“You heard me, I killed him.” I repeated myself. It’s horrifying enough to confess to murder twice in one day, let alone repeat it.
The woman claiming to be Eve’s sister shook off her initial surprise. “And you expect me to believe you? How do I know your not trying to deceive me?”
I move to walk past her. Her ignorance was irritating, despite her stunning good looks. Being pretty gets you places, but she was pushing the limits. “I really don’t care what you believe Miss.”
She steps to block my new course. “Callie, and you should care hunter, what I believe determines your fate.”
Twice now she has got my name wrong, once could be a mistake, twice is deliberate. “Listen closely Callie.” I say in an unmistakable tone of irritation. “My name is Taylor, T A Y L O R, like the clothes fitter. Not Hunter, they are not even close. Now get out of my way before I move you.”
She remained stoic in her stubbornness. “Obviously I know your name, I address you by your title. Even one as fresh as you should know your title by now.”
“Okay, so you’re as crazy as that old man; I am going home before you do something as crazy as him.”
She stops me again, this time slightly less irritating. Looking in my eyes she gauges something in her mind. “You really don’t know what a hunter is?”
“Only in the sense of hunting deer or moose.” I reply cautiously.
“Mother will want to speak to you.” she announces having made some decision in her mind.
“If she is as crazy as you, then I want no part of it.”
“Oh she is worse than I am, but at the very least she will bring Eve with her.”
“Fine, but I am not arguing in front of my apartment again. Anywhere else will do.”
The sister looks me up and down arrogantly then walks away without another word. I watch her march off with an air of victory. Whatever she thinks she has won is moot if she can’t even remember a simple name like mine.
I am exhausted after being up all night then having to deal with that sister. I grab a quick bite to eat then find myself cozied up in bed minutes later.
Hours pass of restless sleep. I am woken to the sound of people in my bedroom. “He does look like him.”
Thinking I must be dreaming I ignore it. “But, if he is who you think he is then we are all in great danger.”
I start awake at the sound of a second woman’s voice and sit up quickly. These women are in my bedroom having an argument while I sleep.
“You know as well as I do that those things are just half baked fantasies from stoners.” the eldest says ignoring my sudden stirring.
“What are you doing in my room?” I ask more confused than anything else.
“Shhh, the adults are talking.” the oldest on says down her nose at me.
“Now just one minute, who do you think you are coming into my room and talking to me like that?”
“Listen Hunter, your fate is on the line here. The least you can do is respect the queen.”
That voice! “Callie! What queen? Somebody better explain a great deal of things before I decide to call the police.”
“Perhaps you should come talk with me in the living room.” Comes a sorrowful voice in the corner.
“Eve? Finally a person I can trust!”
“Yes little hunter, you should go with her before you provoke my ire.”
Provoke your ire? I have had enough. Leaping from my bed I turn to face her. “Whoever you think you are holds no bearing over me. If you think you can come to my home and treat me with anything but respect your not only ignorant but you will live to regret it!”
The outburst was way outside my character, but too many insults have come to pass. Without looking directly at me she seems to silently order Eve to remove me from my own bedroom. She takes my hand and gestures for me to follow. I grudgingly follow with one final glare at the “queen”.
“We brought something to show you.” she begins as we transit to the living room.
“Oh, and here I thought you were all here to insult me and call me Hunter.” I reply wiping sleep from my eye. I know she doesn’t deserve that kind of harshness, That woman just drives my limits. Very strange for someone I just met.
“Not Hunter, a Hunter, more specifically, we suspect that your the First Hunter.”
“Did the bump on your head scramble some eggs?”
“As for that, yes, I owe you a great thanks. He might have killed me had you not interfered.”
“I just did what…. Why is there a spear on my coffee table?” I pause confused by the weapon. “This is what you brought me? Look I don’t know what your family thinks of me, or why. I don’t plan on making a habit of killing people. In fact, I think I would prefer it was just a one night thing.”
“Look, there is a really long story to go with this, and I am not sure your going to believe much of this but it’s important to try.”
“Are you going to tell the story?”
“Yes, for now, you seem to trust me. That is important for what I am about to tell you.”
“I will listen to you.”
“Then I will start with introductions. I am Eve, but then, I have been known as Erato among other names. More importantly, I am a six thousand year old subspecies of humans the Greeks came to call the Muse.”
I could not help but laugh.
