Chapter One: The Pool Party

Life as a hunter was difficult, especially when you had high school to focus on. Kyomi found herself out late at night with her books in a bag and a switchblade in her pocket. Her teachers were given fake doctor's notes to explain all the bruises and black eyes she constantly got.

Of course, rumors spread from this. People at first said she was delinquent and had been getting into fights with her family. Those who knew her from middle school claimed she had snapped over the summer before ninth grade. 

They said she had a mental breakdown and now her personality was completely different. Hell, some girls even spread a rumor in tenth grade that she was pregnant. She had issues trusting people hearing the rumors and seeing so many deaths.

She knew no one would believe her if she told the truth. It was too unbelievable to tell someone you killed creatures that looked like people but weren't really human at night. And it would be even harder to explain the weaponry. So she stayed to herself and played the quiet, smart girl role. 

Still, she had somewhat of social life. There were some classmates who liked her. They thought the rumors where bullshit or atleast had the common curtiousy not to bring them up to her. Girls in her school's book club enjoyed hanging out with her. So did some of her older friends who knew her since middle school. Those who were extroverted invited her every once in and while to go to the movies or out to a party with them. 

"Hey," Kyomi had been in the library, skipping lunch to study when one of them came up to her. "Are you free this weekend?"

Instinctively she wanted to say no, truthfully there was a lot more demon activity than usual. Too many encounters had been happening when she went hunting at night and even when she was walking home. It was to the point she worried about being out with her friends publicly.

But she had been getting hints from her mother to get out of the house and be social. The poor woman thought she was a clumsy, reclusive mess. Dinner was tense and the two were going on way too many shopping trips these days. It made her feel uncomfortable being alone with her for so long.

Her mother was a social butterfly most of her life. Played hockey throughout middle school and tennis in high school which led to a scholarship. This led to her being a kindergarten teacher when she was toddler and a soccer coach when she reached her preteens.

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And Kyomi, well, she wasn't very social and was athletic in ways that weren't for sports. The idea of working with children was also incredibly foreign to her, which shocked her mother. Due to these differences in personality they clashed along with the fact Kyomi was suddenly so closed off to her. 

"Oh, yeah I don't have anything to do," She pushed her book aside, deciding to just put hunting aside for once. "What's up?" 

Her friend smiled at her eagerness and sat down next to her, scooting close. Kyomi noticed she was wearing her metro card around her neck, she must have been getting ready to go home. She took out her phone and showed her an old social media reel.

It was a video of someone jumping in what looked to be a large swimming pool. A pool in an area that looked like it was worth more than both of their incomes combined, her eyebrows raised. It was dated as being from last summer, around late august right before school started back up. 

Everyone looked like they were having the time of their life, dancing and diving into the water. The food looked great with kabobs, ribs and burgers being grilled by some of the older looking teens. She recognized some of the people standing nearby drinking from red plastic cups.

They were girls she had seen walking in the hallways or hanging out with some of the seniors from the nearby private school. The type you’d see using daddy’s credit card to buy themselves prada or chanel. Others looked to be from other schools as she had never seen them.

"The track team is having a game day party and I wanted to invite you this time around. You don't have to bring a swimsuit or swim. But we usually end up partying by the pool the entire time." She swiped her phone to show some old photos.

It looked fun to her, there was food and some drinks. The people in the photos she knew were super nice and open to making new friends. They weren't the type of girls who'd set you up to be pushed into the pool in front of the entire school. Instead, they would be the ones to take you out of the pool, to comfort and dry you off. Overall, they were surprisingly friendly for being so popular. 

"Do I have to come with you," Kyomi had never really gone to a big party like this one. The proper etique was unknown to her and she was worried about being embarrassed. "Or can I just go alone?"

Her friend shrugged her shoulders, grinning from her confirmation. "Doesn't matter, everyone will know you are invited. Just go to the address in the group chat and bring some money in case we go out afterward."

Kyomi's cheeks felt warm at the mention of 'everyone'. Did the track team know her well enough to enjoy her company? "Ugh, well then I guess I'll make sure to arrive on time. Wouldn't want to disappoint anyone."

Thankfully her response was taken as snarky instead of anxious as her friend grinned. She gave her a small hug as she put her phone in her pocket and got ready to leave. "Great! My class starts soon so I gotta go, love you bye!" 

"B-Bye!" The other teen left the library before she could finish speaking, causing her to blush more. She was unsure of what she had gotten herself into.