Date: 2-20-17

Chapter 22: The First Hunting Party

Midnight rolls around and Lucas' alarm goes off. Lucas put the volume on as low as it could go so that it wouldn't wake up Jerica. Lucas sits for a moment, listening closely, and hears an alarm go off faintly.

Lucas thinks that Jerica put her ear buds in so that he wouldn't hear the alarm. But Lucas hears it. Jerica stays in bed unmoving so that Lucas won't hear her.

Lucas just shakes his head and goes outside, knowing Mason will meet him in the backyard. As soon as Mason arrives, they take off into the woods.

Lucas follows his instinct deep into the woods with Mason following close behind.

They run until Lucas recognizes the spot as where they were last night when Adrian showed up. Mason looks at Lucas, wondering what mes next, but he keeps quiet. It feels like everything around them is holding its breath.

~*~

When Jerica thinks it's been long enough so that Lucas and Mason are gone, she gets up, already fully dressed, and goes outside to wait for Lena.

~*~

Lena gets to Jerica's house right at 12:15 am, just like Jerica told her to, after sneaking out of the house. Lena's worried because Ivie never came home, and she wasn't answering her phone. Lena tells Jerica as they walk around the house to the woods.

Jerica shrugs and says, "Maybe she left early to frolic through the woods."

Lena just sighs, exasperated with Jerica once again. "I'm really worried Jerica. There's something seriously wrong with Ivie, and I want to help her." Jerica rolls her eyes at the sentiment.

"We'll figure it out." Jerica says unconvincingly. Lena isn't sure Jerica cares at all.

Jerica and Lena are walking along a worn out path, hoping they're going the right way. After about 10 minutes of walking silently, Lena decides to ask Jerica a question. "So what's the plan?"

"I don't have one. I just don't like Lucas trying to 'protect' me." Jerica replies haughtily.

"Then what are we going to do?" Lena exclaims in frustration. "We don't have any weapons or anything!"

Apparently they are going the right way, because just then they find Lucas and Mason. Or more accurately, Lucas and Mason find them.

"Lena's right." Lucas says as he seems to come out of nowhere. Lucas doesn't appear to be surprised, so he suspected they'd be out here. But Lena's heart skips a beat at the thought of Lucas getting mad at her.

"You don't have a plan or-" Lucas cuts himself off when he hears someone. At least, that's what it looks like to Lena. Lucas turns his head sharply and his whole body tenses in one fluent movement, ready for an attack.

Lucas plunges straight through some underbrush away from the path. Mason runs after Lucas without hesitation. Jerica makes a face that shows her displeasure, then rushes after her brothers. Lena chases after them.

Lucas only has to run a second before catching up with the person he's following. It's a girl with blond hair, and she whips around to face him with supernatural speed when she senses him coming.

"Who are you?" Lucas questions the girl. Mason, Jerica, and Lena run up to stand around Lucas like they're all part of a pack. Lucas almost smiles because that makes something deep inside him happy, but he holds that back while he stares at the stranger.

"She looks kind of familiar." Jerica whispers softly.

The girl, who looks to be about their age, grins and waves at them. "Hey! I'm Monique." She says it like they were expecting to meet her in the woods tonight, and she's glad that they're meeting now.

"You must be Adrian's new friends. He said you might be out tonight." Monique says calmly. Everything about Monique seems cool and collected. And the way she stands and talks oozes confidence. Lucas can see with a sort of night vision that he assumes is his werewolf side, although his eyes don't burn bright.

With this night vision, Lucas sees that Monique does look sort of familiar with blond hair and blue eyes. And up close Lucas sees that Monique's hair is dark pink at the tips. It matches the pink summer dress and black leather jacket that she's wearing. To Lucas' surprise, Monique is wearing black heels. How can she walk through the woods in those? The ground isn't exactly even.

With all of that combined, Monique is a beautiful mix of girly and fierce looking. Lucas sees from the corner of his eye that Mason looks starstruck.

"We're not exactly friends." Lucas replies. After all, Lucas just met Adrian and he doesn't trust him yet.

"That's what they all say in the beginning." Monique says with a friendly and unquestioning smile. Lucas frowns at that odd comment.

Jerica jumps in at that moment. "Well it's nice to meet you! I'm Jerica. This is Lena. And my two brothers Lucas and Mason." Monique nods her head once in acknowledgement.

"Adrian told me about you two." Monique gestures to Lucas and Mason. "But it's nice to meet you all."

Lucas decides to move on from that. "How do you know Adrian? Are you his girlfriend?" If Lucas had to guess Adrian's type, it would be a girl like Monique.

Monique laughs at that, gasping out, "Of course not! I'm his sister."

"Oh. So what are you doing out here alone?" Lucas asks.

"I was out walking. It's my favorite hobby and-" Monique starts, but is interrupted when Adrian pops out of nowhere.

"It's okay Monique, you can tell them the real reason." Adrian says from behind her with a smile. Monique doesn't even jump, while Lucas and Mason both flinched. Adrian arrived too fast for them to sense him.

"Well thanks for the permission Adrian, because I was waiting for that." Monique answers sarcastically.

"Now I see how you two are related! You're both super sarcastic." Jerica exclaims with a big smile.

Monique leans forward a little like she's telling a secret. "I have to be to live with him."

Adrian frowns, no longer having any fun. "Okay, we get it. Har-de-har." Adrian says without emotion. "Now can we go find this vine girl?"

"Why are you looking for her?" Lucas asks before Adrian can try to leave.

"Because I care for her so much." Adrian says with an eye roll.

Lucas scowls at Adrian. Lucas is getting impatient and doesn't know how much longer he can be around Adrian before he snaps.

"We don't need your sarcasm, Adrian." Lucas says with a barely concealed growl, although Adrian senses it underneath Lucas' words.

Lena speaks up just then. "Yeah, it's my sister we're talking about!" Lena is standing defensively with her arms crossed.

Adrian gives Lena a serious look. "I'm sorry for your loss." Lena practically sneers at Adrian and Monique slaps him in the arm, which only makes Adrian grin again.

"Guys! None of why you're saying is relevant at this time! Let's talk about what's important here." Jerica says, then takes a deep breath to speak again before anyone can stop her.

"I understand why Adrian's here, because Ivie attacked him. But why are you here Monique?" Jerica finishes quickly.

Adrian grins at Jerica. "That's what I love to hear! I like a girl who can tell it like it is." Adrian says with a wink.

Lucas can't believe that Adrian is leading his sister on. Somehow Lucas just knows that Adrian doesn't like Jerica that way. And Lucas can't believe Jerica because she has a boyfriend.

Monique rolls her eyes at Adrian like he says things like that all the time, just like Lucas suspected. "To answer you, I help Adrian hunt sometimes."

"Not that I need help." Adrian says offensively. Then he mostly amends that by saying, "But sometimes backup is okay."

Then Adrian adds, "Not that I need reassurance either."

"We get it!" Monique shout whispers. She doesn't want to attract any more attention, since vine girl is probably out right now.

Adrian shoots off just then without a word. "Shoot! He must've heard her..." Monique says before she's running off in the direction that Lucas assumes Adrian went. Lucas notices she's not as fast.

Lucas wonders if Monique and Adrian are lying to them. So far, Monique hasn't shown any sign of being a werewolf like Adrian, besides the fact that she said they're siblings. Have they been lying?

Lucas and Mason don't waste another moment standing there. Lucas breathes in deeply to follow Adrian's smell. Lucas finds it easily and takes off with Mason right next to him.