Chapter 8 – Not Much In Common

• The old Senior Officer made a slight frown and answered, “Almost. Why are you in such a hurry?”
• “I have a funeral to attend. I just got the message with the address.”
• “If it’s because of that, then go. The rest is just the next assignments, but I can give yours to you two when you return.”
• Aurora got up, grabbed her purse and sunglasses, and signalled with her head for Aella to follow her. She got up, still surprised by what she heard, and they both went out.
• In that room, one man asked, a little hesitantly, “Chief, will it be safe for them to work as Enforcers? I think the risk is far too high. What if something happens to one of them or both? The Werewolf Organization will be all over us!”
• “I am aware of that, but thank you for increasing my stress! Aella always worked alone, and even like that, she has the record of kills and detentions around here. With Aurora near her, they will be a fearful force for any group of criminal Werewolves to deal with. And if everything else fails, they can use their power on those Werewolves and force them to obey and recognise them as their leaders. But as Aurora said, we must not discuss this, even between us. It is never a good idea to have the Organization on our backs. We are supposed to be a separate branch, but some members there want to have some power over our Unit.”
• They all nodded, thinking about his words.
• Two floors down in the basement, Aella and Aurora exited the elevator. She was silent all the way there, but she had reached her limit. “Aurora… Why did Lisa know you joined the Enforcers? You told her?”
• “No, I didn’t. Maybe she has people here working for her? Or someone near my mother told her? I was only told this morning that I would be an Enforcer.”
• “You asked to be an Enforcer?”
• “No, nothing like that. It was my mother’s idea. I told her in the morning that I had met my partner, and it seems she thought it would be a good idea if we were together all the time, as protection for each other and such.”
• Aella frowned and asked, “Did you tell her I have the same light she has? Because she will probably tell the Werewolf Organization, and I doubt they will let us roam around free. Those fuckers tend to control every Werewolf out there.”
• “I know my mother. She won’t tell, and I bet she will do everything to hide what you can do. I am more worried about all those Enforcers in that room because it was stupid of you to lose control of your light, like you did in there.”
• “They are all trustworthy. I am sure the chief is already talking with them so that everyone understands the importance of keeping this secret. And I wouldn’t lose control if…”
• She went silent and bit her lower lip. Aurora spoke as she was fetching her car keys from inside her purse. “Sorry for the slap. I got angry because you insulted my mother without knowing how much she suffered because of the Hunters. And… She was very sad after her fight with Lisa because of you. I knew it had something to do with a Werewolf trained by Hunters that survived the cleansing, but I only put everything together when I talked with my mother this morning.”
• “I… I am sorry for punching you last night… I just… Well, I hate your mother… She was not only involved in the death of my parents, but she also ordered my execution when the chief found me… I was on probation for almost one year, followed and watched twenty-four hours a day. Everything I said and did was recorded and analysed during that year, and I have been working these past years harder than anyone else... and...”
• “… and still, some Werewolves don’t trust you, right? Maybe it has nothing to do with my mother. Maybe the problem is you. Your explosion in that room said a lot. You hold too many grudges because of what happened, and you fail to understand that the disappearance of Hunters had to happen eventually. It didn’t happen sooner because Werewolves were in fewer number than the Hunters, and they weren’t organized. That changed when my mother found my father, and her light appeared. Well, it also helped that she is one heck of a businesswoman, and she saw immediately what she had to do. You miss your parents, but I can introduce you to hundreds of families the Hunters destroyed. If you give me time, I can find and introduce you to all the families that your parents destroyed. Let’s then see if you still miss your parents that much, or if you want to squeeze their necks.”
• Aella entered the car and sighed. “You for sure had a better life than me while growing up. As soon as I learned how to walk, they put a wooden knife in my hands and taught me how to use it to fight. I… never got any cuddling, any smiles from the ones around me, or any show of care. I… I was a mere tool for them, but I tried so hard to have them acknowledge me…”
• She squeezed her seat belt that was across her chest and continued, “And still, they only gave me more exercises, more punishment for me to continue…”
• Aurora jolted as she was about to turn the car key. “They punished you? You mean, they beat you?”
• “It’s not easy to make a five-year-old do two hundred push-ups, you know? As I got older, the exercises were even harder. I became the best of them because I wanted to avenge my parents… It was because of Werewolves that they died, and I was stuck there, suffering every day… And then I changed into one. The hate in their eyes, it was… indescribable… They came for me, and I only wanted to get out of there.”
• Aurora noticed that Aella quickly wiped her tears, and she pretended not to see as she answered. “I had a better life, but I often argued with my mother as I was growing up. I know she always wanted the best for me, and she was worried every time I left our house in the middle of the night to run as a Werewolf and feel the night breeze on my body. Nevertheless, it is difficult to be the daughter of the great Aniya Rossi, you know? People were always judging me, watching me like a hawk, and searching for flaws in my behaviour. I guess it was even worse for her and my father, but they never let it show. I had to leave my house because I was feeling suffocated with all the expectations that my mother and everyone else had for me, but I am not saying that I had a rough life like you, because I hadn’t. I only want you to get to know me a little better.”
• “But… you could do anything you wanted. I know that your family has a big company and a lot of separate businesses. Why did you choose to work as a Bounty Hunter?”
• “I guess… I felt I had to do something meaningful. If I worked for my parents’ companies, I would be just another wheel in the machinery. As a Bounty Hunter, I can do a lot more. Not to mention the freedom I have. I don’t have a Senior Office like you judging my work or an entire Unit noticing what I do. Most of the time, only me and the people that hire me know. I can also work outside the law if needed. Enforcers that catch a group of normal Humans torturing, rapping, or killing a kid because their parents are Werewolves can only arrest them and deliver them to the police. When I find them, they don’t need to worry about the police.”
• Aella noticed the strange glow in Aurora’s eyes and asked, “You mean… You kill normal Humans? No one goes after you?”
• “I didn’t say I killed normal Humans, did I? Let’s just say that if no one ever finds their bodies, there is no crime. And there are several ways and several places to dispose of a body.”
• “But… that is wrong! I mean, the Enforcer Unit only kills Werewolves that are proven to kill Humans while knowing what they are doing, like those three last night. They kidnapped people as Humans and changed into Werewolves to eat them. I know there were some cases when unconscious Werewolves killed normal Humans, but that doesn’t happen that often lately. But… Killing normal Humans, even some that kill Werewolves, it’s a bit…”
• Aurora sighed. “It is a bit of what? Enforcers can kill Werewolves that kill normal Humans, so why is it wrong to kill normal Humans that kill Werewolves? You know what I think? You grew up in the middle of Hunters who always told you that Werewolves were evil and deserved to die, and Humans were to be protected. Then, you joined the Enforcers, and they basically told you the same thing, but with slight differences. That it is okay to kill Werewolves in certain circumstances, but it is wrong to kill normal Humans, under any circumstance. To me, killing is always wrong, no matter if it is a Werewolf or a normal Human. I know I am no saint, but I have seen some pretty messed up things to worry about my soul lately.”
• Aella went silent, and asked while looking at the street they were travelling down, “Where are we going, anyway? You said it was a funeral.”
• “Remember that man last night that I took with me? It is his funeral. The family invited me to go. Unlike the Enforcers that abandon people and their families when their mission is over, I don’t. Besides, I want you to see another side of my job, considering you are also going to work with me as a Bounty Hunter.”
• “I am going to what? Wait a minute, who said that? I wasn’t informed or asked if I wanted it!”
• “You are right. My mother tends to do these things without asking people what they want. She has the bad habit of thinking that she knows what is best for everyone. I used to get so mad when she did that! But over the years, I learned she is always five or six steps ahead of everyone else. Even if you are against the idea of being near me all the time, it is far better than if we are separated and a group goes after one of us. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if, because I don’t want to agree with my mother, something happened to you.”
• As she looked through the window, Aella fixed a curl in her hair and retorted, “I never said I was against the idea of being near you. I just don’t like it when people decide for me. I have had enough of that already. I was never asked what I wanted to do when I was with the Hunters. The only one that asked me anything was the chief when he saved me.”
• “You seem to have a lot of respect for Mister Allen Brooks, don’t you?”
• “I would die for him without even a second thought. He was the one that always believed in me. It was because of him that I became so good at my job. I wanted to make him proud.”
• “He is like… the father you never had, is that it?”
• Aella slowly nodded without facing the inquiring blond beauty at her side. Aurora made a slight smile and said, “Do you mind not talking about dying near me? It hurts my feelings to hear you say that. Do I make you angry or what? You said you were not against the idea of being near me, then you go and say you would die for an old man. At least give me a chance, will you? I know the bond is powerful, and you can fight it if you want, but I am not that bad, or am I?”
• “I… am not sure. You are that b… I mean, you are Aniya’s daughter. Our lives while growing up were so different that I doubt we have anything in common. Even now, we see things differently, and I… I honestly don’t know.”
• “I agree with you. We have different points of view and we have had different lives until now, but that doesn’t mean a relationship between us is meant to fail, you know? Besides, you will like my mother if you sit with her and talk. You and she are so much alike that it sounds impossible for me to believe you are my partner. Sometimes, you say things that make me think our bond messed up when it joined us together. Other times, you say the cutest things that make my heart melt. What about if we just let things happen? We don’t bother about my mother, the Enforcers, or the Werewolf Organization, and maybe, just maybe, we get lucky.”
• Aella bit her lower lip, and she then sighed. “Well, let’s see. But I still don’t like the idea of you being in the Enforcers with me, or me being a Bounty Hunter with you. I like being alone. It makes things easier.”
• “You say that now, but your light says otherwise. When you are near me, you get distracted, your emotions go wild, and you start to shine. You need to keep your light hidden, Aella. One day, you can put us in a lot of danger.”
• The frowning brunette took a couple of deep breaths to calm down her racing heart, which had been beating like crazy ever since she entered Aurora’s car, and when her light disappeared, she said, “See why it is better if we are not together all the time? I get distracted and this stupid light turns on!”
• “I like your light. It is not only pretty, but it also shows that I distract you.”
• Aella crossed her arms over her chest and snorted, making Aurora laugh.