Chapter 12: The Monster

WARNING! This story is slash, as in boy/boy, I've been through this many times.

AN: Hey! I've been through HELL to get this updated! Enjoy, and sorry for he long wait. I hope this makes up for it.

X

Ethan huffed as he was knocked to the ground once again by the blonde vampire. Jason stood over him, panting also as he held up the hot tree branch he'd been using for a weapon.

"That was good." Jason approved, nodding to the teen on the forest floor.

"No it wasn't." Ethan groaned. "Dude, I can't even walk, let alone try and block a flaming tree branch at fifty miles per hour."

"Come on, Ethan, this is the easy part of training!" Jason grinned and Ethan only gave him a dirty look. The vampire couldn't help himself and laughed. "Okay, I'm kidding. I know this has to be hard for you."

"It's been two weeks, Jace." Ethan sat up, patting absently at some smoking patches on his shirt. "I'm not gonna get this. When will I ever have to do this in a real fight anyway?"

"You'd be surprised." Jason replied.

"God." Ethan sighed and gazed up at the sky where the sun was almost directly overhead. "It's too early."

"I guess." Jason agreed, slipping on a pair of sunglasses. "Wanna head home?"

"Yeah." Ethan answered immediately. "I need sleep." He got up and stretched his arms over his head, feeling several joints creak back into place, and pausing thoughtfully as his stomach growled. "And food..and then more sleep."

"You've earned it." Jason smiled. "You gonna be okay on the way back? I gotta run...eight in the morning is always the worst for me."

"Yeah." Ethan smiled back. "It's just a couple miles. See ya tonight."

"Tonight, then." The vampire was off in a blur of colors, and Ethan began the two and a half mile walk home-the easiest part of his training. Ethan usually ran the distance to warm up, but now he could relax, and he had a lot to think over, including a certain spellmaster who was starting to get just a little frustrated with him.

Over the past weeks, Ethan had been forced to pretty much neglect all of his family and friends. Ever since he met Jason and the blonde vampire had explained to him how dire it was for him to begin the change, that's what he'd been focusing all his energy and time on. He went to school, and sometimes he would be able to send a quick text to Benny and slip out unnoticed, but other times his best friend would catch up to him...and he would have to make up a new lie.

He didn't enjoy it...but it was better than the alternative. It tugged at his heartstrings to think about, but it was true. Benny couldn't find out about all of this...not yet. Not when Ethan wasn't even sure about any of it himself.

So, he made up excuses to go off alone. Benny would call, often, and almost every time Ethan would have to ignore or make up more lies. Half the time Benny called wanting to hang out, Ethan would be out in the woods, out of breath and covered in either blood or burns or pine needles. The other half he was sleeping or drawing new maps or doing research in the town history section of the library.

Ethan was so lost in thought that he didn't notice a fallen branch in his path and his dragging feet hit solid against it's side. Clang!

The seer exclaimed in surprise and fell forward, barely managing to catch himself before he bit the dirt. His arms felt like jello, and he groaned quietly in exhaustion before hauling himself to his feet.

'What was that?' He asked himself curiously. 'That almost sounded metallic.' He leant down for further inspection, but pulled up short when his phone rang. It startled him, and he jumped before rolling his eyes at himself and gazing down at the caller ID. Mom.

"Ugh." Ethan made a face and then answered the call. "Hey mom."

"Don't 'hey mom' me, Ethan." Sam Morgan said, already exasperated through the phone. "Where are you?"

"Just out, mom." Ethan rolled his eyes again and picked up the pace. "I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep."

"Is everything okay?" She asked, concerned. "You're not developing insomnia, are you honey?"

"No, mom." Ethan scowled regretfully. "Nothing like that." 'I wish it were something like that...'

"Oh, okay." He could hear the doubt in her voice, and wondered if she'd thought about it before. This wasn't the first time she'd discovered him out of bed earlier than usual, and moms tended to notice weird things like that.

"Mom, I'll be home in a minute, I'm on my way."

"Okay, Ethan. There's breakfast here."

"Okay mom, byye." Ethan stressed, nearing the house.

"Okay, E...love you!"

"...Love you too, mom..."

Ethan couldn't help smiling as he jogged up the back porch steps, and came in through the back door, to change out of the filthy clothes he was in (he was supposed to be at the library after all). He changed quickly in the laundry room and stuffed his blood-stained, ripped clothes into a plastic bag he found and buried the bag at the bottom of the hamper.

"Hey." Ethan greeted as he walked in the kitchen, and sat down at the table, then murmured a thanks because his mom had already gotten him a plate of eggs and bacon (which his dad had made) with two pieces of buttered toast. It all looked good, but the sad part was, Ethan wasn't all that hungry...just tired and kind of sick and achy from all the training that morning.

"How's it going son?" His dad asked him, sipping coffee across the table and doing a crossword puzzle. "Heard you were up early this morning."

"Yeah, I woke up around seven." Ethan glanced quickly at the clock. It was nine thirty right then. "Just couldn't go back to sleep...I'm kind of tired now, actually. Can I go up to bed?"

"Now?" Ross asked, surprised. "Uh..sure, I guess, but it's Saturday. Isn't Benny coming over?"

"Uh, no." Ethan answered uncomfortably, getting up and placing his food in the microwave before pushing in his chair. "I think he said him and Grandma were doing something today."

"Oh, okay.." Ross shared a look with Sam, who was already finished with breakfast and reading a magazine.

"Be down in an hour or something." Ethan gave the best smile he could -briefly wondering where Jane was- and set up the stairs. Then came back down to discreetly grab the bag of ruined clothes from the hamper in the laundry room to bring up to his own hamper. He threw it in his own small trash bin, hiding it under some paper tray and pop cans, and grabbed some clean clothes. He assessed himself in the mirror before actually stepping into the steaming water. The changes in his body composition were small, and unnoticeable for someone who wasn't looking for it. He'd been meditating, working out, practicing fighting techniques, building both mental and physical strength. He'd grown maybe three quarters of an inch so far, his hair was a bit shaggier and shinier than usual, his skin a bit tanned and healthier, and his muscles had grown just slightly. But he'd been told that was a part of it...as he built up strength, he kept it, but that didn't necessarily mean he would grow in size. It was some weird werewolf means of camouflage.

The shower was hot, relaxing, and much needed. As he leant back to the wall and soaked in the steaming water, his thoughts drifted to the maps he'd have to go over and copy later...the dark forces whom would soon invade Whitechapel were growing stronger everyday, building up numbers. They'd come first for the artifacts, and that made it more crucial than ever to begin wearying and finding them. So far, they'd lost one...a vase of some kind, to an unknown thief. They knew of three more artifacts, a necklace. a ring, and a dagger. No details, just the type of item. There were more...a lot more, that they would have to dig deeper for, and that's why it was important to know the history of the town, and the original layouts.

This research, map making, map memorizing, and training had been occupying the better of his time for the last two weeks. This fact caused a whole bunch of problems involving school, nosy parents, and headaches. Not only that, but his illness had come back with almost renewed force.

Ethan was beginning to get tired again, all the time, and light-headed. With that came random body aches and migraines, and the strange appetite and sleeping patterns. It had been about a week since it began for the second time, and he was better at hiding it his time, but that didn't mean it wasn't upsetting or painful. But Hess were minor problems compared to the really big one that took up most of his mind.

Benny.

It always came back to his best friend...the bet friend whom he'd always trusted, and who always trusted him. Now, he was breaking that years-old promise. Everyday he neglected him, it seemed he was creating a bigger gap between them, and he couldn't stand it. Benny had been there for HIM in his times of need, and now Ethan was basically ignoring him. He missed his big goof of a best friend, even his most annoying habits, but he didn't think it was best to be around him right now, and it bothered him deeply. It was KILLING him.

Ethan sighed and washed the final suds of shampoo out of his hair, and after a few minutes of feeling the water cool, he turned it off and got out.

He was decent but still toweling off when he received Benny's text.

'Hey E...wanna hang?' -Benny

The hesitant tone of the text tore at his heartstrings as Ethan ran his thumb over the keypad, wondering what to write, or if to write back at all.

In the end, he decided not to reply...if he didn't answer, Benny would text again and then call instead, and when be didn't answer his calls, Benny would call the landline. His parents would tell Benny that Ethan was sick and sleeping...and later Ethan himself would have a bunch of questions to face, but he thought it might be the best way to go. He was meeting Tasha at the library at one..

So, with a great sigh, he dragged himself into bed, with hair that wasn't totally dry and fell into a deep, exhausted, and dreamless sleep.

X

"So, I think I'm gonna check out this little dirt road over here.." Cody pointed it out on a map. "I have a good feeling about that. It's mostly covered in plant life now, but it was a major trade route back in the 1870's..."

"Cool." Benny replied, interested, but at the same time having other things on his mind.

"Wanna come with me?" Cody asked, and finally looking up from the table, noticed Benny's glum expression. "Or not. We can always just go the mall or something...how does Starbucks later sound? Maybe we can catch the next showing of...Rio 2."

The suggestion drew a small laugh from Benny, who set his phone aside and sighed. "I haven't even seen the first one."

"Me either." Cody grinned. "Just thought I'd ask. Maybe their playing something else."

"Slacking off again, Cody?" A sultry voice asked as a tall figure walked into the room. Tyson sauntered into the dining room and rustled through the drawers behind Cody.

"Again? I've been out of the house more than anyone!" Cody glared at something next to Benny's head. He didn't turn around. "What have you done these past few weeks?"

"Actually, I've been searching quite a lot since I got here." Tyson said, now clinking around something on the counter. "You're just none to observational ."

Cody ground his teeth together and forced a wicked smile at Benny, who was smiling at his expression. 'I don't like him.' Cody mouthed, and Benny grinned, shaking his head.

'Me neither.' The spellmaster mouthed back. "Well, Cody, I'm gonna go practice my archery." Benny said finally, as Tyson turned around and walked out of the room.

"We still on for later?" Cody asked, now using a magnifier to study some tiny print on the edge of a yellowing map.

"Yeah, definitely." Benny smiled at the raven-haired man as he left the house, grabbing his bow and quiver from the entryway. "Just tell me when you're ready."

Stepping out into the warm air, the spellmaster wondered about the last time he'd gone outside just to spend time outdoors...probably a really long time. Probably never. But over the last couple weeks, he'd come to appreciate the general silence, and gentle noises and sensations. The wind in the trees and the ground under his feet and the sun on his skin. Benny wasn't made for being outdoors...he was a computer geek with an affinity for technology. But none of that seemed much fun anymore.

He'd spent his time practicing archery, with the bow and quiver of arrows Ethan had gotten him as one of his birthday presents. It didn't seem appropriate to be occupying his time with the gifts of someone who'd ended up ditching him, but it made him feel better all the same...like somehow, Ethan was there even if he wasn't.

It made him feel pathetic, thinking that...but the truth couldn't be avoided any longer. He missed his best friend...a lot. A whole lot, and it kind of hurt that Ethan was ignoring him.

'I never thought I'd see the day.' Benny thought as he notched an arrow. 'I never thought E would ignore me like this...but is he really ignoring me? Maybe he does have a lot of stuff going on, but not answering my calls? My texts? Blowing me off like that?' The arrow stuck little off target. He notched another one, and it landed closer this time, but still off.

'I wonder if I'm overreacting.' Benny wondered. 'I mean, two weeks is nothing compared to six years of friendship...but a lot can change in two weeks. It doesn't feel right.' The spellmaster frowned. 'Is it something I did? Am I freaking him out, being all emotional lately? I guess that's kind of embarrassing, but E's my best friend...I didn't think it mattered...'

Benny sighed. He'd texted Ethan that morning, but no answer so far, and his parents said he was sick. Something like he hadn't been sleeping well, and was maybe catching the flu, because he wasn't eating. Benny hadn't told Grandma, mainly because she hadn't been home today..she left early that morning.

'Maybe I should just stop trying...' Benny thought dejectedly. 'Maybe he just needs space, and I'm being too clingy...but I can't help that I worry about him. What if he's having a relapse from the incident?'

"Benny!" Tyson called from the window, and Benny looked up, distracted, and his arrow lodged in a tree next to the target board.

"Yeah?" Benny called.

"You're phone's been going off for about five minutes!" Tyson answered. "Cody wanted to answer it, but I'm keeping him in line."

"I'm sure you are." Benny muttered, and smiled as he imagined Cody, silently fuming at the table. "Thanks." He said as he grabbed the phone from Tyson's hand, stretched out the window.

'Cody doesn't like him.' Benny thought. 'I don't really like him, but Cody seems to have real tension with him. I wonder what happened in high school?' He checked his messages, fully expecting the text to be from Rory.

'Hey, B. Sorry I've been MIA and really weird lately. A lot's been going on.' -Ethan

Benny didn't really know how to react to the text, and that in itself made him feel stupid. So his best friend had texted him..no weird feelings should arise from that. So why did he feel weird? Like he didn't want to set himself up for disappointment?

'Its okay. But my day is kind of full right now.' Benny lied.

'Oh, okay. I gtg, call me later.' -Ethan

Benny sighed. What was he expecting? He didn't know...but Ethan didn't seem too upset that they couldn't hang today.

'So why am I?' Benny thought almost angrily. 'Why does that bother me so much? Why do I miss him so much?! I have other friends.'

X

As Ethan walked home, all his maps and notes in tow, he thought about hitting Starbucks for a quick coffee. Because even though he's slept less than four hours ago, he was beginning to feel drained again. Tasha had reassured him that the symptoms would fade again, a little slower this time, until he completed the transformation, but if would be best if he met Katee.

It was easier to deal with the first change, if one had contact with another werewolf. The only thing was...Ethan wasn't sure if he wanted to meet another werewolf just yet.

He was sure Katee was a lovely girl. Tasha had described Katee as being a perfect lady, who couldn't have been less suspected as being a werewolf. The only thing that might've stood out and identified her wolfy nature is her personality. She was perky and blonde and just bursting with good energy. Ethan honestly thought they'd get along...but he was afraid he might freeze up in her presence. His past werewolf experiences were not the best...

"Hey dad." Ethan greeted as he walked up the drive. "What are you building?"

"Oh just that dog house you're Aunt Edith has been wanting built for a couple weeks now." Ross lifted it onto a table in the storage shed. "Oh and E, a friend stopped by to see you. I hadn't seen him before, but he was real friendly. Helped me construct this complicated thing." He gestured to the dog house. "I swear, I turned my back for one minute, and when I turned back around he was half way done."

"Really?" Ethan asked, flicking through the maps one more time before stuffing them in his messenger bag. "No one told me they were coming over. Who was it?"

"Umm, I'm not sure. I don think he said. He was tall, and young, with really striking red hair." Ross said distractedly, and for a moment Ethan's heart stopped.

"What?" Ethan asked faintly, then a few seconds later. "What else did he do?"

"Went in and talked to your mom for a while. Said he and you were working on a project together and you forgot to return one of his experiments."

"Okay dad..." Ethan said, already on his way up the porch. As soon as he entered the house, he was tearing up the stairs, past his startled mom and Jane, who was giving him weird looks again.

'He was in my room!' Ethan thought over and over. 'The Cublie Animus!'

Reaching his room and throwing the door open, he was disgusted to see the room in the exact state he left it. But Sylvan had to have been snooping around...he wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this, to look around the house where he lived and slept, especially his room.

It was then he caught sight of the note lying on his bed. Folded neatly, it had his name on the front, and Ethan tore it open with a growl.

"Greetings, Pup" It read.

"By now, you've probably figured out that I've been through your room, and your house..and have found the Cublie Aninus. I've also met your parents, and your sister, and as you've probably noticed, they are unharmed. They're lovely people, and I come in peace, for now. The magic box is untouched. But I have a problem.

It concerns my darling little sister. She's gotten herself into some trouble, and if you know what's good for her, you'll meet me today in the mall, alone. I'll be at that cute little restaurant you and your best friend love so much, at the usual table. It's very public, and charming, so I won't try anything funny..or anything you don't want me to. You'll be safe, and you can even run if you like. I won't be able to stop you without drawing attention.

I'll wait for you there from 3:00 to 4:30 and not a minute less or more. I'm an important person with places to be. Come if you care about my sister at all. Remember, she helped you once.

-Sylvan "

Ethan sat for a long time after that, thinking it through, freaking out silently.

'He was in my room.' Was all the seer could think. 'He found the Cublie Animus. He has Katee...and he wants to meet me.'

He stood up almost in a daze and walked over to his closet, moved over the junk that hid the Animus. Sure enough, there was a sticky note on top that read "Told you so."

So maybe his wasn't a trick. After all, why would that red monster leave such a valuable item behind, if not to gain trust? That's obviously what this was about...and if this was for real, that meant Katee really was in danger. Jason said they hadn't heard from her in a few days...and Ethan only had a half an hour to get to the mall.

'Oh no.' Ethan just sat there for a while, frozen. 'I can't do this...I can't do this...but I have to.'

X

And so he sat at a mall bench fifteen minutes later, thinking the sane thing. The coffee shop was in sight, but he couldn't see inside. He hadn't even seen his own personal monster in human form...how would he know what he looked like? Red hair? Ethan shuddered just thinking about it.

'I can't do this.' The seer thought. 'I'm too scared. What kind of werewolf am I? I can't even meet another of my kind in public...granted, this is the monster than nearly killed me..but I was even too scared to meet Katee, and now look what's happened. I should've met her while I had he chance...'

But now Katee was possibly depending on him. She was in danger, and he could help...but he was too frightened to even try? How pathetic of a person would that make him? As he contemplated, his hands shook and his feet tapped nervously on the floor. He felt like running, already, just as Sylvan had said, and time was ticking. Fifteen minutes left.

'No...' Ethan thought, trying to steel himself. 'She fought this guy for me. Kind, gentle Katee fought her own brother for me. To save me. I have to do the same for her...and I will, no matter how terrifying. I have to. She needs me..'

With these thoughts in mind, Ethan slowly stood, and even more slowly began the walk to the little coffee shop. The more steps he took, the more he bought he could do this. He was going to save Katee, from whatever this monster had dons to her. He needed to. If not for anything else, he had a debt to pay.

Sylvan was easy enough to pick out of the few people that were seated. The sight of him also made Ethan freeze in the entryway, and he had to physically restrain himself from bolting right there. Every fiber of his being was telling him to run.

The man's hair was the same color as the monster's fur had been, a shade of red too dark to be natural-yet it was, and piercing blue eyes that seemed to stare right through Ethan as they met his gaze. His pale skin contrasted oddly with his light blue sweater and dark jeans, and for a second Ethan was stunned with how eerie yet how complete normal he monster looked...

Sylvan pushed the chair across from him out a little with his foot, and Ethan's heart rate sped up as his feet carried him to he offered chair. For a while, they just stared at each other...or, rather Sylvan stared at him while Ethan tried to get his bearings.

'This is the monster that bit me..' He thought quietly. 'He took my normal life away just like that...and for what? Now he has Katee too.'

"I've been waiting for you." Sylvan finally said, startling Ethan. "You're different from what I expected. I thought you'd at least be taller." Ethan didn't reply for a long time.

"Where's Katee?" Ethan finally asked. "What did you do with her?"

"Hold on." Sylvan held up a hand, still studying him with intense eyes. "Just let me take you in."

And for some reason, Ethan felt compelled to listen. So, he sat there, watching Sylvan with a kind of awed, nervous fascination that had replaced the pure fear that had gripped him earlier. Truth being told, this wasn't how Ethan expected his first meeting with the monster to go, but it was better than the alternative screaming and running. So, he let Sylvan study him for another minute.

"How are you feeling?" Sylvan asked suddenly.

"What?" Ethan asked, uncomfortable, and totally taken aback by the randomness of the question. Why did Sylvan care?

"So, not so well?" The redhead asked. "I'm wondering because you don't seem to have transitioned yet. That's not good. I should've demanded to see you sooner. You won't be of much help if we don't fix that soon."

"Fix what?" Ethan asked again, and then shook his head irritably. "Look, I'm just here because you told me..." Oh no...it was happening again, the flashes of pain and exhaustion. "You told me Katee..." Ethan made a pained noise and gripped his head, lowering it to the table, suddenly not able to concentrate on anything. White hot pain made him flinch, and he saw spots in his vision.

"Fix that." Sylvan replied calmly. "It's just gonna get worse the longer you wait."

"What are you doing?" Ethan strained, flinching back as Sylvan placed a couple fingers on his temple. "Don't touch me!"

"Quiet." Sylvan said firmly but softly, and after a few seconds, Ethan stopped struggling. The pain and foggy tiredness that had weighed him had begun to lift. And as Sylvan ran his hand down Ethan's face to settle on the side of his neck, Ethan began to feel tired again, but in a good exhausted way...like he was finally recovering from something major. Like there was some sort of drug infused with the other werewolf's skin that seeped in and relieved the pain. The discomfort was slowly fading, leaving his body Ethan sighed, closing his eyes and momentarily forgetting where he was. He leaned into Sylvan's touch willingly.

"Those idiots." He faintly heard Sylvan mutter, as he let Ethan lean into him. He even took Ethan's hand across the table, and held that, too, watching as the younger wolf relaxed lost himself in his sire's touch. "I should've came sooner...he needs me." Sylvan murmured, mostly to himself as he took in Ethan's damaged state.

"I don't need...anything. I was doing fine." Ethan argued weakly, but didn't make a move to pull away. At that moment, he found it hard to want to pull away. "What did you do with Katee? Where did you take her?"

"Not me." Sylvan muttered, still concentrating. "It was someone else."

Neither of them noticed how they were being watched through a window of the coffee shop. And both were too preoccupied to notice the camera going off.

X

AN: Well, guys it 2am and I'm tired as HELL. BTW, long story short, my iPad locked up, I lost all my half-finished story chappies, and lost my way of updating. So now I'm writing on my iPod, and have to upload, edit, and update at school. Sorry for any mistakes, and sorry the end was kind of sloppy.

And HOLY SHIT, THAT WAS MY WORST NIGHTMARE! The whole chapter was soo messed up, but I fixed it! Mostly..sorry about that. The next one should be up tomorrow or the next day. Thanks for ignoring it! That was embarrassing...hopefully it doesnt turn out that way again.

Review, please? xoxoxo It makes me feel better about this crap situation, and my stupid mistake.