A Guide to Surviving Against Monsters

I sat up, chasing away the image stuck in my head of my older brother.

He was gone. I was the one left over.

Which meant I couldn't dwell on the past, because then I'd be stuck, just like he was.

It didn't matter, anyway. Lunch was over, and I could hear the other professional hunters coming my way. Sooner or later we'd start going on actual jobs with these students -- maybe they were about to tell me of our first adventure.

I would be impressed if more than half the students survived the first mission.

After all, they were graduating in less than a week. The second they were cleared, we'd be taking them out to learn the ropes.

And to retrieve their bodies.

"Emmalyn?"

I got to my feet, dusting myself off. Down the hall were the other six, Wendy in the front. She held a single brown envelope in her hand.

"So this is it?" I muttered, strolling toward them. The seven of us stood together, watching her reach into the envelope. "Time to say our good byes."

Weston smacked my arm, albeit gently. "Have some faith. They're fourth year students, after all."

We all know the pain of graduating, I wanted to say, but I held myself back. Wendy took out a single piece of paper. On it was the details of our mission and the students we were taking.

"Seven students," she sighed, "one for each of us."

"Starting off safe," Mateo pointed out, "that's good!"

Wendy scanned the names, her eyes flicking over to me for a split second. "Beth, Annie, George, Simon, Aiden, Irina and Malekai."

"Aren't those the top seven of the class?" Weston asked, frowning. "If this missions goes sideways..."

Luca beat me to the pessimism.

"Then the best of their year will already be dead."

"What's the mission?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Wendy pursed her lips, looking distressed.

"Mutant hunting, outside the barrier."

The second the bell rang to end class, I stormed into the lecture hall with the brown envelope in hand. Kids were still leaving as the door slammed into the wall, announcing my arrival. My eye twitched, hidden by my spiky hair.

"I swear to the non-existent god, Michaelson, don't make me drag you on a suicide mission."

The teacher paled. "I thought it would be fine, especially with--"

"I'm not here to save lives at every turn," I snarled. "I'm here to help these kids learn the ropes. They need to do their mission. I'm not taking point on this."

"What are you talking about, Emmalyn?" Malekai said, stepping out of his row of seats and standing in the middle of the staircase. Other students hesitated, rooting to their spots. Maybe one or two had actually left.

I ignored the fact that he used my first name, moving past it.

"Your first real mission is hunting mutant monsters outside the barrier," I explained, "which is insane."

Michaelson crossed his arms, leaning against his podium at the front of the lecture hall. "You did these missions as a third year, Emmalyn," he said, making many students balk, "but you don't think these kids can?"

"Stop messing around!" I yelled, crinkling the paper. "You know damn well that I'm a special case!"

"You should learn to respect a professor, Ms. Foxit!"

I felt my face fall, going blank. No one even breathed loudly as I stared down at Michaelson.

This damn school ruined me.

"Michaelson."

"What?" The teacher snapped.

I didn't flinch, instead dropping my eyes to the ground.

"I'll do your bullshit mission. I'll keep these kids alive."

People gasped as I vanished from sight, reappearing behind Michaelson. I didn't touch him, nor did I actually teleport. Instead, I had moved at a speed they couldn't comprehend.

"But so help me God, you'll be eating your own eyes for breakfast if you ever try to tell me to respect you bastards again."

And with that, I was gone.

Or at least out the door, where the others were waiting with distraught looks on their faces.

"When you asked to borrow the file, that was not what I thought you meant!" Wendy scolded me. I didn't spare her a second glance, shoving the envelope into her arms.

"Tell me when the mission is. I'll be ready."

"Where the hell are you going?!" Luca called. When I didn't answer, he ran up to me and latched onto my arm. "Emmalyn!"

I stared back with hatred and pain in my eyes. "Let me go, Luca."

The others caught up, Theo setting his hand on my shoulder. He was more gentle and kinder than Luca, who was practically a carbon copy of me.

"You should talk to us, Emmalyn. Something's going on with you," Theo said softly.

I laughed, dryly. "That's such an understatement."

"I agree with them," Mateo said, shifting his weight. "We're all adults. We can handle whatever this is. We need to trust each other, Foxit. It's hard to rely on someone who uses power we can't explain."

I scowled. "It's none of your business."

"This isn't just your school, Emmalyn," Wendy countered. "We all deserve to know what our teachers were doing."

"Not teachers. Specialists. Realm specialists."

"Realms?"

I looked at my feet. We were standing in the hallway, alone. Most of the students had gone home as well as regular staff. That left the seven of us in silence, each one scarred by different things that led up to us becoming respected hunters.

"People who study demons and angels," I said softly. "The teachers and committee had their help. They performed an experiment that... Altered me."

"...What do you mean, Emmy?" Wendy asked softly. Luca and Theo both let go of me, taking steps back to give me space.

My head tilted back, my eyes staring at the ceiling.

"It's a story for another time. We need to deal with this mission first. I'll... I swear, I'll get around to explaining some of it, just... Not right now."

"Fine," Weston agreed before anyone could protest. I turned, scanning the faces of my fellow hunters. Luca had a blank expression while Theo frowned, the two of them the least emotional. Mateo and Miles were both pouting, clearly worried for me. Wendy's fists were clenched, distress filling her expression. Then, there was Weston. He looked curious and calm, but he trusted my word.

And thank god for that.

"The mission is Friday," Weston continued. "We leave after their classes are finished and we hunt until midnight."

I nodded. "I'll bring some extra firepower."

The others scoffed.

"Like you need it," Wendy teased. Her concern had melted away, the healer smiling like she had back in our younger days.

I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Obviously, it's for you."