Alone • Liam Dunbar

Twenty-Six

Beacon Hills High School was a supernatural organism all on its own. These grounds had a way of drawing in the macabre and maniacal, allowing horror and death to thrive. It was not meant to be a place one should feel safe, yet here we are, treating it as a haven.

We sealed ourselves within our makeshift fortress hours ago when Scott finally arrived. He came alone, Kira opting to return home for the night. According to Scott, she didn't want to run the risk of interfering with our plan because of her unstable powers. I hated being relieved over her absence but felt better knowing we had one less internal problem to deal with.

Since then, we kept ourselves busy, biding time.

Lydia and Scott studied for an upcoming AP Biology exam, Liam tended to his lacrosse gear, and I sat with Hayden as she combed her way through the bestiary. She seemed amazed by the illustrations Lydia had done and the knowledge I'd transcribed. In some way, it gave me a sense of pride. She was able to see a part of my past that wasn't solely about killing, but rather preservation.

Hayden turns page after page, scanning the information with greedy interest.

"I can't believe you've seen all of these things," she mutters.

I sit beside her on the ground, both of us leaning on the base of a locker unit. Liam was across from us, restringing his lacrosse stick. It probably wasn't the best idea for us to be on the floor of a boy's locker room, but since the benches didn't have any back support and we had to stay here until dawn, we would take our chances.

"Most of them," I correct her. "Some of what's in there came from other hunters I've known."

It felt wrong to use only information from the Argent's bestiary. We put in things Chris and I could confirm, whether we saw it for ourselves or heard it from hunters we've known, but the original Argent family bestiary had been in Gerard's hands for decades. He always had a way of allowing personal vendettas to interfere with fact, and I wouldn't put it past him to tamper with data to inspire a greater hatred for the supernatural. There had been dire times before when we relied on him and his information, but those times had passed. Now, all that was required of him was to slowly rot in a nursing home at the edge of town.

"Are there a lot of hunters out there?" Hayden wonders.

"Yeah, of course. There are different families, tribes, and syndicates all around the world," I answer with a slight frown, unsure of what brought the question to her mind.

"Do you think they'd help us if we asked? I mean, if there are people like you out there, people who are supposed to protect humans, they'd come, wouldn't they?" She questions hopefully.

"I don't think so, Hayden," I reply carefully, wanting to be delicate. I hate the idea of taking that hope away from her.

"Why not?"

Liam peers up at us from under his lashes, pretending his focus is still entirely on the lacrosse stick in his hands. I can feel his concerned gaze searing into me, as he's aware that the hunting world has been fractured for some time now. If only he had explained that to Hayden earlier, too.

Hayden observes me, waiting for an explanation.

"Hunters are supposed to live by a code," I began. "We're meant to treat it like law, but a while ago, a man I once trusted broke it."

Liam flinches from the corner of my eye, hating me having to speak about Gerard. This is probably what he wanted to avoid when he told Hayden about my past behind my back. I didn't blame Hayden for not understanding that though, as I could assume Liam didn't tell her everything. He himself wasn't even privy to all of it.