A Guide to Surviving Against Monsters

If the bed and hospital gown hadn't been so damn uncomfortable, maybe I would've faked sleep a little longer. The voices of my six teammates and a few students filled the air around my infirmary bed, making me wish I was still asleep. I didn't know if I could deal with seeing the others this soon.

Alas, comfort won out over emotional stability.

As it should.

My eyes felt grainy as I cracked them open. Instantly I knew that I still had my purple symbols in my right eye, unlike the dreamworld of almost-death. My hair was still choppy and short, though someone had washed it for me. My entire body ached, the tight feeling of bandages making me realize I was worse off than I thought. They were wrapped around my legs from toe to knee, and all the way up my arms. My throat and parts of my sternum were bandaged as well.

Great.

Memories hung in the back of my mind, refreshed after my trip in between life and death. I could feel the ghost of my parents' hands, my chest becoming tight as I longed for another minute with them.

I still never got what I wanted.

But... This reality wasn't so bad.

I laid there, completely frozen, for about three minutes before someone happened to glance my way. My room in the infirmary -- or maybe it was actually a hospital -- had my bed, a wall of medical equipment, and two large couches. A single window was in the wall next to my cot, allowing me to see the sunset.

Well, time definitely passed.

It was Mateo, sitting on the edge of one blue couch, who noticed my eyes were open.

"Holy shit! She's awake!"

There was a split second of silence.

Followed by a round of shrieks.

My head pounded as voices filled my ears, speaking way too loudly and way too quickly. Purple flames flickered on my fingertips, my body too weak to properly control them at the moment.

At least I didn't use so much of them that I lost them.

Wendy noticed the fire and held out her arms, forcing everyone to take a step back.

Almost as if she was my closest friend who knew how to read me like a book.

"Sorry," she said firmly, "that must've been a lot."

The others nodded sheepishly. Malekai stepped forward, one of the many students who were here.

"You missed our lesson!"

Really, kid?

I rolled my eyes, my voice cracking. "I can kick your ass here and now if you want."

He scowled.

"What? Not going to take the challenge?"

I laughed as he pouted. "No... 'Cause I don't want to risk getting my ass kicked by a woman in the hospital."

The others snickered as he blushed, shyly scratching the back of his neck. Once we were done mocking him, he cleared his throat.

"You didn't just miss the lesson, Foxit... You've been out for a while. Our graduation came and went already, even though it was moved to Wednesday because of Sasora's scheming."

"What day is it?" I croaked curiously.

"Friday, Emmalyn. The fourth."

I blinked in surprise. "Well shit. Happy new year."

It's safe to say that they didn't find my words all that funny.

I sighed deeply, pushing myself into sitting. Instantly, Wendy had a hand on my shoulder.

"After hearing how long you've been out, you would think that you'd keep resting," she scolded me, "lay back down, Emmalyn."

I shrugged her off. Gradually, fire spread over my body, the layer thinner than normal as I tried my best to control it. The others watched as I carefully absorbed the flames, my skin glowing ever so slightly as the divine power within the fire sped up my healing process.

I smirked at Wendy. "I feel fine."

She smacked my shoulder with a scowl.

"We only have a month left before these hunters are on their own," she snapped, "and I expect you to be there, Emmalyn, so if you suddenly get backlash from forcing yourself to heal--"

"--don't come crying to you?"

She huffed, pouting as well. "...That was my line."

Her words brought a smile to my face. "Sorry, but congratulations to the students," I murmured. "Next time I'll recover faster."

"We're just glad you woke up," Theo told me softly. The air became somber as he spoke the gentle truth. "We... We weren't sure..."

"I killed her," I said firmly, "but it took a lot. I was in a realm between this one and the next... And I..."

"Emmalyn, you don't have to tell us," Luca reminded me.

I shook my head. "It's alright. I... I ended up seeing the spirits of my family... And I just didn't want to leave."

Flashes of hurt appeared on certain faces.

But one was smug.

"You're not allowed to abandon us for your heavenly glory just yet," Malekai winked. I wondered for a split second if the others told him my story.

Whatever. I would ask later.

"So I've come to learn," I murmured.

The group of us shared knowing looks before Weston cleared his throat, handing me an envelope.

I tore it open without paying attention to his instructions.

And immediately scowled.

"The Headmaster wants to meet with me to catch me up to speed," I grumbled.

"You can rest when you're dead, I guess," Luca said dryly. Several people glared at him, probably since I got pretty close to resting as a dead woman.

I still found it funny, though.

"You're not wrong," I muttered, swinging my legs off the bed. I tested my balance, wobbling on them as if I was a newborn.

Luca was the first one to grab my arm, rolling his eyes.

"Thanks, buddy," I snickered cheerfully. "Escort me home, would you?"

"Wait a second," Miles protested, "you're not supposed to be discharged yet!"

I flipped him off as Luca brought me to the door.

"I'll see you guys later! Let's get dinner after this meeting of mine, I need someone reliable to fill in the holes of whatever bullshit the Headmaster tells me. Take care!"

"Emmalyn!"

I stopped in the doorway, Luca holding me up with his arm around my waist, mine around his shoulders.

Wendy looked pissed, probably about to yell at me for trying to leave.

I beat her to the punch, though.

"Oh, right! One of you better have taken my weapons and clothes home and put them away properly, otherwise I'm going to be sparring with all of you to get back into the groove of things. Adios!"

"E-Emmalyn! Wait, you--you can't just say that! Get back here! Luca!"

I snickered, slamming the door shut. Luca was forced to help me as I stacked chairs in front of it, slowing down my fellow hunters so that they couldn't stop me.

He rolled his eyes as we left the hospital, my gown nowhere near warm enough for the January weather.

"New year, same me," I muttered. "I can't believe I missed so much. Damn demon."

Luca scoffed. "Emmalyn..."

"I know, I'm amazing for surviving that."

"I was going to say that it was impressive, but that you're only acting stupid now."

"Don't worry, I'll be back to my usual quiet, badass self soon."

His smile that appeared next was almost rueful.

"Well, this Emmalyn can take her time, just for now..."

I grinned.

This was far from the perfect situation for me, but what else could I expect?

I had to make do, as I always did.

So I sucked it up, held onto Luca for dear life as I stumbled around on my jelly legs, and marched onward into the next hellish mission.

As I always do.

Except this time, I felt like there was a little glow in my chest. Golden and pure, giving me hope.

Maybe that's what made this bad situation just a little bit different than all the others.

Hopefully, I'd be able to find out.

Because this wasn't over yet.

The End...

...of book one.