I can’t tell you what it was, but I did not like Lacie the pixie. Maybe it was the year of intensive therapy I had been put through after she had shown up on my eighth birthday. Maybe it was the relentless teasing I had been out through by other kids when I innocently talked about her. So yes I’m a little conflicted and then for it to come out of the wherever and instantly be mean to me, was a little much for my nerves.

The pixie, Lacie was chuckling as she began. “The statistics or attributes describe a particular natural or inborn characteristic. It allows the system to generalize and adapt individuals to itself.” She smiled and continued. “We will start off with strength; Strength shows how much a person is able to carry, but it also your physical power and can reflect the damage you can do with a weapon. It also affects your life rating.”

I found myself biting my lip, I wanted to yell and scream at the foot tall harpie that was in front of me. “For a human, you have only average strength. But the good news is you can build your physical strength up over time.”

“I need to go to the gym?” I asked between clenched teeth.

“Yes, you can start there. Then there is your Constitution. It reflects your overall health and stamina it also reflects your body's ability to fight off disease.” The pixie continued to lecture. A series of daggers appeared in her hand and she started to juggle them as she talked. “The Dexterity attribute reflects your body's ability to move with grace and precision. It also aids in your ability to avoid danger. Your dexterity is slightly above average but you are no cheerleader.” Lacie said as she released the daggers in the air and they began to fall before disappearing one again.

“Then we come to the statistics you have that are the highest. Intelligence, its a measure of your ability to apply reason, logic, rationality, and memory. You have a near-perfect recall. Like the other stats, you are able to build them up over time and with usage. However, the higher your stats are the harder it is to increase them through effort. While Wisdom, another high attribute score, has an effect on so many things. It affects your ability to learn and apply what you already know. It also aids in your body's Mana regeneration rates.”

“So I’m smart and wise?” I asked, I had never really felt particularly wise. “What does being wise even mean?”

“Oh no, Wisdom doesn’t mean you are wise, it just means you can use the knowledge you have. The statistics are only a general indicator of where you are at. There are aspects that are not able to be quantified.” The small woman seemed to smirk at me. I was obviously missing something but I didn’t know what I could possibly be. “Then we come to Charisma; Something you really need to work on by the way. This encompasses so many things, personal grooming, emotional intelligence, social expressiveness, and the ability to read cues from others.”

“Abilities you feel I lack?” I said acerbically.

“Oh, there is no feeling to it at all. Let me give you a prime example. Luke has been pining for you for years.” She drew out the last syllable in years to emphasize the boy's desire. “And what do you do?’ Michael, Michael, Michael!”

“Wait, Luke what?” I said in surprise.

“You missed every social cue he ever gave you.” The hateful little creature said laughing at my distress. “And now he has a date for the formal with your best friend.” Shocked into silence With a look of shock on my face, I sat staring at the pixie that stood there with a smirk on her face.

I felt myself growing defensive and then wondered why. I told myself I had no interest in Luke but the more I thought about it the more confused about my feeling became. I think I was shutting down as I tried to analyze what was going through my mind. Luke? Was interested in me? I felt something wrap on my forehead. “Hey stop thinking about it you’ll do yourself a mischief.” My eyes narrowed as I stared at the little monster. I found myself wondering if I could hurt the little beast. “The last statistic is Luck.” Again the pixie mimicked an action that of throwing dice. “Luck in neither inherently good nor bad but having a higher luck statistic means you will tend to see the extreme probabilities.”

“Such as?” I mumbled.

“If you gamble you will tend to win big or lose big. You may see your weapons hit a particularly weak point on your prey.” Lacie stopped rolling the dice then looked at me as I continued to think. “What are you thinking Victoria?” She asked.

I was thinking back to the odd look that Mr. Lagrand had given me and how he had kept re-rolling the dice after I went to finish out my character. “So my luck is very high?” I asked nervously.

“It’s incredibly high for one so young. It is the only attribute that you can not change on your own or add points to. That being said registration is your one opportunity to increase it.”

“How do I do that?” I asked. I took a deep breath. I realized I had to work with Lacie and it would be better if I was on good terms with what was essentially my companion.

“That's the last part we will get to. You have five unassigned attribute points. You will receive an additional statistics point every fifth level. But you can build up your points between levels.”

“So I can assign these points I get to start with?” Lacie nodded her affirmative. “Then if I start working out I can build up my strength?”

“Essentially? Yes. But it is very difficult.” I was chewing on my lip as I continued to think. “Once I assign my points what then happens?”

“Then you can choose a class.”

“Can I assign points to help me get to a preferred class?” I asked still thinking furiously.

“You can, she said. Is there a class you would prefer?”

“I don’t know,” I mused. “This is sounding more and more like dungeons and dragons.”

“Oh, it is. Where do you think Gary got the idea from?” The Pixie said with a smile and flutter of her eyebrows. “He knew several hunters in school and used what they told him to develop his game.”

“So what's this leveling about why not start everyone off with lots of power and wipe out the monsters quickly?” I asked.

“The human mind and body are not equipped to deal with a sudden increase in power and ability. Again the levels are normalized. Everyone's leveling is going to be different. Your bodies have to acclimate to the power and knowledge that you absorb from the Akashic fields around you. To much power too quickly and your bodies suffer grievously.”

“Okay, so slow and steady power increases. But I still want to know about my family, obviously, there is a mistake somewhere.” The pixie shrugged her shoulders and fluttered her wings, the motions only serving to feed my frustrations.

“Let's get this over with,” I said as I looked at the numbers before me. “What are the statistics I can grow on my own?”

“The easiest to increase are Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence. Wisdom comes from learning how to apply the knowledge you already have. Charisma and Constitution are the hardest to increase over time.” Lacie replied.

“How would I gain Charisma?”

“Showing moral fortitude. Exercising, people are more apt to follow or listen to a fit person unless it's in medieval times then they listened to fat burghers.” She continued speaking. “Learn nonverbal cues and know when to use appropriate humor. Dress better.” She said reaching out and fingering the comfortable fuzzy robe I wore. Yes, I was dressed comfortably sue me.

“Okay, let me put two points into Wisdom and three points into Charisma.” I saw the Statistics change and felt a swelling in my head and body that I was unable to explain.

Statistics

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 12

Constitution: 15

Intelligence: 18

Wisdom: 20

Charisma: 14

Luck: 18

Extra Stat Points:0

“I’m surprised,” Lacie said. “Most hunters put a few extra points into luck when they get started. Why aren’t you?” She questioned.

“My dad always said that luck is a lie. You can grow to count on it too much, good luck is being prepared to take advantage of an opportunity when it comes your way.”

“And bad luck?” Lacie asked.

“That's just inadequate preparation” I replied.

The Akashic library spoke.“Victoria Vivian Leighton you have changed your statistics do you accept them and wish to move on to accept a class?”

“Yes.” I stammered. ”But I will need some help to understand what a class is.”

“Oh the class is easy,” Lacie said yawning. “You know what an archetype is? Well, the library is where all the archetypes come from. It allows the system to simplify things somewhat. But every Hunter is different and develops in different ways. This allows us to more easily classify and categorize.” I nodded along, here explanations were making sense.

“So the class is just a descriptor of the basic powers a hunter has available to them?” I asked for clarification.

“Ahh, putting that increased wisdom to work already,” Lacie said as she flitted around laughing. “So any thoughts on what you want to become?”

I stood up and started to pace as I thought. “If this is anything like dungeons and dragons like you said. Then…” I trailed off in thought. “So, I know I don’t have the strength or desire to be a warrior. I’m not into the wilds, woods or animals so that leaves out Druid or ranger classes.” I continued to pace as I thought, then I stopped and let out a large sigh. I’m weak and squishy.” I said looking back at the numbers before me. “I’m not very dexterous yet.” I acknowledged. “Even my beginning statistics would be better for a magic class. Lacie, can you please tell me what magic-using classes I would be best for.”

“Wow, very charismatic.” The pixie said with a smile and clapping her hands, I really wanted to Gibbs slap the crap out of her. “Okay, so there is the basic Wizard, think of Gandolf, there is the Mage, witch, sorcerer, warlock, conjurer, thaumaturge, necromancer, and voodun.” The last two names made me shudder and break out in goosebumps. I recalled hearing stories of voodun in New Orleans and I hated the idea of dealing with dead things.

“What's the difference between a witch and a sorceress?” I asked thoughtfully.

“Well with your old Charisma you would have been a perfect witch.” The pixie quipped. “All you lacked was a beaked nose and mole.” I felt it as I started to tear up. “Hey, don’t cry I was joking.”

“You know what? It’s my freaking birthday... so excuse me if I just feel like crying...” I could feel it as I started to rant and I just knew my eyes would turn red and blotchy as tears welled up and began to fall. “My dads in the hospital where I was attacked by a rat. There is a creepy gnome roaming around my neighborhood and in my yard. Then I find out magic is real, God may be a fucking inter-dimensional library and the pixie I was told was a figment of my imagination when I was eight is real, very snarky and mean to me. Then to top it all off I’m adopted.” I said as I wiped my eyes roughly with the sleeve of my robe. “So forgive me if I sit here feeling sorry for myself.”

“Yeah, I can see it has been a hard day for you.”

I just glared at the short pixie in a huff. “Tell me about the Sorceress.”

“Well the sorceress isn’t as studious as the witch, mage or wizard but she draws her powers through her bloodline. Plus..” She said holding up her fingers in air quotes.” “They get to dress all super sexy and slutty according to dragon magazine.”

“Will that help my Charisma?”

“It sure won’t hurt it.” The pixie said.

“Hey!” I said angrily.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist I’ll stop I promise.”

“Lacie,” I said. “I’m trying not to be angry at you. Its been very hard for me seeing you what I’ve been told is a made up creature.” I closed my eyes and sniffed. Please less snark and more help.”

I opened my eyes and looked at the pixie. “So you want to be a sorceress?” Lacie asked.

“Yes,” Isaid with firm conviction in my voice. I heard a chime and the library seemed to speak in my head.

“You have become a Sorceress level 1.” I felt odd as my body seemed to adapt to the changes that the system required and then I felt something more, a strange energy that seemingly flowed through me. A notification started flashing with urgency.

Sorceress Level 1;

Mana Level:180

Health: 5

Bloodline Magic Received:

Spells Received:

Detect Monster - The caster is able to detect monsters and creatures in a 20-foot radius

Detect Poison - The Caster is able to detect poisons.

Light Orb - The caster is able to create a globe of light.

Lesser Healing - The caster is able to heal himself or an individual.

Energy Dart- The caster is able to shoot darts of energy.

“Victoria Vivian Leighton. You have been registered with the system. We welcome you to the hall of hunters and look forward to seeing your deeds.” At these words, the light that made up the great library began to fade and was soon gone. I found myself standing in the middle of the winter-bare garden Eyes wide with a small shining form hovering nearby.

“You know what this means.” Lacie sang mischievously as she started to fly around the me. “Shopping trip.”

I did the only thing I could logically think of, I wanted to prove to myself this wasn’t a dream. I held out my hand and cast Energy Dart; a bolt of energy shot from my hand and struck a stone in the yard I had been loosely aiming at. The stone parked and dirty fountained up from where the bolt had hit, slightly off-center of the object. I rushed excitedly over to the spot. I saw what appeared to be black scorch marks on the rock. “It was so easy.” I said aloud. My voice filled with excitement as I raised both of my hands up in front of me. I examined them in fascination. “Why have I never heard about this before?” I asked Rhetorically.

A small voice answered her. “Because when the unexplained happens, or you get that cold feeling in the one place. There is a deep understanding in all humanity, that there is something far older than us here. That it doesn’t care about us particularly and could kill us or leave us at its own whim. So humans look the other way consciously or unconsciously. You pretend that it's not there and that you are safe.” I saw the small pixie hovering. “That's where the hunters come in.”

“We stop bad things?” I asked in a small voice.

“Yes, you do. We tell them it isn’t real, that it's safe while telling them to not screw around with the weird, to ignore the creepy lights in the sky, and to lock up at night and not to be fucking stupid.” Lacie’s voice was calm, soft, and creepy as hell. For some reason, I found my mouth had gone dry. “In a modern sense, you don’t talk about Fightclub.” I found myself nodding at the pixie's words. “Ready to practice some more spells?” For the next hour, I found myself casting spells then resting and casting again.

“Lacie,” I finally asked. “What can I tell my friends?” I was thinking of Luke and Caroline.

The pixie flew around me in what appeared to be deep thought. “There is no rule that you can’t tell anyone.” But she sighed. “Either they will believe you or they won’t. Some may seek out the strange and unusual and die of it and others won’t.” She patted the young girl on the cheek. “Most hunters find themselves with few normal friends but maybe you will be the exception.”

I laughed bitterly. “For now I will have to be, I don’t know any other hunters.”

X X X

That night my dreams were troubled. I saw myself battling through the halls of the Texson Methodist Hospital; creatures popped out of the patients' rooms or road on the shoulders of staff and patients alike attacking me. I threw bolts of energy around but all too soon I was overwhelmed and born down to the ground by the monsters. Dream after a horrid dream I found I could not wake, I think I must have found hundreds if not thousands of ways to die as a hunter.

When I finally woke and drug my poor abused body out of bed I sighed. “Was it all just a bad dream?” I asked aloud. I looked in the mirror then, I saw myself but I sensed senses small differences, things I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Were my eyes brighter, clearer? What was I seeing?

At least getting dressed for school was easy. “The school uniform can’t exactly help my charisma.” I snorted as I looked at the gray plaid dress, knee-length black socks, and white top and sighed.

”You know throwing on some makeup would help,” I turned quickly when I heard Lacie’s voice. I was relieved she was real and not just a part of a dream. “or seek a boyfriend in japan I hear the dirty old men go for that sort of thing…” “Come to think of it I think that goes for the dirty young men too.” Then she had to ruin it.

“I thought you were done with helping me last night,” I said, my real thoughts were that I may not have been insane after all.

The pixie flew around examining my room. The furniture was handed down. The twin bed had been lovingly refinished. The dresser was neat and tidy with only a few bottles on top next to the small jewelry box I owned. The room was worn but comfortable and on the small side. The room reflected the changing tastes of a teenager on the cusp of adulthood. The desk held my books for school while the nightstand held a novel I had been told was fantastic. “Hey, Lacie is Twilight real?”

“The book? No thank the library. vampires don’t sparkle.” She said musingly.” Though they can walk about in the day time if they chose. Their powers are diminished, however.”

There came a knock on my door. “Hey sis, get the lead out mom wants to make sure we get to the bus on time.” Looking at the time I found that I was indeed running late something I almost never did. I was always reminded of her dad's words. Being late was the prerogative of the rich and lazy. Soon I had a breakfast burrito and found myself waiting at the bus stop. Vincent had left already to the middle school and so I found myself waiting on the corner perusing my attributes and spells, wondering when I might get the opportunity to use them.

I pursed my lips as I saw the first spell and I decided to try to cast it. Something left me, the energy, I found it hard to describe. Then she felt it she thought about what she felt around her and realized it was almost like sonar, then she remembered that when you used sonar the enemy could hear your signal just as well as you could. “There's so much I don’t know about hunting.” She said aloud.

“And that's why I’m here”. Lacie replied. “It is my pleasure to train you.” The teenager sighed as she felt a bit of dread washing over her.

“Where do we get started?”

“First we establish baselines for your spells.” The small pixie said. “We can do that after school.”

“Thanks, I guess.” I sighed. “ I never realized how hard it was to be charismatic. How do popular girls do it?”

The small pixie muttered semi-audibly. “On their knees.” Then she smiled at me brightly. All the I could think was at least she was being nice to me for now, sort of.

All to soon the bus pulled to a stop and I got on and headed to the middle of the bus to blend in. As the bus rumbled down the road I glanced out of the window and saw the roaming gnome standing just in some bushes across the road from the bus stop. I could have sworn it had a scowl on its face, but far too soon it was gone from my sight.