CHAPTER 1
[Being a werewolf and a college student is rough. There never seems to be enough time to finish all of your assignments. Most college students don't do so well because they blow off classes to sleep late or go to parties. I'm not saying that I'm a better student than them because I skip classes too, but I think my reasons are a little bit more important.]
"Merton, hurry throw me a stake," Tommy yelled as he fought with a vampire.
"I'm coming!" Merton said as he stumbled around trying to find a stake.
"Come on, man! I got a History exam tomorrow!" He complained as Merton threw the stake to him and he quickly killed the vampire.
"I told you to study the other day and you wouldn't listen to me!" Merton said, making Tommy growl.
"I couldn't study! America's Best Dance Crew was on! It's not my fault. Blame Randy Jackson," Tommy said.
_______________
Tommy walked with Merton to their History class, expecting the worst. As the professor called people to come get their test papers, Tommy crossed his fingers, hoping for a miracle.
"Mr. Dawkins," the professor called out.
Tommy took his test and slowly unfolded it to reveal a 'D'. "Sweet!" Tommy whispered and high-fived Merton walking back to his desk.
"I'm guessing you did well?" Merton asked.
"I didn't fail! History is my worst subject so, that's pretty good."
"I thought every subject was your worst subject."
Tommy gave him a quick glare. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Why don't we go do something tonight? It's Friday night and we deserve a break from fighting evil."
"We deserve a break? Merton, you stand behind the nearest tree and mock monsters which only makes my job harder."
"Hey, don't forget I provide the emotional support! That's very crucial in any type of team work."
"Alright, what do you want to do anyway?" Tommy asked giving up.
"We should head down to The Jungle!" Merton suggested, getting excited.
"Merton, I'm tired. I really don't feel like standing around all night to watch a bunch of metal heads scream at me."
"But I really want to go!" Merton said, pouting.
"Fine, I'll go."
_______________
[The Jungle was a cool place to hang out. It was kinda like The Factory, but more like a music venue for the local college kids. I had no problems going to shows but, the metal shows sometimes scared me.]
When they got there, the first band was setting up their equipment. They stood in the back away from the crowd to avoid most pits and hardcore dancers. Merton read a flyer for the show that was posted on the wall next to him, "Kill the Non-Believers, Slaughter the Weak, Thursday's Massacre, and Murder in the Shadows - tonight's line up sounds a little violent!"
The first band started to play. It was your typical modern metal band. Every song was full of open notes and generic breakdowns. Tommy stood there with his arms folded, not making any kind of attempt to have fun. He spent most of the show pushing away the hardcore dancers and pulling Merton out from the bottom of the mosh pit.
"Whew! That was brutal! Slaughter the Weak really knows how to put on a show! Very old school," Merton said.
"You spent the entire time at the bottom of a mosh pit. How could that be any fun?"
"Look I'm a rebel, Tommy. I'm a real hardcore goth. It doesn't matter if you get cuts and bruises during a show. You have to live the music and that band, my friend, was very hardcore. Are you saying that you didn't enjoy that display of absolute metal?"
"Pretty much."
Merton made a disbelieving face and turned his back to Tommy.
"Merton, you got a pretty bad cut on the back of your arm. You might wanna put some ice on that," Tommy suggested.
"I'm sure it's not that bad," Merton said as he twisted his arm to see what it looked like, "What are you doing standing there! Quick! Get me some ice! You want me to bleed to death?!"
Tommy laughed as he grabbed Merton by his shirt and dragged him upstairs. Merton held ice on his arm, standing in the midst of all the bands' merch tables. As Merton whined about how much his arm hurt, Tommy looked around at all the 'metal memorabilia'. Kids were flocking to the tables, giving all the money they had to purchase any shirt, jacket, or sticker that had the band's name printed on it. Something caught his eye at the last merch table on the other side of the room. Standing in front of the table was a beautiful girl buying a band shirt. She was tall and slender with long golden blonde hair that flowed down her back. She stood out amongst all the other girls there.
"Merton, turn around and check out that girl at the table in the back," Tommy said, feeling the need to share something this beautiful.
"Yowza! That is one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen! I'm surprised you took notice of that fine display of metal," Merton said, not able to take his eyes off of the girl.
"Fine display of what? What did you call her?"
"Tommy, that girl, that vision, right there is not your average girl. Take note of the long golden mane with black streaks, the tight ripped jeans, the illegible band name stretched across her shirt. That is not your cute little cheerleader girl. She's a metal head," Merton explained.
"Alright, and your point is?"
"You can't like a girl like that. She's not your type"
"Who says?"
"Well, uh, it just wouldn't make sense. I mean, you're a jock, she's a metal head. It would make more sense for her to go with a handsome young man that shares the same musical tastes as she does. You know, someone kinda like me," Merton said, trying to keep this girl off limits to Tommy.
"Merton, that doesn't mean anything. Besides we don't even know this girl," Tommy said and turned to look for the girl, but she was gone.
They heard the last band start to play and walked downstairs to go watch them. They stood closer to the front when they saw that the girl that they had seen upstairs was in the front row. She went absolutely wild while the music played. Tommy and Merton were both mesmerized by the way she danced to the music. As Tommy watched the band, he actually caught himself enjoying the music. His thoughts drifted from the girl and he took notice of the guys in the band. They were full of tattoos, piercings, gauged ears and he couldn't help but wonder if these were the kind of guys that this girl liked. He hoped not.
"Hey, Merton, I'm gonna run upstairs and grab a drink. I'll be back," Tommy said. Merton just nodded, whether it was to acknowledge the fact that he was listening to Tommy or it was in approval of the band that was playing, Tommy didn't care.
As Tommy walked upstairs, the fear took over him once again. No matter what he did, the thought always haunted his mind. He never really took many things that Merton said seriously, but he kept thinking about what he said about the girl. You can't like a girl like that. What kind of girl would like a werewolf anyway?
Tommy hung his head, watching the ground as he walked to the counter where they sold the drinks. He picked up his head up and saw that the girl that he saw earlier was standing at the drink counter. He handed the guy behind the counter a dollar and the guy handed him a soda. Tommy opened his drink and took a long sip.
"Great show, huh?"
Tommy lowered the soda can and removed the drink from his lips to realize that the girl was talking to him. "Yeah, it's an awesome show, even though I usually don't like this kind of stuff."
"So, if this isn't your usual scene, what brings you here?" She asked looking up into his eyes. Her big almond shaped eyes were a bright green color.
"My friend really likes this stuff and he dragged me along. I like metal but not here. I like to listen to it when I work out and stuff."
"I get it, you're one of those undercover metal fans," she said and smiled, "You have really pretty eyes."
"Thank you. My name is Tommy by the way, Tommy Dawkins."
"I'm Roxie Harrison. Dawkins? Are you related to the mayor, Bob Dawkins? I just met him today."
"Yeah, that's my Dad. Where did you meet him at?" Tommy asked, intrigued.
"My family just moved down here, down the street from your house actually. Your Dad just came over and welcomed us and did the whole neighbor thing."
"Where did you move from?"
Roxie got quiet and an empty look swept over her face. "New Orleans."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Tommy said, not knowing what to say. New Orleans had just been hit by a hurricane and most of the area had been destroyed.
"It's okay. Nothing anyone can do about it so, whatever," she said really fast trying to steer away from the subject.
"Tommy! Where have you been? You missed it! There was this huge mosh pit and this guy went flying into the wall…" Merton ran off into one of his stories, walking towards Tommy and then realizing that the girl was talking to him.
"My lady," Merton said at the sight of the girl up close.
"Roxie, this is my friend, Merton."
"Merton J. Dingle," He said taking a slight bow.
Roxie giggled at him. "So you're the friend that dragged him along?"
"Yeah, can you believe this guy? Not liking these bands tonight!?"
"For the record, I like the one that's playing right now," Tommy corrected him.
"Oh, you mean the one that you're not watching at all?" Roxie joked with him, punching him in the shoulder. "I'm kidding. I totally get it. Some people just don't like the live metal atmosphere. It's understandable. Wow, its getting late already. I guess I should head home," she said checking her cell phone.
"I could drive you home. Should I mention I drive a hearse?" Merton said with a cheesy smile.
"I'm a big girl, I can walk home by myself, but thanks for the offer."
"You know, you really shouldn't walk by yourself, it's not safe," Tommy said, hoping she'd change her mind.
"Incase you don't remember, I'm from New Orleans. I can handle myself."
The guys looked at each other in amusement. "Well, if you need anything don't be afraid to ask," Tommy said.
"Thanks, guys," she said, winked and walked away.