She sat back, letting her numb mind slowly comprehend everything she had read. The first rays of sunlight peeked through the bedroom window, alerting Taryn that she had been up all night on Jess' computer.
Not that she was getting much sleep in the next few days.
There were a few facts she was sure of from the information Jess had collected. First and far most, the random influx of killings in the past weeks was no coincidence. While the media was being withheld information, and therefor the public too, Jess had figured out that there was a serial killer on the loose.
And I can bet she wasn't a random killing either.
The second thing she had learned was all of the victims were on a list Jess had compiled, and beside each name was a letter representing something. I had taken hours for her to figure out, but she was sure now that each of the victims were varying supernaturals.
The last thing she could confirm is that this man- Drew A. Mor -seemed to be important to Jess in some way. There was no other information on him, except a poster for his Refuge on her fridge. Whoever he was, giving him a visit was one of the first things on her list.
The last thing Taryn read was the letter to her, hesitant to see what Jess had left her. With much trepidation she opened the file with her name and a document loaded up.
Taryn,
There's a lot I've been wanting to tell you. But I feel like my time is short, and there is pressing issues at hand. Please, take everything you find on my computer and wipe it clean. Don't leave it for anyone to find.
I lied to you. I know about your powers Taryn, and I know someone who can help you. I got that job to be closer to you, to learn about you. You've got a rare talent, one that hasn't been seen in decades. There are people out there that know what you are, and can help you. You just need to find them.
You can still trust me, Taryn. In truth, I am a dryad, visiting from Europe. My true name is Ξεσσικα δέντρο, in your language جيسيكا شجرة , but most commonly seen as Jaihessika Déntro. I was on a mission when I first came here, but I got lost in...in humanity. Please if you ever see Dr. Mor, he needs to know. Oriaen. Hopefully he will understand.
Be careful, and watch your back. I'm sorry.
-Jess
Taryn sat back, tears stinging her eyes. She felt betrayed and alone;
She knew what I was and she never spoke up...she had answers and now...now she's dead! But what would have happened if I had found out. If she told me, if Jess-no Jaihessika the new name felt too odd and Taryn retroceded to the name she was accustomed to,
If Jess had told me, would I really accept it? Or would I do what I have always done and run?
While she was contemplating everything in front of her she almost missed the creak outside Jess' apartment door. The brain tossed it aside as lack of sleep, but when she heard it again she got up to investigate. Stepping silently up to the door, she peeked through the peephole, and caught a blur of black wool and brunette hair as they walked past.
Just my nerves, she breathed in relief, taking a step away.
Suddenly the doorknob shook, like someone was trying to get in and Taryn jumped, slapping a hand over her mouth from squealing in shock. She didn't have time to look, so she grabbed her purse off the counter beside the door and bolted to the bedroom, shutting it as quietly as possible. Closing the laptop, she scooped the power cord and everything to it and stuff it inside her purse, pressing the laptop to her chest with one arm and shrugging the purse onto her shoulder with the other.
From outside the room there was a loud click then the door slammed open, slapping the wall beside it. Taryn froze in her tracks, eyes bouncing from the window to the bedroom door. They could come in any second, but if she slipped out the window and they went to the balcony first she'd be caught. The sun was high enough in the sky now that even hiding on the balcony and turning into smoke would be useless. She took a step back, eyes flashing around the room for a good spot to hide. The closest was jammed packed with clothes, but in the back corner of it, if she squatted, she could hide without detection.
Taryn rushed to the closet, kneeling down and worming her way into the back corner, letting the clothes rub against her hair as she went. When she was sure she was as far as she could go she closed her eyes and concentrated hard. Becoming smoke with clothes on was hard enough for her, and the exhaustion wasn't helping her focus either. Now she also had to hide the computer and her purse, adding more baggage to an already full load on her powers. At first she was sure it wouldn't work at all, but after a few seconds she felt the small click in her mind telling her she had tapped into her powers and her body began to feel lighter. She waited with closed eyes, putting all her focus into becoming a shadow. Even when the bedroom door opened she didn't open her eyes to look, knowing any small distraction could cause her powers to fail. Instead she tried to clear her mind out and focus only on her task of hiding.
"No one's here," a gruff voice muttered, sounding annoyed.
The words caught Taryn by surprise and she struggled for a minute, feeling her power waning and her body becoming heavier.
No! she snapped at herself, pulling her body back into the shadows.
Whoever was in the room hadn't left, his breathing loud as he checked the bed and bedside table. He came around to the closet as well and Taryn held her breath, scared. A few of the clothes above her rustled but nothing more, and the man backed up a few steps, tapping away at something.
"Hello?" the man said and Taryn stiffened, hoping he wasn't talking to her until he continued, "Yeah I'm in her apartment."
He was on the phone with someone, although she had no idea who.
"No, police haven't been here yet....Well if they have they certainly left it tidy."
Another long pause.
"I've looked. No computer, no files. Nothing. She knew what was coming."
She heard footsteps as he shuffled towards the door, only pausing once before retreating into the rest of the apartment.
"No..." his voice echoed back to her, "I don't know. I'll find the boy. Just keep
him under control. Bye."
She heard him leave the apartment after another quick sweep, but she waited in the closet an extra twenty minutes to be sure. When she came out she felt drained and exhausted, as if she had just finished a marathon. Beads of sweat trickled her face and her body was shaking in both fear and fatigue. She made sure he was gone before bolting from the apartment, taking the stairwell instead of the elevator, and not stopping until she was in her car driving.
Waking up in her pile of blankets, Nina stretched with a yawn. She bounced to her feet with a smile, excited to get started. She'd need a shower, and food, and then she'd be off scouring the city for potential clients. Just having something to do made Nina feel that much happier, finally filling a hole in her from losing her pack.
Shower. Food. Posters. Supernaturals! Nina repeated her mantra, skipping to the bathroom. She flew through her morning routine stuffing a bagel in her mouth from what food she
did have in the fridge, and collecting all the paperwork. Wearing a purple tank top with slits along the back, a dark pair of jeans and a pair of black flats she let her hair fall down around her shoulders, having even curled the bottom half, to give it a bouncy, voluminous look. Nina wasn't used to dressing up, or for that matter even coordinating her clothes, but it had come to her attention that in order to blend in with human society she would need to act as such. She even doned on a small amount of make-up, outlining her golden eyes with black kohl and a silver eyeshadow.
Her first stop of the day would be the library, which was only a few blocks away from her house luckily. She had already drawn out new designs for his posters, and the library had a scanner built in with their printer. She could borrow their computer to finish the posters and look up the numbers Derek had given her.
With a quick check in her bathroom mirror Nina set off on her busy day.
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