Chronicles of Araxx - Forever Broken

“I hear he’s furious,” Adz whispered to Jay.

“Yeah, and what gave you that idea dumb-ass,” Jay answered sarcastically. “Of course he’s mad. He sent the best team he had out there, and they couldn’t even bring the girl in.”

“She’s our age, Jay. How could a team of men who’ve been doing this job for years let her escape? And they had a Beaty with then, too. How could it even happen? It’s a joke.” Adz laughed.

“Beaty’s are the best trackers aside from werewolves granted,” Jay started. “But the simple fact is they are part werewolf and the stench of a dog in that place would have been immense. Mix that with the fact he didn’t have the girl’s scent before she escaped and you have this - the girl got away. We’d have done a much better job at bringing her in,” Jay boasted. “Either way, the hearing takes place in the chamber hall in twenty minutes. We’d better go if we want to hear all the details.”

“Jay, you know we’re not allowed at that meeting,” Adz protested.

“I have a hiding place, come on.”

The hall Jay and Adz entered was small, but large enough for the hearing. It never had more than about twenty people in it, and most of them were usually seated on the benches facing the chair at the front of the room. The walls of this room were a dark stone colour, with dark green banners on the wall with the Araxx symbol on it.

The symbol was a mix of crescent moons and circles, all in gold thread. It had been the symbol of the Araxx for hundreds of years, ever since the organisation was founded.

The light was streaming in through one of the stained glass windows. It depicted a warrior dressed in black, slaying a vampire. The colours in the glass cast bright shadows onto the stone ground below. It had the feel of a church, although it wasn’t anything religious.

“Yes, it’s still empty,” Jay said with excitement. “Quick, over here.” He gestured to a table at the side of the room with one of the dark green flags draped over it.

“I’m still not sure this is a good idea.” Adz hesitated, but he climbed under the table with Jay anyway. “Are you sure they won’t see us?” He asked. “Or smell us for that matter.”

“What do you mean smell us?” Jay asked.

“Your hair stinks of peroxide. Why do you dye it blonde? It looks strange.”

“Just because I’m half Japanese doesn’t mean I can’t dye my hair, I like it this colour. Anyway, you’re not one to talk. Your hair is as black as the ace of spades, and you’re about as pale as a ghost.” They both laughed, then quietened down.

The door to the hall opened, and people started coming in.

Jay and Adz could see shapes through the fabric of the flag, but it was enough to keep them satisfied.

Jay had been with the Araxx since he was only three. His parents were killed by a vampire, and he witnessed their murder. The Araxx managed to save him before the creature finished its meal. They attempted to find blood relatives for him to go live with, but they could not trace any. They decided to take him in and bring him up as one of their own.

Jay grew up well in the Institute and began learning martial arts and combat at a very young age. He was an exceptional student and grew up strong.

Jay was well-built, with a good amount of muscle covering his body. His dark brown eyes and oriental features made him an attractive young man. He liked showing off his muscles and was usually seen in tight jogging bottoms and a vest, similar to the ones he was wearing today. They were comfortable, and it meant he could easily practice his martial arts without having to change.

Jay was the joker of the two of them, playing jokes and messing around. He was always the one to get into trouble too and was usually the one who spoke out of turn. Many a time, Jay’s mouth had got both him and Adz in trouble.

Adz had been taken into the Institute at a slightly older age. He was seven when they brought him in. Much slimmer than his friend, Adz wasn’t as strong, but certainly made up for it with his agility. He too was just as handsome as Jay but in a darker mysterious way.

Adz was brought to the institution under different circumstances than Jay. His parents were not killed by a supernatural, nor was a supernatural anything the reason for him joining the Institute of the Araxx.

He grew up in an orphanage. His Mother gave him up when he was only a few days old, leaving him on the doorstep. The Institute brought him in as they believed he had potential, and they needed someone Jay’s age for him to train with.

Adz was a troublemaker when he was younger, always getting into fights with the other orphans at the orphanage before he came to live at the Institute, and no one wanted to adopt him.

It was Jay himself who picked him out of the crowd.

Adz was the polar opposite of Jay in almost every way. He was a couple of inches shorter than Jay, although both were around the six-foot mark. His hair was jet black and hung to almost shoulder length. His usual attire was a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a baggy jumper which he pulled down over his hands. He wore fingerless gloves on his hands, and always had a thoughtful expression on his face. He was quiet but knew how to have fun.

Jay and Adz quickly made friends and were soon inseparable.

They trained together, ate together and even stayed in the same room.

They were offered separate rooms but enjoyed each other’s company far too much to accept.

It was as if they were brothers. They often fought like brothers, but nothing could keep them from each other for too long. They soon made up, and it would be as if they had never fought at all.

Jay made sure they always had fun, while Adz kept his friend grounded. They were the perfect friends, and would soon grow to be great work colleagues too.

A tall man with greying hair was first to enter the hall.

Simons, the head of the Institute.

It was his great, great, grandfather who founded the Institute, and it had been passed down through the generations in succession. He stood at the front of the room, commanding attention from everyone present.

Jay and Adz had a pretty good view of the room from their hiding place and watched as the group who went on the rescue mission entered, all with their heads bowed.

They took their seats, and Simons started the hearing.

“Now, as you all know, the mission to retrieve the Hemplesworth girl was a failure. Despite having our best men on the job, she escaped.” He paused, looking around the room at all who were involved. “But, the bad news does not end there. Not all of you will know this, but last night Kane managed to escape from us as well.”

Several people in the room gasped, but most kept their composure.

“Now, I believe he had help to escape, and I have put the person I suspect to be responsible, in confinement.” He confessed, “I will be scrutinising the CCTV later today to determine whether my suspicions are correct.”

“An outrage,” someone in the room called out. “An inside job.”

“It was to be expected,” Simons said. “It’s been a long time since something like this has happened. Now for the good news.”

“Can you believe that?” Jay whispered to Adz. “The head of the biggest English werewolf pack has escaped from the Institute.”

“Shut up idiot, they’ll hear us,” Adz whispered back.

“Good news? Don’t hold back, Sir.” Jones said.

“She’s been spotted,” he said.

The whole room gasped.

It had been two weeks since the girl escaped them, and no one had seen any trace of her.

“Where?” Someone asked.

“London. The CCTV picked her up just this morning,” he added.

“That’s not far from here. We should go now, catch her and bring her back before she disappears again,” one of the members stated.

“We can’t just rush into it,” Simons said. “This girl has been captive for more than half her life. If she sees us coming, she’s going to run. She could hurt herself, or someone else in the process. We have no idea of her mental stability or what kind of personality and skills she has. We have to be careful.”

“So what do you suggest?” Thompson asked.

“We need to put together a field team, a group who will observe her, then choose the ideal time to apprehend her,” Simons said. “And I think I know just who I will send on this mission.”

The group waited in anticipation for Simons to announce who he would choose.

“I’m getting a cramp,” Jay whispered.

Both were clearly too tall and large to be hiding underneath the desk for as long as they had.

Adz was also feeling the pressure of hiding for so long, but he was keeping his mouth shut. “Shh,” he whispered as he put his index finger to his lips.

“We also have the issue of the alpha. Now, we have no idea where Kane has gone to, just that he escaped. While this is the case, we do know he will contact his pack and regroup. We know his whole pack wasn’t at the castle that day, and most of those people were only familiars anyway, not werewolves. We also know he will indeed go after the girl again, and he and his pack have a much higher chance of finding her than we do.”

“Remind me, Sir...” One of the men piped up. “And forgive me for being blunt, but what does a single human girl matter to risk so many of our best? I know our job is to protect the human race but is she really that important?”

“A valid point,” Simons said. “I understand completely where you are coming from, and it’s hard to explain, but this girl is important.” He paused and sighed. “I’ll understand if some of you want to step out of these missions and focus on other tasks, but I hope you will not.”

Murmurs filled the room as the people began to discuss what their thoughts on the matter were.

“All I know is that there is a scared girl out there, in the city probably for the first time in her life, with no one to protect her.”

Silence fell over the crowd as they all considered the facts. Some of them had children of their own and could sympathise.

“She’s a young girl with an entire werewolf pack after her,” one of the men said. “It’s only right that we help.”

“Well said.”

“I agree.”

Everyone was in agreement that they would first find the girl and bring her into the institution, then they would focus on finding Kane and the rest of the pack.

“Now, back to the matter of the team, I would like to send after the Hemplesworth girl...” Simons started.

“I’m gonna sneeze,” Jay whispered as he screwed up his face up in a most unpleasant way.

“Don’t you dare, they’ll hear us,” Adz whispered back, raising a hand to Jay’s face to stop him from sneezing, but it was already too late.

“Aching!” The noise was loud, and all eyes in the room turned to the table where Jay and Adz were hiding.

“You can come out now, boys,” Simons said, not looking in their direction.

Adz and Jay climbed out from under that hiding place, both sheepish and red-faced.

“You knew we were there the entire time, didn’t you, Sir?” Adz asked.

“I did.” He smiled.

“What are the children doing in here?” One of the men sneered.

“Children? I’ll have you know I’m nearly seventeen,” Jay started. He stepped forward, but Adz caught his shoulder, stopping him from moving.

“It is a good job they’re here, Tom,” Simons said. “I’ve chosen them to go on the mission to bring the girl back.”

The entire room was in outrage.

“You can’t send them, they’re no older than the girl,” one man shouted.

“But that’s my point exactly.” Simons smiled. “They’re her age.” He turned to look at Jay and Adz. “So how about it, lads? Fancy a trip to London?”

“Hell yes!”