“Whatever happens, you had better stay safe.” Hilda had her hands on her hips and was speaking to Thea as if she was scolding her. It was early morning, and they were at the edge of the camp. Thea had a small bag slung over one shoulder that had water and some nuts and things in it. Jessica assured her it wasn’t too far to Marcus’s region, but she had packed extra anyway. It wouldn’t surprise her if Jessica took them into the middle of nowhere by accident. She seemed like that kind of girl.
A gentle breeze wafted past and tossed the long grass about with a hushed whoosh. Hilda’s hair bounced around her face while she watched Thea sternly. “I mean it. If you die I will…”
“Kill me?” Thea smirked when her friend frowned at her.
“That isn’t funny.”
“I will be fine. I have Jessica as back up.”
The girl in question was a few paces out into the field, her blonde locks tied back and her exposed chest red in the sun. Drew was leaning on his black shovel, talking to her and occasionally dramatically wiping sweat from his forehead. Thea rolled her eyes. Of course, the two of them were flirting. It would be so satisfying to tell the moody ass that she was not coming back, and she lived with a monster she liked to hook up with.
“I don’t know if she counts as back up.” Hilda was squinting into the sun, watching Jessica throwing her ponytail about and giggling.
Thea shrugged. “She is all I have.”
“At least she will know the area.” Hilda pinned another hard look on Thea, her brows flattened to almost cover half her eyes. “But remember to be careful. From what I have heard this Marcus guy is dangerous.”
Thea didn’t need to be told that. Everyone knew the stories but given the fact that it was now her job to manipulate him she chose not to dwell on those stories. The last thing she needed was to lose her nerve before she even got to the gates.
Giving Hilda a quick hug she assured her again that she would be careful.
Jessica didn’t even look around at Thea as she approached. She was too busy flipping her hair and smiling at Drew. Once Thea was close enough she cleared her throat. Drew glared at her and she took great satisfaction in telling Jessica that they had to get going.
Jessica sighed dramatically. “I guess you’re right.” Addressing Drew, she added. “Maybe I will come back some day. I think this place has a lot more to offer.”
Thea rolled her eyes and Drew continued to glare at her.
“Try not to be around her when she screws up again,” Drew said to Jessica.
Thea stiffened. He had always said cruel things to her, but this was taking it a step too far. Everyone knew what happened during the attack and how badly Thea felt about it. The fact that he would throw it in her face like that just proved he was every bit the asshole she thought he was. Though tempted to snap at him, Thea pressed her lips together and turned on her heel, not caring if Jessica was following or not.
“Thea! Babe that’s the wrong way!” Jessica yelled.
Thea kept her eyes on the ground as she turned and followed Jessica the opposite way from what she had started with. She would not see the smug look on Drew’s face no matter what. He wouldn’t get the satisfaction of her being embarrassed in front of him.
They set off into the surrounding fields. Clouds were moving in front of the sun, making it colder and darker than before. The grass swished in the breeze and every now and then spikes of rubble and old builds protruded from the ground. Thea studied them as they passed. Dusty concrete stood all around in various sizes and shards of glass with cracks and breaks in them were near the ruins. When the siblings had taken over the earth they hadn’t just killed the humans, they destroyed everything. Thea shivered. Now she was going to hang out with one of them.
“You look kinda pale,” Jessica commented.
Thea hadn’t noticed the other girl looking over her shoulder at her until now. “I’m fine.”
“You’re nervous. That’s understandable I suppose. But honestly he isn’t that bad once you are on his good side.”
Thea rolled her eyes. “Not that bad? He killed a tone of humans and angels and took over the earth.”
“I suppose. But hey, he knows how to throw a wicked party.” She winked and slowed her pace to try and walk next to Thea. Thea didn’t feel like enduring small talk all the way to the region so when Jessica slowed she did too. Eventually they had almost stopped moving altogether so Thea had to give up and let her walk next to her.
Deciding it was better to talk about the mission than whatever party related drivel was going to come next Thea took her chance and spoke first. “So, what can you tell me about Marcus?”
She tilted her heard and put her finger to her full lower lip. “He is hot as hell, pun intended. Plus, he is funny too. And charming…”
“I meant strengths and weaknesses.”
“Those are his strengths.”
Thea groaned and Jessica laughed.
“I don’t know much. I don’t even know what he is. What am I supposed to say?”
Thea hadn’t considered that before. Sure, for a time, humans had wondered what the siblings were but after everything was gone there were more pressing issues to deal with. Maybe there was some way to defeat them if they knew more about them. This could be her chance to find a weakness no one knew they had. If she could do that then they might not have to settle for the lesser of the evils by siding with Marcus. They might be able to take the world back for real.
“Did you notice anything about him that might give us a hint as to what he is or how to defeat him?”
“Defeat him?” Jessica shook her head, blonde waves bouncing off her shoulders, “The plan is to get his help.”
Thea clenched her jaw but somehow managed to keep her voice even. “I know that, but it would still be a good idea to know about him in case we need to change the plan.”
Jessica studied her for a long minute before shrugging. “I told you I don’t know anything. All I have seen is that he has massive black wings. They are pretty hot actually.”
Wings? Like an angel? But angels were the good guys from heaven. Plus, if the siblings were angels then why kill all the angels who came to earth? It made no sense. She needed more to go on if she was going to come up with a theory of any kind, but wings meant they must be like angels in some way. If she got the chance she would look into the lore about angels or try and find out how someone might have fought against one of them. It was a start at least.
Jessica narrowed her eyes. “You look like you are up to something.”
Thea forced a smile. “I am, a covert mission to manipulate Marcus.”
Jessica didn’t seem convinced
but there was no way Thea was telling this blabber mouth fan girl anything. The
last thing she needed was Marcus getting wind of the plan never mind knowing
that she was looking for a way to kill him once he wasn’t useful anymore. For a
while he would be useful to study and then to fight his sister if everything
went to plan. Better still, if Thea found a weakness of his it was likely the
same for his siblings who seemed to be the same creatures as he was.
***
The walls were concrete and covered in bright graffiti. Fat letters spelt out various words like freedom, party, life etc. It was ironic considering they were written on the walls of a region, the biggest prisons for humans there was. Still, it made this place look more appealing than Silvia’s sleek black walls. The hum and thump of music drifted over the air, getting louder the closer they got to the walls. Thea could only imagine how loud it was inside. Just like with Silvia’s region there was a clear path to the entry gate, grass trodden down in a line. Yet here there were various items strewn all over the place. Thea’s feet bumped into cans and bottles along with condoms and various wrappers being squished underfoot. She was pretty sure something stuck to the sole of her shoe for a spell as there was a squelching every time she took a step.
The fragrance of the air was artificial and smothering, a weird cocktail of alcohol, grass and something sweeter.
The closer she got to the gate of the region the more trash Thea had to step over and around. Jessica was speeding up and clapping her hands.
“It is going to be so good to be back. I wonder what party is on tonight.”
Thea rolled her eyes, it’s a good thing she was focused on what was important in this mission. God Jessica was meant to be her backup.
The gate loomed high into the air, covered in bright letters and rust. Two massive metal bars were pushed across to keep it shut and a man was standing on top of it with a gun cradled in his hand. The sunlight bounced off the gun and stabbed into Thea’s eyes when she looked up. Seeing the weapon made sweat spring up all over her body. If this went wrong then it was very likely that they were going to die. It just made things worse that she was going in there unarmed.
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