Chapter Six: Definitely Not Normal
WARNING: Male/Male "M" rated sexiness, if you can't handle the heat, get off of my story baby.
VERY FIRST DISCLAIMER: I guess I haven't had one before because I didn't think I needed one. I obviously don't own MBV. If I did, Ethan and Benny would stop denying fate and get together, and also, on Double Negatives, Ethan would've had an evil double. OMG and Rory too...that would've been awesome and so hot!
AN: I personally think I could've done a better job with this chapter….mostly, I had writers block while writing this, but I managed, somehow. Tell me what you think! Reviews are love, darlings! Sorry if this is moving too fast to keep up with x/ and I apologize in advance for any errors, and OMG, I'm telling you….you guys are geniuses.
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"Was it like..."
"I can't even describe what it looked like..I didn't exactly see it clearly. All I saw was that it was big, and tall...and muscular looking, with spiky fur." Ethan raised his drink to his lips, taking a sip before adding. "Red, spiky fur."
"What about the girl?" Benny asked, having opted to discuss the memories with Ethan rather than reading them from notes. "Was she hot?" Ethan scowled.
"Yeah, she was a little hot, and she was a woman...in her twenties, it looked like. She had these really bright blue eyes and black hair. She had a buzz cut on one size, and the other was cut short but spiked up..." Benny thought for a while, making a face.
"And lightning?" He took a rather large bite of his pizza. "Wasn't there something about lightning?"
"This is gonna sound weird.." Ethan made a face. "And close your mouth when you chew!"
"When has anything you've been telling me not sounded weird?" Benny asked, ignoring Ethan's other comment, and Ethan couldn't exactly argue with him.
"The electricity was like...in her hair. Like, it was running through the spikes."
"Wow that did sound weird..."
"Benny!" Ethan grimaced, none too fond of being made fun of.
"What?" He asked, leaning back in his chair. "It did! How often do you hear something like that?" Grandma had let them out of the house easily enough, even with Ethan's unpredictable flashbacks and the fact that they hadn't yet shared a detail of the memories with them. They weren't exactly done talking about it themselves.
"Anyway, I only caught maybe two seconds of her, from her shoulders up. The other vision was that other…thing." Ethan took a bite of his own pizza.
"The monster?" Benny asked in a careful tone. He knew that it scared Ethan, and didn't want to be insensitive about it. Honestly, just hearing about it made shivers down Benny's spine.
"Yeah.." Ethan replied, and then sighed. "I know your doing that again."
"Doing what?"
"The self-blaming." Ethan said, and looked around them to make sure no one was listening. Surprisingly, there was hardly any other kids there, just a few others, none close enough to eavesdrop.
"I'm not self-blaming!" Benny protested, and then faltered. "Well, can you blame me?"
"No." Ethan's eyes were honest. "No, I don't blame you...it's gotta stop, Benny. None of it was your fault, how many times do I need to say it?"
"A lot more..."
"Aw, Benny."
"Can we not do this right now, E?" Benny pleaded. "I don't exactly want to break down in the middle of-" He realized what he'd said. It was true that the past few days had been an emotional roller coaster...never before had he found himself always so ready to cry. He hated it.
"Yeah..." Ethan said, beginning to look guilty himself. "Let's just get going, kay?" He gave a tight smile. "We'll talk more about the memories later. Evil Dead starts in like fifteen minutes, we should go get seats."
"Okay." Benny stood up, dumping their empty plates into the trash bin "Lets go."
Ethan didn't want to admit to himself that all he really wanted to do was make sure Benny didn't have a guilty thought on his mind. 'God, I'm turning into such a girl.' He thought and glumly walked aside Benny as they made their way through the mall, towards the movie theater.
Ethan found it kind of weird that over the past few days, he and his best friend had spent most of their time in each others arms. Either crying or comforting. They'd never been so physically or emotionally affectionate before, never said such soothing things to each other since they were little.
Why?
It was an odd feeling...but a nice one. Nice because it felt great to know that there was someone to count on to always be there...that much they'd covered. But strange because, isn't that what girls usually did? Males just didn't do things like that. Guys didn't normally do touchy-feely things.
Then again, Benny and he weren't like other guys. They definitely weren't normal.
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The hotel room, a town over from Whitechapel, was spacey and clean. The two girls in the room sat with the TV on some random nature channel.
"I'd just hate to break them apart." A pretty blonde said as she sipped water from a glass.
"If all goes well, we might not have to." Another woman slipped a leather jacket off and threw it to the ground by the door. "But it doesn't seem like it, does it?" She frowned.
"You mean the little incident earlier?" The blonde grimaced. "Yeah, that was bad."
"In a weeks time, I should have regained enough power to keep my hold on the memories." The woman kicked off her boots also, frowning.
"A week? Tasha he-"
"I know! A week is a long time to hold off on something like this." The raven haired girl bit her lip, coming to sit down at the small table in the kitchen area. "But Katee, you know I've never been able to cast spells too well. Once my energy is drained, it takes a long time to get it back. I, for one, can't just pull magic out of thin air."
"Didn't you tell us once about an energy-sharing spell?" Katee asked, looking for a faster solution. "You can-"
"No!" Tasha grimaced. "No, no! I know what your thinking, and I refuse to take anyone else's energy but my own."
"Not even from me?"
"Not even yours."
Katee looked at her in disbelief. "I bounce back from injuries a lot quicker than you do!"
"Nope. End of story." There was a pause.
"Not even from a big, powerful vampire like Jason?" Katee asked, grinning now. "He should be back soon."
"Especially not!" Tasha found herself smiling back. "He'd have something to hold over me...and where'd he go anyway?"
"I don't know." Katee had a thoughtful look. "He just came crashing in about an hour ago, grabbed a blood bag, and went rushing out the door saying he'd be back later." Then her expression softened a little. "How's our little vampire bate? You did go into Whitechapel, didn't you?"
"Yeah." Tasha smiled a little. "He's fine, if not a little tired." She got up and grabbed a can out of the mini fridge. "Him and the Weir kid went and caught a movie." She laughed. "I wonder what kind of spell the little sorcerer had to use to get them into the movie. I wish I could just throw magic around like that."
"Oh, so do I." The door opened and then slammed shut as a man walked in, squinting in the bright light. "Jeez, why does it always have to be so bright everywhere?" He grimaced, slipping on a pair of shades.
"Good evening to you too." Tasha rolled her eyes and wet her fingers at the tap, touching up the spikes that sat atop her head.
"I have a reason to be snappy." He scowled and sat down on the love seat that occupied a corner of the living area.
"What?" Katee asked from across the room, now lying down on one of the beds. "I'm guessing your field trip didn't go as planned?"
"Nope." Jason ran his hands through his shaggy blonde hair, tugging at it. "I went out to find an important magical object that could possibly help us along with the whole Sylvan thing. I'd just found out through the beast himself." He scowled. "No luck."
"What magical object?" Tasha asked, getting up and pouring herself a drink from the liquor on the counter. "And when did you talk to Sylvan?" She asked half-jokingly.
"Well, the asshole doesn't exactly hide." Jason rolled his eyes. "It was easy enough to eavesdrop on him behind an abandoned building. I heard him and one of his goons talking about a magical artifact that's been moved around throughout the centuries. Not many people know about it, but it's in this old house in the middle of the woods." He paused. "So I came back, grabbed some blood and went to go out and find it before they did." He scowled, and accepted the drink held out to him by Tasha.
"So what happened?" Katee asked. "Did you find it?"
"I found it." He frowned. "I just couldn't reach it. An old lady lived there." He glanced over at Katee, and then at Tasha. "You know how I can usually go into anyone's house...because of under the conditions that I was turned?" He cringed. "But not this house."
"Are you sure it was the right place?" Tasha asked. "Who knows if it actually exists?" She scowled. "Sylvan's full of crap...no offense, Katee."
"None taken." She replied.
"It's there." Jason said with confidence. "I know it's there. I just need to find someone else to get it for us." He said and frowned. They could be there already, with their own way in. He just needed to find someone else. Someone human...
"Why can't you just go in while she's away? You're faster and stronger than we are." Katee asked, thinking the spell was connected to the woman, and that he could just overpower the spell while it was weak. He'd done similar things before.
"The spell that surrounds the house prevents me from entering. For all the wrong reasons, we can't get in." The spell was designed to keep away the supernatural. "We need someone else."
The Tasha was suddenly standing up from her seat on the kitchen counter. "Shhh!" She hissed, anger in her eyes. "Someone's listening!" And then she was drawing symbols in the air with her fingers, whispering incantations. "They were listening in on us..for fifteen seconds, at least."
"They have someone new?" Jason's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Someone who can listen in on our conversations?"
"So they know we know." Katee said, standing up. "Who should we take? We need someone human." She glanced around. "Tash? Your persuasion could come in handy with the cute hotel assistant manager downstairs."
"I could." She looked sheepish. "But I would probably faint right after."
"Ugh." Jason put his head in his hands. "They're probably already there."
"They can't get in anyway." Tasha said, uncomfortable, but trying to be soothing.
"No matter." Jason said, getting up in a blur and appearing in the now open doorway. "I'll find someone on the way. You guys stay here, and...don't worry."
The two girls looked at each other as Jason slammed the door.
"Should we check out the other vampires?" Katee asked. "Their about as observant as a slab of meat." She grinned. "Which sounds really good at the moment...I haven't hunted since the accident."
"Ewww.' Tasha laughed. "Yeah, we might as well." She took a final drink and set the glass down by the sink.
"Those two blondes are sure to be lurking around Whitechapel." Katee said as she got up and grabbed her own car keys. "Let's start at their local mall, while Ethan and Benny are still busy."
"Sounds like a plan...I don't know about them, or that other blonde..." Tasha scowled as they made their way out of their room into the hallways. "But that goth one...might be just a little bit of trouble."
"You would know all about goth trouble makers, wouldn't you, Tasha?" Katee teased.
Tasha only smiled, letting a few sparks of electricity run through the tall spikes in her inky hair.
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"I don't think we're supposed to be in here." Senna glanced around nervously. "Cody! She might come back!"
"Shh! Only if you don't shut your big mouth!" He scowled. "Help me up, will you?"
"Ugh." Senna scowled. "I swear, you are such a big kid!" She allowed him to step onto her intertwined hands and hoisted him up onto the attic above. There'd been no latter, and it was too high up for even Cody to reach.
"Come on!" He'd pulled himself up, and held down his hands for her. "Before someone sees!" As if there were anyone around to see them.
"I'm not going up into some filthy attic!" Senna hissed. "Evelyn's gonna be wondering where we are!" She could hear Cody rustling around. "Be careful.." She heard -and felt- a heavy crash. "Cody!"
"I'm fine." Cody could be heard pushing some heavy object around. Then he poked his head out over the opening and shook some white powder from his hair. "Well, I got what I came here for."
"You think it's something important to her?" Senna asked as Cody once again disappeared from view, referring to the old lady that had left the house just before they entered. She'd driven away in a rusty old car, but worry still sat in Senna's chest. What if she decided to come back before they could get out?
"I don't have time to worry about that." More shoving.
"What is it?" What if she noticed it gone.
"It's an anchor!"
"What?"
"I'll explain later." He dropped onto the ground beside her, holding a miniature glass vase in one hand. "All I know is.." He stuck it in a pocket in his trench coat. "This is what they wanted, and now I have it."
"Who exactly is they?" Senna asked as they made their way out of the broken down house and back into the forest. "And what if she notices its gone?"
"Whoever I heard plotting a few minutes ago." Cody said and they got onto the motorcycle they'd left there. "And please, it looked like no one had been up there in years."
"You can bring anything back to life, can't you, Cody?" Senna grinned, not for the first time admiring the old bike. "Even something like this." She secured her hands around her friends slim waist as they sped off. Cody had brought this back from their last trip to his home town. With a little tinkering, he'd gotten his teenage ride running again. It wasn't even that worn down.
"I try."
Once they reached Grandma's house, they found her in the back yard, planting in her garden. An excited Cody practically drug her inside and forced her to sit down at the table, showing her the object he'd retrieved.
"It looks like a normal vase, Cody." Grandma said gently, not wanting to let him down. It really did just look like a tall, skinny, glass vase. No unusual vibes came from it, and nothing looked particularly odd. Nothing special about it. "I'm not sure what your trying to tell me."
"I was in Starbucks, buying a coffee, and Cody decided it was the perfect time to do a little psychic searching." Senna said. "And then, the next thing I know, he'd bounding into the store, knocking over a bunch of magazine racks, and asking random people for a pen and paper." Senna scowled. "I think they almost kicked us out."
"Nah, I'm too intimidating to pick a fight with." Cody said, taking the case back and stroking it.
"I think you're right." Senna grinned. "They told me 'no charge' when I tried paying. I think they were just anxious for us to leave."
"Anyway." Cody said, placing the glass thing in the middle of the table. "I was sitting on the sidewalk, meditating, and suddenly it came to me. The voices."
"Ummm..." Grandma stared at Cody. "Are you-"
"Yes, I'm sure." Cody looked annoyed. "They were whispers. They were barely there, but I heard them. Two females and one male. No one was around to say anything."
"What did you hear?" Grandma asked, interested now that she could see Cody was serious.
"The first person to speak was the guy. It was hard to tell, but I think he sounded young." Cody's eye brows furrowed. "He said 'I know it's there. I just need to find someone else to get it for us. Before they do.'" He paused. "And then the next one spoke, a girl. She said 'Why can't you just go in when she's away? You're faster and stronger than we are.' The guy answered, 'The spell that surrounds the house prevents me from entering. For all the wrong reasons, we can't get in. We need someone else.'" Cody scowled. "And then the third voice, another girl, said 'Shhh! Someone's listening!' Then I couldn't hear anymore."
"Well, it sounds genuine." Grandma said, thoughtful now.
"Mhm." Cody took a drink of some tea grandma had gotten him. "And then, yes, I ran inside Starbucks to get Senna and I drove into the forest to find the house." He smiled. "Everything I had was telling me where to go. I'd know it when I found it." Cody threw his hands out. "And here it is. Found it in the attic of a creaky old house in the middle of nowhere."
"Just as the old lady pulled out of her driveway." Senna scowled. "And Cody came back down with a bunch of white powder in his hair!"
"All's good." Cody said. "It's gone now, isn't it?" He took another long drink. "It was only flour. A busted bag next to a bunch of canned foods."
"Why did you say it was an anchor?" Senna asked, examining the small glass vase. "It looks nothing like an anchor.."
"It my anchor." Cody replied. "The only anchor I have to hold on to for information about what's making the town go all funky. Ethan, too. I have a feeling this might concern his attacker...or attackers." His eyes never once left the vase. "It's the only thing I have to go by, so far, except that box and the fur."
"Where are the boys?" Senna asked suddenly. "You're car wasn't in the driveway." She remembered.
"They went to the mall."
"What?" Cody asked, eyes widening. "With Ethan's condition-"
"I cast a few healing spells on him, and placed more than a few protective spells on them both." Grandma said gently. "Of course I want them to be safe, where I can keep an eye on them, but they've been ripped out of normality for long enough. It's best to let them get back to doing teenage things instead of submitting them to interrogation and house arrest everyday." At the understanding but still worried glance Cody and Senna shared, she smiled. "Nothing is going to happen to them in the few short hours they're gone."
"So...where are they?" Asked Cody uncomfortably.
"Oh, their at the mall seeing some chick flick." Grandma waved it off. "So." Grandma sighed, once again taking the vase into her hands. "I'll do some research myself. See what I can uncover about this apparently important piece of glass."
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"That slimy little-"
"Jason, calm down." Tasha rolled her eyes. "We'll get it back, we just have to be patient."
"The psychic has it!" His eyes flashed a brilliant yellow. "So the spell doesn't count psychics as magical beings." He sneered the word. "Go figure. It just has to be as inconvenient as possible!"
"He's not our enemy." Katee said in a small voice from a few feet away. They were in the forest behind Benny's house.
"Not yet he isn't." Jason scowled. "Once they find out what we are, they'll hunt us. They'll think we're the ones they have to worry about. They don't know the half of it." Tasha bit her lip.
"When we come for Ethan..." Katee frowned. "All their pieces'll just fit together, won't they? They will turn on us." Her eyes widened. "They don't have a clue what's going on." She glanced around, nervously. "They'll turn on him too, won't they?! We can't let them find out!"
"They want to protect him too." Jason reminded her. "They want him to get better and continue with his old life. They...well, I don't think they'd be that eager to cage him up." He started to sound unsure. "But then again, who knows how they'll react?"
"Any chance of Ethan's life remaining relatively normal was blown the night they attacked." Tasha's blue eyes darkened. "How many days of that life does he have left? It's already affecting him, isn't it?"
"A few days?" Katee shrugged. "Maybe five, if we're lucky. It's already been a week since that night. He's bound to start seriously questioning the changes sometime soon."
"Speaking of which," Jason turned to his spike-haired friend. "How long's it gonna be until you can get a grip on those memories? They're beginning to affect his waking life." He frowned, sadness reaching his eyes. "I heard the screaming earlier. Their coming back to him in.." He frowned. "A very odd way."
"Ummm...a week?"
"A week?" The two blonde's eyes widened.
"He might not have that long, Tash!" Katee exclaimed.
"Can't you at least make them come in dreams?" Jason asked.
"Magic doesn't just return automatically!" Tasha grimaced. "Well, mine doesn't, anyway. It takes time."
"What about that energy draining spell?" Katee asked for a second time.
"What makes you think I'd agree to it a second time?" Tasha scowled. "I told you...once you're fully recovered, I might give it a shot, but not now...that spell takes more than your physical energy, and I'm not sure I want to put you through that just yet..."
"Me, then." Jason offered, holding out his hand. "Nothing's wrong with me."
"Uh huh." Tasha smiled and then shame and guilt crossed her features. "I wouldn't feel right doing it. And usually when I get that feeling, bad things happen if I ignore it. Give me three days-no, two days, and maybe I'll have gained back enough energy to help the little damsel in distress."
"We might not have that long." Jason softly repeated Katee's earlier words.
"I don't like this any more than either of you, but we can't risk having any more energy drained out of us...not right now. It's better that I remain weak for a while, as long as you two are getting strong." An internal conflict shone in Tasha's eyes and Katee sighed.
"Alright." She said, throwing her hands up. "It was a good idea, anyway." Tasha rolled her eyes and Jason came to put an arm around them both.
"Well, ladies, I'm off to find us a new ally...a human ally, maybe. I have someone in mind."
"How long will you be?" Tasha asked.
"Hopefully not too long." Jason replied. "Maybe...five hours. Think you can hold up until then?"
"We're not completely helpless." Tasha scowled. "I can still kick evil ass without any stinkin' magic." Jason grinned.
"Alrighty then." The his face switched to something more somber. "We need to approach this from every angle...if something goes wrong.…" He pursed his lips and then shook his head slightly. "This is already a mess! Things can go seriously bad if Ethan looks like he's turned into something dangerous. If he's seen with the wrong people..."
"He is dangerous." Katee stated. "Or, he will be, at least, within the next few days or so."
"He's not evil." Jason corrected. "That's what counts. But if his family and friends start to think that he is, things could end very badly for him."
"We're not complete idiots, Jace." Katee rolled her eyes. "We know how to keep a low profile."
"Then I'll be back." Jason started to head off in the direction they came. "Call me later and tell me what's up." Then, he blurred deeper into the woods and out of sight.
"Well now what do we do?" Tasha asked, sighing and squinting as sunlight peeked through the clouds above. "Do we keep stalking the grandma and friends? Try and find out what the magical item does?"
Katee opened her mouth like she was about to answer, and then closed it again. Abruptly, she snapped her head in the general direction of the Weir house and in three seconds, she had grabbed Tasha and ran to the back yard of the house, behind some shrubs.
"What is it?" Tasha asked, trying to look through the leaves. Then she caught sight of the unfamiliar car in the driveway and the man getting out. "Oh." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from becoming mad or annoyed. She whipped her sleek digital camera from her pocket and steadily snapped a HD picture.
"Yep." Katee said, kneeling down and watching the man also as he made his way to the front of the house and out of sight. "Someone new."
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"E!" Benny shook Ethan's shoulder. Someone brushed past them trying to make their way out of the isle and murmured a soft 'sorry'. "E! Get up!" The shorter brunet had fallen asleep sometime at the beginning of the movie. Benny himself had fallen asleep a few minutes after him and had only woken up when the credits began to play.
"Five more minutes, Benny." Ethan murmured. "Level ten..."
"Come on, E, the movie's over!" Benny whispered. The mob heading out of the theater was getting thinner and thinner. "It's five o' clock!"
"Hm?" Ethan's eyes opened suddenly, and Benny couldn't help smiling at the sight of his best friend just waking up, blinking confusedly around the room, sleep still in his eyes. "Huh?"
"The movie's over, E." Benny said, nudging his friend's arm. "We fell asleep. It's five o' clock."
"Can we eat somewhere?" Ethan asked, placing a hand on his stomach. "I'm hungry now."
"I was just thinking the same thing." Benny sat up and stretched. They'd fallen asleep at the very beginning of the movie, but Benny had woken up about ten minutes before Ethan. "You gonna make me carry you, or what?" Benny asked half-jokingly as he Ethan continued to sit there. Then, Benny thought that Ethan might just make Benny carry him, and regretted his words.
But as Ethan smiled and held out his arms, something in Benny's chest stirred, and all of a sudden the thought popped into his mind that he hadn't given Ethan a genuine piggyback ride in a long time...and he wanted to. Something like sadness ached in his chest immediately after and Benny decided that it wouldn't do any harm to carry his best friend around the mall just for the hell of it.
"Come on, then." Benny suddenly found himself on one knee in the main isle next to Ethan's seat.
"What?" Ethan sounded surprised and Benny smiled.
"Come on, E."
"Benny, I was just kiddi-"
"I'm not!" He held out an arm and motioned for Ethan to get up.
"I might hurt-you might throw out your back!" Ethan got up, but walked around Benny until he was in the isle, a few feet away.
"I'm not old!" Benny laughed. "Just hurry up." He stood up a little bit, on two feet, but crouched slightly. "The janitors coming!" It was true. Benny could hear someone sweeping around the carpeted hallways.
With much reluctance, and a flushed face, Ethan gingerly leant on Benny, who was sturdier than expected, and placed his arms around his neck.
'What am I doing?' Ethan thought, blushing as Benny lifted him up and had to restrain himself from squeaking as he was forced to either hold onto Benny and wrap his legs around his waist or fall to the floor. .
"I won't drop you." Benny assured, and Ethan scowled, because Benny had let him fall before, but hung on nonetheless.
As they made their way out of the theaters, they came into the main area where there were arcade games and concession stands. From the comments made from the other movie-goers, they could tell that Evil Dead actually hadn't been that good of a movie, and it was more gross than it was scary. Not that they would know...they fell asleep right after the previews, and only woke up when the movie was over and people had started to get up and walk around.
From the comments made from the people around them, the two weren't something they seen everyday. There weren't many people in the mall that day, but there were still people who they caught the attention of, who gave them weird looks. Some people straight out stared and some people smiled, and some people rolled their eyes and shook their heads. It made no difference to Benny, who only held Ethan's legs tighter to his waist and urged him to hang on closer by tipping this way and that every now and again (admittedly, he almost lost balance more than a few times) but hearing Ethan protest and try to hold back his laughter was worth it.
"Oh my god! Benny! I'm gonna fall!" Benny laughed at Ethan's girly panic as he clung tighter. "We're gonna fall!" He smiled as Ethan laughed and ignored the states of others, only stumbling to the side again, making Ethan yelp in surprise.
For some odd reason, Benny wished he had taken more time on the way to the small coffee shop than he did. Every time Ethan tightened his grip on him, it felt good. This was the best he's felt in a few weeks, actually...just being close to someone.
'Not someone.' Benny corrected himself. 'Ethan.'
God, he was becoming such a girl...why was he so emotional lately? He liked to blame it in the fact that Ethan had been hurt...on account of him. And he was never going to let that happen again. Despite Ethan assuring him many times that he didn't blame him for anything, Benny still felt that it was his fault...and he would never stop trying to make it up to him.
So when he was forced to let a still blushing and unsteady Ethan down at their booth, he felt strangely cold.
"What'll it be, boys?" Asked an older waitress who came with a pen and notepad almost immediately after their arrival. They ordered their food, opting for simple cheeseburgers with fries and a soda, and just relaxed, watching people pass in an out of the coffee shop for a few minutes.
"Hey, you know, we could catch another movie." Benny spoke up suddenly and Ethan snorted, laughing a little bit just as the waitress with their drinks came by.
"We just went to see a movie, Benny." He sipped his Pepsi. "You fell asleep, remember?"
"You fell asleep." Benny narrowed his eyes playfully. He vaguely remembered Ethan falling asleep just as the movie began, and then himself falling asleep just about ten minutes later. "Remember? You refused to get up and told me I had to carry you all the way here?" He seen Ethan's cheeks tint red.
"I told you I wasn't serious." He made a face.
"I almost threw my back out!"
"You said you weren't old!" Ethan pouted slightly as Benny read a text from his phone and quickly tapped out a reply. "Did I really hurt your back?"
"Of course not, E." Benny rolled his eyes and smiled slightly, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "What do you weigh? One twenty five?"
"One forty three!" Ethan defended himself just as a waitress came to the booth with their orders.
"Anyway, Rory just texted me asking if we wanted to catch a movie." He took a huge bite of his burger. "What do you think?"
"I'm thinking I don't know if Rory could sit through a whole movie." Ethan took a small bite of a fry off of his plate. "And we might just end up falling asleep again."
"After all that napping we did?" Taking a long drink of his soda, Benny glanced over at a clock on the wall, then got a thoughtful look on his face. He studied Ethan thoughtfully as he took a bite of his cheeseburger. "But then again, you have been tired a lot lately..."
"I'm fine, Benny." Ethan took another bite, bigger this time, along with a couple fries. "I'm just saying, all the movies playing this week look boring, we shouldn't even have wasted twenty dollars on those tickets."
"What tickets?" Benny laughed and Ethan couldn't help smiling, though he still felt a little guilty about using magic to get their way in.
"I'm surprised no one noticed there were kids under eighteen sitting next to them." Ethan shrugged. "They probably just didn't care."
"Pff. They don't care about us." Benny waved his hand dismissively, smiling, and then once again found himself watching his best friend eat. "Are you sure your okay, E?"
"Sure enough." Ethan replied carelessly, not seeing how the very idea of Ethan not feeling well made Benny's chest tighten.
"Really, E...are you sure you're feeling alright?" Benny asked.
"I'm really sure Benny." The way Ethan was eating -like he hadn't eaten anything all day- didn't help his nerves. He was again reminded of his friends odd sleeping and eating patterns.
"I know I've asked a thousand and one times before, and I know I'm probably being a pest-" Benny bit his lip and wouldn't meet Ethan's eyes for more than a fraction of a second. "But if you aren't feeling up to it..." Benny trailed off nervously. The last thing he wanted was for Ethan to suddenly pass out on him or start having an episode in the middle of the mall.
"I'm not tired anymore." Ethan shrugged. "All I'm saying is I think we can find something better to do than sit through another movie." Ethan offered a tiny smile. "I know your worried and everything..and maybe I am being kind of weird lately, but I don't think it's anything serious."
"You've been tired a lot lately." Benny voiced his thoughts in a soft voice. "And you've been eating weird. One minute your starving, the next your throwing it up, and now your even sleepwalking into the forest."
"I know..." Ethan bit his lip. "But I still don't think it's anything to worry about...I mean, it doesn't happen all the time, and grandma says its probably nothing important." He offered a tiny smile. "You shouldn't worry so much."
"I can't help it." Benny tried to smile back. "But if you ever feel tired or sick or anything, just tell me, and we can leave." Benny took a fry off if his plate and bit into it.
"I promise."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
A few dozen fries, a milkshake, and a couple of burgers later, the pair sat on the hood of Benny's grandma's car, in the back of the mall.
"You know what you need to watch for?" Benny asked, taking a long drink of his cappuccino. Something Ethan noticed was that Benny almost had to force the words out.
'An exceptionally awesome birthday present for you?' Ethan thought dryly, his mind now on his best friend's birthday, which was only a month and a half away. "What?"
"Sarah, dude." Ethan noticed how Benny said her name sort of uncomfortably, but tried to hide it. "I heard she broke up with that neanderthal jock."
"Jake?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah." Ethan also caught how Benny tried to hide his discomfort under a sly smile. "Grandma's been talking to me about how Sarah's been asking where you were the last two weeks. If your okay and everything." His smile slipped. "Man we've missed a lot of school."
"I haven't even thought of school." Ethan ran his hands through his hair. "Oh my god, did we really miss two weeks?"
"Oh, it's alright." Benny assured. "We only missed a couple of days, since they had to shut school down on account of an infestation of an unknown species of lizard. They say they have no idea who put the first two in the air vents, but apparently, they've been multiplying like crazy." Benny smirked.
"Is grandma okay with that?" Ethan laughed. "They're not really dangerous, are they?"
"Who said it was me?" The young wizard asked, and held up his hands. "All I'm saying is, the person who thought of it was a genius." He grinned. "Anyway, school starts again in about a week."
"Awesome." Ethan rolled his eyes. "So what about Sarah?" He was surprised the mention of Sarah didn't brighten him up like it used to. "She's been talking to my parents?" He raised and eyebrow "Grandma's been gossiping?"
"Every old lady gossips." Benny had that look again. "And yeah, she's all concerned and everything." Benny stepped off the hood and picked up a rock, skipping it across the pavement. "Maybe she's finally realizing you're better than those jocks."
"I didn't know you felt so strongly about it." Ethan laughed, and Benny rolled his eyes. "But I don't know...I actually don't think I like Sarah very much anymore."
"What?" Benny turned to face Ethan, wide-eyed.
"What?!" Someone shouted and suddenly Benny wasn't alone on the pavement.
"Ah!" Benny yelped in surprise as a hyper blonde suddenly flashed into sight only a foot away from him.
"Vampire Ninja strikes again!" Rory grabbed onto Benny's shirt as he stumbled backward. "You should really watch where your stepping."
"Rory!" Benny yelled in slight anger. "Don't do that! I'm gonna die of a heart attack one of these times!"
"Were you stalking?" Ethan asked, clutching his chest as he stood near the drivers door. He'd almost fallen off the hood in his surprise.
"You have a strong heart Benny, and no Ethan I wasn't stalking." Rory let go of Benny and looked upwards, his blue eyes almost fluorescent in the sunlight. "I was just flying overhead looking for a squirrel or something, and I saw you two." He held out his hands. "It was completely by chance that I was hunting in this area and bumped into you."
"In the middle of town over the mall?" Benny asked. "After asking me if we wanted to catch a movie?"
"Yep." The blonde nodded, smiling, and suddenly his head snapped towards the woods behind the mall. "Did you hear that?" His eyebrows furrowed.
"No." Ethan answered and Benny shook his head as they both looked as well. Then Benny shook his head, rolling his eyes.
"Lunch?" He asked, pulling out his cellphone. "By the way, you have been getting our messages right?" Benny glanced up at the vampire. "You know what's been going on? With E?"
"No, not lunch! And yeah, sorry about all that Ethan." Rory gave an apologetic look to Ethan and then continued looking in the general direction he was before. "But seriously guys, do you hear that?"
"I don't hear anything!" Benny exclaimed, now fully facing the direction Rory was looking to. "What does it sound like?"
"I don't know..." Rory looked on edge. "It's gone now, but that was weird...can we go inside now?"
"What was it?" Ethan asked, now interested. Was this actually scaring Rory?
"It sounded like dogs..." Rory answered, and Ethan realized as his fangs slipped out from his lips, he wasn't completely scared. There was a gleam in his eye he hadn't seen before. "Really big dogs...or one dog? Or….maybe not, I don't know. Something big."
"A big dog?" Benny frowned. "There are dogs running all over Whitechapel, Rory. There's animals everywhere."
"I guess." Rory turned away, seeming to forget all about it as he set his gaze on the mall's back entrance, not far from where they were sitting. "So, movie?"
"We just watched a movie!" Ethan whined, and Benny smiled offhandedly.
"Who said anything about these movies?" Rory asked, looking at Ethan. "'Jacuzzi Time Machine' comes on at seven, and my mom's out all night!" He showed them his digital watch, reading '6:27 pm'.
Benny couldn't get them into grandma's car fast enough.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
"I swear! If he doesn't keep his filthy hands off them-"
"Nothing's gonna happen!" Tasha soothed Katee from where they perched in a tree behind the Weir house, well concealed. "We'll get to Ethan before anyone else does, including this poser." She scowled. "Really, who does he think he is? Even the old lady can tell he's bad news."
"Should we get rid of him?" Katee asked in distaste. "The others won't be so quick to hurt the boys, but this one gives me the chills." She grimaced uncomfortably. "He'll ask questions second...why did she even bring him here?" They watched the tall man walk around the kitchen through the windows.
"Well, he's human, I think..." Tasha glared as the man peered out through the windows into the woods. "Human with a keen sense. He knows something's up." She glanced over at her blonde friend. "Still, we have nothing to be afraid of...especially you. He could be out cold before he sets foot a half a mile from you." Katee scowled.
"I'm not that good." She adjusted herself on the branch. "But, that's the general truth. He's nothing." She looked over at Tasha and smiled. "Should we go do some more digging on the town artifacts? I think Jason said he wanted us to look at the grounds near an old forgotten park not far from here."
"How far is 'not far'?" Tasha asked. "How long will it take? I'm tired." Katee shrugged, motioning behind them with their heads.
"About a mile and a half, straight back." She answered. "I think, anyway. Really, it's not that far, a short walk."
"Really?" The black haired girls eyebrows furrowed. "Wow, you'd think the grandma would've discovered it by now. Or one of the others."
"I dunno." Katee shrugged. "Maybe she isn't looking. She seems smart enough not to. It could be dangerous...as for the others, I don't know. Their senses are too dull? Maybe they just haven't been looking hard enough. But I do know we have to get there and find it before anyone else does."
"You sound like Jason." Tasha smirked. "Oh we'll, lets go check it out. Do we need shovels?"
"I got the digging covered." Katee smiled. "You feeling up to it?"
"It's not like we can risk leaving and coming back later." Tasha looked back at the house through the window and jerked back as she realized the tall man now had binoculars. But they were well hidden, high up in an oak.
"Or we could get the artifact the psychic one took." Katee scowled. "Is he the reason that man is here? I told you he was going to be trouble."
"What does it do anyway?" Tasha asked. "It just looked like a vase to me."
"We would know what it did if he hadn't taken it...wanna give it a try? I don't exactly think we can get in and out without either being hurt or discovered. They'll probably put Ethan on a constant watch again." Katee grimaced. "But we can try,"
"Lets just go to the park..." Tasha was becoming agitated. There was a creepy feeling in her chest for a few moments before it subsided. "Then we'll check on the boys...are they still at the mall?" She glanced down at her watch.
"Six thirty?" Katee asked. "I'm not sure...I think their movie must've ended by now."
"Okay..." She took one last look at the house, preparing to estimate the miles it took to get them from the Weir house to the park. "Let's go."
AN: So, kids, this is the sixth chapter, and THANK YOU to those who've reviewed so far, love you guys! BTW, I don't know when I'll be able to update again Dx I still don't have my own computer. But anyhow, drop me a review!
Really, tell me what you think! What are your ideas? Again, I'm not sure if I'm completely satisfied with this chapter or not, but I guess I'll just make it up in the next one. Xoxox