I'm Sorry (Not Really)

Chapter Twenty-Two

We like to think

That we're invincible.

That nothing can harm us,

It is then that it will strike,

It is then that karma will find you.

And it is then you will lose the city you built

On the blood and bones

Of those you thought less.

~A. F.

          I left the body there because that's all it is anymore, just a body. There's no one in there. The person whose heart once beat in that shell is gone, people who attach themselves to bodies don't make sense. Bodies aren't forever. Souls are. Which is another reason I don't care about having killed her. Energy never dies, we are energy, so she's still somewhere. Maybe she's in "heaven", maybe she's in limbo or maybe a place no one has ever thought of before. Hell, maybe she's been reincarnated.

          A small voice in my head told me that this wasn't normal, none of it. Not my reaction, not this NOHD, not killing, but it all felt so natural. No, I'm not "thrilled" from the kill but I'm also not guilt-ridden. I feel the same as any other day, and something told me that's not how you're supposed to feel after killing someone who would have considered you a friend.

          The NOHD said they'd take care of her body and make sure I'm not caught. I still took her phone just in case, leaving things up to other people isn't my style.

          When I got home I snuck in through the back and made it to my room without getting caught by one of the maids. As soon as I got to my room I stripped and headed for my shower, setting the knife on my bathroom sink.

         I watched with mild interest as my hands were washed clean of the blood that stained them. Red is such an interesting color, so many shades, so many meanings.

         After my shower, I got to work on cleaning the knife. The blood was mostly dry so it didn't want to come off, but with a little work it eventually faded away so the human eye couldn't see it. I watched the last of her blood go down the drain and still, I felt nothing. I didn't feel sad, happy, angry, I just didn't feel anything.

          Something warm ran across my lip and when I touched my finger to it, it came away wet. Wet and red.

          When I looked up in the mirror I saw that my nose was bleeding. And it was bleeding a lot. Already blood had begun to make its way down my chin and neck. I reached for a tissue and looked up, pinching my nose while I tried to stop the bleeding.

          A gust of cool air passed by my ear, making the hair on my arms stand up, with a tissue stuffed in my nose and another being used to clean up the drippage I turned around. There was nothing, except for the fact that my bathroom window was open now. Opened and unlocked. I always keep my windows locked, maybe I'm paranoid but it's kind of for this exact reason. Whatever that reason is, I don't even know yet.

          I walked over to the window, looking about as I did so and shut it, making sure to lock it this time. The room was still colder than usual, with an unnatural breeze about.

           I picked up the book and flipped through it until I got to the list of each family.

          "There are six families, each one possesses a different ability depending on their blood. The Gahálaithe Anam has what we've dubbed 'spirit magic', the Acromic line has 'mind magic', the Céfiro have 'air magic', the Aqueous have 'water magic', the Igneous has 'fire magic' and the Yugen have 'nature magic'. All of these bloodlines have been researched and had a name decided from said research. We are currently unsure what happens if bloodlines were to merge because all families refuse, not only to give us the knowledge but also to allow us to monitor and protect the MM's with a child."

           I skipped down a few paragraphs until I found the one about The Céfiro family.

          "The Céfiro bloodline, originated in South American Peru, now spread far and wide. Being one of the bigger families also means that they are one of the weakest, resulting from their blood being the most diluted with that of humans.

         As previously stated, the Céfiro line possesses what we've dubbed as 'air magic'. There are two branches of this bloodline, one who can control the breeze and strength of the wind around them and the other can control air pressure and temperature. Some very rare individuals have been documented to be able to do both. It's hard to predict which side of the family's magic one will gain and to what degree of strength given the seemingly random distribution of the original blood. The strength of the magic depends on each person and not only how powerful the blood runs in their veins but also how strong they as a person are physically and mentally.

         Given how big this family is and how much the blood has been lost over generations it is almost impossible to find and document every one of the Céfiro bloodline. Many don't know who they are themselves which makes them a danger to not only themselves but everyone around them. This is why the job of the NOHD is so important."

         They didn't tell me what family Vanessa was from but if this really is her, or her spirit -or whatever the fuck this is- doing this, then I'd assume she was from the Céfiro line.

          From what I've gathered from Vanessa, I'd guess she either didn't know who -or what- she was or wasn't strong enough to do much harm. These breezes do help me decipher which part of the family she was in though, which is fairly useless at this point. While in the letter it didn't list any warning about any repercussions after I killed her, my first scan through the book itself told me that most of the time after one of them dies their magic will be released as some sort of 'soul'.

          The problem is, it didn't tell me how dangerous this 'soul' is or how to get rid of it. Which could be a minor problem.