Claimed

~Chapter 3~ Compiling the Pieces

~Chapter 3~ Compiling the Pieces

"Look, you're new to the area, so we have to find you someone who is not already claimed."

Chry thought this was going to be impossible.  Surely everyone within the area had some claim or another.  Some were even selfish enough to claim more than one person, which limited the options for all the others.

"I don't understand why you're so invested in helping me.  You don't even know me."  Chry tried to reason with the stranger, Lee was his name.

"Yeah yeah.  Well, in truth, I'm not even sure why I'm helping you myself.  I guess it's because you're still so young.  I don't think you yet realize how many horrible things could happen to you.  We are cold blooded killers, kid.   Every one of us is only interested in looking out for themselves."

"Which brings us back to my earlier question: why are you helping me?"

Lee sighed, not knowing what to tell the kid.  He knew the kid would never believe the truth: that he was different from others of his kind, that he actually cared what happened to others, especially younglings.  In the end, Lee knew that he would have to give the kid an ultimatum.  It was the only way to force Chry to accept his help.

"Look, kid, either you trust me and let me help you find a feed that isn't someone else's, or you can try and find one on your own, which you can't do because you're too young to be able to decipher the free from the taken."

Chry hated ultimatums almost as much as he hated to put his trust in someone other than himself.  Yet he had no other alternatives. Lee was right, he could not risk choosing someone who already belonged to someone else.  That was like signing his own execution papers.

"Fine!  I'll take your help.  But, is this going to take long?"

Lee laughed.

"Kid, you obviously have no idea who I am or what I'm capable of.  I'll find you someone in the next ten minutes, tops.  After all, I've lived here for many decades, I know, pretty much off the top of my head, who is taken.  Still, there is someone I have in mind."

Chry looked over at Lee, only to see empty space in his place.  Lee had already disappeared.

"Hey, wait for me!"  Chry whispered, Lee heard him perfectly.         

"Naw, kid.  It's best if you stay there and wait for me.  Like I said, this shouldn't take long!"  He called.

Chry sighed and rolled his eyes.  He was not in the mood for being called a kid and he was certainly too hungry to be able to wait any longer than the ten minutes Lee had promised.  He hoped Lee would be good to his word, otherwise, bad things would happen.

Absentmindedly Chry looked down at the yelling children below.  They were having the standard snow ball fight.  It was almost sad to Chry to think that he had never been able to have a snow ball fight.  He envied the children, yet took comfort in the fact that his jealously could not be seen because he was hidden within the shadows of the roof he was on.  Aside from that, the children were way too busy to be looking up in his direction.  He knew that children were forbidden, and therefore no one ever had claim on them, but at the same time he didn't exactly know why they were forbidden.  When they grew up, they would be just like everyone else: claimed.

Chry sighed and his eyes dropped down to the street below.  His breath caught as he noticed a beautiful youngling stopped on the sidewalk, trying to cross the street, he assumed.  He had never seen the girl before, but felt something for her, something he knew he shouldn't feel.  It wasn't really a feeling, more-so curiosity.  Chry was curious why it seemed that she stood out from their kind.  Shaking his head, he decided to do the unthinkable.  He was going to watch her, for as long as he could.  He was quite bored, and it would be some time before Lee actually came back.  The girl would distract him.