Chapter 10

Neither Gregory or Sera really paid attention in school the next day, they just kept arguing back and forth. He was practically demanding that she train him and she wanted to know what he'd meant about that non-human friends line. He hadn't really explained it because truthfully, it wasn't his secret to tell.

"Let me train and I'll tell you." He'd say.

"Tell me and maybe I'll train you." She'd reply. And back and forth it went. It even continued as they walked home from school, it continued when they went to her loft and finally it ended when Jay had heard enough.

"Okay that's it." He said from the couch pushing the laptop off his legs and getting up. "You tell her whatever it is and I'll train you."

"No you won't." Sera ordered.

"You're not the boss of me." He shrugged before turning to Gregory who looked shocked. "So what do you say?"

"You'll really train me?"

"Sure." He replied nonchalantly.

"Jay we are not dragging him into this." Sera snapped.

"He's already in it." Her brother replied, "And which would you rather, him running into the Brotherhood – because odds are he will sooner or later – and being prepared so he can fight long enough to buy time to run or have him be a sitting duck?"

While it irritated Gregory that they were talking like he wasn't there he had to admit Jay was making some good points on his behalf and he seemed to be getting through to Sera better in a few minutes than Gregory had after arguing with her all day. After a long sibling stare down Sera gave a long huff and headed to her bedroom where she slammed the door behind her, clearly wanting to be alone.

"She'll calm down." Jay said walking over to the fridge and getting two bottles of water. "Here." He passed one to Gregory, "You'll need that by the time I'm through with you."

vVv vVv vVv

Jay hadn't been kidding, after two hours of what he called 'basic exercises' Gregory was exhausted.

"First time is always the hardest." James said holding out his hand and helping Gregory off the floor. He'd paid off the janitor of the school to let them use the gym to 'work out'. Thankfully, James sat down on the bleachers giving Gregory a chance to catch his breath.

"So why did Rookery take Sera away from her aunt but you grew up with your mom?" he asked. Since he'd met James he'd been curious about the Rookery family's complicated past. If the hunter had been so obsessed with his daughter going with him on hunting trips why had he left his son behind? "If you don't mind my asking."

"I don't. Legally dad is – was an exterminator and the court thinks that's a steadier income than the art restoration stuff Renee does. Also Renee was her aunt, as long as her mother was alive no one in their right mind would give our dad custody of a child. Once Meredith died the legal system is more likely to give a child to the father than the aunt unless they have a black mark on their record."

"And killing vampires didn't tarnish his record?"

"Not when the Brotherhood was covering up dad's real job." Gregory really didn't want to hear more about the Brotherhood so he steered the conversation down a different path.

"Which is why you were allowed to stay with your mom."

"Mostly." James replied taking another gulp of water, "Dad didn't fight for me as much as he did Sera. He thought she was being raised by two women who would let her grow up to be weak. My mother had a very different parenting style."

"How so?"

"Mom teaches self defense classes, I think that's part of what drew dad to her. She's a good looking lady who can really kick ass. The day I learned to walk she had me in every kind of self defense class you can imagine. As I got older she taught me more advanced stuff, knife throwing, shooting, archery. She wanted me to be prepared for anything, but she also taught me that an even greater weapon is your mind and knowing when to punch and when to just keep dodging."

"I bet that came in handy."

"It did. Once I got into a fight with a bully at school and won without throwing a single punch. I just kept dodging his blows and eventually he had to go to the nurse because his fist had hit the lockers so many times his hand was bleeding."

"So Rookery let you stay with her?"

"Yeah, he figured I was getting trained anyway but I do remember one time he was in the area with Sera – probably trailing your family – and wanted me to tag along. Mom threw a fit, I'd never seen her so mad, I was actually afraid for my dad because I knew the damage mom could do to him if he got her worked up enough."

"She sounds like a great person."

"She is. She's always there for me with anything. From helping me with homework to relationship drama."

"Girlfriend issues?" Gregory guessed taking another gulp of water.

"Sometimes girlfriend issues. . . sometimes boyfriend issues."

Gregory nearly choked on his water, "What?" he asked when the coughing subsided. When he looked at James it seemed like he was trying to hold back laughter.

"I'm guessing sexuality is still a modern-age thing you haven't been told about." He chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember if I'd been told that." Gregory said wiping his chin with the bottom of his shirt. "So you're. . . you're a. . . pillowbiter?" he asked and Jay's chuckling turned into full on laughter.

It took him a good five minutes to calm down enough to ask, "Is that what they called it three hundred years ago?" he said wiping tears from his eyes he'd been laughing so hard. "Oh that felt good." He said still chuckling between words, "I needed that."

"Guess I still have a lot to learn about the twenty-first century." Gregory muttered as he took another sip of water.

"That's not all you need to learn." James said getting up, "Come on let's get back to work."

vVv vVv vVv

After the boys had left to start training Sera tried her best to focus on her homework yet again. she was so upset with her brother for dragging Gregory into this, even though the logical side of her mind told her he was right, Gregory should be prepared. She spent the next hour moving slowly through her homework and had just finished her last essay when there was a shy knock at her loft door. Being overly cautious Sera crept to the door with her hand on the handle of the knife that was hidden by her shirt. When she opened the door Bree was standing there with a smile on her face, though Sera saw that it didn't reach her eyes.

"Bree? What's up?" she asked not knowing why her friend was here. She knew she'd been neglecting talking to her at school but in her defense she did have a lot on her mind.

"Gregory called, said we needed to talk." She said as Sera let her in, only then did she remember seeing Bree and Gregory looking quite cozy that night a week ago – had it really only been a week? God, it seemed like months ago; this whole thing with the Brotherhood was really messing with her life.

"Talk about what?" Sera asked curious but also annoyed, if this was about Gregory she'd explode, she had bigger problems than boyfriend drama. She sighed internally, sometimes it was tricky balancing the normal world and the supernatural one.

"You seem. . . off lately." Bree began, playing with her hands that were covered by her hoodie's too long sleeves making her look even smaller than she already was.

"It's just personal stuff." Sera tried brushing it off, "I've just been stressed out." She sat down on the couch.

"Well as your best friend I'm obligated to help." Bree said with a brighter smile as she sat on the opposite end of the couch and plopped her bag on the floor by her feet.

"I don't think you can, though I appreciate the thought."

"That's why Gregory said we should talk. He said you'd understand, like you understood his former vampire-ness." She shrugged and Sera froze.

"Vampires?" she said, "Bree you can't be – " but one look on the girl's face told her she wouldn't get away with lying, "He told you?" she asked hurt, maybe Bree and Gregory had grown closer than she had previously thought. She didn't want to be the jealous girlfriend but if Bree had become so close to Gregory that he confided his deepest darkest secret in her then where did that leave Sera? Especially after all the secrets she'd been keeping from him and how often she'd gone M.I.A. for the past weeks.

"Yeah, he told me." Bree said pulling her feet up to sit cross-legged. "He also told me about you being a hunter and said you'd understand when I did this." She said cryptically reaching for her bag and pulling out a knife. It wasn't like Sera's fancy hunter's blade, it was just a regular kitchen steak knife but Sera got defensive all the same – until Bree stabbed the pillow.

"What are you doing?"

"Be patient." Her friend said with a smile as she dumped feathers everywhere. Then she leaned over a pile of them that sat between the two girls and raised her hand over it. Slowly, she brought her hand up and one feather followed. Sera's eyes widened in shock and amazement. Then she let the feather fall and rubbed her hands together and when she raised both of them several feathers lifted into the air. "I can't do much, I'm still figuring this out. But Gregory helped me through that scary realization phase." She dropped her hands and the feathers fell, "I'm a witch." Sera looked to her with an amazed smile, "And I can help you."