Repeal

Chapter 5

“What happened to your face?” Romy spits. Her face turns deadly serious, and her whole body looks prepared to pummel someone.

Kiera admits the accident almost hesitantly; “got punched.” It wasn’t looking as bad as she expected, the skin was already turning back to normal colour, and the scratch on her cheekbone was thin and pink. But despite its looks, the bruise throbs whenever touched, not to mention the constant ache from her chest and ribs. A foot shaped bruise decorates Kiera’s side. She doesn’t tell Romy that. In her defence, she didn’t know how hard it would be to fight a Revoker, a human.

A frown creases Romy’s brow. “There were Revokers here last night?”

“Apparently,” Cody says before Kiera can say anything. “My dad was on patrol last night, came back with a dislocated shoulder.”

“Man, why didn’t I hear about it!?”

Cody and Kiera glance at each other. Romy could sleep through anything; it was no surprising she didn’t hear it. Once they’d slammed her bedroom door, than Kiera had dropped a pan on her foot when trying to make bacon and eggs. Romy didn’t even stir when Kiera yelped. “It was a small,” Kiera offers. “Not even an hour.”

Romy frowns, and says something, but it falls on deaf ears to Kiera. Chase wonders through the snow, shoulders hunched under a loose shirt.

“Hey,” Romy grumbles as Kiera shoves past her. “Kiera, I was talking to you. Are you listening? Hey!”

Anger burns in Kiera’s veins, and by the time Chase looks up she’s only feet away with the intent to kill. “Kiera” he laughs, but the sound’s shaky. He backs up. “You look happy today, have a nice sleep?”

Chase grunts as he’s slammed against a tree. “What the hell were you doing last night?” she snarls, fingers bitting into her partners arm’s as she pushes him against the rough barl. His muscles flex under her hands. A sheepish smile spreads across his face, but it’s strained, taught.

Frightened.

“Sleeping. Kiera, you shou- Ouch!”

Kiera withdraws her nails from the chicken’s skin. “I’m not talking about ‘sleeping’, you ignorant fool. I saw you run away last night, coward.” Kiera glares as he grins guiltily.

“I panicked, okay. Besides, you left a bruise on my ribs, you can handle yourself in a fight” he offers.

Not really thinking, she pulls away. “Yeah, now we can have matching bruises.” She yanks her jumper up, revealing the green bruise marking her ribs in the shape of a foot. She drops the clothes a second later, stepping away from Chase. “You’re a tool, Chase, a stupid coward.”

Kiera turns her back on him before she can punch the coward. Fury burns in her veins as she stalks away.

“What was that about?” Cody drawls causally.