Chapter Twenty-Five
Zach
Mornings suck. Hangover mornings suck with a side of Satan's sprinkles. I'm not sure where I am when I wake up. Hell, I'm not sure who I am when I wake up. Eventually, in a haze of beer tinged memories, it all comes back to me. There was Jane, Janice, and… Anna, that was just the alcohol though. I sit up and glance around. Thankfully recognizing it as my room and not a ditch in the middle of nowhere. I squint through the bright light and discover another little victory, I'm alone. It's even better when I discover that other than the throbbing headache; I got out of last night pretty much unscathed. I don't remember much past sliding into the back seat with Janice, but I have a vague memory of driving her here and then drinking more.
The door opens loudly, banging against the wall beside it. I flinch at the sudden stabbing my poor brain is trying to cope with and squint up at my lovely mother. She's all dolled up in her work outfit, which doubles as her lounge wear, her beach attire, her party clothes, and her pajamas. He phone, another constant in the woman's severe personality, is clutched tightly in her hand and she gestures with it angrily.
"I go away for one night, and when I come back, some tramp is getting picked up in our driveway!" She opens with and the rant continues, but I'm just relieved Janice got home fine. "What gave you the idea that when I'm away at a conference, you can bring girls back here and, and…" Clearly she doesn't want to finish that sentence, so I just groan and flop backwards into bed. She scoffs and closes the door, but I call out to her.
"Oh, and mother, could you turn off the light, I'm nursing a killer hangover here." Okay, maybe that isn't smart but it feels pretty good, and I'll deal with the fallout later.
Jane
Over two dozen feet sprint through the forest with solid rhythmic steps in perfect synchronization. A blurry mass of dark silver ripples through the trees, and I, in the midst of it, let my being meld with The Hunt. I'm wrapped in even, measured, breathing, and the near silent shift as twenty-four bows are drawn and deadly silver arrows are notched. Artemis waves her hand, and simultaneously, our bows go slack and we let them drop to our sides. She moves forward, her feet just brushing over the carpet of dead leaves and tree roots. Cautiously, we follow her as she gestures us forward. We split at a fork in the road and crouch behind a clump of shrubs. We can hear movement, and Artemis has been sensing an aura of power in the area, so anything could be waiting for us on the other side of these bushes. A voice cuts through the silence unexpectedly, and the moment I hear it, I am no longer a simple identical component of the Hunt, and I am screwed.
Marcus
Sleep is great. I slowly wake up Saturday morning, the night after the party, and it's one of the best mornings I've had in weeks. Something about waking up slowly makes for an absolutely perfect day. I yawn and stretch, and then there's a crash. I look around, but nothing in my little cubby of a room looks disturbed. So much for a perfect day, huh?
I carefully get up, being careful not to make too much noise. Once up, I stick my head into the hallway outside my room. There's noise in the kitchen, which is exactly what I was hoping I wouldn't hear. I shrug it off, and uncertainly walk into the living room. Right in front of me is a short guy with a beer gut and a mustache that just screams child molester. Our toaster is on the floor, in pieces, and two slices of charred toast lie in the midst of the rubble.
"You know kid; you have a really ghetto toaster." He slurs. He may still be a little drunk from whatever trashy hole in the wall he met my mother in. I close my eyes and take a deep breath so that I don't scream. As much as I want to kick this guy the hell out of my house, I can't. I tried that once when I was thirteen. Let's just say my mother wasn't exactly thrilled I "ruined the love of her life." Yeah, I don't get it either. So, instead of kicking his good-for-nothing butt out and trying to scream some sense into my mother, I just shake my head and slip back into my room.
Jane
"Help! Somebody please, help me!" I know that voice, I know that voice better than I would like to. A few girls turn to me with wide eyes, but I just shake my head listening carefully. There's no way it could possibly be Zach. "Please!" Someone shifts on the other side of the clearing, and a twig snaps. The shouts wait a beat, before they call out again, less certain. "Please I'm scared." Someone grumbles from behind the bush, but I can't even try to process it. That can't be Zach, but why am I waiting? What if it is and I'm letting him die?
"Jane?" Someone else calls out, and unfortunately, I know that voice too. I draw my bow, and slowly rise up. Marcus and Zach are there. Clearly a monster caught up to one of them, or both, and we can't wait any longer. I start to stand, but a hand yanks me back down, and I whip around with biting words on my tongue, to see Artemis slowly shaking her head with her finger over her lips. She was so not there five seconds ago. She gestures for us to draw our bows, but I shake my head frantically. Sure I've thought about turning Marcus into a human shish kabob when he really got on my nerves but that doesn't mean I want him to become the Hunter's pincushion anytime soon.
Artemis ignores me, and begins to gesture for the hunters to rise, and with my heart lost somewhere in my throat, I merely shake my head and obey. We stand, and I feel my stomach lurch in fear that I'm about to see my ex and my friend be shot with dozens of arrows. When my petite height finally lets me peer over the top of the shrub, I don't see two teenage boys. I see Cyclops.
One is wearing a very disturbing pair of size XXXL jean shorts and a t-shirt for "Jerry's Wing Hut" while the other, who I hope with my whole heart is female, is rocking a leather "mini" skirt which would come down to my knees. Well, this is awkward.
The male Cyclops grins garishly, and picks up a pile of searing coals. He rolls them in his palm, and sends sparks falling onto the forest floor. He looks right at me before continuing to mimic Marcus.
"Oh Jane, thank the gods you're here."