Changed (The Hunters #1) (11 page)

“
What brings me the honor
of your presence?” Andrea asked as she sat down on her bed. She
pointed Rosa to sit as well. Andrea was a good friend, but Rosa
didn’t see her often.

“
Andrea, I need some magic
potion so I can touch a Nephilim. You know, if I touch them, my
gift is triggered,” Rosa explained to her.

Andrea frowned. “Why do you need
it?”

Rosa told her about the Nephilim and
her plan.

Andrea nodded. “I see. Let me look in
the books.” Then she stood up and walked to her books.

“
Something that cripples
your gift,” Andrea deliberated aloud. She thoughtfully tapped her
forehead with her finger. Her head popped up as she snapped her
fingers. “I’ve got it!” Andrea called, standing up. She took a
thick and old book in her hands and sat back down on the bed next
to Rosa. She opened the book and flipped around in it.

“
Andrea, would you please
tell what do you have found?” Rosa asked.

“
Wait,” Andrea replied and
turned the pages. Then she stopped on a page and lean
forward.

“
And?” Rosa asked, raising
her eyebrows.

Andrea looked at her. “I’m going to
mix a paralysis spell.”

Rosa nodded. “Okay. And what will that
cause?”

“
I’ll modify the paralysis
spell, so that it will only paralyze your gift. That means your
gift will not trigger just by touching a Nephilim. The spell will
paralyze it,” she explained.

“
I see. And how will you
do that?”

Andrea smiled. “You wouldn’t
understand it, Rosa. It’s complicated.”

“
You’re right. When can I
get it?”

“
Come back in a few hours.
I think I will have it by then.”

Rosa nodded and stood up. “Thank you,
Andrea.”

She stood up too. “That’s my job,
Rosa.”

Rosa smiled. “I’ll see you
later.”

“
Okay.” Andrea shut her
book.

Rosa left the room and walked towards
Valerie’s room. She hoped that Valerie was there, because she had
to discuss something very important with her. Rosa went up the
stairs to first floor, and then turned to the right. Rosa stopped
at the third door and knocked. She heard a faint “Come in” and
opened the door. Valerie sat on her bed, flipping through a
magazine

“
Hey, Val,” Rosa greeted
her and sat down on her bed.

“
Hello there, Ice
Princess! How are you? How are the wounds?” Valerie said, and she
threw the magazine into the corner.

“
The wounds are doing
well. I need to discuss something with you,” Rosa said.

“
Go ahead.”

Rosa scratched the back of her head,
searched for the right words. It was not easy for her to talk about
it, especially since she hadn’t done it before

“
Rosa, I’m waiting,”
Valerie said.

Rosa took a deep breath. “Okay. It’s
about Matt,” Rosa began. Valerie knew Matt and thought he was
really cute.

Valerie raised her eyebrows. “Keep
talking.”

“
He wanted to kiss me
today,” Rosa continued.

Valerie’s eyes widened. “Really? How
was it?”

Rosa looked at her uncertainly. “I
haven’t kissed him.”

Valerie folded her arms across her
chest. “And why not?”

Rosa shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t
want to kiss him. Do you think he’s in love with me?”

Valerie nodded. “Of course he’s in
love with you! Otherwise he wouldn’t even try to kiss
you.”

“
Are you sure?”

Valerie
smiled. “Oh, yes, Rosa. I
’
m sure. Matt
’
s definitely in love with
you.”

Rosa’s fears came true. That was not
good. Matt was not allowed to be in love with her. She could not be
with him, either.

Valerie leaned forward, a smile on her
lips. “Are you in love with him?” she asked curiously.

“
I-I don’t know,” she
admitted, and looked down.

“
Okay. Then we’re going to
do a love test,” said Valerie and clapped her hands.

Rosa looked at her puzzled. “Love
test?”

“
Yes, a test where you
have to answer questions and then find out whether you’re in love.”
Valerie replied.

“
Isn’t this... I don’t
know. Is that reliable?”

“
We won’t make a common
love test. We make the Valerie Love Test.” She grinned at
Rosa.

Rosa couldn’t suppress a smile. “The
Valerie Love Test? Since when do you have a Valerie Love
Test?”

“
Since now.”

“
So, I’m your first
tester?”

Valerie smiled and nodded. “Yes, you
are. So, let us begin. How do you feel when you are next to
him?”

“
I feel safe.”

“
Okay. What do you feel
when he touches you?”

Rosa thought for a while. “I feel
secure,” she answered finally.

“
Do you feel any
butterflies or a warm tingling sensation in your body?” Rosa shook
her head.

Valerie sighed. “Rosa, I don’t need to
ask further. You are not in love with Matt, but he is in love with
you. “

“
Oh no!” Rosa laid her
face in her hands. “That’s not good! Not good! Not
good!”

Valerie took her hands off her face
and looked into her eyes.

“
Why isn’t it good?” she
wanted to know.

“
Val, I’m a hunter. You
know the drill,” Rosa said.

“
This is
a very tragic love story. Boy loves girl, but girl
doesn
’
t
reciprocated his love. On top of that, the boy could die because he
loves the girl. This is as tragic as Romeo and Juliet.” Valerie
sighed sadly. She had a weakness for tragic love
stories.

Rosa lifted a brow. “Valerie, this is
not a situation where jokes are appropriate.”

“
Sorry.”

“
What am I supposed to do
now?” Rosa asked desperately.

“
You have to tell him the
truth,” said Valerie.

“
What?”

“
You
’
ll tell
him the truth that you cannot be together with someone, and that
you don’t love him.”

“
This will hurt
him.”

“
You have no other
choice.”

“
I hate my
life.”

Valerie patted her shoulder. “Life can
be very mean.”

Rosa had always been afraid to be in
situations like this. She had to tell Matt the truth. She had no
other choice.

“
You’re right, Valerie. I
have to tell him the truth.” Rosa said, looking at her.

“
Now?”

“
No, later.”

“
Then let’s go have a
drink.” Valerie stood up.

“
It’s only afternoon,”
Rosa interjected.

“
There is no rule that
says that you can’t drink alcohol in the afternoon.”

“
But I have to stay here.
Andrea is mixing something for me.”

Valerie took Rosa’s hand. “You can
pick it up later. We won’t stay all day, only one or two hours. It
will be good for you. You almost never go out. You’re always on the
hunt.”

Rosa smiled “Okay.” She stood
up.

Valerie beamed. “Let’s go to the club
we were at last.”

“
You mean The Black
Rose?”

Valerie nodded. “Yes, exactly this
club.”

Rosa took her car keys. “I’m
driving.”

“
Like always,” Valerie
said with a smile.

“
Come on, man! Play
finally,” Jason said, annoyed.

He had gone into the club, where he
was playing billiards with a friend of Madison. Madison stood
beside him and pressed her body against his.

“
Yeah, I’ll do it,” said
James, a friend of Madison. Then he lean down and kicked the white
ball.

“
Looks like you’re losing,
buddy,” James teased, grinning.

Jason lifted his eyebrows. “Don’t
rejoice too much, Gray. The game's not over yet.”

Madison put her arm around his
shoulders. Her hand slipped on his shirt.

“
Jason, finish this game.
I cannot wait any longer.” Her mouth slid to his neck and kissed
it.

Jason put his hand on her waist and
pulled her closer to him.

“
All right, we can go now
if you want,” Jason whispered into her neck.

He was not attracted to her at all.
She was like most girls these days: Too much makeup, arrogant, no
naturalness and jump with every boy in the bed they could find—but
they were perfect for distraction and that was what Jason needed
now. Human girls were like toys for him, he only use
them.

“
Oh, guys!” James groaned.
“Can you not wait until you’re alone? I would like to continue with
the game.”

Jason moved away from Madison. “Calm
down, James. I’m just getting a little warm,” Jason replied. James
rolled his eyes.

When the door opened, the sunlight
shined into the club. Jason looked up at the door. A wide grin
spread across his face when he saw who it was.

Rosa entered the club. Everything was
so dark and stuffy that she missed the fresh air from outside. They
looked around, taking notice of the few older men at the bar who
drank and laughed loudly, and a few young people. Rosa’s eyes went
to the pool table where she saw Jason and his grinning face,
Madison, and another boy whom Rosa didn’t know.

“
Oh, man,” Rosa groaned,
and looked away.

“
What?” Valerie
asked.

“
You see this boy, beside
the pool table?” she asked Rosa. “Look inconspicuous.”

Valerie
looked
directly
to the pool table.

“
Inconspicuous I said,
Val!”

“
That’s a Nephilim,” she
said, smiling.

Rosa nodded and told her what she
suspected.

Valerie looked at her. “You really
think they have a plan?”

Rosa nodded. “Yes. So, act naturally,
and don’t let on that I’m a hunter, okay?“

Valerie nodded. “That’s why the
glove.”

“
Yes,” Rosa said as they
moved toward the bar. Rosa ignored Jason, but she could feel his
gaze on her back. It didn’t take long until Rosa heard his
voice.

“
What’s going on, Ice
Princess? No greeting?” Jason asked her from the billiard table,
making sure everyone could hear him.

Rosa turned around and smiled at him.
“Sorry! I missed you,” she replied.

Jason said something to Madison who
nodded sullenly and took his cue. Then Jason came up to
them.

“
Be normal, Val,” Rosa
told her. She nodded again and ordered a drink.