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Chosen
Half-Bred Prison Series
Jen L. Grey
Chapter One
There was something about being lectured by Dad that made it worse than anyone else.
“That’s the importance of the prison. The impure are a menace to our society.” Dad was pacing in front of the dining room table where Mom and I were sitting. His dark brown eyes somehow seemed even darker when he spoke of the half-breeds.
“David, please calm down.” Mom stabbed her fork at the chicken casserole she’d made and sighed. “You don’t have to convince us. We know and support you wholeheartedly.” Her shoulders sagged, and she lowered her head, letting her strawberry blonde hair fall forward.
“I know, but damn, Cheryl.” He stopped in his tracks and threw both hands up in front of his chest. “All these sympathizers are sprouting up everywhere, and a few are even guards in the prison. That’s dangerous.”
Dad always complained about sympathizers of the hybrids out in the supernatural world, but it’s apparently getting worse. The thing was, if our leaders had told the truth about why those nasty half-breeds were so dangerous, people might have sung a different tune. It’s a secret that only a few at the top knew, and if it got out now, it would devastate our little supernatural world. Few knew they were actually stronger than us, and that’s why the prison had been spelled so no magic could work inside. “But if the truth was told…”
“Now, Aaron, stop that right now.” Mom’s blue eyes widened and she threw her fork on the table. “You know that can’t happen because that would let them know what they were capable of. If you keep that up, we’ll have to wipe your memory.”
“Stupid humans are the ones who say, ‘The truth will set you free.’” Dad dropped his hands and shook his head. “That’s bullshit. The truth can change lives and empower the damn tainted. They aren’t good enough to lead us, and I’ll be damned if they start now.”
Crap, I hadn’t thought of the repercussions. There was no way in hell I’d listen to a hybrid; they may be stronger than us, but definitely not as smart. Honestly, they aren’t supposed to exist at all, and that’s why we have hunters tracking down the few in existence. Then, our law enforcement searches for their parents. It’s against the law to interbreed, which is punishable by death. You’d think that would be a deterrent enough.
“You’ll see what they are really like when you begin next week.” Dad plopped down in his seat and grabbed a glass of water. “I’m counting on you to help me rein all this shit in.”
I was both excited and nervous about becoming a hunter and guard for the prison, but now that I was twenty and had no life direction, my parents intervened, and here I was, following in my father’s footsteps. Footsteps I wasn’t sure I wanted. That was the problem; nothing seemed to call to me even if I agreed with the Elite Pure-Breeds that ran our community.
For some reason, I lacked the passion dad and mom had for carrying out the law, but hell; the pay was good, and I could finally get my own place here in New Orleans. The rent down here was fucking ridiculous, and I itched for freedom. “Of course.” It drove my parents crazy because I was a man of few words. I’d learned from all of the interrogation stories Dad had told that the more words you use, the more fucked you became. That KISS acronym was my golden rule; Keep It Simple Stupid.
“I’m just glad to see you move in some sort of positive direction.” Mom took a small bite of the casserole and chewed. “You’re following your father’s path, and it’s one of the most important positions that someone can have. There are others who would kill for this opportunity.”
Unfortunately, that wasn’t an exaggeration. Mom was a prosecutor for the Elites due to her ability to read essences. She could tell immediately if someone was guilty or not, and it helped her with case strategy. She’d had to try someone for killing a guard recruit hoping to fill their spot a time or two. Getting in was a prestigious honor and one that opened many doors. “Yeah, I know. Just worried people won’t think I earned the right.”
“You can tell them to come talk to me.” Dad grabbed his fork and pointed it in my direction. “I’ll set the record straight. You had the highest marks in the testing; even higher than mine.” Dad’s mouth spread into a grin at that. “It shows we’ve taught you well.”
Of course it wasn’t due to my intelligence, aptitude, or abilities. Why even try when it doesn’t matter at the end of the day? It’s not like I was one of the few who could track essences, which made me useful both in and out of the prison. Of course, it had to be due to my Dad’s rare abilities of controlling the elements. I tried to focus on the taste of crumbled crackers, mayonnaise, and chicken but couldn’t get my appetite back. I grabbed my glass of water and tried to swallow the lump down.
“You both probably should go to the shooting range this weekend to brush up. We don’t need Aaron misfiring and shooting the wrong person.” Mom finished the last little bit on her plate and wiped her mouth with her napkin.
“That’s actually a great idea.” Dad leaned back in his seat and smiled. “It’s been a while since I’ve even gone to the range. It can be a father son outing.”
That sounded like Hell on Earth, but I knew better than to say that out loud, so I just nodded my
