“It feels like you’re on The Real World,” Rachel, the girl who was driving them to their new home informed them. “But, you know, when it was good. They put cameras in all over the place this morning. Some perv is going to get his happy on.” She smirked and glanced into the mirror to examine her flawless skin, her perfect blonde hair. “But I swear, if you guys plan on getting drunk and going skinny-dipping in the hot tub tonight, I’m outta here. Watch any damn reality show and it’s pretty much inevitable. Ugh. I swear, this country is just bursting with trash.”
Jordan smiled at her, and to his credit, at least pretended not to notice the breasts that were pressing against her expensive-looking top. She was like Barbie in the flesh. But opinionated. And she was a little older than the rest of them, perhaps twenty-five.
“It’s going to be a long ride to Lime Bay,” Amelia had muttered to Shanna as they’d left the train station, while Rachel had been escorting Jordan to the car by his arm, talking all the while.
Now he was riding up front with Rachel in a silver sports car, her erratic driving making them all a little uneasy, if not nauseous.
“But it’s posher than The Real World,” Rachel continued. “You do know about the place, right? It’s a huge mansion. It must be hundreds of years old, but it’s been renovated, of course. There are hundreds of rooms, all nicer than most I’ve seen in five star hotels. Much nicer. And by nicer, I mean bigger. And with fireplaces. Oh, and the whole thing is encircled by a wicked-looking fence. And then there’s the pool and track field and various workout rooms. We are going to be pampered here. But it feels a tad bit like a museum in the end. I grew up in a huge house, not to brag or anything, and believe me, you can decorate with taste and still feel like people live there. It just takes a talented mind.”
“Like yours?” Jordan guessed.
Rachel flashed him a dazzling smile. “That earns you a few points, but no. I’m talking about interior decorators. Some things you just have to leave to the professionals. If you don’t, you could really screw things up. I’m not crazy when I say bad feng shui can throw you off all day. I was a wreck during Christmas one year when my mom let a friend decorate the place for our annual tree-trimming party. Seriously, some people are just put on this planet to upset me.”
“You too?” Amelia mused.
“So, when did you get here?” Shanna asked, tired of hearing the girl talk about her things. She would rather hear about what was in store for her than be bored to death about bad pedicures or something, the direction the conversation (one-sided as it was) seemed inclined to be headed.
“Oh, a few days ago. I think I was the second hunter here. Now there’s going to be like, eight with you guys there, with I think, one more on the way?”
“Quite a team,” Jordan commented. “Sounds a little unwieldy.”
“Maybe,” Rachel said. “I’m just disappointed that there aren’t many guys. You’re the second and there’s only the other one coming. The girls are about three-to-one on the y-chromosome. It’s kind of annoying. It was hard enough dating in college without getting serious because of what I do. Now, to have that relationship I want, where I can share this other side of myself, I have to compete?” Her eyes flicked over Shanna and Amelia in the rear view mirror. “Not to use the term too loosely.”
Shanna looked over at Amelia with a look of disbelief.
“So, where are you from?” Amelia asked politely, trying hard not to laugh.
“Down south. Mississippi.”
“Oh, but you don’t have an accent,” Jordan pointed out.
Rachel nodded. “I went to high school in Paris, then went to college in New York. It kind of killed the drawl.”
“You’re lucky,” Shanna found herself saying. “The Midwest can get a little stifling. I would kill to live around some real culture.”
“That’s all they’re asking,” Jordan told her.
They rode in near-silence for a little while after that, with only Rachel’s occasional rambling to keep them from wandering too far into themselves. Shanna found herself looking out the window at the scenery that passed by. They’d started out on a two-lane highway surrounded by thick woods on either side; Nowhere Shanna would want to be caught alone in the middle of the night. At one point, they slowed down as they came up to a wooden bridge, an honest-to-God old-fashioned covered bridge. It seemed a little rickety and bumpy as they crossed, but it was beautiful, suspended over the river, tucked there among the Pines and Evergreens. If Shanna didn’t know any better, she’d think they were in rural Maine. A quick peek at Amelia told her that the red-headed hunter approved, as she was smiling openly at the greenery that past.
“Oh!” Rachel said, pointing out a little dirt lot that came up abruptly on the right
side of the road. “I checked that out the other morning when I was looking for a good place to go jogging. Really nice trails.”
Shanna glanced over at the area. She’d always enjoyed jogging outdoors as well. She felt so restless and claustrophobic on a treadmill. There’d been a path that she would jog along near the Mississippi River where the chipmunks and squirrels would always give her something to look at, keep her mind off of the monotony of exercise. It was her time to kind of reflect on things, to meditate. If she could find something like that out here, she didn’t think she’d have too hard of a time adjusting.
They weren’t riding for too much longer when the forest ended and they found themselves in a suburban setting, lined with streets upon streets of modern two-story houses, followed by a campus area, which was more open with green bushes and pink blossoms in the trees, and a steady flow of students to upset traffic. Then they were moving just past the campus and going uphill, surrounded once more by thick trees and greenery. Shanna distracted herself by admiring the purple-blue flowers that grew along the roadside.
“It is a nice area,” Amelia admitted begrudgingly as she joined Shanna in her admiration. “I didn’t realize Lime Bay was a college town though.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Shanna asked. “Better than rude city people, right?”
“Well, there is that. But there’s bound to be plenty of drunk frat boys and obnoxious sororities washing cars in their bikinis.”
“Still not seeing a down side,” Jordan called back from the front seat.
Amelia chuckled, despite herself, before turning to Shanna. “Well, if you were looking for culture, you probably won’t find much here, unless they have an independent movie theater and an aggressive art community. From my experience, colleges attract bars like flies, and that’s usually about it. It’s just a big excuse to party. Dumb jocks just trying to relive their high school days. I’m hoping for at least one good used bookstore in all of that.”
Shanna titled her head. “Me? I’m just hoping for a store with a good graphic novel selection. They can be few and far between.”
“Graphic novels, huh?” Amelia looked at her with renewed interest.
Rachel took a sharp left onto a steep dirt road that sent up a cloud of dust in their wake, and followed that until an old moss-infested Totem greeted them from their right. “I thought I might get lost coming back,” Rachel admitted sheepishly. “But the landmarks are so recognizable. I’m one of those people who need directions based on things. Tell me which street to turn on and I’m a goner. Left at the coffee shop and I’m there.”
Shanna nodded as the girl hooked another left a little further on, onto a tar road that couldn’t have been more than a few days old. At the end of this road, there was a black iron gate with pastel rock pillars guarding it, stern-faced gargoyles crouched atop them, sentinels to the road ahead, cautioning stray travelers. In the daylight, they looked beautiful, well-crafted. But Shanna was sure they would look rather terrifying at dusk, with shadows deepening their faces, distorting their features and creating the illusion of real leather hides where there was only stone.
“Welcome home, everybody,” Rachel announced, hitting a device up
on her visor to open the gates. “There are plenty of rooms available, most up for the taking, although Valor’s trying to confine us to the west wing so instructors and whatnot can have the east. But they’re really nice rooms. Not that they’re up to my usual standards or anything. Oh, and I’m not sure about the top floor yet. It looked a little dusty to me. I mean, there’s dust, but then there’s water damage from neglect. And bugs…ew, mice I bet. And mice droppings. Ugh…I suppose they come with old houses no matter what. As long as they don’t get in my room, we can coexist peacefully. For now. God, I should really talk to Valor about that, shouldn’t I?” When the gates opened, Rachel drove them over a long stretch of pavement that ended in a large circular drive. At the center of the circular drive was a wide marble white fountain, a tall column in the middle spraying water into the shallow water within its low wall. It was very plain but for the small bearded satyr dancing motionless at its base, a flute in one hand. It gave the mansion a note of elegance, not that it needed much.
Shanna was left breathless when she looked up at the mansion itself, nestled among tall, ancient trees. She counted sixteen windows on each floor, from one wing of the house to the other, with three floors altogether. And that was just from the front of the building. Pillars adorned the wide front steps of the house, giving it a gothic, southern feel that Shanna found rather intimidating. It’s all a little overwhelming, she decided. It does sort of feel like a museum, like Rachel said. I hope the inside of the building is a little less...grandiose. I don’t want to feel like I’m working at the White House, let alone living there.
Shanna stepped out of the car with the others and immediately smiled upon detecting the scent of lilacs riding the air. It reminded her of warm summer days she’d spent playing outside with her friends, back when her parents had still been alive. Fresh and sweet.
“I just got a chill looking at this place,” Jordan whispered. “Is it wrong to be seduced so quickly?”
Closing her eyes, Shanna listened to the wind blowing through the tall Oaks and Aspens and Willows around them, sending their leaves crashing into one another like paper wind chimes. “If it’s wrong, then wrong is what I want to be.”
Home sweet home.
***
Shanna didn’t think she would ever get used to the echo of the front entrance of the mansion. Clickety-clack. Clickety-clack. Shanna watched Rachel’s high heels dance over the marble-tiled floor after leaving the long red carpet. The carpet seemed to point toward the grand staircases before them, winding staircases that stood on either side of two double doors ahead. To the left and right of the carpet were more double doors. Shanna felt lost already. It was like the lobby of the Empire State Building or something. Too regal to be a part of her daily life. It was impressive, but it just wasn’t...home. Her entire apartment complex in Minnesota would probably fit into this immense lobby.
“You guys can pick any empty room in the west wing,” Rachel announced, gesturing to the left staircase. “Like I said before, I recommend the second floor. There aren’t any bedrooms on the first floor and the third floor…gross. I’m sure someone will get you guys whenever Valor decides to hold a meeting.” With that, she abruptly left them, obviously relieved to have fulfilled her duty.
“Why do I feel like I just stepped into an Ann Radcliffe novel?” Amelia muttered, her reference lost on Shanna, who dragged her duffel bag behind her in a sort of daze. It was quite grand, with a huge glass chandelier twinkling champagne-colored overhead and a half dozen landscape paintings in ornate frames on the crisp white walls.
“How many floors is this building?” Jordan asked.
“If you'd listened to the words that were coming out of Rachel's pretty red lips, you'd know that there are three floors,” Amelia informed him, amused. “Shall we go up and have a look?”
Jordan let out a low whistle before nodding. “Sure.” He met Shanna’s bewildered gaze and smiled encouragingly. She returned the warm smile and immediately felt a little better.
They climbed the stairs together slowly, taking in the scene with heads raised, constantly swiveling to get a better look at all of the surroundings, not that they wouldn’t have time to see it all later - they would live there for a long time to come, if things went according to plan. But first impressions were important and they wanted to feel comfortable with the place they would be staying.
Upon reaching the second floor, they were greeted by long wide halls, one going to the left, one going straight back further into the mansion. They decided to go left and found themselves walking along periwinkle blue carpeting, watercolor paintings adorning the walls, and dozens of doors on either side, rooms for the choosing. There were a few narrow tables along the hall as well, with low circular glass bowls of smooth stones in varying shades of blue and gray.
“Well, I guess this is it,” Amelia said, stopping in front of a random door. “Good luck to you both and I’m sure I’ll see you later.”
“Later,” Shanna murmured distractedly, pausing to claim a door of her own as well. She looked back at Jordan, who smiled at her reassuringly.
“It feels strange now,” he told her, “But you’ll get used to it.”
“Yeah, I know.” She hesitated. “Aren’t you going to pick a room?”
“Me? Oh, I’m sure my sister has a room set up for me already. I just need to...find her in this huge place.”
“Oh. Well...I’ll see you later, right?”
“Of course,” he agreed happily, turning to walk back the way they’d come.
Shanna stared at her door for a moment as she listened to his retreating footsteps, grateful to be able to rest after their long trek, but also a little scared by the prospect that this would be her home, if she decided on this room. She didn’t want to be rash, but she knew that it was going to be intimidating no matter what, being faced with the blank stares of the walls around her. They were walls that she could be staring at for...well, maybe for the rest of her life. Her very short life, granted, but her life nonetheless.
Shanna let out a long sigh as she slipped in through the door and closed it behind her. Then she turned around to regard her place of residence. It was a huge modern-looking room with white walls and tan carpeting, about twice the size of her entire old apartment, with smaller rooms off of it. As for furniture, there were two couches and a matching loveseat, with darker brown fabric criss-crossing over a lighter brown. There was also a maple coffee table and two end tables with plain blue lamps perched upon them. A matching computer table loomed at the far end of the room near the wide window. “This is nice,” Shanna mumbled to herself, walking in cautiously, feeling like a stranger intruding. But she wondered after a moment whether she was trying to convince herself or not. She looked up at the high ceilings and thought that she would never be able to dust for spider webs. And the big room…what would she fill it with? With the furniture, it still looked so empty, and she really didn’t have anything. With a feeling of distress, she realized that it felt more like a hotel room that she was visiting than anything resembling home.
Thinking about her old apartment, Shanna walked right past the window and turned into another room through a wide doorway. This was the bedroom, complete with a maple-trimmed bed, nightstand, dresser and bureau. She smiled at the sight of a bed and felt her exhaustion all over again, wondering, once again, if she’d made the right decision in coming here. It would be hard to hurry back home before she was discovered missing, but it wasn’t out of the question. If she changed her mind now, it wasn’t like she’d signed a deed with the Devil - she could still get out. She smirked. Who was she kidding? This was it. She’d made her decision; Now she had to live with it. She had to face the path she’d chosen and leave the past in the past. That line of thought didn’t, however, stop questions from cropping up into her consciousness, questions about what she’d left behind. How would her aunt react when she found the note? What would her boss think when she didn’t show up for her next shift
? Yes, her old life was gone. It was already being buried, lowered into the ground in a box. Soon people would discover her absence, and, in time, move on. She wouldn’t be missed for long. Her old self was already a mere memory, she realized, feeling the pressure of what that meant all at once. This was what she had now. It was scary, unnerving. She hadn’t even met all of her teammates yet. Amelia and Jordan seemed nice enough. Rachel...would take a little warming up to. Certainly not someone she would have jumped to make friends with at school, but maybe that would come in time. One never knew. Either way, this was her life now.
Shanna shook her head and opened her duffel bag like one opened a Christmas present, with uninhibited savagery, as if she couldn’t wait another moment to plant the seeds of her existence into her surroundings. She placed her stuffed bunny on the bed and slowly filled the hangers in the ridiculously large walk-in closet with familiar things. Her things. Her old life was gone, but these were little reminders. Few as they were, these were her things and more of her things would follow. She smiled vaguely at the idea of rebuilding her life, the pleasure and subsequent frustration of the endeavor.
A little knock sounded at the door, startling her out of her thoughts.
She turned the corner and called out “come in” automatically.
Jordan peered in at her, a wide smile on his face. “This is great. I’ve never been in such a huge place before. How do you like your room?”
He stepped in, his hands behind his back.
Shanna shrugged. “It’s nice. Lots of room, all the furniture I need to start...” She smiled. “Well, I could use a bookshelf or two to be honest.”
Jordan chuckled. “Not complaining already, are we?”
“No, no,” Shanna replied. “I like it. I really do. But...it’ll just take a little while to forget my old life. To move on.” She paused, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. “What’s behind your back?”
Jordan shrugged. “Well, while I was at your apartment and you were packing, I mean, you couldn’t bring much and it was so pretty. I just...I don’t know...I hope it’ll help you feel more at home sooner.” He pulled a small statue out from behind his back.
Shanna stared at it for a moment and clapped her hands together. “My Kitty Pryde statue! You are the greatest!”
Quickly taking it from him, Shanna admired the girl in blue who walked through walls and her dragon, Lockheed, who was gazing down at her protectively. She walked it over to the bureau and set it down, stepping back to admire it. Jordan came over and stood beside her, delighted that she was happy with it.
“Thank you so much,” Shanna gushed, throwing her arms around him before she realized what she was doing. She gave him a quick squeeze and released him, suddenly feeling a little awkward for behaving in such a fashion.
“I’m glad you’re happy to see it,” Jordan said. “It’s great. It just...caught my eye. Kitty Pryde, you said?”
“Yeah,” Shanna said, sitting on her bed and inviting him to do the same. “She’s from the X-Men. She can walk through walls, become intangible. She...well, I just loved her, this everyday girl from Chicago with a strong will and a temper to reckon with. She was such a breath of fresh air, speaking her mind, trying to discover who she was. She was so innocent, so...I don’t know. She just seemed to represent everything good in life, you know? She just seemed so real.”
“I noticed that you had quite a graphic novel collection,” Jordan noted. “Really impressive.”
“Yeah. And it can be built up again.”
They smiled at each other for a moment before Jordan gestured beyond her. “Like the bathroom? And the study, or den…or whatever it is…”
“Oh? I hardly had a chance to explore. I was just anxious to get settled in, I guess.” Shanna stood up and walked back into the main room, where she noted an open door at the front left side of the room, glimpsing a hint of white tile beyond. She strode over to peek into the room. It was pretty standard, but with a lot of cupboard space. She walked over to the door a little further along the wall, near the computer desk, and beamed when she opened it to reveal a little sunny room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a majestic stone fireplace. “Wow. This is cozy. A pair of comfy chairs, a great view…I could see walls of bookshelves in here.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty sweet,” Jordan concurred with a knowing grin as another knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” Shanna invited, sending Jordan a questioning look and moving to stand beside him in the main room again.
A brunette girl peeked into the room with a wide smile. She had dark eye make-up and long hair pulled back in a ponytail, and wore a jaw-dropping leather ensemble that clung to her in all the right places.
Shanna felt Jordan perk up beside her.
“I was beginning to think you’d gotten lost,” Jordan said to the newcomer. “Shanna, this is my sister, Jade.”
Shanna moved to greet the girl, quickly assessing that Jordan was correct when he'd said they looked nothing alike. If he hadn’t informed Shanna that they were twins, she would never have guessed they were even siblings, although there were a few things about them that hinted at their relation, the most obvious being how their eyes and eyebrows were set in their faces. That and the eyes themselves. Jade’s eyes, like her brother’s, were emerald green. But while they were hardly noticeable on Jordan, overshadowed by his tan, pretty boy features and blonde hair, they stood out entirely against Jade’s otherwise plain, pale face, offset strikingly by her dark hair. Coupled with her leather outfit, she reminded Shanna of a lioness, a true hunter. The effect was a little unnerving, to be truthful, and Shanna wouldn’t have doubted her parents having named Jade after that dramatic color, had they seen those eyes before settling on a name for her.
“Very nice to meet you,” Jade said with a firm handshake. “I hope my brother hasn’t been scaring you too much with stories about me.”
“Only good things, Sis,” Jordan told her. “Only good things.”
Shanna smiled. “So, you’re both werewolf hunters? You were a duo before coming here?”
“Yep. Jordan here was the Robin to my Batman.”
Jordan scoffed.
“Complete with tights.”
Shanna couldn’t help but laugh.
“Seriously, though,“ Jordan said. “The key to werewolf hunting is long-range weapons. And Jade here is a genius with machines and weapons. She can make a flamethrower from a tin can and a match.”
Jade scoffed in the same way as her brother. “Not quite.”
“Well, close enough.”
“I like experimenting with things,” Jade explained. “That’s about it. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t. I just like to see how things tick.”
“Well, it’s an invaluable asset nonetheless,” Jordan retorted. “And there isn’t anyone else I would’ve wanted at my back all these years.”
Shanna was smiling warmly at the two when she suddenly noticed that someone else was standing in the doorway, a hand on her hip. The others turned to look when they noticed her gazing past them.
“Well, if the happy little introductions are over,” Rachel said, “Valor wants to see you all in the briefing room.”
Shanna put a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing.
“Hey Rachel,” Jade greeted the girl.
“Whatever,” Rachel said. “I don’t swing that way.” She looked over at Shanna and Jordan. “Can you guys pick up the other new one on the way? Thanks.”
She turned to leave, but paused and looked back at Jade. “And if you want any help with that hair, don’t be a stranger.” She walked out of the door and shut it firmly behind her.
Jordan burst out laughing when she was gone. “What a frigid bitch. You’ve gotta love it.”
“Hey, what’s wrong with my hair?” Jade muttered, tentatively reaching back to touch her ponytail.
“Well, you have had it pulled back since middle school,” Jordan offered.
>
“It gets in the way otherwise,” Jade protested. “And there’s no way I’m spending hours in front of a mirror styling it every day like I’m sure Miss High-and-Mighty there does.”
“That is one girl who’s used to getting what she wants,” Shanna said, shaking her head. “I could practically smell the family money rolling off of her.”
“And here, I thought it was Chanel No. 5,” Jordan mumbled before glancing at his sister. “Maybe you’d get more chicks if you did something new with your hair.”
“No way,” Jade replied, moving her head in a way that whipped her hair behind her impressively, like cracking a whip. “This shit is sacred.” She winked at Shanna. “And before you ask, I’m gay. But don’t worry, you’re not my type.”
“Rachel is,” Jordan teased, wiggling his eyebrows.
Jade snorted. “She wishes. You sure seem interested though.”
“Hardly,” Jordan protested half-heartedly, crossing his arms over his chest, which did little to help his case.
“You can hardly blame him,” Shanna shrugged, sharing a mischievous look with Jade. “She was practically rubbing his arm all the way here.”
Jade cocked an eyebrow. “Really now?” She turned to Shanna. “You know, Jordan has flirted with every girl he has every known. Don’t let him fool you, pretending he’s aloof to all of the attention.”
“Oh?” Shanna turned to Jordan expectantly, who threw up his arms, as if exasperated.
“And I guess I don’t have to tell you that my sister sucks all of the fun out of my day,” Jordan muttered, trying to suppress a smile.
They all basked in each other’s company for a moment and Shanna felt herself glowing with happiness. It was the same joking around she’d done with Kelly. Friendship. Connection. Maybe this life wouldn’t turn out to be so bad, after all.
With a sigh, Shanna took a reluctant step forward. “Well, I suppose we should get Amelia and go meet our employer.”
“Employer? You make it sound like we’re meeting the Godfather,” Jade joked.
Shanna looked back at her, realizing that that was exactly how it felt to her.
Chapter Six
“Well, what are you going to do about it?” Valor demanded into her cell phone as Shanna, Amelia and the twins arrived at the briefing room. Valor noticed them standing in the doorway and waved for them to enter and have a seat.
Feeling a little like she was intruding, Shanna obliged and stepped into the spacious conference room, taking a seat at the gleaming Pine table that ran nearly the entire length of the room. Laptops stood ready in front of every one of the two dozen seats in the room, their cords disappearing through small holes into the table. A fax machine was on another smaller table at the back, spitting out paper occasionally with a soft, happy hum. A lone potted plant stood next to the back table beneath a wall of official-looking framed documents that were surely there to impress.
Shanna had pictured Valor as much older and more conservative than she actually was. Less of a peer. She had short black hair and striking, prominent cheekbones. She wore a leather outfit similar to Jade’s and wore it well, since she couldn’t have been a day over thirty and was in prime shape. Except for the smoking. She lit a cigarette just then and inhaled deeply, the butt glowing a fiery orange as it devoured the paper it was wrapped within.
Two other women were already present in the room as they took their seats. Shanna was happy to see that she already knew one of them. “Felicia!”
“Long time, no see, huh?” Felicia smiled, talking in a low voice. “I just found out that I’m going to be living here too, since I'll be a consultant and instructor. I mean, I’ll still be a scout, but this is where I’ll be based. Neat, huh?”
“That’s awesome!”
Felicia nodded. “Oh. And this is Natalia to my left. She’s one of you.”
Natalia looked up from her laptop and nodded politely before returning her eyes to the screen before her. She seemed to be all business, no humor in her eyes whatsoever. Her hair was so pale that it seemed almost white as Shanna studied it. And she was quite striking, with pale skin and beautiful features, made all the more lovely by her soft blue sweater that worked uncannily well with her coloring.
“Well, you’re kind of one of us too, aren’t you?” Shanna asked Felicia. “I mean, you’re a hunter.”
“Me? Nah. I’m retired.”
“Retired?” Shanna shook her head incredulously. “Are you serious? You’re, like, twenty-two.”
“Thirty, actually,” Felicia corrected her. “And I still fight the fight, but I’m in a role where I can use my experience to help other hunters. Fresh hunters. And anyways, I was never the best at killing. I was just smart about it. That’s why I scout. That’s why I can help you guys here.”
“Fine,” Valor ended her conversation abruptly and closed her cell phone with a smile at Shanna. “Well, well. So, you made it, I see.” She took a slow drag off of her cigarette and quickly crushed it in an ashtray as she surveyed Jordan and Amelia. “How was the train?”
“Loud and uncomfortable,” Amelia muttered.
“It was fine,” Jordan insisted, sending her a nervous look. “Just fine.”
“Good to hear,” Valor nodded, either used to Amelia’s mordant comments or choosing to overlook them.
“And it’s a beautiful building,” Jordan added, smoothing things over even further.
“It’s the least we could do. You’re going to be very busy working for us. You deserve a place to call home. Some place comfortable.”
To make us comfortable before we die, Shanna thought bitterly in the back of her mind.
Biting her lip, Shanna shook her head to drive away the stray thought. She didn’t know where it had come from. She’d known what she was getting herself into. It was always there, unspoken, underneath every syllable uttered about their situation. They were risking their lives. This was their reward.
“I know you’re all a little in the dark yet,” Valor said, “So I wanted to go over a few things with you.”
Shanna found herself nodding as Valor looked over some papers before her.
“Now, Shanna, first off, you are the only one here under twenty-one. This could have created some problems so we had to revise your record. Your birth date is now three year later to the day, as far as any paperwork goes that you fill out from here forward. In three years, we’ll scale it back to its original date for you. And all of you will be provided with new identification: social security cards, driver’s licenses, passports - the works, so please dispose of any old IDs you may have held onto. Despite having the same name as before, for the majority of you at least, you are legally completely different people. And your new lives come complete with perfect credit reports, glowing school transcripts and a clean slate as far as any criminal history is concerned.”
Shanna flinched at the mention of criminal history and discreetly looked over at the others’ profiles. Had Amelia or Jordan been in prison? She wouldn’t be surprised if one or the other had been brought in for fights or something, given their line of work, but just how far did that go?
“Everyone in this house may sign up for on-line college courses at Lime Bay University, free of charge,” Valor continued. “In fact, we encourage it. Knowledge is power, after all, and we need all the power we can get. Since your primary concern should be with The Agency, we can’t allow you to attend regular scheduled classes at this time. However, once your five year contracts are up, your entire secondary education will be paid for. In addition to this, during your stay here, you will be given instructions from Agency staff in combat and weaponry, and lectures on creatures you will undoubtedly be facing.”
Valor stopped, looking over them all for a moment before she continued. “Now, you’re all aware of the living situation, I’m sure. You are all currently situated in the west wing. The east wing is also housing Agency staff, but is rese
rved for consultants, such as Felicia and myself. Please make yourselves comfortable in whichever rooms you choose, and feel free to take advantage of the facilities offered on the grounds and indoors. If you have any requests for furniture, please submit them to me at your convenience, as well as any exercise equipment or, for that matter, groceries you would like stocked in the kitchen.”
There was a knock at the open door and Shanna turned to see a brunette guy with a lopsided grin enter the room with Rachel behind him. “Should we come back later?” he asked. “Rachel said you’d called a meeting...” Shanna’s heart skipped a beat when she saw him. He was beautiful. Not in the same way that Jordan was pretty, but in a more unusual way. And he wasn’t just adorable - he looked like someone with a real creative spark, real heart - an artist. A painter or a poet or maybe even a musician. He had an eyebrow ring and full lips, long eyelashes and jeans that hung on him just right. His hair was curly, a little unruly, but not too long. It just gave him a really sexy edge. He was certain to be interesting, at the very least, and seemed like the sort of guy she had felt most comfortable with in high school, the type of person she could just strike up a conversation with, talking about movies or books.
“No, please come in,” Valor told them. “Meet the others.”
The guy seemed to catch Shanna’s eye at that moment, for he made right for her.
“I’m Cameron,” he greeted the table as he sat down next to Shanna, a sparkle in his warm eyes.
Rachel sat down on the chair beside him and pretended to be fascinated by her nails.
Glancing across the table, Shanna did a double-take upon seeing Amelia in a denim top. She hadn’t really paid much heed to the girl on the way down, but it suddenly took the breath from her, her similarity to Kelly, particularly in denim, as Kelly had been...had died in a denim dress. Shanna found she had to reevaluate the differences in hair tone again to reassure herself. As she did so, she quickly realized that it was how the girl carried herself that also distressed her. She had that confidence that Kelly had had; her head was held high, her demeanor spoke volumes of authority. She was obviously a natural leader, the role she was accustomed to seeing Kelly mired in.
“Now, I should point out to our new members that we have a great many weapons available for use in our lab.” Valor looked around at them. “If you don’t see something you want, don’t hesitate to ask and we’ll do our best to procure one.”
A moment later, Valor tapped a button on her computer that sent an image to all of their laptop computers. Five faces appeared on-screen, four boys, one girl.
“Let’s get down to business then, shall we? These are hunters that I was in contact with until very recently,” Valor announced. “They’re all from New York City and all have either disappeared or have been murdered.”
Shanna glanced over the faces, stopping on a dark-haired girl with tired eyes and a humorless mouth, the name “Becca Reichert” beneath the photo. The girl looked like she’d been through the wringer a few times. Shanna wondered, despite herself, how such a hardened hunter as this could have been caught when the likes of Shanna Hunt, in all of her inexperience, had managed to survive for so long.
“Now, we are here today because of the dire state of things,” Valor continued. “Hunters are being killed off systematically. Someone is responsible for this, and we have to stop them before it’s too late to repair the damage they’re inflicting. Since this is the most concentrated area of hunter disappearances in the past few weeks, we’re going to investigate the area. You’re going to be bait for whatever is out there. However, you guys have the advantage over these things - mainly back-up. Not only will you have each other, but we have a team of scholars and experts that will work behind the scenes to identify and inform you as best as possible as to how to eradicate any threat. You will probably see a great many faces you don’t recognize milling through the house, so don’t worry. The premises is under surveillance so only people who belong here, will be here. We also have a chef on staff, groundskeepers and several housekeepers, but your rooms are yours, and won’t be touched.”
She turned to Felicia. “Felicia is our in-house psychic.”
Shanna’s jaw dropped as she watched the girl smile lightly and avoid her gaze. Psychic?
“She will be working closely with the team, as appropriate, and will be working temporarily in the infirmary with Jade until a full-time physician is appointed, as well as doing general scouting reconnaissance work and instruction. If you find any physical clues in the field, make sure to hold on to them, as Felicia can extract images from them sometimes. And whenever it doesn’t put your life in peril, capture any supernatural threats for us to analyze. There are hundreds of entities out there we don’t understand, let alone have on file. Any knowledge we can discover would be invaluable.”
Felicia kept her eyes fastened to her computer screen as Valor talked. Shanna kept glancing over, hoping to catch her eye, but the girl was being careful to look interested in the pictures before her. Shanna frowned, wondering why Felicia hadn’t just said something right away.
“I should also mention that if you come across any artifacts, you should consult Rachel. She’s fresh out of grad school with a degree in archaeology and is utterly brilliant in the field.”
Shanna blinked. The description of Rachel and the girl herself seemed to contradict one another. She could hardly imagine Rachel kneeling on the ground, sifting through dirt and sand in the sweltering heat. It seemed absurd.
“Do you have any idea what we’re facing in New York?” Amelia asked.
Nodding slowly, Valor seemed to collect her thoughts for a moment. “There has been a rash of vampire activity in the area. Pregnant women seem to be targeted more than anyone else.”
“Pregnant women?” Amelia looked startled. “Why would they...?”
“We don’t know. With your help, we’d like to find that out.”
Shanna stared at the five hunters on-screen before her again and felt a shiver travel down her spine. All dead or missing. This was what was happening to hunters in such a short period. Something had them in its sights. And it could have happened to me, Shanna realized, zoning in on the dark-haired girl, Becca, again. I could have easily been one of these displayed hunters. But I’m not, because I made this choice, because I got lucky and was exposed by Valor.
Shanna glanced over at Valor, suddenly very grateful for the opportunity. She’d been wallowing in her own concerns about what the right decisions were and her old life in general for long enough. She had to stand up and earn her place here, among the chosen few who were safe from harm, at least for the moment. She only wondered at how long she would have survived the deathblow against the hunters. But there was only one way to answer that question, and that was to discover what was behind it all. The triviality of what-ifs nonetheless broke into her mind and she pictured herself coming home later that very night from Styx, had things gone well, and being caught off-guard by something lying in wait. The thought made her pale and reinforced the gratitude she felt for The Agency.
Lost in her thoughts as she was, Shanna was surprised when everyone stood up and pushed in their chairs, the meeting having adjourned. She stood up with them, hoping she hadn’t missed any vital information, noting that Felicia had been among the first to leave the room. Shanna shrugged to herself. She would have to compare notes with Amelia or Jordan later to see how the meeting had concluded.
Shanna wasn’t sure what she wanted to do as she left the briefing room, as it was clear that they had the rest of the day to spend as they chose. Tomorrow would be their first day in the field, traveling to the city. She decided that it was probably an appropriate time to explore the house or finish unpacking her things, maybe making a list of groceries.
“Hey, Shanna,” Jade caught her on her way out. “Me and Jordan are going to check out the town. Want to tag along?”
“Oh,” Shanna blinked, “Maybe…”
“No p
ressure,” Jordan threw in, joining them. “We just thought we’d see what was out there, since we’ll be spending our free time here. We have to establish our hangout, you know.”
Shanna hesitated. It would be fun to explore the town with these two, but she really needed to just get used to her immediate surroundings. She didn’t even know where the kitchen was… She bit her lip as she slowly shook her head. “You know, I really appreciate the thought, but we just got here and I need to orient myself around this place before I get too sidetracked. There’ll be plenty of other opportunities to find a good place to hang out, I assume.” She smiled. “Plus, I trust your guys’ judgment. It’s the company that I care about.”
“Totally cool,” Jordan said with a grin. “We just thought we’d put the offer out there.”
Amelia cocked her head as she walked by them. “Getting restless already?”
Jade and Jordan exchanged looks.
“Not really,” Jordan admitted. “But it never hurts to explore where you're going to be living. What do you say? Want to go deride some hapless college kids?” He winked at Shanna, as if sharing a private joke.
Shanna just shook her head happily as she walked away, glad that things seemed to be going well. It was flattering that they’d wanted to hang out with her again so soon. She felt like part of the group already, something she hadn’t expected mere hours after abandoning her old life. Hell, she already had more friends here. Friends she could be honest with. Things were really looking up.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Valor asked rhetorically as she emerged from the briefing room, a cigarette dangling from her mouth.
Shanna smiled, trying her best to look as if she were examining the hall, not wondering how to find the way back to her room.
“Very,” Cameron agreed, following her out. He nodded a greeting over at Shanna before focusing on Valor again. “So, this mansion looks like it’s been added onto?”
“Yes,” Valor confirmed, taking a drag of her cigarette and waving it in front of her as she gestured. “This mansion was much smaller before we got here. It’s been gutted out a good deal more than you’d think, some walls taken out, some added, and about a third more space was added to each floor at the back of the house to accommodate the new facilities. But the biggest issue was plumbing and electricity. We wanted plumbing available in all living spaces, so the bathrooms are completely new and took a bit of space out of the original rooms. And the house, if you can believe it, wasn’t even wired for electricity when we looked at it. That had to have been an intimidating endeavor, I’m sure. But the local businesses must be rolling in it after all of the work we gave them.”
“But it was always three floors?” Cameron asked.
“Yes, and despite what Rachel may have told you, the third floor is nearly completely refurbished - we’re just waiting for the carpeting to be installed in the hallway and then more rooms will be available. The only area we are still actively working on is the basement, but that shouldn’t effect anyone much.”
“How old is the place?” Shanna asked, suddenly intrigued. The house she’d lived in with her parents had been ancient, a real fixer-upper when they’d moved in. But it had been home. She’d loved the creaks and groans of the house settling in the dark of night, quite contrary to most children’s reactions, she mused. She loved a place with history.
“We don’t really know much about it,” Valor admitted. “It’s at least a few centuries old. But from there, your guess is as good as mine. But go take a look around. It’s your home. You should take the time to know it. Relax before tomorrow.”
“Come on,” Cameron suggested to Shanna, making her breath come a little faster as his eyes met hers steadily. “I’ll show you around.”
Shanna nodded, not trusting herself to speak as she followed him away from Valor, whose cell phone had already started ringing again.
“What do you think?” Cameron asked.
Shanna cocked her head. “About Valor?”
“About everything.”
“Everything, huh? Quite an ambitious listener.”
Cameron smiled in an easy manner that immediately put Shanna at ease.
“I feel like it’s all a little formal,” Shanna admitted hastily. “I want to put my guard down, but...I just can’t.” She looked up at a corner of the room, where a red light blinked from a video camera. “I feel like I’m on display.”
Nodding, Cameron let out a breath. “I feel the same way.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. But I think that it might just be the whole idea of being thrown into something completely foreign. It’s disorienting. It takes some time to adjust.”
“That could be all,” Shanna admitted. “I hope it is.”
Cameron snuck a peak at her as they entered the door at the end of the hall, at the very back of the house.
When they entered the room, Shanna saw immediately that it was a one-story addition to the house, the ceiling-to-floor windows looking out over the lawn on three sides, brightening the room. And then she really took the scene in, and found herself getting excited. An indoor pool the size of the one from her high school lay before her, a skylight overhead reflecting softly against the chlorine-ridden water. As she made her way into the room a little ways, she also noticed a hot tub and a door to a sauna amid a sea of folding chairs.
“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting this,” Shanna breathed, eyes wide.
Cameron smirked. “Hey, wait until you see the game room.”
Chapter Seven