Prentice

CHAPTER 2

May 4th, 2015.

Haven’s Medical Centre, Haven Valley. 03:22am.

Dante groaned awake then tried to sit up, he felt a hand hold him down then he looked to see Richard sitting beside him,

“Don’t even think about it, you’re not well dude.” He said and helped Dante lie back.

“What happened?” he asked feeling a bandage over his forehead.

“Some truck driver found you unconscious with your car smashed into a tree near the haven lake. Doctors said you were drunk”

“That’s impossible, I don’t drink.”

“I know that’s why I did a – “the door opened with Irene, Lucia and Raven rushing in. Lucia knelt beside his bed,

“Dante Alexander Prentice, what did you do to yourself?” she asked with a little sadness over her face. Dante smiled at her,

“I’m fine, Mother.” he looked over at Irene, “Hey Renee,”

Irene smiled,

“You look like s**t, pretty boy.” She said and chuckled, “And you messed up that pretty face.”

He smiled at Raven,

“And look who came over to finish the job.” he scoffed,

“Just shut up, brother.” She came up beside him and sighed, “You’re mine to kill, whoever did this to you has to pay! Just say the name.” she said and kissed his forehead. Dante sighed,

“I have no idea and I can’t remember what happened after the crash, it’s there but…I just can’t grab hold of it.”

Lucia nodded,

“Get some rest lil’ man.” She said and walked everyone out the room. Dante held Richard back,

“Did they find anyone else by the crash?” he asked quietly. Richard nodded,

“Two girls on a vacation, they were unconscious in the forest.” He looked round then turned and leaned closer to Dante, “Twenty third floor, second door to the right. Why? Do you know anything?” Richard asked, studying Dante’s expression. Dante shook his head,

“Just wanted to be sure.” He said then let go of Richard’s arm and relaxed back.

“We’re on the twenty second floor by the way. Don’t do anything stupid Dan.” He said and smiled.

Dante chuckled,

“You know me too well, Dick.” 

Twenty Second floor, Haven Medical Centre. 04:09am.

Dante limped out the room wearing only his jacket and boxers. He walked to the elevator and got in, then reached the next floor. He got into the room where two girls laid unconscious with oxygen tanks beside their beds. He looked round the room then searched their belongings. A locket fell out and landed, crushing the ceramic tile. Dante bent over and picked up, staring at the locket in awe,

“What the heck was that?” he tried to open the lid but it didn’t budge. He sighed then put the locket in his pocket, “I’ll find out what you are later.” He muttered then read the girls’ names from the tag. He rushed out the room and walked down the hallway slowly when a nurse stepped out of a room,

“Hey! You’re not meant to be up yet.” She said and came up to him. He sighed then quickly turned a poked her hard by the neck and she fell into his arms,

“I’m sorry, miss.” He said and dragged her into a room and sat her down, “I just wanna know what happened.”

Haven Medical Centre, Haven Valley. 04:51am.

Two figures floated toward the hospital then moved through the walls. They changed into two men then walked into the twenty second floor and into Dante’s room. They got in then one closed the door and bolted it quietly. They turned to the bed and stared,

“Prentice,” Dante woke up and looked at the two,

“How may I help you?” he asked and sat up.

“By dying –.” Dante pounce and swung a baseball bat, hitting one of them to the floor. The other stared in shock, he looked up at Dante to receive a punch.

Haven Medical Centre, Haven Valley. 04:51am.

Raven walked into Dante’s room and sat beside him. She placed a hand on his forehead and sighed’

“Let’s go, brother.” She helped him up and took his things from the desk beside him. He looked round, a bit drowsy,

“Where to?” he asked her.

“Somewhere safe.” She muttered. “Say nothing to no one.”

“What did you do?”

“Played a trick on some idiots.”

“Are you kidding me?” he said as they left the hospital quietly.

Haven High, Haven Valley. 07:45am.

Dante sat in class with his brows furrowed. Irene came up beside him then sat,

“Are you okay, pretty boy? You look worried.” She whispered. Dante looked at her,

“Everything seems normal, like they don’t know what happened.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The accident? Last night?”

“Did you hit your head this morning? Because you’re talking shit.” She said and laughed, “When you stop your ‘fantasies’, call me.” She muttered and walked out the class. Dante rubbed his forehead then walked out the class. He walked into the dispensary and sat,

“I think I hit my head, ma’am.” He muttered then looked up to see the lady standing still. He stood and walked up to her, “Ma’am?” he asked then held her arm but the lady twirled and punched him across the room. He looked up at her in shock,

“Prentice, you escaped me but not this time.” She walked towards him, leaning forward in a creepy way. He crawled back,

“Holy mother of God!” he yelled and ran out the dispensary. He ran and stumbled into Richard, “Dude, the…lady in the dispensary is a CREEP!”

“You realize that now.” He said and chuckled, “Let’s go before you die of a heart attack.” He said and patted Dante’s back as he looked back at the dispensary. 

Haven High Gymnasium. 11:00am.

Dante sat beside Richard on the bleachers as the basketball team practiced. He looked at Richard and stared, Richard looked at him then looked away,

“Talk ‘dickhead’.” He whispered, “You know something and I wanna know.”

“I’m not gonna be the snitch.” He said and looked up, “Your mum would have me killed if I spoke about last night to anyone.”

“So, you do know something?” he said then smiled, “Talk!”

“Not here, Dan.” He looked round, “Maria is gonna kill me if she finds out I told you.”

“She knows?” Richard nodded and took a bottle of water and drank. He sighed, “Who else knows about it?”

“Your mum, grandma, Raven, Jacob…that should be all.”

Dante slapped his forehead in frustration, he stood and turned then picked up his rucksack and left the gym. He walked out and bumped into Irene,

“Pretty boy, you okay now?” she asked with a smirk.

“Leave me alone, Irene.” He said and walked past her. Irene grabbed his arm,

“Talk to me, this isn’t how we work.”

“Then why would all of you lie to me?” he asked staring back at her, he jerked his arm free and sighed, “Crazy friends I have, huh?” he walked away quickly.

Haven High Open Grounds, Haven Valley. 11:10am.

Dante walked out and sighed, he ran a hand through his hair then looked up in the sky.

“Need a ride?” a girl asked from underneath a tree. She stepped out in a black biker outfit and dark shades, it was Raven, “I could give you one.”

“Raven. Not happening.”

“Shut up and get on the bike before I change my mind about telling you everything.” She climbed her bike and put on her helmet. Dante sighed then looked at her, he walked over,

“Lemme ride.” Raven looked at him then sighed, she moved back a bit and Dante climbed on and put on his own helmet, “You can start talking.”

“Trust me, I know what I’m meant to do.” She said and hugged him close. He drove and looked back at her, “We’re not so human.”

“Wow, that’s a good way to_.”

”I’m serious. We’re not human, brother and we’ve been hunted for a very long time.” She muttered then looked back to see a car following them, “And we still are.”

Haven Lake, Haven Valley. 11:45am.

Dante stopped the bike beside Haven lake then got down and turned to the incoming car. He looked at Raven who motioned him to wait. A man in his late forties stepped out of the car in a black suit and a white shirt, a pair of specs and had short golden hair. He looked at them then inhaled,

“Hello there. I’m not here to cause any harm so…I’ll be quick.” He looked at Dante, “I’m Dean Elvis John of Marvin’s Academy and I’m here to invite you over Mr. Prentice.” He walked closer and looked closer, “You look just like your father.”

Dante looked up at him in shock, he stared at the man then looked at Raven,

“Let’s go, Raven.” He got on the bike and looked at Raven, who was still staring at the man, “Raven!”

“How do you know our dad?”

“He did my school. I’d love it if you’d both attend the school, I could tell you more about him.” He said and smiled at Raven. He looked at Dante, “I’d give you the protection from all your attackers and I’ll tell you everything ‘bout your family history.”

Dante frowned,

“I don’t want your help and I’ll find out about my family myself.” He said and turned the key, the bike engines roared to life. Raven got on and put her helmet on. Dante drove away, leaving the man behind. Elvis John sighed then looked back at two figures watching him, he walked over to them then took out a blade,

“Make them come back to me…” he twirled the blade in his hand, “And if you can’t, kill them.”

The figures smiled,

“With pleasure.” One muttered and looked at the other, “I like to make him pay for our last meeting.”

“Sure stuff.”

The Prentice Chateau, Haven Valley. 12:15pm.

The figures watched Dante and Raven walk into the chateau. They smiled and looked at each other,

“Should we kill him?”

“Right away. I’m gonna have that boy’s head in my trophy room.” They faded into the air immediately.

The Prentice Chateau Living Room. 12:20pm.

Dante walked into the living room and looked at his family. Raven came up behind him and smiled,

“Hello everyone, you should start talking.” Raven muttered then sat facing Lucia and Cassandra, “He knows everything.”

Lucia looked at Dante then at Cassandra, she closed her newspaper then scowled at Cassandra,

“I told you we should have cleared that Richard boy out of this, we should’ve cleared up his mind too.” She said then continued reading her paper.

“Are you f*****g kidding me? I’m standing right here and you’re talking ‘bout my friend!” he yelled and looked at her. He walked over to Cassandra then knelt beside her, “Grandma, I know that you of all people is the most gifted – apart from Jacob. So please tell me what is going on?”

Cassandra sighed then looked at Lucia,

“He always knows how to make me talk.” She said and kissed his forehead. “Come with me, Alex. This is a very…risky situation.” She muttered then stood and held his hand, pulling him up. Lucia scoffed,

“He won’t accept it, he never does.”

“What do you mean ‘I never do.’?” He asked in surprise.

Lucia heaved a sigh then closed her newspaper and faced Dante,

“I’ve been telling you the same thing for the past five years and every time you freak out and I have to wipe your memory ‘bout it.”

“Makes me laugh every time.” Raven said and looked at Cassandra, “Let’s do it again, mum.”

Dante looked at Cassandra as she dematerialized. He gulped and looked at Raven who laughed hard. He exhaled and felt a hand pull him into nowhere. He jerked awake in a dark room to see all of them waiting. He stood up and looked round to see lots of portraits.

“Where are we now?” he asked rubbing his head. Raven smiled,

“This is the family tree room.” She looked at the ladies, “Can I do the talking?”

“Knock yourself out kiddo.” Cassandra muttered then sat and watched them. Raven walked over to a man in a Knights Templar outfit,

“That is James Cormac Prentice, he was the first one to experience the changes. He was one of the men that helped find this country but he f****d with some Indian witches and they cursed him to walk the earth, that came with a whole other freakish power.”

“How do we come into this?”

“I’m getting to that! James married Marinda Todd and had him,” she walked over to the next man wearing a Sherriff uniform, “Conrad Prentice, he was Haven’s cop.”

“My father.” Cassandra muttered quietly. Raven looked at her with sad eyes,

“He’s our great-granddad. He was the first to be hunted.” Dante looked at Raven,

“Hunted by who?” he asked with a frown. Raven looked up at him with a frown,

“Reapers. They are haunted beasts with an appetite for supernatural beings. They’re the ones that have been attacking you – well all of us.”

West Wing, The Prentice Chateau. 12:51pm.

Jacob sat in his room when an alarm blared loudly. He exhaled then looked down,

“Reapers!’ he rose the telephone and called.

Raven’s phone rang and she picked it up quickly,

“Jacob,”

“Miss Raven, we have company.” He muttered and stood. Raven gulped then looked at Lucia,

“Reapers!” she muttered, “Get ready, Jacob.”

“Of course.” He said and hung up. Raven looked at them,

“How do we do it? We can’t out run them.” She said and looked at Cassandra. Cassandra sighed,

“We have to make his come out.” She said immediately. Raven folded her arms,

“It’ll kill him if he’s not ready.” She spoke and looked at Lucia, “And even if he is ready, it’ll drain him because he’s not used to it.”

“Do it, Raven.” Lucia said. Raven sighed then placed her hand on his chest, blue vapors rose out his body then he went stiff and fell. Raven gulped,

“I didn’t want to kill him yet, mother.”

“He’ll make it, I know he will.”

The Prentice Family Room. 01:01pm.

Jacob sat beside Dante’s limp body with a rifle in his hands. Raven stood by the door and waited, she inhaled and looked back at them,

“Stay safe.”

“We’ll drag you outta there if anything goes wrong.” Cassandra spoke and exhaled. Raven nodded and looked at Dante, “Send him over when he wakes.”

“We will.”

The Prentice Chateau Living Room. 01:05pm.

Raven walked into the living room where two figures stood. They faced her and let out sneers,

“Prentice…where is the other?”

“He’s on his way, I’m meant to handle you for the main time.”

“No! We want the boy!”

“C’mon, you scared of a girl? I wanna have some fun too.” She said then rose her hands, the couches rose and landed on top the two. She sighed then twirled her wrist and a pole appeared, “Come out guys, it’s time to play.” The reapers exploded out and slashed at her. She rose the pole and blocked then rolled back and deflected an attack, then she swiped at their legs with her pole and rose two of them off their feet. She looked back and smiled, “I expected better guys.” They charged and pounced but she dodged and slid underneath them. The furniture flew at the two, smashing them against the wall. She exhaled then looked up to see them holding her to the floor,

“Well, that was fun but…let’s eat!”

The Prentice Family Room. 01:16pm.

Lucia came up beside Dante and felt his heartbeat, she looked at Cassandra and shook her head. Cassandra sighed then came up beside him and punched him, but instead of her hand hitting him hard in the chest, it went right through his chest and he jerked awake with a gasp. He looked at her then up,

“Raven! She’s in trouble.” he stood and ran out the room. He came into the living room just as the Reapers were about to feed on Raven, “Hey! Get your filthy claws off my sister.” His eyes turned dark blue and blue vapor rose off his skin. He pointed at the Reapers and they dematerialized slowly, leaving only Raven.

Elvis John watched from a magic mirror, he wove his hand and smiled,

“Well done, Prentice. I’ll be expecting you.”