The Hunter Games
Part 4
Xxx
At the headquarters of the witch hunters, Makayla Porter was absentmindedly staring at the screens in front of her. The words of the red witch lingered in her mind, she needed to confront the family that she had denied. She knew all too well what the witch meant, she had been trying to forget for years that her brother had fathered those damned witch children. They were a stain on their bloodline and legacy as hunters. She knew she should have killed them years ago when she had the chance. However, she had blown her chance and ran instead.
"Ma'am." Garret said as he entered the office. "The first San Francisco team is back."
"Thanks for letting me know." Makayla replied. "Just put them in their cells."
"There is a complication." Garret noted. "We're not quite sure how to handle it."
Makayla sighed as she got up and walked past Garret toward the entrance hall. Two black SUV's drove into the hall and her hunters stepped out. They pulled an unconscious man in his fifties out of the car and carried him to the holding cells. That wasn't the target, but a few more witches to burn at the stake was always a win. The actual target stepped out of the second SUV. She wasn't tranquilized, which was a breach of protocol, and was cuffed and gagged instead. Makayla instantly noticed why, as the young witch was clearly several months pregnant.
"So what is the problem?" Makayla asked coldly.
"Well, she's pregnant, ma'am." Garret replied.
"And you think that child inside her is innocent?" Makayla asked. "It will be born a witch and it's our duty to rid this world of their vile magic."
"But…" Garret started.
"You have your orders, Garret." Makayla said harshly. "Put her in a cell and make sure the anti-witchcraft amulets are in place. She'll burn with the others."
"Yes, ma'am." Garrett replied.
Garret gave the order and Makayla watched the young redheaded witch being escorted to her cell. She could not show weakness now, not in front of her men. She had fought long and hard to finally be in charge. Their organization had always been run by the men of her family. Jake should have inherited the position from their father, but when he betrayed them, it had finally given Makayla the chance to take control.
"Ma'am." One of her hunter said. "The witch is asking for you."
"Very well, I'll see what she wants this time." Makayla replied.
Makayla returned to the holding cell where they kept Sonya and found the witch staring into her crystal ball. She sat across her from her and impatiently waited for her to speak. After a few moments, the witch stopped her gazing and turned her attention to Makayla.
"Things are going as planned." Sonya noted.
"Does that mean we're ready for phase two?" Makayla asked.
"Not yet." Sonya replied. "Not all the pieces are in place just yet."
"Then why did you call me?" Makayla asked impatiently.
"The witch you just brought in, the Callaway girl." Sonya said. "She is with child."
"Are you suddenly growing a conscious?" Makayla asked. "You gave me the names of the targets, remember? Did you fail to see this little detail?"
"On the contrary, her pregnancy will make her blood all the more potent." Sonya replied. "I just wanted to remind you of our deal. So far, you have only captured two of the nine bloodlines I need."
"We will get the others once we move to phase two." Makayla said.
"I'll hold you to that." Sonya replied. "Remember that while your men might believe you are keeping me as a prisoner, I can leave whenever I choose to."
"I'm fully aware of the deal we made and I intent to keep it." Makayla bluffed.
"Perhaps." Sonya said with a knowing smile. "Your men are getting ready to take our next target. Stick to the plan and we'll be ready for phase two."
Makayla nodded as she got up and left the prison room. While the witch had proven useful in tracking down their targets, Makayla hated working with a vile creature like her. She was also worried about what the witch was planning with those blood samples, as it could potentially make her even more dangerous than all of the other witches combined. However, she had made a deal and was getting results, so Sonya would be dealt with after their plan had succeeded.
Xxx
Back at Magic School, the entire group seemed stunned by the sudden appearance of Izzy. The young brunette smiled, as she liked to make a big entrance and it was good to see her old friends again. They had changed quite a lot over the last few years. Liam and Charlie had both grown up, especially Charlie, who had transformed from skinny little kid into a piece of eye candy. Margot had matured as well, looking like an actual supermodel, while Lexie had not changed that much. Then again, she had always been pretty, even when they were kids. Her aunt Dawn was also there with another Professor and a preppy looking kid.
As fun as this little reunion was, Izzy hadn't teleported to Magic School for a social call. Her cousin Delaney had been abducted by witch hunters and although they weren't close, she could not just stand by and do nothing. Despite the fact that she was technically still grounded by her fathers for her latest adventure, she had snuck out to help.
"Izzy, what are you doing here?" Dawn asked.
"Delaney has been taken." Izzy replied. "I'm here to help find her, obviously."
"Not that it's not good to see you, but how did you know we were here?" Lexie asked.
"I didn't even know you were involved." Izzy admitted. "It makes sense though."
"What do you mean?" Liam asked.
"Well, the Elders warned us that the hunters are after magical families." Izzy noted. "Specifically, they seem to be targeting the youngest generation, that's why I came to Magic School. A lot of the students here are potential targets, including you."
"I'm glad that you want to help, Izzy, but I'm sure your dads would be worried." Dawn said. "We need to let them know you're here."
"Aunt Dawn, I get that you're worried, but we need to focus on finding Delaney." Izzy replied. "We don't have any time to waste."
"Do you have a plan?" Lexie asked.
"We need to find out where Delaney and the others are being held." Izzy said. "So I was thinking about using one of the students here to set a trap."
"We can't risk the lives of the students." The other professor said.
"Callum is right." Dawn added.
"I agree as well." The other teen noted in British accent. "Staying here is the safest option."
"Standing around and doing nothing isn't an option." Margot noted. "The plan sounds risky, but it might work. I'll be the bait."
"No, that's too risky." Liam said. "You're too young."
"Are you kidding me?" Margot asked with a frown. "Are you really playing the big brother card now?"
"Liam is right." Lexie said. "You and Charlie are sitting this one out. Besides, we have another problem we need to deal with."
"No, I need to be there!" Charlie snapped, causing a chest of scrolls and parchments to erupt in flames. "I need to know about dad!"
"Not again." Margot noted as she summoned another raincloud to put out the fire.
"Charlie, we'll find out the truth." Lexie said in a comforting tone. "But I need you to be safe."
"What just happened?" Izzy asked.
"Charlie is a Firestarter, remember?" Lexie explained. "His powers were bound, but they returned when he got angry earlier. Since then, he's been having trouble controlling it."
"Okay, so he is definitely staying behind." Izzy noted.
"I can brew a new binding potion if that is what you want, Charlie." Dawn said. "Or at least a potion to calm your nerves."
"I don't want this power." Charlie admitted. "I want the binding potion."
"Alright, come with me." Dawn said. "Everything I need is in the potions classroom. I could use some help, though, in case another fire erupts."
"Margot will go with you." Liam quickly said.
"Ugh, fine." Margot replied as she rolled her eyes. "Guess my powers make me a human sprinkler system anyways."
"Thanks, Margot." Lexie said. "Make sure Charlie stays calm."
Margot nodded and followed Dawn and Charlie out of the hallway. That was one less problem to deal with, as Charlie was a ticking time bomb in this state. Izzy was curious what he had meant about their father, all she knew was that he had died when they were young. It wasn't something their parents had ever really talked about, at least not when the kids were present.
"I need to go check on the other students." Callum said. "You kids need to stay here. I'll contact your parents so they know you're safe."
"I'm coming with you, cousin." The British teen said.
"We'll stay here." Lexie promised.
Callum looked at them hesitantly, as he seemed to question whether or not he could trust them. However, he eventually relented and left with the preppy Brit, leaving Izzy alone with Lexie and Liam. It had been years since she had been in the same room as them. She remembered how she used to love playing with them, but they weren't kids anymore.
"You didn't really mean that, did you?" Izzy asked.
"Of course not." Lexie replied. "We just needed to be alone."
"Are we really going to do this?" Liam asked. "Set a trap for the witch hunters?"
"We need to know where they are keeping Delaney and the others." Izzy said. "We know the hunters can block sensing and scrying, so this is our best shot."
"Agreed." Lexie said. "We can do this."
"We first need to get out of Magic School, but I suspect that the professors will have locked the portals by now." Liam noted. "Lexie, you've snuck out before, right?"
"Only to the kitchens." Lexie admitted.
"Luckily I always have teleportation potions on hand." Izzy said.
Just as they were about to use the teleportation potion, the door opened and someone entered the hall. It was another student, a teenager with brown hair and blue eyes. He was kind-of cute in a geeky way, wearing a simple t-shirt and cartoonish pajama bottoms.
"Liam." The boy said surprised. "What are you doing here? Didn't you hear about the hunters?"
"Hi Harry." Liam replied. "We heard, that's why we're here."
"Nice pajamas." Izzy remarked. "Very cute."
"Oh, uh, hi." Harry said as his face turned a little red. "Thanks, I guess."
"This is Izzy Phillips-Ross, she's an old friend." Liam noted. "Izzy, this is my roommate Harry Kaplan."
"Nice to meet you." Harry said. "Wait, did you say Phillips? Like the girl who was taken?"
"My cousin." Izzy replied. "We're going to get her back."
"Harry, have you heard anything from our classmates?" Liam asked. "Are they all okay?"
"I know Kinsley is home safe with her parents." Harry replied. "And I heard Zev and Maddison talking about going on a date this weekend, but I'm sure they're safe at home as well."
"But you're not sure." Lexie said. "They could be out on their date, not even knowing they're in danger."
"Hold on, Maddison is a Montana." Liam reasoned. "The hunters already targeted a Callaway, so what are the odds that a Montana is their next target? They live right across from each other."
"I'd say the odds are very high." Lexie noted.
"Looks like Maddison just became our bait." Izzy remarked.
"We need to get something from her dorm to scry for her." Lexie said.
"Harry, we need you to cover for us." Liam said. "Use a hologram to convince the professors we're still here. We're going after Maddison and Zev."
"Alright, just be careful." Harry replied.
"We can take care of ourselves, pajama boy." Izzy said as she walked past him and tapped him on the butt. "You just cover for us."
Although Izzy could not see his face, she'd bet that Harry had turned even redder than before. Lexie and Liam followed her down the hall to the dorm rooms. Lexie knew where Maddison's room was and led them inside. The room was as girly and pink as one would imagine for a girl named Maddison. Lexie found a necklace to scry with while Liam grabbed a map from the bookcase. They began scrying and quickly found her location, a movie theater in San Francisco.
"Alright, are we ready for this?" Lexie asked.
"We need one of the hunters to interrogate." Izzy reminded them. "Without that, we'll never find out where they are holding the other witches."
"We also need to keep Maddison and Zev safe." Liam said. "They are our friends."
"That's a bit of a stretch, but you're right." Lexie noted. "We can't put them in any more danger than we have to."
"Fine." Izzy reluctantly said. "Let's teleport before we're too late."
The others nodded and they joined hands as Izzy threw a teleportation potion on the floor, surrounding them in smoke and teleporting them out of the school.
Xxx
Through a puff of smoke, Lexie reappeared alongside the others in an alley across the street from the movie theater. Lexie was glad that it was just the three of them. Not only did it bring back old memories, she was glad that Charlie was safe back at the school. With his powers acting out, it was too dangerous for everyone if he came along, especially him. She would get the answers about their dad for the both of them.
"The theater seems quiet." Izzy said. "I don't think the hunters are here yet."
"Maybe they had trouble finding her as well." Liam noted.
"We should move." Lexie said.
They crossed the street and entered the movie theater. Lexie checked the schedule and saw there were only two movies still playing at this hour, a romantic comedy and a horror movie. Knowing Maddison, she and Zev were at the romantic one and probably making out the entire time. At one point, Lexie would have loved to lock lips with Maddison, though that was before she had shown her true colors. She had apologized after the Kali incident, but her crush was definitely over and they were frenemies at best. Besides, Lexie would always choose the horror movie.
"She's at the rom-com." Lexie noted.
"That sounds about right." Liam replied. "We should…"
Before Liam had a chance to finish, they heard a screeching sound and saw a black SUV had pulled up in front of the theater. Knowing time was up, they quickly ran up the stairs and hid behind the bannister. A group of five hunters entered the theater, each wearing body armor and a mask. A teenaged movie usher came out of the bathroom and was shot with a tranquillizer dart before he could even scream.
"Alright, two of the targets are here." One of the hunters said. "We need to bring both of them in. We can't screw up like the London team. Be prepared for anything."
"I'll disable the security system and wipe the footage." Another hunter said. "The second van should have entered through the back by now."
The other hunters nodded and began to spread out. Lexie and the others snuck up the stairs and began running for the right hall. They burst in and saw all of the seats except for two were empty. Maddison was sitting in one of the backrows, making out with a blond guy that had an uncanny resemblance to the actor on screen. She cleared her throat and the pair stopped kissing. Upon seeing them, Zev instantly shapeshifted back to his true self.
"Lexie!" Maddison called out. "What the hell? Are you stalking me?"
"You wish." Lexie remarked. "We need to get you out of here. You're in danger."
"What do you mean?" Zev asked.
The door burst open and two hunters entered with their weapons drawn. They both fired tranquilizer darts, though Lexie was able to deflect them with a wave of her arm. At the same time, Izzy threw a dart of light that pierced one of the hunters in the leg.
"We have more witches." The other hunter said in his earpiece. "Lock them in."
"We need to get out of here." Liam said.
"Good idea." Lexie admitted.
Lexie waved her hand and sent the two hunters flying back against the wall. The group ran down the hall toward the screen, though more hunters appeared through the fire exit. Izzy threw darts of light at them, causing them to duck for cover.
"What is happening?!" Maddison cried.
"Witch Hunters." Lexie replied. "They're after you and Zev. We need you to help us fight."
"Why are hunters after us?" Zev asked. "We didn't do anything."
"Less talking, more fighting." Izzy countered.
As they continued running, Lexie pinned another hunter to the wall with her telekinesis, while Maddison fired colorful sparks of energy from her hands at another one. However, she was hit in with a dart from behind and collapsed. Liam managed to catch her and handed her over to Zev.
"I'm going to borrow that power for a moment." Liam said.
Liam fired sparks of energy at the hunter that shot Maddison. They made their way to the exit, but were quickly becoming surrounded. Lexie kept deflecting the tranquilizer darts with her powers, though there were too many. Zev was hit and fell to the floor. Lexie turned to check on him, but found a hunter taking aim at her. Before he could fire, a wave of destructive kinetic energy coursed through the theater, blasting all of the hunters back. Lexie looked up and saw her mom standing at the top of the stairs.
xxx