At nine in the evening I stepped out of our iron gates to start my patrol route in the city.
It was a typical Saturday night. The streets were full of young, drunk people moving in and out of clubs. As the doors opened loud music spilled out and mixed into an endless noise. A drunk guy nearly bumped into me, but I dodged to right, leaving the slightly confused man behind. He soon forgot about me and went back to his business.
This was the party district of the Blackblood capital.
When the Arcane took over, the land previously known as America fell into the hands of a family of vampires known as Blackbloods. They are both ancient and influential, and they live only a couple miles north of here. Not the best neighbors to have, that's for sure.
I took up some speed, wanting to get through the boring routine as quickly as possible. I had the happy birthday song stuck in my head the whole day and now I quietly hummed it to the rhythm of my steps. I've been waiting for this moment roughly eighteen years, and I didn't want to wait any longer.
Today I'll finally get my official Hunter's Badge.
There won't be a big ceremony, or fireworks, or live tiger feeding - that's something I asked for - but I'll finally get it. I guess that's the best you can have with a semi-secret organization.
I say semi-secret, 'cause people were circulating some rumors about us, but had no real evidence of our work - all the glory went to the police or the Blackbloods themselves - but everyone knew if they did something illegal, the big bad Hunters would catch them in their sleep. This wasn't true, since we are usually busy keeping the big fish from slitting each other's throats, but if the good and lawful citizens needed a boogeyman or vigilante to feel safe I say let them have it.
When a Hunter turned eighteen, they were officially allowed to start their training. (I say officially, because behind closed doors we start training as soon as we can hold a knife straight.) We also receive a formal badge from the kingdom, meaning we were allowed to do our job as Hunters. Not that I intend on ever showing it to anyone. It's considered to be a bad omen.
My daily routines of patrolling, studying and training are going to suddenly become way more interesting.
As I stepped into my home, I felt a rush of excitement. I am going to receive my first real mission tonight. I swiftly kicked off my shoes and threw my coat on the hanger, then headed for the living room.
"Ava," my father called out to me, his deep voice filling the space. "Do you know why we gathered here tonight?"
I jokingly replied as I entered "To binge watch Bloodthirsty Housewives seasons one through ten?"
"Close," he smiled at me.
The room was filled to the brim with people I knew. A surprisingly large portion of the family came to celebrate my birthday – or to eat all the food – and in the middle, stood the three governors of the apocalypse I call my life: mom, dad and sis.
Dad was the first one people normally noticed, with him being nearly seven feet tall and surrounded in an imposing aura. He is the leader of the local Hunters, and one of the three Pillars of Peace. He was wearing a black leather jacket and heavy-duty jeans, the Hunters' typical work attire. His dark hair started to grow longer than his usual buzz cut, but these days he was too busy to cut it. That's what he told everyone at least. I think he just enjoyed the change. His strikingly green eyes were one of the features I'd really like to have inherited from him instead of my navy blue ones. Now they were full of pride. Lil' girl grew big, eh pop? Well, I do have big shoes to fill.
Mary-Anne, my older sister was standing on dad's right side, with an equally satisfied smile on her face. She wore her favorite green dress for the occasion, complementing her emerald eyes. Her fiery red hair wasn't in the usual ponytail, instead it flew all around her head in a bouncy bob as she moved in to embrace me.
"The lone wanderer returns once again." She hugged me a little longer than usual. "Anything interesting in the big city?"
"Nothing too strange," I replied. Then I continued in a hushed voice. "Please tell me you didn't let mom bake the cake."
Mom's a notoriously bad cook.
"Of course I didn't," she whispered back. "She was so ecstatic about shopping for the party she didn't even notice we went into a bakery until it was too late."
"My wicked-evil big sis, always getting what she wants."
"Don't tell me you're not happy," she winked at me while stepping back to dad's side.
I didn't have any time to prepare before mom launched herself at me, so I nearly fell over. She's tiny, especially compared to dad, but the intensity of her movements often catches us by surprise.
"I don't want to let go of you! Ever!" Her face was burrowed in my shoulder, so I could barely hear her. We stayed in the embrace for what felt like a good minute. After that, she looked up at my face, husky blue eyes glistening with halted tears. "But I guess I have to…"
Dad stepped up to us, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry darling. Ava is a well-trained Hunter. Not many can stand in her way." He pulled mom back to his side, where she seemed to allow her tears to finally roll down her face.
"Don' worry ma'! I's big an' scary!" I slurred the words as I used to do back when I was a kid. People laughed around me. "And this big and scary girl needs something to do," I added.
Laughter quickly died down. When a Hunter goes on a mission, it could mean they never return. Sometimes the work takes much longer than expected, and sometimes they simply die. It was a part of the job, as was it a custom to send new Hunters on an important and secret mission. Mary-Anne did hers in about six months, which was half the allocated time. But she still won't give me any details. 'It's classified for a reason,' she'd answer every time.
Dad went back to his serious face. He gave mom a kiss on the top of her head. "Darling, would you take care of the guests? I am certain they are hungry."
"Yes, of course," she answered in a quiet but determined voice. She would never fail to make a party a success.
"Ava, Anne, follow me to my office."
Dad walked towards the back of the house, leaving us behind with his long stride. I looked at sis quizzically, but she did the same to me. It was strange to have a third party involved in a first mission. Just what the heck am I going to have to do?
We followed dad to his office. As with everything that he could call his in this house, it was minimalist. A desk, a chair for him, a couple others for guests. A computer. Two large filing cabinets on both sides, filled with various documents. White walls and simple wooden floor. I never understood how can he get any work done in such an empty room.
We sat down in the guest chairs, waiting for the big reveal. The first mission is always decided by the three Pillars, so it should be nothing to sneeze at.
He also sat down, looking at us with a faint smile. "I never thought this day would come…" He shuffled a couple of papers around on his desk, searching. "My two little girls all grown up…" He finally pulled out a paper from the pile. His voice suddenly turned more serious. "Ava, are you ready for your first mission?"
"Yes, sir!" I answered.
Dad's face still had that strange smile as he finally revealed this new, dreaded assignment. "Avalynn Ferelith Krøth, you are going to be a student at Blackblood Academy."