CHAPTER 31

Tristan left the kitchen and took some seconds to calm his rattled nerves. He was naturally on guard against the new Hunter in the Argent but something about her just ticked him off.

Turning to the living room, he was about to make his way towards Allison's room when he was called. 

"Hey kid. Let me guess; she teased you." He sat on a chair with a knowing expression. 

"Ticked." He corrected. 

"That too." He conceded. "Beer?" He extended the bottle to Tristan. 

He was surprisingly impressed when Tristan came forward and took a swing of the bottle. Most high schoolers in his place would have politely refused but he didn't. 

For Tristan, he didn't mind taking a drink when he was sure that he didn't smell anything funny inside the bottle. Not to mention that things that worked on werewolves hardly had any effect on him. 

"I almost thought you'd refuse." Chris said as he took the bottle from Tristan and took a drink. 

"You offered." He said. 

Chris nodded at his answer. "That I did." He added. Their conversation was cut short when Allison's mom, Victoria, arrived. 

"Oh, hello Tristan." She smiled at the boy before turning to Chris. "Where's Kate?"

"Kitchen."

Chris excused himself and left with Victoria, leaving Tristan alone in the living room. Seeing as there was nothing here, he looked at the bottom of the bottle and only after noting that there was nothing did he take the last drink before going up to Allison's room. 

"Oh, I know that look anywhere. She got on your nerves." The pale girl groaned in embarrassment as the awfully awkward scene of Kate teasing Tristan played in her head. 

"I don't like her." Tristan said before falling on her bed, taking the room owner by surprise and then just closed his eyes and took one of her pillows. 

"If she's that bad then I don't wanna talk to her." Malia interjected only for Allison to jump to her aunt's defense. 

"She's not that bad. She just doesn't know how to appreciate privacy." She tried convincing them but none of them bought it. Luckily they were called at that moment. 

"Ladies and stud, table's topped.". Kate's cheerful voice rang out, deepening Allison's embarrassment. 

"Well, let's go. I'm hungry." Malia marched downstairs while Allison prodded Tristan to get up. "They're calling us for dinner, let's go."

Tristan groaned but picked himself up and followed her down to the dining table. 

Eating with Argents. Who knew such a thing was possible? 

The only reason why he would even entertain something like this was because Satomi had said that the Argents don't go after innocent supernaturals, which was evident to the fact that the Hales had let them stay in Beacon Hills, for however long that had lasted. 

Malia was already seated near Kate and was dishing her food, completely carefree of the fact that they were in the most dangerous place they've ever been in their life, when Tristan and Allison joined them. 

From a bystander's point of view, this looked like a wholesome dinner between family and friends. If only they knew, knew of the fact that everybody on this table had taken a life, except Allison. 

"Hey, Trist~." Kate's coy voice rang in his ears, making the distasteful expression on his face become more prominent. 

"Knock it off, Kate. You can see how clearly unnerved he is by you." Victoria chided her sister-in-law sternly. "Don't mind her Tristan, come let's eat."

Sitting at the far end of the table away from Kate with Chris, unknown to anyone at the table save for Malia, Tristan chanted a bodhisattva mantra to clear his mind as being near Kate just made him uncomfortable in different ways, none positive in any way. 

Kate clicked her tongue in disappointment as she saw Tristan openly avoid her then turned to focus on Malia, hoping to draw another reaction from him. 

"So, Malia, tell me about yourself. Tristan here was real broody and wouldn't answer any of my questions."

Malia froze in surprise at the question since her past was something only a few people knew and if they were to ask around, it'll easily come out. She glanced at Tristan only to see him calmly eating before he raised his head and gave her a confused look. 

Thankfully, no one paid attention to their little exchange. "Well, I don't think there's much to say. Both our family's known each other for years." She tried making it as natural as possible without answering anything. 

"What about your parents?" Victoria asked. 

"Dead. I'm adopted. We both are." The bubbly atmosphere immediately turned heavy due to her words and for the first time since Tristan met her, Kate's face showed another emotion apart from amusement. 

Victoria and Allison gasped at the reveal with the latter covering her mouth in reflex while the former apologized. "My dear, I'm so sorry for that."

"Nah, it's okay." She waved the apology off. She didn't need it from anyone, definitely not from a Hunter. "Happened when we were kids. Our new foster families are a pretty close-knit one so we managed to get to know each other from there." 

Kate didn't ask any smart-ass question due to the glare Chris sent her way so she surrendered… for now that is. 

"Hmm. I have to say you're quite good, Tristan. How long have you been cooking?" In a bid to alleviate the tense atmosphere, Allison started a light conversation as she tasted her serving of beef salad. 

"A few years." He stopped his words as he corked open a bottle of beer, making Victoria and Kate surprised. "I cook for us."

"Us? You mean you and Malia. You guys live together or something?" Kate interjected. 

Malia nodded. "We've practically been living together since we've known each other. It's not as weird as you guys think." She didn't mind telling them this since it wasn't anything of importance. In fact she doubt they'd look into her story since what kind of parents would look into the background of their daughter's friends?

"Ohh~. How frisky." Kate was beside herself with prime entertainment as she listened to Malia. 

The dinner continued on until Kate raised a question that outright killed the atmosphere. "So Tristan, do you like Allison?"

"Kate!"

"Kate!"

Both Allison and Chris shouted her name, the former for making things ambiguous and putting Tristan in an awkward position, while the latter because she blatantly stepped out of line. 

Crunch. 

Malia's crunch echoed through the silence of the dining room. 

"Not that much. She should learn when to leave me alone." Tristan said. Due to the palpable silence that was covering the room, his words became louder than normal, further stunning the residents of the Argent House. 

"Another blunt reply. Gahh! You're no fun." She acted as if she was disappointed and left that discussion alone after getting what she wanted. 

The rest of the dinner had been rather tame after the last expo and after they were done, they bid their goodnight and left the Argents. 

Allison followed them outside and immediately apologized after she made sure no one was looking. "I'm very sorry about that. Kate had no reason to do what she did and she took it further with no regards for your comfort."

Malia scowled as she remembered Kate's words. "She was being bitchy. I don't like her one bit."

"That makes two of us." And like always they were in perfect sync. 

Allison smiled wryly at their dislike for Kate but she had admitted that Kate did pull a bitchy move. "Yeah, guess dinner was a bust after all." She kicked a stone pebble absentmindedly as she walked forward towards their car. 

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye." 

They drove away after saying their goodbyes, Malia, leaving Allison to stand alone outside on the cold night. 

She made to go back in only to halt her movements as she felt there was something lurking around. "Hello? Is someone there?"

She called out again but nobody answered which made her sigh in relief as she entered her house. 

In the darkened road across the street, two pairs of red eyes glowed as it watched the young girl go back in before it disappeared. 

… 

Huff huff.

Crack. 

The woods remained silent except for the clattering of insects and tree dwellers. 

WHOOSH. 

A deer leaped over a log and disappeared into the endless trees, bringing the forest back to its serene and natural quietness. Unfortunately, it was never meant to be. 

Two shadows whooshed with blinding speed that was clearly super human as they trailed their hunt. 

Far into the distance, the fleeing deer once more felt the overwhelming danger that provoked its flight response  and strained its legs further to put more distance between it and whatever predator was on its hind. 

"Got it." Tristan's eyes shone blue as he picked up the scent of his prey and ran in that direction, leaving only shadowy afterimages in his trail. 

Malia was a few steps behind but wasn't lacking in momentum as she too had caught the scent of it. 

While she had better olfactory senses, Tristan was better in sniffing out blood and heightened emotions. 

This hunt of theirs was a game they played from time to time since Tristan became a vampire; they'll both choose a single prey and hunt it down in the fastest time. 

Tristan's eyes caught sight of the deer more than 100 meters away and a bloodthirsty grin marred his lips. He could feel it caressing the bloody tip of his fangs – a successful hunt. 

Seeing Tristan entering his zone, Malia dropped on all fours and used all her limbs to propel herself forward with greater speed, overtaking Tristan as they got nearer to their prey. 

Cursing the fact that it was daytime, he growled and pushed himself forward, tallying his speed with Malia as their prey got ever so closer. 

87 meters. 

79 meters. 

The deer whined as it used all its energy to propel its legs, not bothering to look back because it knew only death was assured should it make that mistake. Not that the it's current situation was any good. 

63 meters. 

51 meters. 

37 meters. 

Tristan's claws fleshed themselves out along with Malia's as they were a few steps to their prey. 

22 meters. 

11 meters. 

The deer whined fiercely as he felt that monsters eight behind it. 

RARGHHH! 

He lunged forward and sunk his claws and fangs into the sides and the nape of the deer, halting its movement with humanly impossible maneuvers as the ground to a stop. 

Malia slowed down and huffed as she saw Tristan winning the hunt and killing his prey. 

"Ahhh!" He dislodged himself from the deer with a bloody mouth and fierce blue eyes that painted a horrifying picture as he breathed in satisfaction. 

"Enjoyed your kill?" Malia pursed her lips in dissatisfaction as she was very close to winning that kill. 

"Very." Tristan replied as he picked himself up along with the deer. They never wasted food. Everything had its use, and Satomi had taught them how to properly utilize everything around them, including their food. 

"That puts the score at 129 : 114." Malia noted, still not satisfied even though she had the higher win count. 

She was moody because the last three hunts had ended in her loss, this one making it four. 

"C'mon, let's go. Lori and Brett should have arrived by now."

Tristan turned around only to find himself alone in the middle of the forest as Malia had left him and returned. 

"Talk about unfairness."

He wiped his mouth and began walking back to their house, sometimes breaking into sprints to reduce the long distance.

Hunting was a very therapeutic activity that they used to free their minds from stressful thoughts. Unfortunately, they lacked the time to indulge in it as they once did before they started Beacon Hills. 

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