Blood and Silver (SAMPLE)

Chapter One

Marrok Silver groaned and spat blood onto the bathroom floor, the red spattering against the white tile. He wiped his mouth gingerly with the back of his hand before glaring at the cause of his pain. The teenager stood over him with a smirk on his face.

 "Oh, come on. You can't seriously be applying to be a Hunter. You'll get killed before the first day is over," he said.

 Marrok didn't rise to the taunt. Taking a deep breath through his nose and exhaling softly from his mouth, Marrok didn't move from the floor. Instead, he looked away. A boot-clad foot slammed into his stomach a moment later, knocking the air from his lungs and forcing him to the cool floor. His blood boiled, and he grit his teeth as the boot struck his abdomen again. Marrok heard the bathroom door open, and the attacks ceased.

 "What's going on here, Tommy?"

 Marrok recognized the voice and groaned. Great, another one. Three people were enough.

 "Check it out, Chris. This kid thinks he can be a Hunter. We're just showing him his place on the food chain. Better to do it now than wait for a Cursed One to rip him apart, don't you think so?" Tommy asked as he kicked Marrok again.

 Marrok curled into as tight of a ball as he could with an arm wrapped around his torso. Two other teens kicked at his legs and arm to force him to straighten once again. Marrok held his breath, waiting for the attack to end. The bell would ring, and students would leave. He just had to wait and endure.

 "Let him up," Chris said.

 Tommy laughed. "Yeah, real funny."

 "I'm serious. Let him up."

 Tommy stepped away from Marrok with a smirk on his lips. Marrok pushed himself into a sitting position and propped himself against the door of one stall. He watched as Tommy stalked to Chris.

 "What happened to you? Any other time, you would've joined in on the fun," he said. "Don't tell me you've gotten soft."

 Chris glared as he spoke. "I can't risk losing a place with the Hunters just because they caught me in your shit. You know that. Now, let him go or we're going to have a problem."

 Marrok rose to his feet as the tension grew. He leaned against the stall, watching for any sign of a brawl breaking out. Two against three weren't terrible odds, but it wasn't the best situation. A sharp ring echoed through the hallways, making Tommy grin.

 "Saved by the bell," he said.

 The group of bullies shoved past Chris and left the bathroom, allowing the door to slam shut behind them. Marrok breathed a sigh of relief.

 "Thanks for stepping in."

 Chris' gaze darted over to Marrok, and he shook his head.

"Don't thank me. I didn't come in because I heard anything. It was just coincidence, and I wasn't going to have it on my record before graduation. I did this for myself."

 Marrok shrugged. He looked into the mirror and noticed the red mark on his jaw. He stepped to the sink and turned on the water. Cupping a hand, he brought cold water to his mouth and swished it around. The cut on the inside of his cheek burned, and the water was tinted pink when he spit it into the sink basin. Chris remained in the bathroom, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

 "You good?" he asked.

 Marrok nodded as he turned the water off. "Thanks again."

 "Whatever."

 Chris pushed away from the wall and moved toward the door. He stopped before touching the handle, and Marrok studied him curiously. Chris ran a hand through his short, dirty blonde hair before turning toward Marrok once again.