First Year Secrets (Hunting Academy Book 1), page 1
First Year Secrets
Hunter Academy
A.L. Kessler
Copyright © 2020 A.L. Kessler
All rights reserved
No part of this book maybe reproduced without the author’s expressed permission.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Connect with Me
To Sara, the original DWC fan. Thanks for all the late nights.
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to everyone who has stood by me this year. It’s been a crazy year already. Thanks to Jasmyn for the edits and Mia for the cover help. You two are life savers. Thanks to the secret reading group that always cheers me on!
CHAPTER ONE
This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for since she'd seen her first vampire. She stood in front of the old brick building and stared at the elaborate H carved into the doors. The Hunting Academy, the first step in becoming part of the Hunting Society.
Eighteen years old and she was finally going to learn to hunt the creatures who'd taken everything from her. To protect others so they wouldn't have to learn about the supernatural world around them.
A heavy hand fell on her shoulder, and she looked to find Joey Curry standing there. Joey had been the one to come to her aid when her parents had been killed. "Ready for this, Izzy?"
Izzy thought for a moment as she turned back to the school. "I think so."
A few other students walked by her, chatting as they went through the door. Dread filled her. She'd been an outcast as she finished her regular schooling. The girl with the mysterious past. The girl who feared things that weren't there. The other kids called it paranoia. Joey had called it intuition. So had her foster parents.
"You're going to do great. Now, get in there, find your room, and meet your roommate." He walked into the building, leaving her standing there. She wished that her foster parents had been able to drop her off, but they were Hunters as well and had a mission they needed to be on this week. Leaving her alone.
It wasn't anything new. They hunted while she lived with them, and she would stay home alone. She had people to call if something went wrong. She survived.
Taking a deep breath, she walked into the building. Students shuffled across the tile floors. Some talking excitedly amongst themselves, some looking at their phones, and others quiet. This wasn't an academy with plaid skirts and ties. No, all of the students were dressed in black cargo pants and black shirts with black boots completing the strange uniform. Older students had firearms and knives visible on them.
Izzy glanced around the area, trying to find someone who looked like they were in charge. Finally, she spotted a woman sitting behind a white table with a 'check in here' sign taped to it.
She took a few steps before someone rammed into her shoulder. She spun around to apologize, but the apology died on her lips. The guy who stood there gave her a crooked smile that lit up his green eyes. He ran a hand through his red hair and then shoved his hand into his pocket. "Sorry about that, I was in a hurry."
"I wasn't paying attention." She jerked her head toward the check-in table. "I was too focused on where I needed to be."
He glanced at the table and then to her. "New here?"
"Obviously." She gestured at her street clothes.
"I'm Ayden." He held his hand out. "Welcome to the Academy."
She shook it. "Isadora Sidel."
She swore something flashed in his eyes. "An old name, Sidel."
"From what I understand, it comes from Europe somewhere, but that's all I know." She turned. "I should get checked in."
"Yeah, welcome again." He turned away and walked off. Izzy shook her head and walked up to the check-in table.
"Name?"
"Isadora Sidel."
The woman looked down at the list and then searched inside a file box. She pulled out a folder. "Here you go, all your information is there. You'll be in building twelve. Furthest dorm from this way, west. Welcome to the Academy."
Izzy stepped away from the table and opened the folder. A few different packets filled the pockets, and it was too crowded here to look at it, so she snapped it shut and headed toward the door. The fresh air that hit her face was a welcomed change from the stuffiness of inside. She took a moment to take a deep breath. Stepping to the side, she opened the folder again and flipped through for a map of the campus.
When she found it, she studied it to find the building and the closest parking spot. Satisfied that she knew the way, she snapped the folder shut and headed to the car.
She moved through the parking lot full of vehicles. Some were new, some were junkers, some were just nondescript cars. Hers, though, was a tiny car that Joey and her foster parents always called a death trap. But she loved it. It was easy to park, the gas mileage was great, and she had worked so many hours as a server to buy it.
She climbed in and backed out of the parking spot. She drove around the winding roads that took her past brick buildings that looked more like prisons than school buildings. She already missed the city and the rush of people in it, but this was mountain land. The academy was hidden and listed as a government facility in case anyone asked about it.
She'd get used to it, not that she had a choice in the matter.
She parked the car near the dorm building she was assigned to and got out. She grabbed her suitcase and headed toward the doors where there was a line of people. Everything at the academy so far seemed to be checking into different places. She set her suitcase down and waited in line, scrolling through her phone to pass the time.
A shiver went down her back, and she turned to see what could have caused it. Her eyes scanned the area, but there wasn't anything there except other students, all who seemed too interested in something else to be bothered by the check-in line. She shook her head and stepped forward as the line in front of her moved.
But there was no shaking that feeling, even after a few minutes when she finally got to the table. "I'm Isadora Sidel."
The woman there smiled and dug through another file. "Here's your dorm key for the building and the key to your room. You'll be in room 212. I’m Crystal Dunox, the Elite assigned to your dorm."
Izzy took the items from her. "Thanks, Crystal."
"I'll see you around." The woman smiled at her again as Izzy moved past the table and headed toward the dorm entry.
Someone bumped into her shoulder, nearly shoving her off her feet. She glared at the back of the blond guy who had rushed past her in such a hurry. She shook her head and continued forward to the elevator. A crowd of girls stood around it, laughing. Izzy stepped up and gave a little wave.
"New here?" One girl asked.
Izzy nodded. "Yeah, I'm Izzy, first year."
The girl smiled and held her hand out. "I'm Susie. I'm new as well. Glad to meet you. What room are you in?"
"212." Izzy glanced at her paper just to make sure.
"Oh, I just met the other girl in that room. She should be up there. I think she said her name was Rachael."
Izzy smiled. "Cool." Here she was in another group of humans where she didn't really fit in. Susie turned around, and Izzy caught a glimpse of a scar on the girl's shoulder. Three ragged lines slashing toward the inner part of her back. Logic told her that Susie’s attack had probably been from a lycan or a shifter.
Izzy belonged here more than anywhere else. Despite their normal actions, they'd seen the horrors of the paranormal world just like she had. That’s what had gathered them all there.
Izzy walked into room 212 and looked around. The small room held two beds, two dressers, one weapon’s safe, and two desks. the layout had mirrored each side of the room. She wrinkled her nose at the small space, but it was only for a couple years. Once she hit Elite level, she could choose to leave the dorms. Which was exactly what she was planning on doing. No sign of Rachel, though.
Just an empty room. There were some storage containers stuck under the other bed, though, so maybe she was just bringing up more stuff. Izzy put her suitcase on the bed and started to unpack her clothes into the dresser.
"And I heard I have a roommate, but she hasn't shown up yet." A voice came through the door a couple minutes later.
Izzy turned to see a tall blond woman standing there. They were about the same age judging by looks, but she was a bit taller than Izzy. Izzy held her hand out. "I'm Isadora Sidel."
The woman looked at her hand and didn't even smile. "My roommate is an unknown member of society."
"Excuse me?" Izzy crossed her arms. "I'm pretty sure we're all on the same playing ground here." At least that's what she thought.
The woman shook her head. "I'm Rachael Winter."
Izzy raised a brow. "Is that supposed to be something to me?"
"I'm Isaac's niece. He's a professor here."
"Good for you." Izzy rolled her eyes. "And I'm a victim who lost her entire family to a slaughter. Both of us had to have been attacked to get into this school, or you become an independent hunter. It's the rules. "
Rachael's face went from smug to a flicker of grief. "I was at
"Then get your head out of your ass and quit pretending like you're better than the rest of us." Izzy turned her back on Rachael and went to finish unpacking her suitcase.
Rachael said nothing else as she dropped a box in the room and then left again.
That wasn't the best way to start off her first year at the academy. Izzy tried to push it from her mind as she put sheets on her bed. She put the comforter on, and then with gentle hands, she placed a quilt that her mom had passed down on the foot of the bed.
She didn't have much left of her life before her foster parents, but what she did have, she brought with her. A handful of old pictures, the quilt, and a letter to her from her father. That was it. By the time she was done, Rachael had come back in with a smug look still on her face.
Izzy didn't say anything. She simply slipped her suitcase under the bed, sat on the mattress, and spread out the papers she had been given.
Her courses had been chosen for her. This wasn't a college. You didn’t get to pick your degree, your electives, and set your schedule. No, this was the Hunting Academy. They made the choices, you followed their lead, and eventually, you'd be set out on your own to help keep the supernatural creatures in line.
There were still rules to follow, but her ultimate mission would be to kill the creature that attacked her and her family.
She looked at the class schedule and studied it. History, basic weapons, first aid, laws of the supernatural world. History and laws were important. First aid, obviously. But she had basic weapons down already. She was raised with them.
"Not happy with your schedule?" Rachael broke the silence.
Izzy looked up at her. "No, just trying to memorize times and places, so I'm not wandering around like a complete idiot tomorrow."
"Where do you come from?" She sat in her desk chair and looked over at Izzy.
Izzy raised a brow. After the whole show of who she was and her heritage, it was odd that she actually wanted to know about Izzy. "I come from Utah."
"And your attack?"
Izzy shook her head. "Was here in Colorado. I don't like to talk about it."
"You basically threw it in my face earlier."
"Because you acted like you were better than me. Look, I don't want to start off on the wrong foot, but out there where the creatures are, they don't care about your bloodline. They don't care who your family is."
Rachael huffed. "Is that all you think about? Out there? With the creatures?"
"I don't really have much choice," Izzy mumbled. "Are you from around here?"
"I'm from North Dakota." She leaned back in her chair. "Maybe we'll have some classes together."
Or maybe Izzy could have a break from her roommate. She gave a fake smile. "Maybe."
There was a knock at their door, and Rachael bounded up to get it. Crystal stood there. "Meeting in the common room, time to go over rules and regulations."
Izzy picked up her papers and set them on the desk. Unsure what to make of her roommate, she followed Rachael to the common room without another word.
They came to a large open room with couches and pillows all around and a television wall-mounted on one side. Guys and girls all lounged on the couches. Izzy picked a spot against the wall, where she could see both hallway entrances. The students here seemed more relaxed than she had expected. As if they all hadn't had their lives ruined.
Of course, maybe they just looked at it differently than she did. Like they hadn't been deprived of a normal life because of the creatures they were going to hunt.
Ayden seemed to appear next to her. "Lighten up a little bit."
"What makes you think that I'm not relaxed?"
"It's obvious. You're against a wall with all exits clear. You already act like a hunter."
She crossed her arms. "What would you know?"
"I know a lot of things, Izzy. Like some of us are raised by independent hunters, which makes us a lot more jaded than the others." He motioned around the room. "Many of them have only encountered supernatural creatures once. Their family thinks they are in a super-secret government academy."
She nodded. "And some of us spent our whole lives knowing and encountering the creatures multiple times."
"You can't let that ruin everything. Even though you're here to learn to hunt, it's an experience you don't want to ruin by closing yourself off. The friends you make here are going to be priceless."
"You mean allies."
Ayden chuckled. "No, I mean friends. There is a difference." He went quiet as Crystal and another student walked in.
An hour of rules later, Izzy headed down to the mess hall to grab some dinner. The walk across campus was a bit less jarring than she had expected. There seemed to be fewer people than when she drove over to the dorms. A shiver hit her again, and she turned around, expecting to see someone, anyone watching her, but there was nothing. No one passing by paid any attention to her or even glanced her way. She shook her head and continued toward the mess hall.
Footsteps coming up from behind her made her turn around and drop into a defensive stance. Joey stood there, holding his hands up. "Just me, killer."
"Sorry, I just..." She shook her head. "What's up?"
"Thought I'd join you for dinner. Unless you're meeting some new friends?" He sounded a little too hopeful.
She shook her head. "No, I'm just going to eat alone and then go back to my room."
"There's a get together in the courtyard tonight." Joey pointed out.
"Nope. Not interested. I’d rather go to bed."
He rolled his eyes. "Izzy, you're eighteen. Go have fun. You'll have plenty of time to worry about being on hunts and school work. Tonight, go be with people your age."
"I don't want to," she grumbled. “I want to sit in my dorm and prepare for classes tomorrow.”
He put a hand on her shoulder, and she shrugged it off. "Izzy, this is the Academy. People you get close to here aren’t going to just up and die."
"Stay the fuck out of my head." She let out a low growl.
Joey held his hands up. "You've always been a strong projector, Izzy. Keep your shields up, and I won't be able to read you."
"That's not my fault. Keep your psychic gift to yourself, Joey. I don't need you trying to fix my brain."
He put a finger to his lips, reminding me that his gift was supposed to be a secret. Psychics were rare and not well trusted in any community. "I'm not trying to fix you. I'm trying to make sure you have a little bit of fun." He shrugged. "Let's go eat." He started to head to a nearby parking lot.
Izzy pointed the opposite direction. "Mess hall's over here."
"I'm taking you out to eat. Your foster parents aren't able to do it, so I will. Most kids go out to dinner one last time before the semester starts. Let's go."
She stood there for a moment, debating on if she should say no or not, but in the end, she decided to follow him. They walked to the car silently. Once they got in, Joey looked at her. "Make any friends?"
"No. Not yet. My roommate, Rachel, is interesting. Apparently, she's related to one of the professors here. Isaac something or other."
Joey snorted. "Isaac's niece then. She's not a bad kid, a little misguided, but not bad."
"And there's this guy Ayden that I've run into a couple times. But that's really it."
"Ayden what?"
"I don't know, he didn't give me a last name."
Joey thought for a moment. "Now, I know I don't know every student, but I don't recall an Ayden in your year."
"Maybe he's not in my year. He acted like he was an older student."
Joey shrugged. "Maybe he's a transfer. We're not the only academy."
"Maybe. There was something different about him, but I can't put my finger on it."
"Good or bad?"
She shrugged. "He doesn't feel evil or bad. Just different."
"In my experience, different is never that good," Joey muttered. "You'll have to introduce me to him."
"He's in my dorm, so I'm sure you'll run into him on campus. You'll know what I mean when I say something’s different." She looked out the window. "Where are we going?"
Joey smiled. "A breakfast place I know of."
Izzy looked at him. "Right to the heart of the enemy? I’m not interested in eating where they hang out."
