“This is great,” Shanna said, feeling the need to voice her feelings out loud. She was sitting on a gray couch buried in silver and black throw pillows beside Cameron, watching TV. The lounge had a huge plasma screen TV with surround sound, two sofas and matching loveseats, a glass coffee table with end tables of the same design, and a stereo system. It was very bright and cozy.
A separate area opened up just beyond a counter at the back of the room, where a kitchen existed for their convenience, although Cameron assured her that the “real” kitchen was much more extensive.
“It’s so homey,” Cameron said. “I fell in love with it right away.”
“I can see why,” Shanna observed, shifting in her seat. She smiled at Cameron, who looked away shyly.
Most of the house had been pretty basic. The third floor, while still under construction, had walls a light shade of purple, its carpeting ripped up, exposing its dirty-looking underneath. The rooms were all blank slates, hinting at nothing of what was to come. It still smelled of paint, but Cameron expressed his faith in The Agency’s ability to make the top floor every bit as awesome as the bottom two, especially given the wonders they’d witnessed thus far. And as far as he was concerned, they could take their sweet time making it perfect, since he would be plenty busy with what the rest of the house had to offer. And there was a nice surprise at the back of the house: a wide balcony that looked out over the vast backyard, where the view only hinted at what wonders it held.
The second floor was mostly made up of room after room of computer terminals, bedrooms, ancient-looking scrolls encased in glass, and work areas. Dark mahogany end tables and shelves of artifacts lined the walls, along with several large vases and polished mirrors. The west wing was carpeted in blue with blue accents, as she’d noted on the way to her room, while the east wing had a sage green carpet with potpourri that was a mixture of dried leaves with little flares of color in the form of tiny red flowers. On the walls here were wooded nature scenes that complimented the decor nicely. And despite the whirlwind of moving in, the repairs and renovation, and plenty of wood surfaces begging for dirt to accumulate, the place was kept up immaculately. They must have had some pretty impressive help to keep things so pristine. But it did serve to reinforce her impression of a museum. Everything was just so sterile. But then again, she had the option to make her own room as dusty as she desired, and that was where she would be spending the majority of her time, presumably.
The first floor was where all of the fun places seemed to be. There was a game room that could host quite a party, the pool area, several training rooms, workout facilities, and a sitting room with another television set and plenty of places to relax, even though it was much more formal than the lounge where they were presently relaxing. There was the kitchen, which was being used to cook up a feast, so they hadn’t intruded, and a dining room with two long polished tables that each had to have been able to sit close to forty people. But most impressive of all was the main library. It actually continued up to the third floor, but they hadn’t realized that during their self-guided tour. Cameron hadn’t even known the place existed, he’d been so caught up by the other rooms he’d ventured into first. There were comfortable chairs every which way in front of the full, tall bookshelves that went back as far as any good-sized public library, as well as study tables and a large pillar against the right wall, where a fireplace loomed. Sweeping staircases framed the room, the closest of which they used to venture to the second floor and gawk at the old books behind glass, the detailed globe as big as the two of them put together, and the small Velociraptor skeleton displayed beyond velvet ropes, on a small platform with a plaque. The third floor had some private rooms for study, and much larger bookcases that required tall ladders on wheels in every section to reach, with a wide skylight to bathe the entire scene in radiant sunlight. It was grand and Shanna expected to make use of the library on a daily basis.
Out in the yard, besides the sprawling garden teeming with flora, the beautiful white gazebo, and little microcosms of nature that seemed to speckle the area, there was a basketball court, tennis court, and a track field, not to mention the areas they hadn’t had a chance to explore, like the hedge maze in the distance and the wooded area around a small lake with a boathouse beyond even that. It was a little overwhelming when she thought of all that she had at her disposal. She felt like she was truly on some sort of a trip, or was spending a day at a spa. But could she call this place her home? This would be her life. A life of luxury, yet a life spent feeling like a permanent visitor. She really had no grounds to complain, aside from her own mixed feelings of the place. She was genuinely grateful and excited. She couldn’t have dreamt up a residence half as lovely and voluminous. But she missed her small, simple apartment, nonetheless. Such feelings were almost irritating, but she reasoned, she had lived there for years, boasting freedom, and she wouldn’t quit her fondness for it for quite awhile, certainly not overnight.
The lounge they had ended up in was located conveniently on the second floor, just across the hall from Shanna’s room. It was somewhere Shanna knew she would be spending a lot of time.
“I hear you’re into comic books,” Cameron said suddenly, drawing her out of her mind.
Shanna looked surprised. “How did you hear that?”
“Jordan told me. I mean...I kind of asked.”
Shanna bit her lower lip, happy to hear he’d been asking about her. “You could have just asked me.”
“I know, but you two traveled together and...I don’t know. I just wanted to know if we shared any similar interests.”
“How about you? What are your interests?”
“I like comic books too.”
“Really?”
“Really. Alan Moore’s my favorite writer.”
“Oh, yeah? I love League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.”
“Ah. I thought you were just an X-Men fan. Kitty Pryde and all that.”
Shanna smiled. “I do have a special sort of affection for the X-Men, yes, but I like other comics. I’m not like most comic fans, just a fan of DC or Marvel. I love it all.”
“Love and Rockets?”
“I love Love and Rockets. And I was collecting The Complete Peanuts, and I read manga.”
Cameron smirked. “I'm impressed. Very well-rounded. And I admit, I’m a huge X-Men fan too. Grant Morrison’s run was gold.” He paused. “But you must have loved Joss Whedon’s run, given his affection for Kitty.”
“Guilty.” Shanna gazed over at Cameron with a wide grin. “Where have you been all my life?”
Cameron laughed happily. “Saving the world from monsters in my own real-life comic book adventures.”
Beaming, Shanna almost lost herself to just staring at him, but quickly gathered her wits about her, slightly embarrassed. “So...what else do you do?”
“I paint. Draw. Read a lot. I fool around with a guitar, but I’m not very good at it.”
“Can I see some of your paintings?”
“Sure. Anytime.”
Shanna nodded, suddenly thinking about the briefing. She was a little frustrated at not having the chance to really sit down with Valor and get a clear perspective on things. She felt thrown in the middle of things. “Tell me, what do you think about what we’re doing here?”
“You mean the whole JLA thing, gathering for a common cause? It’s...I don’t know, a little surreal, I suppose. But, I mean...it’s pretty bad out there. I hear about two-thirds of known hunters are left.”
Blinking, Shanna let that statistic sink in. A third of all hunters killed in such a short time. “That’s not too promising. What do you...you know, hunt?”
“Shape-shifters.”
“Mmmm. Fun. Any helpful hints for future encounters? My last one didn’t turn out so well.”
Cameron sat forward conspiratorially. “Well, knowledge is the only real leverage we have against these things. If you’re ignorant about them, they can surprise you. If you know
what to look for, you have a chance.“
“And what do you look for? I mean, how would I tell the difference between a werewolf and a shape-shifter in wolf-form?”
Cameron considered for a moment. “Well, no two shape-shifters ever have the same natural form. They can become any human figure they want, but when it comes to the ugly monster they truly are, there is only one. If you see a pack of the same monster, they’re not shape-shifters.”
“Oh.”
“And you know something kind of neat? A way to find out if someone’s a shape-shifter? Watch the eyes. After about two hours, a shape-shifter needs to revert back to its natural form, if only for an instant. If it doesn’t, it loses control. Its eyes are always first to shift. It’s usually not even aware of it.”
“Creepy.”
“You get used to it. After a while, it won’t even shock you. I remember the first time it happened to me, I just about choked on the coffee I was drinking when I looked up and saw those teel eyes. But I can play it cool now. I just need to keep in mind that anyone can be replaced.”
“That’s a...sad way to live,” Shanna said, watching him. “Never trusting anyone.”
He looked away and shrugged. “Well…at least it keeps you alive.”
***
“Do you know what would be just splendid?” Amelia asked with a toss of her red hair as she returned to the mansion with the twins.
Jade shook her head as she looked over the girl, trying to evaluate her, get a feel for her personality. She was hard to read. Soft and quiet one moment, intellectual and sarcastic the next. She seemed to take a little time to evaluate things, then burst out with her opinions on the matter, which were, more often than not, cynical in nature. Jade had mentioned to her as they’d driven slowly through town that she loved to create things. Hand fans that opened up with silver-tipped knives. Umbrellas that could be pushed down to expose a wooden stake. Weapons that could be disguised easily. Amelia had been intrigued by this and had wanted to see the lab full of her inventions immediately. And she was one of the few people willing to listen to Jade’s true passion. She was mystified by how the weapons worked on the creatures at all - and why. Why did wood kill vampires, but not silver? Why did holy water harm them when unblessed water seemed to have no effect? Where did vampires come from in the first place? She would love to have these questions answered. The riddles were intriguing and numerous. She planned on spending her life answering those questions while reducing their numbers. Like Valor had said, knowledge is power, and a real coherent knowledge of how these ordinary things could cause harm to vampires, what the monsters’ origins were, was what Jade concluded would be their undoing. If they understood what they were, what made them tick, they could make the ticking stop, wipe them out once and for all. “What’s that?” she asked, trying to push aside her thoughts for the moment.
“Well, I’m a witch hunter,” Amelia announced, as they walked up the front steps and inside. “And all magick users leave behind a sort of signature with their magick. A lingering...charge, if you will. Like radiation.” She paused, as if considering her words. “Radiation can be measured. It’s like an aftertaste of a nuclear explosion. The same thing happens with magick. It has that aftertaste. And I’m sure it could be measured with a device like the one radiation is measured with.”
“Hmmm...” Jade frowned and looked at Amelia sideways. “That’s really a great idea actually. We do have a Geiger Counter here. Maybe it could be modified somehow...”
Jordan smirked. “Well, I’ll leave you two lovebirds to your torture chamber. Have fun.”
Amelia smirked as he opted to venture upstairs as they continued down a hallway on the first floor. “He’s just jealous, you know. Frustrated, sexually. You can smell it.”
Jade stifled a laugh. “Hey, I’m not so sure about that. He’s had plenty of girlfriends, a real lady’s man. He was kind of the Homecoming King type in high school.”
“And you?”
“I was the Homecoming King’s dyke sister. You do the math.”
They’d barely paused at a keypad-entry door before Felicia opened it with a flourish.
“Hey, you two,” she greeted. She cocked her head. “How’s the arm?” She paused and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I mean, how was the town?”
Jade giggled. “Fine, Crazy Lady. Just fine. And hey, just for the record, not going all psychic and opening doors right away: it lowers the creepy factor a few notches.”
“Something to keep in mind, I suppose,” Felicia said casually as she closed the door behind them. “Find anything good?”
“A few places seemed tolerable,” Amelia said with a shrug and secret smile in Jade’s direction.
Felicia smiled. “Good, I’m glad. You’ll be spending enough time in here with each other. It’ll be good to find somewhere to go to get away for a bit sometimes, you know?”
“Very true.” Jade agreed, and pointed a thumb over her shoulder at Amelia and quickly explained the hunter’s magick idea to Felicia.
“Sounds like a challenge, but nothing we can’t handle, I’m sure.” Felicia rifled through a nearby locker and pulled out a heavy-looking Geiger Counter, complete with two straps for easy carrying, and too many dials to choose from to use properly without a manual of some sort. She let it drop onto a stainless steel tabletop with a dull thud and looked over at Amelia expectantly.
Amelia nodded and closed her eyes, murmuring something beneath her breath.
Jade watched her, fascinated, wondering exactly what she had in mind. Magick users were the biggest mystery to her. They seemed able to produce things that shouldn’t exist without drawing power from somewhere else. She would need to really sit down and hash out with Amelia exactly what her thoughts were on the subject since she hunted them.
Suddenly, a little burst of light appeared in front of Amelia, blindingly bright like the filament of a light bulb, before it expanded like it were water boiling over and it took the form of a little green ball of energy.
Jade stared at the light and back at Amelia, her mouth hanging slightly open. She wasn’t expecting a show so…magicky. Sure, she dealt with magick users, so she was bound to pick up a trick or two, maybe a little smoke or a small fire appearing on the table…but this was something else. A girl - an ordinary looking girl had created this...ball of light from out of thin air. It was amazing, paranormal. Jade gawked at her, then shook it off. She looked like an ordinary girl herself and she fought monsters for a living. Why was this such a surprise? “How did you...what is that thing?”
“I am a sorceress,” Amelia related, “For lack of a better word. I use magick for good. Not all magick users are bad, as I’m sure you’re aware. I go after the black magick users. The selfish, hostile ones. Witches. Necromancers. True Devil’s pets, not the tree huggers.”
“Hey, fire with fire, I guess,” Jade shrugged, finding herself unable to look away from the green ball of light floating before her like a miniature sun.
“The light will last for twelve hours,” Amelia told her. “If you want to try to read magick with a device, try reading that.”
“Well...thanks for the idea. And please feel free to share any other ideas you might come up with. This detector is...ingenious.”
“You’re welcome,” Amelia beamed. “What are teammates for?”
Jade nodded absently, her mind already on the task before her. She really couldn’t tear her eyes from the ball of light. It was like she was afraid that if she did, it would disappear, dispersing like a cloud of haze.
Amelia began poking around at the various weapons as Felicia sat down at the counter with Jade, happy to have a willing subject at her disposal.
***
“There are some fine ladies here,” Brett told Jordan in a low voice. “There’s like a threesome set up for each of us. It’s a frickin’ harem.”
Jordan smirked at the new guy’s excited vulgarity. “Well, the girls have to stay fit li
ke we do.”
“And flexible. Don’t forget flexible.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “I bet they’re into all sorts of kinky things, dealing with monsters all the time. They wouldn’t be afraid of no one-eyed monster, if you know what I mean.”
“I...I suppose not.” Jordan shook his head, an embarrassed smile on his face. “You are too much.”
“What? I’m just honest.”
“Well, you’re going with this room then?” Jordan asked, with a quick look around. He nodded his approval. “Well, if you need anything else, I’m your neighbor. And my sister’s not too far away either.”
“Your sister, huh? You’ll have to introduce us,” Brett gazed around the empty room for a moment. “So, where’s this game room I heard about?”
“The game room? It’s, ah, through the middle double doors downstairs, second door on the right.”
“What’s it look like? All pimped out?”
“I think I saw a few TVs and a Playstation or a Wii or something. There are pool tables, darts, a little mini-bar, except, you know, without the alcohol.”
Brett grunted and smiled in the mirror over his bureau. Sandy hair, a thick neck and chest. He looked like the quarterback he’d left high school as. The star. But small towns were small towns - his talent was wasted, he went through the girls worth going through too quickly, there was little excitement, next to nothing to entertain him. And not enough game. The game was what it was all about. Hunting deer and pheasants hadn’t been enough for him after he’d gotten his first taste of blood. At twelve, he’d gone hunting with his father for the first time, hadn’t hit a thing. But he’d practiced his aim, became a skilled marksman and never missed a thing after that. Ducks, geese, rabbits - no problem. The quicker, the better. But it all got familiar after a while. Pretty soon he was craving the next new prey. Bears had been about the most exciting thing Niles, North Dakota could offer him. Until he’d stumbled upon a behemoth of a creature. A giant turtle, almost as tall as he was. He wasn’t sure if it had been real at the time or if he’d been more hammered than he thought. But he fought it - not with his gun, but with a hunting knife. He’d needed a challenge and someone had seen fit to send one his way. It had been a vicious thing, nearly took his hand off at one point, snapping its mouth menacingly. But he’d been victorious in the end and had done a little research. There were plenty of these creatures to hunt down to keep him going, to keep things interesting. Giants were a problem; “Coming out of the woodwork,” one website had said. But no creature had been too much for him.
It started to become more monsters than giant animals as of late. Ogres festering in ancient forests, trolls deep in the shadows of bridges - these were the true challenges. He had the scar on his back to prove it. Thirty-six stitches later, he was ready for more. There could never be enough.
“There’s a game on,” Brett announced. “Wanna watch?”
“Don’t you want to unpack?”
“Naw. I hate unpacking.”
“Oh. Well...you know, maybe later.”
“Okay. That’s cool. Later then.”
“Yeah,” Jordan agreed.
Brett sighed and looked around his room again as Jordan left. Nice. Empty, lonely, but nice. A few Vikings posters and supermodels and it would feel like his own.
Throwing open his suitcases, he drew in a deep breath. The sooner he began, the sooner he’d finish.
Chapter Eight
The moon appeared early that evening, well before the sun set below the horizon line. It hung in plain view, as if taunting the sun, letting it know that it was about to become the dominant object in the sky and the sun would be dismissed.
Here I am, Shanna thought to herself, staring down from the balcony off of the third floor of the mansion, looking out over the sprawling garden of climbing vines and lilac hedges, big fat sunflower heads looming over carpets of magenta petals. Two stone benches sat silently facing each other at the center of a small brick path that cut through the garden, completely ignorant of a small finch that was ruffling its feathers in the nearby birdbath. I’m going to be doing what I’ve always wanted to be doing; living in a setting I never dreamed I would experience. So, why do I feel so sad and empty?
It looked like an illusion, that moon in the sky. It looked faded, washed out, because the sun was still up, stealing its glory. The moon was an afterthought that someone had misplaced. How lifeless it appeared, as if its strength was ebbing and it was ready to finally fall from the sky, weary and beaten. Yet its dominance would be realized in a few short hours.
I miss Kelly. Kelly was the fiery one, the one who enjoyed life to the fullest. The one who should have had this second life. Not me. I don’t deserve it at all. I’m a coward. I lose my friends and pout in a corner when things get too hard. Like I’m doing right now. What is my problem? Why can’t I just be a normal person for once? Why can’t I be more like Kelly was - someone that people would miss?
With a sigh, Shanna leaned against the balcony railing and stared at the garden, tracing paths through its flower beds, lost in that lonely time of day.
“Nice night, huh?” Cameron asked, disrupting the serenity of the moment. “Nice setting for a sunset. Much better than skyscrapers and concrete. I’m just a softy for nature in the end.”
Shanna gazed at him in the romantic lighting, the receding of shadows. I shouldn’t be feeling like this, she thought. I shouldn’t be enjoying a boy’s company. I need to brood and let the emptiness settle in my stomach. Let it sit there for awhile, until I think I can stop feeling guilty. I need to grieve over Kelly. It’s the least I can do.
“Hey, why so glum?” Cameron asked, cupping her chin in his hand. “You were a spunky girl a few minutes ago, if I remember correctly.”
Shanna smiled warily. “Yeah. I just...I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it, I guess.”
“That’s okay. I’m here if you need me though.”
“Thanks.”
Cameron looked out at the forest beyond the back lawn, as if trying to see what Shanna was looking at. But nothing jumped out at him. “You know one of my favorite X-Men stories? The Demon. Kitty Pryde alone in the mansion for the first time, on Christmas, nonetheless, fighting a monster.”
“Uncanny 143,” Shanna smiled. “She adjusted to the mansion soon enough, though. But...I do feel kind of like that, right now. Like I’m fighting my own demons here. I just need to face them and move on. Put the past where it belongs. Prove myself worthy of being...one of you guys, I guess.”
“I think we all feel like we have something to prove to each other,” Cameron offered.
“Shanna?”
Shanna and Cameron turned to see Felicia approaching the balcony. She suddenly got a look of horror across her face and she quickened her pace. “Cameron? What happened to your face?”
Cameron looked at her in surprise and touched his jaw.
Shanna glanced over Cameron’s face, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She sent Felicia a puzzled look.
“I...I guess it was a trick of the light,” Felicia laughed lamely. “Sometimes I see things that aren’t really there. I mean - not to scare you and sound crazy, but it’s just a little thing that comes with my psychic stuff. Paranoia, delusions, voices....” She laughed again. “Just teasing.”
Shanna and Cameron exchanged amused expressions.
“Uh...well, anyway, Valor wants to talk to you, Shanna. She says it’s important.”
“Oh,” Shanna said, her forehead wrinkling. “Sure.” What could she want with me that’s so important?
“I’ll see you later, I guess,” Cameron told her.
“Yeah. Later.”
Shanna followed Felicia down the hallway and glanced back once before Cameron was out of sight. He was still staring out into the forest, trying to see what she had seen.
“He’s a cutie,” Felicia said as they descended the stai
rs to the first floor.
“Who? Cameron?” Shanna blushed. “Well, I mean, yeah, but we aren’t...you know.”
“Uh-huh. I am psychic, remember.”
Shanna stared at Felicia as she kept a secret little smile upon her lips. Was she being serious or not? Shanna couldn’t tell. But she’d been wanting a moment alone with Felicia since the briefing, yet now that they were together, she didn’t know what to say. She looked over at Felicia again, and the girl looked at her, as if sensing the attention. They both looked away quickly.
“I feel like I just came out of the closet and it’s awkward between us now,” Felicia suddenly said, keeping her eyes ahead.
Shanna cocked her head. “No. I mean, it wasn’t any of my business really. It just sort of took me by surprise.”
“But it’s weird,” Felicia insisted. “I always…I always feel like I’m obligated to tell someone I’m psychic when I first meet them, otherwise I’m hiding it, but…it’s not like that. I’m Felicia Wales first, you know?” She braved a glance at Shanna.
Shanna smiled encouragingly at her. “Felicia, don’t worry about it. Really. It’s not weird. It’s just…hey, did you see anything while we were at Styx?”
“That’s what I was there for,” Felicia smiled back lightly. “I scouted out the club for The Agency. I put my hands on things to see if I got any flashes.” She paused. “That’s how it works for the most part. I touch things and get flashes of…well, sometimes memories, sometimes the future. It’s fickle. And sometimes a psychic impression is so powerful it just hits me whether I’m around or not. It’s, like I said, totally random.”
“That must be so…”
“Useful? Heh. Yeah, I’m useful, I guess. But at first, when these visions started, I thought I was going crazy. I’m lucky the right people found me before I ended up in a padded cell.”
“The right people?”
“Well, The Agency, of course. They recognized what I was when I couldn’t.”
Shanna nodded slowly. “So…you feel like this is the right place for me to be? Like this is the place to be to fight evil?”
“I…do,” Felicia hesitated. “Like I said, my powers only work when they want to, not when I want them to. That’s why I didn’t see anything at Styx. But…I did know that you were going to join The Agency. I just didn’t realize that you would have to go through such an ordeal to come to that conclusion. But I also knew when I met you…that you were a hunter. That I had to make contact with you before I took off. That’s why I looked for you when pandemonium struck, to get you out of there with me. Hell, knowing my powers, that’s why I got myself into trouble in the first place. Not that a little lesson in humility on the male portion of the population is beneath me from time to time, mind you.” She smirked, but quickly sobered.
They suddenly found themselves at the same room they’d been briefed in before. Felicia nodded her encouragement and let Shanna walk in first. Inside, Valor sat alone at one end of the long table, smoking a cigarette and looking over some papers. When she saw them step in, she gestured for them to approach.
“Please, come in,” Valor said. “Sit down.”
Obeying, Shanna took a seat beside her. Felicia followed after closing the door and sat down on the other side of Valor, watching them intently.
“What’s up?” Shanna asked casually, although her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. Had she done something wrong already? Had Valor changed her mind about her being right for the group?
“I’m sorry to have to relay this information to you two so soon after you got here,” Valor let out a stream of smoke as she spoke. “But I’m going to just spell it out for you.”
Looking surprised, if not a little alarmed, Felicia sent Shanna a sideways look.
Shanna sat forward in her seat, as if to ready herself for a blow.
“There was a message posted to a hidden website we’ve been keeping tabs on.” She pushed manila folders over to each of them.
Looking down at her folder with skepticism, Shanna realized she did not want to see what it contained, but knew she had to. She yearned for nothing more than to rejoin Cameron at the balcony, ignorant of anything beyond relating to her new situation. She wanted, on this one day, to feel like an ordinary girl, to talk to a boy, to grieve...
“It was more like a site within a site," Valor explained further as Shanna took a deep breath and opened the folder unceremoniously. “It’s a placement for bounties.”
Shanna stared down at the single sheet of paper, not understanding what she was seeing at first. As the text of the page congealed in her mind, a shiver crept up her spine and she began to feel a little nauseous.
Identified hunter: Shanna Hunt
Level 5-6 threat
Last seen in Foley, MN on September the 1st
Reward of $50,000 for apprehension
Wanted alive
The computer screen before her came to life then. She hadn’t realized it had even been on, but her eyes snapped up to the red screen where a figure could be seen slashing a dagger at a three-headed dog. Her. At Styx.
Shanna put a hand to her face as she watched the scene play out. There was Felicia to the rescue, killing the hellhound. Then the panther that Shanna made short work of. Then…then Shanna rushing over to a crumpled form near some trash bags. She looked away, looked up at Valor, who was watching her.
“You’ve both been marked,” Valor announced. “Your faces will be absorbed by any monster hard-up for cash. This puts you in more danger than the others. But it also makes you better bait.”
Felicia snorted. “So, we’re using this turn of events to our advantage? Despite the fact that it also puts the others in greater danger?”
“The others?” Shanna echoed.
Valor raised an eyebrow at Felicia. “It would have happened sooner or later. This just makes it sooner.” She turned to Shanna and smiled. “All it means is that the others will have prices put on their heads to match, just by association with you two. For all we know though, they may already have bounties. Your presence in their company will merely confirm this. But like I said, this comes with the territory. It was inevitable.”
Shanna paled as the faces of the other hunters flashed through her head. The others? She was a burden to the team already? She was… “We could stay behind,” Shanna suddenly blurted. “We could lay low until this blows over. We…” Her voice trailed off as she glanced back up at the computer screen and saw a photo of her ransacked apartment. Overturned tables, books strewn across the floor… She felt nauseous. She felt…like this was too much to absorb so quickly. Things were spiraling out of control and she’d only been here for a matter of hours.
“If you hadn’t joined The Agency, you’d most certainly be dead,” Valor said in a low voice. “But you’re not. And the others won’t be either. We’ve formed a group, where we can watch each others’ backs and battle more efficiently. This situation was absolutely something that we anticipated and none of you could have expected anything less by coming here. As a group, of course, you were bound to attract more attention than the sum of your parts.” She paused to crush her cigarette out in a green glass ashtray filled with other butts, a graveyard of crumpled filters. “Now, I know this is a shock, but we need you to be clear-headed here. We need you to be ready for what this means.”
“But what does this mean?” Felicia asked. “What do you want us to do on this mission?”
“There’s no ‘us’ here, Felicia,” Shanna found herself saying. “You’re an instructor and a scout, and your powers make you too valuable. This is going to be on my plate.” She looked at Valor. “You want me to make some noise and draw out the villains who have been hunting the hunters, is that it?”
“If that becomes necessary…it would certainly make this mission more fruitful.”
Felicia frowned. “And the others? We aren’t going to tell them about this??
??
“This is a delicate time,” Valor reasoned. “We just assembled. If we announced that they were all about to be marked for assassination on their first mission, do you think they would all be so willing to go? Of course, if they really thought about things, they would see that it was inevitable, but as it is, so close to the conception of this unit, I think it best if we kept this to ourselves.”
Shanna smiled calmly. Or what she hoped was calmly. So much pressure. She would be surrounded by other hunters, other people she could finally rely on, but would have this secret, this divide between them, as miniscule and as well-intentioned as it was. For some reason, she felt that it was a portent of things to come, the burden that she would become to the team. It started things out on the wrong foot, made her feel like she would be leading the others on, like Charon ushering his passengers to Hell.
And I’ll bear these feelings alone again, Shanna thought bitterly. No one to talk to, no one to share the burden. Story of my life.
Shanna looked into Valor and Felicia’s anxious faces and nodded to reassure them. “I won’t say a thing.”
“Good,” Valor pulled another cigarette out of her pack. “I knew we could count on you.”
“God,” Felicia leaned back heavily into her chair. “I can’t believe they set up cameras in that club. Bastards.”
Shanna sighed and stood up. “I would like to sit down and really discuss things with you...when it’s convenient.”
“Yes,” Valor agreed. “When we’re less occupied, I promise we will have that talk.”
“Are we done here then?”
“Yes, yes,” Valor answered, striking a small matchbook. As soon as a flame sprang to life, she touched a match to the end of her cigarette. “We’re done. For now.”
***
“So, what was all the gloom and doom about?” Cameron asked as Shanna entered the lounge area where he sat with Rachel and Amelia, some Bravo reality show on in the background.
Shanna forced a smile. “Nothing really. Just more technical stuff about my new life.”
Cameron frowned at that, but didn’t say anything.
“How was the town?” Shanna asked Amelia quickly.
“There’s potential,” Amelia said with little enthusiasm. “We didn’t get a chance to stop anywhere, but there‘ll be plenty of time for that later.”
“Who’s ‘we?’” Rachel questioned, sending her a sideways glance.
“Me, Jade and Jordan.”
“Really? You staking a claim on that gorgeous thing?”
“I’m assuming you’re referring to Jordan.”
Rachel smiled tightly.
“No,” Amelia replied, leaning back into the couch. “Fortunately for you, I’m married to my work.”
Rachel snorted.
“You didn’t seem too interested in Jordan after we got back to the mansion,” Shanna recalled, turning to Rachel.
“Well, Hon, I’ll let you in on a little secret. It’s called ‘playing hard to get.’ Not being obvious. You should try it sometime.” Rachel paused and glanced over at Cameron. “Maybe next time.”
Amelia looked like she was about to say something, but the lounge door opened at that moment and a blonde guy with a bronze tan walked in, wearing a white sleeveless shirt that accentuated his toned arms.
“Hmm,” Rachel purred. “Jordan who?”
“Hey, guys. How’s it going?” the guy asked.
“Pretty mediocre,” Amelia murmured.
Rachel stood up. “And you would be?”
“Brett. Brett Star. Nice to meet you.” He wiggled his eyebrows as he shook Rachel’s hand. “Very nice.” He looked over at the others. “I’m a giant-hunter from-”
“Yes, fascinating,” Rachel interrupted him, taking him by the arm. “You can tell me all about it as I give you the grand tour.”
Smiling sheepishly, Brett waved to the others as they left the room.
Shanna shook her head. “Notice how his eyes never traveled above her chest?”
Amelia smirked. “Yes. Love at first sight. I’d say they deserve each other.”
Sighing, Cameron leaned forward. “So, what do you guys think about this mission coming up?”
“Really strange,” Amelia answered. “I wonder why vampires would focus on pregnant women? Do you think the blood is sweeter, more nutritious or something?”
“I hadn’t...really considered.”
“Maybe it’s just a coincidence,” Shanna suggested. “Maybe we’re just reading into it all. I know The Agency has the best intentions for sending us out to investigate this, but maybe it’s just a waste of time.”
“Hunting’s never a waste of time. We’ll be ridding the world of some vampires, if anything. If we discover something while killing them, good. If we don’t, no big deal. Either way, something gets accomplished.”
Amelia sat up. “Why do you assume The Agency has the best of intentions here? And what would we gain from just murdering these vampires that would be more beneficial than discovering their motives?”
Cameron looked startled. “Well, I...I didn’t mean we shouldn’t try to discover what they’re doing, but we should kill...”
“Oh, of course. Why try to understand something when it can be destroyed with a quick jab of a pointy object?”
“I don’t think he meant that,” Shanna defended Cameron. “He meant that vampires are evil and whether they are conspiring to prey on pregnant women is beside the point. We have to kill them no matter the situation.”
“Circumstances always have to be evaluated,” Amelia told them. “It’s always relevant to consider the situation. In fact, you’re almost obligated to, with the power you wield as hunters, the information at your disposal. If you kill any monster that moves, you’re fooling yourselves if you think you’ll ever make a difference. Bide your time, make your way up the ladder of demons to find out who’s pulling the strings. Vampires are easy to create. They’re hard to control.”
“A thinker in our midst,” a voice startled them from their conversation. “Things begin to look more promising.”
Shanna looked up at the door, surprised to see Natalia standing there, hands crossed over her chest. She hadn’t even heard her come in.
“The Agency has contracted us for our muscle and skills,” Natalia said, making no move to join them. “They did not hire us to ponder our predicament.”
“I’m bold,” Amelia smiled.
“Just heed your own words. You caution them on The Agency’s intentions, yet you’ve come to live under their roof with no knowledge of your own.”
“I can handle myself should anything go wrong. But I’m certainly not going to jump if Valor tells me to. If I’m to die for them, I demand some say as to what I die for. This isn’t the army, after all. The only obligations I hold are for myself.”
“A fine speech,” Natalia praised. “But I know The Agency to be sound. If you plan on accomplishing your own agendas while under their protection, you may want to consider moving elsewhere.”
Shanna looked over at Cameron to gauge his reaction to the rhetoric. He didn’t seem overly-concerned, however. If anything, he seemed interested by the conversation.
“Suggestion noted,” Amelia said with a grin.
Natalia nodded humorlessly. “Watch yourself tomorrow.” She turned and left without another word, without a glance in the others’ direction.
“Well, she’s...interesting,” Cameron commented.
“Yeah,” Amelia agreed. “I like her too.”
Shanna cocked her head and frowned. “But what did you mean by The Agency’s intentions?”
Amelia shrugged. “I’m just unaware of what their long-term goals are, what they stand for. I know they want to end this threat to hunters, but is it just for the sake of us hunters? And what were they up to before this threat came to exist at all? I merely want to understand them better. I want to know why we’re going on each and every m
ission we’re sent on. Checking out pregnant vampires? That sounds like a convenient focus, but hardly any reason to focus on this particular vampire activity. If they really are just concerned about the hunters missing from that area, then I’d rather have them just admit that instead of giving us the run-around. But I have a feeling there’s something else there.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Something big.” Amelia shrugged and turned her attention to the television.
Shanna watched Amelia for a moment. She seemed so thoughtful about her situation, yet she was here to help The Agency, nonetheless. Why? And why would she advise the other hunters not to kill monsters? Was it really for the reasons she offered or...something else? And Natalia...Natalia just didn’t act like a person. She seemed off...like she couldn’t let down her guard. Like she was watching for someone to stab her in the back. And she had just appeared in the room, like she’d walked through the door. What normal person could do that?
Shanna shook her head. These were the people she would be working alongside. She found it hard enough to let people in without these strange distractions. And the whole secret on top of it all made things particularly overwhelming. She would just need to keep her distance until this mission was over, until she could think more clearly on the matter. She just hoped for a quick resolution.
Chapter Nine