The night air was crisp and the gentle breeze was like a god send to my hot skin. I have to admit waking up every night for the past three days in a cold sweat was not the way I imagined spending my rare moments of safety at our "safety" house. But that was how it was. Every night about the same time I would jolt out of a dreamless sleep, dripping wet with sweat. And every time I would come out here on the porch and sit till I heard someone coming down the stairs. It was normally Derek up first, Andrew right after him, Simon and Tori would come a couple hours later dragging their feet to the kitchen table.

It was weird. Andrew was highly protective of me….no not just me really. I noticed it the first morning that I had started my strange porch ritual. Derek had heard me of course coming down the creaky old stairs of the Victorian mansion and the sound of the door shutting. It only took him a minute to come and check on me. I assured him I was fine and just needed some air. Of course that wasn't enough for him.

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"What happened? Was it another ghost?"

"It was just a nightmare." I sighed basking in the cool night air.

"I'm assuming that you don't want to talk about it?" He growled as he leaned on the railing, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Nothing to tell really…" I could see his green eyes shining through his upkeep shaggy hair staring at me. "I can't remember anything, that's what scaring me the most." He didn't respond but his shoulders tensed as he looked back towards the house. I heard a faint growl.

"What's wrong?"

"Andrew." He snorted. And just after that Andrew poked his head out the door. His eyes were alert and …. Frightened?

"What are you two doing out here?" He snapped.

"Fresh air." Derek muttered.

"Ah?" Andrew looked at me eyebrow raised.

"I had a nightmare, so I came out to cool down; Derek was just making sure I was okay."

"Hmm…Are you okay Chloe?" Andrew asked.

"Yea, just umm need fresh air you know?"

Andrew nodded. "Derek, why don't you come back inside now? Chloe will be fine out here and seeing how you're up you should come and help me with some research on the Edison group." He ended it less like a question and more like a command. Without waiting for Derek to answer he went back inside.

Derek's head slowly turned to mine this time his eyebrow rose to imitate Andrew. "mmk?"

I snorted back a fit of giggles. His mouth twitched almost like he was going laugh too and then frowned as he decided against it.

"If you need me, you know my number." He whispered as he headed towards the door tapping his ear as he went. I nodded and smiled.

"Thanks."

Ever since then, Andrew was keeping a tight leash on Derek, (No pun intended). He didn't like it even when he was alone with Simon. Andrew was a nice guy and everything but the way he was secluding Derek from us was kind of creepy.

I sighed as I looked out into the woods surrounding the mansion. I tried to keep my mind blank as I starred at the shadows. I tried to remember what my dream was, a failed attempt like always. There was nothing. Just black. I scratched my head at that thought. The dye wasn't coming out like I would have hoped. I faintly remembered something that my aunt Lauren had said once, that it was almost impossible to dye over black dye…something like that…..so I guess I'm stuck like this till it fades out.

Aunt Lauren

I hope she's okay.

Back in the house I faintly heard the sound of knocking on doors. I turned around in time to see Derek already dressed and opening the door. "Andrew say's to get dressed and eat breakfeast. We've got quests coming." I stared back at him wide eyed. "Not bad, their some of his friends you know more supernatural's."

I sighed, got up and went to the room me and Tori were sharing. She didn't even look up as I entered just continued to comb her hair while putting on her shoes and making her bed, that girl could multi-task. Grabbing the first things I found and shoving it on I ran downstairs to the kitchen where Simon, Derek and Andrew where all picking at their cereal.

"Who's coming?" I asked sitting next to Simon and grabbing a bowl.

"A close friend of mine and a couple of people he trusts. We need all the help we can get." Andrew muttered he seemed to be lost in thought.

"Hmm." I said hesitating before taking the first bite of my stale cereal.

"Are there going to be kids our own age?" Tori asked as she stomped into the kitchen and grabbed a granola bar.

"Maybe…. I'm sure Jeff will bring his son along he's a bit older than Derek. And if Leslie comes she'll bring her daughters along there about your age."

"Ooo" Tori smiled as she looked over at me and Simon. "Finally, I was starting to get sick of seeing the happy couple and wolf boy all day long." Derek didn't respond which only disappointed her. "Fine, I'm going to the garden to pick something. I'm sick and tired of stale cereal.

"Take Chloe with you." Andrew said as she turned for the door.

"Do I have to?" She whined. "I can take of myself!" and walked outside.

"Yes. Take Chloe with you."

Without waiting for an answer I followed Tori outside. She glared at me and I glared back. After our moment stare down we both grabbed a small bucket from the shed and headed out towards the small slightly unkeep garden.

"Sooo." Tori hissed attempting to make conversation. "I bet you and Simon have been all lovey dovey since you don't have to worry about Frankenstein hovering over your shoulder anymore. I bet Simon asked Andrew to keep Derek away from you. Why else would he be keeping the wolf boy locked up in his research?"

"What?" I snapped. "Simon would never do that---."

"Boys get jealous easy, Chloe, seeing how your new to this. Simon doesn't want you getting to close to wolf boy, brother or no brother. Simon is still a guy and guys mind are just black and white." She shook her head at my apparent ignorance. "Seeing how you and the wolf had all the alone time to spend together on your cross country outing. Simon has to be out of his mind thinking about what you two did together in that time." Tori's head slowly turned her head to look at me, an evil smile across her face. "Well, did anything happen?"

I glared at her, "you need to get a leash on that wild imagination of yours. Derek and I were too worried about getting caught by the Edison group…or worse."

"Worse?"

"Ummm….I-I-It really wasn't anything." I thought about the werewolves we barely got away from and shook my head. "Just a-a-an old man that almost turned us in to the cops. Nothing else really…"

"Damn." Tori chuckled. That was the end of our conversation. I could tell it was hurting her just being close to me. Which gave me plenty of time to myself to think, I was doing that a lot lately.

Simon would never do that to Derek. I knew that. Andrew was just being a jerk to Derek; he was afraid of him but was too afraid to tell him that. So he was sugar coating it with asking him to help research the Edison group. But Derek wasn't blind.

I sighed.

Behind me a car horn honked and made me jump a foot in the air. Tori and spun around and saw a black min van coming down the hidden driveway. Some idiot was hanging out the driver side window driving with one hand and waving with the other. The front door banged shut, also making me jump, and Andrew shot out of the house and crossed the lawn his muscles tense as he gave the hand signal to cut it out.

Derek and Simon stood on the porch and watched the van with worried eyes. Four people got out of the van. There were two older men, one with black graying hair and one with none at all. One middle aged woman with waist length red hair and a boy about eighteen with black punk spiked hair. The punk boy was the driver.