Chapter 40: Vital information

Penny stood away from everyone, trying to figure out what exactly that energy was. Her mind raced with possibilities, yet she couldn’t think of any creature with such energy. She knew Ericka well, even after she had the twins. But she had no knowledge of who Sage was to Ericka. That information would be helpful.

There was another thing that bothered Penny, if Ericka had visited the coven just like the other elders who were at the meeting yesterday, then that seal would have been broken. ‘Was that the reason why she left the meeting early? No,’ Penny thought. Ericka was clever than that; to let such energy run wild before going back to seal it again wasn’t a smart move.

Xavier was crouched down beside Sage, who was seated on a wooden chair that Penney had brought out. Mitchell stood behind Sage, parting the hair on her head. “She hurt her head,” Mitchell stated. She wasn’t too worried for Sage’s health; she knew Penny would be able to heal her.

“She’s supposed to heal,” Penny stated, going around the chair to observe the wound. She could feel her frustration building. This was not the first time her expectations about Sage had been upended.

“Well, maybe she’s not the type of creature to heal,” Xavier stated angrily, his voice tight with concern. If he hadn’t gone to prevent Sage from hitting her head, her injury would have been worse. Penny went to one of her shelves and took a balm in a glass container.

She walked back to Sage and applied the balm. Within seconds, Sage’s wound started to heal up. Sage's eyes fluttered open as she regained consciousness. The first person she saw when her eyes were clear was Xavier, who was squatting in front of her. “What happened?” Sage inquired, her voice weak and confused. Her head ached and she didn't feel comfortable on her own skin.

Xavier looked to his mother before giving Sage an answer. If he told Sage the truth, she would just get confused and scared. His mother shared the same thought as him. She shook her head at Xavier when he looked up at her.

“Look, Penny gave you a gift. You’ll find out what it’s meant for soon,” Xavier smiled, trying to inject some warmth into the moment.

“Sage, how are you related to Ericka?” Penny asked after placing the balm in its spot, eager to get her thoughts straight and get the answers she needed. There was a missing piece of information she needed to understand why Ericka used such a seal on Sage.

“Umm, she’s my uncle's wife,” Sage answered slowly, as if trying to remember how she and Ericka were related. “My late uncle’s wife. I’m an orphan, so they took me in.”

“Your uncle?” Penny asked, seeking more information about him.

“Yeah, Erick. My father’s brother,” Sage answered. She never imagined she would ever need to describe her relatives this way.

“Why are you trying to get information about her family?” Xavier asked, taking the words out of Mitchell’s mouth. His voice carried a protective edge.

Penny didn’t answer right away. She was linking the family members of Sage in her head. She wanted to know what type of supernatural being Sage was. ‘Ericka married a werewolf, Sage is a daughter of a werewolf, but she doesn’t have werewolf energy.’

“Are you sure Erick is your uncle?” Penny asked the confused-looking teenage girl.

“I think.” Sage said as if she wasn’t sure anymore.

“Do you have any memory of your mother?”

“They are a bit vague. But I have this chain rosary of hers,” Sage said as she put her hands through the top of her shirt to bring out the rosary around her neck.

There was a loud thump in Penny’s chest upon seeing the rosary. It was popular among the royal families of the vampires. It symbolized how they were able to defeat the distant families, the demons, and lock them in the underworld while the vampires flourished on earth. Penny only knew this because she was an old witch, with diverse knowledge of the supernatural world.

“It’s good you have something of your mother with you. You should rest now,” Penny said, and she snapped her fingers. Immediately, Sage slumped on the chair as she lay fast asleep. “Xavier, take her to the other room and lay her on my bed.”

Xavier was initially shocked at what Penny had done, but he realized she just made Sage fall asleep. He carried Sage in his arms to the other room and laid her down on the bed. He stared at her calm, beautiful face, but he knew he couldn’t stay long as he had to return to Penney and his mother.

“So what did you find out from all that interrogation?” Xavier asked Penny, who had her back to him as he returned.

“As you know,” Penney began, “I am a friend of her guardian, Ericka, who was married to a werewolf. You heard the girl; her uncle is, her father is a werewolf too.” Penny sighed as she was about to drop the big news. “The rosary she brought out she said belonged to her mother. And believe me when I say that rosary is mostly used by vampires in the supernatural world.”

“Werewolf and vampire,” Mitchell said casually, as if not realizing the gravity of what she just said.

“The hybrid,” Xavier whispered, his heart racing. ‘After so many years, to think you were hidden in plain sight’. He was glad that they had beaten the vampires to getting the hybrid. But he was scared that if he couldn’t protect her, he would lose her forever.

Realization dawned on Mitchell. She was relieved that Sage wasn’t an enemy, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t become one. Sage needed to define where her loyalty lay before Mitchell could fully trust the girl. ‘clint would have been so glad for this moment when the hybrid is in our grasp.' Mitchell smiled knowing that they don't fail her husband.

“This is good news,” Penny smiled. “But no one should hear about it. Words spread fast, and Soren would not hesitate to start a war with the werewolves if he knew we have the hybrid.”

“We’ll keep her under us, and then she can learn how to control her energy,” Mitchell added.

“I’ll handle that. For now, we’ll just keep on acting like we are in search of the hybrid. Just so they don’t get any hints,” Xavier said. “This was the same energy we felt in the school. I’m worried that someone might already know who the hybrid was, considering we found those powders in school.”

“Don’t worry about that, she’s safe now,” Penny reassured, though her eyes showed a flicker of doubt.

***

After minutes of running through the woods, Edward and Red arrived at the school. They walked through the halls, searching every class in the school. The eerie silence felt oppressive, as if the school itself was holding its breath.

“It was a waste of time coming here,” Red sighed, her frustration palpable.

“Oh yeah? What if we come across the hybrid laying on the floor weak and in need of our help?” Edward said. He was back to being his dumb self, and it really didn’t surprise Red.

“I’ll return to the pack, and for years I’ll be known as a hero. Edward the hybrid savior.”

“Really?”

“Oh, don't worry; I’ll make sure you aren’t forgotten too. Edward the hybrid’s savior and his grumpy sidekick.” While Edward was busy imagining himself as a hero for centuries, something caught Red’s attention. She couldn’t point out what it was, but the air in the area had changed. It felt heavy, foreboding.

“Keep quiet, Edward. I’m trying to focus,” Red said, placing her index finger on Edward’s lips.

“Lies!” Edward joked, “You just don’t want to hear my heroic tales.” Red rolled her eyes at him. She couldn’t sense the energy again and decided it was time to leave the school.

“Well, no sign of the hybrid. Thanks for wasting my time,” Red said, walking towards the double doors of the school. Edward ran up to meet her as she was walking fast.

“Hold on, is there a problem?” Edward asked, holding Red by the shoulder.

“Huh?”

“Did I say something wro—” Edward was about to complete his question when Red pushed him out of the way.

“Move!” Red said, pushing Edward to the floor. The object that was about to hit Edward was now coming at her.

Red watched the pink large tongue fly towards her. She tried running away, but it quickly lashed onto her and wrapped around her midsection. Her hands were also wrapped; there was no way she could break free from the tongue.

Edward had gotten up from the floor, quickly locating the source of the tongue that held Red in place. When he sighted the big figure standing at the end of the hallway, he didn’t waste time morphing into a wolf and charging at the figure.

This new enemy they were facing was the possessed Valentine that Venzy had left weak in the woods. After the demon regained some energy, it lurked in the woods, trying to protect itself from the sunlight. Although it had more resistance to the sun now that it was inside a vessel, the sun still affected it a bit.

When the demon saw Edward charging at it, it swiftly moved its tongue to the side and used it to hit Edward, but Edward barely moved from his position.

Edward’s wolf form was strong, and its build was evidence of that. It had large biceps, and its thighs were powerful. When he ran, the ground shook from his mere weight.

Edward wasn’t skilled at many things like the others, but he made up for his lapses in other areas with his strength.

Edward clawed at the tongue that had hit him, slicing a part off from the rest. Red was able to free herself now that the tongue had been cut off. The demon’s tongue had started regenerating, but Edward didn’t wait for it to grow back fully. He ran close to the demon, its grotesque figure illuminated by the shafts of light streaming in through the windows.

The demon snarled, its eyes glowing with a malevolent light. Edward didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the demon’s fat lips together with its tongue, ready to deliver a finishing blow.

The demon was short of what to do. It didn’t have claws or any other skill for combat except its tongue; clearly, it had been matched with a greater opponent. The demon managed to give a sinister smile, knowing fully well that if Edward were to kill its vessel, that would just create another opportunity for it to attain another vessel.

The demon smiled, knowing its next vessel would not be a weakling. Without putting up a fight, it waited patiently for the stroke Edward delivered—a clean slice at the neck.

As Edward’s claws slashed through the demon’s neck, it let out a guttural scream. The sound echoed through the empty halls, a final cry of defiance. The demon’s body slumped to the ground, lifeless.