CHAPTER FOUR

Memere takes one look at my bruised eye and places a light kiss over it. Like many strong women, she can be either sweet or salty. She sets the green beans down in front of me. Pepere starts to eat while he simultaneously works to clean his knives.

"Leo, you know the rules no weapons at the dinner table," Memere chides, as she takes her seat on the other side of the table. He sighs, and reluctantly places the knives back in their box, "Yes, Dear." Memere prefers guns, and if people aren't careful, they may accidentally sit on one since she keeps them hidden all over the house. You know, just in case.

I grin, my Pepere is a scary guy, but a specific tone from Memere can scare even the most horrid creatures. I take a bit of the mashed potatoes, and my tastebuds spark; she always does make the best potatoes.

"So Henrietta, how was your week? Did anything interesting happen? Why don't you tell us about that bruise you've got?" She looks at me contently, careful not to show any emotion. I groan at the mention of my legal name. She's the only person who refuses to call me Gemma. Technically, my full name is Henrietta Gemini Knightly, but Gemma is better than Henrietta. Even Pepere follows my wishes and calls me Gemma, but Memere, nope, she's too stubborn. I push around my green beans and let out a sigh, "Just a girl from school. She sucker-punched me right as Professor Dayton ended a match. Before you even ask, I've decided to let it go."

She smiles lightly, "That's very level-headed of you but you know our family's motto is someone hurts you, make them bleed. Back in my day, I probably would have waited for her after class and carved out one of her eyes."

"Arline, no!" Pepere looks at her wide-eyed. "What? She deserves it for being a soul-sucking viper."

Pepere shakes his head, "True, but I would have just killed her right then and there." She sighs, "Gemma, at least make sure you're on alert next time. You always need to be ready, you never know who your real enemies are until they strike." She is the protective one, who constantly worries about my well-being. With her daughter-in-law and one son dead and the other needs full-time care, I think she's always afraid that she will lose me. No parent should ever have to outlive their child. "Are we going to see Uncle Jonas tomorrow?" Time to change the subject. Pepere smiles and gives me a mischievous grin, "Of course, I have a new set of knives I want to show him."

"Leo, you know as well as I do that the nurses do not want you to bring a knife into Whiteshore," Memere scolds. I watch them bicker back and forth. Without this, it just wouldn't feel like home.

After dinner, I go to the backyard for some target practice. I'm great with a bow, just a modern-day Katniss. It's my weapon of choice. At the campus, they prefer us to train with stakes until graduation. Where we will be initiated into The Eye. The initiation is when those who decide to become hunters make the oath and receive the hunter's crest. Those who choose not to go back to the mundane. Though few ever do choose that path.

The hunter's crest is a brand of an infinity symbol. It signifies our duty to protect the innocent from the world's evil, always and forever. I aim arrow after arrow. They fly through the air and hit the center of the target. It has become a reflex after all these years of practice.

The back of my neck prickles. The feel of someone's eyes on me. I turn sharply. Pepere smiles as he stands at the back door. He sits down on the patio and watches me. I fire a few more arrows. "Still got it," he comments "Yeah, one of my few talents."

"Now I know that's not true," he holds out a bottle of water. I swipe it and take a few sips. "So tell me, old man, what's new." The corners of his mouth turn upright as he lets out a sigh, "You just make me think of your dad when he was your age. Always out here, every day he tried to challenge himself. You remind me of him." I take in his soft features and the look of sadness in his eyes. "Tell me something good about him." He laughs and moves down to sit on the steps. "He liked tapioca."

"Ah, the Grandmother of desserts."