Page 71 of Slayer

Then it came, like a thief of joy just waiting to intrude.

The feeling of unworthiness. Like I didn’t deserve this and they were going to stop being my friend and leave because everyone always leaves.

I rolled off Harper and stood. “Oh man, I’m tired. I’m going to lie down until dinner.”

Harper frowned. “Okay. Are you sure you’re okay? I’ll totally cross that out about Asher. I was just messing around.”

I smiled what I hoped was a genuine smile, embarrassed they knew something was up with me. I hated that they seemed so normal and I had issues.

“Totally. Just haven’t slept much in the past few days.”

“Okay, rest up!” Luna chimed in as I retreated to my solo room, closing both bathroom doors between us.

When I saw the pretty blue bedspread that Celia had gotten me, I felt even more like I didn’t deserve this. They didn’t even know me. Everyone was being so nice and welcoming, and I was grateful, but when they got to know me, they’d probably drift away.

There was no instruction manual for this part of life.

CHAPTER

TWELVE

Apparently the hunter mark ceremony or whatever they did was private, so I waited outside in the quad at noon when Luna and Harper told me they would meet me after. The quad buzzed with low chatter and the rustle of leaves overhead. I was told that the hunter rune tattoos you got gave you permanent power, like an endless wafer. So if you got strength, you never needed to take a strength rune; you already had it. Which made so much sense because I’d seen Celia do some crazy stuff without taking a rune first. Then you could add on rune wafers like masking your smell or healing to make you a better hunter.

I was leaning against a tree when I heard a throat clear.

I spun to see Asher, in dark-wash jeans and a powder-blue hoodie, hands shoved in his pockets like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be there.

“Waiting for Harper and Luna?” he asked.

I nodded. “Waiting for your girlfriend?”

His jaw clenched slightly. “And my best friend, Jax. Yeah.”

We sat there in an awkward silence for a moment, the kind that stretched too long, until I heard a commotion up ahead.

They were coming, a group of twenty students. They all looked…slightly traumatized. A few girls appeared to have been crying, and one guy looked ashen. He kept rubbing the black tattoos on his arms as if he wanted to wash them off. Their usual chatter was gone, replaced by quiet murmurs.

I peered at Asher to see some slight hesitation as well.

“I wish they would tell us what they do,” I said.

He nodded. “For as long as I can remember, it’s been a hush-hush thing.”

Maybe because if we knew it was dangerous or it hurt, we wouldn’t do it?

Harper and Luna peeled away from the pack and approached me. Harper looked disappointed, her shoulders a little slumped.

“Tracker.” She showed me her arm. There were three runes there that I couldn’t read, the ink still dark and fresh. “Just like Dad.”

My heart pinched for her. I knew she wanted to be a slayer like her mom.

“Congrats,” Asher said to her as he passed and went to hug Daphne and high-five some guy. Daphne looked shaken, barely hugging him back.

“What about you?” I asked Luna.

She looked haunted, out of it, staring off into the distance like she was still somewhere else.

“Luna?”