Paths of the Hunter, chapter 6
Title:Paths of the Hunter, chapter 6
Genre: Dark is Rising fanfiction
Rating: PG (suspense)
Chapter 6
Amy sat down at the T-Rex Grill, and Candace looked up. “There you are,” her best friend said. “I was going to stop by last night, but I got so busy. Professor Cheng offered to hold a study group at the library, and I decided to go. He’s really quite intelligent. You missed a great lecture.”
“I was just really sick,” Amy explained. “I went to bed at six, and then some idiot pulled the fire alarm.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. I also heard that somebody broke into some girl’s room during the whole thing.”
“Yeah, I heard.” Amy really didn’t feel a need to explain that it was her room, or that she knew what the burglar had been looking for. “How rude.”
“That’s a pretty necklace,” Candace jumped subjects. “Where did you get it?”
Amy’s hand flew to her throat, where the jade Sign hung on the gold chain she had dug out of her jewelry box this morning. “Oh, I found it at some rock shop a while ago. I just remembered I had it last night.” The last thing she needed to tell Candace was that she had gotten it from Will.
“Are you sure you didn’t get it from Will Stanton?”
Amy stared at her. “Why do you ask that?”
“This is a small college, Amy. The rumors are starting to fly. Some people are saying the college might hire him for next year. Some people are wondering what an ‘old’ man like him is doing hanging out with the students. I know there’s a few of the wrestlers who are wondering what he’s doing picking fights with them in the middle of the night. And everyone, Amy, is wondering what is going on between you two.” Candace stared at her, expecting some sort of answer.
Amy sighed. Candace was her best friend…. “What do you want me to tell you? That I’m having some sort of torrid affair with an older man from England and it turns out that he’s royalty and that he’s going to whisk me off to some British castle and you can come along because you’re my best friend and I wouldn’t leave you out of this?”
Candace laughed, but she did nod. “Yeah, something like that would be nice. I at least want to know what’s going on.” She paused. “He’s not royalty, is he?”
Amy laughed. “No, not as far as I know. He’s way too down-to-earth.”
“But you don’t know, do you?”
Amy shook her head. She knew it couldn’t be the case, but Candace was right. She didn’t know. For all she knew, Will could be royalty. “I don’t think he is.”
“Then what is going on?”
Amy leaned back. How much could she afford to tell Candace? “Well, he’s involved in hunting down our badguys, too, which is why I’ve been hanging out with him.”
“Why haven’t I been invited?” Candace looked just a bit hurt.
“Well, as far as I could tell, you didn’t want to have anything to do with him.”
“True enough. Have you found anything?”
“Not really,” Amy lied. She hated lying to Candace, but she could not tell the other girl about the desert or the Sign or the Chinaman…. “And I’m not so sure about this Professor Cheng, by the way. Be careful.”
Candace looked confused. “What? Why?”
“I just get a funny feeling about him.”
“He’s a nice old man. He’s even offered to do one-on-one help with us while he’s here, if we want.”
“I won’t take him up on that. You can go ahead if you want, but I won’t.” Amy wolfed down her sandwich. She was still feeling a little drained, but well-rested.
“There’s Will Stanton,” Candace said suddenly, gesturing to the line at the grill. He was with Professor Martin, and he was laughing about something. Amy felt a little surge of anger go through her. He had had the power to stop what had happened last night, so why hadn’t he? Why did she feel so betrayed by his inaction?
She didn’t move from her seat, and shoved another handful of French fries into her mouth. If he wanted to talk to her after last night, he was going to have to make the first move. Are you going to come over here or not? she found herself thinking at him.
He looked at her as though he had heard her thought, and shook his head. “Not right now,” he mouthed.
She glared, and put a lot of effort into thinking about something harmless. She hated the way that Will seemed to read her thoughts- hers and everyone else’s. It felt almost as though her privacy were being invaded. No matter how much she was starting to like the Englishman, she wanted her thoughts to herself. So she thought about puppies and maybe going ice skating if the rec center was open tonight.
Will looked at her kind of funny, but he sat down with Professor Martin at the other end of the patio area. She finished her lunch and stood. She had research to do in the library. “I’ll catch you later tonight, okay?” she asked Candace. “Give me a call if you’re not too busy.”
“Okay. Don’t think so hard your brain explodes.” Her best friend turned back to her lunch, and Amy sighed. Will was driving a wedge between the two of them, and the worst part was that she was finding that maybe she didn’t mind so much.
She climbed the stairs to the library, taking a minute to look over the balcony out at the Atrium when she reached the second floor. The snow had fallen all last night and this morning, covering the Wyoming brown and gray with a thin layer of powdery white. Dark, heavy clouds over the entire landscape threatened more snow.
She studied Will for a moment, from the relative security of her hiding place up a floor. Even from here she could sense a great strength in him, and a great weariness. Why wouldn’t he just explain to her what was going on, instead of just hinting at things and then disappearing again? Maybe he was just playing a game with her, making her think that he was something he wasn’t. Maybe there really was no threat from Dr. Cheng, maybe it was all just her crazy imagination.
The warmth at the base of her throat grew, and she turned as someone joined her at the railing. Dr. Cheng smiled at her, a kind-seeming smile that did not touch his eyes. Other than that, he seemed normal enough. Maybe her mind was starting to play tricks on her, and she had imagined the whole incident in the music department. “I’m sorry you weren’t feeling well while I was there yesterday, Miss Howard.”
“I’m sorry I missed your lecture. My friend Candace said it was great. How do you know my name?” Even if she was starting to hallucinate, that was suspicious. But she was trying to be polite.
“Oh, Professor Houston and your friend Candace. They both say that you’re very bright. I’m having a study session tonight with the students from your class. I think that you could probably benefit from it.”
Amy looked at him critically, watching how his eyes flickered to her necklace and back almost as if it were a reflex out of his control. She saw the dark anger there, a kind of smoldering like hot coals, and she knew that he knew exactly who she was. “I don’t think I’ll be joining you, Dr. Cheng,” she told him, tucking the Sign into her shirt almost as if it were a natural, habitual thing. “Not at this study group or anywhere else.”
“You may change your mind, Amy, when you learn the truth of the Light. They seek to use you, just as they have used so many men and women as pawns in their game of good and evil.” The Chinaman’s voice was soft, almost a snake’s hissing, and she felt a shiver run down her spine and back up. “I would not trust too much in your dear Will Stanton. He is more than you will ever know, and he will never tell you how he will use you just like he uses everyone else.”
“I think that I can make that judgment for myself, thank you,” Amy replied, trying to keep her voice cool and steady. He was not so unnerving now, not like he had been yesterday when she got sick. Yesterday she had not had the Sign around her neck when she faced him.
He turned to go, then turned back to her. “So be it, Amy Howard. But you will find that the price of challenging the Dark may be nothing compared to the price of serving the Light.” Then he was gone, into the library.
She turned the other way, changing her plans. She did not need to be sharing a library with the man of the Dark. She had rounded the corner, still shaking, when she almost collided with someone. “Goodness, Will! Either I have got to watch where I am going, or you do!”
He laughed as he reached out to steady her, but there was concern in his eyes. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “He didn’t hurt me. I don’t think he can, not here. But we need to talk. The sooner, the better.”
The ready grin faded from Will’s face. “I know. I have obligations until this evening, and then I’m free. Do you want to go out to dinner?”
She thought about it a moment, remembering what Candace had told her about the whole campus talking, and then she realized that she didn’t care. She liked Will, it would more than likely be a free meal and there was no way as a college student that she could pass that up, and food would relax her and maybe him so that she could get some decent answers out of him. “Sure. What time?”
(For added effect today, try The Drama Button. Yeah, I know, I'm a goof.)
Genre: Dark is Rising fanfiction
Rating: PG (suspense)
Chapter 6
Amy sat down at the T-Rex Grill, and Candace looked up. “There you are,” her best friend said. “I was going to stop by last night, but I got so busy. Professor Cheng offered to hold a study group at the library, and I decided to go. He’s really quite intelligent. You missed a great lecture.”
“I was just really sick,” Amy explained. “I went to bed at six, and then some idiot pulled the fire alarm.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. I also heard that somebody broke into some girl’s room during the whole thing.”
“Yeah, I heard.” Amy really didn’t feel a need to explain that it was her room, or that she knew what the burglar had been looking for. “How rude.”
“That’s a pretty necklace,” Candace jumped subjects. “Where did you get it?”
Amy’s hand flew to her throat, where the jade Sign hung on the gold chain she had dug out of her jewelry box this morning. “Oh, I found it at some rock shop a while ago. I just remembered I had it last night.” The last thing she needed to tell Candace was that she had gotten it from Will.
“Are you sure you didn’t get it from Will Stanton?”
Amy stared at her. “Why do you ask that?”
“This is a small college, Amy. The rumors are starting to fly. Some people are saying the college might hire him for next year. Some people are wondering what an ‘old’ man like him is doing hanging out with the students. I know there’s a few of the wrestlers who are wondering what he’s doing picking fights with them in the middle of the night. And everyone, Amy, is wondering what is going on between you two.” Candace stared at her, expecting some sort of answer.
Amy sighed. Candace was her best friend…. “What do you want me to tell you? That I’m having some sort of torrid affair with an older man from England and it turns out that he’s royalty and that he’s going to whisk me off to some British castle and you can come along because you’re my best friend and I wouldn’t leave you out of this?”
Candace laughed, but she did nod. “Yeah, something like that would be nice. I at least want to know what’s going on.” She paused. “He’s not royalty, is he?”
Amy laughed. “No, not as far as I know. He’s way too down-to-earth.”
“But you don’t know, do you?”
Amy shook her head. She knew it couldn’t be the case, but Candace was right. She didn’t know. For all she knew, Will could be royalty. “I don’t think he is.”
“Then what is going on?”
Amy leaned back. How much could she afford to tell Candace? “Well, he’s involved in hunting down our badguys, too, which is why I’ve been hanging out with him.”
“Why haven’t I been invited?” Candace looked just a bit hurt.
“Well, as far as I could tell, you didn’t want to have anything to do with him.”
“True enough. Have you found anything?”
“Not really,” Amy lied. She hated lying to Candace, but she could not tell the other girl about the desert or the Sign or the Chinaman…. “And I’m not so sure about this Professor Cheng, by the way. Be careful.”
Candace looked confused. “What? Why?”
“I just get a funny feeling about him.”
“He’s a nice old man. He’s even offered to do one-on-one help with us while he’s here, if we want.”
“I won’t take him up on that. You can go ahead if you want, but I won’t.” Amy wolfed down her sandwich. She was still feeling a little drained, but well-rested.
“There’s Will Stanton,” Candace said suddenly, gesturing to the line at the grill. He was with Professor Martin, and he was laughing about something. Amy felt a little surge of anger go through her. He had had the power to stop what had happened last night, so why hadn’t he? Why did she feel so betrayed by his inaction?
She didn’t move from her seat, and shoved another handful of French fries into her mouth. If he wanted to talk to her after last night, he was going to have to make the first move. Are you going to come over here or not? she found herself thinking at him.
He looked at her as though he had heard her thought, and shook his head. “Not right now,” he mouthed.
She glared, and put a lot of effort into thinking about something harmless. She hated the way that Will seemed to read her thoughts- hers and everyone else’s. It felt almost as though her privacy were being invaded. No matter how much she was starting to like the Englishman, she wanted her thoughts to herself. So she thought about puppies and maybe going ice skating if the rec center was open tonight.
Will looked at her kind of funny, but he sat down with Professor Martin at the other end of the patio area. She finished her lunch and stood. She had research to do in the library. “I’ll catch you later tonight, okay?” she asked Candace. “Give me a call if you’re not too busy.”
“Okay. Don’t think so hard your brain explodes.” Her best friend turned back to her lunch, and Amy sighed. Will was driving a wedge between the two of them, and the worst part was that she was finding that maybe she didn’t mind so much.
She climbed the stairs to the library, taking a minute to look over the balcony out at the Atrium when she reached the second floor. The snow had fallen all last night and this morning, covering the Wyoming brown and gray with a thin layer of powdery white. Dark, heavy clouds over the entire landscape threatened more snow.
She studied Will for a moment, from the relative security of her hiding place up a floor. Even from here she could sense a great strength in him, and a great weariness. Why wouldn’t he just explain to her what was going on, instead of just hinting at things and then disappearing again? Maybe he was just playing a game with her, making her think that he was something he wasn’t. Maybe there really was no threat from Dr. Cheng, maybe it was all just her crazy imagination.
The warmth at the base of her throat grew, and she turned as someone joined her at the railing. Dr. Cheng smiled at her, a kind-seeming smile that did not touch his eyes. Other than that, he seemed normal enough. Maybe her mind was starting to play tricks on her, and she had imagined the whole incident in the music department. “I’m sorry you weren’t feeling well while I was there yesterday, Miss Howard.”
“I’m sorry I missed your lecture. My friend Candace said it was great. How do you know my name?” Even if she was starting to hallucinate, that was suspicious. But she was trying to be polite.
“Oh, Professor Houston and your friend Candace. They both say that you’re very bright. I’m having a study session tonight with the students from your class. I think that you could probably benefit from it.”
Amy looked at him critically, watching how his eyes flickered to her necklace and back almost as if it were a reflex out of his control. She saw the dark anger there, a kind of smoldering like hot coals, and she knew that he knew exactly who she was. “I don’t think I’ll be joining you, Dr. Cheng,” she told him, tucking the Sign into her shirt almost as if it were a natural, habitual thing. “Not at this study group or anywhere else.”
“You may change your mind, Amy, when you learn the truth of the Light. They seek to use you, just as they have used so many men and women as pawns in their game of good and evil.” The Chinaman’s voice was soft, almost a snake’s hissing, and she felt a shiver run down her spine and back up. “I would not trust too much in your dear Will Stanton. He is more than you will ever know, and he will never tell you how he will use you just like he uses everyone else.”
“I think that I can make that judgment for myself, thank you,” Amy replied, trying to keep her voice cool and steady. He was not so unnerving now, not like he had been yesterday when she got sick. Yesterday she had not had the Sign around her neck when she faced him.
He turned to go, then turned back to her. “So be it, Amy Howard. But you will find that the price of challenging the Dark may be nothing compared to the price of serving the Light.” Then he was gone, into the library.
She turned the other way, changing her plans. She did not need to be sharing a library with the man of the Dark. She had rounded the corner, still shaking, when she almost collided with someone. “Goodness, Will! Either I have got to watch where I am going, or you do!”
He laughed as he reached out to steady her, but there was concern in his eyes. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “He didn’t hurt me. I don’t think he can, not here. But we need to talk. The sooner, the better.”
The ready grin faded from Will’s face. “I know. I have obligations until this evening, and then I’m free. Do you want to go out to dinner?”
She thought about it a moment, remembering what Candace had told her about the whole campus talking, and then she realized that she didn’t care. She liked Will, it would more than likely be a free meal and there was no way as a college student that she could pass that up, and food would relax her and maybe him so that she could get some decent answers out of him. “Sure. What time?”
(For added effect today, try The Drama Button. Yeah, I know, I'm a goof.)