Chapter One?

Staggering down the path, I clutched my shoulder, blood streaming through my fingers. I groaned, furious at myself for letting my guard down on the hunt. Stupid Wendigo. Stupid freaking forest. For God's sake, those stupid teens.

Spotting the house, I sighed. Reagan's going to give me hell for this. Bracing myself for the barrel of questions I was sure to get, I nudged the door open and limped inside.

"What the hell happened to you?"

I snorted as I faced James's wide eyes. Tousled brown hair, golden-green eyes, he was sprawled across the couch, a book open in his lap.

"Well James, when you go hunting, there's a small chance of getting hurt. It's just the way it is." I shrugged, then winced. Bad idea.

"You never get hurt, what happened?"

"A group of idiotic teens thinking it'd be fun to poke a Wendigo."

He rolled his eyes. "Aren't normal people adorable?"

"They're stupid, if that's what you mean. What are you doing up, anyway? It's like two in the morning." Yeah, sorry. I have a bad habit of changing subjects. Blame it on the ADD.

"I was waiting till you got back in case you needed help."

I opened my mouth to answer when Reagan stormed into the room, glaring at me.

"What are you doing in here? I was waiting for you! Why did you come back and not come straight to me? I knew you were going to be hurt, you knew you were hurt, but no. You have to stay and chat while you bleed out! Seriously Deryn, common sense!" She poked my forehead. "Think. And don't tell me you're fine, cause you're not." She snapped.

I looked at her. "I'm okay?"

"I told you not to tell me that."

"You told me not to tell you I'm fine."

"Same thing."

"Is not."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not, and you're coming with me so I can clean you up before you drip blood everywhere."

James looked at the floor, well, looked at my blood on the floor. "A bit late for that."

"That's not helping!" Reagan retorted, grabbing my hand and yanking me out of the room.

She sat me down on a counter, and pulled out her box of items-that-aren't-really-medical-but-can-still-be-used-for-the-same-thing. Grabbing a cloth, she dunked it in water and started mopping up my shoulder.

"You know, I can do this myself." I said. Though as much as I protested I could take care of myself, it was nice to have a family to help. I had a lot of time alone, having to do all this for myself. A little help isn't really that bad in the big scheme of things. Take it from me guys, don't stay angry at your family. You'll need them sometime, as much as you don't want to admit it.

She sighed. "I know, but knowing you, you'd clean it up and stick a Band-Aid on it. I need to make sure it won't get infected. That's the last thing you want for your next hunt."

Yeah. Geez, these hunts never ended. Don't get me wrong, I love the thrill of the chase, but a little vacation would be greatly appreciated. And as much as I loved our homes, we never really traveled anywhere. I wanted to get back up in the air and just fly somewhere. Not far, I wouldn't make it, somewhere close. And carrying my backpack would be kind of a pain for a long flight.

Yeah, carrying. I'm not flying on a plane, those things are death traps. My wings will carry me just fine, thank you very much. Surprised? You shouldn't be. If you had my wings, you'd want to fly as well. My wings were a dark blue, almost black, with silver at the bottom gradually fading out as they traveled up. My wings kicked ass.

"Hey Deryn, you there?"

I blinked out of my thoughts to see Reagan staring at me.

"Did you hear anything I just said?" She asked.

"Yes?" I said innocently.

She sighed. "Never mind. It was nothing, anyway."

She finished up in silence; eyes squinting as she did a few stitches. "There. Try not to move it too much till tomorrow at the earliest. I'd say for a few days, but I know you'd ignore that."

I smiled as I hopped off the counter and walked out of the room. "You know me too well! Thanks."

I walked out of the room, conscious of Reagan's eyes on my back, but I didn't turn around. I was tired. Needed sleep. I didn't really want a heart-to-heart conversation people seem to always have in the middle of the night. Bleh.

I crept down the hallway, conscious of the people sleeping on either side of me, and slipped into my room. Closing my door, I sighed, my head falling forward. Shrugging off my jacket and boots, I flopped onto my bed, not bothering to change. It wasn't the first time I slept in my clothes, and it won't be the last time. Rolling over, I flung my arms over my head and groaned. I leaned over and set my alarm for the morning, then burrowed under the covers and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Blinking open my eyes, I awoke to sunlight streaming through my window, making the walls shimmer in a golden light. Groaning, I rolled onto my back, stretching out my muscles. I sat up and plunked my feet onto my floor, shivering at the sudden coldness. Changing from my pajamas into my street clothes - Knee-high boots, jeans, a black tank top, tight leather jacket, and black fingerless gloves - I walked out of my room and down the stairs to the kitchen. Smiling at the familiar creaking of the house, I wandered into the kitchen and saw Naomi sitting on the counter, book in hand.

"New book? What, is this your third one this week?"

Her gazed swept up to match mine, blinking. She was such a big bookworm, I wouldn't be surprised if she had been sitting there all night. Quite and reclusive, she was reading most of her free time. She smile, hopping off the counter.

"It's only my second. I started it yesterday." I scanned the page she was holding. It was almost at half. Shaking my head, I opened the cupboard, lifting out a strawberry Pop-Tarts box. Grabbing a package, I tossed the rest back and stuffed one in my mouth. Good manners, I ain't got. Walking backwards, I bumped into Reagan, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Hey." She mumbled. "God, I hate mornings. Why does nine have to come so disgustingly early, anyways?"

My lips twitched into a smirk. "Nine comes at the same time everyday." I spewed some crumbs as I talked, and Reagan laughed.

"I love what you eat for breakfast, everyday you only grab like a slice of toast or a Pop-Tart. Seriously though, you barely eat."

I pumped my fist into the air. "Breakfast of Champions!" I declared, then spun around and wandered to the door. "I'm running out for some supplies. Naomi, can you check for any hunts we could do?" She nodded. "Great. Back in thirty." I sauntered out the door, hearing Reagan call out "Don't forget about your shoulder!" As I slammed the door behind me.

*skipping the store cause that was boring*

Staggering up the steps to the house, I launched the door inwards with a kick. But instead of opening like I thought it was going to do, it instead hit the wall and rebounded back, proceeding to hit me in the nose. Growling at it, I sent a wave of energy towards it, accidentally creating a small crack. Ignoring it, I stomped into the kitchen, dumping the bags onto the counter and throwing things into the fridge and cupboards. Snarling at the packages, I slammed the doors closed and spun around to see Graham staring at me, soda in hand.

"What?" I snapped.

He just chuckled. "Bad day, I presume?"

I ran a hand through my hair, making it tangled. "Sorry. It started out okay, but there was just a bunch of idiots at the store. The lines were huge, some idiot dumped a jar of jam all over me," I gestured to the stain at the bottom of my shirt, "the cashier was an idiotic teen who had no idea what they were doing," I blew out a breath of air. "People." I grumbled.

Graham just looked at me for a moment, before laughing. "Jesus Deryn, you usually don't get this riled up by people, calm down. It's not that bad."

I snarled as I pushed past him. "I'm getting cabin fever, we haven't gone anywhere or done anything interesting for a year. I can't help it!"

Storming out to find Naomi, I took a deep breath. Graham was right, I shouldn't get this worked up. Not that I could help it, I hadn't gone anywhere for a while, and I was used to traveling. I made a mental note to go somewhere for Christmas if we couldn't go sooner, whether or not the others wanted to. Pushing the door open to Naomi's room, I wandered in.

Naomi chose the smallest room, saying she wouldn't need as much space as the rest of us. (I tried not to take offense at that.) Her room was a small, rectangular shape, with a large window on the far wall. To the left of the door was her bed, only a twin size because she's short. (Yes, we tease her for that. She doesn't mind.) Dark blue covers lay draped across the mattress, and white throw pillows litter the ground. Straight ahead of me is her desk, pressed against the right wall, and currently occupied by her. Papers lay scattered across it, and a few had flown off, and were laying on the floor surrounding her feet. Her laptop perches over them, the soft tk-tks of her typing the only sound. Soft blues and greens shimmer through the room, caused by the glass mobiles she makes with broken bottles she finds on the street. Her white hair blew off to the side with the breeze sweeping in from her open window.

I coughed to let her know I'm here, and she swiveled around in her chair.

"Hey." She whisper-calls to me. I smile at her.

"I don't mean to interrupt whatever you're doing, but I was wondering if you've found any cases for us?"

She turns back to her computer, searching her notes. "Ah, yes, actually, I found a shapeshifter hunt I thought we could have someone do."

"Maybe Jessie? She's been wanting to use her new blade, maybe her and Brooklyn can go together? I'll text her after we're done."

She looked through her files. "There's one I thought you might like, seeing as you're getting cabin fever here. It's in New York, another group called for help. They picked up some weird readings from one of the towers, but they're hesitant to check it out."

My eyes light up when she mentioned New York. "It's in New York?"

She glanced at me, nodding.

This should be interesting. Even though we live pretty close to it, I've never actually been to New York. Bigger cities seem really crowded to me, but hey. I'll try anything once. The case sounded kind of dull - I could easily name three species that can send radioactive waves out - but I'd go nonetheless.

Nodding, I started thinking of who to bring with me on the hunt. Reagan, definitely. Graham can come if he wants, maybe Michelle too. "Okay, got it. Can you contact Michelle and tell her to come over this afternoon with her stuff?" Naomi dipped her head. "Great. Thanks."

I walked back down the hall, thinking. Michelle and Reagan would have to take the car, of course, I could probably just fly there and get everything set up before they arrive. Reagan will probably get lost on the way, so Graham could just sit with them since he'll know where we're going. Running my hand through my hair, I sauntered to the kitchen to grab supplies for tonight.


I flew silently through the night air, the stars peering through the fading clouds above me. The cool night air stroked my feathers, and brushed my hair around my face in soft, teasing strokes. Below me the ground rushed past, shadowed and gloomy save for a few shimmering lights signaling homes or small towns. My wings beat steadily, propelling me forward. I glanced down, counting the lights, fast disappearing either from families going to sleep or just less houses. Looking ahead, I saw a brightly lit cluster of lights, piercing through the dark like a diver through water. I slowed, curiosity flicking through my mind, but I shrugged it off. You need to get to New York. I continued flying, until my mind collapsed in on itself, my skull shattering. Flinching, I grabbed my head in my hands, momentarily forgetting to flap, my wings folding in and sending me plummeting to the ground.

My vision blurred, and I saw the camp below me, much closer, the walls crumbling to the ground and people fleeing in waves. I saw a man crouched in the back of a truck, dressed in green with a blue light surrounding him. Another car roared after it, only to get lost in dust and rubble from the roof. I could hear a wailing alarm blaring, muffled from the debris.

I gasped, coming out from… whatever the hell just happened, and immediately snapped out my wings, slowing my fall but bringing them up in a painful vee shape. I brought them back down, leveling myself out. Luckily I hadn't fallen far enough to get noticed from the ground. I hovered, sweating, until a boom shook the ground. I brought my horror-filled eyes down, watching the land collapsed below me. Instinctively I dropped, but didn't make it fast enough. Skimming low over the broken buildings, I saw a truck screech out of the rubble. Eyeing it up, I realized it was the one I saw from what had happened a few moments ago. I cautiously followed, my curiosity getting the better of me.

The air turning softly from my wings, I watched from afar as the truck veered around the grounds, the man crouched in the back raising some sort of scepter, and shot a beam of energy at the nearby helicopter. My eyes widened as it careened towards me. I shot upwards, but not fast enough. The whirling blade clipped my wing as I maneuvered through the air, tossing me to the ground with a cry of pain. Rolling to a stop, my wings bent painfully underneath me, I watch with blurry eyes as the truck drove off. I groaned, pushing myself to my knees, and looked to my left. At first I saw my wing, sore and bleeding, but when I looked further out, I saw a man walking cautiously towards me, gun held steadily in front of him. Oh of course. Now what? I raised my hands like the good little soldier I am.

"Hey, dude, I come in peace."

"Where is Loki taking the Tessaract?" He growled.

Huh? My face turned to one of confusion. "Who? What's the Tessaract?" Oh, the dude with the spear? Loki? Like the Norse God? "I think you may have hit your head, Loki's not real."

He jabbed his gun in my face, looking furious. "I am out of patience! Tell me where he is going or I will put a bullet in your skull!"

My eyes widened in fear. Ah crap this dude's insane! "Dude, person, whoever you are, calm down! I mean you no threat, I have NO IDEA what's going on!"

He shook his head. "Forget this. You're coming with me."

I could barely stutter out a "What?" Before he had grabbed me and yanked me to my feet. I groaned as he jarred my wings, and as he looked back his eyes widened. Well, eye. He had an eye patch on. He pushed me in front of him, and I could feel his gaze on my back.

"What are these?" He asked, his voice somewhat softer.

I snorted. "They, my friend, are wings. Y'know, the extra limb that birds tend to have? I'm just a bit more special than birds."

"You're not human." He declared. Okay, scratched that, his voice wasn't softer at all. Now he just sounded weirded out and on guard.

"Ding ding ding! Who gets a prize for most obvious comment of the day?" I rubbed my shoulder as he pushed me forward again to get moving. "Where are we going, anyway?" My question was drowned out in the noise of a helicopter landing a little ways in front of us. "Oh."

"Get in."

"I don't want to."

"Get in the helicopter."

"Dude, NO."

I took a step back. Bad move. I felt something press against my neck, a cool metallic material, and the soft squeak of a syringe being pressed. I batted the hand away, but not fast enough. He shoved me into the copter as my world turned black.