AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Halley
The day dragged by in a blur. A haze consumed me, as I barely paid attention in any of my classes or my private session. Yeah, a haze covered my entire day, a big Madden sized haze. Although I was up much later than usual thanks to Madden and Wilder’s nightly surprise, I felt more well-rested than I had in ages. Who knew that multiple orgasms could be so good for your energy levels? Terrible for your concentration though.
“You good Halls?” Kalani’s voice broke through my daydream and I startled, coming back to the present. The present being our little group hanging out in my dorm. After days of the Guard punishing our bodies with rigorous training, Maeve had suggested a relaxing night of watching movies. We had all thought it was a great idea, so Eli and Knox had joined us three girls in my dorm.
“Yeah, I’m good, just zoned out for a second.” I replied and Kalani stared at me knowingly, as if she had a clue what I had been up to last night. And maybe she did. I’m sure my face looked exactly like hers after several mornings I had caught her walking out of the Ethos dorm while meeting up with Eli.
A piece of popcorn hit me in the forehead and I turned towards Eli, who had thrown it. “No zoning out Halls, this is one of the best movies ever.”
Turning towards the television screen, I couldn’t tell you if he was right or not. Eli and Maeve had both brought over their movie collections, apparently, they were both avid collectors and we had decided on some superhero movie after I had admitted to never seeing it. Besides knowing that the main character was hot, I didn’t know much else of what was going on.
Leaning further into the couch, I tried to pay attention to the movie, wanting to appease my friends. Kalani and Maeve were cuddled up on the loveseat, whispering in each other’s ears and paying as much attention to the movie as I was. No one was griping at them though. Not that I minded, I loved seeing my friends so happy together. Eli sat in the middle of the long couch, between Knox and I, him and Knox murmuring over different scenes.
And with everything going on, I simply enjoyed the company of others. The threat of the Hunters seemed to always be lingering over our heads these days, and it was nice to finally see everyone’s shoulders relax, just enjoying our youth.
I knew what it was like to live in fear and those endless thoughts everyday aged you quicker than anything else. We needed a night like this, a night to just pretend for a moment that we were a bunch of young adults without the weight of the world on our shoulders.
My eyes began closing, last night finally catching up to me, and I felt Eli’s strong arms wrap around my shoulders. I rested my head against his chest, allowing myself to fall asleep in his comfort. And as I dozed off, I began to dream of a sweet man with blue eyes and an intimidating man with vibrant brown eyes. And in those dreams, I had never felt safer. If only that feeling would last.
For the second night in a row, I woke up abruptly. But this time, I knew exactly what woke me. A loud, blood curdling scream that weaved its way down to my toes and spread goosebumps along my arms in the wake. Leaping out of bed, I rushed to throw on a pair of pants, knowing in my gut something awful was happening.
Was it the Hunters?
Everyone had claimed that they weren’t going to attack for several more weeks, allowing all of us to prepare. But Knox also said that the visions came in glimpses and were hard to pinpoint. They could have been wrong.
Rushing down the stairs, I headed towards the door when it smashed open, falling to the floor. Terror shot through my chest before I realized Eli, Kalani, and Maeve were standing there, and Eli had broken the door in. All three of them wore wide and crazed eyes, muscles tensing beneath their mismatched clothes, and breathing hard. It spoke volumes of the unprepared mess we were if we were truly under attack right now.
Kalani rushed me, wrapping me in her arms and I felt the tension in her shoulders beneath my fingers.
“Oh, thank god, we weren’t sure if we would have gotten to you in time. I’m so glad you’re safe Halls.”
Eli came over to join our impromptu hug and after a quick second, Maeve joined, and I realized that somehow without realizing it, I had not only gained one close friend, but a small family here.
Backing away from the circle, I scanned all of them, looking for injuries or any hint as to what was happening out there.
“What the hell is happening? A scream woke me up.”
All three grimaced as another shout pierced the air and we all quickly huddled into the common area, away from the gaping door.
“The Hunters are here. We weren’t able to see this attack because it’s not the large attack they’re planning later. This isn’t their whole army from what we can tell, just a small number sent here to lessen our numbers while we’re sleeping. No one saw them coming, no one knew they were here until the first strike.”
Eli was the one who answered, whispering in rushed tones as if the Hunters were in the next room, waiting for us to expose ourselves. Fuck, maybe they were. I had no clue how these types of battles worked.
“What is everyone doing? Are we fighting back?”
Kalani spoke up this time. “Those who can are fighting back. But not everyone has physical gifts and we aren’t fully trained in combat. The Seers are useless without weapons, which we don’t have on campus, and besides Eli, the Ethos can’t do much unless a Hunter is already injured. The Shifters and Drax are doing as much as they can.”
Millions of thoughts ran through my head as I tried to wrap my head around all this information and what I was supposed to do. Should I be fighting? Should I be hiding in my room and hoping no one finds me like they found my mom? Should I be running for the hills and regretting the day I ever followed Madden to this school? Before I could come to a concrete choice, multiple gunshots rang out, screams following, and a decision was made for me. After reliving Mom’s death recently, the sounds brought back too many memories, and as I looked at the three people before me, who had become the best friends I’ve ever had, I knew I couldn’t live through someone else I cared about being taken from me. I couldn’t just sit back and watch them die.
With the decision made, I spoke up, squaring my shoulders and steeling my spine for what was about to come. “I’m not good with offensive enchantments yet, but I can attempt to shield and heal as many as possible.”
Eli shook his head, as if wanting to oppose what I said, but it wasn’t up for debate. If other students were putting their lives at risk to protect the rest of us, I could do the same. I could be like Mom.
Kalani was the one to set everything into motion. “Maeve, you can’t join the fight. You would be a sitting duck. I’m going to round up as many Seers and Ethos as I can and send them here. This dorm is the furthest out of the way of the crossfire and hopefully it stays that way. Eli, you and Halley will go together and round up as many injured Drax and Shifters as you can. We need to be able to heal them and Halley can shield you two.”
“What about your protection? That’s just as important.” Maeve pleaded with Kalani, and I could see how much they had grown to mean to each other shining in their eyes.
Giving them a moment to discuss each other’s safety, I turned towards Eli, and I wasn’t shocked to see the same emotion in his eyes as was in Maeve’s when she looked at Kalani.
