"What are you doing? You're going to hit her!" The speedometer said that they were now going 45 on a 25 mph street. Now they were going 55. Morgan couldn't watch, but she also had to watch. Just as they should have ran right into her, she was gone. Not like in a puff of smoke, but like someone had just shut off the light on a movie projector. The problem was that it was the middle of the day and there wasn't a screen in the middle of the street.
"Did you just see that?" she asked, but the boy just kept driving. They were beginning to slow down, but he looked even more shaken than before. "Was that a trick? What just happened?"
"That, Miss Rossi, was your trial."
"You mean my test was running a woman over?"
"No, I'm sorry, but I've told you more than I should already. Your father will have to answer the rest of your questions." Morgan was beginning to hate him.
CHAPTER FOUR
THEY PULLED UP to her house and her father was already there, sitting on the front porch steps. The front door was ajar behind him. She jumped out of the car and ran up to him, but stopped short when she saw why the door was wide open. It wasn't even on its hinges. It lay on the front porch next to her dad. She stood and stared for a second before she could think of what to say.
"Dad, what happened?" He looked up at her with a frazzled look on his face.
"Did you have an intruder?" asked The Tutor as he approached them from the car.
"It was an adze," said her dad.
"No, an adze wouldn't have done that."
"Actually I'm the one that knocked the door down. I guess I'm not as fast as I used to be," said her dad.
"Where is it now?"
"It got away. It wasn't here for me, you know. It was for her," her dad said as he looked at Morgan.
"Well, I thought it was going to end up in the back seat of our car. She was right in front of us on the street over by the high school." The flustered look returned to her dad's face.
"Over by the school? How long ago was that?" asked her dad.
"About five minutes ago," said The Tutor.
"It couldn't have been, it was here five minutes ago. They don't move that fast."
"Does that mean that there's two?" Morgan needed to get a handle on what they were talking about before she got even more confused.
"You're talking about that woman in the street, right? The one that we should have squished in the road, but disappeared? I'm not going crazy, right?" She looked back-and-forth between the two.
Her dad looked to the tall boy and asked, "How much did you tell her?"
"Very little, that's your job." Her dad looked down at the ground and shook his head.
"Right, I guess I already knew the answer to that one. Morgan, give me a hand with this door." Morgan walked over and helped her dad lift the door up and set it back into place in the doorway.
"You hold it here and I'll grab some screws," he said. She didn't want to wait, but right away she recognized the change in his voice that meant they were shifting to student-teacher time. It was usually reserved for combat practice. The tone commanded respect, which meant that he was preparing her for something serious. Her father had raised her as a single parent and taught her combat from a young age. He had always claimed that it was the only thing that he had to pass on to her. She was grateful for it, but lately the practice bored her. She spent much of her time thinking about her next four years of college. Sure, she might get the chance someday to use it if a drunk guy at college decided to put his hands where he shouldn't. Most of guys that she would choose to date found her too intimidating, and the rest were the kind that she wouldn't give a second look.
Her dad returned from the garage with some tools and a minute later he had secured the door in place with a screw at each corner.
"How are we going to use the door like that?" she asked. Her dad used the same commanding tone as he picked up a black duffel bag from the front porch and began walking to The Tutor's car.
"Right now it doesn't matter. We don't want to be anywhere near this place. Let's go." She jumped up and followed.
"Do you have anything that will take us out on that lake in the middle of town?" asked The Tutor.
"We have a boat at a dock. It should have enough fuel to give us plenty of time to talk."
"I hope so, or this is going to go down real fast.”
CHAPTER FIVE
FROM THE HOUSE TO THE MARINA, Morgan barely said a word. She was trying to make mental sense of everything she had learned, including the death wish woman that had just stood and stared at them in the middle of the street. She couldn’t see how the woman was supposed to be her entrance exam, like The Tutor had said.
She strained to see if she could hear some nugget of information shared between her dad and The Tutor, but there was nothing. Sometimes her dad would mumble something and The Tutor would swerve down a different street. They seemed to be taking a completely indirect route to the marina. She began to ask why they were even going to the marina, but she was interrupted by her dad, telling her to be quiet so that he could concentrate.
"Concentrate on what?" she asked.
"The thing behind us." Alarmed, she turned around and looked behind the car. After a minute of seeing nothing, she turned back around. It was beginning to feel like a practical joke. Morgan looked at her phone and saw a text message from her friend, Sadie.
"Are you in trouble? Or just in detention?"
Morgan texted back, "Neither, I think I'm being recruited for a different high school. I'm supposed to take a test."
"No way, where at?" was the response. She wanted to tell Sadie about the woman in the street and the hot jerk driving the car. Mostly she wanted to tell her how helpless she felt right now, but she just replied, "I don't know yet". Morgan had to pay attention in case her dad said something that would begin to fill in the dozens of gaps.
They arrived at the marina without running into any more women in the street and took the ski boat out towards the middle of the lake. Just when she had decided that she couldn’t wait any longer for them to fill her in, The Tutor turned to speak to her.
"Now, where were we?" he asked.
"You were about to explain what the hell is going on!" She wanted to shock him into telling her something, but he just looked to her dad.
"Maybe your father should take the first turn." Her dad lowered the speed on the throttle control and then shut off the motor completely. They were now near the center of the lake.
"I didn't exactly get the parent's guide on introducing your daughter to monster school," said her dad.
"When you've been hiding her from us for so long, how could we send you one?"
"I was being facetious," said her dad.
"Me too."
"What is monster school?" asked Morgan. She hated the thought of moving to another school again. And the name sounded silly, or unbearable if it was a hint at what the teachers there were like.
"The school deals with monsters," said her dad. She knew it. She had crossed the line too many times. She stood up in the boat.
"Dad, don't send me to a military academy! I can clean up my act! I haven’t been in detention once this year!"
"I was afraid that she was completely in the dark about this," said The Tutor.
"Oh, don't you make things worse," said her dad to The Tutor as he sat down on the bench seat next to Morgan. "Monsters aren't the students, they're the subject."
"What do you mean?" Her dad put his arm around her and pulled her into a tight side hug.
"Dear, it's a special school for people that learn how to fight monsters."
"What?"
The Tutor cut in. "Listen, this is nice, but can we speed things up a little? Obviously her blood is too strong to make hiding her impossible. Now you can just explain to her how to forfeit the trial, and we can be done." Her dad's smile faded, but Morgan just felt more confused.
"Yes, her blood is a blessing and a curse. Even if her mother thought that I could hide he
r forever, I still took it upon myself to prepare her."
"What is it about my blood?" asked Morgan.
"Tell her, since you haven't been honest with her yet." Her dad stood up, causing the boat to rock.
"Don't tell me how to parent. I've been as honest as I could. I've hidden some of the truth from her for a good reason." The Tutor sat back in his seat and stared off towards shore.
"I'm sorry, but I just don't understand how you thought she could stay hidden forever." Her dad sat back down next to Morgan.
"It's what your mother would have wanted. Listen, it's likely that everything happening right now was bound to happen once I started dating your mother."
"There isn't any record of you dating her. She didn't date anyone," interrupted The Tutor.
"I know. We did it in secret."
"If you two ever had been in a relationship, that would have been a smart idea."
“Thank you, it was mine,” said her dad. "Your mother and I attended a special school unlike any other, for people with special blood."
"Why do we keep talking about blood?” asked Morgan.
"I think what he's trying to say is that your parents didn't want you to be stuck with the same decision that they had to make," said The Tutor.
"Don't make it sound like we had any decision. Back then, there was only the University and once you were enrolled, it was too late. The only decision left was to survive." Her dad was making it sound like a reality TV show.
"True, but you must have known what you were getting yourself into."
"Sure. The glamorous life of hunting monsters. You really can't understand what it's all about until you're in. And then there's no way out."
"Obviously there's a way out. You managed to finish the University and still never made a real career of it."
"You'll understand in a couple of years. Some graduates managed to stay out of the mandatory service when I was young, and I expect that it's even more common now.”
"On the contrary. There are more recruits than ever, which means higher standards. Usually, it's only the weakest blood hunters that turn and run after graduation." Her dad became tense again, and The Tutor added, "Not the strong hunters, like you.”
“I was discharged in my first year, actually. That's something that you won't find in the files.” Her dad turned and took her hands. "We've been able to keep away from this our entire lives, and you can still stay out for good. I can teach you how." Morgan couldn't hide her feelings of intense confusion from showing on her face. "Ugh, if we only had more time. This isn't how I imagined telling you."
"Regardless, the clock is ticking. When we head back, she is going to have to make a decision."
"What decision?" asked Morgan.
"You have to decide if you want in or out of the school," said The Tutor. She looked at her dad and felt silly just asking the question.
"Does he mean to fight monsters?"
"Yes, that's what he means," said her dad. Her stomach dropped to the bottom of the lake. After all of her years of wishing that she could give her combat training a test, she now wished that she could rewind her life by a few hours and avoid The Tutor completely. Nothing could have prepared her for this.
"If I don't want to go to the school, what do I have to do?"
"You have to cut yourself and let a drop of your blood hit the ground. Then the school will know that you forfeit your invitation."
She hoped that there was another way out of this.
"What if I don't cut myself?"
The Tutor responded, "You have to defeat the monster, or monsters in this case. Usually, there's just one, but I guess you're special." The Tutor gave her a pretentious grin and she was flooded with a desire to fight. She had never backed down from a real challenge before, and she didn't want to now, but she couldn’t let her emotions get to her. Most of all she just wanted her normal life back.
"I don't want to force you in any direction,” said her dad. “If you think that you might want to go for it, we can discuss things in the next few minutes on the way back to shore," said her dad. Morgan didn't have to think about her answer.
"I can spare a few drops of blood if it will end this nightmare."
"So be it," said her dad with a smile as he gave her a tight squeeze from the side. He switched to the driver's seat and started the motor. Soon this would all be over.
CHAPTER SIX
HER DAD TURNED to smile at Morgan. "I'm not sorry that I hid this from you, but I'm sorry that this has to be such a rash and emotional decision. I thought that we would have more time," he said, and then paused.
He turned to The Tutor. "We need more time, so let's think for a minute. We both know that the adze will be waiting on the shore for her to come back."
"Yes, she'll have to make the decision, one way or another," said The Tutor.
"She does have a decision to make, but does she have to make it this minute? Am I allowed to help her put off the trial for a couple of hours, to give her some time to think?" The Tutor got a confused look that made him appear less like a man, and more like a young boy for once.
"I don't know. It's very unusual for a parent to be involved with the trials."
"That's good enough for me.” Her dad's smile got bigger. "Okay listen. It's still your decision, but what we can do is run for a little bit. Maybe go home and talk over some swordplay." It was common for them to practice while having conversations.
"What are we going to do when we see those women?" asked Morgan.
"Believe it or not, they're only impossible to defend against if you're human."
"What do you mean? We are human, right?"
"Sort of. You're Benandanti, like your mother and I," he said as he drove the boat with one hand and unzipped the duffel bag with the other. He pulled out a sword that Morgan didn't recognize. By the look of the handle, it was an old samurai-type sword. It had a small design with three golden leaves surrounded by a circle on the side of the black scabbard. They had several prop swords like this one that they sometimes used to clear brush. They weren't good for much else.
"If you were going to bring a sword, why didn't you bring one of the good ones?" There were several highly polished swords at home in a locked cabinet that made her swoon whenever they got them out to clean.
"This is one of the good ones. One of the best, actually."
"That couldn't have been your graduation sword, the crest is infamous,” said The Tutor.
"It was her mother's. She would have wanted me to pass it along to her."
"She only used the best blades. Does that mean that it's actually a sword from the master?"
"It sure is. It was her first, I think," said her dad.
"So if I decided to fight, then I could use that sword?" asked Morgan. She had been dreaming about fighting with a sword all her life. If she actually got a chance to use a sword in combat, this day might not be so bad after all. If she could keep it after this was all over, she could pretend that it didn't come from her mom.
"Hold on. It's not that I don't believe in your ability. I first put a sword in your hand when you were two years old and you've never wanted to let go. But this isn't practice, and you should at least have a chance to learn what you're up against. Remember rule number two."
"You've taught her the rules of combat, at least," said The Tutor.
"Of course. I said that I prepared her, just in case today ever came." Like letters and numbers, she had been raised with the three rules of combat. Rule number two was, 'Know thy enemy'. The only rule more important was rule number one, 'Know thy self'.
They were approaching land and Morgan could feel The Tutor's gaze on her.
"So, what is your answer to the challenge?" She looked at her dad and said, "We've moved so many times, why can't we just take off?"
"Honey, those things that are chasing you, they won't stop. You may get free for a time, but they will keep coming until either you kill them, or they kill you. Or you can forfeit."
"I don't even know what these things are. Do you think I should forfeit?"
"It's not up to me. This has to be your decision, but we can carve out some time to clear things up for you."
"If we're really talking about fighting monsters, doesn't that make it an easy decision?"
"It wasn't for your mom and me, and because of who you are, you shouldn't take it lightly either." She wrapped her arms around herself and stared out into the lake.
"I don't know what to say. Right now my head just hurts." Her father nodded to The Tutor.
"That's fine. You can take a short break, considering that you should have been notified of your entrance trial three years ago on your thirteenth birthday and had months to prepare." The Tutor opened up a small bag and took out a long knife. "Your father and I should be able to help you get past two adze without a problem. After that, you can take an hour to decide your final answer to the challenge."
She felt both relieved and scared, not knowing what her father would be facing. All she had seen in the street was an old woman with a disappearing act. What kind of a monster was she? Morgan didn't have the slightest clue who or what her enemy was.
They approached the shore and her father slowed the boat. Nobody was on the long dock and there were no other boats. It was still early in spring and very few people had put their boats into the water yet. She strained to see if there were any cloaked women waiting for them on shore. Her dad was also looking as they bumped into the dock and he stepped out to tie up the boat.
"I don't see anybody here," said Morgan.
"Oh, they're here. I can feel them. You wait here while The Tutor and I distract them. Then when I yell for you to come, you run to the car and we'll follow," said her dad. "It will be a piece of cake, right?"
"Sure," said The Tutor as he stepped out of the boat. Morgan waited while her dad and The Tutor began down the dock. She looked at the bare shoreline and wondered how anything could be hiding. A tiny flicker of light caught her eye at the end of the dock, and she remembered the weird lightning bugs that she had seen just outside of her classroom window earlier that day. There were several more small blinks of light on shore, and her dad and The Tutor stopped in their tracks, half-way down the dock. That's when it happened.
Dragon Spirit- Will to Act Page 2
