Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

Helena was lying in bed, the sun peaking right through the clouds and bursting past her white curtains. The light beam landed right next to Helena’s head, on a green journal with the words Rethink printed on the front. This was where she documented her life, as well as poems she thought of periodically, pieces of song lyrics, or anything that molded her into what she was today. Last night was a long night as Helena searched for the second person who would live in her apartment. Sophia had offered her help and tagged along for a few hours, but after all of the walking and looking, she had gotten tired and went home earlier. Helena didn’t mind one bit; after all she preferred searching alone.

When she came home, Sophia was asleep on the couch, the television set to an old movie channel, Gone With the Wind humming in the background as it casted a shadow against the empty wine glass on the coffee table. Helena gently woke her up and helped her to her bedroom before going up the stairs to her room. Helena didn’t even bother taking off her clothes before she fell face first into her white covers, scribbling down one word in her journal right as she went into a dreamless sleep. Now it was another day of searching, another day that could potentially be filled with disappointments and more wine.

Rolling over in her bed, she picked up the journal and flipped to the last page she wrote on. In her drowsy state, she wrote ever so elegantly the word nothing. She sighed and unbuttoned her jeans, tossing them into the hamper that was in her bathroom. They landed inside with an audible thump as she stood up and pulled her shirt over her head and walked into her bathroom to put on a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top from her closet. She walked over to the bathroom sink, brushed her teeth and rinsed with hot water before combing through her hair. Grabbing her kimono robe that was hanging behind the bathroom door, Helena shrugged it on, grabbed the journal and a pen, opened the door and walked downstairs.

The coffee pot was already brewing, the aroma of hazelnut coffee filling the entire apartment with its sweet smell. Reaching up to the top cupboard, Helena grabbed her favorite mug, covering the bottom of it with her favorite coffee creamer. Helena wasn’t much of a breakfast person - she was more grab-n-go - but for the sake of Sophia, she decided to make some eggs and waffles.

Sophia’s bedroom door opened and closed, feet padding softly against the carpeted hallway. When she turned the corner and walked into the kitchen, she was wearing a few of Helena’s older clothes. Helena had promised to take Sophia shopping for some more clothes that weren't so old and worn.

“Good morning, Sophia,” Helena said, smiling. “Hope you like coffee.”

“Coffee?” Sophia asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her blonde hair was in fishtail braid, hitting the middle of her back. “I’m not much of a coffee drinker, actually.”

“Well, living with me might convert you,” Helena said as she handed Sophia a mug and the creamer. “This is my personal favorite coffee creamer, but I’m pretty sure we could find something you like a little more if this doesn't suit your taste buds.” Sophia nodded as Helena poured some coffee into the mug and let Sophia decide how much creamer she wanted.

“I see that you’re making breakfast,” Sophia noted as she lifted her mug to her lips and took a careful sip. “Oh, this is good. I like this creamer.”

“Good. And, uh, yeah. I decided to make some breakfast because I was personally a little hungry, and I assumed that you might be hungry.” Sophia smiled.

“I get very hungry in the mornings. And,” Sophia said, nudging Helena with her elbow softly, “I love waffles.” Helena laughed.

“Sweet. I can actually put more use to my waffle maker now, instead of having it collect dust on my counter.” Sophia leaned against the counter, taking slow sips of her coffee as she looked out the window. Helena wrapped her kimono tighter around her as she stared down into her mug, watching the light brown liquid sway back and forth.

“Are you going to look for the second person tonight?” Helena shrugged as she flipped over the waffle maker and placed it on a plate that was set off to the side. She then grabbed the spatula and finished up the eggs.

“Part of me wants to,” Helena began as she poured the eggs out onto a platter. “But then parts of me wants to stay home, read a good book and enjoy a nice glass of red wine.”

“The latter does sound quite nice.”

“Doesn’t it? But, I feel like if I don’t try finding whomever the second person is, whatever plan that is in order could potentially become behind schedule.”

“I don’t think so,” Sophia said. “I mean, if your Angel told you that you would meet these people and help them as they helped you, whatever plan it is must not be behind schedule. It’s a work in progress.” Helena pursed her lips as leaned back against the counter.

“You know what, Sophia? You’re right.” Helena smiled at her roommate. “I guess I shouldn't be so focused on searching for them, but just wait and meet them.”

“Kind of like last night?” Sophia asked. “Were you out searching when we met?”

“I wasn't,” Helena said. “I just wanted to have a night to myself, enjoy some friendly company and a drink or two at the bar, and then go home. And then I ran into you and Tsuna. The whole thing seemed accidental, but -”

“Wait, you know his name?”

“Of course. He’s a Guardian, and I also ran into him again last night.” Sophia raised a fair eyebrow, gripping the mug a little tighter.

“You know he’s a Guardian and you’re not going to turn him in?” Sophia sounded baffled. Helena gave a small smile.

“No, I’m sure he’ll get much worse punishment with the High Guardian when he figures out that he’s been causing so much unnecessary commotion in public,” Helena said as she picked up the plates of food and walked past Sophia to the table.

“You knew that we were lying about our argument,” Sophia said with a soft voice as she began to search for plates and forks.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” Sophia blushed. “Of course I knew what you two were fighting about was old news that didn’t even pertain to what was going on. Who argues over territory in this generation? There would be no real motive for him to attack you for something that happened ages ago. That’s why I assumed you two were together, because only people in relationships give low blows.” Sophia set her plate down from across Helena’s. The roses were wilting slowly in the vase, their stems bending low enough for Sophia and Helena to converse easily without having to strain over the centerpiece.

“Oh,” Sophia said as she pulled out the wooden chair and settled in. “And since I told you that we weren’t together, what do you know now?”

“That he didn’t want to help you with whatever you want and you called him out on something that was recent. That’s when he decided to fight on territory and then I showed up and saved the day.”

“You know I want help with something?”

“That’s why we met, remember?” Sophia nodded. “So, tell me. What is it that I can help you with?”

“I … I want to regain my status as an Angel of Heaven, as a Power.” Helena blinked, lifting her head to level her gaze with Sophia’s.

“And Tsuna won’t help you?”

“Every single time I ask him, he promises to, but then something always comes up,” Sophia said. “Even though it’s technically his job to help the Fallen, there’s always something a little bit more important.”

“That’s horrible. And of course I’ll help you regain your status in Heaven. It really shouldn't be all that difficult. I think the most difficult thing about the entire process is the training, since you were a Power. But, since you have the most favored and experienced fighter of the Unity, you are in luck.” Sophia smiled. “I’m sure we can start training tomorrow. The apartment complex does have a gym, but there’s an even better place for people like us.” Sophia’s smile began to fade as Helena turned her attention to her breakfast.

“The Underground?” Sophia’s voice was an audible whisper. The Underground was one of the most dangerous places within the supernatural world. It was full of everyone who had lost status, and everyone who was bitter about it. There was a huge training facility down there, along with other bars, and stuff you’d probably hear about during the time of Prohibition. Helena understood the fear that was in Sophia’s soft voice.

“Exactly. And I know what you’re thinking,” Helena said as she lifted her head and placed her left hand on Sophia’s wrist, causing her to stop shuffling her food around. “We technically shouldn’t be in the Underground, but you and I live in Seattle - one of the three cities that can define the local supernaturals as radicals or people below what you and I really are. But, I get along with them, which means they cannot cause harm to you.”

“Well, if you say it’s safe, then it must be safe,” Sophia said. Helena lifted her hand from Sophia’s wrist, her eyes narrowing.

“You seem to trust too easily, Sophia.” Sophia looked up and blinked. Her green eyes were wide, looking at Helena as if she was seeing her for the first time. “You don’t have to worry with me, but I’m sure trusting too easily hasn’t always been a good and forgiving thing for you.”

“I’m working on it,” Sophia said as she dropped her head, pinching a rose petal in between her fingers.

“I’m sure you are.”

Two weeks seemed to have flashed right before Tsuna’s eyes. One moment, he was arguing with Sophia about their past and almost got killed by a newfound friend, Helena. The next, Sophia was gone and he hadn’t seen her or Helena often. What could have become of them, he wondered.

Tsuna shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he walked out of a small cafe and down the street towards his apartment. The sun had hit its peak in the sky, covered by a mass of clouds. Seattle natives and tourist crowded the sidewalks, cameras slung around their necks as they carried shopping bags in their hands. Cars zoomed by, splashing rain water from the street onto the coats of people walking by.

Two weeks was a long time to go missing. Perhaps that little Sicarius kid who had been searching for Helena had finally found her and she booted, and Sophia seemed to have followed because Helena was the only way for Sophia to get what she wanted; Helena would do what Tsuna could never do.

He felt bad that he could never really help Sophia regain her status, but something always seemed to cut through and leave Sophia unimportant, whether it was personal or not. Sophia never showed her disappointment before, but as the years went on, Tsuna could tell that Sophia wouldn’t be taking the apologies anymore. Ever since Helena showed up to “save the day”, Tsuna knew that this could be Sophia’s only chance to get what she wanted and she wasn’t going to let it go.

Tsuna shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, noticing a small blonde girl walking on the opposite side of the street, in the opposite direction. Her hands were shoved into the pockets of her green peacoat, a black bag hanging from her shoulder as it bounced against her thigh with each step. Tsuna narrowed his eyes, lifted his sunglasses up slightly and realized that he knew her.

“Sophia?” he called. The blonde girl paused mid-stride and looked in the direction that she heard his voice. She lifted her sunglasses and saw Tsuna, smiling. It was her. Her blonde hair that was usually up in a ponytail was flowing over her shoulders in soft waves. He had forgotten how long her hair was. Her style had changed, something that seemed to have mimicked Helena’s own style. After looking both ways, Sophia jogged across the street to meet Tsuna.

“Tsuna, hey,” Sophia said, smiling as she entered his open arms. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It has,” he said as they pulled away from the hug. “Two weeks or so.” Sophia smiled.

“What have you been up to?” Tsuna shrugged and slowly took notice of how Sophia held herself differently. Her shoulders were rolled back instead of hunched forward in the slouch he familiarized with her over the centuries. He also noticed how much more tone and fit she looked, even under all the layers.

“I’ve just been drinking and doing some searching on the radicals here. I mean, there aren’t as many radicals in Seattle like the Guardians and the Unity say there are, and the ones they consider radicals haven’t done anything against their leaders or types of governments.” Sophia nodded. “What about you?”

“I’ve been training with Helena,” Sophia said, her red lips parting into a bright smile that he hadn’t seen in a long time. “She knew that I wanted something. She’s a lot smarter than I thought. I told her what it was I was after and she agreed to help me, unlike you.”

“Hey, I said I would help you!”

“Yeah, but you haven’t,” she said. “Anyway, she’s taking me through the basics of Sicarii training, as well as the actual fighting. There’s a reason why she’s the most favored among her kind.” Tsuna blinked as that information registered in his brain.

“Oh!” he said as it clicked together. “She’s that Helena.” Sophia nodded, smiling. “That daughter of Manon and Robert, of the Nightshade lineage.” That would explain the crescent moon tattoo on her wrist, and the S on the inside of her index finger on her left hand. The moon was the secondary crest of her lineage, and the S stood for Solani, the Angel of her lineage. The fact that it was on her left hand signified that she was left handed.

“Yup! She hasn’t really given me many details as to why she’s down here in Seattle, versus being in New York, or even Reno. But, I’m sure it’s nothing too serious, right?”

“Right.” Tsuna narrowed his eyes. Keeping secrets was one thing, but after first meeting Helena, he knew that she was hiding a lot more than Sophia knew. “She must be on assignment down here.”

“Well, I was just actually going to meet Helena to train some more, so I’ll catch you around later.” She smiled and went to hug him again, patting his back softly. “Bye, Tsuna.”

“Bye.” Sophia jogged quickly back across the street and started for her destination. Tsuna stood there for a moment and then broke into a sprint for his apartment. There was a woman standing on the corner, a cigarette in her lips that nearly fell out as Tsuna rushed past her. He yelled out an apology after her, but his mind was engrossed in the information about Helena. As he reached the complex, he skidded around the corner, taking the steps two at a time. Flinging the apartment door open, he threw his jacket onto the grey couch and beelined for his bedroom. He pulled out the black box of files from underneath his bed and fingered through the tabs until he got to N. It wasn’t hard to find Helena’s files.

“Helena Amélie Nightshade,” Tsuna read out loud as he walked back into the living area and sat down on the couch. “The Unity wants you for something, and I’m going to figure out why you’re so secretive.”

“You’re late.”

Helena was leaning up against the black metal door that led right into the Underground, chewing a piece of gum as she waited for Sophia. Helena lifted her sunglasses over her head and narrowed her eyes at Sophia, who was unbuttoning her peacoat. Sophia gave a small smile in apology.

“I ran into Tsuna,” Sophia said when Helena pushed herself off of the door and reached behind her to open it. “He’s been wondering where we’ve been and what we’ve been up to.” Sophia bent over to shoulder the duffle bag that was at Helena’s feet.

“Well, that’s really none of his concern, but I’m sure you told him that we’ve been training.” Helena saw Sophia’s cheeks turn a bit of a bright pink color. “It’s alright though, he should know.” Sophia perked her head up, raising an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“That way he’ll learn to pick his fights more wisely,” Helena replied. “After all, Tsuna is the type to give low blows and remember things that don’t pertain to present day because he can’t keep one promise.” Sophia nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Helena took note that the Underground wasn’t as full as it normally was; instead of the walls filled with groups of people gossiping and gambling, there were just a few supernaturals conversing with each other as they played cards and drank out of their paper bags. The gym and training grounds were practically bare. There were only two Werewolves in the gym, obviously training together.

“Go change and put the bag in our usual locker and then we’ll get started.” Sophia gave her a small nod and went straight for the locker rooms that were at the end of the gym. Helena removed the sweater that she was wearing and tossed it to the side as she walked down the row of weights and dumbbells, deciding on which ones Sophia would be ready for and which ones would be the ones she needed to work for.

“So, what exactly did you do to the Alphas?” asked one of the wolves to the other. Helena wasn’t the type to eavesdrop, but when it came to why others were radicals like her, it was something that sparked her interest only slightly.

“Probably nothing as bad as that little Cloud Chaser over there.” Helena paused for a moment as she lifted a dumbbell in her left hand, turning her head.

“Oh, I’m sure your reason in pointless,” Helena replied. “I’m sure you just turned against your own people because you had nothing else better to do. After all, Werewolves are known for throwing tantrums over nothing because they feel like they deserve to have a high position.”

“Excuse me? Is that what you did? Throw a fit?” Helena turned around to face them. One of them was blond, and the one who was provoking her was a redhead.

“I’m sure your Alphas aren’t power crazy and ruined your life specifically just to get what they wanted,” Helena said. The redhead raised an eyebrow. “Because for all that you know, you think I left simply because I hated them. But, no, I called them out on what they did and they threatened me multiple times. You see, this hate isn’t the type of hate you get overnight. No, this is the kind of hate you develop towards a group of people because all they did was target you from day one.” Helena’s voice began to shake, tears stinging her eyes as her memory began to show flashbacks of a gun on the floor of the President’s Office in the Unity building. She could see a pool of blood on the desk, a figure draped over, eyes cold. “And they just took it way too far.” Her knuckles had begun to turn white as she gripped the dumbbell, her vision snapping back to what was in front of her. The blond wolf took a step forward, his hands raised in surrender.

“I’m sorry, we didn’t mean-”

“Don’t talk about things you don’t know about,” Helena said as Sophia pushed the door open and walked out of the locker room hallway. Both of the wolves bowed towards Helena and left the gym as quickly as possible, pushing past Sophia into the locker rooms.

“What happened?” Sophia asked as Helena turned her attention back to the weights, grabbing the counterpart to the one in her left hand.

“They made me angry,” Helena said in a low voice.

“So you made them leave?”

“No. Leaving was their choice. I only showed them their place.”

“Oh my,” Sophia said as she looked behind her to the locker rooms.

“Let’s forget all about that,” Helena said. “Let’s just get started with the training.” She handed over the weights to Sophia. “And remember, I still have searching to do.”

Karma was floating around mindlessly in the ocean, unsure of what to do, or even where to go. The sun had already set in the distance, the black sky washing over and dotted with pale yellow and blue stars. They were twinkling, as if they were dancing around the solar system. Karma knew that it was now safe enough to come out of the water without her feeling sick or getting looks from bystanders. Brushing her hair back over her shoulders, she swam further towards the shore, running her hand in a smooth pattern of swirls over her violet tail. The water around her began to sparkle and shimmer as her tail separated into two, her legs forming. Her hair began to wave out, shortening in length as her highlights changed from red to a deep purple color.

As Karma walked out of the water, she adjusted her tube top and silently thanked the Ancient Water Dragons, Unda and Inber, for the ability to walk out of the water with shorts on. Scrunching up her wet hair into a low bun, she closed her eyes as her fangs appeared. They pierced her bottom lip, blood spreading out over her tongue, the sweet-rusty liquid oozing down her throat. Her stomach let out a low rumble. Co k jídlu, what to eat? She didn’t want to attract attention from the Unity and their little Cloud Chaser guards that wandered around certain parts of Washington State. But, she was close to Seattle, which mean that they were rare. Instinct then took over as she ran into the woods, her bare feet padding softly against the damp ground.

When she made it into the city, she quickly hid behind one of the alley walls, glancing around for any civilians who were walking around. She scraped her dirty feet against the rock wall, seeing a pair of shoes underneath on of the back doors of an apartment. Grabbing them, she stuffed her feet inside and rolled her shoulders back, shaking her hair out of the bun she put it in. Leaning past the wall, she noticed a homeless man and shook her head; too weak and too dry. Looking to the other side, she saw a young man blasting heavy metal music. Karma grinned, walking out into the dim lighting.

“Oh,” the guy said when he saw Karma, instantly smiling as he pulled out an earbud. “Well, hello there.” Karma smiled, looking down as she played with her hair. She was good at playing this game.
“Hi there,” she said, looking up at him from underneath her eyelashes.

“You lost, babe?” Karma ran a hand through her hair as she flipped it back, her fangs peaking out from underneath her upper lip.

“Me, lost?” Her fangs flashed in the dim lighting. “Now, where’d you get that idea?”

“You look it,” the guy said as he leaned forward. Karma reached out for him, placing her hand against his forearm. She could feel the blood pumping through his veins, coursing around in his body.

“So do you,” Karma said as she pulled him closer to him. She let out a grin as she backed up into the shadows of the alley. The eyes of the man widened as he looked at her fangs, how pale she seemed for a tan woman, but with her hypnotic dark eyes, she slowly lured him.

“You - you’re a -,” he began, struggling to get out of her grip. Karma laughed quietly as she pulled him further into the shadows, her nails leaving marks on his shoulder blade as her fangs sunk into the side of his neck. The man stopped squirming after a while, leaning into her as he gripped her back, a sexual desire rising up from inside of him. Karma could feel it, both in a physical and emotional way through his blood. She could hear a low rumble coming from the base of his throat as he accepted what she was and what she was doing to him. But, she was glad that he didn’t scream, that he just held onto her until she was done.

Her fangs retracted and she slowly licked the wound, watching it seal away slowly. She pushed him off of her, adjusting her tube top and brushing her arms. The man tumbled to the ground, his hand going up to where she had bit him. As Karma began to turn away, she felt his hand wrap securely around her ankle. Letting out a deep sigh of impatience, she looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Can I help you?” The man stood up, dusting off his jeans. He neared her, showing the bite mark to her, a soft smile on his face. Desire burned in his green eyes as he stared at her.

“Drink more,” he said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. “Please … It felt so good.” She made a face, shaking her head as she pulled her hand out of his.

“One time deal only, sweetheart,” she said with a wink. The guy bit his lip and turned the other way. Karma stepped out of the shadows and quickly glanced around, hoping that no one heard or saw anything that had happened.

“Why are you looking around as if you did something wrong?” asked a girl nearby. Karma turned her head slowly, an eyebrow raised. She wasn’t there before. The girl was leaning against the alley wall, her right foot propped up. She didn’t turn to face Karma, her black hair a screen, but the way she spoke out loud, it was obvious that her question was directed to Karma.

“No reason,” Karma said, beginning to walk away. The girl laughed; a short crisp sound that filled the silence with radiance.

“It wasn’t as quiet as you think.” Karma stopped walking, her foot catching against the gravel. She looked over her shoulder, her brows furrowed. The girl turned her head, her black hair spilling over her shoulder and her blue eyes filled with humor. “Actually, it was quite messy. Even though he didn’t scream, you could still hear it happening.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Karma took a step back, trying to muster up courage against this girl. The girl pushed herself off the wall, the slight breeze opening up her leather jacket. Along her hips was a belt, two daggers lined against the belt with glowing blue runes on the hilts.

“Oh, you don’t?” she asked, sarcasm dripping in her voice as she took a few steps towards Karma slowly, a dangerous smile forming on her pink lips. “After all, it is against Covenant Law for your kind to be consuming human blood unless it’s in the presence of an Elder.” Karma cursed silently under her breath, her hands forming fists at her sides.

“Cloud Chaser,” she hissed, her nails digging into her palms. The Huntress laughed, dropping her hand from the daggers with a smirk.

“It’s fine,” the Huntress said, turning away, her hair flowing softly with the breeze. “I’ll let this one slide, okay? Just don’t let me catch you doing it again or I’ll just have to add you to my growing list.”

“Počkej!” Karma yelled, covering her mouth quickly with her hand. The Huntress stopped mid-stride, looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

“Oui?”

“Are you really just going to leave it at that?” The Sicarius turned around fully and smiled. “You’re not going to turn me into the Unity and summon the Elders?”

“I told you that I was going to drop the incident. You have my word.” Karma smiled. “But, if you doubt me, you can just follow me to my apartment. I promise I won’t send a letter to the Unity or anyone else.” She looked down, her hand brushing over her leather sleeve. “We’re not as close as we used to be.”

“But,” Karma said, taking a step forward. “Isn’t that - what you’re doing - against Covenant Law?”

“Don’t you listen to what I’m saying?” Karma bit her lip. “The Unity and I aren’t best friends anymore.” Karma blinked as the Huntress placed her hands on her hips. “Besides, Covenant Law doesn’t exist - not as much - over in these parts. Especially when I run it.” Karma smiled. She like the confidence, the edge, in this girl. Maybe she could provide protection to Karma? A new home and everything? It seemed risky, but what else did she have to lose?

“Excuse me, Sicarius?” Karma asked. The girl stopped again, turning her head to look back at Karma, a soft smile forming on her lips. “Do you think you could … help me with something? I don’t have a place to go to ..”

“Bingo.”

Sophia was back at the apartment, sprawled out on the couch as she was reading Little Women, a glass of wine sitting gently on the glass coffee table. Helena had only been gone for half an hour, but thirty minutes was an awfully long time to spend away from someone when you’re always around them. Closing the book, Sophia reached for the remote that had fallen on the floor, making an impatient noise as she flipped mindlessly through the channels.

Nothing seemed to have been catching Sophia’s attention on the channels. Sitting up, she reached over to the side where the movie collection Helena had was sitting. Helena had all of the old black and white movies that came out way before she was even thought ot. It ranged anywhere from Pride and Prejudice to Casablanca, all the way up to The Notebook and the latest blockbuster hit. There were a lot of foreign movies within the pile as well, and movies that Sophia has never seen, let alone heard of. Helena must be a huge movie buff to have a collection so grand. Star Wars: Episode IV was on the top of the pile, obviously something that Helena had watched recently. Without a second though, Sophia grabbed the DVD and popped into the player. She reached for her wine glass and sat back down. After a few moments into the movie, there was an obnoxious knock on the apartment door. Sophia sighed, paused the movie and got up.

“Yes?” Sophia asked as she opened the door. In front of the door was a tall blond boy with green eyes as dark and soft as those of Sophia’s. There was on a small tattoo of a sun etched on the inside of his left wrist, opposite of Helena’s secondary crest. On his right hand was the two overlapping circles of the Unity.

“Wait, you’re not Helena,” the boy said. “Where is she?”

“Helena?” Sophia asked, narrowing her eyes at the blond boy. “Who are you?”

“My name is James. James Dawnblade.” He bowed quickly in front of Sophia, his hand fidgeting with the rolled up sleeves of his jacket. “I came down here to look for her.” Sophia nodded, taking a sip of the wine.

“I’m sorry, James, but I haven’t seen Helena in a while. I just share the place with her.” James sighed, lifting his hand to place it against his forehead. He closed his eyes in frustration, letting out a sigh. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol and cigarettes.

“If you .. Rather, when you see her again, could you please tell her that I was looking for her?”

“Sure thing,” Sophia said as she closed the door. She walked back to the couch and laughed, her eyes falling on the green journal Helena always wrote in. Reaching for her it, her fingers brushed along the top, hesitating. All she wanted was a small peak into Helena’s mind. Her phone vibrated loudly on the coffee table, causing Sophia to stand up straight and almost spilling the wine. She reached over and grabbed her phone; it was a text. From Helena.

Bingo

Sophia smiled and stopped the movie all together, placing the wine glass on the coffee table. She started down the hallway towards her room to change into something a bit more appropriate.

Which room do I fix?

I’m not sure yet … She looks like a vamp, but there is definitely something more to her.

Sophia blinked as she opened her closet door. This one was a half-breed. Those were just about as rare as Mermaids in these days. Walking into her closet, Sophia changed out of her shorts and into a pair of jeans, running the brush on her nightstand through her matted hair.

***

“Helena!”

Helena opened her eyes quickly, looking around. There were dark spots blurring her vision, and she blinked them away, her eyes making contact with Sophia’s through the fire. Sophia’s green eyes were carefully watching Helena, her body leaning forward with concern.

“You know,” Tsuna said, sitting down on the log next to Helena, his hand going up to rub her back slightly, “you did set up the tent. You can sleep there and not out here. You’ve been out for quite some time.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Helena said as she stood up to stretch. Tsuna’s hand dropped to his side with an audible thump. Everyone seemed to be watching her. “Is Karma out of the water yet?”

“You mean Fishie?” Tsuna asked, his purple eyes smiling at her. Helena kicked a pile of sand onto his jeans, rolling her eyes.

“Seriously, don’t call her that,” she said, laughing as he kicked some sand in her direction.

“She’s part Mermaid,” he said. “And don’t forget that time we went fishing!”

“You almost burnt her tail off!” Sophia chimed in. Tsuna laughed as he took a swig of his beer that was balanced on his thigh.

“I did not!” Tsuna clarified. “Karma’s just exaggerating! My fire ball just came into a bit of contact with her tail, that’s all.”

“Yeah,” Helena said, rolling her eyes at him. “That explains the huge burn mark on her calf.” Tsuna smiled as Helena turned away from him and walked down the shore, searching for Karma, picking up the towel that was hanging off of the tent. Helena looked up at the sky, watching the stars twinkling in the night. One shooting star zoomed across the sky. When Helena reached the water, she let her bare feet get soaked by the slow crashing waves. Helena didn’t have to call for Karma; they were connect enough to sense each other. Karma’s head broke the surface, smiling at Helena.

“I didn’t realize it had gotten so late as quickly as it did,” Karma said as she changed into her human form. The water shimmered and sparkled as her tail formed into legs, her hair scrunching up.

“How was your swim?” Helena asked, handing the towel over to Karma. She took it gently, wringing out her hair and drying off her arms.

“It was good. Dobrý, dobrý.” She smiled, wrapping the towel around her hips.

“Do you need to feed?” Helena asked, her voice low and careful. Karma kept her gaze leveled with Helena as she thought for a moment.

“No, no,” Karma said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I’m fine.” Helena narrowed her eyes, pointing to her own head. “I’ll let you know when I get super antsy.”

“Alright.” Helena’s tone seemed doubtful to Karma’s ears. Karma patted Helena’s back, pushing her forward back towards the camp.

“I brought Miss Fishie some fruit,” Tsuna said as they neared them, tossing over a bag full of fruit from the nearby trees. “Since, you know, she has this weird belief that eating fish is cannibalism.” He laughed. “Karma, you drink blood, you do you even live with yourself?”

“Shut up,” Helena said. “It’s not cannibalism because she isn’t human.” She turned to Karma. “You are a fish, born with the anatomy of a human with a virus.”

“Thanks,” Karma said, lingering on the word long enough for it to sound insulting, her dark eyes shooting daggers at Tsuna. “Like Helena said, I’m part fish, so eating fish is cannibalism. It’s not like I’m killing humans and roasting them on an open fire and eating their livers. That’s just creepy.”

“There are the few creeps in this world who do that,” Sophia said in a quiet voice. For a moment, everyone looked at each other in deep silence before breaking out into simultaneous laugher.

Living with each other wasn’t a walk in the park. Helena was on the run from the Unity - even though she still carried the mark with her. There were problems between her and the Unity and as much as she tried to get them sorted out, there was something that stopped it all from happening, something that made them turn against her from a very young age. She couldn’t have the Unity taking away her friends either.

She knew it was her goal to keep them as safe as possible and to fulfill their wishes just as it was their job to keep her safe. They may have been the oddest run of people, and the oddest group of friends, but nothing was better than being radicals with people who come from a world just like you.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

I like the tone of the story. Had the feel of a personal journal making the story feel real and alive. I like the conversation, bonding of people for something and the pace of the tale. You have my attention. You give enough to hold the reader. Strong characters and storyline in this tale. Thank you for sharing the excellent chapter.
Coyote