Greatest show on earth

Darren Shan wasn't exactly your average normal kid. He had an unnatural love of spiders; of course his abnormalities didn't end there. But even he didn't know that. His best friend was the only one who understood him; he didn't care if others thought him weird if his best friend Steve would still be there to understand him. However maybe that understanding will only go so far...

Darren Shan was playing soccer with his friends and some older boys, there was money riding on this game so they had to win. Without even realizing Steve and Darren had made a strategy work flawlessly. Alan and Tommy the other two members of the team were stunned when they saw the teamwork the two had make the winning goal. But they weren't the only ones watching.

"Hmmm..." A dark figure watching from above said sucking on a lollipop.

The older boys handed over the money that was promised. However when they counted it was only five Euros instead of the eight agreed on.

"Hang on you only gave us five!" The boy looked over his shoulder as he walked away.

"That's all you boys need." Darren ran up to him and demanded the rest of his money, but received a punch to the face for his efforts. Steve tapped the guy on the shoulder holding a large stick menacingly as he glared at him.

"What did you do to Darren?" It wasn't meant as a question to be answered. Steve swung the stick at him. The guy ducked and ran.

"That guy's creepy let's get outta here!" He said running the others followed.

"Why do you always have to get punched?" Steve asked helping Darren up. He simply smiled weakly at his friend.

"It's a gift I guess."

The four were walking home together after the game and the fight. Darren couldn't help but get the feeling he was being watched. But he shrugged it off as unimportant or his imagination.

"Hey anyone want to go to my house?" Steve asked. Darren raised his arm in a stretch that made it look as though he was raising his hand.

"I'll go." He said bringing his arm down. Steve looked at the others in question.

"Sorry I have to pick something up for my mom." Alan said.

"My dad said he'd teach me boxing." Tommy said. Steve let them off knowing that Alan's mom was unwell at the moment and did need her son's help. And Tommy had been talking about wanting to learn boxing for a long time now. As they left they waved and called to Steve and Darren.

"Don't spend the entire time talking about spiders and cults okay!" Darren and Steve waved them off and laughed. They got to Steve's house and headed up the stairs. Steve's mom saw Darren and smiled sweetly at him.

"Ah Darren welcome, can I get you boys anything to drink?" Steve called down over his shoulder rudely.

"Champagne and Caviar." Darren looked from Steve and his mother

"Steve..." He turned to look at Darren.

"Aw she'll be fine." He said brushing it off, heading into Steve's room he noticed the newest things added to his collection. He looked particularly at a poster that depicted a man fighting off a horde of demons that said 'We need you! Join the exorcists today' in big bold letters.

"Where did you get this one?" He asked pointing to the poster. Steve looked up from reading one of his vampire comics.

"Oh I got that one from some cult website called True Cross." (Leave it to Mephy to create a website) Darren went and sat beside Steve looking over his shoulder at the comic he was reading.

They talked about the ways to kill the monsters and their strengths and weaknesses when Steve said something disturbing.

"I want to be a monster too..." The way he said it made it known to Darren that he was perfectly serious, however he tried to play it off as a joke, Darren laughed brushing off his unease. He looked at the time.

"Oh wow I didn't realize it had gotten this late..." He said getting up. Steve walked with him to the door and waved him out. Darren began running home thinking.

'Wanting to be a monster... When Steve says that it doesn't sound like a joke...' He was passing under a street lamp when someone grabbing him. He struggled futilely against the person only to be dragged through some strange gate, all he could smell was cherry lollipops.

He was dropped unceremoniously to the ground. He looked up to find a man looking down on him; he had green hair and a lollipop hanging from his mouth.

"Who are you?" Darren asked looking at him. Though his expression didn't change he was interested in this boy, or should he say his new little brother.

"I'm Amaimon king of the earth. But you can call me 'Big brother' or 'Nii san'."

An/ how's that for a beginning? All will be explained in the next chapter. I'm mainly following the manga for Darren Shan with a few things from the book. RnR Please...