I DID WHAT IMAE said. I took some time before going to Philadelphia and ended up staying in Reverie a couple days after Halloween.
I’ve just arrived in the city and my bus is about to make its last stop. I stare out the window to see raindrops spattering the glass along with ghost images of cars and buildings. I prefer a small town like Reverie. Philadelphia has too many people. The more people in one place, the darker it becomes.
I left Reverie without bothering to tell anyone where I was going. No one there needs to be involved in this any further.
I take my cell phone from out of my jacket pocket and call Tasia. I press the phone against my ear and listen to its ringing amongst the sounds of traffic and rain.
“Hi,” she answers.
“Hello, Tasia. How are you doing?” I say.
“Okay.”
“Are you back at school?”
“Yeah. Well, kinda. Fiona and I decided to do school online, at least for now.”
“You don’t sound very enthused about the whole thing.”
“I have other things on my mind.”
The bus is nearing my stop. I want to talk to her longer, but there’s something else I need to do first.
“I have to go,” I say. “I just wanted to check on you. I’ll call you later.” What I don’t tell her is that I’m likely to be busy again for some time, and I needed to hear the sound of her voice. Just for a moment.
I hang up after Tasia mutters a goodbye, and the bus comes to a stop. I motion for the front of the bus and exit after pulling the hood of my jacket over my head.
The rain pelts down as I navigate the streets. I walk fast, passing busy parts of the city for a few minutes before disappearing into questionable alleys. I end up passing a few cats on my journey, and then I arrive at the fenced-off and camera-watched warehouses hidden well out of sight from the rest of the city. It’s private property. Most people living in Philadelphia either don’t know of its existence, or they don’t care.
This is where the EEA set up base in Pennsylvania. It doesn’t look like much, all this private land to store a bunch of what appear to be run-down warehouses, but I only have eyes on the buildings closest to the fence. I skim the perimeter until I see a gate. If I’m going to be allowed entry, that’s the place to start. There’s a small camera pointing down from the tall gate, giving whoever’s watching a clear view of anyone standing before it.
“State your business.” I can hardly understand the words that come out of a small speaker also above the gate.
“I want to rid the world of evil and protect what’s worth protecting,” I say.
The static disappears for a moment. I fold my arms and wait silently in the rain for it to return or for the gate to open.
The gate opens, and the rough voice says, “Noble, but I’m gonna have to test you first. You understand.”
“Certainly.”
“Come on through, and I’ll meet up with you in a moment.”
Once I walk past the gate, it closes again. I decide to wait by the gate, rather than wander. It takes a few minutes, but I’m eventually greeted by a burly man dressed in black armor. He doesn’t say anything. He just comes up to me and starts uttering a prayer in Latin. It’s a crude and rather general string of words, but the act alone would reveal most malevolent supernatural forces out there. When I don’t react to it, he splashes me in the face with what must be holy water. Beyond chilling me a little, it doesn’t do anything; I’m grateful it was only a vial worth of the liquid. Then he stares intently into my eyes. I don’t blink as he continues his exploration. Once satisfied, he allows a bear-like grin.
“Great, great,” the man says. “Come with me.”
I follow him past different warehouses. The deeper we go, the better taken care of they are. It seems the run-down warehouses on the outside are just for show. As we get to the heart of it all, my guide leads me up to an exceptionally large warehouse with no windows. It’s locked up tight, and my guide has to give his fingerprint to open the door he leads me to. I follow him into a small room filled to the brim with herbs and charms, basically anything known or thought to ward off evil.
Then my guide opens another door, leading us into an open lobby filled with hanging light fixtures. I see groups of people walking together, most of them wearing matching black armored uniforms. Some are resting on benches, and others are looking at screens mounted on the walls.
“Welcome to the Pennsylvania Branch of the EEA. You passed the important part of the test.” The man grins again, but my eyes go to his pale bald head, reflecting the lights above. “My name’s Donovan. What’s yours, kid?”
“Rynne.”
Donovan frowns and looks me over again like he’s realizing something is wrong with this arrangement. “Please don’t tell me you’re a minor. We don’t take minors.” Then he adds, muttering, “Even though lord knows we really could use all the extra help we can get.”
“Who’s this?” a sharp-looking woman wearing a worn leather jacket walks up to us, authority pronounced in her every step. I see recognition in her dark eyes when she looks at me. I think I see surprise in her plump lips pressed tight, but she hides it well.
“Fiona, wasn’t it?” I ask.
She corrects me, “It’s Blade. I’m afraid you’ve come all this way for nothing, though. You’re Tasia’s age, aren’t you? I know you must feel close to everything that happened. You obviously care for Tasia. You were the one that saved her that night. The best thing you can do for her is to continue being her friend. Now head back home and—”
“Excuse me for interrupting, but I have no home to return to. I want to join the EEA, no matter what it takes.” I stare into her brown eyes, unblinking. She needs to know I’m serious. I’m not leaving here until I’m accepted into their ranks.
She stares back at me just as intently. “What are you saying?”
“My family was killed by a merciless monster.”
She narrows her eyes. “What kind of monster?”
“The same monster Tasia met that night. The description she gave, the name, it’s all the same. It’s all Arsen. I need your help.”
Donovan and Blade exchange looks before returning their gazes to me.
I continue speaking. “I’ve done my research. I know the EEA is the largest organization in the world that deals in the supernatural. You hunt things from ghosts to shapeshifters, vampires, zombies… but what about demons?”
Blade folds her arms and begins tapping her fingers against her arms. “Demons are… rare. Any record of hunting them is even rarer.”
“But you know they exist.”
“In this line of work, I’m inclined to check all information that comes my way.”
“What’s your last name?” Donovan interjects.
Blade says, “We’ll want to cross-check any information you give us.”
“My last name is Riverside. Rynne Riverside.”
Donovan produces a small tablet from within one of the many pockets of his combat trousers. It takes him only a few moments before he sees the records the angels doctored for this exact situation. “I found a record of your family. The EEA didn’t file the murders, however. All the information I can find says a family was murdered on their farm out in the middle-of-nowhere Texas. It also says their son, Rynne Riverside, disappeared. The murderer was never found, and no one has looked into the case since.”
“I was out, and I returned just in time to see my family killed by Arsen. He was with another demon, Yuki. From what Tasia said in her story, it sounds like the two of them are still traveling together, but Arsen is the one in charge.” I stare Blade down and clench my fists. Emotions threaten to consume me because I’m not pretending. I’m not faking the pain. “I knew I didn’t stand a chance as I was, so I ran away. I ran away and swore I’d make it right.”
“And this all happened when you were just fourteen,” Donovan says, placing the small tablet back inside one of the pockets of his armored uniform.
I nod.
Blade’s face falls.
I continue, “I’ve been searching for him, getting all the information I can, but I can’t do this alone. Demons are just too powerful.”
Blade’s lower lip quivers almost imperceptibly. “That would explain why Yvonne and Henry were killed so easily. They were some of the best hunters I’ve ever known.”
“Tasia’s parents,” I say.
“Yes. Tasia’s parents.” She sighs. “So you want to join the EEA to hunt down this demon and his demon partner. It seems their numbers may have grown since then, based on Wyatt Conway’s account of another stranger in Reverie stirring up trouble.”
“I want to banish evil, and this is a start.”
“C’mon, Blade,” Donovan chimes in. “Give the boy a chance. Let’s see what he’s made of.”
Blade seems to consider this. It’s obvious by how huge this warehouse is that they are equipped for many more people than they have. They need many more people than they have. They also have much to learn. We all do if we’re going to rid Terra of the natural demons that tainted it in the first place. They’re the root of the problem. I’ve never fought a natural demon, but I’ve heard stories, and I know what they are capable of. I know, in theory, how to kill one. The journey ahead is perilous. But God’s will shall be done.
“Fine,” Blade relents. “Test him.”
“Gladly.” Donovan grins, cracks his knuckles and his neck. “Follow me, kid.”
He leads us away from the lobby, down a hall, and into a gym. There’s a track encircling the whole room, and a boxing ring sits in the center. Beyond that, the gym is sectioned off into various training areas: weights, ropes, even structures for rock climbing. There’s a pool separated by glass doors in an adjoining room. It’s a fitness enthusiast’s paradise, and each section is in use by multiple hunters.
Donovan stops after we’ve arrived at the boxing ring. He easily slips inside, despite his size, and presses his fists together.
He says, “All new recruits have to be tested on their strength, skills, and knowledge.”
“What are the rules?” I ask when I join him inside of the ring.
He tosses me a couple of hand wraps. “Just try to knock me down, kid.”
People who were previously working out start to gather around us. They look excited, probably anticipating the humiliation of the newbie. Blade has a tablet in her hands now, no doubt ready to take notes about how I handle this test.
“Ready?” Donovan asks once I’ve wrapped the fabric securely around my hands.
“Ready,” I reply, perfectly calm.
He invites me forward to throw the first punch. I hold back instead of taking him up on his invitation. I need to gauge his strength before I can properly fight him. I’m physically stronger than him because I have angel blood running through my veins, but I’m supposed to blend in as another human.
He seems unperturbed, if not a little disappointed, that I don’t take his bait. He rushes forward, without mercy, and swings at me. I make sure to narrowly avoid his punch. From that action alone, I have a pretty good idea of what his power level is. He’s quite strong, just as his physique would suggest, and he’s very skilled.
Donovan throws more punches my way, and I continue to dodge. I make sure to play up the fact that I’m barely dodging his attacks; it has to look like a struggle.
“C’mon, kid!” he shouts as he continues throwing punches. “Show me what you got!”
The audience watching us starts snickering and whispering about how Donovan has me on the run. I must be putting on a convincing show. That’s my cue. When Donovan comes at me to strike again, I duck and jab at his legs, making him lose his balance. He recovers quicker than I was expecting him to and swipes at my feet with his legs. I can’t dodge this one. I go down hard, but I barely feel the pain. My attention is on the man who’s now on top of me. Before he can do whatever it is he intends to do, I catch his wrists. We wrestle for a moment since I have to make sure to emphasize that I should be at a major disadvantage, being the one with the low ground and Donovan being twice my size in muscle. Then I move quickly, breaking his hold and kicking him off of me.
The room fills with disbelieving gasps and Blade raises her hand and voice saying, “Enough!”
I take a moment to stretch the tension out of my muscles.
“I’ll take things from here,” Blade announces. “Donovan, get Gold Team ready. The rest of you, get back to work.”
I watch as the hunters disperse. Then Blade comes into the ring with me.
“Where’d you learn to fight like that?”
“I’m trying to take down a demon,” I say.
She doesn’t comment. She gets me started on some other physical tests: distance running, weapons experience, and whatever else she can think to test me on. I notice eyes on me periodically, but mostly everyone keeps busy with their own training.
Blade is frowning again. “You’ve aced everything,” she tells me. “And you’re so young. You had to learn all of this so young.”
So that’s what her exasperation is about. I stay silent, unsure of if I should say something to her or if I should let her feelings on the matter run their course.
“What do you know about sirens?” she asks, her face returning to its cool exterior, the face of a commander.
“They look just like humans, except they’re unrealistically beautiful in every way. They can lure almost anyone away with their looks. They crave adoration, and when the human lover they choose ceases to satisfy them, they kill them by luring them to their death, usually disguised as an accident. At least, most sirens behave that way. A siren’s biggest fear is to see their own reflection because it reveals the ugliness of their soul. If a siren meets their own eyes in a reflection, they turn into dust.”
“Excellent,” she says.
“What other tests do I need to pass?” I ask. I’m eager to get this all out of the way as soon as possible. I just need to become an official member of the EEA, and then I’ll be where I’m supposed to be.
“Just one, if you agree to it. I’m making an exception for you.” Blade folds her arms and looks at me expectantly. “A siren’s been causing trouble in Quakertown. I was just about to lead a team out to take care of it, but then you showed up.”
“You want me to join you on this hunt,” I say.
“Only if you’re comfortable with it.” She looks away from me. “We don’t usually take people who are underage, but we need all the help we can get, like Donovan said. You’re better prepared for this than most adults who come here. I can’t deny that. I’m also extremely interested in what you have to offer the EEA. Most of all, I’m interested in hearing everything you know about Arsen and these other demons. Yvonne and Henry were my friends. They deserved better.”
“I’ll share everything I know,” I say.
“Good. So I’ll let you join my team on this siren mission for your last test. If you pass, you’ll become an official member of the EEA.”
“I’m ready when you are.”
“Who’s the new guy?”
I follow Blade into a garage filled with armored vehicles. A group of three hunters stand by a black armored van, all of them staring. The one that spoke has his arms folded and a sour look on his face. A woman stands behind him, equally reluctant. Donovan is here too, though he greets me with a grin.
“This is Rynne,” Blade says, jerking her hand out to indicate me.
The same man who initially spoke speaks again. “Why is he wearing our armor? I’ve never even seen him before.” He has a slight Spanish accent, brown hair styled into a mullet, and tattoos depicting all kinds of supernatural monsters. He lives this life and he’s proud of it.
“I’m testing him in an unconventional way, Miguel,” Blade explains, unwavering. “He’s experienced and knows a thing or two about the supernatural, maybe even more than you. I want to see if he’s good enough to become Gold Team’s new member.”
Miguel works his jaw like he wants to add to that thought, but he doesn’t.
“He looks young.” The woman standing behind Miguel reveals herself. Her voice is soft, but her features look even softer. She’s short and petite, hardly what you’d call hunter material.
“He’s just like the rest of us. No home to go to and a monster to blame for that.”
Donovan laughs. “More than a monster. A demon.”
Miguel and the woman exchange doubtful glances.
“A demon?” Miguel asks. “No one’s seen or hunted a demon before.”
“Times change,” Blade replies. “Even in my lifetime of hunting, I’ve noticed a rise in dark supernatural activity. Perhaps it’s a sign.” She turns to me. “Rynne, you’ve already met Donovan. The guy with a bad attitude is Miguel.” She jabs a finger at the scowling hunter. “And this is Sherri.” She gestures to the small woman.
“Nice to meet you both,” I say.
“Nice to meet us?” Miguel sneers.
Blade snaps, “Put a muzzle on it. We have work to do. Figure out your differences later.”
Miguel shrugs and climbs into the van, Sherri right behind him.
“Welcome to the team, kid.” Donovan’s still grinning as he comes up to me and places a large hand on my shoulder.
I climb into the van when Blade orders me to. I end up sitting next to Sherri. She doesn’t acknowledge or even look at me, but that’s fine.
On the drive to Quakertown, Blade gives us all the information there is on our target. One of the EEA’s scouts has been following a string of activities all pointing to a siren, and he’s managed to tail that siren to her new life in Quakertown. The siren changes names each time she changes lovers. Her current identity is Sarah Lang. She has a human man, Ben Sullivan, who she’s taken as her lover. They live on an alpaca farm on the outskirts of Quakertown. She’s taking him for all he’s worth, and then she’ll kill him like she’s killed a list of past lovers.
It takes about an hour to get to the outskirts of Quakertown, but when we arrive there’s still plenty of daylight. Donovan drives our van out of sight, within some tall trees, almost completely bare without their leaves, where we meet up with the scout supplying us information.
“She’s out with Mr. Sullivan,” the scout explains. “In town doing some shopping.”
“Thanks,” Blade replies. “You did good work.”
“Good luck.”
The scout doesn’t stick around. His part of the job is over. I watch as he disappears into the bushes. His footsteps are quiet. He’s a skilled hunter, no doubt, but it seems the scouts are rarely expected to fight. The EEA prefers hunters to work in team units like the team Blade assembled; it’s safer that way.
“So, what’s the plan, Boss?” Donovan speaks up.
Blade takes out a mirror from the van. “We expose the siren for what she really is, and then we kill her.” She smirks. “Stay strong, guys. Don’t fall for her charms.”
Blade assigns herself as my partner. We break into the house without any problems. No one is around to witness our deeds out here except for the alpacas. We hide inside the house while the other three are stationed outside. We have a few mirrors planted near us just in case, but the plan is to have the three outside capture and bind the siren while Blade and I force her to look into the mirror Blade handed me. We have to get the siren to make eye contact with her own reflection, otherwise this won’t work.
“You’ll be the one to kill her,” Blade tells me. “Do well on all of this, successfully kill her, and you’ll become an official member of the EEA.”
“Understood,” I say.
My attention is drawn to the window when I hear a truck pulling up into the driveway. I make sure to stay out of sight as I peek out the living room window. The siren’s prey gets out of the vehicle first. I see why she’s stooped to this unglamorous life now. The man is rugged, a real mountain man, wearing a tight-fitting, long-sleeved shirt to show off his muscles—probably the siren’s idea. Sarah, the siren, reveals herself next. She outshines him in a way only the supernatural can. Her allure is concentrated, more intense than any human’s allure could ever be—even with her layers of clothing to stave off the cold. It’s how they work. They release intoxicating pheromones that blind the senses and leave only carnal desires.
The siren can’t keep her arms off the man, Ben, making it hard for him to carry the groceries. Once they reach the porch, she starts kissing him deeper and deeper until he puts down the groceries to reciprocate fervently. Donovan, Miguel, and Sherri jump into action. Miguel goes for Ben, while Donovan and Sherri go for the siren. As expected, the siren is fast. She slips out of Donovan’s grasp and crashes into Sherri.
I don’t wait. I shove the mirror into Blade’s hands, and I fly out of the house. I rip the siren off of Sherri before she can dig into her with her nails. Then I pin her to the ground. I’m hit by a barrage of her charm, dulling my mind and begging my body to act on her behalf, whatever it takes to get her too—I shake my head. She’s repulsive, a dark aura that makes my stomach clench. Her allure dissipates, and I hold her fast, just as she was about to wiggle out of my grasp.
“Help me bind her!” I shout.
She screeches and struggles underneath me, trying to cut me with her manicured nails, but I manage to restrain her. Sherri hurries over to help me tie the siren up with a zip tie.
“What are you doing?!” Ben Sullivan cries, utterly lost in his infatuation.
He rushes at Blade, causing her to drop the mirror. It shatters as it hits pavement. Blade fights back as she lets out a growl of frustration. Miguel and Donovan come to assist her, but it looks as if the men are about to break. They’re both distracted by the siren. She’s calling out to them.
“Why aren’t you affected by me?” she hisses as I finish tying her up.
Sherri and I bring the siren to her knees.
“Watch out!” Sherri shouts as a fist comes swinging at us from behind.
It’s Miguel. His eyes are glazed. He’s given in to the siren. I yank the siren back with me, narrowly avoiding Miguel’s fist. I glance over and see Donovan is on the ground, trying to fight the siren’s allure, while Blade is holding on desperately to a man much larger than her. I need to end this now.
“Sherri, a mirror! Any mirror!” Blade shouts.
But there is no need for her instruction. Sherri is already scrambling for one we hid in the tall grass nearby.
“Nooooo!” the Siren shrieks.
The men enraptured by her act as if on command, lurching at her shriek. All of them go for Sherri in the same instant. Blade leaps in just before them. She manages to shove Sherri out of the way, and Sherri passes the mirror off to me as I continue holding the siren with one hand.
“Do it, Rynne!” Blade demands as she and Sherri fight off the men.
“You’re stronger than a human,” the siren gasps as I squeeze her arm. “You don’t feel like a human.”
I shove the mirror in her face before she can say anything else. She tries to look away, but I move my hand to her hair and hold her in place. Her willpower seems to vanish into the air. She meets her gaze in the reflection and she can’t look away. She opens her mouth into a soundless scream. Her body turns brittle and she becomes dust in my hands. The dust is whisked away in the wind and leaves behind only the zip tie I used to bind her with.
Those caught in the siren’s trance grovel on the floor, holding their heads. Blade and Sherri breathe heavily, but there’s a grin on Blade’s face.
“And that, boys, is how you deal with a siren,” she says.
“Don’t pretend you didn’t feel her call, too,” I say simply.
She shrugs. “It’s true. The gender of a siren doesn’t matter. The allure is all the same. It seems Miguel and Donovan need to practice fortifying their minds more. Isn’t that right, guys?”
Donovan scratches the back of his bald head while sitting in the grass. Miguel won’t even look up as he holds his forehead, probably ashamed.
“What just happened?” Ben Sullivan asks.
“You’ve been under a spell,” Blade says, “but you’re safe now.”
He shakes his head as if trying to reconcile everything that happened. “She wasn’t human.”
“No. She wasn’t.”
Ben Sullivan isn’t interested in hearing any of our explanations. He wants us to leave and to forget everything that happened since he met the siren. I can’t say I blame him. There’s no point in keeping him around or trying to explain things to him if he doesn’t want to know, so we leave. Miguel refuses to look at me on our way back to the van, and Donovan won’t stop complimenting me.
“Damn, kid!” he exclaims. “You really showed us up.”
“Yes,” Blade agrees, “Rynne did very well. That’s why I’m making him an A-class hunter.”
“A-class?” I ask.
“It means you’re versatile and can go on whatever mission the EEA might throw at us.”
“I see.”
“And he’s so humble, too,” Miguel mutters. “Learn to express a little excitement or something. What are you, some kind of robot?”
Donovan folds his arms and gives Miguel a disapproving look.
Blade ignores the exchange and says, “For now you’ll only be going on missions with Gold Team. Some A-class hunters aren’t assigned an actual team. They’re given temporary teams depending on their assignment, but I want you to get used to these jokers before you’d have to worry about anything like that.”
“Whatever you feel is best,” I reply.
Donovan grins. “Glad to have you on the team.”
He extends his hairy hand and we shake. Sherri nods her head, but her facial expression remains neutral. Miguel refuses to look at me. But Blade gives me the strangest look of all. She looks at me as if she’s constantly trying to appraise me.
“When we get back to the base, tell me everything you know about these demons,” she says. “And tell me everything you know about Arsen. If there are patterns to who or how he kills, I need to know.”
“I will tell you everything I know,” I lie.