The Beginning: A Jade Rivera Story
By: Faith Adeline

Shapeshifters can take the form of any animal with ease. Skinwalkers can take the form of any human. Some beings are both a shapeshift, and a skinwalker; their bodies able to take any form at the drop of a dime. That's what I was currently hunting. Legend said shapeshifters and skinwalkers descended from those cursed by Native Americans for killing animals for sport, giving them the chance to see how it feels to be the prey they hunted. No one knew if that was true, and I didn't care. All I knew was that the one who'd broken into a single woman's house on Rose Drive shouldn't have been there, because shapeshifters weren't allowed in the territory-alpha's rule. There weren't that many of them, so they just stuck together.

They're also fairly easy to detain, once they stop changing forms. But, that usually never happens. Therefore, they're a bitch and a half to hunt down. Lucky me...

I cocked my shotgun, my heart beating wildly in my chest. This was the last time I took a job from Phillip. I was sick of him giving me cases where the likelihood of my survival went down with each new "job". Testing me to my limits, I thought. He's such a fucking liar. Probably just wants my ass dead.

"What is that thing?" The woman screamed.

I glanced to the side of the wooden beam we were standing behind, wondering how I'd explain a rogue shifter to a civilian. Finally, I opted for, "Nothing to worry about, ma'am."

"Nothing to worry about?" She screeched. "That...that thing changed from a stray cat to a wolf right in front of me!"

I paused. Maybe I could just tell her she was crazy...no. That wouldn't go well with the Bureau. Not that I really cared what they thought. But being on their good side was a hell of a lot easier than being on their bad side. "Ma'am, just stay calm."

"Stay calm? Oh sure, I'll stay calm while that creature rips us apart! Sure, why not?" She giggled hysterically.

Hmm...maybe I could use the crazy excuse. Brushing the thought aside, I focused on the situation at hand. I peered around the corner, my eyes meeting the shifter's. Intelligence shown behind those eyes, along with pure animal instinct. I took a deep breath, listening to the heartbeat of the woman beside me and the wolf. Cool...calm...collected. My own heart slowed, and I could feel my powers slowly creep up underneath my skin.

The shifter growled, inching forward. I held the shotgun out, stopping the shifter in its tracks. Before I could shout, its shape started to turn-beginning to form a new animal. The woman behind me fainted, crumpling to the floor. And that's why civilians stay safely in the dark, I thought, stepping back as a large hawk flew over my head.

"I hate my job," I muttered. Not that there was much else I could do. Working nine to five at some office desk would probably be disastrous to the lives of those around me. I crouched down on a knee, pointing the shotgun at the hawk. "Stay still!" I exclaimed.

Didn't work. Not that I really expected it to, but hey, one can wish. It flew up the basement stairs. I groaned, checking to make sure the woman was okay before running up after it. The hawk flew around the living room, searching for a way out. I laughed, watching it bump into the closed door and windows. "Hah! Where ya gonna run to now?"

It lunged at me, heading towards the kitchen. I shot at it, managing to clip its left wing. It fell, bombarding to the floor. I walked towards it, aiming my gun. "Change back, or risk another bullet, and this time it won't just be a wing I shoot."

It let out a sort of whine, its body stretching and convulsing. I watched with a sort of horrid fascination as the small body of a hawk turned into that of a young man, his body bare and full of sweat. He inhaled and exhaled, cradling his bleeding shoulder. I stepped over him, my gun pointed down at him. He peered up at me, his eyes a warm amber-the color all shifters had. "Please, don't," he whispered.

I didn't move, I'd dealt with enough shifters to know they liked to lie; it's one of their favorite past-times. "Care to tell me why you broke into this house? In this city? You should know that the alpha here doesn't allow shifters to stay in their territory."

"I needed rest...food. I don't mean any harm."

"Hmm, too bad I don't really believe you."

He growled, his eyes shifting to a deep black-like that of a shark. He stood, his bangs falling in front of one eye. I held the shotgun level with his head, my eyes narrowed. He laughed, the sound seemingly wrapping across my neck, squeezing tightly. "Fine...you got me." He cracked his neck, dropping his now red coated hand from his wounded shoulder.

"Why are you here?" I asked again. I hated asking questions first. I really just wanted to shoot him.

His hair started to grow, his figure changing to that of a woman's. My eyes widened as soon as the woman from downstairs stood directly in front of me, a sneer on her face. "What can I say?" The shifter said in her voice. "I've come to like this body, this life. I'm sick and tired of having to change shapes, hide myself in the shadows."

"So...what? You plan on just taking over her life? Becoming who she is?" Well...that wasn't fucked up.

"Can't you tell? Are you really that dense, reaper? I already am here. I have been, for quite some time."

I was about to reply, when I heard footsteps coming from the basement stairs, the woman emerging from the doorway. She looked at me and grinned, her hair darkening and eyes turning to a warm amber. She, like the male had been, was naked. Two skinwalkers? Well...just lovely. "Aren't you two just a happy family?" I muttered. "Doesn't it bother you that he's...oh, I don't know...wearing the skin of a woman?"

She licked her lips, swinging a hand around the man...woman...whatever it was. "Doesn't matter to me," she whispered, laying her head on his (or her) shoulder.

"That's just dandy. Now, tell me, where is the woman who lived here?"

"She's gone now," the blonde answered, changing back (thankfully) to his original form. Or was it his original form? I didn't really know. "We got hungry," he added after a couple moments.

I fought back a gag, the shotgun wavering. "That's disgusting."

"Her bones are in the kitchen, if you'd like them." The woman told me, smiling gleefully.

"You know what I'd like?" I began. Before I could finish, a very witty comeback already formed in my mind, they rushed me. I dropped to the floor, flipping the man over my back and cracking the bones near her knee with the butt of the shotgun. She fell to the floor, her knee busted open. She let out a cry, cradling her leg to her chest. Blood pooled on the floor.

He knocked me down, hitting me rather forcefully in the chest. Guess he didn't appreciate her wound like I had. His topaz eyes sparkled maliciously as he reared back, ready to lay a punch to my face. Before he could get even two inches to my face, I kneed him, my pants meeting his genitals with a sickening crunch.

He dropped to the floor beside her, only he wasn't cradling his knee, he was cradling...well, yeah. I stood, noticing a small line of blood falling down my chin. When had that happened? Who cares, focus on the job. "Give me two good reasons why I shouldn't shoot you both, right here."

"Go to hell," he spat.

She didn't say a word, choosing to plead with me with her eyes. I didn't buy it. Like I said, they were damn good liars. I raised my shotgun, cocking it once, and then again. I sighed, looking at their bodies, the bullet in between their eyes. I was gonna have a hard time explaining the situation to the Bureau but...they had been resisting. I chuckled, walking into the kitchen to see if-oh yeah. There they were. The rest of Miss Miller. Rotting away in the kitchen sink. I wanted to gag, but my powers rose-licking at the scent of death like a cat to warm milk. I grimaced and walked out of the room, trying to push the "other me" as I referred to it, down enough that I could finish my job.

...

"Jade...what am I going to do with you?" Bossman asked, digging up the needed paperwork to explain away the deaths of the skinwalkers. He dug out a pen, looking at me steadily. "I believe when you left, I told you to reprimand them. Not kill them."

I laughed, standing up. "Listen...you tell me a lot of things. When do I ever listen?"

He rolled his eyes, gesturing for me to seat. Clearly, we weren't done. "You need to learn to follow-"

I put my hands on his desk, staring at him with my ice blue eyes. I watched as he inched back, not wanting to get too close. He was human, it was only natural. "Listen to me," I instructed, "and listen good. You hired me to find the creatures your people couldn't fight. The ones they don't have the knowledge to fight. Unless you want me to walk out of here and not look back, because I can, you better shut up and let me do my job the way I'm going to. I'm the one who knows how to deal, and when to kill, these beings. You're human. You could never even dream to know what I know." I stopped, pausing a moment. "Some would give you the worst nightmares of your life. The only reason I took this job, is so I can kill what I need to with no questions asked. So I can cross state lines if the need arises for me to do so."

I leaned even closer, my eyes narrowing. "And I want a team. I want people to help me, to take cases I can't."

He swallowed. "Fine. But only if you give me a little more respect."

I grinned, moving back-catching the relief in his eyes. "I'll give you respect when you earn it, how's that, Bossman?"

He sighed. "I suppose it's the best I'll get from you...about your team...I believe I have three recruits you'll like."

I arched an eyebrow. "You've actually been looking?"

"Told you I would." He set three files down on the desk, waiting for me to take them.

I picked them up, paging through them. He talked as I glanced.

"Aaron Hartman, werewolf, twenty-six years old. He was in the service, but dropped out when-"

"His unfortunate disease sprung up?" I finished for him.

Bossman nodded his head. "Guess you could say that. He's good, proficient. Next is Tori Hallfield. She's a-"

"Witch. You know, they don't actually fly brooms? Well, unless they charm it. Then I suppose they could." He gave me a look, silently telling me to shut up. I mimicked zipping my mouth shut and said, "Sorry, keep going."

"Anyways...her parents died when she was three, killed in a house fire. She's interesting because she's rumored to be quite powerful. Apparently she lived in a boarding school in England after her parents' death. One night, there was a fire, similar to the one that killed her parents. All the doors were locked, and the fire started directly in front of the girl's dormitory. But each child made it out alright, Tori supposedly leading them out safely."

"Hmm, hero-girl. I like her." I opened the last file, my mouth dropping. "Prue," I whispered.

Bossman looked at me. "You know her?"

"Uh...yeah. You could say that. She's...a friend of a friend." That was a big stinking lie, sorta, but he didn't need to know that.

"Then you know she's one of the..." He trailed off, unsure how to say it.

"She's a vamp. Fangs and all. Don't get so serious."

"I just assumed, because of your condition-"

"It's not a condition, and I'm not even going to be a vampire when I die. Similar, but not a vampire. Now, keep going." I told him strongly, brushing aside talk of my impending doom. It just seemed to put a damper on the mood of the room.

"Of course. We want her simply because she knew the current Master of our city. She'll know how things work, things like that."

"How did you learn she knew Phi-the master." I smiled, trying to get him to ignore my little...bluster. I'd promised Phillip I wouldn't spill the beans on his identity when I joined the Bureau, seeing as how he's in the public eye quite a bit and doesn't want his loyal fans to know. Vampire and other supernatural creatures are still trying to figure out if they even want to "come out". In my humble opinion, they shouldn't. But, that was just me. No one listens to me unless I'm threatening to kill them.

"Jade, if you know who the Master is, it would help us greatly-"

"Just answer the question, Bossman."

He shook his head, massaging his temple with two fingers. "She's been on our radar for quite some time. Since supernatural creatures have been...slipping up, letting us know they're out there, we've been watching for suspicious behavior. She caught our attention when she lived through being shot twice in the head, seemingly walking away without harm."

"And that led you to believe she knows the Master...how, exactly?"

"We've seen her meet with someone in strange places. We've merely put two and two together."

I nodded my head. They were right, yet so, so wrong. I dropped the files back on his desk. "Alright, Bossman, looks good to me. Get the ball rolling."

"Will do. And, Jade?"

I turned back around, waiting for him to continue.

"Good work today, even though you killed them."

I smirked. "Thanks, Bossman."

...

I sat at the counter, my mouth full of delicious chocolate cake (with vanilla ice cream on the side). "My God, this is amazingly good. They should...I dunno...find a way to sell this shit or something. They would dominate. Sally Fields be damned!"

Rachael chuckled, digging into her own cake and nodding. "I know! Unfortunately, I think they only want it to be a restaurant special."

"Hoggers." I finished up my food, having eaten two cheeseburgers and a container of fries before starting on the cake. I was a very hungry girl. Being "half dead" does that to ya. "So...Bossman is getting me my own team, finally."

Her eyes opened wide and she let her spoon clatter onto the dish. "Shut up! That's awesome, Jade! We should celebrate. Drinks and a movie tonight?"

"Sounds good to me. I could kill for a shot of whiskey."

She laughed, picking her spoon back up. Rachael was my best friend. We'd met in college, and instantly bonded. It helped that my powers loved her. She was a necromancer, always attracting the dead. We could both see spirits, but they were generally afraid of me. Mostly because they could see a glimpse of what I really am. And, I don't blame 'em. What lives inside me ain't pretty.

"Do you know who they're going to be?"

I snapped out of my thoughts. "Yeah. A werewolf, a witch, and a vampire."

"Oh my," she joked.

"Right. Aaron is the werewolf. He's...twenty-six, I think. Former military man. Had to quit cause of the whole werewolf thing. Personally, I think he should've stuck it out. I mean, changing into a wolf in front of enemy eyes? They would be scared shitless of us. Anyways. Tori is like...twenty-two. She's the witch. Pretty powerful little witch from what I gather."

"I wonder what kind. Earth or Blood magic."

"I'm assuming Earth. She sorta looks like a hippie."

She pointed her spoon at me. "Hey, looks can be deceiving. Do I look like a necromancer?"

I looked at her bright blonde hair and warm brown eyes. "That point is moot. I'd be able to tell what you were no matter what you looked like."

"Not the point," she sang.

"Doesn't matter," I sang back. "Now, shut up. Where was I?"

"I believe you left out with vampire."

"Ah. Prue. I actually know her. She's like...old. At least four-hundred."

"Wow."

"Mhm. She's was turned by Nervasa, the same vamp who turned Phillip."

Rachael shuddered, probably thinking of the tales I'd told her concerning Phillip's maker. She wasn't pretty either. Well, actually, she was quite beautiful. But the whole evil thing was really a turn off.

"So...yeah. That's my team."

"How...eclectic."

I shook my head in agreement. "Tell me again. But you know what, I think it'll be good. I could use the help. The humans where I work don't know what they're doing at all."

"They're humans, what do you expect? They just learned that the creatures that go bump in the night exists. And they only know ‘cause the government told them, because they’re noisy fuckers. I say we should sick rabid lycans at them and just...sit back and laugh."

Yeah...she didn't approve of our outage either.

"But, anyways. I think it'll be good for you too. So, what movie should we watch tonight?"

...

I sat back in my chair, actually twiddling my fucking thumbs. My desk was cluttered with papers, a laptop buried somewhere under there along with my cell phone. Humans buzzed around me, answering phones and trying to catch the evil in our town. Dumbasses. I was waiting to meet my team. They were all currently...thirty minutes late. "How is a vampire late?" I asked myself, throwing my head on my desk. Maybe I could beat myself into a stupor.

Then...all the chatting in the room stopped. I slowly sat up, my eyes glancing around the room. A man at least six-four stood along with a woman around five-nine and one around five-two at the doorway. I grinned, smelling the sweet scent of death instantly. "Aaron, Tori, and Prue!" I exclaimed, practically jumping out of my seat.

They looked at me, their eyes wary.

I noticed why. The humans were staring at them like they all had three heads. Humans weren't all that stupid. They could tell when someone just wasn't right. "Hey, chop-chop people!" I yelled. "Get back to work!"

My team made my way towards me, Tori in front of Aaron while Prue held up the flank.

"Why are we here?" She asked, looking around the room. She had short black hair and deep blue eyes. Her features were angular, her figure straight yet managing to still be curvy. Not many vampires pulled that one off.

My smile dropped. "They didn't tell you?"

"We were simple told to come meet a," she glanced at a card in her hand, "Jade Rivera."

"Yeah...that's me."

She stared at me. "Obviously."

I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, uh...how about we go in here?" I gestured towards Bossman's door, wanting to get the bottom of the situation. They followed me, each one quiet. I was beginning to get a little self conscious. Hadn't these people heard of talking? I tapped on the door, entering before he had the chance to reply. "What the hell is going on?" I demanded to know, all my cheerfulness gone. Now...I just wanted to shoot someone. Surprising, I know.

Bossman looked at me, then at the people behind me. "I'm...not sure what you're talking about, Jade."

"They don't know why they're here," I hissed.

"Well, you didn't expect me to tell them over the phone, did you?"

I groaned, clenching my fists and counting to ten. But, I couldn't stop it. My anger got the best of me. My power slid from my skin, finding the closest thing to death in the room, which happened to be Prue. She froze, not breathing. God...she smelled...delicious. Like...jasmine and cinnamon. An exotic, yet refreshing, scent.

"Reaper," Tori whispered, her eyes wide.

I gulped, not looking at anyone as I tried to slip the runaway power back into my skin. Finally, it unwrapped itself from Prue, slinking back towards me. "Sorry about that," I whispered, rubbing my arms.

"What just happened?" Bossman asked.

I ignored him. Instead, I opened the door and stepped out, sure they would follow me. As I walked back into the room, the talking stopped once more. I growled, making my way to an empty interrogation room. I held the door open, waiting 'til each person was in before shutting the door behind myself. "You were called here to work for me." I told them.

"And...what is it you do?" Tori asked quietly.

"I hunt. That's the easiest way to put it. I hunt, and the government pays me for hunting. I find evil, and I kill it. Simple as that."

"Yeah, simple." Aaron laughed.

"What do you need us for?" Prue asked, back to breathing. While vampires didn't need to, it was a habit. A way to keep the humans from suspecting.

"To help me. I can't take all the cases in our town, and the humans I work with are clueless. They know we exist, but they don't know much else."

"Would we get a gun?" Aaron asked.

I nodded my head.

He grinned. "I'm in."

I laughed softly, then looked at the two females in front of me. "I know I'm asking a lot. Every person here would know you're...not like them. But...the pay is good. And you're never bored."

"Are we to kill each supernatural creature we come across?" Tori asked me quietly.

"No. Only if they're a threat to others, and themselves. If you know they kill, and they hurt...you kill them before they can hurt anyone else."

"Sounds like the judgment of a vampire I know," Prue mused. "Tell me, how is Phillip?"

I smiled. "Annoying, as usual. But...good."

"I heard he was pals with a reaper. Never thought you would be so young. Only, what, twenty?"

"Twenty-one, actually." I replied.

She smirked. "Ah, a whole year older. So mature." She gave me one last look before nodding her head. "Alright. I'm in. Merely because I know it will piss out the High Council, and I have nothing better to do."

"I'll help too. I'll...join. Be part of the team." Tori told me.

I resisted the urge to clap my hands gleefully, instead settling for a wide grin. "Awesome. Well, let's go draw up papers and get you guys your badges and guns."

"I don't need a gun, sweetheart." Prue told me.

"Yeah, neither do I," I responded with a smile. I turned and walked back out the door, my team at my heels. Finally, the help I deserve. I thought as we walked.

This is gonna be one hell of a wild ride. And it's just the beginning.

A/N: This is a short story based off a novel I've been working on. Uhh, basically it explains how the main character gets together with her team and such. I'm not going to be posting the story for a while, but I wanted to give you guys a taste of what it's going to be like. Hope you enjoy it!
Faith