Hunter - Age 17 - Early Spring

“I would like to leave.” Zekaj said in his head.

"School is almost over dude, just wait." Hunter replied in his head, writing the number twenty-three in his work. The class was doing practice problems by themselves, except for Hunter of course.

"It's twenty-seven." Zekaj corrected him. Zekaj was pretty smart and has corrected Hunter’s homework multiple times, it wasn’t like he had anything better to do. Hunter never considered it cheating, he was just using his resources.

“Thanks,” he said to Zekaj. His grades had skyrocketed with the help of Zekaj over the years. That was only an added bonus though.

Just then the bell signaling the end of the school day had rung and students began packing up their stuff. Hunter put his homework into his binder and neatly stacked everything else on top of it. As everyone got up to leave, the teacher spoke.

“Have that assignment done next week and don’t forget we have a quiz next Tuesday!” Kids began filing out of the classroom, as she spoke again hoping to gain at least someone's attention. “Have a great weekend!”

Hunter stood idly by at his desk waiting for the mob of kids to leave the room. They all were excited for the weekend. Hunter wasn’t as much, all he was going to do was sit around in his room with Zekaj. Maybe they’d think of something else to do.

“Movies?” Zekaj asked. “I can’t think of anything else.”

“On Netflix or in a theater?” Hunter replied.

“Check Netflix fir-” Zekaj paused when they both noticed his teacher was leaning to the side of her desk and looking at him in the corner of his vision.

“Hunter are you alright?” She asked. Hunter didn’t realize he was just standing there, staring blankly at the door. Everyone had left the classroom except her and him.

“Uh um, yeah, Mrs. Smith. Spaced out.” He laughed, awkwardly rubbing the side of his neck. “Have a great weekend!”

“You too, Hunter.” She replied as he made his way out of the classroom. He only needed to stop at his locker and grab his bookbag and drive home. He had the car for the day since his sister was hanging out with some of her friends after school.

The hallway was empty due to everyone rushing to leave. He got to his dark blue locker and unlocked it. It was empty besides his bookbag, the occasional loose paper and a water bottle. He stuffed everything back in his book bag, grabbing his keys from the side pocket.

He was sad to admit that he had many awkward moments like that since Zekaj has been in his mind. He always found himself staring off into space, talking to Zekaj. Like right now.

“Oh Hunter!” He heard AJ speak behind him in a singsong voice. Hunter turned around and saw him with his betas.

“The 3 Musketeers…” Zekaj mumbled.

“What do you want AJ?” Hunter asked, turning to look at him, bored. “I don’t have time for this.” Over the past couple of months, Hunter had gotten taller than AJ.

His main beta, Max, was at Hunter’s height of around 6’5”. Betas in general were bigger than most alphas, since their job was to protect their alpha. Alphas had the power to lead a pack, as well as their commanding tones that betas lacked.

His other Beta, Tess, was smaller than her alpha. One beta usually was trained in brute force, Max, while the other relied more on speed, Tess.

AJ had never brought his betas with him to fight. He probably did now because Hunter had been putting up a fight, even winning some fights. Hunter hadn’t done as much as he could’ve to AJ, he was scared of hurting AJ too much or giving away the fact that Zekaj was with him.

“Can’t say hi to my best buddy, my pal.” He said slinging an arm around Hunter’s shoulder that he quickly pushed off. Hunter swore he heard Zekaj growling in his head.

“Fuck off dude.” Hunter said, quickly turning around and heading for the door.

“Now just where do you think you’re going.” AJ said, grabbing Hunter's wrist. “We’re just getting started!” AJ pulled back fist punching him right in the face.

Hunter fell on the ground, sliding across the hallway floor. He raised his hand to his cheek; he was sure it would cause a bruise.

“Let me to the surface. Now.” Zekaj commanded in his mind.

“I got this Zekaj.” Hunter replied, standing on his feet. AJ went for another punch that Hunter quickly dodged and threw his own punch, with a little magic behind it, and slammed AJ into the lockers.

“Hunter behind y-” Zekaj was cut off as he got attacked from behind by AJ’s betas. Hunter fell to the floor as more punches and kicks hit him. He was being attacked from all angles and couldn’t do anything about it. He shielded his face hoping to protect himself. He couldn’t use magic due to the security cameras in the hallway.

“Hunter!” He heard Zekaj say in his head. It was too late as a final punch knocked Hunter out completely.

Hunter’s limp body sat on the floor of the hallway. The wolves backed away from his knocked out body.

“Nice one Max, Tess.” Aj said, patting their shoulders staring down at Hunter’s body. They walked over to Hunter and continued down the hallway.

But when one soul in a body is unconscious, another can step forward, taking its place.

The lights in the hallway went out, only the light from the outside shined in. The wolves locked around trying to find out why.

“Hello? Who's there?” The beta, Max said, looking down the hallway.

As they all looked down the hallway one thing was missing, Hunter’s body. They all noticed it was missing.

“Hunter this isn’t funny. W-We both know there's no magic allowed in school.” AJ said, his voice trembling with fear. Surely the cameras would pick this all up, a mage using magic in school. AJ looked up towards the cameras in the hallway and they all were facing the ground, they were off. “T-The cameras are off.”

“What?” Tess, another beta, replied. Suddenly, she was thrown backwards from where she was standing.

“Tess!” Max screamed as an invisible force pulled her back, her screams being the only thing they could hear as she was swept to the side into a classroom, the door slamming as she was pulled in. The muffled screams inside the classroom coming to an abrupt end. “Stay behind me alpha!”

Slowly the hallway got darker, the outside light diminished leaving them in complete darkness. They were back to back, slowly making their way down the hallway.

“We have to find Tess.” AJ whispered to Max.

“I have to get you out first alpha, then the pack will come and deal with him.” Max said. They continued to make their way down the hallway.

The door to the parking lot was in sight, but it was too late for Max. AJ never completely saw what took him. His body was pulled into the ceiling by a shadowy claw. The screams of Max slowly became faint.

“Max!” He screamed, looking up into the hole in the ceiling. “Max?” He questioned. There was nothing but darkness in the hole.

Suddenly, a pair of glowing pale gold eyes appeared in the ceiling. The creature crawled down the side of the hole. Wasting no time, AJ ran for the door.

The creature dropped to the ground, shrieking towards a running Aj. AJ continued to run for the door but the monster began gaining on him, its feet causing the floor to shake as he ran.

It was too late as the monster grabbed AJ, lifting him up into the air by the neck. AJ let out a not so manly scream as he faced the shadowy monster in front of him.

The monster in front of him wasn’t solid, but somehow it still held him up. It was made completely of shadow. Up close he noticed the dim glowing marks flowing throughout its arms and upper body. As it opened its mouth to speak, he noticed the rows of sharp teeth in its mouth.

“Where do you think you’re going AJ?” The overlapping voices of Hunter and Zekaj spoke. AJ didn’t know who Zekaj was though and didn’t recognize Hunter’s.

“P-p-please let me go.” AJ cried, he thought he was going to die.

“Why would I do that?” He asked. Zekaj pulled AJ closer to him, sneering. “Were just. Getting. STARTED.” With that, Zekaj threw AJ’s body into the lockers.

AJ had a moment of realization. “H-Hunter?” He stuttered, looking up toward the shadowy monster.

The monster kneeled down to AJ, staring into his fearful eyes.

“Hunter’s not here right now.” The monster sneered. Smiling at its own statement.

The shadowy monster lifted AJ up into the air, opening its mouth and showing off its teeth.

With one last scream from AJ, the monster lunged forward, biting at AJ’s head. Limp in his arms, Zekaj set the passed out AJ onto the ground.

The darkness flowed off the monster’s body, revealing the form of Hunter, but with glowing pale gold eyes.

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