maggieveach@g*******m

Hunter's Choice Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Run

I walk into Hunterdom and everyone is staring at me. That's to be expected. We did have a big monster truck blow out in front of everyone in the middle of HQ. Still, it'd be nice if everyone could just mind their own business. And there's Mom at the center of everything. 

"Hello, Cassandra. Now that you've had your dramatics, we can begin to discuss the formalities for tomorrow." 

"I'm not getting married." 

"You're just being stubborn. As usual. How about you go to bed? When you wake up, I'm sure you'll see sense." 

"No matter how much beauty sleep I get, I am never changing my mind. I'm not doing this." I walk away from her. No looking back. I go to my room. It's not much, just a bed, a desk, a chair and about a ton of books. Yep, I'm a book nerd. I open my door and Julian is sitting on my bed. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" 

"Cass, I just want to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to see you. I want nothing to do with you." 

"Isn't that a little harsh?" 

"No, it isn't. You went behind my back, conspired with my mother and planned my entire future without me. So, no, it's not harsh." 

"I know you feel this was sprung on you. I'm sorry. I truly am. But, I really do think we would be good together. Please just consider it." 

"No.I'll consider not kicking your ass from here to kingdom come for what you did to me. That's what I'll consider. Now get out." 

"Cass." 

"I said, Get. Out." He looks at me with his dark storm cloud eyes. 

"I'll see you tomorrow." 

"No, you won't." 

He sighs, and goes out the door. Dammit. Everything is so upside down right now. What the hell am I gonna do? I know my Mother, she will stop at nothing to see this happen. Once she's decided something, there is no turning back or changing her mind. And yeah, I know, I get it from her. Still, there's got to be a way out of this. 

Wait a moment! The ceremony, they ask do you take this man. I'll just say no. Wow, what a simple solution. Man, I was blowing this completely out of proportion. All I have to do is play along and then when it gets to that moment, I'll just say no. It's perfect. 

I get undressed and lie down in my soft warm bed. That's a relief. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep. 

---Dream----

I'm wearing a simple white dress. Julian is standing there holding out his hand. His eyes looking at me fondly. I close his hand and he shatters. No! I fumble to pick up the pieces, but they cut my hands. The blood drips and everything goes black. 

----End of Dream----

Holy s**t! That was a hell of a nightmare. And I definitely know what it was about. s**t. What Julian did was underhanded and it hurt like hell. But, I can't do this to him. Alright, new plan. Every Hunter has a go coat stored in their room for emergencies. It has all of these hidden places for weapons, including a sword. How awesome is that? 

I put on my typical t-shirt, camo pants and boots, and strap my knives and stakes. I put on my go coat. I slip out of my room. Now, here's the hard part. If anyone sees me in my go coat, they'll know what I plan to do. So, I got to be stealthy. Not exactly my strong suit. 

To give you an idea of what I'm up against, Hunterdom is like a labyrinth. Well, actually more like a crab's shell. HQ is at the center of everything, it's the crab. Then the halls branch out from there in curves. My room is in the inner curves of the shell. To get outside, I have to go through the inner halls, then the outer halls and then go through HQ. Yep, damn near impossible odds. Let's do this. 

Luckily for me, everyone wakes up way earlier than I do. So, no one is in the inner halls. Still, I look around just in case. Alright, inner halls, check. Now, the outer halls. This is where it gets tricky. I peer out.... and no one is there. That's really odd. I step into the hall. I walk quickly to the next outer hall, before entering I peer in, and nothing still. Maybe everyone is at breakfast? Breakfast is normally held in a branch off of the inner halls. Doesn't hurt to be cautious though. 

I check and walk through each outer hall. Now for the big moment. Going through HQ. My Mother, no matter what time of day, is always in HQ. There is always a team in there with her. This isn't going to be easy. Alright, breathe. I peer in and there she is. Along with about ten guys.  And one of those guys is Julian. Just great. 

Breathe again. There are monitors, computers and all kinds of tech in HQ. It's a circular room. Not many places to hide. How the hell am I going to do this? Come on, Cass, think it through. You're smart, right? What would make them leave HQ? If the alarms went off, they wouldn't leave. They'd communicate with the others and have them check out the threat. So, that wouldn't work. Okay. I guess I'll just have to make a break for it. I can run pretty fast. I've been training my whole life for this moment. Right. Go! 

I run forward towards the final door to freedom. I can feel the eyes turn towards me. Can sense Julian and my Mother reacting. My coat waves out behind me and I keep on going. I can hear in the distance my Mother shouting orders. I feel them coming for me. Just. A. Little. Further. My breath is coming in and out. My legs burning, my feet going. I have to make it. I have to. I hit the door and keep on going into the sunlight. I made it! 

I can still feel them behind me. s**t! Keep going. I have to keep going. My legs keep on pumping forward towards the park. No, wait. I need to get them off my tail. I should go into the city area. I make a left and nearly skid into a tree. Geez! I need to focus. Breathe. Just breathe. I can do this. I can make it. I can't look back. If I look back, I'm caught. 

I can feel the sidewalk beneath my feet. The wind whipping through my hair. My lungs burning like a furnace. I see the buildings start to come up around me. People are milling about on the streets. Good. I can get lost in the crowd. I keep on going. I see an alleyway ahead. I turn left again. No trees this time. The pavement eats at my feet. I can still sense them behind me. The alley twists and turns. I'm getting tired. So tired. s**t! 

I veer along the alley. I'm starting to lose it. My legs, my feet, my lungs, they're all burning. I can't keep this up. They're going to catch me. Dammit! No, I can't let them catch me. I can't. I run and there's a wall. f**k! I stop and catch my breath. I turn to face my fate. I'm grabbed and thrown. What the hell?! 

"Shh!" An elderly woman closes the door and turns to me. I don't believe this. She totally saved my bacon. She peers out of a hole. 

"Heh, heh, heh. They're so confused. Hunters are idiots." 

"Um, thank you." 

"Of course. It's getting to the point where you can't buy groceries without running into them. My name's Magda. And yours, sweetie?" 

"Cassie." 

"Well, it's good to meet you. So, if you don't mind my asking, why were they hunting you?" 

"Oh. It's a long story." 

"I'm an old lady, I love long stories." 

"Um, well. I appreciate you saving my life, I do. I just...I don't think you'd like me all that much if you knew why I'm here." 

"How about you let me be the judge of that, hmm?" 

This kind old lady helped me. Which is great, but from the way she talks about hunters, she'd probably throw me out if she what I was. Dammit. What do I do? Her crystal blue eyes pierce me. 

"It's alright. Doesn't matter what you are or what you've done. I've met all kinds of people in my life. Good, bad, ugly. Doesn't matter to me. You seem like a good person. And I'm an excellent judge of character. So, spill." 

"Okay. You are probably the nicest person I've ever met. So, I'm going to be honest. I'm a hunter. I was born a hunter. The reason I was running from hunters is because I'm running from an arranged marriage that I don't want. And that's why I'm here. Do what you will to me." 

I hold my hands up, waiting for her reaction. She bursts out laughing. It's almost like a witch's cackle. Why do people keep laughing at me? Am I really that funny? 

"Oh my goodness. Thank you. Haven't laughed like that in a long time. Oh sweetie, what a pickle you're in. Especially since I now have to place you under arrest." 

"Um, what?" 

"I hate to do this. Because you seem a decent person... for a hunter. But, it's the law. Any supernatural must arrest any hunter they find. That hunter must face the Council. Laws must be obeyed. Don't worry, you can plead your case to the Council. I'm sure they'll be merciful." 

"Alright. But, how are you gonna arrest me?" Her eyes turn to cold steel. I blink and I find myself tied up with rope. 

"I'm a lot more spry than I look. Have a seat, while I contact the Council." I sit down in one of her chairs. I made a choice. Maybe it was the wrong one. Maybe I should've just gone to the altar and said no. Maybe I'm an i***t. Doesn't matter about the maybe's. I'm here now. If this Council decides to kill me, well, then I'll die. Nothing I can do about that. 

Magda comes back in. 

"The Council will meet this evening to hear your testimony and decided your fate. In the meantime, how about we have some breakfast and get to know one another?" 

"Um, okay." 

"Good. Now tell me all about yourself. Don't leave anything out. I can smell a lie." So, she's a werewolf! That explains her speed. She's the nicest werewolf I've ever met. At least I'll have a great conversation before I die. 

End of Chapter 2