Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

I don’t cry very often, but there is one day a year that I always do. December 5^th, the day my mother died giving birth to me.

Today is that grievous day, and I’m kneeling in front of her grave, in the snow, allowing tears to roll down my face.

But I don’t just cry for her loss. I allow the tears that I don’t let slip the other 365 days a year to fall freely. I allow the pain of missing her and everyone else who I treasure to spill over. I allow myself to mourn, and feel all of the feelings that I pretend I don’t have. It’s my fault that my mother’s dead, but her fate is the fault of my father who raped her and left her for the nine months it took for me to be born. He assumed she would die, because no woman could ever survived giving birth to his child. Normally he kills women before they can give birth, but when he found out I was a girl- he was overjoyed. Turns out that even Lucifer himself has always wanted a little girl.

That’s right, Lucifer. Satan, the devil, whatever you want to call him- he’s my father. Despite common belief I still have a soul, a very strong one at that, and in many ways it has helped me.

My father has never seen me directly. He’s searched for me all seventeen years of my life, but my mothers brother, Oak- who took me in and cares for me- has kept me hidden well. He’s picked up a few spells here and there through his career of hunting and killing all dark supernatural creatures, and used them to cover my location from Lucifer- who otherwise would be able to find me due to our blood tie.

So now, Lucifer has all of his supernatural creations on the look out for me. It’s a good thing that I’ve dedicated my life to killing as many of them as possible. All of the supernatural things people fear- Vampires, Ghouls, Ghosts, Demons, Banshees, Leviathans, Hellhounds, Shtriga’s, and Changelings- they’re all real. My uncle, best friend- Moss, and I hunt and kill those bastards.

My uncle inherited a lot of money from his parents, billions of dollars, and has used it to create a very nice and safe life for me, and other kids he takes in and trains to kill supernatural creatures. In the mansion he lives in we’ve had about a few hundred kids come and go through my life. They all seek out my uncle and ask him to train them, and he happily obliges. He runs the mansion as sort of all boys boarding high school. All of the students parents are aware of what the school is truly for, and send their kids there if they display any sort of special fighting ability, like extra speed or strength or something of the sort.

Right now there are about fifty kids who go there, but none of them ever stay more than two years. The only other person who’s stayed with my uncle for a long time aside from myself is Moss. Oak adopted him after his parents were killed by changelings. Now we go out and hunt side by side. I love Moss like a brother, and tell him just about everything.

There are very few secrets between Oak, Moss, and I. We’re very open with each other. As for the other kids that go to the boarding school, I don’t know many of them too well. I mainly know them from the hand to hand combat classes I help teach.

Today’s a crazy day, however, because it’s my 17^th birthday, my mother’s death day, and the day that we get a new permanent trainee. Apparently Oak is taking him in because he’s a family friend and his parents were just killed by a banshee.

I’m not looking forward to this new trainee, because my uncle will expect Moss and I to sort of mentor him and take him under our wings.

It’s times like these that I’m glad Oak bought both me and Moss separate houses, so that I won’t have to deal with the boys all the time. Oak’s mansion is in New Jersey, but he bought Moss and I apartments in New York City- a hotspot for supernatural activity. We do travel quite often via my uncles plane to other states and cities to take care of other supernatural occurrences, but New York is a good place to be. Lot’s of fuckers to kill.

“Hey, Amb, are you ready to go back soon?”

I don’t even bother to hide the tears from my eyes as Moss kneels down besides me and pulls me into a hug.

“I just need a few more minutes with her” I tell him between weak sobs.

He gives me a light squeeze. “Okay. I’m going to head back to the mansion to welcome the new kid, meet me back there?”

I nod. As soon as he’s gone, I pray. I’ve always been a religious person. I’m not religious enough to say grace before every meal, but I do pray at least every night before bed.

“Dear god, I come before thee for help, guidance, and strength. Please continue to give me the strength to ward of the darkness that lies inside of me, and allow the light to continue drawing me in instead. I ask that you ensure the safety of everyone at the school, and help them to continue to learn and grow. I ask that you help me expand my physical strength as well, primarily through warding off all of Lucifer’s horrid creations. And lastly, I thank you for all that you have done for my family. Amen.”  

I spend another ten minutes kneeling in the snow before my mothers headstone until I finally stand up, dust off, and head to my car. The half hour drive to Oak’s mansion is dreadful. I try to lighten my mood by blasting music and singing along, but it doesn’t help very much. When I finally pull into the long driveway of the mansion I take a second to let my long brown hair out of its ponytail.

Shit. The green of my eyes is glowing red instead. This happens when any negative emotions are drawn from me. I can normally control it, but my birthday is always rough. I take several deep breaths, and command the green to return. After a few minutes they return to their natural color, thank god. Not a lot of boys at the mansion know my secret, and those who do are instructed to keep their mouths shut unless they want my wrath unleashed on them.

Thanks to good old dad I have a lot of funky abilities, primarily telekinesis and mind control. These powers do come in handy, but I try to limit my use of them to basic things. Like if I need a pencil from my bag and don’t want to get off my bed I’ll use telekinesis to get it, or I use mind control to erase a victim of a supernatural crime’s trauma. But I don’t venture into the dark side. I’m too afraid of what that would bring out inside of me. 

I park the car, and get out to go into the mansion. I open the door and walk into the entrance. Checking my phone I see that it’s 1pm, so the boys are probably all at lunch. Oak was sweet enough to keep my room in this mansion even when I got an apartment, just in case I ever wanted to stay the night. Tonight, however, Moss and I are going clubbing in the city. Oak’s taking me, Moss, and new boy out to a restaurant first, but then Moss and I are booking it to the city and going clubbing. Although we’re both seventeen, we have fake ID’s. But we look way older anyways, and a smile from me generally gets me into any club or bar.

Moss is determined to get me laid tonight, and I’ve finally agreed. Being me I can’t get pregnant or contract and STD’s, so I don’t really need to worry. And anyways, Moss’s an expert at finding experienced guys without having to ask, so he’ll get me a good one, I’m sure.

As I step farther into my entrance and head towards the staircase I feel an arm close around my neck in a choke hold. I don’t hesitate to flip my attacker over my head, and pin him to the ground.

“Nice try, Moss, but no cigar.”

My best friend groans. “You’re too good at this.”

I laugh slightly. “I know.”

I let him up and help him dust off before heading up the stairs and to my room. Once there I change out my soaked clothes for skinny jeans and a crop top. I don’t dress to impress any of the boys- I dress to feel comfortable and confident, and this helps me feel that way. As soon as I’m dressed I check myself in the mirror. My red diamond necklace in the shape of a flame rests comfortable on my chest. My uncle gave it to me on my tenth birthday to remind me where I came from, but that my heritage could also empower me, and I haven’t taken it off since. I wear in the shower, to bed, everywhere. It’s my most precious belonging, other than my knives. A lot of the boys are fans of using guns on missions, but I stick with knives. I can throw one even faster than someone can shoot a bullet, and I’ve never missed a target. Every throw and target is intentional. If it’s in the eye, it’s meant to be there. If it’s in the shoulder and not heart, it is also meant to be there. Almost everything I do is with purpose, just like Oak has taught me my whole life. As soon as I’m done I take the steps downstairs, two at a time. I walk into the kitchen and grab some pasta from the fridge before hopping up on the kitchen counter and eating.

Oak walks in and eyes me. “You know I don’t like you sitting on the kitchen counter when you eat. It’s not proper.”

“It’s my birthday” I remind him through a mouthful of pasta.

He rolls his eyes. “Oh, by the way, the new boy is here. His name is Trigger, he’s 18, and he’s in the room next to yours.”

“Why?” I complain.

“Because when you’re here I want him to feel comfortable to talk to you. You don’t sleep much when you’re here and I told him that he can knock on your door at any hour.”

Perfect.

I finish my pasta, and put my plate in the dishwasher.

“Oh, before I forget, you and Moss are teaching combat today. I have some research I need to do on a vampire sighting in the city.”

I don’t argue with him on this one. Although I don’t love teaching classes with a bunch of boys who all hit on me all the time, I know he needs to do research now so that we can kill the vamp before it kills anyone else.

“You got it. Anything in specific?”

“We’re working on sparring today, so it should be pretty easy. Demonstrate with Moss, and then have a few boys go up against each of you while the other critiques form.”

“Sounds good. I always like to hand their asses to them.”

Although everyone in this house is between sixteen and eighteen, I always call them boys, because that’s what they are to me. Even the ones twice my size couldn’t take me.

“Last thing, Trigger should be there for the lesson. Fair warning, he’s exceedingly outgoing and I wouldn’t be surprised if he asks to spar Moss. Let him but go easy on him.”

I’m not surprised. New boys like to prove themselves to their peers. “Done” I confirm.  

I glance at my phone and see that It’s already 1:30. Class starts in a half hour.

I walk out of the kitchen and head up to Moss’s room.

I walk in without knocking. He’s laying in bed, and I plop down next to him.

“We’re teaching combat in a half hour, spar. The new boy will be there and will probably challenge you according to Oak. I’m going on a walk super quick want to come?”

“Nah.”

“Okay. Meet you in the forest clearing for class in 20?”

“Yep.”

Hand to hand combat is generally taught outside to avoid breaking things. We own several acres of forest behind our house, along with a bunch of running and hiking trails, making all hands on classes accessible in our back yard. I pull on a sweater, and then run down the stairs two at a time, ignoring all the lusting expressions aimed at me, and head to my favorite path. Instead of going on a walk I opt for climbing a tree and enjoying the snowy forest view for a few minutes.

This tree is my favorite thinking spot. No matter the time of year, when I need a bit of space or time I climb this old tree and stare at my surroundings while thinking. Today I direct my thoughts to getting laid. I doubt it will seem like my first time to anyone, because Moss and I have had to make out and feel each other up on jobs, so I’m pretty good at that. I also doubt I’ll bleed because of how physically active I am. My main fear is the pain, but pain doesn’t affect me much anymore. I’ve been stabbed, punched, kicked, and gotten broken bones so many times at this point that it barely affects me.

All too soon my phone alarm goes off, telling me it’s time to start teaching.

As I walk into the clearing, I see about ten boys and Moss already there.

“Ready to get your ass handed to you, sis?” Moss asks me.

“Bring it on, pretty boy.”

Within the next ten minutes all fifty of the boys in the school show up, even though this is technically a class for 25 at a time. They all probably want to glimpse me fighting. This warrants an eye roll from me.  

“Okay, boys,” I start, “Today is sparring. I’m going to hand Moss his ass to him, and then a few of you are welcome to challenge him or I to a spar, as well as each other. Parameters are fight until yield. If you break someone’s bone, I will break that same bone and one more on your body. Am I clear?”

I get a chorus of nods.

“Perfect. Anyone care to place bets on how long it’ll take for me to get Moss to yield?”

“Five minutes” A new voice calls. I look up to see who I would assume to be Trigger. Holy shit, he is the hottest guy I’ve ever seen other than Moss. If I didn’t avoid dating the students, I would probably flirt with him. But I can’t, I have standards. He has eyes as green as mine, and a devastatingly attractive smile. His jawline could cut diamonds, and incredible is not a strong enough word to describe his biceps. His plain white shirt clings tightly to his frame, showing off gorgeous abs.

I feel a flutter in my stomach, but immediately push it down. I can’t get distracted by a nice body.

The rest of the boys snicker in response to his bet.

“Try 90 seconds, tops” a 17 year old named Andrew cuts in. Everyone else nods their heads. Andrew’s always been one of my favorite students. He’s not a suck up, but he is nice- and he follows instructions very well. He also does well perpetuating the no bully culture. Of course I don’t tolerate bullies, and whenever I see one I challenge them to a fight and beat the shit out of them.

I wink at Andrew, and turn back to Moss without another glance at Trigger.

I peel off my sweater and roll my neck around my shoulders.

“Won’t that outfit cost you range of motion?” Trigger asks.

“You’re about to find out” I say, not bothering to look at him. It would be too distracting.

“You can have the first move, Moss.”

His response is a brutal right hook to my jaw that would knock out anyone who isn’t me. It definitely hurts, but I don’t let it show. Instead I smile. “My turn.”

He goes for a left jab but I intercept it and push him, sending him stumbling back. Before he can get out of reach I grab his arm, spin him around, kick his knees out from under him, and pin him down, twisting his arm.

“Yield” he whispers in a pained voice.

“65 seconds” One of the boys announces. I grin at Moss before shaking his hand and helping him up.

“Alright. Those in this class find a sparing partner. Those not can watch. Moss and I can also each take a partner as well, but be careful what you wish for. Your bones won’t break with us, but you will get the shit beaten out of you. Any volunteers?”

A boy named Marcus steps forward. “I’ll take Moss.”

“Admirable” I commend. “Now, is anyone wanting to take me on? Because if not I’m heading off.”

“I’ll take you” Trigger says, stepping forward.

I arch an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

He smiles. “Positive.”

He walks up to me, holding a sultry smile on his beautiful face. Fuck. I can’t get distracted by him and his gorgeous self. I have to get right into the fight so I don’t freeze.

I don’t waste time faking left and then delivering a right hook straight to his eye. It isn’t difficult to catch him off guard, since he was probably expecting me to be chivalrous and give him time to get ready. He falls flat on the ground. Then, before I know what’s happening, he somehow manages to snag my foot, pull me down, and flip me over so he’s straddling and pinning me down. My response is a strong headbutt that leaves even me a bit woozy, and then kicking him in the crotch when he rolls backwards in pain. I jump to my feet, and deliver a solid kick to his midsection that gets him down, sputtering. I make sure that the pressure isn’t too hard, as I don’t want to break him.

“That wasn’t fair” He wheezes, trying to catch his breath.

I snort. “A fight’s not supposed to be fair. You want to live? Then don’t use chivalry. In fact, forget the word if you’re fighting. If someone’s down, you kick them to keep them down so you can kill them. If someone’s asking for a time out, you knock them out. If someone catches your fist, you grab their arm and spin it, breaking it. Take every low blow if you want to win. And remember, nobody’s truly hurt until they’re dead.”

Trigger slowly gets to his feet, coughing. Because of his seeming injury I don’t expect him to keep fighting, which gives him the perfect edge to yank me onto the ground, and bury my face in the snow while twisting my arm, giving me no escape this time.

I consider my options, but don’t see many. Trigger managed to overpower me. I don’t know how, but he did. I guess his sparring will need to be with my Uncle, who’s likely the only one strong and smart enough to take him. I suddenly hear Andrew let out a noise of strong pain, and tap the snow twice, frantically. Trigger eases off slightly, and I hear a crack in my wrist from how quickly I stand up and yank out of his grip. I ignore the pain suddenly shooting through my left arm, and look over to see Andrew on the ground with his hand bent backwards in the wrong direction.

“Shit” I mutter under my breath. Then, walking over, look at Andrew empathetically.

“Drew, I’m going to have to snap this back into place in a moment. Is that okay?”

He nods, hiding his pain.

“Marcus, Michael, get as much snow on that hand as you can while I handle the opponent. Now, who broke Andrews hand?”

Nobody speaks up.

“That’s a pity. Every minute that nobody comes forward will be an extra broken bone. So far we’re at two. Anyone care to come forward now?”

With a string of swears a boy named Arken steps forward.

“Was it intentional?” I ask.

He shakes his head.

“Can anyone confirm that it wasn’t intentional?”

Three boys briefly speak up.

“Fine. Why didn’t you answer at first?”

“I have a mission next week and I won’t be able to go with a broken hand.”

I sigh, shaking my head. “If you would have told me that, we could’ve figured something out. But cowardice isn’t acceptable, so that’s a double consequence. Now, because I’m not completely horrid, I will let you choose two part of you that I will break or dislocate.”

“My left shoulder and wrist” He says without hesitation.

“Very well.”

With that I stride over to him and yank his shoulder out of place, snap his wrist and wait thirty seconds before popping his limb back in and re setting the bone. I hear my own wrist pop a bit more and feel a shooting pain, but ignore it.

I then look around.

“All of you will do well to control your strength. Everything you do must be done with purpose.”

Then I walk over to Andrew and reset his hand, feeling more pain in my wrist.

I look over at Moss. “I think I either sprained or broke my wrist, I’m going to go take care of that.”

He nods.

Another one of my abilities is that I heal inhumanly fast. For a broken wrist, it would take a day. For a sprained one, a few hours.

Once I get to my room and carefully examine my wrist I decide that it is, in fact, just sprained- and not broken. I wrap it in an ace bandage briefly before heading to Oak’s office to give him a report.

As I step out of my room I collide with someone, and stumble back, catching myself on my doorframe. I look up to see it’s Trigger.

“Shit, sorry” He says sincerely.

“Watch it” I hiss before shoving past him and heading downstairs. I don’t intend to let him see any more weakness in me. What he’s seen this far is plenty, and I certainly don’t want him getting the impression that I’m available.

I walk into Oaks office and give him the run down.

“I’m sorry, you’re telling me that Trigger beat you?”

I nod, doing my best to hide my embarrassment. I expect some sort of reprimand on my losing a fight, but receive none.

“Oh, that’s fantastic! I’ll finally be able to train one on one with a student again. Do you see how great this is?” He asks me.

“Just dandy” I mumble.

“Don’t think that I’ve forgotten about you, Ambrosia. This is the first fight you’ve lost in years, meaning that there’s going to be one on one training between you and Trigger.”

Even better.