Chapter Text
Chapter 1
As clouds pass over the full moon, a shadow from a young woman is casted against a wall in an alley. A moon beam hits Anna’s boot buckles. She jerks so she can sink back in to the backstreet. She wonder’s when the other two will show up. Out of nowhere, she feels a hand on her shoulder.
“Boo.” The voice whispered from within the darkness. Anna spins quickly crouching to grab her blade from her boots. But as she looks forward seeing the shoes, red and black harlequin pant and, the voice she knows it can be only one person. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Anna whispers angrily to the person.
A tall teenage boy stands now in front of her. His hair pulled back into a low pony tail and has sad deep blue eyes. He looks old for his age. Then again, everyone had grown up a bit faster than usual during this last war. His small metal flame necklace shines as it hangs from his neck. As he crouches down to her, his pouches that hang from his belt rustle. Not for the first time, she wonders what’s in those pockets.
“Jack,” sighed Anna as they stand up together. “I’m glad you could make it tonight.”
“Well, I knew it must be something urgent if we needed to meet when the moon was full. So I came as quickly as I could. Am I late?” There was a pause between them as the flood light scans the houses from above. Jack pulls Anna deeper into the shadows.
“No … Have you seen her?” asks Anna, breathlessly.
“Not since last month when the riot went horribly wrong. Last I saw of her she was sneaking into shadows.” Anna smirks and turns to rest against the building, she gazes across the street at crumbled structures. “Penny for your thoughts?” asks Jack.
“I don’t know … I was thinking the last time we three were standing over there by that little café and laughing and just being kids.”
“How can I forget, that was the last time we had real fun together. I sprayed whip cream in your mouth.” A fit of silent laughs came and went. Soon they were whispering about other crazy times, letting themselves go in cool night air.
“And there was that one time that we pushed Lilly into the fountain-”
“And I laughed so hard I started crying.” Anna and Jack spun around to see no one. “Up here guys.” Standing on the fire escape above them was girl with long coppery red hair. Her leather jacket was tied around her hip and shoes that looked like they were going to bust open any second. She took a few steps back and jumped of the fire escape. “So what’s up guys?”
“Lilly!” shouted Jack.
Anna throws a hand over Jack’s mouth and as she shoots her dagger glare at him she speaks to Lilly, “Lilly. Oh my god I’m so glad you are okay. I… I mean we were worried sick over you. Last we saw of you was at that riot…”
“Ssshhh… I’m fine now. So I heard from this one land lord that you were looking for me. Anna you know that was dangerous, if I hadn’t intercepted that massage when I did, it could have ended badly for me.”
“I know, but I need to talk to you both. The team is needed again.” There is any uneasy pause between them. The flood lights swoop by again, and the team goes deeper into the passageway.
As the light fades away Jack speaks, “You mean…?”
“Yup,” says Anna handing them their papers. “Lilly Hoffermen and Jack Turner the FUSA needs you.”
“YES!” Anna’s hand swoops in front of Jack’s mouth again, but this time he nips her hand.
Anna pulls back her hand, cursing, and goes into her fighting stand “Oh verdammt du hurensohn! You want a piece of me!”
Jack goes into his stance as well, with tiny flames on each finger, illuminating his face, as well as the knife in Anna’s hand. As they circle each other Lilly rolls her eyes and takes a few steps back, running grabbing onto the fixing above and pushes them with her feet just enough for them to lose their balance. She swings back, letting go from the banister and grabs both by the collar firmly as her finial act of separating them. Her honey colored eyes dance while under her breath you hear her say, “Good to be back with you guys.”