Chapter 11
"I'm glad you two came to talk to us directly about this. Now we'll see who's vermin." Drake said, after hearing the boys' story.
"How did you get in, Peter?" Clint asked, meaning it was obvious that Peter was a human, and wouldn't be respected.
"I said that I was a lost witch. Because I'm psychic, they believed me." he replied. He looked over at Melody, who was standing in the back and not saying anything. Julie came up behind Drake.
"When is the meeting planned for?" she wanted to know, putting a silver dagger in her belt-holder.
"It's supposed to start at six o'clock and go till midnight. It's at six because it'll just be getting dark by then," Patrick answered. Melody looked at her watch and then spoke up.
"That's seven hours away. What do we do until then?" Drake smiled as he led Peter and Patrick into a cavernous room. One wall was completely covered with every weapon imaginable. There were swords, knives, daggers, sais, bats, staffs, axes, bows and arrows, chains, and even some guns. On the other side of the room was a small underground lake for swimming. The middle of the room was where most of the action was. Punching and kicking bags hung from the ceiling. A ring was set up for boxing. Other hunters were sparring using different styles of martial arts. An obstacle course, complete with walls, nets, high ropes, fences, hurdles, windows, and cardboard targets was positioned all around the room. The two boys' eyes were bugging out, and their jaws hung nearly to the floor. Melody closed their mouths for them as she went past.
"Where are you going, Melody?" Clint called out.
"To the obstacle course!" she called back. Clint shrugged and walked to some archery targets. Pulling an arrow back in the bow, he fired it straight into the bullseye of the nearest target, which was twenty feet away. Taking no pause in between, he let fly with another arrow. This one sailed at least forty feet before hitting the bullseye of a second target. Their mouths hanging open again, Peter and Patrick decided to work on their sparring with a few of the other hunters. Patrick proved difficult to beat because of his vampire powers, and Peter was tricky because he used his psychic abilities to see what his opponent's next move would be. Patrick couldn't keep his eyes off Julie, who was swimming laps in the pool. Stopping to rest, he pointed her out to Peter.
"She's pretty, isn't she?" His friend looked at her and whistled softly.
"She sure is. But don't forget Patrick, she's a Hunter."
"So what? I still like her. Isn't there someone that you like?" Peter looked at his feet and rubbed the toe of his shoe across the floor.
"Well. There is someone that has caught my attention," he answered, still looking at the floor. Patrick immediately became interested.
"Well who is it? Is she from Circle Midnight?" Peter made sure that no one else was within earshot before he answered.
"It's Rain," he told him as he watched Patrick's face go from curious, to amazed, to horrified in three seconds flat.
"RAIN?" he shouted, before Peter clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Yes, I like Rain. Don't ask me why. I just do."
"How could you like her? She's so, so... Evil. She wants to kill you!"
"I know that. But I like her all the same. She's got those sapphire eyes that I could drown in. And I want to run my fingers through her silky, black hair," Peter said, shivering as he thought about it. Patrick shuddered at the thought.
"Well I hate to burst your bubble, but she hates you. She's lamia, and you're human." He knew that Patrick was telling the truth, but he liked Rain. He liked her even more than Angel, and he liked Angel a lot. Melody came over, wiping her sweat-drenched hair out of her eyes.
"Hey guys. What are you discussing over here?"
"Peter likes Amber's cousin, Rain." Melody gave a little involuntary gasp.
"You've got to be kidding me! You really like that little vampire?" she asked, looking at Peter. He nodded.
"Yes, I like Rain! What is the problem with that?" he demanded, stopping himself from yelling.
"Well, there's no real problem. You can like her. As long as you don't mind your girlfriend trying to kill you all the time," Melody told him.
"Hey, wouldn't be any different from me liking Angel," Peter shot back. Patrick nodded, knowing that he was in the that situation himself.
"Whatever," Melody said simply, as she stood up to leave.
"Wait Melody, maybe you can help me. What did Marik do when he knew that you liked him?" Peter asked. Melody faced him, hands on her hips.
"Marik and I were close friends before we liked each other. And with us, there's no big rule about loving someone who's human. My relationship is totally different from yours." Patrick tried to smooth things out.
"Couldn't you give him some kind of love potion? Or maybe give him a spell to make her like him?" Melody sighed and relaxed.
"I'm sorry, but I don't even think that a Forbidden Spell of love would help with Rain. She's just too cruel to love anyone, especially a human," she stated as she headed for the lake. Peter looked devastated. He decided to drown his sorrows with a dip in the lake. They only had four hours left before the showdown anyway.
Peter and Patrick climbed out of the lake with an hour to spare before it was time to go. They pulled their shirts over their heads, and watched Melody and Julie talking on the side. Both of the girls were wearing one piece swimsuits. Drake came into the room and walked over to Julie. He whispered something to her as Melody got up to go change. Julie stood up and walked with Drake into a remote corner. When they were done talking, Drake came over to the two boys.
"What's up, Drake?" Peter asked, a little nervous.
"We got word from the surface that the freaks are already there. What do you say we go up there and kick some ass?" he replied, rubbing his hands together in delight. Stepping into their shoes and grabbing some daggers off the wall, they ran to join the others. Melody was there, a bow in her hand and a quiver of arrows on her back. She winked at the boys as they came up. Julie was ready, stake in hand. Clint held a spear with a silver tip tightly in his hand. Drake held a bo with a sharp wooden end on one side, and a silver one on the other.
"Can we go now, Drake?" Clint begged, excited about his first big hunt. Drake nodded at him, and then raised his voice so the other twenty-five Hunters would be able to hear him.
"Move out!" he shouted, motioning towards the elevator. It took two times with the elevator, and then they were all on the surface. As the Hunters raced towards the "meeting place", Peter, Patrick, and Melody became nervous. Patrick was wondering if he would have to kill his beloved Julie, Peter was wondering if he would have to kill his fellow humans, and Melody was wondering if she would have to kill at all. Her grip on the bow tightened as she thought of Marik. She couldn't let him down. Racing through the woods, all three of them hoped that the plan would succeed. On the other side of the woods, the others were preparing for the Hunters arrival. Lilli and Kelsey alerted them that the hunters were coming, and changed back to human-form as soon as they landed. Making themselves scarce, they waited for the Hunters to come. This would be a battle none of them would ever forget.
"I'm glad you two came to talk to us directly about this. Now we'll see who's vermin." Drake said, after hearing the boys' story.
"How did you get in, Peter?" Clint asked, meaning it was obvious that Peter was a human, and wouldn't be respected.
"I said that I was a lost witch. Because I'm psychic, they believed me." he replied. He looked over at Melody, who was standing in the back and not saying anything. Julie came up behind Drake.
"When is the meeting planned for?" she wanted to know, putting a silver dagger in her belt-holder.
"It's supposed to start at six o'clock and go till midnight. It's at six because it'll just be getting dark by then," Patrick answered. Melody looked at her watch and then spoke up.
"That's seven hours away. What do we do until then?" Drake smiled as he led Peter and Patrick into a cavernous room. One wall was completely covered with every weapon imaginable. There were swords, knives, daggers, sais, bats, staffs, axes, bows and arrows, chains, and even some guns. On the other side of the room was a small underground lake for swimming. The middle of the room was where most of the action was. Punching and kicking bags hung from the ceiling. A ring was set up for boxing. Other hunters were sparring using different styles of martial arts. An obstacle course, complete with walls, nets, high ropes, fences, hurdles, windows, and cardboard targets was positioned all around the room. The two boys' eyes were bugging out, and their jaws hung nearly to the floor. Melody closed their mouths for them as she went past.
"Where are you going, Melody?" Clint called out.
"To the obstacle course!" she called back. Clint shrugged and walked to some archery targets. Pulling an arrow back in the bow, he fired it straight into the bullseye of the nearest target, which was twenty feet away. Taking no pause in between, he let fly with another arrow. This one sailed at least forty feet before hitting the bullseye of a second target. Their mouths hanging open again, Peter and Patrick decided to work on their sparring with a few of the other hunters. Patrick proved difficult to beat because of his vampire powers, and Peter was tricky because he used his psychic abilities to see what his opponent's next move would be. Patrick couldn't keep his eyes off Julie, who was swimming laps in the pool. Stopping to rest, he pointed her out to Peter.
"She's pretty, isn't she?" His friend looked at her and whistled softly.
"She sure is. But don't forget Patrick, she's a Hunter."
"So what? I still like her. Isn't there someone that you like?" Peter looked at his feet and rubbed the toe of his shoe across the floor.
"Well. There is someone that has caught my attention," he answered, still looking at the floor. Patrick immediately became interested.
"Well who is it? Is she from Circle Midnight?" Peter made sure that no one else was within earshot before he answered.
"It's Rain," he told him as he watched Patrick's face go from curious, to amazed, to horrified in three seconds flat.
"RAIN?" he shouted, before Peter clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Yes, I like Rain. Don't ask me why. I just do."
"How could you like her? She's so, so... Evil. She wants to kill you!"
"I know that. But I like her all the same. She's got those sapphire eyes that I could drown in. And I want to run my fingers through her silky, black hair," Peter said, shivering as he thought about it. Patrick shuddered at the thought.
"Well I hate to burst your bubble, but she hates you. She's lamia, and you're human." He knew that Patrick was telling the truth, but he liked Rain. He liked her even more than Angel, and he liked Angel a lot. Melody came over, wiping her sweat-drenched hair out of her eyes.
"Hey guys. What are you discussing over here?"
"Peter likes Amber's cousin, Rain." Melody gave a little involuntary gasp.
"You've got to be kidding me! You really like that little vampire?" she asked, looking at Peter. He nodded.
"Yes, I like Rain! What is the problem with that?" he demanded, stopping himself from yelling.
"Well, there's no real problem. You can like her. As long as you don't mind your girlfriend trying to kill you all the time," Melody told him.
"Hey, wouldn't be any different from me liking Angel," Peter shot back. Patrick nodded, knowing that he was in the that situation himself.
"Whatever," Melody said simply, as she stood up to leave.
"Wait Melody, maybe you can help me. What did Marik do when he knew that you liked him?" Peter asked. Melody faced him, hands on her hips.
"Marik and I were close friends before we liked each other. And with us, there's no big rule about loving someone who's human. My relationship is totally different from yours." Patrick tried to smooth things out.
"Couldn't you give him some kind of love potion? Or maybe give him a spell to make her like him?" Melody sighed and relaxed.
"I'm sorry, but I don't even think that a Forbidden Spell of love would help with Rain. She's just too cruel to love anyone, especially a human," she stated as she headed for the lake. Peter looked devastated. He decided to drown his sorrows with a dip in the lake. They only had four hours left before the showdown anyway.
Peter and Patrick climbed out of the lake with an hour to spare before it was time to go. They pulled their shirts over their heads, and watched Melody and Julie talking on the side. Both of the girls were wearing one piece swimsuits. Drake came into the room and walked over to Julie. He whispered something to her as Melody got up to go change. Julie stood up and walked with Drake into a remote corner. When they were done talking, Drake came over to the two boys.
"What's up, Drake?" Peter asked, a little nervous.
"We got word from the surface that the freaks are already there. What do you say we go up there and kick some ass?" he replied, rubbing his hands together in delight. Stepping into their shoes and grabbing some daggers off the wall, they ran to join the others. Melody was there, a bow in her hand and a quiver of arrows on her back. She winked at the boys as they came up. Julie was ready, stake in hand. Clint held a spear with a silver tip tightly in his hand. Drake held a bo with a sharp wooden end on one side, and a silver one on the other.
"Can we go now, Drake?" Clint begged, excited about his first big hunt. Drake nodded at him, and then raised his voice so the other twenty-five Hunters would be able to hear him.
"Move out!" he shouted, motioning towards the elevator. It took two times with the elevator, and then they were all on the surface. As the Hunters raced towards the "meeting place", Peter, Patrick, and Melody became nervous. Patrick was wondering if he would have to kill his beloved Julie, Peter was wondering if he would have to kill his fellow humans, and Melody was wondering if she would have to kill at all. Her grip on the bow tightened as she thought of Marik. She couldn't let him down. Racing through the woods, all three of them hoped that the plan would succeed. On the other side of the woods, the others were preparing for the Hunters arrival. Lilli and Kelsey alerted them that the hunters were coming, and changed back to human-form as soon as they landed. Making themselves scarce, they waited for the Hunters to come. This would be a battle none of them would ever forget.