A Guide to Surviving Against Monsters
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"Maybe you two aren't so bad."

Mind you, I wasn't saying that because I liked the way they fought.

I was saying it because Mateo offered to buy me a cheeseburger after saving him.

The three of us were back in a different cab, driving into the city. After graduating the Academy and losing my brother, I spent my seven years all over the country. I hunted endlessly until getting called back to work with the Academy, and now I'd even bought an apartment nearby. This mission was going to take forever, and the aftermath was going to take even longer.

Because this was going to bring up old demons.

It was weird to have a home. It was weird to be seeing Wendy more since we'd parted ways for me to hunt and for her to become a healer. I was alone, save for the old memories accompanying my thoughts.

The fast-food restaurant we went to was nearby my new home. It was busy and well-lit, which was enough to keep me calm about the entire thing. It seemed safe enough for three hunters.

"So, Emmalyn..," Mateo began. "The... flames?"

"Experiments."

"What kind of... Experiments?"

"No one has known the truth for over eight years," I grumbled, "I'm not telling you now."

"But we're a team!" Mateo protested.

"Well, you can trust that I will be able to save your life," I told him, "that's all you need to know."

The cousins sighed. Theo got up to order cheeseburgers, leaving Mateo and I sitting in a booth next to the window. I let Mateo take the side facing the door, trusting him to watch my back if an attack came from the front.

"So, got any family, Emmalyn?"

"They're dead," I said flatly.

"Friends?"

I shrugged. "I left right after graduation and moved around constantly. I know plenty of allies, but Wendy's the only one who I consider a friend, I think."

Mateo fell silent. I didn't need to be reminded that I sucked at conversation.

"How about you?"

He looked surprised to hear me speak first. The hunter cleared his throat before motioning to Theo, who stood in line. "I've got him and my parents. My aunt and uncle, Theo's folks, passed away from illness. We took him in," Mateo explained. "The illness was a side effect of an imp feeding of their energy repeatedly. Theo and I became hunters after that."

People die young, I thought darkly. And leave young kids behind. No wonder we're all official hunters yet we're only in our twenties.

"Sorry to hear about it," I said, out of politeness. Mateo nodded, Theo arriving with six cheeseburgers and three drinks on a tray.

"Do you live in town now?" Mateo asked as we began eating.

I nodded. "Bought a place to stay a week ago."

"Hunters are crawling all over this city," Theo chipped in. "I heard there's even duels down at the practice gyms."

My interest was piqued. I leaned over, taking a long sip of my drink before narrowing my eyes. "Duels, eh? Where does a girl go to participate?"

"It's called Hunter's World. Gym, bar, dueling arena," Theo listed, "the whole package. Do you want to go?"

"Any good fighters?"

He and Mateo glanced at each other before nodding. "We go every once and a while since we live just outside of town. If you're interested, we can go now."

I gobbled up the rest of my two cheeseburgers and chugged my drink. Once they were done, I checked the ammo in my handguns and the blades on my knives.

"Let's do this."

The hunter gym was well equipped and definitely flashy. The cousins flanked my sides as they led me in, directing me toward one of the gyms. Apparently the full scale arena was saved for tournament nights on Fridays. The gyms would be open for practicing and sparring, which sometimes got nasty enough to become a show. When we walked in, there was a ripple effect. People did double takes, either familiar with the cousins or myself. I'd been in a few newspapers over the years, hence my reputation, but there were only a few that had full body pictures included.

"This is a lot of staring," Theo pointed out lowly.

"We're used to it, aren't we?" Mateo joked. He nudged me with his elbow. "Ready to spar, Foxit?"

I felt my covered eye twitch. "Definitely. I'll hold back."

He deadpanned. "Hold back? Why?"

Theo patted his shoulder. "Cause she's Emmalyn Foxit," he snorted, pushing us by in the direction of an empty sparring mat. I stood at the side, shrugging off my long coat. I kept my daggers, but unclipped my guns. Mateo did the same, both of us carrying knives strapped to our legs. Eyes followed us as we stepped onto the mat, barefoot. Mateo stood opposite of me in the center of the mat, eyeing my smaller form. I was definitely one of the shortest hunters out there, but I made up for it. I was strong, even before my third year of Academy training went wrong.

"Both of you ready?"

"Just fists?" Mateo asked.

I nodded.

"We're good."

Theo sighed before cracking his fingers. "Alright. Start!"

Mateo was arrogant enough to charge straight at me, forgetting to think of a strategy. He acted like a headstrong shapeshifter, swinging for my face. I ducked, twisting to the side. My fist lashed out, hitting his side. He gasped, elbowing me out of pure instinct. It would've hurt, but the strike had no force behind it. He was still sideways when I spun, using my ballet lessons from back in the academy. My foot connected with the back of his head, hitting it forward. Mateo nearly swept my foot out from underneath me while I was distracted, but I bent down and balanced on my palms, flipping away from him. The human boy was already panting, watching me as I winked at him.

"This is you holding back?"

"I'm holding back," I glanced around me, seeing an audience, and subtly motioned to my eye, "that."

"Thank god," he blurted. Mateo lunged once again, this time focusing on quicker, efficient strikes. I went on the defense, blocking each one and giving myself a workout. Still, I was smaller than him, and faster by default. I could block and hit back on a few of his strikes, eventually wearing away at his stamina.

The sparring session was over after a few more minutes of vicious fighting. Mateo sprawled out on the mat, his chest heaving. I remained upright, shaking out my sweaty, short hair.

"That was fun," I sighed, shrugging on my coat. There was a slow clap from the other side of the room, and the three of us turned to see a short hunter applauding.

"That was a good fight," he grinned, "for her."

I sneered. "You're not wrong."

Theo swatted my arm as he passed, walking to his cousin. The huner approached, standing next to the mat with me.

He offered me his hand. "I'm Parker. Nice to meet you."

"Emmalyn," I replied, "I haven't heard about a Parker before. Are you a new hunter?"

"I'm from outside the country."

I nodded. "Makes sense. What are you doing here, then?"

He shrugged. "I got hired for pest control. Seems like this place is getting more action on a daily basis."

"Again, you're not wrong."

"Maybe I have a habit of being right," he said happily. His smile was wide, showing off perfect teeth save for his canines that sat higher up like fangs.

I eyed Parker from head to toe.

And immediately decided to stay wary.