Awakening

1. Hunter

An eerie feeling had settled over the city and its inhabitants. The city was a ghost town. An overcast Sunday was usually best spent at home, but it wasn't only the weather that kept people indoors. A waif of a girl cloaked in black crouched like a gargoyle on a fire escape. She had been drawn to the Victorian apartment building on intuition. That uneasy feeling was indiscernible to the general public but she knew what it meant. She could feel on the air that something was about to happen that would upset the balance between the natural and the supernatural.

Her deep-set brown eyes stared out under furrowed brows. Her translucent olive skin looked bruised around her eyes and collar bones as if she'd never seen the sun.

A pale purple design twisted around her wrist marking her as a Hunter, along with the two pistols tucked into holsters around her hips. The Hunter's eyes darted from the apartment to the street below, her ears pricking with every sound. She could feel the air shifting, reading the atmospheric changes that were screaming that something was about to happen.

Up the street, she saw a young woman glancing over her shoulder as she walked briskly towards the apartment building. She was followed by a tall man in a fine grey suit who kept up effortlessly on his long legs.

The Hunter stood and stared down at the entrance of the building as the young woman entered the old apartment building, followed closely by the man. His soft words carried up to the Hunter's ears. The man was pleading. The Hunter knew from the faint smell of blood in the air that the man was a vampire. A vampire who'd recently taken a victim.

The Hunter pulled the pistols from their holsters and clutched them at her sides, ready to fire. The chunky guns looked out of place in her slender hands but she held them with ease. The frightened young woman hurried into the empty apartment and stuck her head back through the door. Moving with practiced stealth, the Hunter pried open a window, poised to jump through to eliminate the vampire.

"I'm sorry sir, But I'm not who you're looking for." The frightened girl called to the vampire before shutting the door. She scrambled to put the locks in place. She seemed to relax as the final lock clicked shut. She didn't notice the Hunter crouched just outside the open window.

The door burst open, sending splintered wood flying. The tall vampire stood in the doorway, his grey suit only slightly rumpled after breaking down the door. The girl screamed and ran to the far end of the apartment.

"I had hoped you would recognize me. After all, I was your favourite, Morgana." The vampire pleaded, his arms outstretched and attempting to appear non-threatening. The Hunter knew better, and apparently the other girl did too.

"Draven warned me that your spirit had faded." the vampires said as if comforting himself as he straightened his suit. "Please come with me, Morgana." He spoke with a faint Italian accent.

The Hunter slid through the window and got between the girl and the vampire. She fired a warning shot just past the vampire's ear. She could have gone for the kill shot but gambled on the vampire spilling more information. The room shook with the loud bang and the girl dropped to her knees, holding her ears behind the Hunter. The vampire seemed unfazed until the sickly sweet smell of the gunsmoke reached his nose and he grimaced, taking a step back.

"Hunter," The man spat after a glance at the smoking guns and the tattoo around the Hunter's wrist. "I mean her no harm, your violence is unnecessary." The man offered his hand to the girl and smiled graciously. His allure was fading, his rosy skin was starting to turn pale. She could see that the stolen blood in his veins was growing cold and would soon be exhausted.

The Hunter lifted her two pistols and aimed at the man. She wouldn't miss her target. The man took a step back, his large hands raised. "I have drunk today. You are no match, Hunter." the man sneered.

She laughed sharply, startling both the girl and the vampire. Her dark eyes lowered to meet the man with a dangerous glare. She cocked the guns in one smooth movement, his strength was fading faster than even he realized, but the Hunter knew. She could see the minute changes as the rosiness in his cheeks faded and his eyes became bloodshot.

"Draven has said, the spirit of Morgana will wake within her and she will return to us." The man said taking another step back. The Hunter was almost impressed at his ability to hide his fear, but she could smell it. He bared his teeth, showing sharp canines that were too large for any human mouth.

The Hunter pulled the triggers. The pistols bucked in her hands but practice kept the guns from veering too far off course, dust rose from the carpet with the noise. The Hunter waited to send her second shot, but he had already disappeared when the dust cleared. The bullet had shot through the wall. A large burn mark was left on the floor where the man had disappeared before the bullet could hit him, he must have burned the entirety of his reserve power. A poisonously sweet smell filled the air and the girl coughed.

 "Who was that? Who are you?" The girl asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The Hunter strode to the door. She examined the burn on the floor for a moment and then turned to the girl with an expectant expression.

"You want me to come with you?" The young woman asked, her petite body was shaking with shock. "Where did he go? Is he dead?" The Hunter evaluated the girl. Her honey brown hair and olive skin practically shone with youth and health. She must have been in her late teens or early twenties. Her eyes were wide and glistening with tears. The Hunter towered over the small girl, She grimaced in an attempt at a sympathetic look.

"I will take you somewhere safe." The Hunter said after a pause, her voice creaked with disuse.

"Do I need to bring any of my things?" The girl asked, but the Hunter had already begun to descend the stairs. The girl followed closely behind, remembering to lock the door behind her.

"My name is Grace Whitall... What's yours?" The girl was interested in conversation, most likely to keep herself from coming to terms with what had just happened. The Hunter almost scoffed but she stopped herself. She did feel some sympathy for the girl.

"Who are Draven and Morgana? Why do they think that I'm her?" Grace asked as the two rushed down the street. "Are we in a hurry because that guy might come back?" Grace's voice was frantic and shrill, putting her on edge and distracting her from reading the subtle atmospheric changes for supernatural activity. The girl was full of questions and didn't seem to be put off by the Hunter's lack of response.

She ignored all of Grace's questions and focused on getting to her destination. It had been a leisurely walk to the old apartment building, but now the threat of the Huntswolf Clan had been realized. They were searching for their lost matriarch and thought they had found her in this girl. The Hunter gave the girl another glance, wondering what about her made them think that she was their matriarch.

Grace finally resigned to silence but, as they continued to walk she lost her patience. "Where are we going? Why don't you answer my questions?" She snapped, her panicked tone finally breaking. The Hunter smirked and quickened her pace. "Will there be people in this 'safe place' who will tell me what's going on?" Grace whined.

"Yes." The Hunter replied. She glanced back at the girl with the hint of a smirk still playing out on her lips. Grace huffed and followed the Hunter more closely.

After passing through a few short alleyways and trails they stood in front of a large, modern townhouse. Almost the opposite of the historical apartment they had left. The Hunter sauntered through the door. She kept her tall boots on and ascended the stairs without a backwards glance at Grace.

Grace stepped into the front hall and tried to take in her surroundings. There were no pictures on the walls, She could see the living room had sparse seating. The starkly furnished townhouse was all chrome and pale wood, jarringly different from her the cozy vintage apartment.

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A/N: Thanks for reading! If anyone has any suggestions on a title for the story pls let me know :)