Secret Wings

Chapter 2 : The War

We all danced to our hearts content. After Seth and I stopped, I was asked to dance by a handsome young man with thick brown hair and broad shoulders. Seth asked a nice young blonde girl to dance, and Lailah was chatting away with the Fairy over by the sugar clock stands. Tonight was going perfectly, and with each minute, my hair became another shade of blonde.

I learned the man who asked me to dance was actually the Cities next Delta, and I loved to laugh with him. He was very funny, and I just know Seth would like him. I turned my head a little to look over and check up on Lailah. But what caught me off guard, was that there the Fairy was, but Lailah was no where to be seen. I immediately stopped laughing and my hair became a dark shade of purple. I frantically looked around for her, but not even a glimpse of her flowery head was seen. I ran towards the dance floor and grabbed Seth's arm right as he was about to lift a young girl high in the air.

"HEYYY! What's the big idea?!" Seth shouted at me obviously frustrated I pulled him away from all the fun. He finally turned his head fully to see me and his face reveal immediate worry as he caught a glimpse at my hair. "Oh god, what's wrong"

"I can't find Lailah," I said, trying to remain calm, but my hair didn't turn aquamarine blue, it was now dark brown. I was still worried, and I didn't know what to do, so I grabbed Seth's hand and ran. I ran while tears threatened to prick at my eyes. I wanted to run until I found Lailah. This is so stressful, I don't know what to do.

As my mind roamed all the possibilities for what could have happened to her when Seth yanked me into an alleyway.

"You need to get control of yourself.". Seth said turning me to face him. By now my hair was a dark green, since I was terrified. I looked up at Seth and looked into his hazel eyes, he was right, as always. I took deep breaths and thought about Nina, my childhood friend that was always so good to me, think about how much fun we had, before she herself was recruited when we were only ten.. Thinking of her always made me feel better, just think about that time we made the friendship bracelets, the one around my ankle. Seth's grip on me loosened as he witnessed my hair return to a dark black. I opened my eyes, and we continued to run down the streets hoping to find Lailah.

"Lailah!"

"Shhhhhhhhhh," Seth said placing his large hand over my mouth. More like my whole face. "We are close to the edge of the city, we don't know what's out there," Seth said referring to the shortages of buildings and abundance of dark corners and alleys. The edges of the city were very well known for kidnapping, murder, or the very worst thing, recruiters.

"Sorry..." I murmured. We continued walking down the dark street, torch light and the stars as our only light. I searched every single crevice with my eyes, looking for even the tiniest trace of Lailah. We walked as as quietly as possible, hoping not to stir anyone who may think us anything other than a piece of meat. I caught a glimpse of a shadow off the side a a house down the street. I tugged on Seth's shoulders and pointed it out to him. It looked like multiple shadows all moving about something. We both crept forward towards the buildings. I'm sure Seth was thinking rationally about this, that it was probably a few rouges taking shelter here, but I still couldn't shake the hope I felt thinking it may be Lailah.  We quicked our steps anxious to see who it was.  As we got closer, I started to hear faint sounds, voices.  I stalked closer, letting Seth fall in behind me.  The shadows became more defined, and the voices became much more easily heard.  It was mostly mumbling, sluggish movements.  I was growing more and more anxious by the second.  Was Lailah over there or not.  As I was an inch away from turning the corner, when I made out a sentence I wished I would have never had to hear.

3 men stood in a dark alleyway with only one holding a torch.  I could see that they had cornered something.  It was the words that came out of the man holding the torch that terrified me.

"The Darkness will be pleased to have something like you."

Something zinged past my ear and I heard Seth grunt. I turned around to look at him and in the dim light I caught a glance at a tranquilizer lodged in his chest. He looked down at it for a moment, seeming absolutely stunned it was there. He stumbled back a few steps, obviously a strong tranquilizer. Before I could grab him, he fell backwards with a large thud gaining the attention of the men we were spying on. I was about to dash to his aid when a pair of strong arms wrapped around my body restraining my arms. I was about to scream when a clothe came down and covered my mouth. I could only see the two men, where was the third?

"Now what were you two doing out here so late at night?" Asked one of the men, he spoke as if he were speaking to a child.

"I think they were spying on us Danny," replied the one still restraining my torso. I wanted to kick and scream and shout, but if they were who I believed them to be, that would only make things much worse.

"oh really," Danny said in a voice, a voice that mimicked me. "Perhaps we should teach the wee spies a lesson," he continued while looking me over hungrily.

At this point my hair was still a raven black color, and I wanted it to stay that way. With any luck, they would just assume I was a werewolf.

"Who is it Danny," a unfamiliar voice shouted from behind. It was probably the third man.

"Just a pair of spies, not very good at it though"

I heard loud footsteps coming towards us, but I also heard light footsteps, more like stumbling. I turned my head to look at them and I saw what I feared. Lailah.

The man roughly held her by her neck and shoved her in between Seth and me. She had her hands tied behind her back and a gag over her mouth to keep her from screaming for help. The charcoal ran from her eyes from the crying, and her eyes were red and puffy, and judging by the rips in her dress and bruises on her body, she really put up a fight. I wanted to kill them. I saw the third man, surprisingly I had to take a double take of him, he was incredibly gorgeous, and he stared intensely at me.  I had a feeling of safety wash over me when I looked into his eyes, and I had to remember the situation I was in.  The man holding me suddenly released me catching me by surprise, but my first thought finally clicked. Run. if I get away I can get dad and make him come get Lailah and Seth back. My feet touched the ground and my knees wobbled, I didn't even notice I wasn't touching the ground. I tried to get as much traction as possible an pushed off in the opposite direction into a sprint. I made it maybe a foot until I felt maybe 4 hands grab my arms and yank me back, forcing my hands together as one of them tied them with a thick rope.  Next I tried to scream but that didn't seem to help when they just tied the gag tighter around my head so my screams were only mumbles.

"Seems we gotta a fighter" Danny said while the second and third mans names remained anonymous. I looked over to Lailah, she was on her knees, trying to curl in a bawl as I heard her whimper. I just wanted to run over and comfort her. I looked over at Seth, and he was still out cold.

"Sander, you know what to do" Danny said, and I could feel the third mans stare still focused on me. I didn't like were this was going... Come on Seth, wake up, even barely awake you could at least try to help! I need to get away from here. I moved my arms around a little to test the tightness of my bonds. It hurt. They obviously had done this before. I didn't really notice when a I got hit hard in the head and was fading into unconsciousness. I was still hoping this was a dream. I realized the second man had hit me are in the head with something, and Lailah was subjected to watch me fall and pass out. Be strong Lailah, I'm sure when Seth wakes up he will get us away from them. In a matter of seconds, everything was black, and I was completely unconscious.

Recruited to the Darkness. I didn't want to be here, and neither do Seth and Lailah. But I suppose we don't have a choice.