A/N: Thank you, Justsomeguy16! I really appreciate the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the first story! I hope this one will be just as good or better. I'll hopefully reveal all soon. Thank you again!

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Chapter 8: Strange Things

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Strange things, more strange than usual, began to happen. It first started with a nightmare. Around midnight I had the nightmare. It was another John nightmare, but this John nightmare was different. John and I were in front of each other. The scene was just darkness, I couldn't see what we were in. He says something I couldn't hear, then pulls out a gun. It's not a memory erase gun. He aims it at my chest. Something pushes him, the gun still goes off and I feel a searing pain hit my left arm.

I wake up in immense pain. I grip my arm where I felt the pain. There was no bullet. No shattered bone. I was ok. Mentally, not so much. Tears came down my face. It felt so real. It took me a while to go back to sleep. I kept thinking about that nightmare over and over. It didn't feel like a forgotten memory, like the constant dreams I had when I first became a monster. It wasn't a regular John nightmare. This was different. I didn't know what it was but it was...strange. Eventually my brain stopped thinking about the nightmare and I was able to fall into a deep sleep.

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The next day, I woke up to the sound of the alien alarm going off. I don't know what to call it. It's a different sound than the alien tracker alarm for Alien Invasions. This one is for a different reason. I instinctively jump out of bed and started flying to it. The long hallway was flashing red as I flew down the colossal corridor. Everyone's footsteps thundered along the cold floors. I was the last one to get to the room.

Susan was already sitting at the giant table and Butterflyausaurous eyeing everyone through the window. Link, Doc and B.O.B. were already standing on the surface of the table activating the computers, thus stopping the red lights and the loud beeping sounds. Once I get there, everyone stared down at me in puzzlement.

"Um, Bat? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for school?" Asked Susan. "Nice PJs," Link added. I stared down at my pjs of little chibi blue and green monsters all over them. Since I lost everything in my room, Monger has made up for it by replacing everything. Not accurately though since I used to own Nightmare before Christmas pajamas. These pajamas looked like something a ten year old would wear.

Embarassed, I muttered a sorry and started turning away. Just as I was about to jump off the table, I heard them mention the Mothman. I quickly spun around, my eyes wide in shock. "Mothman? You guys are going to go see the Mothman?!" I asked a little too loudly. The monsters looked over to me. Doc nodded and spoke for me.

"There's been reports that he has been seen again. Susan and Link volunteered to go investigate." I couldn't believe it. Of all the days for us to be able to possibly meet The Mothman, it had to be during the time I needed to finish school. I begged for them to let me go. I tried every excuse I could think of so I could go.

Doc shook his head. "I'm sorry, Bat. We all promised Monger that we wouldn't sneak you on board on any alien invasions or paranormal investigations." My jaw dropped. I looked over to the other monsters. Everyone turned their heads away from me...except B.O.B., who just smiled his goofy smile at me and waved.

"Hi, Bat," he said.

I huffed angrily. My own friends turned against me too. I couldn't believe it. I stormed off the table and walked all the way back to my room.

"She seems angry," I heard B.O.B. say.

"She will get over it," Link replied.

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Patrick noticed I was upset when I came up to the car. I slid into the car and slammed the car door loudly behind me. Patrick didn't say anything till we were on the road. "Something the matter, Bat?" He asked me, looking at the rearview mirror to me as I sat, stewing angrily in the back seat. I glared out the window. I heard a roar and looked up.

Butterflyasaurous was flying away from the base. Through my sunglasses I could see Link and Susan on her back. Tears came to my eyes as I turned away from the window to wipe them, careful not to ruin my normal human skin colored makeup.

"No..." I lied to Patrick.

Patrick gave me a look of sympathy. "I have a teenage daughter at home. I know when something is troubling her." I stared down at the empty seat next to me. "...I can't do paranormal investigations or fight aliens till I finish school..." I said. Packtrick sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I was hoping that I could still fight them, maybe over the weekends or something...but no...and today the alarm went off and they are saying it's about the Mothman! The Mothman! I am a huge mothman fan and I wanted to go to West Virginia to go and hopefully to see him, but my own friends are on Monger's side and wont let me be excused from school to go meet him!" I ranted to the driver.

I felt bad ranting to Patrick, but at the same time, it felt good blowing off some steam. I felt that I needed it after all that has happened to me. Patrick listened and was very nice. He nodded and didn't say a thing. Once I was done I sank back into my seat

"Feel better?" He asked.

"Yeah...kind of," I said.

"I understand your frustration, Bat. Sometimes life isn't fair. Things happen and you miss out. But don't let it get to you. Don't let it ruin your day."

Patrick stopped the car at the place where the bench with all the wildflowers around it was. I thanked him and got out of the car. "Have a good day, Bat!" He called from the car. He waved to me from the window as he pulled away. I waved back and watched the car till it was out of sight. Taking a deep breath, I turned to the school and exhaled. Patrick's words stayed in my brain as I walked to the school. Stay positive, I thought, walking along the chain linked fence that bordered the overly watered grassy green fields.

As I did, I thought I saw something zip near me. I turned and looked around. I heard a rustling of trees above me. A black crow. It sat on the branch. I stared at it for a moment. It kept its head turned away from me. I found it strange. I shook my head and kept walking.

Just then I heard a different noise. It came from amongst the pine trees in a neighbor's front yard across the street. I stopped to look. Nothing. Must have been my imagination. As I turned and continued walking, I couldn't push away the strange feeling that someone was watching me...

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Fifteen minutes into my first period class, I got called up to the office to meet with my counselor and the principal. They said they had talked to my "uncle" on the phone, and they were seeing if I was enjoying my time here at the high school. I said it was allright. I had to sign some papers and get my guardian to sign the rest to officially have me be in the school for the next two years.

"We were hoping to meet you yesterday, but we weren't sure if you made it. We were hoping your uncle told you to come to the office before the school started," said my counselor as I got up from the chair.

"Yeah, well...my great uncle Monger seems to forget to tell me things these days," I said with attitude. With that I left and started walking back to my class. I muttered angrily to myself about Monger being a horrible guardian and wishing I wasn't dealing with this. As I was, the weird feeling came back, causing me to stop muttering.

I stopped in my tracks and looked around. No one was there. My bat ears flicked inside the black beanie I wore. The sounds were slightly muffled so I wasn't going to be able to hear a lot. I gave up and decided to ignore it.

I saw a golf cart drive by with a man driving it, and a boy on the back. My old school had golf carts, since the school was so big, staff would drive them around to get from one place to another, and the boy was on the back so he could get to his class in no time.

I watched the golf cart till it was out of sight. One or two students were seen taking their time going to the bathrooms or hanging at their locker, but other then that, the school was deserted. Twenty feet from me was the main entrance and exit of the school. Usually there was a security guy there to check everyone's school ID cards. I didn't have my ID card so I wasn't allowed to go outside the school. Fortunately, there was no security guy. I stared at the open gates ahead of me. Barely anyone around. I could just...

I turned away and slowly walked back to my first class. No...no point anyway. Link, Susan and Butterfly were halfway to West Virginia by now. No point in ditching. I heard shuffling behind me. I spun around and found a kid staring at me. I took a step back, concerned.

The kid was possibly a senior. He was tall and had curly dark brown hair, a sleeveless grey shirt, longsleeved black shirt underneath. Black and white sneakers and black pants. He also wore fingerless black gloves like I did, and black sunglasses. He nodded his head. "Nice to see you again," he said. It took me a moment to realize who I was talking to, until I realized that the kid looked like a younger version of The Scientist.

October.

I felt the blood drain from my face and my jaw drop. "October...what are you...how are you...?" I stumbled over my words. October looked around for a second before placing his gloved hands into his pockets.

"I've stayed around. Been flying around this place for a while," he said. My mind went to the birds I had been seeing around recently. The birds at the National forest, the crow from this morning. He has been watching me.

"Mostly making sure you are safe..." he said. Then he quickly added, "I'm sure you know John is alive and is around," he said. I nodded my head. "I'm here for school, but I'm also trying to find him," I told him. I gave him a brief update on what I knew and what has been going on so far. I wanted to believe I could trust October. Even though he accused me of being John's mindless puppet, he helped me take down John the first time, and hated John's guts as much as I did. After I was done, the disguised alien nodded.

"I see."

I got the feeling that he didn't understand, but was pretending he did. "Do you know of John's whereabouts?" I asked him. October nodded. "I saw him a couple times here as well. I too have been trying to hunt down John. He has been very careful hiding himself and not being followed. I have been watching this place as one of your flying creatures. I spotted you just yesterday attending this place filled with young humanlings-"

"Teenagers," I corrected him.

"Teen...agers," he tried using the word. "He has been disappearing here and there several times. Mainly around here. Around this facility-"

"Campus," I corrected him again. He exhaled and gave me a look. I went quiet and allowed him to continue. "I think he has another secret place around here. Possibly in one of these buildings. Keep watch for him, Exper..." he stopped himself before he called me Experiment Six. The horrible thing John calls me.

"I apologize...I don't recall ever saying your name," he realized. As long as I had known him. I don't think he ever had. "You can just call me by my monster name. Bat," I told him. October nodded. "Allright...I think I remember you telling me your real name when we first met," he added. I felt my blood run cold. When we were John's prisoners. I don't remember that at all. Only the night we ran away. I got hit by John's memory erase gun, causing me to forget alot of how I became a monster...but I assume my nightmares are what help fill the blanks. I saw October's eyes change behind his sunglasses.

"I don't remember unfortunately...but if you prefer Bat, I can call you that," he said. I nodded, then stared at his attire before realizing he copied my look. The black fingerless gloves, the grey sleeveless shirt and long sleeved black shirt. I pointed it out to him.

"So...copying my look?" I asked him. He looked down, realizing before looking back up to me. "You are the first young humanling I had encountered here on earth. I thought you all wore clothes like this," he admitted. I smiled and shook my head. "Unfortunately, no. I'm the only one who wears that look," I said. October shrugged. "I think it looks good." I blushed and thanked him. His hair color changed from black to blue then back to dark brown again.

"Also, I'd be careful flying around here at night. I don't want John to know you are coming here," he said. I blinked. "Flying? I haven't been flying around here," I said. October gave me this strange look which I assumed was suspicion. He pointed his fingerless gloved hand at me.

"I saw you last night. You flew by me. I recognized your pale skin and wings. Our eyes and connection." He said. I didn't understand what he meant by that, but I assumed since we shared the same DNA, he could feel that same similarity we both shared. He pulled his arm back and pocketed it. For a moment I saw it shape shift into an octopus tentacle before it turned back into a human hand.

"Just be careful, young Bat. I'll be flying around as a Quardxifyl." (or whatever word that was close to that spelling. Most likely his alien word for I'm guessing crow.) I was about to ask him more about how he even saw me last night, when I knew I was at the base asleep, when the bell rang.

Kids poured out of classrooms and began walking and running to their next classes. October stared at me from where he stood. A group of kids walked between where we were standing. When the kids passed by, he was gone.

I heard the sound of flapping wings over my head. When I looked up, I saw a flash of a black bird fly through the pine tree branches, and disappear into the shadows.

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