The Hunter (SEQUEL TO Hunted)

Chapter 1

Two years. That's how long it's been since we crushed Cam. Since Ryder embraced his sexuality. Since the texts stopped. Since my first step as a leader, but being the leader isn't always the greatest. Especially when you have a constant target, the size of Asia, on your back.
    "Hero?" Tyler waves a hand in front of my face. We're standing in the middle of the hall inside the gang house.
    "Hm?" I hum as an answer. He shakes his head.
    "Pay attention. We need to find out what to do with Josh." Oh right. I start to walk down the hall, greeting my fellow floating members.
    "Alright. You have my undivided attention." I turn a sharp left, heading into my office. Everyone was already there for the meeting Tyler and Anne organized.
    "What is this about anyways?" I ask, directing the question to Anne. She spares Tyler a quick glance.
    "Well actually," She starts, looking in Tyler's direction once again. She starts twirling around in her seat.
    "It's about you." Tyler finishes. I stare at back with a clueless face. Anne slowly stands.
    "You might want to sit down for this." She gently eases me into a chair. I look up at her confused. She turns and whispers something in Tyler's ear. He nods and she leaves the room. All eyes now turn to him.
    "Your birth family," He sits across from me. My whole body goes rigid. "The so called 'accident' was a planned kill." I feel numb. It had to be lie, right?
    "No. It can't be true!" As I stand abruptly my chair falls to the ground with a loud thud. Ryder gets up and rushes to my side. He reaches to lay his hand on my shoulder but I just bat it away.
    "Hero, it's true." Anne says, coming back through the door. I look at her hands that are basically glued to her side, holding a pile of ruffled papers. She flops the pages on the giant meeting table.
    "Look." She grabs one off the pile and hands it to me. I hesitantly take it from her hands.

    January 30th, 2003
Tonight there was another attack by the Undertakers gang. Three kills in one night, looked planned. One teenage boy classified as Magnus and his parents Abby and Gary Dobou. Luckily, the younger sister; Hero, wasn't caught in the situation and was safe in her household along with a nanny. Unfortunately, she must be put up for adoption since her Aunt Jane Doe won't take her. We will have to change her name and status to keep her out of harm's way. We must assign the family's original friend to be her child service provider; someone the family all together could trust to watch over her and be sure that when she gets adopted that she would be safe and in a friendly environment.
Hero might not ever understand this so it must be kept as classified information until she or her Aunt comes for these files.

I was never aware that I had any family left.
I look up at Anne with tears on the brink of falling out. I give her back the sheet. She smiles and takes it freely.
"Hero, I'm sorry." She says. I nod.
"I want to read all these. Alone." I glance around the room. Anne nods and gestures everyone out. When Ryder gets to the door he stops and turns back to me.
"Hey," I look at him then back down at the floor. "Just don't be too long okay; Victor wants to take you to dinner tonight." He winks at me before leaving me alone. I turn back to the papers with a ghost of a smile on my face. I pick up the next piece of paper. It was a shorter entry then the first.

February 3rd, 2003
Philippe got someone to take in Hero today. They signed all the papers saying that they understood that she has responsibilities and they must not tell anyone; especially their children. Otherwise their lives would all be put at risk. Hero must not come into contact with anyone with relations to the Undertakers gang for her life is already on the line from not dying. She has a constant target on her back, now more than ever. We must keep her in our watch for her own protection for there are more than one threats coming after her.

I turn the page over and set it aside, picking up the next. I skimmed through a lot that didn't have any importance. On the last file was everything about my mystery Aunt.

August 29th, 2005
Jane came to the station to drop off some papers; for Hero if she stops by. She probably has no idea that it was a planned attack or that she has a living relative. With this in mind we must all be careful about what rumours are going around and must always keep Hero away from Josh. I don't know exactly what part he plays in this yet, but I know he is in it. The Undertakers gang have him on their list but we have lost contact with the boy for a while now.
Hero will be contacted when she reaches the legalized age for taking custody of these papers, until then they must remain in the storage room as a classified case.
Trust nobody.
Jane did leave her personal information:
Address: 42 Deathnote Street, Benjy, Jarrett
Phone #: 290-666-7816 (cell)
Postal code: SAF 23V
Job: Krusty Krab fry cook
Travels a lot
Hobbies: Part time author

I look up from the sheet, processing the information provided.
"Hero?" I look towards the entrance to see Victor standing there twirling his car keys on his finger, leaning against the door frame.
"Hey. I'll be out in a minute, I'm just cleaning up." I start to stack the papers. I hear him sigh and footsteps echoing throughout the hallway. I quickly make sure no one is watching before grabbing the sheet with my Aunt's information written on it, folding it into a tiny square and holding it in a clenched hand. I walk into the living room where everyone is laughing at a movie.
"Okay, Victor." His laughter stops. Everyone else's slowly following.
"Okay." He stands up and waves his farewell to the others. As we get outside he doesn't say anything as he walks towards his truck.
***
After a few minutes of driving, we arrive at a large opening in the middle of the forest. Victor still hasn't said a word since we left the gang house. When he reaches for the handle I lock the door. He looks at me.
"What the hell, Hero!" He turns and jiggles the handle, struggling with the lock.
"No, Vic. What's up with you; you haven't said anything." I state crossing my arms. His eyes drift to the floor darting back to me, before taking their place on the floor. He shrugged.
"Just in a self-conflict." He turns away from me and unlocks the car. I see him get out but I couldn't bring myself to move.
The last self-conflict he had ended up with him almost killing himself. When he was younger he had a bad case of schizophrenia. He went to therapy for a few years, he even made the effort by staying in an old asylum. Only me and my family got to visit him in there though or else he would throw a fit and try to kill the people. Some of his doctors came down with bad injuries from trying to get him to eat his food.
That stays with you and if that mental door is ajar then it isn't a door but a space of weakness.
"No, nothing like last time." He said, opening my door. I slowly slide out. I can only manage a nod. He sighs and takes my hand (opposite the one with the note) in his, a small smile taking over his face. Not one in his eyes but one that holds a lifetime's worth of secrets. I slide the paper into my jean pocket.
"Hero, we have to be back for Anne's surprise party for Josh tonight at nine o'clock. However, it is also our two year anniversary so I decided to take you to your favorite spot or what used to be." After a few more steps we stop at a ginormous tree stump in the middle of the forest void of any other trees.
"I remember you coming here to think when you were a kid." Victor said, turning to me. "Usually you were with your brother." I look at the stump, slowly making my way towards it
It always seems to draw me towards it whenever I'm near it. I can't explain it.
Once I reach the giant stump I place my palm on top of the smooth, glossy surface. I take a deep breath of the maple filled air.
"Hero?" Victor voices.
"Do you ever get that feeling where you don't want to talk to anybody, you don't want to smile, and you don't want to fake being happy but at the same time you don't know what's the matter?" I blurt. He stops. After a few minutes of silence he clears his throat.
"Yes." He folds his hands and places them in front of himself.
"Good, then you know you're human." I sit on the slick surface. He looks baffled for a moment, than moves to join me on the stump.
"Hero, what's so important about this tree?"
"This tree is where my brother took me on my fourth birthday." I lay back and look at the sky turn to night. "He said that when I became the leader that this spot would help clear my mind and think of the solution not the problem. So when I come here I look up at the sky and think about the fact those stars can't shine without darkness."
"Huh." Victor mumbles.
"The thing is though is that this is where all the leaders get trained by the leader before." I get up from my position, getting ready to leave. "Except me." I mumble.
"Hero, none of this was your fault. Your parents were in an accident, nothing could've stopped that person from hitting them." I nod, already walking towards the car.
"C'mon!" I call. "We're gonna be late!"