~

~

Cass and I were in some seriously deep shit. We were now surrounded by a partially angry mob, and these kinds of mobs can be just as bad as fully angry mobs. The angry portion was slowly closing in on us, and the undecided part was just sitting back watching. Our parents were no help. My mom was in shock and Cass's dad couldn't get through the crowd.

"There's an open window over there." Cass jerked her head towards the wall.

"Cass we're pretty far off the ground."

"What's worse, being tortured by an angry mob, or a sprained ankle?" She made a break for the window. I followed her. It took a few seconds for the people to catch on.

"Hey, they're getting away!"

It was to late Cass and I were all ready falling to the ground. We landed on top of each other on the lawn by the side of the school.

"Wasn't that bad, was it?" Cass grinned standing up.

"You think this is funny?"

"Hell no." She looked serious again. "But that wasn't as bad as it could've been."

"We should go." I said looking up at the window. "They'll be coming out soon."

~

"I can't believe we're breaking into Merton's Lair." I said.

"He won't mind." Cass looked up from the lock she was picking. It clicked. "Got it."

She pulled open the door. As soon as we were inside I collapsed on the couch. I figured I deserved it after all that.

"So what're we gonna do now?" Cass sat down playing with Merton's python. "I suppose we could pray that every one in town gets amnesia."

"We could bite everyone until they're all werewolves, which would mean they'd have to accept us." Where had that come from? It came from me, but from where? Cass looked alarmed and jumped back.

"You did not just say that." She said sternly.

"I don't know where that came from." I rubbed my temples. "its just stress speaking."

"I really hope so Tommy." Cass shook her head. "Because that's the side of you- of us- the mob is after."

There was a rattle at the door. "Guys they're coming." It was Lori's voice. I scrambled up from my seat to let her in.

"The mobs about a block back. TnT've equipped them with every thing and anything to defeat werewolves." She warned us.

"See I told you telling them you bit me was a bad idea." Cass said sourly. "We're gonna end this now."

"Are you going to give yourself up?" asked Lori.

"Nope," Cass smiled a devil-may-care smile. "You're sending them after the real evil werewolves."

"Come again?" I said.

"Well they want to go after werewolves." Cass said disgustedly. "So we'll send them after the other werewolves."

I nodded. "The syndicate?"

"Exactly."

"Whoa," Lori waved her hands. "the syndicate would take them out, we'd end up loosing half the town. The syndicate wouldn't care about what werewolf killing weapons they have."

"It does seem kind of wrong. I mean half the school is with that mob; half the school could be killed." I said pointedly.

"Says the guy who just suggested biting the whole town." Cass muttered avoiding my eyes.

"We'd better decide soon, even I can hear them getting closer." Lori looked nervously out the window.

"I say we send them after the syndicate, it would work." Cass insisted.

Cass looked at me then at Lori. It was decided.

"Lori go tell them about the syndicate." Said Cass slowly. "Direct them towards their head-quarters then leave. Don't get hurt."

"What of they don't believe me?" I think Lori was stalling.

"You're smart, you'll think of something." I smiled at her encouraging her. "I'm going head home, and see what's up there."

Lori took a minute to collect her and then headed out the door.

~

"Twenty people murdered, and fifteen injured. Thirteen reported missing." I turned my TV off. It was all too much. It was our fault that those twenty people were murdered, our fault that fifteen people were in the hospital and well as for those thirteen missing people, we could only assume that the syndicate had thirteen new members. This had not been one of our smarter moves. Nothing good came out of it. Everyone still knew about us and Lori was right, a good portion of the town was hurt.

On the plus side, Merton was out of the hospital. He'd left at about 1:00 in the morning, just as all the causalities from the mob had started coming in. the hospital reversed whatever he'd done to himself, so he wasn't a super genius anymore, Just very, very smart.

I turned my TV back on. Now they were showing video from the fight. It was pretty bad. Even TnT with all they're smarts and weapons had had to retreat. Somehow it just didn't seem right that they'd escaped without a scratch.

"We don't know the whereabouts of Cassandra Black, but the other werewolf, Tommy Dawkins was reported to be back in his house at about 3:00 last night. Lori Baxter is also at her home. The police will probably be questioning her later, on her part in the massacre in the castle last night."

'What had happened to Cass?' I wondered. I figured she might be in the forest. I couldn't go looking because I was on house arrest. The police had declared it earlier this morning almost as soon as I'd gotten home. My mom and dad had tried to fight it but the police chief said it was in the best interest of the citizens. So now I was just sitting on my bed trying to think of a way to get out without jumping out a window. I really wanted to see Merton, to see how he was doing, he was also pretty good for advice most times. But Cass worried me the worst.

There was a knock on my door.

"Who is it and what do they want?" I called sourly.

"It's me Merton, and I just want to talk." Came the reply.

"It's open." I said in a much nicer voice.

Merton opened the door and walked in. He was holding two tubs of chicken from the Hungry Bucket.

"I heard what happened." He made a sympathetic face.

"How'd you get in?" I grabbed a piece of chicken.

"A lot of begging." He said. "So'd you hear?"

"If you're talking about the news reports, yes I've heard them." I said closing my eyes.

"Any idea where Cass is?" He asked. "They say she's missing."

"Maybe the forest, but that's all I can think of."

Merton turned towards the TV. More fight images were playing. A guy I knew, Eric, was getting knocked out by a werewolf. Next came our pictures, Mine, Cass's, Lori's, and surprisingly Merton's.

"These four students had a tight bond." Said the reporter. "We can assume that they were all in this together."

"It's not like we were trying to get anyone murdered!" I shouted at the screen.

"They were over at my place this morning." Merton frowned. "They practically cleared out my Lair! They took all my lycanthropy books, my charts, even some of my computer files!"

"The media?'

"No, the police. I don't even think they had a warrant. They certainly didn't show me one when I asked." He rolled his eyes. "and Becky was no help at all, she told them every weird thing that's ever happened to me."

"We think the werewolves and their accomplices should be locked up." said some one on the news.

"And people like that aren't helping." I growled. "Imagine if this weren't a Saturday and it was a school day or something."

"I could probably break my own record of being stuffed in lockers." Merton joked. "Everyone would be doing it."

"Y'know I never thought that anyone would ever find out, besides you, Lori, and Cass." I sighed.

"The police have located Cassandra Black." Blared the newscaster. "She was found in the High school chemistry lab. Miss. Black has now been secured at her house under orders not to leave until further notice."

"I really don't get this house arrest thingy," I turned to Merton. "What's the point?"

"It's their way of feeling safe." Merton said. "They think that you and Cass are killing machines."

"We noticed." I said grimly.

"Yeah, this morning when they came, they were asking me really stupid questions like: have they ever seriously injured you before? All they had to do was ask my parents if I've ever been to the hospital, answer: no, not before last night." Merton paced my room. "We've gotta do something to convince them that you guys aren't awful."

"After what we did last night, I'm not exactly sure that can be done." I said.

Merton took the remote from me and started flipping channels until he came to the worst, most horrible thing on television…Barney.

"Look," Merton pointed to the screen. "if those little kids can somehow manage to spend an entire half hour crowded around that stupid dinosaur, then anything's possible. So c'mon, let's go downstairs."

Merton pulled me up off my bed, and we started out the room. He succeeded in pulling me down the stairs and into the kitchen. My parents weren't there. There was only the guard that stood at the back door.

"Where do you kids think you're going?" he asked as soon as we entered the kitchen.

"I'm just getting breakfast." I said. "Merton, you want anything?"

"I gorged on jello in the hospital, so no thanks."

I was pouring orange juice when the phone rang. The guard jumped over to open it. I was going to say something to him but a look from Merton silenced me.

"That was Cassandra Black." The guard said curtly. "While you were up stairs Lori Baxter called."

I got up to use the phone, but the guard blocked it. "I'm sorry I can't let you do that."

Merton stood up. "But you can let me use it." He said. The guard stepped aside frowning.

"I'll call Lori first." Merton said dialing the number. He waited for it to ring. I stood by him and put my hands behind my back. When the guard wasn't looking I pressed the speaker button.

"Hello." Said Lori. The guard looked around startled.

"It does that automatically." I lied.

"Hey Lori." Merton answered.

"I'm glad you're ok." She sounded relieved. "Where's Tommy?"

"He can't use the phone. He's on house arrest." Merton told her.

I paced the kitchen impatiently. The guard watched me carefully. Well of course it was just my luck that I tripped over the broom. I fell to the floor, and wolfed out. Suddenly I heard a gun cock. I looked up to see the guard aiming at me.

"Did I just hear a gun?" Came Lori's voice.

"Tommy sort of wolfed out." Merton glanced at me.

"No body move." Said the guard. He immediately cut off Merton's conversation by unplugging the phone.

"I'm not gonna do anything." I protested.

"Seriously he's not." Merton tried to help.

"You're the kid who's room they raided this morning." The guard laughed. "I'm supposed to believe you?"

Merton fumed, and scowled at the guard.

"I don't know what happened this damn town," Merton was getting pretty angry, he never cursed. "Have Tommy or Cassandra ever done anything bad? No! I don't see what you're defending everyone from. The people that attacked last night were not like Tommy and Cass. They were plain evil. That's why they're called: The Evil Werewolf Syndicate! This damn town is to caught up on legends about bad werewolves, and evil monsters. I mean, sure we do seem to attract a fair amount of demons, vampires and all out hell hounds, but that doesn't mean a thing!" Merton took a breath and sat down. I'd never seen him stand up to someone like that. I was pretty impressed.

"Kid I told you, I'm not gonna listen to you, you're an accomplice."

"Do you have something against Goths? Just cause I dress all in black and have a fair amount of knowledge about the dark arts and the dark creatures doesn't mean I'm a bad kid."

The guard looked taken aback. I guess he'd never been spoken to like that.

"He's right." I joined Merton, feeling more like my old self. "He's a great friend, and he's right about me too. I'm not evil." I grinned at Merton. "We're getting outa here."

"He's back." Merton laughed.

"I'm not letting you anywhere." The guard held the gun steady.

I grabbed the gun and bent in, then handed it back to him.

"Toodles." Merton smiled at the guard as we left.

~

(A/n- I'm leaving you here, because I must go to the doctor. Every one thinks I've got mononucleosis. Well I'll see you soon.)

-Loonybin

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