Markings

Around six, after classes had already ended and Aibell had returned to her room, there was a loud knock on the door. Her roommate was gone, Aibell didn't know where she'd gone to, so she was sitting on her bed, reading a passage from a text book she'd been assigned to read. She got up from the bed and moved towards the door, but before she could even get close enough to open it, the door swung open on its own.

Tom was standing in the doorway, wearing a black shirt and gray jeans, his hair wet and his feet bare. He smiled at the surprised look on Aibell's face.

"Well, I'd suspected that you'd forget all about that mission this evening. Hurry and change into something decent, those pajamas are not flattering at all to your figure," Tom snapped, his eyes moving from her head to her toes.

"Oh, I apologize for my lack of style when I'm getting ready for bed!"

"It's six in the afternoon, why are you even getting ready so early? Never mind. Just change into something, then meet me at the front door when you're finished." He turned around and shut the door behind him as he left, the noise of the the door slamming causing a vibration under Aibell's feet.

Aibell frowned, thinking she should have just told him she'd rather stay home, but shook off the feeling. She slipped on a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeved shirt. She put on her warm jacket, knowing it would be freezing outside, and proceeded to put on a pair of black tennis shoes. She hoped that she'd be able to remember where the entrance was, and left the room, locking the door and taking her key with her.

When she'd finally reached the front door, Tom was already there, wearing shoes and a coat, his hair almost completely dry. He didn't smile when he saw her, and motioned for her to follow him as he started walking away.

"Aren't we going out the front door?" Aibell asked, confused.

"No. But I knew that you wouldn't know where the garage was, so I told you to meet me here instead," Tom explained, smiling at her over his shoulder. "We need a car, and I know just the one to get."

"I didn't think you guys owned cars here. I didn't even think any of you left the school," she admitted sheepishly. "Everyone seems to content with living here and never leaving, so I figured-"

"We only leave on some occasions, and only the advanced kids get to. Like myself."

"How are you so much more advanced? What do you do better than anybody else?"

"I've only been going to this school a few years. When I was about 12, I ran away from home, and that's how I met Alice and Danny's family, and they took me in. My parents were brilliant, and they taught me a lot before I came here. So, I just happen to be ahead of some people. The only person here who could maybe be as smart as me, is Danny. We have almost every class together."

"What about Alice?"

"The difference between Alice and Danny is that Alice wants to be human," Tom said, shrugging his shoulders. "But, she's not. And there isn't much she can do about it. She doesn't want to be a witch, or go here. She wants to live normally. Even though she's just as smart as her sister, she doesn't try as hard, so she doesn't succeed as much."

'And Danny?"

"She loves it here. She wants nothing more than to fight, make potions, learn magic, do well in her classes..."

"So, you can really do magic, then?" Aibell hurried so she was no longer walking behind him, and Tom slowed his pace so she could keep up.

"Of course I can. Do you think I just learn how to save girls being attacked by psychos?"

"You mean me, don't you?"

Tom smiled.

"Well, prove it then. Do magic!"

"I did magic when I brought you here, remember? I'd think you would."

"Yes, but do something right now."

"Like?"

Aibell looked around the room, thinking. "Can you move things? Without touching it?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Then move that vase, over there on the table, by the wall," Aibell ordered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll believe that you can do magic when I see it."

"Fine." Tom rolled his eyes in irritation and lifted a hand, flicking it towards the vase. Instead of simply moving, the vase flew up and hit the ceiling, shattering into little pieces. Aibell jumped at the sound.

"We'd better get down to the garage," Tom insisted, walking faster.

They'd reached a large metal door, covered in locks. Tom put in a four digit number on the key pad on the wall, and the locks began to move, unlocking themselves. The metal door swung open, and Tom pulled Aibell inside the dark room. As they stepped in, lights slowly began to flicker on, and Aibell's mouth dropped.

There had to be at least 15 cars, and each of them looked expensive. A red Audi, a sleek, black Mercedes, a silver Nissan, and more convertibles than Aibell had every seen in one area.

"For a school of people who never leave, you sure have a lot of cars."

The edges of Tom's mouth twitched, as if he were holding back a smile. He nodded slowly. "The teachers can usually drive. Most of these are their cars. Teaching here pays well, and most of them don't have to pay for a house, so they've got a lot more money than most."

"If all these cars belong to teachers, which one are we using?"

"Not all of them belong to teachers. I said most of them do. We're going to be using my brother's car."

"You have a brother? How come he doesn't even sit at lunch with us or anything? Or is he too old to be in school?"

"He would be out of school by now, being 22. But he's dead."

Aibell's face turned red. Obviously he'd never talk about a brother who wasn't alive anymore. She cleared her throat awkwardly and reached out to touch Tom's arm, but stopped herself.

"I'm sorry," Aibell whispered.

"Don't be. He died fighting. The way any man should."

"Who... who killed him?"

"My mother."

Aibell froze. She didn't know what to say. How could a mother ever kill her child? And why did she kill him? She didn't dare ask. It was obvious by looking at Tom that he didn't want to talk about the subject any longer.

"So, which car, huh?" Aibell asked, her voice cracking. She slipped her hands into her pockets and looked at the cars.

"This one," Tom said, pointing to a red convertible, the top up, sitting on the other side of the garage.

"What kind of car is that?" Aibell asked, following him as he slowly moved towards the car.

"It's a Ford Mustang. My brother got it for his 16th birthday. It was my dads, before he left."

Aibell didn't know what to say. Tom seemed so confident, and Aibell never would have guessed that he had such a messed up family. A murderous mother, a dead brother, a father who left...

"Now, let's get on the road. I have things to do."

"What exactly are you doing?" Aibell asked curiously, watching as Tom opened the car door with a key he'd pulled out of his pocket.

"Well, there seems to be a few vampires about 3 miles away who have been very naughty, and killing humans. So, I'm being sent to deal with it."

"Wait, you're being sent out to deal with vampires alone? That's suicide! Vampires are dangerous, aren't they?"

"I'm not alone," Tom said, "I'm with you! And besides, I can kill twenty vampires at once if I want to. I'm a Warlock."

"I thought you were a Wizard."

Tom shot her a dirty look and climbed into the passenger seat of the car. He patted the seat next to him, so Aibell opened the door and slid in, too. She took the key from him and stuck it in the ignition.

"How do you plan to get this car out of the garage?" Aibell questioned. They were completely surrounded by not only the walls of the garage, but other cars.

"It's quite a shame that your world is so far behind in technology," Tom breathed. "It's simple. We just have to let the walls fall down."

"Pardon?"

"Here, press that button, up there, on the visor."

"The garage opener?"

"Let's go with that."

Aibell hesitated, but eventually reached up and pressed the button. There was a load noise, like metal being scraped across metal. Suddenly, three of the walls began to fall down. The only one that remained upright was the wall with the door they'd come from. Once the walls were down, there was room for Aibell to pull out of the garage and onto a large driveway.

"Now, close it by pressing the button again," Tom instructed, sounding bored. "Then, I'll tell you where we're going."

"Alright," Aibell mumbled, trying to hide her surprise. She couldn't believe they owned a garage that, instead of having one garage door, had walls that fell to the ground, then went back up just with the press of a button.

"Just start off down this road, to your left, and we'll come to a stoplight. Turn right and we'll go from there."

"How exactly are we handling the vampires?"

"We? I think you mean, how am I handling them? I'll just threaten to put them to death by breaking the laws, and if they refuse, I have permission to kill them."

"You're allowed to simply kill people? Tom, you can't think that's normal-"

"They aren't people."

"Neither are you, then! You're not human, remember?"

"I have a heartbeat. I am more human than them," Tom snapped angrily. "Besides, I do not feed off of humans-"

"But you kill other people. You understand that they're vampires, right? They can't just decide to stop drinking blood-"

"You can drink blood without killing people, Aibell. Jeez, you are so stupid. Honestly, Aibell, I thought you'd at least know the difference between drinking their blood and killing humans."

"I am not stupid!"

"Turn right!"

Aibell frowned, turning right at the light, deciding to ignore Tom the rest of the way. He was staring out the window, humming to himself.

It was still light outside as they drove, the sun slowly setting over the city. They drove in silence for a moment, and Aibell couldn't help but notice how much Tom had told her. He didn't seem the type to open up easily, especially not about his personal life.

"Tom," Aibell began, her thoughts racing, "how come you've never kissed a girl?"

"Pardon me?" Tom stared at her, seeming baffled. He obviously wasn't expecting her to bring up such a topic. "I don't even know what you're talking about!"

"Yes, you do. I saw the expression on your face, that day at dinner-"

"Yes, I was rather shocked after you had humiliated me, which should explain why I had this expression you're talking about. Now, I'd prefer not to talk about this!"

"It isn't a big deal, I didn't have my first kiss until I was 14," Aibell explained, smirking. "It's okay to be 16 and never have kissed anyone."

"I'm 17," Tom mumbled, frowning. "And sure, I've never had a girl friend or kissed a girl."

"Are you gay?" Aibell asked, completely serious.

"What? No!"

"I mean, I just thought... You seem so confident, and you are attractive-"

"You think I'm attractive?" Tom asked, a smile playing on his lips. "That is not surprising. I am rather gorgeous."

Aibell said nothing. She knew right when she complimented him that is was a bad idea. Tom's ego was already huge, and it didn't need any help. With a sigh, Aibell asked where she'd be going next.

"Keep straight for now, the place is nearby. It's a small building, easy to miss. But that's so they can keep themselves hidden from other people. It's an advantage, to us at least. Less humans walk in that area," Tom explained. "I'll be able to point it out when it comes up."

"You never did say why you never had a girl friend."

"Nobody is good enough, I suppose," Tom said with a sigh.

Aibell was shocked. Did he really think he was that much better than every girl? Than anyone in general?

"I can see you are surprised. I'd explain my reasoning, but we're approaching their hiding place." Tom pointed to a small warehouse. It was torn apart, the ceiling falling in an trash littering the yard.

"They obviously don't take care of their home, do they?" Aibell mumbled, parking on the side of the road a good 100 feet away.

"No, it's not necessary, since they're always moving. Now, you stay here. This will only take a moment." Aibell shut off the car and watched as Tom climbed out.

"Tom!" Aibell called suddenly, reaching out before she could think not to.

"Yes?" Tom turned to face her, a sort of excitement in his eyes, which must have been because he was about to wander into a house of vampires, something that seemed to be entertaining to him.

"Be careful," Aibell whispered, her hands now on her lap.

"No promises, darling," Tom said with a smirk that almost made him look menacing.

She watched Tom go, a bounce in his step that hadn't been there before. It was obvious that he looked forward to this kind of thing.

Ten minutes passed, and Tom still hadn't returned from the building. Worried, Aibell decided to get out of the car.

"I just know I'm going to regret this," Aibell mumbled to herself, a grimace set on her face. She turned to close the door when she saw something shiny on the floor, and she leaned forward for a closer look, and saw that it was a small silver dagger, gleaming in the light from the setting sun. She picked it up and saw it was wearing a silver case, so she slipped it inside her inner coat pocket, then sucked in a deep breath. Was she really about to walk into this place for Tom of all people?

Yes. Yes she was.

It seemed silent, until Aibell had reached the door, which was slightly ajar. Pushing the creaking door open slightly, Aibell peaked inside, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. She heard a deep, scratchy voice, which felt like sandpaper in her ears.

"Alicia," the voice said, "I say we kill him. He's trespassing, and nobody will even notice-"

A new voice spoke, beginning with a short, high pitched laugh. It was very feminine, and obviously a woman.

"This little warrior is innocent, and beautiful, and he will very much be missed. Now, child, tell me where your companion is, the warrior you came with. No warlock ever goes to a fight alone, that I know for sure."

"I told you, I did come alone, to try to explain, under our law-"

"Your law is nothing to us! You allow faeries and werewolves to attend your schools, and be a part of your society, while us vampires live in this filth, forced to be outsiders. I used to be rich, before you removed us from our rightful place on the Council. I was in love with a member of the Council of Angels, but I was exiled by your people for it. You said it was unnatural, that something so holy cannot be with me, that it ruin the balances of the magical world. You treat us vampires like dirt!"

"You are only proving us right about you by murdering these innocent people," Tom snapped, obviously losing his temper. "Now if you would just discontinue from doing such things, I can help you, but you have to trust me and let me go. I have no other warriors with me."

"Oh? Because I smell her... Her blood calls to me. It's so much stronger than your warlock blood, which indeed has a foul taste-"

"Really? I always thought I'd taste exquisite."

"Shut him up, and get the girl! She's by the door, over there!"

"Run! Run away, Aibell! Leave now!" Tom screamed, making Aibell jump. She turned to run, but felt hands grasp her shoulders and pull her into the building.

"Aibell, you big idiot," Tom said through his teeth as Aibell came into view. "I told you to sit in the car!"

"I see you're lied to us," a tall and pale woman in a long dress stated, frowning at Aibell. She was the same woman who'd spoke about being in love with an angel. "Tell me, dear, what is your name? And what is your species?"

"Excuse me? I'm a person!" Aibell yelled, trying, and not succeeding, to keep her voice from shaking.

"She's a witch, but she's half angel," Tom lied quickly. "Slaying an angel isn't something you'd be too keen on doing, Alicia, am I right?"

"I thought I ordered you to silence him!" Alicia screamed at the many vampires around her. "If he is telling the truth, I will let them go. Someone bite her and tell me if her blood tasted like that of an angel!"

"No!" Tom yelled, breaking free form the vampires holding him back. The two vampires burst into flames, screaming as they turned to ash on the floor beneath them.

"What have you done to them?" Alicia screamed, backing away from Tom.

"It's simple. I'm a warlock, I can practically do anything. I really didn't want to hurt anyone, but when you threaten my cab driver, I have no choice!"

"Your what?" Alicia hissed, her eyes growing wide with confusion.

"She doesn't know a single bit of magic. She's inexperienced. If she weren't I'd have brought her inside with me. I told you there were no other warriors, and I did not lie."

"I still do not believe that she's an angel. She doesn't have their scent..."

"She's mixed, with more than just warlock blood. Her entire family is a melting pot. I'm sure her scent would be unrecognizable." He sighed, a look of pure exhaustion on his face. "Just let us go. Go you really want war on your hands?"

Alicia looked thoughtful. She nodded slowly, her decision made.

"I don't want trouble with the warriors of your kind. Go back to your silly school, and do not return without a legal warrant from the Council. That includes the Council of Angels. They are the only Council whose judgement means anything to me, for they were the only ones who were pure and just, and I only trust them. Nobody else."

"You have to stop the killings, though," Tom negotiated. "I can burn down this entire building, and kill each and every one of you, for the penalty for murdering innocent people is death, but I won't if you will not kill anybody any longer."

Alicia frowned, flicking a strand of dark brown hair over her shoulder. Her face was beautiful, and behind her menacing glare, there was sadness. Sadness from lost love, and from such a long life. Aibell could only imagine the pain this woman had been through over a lifetime. She almost pitied her.

"I will obey the law, and so will my clan. But, if a human trespasses, we have permission to do as we please, even if that is creating a new vampire. Is that understood?"

"Of course, Alicia. You and I both know the penalty for trespassing unless you are a warrior of the Institute. We will be on our way out, now," Tom said, hurrying towards Aibell. He pulled her close, away from the vampires who had been grasping her shoulders only moments ago.

"Keep your little shifter safe, Thomas, for she will be stolen if you are not careful. I am no idiot, and I saw through your lie." Alicia smiled a deadly smile. "She is beautiful, even with her dyed hair and slight imperfections. I suppose that she is just as human as you are, young warlock. Leave."

They hurried from the warehouse, without looking back. Tom seemed relieved, but not as relieved at Aibell. She had managed to pull the knife from her coat, and still held it, unused, in her left hand.

"How did she know that I was a shape shifter? I thought... she seemed to believe what you'd said."

"Obviously she didn't mind. Something made her decide not to kill us. Is that a knife in your hand?" Tom looked at her left hand, his eyes sparkling with humor. "Did you think you'd know how to use it?"

"I'd have to stab them, of course..."

"In the heart. It's the only way to kill them. That, or burn them. Fire or sunlight works nicely," Tom said, sighing. He led the way back to the car. The sun was almost completely set, and the moon was beginning to shine.

"I saw what you did in there... You killed those vampires."

"They would have killed me," Tom mumbled. "Now, let's get back. I'd like to sleep, and frankly, I may need another shower."

"I need one as well. I feel dirty just from having those filthy people touching me. They looked so dirty."

"Alicia was right when she said they'd been reduced to living in filth. It's unfair, but there's nothing a child like myself can do about it." Tom stopped walking and looked down at Aibell, frowning. "You'd think that, since we're so much more powerful than them, we could have a little sympathy. If you think that... you're wrong."

"I don't understand... Why aren't they a part of this... this council?"

"It's a long, and tiring story, darling." He sighed, and Aibell wondered if darling would be a new name for her, and she didn't much like the idea. "I'll tell you another time. For now, let's just get home."

Home.