Nocte Yin

Chapter Three

When the Ninth Month rolled in, kicking the shins of the Eighth out the door, Nocte suddenly found herself being ushered into a waiting carriage; Occult not very far behind. Except, of course, no one dared to usher the psychic anywhere — not unless they wanted a Domino Guard to break an arm, leg and (occasionally) neck at the slightest hiccup or sneeze. Nocte, on the other hand, could be a pushover at times.

This was one of those times.

She hurriedly climbed into the carriage and plopped down onto the nearest seat, feeling both harassed and harried while her sister stepped into the vehicle with ease and settled coolly onto the seat facing her. Domino Guards One and Two took to either side of their young mistress as their luggage was tied onto roof, shaking the vehicle on occasion and perhaps even scratching the paint. Outside, Domino Guards Three and Four had taken to their horses, stiff and opposing, ever on duty.

“Remember to write!” their mother instructed through the window, all teary-eyed and proud.

Nocte fought the cringe off her face and shared a look with Gash, who did the supportive brotherly thing by rolling his eyes at their mother’s antics. They all felt the same way, but were better at hiding it.

All their family members had gathered to see their carriage off: Gash, Ebony and even Dire, by some inexplicable reason. (Didn’t he have an empire to dictate?) And then there was Umbra, with his usual expressionless face and his glaring white lab coat, always serious to a fault. In contrast to their father’s cool and blank self, their mother was like the sun, radiant and painful to watch.

“Yes, mother,” Occult answered tonelessly.

“It is time for them to go, my dear,” said their father.

Upon the word of his Master, the driver smacked the reins on the skeletal horses. In response, they snorted, trampled their bone hooves, and were off in a nice, even pace… managing to hit every rock, crevice and hole along the way too.

“Seeya, mom,” Nocte said and gave a pitiful wave, not that she was trying.

“Goodbye, my daughters!” Malise cried enthusiastically, waving a handkerchief in the air.

Nocte smiled despite herself. Their mother had always been prone to dramatics.

“Farewell, mother,” Occult said with a blank face.

“Bye!” Gash and Ebony’s voices chorused as they waved too.

“Take care,” was Dire’s advice.

As they crossed the manor’s gate, their family nothing but mere dots by then, Nocte settled back into her seat with a heavy and tired sigh. She brushed aside her bangs and tapped her knee, the carriage door, the carriage seat, the carriage wall behind her… and then looked over to Occult’s unresponsive face and wondered why she hadn’t pestered her already. Deciding to let the matter go, Nocte turned to the carriage window and reached for the curtains-

“Don’t,” Occult hissed.

Nocte drew back, flinching at her sister’s tone. “Why?”

“It’s the beginning of the Ninth Month,” Occult explained. “It is obvious we’d be travelling to the academy during this time of the year. The likelihood of being ambushed is high.”

Nocte frowned and sat back. She’d been in these situations before, what with her family being on the Most Wanted List for, like, ever. She was used to being threatened on a constant basis. Ducking behind tables as bullets flew by her head was no issue. Jumping out windows and hoping for the waters below to cushion her fall was no trouble. Running outside a burning building before a bomb exploded was no biggy. She was used to it.