Charred: Chapter 2

Alice

Two months later

Sitting on the steps in front of a half-destroyed old wreck, she sighed. She watched with blank eyes as a street vendor passed a hunk of charred meat to a young boy with grubby hands and torn clothes. The street vendor smiled just a bit at the grateful look on the child’s face. The vendor grimaced suddenly, scratching at the scales on his neck with a growl.

The child looked fascinated at the reptilian vendors scales briefly, before shrugging it off. He skipped down the streets towards the set of boxes and rusted metal containers that serve as a home for many others like him. The girl watches with a sweet sort of sadness in her eyes.

A moment later, the sadness disappeared as her ears twitched at a sound from inside the building behind her. With a fluid grace she rose to her feet, her not very impressive height more noticeable when standing. She slowly stepped down from the steps before taking a position just to the side. Others in the street take notice of her movement.

Some recognized her as soon as she rose, and backed away in a flash. The ones who didn’t know her either did the smart thing and stepped away as well, or turned to stare.

She ignored them all in favor of staring at the door passively, a pair of jeans held folded under an arm. She didn’t have to wait long.

The door shattered like glass as a mans body flew through it. He resembled a crumbled heap of broken bones and flesh, he landed among splinters of his former front door. He wept silently as the deep slashes on his chest and face bled profusely. 

The girl didn’t respond to his pleas, instead continuing to look at the building.

An enormous wolf stepped out of the destroyed doorway, cracking the splinters it stepped on. Its hair is light red and impeccably groomed, only marred by the dark streaks of blood matted down the hairs around its mouth and front paws. As the elephantine creature stepped forth, the streets empty.

Even those who were curious knew better than to stay.

The wolf began to change as he walked down the steps. Step by step, fur disappears under skin. Bone shrinks, grinds, grows, and shifts with muscle and skin. The wolf slowly rose onto its back feet. Moments before the change finishes, a pair of jeans are tossed to it. It grabbed the denim apparel in a paw-turned-hand. In a quick motion, the man transformed from a wolf slips the jeans on. His chest and mouth were still wet with blood.

The man coughs slightly, then spits a red chunk of meat to the side. “I tell you. People who owe debts always taste terrible.”

His companion does not respond, simply staring at the man. Undettered, he continued.

“I’m serious. Drug dealers, hookers, gamblers… somehow a person with a debt to pay always tastes worst. Or is that just me?” He finally turns to the girl, ignoring the still-weeping man on the floor before him.

She still didn’t respond.

The man frowned, disappointed. “You’re no fun Alice. Did anyone ever tell you that?”

“You have. Four times today.” Alice pointed out.

“Well it’s true.” He turned away, kicking idly at the beaten man. “Call a healer for him. We have other stops to make.”

Alice watched Edward distastefully. She knew that his asking for her to call for a healer was not from the kindness of his heart. If Edward ever chose to tell her to call for a healer for one of his victims, it was only because “Dead men can’t pay debts.” It was his way.

“Yes Edward.” Alice replied. As Edward walked away, uncaring of the people staring in fear at him, Alice glanced down at the man on the floor. He in turn was looking at her, his green eyes staring intensely at the large scar on her left cheek.  When he realized she’d noticed him staring, he looked away hurriedly.

“Loki, I need you to do me a favor.” Alice said into her walkie-talkie.

She heard a cheery voice reply from the other end. “I know. You don’t have to tell me. I’m already on it.”

Alice nodded, and put away the walkie-talkie before turning her attention back to the man. “You’ll be fine. We have some of the pack coming by. They’ll fix you up.”

The green-skinned man on the floor spat out a globule of spit and blood onto the floor, grimacing. “Dammit Alice. I know you’re being nice, but you need to leave. I’ll be fine. You know that.” He smiled just a bit wearily. “I’m a mutant, remember? We may not heal instantly, but we do it fast. Just go.”

Alice smiled and shook her head before rushing to meet with Edward.

It took a moment for her to catch up. When she did, Edward was annoyed, and shouting angrily into the walkie-talkie in his hand. “Yeah. Yeah I got it. I’ll send someone now.” He said spitefully.

As she walked up to them, Edward turned towards her. “Change of plans. I’m going to meet Javier, and have him shadow me. You’re going to the wizard.”

Alice frowned. “You should be more respectful to an elder, even as an Alpha.”

Edward smiled suddenly, apparently regaining his good mood. “You really must get with the times Alice. The modern person knows to learn the ways of lesser beings.”

Alice felt a snarl almost rip out of her throat. The thought of Edward, a simple backyard bully, referring to others as lesser, made her feel like she was inches away from ripping his well-maintained face off. It was only years of practice that allowed her to restrain the urge. Edward watched her carefully, an annoying smile on his face as she calmed herself.

Alice however, knew him just as well as he knew her, if not better. “You know, the… ‘wizard’ isn’t too far from here. We could both walk there with no need to reschedule anything.”

Her anger from earlier turned to amusement at the look on his face. Edward was a bully. And so when someone larger, stronger, and more importantly wiser took him down a peg, he had the tendency to fear them for years after. In Edwards defense, it had only happened one time. But it was one time he would remember.

“…Just…go.” Edward licked his teeth nervously, looking over his shoulder for a specter that wasn’t there even as he glared at her.

Alice shrugged.