“Kayla,” she said in a calm tone. “Please just calm down. Mr. Daniels will talk to you about everything. You are safe here.”
I snapped. I didn’t feel safe. I felt as vulnerable as I had in that dark place… the Otherworld. The only difference was that I could now see. “Stop telling me that I’m safe! I’m not safe! I don’t even know where I am and you refusing to tell me is not exactly helping!”
“You were calling for Hunter Chambers when I came in the room. Would you feel safer if you got to talk to him?”
I froze. “Hunter is here?” I asked.
She nodded.
“I will bring him over here as soon as Mr. Daniels is done talking to you.”
“No!” I said. “You are trying to trick me. I want to see Hunter first.”
She sighed.
“It is ok, Angela. You may go now,” said the man standing at the door. “Just go get Hunter. Tell him to remember what we talked about.”
“Yes, Mr. Daniels.”
It was out of character that I didn’t freak out even more when Mr. Daniels walked into the room, but something about him was bothering me…in a different way. He seemed familiar… like I had seen him before.
“Are you feeling well, Kayla?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Is it ok if we talk until Hunter gets here?”
I hesitated.
“I will stay by the door and I will leave at any point you wish me to leave,” he assured me.
I nodded again.
“Where am I? Where are my parents?”
Something seemed to have startled him. He started to move toward me. I flinched, and he abruptly stopped where he was.
“Mr. and Ms. Gallagher know that you are being taken care of,” he said.
“I don’t believe you! They would have been right here with me.”
“This was necessary, Kayla.”
That was when I saw Hunter standing behind Mr. Daniels.
“Now, THAT, is the real Kayla,” said Hunter.
I ran toward him, passing Mr. Daniels and basically threw myself in Hunter’s arms.
Hunter seemed surprised at first, but then he relaxed and I could feel his arms around my waist.
“Are you okay?” he whispered.
“Where am I, Hunter? No one is telling me anything!”
Hunter pulled me away, but grabbed my hand.
Mr. Daniels turned around and faced Hunter and me. He didn’t seem pleased. He gave Hunter a warning gaze. “Remember our conversation, Mr. Chambers. I will be right outside while you speak to Kayla.”
Hunter nodded.
Still holding my hand, Hunter led me to the couch on the other side of the room.
“What do you remember, Kayla? I mean… since the rooftop at the hospital…”
I sat there trying to organize my thoughts. I could remember things but I knew there were missing pieces. I told him that I remembered helping Carolyn, a trapped ghost that had now reincarnated as my baby sister. I also told him that I remembered being attacked by Benjamin… the half-demon, incubus to be exact. As I told Hunter what I remembered, other things started to become clearer. I got flashes of Mr. Daniels with Benjamin. My first thought was, ‘OMG, he must be Benjamin’s father’, but I didn’t say anything to Hunter. For a moment I was afraid that someone would hear me.
I went on to tell Hunter that I remembered being in the Otherworld, how dark and cold it was and how creepy it was that the beings there wanted something from me; that they called me one of the children.
“Is that all you remember, Kayla?”
I nodded. What else would I say? – ‘Oh, and I think I remember you telling me that you are in love with me’… right!
Hunter sighed.
“Are you sure that is all you remember?”
I nodded.
“Everything about Benjamin is true. After what he did to you and you were sent to the Otherworld, I had no other option but to bring you here. The longer you were gone, the longer it would take to bring you back.”
“Where am I, Hunter? Where are we?”
He avoided my gaze. “We are at the Academy, Kayla.”
I froze. “The Academy that you told me about? That you swore you would never return to because once you are here you can’t leave? Have you lost your damn mind?!”
“Kayla, while Benjamin is out there, this place can protect you.”
“But what about Kelly and Andrew? They must be worried!”
“They are worried, Kayla … but Mr. Daniels has it taken care of. They know that you are safe and receiving the best medical care for your situation.”
“What situation would that be?”
“They believe you are in a coma that can not exactly be explained.”
I looked away, I could feel the tears coming and as always I hated to show weakness.
“What is it?” Hunter asked.
“I would think if that was the case they would fight to be here with me.”
Hunter held my hand even tighter. They did, Kayla. Mr. Daniels… well, the Fallen ones had to use spells to help them understand.
I didn’t like that at all. “I want to go home, Hunter.”
“Kayla, there are things you need to know and they will take time… there are just… things that you need to learn before you are safe in that world.”
“Does that mean I will be able to go back once I learn those things?”
He hesitated, then said, “I don’t see why not.”
“I just—I don’t want to be here.”
“I doubt anyone does, Kayla.”
“So, what you told me before, about people who are here because they are haunted… is that what I need to learn? How to deal with seeing those things?”
“It is more complicated than that, Kayla.”
“Tell me.”
“I can’t… Mr. Daniels… well, Mr. Daniels will talk to you about that.”
“You seem to trust him. I don’t understand. I saw visions of him with Benjamin. They were a little mixed up, those visions… but wouldn’t that make him Benjamin’s father? Why would you trust a Demon?”
“He is not a Demon, Kayla… and he is not Benjamin’s father.”
My memories started to clear up even more. I once again had flashes of Benjamin with a woman that from pictures, I recognized as my biological mother.
“He—He is my half-brother.”
I also remembered the other person in those pictures; the one who stood by my mother’s side.
“Who is Mr. Daniels, Hunter?”
“He is the head of the Academy.”
“Don’t play dumb, Hunter. Who is he in relation to me?”
Hunter avoided my gaze.
“He is your dad, Kayla… your real dad.”
FIVE
I stood up, fast. “Andrew is my real dad.”
“You know what I mean, Kayla. Mr. Daniels is your biological dad.”
“So you knew it all along? You knew who he was? You lied to me!”
“Kayla, let me explain… please,” he begged.
“There is nothing to explain,” I yelled.
Mr. Daniels, and that was what I intended on calling him for as long as I was stuck in this place, must have heard the yelling. Within seconds, he was at the door.
“Kayla, what is the matter? Has he upset you?”
“Get out! Both of you!”
Mr. Daniels looked at Hunter. “Wait outside, Mr. Chambers.”
Hunter didn’t move. He just stood there staring at me, but I did what I could to avoid his gaze.
Mr. Daniels sighed. “Kayla, I understand this must be difficult for you… being in a new place… but you are safe here… this is where you need to be.”
“I want to talk to my parents,” I said.
Mr. Daniels hesitated. “Kayla, I—“
“She knows,” said Hunter.
Mr. Daniels looked at Hunter and his tone was furious, “I warned you, Mr. Chambers. That was not for you to
share.”
“She already knew everything.”
Mr. Daniels looked at me. “Kayla, I hope you understand that I did what I had to do to protect you… to protect you from your brother, from this world.”
I looked right in his eyes. “I don’t care why you did it. I’m glad that Andrew raised me. Now, I want to call them. I want to go home.”
“Kayla, I will consider the phone call once I arrange to tell them that you are awake but still recovering; however, whether you like it or not, you are staying here until it is safe for you to go back. You need to learn what your sheltered life failed to provide you in knowledge over all these years.”
“Not my problem.”
Mr. Daniels seemed taken aback by my behavior, but his tone was still calm and understanding. “Kayla, the faster you learn what you need to, the faster we handle Ben, the faster you can go back.”
“Fine! Whatever I need to do to get out of here!”
“Very well. I hate to ask you this, but you cannot tell anyone that you are my daughter.”
I flinched at the sound of him saying that. “That won’t be a problem.”
“… but know that my door is always open if you want to talk about anything.”
“I doubt I will,” I said in a cold tone.
“There is something else you must know and it will probably raise a lot of questions. Kayla, you are not here just because demons and ghosts were haunting you. What you are goes above and beyond that, and it is one of the reasons why most people who belong to the Academy cannot know that you are my daughter.”
“Well, what is it?! Things can’t get much worse than what they already are.”
Mr. Daniels glanced at Hunter and then looked back at me. “Kayla, the humans in this Academy believe that I’m one of them… a haunted. It helps in gaining their trust; but in reality, that is not what I am. Kayla, I’m one of the fallen, and being my daughter that makes you a Nephilim. It is however, crucial that you act as if you are one of the haunted.”
I looked at him confused, “Nephilim?”
“Simply put,” he said, “Nephilim are children of fallen angels with humans. That is one of the reasons why you are staying here. You need to learn who you are and what you can do.”
“…and if I don’t want to? If I want to go back and live a normal human life?”
“I’m sorry but that is just not going to happen. You are what you are. I tried to protect you from all of this before, but it was a mistake. I’m not making another mistake by sending you back.”
I froze, not because I had just found out that I was a Nephilim, but because that made me a part of the one thing that Hunter despised the most.
I couldn’t even look at him, but I could feel him staring at me.
“Do you want to talk about it, Kayla?” asked Mr. Daniels.
“No, I don’t.”
He nodded. “Angela is going to show you to your room and talk to you about the Academy and your classes. Hunter can go along if you would like.”
“No, just Angela is fine.”
“Very well. When Angela gives you a tour of the Academy she will show you where to find me. Again, at anytime you want to talk, I will be here for you.”
I just stood there, avoiding both him and Hunter.
Mr. Daniels turned around to leave. I stopped him. “What about my phone call?”
“I will consider it, Kayla. As I said, your—parents still think that you are in a coma. We will have to come up with a back-up story… and even then, I will have to know that you can be trusted to call them without causing problems.”
I turned around. “Whatever, just leave! I will find a way.”
I heard his footsteps getting further and further away, and then I heard Hunter’s voice, “Kayla, I know I should have told you, but for one thing… you said you didn’t want to know about your biological parents.”
I met his gaze, “…and what about Benjamin? You didn’t think that was an important piece of information?”
“Kayla, I didn’t know about Benjamin, and I didn’t even find out about Mr. Daniels being one of the fallen until recently.”
I actually believed him, but it didn’t matter.
“Can you find a way for me to get out of here?”
“I can’t, Kayla. As much as I hate it, you have to stay here where it is safe.”
I snapped. “Forget I even asked you for help. Just leave. Now that I know that I’m one of them… and knowing how much you hate them, I wouldn’t want you to have to do me any more favors.”
“Kayla, I—“
“Just leave!”
“She’ll need time to adjust, Hunter,” said Angela as she walked in. “Just give her time.”
Hunter nodded. “I thought you had changed. I would say to come look for me if you want my help, but we both know that you are incapable of asking or accepting help from anyone.”
He then turned around and walked away.
SIX
Angela gave me a change of clothes… a pair of jeans and a plain white shirt. I hated that place already. Once I was ready, I opened the door and she came back in.
“I know that Mr. Daniels already told you this, but just as a reminder, if anyone asks you must say you are one of the haunted. Never, EVER, mention that you are a Nephilim or even that you know of its existence.”
“Why?” I asked. “What does it really matter if they know?”
“Because in this Academy there is no in between, you are either a fallen or one of the haunted. Mr. Daniels doesn’t want any disturbances or any speculations about where you came from.”
“You can just come out and say it. I know that you mean he doesn’t want anyone knowing that he is my—my biological father.”
“Kayla, there is more to this world than you can possibly imagine. Trust me that his reasons are not personal.”
“… but won’t the others know what I supposedly am?”
“They won’t. The only ones who know will keep it quiet. Now let’s go,” she said in a warning tone, clearly indicating that she was done with the questions.
Before we even left the building, she said, “You know… you should give him a chance.”
“He gave me away when I was only three years old! He doesn’t deserve a chance!”
“No, I’m not talking about Mr. Daniels, although you should give him a chance as well. I’m talking about Hunter.”
I gave her a puzzled look.
“He was willing to risk his life for you.”
“His life?” I asked.
“Yes. Please keep this a secret if you don’t want to see him get in trouble, but I sensed when he went for you… that is one of my abilities. Anyway, for one of the haunted to go to the Otherworld in order to bring someone back…” She shook her head, “that is very risky.”
I just kept quiet. Clearly, this woman didn’t know that Hunter, like me, didn’t belong to either of their ‘categories’. I remembered back when Hunter told me about what he was… an immortal… He had mentioned that only his mentor knew what he was, and it was obvious that Mr. Daniels was his mentor. I just wondered why Mr. Daniels would trust Angela with knowing about what I am, but not about Hunter.
I froze as soon as that front door was open.
Outside of this place was like a different world. It was nothing like home. It was foggy, cold… the building that now stood behind me looked ancient, and all I could see around the Academy were mountains. The Academy would remind anyone of an old, creepy castle.
It was early afternoon, but it looked gloomy. Angela showed me the important places including Mr. Daniels’ office and some of the classroom buildings.
At that time of the day there weren’t many of them outside. Angela explained that most were in training. Still, there were—beings walking around and they all seemed to be staring and talking about me. That actually gave me a sense of familiarity. I guess that gossiping about the new girl is the same everywhere. I only wished that I wasn’t that n
ew girl.
Up until that point I couldn’t even tell the difference between the so-called haunted and the fallen, with the exception of those who clearly displayed their wings for everyone to see.
“Questions?” Angela asked.
“Yes, how do I tell the difference… you know, the haunted from the fallen?”
“Some of the fallen have gained their wings back. Others have scars where their wings used to be, but you won’t be able to tell unless those scars are exposed. Mostly, you will be able to tell by instinct… eventually, that is.”
I didn’t say anything… just kept walking.
“These are the dorms,” she said. “I’m not sure how much Hunter has told you about the Academy. Clearly, he has told you a few things or you would have had questions. Anyway, you will have a roommate, and--”
I didn’t like that at all. Not once in my life did I have to share a room and I wasn’t going to start now. “I don’t want a roommate,” I interrupted.
“It is not optional, Kayla. All of the haunted room with one of the fallen.”
I took a deep breath. “Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse.”
“Things will improve over time. You will get used to how we run things,” she said dismissively.
“Whatever…”
She clearly ignored my rant. “There will be clothes already in your room, and there is a schedule of classes that you will start tomorrow. Your roommate will be accompanying you to most of your classes. The majority of them are with the haunted and quite a few are normal classes for when you go back to… well, to your mundane life.”
I couldn’t help but to smile at the sound of that. Maybe Mr. Daniels wasn’t lying after all. There was a possibility that I would get out of this place.
Angela continued, “Mr. Daniels arranged for you to take private lessons to catch up with everyone else. Those will teach you what you need to know in relation to what you are. Tools you will need to protect yourself from beings like your brother. I will be picking you up for those classes, which happen to be when your roommate has her own private lessons. Less things to explain.”
“Ugh. You all sure do a lot of lying and sneaking around. Aren’t these fallen ones supposed to be getting a second chance for their mistakes? Doesn’t seem like lying would send the right message.”
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