2057: Onyx's Story-Chapter One

Onyx woke up screaming. She was having nightmares. Again. Sometimes, in her dreams, her uncle was coming to take her. Other times, she was reliving her parents' deaths.
Taking a deep breath, the fourteen-year-old girl assessed where she was. The back of an alley loomed before her eyes. Where am I? She thought. Then she remembered.
She was in her hometown when she heard that her Uncle was looking for her. She was scared. Her uncle was a lunatic. A drunk, raving lunatic. He had often hurt her and even threatened to kill her. Why did he want to take care of her anyways? She could take care of herself. After that she ran away. With her parents dead and her closest living relative a drunk who she wouldn't trust with her lunch money, what could she do? She boarded a train heading westward and put as much distance as possible between her hometown and herself. Maybe that was why she was in one of Los Angeles' suburbs. She got off the train, stumbled into an alleyway, and abruptly passed out.
"Okay," she muttered ,"Now what?" She started crying. Something she barely did, even when she was young. Her parents had often said she wasn't normal. Onyx knew she wasn't normal, but she could at least cry.
She remembered her mother, Piratica, who had been named after her great-great-great aunt. She was the nicest person you could meet, with her fiery red hair matching her temper. And her father, tall and dark. She didn't know what to do without them.
Onyx pushed back a strand of raven black hair and willed her eyes, both her bright luminescent green one and her dark hypnotic purple eye, which literally absorbed all the light around it, to stop crying. Her gaze was often disconcerting. Her long, slightly metallic hair was possibly the prettiest thing about her.
Maybe that was why she was a troubled kid.
She got caught up in the wrong type of group, the type that did drugs, stole, and even killed people sometimes. A gang. She never did any drugs, but she did have a lot of experiences pick pocketing and shoplifting. She had actually smuggled drugs in the past, but she had never done any.
Her purple shirt clung to her like a glove. Onyx stroked the red hourglass on her chest nervously. What was she going to do now? Well, she was an apt thief, and there was always the possibility of a job. But she needed a place to stay.
Her parents had often told her that she should always know where she was going and that she needed a place to stay. But Onyx was the contrary child, always doing the opposite of what she was told.
She started gathering her items and stuffing them into her red cargo pants: a brush, a blanket, a dagger, a gun, and a pair of gloves. They were all she had to her name.
Well, what d'we have here?" asked a low, threatening voice behind her.
Onyx froze. Someone was directly behind her in the alleyway. She concentrated, only one heartbeat, and only one person breathing: only one of them.
Onyx was in a bad mood. If she had told her friends that, they would have snickered, but they would also have backed away, giving her space. They would have known what was coming, but this new target was as good as dead.
"I asked you a question girl! Now who the hell are you?"
Onyx whirled around, her gun pointing directly at the young man's chest. Her dagger was already in his other hand. "Your worst nightmare," she said, pronouncing each syllable clearly.
Now that she saw the boy, she knew more about him. He was tall and broad, probably a football player. He was about four years older than herself, maybe eighteen or nineteen. He looked like her had been beaten up recently. A glint of fear clouded his eyes. He was also carrying a gun, a gun that was pointing directly at her. Onyx didn't know if he knew how to use it.
"Look, I didn't want any trouble..." stuttered the boy.
"Then why are you causing it?" she replied, cocking her gun.
"You wouldn't kill me, would you?" he said, quietly.
"Look, I wasn't the one pointing the gun in the first place. If you walk away right now I won't kill you," she said.
The boy's eyes narrowed, "You're bluffing."
Onyx knew that if she let her guard down he would kill her. An evil grin crept across her face, "Too late." She pulled the trigger.
Two strong hands grabbed Onyx from behind and shoved her into the wall. Another person snatched her gun away form her grasp.
Onyx moved her dagger to stab at the person behind her. Nobody took away her weapons.
The second attacker grabbed her wrist and slammed it against the wall, swearing. It fell with a clatter.
"Let go of me, you [bleep] heads?" Onyx screeched.
The first attacker slammed her to the ground.
Onyx gasped for breath. The world reeled around her. Suddenly, she found her voice, "Give me back my [bleep]'n weapons, you dicks!"
"We caught ourselves a fiesty one here," said the first attacker, "Too bad she killed Dash first though. I almost like this [bleep]."
Onyx spat in his face.
"I dunno, whaddaya say we just slit her throat and rob her blind?" sneered the second attacker.
Onyx was screaming again, "Let go of me you [bleep]'n [bleep]! Gimme back my gun and dagger you bloody [bleep]"
The first attacker looked up, "Miz Autumn, giv-us-a hand."
Onyx's head snapped up. A girl her age was standing in front of her. She had long midnight blue and brown hair and a ragged appearance.
The girl sighed, and grabbed Onyx by the arm and dragged her away.
"What's your name?" Autumn asked kindly.
"Doesn't matter, give me my gun," Onyx demanded, then added mockingly, "Miss Autumn?"
"The name is just Autumn. Tell me your story and I'll give you your bloody weapons!"
"My story matters less than my name." Onyx muttered.
Autumn twirled the dagger on her finger. Onyx watched it, "Okay."
Autumn smiled viciously. Her leaf green eyes gleaming with a sly look. The midnight blue in her brown hair standing out violently.
"My name is Onyx..." Onyx began, and told her the entire story. She was crying again by the end of it.
"Onyx," Autumn said softly afterwards, handing over her weapons, "Come with me."
Onyx trudged after her. She needed help. No matter how questionable it was.
She followed Autumn for a while and was led underground, into an office.
"Bran," Autumn said, entering the office, "I've got a new recruit."
Bran looked at Onyx, scrutinizing her. Onyx glared back, taking full advantage of her disconcerting appearance.
"Good, you need a partner anyways," Bran said. His voice betrayed nothing, but to Onyx's satisfaction, his face betrayed a mild fright.
"Partner! Partner! Bran, I work alone!" Autumn snapped.
"Please Autumn, whoever kidnapped Trevor is probably after you, and I don't want you to get hurt."
Autumn sighed, "Fine! Pills first, though."
Bran gave Autumn a warm smile, "No, come back later after you inform Ms...?"
"Onyx," said Onyx with finality. She was liking this person less and less.