Mark of the Dagger (The Marked Series Book 1) (3 page)

Chapter Three

Mount Claussen was a massive compound set in the valley between the mountains. Trees surrounded the compound on every side but the north which housed an enormous iron gate with the initials M.C. There were little carvings of gargoyles etched into the iron. It looked slightly mid evil and a lot creepy.

Dani’s stomach was in knots threatening to make her expel the little bit of breakfast her mother coaxed her to eat.  When they pulled up to the gates she had the door handle in white—knuckled grip. Her nerves only increased as they waited for someone to come out the security house just inside the gates.

On the tail of the nerves crept doubt.  Since Joe wasn’t able to make the drive with them, only saying that he would meet them there, he wasn’t there to reassure her that everything was going to be ok, that she had made the right decision.  She didn’t understand why her resolve was beginning to waiver now.  She had been determined to join this school only yesterday.

No matter the sacrifices, Dani told herself over and over, certain was she that this was the right move.  But at the moment she was terrified and nervous, a combination that only proved to make her question her sanity.  A gasp of surprise escaped her as a tall, gorgeous man approached the car, somehow easing her nerves.  She laughed to herself, reassured that even though she just found out she was supposed to be a warrior, she was still the same boy-crazy teenager she had always been.

Once they were through the gate they were enclosed on both sides by big beautiful trees, the colors of the leaves changing with the beginnings of fall.  Dani marveled at the shapes and shadows the sunlight cast on the narrow, winding road in front of them as Sarah drove.

As the trees thinned she got her first glimpse of the massive compound.  When they pulled into a large parking lot she got out to take in her new home.  Never had Dani seen anything as lovingly tended or beautiful in her life.  The grass was a vibrant shade of green separated by pristine walkways leading to different ends of the campus, like a maze, she could definitely see herself getting lost often. There was a pond off to the right of parking lot and she headed toward it, her mother following close behind.

“It’s beautiful here isn’t it?” Dani heard Sarah ask in a tight voice making her wonder if they were thinking the same thing.

This was the place her father gave his life to protect.  He was here, perhaps he sat on this very same bench overlooking the pond before the attack.  Being here and knowing that was going to be a lot harder than she had anticipated.  Although, in a way she felt like it was just one more connection she had to her dad.

This was probably harder for her mom. Knowing the same thing Dani knew and letting her stay anyway...

"That it is. It's going to be really different living here and being away from you. Are you sure you are ok with it?" Dani asked her.

Dani stood with her back to her mom, scared to look at her for fear she might cry. Instead, she looked out at the mountains that were far off in the distance, yet looked as if she could reach out and touch them. Sarah said nothing but grabbed her daughter and held on tight.

"What do you think?" Joe asked from behind them.

"It's amazing," Dani blinked back her tears.

"Well you haven't seen anything yet. Come on. I'll give you a quick tour on our way to the Headmasters' office."

They walked past the dormitories, a massive gym that held a pool and the most spectacular church Dani had ever laid eyes on. Almost the entire building was made out of stained glass. It was covered in Angels and Warriors, she had never seen the like before.

Once again she'd lost count how many times a gasp escaped her. She was in awe of the entire campus. The main building housed the cafeteria, auditorium, two common rooms, the library, and administrations. The building itself was made of black stone looking mid-evil; part castle, part fortress. There were even turrets.

Placed in the middle, it was the focal point of the campus.  The other buildings surrounded it, creating a shield as if to protect its heart.

"Holy Cow,” Dani exclaimed. She could think of nothing else to say about it.

"This place is amazing," Sarah said in awe.

"Yeah! What she said," Dani said jerking her thumb in her mother’s direction.

Once in Headmaster Charleston’s office, Dani tried to get the stupefied expression of seeing the campus off of her face. She already felt like a fool, no need in letting the Headmaster know she was one. She wasn't sure what she expected him to be like, but what she got, definitely wasn't it.

Headmaster Charleston was a short, plump man with a receding hair line. He had rosy cheeks like Santa and his glasses kept sliding down his nose. He seemed genuinely nice and happy that she was there. Sometimes when he spoke to her he sounded as if she were royalty.  Dani didn’t know if this was because of her bloodline or if he was that way with everyone, but she was uncomfortable with the attention regardless.  He talked on and on to Sarah, saying everything he could think of to ease her nerves about leaving Dani here.

"So Professor DuPont, I assume that you've gotten yourself settled in?" he asked Joe. Dani whipped her head around to stare at Joe who was watching her with a bemused expression. He answered the Headmaster with a yes.

"You're staying here? You'll be a teacher?"

"Yep. I'm your new trainer, kid."

"That’s fantastic," Dani said on a laugh. She felt so much better knowing that she wasn't going to be completely alone. "I'm glad you will be staying, but won’t you miss going out on your own?"

"I'm getting to be an old man Dani, I need the break."

"You're thirty five, that’s hardly old. I don't want you giving that up because you think I need you here. I mean I want you here and I'm glad you want to be here too, but please don’t pick up and leave home because of me."

"I'm here and I took this job for me. The fact that you are here is an added bonus. Now shut up and listen to Headmaster Charleston," he said with a gentle pat on her shoulder.

"Well like I said, I'm glad you'll be here," Dani turned back to the Headmaster.

"Yes, yes, I thought you might like that," Headmaster Charleston said. "Now, let’s show you to your dorm room Miss DuPont."

The building that housed her dorm was the closest to the pond. When she found out that they were co-ed dorm rooms she quickly looked to her mom to make sure she wasn't going to start a fuss. Only the tightening around her eyes gave away her tension. Headmaster Charleston must have noticed too because he quickly went on to explain the rules of the house.

“Down here we have the common room, small kitchen and four study rooms.  The first two floors house the girls rooms, the third and fourth floor are the boys.”

"How do you keep them from mingling in their rooms?" Sarah asked. Joe laughed, and she ignored him, her eyes only for the headmaster.

"Well Mrs. DuPont, we have spells on the stairways. None of the opposite sex can go up to their undesignated floors except for staff members."

"What do you mean spells? You cast spells?" Dani asked excitedly.

"No, not me," he said with a laugh. "We have witches on staff. They doctor our ill and broken and they keep the wards up around the school. They are a big part of our security here."

Joe laughed at Dani again as her mouth dropped to the floor. She never knew witches existed yet she probably should have after learning of her heritage.

Headmaster Charleston turned around to finish the downstairs tour. It all looked pretty normal to Dani. The common room was the only room with a TV. It was furnished like a living room in a house would be but with more seating. The study rooms each had computers for the students to use. The kitchen was stocked with bottled water, and other healthy foods.

Her room was all the way at the end of the second floor on the left. When she opened the door, she was surprised to find that she would have the room to herself. She quickly turned to the Headmaster. "Won’t I have a roommate?"

"No, this campus is big enough and allows for most everyone to have their own rooms."

"Oh," Dani said and even to her own ears, she sounded dejected.

"Well, I will leave you all to unpack and get settled. Since it's just staff members and only a few other students on campus, dinner will be at six in the common room in the main hall," he said to the room in general. He turned to Dani. "Danielle it is a pleasure to have you with us and if you ever need anything please feel free to come to me." With that, he turned on his heel and was gone.

"Why aren't the other students here?" she asked Joe.

"They should start showing up again tomorrow. Summer break is just getting over for them and school starts in two days.” She nodded and stared around her room as if in a daze.

Chapter Four

Dani had been at the school for a week now and felt incredibly alone. Knowing that her focus should be on training and learning what she could, she tried not to let that bother her. But the truth was she hadn’t made any new friends here at Mount Claussen.

Scared of inadequacy, and to keep her mind of being friendless, Dani pushed herself hard.  She woke up two hours early every morning and ran the outdoor track around the pond, followed by weights in the gym.  All of this was done while everyone else was still sleeping.  There were a few nights when she couldn’t sleep that she snuck out and did it all over again.

She found the physical activity to be peaceful and wondered why she never tried it before.  With the cool breeze against her face, her hair whipping behind her she had never felt more wild and free.  Watching the wildlife in the distance with the mountains and trees surrounding her, Dani decided that solitude wasn’t as bad as she thought.  At least, not when she chose it.

With the first weekend since school started came talk of parties around the campus.  Some were in common rooms, others the woods, there was even a rumor about one being held on the top floor of the library after closing time.  Dani told herself that she didn’t mind not being invited to any of them, but it was a lie.  She wasn’t the most popular girl at her old school either, only having a select few friends she felt comfortable with but no one likes being excluded. 

The whispers flowing around campus involving her were ludicrous to say the least.  It seemed that the majority, ok
all
of her fellow trainees were of the same mind.  They believed that she would never be good enough to do what Hunters were meant to do, bringing up all of the insecurities she felt before she got here.  The first couple of days people would stop talking upon entering the same room, making it known they had been gossiping about her.  She heard different variations of ‘she’ll end up getting killed or get someone else killed’, ‘we don’t need any more tainted blood’ or ‘I can’t believe they let her in’.  Though what they meant about ‘tainted blood’ she had no clue as she was the first with mixed-blood to be marked.  So even though the exclusion was unwarranted, at least she took comfort in knowing why they did it.

Trying to ignore them as best as she could, she kept her head high and her shoulders back, not allowing their hatred get to her.  She’d be damned if she let them know how their words affected her.  But in the privacy of her own room with nothing but silence and the echoes of their venom drifting around her, she let herself feel.  Before coming to Mt. Claussen, Dani couldn’t remember ever crying herself to sleep.  Yet every night this week, that’s exactly what she did.

Hearing the rumors and knowing why she didn’t fit in or hadn’t made any friends really didn’t make adjusting any easier.  Being told, in so many words, that no one wanted her here was a hard pill to swallow and that pissed her off.  Well screw them, she thought viciously.  She would just have to prove them all wrong.  With that thought, she pushed herself harder and faster around the track.  It’s not like any of them are out here busting their asses. 
That’s because they don’t need to, they are already stronger than you by far.
  She shook her head angrily, trying to dislodge the negative voice inside her head.  Even still, she pushed herself harder.

Making a plan to lock herself in her room and write tonight to take her mind off the parties eased some of the anger coursing through her.  Uncle Joe wasn’t lying when he said that the schoolwork here was tedious.  She had extra homework on top of her normal studies every night and add in the fact that she was playing catch-up, she hadn’t had time to write at all this week.

She was taking classes about witches and all the different kinds of were-animals.  Who knew there were so many different kinds; lions, wolves, bears, leopards, tigers, birds, and even those with no animalistic restrictions?  They could turn into anything they wanted!  How cool was that?  Hunters didn’t kill those types of supernatural beings unless they went rogue.  Then there were the lessons on vampires or demons as some called them, and how to kill them.  Dani was enthralled with these classes, everything being much different than what she had expected and she couldn’t wait to learn more.

Dani realized that she had been feeling sorry for herself when she noticed the cold wet tracks on her cheeks.  When she looked around quickly to be sure no one saw her tears, she noticed Joe walking toward the track with two Styrofoam cups of coffee and discreetly wiped away the evidence of her self-pity.  Joe was the absolute last person she wanted present during her emotional melt-down.  God forbid he witness it and think she was as weak as everyone says.  Since he was the only ally Dani had here at Mt. Claussen she was determined to do anything it took to make him proud.

***

Joe woke early to have his first meeting with Adele, the other person the council sent to keep an eye on the school.  Unusual happenings that pointed to demonic activity at the end of last year had students talking while home on their summer vacation.  With the schools’ history of being attacked, parents’ were uneasy and the members of council were nervous.  The fact that any type of activity was able to take place on the grounds meant that a member of staff was involved and had weakened the wards enough to allow unwelcomed visitors inside.  And once evil got past the protections in place, anything could happen.  Joe and Adele’s job was to ensure that didn’t happen and to keep the kids safe.

There was nothing that Joe hated more than undercover work.  He knew he wasn’t the best liar there was so the fact that they asked him to take this job surprised him long enough that they took his stunned silence as agreement.  With no way to back out he sucked it up and headed out here with Adele to ensure everything was running smoothly.  It was just a bonus that Dani and two of his long-time friends were here as well.

After their uneventful meeting where they confessed that neither of them had witnessed anything suspicious as of yet, he went back to his room planning to read for a bit while the rest of campus woke up. When he glanced at his window he saw her, as everyone else lay in their beds snug and warm, his niece was running the track.  Even from this distance he could tell that Dani was upset, no one knew his girl like Joe did.

Of course Joe had heard the whispers going around school about her, he wasn’t obtuse.  He just wished he could have warned her but how could he have?  This is new territory for everyone because Dani was the very first mixed-blood to be marked.  There was a niggling thought in the back of his mind that he just couldn’t grasp, something that’s been bothering him since Dani received her Dagger.  But for the life of him he couldn’t figure it out and it was driving him insane.

She was in pain and there was nothing he could do about it, and he hated it. He could tell her to just quit if she wanted. He wouldn't think any less of her. But she would never do it and truth be told it would disappoint him if she gave in. She was a DuPont, strong both mentally and physically, and he would do anything he can to help her succeed.

As the only person she had here he felt the need to talk to her about what the other kids have been saying.  One way or another he was going to get her to talk about this because the last thing she needed was keeping it bottled up inside her until she exploded.  Unfortunately, there has never been a more stubborn person on this planet, a trait she got from her dad Jake, so he knew the task of getting her to talk would be difficult.  He would make her listen at lease, even if he had to hold her down to do it.  With that thought he set his shoulders and headed for battle.

"Hey kiddo, looking good out there," he called when he was close. He saw that her cheeks were wet and her eyes were red and puffy. "Take a break. You've been working hard this week.” He handed her one of the coffees. The small smile she gave him broke his heart. He saw the fight to be strong waging inside her and gave her a minute to compose herself while he watched the struggle it took for her to square her shoulders, and look like her normal self. She was more upset than he thought, and he hated himself for not seeing it sooner.

"You are up early," Dani said in the brightest voice she could and it took all Joe had not to laugh at her attempt.  He wasn’t the only horrible liar in the family.

"Had some business.” He shrugged, “want to take a walk?''

"Sure." They headed to the North Trail that led into the woods parallel to the entrance.

They were quiet for some time as Dani was lost in her own thoughts and Joe didn’t quite know how to broach the subject they needed to discuss.  Talking about feelings was never something that came to him easily but he decided that being outright was probably the best thing for her.

"Dani..." he started. “I know things have been a little tough-"

"I'm fine Uncle Joe," she said firmly.

“I know it sweetheart, but listen to me for sec ok?  You may be fine but you are not ok.  There is a big difference.  I haven’t seen you cry this much since your dad died, Dani.  It hurts this old man’s soul to witness.  Talk to me, let me help you work through what you’re feeling so you don’t keep anything bottled up inside you.  It’s best to get it all out now anyway instead of waiting for something to set you off later, with your temper who knows what would happen.”  He tried pulled a smile from her with his joke but it fell flat.

Dani's eyes filled and he could tell that she was debating with herself and he finally got it. "Dani, Damn it,” he said in exasperation. "Do you think that I would think less of you for wanting to talk about it? Do you think that full-blooded hunters don't have emotions or feelings that can get hurt? We all do. I've been watching you this week and I've seen how strong you have been.  No, that isn’t right.  I’ve seen how strong you are.  You have walked around with your head held high despite everything and I am incredibly proud of you. But there comes a time when you have to stop shouldering it all and talk to someone, to trust someone and Dani I thought you knew that you could always trust me."  Joe thumped his chest to emphasize his point.

"I do trust you. I do, it's just..." she said and threw her hands in the air helplessly. "I didn't want you to think I couldn't handle this life. I didn't want you to start agreeing with everyone else."

"I don't, and I can't believe you would think that. That is the only thing that disappoints me. I don't give a shit what those other kids say Dani and neither should you. So what if you’re a half blood? You are still good blood. You think this happens a lot? It doesn't. You are the first mixed blood marked. That has to mean something."

"They think I'll fail," she said quietly. "And I know this sounds childish, but none of them like me. I haven't made any friends and it's hard. I hate it, but I know I'm supposed to be focusing on work, so I try. Still, a part of me thinks they are right. What if I'm not good enough for this? I mean obviously I don’t want them to be right, and I've been busting myself on weights and on the track but I just don't know what else to do. All these kids grew up knowing what they were. They had a chance to prepare and I guaranty you that they have been unofficially training for this their entire lives."

"You are right. They have had time to prepare and you haven't and that puts you at a disadvantage. That's another reason I took this job. I know your mom and I made a mistake in not telling you what we are and I'm sorry for that. But I want to help you Dani. If you still want to be here and you still want to learn I will help you." He reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder.

"And you won’t fail unless you let yourself. You need to get out of that mentality. Just forget about what they are saying and what they think. If you work hard enough you can do anything." He felt ridiculous giving a sixteen year old this kind of speech but it was necessary. "And I'm sorry that they are giving you a hard time. I know it can be hard, feeling alone, not having any friends here. I know it isn't the same, but you'll always have me kid."

He pulled her to him for a hug and held on tight while Dani finally let herself go. She cried into his chest like she did when she was three. He knew better than to try to soothe her with meaningless words and just let her cry. She would be all the better for it when she was finished. When she finally pulled back she gave him a watery smile. "I don't want to give up. I'm not a quitter."

He pushed her bangs out of her face and checked his watch. "Come on, let’s go to the gym and we can go over the basic fighting stances I taught last week."