Chapter 10
Danny jerked out of sleep as he gasped for breath. His chest heaved with each desperate intake. Sweat prickled at his brow as he tried to forget the images of his nightmare. It started out like all the usual ones that he had ever since the incident seven - no, eight months now - ago. But then it morphed into something else. Even now as he lay awake in his bed in the early hours of the morning, he could feel the tickle of fear at his back that he couldn't shake. There was a sense that something was coming, something awful and unstoppable.
Danny reached up and rubbed at his eyes as he exhaled a deep breath. "This is Tucker's fault," he mumbled before climbing out of bed. His friend had to make mention of magic coming with a cost. When he talked to Sam the following day, she tried to tell him that Tucker was being silly. After all, if eight months passed without anything turning up, it was highly unlikely that some beast would suddenly attack him because of the magic she used. Danny wanted to trust what Sam said, but she wasn't exactly the best when it came to casting magic. In the past, many of her spells tended to go wrong. It seemed like a miracle that she pulled off what she did that night.
Shaking his head, Danny walked toward the bathroom for a quick shower. He smelled after a restless, sweaty night of tossing and turning in his sleep. After showering, he threw on whatever clean clothes that he could find, making a mental note to remember to get his laundry done sometime soon. With his book bag slung over his shoulder, he headed down the stairs to the kitchen. His father sat at the table with his head in his hand as he sluggishly ate a bowl of cereal. His expression was miserable.
"Did we get the wrong kind of cereal again?" Danny asked jokingly though he was pretty certain he knew the reason for his father to look so unhappy.
"Huh?" Jack glanced at his son like he only realize right then that Danny entered the kitchen. The question caught up to him, and he shook his head. "I thought for sure we were going to catch something this weekend. Full moon and all! I could have sworn we hit a werewolf with that tracker. We followed it for a good portion of that night, but we found the tracker just lying there on the forest floor." He sighed, hanging his head in depression. He was always like this when hunts ended without success. "We tried again last night, but nothing showed up."
"Sorry to hear that." Mentally, Danny sighed with relief. He knew last night was the last in the cycle of the full moon and worried that Wulf might be lurking around within the forest again. The forest was a big area, and Danny couldn't patrol the whole area alone trying to watch out for his classmate. "Maybe next time. I should be heading to school." He grabbed an apple from the bowl on the kitchen counter.
"We might have better luck on the winter solstice," Jack mumbled, pushing the remainder of cereal around the bowl with his spoon. "Oh, your friends' parents called. Apparently, they think they might be able to come down here during the winter break." He set down the spoon and used his patented fatherly glare on Danny. "You know your mother and I aren't exactly fond of the Mansons."
"You don't even have to meet with them," Danny argued. "They'll probably want to be put up in some hotel anyway. But please don't tell them no! I really want to see Sam and Tucker again." He pouted at his father, trying to use his best puppy dog look to make his father say yes.
Jack grumbled but consented in the end. From the very beginning, there was a huge rift between Danny's parents and Sam's parents. Her parents didn't know anything about Sam's magic. They had zero belief in the supernatural and constantly claimed that Danny was a poor influence on their daughter. Sam was already into the supernatural and magic long before Danny came into her life. But the argument about whether the supernatural existed or didn't exist was a heated battle between the two sets of parents. Danny doubted their parents would ever get along with each other.
After thanking his father with a quick hug, Danny hurried out of the house. His mother still refused to allow him to drive the car again. With a sigh, Danny started his walk toward school. It was mid December now, which meant if all parties agreed, that it wouldn't be long before Sam and Tucker were able to come visit him. That thought made him grin as he entered the school and headed for his locker. After getting what he needed for his morning classes, Danny walked toward his chemistry class. He managed to get most of his homework done over the weekend, even managing a crude poem for English. Gore seemed to want to kill him with rhyming, and Danny gritted his teeth at that thought. He really didn't understand what he did to the teacher to make him hate him so much.
When he reached his seat, Danny got out his chemistry book and notes. Abner already sat beside him with the sloppy mess of papers scattered on his side of the lab station. His head rested on one hand, and his eyes were closed like he fell asleep during an extremely boring lecture. In most classes, that would be completely understandable. Danny found it hard to stay awake sometimes when his teachers started rambling during a lecture. His conversation with Tucker came to mind as he noticed the bandages on Abner's hands and wrists. It wasn't really any of his business, but his concern drove him to wanting to find out the truth. Danny reached over and gave the dusty blond man a poke in the side.
Abner jerked awake, sending a scattering of papers to the floor between them. When they both reach down to grab them, their heads banged into each other. "Sorry about that," Abner said, rubbing at his head as they picked up the fallen papers. Sighing, he tried to establish some order to the mess. "I'm such a spazz." He buried his head in his arms.
"Don't worry about it," Danny said as he gathered up some of Abner's papers and straightened them into a neat stack. He watched the man as Abner rubbed his hands over his tired face. "Are you feeling all right? You look pretty tired."
"Yeah." Abner sighed as he leaned on one hand again. "Just really exhausted. I stayed up half the night trying to finish off all my homework. I think I passed out somewhere around three, and then woke up at five."
"Waited until the minute, huh?" Danny grinned at the embarrassed look on Abner's face.
When Miss Johnson started talking, they both tried to focus on class, but Danny's attention kept drifting toward Abner and his bandages. What was really going on with the other man? He chewed on his lower lip, debating throughout the class if he should ask Abner about it. Tucker did have a point. If Abner was cutting himself, having someone to talk to might help him.
Today they got to work on a lab experiment. Miss Johnson walked about the room, checking on their work as they measured out chemicals to mix over a Bunsen burner. Danny carefully measured out one of the chemicals, double checking with his book to be sure he had it correct then added it into their beaker. His eyes glanced toward Abner, who stirred the mixture with a thin glass rod.
"Abner," Danny said cautiously, and Abner turned his pale hazel eyes upon him. "I know it's none of my business, but those bandages-"
"I'm just clumsy," Abner said with a weak laugh. He checked the next step of the experiment then started to measure out the next chemical.
Danny struggled with how to bring the topic up. Sighing, he tugged down the sleeve of his shirt and laid his arm on the table top between them so that his wrist was revealed to the man. "I know what it's like," he mumbled with his gaze lowered, only half taking in the sight of the scarred flesh.
Abner paused in his measurement and stared at what Danny showed him. Silence passed between them for several moments before Abner grabbed his arm and tugged Danny closer to him. "I'm not cutting myself," he whispered very quietly into Danny's ear. His voice sounded urgent, like he needed Danny to believe him.
"Prove it," Danny ordered, frowning at him. If he had nothing to hide, then Abner wouldn't mind showing what lay beneath his bandages.
"I-" Abner's gaze flicked away. Then he suddenly pushed Danny away. Stumbling over his chair, Danny tripped and fell, hitting his back on the floor as his chair clattered next to him. A second later, he heard a small explosion that made several other students let out startled shouts.
"Everyone, calm down," Miss Johnson ordered, taking command of the classroom as she made her way over to their station. "Was anyone hurt?"
"We're okay," Abner answered in a shaky voice.
Danny was too stunned to respond. How did their experiment even explode? Nothing that they added into the beaker should have had a reaction like that. After Miss Johnson helped him to his feet, Danny glanced over their station. Shards of the broken beaker were scattered across the table top and spilled onto the floor around it. Some of the liquid from the beaker splattered over everything on their station, but luckily the mixture didn't contain an acid. Their papers and books suffered a bit from being sprayed with the mixture, but it wasn't anything too bad. His gaze darted to Abner, who had a small cut over his right eye.
The end of class bell rang at that moment. The other students quickly gathered up their things and headed for the door after hearing Miss Johnson tell them their assignment for the night.
"You boys can head to your next class. I'll take care of this mess." Miss Johnson already started cleaning up the spilled liquid over the table top.
"I can help!" Abner offered eagerly.
Danny sighed, realizing he missed his opportunity. He couldn't ask the man anything more with their teacher hovering around. After gathering up his things, he headed for the door with the event still replaying in his mind. Did Abner really push him out of the way before the explosion happened? Danny scratched his head at that fact. On the way out the door, he bumped shoulders with someone else. "Sorry," he said immediately, only receiving a grunt in response from the man with shoulder length blond hair as they passed each other.
Hurrying through the hallways, Danny barely made it to history in time. He sighed as he collapsed into his seat. Cogsworth watched him with those eerie eyes again before he turned to start class. Leaning back in his seat, Danny pulled out his books for history when a folded bit of paper landed on his desk. With a frown, he picked it up and read the quick scrawl upon the paper: Thanks. He blinked at the simple message then turned his head to look around the classroom. His eyes fell upon Wulf, who met his eyes for a brief moment, giving the most subtle of nods before his attention returned to their teacher. Danny smiled a little as he started taking notes on the history lecture. He didn't help Wulf for any sort of reward or acknowledgment, but receiving a simple thanks made him feel better.
Each class that morning seemed to drag on slowly. Danny left his final class before lunch with a tired sigh. He was looking forward to seeing what Dash brought them all for lunch. The thought of Dash caused a smile to appear on his face as he walked through the hallway toward his locker. He wanted to find Abner, hoping the man shared the same lunch as him, so that he could try to talk some more to the man about what he was hiding with those bandages. It really wasn't any of his business. He knew that. But he couldn't seem to ignore it. Abner was hiding something, like many people in this school it seemed. Danny rubbed at his head, trying to remind himself that he really shouldn't be sticking his nose into everyone's problems. Wasn't that how he ended getting into so much trouble? Trouble, he snorted, seemed to find him well enough without his help.
Before Danny even reached his locker, Dash found him. Danny grinned at him about to greet him when Dash grabbed him by the bicep and dragged him through the hallway. "Uh, what's going on?" Danny asked in confusion as he stumbled along, trying to keep pace with Dash's quick stride. "Isn't the theater in the opposite direction?"
"We need to talk." Dash said nothing more as he dragged Danny toward one of the exits of the school and out into the chilly afternoon. He didn't release Danny until they were alone in the parking lot with no one around to hear them.
"What is this about?" Danny asked, getting that very bad feeling that something horrible was about to happen. He swallowed thickly and half expected to get a fist right to the face. But what could he have done to make Dash want to punch him? Dash seemed agitated about something, and it was making Danny worry all the more.
Dash was silent for several long moments as he stared at the pavement between them. Folding his arms, he lifted his head. The look in Dash's eyes when they met his eyes made Danny gulp nervously. "I'm a telepath," he said at last, his voice low and his gaze holding Danny's bright blue eyes. Silence stretched on after that confession.
"What?" Danny gasped like he was punched in the gut. His mind couldn't seem to process Dash's words. He really couldn't escape the supernatural, could he? Even his dream guy had to have some supernatural connection.
"A telepath," Dash repeated with tension in his voice. "I hear people's thoughts. I never actually planned on telling you anything about this, but your thoughts are so damn loud." He sighed and raked a hand through his blond locks. "I overheard about your parents being hunters." With a frown, he searched Danny's eyes, seeking something that Danny couldn't name. "Are you like your parents? Are you a hunter too?"
"No!" Danny shouted, thankful that they were outside and far away from anyone that might hear them. Anger flashed in his eyes at that question. "I don't go looking for the supernatural in order to kill each and every one of them. They find me!" His hand slapped against his chest. He glared darkly at Dash as he ground his teeth. "I've only killed the things that were attacking me or someone else. As long as you're not about to tell me you plan to go off and hurt someone, I don't care what the hell you are, and I'm sure as hell not going to go off and tell my parents. My parents don't know shit about the things I've seen or what I've been through. Do you think I like listening to my parents describe in detail all the things they want to do if they ever manage to get their hands on something supernatural? Shit, Dash! One of my best friends is a witch!"
Some of the tension in Dash's body relaxed while he listened to Danny's rant. "But you can understand where I'm coming from, can't you? What was I supposed to think when I hear you thinking about your parents being hunters? It scared me, Danny! How could I know where you stand in all of this unless I confronted you and asked about it?"
"I'm nothing like my parents, and I never want to be anything like them." Danny dropped onto the curb of the parking lot and buried his head in his hands. "They're so damn obsessed with the supernatural that they can't even see-" His mouth snapped shut, and slowly Danny lifted his head. His fearful gaze met with Dash's curious dark blue eyes, and he swallowed. "Just how much of my thoughts did you hear?" Panic grabbed hold of him, squeezing the air out of his lungs as his hearts quickened in his chest.
"I only pick up on surface thoughts, and you were broadcasting fairly loudly so it was pretty hard to ignore." Dash chuckled, but it sound off like he was forcing the effort because he knew this current situation wasn't even the slightest bit funny.
"No!" Danny snapped, hands gripping his knees tightly. "Do you know?" It was becoming a struggle to breathe, but Danny fought through it to speak. "Do you know what happened to me?"
"I know there's something you're hiding," Dash answered with a frown. His brow knitted as he watched Danny. "But you made the effort not to think about it around me, so I don't know what exactly it is you're hiding. I might be a telepath, but I can't read what you're not thinking about. And I won't try to dive into your mind to figure it out." His voice was very firm when he spoke the last statement. His steady gaze held Danny's eyes, enforcing that fact. "If it's something you want to talk about, then you'll have to speak about it on your own. I don't even like hearing people's thoughts." A scowl came over him as Dash looked away from Danny.
The news only alleviated a tiny portion of Danny's anxiety. He bent his head down, resting it between his legs, as he tried to force air back into his lungs. He felt close to breaking down and looking like a pathetic idiot in front of Dash if he didn't quickly recollect himself. It's okay. He doesn't know. Danny closed his eyes, focusing on that single fact.
"Danny." Dash's soft voice made Danny glance up. The blond man crouched down before him with concern in his eyes. "You're starting to worry me."
"Don't ask me to tell you," Danny begged, his voice thick with emotions as tears threatened to escape him. "I can't talk about it. Not yet."
"You don't have to say anything right now." Dash reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder, but Danny flinched away from his touch. Fingers curling into a fist, Dash withdrew his hand. "But I think you need to talk to someone. I'm just worried about you, Danny. Talking to someone might help. We have counselors here. I'm sure one of them could help you through whatever happened."
Danny laughed bitterly. "Right," he muttered with a snort as he tore his gaze away from Dash. "Because talking about the supernatural won't make me sound crazy or anything."
Dash bit back a chuckle, but Danny heard a laugh escape before Dash managed to catch it. He snapped a glare onto the blond man. "I think you're underestimating the amount of supernatural beings that live here," Dash explained with a small twitch of his lips. He managed not to smirk too much at the dumbfounded expression splayed across Danny's face.
Dash was a telepath. Lancer was a witch. Wulf was a werewolf. Danny gaped at Dash as he recalled his joking comment about a whole town of well behaved supernatural beings. "Just how many people here are supernatural?" he asked in a quiet whisper filled with awe and shock. "Because with my parents here, that could be a nightmare for everyone. They might be completely clueless, but even throwing a dart in the dark, they're bound to hit something." He paled, remembering how close they came to capturing Wulf Saturday night. If Danny hadn't been there, Wulf might not have escaped on his own.
"It's a mixed bag here." Dash frowned, probably thinking along the same lines as Danny when it came to his parents and the fact they were hunters. "We've managed to live pretty well together, and most of the completely normal humans don't even realize that their neighbors might be a witch or a vampire or something else. As long as we're careful and don't give ourselves completely away, we should be pretty okay." But there was doubt in his expression.
Danny chewed on his lip, wondering if Dash heard his thoughts about what happened with Wulf. "This is going to be annoying with you reading minds." Danny groaned as he buried his head in his knees again.
"I don't try to." Dash sighed. "Just try not to think so loudly when you're around me. Or," he smirked as he leaned in close, his lips dangerously close to Danny's ear, "you could just keep thinking about how hot I am."
Danny shivered at the feel of warm breath washing over his ear. His face burned brightly with his embarrassment, and he was fairly certain he looked about as red as a tomato at this point. "You're so evil," Danny mumbled, shoving Dash away from him to put some much needed distance between them.
Dash laughed as he grabbed hold of Danny's arms and dragged him to his feet. "So evil I'm going to stuff that mouth of yours with some amazingly delicious food." He grinned as he pulled Danny behind him toward the school.