Wow. It's been awhile. A really, really, really, really, really long while. For those who have previously read my stories, you'll probably understand. If not, then . . . hi!

I've just not had much inspiration in the MR fandom of the late (year). I've been busy with school (only three more days left in my freshmen year, it's crazy), and general life. The demand of writing for FF didn't really fit into my schedule. Obviously, I continued writing . . . just off and on, when I got the chance.

I think it's time to reappear once more, though. I'm pretty excited, so I hope you enjoy!

Equinox

Chapter One

The Winter Solstice was upon us. For most people -normal people- that meant nothing other than the shortest day of the year. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it), I wasn't a normal person.

Not in the slightest.

"You ready?" The voice came from above me, dripping down to my ears. The tick of excitement in his words sent a little trill of its own up my spine.

I grinned automatically, quipping back easily: "I was born ready. Haven't you learned that by now?"

There was a brief moment of darkness following my words, as a large mass swung across the bright fluorescent light filtering from the ceiling. Dylan landed with a muted thump a few feet in front of me, nimble on his toes. He shot me a smug look, stretching his hands. Callouses riddled the expanse of his palms, due to excess exploration of the beams stretching like a labyrinth above us.

"Yeah, yeah," he remarked with an added roll of his eyes. "This is the first Solstice job they've let us go out on, though. You aren't even a little worried?"

"Worried?" I scoffed. "I'm up for the challenge, no big deal. Why, is wittle Dylan afraid of a few big bad monsters?" I teased, poking him hard in the shoulder. He knocked my hand away from where it dug into his skin, visibly straightening.

"No. Just didn't want you whining the entire time," he muttered, his turquoise eyes flashing brilliantly.

I shook my head, but let the subject drop. The last thing I needed before going out on a mission, especially one of this caliber, was a wounded companion. Dylan's ego was relatively easy to nurse back to health, but his arrogance would lead to trouble for the both of us in case of an emergency.

Our shoes echoed through the hall in the silence that encompassed us. We moved down the solid squares of granite at a steady pace, falling easily into perfectly synchronized step. The thunk of our boots bounced off the rafters, shooting the sound higher and higher.

I was just brushing a strand of dark blonde hair that had twisted from its braid out of my face, when my ears siphoned out a single scratching sound unlike any of the usual creakings of the building. Casting a sidelong glance at Dylan, I gently brushed my fingertips against his hand as they swung past each other. His eyes shifted imperceptibly, immediately adopting the same caution.

Paranoia was a blissful thing. It kept you alive in dangerous situations.

My head shifted, roaming. I fought my urges to look back, gritting my teeth as I forced myself to stare straight ahead. The familiar gray walls seemed to expand forever, nothing imposing on the great stretch aside from the doorways cut into them.

There was another shift in silence, like a shoe scuffing against a surface. It was followed by an intake of breath, and a barely muted thump.

From those three noises alone, which would be barely detected by the average human, I was able to pinpoint the exact location of whoever was trailing us. Tilting my head, I indicated the general area above us. Dylan glanced down at his shirt in a nod, flicking at a nonexistant piece of lint on the snug green v-neck.

Still trailing along at the same speed, I methodically tapped the side of my thigh. At the third beat, we both swung into action.

He crouched down, interlocking his fingers to create a cradle. They were barely fortified together before my foot found its way into his snug hold. I bent at the knees, leaping upwards with Dylan's momentum helping me along. My hands steadily gripped the edge of the wooden beam, worn smooth and soft under the feet of many generations. Without pausing, I continued the motion, swinging the rest of my body up and over. My movements were fluid and graceful; practiced and with ease.

There was a shocked yelp as I wrestled a fist full of cloth into my grip. I grinned before pushing my unfortunate victim into Dylan's awaiting arms below. They wrestled for a few moments, before finally finishing with their grappling and stepping away.

My smug smile was still in place as I dropped lightly to the floor.

"What do you think you're doing, Gasman?" I demanded, trading in my triumphant expression for one of stern disapproval.

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, raising his chin defiantly. It was hard to take him seriously through the curtain of angelic blonde curls obscuring his baby blue eyes, but I did my best.

"I'm going with you guys," he insisted, further narrowing his eyes.

Dylan laughed, the sound resounding deep in his throat. "I don't think so, kid."

This oblivious prod at his age was obviously a tender subject for Gazzy. Being only nine, he was at somewhat of a stalemate. He no longer wished to be treated like a child, yet he was still too childish to be thought of as anything otherwise.

I shot Dylan an admonishing look all the same, attempting to sympathize.

"Gazzy . . ." I began hesitantly, but he interrupted.

"Come on, Max! You guys always get to do things. I'm never even allowed to leave here! It's like prison, only with better food. It's not fair," he complained, pouting visibly now.

I looked over his shoulder at Dylan, my eyes pleading for assistance. In response he threw his hands up and shook his head, indicating that the situation was all mine. I thought up a few colorful names for him then, but stored them away for future reference.

You never knew.

"Look, I get it. I really do. But it's too dangerous for you," I explained, futilely wishing that it would be enough to subdue him. Gazzy's spirit was too much like mine, though; like fire.

Too stubborn for his own good.

"I've been training for this stuff since I was a baby! I can do it. I know I can. Nobody gives me a chance to prove myself, though."

I sighed, bending down to his level. I ruffled his golden curls affectionately, giving him a lopsided smile. "Your chance will come. Probably sooner than you think. Not on a Solstice night, though. They've never even let us go before, and look how long we've been hunting. Trust me. It'll be your time before you even know it."

He stared at me wordlessly for a few moments, before blowing out a heavy breath. His shoulders sagged as he walked back in the direction he had come from, grumbling angrily the entire way. I watched him for a few moments; his lanky arms and legs, the muscle starting to build beneath. His intentions were good. His instincts even more so.

He'd be the best yet.

When I finally tore my gaze away, my eyes met Dylan's calculating ones. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly, and he appeared to be attempting to solve some enigma.

I raised an eyebrow of my own, saying: "Shall we?"

A few seconds after my proceeding down the corridor, he quickly made up the distance, jumping back into step beside me.

The shuffle of our movements resumed, resounding in the palpable silence once more. Not awkward; comfortable. Everything, even moments of absolute quiet, had their purpose here. Life was a routine: monotonous and numbing. Once you stepped outside of the careful fortification, though . . . all of it changed.

The world that existed beyond these walls was a wild one. It was full of incomprehensible dangers. We were the reason that people didn't fear the things that go bump in the night. Our sole purpose was to feed their ignorance; make them believe it was all lies.

In order to maintain the peace between humans and those of paranormal variety, our existence was born.

Not even a minute later I came to a sound halt, Dylan following suit. I pushed open the nondescript door, revealing what appeared to be a small cleaning closet within. There was a tall shelf on all three sides, laden with buckets, mops, disinfectant sprays, and clean towels.

It was a clever disguise.

Swallowing thickly I stepped inside, shuffling awkwardly as Dylan joined me. My shoulder pressed into cold metal, and a clammy sweat broke out along the nape of my neck. I fought a shudder as Dylan inched the door shut, until no light except for the dull sheen sneaking through the thin crack at the bottom existed.

I was slightly claustrophobic, to say the least.

While I worried at my bottom lip, Dylan had turned his back to me. As my vision adjusted, I could see his vague outline. He was rummaging through a pile of cloths, reaching for something behind them. A small noise of triumph escaped between his lips seconds later.

There was a flash as he swung back around to face me, holding his arms out awkwardly as he passed the object into my hands. I worked quickly after that, punching in a string of numbers on the keypad. Upon pressing the enter button, I expected a slight rumble to pass beneath our feet, followed by the hiss of a door sliding open.

Contrary to that, nothing happened. At all.

"Wha-?" I began to ask, when I was abruptly cut off by the spontaneous blinding light that imposed on my pupils. Squeezing them shut, I winced at the sting that was slowly wearing off.

Once I could actually see again, I squinted to where the door leading back into the hallway had been roughly torn open. A tall, rigid form was framed by the fluorescent lights beaming in. With arms crossed, their narrowed slits for eyes could be seen flagrantly.

"What do we have here?"

Marian Janssen. She was, unfortunately, one of the head honchos. She was the leading scientist on the board, overseeing all the experimentation on paranormal creatures. Mostly dead, but occasionally they brought in a live specimen for some variation.

I hated her. The only joy she found was in torturing everyone around her. Especially me . . . like now, for instance.

"Is there a problem?" I asked sweetly, sugar coating every available surface of my words. By the menacing curl of her lips, I could tell she wasn't buying my politeness. Not even for a second.

She seemed to ignore my question, instead choosing to follow up with a nerve twisting rant of her own.

"Tonight, as both of you very well know, is a Solstice night. That means every single monster in existence will be clawing their way from their graves, and haunting the humans we seek to protect. Not only do we have to multiply the number of hunters being sent out, but they too will gain power. Now, we at the science department are still working fervidly to understand - and hopefully one day maintain- why, exactly, these nights boost them as they do. For the time being, though, it's as it has always been."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Save the history lesson," I interrupted brashly, arms crossed over my chest in a mirror of her stature. "We talked to Anne. She gave us the OK. We're allowed to hunt tonight. Don't waste your breath, alright?"

My words were met with harsh laughter. With a cruel look in her already glaring eyes, she said: "Well then I'm sorry to break it to you, but she sent me here to inform you that she's changed her mind."

I pressed my lips together in a harsh line, in order to keep the incredulous look off my face. At my side, I could feel Dylan shifting in annoyance.

"Out there, right now, is no place for a child; no matter how cynical they've come to be," she whispered critically. Then, she straightened visibly, adopting a pleasant smile. "Now, it's getting late. Off to bed for you two."

It's kind of dull at the moment, I know. The next few chapters probably will be. I don't like automatically jumping into things, though. I'd like to create SOME sort of base and introduction for the story. Thus said, you'll have to bear with me somewhat for the first few chapters. Things will eventually pick up speed, but a lot of concepts need to be revealed so that the story can make some semblance of sense. Patience, my dears.

Anyway! I know I'm a little rusty. However, I would appreciate some feedback. Don't be shy, drop me a review! Tell me how your day is going. Rant about irrelevant things (just don't forget to mention the story at some point).