Chapter 1
“Pick a weapon,” Constance pointed to the table in the corner. An array of knives, guns, crossbows, things that looked like sharp metal chop sticks.
The back wall was lined with whips with metal tips that coiled around like a snake and bullets with clear water-like solution in them.
Also, on the wall was a staff, twenty-four inches long, two inches in diameter, made with shiny metal with sigils etched into it.
Asha reached for the staff, only to have her hand slapped away.
“The staff is heavy and blunt choose something else,” Constance continued to look at her.
Asha reached for the staff anyway something about it called to her. When she grabbed it, a blue glow emanated around it, the force moved into her hands. She dropped it on the ground.
“The hell was that?” Constance shook her head.
“What has your mother told you about your father?” Constance stared at the staff on the ground but didn’t touch it.
“Nothing she doesn’t even say his name, what does he have to do with anything?” Asha picked up the staff again. This time it didn’t glow.
“He was what people have come to call a demon hunter. The staff was his weapon of choice and with it he decimated the hordes of hell. It was a sight to behold, old fashioned blunt force trauma.” Constance smiled, the gleam of violence in her eyes.
“Get into position,” Constance tapped her cane on the ground three times.
Asha took a swig of her water before she got into fighting stance. Using as much force as she could, she twisted her body into the right hook and attacked the gel dummy. She continued her assault each blow drawing a hiss from between her teeth.
She picked up the staff, with quick twists and flicks of her wrist, the staff slammed into the dummy’s head and body.
Constance watched her every move for predictable ticks. She punched Asha in the ribs, making her fall to the side, water spewing from her mouth onto the black mat.
“Focus Asha, I see the move before you make it and you didn’t see me, big mistake.” She wacked her on the ankle with the cane.
“For Zeus’ sake Constance,” Asha rubbed her ankle and stood up. Constance didn’t go easy on her. There was no begging for mercy.
“This is serious Asha. Your first hunt is less than three months away. You realize that you could die?” she wacked her with the cane across the back. Asha fell to the ground again.
“Pfft…not as easily as you think. I need a real sparring partner. I can’t find it in me to hit you back old lady.” Asha huffed.
“Fine, I’ll call Silas,” Constance pressed the intercom button.
“Not him,” Asha rushed out. Silas Harper the bane of her existence.
“He is the best Asha,” Constance chuckled.
The crackle of the intercom halted her complaint, “send Silas to room three please, thank you.” She smiled.
“I would volunteer as tribute to the volcano gods before I ask him for help.” Asha rubbed her back where the cane struck her.
As she glared at Constance, she heard a knock on the door. Closing her eyes to shut out the distraction.
“Come in dear,” Constance greeted him with a smile.
“How can I help you Ms. Constance?” He deliberately ignored Asha.
“Asha needs a training partner for the next few months. Since you’ll be on the same team, it’s time to train as such.
“She’ll be useless in a fight. The girl can barely throw a punch. Having one of them here is reckless.” He sneered. Silas made it clear that her blackness was seen as weakness in their prestigious halls.
Constance slammed her cane down on the ground, “if you question my authority again, I’ll feed your entrails to hungry buzzards.” She moved before he had a chance to react, grabbing him around the neck and squeezing.
“Got it kid,” she sneered, he nodded. She dropped him on the ground, where he gasped for air.
Asha listened to his complaint, she never trained with the others because they never gave her a chance.
Anger coursed through her but before she could stop it, “if you’re too chicken to fight a girl, say so, and quit your childish excuses.” She picked up the staff, glaring at him.
“Whatever runt,” he stood up and walked over to her rubbing his neck.
“Now fight,” Constance slammed the cane onto the floor.
Without warning Asha attacked Silas, using the staff, blow after blow landed before he sliced her arm with a dagger. Blood trailed down her arm, but she did not stop.
She swung at his right ankle which he blocked giving space to back hand the staff across his face.
He stumbled back, touching the trickle of blood from his nose.
“Idiot,” he ran full speed into her and slammed her body into the mat. With the wind knocked out of her, he punched her repeatedly in the ribs and face.
“You’re stupid if you think anyone will protect you. Go home.” He punched her face again for good measure.
Asha reached for the staff that fell from her hand. It glowed blue when the blood from her hand touched it. She swung at his head with the strength she had left.
When it hit him, yellow sparks flew into the air. A harsh burn glowed on the side of his face. She stepped closer to him.
She hit him again, “maybe you should go home Harper,” she spat the blood from her mouth next to him.
Constance clapped, “be back tomorrow at ten,” She went over to help Silas. Asha limped out of the room, clutching her side.
She approached the locker rooms, weapon still in hand, pulsing blue from her blood. There was no one around, her shoulders slumped forward, her head pressed to her locker. Tears fell from her face, she wiped them away.
Her father was absent her entire life, she didn’t even know his name. Her mother forbade her from asking any questions about him, now Constance the woman she considers her mentor said he was a great demon hunter, looking star struck as she said it.
Asha entered the shower to clean up before she headed to the infirmary to take care of the cut on her arm, and her swollen left eye.
The warm water cascaded over her head, gently massaging the tension from her muscles. The Westly Academy was prestigious on all accounts. The full ride she received based on her academic prowess was unexpected and envy inducing. The two-million-dollar price tag was staggering. With it came the sneers and pitiful looks, that a poor black kid with no fight skills to speak of attended with more notorious progenies.
As she turned off the water, she heard chatter coming towards the room.
“Silas is pissed, she burned his face with something from her training room, while Constance clapped.” They chuckled again.
“Serves him right, he treats her like crap though, you’d think he’s in love with her the way he goes on about why she shouldn’t be here all the time.” Another fit of chuckles escaped them.
“I think she’s cool, but we were warned to stay away from her, she is to train alone, eat alone and more importantly live in her suite alone.”
“Why is Principal Rattan so scared of her, I mean he called an assembly before she arrived for crying out loud.” The chatter stopped when they saw her wrapped in a towel tucked in the corner of the room.
The symbols on her back briefly exposed as she pulled on her shirt. She stuffed her towel into her bag and took the staff from the lockers, before she walked out of the room, shaking her head at what she overheard.
She walked down the hall toward the infirmary. Students milled around but left a clear path for her to walk down, they stared but none spoke to her.
Asha tapped the keycard to the black box outside the infirmary. When the doors opened, there on the first bed was Silas.
Beds lined both sides of the grey room, the antiseptic smell threatened her gag reflexes. She walked toward the woman standing at the Nurse’s station.
“Hello, I was wondering if you can take a look at the cut on my arm, please?” The woman looked up and gasped, dropping the folder she was reading from onto the table.
“Of course, dear, you gave me a scare. Take a seat right here and let’s have a look, shall we?” Her name tag read Morelli.
Nurse Morelli grabbed alcohol swabs, to clean the wound which was still bleeding under the bandage Asha wrapped it with.
“That is a nasty cut, I need to cauterize the wound and then stitch it closed. I need to apply a topical numbing agent. This may sting just a bit.” She injected a clear liquid into the edges of the cut, Asha winced with each prick.
The smell of sizzling burnt flesh wafted into Asha’s nose, urging the need to puke. She shut her eyes tight and held her breath.
Nurse Morelli stitched the wound closed and covered it with a fresh bandage, “try not to get it wet and try to avoid trauma to the arm. You’re all set now my dear.”
“Thank you,” Nurse Morelli walked back to her desk, removed the gloves and tossed them in the Hazard bin.
Silas groaned as he tried to turn on his side, though she hated his self-righteous arrogance, she didn’t like to see him hurt.
She walked to the side of his bed, “hey,” he rolled his eyes at her and grunted.
“I’m sorry that I hurt you Silas,” he did not reply. She sighed in defeat, no matter what she did, she would never fit in with them and that soured her already irritable mood.
He grabbed her arm as she turned to walk away, “you don’t belong here, why don’t you quit before you get hurt? They will hurt you, Asha.” He sighed, letting go her arm.
She shook her head and walked out the door. Heading toward the main doors to her apartment across the quad. Other students had dorms in the building, some even bunked together. Shaking away her thoughts she tucked her hands into her pockets and kept her head down.
