Pennies For Peace

chapter 1

"Lacey, they need you in the QR," called a nasal voice over the loudspeaker. I sighed and put down my textbook before getting up and leaving my dorm room, checking my appearance in my full-length mirror as I passed it. As always, I was 5 feet, 7-and-a-half inches tall with chin-length dirty blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and striking features on my pale yet somehow tanned skin. Grinning, I passed my mirror and walked down the long hallway, strutting past Tom, the security guy, and giving him a saucy wink just because I could. He winked back jokingly and I laughed aloud. We did this all the time, but we were never actually flirting with each other. After all, Tom was somewhere in his late twenties and I was 17.

Hold up. Sorry, face palm moment. I'm Lacey, an initiate in the PFP. Also known as the Pennies For Peace Organization. But no, we aren't just some hippie group campaigning for world peace. We're active in the realistic front of the real world.

Basically, we're demon hunters.

Yeah, yeah, I know. You're just bubbling with excitement about this. You're just all "That's so cool!" and "Can I join?" But no, it is not cool, and no, you can't just join. Not that I would advise it anyway. Why? Because this place sucks @ss!

That's right, you heard me. Here at the illustrious PFP, you're either training, exercising, barely eating, barely sleeping, studying monstery demon things (like I just was), hunting monstery demon things, or questioning monstery demon things.

By now you're probably wondering about the name. I mean, I would, too. "Pennies For Peace" is an....interesting....name for a group of demon hunters. Basically it's all about the initiate's motivation. Every time we successfully track, interrogate, or kill a demon, we get a penny. At the end of initiation, we use those accumulated pennies in a sort of auction for available jobs as full-fledged members of the PFP. So the more demons you deal with, the more pennies you get, and the less likely you are to end up a janitor in the QR.

That reminds me, back to the story. Anyway, I walked into the outer room of the QR (Questioning Room) to pick up the packet of info for the poor demon that got me as an interrogator. See, I tend to get more than a little violent. The Council let it slide, though, since I was the best initiate they got. Not to brag, it's just the facts. None of the other initiates even got inside the wrestling ring with me anymore.

Sighing, I glanced at the packet. I didn't bother with the name, though that would turn out to be a big mistake. I just looked at the species. Vampire, Newly Turned, the packet said. Excellent. The newly turned were more volatile. I chuckled as I remembered the many times I'd ticked off the newly turned demons just to watch them blow. It was awesome how much anger these guys held.

Grinning wickedly, I eased open the door and slipped inside fluidly. I was turned toward the door when I came in. I let my famous smirk stretch across my features before I turned. That was when my face dropped into a mask of shock probably identical to the one across the interrogation table from me.

"Lacey?" he asked disbelieving. I nodded numbly, still in shock. Betrayal and hurt immediately flashed across his face before he shifted warily in his seat. I broke through my haze enough for one word.

"Danny?" I gasped, and he nodded. My jaw dropped as our memories flashed through me. The memories of the years we'd been friends, then the months we'd spent dating before he disappeared.

I couldn't believe it. I ran. Out of the QR, past the startled secretary, past a freaked-out-at-seeing-me-run-scared Tom, down the long hall, and into my room. I slammed my dead bolt shut and pressed my back against the door. I slowly slid down to the hardwood floor as the first tears escaped, blurring the purple and black color scheme of my dorm. When those traitors escaped, the dam burst. I sobbed on the floor as fists pounded on my door and people shouted at me to open it. I barely heard them over my cries. Inside my tears, I screamed one word at the fate for Daniel.

"No!"

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When one of the full-fledged PFP members finally managed to break down my door, I was curled up in a ball on the floor, rocking as I sat there in shock. They approached me slowly, and I recognized distantly that it was Samuel, one of my few instructors. He approached me slowly, cautiously. Palms up, he stepped toward me like you would a cornered animal. When I realized what he was doing, I let out an animalistic growl at him and darted to press my back against the wall, seeing as my doorway was blocked with concerned initiates and PFP members.

All of them flinched at the sound I made, reminding them that I wasn't fully human like the rest of them. I was half werewolf, but it only showed when I felt threatened.

Like right now.

I snarled and snapped at them as I edged my way toward the window. It was the nearest of the dozens of escape routes I had from this room. As they stood statue still, I reached the window and jumped. There were no gasps from behind me. They all knew I'd be back soon. This wasn't the first time I'd done this.

I ran to the woods and onto a path that I frequented. I pushed my body into a flat out sprint and used the exertion to busy my mind. When I finally flopped to the ground, exhausted, I pulled out the phone provided by the PFP and sent a quick text to my friend Bell.

Tell them I need to talk to the prisoner they wanted me to interrogate. They can do the interrogating, they just can't kill him.

                                                                                                                -Lacey

I hit send and dragged myself up off the ground. It was getting dark, and I wasn't in the mood for a fight with a vampire. As I started back, techno erupted quietly from my phone, telling me I had a text. I looked, and it was from Bell. Annoyed, I opened it.

Lacey! WTH!!! What was THAT?! You burst before, but not like that! Explain. NOW. >:(

Grumbling, I answered.

Meet me in my room. I'll explain there.

Bell texted back, You better, before I shoved my phone in my pocket and trekked back to the headquarters. I shoved my angry way through curious PFP people in the commons as I made my way to the stairs that would take me to my room, and solitude as soon as I took care of Bell.

I walked through my new door to Bell shouting.

"LACEY! WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU RUN OFF LIKE THAT? WHY DID YOU TELL ME TO KEEP A VAMPIRE ALIVE? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? WHY-"

"Shut up, Bell!" I snapped, and she glared at me. This took my anger up again, but instead of attacking her, I blurted,"That vampire is the reason I accepted being a demon hunter in the first place!" She was obviously confused, so I shouted at her,"THAT'S DANIEL, YOU IDIOT!"

Her jaw dropped. I slapped my hands over my mouth. Before I started crying again, I shoved Bell out of my dorm room and screamed angrily into my pillow. I thought for barely a moment before changing and going to the training room. I needed a fight.

And I knew just who to go to.