Avenging

Chapter 2

The smell of hospital and rain did not get a long. When I stepped into the hospital the smell was overwhelming enough. Each step was a pain. My breathing had become even but shallow. Acting with emotion? What was I thinking? If Konstantin was alive my back would be dressed in red stripes. I shuddered at the thought. Konstantin was dead. I'd left New York behind. I had nothing to fear but yet I had. Memories burnt into my brains stored in the darkest recesses of my mind to creep up when I'm weak. When I'm vulnerable.

Shadows crept alongside my vision. All I've ever wanted was to get a shot at normal. But the shadows wouldn't leave me, neither would the fact that I descended from a powerful race called Vindex. My mom had tried to protect me and died trying. Konstantin would never tell me from what she was trying to protect me nor how he was related to me. All I knew that he wasn't my father. As for Michael, my brother, he and Konstantin shared a father- son bond. I could never let him know what Konstantin did without the fear of he being dragged into it. When Konstantin finally died, Michael told me he felt like he lost a part of himself. I might have been a too happy to be rid of the bastard.

"Kat?" Michael's voice brought me back for memory lane.

"Mike. How's she doing?" I ask.

"Fine. Just a few bruises." Michael looked nervous.

"And.....?"
"We were at a rave. You know where they put up neon lights and people party. Like real party with dance and-"

"I know what a rave is, big brother." I stated dryly.

"Yeah. Well, so I left her for a few minutes, the shadows were growing. They were hovering around this Conner guy. We went for a round."

"You did what?" I shrieked. Half of the hallway turned towards me.

"Keep it down." Michael hissed. "I thought it was going to eat him or something."
I narrowed my eyes. Shadows don't eat people. They don't go near people. Shadows just looked for little ex- vindex people like us and tortured the hell out of us.

"You went after a shadow? Without any opus? Do you have a death wish? Michael, you are the only family I have left.. You can't pull this stuff now. I can't--"

"Kattie. We're meant to fight these things. Have you not paid any attention to what Konstantin taught us?"

Yeah, I did. Between lashes of agony.

"That's no-"

"And you don't have to worry about me. We'll be fine."

"And the humans around us?"

"They're none of our concern. Collateral damage happens all the time. Don't get too attached. One day we both will be at the Clarissima."

I rolled my eyes.

"You wish." I muttered. No way in holy earth I was going to the head compound of our race.

"Kat!" Nikki's voice startled us both. I sent Michael a look saying this wasn't over. He just shrugged it off. Sometimes it felt like I was older than him.

"Nikki, care to tell me what happened?"

"Yeah, so there was this rave. You know the place where neon-"

"I know what a rave is." I frowned. Why did everyone think I was oblivious to what a rave is.

"So Aiden was there."

"Aiden?" I said. "Who's Aiden?"

Nikki rolled her eyes.

"Only you would forget the name of a hot guy who stopped by to ask directions."