Chapter the first

I woke up much later than normal, the light shinning through the trees confused me at first. Normally i am awake before the sun, why did i sleep so late? i think to myself and i stretch and try to stand. Pain shoots through my whole body, and last night comes back to me in flashes with the searing pain.

Since my father was a vampire it shouldn't be possible for me to bruise like this. I shouldn't have to live in pain like this, and not for the first time i am filled with hate for my mother. If she had been a vampire i would be a normal vampire also, or is she had been a werewolf or a fae i would be more powerful than all of them combined. Even if she had been human i would not have to live with being hated by my people, human/vampire halflings could pass as human and live normal lives. But my mother was a witch, a very powerful one. She was 3rd in command of her coven, my father was high up in the vampire command, but i didn't know who he was. All i knew of him was that he and my mother had a one night stand while he was visiting our island with a group of dignitaries and ambassadors.

As far as i know he never returned, or if he did my mother never told me.

She loved me, but when i turned 12 she and the rest of the coven expected me to come into my powers. Every witch receives his or her powers at that age. When my 12th birthday came and passed and i showed no signs of having powers the coven wasnted me sent to my father, to 'live among my own people'. I refused to go, and rather than fight with them, i ran away. I have been living alone in the woods for the last 5 years. The coven has been hunting me all this time. Most assume that i am dead, and thats why they can't find me, they think i was eaten by wild animals, so there was nothing left to find. What they don't know is that i came into my powers at the age of 7, and i have been masking my powers and aura from them ever since. I was afraid that if they knew how powerful my magic was they would force me to join the army and fight the humans. At the tender age of 7.

I remember reading every book my mother had on witch craft. My body may be weak, but my powers are more than my mothers whole coven combined. All witches have the ability to cast spells verbally, and most have at 1 maybe 2 extra gifts. Like visions of the future, controling one of the 4 elements, reading minds, becoming invisible, and so on. My talent is Wind, i can cause a light breeze or a tornado, i can even make a hurricane if i am on the water. I can also cast spells without speaking, i have not tested this one much because if my mother found out i had this power she would have me put to death. She and the coven would see me as too dangerous to be aloud. Sometimes i think moving to my fathers island would have been the smarter thing. But the witches had assumed that since i wasn't a witch (that they knew of) that i must be a vampire, but i wont know for sure until i am 21. The vampires would have hated me just as much as the witches do just because i am a hybrid witch/vampire.

I suddenly snap out of my spiral of self loathing when my feet land on something cold and wet. I look around and realize i had been too lost in thought to notice that i walked to the creek near my camp. I stripped off my loose deer skin dress and slip into the cool water. I bathe myself, washing away the blood and dirt stuck to my hair and skin. Once I'm clean i lay back and float for a few minutes, willing the water to heal me. Most of my wounds are gone when i leave the water, remembering how i got them i shivered.

I was asleep on a tree branch about 30 feet off the ground, when a group of rouge werewolves dragged me from the tree, throwing me to the ground. I froze, i had not been close enough to another person to touch them in year. I tried to find my voice to ask what they wanted. But then the 3 men circled around me, slowly stripping as they stared at me, licking their lips laughing. I knew what was coming, i had heard about rouge werewolves, they where going to rape me. Tears formed in my eyes, i wanted to beg them not to, i wanted use my powers but for some reason i couldn't move, a voice in my head told me i should watch what was going to happen next. Once naked they kept their backs to me, and quickly shifted into their wolf forms. I was very confused and worried, where they going to rape me in wolf form? But then 30 coven witches appeared surrounding us, they moved swiftly through the trees. And as they did i found my voice and finally stood up. I warned Natalie, the coven leader, "Leave now if you wish to leave alive" i had said. She cackled and the largest of the wolves looked at me with his head cocked to the right, as if trying to understand why i would threaten someone clearly more powerful than i. "Wolves, the child is ours, this is not your fight. Refurn to your alpha where you belong." The largest wolf spoke " I am the alpha. I was asked my Valentino to retrieve his child now that she is of age. That was the deal. You all got to raise the child as a witch until she because of age and then she was to join her father. You failed her by keeping so much from her, and banishing her to the jungle. Be thankful i am not here to punish you, if it was up to me i would indeed punish you for all the harm she has come to." I was angry and confused. My father wanted to see me? The only reason he stayed away was some deal? How could my mother keep this from me? "Valentino?" i said and i smiled at the sound of his name. "Bethanne," my mother began "i think its time you came home." The 2 smaller grey wolves growled and the larger black wolf spoke again "we all know you intend to kill her, why else come in such force?" I quickly looked at my mother, "My name is Hope, i changed it the day i left home, because hope for a peaceful life was all i had left" reading her thoughts and those around her i could see he was right. The fact that i was alive convinced most of them that i was a vampire, how else could i survive out here alone? But some seemed Shocked that my name was Hope, i didnt understand that and choose to ignore it. I slowly raised my hands up to my shoulders, extending my arms out i started to spin causing wind to whip out around the witches, knocking most of them down, only those still under the tress remained standing. Everyone looked at me shocked, i had only used a small amount of wind, making them think i was week. And then the fight broke out. The fight itself was largely a blur, i remember the wolves trying to protect me. I remember spells throwing me against trees now and then. I had used the full force of my power, i killed the coven leader, and the second, but i left my mother alive. By the time it was all over the 10 living coven members had run for their lives, the wolves had started dragging the bodies away, and i passed out. Looking back, it was the most power i had ever used at one time, maybe i should start practicing using more and more, building my endurance.

I returned to the small clearing, wondering where the wolves had gone off to. As if on cue, they came walking imto the small clearing, one had a deer draped over his shoulders, i think he had called himself the alpha last night. The other 2 where each holding one end of a tee shirt, they had filled it with berries. "Hey, you know those are poisonous berries, right?" I ask as they approach me. "What? Aw man! Are you sure? I thought they where honey berries.. I'm Tod by the way" Tod said with a sad look in his eye. "Yes, im sure. See, these have 3 red dots near where the stem was attached. That means they are Billowing Berries, they will make me sick, but they are deadly to you. They are full of wolvesbane." I tell them. They both look impressed, but the alpha is keeping his back to me while carving the deer. "I'm Hope" i say while shaking Tod's hand before turning to his friend. "James" he says while reachimg for my hand, letting the tee shirt and berries fall to the ground.

"Listen, how about you two go find us some more fire wood, don't pull anything off the trees, just what you find on the ground while I start a fire using what we have her?" I ask James abd Tod. They nod eagerly and rush off to find more wood. I have a roaring fire going in a matter of 30 seconds, i could feel the alpha watching me the whole time, i think he expected me to use magic, but i didn't, i used moss and a lighter. I ask him his name, but says to just call him Alpha, everyone does. Once the boys return we cook up the deer they killed, and some vegetables and rice that i had. The meal was delicious and we eat mostly in silence, until i finally got up the nerve to ask "Alpha... what you said last night... about m...my...uh um.." *sigh* "Does my father really want to see me?" James and Tod suddenly have huge smiles, as they look over at Alpha. After a pause that seemed to go on forever Alpha finally speaks "Yes. We have a lot to talk about..."