I was laying on my bed, waiting for my hated instructor to come in
and tell me I had to go back, when I heard a knock on the door. "What?"
"Zoe, can I come in? I hate it out here." Even though I didn't recognize the voice I knew who would say that. There was only one other, that I knew of, who hated the Underworld.
"Sure, Gwen." I was so relieved to actually have someone in the Underworld who understood everything and a person that I could talk to. It was comforting because she hated them, too. "What do you need?"
She closed the door. "That damned instructor of yours." I watched as she curled her fists together so tightly I thought she was going to cut herself.
"What did he do now?" Smiling, I couldn't help but to think about all the things he could've done.
"He keeps talking about you to his 'secretary.' Did you know that?" She sat down at the foot of my bed as I propped myself up.
"You mean his 'sex slave?'"
Gwen laughed. "Yeah but she's not exactly a slave."
"No, you're right, she's not. But... I haven't heard. What's he been saying?" I sat up, very close to being frustrated.
"Well, let me tell you this first: he's only telling her. As if," she paused, looking for the words. "he's not so much believing but assuming it. And he knows that if he says the wrong thing to the wrong person your father will kill him."
"Oh, God, I wish he would."
"I know, so do I. But he's been saying that you're not going to go through with this. That the Earth, and someone on it, have made you weak."
"That's what he's been saying?" I asked with a smile.
Gwen looked at me in pure confusion. "Yeah, it is."
"Well, he's right." As I said that last word I thought she was going to fall over.
"He's right." She repeated, trying to make herself believe it. "Then what... wait, who is it?"
"Who's what?"
"The one who is making you weak."
I started laughing uncontrollably.
"Zoe, I'm serious."
"I know you are. It's very funny, though."
"Just tell me who it is."
"Alright." I said between forced breaths. "Dante. He's the one."
She didn't laugh, just looked at me, mouth agape. "Him?"
"Yes. You've got a problem with that?" I asked almost angrily until she laughed.
"You're sent to lead him into a trap and you end up falling in love with him?"
Finally, I stopped laughing. "I know. It's too strange."
"But what if someone finds out? What'll you do?"
"Well, right now, you're the only one who knows. And I'm trusting that you won't tell anything. That you'll never even say it aloud, again."
"I won't, I swear. But what about the instructor?"
"I'm going to have to kill him." Gwen nearly stopped breathing.
"Listen, Zoe, if you do they'll have your head."
"I was trained as an assassin. I think I can do this."
"Alright. But I'm helping, okay?"
I closed my eyes and smiled to myself. "Yes, it's okay."
An hour later, after Gwen had left, there was another knock at my door. "Come in." I called, being slightly vexed.
My instructor walked in. "There is something I need you to do."
"What?" Honestly, I had no idea why he got all the "cushy" jobs. He stayed in his office constantly while I was always out, running his errands. But I didn't want to upset him, for fear that he'd take this job away from me.
"I need you to talk to Dante again." I accidently sprung up from my bed just at hearing that name which was surely an action that allowed him to confirm his assumptions.
"Why? What am I to tell him?" I asked as I regained my composure.
"You are to ask him about the others."
"The other Hunters?" That was a subject I didn't want to bring up with him.
"Yes." A word I didn't want to hear, no matter how badly I wanted to go up there again.
"When?"
"Now." Grumbling to myself, I muttered something about him being thankful I was ready. It hit me, then, as I was leaving my room, that he hadn't told me what to ask. He only said to ask about the others. I cursed my instructor under my breath.
Walking through the portal, I realized how sick of that I was. I landed in the same town, the same alley, the same thing. The only thing that kept me doing that was Dante. And even I was beginning to doubt if he could make me do it much longer. Smiling, I looked up at that big, pink, neon sign, from about a block away. I have no idea why but it made me happy.
I neared the door and lifted up my hand to knock but I heard a voice.
"You lookin' for someone in particular?" Before I turned around, I felt my heart stop. I knew that voice but I wasn't quite sure, then, who it was.
"As a matter of fact, I am." I said as I twisted to face the man.
"Well, who are you lookin' for?"
"Sorry but I'm not really looking anymore."
"Then I suppose you found him."
"Yes, I did."
Dante smiled. "Alright... so what do you need?"
"I need to ask you a few things."
"Like what?"
"I thought you might know about the other Hunters."
He stopped moving and just looked at me. "What do you want to know about them?"
"Honestly, I'm not really sure. I just know that I'll be needing information on them." As I watched Dante open the door, letting me inside, I knew that he, too, had an assumption about me.
When he got to his desk he threw himself back into his over-sized leather chair, sighing. "Listen, babe, I'm the demon hunting kind of Hunter. Not the information hunting kind, like you seem to be. So I don't really know much about them but..." He looked up at me and shook his head.
"But what?" I insisted.
"I have no fucking clue why I'm doing this." He whispered to himself as he looked down, thinking I didn't hear. But then, as he lifted his head, his gaze fell on me and he smiled slyly. I had hoped that was a good thing. "Nevermind. I do happen to know a few things about them."
"Zoe, can I come in? I hate it out here." Even though I didn't recognize the voice I knew who would say that. There was only one other, that I knew of, who hated the Underworld.
"Sure, Gwen." I was so relieved to actually have someone in the Underworld who understood everything and a person that I could talk to. It was comforting because she hated them, too. "What do you need?"
She closed the door. "That damned instructor of yours." I watched as she curled her fists together so tightly I thought she was going to cut herself.
"What did he do now?" Smiling, I couldn't help but to think about all the things he could've done.
"He keeps talking about you to his 'secretary.' Did you know that?" She sat down at the foot of my bed as I propped myself up.
"You mean his 'sex slave?'"
Gwen laughed. "Yeah but she's not exactly a slave."
"No, you're right, she's not. But... I haven't heard. What's he been saying?" I sat up, very close to being frustrated.
"Well, let me tell you this first: he's only telling her. As if," she paused, looking for the words. "he's not so much believing but assuming it. And he knows that if he says the wrong thing to the wrong person your father will kill him."
"Oh, God, I wish he would."
"I know, so do I. But he's been saying that you're not going to go through with this. That the Earth, and someone on it, have made you weak."
"That's what he's been saying?" I asked with a smile.
Gwen looked at me in pure confusion. "Yeah, it is."
"Well, he's right." As I said that last word I thought she was going to fall over.
"He's right." She repeated, trying to make herself believe it. "Then what... wait, who is it?"
"Who's what?"
"The one who is making you weak."
I started laughing uncontrollably.
"Zoe, I'm serious."
"I know you are. It's very funny, though."
"Just tell me who it is."
"Alright." I said between forced breaths. "Dante. He's the one."
She didn't laugh, just looked at me, mouth agape. "Him?"
"Yes. You've got a problem with that?" I asked almost angrily until she laughed.
"You're sent to lead him into a trap and you end up falling in love with him?"
Finally, I stopped laughing. "I know. It's too strange."
"But what if someone finds out? What'll you do?"
"Well, right now, you're the only one who knows. And I'm trusting that you won't tell anything. That you'll never even say it aloud, again."
"I won't, I swear. But what about the instructor?"
"I'm going to have to kill him." Gwen nearly stopped breathing.
"Listen, Zoe, if you do they'll have your head."
"I was trained as an assassin. I think I can do this."
"Alright. But I'm helping, okay?"
I closed my eyes and smiled to myself. "Yes, it's okay."
An hour later, after Gwen had left, there was another knock at my door. "Come in." I called, being slightly vexed.
My instructor walked in. "There is something I need you to do."
"What?" Honestly, I had no idea why he got all the "cushy" jobs. He stayed in his office constantly while I was always out, running his errands. But I didn't want to upset him, for fear that he'd take this job away from me.
"I need you to talk to Dante again." I accidently sprung up from my bed just at hearing that name which was surely an action that allowed him to confirm his assumptions.
"Why? What am I to tell him?" I asked as I regained my composure.
"You are to ask him about the others."
"The other Hunters?" That was a subject I didn't want to bring up with him.
"Yes." A word I didn't want to hear, no matter how badly I wanted to go up there again.
"When?"
"Now." Grumbling to myself, I muttered something about him being thankful I was ready. It hit me, then, as I was leaving my room, that he hadn't told me what to ask. He only said to ask about the others. I cursed my instructor under my breath.
Walking through the portal, I realized how sick of that I was. I landed in the same town, the same alley, the same thing. The only thing that kept me doing that was Dante. And even I was beginning to doubt if he could make me do it much longer. Smiling, I looked up at that big, pink, neon sign, from about a block away. I have no idea why but it made me happy.
I neared the door and lifted up my hand to knock but I heard a voice.
"You lookin' for someone in particular?" Before I turned around, I felt my heart stop. I knew that voice but I wasn't quite sure, then, who it was.
"As a matter of fact, I am." I said as I twisted to face the man.
"Well, who are you lookin' for?"
"Sorry but I'm not really looking anymore."
"Then I suppose you found him."
"Yes, I did."
Dante smiled. "Alright... so what do you need?"
"I need to ask you a few things."
"Like what?"
"I thought you might know about the other Hunters."
He stopped moving and just looked at me. "What do you want to know about them?"
"Honestly, I'm not really sure. I just know that I'll be needing information on them." As I watched Dante open the door, letting me inside, I knew that he, too, had an assumption about me.
When he got to his desk he threw himself back into his over-sized leather chair, sighing. "Listen, babe, I'm the demon hunting kind of Hunter. Not the information hunting kind, like you seem to be. So I don't really know much about them but..." He looked up at me and shook his head.
"But what?" I insisted.
"I have no fucking clue why I'm doing this." He whispered to himself as he looked down, thinking I didn't hear. But then, as he lifted his head, his gaze fell on me and he smiled slyly. I had hoped that was a good thing. "Nevermind. I do happen to know a few things about them."