Hunter

Chapter Thirty - Learning Outside The Classroom

The room was glowing so brightly that I could see every single nook and cranny. No shadows were left anywhere, and I had to squint my eyes before they fully adjusted. A single flame danced in the palm of Aiden's hand, and he looked at me, his eyes passive and controlled, even though I could see the nervousness in them. After a moment, he extinguished the light and we were plunged back into the darkness.

I pushed open the door and rushed to my next class. The whole period all I could see was the fire that was in his hand. The class passed quicker than I thought possible, and in no time, I was unpacking my lunch from my bag, sitting across from Deirdre and Jasper.

"Hayley?"

"What?" I asked, halfway through chewing my PB&J.

"What's wrong?" Jasper asked. It was weird to see him back in school, acting like he hadn't gone rogue for a week on a search for something that he never found. He was back to being a normal high school student. Having done this for much longer than I had, I'm pretty sure that the transition was easier for him than it was for me.

"We need to talk about Aiden." The murderous look in his eyes wasn't as intense as it previously had been.

"What about Aiden?" Dee asked, chewing on a sub sandwich.

"He doesn't know that he's a Hybrid. I mean, he knows that he's something, but he just doesn't know what."

"How doesn't he know?" Jasper asked, looking slightly calmer.

"He's adopted."

"Yeah," Dee countered, "but his biological parents should've left him something that would give him a hint of some sort."

"Well, I didn't delve that deeply into the past. Anyway, he knows that we are the same as him, and he wants in."

"What do you mean, he wants in?" Jasper asked, mimicking my voice. I glared at him.

"He just wants information, that's all. Or at least, I hope that's all."

"Can we trust him?" Jasper asked skeptically while rubbing his foot.

"It wouldn't be the first time you've trusted an orphaned Hybrid."

"Yeah, but we've known you for all your life."

"Why should that matter? He can help us, with proper training and information, of course. I vote yes for telling him." Dee and Jas eyed each other, still not sure. Shrugging off their uncertainty, I stood and walked around the cafeteria, looking for the dark, tall mass that was Aiden Steel. I spotted him in no time, sitting at a table with four other footballers.

I headed towards their table. When he saw me, he stood up and met me halfway. His buddies started cheering and whistling, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. He turned around and flipped them the bird, before turning back to me with anxious eyes.

"What's up?" Without saying a word, I turned around and walked back to my table. He followed me, obviously eager to know what was up. Once I was back, I slid back into the empty booth and Aiden followed suit. I looked over at Jasper and saw a muscle working in his neck. Nudging Dee under the table, I darted my eyes to Jasper and back, signaling for her to try and keep him in check.

"You don't have to be here for this," I said to him. He shook his head, his eyes trained on his burger like it was the most interesting thing ever. After a moment, his breathing slowed, and his posture was less tense. Once he looked like he wasn't a ticking time bomb, I took the liberty of introducing one another, even though Aiden knew all of us like the back of his flaming hand.

"Guys, this is Aiden. Aiden, that's Deirdre, and this is Jasper." He nodded at each and every one of us, his eyes calm but nervous. We were all quiet for a moment, and before it could get awkward, I jumped in with both feet.