Hunters Academy

Chapter Four

"You know, you aren't as scary looking as I thought you were going to be."

The awkward hush that had fallen over the small dorm room dissipates with those words and a small laugh bubbles up my throat. Dominique, my roommate, who stands at a solid 5'9 sits on her bed, her comforter bunched up underneath her, making her shift awkwardly to get comfortable. Short hair, the color of clay, hangs just past her shoulders, sharp cheekbones jut against dark skin and pale brown eyes that seem to follow my every move are framed by a thick set of lashes. We are polar opposites. All of 5'2, my long white blonde hair hangs in messy curls to my waist, my icy blue eyes that always seem too large for my face fall into sunken cheekbones and the color of my skin seems blindingly pale. Compared to her, I look like a child.

"Well, I guess that could be considered a compliment."

A chuckle escapes me and I shift on my bed, tucking one of my feet underneath the other and clasping my hands together. Dominique laughs quietly and cups the back of her neck with her hand, rubbing the skin tensely. Her eyes rake across my body and her thoughts jitter in my ears, softer than most thoughts, hers come in whispers rather than torrents. Her thoughts are easy to decipher and I wince when they stray towards the deep four lined scar that adorns my left forearm. A wound that I have never let heal, still raised and slightly pink. Some would call my healing a blessing, and sometimes it is, but it is also a burden. Like a vampire, my healing process is rather quick, though I hate to compare myself to the monsters. I at will, can speed up or slow down my own healing. The gruesome scar on my arm has never fully healed because I have never let it. A reminder of my failure. A shrill bell cuts through my internal thoughts and I quickly look up at Dominique, my gaze questioning. She laughs at my shocked face and stands from her sitting position on her bed before heading to the door.

"Dinner! Are you coming?"

I get up from the bed and quickly follow a very happy Dominique through the long dormitory hallway and down the stairs. Her thoughts flutter quickly and a small laugh escapes me at her excitement over getting to eat. My faded blue tee-shirt and jeans are slightly rumpled from my nap and I try smoothing down the fabric as we walk. My hair bounces around me and I sigh at the thought of what it must look like. Leading me down the stairs with a skip in her step, Dominique jumps off of the very last stair and lands on the floor with a laugh. Back on the main floor of the building she heads towards the back of the large open space and we turn a corner going down a large hallway. I hear the people in the dining hall before I even see the large doors that lead into it. I wince at the sudden slice of thoughts against my brain and I fight desperately to keep myself focused on the calm, featherlike thoughts of Dominique. She leads me towards the front of the hall, the skip in her step never fading. I sit heavily at the small table she has picked out for us and let out a tense breath. The dining hall is large, tables fill the space and a small raised platform sits in front of the room, close to where we are sitting. Long tables sit, filled with food on the right side of the room and some of my peers have lined up to get food for themselves. The grains of wood in the table now seem more interesting than everything around me and I fight to keep my focus against the raging sea of thoughts pounding against the back of my skull. A painful blow to my now sensitive ears comes when Dominique pulls her chair back, the legs scraping against the floor as she does. Once seated Dominique splays her hands out on the table and taps her fingers awkwardly, her thoughts bubble softly, different conversation ideas flowing through her brain. When she settles on one I laugh silently at the topic choice.

"So, what's it like to be famous?"

I grin at the question and fight to come up with a good answer. I wouldn't call myself famous. Just known by many in the Hunter world due to my connection with the Hunter Council. The Hunter Council is basically a group of hunters that have gained leverage over the years by killing vampires, and lots of them. Though most of the people on the Council are now retired, some still continue to hunt today. The Hunters Council are the ones who make the rules for institutions like this one. If disciplinary action is required they are the ones who dole out the punishments. I became connected with the Council when I became the hunter with the most kills under my belt at the young age of 13. I was mentored by some of the council members and of course word got around about the 13 year old hunter who has killed more vampires than any hunter alive today. A blessing and a curse at times.