THIRTY-THREE

None of Benjamin’s threats worked on Daniels.  He believed the Academy was strong enough to keep him out.

Once past the main gate, Daniels carried his daughter in, looking at her as if she were the same little girl that he had to leave behind.  He now wondered how the place that he tried to keep her away from, to keep her safe from, turned out to be the only place that could keep her safe.  He just wanted her to have a normal life, but now, he was angry for wasting so many of those years that he could have spent watching his daughter grow up.

They took her to the infirmary.  After Daniels dismissed everyone, he looked from his daughter to Hunter, who watched her with concern and said, “We have much to talk about, but most importantly, what happened between you and my daughter?”

Hunter looked lost.  “Nothing happened, Sir.”

“You are lying, there is something… some kind of connection.”

Hunter sighed. 

“You think you love her,” accused Daniel.

“No.  I just – no, I don’t love her… not like that.”

“You are right about that.  You are too young for love.”

“I just… I care about her, that is all.”

The way he said it, Daniels knew he was lying.  There was more to that.

“Just go to your room, Hunter.  You have classes tomorrow.  Same schedule as before.”

“I can’t, Sir.  I have to stay with her.  Chase said—“

“Chase knows nothing, Hunter.  Now, go!  You can see her again tomorrow.”

“But, Sir—“

“Don’t push it, or you won’t be seeing her at all.”

Hunter was frustrated but he left, going straight to his room.

Ethan got to the room at the same time, and of course, he had already heard the gossip.

“So, Mr. Daniel’s daughter, huh?”  Ethan asked.

“Leave it alone!”  Hunter growled.

Ethan put both hands up agreeing to just let it go.

Hunter surprised him when he spoke.  As if he had just woke up and realized his surroundings.  “Mr. Daniels—“

“What about him?”  Ethan asked.

“I always thought of him as just one of the haunted, how come he runs this place?  How come he can do things that only the Fallen can?”

Ethan shook his head.  “From what I hear, you are the first of the haunted to ever realize that, which is incredible if you ask me.  Anyway, Daniels plays both sides of the field.  Why do you think he couldn’t summon your friend himself?  He can sense, talk to and see him, but he can’t summon anyone.  He is not one of the haunted.  He may play like he is for his own weird reasons, but he is one of us.”

Hunter gasped.  “But Kayla, so she is a—“

Ethan continued.  “Yes, she is a Nephilim.”

“But she can summon them…”

Ethan looked impressed.  “That must have been an ability that she mastered.  That is very unusual, but not impossible.  For some reason, I have a feeling you helped her with that.”

Hunter turned around and went toward the door.

“Where are you going?”  Ethan asked.

“If she is a Nephilim, she is even in more danger than I thought.  She can’t be left in the Otherworld, they will all go after her.”

“There is nothing you can do.”

“I need to get to the infirmary.  Can you help?”

Ethan hesitated.  “You know what kind of trouble I can get in for that?”

Hunter was agitated, frustrated.  “Look, if you help me, I will help you get out of here.”

Ethan doubted that was true, that anything could be done, but seeing Hunter that desperate, he finally agreed.

***

Daniels was no longer there, there was only one nurse, one of the fallen, and she was in the room with Kayla.

While Hunter hid, Ethan walked in, telling her there was an emergency with Hunter in their room. 

The nurse took a look at Kayla, figured she would be okay for a few minutes and left with Ethan.

Hunter walked in the room and quickly approached Kayla, he held her hand in his and whispered in her ear.  “Kayla, it is Hunter.  I need you to come back.  I need you to at least stay away from anything dark.”  Ugh.  ‘I wish there was a way to tell if you can hear me.’

At that moment, Hunter felt her hand squeeze his.

He smiled.  “Just please, Kayla.  Try to stay away from anything dark.  I thought of something I could do to bring you back.  I just need you to hang on.”

“Hunter,” he heard Kayla say in a low voice.  He was still looking at her, but her eyes were still closed.  She wasn’t moving. 

“Kayla?  I heard you.  Say something!”

Daniels walked in, surprising Hunter.  “What is going on here?”  He asked.

Hunter, realizing that he was still holding her hand, quickly let go.

“I heard something.  She called me, said my name.”

Daniels looked from Hunter to Kayla, and then to the monitors that she was hooked up to, realizing that her heart beat was uneven.

“You need to leave, Hunter.  Whatever you were saying, or maybe you just being here, must be causing her stress.”

Hunter snapped.  “You think that is the reason her heart is racing?  Well, it is not.  After it all happened… after Benjamin attacked her, her spirit was still around.  It wasn’t until the Doctors took her away from me that she went to—well, you know where she went to.”

Daniels looked as if he was deep in thought.  “That doesn’t make any sense.  You wouldn’t have the power to keep her here.  You are just—“

Hunter cut him off, finishing his sentence, “I’m just one of the haunted, unlike you, who just pretend to be one.”

“You are out of line, Mr. Chambers!”  Daniels said.  “You need to leave!”

“Hunter,” it was Kayla’s weak voice calling his name again.

Daniels froze in place.

“You heard it too, didn’t you?”  Hunter asked.

“We need to get her back,” Hunter said.  “I have an idea on how to do that.”

Daniels looked at Hunter, doubtful.  “She needs to find the way back on her own.  No one can help her.”

“That is not true.  I found my way back once.  If she can really hear me, I can walk her through it, I can pull her back.”

Daniels considered it.  “But you will have to summon her to pull her back.  If things go wrong… you can end up in the Otherworld with Kayla.”

Hunter looked determined.  “I’m willing to take the risk.”

Daniels finally agreed.  “Okay, but I will be here with you.”

“I can’t focus if you are here.  That will not work.”

Daniels was getting frustrated now.  “Fine, but that door stays open.  I will intervene if there are any problems.”

Hunter quickly agreed and rushed Daniels out of the room.