Chapter One

It was July 1^st, the humidity enough to bring sweat to anyone’s skin.  There was not a single cloud in the sky, the stars so bright, they could be confused with the sun, if there weren’t so many of them.  It was the perfect night for the perfect couple to relax on a picnic blanket, decorated by the old-fashioned red and white squares.  Their blanket wasn’t the only one, as many more were placed around the normally empty grassy field, which used to have purple, pink and blue flowers everywhere, but they had been mowed down for the firework festival.

      The fireworks in the sky were phenomenal; their explosions making a loud noise. It was enough to make a dog want to cover its ears…if it could. The colors that left a trail in the air was too difficult to describe with words, but it seemed that every color and every shade that existed was there.  The lights that followed the loud explosion of noise, twinkled in everyone’s eyes in varying hues, leaving a certain sparkle.

      Amongst the vast crowd, lay a couple, hand in hand.  Their eyes left the sky only to stare into each other’s eyes.  Anna, a petite black haired girl with golden skin and green eyes, thought mostly loving thoughts about her boyfriend.  Eric, a tall dark man with short black hair and brown eyes, could not think.  All he knew was that he was madly in love with Anna, and that there was nothing anyone could do to dismiss it.  They did not speak, as they knew that if they did, the moment between the two of them would be destroyed, shattered into a million pieces. 

      Once the fireworks had died down, Anna sat up, feeling slightly sad that the night had to end.  She had begun to wish that she could sleep next to Eric forever, living in their forever embedded memories.  Her lip twitched, a million things she wanted to say stuck in her throat.  It was their second anniversary and she wanted to make it perfect.

      It seemed like Eric had the same idea as her.  He opened his mouth and closed it again.  Anna could practically hear his teeth grinding, and a small smile spread wide across her face.  It was this part of him that she would forever love, even when death inevitably found her and invited her to her own funeral.  Finally, Eric opened his mouth and those words that escaped were the ones that Anna had been waiting on since the beginning of their first year together. “I love you.” He said, his voice rough.

      “As I love you.” Anna replied, sealing what should have been a pact with a kiss.  Too long she had waited to kiss his soft lips, to see his dark eyes and to feel his skin.  He had been on vacation with his family in Hawaii after they had won the lottery, all their money spent on an exclusive hotel.  “How was your trip?”

      Eric groaned, rolling his eyes so far back it seemed that he could see his brain.  “While it was relaxing, at the same time, it was boring without you there.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.  “I wish my family wasn’t so strict. It’s too bad you couldn’t go with me.”  He grinned. “It would’ve been so much better with you there.”
      “Yes,” Anna said, her smile faltering slightly.  While it was still bright, there was a certain sadness in it.  It was rare that she showed that side of her.  The part of her that keeps things from Eric.  She had thought it was long gone, but alas, some pieces of you are forever.  “I am sure that if I had gone with you, things would be much more fun…for the both of us.  I was stuck here, helping out at the store with mom and dad.  I would’ve given anything to learn how to surf.”

      “You can still learn.”  Eric said seductively.  “I just so happen to know absolutely everything there is to know about the subject.”  He bit his lip.  “Although, I believe that it is time for us to return home.  It’s almost two.”  He added, staring at his watch with an annoyed look on his handsome face.  “I was supposed to have you home four hours ago.  Something tells me that your parents will be infuriated at me…”

      “Big words?”  Anna giggled, hiding her mouth in her hand self-consciously.  It had become a habit for her since the fifth grade when one of her ‘friends’ told her that her mouth looked funny when she smiled or laughed.  Ever since, Anna showed next to no one her laugh. “You make me laugh. You really must be old fashioned.”  She grabbed at his wrist, glaring at that golden watch that stood out even in the dark.  “How can you read this?  It’s much too dark!”

      “I have superpowers.” Eric said, bluntly.  He winked, and for a fraction of a second, Anna swore she saw a fleck of red.  Her smile faltered. No… She thought, sitting straight up. Can it be?  “Anna?” Eric asked, sounding confused.  “Are you alright?”

      No…Anna paid no attention to her boyfriend.  She was far too deep in her thought.  I have known him for two years…It is impossible!  Realizing that he was staring at her, she quickly curled her finger through her hair.  “Pardon me?”  Her other hand crept down her cyan dress to her high heeled boots, feeling the sharp object wedged in between the fabric and her feet.

      “I asked you whether you were alright.”  Eric said suspiciously eyeing the slightly shaking finger in Anna’s hair.  He was not staring at her other hand which had gripped the object tight and let it loose once again.  She closed her eyes, breathing deeply.  She had to calm down.  Don’t bring any more suspicion to the table, especially if her own were correct.

      “Of course!”  Anna said, too quick for her liking.  “You were -are- right.  It has become too late.  I do not wish to be grounded until I turn a hundred years old.”  She made the futile attempt at a joke, and when he didn’t laugh, she went on.  “I should get going.  Thank you for the night.  I really enjoyed it.”

      Eric seemingly flinched.  “What did you expect on our second anniversary?  A dinner?”  He laughed and Anna sunk further back into comfort.  He sounded so much like himself.  How had she suspected him?  “Stay a little longer…please baby.”

      Anna’s eyes widened.  He was not one for pet names like the one he had just said. She fought the undeniable urge to narrow her eyes and grit her teeth, her hand itching towards her left boot.  “No…” She said slowly, calming herself down.  “I am within walking distance of my home.” She added, seeing Eric reluctantly stand up.  He put his hands in his pockets awkwardly and nodded.  “Again, thank you. I will see you soon.”  She kissed him lightly on the cheek, and that even felt weird, not as smooth as it usually was. 

      ‘Why does it seem that you are avoiding me?” Eric demanded, not pushing Anna away, but it looked like he was going to.  “You have been acting weird ever since I arrived back from Hawaii.  Less like you like me, and more like you are afraid of me.  Why?  I have never-nor will I ever- harm an innocent soul.”

      He was telling the truth, Anna knew.  He was a vegetarian and wouldn’t even swat a fly if it came too close to him.  But sweat still beaded her forehead and it wasn’t from the humidity.  “Just…” She sighed, forging a lie in a fraction of a second.  “It’s my godfather’s death.  It seemed, I don’t know, weird.  How does someone trip on nothing and plummet thirteen stories off a roof?”

      Eric’s frown became ever more suspicious.  “I thought they ruled that as a suicide.”  He said slowly.  “It makes sense.  Where did you even get the ‘fact’ that he ‘tripped?’”

      “It’s just a theory.  Joseph wasn’t suicidal!  I saw him that same day, grinning from head to toe.  He was happy!” Anna’s voice rose, suddenly realizing what she had said.  It…seemed logical that he killed himself and she didn’t know why she’d gotten so defensive over him.  He never was a good godfather, only showing up when he needed money from his best friend, her father.  “Sorry,” She said finally.  “I got overworked.”

      “Yeah.” Eric’s smile crept back on his face.  “You get cranky when you are tired.” He kissed Anna’s forehead, sweat and all.  “I love you. I’ll see you soon.”

      Yes, Anna thought to herself, feeling both smug and afraid. You will.  And at that moment, I will know what you are.  I will kill you.

 

      “I hope you had a good time tonight.”  Anna’s mother, Jasmine, said as soon as she had unlocked the door and made her way in.  Her mousy brown hair was tied in a messy bun.  Her normally blue eyes were a cloudy grey with bags under them.  This was her normal worried look, which made Anna anxious when she knew she shouldn’t be.  “You have no idea how worried we were.”

      Anna’s eyes drifted to the shag carpet that hid the Devil’s Trap.  “You should not have been. I was…with Eric.”  She smiled slightly, and it faded as soon as it was there.  “Listen, you know Joseph’s death?”

      “We are not going to speak about our hunt in that tone!” Jasmine growled.  “Your father is in his room as we speak, trying to put together the clues.”  She shook her head, sighing.  “He’s grown obsessed with this hunt; it is beginning to worry me.  Don’t become obsessed yourself.”

      “Me, get obsessed?”  Anna’s voice rose, loud enough that it would be considered talking back, something she very rarely did.  “Don’t you remember that Djinn two years ago?  Even in the dream you hunted it down.  You didn’t even want to settle down in your wish for like five minutes!”

      “Another minute wasted in dreamland,” Jasmine said it sarcastically, causing Anna to flinch, “was a minute closer to my demise!”  She glared at her daughter.  “You know that better than I.  Haven’t I taught you anything these fifteen years?”

      “I’m just saying that maybe I…we…should give up.”  Anna said slowly, trying to get her mother to calm down which would be a nearly impossible feat.  She had a short temper and a single movement could send her off her rocker.  “We’ll never rid the world of demons, of vampires, of werewolves.”  She enunciated the last word.  Her brother, Alex, had been brutally murdered by a werewolf on one of their first hunts.  It was before they all knew just what they were hunting.  Ever since, they did a week’s worth of research on every single monster they encountered, from wraiths to women in white.  She knew all there was to know, and yet, she didn’t think she knew anything at all. 

      “We’re still making a difference.”  Jasmine said, turning her back on her daughter.  Anna could hear her voice breaking and knew she had hit a sweet spot when she spoke of her brother’s death, all those years ago.  “We can help bring the chance of a repeat like this on a family that thinks their death was because of a freaking animal attack.  I cannot bear to think of those families who don’t even have a body to bury, or worse, are living with the very creature that killed their child!”

      “Mom.”  Anna said, frowning.  She put a hand on her shoulder.  “We’ve made a difference already.  Don’t we deserve a break?” 

      “No one gets breaks in this business.”  Jasmine said, still crying silently.  “They die first.”

      “Then let’s get free!  If we quit now, there’s a chance we’ll live normal lives!  I’m sixteen for Christ’s sake!”  When her mother didn’t speak, Anna went on.  “Sure, we’ll know what is in the dark, eating people, but is there not a balance in life?”

      Before she could get an answer, there was a thumping on the stairs.  Her father, Rick, was walking down, the bags under his eyes visible even from where Anna stood.  She frowned.  Her mother had been right; he was obsessed with hunting whatever was causing havoc in the town.  “Oh,” he said, seeing his daughter standing awkwardly at the front door.  He adjusted his glasses with the faded lens and smiled goofily, yet at the same time grimly, at her.  “Anna!  I did not expect you until later!  Has the firework show ended already?”

      “Dad.”  Anna said reluctantly.  Did he know what time it was even?  “It ended like three hours ago!  It’s two in the morning!”  She and her mother crossed their arms in a similar pattern, which said something about how alike the two actually were.  While her mother looked nothing like her (instead of black hair, hers was blond and very short), the two acted like they were twins.  Even the way their mouths set in frowns made you realize in just a second that they are related.

      “Is it?”  Rick looked at the clock, blinking as if he was in a haze, and he probably was; an alcoholic daze.  “Ah.  In retrospect to my previous words, I should instead scold you on being late for curfew.”   He looked to Jasmine, probably wanting praise.  Instead, she just glared at him.  His lip twitched and he went on.  “I suppose I should ground you…”

      “What?  Dad, no!”  Anna cried out, outraged.  “I’ve got a party tomorrow night!”

      “You weren’t going to that party anyways.”  Her mother said. She was the same height as Anna, but at that moment, it was like she towered over her, the tallest person in the world.  “Do you have any idea the casualties because of our kind of thing?”  She scoffed.  “You can’t fit those numbers on a chart, and you could be kidnapped by some of regular people!”  Rolling her eyes, she sighed, obviously trying to calm herself down.  “What I’m trying to do is keep you safe.  I can’t lose another child.”

      Rick rubbed his hand across his face.  “What were you guys talking about?”  He asked, trying to change the subject, and to a bad one, Anna realized shrinking into her own skin. “Before I came down the steps anyways…”

      Jasmine threw an exasperated look in Anna’s direction.  “Yeah, Anna. What were we talking about before your father showed up?”  When Anna clammed up, she turned to her husband.  “Your daughter wants us to give up hunting.  Be a normal family.”

      Her father stared blankly at his daughter.  “Honey, you are aware that that term is relative, right?”  He asked after a while.  “Our normal may seem different than some other person’s normal.”
      Jasmine groaned, hitting her face with her palm in exasperation.  “Really? That’s what you got out of this?  Not the fact that she wants us to refrain from saving people?”  She crossed her eyes, glaring at Rick who didn’t seem to notice the fact that any hope for any breakfast-in-bed had been melted along with his dignity.  “How have you gotten so lost in those stupid notes of yours?”

      That caught his attention. He turned to his wife, a furious look in his eyes.  “Have you forgotten why I do this?  I do not wish to see any more bodies because we were sloppy!  I’ve been looking at my notes for days, it feels like, and I still have no idea what is killing people off in this town!”  The bags under his eyes seemed to deepen and darken.  “If we don’t solve this soon, some more people can get harmed!” 

      “Dad?”  Anna asked timidly.  She didn’t know if she should have told him what had happened with Eric.  “What happened to the victims again?”  Her lip twitched as both of her parents stopped bickering to stare at her.  “I-I’m just curious.”

      “I told you a few days ago…”  Rick said, suspicious of his daughter’s actions.  He narrowed his eyes until they were just slits, unable to see his pupils.  He reached for his pockets and Anna stared as he slowly pulled out a flask.

      “Oh, c’mon dad!” Anna whined, backing up.  “You know I’m not a demon!   I have the freaking anti possession tattoo on my god damn arm!”  She thought for a moment and added, “you know, a normal dad wouldn’t let his kid get a tattoo, but you force me to!” She whipped the flask from his hand and took a swig of the holy water on the inside.  “See? HUMAN. Now, what happened to the victims?”

      Her father shook his head, annoyed.  “How is it that your memory is much worse than mine?”  Rolling his eyes, he said, “they were ordinary deaths, just way too often, too spread apart. It’s the most suicides this town has seen in fifty years.”

      “How many suicides?”  Anna found herself asking.  She winced, wishing to herself that she wasn’t as inquisitive as she was.  “How many more, I mean.”

      “Twenty.  In the nineteen sixties, there were as little as five suicides a year.  I don’t know how long the town can keep up with these cover stories.”  He sighed, rubbing his eyes with his index finger and thumb.  Turning back to Jasmine, he added, “that’s why I’ve been cooped up this long in my room.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  Unlike you, I actually care about the lives I am going to save.”

      “I care.”  Jasmine said, slowly.  She sounded slightly perturbed, biting her lip.  “I, too, am worried about the state of the town and those in it.  What happens when they find out…” She shook her head.  “They won’t.  They don’t know what’s really in the dark.  Worse comes to worse, they’ll learn about what we’ve been saving them from for so long.  Too long.”

      “Mom-”

      Jasmine cut her off before Anna could get another word out.  “Just go to bed, Anna.  You have school tomorrow and some of us want to get the hell off this job and back to regular life.”  She said, obviously angered about something.  Anna knew it would be pointless to argue, but still opened her mouth, readying to talk back to her.  She bit her tongue, letting the pain keep her for making the mistake that would truly get her grounded, the type where you weren’t allowed to leave your room; only if you had to eat or use the bathroom.  Other than that, it was like a prison, forced to read every book you own…again.  Subconsciously, Anna shuddered, her jaw shutting quickly, like a bear trap.  Once you’re told to go to bed by your mother, it’s basically become a new law.  If broken, it becomes a sin.

      “Yeah.”  Anna said sullenly, defeated.  “I’m tired anyways.” She trudged up the stairs, knowing that if she looked back, she would see her mother, asleep standing up.