ON HOLD WHILE I TRY NOT TO FAIL MY AP EXAM
𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦...
𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵, 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩, 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.
𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 �...
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In retrospect, maybe appearing out of nowhere and talking to them was not the best idea. Neither of the teens scream, but both leap to their feet and level their weapons at me. The girl - Katie, Brian's daughter - has her dagger drawn and aimed at my heart; the boy has his aimed at my neck.
I hold up my hands to show that I'm unarmed, then step slowly forward so that they can see me clearer. Katie gasps softly, her eyes fixed on my face.
"Yeah," I say, pressing my lips together into a tight line. "You recognize me, don't you?" Again, maybe not the best idea. Way to be creepy, Rheid.
However, she nods mutely, her dagger only wavering slightly. "You're him. The...the Hunter."
"That's me," I reply with a feeble attempt at a smile. "You were entirely correct, I might add. I've been holed up here for thirty-two years, and I do know a lot more than the stories say."
"Then why now?" she asks, surprise giving way to indignant anger. Justified anger. "Why would you show up now, when clearly you've known how to control the Vial for years? Why would you stay in hiding when for thirty-two years people have been dying?"
"Because I had to," I reply simply. "I was given a prophecy that told me that I had to wait. For you, in fact. It was prophesied that I would work with you."
Once again, I've rendered the poor girl speechless. I turn my gaze away from her and face the boy.
"Anyway, who are you? It was prophesied that another person would work with me and her-" I point back in Katie's direction, "and if I had to guess, I would say that you are our lucky winner."
He dips his chin, a motion of respect. "Jamie Sommers, South Creer. Who are you?"
"Rheid Lopez-Callahan," I say, giving him my own chin-dip. "Formerly of Selsey, ex-Hunter, currently employed as a library aide at the Castle of Kyrilla. Also known as the idiot who ran off with the Vial of Starlight."
He sucks in a breath, then nods. "So she was telling the truth then?"
"She was telling the truth."
"You didn't trust me?" Katie sounds offended.
"I did," Jamie backpedals. "It was just...a lot to take in."
I glance back and forth between them. "I have a lot to fill you both in on, so let's get started. The faster this story comes out, the faster we get started with our mission."
"And what's that?" Katie asks.
"Simple: kill the witch, expose the faery, break the curse."
