¤Kota¤

Victor and I are the first to arrive for this mandatory meeting with Dr. Roberts. He didn't say what he needed to see us for, only that there would be others there and we were to be on our best behavior until the meeting was over. I found this whole thing to be bizarre. I mean, we're meeting in a clearing in the middle of the woods for crying out loud. What is so secretive and important that we needed to meet in the middle of the woods and make sure we aren't followed?

"I don't like this," I murmur to Victor. "This is all too weird."

"Tell me about it," he responds. "Why couldn't we just meet these people in his office like we—"

Victor cuts himself off as I get the sense that we're no longer alone. I squint my eyes, looking through the denseness of the trees, trying to catch a shadow or silhouette. Soon enough, my eyes widen as three hulking figures walk through the tree line directly across from us.

The one in the center is more imposing than the others, his tanned skin standing out among the three. His dark brown hair hangs low over his dark eyes, as a gold hoop glistens in his left ear, the only spot of color in his otherwise dark appearance. The one on the right is slightly taller than the one in all black, and his dark black hair is pushed back out of his lightly tanned face, showcasing his dark brown eyes. His muscles are prominent in his large shoulders and firm jaw. The dark blue t-shirt he has on is stretched over his muscular chest. The one on the left is slightly shorter than the other two, probably a few inches taller than me, and looks slightly familiar. His reddish brown hair stands out against his lighter skin tone and blue eyes, which are accessing us in the same way we are them. His muscles are just as large as the other two, if not a bit larger, and covered by a red t-shirt, making his frame slightly wider than his companions.

As I'm trying to place where I might know him from, another pair of guys comes through the trees to our left.

"We're not late are we?" the guy on the right asks, receiving a grunt from the guy across from me in all black.

The new comers seem more relaxed than the others. They're both about a few inches taller than me, and around the same build as me. Although the one on the left has slightly narrower hips like Victor. He's wearing light blue jeans, with an orange shirt, and his light blue eyes are framed by two blonde locks while the rest of his hair is a russet brown. The one on the right has blonde hair and brown eyes, his clothes give off a hipster vibe, with his light blue jeans and mostly opened button up shirt.

The blonde's eyes swing to the guys who grunted, his eyes widening in recognition, as my eyes narrow slightly. Do they know each other? The blonde nudges his friend, jutting his chin out to the guy in the black. His friends looks over and scowls before crossing his arms. Guess that answers that.

A sigh from the guy in the red redirects my attention back to him, and I suddenly remember where I know him from.

"Nathan?" I question. "Nathan Griffin?"

His eyes narrow as he looks back at me. "Yeah? I know you?"

"Used to," I respond. "You lived a few door down from me when we were kids."

His eyes light up in recognition before a small smile appears on his face. "Dakota Lee? Wow, I suppose the years have been kind to you."

"Good enough I suppose," I shrug.

"Introducing ourselves, are we?" a familiar voice comes in from the right.

Two more familiar men walk into the clearing, closing off our loose circle. The man closest to Victor is Dr. Sean Green, he works with Dr. Roberts at the hospital so I've known him for a while. His blonde hair still has it's bouncy curls, and his face still holds that pleasant smile, as if he hasn't seen or done the things required of this business. His purple tee and dark blue jeans give off a relaxed vibe, while the look in his green eyes gives off absolute focus. The man standing next to him, closest to Nathan's group, is Owen Blackbourne. I've only seen him a few times with Dr. Green, but whenever I do see him, he's always a bit cold. Not exactly standoffish, just extremely professional and very formal. His short brown hair is pushed away from his face, and as always, there isn't a single strand out of place. His black framed glasses sit on the bridge of his nose, covering his steel grey eyes that are currently assessing the group. His charcoal grey suit looks out of place in the woods of Charleston, but I've never seen him without one.

"Well if no one else is going to say anything, I'll go first," Dr. Green continues. "My name is Dr. Sean Green, my companion here is Owen Blackbourne, and we're vampires."

He finishes his introduction with a wide smile, showing his elongated canines, and causing Victor and I to chuckle. Dr. Green has a very fun personality, and doesn't let being a creature of the night stop him from enjoying himself. Mr. Blackbourne however, doesn't share the same fun loving attitude. He scoffs at Dr. Green, staring daggers into the side of his friend's head, but the good doctor keeps smiling as if he's not affected at all.

Victor and I share a brief glance before I introduce us. "My name is Dakota Lee, this is my friend Victor Morgan, and we're warlocks."

"Ooo, like Harry Potter?" the blonde asks.

"Better," Victor smirks, creating a light wind and stirring the trees around us.

"Cool," the blonde smiles. "I'm Luke Taylor, this here is my buddy, Gabriel Coleman, and we're nymphs."

"I thought only chicks were born nymphs?" Nathan asks, a bemused expression on his face.

"Common misconception," Dr. Green answers. "While the nymph gene can only be passed through the mother, it has no decision in the sex of the child."

"Huh, well I'm Nathan Griffin, the grump next to me is North Taylor, and the big guy next to him is Silas Korba. We're wolves."

North grunts when Nathan says his name, but it's his surname that catches my attention. Taylor. Are they related? A little sibling rivalry?

"Well, glad to know we can all stand here without trying to kill each other," Dr. Green says happily. "But does anyone know why we're here?"

"You're here, because I asked you to be Sean." We all turn as we hear Dr. Roberts voice coming through the woods. He appears in the open space between Nathan and Gabriel, with two more figures behind him, but the shadows hide their features. All I can tell is that one is male, and one might be female, due to the shorter stature.

"Thank you all for being on time," Dr. Roberts continues. "Now that you've all gotten the chance to know to introduce yourselfs, let me tell you why you're here. Underground has a special task for the nine of you. You, along with two others, will be working together, as the biggest team Underground has ever produced, in order to minimize the threat that the recent chimera problem has caused our community."

"You want us to work together to fight chimeras?" North questions skeptically. "They're deadly, and untraceable."

"Deadly yes, untraceable, not so much," Dr. Roberts responds with a smile. "I'm sure by now you've all heard about the attack last night in North Charleston?" At our nods, he continues. "That particular chimera is no longer a problem."

"You expect us to believe that you killed that chimera?" Gabriel asks doubtfully.

"Oh no, not me," he responds, a small smile playing on his face. "But someone quite dear to me did. Sang, come out here and meet your new team." We're all too stunned by his word choice to respond, as the two figures behind him walk out of the shadows.

It's her.

I've seen this girl around the hospital sometimes, but I never knew she was supernatural, and I never knew she knew the Doc. Her blond hair is longer than the last time I saw her, in a high ponytail that sits atop her head. The black t-shirt that she wears hugs her slight curves and lush breasts, her slim jeans showcase the muscle tone in her long legs. How someone who's barely five foot three can have legs that look a mile long is still a mystery to me.

The guy standing next to her I've never seen before. He's muscular like North, and around the same height as well. He has toffee colored hair and an even beard, with shiny brown eyes that twinkle with an unknown emotion. His lips are curled up in a small smirk that looks to be a permanent fixture on his face.

Who is this guy?

We're all staring at the duo when Dr. Roberts finishes his introduction. "Gentleman, this is my daughter, Sang, and her partner, James. Sang killed the chimera from last night, and she'll also be training you lot to fight them. Sang, say hello to your new team."

¤Sang¤

Looking around the clearing after Phil's introduction, I recognize all of the men from their files in the Underground database, and I actually know a few of them personally. They're all stunned silent as they get a good look at me and James. And Phil's introduction for him is brilliant. My partner! Ha! That'll turn a few heads.

"Brothers Taylor," I smirk. "I'm surprised to see the both of you here. What with North here rejecting your pleas for fellowship." I finish with a little pout.

"Stop causing trouble, Trouble," Gabriel's deep voice rings out across the clearing.

"Oh I'm sorry, Meanie, are you feeling left out?"

"Knock it off, Berry," Nathan says with a small smile.

"You all know each other?" Victor asks.

Kota and Victor are actually the only ones I've never met before. Everyone else I'm met in some capacity or another. Victor's brown hair falls in gentle waves to the nape of his neck, and his clothing choice just screams aristocratic breeding. He's wearing a white button down and black slacks. It's his eyes that draw me in though. The brown looks to contain a raging fire, and I wonder if he's doing it on purpose. He is a warlock after all, it could just be magic.

Kota on the other hand, dresses a bit preppy. He has on a green polo and tan slacks. Not really the right attire for meeting in the woods. Although, it's nothing compared to Owen's full suit. His light brown hair is scooped to the sides with an even part in the center. His bright jade eyes are framed by black rimmed glasses, but they do nothing to hide the calculating gaze he's giving me.

"Your eyes," I say to Victor, my voice coming out soft and airy. "Are they always like that?"

"Like what?" he asks with a furrowed brow.

His confusion is genuine, they really are like that.

"Nothing," I say with a shake of my head. "Yes, I know them. I know you all actually. I wouldn't be much of a team lead if I didn't know my team."

"But we've never met," Kota states. "Not officially."

"You're referring to all the times you've seen me in the hospital and never thought to say hi? Yeah, I know about that. I know a lot of things."

"I never knew you were supernatural, Miss Sang," Dr. Sean says.

"None of you did," Phil interrupts. "We kept it that way for a reason. You see, Sang is a ghost."

"In more than one sense of the word," James chuckles.

"What are you, Aggele?" Silas asks.

"Funny you should ask, Silas, because I'm more mythical than all you nine put together."

"Cut the games, Baby. Why didn't you tell me you were like us?" North accuses, his tight hold on his anger starting to reach his breaking point for the night.

Not that I can blame him. I'd be reaching my breaking point too if I just happened to come to a meeting to see two people I definitely didn't expect to see here, and a brother I never wanted to see again.

"That's because I'm not like you, Star, I'm not like anyone. I'm the last of my kind." I take a deep breath before revealing to them what few people know about me. "I'm fae."