This Mad Melody

5

The Seam had collapsed. That was clear. The North had pretty much fell to the monsters. Harker protection no longer existed. And the most worrying of all the Malachai and Corsai had formed an alliance.

With Harker having been killed and the other Harker having abandoned the north. That left Harker Hall open for business.

Which one Malachai reveled in.

"Little Alice Malachai. What an honour it is to see you. Again" Sloan was sat in a sofa, the smaller malachai girl sat a few chairs over. Looking bewildered.

"Do you recognise this place?" He asked.

"Should I?"

Sloan laughed, and it rang around the apartment.

He was happy. Very happy. His new malachai didn't recognise anything. So he assumed she wouldn't have recognised little Kate.

"No. I don't suppose you should really." He smiled looking out upon the city. "Are you hungry?"

Kate didn't want to stay in a room that wasn't clean. August barley blinked and she had the place plaster and dust free. It was quite amazing.

"If there's another one there'll be more plaster." August reminded her.

"Yeah. But you'll be there to protect me."

August smiled a little. But it was a forced smile. Would he always be there? He wanted to. He did have to admit that he liked Kate. He found her utterly bewildering, she wasn't like any other Human he had seen. That he liked. (the fact she wasn't scared of him helped a lot.)

Although, now that he thought about it, she didn't go out with me today. Granted he hadn't asked her. And it wasn't his choice to leave. But the thought still nagged at him. That's why it was a forced smile. 

The Sunai watched as Kate looked out of the windows, from his high up she could see Harker Hall, and the lights that shone in it. Small pockets of gunfire flashes could also be seen. He could see her shoulders were tense.

"The lights. ." He began, crossing the room to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently rubbing it.

"Malachai." She breathed out. Straightening up, she took August's hand and wrapped it around her shoulders so she was leaning against him.

"I'm sorry." Was all he could think off to say. "That was your home"

"No. Not really. I never really had a home." She replied turning her gaze from Harker Hall to the small pockets of light coming from gunfire.

August suddenly felt a wave of emotion flow over him. Which, for a non human, was strange.
So badly he wanted to say you're home can be with me Kate. But he didn't. He almost couldn't.

"It seems like it's getting closer." She commented.

"I think it is." The Sunai moved closer to the glass and after several minutes, he sighed. "Well," He began turning back to the bed. "Nothing we can do about it except hope it doesn't get any closer. Although, Henry would be an early warning sight."

"I've never been one for hoping." Kate laughed slightly and simply slid beneath the covers.

"Are you not going to get changed?" August asked as he himself swapped his trousers and removed his FTF shirt.

Blonde hair bounced off the pillows when she shook her head. "I'm too tired." She also had a feeling she would be getting up soon, and truthfully she thought she wouldn't want to waste time getting changed.

If only August thought as the human did.

But he shrugged his shoulders, a casual thing which he had learnt to do and a skill that he though humans vastly underestimated as it could get you out of almost any situation.

"Alright." He replied, hesitating before getting into bed. "Are you cold?"

"A bit." She looked at him. "But you're not..." Her train of thought going.

"I've eaten. I'll feel colder."

"I'm fine."

"I'll turn the-"

"August!" He snapped his head to face her. "I'm fine. I said I was"

Her quick and snappy response made August feel a little uncomfortable, but he brushed it aside and lay down beside her. Kate got comfy beside him, resting her head near his chest. August noted that she had curled up. A position that didn't look very comfortable, or good for the spine. However what did he know about human sleeping patterns. (As this was only the third time sleeping in the same room as one. And the second beside one.) So he let her be. For a while he refrained from laying his arm around her body, he didn't know whether that was acceptable again as they hadn't discussed last night - was it just the excitement of seeing each other again, the ecstasy. Was it more? Could this human, this Harker ever reciprocate the feelings he, a Sunai, had for her? He could never know.

Well. He could but he wasn't sure if he wanted to.

After about an hour, August gave up, and felt lighter as his arm rested around Kate's hip.

But unlike the previous night.  He didn't sleep. And he feared he wouldn't sleep for a while.

He should have slept. He wished he could later. Gunshots rang out. At first August thought they were only in his head, like they always had been before but no. They were louder, inconsistent and as he sat up, the light was shattering the dark blanket outside.

"August?" Kate mumbled, still asleep really, but sensing the shift of weight and the cold suddenly hitting her body more than it had been before her brain slowly began to wake.

Although he heard her, he didn't reply. Meerly he stood, and made his way towards the window.  Looking out, he could see the very make shift barrage across the compound gates. Huge UVR lights had been hauled out of the basement. They were faulty and not the best, flicking on and off. Helping to the monsters of the dark. Not helpful to those afraid of the dark. 

"August?" Kate said again. Now sitting fully up her eyes opening. "What's happening?"

"Kate." He walked back over to her side of the bed and knelt down so they were the same height. "Kate. I want you to stay here okay."

"What? Why? No."

Typical.

But August's face showed no emotion. It was like a man was on a mission. Only. It was a Sunai. Far more dangerous.

"Kate. If you come out with me I might not be able to keep you from harm." He repeated himself.

"I can keep my self safe Mr Flynn" Now,  even in her early self, she was beginning to get annoyed.

"Not from the music." Her face flattened. "Stay here."

A small flicker of fear passed through her eyes. Kate Harker wasn't scared by much. She never used to be scared of the monsters. Until she loved one.

"O-okay" she finally managed to say nodding.

August didn't say another word as he quickly pulled on a shirt, his shoes and before leaving the room - picking up his violin case.

But he wasted time.