Scattered

24

Ghosts of the Night

'Anaplekte...'

'The very one.'

Olivia stroked Mr. Fluffington soothingly but he continued to claw into her arms in fright. She looked behind her and found the elevator descending down. It was not rocket science to figure that it was her friends. She turned around and met the pale woman who was watching her with her beady black eyes.

The large and gnarly wings flanking Anaplekte did come about as a shock to Olivia but this time, she got over it pretty quickly. After all her boss, Keres was a mythical Greek God; it was not completely unexpected.

'I want a favor from you.' Olivia shuffled closer to the lanky woman. 'Take me to your boss. Take me to Keres, please.'

'Why would I?' She narrowed her eyes critically at Olivia.

'No time to explain. Please, this is an emergency!'

Olivia frantically shuffled further away from viewpoint of the exit and ducked into the nearby alleyway as soon as the elevator door opened. Once she was safely hidden away from the sight of her searching friends, she looked around for the bat-winged Anaplekte. Like the mystic woman she was, Olivia found her standing a little further away from her near a dumpster.

Olivia didn't think twice about lugging her bags and the disgruntled cat towards her. The closer she came towards Anaplekte, the more she realized that the cloak that she always wore was to partially cover her leathery wings which drooped down on her frame. Olivia swallowed thickly and tried to look over the little terrifying detail.

'Come.'

With that word ringing ominously along with the swish of her robe, Anaplekte walked further down the alleyway. Left with no option, Olivia followed her with no protest. Her phone which was tucked inside her pocket vibrated once every now and then and Olivia knew it was Natasha bombing her cellphone with calls and messages to reach her.

After a short walk, Anaplekte reached the empty street and turned around to face her. Olivia looked up and down the street for any vehicle of some sort but came up empty.

'Well?' Olivia tilted her head in question. 

'Well what?' Anaplekte fired back; her unique gravelly voice was lowered.

'Don't you have a vehicle? Or are you planning to go air-borne with me and my cat like your employer?'

Anaplekte narrowed her eyes in disdain at the little joke Olivia cracked. 'I prefer flying over driving in a metal death-trap. But I have no intension of lugging you and your belongings around. Especially not that flea-bag.' She shot a look of disgust towards Mr. Fluffington who hissed at her from Olivia's secure arms.

'So now what?'

'One of my sisters will come pick us up.' Anaplekte said and looked away from Olivia towards the empty road. 'I believe she owns a car.'

'You have sisters?' Olivia asked casually to hide her intrigue. Anaplekte glanced at her briefly before planting her stare at the street again.

'Yes.'

That was all Olivia got out of the tight-lipped woman. Olivia assessed her under the flimsy street-light as all conversations had come to a cease between them. She was an uptight yet fierce woman and she showed unparalleled loyalty to Keres. She walked around with an air of mystery and dread; Olivia could attest that as the aura Anaplekte had made her anxiety levels peak. But if her aura was ignored, she was a very beautiful woman in an unconventional way. Her pitch black hair was long and straight which complemented her slim figure and pale complexion very much. Her face was defined and angular, cat-eyed and full lipped.

Olivia was brought back from her thoughts when a large black Hummer slid in the parking spot near them. Anaplekte strode towards the driver's side and opened the door. Olivia watched from a few feet away as a woman who had a cropped black hair jumped down from the car.

She was an inch shorter than Anaplekte; her body was petite and her skin a cool-toned mocha. Her perfect figure was accentuated in her dark jeans and sleeveless tank top that displayed an odd tattoo on her right arm. Anaplekte said something undecipherable to her sister and the woman's gaze swung to Olivia's direction.

Her eyes were black like her sister but her almond eyes held more weight than Anaplekte. Olivia felt like a nervous student under a headmistress' glare as the woman walked side-by-side Anaplekte towards her.

'The name is Stygere.' The woman introduced herself with a tilt of a Mediterranean accent. 'You must be the lost Titaness, Themis.' 

'Olivia Summers.' Olivia deliberately avoided any affirmations. 'You must be Anaplekte's sister.' The woman nodded with a ghost of smile which was more than anything Olivia received from Anaplekte.

'Yes.' She nodded, 'Let us move, shall we?'

'Yeah.'

NEXT UPDATE: 22 July 2019