Chapter 6

B: As Jess lay dreaming in the man's bed who was about to change her life, she heard movement but ignored it and stayed in her little dream she was in. She felt eyes on her, but she figured it was someone in her dream. As she dreamed her mind turned dark and she was in the cellar with her brother, on the day her parents were killed. She knew Blane would be there soon, so her body relaxed. As she dreamed, she heard Isaac's voice but ignored it. Blane had gone on a mission several weeks ago and she really missed him. The door slowly opened, Jess rose to greet Blane but was face to face with the werewolf.

She wanted to scream but her body would not let her. This was it. She was going to finally be killed by the same monster that killed her mom and dad. As she awaited her death, she closed her eyes. She whispered, "Bring it on." Next thing she heard was a yelp of pain. Her eyes shot open and Seth has a small dagger in his hand, and he had driven it into the werewolf's shoulder. She staggered back and her back hit the wall. She closed her eyes to avoid seeing what would happen. She heard and growl and a sickening snapping sound.

She opened her eyes slowly and the wolf had her brother by the throat. He hung limp in his mouth. She screamed out, tears streaming down her face. She reached for something to throw at it and found a small throwing knife. She grabbed it and then aimed for the wolf and chucked it with all her might. It hit the wolf and he let out a yelp, dropping her brother's lifeless body to the ground. She closed her eyes for a second and when she opened then there was nothing but pain and hatred in her eyes. She looked to her left and grabbed her mother's special whip and filched it once.

She smiled evilly and whipped the metal rope at the wolf and hit it in the neck. She heard him yelp then growl. She waited, the wolf growled again, and she whipped the rope at him again and hit his face. He went to lunge at her, but she rolled out of the way, grabbing a small sword her and Seth used to practice sometimes. She swung it at wolf, and she heard the blade slicing through its skin and she cringed. She swung again and heard a yelp and a thud. She looked at the wolf as he struggled on the ground.

"Never mess with a girl's family." she said crudely and jabbed the knife through his chest. The world around her fluttered into darkness and she shot up in bed. 'WHAT THE HELL!" She gasped for air. She had never had a dream like that. She knew she wanted revenge on that damned wolf but never dreamed of it. Her eyes scanned the room and they found Isaac and she looked at him with fear but not of her dream, but of why she had it.

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I: Isaac didn't mean to torture her so badly, but it was a form of training that his father forced him to go through when he was only a kid. Remembering the night his grandfather died, and it took Isaac months to escape. Every night he would have the same dream, wake up screaming and horrified. However, his father never told him why he had so many nightmares, he simply forced him to go through it over and over, until Isaac saw why there was a need for Shadow Hunters. Until Isaac was no longer afraid.

As she screamed a gasped for air, he tossed her a cold-water bottle. "When I was about five years old, a vampire came to my home. Being with my father and mother for so many years, they had shared with me what Shadow Hunting was, and vowed to teach me how to become a very good fighter. My grandfather who was pretty well known at the Institute, came to visit us, and he told my brother and I stories of his travels around the world, killing demons in places no one knew existed. He taught us that it was more than a duty to protect the mundanes, it was our calling."

He sat beside her on the bed and spoke softly. "That night, I awoke to my mother carrying me in her arms, running from our home and into the nearby forest. My father was beside us, holding my younger brother and leading us to a storm unit underground. My father helped us inside and he closed it behind us and went back to fight. That night was devastating for me, because I did not know what happened. When my father did not return, my mother feared the worst, and she prepared her weapons and left me in charge of protecting my brother. She told me it was time for me to be a man and do what needed to be done."

Isaac seemed pained as he continued to speak. "I was scared to be in charge, but I did not move from that spot. I held my brother and waited. When morning came, my father and my mother found me and my brother, and they silently packed our things into the car to move away. Going to live with Mundanes was a bad habit of my parents, and each time they did so, they regretted it greatly. I asked where my grandfather was, and my mother told me that he had died because of "selfishness". I understand now what she meant, my grandfather so badly wanted to be with his family, that he blended with the mundanes to visit with us, to care for us even though he was true to his calling. If my parents had remained Shadow Hunters and not fallen into the realm of the mundanes, then my grandfather would still be alive. That night, we went to a hotel and my father and mother left my brother and I inside to get some dinner. They were only gone for half a second, before I could smell blood and hear the gurgling of it. I stood and went to the hotel restroom and opened the door, and my grandfather was in the tub, bleeding and crying out to me. The vampire was there, smiling at me, and he sliced his nails across my grandfather's neck to kill him. I watched my grandfather perish, and the vampire leaned down to me and told me something I would never forget. "Tell your parents, they can never hide." is what he said. he left me that night, terrified and frightened."

Isaac took a deep breath. "When I got older, and it was time for me to go to the Institute, I told my father that my decision was not to become a shadow Hunter. I wanted to remain in the mundane world, and let the Hunters fight their own battles alone. My father told me that he had done that before me, resulted to hiding in the mundane world and it caused his father to die for it. he said that if I didn't stand up and fight, no one else would want to. It was a domino effect. If I became afraid of hunting, everyone would and eventually the demons would win. I told my father it was my decision and that he would not want me anyway, I was weak and afraid."

Isaac then turned to face Jess and his voice softened. "That's when the dreams began. Every night I was in that hotel, and every night the vampire sliced my grandfather's throat. Over and over I watched it, and it haunted me so savagely that I eventually refused to sleep. I was battling it every night, and every night the vampire won and beat me further and further into depression and pain. Until one night, I just had enough. When it killed my grandfather, I simply went insane, and I lunged at it and overcame my fear. I realized my father was right. If I give up, everyone will give up. More grandfathers would die, and more children would suffer the same as I did. I could not let that happen to anyone else. When I slaughtered it, the vampire turned to smoke, and I awoke with my father watching me. He handed me my Stele, he told me he loved me, and from that moment forward I have been a true Shadow Hunter. I have never failed a mission. Not once, until now."

Isaac sighed and softly took her hand into his own. "I had to be sure you were a fighter on the inside Jess, and you are. You have proven that you can do this. Fight with me a little longer. Hunt beside me and I promise that I will protect you. And...when this is all over, and you and I have down our part. We will find a way to go to the mundane world and enjoy of it the things we both love the most. I will take you there myself. But the trick is, you can't forget what you really are. I am sorry I put you through that. But you had to learn, just like I did. You're ready to fight now."

He stood and gently took her by the arms and pulled her to her feet. Isaac looked down into her eyes, and for the first time he saw true beauty in her. She was not weak as he had thought before, and he should have given her the benefit of the doubt rather than believed the rumors. "I'm sorry for hurting you Jess." He apologized thoughtfully and allowed the silence to sit between them like a wall. He softly put his arms at her waist and pulled her to his body and rested his head on hers and hugged her. "You did really good." He released a soft chuckle and looked into her eyes again. But before he could stop himself, he brought his lips down to hers and softly kissed her.