I do actually have a story started that I'm planning on emailing some agents when it's complete •-• So far it's been a somber process, though
Chapter 6 Pike patiently waited until Ailis was done eating to start talking again. "I have an idea," He pronounced as boldly as ever. I was almost scared he made too much noise, and woke other siblings up. Ailis glared at him as if she was thinking the same thing. "What?" I accidentally piped. Ailis quickly shushed me. Seeing as I'm her younger sister, she must feel somewhat superior over me. Not that I blame her. Pike leaned in over the island me and Ailis were sitting at and lowered his voice to a whisper so soft that it was under his breathe. He cupped his hands around his mouth to quiet himself even further."We should form an army," he finally muttered. "What good would that do?" Ailis was immediately appalled. I was too, though I didn't bother voicing my opinion. "We could look out for each other. You know, help each other out and provide some company and stuff," Pike answered after some thought, "And maybe we could even go on the offensive. If we do this, we won't have to live in fear of the daylight siblings anymore!" Ailis's eyes shined with longing. It was everything we all ever wanted. But alas, we all knew it wasn't that simple. "Well, it sounds like a good idea on paper, but remember what happened last time Night Owls grouped up?" Ailis explained, "They were killed. If we do this, we'll just put a target on our backs. And besides, I think we all work better alone. It's hard enough to look after myself, I don't need other people to worry about as well." I nodded, remembering the time when two of my sisters were pronounced dead. It was a tragedy, given as Night Owls aren't seriously hunted as a threat to any Daylight Sibling. It was a lesson as well. It drove us mad seeking solitude and avoiding the spotlight. Anything that would make us seem harmless.
Chapter 7 "But this would be different," Pike complained, disappointed that his grand idea was shot down so quickly. "How on earth would it be any different?" Ailis looked pained, as if she was breaking her own dream. I almost felt sad for her. "You have me," Pike countered, "I should count for something." "How should I know?" Ailis retaliated in a mix of doubt and sheer mistrust, "You could be planning on tricking us." They both had a point. Pike knew he was the most dangerous of the Night Owls. He wouldn't go down without a fight and I dare say he already bares the feared target on his back. He was tricky, though, and clever to boot. If the Daylight siblings couldn't off him now, it wouldn't be such a risk to form an army, much less a neutral group, if we could manage such a thing. Ailis, on the other hand, had everything to risk. She had stayed in the shadows for most of her life, so it would be absolute suicide to step into the spotlight suddenly. It simply wasn't her element, and adapting was hardly a solution. Best to stay solo. But I, by some striking moment of indecision, could not determine my place on the spectrum. Yes, I related more to Ailis tactic-wise, but I also craved companionship. It could work both ways if I formed an alliance with Pike. On the better hand, he could provide protection and company, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to be on his good side. On the worst hand, my association with him could be my downfall. Pike simply looked bewildered by Ailis's suspecting question. Had it not occurred to him that we wouldn't believe him, especially after all of the rumors spreading around the house? It had hardly crossed my mind until Ailis mentioned it, but it could very well be a possibility. "Very well," Pike concluded, "Do as you wish." His face degraded into a snarl. "But don't blame me when they decide to pick us off one by one, and we'll be absolutely defenseless against it." "You don't have to worry about that," Ailis muttered, "I suppose I should leave now. You should too, Mara." She turned to me, "It's nearly daylight."
A/N: I kept forgetting to post this I feel like it's not quite up to par, but I created this story to word vomit~ Chapter 8 I left without a word to either Pike nor Ailis. She was right. Before we knew it, daybreak had snuck up on us. I glanced at a filigree clock on the wall as I passed through a hallway on my way back. Though it was still quite dark, I could make out the stouter hand reaching toward the elegantly-constructed number five. Needless to say, it was reaching five in the morning. I scowled to myself as I knew I should've left by four at the latest. I crept up the staircase, glad my journey was almost over. I wondered if I'd see Pike soon and if I'd have the courage to decline without bold-mouthed Ailis doing the talking. If I did end up meeting him, he would be bound to ask again because I left without providing an answer for myself. Staying close to the wall, I peeked around the final corner. To my luck, it was dark and vacant as ever. I continued to the office that housed my desk hideout. As always, I twisted the door knob with caution, as if it would squeak if not handled properly— because it would. Loudly. My eyes locked with another pair of eyes across the room. I froze in place, wondering if I should reach for the rifle I had forgotten about until now. The person mirrored me and my expression, so both of us were waiting for the other to move. My brother remained silent, fear in his eyes. He silently backed away from my desk hideout, obviously carrying a huge bulk behind his back. Did I just walk in on a robbery? I couldn't find words. The shock of running into another, possibly dangerous, person took over. I couldn't move. He made a run for it. He hopped over the desk and pushed me out of his way like a rag doll. With the physical contact, I regained my motor abilities. Naturally, I ran after him for about ten meters until I realized I couldn't run. My knees buckled underneath me and I cursed myself for being so weak. I could only watch as he made his escape. He carried all of my life's earnings away and I knew I couldn't do anything to stop him. Or could I? I clumsily fumbled for my rifle and pulled in it front of me. I leaned into the scope. Aiming for my brother, I placed my index finger on the trigger.
Chapter 9 Bang. I shot at him as if my belongings mattered more than his life. I shot again. And again. Whether by luck or misfortune, my bullets grazed his clothing and lodged themselves into the floorboards. My arms shaked with nervousness. The boy looked back wide-eyed. All of the blood drained from his face. Nevertheless, he continued running. He wasn't the type to freeze out of fear, like me, but rather continue on uncontrollably and uncoordinated. I suppose it's an actual decision when it comes to fight or flight. I fired my last shot as Greyson rounded a corner. I hadn't managed to land a single bullet in him. I heard a distant, muffled sound of someone running down the stairs where he had disappeared to. He didn't sound injured, anyway. Catching my breath, I swung the rifle behind me. I was surprised that I even thought about using it, and even executed the thought without hesitance. Though all of us were taught the basics of firearms during initiation, I never put the practice to use. In fact, I had avoided it for much of my life because of the sound the gun made. Loud sounds had the tendency to attract Daylight Siblings. Daylight Siblings. I froze. I panicked internally, unsure whether to run or hide. My gunshots were definitely loud. The short-lived proudness of my decision was overshadowed with the dread of attracting unwanted attention. I had to hide. Or run. My indecisive nature told me to stay in a limbo between one and the other. So I stayed there, frozen with fear. My breath soon grew raspy. "I think they were from upstairs!" I could hear shouts in the distance. Many voices simultaneously agreed, and the sound echoed throughout the hallway. "Pst, Pint," Another voice—this one nearer—whispered. I looked around, startled by it. I couldn't find who the voice belonged to, however. I knew it was Pike, as only he would use such an absurd name for me. "Pint, up here," Pike cooed, rising his voice a bit. I tilted my head up and, indeed, there he was, peeking out from a square in the drop ceiling. "Need some help?" He grinned.
Chapter 10 At a loss for words, I nodded my head. Talk about deus ex machina. Pike extended his hand toward me, which I grabbed. He pulled me up until I could reach the ceiling panel. Grabbing onto it, I swung my rifle onto the top of the panel, just beside Pike. "Careful," He said, keeping his voice low, "Don't put too much weight on one spot. You'll fall right through. Not that it'll be a problem for a Pint like you." He winked. I rolled my eyes at his joke. With effort, I pulled myself into the ceiling and landed next to my rifle with a low thud. I rested there for a bit, catching my breathe. Pulling your own body weight looks easier when other people do it. From what I could tell in the dim light, Pike was on his stomach, peering down into the hallway through the crack next to me. "I think they're close," He whispered. Though by the way he said it, the statement must've been more to himself than to me. "Pint, grab my gun from my backpack." At the sound of my nickname, I began fumbling around for Pike's backpack. The only source of light was from the crack in the ceiling panel where Pike was, so I couldn't find his backpack for the life of me. "Where is it?" I asked sheepishly after giving up the search. Pike hesitated, trying to remember where he placed it. "It should be a couple feet away from my feet." He concluded. And so I ventured further away from the light source, stretching out my hands to feel around for it. The top of the panels felt dusty. After a bit of searching, my hands finally found a leather bundle. Attached the it seemed to be some sort of rifle. "Found it," I croaked as I hurried back to Pike. "Shhh!" Pike quieted me. Our siblings must've been very close at that point. I handed the backpack to him and he unhooked the rifle-type weapon. He left the back pack to sit beside him. I peeked through the crack on my hands and knees. Indeed, they were very close. There were four of them. Three boys and one girl, the eldest of which I believed was named Brennan. I scoffed. The group was mostly made up of Fae's children. Nasty manipulators, they are. "I told you they would've escaped by now," Karne complained to Brennan. "I just wanted to check," Brennan sighed, accepting his misjudgment, "Still, make sure to keep an eye open. They must be around somewhere." One of my brothers named Grant and another of Fae's sons whose name I did not know nodded and continued looking for me. I prayed they wouldn't look up. Beside me, Pike lowered the barrel of his gun into the hallway. Now that I could see it properly, it looked odd. I didn't think I'd ever seen a gun quite like that. "What is that?" I whispered, pointing. "A dart gun," He proudly answered, but then stopped to think. "A poison dart gun," He corrected himself.
Chapter 11 I neglected to reply, knowing that any response I had would end up sounding ignorant to him. This wasn't the time to ask questions, anyway. Pike lowered his right eye into the scope to aim. He placed his index finger on the trigger as calm as ever. I watched, stupefied by his composure. The sound wasn't a loud bang like the sound my rifle made. It sounded more like the movement of a lot of air, all at once. Like a baseball bat, if I had to offer a simile. However, it was followed by a disappointed groan from Pike. "What?" I whispered, anxious. "Missed. We gotta move," He countered, letting the panel fall back into place. "Where?" I croaked, grabbing my rifle and swinging the strap around my shoulders. I didn't like the feeling of being in the dark, much less in the presence of Pike. "I think I heard something," A female voice- Karne's– resonated from the hallway below. "I suppose my hiding place'll do." He decided. I felt a soft kick on my leg. "You can lead the way, I'll give you directions." "Okay," I whimpered. Why must I trust him behind me? "Turn around and head straight." On my hands and knees, I shuffled around and crawled ahead. I made sure not to make any noise that could be heard in the room below. I heard similar shuffling behind me. Although Pike had a larger body, he seemed agile and I could tell he was somehow used to this. At any rate, he was able to keep up with me and at points, I thought I held him back. "It's dark," I mumbled after quite a while of crawling. I couldn't see where I was going, much less where the ceiling stopped. "You rely on your eyes too much," He responded flatly, as if he could see in the dark or something. "Turn left shortly." He added. Indeed, I landed nose first into a wall. Now holding one of my hands out, I turned left as directed. Ten minutes passed before Pike told me to stop in my tracks. He came up from behind me and lifted up a piece of cardboard directly in front of me, exposing a feint light. "Welcome to Pike's HeadQuarters, watch your step" He presented it before slipping from the ceiling into the room below.