Chapter 1: Feel it Comming in the Air

They say what’s not real can’t hurt you, that illusions stay illusions and we just don’t realize it. However, they have had a tendency to be wrong. They said other planets weren’t real, but they were wrong. They also said the world being round couldn’t possibly be real, yet that was wrong. They even said the supernatural wasn’t real " they were beyond wrong. What they don’t know is that there is a whole other world right in the confines of their own. A world that was said to have not been real, a world that if leaked can lead to chaos. I am a part of this world and my kind serves as protectors for them, also known as the human race. In this secret world, we put those that feed on and take advantage of the humans in check and make sure a balance between the two is maintained. Of course, that was what we were supposed to do.

            Six years ago a very intelligent and ideological individual of our kind came up with an idea. Her theory was that for sufficiency’s sake, we could protect the humans better if we gave them the knowledge to protect themselves. Literally this wouldn’t work considering we aren’t allowed to leak any information to humans, no matter what the circumstance. Knowing this full well, Kristine decided to use a loophole by rather than telling the humans of our kind, and the whole other world, turn them into one of us or more half of us. The idea had good intentions but fundamentally couldn’t work or else our whole purpose of balance would be thrown out the window. Kristine ignored that fact and went on with her idea. She decided to create Ninjas out of humans.

            At first it was simply using blood transfusions on those that were dying. Given our Ninja stamina those given the transfusion with Ninja blood recovered faster and became Half-Ninjas. But then after that, Kristine decided to take things up a notch. She ordered transfusions for those also in the ER, suffering in critical condition. After that, she started to send special pairs to attack humans and make them need the transfusions. That’s where I stepped in to stop Kristine, but being the loving sister that she is, sent me to a Ninja Detention Center on Mill Rock Park. Ever since then I’ve been in solitary confinement, a punishment very unusual for a Ninja in the city. However, that was until I escaped. 

            I remember the dark iron room I was held in. Concrete would’ve been easily broken with Ninja strength, so to make sure I didn’t go anywhere, iron was the prime choice for confinement. The room had only one faulty light in the center of the ceiling, and had a typical toilet neighbored by a sink in one corner and a half-a*s mattress on the other. There was nothing for me towards the doors of the room except for a slot where food was delivered along with fresh clothes every five months. I rarely ever saw the outside, and highly doubt any of the others in the center knew anyone would be here. I had contemplated many times before how I would go about escaping. Every time I was graciously allowed outside of my cell, I analyzed and studied every crack and corner of the walls beyond. I concluded that breaking the door down would be pointless and impossible or else I wouldn’t be here, but I could probably get someone else to open it for me.

I sat in my cell with nerves in the pit of my stomach. I sat in the lotus position under the faulty light, concentrating on my surroundings. I focused on my breathing to regulate my chakra. I felt the energy flow through my body changing my irises from dark blue to onyx. I tuned into the sounds around me, one of them including the timely footsteps carrying my dinner. As I felt my heart pound nervously, I counted the footsteps that were now about less than 3 yards away. Hearing the footsteps stop in front of my door I let out a silent breath. Now or never Ria… I told myself. A knock broke the silence.

 

“Dinner time.” The guard said. The locks to the slot clicked open and the small plastic container fell through the slot. Putting my plan into action, I pushed it back out. With a grunt the guard pushed it back in only for me to yet again reject the food. Frustrated, the guard pushed the food back quickly closing the hatch and locking it. In return, I pushed the food under the door.

 

“Ughhh! Look at what you did!” The guard complained in frustration. He began to unlock the door in order to make me “clean up my own mess” like many times before. As soon as I heard the locks click I rammed into the door pushing it open farther than its hinges would allow. The guard was now on the wall parallel to my cell holding his head now gushing with blood. I took that opportunity to run toward the nearest exit. I had to think back to six years when I was first brought here. The sound of a siren and red flashing lights started to worry me. I guess leaving the guard conscious wasn’t my best idea. I picked up speed as I turned down a corridor. Originally, I was hoping to get my confiscated weapon on the way out but judging by the whole center on the alert, that didn’t seem smart and I’d rather learn from my mistakes, thank you.

 

“There she is!” said a young man. He was part of the team that had helped Kristine get me in here. He and his group were almost like bounty hunters you could say. I should probably expect Kristine to send them after me, especially now. All four members of the team were present and chasing me. I turned on another corridor finally spotting the exit. I knew those four behind me were getting fairly close considering my six year lack of training. I took a deep breath as I ran and focused on my chakra. I felt my irises begin to change their color again and the hallway itself begin to darken. My tactic was working. Before I was a yard away from the exit, it was pitch black. It wasn’t much of an offense on my part but it was something. I quickly ran out the door and took cover in the trees heading west. I didn’t stop nor was I careful about my trail. The only thing on my mind was to get out of that hell-hole as fast as possible.

            Once I reached the edge I wasn’t surprised that the four-man team was there. I skid to a stop just about seven yards away from them. I studied all their expressions not enjoying the seriousness in them. I narrowed my vision to a tree on the side that was jutting out from the rocky shore of the small island. Not wasting any time, I ran for the tree and dodged the team leader along with the only woman on the team. I swung off one of its branches and dove, swimming under the dark sunset waters of the East River.

            When I had finally reached Manhattan I was exhausted. I was soaked and cold, and by now it was night time. I kept reminding myself of the team that could potentially catch up and take me back. Though honestly I wasn’t sure at the time if they even did come after me but I wasn’t going to take my chances. I attempted to ring out parts of my wet clothing and disregarded my too-wet-to-walk-in shoes. I made my way incognito to the side of a building. I climbed up the fire escape to the roof. The best way to travel undetected was by roof. In my situation, roof-travel probably wasn’t the safest means but I couldn’t risk being noticed by humans either. The only real option I had was to be as swift and invisible as possible " which I did. I jumped from roof to roof for hours until I checked behind me and decided to stop for a breather. I was leaning on the edge of a building panting and fanning myself with my damp clothing. It was warm that night, warmer than I remembered my summer nights.

            Down below in a poorly lit alley, was a man and a woman. I stared down intently at them wondering what a couple would be doing in the middle of an ally at this time of night. I would assume something intimate related would be taken care of in a much more comfortable place. That was until I tuned into their conversation.

 

“Please just let me go…you’re hurting me.” The woman whimpered. She sounded like she had just realized the danger she was in. The man smirked to reveal abnormally long canine teeth. I narrowed my eyes and focused more on the smell of the area. It smelt like a dump and made me scrunch my nose with disgust but there was the unmistakable scent of a human and a supernatural being. I looked up to the clear sky. It wasn’t a full moon so the creature wasn’t a werewolf. I listened closer into the conversation.

 

“Relax, okay sweetheart? We’re just going to take a small trip back here and everything will be alright.” He began to drag her deeper into the alley. As he passed better into my line of view I saw he had a hood on. That was when it clicked in my mind what he was " a Kishi. They were two-faced demons with one side the face of a man, a handsome one at that, and the other a hyena. Kishies were known to lure young females with their human face then devour them with their reverse one. I watched closely getting ready to jump down if necessary.

 

“No please…just let me go.” The woman began to cry hysterically. Fear dripped in her voice causing the young Kishi to smirk. He then started to show his true nature by pinning her to the wall beneath me. His head turned to reveal the horrible canine face that sunk the woman farther in her fears. She kept shaking her head crying.

 

“Now, now sweetheart…”"The Kishi spoke taking her hand and smelling it "“It’ll all be over soon.” He saw on her hand an elastic bandage covering. He curiously began to unwrap it revealing a small black and white dragon mark. Seeing this, my eyes widened. Now I had to do something. The dragon has always been a symbol of the Ninja. Much similar to a police badge, all Ninjas have a dragon mark somewhere on their body that must be exposed. Only supernatural eyes can actually see it letting them know that we are constantly watching. Normally a Ninja’s dragon is different colors, however after Kristine decided to create Half-Ninjas or Hybrids, it was discovered that once their “transformation” is complete, a black and white dragon appeared. Most Hybrids knew of the kind of power they possessed, but judging by this woman’s hysterical crying, I would guess she was never informed. Realizing the meaning behind the dragon on the woman’s palm, the Kishi attempted a smirk on his muzzle.

 

“I never tasted a Hybrid before.” The Kishi said getting ready to go in for the kill. That was when I went to action and jumped down on top of a closed dumpster with a light thud. The monster snapped his head towards me and growled.

 

“Let go of her.” I commanded simply showing the golden dragon on my forearm. The Kishi looked from the Hybrid to me with his gaze becoming more intent.

 

“Where’s your weapon Ninja?” said the Kishi smugly.

 

“I don’t need one to turn you in.”

 

“And I suppose you don’t need shoes either.”

I looked down at my bare feet on top of the dumpster then back to the Kishi and shrugged. He laughed at me with his hyena face thrown back. I narrowed my eyes disliking that he wasn’t taking me seriously. Rather than just standing there I grabbed his sweater and yanked him off the woman, throwing him across the alley. He landed against a pile of garbage bags. If there was one thing I learned it was to never take on a Kishi without a weapon. The only option I had for this fight was to find a weapon and make him run versus the other way around. The Kishi shook his head getting back up. I looked to the woman telling her to run. She looked at me horrified and started to run out of the alley. The Kishi growled running after her. I grabbed the hood that had fallen on off his head and threw him back further into the alley. I then grabbed an old plank of wood on the floor. Returning my attention to the Kishi, I found him running at me on all fours. He pounced me trying to bite at my neck. I used the wood to hold his bite. I focused my chakra and added force to my kick in his gut. The Kishi once again went flying but only half as far. He stood back up trying to regain balance. Before he could fully gain balance I grabbed him tightly by the neck. He returned to his human face looking at me scornfully. Accepting the defeat, the Kishi fixed the hood on his head. I let him down slowly, never softening my intense glare. I watched him leave the alley. I filled my cheeks with air and blew out looking down at the splinters in my hands.

 

“Ughh great.” I said lowly to myself. As I was about to climb back up to the roof, I was stopped by the woman from before now in front of me. Her eyes were still puffy from her crying and her mouth agape trying to figure out what to say to me.

 

“What…I mean how did you…Where did…What just happened?” " she asked sounding more confident than I would’ve thought. I mean the girl was about to be eaten for heaven’s sake. I would think she’d have gone home already. I looked at her confused. " “What?”

 

“You were almost eaten…you do know that right?” I said trying to understand if she processed the past situation properly. She looked down and let out a sigh.

 

“Yeah…but I’m trying not to think of that right now.”

I nodded and looked at the fire escape ladder. I was debating on whether to explain anything but  didn’t know if there was a reason she wasn’t informed of being a Hybrid. I looked back over to the woman to see her looking at my bare feet and splinter covered hands.

 

“Um…I should probably get going I guess...-”

“Wait!”"The woman said extending her arm. I looked at her waiting for her to talk again."“You look like a mess…and since you saved me and all I was thinking if I could help you out now…”

I looked up towards the roof tops thinking about what I should do. I didn’t want to put someone I barely knew in danger, nor did I want to keep running. After all it’s not like I had any place to go.

 

“Uhh, sure…I guess.”

The woman smiled and lead me out of the ally way. She walked me to an old blue Ford unlocking then opening my door. I said a low thank you and sat in the passenger’s seat. The woman soon came in on the driver’s side and pulled out.

 

“My name’s Deborah by the way.” The woman said still looking at the road.

 

“Ria.” I said monotonous. I looked out the window and noticed we were now in the Upper Eastside, specifically Lexington Ave. and 91^st. It wasn’t long ‘till we arrived in front of a building. Deborah turned off the car and got out. I mimicked her and followed keeping my guard up in case this was a trap. There was a silent ride up the elevator to the 4^th floor. We walked down to one of the middle apartments. Deborah unlocked the door and ushered me in. The place was small but still comforting. There was a homey feel to the apartment, something I haven’t felt in a long time.

 

“So…”"Deborah said breaking the silence. She was standing in the kitchen looking through the cabinets. I stood by the entrance of the kitchen awkwardly."“What kind of meal would you like? You seem to haven’t had a decent meal in a while.”   

I simply shrugged. Deborah looked over at me and sighed.

 

“I can’t do anything if you don’t voice what you need…How about some Easy-Mac? It’s simple and small.”

 

“Sounds good.” I said casually. I remained at the entrance of the kitchen looking down at my hands. I was trying to pull out some of the splinters myself. I winced when one of the deeper ones broke making it harder to get the little b*****d out.

 

“Here, this should help.” Deborah held a pair of tweezers with a first aid kit and walked over to a table by the kitchen. I followed her as she pulled out a chair for me to sit. She placed the tweezers and first aid kit on the table. I nodded thanking her and taking my seat. I worked on my hands with the general medical knowledge I had. After disinfecting and bandaging up my hands, Deborah placed a bowl of Easy-Mac in front of me with a fork and cup of water. I looked up to her and said a low thank you before eating. The macaroni and cheese was warm and actually tasted like food. I hadn’t had food like this in a long time.

 

“So, Ria is it?”"Deborah said awkwardly. I looked up to her nodding."“How did you know I was in trouble?”

 

“I thought you didn’t want to think about that right now.” I returned.

 

“I didn’t but now I’m curious.” 

I looked back up taking a sip of water. Unfortunately, she was serious about her answer. Do I explain everything or just leave her in the dark? I would guess she already knew that something out of the ordinary happened since she witnessed a guy’s head turning into a f*****g hyena. Plus the Kishi referred to her Hybrid mark. I sighed thinking that even if Deborah wasn’t allowed to know then I can’t get into any more trouble than I already am.

 

“Umm…well…you see the ‘thing’ that attacked you was kind of like a demon that feeds on humans, female humans to be exact. It’s called a Kishi. I would explain what is so demonic about them but I guess you’ve already figured that out…”"Deborah nodded her head. So far she wasn’t showing any reaction, just listening to my explanation."“And well I was ‘traveling’ you could say by roof…and I was taking a break to catch my breath when I heard you in trouble and…uhh I guess you know the rest.”

Deborah nodded again and looked down to my bowl as I continued to eat. It was a good five minutes later that she asked her next question.

 

“The Kishi or whatever it was, called you ‘Ninja’…is that what you are?”"I simply nodded as I continued to eat. Deborah took in that information and let out a slight chuckle."“Ninjas exist?”

 

“Yeah…we serve as protectors for humans basically.” I replied casually. Deborah didn’t seem to fully believe that but dropped the subject staring off into space. Once I finished the Easy Mac, I looked back up to see Deborah still in her daze. I  decided to take care of my bowl and glass. It was the least I could do after given a meal. Once I reached the kitchen I put my dishes in the sink and then just stared at them. How the hell am I supposed to wash these without getting my bandages wet?  I thought to myself. Right before I could put one possibility in action, Deborah scooted me over and did the dishes herself.

 

“Um thanks.” I said slightly embarrassed.

 

“Don’t mention it.” Deborah said with a smile. As she was finishing up I headed over to the kitchen entrance and thought it was time to go.

 

“Well, thanks for the food. I really appreciated it.”

 

“Again don’t mention it…It was the least I could do.”

 

“Yeah…um, I guess I should get going.” I said as I walked towards the front door.

 

“Um Ria wait.”"Deborah said from the hallway just outside the kitchen. I turned back around to face her."“You can spend the night here if you want. I know you must be tired at this hour.”

 

“Uhhh…I don’t think that’s such a good idea…” I returned honestly a little uneasy about staying in a complete stranger’s house. Deborah seemed to understand my doubt in her idea.

 

“Oh no I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for that to sound so….yeah. It’s just that you know I still feel like I owe you for helping me and honestly I’m kind of scared that, that thing will come back or something…” Deborah trailed off. I saw the sincere fear in her eyes. Something had to have happened before her encounter not too long ago. I understood where she was coming from and given the fact that she didn’t fully know about the other world out there I guess it made sense that she was scared of it. I took a deep breath and nodded.

 

“Alright, I’ll spend the night.” I said walking back toward the living room. Deborah’s face became relaxed and thanked me. She allowed me to take my first real shower in a long time and gave me some of her clothes to borrow for the night. The only condition I had in staying the night was to sleep in the couch. That way in case this was some form of trap I can get out much easier compared to being cornered in a bed room. Deborah complied to my condition even though I didn’t tell her my real reasoning. I just told her that I felt bad having her give up her bed for me. She did however loan me a pillow and a blanket to sleep with. I made myself comfortable instantly drifting into sleep thinking how much better the couch was than a s****y mattress.