his sons, demanded they go with him to battle. He would make them watch from a distance and, afterwards, if they couldn’t recount every vivid detail of the brutal skirmish, he would tie them upside down to a tree for the remainder of the night.
There were many times when Lucien feared, due to the loss of blood from his nose, he’d not live to see the sunrise. Aiden only had to endure a night like this once. His mind had an uncanny ability to pick out the most gory and horrific details that appealed to their father’s nature.
Because Lucien’s mind did not work like his father’s or Aiden’s, he was forced to prove himself physically, hoping to win his father’s approval. He continually pushed himself beyond what he thought his body could handle, making him one of the strongest and fastest boys in the region. Though he never heard it directly from his father, the fact that his father trained Lucien to fight at age twelve was validation enough.
Watching the woman through the window, Lucien wondered what she was trying to prove and to whom. He looked back to the city, trying to decide if he should return to the hotel for a few hours or stay in front of the woman’s house. It wasn’t a hard decision. He climbed the oak tree again until he was hidden from view. He stretched out one leg upon a thick tree branch and let the other dangle while he propped his back against the trunk. It was uncomfortable, but he’d endured much worse.
Thirty minutes later, the house went dark. The woman breathed peacefully in a rhythmic pattern without the usual sleep restlessness of most humans. There was no tossing and turning, no troubled dreams. Why did her life seem so worry free? There must be something that caused her pain or sorrow. He vowed to find out what it might be, and then never return again, for surely she was just like the rest of them.
In just a few short hours, the woman woke. She took a quick shower and, faster than he thought possible for any woman, stepped out into the early morning light, looking radiant. Stray honey curls escaped her loose bun and relaxed around her face, and a dark blue business pantsuit followed the soft curves of her body. She carried a small briefcase.
Lucien expected her to open the garage door and get into a car, but instead she walked down the sidewalk. A few houses down, she said “hello” to a female neighbor who was rushing to get into her car. The neighbor gave her a weak smile and a brief nod in return. The woman continued walking, but stopped abruptly and turned back around, staring at the neighbor with an expression Lucien couldn’t read.
“I think your phone is ringing,” the woman said.
The neighbor gave her a frustrated look, but then glanced toward her own house as if deciding what to do.
“Really, I hear your phone. You better go answer it. It could be important.”
“Um, thanks.” The neighbor shuffled back into her house.
As soon as her neighbor’s back was turned, the woman reached into her purse and pulled out a switchblade. She crouched down and with one fluid motion, jammed it into the back tire of the neighbor’s vehicle. She stood up just as the other woman came out of her house.
“My phone wasn’t ringing,” she said, her voice cold and callous.
“I could’ve sworn I heard it. Sorry to trouble you.”
The neighbor lady jumped in her car but not without glaring at the woman who was hiding the knife behind her back. As she drove away, Lucien could hear the air escape from the vehicle’s tire.
The woman stood on the sidewalk with a satisfied smile as if she’d just cleaned up a big mess. Lucien couldn’t believe what he’d just witnessed. She didn’t seem the type to do something so malicious, but at the same time, the incident didn’t feel malicious, either. Then what?
Lucien leaned forward carelessly and lost his balance on the tree limb. He caught it with one hand on his way down, his legs dangling beneath him. He waited until the woman
There were many times when Lucien feared, due to the loss of blood from his nose, he’d not live to see the sunrise. Aiden only had to endure a night like this once. His mind had an uncanny ability to pick out the most gory and horrific details that appealed to their father’s nature.
Because Lucien’s mind did not work like his father’s or Aiden’s, he was forced to prove himself physically, hoping to win his father’s approval. He continually pushed himself beyond what he thought his body could handle, making him one of the strongest and fastest boys in the region. Though he never heard it directly from his father, the fact that his father trained Lucien to fight at age twelve was validation enough.
Watching the woman through the window, Lucien wondered what she was trying to prove and to whom. He looked back to the city, trying to decide if he should return to the hotel for a few hours or stay in front of the woman’s house. It wasn’t a hard decision. He climbed the oak tree again until he was hidden from view. He stretched out one leg upon a thick tree branch and let the other dangle while he propped his back against the trunk. It was uncomfortable, but he’d endured much worse.
Thirty minutes later, the house went dark. The woman breathed peacefully in a rhythmic pattern without the usual sleep restlessness of most humans. There was no tossing and turning, no troubled dreams. Why did her life seem so worry free? There must be something that caused her pain or sorrow. He vowed to find out what it might be, and then never return again, for surely she was just like the rest of them.
In just a few short hours, the woman woke. She took a quick shower and, faster than he thought possible for any woman, stepped out into the early morning light, looking radiant. Stray honey curls escaped her loose bun and relaxed around her face, and a dark blue business pantsuit followed the soft curves of her body. She carried a small briefcase.
Lucien expected her to open the garage door and get into a car, but instead she walked down the sidewalk. A few houses down, she said “hello” to a female neighbor who was rushing to get into her car. The neighbor gave her a weak smile and a brief nod in return. The woman continued walking, but stopped abruptly and turned back around, staring at the neighbor with an expression Lucien couldn’t read.
“I think your phone is ringing,” the woman said.
The neighbor gave her a frustrated look, but then glanced toward her own house as if deciding what to do.
“Really, I hear your phone. You better go answer it. It could be important.”
“Um, thanks.” The neighbor shuffled back into her house.
As soon as her neighbor’s back was turned, the woman reached into her purse and pulled out a switchblade. She crouched down and with one fluid motion, jammed it into the back tire of the neighbor’s vehicle. She stood up just as the other woman came out of her house.
“My phone wasn’t ringing,” she said, her voice cold and callous.
“I could’ve sworn I heard it. Sorry to trouble you.”
The neighbor lady jumped in her car but not without glaring at the woman who was hiding the knife behind her back. As she drove away, Lucien could hear the air escape from the vehicle’s tire.
The woman stood on the sidewalk with a satisfied smile as if she’d just cleaned up a big mess. Lucien couldn’t believe what he’d just witnessed. She didn’t seem the type to do something so malicious, but at the same time, the incident didn’t feel malicious, either. Then what?
Lucien leaned forward carelessly and lost his balance on the tree limb. He caught it with one hand on his way down, his legs dangling beneath him. He waited until the woman
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