Legacy 106: Nature vs. Nurture
Author's note: This story is different from my previous stories, as it focuses on one character and is considerably shorter. Starting with this one, future stories will be more varied.
Xxx
In downtown San Francisco, a young man was working late at a small garage. Dressed in dark blue overalls, the tall and slender guy was hovering over the hood of a truck while working on the engine. His black hair was short and spiky and his face had smears of oil on it. His name was Dylan Peterson and he was twenty-six year old. This was his garage, although the bank technically owned it, but he had taken over from his father about two years ago. Business was not great, but enough to make a decent living. Besides, working with cars reminded him of his father.
When he finished working on the engine, Dylan slammed the hood shut and headed to the office in the back. He unzipped the overalls to his waist, revealing a black shirt underneath. He grabbed a can of beer from the fridge and sat down behind the computer. He played some punk rock music while drinking his beer and finishing writing the bills for today.
After a few minutes, Dylan suddenly got a strange feeling and though he heard something. He turned down the music and focused. There was a strange sound in the distance. His eyes widened when he recognized high-pitched screams. He sprang up and ran to the window.
"No, no, how did they find me?!" Dylan mumbled in a panic as he checked through the plastic blinders. "Not after all this time…"
When the high-pitched screaming came closer, the windows shattered and Dylan covered his ears and he backed away. He needed to get out before they found him. He ran back into the garage and to the exit. However, before he could reach it, the door was ripped apart by monstrous claws. Two reptile-like monsters with brown scales came in, dressed in leather rags. Their eyes were bright yellow and they had razor-sharp teeth.
Dylan backed up as the monsters came closer and he picked up a wrench to defend himself. The monsters spread out and screeched at him. As they did, forked tongues slipped out of their mouths.
"Leave me alone." Dylan said. "I want nothing to do with you!"
When the monsters came closer, Dylan swung the wrench and they backed away again. They continued to screech at him and waited for a reaction.
"Get out of here!" Dylan warned them.
Suddenly, one of the monsters shot forward and violently shoved him against the truck he was working on earlier. He dropped the wrench as the monster pressed him against the hood. It leaned against him and sniffed him.
"I am not one of you. I am nothing like you!" Dylan screamed angrily.
Dylan pushed the monster and it flew back against the wall with great force. The other one angrily screeched at him and raised a claw. It shot forward in a blur, but Dylan moved at incredible speed and picked up the wrench again. As the monster charged at him, he hit it across the head and it fell down. Dylan was breathing heavily and a forked tongue slipped from his mouth. The violence felt good, which was wrong. After all this years, he hated how his demonic side resurfaced so easily.
The monsters got up and screeched at him and Dylan angrily screamed back at them, causing the car windows to shatter. He warned them to get out before he killed them. The monsters exchanged troubled looks and disappeared in a blur. When they were gone, Dylan was finally able to calm down and dropped the wrench. He looked around and realized all the work he had done this week would go to fixing the windows. He thought he had escaped his past, but it seemed that the Manticores were not willing to let him go. He needed help to get rid of them, and he knew an old friend that might be able to help.
Xxx
The following morning, Wyatt Halliwell was in a shipping yard by the docks with a small crew for a photoshoot. A talented new fashion designer had hired him to photograph her new jeans like, as she wanted to go for a rough and urban style. Wyatt never really liked doing fashion shoots, but the designer was a friend of his and he got a decent paycheck and free jeans to boot. The shoot consisted of four models in jeans, three female and one male.
After finishing the first part of the shoot, Wyatt took a short break and grabbed his phone. He had a text from Chris reminding him to pick up new potion ingredients, since the supply in the manor had run out. His brother was away for a few days, helping out at Magic School. Apparently, the flu had knocked out most of the staff, so their father had asked him to take over some classes. Wyatt put his phone away and grabbed a sandwich.
"God, I need some food." Someone said.
Wyatt turned around and saw it was one of the models, a tall blonde dressed in tight jeans and a green tank top that was quite revealing. She was, of course, absolutely gorgeous.
"I can imagine." Wyatt replied. "Though I swear I have never seen a model eat."
"We're not all like that." The blonde said as she grabbed a sandwich. "I eat whatever I want. I am Cammi, by the way."
"I'm Wyatt." Wyatt replied.
"Nice to meet you. When I first saw you when I got here, I actually thought you were the male model." Cammi said with a flirty smile.
"I wouldn't be good as a model." Wyatt replied.
"Why not? All you have to do is stand there and look pretty. That is what I do at least." Cammi said. "Besides, I'd rather see you in those jeans than that greasy Italian guy. So not my type."
"I would look good in those jeans." Wyatt remarked with a smile. "But I'd rather stay behind the camera."
"So there is this party tonight, mostly models, but some designers and photographers as well." Cammi said. "I would love for you to come."
"I don't know." Wyatt replied hesitantly. He didn't really feel comfortable in the whole fashion scene, and although Cammi was very beautiful, he was not feeling it.
"Too bad." Cammi said a little disappointed. "Why don't you just give me your phone, and I will put down the address in case you change your mind?"
"Sure, why not?" Wyatt replied.
Wyatt handed Cammi his phone and she quickly typed something. When she handed his phone back, she leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "I put my own number in if you want to skip the party."
Cammi backed up and winked seductively before heading back to the other models. Wyatt stared at her incredible legs as she walked away and pondered what he should do. The offer was very tempting, but he just was not interested. He dated models in the past, but he now tried to avoid it, as it could make his work a little complicated. He put his phone away and changed the lenses on his camera before the shoot was starting again.
"Excuse me, Wyatt?" A voice asked.
Wyatt looked up and found himself staring at a guy with black hair and brown eyes. He was tall and slender and quite handsome, dressed in a jacket and jeans. He did look familiar somehow, but Wyatt did not know how he knew him. He figured he was probably just another male model.
"Hi, changing rooms are back there." Wyatt said. "I didn't know there would be another model, but we're about to start again."
"What?" the guy asked confused. "Wait, no, I am not a model."
"Oh sorry. I just figured, good-looking guy on a photo-shoot." Wyatt replied with a shrug. "So how do you know me?"
"Well, we actually know each other." The guy said hesitantly. "Though I think we were about thirteen when we last saw each other. Back then, your mother helped me with some… voice issues."
Wyatt frowned as he tried to figure out what he was saying. Then he suddenly recognized Dylan, a boy he had known since he was just a toddler. Dylan was the half-breed son of a mortal named Derek and a female demon known as a Manticore. His mother and aunts had helped Derek free his son from a pack of Manticores so he could raise Dylan as a mortal. Over the years, they had kept in touch occasionally, mostly when they needed help controlling his demonic powers.
"Dylan. It's great to see you." Wyatt said as he hugged his old friend. "I remember the voice thing now. You could not make a single peep without shattering every glass in the room."
"Yeah, puberty and demonic powers are not a good match." Dylan replied with a smile.
"Well puberty and powers suck in general." Wyatt said. "I got in trouble a lot as well. So what brings you here?"
"Uh… I actually need some help with something." Dylan admitted nervously as he twisted his fingers. "But I can see you're busy so…"
"Oh, this?" Wyatt said. "This will only take another hour at most. Or is it an emergency?"
"No, no, I can wait an hour." Dylan said. "I'll just be over here somewhere. Come find me when you're done."
As Dylan walked away, Wyatt was called over by the designer and he finished the photo shoot. Cammi continued to flirt with him through the camera, though Wyatt was a little distracted. He wondered what was going on with Dylan. He probably needed his help, otherwise he would not be there. He hoped everything was alright. He tried to finish as quickly as possible, and when it was done, he grabbed his stuff and headed out. He found Dylan at the end of the docks, overlooking the water with a worried expression. He seemed to cheer up a bit when Wyatt arrived.
"Hey, so how have you been? How is your father?" Wyatt asked.
"I have been fine, I guess." Dylan said. "But my father passed away about two years ago."
"I'm so sorry." Wyatt said. "Can I ask what happened?"
"Car accident." Dylan replied saddened. "At first it seemed he would be alright, but he later died in the hospital. At least I got to say goodbye. Since then, I took over his garage and try to keep the place running the way he would want it."
"That is really rough." Wyatt said.
"It's okay, most of the time I think I have dealt with it." Dylan said. "So how is your family?"
"Well, most of my family is fine, but my mom actually died a few years ago as well." Wyatt admitted.
"Oh my god. I am so sorry." Dylan said. "Was she sick?"
"No, it was a warlock." Wyatt replied bitterly as he stared at the water. "She died while saving my sister and her boyfriend."
"I'm sorry." Dylan said.
"Don't be. You probably understand better than most." Wyatt said. "It is like you said, most of the time you think you've moved on, but then something happens…"
"And suddenly you miss them more than ever." Dylan finished. "I know."
"Is that why you're here? Is something wrong?" Wyatt asked.
"Actually yeah." Dylan replied. "It seems I can't really escape my demon half. Last night, I was confronted by two Manticores."
"What do you mean confronted?" Wyatt asked with a frown.
"They want me to join them." Dylan replied.
"But I thought my mom and aunts vanquished the entire pack when we were little." Wyatt said.
"They did." Dylan said. "But this is a rival pack. Normally they would kill a member of another pack, but hybrids are highly desired. I can either willingly join them or they will force me. Last night, there were only two of them, but I am sure the entire pack will come after me now."
"So you want to vanquish them?" Wyatt asked.
"I don't know… I guess." Dylan replied nervously. "I don't like it, but they will never stop coming after me as long as they're alive."
"You shouldn't feel bad." Wyatt said. "You might be a half-demon, but you are nothing like them. First of all, your skin is a lot better, and you have a soul."
"Thanks, I guess." Dylan replied with a smile. "So will you help me?"
"Of course." Wyatt said immediately. "You don't even need to ask. We're friends, right?"
Dylan smiled and was about to say something, when his demeanor suddenly changed. He seemed nervous and looked around. Wyatt followed his gaze but saw nothing.
"What is going on?" Wyatt asked.
"They are coming." Dylan said. "I can hear them."
"I don't hear a thing." Wyatt said.
"I have better hearing than you." Dylan said. "Just wait and listen."
Dylan and Wyatt both fell silent as they waited. Suddenly, Wyatt hear some faint noises in the distance, like something was screeching. It was difficult to hear, but it was definitely getting louder and thus closer. It did not sound good.
"Okay, time to go." Wyatt said.
"Go where? I can't shimmer, they will sense it." Dylan said.
"Well, luckily I can orb." Wyatt replied.
Wyatt placed a hand on Dylan's shoulder and they dissolved into a column of orbs. A moment after they left, three Manticores appeared in a blur and sniffed around. Suddenly, a tall woman with red hair appeared in a shimmer. The demons screeched at her, informing her the target was gone. The woman simply glared at them and the Manticores disappeared at the same incredible speed. The woman looked around annoyed and shimmered away.
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