The Masquerade

The Set Up

"It's just a first impression. I mean, you're protecting her and you offered to help me learn how to control my transformations..." His voice faded as he saw that her serious expression had not changed. He looked away, stretching out the arm on the opposite side to her. She continued walking, not looking at him anymore.

"I have moments of charity. And we can not have you going around mauling the citizens of this town every month," Sophia claimed in response. Tate looked a little sick at her words so she continued.

"You can come to Mackenzie's training sessions and I will teach you then. I am staying at the house at the end of the block, you should be there at eight am tomorrow," She explained. He opened his mouth to protest, but she turned and walked away briskly.

When she returned to the yard, Julian was by the large fountain in the back with his hands in his pockets and Mackenzie and Allison were speaking in hushed tones by the table. She walked to her brother, her head held high, and the blonde girl at the table stared as she passed.

"Hey sis," Julian greeted her, not looking up from the fountain in front of him. Sophia didn't waste time.

"We're going to need to see this Tony man. He sounds like the keeper of this town," Sophia said. Julian put his hand in the running water.

"We're going to have to talk to Mackenzie about that," He muttered.

"You consult her before you do things." Sophia didn't say it like a question. She was simply stating an observation.

"Yeah, well guilt makes you do funny things. You would know about that." He finally looked at Sophia and she turned away, ignoring what he said.

"We also need to work out some sort of schedule. The hunter is going to continue to terrorize her."

"Is he really?" Mackenzie questioned loudly from a few feet away, obviously eavesdropping on their conversation. Allison was on her phone typing with urgency from next to her.

"Most likely," Sophia answered, watching as Mackenzie's expression turned grim. Julian stepped forward.

"I could always spend the night at your place," Julian offered with a wink. Mackenzie rolled her eyes.

"Only if you'd like to be castrated," She said with a smile. Julian winced.

"Okay, then Soph can stay with you," He offered, "I trust my sister to entertain you with her old lady ways."

"I am sure Mackenzie doesn't want me to stay at her house," Sophia said. Mackenzie shook her head.

"No, that sounds like a decent idea. I like you more than your brother," She said.

"Just keep telling yourself that," Julian claimed with half a smile. Sophia stayed silent, thinking through the outcomes of her staying with Mackenzie. She was not one for human interaction, and years of isolation brought her to the point of needing to feed before she went into public. She didn't know what staying with a human overnight could do to her. But she could not leave Mackenzie to be so frightened she lost sleep, especially with them starting training the next morning.

"We have a guest room," Mackenzie prodded, interupting her thoughts. Sophia took a deep breath.

"I will stay with you," She said, "But I am going to need to feed first, and you have to agree to take me and Julian to the man who runs the bookstore tomorrow."

Mackenzie sucked in a breath, looking taken aback, "Sure."

"Good, then I will have to go get myself prepared and talk with Mrs. Addison about the wards, seeing as my brother had more important things on his mind than doing what I asked of him," Sophia stated, leaving with a nod at Mackenzie and a pointed look towards Julian.

"Sorry, murderous werewolf takes priority," He yelled after her.

*** 

-Tate-

When he re-entered the yard Sophia had joined her brother at the edge of the yard and Mackenzie was walking towards them. Allison Metcalf stood by the table looking from her phone to the conversation taking place near her. Tate walked over to join her.

"So, do I scare you too?" He asked from behind her, making her jump a little. Her face softened when she saw him.

"We were in the same art class in fourth grade, Tate. I still see you as the guy that ruined my stain glass painting," She said, her green eyes wide. He smiled at the memory.

"I remember that. It made you cry and Mackenzie told me off big time," He looked from the red headed girl to Allison, who was now smiling at the memory too.

"Yeah, she was using words I'd never even heard before," She laughed.

"But you told me it was okay, you'd just make a new one," Tate finished the story with an odd sense of nostalgia. He remembered being in the same grade school as these girls, but his life had never really meshed with theirs. He was always the poor kid who hung out with other people who's parents didn't give a shit about them. Allison and Mackenzie had PTA parents and, in Mackenzie's case, a protective older brother. He never really resented them for it, he just didn't run in the same circle as them for obvious reasons.

"Uh, I've just got to tell Mackenzie about this message, then I'll be heading home," Allison explained with a gesture at her phone, "I have to stay as far away from here as possible for a while."

"Safety reasons?" Tate asked. When Allison nodded, he continued, "I could walk you home."

"Would you?" Allison asked in return. He smiled and she flushed a little.

"Uh, thanks. With all this going on, that would mean a lot," Allison continued. Tate nodded. Mackenzie walked up to them a moment later, looking stressed. After the talk of grade school with her and Allison, Tate couldn't help but look at the girls by him and compare them to how he had seen them when they were children. Neither seemed to have change too much over the years. Mackenzie was always that pretty girl who got a little less attractive when she opened her mouth. She wasn't exactly rude, but there was something about how blunt and nosy she was that never exactly sat right with him. Allison on the other hand, he always found gorgeous, if unapproachable in the way that pretty and shy girls usually were. Now in the course of less than a day he'd seen other traits of both girls.

"Allison, did Josh reply?" Mackenzie asked, her arms crossed in front of her. Allison pulled out her phone and showed it to her. Mackenzie read whatever was on the screen and her expression turned sour.

"You're in for it later," Allison muttered. Mackenzie forcefully handed the phone back.

"He can take a chill pill," Mackenzie snapped, "Or OD on them for all I care."

"He doesn't know that you're trying to protect him," Allison said. Tate watched the exchange, his eyes moving from one girl to the other. He didn't know who they were talking about, and he honestly didn't care too much. He had more important things on his mind, like what he'd be doing during the next full moon.

That was something he'd have to ask Sophia tomorrow.

"So are you heading home now?" Mackenzie asked Allison.

"Yeah, Tate's going to walk me home," Allison responded. Mackenzie raised an eyebrow at her friend, and Tate almost smiled at Allison's blushing response.

"Well you two kids have fun. And be careful around him, I've heard he's an animal," Mackenzie said. When Tate flinched, she frowned. "Too soon?"

"Maybe a little," He responded.

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There were 3 POV changes, so I hope things didn't get confusing. And yes, I seriously called a set up chapter The Set Up.  How "annoyingly meta" of me.