Terato

3

   Jake held true to his promise to visit daily, even when I sent him away. It was annoying at times, but I had to admit it was nice to have company, however awkward it was.
   My injuries turned out to be a little worse than I thought. The burn on my back was healing well, but the one on my arm was not. According to Jake, it was a strange reddish purple color, which was not normal for humans. According to Ethan, it was "redder than your little girl temper and blacker than your soul's gotta be."
   It was four more days before I was able to walk well enough again.
   "You're sure you're going to be okay?" Jake asked anxiously.
   "I'm fine," I snapped.
   "Okay, don't bite my head off. Come on, I'll give you a tour." He grabbed my uninjured hand and guided me to the door.
   "So, uh, what kind of stuff do you do? Like for fun?" Jake asked after a few minutes of walking down the long infirmary hallway, quiet except for the one one two two rhythm of our footsteps.
   "Explore, mostly," I said hesitantly. I wasn't used to people being so nice, so the question caught me off guard. Though I suppose it shouldn't have, coming from Jake.
   "But how? You bumped into a table a minute ago."
   "Just- don't. I usually use echolocation, but I wasn't doing it then, I was hoping that you would have told me, but lo and behold... Anyway, echolocation. That's how." Well, echolocation wasn't all. But that was for me to know and him not to know. I had nearly been sent to a psychologist last time I mentioned that.
   "Okay, so, explore what?" he asked slowly.
   "Stuff. Places. Whatever happens to be nearby. I don't know, it's not like I look for cool tourist attractions to visit."
   "What about- oh, we're here." Jake opened two sets of doors and cold air hit me like a blast. Seventeen steps later, he stopped at a large metal object that seemed to be a car.
   He opened the passenger side door. "Hop in and get ready for the ride of your life."
   He jumped in the other side and pressed a few buttons. After a few seconds, I realized what he meant by the ride of my life.
   I also realized that this was not a car.
   "Wha- Is this-" The vehicle jerked forward into- the air? I breathed heavily for a few seconds when the thing steadied.
   "Spaceship."
   "You have spaceships?"
   "Yup. I figured you wouldn't want to ride a flying horse. Pegasus," he added at my confused glance. "Don't ask how we got the ships. They've been around as long as anyone remembers. Even the immortal pegasi don't know. The ships are really cool, though. I've been practicing flying them a lot. With the pegasi, there's nothing to catch you if you fall except the ground. Ethan rides them all the time. He's a lot better at it than me." He paused awkwardly. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"
   I nodded quietly, slightly dazed. Pegasi and spaceships? The hunters had mythical creatures and better technology than NASA and nobody knew about them. That was impressive.
   The ship landed a couple minutes later. I wobbled and nearly fell when I tried to stand on the ground, and privately added flying to the list of things I didn't do well with.
   Jake grabbed my arm to steady me and guided me to another building. How big is this place? I wondered. It had to be pretty big if they needed to fly to get around.
   "Dad?" Jake called, pulling me into a small building that could have been a house.
   "Ah, you're home. I see you brought your friend." A large, welcoming voice boomed through the hall as a man who could have been Ethan's size came into the room. I felt his gaze rake me over for a moment. I shifted uncomfortably until he laughed heartily. "So it's not just the looks that get 'em, I see. I'm Mr. Murphy. You must be Caroline. Jake told me about you. You can stay with us as long as you like." He shook my hand.
   "You don't have to..."
   "Yes, we do. Jake told me what you said about your family. If you don't want to stay there, you can stay here. The hunters offer refuge to all who need it. We'd help a Monster Rider if they needed it." He paused, then chuckled. "Well, maybe not, but you get the idea."
   "Uh, thanks." A strange energy crept up my spine as an image went through my head of a huge blond bearded man cradling a petite woman with raven black hair. Two boys stood next to them. The shorter blond boy had tears streaming down his face and a sword dropped at his feet, and the taller dark haired one looked terrified.
   The picture vanished when Jake spoke. "We have a spare room, and new clothes if you want. Come on, I'll show you."
   "Okay..." I said, suddenly nervous at their kindness. This was how every failed family started out. They were nice until something strange happened, which seemed to be common with me. Then they withdrew and I inevitably moved on. I shuddered slightly as the energy came back without warning. What was it? Where was it coming from?
   "In here. It's pretty open. Bed's in the left corner, closet in the right- oh, I guess you can figure it out. There are new clothes on the bed. Is there anything else I can get for you?"
   I thought for a moment. The energy was telling me something, I knew it. I had to find out what it was. "I was thinking I might take a walk or something outside. Is that okay, or should I not?"
   "It's fine, there's nothing out there but trees. We keep the monsters away for the most part. There are the rare few that get past us, but that's not likely. Are you okay? Want me to come with you?" Jake asked, the concern coming back into his voice.
   "I'll be fine. I just need to clear my head for a while," I said simply, hoping to convince him.
   "You sure?"
   "Yes!"
   Finally the door shut. The feeling came back like a ghost with a vengeance.
   Oh, shut up, I thought as though it could hear me. I'm coming for you, wherever you are.