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“I’ll be right back,” I decided, chucking on my backpack and turning to Cordelia. “Do you have anything to protect yourself with here?”
Her eyes widened. “In class?” She glanced at the commotion. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. The demon was spotted outside.”
I grabbed her hand and placed a silver dagger inside. “It’s enchanted, so it’ll strike everything but the user.” She blinked, but I was already running out the door before she could thank me.
Outside, my feet shuffled off the sidewalk. Hot air breezed by. The red brick road linking buildings was spotless, and the worn brick campus buildings stood tall as ever. Birds chirped in the background. There was no blood-curdling screaming. No terror and confusion.
Was it just a false alarm? A test run, maybe?
I slid another dagger into my hand, just in case.
It was too quiet—
A body slammed into my side, knocking me over and sending my dagger scuttling across the pavement.
I whipped around, only to see a human boy running off with my pretty, floral-covered weapon.
Thief!
Curly brown hair bounced as he sprinted away from me.
I wasn’t the only one who thought I could make a name for myself early.
A line of sunken-in paw prints off the trail caught my eye. I crept closer, realizing those were Adam’s and Xavier’s tracks.
I crept along with their paw prints. At a school like this, I was already disadvantaged by my defective skin. Ineededto land my first kill. If I couldn’t look as strong as the rest of my competition, I’d become so much more vicious that they’d be forced to respect me.
I drifted further from campus until the Whispering Woods loomed ahead. I crept forward, pushing back every nagging thought, ignoring each mysterious wisp of air. Tendrils of maroon shadow swirled thicker toward the thicket of trees near the entrance.
Eroded black gates arched above.
“Spooky,” Gaksi mentioned.
BEWARE OF THE WHISPERING WOODS, the rickety sign across the top of the arch read. The black writing was chipped and cracked, destroyed by time.
I resolved my nerve, flipped my dagger once, and powered forward.
Despite being daytime, the verdant forest canopy made the woods dark. Flame-colored leaves grew out of branches, covering the forest ceiling with a ruby hue. Fog clouded the air, making it difficult to see more than a few steps ahead. The trunks of surrounding trees were stained scarlet, not brown, making the forest glow crimson on all sides. If it weren’t for the paw prints, I would think I was entering the belly of some beast, or into an ongoing blaze.
Another sign waved in the wind, hanging from the arched branch of a tree above. In blood-red, dripped lettering, it read: VEIL LIES AHEAD.
A few paces ahead: DEMONS CROSS HERE.
I hesitated for a moment. Was that… human blood?
“Go,”Gaksi said, sensing my hesitation. “You already mess with demons. I’m your favorite goblin, aren’t I?”
I inhaled deeply and strode forth. There was no other way. Imustmake a name for myself here. Shadows pulsed along my skin, fueled by my determination. My pace slowed to a crawl when I heard the faint echoes of voices.
I slid my camera into my hand. Mother told me that the most points came from slaying a demon, second most from banishing one back home, and a meager amount came from any new information about one—like a picture.
Even without using magic, I could get a good look.
I warned Gaksi to hush—which he did—then dove deep into a rosebush. Its branches moved slowly out of the way, parting the thorns away from me. Did that mean it was friendly? I’d never seen a bush… move before. I hoped it was in greeting. Please don’t swallow me like a Venus fly trap. Hidden in this mystery shrub, I had just enough eye space to see the figures in front of me.
The most beautiful voice I’d ever heard spoke.
“Looking for something?”
