Black and WhiteA Chapter by Aylex
Previous Version This is a previous version of Black and White.
Vicky awoke from her dreams; not suddenly, not slick with sweat, not with the final echoes of her scream reverberating in her ears, but with a familiar, albeit irritated, ease. This particular dream first came to her several years ago. Although then it had recurred only every few months, she now faced the scene with the woman and the child close on every night. The most frustrating thing for her, however, was that she still did not know what it meant. With a gentle sigh, Vicky slipped out from under the covers of her bed. Her toes tingled as they made contact with the cold stones of the floor. Moonlight danced through a nearby window and caressed her small, slender form as she padded across her room. Quietly, she pushed the door open – she knew from experience that she would not be able to fall asleep again. The corridor that she travelled through was drab to say the least. Dust coated every surface, puffing around her bare feet as she walked. There were no decorations, no pictures or plants, only the absolute necessities: two walls, a floor, one window and a door at each end. Vicky trailed her fingers across the walls as she walked, her fingertips catching periodically on the holes left by an infestation of termites. Perhaps it was not the ideal home, but it was the only one she had. As she passed into the adjoining room, her lips, almost as pale as the skin around them, pulled into a smile. She paused briefly beside a lone bench. Smothered snores emanated from a pile of blankets beneath which her guardian, Aylex, lay sleeping. Drawing the blankets away from her face, Vicky kissed her weathered cheek.
A slight shiver rippled over Vicky’s body as she stepped into the chilled night, but she enjoyed the sensation, and she stood, eyes closed, as it ran its course. Vicky could not help but smile up at the towering figure. For all his childishness, Jesse was her only family now, aside, of course, from Aylex, who hardly counted anyway. As grateful as she was, how could she feel any connection with the aged woman who spent her days asleep on her bench? She rarely spoke or even moved, and Vicky had never seen her without blankets wrapped tightly around her body. Her hair was thin and grey, her skin wrinkled; the only parts of her that seemed alive were her eyes, which were the colour of the richest sunset. “Nah, you’re just getting predictable in your old age.” Vicky smiled as she watched his eyes narrow. They glowed sanguine in the darkness, the clearest indicator of his demonic nature. The thread of light arced towards her outstretched hand, becoming entangled in her fingers. She grasped it loosely and pulled, watching in fascination, as always, as her handful of light broke away from the original stem. Short wisps fell away from it as it rejoined, floating to the ground like the softest down feathers of a dove. Compressing the knotted thread into a ball, she turned to the demon in triumph, only to find that he had formed a ball of fire himself. He winked at her through a mask of black hair as he threw it around above his head. “Do we have to use it?” Jesse moaned. “Magicians are always so moody in the morning. Who knows where we’ll end up?” “Stop being so disagreeable,” Vicky called over her shoulder. “Put all that energy to good use and start walking.” *** From the trees, a cloaked figure watched as the angel and the demon began their journey. One gloved hand rested on a long, thin blade at his side.
© 2009 AylexAuthor's Note
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