Dark Waters - Introduction

Amanda Alexander sat in her seat, flipping her pencil over and under her finger, as she looked downward. She heard the bell ring and immediately she began to get up. Unfortunately, though, her books weren’t where she thought they were and she went stumbling over the books.
Suddenly strong arms caught her and she expected it to be Mr. Himmler, their language arts teacher, but the voice that quickly followed wasn’t his.
"You ok? You should watch were you step. You could have seriously injured yourself," the deep, rich voice came from her right. Amanda laughs at his first words and when he next speaks his voice has a hint of a frown.
"What are you laughing at? You could have been hurt! Seriously!" he said, sounding very insulted. Instantly Amanda stopped laughing, for some reason she didn’t want to hurt this guy.
"I’m very sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you. I was laughing at your first words about watching where I step," she said and immediately felt a hand guiding her face until she heard a quiet gasp.
"Oh I’m so sorry!" he said as he saw who she was and that she was blind. He quickly backed away, "I’m so sorry I bothered you. I won’t again," he said and instantly he was gone. Amanda felt around in helpless shock as the late bell rung and she still couldn’t find her way out of the room.
"Oh there you are Amanda," Mrs. Fredrick was worried about you. Come on, lets help you to your class," Mr. Himmler’s voice rang out and oddly enough, it wasn’t as reassuring as usual. She wanted to hear a different voice.
"Yes… I’m fine Mr. Himmler," she murmured, wondering who the strange guy from earlier was.

Hunter looked across the room, his eyes landing on the gorgeous girl sitting in the back of the room. No one could see from that spot and he had always wondered why she had taken the spot. Now he knew why, she was blind. Her auburn hair framed a pale white face. She had eyes the color of the sea after a storm stared blindly out, full of emotion but seeing nothing. Her hair fell over shoulders, which were held straight, and proper, she obviously had a good upbringing. Her shirt was a burgundy color and had a small v cut at her throat where a small necklace with a blue and gold heart lay. She wore dark blue jeans with no holes in them, which was the style of the time.
Hunter wondered why he suddenly seemed attracted to the woman, who he had never really noticed before. The teacher walked over to the light switch and flicked it off and instantly the room was dark.
It only took Hunter’s eyes mere milliseconds to adjust to the sudden change in light; his eyes were made especially for low light situations, especially considering what he was. He stared over at her and suddenly unwanted thoughts of becoming her friend went through his mind.
No, you idiot. You can’t befriend a normal girl. Especially not the daughter of a billionaire! If she discovers what you are it would cause trouble! He shook his head a bit and sighed as he couldn’t get the thought of being her friend out of his mind.

After class was finished Hunter calmly stood and walked out of the room. He waited in the hallway quietly as he watched for the girl. As he watched the girl walked out with the help of their teacher and was lead to her locker. The teacher opened it quickly before turning and heading back into her classroom. Hunter frowned at the sight, wondering why she would leave a blind girl to fend for herself like that. Where he came from… if anyone couldn’t take care of themselves they died. However, in this place it was different. He sighed as his better judgment lost and he moved toward the girl.

Amanda felt around her locker, her hands skimming over the Braille markings as she looked for her language arts textbook which she had to take home with her. She knew by now that the teacher would be gone now that the whole school day was finished. But suddenly she felt a stirring in the air around her and she turned her head to the left, wondering who was there.
"I’m on your right," a deep tenor voice chuckles from her right and she turns her head toward him even though she can’t see.
"Need a bit of help?" he asks and Amanda nods lightly, "So who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

"My name’s Amanda Alexander. Who would you be?" Amanda asks politely as she pulls out her books and puts them into her backpack.
"Hunter Panthera," he says, chuckling. Amanda does a double take at the last name and looks over at where his voice was coming from.
"Hunter Panthera? The Panthera family who became famous for founding Panthera College?" She asks, stunned that she was meeting one of the family who had founded, built, funded, and ran the Panthera College for the Study of Animals.
"Yes, I’m surprised you’ve heard of my family. Most of the students here haven’t," he says, his voice once more hinting at the fact that he was frowning. She wondered why he would frown.
"Of course I’ve heard of your family! I love animals! I plan on studying at the college for my Degree of Veterinary Medicine. Though I don’t know if it’ll be easy considering I’m blind. But even if I’m blind I can still do things to help animals… or I can use the degree to teach others."

Hunter smiles at the wistfulness in the girl’s voice. If he could he’d do anything to get this girl her dream just because the girl’s voice. He wished he could fix her blindness, but of course he couldn’t.
"So where you born blind or was it acquired?" Hunter asks, watching her search for her books. Amanda smiles and replies calmly,
"I was born blind. But you get used to it. The only annoying thing is not being able to find your language arts book," Amanda sighs. Hunter quickly reaches in and grabs the book colored like his language arts and hands it to her.
"This the one?" He asks and hands her the book.
"Oh my god, thank you! This is the one!" she says and grabs the book. She carefully opens the book and runs her fingers over the pages.
"Thank you, Hunter," Amanda says. Immediately Hunter smiles, happy that he could do something for Amanda.

Suddenly Hunter feels a wave of weakness go through him and he curses.
"Sorry but I have to go, Amanda," he says and immediately leaves. Another shape shifter had gotten too close, almost forcing both of them to shift. What a stupid mistake. Obviously a young one. He looked behind him and caught sight of the leopard shape shifter at this school. The leopard grinned at him while approaching Amanda. He obviously meant her harm, it was in the way he walked, the way he glared at Hunter as if he hated Hunter for being near his ‘property’.
Hunter switches to predatory senses and literally prowls the school, moving between the crowds of people as he listens in on the leopard.
"Why hello, Amanda," the leopard says, his voice holding a grin. Amanda obviously jumped in surprise because Hunter heard books falling to the ground. He would punish the leopard just for causing her an inconvenience… but that wasn’t the point at the moment.
"Oh… Hello Alexon. Um… what are you doing here… right now?" she asks Alexon. Hunter was pleased by the note of sudden fear in her voice, it meant she knew that the man was dangerous.
Suddenly another thought went over him like cold water. He was dangerous as well… but he wouldn’t hurt an innocent. The leopard would.

As the school cleared out Hunter felt the need to go back and get the leopard away from Amanda. He drew his knife from its hidden compartment and flicks it open. He walks back toward the leopard and Amanda, hiding the knife behind his arm.

"Well hello Alexon. And what are you doing around here so late?"
Amanda shivers at the coldness in Hunter’s voice. She could clearly see him just from how he spoke. He would be standing there, glaring down Alexon, his eyes hard and cold with the fury that was clear in his voice. Alexon laughs,
"Well hello Hunter. I might ask the same of you. What are you doing around here during the day panther."
Amanda frowns at the words. Of course his last name was a lot like panther but… why would Alexon call him a panther. Suddenly she hears Hunter really growl.
"Get away from her leopard," Hunter snarls, stalking toward Alexon.
"Now why should I get away from her, Hunter? Is she yours?" Alexon asks, fingering a piece of Amanda’s hair, even though she cringes away from him.

That was it. Hunter couldn’t stand it anymore. He leaps at Alexon while changing forms quickly and easily. Instead of the normal, human Hunter Panthera attacking him it was now a huge black panther leaping at him. Alexon switched forms just as Hunter hit him and lashes his claws out across Hunter’s face. Hunter roars in rage before knocking Alexon onto his back. He crouches and leaps at Alexon but before he can get to him Alexon gets up and runs outside, switching forms just as he gets outside, stopping Hunter from following him.
Hunter changed forms, groaning at the sudden pain of the cuts on his face. He touched his face and felt hot blood under his fingers. Suddenly he remembers Amanda and turns to see her in the corner, her blind eyes flitting around, fear clear in them.
"Amanda… calm down. Your safe," Hunter says, wishing it was true. He walks over to her slowly and carefully, crouching in front of her.
"I won’t hurt you…" he murmurs and reaches out to touch her cheek, "Calm down Amanda."

Amanda shivers as she feels Hunter touch her cheek. She was still terrified of him but he was so gentle that for the moment she trusted him just a bit. Suddenly she remembers the sound of growling and fighting, obviously two large cats fighting.
"What are you?" Amanda asks, flinching away from him. Hunter gently takes his hand away from her face and kneels in front of her.
"I’m a shape shifter, and I promise not to hurt you, Amanda. I’ll leave you alone now…" Hunter says and stands up silently. He turns and leaves quickly, walking out into the sunlight, leaving the silent Amanda alone in the school.

Hunter walks into the bright rays of sunshine, wincing as it hits his sensitive eyes. For some reason he hated leaving Amanda. Cat instincts most likely, telling him to protect his property. But he could protect her by leaving, and so he left. Hunter starts sprinting as soon as he was away from the school. He ran to the lake on the other end of town and as soon as he was there he sat on the edge and stared into the dark waters. Hunter lightly tossed a stone into the water and watched as the surface rippled and churned. It had always seemed like an important lesson to him. You throw something into someone’s life and the surface of the water ripples and churns. Eventually it settles back into how it looked before. But the stone was still in the water… the lake forever changed.
Hunter curses as he realizes what a big mistake he made today. He should have stayed away from her in the beginning… But he’d stay away from her now. For good.