External Narrator

Riley feels the news slowly wash over her and her grip on Steven fully relaxes. The young man doesn’t move and instead turns towards his sister, an eyebrow raised, waiting for her command. 

Helen continues to glare at Riley. She’s not quite ready to make an escape; the spy got her answers, Helen wants some as well. 

“Who do you work for?”

The question breaks Riley from her train of thoughts. “I’m no one. I’m only the girl who serves without question, and completes without inconveniences along the way.”

The siblings both stare at her, Steven craning his neck to get a better view of the woman holding her hostage. “My mission is to convince Amy to stay, and to hopefully bring down some of the illegal activities happening around here. I work for a legally maintained group and Amy is someone who’s ignorant to who we’ve suspected she is - and is now confirmed she is - and my mission was to convince her to stay and to help us turn in everyone and everything that threatens the safety of civilians.”

Steven raises another eyebrow towards Helen, but Helen doesn’t need to see it in order to know that there’s a problem. “I believe we can’t work together,” Helen continues her steady stare at Riley. “Our objectives for being here clash against the other. We want her to leave and take up her birthright while you want her to turn against her very people and betray us all.”

Riley sucks in a breath while choosing her next sentence carefully. “I think that in the end it’s Amy’s decision on whether she leaves or stays. The point is, since our missions clash, we won’t get anywhere taking her on one on one. We need to strategize and get Amy informed on who she is and what kind of power she holds. It’ll be her decision of whether she chooses the right side or not.”

“There is no right side. It doesn’t matter if we choose to follow the rules, if we play fair. In the end, the only way you can get something out of this world is if you want it more than the person next to you.” Steven watches his sister carefully as she talks. If he hadn’t, he never would have seen the slight nod she gave him by her last words. 

He throws his head back, striking Riley square on the nose. She hisses, stumbling back a few steps before toppling over in the snow. 

She doesn’t need to get up to know the siblings have made their escape, their panting can be heard throughout the trees and the crunch of snow underneath their rushing feet makes Riley question whether she walked straight into a trap. 

-----

The siblings’ footsteps are still clearly viewed when Riley gets back up again. The wind won’t let them be visible for much longer, but Riley doesn’t care. She knows that following them would only lead her into a trap - no one is stupid enough to make an escape towards somewhere important when their trail can easily be followed. 

She crouches down and picks up a ball of snow. Her nose is hot against the bite of the wind. Glancing down at the snow, she sees small drops of blood. She kicks the snow and covers her nose before walking away. A quick glance back to the tree and the path tells her that Amy and her siblings are long gone. 

Snow and wind continue to bite at her as she walks back to where she’s hidden her car. Once inside, she pulls out the first aid kit she keeps in there and throws out the snow. A glance in the mirror tells her it isn’t broken, but the swelling will stay and sting for a while longer. 

After taking careful care of her nose, Riley leans back and stares at the ceiling of her car. There’s still an unnamed player in this story. 

No one knew that Amy held so much power. Her employers won’t be able to even comprehend who she is. Riley knows deep in her heart though, that Amy isn’t going to be safe. Not with any gang, not with any security, not with anyone. Amy Kuether is the final piece of a puzzle that Amy herself doesn’t know is slowly being put together. 

Amy Kuether and everyone around her will never be safe. They’ll always be hunted - even if they don’t know it.

------

The man looks at the video taken with a sinister glare in her eyes. He watches as the girl declares herself free of the title of Heir only to reclaim another throne. When the mask comes off, he pauses the video. If he had continued to watch, he would have seen the fight that broke out, the screams that were issues, and seen the girl with golden eyes slip away with horror written all over her face.

Instead, he stares at the face with brown hair and brown eyes. She doesn’t look unordinary. She doesn’t look special. Yet - Rosalinda is everywhere within her features. She’s a mirror image of the former assassin. 

He continues to study the image. Stiffly, he turns towards his second in command. “Who is she?”

“Her name is Amy.”

“I get that, you idiot!” He screams at him. “Who is she? How old is she? Why have we only heard of her just now? Why was I never informed that there was another Heir? We killed the first for a reason!”

His second in command flinches on the inside but physically doesn’t react. The last man who did found himself tortured and killed in the dungeons. “We don’t know who she is. Of course, she’s the spitting image of Rosalinda, but why she’s never been seen before, we wouldn’t know. We pulled up her files but they don’t say anything useful. They believe Rosalinda killed herself in suicide. Obviously, that’s not true. Her father is supposedly a dunk, but again, not true. Other than that, we know she’s Black Rose and she’s never been defeated. There is nothing on this girl. Everything has been covered and carefully hidden. I don’t believe she even knows who she is.”

“How many gangs are in the area?”

“In that horrible state, there are only around twenty or so, each covering their own region. Most tend to surround the urban areas, however a handful do rule the farmlands. Closest to the last known location of the girl are of course, the Black Mississippi. However, more recently moved there are the Black Knights.”

The man stiffens at that name. He hadn’t heard that title spoken in years, not since his parents described the war of the Roarin’ Twenties. The gang that came out on top, that gang that was the turn of the war, the gang that was the difference between victory and defeat. 

And defeated, his grandparents were. 

“Recently moved?” The man questions. “How recently are we talking?”

“A few months ago, early October, late November.”

“Are they aware of the Night Howler’s Heir being amongst their territory?”

“She’s declined the throne, but even if they hadn’t known her to be there, they sure do know now.”

“No one can decline the throne.” The man murmurs more to himself than to the man next to him. “The Night Howlers, no matter how much Jared tries, will not accept a leader that isn’t bound by blood relation. When news fully reaches the corners of this country, this girl will be wanted by everyone - good or bad, friend or foe - and now, she’s untouchable by any gang except for the Black Mississippi. Change is something all humans fear. If Jared can’t control the Night Howlers and unite them under his rule, then they will kill him. When they do, they’ll go looking for that girl - their true leader. We can’t let that happen.”

His second in command sighs, already knowing the next words to come from his leader’s mouth. “We must kill her - and this time, make sure that the Night Howler’s do not have another hidden Heir.” 

Alexander POV

It isn’t until the eighth time I awaken in the middle of the night that I realize what day’s coming up. My mood seems to reflect my lack of sleep because everyone stays away. Well, almost everyone . . .

“You asshole!” Kylie screams at me from the end of the hallway at school. It’s Wednesday, hump day, whatever day, and I just want to leave the fucking property of this hell. 

I don’t respond and instead pick up my pace, the door to the exit so close and yet so far. I’m yanked back by my collar, choking on the air abruptly stolen away. “What the hell, Kylie?”

“You’re nineteenth birthday is coming up idiot!” Kylie continues to yell at me… 

“So?”

“So?!” Kylie shouts. “It’s our senior year! Sure, you got held back for being an idiot, but you only turn nineteen once, you also only graduate once”

“Graduation isn’t until May!” I whine. “It’s February. Graduation is three months away. What does that even have to do with my birthday?”

Her shoulder go up in response. “I just needed a reason to bring up graduation. What are you going to wear, by the way?”

“Whatever the hell I want.” 

She frowns. “What about for your birthday, what are you going to wear then?”

“Same thing, whatever the hell I want.”

Green eyes narrow at me. “Alexander Marie Black!”

“Who told you my middle name?”

“Your mother, that’s who. The same mother who gave birth to you almost two decades ago, the same mother who wants you to celebrate your birthday despite the other date around the corner.” Her voice lowers at the mention of the other date. 

“I don’t celebrate my birthday, that mention of ‘the other date’ suggests you know exactly why.”

Her eyes soften. “Ander, you know you can’t blame yourself.”

Yes I can. I don’t say anything and just continue to walk towards the exit. I feel eyes burn into the side of my head and out of the corner of my eyes I see Helen and Steven glaring at me. I ignore them and walk out the doors, the gray of the world hitting me at full force. 

Suddenly, when I’m in the far corner of the parking lot, I’m shoved to the ground. Feet kick me from all angles and I’m too tired from lack of sleep to fight back. They continue to kick for a bit longer before whoever’s kicking gets pushed away. I can tell that by the thump of one body hitting the ground and the yell from whoever else is here.

I hear fighting and shouting and through my half conscious brain, I can make out two dutch, dull yellow shaded braids bouncing while fighting three different guys. I feel a yank at my leg and I look to see a fourth at my foot. He tucks something into my sock before running off.

Not being able to handle consciousness much longer, I embrace the darkness.

-------

“He’s coming to!” A hazy voice yells through the darkness.

“Shut up, not too loud!” Another voice scolds.

My groans fill my ears as I strain to open my eyes. Eventually I give up and open my mouth instead. “W-what?”

“Shush!” Kylie scolds in her annoying voice. “Here, drink this water instead and just shut up for once in your life!”

I ignore her. “M-my-”

“Shut up!” She scolds but I don’t care.

“Sock!”

Shawn perks up at that. He pulls of my socks and out of the left one, a single crinkled square falls out. Kylie picks up the white sheat, my water now momentarily forgotten. 

“Wh-what does it-”

“Shut up!” Kylie and Shawn both scold.

Only their expressions show any indication of the words written on the sheet. They go from determination and examining faces into ones of horror and worry. 

Kylie gasps while Shawn masks his face, the talents of my third in command shining through the lovesick idiot that he’s been since Riley showed up.

“This is a warning,” Shawn starts reading, making eye contact with me before continuing. “Stay away from the Heir or feel the wrath of us. This is not your battle - yet.”

The paper is turned in my direction and in the top left hand corner, a single wolf howls into the distance. 

Hey! I updated today instead of tommorow cause I have two tests scheduled and I didn't feel like throwing in an update into that mix as well.

For those of y'all who don't know the US history with the Roaring Twenties, well, the short version is that it was pretty much a whole decade of partying (however, alcoholic beverages were illegal (Prohibition)). Because of this, gang activity went up around the country.

Keep an eye turned towards our all gangs mentions and that unnamed player; a war is coming. (Let us just pretend Corona doesn't exist in 2020)

I'll see you all at the next update! 💜