Huntress **ON HOLD FOR EDITING**

Chapter Two - Edited

Chapter Two

It had been exactly 5 days, 4 hours and 20 minutes since Rosa had eradicated Lord Gallopher and, ever since she had seen the recognition blazing in his eyes she had felt like she was being constantly watched, whether she was simply walking down the grimy and disease ridden streets or watching Rosie-Mae. It was strange really because she had never felt as much emotion as the worry that coursed through her icy veins and the fear that had gripped her black heart once she had realized that neither she nor Rosie-Mae were safer any longer and, it was at this time that she made the worst yet possibly the smartest decision in her life.

She figured that if it had taken the beasts 10 years to finally track her down, even with her reputation for never letting somebody cross her and live, then, if she was to disappear out of Rosie-Mae's life for a while then they would lose any interest they have in her once they realized she was harmless and wouldn't even lay a finger on a fly or even a mosquito. It pained Rosa to admit it but she knew that with her being the only able female in the family, she had to ensure that she carried on the legacy even if it meant following in another one of her ancestors footsteps and actually live out a part of her life in the belly of the beast, literally speaking.

Today was her final day to say goodbye to Rosie-Mae and her critically ill mother since she had made the decision to travel to her ancestors bunker in the supernatural realm with the thought that if they were hunting her now they wouldn't expect the unexpected. Unexpected being that she would be living in the very heart of the community, blending in for information and only coming out of the underground bunker for fresh air and fruit from the forest surrounding the bunker that, in her 17 years of existence she had only visited once, and even then it was fully stocked with food to last years.

"Okay Rosie-Mae darling, you know the rules right?" It was as if the fate of the whole world rested upon the shoulders of the poor child, she stood not straight and proud like her older sister, but stooped with an expression only described as heart breaking sadness etched on her young and vulnerable face. She wasn't like the rest of the family, she was born without the essential gene that enabled them to do what they had to do and develop the muscles needed to take on those with much more strength than them. Rosa felt sorry for her, she would never know just what it is that causes her sister to come home with blood covering every area of skin and clothing, not because she isn't to be trusted, but because she is metaphysically weak and has no control over her thoughts which can have deadly consequences.

"Of course! What do you think I am? A baby?"

For an eight year old, Rosie-Mae certainly had the attitude that came with becoming a teenager even though there are years to go until she reaches that stage whereas Rosa was the complete opposite with traits not commonly associated with that of a cold blooded killer.

Rosa laughed, not the heartless jeer she used when on a mission but a true laugh that came from the bottom of her stomach and would have given her a six pack (not that she didn't already have a toned stomach) if the loud lash of thunder hadn't of reminded her that she was running on borrowed time. Time that neither she nor the remainder of her family could afford to lose if her theorem was, as usual, correct.

"Okay, just remember, if something scares you and gives you a bad feeling, get out of there, mama knows what to do in a situation like that, now, I have to go but this isn't a goodbye, this is a promise that I will see you when I come home." Rosa knew that there was no definite hope of her returning from the self given isolation and yet she still chose to give up her freedom and life for the safety of her vulnerable sister and critically ill mother. There was nothing wrong physically with Cassandra, the mother of Rosa and Rosie-Mae, but rather she was broken on the inside, the strings of her heart had physically broken along with her sanity, leaving her nothing more than the shell of her former self and unable to continue on the legacy left by Emelia along with the parenting of Rosie-Mae who had never had the joy of meeting the mother Rosa grew up with.

There are many reasons for what happened to Cassandra, but the main one came only a week after the birth of Rosie-Mae when her husband, the father of both Rosie-Mae and Rosa was tortured to death in front of a restrained Cassandra who only survived because she went insane and slaughtered anything that had any part in the murder of her husband. She never fully recovered leaving the caring and parenting of a new born to Rosa's auntie on her fathers side, Claire, who knew nothing of the life of her sister-in-law and the life her neice was destined for. Sadly, Claire died 'mysteriously' in a fire one night when 14 year old Rosa had supposed to be collecting her sister and, fortunately, had collected her for a sleepover the previous day.

Rosie-Mae grasped how serious the situation must have been for Rosa to have entrusted her with the continual care of their mother paired with the fact that Rosa's usual merry eyes were replaced by a look no teenager should have worn so strongly, determination to survive. For an 8 year old, the young girl was perceptive and, instead of causing a scene and making a fuss she simply nodded and slowly walked back into the safe-house, toying with the throwing stars stealthily hidden among the layers of clothing she wore as protectiion from the harsh winter weather. Even though she didn't have what allowed the other females of the family to become fully fledged independent hunters, she had been taught how to handle some of the more simple weapons that had secretly coated in a potion of protection that had cost Rosa a whole month of allying with the White Lilia Circle, one of the only known circles of witches to openly practice white magic against their darker sisters. They were designed to never miss a target once thrown and, if handled by any other than who the spell was determined for it would ensure they were burnt alive from the inside out. Not that Rosie-Mae had any idea of that fact, nor of the fact that her sister had done the unimaginable and allied herself and her abilities with creatures of the night and evil, no matter their facade.

It wasn't long until Rosa felt the prickling and rise of energy in the air, indicating that her portal to their realm was coming and coming quick if the amount of excess energy in the atmosphere was any indication of the speed at which it was being sent to her. Nobody knew why the hunters of the De Marquez family were different but they just were, they had the ability to summon portals to different demensions, including the one that hosts most of the prominent figures of the supernatural community, mainly leaders of large groups and their families. Within seconds of the last lightening and thunder strike, the street that Rosa had occupied was empty with the only sign of her being there being the charm that had fallen off of her bracelet due to the speed at which she had vanished in to thin air.

Rosa wasn't the only one who was able to feel the amount of energy gathering for something spectacular, as, in another alternate dimension, Keetin, the leader of the BloodLuste Wolf Pack had been able to sense the energy levels slowly rising and then suddenly plummeting and, seeing as though he was in the middle of an annual meeting of the leaders of their world, he knew there was nobody powerful enough in this realm to raise that much energy and use it. He looked around the drab meeting room to see if any of the others, including the High King, had picked up on this phenomenem and, strangely, it appeared as if none of them had.

Once again, he felt fate itself shift and knew that somewhere, somebodies decision had shifted everybody else and their reality and, with determination set into the very way he straigtened from his slouched position, he was ready to face the oncoming challenge strength to strength and power to power...