Bloodstained Snow

Snowflakes swirled around them, drifting down from a dark sky and landing on their faces like soft cold kisses. Besides the six students, the street was empty, with snow piled up on the sidewalks. Flickering street lamps cast an eerie orange glow on the blankets of snow. There was something peaceful about it, in a way. The slow drifting of snowflakes made it seem like time had slowed to a crawl, and it was strangely quiet. Peaceful. If Kayla hadn't known why they were there, she would've said it was peaceful, but that bit of knowledge made all the difference. To invoke a cliche, it was too quiet, especially for 7 PM on a weekend. In the distance, a shadowed wall of evergreens swayed and bent against the wind, silhouetted against black hills.

That biting wind snapped and tugged at Kayla's scarf as she trudged forward, snow crunching beneath her shoes. Black chucks, black jeans, some cheap black gloves, an old black t-shirt underneath a light black jacket, with her hood thrown over her baseball cap. Not the best clothes for weather like this, but what could she have expected? Kayla had grown up just across the water from here, and she didn't think she'd ever seen it snow this hard so early in the year. It was unseasonable. Unnatural. Nonetheless, if she was freezing, it was her own fault. The mission briefing had warned of snow, but she didn't take it seriously. This was her home state, only a little ferry ride away from her home city. How bad could it be?

Bad, or at least bad for November. Pausing, Kayla pulled her scarf down and inhaled, taking in a lungful of crisp icy air. When she breathed out again, her breath billowed out in a cloud of frost. They must be around here somewhere... This was her first mission, unless you counted that boring trip to Europe. When she saw the words "WASHINGTON" bolded on that bulletin, she'd volunteered as fast as she could, maybe even hoping for a quick trip home. That hope was in vain, though. As soon as they'd finished here, they'd be flown back to Beata as soon as possible. Unless we're murdered first... She couldn't help but recall Misty Harris' words from back then, when they were preparing for their trip to Europe. Monsters couldn't compare to gifteds.

Hunting serial killers... Who would've thought? Kayla pulled her scarf over her mouth and kept marching on.

To be a little nervous, that was natural. To not be nervous at all, was pure stupidity.

Let's say Amelia; the little fourteen-year-old, was somewhere between natural and scared to death. Somehow, she had convinced the guardians to let her come along, despite her being literally one of the youngest students in the school. Maybe it helped that she also happened to have grown up in the chilly state? Murderers in the area, that is what had ticked her interest. I wonder how we'll know who they are?

Wrapped in a huge, deceivingly cheerful yellow coat, she made her appear much younger than what she really was. She was her own bait, walking slightly off would lure any attacker to the 'little girl'. She was well-equipped, no shortage of knives anywhere. Hidden in the fuzzy warmth of the jacket was her own weapon, made by a friend. That would be shown later, if it was needed.

Amelia gazed over her companions with her dark gray eyes, giving people she didn't know little mental nicknames. Kayla was 'Grumpy,' for example. Snow collected on the hood of her coat, freezing the edge fur to itself.