The world is on the edge of a supernatural war and more help is needed to fight the evil forces. So 10 years ago, an elite team of hunters started a school
in hopes of training the next generation of hunters to help mankind survive. The students all have a special ability which makes them perfect for training to
hunt the supernatural. Some are trained fighters with martial arts skills, some hunt deer and game as a hobby, while others have gained some not so legal
skills that come in handy.
Then there is the second type of student: not all demons and creatures of mythology are naturally evil. Most are, but a select few choose the path of good.
These few are also welcomed at the school, where they are taught how to reign in their darkness. The school is run under the guise of a religious half-way
house or "group-living" arrangement. They keep to themselves and none of the people in the neighbouring towns bother them. Most avoid the school
thinking they're going to recriut them or something. Some view it as a cult and they sometimes get some negative press. But after a press expose revealing
a healthy, normal community, everything has settled down.
The school was started in 2000 by John Teague after events lead him to believe that the world was in peril. Since then, supernatural occurrences have
steadily increased, not enough to actually make people believe this stuff is real, but enough to cause bother for those who know of it. Students come from
all over the world to train with the best hunters of the supernatural. They are often recruited by current students or those who have passed through the
school at some point.
Around 20 new students enter per year. They will have already been touched by some supernatural event. They then go on to train for as long as it takes
to become hunters. Some leave after 3 years, some have stayed around for 10. But no matter how many people they train, no one is sure whether it will
be enough to fight the forces of evil. That is where their secret weapon comes in handy: psychic humans.
It is a rare phenomenon, but there are more and more people who are discovering that they have special abilities. People have been discovering amazing
gifts in many forms. Some believe that it is something demonic; some virus which gives the host powers, just like Azazel did with his psychic kids. But they don't know how stable the virus is or what it means, so although it is a powerful tool for the war, it bears serious consequences. Others think that it is a gift from God that is supposed to help good win the war. Only time will tell what it means.
Although each story is about everyone, a book will be dedicated to a certain character or group's cause. Each will get their turn. DISCLAIMER: The characters belong to me but the story belongs to Eric Kripke et al.Oh and William belongs to Jaime. I borrowed him because Jacks without Willy is like peanut butter without jelly =p
Will
The clanging of the school alarm as it echoed round the cold stone building was enough to wake even the heaviest of sleepers, and yet Jackson Brown slumbered still. With the blankets wrapped warmly over his head, he remained locked inside his dream world, not willing to rise until he d had his fill. After all, in this secure setting, he was able to get the soundest of sleeps, unlike any he d had in his entire life. He was used to sleeping with one eye open, one ear cocked, always on edge and ready for danger. But here he felt safe enough to actually sleep; to close his eyes and dream deeply about a life beyond all of this. Worlds without demons were suddenly opened up to him, and it was getting harder and harder each morning to remove himself from those wonderful places. It was because of this that his attendance at morning lectures was rapidly decreasing. Not that he cared at all; he knew it all of course. His tutors did care though and he was walking a thin line between remaining at this place and being expelled.
Luckily he had someone to keep him in check, someone he would actually listen to on occasion. So far, there had only been two people who had the ability (without magical or psychic assistance) to make Jackson do something he didn t really want to: one had been his Uncle, who was now deceased, the other was William Dresden.
Jackson and William had only been friends under a year, but already they were as tight as you could get in a world at war. They had been through so much together that it was impossible to not bond. Their personalities differed so much, yet they shared much in common: they were both musicians unable to play in bands due to their work, they both hunted evil creatures, and they both had secrets. Yes they may be close, but they still kept a lot hidden from one another, too scared of what the other s reaction might be. And they were right to be scared, as the secrets they hid were not small and in no way harmless. These were the kind of secrets that ended not just friendships, but lives too.
William Dresden wasn t just your average hunter. Actually he still found it hard to call himself one at all. He is in fact a werewolf: once bitten, forever cursed. Well, he wasn t banking on it being forever if he could ever find a cure that is. He only got into the hunting circuit as a means to find a cure for his Lycanism and now he was stuck in that trade by the lie he had told a stranger one evening in a bar somewhere in America. As that stranger grew into a close friend, the lie grew in size and took over Will s life. Now he is trapped in that lie, knowing full well that should his pal learn of his true nature, it will be the end of him. Jackson has made it clear on more than one occasion that he feels no sense of remorse in killing a werewolf. He doesn t care that except for the three days of the full moon the creature is human. That s too much of a grey area for him, and he doesn t believe in them so much. Well, he didn t until he found himself stuck right in the middle of one of those so called grey areas.
Jackson s secret is much more involved than Will s. Not that being a werewolf doesn t have its complexities, but this is just... complicated falls short of the mark somewhat. Abandoned at birth, Jackson Brown spent most of his life with no clue as to where he came from and who his parents were. But thanks to an enlightening conversation with a certain divine being, he now knows the truth, or some portion of it. Demons, angels, gods they re all the same when it comes to imparting information upon us mere mortals: they get very selective with the truth. But then again, the same could be said about humans, especially Jackson when he s telling one of his war stories!
So Jackson s history, as brief as it can be put: his birth mother was a witch with the ability to cast spells and use magic. But she was unaware of this hereditary gift until a demon enlightened her. It taught her the basics of magic but the older you get, the harder it is to pick up all the incantations and nuances. At 32 she was past it and had a moral sense too far ingrained in her to be turned onto a path of evil. But then the demon learned that she just so happened to be pregnant with Jackson, the product of a one-night stand as she had no husband or partner to speak of. The demon, seeing the possibility that she could be carrying a magical child, made it his business to get the baby as soon as it was born. He tormented the young mother all through her pregnancy, eventually tipping her over the edge. In her insanity, she killed the father of her child, along with several other people, before signing herself and her unborn child over to the demon.
However, once her baby was born and she held him in her arms for the first time, the clouds parted and she saw straight again.
But it was too late.
There was no hope for her, and the only chance her child had was in hiding. So she fled from the demon, entrusting the first hunter she found with her baby. Luckily that hunter, Harlan Brown, did right by the child and raised him well; Up until his untimely death anyway. Well, it wasn t so much untimely as perfectly timed .
Just at the point in his life when Jackson was starting to go off track and was considering pursuing other career paths and life choices, his only family and true friend in this world is taken away from him by a demon. It was just the kick start he needed to get his head back in the game. Of course, as with all carefully thought out plans cooked up by a so-called impartial party who is supposed to maintain balance between good and evil, it didn t quite work out right. Jackson was so incensed by his loss that he went off the deep end head first with no life jacket. He became somewhat obsessed with hunting for a good few months, barely stopping to take stock once one hunt was over with. He had always been reckless, it was one of his endearing qualities that made him a good hunter, but after Harlan s death, it was almost as if he was inviting death to take its best shot at him. Luckily no reaper seemed intent enough on getting Jackson.
As the alarm bells continued to sound down the corridors, the door to Jackson s single dorm flew open and in padded a groggy William. His morning routine now seemed to include rousing Jackson and goading him to lectures. Like Jacks needed any more fuel for calling him a mother hen. Walking over to the bed, Will grabbed the corner of the blankets and tugged them away from the sleeping form. They slid down revealing a messy tuft of sandy brown hair and a face half buried into a pillow.
"Jackson you lazy son of a bitch! Get your arse out of bed now!" Will shouted, his usually polite British tone sounding coarse and demanding.
There was no point beating around the bush in trying to wake Jackson as it wouldn t work. Even this rude awakening didn t seem to have any effect, as he continued to breathe heavily, mouth agape in an ever-so attractive fashion. Will decided to go for a more devious approach.
"Shit Jacks, what the 'ell 'appened to your weapons chest?" he said in reference to Jackson's much treasured bulky, wooden chest, passed down to him from his Uncle Harlan. This certainly had the desired effect as Jackson grunted and his eyes shot open, suddenly wide awake.
"Wha.. ? Wha's happened? Who...?" he questioned, sitting up straight, his eyes darting round the room in search of his beloved possession. His eyes met their target and he saw that it was safely pushed up against the far wall where he left it. Then the realisation dawned on him of what was happening.
"Will, I swear to God that s the last time you do that. I m locking my door at night!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at William, who by this point was doubled up in laughter.
"I'm sorry mate, but it works every time," he said, still laughing. He d used that little tool about 5 times now over the past 3 months and it did work every time. "You and that damn box!" he mused shaking his head.
"Dude, shut up! And get the hell out of my room," Jackson muttered through his teeth, clearly peeved. Mornings and Jack were much like oil and water.
Will ignored Jackson s demands to leave the room.
"We ve got a demonology class at 9. It s 8.30 now, so if you hurry up, we ve got time to get breakfast," he said, running a hand through his equally messy brown hair. He was hoping the mention of food would entice his friend out of bed.
And it evidently did as Jackson swung his legs eagerly over the bed. But he wasn t going to come without protest.
"Sure thing, Mom! You gonna pick out my clothes for me too, or am I good to go like this?" he said in a sardonic tone whilst indicating to his current attire. He was dressed in a pair of baggy, black pants with nothing on top; his usual bed wear for this time of year. Fall was warm enough to sleep bare-chested, but the cold nights in this draughty building called for something in the way of nightwear.
William reacted in the same way as usual to being mocked by his pal with a scowl and haughty comment.
"Well if you would bloody well get up of your own accord then I wouldn't have to nag you, would I?" he sniped. "Put some bloody clothes on, you ll scare half the school if you go down like that!" Smirking to himself, Will thought of the irony behind that comment; Jackson was possibly one of the biggest heart-throbs in this place, so the sight of him half naked at breakfast would certainly cause a reaction of sorts.
"Scare them? Dude the only thing scary about this is how damn hot it is," Jackson quipped, pointing again to his own torso. With that, Will was reminded of how aware Jackson was of his lusted-after status here.
"Hmm I'm sure," he said rolling his eyes.
He was getting used to Jack s occasional big-headedness. Whether it concerned his looks or hunting skills, Jackson was always self assured to the point of cockiness. But that was just him.
"I'll wait outside shall I?" he said jerking a thumb towards the door. With that, Will quickly left the room, leaving Jackson to dress.
Leaning against the wooden panelling outside the dorms, Will shook his head and sighed to himself. No wonder people suggested that he and Jackson were brothers when they acted like this. Every day was filled with bickering and playful teasing. But each knew the others boundaries and they rarely crossed them; it was all just light-hearted fun. Closing his eyes for a second, he remembered the first time they met:
It had been boyish banter from the word go, with Jackson teasing Will for the song choice he had made. A bar in some town (that neither of them could remember the name of) was holding an open mic night, and both the musicians had been there to showcase their talents in amongst all the Sheryl Crow and Garth Brooks wannabes, who only came out after several drinks. Will's ears had immediately pricked up when Jackson took to the stage, impressed by what he heard. Jackson rarely admitted it, but he too was impressed by Will's performance. A conversation was struck up and they got along well, but it could have all ended there had it not been for the bizarre events that followed.
From somewhere upstairs in the bar, a shot was fired, followed by a blood-curdling scream. Jackson, being one to jump in head-first to any kind of drama, went to investigate, while an ever-curious Will followed. The scene that met them was one that would stay in their minds for years to come. The body of a young male lay strewn on the floor, blood oozing from a fresh gunshot wound to the head; an apparent suicide. On closer inspection, Jackson could tell there was more to the tale and Will had an inkling too, but both were under assumed identities and couldn't investigate further. It had later occurred to Will how hard it must have been for Jacks to leave an open case like that, knowing how driven he was. Once Jackson caught scent of something evil, he wouldn t let go until he'd dealt with it. William on the other hand didn t really care that there was something more to it; he just wanted to get out of dodge before he got tied to anything.
William reopened his eyes, awakened from his reverie at the sound of a door opening. Jackson emerged from his room fully dressed yet still bleary-eyed. He was wearing his trademark torn jeans with a chain dangling from them, and his chest was now covered by a red and black stripy sweater. His hair was still sticking up in an odd fashion, but it was now tamed somewhat by gel and hairspray; it looked like he'd attempted to style it into a Mohawk but given up halfway through. Rubbing his eye like a tired child, he pulled his door shut behind him, locking it and tucking the key away. He was always cautious about locking his door as he was the kind of person who lost keys on a regular basis. But then again it had been a long time since he'd had a room which he could keep prized possessions in.
Before he came to the school he d been living out of his car, sleeping in motel rooms when he could afford it, with all his stuff locked in the trunk of his Mustang. Now his beloved car was stowed away in the garage, not getting driven as much as Jackson would like, and his belongings had now grown from one small duffle bag of clothes and a large weapons chest, to enough crap to fill an entire room. He had no idea where half of the stuff had come from but it was mostly hunting gear, weapons and school supplies. He never would have guessed that at the age of 20 he would need a large supply of ballpoint pens and writing paper.
Turning to Will, Jackson jerked his head in the general direction of the dining hall.
"We going or what?" he intoned impatiently.
Will simply pursed his lips and kicked off from the wall, leading off down the corridor.
The pair walked through the corridors in silence, weaving their way past other students. The halls were becoming a hive of activity with everyone trying to get to the same place at the same time. The number of students here was much smaller than a regular school; it is a secret set up after all. But it was surprising how busy it could seem with everyone up and about. The loud chatter and buzzing of motion made Will wince thanks to his heightened senses. Turns out being a werewolf wasn't just a full moon kinda deal; it affected him throughout the whole month, aiding him in his work and causing him misery in equal amounts. He could smell, hear and see things that others were blissfully unaware of, such as the disgusting aromas that came from the old sewers that ran under the old school building. That certainly wasn't a nice thing to wake up to; 200 years worth of toilet smells! He had hoped he'd be able to turn these heightened sense off with a little practice, but try as he might he just couldn t block them out. It wasn't all bad though: he was often privy to extra information that could be of use to him, such as private conversations between teachers regarding their suspicions about a werewolf roaming the grounds at night. He really needed to be more careful or he was going to get his arse pumped full of silver. Luckily he had one ally in this place that was aware of his predicament; the headmaster of the school knew everything that went on round here. So far the guy had kept to his word and not told a soul about Will's hairier side, but for how much longer would it remain a secret? Only time would tell.
Finally, after what felt like a long trek, the guys made it to the dining hall. The place was pretty empty right now as most students were either already in class or had decided it was safer to skip breakfast. With one twitch of his nose, Will was certain he knew why. The food here was about the same standard as any other school and that was pretty bad. But hungry hunters will rarely complain when it comes to it. Jackson wasn't one to be put off from a meal and this morning he was feeling ravenous. He ordered bacon, eggs and beans, managing to scrounge 2 extra rashers of bacon off the cook by throwing a crooked smile and a wink her way. No matter what age they were, he certainly had a way with the ladies. Will opted for the blander option of oatmeal, despite the luring smell of the sausages, which were causing his usually dark brown eyes to dapple with amber. Had Jackson not been male and quite unobservant, he may have noticed something, but thankfully he didn t. The pair of them paid up for their meals and sloped over to a vacant table. Jackson sat down and immediately began shovelling beans hungrily into his mouth. After a moment he glanced up at Will, who was blowing on a spoonful of hot oatmeal.
"that looks yummy!" Jack said with a sarcastic smirk. He wasn t a fan of oatmeal; he thought it looked too much like gruel or slop.
"Actually it's not as bad as it looks. My dad used to make me porridge all the time when I was a kid," Will replied, a slight note of wistfulness in his voice. "Besides, it s better than your heart attack on a plate there!"
"What? Eggs are good for you!" Jack said with a mouthful of yoke.
"Maybe if they weren't dripping with oil Anyway whatever! It's your body." Will decided he was hardly one to chide for someone s eating habits. After all, his midnight snacks often consisted of rats and other small animals.
"So you ready for more demonology theory fun?" he said with mock enthusiasm. He liked theory lessons about as much as Jacks did.
"Hmf!" was the grumpy reply. Jackson kind of missed school the first time round so he didn t have a good grasp of the basics such as reading and writing. His dyslexia didn t help much in that respect either. One of Jackson s more knowledgeable friends who he often went to for research help had diagnosed him with the reading disability a few years back. But he had no idea what to do about it, so he simply avoided literary tasks like the plague. That was just one reason for hating theory lessons: the other was much more to do with his ego.
"Seriously, what is the point in me going to these lectures? I know it all so it s just boring," he said in a strop. "I'm 20 years old, what am I doing in a school?" That old cherry came up time and time again.
"Mate, I m 23! How do you think I feel?" Will reminded him for the umpteenth time.
But even if they both felt like mature students, the truth is they were still young compared to some of the other people who had taken up residency here. The oldest to date was 64, and he was still going strong that's for sure.
"Yeh, I keep forgetting you're over the hill. So did I have any homework for this class?" Jackson asked, not giving Will a chance to react to the insult. He didn't actually care if he had homework to do; he hadn't done any yet and he wasn't going to start now.
"Yes," Will replied bluntly, peeved at the dig about his age and even more peeved at not getting a chance to dig back. "We were supposed to devise an altered exorcism ritual for a low level demon. Y'know, something quicker and easier than the full she'bang."
"Oh well d'ya do it?" Jackson asked, genuinely interested. It sounded like a hard assignment, one that he wouldn t have even understood even if he had bothered to look at it. He couldn t read or write English, let alone Latin incantations! If Will had managed to do it he would be very impressed.
"You're not copying mine mate!" Will replied, sure that that would be the next request. He hadn t managed to complete it and he wasn't even sure it could be done. The teacher had been quite ambiguous about the completion of the task.
"Alright Wilma, don t get your knickers in a twist!" Jackson joked, including the English term for women's underwear that his pal had taught him for added effect. "I wasn't even going to ask. I just wondered if it could be done is all."
Will sighed and threw his spoon down in frustration.
"Dude, don't call me Wilma. It's just not funny after the 20th time," he pleaded with Jacks. "And no, I didn't get it done. I think it"s a test to be honest." He picked up his spoon again and poked at the mixture in his bowl. He could handle Jackson s jokes most of the time, but the Wilma one had been played far too often.
Just at that moment a dark haired girl they both recognized from at least one of their classes came running into the dining hall and looked around frantically. She wore a worried look on her face and looked like she was desperate to find someone, but they were nowhere to be seen. The sound of her sneakers on the lino flooring made Will look up to see who it was. He watched her intently, curious about her state of panic. It looked to be something fairly important that was troubling her as she looked fairly close to tears. He was considering asking her if she was ok when she started towards their table. It wasn't until she approached the table that Jackson took notice. He frowned up at her as she placed both hands on the table, leaning down towards them.
"Excuse me, have either of you seen MacKenzie. Do you know who I mean?" the girl asked in a clipped British accent, even more posh than Will's.
"Hey, she's one of yours!" Jackson joked before carrying on with his meal, ignoring her question. She was interrupting his eating time to ask where her boyfriend was so it wasn t important enough to stop eating.
Will shot an angry look at Jackson before turning to the girl, who didn t seem to register Jackson s comment.
"I think I know who you mean," he replied, thinking of the girl he'd seen this one hanging round with. "No sorry, I ve not seen her. Are you ok?" he enquired politely.
Across the table, Jackson s attention snapped back up to the conversation as Will referred to MacKenzie as "her" .
"Er no not really. Are you sure you've not seen her?" the girl asked again, her hand nervously flicking her hair from her shoulder while her eyes continued to dart around the room. She was very on-edge and jumpy, like she'd had no sleep and drunk many cups of coffee.
"We've not seen her," Jackson chipped in, even though he didn't know who MacKenzie was. "But I m sure she'll find you soon enough. In the meantime, why don't you sit down with us? Take a load off, get some breakfast. You look like you could do with it," he said, putting the moves on her.
Will rolled his eyes and shook his head as he recognized the patented chat-up style. He was almost certain that Jackson didn t even know when he was doing it; it just came naturally.
"No!" the girl snapped, but her tone wasn't angry. I have to find her, it's urgent. If you see her just tell her I'm looking for her. With that she turned and began walking away to continue her search.
After she'd only walked a few fast paces away, Will leapt up and called after her.
"Wait! Hey, I don t know your name. Who shall I say is looking?" He felt bad for not knowing her name, especially as he knew he had a class with her. But then again, she didn't appear to know their names either.
Just before she disappeared out of the door she turned back to them, a small, bashful smile on her face as she realized her error.
"Sorry. I'm Beth. Bethan Stevens."
A/N: Ok so this story was started years ago. Like way back when Supernatural came on air, which is why its set in season 3. I know there's no Sam or Dean but they may make cameo's in later chapters if that's what the readers want. Plus as I'm sure you'll figure out, Jackson is basically Dean, and Will has some similarities to Sam in some ways. Stick with it as I think you'll come to love the characters as much as I do.
I'll try and update as much as possible but sorry if there's a delay. No beta. If anyone wants to take a crack at it, be my guest. Please leave your comments, let me know what you like, don't like, would like to see in the future and such. lots of love
dontpetthepanda x