《I, Paladin (an urban fantasy novel)》 Chapter One CLASSIFIED Sacra Aedes Archive: Ref. No. 4302. Agent File: Seven, ¡°Della Garvison¡±, Vol. 1 Contents: Journal entries dated May 2004¡ªJuly 2006 Librarian Note: This is the personal account of Agent Seven¡¯s training in her own words and therefore subject to interpretation and personal perspective. References: See Biography¡ªThornhill, Amelia; Biography¡ªAgent Thirteen. Chapter One It was a warm May night in Guthrie, Oklahoma, but not so warm to be uncomfortable for walking home. I took the turn off Main Street and cut behind the drugstore. When I say ¡°drugstore¡±, I don¡¯t mean a Walgreens or anything like that¡ªit was a Mom-and-Pop store same as most of the businesses in Downtown. ¡°Little girls shouldn¡¯t be alone in the dark at night,¡± a voice said. A chill ran up my spine. Turning in a circle, I looked around me. The air was eerily quiet. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Gravel on the asphalt crunched under my shoes. A man came out of the shadows, tall and gaunt. He was dressed like a homeless person, his clothes dirty, tattered, and torn. Tightening my grip on the strap of my backpack, I prepared to run, backing away toward the public street. Suddenly, he wasn¡¯t in sight anymore. My heart pounded against my ribs. ¡°Boo,¡± he said behind me. I jumped and screamed. Pretty quick on my feet, I thought I could make it inside the drugstore. A sharp tug on my backpack pulled me backward and I almost landed on my butt. The man pounced, smelling like garbage, something rotten and metallic. I pushed his face away. He howled in pain¡ªmaybe I poked his eye¡ªand came at me again. His eyes were red¡ªnot bloodshot, but with red irises. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. They were nothin¡¯ like movie eyes with the contacts you know are fake. Some instinct within me said you¡¯re going to die if you don¡¯t do something now. He kept trying to bite me and it was all I could do to flail my arms, trying to scrabble back from underneath him. My hands landed on his face again and I pushed, my heart pounding in my ears to the point of making me deaf. Bright light, heat, and no more man. Ashes floated down on my clothes and the asphalt. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°You tapped into your power.¡± A woman walked into view from the corner of the building. ¡°Well done.¡± I scrambled to my feet. ¡°Stay away.¡± She wore a tweed suit, wire-frame glasses, and her hair pulled back tight. If she told me she was from The Watcher¡¯s Council, I was going to hunt down whoever put hallucinogens in my Coke at the diner. She held up her hands to show they were empty. ¡°There is no reason to fear me, Della.¡± My name sounded weird pronounced with a proper English accent. ¡°How do you know my name?¡± For every step she took forward, I retreated. This was already too much scary for me. This was Guthrie¡ªnothing truly bad happened here! ¡°I was sent to find you. I represent an agency dedicated to protecting humanity from evil. You have a gift, Della. A higher purpose.¡± ¡°No offense, lady, but I think you¡¯re off your meds. I¡¯m goin¡¯ home and you can go back to England or wherever it is you came from.¡± ¡°Please,¡± the blonde said. ¡°We can teach you to harness your talents. You just reduced a vampire to dust. Aren¡¯t you the least bit curious how you did that?¡± I laughed. Doubled-over-belly-hurting-on-the-verge-of-manic kind of laughter. A vampire? How could she possibly expect me to believe that? ¡°Lady¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened tonight. I just wanna go home.¡± Got maybe five steps, when she added the incentive. ¡°We¡¯ll pay for your education.¡± I sighed. She had done her research, somehow. I wanted to be the first woman in my immediate family to go to college. Much as the diner was home, I didn¡¯t want to work there all my life like my mother and the generations before me. The blonde handed me a business card, holding it out by the tip of the paper. I took it and ran home. It was a relief to get safely inside our little house with its budget Country Home d¨¦cor and the scent of Pledge. Mama must¡¯ve dusted before going into the diner today. Parched from my run, I went straight to the fridge and guzzled an orange pop. The adrenaline started wearing off, and despite it being May, the sweat on my back began to chill. My hands shook. But none of what happened before I got home was real, so I showered and went to bed early. It wasn¡¯t real. Couldn¡¯t be. There was a logical explanation that had nothing to do with monsters from the movies. Had to be. In the morning, I¡¯d continue sophomore year like the average middle-of-the-country kid I was and this would only be a blip. A stupid little memory. The business card would disappear in tomorrow¡¯s trash. There could be no vampires in Guthrie. Chapter Two and Chapter Three Chapter Two Guide¡¯s Entry Testing Miss Garvison was a success. Conversing with her afterwards¡ªnot so much. However, I¡¯ve been warned this is a common reaction to learning about the supernatural, so I shall redouble my efforts to bring Miss Garvison on board as soon as possible. I remain mindful of what is at stake. Perhaps¡­a different tack will be more persuasive.
Chapter Three My days started early. Mama dropped me off at school at 7:00AM on her way to the diner. Breakfast service started at nine (except Sundays), but restaurants required a lot of prep work. After school, I¡¯d walk to the diner to put in my shift until sundown, and then walk home, or sometimes if it was a quiet night she¡¯d let the staff run the dinner shift and we¡¯d come home together. I wasn¡¯t going to be valedictorian, but I got good grades, participated in activities, and did some volunteer stuff. My focus was on college. Didn¡¯t know what came after that. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Sunday mornings, Mama and I went to church together, then she¡¯d be at the diner for lunch hours while I did any Friday-assigned homework until youth group in the evening. Like I said¡ªnormal. Guthrie was a 10,000-ish-people town thirty minutes outside Oklahoma City. The first capital of the state, matter of fact. We had a Historic District and everything, but the major point was nothing exciting or seriously dangerous ever happened here. I would know¡ªmy family had been in the area since the Land Rush in the 1800s. By the afternoon, there had been no more weirdness and I started to breathe easier. Nothin¡¯ but a bad dream. Until Mom came home. The crazy English lady met with my mother at the dinner, spinning a compelling tale about representing a summer camp looking for smart teens with a penchant for service. Humanitarian aid training, focus on the downtrodden¡­all the right buttons to push in a Bible-believin¡¯ mother. Bonus: they were offering a scholarship so I could attend for free. ¡°Mama, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s kinda weird she shows up out of the blue with offers on a silver platter?¡± ¡°Gladys from the Episcopalian church vouched for her. Oh, Della, it¡¯s only a summer program. This¡¯ll be good for you! You love hearing about faraway places when the missionaries visit.¡± I folded my arms over my chest. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s tellin¡¯ us everything.¡± Understatement! Her pale blue gaze pinned mine. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta trust people sometimes, Della Garvison. Now quit fussin¡¯ about it. I already filled out the release form and that¡¯s final. If you want out of Guthrie, we¡¯re gonna need some help and this will look good on your college application.¡± There was no arguing with her once she made up her mind. ¡°Yes, Mama.¡± She wanted me to save the world with good intentions. Little did either of us know, yet, it would mostly happen at the point of a sword. But I¡¯m gettin¡¯ ahead of myself. Chapter Four and Chapter Five Chapter Four Guide¡¯s Entry These recruitments were notoriously more difficult when the subject had parents or guardians that cared. My research into the Garvison family had shown there was no chance Della¡¯s mother would agree to a scenario that carried her daughter away before the end of the school year, let alone met the idea without suspicion, so I was forced to be patient. I returned to London until I could collect my charge. Chapter Five In the weeks before school ended, I had no strange encounters. The British lady hadn¡¯t darkened our doorstep again, either. Started to hope Mom would forget about that ¡®summer camp¡¯ and I wouldn¡¯t have to leave home with a stranger. No such luck. In early June, I got on a plane with Miss Thornhill. Once again, she was dressed like she should be in some fancy office. ¡°Can you stop fidgeting, please? These seats are too close together for you to keep wiggling about,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t get comfortable.¡± Tugging on the hem of my shorts, I switched my crossed legs so my jiggling foot didn¡¯t bump her. ¡°Why in heavens not?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nervous, okay?¡± ¡°Della, I promise we have the best intentions. You¡¯re special to us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that¡ªthough I want to be clear I¡¯m here because my mother said so.¡± A breath, then I admitted my lack of culture with, ¡°I¡¯ve never flown before.¡± ¡°Really? At sixteen?¡± Sat up straighter and gave her some side-eye. ¡°If you noticed, we¡¯re not exactly rollin¡¯ in dough. Never had the occasion, ¡®kay?¡± The only times I¡¯d been away from home had been for church camps, and I¡¯d known the youth leaders my whole life. She held up delicate hands. Narrow fingers and a perfect manicure of short pink nails. ¡°No judgment. You know, statistically speaking it is safer to fly in an airplane than be in a car on the highway.¡± ¡°Swell.¡± The car still had the advantage of being on the ground. But of course I was worried about where I was going, which I had no clue about. The brochure didn¡¯t include an address other than rural New York. Was it a cult? A child slavery ring? Something worse? My fingers rubbed the cross pendant I always wore and I sent up a silent prayer this wouldn¡¯t end in tragedy. She¡¯d allowed me to bring music, so I passed the hours with Mama¡¯s old Walkman and a few classic tapes I¡¯d heard on the radio all my life. Can¡¯t go wrong with Dolly Parton and the Mandrell Sisters. Or Johnny Cash or The Oak Ridge Boys. Or Kenny Rogers. Mama loved Country from the ¡®80s. We eventually landed in New York City, then Miss Thornhill escorted me to a car and we drove into the boonies. From the driveway, the property was nothing special¡ªjust two long buildings made of red brick and decorated with ivy. A guard stood inside the gate he¡¯d opened. His cap was pulled low so I only saw the bottom of his clean-shaven face. His uniform was the standard gray-shirt-and-black-pants thing, but instead of a taser on his belt, he was armed with a pistol. It looked like an old private school. ¡°What is this place?¡± ¡°Our US training center.¡± She parked. There was only one other vehicle visible, a black SUV with no markings. ¡°Come.¡± The school vibe continued as I followed her inside, though instead of linoleum, the floor was hardwood. Definitely an old private school. The doors were also wood, not the thick things reinforced with steel in US public schools. These rooms might¡¯ve been offices once as the doors had no windows. The hall was quiet except for the click of Miss Thornhill¡¯s soles. We paused at the basement entrance. It led not to a cellar or boiler room, but a huge underground installation. The corridors were wide, walls and floor made of thick concrete. An endless amount of gray. Industrial lights above, the bulbs framed in a wire cage. ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be known as Seven,¡± Amelia said, showing me to a room. ¡°My name is Della.¡± She paused at the door and handed me a key. ¡°And you¡¯ll forget it if you want to survive. A name isn¡¯t merely a word, it¡¯s an identity, and therefore has power. There are many things in our world that would use that against you.¡± ¡°How? Why?¡± ¡°Magic and because you are the enemy.¡± ¡°But why ¡®Seven¡¯?¡± ¡°Because you are the seventh active we have at present.¡± ¡°Six people? That¡¯s your organization?¡± Amelia averted her eyes and tugged on the hem of her jacket. ¡°At the moment, yes. Some of the agents were injured recently. Others were forced to retire from field service.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Probably wanted a big raise. ¡°You can ask them yourself when we go to London,¡± she snapped. She walked away, shoulders stiff and dress flats clacking on the concrete floor. I had the feeling I¡¯d just offended her in some way. Hard to tell with this chick¡ªcool as ice. Left with a key and a door, I entered a bedroom. My room was cozier than I expected. The walls were papered in textured light blue and I had white wooden furniture, except for the armchair in the corner. A print of the Serenity prayer hung above the lone bed. I missed having a window, but figured I wouldn¡¯t be in here much except to sleep. A lamp on the nightstand and another on the dresser gave enough light to hide the fact we were underground. With my clothes put away in the drawers, I followed the map Amelia gave me to the dining hall above. My first meal away from home. Picking up a tray from the stack in the corner, I walked to the buffet station. They had to be kidding¡ªplain chicken breast and steamed vegetables? I glanced at the tables in the center. Not a single salt shaker in sight. My stomach growled, complaining about the lack of breading, gravy, or pie. A single bowl of apples and oranges sat at the end of the cart. ¡°Ah, there you are,¡± Amelia said. She was followed into the room by three young people: two boys maybe in college and a girl just a hair over five-foot tall. ¡°For the love o¡¯ Pete, Thornhill, you brought us a redhead?¡± That came from the guy on her left. He was shorter than the other, with a stocky build. ¡°It won¡¯t show when she¡¯s in uniform,¡± she said. ¡°Seven, these two gentlemen are your trainers.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± I groaned internally. Dealing with the opposite gender that wasn¡¯t family had never gone terribly well for me before. She placed her hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This is Kaede.¡± The Asian girl remained silent, standing with her arms crossed. Her body was still shaped like a kid¡¯s, but hard to tell whether it was because of age or petiteness. ¡°I thought names weren¡¯t allowed here?¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t been tested, yet,¡± Amelia replied. Ah. No wonder the girl looked like this was the last place she wanted to be. I¡¯d had to relive dusting a monster in my dreams every night for the past month to have it sink in as real. Or, as real as anyone could trust a memory to be. People who hallucinated usually thought their visions were real, too, didn¡¯t they? The young men walked through a swinging door to the side. I caught a glimpse of the kitchen. Might there be real food hidden away in there? Amelia nudged Kaede up next to me and handed her a plate. The girl slapped food on it and stomped to the table farthest from us. ¡°How did you get her here?¡± I asked quietly. ¡°Her brother came to us a couple years ago.¡± ¡°Oh. You¡¯re hopin¡¯ whatever this is runs in the family.¡± Amelia pushed her black-frame glasses up on the bridge of her nose. ¡°It¡¯s not unheard of. Fill up your plate. Suppertime is limited.¡± I chose a chicken breast and stuck to carrots, since they were the only veggie offered I could swallow without seasoning. And an orange. I could use the juice for flavor. Stocky Guy came back first, carrying a pitcher of milk. He set it down at Kaede¡¯s table. ¡°I can¡¯t drink that,¡± she said loudly. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I¡¯m lactose intolerant, duh.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. He placed his hands on the table and glared at her. ¡°That¡¯s ¡®sir¡¯, little girl.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t call white boys ¡®sir¡¯, meat-head.¡± Wow. If Mama heard something like that, I would have gotten my mouth washed out with soap. Stocky Guy pulled Kaede out of her chair by her arm. ¡°Twenty push-ups. Now.¡± ¡°Go to hell,¡± she spat. ¡°Forty. Now.¡± Her chin went up. ¡°You can¡¯t touch me,¡± she said. ¡°My father donates too much money to your stupid organization.¡± Stocky Guy shrugged, bent to toss her over his shoulder, and left the room with her upside-down like that, kicking and screaming. ¡°What¡¯s he gonna do with her?¡± I asked Amelia. She didn¡¯t look shocked by the drama. ¡°Confine her to her room. Part of the reason her parents agreed to send her is this, her attitude.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a reform school, though.¡± Right? Institution for the mentally altered, I could believe. She sighed, and sat down with her own plate. ¡°No¡­but sometimes a favor is worth the cost. Doing what we do isn¡¯t cheap.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Made sense, I guess. ¡°May I ask somethin¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Will all the food be this bland?¡± She pushed her glasses up her nose again, attempting to hide a twitch of amusement. So, she wasn¡¯t pure British stiff-upper-lip. ¡°The menu is part of our lessons on discipline, Seven. Pure body. Pure mind. Pure heart.¡± ¡°Yay¡­¡± The chicken felt dry in my mouth, leading me to drink more milk with the meal than I¡¯d done at age five. Tall Guy entered, drying his hands with a dish towel. ¡°Seven, this is Thirteen.¡± Thirteen offered me a handshake. His hand felt hot compared to my nervous cold one. ¡°I thought there were only six,¡± I said ¡°There were recently fifteen,¡± he said. Were¡­ ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry.¡± And gulp. Past tense meant people died. ¡°So, I¡¯m takin¡¯ someone else¡¯s number.¡± He had a kind, friendly face. Looked like a California surfer¡ªblonde and tan and hot. ¡°We all do. The Agency has been sending out soldiers for over three hundred years. Don¡¯t worry¡ªno one¡¯s sending you out unprepared.¡± I liked him a lot better than the other one. Better than Amelia, too. She smiled when I cleaned my plate. She¡¯d been watching, studying, since we left Oklahoma, mentally cataloguing everything I did. I¡¯m not that fascinating. Thirteen asked me to put on running shoes when I was done and meet him outside. I was already wearing what I had, basic tennies. He led me to a track. ¡°You¡¯re gonna ask me to run after eating?¡± ¡°You never know when you¡¯ll have to run,¡± he said. ¡°Stretch your legs then do a lap as fast as you can.¡± I¡¯d rather do the push-ups. Mama didn¡¯t raise no whiner, though, so I did what he said and warmed up. He nodded at me to go, holding a stop watch, and I ran. The stitch in my side that always came in PE didn¡¯t appear. It felt good. I felt fast. The dusk air was cool on my cheeks, but I wasn¡¯t sweating. Lap complete, I skidded to a stop in front of Thirteen. ¡°Not bad,¡± he said. ¡°Not bad? I was flying.¡± Running had never been like that for me before. A shrug of one wide shoulder. ¡°It was alright for your first day.¡± I pouted. ¡°You¡¯re gonna be the ¡®I never give out A¡¯s¡¯ teacher, huh?¡± He smiled at my assessment. ¡°We don¡¯t assign letter grades.¡± ¡°Whatever. So, what do you really do?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe Amelia.¡± I stuck my hands in the pockets of my hoodie. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but come on¡­vampires and magic and crap? It¡¯s fiction.¡± ¡°Is faith fiction?¡± Hey. ¡°What makes you think I have any?¡± He pointed at my collarbone. ¡°Saw the cross you¡¯re wearing.¡± Stay cool. ¡°Could be a fashion statement.¡± ¡°If you had one of those frilly types. That one is plain silver, small and modest.¡± He smirked, looking absolutely confident he was right. He was. I¡¯d worn the cross every day since my twelfth birthday, even showering with it on. It was the year my faith became somethin¡¯ more personal to me, more than stories in Sunday school. ¡°Fine, but believin¡¯ in God is different than sayin¡¯ old horror movies are based on fact.¡± Thirteen grinned. ¡°In our world, not so much. You¡¯ll see for yourself soon enough.¡± He poked my abs. ¡°In the meantime, let¡¯s get you in shape to beat a human.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my shape?¡± I was not fat. ¡°You¡¯re soft, kid.¡± He pointed to the other building. ¡°To the gym.¡± Though this building was the same two-story height as the other, it was an open space indoors. The side we entered on had various weight-lifting and work-out machines. The center was taken up by a large blue mat. On the far side, a couple gymnastic bars at various heights. ¡°Learn to love it, Seven. This will be your home for the next month, if you¡¯re lucky.¡± ¡°Lucky?¡± ¡°Could take longer.¡± He walked to the weight bench. ¡°Ever lifted weights before?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve carried heavy things.¡± Restocking the diner every week could be back-breaking work during busy season. ¡°Not what I asked.¡± ¡°Then no. I haven¡¯t used any gym equipment before.¡± He sighed and muttered something about schools falling down on the job. For the next hour, he explained what everything did and showed me how to do proper form with them so I didn¡¯t kill myself. It was harder than it looked. ¡°How long¡­have you¡­been doin¡¯ this?¡± I asked while he made me run on the treadmill. ¡°Five years.¡± ¡°Does your family know?¡± He increased the speed of the machine a notch. ¡°They¡¯re dead. Gang of bloodsuckers interrupted their date night.¡± Foot in mouth¡ªcheck. I was running too fast to reply, but I hoped he could see sympathy in my eyes. Twenty minutes at that pace, and my legs felt like cooked noodles. Wheezing, I slid off the treadmill. Thirteen made notes in a little book, then offered me water. ¡°Do you¡­still¡­remember¡­your name?¡± He laughed and joined me on the floor. ¡°That¡¯s been bugging you all day, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Well¡­yeah.¡± I was Della Garvison, just like my great-grandmother. ¡°I still remember.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± He shook his finger at me. ¡°Uh-uh¡­can¡¯t say.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trustworthy.¡± He leaned in, staring at my eyes with his crystal blue ones. ¡°Would you keep that secret if you were tortured? Could you hold your tongue under a spell or compulsion? None of us can take that risk, Seven. And none of us will.¡± My first reaction was to be offended, but then I thought about it. This guy didn¡¯t know me. He also believed in the dangers he mentioned; I could tell by the conviction in his voice. Crazy or not, if these people thought their identities had to be secret, I needed to respect that. There was no harm in calling him a number¡ªit was just awkward. Bedtime was at ten. My first night outside Oklahoma. The room was too quiet. At home, I¡¯d hear bugs and birds outside my window, especially in summer. The hum of the AC. These sheets were coarser and the pillow a different height. Despite the workout, I didn¡¯t sleep well. Then Amelia had me up with the sun. My first full day started the routine of the coming weeks. Ten minutes to shower and dress, then a half hour for breakfast. She ate with me, answering some of my questions and delaying others for my lessons. Then I was sent to the gym. From eight to ten, she taught me about the monsters I would face. ¡°Vampire 101¡ªKill them with a wooden stake to the heart or by cutting off their heads. UV light burns and younger vampires go up in flames from sunlight.¡± ¡°Only the young ones?¡± I wrote on a notepad. ¡°There are reports the ancient can walk around on a cloudy day, or make short burst runs through sunny spaces, but no one has seen the old ones for many years. We can¡¯t confirm they still exist.¡± ¡°Are they all like that guy that attacked me? A walking corpse?¡± His red eyes and rotten smell still haunted my dreams. She took a photo album off the shelf and placed it on the desk in front of me. ¡°We¡¯ve catalogued several specimens since photography was invented. You will be taught how to observe without being noticed or caught. Know what you are facing before you attack.¡± I started flipping through the pages. The vampires were former people from all walks of life, which surprised me. I figured the most vulnerable would be the unfortunate, those who didn¡¯t have a safe home or transportation at night. ¡°Can they walk into my house?¡± She shook her head. ¡°A vampire needs an invitation to enter a home. There is a distinction between a house and a home, by the way. The dwelling needs to be in the occupant¡¯s name, either on deed or lease, and they need to live there often enough to¡ª¡± ¡°Believe me, I understand home. Is there any other way they die?¡± ¡°Sanctified items also burn the undead, though one would need to subject them to prolonged exposure to dust them. Fire works, of course¡­not many creatures natural or supernatural can resist that. The vampire is not truly immortal, Seven, but you must always remember they possess a powerful innate skill set. They are faster and stronger than you and hand-to-hand combat is greatly discouraged.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m s¡¯posed to shoot one if I see it?¡± ¡°Thirteen will cover that.¡± ¡°But you want me to avoid them.¡± She got huffy. ¡°You¡¯re not a vampire slayer. The supernatural world is huge and they are merely a small part of it. Most of your work will consist of containment, and retrieval of dangerous artifacts.¡± ¡°Containment?¡± ¡°Early interference. Cutting problems off at the pass. People naively mess with things they shouldn¡¯t. We handle that.¡± A cagey answer, but she seemed the type to not dole out info all at once. ¡°Oh. So, are all vampires the same?¡± ¡°No¡­aside from individual personalities based on the people they used to be, there are four families. The vampire¡¯s visage changes when their true nature is revealed. Aside from the fangs, their irises shift color.¡± ¡°The red-eyed man that attacked me.¡± She nodded. ¡°Yes. They display as red, gold, green, or bluish-white.¡± More notes. ¡°And that¡¯s the only difference, the eye color?¡± ¡°No, each family has innate traits.¡± She wrote the colors on the chalkboard and began listing traits below them. ¡°The Reds are what you know as the classic vampire. The Golds are not affected by holy items and we don¡¯t know why. They¡¯re the only species to have a reflection. The Greens are reclusive and rarely seen, so we know little about them, but at least they keep to themselves. And the Blues are thought to be extinct.¡± ¡°¡¯Thought to be.¡¯¡± ¡°The vampire is a wily creature, so we cannot be one-hundred-percent sure, but yes. We are quite certain they were killed off.¡± ¡°By what?¡± She shrugged. ¡°Does it matter? The only good vampire or demon or any other monster is a dead one.¡± Well, that¡¯s harsh. ¡°But how does a human become a vampire in the first place? Is it like in the movies?¡± ¡°The exchange of blood, yes. They drink from a human up to the point of death, then make the victim drink vampire blood. Moving on, let¡¯s talk about werewolves.¡± ¡°Wait, why does that make a vampire? Can you cure it?¡± She frowned at my incessant questions. ¡°No. Seven, vampires are not your problem. We don¡¯t want you anywhere near them. Now, the werewolf affliction is spread by a virus in the beast¡¯s saliva¡­¡± From ten to noon, Stocky Guy kicked my butt with torture he called plyometrics. I got a half-hour lunch, then another two-hour lecture on the history of killing demons. At least, what these people called demons. Amelia let me have a half hour in my room to do what I wished, then Thirteen took over at three with weapons training. He started with the Bo staff. ¡°I¡¯m not hittin¡¯ you with that.¡± He twirled the staff around his fingers, all fancy like. ¡°You can¡¯t damage me any more than I¡¯ve had in the field. Besides, it¡¯s padded.¡± ¡°Yours isn¡¯t.¡± He smirked. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Jerk. ¡°Attack already.¡± My arms already felt like jelly from the workout earlier. Couldn¡¯t they alternate days? I dropped the staff. ¡°I¡¯m not a violent person.¡± He barely contained the eye-roll. ¡°This isn¡¯t about violence. It¡¯s about protection. Every martial art is about disabling your opponent quickly so you can get away alive. You have the talent, Seven. Learn to use it.¡± ¡°Talent? Talent? All I know is a man with red eyes disappeared after I pushed on his face. It was weird and it was scary and it was dark. I only came because my mother insisted on me going to ¡®summer camp¡¯ for a scholarship.¡± I turned to leave. Got as far as two steps when my legs were swept out from under me and I landed on my butt. Thirteen stood over me with the end of his staff pressed into my chest. ¡°I did not give you permission to go.¡± He jabbed the staff at my face. I caught it before it struck my nose. What the hell? ¡°See? The instincts are there, Seven.¡± ¡°Let me up.¡± He backed off. I reached for the padded staff, setting my hands slightly wider than shoulder width. ¡°I¡¯ll try this once.¡± He grinned and bounced on his toes. ¡°Sure¡­¡± I started circling him so at least I was moving. Thirteen moved with me¡ªstep, crossover-step, step. He kept grinning at me, making part of me want to knock that smile off his face. ¡°Gonna swing that thing, or what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ about it.¡± Sighing, he dropped the staff tip to the floor. ¡°Maybe we should start you with Aikido and add weapons later.¡± I jabbed his chest with my staff, like staking a vampire. ¡°But then I couldn¡¯t do that.¡± Thirteen was instantly at the ready again. ¡°Oh, is that how we¡¯re playing it.¡± He swung for my head. Turning my head so he didn¡¯t hit my nose, I narrowly dodged the strike. ¡°Hey, that was close.¡± ¡°Be even closer when you¡¯re fighting for your life.¡± He went low to sweep my legs again. This time, I saw it and hopped over the staff. ¡°Good. Faster.¡± He had me on the defensive, trying to block his moves from hitting my body and driving me backward. My foot slid off the mat and I fell, landing on my back. ¡°What should you have done there?¡± ¡°Not fall down?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t get forced into retreat. Either retake control, or run. If I was something that wanted you dead right now, you would be. Don¡¯t react. Think.¡± I held my hand out for a hand up. He backed off to the center of the mat, leaving me to get up on my own. My back hurt from hitting the tile. He stood poised to attack. ¡°Again.¡± That night, I lay on my bed bruised and sore, and homesick. This place was so empty. Cold. I missed the chatter of the diner, the sounds of sizzling burger patties and bubbling oil. Missed Mama¡¯s contagious laugh and buttermilk biscuits. Rolling over, I faced the wall, and wrapped around Muffy, my stuffed bear. Could I take years of being away? That¡¯s what they wanted. No. Summer would be long enough. Chapter Six Chapter Six Surprising myself, I progressed rapidly my first week, though my muscles felt like they¡¯d been through hell. Stocky Guy turned out not to be an Agent. Thirteen called him E.O.D. He was ex-military, drummed out for insisting he saw monsters in some backwater jungle. They didn¡¯t want anyone ¡°unstable¡± around demolition equipment. He rode Kaede hard, making her run on the track until she puked and kept going. After seven days of punishment, she stopped hurling insults. ¡°Why is it only the five of us here?¡± I asked Thirteen one day. ¡°Truth?¡± He moved his hands to spot me at the bench press. ¡°Always.¡± ¡°It¡¯s five people that are healthy today. We¡¯re at war, kid, and grossly outnumbered. It¡¯s why people like Amelia are searching for people like you. There was a time when we had a small army.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Something has made it their mission to wipe us out, one by one.¡± ¡°Not good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the reason for the hard sell. Every recruit is essential. We¡¯re hoping your generation has a lot of potential.¡± No pressure. I pushed my twentieth rep up and set the bar back on the stand. He dropped a hand towel on my face. With the echoes of the weights gone, the gym went quiet. He was a good teacher, only getting on my case when he thought I wasn¡¯t doing my best. Amelia was a lot harder to please, impatient little sighs escaping her lips every time I fumbled over the name of some obscure monster. Or asked too many questions. I looked forward to the end of summer when I could go back to high school. As the days went on, Amelia¡¯s lessons stuck to species identification and awareness of supernatural practices. She drilled me on photos, sketches, scents, and names. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It took me a bit¡­but I started noticing she side-stepped all my questions about The Agency. What were they an order of? Who started it? How were they allowed to operate in the modern world? Frustrated, I went to Thirteen. ¡°Amelia won¡¯t answer my questions.¡± He stopped stacking the weights and turned to me. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± ¡°What exactly is The Agency?¡± ¡°Just what she¡¯s told you: a secret organization committed to protecting the human world from supernatural threats.¡± My right brow rose. ¡°And nobody cares that you walk around armed with swords and crossbows?¡± He laughed. ¡°We have the permission of most governments to do what we do as long as it¡¯s quiet. No one needs a public panic. Amelia is cautious with newbies because a lot of how we work is sensitive information. Our lives and the lives of our families depend on being invisible. Secretive.¡± He tossed me a shenai for sword practice. I caught it with one hand. ¡°Are you saying the President knows vampires and werewolves exist?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but someone on his staff does. You think too much. What have I said about coming to practice with a clear mind?¡± ¡°¡¯Focus keeps your head on your shoulders¡¯¡­yeah, yeah, I got it.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± He got into battle stance. ¡°Begin.¡± This first month was about the basics of everything, a little here, a little there. I shot arrows, bolts, and darts, was forced to master weapons in both hands, and lost count of how many times my knuckles were rapped by a bamboo sword. At least he hadn¡¯t made me pick up the hardwood boken, yet. ¡°So, if we have this power in our skin, why is most of my training about staying at a distance?¡± I asked another afternoon. ¡°You¡¯ve listened to Amelia¡¯s lessons, haven¡¯t you? Your touch only burns the undead. Everything else can kill you up close and personal and they¡¯ll try. That¡¯s why we use these.¡± He opened a case and picked up two rifles, one long and one shorter. ¡°Guns?¡± ¡°Ever fired one before?¡± ¡°Pellet gun, and my cousin¡¯s .22. But I¡¯m not killing anyone!¡± A roll of his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to, at least not anyone human. We tranquilize humans and werewolves. Killing demons and vampires is doing the world a favor. So, today you¡¯re going to learn cleaning and operation of firearms.¡± ¡°Are these yours?¡± He shuddered. ¡°God, no. They¡¯re from the armory. No rookie is touching my babies when they¡¯re perfect.¡± ¡°Spoken like a man¡­¡± He only laughed. ¡°Seven, provided you don¡¯t wash out of the program, one day your weapons will feel like part of you, too.¡± A shiver running down my spine, I followed him outside to the target range. I didn¡¯t want to be that person. Learning to protect myself was one thing¡ªbecoming a bringer of death another. ¡°Safety rule #1: treat all firearms as though they¡¯re always loaded and always perform a clearance check every time you pick one up.¡± Thirteen slid the bolt back on the smaller rifle to show the chamber was empty. ¡°Rule #2: never point your gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.¡± He loaded one round into it. ¡°Weapon hot. Rule #3: Keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you are on target and have made the decision to shoot.¡± He settled the rifle into his shoulder and fired at a paper target with a primary-colored bulls-eye. ¡°Rule #4: always be sure of your target and beyond.¡± A perfect hit. The rifle set on a table, we walked out to the target and I learned it was stuck to a bale of hay to absorb the bullets. ¡°And rule #5: Train physically, emotionally, practically, and tactically for every situation.¡± ¡°Every? How many situations could there be?¡± He grinned. ¡°Kid, you¡¯ll be amazed.¡± Chapter Seven Chapter Seven July ¡°Congratulations on reaching the end of your first month,¡± Thirteen said at breakfast. ¡°Yay. What does that mean?¡± Amelia poured milk into her coffee. ¡°It means I¡¯m taking you to London.¡± ¡°What¡¯s in London?¡± ¡°Headquarters. Currently for the entire Agency.¡± I swallowed a bite of unsweetened oatmeal. Still torture. ¡°I don¡¯t have a passport.¡± Every time I tried to sneak into the kitchen, one of the adults was there. It was freaky. Would it be so bad to allow me a little butter? ¡°It¡¯s been arranged,¡± she said, and left the dining hall. ¡°Weird,¡± I said, watching her go. ¡°She didn¡¯t eat this morning.¡± ¡°She was up early on the phone. Reporting in.¡± ¡°¡¯Yes, sir, Kaede is still an obnoxious brat¡¯,¡± I imitated. He choked on a piece of toast, cleared his throat, and laughed. ¡°They¡¯re sending her home tomorrow.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t have it.¡± Ah, the freak-of-nature gift in his blood and mine. This many weeks of mastering physical challenges later, I couldn¡¯t deny something extraordinary was going on. I didn¡¯t tire when I should, ache for as long, or stumble over the constant influx of new techniques. In only a month, my body was visibly different¡ªleaner, stronger, and defined, including Slave 4 U abs. I hit bull¡¯s-eyes on eight of ten of my archery targets¡ªnine on a good day¡ªand could best Thirteen with the Bo half the time. A normal girl would¡¯ve been killed, drained of her blood and possibly even turned. By grace of God, I hadn¡¯t been normal since my sixteenth birthday in April. ¡°What happens in London?¡± ¡°Proficiency tests, then more training. Lots of people to meet,¡± he replied. My brows rose. ¡°Lots?¡± ¡°Sure. Researchers, agents, the administration¡­you know, book people and field people.¡± He continued devouring his cheese omelet and hash browns. I pushed my oatmeal around in the bowl. ¡°Sounds big.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Did I mention I was shy around crowds? ¡°Four stories.¡± Noticing my discomfort, he patted me on the back. ¡°You¡¯ll do fine.¡± I smiled for him. ¡°Where do you go next?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Where they send me. Maybe searching for more of you.¡± ¡°I heard Amelia talking about prospects the other day.¡± ¡°Yeah? Hope so. Come on.¡± He stood. ¡°I have one more lesson for you.¡± I put my dishes on the tray. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Into the woods.¡± Uh-oh. This was not a trip to Grandma¡¯s house. I¡¯d never liked the look of the forest behind the school. It was the height of summer, yet that wood still looked dark and foggy, like an evil fairytale forest. The thought of going in there gave me the heebie-jeebies. ¡°What¡¯s the objective?¡± ¡°Find me,¡± he said, and grinned. Yeah, right. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m no Indian.¡± ¡°Tracking is at least seventy percent of our job, Seven. Can¡¯t escape it.¡± He pushed open the door to the outside and took off running for the trees. I started to chase, then remembered a lesson he¡¯d been hammering into my brain¡ªnever go into the unknown unarmed. Detouring for the training building, I grabbed a small sheathed knife, a crossbow, and a tranq pistol. I attached the knife to my belt loop, slung the crossbow over my shoulder, and resumed course to the wood. The air was cooler when I neared the trees, and all light seemed to be soaked up below their entangled branches. No person in their right mind would want to venture into that forest. I found the clearest path between the trees and followed Thirteen in. Dry leaves crunched under my feet. My pulse beat faster the further into the darkness I went. Wings suddenly fluttered overhead; I crouched and aimed the crossbow at the sound. Calm down, Della, or you¡¯ll be wandering this forest all day. Sure, easy to think it. Try telling my heart it can slow down. Remember your training, dummy. Deep breath. Observe your surroundings. Deduce. I got in control of my fear and looked around me. Unless Thirteen could fly, he had to be crunching leaves like I was. The whole forest floor was covered with them. I spotted his trail and followed. Checking my watch, it¡¯d been ten minutes since I entered the tree line. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Nothing answered but the breeze shifting the leaves above. Merely run-of-the-mill paranoia. Keep going. Walking another five minutes, my eyes on the crunched leaves, I had the sudden feeling of being watched, and put my back to a tree and waited. Nothing. Waited another minute. Hate this place. ¡°Hey, Teach! Really funny, tryin¡¯ to scare the apprentice and all, but this is gettin¡¯ boring.¡± Somebody laughed, and it was not his voice. ¡°Screw this.¡± I turned back the way I came and set a brisk pace for the open field. My teacher stood waiting for me. He glanced at his watch. ¡°Not bad. You lasted twenty minutes.¡± ¡°You¡­you were never in there?¡± I could kill him. ¡°What is that place?¡± ¡°A forest.¡± He grinned. Waggled his brows. ¡°Some think it¡¯s haunted.¡± I pushed him. He went back a couple steps. ¡°What if I got lost in there? How dare you send me on a wild goose chase?¡± Thirteen straightened to his full height. ¡°The lesson is conquering fear, Seven. Had you not given up, you would have seen where I doubled back and knew exactly where to find me. You¡¯re going to be looking for the innocent and helpless, kid. They need you to stick to the task at hand no matter what.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not ready,¡± I said, and stomped off for the residence hall. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re dismissed when I say you¡¯re done.¡± He stepped into my path, making me bump into his chest. ¡°You better get ready. Like it or not, this is your destiny.¡± ¡°Says who? You? Amelia? Try sending an archangel, then it might be convincing.¡± I stepped around him and resumed my course. Thirteen grabbed my arm. On instinct, I decked him with a right hook. He went down. Like on his knees down. I stared at my hand. ¡°First time I¡¯ve felt you mean it.¡± He rubbed his jaw. Oh God, what had I done? ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± I ran full speed and didn¡¯t stop until I¡¯d locked myself in my room. He didn¡¯t deserve that. Striking out of anger went against everything I believed in. Chapter Eight Chapter Eight I awoke to someone knocking on my door. Three more taps¡ªknock, knock, knock¡ªwhile I decided to answer it. ¡°Who is it?¡± When did I fall asleep? ¡°It¡¯s Amelia. May we talk?¡± Rubbing salt smudges off my cheeks, I rolled off the bed to my feet and unlocked the door. ¡°Is it important, Amelia?¡± She fidgeted with the ring on her right hand. ¡°About today¡­¡± ¡°I let my temper get the best of me, and I¡¯m sorry.¡± Deep breath. ¡°If the world really is in danger, Amelia, you need someone more mature than me. I just want to go home.¡± Her mouth tightened into an angry line. ¡°Fear is not a reason to quit, Della.¡± She turned to walk away. ¡°Hey. This isn¡¯t about fear. I¡¯m a sixteen-year-old girl from a small town. Not a soldier. I didn¡¯t sign on for any war, and at my age in the US of A, you can¡¯t press me into service!¡± She paused, her back rigidly straight. ¡°You¡¯re determined.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Very well. We are not heartless, and we will not force you against your will.¡± ¡°Thank you. You¡¯ll send me home.¡± She sighed, and her shoulders slumped. ¡°Yes.¡± It didn¡¯t take me long to pack my duffle bag. It¡¯d never been completely emptied in the first place. She and Thirteen were arguing in hushed tones when I came up topside. They stopped when the basement door shut and he walked down the hall without lookin¡¯ at me. That stung a bit. I liked him personally. The ride to the airport was silent. She bought me a plane ticket and sent me to the gate without a goodbye. Made me feel guilty for not being the hero she hoped for. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Mama met me in Oklahoma City. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed. She squeaked. ¡°Breathing room, honey.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± My cheeks turning pink, I let go. ¡°I¡¯ve been working out.¡± She squeezed my biceps. ¡°I can tell. I¡¯m thrilled to have you home, but I thought this was a three-month camp?¡± ¡°I¡­ I got homesick. The place was too quiet and all they had me do was work and study. Rather be in the diner if I¡¯m gonna do that.¡± She wrapped her arm around my waist and steered me to the car. ¡°Aww, that¡¯s what I like to hear. You know, you¡¯re back just in time for the ice cream social on Sunday.¡± ¡°Sounds perfect.¡± Never been so happy to see my hometown in all my life. Not that we¡¯d ever been farther out than an hour or two before, but to see the old houses, big ol¡¯ trees, and Victorian-age commercial buildings of Downtown¡­just this side of Heaven. I couldn¡¯t wipe the grin off my face. Made her laugh at me. ¡°Think you¡¯d been away a year, Della.¡± ¡°Kinda feels that way.¡± I rolled the window down. ¡°Nothin¡¯ smelled right!¡± She drove straight home. Mama was ¡°country when country wasn¡¯t cool¡± and our house reflected it. Lots of gingham in the living room and kitchen, and her bedroom was decorated in flowers and lace. An old quilt hung on the wall behind the sofa, and an afghan my grandmother crocheted was draped over the armchair. Our house still had wood floors, so knotted-rag rugs kept the furniture from scratching them. It was small, but we didn¡¯t need much. ¡°Do I smell a roast?¡± ¡°With carrots and little white potatoes, and those pearl onions you like so much.¡± ¡°Mama, you¡¯re spoilin¡¯ me.¡± ¡°Just happy to have my baby girl home! Go freshen up and put your things away.¡± I grinned. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± For her roast, I¡¯d scrub my clothes clean by hand. I shut my bedroom door to change into something comfy and caught sight of my reflection. The girl looking back in the full-length mirror was me, but not me¡­or rather, a changed me. She had a bit of color from the days running outside and no longer came across like a young kid, but that was superficial. It was the look in my eyes that made me pause¡ªthe absence of total innocence. I was young, and sheltered, yet there were things I knew now. Things I couldn¡¯t erase. What would I tell her when she asked? ¡®Cause she was definitely going to notice. Mama didn¡¯t miss a trick when it came to my moods. ¡°Deal with it when it comes and not a moment sooner,¡± I muttered, and changed into shorts and a loose tee. Anything dirty got dumped in the hamper. I stopped at the bathroom, then walked out for dinner. The wood floor felt good on my hot bare feet. ¡°Mama, you made too much food.¡± Besides the roast with veggie trimmings, she had a bowl of green beans with bits of onion and bacon on the table and a full basket of rolls. ¡°No such thing. Gives us leftovers. Sit.¡± I sat. My stomach gurgled. After a month of plain chicken, this was going to taste as good as water to a parched man wandering the desert. The moment Mama said ¡°amen¡± for grace, I reached for a slice of beef. ¡°Did they feed you?¡± she asked, her eyes a little wide. ¡°Yeah.¡± I stuffed a chunk in my mouth. Pure nirvana. ¡°Slow down, Della. You¡¯ll give yourself a belly ache.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, mouth full of potato. It was just so good. She grinned. ¡°S¡¯pose it won¡¯t hurt you much. You¡¯re too skinny, anyway.¡± Hey¡­ I hadn¡¯t whittled away my curves, thank you very much. My boobs were actually perkier thanks to the new muscle underneath. But my clothes did fit differently now. Once my stomach was convinced the roast wasn¡¯t going to disappear, I asked her about the diner and the latest town gossip. That got her talking until my eyes began to droop and I was ready for bed. Mmm, my own bed¡­ Where I had no nightmares, finally. Chapter Nine Chapter Nine Damn Amelia¡¯s lessons. I got a week of peace before my ear caught weird things about town. Things I¡¯d never noticed before. Pets disappearing where there¡¯d been no coyote sightings. Tales of the ¡®ghosts¡¯ at Stone Lion Inn being not-so-friendly lately. The kicker was meeting another vampire on the way home from a friend¡¯s house. Only this time, I had a stake. ¡°Can¡¯t you guys leave me alone?¡± I watched his body crumble to dust. ¡°It¡¯s about balance, kid.¡± I spun around. ¡°You.¡± My teacher stepped out from behind a tree. ¡°Good and evil, light and dark¡­the world is meant to have a balance. When you have a gift, you¡¯re meant to use it.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± He stopped beneath the street lamp. Under a black leather long coat, he wore tactical gear, like a soldier. Silver threads glinted here and there in the light. Combat boots were on his feet, giving him nearly an inch more of height he didn¡¯t need. ¡°You left before receiving your reward for stage one.¡± ¡°Reward? Like a certificate?¡± He handed me a small box. ¡°What¡¯s with the get-up?¡± I opened the jewelry box. A silver ring lay inside, plain except for the Greek letters alpha and omega engraved in the center. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He held up his right hand to show an identical ring. ¡°Whether you want to be or not, you¡¯re one of us now, Seven.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I don¡¯t think I can¡ª¡± He was gone. ¡°¡ªaccept this. Yeah, that isn¡¯t weird at all¡­¡± I shoved the box in my pocket and continued home. Thirteen had never been so cryptic before, but I guess he didn¡¯t owe me after I bailed. Knowing vampires were in my town, even just occasionally, didn¡¯t sit right with me. I started doing sweeps at night after Mama went to bed. Found one maybe once a week or so¡­well, they seemed to find me. They were all gross and no one I knew, thank God. Little more than rabid animals. A high-powered crossbow was my friend. You know, I get why vampires feed on people. Everything needs to eat. But why turn so many humans into vampires, too? Why gain the competition for food? Amelia¡¯s only answer was evil spreads evil, but that seemed too¡­I don¡¯t know. Simple, maybe. The assumption from do-gooders who don¡¯t care why, only that it needed to be stopped. But I¡¯d always wonder. A week before school was going to start in August, Mama came down with a flu-like bug, feeling really wiped out. When she was still really fatigued at three weeks, I made her go to the doctor. Diagnosis: lupus. For a woman working ten hours a day at her own business, she was not happy to discover a disease requiring her to rest more. Looking at the list of drug, diet, lifestyle, and supplement suggestions, my head spun. They wanted her to come in for frequent tests until it was in remission. ¡°Mama, can we afford your treatment?¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Probably.¡± She kept her eyes on the road. ¡°For a while.¡± ¡°A while?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t raise your voice in the car, Della Garvison.¡± Deep breath. She was mad at the disease, not me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m worried. I know how stubborn and proud you are.¡± She stopped at a light and scratched the rash on her arm, another telltale symptom. ¡°You¡¯re my daughter. Don¡¯t need you takin¡¯ care of me until I¡¯m old and gray.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to hire more help at the diner or you won¡¯t reach ¡®old and gray¡¯.¡± ¡°Della!¡± ¡°I listened, okay? This can get serious if you don¡¯t take care of yourself.¡± People even died. ¡°I¡¯ll make it work. End of discussion.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°No buts. Zip it.¡± I sighed, knowing there was no use when she was in this mood. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± We didn¡¯t have much extra, I knew that. She had savings, but it wouldn¡¯t last for a life-long disease. It was up to me. In my room, I pulled out a wrinkled business card and dialed the number. ¡°Hello?¡± I spoke quietly. ¡°Amelia, this is Della¡­ I¡¯ll come to London if we can make a deal.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to hear from you again.¡± Her voice was measured. ¡°This agent gig¡­ I get a salary, right?¡± ¡°Of course. We support every member of The Agency in all the ways they require.¡± Going by her tone, I¡¯d offended her again. ¡°Look, I¡¯ll speak plainly. My mother is ill and I don¡¯t know if we can cover all the medical bills to come. She¡¯s all I¡¯ve got and I want to take care of her.¡± Needed to do so. ¡°I understand. School is in session, yes?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s almost October now.¡± ¡°Then I will come to you and we¡¯ll begin in earnest and perhaps your mother will allow field trips on your holidays.¡± ¡°Field trips?¡± ¡°Goodbye, Seven. I¡¯ll see you within a day.¡± She hung up. Sighing, I hoped I was doing the right thing. We all knew about Hell and good intentions. Amelia wasn¡¯t kiddin¡¯ about arrivin¡¯ quickly. She was waiting on the curb when class let out. I took in her blazer, blouse, and slacks, and shook my head. ¡°Lady, you¡¯re as subtle as a gravy sandwich.¡± She dressed up more than my teachers. ¡°I beg your pardon.¡± ¡°You stick out like a sore thumb.¡± I began walkin¡¯ home. Needed to finish my homework so I could get to the diner. ¡°I¡¯m your guide, Della. Not your buddy. My attire is entirely appropriate for my station.¡± ¡°Really¡­you kill demons with your good pearls on?¡± Her hand went to her throat. ¡°Well, no. That would be impractical.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m as practical as you get and this is a small town. People talk, and they¡¯re gonna wonder what I¡¯m doin¡¯ with a fancy-pants British lady.¡± ¡°It is none of their concern. We work in secret for a calling that transcends societal norms.¡± Geesh. And I thought my history teacher had a pole up her butt. ¡°This brings me to my recommendation that we not stay in one place very long.¡± I stopped on the sidewalk. ¡°I¡¯m still in high school.¡± ¡°You can take the equivalency exam, Della.¡± ¡°Oh, no,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Mama would kill me if I skipped graduation.¡± She frowned. ¡°Then I don¡¯t know what you expect me to do with you. This isn¡¯t a part-time job at the shopping mall. We have all committed to a greater cause. You¡¯ve already been hunting, haven¡¯t you? I can assure you, they¡¯ll keep coming.¡± How did she know that? ¡°Are you saying I put the town at risk by being here?¡± Her eyes darting away, she said, ¡°Eventually, yes. You and those like you are magnets for demonkind. It¡¯s part of how we find you. The universe always has to balance.¡± ¡°Forgive me if I don¡¯t take your word on that. I¡¯m stayin¡¯ until I finish school.¡± Almost two years from now. She sighed. ¡°Very well. You will see for yourself by summer.¡± She walked back to her rental car, letting me continue home. My secret life began the next night. In the hours between Mama sending me home from the diner and her getting home, Amelia tutored me in the ways of The Agency. Wandering the messy parts of OKC¡­I felt like I was in a TV show, except without the super strength, blonde hair, and my technique wasn¡¯t nearly so flashy. All that kicky, flippy stuff might look good in the movies, but it wasn¡¯t practical in real life, and quipping with your opponent just got you dead. Kill quickly and move on. If it deserved killing. I was not a kill-first-ask-questions-later kind of girl. Most nights, we didn¡¯t find anything. Suspicious noises usually turned out to be a stray cat, or a raccoon. We did thwart a couple muggings. ¡°You haven¡¯t told me where this special ability comes from,¡± I said. ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± I glanced at her blank face. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that.¡± She¡¯d taken me to the woods outside Guthrie, hoping, I guess, for somethin¡¯ odd out here. ¡°Curiosity killed the cat, Seven.¡± I blocked her path. ¡°Don¡¯t play that game with me, Amelia. If you guys made this happen to me and changed me, I deserve to know.¡± She glanced up at the stars and stopped. Sighed. Then met my eyes. ¡°I swear we did nothing to you.¡± And? I nodded for her to continue. ¡°There is speculation about the powers of the agents, but no proof. No substantiated facts. Those of us with faith consider it a blessing. Whatever force for Good is out there chose you to be a thorn in Evil¡¯s side. Maybe you carry the heart of an angel. Maybe it¡¯s a genetic mutation. We don¡¯t know. What¡¯s important is you have a purpose, Seven. How many people can ever say they know exactly what they are meant to do on this earth?¡± She waited for me to react, face blank and not blinking. Well, that was more forthright than I usually got out of her, which made it feel like the truth. ¡°Alright¡­you ever find out definitively, I¡¯m the first to know, deal?¡± She clasped my hand. ¡°I swear it. I¡¯m not the enemy, dear. I never will be.¡± I nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s hunt some bad guys.¡± Chapter Ten Chapter Ten The closer to Halloween, the weirder things got. Traditionally the night where the barrier between the natural and spiritual worlds was thinnest, we¡¯d been cleansing the town of ghosts with rings of salt around the graveyards and anointing the gates with oil from Rome. ¡°Are you sure this is necessary? I¡¯ve never seen a ghost.¡± Amelia extinguished the sage incense she¡¯d used. ¡°Maybe not everywhere, but better to be safe than sorry. There are those that would use the dead for evil purposes. The spirit is eternal and those not in Heaven are vulnerable to dark magic.¡± ¡°Magic.¡± She sighed. ¡°Yes, magic. Have you not paid attention since I found you, Seven? Why must you be so stubborn?¡± ¡°Genetics.¡± Mostly Irish, in fact, with the stereotypical red hair, pale skin, and freckles. When I said things had gotten weird, I didn¡¯t mean actual events¡­it was a feeling. An unease. True, I felt ridiculous skulking around in the dark in a black hoodie and matching pants with weapons in my backpack, but beyond that, nights in October were making my skin crawl and I didn¡¯t like it. Amelia seemed unaffected. Was it an agent thing or merely my paranoia? Thirteen hadn¡¯t given me a contact number, so I had no one to ask. On Halloween night, I put a ghost sheet costume over my camo outfit. ¡°Headin¡¯ out, Mama.¡± ¡°Be good and have fun, honey. Don¡¯t forget to save me a few Butterfingers.¡± She was staying home to hand out candy. ¡°I won¡¯t. Don¡¯t let any monsters in while I¡¯m gone.¡± She laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful. Scoot! Join your friends.¡± Friends¡­ha. Had the same ones from last year, sure, but with this big secret, and so much of my time taken up¡­well, even tonight wasn¡¯t about teenage fun. Amelia was allowing me one hour to trick-or-treat before being on duty, so I carried a small plastic bag with a jack-o¡¯-lantern on it to stuff in my backpack later, but I couldn¡¯t take the risk I¡¯d draw something to the people I cared about. What was that they said on Buffy, ¡®The Slayer is always alone¡¯? While I¡¯d never been the most popular, I didn¡¯t want to be a loner, either. Maybe I¡¯d make friends with others hauled into this crazy service. Maybe in an asylum where all this hokum belonged. Would the world end if I gathered candy, bobbed for apples, and went on hay rides? No. Screw Amelia. If she was so worried about Halloween, she could deal with the ¡®spooky¡¯ herself. Nothing was happening! The Oddfellows and Rebekahs put on a safe event with untainted candy and a not-too-spooky haunted house. My high school put a haunted house maze in the gym. Churches held Harvest Events. Guthrie was wholesome with a capital W. Why anyone would choose to live in a big city, I don¡¯t know. Sure, some kids threw eggs and toilet paper, but no one got hurt. If we had real ghosts, they¡¯d probably be like Casper. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. So¡­ Why couldn¡¯t I shake the sense of foreboding? Other parts of the world might have issues, but Guthrie was quiet as always, so we spent a lot of time walking in circles. Amelia wanted to venture into OKC, but I needed to stay close to Mama in case she needed me. We had a lot of arguments about ¡®responsibilities¡¯ into November. I invited Amelia to Thanksgiving as a peace offering, but she declined. Would¡¯ve been hard to explain her to my relatives, anyway. She went to New York for the four-day weekend. At least that¡¯s what she told me. I think she wanted to be anywhere but here. We loved a good parade and a street fair. Our merchants, innkeepers, eateries, and watering holes welcomed residents and visitors alike and invited all to experience the OK Territory ¡°Guthrie Style¡±¡ªand that included the Garvisons and Taylors. My town was a National Historic Landmark and the largest contiguous Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, with over 2,000 buildings covering 1,400 acres in that District. Many of the buildings and homes still in use today were listed on the Register. When you grow up in one of the founding families, you know the stats. The Territorial Christmas Lighted Parade happened on the Saturday after every Thanksgiving, the opening night of Guthrie¡¯s holiday season. The Gubernatorial Candidates for Territorial Governor campaigned (bought off) the good citizens of my town with false promises and plenty of candy and the votes were cast and counted (stolen) by noon on the day of Opening Night. The parade escorted the Territorial Governor candidates to the steps of The US Post Office on 1st and Oklahoma where the official ceremonies got underway with entertainment, introductions, the announcement of the winner, and the Inauguration of the 2004 Territorial Governor. Then the new governor lit the Territorial Christmas tree. Territorial Christmas began as a holiday event in 1995 when a group of merchants and citizens (including Mama) decided to celebrate Christmas as it had been in the early days of the Territory after the Land Run of 1889. Because Guthrie was designated the Capital of the Indian and Oklahoma Territories and subsequently the Capital of Oklahoma as the 46th State, nothing was spared in making Victorian Guthrie a showplace for ¡°fine fashion, entertainment, and architecture¡±. With an emphasis on the Victorian Era, Downtown Guthrie and the nearby residential district was a natural backdrop for the present-day festival. A historic homes tour was one night in December and there were two Victorian Walk evenings. Our finest homes, churches, and the Carnegie Library were dressed for the season. Windows throughout the Downtown Historic District came alive with living scenes depicting the joys of the season, my favorite part. There were roving carolers and peanut vendors in the streets, folks dressed in period costumes, and the welcoming ambiance tourists expected in Historic Guthrie. But this wasn¡¯t like every year before it. Mama caught a cold that hit hard over Christmas break. My first drive with my new license was to take her to the hospital for a breathing treatment. She came home with an inhaler to help clear her lungs. ¡°You¡¯re staying home from the diner until you¡¯re better,¡± I said, tucking her into bed. ¡°Della, I have to¡ª¡± Gently using my increased strength, I prevented her from getting up. ¡°No, you don¡¯t. I can cover what you do while I¡¯m on vacation. I¡¯ve spent my whole life there, Mama. Let me take care of you.¡± Her expression was a cross between a glare and a pout. ¡°I¡¯d keep arguin¡¯ with you, but I¡¯m too tired.¡± I handed her a mug of tea. ¡°We¡¯ll pick it up in the morning. Rest.¡± ¡°I love you, Della. Do I tell you enough?¡± Smiling, I turned off the light. ¡°Always.¡± Dishes needed washing so I walked to the kitchen, plugged the sink, and ran the hot water. Times like this, I wished my father hadn¡¯t run off when I was five. One day, he just wasn¡¯t there, and we hadn¡¯t seen him since. Divorce papers came in the mail. Now I wasn¡¯t ready to be a grown-up yet. With the running faucet hiding the sound of my sniffles, I cried a little. Had to admit, I was glad for the normality of the diner. Amelia wasn¡¯t happy when I told her I needed to work full time and couldn¡¯t run around at night. ¡°Della, you made a commitment¡ª¡± ¡°For her. My mother comes first, Amelia. Always. That¡¯s somethin¡¯ you gotta learn about me right now. If it comes to her or the world, I¡¯ll choose her every time.¡± We stood toe-to-toe, around the same height, so I stared into her eyes. ¡°Now, once she¡¯s well, I¡¯ll be happy to wander around town with you chasin¡¯ cats out of garbage cans again.¡± Felt ridiculous sneakin¡¯ around town praying I didn¡¯t run into anyone I knew. Or the police. She tugged her jacket into place, chin held proud. ¡°No reason to be cheeky, Seven.¡± ¡°Just wanna make sure we understand each other. I gotta go.¡± For two weeks, I could pretend I had no secrets. Chapter Eleven Chapter Eleven January 2005 You know how winter can bring a hush over the world? The quiet cold lulled me into a sense of security that my world really was normal, mundane, and safe. Amelia didn¡¯t send me out anymore, ordering me to the library instead to study. I read, but usually at a table in the diner. Libraries were too quiet for me. Felt nice to not lie to my friends and cousins for a while. Spring Break was Easter week in late March. I lit one of the candles up front on Palm Sunday, Mama snapping pictures. Her lupus was under control for the time being, and she was respecting doc¡¯s orders about staying out of the sun even though the week was full of picnics. Amelia was back in London¡ªshe didn¡¯t say why they called¡ªso I was free as a bird and hangin¡¯ out with my youth group. We were doing a skit for the Good Friday service in a few days. ¡°Kay, Mama, we¡¯ll be at the lake all day, so don¡¯t wait up.¡± I kissed her on the cheek and skipped to the door. ¡°Hold up, who¡¯s we?¡± ¡°Youth group, fishing, picnic¡­any of this ring a bell?¡± She smacked her forehead. ¡°Oh, gosh¡­of course. My mind¡¯s all over the place this week, honey. Have fun and don¡¯t get burned.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Moira honked outside. She was the youngest of the youth leaders and the one I felt most comfortable with. I hurried out, climbed in the van, and we were off. Guthrie Lake was only four miles out of town, and bordered by lots of trees. I loved how green spring was here. ¡°Hey, Garvison, long time no see.¡± My cousin Chris Taylor. ¡°Yeah, I know¡­ I need two of me just to have fun this year.¡± ¡°Your mother¡¯s well?¡± Moira asked. ¡°Right now. Think flu season convinced her to take it easy, God willing.¡± ¡°Well, any night you don¡¯t want to cook, hon, come on over.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Thanks. Might take you up on that.¡± The smell of hot dogs on the grill greeted us when we parked. Mmm, broad daylight. No monsters. Most every teen in town was at the lake today, and a lot of them were related to me due to my grandmother having six sisters. Men in my family were soldiers and the women got married. When the boys came back from service, they settled somewhere in the state with a good, respectable job. Mama was the third-generation owner of the diner. I wanted more than Guthrie, but I was afraid to leave at the same time¡­no Oklahoma, no family. ¡°Della¡­¡± I snapped out of my big thoughts. ¡°Coming!¡± Dropping my backpack on a table, I hurried to grab a rod and bait. With any luck, supper would be fresh fish filets. Almost wished I could stick a fishin¡¯ pole in Amelia¡¯s hands today. The thought of seeing her attempt to gut a fish made me giggle. The woman¡¯s idea of fun was reading ancient Latin. But peace is an illusion. Amelia warned me, but I was only a kid. I didn¡¯t want to believe one of them would search me out. We were sitting around a campfire telling stories when I felt a hum of energy spread through my body, my internal proximity alarm for a Creature. I excused myself to the girl¡¯s room and made a detour for my backpack. A stake and collapsible crossbow had been in there for months. I grabbed my weapons and followed my instincts. The woods weren¡¯t quiet at night, insects and birds chirping their tunes. Traversing the dark without a flashlight was still a part of Thirteen¡¯s training I wasn¡¯t used to. My night vision was better than average, but it was all still mostly shadows for me. I kept going, and heard murmured voices, and a giggle. Great¡ªnecking kids. Prime horror movie bait. If it was a vampire I was tracking, it definitely wouldn¡¯t resist a young, fresh meal like that. They sat on a fallen log in a tiny clearing. I couldn¡¯t see any danger around, so I closed my eyes and focused on the hum. When I looked again, I saw it across the clearing. Red eyes glinted in the moonlight. He smiled at me, exposing white fangs. This was no undead newbie. It was a predator, a master hunter. This close, I felt his power. My heart pounded in my chest. We stood on opposite sides, the teens oblivious in between us, and it was fast enough to make at least one of them dead before I could prevent it. If it wanted. God, please let it want to engage me instead. I blinked and it was no longer there. What the¡­? I searched between the trunks, up in the trees¡­ Where did you go, Creature? ¡°Heard there was a paladin in these parts,¡± it whispered behind my ear. I pivoted to attack, but he grabbed my shoulders hard enough to hold me fast. ¡°Wondered why one of you would possibly be here of all places, but you¡¯re just a babe. Have you even killed one of us, yet?¡± He had a hint of an accent; somewhere in Europe. ¡°I¡¯ve dusted my share,¡± I said through clenched teeth. The teens continued making out, still oblivious. Sweat trickled down the middle of my back. ¡°Then you know you¡¯re not dealing with a mere fledge.¡± ¡°Yes. Are we going to talk all night or what?¡± He chuckled, obviously not threatened by me in the least. ¡°Your generation is so hasty. You can listen, dear Paladin, or I can snap your neck like a twig and have my way with your friends over there.¡± ¡°Fine. Talk.¡± The longer he wanted to chat, the better my chances for figuring a way out of this. ¡°Tell your superiors that Lady Juliet wishes to keep Los Angeles for herself and finds the attempts to remove her quite rude. If The Agency will leave her alone, she¡¯ll leave you alone. Continue this war, and every last one of you will die slowly and painfully. Clear?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Juliet?¡± Never got an answer to that question. A blow to the back of the head knocked me unconscious. OW. My first concussion. Amelia will be so proud. Chapter Twelve Chapter Twelve My weapons were gone. I sat up, my head swam, and I squeezed my eyes shut. The couple on the log¡­ I forced my feet to support me and searched the clearing. Alone. Something shiny on the log. A spatter of blood. Oh no¡­ Did it carry them off? Were they ditched dead somewhere? Did they make it back to the group? It was all my fault¡­ Breathe¡­you don¡¯t know what happened. ¡°Della?¡± Oh, thank God. ¡°Here!¡± ¡°Della!¡± Moira entered the clearing followed closely by Pastor Ken. They carried flashlights. ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°Honey, you were gone for an hour. Are you alright?¡± She ran her hands over me, checking for injuries. ¡°Guess I got lost.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get you back to the car. You¡¯re cold.¡± And shaking. ¡°Is¡­is anyone else missing?¡± ¡°No, but there was an animal attack. Couple kids ran out of the woods with scrapes. We warned you about coyotes,¡± Pastor Ken said. I almost collapsed in relief. Moira wrapped her arm around my shoulders and guided me home. The back of my head hurt badly enough I knew I had a goose egg, if not blood. The vampire probably head-butted me. I¡¯d never been dazed that bad in all the sparring with Thirteen. At the picnic grounds, I collected my backpack and really did go to the ladies¡¯ room this time. The girl in the mirror was a wreck, with leaves and stuff stuck in her hair and circles under her eyes. I cleaned up best I could and Moira drove me back to town early. Mama¡¯s car wasn¡¯t in the driveway, so I went straight to my room and called Amelia. When I told her what happened, she freaked. ¡°You¡¯re coming to London immediately.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Della, it¡¯s not safe.¡± I had questions about who Juliet was, but I was so tired. Amelia¡¯s fear was obvious in her voice, but worrying about it had to wait ¡®til at least tomorrow. ¡°I know, but I can¡¯t just bail.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Why do you always have to be so stubborn?¡± ¡°God made me that way. Look, I¡¯m exhausted. You needed to know the message and now I¡¯m going to bed.¡± ¡°Do not sleep when you might have a concussion.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Agent Sev¡ª¡± I hung up. And pulled the phone cord out of the jack. After checking all the locks on every door and window, I crawled into bed with the light on and cried. Despite saying I was exhausted, I couldn¡¯t sleep. My pulse was too rapid. Amelia arrived the next day. ¡°You are the most reckless, irresponsible¡ª¡± ¡°Can we not draw an audience?¡± I hissed. She caught me at rehearsal at church. It was the first time I¡¯d seen her anything but polished. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail instead of up in a fancy twist, and she wore loafers with plain pants and a button-down shirt, not a suit. No jewelry adorned her ears or neck, and her face was bare. Made her look ten years younger, and it occurred to me I¡¯d never asked her age. ¡°Seven, if you don¡¯t take this seriously, you¡¯ll wish you were back in the woods last night!¡± For once, I actually believed her. ¡°Okay, okay¡­let¡¯s get somewhere private and you can ream me out all you want.¡± We walked to her car. ¡°I am deeply concerned that an old vampire chose you to pass on a message, especially if it really came from Juliet. There were several possibilities closer to¡ª¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Juliet?¡± She glared at the interruption. ¡°One of the oldest surviving vampires¡ªmaybe the oldest. She¡¯s cruel, cold, ruthless, and very intelligent, and those she sires are chosen to be the same. It¡¯s rumored she was nobility as a human and still thinks she¡¯s entitled to rule any city she chooses to inhabit. Her latest haunt is Los Angeles.¡± ¡°Is she the reason so many agents are gone or in recovery?¡± ¡°One way or another, yes, we suspect so. We can only hope the vampire last night happened upon you by chance.¡± ¡°Or?¡± She met my eyes, and there was sadness and fear in hers. My stomach sunk. ¡°I still have two months of junior year. Mama won¡¯t let me¡ª¡± ¡°Seven, every day here puts those you care about at risk. I can¡¯t take you away without her permission, but you need to think about what¡¯s best.¡± ¡°I know, but¡­¡± She gripped my arm. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to protect you, but you need to decide soon.¡± Mama decided for me. She was home from the diner with a fatigue flare-up when I arrived. I¡¯d never seen her so tired, so weak. Once I fixed her an early supper, I went outside to talk with my guide. ¡°Amelia¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not coming,¡± she said in a flat tone. ¡°I can¡¯t yet. She¡¯s really hurtin¡¯ and I¡¯m all she¡¯s got.¡± She sighed. ¡°You need to find someone else, and soon. How many might die while you put her first?¡± I glared. ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡± She stood firm. ¡°Life isn¡¯t fair. Do you think you¡¯re the only girl in the world asked to make sacrifices at this moment?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not.¡± She pushed her glasses higher on her nose. ¡°Stay in tonight. Without complete training, you¡¯re merely another tasty snack.¡± I went back inside feeling like the biggest heel in Logan County. Mama didn¡¯t feel well enough to leave the house again until Sunday, and that was only for church. Her doctor ordered her to stay home from the diner for the week, which meant I had to pull shifts around school. Amelia picked me up at sundown each night and took me home. Soon as finals were over the first week of June, I said goodbye to Mama and moved to London. All through April and May, I walked into the house with dread, fearing my mother would have a relapse. By the time I felt safe leaving her, the school year was practically done. She thought Amelia was taking me to an awesome scholarship program and I hated lying to her. Hardest thing I¡¯d ever done. It sucked to give up my youth, but I knew now I was putting the town in danger by staying and that wasn¡¯t something I could live with. With my life in a duffle bag, I flew to England with Amelia. Whatever kind of ID she had got us past all the airport screening and straight to a taxi. ¡°Welcome to London, Seven.¡± And I thought OKC was too crowded¡­dear God. Cars and people and narrow streets and tall buildings¡­it was suffocating. And so much noise. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you stuck me on a plane for a whole day. Couldn¡¯t we have gone to the place in New York?¡± ¡°Your training continues here.¡± Chapter Thirteen Chapter Thirteen The car finally stopped in front of a plain brick two-story building. She paid the driver and carried her luggage to the door. It was tall and made of steel with an aged patina. ¡°Why is everyone walking by like they don¡¯t notice we¡¯re here?¡± It was odd and creepy. ¡°There¡¯s a ward on HQ that causes all things to ignore the building unless they¡¯re looking for it. Discourages trouble.¡± The steel door opened inward and she walked inside. Following, I felt a bit of drag when I crossed the threshold. ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°Security check. Without that ring you¡¯re wearing, you¡¯d be denied entry.¡± Her eyes flicked down to the alpha/omega ring on my right hand. The one Thirteen gave me. ¡°A spell that checks for a ring?¡± Inside, it looked like just another office building, the old type with opaque glass in all the wooden doors like you¡¯d see in a vintage PI movie. ¡°A ward. It looks for the design of the ring, specifically. Come.¡± Amelia continued down the long hallway to the back of the building, her shoes clicking on the tile. ¡°Um, you passed the stairs¡­¡± Where was she going? She went to the left of the T-junction and pressed on one of the wood panels. It slid away to reveal a security access keypad. She typed in a code and the wall revealed an elevator. How very Spy Central of them. ¡°Is there a basement here like in New York?¡± A hint of a smirk graced her lips. ¡°In a fashion.¡± We stepped in the elevator. The buttons were marked ¡°G¡±, ¡°B1¡±, and ¡°B2¡±. Amelia pressed B1. ¡°Identification,¡± a computer voice said. ¡°Amelia Thornhill.¡± ¡°Access Granted.¡± The elevator moved. We dropped down one floor. The doors opened on a major office complex. Wow¡­ People walking, talking, going in and out of rooms¡­the hall was wide open with long wooden tables down the center and doors on either side. Unlike the New York school underground, this facility was fully furnished with carpeting and wall treatments. At the other end of the space were more corridors, people going left or right. Most of them were dressed like Amelia, in conservative business attire. Two agents were talking to a man in a lab coat. One of the agents turned in profile. A familiar face. I ran and hugged Thirteen before I could think better of it. ¡°Ooof. Hi, kid.¡± He awkwardly patted my back. And I let go. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re here.¡± My face had to be so pink. He smiled that California grin. ¡°Welcome to Sacra Aedes.¡± Baby blues sparkling. ¡°Huh?¡± Had he gotten more handsome in a year? ¡°Sanctuary. Heard you had quite the ordeal.¡± Of course she told him. ¡°I failed. I was terrified.¡± He put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Hey, no one died. You didn¡¯t fail. You just need more training.¡± ¡°Will you be my Mr. Miyagi again?¡± Please? He shook his head. ¡°Not this time, Seven. I¡¯ve gotta be somewhere.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Bummer. I could really use a friendly face. ¡°Good luck. And keep in touch.¡± ¡°Yeah. This is Three.¡± Thirteen¡¯s companion was a tall black man that looked closer to thirty. ¡°So you¡¯re the pain in Thornhill¡¯s side,¡± he said in a deep voice. I blushed. ¡°Hi.¡± Amelia took my arm. ¡°Seven, I want you to meet the Director now.¡± She nodded to the agents and led me further into the complex. I waved goodbye. We entered a chemistry lab. Several scientists in lab coats were at work with beakers or computers. ¡°Sir, excuse the interruption.¡± An older gentleman turned around. He was bald on top, white-haired, and dressed in a three-piece suit. Only two or three inches taller than me. ¡°Amelia. Good to have you back at HQ. This must be Seven.¡± ¡°Della Garvison, sir,¡± I said, and offered my hand. He frowned at me, and didn¡¯t shake it. ¡°Indeed. You¡¯re finally committed to being trained properly, Seven?¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ve done what I felt was right, but my hometown is safer now without me.¡± He grunted. ¡°Amelia, show her to her room, then begin exercises immediately. Too much time has already been wasted.¡± Then turned his back on us and went back to talking to the scientist. And I thought my guide could be prickly¡­ I followed her down more turns until the hall opened into a common room with sofas. She talked to the clerk at a nearby desk and came back with a key and a card. ¡°This will be your home until training is complete, and your room will be waiting for you between missions.¡± She turned the key in the lock for door ¡°7¡±. ¡°This is your meal card. You are allowed three squares a day. Use your card four times, and the next day only gets two.¡± I wasn¡¯t expecting a suite. There was a kitchenette consisting of a microwave, sink, and mini-fridge, and a private bathroom. No TV, though. ¡°We expect you to keep the room tidy. Cleaning supplies are in a cupboard. Laundry facilities are down the hall. Change into work-out clothes and be out in the common room in five minutes.¡± She left, closing the door. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± I set my luggage on the bed, rotated my shoulder, and unzipped the bag. A small city under London¡­who would imagine? A lot of the people we¡¯d passed were English, but a lot weren¡¯t, too. It really was an international operation. I wondered what was on B2. Dressed in stretchy pants and a t-shirt, I tucked my key into my sock and met Amelia. ¡°What¡¯s first, Coach?¡± She sighed, not amused by my joviality, and started walking. We soon entered a gym. The Agency had a full sports facility down here with machines and weights. ¡°You will resume your cardio schedule from last summer. I can trust you to self-motivate while I retrieve your schedule?¡± Shed-ule still cracked me up inside. English people talked funny. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± I headed for the elliptical. Guess I was kinda soft. Since last summer, I¡¯d let P.E. be my exercise except for my sweeps around town. I occasionally went through katas when I wanted to clear my mind and was sure to be left alone. Mama would have too many questions about me practicing martial arts out of the blue. Without Thirteen kicking my butt, I went through a light routine while I waited. Amelia walked back in carrying a file. ¡°Prepare to devote your mind, body, and soul, Seven. Since you are still finishing school, you will have to work that much harder to keep up with the others. You will eat, sleep, and breathe training of one sort or another. Are you sure this is your choice?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t really stay at home, can I?¡± ¡°No.¡± She took off her glasses and for a moment, she wasn¡¯t my boss. ¡°I do understand what you¡¯ve had to give up, Della. I know this isn¡¯t the life you envisioned, but our calling is worth it. And you¡¯re not alone.¡± I nodded, a lump in my throat. Maybe I did have a friend here, after all. That said, she got back to business. ¡°Report to Medical first thing in the morning.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°Your physical. It¡¯s all very routine. We need a baseline for treating you in the future.¡± ¡°Oh. Yay.¡± Considering the time of our arrival, supper was next. She took me to a mess hall that was much nicer than the dining room in New York. The chicken had been roasted with herbs. Then she sent me to bed. Once again, sleeping in a strange room¡ªwell, attempting to. Between the time difference and homesickness, I didn¡¯t get much rest. But at least I had my own pillow this time. Medical turned out to be a mini-hospital. Passing an operating room made me uneasy¡­nothing was going on past the window in the door, but the fact they had one here was a big deal. How bad an injury or illness could they handle? How often was it needed? I handed my ID to a nurse at a desk. She ran it through a scanner. ¡°Ah, Seven. The doctor will see you in Room Two down there. Please disrobe and put on the gown hanging on the back of the door.¡± ¡°Undress?¡± One eyebrow arched. ¡°You¡¯ve been to a doctor before, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡ª¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a request, Recruit.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± I took the clipboard she handed me and went to the exam room. A family history form and pen were on the board. I stripped down to my bra and undies, put on the gown, and hopped up to sit on the table and fill out the form while I waited, hoping it¡¯d be a female doc. There was a knock on the door a few minutes later and a woman in her fifties walked in. ¡°Welcome to Sanctuary, Seven. I¡¯m Dr. Lehigh. Let¡¯s get started, hmm?¡± She took my blood pressure and pulse rate, then stuck the stethoscope on my back to listen to me breathe. ¡°Cold!¡± ¡°Sorry. They¡¯re always like that. Do you have any allergies you know of?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Outstanding injuries or ailments?¡± ¡°Not at the moment.¡± ¡°Hold your breath, please. And, exhale. Good.¡± She put the stethoscope in her coat pocket and pulled out a tiny hammer. ¡°I¡¯m going to check your reflexes.¡± She knocked on my knees, then examined all my joints. ¡°Hop down and stand up straight, please.¡± I did. ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± ¡°Checking the alignment of your spine.¡± Her fingers trailed down my vertebrae. ¡°Good.¡± We continued through the usual eyes and ears check and she asked about my typical diet. Then, she went to a drawer and pulled out a needle and vial. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a blood sample. Sit down again, please.¡± I didn¡¯t like needles. My veins should stay hole-free, thank you very much. When she aligned the needle with my left arm, I turned my head away. It hurt less if you didn¡¯t look. The vial filled, the needle was extracted, and she taped a cotton ball to my arm. ¡°Only a few more questions, and then we¡¯ll go to X-Ray. Have you ever been sexually active?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to be honest, Seven. I¡¯m bound to confidentiality like any other doctor. Have you engaged in any kind of sexual activity before?¡± ¡°No. Haven¡¯t touched or been touched. What does that have to do with killing monsters?¡± ¡°This is about your health record. Teenagers aren¡¯t known for taking the best precautions. I¡¯m not here to judge you. Alright?¡± I folded my arms around me. ¡°Just don¡¯t like the implication.¡± She wrote more notes on her chart. ¡°Have you had a pelvic exam before?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to do that here, are you? Because I do not give my permission.¡± She sighed. ¡°Under the circumstances, it isn¡¯t strictly necessary. Do you have any problems with your cycle? Pain, nausea, etcetera?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°When was the onset of your last period?¡± I told her. This was so embarrassing. I didn¡¯t talk about my monthly with my mother, let alone a stranger. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you a prescription of birth control pills¡ª¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s standard procedure with our female operatives. Demons have a very acute sense of smell in most cases, Seven. The hormones will make you skip your period and keep you safer out in the field. There are possible side effects, of course, like with any medication, but¡ª¡± ¡°You want me to artificially stop my cycle indefinitely? How is that healthy?¡± ¡°This particular drug is a low-dose hormone. You shouldn¡¯t feel any different except in gaining freedom from your period.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Seven, you won¡¯t be allowed in the field if you don¡¯t comply. The scent of blood is a danger to you and your team. You can ask the female agents, but none of them has had a complication.¡± She handed me a small box. ¡°You¡¯ll take one of these every day. When you¡¯re about to run out, come see me.¡± ¡°I have to think about it.¡± She sighed. ¡°Noted. Come, let¡¯s finish your tests.¡± I followed her out of the room. The floor was cold to my bare feet, but at least the gown wasn¡¯t the completely backless variety. A couple hours later, I empathized with lab rats. After the x-ray and a lung capacity test, she had me dress and put me through a stress test on a treadmill, seeing what my heart did under load. I was then sent to an optometrist to check my vision, and another tech who tested the acuity of my hearing. The doc took a sample of my hair, too, before I was done. I wasn¡¯t allowed breakfast before going to Medical, so by the time they let me go, I was exhausted and famished. Found the chow hall again and thank God it wasn¡¯t limited to plain chicken breasts and vegetables. Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fourteen Five went to HQ about the same time Amelia found me, the only one older than I was. He¡¯d spent months in a cast with a badly broken leg, though, so he hadn¡¯t made it out in the field. Eleven was a few months younger than me, and still growing into his frame. Poor kid was all limbs and tripped over his own feet half the time. I met the other seven today. ¡°Wait, where did the kid with the spiky hair go?¡± Six of them looked at each other. ¡°Fifteen was here a minute ago,¡± Twenty-one said. He shrugged. A person can¡¯t help the face they¡¯re born with, but this boy didn¡¯t look all that bright. For everyone¡¯s sake, hopefully it was only an impression. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t an adult be here?¡± Sixteen asked. She had indents on the sides of her nose indicating she wore glasses until recently. ¡°If this tour involved anything more important than the gym, classrooms, and chow hall, sure. You¡¯ll be spending plenty of dedicated time with your Guides soon enough.¡± Lord knows I couldn¡¯t get a single day without Amelia on my case. ¡°Rumor has it you killed a vampire,¡± Seventeen said. I stopped and turned to them again. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s how I ended up here.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you do it?¡± Ten asked. I held up my hands. ¡°They can¡¯t touch us.¡± I continued down the hall. Lots of murmurs behind me. What had the recruiters told them? Tour ended at the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ve been told to give you lunch,¡± I said, and left them with the cafeteria staff. The wounded retired Actives lived in a different wing of the complex close to the med clinic and worked upstairs if they were able. Most of them were using canes or crutches. A couple were missing part of a limb or two. The attack must¡¯ve been horrific from the burn scars not all of them could hide. Thirteen introduced me to all of them before he shipped out. He¡¯d made a point of it, introducing me to each one, and it wasn¡¯t a sad occasion like I expected. He treated his disabled friends like everything was normal, using nicknames and razzing them with inside jokes. I wondered if I¡¯d ever have the strength to do the same. It was a good example to live up to, though. The newbies had the opportunity to meet the agents, too, but these kids shied away, fear driving them into denial about what they might become. The former Seven wasn¡¯t available for me to get to know. He hadn¡¯t made it. I got up at 5:00AM, ate, ran on the treadmill, then did homework until noon. With Amelia¡¯s private instruction of my senior subjects, I was progressing through the school year faster than I would at home. Provided she was pleased with my work, I would be going home to take semester finals before Christmas break. The independent study approved by my high school still required me to take finals tests in person. Beyond my expectations, I was excelling here. It scared me. Lunch was a protein shake¡ªyuck¡ªthen I was in Master Takeshi¡¯s combat training class until three. Sensei was a lot harder on me than my other instructors. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Learn to like pain. It means you are still alive.¡± He says this while making me do a handstand on wood blocks for who-knows-how-long. He won¡¯t let me wear my watch. My arms are shaking, the muscles burning, and I¡¯m fighting to keep my body straight in the air so I don¡¯t fall. ¡°Let go, Seven. Stop trying to balance and be.¡± I take a deep breath through my nose and close my eyes. My body stops fighting and I feel like I¡¯m floating. ¡°That¡¯s it¡­now attack.¡± ¡°What?¡± I toppled off the blocks and landed on the wood floor hip first. Ow. Brown-black eyes glared at me. ¡°You have to focus, Seven. Your mind can never drift out in the field. All information should flow through you like water as you collect what you need and discard what you don¡¯t. A voice should never startle you.¡± ¡°Well, sorry, Mr. Miyagi, I concentrate on one thing at a time. It¡¯s how I¡¯m wired.¡± He swept my legs out from under me when I started to stand. ¡°Pay attention.¡± I rolled further away and stood. ¡°You just enjoy giving me bruises.¡± ¡°What does not destroy you makes you stronger, Seven. Ignore pain.¡± ¡°To what extent? Broken bones? Severed limbs?¡± He sighed. ¡°You chose to be here. Why do you fight it?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± His dark eyes saw too much. ¡°I believe you do.¡± ¡°Fine, I don¡¯t want this¡­ I don¡¯t want to be a freak or away from my mother and friends or learning to be an expert in death. I¡¯m only seventeen, sir. I don¡¯t want to know monsters exist, or any of this.¡± He walked to me and placed a tan hand on my shoulder. ¡°Seven, death is what we are. It is our gift to the world. For the vampire, we¡¯ve released a soul from bondage. But not every part of our work is death. A werewolf can¡¯t help being infected. We teach them what they are and how to restrain themselves during the full moon. Our scientists are working on a cure.¡± ¡°That¡­that¡¯s good.¡± A quick nod. ¡°The Agency helps the possessed, the misguided, the enslaved. The supernatural world presents more dangers to humanity than death. It¡¯s your destiny to help those people.¡± He turned away. ¡°Lesson over. Go back to your quarters and evaluate your heart.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± During my time alone, I prayed for guidance and thought about the way I¡¯d been raised. My guidelines. You don¡¯t whine, you don¡¯t quit, and you don¡¯t disrespect your elders. I kept using my youth as an excuse, but it wasn¡¯t good enough¡­ I¡¯d asked for somethin¡¯ bigger since I was ten, right? Now was my chance, the brass ring. So what if The Agency wasn¡¯t part of my plans¡­God worked in mysterious ways and I knew deep down I couldn¡¯t turn my back on what I¡¯d learned. So¡­ I decided to grow up and stop pining for what I thought I was missing. Another two hours of schoolwork, then weapons proficiency for two hours, and supper. At eight, I had tactical class for an hour, then it was back in the gym until eleven. Then, sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat. Six months would have to be endured before I¡¯d see home again. Sanctuary was a lot bigger than the footprint of the building above it and without my new photographic memory it would¡¯ve taken me weeks of following a map to know where to go, even with the recruits¡¯ area all in one section. The Council made sure HQ had all the creature comforts of an above-ground corporation, making you almost forget we were all below the earth. Still, even with the potted plants here and there and natural lighting effects, it wasn¡¯t outside air or sunshine. I kept hoping for a field trip or training exercise anywhere else but here. How did they all stand it? I watched for the staff to go up to dinner or grocery shopping, but people rarely left. Could be my imagination, though. I was in class or asleep every day. Five shared my common area. The residence section was divided into groups of eight suites, so we were in one-through-eight, the next complex was nine-through-sixteen, and so forth. Our designation was our suite number, so this was one of a few areas where agents and recruits mixed¡ªwhen the agents were home. Five still did rehab on his leg, so I usually ran into him in the gym. ¡°How¡¯s the PT coming?¡± I asked. He was doing reps on the calf machine. ¡°Same as yesterday when you asked. But I¡¯m not limping anymore, so they¡¯re finally letting me train.¡± ¡°Cool, you got clearance? Takeshi is going to make you wish you were still in the wheelchair, just so you know.¡± I started my warm-up on the elliptical. ¡°The little Japanese dude? He comes up to here.¡± Gesturing to the middle of his sternum, he didn¡¯t look concerned. ¡°Size doesn¡¯t matter, Five. Sensei knows his stuff. Every class is pain so far. I think he¡¯s a sadist.¡± His brow rose. ¡°A what?¡± ¡°A guy that enjoys the pain of others. And he¡¯s tricky, too. It¡¯ll suck if you¡¯re a slow learner.¡± He lifted his chin. ¡°Think I can handle it.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Other kids came in and I shut up. It was impossible to get a workout done if the Chatty Twins thought you were open to having your ear yapped off. Five and I were the only recruits to take the gym seriously, maybe because we both had goals. Well, Eleven was okay. The three girls gossiped while walking on the treadmill unless a Guide was cracking the whip. The boys usually played around and dropped a weight plate on someone¡¯s foot or ogled the females in spandex. Fifteen often made me uncomfortable. If he kept staring at my boobs, one of these days I was going to break his nose. Wow, all the fight training was getting to me. I finished my miles and went to my room. Two weeks of this place and it was already changing me. What would I be like after a month? Three? Six? Chapter Fifteen Chapter Fifteen Grabbing a piece of stationery, I wrote a letter to Mama about school and my grades. I missed her so much. Maybe I could persuade Amelia to let me pick up some postcards so she could see bits of London. But Sanctuary was normal in some ways. They had cake in the cafeteria on someone¡¯s birthday. People griped about their bosses. Those allowed to date fell in love (for everyone except the Agents set up families and personal ties). There was even a retirement party for the Director¡¯s eighty-two-year-old secretary Agnes. She was moving to a drier climate for her rheumatism. I only met her once but the administrative staff seemed sad to see her go. B2 remained off-limits and secret from the recruits. **** December Sensei head-butted me. ¡°You cheated! You teach me forms and harnessing energy and the honor of a warrior, then you cheat.¡± I touched the hurt spot on my forehead and my fingers came away bloody. He didn¡¯t appear the least bit ashamed. ¡°In a fight you use every advantage in order to defeat your opponent. Know the rules so you may break them. Honor is optional. If your enemy is more concerned with honor than living, use it against them. This is how a demon will fight you.¡± Sensei kept circling me. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m not sinking to their level.¡± ¡°Your choice. But one day you might have to choose honor, or death.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cross that bridge when I get to it, Master.¡± We started sparring again. He was strong, and fast, but I was faster with more reach. The fight picked up speed and we ramped up the power of our blows. It was something of a shock to me when I managed to pin him to the floor, my fist on his chest from plunging an imaginary stake or knife through his heart. ¡°I win.¡± ¡°I¡¯m human. If you end up here with a demon, make sure it¡¯s dead. Not every species has their heart in the same place.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°How¡¯s your sword arm?¡± He rolled us, reversing our positions, and did a dive and tuck to the weapons wall. Show-off. We were about to go at it again, when there was a knock on the doorframe. Sixteen stood in the doorway, prepared for her lesson. Already? The hour had gone fast. I bowed to Sensei and went to my room. There were only a couple days left before I went home for Christmas vacation and I wanted to get some last-minute studying in. If I passed all my tests, I only needed a couple more credits to graduate. Somehow, Amelia convinced the teachers at my school to send materials at the pace I was progressing at, and I would probably take my finals in April around my birthday. In June, I would walk down the aisle at graduation, visit with Mama a bit, and leave on my first assignment for The Agency. ¡°Ah, there you are,¡± Amelia said. ¡°Good news. After holiday, you¡¯ll get to go on live exercises.¡± My eyes widened. ¡°Battle simulation?¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°Indeed. There is little more you¡¯ll gain from a classroom, Seven. The agents usually find it fun, like a retreat.¡± She patted my shoulder. ¡°Think of it as a game.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± I¡¯d tackle that thought later. Right now, all I wanted was home. Oklahoma City first, then Guthrie. Longest hours of my life. ¡°Della, let me look at you!¡± Mama held me out at arm¡¯s length in Baggage Claim. ¡°We need to put some meat on your bones. They¡¯re obviously working you too hard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ma, really¡­¡± At five-foot-six and lean, I currently resembled a tall gymnast, like those girls on the college teams. They¡¯ve grown into height and curves, but the power¡¯s still there. I never wore make-up when I¡¯d be sweatin¡¯ it off, so I still had the face of a kid. ¡°Your hair¡¯s shorter, too. Who cut it?¡± Frowning, she reached to touch the ends. ¡°Mama¡­¡± My braid stopped just past that knob on the spine above my shoulder blades. You learned quick Sensei would use a ponytail or free hair against you, so most of the girls had short hair now. I wrapped mine into tight braids around my head when I sparred. Mama always liked my hair down to my waist, though. We had dinner and hung out, watching a Christmas movie, then she went to bed. But when I lay down, I couldn¡¯t fall asleep. My body was used to being exhausted at night and I¡¯d done little more than sit the last twelve hours. ¡°Screw it.¡± I changed into active gear and snuck out my window, a hood pulled over my auburn hair. Hunting outside Guthrie this time was different. For one, the night was creeping below freezing. For two, I¡¯d just thought of it as hunting. Didn¡¯t expect to find anything, really, but the practice made me feel alive. Anticipation, like waiting to blow out the candles, but darker. Deadlier. They would fear me. If I did find a monster, I knew it would be toast tonight. But no such luck. When my nose lost feeling, I went home and climbed into my warm bed. Time here was precious. January 2006¡ªThe Agency loaded us on a small jet. Did they own it? No clue. Only the active Agents knew where we were going. Us recruits were in the dark¡­all any of us had gathered was they didn¡¯t want to run the sim in snow. I moved to sit next to Thirteen. ¡°Hey.¡± He smiled. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Been anywhere interesting?¡± The smile morphed into a knowing grin. ¡°Seven, you can¡¯t butter me up into spilling the deets.¡± He almost always managed to see through me, dang it. ¡°I wasn¡¯t! I¡¯m genuinely curious.¡± ¡°Well, then, the surfing in Australia was great.¡± ¡°You went surfing?¡± I¡¯d been stuck underground for months, and he was having fun in the sun at a gorgeous beach¡­geesh. He shrugged. ¡°Nothin¡¯ else to do during the daytime. We were watching a clan of wannabe vamp gangsters, see, so all the work was at night.¡± Lookin¡¯ for a good tale, I angled my body in the seat to face him. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Set fire to the building, picked off the stragglers, and came home.¡± A fire? There had to be more to the story than that. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that dangerous? The fire could spread to innocent properties.¡± A chuckle. ¡°Nothing was innocent in that neighborhood, believe me.¡± ¡°Did you evacuate?¡± ¡°We worked on the Other Side. Wasn¡¯t a regular fire.¡± What did he mean by that? ¡°The other side of what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a parallel world to ours, the stuff we can¡¯t see with the naked eye, and a realm of spirits. In a peaceful, innocent place, the Other Side could look really beautiful, but where demons congregate, they turn it into a nightmare. That feeling of a sudden chill up your spine¡ªthat comes from something on the Other Side passing too close to your ¡®echo¡¯, the intangible life energy of all living beings. A summoner can use your echo to bring you to the Other Side and trap you¡ªeven in Hell.¡± ¡°You mean nasty things we can¡¯t even see have access to us all the time?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Man, what¡¯s Thornhill teaching you?¡± He angled toward me. ¡°It¡¯s more complicated than that. It would take a lot of magic juice, and something personal from the target, like hair or blood. Most things don¡¯t want to wander in the spirit world.¡± Thank God¡­he¡¯d terrified me for a second. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°The good is too good and the bad is really bad. Easy to get lost. You see the true state of a person or thing. Not something you forget.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been there often? The look in his eyes became a bit haunted. ¡°A few times, when it was necessary. The Director doesn¡¯t ask it of everybody.¡± ¡°Why you, then?¡± His gaze shied away and he cleared his throat. ¡°Anybody tell ya you ask too many questions?¡± I could take a hint. ¡°So¡­fight drills. How¡¯s that work?¡± ¡°We really play Red Rover. Don¡¯t tell HQ.¡± He winked. I elbowed his arm. ¡°Jerk. Fine, don¡¯t tell me.¡± He grinned widely and my tummy fluttered. Crap. I shut off the seventeen-year-old part of me that wanted to crush on him. We weren¡¯t the kind of people that got to date, and he was my superior. The Agency discouraged ¡°entanglements¡± so we remained ¡°objective¡±. In another life¡­well, in another life we wouldn¡¯t even meet, with a seven-year age difference and comin¡¯ from different states. I went back to sitting with the recruits. Someone had brought a checker board. The plane landed. Chapter Sixteen Chapter Sixteen ¡°Recruits¡ªwelcome to St. George Island. You won¡¯t find it on any published map.¡± The Alpha¡ªNumber One¡ªstood at the front of the cabin. He was the oldest active agent and usually worked alone. I¡¯d only seen him once at HQ before. ¡°This exercise will pit you against the Agents.¡± He held up a paintball gun. ¡°If you are marked ¡®dead¡¯, you stay down and play dead because you are out of the game. Those that survive today will get a new objective tomorrow. File out!¡± The Alpha missed his calling as a D.I. ¡°I bet he stands at attention in his sleep,¡± Sixteen murmured behind me. I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. We exited the plane, backpacks on our shoulders, and formed a line to wait for instruction. It was ten of us against six of them. Jungle was the only scenery around the landing strip. The Alpha started walking and the Agents fell in line. We shrugged and followed. It felt like we¡¯d crossed into the southern hemisphere, summer heat melting me inside my winter clothes. He led us for several minutes down a supply road, until we reached a group of buildings that looked like military barracks. ¡°Women on the left. Men on the right,¡± he ordered, pointing to the two closest structures. The flat gray siding was very bland in the midst of the lush greenery. Bunk beds were inside. We looked to Four, the senior agent in the room, for instruction. ¡°Pick a bed and get changed, ladies. Alpha won¡¯t wait long to start.¡± A set of fatigues was on each mattress. Convenient. I stripped to my sports bra and buttoned the shirt, then hopped into the pants and wrapped the ankle ties around my boots. You didn¡¯t want loose pant-legs in a jungle. With my clothes folded neatly on the bed, I took my smaller survival pack out of the big one and slung it over my shoulder. Four and I were the first gals outside. ¡°Look after your team, Seven,¡± she said in a mild Spanish accent, wearing the custom-made suit all the agents had. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The recruits. They look to you as the one of them with most experience.¡± She left me for the Alpha¡¯s building and knocked on the door. The other three girls rushed out behind me. ¡°Did we miss anything?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± I turned to them. ¡°We have an even-numbered team, so I think the buddy system would be a good idea. Watch each other¡¯s backs.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to watch your backside all day, Seven.¡± Ugh¡­Fifteen. Every group had the annoying person who looked at life as a joke and never shut up. He was ours. ¡°Get your mind out of the gutter, Fif,¡± Sixteen said. ¡°This is serious.¡± Fifteen was barely sixteen years old and strutted around like he was the hottest stuff in town. He acted like being a monster hunter made him a rockstar, always arriving late to class, disobeying curfew, sneakin¡¯ out of HQ, and generally reckless in training. I didn¡¯t want him anywhere near me with live ammo. ¡°Recruits!¡± We snapped to attention and formed a line. Alpha analyzed us. ¡°This is not a game, children. This team will be trying to kill you.¡± He stopped before us with his hands clasped behind his back. ¡°There are red flags on the trees marking the boundaries of this exercise. Do not cross those boundaries. Work as a team, survive as a team. The Agents will have a two minute head start into the forest. You will follow carrying these dummy rifles. Shoot to kill, children¡ªhead and heart. Your opponent will not stop because you discolored his arm. Understood.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Collect your weapon, helmet, and goggles.¡± The agents were already fully outfitted and jogged into the jungle minus the Alpha. He had a stopwatch. ¡°Go!¡± I didn¡¯t know what time to set my watch to, but the sun looked to be at about nine o¡¯clock¡ªjust mid-morning and we were already sweating. Good thing I had a water bottle in my pack. We took off for the trees, slowing down to a cautious quickstep when we were close. ¡°Seven¡¯s idea of splitting into pairs is a good one. We¡¯re too obvious as a group,¡± Sixteen said. The boys stuck together, and Ten and Twelve disappeared off to my left. ¡°Guess it¡¯s you and me,¡± she said. Two pairs of footsteps began following me into the rainforest. I turned around. ¡°Lev?¡± ¡°They left me behind,¡± Eleven admitted. Poor guy. The other boys frequently picked on him. ¡°Fifteen went off alone, didn¡¯t he?¡± He nodded, and rolled his eyes. I sighed. So typical. ¡°No big. Just stay low. Your height is like a beacon.¡± Smiling shyly, he nodded again, and fell in behind my right shoulder. We moved into the jungle in wedge formation. The wildlife was noisy at all the commotion, birds calling in every direction. Under the canopy, the light took on a greenish hue, and the ground covering was damp and spongy from the decaying leaves. I had a feeling for Thirteen¡¯s tactics, but no experience with the rest. We could expect anything. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll start shooting at us right away?¡± Sixteen whispered. I mimed zipping my lips shut. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering what to expect.¡± I held my hand up, signaling a pause, and reached in my pocket for a tiny notepad and pencil, scribbled THEY CAN HEAR YOUR VOICE IF I CAN, and showed it to her. She sighed and wrote back I CHATTER WHEN I¡¯M NERVOUS. Eleven sat on a fallen log. I flipped the page and wrote GET OVER IT, showed it to her, and shoved the pad and pencil back in my pocket. If she wanted to give us away, I¡¯d leave her behind, but I¡¯d rather she learned to be quiet. A twig snapped. We turned our heads to the sound. I dropped into a crouch behind a bush. Eleven held up a rock and hurled it far into the trees. Heck of an arm. We heard the ¡°pop, pop¡± of a paint gun firing. I pointed in the opposite direction and jerked my head to the side to signal ¡°let¡¯s move¡±. This wasn¡¯t the area for a shootout. Sixteen took the rear. We crept along another few minutes, still not hearing any signs of combat. Sixteen squeaked behind me. I turned, ready to shoot. There was no need. She was pointing at a snake. Eleven rolled his eyes and kept walking. Pop. Twenty-one stood out of the bushes. ¡°Ah, crap.¡± ¡°Same team, idiot,¡± Lev said. He had a blue splat center-torso. ¡°I heard you coming and¡ª¡± ¡°Is he out now?¡± Sixteen asked. Pop. Twenty-one got a red paint ball to the side of the head. ¡°Down!¡± I yelled. This is why you didn¡¯t send kids to war. I crawled among the brush parallel to the boundary, Lev on my heels. Sixteen had run to Twenty-one. I let her go. The agent was sneaky and fast and the only way to survive was to be hard to hit. More pops behind us, farther away. I paused behind an extra-wide tree, rolled onto my butt to sit with my back to it, and took out the pad and pencil. THEY KNOW TERRITORY TOO WELL. WE NEED HIGH GROUND. Lev pointed up. IN CANOPY? He nodded. IF GOOD AT CLIMBING GO FOR IT. He gave me a thumb¡¯s up, shouldered his rifle, and took a hold of my tree¡¯s trunk. Within seconds he had reached the lower branches. I¡¯d have to start calling him Monkey Man. He mimicked one of the parrot calls, and got an answering cry, then I heard flapping wings to the south. He pointed in that direction and held up two fingers. Two agents. I nodded and gestured for him to head that way. With any luck, they wouldn¡¯t be expecting a sniper. Took a sip from the water bottle in my pack and considered how to be proactive about this. I had supplies to set a couple non-lethal traps. That took time, though, and I had no idea how the team was doing. Time to get competitive. Being on the defensive wasn¡¯t fun. When I heard, ¡°Sniper! Sniper! Man down!¡± I took advantage of the distraction and charged deeper into the forest, looking for agents in head-to-toe black. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. As the canopy thickened above, less brush grew around the bases of the trees and the light dimmed. The cover was insulator-y, keeping the air humid and hot. Sweat dripped from under my helmet, and down my back. I wanted to leave my fatigue jacket behind, but my white arms would be a dead giveaway against all this green. Assuming Eleven took out the two, it left four for me and what was left of the team. If we had a team left¡­I hadn¡¯t seen the other six since we entered the jungle. Should¡¯ve asked the Alpha how big the engagement zone was. I could be wandering for hours before finding more red flags. ¡°Seven,¡± someone said in a hissed whisper. I looked up. The twins, Ten and Twelve, were in a tree. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Three almost got us, and we ran and hid up here. You¡¯re the first person we¡¯ve seen in a long time.¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t talk. Get down from there.¡± These two were too young for this life at fourteen years old, in my opinion. Amelia said anyone with the gift had to be trained, and I agreed with self-defense and warning them about what might come, but I¡¯d been too young to handle it a year ago. How were these two going to survive when they were afraid of a paintball fight? Ten wasn¡¯t carrying a weapon. I held up my rifle and looked at her questioningly. She hung her head. I sighed, pulled a whistle out of my pack, and wrote on the notepad IF YOU SEE ENEMY APPROACHING, BLOW THIS. She read it, nodded, and took the whistle. I shooed her back up the tree. Her sister gestured for me to lead the way. Guess the Agents were making a point that real hunting could have you wandering, searching for a long time before finding your prey. I¡¯d expected them to be more aggressive, make an example out of our inexperience. The waiting would¡¯ve made me paranoid a year ago. Was I more used to this life than I thought? Picking a quick pace weaving through the trees, I kept my eyes and ears open. A body dropped behind me and I spun to land a kick in the intruder¡¯s solar plexus. It was Lev. He doubled over. ¡°Nice reflexes,¡± he groaned. ¡°Sorry!¡± He coughed; tried to stand up straight. ¡°Geeze, Seven, you kick like a mule.¡± ¡°The hip sled is my friend. Can you move?¡± He nodded. I nudged Twelve into walking again and resumed a slower course. Eleven got his wind back after a few minutes. I passed him a note HOW MANY DID YOU GET? He held up three fingers, then bent one down. ONE INJURED? I wrote. A thumb¡¯s up. Cool beans¡­if we came across the ¡°wounded¡± agent they¡¯d have to act hurt. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Has to be close to midday by now,¡± Twelve said. ¡°Be quiet!¡± Lev hissed. ¡°But I¡¯m bored. This is like a Predator movie without the Predators.¡± Lev said, ¡°A Predator would eat you for lunch.¡± ¡°Nuh-uh¡­they only take trophies.¡± ¡°Shut up or go back to your sister,¡± I said. ¡°Who made you the boss? Eleven actually got kills.¡± I walked up to her and stared down the three-inch difference in height. ¡°Fine. I don¡¯t need tag-a-longs to survive.¡± ¡°Seven, don¡¯t go like that¡­¡± Lev said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t piss her off, Recruit. Might get a right hook to the jaw.¡± Thirteen. I took cover and glanced around for him, but couldn¡¯t tell where the voice came from. Lev had his weapon up, his back to a tree. Twelve froze in place. ¡°Been followin¡¯ us, Coach, or just get lucky?¡± I called. ¡°Can¡¯t give away all my secrets, kid.¡± Lev and I aimed our rifles to my right. ¡°Care to test how much I¡¯ve learned?¡± I asked. He liked challenging me to show new ideas. I hoped he couldn¡¯t resist a challenge in general. ¡°Two against one? Odds aren¡¯t in your favor.¡± The other side. He was circling us. Wait, two¡­? Crap. Twelve ran off. Coward. Lev rolled his eyes and crouched with me. ¡°Is he a good shot?¡± he whispered. ¡°Even blindfolded.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± ¡°Yup. He¡¯s playin¡¯ with us right now because he doesn¡¯t have a clear shot.¡± ¡°Makes us equal for the moment.¡± An optimist. I got out my pencil and wrote YOU GO. HE¡¯S NOT A SPRINTER. YOU HAVE A LONGER STRIDE. He shook his head: an emphatic no. Smiling my thanks, I wondered what to do next. We were saved from deciding by a firefight running between us and where we last heard Thirteen. Five, Twenty-five, and Seventeen were being chased by two agents who¡¯d both been winged by blue paint. Lev and I exchanged a look and shot at the agents. Seventeen went down before we hit one, but Five was able to regroup and shoot the other. That left Thirteen against four of us. ¡°You two been hiding here all day?¡± Five teased. ¡°Fight¡¯s not over, hot shot. Thirteen is still nearby.¡± Twenty-five and Five instantly formed the other two points of the compass so we covered all directions with our backs to each other. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he join the other agents?¡± Lev asked. Good question. Territorial respect, probably. And pride. They shouldn¡¯t need help against a bunch of kids. ¡°What¡¯s he waiting for?¡± ¡°Maybe he left now he¡¯s out-numbered.¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t given up,¡± I said. ¡°He should. There are easier targets out there.¡± ¡°Like Ten and Twelve,¡± Lev muttered. ¡°HELP!¡± Someone called out from the wilderness. ¡°Is that Fifteen?¡± ¡°SOMEBODY!¡± Crap¡­what had he gotten his butt into now? I took off in the direction of his voice. And almost fell into a sinkhole. My foot slipped down the edge. I caught an exposed root and stopped my fall, then scrambled back to my feet. The brush nearly disguised the entrance. ¡°Fifteen?¡± ¡°Down here. Hey, cutie. I heard voices and hoped I wasn¡¯t hearing things.¡± I dug a flashlight out of my pack and shone it down the hole. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± ¡°Knocked myself out for a bit when I landed, but otherwise okay. Tell me you have rope or something.¡± ¡°Give me a minute.¡± The guys caught up as I took the line out of my pack and started fastening it around a tree. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Seven is being a doll and rescuing me,¡± Fifteen said. I tugged on the knot, making sure it would hold, and dropped the length of rope down the hole. As long as he wasn¡¯t too injured to, he could climb up on his own. ¡°Girl Scout in a past life, Seven?¡± Five asked. ¡°I take this job seriously. My mother needs me to. How ya comin¡¯, Fifteen?¡± ¡°How many of you are up there? Just pull me up.¡± I stepped aside for the boys and gestured be my guest. Had to be around ninety degrees by now and high humidity, making me grateful I remembered the water bottle. ¡°Good work. No hesitation to rescue.¡± Thirteen stood behind my left shoulder, whispering in my ear. A shiver ran up my spine. I froze. ¡°Gonna shoot me, Coach?¡± ¡°Exercise is over. No one left.¡± We watched them pull a dirty Fifteen out of the hole and start ribbing him for not looking where he was going. ¡°Doesn¡¯t answer the question.¡± ¡°No. Extenuating circumstances. He should be looked over by the medic and it¡¯s the team¡¯s job to get him home.¡± ¡°Very generous of you.¡± He didn¡¯t reply. I turned around and he was gone. Some day, he¡¯d have to tell me how he did that. Fifteen had a bump on his head and generally felt bruised all over. He started complaining about his ankle hurting on the way back. When we broke into the clearing, the recruits cheered. Thirteen showed up five minutes later. ¡°Guess I missed them,¡± he told the Alpha with a shrug. Supper was cooked over a fire pit. Aside from the barracks, we were roughin¡¯ it. There was running water from a well, but we only had five minutes for showers and the water was cold. We sat on hewn logs waiting for the Alpha¡¯s next speech. My reward for helping Fifteen out of the hole was gettin¡¯ out of KP. ¡°You recruits are a bunch of sissies! Could smell the lot of ya across a street with your perfumes and body washes. You know what that screams to a predator? Lunch! Your average vampire has a nose two times more sensitive than a bloodhound. Gee-zus¡ªthink, children.¡± His face was especially red in the firelight as he dressed us down. Well, not me personally. Mama had allergies, so I¡¯d grown up on fragrance-free soaps. Couldn¡¯t do anything about my shampoo, but I didn¡¯t use a strong-smelling version of that, either. If there was means to smell not human, I¡¯d be willing to learn, but Amelia hadn¡¯t mentioned one, yet. She was too concerned with me being able to rattle off monster stats at a moment¡¯s notice to chat about hygiene. I sat staring at the flames and thinking of the fireplace at home, hoping Mama was keepin¡¯ warm. There¡¯d been snow in Guthrie this winter. ¡°You look far away from here,¡± my mentor said, joining me on the log. ¡°Home.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Ever think of yours, from before?¡± He stared into the flames, too. ¡°Sometimes. I¡¯m human. You did a good job today.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I bumped his shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I chat?¡± ¡°Sure¡­but we¡¯ve never just hung out, Coach.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ A team is going to L.A. soon. I want you on it.¡± Los Angeles? ¡°But we were warned away. When I told Amelia who the message came from, she was scared and wanted me at HQ post haste. Why would they want you to do that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s undercover work. A rotating schedule of intel gatherers. We¡¯re not abandoning innocent citizens just because Juliet thinks she owns the place. She¡¯s just as vulnerable to a stake through her heart as any other vamp.¡± He spoke with conviction, the correctness of his cause adding righteous indignation to his voice. ¡°I¡¯m not going on missions until after graduation. Amelia and I have an agreement. If you still need me in summer, I¡¯m yours.¡± Side-eye. ¡°Everything has to be on your terms, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sigh at me like that. There are much more experienced agents that¡¯d be better for the job and you know it. Look, I promised my mother, okay? It¡¯s the last time she¡¯ll get to see me do somethin¡¯ normal.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I know how much she means to you.¡± ¡°Thank you. So, is the Alpha torturing us tomorrow, or was this it?¡± A shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t know. No two years are the same.¡± ¡°Great.¡± The Alpha woke us at 5:00AM with an air raid siren. Lord knows how long it¡¯d been on St. George. We scrambled into clothes and hurried outside. I took my pill and vitamins with a gulp of water on the move. We were sent on a run around the perimeter of the island with the condition if we didn¡¯t finish, we didn¡¯t get breakfast. Back when I trained with Thirteen, he called this running ¡®til you puke. Half the recruits left remnants of supper on the beach trail. Fifteen walked most of the way ¡®cause of his ankle, but even he made it. The Agents had cooked while we were away, and served breakfast once we hydrated. The Alpha entered the camp circle. ¡°Who of you can swim?¡± Everybody raised their hand but me. Uh-oh. ¡°Seven, you¡¯re telling me in all the time you¡¯ve been with The Agency you haven¡¯t been in the water?¡± ¡°No one asked me to, sir.¡± ¡°Not a single lesson in your civilian life?¡± The recruits stared at me while he fired off his questions. ¡°No, sir. There were more important concerns at home, sir.¡± He muttered a few curses. ¡°Well, what am I supposed to do with you, then, Recruit?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, sir,¡± I mumbled, and dropped my eyes to my lap, the attention making my cheeks burn. ¡°Agents¡ªtake the recruits to the beach to run water rescue drills. Not you, Thirteen.¡± What did he need Thirteen for? I hated disappointing authority figures. I¡¯d always minded my teachers, been a good student, not talked back at home¡­ ¡°You tested this girl, correct?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± No grin present on my trainer¡¯s face this time. ¡°And you didn¡¯t put her in the pool.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no pool or nearby lake at the New York base, sir.¡± More curses from the Alpha I didn¡¯t feel old enough to hear. ¡°Ms. Thornhill is her guide, sir, for almost two years. The oversight lies with her, if anyone,¡± Thirteen added. ¡°You can¡¯t fault the kid for lack of instruction.¡± Ooo, Amelia would not like him throwing her under the bus. As much as I butted heads with her at times, I thought it was a dick move, too. But¡­there were pools in Guthrie. And the lake. The Alpha opened his mouth to respond, or argue, then paced a few feet away and back again. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right, Agent. You¡¯ll take the girl back to HQ and follow up on any other holes in her repertoire. Seven, you¡¯re done on St. George.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir.¡± He nodded curtly and left us. I bit the inside of my cheek so I wouldn¡¯t cry. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not a failure, so stop thinking it.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Know why I don¡¯t swim? It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t been to a lake before.¡± Thirteen sat next to me. ¡°Okay¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid to put my head underwater, to be completely engulfed by a substance I can¡¯t breathe. Mama told me once that my father tried taking me to a toddler class at the Y before he bailed. I freaked in the pool, she said. Never took me back. Mama had to worry more about puttin¡¯ food on the table once she was alone.¡± ¡°Do you remember the lesson at all?¡± ¡°No. Only the fear. I¡¯d wade in the lake a bit when my youth group made trips, but I always conveniently ¡®forgot¡¯ a swimsuit so they wouldn¡¯t ask me to play. Pathetic, right?¡± ¡°Nah. We all have phobias in here somewhere,¡± he said, tapping his temple. ¡°What¡¯s yours?¡± ¡°Oh, no¡­you¡¯ll have to get me drunk first.¡± He stood and started walking to the barracks. I hurried to keep up. ¡°But I just shared mine.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll keep your secret, but no.¡± ¡°Awww¡­please?¡± I tried to get him to fess up the whole way home, but he wouldn¡¯t budge. Chapter Seventeen Chapter Seventeen Finding a swimsuit in England in January was impossible, so I ended up borrowing one. Thirteen suggested I start practicing holding my breath underwater in the bath tub, but even that was terrifying. I feared my father had scarred me for life. The Agency didn¡¯t have a pool in the facility, so Thirteen found a gym in the city with one. When we walked out on the deck, he peeled off his t-shirt and walked into the pool by the steps. Oh, gosh¡­I hadn¡¯t thought about¡­man, he was pretty. Sinewy muscle head to toe with a nice tan from the recent trip south. Heat bloomed in my face and I averted my eyes. ¡°Come on, Seven.¡± My feet were rooted to the cement. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ever think swimming could be fun?¡± He did a somersault underwater just to show off. ¡°No.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t look at all the other kids and wish that could be you?¡± Don¡¯t look at the hot agent¡­ ¡°You¡¯re a lousy teacher.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little old to pout?¡± he teased. ¡°Can you not phrase everything as a question?¡± He floated backward toward the deep end. ¡°Fine. Never learn. Maybe you¡¯re suited to be an analyst or one of the secretaries.¡± Wait a minute¡­ ¡°I won¡¯t be an agent if I can¡¯t swim?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a liability. You¡¯ll be benched until you get over your fear. Ask the Big Boss if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Uh, no. He already wasn¡¯t impressed with me to begin with after I dared to put my mother over ¡°my calling¡±. I¡¯d be sent home with no salary for sure, and I couldn¡¯t do that to Mama. I was learning I¡¯d do a heck of a lot for her. ¡°Fine. But be nice. No dunking me.¡± ¡°Cross my heart and hope to die.¡± Thirteen swam over to me. Didn¡¯t take him long. ¡°Do you trust me?¡± ¡°What kind of question is that?¡± He eye-rolled. ¡°Do you trust me to teach you or not?¡± ¡°When did you learn to swim?¡± ¡°Mommy and Me class when I was six months old. I grew up in Malibu¡ªswimming, surfing, and soccer were what you did. You¡¯re going to learn to float and hold your breath underwater today.¡± ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± ¡°Stretch out on your back and I¡¯ll support you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll hold me up?¡± ¡°Are we going to talk all day or swim?¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± I started down the steps, wary of what he might do. Like touch me. No young man had ever touched me that wasn¡¯t a relation getting a hug and the thought made my belly cramp. His hands would be under my back if I was floating face up like I was laid out for display. Why couldn¡¯t Amelia teach me? ¡°Does Amelia know how to swim?¡± He blinked. ¡°How should I know? Why?¡± ¡°Curious.¡± ¡°Seven.¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough I¡¯m in here up to my waist, okay? Don¡¯t rush me.¡± ¡°You can sit on the steps ¡®til you find your backbone or start overcoming your fear already. This pool is only private for an hour.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have to be mean.¡± ¡°Then start trying!¡± ¡°Be patient.¡± He put his face in my face. ¡°You seem to be under the impression this is a conversation, Recruit. It is not. Number One gave us orders. Shut up and do it.¡± He¡¯d never pulled rank on me before. It was embarrassing and pissed me off. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± I gritted out. Glaring at him, I turned around so he could help me lay back, and tensed as soon as he touched me. ¡°Relax, Seven.¡± ¡°This is relaxed.¡± ¡°Maybe I should make Thornhill do this if you¡¯re going to be a pain in the ass.¡± ¡°Language.¡± ¡°Shut up and float.¡± This was so awkward. ¡°I would if you¡¯d tell me how.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Standing me up, he said, ¡°This isn¡¯t working,¡± and waded to the steps. Was he leaving? I watched him walk around the deck in his clingy shorts to a cabinet. Various implements were inside. He picked up a foam rectangle, tossed it in the water, and dove in after it. ¡°This is a kickboard. Name is its function. Hold on to float and start kicking.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I can¡¯t make you swim laps yet and I¡¯m hoping you¡¯ll get too tired to bitch. Start kicking. All the way across.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°I don¡¯t know how.¡± That earned me an are you stupid? look. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be difficult. I don¡¯t know how to do any of this.¡± He sighed. ¡°Seven, you¡¯re overcomplicating it. Swimming is pretty natural if you get your head out of the way.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not ready. This pool is too big.¡± ¡°Come on, you have the stamina to do a lap, kid.¡± Energy wasn¡¯t my problem. ¡°Not like that.¡± ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Shaking his head, he climbed out of the pool and kept walking toward the dressing rooms. Wow. I never thought he¡¯d give up. Is this what I wanted? Amelia would assign someone else to teach me or train me herself. She wouldn¡¯t let me give up again. The cause was too important to her. And I really doubted the Director would let me put this off or pass without learning, even if I had staked a few vampires. Standing in the pool, swimming didn¡¯t make me nearly as nervous as Thirteen did. I mean, the thought of being underwater scared me to death, but my resistance was defensive. I liked him, it was forbidden, and I didn¡¯t know how to handle it. Crazy as it sounds for a seventeen year-old, I¡¯d never had a crush before. Not really. Not in the his-smile-makes-me-dizzy kind of way like now. Why couldn¡¯t he at least be my age? The next day, Thirteen was still in street clothes when I walked out of the dressing room. ¡°You¡¯re going in, in jeans?¡± ¡°You swim. I¡¯ll watch.¡± Now he¡¯s just gone crazy. ¡°What if¡ª?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you drown, Seven. Just do it.¡± Okay, Mr. Nike. Seriously, this didn¡¯t seem safe. I didn¡¯t know how to swim. I could drown. It only took inches of water for that. ¡°Seven, trust me. Hold your breath and go, or I¡¯ll push you in.¡± ¡°I liked you a lot better two years ago.¡± The water was cold when I started down the steps. Better to get the adjustment over with, I pushed forward to wade in up to my collarbone. At three feet deep, that put me in a crouch. It was all about moving your arms back and forth, right? Wading. Could I float or would my body sink right away? I didn¡¯t have the nerve to find out, yet, so I kept wading a bit deeper, until I was standing straight to have the water below my chin. ¡°Nothing to be afraid of, kid. You can see the bottom the whole time.¡± Better than the ponds at home. Maybe that was part of my fear. The unknown black depths. Even so, the white bottom wasn¡¯t making me less nervous about feeling the water over my shoulders. If I lifted my feet up, I¡¯d go under. ¡°Try paddling back to the edge without putting your feet down.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Seven, we¡¯ll be here forever with ¡®not yet¡¯. You can swim without putting your head under. It¡¯s just more awkward.¡± He sat on a deck chair picking his nails. Jerk. ¡°Want the kickboard to lean on? Don¡¯t think they make floaties in your size.¡± ¡°Bite me.¡± He laughed. Except for the safety factor, I wished he¡¯d go away. Having an audience wasn¡¯t helping. ¡°Throw the girl in the jungle and she takes charge, but a little clean, sparkly pool and oh no, scary!¡± For that, I splashed him. Surprised, he let out a good yelp and scrambled out of the chair. ¡°These are new boots.¡± ¡°Now who¡¯s running?¡± ¡°You¡¯re only getting away with that now ¡®cause you can¡¯t swim, Seven. Retribution is coming.¡± Eye. Roll. ¡°I¡¯m not lookin¡¯ to start a prank war. Don¡¯t antagonize me.¡± I walked back to the shallow end and climbed out. ¡°This isn¡¯t working. I¡¯ll talk to Amelia.¡± He caught my arm. ¡°I was only playing. I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯ve always bantered words.¡± My skin heated under his touch, a blush emanating from it. If he looked down right now, he¡¯d notice¡ª ¡°Yeah, but it doesn¡¯t give you license to be a jerk. I¡¯m not going to learn if we keep butting heads.¡± This swimsuit was a competitor¡¯s suit and a little too small in the chest. I grabbed my towel. The room was cold, too, and I didn¡¯t feel decent. ¡°Are you mad you¡¯re saddled with me instead of somewhere else?¡± He blinked in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s stupid.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. It¡¯s been like this since St. George, so¡ª¡± A released breath, and his arms hung loose. ¡°I¡¯m not mad. I blamed Amelia, but I¡¯m annoyed with myself for not thinking to ask when I trained you. We both let it slip by as teachers and The Agency can¡¯t afford oversights. Someone could die.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of pressure.¡± He met my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s the job. Still want it?¡± ¡°Do I have a choice?¡± He blinked. ¡°Of course. Free will is the only thing a hundred-percent ours. Seven¡­¡± ¡°How long have you been doing this?¡± ¡°Many years. Six years as an Agent.¡± ¡°Is it worth it?¡± ¡°Yes. But that¡¯s for me. You have to decide about you.¡± I sighed. ¡°No easy answers.¡± He smiled. ¡°Hardly ever. Let¡¯s go before you catch cold.¡± ¡°No. I want to try again.¡± I dropped the towel on a chair. ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°No, but these lessons can¡¯t go on forever. You have places to be.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He stripped down to swim trunks and took my hand. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re willing to try overcoming your fear.¡± We stepped into the water. ¡°As long as you take a gentle approach this time.¡± ¡°Scout¡¯s honor.¡± And I could trust his word. He started with holding onto my hands and having me follow him around the shallow half of the pool. My being in the water this long was an ultimate show of trust and I think he got that now. ¡°Will you try floating on your back?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t let go.¡± We¡¯d done trust exercises as recruits before, putting our backs to someone and letting them catch us, and this was similar¡ªonly I¡¯d go underwater instead of falling on the ground. ¡°Lean back with your limbs straight.¡± His hands supported me under my shoulder blades as I did. ¡°Relax. You¡¯re too tense.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m trying. This is hard. Don¡¯t let the water go over my ears.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Stop worrying about it. The only important part is breathing, and as long as you can breathe, you¡¯re good. Once you get past this, you¡¯ll find the backstroke is really easy for a beginner.¡± ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Just lay back and kick while alternating arm strokes. Don¡¯t even have to be a good floater.¡± It was weird looking up at his face like this. ¡°If you say so.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a natural athlete, remember?¡± A grimace skewed my mouth. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it ¡®natural¡¯.¡± ¡°You know what I mean. Do you argue this much with your parents?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only my mom, remember, and no, because she doesn¡¯t ask me to do crazy things.¡± He grinned. ¡°Seven, you¡¯ve been floating for five minutes while you wouldn¡¯t shut up.¡± ¡°What?¡± My feet struck bottom. ¡°Had been, yes.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Will you try again?¡± ¡°Do we have time?¡± He glanced at his waterproof watch. ¡°Yep.¡± More ready to trust now, I leaned into his hands again. ¡°Stretch out your arms, relax¡­relax your neck. That¡¯s it. Breathe.¡± Breathe. And don¡¯t think about my nipples poking through this stupid suit. ¡°How long are we doing this?¡± ¡°The rest of the session.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I put my trust in him and focused on making friends with the water. Letting my body get used to its temperature, the way it lapped around my limbs. The hair in my ponytail floating, which was nice. Before I knew it, Thirteen was standing me up and telling me it was time to go. ¡°Same time tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± At least these lessons got me outside, even if it was in the cold. He usually wore a dark gray peacoat and always carried an umbrella. The following day, he put a lifejacket on me he found somewhere. Thank goodness this wasn¡¯t a public pool. ¡°There¡¯s no way you can drown with that on,¡± he said. ¡°So with your fear out of the way we can work on your strokes. Roll onto your back and imitate what I do.¡± Fear of the water was a deep-set phobia in me, so learning to swim wasn¡¯t a quick process¡ªI guess, as I had no one¡¯s experience to compare it to¡ªbut the buoyancy of the lifejacket helped tame my fear enough to follow his instructions. He¡¯d rather I be willing to put my head underwater, but once I started doing what he wanted, he went back to the usual jovial guy I¡¯d come to know. Baby steps. I felt more modest in the vest, too, and that helped. After a week, my ordered swimsuit came to the P.O Box we used to get family mail. The more modest style made me more confident about dropping my towel. Thirteen noticed the change right away. ¡°Deep green. Good color on you.¡± ¡°I know, a little clich¨¦ for a redhead.¡± ¡°Seven, that was a genuine compliment.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± My cheeks warmed. And because the Alpha ordered him to review all my training, we weren¡¯t just in the pool. We shot every firearm in the range, he watched my sessions with Sensei, gave me pop quizzes on the books, and booked me time with experts. Swimming lessons in the mornings, then he kicked my butt in the gym in the afternoons. I should¡¯ve been exhausted. Instead, I looked forward to spending time with him every day. Surprisingly, for someone seven years older than me, I think he enjoyed it, too. Maybe the teaching aspect, not this odd sort-of friendship we¡¯d developed, but still. Of course, it couldn¡¯t last. In March, Thirteen was gone again. He told Amelia he was confident I wouldn¡¯t drown within five minutes and she could continue my training in the water if she wished. But I didn¡¯t get a goodbye in person. That hurt a bit. I liked routines, and for six weeks, he consumed my days. And, ashamedly, occasionally my dreams. Amelia wasn¡¯t nearly as fun to learn from. Chapter Eighteen and Chapter Nineteen Chapter Eighteen Thirteen¡¯s diary Six weeks at Sanctuary might¡¯ve been the longest single stretch I¡¯d spent there since graduating to Agent and I was relieved to be sent on a new assignment. Seven wasn¡¯t my first trainee, but she was the one I¡¯d taken the greatest liking to, and I didn¡¯t need that attachment. Wasn¡¯t good for her, either. While we didn¡¯t work alone so much when our numbers were greater, Agents had always treaded a careful line between caring enough to keep each other alive and staying detached enough to continue the job without the partnership. Guides were only for the inexperienced. Your standard Western military encouraged you to have a battle buddy, but war was carried out differently when you had a large army and plenty of pieces to play on the board. Our work was the subtle, the covert, the secret¡­and the deniable. Which suited me fine. Chapter Nineteen On April 19th, 2006, I turned eighteen. Amelia came home with me in late May to see ¡°an American ceremony¡± and tell my mother about the job offer with their ¡°aid organization¡±. I hadn¡¯t picked a major, yet, especially since I wasn¡¯t going to be in the civilian sector anymore¡ªand how wacky is it that I say civilian sector¡ªbut doing college work felt like a normal thing. I wanted as much normal as I could fit in my life as an agent. They were fitting me for my suit when I got back to London. ¡°Della will get to continue her education by correspondence as she travels, of course,¡± she said. We sat in my living room. ¡°She better be allowed to. College is important.¡± ¡°The internet allows a lot more flexibility, Mama.¡± ¡°You¡¯d know better than I would, honey,¡± she said, patting my knee. I programmed the VCR for her when I was eight. My friends and church group thought I¡¯d been part of a foreign exchange program. They were eager to hear about England and welcomed me into the line of graduates like I never left. Popularity really did happen on a whim, didn¡¯t it? Worried I was a terrible liar, I kept my answers short and vague and recited anecdotes from a tourist guide of London. It was a relief to get back to Mama and pose for pictures in my royal blue cap and gown. ¡°You can stay a little while, can¡¯t you, Della?¡± she asked at our celebration dinner later. ¡°Maybe. You¡¯ll have to check with Amelia.¡± I twirled the spaghetti on my plate, wrapping a big wad around my fork, then letting it slide off. ¡°She¡¯s my surpervisor.¡± She leaned in, a crease forming between her brows. ¡°Honey, you don¡¯t have to take the first offer presented to you. You know that, right? You¡¯re barely eighteen¡­there¡¯s plenty of time to find the right school and the right job. And date! Did you meet any nice boys in London?¡± ¡°Just friends. There wasn¡¯t a lot of time for socializing with anyone.¡± The only guy I had any interest in was completely out of reach. ¡°And that¡¯s not right¡­this is your first summer as a young woman. You should have some fun. Sensibly, of course, and with your clothes on.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I patted her hand. ¡°I¡¯m okay, Mama, really.¡± Her brow arched. ¡°Really. I¡¯m going to get to see things few people ever do. How could I pass that up?¡± Oh, I wanted what she was talking about¡ªthe dates and the parties and seein¡¯ movies. I¡¯d give anything to be a normal girl. But for God knows why, it wasn¡¯t my path. ¡°I s¡¯pose you¡¯re right.¡± She caressed my cheek. ¡°Gosh, you¡¯re all grown up, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯ll write?¡± I smiled. ¡°All the time.¡± ¡°And visit as much as you can?¡± ¡°Wild horses couldn¡¯t keep me away, I promise. Guthrie is still home.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She grasped my hand on the table. ¡°Home is still home.¡± **** June The next time I walked into HQ, I sensed I was leaving Della Garvison behind. Amelia and The Director were the only people who knew my birth name. Wasn¡¯t only high school I¡¯d finished, but agency training, too. Double graduation. There was no turning back, no oops I changed my mind¡ªI¡¯d mastered all the skills Sacra Aedes could teach me and innocent souls were at stake. Even if I didn¡¯t go into the field, I still couldn¡¯t live in Guthrie again, so time to commit forward. Amelia led me into a room with a central platform surrounded by cameras linked to a computer. I think they were cameras. ¡°Strip down to your undergarments, please?¡± ¡°Beg pardon?¡± ¡°The suit is custom fit, so the computer needs exact measurements, Seven.¡± ¡°Ah. Yay.¡± At least it was only the two of us. I got on the platform in my sports bra and boy-short undies. Amelia fiddled with the computer, then beams of green light started wandering over my body. ¡°Um, are those lasers?¡± ¡°They¡¯re harmless beams of light. Hold your arms out to the sides, please.¡± The lasers kept wandering over my body. Minutes passed in silence. ¡°Are you done, yet? It¡¯s cold in here.¡± ¡°Only another minute,¡± she said primly. ¡°Turn your back to me and widen your stance, please. And stop fidgeting.¡± Stop fidgeting. Bet she wouldn¡¯t be perfectly still standing like this, either. ¡°Done. You can dress now.¡± Thank God. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°Now the specs go to the seamstresses.¡± She typed on the keyboard. ¡°How long does the suit take to make?¡± I pulled my pants up. ¡°You will get it when it¡¯s ready.¡± I held my hands up. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I could take a hint. ¡°Go in the next room to get fitted for your boots, please.¡± ¡°Amelia, are you mad at me?¡± She sighed and looked up from the monitor. ¡°No, of course not.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­you¡¯ve been a bit brusque since we got back.¡± She removed her glasses and finally met my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one that¡¯s been evaluated, Seven. After they learned about your lack of knowing how to swim, the council ruled I¡¯d been too lax with you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I¡¯d never thought about the possibility of me putting her in a difficult position. She returned her spectacles to their home. ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal. I¡¯m merely trying to maintain a more professional distance in our relationship.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re the boss.¡± ¡°Well¡­yes.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go next door, ma¡¯am.¡± Her eyes widened. Guess I surprised her. I left to get my custom boots made. They put my feet in some gunk and made a form out of it. I expected the work to take at least weeks, but my new gear was ready in a matter of days. When it came to outfitting an agent, The Agency worked with supreme efficiency. The most surprising part, though, was how many parts and layers were involved. The outfit started with a cat suit that zipped down the front. Silver threads glinted in the light, and when I held my arm up I discovered words in Latin and Hebrew. They covered the entire surface of the black material. Pieces of light armor went over the suit¡ªa corset-like torso piece, bracers, and shin guards that fit over my boots. The boots were a classic black combat style, but surprisingly lightweight, and felt like a sneaker inside. I could walk in them without making a sound and they were super comfortable. The hood-and-mask went on next to only reveal my eyes, and the final part of my wardrobe was the coat. It was my favorite piece mainly because it looked so darn cool. The coat was cut close to the torso, but not constricting movement, the hem falling at mid-calf. It was leather, with more of the silver threads woven in, and heavy from concealed Kevlar panels. The inner lining had at least a dozen pockets for hiding weapons. So surreal. I stepped in front of the full-length mirror in my suite and didn¡¯t know who I was looking at. Eighteen and decked out like a modern-day ninja. ¡°You forgot these.¡± Amelia walked in carrying a pair of black leather gloves. ¡°Thanks.¡± It felt weird to talk, the mask buffing my lips. The gloves covered all but my fingertips, with light padding over the knuckles for punching protection. I secured them on my wrists and stood for inspection. ¡°Black out your eyes for night work and you¡¯ll be perfect,¡± she said. ¡°Come. It¡¯s time to graduate.¡± The ceremony wasn¡¯t like finishing academics. A minister blessed each of us, then the Director¡ªAlastair Wimbley¡ªhanded us a heavy-duty case and our IDs and passport. He was givin¡¯ us a lot of power, as that passport granted us no-questions-asked access to almost every country in the world and the ID promised no interference from government employees like law enforcement and medical examiners. I didn¡¯t want to know how The Agency had gained such power and would never ask¡­some things were better left to plausible deniability, and really, we were doing this for a good cause. Monsters didn¡¯t respect human boundaries. Only three of the ten recruits on the island were granted Agent status today, and I was the only girl. Five and Eleven were leaving with male guides I hadn¡¯t met. We congratulated each other and went our separate ways. Amelia caught me in the hall dressed in traveling clothes. ¡°Ready for our first mission?¡± ¡°Long as I can find a burger, I¡¯ll take on a hundred vamps.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Some things are more important than your stomach, Seven.¡± We headed for my room. ¡°Yeah, like sunshine.¡± I was never so glad to walk out to a hot summer day. Mama thought I was going to college in August. It was partly the truth. When I could, I¡¯d be taking correspondence courses, tackling general ed requirements. In July, my third mission sent me to Los Angeles. Of course, I thought it was a mistake when I read the assignment. The Agency officially stayed out of L.A. Unofficially, we spied, but only from a discreet distance and only with remote equipment. Sure, an Agent would check it out in person on occasion, but we needed to re-grow our numbers before provoking Juliet with contact. Amelia was just as mystified. And didn¡¯t want me to go. She was going to call the Director, but I stopped her. ¡°Thirteen probably requested me. He wanted me on his team months ago for this. I don¡¯t think the situation is that dangerous if they¡¯re willin¡¯ to send a rookie.¡± Her frown intensified. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, Seven.¡± ¡°Wanna stay here?¡± ¡°Of course not. My duty is to be at your side. But¡ª¡± ¡°Amelia, thousands of people fly in and out of L.A. every day without a scratch. I think I can handle a little surveillance mission.¡± Thirteen had certainly drilled me through the equipment. She sighed. ¡°Well, if I can¡¯t talk you out of it¡­¡± See, once I became an Agent, she was no longer my boss outside of HQ, something she struggled to adjust to. We were partners now but I didn¡¯t think my stubborn streak would ever stop rubbin¡¯ her the wrong way. I liked calling the shots when I was out on the streets. We kept in touch by way of a tiny wireless thing in my ear, but carrying out the missions was my job. So, we flew to L.A. Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty As I expected, Thirteen picked us up and led us to a plain white van. ¡°Mmm, smell the fresh smog,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, yeah, Country Girl. Get your crap in here before one of those taxis tries to push us out of the way.¡± He looked good, as always, dressed in a plain white tee and shorts. Blending in with the locals. July in Southern California was hideously hot, but at least the humidity was low today. Though, I felt like my skin was cooking the second sunlight touched it. ¡°Better bathe in SPF 100 while you¡¯re here, kid, or you¡¯ll look like a charcoal briquette.¡± He moved the van into traffic. ¡°Since when do we work during the day?¡± I asked from the passenger seat. ¡°Since this is a city full of the undead.¡± ¡°Is it only you here?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± What did he mean? That was a yes or no question. ¡°Why did you request me? I¡¯m sure you can handle the job alone.¡± ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I need two more hands and you were available. Thornhill can stop glaring at me. This is nothing dangerous.¡± ¡°See?¡± I said. ¡°She¡¯s been overprotective since that old vamp found me in the woods.¡± ¡°I am right here!¡± Amelia said from the back. ¡°And for good reason, Seven, as you had yet to be properly trained. As for this city, I see no reason to waste our limited resources on a futile mission.¡± ¡°Futile?¡± I asked. ¡°We can¡¯t bug the premises because the vampires hear the electronic noise, so across the street is as close as we can get and is entirely pointless for ascertaining any of Juliet¡¯s plans. Ergo, futile.¡± ¡°For listening devices, yes,¡± Thirteen said. ¡°Video¡ªno. They leave the cameras alone.¡± ¡°Is that what I¡¯m here for? Setting up more cameras?¡± Boring. He didn¡¯t need me for that. ¡°Let¡¯s save the briefing for the safe house.¡± He turned up the radio. Amelia¡¯s sour expression could curdle milk. There had been tension between her and Thirteen since St. George and obviously they hadn¡¯t worked it out, yet. This must be what it¡¯s like to be stuck between divorced parents. No thank you. Weren¡¯t we professionals? Adults? Like most of The Agency¡¯s safe houses, a clergyman lived there. A vampire in the Red family would¡ªand could¡ªnever set foot in it. Lucky for him, the Golds avoided L.A. This particular house was a Victorian near Downtown. The van parked under a carport and Thirteen led us inside through a side door. ¡°What is the plan?¡± Amelia asked. ¡°Bedrooms are upstairs. You¡¯ll be sharing a bathroom,¡± he said. ¡°That is not an answer to my question, Agent Thirteen. Why was Agent Seven assigned here? Surely a professional with your record does not need her help.¡± He sighed. ¡°Sometimes four hands are better than two, and for the record, I asked for her, not you. Yeah, I know, protocol says you¡¯re a package deal, but this is a two-man mission and Seven might as well get acquainted with the city. She¡¯ll rotate through like anyone else.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be upstairs whenever you two are done arguing like I¡¯m not here.¡± Carried my luggage up and picked the first empty room. Geesh. Mental note: mail Mama a postcard before I leave. Amelia and I had been workin¡¯ in the US so far and I¡¯d sent a note from each place we stopped. Never said much, ¡®cause I didn¡¯t want to lie to her, but I wanted her to know I was okay. Spending so much time away from home was never my life plan, after all. Being away had softened my accent. Sometimes, I didn¡¯t recognize my own voice, especially with a new vocabulary of international slang and supernatural terms. Amelia spent the first six months of my training blurting out corrections to my Oklahoma pronunciation. Footsteps on the wood stairs. ¡°Settling in?¡± Thirteen. He braced one arm on the doorframe, which popped his bicep. Man had yummy arms. My stomach flip-flopped. ¡°Where¡¯s Amelia?¡± When would I be immune to him? ¡°Out for some air.¡± Keep unpacking, Della. ¡°Have you two always clashed? I don¡¯t want you arguin¡¯ over me still. I¡¯m an Agent now.¡± He sat on the bed, watching me putter around. ¡°It¡¯s about you when I think she¡¯s being overprotective, or otherwise not serving you the best. She¡¯s a first time Guide, did you know that?¡± A glance over my shoulder. ¡°Really? But¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, she¡¯s been working with recruits for a while, but you¡¯re Amelia¡¯s first one-on-one assignment, and she needs to learn not everything can go by the book.¡± That explained a lot now, her rigidness and grasping for control. ¡°Adapt or die.¡± A small grin. ¡°You remember.¡± ¡°I remember everything you¡¯ve taught me. Was I your first student, too?¡± ¡°Nah. You¡¯re not that special, kid.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore, either.¡± He met my eyes. ¡°No. You¡¯re not.¡± Then stood. ¡°I¡¯ll order a pizza and we¡¯ll go over why we¡¯re in this town.¡± ¡°No pepperoni.¡± ¡°Really?¡± His eyebrow shot up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°It gives me indigestion.¡± Shaking his head, he went downstairs, muttering, ¡°Women¡­¡± Settled everything where I wanted it, then washed my hands. By the time I came downstairs, Thirteen had set a big pizza box on the kitchen table. ¡°Hope you don¡¯t have anything against mushrooms.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± I lifted the lid. He¡¯d ordered a large with half pepperoni and sausage, half mushroom and ground beef. Worked for me. He set down a stack of paper plates and paper towels. I loaded two slices on a plate. ¡°Maybe we should wait for Amelia.¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°And let this pie get cold? I only eat cold pizza for breakfast. Sit and eat.¡± I sat and closed my eyes for a three-second grace. Took a bite of cheesy goodness and mmm. Golly, I¡¯d missed pizza. ¡°So where does Juliet live?¡± He swallowed before replying. ¡°Gated property on a hill. In her eyes, she¡¯s queen of the realm, so she lives like it. It¡¯s a secure location.¡± ¡°Does she ever leave the place?¡± ¡°Good question.¡± He was going to make me figure it out. ¡°Watching and waiting could take months, years, to see anything relevant.¡± And we already knew we couldn¡¯t bug the place. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to point cameras at the door?¡± A smirk. ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°Then why am I here? That doesn¡¯t require two people.¡± The smirk deepened, then. ¡°It does when one of them needs to go up a telephone pole.¡± Yay. ¡°You could find someone closer if all you need is a lookout.¡± ¡°Sayin¡¯ you don¡¯t want to work with me, Seven?¡± My cheeks warmed at his teasing. ¡°Of course not. Only being practical, sir.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®sir¡¯ me, kid, I work for a living.¡± ¡°You got that from a movie.¡± I think¡­ He eye-rolled. ¡°Back to point, I need more than a lookout, and this kind of work will be good experience for you.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Okay.¡± Amelia walked in, and frowned. In her eyes, pizza was junk food and junk food was not proper nutrition for an agent. Hadn¡¯t hurt me none, or Thirteen. The man always had serious abs. ¡°What have I missed?¡± ¡°Nothing much,¡± he said. She sighed and went to the refrigerator. I should¡¯ve told him to order a salad for her. She didn¡¯t eat with us, heading upstairs with her luggage instead. ¡°This is going to be a long couple of days if you two can¡¯t get along.¡± He chewed. ¡°Not my problem she has a stick up her ass.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m in the middle of all this lovely tension and it sucks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­we¡¯ll be out of the house tomorrow.¡± He wiped his hands with a paper towel, put the last slice of his half in a Ziploc baggie, and tossed it in the fridge. ¡°Doing what?¡± I started on my fourth slice. Being an Agent meant our bodies ran at Olympic-level efficiency and required a lot of calories. My body looked like a cross between an MMA fighter and college gymnast. ¡°Posing as LADWP.¡± ¡°Wha¡¯?¡± ¡°Department of Water and Power.¡± I swallowed to speak. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ve got the white van.¡± A nod. ¡°We need to put the decals on it tonight.¡± He sat again, legs akimbo. ¡°You¡¯ll find a uniform in your closet. Everything else is taken care of, so just follow my lead.¡± ¡°You¡¯re supposed to use a bucket lift to work on a telephone pole.¡± ¡°Only on streets where that truck would fit.¡± ¡°Working on a pole is a solo job.¡± He coughed, stifling a laugh. ¡°What?¡± Smiling, he said, ¡°Nothing. You don¡¯t want to be here? I¡¯m hurt.¡± I tossed a balled-up napkin at him. ¡°Ha, ha. I just don¡¯t see a need for me here. There¡¯s a whole lot more of them than us and it¡¯s a big globe, so I¡¯m still wondering why you requested me.¡± He stood from the table. ¡°You think too much, kid.¡± Grabbed a bottle from the fridge. ¡°Hurry up and finish stuffing your face so we can get this decal on.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a kid!¡± I called after his retreating back. Hmph. Thirteen had been a hard instructor at times, but we¡¯d also bonded¡ªat least it felt that way to me. He trusted me. He was my first crush, the first guy to make me feel swoony from a smile or the slightest bit of praise. Taught me a lot. Did he visit home when work sent him to L.A.? I didn¡¯t know much about his life before. He was from Malibu and his parents were killed by a vampire while out on a dinner date. Everything else was a mystery, relationships between Agents were strictly forbidden, and our Guides were always the same gender as the Agent. Two Agents in the same city was uncommon and more an extreme rarity, but our ranks were thin, so I didn¡¯t know if that was by order or necessity. Cleaned up after supper, then found him in a garage, loading the van with tomorrow¡¯s equipment. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°The decals roll on and peel off and it takes two people to place the big ones on the sides of the van.¡± He dusted off his hands on his shorts and grabbed some large paper tubes. ¡°And we don¡¯t want air bubbles.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I got to hold the rolled end while he smoothed the decal on the white metal. He was so meticulous in making sure it was perfectly smooth that even my enhanced arms were burning from maintaining his required tension. And we still had to do the other side, too. This really should be done with three people, but I didn¡¯t want the bickering to start again. ¡°Is this trip strictly business, or do you have time to show me ¡®round your home turf?¡± I shook my arms out between decals. ¡°The Agency doesn¡¯t send you to be a tourist.¡± Duh. ¡°I know that. But you went surfing in Australia, so you can¡¯t tell me there¡¯s no downtime. Oklahoma would¡¯ve been my home forever without this vampire nonsense and Amelia doesn¡¯t take her eyes off me when it¡¯s the two of us, so¡­¡± He pulled the decal out of its tube. ¡°Save the big green eyes routine for your dad.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t seen him since I was five.¡± Why did he always forget that? ¡°Sorry.¡± Sigh. ¡°It is what it is. Why don¡¯t you hold the roll and I smooth it on?¡± ¡°Because I outrank you.¡± Grinning, annoying... ¡°Jerk.¡± ¡°One day, you¡¯ll boss around the newbies, too.¡± My arms were noodles after this round and I left him to slap the door decals on. I needed water, a shower, and a bedtime snack, not necessarily in that order. Amelia¡¯s door opened when I topped the stairs. ¡°Has he shared the mission with you?¡± ¡°Enough. You really don¡¯t need to stay. I¡¯m a literal extra pair of hands.¡± She straightened to her full height. ¡°It¡¯s my duty to be by your side, Seven.¡± ¡°When I don¡¯t have another Agent here, yeah. All I¡¯m sayin¡¯ is there¡¯s nothing for you to do on this mission. Visit your family or something.¡± Guides didn¡¯t have the same rules Agents did. For them, being part of The Agency was an inherited legacy, generation after generation expected to serve in some capacity, mostly at Sacra Aedes. And Amelia wanted to make her parents proud. Her lips flattened into a line of disapproval. ¡°Is this you or Agent Thirteen talking?¡± ¡°Me being practical, like always. If you won¡¯t leave L.A., at least get out of the house and do somethin¡¯ for yourself while we¡¯re gone, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡± ¡°All I ask. ¡®Night.¡± Walked into my room and shut the door. Needed to collect my soap and towel before checking into the hall bathroom. The bath had a baby blue pedestal sink and a curtain around a claw-foot tub. Obviously not updated in a while. Only needed to be serviceable, though. Brushing the curtain aside revealed a shower head. I turned the taps and waited for heat. Washed my hair this morning, so it went into a bun on top of my head. Hot water on my shoulders felt like heaven. Don¡¯t know how long I stood with the spray rejuvenating my muscles before I decided to finish up before I fell asleep. Soaped and rinsed my armpits and closed the taps. The towel from home helped my homesickness a fraction. Last time in Guthrie, I stole little things that would fit in my luggage, things Mama wouldn¡¯t miss that would help my heart hurt a tiny bit less. All of this was for her, after all. The Agency was paying the bills for her chronic medical care in exchange for my service. Dressed in my sleep shorts and tank, I opened the door to Thirteen in the hall. His eyes flicked down and up, his expression unreadable. ¡°Were you waiting for the bathroom?¡± ¡°Passing through.¡± He continued to the door at the end. I went into my room, stuffed the dirty stuff in a laundry bag, let my hair down, and got into bed. Sleeping in strange places had gotten easier since my early days as a recruit. Two quick knocks on my door. The sun was up, but by the light, it was early. A glance at the clock said seven. Shuffled across the hall to splash water on my face and pee, then pulled on clothes and went downstairs in search of food. Thirteen stood at the sink eating cold pizza, his eyes on the backyard. No shirt, only a pair of low-riding shorts. Geeze. Two small dimples in his low back right above the waistband. My belly fluttered and I turned to the fridge, opening the door in a hopeful search for milk. The clergyman had stocked well. I could even cook tonight if I chose. Hadn¡¯t cooked since home. ¡°Mornin¡¯,¡± Thirteen said, mouth full. ¡°Swallow before you talk, barbarian.¡± Bowl of cereal. Sliced bananas on top. ¡°Such a girl.¡± ¡°No, a human raised with manners. Which I¡¯m sure you were, too, Rich Boy.¡± He tossed the crust end in the trash can, then took a long swig from a mug of coffee. ¡°Put on the uniform after you¡¯re done. We want to be up the hill before the heat is the worst.¡± ¡°Sure, Coach.¡± ¡°Thirteen will suffice.¡± He leaned his butt into the cabinets so the front of him was on display, instead. His chest was bare, but the morning light revealed a line of fine pale blond hairs heading downward where I couldn¡¯t look. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not a number that produces a nickname. I ain¡¯t that formal.¡± His hair was longer than the last time I saw him at HQ. Hadn¡¯t noticed yesterday because it was brushed back, but now it flopped around his forehead in an all-too-charming way. Since when was I into the surfer dude look? I liked clean-cut church boys with a little dirt under their nails from hard work, not blond and tan and half-naked¡ª Boys. That¡¯s the problem. A man stood in the kitchen. My eighteen-year-old hormones stood no chance. Geeze, these couple days were going to be torture. Control, Della, control. ¡°Gonna tell me what we¡¯re doin¡¯ today or wait until we get there?¡± Professional questions, eyes on my bowl. ¡°Impatient.¡± I shrugged. Kept eating. He¡¯d answer if he wanted to and only if. ¡°We¡¯re DWP making a service call.¡± He refilled the mug and left the kitchen, then his feet were on the creaky stairs. Sighed with relief, then took my time chewing breakfast instead of wolfing it down. Amelia entered the room dressed in her usual blouse and trousers. She picked up the empty carafe and made a noise of disgust. ¡°Ingrate,¡± she muttered. ¡°Say somethin¡¯?¡± ¡°No,¡± and proceeded to make more coffee. Amelia lived on coffee away from HQ. She took one glance at my Fruity Pebbles and sighed. ¡°Starting with a nutritious breakfast, I see.¡± ¡°I sliced a banana on top.¡± Bread went into the toaster. Her only luxury was traveling with breakfast spreads from England. She always ate alone in her room before joining me for work. I finished and told her I was leaving soon while I washed the bowl and spoon. ¡°Well, at least he¡¯s on mission at a sensible hour.¡± ¡°Enough with the tension. I don¡¯t know why you dislike him and I don¡¯t care, but I don¡¯t want this beef between you gettin¡¯ in my way.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± The toast popped up and she left the kitchen. I followed upstairs once I heard her door, bumping into him on the way. He was dressed in the costume. ¡°Just be a minute.¡± Slipped into my room and hurriedly changed into the uniform. Amelia hadn¡¯t reappeared by the time I joined him in the garage and he didn¡¯t wait. Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-One Surprisingly, there wasn¡¯t much traffic on this route. From what people said about L.A., it was nothing but crowding and traffic twenty-four-seven. It didn¡¯t take long to reach the incline and start climbing into the ritzy private hills of the famous and powerful. ¡°How did your first missions go?¡± Thirteen asked. ¡°Only two, and not what I expected.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Mirth in his voice. ¡°With all the focus on creatures, I didn¡¯t envision collecting old books as the start of this job.¡± He laughed. ¡°We drill on the life-and-death crap because you have to be prepared, but a lot of the work is exactly that¡ªtaking books and relics out of the hands of the clueless before they hurt themselves. What did you have to do?¡± ¡°An auction and a museum transfer, and Amelia was on point. I was only backup.¡± ¡°Guides have their purposes.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you have one? Is this like training wheels?¡± ¡°A little. What have you done the rest of the month?¡± ¡°Hunting.¡± Traipsing around the East Coast in a van with a stuffy Brit wasn¡¯t my ideal, either. ¡°What did you find?¡± ¡°Only some ghosts.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be asked to do more once you¡¯ve gotten your feet wet.¡± Parking the van on an incline, he set the brake. ¡°Time to go to work.¡± He opened the door after checking for passing traffic. ¡°Not afraid of heights, are you?¡± ¡°Please.¡± I joined him at the back. We put on climbing harnesses. He grabbed ropes and an equipment bag. ¡°Let¡¯s head up.¡± He led me up the hill a few feet to a power pole across from a fancy gate. The pole had metal pegs embedded for service climbs. He went up first, secured a rope, and dropped it to me. I hooked in and joined him above. We secured our harnesses so our hands would be free to work and he started installing the camera. Up here, the view into Juliet¡¯s compound was clear. A long driveway led to a huge European mansion of pale tan stone. Human guards patrolled the perimeter of the house. ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She employs humans.¡± ¡°Money buys everything. And some are drawn to vampires.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Insane. And eww. ¡°Do you think she¡¯s asleep?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± He checked a small LCD screen. ¡°Camera¡¯s transmitting. We¡¯re done.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it? You didn¡¯t need me here at all.¡± ¡°Two employees are less suspicious than one.¡± He winked, then released to slide down the rope. Annoyed, I released to fall fast to put my feet on the ground, but he caught me, putting our faces really close. His hands on my waist were hot through the cloth. He stared at me for an eternal second before setting me down. What was that? ¡°I¡¯m trying to do serious work in this job,¡± I said in the van. ¡°Not be your sidekick!¡± ¡°Chill, Red. I wasn¡¯t lying about wanting to do this with two people. Needed help with the decals, didn¡¯t I?¡± He started the engine and put the van in gear. ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯d come.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t abuse my trust, Thirteen.¡± He braked for a stop sign. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t dream of it, Seven.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re mocking me.¡± His calm agitated my temper. ¡°Then I¡¯ll impart some truth.¡± ¡°You better.¡± He hadn¡¯t glanced at me once since putting the van in drive. ¡°Seven, I¡¯ve worked with you because I have faith in you. Because I¡¯ve come to trust you. You have integrity, a strength in your beliefs¡ªyour commitments¡ªthat¡¯s rarely seen.¡± I stared at him. His words stunned me. Certainly a surprise. While I felt we¡¯d bonded, I never would¡¯ve guessed he had that kind of sense of me. It left me flattered and wondering if I was really worthy of such praise. ¡°I don¡¯t worry about this job compromising your morality. That¡¯s why I want to work with you.¡± ¡°Oh. Thank you.¡± We lapsed into silence. Amelia would be surprised to see us back so soon. Except Thirteen didn¡¯t return to the house. We were on an unfamiliar route. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Trust me.¡± Once we were heading west, he stayed on that course. The van grew stuffy and I turned on the AC. He flicked the radio switch to some rock song. And still he drove west. ¡°Are you going to the ocean?¡± ¡°Patience, padawan.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Star Wars.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You really have been a sheltered hick.¡± I punched his arm. Grinning, he rubbed the bruise. I smiled. We were back to normal. Thirteen took me to the beach. For a moment, we sat in the van gazing out at the blue expanse ahead. My first glance at the Pacific. The sparkling water was beautiful. ¡°Where are we?¡± I asked quietly. This early, only a couple surfers were in the water. ¡°Somewhere between Santa Monica and Malibu.¡± The engine was still running. ¡°I wanted you to see there¡¯s beauty here, too. Remember that when you deal with the dark.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t forget.¡± Instead of leaving, he rolled the window down. Closed his eyes and inhaled. Home. Maybe as a teen, he¡¯d been one of those surfers in the glistening waves on a summer weekend. Suddenly, I felt like I was intruding on something private, so I stayed silent. Another song, and then he reversed out of the space and left the parking lot. Soon, we were on a highway. ¡°Any other parts of this mission, or do we leave tonight?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll put a camera on the pole on the opposite side of her property.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°We could always kick the hornet¡¯s nest.¡± ¡°Haha. The Director would kill us even if Juliet didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Buzzkill.¡± ¡°Adrenaline junkie.¡± ¡°Touch¨¦.¡± Sly grin included. ¡°You¡¯re right¡ªin all seriousness, the City of Los Angeles and the neighboring hills where Juliet lives are off limits. But the county as a whole is not, nor are the adjacent ones, so we can still hunt if you want to do some good.¡± ¡°The blond is hiding a brain.¡± ¡°Brat.¡± ¡°Show me its secrets.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± I angled toward him, much as the seatbelt allowed. ¡°Show me things about the area only an agent knows from being on the ground. This won¡¯t be my only trip to L.A., right? Show me what I need to know.¡± His right brow rose. ¡°You think I have intimate knowledge, huh?¡± ¡°This was your home.¡± We wouldn¡¯t have been at that beach if Southern California no longer mattered to him. ¡°A repository of experience and she wants me to play tour guide.¡± ¡°If you know someone better, I¡¯m all ears.¡± He made a face at me and took an exit. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I have a full tank of gas.¡± ¡°We can always go back to the safe-house and report to Amelia,¡± I said sweetly. It earned me another eye roll. Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Two ¡°Easiest place to find a vampire at night is Skid Row.¡± ¡°Sounds unpleasant.¡± ¡°It¡¯s where the most hopeless of the homeless live. At least 5000 homeless are there year-round.¡± We were driving back toward Downtown L.A. ¡°Geeze.¡± ¡°Been that way since the ¡®30s. Forty-two percent of the population is below the poverty line. Over 17,000 people packed within four square miles.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t anyone try to help?¡± ¡°Sure. But it¡¯s never going to be an easy fix. Vampires will feed in the middle of the night and who¡¯s going to miss anyone there?¡± A shiver ran through me and my heart hurt. Then, I saw it. So many tents, so many vulnerable people. There was homeless and then there was this¡ªsquatting on sidewalks and shooting up in alleys in broad daylight. We passed missions and shelters, but they obviously couldn¡¯t deal with all of it. Every so often, someone met my eyes and their soul was broken. How did you fix it when there was no light left? I wiped a tear from my right eye before it fell. ¡°It¡¯s worse in the dark,¡± he said quietly. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°In cities we regularly patrol, you¡¯ll learn the hospitals, mortuaries, and underground systems. We do our best to intercept bite victims before they rise. L.A. doesn¡¯t have a werewolf problem, but they can pop up elsewhere. Visit a place often enough and you learn the bad neighborhoods, demographics, and industrial areas.¡± ¡°My classes covered all that.¡± ¡°What they don¡¯t tell you about Los Angeles are the rumors.¡± ¡°Rumors.¡± Now he had my attention. ¡°I have sources that tell me things. One legend of recent years talks about a woman with purple hair, gleaming silver eyes, and immense power. She¡¯s like a patron saint for the weak.¡± I laughed. ¡°Sounds like a fairytale.¡± ¡°I thought so, too, at first, but sightings have been reported for three years. They say if you¡¯re in trouble and you call for her, she¡¯ll come and rescue you.¡± ¡°Wow. Who told you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made friends with some of the Underground. They trust me enough to pass on info. Obviously, like any myth, this tale has probably been exaggerated, but legends usually start from a grain of truth. Tell you one thing¡ªdemons are afraid of this chick, whatever she is.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± A quick glance at me. ¡°They¡¯d rather take their chances with Juliet.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± If some woman or powerful being had the mojo to clear the city of evil, why didn¡¯t she? ¡°Sounds like the cautionary tale a monster would tell its kids at night, like the Boogeyman.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s blown up. But if there is someone helping out, good. And since this thing doesn¡¯t sound like any of us, Juliet can¡¯t blame it on The Agency.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we investigate the truth behind the myth? Have you researched since you first heard it?¡± Every rumor held a kernel of truth. ¡°Nah.¡± I slugged his arm. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because it isn¡¯t doing any harm and I had better things to do. Like train you.¡± Grr. He could be so frustrating. ¡°What else don¡¯t I know here?¡± ¡°There are two ex-agents living in the county.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Agents Nine and Thirteen. The Thirteen from the ¡®80s. They patrol outside L.A.¡± I stared at him. He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a big county.¡± ¡°I thought once in the agency, always in the agency.¡± A wiggle of his right hand. ¡°From a certain point of view.¡± ¡°Point of view?¡± He sighed. ¡°The abilities we possess never leave, so that part of ¡®always¡¯ is true. But not all agents are cut out for the job long term.¡± ¡°Wow¡­how many castaways do you know of?¡± The story gave me hope for my future choices in life. ¡°There¡¯s another living in San Diego, last I heard. Nine still works for us, technically, but the Director lets her do her own thing after years of dedicated service.¡± ¡°Years? How old is she?¡± ¡°Thirty-six.¡± Double my age. Holy crap. ¡°When was she drafted?¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Fifteen or sixteen. Before my time, obviously. I¡¯ve never done a mission with her.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine eighteen years of this.¡± ¡°We¡¯re made for it, Seven. We heal and age better than normals. The agents you saw recovering? Some came back from the brink of death. Scars fade.¡± ¡°At least on the outside.¡± He glanced at me, and went quiet, like I surprised him in acknowledging mental trauma. ¡°I¡¯m not a kid. I know PTSD is possible in this line of work. Why else would there be a therapist on staff?¡± Thirteen pulled into the parking lot for an independent burger joint and cut the engine. ¡°You¡¯re right. The guy in San Diego left because he couldn¡¯t hack it anymore.¡± He pushed the button to release his seatbelt and pivoted toward me. ¡°I was proud of you for meeting them. Once you committed, you¡¯ve faced every challenge thrown at you.¡± ¡°Was that part of graduation¡ªfacing the possibilities in the hospital?¡± He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know every measure of criteria the Council uses, but it certainly didn¡¯t hurt your case.¡± ¡°Only Five and Eleven graduated with me. I assumed it was because we passed the same classes and were old enough.¡± Since it seemed we weren¡¯t going anywhere, I mirrored him. ¡°Mature enough.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said, nodding. ¡°The others are still children.¡± ¡°Do you trust Five and Eleven?¡± ¡°Yeah. Lev is a good friend. He was the tall, lanky guy with me on St. George.¡± ¡°Ah, right, hadn¡¯t grown into his ears, yet.¡± ¡°Be nice.¡± He grinned. ¡°I¡¯m always nice. But you have to admit he¡¯s like a car going down the street with open doors.¡± I kicked his shin. ¡°Mean! They¡¯re not that bad.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Right. He didn¡¯t mean it much. Men. ¡°What about Five?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a little older than me and the only one to also have contact with a vampire. He was at HQ with a broken leg when I arrived. Five did the work and earned graduation, but I don¡¯t know him well. We were on different schedules and only had gym time together. I kept to myself except when the boys were giving Lev a hard time. He ended up with me for the sim because they left him behind, but he¡¯s good at this stuff. They just didn¡¯t give him a chance.¡± ¡°Always use your gut, okay? If you¡¯re partnered with someone and something doesn¡¯t feel right, staying alive is more important than following orders.¡± That sounded ominous. ¡°You know, when all your advice sounds like it comes from experience, it makes me curious.¡± He smiled. ¡°Keep wondering.¡± I scowled, he laughed, and he opened the door. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m hungry.¡± It was late afternoon by the time we got back to the house, but the sun still had hours left to shine. Amelia stood in the doorway under the carport, arms crossed and foot tapping. ¡°Where have you been? You¡¯ve been out of contact all day!¡± What was she, our mother? ¡°Thornhill, the kid returns without a scratch. No need to have your panties in a bunch.¡± Thirteen opened the back of the van and started unloading some equipment. She turned to let me inside and sniffed at me. ¡°You ate fast food on a mission?¡± Geeze, woman. ¡°We had lunch after the job was done. People do that. Excuse me, I need to change.¡± ¡°Change?¡± She followed me up the stairs. ¡°What is he up to now?¡± ¡°Monsters come out at night.¡± Duh. I needed a wash before getting in my suit, and grabbed things in my room to do so. ¡°You are not going out on the streets at night in Los Angeles.¡± ¡°Really.¡± ¡°I forbid it!¡± We were the same height, so I got in her face. ¡°You forbid it? Really?¡± A flutter of her lids and she took a step back. ¡°This is highly unwise.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not messing with Juliet. I promise. It¡¯s a big town. Plenty to do without provoking her. Now stop blocking the bathroom.¡± Sighing, she moved aside. ¡°Seven¡­¡± Her voice dropped to a hint above a whisper. ¡°He¡¯ll hurt you one day. Don¡¯t follow him blindly.¡± Then she went to her room. What the heck? Was she so possessive over my career? Thirteen was an agent in esteem and didn¡¯t deserve her tarnishing his reputation¡ªfor what? Because I liked him better than the cold and bossy woman I was stuck with? The water and I washed away the negativity so I could focus on tonight. Hunting missions meant making sure your weapons were prepared beforehand. Knives sharpened, guns oiled and loaded, etc. Gave me time alone away from the tension between them. Once we were in the van later, I asked him for the story between him and Amelia. ¡°What? She¡¯s prickly with everybody.¡± ¡°No¡­she doesn¡¯t trust you and I want to know why.¡± ¡°What did she say?¡± He kept his eyes on the road. ¡°She said you¡¯ll hurt me one day.¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy. My team always makes it out alive.¡± ¡°Then what did she mean, Thirteen?¡± Ugh, rhyming. ¡°I don¡¯t know! The most I¡¯ve interacted with her is regarding you.¡± ¡°Well, you offended her somehow, or she wouldn¡¯t say that.¡± Red light. He looked at me. ¡°I really have no idea.¡± Held my gaze until I believed him. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Are you going to do that woman thing of making me fix something I didn¡¯t do?¡± ¡°Coach, stop while you¡¯re ahead.¡± ¡°Roger that.¡± The light turned green. He took me to a seedy part of the county no sane human would walk after dark. The evening air was still warm, so we stuck weapons into holsters and left the coats in the plain van. He¡¯d removed the decals this afternoon. There was a pervasive scent of garbage, like the trucks didn¡¯t want to risk the weekly pickup. City lights reflected in clouds they called the marine layer gave the sky a red hue. It was creepy. Did people ever see stars here? ¡°Some nights,¡± he murmured. Didn¡¯t realize I said the question out loud. We crept around a mix of rundown or abandoned homes and dirty industrial buildings that reeked of chemicals. How did humans accept living like this? Voices in an alley. Thirteen held a hand up to signal halt. We peered around the concrete corner of a building, but it was only a group of humans. Probably gang activity, but they didn¡¯t fall under our mandate. Half an hour produced no Creatures. ¡°This was a bust,¡± I said back at the van. ¡°Hunters of wildlife game have the same luck, kid. Takes a lot of patience to bag a kill. Waiting and searching and patience.¡± ¡°Sticking with that analogy, the hunter also has to go where their prey eats or sleeps in the first place.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why not fly over Juliet¡¯s house and bomb it? She¡¯s vulnerable to the same things every vampire is, so if she¡¯s always at the house, the solution seems simple. Letting her have L.A. gives her too much power.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± I blinked. ¡°You do?¡± ¡°But the Council thinks it¡¯s not enough to cut off the head of the snake because she¡¯s too organized. We kill her and her followers retaliate.¡± ¡°If war is inevitable, how long do we let the enemy build up its forces?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, kid.¡± His expression was grim in the passing street lights. Shaking his head, he repeated, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He drove a while, until we entered a city called Pasadena. Lots of old architecture. He stopped in front of a vintage house, Victorian-ish, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. ¡°Wait here.¡± He got out of the van and locked it. It was the only house on the block without a porch light. Instead of going to the door, he melted into the shadows and hopped the fence to the back. What was he now, a burglar? Keeping an eye on my watch, I tried to relax, focusing on my breathing. Waiting patiently in the quiet was one of the hardest lessons at HQ. When you first learn to meditate, your mind fills with tons of noise as soon as you try to think of nothing. Repeating a mantra is easier, but the ultimate goal was to go blank so our senses would awake and take in everything around us. Distill the world down to the one thing you needed to learn from your surroundings. That no one on this block was normal. Thirteen had brought me to a supernatural neighborhood. Ten minutes had passed. Too long. He could be¡ª I stepped out of the van and he was there. ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± I whispered. Pulling his mask down to reveal his mouth, he grinned. He¡¯d spooked me and enjoyed it. ¡°Back inside, please.¡± Only when the van was moving again did he speak. ¡°We¡¯re not going to find much to take care of.¡± ¡°You were talking to a source?¡± He nodded. ¡°The bad eggs have all taken residence within Juliet¡¯s boundaries.¡± ¡°What drove them to condense ranks?¡± ¡°The county has some protectors. We won¡¯t find a good hunt unless we go north, south, or way east.¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s good news,¡± he added. ¡°You¡¯re not going to give me specifics, are you?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Sources have to trust you. You¡¯ll learn that as you develop your own.¡± ¡°So many secrets¡­¡± ¡°But I can tell you there¡¯s a nest of young Golds in Riverside.¡± What were we waiting for? ¡°Put the pedal to the metal, then!¡± He laughed at my enthusiasm. ¡°So bossy.¡± Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Three Fifty-five miles later, we¡¯d reached our target. They were holed up in a fenced-off old building that might¡¯ve been built in the ¡®20s. We placed UV lanterns at every exit point. A remote would trigger them all at once. Gold-eyed vampires had zero tolerance for sunlight. No marine layer above this far from the coast, but few stars were visible tonight due to the moon and city lights. Obviously, it was most ideal to approach vampires on a moonless night, but not practical. Thirteen brought out the heat scanner first, but we weren¡¯t getting a clear reading through the thick walls. The high-intensity listening device came out next. Never go into a nest of vampires without knowing how many are in it. The holy blessings sewn into our suits wouldn¡¯t protect us against Golds. He put the microphone¡¯s ear bud in and listened. To keep from pacing, I double-checked all weapons. A handgun and stake job. This was my first nest hunt. I felt safe with Thirteen at my side, but this was still an anxious moment. Finally, he signaled there were five inside. As the senior agent, his role was to take point¡ªwith two of us, that meant I watched his back. On silent boots we quickly approached the one unlatched door and entered the building. Vampires needed less light to see in the dark than cats. There¡¯d been no glow at any window¡ªthe ones not boarded up, at least¡ªand we walked into a gloom hazy with dust and God-knows-what. New vamps weren¡¯t known for their housecleaning. The tile was littered with the bodies and skeletons of dead rats against the walls. This group wasn¡¯t thriving if they had to eat vermin. I hoped it meant their strength would be diminished. This floor was divided into many small rooms. Must¡¯ve been offices once upon a time. Most of the doors hung open now. Some barely attached to their hinges. The place had been abandoned a long while. Every so often, a wall was tagged with some gang sign. But no activity. A wide stairway led up, wide enough for us to walk side-by-side. I hung back a step and watched our backs. My heart pounded. I dreaded the inevitable creak of old wood. We avoided the center to be safe, but it was still likely. The last step into a hall of apartments. Up here, the smell was atrocious, like rotten meat. Like death. Creeeeak¡­ A growl in the dark. Thirteen shot at the sound with his suppressed pistol. A howl of pain. Five pairs of glittering yellow eyes appeared. We shot at those eyeballs with big caliber bullets. If you want a headshot on a vampire, you make sure it will splatter their brains into next week. Our night vision goggles revealed three bodies. I staked each in the heart while Thirteen kicked in doors in this hall to find the other two. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± But which way? The stair had come up the center of the building. At the end of the hall, a path went toward the sides. Since there was another floor above, either the stairwells were at each end or the apartments were two-story. The untrained first instinct is to split up. Since we were trained, we did Rock-Paper-Scissors to decide. Paper always defeats Rock and we went left. With Thirteen still on point, I walked backward behind him. This hall was much narrower than the one we just left and single file was the only option. No doors. Only an opening at the end that turned left. The vamps could be hiding anywhere. I tapped his shoulder. He paused. ¡°This floor is like a game of Three Card Monty,¡± I whispered. ¡°We can¡¯t check and secure rooms with only two of us.¡± ¡°Suggestion?¡± ¡°Booby trap.¡± He gave me a thumbs¡¯ up and we left. I scuffed the ash in the hall as I walked to the stairs. Then we trapped them above the first floor with more UV lamps. Recon had already shown us the building had no fire escapes, so out the doors was the only way they could leave unless they wanted to risk leaping out of windows. The last lamps we had were placed at the top of the stairs. The bright lights had an added bonus of drawing attention to the building and no city liked obvious squatters. ¡°I¡¯d suggest celebrating with a beer, but you¡¯re underage.¡± Thirteen pulled his cowl off in the van and ran a hand through his hair. Argh, the man didn¡¯t get hat head. Truly disgusting. I pushed mine back like a hood and felt frizz escaping my braids. ¡°Eww. Beer is gross.¡± ¡°Tried it?¡± I shuddered. ¡°Smell is bad enough.¡± I was grateful Mama never got an alcohol license. He laughed. ¡°Still such a girl.¡± ¡°A girl that can kick your ass.¡± ¡°Oh really? You think you¡¯re that good?¡± ¡°Willing to find out?¡± He laughed again. ¡°Seven, you¡¯re certainly my most entertaining student.¡± Hmph. Yeah, he had experience and size and all that, but I¡¯d learned a lot since those first lessons. Sensei was a sneaky so-and-so and I¡¯d learned to read dirty attacks. Instead of heading back the way we came, he was on a new course again. Heading north. ¡°Now where are you going?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°I see it¡¯s dangerous to give you a full tank of gas.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Why couldn¡¯t it be like this all the time? Way more fun than traveling with Amelia. Instead of worrying about her grading everything I did, I was just trusted to hold up my end of the job. Her nitpicking was distracting and undermined my confidence when I needed it the most. ¡°Can you tell Amelia I performed up to standard tonight?¡± ¡°What?¡± he sputtered. ¡°Nothing I do is good enough for her. If another agent says my work is up to par, then maybe she¡¯ll stop harassing me.¡± ¡°That bad, huh?¡± ¡°So far, I don¡¯t want her in my ear on a mission.¡± He winced. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be like that. Your Guide is your partner. I can try, but I don¡¯t think my opinion will mean much.¡± I sighed. ¡°Prob¡¯ly right.¡± ¡°Include her attitude in your reports to HQ. If it gets worse and you need to request another Guide, you¡¯ll have written record of her bitchiness.¡± ¡°Language.¡± ¡°Crankiness.¡± ¡°Do you still have to fill out reports?¡± ¡°All agents do.¡± ¡°Did you include when you went surfing?¡± He grinned. ¡°Well¡­they only need to know what happened on the mission, not every minute of your day.¡± ¡°Bad!¡± ¡°Seven, you can assume the Council is aware that agents are in locations longer than the actual job requires to do and will fill that time somehow. As long as your off-book time doesn¡¯t jeopardize the mission or anyone¡¯s safety, you can do what you want.¡± ¡°Like online college classes.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what floats your boat.¡± ¡°I think Amelia thinks I¡¯m only signing up for classes to carry on the ruse of normality and won¡¯t follow through on actually taking them. She complained frequently that my insistence on finishing high school was a waste of time compared to ¡®my higher calling¡¯.¡± He made a turn and we started up an incline. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Patience.¡± Soon, I wished for gum as my ears plugged from rising altitude. The van kept climbing and climbing in the dark. Then we broke above the light pollution. I plastered my face to the passenger window. The view was like something I¡¯d only seen on a nature show. He stopped the van. Clock said it¡¯d been about an hour since leaving the vamp nest. I opened my door and stared up at the sky. ¡°Figured you¡¯d never seen this,¡± he said next to me. Enraptured, I never heard him come around the vehicle. A brief glance at him, but I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes from the stars. ¡°You can see all of them.¡± One thing to read about stars in a science textbook, but seeing millions above your head in real life¡­awe-inspiring. I felt very small. And envious of previous generations that saw this every night. What a generous God. He provided so much just to stimulate our sense of wonder. He chuckled. ¡°A hell of a lot. More in the desert with no trees, but I don¡¯t want to drive all night.¡± Wrapping my arms around Thirteen¡¯s shoulders, I thanked him. Might¡¯ve leapt on the guy a little bit. His neck smelled good. He wouldn¡¯t use a scent before hunting, so this was pure Thirteen. For the first time tonight, my belly flopped again. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°Big Bear. 8000 feet up.¡± He craned his neck back. ¡°I used to snowboard here.¡± He set me on my feet. He¡¯d held me until then and it hadn¡¯t registered. But now, I was hyper-aware of how close our bodies were, me between him and the van. I sidestepped out of there and took a big inhale of pine trees. ¡°Is there a lake over there?¡± ¡°Yeah. Good eye. It¡¯s beautiful in daylight.¡± He came up behind me. My spine was alive. Every nerve ending calling out he¡¯s right there. We needed to leave. This gorgeous night was triggering all the romantic fantasies teenage hormones could muster. Practically a country song! ¡°Well, I¡¯m starving and we should get back before Amelia launches a search party.¡± I hurried to the van and grabbed the door handle. ¡°Seven¡ª¡± ¡°What?¡± I couldn¡¯t read his eyes in the dark. He stared at me a second, then said, ¡°Nothing. You¡¯re right. We¡¯ll grab food on the way home.¡± Home. Another flutter inside, only that word always brought thoughts of Mama and Guthrie and my bed that was the perfect level of softness for me. Homemade pie and burgers with her secret seasoning. Summer meant strawberries and peaches and ball games. And epic thunderstorms. ¡°Hey. You went quiet.¡± ¡°Wishing I had a photo of the stars to send to my mother.¡± He went quiet. Until we were back on the big highway heading west and using an off ramp to get to a fast food place open all night. ¡°Can you see the menu?¡± We were in the drive-through for a place called In-n-Out. ¡°Yeah.¡± With the window down, the van was flooded with the scents of beef and fries. My stomach replied, announcing it was starving. Thirteen placed the order, then before we reached the pay window, unzipped his suit and shrugged out of it to his waist. A shirtless customer was less conspicuous than one wearing body armor. An arm on the sill, he said hi to the young woman ready to take his money. She read the amount due, then looked up to him and did a double-take. I couldn¡¯t see his face, but I knew he grinned at her. Flirt. He handed over cash. Her voice was breathy when she gave him the change and said to roll up to the next window. A guy was at that one, so we were handed the order and wished a good night. Thirteen passed me the tray of milkshakes, then dug in the bags and shoved a handful of fries in his mouth. ¡°Oh, god, I¡¯ve missed you. Ow. Hot.¡± ¡°Fresh made, doofus.¡± I snatched the bags from the glutton. There was a car behind us. ¡°Drive.¡± ¡°Gimme back my fries.¡± He turned toward the onramp, then held his right hand out. I placed the tray on his palm. ¡°No burger while you¡¯re driving. This is way too messy.¡± Thank goodness there was a giant pile of napkins. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Either pull over or wait. Safety first, Coach.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± he grumbled, and stopped the van in the last spot in the parking lot before hitting the street. ¡°Hand it over.¡± The nice restaurant had bagged our orders separately. Thirteen reclined his seat a bit and dug into his food like a teenager after football practice. And I thought I had a healthy appetite. Good stuff, though. They did the thin diner-style patties I was used to and the cheese was gooey. Fries could use more salt, but easier to add than take away. Once there¡¯s too much salt there¡¯s pretty much no fixin¡¯ that. Fresh lettuce and tomato¡ªa good tomato that wasn¡¯t mushy. But the shake, mmm. Real chocolate ice cream, not syrup mixed with cheap vanilla. I dipped a fry and suddenly understood the light salt touch. Perfection. I opened my eyes and Thirteen was staring at me. ¡°What? Somethin¡¯ on my chin?¡± A quick shake of his head. His eyes dropped to my cup. ¡°That¡¯s gross.¡± ¡°Fries and chocolate? Most certainly is not.¡± ¡°Potato sacrilege!¡± ¡°Try it before you knock it.¡± An exaggerated shudder. ¡°God no.¡± ¡°Come on. I dare you.¡± He started the van. His burger was already gone. ¡°Time to get back on the road.¡± Again, his mood had randomly shifted. Happened several times since I got to L.A. and I couldn¡¯t pinpoint a cause. Maybe stuff was on his mind and it had nothing to do with me. I hadn¡¯t done anything offensive. We¡¯d be friendly like normal, then¡­I don¡¯t know. Then it¡¯d pass and he¡¯d be genial again. Ugh. Men. Never made sense to me. He turned the radio on kinda loud. I ate and kept to myself. The song ended. Another started and he drummed his fingers on the wheel. Then sang along. The vocalist sounded like he was talking in key to the music and Thirteen mimicked the style. Angsty anti-authority stuff and not my thing. Mama raised me on country music and The Beach Boys. Hymns at church. Like any girl at high school, I was familiar with pop singers my friends liked, and that was where my knowledge ended. Thirteen reached for his shake between songs. He¡¯d still been eating fries while singing the first one, which didn¡¯t help his pitch. His singing voice could stay on key, but that was about all he had going for it. Huh. The man did have a flaw. God knew what He was doing¡ªan amazing voice would give Thirteen too much power over women with all the rest he had going on. Wouldn¡¯t be fair. ¡°What wouldn¡¯t be fair?¡± ¡°Huh? Sorry. Thoughts leaking. It¡¯s nothing. Thanks for dinner.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± He rotated the stereo volume knob until the music was at a respectable level inside a car. ¡°I try to stop in every time I¡¯m in SoCal.¡± ¡°Never heard of this brand.¡± ¡°West Coast only. Started here and still family owned. Once you finish your cup, turn it over and read the bottom.¡± I held it over my head and tried to catch the light. John 3:16. I smiled at the revelation. ¡°I like these people.¡± ¡°The best part is there¡¯s a secret menu.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s secret, how does anyone know it?¡± He waved a hand. ¡°Just a term. Some of the common ways to order things got names and there you go¡ªmenu. Everybody passes it around. Though I suppose it¡¯ll be on the internet soon.¡± ¡°Now he tells me.¡± He laughed. Tension gone again. And that was one of the things I liked best about him¡ªthe mood shifts never lasted for long. It was really late¡ªearly¡ªwhen we returned to the safe house. A single light was on downstairs. Between the hour and a full belly, I was ready to sleep. Yawning through the words, I said, ¡°So ready for bed.¡± ¡°After we clean out the van.¡± Seriously? ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°No you don¡¯t, grumpy. Now throw this trash away then help me unload.¡± Yeah, yeah. The stickers had already been peeled off before we went patrolling, so at least this was just taking care of the weapons and surveillance equipment. Still, my limbs felt heavy and sluggish to match my eyelids. Van nondescript and clean again, we finally went indoors. ¡°G¡¯night.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Seven.¡± Nodding, I trudged up the stairs. By the time I¡¯d changed clothes and grabbed my toothbrush, he was showering. Stupid old house with one bathroom. Wait, or brush my teeth in the kitchen? But there I¡¯d have no mirror. Like I¡¯m the only person who feels they can¡¯t get their teeth clean enough without a mirror in front of them. My legs said no more stairs tonight. The door opened. Thirteen exited through a cloud of steam, towel around his waist and suit tossed over his shoulder. ¡°All yours.¡± He continued down the hall to his room. Irritation at the fog he left in the bathroom helped distract me from thoughts of him naked. Hormones were curious. The rest of me felt guilty for noticing. I took it out on the mirror, rubbing it harshly until it remained clear. I was wrong before. This wasn¡¯t easier than working with Amelia at all. Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Four My Guide didn¡¯t care I fell asleep around 4:00AM. She was pounding on my door at 7:00. If I shot her through the door, he¡¯d help me hide the body, right? This had to be waking him up, too. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, Thornhill!¡± Yep, definitely awake, and sullying my ears. The knocking stopped and heated voices bickered at the end of the hall. I covered my head with the pillow. What was this nonsense? She hadn¡¯t been this rude before we got here. This mean. Then silence. A minute. Two. Did they kill each other? I peeked out my door. Thirteen was carrying a limp Amelia into her room. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± Hurrying over, I checked her pulse. ¡°Did you knock her out?¡± ¡°Choked her asleep.¡± He scratched his chest, yawned, and left the room. I followed. ¡°You submitted her?¡± ¡°What else do you do with an unreasonable person at this hour?¡± He kept going into his bedroom. ¡°She¡¯s going to be just as mad when she wakes up!¡± ¡°Or she¡¯ll realize the error of her ways and let us sleep.¡± He sat on his bed, the only queen size in the house. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can, now, thank you.¡± The room was a mess, his stuff littered everywhere like he dropped it wherever he¡¯d been done with it. ¡°You¡¯re a pig.¡± ¡°Oink, oink, baby. Now go away.¡± Argh. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I closed his door with a little more force than necessary. Of course his room had blackout drapes. Mine had regular curtains that let the sun in. Like now. Sigh. Once I was awake during daylight, there was no going back to sleep. Could I find a blanket to cover the window? I was on the stairs back up after locating a closet when Amelia appeared at the top. Her mouth screwed into an expression of deep displeasure, she let me pass and continued the way I came. Alright, then. She hadn¡¯t met my eyes, so she was conceding. I draped the thick blanket over the curtain rod. It helped. I lay down. But it was only rest. Still couldn¡¯t sleep. Six hours total and I gave up. Downstairs, I found Thirteen with a laptop. No Amelia. ¡°She¡¯s arranging your ride,¡± he said when I entered the kitchen. ¡°Eat yet?¡± He grunted. Take that as a no. No plate or bowl next to him, only a half-downed mug of coffee. A little mental inventory of the fridge and I started breakfast. Soon felt his attention on me at the stove. When did I last have a chance to cook for someone? Probably two years ago, at least. Mama always insisted on making a meal unless she couldn¡¯t get out of bed, so it would¡¯ve been during her last relapse. The diner moved too fast for me, but I enjoyed cooking at home, and this morning. When I set the loaded omelet by Thirteen, he immediately stabbed it with the fork. ¡°Oh. God. You¡¯re an angel. You need to travel with me all the time.¡± ¡°And be your food slave?¡± I swatted him with a dish towel. ¡°Not on your life.¡± Little more butter in the pan, then eggs for mine. ¡°I¡¯m a benevolent master, I promise,¡± he said around a mouthful. ¡°You can make this for yourself, you know. Omelets are easy. Eggs plus filling and you¡¯re done.¡± ¡°I guarantee I won¡¯t make something this tasty.¡± The laptop had been pushed aside in favor of shoveling food into his face. ¡°It¡¯s ingredients, not technique, lazy bones.¡± Glass of milk¡­ Any more fruit? I pushed everything around in the fridge and opened all the drawers. Aha! One small basket of strawberries. I needed to leave a thank you note for the caretaker. Thirteen¡¯s eyes zeroed in on the berries when I sat down. ¡°Uh-uh. Finders keepers,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯d deny a California boy a local strawberry?¡± They were big, richly red, and mmm, juicy. ¡°Yup.¡± Made a point of really savoring it, too. ¡°Evil.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too old to pout.¡± I kept the basket close to me. He couldn¡¯t be trusted and I knew his reflexes. One second of not watching his hands and he¡¯d snatch a prize. The front door opened. ¡°Good, you¡¯re finally up. Don¡¯t dawdle, Seven. We have a schedule to keep.¡± Amelia continued upstairs. Dangit, two berries were missing. ¡°Thief!¡± Thirteen laughed. ¡°See if I make breakfast for you again.¡± He pouted for one second before he couldn¡¯t hold the face. Plate empty, he slid the laptop back in front of him. I hurried through my omelet, then took the basket upstairs to munch while I packed. Thirteen had cleaned the guns sometime before I came down after attempting to sleep. Amelia sat on the sofa with her suitcase at her feet when I returned. Don¡¯t dawdle, indeed. Thirteen gave me a guy-hug, the type that starts with a handshake, then you¡¯re pulled in for a slap on the back. ¡°Remember your training and you¡¯ll make it back alive,¡± he murmured. ¡°Yeah. Good seeing you.¡± He nodded. Closed the laptop, picked it up, and moved toward the stairs. ¡°Until next time, kid.¡± Then left. Sigh. Amelia was such a party-pooper. Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Five ¡°Where are we going?¡± Amelia had hustled me onto a private plane in one of L.A.¡¯s lesser airfields. We were flying east, but she¡¯d been exceptionally quiet since leaving the safe house. ¡°HQ, if you must know.¡± Her nose was buried in a national newspaper. Enough of this attitude. ¡°I thought you¡¯d unwind when we left Thirteen. What is your deal, Amelia?¡± She folded the paper onto her lap. ¡°Your hero worship of the man is revolting.¡± Couldn¡¯t have sounded more snobby and British than that statement. ¡°My what? He¡¯s a friend and mentor. I only worship God.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m blind? The moon eyes, the efforts to please him. Come now, Seven.¡± She stared at me and all I felt was a need to pick my jaw up off the floor. ¡°Are you jealous?¡± ¡°Preposterous!¡± Well that ruffled her feathers. ¡°For the last time, Amelia, what is your problem with Agent Thirteen?¡± She sniffed. Straightened her tailored jacket. Stalling. ¡°He uses women,¡± she finally said. ¡°He¡¯s a selfish cad.¡± ¡°And you know this how?¡± She rose to pour a cup of tea. Stalling again. ¡°Amelia.¡± ¡°He once led on a roommate of mine until she bedded him, then cast her aside like yesterday¡¯s rubbish. You¡¯re charmed by him, and don¡¯t deny it. But I promise that path will only lead to pain.¡± Don¡¯t roll my eyes. ¡°When was this?¡± I asked evenly. ¡°The timing doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s what he is.¡± ¡°When, Amelia?¡± She broke eye contact. ¡°Several years ago.¡± ¡°Several? You¡¯re going to hate the man forever because of¡ª How old were you all?¡± ¡°Nineteen.¡± ¡°Good grief.¡± Yeah, I might¡¯ve been a good sheltered Christian girl, but I knew things about teen boys. Saw my cousins date a lot. Heard rumors around school. Got warnings from Mama. Young men were horny and young people were impulsive. ¡°Did your friend do anything she didn¡¯t want to do?¡± ¡°Well, no¡­¡± ¡°Look¡­maybe he flirted too much and gave her the wrong impression. Maybe she saw what she hoped to see and got let down. The Thirteen I¡¯ve gotten to know is a straight shooter. If he was only interested in a one-night-stand, I think he¡¯d say so. But don¡¯t all adults say teenagers are stupid? So he made a mistake then. Where¡¯s your friend now?¡± Amelia sighed. ¡°Married.¡± ¡°Then why are you all riled up about this?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s my job to protect you. Even from yourself.¡± Good grief. When was she going to get I wasn¡¯t a child? I didn¡¯t need protection from my coworkers! ¡°Amelia, I¡¯m not letting anyone in my pants, let alone Thirteen. I made a commitment.¡± She rubbed her glasses with a cloth. ¡°Good to know.¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s handsome, and charming, and sometimes makes me want to giggle like I¡¯m fourteen, but it¡¯s hormones and hormones don¡¯t make my decisions. I do. So is this done now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She put her glasses on and opened the newspaper to where she¡¯d been. Thank God. With that drama settled, I moved away to write my report in private. A secure login brought up a form to fill out. Complete, hit send, done. Where they went after that, I didn¡¯t know. The Agency had archives, of course. Accessible and inaccessible libraries. Becoming an agent officially let me into a lot of new information for research purposes and beyond. Like what happened on B2, the level below Sacra Aedes. There was a thick briefing packet in the case we received at graduation. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Amelia went through it with me like I hadn¡¯t been an A student. Being an agent gave us access to the vault when bringing in artifacts and books, the unclassified archive, and the subbasement along with the servers and communication lines that kept The Agency running. Amelia hadn¡¯t given me time to meet the staff in those areas before shipping me out for our first mission. Maybe I¡¯d get to stop in now. The pilots had informed us we¡¯d be landing briefly in New York before continuing to England. Agency jets could do the flight nonstop without refueling, so we must be picking up passengers. It¡¯d be wasteful to only carry the two of us plus the three staff. This plane had a few luxuries, like places to sleep and a shower, but we were on our own in the galley. A sandwich suited me fine while Amelia made herself a proper tea. When we landed in NYC, they kept the jet running, opening the door and sending a ladder down. Footsteps on the metal stairs, then Lev entered. ¡°Hey!¡± He was followed by his guide, a slightly-balding man in his mid-thirties with a beard. He was dressed in a short-sleeve button-down shirt, khaki cargoes, and practical boots. A safari hat was in his hands. He nodded to Amelia. ¡°Ms. Thornhill.¡± ¡°Steven.¡± She¡¯d risen to shake his hand. ¡°This must be Eleven.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± he said after releasing me from a friendly hug. He¡¯d gotten some sun in the last month and change. ¡°We met at Graduation.¡± Lev wore a Star Trek t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Amelia was not impressed. She made that uppity inhale noise of hers and urged them to sit. ¡°Let¡¯s not hold up the pilots.¡± Lev buckled up in a captain¡¯s chair next to mine and held out a bag of open Doritos. ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m a Cheetos girl,¡± I murmured. He dug around in a backpack. ¡°Like these?¡± I snatched the single-serving bag from his fingers. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°Think I¡¯d forget my only friend in this outfit? You hurt my feelings, Seven.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± He grumbled something unintelligible. ¡°What¡¯d you do on your first missions?¡± Steering to a safe topic now. Poor guy. I was sure he¡¯d been bullied before coming to Sanctuary, too, but the behavior of the recruits seemed to really bother him since he was better at the job than most of them were during training. Teen boys were often jerks, though. Hopefully, being an official Agent boosted Lev¡¯s confidence now. ¡°Started in Scandinavia for a while. Steven wanted me in an area where I¡¯d blend in. People assume I¡¯m a college student or his assistant.¡± ¡°Picking up artifacts or manuscripts?¡± ¡°You, too?¡± ¡°Seems to be the training wheels missions for newbies. But we just came from L.A.¡± His eyes widened. ¡°Holy crap.¡± ¡°Not so exciting. I assisted Thirteen in placing cameras and he showed me around the county so I¡¯d be familiar when I¡¯m rotated in to collect surveillance data.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°But we did take out a nest of Golds.¡± Lev high-fived me. ¡°Now we¡¯re talking. Tell me everything.¡± I proceeded to quietly do so, mindful of the Guides at the other end of the plane. ¡°So why were you in New York dressed like a tourist?¡± I asked when I was done. His grin turned shy. ¡°Uh, because we were. After escorting new recruits to the school, Steven took me to the Statue of Liberty.¡± ¡°What?¡± He shrugged. ¡°We had time to kill until the plane arrived, so¡­¡± I slugged his arm. ¡°Did you at least grab a postcard?¡± He dug into the pockets of his backpack. ¡°Here.¡± A small brown paper gift shop bag. I slid the cardstock out of the paper sleeve. ¡°Forgiven.¡± Lev and I had bonded over being the two kids from nowhere, only his small town was in northern Minnesota. He had a tiny bit of that dontcha know accent on certain words. ¡°I hope when I get to work with an agent it¡¯s someone cool,¡± he said. ¡°We barely met the few on St. George.¡± ¡°Three and Thirteen are friends with each other, and Four gave me some advice for the sim.¡± I tucked the postcard in a safe place. ¡°How is it with your Guide?¡± ¡°Friendlier than yours,¡± he muttered. I snorted in agreement. ¡°So you like him?¡± Lev nodded. ¡°He¡¯s a good mentor so far.¡± ¡°Lucky duck.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m hoping this is us working out the kinks of a new situation.¡± It would be tomorrow when we landed in London with seven hours in the air, barring detours for weather. When darkness fell, the lack of sleep caught up with me and I went to a bunk in the back to catch a nap. Lev would wake me before Amelia got testy. At least she was back on her best behavior around the other guide. The private plane landed in a private airport and rolled into a private hangar. A black Range Rover sat waiting to carry us to HQ. Steven drove with Amelia in the passenger seat. When we parked in front of the brick building, a staff member came out to take care of the SUV and left once we¡¯d emptied our luggage. Ladies first through the door. This was my first time entering as an Agent. Being mid-morning London time, the offices were bustling and we were greeted by several on the way to the elevator. Our Guides had paperwork to file upstairs, so Lev and I headed below. ¡°Don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m starving,¡± he said. ¡°Plane sandwiches don¡¯t cut it.¡± ¡°I could brunch.¡± He grinned and we hurried to the cafeteria in the back. When the Guides found us, Steven didn¡¯t look surprised. Amelia still wore a frown. ¡°There¡¯s a proper order to returning to base, Seven,¡± she said primly. ¡°Is there?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Nothing in the book about it given to me at graduation. My report was filed and weapons cleaned back in L.A., so I have time to eat until the next assignment comes in.¡± She stared at me, fists clenching. She wanted to make a fuss, but there were too many witnesses and her British dignity wouldn¡¯t allow her to cause a scene. One sigh, then she left. Lev¡¯s guide pretended nothing happened and went to the food line. ¡°Smart man.¡± I laughed. My suite was exactly how I left it. There was little personal decoration. As a recruit, I¡¯d only put a picture of Mama on the nightstand. But now¡­I was employed. This was my apartment, my home base. I could change the linens on the bed, bring in new towels¡­hang some stuff on the few walls. Stock the kitchenette cabinets. Every suite was the same¡ªyou walk in to the kitchenette. My bathroom was on the right. Past the door was the room with a desk, a dresser, and a queen-size bed. Pretty sure the bed was only that big because The Agency never knew when they¡¯d get tall agents in the dorm. The wall at the back had a fake window that showed day and night scenes based on the local clock. The bed had drawers underneath the mattress and didn¡¯t move, but the dresser and desk could slide to different spots. I¡¯d seen other Recruit rooms and they all came with the same white sheets, tan comforter, and white towels¡ªlike a hotel. Easy washables to bleach. I could start with the bed. Already had a towel from home that would make do for now. Having never shopped in London, though, I had no idea how far my money would go. Thinkin¡¯ about that, I realized I had a lot to learn to live here between missions because no way did I want to be stuck in HQ over and over. I needed to know where to shop, where to eat, and how to exchange currency. Amelia would know all those things, but nope. Best we avoid each other until the next mission. Well, I wanted an excuse to get to know the staff on B2. Grabbed my ID and went in search of the nearest elevator. Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Six The bottom level was composed of unadorned concrete. A guard at the security desk greeted me. ¡°Agent Seven.¡± ¡°Hi. I wanted to introduce myself since I¡¯m new.¡± ¡°Roger.¡± He extended his hand for a shake. ¡°Down here, you have two options¡ªthe cells and the archive.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Mind giving me a tour?¡± He smiled. The skin around his eyes crinkled, making me think he was closer to forty than not. ¡°I can do that.¡± He locked his computer screen and stood from the desk. Then led me to a security door, used his ID card, and typed in a code. The seal released, revealing a library. A proper English library, with the wood and shelves to the ceiling. And old book smell. I followed Roger and spotted researchers here and there focused on tomes and scrolls. Halfway back was a row of tables and chairs with a lamp on each tabletop. ¡°All of our knowledge is stored here. While the database Agents have access to contains everything you¡¯d commonly need to look up, this is the most extensive library on the supernatural in the world. Excepting maybe the Shadow Knights. Continue all the way back to reach the vault.¡± There was another security panel protecting an actual vault door, like in a bank. ¡°Anything too dangerous or valuable goes in there.¡± ¡°The code wasn¡¯t in my dossier.¡± Roger shook his head. ¡°You have to earn that one, dear. Provided you and your Guide come across such an item, one of us guards will secure it where it belongs.¡± ¡°Earn it how?¡± ¡°Seniority.¡± ¡°I thought Agents were the tier below the Council.¡± ¡°Generally, yes, but you have only been on the job for a month.¡± That was fair. ¡°Then I have a completely unrelated question.¡± Roger started for the exit. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I know nothing of London. Grocery stores, restaurants¡­¡± ¡°Ah!¡± He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll want to chat with Gwen.¡± ¡°Gwen?¡± ¡°Gwennie! Oi!¡± Roger made a come-here gesture aimed down one of the rows of books. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The shape of a short woman approached out of the shadows. Closer, it was a girl in her twenties with a cute round face and shoulder-length curls. She removed a pair of reading glasses and shushed him. ¡°This is a library, Rog.¡± ¡°Gwen, meet Agent Seven. She¡¯s in need of a tour guide.¡± He turned to me. ¡°Gwen¡¯s a townie and knows every nook and cranny of London. She giggled. ¡°He exaggerates.¡± Then stuck her hand out. ¡°Always nice to meet a new agent. Do you like tea?¡± ¡°Iced sun tea.¡± ¡°No one¡¯s perfect! Let me tell my supervisor I¡¯m on lunch break and we can go topside.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± She hurried off, curves jiggling. She had that soft kind of figure some men lusted after for being all boobs and butt. Take her into her sixties and she¡¯d probably play the perfect Mrs. Claus. Roger gave me a thumbs¡¯ up and escorted me to the door. ¡°She¡¯ll find us,¡± he said upon my hesitation. Sure enough, Gwen opened the security door, a cardigan added over her blouse and pleated skirt. In better light, her hair was dark blonde, not brown, and her eyes were blue. She beamed at me and adorable dimples appeared in her cheeks. ¡°Ready?¡± She settled a purse strap on her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t have my wallet on me. I wasn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°No problem!¡± She looped her arm with mine. ¡°We¡¯ll just scoot over and grab it. I haven¡¯t been to the Agents Dorm before.¡± Only recruits, Agents, and Guides went into the dorm area, except for mail delivery. And I wasn¡¯t going to let the exuberant librarian in my room. Would¡¯ve been perfectly happy with a few directions, but Roger stuck me with a chatterbox tour guide I didn¡¯t know how to politely get rid of. She was perfectly nice¡­just¡­too much. Pre-vampires-me probably would¡¯ve been fine. Agent Seven wasn¡¯t much of a people person. Wallet and phone went into a purse and I hurried out before Gwen got too nosy. She smiled from the common area sofa, and turned the TV off. ¡°They sure treat you well, huh? You earn it, of course, saving the world every day.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± I picked up my pace toward the elevator. She huffed and puffed with the effort to keep up with my longer strides. Maybe if I tired her out the babbling would drop by half? ¡°Your hair is so beautiful. Natural, right? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard that all your life, but I¡¯ve always loved red hair. I could never make it work on my salary. Red dye fades the fastest, you know. What¡¯s it really like hunting monsters? I could never do it. One flash of fang and poof! Keel right over.¡± She chuckled at herself. ¡°Gwen, I don¡¯t want to take up your lunchtime. If you just point me to the nearest market, I¡¯m good.¡± We reached one of the stairwells. Good enough. I took the steps at a jog. Gwen was wheezing by the top. She sucked air in loud gasps, bent over at the waist. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can manage,¡± I said in my sweetest tone and continued down the hallway. And into the afternoon daylight. Ahhh. Crossing the street to the caf¨¦ across the way, I had a stroke of genius and took out my phone. Every active Agent¡¯s company number was pre-programmed into it. I scrolled down to Thirteen. ¡°Buenos Dias.¡± Did I press the wrong button? ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m not a Councilmember.¡± ¡°Caller ID, kid. What do you need?¡± ¡°A map of London.¡± ¡°Venturing outside? Daring.¡± ¡°Ha, ha. Tell me where to find the nearest market and I¡¯ll hang up.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t this cranky this morning.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t spend twelve hours with Amelia in a mood.¡± I heard a wincing intake of breath. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take pity on you. Where are you now?¡± ¡°Caf¨¦ across the street.¡± He told me where to start walking. Then stayed on the phone to give me directions until I found it. ¡°The Tesco¡¯s will have anything you¡¯re looking for.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I paused at the entrance. ¡°Have you left L.A., yet?¡± ¡°Yep. Onto the next job.¡± ¡°Let me guess¡ªanother plum assignment?¡± He laughed. ¡°Take care of yourself, kid.¡± Then hung up. Sigh. I needed to make friends. This life was going to get real lonely real quick if I relied on Thirteen to pick up a phone. But at this moment, I needed groceries. Amelia was waiting in the common area when I returned with my bags. I unlocked my room. If this was going to be another confrontation, might as well happen in private. She¡¯d changed clothes. For the first time, I wondered where she lived. ¡°Do we have our next assignment?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Let me put this stuff away and you can tell me all about it.¡± Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Seven Due to Thirteen¡¯s report praising my performance in L.A., The Council deemed me ready for threat missions, not just acquisitions, and the rest of July was busy: Banishing a vengeful ghost Assisting with an exorcism Hunting an Aswang¡ªmy first trip to Asia And my first encounter with witches. That was the first case Amelia worked in the field with me. I¡¯m not talkin¡¯ about hippies into Wicca and herbology¡ªgenuine magic users. The Agency required witches to be registered, gave them a strict limit on spells they could cast, and stripped the powers from any that didn¡¯t comply. Witchcraft was considered dark and a gateway to demonology. Amelia had told me several stories during my training about sorcerers that got swept up in a power-trip. Apparently, commanding unnatural forces was highly addictive. My first witch was a man in violation of the rules. My suit was supposed to protect me from spells, so I arrived at the house in full ninja gear. Amelia wore a long hooded coat with the Alpha/Omega insignia on it and carried the special handcuffs. Our job was to capture the witch. The power-stripping happened at a facility equipped for such things back in England. Stealth was my trade, so I didn¡¯t knock on his door or invade the house. I glanced in all the windows until I spotted him and shot him with a tranq bullet. Three, two, one¡ªdown. ¡°Subject subdued,¡± I said into my earpiece. ¡°We have to get these chains on him in sixty seconds.¡± Yes, Amelia, you reminded me several times. I picked the lock on the door nearest the room he went unconscious. ¡°Be mindful of booby traps!¡± she hissed as I turned the knob. The door swung open. I heard tick¡­tick and yelled, ¡°Duck!¡± There was a loud Pop and my ears pressurized. I couldn¡¯t hear. I turned around to Amelia and her lips were moving but I felt like every sound was very far away. She charged ahead into the house with the chains. So that¡¯s what I was here for¡­a shield to take the hit for the Guide. Yay. I found her fastening his ankles. His eyes opened. I tossed a ball that opened into a bit of webbing that attached to his chest and flickered with a zap. The taser stunned him, his eyes rolled back, and I locked the smaller cuffs on his wrists. The final piece was a face mask that held his mouth shut so he couldn¡¯t cast with speech. I looked up and Amelia¡¯s lips were moving again. I still couldn¡¯t hear her. Her hands went to her hips and I pointed at my ears. Understanding finally came into her eyes. Then she boxed my ears. I howled in sudden pain. ¡°What did you do that for? ¡°Sorry. Only way to clear it. I had to pop it.¡± I bit my tongue on the curses that wanted to spew forth. ¡°How did The Agency know he cast illegal spells?¡± ¡°We keep tabs. I called the cleanup crew. They¡¯ll take custody while we clear the house.¡± A Victorian house. Kind of clich¨¦. I glanced around the parlor filled with antiques¡ªor at least lookalikes. Oil lamps. Brocade fabric. Walnut trim. Amelia stayed with the prisoner as I explored. The house had been kept original with several smaller rooms on this floor. Then I reached the kitchen. And a big black cast iron cauldron. Heh. Dried plants hung from the ceiling. Shelves held jars of preserved animal parts. Gross. There really was eye of newt! The cleanup crew would confiscate everything that was contraband. Stolen novel; please report. No spell book amongst the cookbooks. A narrow stair headed upward, so I took it to the next floor. The doors were closed except for the bathroom. I opened the medicine cabinet and under-sink cupboard. None of the stuff a man would use on a daily basis, so this must be the guest bath. Expecting a witch to protect his bedchamber, I wanted to leave the master for last. Or Amelia. ¡°Seven!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Cleanup is here.¡± I went down the main staircase. They all wore plain gray coveralls, except the supervisor, and were all men. It was protocol to call them in whenever there was a subject to take into custody or a body to clean up. They kept the public from discovering what Agents did for a living¡ªlike it never happened. I received celebratory slaps on the shoulders as they passed me into the parlor. A mix of working-class accents from all places. Guys used to dirty jobs. This was my first time meeting one of the crews. ¡°What did you find?¡± Amelia asked. ¡°Not much before you interrupted me.¡± ¡°We need that spell book.¡± ¡°Lead on, ma¡¯am.¡± Amelia gave me some side-eye and charged up the stairs. She opened the first door on the left, a wider door I had guessed to lead to the master. I reached for the knob for a different room and heard her scream. ¡°Get it off! Get it off!¡± I grabbed the animated rope that had slithered onto her shoulder like a snake and it went limp in my glove. ¡°Amelia¡¯s, it¡¯s rope.¡± Her posture stiffened again and she pushed her glasses up her nose. ¡°I knew that.¡± Right. She avoided my gaze, turning on her heel to search the room for the book. I left her there, and opened all the doors on the second level. The back stair went up one more, still ¨C to a finished attic? This was the only locked door in the house. Thinking better of barging in, I called one of the cleanup guys up here. ¡°Got a magical door, miss?¡± ¡°Potentially.¡± An attic should be roasting hot in late July, but this stairwell was cool. He¡ªname tag Larry¡ªbrought out a thermal scanner first. Nothing alive behind the door and that room also showed up cool. He spoke into his earpiece, ¡°Did we bring the portable x-ray?¡± Then shook his head. ¡°Tube camera, then.¡± There was a gap under the door and he used that to get a glimpse inside. ¡°Naught in there but a lectern, Agent Seven.¡± Odd. ¡°Hold up. My boys have found the basement.¡± Larry turned and went back down the narrow stair. I followed. ¡°Amelia, they¡¯ve found a basement,¡± I said into my comm. Now I understood what dark witch meant. The basement could¡¯ve been the perfect Halloween haunted house if you wanted to make the neighborhood kids wet their pants. ¡°What is that smell?¡± I tugged my balaclava up over my mouth and nose. ¡°Animal sacrifices,¡± said a crewmember taking photos of the scene for evidence. None of the men appeared to be gagging on the noxious gasses in here. Testament to all they¡¯d seen? I shuddered. Everything in the house above had represented the good witch. The basement had blood and voodoo dolls and creepy idols and way too many spiders. Amelia hadn¡¯t followed me in. Wuss. An altar in the back corner held a human skull with an upside-down pentagram carved into the forehead with symbols I didn¡¯t recognize surrounding the circle. In a brass bowl was a bloody heart with a knife stuck through it. I hoped it wasn¡¯t human as well. Idols of creatures not of this world stood on shelves around the skull, finger-smears of blood on each of their heads. What had the witch been conjuring? On a table below the altar sat a leather-bound book. I bent closer for a look but I didn¡¯t want to touch it. No symbols or words on the binding. Just plain brown worn leather. Finger oils had lightly stained the edges where it had been opened again and again. Anywhere else and no one would ever glance at that book. But every hair on my body stood on end. The back of my neck tingled like when a Creature was near. ¡°Think I found his grimoire,¡± I said to the crew. One of the men made a cringe noise when he joined me. ¡°Aye, lassie.¡± He made the sign of the cross on his chest. ¡°Tig! Containment box!¡± The men stopped their exploration of the room. A large steel lock box was brought in. Another man carried a claw gripper to pick up the book remotely. ¡°Everybody out who ain¡¯t necessary,¡± Larry said. Gray-suited bodies fled without complaint. The lockbox was opened. The inside was covered in symbols. Ah. Containment. ¡°Steady hands, Luke,¡± Larry murmured to the man with the gripper. We held our breath as the claw approached the book. The claw had fingers to pick up the book like a hand would lift it off the table. One corner broke contact with the tabletop. The book tilted as the claw was slid in to get its grip. The claw had the book. Now to lift it. No one blinked as Luke gently lifted the book and slowly brought it to the box. Then it was slowly, gently set in the lockbox. He drew the gripper back out. Larry closed the lid and locked it with a carved brass padlock. All the idols on the altar shook. ¡°Get out!¡± I yelled, grabbing one side handle of the box. Luke was already on his way out, so Larry grabbed the other and we ran for the door. Power was coming my way. I shoved Larry and the box across the threshold and knelt behind my coat to take the brunt of the concussive force, my sword driven into the floor to steady me. It was like a sledgehammer slammed into my back. Or a wall. Then all was quiet. Still. I opened my eyes and saw Amelia¡¯s boots, and glanced up. ¡°Everyone is safe,¡± she said, and left my sight. I expected to feel like the wind had been knocked out of me, but no. I stretched my arms, my back popped, and that was it. Felt behind me and no hole in my coat. I¡¯d acted on instinct. I had to protect the crew. ¡°When you said this getup would protect me against magic, I didn¡¯t know the extent to which you meant,¡± I said to Amelia. The men had loaded the prisoner and his book into a large van. I found her standing on the grass next to the driveway. ¡°We¡¯d never send you out unprepared.¡± I was ready to head back to the safe-house. ¡°You did well tonight, Seven.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± We escorted the cleanup crew back to England¡ªNewcastle, to be precise. ¡°Where are they taking the witch?¡± I asked Amelia. ¡°On a ship to the Faroe Islands.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­remote.¡± ¡°Several of the islands are uninhabited, the people don¡¯t ask questions, and it¡¯s nearly impossible to escape. It¡¯s the safest place to put people like him.¡± A place where they¡¯d throw you in a room and throw away the room. I shivered. The witch had received no trial, no chance to acquit himself. To be sent somewhere so harsh, the goal was obviously not rehabilitation, either. What had he done to put himself on The Agency¡¯s radar? ¡°Using dark magic voids all your rights?¡± ¡°Yes. It does.¡± She turned to me from her place in the drivers¡¯ seat. ¡°They have no safe harbor in the world. We are not cruel. He will not be maltreated. But yes. Our mandate is to rid the planet of these evils by any means necessary. This is the job.¡± Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Eight We dropped the car off and took the train back to London. I needed a shower. And sleep. We¡¯d been on the go and everywhere and my internal clock didn¡¯t know what time it was besides tired. In my room, door locked, and off came the coat, armor, boots, cat suit, socks¡­once in my underwear, I turned the taps for hot water. Buried my nose in the towel from home to remind me why I did this job, then stripped naked and let the shower wash away the stress built up over the past month. I saw Mama only two months ago, but homesickness had settled in. When the water ran cold, I dried off, put on sweats, braided my wet hair, and settled on the bed with the Walkman and my music collection. I needed to not be here. At least in mind. I zoned out to Willie Nelson until my stomach growled over the music. Sighing, I put on shoes and headed for the cafeteria. Sanctuary was quiet. Guess it was late. Or something. The kitchen staff was gone¡ªwhich was fine as I preferred mine or Mama¡¯s cookin¡¯, anyway. Only the kitchen lights were still on. After taking inventory in the fridge, freezer, and pantry, I started some comfort food. Headphones still on my ears, my head bobbed to the beat as I chopped and mixed ingredients. Recipe choices were limited if I didn¡¯t want to be here for an hour, but I¡¯d come up with something that would give me a taste of home. Dropped a chicken thigh and two drumsticks in the fryer. Now for the gravy¡­ I mixed and mashed all the lumps away, stirring for the perfect consistency. ¡°Boo,¡± a voice said next to my right ear. Hit-hit-hit-twist. ¡°I yield! Seven!¡± My hands held Thirteen¡¯s arm twisted at an odd angle as I stood over his body on the floor. Realizing what I¡¯d done from the surprise voice, I released him and sprung back. ¡°Christ, woman, relax!¡± He shook out his wrist. Rolled his shoulder. I pushed the headphones off my ears. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you. What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I saw the lights on and there¡¯s never more than a nightlight in the kitchen past midnight. Then I smelled fried chicken.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Rolled my eyes and moved the gravy off the heat. He grabbed a backpack off the floor. ¡°Did you just get in?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± His hair was longer than a month ago and stubble covered the lower half of his face. ¡°Nice welcome home.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spook me.¡± ¡°Got enough of that for two?¡± He hopped up to sit on one of the steel counters. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Could you?¡± ¡°I was plannin¡¯ on eating in my room.¡± The timer for my chicken chimed and I pulled the basket out of the fryer and let the oil drain. They¡¯d be stupid hot right now. Grabbed a plate and stuck two leftover scones in the microwave. Closest thing to biscuits on short notice. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t flavored, so the gravy would disguise the difference. Retrieved the plate, carefully placed the chicken, and ladled my gravy all over it. By the scent, Mama would be proud. I set the plate on the counter and gently cut into the thigh piece. Steam escaped the meat. I blew on the bite a few times, then popped it in my mouth. And groaned. ¡°You¡¯re killing me,¡± Thirteen said. I¡¯d almost forgotten he was there. ¡°Learn to cook.¡± I sat in the chair normally reserved for the potato peeler and tucked in. Already felt my soul lighten. This meal was exactly what I needed tonight. ¡°Share and I¡¯ll owe you a favor.¡± I glanced at him and laughed. ¡°Do those puppy eyes actually work?¡± ¡°Sometimes,¡± he grumbled. I laughed harder. ¡°Please?¡± ¡°Cook for you while my food gets cold? No.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± He hopped down and headed to the giant fridge and freezer. And pulled out the ice cream. Since I had my own ice cream tucked in the freezer in my suite, this had no effect on me. ¡°No comment?¡± ¡°None of my business what you eat for dinner.¡± He paused with spoon in hand. ¡°Might be breakfast.¡± I shrugged. We ate our fat in peace and neither felt guilty about it. When I finished, I did the dishes so Cook wouldn¡¯t find a mess in the morning, and tossed a towel at him. ¡°You dry.¡± Thirteen yawned. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed.¡± ¡°Oh, no you don¡¯t. Use something, you clean it. I¡¯m not your maid.¡± ¡°But you did grow up in the back of a restaurant.¡± I smacked him with a wet spatula. ¡°Where I learned how to keep the books just as much as I washed dishes. I¡¯ve run the diner when Mama was sick.¡± ¡°Sorry I touched a nerve.¡± He rubbed a pan I shoved into his hands with the towel. ¡°Until her lupus diagnosis, my mother worked at least twelve hours a day at least five days a week my entire life. The restaurant business takes more dedication than practically anything else and my family has run that diner for three generations.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± He went quiet, the only sound in the room coming from the water in the sink as I washed. Then, ¡°You feel guilty for not being there.¡± I sighed. ¡°Is your mom okay now?¡± ¡°Last I knew.¡± I handed over the last piece. ¡°She¡¯s fine as long as she rests enough and stays out of the sun. And avoids the flu in winter.¡± ¡°I may put my foot in my mouth, but I¡¯m never trying to be a jerk when I tease you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The clean dishes went back where they belonged. Lights off. He waited for me at the door to the dining room, and we set off for the suites. We reached his section first. ¡°If I don¡¯t see you before they ship us out again, safe travels, kid.¡± ¡°You, too.¡± I continued to my room. Felt his eyes on me for a few seconds before I was around the partition wall and out of sight. I hoped to God my body would let me sleep now. Brushed my teeth and hit the pillow face down. The knocking on my door came way too soon. Eyes crusty, I shuffled to it. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Prepare to leave. We have our next assignment.¡± Amelia. I groaned, shut the door, and found the sink to splash my face. Did I have time to eat breakfast? Screw it, they could wait. I munched on cereal as I dressed and packed. Tossed some strawberries into a baggie. Duffel, weapons case, and out the door. Amelia stood at the elevator with her luggage. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Klamath National Forest.¡± Didn¡¯t ring a bell. ¡°Where?¡± Amelia sighed. ¡°Northern California.¡± Oh. Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Twenty-Nine August 2006 We had to fly into Medford, Oregon from London. An SUV was waiting for us when we landed. After thirteen hours in the air, I desperately needed a workout to loosen the kinks. With Amelia impatiently tapping her foot, though, I had to settle for a quick jog around the hangar. Then I got in the driver¡¯s seat and followed the GPS to Interstate 5. Thirty-three miles to Hwy 96. ¡°Now we¡¯re out here, what¡¯s the objective?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be briefed at our destination.¡± ¡°We? Or me? Since when do you not know the details of an assignment?¡± Amelia watched the scenery go by. ¡°The Forest Service asked for help.¡± ¡°With?¡± ¡°Seven, exercise some patience. We have a two-hour drive ahead.¡± It was nice scenery. Streams. Green stuff. Mountains. We passed through the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument area to reach the border with California. Forests were still a novelty to me. Not a lot of tall pines in Oklahoma. The interstate took us along foothills with tiny creeks running by. Hornbrook was at 2172 feet. The mountains to the west were closer after that. Wasn¡¯t too long before the sign for 96 came into view and the GPS told me to take the connection. After 1:00, the sun was bright overhead and air hot. The AC blasted my face, but my back was sweating. On 96, the GPS updated to tell me to head to Happy Camp, about seventy miles west. Wound around some hills, then entered the Klamath National Forest. 96 was traveling along the Klamath River. ¡°This is beautiful.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± Amelia murmured. I glanced over and her eyes were shut. I shook my head. Thirteen had made a good point in Malibu about appreciating the beauty in a place touched by evil so we always remembered what we were protecting. I may not be a fan of big cities, but give me all the nature. Earth¡¯s wonders would¡¯ve remained on the TV screen without this job. Hwy 96 guided me past a Post Office and tiny communities labeled Oakbar, Horse Creek, and Hamburg, to Seiad Valley. I spotted a sign for the Seiad Caf¨¦ and made a diversion. ¡°Are we there?¡± Amelia asked, straightening in her seat. ¡°No. I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Seven¡ª¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had a proper meal since yesterday. I¡¯m going to have lunch. Unless you want me driving a winding road with low blood sugar?¡± She went silent. I shut the door. Good grief, it was hot! It¡¯d been a while since I¡¯d been past ninety degrees and still wasn¡¯t fond of it. I entered the tiny Seiad Caf¨¦ and gained a little relief. Ordered a cheeseburger. I¡¯d been served a Coke by the time Amelia trailed in. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the market,¡± she said. Okay. If we needed supplies, she knew better than I. All these little valleys had only a couple hundred people here and there. People who clearly wanted a slow and secluded life with few neighbors. Those who left while I waited for my burger were tourists with hiking backpacks. Easy to believe Hwy 96 had more campers sleeping along it than full-time residents¡ªwhich really made me curious what we were supposed to find in Happy Camp. What had the forest rangers called in for? Waitress set down my plate. ¡°Anything else?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°How¡¯s the wildlife spotting this summer? My friend and I are hoping for good photos.¡± She popped her gum. ¡°Backpackin¡¯?¡± ¡°Nah. Little hiking as we pass through.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Same as always. Ask next door.¡± She went back into the kitchen. O-kay. Bit into the cheeseburger¡ªnot bad¡ªand checked my watch. Despite annoying Amelia for a little payback, my mind was on the mission and I wasn¡¯t going to dilly-dally. Ate, paid, and braced myself for the heat outside to search for my Guide. She was still in the small store, chatting up the clerk at the register. This certainly wasn¡¯t a full-stock grocery, but there were plenty of snacks and trail food options. I came into her view, then went back to the car to start the engine and get the AC crankin¡¯. Still had nineteen miles to drive. She came out of the store carrying several bags and took them to the rear. ¡°What is all that?¡± ¡°Supplies.¡± She shut the lift gate. ¡°I should just introduce you to people as Evasive now.¡± Opened the passenger door. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we haven¡¯t got all day.¡± More miles of tree-speckled hills along the river. Sometimes the forest was dense. We passed Fort Goff Campground. The road then wound right, and houses started to pop out of clearings here and there. A left curve revealed dirt roads to more settlements, driveways to houses. A few miles of hairpins, then a sign for the Klamath River Resort Inn. I soon discovered that was the gateway for the town of Happy Camp. It was a proper little town, a sign indicating a population of 1,190. Markets, churches, gas stations, mechanics, schools¡­ ¡°Where am I stopping, Amelia?¡± I was going to wind around the village until she piped up. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s an airstrip.¡± I¡¯d spotted a small plane coming in for a landing. ¡°Could¡¯ve flown in and saved time.¡± ¡°But then we¡¯d be stranded without transportation.¡± ¡°And we need an SUV?¡± I stopped in front of the Happy Camp/Oak Knoll Ranger District building. ¡°Just park.¡± Fine. I did. We waited. A man tapped on Amelia¡¯s window wearing the ranger uniform. ¡°You¡¯re here about the wolf problem?¡± he said. Amelia handed him her badge. ¡°There¡¯s a cabin for you at Elk Creek Campground to meet up with the rest of your party.¡± He handed her an envelope and walked away. She closed the window. ¡°Wolf? Party?¡± I wiped sweat off my nose. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s a werewolf hunt?¡± ¡°Head south, please.¡± Fine. She directed me to the campground and a cabin. The Sportsmen¡¯s Cabin. It had a large porch. The envelope contained the key. The cabin had a kitchen, living room, and one bedroom. ¡°If it¡¯s not just us, where do you expect others to sleep?¡± Amelia ignored my question in favor of going back to the SUV for her supplies. At least the kitchen explained her stop at the market. I opened up the bedroom and bathroom. Nothing here was remotely new, but it was clean. Beat sleeping in the car. She returned laden with bags. I went outside to scope out our surroundings. Elk Creek Campground was on the other side of the river from the highway and surrounded by and spotted with trees. We¡¯d crossed the bridge on Elk Creek Road and the eastern side of Happy Camp¡¯s valley was untouched forest. That would make coming and going from the campground with stealth easier to do. A bunch of leather-coated ninjas running around during the full moon would bring a lot of questions. I grabbed the luggage. ¡°Amelia why are you being so secretive? Normally, you want me over-prepared for a mission. What is with the attitude?¡± She sighed and closed the refrigerator. ¡°We are hunting werewolves, but The Council also wanted this to be a training mission. The town already uses searches for Bigfoot as fodder for tourism, so anything strange that might happen won¡¯t cause much of a stir.¡± ¡°How many are we expecting?¡± ¡°Unknown. They¡¯ll arrive by plane in the wee hours of the morning.¡± ¡°Why would rangers call for help about wolves?¡± ¡°Because wolves of the canine family are extinct in California and have been for a very long time.¡± Okay, fair enough. ¡°What¡¯s their evidence?¡± ¡°Howls that do not belong to coyotes and unusually large footprints.¡± Not much to go on. ¡°So no sudden pet disappearances or human attacks?¡± She shook her head. ¡°If there are werewolves in this forest, we¡¯re catching the problem early. That rarely happens. We must make the best of it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± First things first¡ªweapons case. Tranq rifles were part of the kit for this use, along with a dozen darts. Restraints made of silver, too. And if we had to take lethal action, silver bullets. I loaded my coat with the appropriate supplies while sitting on the blue ¡®80s sofa. ¡°Did the nice ranger include coordinates for the wolves?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a marked map based on hiker reports.¡± Amelia was on her laptop. ¡°The nightly low?¡± ¡°Average of forty degrees Fahrenheit at this time of year.¡± She shivered. ¡°Who wants to live in such extremes voluntarily?¡± ¡°People that like to fish for steelhead.¡± ¡°What?¡± Her glasses slid down the bridge of her nose. ¡°Trout.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± By the tone, she wasn¡¯t a fish fan. ¡°So, if we find any weyrs, how are we extracting them to a treatment center? The plane?¡± She tapped keys. ¡°I suppose it depends on how many there are.¡± Great¡­ Most werewolves were people oblivious to the change during the day. Then with the cycle of the full moon, they woke up naked in strange places not knowing how they got there and why. A lot of people in Happy Camp didn¡¯t live on top of their neighbors, so the infected person could be sneaking home without any notice. Most properties didn¡¯t have fences, and with all the trees¡­ But it was also possible the person knew they¡¯d become a werewolf and moved here because it was so remote. We had case files of people that tried to live with the disease without locking themselves up during full moons. None of them ended well. ¡°If we¡¯re stuck waiting ¡®til mornin¡¯, I say we have dinner in town and get to know the locals. A town this small, everyone knows everyone, and someone¡¯s bound to gossip.¡± ¡°If you like.¡± Happy Camp had one restaurant and one coffee house, and the gift shop with coffee was only open on weekends. This was Tuesday. ¡°Pizza House closes at eight.¡± ¡°Mm-hm.¡± Since we had a full kitchen, I¡¯d feed myself there and order a large cheese pie for whoever was coming. Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty August 8th Amelia and I shared the one bed. Her alarm went off at 3:00AM. ¡°Airport?¡± I muttered. ¡°Yes.¡± She slipped into the bathroom first. Groaning, I rolled to sit up and stretched until several vertebrae popped. The old mattress had a lump in my low back most of the night. Stood and folded to grab my toes. Ahhh¡­ With her in the bathroom, I started coffee in the kitchen, a full pot. Splashed water on my eyes. The bathroom door opened and I hurried in to pee. Amelia turned all the lights on. 3:00 was too dang early for it, but this was the job. Dressed, her caffeinated, and out the door. There was only one bridge for miles, so north toward town, over, then west to the airport. It could barely be called an airport. There was no tower. Three small hangars. Tiny for tiny planes. I spotted a light in the sky heading this way. Heard the faint whirring of a motor. ¡°Hope it¡¯s a good pilot. Got maybe 3000 feet of runway before hitting the trees.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll make it,¡± Amelia said. Soon, a small passenger plane touched down. It slowed to an idle then turned to the parking tie downs before coming to a stop and powering down. The side door opened. I walked over. ¡°Five?¡± ¡°Fancy meeting you here.¡± ¡°Who else ya got in there?¡± Lev was next out, awkwardly unfolding his tall frame. Followed by Fifteen. ¡°Oh, hell.¡± ¡°Is that Seven? Hours in that tin can just became worth it.¡± Lev slapped the kid¡¯s arm, then gave me a friendly hug. ¡°Tell me you have duct tape,¡± he said for only me to hear. I laughed. The last passenger got out and my stomach did that funny flop it did every time I saw him. ¡°Hey, kid.¡± ¡°Agent Thirteen.¡± ¡°Gentlemen, if you would make your way to the vehicle. No need to call attention to ourselves at this hour,¡± Amelia said, pointing to the SUV. They each carried a duffel and a weapons case¡ªexcept no case for Fifteen. He hadn¡¯t graduated, yet. Then why would he be on a werewolf hunt? Thirteen fell into step with me. ¡°Nervous?¡± ¡°About what? Catching a wolf can¡¯t be harder than killing vampires.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be surprised.¡± ¡°Why is a trainee here? He wasn¡¯t close to ready when Five, Lev, and I graduated.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like Fifteen.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust him. He¡¯s reckless.¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s not your problem¡ªhe¡¯s mine.¡± He picked up his pace to get to the car with the boys. How we were fitting all their crap in it, I didn¡¯t know. ¡°It¡¯s freezing,¡± Five said. Lev inhaled and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve missed clean air.¡± They¡¯d arrived in t-shirts and jeans. Amelia directed the loading of gear and humans while I got in the drivers¡¯ seat. When she got in next to me, I started the engine. Thank goodness this was a beast of a truck. It never complained about the sudden extra weight. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Blast the heater!¡± Fifteen yelled. ¡°Ignore him.¡± That was my plan as long as his stupid face was in my vicinity. It was a very short drive back to the Sportsmen¡¯s Cabin. Thankfully, the hour registered to the boys and they silently moved themselves and their luggage onto the deck. ¡°Gentlemen, the sofa folds out into a bed and the rest of you will have to take the floor. Work out who is where amongst yourselves,¡± Amelia said before unlocking the door. ¡°Ooo, TV.¡± Thirteen slapped the back of Fifteen¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re here to work.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Seniority, boys¡ªI get the sofa bed and you are on the floor.¡± They groaned. Thirteen grinned. Brought back memories. ¡°Full moon starts tonight. We have today to do recon.¡± Amelia unrolled a large map she found in the bedroom closet. She¡¯d marked it with the spots the ranger shared on the smaller map given to her yesterday. ¡°These are all the recent reports of odd footprints, wolf howls, and strange fur caught on bushes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a whole lotta wilderness,¡± Five said. ¡°In all directions,¡± Lev added. ¡°Yes, but all the wolf activity is west of town,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Think the river is the territorial line?¡± Thirteen asked me. ¡°Makes sense. Werewolves are animals. The human consciousness is suppressed, so it¡¯s going to act like any other predator.¡± He smiled approvingly at me and I felt warm at making him proud. ¡°Any place we can rent ATVs or something? A lot of miles to cover on foot.¡± ¡°Worth askin¡¯. Folks were friendly when I had dinner last night.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s all grab some shut-ass until a more respectable hour, then put boots to ground,¡± Thirteen ordered. Fine by me. As long as I got Amelia¡¯s side of the bed. Took a while for the house to go quiet. These old thin cabin walls disguised little of their treks to the bathroom or bickering in the living room. Amelia didn¡¯t come in before I drifted off. I woke up confused. Strange beds had been part of my life for two years, but it still took my brain a couple seconds before it remembered where it was in the morning. I smelled food. Glanced at my watch¡ª9:00. Wow. Didn¡¯t expect to pass out for six hours. With all the boys out there, I needed clothes. A tank top with no bra and boy shorts was not appropriate, especially with that letch Fifteen nearby. Yeah, everyone knows teen boys are horny, but he didn¡¯t have to be obnoxious about it. I hoped Thirteen kept him on a tight leash. But Lev was the only person I found in the living room. ¡°Where is everyone?¡± ¡°Errands. Hey.¡± He stood at the stove. ¡°Thanks for the pizza.¡± That wasn¡¯t what he was cooking now, though. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± In the kitchen, I saw he had a pot of oatmeal. I opened the fridge for milk. ¡°Figured it wasn¡¯t Miss Thornhill.¡± I laughed. ¡°No¡­she¡¯s all health food, all the time.¡± Which was a small part of why I still ate sugar cereals around her. ¡°You want eggs?¡± ¡°Uh, sure.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need protein today.¡± The Agency stocked us with protein powders so all we needed was water and a cup for sustenance anywhere in the world, but give me real food. I grabbed six eggs, butter, and found a pan. ¡°How was the floor?¡± The cabin had blue carpet that matched the blue sofa. ¡°Not so bad. I used to fall asleep in front of my grandparents¡¯ TV all the time, so I¡¯m used to it. Fif whined until Five threatened to freeze all his underwear.¡± Ha. ¡°Not sure how much tough love The Agency will get out of Thirteen. He was always a fair teacher and preferred to focus on learning rather than discipline. I can think of other candidates way better suited to scaring Fifteen straight.¡± Eggs scrambled, I poured them into the hot pan. Lev scraped his oatmeal into a disposable bowl. ¡°I know we¡¯re desperate for warm bodies, but we don¡¯t have to be this desperate.¡± I laughed. ¡°Sorry he¡¯s such a drag. This trip could¡¯ve been fun.¡± ¡°Yeah, class of ¡¯06 together again.¡± He sat to eat. ¡°This is beautiful country. I¡¯m looking forward to exploring it. I grew up fly fishing, but probably won¡¯t have time.¡± ¡°Unless we use fresh fish to bait the wolf.¡± His features perked up. ¡°I like how you think, Seven.¡± ¡°I mean, the river¡¯s just¡­right there.¡± Eggs fluffy, I divided them into two portions on paper plates and slid one to him. ¡°Salt? Pepper?¡± ¡°You seasoned enough. I watched.¡± I tasted the eggs. Tiny bit more salt, and perfect. The door opened. Amelia. ¡°You¡¯re awake. Finally.¡± I sighed. ¡°Thirteen went to the ranger station to try to convince them to use the helicopter for scouting. The boys are searching for an ATV or truck to borrow.¡± She couldn¡¯t complain about my scrambled eggs. ¡°What did you do this morning?¡± I asked. ¡°Talk to the town clergy.¡± No better place for local scuttlebutt. Christians shouldn¡¯t gossip but were usually the worst about it under the guise of lookin¡¯ out for their brethren. Moira and Pastor Ken never allowed it in the youth group back home. ¡°Anyone shamin¡¯ their neighbors for comin¡¯ home naked at sunrise?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no.¡± She poured coffee. ¡°But there was a man who made an odd confession to the local priest about a month ago. The priest had never seen him before and not seen him since.¡± ¡°What was the confession?¡± Lev asked. ¡°The man said he had lost time and was afraid of what he was doing during that loss. He asked if God would forgive him for things done, no matter how awful, if he couldn¡¯t remember doing them and hadn¡¯t sinned deliberately.¡± ¡°That poor man,¡± I said. ¡°Where did he come from?¡± Amelia shrugged. ¡°People are spread out in this wilderness and might only come into Happy Camp a couple times a year. He could be anywhere.¡± ¡°Except for the signs west of town that are all within a day¡¯s hike.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Lev said. ¡°He has to be close.¡± ¡°Wolves cover many miles of territory,¡± Amelia argued. ¡°The werewolf can¡¯t be much different.¡± ¡°But wolves have all day and all night to travel throughout the year, Amelia. A werewolf has three nights a month to hunt and protect territory, and none of this terrain is flat, taking more energy. We find a good spot not far from town to set up bait, we¡¯re going to lure him in. Did you let Thirteen know what you learned?¡± ¡°I came back here.¡± I bit back the sigh and went for my phone. Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-One Night of August 8, first night of the full moon We¡¯d set up a bait trap before the sun went down, raw meat and fish within a small clearing of trees near enough to town for the werewolf to find it after the turn, but far enough away to not alarm the humans below. Tranq guns used no gunpowder, so that helped, too. We¡¯d climbed the trees to get out of sight and above the slight breeze, and waited. Our coats were left at home for ease of maneuvering. If the wolf came into this clearing, we all had clear shots. Amelia was back in town. ¡°All that rotting meat stinks,¡± Fifteen complained. ¡°That¡¯s the point, doofus. Smellier the better,¡± Five retorted. ¡°Silence!¡± Thirteen barked. He was situated farther up the game trail to give us a head¡¯s up on the wolf¡¯s approach. I thought back to the lesson on hunting and tracking in New York. It could take hours to find your prey or to wait for it to come to you. We had to have the patience to endure the passage of time because lives were at stake if we failed. So I sat on this branch still and quiet, alert to the forest. From my position, I could just barely make out where Thirteen was hiding. The plan was to let the werewolf pass him and no one react until it chowed down on the bait. He made all of us repeat it back to him. Lev had created a sniper nest before we set up the meat trap. With his climbing ability, he¡¯d gone higher than the rest of us and he was our backup in case something went wrong. Fifteen sat catty-corner to me, swinging his feet in boredom. I didn¡¯t know why Thirteen brought him along. He was wearing generic black tactical gear, not the protective suit of Agents, and likely to give us away with his immaturity. ¡°Freeze,¡± Thirteen whispered on the comm. I tuned my senses in his direction. ¡°Shit,¡± Lev murmured above. What did he see from his vantage point? ¡°Two, I say,¡± Thirteen relayed, barely audible. ¡°Repeat. Two wolves.¡± The sweat on my back went cold and not from the night air. We weren¡¯t expecting two. The forest was silent. Animals had fled from the presence of two supernatural predators. I heard the faint crunch of dead pine needles being stepped on with padded feet. A wolf¡¯s pads were silent on a smooth surface, but not crunching leaves. Across the clearing, I saw the whites of Fifteen¡¯s wide eyes. Five was to my left and behind, his tree the end border. It was his job to make sure it¡ªthey¡ªdidn¡¯t run past us. The footsteps came closer. The wolves were approaching cautiously. A werewolf was more humanoid than a real wolf but way more wolf than any human. They could stand on their hind legs but ran on all fours. Hair was the same color as whatever natural tone the human had, but no matter what the human¡¯s eyes were, the werewolf¡¯s was always bright yellow. With no dense underbrush, I saw them before they entered the clearing circle. A male and female by the sizes, the bigger one was gray and the smaller a reddish brown. They carried their heads low, scenting for the meat. I¡¯d been trained to breathe silently and keep my heart rate under control, but their sensitive ears would hear the thumping of four human pulses. We were counting on them being too hungry and distracted by the meat to search out the source of the sound. The male went straight to a dangling T-bone, but the female was hesitant. If we shot the male now, she¡¯d either bolt or attack. Fifteen shot the gray wolf. It yelped at the sting of the dart. The female growled and whirled on the direction of the insult. She lifted her head and rushed the trunk of his tree. Lev¡¯s original curse was appropriate. She couldn¡¯t jump high enough to reach Fifteen, but he panicked anyway and teetered off the branch. His hands caught it before he fell to the ground, but now he was dangling above a very pissed off she-wolf defending her mate. The male was wobbling on his feet and hadn¡¯t passed out, yet. ¡°Help me!¡± Fifteen shouted. Thirteen came running. ¡°I can¡¯t get a clear shot at her, she¡¯s moving too much,¡± Five said. The woozy, frightened male blocked Thirteen¡¯s entry, snarling and growling with an unearthly rumble. Dammit. She was close to biting Fifteen¡¯s feet and he couldn¡¯t hold onto that branch forever. If she got him down, she¡¯d maul him dead. I didn¡¯t have a good shot at her from here, either. So I took the only option left. I dropped down from my tree. ¡°Hey, bitch!¡± Female dog, not the curse. She turned, barked angrily, and ran at me. I had to time this right or I¡¯d be mauled. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Thirteen yelled my name. I aimed for her breast as she leapt at me and the dart hit true. She yelped and her paws flailed, claws ripping into my armor as I rolled out of her way. She rebounded and charged me again and there was another yelp. She collapsed a foot from me, awake but immobile. Five had shot her. I waved at him. Another minute and the drugs would render her unconscious. A glance told me Thirteen had downed the male. Fifteen dropped to the ground. ¡°Thanks, cutie¡ª¡± His stupid comment was cut off by my fist hitting his chin. He fell. ¡°Don¡¯t ever defy orders like that again or next time I¡¯ll let the wolf eat you.¡± A hand landed on my shoulder and I shrugged it off. Pride injured, Fifteen walked to the she-wolf and kicked dirt on her. ¡°Not so tough now.¡± Her neck suddenly jerked and she bit his ankle. He screamed. She didn¡¯t have enough strength to do more than nip, but her sharp teeth had easily punctured his pants and skin. ¡°Fuck,¡± Thirteen said. ¡°Five, tie a tourniquet above that bite. Eleven, get down here.¡± He took out the sat radio. ¡°Thornhill, we have a situation. Two wolves showed up and we have injured. Fifteen was bitten. Need extraction now.¡± Fifteen held his leg to his body and cried. Wailing. Pathetic drama. Five grabbed Fifteen¡¯s foot and used a battlefield tourniquet to block the werewolf¡¯s saliva from flowing through Fifteen¡¯s bloodstream. I secured restraints on the wolves, cuffing their legs together and putting muzzles over their jaws. ¡°Hey. You hurt?¡± Thirteen asked me. His brows were furrowed together. ¡°Scratched, maybe. The armor took the brunt of it.¡± Only the bite infected humans, so I was in no danger on that point. ¡°That was ballsy. And stupid. But good work.¡± He gave my shoulder a friendly shake. ¡°I don¡¯t feel one ounce of sympathy for him.¡± The corners of his mouth turned up. ¡°Neither do I. But we still have to get him home.¡± Amelia brought the SUV up the nearest trail. We loaded the wolves into the back, then Lev and Five carried Fifteen to lay on the back row. We squeezed into the second row, Thirteen climbed into the passenger seat, and down the mountain we went. Amelia dropped us off, then went straight to the airport. Our pilot had to fly Fifteen to the nearest werewolf treatment center. Could they prevent the virus from taking hold if it was caught this early? I didn¡¯t know. Would serve him right if he was cursed the rest of his life, though. ¡°What do we do with the wolves, sir?¡± Five asked. ¡°Keep them asleep until morning. We need to know who these people are and what their story is.¡± The pair was carried in and laid in a corner. ¡°We¡¯ll take shifts watching them. See their eyes open before dawn, dose them again.¡± I needed to assess the damage to my suit and body and went into the bedroom. My armor was gouged and there were tears in the suit here and there. She¡¯d nearly landed on me, so the sharp claws had been effective. I got all the armor pieces off, then unzipped the cat suit. Pulling my arm out of a sleeve, I hissed. My upper left arm had received a deep cut. With no compression, blood poured forth. Crap. I hurried to the first aid kit and grabbed a gauze pad, then carried the kit to the bathroom. Thirteen followed me and winced as the light came on. ¡°You need stitches.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure.¡± I started cleaning it. His fingers brushed my back. My skin broke out in goose pimples. ¡°There¡¯s a scratch on your shoulder blade.¡± He picked up an antiseptic wipe. I was pressing gauze on my arm to staunch the bleeding, so I couldn¡¯t object to his help. His touch was gentle. I watched in the mirror as he finished with the pad and grabbed a bandage. ¡°There. Where else did she get you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I indicated my arm with my head. ¡°This caught my attention.¡± He reached for the zipper and I stepped away. ¡°Sorry.¡± Holding his hands up, he added, ¡°Call if you need me,¡± and left, closing the door. Uh, yeah. My heart beat fast enough from the adrenaline come-down. I didn¡¯t need my crush undressing me, too. Last thing I needed was for Amelia to walk in on that! If a wound can clot, it should after six minutes, so I sat on the toilet lid and held firm on my arm. The side of my thigh stung. Leg armor pieces protected the front and back where you were most likely to have an artery punctured or a tendon severed, so there was a gap on the sides. Scratch probably came from the hind legs as I dodged her attack. I gently pulled the gauze away from my arm. It didn¡¯t gush. I wrapped it. Amelia could look at it later. Next, getting my boots off and the suit. The thigh cut was shallow and wouldn¡¯t need more than bandages. Down to my sports bra and boy shorts, I pivoted in front of the mirror to see as much of me as possible. The pain in my arm distracted my body from feeling much of anything else, so I had to do a visual inspection. With the rest of me clean, I picked up my stuff and left the bathroom. Only Thirteen glanced at me. ¡°She lives.¡± ¡°For at least a little while.¡± I continued into the bedroom. Tank top, shorts, socks, and shoes. The suit was laid on the bed for Amelia to inspect. Now to eat. The rush of a hunt left me starving. The boys had had the same idea. Thirteen sat with a gun aimed at the sleeping wolves, but the teens were in the kitchen. They¡¯d changed into tees and shorts while I was in the bathroom. The house was still warm from the ninety-five degrees we¡¯d suffered through earlier. ¡°Pig out, boys. Amelia won¡¯t want to leave a mess for the owners to clean up, so don¡¯t leave anything in the fridge except breakfast.¡± ¡°Maybe you can convince Seven to make fried chicken,¡± Thirteen said. I glared at him over my shoulder. ¡°You know how to make it from scratch?¡± Lev asked, eyes wide with hope. I groaned. ¡°Every time I begin to like you¡­¡± I directed at Thirteen. He winked. Five, I could¡¯ve said no to, but Lev was such a sweetheart, I didn¡¯t have it in me to turn that look sad. Sighing, I searched to see if Amelia had even stocked the ingredients, and found a package of chicken thighs in the freezer. Date was recent, so if it wasn¡¯t from her, then from the previous tenant. I needed to thaw them first, so into the microwave it went. Oil, the biggest pan, flour¡­the cabin actually came with a spice rack¡­ingredients collected, I prepared the dredge while the chicken defrosted. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding through your bandage,¡± Five pointed out. Thirteen stood. ¡°I told you that needed stitches.¡± The front door opened for Amelia. ¡°The boy is sorted.¡± Her eyes fell on me. ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°Her arm needs stitches.¡± She grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Inside, then she shut them out. ¡°Let¡¯s see the mess you¡¯re in.¡± She cut the bandage off. ¡°It started bleeding again with my moving around the kitchen.¡± ¡°Which wolf clawed you?¡± ¡°The female. It¡¯s not her fault. Fifteen is an idiot.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll discuss how it happened later.¡± She cleaned the blood away, then unwrapped the needed tools from the kit. They were set out on a clean strip of toilet paper, then she used a numbing spray on the wound. Tapped the skin at the edges of the cut. ¡°Feel that?¡± ¡°Not much.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯re ready.¡± She didn¡¯t sew like a seamstress, but stitched my skin together like a doctor would. This was the first time she had to render much first aid to me since my graduation. Her work was neat, the stitches tiny. Her delicate hands had a good use for something besides turning pages of old books. Once she finished, the wound was cleaned, ointment spread, then a bandage applied. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s what I¡¯m here for,¡± she softly replied. ¡°Seven¡­I know we have our difficulties, but my aim is to make you the best Agent out there. As young women, we¡¯re at an automatic disadvantage in the eyes of the less¡­enlightened, so¡ª¡± ¡°Amelia, I only want you to trust me. Because I¡¯ve earned it. You can¡¯t question how hard I¡¯ve worked or my motives, so if you want this to work, be my partner. No one will replace you as long as you do that.¡± Her lashes fluttered behind her glasses. ¡°Understood.¡± Good. Finally. She cleaned up the first aid supplies and I opened the door to return to my chicken. The boys had turned on the TV. I smiled. With everything how I left it, I put my mind on cooking and heated the oil. We were still starving. Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Two When dawn was about to break, I draped blankets over the two wolves after removing the muzzles. Didn¡¯t need to see the humans¡¯ nudity once they transformed. The change looked painful. Their bones reshaped into those of man and woman while the hair receded and disappeared into their skin. It took nearly a full minute to leave a middle-aged couple on the cabin floor. The tranquilizers kept them asleep through the process. I waited for them to wake. We hadn¡¯t needed to dose them since the forest and that was around five hours ago. I opened the drapes in the nearest window so the sun would do its job. The woman was first to jingle the chains. ¡°¡­what¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re safe. The restraints were for everyone¡¯s protection,¡± I said. She rolled onto her butt, holding the blanket close her with fingertips. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Are you aware you turn into a werewolf every full moon?¡± She sighed. ¡°Hunters.¡± ¡°I¡¯m with The Agency.¡± One hand on a gun, I walked over and handed her my badge. ¡°When someone is infected with the werewolf virus, we give you training and the means to lock yourself up each month so no one gets hurt.¡± Her lack of surprise shocked me. I didn¡¯t expect to find someone who thought they could live with the virus on my first hunt. ¡°I¡¯ve lived with this for thirty years, girl, and never killed anyone. We don¡¯t need your interference.¡± Uh-huh. ¡°Know why I¡¯m here? Forest rangers called. Hikers were leaving wolf reports in a state with no wolves.¡± She averted her eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll be more careful.¡± ¡°Has your husband¡ªI¡¯m assuming¡ªvisited the Catholic church recently?¡± The man groaned awake. ¡°Regina?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Sir, I¡¯m here about your wolf problem.¡± Pale blue eyes met mine, but he wasn¡¯t sporting the attitude of Regina. Tears welled up and he blinked before she looked at him. ¡°You know what¡¯s happening to me? You¡¯re here to help?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk to her!¡± I glared at Regina. This poor man. ¡°You were bitten by a dog or wolf at some point, yes?¡± He nodded vigorously. ¡°Six months ago. That has something to do with why I¡¯m missing time?¡± I unlocked the cuffs on his wrists. He was no threat. ¡°You were bitten by a werewolf and infected with a virus that changes you into one, too, every full moon in every month. My employers help people like you be safe.¡± He grabbed my hands. ¡°I thought I was going crazy.¡± I squeezed his fingers. ¡°You¡¯re not crazy. You have an illness and we¡¯re working on the cure.¡± My team came out of the bedroom. The boys had crashed in there after getting full bellies. I didn¡¯t know where Amelia and Thirteen were. ¡°Your name, sir?¡± I asked the man. ¡°Jeffrey. We live on Grayback Road.¡± ¡°Do one of you have pants for Jeffrey to borrow?¡± Five went to his duffel. ¡°Sweats. They¡¯re clean.¡± He tossed them to me. ¡°Awesome.¡± I took the restraints off Jeffrey¡¯s feet and handed him the pants. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. He pulled them on under the blanket while we averted our eyes. ¡°What about Regina?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll stay here while I take you up to your house, okay? Guys, make some coffee.¡± ¡°On it,¡± Lev said. The she-wolf continued to glare at me. Jeffrey kept the blanket around his shoulders. I guided him out to the SUV. I wanted to talk to him alone about his woman and we also needed to get their ID and pack them up for the werewolf facility. Grayback Road led away from town into the hills. Jeffrey lived several miles back. We passed a mine and a Jehovah¡¯s Witnesses building. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± I¡¯d given him the spiel on the way up about the facility and how long he¡¯d be away and the help we provided. He continued to be grateful he wasn¡¯t crazy and someone knew what had been happening to him. It was a small house; just enough for a couple living off the land. Jeffrey had told me how he came up here to be a prospector and met Regina. He eagerly showed me around the homestead. A back door had been left open. Time to break his heart. ¡°Jeffrey, Regina is a werewolf, too.¡± His eyes went wide. ¡°She never told me she got bit.¡± ¡°She told me she¡¯s been one for thirty years.¡± Please work it out so I don¡¯t have to say it out loud. He shook his head. ¡°That can¡¯t be right. I¡¯ve never seen¡­¡± I stayed quiet while he processed the information. He continued shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s not her fault. I never know what happens to me when I lose time.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Then he must¡¯ve run out of plausible denials. ¡°You think Regina bit me?¡± He dropped onto the back porch, his gray head in his hands. ¡°I know this is all difficult and confusing, Jeffrey, but for now, I need you to pack a bag¡ªone for you and one for Regina¡ªand get ready to travel.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He sniffed. Walked into the house. It wasn¡¯t too different from the cabin we were staying in¡ªkitchen, living room, and one bedroom and bathroom. The fridge was a small old model from the sixties, so there wouldn¡¯t be much fresh to clean out if anything was in there. He pulled two suitcases out from under the bed. My company cell buzzed. Text from Thirteen. You should¡¯ve waited. He¡¯s a scared and harmless old man. And I¡¯m still packing. Is he ready, yet? Starting now. The phone went silent. Guess he decided to trust me with this. Jeffrey and Regina didn¡¯t have much, so it didn¡¯t take him long to pack clothes and toiletries. He¡¯d put on his own clothes and shoes. Found his wallet and her purse. ¡°It¡¯ll get better, Jeffrey. I promise. You¡¯re not alone in this anymore.¡± He nodded. Locked the house and we returned to the SUV. The ride back to the cabin was quiet. Regina had one hand free to hold a mug of coffee and the other arm was cuffed to the coffee table. The blanket was wrapped around her body like a towel. I carried her suitcase. ¡°Ma¡¯am, if you¡¯d like to dress.¡± ¡°About time,¡± she snarled. Oookay¡­ Thirteen sat with a tranq gun on his lap, so Regina had clearly not been the model prisoner while I was away. The bathroom had no means of escape, so she was moved in there with a set of clothes and underwear from her suitcase. ¡°You have two minutes to make yourself presentable, then I open the door,¡± I said, setting my watch timer in her sight. Poor Jeffrey just looked resigned and sad. Lev brought him a cup of coffee. Regina opened the door at a minute-fifty-eight. I re-cuffed her wrists. Deliberately infecting someone with the werewolf virus was a crime. ¡°The pilot is waiting at the airstrip,¡± Amelia said. ¡°I¡¯ll take them,¡± Thirteen replied. He ushered the couple out the door. I rubbed my tired neck. ¡°What did you leave me for breakfast?¡± I had some cereal, then the boys and I walked to the Bigfoot statue that was Happy Camp¡¯s famous landmark and took a photo. Nothing classified about three kids in front of a goofy sasquatch. We started packing when Thirteen returned with the car. The werewolves had been shipped to Idaho. I¡¯d wiped down the kitchen one last time. ¡°Now what?¡± Five asked. ¡°The nearest major airport is in Medford,¡± I replied. ¡°We check in and get our next assignments,¡± Thirteen said. Since I knew the way, I was in the driver¡¯s seat again. Somehow, Thirteen ended up next to me, with Amelia in the center and the boys in the back. Luggage was packed everywhere it could fit in the SUV. It was an hour on 96 to return to the 5. When I reached the interchange, Thirteen said, ¡°Head south.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the wrong way,¡± Amelia argued. ¡°We all deserve a decent meal and Yreka is a proper town. Head south.¡± She didn¡¯t add comment, so I obeyed. It¡¯d be less than twenty miles, so not a hardship. It was charming. A big arched sign announced Yreka by a restaurant named Grandma¡¯s House. Good enough for me. Walking in, I felt instantly at home. This was the kind of comfortable working-class restaurant I grew up with. By the smell, they were making meals from scratch to order. A server in a floral uniform greeted us and showed us to a table. We had too many for the four-person booths. Once we ate, I¡¯d stop at the gas station next door to fill the tank. The males ordered pancakes. I splurged on bread pudding. Amelia only asked for tea and a bowl of fruit. I don¡¯t know how she exists on so little. When we¡¯d been served beverages, Thirteen raised a glass of orange juice. ¡°To ridding the world of monsters and getting paid.¡± ¡°Here, here!¡± ¡°Have a bit of decorum.¡± ¡°Amelia, add more sugar to your tea. Maybe it¡¯ll sweeten you up,¡± I teased. She shook her head. But we didn¡¯t get a lecture about sacred duty. ¡°What¡¯ll they do with Fifteen if he has agent power and is a werewolf?¡± Lev asked. ¡°Above your pay grade, kid.¡± ¡°He should have to do community service helping the wolves at the center,¡± Five said. ¡°Just desserts.¡± Better that than pondering the possibility of The Agency using their new pet werewolf for other things. ¡°Can we not talk about work for the duration of the meal?¡± I asked. Thirteen met my eyes across the table and gave a small nod. Then the charming smile that probably got him into most girls¡¯ pants. ¡°I spy¡­with my little eye¡­¡± Amelia groaned. She was rescued by the arrival of pancakes. Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Three Epilogue The drive to Medford was genial. The radio got turned on and I found a station only Amelia objected to. I returned to the private hangar section of the airport and found the same plane waiting for us. Amelia had called before we left the restaurant. The Agency was sending us to Atlanta. That airport handled more traffic than any other in the nation and we¡¯d split up for our next missions there. Nearly six hours in the air, so we still had a lot of time together. I¡¯d be sad to see the boys go. It was a shame our numbers were so few, as missions were a lot more enjoyable with other agents¡ªand potentially less dangerous. But we¡¯d only been together here because they wanted an experienced agent to lead us on a werewolf hunt before tackling one with our Guides. Lev and Five would rendezvous with their Guides in Atlanta. Thirteen cracked open a bottle of beer once we were settled on the plane, no surprise. It was his preferred way to unwind. Amelia actually went into the bunkroom to lie down. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The boys and I brought out a board game. The choices had been Monopoly or Clue. We were hunting a murderer. Do I need to tell you who won? The goodbyes in ATL were bittersweet. I hugged the boys and told them to watch their backs. The jet was refueling and Amelia had stayed on board, so now it was only me and Thirteen outside. He rocked on his heels, duffel on his shoulder. ¡°I have no more to teach you, kid.¡± ¡°Aww, don¡¯t sell yourself short.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Okay, I have nothing else this year. Maybe in the future. But really¡ªyou¡¯re ready to kill this job.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll settle for keeping me and Amelia in one piece. Fifteen gettin¡¯ bitten shouldn¡¯t have happened. He screwed up, but I knew he¡¯d screw up.¡± A touch on my good arm. ¡°Hey. I was in charge. Not you. I gave the order to freeze. He got anxious and took the shot. If we¡¯d been working with lethal bullets, he wouldn¡¯t have been bit, but we¡¯re not the Shadow Knights. We rehabilitate the wolves whenever possible.¡± He raked his fingers through his hair. ¡°Sometimes that means sacrifice.¡± I nodded. ¡°We all learned from it and no one¡¯s dead. That¡¯s the important thing.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I gotta go.¡± He smiled and we hugged on my good side. ¡°Enjoy that next plum assignment.¡± ¡°I will!¡± Grinning, he backed away to leave. I turned to the plane. ¡°Seven.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± He closed the distance again. ¡°Don¡¯t ever scare me like that again.¡± His voice was quiet, but forceful. ¡°I thought you were dog chow for a second there.¡± Surprised by the emotion in his eyes I couldn¡¯t decipher, I only nodded. His fingers brushed the backs of mine and then he was gone, walking away with long, determined strides. I released the air in my lungs. ¡°Seven¡­¡± Amelia called from the doorway. ¡°Coming!¡±