CHAPTER 2

Joining Josh and the others on the bleachers, we waited for the teacher to explain the class for the day. Upon hearing the announcement of us doing the mile run, everyone groaned. Well, everyone except Josh, Adam, the twins, and I. They often joined me during my training or when I go for a run. I often do three miles, but depending on my mood, I can do five. This was going to be too easy.

The teacher put a small dot on our hands after each lap, to help keep track of who completed the run and who didn't. I enjoyed running because I could think about other things, zoning into the rhythm of my feet pounding on the ground. After I got my fourth dot, I decided to continue running, so by the end of the class, I had ten dots to symbolize my two and a half miles. While I was thinking about running an additional two and a half miles after school, I made my way to my last two classes, Russian and then Art. Even though I can already fluently speak German, Russian, Latin, Irish, as well as the American Sign Language, I decided to take it for the credits. You can sue me for wanting to take an easy class, but I don't care. When school was over, the guys and I decided to swing by Sonic to get a snack instead of going on the run.

Walking through the front door of my house, you could sense that something was happening. You could almost cut the excitement with a butter knife. After the phone call with Nixis, I wasn't feeling very excited. Mom was busy cooking in the kitchen and dad was getting the backyard ready for company. Exactly who it was, I had no idea, but we would find out sooner or later. I walked into the kitchen to throw away my Sonic cup and to greet my mother.

"Hey mom, who's coming over?" I asked while giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Whatever she had in the oven smelled amazing, and I didn't hesitate to tell her.

"Thanks honey. A friend of your father's is coming over with his son. It's been a while since we could sit with them without talking about work. They should be here in about twenty minutes, so why don't you freshen up and relax for a bit? I know you don't like meeting new people, so you don't have to talk if you don't want to." My mother understood that since everything happened, I don't like being around strangers or big crowds. As my mom talked, she took the food out of the oven. It turned out to be barbecued chicken breasts that looked so moist and delicious, and on top of that, the smell of spices weren't overwhelming in the slightest. Pure heaven. Giving her another quick kiss on the cheek, I went upstairs to take a quick shower and change. Changing into dark gray cargo shorts and a matching muscle t-shirt, I was ready by the time I heard a car pulling up the driveway. By the time I got to the bottom of the staircase, the doorbell rang.

My mom let in Mr. Deus and who I'm assuming is his son. Mr. Deus was the police chief at the station my father worked at, and he was also a family friend. It wasn't uncommon for him to come over after work, but this is the first time I've seen his son. He looked a lot like his father with short curly copper colored hair, brown eyes, and a light dusting of freckles on his cheeks, plus he looked around my age, maybe a little younger.

"Antonio! Marcus!" My father's booming voice rang from the back door. He walked up to Mr. Deus, who's first name is Antonio, and then pulled him into a bear hug. Then he clasped Marcus on the shoulder and commented on how big he had gotten. After my dad greeted them, he introduced us to Marcus and we all headed to the backyard.

As we were eating, everyone was chatting about how life has been for them. Twenty minutes have already passed, and I still haven't said anything yet. "So, Andrew, how have the past couple months been for you? I know that we haven't seen each other in a while." Mr. Deus asked out of nowhere. The others got quiet, waiting to see how I would respond.

"Okay, I guess. The training sessions have been a bit rough, but manageable. And today was the first day of school. I won't stop saying how grateful I am that you kept finding me all those times. I replied. And it wasn't a lie. If Mr. Deus hadn't found me every time I was captured, I don't know what would have happened. This is especially true since the last capture almost killed me. I was recovering in the hospital after being rescued from the Hunter's Association. They view the world as being for humans only, so shifters are creatures that need to be extinguished. Well, one night, a group of people snuck in and took me to their boss who was a Dark Witch. Let's just say that the combination of the two experiences was almost more than my body could handle.

"So you were the one from all those kidnapping cases that spanned four years. I kept hearing dad talking to mom about them. He said that they were some of the worst cases he's had to deal with." Marcus piped in for the first time. His eyes held a faint glow of sympathy towards me, and that was a look that I didn't want to see for a long time. Putting down my fork, I politely excused myself from the table and walked to our indoor gym. I really needed to punch something. What I didn't know was that the conversation continued.

"Is everything okay? I know Andrew has a temper, but he usually controls it better. Right?" Mr. Deus asked while concern laced his voice. Marcus said a quiet 'sorry' from beside his father, thinking that it was his fault.

"It's not your fault, dear. The kidnappings are a hard topic for all of us, but it's worse for Andrew." My mom comforted Marcus. Turning to Mr. Deus, she continued. "The nightmares are getting worse again. He thinks that we don't know, but we know that he's barely getting any sleep at night. And he keeps refusing to talk to his therapist. At the rate it's going, I'm afraid something bad will happen." Mr. Deus nodded at my mothers concern. Turning to Marcus, he asked him to find me to try to get to know me better. After all, no one can really know somebody from reading a piece of paper or hearing what others think about them.

After wandering around for a bit, he found me in the gym, but ended up quickly running back outside. "I need help! Please, come quickly!" By the time Marcus got back to the table, he was out of breath.

"What's going on? What happened?" Mr. Deus asked as he stood up and held his son's shoulders.

"W-w-wolf!" Marcus stuttered out. You could see a mixture of fear, surprise, and excitement in his eyes. Turning around, he led everyone back to the gym. Upon reaching the gym doors, you could already see some of the destruction that I had caused. The mats on the floor were shredded, the punching bag ripped, and bloody marks on the concrete walls from my punches. And then there was me, shifted into my Ayakashi form, panting from destroying the room.

"Andrew? Honey? Can you shift back for us? Even though you can communicate telepathically, it's easier to talk to you as a human." My mother's soothing voice was what broke through the pounding in my ears and helped me calm down. Nodding my head, I took a few deep breaths before focusing on the shift back to human. However, after I regained my human form, I lost all my remaining strength and fainted.

As I regained consciousness, I became aware of two things. The first was the pain in my head and hands and the second was muffled voices. Struggling to get up, I looked around. I was back in my bedroom and my hands had been bandaged. Groaning, I forced my unwilling body to move, and I slowly, and unsteadily, made my way back downstairs. When I got to the living room, I was surprised that Mr. Deus and Marcus were still here.

When everyone saw me, Adam helped me walk to the couch which I was thankful for. Taking a deep breath, I decided to break the silence that filled the room. "I'm sorry for what happened. That was not my intention." After I said that, I waited to see what would happen next. It was my sister, Alex, that spoke next.

"Accidents happen, but I'm more concerned about how you're feeling. Are you sure you should be up right now?" She asked while giving me a once over. With my hands bandaged, my complexion pale, and my unsteady walking, I was a very sorry sight.

"You know I have insomnia, Alex. Even if I wanted to sleep more, I wouldn't be able to. And other than being in a bit of pain, I'm okay. I promise you." I replied to her.

"Well, the pain is to be expected." My father said, "You dropped to the floor so fast, no one could catch you in time. And your mother looked at your hands. You dislocated the ring and middle fingers on your right hand, and broke the pointer and middle fingers of your left." That explains the pain then. But not why Mr. Deus and Marcus were still here. And I voiced the question as politely as I could, without trying to sound rude.

"Well, mom and dad were explaining everything to them. There's no point trying to hide it from them, now that the wolf is out of the bag." Damian explained with a small smile at his joke. Mom shot him a warning look and I laughed as he shrugged.

"I can help answer any questions you guys might have. What happened really wasn't intentional." I offered to help them understand what was going on.

"Can I see if I have this correct so far?" Marcus asked. I nodded my head for him to continue. "So your dad's family had a dormant Ayakashi gene and your mom's had a dormant Dragon gene. You were born with both, even though no one knows how that was possible. The kidnappings were because witches want to control you and the Hunter's Association wants to kill you because they think that anyone who can shift is an abomination. And your life is at risk because of this and is in even more danger because of your 18th birthday. Am I correct so far?"

I nodded my head to show that he was. "That's right. That is also why my family and I work hard to keep this a secret. It would put even more people at risk if they knew about it." I explained the severity of it. Turning to my parents, I telepathically asked them a question. Since they already saw Nightmare, can I show them Magnis as well? They already know the secret. When they nodded, I turned back to Mr. Deus and Marcus. "So you already met my Ayakashi, who's name is Nightmare. Do you want to meet my Dragon, Magnis?" Seeing their shocked faces, I smiled. "You already know the secret and have already seen Nightmare. Might as well see the other one. I'll also let you see Nightmare again, not that everything isn't so crazy." Getting up from the couch, I headed to the backyard. Living in a mansion has some perks, including a huge backyard so that I could shift freely.

Once I was a good ways onto the grass, I waited as everyone slowly came out. When they were all outside, I called out to them. "So, I'll start with my Ayakashi since you already saw him before." After I said that, I started shifting. My arms and legs dislocated to accommodate the change in shape, and shiny black and electric blue fur started sprouting from my skin. As I dropped onto all fours, my face elongated to form my muzzle. Mr. Deus and Marcus looked in awe at the transformation. Soon, Nightmare was standing in front of everyone. I was still in control, since my blue eyes were looking at everybody. My eyes changed color depending on if I was in control or if one of my beasts were in control.

Slowly walking up to the concrete patio, I laid down. You can come closer if you want. I'm in control, so nothing will happen. Mr. Deus and Marcus jumped as my voice rang in their heads. Chuckling, I talked to them again. I'm talking to you telepathically. It's how I communicate after shifting. Though, I can still do it when I'm human. It comes in handy sometimes. Seeing that they realized that it was still me, I slowly edged closer to them.