Familiar is strong. You are not alone in this world, Rue Baker, you are not."

He put her arm around his neck and lifted her from the floor. They made their way to the window. She rested her back on the wall while he opened the glass doors of the window.

"Who are you?" Rue asked feebly.

He glanced at her, "my name is Jack. This might come a bit odd, but I've been watching you for quite a while now."

"Are you like me, Jack?"

"No, Rue, you are much much better than I am. Those who know about us in the world call us Bright Ones. I have never seen any of our kind with a Familiar as strong as yours."

A rush of wind flowed into the room as Jack parted the window doors. Its fresh smell was strong, like the scent of first rain in summer. He led her outside the hospital, and they disappeared into the woods. The grasses were wet. All through summer in Serpent's Creek, it rained relentlessly. To some it was a blessing, but others like teenagers sneaking out to a party or making out in the garden, it was a constant source of annoyance.

Summer lasted far longer than winter in the little town. The rains nourished dozens of creeks snaking around forest. Some places could not be travelled to without a motorboat. But during the snow-less winter, the creeks shrank, and greens turned brown.

Rue felt the finger marks on her neck. The Priest had come so close to killing her. Twice, she had escaped death within twilight and dawn. No one was that lucky. The reason she was still breathing was walking beside her, but he was practically tall, dark, and possibly a stalker.

Jack stopped and glanced at her, like he had done a dozen times since they entered the woods. The way his eyes followed her movements, like she was an egg that could drop any moment.

"Don't worry about the marks," he smiled, "Vesper will have that fixed like it was never there."

Vesper? She thought. "Where are you taking me to?"

"Somewhere safe," he replied.

It didn't take long before they came into open space. There was a magnificent building several feet tall before her. Rue's gaze trailed the ancient walls of an abandoned Cathedral. Its pillars were carved of gothic architecture. Statues of gargoyles lined below the roof. The front door was broken and the stained glasses on the windows were just magnificent remnants of a broken beauty.

"What is this place?" she glanced at Jack.

"Home," his face lit up with a smile.

Jack opened his fingers and grabbed her hand. They were warm, not like those of the priest when he had her by the throat. They climbed the short stairs to the vestibule and made their way through the large Cathedral's door.

The hall was showered by beautiful hues of light, streaming through the broken stained glasses. Pews were scattered all over, some standing while others had fallen.

Jack stopped. Her ears picked footfalls sounding on the floor above the dais.

"Wait here, I'm coming."