Young Writers Society

The air was cool on his warm skin, for dusk had passed already hours ago, leaving a gentle breeze in its place. He'd only been wearing a thin black shirt and jeans, nothing to cover his bare arms. He was standing in front of a tall building, his eyes focused on the only window still lit by lamplight.

He wondered if he'd be able to see her, even at the distance that he was. A small hand came into view, holding a brush that was carefully combing through her brown hair. Just the sight of her hand, her hair, filled him with... excitement? But that wasn't quite it. His expression hadn't altered, though his heart began to hammer in his chest, beating with such intensity he thought his ribs might snap and break. His veins pulsed, adrenaline powering through them, and he didn't dare blink for he—

He slid into the shade of the bushes as soon as she looked over the windowsill. He prayed she wouldn't step out onto the balcony; surely she'd see him. Her face was porcelain, though without a doubt exceptionally beautiful. His eyes focused in on her, allowing him to see the green of her eyes, the flutter of her dark lashes, the lace collar of her silk nightgown, the rosiness of her flushed cheeks. The girl's arms were crossed, just below her breasts, rather in protection and warmth than in frustration. She held a hard expression, almost confused. He wondered if perhaps she'd heard him rustle a branch on accident, or a twig break under his step. Though it was barely a few seconds— a few very long seconds—before she turned back into the room, shutting the window to keep out the brisk air. He waited for any sound, anything to run his belief that he might catch a glimpse of her once more that night, but the dousing of the room's light shut off his hopefulness.

He had turned to head to the streets, away from the house and towards his own, when he heard a crack. If he'd been a cat, his ears would have twitched towards the noise. Stopping in his tracks, he turned to face the sound, eyes squinted to see into the dark night shadows. He could make out a tall figure, unrecognizable by the lack of light. All he did was stare with mild confusion, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

The silhouette slowly made its way towards the road, the streetlights illuminating the figure. It was a man, though very different from the one who had been watching the girl. His hair was a shiny white, seeming to be more silver in the light of the colorless street lamp as the other man's was dark as the midnight sky.

He had a much smaller build, more gangly, though his toned arms were noticeable through his white long sleeved shirt. He had grey eyes, where the other had dark brown, nearly black ones.

The silver haired boy opened his mouth, "Spying on the girl, are you, Minn? I never picked you as the stalker type." Though his words seemed to joke, his expression was blank.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were back with Lucinda—"

"I was," He interrupted, "but of course if you had bothered to tell me that you were leaving I wouldn't have snuck out."

"The moon is full tonight. You shouldn't be out here; it's dangerous. You could get hurt—"

"Just as much as you could." The boy with the silver hair looked rather bothered, snarling.

"No." The dark haired boy, Minn, chuckled humorlessly, "Not as much as I could. I can handle myself."

"And I can't?"

Minn shook his head, a trace of a grin on his lips.

The other boy's eyebrows furrowed, casting a shadow on his light eyes. "We're not supposed to see her. Not until she comes to us. You know that."

"Us? Hmm, funny that you think that she could be compelled to you. The only one of us that she will find is me."

His hands closed into tight fists, his nails digging into his palms, "Fine. I can play your stupid little game. But she will find me first, I can promise you that."

"She may find you first, but that does not mean she will choose you. I can argue you that." Minn began to walk away from the silver haired boy, his grin still painted on his face.

"Two can play your game! I know how you do it, and I promise you I will not lose!" His words were lost in the night for his companion had already vanished into the shadows, leaving him alone in the deserted street.

~ ~ ~

Hey there! Author here! So, I've gotten some feedback on the original version of this, but I improved it to be a little bit better (hence "Improved Version"). Hoping to get some more feedback on ways that I can tweak this piece! Hope you have something for me ;)