The Hunted

The New Sidekick

I gasped for air. Trying to fill my lungs as the last of the pain left my body, just to be replaced with a throbbing sensation in my head and back.

My mind traveled back to why the vision happened, my eyes filled with tears but I held onto them, not allowing myself to cry, not even in front of my two most trusted people. I could not allow myself to show weakness. Standing up slowly to allow my muscles to adjust, I hobbled over to the sink and pumped some soap into my open hands and washed them under boiling water to rid myself from the mince mixture.

Once my hands were red from the scrubbing and I had gotten control of myself I turned to my Farther and Alex. Both of them were looking at me expectantly.

"I have to go to London." I told them after taking a deep breath. Alex looked shocked and opened his mouth to talk but my dad interrupted him. The look in his eyes told me that he was expecting me to say this.

“You have to do what you have to. When they told me what had happened I knew you would want to go up there." He told me. Looking deep into my grey eyes I could tell he had more to say.

"Just say it dad." I urged, hoping that it’s not too bad. We all knew I could look after myself. I had been training from the day of my Mums funeral. I was watching my dad intently. I knew he had something to say, but he seemed to not want to say it. I watched his chest heave, as if to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Opening his mouth to speak, and then closing it again as he thought about what to say. He licked his lips and opened his mouth to speak again.

"I want you to go with Alex." he muttered, but the way he said it I knew I didn't have an option in this. I could tell he was worried, but I had to fight for this either way.

"Dad..." I sighed, "I can look after myself. You know that. You allow me to go all over the country on missions when a vampire goes awire, or when a witch gets to powerful and uses it wrong. Why can't I do this by myself?" I rushed the words out. I know that when I go away my dad worries. But this is no different than any other time.

Alex was looking to and from me and my dad. A look of shock on his face. I could understand, my dad has always known I work better alone, and has never asked me to go with anyone apart from my first time out, even then he had hired a professional. But now was different, Alex isn't that trained, I know that because I am his teacher. He only wanted to learn last year.

Dad glanced at Alex then turned back to look at me.

"Alex, can I talk to Charlie alone for a while? Maybe you could go down to the fish and chip shop in town and get us all some dinner. There’s money on the side."

Alex nodded and pulled his hoddie off the back of one of the stools and grabbed the money off the table as he headed for the front door. Dad and I stood silently waiting for the sound of Alex’s footsteps to fade down the road outside. When they were just a whisper on the pavement, dad motioned for me to take a seat at the counter.

I walked over quietly, hoping my dad couldn't see the tremble in my hands or the darkening of my eyes from the slight anger I felt at being treated as a child.

"I know you can look after yourself." He started to say, my head snapping up when he paused to think.

"But?" I asked, my tone lined with a bitter edge.

"But I think this time is different," I shook my head in disbelief. Shooting me a look to tell me to be quiet as I gapped slightly at what he was saying, but also I understood what he meant. "They were your best friends darling, and I know you will say what I’m about to say isn't true, but you will enter London to seek revenge. It’s not your fault, I would do the same, but you need to think about this, you need to calm yourself down so you don't make any mistakes whilst there."

I looked into my dad’s worried eyes and even though I felt like dyeing in the inside, I couldn’t help but laugh. He looked at me, shock on his face, making me laugh even more.

"Why on Earth are you laughing? Is there something on my face?" he asked, patting himself manically.

"No dad there’s not" I gasped out in between fits of laughter. "The look on your face, you looked like I was going to eat you for saying all that, then when I laughed you looked like I had gone crazy..." I took three deep breaths whilst my dad looked at me oddly. "What? Do I have something on MY face?"

He smiled and shook his head in reply.

"I'm just wondering how you can find it in you to laugh now of all times, you've just lost two friends."

"It's an easy answer really. It’s a laugh or cry moment, and the I would rather laugh...

Listen... I know they are dead, but there is nothing I can do about it, I can mourn later on, but in the meantime, I’m able to laugh cause I know that the Idiot that did this is not going to be around long either, cause I will find him, OR her.. Whether it’s the last thing I do...” I spoke confidently, "hopefully it’s not the last thing I do though" I added as an afterthought.

"Any way I know that I will have you and Alex behind me the whole time, and that gives me the confidence to say I will find him, cause who better to have my back than my two best guys?"

One look at my dad’s face and I could tell he was about to answer my question stupidly, I just sat there expectantly.

"James bond." he replied with a smirk after thinking for a minute.

I laughed out loud, knowing that he has been waiting for me to ask a question like that so he could answer with his favorite spy.

"I think you will find that you are way better than him dad, he wasn't half as skilled as, only smarter than you." I told my smug looking dad, I winked and watched the look of disbelief cross his face. He gasped dramatically and clutched at his chest as if I had shot him.

"Oh come on, you knew I would say something like that, you don't need to overreact about it." I told my Farther; thankful that he knows when I need to be cheered up and to keep away from somber subjects, just like I did with him when Mother died.

Just then the front door clicked open and Alex walked in surrounded by the fantastic and mouthwatering smell of fish and chips.

He looked like he was watching a tennis match when he glanced between us with slight smiles on our faces. His lips twitched up in a slight smile but I could tell he was worried and upset. I got up and rushed over to the plates and got three out and set them out on the side, whilst I went to get the salt and ketchup out as well as the some forks and knives Alex put the food onto the plates and took them to the table.

I placed the other bits in the center of the table and sat down to eat, the first taste of the brilliant chips was like heaven, then my mind went into planning mode.

"Alex, when do you think you could be ready to head to London?" I asked after another mouthwatering chip. The vision had taken all the energy out of me, and the fish and chips was just what I needed to refuel myself, when you don’t sleep, food affects you differently.

Alex coughed and turned to look at me whilst swallowing the mouthful of fish he had.            "Um, I could be ready after dinner, I have a lot of stuff I would need in the spare room upstairs." he glanced at my dad. "If I could just borrow a bag or something, that is?"

My dad nodded his agreement and poured some ketchup over his chips as I nodded and got lost into my own thoughts. Why would anyone want to kill them, there had to be a reason, no one just kills randomly apart from the criminally insane. And if it was the criminally insane, they could have fought for themselves, they had taken classes with me, and I knew they could fight.

I looked up at my Dad and Alex and half smiled as I picked my plate up to wash it, Alex dropped his in the sink with mine and ran off upstairs to pack. I looked out the window as I scrubbed and couldn’t help but feel that something big was about to happen and change everything.

I heard footsteps running around upstairs as Alex got ready, glancing up at the celing, i couldnt think of anything about it other than, well at least i have a sidekick now.

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