Changed (The Hunters #1)

by Rose J. Bell

  She scratched her bloody fingertips on the smooth steel door, pounding her fists against the door until she did not have any more feeling in her hands. Repeatedly, she tried to open the steel door, but each time she failed.

  Panting, she fell on the icy ground—her heart nearly exploded in her chest. The darkness crushed her, seeming to take the air out of her.

  She wanted to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth.

  How long did they want to keep her trapped in the darkness? How long had she been sitting there already?

  She was being held captive, but why? What had she done to them?

  She did not know the answers to the questions. Her head throbbed and her body ached.

  She laid her head back and felt the fresh air that flowed down from the ceiling. She had tried to jump out several times, but failed. Due to the torture and lack of nutrition, she was weak.

  She would be strong. She wouldn’t surrender. She would fight and get out.

  On all fours, she crawled back to her corner. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.

  Slowly she swayed back and forth, assuring herself that everything would be fine.

  Someone would get out her. She would not be locked up here forever.

  She began to suck on her bloody fingers, the metallic taste of blood spreading in her mouth.

  Then she stood still. She wanted to cry, to scream, but could not do both.

  She felt like a big black hole.

  Empty.

  She would not do her captors any favors and give up.

  They could not break her spirit—never.

  Eventually she would escape them.

  Rosa ran the empty hallway of her school. Like every day, she was late. Her alarm had rang, but she was just too tired to get up

  Rosa ran up the stairs and stopped in front of the classroom. She had English, with Ms. Franklin, who was very strict about punctuality.

  Her relationship with Ms. Franklin was horrible, because Rosa often came too late. Every conversation between the two ended in an argument.

  Rosa knocked at the door and went inside slowly. She stopped just within the entrance as she noticed two new male students standing in front of the class beside Ms. Franklin. All eyes, even the eyes of the new students, were on her. As their gazes fell upon Rosa, her breath caught in her throat.

  They were Nephilim—her enemies.

  Even if they had hidden their gold eyes behind blue contact lenses, Rosa could feel them. Her years of training and her gift to fight had led her to be able to sense the presence of her enemies, even if she couldn’t visually see them. Immediately she hid her mark on her wrist, which showed that she was a member of the hunter clan.

  How could the Nephilim be here? Nephilim didn’t live in Boston, because hunters ruled it. Therefore, to see them was strange, very strange.

  Either hunters, or archangels, but never both in the same city, dominated every single city in the world.

  Obviously, these Nephilim made it to Boston.

  Rosa looked at the two. One of the boys had black hair and golden eyes that he had hidden behind brown contact lenses. He was tall and muscular, like all Nephilim were, with high cheekbones and full lips. A small scar ran from his right eyebrow to his lower eyelid, though it did not take away from his beauty. In fact, it only made him more attractive.

  The other boy had dark blond hair and wore blue contact lenses. Built like the black-haired boy, his attitude said, don’t get too close. I do not want you.

  Suddenly someone touched her arm. Rosa jumped. She didn’t like to be touched by people she did not trust.

  “Miss Petrova.”

  Rosa blinked and looked at her teacher. She was in her mid-forties, slightly overweight, with stern hazel eyes, and brown hair interwoven with gray strands.

  Rosa shook her head so that her head was clear again.

  “Sorry I’m late, Ms. Franklin. I’ve overslept,” she apologized.

  “You overslept the last time, too, Miss Petrova,” Ms. Franklin said in a firm voice.

  Rosa sighed deeply. “Yes, Ms. Franklin, I have noticed.”

  “And could you tell me why?”

  Rosa smiled at her, “Unfortunately not, because it’s none of your business.”

  Ms. Franklin’s gaze hardened and Rosa could see the anger rising inside her.

  “May I go to my seat?” she asked. Without waiting for an answer, Rosa went to her seat and sat next to Matt, her best Friend. She smiled at him.

  “Hey, Matt,” she said.

  She had been friends with Matt since childhood. The students didn’t know that Rosa was a hunter, but they still avoided her. She did not know why. She was an outsider. She didn’t have many friends other than Matt, Colin, and Valerie.

  Matt knew that Rosa was a hunter, because she had told him. She had broken one of the rules of the hunting clan: No one may know who you really are. If a hunter broke any of the rules, the hunter was automatically suspended, but since Rosa was with the gift of fight, her uncle Sergei, had forgiven her.

  Matt’s blue eyes looked at Rosa. “Hey, Ice Princess. It seems like you’re in trouble again,” he replied.

  Rosa shrugged. “Tell me something new.”

  “Miss Petrova, I want to talk to you after class,” Mrs. Franklin claimed.

  Rosa was about to protest, but she felt Matt’s hand on her knee. She looked at him as his eyes begged her not to argue. Had it been any other person, Rosa would have ignored them, but because it was Matt, she listened.

  She sighed again. “Yeah, whatever.”

  The class turned their attention back to the new students. Rosa remembered again that her enemies were with her in a classroom. She looked at them both.

  “So where was I?” asked Ms. Franklin. “Ah, yes. These are our new students, Jason and Philip. They moved from San Diego to Boston.”

  San Diego. The archangel ruled the city.

  Why did they send the Nephilim to our city?

  Ms. Franklin turned to Matt. “Mr. Blair, would you be so kind as to help our new students get themselves situated in our school?” she asked in a friendly tone.

  Matt was the head boy, so he normally was stuck with such tasks as showing around new students. Rosa would usually follow Matt around like a lost puppy during these times, but today was different. Matt could not show these students the school. If he did, then that would mean that Rosa would be with him, and she did not want to spend time with her enemies—she wanted to kill them.

  “Ms. Franklin, can’t someone else do it?” Rosa asked. Matt gave her a questioning look, but she ignored him.

  Mrs. Franklin frowned. “Miss Petrova, I don’t think you are Mr. Blair, or have I missed something?” she asked.

  “No, you haven’t missed anything. Matt just doesn’t have time for that.”

  “Is that so, Mr. Blair?” Ms. Franklin asked him.

  Rosa looked at Matt and told him with her eyes, to say yes. Matt looked at her for a while, then he looked at Mrs. Franklin.

  “Yes, Mrs. Franklin. I’m currently up to my ears. You know, the graduation is next month and there is a lot to organize,” Matt explained to her. Rosa gave him a grateful smile.

  Mrs. Franklin nodded. “Yes, okay. Then Miss Petrova can take the job.”

  “What?” Rosa called. That was not what she had wanted to happen at all.

  “You will guide our new students, Miss Petrova,” said Mrs. Franklin with a firmer voice.

  “I don’t want to do that. The two are old enough to wander about here alone. They don’t need a babysitter,” she replied angry.

  “You will do it.”

  Rosa wanted to protest, but then stopped. She laid her head on the chair and groaned. Matt patted her shoulder comfortingly.

  “Well, gentlemen, please sit down on the square behind. I hope you will settle here well,” said Ms. Franklin.

  “Oh, man, I don’t want do this,” Rosa whispered to Matt.

/>   “Why did you say that I shouldn’t do it then?” he asked.

  “Those two are Nephilim,” Rosa replied quietly, and then showed him her mark. “And I am a hunter, which makes them my enemies. Do you think I want to spend time with my enemies?“

  God, how could she tell that to the Master? He would freak out. He’d command her to kill them, but she did not want to kill them right away. They had to have had a plan. Why else would they enter the enemy’s city voluntarily? There was more behind it. Rosa was certain.

  Matt raised his eyebrows, surprised. “They are Nephilim?” His eyes went briefly to the two boys, then again to Rosa.

  “Yes,” she replied. “They have hidden their eyes, but you know I can feel my enemies.”

  Matt nodded knowingly, and then he smiled. “Well, Rosa, you wanted to prevent something, but ultimately have involved yourself with it more. And what have we learned from this?”

  Rosa looked at him, “What?”

  “You should take things as they are and not try to change them.”

  “I see. That was really very wise.”

  “I’ve decided to be wise from time to time. I have to give a speech and cannot write just anything. I mean, I can’t just say, ‘Hey, bitches, don’t be greedy. Take what your life throws to home plate, and don’t change things you can’t help, otherwise you sit deep in the shit.’”

  Rosa laughed. “Yes, you can’t write that.”

  “Mr. Blair, Miss Petrova, stop talking and pay attention to the lesson,” Ms. Franklin admonished them.

  The rest of the lesson both spent silent.

  When the bell finally rang, everybody packed up and left the classroom— except Rosa, Matt and the new students.

  Rosa looked at Matt. “Matt, could you please accompany both to the next lessons. I have to talk with Ms. Franklin.”

  He nodded. “Sure.” Then he turned to the boys. “Come let us go. Mr. Black hates it when we’re late.” The three left the classroom and Rosa and Ms. Franklin were alone.

  “So, what did you want to talk with me about?” Rosa asked impatiently.

  All the teachers knew of the hunters in their schools. It was something their leader had believed was necessary. He wanted them to know who these kids really were.

  Ms. Franklin leaned forward and looked into her eyes. “Miss Petrova, I hope you can behave nice towards our new students, even if they are your enemy,” she told.

  Rosa looked at her incredulously. “How do know that they are Nephilim?”

  She sighed. “I recognize the Nephilim. They are unlike the rest of us, and apparently, my guess was right.”

  Rosa was surprised that Ms. Franklin had a good sense of Nephilim. In general, Nephilim weren’t recognized by humans.

  “Do you know what you’re asking for? You are requesting me to be nice to my enemies. What would be the point of being enemies with them?” Rosa interjected.

  Ms. Franklin sighed again. “I know that sounds weird, but can’t you do it? “

  “Even if I personally do it, the hunter clan won’t. You know that.” Then something came to mind.

  “Do you know why they are here?” she said.

  Ms. Franklin shrugged. “I have no idea why they are here. I also wondered that.”

  Rosa frowned. They were risking their lives by entering the city, and did not seem to care, but why? Why would they risk their lives? Rosa had to find out. Suddenly, it did not seem like such a bad thing that she would be showing them around. All she had to do was keep the secret that she was a hunter–then she could learn from them what they were doing here.

  Rosa looked at Ms. Franklin. “Is our conversation finished?” she asked.

  “Not really, but you don’t seem to care anyway, so it’s over. You can go,” she said.

  Rosa smiled. “Have a nice day.”

  She left the classroom and went to math. “Excuse me, Mr. Black. Ms. Franklin wanted to speak to me,” she said to her math teacher. He nodded and went on with his lessons. When Rosa went to her seat in the back, she saw Matt had not left a seat for her, but was instead sitting beside the dark-haired enemy.

  She eyed Matt warily. “What’s this?” she asked.

  “Rosa, just sit down,” Matt whispered as he turned away. He can’t do this to me, thought Rosa.

  “Miss Petrova, please sit down,” she heard Mr. Black say.

  Rosa sighed and sat down. The boy smiled at her. Rosa smiled back weakly.

  “I’m Philip,” he introduced himself, offering her his hand.

  Rosa did not accept it. The reason wasn’t that he was her enemy. The reason was her gift to fight that she possessed since birth. He was the enemy, and when she came into physical contact with her foe, her mark on her wrist would glow red, releasing adrenaline and an overwhelming need to kill the target.

  If the gift had Rosa under control, she had to kill someone - that was the downside. Rosa had never learned to keep her gift and the bloodlust under control. Her goal was to kill the enemies, and her gift helped her.

  Rosa ignored his hand, and instead nodded her head toward him.

  “I’m Rosa,” she said as she looked at Philip. His eyes lingered on his hand, before letting it drop. He continued to smile at her, but now it was forced.

  “What happened to your face?” he asked Rosa. Instinctively, Rosa touched her face with her fingertips. She could feel the slightly puckered skin along her cheek where the half-demon had snagged her with his claws.

  “Ah, nothing. I just fought with my cat, and she scratched me,” Rosa said. Philip nodded.

  She held her hand tighter over her mark, trying to hide it better. Next time she would have to wear a glove of some sort, so they wouldn’t be able to see it so easily. She would also need to obtain some of the paralysis magic, in order to cripple the effects of her gift. After all, she knew someday she would encounter the Nephilim.

  “Are you from Russia?” Philip asked Rosa and tore her from her thoughts.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Rosa said.

  “I was wondering whether you came from Russia.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  He shrugged. “Your name’s Russian. Petrova. And you have a slight Russian accent.”

  “Yeah, my family came from Russia. I was born there.”

  Philip looked at her. If Rosa really looked into his eyes, she could see the glimmer of gold behind the contacts.

  “You don’t look Russian.”

  Rosa smiled weakly. “Yes, I often hear that.”

  Her hair was short and red in color. She had ice blue eyes and soft tan skin. She did not know herself why she did not look like a Russian. Her father came from Russia and he had brown hair, blue eyes and was light-skinned. Rosa had never known her mother, and therefore, did not know if she was a Russian woman or not.

  “Are you somehow a fighter, or something?” Philip asked. Alarm bells rang loudly in Rosa’s head. Did he guess I was a hunter? She hoped not.

  “Why are you asking?” Rosa asked.

  He pointed at her body. “Your body’s muscular.”

  “Your body is muscular, too,” Rosa said.

  Philip nodded. “Yes, but I’m a boy. It isn’t typical for a girl to be so muscular.”

  Rosa leaned forward and looked at him. “You’re a Nephilim, right?” she asked softly.

  He seemed to stiffen, and then he laughed. “What makes you think that?” he asked. Rosa could see his uncertainty.

  She shrugged. “Nobody looks like you.” She gestured with her hand to his perfect body. “Only a Nephilim.”

  He seemed not to know what to say. He bit his lip as Rosa smiled at him kindly.

  “You don’t need to worry. Your secret is safe with me,” she reassured him.

  Philip frowned. “I didn’t tell you that you were right.”

  She waved a hand. “I can see that you’re a Nephilim. Boston’s actually ruled by the hunters. Why are you here? Isn’t it dangerous for you to be here?”

&nbs
p; He opened his mouth to say something, but Mr. Black interrupted.

  “Miss Petrova, first you come late and then you distract your classmate. Stop talking and pay attention to the lesson!” Mr. Black railed.

  Rosa growled. She was about to learn it and bang, Mr. Black ruined everything.

  She stood up, “Mr. Black why should I pay attention? Next month is our graduation and we have all written our exams. So, why shouldn’t I talk?” Rosa asked angrily.

  Mr. Black looked at her through his glasses. His eyes narrowed, which meant he was furious. He took off his glasses as he continued to stare at her.

  “Do you think so, Miss Petrova?”

  Rosa sighed. “Listen, Mr. Black. I didn’t mean to say that.”

  “That’s exactly was what you meant to say. Get out of the classroom and go to the director.”

  Philip stood up now. “Mr. Black, I only asked Rosa something and she told me. It was not her fault. “

  Rosa turned her head toward him. She would not have expected that a Nephilim would stand up for someone. Nephilim were considered very arrogant and egotistical. They stood out from everyone because they were stronger. They treated people like how they wanted, and were sometimes quite brutal towards people. The fact that Philip took the blame, of course, surprised Rosa.

  “You mustn’t take the blame upon yourself. It is Miss Petrova’s guilt,” said Mr. Black to Philip.

  “Let it go, Philip,” Rosa said to him. “I’m going. It’s not the first time.”

  Rosa grabbed her bag and went to pass him, but then Philip grabbed her arm. Rosa felt his skin on her. She froze.

  Oh, no. This is not good. Not good!

  She felt the electric tingle spread in her body. Her mark began to glow. Rosa dropped her bag and ran out of the classroom.

  She had to get out of there—away from people.

  Rosa thought she heard her name, but was not sure. Her feet drummed on the floor. The electrical tingling was getting stronger as her gift took control of her body.

  Rosa pushed the door open and ran into the forest that was directly behind the school. She ran deep into the woods before she finally stopped, panting beside a tree.

  Her muscles were shaking violently as she went to her knees, her hands digging deep into the grass. She gritted her teeth as the pain became greater and greater. When Rosa did not use her gift it caused her pain, but she had to get through this without killing anybody.