The Red Crow

Chapter Three

I shook the memory from my mind before I drowned in it. I refocused on the world around me. My little stroll both home and down memory lane was almost over, so I tried to figure out what I was going to tell Lily. It all came out wrong and sounding something like this: Hey little sis, so you know how I have that work thing? Yeah, well I'm leaving for a week. BYE.

I sighed and looked up at a crappy excuse for an inn. The double doors were scuffed, and one was even off of its hinge. It had it all. And by all, I mean all. Broken windows? Check. Rotting wood? Check. Sleazy guests? Check yet again. Home sweet home. Right?

I waved hello to the bartender on the way in. Other than that, I stuck to my policy of no socializing. No way did I want to wake up tomorrow in a jail cell. It was so bad out here in the Slums, you couldn't even trust the people of your own kind and social class. They'd throw you to the wolves as soon as they got the chance. It was eat or be eaten out here in the poor district of the city, and you had to build up a thick skin to survive it.

I shuffled up the steps, head down, and headed to our room. The rooms sat above a bar, so at night the sounds of merriment and yelling could be heard from our room. And the paper-thin walls didn't help much.

I crouched down and started picking the series of locks on our door. That's just how bad it was. We couldn't keep our keys on us just in case someone swiped them off you and decided to go shopping in your room. So, the minute we got the room, I tossed the keys and put in a series of locks. Teaching Lily the skill had been a challenge, but she had eventually gotten the hang of it. I had become an expert at it, seeing as this was something I did for a living, and the door was open in a matter of minutes.

My feet carried me into the room, and I quickly shut the door and reset all of the locks. I kicked off my boots, and I knew Lily had been waiting for me. It wasn't hard to miss her in the one bedroom "apartment." We had a bathroom and a bed. That was it. Lily, with hair like pure sunlight, lay on the bed, asleep from waiting for me to get home. She was so beautiful when she slept. Lily took after my mother, and I, my father. Where she had soft features and round edges, mine were all rough and harsh. Gold for hair, where I had amber. The gang had hardened me and helped shape my walls. Lily was always smiling, always laughing. She hadn't been hit by the world yet, and I desperately wanted to keep it that way forever. My little sister always knew how to cheer me up and make me laugh. I knew I wouldn't be able to bear it if the world stole her smile one day. The only physical feature we shared were our caramel eyes. They were a mirror image of our father's eyes, a reminder of him in both of us forever.

I smiled just thinking about it, and tiptoed to the bed, hoping to slide in between the threadbare sheets without waking Lily up. I was almost successful until she shot upright. She looked around, found me, and hugged me to death. Lily always hugged me tightly when I came home, afraid of losing the last person in her life who cared for her so deeply. Guilt formed a knot in my throat, knowing I had to leave her so scared and alone. I hugged her back just as tightly to chase away some of the guilt, and whispered, "Hey, little sis. You doing okay?"

She whispered back, "Yeah, just worried about you." She smiled against my shoulder and said, "But I'm glad you're here now. Skies, what time is it?"

"Well after midnight at least."

Lily pulled away and playfully hit me on the arm, "Jess Felicity O'James, you need to sleep sometime. That's it, to bed with you!"

I smiled and said, "But moooooom..."

"No, arguing missy. You heard me. Time for bed," she said and flopped back on the bed.

I laughed and did the same. We sat in silence for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. Then I remembered what I had to tell Lily, and worry ate through me. I couldn't take the guilt anymore, so the words pushed themselves out of my mouth. "Lily, I have to tell you something..." I took a deep breath. "I'm going on a mission tomorrow. It's out of town, far away. I promise I'll be back in a week. I'm having Lee take care of you. If anything happens, contact him first. He's the only one I trust. Okay?"