Whispers on the wind

Chapter 3.

Sang POV:
Rowan spent the rest of that day filling me in. She told me all of it, The favour system, the teams, the random code system, the terms 'bird' and 'dog', the missions. But what stuck with me most was the phrase 'family is a choice' it was running through my head all night.

I wished more than anything that i could choose my family.
Joining this secret spy society was almost as realistic as running away and joining the circus. But to say i was intrigued would be a vast understatement.

I sat on the floor of my room with my book open in front of me. It was late morning and i had finished my chores already. My mind was still mulling over yesterdays information as i stared unseeing at the open page of my Italian dictionary.

Half of my books were dictionaries in different languages, i had asked my parents years ago for more books, they thought it was funny to get me them, thinking i would get no use out of them. They were wrong. I read them cover to cover, memorising words, and teaching myself the language. It was difficult to work out things such as past tense, but i did it. Now I'm fluent in Spanish, French, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Greek and German. I'm almost there with Italian but not completely.

A sharp hiss at the window pulls me from my thoughts. I brace myself. The stairs creak under heavy footsteps. I hear her laboured breathing outside my door, i lay the book down and stand to face the dragon entering the room. My blank mask of stone slams into place.

"What the fuck are you doing up here? You better not have let rodents in again. I'll gas them out while your still in the room." She shrieks, her bulbous face turning an ugly shade of puce as her rage rears it's head. I need to stop reading lord of the rings so much, i think to myself, this dragon analogy is getting too funny.

"I was just reading, I haven't let anything in i promise" i speak softly, i won't be a victim but i also won't anger the beast, especially not when there's steam almost coming out her ears.

She snorts at my answer and steps further into the room, i spot the bamboo cane in her hand but don't let myself flinch. She opens the closet door wide and gestures for me to enter. My heart pounds faster and i clench my fists to hide the shaking. She turns me to face the back wall and roughly hauls my sweater off, pulling rope from her pocket she ties my arms up so I'm standing straight, my feet thankfully are still flat on the floor. I still dont waiver. She will not see me weak i chant in my head.

Swish. The stick hits hard in the center of my back, the burn is intense, I don't flinch. I grit my teeth and allow my mind to cocoon around itself, drifting to the dark space in my head where the pain is distant, my face blank, my back now bleeding, she carries on hitting. I'm aware of the pain, the crippling burn racing over my skin, but it can't quite reach me here.

I'm distantly aware she has finished and has left, I'm lying on the floor of the dark closet. I don't doubt the door is locked. I bring my awareness back but keep the wall up to numb myself from the intense pain of my back. I begin to cry, the soft whimpers and sobs falling from my mouth involuntarily.
I feel something outside the door, a strange presence. I tense and try to muffle my sobs, unsure of what is there. A dark smoke like form seeps under the door, so dark even against the dark closet. My stomach is roiling in panic but it doesn't increase as the entity approaches. The form splits into two and they twist until they form human like figures.

I realize they are shadow spirits. I have never seen one in person but i have heard about them from the wind and trees. They move closer, one standing almost like a guard, the other crouching towards my curled up form on the floor.

I stare, unsure how to act. The closest one reaches out a long, spindly finger and traces a tear track down my cheek. His skin is a void like blackness and felt like the softest touch of velvet. I reach up and take the hand in mine, gently squeezing in thanks. The two spirits stay silent, they reach out and lift me, the shadows of the closet become warm soothing cushions that they lean me against. They settle on either side of me, creating a barrier of calming darkness. "Thankyou" i whisper hoarsely. "Do you mind if i name you?" I ask. A soft brush against my hand tells me yes. I think for a minute, then weakly smile, "Huginn and Muninn" i try. A quiet purr to my left tells me they agree. I smile as more tears fall down my face, grateful for my new friends, i succumb to the darkness.

Luke POV:

Four of us sit around Kotas living room, playing on his xbox. My mind drifts planning a better place to stash my candy where North won't find it. He found the bag i had put in the cistern of Nathan's toilet last night and he spent an hour lecturing me on the negative impact of sugar, then on hygiene. But i mean it was double bagged in my defense. Maybe i could bury it in the garden like a dog... Max stares at me from across the room like he knows my thoughts, what if dogs can read minds? Hang on, Max has seen me naked, what if he tells his doggo friends about the size of my dick or something? Then boom doggo gossip about my schlong, next thing you know the cats are chatting about it. This is awful, i need to never get changed in front of Max again.

Suddenly noticing the silence in the room i look up. Kota, Nathan and Victor stare back at me, eyebrows raised mouths slightly agape. "Why do you guys look so confused?" I ask. "Because you just announced you were never getting changed in front of my dog again..." Kota says slowly. "Oh shit sorry, i didn't realize i said that out loud! I was thinking about dogs reading minds, then gossiping about my dick with the cats." I tell them.
Nathan snorts and shakes his head. Victor looks completely bewildered and Kota looks me dead in the eye and says "you need help man." I shrug and jump to my feet. "C'mon lets meet the neighbors!" I yell as i bound to the door. This mornings sugar rush is till going strong.

I reach the other side of the street before the others catch up. A wide grin on my face i ring the doorbell. My smile falters slightly as the most terrifying woman opens the door. She stands about 5'7" and is heavily built. Seriously, if miss Trunchbull and the Hulk had a kid it would be this beast. She glowers out at me with cold blue eyes, devoid of all warmth, reminding me of a shark. Her greying hair is scraped back into a straggly ponytail that could make Gabe cry.
"Um, hi?" I try, my voice suddenly weak. Kota steps up, braving the beasts heavy stare, "sorry to bother you, i live across the road, we just wanted to say hi and welcome you to the neighborhood" Kota says with a confidence I'm not convinced he feels. "As long as you aren't disruptive, I don't care." She snaps, the door is then shut in our face.
Nathan looks at me, mouth twitching as he fights a smile, "Hulk, Smash" he deadpans. I explode snorting and trying to muffle the sound of my wheezing laughter, Kota chuckles as Nathan leans on him, in his own fit of laughter. Victor shakes his head but can't hold back the smile on his face.

"Wait look" Kota points back to the house, we all look. My eyebrows shoot up in surprise, "what the fuck" Nate mutters. Under the right hand window sits, two wild rabbits, a fox, and a brown tabby cat. They all appear to be staring at the window as if waiting, the tree next to the window is covered in birds of various sizes, the whole crowd are silent, the look solemn. I wonder whats made them so sad i think to myself. Kota looks back at us "thats super weird, they should all be attacking each other, i mean come on theres a damn rabbit next to that fox, and the cat isn't even looking at the birds." We look at each other confused.

The animals are still there all afternoon, we periodically checked out the window, but they sat there almost unmoving. By nightfall we couldn't see so we put it out of mind.

Dammit i love luke! He's such a precious cinnamon roll. Another fairly short chapter, next i think we're finally going to have the long awaited meeting of sang/kota. Hope you enjoyed, please comment and vote etc. Thankyou!
Love T