The Birthday

Chandler has been feeling amazing for the past few days after he had his seal broken, it feels like he had this void inside filled up. He feels like a changed person and he has been enjoying the perks of being a werewolf; the added strength, heightened senses, and the fangs and claws he can't stop staring at in the mirror whenever he is in the bathroom. He spends a lot of time with his father now, he already ended his little dog training business so he is always in the woods with his father helping him to cut down the trees.

Chandler has not set his eyes on Alice since she does not have to bring her dog to his place but that did not stop him from thinking about her no matter how hard he tries. His father told him that it was just a crush and that with time he would forget about her he would look at her and then he won't feel a thing. He was waiting for that day to come but for now, he can't do anything to keep her off his mind, he woke up this morning wishing he could see her at least.

Chandler's schedule is pretty much the same thing every day these days, after breakfast, he would get everything they would need in the woods in the truck and they drive off, some days he follows his father outside the town to ship the woods out to his father's company.

Chandler was done with breakfast already and he was already waiting for his father to come out so they could leave but then he looked down to see that the body of the truck was filthy. The filth was from yesterday, he could remember his father running into some dirty puddle on their way home yesterday. He went inside to get a bucket of water to wash it off as he waits for his father to come outside. He came out shortly after, he took his shirt off so he does not splash some water on it and then he folds his trousers too as he starts cleaning the filth off from the body of the truck.

Chandler was almost done with the cleaning when he heard footsteps behind him and he turned around to know who it was because he was sure that his parents were still inside.

"Hi, Alice." Chandler was surprised to see her standing close to their truck smiling.

Chandler expected her to speak first because she must have a reason for coming to his place this morning when she should be on her way to school but she was not talking. She stood there looking at him, he looked at her but she was not looking at his eyes or anywhere around his face. Her eyes were fixated on his chest, he watched as her eyeballs moved from his chest down to his Abs and the look on her face looked like she was blushing. Chandler did not want to stop her from looking and it would be embarrassing for her if she noticed how long she was staring so Chandler turned around to open the car door to get his shirt which he kept inside there.

"Hi," Alice said lowly the moment she realized she was standing there and just staring, she coughed and looked away to avoid looking straight at Chandler at the moment.

"Hi. How're you doing?" Chandler replied as he wore his shirt.

"I'm good. So you're washing the truck?"

"Yeah, I'm done anyways," Chandler responded with a smile, he was done wearing his clothes now but she was mute like she forgot why she came here or she was thinking about his abs again. Chandler felt like the silence was feeling awkward so he broke the silence as he noticed that she might not be saying anything any time soon.

"You're not going to school today?"

"What?"

"School? A place you go to learn, you should be there now right?" Chandler asked sarcastically as she chuckled.

"Oh yeah. I was here to know if you had any plans for tonight because I'm having a party at my place."

"What type of party?" Chandler has not been to any party since they moved to this town, even when they were still in New York City he hardly went to parties because he rather stay inside playing games.

"Oh, today's my birthday so..."

"Today's your birthday?" Chandler interrupted her as she nods with a smile. "Happy Birthday to you," Chandler added.

"Thank you." She responded with a smile and then they were an awkward silence again, they were just smiling at each other.

"So will you be there?" She asked.

"Oh yeah sure. I will be there." Chandler replied immediately as she smiled.

"Okay then see you tonight"

"Yeah, I will be at your place tonight," Chandler replied again as he walked her smiling and walking away.

"Bye," He said as he waved at her, she turned back quickly and waved bye at him too as she smiled and walked away.

Chandler stood there and did not realize he was still smiling, he could not also believe how hard she was looking at his Abs. He lifted his shirt to look at his Abs as he smiled and touched them.

"Those Abs are paying off huh? Courtesy of working with me."

Chandler turned around quickly to see his father right behind him smiling, he groaned as he looked at his father who has not stopped smiling.

"Dad, why do you have to ruin this moment?"

"How did I ruin it?" Mr. Beckham asked as he chuckled and opened his car door and hopped inside.

Chandler smiled as he opened the car door too, he hopped in and they zoomed off, they were in their cabin in the woods minutes later as they both came down from the vehicle.

"Father and son..."

Chandler and Mr. Beckham turned around swiftly to know who just spoke behind them, Mr. Beckham knew who had the voice before they even turned around.

"Brad, what're you doing here?" Mr. Beckham asked and Brad's smile turned to a frown, he squeezed his face as he moved closer to where Chandler and his father were standing.

"And I'm so happy to meet you again, old friend," Brad said as he smirked and spread out his arms to hug Mr. Beckham who was smiling already.

Chandler was just standing there confused for a moment, he remembered his father talking about Brad a few times but he did not look like what he was expecting him to look like. Mr. Beckham looked at Chandler and felt like he should introduce Brad to him.

"Oh, this is Brad, and Brad this is..."

"Chandler! We finally meet." Brad said as he grinned to show his broken tooth and then shook Chandler's hand.

"I'm sure your father must've told you a lot about me," Brad added as he looked at Mr. Beckham and then Chandler as he continued smiling.

"Not really," Chandler stated.

"Oh, Alvin. you've not told the kid about the good old days?" Brad asked as he looked at Mr. Beckham who smiles and then sighs.

"I know you're not here to tell him about that." Mr. Beckham replied.

"Yeah, you're right. They sent me, they want you guys to capture the rogue werewolf here in this town and bring him to them."

"How are we supposed to capture an unidentified werewolf that's out there murdering people randomly?" Mr. Beckham asked, he was not happy that he is taking orders from the Entities again.

"It's not randomly though," Brad stated

"What?"

"All the people he's killed are related to one family."

"Which family?" Mr. Beckham asked, his interest has been pricked now.

"The Marshalls so that's a heads up."

"The Marshalls?" Mr. Beckham was frightened and surprised at the same time, Chandler could see that he was scared.

"Who are the Marshalls?" Chandler asked as he looked at Brad and his father, Mr. Beckham was not ready to explain that yet so Brad who was shocked that Chandler don't know about the Marshalls yet was the one to break the silence.

"You don't know the Marshalls? The most vicious werewolf hunting family, the infamous hunters that were responsible for driving all the werewolves out of this town and implanted the fear of God in every werewolf."

Chandler was quiet, he had heard a lot about this family and all they have done but he never bothered to ask their name now he was more worried about the werewolf that had the guts to kill people from this same family of werewolf hunters. He was thinking about the fact that they have to capture this reckless werewolf, he looked at his father and he was sure that they were thinking the same thing.

"I will leave you too for now," Brad said as he smiled and walked away, Chandler and his father were still standing there without saying a word.

Chandler could stand in front of Alice's doorstep for a few minutes, he could hear the music coming out from the house already but he was thinking if it was a bad idea to come to her birthday party. He even brought a birthday gift for her which he wrapped well and held it firmly in his hand but he could not find the courage to ring the doorbell. He needed to be at this party tonight because all he has been thinking and talking about with his father all day was how to identify and capture this werewolf.

He finally rang the doorbell but no one answered, he tried it two more times but no one still showed up and he started thinking if that was a sign that he should not have come at all so he turned and was about to leave but heard the door creak open.

"You made it!" Alice yelled excitedly as Chandler turned and she hugged him. It was the first time that they hug and it was as beautiful and perfect as Chandler imagined and practiced with his pillow multiple times but this was better and real so he wished that he would not let go.

"Yeah happy birthday," Chandler said as they disentangled and he hands her over the birthday gift he wrapped in a small box.

"You got me a gift! You didn't have to." Alice was excited, she had no idea what was inside the box but she was already happy as she held the gift close to her chest.

"Please come in," She said excitedly as she opened the door a little wider and Chandler walked in smiling, he expected lots of people inside but not as many as the people he saw inside her house.

"Wow, that's a lot of people," Chandler said with a chuckle, Alice could barely hear him with the music blasting inside but she understood what he meant.

"Yeah I barely know some of them but they know me, I'm a bit popular in school so I'm sure more than half of them are from my school," Alice yelled so Chandler could hear her clearly with the loud music and noise but she was sure that he did not hear everything she just said clearly.

"Come let's go upstairs, it's more quiet up there," Alice said as she held Chandler's hand and dragged him with her.

Chandler did not hear what she said clearly but as she held him with her soft hand, he had no other question so he followed her sheepishly as she dragged her in between the crowds in her living room. Some were in the kitchen too and they passed a few that were on the stairs too, they walked inside a room together and she closed the door. Chandler looked around and the room looked girlie so he could decipher by what he was seeing that they were in her room.

"This is the first time that I'm in a birthday party with so much crowd," Chandler said as he chuckled and kept on looking around the room.

"For real? This is what my birthday is like every year."

"Wow, and your mom has no problem with that?" Chandler asked because he was sure that lots of parents would not allow their daughters at that age to host such parties.

"She is not around most times for my party so she feels guilty enough not to yell at me about how I spend my birthday." She explained.

"Alright but what about your dad?" Chandler asked as he watched her smile fade away instantly, he felt like he asked a question he should not have asked. She has never said a thing about her father before and while he passed through their living room he saw pictures of Alice and her mother but no man that he would consider to be her father so maybe he was dead.

"He's not around." She just said and her expression showed that she was not happy with the conversation but Chandler wanted to finish the conversation since they have started it already.

"Is he..."

"Dead? No." She cut in with a chuckle.

"I wish though." She added Chandler looked at her pretty eyes and he could see pains in there.

"What happened?" Chandler asked

"I barely knew him, he left my mom, and no way to contact him for more than ten years."

"Sorry about that," Chandler replied, he had no idea what to do to sympathize with her but she did not feel like she needs any sympathy.

"It's okay, it's my birthday and I won't let that loser ruin it so Can I open this?" Alice asked as she showed Chandler the gift in her hand that he gave to her.

"Sure."

Alice smiled as she tore through the wrap that was used to wrap it and she saw a box, she opened the box slowly and there was a shiny little bracelet inside.

"It's beautiful." Alice held the bracelet up in the air, she dropped the box on her bed and sat down on the bed to wear the bracelet immediately.

"Let me help you," Chandler said as he moved closer to sit beside her on the bed and help her wear the bracelet.

"There you are!"

Alice and Chandler were startled as the door was pushed wide open and a boy walked in, he was almost the same age as Chandler but was a little chubbier than Chandler.

"Oh Chandler, this is..." Alice was about to do the introduction but the boy cut her off.

"Her boyfriend" He looked at Chandler expecting to scare Chandler but Chandler was more amused than scared, he stood up.

"Hi Her boyfriend, I'm Chandler," Chandler replied, Alice giggled and then he extended his hand to shake him but he was not interested in a handshake.

"Okay, you think you're funny. Mr. funny guy, the party is downstairs and I need private time with my girlfriend."

"Alright," Chandler replied as he walked away and left them

"Why did you treat him like that?" Alice asked her boyfriend immediately after Chandler left.

"Babe, why did you invite him? This is the same Chandler that you can't stop telling me how cool you think he is because he has this weird talent for talking to animals?"

"yeah it is the same Chandler and he is just my friend, you're just being childish."

Chandler did not need to eavesdrop to know that Alice's boyfriend was cranky because of him and they were talking about him as he left, he walked down the stairs to join the party but he does not know anyone there so he just saw a spot to sit down in the living room and he sat down.

"You're sitting on my spot handsome." A pretty lady that just walked to where Chandler sat down said as she stood in front of Chandler looking at him.

Chandler was looking at how hot she was, she had this chocolate skin that looked like polished chocolate because it was glittering and the short gown she wore revealed her sexy slender body.

"Oh sorry." Chandler stood up and smiled.

"I'm Chandler," Chandler added as he stretched out his hand for a handshake, she shook him but she was surprised.

"Like the Chandler? Alice's Chandler?" She asked but Chandler was confused.

"I don't understand what that means but she's not mine and I'm not hers," Chandler responded as the girl chuckled and sat down with her legs crossed.

"Boy, that girl can't stop talking about you." She responded

"I don't think so, she has a boyfriend already," Chandler stated but she burst into laughter

"I don't see what she sees in that boy but you, I can see why she won't stop talking about you." She paused and looked at Chandler and then looked at the drink in her hand.

"Why am I even telling you all this? I think I'm drunk already" She chuckled as she took another sip.

Chandler stood there dumbfounded, that was when he noticed that the whole place was quieter than before because no one was dancing again so the music was not loud and everyone was almost drunk. Chandler was confused by what this lady just told him and he was still deep in thought before his phone in his pocket rang and snapped him back to reality.

"Sorry I have to take this," He said to the girl but was not even worried about the call, she was busy getting more drunk. Chandler headed to the door but turned back to meet the girl.

"I did not get your name."

"Paige" She replied

"A pleasure meeting you Paige."

"Likewise."

Chandler headed for the door again but the phone stopped ringing and it was his mother, it was cold outside so he was about to call his mother back but he heard someone behind him lurking in the corner. He goes to check it out but as soon as he reached there, someone very swift has already grabbed him and pinned a dagger on his neck.

"Any sharp movement and you're dead" The voice was hoarse

"I don't have enough cash on me," Chandler confessed but the man hissed.

"I'm not here for that boy?"

"Then why do you have a dagger to my neck?" Chandler asked

"Take this as a warning, this town does not like werewolves." The voice responded and Chandler was shocked, he realized that the person holding him must be a hunter. Chandler had nothing to say anymore, this was his first encounter with a hunter and he felt helpless and scared.

"Anywhere werewolves go, death follows." The voice added

"I'm not the one behind the killing," Chandler stated.

"I know, I heard his taller than you and your father so it must be another one but we still don't want any in this town."

"Chandler why are you outside?" Alice asked as she walked to where Chadler was the hunter released him and ran into the night as Chandler kept looking in the direction he went.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked as she came closer and Chandler was still looking over there, she peered to see if she could see what he was looking at but she saw nothing.

"What?"

"Are you alright?" She asked again

"Yeah. I just came to make a call" Chandler responded.

"Okay come in, we're about to cut the cake and blow out the candles," Alice said excitedly

"Okay I'll be there right away" Chandler replied as she smiled and walked back inside.

Chandler exhaled as he rubbed his hands on his neck and looked at the direction the man ran, he sighed and went back inside.