The Hunter

Good Luck

I opened up my large duffle bag, preparing to throw in every piece of clothing I could. I had no idea how long the mission would take, or what kind of tricks we were going to have to do to pull it off. I couldn't help but feel like this was a suicide mission. We should have had someone with experience going with us. I could only hope that my father had planned on someone else joining us and was just waiting to introduce them. 

"How long do we have to complete the mission?" Ivy asked me, pulling me from my inner panic attack. 

She had been sitting quietly on my bed for the last thirty minutes, probably just as worried and nervous as I was. Neither one of us was ready to kill someone. No sixteen year old should have to do something so horrible.  

I tossed her the manila envelope that my father had given me only an hour earlier. It held all the information on the future Alpha and the pack he would be leading. There was a full breakdown of every single member, down to what color hair-dye the ladies used. It was extremely thorough and I only made it to page three before I gave up.  

"He didn't specify, I'm sure he will let us know before we leave though," I sighed, shoving the last few necessities into my bag.  

"Don't forget this," Ivy said, handing me a small picture.  

It was a picture that I found in my dad's office a few years back when he sent me in for some paperwork. I brought the picture out and my father said it was me and that I could keep it. It was so much different from any of the pictures of me around the house, which were posed and boring. This one was me on a swing, it looked as though it was taken from a distance. I was maybe three or four. My hair was blowing recklessly in the wind and I had a huge smile on my face. I loved the picture so much because I looked genuinely happy and I didn't have one happy memory in my head. It was a reminder that my life with my family was good at one point. I took the small worn out photo with me every time we went out of town and looked at it whenever I was upset.  

"Thanks," I smiled, tucking the photo into the back pocked of my worn out jeans.  

I zipped up my bag and set it next to the door then joined Ivy on my bed. Neither one of us spoke, we were both too caught up in our own thoughts. I really couldn't understand how this was happening. Usually you were 18 and sent with a skilled hunter when you got your first kill, but I wasn't sure if my father was sending anyone with us. I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't though. Was he trying to prove that females couldn't cut it? Did he realize that if we got caught we could be killed? Did he even care? 

A small knock on my door had both me and Ivy sitting at attention, "Come in," I called out.  

"Your father is ready to see you, in the living room," My mom said. She didn't even enter my room, she just stood in the door frame.  

"Thanks mom," I sighed out.  

She nodded in response and walked away.  

"Wow, she's just so damn loving," Ivy said with an eye roll.  

"Tell me about it," I added.  

We walked out of my room with our bags hung over our shoulders. I could feel the tension in my body increase with every step I took. All of a sudden my loose fitting t-shirt felt to small and my lungs couldn't seem to fill correctly. I was on the verge of a full blown panic attack that would only give my father more to use against me.  

"Breathe," Ivy hissed at me as we reached the bottom step.  

I nodded taking a few deep breaths to calm myself. It was slightly helpful with my lungs, but it did nothing for my stomach, which was about to empty its contents all over the floor. I turned the corner that led into the living room where my father waited and stopped short. My father was nowhere to be seen, but Web was sitting comfortably on the couch. 

I rushed over to the couch, dropping my bag in the process, "What are you doing here?" I whisper yelled.  

"I don't know," Web answered in an equally strained and hushed tone.  

"Are you going with us?" Ivy asked with complete disbelief covering her face.  

"I. Don't. Know." Web said, separating each word with irritation.  

"No way, you can't go," I hissed. He really couldn't go. He had never even gone out on a scouting mission, there was no way they would send him with two girls on their first kill mission. It wouldn't be right. We were already a huge risk, adding Web into the mix would make it worse. No, my father wouldn't do that. Would he? I was starting to think that I didn't even know the man that raised me. 

"Sit down," My father ordered as he walked into the room.  

I followed the order immediately, "Dad, what's going on?" I couldn't help but ask. My level of worry for Web had taken over the side of my brain that thought about what I was going to do before I did it. I knew immediately that I had messed up by talking when my father narrowed his eyes at me and curled his upper lip in disgust.  

"Did you look at your mission folder?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.  

"Yes sir," Ivy and I answered quickly. I knew that since I was lying that Ivy was too. She never read the mission folders, I read them and then filled her in, but this time I was too wound up to sit still long enough. Besides, I had only just shown her the folder maybe thirty minutes prior.

"Good," he barked out. "You two will be taking James with you, he needs to get his feet wet." 

"What?" I yelled jumping to my feet. "He can't go, this is a kill mission and he has never even gone scouting!" 

"He could get killed!" Ivy added in, also jumping up.  

"You're questioning me?" My father asked in calm tone. "You think you know more about hunting than I do?" 

"No dad, but you told me that I couldn't go on a kill mission until I had a year of scouting under my belt and I had to be 18. I'm 16 and have only had six months training," I pleaded.  

"Yeah and James has none," Ivy added, pulling herself into the same troubling situation that I was in. We were back talking my father and that was never a good idea.  

"Sit down and shut up, the both of you," He ordered, his calm façade was slipping quickly.  

Ivy sat down immediately, but I wasn't as smart, "Dad, please listen. This is a horrible idea, the whole mission is a horrible idea.We're not ready." 

My father's face took on a deep red color as he stalked over to me. It took every ounce of pride I had in my body not to cringe away from him. "Sit down," he growled. 

"Please dad," I began again, but didn't get very far before the backside of his hand flew up and struck my face.  

My head immediately whipped to the right as my hand shot up to cup my cheek. He had never hit me before, not once, no matter how mad he was. I brought my face back to his, lowering my hand to the side. I felt the hot tears rolling down my face but I made no noise. I slowly sat down on the couch, fear forcing me into obedience.  

"Any other opinions?" My father asked, turning towards my two wide eyed friends. In response they both shook their heads. "Very well. All three of you will be going on this mission," he paused and shot me a look, daring me to challenge him. When I stayed silent he smiled and continued, "This mission is extremely important. I want that future Alpha killed, and I want Emily to do it." He paused again, allowing his words to sink into our heads. To say I was beside myself in shock would be putting it mildly. "I don't care how long it takes, you three do not come back unless the job is done. I don't care if one of you gets hurt, or even dies. No one returns until the boy is dead. Understand?"  

We all nodded. What else could we have done? 

"Good, now get your bags and go. It's a three hour drive." I stood up and grabbed my things. Web and Ivy moved slightly quicker than I did, leaving me alone with my father. "Emily," he said, fake calmness back in full force.  

"Yes father?" I asked politely, not meeting his eyes.  

"Good luck."