Nightfall (The Huntsman Clan Book 1)

by Rose Alexander

  "Ok, time to go get pampered," she replies with an evil chuckle.

  "Pampered equals pain doesn't it?" I groan, not liking the sound of her chuckle.

  "Have fun," she smiles and waves her fingers at me.

  “Humans are all so strange,” Kylah remarks, acting bored.

  The shampoo girl leads me through the spa to another woman who hands me a robe and fuzzy sandals then leads me to a room.

  "Please put these on and come back out," she states curtly; her face frozen in a sour expression.

  “Wake me up when you’re done with all these humans,” Kylah sighs.

  I sigh, another not so nice person. I hope she's not who I have to deal with the rest of the time. I finish undressing and step out but the woman was nowhere in sight. A young woman comes running up.

  "Amelia, right?" she asks, out of breath.

  "That's me," I wave my fingers.

  "Sorry, I got caught up with my last client. But, I'm here now. My name's Meagan. Can you follow me please?" she asks, finally catching her breath.

  I follow her through the spa area to a private room. She turns on the light, and I sit in the chair, scared of what is going to happen.

  "We're just going to do a facial and basic skin care routine. You're too young to need the works," she winks at me.

  "Ok, I can handle that," I reply, inwardly letting out a sigh of relief.

  I sit and let her plaster stuff on my face and take it off to put more stuff on. It feels gross and relaxing at the same time. Whens she finishes, she hands me a bag full of products and explains how each one of them works. My head is spinning when she directs me back to the room my clothes are in.

  Once I'm dressed, the curt woman leads me back to the front lobby where Jack is waiting. His eyes about bug out of his head when he sees me, then I remember my undercut is showing.

  "I can cover it," I explain, suddenly feeling self conscious.

  "No, it's perfect. It'll let the other students know you have attitude and they can't mess with you. It's brilliant really, just shocked that's what you went for," he replies, grinning.

  “You’re going to act the part of princess brilliantly,” Jace whispers from the edge of my mind, causing Kylah to start purring.

  "Please say we are done and can go eat again?" I ask; my stomach growling again painfully.

  "We can. We'll stay in town tonight and finish up tomorrow," he answers, giving me a sympathetic look.

  We get in the limo and the driver takes us the a hotel that looks very fancy. Jack checks us in, and the bellhop brings up all of my purchases behind us.

  "The driver was out picking up personal items and luggage while you were at the spa. I figured we could order room service since you're going to eat a lot," Jack explains fidgeting his hands again.

  "Thank you," I reply, just wanting to get to the food.

  “You need to feed us more often. You’re not just eating for you now,” Kylah pouts, feeling our shared hunger.

  We take the elevator to one of the top floors, and when the bellhop opens the door it's a living room area with four doors leading off.

  "We'll each take a bedroom, and you'll have a private bath," Jack explains after he tips the bellhop. "You can pick your room first."

  I run over and open the first door; it's a king size canopy bed with sheer white fabric hanging from it. The bed spread is also white. I move on the the next room, and it's a queen bed with a blue comforter, just average looking. I run across the room and open the next room. It's a king bed with dark red bedspread and room accents. I choose this room. In the bathroom is a walk in shower and a large soaking tub. I grin thinking about soaking in the tub.

  I run back out to the joint living space. There is a tiny kitchen off to one side, a table to eat at, and a large grey sectional couch facing a mounted flat screen TV over a gas fireplace.

  "Did you choose that room?" Jack asks with a grin.

  "Yeah," I reply smiling.

  "Take your stuff in there and get it organized then. You can pack your clothes so we'll be ready to go tomorrow. I ordered food to be brought up. It should be here by the time you're done," he orders, unsure of himself.

  "Fine, take all the fun out of shopping," I tease, preferring to be organized myself.

  I lug all of my purchases back to my room for the night and start unpacking them onto the bed. I finally get a closer look at everything I got today. The outfits are all edgy, just like my new haircut. The sales lady did a good job of picking underwear sets to go with each outfit. I fold everything up and place them in piles to pack them away. Jack knocks on the open door then brings in a three piece, bright red luggage set and another luggage cart of stuff.

  "I don't think everything is going to fit in here," I grimace but loving the luggage set.

  "We'll make it work. Worst case, we'll need to get you more luggage. You'll need to pick a few handbags tomorrow. Girls will expect you to have more than one," he explains, shaking his head.

  There's a knock at the door, so Jack leaves me to answer it. I grab the large bag and am able to fit all of my clothes in it. It fits more than I expected. I am able to fit all of my toiletries in the smallest bag, with room for makeup, so that leaves the middle bag for what's left on the luggage cart.

  "Food's here," Jack calls out.

  "Coming," I respond, excited to eat.

  I leave the rest of the packing until I eat. The smells coming from the living room have my mouth watering. When I get to the table, he had ordered steaks, baked potatoes, several vegetable sides, hamburgers, and fries.

  "Dig in," he chuckles; his smile reaching his eyes.

  He doesn't have to tell me twice. I grab a plate and load it up and eat until my stomach is full. I feel better but tired.

  "I'm going to finish packing and go to sleep," I yawn; suddenly, the exhaustion and weight of the day hits me.

  "I think that's a good idea. You've been through a lot," he agrees, giving me a sad look.

  I feel like I’m falling into this change too comfortably. I know part of it is Kylah and her readiness to accept being with her clan, but it should be harder for me. I go back to my room and go through the bags on the cart. There's a high-end laptop, a tablet, and a cellphone in one bag, the other is full of bath products and deodorants. The last bag has basic school supplies in it. I pack all of it with the laptop and tablet in the middle sized suitcase. Thankfully, it fits without unboxing them. I set the cellphone box on the bed and check the last bag on the cart. It's full of cases for the tablet and phone. My jaw drops at how much these cases cost.

  Once I finish picking my jaw up off the ground, I pick out fresh undergarments and a nightgown and take advantage of the soaker tub. There's a jasmine and sweet pea bath oil, so I pour it in then climb into the nice, steamy water. I can feel my muscles relaxing. When the water cools, I drag myself out and get dressed. I find a toothbrush and toothpaste then remember my new skincare regimen. I sigh and grab those products as well. By the time I’m done, I lay down to a dreamless sleep.

  I wake up to the smell of eggs and bacon. I jump up and run into the living area; my stomach growling again. Food is the only thing that I can think of.

  "Why am I so hungry?" I whine; the stomach pangs making me wince.

  "You're sixteen and your metabolism is that of a shifter now. Get used to it," Jack chuckles moving away from the food to give me access.

  I grab a plate and finish it off just as quickly. With a full belly, I make my way back into my room and decide on a shower. Today is a big day for me. It's the day I see my new home. I feel the nerves building inside of me as the warm water runs over my body. It partially helps to relax the anxiety, but doesn't alleviate it. After completing my new skin care routine, I pick out an outfit for the day. I put my dirty clothes in with my electronics and debate on taking my old clothes with me. I decide finally, to leave them behind. It wouldn't go well if someone were to find them. I grab one of the phone cases and put it on the new phone and
power it up. It's already set up and programed with Jack's number in it. I put it in my pocket and make sure I have everything packed back up then wheel my luggage out to the living room.

  "That was fast!" Jack exclaims with a smile.

  "I tried," I mutter, not looking forward to more makeover stuff.

  "All you have left is to get makeup and fitted for your school uniforms," Jack replies sympathetically.

  "Let's go then," I yawn, not wanting to do anymore and feeling the urge to run.

  "That's contagious," he yawns back and gives me a wink.

  “I wish I could go run. I have all this energy that is just coiled right in my center,” I sigh as I follow him to the door.

  “When we get home, remind me and we will,” he replies, surprising me.

  He places both of our luggage sets on the cart and we leave the suite. On the elevator down, I begin to panic. Everything's happening so fast, and I just want to go home.

  "Slow down your breathing, you can do this. You're stronger than this, and you'll do fine," Jack coaches.

  I rein in my panic and calm down, "Thank you."

  "It's a lot to take in. You're doing really well," he replies earnestly; his lips pulled up in a sympathetic smile.

  We meet the driver in the lobby and he has the limo pulled up already. He takes the luggage cart and loads everything up while we get in.

  "First to the makeup, then we'll get you fitted for the uniforms. Afterwards, we'll grab lunch and then fly back to the island. I was teasing about the boat before," he chuckles, giving me a sideways look to see if I’m mad. I roll my eyes and smile because Im not.

  I've never been a girl to wear makeup, but I'm determined to get this right. Even if I have to practice at it. I sigh and look out the window. It's so strange seeing so many people in the same place. We finally stop in front of a large store that only sells makeup. I take a deep breath and follow Jack in. He stops at a counter towards the middle of the store.

  "She'll need everything to get her made up and directions on how to apply it," he tells the girl behind the counter.

  “This is so silly,” Kylah yawns then turns around and lays back down.

  “I totally agree, but Jack says I need it to fit in,” I explain to her.

  "Come sit here," she grins, patting the chair.

  I spend the next thirty minutes with her putting things on my face and explaining how they work. When she finishes she lets me look in the mirror and my jaw drops. I look amazing. She played off my hair and clothes and gave me darker makeup. I love it.

  "Thank you," I grin at her.

  "You're welcome," she replies then goes to ring up my purchases.

  Jack pays for them, and we get back in the limo. I drift off to sleep on the way to the next store, but jolt awake when he touches my arm.

  "All we have to do here is get you measured, then we can go back to the plane or eat first, your choice," he smiles.

  "Let's go to the plane. We can eat when we get there?" I ask, not really hungry yet.

  "Sounds like a solid plan," he replies, a grateful look gliding across his face.

  I follow him out of the limo into a small unmarked building. Inside is a boring white-walled room with brown industrial carpet. An older woman comes out of the curtained door. I can smell she's a shifter, that's new.

  “She’s a panther like us,” Kylah purrs happily.

  "Is this Amelia?" she asks; her eyes crinkled in a smile.

  "That's me," I reply smiling, Kylah’s happiness rubbing off on me.

  "Come with me, and we'll get you measured quickly," she orders, her eyes crinkled in a smile.

  I follow her into the back room and she has me stand on a small raised platform in the middle of the room. She proceeds to measure every part of me before dismissing me. I walk back out from where Jack is waiting, and we get in the limo and go to the airport.

  Chapter 5

  The driver takes care of our luggage as we board the plane. My stomach is in knots. Somehow, flying to the island is making it more real. I could pretend the shopping trip was a vacation in my head. A single tear runs down my cheek. I wipe it away and sit straighter. I will show no weakness, I remind myself. I fasten my seat belt and wait for take off. It doesn't take long, and we're in the air.

  “I don’t like flying at all,” Kylah huffs, pacing anxiously in the back of my head.

  “Me either, but it gets better the more you do it,” Jace says, trying to calm her.

  Flying over the ocean is beautiful; though, it doesn't take long and we're over the island already. It's only a fifteen minute flight. There are sandy beaches surrounding the east side of the island with lots of green further in. My panther purrs at the sight. I press my face to the window as we land, trying to see everything at once. There's a large stone building hidden in the trees that gives me a feeling of foreboding.

  "That's the school," Jack points to the stone building.

  "It's creepy," I reply, a shiver runs down my spine.

  "It's nicer on the inside," he shrugs, seeming indifferent.

  "Did you go there?" I ask curious, trying to picture him there.

  "Of course, all Huntsman are required to go," he replies proudly.

  "I guess it'll be ok then," I sigh, not looking forward to starting over with a bunch of other teenagers.

  "You'll have a couple of days before you start. We'll study some clan history so you won’t be too far behind the incoming class. You don't start there until you're sixteen anyways," he explains, patting my shoulder.

  "That actually makes me feel a bit better, even though everyone already knows everyone else," I reply sadly, feeling sorry for myself.

  "Actually, there are cities set up around the world we live in so we can police the shifters better. They just send their kids when it's time. That's how we can hide your story so easily," Jack smiles, easing my nerves.

  "Hopefully, I can blend in. I'm just going to hold my head up and act like my new style," I grin, trying to fake confidence.

  "There's the spirit," Jack replies excitedly.

  It works, good to know. I'll just pretend like I belong until I do. When we land, there's a black car waiting for us. Jack's eyes get wide before he schools his face. We exit the plane, and it’s like he’s wearing a mask. We approach a man standing next to the car.

  "Hello sir, I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow," Jack says, standing stiffly.

  “He isn’t nice,” Kylah whines. “Neither is his lion.”

  "I wanted to meet our newest member in person," the man smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

  He's tall and thin, with long, wavy, black hair. His eyes are black, just like mine, and his face has very severe angles.

  "My name is Heathcliff, and I'll be your headmaster. You will call me sir. Do you understand?" he demands, no room for argument.

  "Yes, sir," I deadpan, terrified of making him upset with me.

  "Good. I understand you'll be staying with Jack until school starts. Make sure he acquaints you with the rules," he looks down his nose, sneering.

  He walks away, getting into a car not far from the airplane. Jack gives a visible sigh of relief. Once Heathcliff is out of sight, Jack turns to look at me.

  "Stay off of his radar. He's brutal," Jack shudders; his eyes glaze over in remembrance.

  "Bad memories?" I ask, teasing him.

  "You don't even want to know. It's not been that long since I graduated," he grins, bumping my shoulder with his.

  "How old are you?" I question, since I hadn’t even thought about it before.

  "How old do you think I am?" he retorts, in fake shock.

  "Um. Maybe twenty-five," I answer trying to guess based on how he’s acted so far.

  "You wound me. I turned twenty-one a few days ago," he grabs his chest dramatically.

  "Wow, I thought you were more than five years older than me. Why did you agree to take responsibility for me when you should be out living it up?" I ask, perplexed.
>
  "Everyone needs someone; besides, you'll be at school most of the time," he grins, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

  "Don't remind me," I pout, not wanting to think about that.

  "Let's go home," he replies, changing the subject for me.

  We climb into the car, and I lean my head against the window. Jack is talking, but I don't really hear what he's saying. I watch the town as we drive through, and you can tell no humans live here. There are shifters walking around in animal form among the people. The shops all have entrances for both animal and human forms. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before.

  “This is the best home,” Kylah says in awe, watching along through my eyes.

  "Amelia?" Jack says my name, trying to get my attention.

  "Huh, oh sorry. I was watching the town," I mumble, embarrassed to have tuned him out.

  "I asked what you would like to eat for lunch. We can eat out or order food at the house," he patiently explains again.

  "I'd rather eat at the house," I whisper, feeling self-conscious now that we're actually here.

  "It's a lot to adjust to, but you'll get there," he pats me on the back, trying to be helpful.

  "I will, and after today, I'll be strong and brave. Today though, I can't be," I sigh, trying to figure out how I'm going to do this, when I can't even figure out who I am.

  “We are strong and a panther. No need to be weak,” Kylah huffs, not understanding my conflicting feelings.

  "You'll find your place here. Just don't let anyone get you down," Jack replies, sympathy evident on his face.

  We pull up in front of a bright green bungalow, the yard neatly kept. I try not to laugh, but fail miserably. The first impression is his house was slimed. The shutters and front door are even colored this almost fluorescent green color.

  "Don't laugh; it wasn’t my choice," he sulks, with his arms across his chest. His lip even sticks out a bit.