Hemlock

Chapter I

"Are you still mad?" I laughed, playing with the gold key chain from my bracelet.

"Mad? I'm furious! How could you- ugh" He paced in front of me, bringing a small gust of breeze with each direction change. "You've practically ruined my life."

"I merely broke your joke of a weapon. That's hardly ruining your life Klaus."

He came to a halt in front of me, his floppy hair just touching my face. He could've been my brother, judging upon appearances. We both had curly auburn hair, although mine was more blond; emerald eyes; overly tanned skin, almost burnt from the amount of time we spent in the city rather than inside. The one clear distinction between us was the choice of weaponry. I had a bow and arrow, Klaus had a dagger. A dagger, as if he'd want to get that close to the living thing. I couldn't even stand being among them, let alone feel their breath on me as I killed it.

The remains of Klaus's beloved dagger lay in front of me; the handle at one end of the small apartment and the pieces of the glass-like blade on the other. The urge to laugh had to be suppressed, he was practically in love with the toy.

He shook his head and proceeded to laugh psychotically. "You're the devil, aren't you?"

"Just his distant relative. You know how he feels when I'm mistaken for him." I swung my legs over the armrest of the sofa, cackling at my own joke.

"I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if you were his daughter." He sighed, picking at the pieces on the floor. "How could I defend myself, if we were sent on a mission right now."

"Oh Klaus, my dear friend. You could kill everyone in London with your bare hands within seconds if it took your fancy."

He dismissed my praise, returning to the shattered piece among the floor "You're getting me a new dagger Rene Hemlock!"

"Ok Ok, I'll get you a new weapon, as long as it's not a god damn dagger! "

"A sword?" His eyes lit up as he waited for my response.

"Why do you like to use toys when fighting?"

He threw the handle of the broken dagger in my direction, "do you always have to be such a pain in the ass?"

I caught the metal handle and grinned, "it's in my nature to be."

The laughing came to a halt as the silver device on the kitchen counter began to glow a shade of magenta - a thievery mission. Klaus grabbed it and slid it into his back pocket.

"Let's go save the world." He said in a monotone, it had been something he had said before every single mission.

"Ugh can't be just watch it burn, it's so much more fun." I swung the set of house keys around my finger, relaxed on the couch.

"I actually rather enjoy killing people for justice."

I jumped to my feet and grabbed his face, "who are you and what have you done with Klaus."

He shook me off and stood in front of the mirror inspecting his hair, "Not everyone hates the world like you do."

"Not everyone works for the devil."

"Our parents were angels before they fell." He looked in my direction with soft eyes, regretting it as soon as he said it.

"Doesn't mean we were." I spat back as I zipped up my left thigh high boot.

Klaus always loved the idea of being an angel, though for the two of us it was near enough impossible with our track record in the other realm - stealing, vandalising, freud.

I laughed at the thought. I could never imagine nursing a young child nor helping the elderly cross the street, never mind being an angel. It all just seemed insane to me. We were born alone, so we would die alone - no further assistance was needed. I just needed Klaus around to make things a little bit more bearable.

When I was 7 years old and Klaus was 8, the bureaucracy paired Klaus and I and sent us to Earth, with the other descendants, as a punishment for our parents siding with the devil. Our eternity-long mission had been to kill all the murderers, rapists, thieves and those who had broken the law, as an act of redemption. The thought behind it was that the children would turn back to angels if they fought for the right side for a thousand or so years. Crazy, I know.

I grabbed Klaus's dismantled stolen jean jacket and threw it on. The sleeves barely past my elbows due to Klaus ripping them off when I first wore it, they were 'getting in the way of my fighting and it could've of gotten us killed' according to Klaus and at the time, we were tracking 19 serial killers all over London, so I was in no mood to argue about the stupid sleeves of the jacket.

"You're not taking that." He said before I could get the chance to get my bow and arrow, "If I don't have a weapon neither will you."

I turned to look at him with my arms folded and a grin at the ready, "okay but if you get killed out there cause I couldn't protect you. I-"

"You won't be sorry?"

"How many years have you known me, and you still decide to finish my sentences even though you know I find it infuriating?" I huffed as I gestured for him to clip the bracelet to my wrist.

His rough hands brushed my arm softly as he clipped the bracelet with ease, "All 12 years that I have known you, my dear." I traced at the various selection of poisons dangling off my wrist, all in the form of charms - a departing gift from my father.

"Before we save the world however, we have to get some food. I'm starving and you're way too sour for my taste." He said as he backed away from me, scrunching his face.

"Sour! You mean I'm too sweet. Look at me." I snapped back, gazing over at myself in the mirror.

He rolled his eyes and cackled, "sweet on the outside, sour on the inside my dear."