Page 6 of The Divines

Halley

My eyes were blurry and based on the moonlight that shined into my room, I had been reading for way too long. The small alarm clock on the bedside table said it was nearing midnight and I knew I should get some rest before my early day tomorrow. But I just couldn’t seem to put the book down. Although I was reading the history of the Divines, it seemed more like a fantasy story someone had dreamt up. So far, I had only read three chapters, but they were filled with an immense amount of information on where the Divines originated from, the five Sectors of Divines, and how they came to Earth 500 years ago.

According to the book, the Divines used to live in a different realm called Agrum Di Vinum. The book explained that the world was the ultimate utopia where all Divines existed in complete harmony, underneath their five leaders, one of each Sector. There were five Sectors: first were the Shifters. Supposedly, a Shifter was gifted with the ability to shift into any living creature’s form. Most Shifters were able to shift into one to two creatures, but strong Shifters were able to shift into anywhere from five to ten creatures. All I could imagine was the werewolves that were widely endeared by humans on television and how the idea had probably come from the Divine Shifters.

Next, were the Drax. After reading about their abilities, it was clear they were equivalent to the vampires the humans spoke about. They drank blood to renew their energy and had impossible speed and strength. The Drax and Shifters were the two Sectors with solely physical abilities and I was thankful not to be intheirdorms. No way in hell did I want to be stuck in a building with a bunch of people that could easily murder me. I had run from killers too long to be sleeping in amongst them.

Third, were the Ethos. They had the ability to feel the emotions of those around them. Depending on what you were feeling, the Ethos could heighten or lower the sensations. Strong Ethos could even give you a purely new emotion. Honestly, even though it wasn’t physically harming, the Ethos sounded scary to me, and I shivered thinking about being in the dorms with a bunch of them. Could they feel my emotions right now? What if a strong Ethos altered my feelings without me knowing? I definitely didn’t like that idea, but I couldn’t think about it right now. I was still stuck here until tomorrow morning and if I knew anything, it was that stressing about unknown dangers would drive you wild.

Fourth, were the Seers. As their name suggested, they could see the future of those around them and even the future of those they had never met. There was brief mention of Seers that could also see the past, but it seemed that wasn’t a common occurrence. To me, that seemed like the coolest ability I could have. I would love nothing more than to know of my future, to know if the threat Mom had protected me from would ever capture me.

The fifth ability were the Enchanters. The Enchanters were the protectors of the Divines. Given the ability to control magic, they were said to help protect the Divine communities from the humans by creating walls to keep humans out. I assumed an Enchanter had created the wall Madden and I had driven through this afternoon when the school appeared out of nowhere. However, there had not been an Enchanter in the Divine community in nearly thirty years. Apparently, their Sector had died off unexpectedly and amongst unknown circumstances. That was why Eli had said no one lived in the Enchanter Dorms, there were none to occupy the rooms.

The last chapter I read was on the Darkness that had overcome Agrum Di Vinum. The leaders had tried every possibility to defeat the Darkness, but it started to overtake their world and destroy the very people that lived there. Their only hope was to move to the human realm and leave their home behind to save their people. Personally, I thought it was quite selfless of all those people to leave their home just for the future of the Divines. It reminded me of Mom’s sacrifice formyfuture. Looking at the clock, I realized it was nearing one in the morning now.

Grabbing my backpack from the floor, I used the bathroom and quickly changed into my pajamas, an old t-shirt I had thrifted and loose pants with holes scattered throughout. I set an alarm on the clock next to the bed and crawled under the covers, sighing as I took in the day I had. I may have had no idea what to expect from these people or this place, but for now I was grateful to have a warm room and bed. And as I closed my eyes, sleep overtaking me, I couldn’t help the butterflies in my stomach for the possibilities that tomorrow would bring.

Chapter Seven

Wilder

The sun peeked through my windows as I groaned. There was nothing I hated more than early mornings. I was a night owl, in fact, most Divines with my ability were. That’s probably where humans got their bullshit theories about us burning in the sun. It was completely stupid. Besides our powers, we were just like the humans. We bled, we hurt, we died. Supposedly, back on Agrum Di Vinum our lifespan was centuries longer, but I guess we devolved being here on Earth, and our lives were pretty similar to humans. Minus the fact humans didn’t seem to have a group with the life mission to murder them. I loved being a Divine, I loved my abilities, but I hated that we had to deal with Hunters. Those bastards tried their hardest to wipe us out, they were the reason we had been pushed into hiding. I had never run into a Hunter before, but I always swore that the day I did, I would bleed them dry with a smile on my face.

My alarm started beeping incessantly and I rolled out of bed. I would never be caught up this early if it wasn’t for my stupid internship. As a fourth and final year student at Willow Grove, I had to choose a specialty for my future career. With my disdain for Hunters and humans in general, I had chosen the Guard. They were the select few allowed outside of the Divine communities to keep an eye on the Hunters and humans that could cause issues for our kind. I found great joy in the idea of keeping my kind safe from the filthy Hunters. And if I had to use brute force? Well even better. Unfortunately, since I couldn’t train with the actual Guard until I graduated, my internship required me to help Professor Gunther in his introductory class about the dangers of the human realm. All new students had to take the class and learn about the human realm since almost none of them have ever visited outside of our communities. The class itself wasn’t terrible and I enjoyed Professor Gunther and his take no shit attitude, the early mornings were the only real problem. My phone started ringing, alerting me to my second alarm. I was running out of time, which didn’t happen often considering my power gave me increased speed. Rushing around my room, I threw on a pair of black slacks, a grey button up shirt, and raked my fingers through my hair. Flashing in front of the mirror, I figured I looked professional enough for a professor’s assistant and rushed out the door. The sunlight hit me square in the eyes and I cursed. Fuck the sunlight and fuck this early class, I was going back to bed right after.

I was flipping through the attendance sheet at Gunther’s desk as the students filed in. Being an introductory class, all Sectors were in the class. I picked up the scent of quite a few Shifters, which wasn’t surprising since they procreated like bunnies, several Ethos, and few Seers. Those fuckers were far and few between these days. There were concerns they would be the next Sector to die off after the Enchanters. I scented a few of my kind in the class but paid them no mind. As Drax, we often found no enjoyment in drinking from our own ability, too close to cannibalism for my taste. Truthfully, few in this class had scents that sparked my interest. For us Drax, the stronger the Divine, the sweeter the taste. It wasn’t unheard of for a first year to be strong, but often they weren’t naturally superior to other Divines before they trained their powers.

Gunther was writing his introduction for the day on the board as I browsed the attendance sheet names. I wasn’t a huge socializer, finding most people an annoyance, but even I had heard the buzz that a new student was starting today. My curiosity was slightly piqued, given how few newbies entered Willow Grove, especially ones no one had heard about. Another reason I found people so annoying? In the Divine community, there wasn’t fucking enough of us to keep things interesting. Everyone had basically the same life. We all grew up in a tiny Divine community and then were shipped off to Willow Grove on our 20thbirthday. Same old, same old whether you lived in bumfuck nowhere Texas or bumfuck nowhere Iowa. My eyes hooked on the one name I wasn’t familiar with yet.Halley Jameson – Community Unknown.Hm, so even the higher ups weren’t sure where she had been from. Probably a nomad then. It made more sense now why they had sent that fucker Madden to collect her. When I had found out Madden was given the opportunity to enter the human city, I was livid. Sure, he may have been on the path to be the strongest Shifter of our generation, but that was about all he had going for him in my eyes. But if no one knew where the girl had been, I had to admit that putting a Shifter with an insane tracking ability on her case made the most sense.

I looked up from the list, scanning the faces of the students trying to pinpoint the girl. There were only 73 first years and only 31 taking this class this semester. I had already memorized each face and scent in the class, so pinpointing the new girl should be easy enough. Except I couldn’t find her. To be fair, she still had five minutes before class started and perhaps her Divine Assignment was taking longer than usual. Especially if she was a Shifter or a Drax. Those assignments always took longer as they had to learn about what to expect when their abilities first kicked in. I started to stand, intending to ask Gunther what he wanted from me today, when I caught a whiff of the new scent in the air. I turned back towards the door and at the girl standing in its entrance. In fact, I realized every head was now staring her way.New kid, the excitement of the decade in the Divine world. I worried if I rolled my eyes any harder, they’d get stuck in the back of my head. But even I had to admit there was something intriguing about her. Now, I’m sure some of the males, and females, in class would say it would have to do with how downright sexy she was, but I was more focused on her scent. Because never once had I gotten a hint of that type of power before. In fact, if I had to guess, she smelled innatelyhuman.The hair on my arms raised at the idea of a human infiltrating our safety, but with another hit of her blood, I shook it off. She may have smelled human, but the pure power humming through her veins negated that idea. I had been around a lot of powerful Divine in my life, living in the Divine capital of the realm and having parents on the Council, I was constantly surrounded by the strongest of our kind. Even here at Willow Grove, some of the strongest Divines were in attendance. But only a few compared to the power rolling off of Halley Jameson in waves. I had to grip the edge of the desk in front of me as the urge to sink my fangs deep into her skin itched at my skin. I haven’t had trouble with my bloodlust since my first month of coming into my power. Something about this girl had me on the edge of my seat though. And I couldn’t ignore the fact thatI didn’t know what she was.All I knew was that I would find out and then I would have a taste of that power flowing through every inch of her body. My fangs lengthened in hunger, and dammit, now I needed to feed before I went back to bed.

Chapter Eight

Halley

Everyone was staring at me, and I loathed it. I was used to blending into the crowds, flying beneath the radar, but it seemed here that would not be the case. And as my results from this morning determined, I would be here for the next four years. I was in fact a Divine. According to the administrator of my blood test, who I learned was a Drax, I had the power flowing through my veins that all Divines possessed. As if the fact I was part of a supernatural race I thought had died off centuries ago wasn’t shocking enough, the administrator also informed me that my power was extremely potent. However, she became confused when it came to determining what Divine Sector I had inherited from my parents. Apparently, most Divines had an idea of what Sector they would be placed in based on their parents. Since I hadn’t known either of my parents were Divines, I couldn’t help her there. She also informed me that my blood was diluted with human scent from living in their world and it would take longer for her to determine where my power stemmed from. So now here I was, in my first class of the day, a class about the world I had grown up in, when really, I had a million questions about the new one I had found myself in. Unfortunately, it looked like those questions would have to wait till my next class as who I was assuming was the Professor fixed his gaze on me, completing the entirety of the class staring. Ignoring the rest of the class, I focused on the Professor. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, a wide smile on his face and kind eyes that all the staff I had met wore.

“Ah, Halley Jameson I presume? Welcome to Willow Grove and welcome to The Human Realm and Its Dangers. If you could please take a seat and we will begin.”

Nodding at the man, I continued into the classroom, looking for an open seat. There weren’t many students in the class, definitely less than fifty, but it seemed most seats were taken. Anxiety began to creep up my back as I felt like the new kid in one of those cheesy teen movies, when I saw a wild arm waving from the front row at me. I followed the arm to the wide grin and locked eyes with Eli. His wildly gesturing arm turned from me to the empty seat beside him. I made my way towards him, thankful for the help. I was a little confused as Eli seemed like a super friendly guy and I was sure he would be the person surrounded on all sides by friends, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. As I passed the desks behind him and saw a girl staring blue eyed daggers at me, I realized my assumption had been correct. Apparently, Eli had kicked the girl in the seat next to him to the curb. Part of me was grateful to Eli for helping the new girl out but the other part was pissed that I had somehow already drawn negative attention to myself. I was already being showered with attention given my new student status and I’m sure it would be even worse once everyone learned I was from the human cities. I didn’t need petty female drama thrown into the mix as well. Huffing out a breath I realized I didn’t have much choice as the Professor patiently waited for me to take a seat. Once I was seated with my large textbook, notebook, and pencil in front of me, the Professor began.

“Good morning class, as you all know I am Professor Gunther and this is my assistant for the semester, Wilder.” The Professor gestured towards his side and my eyes were drawn towards the striking man standing there. The Professor continued to drawl on with his introduction, but my focus was entirely on his assistant. It was like I couldn’t tear my eyes away. He was possibly the most beautiful man I had ever seen. With clear alabaster skin, bone structure that could cut, and messy white hair, he looked like a porcelain doll come to life. The sight was shocking to say the least. I was also concluding that every Divine was good looking beyond belief. So far, each man I had met had been better looking than any human I had ever encountered. Finishing my perusal of the man, I came back to his face, only to find his eyes staring right back at me. I had to hold in a gasp as I searched them. Severely contrasting to his coiffed and light look, his eyes were such a deep brown I considered they may be black and were filled with intensity. If only by his eyes, the name Wilder seemed to fit him like a glove. There seemed to be an internal wildness creeping in the inky black of his irises. A shiver raced up my spine at his stare and I couldn’t help but wonder what his ability was. For some reason, I decided he wasn’t an Ethos or a Seer. Something about the animalistic glint in his eyes made me sure he had to be a Shifter or a Drax. Professor Gunther caught his attention, turning his gaze from me, and releasing me from the hold he had on me. I decided I should tune back into the lecture as well and heard the Professor as he asked, “Can anyone tell me about the most dangerous areas in the human realm?”

The girl who had glared at me when I sat down answered immediately. “The large cities are the most dangerous. There are more humans there and therefore more chances for Hunters.”

The Professor nodded his agreement, “Correct Jane.” Jane smiled widely and I had to hold back an eye roll. I didn’t even know the girl, but something about her rubbed me the wrong way and I never doubted my instincts.

Professor Gunther continued, “Cities are filled with humans and with our limited ability to detect Hunters, it is the most dangerous place for any Divine to be. It is of utmost importance that unless specifically trained by the Guard, no Divine ever steps inside the limits of these cities.”

I tried really hard, I swear I did, but I couldn’t contain the snort that left me. It was just too ironic. Here was my first class as a newly discovered Divine and I was told I should never set foot inside a large human city when for the last ten years of my life I had made it my mission toonlylive in those cities. I quickly realized my mistake as every head turned towards me yet again, including Professor Gunther’s and Wilder’s. Most of the stares looked absolutely bewildered that I would laugh at such a statement, and I could feel my face heat with embarrassment. This was the attention I was afraid of and here I was drawing it to myself.

“Halley, would you like to explain to the class what you think is so funny? I know this is your first day, but I can assure you that you would not find it so funny if you actually found yourself in one of these cities.”

This time I wasn’t the only one who laughed as Eli joined in with me. He already knew that I hadn’t grown up in a Divine community, so he understood the humor in this conversation. Unfortunately for me, no one else did and it seemed I would either have to drop that bomb of truth now and face the repercussions or come up with a reasonable excuse for laughing at something that these people took very seriously.

All ears were waiting on my answer and hesitantly I began, not knowing the reaction I would get. “Professor Gunther, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but you see, I didn’t grow up in a Divine community.”

“Ah, you were of the nomadic lifestyle? It does have its perks, but I assure you, cities are still very dangerous to our kind.” Gunther nodded, as if he was going to continue, but I had to further explain before I unintentionally disrespected the entire Divine community again during this class.

---