Demon Hunters: Book 1 Faith [editing]

Chapter 54

Zoe,

I thought you said there is no honor in harming the weak. Didn't you almost kill that boy, Austin, the other day? It wasn't his fault that you dropped my letter in the hallway.

Do be more careful next time. We can't have all your friends asking about who I am. Mason will have a heart attack. The poor human nearly died when Crispin showed up at the lunch table yesterday.

You really ought to be more considerate of the humans. They are easy to break and more fragile on the inside. Especially teenagers. Emotional creatures.

Ren

P.S.: That Austin kid has been snapping pictures of you on his phone. Something not right about him.

P.P.S.: I'm impressed with how you saved that girl yesterday. Instead of always killing humans, you might consider saving them more often. Even the worst of them, far more evil that Mason's father, deserves a second chance. Doesn't it make you wonder which of us is really the "demon"?

Zoe found this latest note in her English binder and read it on her way to English class. How dare he suggest that I am a demon! The notion infuriated her.

She barreled through the halls with such intensity that other students had to dodge to get out of her way. She barged into Mrs. Willow's classroom and plopped into her desk with a thud.

Mrs. Willow had written something on the board, but turned around. "Oh, Zoe, you're the first one here."

Zoe opened her textbook and flipped to the chapter containing "Walden" by David Henry Thoreau. She wasn't in the mood to chat.

"Are you feeling okay?" Mrs. Willow approached her.

"I'm fine," she nearly growled, but the teacher wasn't deterred.

Mrs. Willow knelt besides her desk. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know, it's okay to be upset. That's just part of being in high school."

At least she isn't touching me. Zoe sighed.

"Want to talk about it?"

She thought about the argument with Zacharias and about almost killing Austin and about Crispin and those professors and Ren. She couldn't tell Mrs. Willow any of that.

"It's been a tough couple of days, that's all."

"I can understand that. If you need me to give you a library pass so you can relax and have some downtown, I can do that." Mrs. Willow's smile was genuine.

Zoe thought back to what Riley said about people who commit suicide, how they didn't have any real friends. But there are people everywhere, people like this teacher, who care, just because they care.

"I'll be okay," Zoe finally said. "Thanks."

"No problem. My offer still stands whenever you need it." Mrs. Willow returned back to the board to finish writing the daily announcement.

Her classmates trickled into the classroom, the loudest of them being Riley. "Open sesame!" she yelled at the door. Then Dominic opened the door for her. "I have such awesome powers!" She was down to using just one crutch now.

"Hi, Zoe," Dominic said, as he placed Riley's backpack on the desk near her. "See ya at lunch."

"Yes, see ya," she replied, mirroring his use of the vernacular.

Riley sat down and scooted her desk closer. "Remember the plan, Zoe. We got to get them alone together."

"That's right. Alone."