Twisted Blood

At 22:45, was lunch. While Marcus was draining the life out of a live stem, Simon-Paul and Kenneth were eating ham sandwiches with Lloyd. Dane was leaning into a tree on the rear end of the west wing of Dunon Academy. Scarab and Anubis - Sayeed's dobermans - were occupied with their chew toys, in the garden. Ankh, the grey wolf, stealthily followed Ridley into the darkness. Already suspicious of the new hunter, Dane followed Sayeed's wolf. Ridley vanished into the stables and settled on the low wall of Mako's pen. Ankh sniffed the stable doors meticulously before letting herself in.

Ankh leaped to her hind legs to sniff Mako's nose and Ridley's lap. She was large and clearly friendly, despite being trained to kill. Very seldomly are canine hunters male. Berserk was one of few. Canine hunters were commonly female because of their temperament. A canine (dog, wolf, coyote even jackal or hyena) are selected carefully for quick bursts of speed, stamina, agility and manoeuvrability. Temperament is critical; their must remain responsive under pressure and not become excited or difficult to control. Hyenas were an exception.

The wolf's silvery eyes closed when she rested her head into Ridley's lap. The huntress ignored the wolf and dug for her lunch. Dane quietly crept into the stables then leaned against the pen door with Ankh next to him.

"You okay, despite the obvious?" She only dug into her grilled chicken salad. "That's good." He took in Ankh's vest and saw her body camera was turned off. "What do you think of Sayeed?" The huntress took a mouthful of lettuce wordlessly while Mako took in the grey wolf. "I get that he just got here but didn't you think it was a little strange that his dogs were following us?"

"Protocol."

"'Protocol'," Dane echoed. "How is this protocol?" Ridley stuffed her mouth with a grilled chicken strip. "New environment requires recon. Is that what you're getting at?" Ridley set her cherry tomato halves in Mako's feeding bucket. "Okay, I'll give him that. But why us, in particular? Why not Ryan and Jason because they were uncouthed. Charter House is strict; Ryan and Jason would have be suspended for what happened in Clarke's office. Or maybe even disciplined for insubordination. We did everything by the book: we were quiet; we didn't question authority; and we were obedient."

"Salad?"

"Nah, I'm good," he replied casually. "Something's up with him. I can feel it." It was Mako's turn to sniff Ankh and the wolf licked his lower jaw. "What about you? You don't smell like a garbage site anymore. What did you do?" Mako leaned over his pen while Ankh continued to lick him. Ridley dug in her bag for her can of Coke. "Nothing? So you think it was just a flare up? Temporary."

Ridley shook her head then held up her palm. A small ball of fire formed in her palm. "I can feel it," she replied nonchalantly. "Feels like nothing's changed yet something's changed."

The curious Dane reached to touch the small flames. "Huh," he said when he didn't feel any heat from the fire. He allowed the flames to engulf his entire hand, feeling the closeness of Ridley's hand. "It's not hot. It's actually kind of cold. Ah!" He whipped his hand out of the frigid inferno. "Ow," he added massaging his hand.

Ridley took in the orange flames coolly. She hummed thoughtfully while Dane tried to heat up his hand. "Sorry," was all she said and so emotionlessly, at that. He nodded understandingly in reply then took in how hypnotised she was by her own capabilities.

Dane cupped her hand in his and her flames' hues hithered from vibrant orange to ghostly white. Unsuspecting Dane - too intrigued by the flames - didn't feel his crush lean into him. Only when her hair fell forward did he feel how close she was. He leaned his forehead into hers, still watching the white flames in her palm.

"Where's this coming from," Dane asked at last. "D'you think you were born with it?"

"Then Ryan has it."

"Yeah, she's not exactly subtle; if she could do this, everyone would know." Ridley extinguished the frozen white fire. "Maybe it's something you unlocked. Renee could have passed the eldritch gene on to both of you; it could've been dormant," Dane hypothesized. "Like, something happened to you that didn't happen to Ryan. What do you have that she doesn't?" Ridley exhaled coldly then packed up her lunch and slid off the pen. "You're not remotely interested in how you got this, are you?"

"Rule one."

Ankh's confusion matched Dane's when he looked down at her. "What?" Ridley stuffed her leftovers into her satchel wordlessly. "What does that have to do with anything?" She stared blankly at him. "Never expect a fair fight. Is that it? You plan on using it in the field?"

"The fight wouldn't be fair."

"Okay. Now I'm very lost."

"This," she gestured to her palm that was no longer on fire, "is unfair. A hunt isn't fair."

"So you don't want to make the fight any more unfair than it already is?" Ridley turned to see Ankh licked her lips after her encounter with Mako. "What if the fight is against you? Will you use it then?" Ridley shook her head then exited the stables. "What if it's a life or death sit...?"

"No."

Ankh wagged her tail eagerly at Mako before following Ridley out. As they left the horse house, Herman - the school vet - ruefully trudged into the stables. "Ah, Ms Axel," he greeted. "I'm glad I caught you." Ridley cleared her throat lowly. "Bad news, I'm afraid." His grey goatee was tied and ended passed his collarbone. "Your mount. He hasn't eaten in three days. I've ome to do a checkup; I will have you personally informed."

She nodded wordlessly then looked back at Mako, who didn't look any deprived than he did the last time she saw him. Herman, with his stem's blood dripping from his lip, continued into the stables. Mako turned to Ridley and a shiver ran down her spin. Ankh, nestled into her hip then gently bit her hand.

"Can you smell the scent shift in animals," Ridley directed to Dane.

"Um... sort of." She turned to raise an eyebrow at him. "I'd have to be around them for a while to get the just of them before I can pick up a shift." He turned back to Mako and Herman, who was letting himself into the pen. "He didn't smell particularly off. Then again, I've only been around Mako a handful of times. Why?"

The huntress shook her head then continued back to the school buildings. Passed the bleachers was a small stretch of no man's land and parking before the art classrooms. Ankh snarled on the path between the teacher's parking area and crouched down defensively.

Ridley pressed her earpiece - which she always wore - deeper into her ear. There was nothing out of the ordinary happening around the teachers' quarters. Dane paused stiffly at Ridley's side. He tuned his senses to their surrounding and his pupils dilated as he pulled out his gun from his inner blazer pocket. "We are... outnumbered," he stated softly. "By a lot!"

"This's Ridley Axel," she began softly into her earpiece. "Thermal scans on sector eight and nine." She too armed herself with her staff. Ankh crossed in front of Ridley defensively. "Intelligence, do you copy?" Skeptically she turned to Dane. "Static."

He reached into his pocket to speed dial Jakob. "My uncle's not picking up," he stated worried. "Intelligence is down. We're blind."

Ridley glanced down at Ankh. All canine hunters had emergency pings in their vests. Sayeed would immediately be notified! The huntress turned on the tracer before standing back-to-back with Dane. He pulled out a second gun and loaded a round into the chamber.

"Ridley, I can't do this again," the Danish ampyra admitted ruefully. "I can't... hunt. I-it's not me. I don't kill," he whispered.

She ignored him flatly. The grey wolf snarled while the lights around the parking were snuffed out. "Too close to the moon students," Ridley stated.

Dane sighed defeatedly then nodded. "They might chase us to the river if we give them a reason. Unit 10 is down there; we can ambush them," he whispered. Ridley unsheathed her karambit and slashed her palm wide open. Dane sniffed the air pensively before picking up her blood. "Are you crazy! You just killed us both!"

Again she ignored him and listened to the hoard of Class E and possibly Class Fs that were closing in on them. "Run," she ordered then took off in a full sprint. Dane and Ankh followed across the polo field and across the soccer field.

Passed the goalpost was the tree line and the grey wolf howled while in pursuit of her human counterparts. The canine unit on patrol around the river howled back while Dane and Ridley were chased with the informant. Ankh barked eagerly as they scrambled into the clearing.

Ridley stood defensively with Dane at her side while the canine unit and their humans awaited the horde. The fray came spiralling for the clearing. The front lines were slaughtered before they passed the trees. The wolves, the German Shepherds, the dobermans, the bloodhounds, the rottweilers and all the other breeds of hunting canines attacked mercilessly.

The veteran hunters also joined the bloodbath! The horde was strong; definitely Class Fs which was not good. They were too rabid to think coherently, nevermind plan and execute a coordinated attack. Some scattered into the clearing and and the Guardian Unit had no choice but to fight.

Dane swallowed his morals before firing heavy rounds at the people who were once innocent. Ankh joined her fellow canines in ripping people to pieces. Ridley swatted away the feral foes with her staff, before issuing non-lethal slashes with her karambit.

Every muscle in her body and every thought in her head forced her not to kill. The thought, alone, made her think of her grandmother Barbara. As much as she knew Barbara Axel died because of her own stupidity - for not speaking up about being bitten - there was a part of Ridley Axel that couldn't accept that.

A Class F lunged for her from behind and pinned her to the damp grass. His saliva drooled down to her face while a hungry snarl escaped him. "Renee said not to kill you but she won't know who did it," he purred seductively. "You are so mouthwatering!"

The man let out a scream and so did Ridley! Towering above them, Sayeed impaled a javelin into them both. Sayeed ripped out the javelin and Ridley grunted her agony, clutching her deep perforation. Sayeed knelt down to take in his error. "Sorry," he stated apathetic. "Anubis. Guard," he ordered.

The said doberman crouched defensively by the injured hunter's side while her hunter charged back into the fray. Ridley forced herself to sit up to take in the battle around her. She looked down at the black blood pouring onto her white shirt. She took deep breaths to calm herself while Anubis pranced onto the feral little girl who came running towards them.

Trembling endlessly the Scary Axel stood up and clutched tighter onto her staff and karambit. The curved blade glistened under the snipets of moonlight that seeped through the clouds. Anubis stayed at Ridley's side, even when a goliath of a man tackled the black dog aside.

Ridley, unfazed by the gaping hole in her abdomen, struck the man in the back with her karambit. Goldblood flooded out of him and she rolled him aside for Anubis to finish him off. Ankh snarled then leaped clean over Ridley's 1.6m height! The grey wolf pinned down Danae Pleiades - a graduate of the Veronica Eliades' Hunting Group for Girls, in Greece, who was a nurse at the hospital in town - with her teeth.

Danae had a side-shaved and a deep scar that was visible, even in the night. Danae was also very strong. She snapped Ankh's jaw like it was nothing and that was before crushing her spine in a tight hug! The former hunter tossed the grey wolf aside then squared off with Ridley.

The inexperienced hunter tightened her hold on her karambit, hearing her grandmother's last words echo in her ear. Danae smirked menacingly before charging. Ridley blocked her attack with her staff then jabbed her karambit into Danae's thigh. The former veteran fell to her knees and Ridley swallowed her dread to make the kill.

She arched the knife over Danae's head but Danae was unfazed. "My harbinger," she sang and Ridley gasped. The Class F tripped the hunter and relieved her of her knife. "Pathetic," Danae commented. "I can't imagine what Renee has in store for a pathetic little girl playing dress up. Be grateful you won't die by my hand."

Behind Danae, Clarke struck his sword straight threw her head and it came out her mouth. The Class F's eyes were wide while blood filled her lungs. The principal withdrew his sword and the nurse fell over dead. He returned to the dregs of the battle while Ridley scattered for Ankh. The poor thing was still alive, which made her situation worse.

Sayeed threw his javelin at a feral rampaging for Dane that the Danish hunter didn't see. He turned to see the greying woman fall dead at his feet. He glanced over at Sayeed who nodded smugly while sparing off with another goliath Class F. It was Dane's turn to save his life. He reloaded his handgun and fired two shots into the Dwayne Johnson-like man to end the attack. Not before the giant Class F shattered the bone in Sayeed's arm.

"I want all the buildings on round-the-clock watch," Clarke ordered angrily. "No intruder gets within a hundred metres of those buildings alive!"

Ridley tenderly petted Ankh on her paw while the wolf's heavy breathing drowned out the hunters barking orders at each other. Anubis, Amenta, Nemyss and Scarab came to their canine leader's side ruefully while their human leader retrieved his javelin, cautious of his broken arm. The four dogs whimpered ruefully at their wolf leader while Ridley furrowed her eyebrows sadly.

Dane sighed at the sight of her downcast. He started for her to comfort her and that's when he saw the figure in the trees behind her. It was invisible at first but the closer he got to his crush, the more he saw it. The figure wasn't stationary; it was quite cautious in its movement. When it reached the tree line, it took to a full sprint.

The hunter had to squint to see this agile creature move so tediously yet so fast in the darkness. "Ridley, watch out!" She gasped then spun around only to see a lynx be tackled aside by strong hooves.

She watched as Mako trampled the lynx cat to a pulp but the wild cat was adamant. It hissed then smote a padded paw at the equine, who neighed while perched on his hind legs. In one swift motion, Mako caught the cat in his jaws and snapped its neck. The crunch made chills run down Ridley's spin but she continued watching.

The cat let out its dying meow while Mako still had his head in its neck. Ridley exhaled shakily then felt a warmth in her throat. She hummed her delight then tilted her chin upwards. "Amazing," she commented while Dane rushed to her side. "It feels like I was starving but now..." she hummed again then shook her head. "I didn't even feel the hunger."

"Ridley?" She turned to him suddenly sombre. "What are you talking about," Dane asked her. "Please don't tell me you did this," he gestured to the wheezing wolf with them.

She clutched her neck pensively then turned to Mako. She knew why he wasn't eating and why she suddenly felt so sensual about a hunger she didn't know she had; Mako was ajar. It was his hunger which meant he was feeding from the lynx. The lynx that was Renee's ajar. That's why he came to her rescue; ajar can sense psionic abilities around their masters. That too was an answer to the question how was Mako ajar; Ridley.

Scary Axel's suspicions were confirmed when the equine trotted to her side with blood heavy on his breath. He sniffed Ankh then nudged Ridley in the side, egging her to do the same thing to the grey wolf to save her life. The dobermans and the German Shepherds laid down beside their wolf while Sayeed sighed ruefully before caving to his knees. Ankh whimpered then rested her paw on his lap.

Her dislocated jaw laid lazily schew was swelling and causing her great pain. The Egyptian hunter cleared his throat then drew a gun from the holster at his hip. Completely ignoring his halved humerus. Mako neighed pleadly with Ridley and the desperation was obvious in his eyes.

Sayeed pressed the barrel into Ankh's crown and the wolf lowered her ears submissively. "I can save her," Ridley stated before Sayeed mustered the courage to pull the trigger. Without hesitation, he sheathed his gun.

"Please," he begged.

Ridley exhaled heavily then looked to the cut she made to draw out the hoard. It was gone without a trace. She sighed then used her karambit to slice her palm again. She made a small incision on Ankh's paws and mashed her blood with hers.

Mako exhaled heavily then reated behind the three guardian hunters. Ankh winced and Ridley pursed her lips in the shadows of her impatience. Carefully she shifted the grey wolf's head into her lap. She combed through the thick fur between Ankh's ears, nervously. Dane looked between the trembling Axel beside him and the unchanging wolf before them.

He looked to the veterans to find them gathering up the bodies to get rid of them. Nowhere in the limited light there was did Dane see his uncle. That was unnerving. Jakob Sorensen was the only family he had left and not seeing him or hearing from him triggered the doberman beside him. Yes, the bitches were taught to hunt but to balance that side of them they were taught empathy. Scarab nestled into him tenderly to cool his angst.

"Nothing's happening," Sayeed stated shakily. He let out a shaky exhale while tears started streaming down his sun-kissed Arab skin. "Please do something. I can't lose her. Not Ankh."

Dane, with his hand stroking Scarab down her spine, replied, "you're not supposed yo get attached to them. They're expendable. We all are."

Ridley ignored them both. Ankh's spine cracked back into place and her jaw was realigned. She sat up and licked Ridley's cheek endlessly while Sayeed buried his face in her shoulder. "You can't treat her the same," Ridley directed to Sayeed. "She's ajar."

"What? No. Only eldritches can do that," Sayeed replied, straightening up. "That's... impossible."

"Renee is an eldritch! I came out of her vagina," Ridley roared, earning Clarke's attention. "Don't tell me what's impossible," she added demurely. Clarke came to them unassumingly. Ridley looked him dead in the eye. "Mako's ajar," she stated and worry filled her father's eyebrows. "I did that. That's not all."

Ankh nestled into Ridley's neck before going off with Sayeed and the rest of his canines. Dane stood fearfully after taking in the veterans a second time. "Where's my uncle? What happened to intelligence?"

"Frequency was intercepted. Intelligence is fine," Clarke replied and Dane started for the main buildings. The principal's beefy hand pressed into his chest. "No. You need to sever your emotion ties, Dane. Concern for Jakob is one thing but that's ready clouded your judgement. Had Jakob been among this hoard..." Clarke shook his head. "I can't trust that you would make the right call. You have rough past, I get that. You need to swallow it before your personal life consumes your hunter life. Family is everything to me too but that can change in split second. I want you on patrol duty until lights out for the moon students."

Dane looked down at his sneakers ruefully but nodded acquiescently before heading for class with Ridley trailing behind him. Clarke took her wrist before she could pass him. Ridley looked Clark dead in his hereditary dark eyes. "Spill?"

"Spill," he confirmed with a nod. "What does 'that's not all' entail?"

The huntress cleared her throat then raised her hand that her father still clasped. Gently Clarke's fingers freed her wrist. A small flame sprouted from her palm, equally as white as when Dane touched it and just as cold. Clarke took in the hunters around them tentatively before focusing on the flame.

Clarke exhaled then planted his hands on his hips as he did a frustrated three-sixty. "Damn," he sighed. He ran a hand threw his dark shoulder length hair. "I, er, I-I should have known - or at least..." he shook his head then cupped his forehead. "Jesus!" Ridley released her hold on the white flame. "How long have you been able to do this?"

"Since the Barnyard," Ridley admitted.

"Does anyone else know?" Ridley's silence was her lie. Just because she was obligated to tell Clarke everything, as her superior hunter, that didn't automatically mean she told him everything as her father. Clarke sighed. "Have you ever met your mother? Or seen or... or heard from her?" She shook her head wordlessly. "Ridley, you need to be honest with me."

She shrugged one shoulder in reply. "All I know is her handwriting."

Clarke cupped her cheek then swiftly caught her in a choke hold. "Ridley Dominique Axel," he sighed defeatedly while gaped for air weakly. "Be honest with me." She grunted against him while he stood firmly with her in his hold. "Riddles, Riddles," he went on when she scratched at his hands, "just tell me the truth. What did she want?"

She closed her eyes and elbowed her father in the ribs before flipping him over her shoulder. She fell to her knees gasping for air. "All I know is her handwriting," she echoed with conviction. She massaged her throat, feeling the sensation ease.

"Back to class," he ordered, de-winded from her assault. Slowly he sat up and Ridley stormed off.

Ridley slumped into her seat in foreign languages with Marcus across the aisle. The English nobleman was in deep concentration, making notes in Mandarin. Only in the light of the classroom did Ridley see the red, black and gold blood splatter across her school uniform. There was also blood from her former perforation from Sayeed's javelin. The young hunter was also drenched in dirt and the dew from the damp ground.

There was dirt in her hair along with some fallen leaves but she made nothing of the judgey stares nor the whispers directed at her in the hallways. Not even Ms Yi's surprise fazed her. While making notes on further knowledge and skills of Chinese pronunciation, using common and simple Chinese expressions in everyday life, and writing Chinese characters.

"The aim of this module is to further enhance your communicative ability in Mandarin by continuing to build up your knowledge and skills that you have learned last year," Ms Yi went on. "Anyone brave enough to read page thirty of your handouts?"

Mekhi turned to Ridley beside her then reached to pick out a damp red leaf tangled in the huntress' hair. Lightning fast Ridley gripped the American beauty's wrist in her hand. There was an agitation that surfaced; she squeezed the olive tone wrist tightly. A side effect of Ridley's public anti-display of emotion.

Just because she didn't go public, doesn't mean she didn't struggle to hold everything in. A contributor was Ridley's toxic and primary coping mechanism; violence. The long years of mental and emotional resilience didn't make her a less malice adversary, it only meant that the huntress wasn't entirely clouded by emotion when she fought.

Everyone who wishes to hold certain feelings in has a way to keep themselves in check. Apart from raw brutality, isolation was also a comfort. Be it being completely alone or just away from people - which would entail being with Mako - there was a calm in not having watchful eyes or gossiping tongues around.

Despite that, there were obviously subconscious signs Scary Axel gave off. People who bothered to pay attention would pick up on them. People like Clarke and Dane or even Jakob and Esmeralda. Ryan was too deeply buried under her resentment to bother too much with her sister. Not forgetting Richard, who only saw what Ridley projected; a callous slayer.

The bell tolled and Ridley ducked into the girls' room to neaten herself for physics. She unbuttoned her school shirt to see her blood drying on the nude top she wore underneath. Underneath her top was unblemished skin. The perforation from Sayeed's javelin was completely abolished.

Regeneration was common for ampyras, although not as incredibly quick as fiction made it out to be. Even a goldblood would need more than a few minutes to recover from a wound that damning. For blackblood ampyras, like Dane, regeneration rates were more prolonged. For blackblood non-ampyras, like Ryan and Ridley, regeneration was a scarce ability.

Non-ampyras who can regenerate, physically, shouldn't. It was dangerous to use because of the amount of calories that regeneration used up. The blood-based diet ampyras had allowed them to burn the calories without exhaustion.

Hunger should have been driving Ridley up a wall! In under two hours she managed to defy biology. Her unblemished abdomen was covered once again by her top and shirt before she modelled out of the girls' room, ignoring Lyna and the other ampyra girls with her.

Simon-Paul and Kenneth clearly didn't enjoy losing their haphazard fight against the huntress when they saw her in the hallway. She focused on attaining her books from her locker. Technically she didn't fight them; it was a thing with Clarke. He didn't appreciate his Guardian Program abusing their skills on the no-hunter population. In place of outright fighting, Ridley merely deflected and redirected. Somehow Simon-Paul still managed to beat himself up.

A wave of rage surged through Ridley. She hummed her discomfort then focused her eyes on the hook at the back of her locker to focus her mind. She could feel it wasn't her rage; she didn't growl. Or walk on all fours. Or find tassels strangely satisfying. She exhaled shakily then turned to Simon-Paul and Kenneth, only to see Ankh ready to attack.

Scarab, Anubis, Amenta and Nemyss were at her side, also growling. The canine hunters etched closer to the two ampyra students, who backed down. Still, the canines showed no sympathy. Ankh snarled angrily while Sayeed shifted his duffle bag onto his better arm, pausing between his fellow ampyras.

The two dobermans stood stiffly on either side of the larger grey wolf while the German Shepherds closed in on the students. Their leader took them in with a deep furrow across his sun-kissed skin. "Stand down," Sayeed replied but they ignored him. "Ankh, stand down," he ordered sternly and the grey wolf glared him down. "Ankh!"

Ridley closed her locker and joined the canines' side with folded arms. Her satchel rested over one shoulder and her black hair waving in the wind. "Do something," Kenneth bellowed.

"You're doing that," Sayeed asked evidently surprised. Over his broken humerus was a brace. It was only there to make sure he didn't further injure his arm while it healed over the next day or two. "How?"

Her dark eyes darted to the figure behind them; lord Marcus Sinclair. He scanned the situation very briefly while the German Shepherds barked angrily at him. He raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at the dogs before looking to Ridley. A glimmer of dread filled his face and his pale skin went pallid.

His glassy eyes caught on hers and she saw it. She was right. Marcus Sinclair was, indeed, an eldritch! An eldritch threatened by the idea of more of his kind. The goldblood shut the book he paging through to fully invest in the situation. The bustling halls seemed to fade into only them.

There was an itch. An itch to set the canines lose on three of the four ampyras before the non-ampyra. Ankh seemed to enjoy the idea - from what Ridley could deduce from the psychic link they now shared. The grey wolf only grew more angry from the lack of action.

She almost pranced onto Kenneth when he tried to go around them. "Ridley, stop," Dane pleaded softly behind her. "Please don't do this," he whispered on with his hand on her stiff shoulder. "Stop." She exhaled lightly and Ankh shook of her haze then joined Sayeed's side. "Go," Dane ordered Simon-Paul and Kenneth.

Marcus too followed them, sensing the unease from Ridley. "What the hell, man," Sayeed jeered when the civilian students were out of earshot. "That was cool, I'm not gonna lie, but what the hell!"

"Psionics," Dane sighed. "The link between you and Ankh must effect the rest of Sayeed's canines because they answer to her," he went on. "You need to get a handle on that. You can't intimidate people with it! You said-"

She snarled monstrously before throwing him across half the length of the quad. She turned to Sayeed coolly. "What."

He shook his head unfazed by her unnatural strength. "We have chemistry. That's all," he said before leading the way. She followed him, forcing herself to maintain her internal composure. "You coming, Boomerang Boy," Sayeed directed to Dane. The Danish hunter watched the two disappear up the nearby stairs. "Do you have a partner? I could really use one."

Dr Coleman had avoided seeing the two hunters sneak into his class. Dane also managed to get in undetected but only narrowly. Sayeed took the seat beside Ridley while Dane was left to return to Mekhi's side. His one chance to get closer to Ridley outside of the hunting scene went out the window.

Ankh stayed at Sayeed's side, like she was taught to, while the dobermans and the German Shepherds were scattered nearby. Far enough to to disrupt Sayeed's class but close enough for them to signal each other and Ankh. Their obedience was a reflection of Sayeed.

That's how Charter House worked. Students who specialised in the canine unit had to train their own canines. Wolves and hyenas were particularly tricky to master but Sayeed had have been skilled to hone a wolf. He would have had all his canines since they were pups: feeding them, grooming them, everything about them was his responsibility.

All through chemistry, Dane could only watch while the girl he was may in love with grew accustomed to the transfer student. She didn't show it in any way but Dane could tell she made the decision to rely on Sayeed as more than a hunter. Ridley, after all, was straightforward enough to understand.

She blindly trusted Sayeed before she officially met him, simply because they were part of the same unit. She had to trust that he would protect the school before he ever set foot in Clarke's office. There - in their near-back seats in Dr Coleman's chemistry class - Sayeed was nothing more than her partner. Outside the hunting scene, that's all he would be to her.

Unfortunately Dane took milestones like those seriously. He doubted Ridley saw him as anything more than a social ally, outside hunting. While he pondered it, Dane realised that that was all he ever talked about when he was with her. It made him green with envy!

His envy ran just as deep as his worry for Jakob; he still heard nothing. However, he didn't take it as a punishment. Clarke was teaching him a vital lesson. A hardened heart was key in a like of line of work so unpredictable. Whether Jakob would die by Dane's hand or just in front of Dane, the Danish hunter had to be prepared to digest that death quickly. For the benefit of others.

After school, he was banished to patrol duty. The midnight darkness was lightened by the lanterns lining the paths. He stealthily watched Ridley tiredly retire to the headmaster's residence for the day. He had never seen her so uncustomary. Ridley was prone to violence but not violence that was emotionally fuelled.

Sayeed joined him on his route to sector seven, the swimming pool and tennis courts area, with only Ankh by his side. "Not a bad way to be welcomed to a new school, huh," Dane joked dryly.

"Not bad at all," Sayeed replied with his hands in his pocket. "I've never seen a horde before," Sayeed admitted seriously. "Is that a thing in Monteiro?"

"Not until recently," Dane replied sullenly. "Although the others were small groups. Three to five, max. This was different."

Sayeed turned to see Ridley still on the long path that headed to her house. "Is your eldritch really her mother?" Dane turned to follow Sayeed's gaze then nodded wordlessly. "Damn," the Egyptian hunter commented.

"Yeah," Dane replied distantly.

"So... you guys... you're not... you're not a thing, are you?" The Danish hunter scoffed then made nothing of what he heard. "I'm just being sure. You two were alone before the attack." Slowly Dane dared to look at Sayeed. "Don't pretend you've never heard of truants. You know, young hunters that are secretly fucking even though they're not supposed to be because they don't have their mana gradus. They-"

"I know what a truant is," Dane cut in. "We're not truants. Dunon Academy has produced the best hunters in subcontinental West Europe since the school first opened. No tolerance, no deflectors, all the consequence."

"I heard about that. I also heard all your hunters are Dunon thoroughbreds." There was no reply. "Lools like I'm the first mongrel. Forgive me for tinting your flawless reputation."

There was again nothing as Dane too his perch in the shadows of the parking area. "How old are you?"

"Forty-five," Sayeed admitted. "You?"

"I haven't reached prolonged youth yet," Dane admitted.

"Wait, wait. You're actually eighteen?"

"Seventeen, actually."

Sayeed shook his head. "Your parents clearly don't love you," he joked. "You'll have all the time in the world for this shit. Why're you doing it now?" Dane said nothing but relived his mother's massacre. "Damn. You must be the youngest kid in the whole night high. Well, you and Scary Axel." Again the Danish hunter said nothing. "That would explain why you're truants together."

Dane exhaled his fluster then shook his head. "I have patrol and you should take the load off your arm. At least, until tonight." He stalked off deeper into the parking area, leaving Sayeed in the dark silence.

Meanwhile, Ridley finally reached the familiar stretch of bricked pathway that led to what was left of the orginal Dunon fortress. In the deafening silence, she reached the front doors. A yip behind her caught her attention and she felt Ankh's psychic signature. Sure enough, the grey wolf had left Sayeed's side for Ridley's.

What came next was strange. Inside the hunter's mind, it felt as if she could understand the wolf. Like Ankh was talking. Weirdly, if the wolf was talking it wouldn't be English, French, Mandarin or Latin or Spanish - the languages Ridley understood. It was more like Ridley could speak Wolf. Whichever way communication went, the message was the same: there's something behind the house.

Ridley pressed her earpiece into her ear lightly. "Ridley Axel to intelligence," she began as she cautiously rounded her house with Ankh, "standby for visual confirmation. Headmaster's residence."

Around the back, the lights to the kitchen were on but the kitchen was empty. The hunter pulled out her karambit knife before completely taking the corner. She exhaled a small relief when she saw and heard nothing. Ankh wasn't convinced. She sniffed the ground then followed whatever trail she picked up.

The young huntress followed the grey wolf to a standstill. She took in their surroundings before looking up the height of her house. Climbing in through Ryan's open window was someone not Ryan. "Standby," Ridley checked in. She reached for the plane of the parlour window before beginning her ascent.

Ankh was calm and not snarling, a sign she wasn't too worried about the intruder. Slowly Ridley trailed up to her sister's window, careful not to make any loud noises or grab anything that might break off. The once fortress survived three stormings, a battle and a conquest but that didn't mean it would survive any more.

A second floor bathroom window was slightly open to let out the heavy steam from the shower Richard Axel took. The young hunter quickly scattered before her grandfather could see while Ankh could only watch. The grey wolf was really done with the situation; she laid down and tucked her tail around her.

The older twin pried herself onto her sister's windowpane to find Ryan's bedside light on and her curtains completely open. Inside, Ryan was laying on her bed with Alex on top of her. Smothering her in kisses while she stripped off his jacket and his pants. Ridley exhaled defeatedly then watched Alex reached for the condom on the bedside table.

She rolled her eyes before letting go of the fall to the ground. Ankh lifted her head quizzically but Ridley returned to enter the house like a normal person. The grey wolf followed her into the house and up to her room. Ankh had no problem setting herself up on Ridley's bed while the hunter stripped off her blazer and school shirt before starting with her homework.

Her new schedule - she could sense - was going to be draining! Not only was she part of the population more at risk of attacks. She now had to protect Ryan from her own stupidity too because the undeniable truth was that what her sister was doing was punishable by torture. Ryan Aimée Axel was a truant.