June was somewhat weary when the two boys approached them at the Crossing. They both wore identical looks of seriousness. Lee with his headful of ginger hair and Chase with his piercing golden gaze.

What an interesting pair, June thought to herself. There was clearly a bond between the two – a bond that was more than friends. They strode with matching paces. Their uniform gleamed with a sense of darkness. June suddenly had the irrational urge to stroke the material. After finding out it was made from dragon scales, she wanted nothing more than to study it in depth.

Her fingers had itched to write as soon as she entered The Enactment. She wanted nothing more than to describe the way the stones carved streams of sunlight into the centre of the circle. She wanted to trace the way the paintings curled and melted into the ageless stone with words. Everything about this place was beautiful. Although, as Chase had obnoxiously admitted, the beauty was dangerous if not treated accordingly.

How ironic, June thought as Chase inclined his head at her – that Chases metaphor linked back to the rose. A rose which was thought to be beautiful despite its blood pricking thorns.

"Lesson four," Chase said as soon as he stood beside the fountain, "the throwing dagger is the easiest weapon to learn." With swift fingers he drew two small daggers from his waist belt, holding them out by the blade to June.

She stared at them. They gleamed an eery silver, like the sword Chase had held when he battled the Eurodiandemons.

"Been teaching her already?" Ivy scoffed, although there was an impressed smile on her face.

June, ignoring the comment, reached up to gently take the daggers from Chase's outstretched hands. They felt light in her palms. She studied them, trying to steer the edge away from her skin. They shimmered slightly in the sunlight.

"They'll be activated when in battle," said Chase. "They are made from a certain ore by the Slayers that harms demons."

June slid them into the pocket of her jeans, hoping they wouldn't cut the denim material. It seemed silly to not have a waist belt, or at least a uniform while the three Soulchaser's surrounded her.

Ivy seemed to sense it too, because she rolled her eyes. "Did you not think to even grab a uniform for her Chase?"
Chase threw his arms up, ready to defend himself before Lee intruded, stepping forward to catch June's eye. "Because Chase expects you to stare at a weapon and instantly know how to use it, I guess I'll teach you the basics." June suspected there was an iciness to Lee's voice. She wondered if he often had to pick up after Chase once he'd grown uninterested in things.

Chase made another indignant noise to which Ivy chuckled, "He's not wrong."

Both June and Lee ignored the next part of their argument. "Take out a dagger, I'll show you how to hold them." June did as she was told, handing the dagger to Lee with possible carelessness. "Now take out the other and do as I say." June obeyed again, holding out her dagger as Lee clamped his left hand onto the hilt.

"The tricky part about throwing daggers is trying to get the point to strike whatever it is you're aiming for," Lee said, his gaze on hers. "Many young Soulchasers end up hitting a target with the hilt side." He indicated the marble looking hilt, which was smooth under June's fingers. She wondered what the material was made from, however from closer, she could tell it was polished bone. "The only way to ensure the dagger strikes right is by your movement, direction and strength."

The argument behind them continued. June swore she heard Chase say, "Don't uni's throw knives at things? I thought she would know how to at least hold one."

Lee's lips twitched into the ghost of a smile. Clearly June had heard right.

"Okay so you're going to rely on the strength of your forefinger and thumb initially," Lee continued. "Position your thumb so it's in line with the daggers tip, then curl your fingers around the hilt."

June looked at his placement, then attempted to copy him. She felt his gaze take in every detail of her finger position.

"Spread your fingers more," he offered. "Here."

June looked up to see his model and he gave her an encouraging smile. She refused to let her cheeks blossom a deep red. Instead, she somewhat clumsily spread her fingers and copied his placement.

"Good," he said, allowing June to breathe again. "Now, when you throw it's best to take a step into the throw to add extra momentum into the movement. Watch me, okay?"

June nodded as Lee took a step forward, stretching out his arm in a semi circle pattern, stepping into the throw, before letting his arm fall to his side. She noticed he hadn't thrown the dagger. Probably because it would've went straight into Chase who had not given up his fight.

"You need to follow through, use your shoulders, your elbows, then your wrist. If you just use your wrist, you may break it from the force."

June swallowed, then rather awkwardly, attempted to copy the movement. She was somewhat glad both Ivy and Chase were distracted because Lee's smile wasn't impressed. "That was...alright," he said with a light smile that June thought was to soften the blow.

"Straighten your arm out more, you're all crooked so your throw won't be direct. Twist your body if need be, and keep your eyes locked on a target." Lee's green eyes danced around before they narrowed onto a chestnut tree several feet away.

"This time, I want you to aim for the tree, and when you're at the peak of your position, let go. Your fingers should be pointing at the target when you release."

June felt her eyebrows draw together in concentration. The chestnut tree, although a fair distance, could be achieved. She'd done shotput at school, surely this was similar.

The dagger slid in her fingers, grip less from her sticky palms. She cursed silently, then remembering what Lee had just told her, she wrapped her fingers onto the hilt with careful consideration.

She spread her feet, standing in a diagonal manner from the tree. She could feel Lee's gaze on her, soft but persistent.

The argument had drifted into silence.

June took in a long breath, feeling her eyes narrow onto the trunk of the tree. With a sweeping movement, she took a step, swinging the dagger before loosening her grip. The dagger shot forwards silently, nothing but a streak of silver in the sunlight. There was a loud thunk as the dagger struck the tree, slightly below where she was aiming for, but it had hit the trunk nonetheless.

There was more silence and then – "see, she can throw a knife."

June didn't need to turn to know Chase had muttered it. "Dagger," Lee corrected, nodding at June with a tiny smile touching his lips. "And her form wasn't correct."
"I hit the tree," June said, attempting to defend herself.

"Yes you did, but if that tree was a demon in a stolen form, say a human for example, you would've hit it's legs instead of its heart," Lee said, moving to retrieve the dagger. He jerked it out of his place, surveying the indent in the tree. "And that, my dear June, could be catastrophic."

Lee walked back, handing the dagger back to June. She clutched it, her fingers starting to grow use to the smooth bone. "Why? It would still do damage."
"Not enough," Chase said, having finally dropped his argument. "A demon that has stolen many souls can be powerful. Even in unifolk form, it can survive a stab to the leg, or even a stab to the heart, depending on the situation."

Ivy twisted the ends of her hair into a high ponytail, the movement precise yet graceful. "Usually under attack demons will switch to their true form as it aids them and draws off their strength."
June suppressed a shudder, remembering the sickening Eurodian demons, bones sown together with tendrils and their eyeless sockets.

She turned purposefully to the lotus fountain, attempting to rid her thoughts of the ghastly creatures. June sheathed the daggers back into her pockets after retrieving the second from Lee – then Chase, sensing her gaze on the fountain, gave her a sly smile.

June wasn't sure what it meant until the three stood side by side, her in the middle. She nearly reached down to grab three oval stones before Ivy's voice halted her.

"To see is to be seen. To live is to die."

June barely had time to register the ominous words before the world shifted under her. One moment she was standing in The Aviary greenhouse, the next the trees had dissolved away to reveal a lake; park benches, rose bushes and, still in the same place – the lotus fountain.

Dazed, she watched the Soulchasers in unison twist their soul rings, the silver band letting off an eery glow.

Lee saw her eyes on him. "It enables us to be invisible to anyone without the Sight." His green eyes trailed down to her right hand, where her own soul ring should've been. "You on the other hand, will be seen by anyone, including other Soulchasers. Be careful – there could be demons anywhere."
June felt her fingers reach to brush the daggers hidden in her jeans. Chase caught the movement, something flashing across his eyes. He looked up, surprised to meet her eyes, then glanced away with a hard frown.

June watched the three survey the terrain. They would come here often, June thought suddenly. She wondered how many times she had walked past Soulchasers who were heading to the Crossing unknowingly.

"Any one of these people could be demons," Ivy hissed at June's side. June felt her skin crawl, her gaze falling upon countless families; bending to feed the ducks, exclaiming about the beauty of the roses, lounging under the shade cast by trees.

"Should we throw a knife at them and see if they react?" Chase asked delicately.

Lee shot him an appalled look. "Anyone would react – demon or not."

Chase shrugged, as if he thought his suggestion was reasonable. June herself suppressed a snort. She instead glanced over at Lee who's fingers brushed his waistbelt.

"Let's get a move on," he hissed gruffly. "We don't have all day."
With a hissing noise, Chase drew a sword that seemed to unravel from his belt. It glowed an eery silver, making his eyes dance.

Ivy angled her head at June to follow, and soon they were striding through Garden's Point. June felt a sense of ease surrounded by the three, although there was a tenseness within her she couldn't shrug off. Occasionally a stranger would offer her a smile and she would exchange one back despite Chase's disgust.

"Why smile at people who don't know your story?" he had said.

June had looked at him through her eyelashes, her hair whipped behind her from a sudden gust of wind. "Because it allows people to open to your first page."
She had seen Lee give her a thoughtful look from behind her, however June had ignored it. Ivy had been preoccupied with ogling stray unifolk boys who were chattering loudly.

Now they stood in a line, gazing up at June's house. She forced the lump in her mouth down. It looked perfectly normal from the outside. The Australian style porch, the blue timber against white railings, the macramé pot plant hanger near the wooden door. Even from the street, June could see her window, shattered and destroyed.

She swallowed, forcing the hot sting behind her eyes to waver. This was her home, but home wasn't the building – it was the people who lived in it. And they were gone.

Sebastian had been home too. His gentle arms, his hazel eyes, his easy smile. She belonged with him as well.

The house meant nothing to her now.

She strode forwards just as Chase objected. "Woah, woah – easy there." He reached her side where June stopped. She hoped he couldn't tell her eyes were red. Chase didn't give anything away. "You need to be prepared. If the demons are hunting you they probably are swarming this place." His tone was firm. "Be. Careful."

June nodded, then with a quick glance at the weary expressions from Ivy and Lee, she pushed open the front door. It opened with a creak that echoed around the shadowy house. The lights had been cut out. Debris and glass littered the floor, shinning dimly in the light cast from the hallway.

June felt her mouth fall open, her heart rising to pound against her ribcage. Photo frames had been toppled over, smashed so the prints had been torn. Pottery was scattered everywhere.

June forced herself to walk through the hallway towards her mothers room. She felt the glass crunch underneath her boots.

"Let's split up," Lee said. "Chase, keep an eye on June. We don't know what could be crawling in here."

June barely heard the three disappear within ajar doors. All she could do was stare at the destroyed remnants of a place she loved. She didn't dare look at her room. Not yet. It would be too hard.

Instead she rounded the staircase, letting her fingers brush along the splintered wooden handrails. The smell of burnt wood and singed carpet lingered in the hallway. She could feel Chase's presence close to her, but when she glanced behind, her gaze only met shadows.

June swallowed, then reverted back to the ajar door that creaked open to her mothers room. She let her fingers touch the wood, cool against her skin. Holding her breath, she gently pushed at the door. It let out an eery cry, the sound echoing throughout the house.

June was met with chaos. The curtains that once draped over the arching windows had been torn from their place, nothing but a moulding heap on the fall. Her mothers bedframe was cracked and splintered, clattering in a lumb of broken wood. Sheets were thrown across the room.

June felt the tears brush her eyelashes as she stepped further into the room. It wasn't even recognisable anymore. Her gaze fell on a smashed frame at her feet. Gingerly, she picked it up, blowing the remains of glass off its surface.

She knew the frame had once held a photo of Iris clutching June when she was barely 3 months old, a genuine smile on her face. June had grown to adore the photo, but now it was nothing but slashed colours.

She placed the frame back on the bedside table, ignoring how the drawers had been ripped open and left on the floor.

June felt her eyes narrow. It was as if someone was looking for something. Why would a demon search through furnisher? June stared at the bed again. Unless Iris had fought the demon, but it still didn't explain the drawers, or the built-in cupboard to June's left. She rounded to it. It too had been ripped open, the contents now on the floor.

"June?"
June jumped, her hands instantly reaching for her pockets as she whirled. She met the eyes of someone she knew well.

Her neighbour – Ferridan – stared at her, her face pale in the dim room. Her black hair was in ragged tangles and her lips were charred and bloodied from being bitten.

June relaxed, although she touched the place where she knew her daggers remained hidden in her pocket.

"Ferridan," she breathed, "What are you doing here?"

The older women seemed in shock, although by the state of June's mothers room, she couldn't blame her.

June watched as Ferridan swallowed. "I hadn't heard from either of you in days," she said, her voice shaking like a leaf. "I thought something bad must've happened and then I saw your bedroom window was broken so I went to check up on you." Ferridan stared, horrified, at the destroyed bedroom. "W-what happened?"
June glanced wearily at the open door; however her neighbour was blocking the view. She wondered if Chase would round the corner and see her. Hopefully he would know she wasn't a threat.

Instantly June was reminded about her promised secret. She didn't know how to tell such a white lie. Instead, she went for the typical excuse. "A burglar," June concluded, forcing her gaze to meet Ferridan's. "We went on a short holiday visit and came back to find the place looking like this."
Ferridan looked momentarily puzzled. "But I didn't see your car in the driveway."
June internally willed herself not to blush. "We only just got home – my mum dropped me off. She said she wanted to go to the police station right away."
June prayed Ferridan wouldn't see through her lie. Her neighbour was a very simple minded woman. June had visited her place often over the years. Her cottage had three rooms. The kitchen, the bedroom room and a bathroom. Whenever someone was over, Ferridan would often host outside. Her simple lifestyle seemed to match her intellectual level.

Ferridan stared at June with those damp, dark eyes. "I am so sorry for your loss," she said. "I guess I should say I was lucky the bastard didn't raid my house but this damage to your family isn't worth the celebration."

June blinked gratefully. "Thank you for checking up on me Ferridan, but I better start seeing what I can salvage before Mum gets home."
Her cheeks seemed to regain colour. "Oh, let me help you dear."

June was already half way to saying she didn't need help but Ferridan was already shuffling towards the bed, bending down to pick up shards of glass. Her dark, rag like clothes blended into the shadowy room.

June suppressed a sigh. Another thing she knew about Ferridan was her compassion. It was actually more of a nuisance than anything. Often Iris and June had woken up to the older woman mowing their lawn after saying – 'you lot work too hard. Let me do this one job for you.'

Another time June had come home from a brunch to find Ferridan washing their dishes, whistling a tune that had sounded like it belonged in the sixties.

Now was no exception.

June knew there was no arguing, so without further hesitation, she walked to the windows to inspect the broken glass. She studied the glazed window, surprised to find most of it was still intake.

Suddenly there was a hand against her throat and her face was smashed against the window, knocking the breath out of her. Strong fingers ripped at her hands, locking them together at the wrists.

June barely had enough time to suck in a sharp breath before Ferridan's voice whispered into her ear. "My, my, how different you look already June," she hissed in a sickly sweet voice. The voice was so much like Ferridan's – identical in fact – but there was a malicious hint to the voice, something June had never heard before. "It seems the Soulchaser's have already worked their magic on you."
June felt her eyes widen in terror, but Ferridan's fingers pressed harder into her windpipe, blocking her air completely.

"You don't know how long I've waited to steal your soul," she breathed. June couldn't see her, but she sensed the woman was smiling. "Every day I would steal this measily little uni's soul, matching her stupid eyes, her hair, her outrageously annoying kindness. It was insulting honestly."
Though June's brain was screaming for air, she felt realisation kick into her. This woman wasn't Ferridan. It was an Eurodian demon.

"It wasn't until I got everything right, until I was a perfect representation of Ferridan Mouse," she spat the name out, "when I knew I could trick you."

Her fingers loosened ever so slightly, just enough for June to drink in a trickle of air before it was cut off again. In terror, she tried to rip her hands out of Ferridan's grip but was rewarded with a cackle.

"What shall I take first?" she cooed, her hot breath curling on June's cheek. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing her brain to think logically. "I always was jealous of your eyes. My siblings will be happy to share the soul."

June attempted to kick out however Ferridan shoved her harder into the window, cracking the glass in the process. A sharp pain rippled through June's head, pounding behind her eyes. A whimper escaped her.

"Or maybe I could take your name," she whispered with glee. "I would have full possession over you if I bargained enough. I would steal your soul bit by bit until I would be you. Maybe I would trick that little boy friend of yours. Trick him into loving you when it was truly me," her voice erupted into laughter. "How enlightening."

June threw her head back, cracking it against Ferridan's forehead. Instantly her headache worsened, and a jolt of pain sizzled through her, as sharp as a dagger. She distantly heard Ferridan swear, and she loosened her grip to rub at her temple.

June took the opportunity to whirl to her, reaching for her daggers -- but not before Chase had appeared at the doorway, his silver sword gripped in his hand.

Ferridan turned, as if sensing his presence. She offered him a delicate smile. "Soulchaser," she whispered sweetly. "I am not surprised you are with the girl."

Chase's eyes flitted to June for no more than a millisecond before returning to Ferridan. She knew he had surveyed the situation, seen every detail without having to ask. His jaw tightened, as did his grip on his sword.

"I see you've been up to mischief granny," he sniffed. "Shouldn't you be baking cookies or something?"
Ferridan growled, clearly indignant. "My loyalties do not lie with unifolk hobbies."
June watched Chase cock his head. "No," he agreed. "They do however lie with Draven."

Ferridan's eyes lit up, her smile lengthening. "So you've heard."
June could see the way Chase's eyes blazed. The tiny feature was so little yet a dead give away. Chase was surprised to hear their predictions were true. As was June.

She didn't have time to think about Draven, or the meaning behind his return. Instead she let her fingers slowly dig in her pocket, curling around the hilt of one of her daggers.

"Draven was hoping the Soulchasers would hear of his return soon enough," Ferridan said with her devilish smile. "After all, it was him who gave us the order to hunt pure souls."
June forced her heartbeat to lower. She needed Chase to keep distracting the woman.

Chase titled his chin, studying the demon with a look of revulsion. "Draven is dead."
Ferridan looked amused. "A weapon cannot destroy Draven. He has been in hiding for many years, planning his return. And with it, he has grown in power. We respect him enough to follow simple orders, even without the Staff." Her eyes glinted. "And to think your kind thought he was dead." She emitted an earth cracking cackle. "Pitiful."

Chase twisted his sword in an arching movement. "What's pitiful is your existence," he hissed. "I encourage you to stay still. It will make your death far easier."

Ferridan did not look fazed. June saw the way her slitted eyes fell onto Chase's soulring, a greedy look passing across her expression. "Your ring is more important than the girls eyes. I could steal it, cut your finger off. The soulring will be mine and so will you." Her teeth seemed pointed in the shadows. "The famous Chase Harrowing. What a soul to have. Draven would reward me for your soul."

Chase snorted. "Can't I give you an autograph instead?"

Ferridan didn't reply, instead she flew at him, arms outstretched, teeth open in a manic grin. Chase already had his sword at the ready, moving to arch it.

Suddenly Ferridan came to an abrupt halt, fingers milimetres away from Chase. She was looking blank, as if in shock. Her eyes met June's, where they seemed to shimmer with hatred. "You," she hissed. But blood began to spill out of her mouth before she could continue. Her knees buckled and she fell into a weightless heap at Chase's feet.

June's dagger protruded from the woman's back, shining a vibrant silver. June stared at her dead neighbour, and then the dagger.

June knew her hands weren't bloodied, but she felt as if she had cupped them over an open heart.