Beastmora- The Golden Six

by Kayley Behler

  “I can handle it,” Valeria stated, determination stilling the burning in her gut. She knew what she wanted to do.

  “I don’t doubt it, you’re your mother's daughter, and anything you set your mind to you can do. Not even the Creator could stop Florence from her ambitions,” Xander said, an unidentifiable emotion clouding his eyes, “but it is that you still have innocence and I’d hate to see that taken from you. I’ve seen it happen too many times. Callan was just like you when he was younger, always ready to prove himself and nearly getting himself killed in the process.”

  “He definitely seems like the type,” She mused thinking about her sister’s headstrong mate. As long as she’s known him, Callan has been reckless.

  “Callan..has always been a complicated kid. He’s gotten a lot better since Emalia came into his life, but he’s still himself,” Xander said, “If it weren’t for your mother as his partner, he probably would have gotten himself fired or worse killed. I’m sorry I’m not here to talk about Callan, you just remind me of him.”

  “Don’t compare me to Callan,” Valeria protested.

  “I think it was more so the way we were raised, your mom, me, Callan, the other six. All of us were raised in war. We were driven by the expectations thrust upon us by basically everyone,” The phoenix spoke with a humorless laugh, and his hand moved unconsciously to the severed limb. Before seeming to catch himself and choosing to ruffle her hair instead, “You’ve got that same urge to prove yourself but fledgling, you have all the time in the world and all the resources. Take your time, don’t rush it.”

  “I’m not a fledgling anymore,” Valeria argued, her lips thinning in a frown and his genuine smile was replaced with a wistful expression. He looked as if remembering something before he turned his focus back to her and shook his head.

  “Maybe not but you may find that the GSI has way more paperwork than you think,” Xander replied, his attempt at making the mood lighter didn’t escape Valeria’s notice, “If I knew then I would have never joined.”

  Valeria laughed, glad to be steered away from the topic, “So I shouldn't worry about the murderers but the excessive paperwork?”

  “Precisely,” Xander responded, a gleam of fondness in his expression, “Now go look at some other tables before they accuse me of nepotism.”

  Valeria wondered around the career fair some more. The tables seemed boring now that she knew what she was going to do. She couldn’t help but wonder why Xander had tried to talk her out of it when he enticed thousands of other students to join. Did he think she couldn’t do it? Did her mother not want her to join? Did he think she was too naive or reckless? Valeria was pulled from her musings when she caught sight of Edith, and she made her move towards her. Edith was standing next to a grumpy looking Ziana who leaned over to whisper to the elf, Valeria honed her vampiric hearing, the way she was taught in her lessons and focused on them.

  “To get the internship we want, we will have to sign up in the middle of the night,” Ziana whispered, “They always post it after everyone has gone to bed.”

  “Should we ask Valeria to join us?” Edith asked, and Ziana pulled a face at her.

  “Edie, she’s the headmaster’s daughter. Don’t you think she would tell on us?” Ziana answered with her eyebrows raised at the elf and when Edith opened her mouth to protest Ziana cut her off, “You’ve known her for a couple of hours, how well do you know her?”

  “I guess you’re right,” Edith replied, and at that moment Valeria decided she would prove Ziana wrong. She was going to sneak out of the dorm room tonight and join them in signing up.

  ◆◆◆

  The night was all presentations and getting to know about different internships they could take. At the dining hall, she sat with Ziana and Edith, but the phoenix chose to ignore her as Edith chatted avidly to her. The blood was nowhere near as good as the blood in VT. It seemed bitter and stale in comparison. At this moment, she missed home, sitting around the fire with cups of blood and stories of the night on their lips. Valeria was glad to finally lay down in her dorm room at the end of the night and get a reprieve from the constant movement. The lights were off, and every beast was in their beds, but Valeria couldn’t sleep. She had to stay awake so she could catch Ziana and Edith as they left for the signup sheets. Valeria was exhausted and wasn’t sure she could stay awake much longer, but fortunately, the snores coming from Willow across the room kept her awake and alert. She could have been laying there for minutes or hours before she heard movement above her, Ziana was climbing down from the bunk and Valeria opened her eyes, watching as the phoenix attempted to sneak about the room.

  “What are you doing?” Valeria asked, and she could see Ziana jump slightly before her orange gaze came to glare at her. In the darkness of the room, the female’s eyes seemed to burn.

  “None of your business, princess,” Ziana responded, and Valeria moved out of bed to stand next to her.

  “You’re going to sign up, aren't you? I heard you talking to Edith earlier,” Valeria said as she pulled on her shoes, “I want to come.”

  “No,” Ziana stated flatly before moving towards where Edith had risen as well, “You’ll burn up in the sunlight.”

  “Not if we go through the halls or else I’ll tell Kamilah what you’re doing,” Valeria threatened and Ziana glared at her for a long moment. The two beasts stared at one another with Edith stood between them with an anxious expression on her face.

  “Fine,” Ziana finally answered with a huff, waving a hand for her to follow into the darkened corridor.

  “And I’m a duchess, not a princess,” Valeria snapped in annoyance before following Edith and Ziana out of the dorm room. The trio snuck along the corridors, Valeria was sure to use her vampiric ability to walk silently, but Ziana didn’t have that same talent.

  “Could you walk any louder?” Valeria whispered, and Ziana turned to glare at her.

  “Could you be any more annoying?” Ziana retorted, and Edith had placed a hand on her arm as if to stop her.

  “At least I don’t trudge around like a troll,” Valeria replied with a glare and Ziana opened her mouth to answer, but Edith had pushed them both into the alcove.

  “Someone’s coming,” Edith whispered and Valeria could hear the faint footsteps of two people coming down the corridor.

  “Things are complicated now that she is here,” The voice said, it was deep and monstrous. Valeria was paralyzed by fear, that voice was something purely evil, and everything in her screamed for her to run. For the second time in her life, she felt like she was going to die. Ziana and Edith were in a similar state to her own, Valeria could feel the goosebumps on their arms, “The Necromancer will be paying more attention.”

  “Not if we distract her,” The second voice said lowly and if the first voice was terrifying, the second was worse, “Get it done and keep the halfling under control. She’s already caused enough damage by killing that girl. We must be ready for the Anniversary.”

  “Of course” The first voice responded, and then they heard the footsteps of the departing voices. Valeria’s eyes were wide as she stared at both Edith and Ziana, none of them dared to move. They stayed in silence for a long while before Ziana was tugging them from the nook and down the corridor to the signup sheet.

  “Wait, don’t you want to know who they were?” Valeria whispered as she walked quickly beside Ziana and they stopped as they finally stood in front of the parchment.

  “Of course but it does us no good if they catch us out here,” Ziana whispered and tugged her closer, “We need to get out of the halls, they could be watching us.”

  “Okay,” Valeria responded as Edith signed for the Archivist internship, then Ziana signed her at the GSI Team A position and Valeria scribbled hers beside the phoenix. Valeria’s heart didn’t stop racing, even as they got back to the dorm and crawled back in their beds. All Valeria could think about was those voices and what they meant.

  ◆◆◆

  When th
e moon finally rose, Valeria had fallen asleep sometime during the day, and she woke to the sound of her bustling roommates. She slowly slid out of bed and made her way through getting herself cleaned and dressed for the night. Valeria’s mind was racing over last night still, and she was burning to figure it out. She sat on her bed once again, making small talk with Ji-woo as she got ready before she chased down Gita who had left for the dining hall already. Edith was sitting on her bed, looking out the now open window with a far off look and Ziana was at the desk scribbling something down, soon they were the only three left in the room.

  “We should tell the adults,” Edith murmured if Valeria wasn’t looking at Edith she probably wouldn't have known she spoke.

  “No,” Ziana stated, putting down her pen and standing with her arms crossed, “This is our chance to prove ourselves.”

  “What do you mean?” Valeria asked, her eyes lighting with interest at finding out what happened last night.

  “We aren't infants anymore, we can figure out who it is and prove our worth,” Ziana replied, but Edith was shaking her head, and Valeria was starting to imagine that Ziana was right. They could do this, and they could figure it all out on their own.

  “We should leave it up to people who know what they’re doing. We know nothing of what that was,” Edith argued finally turning her gaze away from the night sky to look at them.

  “We both know who that was, Edith,” Ziana said with a fierceness in her eyes that Valeria didn’t understand.

  “No, we don’t,” Edith responded, but she was fidgeting with the covers of her bed, and her hands were shaking slightly, “Even if it is… that thing, which it is not. We should tell.”

  “Who are you talking about?” Valeria asked, her eyes wide in curiosity as she looked between to the two women.

  “The thing that killed my family,” Ziana answered, her orange gaze moving to stare at Valeria, “We can find that thing together and prove ourselves. Come on Princess this is the time you prove me wrong.”

  “Ziana please,” Edith started, grabbing the phoenix hand but Ziana cut her off and pulled free from her. Valeria caught the flash of hurt that filtered across the elfs features.

  “No, we aren’t telling anyone. We can figure this out on our own,” Ziana countered, shifting her gaze back to the elf, “Do you trust me?”

  “Of course,” Edith replied with a sigh, her brown gaze fixed on her hands and Ziana nodded before looking at Valeria expectantly. Valeria was stuck, she knew she should probably tell, but this was her chance to prove that she wasn't a failure. If she could show that she could take down whatever this thing was then surely no one would think of her as a fledgling anymore.

  “Okay,” Valeria nodded standing and moving her way over to Ziana and Edith, “Let’s prove ourselves then.”

  * * *

  Chapter Five

  Global Supernatural Investigation

  After their conversation, the three of them started their journey to the dining hall, but none of them spoke, each of them preoccupied with thoughts about what was to come. Valeria wanted to talk about it more, but she felt like she’ wouldn’t get a warm reception. Edith certainly didn’t want to discuss it, and Valeria was too afraid to question Ziana. The phoenix had quite the anger issue, and Valeria didn’t want to be on the receiving end of her flames. They were a couple of feet away from the entrance when Valeria heard the familiar voice of her father call out her name.

  “Valeria,” Derik called with a joyous smile on his face as he approached with Thoren trotting beside him before he noticed the two standing beside her, “Oh am I interrupting you and your friends?”

  “Don’t worry Headmaster, we aren’t friends,” Ziana stated, and Edith elbowed her a scowl coloring her face.

  “I’m her friend,” Edith declared with a warm smile at Valeria as Derik watched the exchange with interest.

  “Good for you,” Ziana replied, crossing her arms and looking away pointedly.

  “Friends or not, I need to steal Valeria for a minute,” Derik explained with a polite smile and the pair nodded before entering the dining hall, Edith promising to save a seat for Valeria. Once they were at a safe distance away, her father spoke again, “How is your friend and your not friend?”

  “Edith is really great, and Ziana is just… I don’t know. We haven’t really talked much. So, I couldn’t say,” Valeria responded opting for the more friendly version of their partnership.

  “Well, did you have any questions or concerns for me? Did you sleep okay? How do you like it?” Derik asked, his eyes eager to learn the answers, and Valeria smiled at how doting her father was. She had always found it a bit annoying, but now she welcomed it with all the unfamiliarity surrounding her.

  “It’s fine, Dad. Everything is good,” Valeria replied, noticing other students watching them as they passed. Derik scrutinized her face for any indication that she was lying but smiled after a moment.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Derik said before putting his hands on her shoulders, “I wanted to make sure you were settling in okay before I left.”

  “Before you left? Aren’t you going to be here this summer?” She asked a feeling of mild panic rising in her. Valeria thought she would have at least one ally during her stay in unfamiliar territory.

  “Oh my sweet child, you have the memory of a human, don’t you? Your mother and I were planning on you and Demetri being at the dragon program this summer, so we planned for me to take Henrik on a tour of the museums while Florence works. Your brother dotes on your mom too much, so this trip will hopefully sway him to my side,” He said, and Valeria suddenly remembered them talking about it a few weeks ago. Maybe she did have the memory of a human.

  “Oh yeah, that’s right,” Valeria murmured, “So, I’m gonna be here all alone?”

  “I thought’ that’s what you wanted. Independence,” Derik mused, not unkindly, “Besides you are never alone. You know your mother will always have a slither on you at all times.”

  “A slither? What’s that?” Valeria asked, tilting her head at her father words. She watched as his eyes widened before he sputtered.

  “Would you look at the time,” Derik exclaimed, his eyes glancing at his communicator before kissing her cheek then squashing them together with his hands, “I must be on my way. I’m meeting your mom at her break, and you know how she loathes tardiness. I love you! Have fun!”

  “Wait-,” Valeria started, but her father was already gone. Why was he acting so weird? Well, stranger than usual. With a shake of her head, she turned and moved to meet her friend and not friend in the cafeteria.

  ◆◆◆

  An hour after breakfast was over, the faculty called for’ everyone’s attention before they began separating everyone by their chosen internships. Once all the names were called out and sorted, they were given a short explanation of what was to come. The merperson, Neferna from before was the one who gave Valeria all her paperwork about confidentiality and how they would settle the income they would receive for their work this summer. Valeria should have been listening, but all she could think about was the voices in the hallway and the gray files in her mother’s desk. She had a sneaking suspicion that they were connected. Finally, Ziana, herself and about fifty others interning at the GSI loaded up in the GSI carriage and were sent off to the building. Kamilah accompanied them, reassuring those who needed it and trying to keep the conversations upbeat. Ziana didn’t even spare Valeria a glance, and she had brushed off all attempts at Valeria attempting to speak to her. They rode in silence until they came to a stop in front of the GSI building, waiting for them was a tall vampire with dark skin and a serious expression.

  “Welcome to the GSI, interns,” The man said as they all exited the carriage to stand in front of him, “I’m Victor Fang, Chief of the GSI: Kalissa and all the paperwork will take another night to file so for tonight it will simply be an introduction. Now we have got a demonstration to attend.”

  Fang led them through th
e halls of the GSI building until they came to a transparent door labeled ‘Recreation Center’ which he opened for them, “Captain Brantley will take it from here. I would lead this demonstration but I can’t for three reasons. One, I’ve got too much work to do, two Captain Brantley is much prettier to look at and three, I’ don’t want to. Have fun, kids.”

  The recreational area looked much like the rest of the building, neutral colors and organized. The space itself held punching bags, weights, a running track, a pool, everything. In the large room, there was a handful of beasts, and they were all standing close to the training mats. It seemed like everyone in the building was in the room, all grinning and seemed to be waiting for something. Valeria caught sight of her mom to the far left, talking silently with Emalia, Callan, and Xander. Xander chuckled at something Florence said before he moved to the center of the floor and his entire being radiated as if to make looking away from him impossible.

  “Welcome to the GSI: Kalissa building, I’m Xander Brantley, the captain of Team A. You’ll be starting an internship with us tonight and as tradition goes we will be watching a sparring match between our two greatest fighters but before we get to that, I’d like to officially welcome you all to the GSI. We are an organization that defends and protects those who need it. Even if you decide the GSI is not right for you, I hope you leave with the knowledge that we will keep you safe,” Xander’s eyes filtered throughout the entire room, meeting everyone’s eyes as he spoke with a sincere smile, “Now I’m sure you’re sick of hearing me talk, let’s get to the exciting part.”

  “The sparring match is between First Lieutenant Dracul and Second Lieutenant Claire,” Xander said as Florence and Callan moved to stand beside him. Emalia went to sit off to the side, waving cheerily at Valeria as she went, “We have a couple of rules in sparring matches here, One. No biting, and Two. No killing, maiming or leaving any permanent damage on your opponent and yes, we need these rules because someone in here doesn’t know how to fight without her fangs.”