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This chapter is written by Hana.
Students lined up against the opposing walls of the gymnasium, both having predator-like looks on the orange balls in the center. Hana scanned the other team, concluding on which throws would be easier to dodge or catch based on the player's expression and physique.
The seniors had not played dodge ball in quite a while. The last time they did, a boy was diagnosed with a concussion because of a very strong throw from an anonymous student.
The student shook her head to herself and stiffened as she heard the coach's obnoxious whistle. All of the players rushed to grab a ball from the middle, raised their dodge balls, and threw it across the gymnasium. Orange flashed through Hana's vision as she dodged each throw skillfully.
"Come on! Just- stand- still!" Three from the other team yelled, frantically trying to hit her with a ball and make her get out of the game. The coach watched from the sidelines, satisfaction written on her face.
Hana grinned and remembered when she had marked the speed rune on herself in the locker rooms before anyone had entered. It allowed her to have inhumane speed, and with the proper control, it looked believable enough. She finally picked up a ball, and for a few seconds she glanced around the room to see that most of the students had been hit, except for five on the other team and three beside her.
Are you ready?
A whisper sent a chill down her spine, and when she turned to look at her teammates, none of them showed signs of speaking, which made her shiver again.
Just at that moment, Hana stiffened. She heard growls and roars from outside the gym, and stifled a yell as creatures stormed into the gym. Instinctively, she pulled out a seraph blade from the inside of her shirt, and saw two other boys do the same: one that had brown hair and eyes, and another that looked unfamiliar. Hana recognized Husni Morgenchild, an annoying boy from another class in their grade who lived a double life as a loyal Shadowhunter and high school jock, but her gaze rested on the other boy with confusion.
She tore her gaze away when she saw fur in the corner of her eye, and her eyes widened at it. It was Isra Rosewood, a good friend and classmate of hers. Hana could recognize her movements from a mile away. Claws extended from her fingers and her teeth were bared as she fought a few demons. It would not kill them to use her claws and teeth, but it would at least slow them down.
A few other students transformed as most of the others ran away screaming from who knew what they saw. Since the demons were part of the Shadow world, only creatures that were a part of it could see them. Most Mundanes do not have the Sight, so their vision replaces the demons with something normal, like a bear. If wild bears were considered normal.
Thankfully, the demons were not blocking the two blue doors that served as an exit, so the Mundanes ran through it and escaped safely. All Mundanes but Heather Farzin had left, who was staring over Hana's shoulder in disbelief and terror.
It's her fault she's going to die, Hana thought.
Hana called her seraph blade "Ithuriel," and advanced on the demons. Hana did not have any time to mark herself with healing or strength runes. The other teenagers, now revealed as Downworlders and some Shadowhunters, attacked as well. She slashed her blade across a demon's neck, beheading it, and gagged when the smell blood entered her nose.
As a young Shadowhunter, she was taught to always be aware of her surroundings and know who was on whose side. She could see Maheen, sprinting from one demon to another as she dodged their attacks. She seemed to be assisting Husni, distracting the demons as he stabbed them from behind. With their speed, a Shadowhunter and a vampire, no being could escape.
As she slayed the beasts, she finally took the time to recognize them as ragener demons. Hana took notice to avoid their spit and body fluids because they could burn right through her skin. Noises, such as shrieks and yells, filled the air, but the Nephilim were used to it. They continued to fight with courage.
She let out a gasp of pan as she felt a claw drag across her arm, opening a long, bleeding gash.
"Hana!" a girl with short brown hair ran to her, her eyes wide with worry. "First I find out you're a Shadowhunter, then you get hurt five seconds later?"
Samrah Ashe looked quite tiresome. Hana knew of her being a warlock long ago; it was easy to point out because she had eyes of a snake under her brown contacts. She had green flare on her fingers, so it was clear she possibly helped a little.
"I'm fine; it's just a scratch," Hana said, but clearly it was not. Samrah shook her head, grabbed Hana's unscathed arm, and ran out of the gym.
The Shadowhunter sighed as the battle cries faded in her ears. Samrah looked in her friend's bag. "Where's your stele?" She asked, her brows scrunched together, taking all kinds of things out. Hana sat down and looked at the blue doors twenty, maybe thirty meters away. She decided not to run, as it would cause her acquaintance a heart attack.
"It's in my locker," she replied after a few minutes, ad watched as the warlock jumped to her locker, opened it, and pulled out a glassy, pen-looking object.
Hana took it from Samrah's hand and drew an iratze on her arm, wincing slightly as she did so. She used to draw runes on herself as if she was using a marker, but every day, she became less used to the Shadowhunter object. The wound started closing up slowly, but the blood remained on her skin.
"Let's go back in," Hana said, stood up, then almost stumbled back. Samrah had her arm in her grip.
"You're not going anywhere. I'm guessing you haven't fought in a long time." Samrah started to walk back into the gym.
"If you go," Hana started stubbornly, "I go." She sent a glare her way.
Samrah sighed and turned. "Fine, then. I'll stay righ-"
Before she could continue, Hana ran past her towards the doors. There was no way the others were going to fight without her. But...
"They're all gone," Samrah breathed out in awe as she walked up next to Hana.
Even though she was annoyed, what Samrah said was true. All the teenagers were walking around and tending to each other's wounds, ignoring all the demon blood seeping into the ground. The Shadowhunter's shoulder slouched, disappointed that the fight was over. Something tugged at her memory.
Right before the fight, she had seen someone she had never seen before, and she knew almost everyone in the school. Could he possibly be a new student? But he doesn't seem right. Maybe he was sick or something. No, that's stupid. Maybe he's-
"Hana?" Samrah interrupted cautiously.
"What?" Hana snapped, losing her train of thoughts and coming out of her daze.
"Nothing, it just looked, er, kind of like you were asleep or something."
"Oh," said Hana, shrugging, "We should go and check on the others."
"Yeah."
As they were walking towards the others, she thought about how everyone easily took out all those demons. There were too many of them. But she also did not realize from before how many people in her own school were involved in the Shadow World. Maybe it was because she did not really care much about it anymore.
"What's up?" Isra asked, walking towards them. Hana, again, sighed as her thoughts were interrupted again. She noticed that the werewolf, in her human form, was limping after the battle.
"Nothing," Hana replied idly, not too eager to talk about what was bothering her.
"No, there is something," Isra argued. "I can tell 'cause when you're thinking, your eyebrows get all scrunched together, and your face gets all stiff, and-"
"Please stop, Isra," Hana barked.
Isra frowned at her, obviously upset, but she knew better than to argue with Hana. "Okay, but something's up." She snapped her fingers sassily, turned around, and walked away.
Hana raised an eyebrow then shook it off. She looked around the gym. The boy, more clear at that moment, had brown hair with blonde streaks, and complex, sea-green eyes that could show sourness and warmth. It could show the softness like it did at that moment, engulfing her in a feeling of soft waves in the morning at the beach...
"Hana Starkwood?" said a lenient, honey-like voice. He then raised an eyebrow and grinned.
Hana, stiff and startled, nodded.
"Yeah- um, yes?' she stuttered.
He chuckled softly. "I'm sorry if I startled you, but I'm here on business from the London Institute."
Samrah looked at them both, shrugged, then mumbled, "I'll leave you two and your Shadowhunter business." She jogged away to help the Shadowhunter, Ahmad, with a burn on his chest.
"Who are you?" Hana asked him sharply. She talked like this with the Nephilim, as they did seem to spark annoyance in her.
"Change of attitude, I presume. My name is Maximus Nightwell; call me Max," he answered and held out a hand to shake. "Your friends truly fought well," he added. She hesitated before taking it.
Hana thought about how the demons seemed to just disappear, but she decided to think of it at a more appropriate time. She was not sure about how this Shadowhunter could trust her so easily. Didn't he know how others were told to treat her? After the cursed thing she had done? Did she even want to be involved with them anymore, after so many years of isolation and difficulty they inflicted on her?
Nushah was standing at a distance in the corner, staring with wide eyes at the Downworlders around her. Hopefully she would think it was all a dream. Or a nightmare.
Through the two blue doors rushed in a teenage boy who Hana recognized as Mason Greyfield, a werewolf closely associated with none other than Maheen Irefin.
"MAX, I GOT YOUR TEXT!" he yelled across the large room. All the people in the gymnasium turned their gazes to him and blinked.
"Gosh, Mason, you're so lame," Maheen said and rolled her eyes, grinning.
Maximus walked to Mason, shaking his head, and they stared at each other before bursting out in laughter. Maheen joined them, and the three started talking about how Mason was so late and missed the big fight.
Hana looked away, and tried to listen to other conversations in the gym. What was tugging at the back of her mind? She would find out later. At that moment, she felt wary, so she leaned on to the wall, sliding down until she was sitting on her backside with her knees pulled to her chest. Her chin rested on her knees, and she started to slip into a state of seclusion from the sounds all around her.