The Huntress

Part 3:Meeting HIM

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It was early in the morning, and the two friends were having breakfast in a common room of their faculty. There were mostly couches and a few armchairs, but they were sitting on a table. There were a few other students there, either eating or pretending to study. Laurel was silently eating her breakfast, while Sara was casually flipping through a textbook and giving small looks at her roommate.

She sighed a couple of times, but Laurel didn't seem to notice.

''When I returned, you weren't home,'' she said, impatiently, and closed the textbook with a thump. ''Where were you?''

''I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk.''

She stopped eating, and with the fork left in her hand for a few seconds, she tried to assess the situation.

''Alone at that time?'' asked Sara with open-wide eyes.

''I didn't leave the building,'' lied Laurel and kept eating, hoping her friend would stop with the questions.

Before Sara could make another comment, one of their friends, Maggie, ran towards their table.

''Did you hear?'' she asked them breathlessly and put her hands on the table to steady herself.

''Hear what?'' asked the two friends in unison, even though Laurel suspected what the big news was.

''A girl was found dead, probably robbery. Tim heard the cops discussing it. By evening the whole campus will be talking about it.''

Laurel wanted to avoid the limelight, but, apparently, with the enquiring Tim on campus and the scandalmonger students, that was impossible.

''Oh my God!'' said Sara and covered her mouth with her hands. ''What was her name?''

''Ana Gibbins. I met her once at a party. She was a kind girl.''

''Do the police have any clues?''

''No idea. Maybe Tim will tell us later. We have a study group in the evening, remember?'' said the girl with a slight tone of irony.

''Of course, I do. We'll meet you there,'' confirmed Laurel.

As soon as the girl left, Laurel got up.

''Where are you going?'' Sara asked her. ''You haven't finished breakfast.''

They looked at the half-empty plate and, even though she was still hungry, she said: ''I'm not hungry. I need to go to the library and take a book. I'll see you later.''

''Be careful.''

''I will. After all, it's daylight. Everyone is outside.''

She did go to the library but not to take a book. She needed a peaceful place to think, and she was pretty sure that the halls of their dorms would be full of people talking about the murder. She was glad that her plan had worked. Now it was time to act.

She didn't have enough clues to create a profile for that she needed more murders. The killer hadn't left anything behind, and she couldn't use her powers to trace him. She had tried to collect the murderer's blood from the girl's nails, but it wasn't enough for a tracking spell. It was a dead end. She could only go on with her patrol and hope that the next time she would arrive in time and catch him.

Lost in thought, the low growl of her stomach brought Laurel back to reality. Casually, she checked her phone. Sara sent her a message saying that she would meet Tim and the others. Laurel wasn't in the mood for chit chat. She left the library and went to the nearest café to grab something to eat. It was almost her turn to order after long waiting in the queue when she felt something strange, something she had never felt before.

It smelt wildflowers and rain, and the sense was already encircling her. She didn't want to turn around, but who was she to defy her inner will? She knew what she was going to see and, yet, she could never be prepared enough. She faced a pair of green eyes, the most beautiful and enchanted eyes she had ever seen. He was staring back at her unable to move. Her heart was racing and her mind started clouding. She couldn't stay there. She did the only thing she could come up with: she started walking fast, passed him, got out of the shop, and ran.