• The big city. It is some place, right? The city never sleeps, never stops moving. The city, full of love and hate, crimes and miracles, humans and demons. Yeah that’s right demons, and I’m not talking about the evil humans. I’m talking about real demons, ones that don’t just kill and they are done, the ones that will make you suffer and eat you alive. The crime in L.A is caused by humans, that is true, but one-fourth of that crime is caused by true blooded and half-blooded demons.
    Now you’re probably wondering how I know. Well I should know I am half-demon. See my mother was a trickster demon, she has the power to shape shift, be attractive to any eye she chose, teleport anywhere she pleases, and some other things I couldn’t seem to figure out. While my father was a plane ordinary human. So I guess you can figure out that condoms weren’t a main priority to them, she wanted to play the most evil trick ever she thought would be fun. I mean, why not make a half-demon kid? Let’s have him go through a living hell? How fun. One thing I learned early in my life, demons hate half-demons, so much that they try to kill them if they find them a threat.

    I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Mika what are you doing?” a voice said behind me. It was my half brother Zane. Lucky for me even though my brother is full demon he treated me like a real person, or should say demon. Zane is a full blooded demon, but he is a mixture of two different demons. He is half trickster demon and half fire demon, good combo right? “Finally what took you so long, god I thought I was going to die of boredom!” I said back. “Well excuse me if I can’t entertain you all the time.” He said coolly. Yep that was my brother, the power of fire but the attitude of ice. I had been waiting outside of one of our costumer’s apartment for Zane to clean up some “business”. See our work is doing odd jobs, we will do about anything for money basically. And that can range from racking someone’s front yard to assassinating someone or something. This time it was simple, all we had to do was exterminate some low level demons from out of a home.

    “So how much did we get?” I asked as we started to walk out. Shifting in his black leather jacket he pulled out his wallet. “Well seeing how you destroyed some of the things in his apartment and strangely enough having his bird in the fridge, we got about fifty dollars.” Zane said in an annoyed tone. “Hey I can’t help if the rats can run faster than me and you know how I feel about birds!” Looking at his dark blond hair on his nod he said “Yes I remember, they stare at your soul with their beady eyes and want to peck you to death, I know.” See ever since I can remember birds have never liked me and I don’t like them. s**t they are the devil himself. Zane shifted again. “We have two-hundred and fifty dollars. Just enough for to pay the rent.” “Good.” Zane stopped and turned at me with icy eyes. “Yeah but we barely have any money for food. What do you think about that?” I felt the ice from his eyes freeze me. “Not so good.” “Right.” I get it, I get it. As he turned around I felt a shiver go down my spine.

    When we got out of the apartment complex it was already dark, and as usual no stars. One thing that I miss about not living in the country. Walking down the side walk most of the street lights were either busted or flickering so there was very little light. It was the beginning of summer and oddly it was getting cold, not just from my brother but from other source. We walked a few more blocks before I confronted by brother. “It’s still following us Zane.” I whispered under my breath. Zane closed his eyes and shifted his hands in his jacket pockets. ”I know.” Now A thing about Zane is the when he gets annoyed or angry he always shifts his hands. I know it is kind of awkward but everyone has their own stress and anger relief. “So what do you want to do about him? You know me I am always ready for a fight!” I said excided.

    Suddenly Zane grabbed a hand full of my white and black hair and pulled back hard. “There will be no need for that. He has done nothing to be of any concern.” Again his icy voice sent a shiver down my spine. Once he let go of my hair I clenched my head. “Ow! Yeah I don’t know what he wants, but still you know most demons don’t like me!” I said in a painful tone. Zane shook his head. “It is a low level ice imp no need to be alarmed, alright? We’ll loss it in the alley, ok, my paranoid little brother.” I met his red, flaming let cool, eyes. I nodded that I understood. We continued to walk down the street every step seemed to get colder and colder. Soon I started to feel my sneakers slip on the ice forming on the sidewalk below. “Zane.” I moaned chattering my teeth and seeing my breath. “Settle down. Just wait. You’ll have your chance.” He said cooler than the ice I was slipping on. We kept walking down the side walk. I studied Zane’s hands they started to shift more.

    Faster than I could blink Zane turned around and headed to the darkness of the street and I followed. There about 12 feet away from us was this blue wrinkled up looking imp. Imps are weird a** creatures, they are about the size of a small child with long pointed ears, but have skin like a rough old man. One thing that really bothers me about them is that they always wear their birthday suit. Now ice was forming more quickly that he saw that we were coming and before I know it ice daggers were flying everywhere. My brother being full demon easily was gliding across the ice dodging the ice daggers, while I was slipping and sliding just trying to stand long enough to throw an attack. Zane began to form fire balls in his hands and throw them rapidly at the ice imp. “Hey some help over here would be nice!” I yelled. By this time I had given up on trying an attack and more focused on trying to stay up. Shaking his head Zane threw a fire ball back at me. “Hey! Hey! Hey!” Lucky me I was able to slide to the side before the fire ball melted me and the ice. “HAHAHAHA!!!!! Your misfortune brings me joy little half-demon!” the ice imp chuckled. Anger quickly grew inside of me, so much that Zane even felt it. Now standing on the open piece of damp asphalt I started charge my energy. I saw Zane step to the side knowing that I wanted to fight even more know. “So jackass you think I’m entertaining do you? Oh I’ll show you entertaining.” A demonic smile formed on my face. “Oh, really? I’m waiting.”

    Now being a half-demon and all I don’t have as much power as I would like, but I have more than enough to kill his pipsqueak a** any day. After I had my power ready I lunged. “Cool down on this shithead, Darkness Strike!” Black darkness grew around my hand making a claw looking shadow. The darkness sliced through him like hot butter and he suddenly was eaten by the darkness seeping into the cracks of the asphalt. “Huff-huff-huff-well that was somewhat fun-huff-huff- but not nearly enough action.” I panted. Zane glided over to where I was. “Yes I agree. I still wonder why he was following us in the first place.” he said thinking aloud. I shrugged then asked, “How about helping me over to the sidewalk where it’s not all iced and I can walk without falling all over the place?” he gave a small smirk and said “Ok, Snow Princess, hold on to my shoulder.” After a little slipping and sliding on my part, we finally made it back to our apartment.

    Home was home, and home was a place that no demon dared to come into. Every demon knows that you should never go to a demon’s home unless you wanted to be killed, and with Zane that was so true. After climbing eight flights of stairs and the previous icy walk up hill, I was exhausted. Walking in the door I unzipped my old gray jacket and dropped it on the ground, then headed for the couch. I landed on the dark green couch with a wet thud. Zane walked in after me closing the door. “Mika go take a shower before you catch a cold.” Zane said nudging my shoulder. “I’m too tired to take one, just let me sleep.” I mumbled in the corner of the couch cushion. Zane sat down on the couch and grabbed my shoulder, pulling me into a slumped sitting position. “Atchoo-sniff-I’m cold.” Once again Zane was right. “Heh, Come’ on light a fire and get moving” he opened his hand and made a fire ball,”or I will!” he said with a smile. Standing up I removed my white shirt and said “I know you will. Alright I will take a shower but your next!” Zane smile grew. “Ok.”

    Closing the bathroom door behind me I looked in the mirror. I stared at my smoke gray eyes. Funny thing about smoke, it always hides things, hides the truth, and chokes you till you can’t breathe anymore. Taking the rest of my clothes off, I went in the shower. The warm water felt hot to my icy skin and made me flinch. Standing in the shower I laid my head on the cool tile and closed my eyes. When I opened them I found myself sitting slumped in the corner in the shower, the water still hitting me. “Mika are you ok?” I heard someone say in a soft voice. Looking down I saw that I was partly covered with a towel. Looking up I saw Zane leaning over with a concerned face. “Yeah…I’m ok, just a little tired.” Zane helped me to my feet and told me to go to bed, I must have looked pretty bad. I nodded and left the bathroom and walked into the hall. Suddenly Zane grabbed my shoulder and turned me to face him. “Are you sure you’re ok? I know when you use too much power your body starts to give out.” Pushing him away in a reassuring way I said, “I’m ok Zane. I’ll sleep for a few hours and I’ll be the same one and only punk a** little brother that I am.”

    Once I got to my room I didn’t even bother to get dressed. I just fell into my bed and fell into a dreamless sleep. A sleep of nothing but darkness. One thing that followed me though into my sleep was music. The music was a lullaby that was sung to me when I was very young. I don’t know where it came from or what language it was in, but I hear it every time I fall asleep. The words flow through my head nonstop until I wake. It gives a secure felling, one that makes you feel that at least for a few hours nothing bad will happen to you. I still wonder what the words mean, don’t get me wrong, but I almost don’t want to know. It is like, if I do know what the lullaby means that something bad will happen.

    Waking up I found that I was covered by the blanket I was on top of the night before. “Zane.” I said aloud to myself. The thing about my brother is that he has always taken care of me. When I was four my brother was seven and we lived together with my mother. The thing is we were always traveling and she would be gone for long periods of time. So my brother would take care of me. He was and is my father, mother, role model, and brother. We lived in a RV and traveled with our mother going to fairs, carnivals, and any other kind of event. My mother would use her tricks to manipulate and entertain the humans. One good thing that demons have going on is that they appear human, so other humans can’t tell that they are demon, now that is cool. Sadly for me it was hard to go to school. One because of traveling and the other is how my hair looks. The top half is white while the bottom half is black. I guess I was one of the lucky half-demons. The only other thing that is wrong with me is if I get emotional in any way my black jackal ears and tail pop out. Yup the trickster demon was originally a jackal.

    Taking the covers off, I saw that he dressed me in my boxers too. I felt my face turn red with embarrassment. When you’re young you don’t care about things like that but now that I was nineteen and he is twenty-two it was just wrong! Getting out of bed I put on some sweatpants and headed for the living room. I stomped through the apartment hall with anger and embarrassment. “You know I hate it when you do that! I’m not a little kid, you know?!” I shouted when I entered the living room and I saw Zane sitting on the couch reading a newspaper. “Well you are sure acting like one.” He said unfazed by my embarrassment, he just continued to read his newspaper.

    I cussed and growled under my breath as I walked into the kitchen looking for food. Looking in the fridge there was only empty Chinese food cartons and rotten eggs, which were about three months passed the expiration date. My stomach growled loudly. “I told you we didn’t have enough money.” Zane said from the living room, in a mocking manner. My stomach growled louder. Zane sighed heavily and the big brother love kicked in. Putting the paper down he said, “There is a jar of peanut butter left. Eat that until we’re able to get some money for food, alright?” I smiled and got the peanut butter from the cupboard. “Now that’s the brother I know and love.” I said going to the couch. Sitting down I instantly opened the jar and shoved peanut butter into my mouth. “You’re going to eat a whole jar of brand new peanut butter?” Zane asked curiously. “Well I’m starving! The job last night took forever and we didn’t get any dinner. And you know that dinner is my favorite meal!” I said between smacks of peanut butter. Yup that is me. I love to eat and even when I feel full, put it in front of me and I will eat it.

    Zane just shook his head and continued to read, when suddenly Zane’s cell phone rang. Zane got up and headed to the kitchen to answer his cell. After a few minutes he came back into the living room and said, “Come ‘on we have a new job. Get dressed in five we leave.” I just finished my first spoon full of peanut butter and I asked, “Do we really have to go? It is so early in the morning.” Zane sighed. “Well maybe to you but for your information it’s ten in the morning. So get moving, if you want take the peanut butter with you for all I care. Let’s just get moving time is money, and money is we don’t have.” I shrugged and said “And money equals food. Something that I think you need. Cranky a little aren’t we?” I got a spoon full of peanut butter and shoved it into his mouth and headed to get changed. “Oh! I still want the rest of it so don’t eat it all.” I said smiling going into the hall. That was my brother like my brother he was always vague with the jobs until we actually got to them. He probably thinks I’m going to just ditch the job if it’s not entraining or something along those lines, and he was right.

    Two busses and a three mile hike later we were standing in front of a newspaper factory. As I looked at the company name “News for the Uninformed” I noticed it was their newspaper Zane was reading this morning. “Zane what is the job this time, huh?” I said looking up at the somewhat large sign. Zane was also looking at the sign, probably making sure this was the place of destination. “Our client wants to know who is getting information on him. He is quite angry at him actually, and by the looks of it I would say what this guy is publishing is true.” Now the building looks pretty run down, it was probably one of the older buildings in L.A, one that the city wouldn’t bother with because they were afraid if they even sneezed it would collapse.

    I was half way done with my jar of peanut butter and considering that is was one of the extra large sized jars I consider that an accomplishment. I put another spoon full of peanut butter in my mouth. Zane looked over at me with is red cool eyes when he heard me eating and said, “You’re going to get fat if you eat that way, you know?” “Please, me? Look at me, I eat 3 times more than you and still weigh less than you. If I was going to be fat it would have happened a long time ago.” I smirked. Zane shifted his hands in his gray pants pockets and headed into the doors of the company. I shrugged and followed after him. Yeah I knew he was angry but this is something he would get over the instant we walked into the newspaper company.

    The inside of the building was just as crappy as the outside if not worse. The place had cracks everywhere, old looking chairs that may have been as old as time its-self, and it had this odd disgusting smell. There was no one in the lobby except a demon lady at the front desk, and this did stop me from blurting out what I thought of the place any less. “Oh God! What is the hell is that smell?! It is worse than our fridge of rotten eggs and I didn’t think that was possible!” I shouted out loud covering my nose and mouth with my hands. Thing about being part jackal was having a strong sense of smell. And man did that place smell, it was like a rotten yard full of garbage that had been there for years or something worse! Zane sharply elbowed me in the ribs and gave me a face of disapproval. “God damit. Alright, I get it.” Walking up to the demon secretary I learned that the smell was coming from her. “What kind of demon is she?” I whispered to my brother. “She is a swamp demon. Now behave yourself or I’ll knock the disrespect right out of you. Got it?” I nodded in agreement. When my brother ever talked about manners he meant it. I never thought much about them, but my I think my brother is going make me learn them here soon and quick, along with a swift kick in the a**.

    Now the swamp demon looked like she was in her late 20’s early 30’s, she had medium length light brown hair that was curly, and dam did she look hot! Only if she didn’t smell so bad. “Excuse me miss I would like to speak to Mr. Samuel Warrok, is he in?” Zane asked politely. The lady didn’t respond. I smiled and whispered to Zane, “See the world doesn’t run on the politeness and caring of others all the time.” Zane glared at me, and then suddenly reached over the counter. “What the hell are you doing?” I asked in a shocked tone. At first he looked like he was going to grab her chest, then I she was wearing earphones and he pulled them out. Again he asked politely for Sam-what’s his name. At first she was surprised by Zane then after a few click said, “Mr. Warrok is on the third floor, cubical three. Go ahead and feel free to see him.” Zane thanked her and we walked across the hall to the elevator. When the doors open she shouted, “Oh and watch your shadows!” I looked curiously at her, then entered the elevator after Zane.

    The elevator was really small, so small that maybe one more person would fit in with us. There was so music also, there was just the clatter of old cables as we entered. As the doors closed the claustrophobia kicked in and I was starting to freak. See when I was a young kid I was playing hide and seek with the other carnie kids, and it turns out I was never liked by humans ether. They hid me in a small box and locked it, fun right? Well after a few hours of crying for my brother and many tears later, I was let out by Zane and scared for life.

    I could feel myself start to sweat with fear and turn cold. Zane just looked forward and said, “Keep your cool Mika. It’s only a few minutes to the floor, if that.” Despite what Zane said I couldn’t. The spoon in my jar started to raddle as my hands shook in fear. “Damit!” I chattered. Looking up I saw that we had only reached the second floor. Suddenly a wave of nausea hit me, out of nowhere. It was probably from the claustrophobia, but yeah I thought I was going to lose the peanut butter I already ate. Zane gripped my shoulder tightly in a concerning manner he asked, “You gunna be ok? You’re looking green.” “Yup just fine, you know this is how all people ride a small moving death trap waiting to happen every day.” I chattered. “We are almost there just one more floor.” His voice was cool, calm, and collected. Unlike my wiry reply. “Yeah if the elevator cables don’t break and fall to our deaths. Ha…Ha.”

    When the doors finally opened I ran out gasping for air. While I was in the elevator I think my lungs stopped working. Zane walked over and crouched in front of me. “Take some deep breathes and calm down.” Zane helped me to my feet and said, “You’re starting to scare some of the workers. Looking up I saw some of the workers were looking over their cubicles at me. “What? You’ve never seen some one with claustrophobia before God.” Looking at Zane I said, “See I’m good as long as I take the stares on the way down. He just smiled and nodded knowing I wasn’t going to take that trip again. Slapping my back in a reassuring way he pushed me toward the cubical. When we got there the cubical was a lot bigger than the others around it. Maybe because Sammy was more of a popular writer he was given a bigger cubical, whatever the reason I knocked on the thin wall and said, “Hello Sammy you home?”

    The man in the chair turned around and looked at me with irritated grey eyes. Moving his blond hair out of the way he said, “First of my name is Samuel Warrok, seconded what kind of greeting is that to give to someone, thirdly who the hell are you people and what business do you have here?” “What the he-“ Zane shoved a spoon full of peanut butter in my mouth probably feeling I was going to ruin the job before we even got started. Not feeling sick any more I just ate the peanut butter and shut up before Zane made sure I would never speak again. “I am sorry about my brother’s rude introduction. I am Zane Oath and this is my brother Mika Oath. Mind if we sit with you for a while and ask a few questions about your recent article in the news paper.” Sammy waved his hand for us to sit and we did. “Now how may I help you Mr. Oath?”

    Zane didn’t even take time to think about what he was going to said he already knew. “Well you see we were hired by Mr. Adonis, the man you wrote in you have been writing about lately, and by the way he is reacting about this it is true what you say about him. I read today’s paper and you say that he planning to sell a kind of drug to the underground of LA. And a thing about this drug is that it is very addictive and can kill you in a matter of days if not taken right. Am I correct?” Sammy nodded and Zane continued. “Now I am unhappy as you are about this new drug, called what again?” Sammy clasped his hands and said, “Super Drive. Created from a plant in the far east mixed with some common day chemicals it is suppose to be the best high you can get now a days.” Zane’s hands shifted. He never liked how there was drugs everywhere we went, I think he was and is still always afraid I would take them to hide how I felt or something along those lines. The truth is I don’t know myself, what I mean is I don’t know if I would do drugs I never took interest in them that is true, but what is not to say I would take them. I don’t know what I do know is if I ever crack that is probably what I would do, as for now I am happy sober.

    “Now I am not siding with Adonis he hired us that is true, but I would like to take down his soon to be product before it goes out to the public. He is a demon that is strong but I think if we team up I think we can stop the killing of many people. What do you say?” Samuel sat there and closing his eyes for minuets he said, “Alright! I Samuel Warrok the shadow demon will help you bring down Adonis!” “Hold the dam phone you a shadow demon!” See a thing I lack in demon powers is I can sense a demon just I don’t know what kind unlike my brother who seems to know all. “I get it now! You dam b*****d you have been using other people’s shadows to know what others are up to! You sneaky son-of-a bi-“ Another spoon full of peanut butter entered my mouth. “You know I am getting tired of you language Mika on the job. I know you grew up with it and you hand to defend yourself with words I understand that. Still shoving peanut butter in your mouth is not a productive way of making you be quiet. If I keep having to do this, you’re going to get fat, I can see it.”