Boston shined in its usual alacrity. Valeriana inhaled the damp morning air and breathed it out through her nose. There was that mild scent of pollution with the crisp smell of the nearby ocean. Valeriana decided to walk for a few minutes before grabbing a cab. She could not miss out on taking a stroll, especially after Jareth accused her of gaining weight. It was fair out today, with low chances of raining according to the forecast. She brushed the hair out of her eyes, then tucked her hands inside the pocket of her jeans. People crowded the streets, but not too much that she felt suffocated.
Her phone started vibrating so she fished it out of her pocket and slid her finger across the answer button.
"Hello?"
An enthusiastic voice echoed from the other side of the line. "Val!" Xandra exclaimed. "Where are you?"
She stopped at the taxi stand with the phone against her ear, waving her hand out to hail a cab. "I'm really sorry, Xan." She muttered. "I got held up by mom. Said that I should have a proper breakfast and all, ya know. But I'm grabbing a cab, right now."
"Yeah, well . . . I'm waiting out here so get your butt over quickly."
Valeriana bit back a laugh. "I'll be there in a jiffy."
As she stood at the tip of her toes and continued hailing, someone harshly collided with her that she practically fell over and landed on her backside. There was an abrupt tug on her arm before the person who rushed past her completely ran off. Her phone skidded to the ground, thankfully protected by the case. She picked it up, grumbling complaints under her breath.
"Watch where the hell you're going!" She screamed at him before taking a few moments to stand. Valeriana dusted off her jeans before realizing that something was not quite right. There was a lack of weight on her shoulder. Something was missing.
"Holy—my bag!" She exclaimed, stunned for a moment. Valeriana instinctively dashed after the thief with a slight stumble. "Hey! Give that back!" She yelled, racing forward at full speed.
She trained her eyes on the man dressed in a grey jacket and denim jeans, wearing a red cap. Of all the days that she could have her bag get stolen, it was this?
She brushed past against other people who regarded her with curious gazes. "Thief!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.
No one seemed to care, though. Damn these people and their feigned indifference.
"Valeriana? Val! Shiznits! Are you okay?" The phone echoed.
The call wasn't cut just yet. Struggling a bit, she held it up against her ear and screamed, "My bag! That stupid thief is getting away and—"
"Hold up your horses a second! Your bag was stolen?"
"I'm running after him right now! My money's there damn it!"
"Should I call the police—"
"No time." She breathlessly told her, throwing her knees up higher seeing as the thief was getting out of sight. She said, then stuck the phone in her pocket and continued running.
"Watch where you're going!" Exclaimed a man she brushed against, papers flying all over the place and a Starbucks coffee cup spilling over.
"You watch where you're going", she yelled back at the man who threw his hands in the air in disbelief.
Trying to keep up her pace, she focused on her breathing. It hadn't lasted longer than two minutes, but the physical exertion had Valeriana slowing down. Moreover, her legs began feeling heavy and her knees sore. She stumbled a couple of times along the way, nearly falling over.
"You are so not getting away from me, bastard! You do not piss off a Kerrigan." Her voice was a low whisper as it trembled with anger. She could not afford to raise her voice much since she was trying to take in as much oxygen as she could.
"You . . . are . . . not . . ." She huffed and puffed. Eventually, she felt herself slowing down bit by bit until she felt that she could no longer go on. Her feet grew tired before twisting and tripping over each other, causing her to fall forward and land flat on her face.
She inhaled sharply. "Ouch."
Grunting in agony, she stood from the ground and cradled her nose. She wanted to run forward, but her knees quivered and were unable to support her fallen weight. She could only watch as the culprit disappeared from her line of view.
I hate him. She thought, anger and frustration boiling inside her. She started cursing him mentally, imagining herself impaling him and draining every last drop of blood he had. It was a little bit sadistic, but her mind worked wonders whenever she felt angered.
"Damn it." She said under her breath, her lips tight.
She rubbed her hands against her rear end and twisted around aimlessly, trying to pinpoint her location. "Crap," she groaned. "I hate this."
There was an insanely loud bark followed by a snarl of some sort from somewhere nearby that she jumped out of her skin at the sound. It seemed like some sort of strangled growl, resembling an irritating screech from nails scratching the surface of a blackboard. It sawed on her nerves, along with an ominous feeling that made chill bumps appear on her skin. She grimaced at the uncomfortable feeling and rubbed the back of her neck.
Great, I must've hit my head. She thought and started finding her way out of the abandoned alley.
The wind picked up, bringing her hair to dance along. Her heart rate increased and a knot formed in her stomach. She caught a dark figure appearing from the top of the building from her peripheral vision. Hastily looking up in alert, she saw nothing but empty space.
Once again, the sharp vibrating sound of something hard that clashed against metal bounced off the walls.
Clang!
"Shucks. Where am I? What part of the city is this?"
She searched her surroundings and was able to catch sight of two figures from a distance. Valeriana squinted, trying to make out the far image of the three bodies that looked as if they were battling each other on the rooftop. It took a short while, and she continued to watch. No matter how she tried, her feet wouldn't move. It had her in some sort of spell. Her brain tried to assess the danger, although her instincts were already telling her to run.
Two shadows and another figure mostly of blue.
Valeriana continued to watch them, entranced. Faded growls, clangs, and grunts filled the air.
What exactly was happening?
At long last, one of them fell and landed in front of her, making her scream and back away. The two other figures continued battling against one another.
Valeriana took a step back and stared at the image of a wolf with black fur. Its teeth were bared and wounds decorated its skin. Its coat was caked in blood and grime. Some patches of fur were absent, showing the pink flesh underneath. She gawked at it in horror as it lifted its lid to reveal a set of blood-red eyes, standing up on its hind legs.
The beast advanced to where she was standing, its eyes full of evil intent. If she wasn't mistaken, it was probably readying itself to pounce on her.
"G-good, doggy." She cooed, but all she was given was a skin-crawling growl. "Or not."
The wolf started salivating before it snarled at the girl. It leaped towards Valeriana in an attempt to attack her. The sight of it opening its mouth and its long, sharp claws extending towards her made her heart practically jump to her throat.
"Holy mother of—"
Luckily though, she managed to dodge it with a scream, colliding with the rough pavement as a result.
She crawled away from it as much as she could while sitting until her back came in contact with the wall.
It stalked towards her, its eyes resembling those of a predator's. Valeriana's eyes remained in contact with it, wide in disbelief and fear. Her hands patted the ground next to her, desperate for anything she could use against the strange beast.
Unfortunately, there was nothing.
"Gosh, please let there be something."
Her fingers trembled as her blood pulsed through her veins, fueling her with the adrenalin rush.
"Anything."
Her eyes frantically searched her surroundings until she caught sight of a rusting, metal pipe leaning against the wall a few steps away from her. She could reach it from where she sat if she lunged for it, but considering the distance, she wouldn't be able to get her hands on it before the beast got to her.
"I'm gonna die anyway." She muttered to herself before throwing herself towards the only makeshift weapon she saw.
The beast dove for her as well. She managed to cover a short distance, watching the creature from the corner of her eyes as she did. Even so, it reached her before she could even reach the pipe, just as she anticipated. The girl managed to avoid being completely trapped underneath its furry body, but it got to her knees. She felt its teeth graze the skin of her left leg, tearing through her pants. Valeriana hissed as she instinctively pulled back her feet and kicked the creature on the face with her other foot as hard as she could—as many times as it took until it backed down. It released a pained, dog-like whimper as it was thrown off.
"Get away from me, you savage beast!" She hollered.
It snarled in anger at her while Valeriana took the time to reach for the rusting pipe. "I almost ha—"
The wolf snapped its jaws around her foot, its narrow-edged fangs punching holes through her shoes. It tightened its hold around her and pulled her back, causing her to growl in frustration at it.
"I said—aaagh!" Sharp teeth penetrated the first few layers of her skin, causing pain to shoot up her leg.
She desperately reached out for the pipe, but her fingertips couldn't even come in contact with it. Feeling hopeless, she grabbed a small rock she managed to grope and hurled it towards the wolf. It hit the beast on the nose, causing it to momentarily be stunned.
Wasting no time, she managed to finally get her hands on the weapon. She preyed on the beast's current state and pulled herself to her feet. It took a few moments to realize that her left foot was bleeding. There were holes on the soles of her shoes, not to mention her sneakers were officially destroyed.
"These were my favorite shoes! Dumb dog!" She yelled at it.
She limped, holding the pipe in front of her defensively. The wolf shook its big head and turned towards her, baring its teeth.
"Oh yeah, come at me now, you mangy mutt. Let's see who's boss." Her hair came loose from the ponytail, her bangs falling free and covering her line of vision. She absentmindedly blew them away, keeping her eyes trained on her assailant.
The beast did not hesitance and leaped for her. Valeriana blocked its teeth with the pipe, letting it gnaw on the piece of metal as they both fell. The girl landed on her back, the wolf's heavy body on top of her.
She could see the inside of its mouth and felt nothing more than revulsion as it salivated. "God, you have some breath." She huffed, her face twisting in disgust.
It swiped its paws at her. Valeriana tried to push it away from her as far as she could to prevent herself from being wounded. However, its weight and strength proved to be hard to fight against.
"Ow! Ouch!"
Its sharp nails scratched her chin and tore the sleeves of her clothes.
'Wretched human.'
She blinked and looked at the wolf with wide eyes. "What in the—"
A soft thump echoed in her ear and a lady landed behind the wolf, a double-edged sword in her hands. "Demon!" Said the woman. "Your fight," she began as she pointed her weapon at it. "Is with me!"
The beast jumped and readdressed its gaze to the lady, growling threateningly at her. Valeriana practically sighed in relief when the demon got off her to face the woman.
She clamored to stand, her weakened knees an obstacle to her endeavor.
The strange woman seemed momentarily shocked seeing her. "You—" They stared at each other for a few seconds until the wolf growled, which made the both of them snap back to reality.
"Stay back." The woman narrowed her eyes as she said this.
"You don't have to tell me that." Valeriana replied, backing off with a limp.
She clutched the bracelet that her father had given her during her fifth birthday. It held a sentimental value to her and was one of the most treasured possessions she had. Unwittingly, she was twisting it around her wrist, a mannerism she developed over the years when she tried to find comfort while in a nerve-wracking situation.
Valeriana attempted to back off and sneak away while the demon was busy, but the lady was quick to act. She stopped her before she could even do the disappearing act.
"Stay where you are!" She commanded.
The wolf pounced. Its teeth managed to graze the woman's royal blue coat, while its claws tore at the shoulder pads. Grunting, she threw the demon off of her and tugged briefly on the high lapel, frowning at the loose buttons and the stained cravat.
"Are you really saying that? Usually, they'll be saying run than stay!" She exclaimed.
Valeriana took notice of the weird uniform, feeling her brows pucker at the strange sight. Of course, nothing was stranger than seeing a strangely dressed woman and a demonic beast fighting. It looked like something out of the medieval fantasy game.
The lady's movements were a dangerous flurry of incessant attacks that appear as a blur.
The stranger brought her sword down speedily, letting it slice through the air. The demon showed resistance at first and managed to fully evade her first attempt, but she was able to land a strike the second time she struck. The beast backed away, terribly wounded.
She swung towards it again, her speed matching that of lightning racing through the skies. Her weapon cut the beast in half in its wake, causing it to completely erupt into flames. Valeriana struggled to breathe as the creature released a tormented roar before slowly vanishing, golden embers carried away by the wind.
As it burned and was reduced to nothingness, the lady pointed the tip of her blade straight to Valeriana's neck, flashing a look of intimidation with her sharp, cautious eyes which immobilized her completely. As soon as the beast was gone, the tension and feeling of boding evil in the atmosphere dissipated.
"Who are you? I do not recognize you as a colleague." Her breathing was labored and beads of sweat dotted her forehead.
Valeriana gazed at the sharp tip of the sword, down to the graceful curve of its blade. The well-polished metal sharply reflected the light. It was definitely a real sword. There was no denying it. She then moved her gaze to the hilt. The lady's hold on it was firm, her fingers wound around her weapon with confidence.
The girl faced the stranger with narrowed eyes. "Oh, I am not a colleague of yours alright. I don't know what freaky business this is but I don't want to be a part of it." She noticed the gleam of the blade as it reflected off the light of the sun.
"You haven't answered my question."
"Look. I just ended up here by accident." She hissed as she cradled her left arm.
'I wonder what mom will do if I went home like this'
"Don't tell me you are . . . a human?"
"At least I'm not the monster from a while ago." She replied sarcastically, wondering why she was asking her these questions.
"Impossible." The lady paused, gently putting her weapon away. "A human cannot hear and see demons. Who are you?"
"A proud citizen of Earth, obviously." She said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Only then realized how tired she was. The rush of adrenalin from a while ago was fading.
When the woman did not answer, Valeriana crossed her arm. "Look. Can I go now? I still have some business to do and I sure don't want to get rabies. These wounds aren't goings to heal themselves."
She walked towards Valeriana in a manner as though she was approaching a wild animal. "Wait. I apologize for my rudeness. I did not expect....let me help you."
The girl put up her guard. "First, you point that sword at me, and now this?"
"Let me see your wounds." She said. "Unless you want to die."
It wasn't as though she had a choice.
The woman pulled off her gloves and lowered herself to take Valeriana's foot. She flinched as she felt a small sting erupt as the lady's fingers came in contact with her wounds.
"It's nothing major. Mild injury. It should heal in a few days." The lady hastily searched one of her pockets and opened a vial of a green liquid. "Drink this."
"What?"
"Drink it." She opened the thing and practically shoved it down the girl's throat.
Valeriana almost choked as she swallowed the unknown liquid, practically gagging as the taste exploded in her mouth. "That tastes awful. Are you trying to kill me?"
"It is needed tp neutralize the poison inside your body. I'm actually saving your life," she answered. "I can stop the bleeding, but that's all I can do. You must heal on your own."
She took out a bottle from her pocket and her foot out of her shoes before massaging the wound with the concoction she had with her. Valeriana was nervous seeing her do what she did seeing as she did not trust oil-soaked leaves being rubbed on her flesh.
"Okay, that is so weird. What is that?"
"As much as I hate involving people who absolutely have no business in my affairs, I do not think I can turn a blind eye." She said.
Valeriana felt confused. "Um . . . what?"
The lady opened her mouth to speak when a howl echoed from the distance.
She gritted her teeth in sheer irritation and frustration before turning to look at Valeriana in the eye. "Seems my hunt is not over yet," she said turning to Valeriana. "Do you have a name?"
The girl was frozen that she couldn't bring herself to answer.
"What is your name?" She repeated.
Feeling slightly hesitant, she answered, "It's Valeriana."
"Valeriana . . ." The lady turned her back on her, as though she was contemplating about something deep she wouldn't understand. "You did not see anything."
"Uh . . . okay." Valeriana reluctantly nodded.
"You just knocked your head a little, tripped on your own foot, or fell down the stairs. Any reason will do. Stay quiet. Speak of this to no one. Do you hear me?"
Valeriana gulped loudly in trepidation.
"Do you hear me?" She repeated.
"Yes."
"Now that we are clear, I'll be taking my leave. We shall see each other again." the lady stated. "When that time comes, prepare yourself."
Without further ado, the woman left. In style.
And by in style, that meant running towards the nearest wall, shooting off the ground, walking on the wall towards the top of the building, and disappearing from Valeriana's line of view.
Maybe I'm hallucinating.
Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until she released the air from her lungs and breathed in deeply. She blinked a few times and scanned the ground where she saw the beast vanish. There were scorch marks on the pavement.
She stood from the ground and closed her eyes, trying to regain what little was left of her sanity.
Dazed and confused, she limped out to the streets and sank to the ground next to a homeless man. He eyed her questioningly.
She dialed Xandra's number and heard Paramore as the line tried connecting. After a few seconds, she picked up. "Oh my god. Here she is. She is calling!" she heard he best friend scream from the other line.
"What are you waiting for?" said someone else. "Answer it! Ask her if she's alright!"
Did they realize she already answered the phone?
"Oh, it's on! VAL! Val, where are you? Are you alright? Did that thief hurt you? Did he —"
"I don't know . . ." She whispered. "Don't worry, though. I'll be there as promised. This is the last time I'll see you, how can I not come?"
"Listen to yourself! It's not like we can't Skype! You sound like you're dying, you should go home! Or wait! Maybe I should go to you!"
Valeriana struggled to stand, feeling her kneestremble and pain spike up from her wounds. "No. I'm fine, Xan. I will be there. Just wait for me." She cut the call and tucked the gadget back inside her pocket, leaving no room for arguments.
She glared down at her aching foot. There was blood on her shoes where that strange creature bit and the oddest things popped into her mind that moment.
"I hope I won't turn into a werewolf, like those crappy movies," Valeriana muttered and half-dragged, half-hopped out to the street to hail a cab.
"Do you need to go to the hospital, miss?" The driver's brows creased as he gazed at her through his rearview mirror once she finally got inside.
"No. Quite the opposite, actually." She said."Please take me to the airport."