I sat under a tree. I was watching for a rogue werewolf. He had disappeared from his pack a few weeks ago. His favorite places to attack people were beaches. It was the middle of the night, only a couple people were on the beach. I looked over at Delwyn. She gave me a signal that meant: nothing. We had been sitting out for several hours. I stood up and stretched. I felt stiff. I had been sitting on the ground since we got here. I saw Oblëk stand up and stretch too. I looked over at the tree Minerva was in. She was in her dragon form. She would be comfortable in that tree forever. I scanned the beach. A couple people had left. He might not attack tonight. Someone caught my eye. A girl who looked like someone I knew. I looked away. I needed to focus, I was on a mission. I couldn't get distracted by the past. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I ignored it. Phones weren't allowed on mission. The girl started to come over to me. I pretended to not notice. Until I couldn't. 

“Mica? Is that you?” The girl said. It was Marlee. 

“Yes, but I'm busy.” I said. I looked over at Delwyn. She signaled for me to stop socializing. 

“Doesn't look like it.” Marlee looked in the direction I had looked.

“I'm working.” I began to walk away. Marlee followed me. Oblëk looked at me. Before he could do anything I signaled to him that everything was fine, I had it under control. Several people left. 

“Doing what?” Marlee asked. 

“My job.” 

“Which is?”

“I can't say. It's classified.” I looked at Minerva, who looked like she was asking if she could scare Marlee away. I shook my head once.

“What are you looking at?” Marlee looked over at Minerva`s location. Of course she couldn't see her, she didn't know where she was. Minerva's dragon form was pure black. “You're acting weird.”

“I`ll talk to you later, right now I can`t.” Delwyn gave the signal to call it a night. “See you later.” I walked over to Delwyn. 

“Who was she?” Delwyn asked. 

“Marlee, the person Who helped me with the demons three years ago.” I grabbed Delwyn`s hand. Delwyn was my girlfriend. We got into the SUV and went back to base where my car was. When we got there, I was too tired to drive, so I slept in the barracks with the others that night. I woke up the next morning and the first thing I saw was Delwyn`s face.

“Hey.” I said, kissing her good morning.

“Get up sleepyhead.” she said. I sat up. 

“How long was I out?” I jokingly asked. Delwyn laughed. She threw clothes at me.

“Get dressed.” She walked out to wait for me. I got dressed and walked out. Just as I thought, Delwyn was waiting for me. I laced my fingers with hers as we walked to the cafeteria together. After eating, I had to go back to my house. Delwyn insisted on coming with. We had the day off today because we were out so late last night. When I pulled into the driveway of my house, I recognized Marlee`s car parked by the curb. 

“Who`s car is that?” Delwyn asked.

“Marlee`s, She must`ve gotten my new address from Janet and Bill.” I answered. Janet and Bill were my foster parents. Marlee got out of her car as I pulled in. I opened the garage and pulled in. Marlee went to the front door. I closed the garage. I looked at Delwyn.

“You don't want to be rude.” She said. We got out of the car and went inside the house. I opened the front door and let Marlee in. She looked at Delwyn. 

“Why did you blow me off last night?” She asked. 

“I told you, I was working.” I went over to Delwyn and grabbed her hand. Marlee looked at us.

“What's going on here?” She asked. 

“Delwyn, This is Marlee, Marlee, this is Delwyn, my girlfriend.” I said. I put my arm around Delwyn and kissed her on the head. I led her over to one of my couches and sat down, pulling her onto my lap. Marlee sat on the couch across from us. 

“How long has this been going on?” Marlee asked.

“A couple months.” Delwyn said. She took off her mask which she had been wearing since we left base.

“What brings you here anyway?” I asked.

“I came because I was told to come and work with one of the CIA divisions here, But they gave me no direction to the LA base.” Marlee said. I looked at Delwyn. Jērik had told us nothing of this in our meetings. We came to a mutual agreement. 

“We can show you where it is, we work for the CIA in one of the divisions.” I said. “I was busy on an assignment last night, that's why I couldn't talk.” Delwyn got off  my lap. “We can take you there.”

“Good. we`ll go in my car.” Marlee stood up.

“We can`t, your car doesn't have the right clearance to get in.” I said. “We`ll take mine.” I went out to the garage. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the car. I got in the drivers and Delwyn got in next to me, leaving to backseat for Marlee. I pulled out of the garage. 

“Are we really going back?” Delwyn asked.

“We need to find out why Jērik didn't tell us about Marlee`s coming, Don't you want to know?” I said. I drove out of town. 

“Yes.” Delwyn grabbed my arm and rested her head against it. We arrived at the hidden door. I pressed the button installed on my front console to open the door. I pulled up the drive thru speaker. 

“Code?” The voice said.

“Az347-ds259-369.” I said. The gate opened and I drove through. I pulled into my parking spot and turned off the engine. We walked up to the door leading into the base from the parking garage. Delwyn scanned her ID. We led Marlee to Jērik`s office. I knocked on the door. 

“Enter.” Jērik said from the other side. We walked in.

“Mica, Delwyn, I thought you had left.” Jērik said.

“Marlee needed someone to bring her to base.” I said. Jērik looked at Marlee.

“I was about to send someone to get you.” He said. “Mica, Delwyn, Come to the meeting, I will explain everything there.” We walked down the hallway to the conference room. We walked inside. Oblëk and Minerva were already there. Delwyn and I sat next to them. Jērik walked to the front of the room. He gestured for Marlee to follow him.

“What are you two doing back?” Oblëk asked.

“We brought Marlee to base, Jērik will explain why.” I said. 

“You're all probably wondering why you're all here.” Jērik said. “We have someone from the Army here who will be working with us. There is a rogue vampire on the loose, one we have been trying to catch for over 18 years.” Jērik looked at me briefly before turning to everyone else. “During those 18 years, he has been killing inhumans. The president has decided that action needs to be taken now. Sargent Stormcatcher has been sent to help.” We all looked at Marlee. “She`ll be working closely with Delwyn`s group and Mateo`s group, as both groups have vampires in them.” The meeting ended. Marlee came over to Delwyn and I. 

“Working together, Just like old times, huh?” She said. I shrugged. 

“Today is a day off for us. We were out late last night.” I said. I grabbed Delwyn`s hand and walked out of the room. Marlee followed us. 

“What's wrong with you Mica?” She said. “You were different three years ago, you disappeared after a vague goodbye, and now you want nothing to do with your old life.” I turned around. 

“I am a CIA agent, I am at work. I have to stay professional.” I said. I turned and walked out into the parking garage, leaving Marlee behind. Delwyn and I got in my car.

“Sorry about that.” I said. “I don't know what happened. Did you see how Jērik looked at me during the meeting? The person who killed my real parents was never caught. What if the vampire we're chasing is my parents' killer?” Delwyn hugged me.

“If he is, you`ll get to help bring him to justice, your parents would be proud of you.” She said. I hugged her back.

“Thank you.” I started the car's engine and drove home.

When we got there, We went inside. It was lunchtime already. 

“What are you feeling for lunch?” I asked Delwyn. 

“Your famous spaghetti.” She said, hugging me. It was what she wanted all the time. I hugged her back. 

“Alright.” She let go of me and I started on lunch. Delwyn helped me. After eating, we snuggled on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket. After a bit, we fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning before Delwyn. I looked at her. She was sleeping peacefully against my chest. I smiled and began to stroke her head. A few minutes later, she woke up. I kissed her. 

“Morning, sleepyhead.” I said. She smiled.

“How long was I out?” She asked. I smiled. 

“It's 7:00 am, we slept all afternoon and night.” I said. 

“We were tired.” 

“Yep.” We stood up. I got into clean clothes and made breakfast. I made my special pancakes. Then we went to work. When we got there, we went to the conference room, like we always did. We found the others there. Mateo and his group were there as well. We sat with Minerva and Oblëk. Jērik walked in with Marlee. Marlee didn't even look at me. 

“There has been another killing done by our vampire.” Jērik said. He set a file down on the table. No one touched it, we weren't authorized yet. Jērik tapped the file. “This is a file of all the killings done by this vampire.” He slid it closer to us. I was the first to grab it. I opened it and looked through all the killings. Then I found them. Fleur and Conall Shoemaker, my parents. I dropped the file and left, feeling nauseous. I made it to the bathroom and vomited in a stall. I gripped the toilet so hard it cracked under my hands. I took deep breaths. My sadness and frustration turned into resolve. Resolve turned to promise. I was going to make sure this guy paid for what he did. I was going to bring him in. I flushed the toilet and wiped my mouth. I splashed water on my face in the sink. I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot as your eyes got after vomiting. I wiped them. I took a deep breath and went back to the meeting. When I got there, everyone looked at me. Delwyn looked concerned. I sat down next to her again. She took my hand and squoze it. We were going after my parents' killer. 

After the meeting, Jērik pulled me aside.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“Yeah, I`m fine.” I said. I was lying, but so what? Jērik looked me in the eyes.

“Let me know if you need anything.” He said. I met up with Delwyn who was waiting for me down the hall. 

“Are you okay?” She asked. 

“It was a shock to me to discover that my parents` killer has been on the loose for 18 years and now it's up to me to take care of him.” I said. Delwyn nodded. She grabbed my hand. 

“At least you have help.” She said. I smiled.

“And for that, I`m glad.” Delwyn put her arms around my neck and kissed me. I kissed her back, putting my arms around her waist. I kissed her again and again. Someone cleared their throat. We looked over at them. It was Mateo. 

“Get a room.” He said, then left. I looked at Delwyn and put my forehead against hers. 

“I'll see you tomorrow.” I said. I kissed her again and left. 

The next morning, Delwyn was waiting for me at my parking spot. I got out of my car. When I did, Delwyn put her arms around my neck and kissed me.

“I missed you.” She said. I kissed her back. 

“I missed you more.” I said. Delwyn laughed. We went inside. Today, we were going to catch my parents` killer. We went to the conference room.

“Before we go after the rogue, there is someone we need to get.” Jērik said. He gave Delwyn a piece of paper. “That is an address to their house. Go there and retrieve them.” Jērik dismissed us. We went to our vehicles. 

“We'll follow you.” Mateo said. Delwyn nodded. We got in the SUV and set out. 

After 3 hours, we pulled up to a house. It was black, and all the windows had curtains over them.

“Either they don't like the sun, or they`re a vampire.” Mateo said. Delwyn, Mateo and I went up to the door. I knocked. There was a sound from inside and the door opened. A vampire looked at us. 

“Hurry inside!” He said, ushering us in. He closed the door. The three of us took off our masks, which we had put on to come up to the door. 

“I assume Jērik sent you.” He said. He looked each of us in the face. When he got to me, his face changed, into a face of recognition. 

“Mica?” he asked.

“How do you know me?” I asked, on alert.

“Of course you wouldn't remember me, you were too young when we saw each other last.” The other vampire ran a hand through his red hair, red like mine.

“Who are you?” I asked. 

“I`m River, your older brother.” 

“I don't have a brother.” 

“You do. I am. After our parents were killed, child protection services split us up, no one would take both of us, you were young enough that no one wanted to take care of you. I was taken to a foster home in Sacramento, while you were taken down to Arizona to be fostered by a family there.” I looked River up and down. He had the same hair and eyes as me, but that could be a coincidence. I tried to think of a question to ask him that might tell me whether or not he was my brother, but I had never been told of his existence. For all I knew, he could be.

“No one ever told me about my family, not even the family who took me in.” That didn't help their popularity with me. “In fact, that family kept a lot from me.” The brothers I had had were horrible. River hugged me. I stiffened. I was not a fan of being hugged by random strangers, and people I had barely met. River let go of me.

“Sorry.” He said. 

“Anyway, How do you know Jērik?” I asked, still not sure if this guy was my brother. 

“He and I went to school together. After we graduated, he went to work for the CIA.” River said. I went over to the couch and sat down.

“Jērik sent us to come and get you.” I said. “We`re tracking a rogue vampire, the one who killed…” I considered what I was going to say and decided I liked the idea of having an actual brother. “Our parents.” River nodded. 

“About time something was done about him.” He said. He came over and sat on the couch across from the one I was on. 

“We need your help.” Delwyn said. She came over and sat next to me. Mateo stayed on his feet. 

“You`re trying to recruit me, aren't you?” River said. “I'm not moving to LA.”  

“You don't have to join, we just need you to help us.” I said. “Jērik told us we needed your help, I don't know why.” 

“You`re going to try harder than that if you want to convince me, little bro.” 

“One, don't call me that, we`re not there yet. Two, don't you want to bring our parents' killer to justice?” River considered my words. “You don't have to join to help us, you don't have to join at all.” 

“Alright. I'll do it, for Mom and Dad.” River said. “Let me pack a bag.” 

“We`ll be waiting.” I said. 

River came back a little bit later with a duffel bag. We went out to the cars. When we got in, Oblëk grunted.

“About time.” He said. He looked at River, who had gotten and was now sitting next to him. “Another vampire, not like we had enough.”

“Don`t mind him, he's an ogre, they're naturally grumpy.” I said. “Oblëk calm down, we weren't gone long.” Delwyn started the engine and we went back to base. 

Once we got there, we took River to Jērik`s office. We knocked on the door and Jērik answered. 

“Ah, River.” He said. He let us in. Marlee was already there. She still didn't look at me. I didn't care, I had a bone to pick with Jērik and my foster parents. 

“Why didn't you tell me we were going to get my brother?” I asked. Marlee looked over at me. I could tell she was comparing River and I. River was taller than I was, and had a couple sunburns on him. His hair was the same shade of red as mine, and it was just as curly,  but I had an appointment scheduled to straighten and dye mine black. We had the same eye color too. Jērik looked at me. 

“Ah, yes, must have slipped my mind.” He said. It sounded like an excuse to me. “You do look very alike.” 

“Do we have any information on our vampire?” Marlee asked. Jērik looked at her.

“We only have the location of the killing. I will explain it all in the meeting.” He said. We all walked down to the conference room. When we got there, River took Delwyn`s usual spot, which caused her to take Mateo`s, who took Oblëk`s, who took Minerva`s. Soon everyone but me was in a new spot. Before Jērik could start speaking, someone came in and said something to him. He frowned then addressed us, his voice grave. 

“There's been another killing, one of our own.” He said. We all left with him. He led us out to the parking garage. There was a body lying in the middle. A female fairy. I recognized her to be one of our new recruits. She had been stabbed and bitten many times. 

“He must be here somewhere.” I said. I looked around, trying to figure out how he got in. 

“How is that possible? Our security is pretty tight.” Mateo said. I went over to each car and looked in them. None of them held any evidence of being driven in by a dying person. There was no blood trail either. 

“He had to of gotten in somehow. There's no evidence that she came in after being attacked.” I said. I went over to the walls to examine them for entry points. I moved out of sight of the group huddled around the body. Soon, I was out of hearing range. I was getting near the far side of the garage, when something grabbed me. I struggled. Soon I found myself on the ground. I struggled onto my back. My attacker was the rogue vampire. He held a knife in the air. I struggled away. I didn't get far before he was on me again. I grabbed a hold of the fire alarm and pulled it. It was the only way I could think of to get help. The knife sank into my bicep. I groaned. It came out and went into my thigh. He was trying to stab me to death. The vampire was pulled off of me after I had been stabbed in the hip, shoulder and back. I laid on the ground groaning in pain. I was pulled to my feet by River, who helped me to the infirmary, Delwyn leading the way. After they got me there, they had to be chased out. The doctor gave me a sedative and the world faded away.

I woke up and immediately saw River's face and heard Delwyn`s voice. 

“Don't crowd him!” She said. River looked at me.

“He's awake!” He said. He grabbed me and gave me a bear hug. I groaned in pain. River let go of me. 

“Sorry.” Delwyn`s face appeared. I smiled at her. 

“How long was I out?” I asked. 

“A day.” She said, kissing me. I kissed her back. 

“Hey, Don't third wheel me here!” River protested

Pronunciation guide

Jērik- Jar-ik

Oblëk- Ob-lek

Mica- My-ca

Delwyn- Del-win