Demon Hunt

Chapter 2 Part 1

Auren wasn't the easiest person to wake in the mornings, and those were days when Kado would get her up for school. Waking her before dawn was next to impossible and often included the necessity of threats. He only had to follow through once before she learned he was serious. She didn't enjoy awakening to being drenched in freezing water. Still, it didn't deter her from trying to get more sleep when the opportunity presented itself, so he expected resistance every single time. Sighing, he pushed open her bedroom door. Time to get it over with.

"Auren, time to wake up," he said, giving her a nudge. She didn't move, so he prodded a little harder.

She groaned, without opening her eyes. "Too early."

"Get up." This was her last chance before the threat, although he often considered starting with it. It would probably save him some time. She had a change of clothes sitting on her dresser, so he set them on the foot of her bed. "You have 5 minutes to get dressed and get downstairs or I'll carry you to the tub. I'm sure a cold shower would help you wake up."

"You're evil," she said, moaning.

Before leaving her room, Kado tore her blankets from her and opened the window. Summer may have arrived, but the nights were always chilly on Appolia, especially when the wind came down from the north, as it was that morning. A gust came through the window sending shivers through her.

"You're worse than evil!" she cried out as Kado left the room.

From the bottom floor, he still heard her yelling, but the floor between them muffled her voice. He hoped she wouldn't wake the neighbors again with her complaining. He checked the clock when he heard her loud tromping down the stairs. Four and a half minutes had passed.

"There should be a law against getting out of bed before the sun," she muttered, glaring at him as she passed.

Kado pressed his lips together to stifle his mirth. "Aren't you a little overdressed? It will be warm where we're going."

Auren had thrown her snow pants and jacket over the clothes she had taken out for herself, and likely wore more clothing underneath. The thickness of her layers made it difficult for her to walk with her legs together, causing her to waddle. Even her feet looked double the size with the multiple pairs of woolen socks she had pulled over them.

She narrowed her eyes as he watched her. "It's not warm here. And maybe I wouldn't have been so cold if 'someone' hadn't opened my window."

"I hope you closed it," he said, though he knew it was likely the first thing she did after getting out of bed.

"Yes," she said with a slight growl to her tone.

"And locked it?"

Auren gave him her do-I-look-stupid expression. "What do you think?"

"The hydrocar is out front. Why don't you go get it started?" He handed her the key card. "I'll be out in a minute."

Kado grinned when he opened the driver's side door of his hydrocar. Auren was asleep in the front seat. She wrapped herself in the blanket from her backpack, which she now used as a pillow. He had to shift her legs out of his way so he could get in. The door squeaked as he pulled it shut, and he expected her to wake up complaining about his noisy old hydrocar, suggesting he needed to replace it. Usually she disguised her 'suggestions' as concern for his well-being as a courier, claiming he needed a safer vehicle. He knew her real reason was she hated being seen in his beat up piece of junk as she called it.

It was functional. That's all Kado cared about. Sure the body could have used a paint job and a few less dents, but he wasn't interested in the attention a new vehicle would draw. No one took notice of people without money. Of course, he couldn't explain his reasons to Auren. She would ask too many questions, and it would create a wider rift between them if she knew he was hiding something from her.

It was bad enough he had trouble bonding with her because of the loss he experienced when her mother had died giving birth to her. Frai was the only person who ever truly understood him and losing her was the hardest thing he'd ever gone though. His wife's loss didn't even affect him as much. He loved her, of course, but she died helping their people. It wasn't necessary for Frai to die the way she did. When the Galvadi invaded the Dark Isle, the stress caused her to go into labor prematurely. She hadn't been due to give birth for another month. Zain made Kado promise he would he would take care of Frai and protect their daughter. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do for his foster mother. He watched her die while saving Auren's life, upholding his vow to the Foramar. His ward looked so much like her mother, it served as a constant reminder of his failure to save her life as well.

Aurenstirred next to him and whimpered softly in her sleep. He touched her mind,calming her. He wanted her to rest a little longer. It would be nice to enjoy afew more hours of silence, and she'd be in a much better mood if she slept atleast until sunrise.