Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
“I know what you are and why you’re here,” read Ginny. It said the same thing as it had when Rachel had read it the first six times, but hearing the words from her friend’s mouth made them real. The words were on the top half of a postcard-sized piece of paper in a cheesy horror movie font.
“What do you think they mean?” asked Rachel.
“What does it matter? I mean, yeah, you’re human, but you’re here for the same reason as everyone else.” Seeing Rachel squirm, the tall blonde vampiric beauty asked, “Aren’t you?”
“Well. I’ve been meaning to tell you…” Rachel didn’t know how to tell Ginny that she’d lied to her for the past two months. She wasn’t at Monster’s University only to study Cryptozoology, she was also there to avenge the deaths of her sister. Instead of telling her, she walked over to her closet that was locked with a combination lock. She unlocked the lock and opened the cabinet to show her arsenal.
“Wow,” whispered Ginny. She gave a whistle and her perfect face showed fear. “You’re a Huntress? Oh shit!” Ginny looked all the more frail and innocent when they were standing, Rachel was taller than most of the men in the school. It made pretending to be a demigod much easier, but Rachel sometimes wished she was as small and delicate looking as Ginny.
“I am not a Huntress,” Rachel rolled her eyes. Every time she’d gone out to hunt the nastier creatures she’d been called a Huntress. One of her other best friends, Tim, thought she was a Huntress when she’d saved him from a crazy confused monster that thought Tim was child. A Huntress was a supernatural assassin that killed all supernatural creatures until someone killed them. They were without mercy and without conscience.
Living and going to school with monsters had made Rachel more understanding of what a real monster could be. When she’d signed up for classes, she’d hoped to kill everyone, but after meeting them, she realized most were just like her; scared, confused, and lonely. On her dorm floor there were over eighty monsters of various types and, other than Rachel, they’d never killed anything bigger than a spider. Some couldn’t even handle that.
“We’ve been her together for almost three months, if I wanted to kill you I easily could have,” Rachel said trying to make it friendly.
“That’s comforting,” Ginny’s fangs were out and she looked nervous. Rachel wasn’t worried, seeing as Ginny was one of the few monsters that couldn’t manage to kill a spider.
“Ginny!” Rachel exclaimed throwing her arms in the air. Her dull tan skin, barely beige, looked extra boring next to the bright purple nail polish she’d just finished applying. “You knew I carried knives and that I was good with them. I’m not here to kill everyone, I just want to find out what happened to my sister.”
In an instant Ginny’s face went from fear to scorn. “You should have told me.”
“I’m sorry.” Rachel pouted, making her thin lips look a little bigger, and said, “I’m a terrible person and should be flogged.”
Laughing, Ginny gave Rachel a tight hug and replied, “I think that’s more along what my brother and Dowan want to do to you.”
Feeling her face get warm, Rachel put her hands on her cheeks. Her face had been covered in pimples when she’d arrived, but now after just two months, her skin had started to clear up, maybe it was the cafeteria food? She doubted it.
“Those two will just have to flog each other. I don’t have time for immature idiots fighting over me.” The two girl sat back down on the bed.
“Yuck, that’s my brother.” Ginny made a gagging noise. “Don’t you get coffee with Dowan twice a week?”
“He’s the TA for one of my classes. We just happen to get coffee at the same place and walk in the same direction… while talking.” Rachel smiled. Dowan hadn’t brought up what happened in the cafeteria since, but he’d been extra polite and charming.
“’Just happen’ isn’t a phrase that should be used about a trickster. He’s totally into you and for more than just for your freaky divinatory potential. And my brother…” Ginny trailed off gesturing at the large bouquet of wild flowers on Rachel’s dresser.
“Do you think it’s from one of them?” asked Rachel. When Ginny looked confused, she had to point at the note that was still on the bed.
“Oh… um… why would they?” asked Ginny making a face.
“I have no idea. I’d just rather it be weird way to woo me rather than…” she drifted off not wanting to give life to her fears.
“Kill you in a horribly gruesome way?” suggested Ginny in her most perky voice possible.
“Right thanks.”
“Why would they only write on the top half of the paper?”
“Maybe they didn’t.” Ginny stood up quickly, grabbed the postcard and walked over to the closet filled with weapons. She picked out a small ceremonial dagger, and before Rachel could stop her, the vampire had cut her palm.
Taking the bloody blade and wiping it on the paper, Ginny said, “It’s something my Dad mentioned once. Huntresses send messages like this.”
In the weapons closet there were also first aid supplies and after disinfecting the wound Rachel bound it with a bandage. It wasn’t deep enough to need stitches and after her next meal Ginny would heal.
As they both stared, the blood started to move and formed words on the bottom half of the paper. “2 am at the Karloff. Come Alone.”