Chapter 6-Tolu Hunters

I entered their little huddle next to Liza and Xavier. A black smoke swirled around us picking up speed rapidly. It felt like I was flying threw the air a hundred miles and hour. My hair was flailing around like crazy.

After a couple minutes the black smoke slowed down and slowly dispersed.. A smell I didn't recognize appeared as the smoke slowly vanished. The dirt I was standing on was replaced with a pearl white marble path.

As the smoke cleared completely. I looked out onto an unfamiliar place. . .No. More like an unfamiliar world. Their was little vegetation outside of fake plastic plants outside of some building. Which were vary obviously fake.

All the buildings look like they belong to the wealthiest families in the world. They had pearl white marble pillars or foundations. The building themselves were made out of the highest end material. Looking on as far as I could their seemed to be an endless amount of these buildings.

Around us, similar black clouds of smoke began to appear. Out of them walked all sorts of people. All the way from what looked like middle schoolers to full blown adults in their mid 40s. wearing regular street cloths.

" He's waiting for us." Xavier spoke. . . He?

We began walking, surrounded by these people, most of them had people like me and the armless girl. I could tell due to how much worse they looked compared to everyone else.

I began to notice some people wearing similar clothing. I had noticed multiple people wearing some sort of white robe, cloak, or cape. They were most likely the superiors, captains. They all looked the most experienced and. . .Gave of the feeling of strength.

We walked a couple more blocks down the white path surrounded by people heading for the same destination. For some reason, it was deathly quiet. I wanted to say and ask something but I was afraid to break some sort of role.

Suddenly, the girl missing an arm broke off into another direction down a separate path. I looked down the path to see were she was going. . . I finally found a building that didn't look like it was made out of high-quality material.

A building made out of cracked wood and simple stone sat at the end of the path. The pearl white path ended and turned into a dirt one. Then, all of the other carriers started heading that direction. I stopped and stared.

" That's were you'll be staying." Mina spoke in a sarcastic tone.

" No."

" Huh?" Liza spoke over Mina and walked up to me. Mina again looked at Liza disgustedly.

" He'll be staying in my house."

"Mina. You no the rules."

" Yea I do. If given permission carriers are aloud to stay in their users personal house." Mina clicked her tongue and began walking away. While I stood shocked at that last statement. . . Her house.

Liza gave me directions to her house before continuing with the group. I follow a path to the right of where we were originally at and took the next left. At the end of a long row of houses was a two story house with pillars out in front.

" It's like a palace." I said to myself as I walked in threw the front door. The inside had a similar layout to her house next to mine. A slick wooden floor and walls painted a cool red. The furniture is even similar to hers in the . . . Real world?

I sat around in the house for a couple hours watching T.V and looking out the windows into this seemingly new world. I heard the door creek open as someone entered. I walked over to the front door.

" Liza." The meeting must of finally finished.

" Cash. Glad you found your way."

" How was the meeting." Liza kicked off her shoes next to mine as she began to walk to the kitchen. I followed awaiting her response as I was curious at what the meeting was about.

" It was. . .Interesting."

" . . .In what ways."

Liza paused for a moment seemingly thinking about something. She tapped her hand against a counter in the kitchen before reaching up and opening a cabinet.

" There was talk on how to catch this S.S rank as expected." What was unexpected then. ". . . Their were also some interesting theories thrown around." Theories.

" Like what."

She took a long pause while searching threw the cabinet for something

" . . .Sorry. That's is intel I can not share with you."

" Oh. . .Okay." I guess that makes sense. I did just get here.

" I'm gonna make some food. Why don't you wait in their."

She punted into the dining room next to the kitchen. I had already been in their once in my initial exploration of the house. The table was a slick wood and the chairs cushions were made out of a fine fabric, it was like sitting in a restaurant

About an hour went by. It was now dark, although the lights outside made it kind of hard to tell. The smell from the kitchen was familiar, so familiar that I knew exactly what it was. Something my grandma made me a hole lot, so much that I was almost tiered of it.

" Lasagna." I called out to into the kitchen. I heard the kitchen utensils and all movement cease from the kitchen shortly after.

" How'd you know." Lizas head appeared from around the wall blocking of the view of the kitchen.

" Please. . .Did you forget Liza. I had this at least once a week when my grandma was alive."

" No, I didn't forget. That's actually why I made it." The making of lasagna continued as she went back behind the wall.

" Hm. . . Trying to bring back memories?"

" Of when we were kids. Yea I am." Her tone of voice was like she was proud of something.

". . .Why?"

" Because right now is like the old times. You staying my house an all. . . Except without my mom and dad around.. . ." 

I feel she could of left that last part out, but she wasn't wrong. The last time me in her stayed in the same place was 5th grade, before I went back to my own home. Surprisingly though, this doesn't feel much different than back then. 

When she first when she said we'd be staying together, I thought it would be super awkward, but thus far. It's felt just like when we were kids. Which is good, because if that's how I feel than Liza probably feels the same right. . . I wouldn't want her to be uncomfortable.

She finished the food and we sat and ate. Just like when we were kids. We talked about nonsense that had no real meaning. . .Though I did ask about her parents and my friends, about what will happen with them. It would be weird for them not to worry after their best friend goes missing.

She told me that they'd be placed under vary secure contract, and payed big money to keep our identities a secrets. This cleared up one of my major questions, but I still had one more.

" What's the deal with Mina." Liza paused in her chair seemingly caught off guard by my question.

" What do you mean?"

" The way she treats that girl."

" Kala." So that's her name. I never did ask huh.

" Yea Kala. Mina doesn't seem to like her to much, even though she is like required for Mina to hunt Tolu." Liza took a sip from her water cup before answering. 

" Mina has been trying to reach A rank Tolu Hunter for over two years."

" What is she now."

" B rank." That doesn't seem so bad.

". . .Mina has a problem. . . She can never except when she messed up or did something or said something wrong. It's always someone else's fault."

During the battle today I saw plenty of evidence of that. Multiple times she messed up and blamed someone else. . .Seems a bit selfish for a Tolu hunter who has to work in teams to take on higher rank Tolu. Especially if a brank like her got put down buy an A rank

.

" Mina." Liza continued after another sip of water. " Takes out a lot of that on Kala."

" Hence her missing arms."

" Huh.. . So you figured it out." It wasn't to hard.

" If the blade breaks then that body part is gone for good. Yea."

" Mina pushes her weapons way to far. Which I'm sure you could tell causes Kala much pain." Lizas eyes were raveling just how bad she felt for Kala. I'm sure she's tried to stop Mina plenty of times. Like today.

The dinner was quiet from that point onward. The talk about Kala seemed to sour the mood. We both finished and put our dishes in the dish washer without a word. Liza showed me to the guest room, which was nicer than any hotel room I had ever been in. . .A king sized bed all for me.

AS she was about to walk out I decided to say something. Something I felt like she should hear.

" Liza." 

" Huh. What now?" I caught her with the door half closed.

I flexed my arm and spoke. " My bodies tough. So push it as far as you need to."

At first she was shocked, then she burst out into laughter which kinda hurt my feeling. I thought it was a pretty cool thing to say.

" Okay what ever you say. . .If you think you can take it."

She closed the door still laughing. I heard her chuckle all the way down to her room. I sat on the bed a couple minutes thinking about how quickly my life had changed, and thought about Nick and Jack, seeing as I might not get to see them again.

Without changing I laid on the bed and closed my eyes. I felt myself slowly drift off until I couldn't see or think anything.