I know it's hard to come back when there are not that many chapters! Thank you to those who have commented, added this to their reading lists, and have voted on the first chapter! I'm so excited!

- Sian

Rowan attempted to sneak back up the stairs, but the wood creaked under his weight, and his parents stopped talking immediately. Rowan's father looked around the door frame, and when he saw Rowan, the guilt took over.

"He heard everything," Michael, Rowan's father, mumbled.

Rowan's mother sucked up a breath and stormed into view. "Good," Mandy said, crossing arms firmly over her chest. "You're coming on this hunt, and that's final."

"Don't I get a say?" Rowan asked, stepping down the last step. "You know I don't want to go. Why are you forcing this?"

"Because it's in your blood."

"It's not. You hunt the supernatural. That's not in your blood. That's a choice, a choice that I'm not choosing," Rowan sighed.

"Michael, talk to him," Mandy muttered, shoving Rowan's father in front of her.

"Son, even if you don't choose this, your life will never be like everyone else's. You won't be able to live knowing that there's whole other world out there. Trust me; I've been in your situation. It doesn't work. Sooner or later, you'll get too curious. Either It'll be with help from us, or you'll do it on your own. Going on this hunt with your mother might be what you're looking for. You might love it, or you might hate it. Either way, you'll know if this life isn't for you," Michael said, remembering his own father giving him the same speech when he was younger.

Rowan glanced down, picking at his bracelet made of small shells. It had caused an obvious tan line around his wrist. "I applied to uni to have a normal life. I think it's pretty clear what I want."

Mandy shook her head in frustration. Her dark blonde hair hung around her face. "You're coming on this hunt." She stomped into the kitchen, and Michael's jaw tightened. He hated Mandy's lack of softness. He especially hated it when he saw little specks within his son, too.

"Just this once," Michael said, walking up to Rowan and patting him on the shoulder. In the last few years, Rowan grew tall. Michael knew his son had been raised to hunt from a young age. He was strong, knew how to fight, knew how to capture all kinds of supernatural beings. Rowan knew their weakness and their strengths. It would be a shame to waste his knowledge and skills. "For your mother, go on this hunt. If you still want to attend university and forget about that world after, then fine. You know if you don't do at least one hunt, she won't stop."

Rowan ran a hand over his face. "This isn't fair," he said, though he had known for years that as soon as he turned eighteen, his mother would force him. Rowan regretted not voicing his opinions sooner.

"No, but that's life." Michael squeezed his shoulder and followed Mandy into the kitchen to prepare dinner, leaving Rowan to stare emptily into the corridor.

* * * * *

When it was time for Rowan to go to bed that night, his mother stood in front of his bedroom door, refusing to let him in. "No sleep for you," she said like it was no big deal.

"Fine, I'll sleep in your room." Rowan pushed past her, but Mandy grabbed his arm.

"I hate that I have to force you, son. But you're ready to come on this hunt."

Rowan yanked his arm away and turned with a scowl. He was much taller than his mother. Rowan had seen his mother knock people twice her size to the ground with a single punch. He couldn't intimidate her. "I want to make a deal," Rowan said.

Mandy rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"If I go on this hunt with you and I hate it, I want you to respect my decision of going to university, getting a degree, and living like a normal human. I want you to promise that you won't ever force me on a hunt again," Rowan said sternly.

Mandy thought that he sounded like his father, which was something she hated about Michael. Her eyes trailed him, assessing her options. Mandy wasn't one to keep promises, so a deal meant nothing to her unless it was written in official documents. "Fine." Mandy extended a hand, jabbing her son in the ribs.

Rowan held her hand and shook it, watching her through narrowed eyes. He didn't have time to ensure that she wouldn't break the deal because his mother tugged forcefully on his hand and dragged him down the stairs. She kept going until they reached the living room.

"Now, I know it's not easy to stay awake for forty-eight hours, but if you don't, you won't see them," Mandy said and put the TV on. "As soon as you feel tired, let me know, and I'll make you some coffee."

Rowan knew the drill. The supernatural world only existed through extremely sleep deprived eyes. The government played it off as a trick of the mind because of exhaustion, but that wasn't the case.

Rowan sat on the couch and sulkily paid attention to the television. The first 24 hours wouldn't be so hard, but the next night would be a challenge.

Mandy had given herself eight solid hours of sleep after staying awake for four days. It wasn't enough, but she had done it before and managed a successful hunt.

* * * * *

When the morning sun peeked over the horizon, Rowan was sitting on the porch, watching the sea. It was another day with clear skies and calm water. Rowan hoped the water was calm on their hunt.

He yawned and stretched.

"Walk," Mandy demanded. She was sitting next to him. The night breeze had been cold, and it had kept them awake.

Rowan sighed and started pacing back and forth. He felt okay, though his eyes stung, and his limbs felt heavier than usual. His skin started to grow sensitive to the temperatures. From experience, he had until lunchtime before he began to crash.

"In a few hours, we'll go for a jog-"

"No," Rowan interrupted. "In a few hours, I'll be at uni. I have more lectures today."

"Are you joking?" Mandy stood up, and Rowan stopped pacing.

"No. I'm not missing anything today. I have nothing else to do until the forty-eight-hour mark."

"How do I know you're not going somewhere to sleep?"

"We made a deal mum. Unlike you, I don't break mine," Rowan grumbled and started pacing again. He knew his mother well enough to know that a handshake wasn't enough for her to keep a promise.

Mandy glared at him when he turned his back to her. She sat down and stared at the ocean. She had seen the Thalassic Mortals plenty of times, along with other supernatural creatures. The species who lived under the sea were the ones Mandy hated the most.

When the time reached 9 am, Rowan stood outside the lecture theatre in a daze. His eyes found it easier to settle onto one thing and stare at it. He looked down to his flip flops after finding himself zoning in on people by accident.

"Hello first years," the tutor said when she arrived. "Come in, come in," she said happily, holding the door open for students and smiling to make them feel welcome. Rowan moved with the rest of the students, and her eyes followed him. Rowan was fully aware that he looked high from his bloodshot eyes, but there was nothing he could do about it, other than sleep.

He sat on the front row again, knowing everyone piled towards the back. He wasn't in the mood to socialise today. Rowan just wanted to sit in silence and take notes. As he watched other students enter, the ones who were late looked a bit like him. Though, he knew they were up through the night partying. Rowan had been up all night to make himself sleep deprived enough to see the supernatural. He would never make friends if he did hunts often.

The hours dragged agonisingly slow. As Rowan predicted, by lunchtime, he was struggling to keep his eyes open. His mind and sunk to the bottom of his body and Rowan had no motivation to take notes. He couldn't even listen to what the tutor had to say. All he could think about was the warmth of his bed.

When he had finished for the day, Rowan dragged his legs across the sand and to his home. He kept looking at the ocean with suspicion, but he wouldn't see the creatures until the 48-hour mark. Sometimes, he thought he had seen a head dip below the waves, and he had an uncomfortable feeling like unwanted eyes were on him.

Mandy was still pacing the porch when Rowan lugged his exhausted body up the sand dune, down the muddy path, and across the road to his house.

"Did you sleep?" Mandy asked, pointing a finger in her son's face. Her eyes had sunken deeper into her face. Sleep deprivation aged her significantly.

"No, but I struggled to stay awake," Rowan muttered and collapsed onto the bench. He yawned, and a cool pressure moved through his skull while his brain reset. "I don't know if I can do this."

"I didn't raise you to be weak," Mandy said and made him stand. She moved him around the porch and to the outside shower where they washed the wetsuits. Mandy turned the shower on and pushed Rowan underneath the water. Rowan yelped from the cold and jumped away. "Did that wake you up?" Mandy asked with a chuckle.

Rowan's eyebrows sunk into his eyes from his frown. He wanted to collapse onto the grass, but his mother would force him back under the water.

"How do you do this so often?" Rowan asked and followed her into the house. He peeled his wet top from his body and winced when Mandy shone a torch in his face.

"I'm used to it, and you will be too one day," Mandy said, stretching her arms.

"There won't be a next time," Rowan warned and aimed for the stairs, but he was stopped.

"You can stay in wet clothes. It'll keep you awake." Mandy was prepared to keep one eye on her son for the next few days. She forced him into the kitchen to eat food, and Rowan started to get a headache from the bright sun glaring through the window.

Mandy watched him eat with her hard stare, remembering the first time she had to stay up for 48 hours. She felt like it was going to kill her.

After a while of silence, Rowan rested his head in his hands to mellow his headache. He felt his mother's hand rubbing his back, and he wanted to drop his head onto the counter and fall victim to the sleep that was looming over him.

"Right," Mandy said and spun him on the chair. She looked strangely energetic and fatigued at the same time. "Are you ready for night two?"