Dust Thou Art

Chapter Six

Here we go.

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-Makayla Rayne

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Chapter Six

"Hidden World?" I repeated, doubtful. "Like, Hide-and-Go-Seek hidden or..."

"Hm. Yes Ivy. The entire Hidden World is one great big game of Hide-and-Go-Seek!" Jamis raised his eyebrows at me.

"Oh ha. Didn't miss the sarcasm. So, hidden as in people can't see them? Like ghosts?"

"Kind of. Except I can see almost everything else in the Hidden World."

"But not ghosts."

"Not ghosts."

"Okay because that makes sense...anyway, what else is in the Hidden World?"

 "The Children of Night, Lilith, Moon, and Earth."

"Uh-huh."

"You are in no place to give me the Crazy Look."

"Point taken," I sighed. "Who are the Children?"

"Vampires, warlocks, werewolves, faeries."

"Getting a little sci-fi on me Jamis."

"Ivy. I'm serious." Jamis looked at me steadily with those blue eyes of his. I wanted to believe him. Believe that I wasn't the only freak around. That maybe, just maybe, the world I saw wasn't all there was.

"Say for a minute I believe vampires, warlocks, werewolves and faeries exist. What does that make you?"

"I, and others like me, are what they call the Hidden Hunters. However, our need has decreased recently. The Children all can live for a great amount of time--most live forever. Centuries pass in a blink of an eye for them but they've grown tired of quarreling with each other like a bunch of school girls. Things have settled down."

"So what do Hidden Hunters...hunt?"

"The ones who go AWOL, any new nasty creature they feel like dredging up."

"Nasty creature?"

"Yes. The warlocks sometimes like to summon up demons and such."

"Demons as in Hell?"

"Ivy, you see dead spirits. Those who haven't passed on for whatever reason."

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "I think we just went through this."

"Mm. Yes, well, where do they go after they pass on? What happens to their spirit?"

I opened my mouth, then shut it. I opened it again. "They go to...Heaven?"

"You don't sound so sure."

"I'm not exactly a religious person."

Jamis sighed. "Religious or not, they go somewhere. If you wanted to go religious you could say all the wicked spirits go to Hell right? What else would be in Hell?"

"Lucifer. That is to say, Satan."

"Yes. What else other than the Devil himself?"

"His minions? Demons."

"Exactly. Anyway, the warlocks like to summon them up for a trifle."

"What do they do with them?"

"Wreak havoc on passerby, destroy cities, start wars. The like."

"Very funny Jamis. Joke around about what makes our world scary."

His eyes were very blue as they flashed. He leaned across the table. "Scary or no, I still do not possess the ability to see the spirits. And believe it or not, not every demon has the skill to manifest them self into a physical form."

"So some stay in a spirit form?"

"Of sorts. Not necessarily a spirit, but made of the same energies. I want you to help us."

I put my hand down on the table, rising up. "Jamis. Why should I believe you? How do I know this isn't a joke?"

"Ivy." He stood up as well. He put a hand under my chin, jerking my gaze to his. "When I joke, I laugh and smile. Am I laughing or smiling at the moment?"

I looked at him for a minute. His gaze remained flat, serious. "No," I whispered.

"Good. Do you believe me?"

"Yes," I whispered again.

He released his hold on me. "Then we're on the same page. I'm not the only Hunter who cannot see spirits. Not many Hunters can anymore. Which is why we need you."

"We?"

"There are others like me Ivy. We all live together. We've spread ourselves out around schools to moniter activity. There is no other place for information like a high school hallway or lunchroom."

"And why is that?"

"The gossip mill does turn out some pretty interesting stuff."

"That doesn't mean it's true."

"Does it now?" He grinned. "Meet me after school in the parking lot. I want you to meet some people."

"Hidden Hunters?"

"Not all of them." He picked up his tray, the food untouched. "But Ivy? If you tell anyone about any of this, I'll have to kill you."

"Even Michael?"

"Your friend? My guess is he's been listening the whole time. He's part of the Hidden World. He's safe. How about this: tell another living soul, I'll kill you. Have a great day." He gave a bright smile--too bright--and left.

At first, I thought he was joking about the killing me thing. But thinking of his tone, his expression, I knew he wasn't.