MY DREAMS ARE FRAUGHT with darkness. I see his eyes, abnormally bright and greener than any green I’ve ever seen. He has beautiful eyes. They’re powerful, and when I look too deeply, I can’t look away. The reason is clouded, though. I’m sure I was drawn to him just because of his darkness. My parents taught me about those kinds of charms, darkness that will consume you unless you’re guarding yourself. Always guard yourself. There is no question in my mind about his evil. I saw him there, covered in blood and standing over my parents. I know he’s responsible for their deaths and many others.
But I know those eyes.
I’ve seen them before. Or maybe it’s not his eyes I remember, but something much deeper. It’s almost like I see myself reflected in him, a piece of me long forgotten, or maybe a piece of me I’ve never known.
Sweat slips down my forehead as I jolt awake and sit up on my bed. I’m breathing heavily, scared awake by recurring nightmares and whispers of nagging thoughts that are nothing but lies conjured by the feelings Arsen placed inside of me.
I notice the light outside my door flicker on and hear footsteps outside my room. My door opens and Fiona stands in the doorway, a dark silhouette.
“You’re awake,” she notes.
I scrunch up the fabric in my already clenched fists. I squeeze, trying to get my breathing under control. Fiona turns on my light and sits on the edge of my bed.
She asks, “Another nightmare?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
“I have some bad news.”
I cringe. I don’t want to hear it, but at the same time, I do.
“I know. It sucks, but being a hunter means hearing hard things. Can you handle it?”
“Yes. You don’t have to baby me.”
“It’s not that I’m trying to baby you, Tasia. I know your anxiety’s been worse lately.”
“I don’t hide it very well. Is that what you’re saying?”
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I can handle it,” I repeat, my tone sharper than I intend.
I don’t mean to snap at Fiona. I’m just so frustrated with myself. I’m frustrated with everything. I’ve never felt as much anger in my life as I do now. I feel like I’m caught between constantly changing moods. I don’t know how to act anymore. It’s like ever since Arsen entered my head, another side of me is trying to surface. Sometimes I think this other side of me is nothing but anger, and other times this other side of me is so infatuated with Arsen I can’t remember my anger at all.
“Your friends, Didi and Connor, their parents are former monster hunters. Just like your parents.”
“W-what? But Didi and Connor nev—”
“Let me finish. They left for the same reason your parents did. I didn’t tell you before because I was trying to respect their privacy and choices. Their children don’t know anything about it. They wanted to start a family, and since neither of their children has a sixth sense, they got away with teaching them as little as possible about the supernatural. They moved to Reverie because it’s been known as a safe haven for many, but that’s the extent of it. Susie and Carl shut out everything they learned as hunters. They didn’t hold on to any weapons or anything. They believed it would only paint them as targets. Most people go throughout their lives without experiencing the supernatural after all, and they don’t surround themselves in charms to keep the evil out.”
“I had no idea about the Johnsons,” I say honestly. “Did my parents know they were hunters?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know if I should be happy or scared for Connor and Didi.”
“Maybe a little of both,” Fiona suggests.
I frown. My skin feels itchy all over. I’m not sure I can handle hearing whatever bad news she was talking about now. It must have something to do with the Johnsons. If Didi and Connor are hurt, I don’t know what I’ll do.
I try to swallow the persistent lump in my throat. “What’s the bad news?” I ask.
“The twins are fine,” Fiona says, “but they did encounter a couple matching your description of the two demons you saw the night your parents died. One tried to… do something to Didi.”
“Is she hurt?” I ask, tears burning my eyes.
“No. She’s fine. Neither of them got hurt, but the one fitting Arsen’s description tried to do something to Didi. She said it felt like he was inside of her brain, digging for information.”
I gape. “What? Is that even possible? Wouldn’t Didi have had to give in to him or something? Monsters, demons, and even ghosts can’t do anything invasive like that to someone without some sort of consent, right?”
I shudder when I think about my own infatuation with Arsen. I didn’t think I gave in to him, but…
“I’ve never dealt with a demon before, so all I have to go off of is lore and Rynne’s information,” Fiona admits. “But yes. I think it’s safe to assume that Didi didn’t have the defenses necessary to ward Arsen off. She was never taught like you were.”
“Did you take the Johnsons to the base?” I ask, hopeful.
“No. I offered to, but they said they were better off leaving Pennsylvania and starting life over in the West. They haven’t seen any sign of Arsen or Yuki since he did whatever it was he did.”
“Is Didi going to be okay?”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Fiona says, but her words don’t sound that convincing. “Susie and Carl will be able to take care of any repercussions. They said Didi’s feeling better already, so I don’t think whatever Arsen did has permanently harmed her or anything. She should be able to go on living her life far away from the supernatural and safe.”
“What did Arsen want with Didi?” I ask, confused.
“He wanted to know more about you.”
“About me?”
Fiona nods. “Because of what happened, Susie and Carl feel it would be best for you and the twins to sever ties.”
My heart fractures. “Oh,” is all I can manage to say to that. I don’t know why I feel so disappointed. Of course I don’t want my friends to get hurt, but to sever ties? I wasn’t prepared for that.
“Is this what it means to be a hunter?” I ask.
“Unfortunately. You can see why some are so eager to get out of this life at some point in time.”
Realization starts racking my body with shivers, and I laugh. “You know the worst part of this, Fiona?”
She glances at me but doesn’t say a word.
“I could have stopped this. If it really was Arsen Didi saw, I… I’ve been feeling him all around me. I thought it was anxiety, but there have been times I could swear he’s watching me.”
“What about right now?”
“I don’t feel it right now. It comes and goes, but lately, it was becoming pretty constant. I just—” I choke. “I just don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what I’m supposed to believe or if I should even trust my own feelings. How do I become stronger? How do I fight this? How do I stop Arsen from hurting the people I love?”
Fiona pulls me into her roughly with one arm, a sort of attempt at affection. “You’re forgetting the good side of this. Arsen didn’t kill them. That’s something. And they’ll be safe now. They’re leaving. Now we just need to worry about you. You’re going to stay in the base from now on. You’re better protected there than you could ever be here. In the meantime, all hunters will be informed about Arsen and his physical description. Yuki too. Hopefully they plan on sticking around for a while. The sooner we can find them and stop them, the better. If we can manage it, it might be worth interrogating him or Yuki. Those other demons that were seen in Reverie are probably still out there, too.”
“Those other demons don’t matter,” I say, even though I recognize the ridiculousness of that statement.
I can’t stop myself from being solely focused on Arsen. I know Wyatt said he saw a monster, most likely another demon, that didn’t match either Arsen’s or Yuki’s descriptions, but all I can think is Arsen. When Arsen’s gone, everything will be right again.
“Other demons definitely matter,” Fiona retorts. “The EEA has grown steadily for years and years, and we’ve never even witnessed a single demon.”
I catch my heart-shaped black diamond between my thumb and pointer finger. “If Arsen’s really here and he’s been watching me, why did he go to Didi instead of confronting me?” I whisper.
“I don’t know,” Fiona replies.
“If he wants me, maybe we could use me as bait. There’s got to be some way we could set up a trap for him.”
“No.” Fiona releases me, grabs my backpack, and starts packing my things. “Come help me. We’re moving you out tonight.”