The Shadow Wraith (A Gone AU)

4 Years Earlier

Someone was going to die today.

Pearl stood in front of her bedroom window, heart pounding as she watched the street below her. She sucked a deep breath and nervously tugged on her shirt. She could hear a gun being prepared in the room beside hers, and knew that Drake was waiting, too.

The doorbell cut through the stiff silence, and Pearl's heartbeat sped up. She checked her window and confirmed that this was the boy, the only one stupid enough to come to her house every day in search of an easy victim. Her stepbrother wasn't a target; he was a viper, patiently bidding his time.

She heard his footsteps going down the stairs and gripped the windowsill harder. She had to do something, anything, but fear petrified her on the spot.

Drake stepped out the door and from her angle, she could see a flash of metal. Pearl slightly pushed open her window to hear the exchange. The same moment, Drake whipped out the gun and the other boy let out a scream of surprise.

"You were saying?" Drake's cold voice drifted up towards Pearl and terror flooded her brain.

"N-nothing. I was just joking around." The boy's face paled as he stammered, "p-please let me go."

"And why would I do that?" Drake circled around him like cat playing with a mouse. "Like you said, I'm an emotionless psychopath."

That part was true, at least.

Drake was on the other side of the boy now, facing the house. He caught Pearl's eyes and she flinched, drawing her curtain half-closed as if it could hide her from the murder about to play out.

"P-please." She was afraid the boy would pass out.

"Give me one good reason." Drake growled. He kicked the boy in the stomach, and Pearl stumbled as if she had been hurt herself. The boy curled up in a ball and started sobbing.

Drake kicked him again, so hard that he sprawled on the ground. Pearl picked up the metallic smell of blood in the air.

That snapped her out of her trance. She thundered down the stairs and heard the boy scream. When she stood in front of her door, Drake's gun was already pressed against the boy's temple.

"Drake!" She yelled. He turned and she felt chills down her back, in the middle of California summer.

"Don't do this. You don't know what you're doing." She said quickly. The boy raised his head to look at her, hope shining in his eyes.

"Stay out of it, Pearl." He turned his attention back to the boy. As soon as his grey eyes left her, she felt like she could breathe again. But she steeled herself and summoned her courage.

"Think it through. It isn't worth it."

When she caught those eyes again, she knew. She knew that he was fully prepared to pull that trigger.

Pearl sprang from her spot, her hands reaching for that gun. She had one shot at this, one chance to save that boy's life. She might even make it. She was so, so close.

Then she heard the gunshot.