Reveille (The Hybrid Disasters, Book One)

Chapter 12: Do I Wanna Know?

I immediately became visible again. "Lyric?" I asked.

There was no response. I didn't know Lyric could disappear like that. In fact, since discovering he was a Demon, I had no idea what he was capable of. For all I knew, Lyric could have seen through my invisibility. It sure felt like he knew I was still in the hallway from the way he practically bored a hole through the spot where I stood. I lingered a moment to see if Lyric would reappear. When he didn't, I frowned. I didn't know why I was being so hostile with him in the first place. I wanted him around, so why was I trying to push him away?

I walked off and headed to find Lolly. I was upset with myself for being so childish toward Lyric. Yes, my feelings were hurt because he broke his word and returned a lot later than expected. So what, though? I needed to get a serious check on my emotions. Since the night at Club Dread, I had not been acting like myself. The old me was polite and respectful and definitely without temper. Now, I hardly recognized the person I'd become. I was always so angry. I disregarded other people's feelings and irrationally focused on the overwhelming number of emotions I felt throughout the day. Hagan said I was still transitioning, so I prayed that was the reason I was acting like a dissatisfied child. Supernatural puberty. As if the first trip through puberty wasn't enough.

"Addy!" Lolly exclaimed excitedly when I walked into our room. "How did it go with Lyric?"

I frowned. "He really didn't have much to say after I yelled at him for disappearing for so long."

"You are either really brave or really ignorant. Demons have extremely temperamental personalities. Whether one considers you a friend or not, it's never a good idea to yell at one or do anything else that could put them on the defensive."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously. I knew Lyric was used to getting his way, and he had a bad attitude, but she made it sound like there was a lot more to him than just a bad personality.

"It really sucks you weren't brought up in our world. You would have learned all about supes growing up. I don't mind answering all of your questions. I love talking about my world, and I'm more than happy to share everything I know, but I really think you should talk to Hagan about getting a tutor. There's no way you're going to learn about the history of each caste or about species in particular if you don't get some outside help."

She was right. I learned a lot reading through DPO's older files, but there still was not a lot I actually knew about the supernatural world.

"You're eighteen, Addy. I know you aren't sure if you're going to be staying here for much longer or not, but I think you should ask Hagan to let you in the Trainee program. Even if you don't want to become an agent, it wouldn't hurt to go through the training they go through. Instead of just training in self-defense and practicing your abilities, you'd be able to train offensively with your powers, and with various weapons too. Most importantly, you would attend classes regarding our world. You'd learn how to protect yourself against various species and learn their strengths and weaknesses."

"That's a good idea," I mused. "Hagan hasn't specified what he plans on doing with me, but it's obvious I'm a quick learner. I've basically mastered self-defense, and sparring comes naturally now. Plus, we aren't really making any more headway with my powers. I'll ask him about letting me participate in the program."

"He'll probably say yes," she said. "I'm so jealous. I have two more years until I can start training to become an agent. It feels like a lifetime."

"Just think of how much better of a trainee you'll be than the new ones who come along. You have such an advantage by growing up here. It'll go by fast," I said cheerfully.

"You're right," she said, smiling sweetly. Suddenly her smile disappeared, and her expression turned serious. "But really, be careful with Lyric, Addy. There's a reason Demons are the most feared creatures. They don't have control of themselves once they shade."