Our art sessions began the following day with Clayton in attendance. For the first week, Clayton would place himself directly next to Jeremy, growling every time I came too close to Jeremy for his liking. Jeremy had to pull him aside a couple of times to explain that he needed me to be nearby to correct him. Other words were exchanged, but far too low for me to make anything of them. In light of Clayton's behaviour, I tried giving him wax crayons in the hopes of triggering his interest in what I was trying to achieve with Jeremy. It was pointless. He did draw a few pictures though, but would become annoyed easily, resorting to throwing the crayons across the room.

Clayton soon became bored with my presence and attempts to engage him in art. It became clear to him I was no threat to his elder cousin. It took Clayton five days to come to this realization. After those five days, Clayton decided to sit out on our daily art sessions. It was then that Jeremy's personality came out. If there was one word to describe the student Jeremy was, it was determined. He was also charming, witty, and very perseverant. Every endeavor he undertook, he carried out with much concentration and perseverance. Jeremy was a pleasure to teach. One week turned into two weeks, and two weeks turned into three.

Our mornings were dedicated to me being the teacher. Together, I helped him discover charcoal, pastels, acrylic, and watercolor. Together, we refined his skills in oil painting. The afternoons were left to our own discretions. Sometimes I would work alone on art work I had begun, or I worked on paperwork for the gallery. On occasions, I would accompany Jeremy into town to purchase supplies, or we would venture into the woods out back. It was during one of our treks when something struck me. Despite all the pleasure I took in Jeremy's discoveries during our classes, he had remained cooped up in the living room and kitchen since the beginning. The outdoors provided a vast array of still life he could capture on paper. Today, I wanted to try something different with him; I wanted to force him to go outside the box.

"So I was thinking," I began, placing my dish in the sink. "Maybe we should take our art outside for a change." Jeremy looked up from the newspaper he was reading at the kitchen table. He stared at me with deep chocolate eyes, speculating. "It would be a nice experience. You could take your sketch book and charcoal pencils with you, and with the sun, it will allow you to practice your shading."

"What's wrong with my shading?" he asked, a playful smile tugging at his lips.

"Nothing, except there is only so much shading you can do indoors. We should also take advantage of the outdoors before the snow settles in."

"I will have to run this by Clay, but I don't think he will mind coming outdoors with us." My heart dipped a little, disappointment seeping into my bones. I had just spent the last two weeks pulling Jeremy out of his shell without Clayton around. Did I really want Clayton back in our sessions? Or is it because I wanted to spend some along time with Jeremy? The little voice inside my head smacked me. This is a professional relationship! It would be unethical to expect anything more. The fact that I even imagined for a split second that I could indulge myself in… "Although, Clay might find this a bit boring. I will just inform him that we will be out for a while so that he does not worry."

"Alright" I smiled, heart racing as he stood to clean off his plate. Walking past me to find Clay, he stopped for a moment. Taking my hand, he gently squeezed it.

"I won't be long. You can go wait out front if you would like." Nodding, my smile broadened to a complete grin. He smiled back, and walked out of the room. What am I thinking?

Dutifully, I placed all my necessary art equipment in my art satchel. I made sure my sketch pad, pencils, and charcoal sticks were in my bag before I made my way to the front of the house. Soft footfalls followed me out the front door. I looked over my shoulder to see Clayton following my every move, stalking me… again. Since my first day in the house, Clayton had followed me everywhere, watching every movement I made. I was confused by his behaviour until I was reading a National Geographics magazine. After reading an excerpt on grey wolves, it occurred to me that Clayton was stalking me. I did not know if it was subject I should take up with Jeremy, so I politely left it out. The last thing I wanted to tell a man was his younger relative shared the same primeval instincts with a wild animal. I could only image how well that conversation would go down. Instead, I put up with Clayton's strange character even though it still made me uneasy at times.

"Jeremy is on the phone." He said gruffly, shoving his hands in his pockets, his cold blue eyes fixed on me. "He said to get started without him. He will catch up." I could tell by his tone, he was not pleased with Jeremy's decision. Jeremy had told me that Clayton's parents had suffered a horrible accident, and that he had afterwards come into Jeremy's care. I suppose it was natural after such a traumatic incident to not want to be separated from your living custodian.

"Alright" I managed to smile. I held out my hand, thinking he might take it. Instead, he brushed past my hand, walking down the front steps towards a wooded path. He stopped and turned to stare at me as if to say 'are you coming yet?' Jogging up to him, we began our way along the forest path. Clayton kept his distance from me, never coming into close contact unless the path narrowed. After what seemed like forever, I had to talk in order to break the silence. "So… we never really got to speak to each other, you and I."

He grunted.

"I think it was very nice of you to allow me to stay with Jeremy and you." I continued, my fingers playing with the tasseled end of my scarf.

"Not my decision. Jeremy gives orders. He makes choices." Clayton said.

"Oh… well…" I was at a complete loss for words. "I suppose… since you are living under his roof. Jeremy is awfully young to be taking care of you and living in a house like Stonehaven on his own though. Doesn't he have any parents?"

"Dad. Bad man." My heart stopped, as did I. I put a hand out on Clayton's shoulder. His body tensed, and he turned his head over his shoulder to stare at me.

"How bad is bad? Does he… does he hit you? Does he want to hurt Jeremy? As a friend of Jeremy's and a business partner, I need to know that both of you are safe… are you safe?"

"We are always safe in Stonehaven. Jeremy has me, and I have Jeremy. Malcolm is bad, but he has not thought of touching us… yet." He replied. My entire body chilled over. This was the longest conversation or reaction I had ever gotten out of Clayton. Furthermore, I could not imagine what this horrible man Malcolm could do. What if things did get ugly?

"Clayton… I know you are young but-"

"- I can take care of Jeremy. We do not need your help. What can you do? You're only human." I stared, awestruck. Nodding slowly, I started walking again with Clayton at my heels. We did not talk after that, but put our concentration into walking until we found the perfect spot to sit. We eventually walked up to a lake. It was beautiful. I could only image what it looked like in the summer.

Sitting on the edge of the lake, I stared out into the distance. It was a pretty lake gently tucked away in the middle of the wilderness. Surrounded by trees, the water reflected the greenery of the pine trees and the golds of the maple trees. Due to the recent cold weather, there soon would not be anymore leaves on the trees. In the summer, the lake had to be an emerald green. In the distance, a crow squawked. Gently, I pat the ground next to me, encouraging Clayton to take a seat beside me. Warily, he approached me, and sat a meter away from me.

"Why do you hate me?" I finally asked, holding my breath, waiting for the answer. After a minute, I received an answer.

"I don't hate you. I simply do not see your utility to Jeremy. He does not need you; he has me. What use could he have with you? I don't hate you. I don't feel comfortable around you. You are human but… different." He stared at me then, eyes filled with curiosity, an emotion I was not used to receiving from him. "You smell different."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't smell like human. You smell like soap, and… autumn." His nostrils gently flared. Slowly, he rolled onto his heels, and crept towards me. I did not know what to do. This boy was starting to scare me a tiny bit, and yet I could not find the willpower to move from my spot. I let him approach me, his eyes studying me from head to foot. Carefully, his small hands reached out to inspect my face. "You are always warm. Jeremy notices that too. Sometimes, when you get really upset or frustrated, you… make lots of heat." Before I could comment on the situation, Jeremy chose that exact moment to walk into the opening. He stopped in mid-step. His gaze travelled between Clayton and me.

"We should go back inside." He said calmly, his eyes betraying his voice. His entire body was tense, watching me.

"I agree" I said.


"Clay, go upstairs." Jeremy ordered as we walked into the house. The boy set his mouth stubbornly, but one stern look from Jeremy sent him stomping up the stairs. Closing the front door behind me, I leaned against it. Jeremy ran a hair through his dark hair, and turned to stare at me. "We should… talk." He mumbled, walking into the living room. Slowly, I walked in after him.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked, my gaze boring into his.

"What Clayton said…" he began. He closed his eyes as if searching for words. I filled the silence.

"I think Clayton has a problem."

"Excuse me?" Jeremy exclaimed, eyes darting open to stare at me.

"Come on Jeremy! I know this is not my place, but the boy stalks me like… like… a predator. Then on our walk he tells me I am human, but I smell different. I don't smell like a human should. I think there is something wrong with him Jeremy." I held my breath. Everything I had wanted to tell him just rushed out of my lips. Shoving my hands in my pocket, I waited for a comment.

"Oh… I will have to talk to him about it."

"That's it?"

"Well- "

"Jeremy! This is not something that can just go away. He follows me everywhere, and I am constantly being watched."

"He's territorial."

"No kidding!" I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation, letting myself fall onto the nearby couch. Head in my hands, I breathed deeply. I could feel Jeremy crouch in front of me. Gently, he placed his hands on my knees. "Whatever you do, do not say I am overreacting! A boy on the verge of adolescence is freaking me out because he keeps following me everywhere. It's silly to feel this way; to feel trapped. Clayton… bothers me." Slowly, he began to rub my knees.

"Nikita, it's just how Clayton is. He is peculiar, and it takes a while for him to be able to adjust to other humans. But," tilting my chin up to stare into his deep eyes, he smiled "you are the only person who has lasted this long to his machinations and who he actually seems to be genuinely interested in… in his own way."

"Not funny." I answered back, trying very hard not to let tears of frustration flow down my cheeks. For three weeks, Clayton had literally made it is mission to follow me everywhere, including the bathroom door. "And why do you keep saying human?"

"Shhh" Jeremy grinned. "Do you always have to look at everything with such a critical eye? I know you expect your artwork to be perfect all the time, but people are not perfect. I will talk to Clayton on your behalf." Nodding, I turned my head to the side, staring into the fire place. Jeremy took my head in his hands, and turned my face to face him. "Hey" his eyes softened, his thumbs caressing my cheekbones. Then, worry lines formed on his face. "Nikita, you're really warm." His right hand came to rest on my forehead. "Are you running a fever?"

"No. I'm fine." Backing into the couch, I lifted my own hand to rest on my forehead. "Nope, just fine." Something in Jeremy's look told me he did not buy it. "Seriously, everything is fine. Just because I can be a little emotional on occasions causing my blood pressure to increase, it does not mean I am sick. I am very upset, and this is not making things any better."

"Nikita…"

"What?" I snapped, staring at him furiously. His eyes were glued to my hands which lay on either side of me. Looking down, I saw two burnt holes on the leather couch where my hands lay, palms down. "Ummm… how? I need to go." Standing, I rushed out of the room and up the stairs to my own room.

Flopping onto my bed, I buried my face into my pillow. A scream of rage passed through me and into the down of my pillow. Why are my emotions all over the place? Did I just burn Jeremy's couch? What is wrong with me?