03

Red hot fury blazed through me and for the first time, the only thing that went through my mind was KILL!

Punch after punch, I delivered. I didn't stop, not until Aelia pulled me off the already unconscious man.

It was when I saw that Aelia hadn't been shot that I calmed down.

I then discovered that the doors had all opened and the law enforcement officers were on their way.

I looked at my hands and the man on the floor. What had I done?

I'd suddenly let my anger consume me and I'd acted irrationally, behaving like the very being I hated.

Not waiting for the officers or bothering about Aelia, I left the place.

My thoughts were disheveled and all around the place. I was halfway home when I realized that I was still visible and I'd left Aelia to be questioned by the police.

Something whispered to me in my ears.

She's smart, she'll figure something out.

I shook my head to chase it away but it was persistent. I ended up giving in to it and I melted into a wisp of vapor.

The people thought I could teleport but that wasn't it. I could change the density of my form until I was as dense as fog, allowing my body to travel as fast as the wind did.

It sure drained me but it was efficient. My gut told me Aelia would be home soon and I didn't want her to be there before me, the lie I'd formulated in my head would go to waste if that happened.

I landed in the centre of my room not so softly.

I quickly pulled off the mask and placed it in a hidden compartment behind my closet.

Aelia definitely wouldn't have any business going there so it was safe.

Changing out of my clothes and into something comfortable, another thought hit me and I groaned, this time louder.

I forgot all what I'd bought and my keys are with Aelia. I'm stuck in this place.

As if the universe wanted to punish me, I heard a sudden click that was the sound of keys being placed into my door.

Time to act traumatized.

"Aelia?" I softly called, knowing she'd hear me. Fake tears pooled to my eyes as she opened the door.

"Oh thank goodness you're okay!" I said as I lunged myself on her, going all touchy feely.

She didn't speak for a while and didn't even move. That was weird. Surely she'd complained after being forced to bend for so long.

I pulled away and stared at her, she looked dazed. Her curly mane of hair that she normally tied down was set free and wild. Her eyes looked dead and unfocused.

"Aelia? You good?" I shook her slightly and she jolted, her eyes coming back to life before carrying a confused expression in it.

Her fist tightened on a paper bag she was clutching and she looked down at it in confusion.

"What the?" She whispered.

"How'd I get here?" She asked and I shrugged.

I turned and closed the door, locking it for extra measure. I remembered to pull on it three times to make sure it was really locked.

"What do you remember?" I asked her, leading her to the couch in the living room for her to sit and calm down.

"Well, one second you were there, the next you weren't. The man still had me and had pointed the gun to my head. Then Vero appeared and boy he looked angry."

I winced at that, everyone thought I was a guy and it was getting on my nerves.

"He asked the man to let go of me but the man didn't. I decided to help and then I bit him but he pulled the trigger out of reflex. I didn't even realize the safety was off"

I did, which was why I was pissed off. I knew he was prepared to shoot someone.

"Something made the air dense and all and suddenly, I watched in slow motion as Vero threw himself on the man, punching him with what seemed like unrestrained anger. He didn't stop until I pulled him off. Half of my mind thought he'd pushed me away but he'd actually listened to me. There was a bit self-doubt then he just left. And I'm here."

She looked at me, grey eyes staring into my hazel ones." Why can't I remember anything else? " She asked. She looked completely scared.

Aelia always had an eidetic memory. Obviously it would be strange if she didn't remember a detail from something but she couldn't remember something that just recently happened.

Something whispered a name and I felt my stomach lurch.

Apatia.

So far, mind manipulation games were the only thing this person had been playing. It seemed as if they were just having fun with me. And it was really getting on my nerves.

I prayed to whatever deity out there to not be the same case with Aelia. So far there was no letter and maybe it was just the man's fumes that had messed with Aelia's brain and we probably needed to go to the hospital.

"Don't worry about it. It could possibly come back to you sometime." I reassured her but I was reassuring myself. The victims from last week who are in jail still don't remember how they got there.

Apatia was mending a lot of trouble and causing more at the same time. They'd been sending criminals to jail by scaring them enough to make them confess their crimes but after, they never remember how they got there and how it happened.

The problem was that anyone who was guilty of even the slightest crime was affected by it too which was scaring the civilians.

Aelia stood up from the couch and took the bag with her to the kitchen.

Suddenly I heard her call for me.

"Rio! You left some of your mail on the kitchen counter."

I found a single envelope on the counter addressed to me.

Well, to my address only. There was no recipient address or stamp. Nothing.

Just my address. I tore the envelope open and the familiar smell of a particular kind of ink attacked my nostrils.

No no no no. I chanted in my head as I brought the letter out.

Hello Vero.

Let's skip the formalities, I know you've been dieing to see me for a while now. Know who's messing with your city.

You'll find me at the abandoned building site by 2:30am. Please don't be late or I'll be sad.

See you soon.

Apatia.

I dropped the letter in shock and placed a hand over my chest.

My heart seemed to be beating a million beats per second.

How did Apatia know my address?

If I had been faking my fear before, I definitely wasn't now.