Hunter Academy - Book 1

SUPERNATURAL

JESSICA

We pile back into the Jeep and take off for home. I let us sit in silence for a few minutes before I start asking questions again.

"So, you said it's you three, a council of three and a single person in Charleston who know about the supernatural side of life. Why that person? Why are they special?" I'm genuinely curious.

"Because he's really good with computers, and none of us are. He's with the Academy, and we can trust him completely. He's kept our secret for years now." Leo answers.

"Isn't that hard on him?"

"It is a little bit. He has to keep it from his partner and team."

"I would never be able to keep that secret. I've already told you, I can't lie to save my life. So how many people are there in you Academy?" Dane answers this time.

"I don't know the exact number, but we have people all over the world. Most major cities have branches, and there's at least one in every state in the U.S., and at least one in every country in the world."

"Really? Even those little countries that you see in the 'Help A Starving Child' commercials? I thought you all helped the less fortunate."

"We do. Those people you see in those commercials are almost exclusively Academy people. We can only do so much to help. Our resources aren't unlimited. And we have to try to retain our anonymity."

"That's fair. So how does the Academy choose its people?"

"Some of us are legacies. Our parents or grandparents were Academy, and we grew up with it. Then, some of us had not so great home lives, and the Academy helped us out."

"Helped you how?"

"Have an abusive parent, they help remove them. Parent can't find a job, they help find a job. Have a parent who is alcohol or drug addicted, they get them help. The point is to try to help make kids' home lives better. We can't always completely fix the situation, but we can make it tolerable. We can recruit kids and get them a better education than what they would receive from whatever school they would normally go to, as well. We all help each other out, with whatever we need."

"Sounds like a good organization."

"I like to think we are."

"So what all is out there? I mean, I know demons exist, obviously, but what about vampires and werewolves?"

"Yes, vampires and werewolves exist. As do, wendigos, Gods, angels, skinwalkers..."

"Wait, you can't throw names of things out there. You have to explain about them." All the guys laugh at me. "What? I'm a naturally curious person, and I'm learning about something completely new to me, you have to expect me to have a lot of questions." I tell them unapologetically. "Vampires. Are they all sparkly like in Twilight? Or are they like in normal books. Sun? Garlic? Wooden stake to the heart?"

"Okay, okay. Vampires. No they aren't sparkly. That's purely the imagination of Stephenie Meyer. They cannot walk around in the sunlight, garlic doesn't affect them at all. A wooden stake to the heart will only piss them off. Dead man's blood, or the blood of a dead person, will slow them down considerably, but the only way to kill them is to cut off their head." I absorb this for the future.

"What was that word you said? Wendago?"

"Wendigo. The name means 'evil that devours.' They used to be human, originating with the Cree Indians. When they got lost in the winter and ran out of food, they would resort to cannibalism, in turn, turning them into supernatural monsters. It stores its victims for future meals, keeping them alive. It's the same classification as vampires and werewolves, and can often look like a werewolf. The only way we have found that kills them is fire. Sam killed one once by shooting it with a flame thrower." I'm floored. What a nasty creature.