Bira, The Suburbs

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Bira waited until the reluctant hero waved at her before she left. She’d been grinning at him, buy hadn’t shown him the teeth. She’d gotten someone to soil themselves once when she’d done it, and wanted to spare him the embarrassment. It’d been a ten year old, but it’d been fun. She missed the days when her puppets were actually afraid of her. People like Will would probably just grab a sword or something stupid and go chasing after her. Bira hated having to keep her mouth closed whenever she didn’t want to scare someone.

She reached out with her mind and found David leaping into the garage of Kyle Avem. She knew her time was going to run short if she kept out and about. At least she’d managed to secure the briefcase.

At least there was that.

She sprinted across the neighborhood, keeping her head low. She moved over grass and dirt whenever possible to keep her footfalls silent.

She heard the engine explode, as she’d expected it might, and waited by the back of the house for David to jump out, and then waited for him to see her. When he did, she waved at him with her teeth bared. When he looked frightened, she just commanded him to come closer with a mental wire. She backed up and waited for him to round the corner of the fence she’d chosen to hide behind.

He swung around it and almost tumbled into her. He lay down on the grass, panting. He was covered in blood. He smelled wonderful. She told him this; “You smell wonderful,” she said.

“What do you mean?” He asked. He looked up at her, “Oh. You’re a vampire or something, aren’t you?”

“Some people called me that a few months ago,” she said, “It was fun.”

“What are you doing here? Were you watching the whole time?”

She knew that he didn’t actually think that she had been, but she shook her head anyways, “I was passing through, but I wanted to make sure Kyle Avem died.”

“Why?” David asked, “Did he do something to you too?”

“He never did anything to wrong me,” she said, “In fact we’ve never even met. He seemed like a reprehensible bastard though.”

“Really?” Dave asked.

“Yeah. but does it really matter? You’re probably wondering what you’re going to do, now that you’re covered in all of that ridiculously delicious looking blood,” she said, having a hard time keeping her eyes off of it. She hoped she wasn’t salivating or anything awkward like that.

“That was what I was wondering,” he said, “You don’t have to be a mind-reading fuck-dick to figure that out.”

“You’re going to have to hide somewhere for tonight, until the Bricklayers clear things up for Elys,” Bira said, “And then you’ll be inducted into their society. Maybe on Monday or Tuesday.”

“What?” Dave asked.

“This was all a test,” she said, “Don’t you see?”

“Elys set me up?” He asked.

“Not her, stupid,” she said. Elys was approaching, “There’s an old house in the woods. It has a big red door, with a big red lock, but it hasn’t been locked for a few years now. You can go in there for now.”

Bira stepped backwards. She knew she’d have to fade soon. She didn’t want to get into a confrontation with the Mason’s Son’s daughter. “Wait,” Dave said.

“Don’t tell her you saw me,” she said, “Just tell her you’re going to the house.”

“How will I find it?”

“Trust me,” she said. She grinned. She felt him grow uncomfortable. And then she made him and Elys not see her.

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