Soliloquy to Silence

Chapter 1: Shhh

Stepping out onto the cold dark streets, a girl of about 19 brushed her hand through her long brunette hair. To glance at, the girl was fairly average, someone your gaze would simply slide off in a busy street. But if you really looked at her, you would notice her eyes, one which was forest green, the other being grass green. You would see the right side of her hair was a dull chestnut, the left being a brighter chestnut. That one side of her face was slightly more tan than the other, had a few less freckles, a slightly higher arched eyebrow. That side of her face had fuller lashes, higher and more clear-cut cheekbones and whiter, more even teeth. That her lips on one side were slightly more even in shape and colour.

The differences weren't obvious, but they were there. It was as if someone had picked any other girl from the streets and begun to turn her into a more refined, elegant, beautiful, noticeable person, but had been interrupted halfway across her body.

As the first drops of rain hit, the girl pulled the hood of her black coat over her head. The long fingers of her right hand tapped lightly against her thigh as she walked through the less busy streets of Brooklyn. She allowed a small grin on her face as a lady with 5 excitable puppies walked by, and looked down at her watch. 9:00 pm. If she got a taxi now, she would never make it to the Empire State Building. She would have to 'run the roofs'. Good. She liked that.

The term 'run the roofs' was quite literal, as the teenager was a fearless, courageous and adventurous girl, often getting into trouble with the authorities for climbing up important buildings under the cover of darkness. This habit had developed when she lived in Queens, but she had moved with her parents to Brooklyn a year ago to escape 'some gang warfare' her father was caught up in. She still wasn't used to not being in Queens, but she was adapting faster by using her hobby to get her further, faster.

She crept into a back alley, before launching herself at the pipes on the building next to her. In four short movements, she was on top of the building. She pulled her hood, and allowed herself a quick 'wind in my hair' moment, like they did in all those cringy movies. She tried to pretend she was on a cruise ship, in a beautiful ballgown and a feather in her hair.

In actual fact, she was a mismatched teenager wearing black combat boots, black ripped jeans, a t-shirt proclaiming she was 'D.E.A.D to the world', and a black coat with a tight hood. The snake tattoo that slithered it's way around her torso and up her neck was mostly hidden, except for the head, which was whispering in her left ear. The moonlight caught on the piercings in her lips and eyebrows, and the black velvet choker around her neck shifted slightly as she twisted her head to look at her destination: Manhattan.

She flicked her wrist at the roof she was standing on, and the snake at her ear hissed audibly, before sliding o skin and onto the concrete.

"Addetta, m'lady, it has been too long. My scales are beginning to lock up."

"Hush, Scalen. Your complaining will only make me send you away faster."

Scalen glared at her, his green eyes flashing in the dark. His green-and-black pattern shifted in the moonlight. "M'lady, where is it you are planning on running off to tonight?" His voice was smooth, yet slightly patronizing.

Addetta looked at Manhattan, a stern yet soft expression on her face. "We are going to climb to the top of the Empire State Building." Her voice was calm as she stated her plan.

Scalen, however, was not calm. At all. "M'lady...we can't...that...that is... ILLEGAL..."

A grin made its way onto her face. "Exactly. Besides, Stark tower lights up tonight, and I want the best possible view."

Scalen tried to argue, but his protestations were futile. Addetta flicked her wrist again, and Scalen wound his way back around her waist and across her chest. When he finally melted back into ink, his mouth was unhinged, as though he was about to eat her ear. Clearly, he was going to allow her to see just how displeased he was at her idea.