River of Blood

Chapter Eleven

Judi glances at Lynn, who gives her a shrug. Both girls focus on the lake in front of them. Aquila stands off to one side, talking to some boy she'd accidentally run into earlier, and Sarafine picks at the blades of grass at her feet.

Annalise, Zelda, and Evangeline weren't there yet. Great.

Evangeline had told them that training would start today. If they wanted to be ready, they had to get started immediately.

Judi knew how to fight, that much was certain. She'd heard the crazy rumors from her parents about the hunters since she was a little girl. Hunters don't normally hunt creatures other than vampires and werewolves but I guess their taste for any supernatural blood is back.

Zelda stumbles down the path, her entire face looking exhausted. Judi wanders over to the girl, questioning why she would look like that. "Are you alright?"

She barely acknowledges Judi, grumbling something under her breath before sitting down next to Sarafine. Judi blinks a couple of times, frowning at the girl's reaction. When footsteps reach her hearing, she immediately looks back to the path. The twins are walking towards them, looking of unease on their faces.

Zane and Chase Clearblood. She'd learned about them last night when one of them was taking the bullet out of her leg and expelling the wolfs bane through the use of magic. It had hurt like hell, but at least the poison is gone now. In all of her delirium, she can't remember which one removed it from her leg.

Annalise exits the path next, her body on high alert. Judi wonders why she looks so tense until she remembers the fight that Zane and her were having before Evangeline had finally agreed to train the pack.

A rush of wind flies past her, and then something cold is suddenly on her lower back. "Bang," Evangeline whispers in her ear, "You're dead."

Judi sighs. "That's not fair, I wasn't ready."

Evangeline removes the gun, tossing it to the ground. Everyone's eyes are like saucers as they stare at her, and she frowns. "Hunters don't play fair. They could spring at any moment, any time. Lesson one: always be aware of your surroundings. I don't care if we're all together and you believe that someone else is going to warn you if something dangerous is about to approach." Evangeline moves around Judi, her arms crossed over her chest. "If you catch them off guard, you have the upper hand. Don't let them catch you off guard or you're dead."

Judi glances towards the ground to where grass has wrapped itself around the gun. Judi then looks towards Annalise, who is trying so hard not give herself away.

"No matter what, be aware." Evangeline's hand sweeps out and connects with the gun before it can press against her lower back, tugging it free of the plants. She immediately points it towards Annalise, who's eyes have gone wide. "And do not, under any circumstances, rely only on your power to survive."

Evangeline lowers the gun. "These hunters are specially trained and bred to kill anything not human even though some of them aren't human themselves."

"Wait. Some of them aren't...human?" Annalise seems shocked by this.

Evangeline's eyes are sad when she turns them on Annalise, and Judi can feel her own heart about to burst out of her chest. "I've heard rumors. About the hunters resorting to kidnapping creatures with powers they think would be useful and brainwashing them into believing they were meant to hunt those who disobeyed. Those who cannot be brainwashed – like werewolves and vampires because of their healing abilities – they automatically kill. Most other creatures they can easily brainwash into believing they are human."