*Hank*

"From birth, I have known as well as my parents, that I was different. Although then it wasn't as bad as it was now. I didn't have this blue fur like I do now, or eyes, or hands, in fact I looked almost normal with my shoes on. I had heightened senses of course, but you can't really see those, unless you're looking for them," Linda had taken a seat opposite me and she was nodding her head as she listened.

"I didn't have the best of lives, I'll admit. My dad had died before I was born, and my mother didn't make up for it at all. She was a hooker to put it bluntly. And she partied, she'd go out all night doing gosh knows what and would come in the next morning either hung over or still drunk. It wasn't the ideal place to raise a kid, but I dealt with it, its not like I became like that myself. My mother at first hated me, she hated my mutation and she hated that I reminded her of my father, I think she felt guilty with me around because it was a reminder of the man she once loved. She only started to even remotely show that she liked me when it became evident that I was a genius," I even remember the say she had the meeting with one of my teachers, I was only in the first grade, but already the school could see that I was something special. They told my mother of my potential and she finally looked at me after that meeting with something other then hate or regret. Although she only seemed to care for me when she realized she could use me, but I don't think about that.

"After that she made sure that I was fed, most nights. She tried to care for me a little, she even took me shopping for new clothes," I remember that too, that was the first time I had seen her smile. She was looking for clothes for me to wear and seemed to be enjoying herself and she was making jokes about clothes that looked bad and stuff like that and she looked at me and smiled. I looked over at Linda who looked like she was thinking about something else from her dazed look.

Continuing, to try and grab her attention, "She was an okay parent after that. She was still out half the night, but usually she was hung over by the time she got home, though on Saturdays she was still drunk from the night before. I didn't really blame her for it, it was her way of copping with the loss of her husband and having to take care of her child alone," Although what I didn't tell Linda was that I didn't blame her for it now, back then every other day my mom and I were having a row and arguing about this or that. I blamed her for my crappy life and my mutation, I came to almost hate her, or hate her actions and this life she had pushed on me, but now that I look back on it she was doing the best that she knew how to do with what she was given, and I couldn't blame her for it.

I looked over at Linda who was closely watching me. "I'm sorry I'm rambling, I'll-"

"No its fine," she interrupted me, nodding for me to go on with the story.

"I didn't really have any friends. From a very young age it was evident to my teachers that I had a gift. They saw it in the way I understood things and took to things logically, because being a child genius doesn't mean you know a lot of things it means you understand things in an instant. You recall all kinds of things you may have only seen once, but you remember and understand it. At first it was a novelty, all the kids came to me and loved me, they thought I was something special and cool, but as time passes it wore away. Jealousy came into play and many other emotions," I paused remembering one of the kids I had called a friend. His name was Ben, and he thought I was so cool, until people stopped noticing him and just focused on me. He hated me for it, and I'll admit I wasn't the greatest friend back to him. We never really spoke after and that was back in first grade.

"I was a loner after that, I was bullied and taunted and I was utterly alone. It didn't help that I understood the only reason my mother even slightly liked me was because I was a genius. I wasn't naïve enough, even at the age 7 to believe that people really cared about me, they just wanted to use me. I wasn't naïve enough to believe that I would ever have a real true friend," though I didn't say out loud that I had in fact later found a true friend, and I didn't say how I had screwed things up beyond repair with that one true friend.

"I lived in a small Tennessee town, so there was only one public school to go to. I knew that I would leave that school, I knew that I would move on to bigger and better, and at the time it was an arrogant knowledge that I had, I didn't understand how blessed I was to get out of that trash pit. I just took everything I had for granted. I was self centered. I was completely socially out of tune, at least most people could fake being nice, I didn't even understand how to care or think about others then," I didn't understand how to be a friend to the one person that was friend to me.

"I-"

"Stop," Linda said, her head bent down looking at her hands. She looked like she was shaking her head back and forth trying to stop something from happening. Without another word or even a look my way she got up and sprinted away toward the mansion.

My eyes stood rooted to the spot she had just sat in, right in front of me. What had I done? How could I have screwed this up with her too? How could I be such A SCREWUP! DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL!

And I felt him, the Beast was rising. Slowly at first but with my anger he came to greet me, and I let him take me. I had had enough of this hell hole.

*Linda*

I had to get out of there.

I can't take it.

This can't be happening.

This shouldn't be happening.

I can't do this.

Not again.

And I heard the sound. It was like a great bear roar, but I knew who it had come from. I froze where I was and looked behind me to see birds and squirrels skittering away. And that when I knew. I was in trouble.

My feet stood rooted to the spot only a second before I took off at a full out sprint toward where I knew the mansion was. My breaths came out in uneven puffs from fear and I glanced behind me every few seconds to look for him. I also became aware that it was twilight and the sun had almost fully set, in fact it would be dark by the time I made it back to the mansion. And beasts like the dark.

I stumbled and fell after looking back, but quickly got back up to my feet not even thinking just doing. I started running again and became aware that the sun had fully set. And that I had almost no light left to guide me or keep me safe. Looking back again, I made sure not to trip but when I turned back around, I saw a set of golden iridescent eyes only a few yards in front of me.

I would have screamed, in fact I should have, but when I opened my mouth nothing came out. Not words or voice came to me. I came to a complete stop only feet away from Hank.

I saw him breathing hard and he had this made twinkle to his eyes, he looked nothing like the awkward and unsocial Hank that I had just seen. He looked almost sinister, and like he was out for blood.

I opened my mouth again, and this time sound came out, but it wasn't the scream I so desperately wanted. It was words, that were almost not my own, words that I had wanted to speak, needed to speak, but hadn't voice.

"Enough, Hank. Stop it, just stop. I can't take your crap, not again. Its me, your friend, but my names Linda now, like the snake. I hate what you have become and what you did to me, but I also hate what I did to you. I can't do this again, just stop. I can't be friends, not with you or anyone else. I cant rely on someone, only to have them fail, so stop."

Hank looked at me curiously, and I felt the tingling sensation rising in me and I knew I wouldn't be able to stop it unless I got way from him. I didn't look at him as I ran past. I didn't check behind me to see if he was following, because I knew he wasn't. I didn't do anything but run and try not to think.

I found the stone track around the school and started doing laps. Anything to keep myself from thinking. But in the end I did think, but it was about something totally different. After about a half hour I started to think that I was getting tired, but it wasn't do. I realized that I wasn't pained at all by any of this running. I was tired at all, in fact I was bored if anything.

It dawned on me that I should get inside soon, as it was pitch black outside. And when I looked to the forest, not a pair of eyes looked back at me. It seems I had been alone for a while.

So ya, I know lots of stuff going on. I know the end part with not getting tired was a bit random, but I had kinda hinted at it from all the times she had run, and how physcially capable her body was now. But I mean if you don't like it tell me.

I hope you've liked reading and please review, it helps me tons!