He's in a brightly lit room. The walls, covered with books, stretch miles above his head. His body rocked gently back and forth as he felt each wave lap at the hull of his mind home. He should feel scared, but he doesn't. Serenity had nestled itself in the conclaves of his soul and murmured its assurance to his fibers.

This was ok. He was safe.

Libraries had always served as a place of sanctuary for the teen, An escape from the bullies, the expectations, and his father. A voice made him turn his head, but he saw no one, only more books. The hushed voices scratch softly at his ears seemingly coming from the shelf. He leans in, thinking that the sound was emanating from the other side touching a book as he did. A song cleanly cuts into his brain; a song the boo hag remembers. It was a silly ditty he had made up as a child. A smile is brought to his face at its recollection. He touches another tome, hearing more past voices and feeling their preserved emotions stir his heart. He laughed at some humorous ones, rolled his eyes at some boring ones, and growled at ones from military school. But there were some that he touched that made him pause because they seemed to stir no memory at all. Their emotions were there but they came in faint pulses like the beating of a weak heart.

Suddenly, a frigid breeze snaps across his neck, coaxing a shiver from him. He rubs at his arms as he feels his heart sinks; the warm comforting air rushes out in an instant, leaving a cold void. He catches something in the corner of his vision and turns to see that a hall of the brightly lit library was submerged in shadow. At first glance, it appeared to be stagnant like a light had just been snuffed out. But after a few seconds of staring at it, Frederick saw that darkness was inching slowly toward him devouring the light as it did. His heart rate quickened as he took some steps back. The mass, seemingly responding to his movement, shot out its jagged dark fingers and stabbed at the wood floor making a loud crack.

The sound was like a starter pistol to him because it got him running. The books blurred into hazy streaks as he shot down the hall urged on by the piercing cracks that echoed through the room. Then in a second the scenery changed; Books melted into a drab green wallpaper and shelves morphed into an oak boarder. He was now darting through a hallway that was dimly lit and growing darker with each move the shadow bulk made. He couldn't have cared less. All that mattered was getting away from that thing. With its snarled fingers that ached to tear into him and pull him apart down to his essence. He ran faster heart pounding in his chest pressing up against his ribs with each thud.

Then he hears someone.

"Hey! This way!"

He turns and sees another hallway had magically manifested to his right. Silhouetted by the dim light, was a tall girl in knee length dress and long riding boots. She was waving him over and it only took a quarter second of thought before he darted to her. They both sprint down the hall; their footsteps echoing around them somehow overshadowing the cracks of the faceless beasts own noise. Against his better judgement, he looks back. The writhing darkness still follows them closely and from its depths he can see a pair of solid white eyes. In that moment, something strange takes place. While he is terrified, his new companion is less so. Before his eyes, she sticks out her tongue and blows a wet raspberry at the thing. Despite himself, a giggle burst through his lips. The action brings back a familiar feeling; one he felt when he fooled the nobleman in the village so long ago. A giddiness that made him bubble with energy. The girl turns to him and gives a slight nod. The she takes his hand. They turn a corner and are greeted by sunlight emanating from a set of French doors; its warm reach chased away the darkness. Empowered by it, Frederick lets out a happy yell. He turns to the girl and is greeted by a sight that slows the world down. Her hair, wild and long, glowed in the light like fresh buttercups in spring. Her eyes twinkled with a nervous delight like a child going on an amusement park ride by themselves. Frederick felt a torrent of emotion rise to his chest as he stared at the girl with his face.

"Freddie. Freddie, breakfast is done."

The teen, who was wrapped in a blanket on the grass, opens his eyes. His heart, still pumping a concoction of complex nervous ecstasy, felt like it was ready to fly out of his chest. He took in few deep breaths struggling to center himself as it felt like something was trying to climb out of him. When he regained a sense of control, he sat up.

*Whoa... what... was that? *

Whitney, seeing his odd expression, knelt down in front of him.

"Are you ok? Did you have another nightmare?"

The teen shook his head.

"No... No, I didn't."

The cursed man cocked his head, still concerned.

"You look like you're about to cry."

The teen's hand's flew up to his eyes and felt warm drops at the lids.

"Oh! Oh, God. I didn't know I was... I don't know why..."

The man puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hey, its fine. Sometimes dreams are weird, and they can be overwhelming. I just wanna know if there's anything I can do." The teen leaned into Whitney's hand relishing its warmth. Whitney noted a chill in his skin.

"This helps a lot, thank you. It's just... I've never had a dream like that before. It was crazy. At first it started off good then it started to turn into a nightmare but then there was this... girl."

He saw Whitney's ears perk up. "A girl? Was it Gwen?"

"No, it wasn't Gwen... it was me... but... I didn't feel weird about it... it was-"

A sharp pain in his stomach made him hiss. He bent over as it growled loudly, and his throat itched.

"Ughhhh. Never mind, I'm starving."

The man helped the teen to their eating area, bowls of dark stew already at their seats. Frederick grabbed it and gulped down the still hot liquid feeling like he hadn't eaten in weeks. When he drank it all, he began to lick his bowl wanting to get every drop of blood he could. Whitney watched him, eating his own food at a calmer pace. Frederick's cravings were becoming more intense the past couple of days. He theorized that it either had to do to with his body changes or something else he hadn't considered. After all they were dealing with Frederick's cryptid side based on Whitney's own experiences. So, it was inevitable that certain aspects would come up where that wouldn't be enough.

Whitney was brought out of his thoughts when he caught the teen peering at him. His green eyes glinted hungrily, and his mouth opened slightly to reveal his blood stained fangs.

"Freddie? What's wrong?"

The boo hag continued to ogle, but not at him. He was staring at the bag next to Whitney's log, which was filled with the extra organs and entrails that Whitney normally extracted for himself. Drool began to drip onto the teen's lap.

"More. I want more... Give that to me."

Goosebumps pimpled the man's arms at the tone; a mixture of desperation with an edge of urgent demand. Whitney tossed the bag to him and, as quick as a blink, Frederick snatched it, tore it open, and started shoveling the bloody organs into his mouth. Canines tore into dark fresh tissue and ruptured thin capillaries causing blood to gush onto his pale arms and stain his white shirt. Frederick moaned animalistically as he gleefully licked at the blood dripping down his arms, his monster eyes returning. Whitney looked away trying to fight off the anxious worries that began creeping to the front of his brain. The prevailing one made him sweat a little at the thought of it.

(This isn't working anymore. I think it might even be getting worse.)

He reviewed the symptoms that he'd been noticing the last two days. Paler skin. Lower body temperature: an ailment he noticed when Frederick crept by his side during the night and used his arm as a blanket. Whitney thought it was adorable until he realized that the tow-headed cryptid was cold and no matter how long he held him his temperature never increased.

The teen snaps out of it long enough to see Whitney's look and stops. He gasps and starts frantically wiping at his face.

"Oh... Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I'm so sorry... I'm just so hungry and it hurts so much when I don't feed and... Shit, I must look disgusting."

Whitney got up and made his way to his fretting friend stopping when he saw him flinch.

"Hey, it's not that. I'm just worried that... something is wrong. You say that it hurts when you don't have blood... and it doesn't seem like upping your portions is working... and you haven't been looking well lately... We might... have to consider other options.

"You mean getting human blood."

The grave pallor on the tiger man's face said it all and the two were quiet. Frederick, still trying to clean his bloody face, remains seated while Whitney sits down next to him keeping some distance, so he doesn't startle him. He pulls out a cloth from his pocket and soaks it with some water from a canteen he was drinking out of earlier.

"You're just spreading it around. Here." He gives him the washcloth and Frederick takes it.

"Look... I know this is scary ... and weird... but I just want you to know that... whatever happens, I'm here for you and we'll figure something out. We'll look through books and ask around. I'm sure we'll find something and when we do, you'll feel a little better."

The teen monster nodded feeling his anxiety shrivel away at the tiger man's kind words. He took the man's hand and guided it to the back of his head motioning for him to massage his scalp. Whitney obeyed and gently rubbed the skull's soft spot. Frederick smiled as he slightly leaned forward, contently sighing as the angle rubbed away a creeping headache. The man snorted as he stifled a laugh.

"You should see your face right now. You look like a cat. It's so adorable."

"Stop it, I'm a mess. Nobody looks cute when they're all covered in blood and guts."

"Except cats. They come to their owners covered in dirt, holding dead animals in their mouths, and people still like them,"

Then the man smiled mischievously. "Maybe I should call you kitty then. After all you do act a lot like a cat. You hate being touched unless you want to, you scratch people's faces off if they invade your territory, and when you're startled, you screech and jump like five feet in the air. The shoe seems to fit, kitty cat."

Frederick's mouth formed an annoyed pout, much to Whitney's amusement. Then his face switched to his own impish smile as he pointed to the ground.

"Oh, look at that!"

Whitney looked to where he was pointing and saw a shiny light in the grass. Immediately, the man's whole demeanor changed. His pupils grew to the size of dinner plates, and he crouched down to the ground eyeballing the mysterious shiny blotch. When it moved, he pounced after it and opened his hand to see it gone. When he looked to his left and saw it, he followed it all the while making peculiar deep mewls. Then the light dashed up the tree and Whitney followed it. He jumped after it, but it went higher so he started climbing. Then it dashed towards the ground and Whitney followed with a loud yowl. The man stared at the dot and growled in frustration. Then he heard a burst of laughter. He looked up and saw Frederick cracking up so hard he fell off his log. When the teen recovered, he opened his hand and showed the man a hunk of clear quartz. Frederick's eyes shone with puckish glee.

"Gee, I wonder where I picked the habit up." he said with fake bewilderment.

Whitney smiled despite himself.

(That cheeky little twit.) He began to stand trying to regain any dignity he'd tossed away moments ago. Frederick continued to giggle.

"You should have seen- heee heee heee. Your butt was like *wheeze* wiggling." He said as he held his stomach trying to contain the guffaws. The man sat by the teen again as he struggled to catch his breath feeling relieved at his laugh.

"I guess I deserved that."

Frederick wiped away tears as he replied, "I actually don't mind the name too much. Its way better than the ones you had before."

"Really? I was just teasing you when I suggested it but... you really like those kinds of names?"

"I actually... when I think of a nickname I want... I would like it to be cutesy or something neutral. It just feels... good."

"Ok. I'll try to keep that in mind. I'm just... surprised. Most guys hate getting soft sounding nicknames and god forbid you call them a girl version of their name."

*I... wish somebody did that. *

"I don't mind any of that. As long as it's not embarrassing."

"So, I can call you kitten in public and you'd be fine?"

"Well... maybe not in front of people. It does make sound like we're... a couple so..."

Whitney's eyes widen, "Whoa. Yeah, you're right. That name will totally send the wrong message. Hmmm..."

The man pondered for a minute looking at Frederick a couple of times.

"Ok, I have a few. Don't be too hard on me, these are just off the top of my head. How about Red, Honey, Ember, or... absinthe?"

Frederick gaped at the man. "I can understand Red... but... How did you come to these other names?"

"Well, Honey is short for Honey badger. Those little guys may look cute but man, are they testy. Ember is because I've noticed that your eyes kind of light up in different ways depending on how you feel. And... this is gonna sound silly but... when I had taken my vow of abstinence, I was... struggling with not being able to drink. I had a slip when one of the nurses made some absinthe. It was...one of the first colored drinks I had ever seen... I was just... entranced by it. So I tried to chug the whole bottle... a horrible idea. But I liked the color and asked one of the monks what it was called and... green was the first colored I learned about. From then on, it became one of my favorite colors because it reminded me of the place where I learned to better myself and where I met my first friend."

Frederick felt a little wetness at his lids as his heart warmed. "Aw, Whitney... You big sap. Why are trying to make me all weepy and shit."

"There's nothing wrong with crying. Water helps things grow."

The teen sniffs and wipes at his eyes. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to try them out. Though maybe instead of absinthe... maybe we could,' He started to fret with his hair. "...shorten it to... Abby?

Whitney blinked a couple of times. (He... wants to be called Abby. Hmmmm... he does seem nervous about even asking me about it so... he must really want me to try.)

"Ok. Let's give it a try... Abby."

The were-tiger saw the teen's eyes light up like diamonds in the sun as he leaps into his arms.

"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT SO MUCH! YOU ROCK, WHITTY KITTY!

As the young boo hag squealed with delight, Whitney savored the happy moment between them while also thinking wryly,

(He's gonna be calling me that forever, isn't he?)

"Alright, everyone. The votes have been tallied."

Back at the club house, the cursed princesses were gathered in the sitting room tensely waiting for the results. The girls had gathered earlier that morning and were asked to vote anonymously for the admission of Frederick. Sitting closest to the front, and arguably the most anxious for the outcome, was Gwen. The pale green princess was practically at the edge of the sofa.

Curtis, who was tasked with counting the votes, handed Calpernia an envelope. She plucked out the paper and read it over. Her yellow eye went narrow.

She looks out in to the crowd.

"The results are in and... it looks like we're taking Frederick in."

The members descend into uneasy murmurs and a few burst into shouts. Half of the princesses were appalled that some of them actually had voted to let the vampire boy in, while the other half were avoiding their gazes and staying quiet. As Calpernia stared at their withdrawn faces, she knew they were the ones that had voted for Gwen's sake; She guessed they did it in sympathy. The leader held out a hand to silence them.

"Now, Now, everybody quiet down. I wasn't expecting this either but I assure you that we'll be taking this with the utmost precaution. There will be some conditions that Frederick will have to follow. If he breaks them or hurts anybody here then he'll be immediately evicted from the club."

Calpernia made eye contact with Gwen. The two hadn't spoken to each other all morning. The older woman was still quite hurt and angered by the young princesses accusations. Gwen was still a teenage girl; one that had been sheltered behind palace walls her whole life until now. Her instincts babyish and naive. Those were qualities that the woman had to remember in order to hold her temper. But she still wanted to make it clear to this child that she had entered dangerous waters. She made this call now she had to make sure that it was the right one. Or else.

Gwen fought the urge to squirm as she caught the president's fierce gaze. She knew that Calpernia was not happy about having to do this and her glare was most likely was saying: If this goes bad, then its all on you. Gwen steeled herself and returned with her own determined glare She was going to try her darnedest to show them that Frederick was a perfect fit for the club. She knew in her heart that he wasn't a monster.

(End of chapter 19 and we have the OG CPC coming back next week! Thank you for the name suggestions for our boo hag's new name. For now, I'm just looking for nicknames right now. I already have a name in mind but I wanted to write out something a little different. Picking a new name isn't easy. When it come to some people, they have the perfect name in mind and stick with it for the rest of their lives but for others, they try out hundreds of names before coming to one they like. Some don't even pick at all. I'm still going through struggles with picking my name and it's difficult to find one that vibes with me. The few I have in mind, I'm too afraid to even try out but when I go to random restaurants and order under my current one I like so happy to hear it. So when I was picking Freddie's new name, I wanted her to experiment with different names and how they make her feel. That scene where Whitney calls her Abby for the first time is based off the time when I asked my mom to call me E from now on. She said she would try and that was enough to raise my gender euphoria through the roof. Any who, I'll be working on and off with the next chapter, so I'll hopefully see you soon! Remember to Like and Comment! Good night!