I was sitting in a hot tub, two girls by my side. I turned to one—a blonde with a big rack—who giggled as she placed a cherry in my mouth.
Clang.
I turned my head the other way. The other girl smiled and leaned in, pressing her lips against mine. We started making out.
Clang.
What the hell? The girl I was kissing began to fade away.
I turned back. The blonde was gone, too. And right in front of me, the resort itself started dissolving into nothingness.
I woke up.
Clang.
"Brian!"
A voice yelled from outside my window.
I groaned. "Claire, I'm going to kill you," I muttered through gritted teeth. Begrudgingly, I rolled out of bed and trudged toward the window, opening it.
A rock immediately flew toward my face, hitting me square between the eyes.
"Dammit, Claire! Stop throwing rocks at my window!"
I looked down to see my childhood friend, Claire, stifling a laugh, a handful of pebbles still in her grasp. Her shoulder-length navy hair swayed in the wind, and her emerald-green eyes gleamed under the morning sun.
She was already in her school uniform, her backpack slung over one shoulder. That's when it hit me.
"I'm late for school, aren't I?"
"Yes, idiot. And on the first day, too! I've been throwing rocks for ten minutes. You're lucky I was having fun, or I would've left already."
"I'll be down in a sec."
I shut the window and rushed to get dressed. My uniform was buried somewhere in the back of my closet, unwashed since before summer break. I threw it on anyway—no time to care. Snatching my bag, I bolted downstairs.
In the kitchen, I slapped together a quick sandwich. The house was quiet—my parents had already left for work, and my sister was at school. I grabbed the sandwich and stepped outside, locking the door behind me.
"Took you long enough," Claire said, arms crossed, leaning against the wall of my house.
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, already heading in the direction of our school.
"Hey, wait up!" Claire jogged to catch up, falling into stride beside me.
"So, you ready to graduate?" she asked, watching the wind rustle the leaves along the pathway.
"Yeah, it can't come soon enough. Crazy we're already seniors."
"Yeah, I'm surprised you made it this far with your terrible grades," she teased, grinning.
"Hey, it's not like your grades are any better!"
"Please." She rolled her eyes. "I always have and always will be better than you, idiot." Then, before I could react, she snatched the sandwich right out of my hand.
"Hey! I was gonna eat that!"
Too late. It was already halfway gone.
"What was that?" she asked, feigning innocence through a full mouth.
I sighed. "Nothing."
The rest of the walk passed uneventfully.
We arrived at Greenview High just in time for homeroom.
"We made it," Claire said smugly, marching up the steps toward the entrance.
I followed her inside to our designated classroom. The desks were arranged in neat rows, occupied by familiar faces—we'd all grown up in the same town, attended the same schools. The whiteboard at the front of the room had a teacher's desk to its right.
"Welcome," our teacher greeted us with a smile. "You're just in time. Sit wherever you'd like."
He was a tall man, athletic build, short hair—looked more like a coach than a teacher. Claire shrugged and found a seat in front of our good friend Mark. I sat next to her just as the bell rang.
Mark tapped my shoulder, and I turned. He held out his fist, smirking. I smirked back and bumped it with my own.
"Ready for another thrilling school year, Brian?"
"What I'm really ready for is this shit to be over with."
"You said it," he chuckled. "Though, I gotta say, there are some new transfers who just might make this year bearable."
He nodded toward the front of the room. Following his gaze, I spotted a blonde girl with striking blue eyes.
We looked back at each other and grinned.
"You know, I always admire how you can find the good in any crappy situation," I said.
Mark laughed. Claire, meanwhile, palmed her face. "I'm surrounded by idiots."
"Alright, class, settle down," the teacher called out. The chatter died down as he continued. "My name is Mr. Whitaker, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for your final year. Every morning, we'll meet here for about an hour. I'll take attendance, make announcements, and sometimes we'll do small activities."
He picked up a stack of papers from his desk. "Mostly, though, this class is just to get you ready for the day."
After introductions and going over expectations, Mr. Whitaker cleared his throat.
"So, as you may or may not know, seniors are required to participate in an extracurricular activity to graduate." He lifted the papers. "These are lists of all the available clubs. If you're already part of an athletic team, don't worry—that fulfills the requirement, too."
Claire grinned and made a fist in celebration. No surprise there—she was on the soccer team.
Mr. Whitaker began passing out the lists. When he reached us, he handed one to me and Mark, then turned to Claire.
"I don't need one," she said confidently, crossing her arms. "I'm on the soccer team."
"Oh, okay then." He moved on.
"You're awfully proud of a team that didn't win a single game last year," Mark quipped, laughing.
Claire's grin vanished instantly. "Why you…!" she seethed, clenching her fists.
I decided to interrupt before she could strangle him. "I wonder what club I should join. Probably something easy, huh?"
"Typical Brian, always taking the easy way out," Claire scoffed.
"I don't know, sounds smart to me," Mark said. "Though I already have my mind set on a club."
"And what club would that be?" Claire asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Theater club." Mark grinned.
Claire raised an eyebrow. "You? In theater?"
"Hear me out! It has the hottest girls in school and they're talented. What more could a guy ask for?"
"But you don't even know how to act," I pointed out.
"How hard could it be? And if it is hard, I'll just be the prop guy or something. Problem solved."
"Yeah…" I replied, unconvinced.
Claire smirked. "How about you join the coloring club? Sounds about right for your level of brainpower."
"Hey, that's—" I glanced at the list in her hands, realizing she had swiped my paper without me noticing. "...Actually not a bad idea. Sounds easy."
"Sounds like a sausage fest full of crayon-loving nerds," Mark said. "I'll stick to theater club."
"Suit yourself," I shrugged, checking the date of the club's first meeting.
After school today…
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The rest of the school day came and went. After it was all done, I bid my friends goodbye and made plans to go to the mall, but I declined, seeing as I had a club to attend. They understood and decided to go without me.
I left the classroom and headed toward the club. Having been at this school for years, I already knew where it was. I arrived at the unsuspecting door and gave it a knock.
I waited for a reply, but there was no answer. I knocked again, still no answer.
"Hello? I'm here for the coloring club," I called out, but there was only silence in response.
Shrugging, I opened the door myself and walked in, closing it behind me.
The room was dark, the windows covered with heavy curtains. In the center of the small room was a table, four chairs on each side.
"Hello?" I asked, stepping forward toward the table.
On the table sat a glass cage, and inside, a small black kitten scratched at the glass. It looked at me with an almost pleading gaze, as though asking to be let out. I felt a pang of sympathy and, doing what any kind-hearted person would do, I decided to help.
I opened the top of the cage and gently lifted the kitten out. It didn't seem to react as I moved it, almost as if it had resigned itself to the situation. Setting it on the table, the kitten looked up at me expectantly.
I stared at it for a moment, confused, before realizing what it wanted. Without thinking, I scratched behind its ears. It purred in response.
I smiled, enjoying the moment. For a minute or two, I just kept scratching, grinning as the kitten purred contentedly.
"You're so cute, aren't you—Ah!"
Suddenly, the kitten bit my finger.
I jerked my hand back, staring at the small wound as a sharp pain throbbed in my finger. "You little... little…"
Before I could finish my sentence, a wave of dizziness hit me. My vision blurred, my eyes rolled to the back of my head, and then everything went black
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"What should we do with him?" a girl's voice sounded distantly.
"I say we kill him," another girl replied coldly.
Kill? What?
I was lying on something, but I couldn't tell what. My eyes felt heavy, and I struggled to open them.
"We're not gonna kill him. At least, not yet," a third voice, male this time, said.
My eyes slowly cracked open. My vision was blurry, and I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the haze. I sat up, my head spinning.
"Wh-where am I? What happened?" I asked, my voice groggy.
I looked down and realized I was lying on a table. Four people stood in front of me—three girls and one guy—all about my age and dressed in our school uniforms. They stared at me with various expressions.
One of the girls kept her distance, looking at me cautiously. She had medium-length brown hair.
Another girl shot daggers at me, her long black hair framing a face with sharp red eyes that seemed to burn right through me. I quickly looked away, shifting my gaze to the guy.
The guy had short blonde hair and a muscular build. His eyes bore into me like a predator sizing up its prey.
The last girl… I recognized her, though I didn't know her name. She was the blonde-haired girl Mark and I had noticed in homeroom.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" the red-eyed girl demanded, her sharp gaze locked onto me. Her tone was aggressive, hostile.
"I'm here… or at least, I was here for the coloring club," I replied, trying to sound casual.
"Coloring club? Oh, that thing? Yeah, that's not a real club, kid."
"Kid?! You look younger than me," I shot back.
Now that I got a better look at her, it was hard not to notice her size. She was at least a head shorter than the rest, and her baby face didn't help her case.
"Shut up!" she growled, clenching her fists and gearing up to swing at me. I flinched, but the blonde-haired guy grabbed her arm, holding her back—though he seemed to struggle a bit.
"Easy there, Aya," he said. "Let the guy speak before you pummel him into a pulp."
Aya huffed but relented after a second. Once she relaxed, the guy let go and turned to me, extending his hand.
"Sorry about that. She gets a little crazy sometimes. I'm Jamie."
Aya shot him a glare at the comment. Ignoring her, I took his hand and shook it.
"Brian."
"Alright, Brian, mind telling us what's going on?"
I did my best to explain, though my memory was still foggy. They mostly listened, but Aya never took her eyes off me—her stare was like a piercing knife.
"Well, that certainly is a story," Jamie said. "But I guess it explains the dead cat… and your new look."
"My look?" I asked, confused.
He chuckled and pulled out his phone, flipping the camera toward me. My mouth dropped open.
Poking through my normally brown hair—now completely midnight black—were two large cat ears. Three whisker-like markings sat on each of my cheeks. Then, through the screen, I noticed something behind me, pointing upward. I turned my head quickly, and my breath hitched when I saw it.
A black tail with a spear-shaped tip.
"What the hell?!"
I stumbled back in shock, falling off the table.
"Wha—what happened to me?!"
The cautious-looking brown-haired girl straightened her glasses and spoke softly.
"We believe it has something to do with the cat that bit you."
"The cat?" I asked, scrambling to my feet.
"Yeah, the cat…" She hesitated. "How do I put this? That cat was a sort of… demon."
"A demon cat? That makes no sense."
They exchanged glances, sharing some unspoken conversation, then turned back to me.
Jamie sighed. "Look, sit down, and I'll explain."
I hesitated for a second before sitting down in one of the chairs.
Everyone else followed, except for Aya, who remained standing next to Jamie with her arms crossed.
"Alright, this is gonna take a while," Jamie started.
"You've lived in this town for a while. I've seen you around. So you know about all the weird occurrences, right? The unexplained deaths, buildings randomly destroyed, people vanishing without a trace?"
Wait, he knows me?
Come to think of it, I have seen these people walking around together before. I just never really paid them much attention—they always seemed caught up in their own world.
But he's right. Everyone in this town knows about those incidents.
Claire knows all too well. Her father disappeared one day and never came back.
"Yeah? What about them?"
Jamie sighed. "This is gonna be hard to believe, but those incidents... they're caused by demons."
"Yeah, right." I chuckled and scoffed.
But none of them laughed. They just stared at me, their expressions dead serious.
I swallowed and quieted down.
"The four of us were chosen by different gods to fight these demons, they're basically our mentors" Jamie continued.
"Okay, let's say I believe you. Why are these demons only attacking our town?"
"That's simple," the brown-haired girl with glasses spoke up. "Our town was built on a powerful leyline that constantly radiates divine energy. Unfortunately, that makes it a hotspot for demons." She adjusted her glasses as she spoke, her tone calm and matter-of-fact.
"Okay… well, what about the cat?" I asked, still struggling to fully believe their story—though my new appearance was proof enough.
"That was actually a demon we captured the other night," the brown-haired girl explained. "It was an odd little thing, really. Normally, small demons like that are pretty weak, but we could sense some kind of untapped potential buried within it. So, I decided to keep it and run some tests."
"Wait… so you guys were chosen by some magical gods to fight demons, and you run a secret club as a—what, a front?"
"Pretty much," the blonde-haired girl from my homeroom said, her tone soft and kind. "We needed a way to explain to our parents why we were always out so late, and this club was the perfect cover. No one wanted to join a coloring club—at least until this year, when clubs became mandatory for seniors."
"This is… a lot to take in," I muttered, pressing a hand to my forehead.
"I understand," Jamie said, his tone calm but serious. "But there's something else. The cat's energy—it seems to have been… transferred into you somehow. We could all sense it the moment we found you unconscious." He paused before continuing, his expression darkening. "The thing is, that cat—and all demons, really—are made of dark energy. And now, that energy is inside you, just waiting to be released. I'm sorry, but until we know it's safe—"
"We have to kill you," Aya interrupted, her red eyes narrowing.
"Aya!" the blonde-haired girl exclaimed, shooting her a glare. "Don't listen to her, Brian. Really. The truth is… we just don't know what to do with you yet."
"If you ask me," the brown-haired girl chimed in, grinning excitedly, "we should just keep an eye on him and see what he can do."
Jamie leaned back in his chair, his hand on his chin, deep in thought.
"I think I've got it," Jamie said after a moment of thought. "I don't think we should show you to the council or even our mentors just yet—not until we know what you can do and whether you're a threat. If we bring you in now, most of them will probably think it's easier just to kill you. And honestly? I don't want some random guy to die because of a mistake on our part. So, for now, we'll keep an eye on you and figure out what you're capable of."
"Figure out what I can do?" I asked, confused.
"Yeah," the brown-haired girl chimed in. "Theoretically, there should be a way for you to tap into whatever latent power that cat had. We just need to find a way for you to do it… and hope your body doesn't explode in the process."
I stared at her, my mouth agape.
"Yep, I was getting to that," Jamie added casually. "There's a chance the energy could be too much and kill you. So that's another reason we need to keep a close watch on you." He stood up and stretched out his hand. "So, what do you say? Want to be our guinea pig, or would you rather die right now?"
"Do I really have a choice?" I muttered, standing up and shaking his hand.
"Great." Jamie grinned, then suddenly tilted his head to the side. The others did the same.
A moment later, he turned back to me, his grin widening.
"Looks like the perfect opportunity to test your new power just popped up. We can sense a low-class demon across town."
Shit.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself.
"Let's do it."