Demon Hunters: Last Class

Episode 8: Toni- Gone Girl

I sat on the back porch railing, watching some kids toss a ball around. The warm breeze was a welcome change from the increasingly cold autumn afternoons. Fall was fully upon us and the unexpected burst of heat was nice.

By this time last year, I'd found a building downtown that was under construction. I'd stalk midtown, picking pockets and snatching what I could from the street vendors. Sometimes I'd even dress up like one of the cartoon characters and charge people to take pictures with me, but that was dangerous because those guys worked in groups and would fight you to defend their territory. At night I'd sneak into the worksite and sleep in relative peace.

At The Institute, I had soft beds, clean clothes, and hot food. It was the nicest place I'd ever lived.

"They finally got some clothes on you," B-ko said as she walked over. She tossed me a bottle of gatorade and cracked open a bottle of her own. "That stunt you pulled last week was crazy." She chuckled, though she tried to hide it behind a sip of her drink.

I opened mine and gulped down a mouthful.

"What stunt?" I asked coolly.

"What stunt, she says! You flashed the entire breakfast crowd. The boys couldn't talk about anything else for days."

I chuckled. A number of the younger boys had written me love letters, including a little green fella who wrote that it was the coolest thing he'd ever seen.

"That wasn't a stunt. I just prefer to run free."

"That's what Sexy always says."

"Who?"

"Sextenia. She's an animus too, a snake if I'm not mistaken." B-Ko sealed her bottle and burped. "She hates wearing clothes too. Never wears them in her room. Because of her, Perdy's banned boys from our floor. So what'd they do once they caught you?"

"Made me put on pants." I gestured to my boy shorts and loose tank top. I pulled at the straps and gave her a look at my boobs.

She whistled and clapped.

"They're really nice, but we don't need to constantly see down your shirt, okay?"

"Your loss." I shrugged and she laughed at me.

"Carefree like a cat. Look, every semester we have a football competition between Sword and Shield Houses. You've got moves and I want you on the team. With you, me, and Tucker, Sword House won't stand a chance."

I thought about it for a moment, then got bored. I'd never played football, but I liked being chased and I loved having fun.

"What's in it for me?" I asked. I'd already made my decision, but she didn't need to know that.

"The teams get trips off campus to watch the Giants and the Jets play, plus the winning team gets an end-of-semester barbeque."

A barbeque sounded great and I knew a girl who could use a trip outside. "I'll only join if my burnt girl can be on the team too."

"The Psalm girl?" B-Ko chewed on her lip. "She doesn't look very athletic or fun."

"She cries a lot, but she'll be fun."

Opening her bottle, B-Ko took another drink of her gatorade. She sized me up, clearly imagining me winning their touch football competition in all my awesomeness.

"Tell Lyric she's on the team. Our first team meeting is the Saturday after classes start. I'll expect you both there." She smacked my knee. "See you there."

She jogged off, clutching her bottle like an imaginary football as she dodged imaginary defenders. I jumped down from the porch railing and did a cartwheel in the grass. With a yawn and stretch I set off for The Brutewood.