Mila's Hunt

Chapter Fourteen

I swear my heart almost stopped at the thought of sparring with Sam, being so close and getting all hot and sweaty. Something must have shown on my face as a slight frown creased his forehead and he moved back.

"Or we could get to know one another more?"

I caught my breath and offered a weak smile. "Um, yeah, sure. Sounds good."

"Do you want some more water?"

"Yes, please. My throat is still a bit sore."

"It will probably be like that for a few days. Here." Sam handed me a glass of water.

I gulped noisily, feeling my cheeks flush as I did. Why could I not drink normally?! I leaned over to put the glass on the bedside table, feeling my shirt lift up slightly as I did. Sam tilted his head, staring at my exposed skin. I flushed again and quickly pulled my shirt down to cover it. He looked up and saw the expression on my face.

"Mila, I'm sorry, I... my attention was caught my your tattoo. On your hip? I didn't mean to stare."

My hand hovered over my hip, before I lifted up my shirt again, showing a small pink rose on my hip. I remembered the intense pain when I got it, especially as it it right on top of my hip bone. I'd bribed Max something shocking to convince him to do it while I was still underage, but it was definitely worth it.

"It's in memory of my dad. My middle name is Rosie, and he'd always called me 'Rosie girl', all the time. In fact, the only time he called me Mila was when I was in trouble."

"It must have been hard when he passed."

"Yeah, it was. It was even harder when mum remarried, but what can you do, right?"

Sam reached over and squeezed my hand. I smiled at him, once again struck my how close we were. I leaned in ever so slightly, close enough to see the tiny flecks of gold in his eyes. I licked my lips nervously and noticed as his eyes immediately darted down to focus on them. He tilted his head slightly and leaned on closer, running his other hand up my arm and resting on my shoulder. I could feel his breath on my lips, and I closed my eyes in anticipation.

Jarring loud music came blaring out of nowehere, making me jump backwards and Sam held my arm to steady me. He smiled apologetically and pulled out a mobile.

"Yeah."

I could hear indistinct mumuring on the other line and watched as Sam rolled his eyes, looking frustrated.

"Whatever, Dean. Are you at the morgue yet?"

I rubbed my hands on my legs, rolling my shoulders back, trying to dispel some of the tension I felt. Sam ran his hand through his hair as he listened to Dean.

"Well, hurry it up, man. We want as much daylight as possible."

He hung up and tucked the phone back into his pocket. There was an awkward moment were silence filled the room. All I could think about was how close we had been to kissing, and I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Dean hadn't called. Was Sam wondering the same thing? He cleared his throat and stood up, walking over to the other side of the room.

"Mila, I..."

I stood up quickly. "So, Sam, how, um... how did you and Dean find this case anyway?"

Sam gazed at me for a moment, clearing considering whether to follow my lead or talk about what had nearly happened.

"Well, uh...we saw the article about Mike's death and it ticked a few boxes for us. We decided to check it out, just in case."

I nodded slightly. "And is that how you usually find cases? I mean, its not like monsters are public knowledge, right?"

Sam made his way back over to me and took a seat in the chair Dean had sat in. I followed suit and sat back on the bed.

"We usually scout the net and newspapers for unusual deaths? Or deaths with significant traits that point towards a supernatural cause. After a while, it becomes easier to spot the vampire, werewolf, ghost, monster signs."

"It must be a hard life."

"Well, it is difficult, but the feeling when you kill the monster and save people, it makes up for the shortcomings. I don't think I could willingly give it up now, and know that monsters are still out there, killing people. It just wouldn't seem right."

I smiled softly as I looked out the window. I could see children playing in the street outside, laughter sounding cheerfully.

"I can understand that. My dad said he joined the military to make a difference, to save people. I've always wanted to do the same, but I know I could never do that. But maybe... maybe hunting could be the answer."

"No!"

I jumped a little, startled by the vehemence behind Sam's answer.

"What... what do you mean?"

"No, I... I'm sorry, Mila. It's just, you don't truly know what the job entails. You can't fully understand until you've experienced it. It's not a happy little life. It's tough and it's hard and it's difficult."

I looked down at my hands. "But the rewards... saving people. Surely that makes it all worth it?"

"Yeah, it does, but no hunter would willingly choose this life. You hunt either because you were raised to it or you experienced it."

I sighed and looked back out the window. All I really wanted was to belong. I felt more comfortable with Sam and his brother than I had ever felt with anyone after dad had passed. I wasn't sure if I wanted to give this up just yet. Sam sat next to me and tentatively reached out for my hand.

"Mila, you have a bright future ahead of you. You don't need to be a hunter. You can do anything you want to."

I smiled wryly. "All I've ever wanted was to move out of Banshee, and to help people. There aren't many careers that I can just jump into."

"We'll see how you enjoy your first hunt. You will probably change your mind about hunting."
I squeezed Sam's hand. "I'm not sure if you can get rid of me that easily."