...
Do you wanna be somebody else?
Are u sick of feeling so left out?
Are you desperate to find something more before this life is over?
..
Jesse Speaks
I could feel my eyes droop as I finished helping Adam into bed; often falling asleep on his feet before he even hit the mattress. He mumbled something about Claire and I just shoved him onto the bed, tossing the covers over him as he laughed.
'You kids behave, no staying up too late.' Adam chuckled to himself and I scoffed as I stepped over the numerous piles of clothes and stacks of newspaper.
'Shut up and go to sleep old man.'
Quietly shutting the door behind me when I heard him snoring, I held in my own yawn, stretching and about to head to my room.
I froze when I saw Ben standing still at the top of the stairs, watching Claires door like a falcon and I kept still even as he moved away into his own. About to continue, I paused again when Claires door opened, the beautiful face smiling weakly when she saw no Ben standing there and disappeared back into her own room. Was she going to him? Was he waiting for her? It just confirmed to me that I was the one that was merely in the way.
Deciding I needed some air, I patted Pearl as she curled up at the front door, watching me as I slipped on my jacket and stepped outside. At least the rain had lifted and I sighed, figuring that it wouldn't hurt to go for a normal walk.
What did I do wrong? Did I move to fast on Claire? Was it because of what I was? I know my timing may not have been the best but, I don't know what I was thinking. She was just so brave, so strong willed and I guess that I would be the one to help her. I was foolish and picking up my pace, I wondered down the street until I was on the main road, late night shop lights bright and only a few people bustling around. Most of them were drunk, stumbling home together and I sighed, trying not to look too out of place.
I must have been wondering around for almost half an hour, glancing in the town windows before I took a seat at a quiet bar, ordering myself a drink which went down easy. There was music playing quietly and a few folks were watching my back with an intensity that was making me uncomfortable.
'You look a little out of place here.'
I looked up from my drink to meet green eyes, dark hair framing a pale face. I turned in my chair slightly, glancing at her quickly; tight jeans hung low on her hip and her black top left nothing much to the imagination. I smirked, turning away as I ordered another drink.
'Am I now…?' I gulped down the drink, not wanting to get involved with anyone tonight, I wasn't like that and plus my thoughts were too busy consumed by Zeno and Claire.
'You know its polite to offer a lady a drink.' She said, leaning on the bar more, trying to get into my vision. I looked at her more properly now, standing up and she stood back, a smile on her face.
'I don't see a lady here.'
She laughed, a large smile breaking across her face as she let me continue past her. I brushed her bare arm and a strange tingle broke through me; I guess I was right, there wasn't lady there. Unsure of my senses, I thought it best to keep moving, heading back out into the cold air. I tightened my jacket around me, hands in my pocket as I marched in the direction of home, for a few minutes anyway.
Half way there, I could sense something following me and I veered casually in a different direction, pulling out my dagger and ducking behind a dumpster.
Sure enough a person walked past, searching for me. I leapt out, grabbing the person and pinning them to the brick wall of the building, my dagger sharp against their throat.
'Who are you?' I growled, hesitating when green eyes seemed to smile up at me.
'You owe me a drink.'
She tried to push me away but I pinned her harder to the wall, enough so that she grunted, frowning up at me. I touched my dagger to her throat, reaching into my pocket for something silver and pressed the small knife to her cheek, which sizzled.
'What the hell do you want shifter?'
The shifter struggled under me again and I opted to kill her but for some reason I couldn't.
'Get off me. Dam you hunters are so jumpy, you remind me of Claire.'
I took a few steps back, holding the blade out as a warning but the shifter just smiled, straightening her shirt and jacket, flicking hair from her eyes. I tried not to act surprised when she mentioned Claires name, and I tried not to think how she would know her.
'You know, I could scream. People would come running and see you threatening me with a knife… they might talk.'
'Again, shifter, what do you want?'
She smiled, moving like liquid up to me, her hand gently touching the blade and lowering it to my side. Her other hand reach up to touch my temple and I flinched away from her.
'Can't you just read my mind?'
'I'd prefer not to go through your sick mind.'
She smiled again, pacing in front of me ever so slowly and I waited patiently.
'I guess hunters minds are so much better aren't they? Could you imagine going through Bens?' she chuckled and I tensed again and she stalked closer to me, her face close to mine.
'Your much cuter awake. Last time I saw you, you were bleeding out on a bed.'
I pinned her too me, dagger sharp against her neck, hard enough that a small line of red appeared. A few people stumbled past, whistling at us and the shifter wrapped her arms around me, enjoying every minute of this.
'I'm Tia. You're Jesse and you have two friends called Claire and Ben, one a bit jumpy and the other is stunning.'
I pushed her away once the people were gone and snarled.
'How do you know them?'
It was unexpected, but she smiled and her face morphed into that of Ben, a cheeky smirk on his face. All the details were there and she chuckled as she returned to normal, well normal for a shifter.
'I'm here to help, but why don't we… have some fun before business?' she licked her lips, stepping closer but I just tensed, enough so that she sighed.
'Is it the body? Come on baby, I can be anything you want…' Suddenly Claire was standing in front of me and my defence dropped. 'It'll just be like the real thing.'
She pressed tighter to me, hand wrapping around my neck and she pressed her body onto mine. I knew it wasn't Claire, but sometimes eyes can be deceiving.
Snapping out of it, I forced Tia away from me and she landed heavily a distance away, her body returning to what I guess was normal for her. Lifting my hand, Tia rose off the ground and I forced her again into the wall, cracking at the force.
She dropped when I released her, small bits of red brick falling around her. She panted, glaring up at me as she got steadily to her feet.
'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.' She moaned, dusting herself off and holding her hands up in surrender as I stepped in front of her. She reached into her pocket, my power lighting the air as a warning and Tia chuckled, intimidated.
'This is for Claire.' She said, flipping out a piece of paper. I took it gently, Tia huffing and crossing her arms like a punished child.
'Trust me, she knows that I am here to help.'
'Help?'
She nodded, screwing her face up at me like I was stupid.
'I'm on your side; I don't feel like being eradicated just yet.' She moved, close to me again before she moved on, heels echoing as she continued on her way.
'Claire has my number, give me a call sometime if you're feeling lonely.' She waved over her shoulder and I sighed, disappointed that I didn't just kill it.
I looked down at the piece of paper, going to read it but thought otherwise; with everything that has happened, she could keep her privacy. Waiting a few minutes to make sure I couldn't sense the shifter any more, I continued on home, placing the letter on the kitchen table, making sure Claires name was visible on it.
Things must be bad if a shifter is on our side, I couldn't help but hope that no other creatures would come forward wanting to help. Sparing one monster was bad enough but if more came out of the woodwork wanting to help, who was to say that they wouldn't be asking for protection for their help? Zeno did have to right idea; I mean wiping out the demon population and all the monster was a good thing, it might give hunters a chance at a normal life, and those that were ignorant to it the comfort of living safely.
It was tricky, because I didn't want to sound like I supported Zeno, he was a monster himself that needed destroying; I just wished there was a way to allow him to do at least half of his plan.
If Zeno was a monster, what did that make me?
I sighed as I landed on my pillow, tucking my hands behind my head as Pearl curled up beside me, resting her head heavily on my chest. If there was nothing left to hunt in this world, what would all the hunters now, all the ones that have only ever lived this life, how would they survive? The shifter was right, a hunters mind was nothing I wanted to search through; so scared, so haunted.
Closing my eyes, I tried to get some rest without thinking of who I could be if I was just a normal human being.
