Tom's POV

Panic stole through me, faster than anything I'd ever experienced. Julian was here, alive inside of me. I felt the hairs on my arm raise as I considered what his presence could entail. Was this the Shadow Man's price, to raise Julian from the dead and place his spirit inside of me?

No, I came here of my own will. Shadow Men don't go back on their word.

I cringed at the voice. What was happening to me?

You... are turning into a Shadow Man; my Elders have taken your soul, placed some of their own darkness inside of you and carved your name into the rune stave. So now you're some kind of hybrid freak who shares his mind with a very angry Shadow Man that you tried to kill.

I heard the cruel excitement in his voice as he told me of my fate; I could practically see him smirking at me. I was going to become a monster.

Actually you already are, don't you think? I mean only monsters kill people and since you murdered me, I think you qualify as a very, very bad monster. I wonder what Jenny will think when she discovers that sweet, innocent 'Tommy' is my murderer.

Julian's voice was cold and mocking. He was enjoying every second of my pain, especially now that he could feel how deep his words cut into me. What was worse than all of Julian's mockery was the truth. The truth rang as clear as a bell and made me feel like I was standing on the edge of a cliff. I knew then that Julian had me cornered, I didn't know what he was capable of, he had the potential to ruin everything and he knew it.

What do you want? I asked quietly, hoping my voice sounded braver than I felt.

Revenge.

Jenny's POV

Audrey sat with me outside in silence, I think she realised that I didn't want to talk and had decided not to question my poor attempt to conceal the truth. She'd agreed to sit with me all night long on the top step of the porch, despite the ridiculous cold. There was nothing to do but watch the silent street in front of us, we'd watched the sun rise together and now the pale morning light filtered softly through the heavy shelter of the trees.

I liked the cold; it let the rest of my body's temperature drop to the coldness I felt inside of me. It let me forget how beautiful life could be and helped me focus on the numbing ache centred in my chest. I knew Audrey wanted to go back inside but I couldn't muster the energy to move. I was like the living dead, a zombie.

I was scared. Tom was changing into something else, something that didn't belong in this world. I'd tried to mull over the events but each time I got to the part where I saw the runes carved into Tom's chest by some unseen knife, I hit a dead end. It made my stomach twist and I felt sick. How is this possible? I knew I needed to tell the group what was going on, but for some reason I didn't want to. I would tell them later, when I'd figured it all out. I just hoped I would figure it out before it was too late.

Julian's POV

I felt a smile tug at the corner of my mouth as I felt Tommy tense up. I knew it wasn't a particularly nice smile, it was more like the one the Lurker gave when he was about to devour his prey, fully satisfied that he was going to get what he wanted. No one could kill me without killing dearest Tommy. From now on it was war, but nobody knew what was happening and if everything went to plan no one would discover the truth until it was over and I had won my game.

I was distantly aware that Tom was getting up and moving, but right now that didn't concern me. All that mattered was that I took control of this body undetected, so that nobody noticed that I was taking control until it was too late. I felt another smile shape my features, it was going to be so fun to feel Tommy's horror as he slowly faded away.

I glanced in the mirror and saw someone else's eyes stare back at me. They were shadowed with a worry that would never have been on my face and were a hideous shade of hazel. Tom physically shrunk away from the venom of my thoughts and I laughed, scorn seeping into my tone.

Scared? This isn't even the beginning. If you're scared now you might as well forget anything you've got planned.

Tom glared at me, if I was capable of feeling scared I might have been then, but Shadow Men were born to be unafraid. I'd faced the worst in life and come out smiling, Tommy wasn't going to scare me.

I've killed you once, what's made you so sure I won't be able to do it again? Tom asked trying to sound more confident than he was capable. I laughed again, louder than before.

Because before you played dirty and made a deal with my ancestors. Now, no one can kill me without killing you.

Tom's expression shifted, it went from one of pure anger to one of pure horror; it was clear he hadn't realised the consequences of me living inside of him, I smiled drinking in his fear. I was like a cancer inside him, unstoppable and 100% terminal. Tom was a walking dead man. I smiled again and felt Tom shiver inwardly before I put up walls to conceal my thoughts.

Tom's POV

I felt Julian detach himself from me and draw away into a corner of my mind – our mind, now - hiding his thoughts and emotions behind a shadowy screen, but my thoughts still thrummed around my head as if he was still listening to them. I had been so sure of myself, my future with Jenny but Julian had come and thrown everything into turmoil again. When Julian was around nothing was certain, anything was possible.

I stared in the mirror, hoping my reflection would answer some of the questions in my head, but it just stared back at me, just as confused as I was. I wasn't human, that's what Julian had told me, whether I should believe him I didn't know. I wasn't human, I was something else. Not a Shadow Man but not human. I was a half breed of some kind. I felt panic rise up in me again and hastily tried to control it. But one question slipped past my guard where it spun around my head looking for an answer.

If I was a Shadow Man, where did that leave Jenny and me?

A/N: thanx 2 all my reviewerz particularly nightgirl25 and one little pony 4 your reviews for the previous chappie :P if u want me 2 update soon then review..i kno u guys are reading this so y arent u reviewing? im not gonna blackmail u or anything but i would speed updating if i got more reviews XD R&R pple XD