Chapter Twenty Four - word count 2448 - Download PDF
24.
      The early morning sunshine streamed into the cafeteria, making the place feel warm and homey.  The Omega’s usual table was groaning with bodies as they sat down for breakfast and discussed the plans and schedules for the day.  
      Sorcha looked a little bit pale, and Kyle was worried about her.  She’d had nightmares the whole night long.  She would drift off to sleep, but the minute she hit REM sleep she’d start moaning and telling people to leave her alone, and Kyle would have to wake her.  She was probably exhausted this morning.  
      She must have sensed him looking at her because she looked up and smiled at him.  
      Sorcha was tired it had been a long night with the same nightmare repeating itself over and over.  All she could really remember was the girls face crumpled in terror and begging for help.  
      Sorcha knew that she was stressed with the whole Raven thing, but these dreams seemed like they could be more than just stress.  
      Sorcha heard someone come in and looked up to see who it was.  Ross walked towards the table, not really looking where he was going he was paging though a newspaper.  
      “Hey Ross.”  She smiled.  “Congratulations, last night was awesome, you guys rocked.”  
      Ross didn’t hear her he was staring down at the newspaper in his hand.  
      “Oh for fuck!”  He cursed vehemently.  
      Selphie had been about to add her congratulations, and Drew had got up to go hug her friend when he threw the paper onto the nearest table and reached into his pocket for his cell phone.
      “What’s wrong Ross?”  Selphie frowned.  
      “I’m going to rip her limb from limb.”  He told them his face dark.  
      He pressed a speed dial button on his phone and put it to his ear.  
      “What’s up?”  The phone was answered.  
      “Hey Fenn, have you got the new CD?” Ross asked.  
      “Yeah Ross, why?” Fenn could hear Ross was not a happy camper.  
      “Get your ass to the cafeteria and bring it with you.”  Ross told his band mate before he flipped the phone closed without saying goodbye.  
      “Who are you going to kill?”  Drew asked.  “And what did she do to deserve being ripped limb from limb.”  
      “I’ll show you in a minute Drew just wait for Fenn to get here.”  
      A few moments later Fenn hooked the doorjamb to stop his forward momentum and swung around it into the cafeteria skidding to a halt a few feet from Ross.  
      Sorcha made sure she got a good look.   Fenn did guitar and backing vocals for Requiem, and seeing a member of Requiem was always a pleasure, and a curiosity.  They tended to stay in the background.  He was tall about Ross’s height, he was slim but not even close to skinny you couldn’t mistake the muscle under his clothes.  His hair and eyes were very unusual, and caught Sorcha’s attention.  His hair was shoulder length and looked black at first glance but if you looked again you noticed it was actually green. Such a dark green that it looked black.  He must have felt her watching him because he pinned her with eyes that flashed from the same dark green almost black to a lighter forest green.  He tucked his hear behind his ear and Sorcha nearly fell off her seat.  He was an Elf!  Oh Lord, you didn’t find Elves often – even amongst the Mythos.  There was no mistaking the point to that ear, especially since he had silver rings climbing up the outside of his ear.  
      Fenn handed the CD to Ross.  “What’s the prob?”  
      Ross glanced down at the cover and started cursing.  
      “Whoa, chill, you are going to set the air on fire if you carry on like that.  What is the problem Ross?”  Finn frowned at the wereleopard
      Ross pinned Finn with a stare that could have eviscerated the Elf on the spot.  
      “Who authorized this cover?”  
      “Natasha took care of it.” Fenn was talking about their publicist.  
      “Curiosity is killing me.” Kyle got up and took the CD out of Ross’s hand.  
      “Oh – not good.”  He frowned and handed the cover over to Selphie who was holding out her hand impatiently.  
      “I swear to god I’m going to kill her, she had no right.”  Ross cursed again.  
      Selphie’s eyes widened as she looked at the cover then passed it over to Drew and Sorcha who sat next to each other at the table.  
      Drew shook her head.  “I don’t get why you are so upset Ross, it’s a yummy cover, I’d buy it just for this cover.”  She grinned winking at Seth who had growled at her.  
      Sorcha had to agree with her.  The cover of Requiem’s newest CD was hot, it was a man his back to the camera his head dipped down, so you could see only a little blonde hair but none of his face, his arms were held slightly out from his sides, his hands open palms facing away from the camera.  He was gorgeous, the jeans he wore sitting low on his hips but what really made the cover hot was his tattoo.  His entire back was covered by one tattoo, a set of gray-feathered wings.  The tips of which disappeared into the waistband of his jeans.  
      “Its not the cover Beautiful, its who is on the cover.”  Seth spoke as leaned over the women to look at the cover.  “Ross I can see why you’re so pissed.”  
      “What do you mean?  Who is on the cover?”  
      Ross growled – a sound of frustrated anger, hooked his fingers into the hem of his tee shirt and tugged it up and off then turned so his back faced the women.  
      “Oh Shit!”  Drew gasped.  
      Sorcha just gawked.  It was Ross on the cover of the CD.  On his back were the beautiful gray wings of the tattoo.  
      “I’m not being funny Ross but that is way hotter when you see it in real life.”  Drew burst out laughing when Seth growled her again.  
      “Don’t bite me, I’m trying to get you guys to laugh, it’s really not a train smash.  We didn’t know it was Ross on the cover, no one else will know.”  
      “That’s not the point Drew!” Ross spun and glared at her.  
      Sorcha caught the glint of a ring in his nipple before he tugged his shirt back on.  
      “The point is that photo was never supposed to be seen by anyone let alone the public.  And I’m going to hurt her for authorizing it.  Hell, they probably got the photo from her in the first place.”  
      Ross was big on his privacy, and even more so because he was the front man for Requiem.  
      “Has the CD been released everywhere yet?”  Ross asked Fenn.  
      The Elf went to sit at the bench and shrugged.  “Yeah, I’d imagine so Ross.  You weren’t around for the release remember.”  
      Ross cursed again.  “So this isn’t fixable.”  
      “I doubt it.”  Fenn put one booted food on the seat of the bench and rested his chin on his knee.  “Doesn’t mean you can’t go rip Natasha a new one.”  
      Ross looked at Seth asking for permission.  
      Seth sighed and shook his head.  “Yeah go tell her off, you are going to be useless to me in the field till you get it off your chest.”  
      Ross nodded his thanks and turned and walked out the room.  
      
      Crimson woke up in a cold sweat.  “Fuck no!”  He hissed, and sat up in bed.  
      He pulled the sheet back and got out of bed, reaching for his jeans he tugged them up over his hips and pulled open the bedroom door while he was still tying the button.  He didn’t waste time on shoes and a shirt he had to haul ass now.  
      Crimson rushed down the stairs and through the kitchen pulling open the door he squinted in the morning sunshine and ran across the lawn towards the Orchard.  He had to get there before anyone noticed.  
      He moved under the shade of the trees and scanned the area feeling for the presence that had woken him.  
      “Oww, Dad is pissed at you!”  
      Crimson jerked his eyes up, toward the sound of the voice.  A frown creased his brow when he found what he was looking for.  The man lounged across the limb of the tree as if he was lying on a bed, his hip length hair hung over the branch in a straight river of blue.  
      “Cyan, what the fuck are you doing here?”  
      “You’ve been a naughty little boy.”  The man sat up shifting his weight and pinned Crimson with a light blue stare.  
      “Don’t call me little boy, Cy, I’m older than you are.”  Crimson growled.
      “Only by a minute or two, and Sable is older than you are.”  Cyan smiled at his brother, then launched himself from the branch to land with cat like grace on the ground in front of Crimson.
      “What are you doing here, tell me then fuck off.”  
      “Crimson gees, I came to warn you and you get all hard ass with me.”  Cyan folded his arms across his chest, the leather of his coat glinting in the sun falling through the tree’s leaves.  
      Crimson stared at Cyan but said nothing more.  
      “Fine, be like that.  Dad is looking for you, I thought you might want to know that.  He knows you are in this area.  He doesn’t have the whole triplet thing to help him along, but it’s only a matter of time before he figures out I know or tries to force Sable to hunt you.”  
      “Why do you stay there Cy?”  Crimson asked his brother.  
      Cyan shrugged.  “Got no where else to go, the old man holds on tight.”  
      “You could come here. You and Sable both.”  Crimson said softly.  
      “Yeah, but we wouldn’t want to cramp your style.  Got to bounce now.  Keep your head up Crim.”  Cyan phased out without let his brother argue.  
      Crimson ran his hand through his long scarlet hair and closed his eyes trying not to stress out completely.  He’d been scared of this happening, and he’d known once he threw flame this could happen.  It might be time to warn the Omega – that or get the hell out of Dodge.  Yeah he’d warn them, and let them decide if they wanted him gone, because when the old man came the shit would hit the proverbial fan.    
      
      “Sorcha I love that brooch.”  Selphie exclaimed then leaned into take a closer look at the piece of jewelry.  
      The women were in the kitchen, chatting over coffee and some brownies.  
      “Thanks.”  Sorcha straighten the brooch.  “It actually belongs to Netta I’m just borrowing it.”  It wasn’t common knowledge that she could communicate with Netta by touching it, so Sorcha didn’t tell Selphie about its real function.  
      “Netta has good taste it’s really lovely.”  
      “Yes she does.”  
      Drew came and slipped into the bench with the two women.  “Sorcha, have you got patrol today?”  
      “Yes, later this evening.  I’m with Kyle and Dante.”  Sorcha told her, then took a sip of her coffee.  
      “Be careful we’ve been finding more and more of those creatures, the hive.”  Drew shuddered.  “I’m not trying to be funny they really do give me the cold shivers.  They fight without making a sound.  Do you know how hard it is to figure out if you done any damage when your enemy wont even call out in pain.”  Drew shook her head.  
      “What time will Brynn get here Selphie?”  Drew asked.  Her sister and Selphie were just about inseparable.  So if you wanted to know where Brynn was you usually asked Selphie first.  
      “She’s already here, she’d just gone to dump her bag then she’s going to come and help me out with a new recipe.  
      The subject of Drew sister made Sorcha remember that she’d picked up a strange sense from Brynn when they had first met.  
      “I know this is none of my business, but what is Brynn?”  She asked testing to see if Drew knew that her sister wasn’t human.  
      “Brynn is a normal.”  Drew tilted her head wondering why Sorcha had asked the question like that.  
      Sorcha was shaking her head.  “No she isn’t.”  
      Drew frowned.  “Yes Sorcha she is.”  
      “Hold on before you dismiss what Sorcha just said.”  Selphie interrupted.  “Psy are good at telling what flavor or Mythos you are.  It’s one of their talents.  What do you think she is Sorcha?”  
      “I don’t know.  I’d need to touch her, but from the first moment I met Brynn she didn’t feel human to me.”  
      “No – you must have made a mistake.” Drew shook her head.  “I was human and she is my sister.”  
      “What about your sister?”  Brynn smiled cheerily as she came into the kitchen.  
      “Don’t freak out Bry, but Sorcha doesn’t think you are human.”  Drew warned her.
      Bry sat down at the bench and looked at Sorcha curiously.  “What makes you think that?”
      “Just a feeling I get from you like your energy is wrong for a human.  Do you mind?”  Sorcha asked her as she held her hand over Brynn’s.
      “Not a problem.”  
      Sorcha laid her hand over Brynn's and closed her eyes, feeling the energy flowing through Brynn.  She spoke out loud.  “You feel Fey.”  Sorcha opened her eyes and looked at Brynn.  
      “There are big changes going on in your system right now, like you’re getting ready to hit your immortality.  You feel like you have something Fey in you, I can’t pin point what.  I suspect you might be a changeling of some sort Brynn, switched out with the real baby Brynn many years ago.”  
      Brynn stared at Sorcha with wide eyes.  “Could that be?”  
      “Oh yes.”  Selphie suddenly gasped as if it all made sense now. “It happens far more often than you realize.  The fae take pity on a couple whose baby died, especially first-born children.  They replace the baby with a fey baby.  Giving the couple a gift.  It happens when the couple is deserving and only then, the fey do not part with their little ones easily.  They usually keep a close watch on the baby for the rest of its mortal life.  The child in essence becomes mortal because he or she has been removed from the world of Fey, but you’ve been hanging around a bunch of immortals, and I have fey blood Brynn.  I think being around us has triggered your immortal genetics, and that’s why Sorcha felt you were more than you seemed.”  
      Brynn’s face was shocked. “Are you sure?”  
      “Yes.”  Sorcha nodded. “I’m positive.”
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