Part Two. Chapter Seven.

Chapter Seven - Information

The silver haired teenager closed his eyes as he stood waiting in the darkened alley. Streetlights nearby were dim and the only sound was that of cars,trudging past on the empty road behind.

A panicked breathing came from around the corner and his eyes narrowed. Suddenly,a pair of people came running. It was a man and a woman but they paid him no attention as they ran. A third person came up behind them,and at this point, Elva looked up. He saw a fellow teenager running,not hiding his demented eyes and tatty clothes.

His face was bruised,his hands were decrepit,and there was a ruthlessness buried in his eyes. 'It's them...I can tell..they're Informers..and with it being so close to the Grand Test,it HAS to be them....but how did THIS guy find them...?',Elva thought to himself. He waited till they were completely out of sight,then quickly followed them.

The panicked duo ran down the long alley,but the crazed teenager began to catch up to them. Elva moved quickly as they ran,pulling out a pair of black leather gloves and hastily putting them on. Then the alley emerged onto the main road, which was barely lit and deserted.

Cars honked their horns as the duo ran through the busy road,narrowly avoiding them. They headed down another alleyway,desperate to lose their pursuer. The disturbed teenager kept running with his tongue hanging out like a dog.

He panted excitedly as he ran after his prey. 'I....can...get...them..they're getting...clo...closer...I can...taste...them,'he thought strangely.Even in the dimly lit alleyway,the teenager ran faster as his eyes locked on their target. Then the man stopped and ran towards the teenager,willing to do what was necessary. ''No,Arenald! Don't go to him!'',the woman shrieked.

Then he jumped at Arenald,and grabbed his neck. The man buckled under such weight,then fell to the ground. ''Tell me...tell me now...,''he whispered. ''Tell me...what I need..to know...I need...to know...what's in...the Grand Test...'' But Arenald struggled,as the fingers of the teenager clenched around his throat.

Out of nowhere, the girl's knee flew quickly towards the young man;there was a crack as he tumbled away from Arenald.

''Zelzen...next time...just keep running...why did you wait?!'',he said angrily.

She pulled him to his feet. ''And why exactly would...I leave you behind...?! It doesn't help either of us...'',she said,breathlessly.

Without warning,the maddened teenager stood quickly and lunged at Zelzen;she kicked him but his grip overwhelmed her. ''God...what is wrong with..this kid...he must...be on something...?!'',Arenald said urgently. He finally threw the teenager off Zelzen,and the young man rolled away. A clang sounded as his head hit a garbage unit.

Then his body went completely still. ''...that's the third one today...,''Arenald huffed. ''Well,here's another....'',said a voice,as Elva flung himself at Arenald, with a long,sleek knife in hand; Zelzen watched in shock,unable to move,just as the silver haired teenager held Arenald close against the rusty alley wall. ''Which one of you knows?!'',he barked,pressing his blade threateningly. ''Which one?!'' But Arenald kept squirming; the blade's fine edge was cutting into his throat. ''Please...! The blade...it's cutting me...!'',he protested. A pair of smooth hands clinched Elva's neck,then there was a loud crack as Zelzen thrust her knee into Elva's back. He released Arenald,as he staggered in pain. The knife dropped to the ground with a clink,and Arenald held his bleeding throat. ''Do that to him again,and I will do that again to you..'',she said.

Elva composed himself then glared at her. ''You two have something I want....I have heard that one of you...knows what to do in the Grand Test...a few days from now.'' His speech faltered as he winced from the pain. The other two flinched at the mention of the Grand Test. ''You think we haven't been threatened already?Trust me, we're used to it.'',said Arenald darkly. ''I don't care about what anyone else has done. Tell me what I need to know,''Elva commanded.

Zelzen then said sharply,''You're young and ambitious. I like that in a person. But make no mistake of how old you are. We will KILL you if we need to.'' A second later,Elva closed his eyes,as if to calm himself;then he opened them again and a fist hurtled towards his face. He quickly dodged,but was too slow for the kick that landed against his stomach. 'Damn it...now they're fighting as a duo!',he thought angrily.

He swung at Zelzen,who swayed,then returned a punch of her own. Suddenly Arenald tackled Elva, and caught the teenager. He held him tight around the neck,then Elva began to turn red. The teenager squirmed violently,even as Zelzen punched and kicked him harshly. He was beginning to see complete darkness...then something resurged within him.

There was an instant flicker of red and purple in his eyes,before Elva powerfully kicked out at Zelzen; this time, she went hurtling back,and landed hard against the alleyway wall. She slid down,her head leaving a red trail against the wall. A look of shock fell on Arenald's face as he saw his comrade lying,motionless. He immedately released Elva,then got on his knees,and tears began to fall from his face.

The injured teenager seized his chance and quickly threw a reckless punch that swayed Arenald;the grieving man rolled away,and he stopped next to something shining in the darkness. ''Now that there is only one of you left...tell me...what I need to know...! Stop making this difficult for yourself!'',Elva barked,hs voice echoing in the alleyway. But Arenald spat,''Idiot! You killed the one of us that knows the information..!'' Elva snorted,then looked at the weak man. ''Well,there's no need for you to be alive then,is there...?'',he said threateningly.

He moved towards Arenald;there was a sudden slash of silver,as the injured man swiped the knife at Elva. It tore through his clothes,but the teenager was ready;he brushed Arenald's hand away,and kicked him squarely in the chin. The knife and the man fell,and the teenager stood over him.

He gasped;then Arenald looked at Elva. ''You...think this...is the...worst I've...been..through...? This...is the second...time...i've been...in this...job...so...you could...say...I'm...used to..it...'',he spluttered. With his own neck throbbing, Elva glared at him. ''Okay,so youve been chased by a crazy teenager...now you've been beaten by another one...can you just accept what's going to happen?'',he said sharply.

But Arenald's stubbornness grew. ''...so I know...that you should....leave with...what you can...If I did accept it...there would be no point...in doing this...'',he said slowly,just as the pain grew. There was a flash of silver once more,and Elva's knife swept across his neck. The teenager stepped back as he watched Arenald,the last of the two Informers, took his last breath,then slumped next to the floor. Arenald's eyes stared blankly at Zelzen,who stared back. Even in death,he would always follow her,wherever she went.

Elva's anger grew as he realised what was going on. 'Damn it...they're gone...and the Test is in a few days..',he thought fiercely. 'I should have done more...to control them...I should have had the...power...to get what I wanted...and left them still breathing...' He picked up the sleek knife and wiped the blood off with his shirt.

Then Elva clenched his fist and looked around. The alleyway was deserted and he kept walking. He suddenly emerged onto the main road,where the streetlights were many and the sound of horns and rusty car engines filled the air. 'Why don't I have the strength to take what I want..with ease...' He questioned himself as he walked home,trying to forget his error.

A hour passed, as he staggered home. The area was in a poor condition, with houses presenting badly boarded-up windows and graffiti adding life to a town that was in desperate need of it.

The nearby bus stop had broken windows and the bins overflowed;it was as if they had not been collected for weeks. Then the teenager slowly reached a detached house,with its front garden cluttered by rubbish. 'I hope she's not in...',he said to himself. He took out his key,then he winced in pain. 'I was careless...I should have been strong enough to avoid the Informers...',he said to himelf as the front door creaked open. A sight was in front of the teenager,but by now,he was used to it.

The room he was in held a carpet that was brown,and the ceiling was high,yet stained. Slashes and dents covered the walls,and the funrniture was old and worn. Elva looked past these things,and went straight to the kitchen,then turned on the light. It came on and the room was unclean. The cupboard doors were battered and their hinges were ready for retirement.

He opened one door, then took out some bread and some plates. The teenager then stood next to a large,cold box whose half-open lid made the room colder. A massive amount of ice cubes sat,and amidst them were a jug of milk, a bag of frozen vegetables,barely edible chicken slices and a pot of mayonnaise.

He picked up the bag of frozen vegetables and pressed them to his stomach,wicing slightly. Just as he reached for the chicken slices,the front door opened. An attractive woman walked in,clutching many expensive bags,and her designer clothes showed her luxurious taste. She held a head of beautiful,silver hair that seemed to glow with such a pleasant light. Her eyes were a vivid purple and green which gave the impression that she was some sort of sacred deity. She paused then she went straight to the kitchen.

She saw Elva, who glared at her. 'She's here..I was hoping Ellexa would stay out again,longer than today...at least till after the Grand Test...,'he thought angrily. He scowled at her light grey eyes,as she tossed her light purple hair casually.

''I was honestly expecting you to find something to eat...'',Ellexa said. ''Don't worry,I found something anyway...'',he murmured,setting the bread in the cupboard. But she was distracted,as she took out her Relay. She held it to her face,and he scowled again. 'I wonder...what it would take to escape this place...',Elva thought to himself.

He walked past her and towards his own room,when he stopped outside his door. 'All these years...of feeling weak and unwanted...well,it ends on the day of the Grand Test...I will prove my strength as an A-GUARD..stronger enough to make my own way...'',he thought fiercely,and he entered his room,then locked the door.