Chapter 2

I pull my own wings back in and decide to walk home. I'm cold again and curse myself for not having my own jacket. Spring has come but but it hasn't won the battle over Winter yet and my fingertips numb. Walking takes a lot longer to get home and generally I enjoy it, but with the temperature dropping lower and lower, I give up after twenty minutes before I hit a pack of wolves or vampires. I could do without being terrorised by a gang of vampires tonight. They targeted a girl not too long ago, a half blood nephilim, tortured her by biting her until she unleashed her wings and tore them apart. I went to her funeral, Lucia May. I didn't really know her but we're a family.

Not all vampires are bad, but you get the odd gang who think they're superior because they can live forever, never age. Contrary to popular belief, not all vampires are beautiful either. You get some downright munters in that group. Very few vampires will actually attack you but they get a bad reputation and I can't help but feel a little anxious if I see a cluster of them together. I jump and get nervous now as I spot what looks like a vampire ahead of me, he's staring straight at me, all at once my emotions immediately soften, it's Ethan! He does the whole creature of the night stereotype, black leather, black make up, big boots and he has the strength of an Amazon woman.

I've known Ethan for years, I met him during a debate one day, he was arguing one side and I the other. I can't remember what it even was now. But I remember thinking he was a typical vampire, thought he was smarter than he was and arrogant because he's one of the pretty ones. But afterwards he approached me and rather than more snobby arguing, Ethan began to actually take an interest in me. We became instant friends and I was grateful that he didn't think I was acting like a "superior angel" who ignores the rest of my world-mates as I call them because they're different. Given how strong Ethan is, he can be surprisingly sensitive although he's clearly up for causing some mischief tonight if he's staring me out. I always try and judge his mood before I approach him, we're close friends and can often confide in one another but if he doesn't want to, it's a good idea to stay out the way. He's more bark than bite, but his bark can be just as painful. He's quite possibly the most dangerous person I know. Why? He is a half vampire and half wolf. His senses are heightened in the best ways, his sense of smell as a wolf and sight as a vampire make him a very deadly opponent. Ethan keeps his wolf side generally hidden especially from the people he loves and I have known him to unleash it on an enemy once. He left him alive... but that doesn't mean he can walk.

You have good and bad in every kind of person who lives among us of course. Vampires are the most violent if they are together in groups. Angels are more cunning and we only ever resort to violence as an absolute last resort, reasoning is what we do best though let it be known we're no softy either, you don't want to annoy a group of merpeople too much, they'll drown you without a second thought i you insult them, merpeople are a very proud race and not to be taunted because they cannot approach land. Werewolves are the most dangerous, they can hypnotise, they can ferociously tear you apart whether alone or in a pack and are the most temperamental. If they lose it and the wolf comes out, you will be lucky to get away. I was. I was so very very lucky to escape.

I look at Ethan now stood under the dim light and sparking his cigarette not taking his eyes off me. I boldly unfurl my wings and take off... I wait a few minutes, making triply sure I'm out of his sight, motionless atop a building and suddenly swoop back down practically landing on top of him. He gives a yelp and laughing I wrestle him down beating my wings to distract him. Getting one over on my testy old friend always gives me a kick. Ethan gives me a boot and I fly off but catch my balance in the air. It didn't hurt but I'm guessing I've probably wound him up for making him lose his cool. With a heavy thud as Ethan hauls himself up on to his massive boots and composes himself.
"Next time I'll finish the job!" He growls at me. I have embarrassed him but I won't let him intimidate me, I've know him far too long for that to work anymore. I simper and instead I decide to sweet talk him.
"But you could never hurt me! Your sweet little sister who can hardly cause harm to a fly... but apparently I can make you squeak like a girl! Now stop pouting and I'll buy you a muffin." Muffins... Ethan's vice, along with a curvy girl clad in leather. But I can't get him one of those. Exasperated, Ethan sighs but I see I have immediately stopped him from tackling me to the floor. It's a dangerous game to play especially with a testy vampire but I know I can get away with it. I don't play with fire. I just seem to befriend it.
"Chocolate?" He grunts. I nod smugly, withdraw my wings and rush at him. Ethan catches me and I give him a big hug. We're not blood related in the slightest but I refer to him as my big brother and he calls me his little sister, we fight and love just as siblings do. It's different to what I have with Kiros. It doesn't seem as isolated, but while we have a sibling love, I guess me and Ethan aren't as close. We don't talk about quite so much, have less in common and I don't see him as much. Our main common ground is food, drink and he's good at making me embrace my less angelic side. I don't like to show anything but my best to Kiros. It does me good to let go once in a while and I know my fear of disappointing Kiros by not behaving in a way I'm expected to as an angel makes me uptight with him at times. Don't get me wrong, he can get down and dirty with the rest of them but I like to always be on my best behaviour with him putting our banter to one side. I want to be something different for him. To be unique. I almost never show my wings with Ethan except in play combat but I show Kiros all the time, maybe to show them off. It's an unfair advantage but you don't need to play fair with Ethan. It's all in the fun.

Together we walk through the streets, the dusty lamp light half guiding the way in search of something to do or in our case eat. Ethan looks into the butchers and I know he's thinking of his blood. Yes vampires do need blood but they have taste buds so they can eat anything and enjoy it. Blood is essential for a vampire but it can be from any animal. Without it they grow weak and their body will shut itself down. Ethan likes his blood but he isn't at all vicious or obsessed with it, it's just another thing to down for him. As he is only half vampire, he can survive longer without it too. Ethan lives in a rough area where the more unfortunate in our world live. Rabid wolves and unfulfilled people.

Not everyone has a horrific back story, some just don't have much to spend or choose not to. Ethan would rather have a pack of smokes than a roof over his head in my opinion, he has many talents and could earn himself a lot of money, his advantages of having the best of both worlds can work in his favour but Ethan just doesn't put enough into it. He's got too much free spirit. He is by no means a layabout. Don't get me wrong, he would rather earn his own cash freely than work for someone in an official work place. So that's what he does, he spends it as he pleases and is happy enough to have a place to sleep and shield from the sun but like I said, he'd rather have the luxuries in his life and as he can't or rather won't do both, this is what he chooses. The other and more prominent reason is you can also find a "challenge" around here if you're looking for one. Ethan likes to challenge those with the biggest reputations so he can get a name for himself other than being a hybrid of a wolf and a vampire. They are even rarer than me and Kiros.

He's also incredibly protective. I have to be careful when there's something wrong with me because it can make him angry enough to go hunting and I would never set someone up against Ethan. He has never killed anybody but he has injured some for life. I've begged him not to cause so much damage, I can see it harms his soul to do so. It's white but milky. I don't know if he could ever come back if he killed. I know I would lose a friend. Vampires and werewolves don't really kill freely, you get good and bad in everyone, those who do kill are labelled murderers and dealt with like everyone else but it doesn't stop the territorial fights from happening and there are some vicious injuries that come out of those. I'm never afraid if I'm walking these streets with Ethan. He's recognised enough now that he can command a lot of respect.

Kiros and Ethan have never met and I plan on keeping it that way. They're very similar but in all the wrong ways and I can see a big clash happening. Both let it be known that if any harm befalls me then hell will be unleashed but Kiros has merely stated it when I've asked him, Ethan is a lot more passionate and frequently declares it. He's gone to prove it before but I've begged him not to fight and just be there for me instead. Kiros feels words don't need to be used, action will be used when action is necessary and as it's never been needed, he's never had to go off his head for me.

My night changed so fast, one minute I'm tangling myself in with the sky and searching the stars with Kiros and now I'm sauntering down the roughest street I know of arm in arm with Ethan as if I'm some bad a*s who owns the place. You have to at least look like you know what you're doing there or you become a target, even with Ethan. I love Ethan but I'd rather be having a tranquil night underneath a deep sky where no one can catch us ad Ethan just won't that far down into himself. I look up and the lamps have tinted the sky with red and orange, blotting out any stars that have managed to survive the wave of clouds that overtook them. I wonder what it was Kiros had to fly off and do, all sorts always whoosh through my head when he becomes serious and vanishes. He seems to be doing it more often and I should bring it up, how to do it without looking like I'm being possessive though I don't know.

Eventually we slip down a dingy, narrow, damp alley and Ethan shushes me and tells me to hold still. He reaches around me and stealthily opens his warped old door. The hallway is just as damp and dark but after climbing a flight of stairs, he nudges at his flat door and we fall through. Ethan is not a dirty person but his block of flats is quite possibly the most horrible place I have ever been to. You could scrub the walls forever and the stains of I don't even know what would shift. I can never stay here for long, it makes me want to drag him out by his hair and stay at mine although he would never "impose on me" like that as he puts it. Even the water comes out tinted brown in the bathroom sink. Ethan knows tonight is star night, not once does has he even looked close to mentioning it so far but as he lets himself fall back on to the old sunken arm chair, he gestures for me to take the other.
"So... I thought even the clouds themselves couldn't stop you from searching the sky tonight. You have wings, didn't you think to use them and say sit on the clouds?" He says, an eyebrow raised as if I would never think of flying.
"Kiros had other things to be doing tonight. I don't know what and I didn't ask, I didn't really have the time, he just took off as he does. You know what he's like. Always busy, people always in demand of him, I can't expect a full night every time."
"But you do."
"Well yeah." I admit sheepishly and I feel a blush "But I take it for granted, I'd like to hold his attention once I have it but if he's busy what am I gonna do? I felt a bit sad just standing there in am empty field so I thought I'd go home, curl up in my chair, fall asleep." At that, Ethan makes a face and snorts.
"Boring!" He grunts. "Stay here with me, have a drink."
"Tempting but I won't stay long hun, last time I slept in this chair I didn't think my head was ever going to be able to go straight again. Flying with a stiff neck is challenging but not as much fun as you'd think."
"You suck!" But Ethan pours me a rather colourful drink anyway and hands it to me, I sip gently, before now I've been given strong stuff and trusted him when told to take a massive chug at it. The best thing about Ethan? He's excellent at teaching you a few practical lessons, in other words, don't do as he says. Or if you're going to, think about it first from all angles. I carry on moaning a bit more about how my favourite night of the week is cut short. Eventually I run out of steam and realise Ethan has topped up my glass four times before the self pity train comes to its final stop.
"Finished?" He asks. I nod and smile and then apologise because I haven't even asked how he is yet.  But Ethan gives nothing away as ever and tells me he's fine. We conclude the conversation with yet more analysis on me and why I panic.
"It's because in my experience, when people close themselves off from me, they're hiding something from me personally or are getting ready to leave. Kiros is special, he can understand things about me that others find morbid or strange and not in the good way. I don't think he's ever judged me for a thing and I guess that's what I'm waiting for, the big list of how terrible I really am to flow and a final goodbye. He understands me too well and I'm not used to it. I know nowadays it's just because we all have our own lives to handle but that's what I feel when it happens." Ethan nods as I finish as though he expected this from me.
"You know all your flaws, but unlike some people, you can't accept them, you acknowledge they're there which is a good start but while you constantly punish yourself, you're never really accepting them. Therefore you don't accept yourself so why should anyone else?" He's blunt, but he's also right. I'm always talking about Kiros. How understanding and patient he is with me. I probably shouldn't confess my fear especially not to Ethan in case I make Kiros look bad, I'd never want to do that, he doesn't do that with anyone he cares about. Discussion turns to usual things after that, what shady deals has Ethan been doing to occupy himself the last few weeks, where have we been, who have we seen. Before I know it, it really has gotten late and it's the middle of the night. I will positively freeze in the night air.

I fly home as fast but as safely as I can, I land on my balcony, glad I left the door unlatched, I pad into my room and switch on the lights built into my mirror, my make up has all faded and I look like I've been street walking. I almost scream but I can't wake my housemates. If they have gone to sleep yet that is, famous for all staying up together into early hours of the morning, playing nerdy card games until the sun peeks out from behind the hills. Shivering from the cold, I close my glass door but peer out and see the clouds have all passed and the stars are out in full force again. I grab my heavy blanket from my bed, wrap it around myself and tiptoe back outside.

I stand staring and calling out to the sky from my balcony, as the heir to this house I took the master bedroom and doled out the other three to my old gang, Silas, he is a quarter nephilim and once a boyfriend, we acted far too mature for our age however and the relationship broke down, it was lucky we could remain friends especially now it helps pay the bills, dark hair, blue eyes and his wings are smaller than mine but beautiful nonetheless, they are basically fire, red, orange, yellow and just a hint of blue at the bottom. Silas spends his days constructing models and selling them on. He claims it is just a hobby but it earns him enough to pay for the rent in his room so it's a hobby I am most definitely approving of despite the paint fumes.
His older brother, Bren has also adopted a room in my house. His wings are a pure shining silver and for a nephilim of such diluted blood he is so lucky to have an extra power, he can create light with them, I can if I am linking with the moon but Bren can create light with them wherever he goes, if he got caved in somewhere it'd be really handy to see at least. Bren's dry sense of humour never fails and you can count on him for almost anything, not all of it is legal. He knows how to get whatever you want. Bren is a year older than me and is about 7 foot tall, okay not quite that much but looking up at him gets a bit sore after a while.
My final housemate, who is on the verge of being booted I might add, is not always so great at keeping up with the rent and always has the excuse of "I had things to do" with that money. I'm going to drag him by his ears to live with Ethan if he doesn't cough up soon, this is a nice house, it takes money to keep. Lucien is a full on werewolf and he is another of my ex-boyfriends. I once considered him to be my true love and the absolute love of my life but I later became disillusioned when I looked back and saw our relationship was just a seedy and cheap way for him to take what he wanted. He's a good friend don't get me wrong but awful boyfriend. If it wasn't for the late pay with the rent, I'd have no complaints. Hell, even at the moment I wouldn't complain about it being late, just showing it at all would be nice! No one ever knows what Lucien's up to. He's all mystery and fur.
Lucien is good for a chat and now and again he surprises you by saying something no one would ever guess. The guy's also good for a hug but after the intensity of our split, we're a little distant from the touchy side of friendship. Okay, yes I keep two old boyfriends in the house, one it's like we never dated, we're such good friends and the other yes we have that "you're exes you know" sign flashing at us once in a while but it's not so bad. I look on my housemates fondly and consider them all to be family. Even Lucien who has no angel blood in him at all, I have to see him as family, it's the only thing that keeps me from beating him to death with a ladle every time the rent is a no show.

I stand outside for another fifteen minutes and I eventually give up again. I go inside, put the blanket back on the bed and change. I wipe off what little make up is left smeared around my eyes and crawl into bed. I remember I have left the mirror light on and groaning at the effort of it, get up switch it off, bash my shin against the bedpost and collapse into bed for a second time. Whining to myself about my sore shin, which is on the same leg as my fresh scratch thanks to Kiros appearing out of nowhere. I must pinch him for that.  I might whinge about it but I'm always pleased to see him, my only moan is I usually jump out of my skin and sustain some kind of injury. The last thing I think of before I fall asleep is I wonder what's going to happen tomorrow.