The morning had been going well, Rosa thought. She'd woken up without suffering any nightly horrors, she'd enjoyed a nice cup of tea and breakfast. However like life gained pleasure from kicking her to the curb, Louie had hit her with those words.
"What do you mean get changed for school?" Rosa complained from the kitchen door.
"I don't think I could be clearer," Louie said calmly, before sipping his tea at the kitchen table across from Emma.
"I'm meant to go to school? After everything that has happened?"
"You are. Oh, and take the dagger I gave you. You know, just in case," Louie said.
"Are you sure you don't want to give me a gun while you're at it?" Rosa scoffed.
Emma stared daggers into Louie.
"No," he said. "Well I mean, not until you know how to use one."
Rosa squinted at him in disbelief. "Fine," she grumbled. "How am I getting there? Do you know what bus to take?"
"I'll drop you off. At least until we can get your situation sorted and organise a transfer," Louie explained.
"Wait", she paused, "a transfer? … You want me to leave my school?"
"I do. I've got a better place in mind."
"What about my friends?"
"You can make new ones," Louie shrugged.
Rosa glowered at him speechless and Emma chose that this was her time to join the discussion.
"You'll have to excuse Louie. I'm sure that his social skills have just became rusty, during his years of travel," Emma stated. Louie muttered something under his breath before his face vanished behind his mug. "What he means to say, is that if were right about this thing being after you then your very presence could put your friends in danger," her sister explained.
"I get that," Rosa admitted. "But what's stopping this thing from attacking me during the school day?"
"I'm hoping brain cells," Louie said.
"You're betting my life on hope?" Rosa questioned.
Louie nodded and then without a word wandered across the kitchen to wash up his mug.
"Pendejo," Rosa muttered before making her way upstairs to get changed.
They dropped Rosa off down the street from her school. She stood and watched as Emma and Louie drove back, they'd told her they had business in Aldock, but she couldn't figure out what. She pondered over the possibilities as she made her way down the street towards her school gates. They'd gotten here early, in fact, it was around the time she'd usually arrive whenever she helped out Sam.
Like always, the school grounds were quiet and empty. Not knowing what else to do with herself, Rosa made her way to the library. As she wandered through the school's corridors she found herself glancing around the halls and classrooms, savouring the sights. If these were going to be her last days as a student here, she wanted to make them count. The thought of leaving her friends came bouncing around her head. Rosa had only known them for a few years, but they were the only real friends she'd ever had. Rosa's social skills had never really kicked in during primary school and she found herself mostly alone. It was only after coming here she found out what friends actually were and how much better life got with the. She didn't want to lose that. As her thoughts grew darker and threatened to take control, she reminded herself of her sisters words during the car ride here. Even if she did leave school, it didn't mean the end of her friendships. They all had phones, they could always text and call each other, as well as meet up in the city.
'Yeah, this will be fine,' Rosa thought happily. Even if she moved school everything would be alright. They'd just need to adapt.
Rosa made her way into the library, taking in its gothic architecture. She strolled towards her isolated and empty table. However, as she wandered around a bookcase she discovered her table wasn't quite as empty as expected. Sitting in the same seat she always did, Sam was working in a schoolbook. Rosa froze, despite wanting nothing more than answers, this was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now. Slowly she tried to turn and leave, but the rustle of her bag and coat were painfully loud.
"Rosa!" Sam called out. "Don't go, please … let's just talk."
Instantly there was a series of shushes across the room and Sam's face flushed. Stifling a smile, Rosa sighed and wandered over the table. Both Emma and Louie had told her if she wanted answers, she needed to obtain them from Sam herself. Rosa claimed the seat as far from Sam as possible.
"Ok let's talk," Rosa said, taking control of the conversation. "We'll start with the fact that you're part of a secret organisation that kills monsters."
"Ahh," Sam said sheepishly. "Thought you might've been curious about that."
"Just a bit. Who actually are you Sam?" Rosa questioned, more aggressively than she intended.
"My actual name is Sam Lelan," Sam stated.
'Lelan?' Suddenly Rosa remembered what Louie said yesterday. She'd been so hectic she'd completely skipped over it.
"You're Audrey's little sister," Rosa stated. She'd definitely noticed that there was a strong resemblance between the two of them, especially their hair.
"You've met my sister?"
"Briefly the other night," Rosa said. "What else don't I know?"
"Erm well I'm actually seventeen not thirteen," Sam informed.
"That … actually explains a lot," Rosa admitted. Despite her youthful looks, Sam had always been much taller than all the girls in their year and when puberty began to hit them, it was as if Sam was unaffected. "My only question is," Rosa glanced down at the incorrect answers in Sam's maths book, "how can a seventeen-year-old be so shit at year nine math?"
"Hey, it's hard for some people," Sam complained defensively. "Why are you so shit at English?"
Rosa couldn't help but chuckle, "There are plenty people in year nine who are bad at English, Secondly, I'm actually in year nine and, thirdly, I'm Mexican."
"Really, you're playing the Mexican card."
"I am," Rosa stated defiantly.
They both released a small laugh like they always would.
"I'm sorry for not telling you Rosa, but I had to follow orders. But I want you to know, our friendship was never fake. I hope you can forgive me," Sam said, with pleading eyes.
"I can. Of course I can," Rosa said. "It's just with everything that's been happening, I got overwhelmed."
"That's completely understandable. You handled it a lot better than I did all those years ago. And unlike with me I can help you remedy your confusion. So," she put her book away and gave Rosa her full attention, "what do you know?" Sam asked. "I'll try my best to fill in the gaps."
With the school now far behind them, Louie continued his way further into Aldock. For the majority of the morning they spent their time running errands for John. Not the type of work Louie would usually find himself doing, but with division still struggling in its beginning stages, he didn't have much of a choice. Not a word in his car had been said since dropping Rosa off. Louie kept his eyes straight ahead on the road, patiently waiting for what he knew was to come.
"I can't believe you took Rosa on a hunt!" Emma exclaimed in disbelief. Instantly he felt a glare burning into the side of his head.
There it was.
"I didn't have a choice," Louie said.
"Bullshit," Emma snapped.
"Not ones I was happy with," Louie murmured. "Anyway I had everything under control. It was a fucking Direhound! Rosa almost killed the damn thing herself."
"That brings me to my second point. Why she was she even in there?" Emma asked, forcibly calming herself.
"I don't know," Louie answered truthfully. "Told me she got scared, didn't elaborate."
He noticed her nod in the corner of his eye. "How's she been since you found her?" Emma asked in a gentler tone.
"Alright I guess. Whatever your father taught her works well. She's grieving and moving on."
"Wait. My dad put Rosa through the mindset training?" Emma asked.
"I believe so."
"Why?" Emma questioned baffled.
"Precaution, its why I advised him to. Let me ask you this, why did you father one day randomly go to Mexico and adopt a girl?"
Emma's face creased. "I've never really thought about it," Emma admitted. "Was always busy adjusting to the fact I now had a sister. Do you know why?"
"No," Louie responded. His face contorted into a troubled and irritated scowl. James was meant to finally explain everything when Louie got back, but that obviously was no longer an option. Now he had to somehow figure it all out before it was too late. "That's the issue," he muttered.
"Is there anything else about Rosa I should know?" Emma inquired.
"I've noticed she's becoming paranoid. Might even be developing some kind of trauma. It's like she's constantly seeing something in the corner of her eye. I just can't figure out what," Louie confessed
"We'll just have to keep an eye on her then. John should be able to get her out of school soon and then we just need to make sure one of us is with her at all times," Emma said. She then fell silent. Louie glanced to the left to see Emma locked onto him, he gaze intense.
"What?" he questioned.
"What is your goal with Rosa? You and my dad obviously had plans I'm unaware of? Enforcing the hunter mentality, taking her on a hunt, giving her the bestiary and the dagger … are you trying to turn her into a hunter?" Emma questioned abruptly. There was a depth of concern coating her voice.
Louie found himself speechless. "No … I - I don't know yet. And, trust me, I have no fucking idea what your dad wanted," Louie sighed, "All I know is something is after her and that she needs to be able to defend herself. I'm just playing the cards I've been dealt," he told her.
Emma said nothing and faced back forward towards the road.
They pulled up onto a familiar street, the Elacti's old residence a few steps away. Louie and Emma exited his car and walked up to the door. Glancing around he could see all the destroyed protection wards had been destroyed restored and were once again functional. Together they firmly pounded on the door and not even moment later it opened, and Vanessa's face came into view.
"Morning" she said, with a greeting nod. Vanessa moved aside allowing them to enter. "Good to have you back sergeant. Congratulations on your promotion," Vanessa said to Emma as she passed by.
"Thank you," Emma said. "I just wish I could've returned under better circumstances."
Vanessa nodded solemnly as she closed the door and began leading them through the house. "The repairs should be complete by the afternoon," Vanessa informed, as took them on a swift tour. As they explored, they done their best to not disturb the many officers completing the final touches of the restoration. The house was unrecognizable from the night of the attack, in fact it had been completely reformed. Every surface and corner had been restored to a quality that'd allow the home to be put instantly on the housing market. Even all the furniture, carpets, wallpaper and flooring had been replaced. However, despite the impressive job, this seemed to deeply disturb Emma. Louie watched as her dead eyes scanned around everywhere as they searched for a familiarity that no longer existed. After completing their tour they found themselves back downstairs in the main hallway.
"I take it that this is the origin," Louie said.
"Yes," Vanessa replied before calling out for everyone to stop working. Instantly an officer was by her side holding out a steel case. Vanessa unclipped the case's locks and lifted the lid revealing a small gemstone device carefully resting on a cushion. The device was forged from a deep red stone that greatly resembled ruby, it took the shape of a long, slightly flat dodecahedron and had symbols carved into each of its faces. It was called a memoria stone, a tool fuelled by magic, and held the ability to capture the conditions and appearance of a given area, for as long as it was stored within its gemstone casing. The first step in its activation was placing it at the origin point, where tool was originally activated. It didn't have to be in the exact spot, just very close.
Vaness lifted the cushion, still holding the memoria stone, from the case and placed it near the base of the stairs. Everyone took a step back and Vanessa removed her pendant, the same one all officers possessed, and tapped it against the stone's surface. The unique metal the pendant was forged from interacted with the magic inside the stone. The memoria stone activated, the symbols carved into each of its surfaces lighting up a bright white as a red glow began to grow inside. The light filled the entire gemstone, in seconds, and erupted out in a pulse of translucent red that engulfed every surface around them. The house began to change, its appearance warping like two different dimensions were fighting for dominance. Claw marks were carved into every surface and blood began to drip from the walls. In less than a second every aspect of the house, smell, appearance and sound reverted to the way Louie and the officers had seen it on the night of the attack.
Louie glanced around, as always they'd produced a perfect copy. He turned to Emma and was slightly shocked to see her hands shielding her mouth and horror-stricken eyes scanning over the devastation. There was no doubt she'd seen worse scenes than this before, but it'd never been so close to home. With all his time away Louie had forgotten, despite taking after James, Emma was still just that little girl he knew trying to live up to her father's name. Louie placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder.
"No one will think any less of you if you sit this one out Em," Louie said.
Without hesitation, Emma shook her head. "I'm not a kid anymore Louie. I'm twenty-two and a sergeant with responsibilities I need to uphold," Emma stated.
Louie nodded before leaving her and the officers to their jobs. He crossed paths with a few officers who were heading downstairs clearly not wanting to be near the upper floor while the memoria stone was active. He didn't have such luxuries and headed upstairs. Louie made sure to take in every detail and aspect of his surroundings, searching for any tiny clue he might've missed last time, that could aid him in figuring out this enigma. None of it made sense. It was as if a mindless monster had rampaged through the house however, certain rooms and areas were left in unscathed, suggesting a level of intelligence and a goal. Louie's best guess was a creature which possessed a strong intellect staging needless destruction in attempt to throw off the hunter's scent. However, it hadn't done a very good job Louie considered. Was it in a rush? Or is it an arrogant bastard and underestimating them? Or was he overestimating the monster and it done all this simply for entertainment?
Ignoring the thick stench of blood drifting from James and Mary's bedroom the memoria stone was reproducing, Louie entered Rosa's bedroom, one of the few rooms left completely untouched by the attacker. He walked over to her nightstand, the note he found that night sitting unaltered on the corner.
'Dad, mum just reminding you I'm staying over at my friends tonight.
Love you'
The note seemed to be wrote in Rosa's handwriting but the small mark in at the top right corner, which may seem just like a doodle to the unknowing eye, told Louie it was actually either James or Mary who wrote this. Combined with a time constraint, the note was most likely what led to the attacker leaving instead of searching the house more thoroughly. So the creature could read, it could comprehend the human language. Louie ran his hand through his hair and scratched his head. Just what was he up against? It couldn't be bestial otherwise it'd have found Rosa by scent plus James and Mary would've been able to put up a greater fight. It was clear whatever they fought was so powerful they never stood a chance and by the sound of Rosa's story they didn't expect to be fighting it in the first place. But what could get the best of James Elacti? It had to be cunning, experienced … it'd have to be ancient.
"Hell," a voice abruptly gasped breathlessly from the upstairs landing. Louie exited Rosa's room to see Emma frozen in front in front of her parent's bedroom, staring deeply at the horrors it held. Before Louie could reach her, she entered, her feet treading through the fabricated pools of blood that flooded the room's floor.
Louie and some of the officers, including Vanessa, followed her in. The room was as grim as both the first and second time he'd seen it. The bedroom had been completely devasted and blood drenched the walls, like a child had been allowed to play with paint unsupervised lashing it everywhere and spilling all the cans. Emma stared darkly into the far corner of the room where the mangled and violated corpses of her parents lay, now barely recognisable. Unlike her younger sister, Emma didn't vomit and begin to hyperventilate instead she remained frozen, her muscle's rigid and quivering. In her eyes burnt a wrath and sorrow Louie knew all too well. Her suddenly head snapped to Louie.
"What could've done this?" she questioned.
"I don't know yet," Louie told her before leaving the room. There was nothing in there that could help him, it'd had just been used as a dumping ground.
Emma and the others quickly followed him out of the room with the final officer out closing the door seemingly eager to remove the view from their sight. Not that Louie blamed them for being disturbed.
Louie sniffed the air, ever since the memoria stone activation he could smell it. The same strange thing he'd smelt that night. Looking past the blood and decay there was something hiding. His body recognized the sensation and his mind remembered the scent but neither would tell him what it was. A strange, rare smell that altered slightly with every whiff, never possessing one true scent. It was intoxicating like alcohol and perfume, threatening to knock you unconscious if you let it grow too intense. Louie had smelt this before, he was certain he had. So why couldn't he identify it. Irritated he took in another whiff, but it only made his frustration deepen.
"What's that smell?" he questioned catching everyone off guard.
"Blood," Vanessa answered.
Louie stared at her deadpan, as if she was an idiot. "Not the blood," he muttered. "The other scent hidden behind all the gore."
They all stared at him confused, some of officers looked at him worryingly like they thought he was going insane.
"Must be your enhanced senses," Vanessa stated.
He sighed and darted towards the stairs heading backdown to the downstairs hall.
"What are you talking about?" Emma asked trailing behind him.
"There's a scent. It was stronger when I was here on the actual night but the memoria stone definitely managed to capture it," Louie explained. "I'm certain I've smelt it before, I just can't remember when, where and what the damn thing is."
Emma took in a deep breath through her nose but it was clear from her expression she was getting nothing however, unlike the officers she didn't look at him like he was insane and instead sniffed again searching for the underlying scent. Louie doubted she'd be able to identify it, the last time he'd smelt it, it had been strong and concentrated and the memory of that was probably the only reason he could pick it out today. He still appreciated her trust.
Carefully, Louie maneuverered around the memoria stone and reached the hidden room beneath the stairs that Rosa had once hid in. Crouching down and peaking inside, his hand brushed over familiar symbols and markings, painted and carved into the wood.
"hmm," he mused.
Suddenly a device rang behind him. He glanced back to see Emma answering her phone. Her face was creased in confusion as the conversation began however, in mere moments her expression twisted into worry and fear.
"We need to go. Now!" she yelled.