Derrick left quick. He didn't like people. Not teens at least. His target audience were bar hoppers, and people who didn't mind sharing a drink with a stranger. Don't get me wrong though. Derrick didn't have a problem. The problem, was that out of the four wolves in this house ,and out of the three who fought up in northern California, he was the youngest. He killed his first person at thirteen, then after he was changed, his targets were wolves. That's how he met my dad and uncle. They'd been tracking a mutt that was infecting people left and right. And after slaughtering every single one to get to him, they found him in the back alleys of San Francisco, holding Derrick by his bloodied neck. The mutt infected him, they killed the mutt. But for some reason, and it's between the three tenants I live with, they didn't kill him. And about the mystery person, Derrick had killed as a human... that was also up to him to tell. And I wasn't asking anything.

So he had earned to drink to his hearts content. Besides, at the rate we burn off alcohol, we couldn't die from alcohol poisoning if it came from an IV drip. And to spread my opinion, I think he just enjoys the company of people who have something to hide, something to drink for.

"There's the birthday boy!" Emily said, smiling over at me through the spaces under the porch railing. She looked totally different. Her goth gear, totally gone. To the point that if it weren't for her smell, I'd have not noticed at all. Her hair was now blonde with strawberry colored highlights that hung like a shroud of beauty following behind her as she strode towards me. Her tiny button nose wrinkled slightly as she smiled those perfect whites right at me. The only thing that didn't change were those slightly narrow blue eyes.

"What are you doing here?!" I said smiling at her, trying not to remember the gunshot, nor the crushing blow I'd taken for her angry father. My arms felt numb just thinking about it. I couldn't use my left arm at all the following week of that little adventure, and my right now hurt every time it rained. When I used to hear old people say that, I'd always think they were being stupid, but as the phenomenon had engulfed my right arm, I couldn't help but taste the bitter facts of truth.

"I live here now." She said, but as she went on, I was distracted by another figure rounding the corner. I didn't recognize her at all, but the attitude... that was definitely something I'd be able to remember.

Her black hair was cut shoulder length. And as I mused as how mine was the same way, hers had that under curve that distinguished male from female... hair cut wise. Mine was just because I hated people touching my hair, and so I'd go get a real hair cut every couple of months. But until then, I'd just get either Derrick or Wilson to cut away any chance of me having a mullet. The thought of what that'd look like made me shudder.

But back to the girl.

She didn't look like she wanted to be here. And for a second, it looked like she was scoping the place out. It made me uncomfortable, instantly.

"Yeah, man. She's going to be joining us, senior year!" Nick said. "Her and her cousin Angela are staying two houses down from mine!" I could definitely see that Nick was glad to see Emily again. And now that no one was trying to double cross me, nor kill me, I was okay with the two of them seeing each other. Though, it's not like my word is law on the subject.

What I did have a problem with though, was Angela. Those bright, green eyes, unlike my own, were so condescending. And where as she was a beautiful girl, she just came off as secretive and annoying as her cousin did.

She crossed her arms as everyone gathered on the porch, and leant against the railing for the stairs. And as we took our seats for a nice night with a little beer, Angela decided it was better for her to go back to the truck. In my mind, I was all for the distance. That thin black figure, disappearing behind the west wall of the house, was a sight for sore eyes. I didn't think I could take those peering stares of hers, nor her constant silence. She was just another one of those people I just couldn't figure out.

Emily excused herself, rather politely, to go and talk to her cousin while Nick informed me on how his day went, seeing as how mine was a pretty short one.

"And so I'm bagging this old woman's groceries, while she's just nagging and nagging away. 'Cans on the bottom! Boxes dent you know! Don't give me that look!' You know, the whole angry, old lady routine." He sipped his bear, smirking as he delved back into his story. "And so she pays for it, then as she's carrying it to her car, the bag with the cans splits at the bottom and shit goes everywhere! She was hopping up and down like an angry Donkey Kong!" He finished, laughing. I went to take another sip of my beer, but I couldn't cause of my sore sides.

"You didn't even help her?" I asked sobering from my laughter.

"Help her?! I'd have cut the bag myself."

"That's still terrible."

"You remember when we broke into the water supply building?" He asked.

"Yeah, we broke in and turned the water up. That was the same day your dad flooded the bathroom too!" I said laughing.

"Exactly. But remember watching me help him try and find out why the water pressure was so high, and how he made me hold the flashlight."

I nodded.

"It was like that, except with groceries and an old bat. 'You're not doing it right on purpose!'" He said mimicking her again. My sides started hurting again.

He went on, making fun of the old lady with her food all over the hot parking lot, but as he did my attention was grabbed by the shadows of the two arguing cousins. I hadn't even heard them yelling until I saw their shadows. And as I pretended to listen to Nick, laughing when he laughed, I watched the other two. And as I did, another distraction came.

Derrick opened the front door, cordless phone in hand.

"Hey, we got guests coming. So do you want to stay here and help or go with your little friends?"

"You know I have to stay and help." I said frowning. Every time someone comes in, there are supposed to be two tenants there to help unpack, and what not. Plus, it's harder to jump two wolves that just one.

"Yeah, I know." He said smiling. He could be a dick when he wanted too, and when he did, it really hit.

Nick knew the drill. He'd been run off many times, but a jobs a job, and he understood. So we rounded up the two arguing girls, who obviously didn't want us to hear what they were talking about, and they took off. But Angela, even as she sat in the back, stared at me. It was like she'd never seen a person before. It never hit me that she'd known what I was. I didn't expect her too, and I knew Emily didn't tell her... Really, I didn't, but I trusted her to keep her secrets.

As I would mine...