ON HOLD [] Hearts of gold [] Hunter TOH x Reader

Chapter 32 - Y/N's pov

 I saw the sky beginning to brighten. The others would be up soon. I wiped the tearstains from my face.

"We should........go back" I said, my voice still wavered a bit "The others will be worried."

Hunter nodded and stood up, followed by me. "Whenever your ready to talk about what you just went through, I'll be ready to listen."

I smiled lightly and nodded.

~~~~short time skippity skip to when they were back at the house~~~~

The thoughts still sat in the back of my mind. The realizations. Everything. It made me feel sick. I wanted to go home.......wherever that was.....and I wanted things to be normal. Even if I had to be this way, I wanted to know the truth. And I wanted to know.......who came before myself. I walked in the door that Hunter held open for me. The house was still silent. It was only about five in the morning. I knew that even if I tried I wouldn't be able to sleep. I flopped onto my sleeping bag, not even zipping myself in, and stared at the ceiling blankly. Hunter got into his sleeping bag. I could feel his worried gaze on me. I just.......I dunno.

I had to figure out how to put a smile on my face for the others. I knew Hunter wouldn't tell anyone about it if I didn't want him to, but I had to make sure to keep myself from telling the others, even if it was indirectly. The room was dark still. There wasn't any windows down here. The boxes of human things loomed over where I was laying. Like figures surrounding me. Belos. Caleb. Whoever the woman was. I could picture them. Watching. Listening. The fear was there, but dull. I just felt..........blank.

I mean, Hunter had dealt with it pretty well, once we were at hexide. He'd done research, and I'd listened. From what I read, I knew that there was a galderstone beating inside my chest. The palistrom wood that made up my limbs. And the burning magenta eyes, that sat in the irises of every grimwalker. Part of me wondered if the reason I had such powerful magic was the galderstone. Energy pulsing through my veins....from the ancient mineral that sat in my chest. I wondered if Hunter would have been powerful too, if he wasn't based on a human. P/N landed on me, chirping anxiously. They could probably sense my emotion. Part of me wondered if they'd known.

I had to learn to deal with this, like Hunter had. I rubbed my eyes and stood up from my sleeping bag. Hunter had fallen asleep. I smiled lightly. He seemed so peaceful. I walked up the stairs. I thought of making something to eat, but I didn't have an appetite. I went to sit on the living room couch, but I noticed the smallest lamp was turned on. I peeked into the room. Luz was there, but she was......by herself. She was holding her palisman egg, and staring blankly at it. After a moment's hesitation, I walked into the room. I sat down on the opposite side of the couch. Luz glanced up for a moment.

"Oh. Hey Y/N. You're up early" she said. Her voice seemed kinda sad.

I nodded a bit "Are you uhm....alright?" I asked

"Yeah uhm........ I'm fine" Luz said, her grip on her palisman egg tightened a bit. Palistrom wood. Me. "What about you? Falling into the old habit of waking up early?"

I laughed softly "No....well yeah, sort of."

"What do you mean, sort of?" Luz asked

"I've been up since 3" I said, my voice didn't portray the million thoughts going through my mind. I decided to tell Luz. I felt bad telling her before Hunter, but I also thought that he would hold a grudge against me for getting so upset about being a grimwalker too. "Hunter was upset about something. I helped him out, and we went out for a walk. We danced by the creek......"

"Aw." Luz said

"I performed a little bard magic, not much. The air here doesn't really have the same magical energy. But then, while I was sitting beside Hunter, I had these sort of visions. There was a woman, she looked like me, and then everything started to fall into place. My magenta eyes. My.....absent parents. And I think........think that I'm a grimwalker" Somehow, talking about it felt like lifting a weight off of my chest.

"But who else would Belos have needed to duplicate?" Luz asked

"I.........wasn't born into the coven. I started in a group of wild- I mean witches. My 'parents'......well I hardly saw them. And I barely resembled them. And then the coven took me in........ In part of the visions I saw the woman with Caleb and.....I wonder if Belos recognized me as the duplicate of her. And thats why he took me in." I finished.

"Does Hunter know?" Luz asked

I shook my head "When I finally put the dots together.........I kind of freaked out. I was an absolute mess. And I don't want him to think I have anything against grimwalkers but..."

"Well didn't he also react that way?" Luz said "Besides, I don't think he'll hold a grudge, if he really does love you."

I smiled lightly. Some of the guilt from freaking out like I had lifted off of my chest.

"I think I'm ready to talk to him. Thank you, Luz" I smiled lightly and left the couch to return downstairs. Gus and Hunter were still sleeping. Part of me didn't want to wake Hunter, he seemed so peaceful, but I didn't know if I'd be able to keep myself ready to talk, or if I'd chicken out of it. I gently nudged him awake.

He opened his eyes halfway.

"Hi Hunter" I said "I'm sorry to wake you up but........I'm ready to talk."

((A/N - Sorry for the short chapter, but I have provided you with ANGST so you're not allowed to be mad at me))