The Hunt: Claire's Tale (Claire's Vs. Cassidy)

Claire’s Tale

(Claire’s POV)

            I woke up with my head on Joey’s arm. He was asleep; some of his black curls had fallen in front of his eyes. He looked so…peaceful. I stared for a minute at his face. It wasn’t the hard line of high cheekbones and jawbones like Michael’s face, but softer around the edges though still very defined features.

             I got up slowly trying not to disturb Joey. The bed creaked at I stood up. I winced at the sound of the metal springs, which Joey thankfully ignored. I walked to the door and prayed that the floor and door didn’t creak to loud. It didn’t; at least not until I got outside the room.

            Michael was setting in the kitchen. I walked in, and got a cup of coffee. “ What’s up, babe?” 

            “Not now, Michael. Not ever.” I said. That awful jerk thinks I will just forget what happened. Any way, I’m with Joey now. Ish. “So. Cassidy huh?”  I asked. Michael took another sip of coffee, “What about her?” I almost expected sympathy, but he wouldn’t know what had happened. I grabbed my coffee and walked back down the hall. I opened Joey’s door.  He was setting on the bed his hair was ruffled. He looked so…adorable. I smiled and so did he. My brain instantly reacted to compare him and Michael. He was easy to be around while Michael was so intimidating. “ Morning,” he said drowsily, “I thought you left.”

            “Nah, just went to get coffee.” I sat down on the bed beside him. It was silent for a few minutes, but it was a comfortable silence. “Mind if I turn the radio on?” I asked. “What radio?” he said looking around.  I pulled a small portable mp3 out and turned it on. “Well?” I inquired. He looked at me, “ Oh, ya sure.”  I turned it on and tuned a station. ‘Rockstar’ by Nickleback came over the speakers. “I love this song,” I said. I stood up and dance around. Joey watched me and I stuck my hand out. “ Wanna dance?!” He took my hand and I pulled him up. After a while of twirling and laughing, we plopped down on the bed. As we tried to catch our breath Joey managed to say, “ So, why do you hate Cassidy? If you don’t mind me asking.”

            I sighed. Might as well tell him right? “ Well mostly because she’s to… two-faced.”  Joey looked confused ( typical Cassidy. Make everyone think she is a nice incredible person. I thought) “ Well , when John started hunting he was only around 17. He was an inexperienced novice. Well after a while he got better but still was an amateur, as was I. Well not long after we ran into each other about a year or two after he started hunting. We had been hunting together for a few months now, best of friends. Then one night a demon showed up. Me and John tried everything we could think of to fight it. Then Cassidy showed up. Out of nowhere dirty, sweaty, and bloody. She looked at the demon just as it had pick John up without touching him. ‘Hey ugly! Over here!’ The demon turned and dropped John. She exercised it. John thanked her and offered her a place to stay for the night. I liked her at first, she stayed awhile so we were like sisters.” I paused.

            “So what was the problem?” Joey asked. “John. She ...I …we view him differently. I seen him as like a brother or maybe even fatherly. However Cassidy liked him as well a boyfriend. So she was extremely jealous. I mean me and John were very close. We’d been living together for months now. Well Cassidy thought we were more than friends. So she decided to put an end to it.”

            “She would do little things at first. Like hide silly things. Things that I was in charge of and that I should have known where they were. Like one time I was in charge of the knife sharpener. I had put it in the hall closet- don’t ask- and when I went back it was gone. John was upset, but not mad mad. Then Cassidy came in and opened the kitchen cabinet and there it was! I knew I hadn’t put it there, so when the same thing happened with some holy water during a hunt I was suspicious. Especially when Cassidy happened to have a bottle handy. My bottle. Well it kept happening, I tried to ignore it.  By now Cassidy and John were a thing. I didn’t know it though, not until I seen them kissing in the kitchen one morning. They didn’t know I was there and they were making out on the counter. I was only like 15 so I just stood there and stared. They kissed for about five minutes and then broke apart. That’s when Cassidy seen me. She looked in my eyes and scowled. I could tell I was blushing, and then John turned around and seen me. His face turned tomato red.”

            Joey broke in, “You caught John  and Cassidy making out on the counter?! Ew! I get food off of that!” He was laughing. He had a nice laugh that made me laugh too. Michael’s laugh was cold and always sounded fake. I liked Joey’s better. I shifted my position to continue the story, “ Cassidy looked at me and said, ‘Do you mind?’       I shook my head, spun around and went back to my room. Thst when they officially became a couple. About a month later we were hunting a Djinn and needed silver dipped in lambs blood. Gross I know. We got the knifes and went in, knifes with the blood in the sheaths. See we cover them in blood so the blood will stay on when we pull them out of the holders. Any way we got in there and were looking around. Well me and Cassidy went one way and John went another. Well Cassidy was looking under the stairs and the Djinn came up behind her in the dark. He grabbed her and his hand turned blueish-green and he tried to touch her head. She screamed and started to fight it. ‘Claire. Don’t just stand there help me!’ She yelled. I reached for my knife only to find it wasn’t there. So I stood there not sure what to do. That’s when John ran in and stabbed it. He shoved the dead Djinn off of her and pulled a shaking Cassidy in to his lap. He looked at me…” I broke off and realized I was crying. So had Joey, and he pulled me closer to him and I laid my head on his shoulder. “ His eyes were filled with worry and fear for Cassidy and hatred for me. I stood there thinking about how did I lose my knife. When we walked out Cassidy bumped into me and yelled, ‘get away from me!’ When we got outside John said, ‘Claire! What was that, you could have got her killed!’ I told them I didn’t have my knife that I must have dropped it. John’s face got so… angry and pointed to my sheath ‘ what is that then?!’ I gave him a look that said what? I felt for the knife and sure enough it was there. When we got home Cassidy and John stayed in the kitchen and talked. I heard bits and pieces about me but I was crying so I didn’t pick up much. The next morning John woke me up and said let’s go for a ride. He looked… upset, but determined. We drove down the road then pulled up near my mom’s house. ‘what are we doing here’ I asked. John looked at me and said, ‘Claire… I … We… Cassidy and I think  that you should go home. You’re only fifteen and your hardly trained enough to take care of yourself let alone help on a hunt. I’m sorry, but you’re just too young for this. Go home live a life.’ I started crying, ‘but… John.. I –‘  but he broke me off and said, ‘Claire , just go. Get out of the car. Don’t make this hard for yourself. Okay? Bye.’ I got out and stood there. When I walked in the door my mom asked me what the bleep was I doing back? I just shook my head and walked past her up the stair and in to my old room.” I told Joey. I was still sobbing, but not much. “What happened then?” he asked. “ I was there for about three weeks before one day as I was walking home from school, and I seen John parked outside, I walked over and said ‘What are you doing here.’ He said, ‘Claire I need you to come back. Cassidy left and I need my buddy back.’  I couldn’t believe his nerve. I almost punched him in the face. ‘and why would I want to come back John. You told me I was useless. That I weigh you down!’ He told me he didn’t mean all that.  I decided to go back because I didn’t want to go home and he told me Cassidy had left but not why. I didn’t care. She had turned John against me. And that’s why I don’t like her.”

            Joey was so quiet I thought he was asleep. “ Joey?” I asked. “I’m here Claire. I just can’t believe John would do that, I mean…”

            “ I know it doesn’t sound like him, but it was.” I told him. We laid back down and just laid there.  I was glad to get that one problem off my chest but there were still problems on the list. “Joey, what are we going to do about Michael?”

            “ Um… I don’t know Claire. I really don’t know.”

The Hunt

Chapter Twelve

Serious Jokes

          “Let me get this straight,” John said while pacing in the kitchen, “ You and Claire were here in the kitchen –”

“No I was in the kitchen and Claire was in her room. Do you want me to start from the beginning again?”

He nodded, so I took a deep breath and began, “ Okay Claire was eating dinner when I got out of the shower. I came in to find out where you guys were. She told me you had went out on a hunt. Then she went to bed. I few hours later I heard something in the kitchen. I came in and it was Claire getting some water.” I looked over at Claire. Both of us were still on the floor against the cabinets. The others had only been home about ten minutes. 

            “Then she went back to bed. I looked out the window, and seen something move at the edge of the trees. That’s when the demons walked out.”
            “Wait, Demons? Plural?” Michael asked.

I nodded. “ Plural. Three. Anyway, Amy talked at me for a few seconds. I yelled for Claire and she came down possessed as a demon. Flung me across the room. Claire took over for a second. I ran into the living room. She came in same drill different room. Then Claire took over again and told me about the exorcism paper. I ran in, the demon followed, trapped me against the counter, but I could still see the paper. The demon ranted about how stupid hunters are and then I exercised it.”
            Michael laughed, “Wonder what you’d have looked like is she didn’t fight the demon.”

 I just rolled my eyes at him, and stood up. “Well I’m going to bed.”

“Me too.” Claire said. She got up and Michael went over to her, “ Let me help you.”  She shook him off and walked away.  “ You did good, Joey.” John praised. “Michael do me a favor. Clean up this mess.”

“I didn’t make it!” Michael complained.

“ I don’t care. Clean it. Now.” John said. “Please.”

 “Hold up, Joey.” Claire said outside my door, “ Let me check your head.”

I had forgotten about hitting my head on the fridge and again on the wall. I still hurt, but I had ignored it. Now it was throbbing bad. I turned around and Claire parted my hair. “ Wow, you have dark hair.” She felt around my head. Once she touched a sore spot I winced and pulled away. “Ouch.”

“ Did that hurt?”

“ No, it tickled,” I said sourly.

“Well it looks like you just have a bump and a cut. You’ll live.”

I went into my room and sat on the bed. I looked out the window. Nothing, no demons, just nothing. I pulled back the thick blanket and laid down. The last thing I remember was looking at the clock. 12:58.

                                    (Later that night…)

Cackling… That’s what woke me up. I was having a peaceful dream about a family cook out with my parents when I was awoken by a loud, freaky cackling. I jumped out of bed and checked the window and door for salt lines. All were in place so I breathed a sigh of relief.  I looked at the clock again. 3:27. I wanted to lay back down but I was wide awake. I decided to go outside for some air.

I walked out of my room and went to the kitchen. I grabbed salt and a silver knife – just in case – and  walked out to set on the broken wooden bench out front.  It was nice out. Well nice for Mid-October. I sat there quietly looking out into the  woods.

“It’s a little chilly out here tonight, isn’t it?”

I jumped up, knife and salt in hand. Ready for whatever was behind me.  Claire was standing there in forest green flannel pants and a black jacket. Her blonde hair was tied up into a messy bun. I put the knife away and sat back down. “Not really it’s kind of nice out here.”

 “ Couldn’t sleep?” She asked.
“Is it that obvious?”

“No not really. It’s just I couldn’t sleep and I seen you out here so…”

I nodded. “Did you hear the cackling.”

She was quiet for so long I thought she had snuck back in. I was about to turn around and look when she said. “ Ya. Oh and by the way iron, salt and silver won’t protect you against a demon.”

I laughed bitterly, “ Ah, well. Worth a try right?”

“ If you say so. I guess.”

She sat down beside me and handed me a necklace. “Here it’s an anti-possession charm.”

“A what?” I asked holding the thin gold chain in my hands.

“ It’s a necklace with a pendant charm that stops a demon from entering your body.”

I undid the clasp and put it around my neck. I tried to re-hook it but the tiny hook slipped from my hands. “ Here let me help you,” Claire offered taking the necklace. I turned slightly so she could put it on. She moved my hair back out of the way with her cool hands. Her soft touch made my hairs stand on end and I shivered. “Sorry, it’s kinda cold out here.” She mumbled.

“It’s okay,” I replied. I turned back around so I could face her. We looked at each other for a few minutes.

I seen a tear slide down her cheek. “What’s wrong Claire?” 

“I… It’s just…” Her voice faltered, “Everything is… slipping right out of my…my  hands.”  She started sobbing and shaking. I grabbed the jacket I had brought out and put it around her shoulders. “Hah, hard to believe I’m the same girl who pinned you against a wall a few days ago, huh?”

“ Maybe, Well not really I mean then you didn’t know me. I guess you don’t know me real well now, but I’m not a complete stranger anymore.”

She nodded and wiped her eyes on her sleeves, “ True very true.”

Claire, big, bad, scary, hard, mean, Claire. Wearing my high school baseball jacket and sobbing in the middle of the night. I never thought I’d see her break down… again. She looked at me, “ Do you get what I’m mean? Probably not, no one does.”

“ I think”, I said as I reached over and wiped a stray tear off her cheek. “ That Michael can be a real arse to you sometimes.”

“ Ya. Sometimes. You know he didn’t even ask me if I was okay. He just wanted to walk me to my room and… never mind.”

I raised an eyebrow and said, “ Uhhh…”

She smiled and shoved my arm, “ Not that pervert.”

I laughed. At least she was done crying, hopefully. “ What you said it not me.”

Smiling slightly she looked away. After she looked into the woods she said, “ It doesn’t make sense. Why didn’t the demon let the others in. It’s like it was afraid of them, me, mostly you.”
“ Nah, it had to be afraid of you. Not little ol’ scrawny me.” I said. I didn’t really want to talk about the demons. “ No, Joey. It was afraid of you.” We sat there for a while longer. Eventually, rays of bright sun shine broke through the deep blue black sky.

            “ Well we better go in.” Claire said breaking the peaceful silence. “Ya probably.” I agreed. We both stood up.

            “ Oh… ah…Joey. Thank you for.. um.. saving me.”

“Ah… ya no problem.” I ran my fingers threw my hair, a nervous habit. She hugged me and said, “ I mean it.”
            She leaned back, but didn’t let go of me. “ Uh, Clai – ” She leaned forward and her lips met mine. For a minute I was shocked, but if she noticed she didn’t care. I closed my eyes  and put my hands on her shoulders. Almost as fast as it had happened she pulled back. She was blushing around her cheeks and then she ran in the house.

            A cold burst of wind blew through and felt like needles on my bare arms. I turned around to grab my jacket. Only to remember Claire still had it on. I shook myself and walked back toward the house. What the heck just happened, I thought as I walked in to door. No one was to be seen so I went up stairs and fell back asleep.

The next two weeks passed without incident. I trained with Michael every day. I was getting good to. I could hold my own in a fight and then some. Only problem I had was, Claire. Here lately since that night outside, she has been finding reason and excuses for us to be alone for a few minutes. The first time after that night I hadn’t thought anything of it. We were In the storage building looking for some arrow fixing equipment, when she walked over and grabbed my face. Before I could say ‘wtf’ she had pressed her lips to mine. Then grabbed the tools and ran out when I just stood there. After a few more awkward encounters I quit trying to avoid it.

            “ Claire what is going on with you?” I had asked.  “Nothing it’s just a kiss. No biggie.”

“No biggie? Claire, no biggie? It’s kind of a biggie!” I snapped. “ Don’t pretend you didn’t like it.” She spat at me with her same old fury she had the first night I had arrived. “So what IF I DID like it!?”

“Uh...well… I ..uh then well…” she sputtered.

“ What, no come back Claire.”

“No ‘Michael junior’,” she sniffled, “ No come back.”

“Oh come on I am not like Michael.” I said.  Claire wiped her eyes and said, “ fine whatever.” She walked toward the door. “ Claire…wait…I’m sorry.”  She walked over. “Do you like me? Honestly.”

“Claire… I… well.. your beautiful and all...” She looked at me with big vulnerable eyes. “ Yes, Claire, okay yes.”  And then again an ambush of kisses, but his time was different. I kissed her back.  Michael will skin me alive, I thought, then again I don’t really care.

            After we broke apart our tangle mess of arms, lips, and hair, we stood there trying to catch our breath.  “Claire …uh,” I breathed. “No Joey, don’t… even… say a…word. If you say anything I swear to god I will kill you myself.”

            We stood there holding each other in an easy hug. I heard, or thought I heard, a bush rustle. We broke apart and I looked around. Empty. We went our separate ways looking over our shoulders.  I checked my watch 11:43 . Time to practice more with Michael.

            I walked through the house, and out to the front yard. Michael was setting on a mat by the car. “Morning,” I greeted him.  He had been warming up when I walked over. “ Morning,” he said while standing up. I got on the mats he had laid out. “ What are we doing today?”

“ Two on one Defensive. Warm up.” Michael ordered while walking to get him a bottle of water. I did the stretches Michael taught me the first week I got there. Once I was loosened up, Michael came over and started talking.  “ Okay, so as you know Demons and Monsters don’t always play fair. In fact they hardly ever play fair one on one fights.” He paused, “ Often demon team up in groups of two to four and attack a hunter or two… So today we will try your defensive training against two ‘demons’ Which will be me and John.” “ Remember which parts of the body do you want to protect most?”

“The face and stomach.” I answered. Michael nodded indicating I was right. “Okay so no Dirty Fighting which mean no biting, spitting, eye poking, or between the leg kicking. Understood?” I nodded and John came closer. I was nervous. I wasn’t too gifted with fighting, I had gotten better. But it’s not like I was good enough to take on Claire let alone a Demon.   Claire. I thought, Jeez, she sure is different than from when we first met. She hated me. Now she can’t get enough of me…

Michaels fist connected with my jaw and my head snapped painfully to my side. “Ouch!”

“Earth to Joey! We’re kind of in the middle of something here in case you forgot.”

“Sorry. Okay I’m ready.”

Michael ran at me and I dodged to the side. Luckily I seen Johns leap at me and I hit the mat flattening myself in to it. John soared over me and landed on outstretched arms and gracefully rolled to an upright position. Michael did a front flip and prepared to bring his elbow down on my side. I rolled quickly and kicked out at him when he landed. My foot connected with his chest, but not hard enough to cause damage, and he lay winded for a moment. John hopped over him and came at me lie a linebacker. I waited a second and stuck my leg out to trip him. As he fell he grabbed my arm and pulled me down with him. I landed on all fours and tried to stand. John grabbed my ankle and yanked it so I fell to the side. Michael stood over me and slammed a foot down on my chest. “ Oof,” I said as the air was shoved out of by lungs. “Not bad,” he smiled. “ I am an awesome teacher,” he boasted. I quickly grabbed his leg and twisted it inward. Michael grunted in surprise and fell face forward in to the mat. I tried to twist my way out from under John who was pinning me by my legs to the mat, but he just tightened his grip on me.

We were still wrestling on the mat when a sleek black ford mustang pulled in to the drive way. We all stood up. Michael and I stood tense behind a surprisingly relaxed John. “ No way,” John said to himself. Michael and I exchanged looks that said, who the h-e- double hockey sticks, is that. The car stopped. I girl, maybe nineteen stepped out. She had brown hair that seemed bronze in the hot sunlight. She wore a plain green t-shirt and dark wash jeans. She had strong build which made me think of Claire. Not now Joey ,I chided myself. I could daydream about her later.  

            John ran over and the girl squealed, “OMG it’s been for ever John! How have you been?!” She yelled while hugging him tight.  We stood there staring at John quietly. Finally he turned around and said, Guys meet my old hunting friend, Cassidy Edmund.”

We all went into the house. Claire was setting at the table, but when she seen Cassidy she frowned and walked away upstairs. Cassidy just rolled her eyes and sat down. Michael at down across from her and I sat beside him. John sat beside Cassidy and said, “ God Cassie where have you been.”

She smirked, “ Oh you know, here and there.” John smiled and sighed happily.

Michael being Michael, looked at her and said, “ are you a hunter?”
She turned her feather gray eyes on him and said, “ Ex – Hunter.”

Michael frowned, “ No such thing. Once you start hunting you never stop.”

“You poor naïve boy. It’s very possible just not probable. John have you taught him nothing.”

“ Info is on a need to know basis.” John replied.

She rolled her eyes, “ Anyway ya’ll want to hear about John’s first hunt…”

A few hours later Cassidy said, “Well it’s getting late I better go check into a hotel.”
John stood and said, “ Okay but just wondering, why are you here?”

She sighed, “ Um..”
“Don’t lie to me Cassie,” John warned.

“Fine. I caught wind of a hunt. A jokester to be exact.”

“What’s a jokester?” I asked.

Michael furrowed his eye brows, “ They’re demi-gods who like to give jerks there just deserts right?”

John shook his head, “ Close but no.That would be a Trickster. A jokester usually is part demon and likes to mess with people for others entertainment. They are usually born out of or summoned for revenge.”

“See a Trickster will play some messed up sometimes fatal jokes. But usually they only target jackarses. Jokesters on the other hand like to mess with any one. Everyone is fair game, you, me, anyone.”

“ So basically they are just bullies?” I suggested. “ Exactlly big ol’ giant bullies who like to play some seriously bad jokes on normally innocent people.” John said.

“So anyways,” Cassidy said, “ I figured maybe we could hunt it together. Like old times.”

Michael smirked, “ Thought you were retired.”

Cassidy met his smirk with one of her own, “ I was. But you know what they say once you start hunting.. you can never  Really stop.” She then got up, brown waves of hair bouncing around her cheek bones, and walked out the door got in her car and drove off.

            John turned to me, “ Well Joey get some rest you start your first official hunt tomorrow…”

Oh joy, I get to fight a bully that happens to be part demon. What could possibly go wrong with that,  I thought sarcastically. Well I got myself into this. Time to see it through. I then went up to bed. When I went up to bed, Claire was sitting on the edge of the bed facing the window. “Is it gone?” She asked. “ Um… Cassidy? Ya she just left.”

“ Good.” Claire said crossing her arms.

“ So what’s up?”

“ Nothing just…uh… relaxing.” She said laying down to look at me.

“In my bed?” I raised an eye brow.

She blushed faintly, but said, “ Yes. In your bed. By the way your bed is comfy and smells nice.”

I smiled and sat beside her. “ So what’s up with you and Cassidy?” “ Long story.”  I knew that was code for, I don’t wanna talk about it now…maybe later… So I dropped it and laid beside her. “So apparently we are hunting a jokester.”

“We?... as in they are letting you hunt now to.” She said with mock astonishment. “Don’t sound so surprised. I totally kicked Michaels butt today...sorta.”  She rolled over to face me, “ You did what?”

“Beat Michael in a training fight.” Claire growled, “ Urgh, and I missed it! I always miss the good part of training. Crap.” I smiled. My eyes were heavy. I tried to yawn and talk at the same time, “you know, ooo ud’ve um to traying,” Is what it sounded like.

Claire smiled, “ Good night Joey.” She kissed me and then laid her head on the spare pillow. I was going to say something but I fell asleep with the words on the tip of my tounge.

Oh well, I thought, tomorrow is a new day.

***************************Authors Note************************

                        Dear Readers,

 Thank you for the time you spend reading my story. I really appreciate it. The main reason I am righting this note is because I feel I have a few loose ends to tie up.

1.)     Joey no longer attends regular school. He is homeschooled by John.

2.)    Kay is still alive, but in a coma.

3.)    They are still looking for the Shtriga

4.)   They action will get better I just want to write a smooth transition from normal teen to Demon Hunter

5.)    Sam and John are still important characters. I just haven’t wrote parts much with them yet.

6.)   I want to hear your suggestions so please E-mail me or comment it.

If you have any questions please feel free to comment then on a post or email me at  Jayfeather1997@aol.com. Or check the Contact Me page.

                                                                

                                                     Carry on,

                                                                 ~  Jayfeather1997