Page 52 of Demon Hunger
“I’m doing it. No questions asked.” Sage pulled out his phone and thumbed through it quickly. “Here it is.” He typed, fingers moving in a flash. “Done! My dad and brother’s records don’t stand a chance. I’ll have an entire year on them—not to mention demons galore to add to my tally.”
“Your motivation is crap,” Jenna told him.
“At least I have some.” He looked sideways at Benjamin, who wore a deep frown and looked extremely worried. It was shitty of Sage to point out that Benjamin had no motivation. The poor guy was just scared, making me wonder, once more, why he had chosen to become a demon hunter over following the academic path his parents had wished for him.
Shyly, Jenna reached for Benjamin’s hand and interlaced her fingers with his. His head jerked in her direction, surprise widening his eyes. If anything, Jenna’s touch seemed to only make him more nervous, instead of comforting him as I was sure Jenna intended.
“You don’t have to sign the consent if you don’t want to,” Jenna said. “It’s okay.” She smiled at him tenderly, while he stared at his hand in hers.
Sage sighed and rolled his eyes. I elbowed him in the ribs and gave him aninsensitive much?look.
“I… will sign,” Benjamin said, nodding to himself. “I’m sure my parents won’t be happy, but like Professor Fennix said, it’s my decision.”
“Do you feel ready?” I asked. “If you don’t, you can wait until you do.”
“The league needs us,” he said. “Besides, all of you are doing it…”
So that was the real reason he would sign the consent, even though it was obvious he didn’t feel ready. He didn’t want to be the oddball out.
“Don’t worry, Benjamin, we’ll have your back,” I assured him.
Wednesday at the end of Professor Fennix class, the classroom was abuzz with chatter. Only the advanced students remained after the professor dismissed everyone else. She quickly went through the list on her computer and found that everyone had signed the consent. Not one of the nine students shied away from the challenge. A couple of them, like Benjamin, had to go to the mat with their parents, but in the end, it didn’t matter.
“This is very encouraging,” the Professor said, abandoning her computer and standing in front of the group. “I hope everyone read the document explaining the risks of the procedure.” Her dark eyes traveled the room, pausing at each face. “The missions won’t benefit from reckless students,” she added, deliberately shifting her attention toward Sage.
He wasn’t fazed, however, and met her scrutiny without blinking.
“In addition to you, a number of second-year students will also be getting the procedure done. As I said, we need all the help we can get. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be rules to ensure your safety. Everyone is expected to follow the rules. Disobedience won’t be tolerated and can be the cause of mission disqualification and even expulsion. Is that clear?”
Looking somber, everyone nodded.
“Once more, check your apps. You will find a new document there listing all the rules. Read them carefully, and we will discuss them next time. But first things first, the Truesight procedures will take place tonight. After curfew, once your roommates are asleep, you will head to the library to receive further instructions.”
“The library?” several people wondered out loud.
The infirmary would have made more sense to most of them, I was sure, but they were in for a surprise. What they knew of Striker Hall was the tip of the iceberg, and they were about to discover how deep the rabbit hole went. Too bad I’d already gotten my procedure done, and I wouldn’t get to go with them.
“Yes, the library. Be on time. You are dismissed.”
I gathered my things and started walking out with Jenna, but Professor Fennix called me back.
“Wait for me,” I told Jenna, then approached the Professor’s desk.
“Ms. Sunder, make sure to meet us at the library as well,” she said. “I know you already had the procedure done, but we don’t want the other students to suspect any sort of preferential treatment.”
“Oh.” I hadn’t thought about that. “Makes sense. I’ll be there.”
Cool!I would get to see my friends’ faces when they discovered the very deep rabbit hole.
19
Rightaftercurfew,Jennaand I quietly left our room and met Benjamin and Sage in the common room. We had no roommates to worry about seeing us sneak out, so we’d decided to go as early as possible. Benjamin and Sage started sharing a room this semester, which made hiding ourredeemingactivities a lot easier.
“So why the library?” Benjamin asked, not for the first time.
I rolled my eyes. “I already said I can’t tell you.”
“You can’t or you won’t?”
