We reappeared seconds later in a place I'd never seen before.
"Justin where are we?" I asked, staring around at the people who were passing by.
"Wizard City Hall," he replied as he shrugged. "I thought it would be the best place to start."
"I'm glad you had a plan because I seriously didn't have any idea where we were going."
"That's because you never think straight Alex. You use your heart instead of your head," he informed me in a superficial tone that made me want to knock him out. How could he make me like him one second and hate him the next?
"Well if you don't like it then next time-"
"That's not always a bad thing Alex," he said, interrupting my rant with a small smile.
Aww, my brother, ladies and gentlemen. I may think he's a loser and he may be most of the time but every now and then, he pulls out a remark like that that makes me think he's alright.
"What do we do now?" I asked him.
"I have no idea," he told me. "I was kind of hoping you would contribute to this mission."
I looked around and found a face that seemed familiar. It took me a minute to fully register the polished clothes, pulled back blond hair and bright green eyes. A second after that, I had crossed the floor in only a few steps and pinned Daniel against the wall, a feat that surprised even me; I'd had no idea I had that much strength.
"What the hell – oh…Alex, hi."
"What did you do?" I asked threateningly.
"I suggest you take your hands off my son before I have someone remove them," said a clipped voice nearby.
I released my grip on Daniel's shirt and turned around. It was the man from the video. I turned back to face Daniel who was looking bewildered. He had said his father working for the Wizard Government; this must have been who I was looking at.
"Alex, what are you doing here?" Daniel asked me, running a hand through his ruffled hair and straightening his crumpled shirt.
"I came to sort this whole thing out. Why did you report that attack? There was no need for it."
"No need for it Missy? Werewolves have been terrorizing wizards for centuries now and you think there's no need to report an attack that could help lead to their elimination?"
I opened my mouth to snap back but Daniel quickly covered my mouth with his hand. "Dad let me handle this," he said to his father. "She's a friend and this is something I need to sort out."
His father didn't look like he totally agreed with his son but nodded curtly and left all the same.
"Come on," Daniel said urgently, uncovering my mouth and leading Justin and I down a corridor. We found an empty office and slipped inside.
"Explain. Now."
"I had to report it Alex. The government would never have been able to justify what they want to do without substantial evidence. The public never would have stood for it."
"The public won't stand for it," Justin said angrily. "Werewolves have just as much right as we do. What are you going to do next, exterminate fairies?"
"Fairies don't rip you limb from limb, werewolves on the other hand…"
"What about vampires?" I asked. I saw Justin tense beside me and I knew the subject of vampires was still a sore spot for him but right now I needed to prove a point. "They drain you of all your blood and kill you but that's okay?"
"If you knew anything about current wizard affairs Alex, you know that there is a law forbidding vampires to drain a person of all of their blood. They are still allowed to drink if they choose to but the human cannot be harmed in any long term way. This makes them a lesser threat."
"Didn't really the history lesson Dan but thanks anyway," I said sarcastically as he scowled; probably at being called Dan. "Why not just ask werewolves not to attack people? There, problem solved."
"Werewolves are too volatile, stubborn. They don't listen. Enforcing this law against them is the only way Alex. You'll soon see it's for the best."
"But not all werewolves attack people. Some are good." My heart stung, thinking of Mason.
"They won't be killed then. Those who come quietly will be detained until they can be transformed into humans. There's a new virus that we're working on."
"Being a werewolf isn't something you can cure!" I screamed at him. "It's like saying being a wizard is a disease as well."
He shook his head. I was fast losing patience with him, even if he did save my life. "Just forget it," I muttered to Justin. I was at a loss at what to do.
"They won't take this lying down you know," Justin warned. "Thousands of wizards will die as well as many of their kind. Convince your Dad to find a better solution or it won't be pretty."
He grabbed my hand and seconds later, we were back home. I collapsed into the couch and stared at the ceiling. It was all my fault.
"Alex, what are we going to do?" Justin asked, sitting on the lounge chair opposite.
"I don't know," I replied.
"We have to think of something, maybe talk with Mason, and tell him what happened…"
"No!"
Justin stared at me. "Alex, he won't blame you," he said softly.
"Why not? It's my fault. It's my fault I'm going to lose him again."
"Well are you going to do something about it or are you just going to sit there?"
I didn't reply, because honestly…
I didn't know.
"Surprised to see you here little brother. Aren't you a little young to be hanging around the big boys Mase?"
Scratching at an itchy spot behind my ear, I ignored Christian and clamped my mouth shut. As irritating as he was, I was determined to not be baited. But resisting taking a snap at him with my aching canine teeth was proving very difficult.
We stood at the back of a large group of werewolves as they discussed what to do about recent developments. The leader of the meeting, a wolf by the name of Tomas, talked passionately as he moved around the crowd.
"We have been a divided people but the time is ready for us to unite against the wizards, and stake our claim on the magical world. We will no longer be a hunted species; we will fight for what is ours!"
A roar went up and I shook my head in disgust. "Can you believe this?" I muttered to Christian, forgetting how annoying I found him.
He shrugged. "What else do you expect them to do? Turn themselves in?"
I stared at him incredulously. "Surely, you can't be considering joining them?"
He shrugged again, and his nonchalant attitude about this whole situation had me edging closer and closer to taking a part of his throat out.
"There's no other way," he said calmly, crossing his arms across his chest as rousing applause filled the air. I shook my head again. I doubted anyone knew exactly what they were agreeing to; they thought they were fighting for their rights but in the end, many would die as well as wizards. Who would be the winner then?
I made to leave but Christian took hold of my arm. "Don't be stupid Mason, be a good boy and do as you're told. Join them."
I shook myself out of his grip and glared at him. "You're kidding right?"
"They'll rip your heart out if you go against them Mase. Don't die because you're too stupid to see that this is how things have to be. We don't have a choice."
"We all have a choice," I told him stubbornly.
But as I walked away, a small part of me couldn't help but think he was right.