Huntress

“Kitten!!! You are going to be late for school!!” my aunt bellowing up the back staircase as I snuck into the kitchen from the other side grabbing a mug from the clean side of the sink.

I had always loved the kitchen it was large with a six-burner range, stainless steel appliances and a wonderful cutting block island. I loved cooking, so I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, anything smaller would have driven me nuts.

“Aunt I am right here,” I said looking innocently at my aunt as I poured myself a cup of coffee with my other hand.

“kit- where did you come from!?” she asked her voice a pitch too high as she whirled around.

I enjoyed teasing my aunt; she made it way too easy. I grinned at my aunt, pushing a chuck of my cobalt dyed bangs from my face, “my mother’s womb last I check. I mean the stork story isn’t true last I check –gasp- oh my goodness HUNTERS COME FROM STORKS?!”

My aunt laughed ruffling my extremely short but sporty hair before going over to clean up the kitchen, “smart-aleck,” she sighed, “I still can’t believe you cut your hair, it was so beautiful.”

“It got in the way,” I replied back, dropping a bagel into the toaster and double checking the contents of my school bag, “I can’t fight with my braided pony tail smacking me in the face or someone trying to grab it as a hand hold. The nerves on my skull are dead because of all the times my hair was pulled.”

“If you stopped getting into so many fights then maybe that wouldn’t have happened. You need to stop looking for trouble, you’ll have plenty of time for assignments after high school and hopefully nothing dangerous until after college.”

“I don’t go looking for them, they find me,” I replied back with a sigh at the same old argument.

I wouldn’t be allow to go on official assignments until I was 18 and a high school graduate and those would be simple assignments with an older Hunter as my mentor and guide.

As it was I had already fought a few monsters, at the end of my 4th grade year it had been gremlins, middle school it had been hobgoblins. Jr. high during a retreat field trip it had been a water monster in the lake. High school so far had been good for me. That was not counting the fights at The Alley.

“Don’t forget I am going to Faerie for the holidays tonight with Sam,” I reminded my aunt whose lips thinned into a flat line.

“Do not back out of your word,” I warned my eyes narrowing, “you agreed to let me go to Faerie since Hunters have never been invited and I am your heir and it could possible be a step into creating better ties between the Fair Folk and the Hunters.”

“Knowing you, you will screw it up,” came a husky voice that belonged to my older cousin, as he appeared at the bottom of the kitchen stairs.

“Well at least I have your vote of confidence Andrew,” I slurred, not bothering to turn around and look at him but he came into my view as he settled into the chair across from me at the table.

“Don’t start you two,” my uncle said entering the kitchen from the living room, “it’s too early in the morning for the sibling bickering.”

Neither Andrew nor I decided to remind my uncle that we weren't siblings. We had been raised like brother and sister so the grown ups thought the bickering between us was simply sibling rivalry, not what it really was, rivalry to be the heir. It was my birthright and one Andrew wanted and had expected when my mother hadn't been able to give birth.

Damon leaned forward and ruffled my newly cut hair, “need a ride to school little cousin?” he asked giving me a mocking smile.

“No Sam is picking me up, her dad got her a car for her birthday last week,” I replied, pulling away from his hand.

My uncle looked up from where he poured himself a cup of coffee, he loved cars, “what did he get her?”

“A 2013 Mazda 6 in cobalt blue I might add,” flipping my dyed bangs from my face, my hair had been cobalt blue at the tips with a small portion of my bangs as well but now that I had cut it only my bangs were blue.

My uncle whistled under his breath, “that is a nice car.”

“Her dad is rich in the human realm with his stocks and what not, he can afford it,” I replied.


We weren’t poor, in fact the Pride was wealthy but the money didn’t just get handed out to anyone or everyone for that fact. The money was to keep the Pride supported such as lands, emergencies, Pride related trips, and the like.

Hunter once they began working for the Pride would get a paycheck but nothing like would have us living like kings, most Hunters had a second job to help support themselves. My aunt and uncle were realtors of own their own company, which allowed them to do Pride business along with their regular job.

My phone rang with the most recent Tinkerbell movie theme song, “that’s Sam she must be down the street.”

I stood up polishing off my coffee before grabbing my travel mug and my bag before going to the front door to struggle into my parka jacket. I lived in Connecticut and it got cold. I was out the door as my best friend and half Winter Faerie, Samantha Cole, pulled along the curb.

“Hey Ro ready for finals!?” she called out in a sing song voice, she was way too chirpy in the mornings.

“Spent half the night studying ” I replied back, sliding into the passenger seat of the warm car.

“If you dad asks you want I want for Christmas tell him one of these in the same color,” I told my best friend the car filling with her tinkling laughter, her Faerie beauty making me blush like it always did.

No, I am not gay or anything, it was a natural reaction to anyone with no Faerie blood. She couldn’t help her Fair Folk blood, which strengthen over her human blood with every visit to Faerie.

She became more and more like the Fair Folk, her beauty growing, her speak changing, her mannerism and even her walk but she was still my best friend, her core could never be changed no matter how many visits to Faerie affected her, or so I hoped. I didn’t know what I would do if I lost my only friend.

I didn’t really have friends anymore, since the Pride had basically started shunning me after Jr. High because they though the spell that saved my life also cursed me. The Pride kids also shunned me as ordered by their parents so the other students and other races followed their lead, except my best friend, Sam.

Sam and I were all but joined at the hip, finishing each other sentences and communicating without words. She was just another reason the Pride was concerned about my taking over, apparently having a Faerie best friend was a bad thing.

“I’ll let him know, best friends need a matching set!”

“Sam you do realize I was kidding right?”

“What it’s not like my dad can’t afford it.”

“Seriously! You know how bad I would feel if he bought me a car?” I said as Sam entered one of a total of three main roads in our small town.

“You and I are sisters in all but blood besides dad adores you like his own,” she answered back.
“He adores me?” I said in real shock.

I had met her father many times over the years, he had a house in town where Sam lived with a Faerie nanny since her father was a Winter Knight he had little free time but when he did he spent it with his daughter and I was normally there, however the Winter Fairy was well…winter, and didn’t express any emotions that I could tell anyways.

“Ya he does, otherwise he wouldn’t have convinced the Queen to allow you into Faerie for the winter festivals.”

I blinked, “huh, what about the whole debt thing?” I replied watching the bare trees go by as Sam approached our high school, which made my nose wrinkled.

It was a standard school, four brick buildings, a gym, and some sport fields, nothing special. Senior year I told myself, it’s almost over. Most girls would be excited about senior year, prom, grad bash, and all that other senior stuff but for me, senior graduation meant I was officially a Hunter and I could finally go on missions, that is what I looked forward to. Sam, on the other hand, was excited about Prom and I knew would drag me along all those senior trips that were planned for after the holidays.

“It will be over soon, “ she laughed before adding, “Dad will probably consider the car a debt settler for being my friend and being there for me all these years.”

I popped my door open and shrugged my bag on my shoulder walking towards the school with Sam.

“Maybe…just seriously don’t tell him about the car. Alright, lets get this over with,” I muttered.

Notes

Please review. This is an original story just wanting feedback to see how it is so far and what I need to change. So PLEASE give me your thoughts and opinions.

Cousin's Name = Andrew = I am not sure about this suggestions??