Morro's eyes narrowed in confusion and frustration as he stared at the chessboard. When he asked Jay to help him learn how to play chess, he didn't think it would be so hard. When he watched Harumi and her mother play it looked so easy. Thinking that it would impress her, Morro said he could play and would beat anyone at this game. She took this as a challenge and said they would have a match when she and her family came back from her parents' conference abroad.
Scared at what Harumi would think of him, Morro begged his friends for help.
Jay had been happy to help him, saying that it was easy to learn. When the ginger-haired teen was learning, he liked to think he had picked it up quickly. Zane had been great in teaching him, but it was not hard to tell that Jay was still not at his level. It felt like Jay was always playing catch-up. When Morro mentioned he wanted to learn how to play, Jay thought things might finally be different. He wouldn't be the only one playing catch-up anymore.
Jay was happy to help Morro learn the ropes.
He also hoped that this would help him and Morro connected more as part of a pack. They were currently sitting in Morro's room at his foster parents' home. Kai was also there, but he was more focused on the games on his phone than a game of chess. Cole and Zane were supposed to be meeting them they were all running late due to one reason or another. But that gave Jay more time to train his new pupil for a match with Zane.
"Which way does the horse thingy move again?" Morro asked as he held up the chess piece.
"The knight moves two squares one way, one square another way," Jay replied as he demonstrated with his knight.
"OK, so there?"
"Perfect." The ginger-haired teen smiled when Morro's foster brother Nelson Raynolds suddenly barged into the room. Nelson was a twelve-year-old boy with light brown hair combed to the side and dark green eyes. He was wearing a purple sweatshirt and light blue pants.
"I found this on the doorstep, I hope you don't mind, I kinda took a peek." He smiled and held up a small box to the older foster child. Morro rolled his eyes and snatched the box out of Nelson's hands. He opened it and his eyes widened when he saw what was in it.
"Is it from a secret admirer? I don't think Harumi will like that." Kai teased, but he didn't get the reaction he was hoping for.
"Eh, I'm going out." Morro quickly said, grabbed his coat, pocketed the box, and ran out of the room.
"What was it?" Jay asked the Dobsons' other foster child.
"An earring, kinda looked like a ghost," Nelson replied and the two teens froze.
"Morro, wait!" Kai shouted but Morro was already long gone. He wanted to chase after the lone wolf, but he knew that they needed to inform his foster parents about this. Sharing a look, the two werewolves ran back inside and saw the Dobsons in the kitchen making some lunch. "Um, Morro's old gang, the Ghosts, they're not supposed to know he's here, right?" The brunette asked and paled when the couple nodded.
"Someone left him a package with an earring inside and Nelson said that it looked like a ghost," Jay said and he never knew the Dobsons could go so pale.
"Where is he?" Mr. Dobson demanded.
"He ran out, I'll just go find him," Kai promised and made to run out of the house.
"NO! YOU WON'T!" Mrs. Dobson suddenly screamed, scaring the two teens. "You two are staying here until we know where he is." She ordered and they reluctantly agreed as her husband made a phone call.
"No, no, no, I don't want to move him again, he's settled here; I just thought I ought to warn you." He said to the person on the other end of the line. There was a moment of silence as the person responded. "Fine, fine, I'll call you later." He sighed in disappointment and hung up.
"Is everything OK with Morro?" Nelson asked as he walked into the kitchen.
"His old gang might have found him, so they are warning his social worker," Jay whispered as Kai shot a quick, secret text to his sister to let her know what was happening. The two werewolves shared a worried look as the Dobsons talked about what they were going to do and what they were going to say to Morro if he came back. They all could only hope that this wasn't the start of more trouble for the pack...
Morro was constantly looking over his shoulder and making sure to be on alert to any dangerous scents as he traversed the familiar back streets of the city. When he received the earring, he immediately knew what it meant and where to go. He knew that rushing out like that would cause him some problems with his foster parents but he hoped that Nelson kept quiet about seeing the earring. The last thing he wanted was for his friends and foster family to worry.
He wasn't worried about it.
Within half an hour he found himself in an alley in between a bar and an arcade. Walked further into the ally until he saw a familiar face waiting for him. Leaning against the far wall was his old friend Bansha Kanker. Bansha was an older teen with long, waist-length black hair, ghastly pale skin, and dark grey eyes. She was a black skull shirt with torn-up black jeans and leather boots. She was also wearing a single, green ghost earring identical to Morro's.
As soon as she saw him, she smiled and walked over to the werewolf.
"So what happened? I'm in prison for eighteen months and you don't even call?" She smiled as she and Morro embraced.
"I just didn't think you'd want to hear from me again." He admitted. "So, when d'you get out?"
"A couple of weeks ago." She shrugged.
"So you seen any of the others?"
"No, the old gang's history now." She sighed with a look of regret on her face.
"That's good to know." Someone suddenly said and they whipped around to see Nya glaring at them.
"What are you doing here?" Morro snarled, angry at the thought that he had been followed.
"I was just passing." She replied and turned her attention to Bansha. "I'm Nya, and you are?"
"None of your business." She glared and crossed her arms defensively, giving Morro a questioning look.
"She's one of my friends at Ninjago High." He admitted, unable to meet his old friend's eye.
"So, in a way, it IS my business." The female werewolf growled, noticing Morro and Bansha's matching earrings.
"I'm Bansha, an old friend of Morro." Bansha introduced herself as politely as possible. The two girls shook hands before Morro suddenly grabbed the Smith sibling and dragged her down to the entrance of the alley.
"Go away, or am I going to be in trouble for having friends?"
"Depends on who they are." Nya scowled, but there was a hint of concern in her blue eyes. "Didn't you use to be in a gang called the Ghosts?" She asked and Morro was about to snap at her again when Bansha suddenly approached them.
"Relax Morro, she's only doing her job as your friend." She told the lone wolf before she turned to Nya. "We were friends in our old care home; before all the gang stuff." She said, looking down sadly at the memory. "That was my fault, I got Morro into a lot of trouble."
"You didn't." He quickly said, but she raised a hand to stop him.
"I did." She insisted. "I've just done eighteen months in Young Offenders, and I came to tell Morro that I've changed and that he doesn't have to worry about me anymore." She explained as her eyes began to gather moister as she turned back to her friend. "I'm so sorry, causing you grief, I shouldn't have come; nice meeting you, Nya." She said and began to leave to pastures unknown. The two werewolves shared a look before chasing after her...
When Nya and Morro got back to the Dobsons house chaos ensued. The Dobsons dragged the pair to the living room where Jay and Kai were still waiting. Both foster parents thoroughly chewed the two teens out for being so reckless. They were extremely mad at Morro for meeting up with Bansha and they were mad with Nya for following him and putting herself in danger. She tried to lie and said she was just passing through and saw Morro with Bansha.
But the Dobsons were not fooled for a second.
They demanded to see Kai and Nya's phones and saw the text Kai had sent Nya about what was happening and asking her to keep an eye on Morro. While the lone wolf was upset with his friends stalking him, he didn't dare say anything in case it brought the Dobsons fury back onto him. When it was made clear that Morro had gone off to meet Bansha, the Dobsons and the boys all made their negative opinions about her clear. That is until an unlikely savior suddenly spoke up in Bansha's defense.
"She doesn't seem that bad," Nya said, only to be met with shock and disbelief.
"You met her for, what, five minutes? How can you possibly tell?" Kai scoffed in disbelief, which the Dobsons agreed with.
"Well, you don't need to take my word for it, she's outside." Nya smiled and gestured to the front door, catching everyone off-guard.
"What were you thinking?!" Mr. Dobson screeched.
"That I'd never seen Morro so happy, and I don't want us to drive him away." She replied firmly. "Look, I'm not some stupid kid, and besides, isn't it better to have them here, so we can keep an eye on them?" She asked and the couple shared a look. Something silent passed between them and Mr. Dobson sighed in defeat. With a smile, Morro rushed towards the door and allowed Bansha to enter.
"Hi, I'm Bansha." She greeted everyone, shaking hands and sharing smiles before facing Morro's foster parents. "Listen, I was bad for Morro back in the day; got him into shoplifting and worse, but being in that prison changed me." She explained, shuddering at the memory of the young prison. "I'm trying my best to be a better person because there's no way I'm going back there."
"It's good to hear that you're making a fresh start, Bansha, but I'm afraid you're still going to have to leave." Mrs. Dobson said, surprising Morro and his old friend.
"What?!" The lone wolf shouted.
"We have a duty of care, and it's our responsibility to make sure that you're safe." Mr. Dobson glared, supported by his wife's firm nod.
"But I am safe with Bansha!"
"I'm sorry, but if you don't want to be moved again, Bansha has to go." He insisted, but this just made Morro angrier.
"This is not fair! She's been punished! She's done her time!" He exclaimed desperately, feeling that this was unfair.
"It's OK, I'll go." Bansha smiled weakly and made to leave, only for Morro to grab her arm to stop her.
"Come on! She's my best friend and you always say, everybody deserves a second chance." He shot, managing not to smirk at their wince. "Please! It's just a visit! Please?!" He begged his guardians and after they shared another look, Mr. Dobson groaned once again defeat.
"OK, we'll see how you get on." He said and Morro smiled in delight as he led his old friend upstairs. As soon as they were gone, Mr. Dobson turned to get his wife's honest opinion of this new girl.
"What d'you think?"
"She seems genuine." She replied, trying to be optimistic, but anyone could see the worry in her eyes.
"Or she could just be a really good liar." Jay blurted out, reminding the couple that they were still there.
"Don't ever do something like this again!" Mr. Dobson bellowed at the teens, causing them to jump in fright at his outburst. "You've read the file! Morro was moved here for a reason."
"Hang on! You're the one that said she could stay." Kai glared, not liking the adult shouting at them for his choice.
"Yes, but only because as well as being extremely annoying, you also made a point about not driving Morro away." He sighed as he rubbed his forehead to rid the oncoming headache. "Bansha can stay for a bit, but we need to see Morro's social worker and I want you guys to stick to them like glue and to let me know the first time there's any trouble, right?" He ordered and the teens nodded in agreement. He dismissed them and he and his wife went to grab their coats.
As they left, the teens went upstairs to look for Morro and Bansha.
They found the two old friends in Morro's bedroom.
"Your room's bigger than my whole place!" Bansha exclaimed in awe as she looked through all his things.
"Yeah, but must be great living on your own, you can do what you want, without anyone bothering you." Morro smiled at the thought. He did like it here with the Dobsons and with the pack but he liked having his independence. He learned that werewolves were more comfortable in groups or with their families, but he didn't mind living on his own. Morro just shrugged it off as all those years of living in foster care. As the pair continued to talk, there was a knock on Morro's door.
When he opened it he was angry to see Kai, Jay, and Nya on the other side.
"Stuck with us, I'm afraid, orders from the Dobsons." Jay smiled apologetically as the trio pushed themselves into Morro's room.
"Fine by me, how about we go get something to eat?" Bansha asked before Morro could argue. They all headed down the kitchen, where the Dobsons had left a little while ago, and Bansha was in shock. It had been a long time since she had seen no padlock on the fridge or the food cabinets.
"You've landed on your feet here, buddy! In our old place, you only got cookies on Mondays and there were always fights over them." She told Morro's other friends that the lone wolf opened a box of cookies for them to eat.
"Fights over everything," Morro muttered bitterly as he thought about the foster homes he had been through over the years. "That's how the Ghosts started, two of us defending ourselves, looking out for each other; other kids felt safer around us and it just kinda grew from there."
"Sounds like you were living in a zoo," Kai replied as he tried to sneak some of his sister's cookies, only for her to smack his hand away.
"Yeah, wish they'd sent me somewhere like this, I might not have ended up doing time." Bansha laughed sadly. Morro tried not to flinch as he felt the familiar stab of guilt. Just then Cole walked into the kitchen, and Morro couldn't be more thankful for the welcome distraction.
"Hey, Cole, this is Bansha, she was my roommate from about four foster homes back." He introduced them as Kai made a point to curl up in his boyfriend's large arms.
"All right, so you're doing that whole gang thing again?" Cole glared, surprising everyone.
"What? No! I'm done with gangs and so is Bansha." Morro glared defensively.
"Oh, right, go you're a completely different person now?" Cole laughed at Morro's old friend. "Um, the Ghosts, wasn't it? Nice earring." He commented and gestured to the matching earrings both Bansha and Morro were wearing.
"Cole!" Jay gasped, shocked at his best friend, but the noirette didn't look apologetic. While he knew Morro would never intentionally cause them harm, he didn't know Bansha. All he knew was that she was in a gang with Morro. But unlike him, she ended up in prison. In Cole's mind, there must have been a reason why Morro was only relocated yet she spent over a year locked in Young Offenders. He didn't want anyone bringing any more trouble to their door.
"I'm sorry, Bansha." Morro apologized to his old friend, keeping his glare on the larger noirette.
"Nah, it's OK, I get it, I have that effect on people sometimes." She shrugged, seemingly not offended in the slightest.
"Why don't you take those up to your room?" Nya suddenly suggested.
"On our own?"
"Yeah, it's about time someone gave you two a break." She smiled, making a point to look at Cole. Her brother's boyfriend shot her a glare but said nothing. Morro and Bansha shared a smirk as they grabbed the rest of the cookies and ran back up to his room. The other teens said nothing, aside from the others giving Cole disappointed glares, not that he cared. Back upstairs in Morro's room, the two friends were laughing and reminiscing as they devoured the cookies.
"Must be nice not having your stuff nicked, but this place so ain't you." Bansha suddenly said, catching Morro off guard. Not that he would show it to her.
"It's not that bad."
"Come on, you must miss the old days."
"Oh? What must I miss? Being half-starved and locked in at night? The fights?" He glared and Bansha looked away, feeling that she had overstepped the mark. They stayed in silence, save for the crunching of the cookies they ate.
"You ought to be running this place, man." She eventually said with a frown.
"Nah, it's not like that here." He shrugged as he noted a light knocking coming from the front door downstairs, but he blocked it out when his friend spoke again.
"You should come and meet my new friends." She smiled and Morro thought about it for a moment before he flashed her a small smile.
"Yeah, I'd like that."
"I tell you, we have way more laughs than this lot, come on!" She grinned and shot up from her seat in excitement.
"Now? What about my friends? The Dobsons?" He asked in surprise, glancing at the door as if he expected his foster parents to burst in. But this reaction just seemed to irritate his oldest friend.
"Urgh! Can't believe you've forgotten how to sneak out of a care home." She groaned exaggeratedly, only to freeze and snap her attention to his bedroom door. With a glare, she stormed forward and almost ripped the door off its hinges to reveal Zane standing in the doorway. Morro was shocked to see the pale werewolf standing in his doorway, but he was even more shocked that he didn't hear Zane arrive and come up to his room. He almost wanted to slap himself for letting his guard down.
"Hear anything you like?" Bansha angrily snarled at Zane, who didn't flinch, and fixed her with a signature icy glare. But Bansha didn't react to this and waited for Zane to respond.
"I was just lending a book to Morro." He eventually replied and Bansha rudely snatched the book out of his hand. It was a book to teach people basic chess moves and strategies.
"A chess book?!" She laughed loudly when she realized the book's contents. Morro panicked as he took the book from her and stuffed it under his mattress. He gave Zane a quick thank you before slamming the door in the other werewolf's face and waiting until he heard Zane walk away before he turned to Bansha, who was still laughing like a hyena.
"Chess!? Think I got here just in time." She cackled as she made her way to the window and began climbing out of it. Morro took a deep breath as he glanced back at the bedroom door, worried that someone would walk in as he was making his escape. Once he knew that no one was coming upstairs, Morro rushed to follow his friend out the window and out to the city...
After they had escaped from the Dobsons' house, Bansha led Morro down dozens of streets and through many dark alleys. Morro could feel his cell phone buzzing in his back pocket and he was starting to regret not leaving it at home. He just hoped that his foster parents didn't end up calling the police or one of his friends didn't try and track him down. He may not be able to see the future, but Morro knew that either situation would only end in disaster.
Bansha didn't seem too worried and she kept telling him to relax.
She soon took him into an alley behind a pawn shop on the end of Fountain Avenue. There they saw two men a little older than Morro throwing sharp objects at empty beer cans. As he and Bansha approached them, Morro suddenly froze when he saw the matching earrings they were wearing.
"Bansha, they're Ghosts." He hissed in concern and slight anger.
"It's not the same as before." She promised and tried to lead Morro forward to the pair, but he remained where he was. "Look, this is important to me... Please? I want them to meet you." She begged and Morro reluctantly gave in. Bansha grinned and whistled the two men over. "Guys, this is the famous Morro; this is Soul Archer and Ghoultar." She introduced the three men and Morro got a good look at the other two. They both looked ghastly and threatening, even to the werewolf.
He had seen some concerning people through his time in foster care, but these two took the cake for being the worse.
They looked creepier than the people from the previous Ghosts group, and to Morro that was saying something. Ghoultar had sickly pale skin, dark grey eyes, and he was bald. He was skeleton thin with sunken-in cheeks. He wore a dark purple cap, a black bandana to cover his mouth, black leather boots, matching boots, and spiked shoulder pads. Soul Archer looked as if he could be Ghoultar's twin brother if he was thinner, wore a hat, and he had buzz-cut black hair.
"So where have you been? Bansha was in for eighteen months and you didn't call her once." Ghoultar snarled as he got in Morro's face, but the werewolf was fazed by this.
"What would you know about it?" He growled as he squared up to the thug.
"We're just saying, you weren't there for her." Soul Archer hissed and Morro snapped his attention to him.
"Oh, you're just saying? Is that all that you do? Just say things?" He sneered and grabbed them both by the collar, shoving them against the back wall. "I don't have to say things to Bansha, 'cause I'm there when it matters, get it?" He snarled and when they didn't answer, he pulled them back and shoved them harder into the wall again. "I said: Do. You. Get it?" He demanded again and this time they nodded in understanding. Once he was satisfied he let them go and stepped away.
Watching this whole interaction, Bansha laughed and applauded her old friend as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"You still got it, Morro! Admit it, you got the buzz, didn't you?" She asked him and despite how much he fought it, Morro could feel a smirk growing on his face. He did miss being top dog, shrugging it off as his werewolf instincts. "See, I knew it!" Bansha laughed and the gang made their way into the city to do some shopping. Morro had brought some cash with him, but Bansha told him to put his wallet away. He was shocked to see her pull out nearly seven hundred dollars in cash.
His shock faded, however, when they made it to the stores.
They bought all kinds of games, gadgets, music CDs, sports gear, clothing, and accessories. Eventually, they had to carry almost twenty bags full of stuff around. They soon found themselves sitting in the park, enjoying some hotdogs, of which Morro couldn't get enough of. He liked the Dobsons, just not their dietary choices. Morro checked his phone and winced when he saw how long they had been out. He already had a few texts and over half a dozen missed calls from his foster parents and his friends.
He better be getting back or they might call the police.
"Come back with us." Bansha suddenly said when he said he had to leave.
"I'm sorry Bansha, but I can't just walk out, I've got nowhere to live," Morro replied sadly. He already tried the whole homeless runaway thing, and it ended bringing three wild werewolves to the high school.
"Stay with me then." She offered and Morro held back the urge to laugh.
"That's the first place that they'd look."
"So you sofa surf with all of us, you can just get filed as another runaway." She replied and Morro looked at the other two. They were looking back and forth between Bansha and Morro but said nothing to deny or agree with her plans. Morro thought about it for a moment. He did like the thought of being on his own, but there were a lot of problems.
"I need to think about it." He admitted.
"What's to think about? A life in care with a bunch of losers? Or splashing the cash with your friends." She scoffed, causing Morro to glare at her for insulting his friends. "You said I was like your sister and it's the same for me, too; we're family Morro, come on! It's not the same without you." She whined and Morro sighed. He loved his friends and he cared about his foster parents but he couldn't stay forever. He would be too old for the system soon and when he went to college he would probably grow away from his friends.
With a heavy sigh, he turned to his old friend.
"I'll meet you in an hour."...
It was just after seven in the afternoon when Morro finally arrived back at his foster parents' home. There were no lights on in the house and the setting sun was casting dark shadows through the house. He snuck into the kitchen through the backdoor. There was no one was around so he began to sneak through the house to get to his room so he can pack his bags. He hoped that they were out so he wouldn't have to face them. He hated saying goodbye.
With any luck, he would be out of here in an hour and with his best friend.
He picked up a piece of cake from the kitchen while sneaking, and made his way into the living room. All of a sudden turned on to reveal the Dobsons, almost making Morro throw the piece of cake at them in fright.
"Have you been out?" His foster father asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, sorry." Morro gulped. "We tried to find you to ask, but you were busy."
"Where's Bansha?" Mrs. Dobson asked when she realized the girl in question was nowhere to be seen.
"That's the thing, she had to catch a train and we didn't realize how late it was." He lied, trying to ignore the growing knot of guilt growing in his stomach.
"But you still had time to shop?" Mr. Dobson glared when he saw the shopping bags in the teen's hands. Morro sighed and moved to cover the bags with his legs, not that it hid them from the adults. When he failed to answer, the couple continued with their lecture.
"We trusted you, Morro." She glared at the lone wolf.
"I know, I'm sorry." He said, unable to look them in the eye. After giving him another lecture, they sent him up to his room until further notice. Morro obeyed, wishing he could say goodbye to them. As soon as he closed the bedroom door he waited for a few minutes until things were quiet downstairs before he started packing. As he threw his stuff into a large rucksack, his mind was racing a mile a minute. He was beginning to feel stifled at home.
He was constantly fighting with his foster family and he was tired of being treated like a child.
He was thinking that these were all clear signs that it was time to move out of the foster parents' house. Morro had many different reasons why he wanted to move out. He wished to prove himself and grow as a person. He didn't feel like he could do that at the Dobsons. There were a few benefits to living on his own. He could learn to manage his finances and get privacy and personal space. He wouldn't have to endure endless meddling from his friends and foster parents and could eat whatever he wanted.
Unfortunately, there were many cons to moving out as well.
One of them was financial difficulties for things like the rent and the utilities, transportation, groceries, medical expenses, and insurance policies without going broke. All these expenses could quickly add up and may easily drain his living-alone budget. Another problem with moving out was the housework. Morro didn't like to think he was lazy when he admitted he hated doing housework. But honestly, who did like doing housework? Cooking, cleaning, and doing the laundry were just a few examples of the endless time-consuming, laborious, and annoying household chores he would have to take care of when living on his own.
Keeping a new home in excellent condition would require a lot of time and effort on his part.
He might not always have the energy, let alone the desire, to deal with those chores but he wouldn't have a choice. He couldn't afford to be lazy when living on his own. There were also emotional disadvantages problems. It was not only cheaper and more comfortable to live at home, but also much more secure in terms of ensuring emotional well-being. Being at home provided people with a haven from the hostile outside world. Not only that, but his pack was also here.
Whatever happened, his pack had always been there for him.
No matter what trouble he caused they had his back. They offered moral support, took care of him when he was sick or downhearted, gave him valuable advice, and helped him figure out his werewolf side. But despite weighing all the pros and cons Morro couldn't ignore the important fact that he would be graduating high school soon. Then he would be too old for the foster system and he would have to move away, probably closer to his college.
"What are you doing?" A voice suddenly asked from the door. Morro whipped around to see Jay standing there, staring at the bag on the bed. He had called around to see if Morro wanted to continue their chess lessons, only to find the lone wolf getting ready to run away. The only reason the Dobsons were letting Jay upstairs was that he and the others were the only friends of Morro they liked.
"You can't tell anyone about this," Morro warned.
"It's that girl, isn't it?" Jay glared only to flinch when Morro shot forward and got into his face.
"That girl is like family to me, and you forget it." He snarled.
"What about us?" He asked and Morro paused before his scowl deepened.
"I don't fit in here, Bansha gets me and I'd rather be with her." He admitted before he finished packing and turned back to the ginger-haired teen. "I'm sorry, but I'm going." He said and with that, he climbed back out the window and ran off. Jay stood there for a few moments before he rushed out of the house. He passed the Dobsons who asked what was wrong, but he lied and said that Morro wasn't in the mood for visitors and he quickly left.
Using his enhanced senses, Jay followed Morro's scent and began to track the lone wolf down.
Before he knew it he found himself near an alley on Fountain Avenue where his enhanced hearing picked up Morro laughing with Bansha and his new friends. Jay knew that he had to make Morro see sense and he took off running into the alley. As he did he shot a quick text to Nya to tell her what was happening and asked for backup. If these people were bad news, then he didn't feel comfortable facing them alone. After he sent his girlfriend the text he ran into the alley to save his friend.
He saw Morro laughing and walking towards the other end of the alley with Bansha and her gang.
"Morro!" He shouted as he ran after them. Morro looked over his shoulder and groaned when he saw Jay.
"I'll catch you guys up." He told the trio. Bansha glared for a second before she nodded and they walked onto the street and disappeared around the corner. Morro missed the look she gave Ghoultar and Soul Archer as he turned to Jay. "What are you doing here Jay?!"
"Stopping you! You're being stupid, don't go with them or you'll end up in prison, just like Bansha!" He cried in fear for his friend.
"You're wrong, just leave it." Morro dismissed and tried to leave, only for Jay to grab his wrist to try and stop him. "Get off me and forget about me! Just, go home!" He snapped and shoved the smaller teen away before he walked away to meet up with his new friends. He found Bansha waiting for him across the street and the other two were nowhere in sight. "Sorry, he won't be a problem."
"Yeah, you're right about that." She smirked and Morro ignored the way his hair stood on ends at how she said that.
"Where are the others?"
"They'll catch us up, don't worry." She shrugged and began to lead him away. Morro bit back an annoyed growl and tried and get an answer out of her. Suddenly, he froze up, every muscle tensing, bringing the full attention of his old friend. She didn't like the way he just stopped and started snapping her fingers in front of his face to get a reaction out of him. Morro didn't even registrar her. He was only hearing one thing. A scream. One of pain and terror.
One from Jay, coming from the alley he had left the ginger-haired teen.
Jay was being hurt. What the hell was he still doing here? Finally freed from his self-paralysis, he looked Bansha squarely in the eye and ran to help Jay. Bansha let out a sigh in frustration and followed after him. Back in the alleyway, Jay was cowering on the floor with Soul Archer and Ghoultar standing over him. They had double back around and began to mug Jay as he was trying to leave.
"Come on, give us all you got." Soul Archer demanded as he reached into Jay's pockets and took everything from his wallet to his phone, to any loose change they could find.
"Come on! What else you got, then, eh? What's that?" Ghoultar growled as he ripped the watch off Jay's wrist. The young werewolf thought that now they had taken everything it would be over, but they quickly proved him wrong. "Take his sneakers!" Ghoultar suddenly said and reached down to pull his shoes off his feet. Before he could, however, Morro suddenly charged forward and body-slammed the two muggers to the ground.
"Want to pick on someone? TRY ME!" He snarled, just barely keeping himself from wolfing out and tearing them to shreds. "Give him all his stuff back! NOW!" He shouted and they both reluctantly threw all the stuff they had taken back to the freckled teen who was struggling to get back to his feet. "Jay, go home! Go!" Morro said and Jay didn't need to be told twice, running as fast as he could out of the alley with tears in his eyes.
"My mistake; he was your friend, I get it, it won't happen again." Bansha chuckled awkwardly as she approached the trio of boys.
"It shouldn't have happened in the first place!" Morro exclaimed.
"Don't get so worked up buddy! They picked the wrong kid, it's just business." She shrugged and it scared him how calm and composed she was about mugging someone. Nevermind the fact that it was someone who she knew Morro was friends with.
"It's wrong!"
"You seemed pretty happy splashing the cash earlier." She replied, laughing at Morro's horrified look. "Where d'you think we got it?"
"Maybe I didn't want to think about that." He admitted, his eyes burning with hurt and rage. "Maybe I missed my old friend so much, I didn't want to think that she was conning me!"
"You've still got your old friend! I'm still here, I ain't changed." She smiled and made to hug him, only for him to violently shove her away.
"Maybe you haven't changed, but I have." He growled and made to follow Jay, only to find his path blocked by Ghoultar and Soul Archer.
"Don't make me look bad, Morro," Bansha warned him, but Morro didn't look the least bit worried.
"What are you waiting for? Come on! Who's first? You? You?! What about you?!" He shouted as he bared his teeth at the gang and looked ready to rip their throats out. Bansha even thought that she saw his eyes flash yellow, but that was probably just a trick of the light. "Thought so." He scoffed when they backed off and he went off to find his true friends.
"Yeah, some friend you turned out to be!" Bansha shouted after him, but Morro didn't even give her a second glance...
Jay ran and ran as fast as he possibly could away from that alley. He was barefoot, had tears streaming down his face, and was clutching everything those thugs had tried to steal from him close to his chest. He was sure he caught people's attention and he thought that some of them might have tried to stop him but he wouldn't let them. He had to keep going. For all, he knew Bansha and her gang could be chasing after him. Sure Morro had stopped them but they outnumbered the lone wolf and they had shown that they weren't above violence.
He could hear the taunts of Ghoultar and Soul Archer all around him.
The worst was hearing that laughter. The way they laughed and mocked him as they threatened him and stole everything he had on his person. It wasn't the laughter of a madman. It was of someone perfectly sane, yet twisted for evil. It echoed in his mind, made him feel dizzy. As Jay was running, his tears clouded his vision so he couldn't see the figure right in his path. As a result, he ran straight into the large person. As soon as he did someone suddenly grabbed his arm.
In Jay's mind those thugs had caught up to him and he screamed.
Jay flung himself backward, still screaming, throat aching, chest aching, in a desperate attempt to flee. He had to get away, he couldn't die, not like this. Arms were on his shoulders in a second, trying to stop him from running. His mind was buzzing, trying to tell him something, but instinct was running his basic drives now. He tried to push away, but the grip was too strong. Yet, it didn't hurt and was almost gentle. His brain finally pushed the panic down and soothed him with better facts.
He wasn't being chased and no one was trying to hurt him.
Cole was the one holding his shoulders. Jay looked up at that last realization, seeing that yes, it was Cole with his hands firmly, but carefully, holding him back from running. Cole's look was full of concern, yet Jay couldn't miss the relief that was there. Kai and Nya were at Cole's said, both of them sharing the same relieved, concerned look. When Jay had sent Nya that message about what was happening with Morro she had been with her brother and his boyfriend.
They had insisted on coming with her just in case those thugs gave them trouble.
"Jay, what's happened?! What is it?" Cole demanded as the smaller male collapsed into Nya's arms and started sobbing into her shoulder.
"M-M-Morro's gang! They tried t-t-to take my stuff!" He cried and trembled at the horrible memory.
"Where is he?" Kai growled and looked ready to hunt the lone wolf down if Cole hadn't placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
"W-W-With them!"
"Morro did this?!" Nya snarled and Cole was worried for a second that he would have to restrain both Smith siblings.
"No, he s-stopped them."
"I have to call the police." Cole glared and pulled out his phone. Kai and Nya wanted him to wait until after they had been beaten up while Jay didn't want him to call the police in case it got Morro in trouble, but in the end, it didn't matter.
"No, you don't, they're gone now," Morro said as he ran up to them. As soon as they saw him Kai and Nya looked ready to kill him whereas Cole was trying to stop them even though he looked like he wanted Morro dead too. Jay was staring cautiously at the lone wolf as he cowered in his girlfriend's arms. "Look, Jay, I am so sorry." Morro started as he knelt to try and comfort the boy.
"Getaway f-from me!" Jay screeched as he jumped away from Morro as if he was trying to stab him to death. "They're the sort o-of friends you want?! Y-You'd choose them over u-us?!"
"Y-You don't understand! Bansha's like family to me!"
"Family?!" Jay cried as a fresh wave of tears rushed from his stormy blue eyes. "What k-kind of a family treat p-people like that!?"
"I got it wrong and I am so, so sorry; I just didn't want to be on my own." He admitted, but this only made Jay cry harder and the others get angrier.
"You're not on your own!" The ginger-haired teen bawled and Morro freeze. Reluctantly he got back to his feet and backed away as Nya comforted his boyfriend and Cole restrained him as he followed through with his threat and called the police...
It took a little over ten minutes for the police to arrive and the teens told them everything. The cops went into the alley to try and find Bansha and her gang, but to no one's surprise, all three of them were long gone. They asked Morro if she had given him her current address but she hadn't, nor had she given him any way to contact her. The cops took statements from all five teens before taking them to the Dobsons. The couple were very upset about what happened but were extremely relieved that no one was seriously hurt.
They were worried when they heard that they had tried to mug Jay.
They grew more scared when Morro said that Bansha had confessed to attacking and robbing other people. The cops were a little suspicious of Morro and said that he would be investigated, but the Dobsons told their foster son not to worry. They wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. The police assured them that they would find the gang with luck Bansha would be back in her old cell in a few weeks.
"Not a problem, take care, thank you, bye now." Mr. Dobson said to the police officers as they left before he turned his attention to the five teenagers in his living room.
"Don't blame them, it was my fault," Morro said before his foster parents could say anything.
"No, Bansha was pretty convincing, you weren't the only one taken in," Nya replied, regret evident on her face.
"We've put a note on your file and your social worker will be here in the morning." Mrs. Dobson sighed and Morro's eyes widened in horror.
"What, you're moving me?!" He exclaimed.
"We don't know that yet and we don't want that, but we will if it's necessary for your safety." His foster father said sadly, yet sternly. Morro looked at his friends, all of who didn't say anything and refused to look at him. He looked back at his foster parents but they kept their stern expressions. He bet both groups bet that they wished that they hadn't given him a second chance now. The Dobsons eventually sent his friends home and they sent Morro to bed without dinner.
That night, Mrs. Dobson got up and went downstairs to grab a drink from the kitchen.
As she passed by the living room, she saw a light coming from the room and when she poked her head in she saw Morro sitting at the family computer. He had all his social media profiles open and he was deleting every picture he could find with Bansha in it. His cell phone was on the table by his elbow. Harumi had texted him a few hours ago, saying that her parents' conference ended early and they would be home tomorrow. When he saw her text Morro immediately felt guilty.
He hadn't thought of his girlfriend once during this whole Bansha incident and reluctantly he told her everything.
She was understandably upset and chewed him out for it. Regardless, she comforted him and promised that if he was forced to move she would keep in touch and visit him as much as she could. Her family was so rich she could buy a plane. Even though he was thankful for his girlfriend's kind words, Morro still felt guilty. It was his fault that Bansha came here and caused all this trouble. He was so happy to see his old friend that he failed to see some obvious warning signs.
He jumped slightly when he saw Mrs. Dobson approaching him with two cups of hot chocolate in her hands.
"Can't sleep?" She smiled as she offered him the hot chocolate, which he gratefully accepted.
"Sorry, I didn't think anyone was up." He sighed as he turned off the computer and they sat on the couch. "I used to think I was such a great person and that nothing could touch me." He muttered shame and regret clear on his face.
"When I was your age I used to have pink, curly hair, and a nose ring; people change." She smiled and Morro chuckled as he thought of his foster mother in a punk rock type of look. "You did the right thing." She said before she wished the teen a good night and headed back to bed. Morro stayed on the couch for a few more minutes before he finished his hot chocolate went to discard the mug in the kitchen. As he was heading back to bed, he paused at the trash can by the door.
With no hesitation, he took out the ghost earring Bansha had given him, opened the trash can, and threw the accessory away.
Whether his social worker moved him or not, he would never have anything to do with Bansha or the Ghosts again...
NEXT CHAPTER: After watching a documentary on television, Ray becomes obsessed with saving the environment...