WICK

The tires gave an ear-piercing screech against the concrete as the girls sped out of the lot; their speed causing the SUV to tilt as they rounded out and into oncoming traffic. Their vehicle swerved around the other cars, cutting off many drivers whose angry horns blared in their wake, contesting the pregnant silence that filled the interior. 

Just a few more blocks. Cattelaya thought, her hands straining tight against the soft steering wheel cover. Her foot pressed further down on the accelerator, resulting in a hearty roar from the older engine as it abided by its master's demands and pushed itself faster. 

The air inside the vehicle was thick, each girl too much in her mind to fully register the other's existence.

Both girls kept their eyes peeled for any signs of them being followed as they skirted around other vehicles, just barely avoiding impact each time; their eyes searched the passing roads and buildings for anyone that looked their way too quick or cars that took too many of the same turns as they did. 

The silence was suffocating, so much so that Alessia cracked the passenger window; hoping that the incoming airflow would dissipate some of their tensions, it seemed to work as she noted the slight shift in her sister.

No longer was her back straight and eyes wild with the overwhelming fear that had consumed the girl; instead, her posture was lax, she noted that the older girl had brought her leg up to sit on her seat as she leaned against the extremity lightly.

Her grip on the steering wheel had yet to lessen, but for now, she seemed more level headed.

"Get some rest Les, I know it's been a rough day," Cattelaya said suddenly, reaching behind her to grab an oversized jacket before promptly draping it over the younger girl's legs. 

Alessia let out a sigh, finally allowing herself to feel the tiredness that had been nagging at her since she'd let her trail disappear; her limbs felt weighted and her eyes unbearably sore. It felt as though she'd been training for a marathon under the brightest of lights.

Her head lolled slightly, her heavy gaze resting on her sister; finally she could take some time to look at her, her hair was still as wild as it had been when they were children, especially when it was let down; as it was now.

At first glance one wouldn't even think she'd be able to see from a certain direction due to the dark cloud of hair that surrounded her face, which had slimmed considerably, no longer did she have rounded cheeks and stubborn eyes; now she had high bone structures, and a gaze so sharp that she could cut down any man that dared to cross her.

But still she had her rounded nose, slightly crooked from her many endeavors in their youth; along with many other injuries, Alessia was sure the devil child must have endured throughout the years. Her eyes still lit up and she stood with a protective aura when it came to her. 

She's still my kit-Cat! Her heart screamed, a warmth spread through her as she thought about how much she wanted to know of this strange woman; who used to tuck her into bed during thunderstorms and make up silly songs to get a laugh from her during the worst of her tantrums.

Even after all these year, she's still the same! Her eyes began closing on their own accord, her soul comforted by the family she'd finally gotten back. 

Cattelaya's eyes drifted between the road and her sister's sleeping form; the residual warmth of whatever had crossed her mind lingered, giving way for her to breathe easier, the knots that had taken space in the throat began unraveling as she felt her body feed into the feeling, a small smile began twisting itself onto the girls face as she brought her hand up to rake through her mass of curls, her eyes studied her every chance they could. 

She'd still had her baby face; she had a cherubish look to her, as though she were an angel lost in this concrete jungle, her hair was in neat twists and held back with an elastic complimented by two tufts of hair acting as a bang, which gave way for her childlike features to shine through. 

Cattelaya almost felt the need to tuck her into the backseat, so that she'd be more comfortable stretching out; instead she opted to reach over and gently recline her seat at a red light she'd managed to get caught at.

It would have to do until they could go somewhere else, her first stop would be in an alley between two dingy buildings; the shadows would be enough to conceal what she was hoping to do.

She allowed herself to breathe for a moment, letting her mind get a clear image of what exactly she needed, the air became heavy with an invisible current, for a moment she reveled in the feeling of each wave as the danced over her skin sending goosebumps up her flesh and small sparks of electricity zipped between the short hairs that grew on her forearm.

It felt as though she were swallowing air after being submerged under water for an hour, it was a high like no other and it wanted her to submit to its delicious requests. It called for her; the roaring in her ears and the pounding of her pulse as it struggled against the prison of bone and flesh that restrained it from leaping out and latching onto the power itself.

She pulled herself back abruptly, halting the ever growing need. Her breaths were labored and her pulse thrummed in her throat yet she felt as though she could do so much more; she could bring down cities just to build them from scratch. But she knew it was just the power trying to take her mind away. 

With a little more hesitancy she began again, taking time to shape the image of the item she desired before allowing the surge of power to return.

Her eyes flew open as the current made its way through her again, the electric bands danced in her retinas as she allowed her powers to bring her her belongings. 

The light that came from her could've been mistaken for a long camera flash, but she knew that in no time, this area would be swarmed with agents; all looking for the two of them. 

Cattelaya shuddered at the horrors that they'd put them through, if they ever caught them; she'd seen first hand how much they disregarded life, how easy it was for them to kill an innocent individual. 

She'd heard of only one person who'd made it out of a facility; he warned the covens of the tricks they played on him and the torments he suffered from their scientists, afterwards it was said that he'd retreated into the forests of Na'Asadt and to this day nobody had heard from him. 

She was not sure if this man was truly a real person or not, hell, nobody knew; but either way it was clear that she did not ever want to be on the receiving end of one of the blades, whether it were to torture her or to experiment. 

Getting back into the car, she was relieved to see all of her belongings packed safely into the back of the car, she silently thanked the Mother that she'd been able to pull herself back enough and started the vehicle, her foot stepping on the gas a little too roughly.

She looked over in concern at her sister, whom she was sure she'd awaken from the sudden jolt, but Alessia's eyes remained closed as her chest silently rose and fell; she was dead to the world at this moment. 

With another sigh, she accelerated once more, budging her way into traffic; she'd made it about two streets down, passing the road she'd usually turn down to go back to her apartment, before she noticed the commotion behind her.

There, in the very alley she'd just stopped in, sat four dark colored cars blocking traffic, each with windows tinted so dark that from the outside it looked like they'd not be able to see the road. The people surrounding the vehicles were too small to discern from here but she knew exactly who they were.

Her hands tightened around the wheel once more as she took a left, following the flow of traffic. 

When she was out of sight, she revved the engine, sending a new wave of snarls from the old vehicle, she began swerving in front of the vehicles in front of her, the sounds of their horns were what caused Alessia to stir though.

Her eyes began to flutter as a frown marred her delicate face, she looked like a toddler whose nap was cut short.

A small grin replaced the uneasy look on Cattelaya's face as she reached over and lightly shook the grumpy young girl, further waking her from the dreamland that threatened to take her back under.

"Lessa?" Her voice came out just barely over a whisper as she continued to shake the dozing figure, "c'mon Les, I need you to wake up for me ok?" She said lightly, her voice taking on a maternal tone that shocked the older girl slightly.

Still the younger girl was up, her mouth wide in a yawn as her hands worked at scrubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"How was your nap?" The older girl asked, keeping her eyes on the car in front of them.

"It was good, why? What's wrong?" She asked halfway through her yawn. Her eyes suddenly snapped open as the events of today piled back into the forefront of her mind. 

Her head whipped back and forth, looking for any sign of trouble; instead she found herself surrounded by cars, all trying to maintain their place in traffic as it slowly coursed on. 

The younger girl looked over in confusion, her eyes speaking what her words had yet to say.

"There is no danger," Cattelaya said, resting her arms against the wheel.

"None?" Alessia's soft voice caused the girl to look over.

"Not yet," she paused, watching as the slight grain of fear began trying to plant itself in her expression, "but, as long as I'm here; you've got nothing to worry about." She finished with an exaggerated smile.

"How can you say that?" Alessia asked quietly, it hadn't come out rude, in fact it seemed like she was reaching for a liferaft in the middle of the ocean, clutching for that small sliver of safety.

"Because, the night's sky can only swallow what is alone," Her voice was breathy and light as she recited the old proverb, " and you and I are no longer alone.'' She finished taking in the tense air surrounding her sister once more with a small encouraging grin.

For a moment, Cattelaya was worried that instead of erasing her fears, she'd only increased them; that is until she recognized the small gleam that shone in her sister's eyes. 

Her eyes were slightly squinted as she twisted her lips and lifted her chin, "you're darn right!" She said, wavering her voice to make it sound higher and a lot more rickety; she recognized the voice, it was one they had used to mock their older sister, Sorcha, on countless occasions, but especially whenever the girl would come down with an illness.

She'd been prone to catching even the slightest of colds, which had always surprised the coven as well as the rest of the family.

It was said that when a witch or wizard was born, the Mother bestowed the gift of health alongside their abilities, making it almost unknown for anyone in the coven, younger than the age of eighty, to contract an illness. 

That was, until Sorcha Divasio came to be; their father used to tell them that their sister came out of the womb sniffling and sneezing; allergic to even the doctors that held her. 

Though the stories never stopped their relentless teasing, their sister's inclination to sickness had ensured that the girls were more in tune with each other's health; so much so that if one of the young girls were sick from excessive sugar, the other would know and would soon arrive with an adult that could make it better.

The fading memory caused a slight ache to resonate in the older girl's chest; looking over, she noted the same look of discomfort and longing on her sister's face, read the sadness and hint of anger that shone bright like a beacon through her stormy eyes.

The sudden flood of emotions disturbed Cattelaya; she'd never been the touchy-feely type, in fact it took an entire year of knowing Lennox before the girl even inclined to allow her friend's onslaught of affection. 

But, in this moment her attention wasn't on the uncomfortable foreign feelings swirling through her body; it was instead on the girl beside her, who in this moment reflected every bit of that little girl she'd had to leave behind nine years ago.

Without saying another word, the older girl reached out, her hand hovered over her sister's for a moment before she rested it on top, squeezing lightly as though to remind both of them that they were, indeed, here together. 

Not states or continents away. But right there in traffic, on their way to whatever destination proved safest for the duo.

Alessia stared at the limb for a moment, allowing the heat of the contact chip away at the cold, hollow feeling that had rested upon her in their moment of nostalgia. 

Her dainty hands were almost swallowed by her sisters as they rested on her lap; there was once a time when her smaller size had annoyed the younger girl, however as she beheld the comparable differences between their stature now, she felt comfort in the presence of such a larger person, especially since she knew said large person would bring hell upon anyone in her way. 

As the car jerked forward, following the slow-moving flow of traffic, Cattelaya felt as Alessia grabbed her hand in between both of hers; squeezing it in affirmation. 

They were going to be ok, they had to be.

The blaring horns of impatient drivers greeted the sisters as they continued their journey out of the city; regardless of the size of its population, the girls could no longer consider New York 'safe'.

Outside the symphony of noise that made up the city rang out through the open windows, followed quickly by the smells; when Cattelaya had first moved here with her guardian, it was the first and hardest thing to get used to. 

She remembered how Olivia, as she'd taken up being called, had forced her to take a walk around the area and damn near dragged her the entire time as she whined about how strong everything was.

But she soon found comfort in the concrete that seemed to cover the entirety of this small section of the world, felt the thrill of living as she would walk past construction site where the men would drill into the concrete streets, causing her feet to feel the rhythmic pounding as the machine cracked the very grounds she walked.

She'd found herself wandering down small, dimly lit alleyways; in hopes of finding small hole-in-the-wall businesses, with patrons that remembered you as more than just another customer. Or stumbling around smaller neighborhoods, watching the families as they interacted with each other; wondering if she'd ever be able to have such simplicity.

Around her the world moved on, time never stopped of course; but in that moment Cattelaya found herself stuck in a repetitive trance, going through every memory she'd made in the city.

Her eyes darted over the building that she'd frequently visited during her stay there; she could see Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, a younger couple who'd taken over a small cafe that Mrs. Taylor's grandmother had left to her. 

Everyday they'd be waiting for her to skip into the building with usual her order of two sausage and egg bagels, a chocolate chip muffin, a hot cup of chai and a large caramel coffee ready for her to take; but she'd always stay back for just a moment to chat about their lives.

It was easier for her to pretend that everything was normal when she was around mundane people; hearing their problems with finances and conception made her life fade into the back of her mind for just long enough. 

A couple blocks down she stared at the familiar intersection; one way sent you to the smaller, more tight-knit neighborhoods; whereas the other took you away from the city itself.

She could feel a memory nagging at the back of her mind, hoping to resurface and take her back under. For a little while she allowed herself to feel remorse, she'd not been an emotional type but sentiment was different. 

This was, for a time, her home, she'd met friends and made some of the best memories she'd ever have in this city; and just like that, they took yet another life from her. 

As they drew nearer the split, Cattelaya allowed one last memory to divert her attention; this time, it was of a girl with fiery red hair that looked as though it were a rolling blaze in the sun's rays.

Her mischievous green eyes shone bright as she dragged the much younger Cattelaya down the sidewalk, her ratty Powerpuff Girls sneakers scraped against the ground as her hands clasped her friends tightly. 

The way the girl led her down the road had at first driven Cattelaya into a shocked silence, only allowing her body to be pulled along as her mind tried and failed to grasp what the girl had said beforehand.

"You're a witch!" She'd whispered into her ear before she began leading her by the arm to whatever secret location they were heading towards.

At that moment Cattelaya, or Tiana at the time, had started crying; it was the first time she'd shed a tear since leaving the field and it was yet another obstacle in the brain to deal with. Another thought that raged through her skull as she attempted to pull some kind of excuse from her dumbfounded mind. 

The two ran down the street the sisters were currently on, dodging men and women in suits; who would either ignore the two or stop to berate them before going back into their programmed work mode, Cattelaya had always thought that small distractions to them were like being rudely awakened from The Matrix, and that was why the suits would only speak a sentence or two before their expressions cleared and they returned to their conversations.

The two girls had stopped near a local Chinese place, taking the time to catch their breath before continuing their conversation; but Cattelaya couldn't fully focus on breathing until she'd confirmed what her friend had said.

"What did you say?" She had asked, desperation seeping into her voice without her consent.

The girl in front of her was quiet as she watched her, those observant eyes taking in the way her shoulders slouched in defeat and the tears that still brimmed her eyes; her mouth turned downwards, a deep frown taking over her features before she reached out to grab Cattelaya's hand.

"Don't worry Tia!" She said, "I'm your best friend, your secret is safe with me." Her freckled face split into the biggest grin, causing her cheeks to redden from the tension. 

"D-do you promise?" She'd asked, hoping that she could avoid telling Olivia, but only if Angel promised.

The redheaded girl gave her normal grin before standing at attention, in one swift move she moved her hands over her chest, drawing an imaginary X over the area.

"Cross my heart, hope to die!" 

Back then, that had been enough to ease her anxiety and cease the ever flowing tears that had seemed unstoppable before that minute. 

But, now she realized that promises don't always work out, either a secret will come out or, in the worst case, they're what sends you to the grave.

The memory changed to an image full of red.

Red hair that flowed in the breeze, a red shirt that had hitched up on one side, red shoes; one that remained on its owner's foot as the other lay on the ground uselessly, red blood that flowed down the alleyway, pooling down the sewers like a river of crimson. 

At the intersection, Cattelaya took a left, driving further and further away from not only harsh memories but the life she'd grown accustomed to.