The Overshadowed Realm -1-

Chapter One: Reluctant Acceptance

I hated today and it hated me. We both knew it, yet didn't bother to fix it.

A loud yawn left me and I stretched from my seat, arms reaching to the ceiling. On my desk lay a small stack of my newest paperwork; my job required me to fill out a specific selection of documents every time I completed my duty. The pain of involvement with the legal system dug deep. Not filling out the papers could land my own ass in jail -- pleasant thought, no?

The current paperwork had been a complaint filed by a pedestrian; apparently, she had been threatened when I was patrolling her neighborhood, or so she claimed. I knew for a fact that it couldn't be true -- I had that place secure. Perhaps she didn't like me and therefore tried to ruin my career, not that I gave a damn.

Flicking a strand of dark, coppery locks over my shoulder, I jotted my signature on the last paper of the day and tossed it down. "Done!" I flung my arms into the air once more and sagged back in the comfortable desk chair -- not as comfortable as the couch in my apartment, yet still satisfying. I was glad my coworker was out in the field, so he didn't see my little spectacle. My subconscious imagined him walking in just in time to see it though…

…He didn't.

Shaking my head, I collected the papers on my desk and put them together in a neat stack. As much as I loved my job, I hadn't yet gotten used to the desk part of it. I preferred the action, but when I destroyed one of those creatures, paperwork inevitably followed. Not to mention random citizens filing reports. 'Twas karma at its finest; I'd never liked karma.

Since I had only started working on my nineteenth birthday, just a few weeks ago, I had assumed I'd get used to it. Eventually. But, considering my fondness of paperwork… A little doubt had settled into me over the past few weeks. I really didn't like paperwork.

I rose to my feet and grabbed the sheathed-dha from my desk and strapped it beneath my belt. I wouldn't leave without it; I always carried something with me and my dha remained my favored form of protection; light and easy to handle. I loved convenience.

I then scanned the normal-sized office for the location of my keys; sure, the office wasn't that big, but it fit two desks and a large array of filing cabinets comfortably. My coworker and I had no trouble sharing the space.

Once I had located the small collection of keys, I grabbed them and headed to the door. Flicking off the lights, I left my office and locked the door behind me. No more paperwork for me. What a relief.

Cold wind bit at my skin when I left the building. Cringing, I wrapped my arms around myself, pulling my hooded, long-sleeved vest tighter. I disliked the cold, which made the early-Spring weather absolutely horrendous for me.

The sky had begun to darken, meaning it was quite late already. I frowned and found myself craving a nice, hot bath when I got home. That would make up for the weather -- it had to.

Nothing beat a bath after one of the rare days of sitting in the office, working on paperwork for my entire shift. Trapped in an office for eight hours straight, save for my brief lunch break -- I had skipped it and worked instead, so I could leave early.

"Almost there," I muttered and let my feet carry me the three blocks to my apartment.

The streets I travelled through were similar to my own; streets full of apartment complexes and the odd café or small shop. Almost every morning, I would walk into one of the cafés on my way to work and get a hot cocoa. Hot cocoa was my coffee and I loved it dearly.

The apartment complex I lived in soon came into view. I suppose I was lucky I lived so close by. The walk home would take a lot longer, otherwise.

Within minutes, I entered the apartment complex, climbed the stairs (three flights of them) and entered my home. I tossed my keys onto a table and relaxed as the warmth greeted me. I couldn't even remember the last time I had been so grateful to be home.

I decided to act out the idea of a bath; it had been a while since I'd had the chance to relax. Entering my bedroom, my grey vest and darker tank top were the first to go, flung carelessly aside. I think I managed to get them in the hamper, I didn't pay enough attention. Next, I tossed the sheathed-dha onto my bed. Just after I unbuttoned my jeans and began to pull the zipper down, an annoying ringing filled the room.

I cursed, walked to my bed stand and tore the small phone off of it. "What?"

A soft, but deep laugh came from the other side. "Hello to you, too, sunshine."

I scowled, recognizing the male voice. "Aidan, what the hell do you want?" I didn't like him interrupting my bath; he had a very, very bad habit of contacting me at just the wrong moments.

"Put down the battle axe, m'dear," he said. I frowned at his amused tone. "I was actually hoping you'd do me a favor…"

That caught my interest. Damn him to hell. "Go on."

I could picture him grinning by that point, brown-blue eyes gleaming in amusement. "Well, you see, I… have somewhere to be tonight."

I raised an eyebrow, despite that he couldn't see it. "A date?" He'd had a girlfriend for the past three months -- they were pretty serious, in my opinion. Mind you, I'm not a relationship expert.

"Yeah, but, the thing is that… Well, I have a shift tonight."

I stayed silent. Aidan worked for the same company as I did. Association of Scarlet Gold made their money by slaying the otherworldly creatures that walked our earth; Vampires and Demons, to be specific. Many sister organizations existed, some focused on only one of the two creatures, others on both; our company was the largest one who focused on all those monsters. The company had people out twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Because of that, working hours were irregular and he was asking me to screw up my own schedule for him. Bastard.

"You do realize I just finished an eight-hour shift, right?"

"I know."

"And that I have another one early tomorrow morning?"

"I can take over that one for you," he offered.

That stopped me, until I realized what day tomorrow was. Take over my shift and make me go to church with my parents and siblings? "I'll pass."

"Please, Leah?" He actually sounded desperate; it almost made me feel sorry for him… Almost.

And then my earlier revelation of tomorrow, turned into today. I groaned in annoyance. "…You do realize you're asking me to go out on a fucking Saturday night?"

"I love you?"

I fought back the urge to throw the phone across the room. Aidan was being far too much of a smartass for my liking. Instead, I sat on my bed and sighed, conceding. "What time is your shift?"

I swear I could sense him smile. "From ten to six."

He had picked exactly the worst times for Saturday nights. Wonderful. It gave me exactly two hours between the end of his shift and the start of mine. These were the times I wished I drank coffee; too bad I hated the taste of the stuff. I glanced at the clock; I'd have an hour and a half to prepare to leave. The bath would have to wait.

"You're a bastard, do you know that?" I forced most of the hostility from my tone, though it took one hell of an effort.

"I really will cover your shift tomorrow."

I took a deep breath and shook my head. "Don't bother. I'll manage." Did he even know why I said that?

"You shouldn't avoid your family." Forget I asked. Aidan: part-time slayer, part-time psychic.

"It's not my family I avoid, it's the church. My entire family makes their living by killing things. Apparently I'm the only one who sees the irony of going to church, due to that, even if we don't kill humans." I rolled my eyes and cut off any retort he could have made. "Have fun on your date. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

He laughed, outright. I should have predicted what was coming next. "I guess I'll cancel the date then."

Click. I held the phone in my hand, elbow resting on my knee. Frowning, I stared at it and let the fact that I'd be covering for him wash over me. The full extent of what he said also smacked me in the face.

"Asshole," I stated and rose to my feet, setting the phone down.

I loved Aidan dearly and he knew it, just sometimes he got on my nerves; I think it was often on purpose, too. Despite that, he'd graced me with his presence since I started my training at seven years old. He'd started at the same time, despite being a year older. From what I remembered, he'd been ill when he should have started.

As we'd been friends for nearly thirteen years, we had moved passed arguing over trivial things. Sure, we had disagreements on occasions, but who didn't?  Despite minor arguments, we couldn't be any closer. Well, there was one way we could be closer, but… No. Let's stick to mental closeness.

I cleared my head of those thoughts and walked to my clothes cabinet. I was surprised my jeans didn't fall off my ass in the meantime. After I selected some clothes to wear for that evening, I tossed them on my bed.

I needed to blend in to the weekend, night scene. If I didn't, my enemies would realize there was a slayer amongst them before I'd even noticed they were there. Undercover training was a necessity for the job; one never knew when it would come in handy. That was also why my closet held a large variety of different attires. My personal style filled most of the space, however. And lucky I that that style also fit the night scene, to an extent.

I strode to the window and looked outside. The sun had fully set, casting the world into darkness. That was the time the vampires came out to play. Unlike demons, which could walk the earth like any human would, vampires were unable to strike during the day. It made demons all-the-more dangerous, but at the same time, it meant the fatality rate increased after sunset.

The vampire's habits also meant more slayers were sent to guard at night. Luckily, the association Purest Rulers, who focused specifically on nightwalkers, sent most of the slayers. My employer only sent a few out as extra support.

Frowning, I undressed and put on the clothes I had selected – loose, hip-hugging jeans, a soft red tank top and short grey vest. The vest only fell to past my breasts; it wasn't strategic for the weather, but ideal for undercover on a Saturday night.

I had too little time to worry; I needed to prepare. With that in mind, I slipped my cell phone into my pocket – in case someone tried to call – and went to the bathroom to put on the slightest amount of make-up. I had to play the part right to be successfully undercover.

Dull, forest green eyes stared at me from my reflection, accentuated by the make-up I had put on. Behind me, the bathtub called to me, almost longing for me to bathe. No. I was longing to bathe, but I couldn't. I'd make sure I thanked Aidan the next time I saw him. Yes, I would definitely thank him.

When my stomach growled, I entered the kitchen to make a quick dinner; I'd need my strength. If I got attacked, I did not want weakness to shine through. I only knew one thing for sure.

It was going to be a long night.