The children had been flying for a little while. Dancing in the air, laughing like children do. They had landed a bit away from most of the city buildings. But it wasn't that big, it was Boden. They hadn't seen much of it though, their lost souls were doomed to live in the shadows. Always on the run, for the newly infected blond-haird boy it was unusual. But still very bearable, with his beloved pal around. It was just like a game.
So they landed, trying not to awake the snow. But it was not to be avoided, they broke. Screamed, luckily only these two small birds could hear. These with skinned wings and fare faces. Light weighed and smooth. They looked around themselves, it was not dark for their slim eyes. Lampposts lit in orange, drew exiting shadows over benches and trees. The children laughed, they had already decided what to play. But in a short time it would not be as funny anymore. The dark one had decided, hide and seek was their new thing. He had told the blond one why, it was practice.
"You have to be able to find me." He had said. "Just like I find you, every time." At first the blond one had not liked this game. A stroke of fear would run though his sick heart, what if his pal was never to be found? That the blond one failed, and something had happened. But after a few rounds he had gone more comfortable with the dark searching. And he grew better at it by each time. And now was the time again.
"...97,98,99. A hundred. Now I'm coming!" The blond child smiled, looked around himself. Bare chested and with brown pants covering his now slightly slimmer legs. His feet were bare, just like his dark-haired pal's feet were. His tracks made the smells dance, and the blond one followed them blindly, still with a grin over his mouth. It would naturally take a while before his pal would be found. That was the funniest part.
The men's feet crushed the ever resting snow. It made them twist and jump, try to scream of pain. But the men, the humans did not hear them. The humans walked past benches and trees. Along this snowed path that had been stepped down. The men laughed, alcohol amd nikotine ran through their veins as they smoked. They threw the snipes away and joked about that prostitute they had just passed buy in town. They were probably on their way home, but who knew? Maybe they wouldn't make it?
The dark one had buried himself down in the snow. Even the smells of him would be dimmed, making it impossible for his mate to find him with his eyes, ears or nose. He would have to use other senses. The dark one smiled, looked at the white crystals in front of his eyes. The details of every screaming and suffering snowflake. As if each snowflake had five or six arms sticking out of it's center. Beating like a cold heart, shimmering in the moonlight. Covering him like an extra skin, waiting to rip. The dark one smiled wider, blushed slightly. He was looking forward to his mate finding him, he felt like giving the blond one a nice price this time. More than just a smile and a hug, something closer. Something like a kiss. The snowflakes melted on his worm face, became water. The dark one still grinned slightly when he closed his eyes, waited in complete silence. He even stopped breathing, just for the fun of it.
The men saw a small light figure, making the shadows uncertain of what to do. Moving fast yet standing somewhat still. The shape did move, but not on a big scale. As of it shock, or trembled. But it was not that, one of the men though. Looking at this small person, he had figured.
Once they got closer they understood they were watching a child's bare back crawl in the snow. The child whispered to itself, with short blond hair. Seemingly a boy, but the men could never be too sure. As soon as their shadows covered the snow in front of the child's sight the blond one turned around. Looked at the great men gazing down at him. The boy stood up fast, but did not move anymore than just that. He stood there, like a tree, stuck to the ground. Its roots were strong. Buried in the snow, the snowflakes trembled. Nobody knew where this would lead.
One of the men whispered with a shivering voice, also filled with amazement:
"Ain't that the boy on the news? Ya know. From south?" One of them nodded.
"Sure looks like it." One of them stepped ahead. Walked over to the blond one who still did not respond, all though we would all wish him to. The man grabbed his arm, the boy did not show any struggle. His eyes were big and blank, his face expressionless. His skin was pale as any other swede during winter, his skin was flawless, as of any child's skin. The orange lights from a lamppost near by reflected in his eyes. It almost looked like his pupils were light up.
"Come on boy, walk with us." The boy tried to step back, but the man still held around his bare arm, and dragged him forward.
"No.. I can't.. I.." The boy whispered, still struck with fear. Then a strong breath grew from within him and his face got tense. He opened his mouth and yelled with all his plight:
"Eli!"
They stood there for a while, waiting for something to happen, listening. Some of them looked up, tried to find a sound they could care about. The man that held the boy's arm looked at his catch. Smiled a bit even.
"And who's that? Your kidnapper?" The boy looked up at the man. Still with blank big eyes, something was odd though. With the boy's eyes. He had moved away from the orange glow, his eyes had grown darker. Something seemed empty, almost one-colored. The man couldn't quite see what it was, 'cause it was too dark.
"No." The boy said. "I ran away, now leave me alone." Tears started running from his eyes, his teeth showed. Flat with well shaped lips around it, whispering with an uncertain agony. His lower lip shock weakly.
Then a voice came from behind the boy, and a pale girl's face appeared, resting in the darkness.
"You can do it, you're strong now remember?" The boy turned around. He half smiled half cried.
"But I don't want to kill them." He replied. The men started laughing.
"Little boy, what are you talking about?" The man who held the blond one's arm asked. The boy did not answer, he still looked at the girl.
"Let's just leave them, let's just.." The boy said, but did not get to finish. The dark one spoke, out of turn.
"They know who you are, knew you were here. They'll tell the police anyway, and we'll have to move again. We just got here right?" The blond one did not answer, the boy looked down at his feet. Sighed deeply, the man was puzzled. Something was not right, he could sometimes feel in his belly if something was about to go wrong. It twisted and turned, shouted and trembled. Right now it did, and he did not like it at all.
"What's going on here?" He looked behind him, the few men had stepped back, they seemed to sense the very same thing. The man risking his honor and bragging from the police, let go of the boy's arm who's still turned from him. His fingers were like glue, and when he slowly released a sticking sound was made. The man could not clearly see it though, he could only feel it. While the snow rested and the world was silent for a while.
The man was alone, stood in the snow who waited for him to do anything. Not that they were on his team, they always were more fond of children. No matter what they said, they were the ones who played in the snow. It was the children who lived with them, breathed along with them. And they looked the man over, from top to toe. They giggled, now this would be quite a sight.
The other men had run, left him to... Something, he did not know. Something bad. The blond boy had stared him up and down, considering weather he should do it or not. The girl had taken his hand, ordered him to kill the man. No way that they could do that right? The man had thought many times by now. The snow had laughed harder, and whispered: Oh yes they can. If only the man could hear, but he was just a human.
The boy had told him to walk a few steps back, and sit. The man did as the boy said, the dark one did not smile. Then as the man gazed up on the boy who stood there, preparing himself to step ahead. The man's gut feelings told him that this, this was how it would end. Somehow. The boy looked down at him, he had that special expression. Last time he saw it he told his son he couldn't attend on his birthday. Because of work, he had lied. And somehow his son knew, and gave him this hurt look. Staring at him like a thousand knives, poking and teasing his heart. This blond half naked boy had they very same look. His eyes were so tender, so broken. He had moved into the light again, the man had expected to see his pupils go from big to small. But it went from a small line to a small round normal pupil, the man's mouth opened. Then he shock his head fast, no way. He had thought. Yes way, the snowflakes whispered, like elves hiding behind trees. Wanting him to get hurt, just because he was big. Bigger than them.
But then the boy let go of the girl's hand, his face grew sharp. But still sad, as if he was about to cry but held it in. But just a glimpse of it. Not quite, and it confused the man. The dark-haired girl looked at him, she also looked puzzled. The snow tiled their flakes, didn't seem to understand either.
"I know it is safest, and that I agreed to do what you said on these things, but I won't." The boy said, from looking down he looked up at his friend. He sighed deeply again, then he continued.
"If I don't have to I won't. And besides, I am not hungry, it's different then. We have like three witnesses already, one more would not make any difference. Please don't get mad at me." The girl did not say anything, she just slowly stepped in front of him and put out her hands on both of his tiny shoulders. The man only saw the back of her head. But the snowflakes could see a face filled with joy and relief. The girl sighed heavenly with a light breath, her dark and beautiful eyes were blank. The man could however see how happily surprised the boy got, the man almost half smiled. Almost cared.
The girl's hands moved from his shoulders to his soft cheeks. Along the way slowly stroking both sides of his neck. The boy lifted his hands and placed them over hers, stroked them with his thumbs. Then he started whispering. But the man could actually hear this, and the snow smiled widely while they listened.
"Well of course not. You stood up for me, you're getting stronger. You don't want to, but you have to. That's what part us from others of our kind. We are alike, and you're not a monster." The boy laughed.
"You son of a bitch, you tricked me!" They giggled, the back of the girl's head nodded.
"Yes I did, and you passed." She responded, and then she moved his head she still held closer to hers.
"And besides, I like it when you get like this." They laughed again the boy moved his hands over to her face. The man could see their heads being very close, moving slightly up and down together. The weak sounds of lips touching and dragging filled the deep air. The man looked at them, he didn't seem to get it. But the snowflakes did, and they started to dance around them. Singing the song of their kind. Making the wind whistle.
After about seven seconds, not that the man counted, they parted with wide smiles. The man could only see the boy's cheeks ball up, the shadows of his face became clearer. He wasn't as scared anymore now, and he let go of himself and got up on his legs again. The children turner around, looked at him.
"So can I go now or what?" He asked, with a dark and still a little bit scared voice. The boy nodded slightly.
"Now spend your life well, with the ones you love. We just spared you, always remember that." The girl said. The boy put out his hand, pointed at the man.
"And never get drunk in front of your kids, that feels awful!" The girl grabbed his hand, put it slowly down. They smiled to each other.
"Let's go now." The girl said, started twinning her fingers into his. Then the both of them looked over at the man for the last time. It seemed like they enjoyed seeing someone standing in front of them, unhurt and unaware of what he just got out of.
"Please do not speak of this, bye bye now." The girl said while she smiled. She was beautiful like a doll. The boy smiled too, and continued:
"And be kind to your children. Make sure they have friends at school." The girl laughed and said:
"Let's give him a life lesson about bullying and pedophilia also shall we?" The man could see how the boy tightened his grip on the girl's hand.
"I'd rather not." He said calmly. Then he smiled and said, while looking at the man again.
"Good bye."
The children started moving, and before he knew it they were gone. Had run as fast he could barley see it. Now it was silent, and their footprints in the snow still lingered. The snow under it was now free to move, and started soaring towards the sky, following the wind. They danced slowly as the man looked at the empty air, still thinking this though. He probably thought of his son, but the snowflakes could not be so sure. They flew into the air as the man started walking slowly. They never saw him nor the children again. And good was that.