'The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Thirteen\r'

' seemly clutched the banana-nut muffin to her office as if it was most lovable of sacred offering. She in personnel(p) could not bring herself to knock on Matts verge. Instead, she dark big pleading brown eye on Meredith and Elena.\r\nâ€Å"Oh, fair,” Meredith muttered, reaching past her, shifting the pile of bagels and the cartonful of orange juice she was carrying, and rapping loudly on the door.\r\nâ€Å"I dont know what to say,” mediocre whispered moxie, agonized.\r\nThen the door opened, and Matt appeared, red-eyed and pale. He seemed somehow smal er and more hunched into himself than Bonnie had ever seen him. Overwhelmed with pity, she forgot al intimately being nervous and launched herself into his weapons, dropping the muffin in the process.\r\nâ€Å"Im so sorry,” she choked out, tears running low her plaque. Matt held on to her tightly, bending everywhere and sepulture his head in her shoulder. â€Å"Its okay,” she tell final y , desperately, patting the back of his head. â€Å"I mean, no, its not … of course its not … al peerless we love you, were here.”\r\nâ€Å"I couldnt avail him,” Matt say dul y, his give stil pressed against Bonnies neck. â€Å"I tried my outflank, precisely he died anyway.”\r\nElena and Meredith joined them, wrapping their arms approximately Matt from either side.\r\nâ€Å"We know,” Elena utter, rubbing his back. â€Å"You did everything you could for him.”\r\nMatt pul ed out of their arms horizontaltual y and gestured nigh the path. â€Å"Al this stuff is his,” he say. â€Å"His parents dont feel want theyre ready to clear out his things yet, they told the constabulary. Its kil ing me to see it al stil here when hes not. I thought around boxing it up for his parents, just now theres a possibility that the police might want to look through his stuff.”\r\nBonnie shuddered at the thought of what Chri eat uph ers parents must be expiry through.\r\nâ€Å"Have something to eat,” Meredith said. â€Å"I bet you buildnt eaten for ages. Maybe itl help you feel better.” Al three girls fussed around, fixing the eat theyd brought for Matt, then convincing him to taste something, anything. He drank some juice and picked at a bagel, his head lowered. â€Å"I was at the police station al night,” he said.\r\nâ€Å"I had to intimidate besideston over and over what happened.”\r\nâ€Å"What did happen?” Bonnie asked tentatively.\r\nMatt sighed. â€Å"I stimulateed y wish I k saucy. I notwithstanding saw somebody dressed in down in the mouth running away from Christopher. I wanted to chase him, but Chris posited my help. And then he died. I tried, but I couldnt do anything.” His forehead creased into a frown. â€Å"The real y eldritch thing, though,” he said slowly, â€Å"is that, even though I saw a person running away, the police guess Chr istopher was attacked by some kind of animal. He was … pretty ripped up.”\r\nElena and Meredith change an alert glance. â€Å"A vampire?” said Meredith. â€Å"Or a werewolf, maybe?”\r\nâ€Å"I was wondering about that,” Matt admitted. â€Å"It makes sense.” Without seeming to notice, he finished his bagel, and Elena took improvement of his distraction to slip some fruit onto his plate.\r\nBonnie wrapped her arms around herself. â€Å"why?” she asked. â€Å"Why is it that, wherever we go, weird, scary things happen around us? I thought that once we left(p) Fel ‘s Church things would be different.”\r\nNo unrivalled argued with her. For a little while, they al sit quietly, and Bonnie felt as if they were huddling together, trying to protect themselves from something cold and horrible.\r\n last-place y, Meredith reached out and took an orange slice off Matts plate. â€Å"The premiere thing we need to do, then, is to inve stigate and try to epitome out if these attacks and disappearances are supernatural.” She chewed thoughtful y. â€Å"As ofttimes as I hate to say it, we should probably get Damon on this. Hes good at this kind of thing. And Stefan should know whats going on, too.” She looked at Elena, her constituent gentle. â€Å"Il talk of the town to them, okay, Elena?” Elena shrugged. Bonnie could tel she was trying to keep her expression blank, but her lips were trembling. â€Å"Of course,” she said after a minute. â€Å"Im sure theyre some(prenominal) checking things out anyway. You know how paranoid they are.”\r\nâ€Å"Not without reason,” Meredith said dryly.\r\nMatts eyes were wet. â€Å"Whatever happens, I need you to cry me something,” he said. â€Å"Please, be careful. I cant †lets not dawdle anyone else, okay?” Bonnie snuggled closer to him, set her go on on his.\r\nMeredith reached over and placed her hand over both of theirs, and Elena added hers to the pile. â€Å"Wel take care of one an some other,” Elena said.\r\nâ€Å"A vow,” said Bonnie, trying to smile. â€Å"Wel always check into out for one another. Wel make sure everyone is safe.”\r\nAt that moment, as they murmured in agreement, she was sure they could do it.\r\nMeredith pivoted and stepped forward, swinging her faculty down to strike at Samanthas ruffianly padded knees.\r\nSamantha dodged the blow, then jabbed her own staff unfeigned toward Merediths head. Meredith plosiveed the blow, then thrust her staff at Samanthas chest.\r\nSamantha staggered backward and lost her footing.\r\nâ€Å"Wow,” she said, rubbing her col arbone and look at Meredith with a mixture of resentment and appreciation.\r\nâ€Å"That hurt, even with the padding. Ive never trained with anyone so knock-down(prenominal) to begin with.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, Well,” Meredith said modestly, public opinion absurdly pleased, â€Å"I practice a lot.”\r\nâ€Å"Uh-huh,” Samantha said, eyeing her. â€Å"Lets take a break.” She flopped down on the mat, and Meredith, her staff balanced lightly in one hand, sat beside her.\r\nIt wasnt her staff, of course, not her special hunting one.\r\nShe couldnt bring her heirloom grampus staff to the gym †it was too clearly a customized deadly weapon. scarce shed been delighted to learn that Samantha could involution with a four-foot-long jo staff and that she had an extra.\r\nSamantha was quick and smart and fierce, one of the best sparring subroutineners shed ever had. Fighting, Meredith was able to block out the helpless sensation shed had in Matts room this morning. There was something so pathetic about eyesight al Christophers things sitting there ready for him, when he was never coming back. He had one of those weird little fake Zen gardens on his desk, the spine neatly groomed. Maybe just the day before, Christopher had picked up th e tiny rake in his hand and smooth the sand, and now hed never touch anything again.\r\nAnd it was her fault. Meredith squeezed her staff, her knuckles whitening. She had to accept that. If she had the power of being a potent force against darkness, a hunter and slayer of monsters, she had the responsibility, too.\r\nAnything that got through and kil ed someone in her territory was Merediths failure and her shame.\r\nShe had to officiate harder. Practice more, go out patrol ing the campus, keep people safe.\r\nâ€Å"Are you al right?” Samanthas voice broke through Merediths thoughts. Startled, Meredith saw Samantha staring at her with wide, solemn dark eyes, taking in Merediths gritted teething and clenched fists.\r\nâ€Å"Not entirely,” said Meredith dryly. â€Å"Um.” She felt like she had to explain her grimness. â€Å"Did you hear about what happened last night, the computed tomography who was kil ed?” Samantha nodded slowly, her expression unread able. â€Å"Well, he was the roommate of a real y good friend of mine. And I was with my friend today, trying to help him. It was … upsetting.” Samanthas face seemed to harden, and she scramble up on her knees. â€Å"Listen, Meredith,” she said, â€Å"I promise you this isnt going to happen again. Not on my hold in.”\r\nâ€Å"On your watch?” Meredith asked mildly. Suddenly, it felt hard to breathe.\r\nâ€Å"I extradite responsibilities,” Samantha said. She dropped her eyes to her hands. â€Å"Im going to catch this kil er.”\r\nâ€Å"Its a big job,” Meredith said. It wasnt possible, was it?\r\nBut Samantha was such a good fighter, and what she was saying … why would she intend she was responsible for stopping the kil er? â€Å"What makes you think you can do it?” she asked.\r\nâ€Å"I know this is uncorrectable to believe, and I shouldnt even be tel ing you, but I need your help.” Samantha was looking suc cessive into her eyes, practical y vibrating with earnestness.\r\nâ€Å"Im a hunter. I was raised to… I have a sacred trust. Al my family for generations, weve fought against evil. Im the last of us. My parents were kil ed when I was thirteen.” Meredith gasped, shocked, but Samantha shook her head fiercely, push button Merediths sympathy away. â€Å"They hadnt finished training me,” she continued, â€Å"and I need you to help me get better, get faster. Im not strong enough yet.” Meredith stared at her.\r\nâ€Å"Please, Meredith,” Samantha said. â€Å"I know it sounds crazy, but its sure. People are depending on me.” Unable to stop herself, Meredith started to laugh.\r\nâ€Å"Its not a joke,” Samantha said, jumping to her feet, her fists clenched. â€Å"This is… I shouldnt have said anything.” She stalked toward the door, her back as straight as a soldiers.\r\nâ€Å"Samantha, wait,” Meredith cal ed. Samantha whirle d back toward her with a face ful of fury. Meredith took a quick breath and tried desperately to remember something shed learned as a baby bird but never had occasion to use.\r\nCrooking her pinkies together, she drew up her thumbs to make a triangle, the secret sign of greet between two hunters.\r\nSamantha just stared at her, face perfectly blank.\r\nMeredith wondered if she remembered the sign correctly.\r\nHad Samanthas family even taught it to her? Meredith knew there were other families out there, but she had never met any of them before. Her parents had left the hunter community before she was born.\r\nThen Samantha, paltry as quickly as she ever had when theyd sparred, was before her, gripping her arms.\r\nâ€Å"For real?” Samantha said. â€Å"Are you serious?” Meredith nodded, and Samantha threw her arms around her and clutched her tightly. Her heart was beating so hard that Meredith could feel it. Meredith stiffened at first †she wasnt the touchy-feel y type, despite being best friends with wildly affectionate Bonnie for years †but then relaxed into the hug, feeling Samanthas slim, sizeable body under her arms, so like her own.\r\nShe had the strangest feeling of familiarity, as if she had been lost and had now found her true family at last.\r\nMeredith knew she could never say any of that, and part of her felt like she was betraying Elena and Bonnie just by thinking that way, but she couldnt help it. Samantha pul ed away, cheery and weepy, wiping at her eyes and nose.\r\nâ€Å"Im acting stupid,” she said. â€Å"But this is the best thing that ever happened to me. Together, we can fight this.” She gave a half-hysterical sniff and gazed at Meredith with huge shining eyes. â€Å"I feel like Ive made a new best friend,” she said.\r\nâ€Å"Yes,” Meredith said †not weeping, not laughing, settle down as ever on the outside but, inside, feeling like she was breaking into happy pieces ††Å"yes, I think youre right.”\r\n'