It felt somewhat dishonest and sneaky, James mused to himself as he checked one more time that his hair was styled neatly and there no traces of any pimples on his face or stains on his clothes. Dressing to impress and not even for his own date; for someone else's. It was stupid when he knew Kendall had a boyfriend he seemed quite happy with, but he just couldn't help himself. He was of course happy being Kendall's friend, but he knew without doubt that if more were to come of it, he wouldn't complain. Just thinking about him made his cheeks flush and his heart rate pick up a little. He swallowed nervously and picked up his jacket, putting it on and zipping his phone and his wallet into the pockets. Unfortunately he couldn't drive which made picking Mercedes up a little awkward; he was simply to stop at her house and walk her to the bowling and arcade centre. Slightly less charming than she would've liked, he didn't doubt. He checked one more time that he smelled acceptable and left his room, heading downstairs and towards the front door. "I'm leaving, Mom!" he called as he unlocked the door.
"Alright sweetie, have a good time!"
James walked down the road and around the corner; Mercedes lived quite close to him, but in a more glamorous estate filled with large houses. She lived in Number 17, she said . . . he walked down the path slowly and checked each house, finally coming across one with a large front yard filled with flowerbeds; this was the place. He walked up to the door and rang the doorbell, rocking back on his heels and waiting with his hands in his pockets. Then Mercedes opened the door, handbag on her arm, dressed in her usual elegant attire. "Hey," she greeted somewhat chirpily, walking out and shutting the door behind her. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, I'm ready. Sorry we have to walk . . ."
"That's why I wore flats. Let's go." And she walked off, James jogging to catch up with her again.
"Uh, you look nice, by the way," he stammered a little nervously, struggling a little to keep up with her.
"Oh, this old thing? I just threw it together in an hour, no big deal."
A whole hour? He felt considerably less confident as he walked. It was clear she didn't have much interest in him romantically; that was okay. Maybe she was just coming along for the bowling? Or maybe just for the night out. Either way she was okay company, and Kendall would be there too anyway. And Beau, but he wouldn't think about him now.
They arrived and walked inside, seeing Kendall and Beau sitting to the side by the bowling counter. "Hey, you're here!" Kendall greeted with a grin, shrugging Beau's arm off from around his shoulders and standing up. He went and hugged Mercedes and, to James' shock, him too. It only lasted for a second, but he prayed his cheeks hadn't turned red when Kendall pulled away. "Let's get started." They paid at the counter and made their way to a free alley. James looked around the arcade behind them and spotted Jett and Lucy standing by one of the crane machines. Lucy glanced over her shoulder and caught his eye, winking briefly before turning back around and putting some change in the machine.
"Okay, so," Beau typed something into the monitor. "I can go first, then Kendall, then Mercy and then James. Sound good?"
"Sure, sounds good," Mercedes chirped, while James just shrugged. He'd never been hugely into bowling himself; he wasn't very good. He was really just there to watch Kendall sit down next to him and grin at him as Beau picked up his first bowling ball. No, no – he was there to keep an eye on Beau. To watch how he behaved and to see if there was any indication of him being the master.
However, unfortunately as the evening went on (three turns in and he still sucked, Beau being the best, of course) there was nothing to really hint at Beau having any interest in him at all as his servant or otherwise. He was just arrogant, handsome and enjoyed Mercedes' attention a bit too much, but he had done nothing to incriminate himself. Not yet, at least.
It was Kendall's turn again, and he was proving to not be much better at bowling than James was. He had to resist the urge to gag or roll his eyes as he watched Beau stand in behind Kendall, press up against his backside and use his hand to guide Kendall's to the right angle with the bowling ball. "Thank you, baby," Kendall cooed, pecking his cheek, before following Beau's guidance and knocking down the remaining seven pins.
"You did it," Beau cheered, arms tight around his waist. "Mercy, your turn."
Mercedes hopped delicately to her feet and picked up a bright pink bowling ball. She flounced her way up to the entrance of the aisle and rolled it with surprising strength, knocking the ten pins in a single strike. "And that puts me ahead of you, Beau!" she teased, tapping his shoulder and winking as she sat down again beside James. James smiled at her and turned his attention back to where Kendall and Beau were sitting. He looked away from them as he stood up and took his turn, conscious of their eyes on him. He managed to knock down eight pins; the most he had all night.
"Beau, you're up," he said, sitting down again and slouching back.
"You take my turn for me baby, I'm gonna get a soda," Beau said, kissing Kendall's cheek and getting up, leaving the bowling area and heading off towards the arcade.
"Are you sure you trust me to do that?" Kendall called after him, chuckling as he glanced at James before taking a bowling ball and managing to talk own just one, than two, pins.
"Are you sure you shouldn't wait for Beau to come back before you take your own turn?" Mercedes suggested, but she was smirking and he definitely spotted Kendall wink at her, before he took another ball and, for his own turn, got a strike with no difficulty. Wow.
Kendall saw James staring in awe and shrugged. "He likes to feel like a man. Who am I to disappoint?"
"Be a gentleman and get me a ball, will you?" Mercedes asked as she stood up with her eyes on her phone, thumb quickly typing a text message.
"Sure." Kendall went to pick up another bowling ball from the rack, turning towards Mercedes to go and hand it to her when he suddenly stopped, eyes widening. James looked over his shoulder, instantly on edge, but there was nothing there for Kendall to stare at. He was trembling from head to toe now, mouth opening and closing as though he were trying to find the words to express that terror in his eyes. The ball dropped from his shaking hands with a crash and rolled across the floor as his legs began to visible give way beneath him. As James hurried to hold him up— "Kendall?" –he suddenly felt a strange dizzying sensation in the back of his head, causing his heart to swell with panic. The master. He could feel him.
"S-something's there!" Kendall cried out as James sat him on one of the plastic chairs, eyes filling with tears and spilling over. "Something bad, something bad very bad very bad—"
"Kendall, stay with me, okay?" James urged him and tried not to freak out himself. He could feel his head spinning and wracked his brain frantically for what the others had advised him to do. He knew they were around somewhere but had no time to ask them. It didn't matter; he remembered now. He had to focus on something and create an anchor to hold onto; he had to channel all his brain power to that one focus. And so he did. He stared deeply into Kendal's eyes and cupped his face, saying in a calmer, lower voice, "Kendall, listen to me. You're safe. Nothing will happen to you."
Kendall continued to whimper and shake, squirming slightly in James' hold as his eyes darted around, searching for something that wasn't there. "It's happening," he whispered, voice high and strained. "It's happening."
"What, what's happening?!" And despite his worry on Kendall's current state, it was really working; the dizziness in his head was fading. He couldn't be controlled.
"What's going on?"
"Beau, Kendall's acting really weird," Mercedes wailed, holding his arm. "I don't know what's wrong with him."
"Kendall, baby come on, snap out of it!" Beau urged, pushing James aside rather harshly and staring down at Kendall. "What's wrong with you? There's nothing to be scared—"
A shrill scream cut through the arcade, followed by a cry for help. "Please, please, I think she's dead!" Kendall covered his ears, squeezed his eyes shut and began to rock back and forth on his chair. Beau pulled him up by the arm and the four of them ran out of the arcade, James spotting Lucy and Jett doing the same. Outside, an employee of the arcade knelt trembling in the arms of another, a young girl sprawled on the ground in front of them, eyes wide, throat slit open in a pool of blood. It was Jenny Tinkler. Mercedes shrieked and Kendall began to wail, hands clawing at Beau's shoulders. James felt nauseous, feeling his body sway slightly when a hand on his shoulder steadied him. He turned to see Jett beside him, expression solemn. However, as their eyes met, he realised something he was sure he had realised too; something else had killed Jenny. A kanima wasn't the only worry Sherwood had anymore.
"I just can't believe it," Mercedes whispered as the paramedics and police surrounded the scene. "I mean, I didn't know Jenny that well, but she was always so full of life. So happy. This is awful . . ."
"Kendall, will you calm down," Beau sighed a little too harshly for James' liking. "You didn't even like her."
Kendall was still clinging tightly to Beau's arm, trembling and whimpering and staring blankly into space with eyes like a deer caught in headlights. Beau roughly pried Kendall's fingers of his arm and, to James' surprise, turned Kendall over to him instead, Kendall instantly clinging to his shoulder and breathing harshly. "Mercy is a little shaken up, I'm taking her home," Beau said, Mercedes taking his arm and smiling sweetly at him in response. "You can take Kendall home, right? He'll tell you his address."
"Uh—"
And Beau was gone before he could say another word, leaving James, the car-less wonder, with the hysterical blond clinging to his arm. He sighed, but he put his arm around Kendall's shoulders in what he hoped was a comforting manner and said kindly, "Come on, I'll take you home. Can you point me in the right direction?"
Kendall briefly released his clutch on James before whispering in his ear, "Down the street, around the corner, second left, Number 5," and grabbing his arm again and shutting his mouth tight.
"Uh . . . okay. I'll try and remember that." And they walked. He spotted Jett again as he was leaving, rolling his eyes when he gave him a cheeky thumbs up and a wink as he and Kendall passed. Leave it to him to turn a dire situation like this into a joke. However, though he didn't like admitting it to himself, there was something slightly calming about what had happened tonight. Jenny being killed was awful, of course, that wasn't the upside. The upside was that he had felt the master trying to control him, but managed to resist. If he did it tonight, surely he could do it again. With any luck he could avoid hurting any more people. That being said, they weren't any closer to figuring out who it was, he wasn't any closer to being sure if Beau was the master or not. He could possibly assume that Beau not wanting to be near Kendall was a sign of his guilt, but deep down he knew that wasn't the case; it was just him being a bad boyfriend, and kind of an asshole. No wonder Jett hated him. Kendall deserved better at a time like this, whatever was going on in his mind.
Kendall stumbled suddenly and James steadied him gently with his arm. "Easy there, don't fall."
"I'm sorry," Kendall choked, sniffling and burying his face in James' shoulder, James having to half drag him along. "I tried to stop it, nobody believed me . . ."
James, not entirely sure Kendall was even aware of who he was talking to, just nodded and said, "I know, it's okay. It wasn't your fault. Don't worry."
They neared Kendall's house, and upon stopping in front of it, James noticed that the lights were all off. "Your mom's not home?" he inquired. Kendall shook his head and squeezed his arm a fraction tighter. "Okay, okay . . . how about I walk you in and you get some rest, okay?"
Kendall nodded, resting his cheek against James' shoulder as they walked to the door. Then he let go of James, surprisingly, to reach for his house keys and unlock the door. They walked inside and Kendall shut the door, dropping the keys carelessly on the floor. James picked them up and put them on the dresser. "It locks on the outside automatically," Kendall said quietly, reaching and taking James' hand. Cheeks slightly pink, James nodded and followed Kendall up the stairs towards his room.
They walked inside and James looked around, pushing the door half shut behind him. Funnily enough, he wasn't what he had expected Kendall's room to look like, and yet this made perfect sense; the floor was clear bar a few scattered and tattered pairs of shoes, the desk overrun with papers and books, the walls littered with posters of pretty much everything under the sun. Kendall kicked his shoes off by the window, staring out intently before looking over his shoulder at James and beckoning him, over. James walked over and looked out the window, just about able to make out the dark backyard beneath them. "There's nothing there," he told Kendall firmly, rattling the window to show it was shut tight and pulling the curtains across. "Now, why don't you lie down and get some rest?"
"Thank you," Kendall said softly with a nod, taking off his jacket and draping it over his desk chair. He lay down on the covers and all, lying on his side and resting his head on the pillow. He shut his eyes and snuggled further into the mattress, letting out a long sigh.
"Okay, I'll leave you to it," James siad at last, scratching the back of his head. "Goodnight, Kendall."
"Goodnight," Kendall whispered.
James turned around and walked towards the door, suddenly spotting something on Kendall's bedroom door. The door was pale in colour and so it was easy to spot, but he might not have even seen it at all were it not for the definite red stain of blood. He knelt down and took a closer look. At the bottom of the door were a few strange symbols, carved into the door. There were three rows of three symbols, and then another underneath. The wood of the door was stained red over each symbol. James took out his phone and took a couple of pictures of the door. "Kendall, what is this?" he asked, standing up and looking back at Kendall who was now sitting stiffly upright and staring at him. "This stuff on the door, I mean . . ."
"It's me," Kendall said softly, eyes staring blankly, James realised – not at him, but right through him. Maybe he wasn't even really listening. "It's me. All of me, what I am and who I am and what I do and what I see, all that I am . . ."
"Kendall?"
"All that I am, all I will be, all I am, all I will be . . ." Kendall lay down again and shut his eyes, still mumbling. "Their temple, my tomb . . ."
"Alright, well . . . I'll just leave you to it. Be safe." He shut the door firmly behind him and let out a shaky sigh, walking down the stairs and out of the house. He shut the door to make sure that it locked again, and that Kendall was safe inside. As safe as he could be in this town. He took out his phone and searched through his contacts, searching for someone he could talk to about what had happened. Someone who understood and knew Kendall a little, someone who could help him make sense of what was happening.
"Hello?"
"Camille, it's James."
Camille was dressed in sweats and a large fuzzy jumper when James arrived at her house. The two sat down in her living room. "Lucy called me about Jenny," she said with a sigh. "Poor girl . . . but you didn't do it?"
"No. That's something at least. Not that it's good, because it means there's another threat . . . but I felt the master trying to control me and pushed him away. Which means I can do it. But I'm not here to talk about Jenny, this is about Kendall." He handed her the phone with the picture of the symbols open on it, explaining Kendall's behaviour to him. "And I saw these on the door. When I asked him about it he kept saying 'it' was all he was and would be. I don't know if he was talking about these or something else. But I thought you might have some insight . . . you don't just know supernatural, you know Kendall."
Camille nodded, but her eyes were glued to the phone screen. "These are runes," she said in awe, looking at the screen. "Ancient runes, they're a bit out of practice."
"Runes . . . right. Like those old symbolic alphabets." He frowned. "Out of practice. You mean they don't work?"
"Oh, of course they work. It's like when we develop new words in English, the old words don't stop making sense. Maybe druids in another area still use this alphabet . . . druids' power is all channelled through runes."
"So, do you know what they all mean?" James asked, leaning over the phone.
"I think so." Poring over the picture, she pointed to the very first rune. "This one I'd know anywhere; it's Gebo. It means a gift or a sacrifice."
"Sacrifice?" Instant panic.
"It could mean a number of things, okay? We need to look at the rest of them." She had another look. "Yeah, these two beside Gebo are Kenaz and Eihwaz. The first means a bunch of things; sex, fire, strength, energy, the list goes on. The second means enlightenment or protection. So see, maybe these runes were put here as a protection. Kendall's been acting wacky lately; maybe he's paranoid about something."
"You think Kendall could be a druid?" Of all the things, this was not what he had suspected. Him being a mermaid was more likely.
Unsurprisingly Camille seemed to think the same as she shook her head. "No, no, druids are very open and connected to nature, very open-minded. He's not like that. But maybe he knows one, that wouldn't be totally out of the picture . . . anyway, this second row are Dagaz, Fehu and Lagaz. They mean awakening, foresight, and dreams or fantasies."
"Foresight, that would make sense, right? That's what's been happening, he's been freaking out about the murders before they happen. That could be why?"
"Maybe . . . the last one is the most interesting. It's Othala, and it means ownership. But ownership of what, I don't know. It's all very strange."
"So, you don't know what it means?" James asked, unable to mask the disappointment in his voice.
"No, I'm sorry," Camille sighed, handing the phone back to him. Certain combinations make sense and are decipherable as messages, but I've never seen this combination before. I don't know what it means. But Kelly might now, why don't I call the others and have them come over?"
"That's a good idea, maybe they'll have some insight into this too."
Camille made the calls and James sat back, staring hard at the picture and trying to think of any meaning the runes could have. He didn't know how he could possibly figure it out, he knew nothing about runes. But he had to try and think anyway; maybe something would come to him. He drew a blank and so when the others arrived, he was more than happy to hand the phone over to Kelly for inspection. She and Camille sat off to the side and talked in low voices, heads close together. James looked up when Mr Rocque walked in, biting his lip in nervousness. As Jett and Lucy and Carlos walked towards Kelly and Camille and slumped into chairs beside them, listening in on their conversation, he finally dared stand up and approach him. Mr Rocque turned towards him, eyes narrowed.
"L-Look, Mr Rocque, I . . . I'm sorry about what my family did to yours. I didn't know about it. And I don't think it was okay, not at all. You're all perfectly normal to me, there's no reason to just kill all of you, it's inhumane—"
"Quit rambling, kid." but his expression softened slightly. "Call me Gustavo. And I'm sorry this has happened to you. We'll get to the bottom of it."
James smiled, sighing in relief. "Thank you, Gustavo."
"James." James turned to see Kelly standing and beckoning him over, phone in hand. The others followed, and they all gathered around her.
"Did you figure it out?" he asked her as she handed his phone back to him, the photo still open.
"What I can gather from what Camille's told me, and from the runes, I would guess that Kendall's received these abilities from the runes themselves," Kelly said thoughtfully, looking at the photo. "There is a pattern here to some degree, you mentioned foresight. Then there was that incident at the recital. I'm not sure what exactly these powers are or where they have come from, or what their purpose is, but I think they came from these runes. Channelling runes for power is common."
"Do, do you think he did this to himself, tampering with magic?" Jett asked. "Or did someone else do it to him?"
"I don't know that either," Kelly sighed. "And unfortunately I don't think we can find out by asking him; suppose he doesn't now? We've just exposed something to him far beyond his understanding. It's best if we investigate in our own way, without consulting him directly."
"I get it," James sighed. "I guess we'll have to keep our eyes open. I'll try my best."
"Good, good," Kelly smiled proudly. "You'll do a good job. And now it's getting late, I didn't plan to stay long . . ."
"No, me neither. I should get home too." James turned to the pack and waved goodbye to them. "Thank you guys for your help. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of all this soon."
When James left the house it was of course still dark out, and a little chillier than before. He zipped his jacket all the way up to his throat and walked down the sidewalk, listening to the sound of the wind rustling in the trees above his head. Being out in the night air made him feel uneasy now, not like it used to before his attack. Now he wished, a little shamefully, that he wasn't walking alone. As he walked, he felt a sudden twinge of pain in his head and scrunched up is face slightly. Then he felt slightly nauseous . . . and dreadfully afraid.
Then James felt it again, only stronger; his dizziness swayed him and he stumbled slightly on his feet. Oh god, not again. He frantically tried to direct his mind elsewhere - to Kendall, that worked last time - but he couldn't concentrate, he couldn't keep his focus on him when his head hurt like this. He fell to his knees and cried out in pain as his mind started to go blank.
"Is it really worth it following him home?" Carls whispered as he walked alongside Jett and Lucy. "He was fine back at the house."
"Gustavo just wants to make sure that he stays fine," Lucy replied. "At least until he gets home safely."
Jett suddenly smacked Carlos hard on the arm, pointing ahead of them. "I don't think he's fine anymore, guys . . ."
In the distance they saw, huddled on the ground, a creature beginning to stand again on all fours, its body covered in green scales, long tail thumping off the ground. Then it turned, flat face baring a snarl of sharp blackened teeth. "Shit," Lucy hissed, pushing her hair behind her ear with a clawed hand. "Follow him. He could be up to anything."
The kanima ran off and they chased after him, following him into a deserted backyard. The beast turned towards them and arched its back, growling and hissing menacingly. The three stood in a battle stance, crouching low and watching him carefully. Seeing a normal boy turn into such a mindless and hideous creature was terrifying. He lunged towards Jett who ducked and dived after him, the two rolling on the ground in a flurry of claws and teeth. Lucy and Carlos leaped after them and Carlos lugged the kanima off of Jett, who was lying on the ground with a scratch torn in his leg, immobilised. Carlos' back slammed off the patio by the yard's pool, and he gripped the kanima's arms in his tightly to keep his claws off his face. The kanima snarled in his face, spittle landing on his cheeks and in a sudden bout of fear and strength he curled his legs up under him and kicked him in the belly, hard. The kanima fell with a splash into the pool, letting out an uncharacteristic yowl. It leaped from the pool and scampered away, dripping over the patio. "What was that about?" Lucy demanded, trying to help Jett to his feet.
"I don't know," Carlos said, eyes following where the kanima had gone. But we need to keep following."
James felt slightly chilly and damp when he came to. He sat up slowly, hands touching the cold, smooth surface of whatever he was lying in. He opened his eyes at last, relieved to be in the dark, and looked down to see he was lying in a bathtub. No, not just any tub— his own. There were his mother's towels hanging up by the sink. He was still clothed, and a little bit damp because he was sitting in a shallow puddle of water. Shivering slightly he stood up, stepping out of the tub and watching the last of the water disappear down the open drain. What had happened? Oh god . . .
Then he suddenly saw a note stuck to the mirror and pulled it off, having a look at what it said. We stuck you in the tub after we knocked you out. Water is your kryptonite. Could be a clue! Stay safe. –Jett
Smiling to himself, James folded up the note and brought it into his room, sticking it inside his notebook. Interesting, water being what brought him back. A clue about his master, perhaps? Or maybe the kanima itself? He sat on his bed and let out a long sigh. Then he remembered his clothes were wet and stood up to get changed. He thought of Kendall again as he did, wondering what on earth could be troubling him so much. Was it simply the runes, or was it more than that?
He lay down and tried to get some sleep.
