A/N:
Date 6-2-17

Hey everyone! For this chapter, I'd like you to figure out what the three types of hunters are.

Good Luck! XD

Word Count: 2587

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Chapter 24: Three Types of Hunters

"Fine. What do you need to tell me?" Lena asks her mom suspiciously, crossing her arms.

"It's multiple things, honey. Maybe we should sit." Mrs. Sterling replies gently, taking a step towards her bed.

"I'm good right here. And aren't you supposed to be going to work?" Lena questions, eyeing the work bag on the floor that her mother dropped at Lena's harsh words.

"I can go into work later. This is more important." Mrs. Sterling says, and for once, Lena can agree with that.

But work has always been important to her mom, so Lena's confused on why she would take time off work to talk to Lena.

Mrs. Sterling sits on the bed, patting the spot next to her to indicate that Lena should sit, but Lena doesn't budge.

"Alright. There are a few family legacies to discuss here, so be prepared." Mrs. Sterling cautions, but Lena only looks at her blankly.

Mrs. Sterling sighs, then gets on with it. "As you seem to know, me and your father are vampire hunters. First, I want to know how you knew that. Then I'll tell you about my job."

Lena huffs in annoyance, shifting her weight to her other foot nervously. Lena knows about her parents because of Selynn's visions and Adrian's knowledge of hunters. But Lena can't tell her mom that.

"I'm not stupid. I can tell when something weird is going on. Lucas helped me figure it out. And when you started targeting him, it became really obvious." Lena says furiously, glaring at her mother like she's the devil.

"What do you mean? What did you two do to figure this out?" Mrs. Sterling questions, worrying that her daughter did something she shouldn't have.

Lena looks down at the ground, suddenly feeling a bit guilty for sneaking into the basement with Lucas because it's forbidden. But Lena pushes away the guilt because she needed to know what was down there.

"I went in the basement. I saw what's down there." Lena says, clenching her jaw and staring her mom in the eyes.

"When? When did you go down there?" Mrs. Sterling asks, sounding worried and slightly scared.

"The night you left for vacation. If it even was vacation, since your whole life seems to be a lie." Lena snaps.

Mrs. Sterling relaxes slightly, but looks nervous as she shifts in her sitting position.

"I know you've been locking people up down there. Are you torturing them? They were vampires, weren't they?" Lena demands to know, wanting her theory to be proven right, but at the same time hoping that her mom has some explanation that has nothing to do with crazy.

Mrs. Sterling sighs in defeat. "Yes. But they were removed earlier and taken by some colleagues of mine."

"Are they dead?" Lena asks, hoping they aren't.

"I'm not sure. I haven't heard from my associates yet." Mrs. Sterling replies slowly, like she doesn't want to reveal any of this to Lena.

"Anyway, the second thing I need you to know is that I really am a scientist. And so is your father." Mrs. Sterling says before getting back onto the track she was on.

"But how do you know about the supernatural anyway? You couldn't have known unless something happened to you or someone told you. Were you attacked?" Mrs. Sterling turns in worry to her daughter, wondering if her daughter is still human.

"Yeah, I was attacked. By lightning! Remember?" Lena says sarcastically, reminding her mother of the night a few months ago when she and Ivie were struck by lightning.

That seems like a million years ago, and Lena had learned so much more since that night. Now it's time for Lena to confess what really happened and to see if her mother can help with controlling her powers.

"Right. I do remember. But I have a feeling that you're not telling me something." Mrs. Sterling predicts.

Lena refuses to feel guilty about keeping things from her mom. That would be unfair to herself.

"Yeah, the lightning strike did something to me and Ivie, but she was affected differently. Jerica was electrocuted the same night that I was hit by lightning, so somehow me and Jerica can both control elements. Like wind and electricity." Lena explains.

Mrs. Sterling nods, fearing as much. "And what about Ivie?"

"I'd rather not say. It's her deal." Lena tells her mom with a shrug, not ready to reveal Ivie's dangerous secret without approval from Ivie herself.

"So, do you know anything about what's happened to me? I feel like you already knew about this. You don't seem surprised." Lena questions, noticing that her mother isn't reacting the way Lena thought she would.

"It would be better if your father was here to help explain this." Mrs. Sterling says with a sort of sadness in her voice.

"Just tell me. Dad won't be home for hours." Lena protests.

"Fine. It's just hard for me..." Mrs. Sterling sniffles as if she's about to cry.

"Mom, have you thought about how this makes me feel? You've lied to me my whole life and now you don't want to explain yourself to me?" Lena exclaims angrily, not caring about hurting her feelings.

"I understand." Mrs. Sterling sighs through her words to show that she's still upset.

"What we didn't tell you, what we planned to tell you later, was that your father was married before. To your biological mother, who isn't me." Mrs. Sterling says, frowning slightly in discomfort.

"You're my step mother?" Lena asks, not having seen this coming.

Mrs. Sterling nods her head, then stands up to get a tissue to dab at her eyes. "Yes. And your real mother was supernatural. That lightning strike must've awakened your magic."

"What about Jerica? And why's Ivie different than us?" Lena questions, shifting her weight to her left foot to be more comfortable, but seeing that it doesn't work, it's the situation that's really bugging Lena.

"I'm not sure about Jerica. And I won't know what's up with Ivie until someone tells me what's going on with her." Mrs. Sterling says, giving Lena a pointed look.

Lena sighs, rubbing at her temple to try and soothe the headache building there. This conversation may be a bit harder than Lena thought it would be.

~*~

Lucas wakes up again in darkness, unable to see much without using his werewolf eyes.

Lucas' stomach tenses up and swirls anxiously, awaiting the full moon that's coming up. Tonight.

Lucas wonders if the hunters will kill him before then. But if they don't and they only continue torturing him, Lucas could make it to the full moon, then go out of control. Is that what Lucas wants? To go out of control and hurt people?

That isn't what Lucas wants. He just has to sit and hope that the hunters will let him go or someone will find and rescue him.

The possibility of the hunters letting him go shrinks when the boss comes back in.

"I have a few questions for you." He tells Lucas.

"Oh yeah? I'm surprised you didn't promise to let me go if I answered correctly." Lucas replies, thinking of the movies with kidnapping situations kind of like this. Except without vampires and werewolves.

The boss laughs loudly. "That's a good one! You're not getting out of here unless it's in a body bag, or in a box of your ashes." He says, confirming Lucas' suspicion that he wouldn't be allowed to go.

"But I'm not a vampire. I've proved that to you in every way!" Lucas argues.

"Nope. There's still one way left. But before we do that, I'm going to ask some questions. If you answer them to my satisfaction, you won't be hurt." The boss says, pulling out a knife from behind his back. "Got it?"

Lucas nods his head reluctantly. There's nothing else Lucas could do. He doesn't have a choice here.

"Now you know who we were really searching for, right? It's who you were supposed to be." The boss hints.

Lucas immediately thinks of Adrian, but he's not about to sell Adrian out. "You were looking for a vampire."

"Not just any vampire, the rarest type of vampire. You know what I'm talking about. I know you do." The boss says while Lucas does his best to look like he doesn't know a thing. But what kind of emotion is used in this situation? Confused? Blank? Innocent?

"No sir, I don't-" The boss slashes the knife across Lucas' face to stop his words. Lucas barely turns his head in time, so the blade catches his cheek instead of his nose or eyes.

Lucas hisses out in pain from the sharp burning that spreads through his cheek. "That was hardly a scratch! Now tell the truth." The boss commands.

Lucas clenches his fingers into fists as his claws try to emerge. "What's that?" The boss questions, noticing Lucas moving his hands.

The boss grabs Lucas' left hand, prying his fingers open, only to see nothing but blood on his hand. There are small imprints of nails and blood from where the nails punctured. With the smeared blood, the holes look like normal nails made them, not claws.

Lucas almost sighs in relief at the sight and at the warmth of healing spreading through his face and hands.

The boss studies Lucas intently, trying to figure him out. "Who's the Kitsune Vampire?" The boss asks bluntly, shocking Lucas, even though he knew that would be asked eventually.

"I don't know." Lucas responds, only to be cut with the knife in almost exactly the spot that was cut before.

Lucas' eyes burn bright underneath his eyelids as anger courses through him.

"I said, who is the Kitsune Vampire?" The boss repeats, spitting venom through his tone.

"And I said I don't know!" Lucas snaps back at the boss. This time Lucas is impaled with the knife in his right shoulder.

Lucas grits his teeth together in pain, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself down, but Lucas is being pushed over the edge now. There's nowhere else to back up to.

"Okay. Let's do the final vampire check, since you're not willing to answer my questions." The boss announces.

"But I did answer!" Lucas retorts, knowing this last test can't be good.

"A stake through the heart should do it." The boss says as if Lucas hadn't spoken.

Lucas feels himself pale at just the thought of being staked to death. "But that could kill anyone!"

"We'll have to see!" The boss replies happily, shoving the stake through Lucas' chest and into his heart.

~*~

"Tell me more about my real mom." Lena says, watching her mom flinch at the statement. Oops.

Lena remains impassive, unable to comfort her mom when Lena is feeling so conflicted.

"Well, she's what is called an elemental angel." Mrs. Sterling says slowly, watching Lena's reaction carefully.

Lena scrunches up her face as if she's confused. "She is? She's not dead?"

Mrs. Sterling realizes that she slipped up. She didn't want Lena to know her mom is still alive.

"No, she lives in the Cloud World, which is a separate dimension for supernatural creatures. She works there." Mrs. Sterling explains to Lena.

"And why did her and dad split up? What happened?" Lena asks, needing to know why her real mother would abandon her.

Mrs. Sterling stands and walks over to Lena, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, but Lena side steps it. "Honey, she just wasn't ready for children. And she's very busy so she didn't want to meet you and Ivie yet." Mrs. Sterling darts her gaze to the side anxiously.

"You're lying to me. She doesn't want to meet me, does she?" Lena questions, glaring at her mother and waiting for a better answer than the lie she told.

"No honey. But I do, don't forget that." Mrs. Sterling says, gazing at her daughter with as much love as she can muster.

Lena huffs out a breath in frustration, pushing away the hurt created by those words. "So what about Lucas? You have to save him. He's not the vampire." Lena explains once again.

"Then what is he? Because he reacted to the tests, Lena. Have you considered that he's been tricking you too? He knew I'm a hunter, so what if he's just using you to get to me?" Mrs. Sterling suggests, attempting to alter the situation and make Lena stop caring for Lucas.

A fire burns in the pit of Lena's stomach at the thought of a betrayal like that. Lucas would never... Just the thought makes Lena's fingertips buzz with electricity, wanting to shock the life out of someone. Not killing them, but giving them a break from life. A quick nap.

"I know Lucas, and I know he's not a vampire." Lena says, narrowing her eyes at her mom while fisting her hands at her sides.

"You do know about compulsion, right? He could be messing with your mind-" Mrs. Sterling is interrupted by Lena.

"He's not! Okay? Just drop it!" Lena yells at her mom, done with trying to remain calm.

"And why are you insisting so much? He must've compelled you to think that he's-" Lena interrupts again.

"That's not it! I know because he's a werewolf! Now drop it!" Lena yells at her mom.

Mrs. Sterling gasps and says, "A what? Honey..."

Lena shakes her head as Mrs. Sterling trails off. "Now don't tell anyone that and save him, or I'll have to do something about it."

"Don't put yourself in danger honey! I- I'll try to do something..." Mrs. Sterling lies, knowing that she's not willing to risk her career to help some teenage boy. Mrs. Sterling knows that the hunters will kill Lucas, even if they figure out he's not a vampire. He's seen too much.

"Yeah right! I'm leaving." Lena declares, turning to stomp away and help Lucas herself. She'll have to see if Adrian will come search for Lucas again, but with Lena this time.

Mrs. Sterling reaches out to grab Lena and stop her. "You're not going-" Mrs. Sterling is cut off when Lena's hand shocks her, knocking her to the ground.

Lena walks away, unable to voice the sorry that would be far from sincere.

Lena makes her exit, but immediately runs into someone in the hallway. Lena opens her mouth to scream but the familiar person shushes her. "Don't say anything." He whispers to her.

Lena nods her head and allows herself to be led into the back yard. "Dad, where are you taking me? I thought you were at work!" Lena asks in confusion.

"I didn't leave when I told your mother I did. I was eavesdropping on your conversation with her. And while she's not willing to help, I am." Mr. Sterling announces.

"Really?" Lena questions her dad skeptically.

"Really. I know where Lucas is, and I can help you get him back today." Mr. Sterling tells Lena sincerely. He's not about to sit round and let a teenage boy, the one his daughter really likes, die on false charges. Or die at all.

"Right now?" Lena asks to confirm what's happening.

Mr. Sterling nods as he pulls Lena towards his car. "Right now. Let's go."