Awakening A New Generation of Hunters

Zoe's P.O.V

The bell rang, music to the ears of the new generation. Sitting at my assigned table, the paper of possibility lay before me. The moment the clock ticked, Professor Evelin signaled for us to begin, and hands started scribbling, knowledge purging out.

"Fifteen minutes left!"

This time, Mr. Raymond, our flamboyant teacher, announced it, drawing the attention of the silent room. In those fifteen minutes, students could submit their papers and leave the examination room. Standing with my paper in hand, a sense of dread fluttered through me, awakening a deeper unease. Confused, I handed my paper in. The moment I crossed the threshold, a stab of pain shot through my gut.

"Zoe!"

A moment's distraction pulled me into a conversation, mostly one-sided. A headache pounded, and I grunted in pain. As if I had traveled through time, all I could see was Nena's weakened body and blood coating the floor. The numbing pain returned tenfold...

"Zoe, what's wrong?!"

Jordan panicked, her hushed words revealing her lack of understanding of what to do.

"Stay here. I'll go get you help and a glass of water."

Scurrying away, she whispered something to the shadow entering my blurred vision.

Finally, Taylor appeared. As a werewolf, he understood the world of the paranormal, and right now, I needed help with these terrible, tampering visions.

"It's Nena. I need to go save her."

I sobbed, getting up before running. A hand pulled me back into an embrace. Uneasy and terrified, I broke free from the warmth and ran. Running beside me, Taylor directed me to his car. Forever a gentleman, he ensured I was buckled up, but unfortunately, I couldn't be grateful, as time was against life.

"Hey, Tye. Slow down, or else we're going to crash."

He drove way over the speed limit, and in a small town like Chesterfield, that bar was set low. Praying to the goddess of nature, I counted my blessings, reciting a protection spell for possibilities.

"Hey, you have the belt on."

What was so good about a seat belt if this man's driving landed us below a cliff? Although I had powerful ancestral power, I refused to leave my life to chance and probabilities—chance forbid.

Tye would be perfect for 'Fast and Furious'; at this point, all that franchise needed was his car keys to their world. For a drive meant to take thirty minutes, we arrived in a solid nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds. You could hear the car screech to an immediate halt. Tye made it to my side, opening the door before shifting and dashing into the woods toward the dark energy that had disappeared there.

"Taylor!"

My guard was on edge. A foul aura lingered. Hearing groans, I sprinted toward the front door, and the sight froze me in terror.

"Nena?"

I sobbed, my hand covering my mouth, horrified by the bloodied scene. One more groan pulled me out of the depths of shock, and I ran toward her. Blood dripped from her nose. Not knowing what to do, I fumbled for my phone and called an ambulance to her location.

"Mom, what happened?"

Using magic to assess the injuries, I was careful not to cause her more pain. I tried healing her, but for some reason, it didn't work. Absorbing energy from the earth, I was stopped by Nena before I could attempt to heal her.

"There is a storm coming," she coughed, crimson staining her lips.

I made her rest her hand on my lap. A storm? Was that a metaphor for something big? What was this negative feeling spreading in the air? Breathing deeply, the scent of rotten black magic permeated the space. Sorcery. Slowly piecing together the puzzle, she spoke once more.

"Zoe, you must meet your destined... he will protect you. But before that, you have to meet your counter—the darkness."

Her voice started fading as she handed me her hand, knowing her form of communication, especially now, when she was too weak to speak further. I took her hand in my trembling grip, holding it as if what she was about to show me held all the answers.

"I am too tired... focus your energy," she whispered.

Right.

The weirdest sensation rushed through my body, sending a jolt of energy to the dark. Focusing on those sensations, an image appeared—a school, 'Ivy League School of Potential.'

She coughed once more, but her message wasn't over. A beautiful mansion purposely stranded in the pits of nowhere. Beyond the view, the feelings of belonging and home touched my heart.

"I enrolled you. I made it easier for you to find the darkness. Together, you two will be far more powerful to face the storm that is coming. I love you, Zo—"

After that, I felt a deep loss as the last element vanished to blackness. I didn't need to open my eyes to know what had happened. Silent tears escaped.

"Ahhhhhhhhh! MOM!"

A surge of power fueled my need to lash out. Taylor returned, human again, helping me inside the house as rain began falling. But nothing mattered—nothing but this pain. The pain made me invisible to emotions. Why was my family being targeted? Why were they trying to destroy me? Why had they taken the person who meant the world to me?

"Zoe, I'm so sor—"

The proper response to that trilogy was a bolt of lightning. The sharp light broke as thunder rumbled. 'Sorry,' was a word I never wanted to get used to. I felt empty as if I lost connection with the world. Eyes raw, I roared in anguish, shattering everything to shards. I felt so in touch with my magic—or, in the terms of my people, 'isipho.' I felt everything, including every molecule, atom, energy, and life force around me, roaring in my agony.

"Snap out of it, Zoe!"

I couldn't turn it off. In fact, I didn't want to. It hurt so badly—my head burning, my breaths labored—and I began to enjoy the power. I crawled to the shores of hell to produce fire, releasing the energy and creating chaos.

I felt the ground shatter in anticipation of the storm I was creating. Crying out, I released my anguish. At the moment my cry was heard, lightning tore through the sky. I turned to view a perfect molecular structure breaking the lightning apart.

Opening my eyes, I felt my best friend's reassuring presence as he snuggled into me, his wolf licking my tears away. Still sobbing uncontrollably into his fur, it caught all my fears and pain. We stayed like that until exhaustion overtook my tired mind. Before darkness enveloped my consciousness, I heard sirens echoing in the distance. I felt the fur recede into Taylor's muscular physique, but I was too out of it to even feel embarrassed.

"Come on, Zoe. Open your eyes. Look at me," a soft voice coaxed.

But I couldn't. I was too tired—mentally and physically. Opening my eyes felt like a chore. Gentle fingers brushed my skin, whispering soothing words. It all felt real.

My mother was gone. So were my adoptive parents. There was no way this was a coincidence. I wouldn't rest until the person responsible for this travesty paid—or, at the very least, suffered as much as I had.

Opening my drowsy eyes, the world looked completely different. It felt absolutely riveting. Glancing at the walls, I saw the protection spells and elements feeding the environment with energy. Doctors hurried inside to take my mom's body.

Focusing with what energy I had left, I murmured a spell, cleansing her corpse of the clashes of dark magic. It was the least I could do for her. As for the house, I strengthened its runes. This was my house now, and everything inside it. Whatever these bastards wanted, they would have to take from my corpse.

My mind, now determined to seek justice, harbored a hatred that burned with every breath. 'Whoever dared to target my family will learn the meaning of vengeance.'