Nephilim (Academy of the Fallen #2) (6 page)

ELEVEN

I had trouble going to sleep.  Once I did, I woke up shortly after only to drift back asleep again.  This time I had a nightmare.  Benjamin stood inside the Academy.  Once he saw me, his lips curled into a grin that gave me chills.  He started to approach me and I was so afraid that I couldn’t even move at all.  I just stood there, frozen.  He suddenly stopped and looked to his side.  I followed his gaze to see Hunter.  Benjamin shook his head and started laughing. 

That was when I woke up, but it was as if I could still hear his laughter.

I instantly knew that Hunter was in my room.  I could feel him, and he was likely the reason why I woke up so shortly after the nightmare started.  I didn’t let him know that I was aware of his presence and he kept to himself.

Morning came and I didn’t even get out of bed.  Within minutes, one of what I called the ‘Academy’s walking monitors’ came knocking on my door.  I said I didn’t feel good and she left me alone.

Early afternoon, time came when I knew that Ethan would be out of class.  I knew I had to tell him… he deserved to know.

I couldn’t find him anywhere, which led me to believe that he was either in his dorm, or in the abandoned classroom we were just at the day before.

Sure enough, that was where I found him.  He was sitting on the floor, head back, eyes closed.

“I don’t usually have company in here,” he said.

“Do you want me to leave?” I asked.

He opened his eyes.  “No, you can stay.”

I sat down on the floor across from him.

“So, what is going on?” he asked.

I didn’t even know where to start.

“Is it about Hunter?”

I nodded.

I started babbling, “There are things that only he knows…”

“I’m not surprised.  I know that he is keeping things from me.  I thought it was a trust issue at first, which probably still exists, but mostly… I think he does things his way to protect you.”

“So, you don’t mind him keeping things from you?  You are still willing to help regardless?”

“I have to get out of here, Kayla.  I will take whatever help I can get.”

“I just wish he would be up front about everything.”

“Kayla, sometimes it is best not knowing.  Whatever this is about, he has his reasons.  You should trust those reasons.”

I took a deep breath and just sat there.

I actually felt like I could trust him.  Either that or I felt like I owed him something for keeping the answer to what he was looking for the most.

“Has Hunter told you what I am?”

He shook his head.  “No, but I can tell you are different.  I’ve heard others wonder about you before, but they seem to get easily distracted by other things.“

I laughed.  “Glad I’m not interesting enough to hold their attention.”

“Most are self-centered.  Don’t take it personally.”

I must have looked nervous because he said, “You don’t have to tell me what you are, Kayla.  Hunter would have told me if I needed to know.”

“You do trust him, don’t you?” I asked.

“More than my kind, that is for sure.”

“Ethan… What are you going to do if Chase can’t find Jennifer, or even if she is no longer alive?”

“Honestly, I doubt he hasn’t found her.  If it is true that he hasn’t, it means only one thing… that she didn’t make it.”

“How do you know?”

Ethan looked up at me.  “That is what Hunter is keeping from me, isn’t it?”

I nodded and couldn’t stop tears from running down my face.

“I understand if you don’t want to help us anymore.  I wish he had told you.”

“Kayla, I knew what it meant the minute he said he couldn’t find her.  The reason why I wanted to know whether she is alive or not, is so I know where to look for her when I get out of here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if she didn’t make it, there are only two options… she is either in the Otherworld, or she is one of the good ones… an Angel.  You know, it feels weird to even say that word with so many being fallen.  I don’t hear or get to say that term alone often.”

“Could she be one of the fallen or maybe have reincarnated?  That is… if that even happens.”

“Reincarnation?  Not a chance.  With the increase in the number of fallen ones, that doesn’t happen anymore.  They keep trying to rebuild the population of good ones.  As far as being one of the fallen,” he shook his head, “that would never happen to her.  If you had known her, seen the extent she went to hide her pain and fears from her family… she put everyone before her.  Those are qualities we don’t see anymore… even among my kind.”

“So, Otherworld or Angel?  That means we can still find her, right?”

He nodded.  “It will be a tough journey, but I will never stop looking for her.”

“I want to help you,” I said.

“I thought you would… and that just confirms what I suspected about you.  There is barely any hope for my kind, but as a Nephilim, I can see the goodness in you.  You never had to give up your free will or love… the good in you is pure, not full of hate for being cast out as a fallen.”

***

Ethan promised not to tell anyone about me being a Nephilim, and I didn’t think he would anyway.  I ended up spending a lot of time hanging out with him and Kim after that day.  He managed to get assigned as Kim’s fallen.  It surprised me how lucky we got.  Kim’s roommate had a set back.  We couldn’t find out the details, but Ethan was the only one without an assignment, so he was assigned to Kim on a temporary basis.  In theory, the fallen roomed with their ‘assignment’, but there was an exception made in this case.  Either way, we were glad.  It just made it easier for us to be seen with Kim without raising any questions. 

Hunter, for the most part, passed the planning messages along through Ethan.  I wasn’t ready to talk to him and I made that clear, but I knew that he was there at night, watching over me… making sure I somehow woke up from those nightmares.  Yes, I did feel bad, but I needed time to get over him keeping something so important away from Ethan who was doing everything he could to help us.

Today, everyone in the Academy was supposed to be at the auditorium for a briefing on something.  No one was sure what.  We had an hour break before this briefing, so Ethan, Kim and I were sitting outside, mostly because there was nothing else to do.  That was when I saw Ember and Hunter.  She was leaning in close to him.  Whenever she said something, he laughed as if it was actually interesting and amusing, and I just stared like a dumb ass.

“Don’t,” Ethan said.

“Don’t what?” I asked without taking my eyes away from Hunter.

“Don’t assume things,” he whispered.  “Ember made some strange comments to him the other day about someone who tried to get out of the Academy once.  He is just being friendly to make sure she is not up to something and that she knows nothing that she doesn’t need to know.”

“Whatever, he can do whatever he wants.”

“Are you still mad about him not telling me about Jennifer?”

I nodded.  “I don’t know how you are not.”

“I told you, he is trying to protect you.  I would have done the same for her.”

Kim was sitting there, just staring at the both of us.  “Ethan is right.  Hunter is risking a lot for you.  There is just no way he doesn’t care about you.”

“Can I ask you a question about the Otherworld?” I asked.

Kim seemed surprised.

“Sure…”

“You learn a lot about the Otherworld in your classes, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it possible that the communication between someone in the Otherworld for a limited time and someone here is… an illusion?”

“You mean, if you were there and someone, let’s say… Hunter was here, and he told you something…  You want to know if that could have been something you imagined?  Like… let’s say… if he told you he thought he was in love with you?”

I sat there with my mouth open.  “How do you—“

Ethan smiled.  “She is the strongest haunted for a reason.”

Kim blushed.  “When I kicked that spirit out… the one that was not yours… well, when you came back I had access to your memories.  That was one of the strongest ones.”

“So, was I imagining things?”

“Oh, no.  Like I said, that was a memory.  A very real one!”

“I don’t understand why he won’t say it again.”

Kim, only twelve, was proving to be the smartest person I knew.  “Sometimes, actions speak louder than words.  Give him a chance.”

Ethan nodded.  “I don’t want to sound mean, but did you ever think that maybe he is afraid to say something because you push him away every time you don’t approve of something?”

I looked back at Hunter and Ember, and this time I noticed how uncomfortable he was… like he was trying desperately to find a way out of talking to her.  Funny how perception works…

“Fine, I will give him a chance.  Now Ethan, would you please go and rescue him away from Ember?”

“My pleasure,” he said.

Kim smiled as he walked away.

“What?” I asked her.

She shrugged.  “Just glad you made the right choice.  You are stronger when you are together.  We will need that.”

“Ookay… so, let’s talk about my memories.  Does that mean you now know everything about me?  Not sure I like that.”

“Don’t worry, my mind could only process so much.  As I said, that was your strongest memory.”

I was fine leaving it at that.  The less I thought she knew about me, the better… even if I was wrong.

“Please don’t tell Hunter I know…”

Kim actually rolled her eyes at me.  “As you wish.”

Looking back at Ethan and Hunter, they were both now trapped with Ember and Charlotte.
  Luckily, soon came the time to go into the auditorium, and they were finally able to get away from them.

I was not sure how much Ethan told Hunter, but Hunter smiled as soon as he met my gaze. 

***

Part of our plan was to keep a low profile in front of others, so we pretty much just acted as friends.

Hunter did sit next to me, with Kim on my other side, and then Ethan. 

Daniels was the one speaking at the briefing.  It was still weird to think of him as my father.  I tried not to talk to him much, but that was nearly impossible. 

Daniels stood in front of everyone, haunted and fallen… and Hunter and I, who didn’t exactly fall into either category.

“Good afternoon, everyone.  This is a very unusual briefing, but very crucial.  The news that you will hear today will be difficult to process, but we have decided that it is in the best interest of everyone involved if all of you are aware of what will be happening here.”

Everyone stared, anxious to hear this news.

I was tense, until I felt Hunter’s hand on mine.  I know Kim noticed, because she was smiling like a fool.

Daniels continued.

“There has been some demonic activity out there, involving an incubus.”

I felt ice cold.

“There was a human compromised, she is expecting a child, and in order to protect both her and the child, we have brought her into the Academy.”

“Ashley,” I whispered under my breath.

“She will not be attending any classes, but we cannot keep her in her room the entire time.  Please remember that she does not know anything about the Academy.  Her new roommate, Ember, has already been instructed on how to deal with her questions and she will be with her at all times.”

My grip tightened around Hunter’s.  He squeezed my hand back.

No one had a single question.  After we were dismissed, everyone went to do their own thing.

“Are you going to be okay?” asked Hunter as soon as we were outside.

I nodded.

Daniels came after us calling our names.

“Kayla, Hunter, I would like to see you in my offi
ce.”

TWELVE

Mr. Daniels’ office was cold as usual.  Hunter and I sat across from him.

“As you may have already assumed,” he said.  “The human coming to the Academy is your friend Ashley.”

“She is not my friend,” I snapped.  “Hasn’t been for a long time.”

“Well, friend or not, I believe that it will be good for her to spend some time with people that she already knows, and by that I mean the both of you.”

“So, you want us to babysit her so she won’t figure out what this place really is?”

Daniels took a deep breath, as if to calm down.  “I guess you could put it that way.”

“Fine, you let me call my mom and dad and I will spend time with Ashley.”

“I’m not responding to threats anymore, Kayla.  I’m sorry for what has happened to you, but I can’t allow you to put me in that position again.”

“You can’t force me to spend time with her if I don’t want to.”

Daniels sighed.  “Well, if you want the privilege of not having a roommate, I think you should reconsider it.”

Furious, I got up and started to walk out.

“Kayla,” Daniels called.  “You may keep writing to your parents if you wish.”

“How do I know they are even getting my letters?!”

Daniels picked up an envelope from the table and handed it to me.

I looked to see my name, written in Kelly’s handwriting.  I grabbed the envelope and practically ran.

***

I was sitting in my room for a while, just staring at the envelope, when Hunter appeared.  He was holding a sandwich bag. 

“You really need to stop forgetting when dinner is.  You know they have strict rules.”

I shrugged.

He came to sit next to me.  “Are you okay?” he asked.

I didn’t say anything.

“Did you read it yet?”

I shook my head.  “What if it doesn’t bother them that I am gone?”

“Of course it does, Kayla.  I met them before.  Do you remember when Andrew caught us kissing?  If that is not a concerned parent, I don’t know what is.”

I took a deep breath and opened the letter.

Kelly went on and on about how much she and Andrew missed me.  She mentioned how sometimes she couldn’t understand how she allowed me to be so far away from them, but that the ‘doctors’ kept reminding her about how that is important to my improvement and how much progress I was already making.  She had been told that they soon would be able to talk to me on the phone, and she could not wait.

She also talked a bit about my baby sister, Carolyn… about how she could not wait for me to meet her.

I knew that the Academy was doing something to make her believe all of those lies, but I couldn’t tell that to Kelly because I was sure they were reading all of my letters.  That would explain why out of all of those letters I wrote, I just now got a reply.  Clearly, my last letter, the one that was all secretive about this place, was the only one that Kelly and Andrew received.

I was all teary eyed by the time I finished reading the letter.

“I’m going to get you home,” said Hunter.

I nodded.

“What about this Ashley thing?  I do want to know if she is okay, I just don’t want the daily reminder that it is Benjamin’s kid that she is carrying.”

“You are right.  I don’t want you to have to go through that.”

“Yes, but Daniels wants—“

“Just ignore what he said, Kayla.”

“Hunter, I do not want a roommate.  If I have to choose between hanging around Ashley or having a roommate, I will hang out with her.”

Hunter put his hand on my shoulder.  “Look, just let things calm down.  I stayed after you left and Daniels does want to see how she adjusts on her own at first… without seeing us at all.  If that is a problem, then we would come into play.  He just thinks that if there are problems with her adjusting, seeing familiar faces might help.”

“…And then what?”

“We will be gone by then,” he said.

“What do you mean?  I thought we still had to figure out how to safely break the wards so that we can leave and no one can come in… that is going to take some time.”

“There have been improvements in our plans.  Eat your dinner and I will tell you about it.  Just know that with Ashley here and so close to having that baby, well… Benjamin will be trying harder to get into the Academy, and I’m getting you out of here before that happens.”

“What if he comes after me when we leave?” I asked.

Then, I guess you just answered one of the things I have been contemplating.

“Huh?”

“Kim… she will make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Hunter wouldn’t tell me anything else until I finished eating, but then, the lights went out, and he insisted I needed rest.  He said that he was tired too, but he would tell me the entire plan in the morning.

When Hunter got up to leave… even though I knew he wouldn’t really be gone, I stopped him.

“Stay,” I said.  “I know you have been staying here one way or another anyway.”

“You do?” he asked.

I nodded.

“I can sleep on the other bed,” he said.  Even though I didn’t have a roommate, Daniels left everything setup to make everyone believe that sooner or later I would get one.

“Please don’t,” I said.  “The nightmares are getting worse…”

I didn’t have to finish what I was saying.  Hunter pulled me into a hug, and then lay down on the bed, pulling me down with him.

“Do you think the nightmares will ever go away?” I asked.

“Probably, but… call me selfish, but then you won’t need me anymore, so I’m not sure that would be a good thing.  Not for me, anyway.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“Come on, Kayla.  If it wasn’t for that, I would probably be sleeping on the other bed, or maybe even in another room.”

“I doubt that is the case,” I said.

“I would hope not.”

We lay there for a while, just holding each other.

“Hunter?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you risking so much for me?”

“You know I hate this place Kayla… besides I got you in here.  I owe it to you to get you out”

“Oh.”

He pulled away and I could barely make out the outline of his face and body in the dark.

“Were you expecting a different answer?” he asked.

“N-No,” I said with my voice breaking.

“I told you from the beginning, Kayla.  This trust thing goes both ways.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.  It probably made it easier for me to talk to him like that, with it being so dark… Not being able to see his expression.

“I remember something from when I was in the Otherworld,” I said.

Hunter moved his body as if he was going to get up, but he didn’t.  “Are you sure you want to talk about anything related to that place?”

I knew I would never get the courage to say this again.

“I’m sure.  You see, Kim said memories from the Otherworld are true memories, and I have this one memory that I wish I knew whether it was a true memory or my imagination… although Kim assured me it is a true memory…”

“You are babbling, Kayla.”

“I know.  Ugh, just… never mind.  I was probably imagining it.”

Hunter lay back down with his arms around me.

I had just fallen asleep when I heard his voice.

“Kayla,” Hunter whispered.

“What?”

He hesitated.  “If the memory you were talking about was of me begging you to come back to me because I thought I was in love with you… well, it is a true memory.”

“Do you mean you ‘thought’ you were as in, not anymore?” I asked.

“You are so difficult sometimes… Yes, I do mean I thought I was.”

“Oh,” I started to move away.

“Kayla, I didn’t mean it like that.  It is a done deal… back then I thought I was… now I am sure.  Even if you are so damn difficult most of the time.”

Hunter pulled me closer and kissed me.  When his lips moved away from mine, it was just long enough for him to say what I wanted to hear.  “I love you, Kayla,” then he went back to kissing me.