The Seeker
Jenna had spent all of her childhood in foster care. As an adult, she has been trying to locate her parents. Now that she is 25, she wants more than ever to know where she came from and who her parents were. She has always longed for a family, a real mom and dad and a home to go to.
Jenna has always had the sense that she was different, but no one has ever had answers for her. Though her childhood brought her through foster parents, Jenna always had a close friend in Thomas. Thomas and Jenna met in 2nd grade and were inseparable since. She isn't able to explain it, but she has always felt like she and Thomas had a special connection, as though she could sense where he was and what he was doing at times.
Lately, Jenna's dreams have become restless and she has slept less and less. She isn't sure if she is sleep deprived or not, but it feels like she has seen 'weird' things lately. On a particularly cold and windy fall night, Jenna falls asleep at her computer desk while looking at people connecting websites and adoption databases. The sleep she has is restless, and when Jenna wakes up she feels as though her eyes have been opened for the first time.
The world around her now seems more alive, as though she can feel every little current and wind moving through the air. Jenna looks around the room, her eyes resting on the computer again. For a moment she wonders about her parents, and suddenly an image of Colorado flashes through her mind. A bit surprised and confused about the image, Jenna decides it can't be just a fluke because she has been feeling so alert and alive lately. She calls Thomas and tells him she is coming over to his mother's house because they need to make a trip. Thomas begins to question her over the phone and ask how she knows where he is, but Jenna hangs up, quickly packs a bag and grabs her coat to leave.
When Jenna arrives she rings the door bell, grabbing Thomas by the arm. Thomas blushes a little and hugs Jenna, asking what is going on and why she is so anxious. She faintly feels like something is different about Thomas but shakes her head starting to tell him about her restless nights and the vision she had when thinking about her parents. Thomas brushes it off but Jenna shakes her head, urging him to come with her. Colorado is a lengthy drive from their home state of Nebraska and she wants to leave as soon as possible. Thomas finally agrees and the two pack some bags and head for the car.
Jenna tells Thomas more in the car about the weird feelings and visions she has had and how she feels different. Thomas is quiet and looks like he is thinking as she talks, but reaches for her hand, telling her that she isn't alone in being different. Jenna smiles and tells Thomas that she is glad he has always been there for her and that she is grateful for him and his friendship.
While they continue to travel to Colorado, Jenna and Thomas talk about their childhoods and the things they have been through. The two find they have even more in common than they thought and Jenna reminds him of memories they shared--including a camping trip in the woods where they thought a bear was in the forest and how Thomas got a stick to defend the both of them. The two laugh over the funny memories and Thomas grabs a hold of Jenna's hand, squeezing it tight and smiling at her. Jenna finds herself blushing this time and changes the subject back to the trip.
Once Jenna and Thomas make it to Colorado, they find a hotel and decide to get a couple of rooms. Once inside, they find that there is only one room left available and are told that it has two beds. The two accept and grab their bags to take them upstairs.
When they arrive in the room, Jenna and Thomas are both embarrassed to see there is only one bed. Jenna mentions it won't be bad if they put some pillows between them and that it isn't like they are attracted to each other anyway. Thomas agrees softly, sparking a little bit of sadness in Jenna and the two settle down on opposite edges of the bed while creating a pillow barrier between them. They awkwardly say good night and rest, Jenna having another restless night full of visions and strange dreams.
Jenna awakes in the middle of the night and another image flashes before her eyes: two people in black cloaks walking towards a large blue house. Jenna rushes out of the bed, looking at Thomas for a moment before grabbing her bags and getting dressed. She leaves the hotel room and the hotel, closing her eyes and trying to sense where the house is. An address flashes in her mind, 668 Faulkner Street, and Jenna stops by a convenience store to ask for directions.
Jenna begins making her way to the street, finding that it is only a few blocks away. She is surprised to see a blue house and runs up to the door, knocking furiously. The door opens and Jenna finds herself staring at a woman much like herself, with similar eyes and hair. The woman gasps and covers her mouth in shock, looking Jenna over before saying her name softly. Holding back tears, Jenna says she is looking for her parents and the woman embraces her, allowing her inside.
Once inside, Jenna sits with the woman and they begin to talk. She learns that her parents were too young when she was born and that the state seized her and put her into a foster care service. Jenna begins to ask her questions and finally mentions the visions and dreams she has been having. After staying silent for a moment, the woman tells her that she is a seeker, a human who is gifted with the ability to sense and locate magical creatures. Her mother tells her that both she and her father are seekers as well, and have dedicated much of their life to helping protect humans from magical creatures. Jenna's father soon arrives home and they are introduced and begin to talk.
Thrilled to finally have a family, Jenna accepts their offer for her to stay with them for a while. Thomas returns home. While she stays, Jenna's parents train her abilities as a seeker. She is more than willing to do anything for their approval and listens to whatever they ask of her- even when it begins to change her and her personality.
Eventually, their requests include helping them hunt down a family of vampires and slaughtering them. Once, she is recruited to hunt down and burn a young witch. Jena becomes more and more involved in dark behavior, which ultimately changes her demeanor. Before long, Jenna has become a cold-hearted individual who cares about nothing more than her parent's praise and killing magical creatures.
Eventually Jenna's parents tell her that her final task before she is officially classified as a seeker is to find and hunt down a magical creature by herself. Her parents intend to watch, but aren't allowed to help her this time.
Jenna accepts the task and leaves one night, using her skills to sense a creature close to the house. Jenna finds a werewolf in the woods and prepares herself to attack, aiming to kill it. However, to Jenna's surprise the werewolf doesn't attack back. As a result of its calm behavior, Jenna decides to taunt it, hoping for some sort of a fight. The werewolf shifts back and Jenna is shocked to find Thomas in front of her. She is unable to move as she stares at her best friend, remembering that she left him behind in the hotel room and after seeing her change right before his eyes, he had told her that he could no longer stand to see her like this and that he was returning home.
Thomas stares sadly at her for a moment before becoming angry and asking why she had never tried to contact her and why she left him to worry about her. Before Jenna can explain and apologize she is interrupted by her parents who order her to finish the job. Jenna shakes her head at the request, shocked again and unable to move as she tells them that he is her best friend and she can't harm him.
Her parents threaten her to finish the task again, or they will. Behind her, Thomas tells her that he has been spying on them, and her parents gave her up on purpose because they didn't want her. Thomas tells Jenna that once she met her parents, they realized that she, too, had the abilities of a seeker and that they could put her to good use for their own gain.
Jenna is conflicted about who to believe, but as her mother makes a move to hurt Thomas, Jenna strikes out in defense. Jenna angrily yells that Thomas was right, that she was left at the foster home as a young child and that they never were her family after all. She realizes she has spent her life looking for something that wasn't there. Jenna defends herself and Thomas from her parents as they make a getaway, quickly disappearing into the woods and finding a path back to the hotel.
Once back in the room, Jenna collapses against the bed in exhaustion and Thomas cleans off his face with a wet towel. The two sit in silence for a while and Jenna apologizes for leaving him alone to worry and for letting someone else come between who she really was a person. She realizes that her mother had been using her telepathic abilities to lure Jenna into their dark, twisted world.
Thomas places his hand on her shoulder as he sits beside her. He softly tells her that she always had a family--and that he has wanted for a while for her to really be part of his own. Looking up to question him, Jenna is quieted by Thomas' lips against her own. The two share a passionate kiss, admit their feelings and make love.
The next morning, the two begin the trip back to Nebraska. Thomas squeezes Jenna's hand as they drive and she smiles at him fondly, happy that she has found the love and security that she always wanted.
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1: Jenna has restless dreams and has had a rough childhood. She is looking for her real parents. She sees an image when she wakes up and she decides to take a trip.
Chapter 2: Jenna and Thomas share childhood memories and laugh during the road trip, spending time together. They get a hotel room and share an awkward moment.
Chapter 3: Jenna leaves in the middle of the night and finds her parents and learns the truth about her past and what she really is.
Chapter 4: Jenna trains with her parents in a plan to become a seeker and follow in their footsteps. She hunts various creatures and becomes a brutal killer.
Chapter 5: In order to complete her training, Jenna must kill a creature on her own. She finds she is supposed to kill a specific creature who turns out to be Thomas. She refuses to do so.
Chapter 6: Jenna and Thomas escape declare their feelings for each other and leave for home.
Characters
Jenna
Age: 25, a seeker. Dark hair, blue eyes.
Thomas
Age: 25, a werewolf. Brown hair and eyes.