The Marked

A/N: Hey guys! Kitty is back! I just wanted to leave a little authors note at the beginning of this chapter saying I hope you like the first chapter of my newest story, and I want some feedback on your thoughts, even though it is quite early in the story to tell anything yet!

I.

“Shh! Be quiet!”

“You're gonna get us killed, shut up!”

“Cassie! Get back here, you're gonna blow our cover!”

“What cover?!”

The girl, Cassie, quietly slipped a golden dagger from a strap on her thigh and tiptoed from one doorway to the next. The two others, James and Derick, reluctantly followed after her. The floorboards silently creaked as the two boys made their way down the old warehouse, causing them to pause for a moment before continuing on. Voices were heard from a single lit room at the end of the hallway, though what they were saying couldn’t be determined. Derick took a step in the direction of Cassie and the board creaked. For a few moments the voices stopped entirely and the three halted in their places, standing deathly still. After a few seconds, the sound of rummaging was heard in a room and two other, deeper voices resumed their conversation. At this point, Cassie was close enough to hear exactly what they were saying.

“You know what he wants, you shouldn’t even be questioning me,” A deep males voice called out.

“He wants too much if you ask me.” The other, a rather nasally males voice replied. There was a loud smacking noise and the sound of someone's body hitting the floor. Goosebumps rose on Cassie's arms—a sure sign that a fight was bound to ensure.

“Don't you dare say that again. I'll report you to him as a traitor and you'll be executed.” the first voice roughly said.

Cassie stayed in the shadows of the hallway, listening to their conversation. She turned her head at the shuffling of feet, only to see James was standing right next to her. She looked at him before clenching the dagger in her teeth and pulling out another sort of weapon. It was clear and almost too thin to be a knife, with a sort of shimmer to it, and sharp. Deadly sharp. She put it to the base of her palm and ever so slightly dug the tip in. For a moment it glowed, along with what looked to be tribal tattoos on the palm of her hand and up her forearm. Within a few seconds, the glow had disappeared and the clear weapon was stored back in its hiding place. Taking the dagger out of her mouth, she gave James a look and he solemnly nodded to her. In a flash of blurred speed, Cassie had entered the room and seized who she presumed to be the man with the deep voice. Her dagger dug into the side of his neck. The other man, shocked to see her appear so quickly stepped back, only to bump into the muscular form of Derick, who grasped him in a tight hold. All in all, the two men seemed to be no older than 25, giving the trio a fair advantage. Cassie couldn’t help but think of how they might've looked; if not for all the scars that crisscrossed their faces, and arms.

“What do you know about them?” Cassie hissed in the man's ear, though her mind was on anything but the two men. James seemed to not have entered the room at the time Derick and Cassie did, as he casually strolled in as if nothing was happening.

“If you think waving that pretty little knife around will do anything, you're dead wrong.” The man that Cassie held hostage managed to spit out. His eyes looked over to James. “James Hutchinson. Ill be more than happy to see a traitor like yourself go down.”

James seemed to glare at the man before shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans and turning his back. Something about the two seemed familiar to him, although he couldn’t quite figure it out. Finally remembering the two, he spoke.

“Do it, Cassie. These two are no use.” He coldly said. Just as he had said that though, the other man broke away from Derick and quickly advanced towards James. In a flash, he had pulled his own dagger out and threw it directly at the man. The dagger lodged itself in his chest as he began to ooze a black and smoky substance. Derick didn't say a word as the man seemed to quickly age before completely disappearing. Cassie smiled mercilessly as she dug the dagger into the man's throat, not quite breaking skin yet. He seemed unaffected by his friends death and stood proudly awaiting his fate. Without a word, Derick nodded to Cassie and she dug the dagger in, this time breaking skin. The same result insured until the three were left in the room alone.