Beyond Shadow (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2
Adrian silently turned the old rickety handle and nudged open the door, trying to be as quiet as possible.
Livi stuck her head inside, checking in all corners of the old mansion to see if anyone was up and about. She stretched her hearing to every room, hearing the loud snoring of Carter in his cesspool for a room. And Blythe, murmuring about Orlando Bloom in her quiet, childlike slumber. Livi looked back at Adrian, nodding her head a little. They both knew how much everyone was nosy when it came to their relationship, may it be Carter with uneeded and frowned upon sexual innuendos. Blythe with a dream of a fairytale wedding for the pair. Or Cassandra, the recent resident of the mansion, with her negativity and almost belief and wish that the two would end their relationship, so that her pain can be eased, the pain of a love lost.
Livi walked into the parlor, her steps light and elegant. Adrian followed in after her, his steps equally as perfect and silent as her's were. Livi was sure no one was awake...but all but one was sleeping.
"So," A blank voice called. "Didn't make a kill again huh?"
Livi whipped around eyes narrowing at the condescending voice.
The voice stood with posture any queen would die for, so perfectly poised and positioned. Just like Livi, her skin was ivory white, not a blemish of imperfection in sight. Long thick cerulean hair reached to her thighs and was straight as a plank. But, what most Shadows never saw, or even attempted to see, was her eyes, as they were always hidden beneath a tattered ash black cloak. Her attire, telling a tale of countless battles with the enemy, countless kills, and countless lands visited. The voice was indeed a true nomad. The voice, was Cassandra.
"What's it to you?" Livi subtly snapped back.
"It's just the fact that you disobeyed the law." Cassandra chuckled darkly, "Then again, what do I care about the law?"
Adrian stepped forward, "Cassandra, please leave her be."
"Aw, how cute. Your little boyfriend is going to fight the battle for you."
Livi looked at Adrian coldly and stepped around him, as she hated when he tried to defend her.
"Are you implying that you'd like a fight?" Livi smiled grimly.
"Please," Cassandra scoffed "Fighting you would be awaste of my valuable time."
"Valuable time brooding and crying over a man that never really loved you?"
Cassandra's patrionizing smile slowly but surely vanished, forming into a desolate line. Pictures of a dark haired man replayed in her head. Every moment they had spent, skipped and replayed, over and over and over again. Until finally, the day he left with another woman, and the tears she cried were the only things she saw. But then, the anger and hatred Cassandra had mustered over the years, sprang up within her and she had violently pinned Livi to the wall.
A sharp growl ripped through Adrian's vocal cords as he was going to spring for attack.
"Adrian, get the hell out of here!" Livi snapped.
Adrian's brow furrowed as he took subtle steps forward.
"Get out! I can handle her myself." Livi winked and smirked, turning her eyes to Cassandra, "Shouldn't be too hard."
Cassandra hissed and threw Livi into the wall that seperated the living room from the kitchen.
Livi got up easily and sprinted the short distance between her and the tortured lover. As if she's been a gymanist for years, she sprang up and when she was just about over Cassandra, grabbed her shoulders, and with a spritely flip, slammed her into the basement. In a show of confidence, Livi playfully stuck the landing, bowing to the imaginary audience.
"Easy my ass!" Cassandra howled, linebacker tackling Livi into the yard.
Adrian was about to spring after them, but a small but forceful hand and an oversized hand pulled him back. Adrian turned around to look at Blythe and Carter. Carter who was half an inch taller than the 6'0" Adrian, with a big and burly build with amusing and dancing amber eyes and olive skin. Compared to Adrian, a more lean and muscular young man, he looked like a twig. And the other hand belonged to Blythe, a British pixie standing at a startling 4'11" with, as Livi would say, 'The cutest Goldilocks curls.' and soft whimsical amethyst eyes. When put next to Livi or Cassandra, she could've been their little sister.
"You've got to trust her. She can hold her own" Carter said in a deep voice.
"Plus we've been waiting for this fight ever since they first met." Blythe smiled, trying to lighten the mood.
Adrian averted his gaze to Livi and Cassandra both of them retorting back at each other with swift kicks and powerful punches. Both of them in unison with their attacks, occasionly one caught the other off guard, but the fight was even, either of them could've won.
"Why won't you stay down?!" Cassandra roared in fury.
Livi responded by getting up and staring at Cassandra but only to quickly look at the horizon.
'The sun will be up any minute...I'll have to make this quick.' Livi thought.
Cassandra also looked at the horizon, swearing to herself. For most Shadows, the sun meant death, it was not a slow death. It was like a nuclear bomb, a fast burning, wiping out every last bit of their being. But for some, like Livi, Adrian, Carter and Blythe, it did nothing. They to could live a human life. But for Livi, it was hard as she was only 'born' a year ago, so the pull to kill those who saw her, those who knew her, was unbearable. Adrian, Carter, and Blythe have had years to practice and to eventually master the art of resisting the pull.
"Running away so soon?" Livi asked.
Cassandra looked at her. then the horizon, and then back.
"I'll die knowing that your dead to..." Cassandra purred as she stalked forward.
Livi counted her steps; 1...2...3...4...and by the 5th, she stomped the ground with her right foot, feeling the ground rumble and quake of the earth. Cassandra stopped, and smirked.
"Someone's a sore loser. Don't worry, I'll make your death quick and e-" Her sentence was stopped with a sudden shiver. Ice was crawling and climbing from her feet up. Up until it finally stopped at her thighs, but began spreading across the perimeter of where Cassandra was stuck, the far reaches of the yard was covered with glistening frost, reflecting Livi's reflection, and her open hand. The ice towered until it formed sharp and deadly structures.
Cassandra looked around, smirking, then turning to the on coming sun.
"I would play with you some more, but I'm afraid I'll be going." With the flick of her index finger the ice shattered, and from her palm, a burst of vivid and colorful electricity shot out and hit Livi, launching her into the surrounding forest.
And with one leap, Cassandra was at least half a mile from the mansion and so on.
Livi sat up and took twigs out of her hair.
Adrian flitted toward her scooping her up in his arms, kissing her fore-head down to her lips. Carter and Blythe followed.
"That was bloody amazing!" Blythe cheered.
"Are you ok?" Adrian asked, worry washing his face.
Livi giggled, "I'm fine. It was acutally kind of fun."
"You almost had her with the whole 'Winter Wonderland' thing." Carter nodded.
"What was that anyway?" Blythe asked, throughly intrigued.
"I've acutally been able to do that for awhile." Livi blushed.
Adrian studied her, not understanding her care-free attitude over this. Livi also looked at him.
"Don't worry! I'm fine, just a little ticked off she was left, wanted to take a couple more swings."
Adrian sighed and kissed her again, Livi laughed.
"You two need a room?" Carter raised and eyebrow.
Livi opened and eye and flicked her index finger, ice covered Carter's mouth. Livi let removed her lips from Adrian's and hooked her arm around him.
"Are you going to behave?" She asked the quiet Carter.
Carter nodded. She smiled and flicked her wrist, the ice melting.
"Well I'd love to stay and chat in this forest, but I'm hungry, suggesting you all are to." Blythe hinted impatiently.
The four-some started to walk to the house. Blythe stopped and turned around, feeling a growl begin to travel to her mouth. She looked deep into the forest, seeing that they were being watched. By not one...two...but three cloaked figures. Blythe narrowed her eyes, they were apart of the Ignius Society Guard, and they saw everything, heard everything. Blythe wondered if they had followed Adrian and Livi here, how long they have been watching them, how many acts of treason to the Society they had witnessed. Blythe turned around, sprinting to the group, and the cloaked figures watched as Blythe told them what they had seen, and watched as they looked in their direction, and walked inside. And they focused on everyone of them: Livi, Adrian, Blythe, Carter. Scanning them, analyzing them. So sure that justice will be served, and the traitors will be killed.