Scorching

Playing Dirty

Kaien

I'm running as fast as I can down a dark alleyway, but it feels like I'm running through molasses. I can hear a girl screaming about her mother. Blood curdling screams. I keep fighting the invisible pressure of the air around me as I run, in what feels like slow motion. Please make it. Please. I need to save her. The pain in her voice is excruciating. The screams suddenly come to a halt. When I finally break through the alley and see a creature towering over the girl she's out cold. Those leathery hands gripping her neck, claws sinking in. I conjure up my pink sword and just as I'm about to lower my sword into its heart,.. I'm awake.

I haven't had that dream in years, why did I have it again? Are my emotions running high from last night? It was a regular mission, if you can call any of our missions regular. Besides that girl probably being a diviner, and that presence I felt. Maybe it wasn't an ordinary mission. I'm missing something I know it. I caught Lucky and Jesse up on last nights events, but they both shot down my suspicion. They want to talk to the girl and make her a student. And not just a student, they want to put her on my team. Our team. I'll never understand how they can replace Jack so easily. Like he never existed. Our team should be an exception to the rules, Maeve and I manage just fine alone. I'm the best student at this school, and with Lucky as our teacher, we have no need for 3 students. I won't accept anyone as Jack's replacement, and I won't let them keep brushing it under the rug. There's no way Jack would die so easily, even if 3 creatures cornered him, he was the most skilled in hand to hand combat. In training we were almost evenly matched. I have a feeling this girl could be connected to Jack's death. I'll play nice and let her join the team, keep your friends close but enemies closer right? But I won't make it easy on her.

I forgot how uncomfortable the beds in the nursery are, but I wasn't leaving her alone in here. I don't trust her. I walk over to her bed, peeking behind the curtain, she's still asleep. I'm surprised to see how peaceful she looks, she was clearly having night terrors. I guess that makes two of us. I still can't shake this sense of Deja Vu, and it's only adding to my suspicion. My thoughts are interrupted when Jesse walks in. "You're up, how'd you sleep?" "Guess." "Kai I told you I would keep an eye on her, no one willingly sleeps in those beds. Unfortunately a renovation is not in the budget as of now." I knew he would keep giving me shit for it, but I let him. Jesse has been like an older brother to me since he got here 4 years ago. Hell of a healer too. I haven't seen him in combat much but he's the type of guy to be good at anything. "I know, I wanted to be here when she woke up." "You still have doubts about her Kai? She went through a traumatic experience, people align with their star at all ages, it's not uncommon. Lucky told you to take it easy on her." "I know what he said I just have some questions for her that's all." "Well now I'm telling you to take it easy on her too, she needs to rest, I healed her, but the worst injuries she has are most likely mental. And it sounds like someone's waking up."

I walk over to her bed and pull the curtain open, "Oh good you're up." She does not look happy to see me, her eyes filled with disdain. Jesse introduces himself and I can already tell she's fawning over him, a deep pink flushing her cheeks as she looks up at him. Typical. I get my fair share of girls but that's when Jesse's not in the room. I would be worried about her winning him over and trying to use this to her advantage, but he's not the type to fall for that, and from the color of her cheeks I can tell this is genuine. I don't want to see this, if I didn't have so much to ask her I would walk out. He finished his brief summary of her injuries, "Kaien I'm leaving her with you for now," shooting me a look that I know the meaning of all too well. 'Behave yourself.'

I stare at her, looking for any cracks in her resolve, her act. "Hunter right?" I ask, "That was pretty impressive last night you held your own against the creature." I watch closely for her reaction, I know she knows what a creature is. The look in her eyes last night told me all I needed to know. She's not budging. Yet. "My name's Kaien, like Jesse said, but everyone calls me Kai. I brought you here last night, you were out cold." Still a blank stare, let's get right to it then. "You probably have a lot of questions, we're at the school right now, it also serves as our base of operations. As to who 'we' are, my teacher will be here soon to explain, but I don't know how much of any explanation you actually need." There. Ha. That blank expression shifted slightly, she's on edge now, calculating her next statement. I won't let her. "You started to form a weapon last night, a dagger. That usually takes a lot of training to accomplish, but you seemed to grasp the hang of it pretty quick. Have you done that before?" She softens her gaze before she speaks, but I won't let it fool me. "I don't know what you're talking about, I've never done anything like that before, or seen anything like that. I was scared for my life and it started glowing in my palm. When that," that what hunter? "That thing." "A creature." But you know that Hunter, don't you? "Yeah, that creature. What was that?" She's not letting up. Even if it's wrong, I'll play dirty. She started this playing dumb. "Interesting, the look in your eyes when it's claws grasped your neck was more than fear. I could have sworn you had seen one before. Creatures are why this school is here. We protect humans from them. We, diviners were called," no reaction? You're good Hunter. "But something tells me you knew that, or at least more than you're saying. Whether you know or not, you're lucky I was there last night, you would have been on the all you can eat buffet." There's the reaction I was looking for. Hatred. I can't tell if it's towards creatures, or me for that statement, or both. Probably both, but I don't care. Hate me Hunter, go ahead. I can't help my arrogant nature with my next words. "You're welcome."

It takes her a second to come up with her next play. The calculation I saw in her eye before is faltering. Anger joining the mix, and a lot of it. Then she switches again, sly girl. "I really have no idea what you're talking about, I swear." Tears? Really Hunter, you don't know who you're up against. Two can play this game. "I just wanted to get out of there alive and as hard as I tried to hold him off, I couldn't. Then I feel something inside of me break open, and the knife or dagger, or whatever is was appeared in my hand out of no where. Then it grabbed my neck." I look at her neck where the indents of fingers laid last night. I know she's reading me just as much as I'm reading her. I'll let you think you've fooled me Hunter. It only works to my advantage. I know that petrified expression last night was real. Real terror. I just need to know why, so I let her words effect me, softening my gaze ever so slightly. Usually that wouldn't be enough to show physically on my face— I'm good at hiding what I'm thinking behind a smile. But I'll let her think tears can inhibit my perception. "It's all healed, I figured I should last night while you were passed out. Didn't seem like you would wanna look at those marks." What next Hunter, do you think I'm wrapped around your finger now? I don't know why a part of me is hoping she didn't fall for that so easily, she seems smarter than that. "So you think I'm lying about all of this, and I somehow have info on your little magic school but you still want me to know you saved my life and healed my injury?" I smile. Why am I glad she didn't fall for that. I want her to, no, need her to trust me so I can find out what she's hiding. "Wow thank you so much, my knight in shining armor. Did you also heal my bruised knees so I could so I could get on the ground and kiss the floor you walk on." I can't help but laugh. What a feisty one. Now I know how to make her crack. That sweet innocent play won't work on me, and I know how to diffuse it now. What a temper. The flush of anger on her cheeks intrigues me. This could be fun. "That would be great except I have plenty of women who will do that, no incentive needed," did I strike another nerve? Even if a woman hates you, the mention of another makes her jealous almost instantly. "And Lucky would kill me for bullying the new student." Ow. I grab my neck. All these years and he can still sneak into a room without me knowing. "Yes he would kill you," How sweet, "I told you to play nice Kai." I wonder how much he heard. I don't need him to be on my ass any more than he already is. He laughed at my suspicion last night and he's even more stubborn than me. If he truly thinks she's just a late bloomer than we found my coincidence, he's not gonna budge. I laugh thinking about his stubbornness. "I'm just messing with her Lucky," as I wrap my arm around her, I feel her tense up, usually women do the opposite. Almost hurts worse than Lucky's slap. Ouch. "A little hazing never hurt anyone. We're gonna get along great." Her glare could burn a hole through my head, through the wall, and into the next room. Now to nail the coffin shut, I lean down to whisper in her ear, "You can't keep anything from me Hunter, but lucky for you I like to handle things on my own, so I won't tell the boss man about this just yet. Our little secret." I didn't think it was possible for her to tense up even more. I have her right where I want her, and it should be good, but I feel oddly unsatisfied. Whatever. At least I shook her up before she talked to Lucky. Not that it matters, he has a soft spot for all students from the moment he meets them. I was included in that, so I know, he'll treat her like his daughter I'm sure of it.