“How was your day, honey?”
I looked up from the flash drive. My mom studied me, probably trying to figure out why I was staring at a flash drive.
I was a sixteen year old. I should’ve probably been staring at Playboy magazines. Instead, it was a single piece of old technology.
“It was alright. When is dad getting back?” I replied.
She scratched her head full of brown hair that seemed to be in a sloppy bun today.
“He should be here any second.” She said.
I sighed. Good. Maybe I could finally get rid of the thing that plagued me all day.
“Why do you have a flash drive?” she questioned and set down a bowl of spaghetti.
I peered into her green eyes, searching for any hint of suspicion. Nothing.
“Oh, it’s just something I have to show dad.” I replied. She shrugged.
“Okay, go wash up for dinner.” She commanded.

“Target in sight, approximately 500 yards away.” The soldier said, turning to his superior.
The man looked through the binoculars. The boy’s brown hair could be seen perfectly from their position. They could even catch a glimpse of his blue eyes as he looked back and forth from his parents at the dinner table.
“What do you want to be done?” the soldier asked.
The man huffed, “now we wait. He’ll have to eventually come out and when he does we’ll advance. And if he doesn’t we’ll think of something.”
The soldier nodded, standing down.
He looked through the binoculars again. The boy seemed to be nervous about something. Nervous or eager.

“You did what?”
I frowned. Dad wasn’t taking it as well as I thought he would.
“I stole the data away from them. They stole it from you!” I exclaimed.
His eyes flickered around the room as though someone was there.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Shane! You shouldn’t have gone anywhere near that place!” he snapped.
“But I had to get it back for you!”
“But now you could be in trouble!”
“But…”
“That’s enough, Shane. Go into your room so I can try to figure this out.” he snapped.
My chest pumped with fury. How could I be in trouble now? I was careful! I made sure there were no cameras! I made sure that no one saw me!
Why couldn’t he be grateful for once? Why was he always so angry with me? I tried my best to please him. I got good grades. I had great friends. I did all my chores.
So why did he hate me? Why was he always ashamed with me?
I pushed the door to my room open and collapsed onto my bed. I was exhausted. And apparently all for nothing.
I closed my eyes and let my thoughts drift away once again. I didn’t feel like getting worked up all over again.

My eyes snapped open. My heart beat as though I had run a marathon. I rubbed the back of my neck and took a deep breath.
The sweat caked the back of my neck and my throat felt as though it was swollen.
I got up from bed, needing to take a walk.
It was another one of the nightmares I’d been having for a few weeks now. The dream of being kidnapped and fed to the wolves.
I shook the picture out of my head. I couldn’t take it a second time tonight.
It was fairly easy to sneak out of the house for a walk since my parents were heavy sleepers so I did it weekly when I couldn’t fall asleep or didn’t want to.
Tonight was one of those nights.
I grabbed my coat and slipped it on over my shoulders. I always slept without a shirt so going outside without a coat wasn’t wise.
I was just about to grab a pair of pants when I heard a howl, very close to the house.
Maybe it was the neighbor’s stupid dog again. The stupid thing liked to pee in our yard.
I walked out of the house, searching the yard. No dog.
Where had the stupid thing gone to?
I made my way to the side of the house, near the bushes, where the dog usually liked to hide.
A branch snapped behind me and I spun around, my heart leaping. No one was there.
I released a breath that I’d been holding in fright. It must’ve just been my imagination taking over.
I crouched down again, staring into the bushes.

“Go, go, go! Before he goes back inside!” the man ordered the soldier.
He watched as the boy crouched down next to the bushes. His muscular figure paled in comparison to what it would become.
The soldier crept across the lawn, ordering troops left and right. They would surround the boy and he would grab him, shoving him into the bag.
It was a bit cliché, but it did the job. Especially for this job.

I was tackled to the ground and before I knew it, a man was on top of me, holding a bag over me.
“What the hell are you doing?” I snapped.
The man glared down at me, clearly ignoring my question. Whatever he was doing, he wasn’t going to achieve it.
I kicked out, catching the man in the jaw as he rose up to pull the bag over me.
The man fell onto his butt and I scrambled away, just barely making it away from him as another man descended down in front of me.
These guys weren’t messing around. For some reason, they were there for me. And they weren’t going to give up.
The man pulled me up by my ear. I yelped. What were they going to do to me?
I punched the man in the side, but the man brushed it off like it was nothing. His eyes met mine and rendered me defenseless. All the fight had been knocked out of me.
It was all over then. The man I had kicked pulled the bag over me and knocked me unconscious.
I was left with the question, what did they want with me? A teenage boy?

I sucked in a breath, my eyes opening. The first thing I noticed was that my hands were strapped down. The next thing I noticed was that I was in a dark room, strapped down in a metal chair.
I gasped. My dream was coming true! This was the same place in my dream!
“Let me out of here!” I shouted, hoping that someone would hear me.
What was I doing here? What did they want with me? Who wanted me?
“Relax, Shane. You’re in no danger.”
My stomach churned. That voice.
The man from the virtual gaming center, Mr. Vaan, stood in front of me. He was studying me. Studying every crevice of me there was. It was extremely uncomfortable.
“You? What are you doing with me?” I questioned. Mr. Vaan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
“You didn’t think that you could get out without being noticed, did you?” he replied.
I sat there, confused. What was he talking about?  What did that have to do with anything?
Your  blood…it’s perfect…” he said, sniffing the air.
My stomach churned. He wanted my blood?
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
He cackled, his brown eyes turning a glowing yellow. What the hell?
“I’m giving you a gift, Shane. I’ve picked you from thousands.” He said.
I struggled against the restraints put on my arms. I didn’t want to be there! I didn’t want him near me!
“I don’t want whatever you’re giving me! Stay away!” I shouted. Mr. Vaan crept closer to me, his eyes never leaving me.
“It’s already a done deal. You’re here and I’m not going to change my mind.” He said, softly.
I kicked out, warding him off. He was really freaking me out.
“I’m doing you a favor. Trust me, you’ll love it.” He said, stroking the side of my neck.
The hair on the back of my neck rose. This couldn’t be true! This had to be a dream! A nightmare!
“I knew that you’d be right as soon as I saw you stepping into the building.” He said, his voice brushing up against my neck.
“And how could you possibly know that?” I questioned, fighting off the fear in my voice.
He yanked my head to the right, pulling on my hair as he did so.
“Because of your blood of course. The sweet…sweet smell of it all. It tells me all I need to know about you.” He explained.
I tried turning my head, trying to get his hand off my neck. Unfortunately, he already had a powerful grip on it so none of it did any good.
“And how would you know what my blood smells like? Are you some sort of vampire worshipper?” I spat.
He spat, “Never! I would never worship those vile creatures!”
I raised a brow. I was being sarcastic. Did this guy actually believe there were vampires? Was he a nutcase? Was that why he kidnapped me?
He opened his mouth, his teeth growing. My blood froze. What the hell was going on here?
I watched as his head began to grow, hair growing all over his head. My heart stopped.
What was happening? What was he doing to me?
“Get away! Leave me alone!” I shrieked, as a nuzzle grew from his face.
He sneered, “you’ll thank me when you wake up, my young pupil.”
I yanked up, trying to pull out the restraints. My hands wouldn’t budge. Why wouldn’t they budge? Why did God punish me so?
A sharp pain erupted through my neck, spreading throughout my whole body. Instantly it felt like my body was burning. It felt like I had walked into a burning building and was standing there as my skin melted off my body.
I screamed, the shrill terror of it all making it worse. Tears streamed down my cheeks, probably drying up seconds later as it touched my skin.
The acid climbed up my esophagus from my stomach.
Finally, a minute later, the pain in my neck stopped. My eyes felt heavy as Mr. Vaan backed away. Blood spilled down his chin as he stared down at me.
“I will find you when the time is right, Shane. Make me proud.” He said, his voice deepening.
My vision was darkening around the edges. I wasn’t able to hold back the blackness as it swarmed over me. But one thought did occur to me before it fully reached me.
How did he know my name?
 

I rolled off my bed in a lazy heap. I was exhausted. The nightmare had taken a lot out of me this time.
I yawned as I stood up and walked into my bathroom. Time for a shower to wake me up before school.
I could tell Pierce and Ryan about what happened last night with my dad. I was sure that they’d want to hear what became of me after I’d seen them last. And I still wanted to know how it went.
I hadn’t been able to find them after the stunt they pulled in the virtual gaming center.
I exhaled, releasing a bunch of pressure from my back as the hot water hit my body. I could already feel the stress leaving my body and mind.
The water felt so good against my body that I had almost forgotten that I needed to get ready for school.
When I turned off the water, I was saddened. I didn’t know what it was about showers, but they made me feel in heaven.
I wiped the mirror with a washcloth and brushed my hair. I needed my haircut soon. My hair was almost past the back of my head. I hated when it reached that length. It was always so hard to take care of after that. I wondered if that was how girls felt.
I gasped as a stabbing pain prickled the back of my neck and stared into the mirror.
I dropped the brush and backed away. My heart cartwheeled. Four punctures on the back of my neck were barely visible as I gazed into the mirror.
The nightmare from last night wasn’t a nightmare. This had actually happened.
I backed into the wall. What had they done to me? Why had they brought me back to my house if they had tried so hard to kidnap me?
I thought back to the last words Mr. Vaan had said. I will find you when the time is right, Shane. Make me proud.
What did I do? They had clearly done something to me. The pain was too immense to not have been anything. And the guy had practically torn up my neck last night. Now there was barely any evidence.
“Shane, ten minutes until the bus comes!” My mom hollered.
I took a deep breath, calming myself. I couldn’t walk out there acting like this. My parents would think I went crazy overnight.
I wrapped the towel around my waist and walked into my room. I had made myself a promise. I would not tell my parents about anything that happened last night. They would just lock me up in an asylum if I told them some guy kidnapped me and bit me. Especially my father. He never believed anything I said. Or even cared to.

The wind felt wonderful on my skin as it whipped across my body. It was like the wind was knocking all the poisons from my body. Or awakening something inside of me. Something wonderful.
“Shane! How’d it go? Did you get the data?”
I turned around to face Ryan. His eyes perked up with the sight of me. He’d probably been worrying about my getting away.
“I got the data, but my dad wasn’t so happy about our meddling. He’s afraid that we’ll get in trouble for stealing his data back.” I grumbled.
Ryan frowned, “so he’s still gloomy, eh?”
“Yeah. I don’t think he’ll ever go back to the way he was. Not after what happened with his data. It’s like he doesn’t even trust me.” I said.
He patted me on the back, “it’ll be alright. Everything will be alright.”
My heart skipped a beat. Flashes of Mr. Vaan’s face filled my mind, blocking out all other thoughts. He’d said those words, hadn’t he?
“Shane? Shane, are you all right?”
I shook those thoughts out of my head. Ryan’s concerned face appeared instead.
“Ryan…I need to talk to you. I need to…I need your expertise.” I whispered.
Ryan tilted his head as if he didn’t comprehend, “what do you mean you need my expertise?”
I shook my head. It was stupid. How would I expect him to believe that some guy bit me last night? The same guy that appeared at the virtual gaming center.
“Never mind. It was stupid. You’ll never believe me.” I sighed.
Ryan shook his head, his brow furrowing, “no, tell me. Whatever it is, I’m sure that you have an explanation.”
I swallowed, “okay, but not here.”
He nodded as the bus pulled up.

“They kidnapped you and then bit you?”
I nodded. Hopefully it didn’t sound too crazy.
“Are you sure this wasn’t a dream?” Ryan replied.
I groaned, “of course I am! I wouldn’t want to sound crazy!”
Ryan shrugged, “then show me. Show me the bite marks on your neck.”
I pulled down the neck of my shirt and tilted my head. Ryan peered down, searching for any clues.
His nimble fingers brushed against my skin, oddly enough, feeling like he was tickling my neck with a feather.
“Shane, if this is a joke, I’m going to kill you.” He said, stepping away.
Did that mean he believed me? Did he know what attacked me?
“So what bit me, Ryan? And why are they almost gone?” I questioned.
Ryan’s pale skin glistened in the almost moonlight as he stared at me, his eyes furrowing.
“Well, if I had to put my finger on it…it looks like a wolf bite, but that’s impossible. Werewolves are made up! They are just monsters to scare kids.” He whispered, as though he was afraid someone would hear him.
But I didn’t think that was possible as I looked around the neighborhood. After five o’clock, everyone in the neighborhood seemed to disappear into their expensive homes.
Ryan and I lived in the rich suburbs, I only because of my dad’s inventions as a scientist. Ryan actually should’ve lived there. His grandfather started a very popular company that transported packages and food.
The streets were empty too. We’d been walking for about twenty minutes and not a single car had passed. Sure, it was odd in the rich suburbs to not have people driving by, wishing that they were living there, but I didn’t think anything of it.
“You’re kidding, right? A werewolf bit me?” I replied, though, my heart really wasn’t into it.
The memory of Mr. Vaan’s face morphing into a hairy dogface flickered across my mind. It also explained his biting my neck.
My heart leapt as I thought about something.
“Wait, does that mean he turned me into one of them? Am I a monster now?” I fretted.
Ryan’s face lowered, “if they let you go, I’m afraid so.”
My heart stopped as I peered down at my hands. Were these hands of a monster? Were they going to kill someone?
“It would explain the bite marks almost completely gone. Again, unless you’re messing….”
“I’m not lying to you!” I snapped.
Ryan held up his hands in surrender, “don’t hurt me Wolfie! I was just kidding.”
I clenched my jaw. This wasn’t the time to mess around! I was bitten by a beast and turned into a monster!
“There’s just one problem, Shane.”
I looked up. There was no sense of humor in his eyes. He was being serious.
“If you’ve been infected with the curse, then what are you going to do when the full moon comes in three days?” he asked.
I gulped. I hadn’t thought of that. Was that why Mr. Vaan had grabbed me as soon as possible? To see me in action during the full moon?
His words floated into my brain, “I will find you when the time is right, Shane. Make me proud.”
He wanted me to kill someone. I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t become a monster.
“Ryan, I need every book you have on werewolves. Everything you can think of.” I said.

I looked in the mirror. The bite mark was completely gone now. And I felt terrific.
It was terrifying. Ryan told me that was when the curse had reached every crook of my body; I would feel like a million bucks.
I searched for any changes in my body. Any more hair. Any signs of fangs growing out of my mouth. So far, nothing. I was relieved for that. Hopefully, the curse hadn’t worked on me. I knew that was reaching, but what else did I have to hope for?
When I was sure that nothing was going to grow out of me, I walked back into my room and returned to the computer.
I knew that most of the information I learned was probably wrong, but I didn’t know of anyone else who had dealt with this before. Movies and legends would have to do for now.
The one thing that kept popping out of the articles, was the need for somewhere to stay while the full moon was in the sky. How would I do this? How did I find a place to stay when the full moon was here? It was all so frustrating!
I stood up from my computer chair pacing back and forth. Rage scorched my heart. I clenched my jaw, holding back the urge to throw something.
All of the pressure was building up inside of me. It was like someone was holding the key to my freedom above me. Teasing me.
I took deep breaths like I’d learned from my mom. It always helped calm me down when something was bothering me. But not this time.
I dropped to the ground, wrapping my arms around my legs. I couldn’t resist the urge to destroy something as I dug my fingernails into the wooden floor.
What was going on? Why had they picked me?

The soldier watched through the binoculars as the boy leapt across the room, knocking over everything in his way.
Mr. Vaan would be pleased. He was surrendering to the infection. As long as he didn’t fight it, he would become one of them.
He would join the pack. He would be the new member they’d been needing.
The soldier picked up the phone, dialing.
“He succumbing to the infection.”
The soldier watched as the boy leapt out of the window, on all fours. Not bad for a newbie.
“We won’t have a problem getting him during the full moon. He’s rowdy enough as it is.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t stay inside the house any longer. I would destroy the rest of my room. Or hurt my parents. I couldn’t do that.
The anger was too much. I’d never felt anything like it before. It was as if someone had turned on a switch inside of me, releasing a whirlwind of anger.
I was always the calm one out of the group. Out of the grade. How would I control the anger if I’d never really felt it before?
I stopped running. A wonderful smell filled my nostrils. What was it?
I scanned the surrounding area. Just the woods. Hmm.
I started towards the woods, taking another whiff. The smell of the maple trees and fresh air.
I loved it. I loved the feeling of freedom I got as the wind swirled all around me. I loved the transformation at that moment.

I ducked, just as a red rubber ball flew past my head. The kid gawked at me as though I’d grown another two legs. Two legs out of my head.
I guess it was very different from normal. Usually, I was out within the first couple minutes of dodgeball. Ironically, usually from the kid in front of me. But not today.
I caught a ball aimed at my legs then threw the ball back as fast as I could at the kid.
He never stood a chance. The ball seemed to disappear as soon as I let it go. We only knew when the ball had hit him when he landed on the floor and gasped in pain.
I stopped breathing. The wave of adrenaline was suddenly gone. What had I just done?
The kid was lying on the floor clutching his stomach.
The game stopped as the gym teacher rushed over to the kid, asking him what was wrong.
Everyone gasped as his shirt was lifted. Bruises lined his ribs, as though he’d been hit by a car.
I backed away, tears filling my eyes. What had I done? What was coming over me?
I ran out of the gym as everyone gawked at me. I needed the bathroom.
I was becoming progressively worse. The infection was taking over my body and my mind. I couldn’t fight it. I didn’t have the strength.
Was that why he picked me? He knew that I couldn’t fight the infection?
“Shane, are you all right?”
I wiped tears away. Ryan and Pierce held my gaze.
“I can’t control it, Ryan. I can’t stop.” I mumbled.
Ryan turned to Pierce and whispered something I didn’t care to hear. Pierce nodded at me before leaving.
“We’ve got your back, Shane. Don’t worry about it.” Ryan said.
My chest pumped faster, the anger coursing through my veins again. What was making me so angry? Why did everything make me want to bite someone’s head off?
I turned away from him and clenched my jaw shut. How did I fight this? How would I get through tomorrow without killing someone?
“Shane, turn around. I know that you can fight this.” Ryan said, resting his hand on my shoulder.
Mr. Vaan’s face snapped into my mind. The memory of the night we stole the data back. When he tagged me.
I turned on Ryan, my teeth aching. I dropped to my knees, fighting back the urge to wipe the smirk off his face.
My chest felt like it was caving in on my lungs. It felt like the air had just disappeared. I gasped for air, opening my mouth.
“Shane, ignore your anger. Ignore their agenda. They want you to become one of them. Don’t.” he whispered in my ear.
I clenched my eyes shut, crawling into a ball. Ryan was my best friend. I couldn’t hurt him. He was trying to help me. He was trying to help save me.
Pain burst through my chest. I yelped, clawing at my shirt. What was happening to me?
I looked down at my chest in horror. A gap in my chest separated my ribs. Something that shouldn’t have been there. The gap was widening, my bones moving, but not without pain.
It felt as though someone was playing the crane machine inside my body, but kept missing and dropping the prize.
Ryan watched me in concern, his forehead lined with wrinkles.
“I know it hurts, Shane, but you must fight it. You can’t morph into someone they want you to. You can’t turn into the beast.” He said, pulling me off the floor.
“I can’t! It’s…so painful! I can’t breathe!” I forced through clenched teeth.
Ryan pushed me up against the wall, open your mouth and look in the mirror. Look at what they’re turning you into.”
I looked in the mirror and my stomach churned. My eyes. They were the same as Mr. Vaan’s. They were eyes of something I didn’t recognize. Something I didn’t want to be.
And my teeth. Fangs were growing out of my mouth, contorting my face. But the worst part of it all was the hair growing across my body. And the ears protruding from the top of my head.
My heart slowed as I closed my eyes and let myself fall into Ryan’s arms. I was exhausted. But one thing was on my mind.
I opened my eyes and studied his face. No worry. No fright.
“Who are you?” I asked, before slipping away.

 I woke up to Ryan’s face an inch above my own. My eyes widened in surprise.
Ryan smirked and backed away. I peered around. I’d never been wherever this was before.
The walls were stone, something I hadn’t seen before. Old furniture scattered the room, usually in bits. And the worst of it all, chains.
Chains were everywhere, attached to the walls. Chains for arms and legs.
“Where are we, Ryan?” I questioned.
“We’re underground, Shane. You’re in the basement of my guesthouse.” He frowned.
I moved to sit up, but was yanked back. I furrowed my brows, looking to my arms.
“You chained me to a bed?” I growled. The anger returned slightly.
Ryan shook his head at me, “don’t you try hurting me, Shane. This place is heavily armed.”
I yanked on the chains, unable to move a centimeter.
“Do you remember what happened at the school? Do you remember what you asked me?” he changed the subject.
My heart beat quickened. It was happening again. I closed my eyes.
“I’m not who you think I am. I’m a hunter. I was sent to protect you.” He started.
I opened my eyes. Sent to protect me? What was he talking about?
“Your parents are hunters too, and well…you were supposed to be one too.” He continued.
Stabbing pains returned to my chest. I clenched my jaw to keep from howling like an animal.
“But then a witch cursed you, your parents doing of course.”
I clenched my fists, fighting back the urge to lash out at Ryan.
“She made you the perfect candidate for all supernatural infections. Anyone would be attracted to you by the smell of your blood. Anyone could turn you into one of their monsters.”
I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I opened my mouth to hollow. But Ryan held a gun up to my throat, daring me to.
“As soon as you were born, your parents reported the curse to the hunters. It was decided that hunters were to surround you, to try and protect you from the supernatural until you could become a hunter. It seems that we failed.”
I howled, a part of my soul leaving my throat with the wail. It was irresistible.
Ryan shook his head, “I told you not to do that, Shane. Why did you disobey me? I thought we were friends.”
I yelped as my shoulders started to split apart, the tendons and bones ripping.
“Help me, Ryan. I can’t stop it.” I muttered.
Ryan sighed, “you should’ve listened to me when I told you to not howl. That only makes the transformation impossible to ignore.”
My head snapped forward, every bone in my neck morphing into something new.
I dropped my head to my chest, breathing hard. Ryan gasped.
“Oh, hell! They tagged you!” he spat.
I looked up at him, “what does that mean?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, “that means they know exactly where you are. That I gave you too much of a leash to walk with.”
I cried out as the bones in my back snapped.
“I need to leave. You need to leave, but I can’t set you loose like that.” He grumbled.
He paced back and forth, biting down on his lip. I fought the urge to howl again. But it was like fighting the vomit that tried coming up your throat. It would eventually come out.
“Did you even care about me then? Or was I just a job?” I asked, trying to keep from howling.
Ryan’s face softened, “Of course, I cared about you. Why else would I agree to go on that stupid mission of yours?”
A growl escaped my throat, sounding more inhuman by the second, “because you had to protect me.”
He sat down on the bed, a distance away from me.
“I grew up with you, Shane. You’re still my best friend. Sure, when I was first told what my job was, it was a chore. But it isn’t anymore. The witch was wrong. It isn’t only the supernaturals that are attracted to you like magnets. The regulars are too.” He explained.
Howling echoed throughout the place above us. My eyes met his.
“I’m sorry, Shane. I don’t have the time to get you out of here. Fight them. Get away from them if possible.” he said, before grabbing a gun and running out the door.
I howled, though, this one was different. Not in anger. It was loss of a friend. The loneliness swelling my heart.
My legs popped out of place, as though someone was dislocating them. I cried out again.
I understood why they called this a curse. The transformation was terrible.
“This is only the beginning, Shane. Everything goes uphill from here.”
I turned to face Mr. Vaan. He was in human form. I didn’t understand how that was possible.
His face was full of triumph. Probably due to the fact that he had succeeded in turning me into a beast.
“Look what they’ve done to you. And your friends. What kind of friends do you keep, Shane?” he said.
I closed my eyes, avoiding his gaze. I knew it was what he used to get me what he wanted me to do. To control me.
And his gentle voice was very persuasive too.
“Open your eyes, Shane. You know you want to go outside. To be free from these chains. The chains that your parents have been trapping you in since you were born.”
I opened my eyes in surprise.
“Yes, I know about your history. I know that you were supposed to be a hunter. To hunt our kind. Why do you think I wanted you to go back inside the building so bad?”
I gawked at him. Had he planned all of this out beforehand? Did he expect me to steal back the data?
“You planned all of this from the beginning, didn’t you?” I questioned, forgetting about the pain.
He nodded, “I knew that you would come for the data if I made it possible enough. I knew that as soon as you walked into the building your ‘hunter sense’ would kick in and you would want to leave. Why do you think I was waiting at the door? Or why I had spent that much time trying to get you to go back in?”
I grimaced as another bone snapped in half, this time in my face. Mr. Vaan’s smile grew.
“Don’t fight the transformation. Let go of those pesky humans restraints and join us. You must feel some loyalty to the man that created you.” He said.
I gritted my teeth. He was getting to me. My guard was slipping down. And it was all because I was stupid enough to fall into his trap.
“Let go of the regret and guilt and you can be free. I’ll let you go back to your parents. I’ll let you go back to school. All you have to do is let go.” He said, his eyes locking mine into place.
I nodded, letting my shoulders drop. The pressure that had been dropping my heart further and further was gone.
Mr. Vaan cackled, “I knew that you were perfect! I knew that you’d let it all go!”
He unlocked the chains, letting me drop to the ground. I closed my eyes and let the transformation take over.
I wanted to let go of everything. I wanted to please this man. The creature in front of me.
When I opened my eyes, everything was different. The room brightened. I could see further. Hear better.
Mr. Vaan stood in front of me, no longer in human form. His black hair covered every inch of his body.
“Let’s go. The others are waiting for us.” He told me. His voice was deeper, darker somehow.

When we stopped at the edge of the woods, Mr. Vaan stopped locking eyes with me, allowing for my mind to finally start up again. I wanted to get out of there. I wanted to leave the man behind and run for my house. I wanted to search for Ryan. But I didn’t.
Instead, my eyes caught the sight of the moon and a howl escaped me. The feeling of glee. A longer and louder howl than the others.
I couldn’t get my brain to work right. All of my human thoughts were dulled. The transformation was more than just letting go of my human body. It was also letting go of my human mind.
Mr. Vaan knew this, that’s why he hadn’t kept me in chains or had his pack manhandling me. I couldn’t believe how stupid I had been.
I thought I could’ve outsmarted him and left as soon as he released me, but my mind didn’t work like that. It was trapped inside of me. And I couldn’t turn back.
“C’mon out. He’s one of us now.” Mr. Vaan commanded.
I watched far away from my body as at least thirty werewolves appeared from the shadows, all staring at me.
They wanted to kill. They wanted to terrorize. All of them. I could feel it all because a part of me wanted to too.
“The newest part of our pack, Shane Roberts!” Mr. Vaan bellowed.
They all howled in unison, a bark of celebration. Something I didn’t want to join in on, but did. It was terrible.
I didn’t think I would ever break away from their control. That was, until my mind was blasted with images. Images of my parents. Of Ryan and Pierce. The kid that I’d hurt.
I dropped to my knees in pain. In sorrow. Another howl escaped my mouth, this one in obvious pain.
The pack turned to me in confusion.
I grabbed my head, trying to push all of those painful images out of my head.
My head throbbed with pain until I could feel tears skimming the top of my skin.
Mr. Vaan appeared in front of me, his eyes calculating.
“They’re getting to you, aren’t they? Well, two can play at that game.” He spat. He faced the pack.
Looks of anguish appeared on my parents’ faces like masks. I collapsed to the ground, dropping to my back.
“The hunters are trying to win him back. It’s time that we put our minds together and fight back.” Mr. Vaan hollered.
I clenched my eyes shut, feeling as my body loosened, returning to its original form. The pain almost started to cease. And then Mr. Vaan and his pack joined in.
Feelings of freedom, a sense of feeling wonderful worked its way into my head. Feelings of pleasure and happiness.
I twisted my head to the left, trying to ignore it all. The war inside of me was beginning to tear me apart. I couldn’t take much more.
So I sprinted away from the woods, only collapsing after I made it at the edge of the woods, heading for the suburbs.
I heard as the pack followed behind closely, under Mr. Vaan’s command. He had all of them wrapped around his finger. All of them under his control. That was what he did.
He almost had me. But then the hunters had saved me.
The feelings still irked me, sending my spine crawling. But I didn’t want to submit. I didn’t want to fall under his control again.
I risked a glance behind me. Mr. Vaan made his pack halt, staring at me through yellow slits.
“You’ll never survive without the guidance of a pack. You’ll be back in time. They always are.” He said loud enough for me to hear, even without my wolf form.
“I’m different. Hunter blood, remember?” I replied.
He laughed, “you don’t seriously believe that you’re the only hunter turned werewolf, do you? You’re just a number. Just a pawn in the war between the humans and the supernaturals. And once you realize that, the door will be open.”
I turned away from him, ignoring him. My parents would never use me as a pawn. They loved me. They would do anything to ensure I was safe.
 

I was thrown to the floor, a knife inches away from my throat. I gulped and searched for the person holding the blade.
“Dad? Dad, what are you doing?” I cried.
My dad glared down at me, his eyes glaring at me through slits. My mind raced. Ryan said that my parents were hunters. Did that mean they were going to kill me? Did they hate my guts?
“Shut up, you foul creature!” he snapped bringing the blade closer.
I held my hands up in surrender, “Dad, it’s me!”
He punched me in the stomach. The breath was knocked out of me and not necessarily from the punch.
“No, my son died four days ago!” he shouted. My voice box was stuck in the middle of my throat, paralyzed to the core.
“You will die for that! You will pay for what you have done to my son!” he yelled, jabbing the blade into my ribs.
I cried out, utterly afraid of my own father. What was he going to do?
“He was a good boy! Someone a father could take pride in and you ended him!” he yelled, jabbing me in the ribs again.
My muscles tightened, bracing for another attack. But I didn’t want to fight back. I didn’t want to fight my dad.
“Tom, let go of him! He’s still our son!”
My dad let go of me, turning to face my mom. Mom, my savior. I was never relieved enough to see her.
“He’s not! They took us away from him! This is just his shell!” He snapped, turning on me again.
I scrambled back. There was no way I wanted to go through that again.
“He’s just a boy, Tom! Our boy! Now stop terrorizing him!” my mom snapped back.
My dad turned on me again, his glare growing with more hate.
“He’s a killer! And he’ll kill both of us!” he spat.
My heart dropped. That was what my parents thought of me? A monster? Was that why Mr. Vaan was so willing to let me go last night?
“I swear, I haven’t killed anyone and I won’t! I’m still your son! I’m still the same boy that stole the data to please you!” I cried.
“How is that possible? Last night was the full moon!” he growled.
I held up my hands, “I don’t know. I thought that you guys had something to do with it.”
My dad’s face softened, not all the way, but he didn’t look like he wanted to kill me anymore.
“You need to explain everything that happened last night to us, okay?” My mom said.
I nodded, my eyes meeting hers. Her face still remained the motherly face I’d seen all my life.

“And then I climbed in through my window last night. I didn’t want to wake you. Plus, Ryan had just dropped the bomb about you being hunters. I thought you would kill me if I told you what happened.” I finished.
My parents stared at me with expressions of awe and confusion. I’d never seen them like this before. They always seemed to have answers.
“We didn’t send those images and I don’t know of anyone that could. It was a miracle that you didn’t kill anyone last night.” My dad said.
I gulped. What did that mean?
“What if he’s different because of the witch’s curse?” my mom suggested.
My dad seemed to think about this, “a werewolf that felt everything he did. That would be punishment enough.”
“If that is true, then I’m glad the witch put the curse on me. It saved me last night. I was trapped inside while that beast roamed around. I didn’t think I would ever be able to break out again, and then the images brought it all back to me.” I told them.
Both of them seemed to be in thought. I guess they had never heard of anything like this before.
My dad stood up, “we need to call a Hunter’s meeting. They’ll want to know about this all.”
My stomach churned. The thought of being in a room full of people like my parents terrified me. Surely, they would want to chop my head off.
I gulped.
“I’ll get the cross.” My mom said. I watched as she walked out of the room in worry.
I still hadn’t forgotten about the beating upstairs. My ribs were still healing.
My dad turned to me, “I can’t say that I’m sorry for what I did. My boy is still dead and you take his place. I won’t kill you. Not until you kill someone and then you’d better run for all your worth, because then I’m coming after you.”
The breath was knocked out of me. Had my father really just threatened to kill me?

I couldn’t stand it anymore! The amount of glares I was getting was unbelievable! The only two people that seemed even remotely friendly were my mom and Ryan.
You’d think that I had massacred the village or something.
“I’m gonna go for a walk. It’s not like you’ll talk about anything with me here.” I grumbled, standing up from the coach.
The tall man in the corner that had been standing guard glared at me, pointing his gun at me.
I sighed. I was still the same person! I wasn’t going to kill anyone!
“It’s alright, Jay. He’s right. Everyone is too afraid to talk about anything with a werewolf around.” My mom said.
I grimaced at the reference to me as being a werewolf. It was obvious she wasn’t comfortable with me being there either. Even if she was my mother.
“We can’t let him go by himself! He might go report back to his pack!” a man shouted from behind me.
It was the old man that had been giving me the death glares all day. Great.
“I’ll go with him.” Ryan said, standing up.
My dad glared at him, “don’t you think you’ve done enough?”
Ryan winced. I guess he was getting all the anger too.
Apparently, Hunter numbers were dwindling and they were expecting me to be something fantastic. But since Ryan had failed in his job to protect me, everyone was mad at him.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Roberts. I tried everything I could.” He apologized.
My dad’s fist shook in anger, “really, you told us about going to the gaming center? The place where the most powerful werewolf in the country was in control of?”
Tears welled in Ryan’s eyes, “I didn’t know that he was there. And it wasn’t like he was going to give up on it if I didn’t go.”
“Stop! Both of you!” My mom snapped.
She looked to me and I couldn’t help but notice the flicker of hate in her eyes.
“Jay, would you go with Ryan and Shane?” she asked.
The tall man nodded and my dad glared at me.
“That’s not Shane, Vanessa! That’s a monster!” he snapped.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. They both truly hated me. They wanted me dead. They believed I was dead.
My heart snapped in half. As I looked around the room, I recognized 90% of the people there. They had all been family friends and neighbors. I’d loved them all. They’d loved me. And now they hated me.
Why had I decided to go to the gaming center? To please my dad? He’d already made his mind up about me. He had hated me from the beginning. So what was it? The adventure? The curiosity? Or was it just that Mr. Vaan was drawing me near it?
I stormed out the door, wiping the tears that rushed out of my eyes, through every skin cell. A storm had brewed inside of me. A storm that took everything out of me. And now it was flooding, taking all of the emotions with it.
“Shane, wait up!”
Why was I alive? Why hadn’t the witch just killed me? Why couldn’t I have died as a baby?
“Shane, you’re going way too fast!”
What would happen if I took my life right now? My parents surely wouldn’t care. Both of them wanted me dead.
Maybe it would make everything better. Maybe losing my life would set the world right again.
And what would kill me? How could you kill something that completely healed within a few minutes?
My dad had tried hacking my head off with a knife. Perhaps I could find something sharp enough to do the job.
I scanned the area and spotted a sharp metal strip on the ground a few feet away.
I picked it up and stared at it for a minute. Did I really want to take my own life? Did I really want to leave this life?
I thought about it for about a second. Yes, I did. There was nothing to live for. Everyone wished I was dead anyway. So why not give it to them?
I ran the metal across my neck, pushing as hard as I could. But it was like cutting through wood with a plastic spoon.
I could feel the blood gushing down my neck, but it wasn’t enough. My head needed to be disconnected from my body.
I dropped the blade as the air ceased from my lungs. My eyes closed as I felt someone tackle me.
It was too late. I would die soon.

A woman stood in front of me. Her long wavy hair was over her shoulder. Her blonde hair and green eyes sparkled. The white behind her assured that.
Her hand brushed against my cheek.
“It’s not time for you to die. You have a destiny to fulfill.”
I shook my head, “I don’t want to go back. They all hate me. They want me dead.”
She forced a smile, “That’s why you must go back.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks, “please, don’t make me go back. I can’t handle it. I can’t handle the hate. I can’t handle living with them.”
She pushed my hair back, “then don’t, but you must go back. The world depends on it.”
I frowned. Why did it have to be me? Why couldn’t I have just been a normal boy?
“Because you’re specia'. Because He has chosen you to bring his people back together.”

I gazed around,dizzy and my mind illusive. Ryan stood off a few feet away, punching something. I looked around, my eyes still clearing. Jay laid on the ground, unconscious. What had happened?
I sensed movement to my right. A man in black gear picked me up, swinging me over his shoulder.
My brain told my body to do something. Anything. But it didn’t. I felt as I drifted away and didn’t have a second thought.

A man’s voice. Very near, full of urgency.
I opened my eyes. Three men in black peered down at me. Something told me they weren’t ordinary men.
I tried sitting up and earned a stabbing pain in my neck as I did. I gasped. One of the men rolled up his sleeve and put it in front of my face.
I gazed up at him, unsure of what he wanted me to do.
“Bite. It’ll heal you. I’m a vampire.” He said as if hearing my thoughts.
I shook my head. No blood. I promised myself that I would never hurt anyone.
“You won’t hurt me. Trust me, I’ve dealt with worse.” He said, pushing it up to my mouth.
My heart slowed, I started to drift off again. The man smacked me, keeping me awake.
“Stay awake or you’ll die,” he sighed, “now, bite.”
He pushed his arm closer to my mouth and urged me. I did what he said, and bit him, sucking up the blood as it entered my mouth. I felt as the skin on my neck began to stick together, tying themselves together.
“Okay, now let go. You’ve had enough.” He commanded.
I didn’t want to let go. I wanted to keep going. I know it sounds disgusting, but it rejuvenated me. It made me feel wonderful.
But I stopped and as soon as I did, the man pulled me up. His dark eyes glimmered in the moonlight.
“I thought werewolf bites kill vampires.” I said.
The man grinned, “not yours.”
I raised a brow. What did that mean?
“You’re the kid that Vaan bit, right?” he asked
I nodded.
“You’re what we call Ibrida. You’re a hybrid because of the curse the witch gave you.” He explained.
“But I was only bitten by Vaan.” I argued.
His smile grew, “but now you have drunk my blood. And you were a hunter before you were bitten.”
He was right. That meant I was a hybrid.
“And you’ve been having nightmares, haven’t you?” he continued.
I nodded slowly, thinking about the nightmare of being fed to the wolves. And then the nightmares where the cannibals tried eating me. I wasn’t sure what my subconscious had with the idea of something eating me. It’s kinda unsettling.
He chuckled as he watched me.
“Yes, I guess I have. But what does that have to do with anything?” I questioned.
“Those were visions, Shane. When the witch cursed you in your mother’s stomach, she gave you part of her powers.” He said.
My jaw dropped. That couldn’t be right!
“You were given these powers for a reason, Shane. You must unite the supernaturals and the naturals.” He said.
How was it everyone knew my name? And how did he know all this about me?
He rubbed the top of his head, his hands skimming across the little hair on his head.
“The witch warned the supernaturals about you. You’re a legend. You were a legend before you were born. Everyone knows your name because she told us. She also told us that there would be a day when we would have to save you. Today is that day.” he expounded.
Why did it feel like he was reading my mind?
“It’s a vampire thing. We hear thoughts, even if we don’t mean to. It’s kind of a constant thing.” He said.
I crossed my arms, “so you’ve been listening to every thought I’ve had?’
He nodded, “like I said, it isn’t on purpose.”
I sighed, finally taking in my surroundings. It looked like we were in the back of an ambulance.
I looked over at the two other men. They were watching me. With looks of amazement. Maybe the vampire was right. Maybe I was a legend among them.
The man held out his hand, “I’m Roy, by the way.”
I shook his hand and for the first time, didn’t feel in danger or hated.
“No one will harm you where we’re going.” He said.
I tried looking out the window, but it was too tinted. I guess they were afraid they were going to burst into flames if they had light shining on them.
“And where is that we’re going? And why did you take me in the first place?” I replied.
He rubbed the back of his neck, “We’re taking you to Headquarters, where all of the supernaturals live. And I already told you why we took you.”
“So if I wanted to leave, you’d let me go?” I asked, grabbing onto the door handle.
With one swipe of the leg, he knocked me onto the ground and held me there. I watched him in shock.
“I can’t do that. I have direct orders to bring you to Headquarters. I’m sorry.” He said.
I didn’t even try to fight him. It was clear he could tear me to pieces in a second before I could even think about throwing a punch. Quite literally since, he could hear my thoughts.
“I’m gonna let you up now, just don’t try to leave, please. I really don’t feel like chasing you down and dragging you back here.” He pleaded.
He pulled me up and smirked again. I shook my head. What was going on with him? And why was he always so smiley?
 

“We’re here! And it looks as though everyone is waiting for him!” a woman hollered from the front.
I turned my gaze to Roy. He opened the door and jumped out, waiting for me to follow.
“I have a feeling that there’s going to be a crowd. You may want to stay close to me.” he warned.
He didn’t have to tell me that twice. I was already tired of being the center of attention. I just wanted to be normal again.
Roy glanced at me with a look of sorrow.
“I understand how you feel. I was turned when I was thirteen. When my mom found out, she stabbed me with a wooden stake. Luckily, that myth wasn’t real. I lived, but my mom kicked me out. A few days later, a van pulled up. They brought me to Headquarters and explained everything that happened, what would happen.” He started.
“I thought that vampires don’t age.” I said.
He smirked, “pureblood vampires don’t age, but those of us who have gone through the infection do, but very slowly. Usually the infected live for five hundred years. Right now, I’m about eighty years old.”
My jaw dropped, again. He looked like he was seventeen!
“I told you we age slowly!” He laughed.
“So what else is wrong about vampires?” I asked, curious.
“Well, we didn’t burst into ashes if we walk in the sunlight. That myth was just something the humans made up to keep from crawling under their and crying like babies. We also don’t die from garlic. There was just one infected vampire that was allergic to garlic. Unless a vampire was allergic to garlic before they were turned, vampires don’t die from garlic.” He revealed.
“Wait, vampires have allergies? Like peanut butter?” I questioned.
He nodded, “I have hay fever. Still have to take my allergy pills every spring. Oh, and my buddy, Frank has asthma. My other buddy, Max is a diabetic. No sugar for him.”
I chuckled. Just the thought of a vampire having an asthma attack, searching for his inhaler as he was about to drink someone’s blood seemed funny to me.
“So you eat food then?” I asked.
“Of course, we just stay away from beverages. For some reason, it just doesn’t go well with us.” He said, walking into a crowd.
My eyes widened. It was like nothing I’d seen before. Elves, dwarves, vampires, witches on brooms, goblins, and gnomes gathered around us, clapping as we made our way through the crowd.
“Garden gnomes are actually magical being?” I exclaimed.
Roy patted me on the back, “this is just the beginning. Wait until you see the others.”
What others? I didn’t know of any other creatures! Well, except for pixies.
I listened as the crowd shouted.
“The Hybrid!”
“Oh, would you sign my back?”
“Can you actually lift things up with your mind?”
“Do you have a tail?”
I raised a brow and looked at Roy. He seemed to be enjoying himself.
“Why are all these creatures asking me strange questions?” I asked.
He cracked his knuckles as he pushed open a door.
“Part of it is in the prophecy. Part of it is speculation. I told you, you were a legend.” He explained.
I gasped as we walked into a new world. Something I had never, ever seen before. I thought that the virtual gaming center was cool, but it was nothing compared to this.
The place was literally on a floating ball, shaped like Jupiter and complete with a ring that went around it. Floating cars went around on the ring and houses lined up all over the surface of the ball.
“You guys literally live on a giant ball.” I said, amazed.
He laughed, “you like it?”
I nodded slowly. It was amazing. I’d only been there for a few minutes, but I already felt at home. I had the feeling Roy had something to do with that.
A thought popped into my head.
“Roy, if Vaan bit me and I felt loyal to him, then do I have some sort of connection with you too?” I asked.
He scanned the area then locked eyes with me.
“We can’t talk about that right now, but I promise you as soon as we get to my place I’ll explain everything.” He whispered.
I nodded, but why couldn’t we discuss that right now? I thought he said it was safe here.
“This is him? This is Ibrida?”
Roy nodded at the shortest man I’d ever seen before! He was so cute! It looked like someone had put a man with a bushy mustache and a baldhead in the washer and washed him until he shrunk.
I wanted to pick him up! He was only about the size of a box fan!
Roy smothered a laugh and turned away from the tiny man. The tiny man walked up to me holding out a hand.
I bent down and shook his head. His hand was only about the size of a baby’s!
“Pleased to meet you, Ibrida. We’ve been waiting for your arrival for seventeen years.” He said, his voice much deeper than I imagined it to be.
“And you…” I started.
The man bowed, “Thompson, but my friends call me Tiny Thom.”
I giggled. That was perfect!
“I’ll let Roy get ya to the meeting room, now. You’ll have a busy day ahead of you.” He said.
I turned to face Roy, whose face was so red from holding back laughter that it almost looked like he’d swallowed the sun.
“I wouldn’t make fun of Thompson. He has a lot of authority around here, though, it seems that he’s taken a liking to you.” He warned.
The room was humongous! You could fit three white houses in here and still have room for a few houses!
“This place was made two hundred years ago by the witches and wizards of old. Only a few remain alive today. It’s a rare thing to have nowadays. That’s why they were asking you some odd things. You were given some of the powers of the best witch ever seen before.” He told me.
He opened another door, just walking in. It was odd because this place looked like you should be knocking at every door. Someone important must’ve lived here at one point. 
“Right behind me.” Roy said, turning to face me.
A giant table stood in the middle of a marble stoned floor and glass walls. Thirteen chairs sat twelve people. Or creatures.
“Gnomes, goblins, pixies, vampires, wizards, elves, dwarves, boggarts, brownies, centaur, ghosts, and imps. Those are the twelve mythical creatures.” Roy said.
I furrowed my brows, “what about the werewolves?”
Roy’s face darkened, “they do not wish to associate themselves with us. Therefore, there are only twelve seats.”
The twelve stared at me, some in pure awe and others in happiness. What was going on with them?
“What am I doing here?” I asked.
A lean, pale figure of a man nodded, “you’re here mainly for us to greet you, but also to decide your fate.”
Roy held up a hand, “I can assure you all that this boy is nothing to be worried about. He does not wish to harm us.”
A tiny green woman, about the size of my finger crossed her arms, “so it’s decided then, the boy stays here until he’s done with training?”
What was she talking about? No one but Roy and the pale man had said anything.
“All in favor, raise your hand.” A dwarf with a bright, long red beard said.
I watched as eleven hands rose in unison, as if they’d already decided what to do with me beforehand.
How had they decided so quickly? From what I understood, I could hurt someone. Why didn’t they just kill me?
The ghost glared at me through transparent blue eyes. What did he have against me?
“This boy is capable of killing thousands of us if left alone! We should kill him before he does!” the ghost snapped.
I guess I knew how he felt about me.
Roy glared at the man, “He won’t! I’ve watched him in his transformation! He didn’t hurt anyone! He wouldn’t let himself! Heck, he even tried killing himself because he didn’t want to hurt anyone!”
“Enough, both of you! Ibrida will live here in the capital until he is trained and then he will lead us to our peace!” the centaur snapped, rubbing his beard and lifting one of his hooves.
The pixie turned to the ghost, “to calm your nerves, Gregory, we will have Roy with him at all times. He’s capable enough, aren’t you?”
Roy turned his gaze away from the ghost and nodded at the pixie, “I easily took him down earlier. I can take him if need be.”
The pale man nodded, “He will be staying with you then, Roy. Go on and show him where he will be sleeping.”
Roy grabbed ahold of my arm and pulled me out of the room without saying a word.
My mind was blown. Did I really have the power to murder thousands? Should I have gone through with killing myself so that the people and creatures of the world didn’t have to get hurt?
Roy turned on me, “Don’t listen to Gregory. He knew his boundaries and broke them. We need you, Shane. You are our savior.”
I sighed. I just didn’t know what to think anymore. I had gone from going to school in a small city to a magical city with mythical creatures.
“Who was the pale man? Was he a vampire?” I asked. Roy nodded.
“That was Alexander. He turned me when I was thirteen. A very good man.” He said.
“So he is in charge of you? Is that why you listen to him without question?” I questioned further.
He turned to me, “He is in charge of all of us vampires, but that is not why I listen to him without question. He saved my life many times and brought me here when he sensed I was in trouble.”
I watched as we passed many doors, short and tall. Passed many corridors of different colors and shapes.
“The reason Alexander turned me when I was thirteen wasn’t because he was hungry or wanted fun,” he sighed, “Vampires have the ability to tell when someone is close to death. I had cancer. Alexander knew that so he turned me, thinking that I could live with my mother without a problem. He didn’t foresee my mother turning me out onto the streets.”
That was sad. Extremely sad.
“I know that you want to be human again, but I don’t. Alexander didn’t foresee my mother turning me out to the streets because vampires don’t leave their own. Humans…they do.” He continued.
I frowned. That was a terrible view to have of the world.
“You know it’s true. You’ve seen it yourself. Your parents did the same to you. Your father tried to kill you and then when he realized you still had a human soul, he didn’t apologize. He didn’t care.” He told me, his eyes locking on mine again.
My heart cracked. He was right of course. And he knew he was right. He’d been around for about eighty years. I’d only been around for sixteen.
“And the hunters…they’re vicious. If I hadn’t come along to grab you, they would’ve killed you. I could hear it. They were already deciding to kill you. Your own parents and friends.” He finished.
I stopped. They had decided to kill me? They didn’t care that I didn’t kill anyone. They just wanted to kill another werewolf. They hated my guts. Especially my own parents.
Roy lifted my chin up, “you’re not just a werewolf, Shane. You’re a vampire and a wizard. You’re the one meant to bring us together.”
I nodded. That was what I kept hearing. The one to save everyone. The one that brought everyone together. The savior.
I didn’t want to be any of it. I just wanted to go home. I wanted to go to school. I wanted to pretend that I’d never been here before.
Roy pulled me into a hug, trying to get rid of my inner turmoil. I didn’t know if that was possible.
“I only told you those things so that you would understand the whole picture. I didn’t want to make you upset, okay? And even if your parents hate you, you have us. You have me. We…I will make sure that nothing happens to you. Even if it comes down to my own life.” he said, and pulled away.
I stared into his eyes. Yes, they were black, but they were full of soul. They were truthful. Something I hadn’t seen in a long time.
“I’ll stay here, Roy. I don’t have anything else to go back to, do I?” I replied. He released a breath. Apparently he wasn’t so sure if I’d actually stay with them.
“That’s good. That means I don’t have to lock you up.” He said.
I raised a brow. Silent communication between Alexander and him?
He opened a bright red door and turned on the lights.
Oddly enough, the room reminded me of my own back in the city. It had a desk with a computer, its own bathroom, a bed, a dresser.
I guess the supernatural bedrooms were the same as regular bedrooms.
The only thing was, everything was red. Except for the desk and computer.
“Is there a reason that everything is red?” I asked.
He sat down on the sofa at the end of the room.
“Each creature is assigned their own color. The vampires get red because…well…we drink blood.” He said.
“So if I had a color, what would I be?” I asked.
He scratched his ear, “well, I’m not sure. I guess you would be a mixture of the colors.”
I laid on the bed, tired of all this already. I wanted to know what was going on! I tried giving him a hint, but apparently he didn’t get it!
He got up and sat next to me, probably hearing my thoughts.
“Sorry, I just thought that I would never meet you. I was told that I would meet you a long time ago, but…” he trailed off.
How was he told about me a long time ago if I wasn’t even born yet?
He looked into my eyes, “you asked me if we had a connection because I gave you my blood. The answer to that would be yes. Vampires have sires, vampires that you feel loyal to. But there’s also something else. Something that only I knew about.”
And what could that be? And why was it so dangerous to have to wait to tell me?
“You must not tell anyone about this, even my being your sire. It could put both of us in danger and start an argument between the twelve creatures. Promise me.” he said, before continuing on.
I nodded. If Roy or I would get in trouble, I didn’t want to tell another soul. Roy was quickly becoming a good friend. Maybe something more.
“When I came here around seventy years ago, the witch, the one that cursed  you, came to my room. She told me that she’d had a vision, that a boy would come one day, a boy that I would save one day. A boy that would save the mystical world. She said that he and I would be connected in a way that no other being has ever been. That if you died, I could bring you back. Using my own life.” he said.
I frowned. Even just the thought of losing Roy made me want to crawl into a ball and cry. I didn’t want to lose him. I didn’t know if it was my loyalty to him because he was my sire or if it was just that he seemed to be growing into a father figure.
Roy’s eyes widened, “you mustn’t think that, Shane! You cannot be thinking about me! You must think about the world!”
I couldn’t help it. It was as if I was drawn to him through some sort of magical connection. Something that made me feel this way.
I knew it was stupid because I’d only met him that day, but I couldn’t help but feel that if he needed me, I would go across the world to save him.
“Stop it! Stop thinking that way!” He snapped, standing up.
I shrugged. I wasn’t sure of what else to do.
He sighed, “If I have to die you must let me. My only purpose is to save you, not the other way around. Your purpose is to unite all the creatures of Earth.”
I crossed my arms. I could think about the world and think about him too. It wasn’t as if I wouldn’t be saving the world if I saved him because he would save me.
He glared at me, “don’t be so technical! You know what I mean!”
“So who else knows about this?” I asked.
“Alexander and that’s it. I know that if I die, he’ll protect you just the same. I would trust him with my life.” he said.
I smirked. Who was thinking about other’s now?
Roy punched me in the arm, shaking his head with a playful scowl on his face. I guessed the discussion was over. He seemed to change subjects very quickly.
“Why don’t you tell me about the world? I haven’t actually joined it since I’ve been here.” He said.
I snorted as his eyes grew in anticipation. He reminded me of a big kid.
“I’m not that childish!” He protested.
I begged to differ. He threw a sock at me. I ducked, just before it nailed me in the nose.
“It’s on, now!” I said, taking off my socks.
His face morphed into a look of disgust, “don’t take off your filthy socks and throw them! They stink!”
I chuckled, “that’s the point!”

“Have you found out what happened?” the man asked, glaring at the soldier.
The soldier nodded, “according to the discussion on the inside, the vampires took him.”
The man snarled, knocking over the bookshelf. The soldier grimaced. He’d done his best. He hoped that was enough to stay alive.
“They’re going to try to train him. If they do that, we’ll never convert him! Send all of your forces to go intercept him! Now!” the man snapped.
The soldier nodded, scurrying out of the room as fast as he could. He didn’t want to be bitten like the other soldier.

Ryan sat in the chair, holding an ice pack up to his eye. He didn’t know that Mr. Roberts could punch that hard.
Of course, he knew that the Roberts were the best of them, but to nearly fracture his nose… that was just impossible.
“Did you hear why they wanted him?”
Ryan looked up. Mrs. Roberts’ hard gaze locked on him, keeping him in place.
“One of them said something about taking him to headquarters, but I’m not sure what that means.” He said, rubbing his head.
Mr. Roberts still glared at him through the window. Ryan felt bad because they’d locked him out of his house so they could interrogate them, but he was also relieved.
He didn’t feel like getting another punch to keep his eyes matching.
Mrs. Roberts gasped, “how could they? A hunter?”

“Get up!”
I yawned before Roy threw me out of bed Literally. He picked me up and threw me onto the floor. Before I could open my eyes.
Agitated, I stood up from the floor. He stood there, a grin on his face, mocking me.
I threw a glare at him. I was never a morning person. Never in a good mood when someone woke me up.
Roy snickered, “you’re going to have to get over that here! The days start earlier here.”
“What are we doing this early?” I groaned, rubbing my eyes.
He threw a pair of clothes at me, which I wasn’t able to dodge or catch because I was so tired.
He snickered again, “you really aren’t a morning person, are ya?”
I shook my head. Hadn’t he heard my thoughts a moment ago?
“We’re going to start training today. Starting with your vampire side.” He said.
I pulled off my shirt, dazedly. The morning fog still hadn’t lifted yet.
“And who’s going to be teaching me, you?” I asked.
He shook his head, “I’ll be there, but Alexander is teaching you. He is the only pureblood here.”
“But what if I can’t do some of the things you guys can?” I asked.
  He shrugged, “I guess we’ll find out.”
I pulled the red shirt over my head, watching as Roy’s face grew a sense of pride.
“You finally look like one of us!” he exclaimed.
I glanced down. I guess with the red shirt and pants I did look like them. The only difference was my sweatshirt that I slipped on.
I started to walk out of the room when Roy stopped me, holding out his hand.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to take the sweatshirt. No one is allowed to leave the rooms with outside gear or clothing.” He said.
I frowned. It was the last thing I had from my house. The last thing that reminded me of home. Of the time when my parents actually cared about me.
“I know it hurts, but we must all go through it. Those of us that have come here through infection or hiding.” He said, patting me on the back.
I handed him the grey sweatshirt. The sweatshirt my father had won for me at a baseball game. The last time he ever took me somewhere.
I watched as Roy threw the sweatshirt into the fireplace. The fire was burning my sweatshirt and along with it, my heart. But it was also the start of a new life, wasn’t it? The start of my life as a supernatural.
“Let’s go.” Roy said, opening the door.

Alexander waited for us in the center of the town they had organized. In a place similar to a park in the natural world, but they called it a Vivarium. Roy told me that it meant the same thing as park in Latin.
The only difference seemed to be the sparring circle made of stone in the middle of it. Which was where Alexander stood right now.
Great. Because I could so fight!
Roy smothered a laugh beside me, “looks like you’re going to have a bit of fun then.”
I threw a glare at him. Could he hold the mind reading back a little bit?
“Sorry, I don’t have a switch to turn it off with.” He giggled.
Alexander’s nearly white eyes locked on me as soon as I stepped into the Vivarium.
“You have a telltale sign by the way you walk, Ibrida. You may want to work on that.” He said, his soft voice soothing me.
“I don’t believe we’ve introduced ourselves yet. I’m Alexander.” He said, grabbing ahold of my hand.
I grimaced as he shook my hand. It felt as though he was snapping all the bones. He let go.
“Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t remember how fragile humans actually are.” He smirked.
I watched as his gaze remained on the grass in front of me. Was he afraid of meeting my eyes or something?
Roy rested a hand on my shoulder, “Alexander is blind. He doesn’t know exactly where you are, but he can sense you’re there. Usually by listening.”
Alexander waved his hand in front of his eyes, “I’m afraid that I had too many wars back in my day. Too many bright lights that burned the sight right from me. I find it better if I don’t look at people but in front of them, otherwise they feel uncomfortable.”
I frowned. That was terrible. I couldn’t imagine losing my eyesight.
“It isn’t all that bad. I can still see in the way a bat usually does, by sensing heat. I can see your body, just not your features.” He explained.
I would still want to see the sun. Or the faces of my friends. And faces of my enemies.
“On to training, though. We will start with combat. It is always important to be able to fight back, even without your super capabilities. It could mean the difference between life or death. Do you understand?”
I nodded, then realized that he couldn’t see. Whoops.
“Yes, I understand.” I replied.
“Good, now walk into the ring with me. Roy, you point out any flaws you see that I cannot.” He demanded.
I walked into the ring, Alexander following close behind me. I swallowed hard. I knew I would be getting a butt kicking.
“To fight, you must learn to block first so you can counterattack. Now, try to block me as I hit you.” He said.
Oh good gosh. There was no way I could block his attacks.
“Confidence.” Alexander warned.
I sighed. I guess it was always the same. My coaches had told me that in baseball. Unfortunately, I had never mastered that part of the game.

We spent all day sparring, just trying to get me to block on time. It was easy to figure out that I didn’t possess the speed that other vampires did. Alexander would always be five steps ahead of me, always knocking me onto my butt. Roy tried to get him to slow down for me, but Alexander refused. He said that in order to be a good fighter, I would need to have to fight even under the hardest circumstances.
I was guessing that meant I needed to learn how to outsmart my opponent.
Alexander threw me down to the ground again, a smirk appearing on his face every time I landed on the ground and got back up again.
“You’re a stubborn one, aren’t ya?” he snorted.
I knew he couldn’t see it, but I was giving him a wicked glare. He was starting to get on my nerves.
“Alexander, I think he’s had enough. He’s…” Roy started.
Alexander turned on him, his face full of anger.
“Roy, stop. You know nothing of the things he must face.” He growled.
Roy frowned.
“You’re eighty two years old and in some ways you’re still a child. Grow up.” He snapped.
Roy’s eyes curved downward in a look of hurt. He turned away from me, not allowing for me to see his expression. He was clearly upset with Alexander. And it was odd that something so stupid made him so upset. Vampire connection, maybe?
I wondered if he’d ever been scolded like that before.
“Now try again.” Alexander demanded.
I returned my attention to him just as he slammed a fist into my shoulder, almost knocking me over.
I thought about what Roy had said earlier. Alexander saw mainly by hearing. If I could do the same or be completely quiet, I could block it all.
I stood completely still, even holding in my breath. Alexander stopped moving and a smile grew on his face.
“Very nice, Ibrida. You’re learning.” He said.
I closed my eyes, testing out my theory. If Alexander could see without his eyes, then surely I could.
I released a breath, knowing that it would alert Alexander to my location and stepped to the side and ducked.
My heart slowed as I listened. My hearing seemed to heighten. Every sound sent out sonar like waves.
I listened as the grass rustled to my left and rolled out of the way. Alexander huffed as he threw a punch out, but completely missed. I listened as his feet jabbed down at the grass, keeping him in balance.
I took the chance to end the fight and kicked his leg out from underneath him.
I opened my eyes as I heard him fall down to the ground. Alexander laid face first in the grass, almost doing the splits.
He flipped over onto his back and looked at me.
“Very good, Ibrida. Lessons today are over.” He said and held out a hand for me to pull him up.
As soon as I did, I ended up on my butt.
Alexander snickered, “that’s payback for tripping a blind guy.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. After all that hard work and exhaustion. I was ready for a nap.
“Roy, it’s time to get him out of here! Take him to the lunch room.” Alexander hollered.
I gazed around. I hadn’t even realized Roy was still around, but he was. He’d been slumped up against a nearby tree, watching.
I stepped out of the ring and faced Roy. He seemed to be a little happier, but he was still very upset about Alexander.
“Ibrida!” Alexander hollered before I left.
I glanced behind me, “huh?”
“Keep Roy close. Things are going to go awry very soon.” He warned.
I nodded, “I plan on it.”
With that, Roy and I left the Vivarium.

“How’d you do that back there?” Roy asked me, stopping at the edge of the Vivarium.
I shrugged, “I listened to my surroundings since I couldn’t see him with my eyes.”
He smirked, “You used his own trick against him.”
I shrugged again. Whatever I could do to end the training. I swear, my bruises had bruises. And then those bruises gave birth to more bruises.
His smiled faded, “I’ve never seen him work anyone as hard as he did you. Not even close. It was like he was afraid that if you didn’t complete a full day of training that the world would end.”
Maybe he had abilities that no one was aware of. Maybe the world would end if I didn’t complete that session of training.
Roy gave me a sort of glare, “why would you think that?”
I thought back to his warning. It sure seemed like he’d had a vision. But did he want Roy to know if he’d said it low enough for me to hear?
“What would he not want me to know, Shane? What did he tell you?” Roy questioned, grabbing onto my shoulders.
I gasped, “Roy, you’re hurting me. You’re going to snap my collarbone!”
His chest pumped hard. He was worried. Was that why he didn’t want me to tell Roy?
There it was again. It was surely a vampire connection thing. Maybe that was why they were so loyal. Maybe that was why I felt so close to Roy after only being with him for a few minutes.
“I’m sorry. I’m just worried is all. Alexander never keeps things from me. I’m his second in command.” He frowned.
I forced a smile, “don’t worry about Alexander. He can take care of himself. After all, he is a pureblood.”
Roy forced a smile too and opened the door, “I hope you’re right.”
 

“I want to see my son now!”
Ryan watched as Mrs. Roberts screamed at the pixie and dwarf. The pixie rested her hands on her hips.
“So you can kill him, right? Because he’s a werewolf. Yeah, I know it all.” She spat.
Mrs. Roberts looked like she was going to explode. With tears or knives, he wasn’t sure.
“He’s my son! You can’t keep him from me! He’s a hunter!” she snapped.
The pixie snorted, “yeah and you cared so much about that when he was in the city. We saw how you treated him, so don’t even try it.”
Ryan glanced at the dwarf. He was glaring at the both of them. Both of them clearly hated hunters.
The hunters had probably killed many members of their families. It was what they did. And although he didn’t agree with all of it, he understood why they did it. To protect the humans. To make sure that no creature could harm them.
“Can’t we…” he started.
The door opened and a tall, pale man looked down at the two of them.
“What do you want with Ibrida?” he questioned.
Mrs. Roberts sneered, “Alexander.”
The tall man nodded, “I’ll only ask you one more time and then I’ll leave if I don’t get an answer. What do you want with Ibrida?”
Ryan’s head spun. Who was Ibrida?
“We want him back. Your vampires stole him from us.” She spat.
Alexander shrugged, “My second in command saw that he was in trouble and took it upon himself to make sure he was okay. We do look after our own unlike the hunters.”
Mrs. Roberts’ eyes grew into cold embers, “don’t call him that. He’s not one of you. He’s not a killer.”
Ryan was surprised. He’d never seen her like this before.
“But he is. My second in command made sure of that. And he’s quite the vampire too. He loves it here. He needs to be here.” Alexander snapped.
Ryan’s eyes widened as he watched fangs grow from Alexander’s mouth. He’d only ever seen that happen when they were angry.
How could Alexander be angry about the hunters taking away Shane?
“At least let me see him before we leave. He is my son.” She sighed.
Alexander folded his arms, “I’ll discuss it with the other council members. But I warn you, if you make him feel in the least bit frightened or upset, I will throw you out myself.”
Mrs. Roberts nodded and she turned to him. Why were the supernaturals so protective over him? He hadn’t even been there for two days.
“It seems that Shane will not be going home with us today, but we will bring him back one day. He will be with his family.” She said.
Ryan nodded. Shane belonged with them. He was a hunter before he was a werewolf.

“It’s wonderful here. Beautiful. Much more than it was in the suburbs. You could hardly see the stars from there.” I said, glancing over at Roy.
Roy sat up and sniffed the air. A smile grew.
“And so are the churros! C’mon!” He exclaimed, yanking on my arms. I chuckled. Of course, it was the food he was crazy about. Not the scenery.
“Hey, you don’t know how delicious they are here! You don’t know churros until you try the pixies’ churros!” he exclaimed, pulling me over his back.
He ran as fast as he could towards the city. My eyes widened at how fast we were going. I almost swallowed a bug a few times.
When he finally let me down, we were standing in front of a stand. Where a light pink pixie flew in the air. Until she noticed us. Then she sat down on the table.
“Four churros, please!” Roy exclaimed.
I chuckled. He was a kid in a candy shop. The pixie winked at me, holding back a laugh.
“Is he always like this?” I teased.
The pixie thought about this for a moment, rubbing her chin.
“For as long as I can remember. I think he’s got the churro-tooth.” She giggled.
I grinned as Roy punched me in the arm and handed me two churros.
“Have fun, Ibrida!” the pixie hollered as we walked away.
Roy licked his lips, staring at the churro as he opened the package.
“Are they really that good?” I questioned. His eyes widened.
“Would I lie about something like that?” he replied.
I sneered, “I don’t know, I haven’t even known you two days yet.”
Roy bit into his churro and turned to me, “well, dig in before I eat it!”
I unwrapped the churro and glanced down at it meaningfully. I didn’t know that I wanted to eat it. I wanted to preserve it. The whole day, but I knew that all good things came to an end. And it would have to. Time didn’t slow down because someone was having a good time.
I took a bite of the churro, my tastebuds instantly in heaven. The perfect combination of cinnamon and sugar rested on every inch of my tongue. Heavenly.
Roy laughed, “I told you!”
I took another bite of it and made this piece last longer. I never wanted to let go of that taste. Of that feeling.
“Let’s go back to the room and we can finish the night visiting and making our churros last longer.” He said.
I rolled my eyes. As if I couldn’t tell that we were going back to the room already. We were in the red section of the building already.
He opened the door to our room and dropped down onto the couch. I collapsed as well, only on the bed.
The day was a great day, but I was tired. Training had taken a lot out of me.
“Tell me what it was like when you were little.” I said, suddenly curious.
Roy stared up at the ceiling, apparently having to think hard about it.
“Very boring aside from the few times my school took a field trip to amusement parks. I didn’t have many friends. Didn’t get really good grades. I was just an average kid until Alexander had saved me.” he finally said.
He gave me a thoughtful look, “what about you? How was it growing up with hunters as parents?”
I shrugged, “I didn’t know that they were hunters until the day I changed. And I never really got to know my father before that. And my mom was never around to talk, so I guess…lonely…”
That was a depressing thought. I guess that was why I’d spent most of my childhood with Ryan and Pierce. I just never realized I missing out on it because I was always so busy. But yet, my heart was still shattered when my parents rejected me. I guess the thought of my own parents hating me was worse than actually knowing them. Human emotions were so fickle.
I took a bite of my second churro, keeping my mind off my old life. I liked this one better.
I liked living with various creatures. I liked living with Roy as basically, my only parental unit.
I wasn’t sure that when all of this was done, that I wanted to go back. The place felt like home more than my home in the suburbs. It was weird. There was just something about this place that seemed to draw me here. To keep me from wanting to leave. Was it the sense of being with someone my own ‘kind’?
“It is great here, isn’t it? Especially for people like us.” Roy replied to my thoughts.
I nodded and swallowed as soon as the door opened. My eyes widened and I began to start coughing in shock. I’d inhaled a big chunk of churro.
Roy instantly ran to my side, pounding on my back, helping me hack out the churro.
When it was all done, I looked up again. I rubbed my eyes, then rubbed them again.
That couldn’t be right. My mother couldn’t have been there. She couldn’t come into the place and ruin it all!
I backed away from the bed, making more space between her and me.
“What are you doing here?” I spat.
She walked into the room, her eyes landing on me.
“I’ve come to take you back, Shane. I mean, do you really want to hang around in a place full of these…these beasts?” she replied.
Roy pushed me behind him. He glared at her through his dark eyes.
“Yes, I do! And they’re not beasts! They took me in when you wouldn’t!” I snapped.
She sighed, “we know that we were wrong, Shane. Your dad and I miss you. We want you back.”
I clenched my jaw. What right did she have coming back into my life after she’d kicked me out? After she’d wanted me dead? And somehow, I knew she was lying. My dad didn’t want me back. He didn’t miss me. And neither did she. Not unless they wanted to use me for their own endgame. Mr. Vaan was right. They did wanted to use me as a pawn.
“You wanted me dead! Dad stabbed me three times! I will never go back to you! This is my home now!” I shouted. I never thought I’d say that.
Roy rested his hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down. I pulled his hand away and got in her face.
“In case you can’t tell, I’m one of them now. I’m a vampire and they take care of their own…” I started.
She smacked me, her fingernails digging into my cheek as she did. I was shocked. My mother had never hit me before. Not even when I deserved it.
Anger pulsed through me. I glared at her, through different eyes.
“You will not speak like that! You are not one of them! You are my son!” She yelled.
I shoved her against the wall, my face an inch from hers.
“Your son died, remember?” I growled.
She shoved me away and swept my leg from underneath me. I dropped to the ground like a loaf of bread, bouncing up a little before hitting my head again.
She grabbed ahold of my legs and started to pull me out of the room before I could regain my mind.
Just when I thought she would get away with me, Roy appeared and yanked me out of her arms. A look of pure hatred settled deep in his eyes.
“He is mine now! I look over my own!” He snipped.
Her eyes widened slightly, “you’re his sire. The second in command. That’s why he doesn’t want to leave. You’re keeping him here.”
I shook the fogginess off my mind and pulled myself up, but Roy didn’t let me out of his clutches.
And then Alexander appeared, pulling her away from me.
“It’s time for you to leave.” He snarled. And then they disappeared, leaving Roy and I in the hallway.
I looked at Roy. He was still staring in the direction my mother had been in, his face still a hardened look of hatred.
“Uh, Roy?” I said.
Roy glanced down at me, “yeah?”
“You can let go of me now.” I replied, motioning to his hard grip around my forearm.
He let go of my arm right away and forced a smile.
“Let’s go finish our churros.” He sighed.
I let go of a deep breath. Why did she have to come back into my life just as I was beginning to love it here? When I was beginning to forget them?
“This is your new home now, remember?’ Roy said.
I nodded. This was my new home. He was right. These people here were my family now. But what did she mean about Roy keeping me here?

“I told you to not upset him! You were specifically told not to try and take him from the building! And you did! Get out!” Alexander snapped, shoving Mrs. Roberts out.
Ryan watched as anger flickered across his face, but he did not look at her.
“He wants to leave! He’s just stuck there because you’re holding him there! Because your second in command is keeping him there!” she  snapped.
Alexander shook his head, “we haven’t forced him to do anything that he doesn’t want to do in his head. He enjoys living here. You’re just going to have to forget about him.”
Mrs. Roberts rolled her sleeves up and glared at Alexander.
“I will never forget about him. Mark my words, we will come back for him and when we do, you’d better watch out!” she snapped.
Alexander straightened up, “and if you try to take him away like that again, you’d better watch out.”

I yawned and rolled over onto my side. I searched for Roy. Nowhere to be seen. Usually he’d have me up by now.
The last few days of training, he’d woken me up at about six in the morning. Looking at the clock, it was eight.
Where was he? I pulled on my shirt and walked to the door. The door wouldn’t open!
I pulled on the handle again, it wouldn’t budge. What was going on? Why did Roy lock me in the room?
Was there some sort of early meeting that they didn’t want me at? Or was Roy just doing errands and being overly protective?
I looked out the window. Everything seemed to be running like normal. I frowned. I felt lonely without my buddy. And worried.
He’d never left my side before. Especially not since the night my mother had surprised us.
I opened the window and waved at Kimmy, the pixie. She was the one that worked the churro stand.
“Ibrida, how’s it going?” she giggled.
I shrugged, “do you know what’s going on? It seems that Roy has locked me in here.”
Kimmy grinned, “I can’t tell you that, silly! It’s top secret! Shh!”
I sighed.
“Don’t worry, Roy will be soon back and you can get more churros!” she giggled, again.
I’d noticed very quickly that all the pixies had an uncanny ability to laugh at everything. Kimmy was definitely one of them that used that ability.
“Okay, thank you, Kimmy.” I replied.
She winked, “goodbye, Ibrida!”
I sat on the bed, pondering on what could be happening. Kimmy knew about it so it wasn’t anything real important or secret. Obviously nothing bad was happening if she was talking to me.

“They can’t force him to stay there! They’re breaking the covenant!”
Ryan studied the old man with the goatee. He seemed furious, but a little too furious. The man had never known Shane well and he’d wanted to throw him off a cliff just yesterday. What weren’t they telling him?
“And Alexander was protective over him? For what reason?” Mr. Roberts questioned.
Ryan was wondering the same thing. He hadn’t been there two days and the vampire acted like they were childhood friends.
“I’m not sure, but my guess is that they know about it all. All of them surrounded him as though he were some god.” Mrs. Roberts replied.
The old man rubbed his goatee and turned to Ryan.
“What did you think of all of it?” he asked.
Ryan shrugged. It was all so mysterious. He wasn’t sure what to think about any of it.
“Alexander just seemed protective over Shane. I don’t think he meant any harm to us. He just didn’t want him to leave.” He said after a while.
The old man shook his head, “then it’s settled. The supernaturals know about the prophecy.”
Ryan raised a brow, “what prophecy are you talking about? And what does it have to do with Shane?”
The old man glanced at the Roberts.
“You know about Shane being curse, right?” Mrs. Roberts asked.
Ryan nodded.
“Well, there’s more to it than that. It wasn’t just that all supernaturals were attracted to him. Shane was bitten by a werewolf, yes, but he’s not just a werewolf. He’s what they call Ibrida.” Mr. Roberts carried on.
“Alexander kept calling him that.” Ryan stated. Mrs. Roberts nodded.
“It means he is a hybrid, a mix of the three major beings.” The old man said.
Jay stood up, apparently joining in on the conversation.
“And what are the three major beings?” Ryan asked.
“Werewolves, Vampires and of course, the hunters.” Jay spoke up.
How was that possible? A werewolf’s blood was incompatible with a vampire’s! He’d thought that when Alexander said he was one of them, that he meant supernatural. But he was talking about his kind.
“When the witch cursed Shane, she also made it possible for his body to handle all three infections.”
Ryan’s mind was reeling. He’d been watching over that his whole life?
“Why didn’t I know this before? Why didn’t you tell Shane? I could’ve kept a better handle on all this!” he snapped. His mind was racing.
Mrs. Roberts glared at Mr. Roberts, “because Thomas didn’t want that part of the story told. He thought that if Shane knew about his legacy that he would go looking for trouble, wanting to be infected.”
Mr. Roberts sighed, “well, I guess we all know how wrong that was now.”
The old man shook his head. They were in a mess. That was for sure. Especially if the Supernaturals had Shane.
“Why would the Supernaturals want him? What is the prophecy exactly?” Ryan asked.
The old man wiped his lips, “Shane is supposedly supposed to unite all the supernatural creatures. Or destroy the Earth.”
Ryan frowned.
“And why extremes?” he questioned.
Jay stood up, “because it was seen in a vision. And for every event in life, there are two outcomes. In this case, Shane could either end the world because he is with the supernaturals, or he could make peace between them.”
Ryan sat down on the couch, the breath sucked out of him. All of this was his fault.
Shane hadn’t known that he was a hunter or this Ibrida. But he did. If he hadn’t been so stupid about taking back the data, Shane might’ve still been with the hunters. He had to do all he could to bring him back.
He gazed into the old man’s eyes, “so what do we do now?”

“Roy, why can’t you just tell me what’s going on? You’re starting to freak me out!” I exclaimed.
He smirked, “I assure you, it’s nothing to be worried about.”
I groaned. I was so tired of all of this secretive stuff!
Roy opened a door, turning to me, “after you.”
What was going on with him today? He always went first! And he never locked me in the room!
I walked into the room and stumbled into something. I cursed under my breath and turned to Roy.
“Could you please turn the light on? I can’t see a thing!” I snapped.
“Surprise!”
I squealed, falling into Roy’s arms. If this was something they did to prank the newcomer, then they got me good!
I gazed around the room. Alexander, all the council members, Kimmy, Tiny Thom and at least a dozen others I’d met stood in a big crowd.
“What’s going on here? What’re you all doing?” I questioned, gazing around at the grinning crowd.
Roy maneuvered around me, “usually on the first day we’d already have this set up, but under your circumstances, we didn’t get the chance to. Shane, this is your room.”
The crowd parted, allowing for me to see the whole room. It was unbelievable. It was like a mini apartment, complete with my own kitchen! And the walls were amazing.
A beautiful pattern of red, sky blue, green, and brown splattered the walls in swirls and dots.
I guess when I asked a question, they took it seriously. Over all, the room was amazing.
“Thank you all, it’s amazing. No one’s ever done something like that for me before.” I said, holding back tears.
I wasn’t lying when I’d said that. No one had ever come close to do something like that. I knew it was sad, but I got the feeling that my parents had done that on purpose.
I was sure that they wanted me to grow up hardened so they stayed as mutual with me as they could. They were almost completely strangers now. Or maybe they had been all along.
I wasn’t sure about anything anymore. But that didn’t matter. This was a new life. A better life. With a better family.
I looked a Roy, knowing that he was listening. His eyes glimmered.
“Let’s get this party started!” Kimmy shouted, throwing up some kind of sparkles.
I raised a brow. A party and a new room? What was next?

I burped. My stomach felt as though I had eaten a herd of cows. And then some. I could already feel the food seeping up my throat.
“See ya, Ibrida!! Kimmy exclaimed.
I forced a smile, but didn’t want to. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a good time at the party. It wasn’t that I missed my normal life. It was that I was going to miss sharing a room with Roy. I was going to miss the midnight talks and the sock fights. I was going to miss the amused look on Roy’s face as he woke me up.
The room was a sign of another change in my life. A sign that this would all come to an end soon.
“Remember, this wasn’t just a celebration. It was an initiation, which means that you must get accustomed with our rules and traditions.” Alexander said, handing me a thick book.
I nodded. Alexander sighed and leaned in.
“And remember that although all good things must come to an end, they always have a way of returning.” He whispered.
I clenched my jaw, “why must it all come down to me? I’m only sixteen. You’d be better suited than I would.”
He shook his head, “I won’t pretend to know why He picked you, after all, you are so inexperienced, but he always has a reason. Maybe it takes a special person to unite groups of people. I’m not sure, but remember it’s all in the plan.”
I held back tears, “and why must Roy be dragged into all of this? I know that I’m not a good person, that under all of this, there’s something dark brewing, but…but Roy is a good person. He shouldn’t have to die in order for me to live on.”
“You’re not a bad person, Shane. You wouldn’t have been able to pick up the book otherwise.” He said.
I gazed down at the book.
“The book has been charmed. Only the good and worthy are allowed to touch it. The book isn’t just full of rules. It’s also full of spells and prophecies.” He explained.
I wiped the tears away, “does everyone read this?”
He bobbed his head left to right, “most everyone. Everyone in the city.”
A light bulb went off inside my head, lighting the whole puzzle, “that’s why everyone must read it. You only let the good into the city.”
He patted my back, “just remember what I told you. I won’t be around much longer to remind you of it.”
Before I could say anything else, he was gone. Leaving me alone in my new room. Feeling more lonely than ever.

I had nightmares that night. And it wasn’t about wolves or cannibals. It was much worse.
I was in my room, pooling over the book and Roy stormed into the room, his dark eyes full of something I’d never seen in his eyes before. Violence. The intention to do something bad. The intention to kill someone.
“He’s gone, Shane! They killed him! Those filthy, no good, puissant, hunters!” he shouted.
He grabbed me by the shoulders, his chest pumping with anger.
“You know what their reason was? He was keeping you here! You! They killed him because of you!” he snapped.
I held up my hands, to stop him, “who are you talking about, Roy? Who did the hunters kill?”
Hate flickered across his face, “Alexander. They killed Alexander when he tried to keep them from getting to you.”
My heart stopped.
“And then they offered us a deal. To turn you over to them. Then they’d leave us alone for good.” He said.
I locked eyes with him and for the first time, was terrified of him.
“You can’t be thinking about it! You can’t take me to them, Roy!” I exclaimed.
He turned his head away from me, “they’ll take over the headquarters if we refuse, Shane. It’s the only way.”
I pulled away from him, glaring at him, “you can’t! You know the plan! We’ve got to unite the supernaturals!”
Roy’s eyes filled with tears, “maybe this will. I’m sorry, Shane. I have to save my home.”
He grabbed me by the neck before I could run off and threw me at the wall.
I landed on the ground, pummeled with books as they fell onto me.
Roy stood above me, “and I can’t take you to them with you being fully aware.”

“Shane? Shane, is everything all right?”
Roy stood over me, concern spreading across his face like wildfire. I backed away, the nightmare still fresh in my mind.
He was going to take me to them. He was going to betray me. And it hurt. It hurt worse than anything else in the world. It hurt worse than my parents hating me. Because I’d grown to love him. To think of him as my father. My true father.
“What’s wrong, Shane? Why are you staring at me like that?” he asked, stepping toward me.
I backed away again, “you keep your hands off me!”
Roy looked hurt, “what did I do?”
 The image of his fist smashing into my temples flashed over me again. I shook it out of my head.
It was too painful to relive again.
“I don’t want you in here, Roy. Go!” I snapped.
Tears filled his eyes, “Please, Shane, tell me what’s going on!”
I turned away from him. I needed to talk to Alexander. He would know what to do about it all.
Roy stood there a second later before vanishing from the room. I knew I’d hurt him bad, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I couldn’t trust to be around him as of right now. He was going to turn me in.
The person that I’d felt the closest to. The person that I’d felt a deep connection.

“Tiny Thom told me you wanted to see me. What’s going on?”
I turned around, relieved. Alexander had decided to listen to my urgent call.
“I had a vision last night and it wasn’t good. I’m not sure what to do.” I said.
He sat down next to me, his face expressionless.
“What did you see?” he asked.
Tears came to my eyes just thinking about it. Boy, was I a wuss. How many times within the past few days had I cried?
“Roy’s going to turn me into the hunters to save the city. And you’re going to die trying to prevent them getting to me.” I blurted.
He seemed startled with the news. If he was startled, I was terrified.
“You saw a hostile takeover to get to you?” he asked.
“Yes and you tried to prevent them from getting me and they killed you. Roy sees it. And then they announce that they’ll leave the supernaturals alone for good in exchange for me. Roy brings me to them.” I repeated.
My mind was going around in circles like a dog trying to catch its tail. It was driving me nuts. I didn’t know what to do.
I didn’t want to lose Roy. Or Alexander.
“You must tell Roy about the vision so you can try to prevent that from ever happening. If he knows that he could do something to harm you then he’ll never do it.” He told me.
“And what about your death? What are you going to do about that?” I questioned.
His eyes dropped to the floor. He was depressed. But it was clear it wasn’t a surprise to him.
“I’ve known about that for fifteen years now. I saw my death, but I won’t run from it. And neither should you. These things happen for a reason. I’m not meant to live to see the final battle. But you are. That is why I know that I will sacrifice myself to save you. And if need be, I’ll die doing so.” He said.
“So you are part wizard like I thought. That’s why you kept telling me to stay close to Roy.” I said.
He nodded, “my grandmother was given the gift by the woman you know to have cursed you. That gift has been passed down through generations. That’s how Roy knew where to be when you were dying.”
I had a thought.
“When I almost died, a woman talked to me and told me about my destiny. Is it possible that was the witch? And if so, why did she curse me only to save me later on?” I asked.
“It is possible that that was her. She always knew how to predict those outcomes. As far as her curse, it was not meant to be a curse, but it can be. She placed the curse on you because she knew you would be strong enough to handle it, knew what kind of person you would be. All she ever did was to protect this world. That’s why she left her powers with you when she died.” He explained.
“So she wasn’t cursing me because of my parents? It wasn’t in spite?”
“No. Your parents were hunting her and she did tell them that she had put a spell on you, but it was because she saw something in you. She felt a great presence as they were chasing her. And when they killed her, she left part of herself in you. Again, with her powers.” He answered.
“And how do you know all this?” I frowned.
He placed his hand on my chest, just over my heart, “because I can feel her in you. And I saw it in a vision.”
He yawned, “and now it is time for you to talk to Roy. He’s already freaking out about the situation this morning.”
I chuckled, “and how do you know that?”
He opened the door, “because I can hear his thoughts from here. He’s a loud thinker.”
I raised a brow. I didn’t know there was such a thing.
“You are too. More so than he is. I can almost hear you from across the building.”
I smirked. That sounded like me.

“Fifty hunters heading for Headquarters.” The soldier said into the phone. He glanced at the pack behind him.
“Yes, I’m sure. They’re right in front of us.” He huffed.
He turned to the pack, “Boss says to wait for the fighting to start and then we’ll go on in. The boy will be easier to get that way.”
Huffs erupted through the pack as they dropped to the ground and began unpacking. It was a three day journey on foot and they would have to proceed on foot to get there without alerting the Headquarter’s defenses.
Apparently, the hunters had thought of that too.

I could already hear Roy’s whimpering and I hadn’t even left my room yet. He was pretty upset. And I had done that to him.
I felt guilt running through my head in a whirlwind, destroying any other emotion that tried to stand in its path.
I hadn’t meant to hurt him. I just didn’t want to be around him until Alexander told me what to do about it.
The look of fear on his face was unbearable. It hadn’t even been that bad when his mother had come to drag him away from here. What could I have done to make him that upset?
I shook his thoughts out of my head. It was almost unbearable to hear them. Alexander told me that I would probably start to gain more abilities in time. So far I didn’t like this ability.
Why did he want to talk to Alexander over me? Did he not trust me? Had I done something to him I wasn’t aware of? Did it have something to do with his dream?
I opened the door to his room. He laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling in anguish. He didn’t even turn to see who it was when I opened the door.
It’s not him, so I don’t care. Why would he come to see me after the look on his face when he saw me?
I sighed, “Roy, it’s me.”
He jolted up. A mixture of sadness and relief filled his face as soon as he saw me.
“I’m sorry, Roy. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.” I apologized.
He is apologizing Why is he apologizing? Hadn’t I done something to hurt him?
“Roy, I need you to listen to me with your full attention. I need to explain to you why I was so upset this morning.” I said.
He swallowed, “so I did nothing to hurt you?”
“Well, kind of. Just let me explain.” I answered.
I sat down next to him, hoping that he wouldn’t have any more awful thoughts.
He smirked, “you can hear my thoughts now. So…you know…”
I nodded. He didn’t have to go any further.
“I had a vision about the future of this place, Roy. Promise me that you will keep this to yourself, though, before I continue.” I said.
“Why must I keep this from everyone else? Don’t they have a right to know?” he questioned.
“Because Alexander believes it’s wise to let some of these events play out.” I replied.
Why did he go to Alexander before me? I thought we were close. I thought that we were family.
“Roy, stay on track.” I scolded.
He sighed, “sorry.”
I took that as I promise.
“In the future, the hunters storm this place demanding to take me away. Alexander interferes and…and…dies protecting us. I’m sorry, but you see it and well…they offer peace between the hunters and the supernaturals in exchange for me.” I started.
Roy held tears back and clenched his jaw.
How could they kill him? How could they kill him for no reason? Stupid humans. Stupid, stupid humans!
“Does Alexander know that he dies?” he asked, through clenched teeth.
I nodded.
He could leave then. He could get away from here so he can survive. He can live another day in his six-hundred-year-old life.
“You turn me in, Roy. You turn me in to save the city. That’s why I was so freaked out this morning. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. You were terrifying, Roy. You attacked me.” I blurted.
He reared back, looking as though I’d punched him in the stomach. His face paled.
How could I do that? How could I do that to such a good kid?
He glared down at his hands.
What kind of monster am I? How could I do that…to my son? I’m no better than the humans. I would betray my own kind for self-gain.
My heart swelled with happiness. He thought of me as a son. It had to be the connection we had.
“Roy, you’re not a monster, okay? I know that you won’t turn me in. I can feel it.” I said.
“But you saw it, Shane. You saw me attack you and betray everything we’ve fought for.” He countered.
I fought the urge to give him a hug. It didn’t look like he was a big hugger when he was upset.
“But that was all a vision, a warning. We can change that. We can better prepare ourselves and fight back before they get to us.” I assured.
“I hope you’re right.” He said.
And I will do everything in my power to protect you. I promise to never betray you like our parents did to us. I promise to guard you with my life. And I hope that you know that.
His eyes fixated on mine.
“I know you will. Now.” I smirked.
And then we had the needed hug. After both of us pouring our hearts out, we were exhausted. And I asked Roy to stay with me in my room.
I admit it, I was afraid of being in the building alone at night. Being bitten by a werewolf had done that to me. And the visions.
Now, both Roy and I were gathered inside of my room reading the book. Mostly because I couldn’t read most of it. My parents had failed to teach me Latin and Alexander had taught Roy.
“So, technically, we weren’t supposed to be out watching the stars at midnight?” I asked.
Roy’s face grew a mischievous grin, “I never follow that rule. The woods are so pretty at night. It would be a waste of land to ignore it at night.”
I snorted. I guess I liked to pick the rebels out in the crowd.
He flipped the page, “Ah, prophecy number one. Predicted by the Great Witch.”
 

“I’m going to flip your mattress over if you don’t get up.”
I sighed. Roy didn’t sleep in the same room, but he still woke me up. I guess training resumed today.
“So what is Alexander going to teach me today?” I asked, getting off the bed.
Roy cleared his throat, “Alexander isn’t teaching you anymore. He said, I quote, ‘pass him off to the wizard’.”
And that he needed to take a few days to ready himself for his death.
“Don’t worry about him, Roy. He told me that he was expecting his death for fifteen years.” I said.
He scowled, “I really hate that you can hear my thoughts now.”
I chuckled, “now you know how I felt.”
I picked up the set of green clothes that sat on my couch. Wondering how the heck they managed to get inside my room without waking me.
“The pixies.” Roy said.
“Huh?”
“The pixies drop the clothes off in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep.”
“Oh.”
“So what are the colors on my wall? Who do they represent?” I asked.
“Well, you know that red is for Vampires. Green is for Wizards. Brown is for the hunters. And…blue for the werewolves.” He explained.
“That leaves me with another question.”
“Yes?”
“Why are there thirteen chairs on the council, but there are twelve groups?”
He smirked, “they were hoping that you would take that chair when all of this was over.”
“Why me?”
“Because you’re one of a kind.”
“That’s it?”
“Well, they expect your kids to possess the same abilities so it would be nice to have one person on the council.”
“And what about the werewolves?”
“They have a chair in the back in case the werewolves decide to become part of society again.”
“So they don’t have anything to do with this place? None of them?”
“No. There are only three packs currently in existence today. The hunters wiped most of them out. They are a bloodthirsty lot.”
“I know.”
“I didn’t mean you.”
“But I am part werewolf. And I know how hard it is to control the beast part of you when you’re transformed.”
“But you’re also part vampire and that makes you good.”
“So are you saying that werewolves are evil? And vampires are good?”
“Well, most werewolves I knew turned out to kill hundreds of people so…and vampires are good. We try very hard to protect the humans from the werewolves. Sadly, the humans think that we try to harm them instead.”
“Now I have an important question for you.”
“What is that?”
“Since there aren’t any werewolves here, what are you going to do when the blue moon shows up in a few days?”
“I haven’t thought about that. Can’t you just not transform?”
“I don’t have a choice in the matter. My body has a mind of its own.”
“What happened during the full moon?”
“I almost fell in line with Vaan and his pack and killed a bunch of people.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t, but I had help.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean someone sent me images of my parents to keep me from biting someone’s head off.”
“How is that possible?”
“I thought it was the hunters but they had no idea.”
He remained silent.
“Do you think it was the witch?”
“The witch is dead.”
“Then who else could have sent me images powerful enough to guilt my beast side?”