It's been 20 years since Bastian Hunter joined the pack, but its also been some of the best years of his life. 20 years may not seem all that long when you consider Bastian's total lifespan but its about quality, not quantity, right? Or at least that's what Bastian keeps telling himself.


When a strange chain of events leads Bastian down an old path, a path he never wished to revisit, he begins a journey that would shape the entire supernatural world more than he ever imagined.
 

                The crisp air blows through my pure, white fur as I sprint through Shadowmoon Forest while my opponent gives chase. My skin begins to tingle slightly as my nerves react to the wild, almost feral nature of the beast following me. I’m running with the wind and his Scent fills my snout as it gusts ahead of me. My rival’s Scent is something I can never forget. The fury and deadly intent drown out his human side. Courage finally finds me as I jump and spin around mid-stride, facing him as he charges me at full speed. My legs carry me forward as I begin to sprint once again, this time in his direction. I know his movements well, this is not our first encounter.

                I see a streak of white-gold as he approaches. I prepare my first move in anticipation of his. The world shifts and feels as if its moving in slow motion. Everything, including me moves in a slow, dramatic fashion with the first impact. Leon fakes to my left and lunges to the opposite side as usual, leaving him wide open for a blind-sided attack. I set my plan into motion with a counter-attack to the opening he left me, and the world continues in full speed as I dig my fangs into his shoulder. I spin around in circles when my momentum rips my teeth from his flesh. Before I can regain composure, another white blur flashes in front me. Searing pain burns down the side of my face as his claws come down over my eye.

I howl out into the sky and my pain becomes personified as it echoes into the woods. Leon’s snarling growl fills my ears, but my eyes do not see him. I close my eyes and listen to my surroundings, lightly sniffing the air around me. This isn’t the first time he has played this game. I call it his Shadow-dance Strike. He strikes with a lot of power and vanishes before there is time to react. I’m impressed that he managed to land his first strike immediately after my blow to his shoulder. The leaves in the trees rustle and the wind mimics a speeding big rig as it barrels through the trees.

                His Scent surrounds me in the wind like a tornado and I feel like I’m standing in the eye of storm, just waiting for the impending danger. This is part of his strategy, but it wont work. I have more than just my nose to find him with. The air thick with smoke-like bloodlust makes my throat tighten in fear. Shadows dance around me as the wind continues to howl deep into the woods. My instincts scream for me to move but I hold my ground as I look up and I open my eyes to see his metallic blonde fur descending on me. I jump into the air for a head on attack. My superior size and power over Leon should give me an advantage in this situation. In my rapid ascent toward him, I shift out of my wolf skin. My bones and ligaments, pop and twist. My fur retracts rapidly, and the holes left behind mend just as quick. While still mid-change, I grab one of Leon’s front legs with one hand and clamp around his throat with the other in one fluid motion. The impact of our collision keeps us in the air for a few seconds longer than normal but as we start to fall, I turn and force him underneath me. My reversion finishes a moment later.

                Seconds before we hit the ground, Leon shifts out his wolf skin as well. He manages to turn the tide, reversing my hold and shifting my weight against me. I end up with my face smashed into the grass and dirt with Leon’s boot on my head.

                “Is that all you got Bastian?” Leon taunts as he runs his right hand through his platinum blonde hair. I see him favoring his right shoulder when he places his hand onto his stomach. His arm remains bent as if held in a sling.

                “How’s the shoulder?” I reply with a little bit of snark as I jerk my head out from under his foot and stand up.

                “Nothing I can’t handle. You need to think out your options before you attack. You always seem to forget that your size and power are a double-edged sword.” Leon explains as if he is teaching me a lesson.

                “Okay Mr. Wise Old Alpha. Which one of us is the elder here?” I snap back to him. His stupid lessons always seem to annoy me.

                “My honest answer would be, Me. You may be older, but I have more experience with a pack and as a leader. You know I asked you to be my Beta because of your experiences but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a lot to learn.” He answers, “Anyway, let’s go back. Maribel and Abi are probably eating dinner as we speak and there is a forth seat for you. I’m pretty sure Maribel got ahold of some Grade-A choice cuts for us to eat tonight.”

                “Alright, alright, I get it. Let’s go, you don’t have to ask me twice to go eat.” I reply with a hearty smile.

                “Before we go, you should know something. We need to talk after dinner.” Leon explains as voice his deepens slightly. My mood rapidly changes. What the hell could he possibly want?

                “What are you asking of me?” I ask in return. The back of my neck tingles as the hairs on my neck stand at full attention and goosebumps race across my skin.
                “After dinner, alright? I’ll explain everything then.” Leon answers as he turns and walks away. I shrug but follow him as he leads us back to my car.

                Stella is parked near the tree line of the forest and the sun reflects her slightly shiny, metallic, purple paint job. I bought this 1971 Dodge Challenger brand new off the lot. I paid in full at the time and in cash. Since then, she has been my partner in crime. I’ve done a little work on her, tuning her up bit by bit over the years. In truth, she is a beast. I got into the driver’s seat and Leon jumps through the open window into the passenger seat. Neither of us buckle up as I start the engine and Stella’s rumble vibrates through us, shaking us to the core.

                “Damn! I love this car!” Leon shouts, “She always gives me the chills.”

                “I know what you mean. Its half the reason I bought her. Never had another car with the same effect as Stella. She is one of a kind.” I brag as I rev the engine a few times before shifting into drive and floor it, spinning the tires as I speed away.

                Leon lives within the population of the city but closer to the outer rim. That way he could remain mostly normal in appearance while still going unnoticed when his werewolf instincts kick in or something of that nature arises. Leon’s main rule for the pack is to hide the super natural world from the human’s as much as possible. We aren’t supposed to make our presence known. If another pack or a rival clan of vampires tries to move in on our turf, we deal with but other than that, we remain quiet. Doing our best, we try to be law-abiding citizens.

                It’s not long before I pull up in front of Leon’s house. The lights are still on but its not really that late. So, that’s not surprising. Both of us get out of the car, closing the doors behind us. I’m starved at this point and Leon must be too, since we both rush to get in the house. Maribel and Abigail are both at the dining room table eating dinner.

                “Yours is in the microwave, both of you.” Maribel says without looking up from her plate.

                “Thanks, Lupa. “ Leon replies quickly but tenderly.

                “Thank you, Maribel.” I reply as I pass by, “Abi, how’s school going? Did you ever talk to that Jacob kid yet?”

                “Who’s Jacob?!” Leon demands as his voice deepens.

                “Bastian! Why did you do that? That was supposed to be a secret!” Abi screams out as her face grows flush with fifty shades of embarrassment.

                “Who’s this Jacob kid?!” Leon demands, now shouting. His dad-mode is rapidly engaging second by second.

                “Leon, relax. He’s just a nice boy that Abi talks to at school. Its harmless.” Maribel answers, trying to defuse the situation.

                “It’s a boy. It’s never without ulterior motives. Abi, do you realize that boy will say and do anything to get what he wants. Everything he says to you is probably a bunch of lies!” Leon explodes as he blows into full dad-rage-mode.

                “Whoa, Leon, Relax. I didn’t mean to stir shit up. Sorry, Abi. I thought you would have told him by now.” I plead with the now drama-filled dining room-kitchen area. Leon is practically steaming from the ears and Abi is screaming obscenities at me in Latin. Although I don’t know very much Latin, so I’m only able to pick out bits and pieces of what she is shouting.

                “Damn it, Bastian! I had a great meal planned for tonight and you come home tonight and start all of this crap! What the hell…..” Maribel’s anger-filled shouts fade into the chaos surrounding us. The air grows warm and thick with everyone’s emotions running wild.

                “WOW!!!” I practically roar into the room, overpowering all their voices combined. All of them Immediately fall silent, “Look, I’m sorry to ruin a perfectly happy family dinner but it’s been three months that I’ve known about Jacob and I figured Abi would have, or at least should have told her father about it by now. It was my mistake. I’ll make sure I learn to hold my tongue a little better, alright? Now Leon, honestly just chill the fuck out. Abi is sixteen. Of course, there will be boys, but you raised her right. You too, Maribel. Now can we all just calm down and eat dinner peacefully, please?!” I shout at them in explanation. Everybody remains silent, staring at each other for a few more seconds. Finally, Maribel is the first to pick up her utensils and cut into the meat on her plate, eating once again. Abi looks at me, then at Leon, and back to me one more time before she smiles, and continuing to eat as well. Leon huffs and puffs a but as he grumbles his own obscenities under his breath as he turns and walks to the microwave, retrieving his plate of food. I grab mine immediately after him and we both sit down at the table.

                Our family meal is mostly silent apart from the sound of everybody eating. Maribel managed to acquire a particularly delicious heart for tonight’s meal. I look up from my plate and shift my eyes towards her.

                “Maribel. What is this? Leon mentioned that you had some kind of Grade-A choice cuts. What exactly are we eating?” I ask before shoving another fork-load into my mouth.

                “This is a rare delicacy for us. It’s a rare Vampirus Lordus heart. It was a gift from a friend who owed me a favor. I accepted this as the favor. Enjoy.” She answers with a bright smile.

                Between the silent conversations and the overwhelming urge to just remain quiet and eat, we’re done eating lickity split. Leon stands up from the table and steps about two feet away. His head turns to look at me, making eye contact for a few seconds before turning and walking outside to the backyard patio. I wait for about a minute before I stand up and follow his lead, and walk out the back door. Leon is sitting on one of the bamboo patio chairs situated in a large spread out circle around the cement slab. I place my ass in the seat next to his and I remain quiet, waiting for him to tell me what is so damn important.

                “Do you have any kids?” Leon asks after several minutes of silence, “Before and/or after the change, I mean.” I turn my head towards him in response.

                “No. Thank god for that!” I answer in reply as I chuckle aloud.

                “Oh gee, thanks man.” Leon replies, and he lets out a quick snort-laugh.

                “You know I don’t mean it like that. Abi is great. Just you know, with who I am. What I can become….” I explain, and my voice trails off into silence. My head snaps down, lowering my eyes in shame.

                “Well, Abigail is at the center of my dilemma. It involves me needing to ask you to do something that may disrupt your current inner peace.” He says. Without looking at him, I know he is staring up into the stars. I turn my head back towards him, looking at his face and confirming what I already knew.

                “It’s okay, Leon. Just tell me what you need from me. Its been a long time. You know I do everything for the better of the pack now. It’s been years since those days. You know I’ve changed.” I sputter out as my words seem to flow uncontrollably. I have a gut feeling that I already know what he wants but I need him to say the words.

                “You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Bastian. You should know that about me by now, but its Abigail. She has been really persistent lately. She tells me that she is sick of pretending to be a human. She isn’t content with being normal, you know?! How am I supposed to deal with this crap?” Leon replies as his voice trails off into broken silence.

                “Leon. She is sixteen now. You know what I was doing at sixteen?” I ask, “I was doing everything I could to help my father keep our family tavern afloat. I even dropped out of school to help. Any spare time I had left was usually talking to some cute girl or hanging out with friends.”

                “Is that what’s going on? Is that who this Jacob kid is?” Leon demands as his voice gets a bit more serious.

                “Just stop. That’s not what I meant, and you know it. I just mean that Abigail is going to want to explore all sides of her own body. And I don’t mean sexually. I mean that she is a growing and maturing werewolf teenager. I mean, has she even changed yet?” I ask.

                “No, that’s where the problem lies. She doesn’t understand that it comes in time. Trying to force it to happen early wont end well for her.” He answers.

                “What is it that she wants? What is the point of all this?” I ask as I attempt to get us back on track.

                “Right, the point is that I need you do something for me. Obviously, I have Abigail’s best interest in mind here.” Leon replies as he takes a deep breath, “I need you to possibly get back in touch with some contacts from your old days. You know, before the pack. I need you to set up a simple job. Something Abigail can do with you and minimize her danger levels, while also letting her explore the wolf inside herself a bit.” There is a long pause between us. A minute or so goes by, “I hope it’s not asking too much. I know how much you want to avoid dredging that life up.”

                “No, it’s okay. I kind of figured it would be something like this.” I answer as I breathe a heavy sigh, “I’ll do it. For Abigail. Nothing more.” I stare back at Leon and his face lights up in joy but somehow mixed in is sorrow as well, “Give me a little time. I may need to dig for a while before I find something that works.”

                “Thank you, Brother.” Leon answers. It is sincere, and I know it. When Leon refers to me as ‘Brother’ I know that he thinks of me as a true brother. He started this brother nickname for me around 5 years ago, when I finally dedicated myself fully to the pack.

                “No problem, Brother. Anything for the pack and Abi is definitely one of us.” I answer, showing the same respect back to him.

                Its not long after this point in the conversation when Leon stands up from the patio chair and walks back to the door leading inside. He stops before he walks in and turns back to face me.

                “You can crash on the couch if you don’t feel like going home. Either way is cool but if you do leave, and I can’t emphasize this enough, please make sure to LOCK the front door before you go.” He explains with a sarcastic sigh.

                “No problem, Leon. I’ll lock up before I go to sleep. I’ll stay here tonight. Thanks again, Brother.” I answer back to him with a hearty chuckle.

                “Night, Bastian.” Leon replies as he steps through the door and closes it behind him.

                I sit silently in the darkness for a while longer as I stare into the stars above me. My past life flashes before my eyes. It’s showing me scenes of fast cars, illegal smuggling into enemy territory, murders, robberies, and various other criminal activities. Most if these were pretty bad, even in the supernatural world. My mind shifts at over thousand miles a minute, trying to figure out how best to handle this situation. I had to contact somebody who might be able to give me an easy job. As much as I dread the thought of bringing that scumbag back into my life, Reamus is the only one to come to mind. He could do it and the last thing I heard about Reamus is that he got out of that life. He went legit with a junkyard business, or something along those lines. He might have something that would work. At the very least I hope he could point me in the right direction.

                I need some sleep before I work on this, I’ll just try to contact Reamus in the morning. I remain outside for just a bit longer. I need to clear my mind before I lay down or I won’t be able to rest. The stars and the constellations always fascinate me. Astrology and Astrophysics have always been something I have done in my spare time as a hobby more than anything else. Its weird when you consider all the work involved in it, but as the saying goes ‘If you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your life’. Regardless, it’s not long before staring at the stars calms me enough to sleep. I stand up and walk through the door, closing it behind me. When I make it to the living room, I find two pillows and a blanket on the couch. I walk passed it, straight to the front door. I make sure its locked before I turn around, finding my resting place for the night on the couch.

                I spent a few days trying to get ahold of Reamus or even just to find his location, but in three days not a single damn clue comes up. I’m starting to get frustrated as I just want to help Leon and Abigail get over this little dispute as soon as possible. Well, that is part of it at least. I also just need to get it done and over as quickly as possible for my own reasons too. In the last three days, the only lead I found is one of my old contacts, a shapeshifter who goes by the name Blender. He told me that the last time he saw Reamus was about two or three years ago. He also confirmed that he would contact me if he found anything out. That was yesterday and I’m already growing impatient. What I remember of Blender is that he wasn’t always reliable. He often wouldn’t show up when needed, or he wouldn’t deliver when it mattered but still, it’s my only lead. I can hope for the best though, right?

                It’s about noon on a Friday. Kate should be getting up any time now. She has a shift tonight and it’s always busy on the weekends. Almost as if on cue, Kate walks into the living room. She immediately turns and walks to me, planting a soft good morning kiss on my lips. I return the kiss and she pulls away.

                “Good morning, Sexy.” I greet her as I tenderly lean forward and kiss her again, this time on the forehead. She stares deeply into my eyes for a moment, giving me that seductive look that she knows drives me wild. Which in turn gives me all sorts of……dirty thoughts but before I can make my move, she turns and walks away, heading towards the kitchen. Kate is my girlfriend and packmate. I won’t call her my Mate because our relationship isn’t anything serious. Besides living together, it’s basically just us having a good time. Neither of us came into it with anything long term planned. For me, she is basically young, hot, and convenient. I assume I am something similar to her but closer to older, yet still hot, able to take care of her, and convenient. Regardless, our relationship is nothing serious and we both like it that way.

I hear clinking and clanking in the Kitchen as Kate gets herself some coffee and probably something to eat as well. I'm watching the morning news and the weather is on. Apparently, it's going to mostly comfortable today in the mid to high 90's. This should go through the rest of the weekend too. The bad news is that starting Monday, a massive week-long heatwave blows through with temperatures reaching the low 120's at some point.

                I grab the remote and turn off the TV before placing the remote on the coffee table in front of me. I stand up and go into the kitchen to see what Kate is doing. I find her with a cup of coffee, reading the newspaper and eating a piece of toast.

                “You want some real breakfast? I know where we can get some really, REALLY good heart.” I offer as I stare at her, awaiting her answer.

                “Yea, sounds good. If you want, I’ll make my famous Hearty Biscuits and Gravy.” She answers a few seconds later.

                “Okay. Give me thirty minutes and I’ll be back.” I reply as I walk back out of the kitchen. I go back to our room and put on my shoes, a shirt, grab my wallet and keys before I head out the door.

                I quickly jog over to Stella and get in, starting her up immediately. I back out of the driveway and gun it as I shift into drive. I end up doing a little smoke show as the tires spin but gradually start gripping the pavement, pulling me forward. I resume a more natural speed, much closer to the speed limit, a few blocks away. It takes about ten minutes to get to Leon’s house and sure enough, Maribel is there when I knock on the door.

                “Hey Bastian.” She greets with a friendly smile and an extended hand. I reach forward and hug her instead, “Ha, ha, Okay. So, what brings you over today?”

                “I need something very important from you, if you still have it, that is.” I answer as I release my hug.

                “You want some more of that heart, don’t you?” She replies, snickering afterward.

                “YES! How did you know? Do you have any left?” I ask, desperately hoping the answer is yes.

                “Yea, there is a little more. I suppose we can spare a little.” She answers and my face lights up in excited joy, “Hold on a minute I’ll get you some. Come inside and sit down for a moment if you want.” I follow her inside and sit on the couch as she disappears into the kitchen.

                A few minutes later Maribel returns with three Chinese take-out boxes and hands them to me. I stand up and hug her once more.

                “Alright, that’s enough, Bastian. It’s just a little food. No big deal.” She says as she slowly pushes me away from her. I might be going a little over bored with the hugs, but these hearts are truly decadent. I release my grip around her and she smiles in relief.

                “Sorry, but you must realize how good these are. I sorta, couldn’t help but hug you. I wanted to kiss ya, but that would have been a little awkward.” I reply with a chuckle, “I really need to get back. Kate is expecting something good and I don’t want to make her wait too much longer than necessary.” I continue as I turn and start walking to the door.

                “Alright, I hope she enjoys. Stop by again soon. Maybe you can bring Kate over for dinner sometime.” Maribel says as I walk out the front door.

                I walk to Stella as quickly as possible, placing the food boxes in the passenger seat before I start her up and speed away. Ten minutes later I arrive back at home. I snatch up the food boxes and bring them inside to show Kate. As I enter the kitchen, I stop dead in my tracks.

                Reamus is sitting at the dining room table across from Kate. She doesn’t even seem to notice or care that he is there, as she continues reading the newspaper.

                “Reamus…..What brings you by, Old Friend.” I ask as Reamus’ attention shifts to me.

                “A little bird told me that you are looking for me. Now what could Bastian my ‘old friend’ possibly need from little ole me?” Reamus answers as he stands up from the table and walks toward me. My nerves hit me like a Mack truck and I freeze up when he arrives next to me. A moment later I feel my body loosen as I am able to move again.

                “So, did Blender talk to you? Or what?” I ask as I cross my arms on my chest. His age is finally starting to show up through the long, grey, dreadlocks hanging from his head. His eyes remain the same determined eyes that I remember from over two hundred years ago.

                “Yea I heard from Blender, but that’s not who informed me first. It was this fine, little, she-wolf sitting right over there.” He explains as he points toward Kate sitting at the table. My head snaps to her location and we make eye contact as she turns her head to face me.

                “How do you…? How? You, really?.....” I say, struggling to get out the proper words. What the hell is going on? How could SHE have found HIM? I haven’t ever spoken to her about Reamus. This can’t be possible.

                “Well, it’s pretty simple really. First, I need to tell you a secret. Afterwards, everything should make sense.” She answers and pauses briefly, “I am a Witch. Or at least, I was a witch before I got turned. So, I know a little magic. Remember to keep this a secret. I wouldn’t want the others finding out.” She explains further.

                “So, is there anything else you want to tell me, dear? Like anymore big secrets?” I ask, staring into the faded blue of her iris’.

                “No, nothing in particular. Though I won’t lie to you. There are more secrets, but more will be revealed in time. For now, let’s just see what the nice man can do for us, ‘kay?” Kate answers back with a line of sass that I’m all too familiar with. It’s actually what pulled me in about her but regardless she is right. I need to speak with Reamus while he is here. So, I turn my attention back to Reamus.

                “Well, I guess Kate is right. I need to deal with you first. So, Reamus. Can you do something for me?” I ask and Reamus’ interest seems to pique.

                “What is it that you need, old friend?” He asks in return. A wicked smile curves onto his face.

                “A job. Something simple. Very simple. I don’t want to get back into the life or anything, but I need something small. I was thinking maybe you could reach out and set something up for me.” I explain in my request. My nerves are on edge while he pauses before his answer.

                “Okay, sure. I can work something out, but you know I’m out of favors for you. This one will cost you something.” He answers but my heart sinks as he finishes the last sentence.

                “What’s it going to cost me then?” I reply.

                “How about this. You owe me a favor at a particular time of my choosing. You will do so without hesitation and without question but don’t worry. It won’t be anything too horrible for you or your beloved pack.” Reamus answers. Just then a swarm of butterflies flood my stomach and a horrible feeling sweeps over me. As much as I hate it. I need to agree to this if I want it all to end as soon as possible.

                “Fine, deal! Just set it up a quick as possible. I need this done quick, so I can get back to my life.” I reply as I quickly agree to his terms.

                “Very good. Very, very good. I will contact you again soon with the details. Good-bye for now Sabastian Lancaster, my oldest friend.” Reamus replies before he turns and walks to the door exiting the kitchen. I watch as he leaves the room and wait until I hear the click of the front door behind him.

                “Lancaster?” Kate says aloud, “What did he mean by that?”

                “Lancaster is my real name, from…. Before. There, we are even. Now we both know a secret of each other’s. Remember to keep mine a secret. It’s just as important as your witch secret.” I explain, turning to face her once again.

                “Sounds like we have a deal then.” She replies with a seductive smile before she stands up from the table and walks over to me. I remain silent and she strides over in her approach. When she is standing directly in front of me, she stops, leans forward, and plants a huge lip smacking kiss on my lips before she pulls away.

                “What was that for?” I ask with a wide smile as she stares back into my eyes.

                “Quickie before I leave?” She asks casually.

                “Where are you going so early? You don’t start work till 5pm, or at least I thought” I ask in return. Although a quickie does sound good.

                “I need to get ready for work. I told Jen that I’d cover for her at the store for a few hours before she gets back from the doctor at 4pm. Then I’m heading to the bar for the night afterwards. So, I doubt we will see each other tonight.” She answers, “So, you in or not, Wolfman?” I don’t even answer her second request. I immediately rip off my shirt and I smirk as I see Kate removing her shirt as well.

                Around twenty minutes later I find myself driving Stella back to Leon’s house. I need to speak with him. He wasn’t home earlier but I’m sure Maribel will know where he is now if he is not at home. I pull up to Leon’s house a few minutes later and knock on the door again, for the second time today. It’s not long before I hear and see the door opening in front of me.

                “Hey Bastian! Long time no see!!! How have you been since…. This morning. Did Kate enjoy the heart you brought her?” Maribel greets sarcastically.

                “Do you know where Leon is? I need to speak with him about something we talked about a few nights ago.” I answer. I smile in response to see Maribel again, “Oh, and uh well, to answer your question, this business I have with Leon interrupted that. We will likely eat those tonight instead. Thank you so much though. I’ll be sure to let you know what she thinks of it.”

                “Ah, I see. Well Leon is either at his office, or he is working with Isaac as his place on some kind of secret project, or so he says.” Maribel replies.

                “Okay. Thank you, Maribel. I’ll go find Leon. Oh, just a heads up. Maybe tomorrow night Kate and I will come over for a Barbecue but tell Leon that I’m cooking. Last time we ended up with hockey pucks instead of burgers.” I reply to back. I quickly turn and walk back to Stella. Just as I get into the car, I look back to Maribel. She closes the door when I turn the key and Stella’s engine roars.

                As I’m cruising along toward Leon’s construction office, I see something strange. In the distance I see a person walking down the center line in the road. There are no other cars in sight and I don’t even see any people outside. I let off the gas pedal and coast until I get close enough to see them.

                When I can finally get a clear view of who it is, I see the last thing I ever expect. Abigail is walking, covered in blood nearly from head to toe. Her mouth is covered in red, and her clothes are stained in splashes of bloody crimson. I stop the car directly in front of her, but she seems to be in a trance. She even walks straight into the stationary vehicle and stops walking. I get out of the car and rush to her side.

                “Abi! What happened? Are you okay?” I ask her, hoping she has some answers. She remains silent as she stares at me. The strangest thing is that instead of staring at me, it looks as if she is staring through me into the distance.

                “Abi, are you listening?” I ask, hoping to snap her out of this weird state. This is bad. Something happened, and she doesn’t seem to be speaking, “C’mon, let’s get in the car. I’ll take you home.” I grab her around the shoulders and lead her to the passenger seat, buckling her in. I quickly run around the car and get in myself. Abigail is staring forward, still with that stare-right-through-you look. At this point it’s creeping me out, but I need to figure out how to deal with her and quickly.

                I speed away, making my way back home. I hope Kate is home. I need some help on how to deal with this situation and I can’t go to Leon, Maribel, or Isaac. Each of them are too close to Abi to think rationally about all of this. The possibilities of what happened to Abigail start flashing in my head like a dark and scary highlight reel. As these ideas are flipping through my head, it hits me. She must have finally turned. She is at the right age and that would explain the blood covering her. During the drive, I keep looking over to her, checking if she is okay. Other than her muteness, she seems perfectly fine. I’m about two minutes from home when I look over to Abi for the last time. She turns her head and looks directly into my eyes. I see a strange dark, emptiness within them.

                “Kill.” Abigail mutters quietly, completely void of emotion.

                “What?” I ask aloud, “Did you say--”

                “Dead! They all died!” she says louder and more clearly but still only just above a whisper, “Death…. The body….. motionless…. Blood…. everywhere….”

                “Did you kill someone?” I ask but a moment later, I brake to a stop in front of my house. I sit silently in the car as I wait for Abigail to answer but after several minutes, it’s obvious that she is mute once again. I get out of the car and help her to get out as well, leading her inside to the couch. She sits down, and I quickly go into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water for her from the fridge. I bring it back to her and I sit down on the cushion next to her. Kate clearly isn’t home. She probably already left to go cover Jen’s shift already.

                “So, do you want to talk about it?” I ask, prying for any bit of information. She turns and faces me about a minute later. This time her eyes aren’t so empty. It’s the first time since finding her that I feel like I am talking to her, instead of some empty husk.
                “No.” She answers quickly before falling silent once again. Her mouth says no, but her eyes tell me another story. I KNOW she wants…. Or NEEDS to talk about it. I look back into her eyes and two stray tears roll down her cheek, starting from the inner corner of her eye.

                “Do you at least want to get cleaned up first? You can use my shower, that might make you feel better.” I offer, and she nods her head, “Okay, then. It’s a start. Let’s get you some clothes and a towel.” I continue as I stand up and reach out for Abi’s hand. She grabs ahold of me and pulls herself up. I lead her into my room where I start digging through Kate’s clothes to find something simple for her to change into. The problem being that Kate mostly has in appropriate clothing, or at least in appropriate for me to see Abi wearing.

                After several minutes, the best I can muster up is a tank top and a pair of blue jeans from Kate, but I still feel like the tank top is too much for me to want to see. So, I end up giving her one of my button up shirts to go over it. I carry the clothes under one arm as I drag Abigail behind me with the other. On the way to the bathroom I snatch a towel from the linen closet, tucking it under my arm with the clothes. I open the bathroom door and place the clothes and the towel on the counter next to the sink. I turn to Abi and smile.

                “Abi, go ahead and take a shower. Take as long as you need. I’ll be in the living room when you are ready to come back out. We do need to talk about this though. Just be sure you are ready to speak a little bit when you come back, alright?” I explain to her and she nods, walking into the bathroom. She stops before closing the door and turns her head to look at me. I look back at her with curiosity, “What is it Abi?” I ask. She doesn’t answer me, but instead she runs back to me, wrapping her arms around my waist and burying her face into my stomach. I hear soft whimpers and sniffles. So, I assume she is crying. I wrap my arms around her, hugging with a comforting embrace.

                “I won’t let anything happen to you. I hope you know that. Whatever happen, whatever you did or didn’t do, I will help you through it.” I say aloud and her crying stops. She looks up and I stare down into her tear-stained face.

                “Thank you.” She replies quietly before releasing me and dashing back into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. I smile and walk back to the living room to wait.

                I end up sitting on the sofa flipping through channels, trying to find something decent to watch. Nothing is on at this time during the middle of the week except soaps and those Jerry Springer-type shows. After nearly an hour of waiting, I hear the bathroom door open and close with footsteps on the hardwood following shortly after. Finally, it must be time. Abi’s footsteps stop around the corner, right before the living room where I’m seated. I hear her make a strained deep breath before she steps out from around the corner. Strangely enough, Abi and Kate seem to be nearly the same size clothes. Kate will be happy to hear that later. Abi’s face looks more like herself at last. Her pale faced, Bloodied clothes, and her empty stare were starting to creep me out. Her bright beautiful nature finally reveals itself from within once again. Despite her renewed normal look, she is clearly sad or bothered. Something is on her mind, but that same something is probably what’s on my mind as well. She slowly makes her way over to the couch and sits next to me. I place the remote on the coffee table and sit up, turning in my seat toward Abi.

                “Are you ready to talk about this?” I ask aloud, hoping to initiate the conversation. She turns in her seat the same way I have to face me better. Abi looks at me and nods before she pauses again.

                “Well, it’s no big deal or anything but…..I finally…..”She says as she trails off into silence.

                “What did you finally do?” I ask but quickly realize what she is referring to, “Oh I see. You transformed, didn’t you? How bad was it?”

                “Bad.” She answers and something in her tone tells me to believe her. I mean why else would she be covered in blood.

                “How many did you kill?” I ask. I’m at a loss for words here. It’s been a long time since I’ve dealt with somebody who just went on their first rampage. Although, my first massacre still haunts me every time I close my eyes. It’s a constant reminder of the beast within.

                “I don’t know. I was, uh, in and out of consciousness. I lost count after five.” She confesses, and her eyes shoot down in shame.

                “Look, you don’t have anything to feel bad about. It’s something that has happened to all of us. It’s part of how we all got here now. I’ve killed many innocent people before.” I say, struggling to find the right words. Her eyes bounce back up, meeting my gaze head-on, “It’s not something I’m proud of. It’s just a simple fact. Do I regret killing all those people? Sure, I do. But there is nothing that I can do to bring them back now. All you can do is, work to prevent it from happening again. Or at least that what I try to do.” I explain, hoping some of it sinks in a little bit. Her face lightens up a little, scraping off a layer of sadness it’s dead skin.

                “But that’s what you don’t understand. I don’t feel bad. Not one bit. In fact, I think I may have even enjoyed it.” She says aloud. This is strangely familiar. I remember enjoying it too, the killing that is. Is this something that all of us struggle with? I can’t be sure, but either way it doesn’t matter at this moment.

                “Abi…. You wanna know something?” I ask her and smirk when she nods in approval, “We are a lot more alike than I ever realized until now.”

                “How so?” she asks, cocking her head to the side slightly and arching her brow.

                “Well, as much as I hate to admit it, I kind of enjoy it too.” I say aloud with a deep breath. Abi inhales deeply as well.

                “Really? You aren’t just saying this to make me feel better, are you?” She asks, immediately after she exhales.

                “No. I’m totally serious. I’m not sure you understand how much it means to me, that I was finally able to admit that to someone.” I answer as several tears begin streaming down my face. A second later my nose gets the sniffles. I laugh for a second to lighten the mood, “I’ve held that in for over 220 years, Abi. You are the first person I have ever told.” I quickly wipe my cheeks with my shirt, clearing all of my salty tears from my skin.

                “Awe isn’t that touching, Seb. Is this little pup yours or something?” A female voice suddenly taunts from behind us. I turn my head to look and see a familiar face. Her Australian accent is slightly diluted than before, but the fiery red hair is a clear indication.

                “Kas?” I ask in confusion.