One, a Falcon must soar above others. Two, a Falcon must keep the peace in times of distress. Three, a Falcon must never draw unnecessary blood. Four, a Tiger must be swift and silent. Five, a Tiger wears scars as a band of honour. Six, a Tiger will die to protect their cause. Seven, a Reaper must show courage in the face of danger. Eight, a Reaper will kill the few to save the many. Nine, a Reaper fights with honour for justice. Ten, a Reaper never gives in!

Rhea spoke the ten rules in her head to steady her nerves. Now that she had calmed down she turned to face the shadows. They were still there, slithering around. There was only one this time, probably a scout. That was the thing with Them, They might have been mere shadows but they were organised shadows. If there had been more than one she would have turned on the security lights. Light didn't kill Them but it kept Them away. They were afraid of light so Rhea immersed herself in it whenever she had the opportunity. She sighed, letting out a ragged breath, and stepped away from the window. The shadows had haunted her for too long now. She paced backwards til she reached the phone. She waited for its signature shrill ring and felt herself tense when it finally came. She picked up the reciever and held it to her ear. Silence. Their silence.

"You think I can't see you out there? I know what you're like. You don't scare me anymore. I'm not the little girl you orphaned, y'know. So you know what? I'm going to track you down and destroy you if it's the last thing I do" she said calmly and slammed the reciever back down.

She picked it up again and immediately called Tristan. He would help her. He always did. The phone rang six times before anyone picked up. "Tris, I need your help" she said, trying to sound calm.

"Tristan's not home at the moment. I'll let him know you called" the icy voice of his girlfriend Ivy said.

"I know he's there, Ivy, I can hear him laughing. I'd appreciate it if you gave him the phone, it's some pretty important Reaper stuff".

"If it's Reaper stuff why's he involved?"

"I'm sorry, Ivy, but I can't disclose that information".

"Fine, be difficult".

A second later, Tristan's voice sounded on the phone. "What's up, Rhee? Ivy said something about Reaper work".

"That wasn't strictly true. Tris, I need your help".

"See, now that's why she doesn't like you. 'Cause you lie to her".

"She doesn't like me because she thinks I'm trying to steal you from her. Tris, are you going to help me or what?"

"What's happened?" he asked with an unintentional sigh.

"They're back. But I'm not afraid anymore. I'm going to find Them and kill them if it's the last thing I do. But I can't do it on my own".

"Look, Rhee, I know I've stood by you all this time but... I tell you what, I'll tell head office about it. Y'know, get a dispatch team on it".

Rhea didn't bother replying. She hung up and her breath caught in her throat. Tristan didn't believe her. She choked away a tear and grabbed her car keys. She'd trap one of Them and take it to Tristan. Then he'd believe her...

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Author guidance for This story

Wow. Just an idea that was playing havoc in my head. I'm not sure whether I'll make anything out of this... I'm sure I'll get round to it one of these days. Anyway, I like it. It's easy for me, too. There's only four characters worth mentioning: Rhea, Tristan, Jonas (hoho, I wonder who he could be) and Them. Yes, Them. Those that are Them. Adios!

updated Sep 1 '09 by Alley