Different

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2
They arrive at Thea's house.
"Run inside!"
Thea yells.
Axl, Cody and Kai start to run inside, then Axl turns around and looks at Thea. Thea was bent down on her knees with her hands dug into the dirt and her eyes closed. As she stood up, the dirt that surrounded the house lifted up in the air as high as the tallest tree, then fell back to the ground. Thea opened her eyes and saw that Axl was watching. Then they both go inside the house.
"What did you just do?"
"I made a protection barrier around the house so nothing can enter."
"You're a witch?"
"No, I'm not a witch. I'm.......... half vampire and half werewolf."
"I saw you turn my car on with your mind and now do a protection spell. Your lights are on with the switch off again, and Ann told me she never texted you yesterday. Vampires are only gifted with one power and you have more than one, it's not possible! And a werewolf? I'm one and you don't have a scent of wolf on you!"
"Calm down Axl I'll explain everything later, let's just focus on Cody, your scaring him."
Axl started to pace back and forth in confusion while Cody was sitting in the corner scared.
"What's wrong with me?"
Cody's asks.
"You're a witch Cody, the last of your kind."
"What? I don't understand."
"You're going to be okay. I won't let anything happen to you. I'm going to call your mom to come over and I'll explain everything."
Thea calls Ann.
"Hi Thea, is everything okay?"
"Ann, I need you to go home and pack clothes for you and Cody, then come to my house. I'll text you the directions. I'll explain everything once you get here, hurry."
Thea hangs up the phone and texts Ann the directions. Axl was still pacing back and forth. He didn't understand how he was around a vampire this whole time. Vampires were his enemy.
"Axl please calm down."
"Calm down? My whole life I have been guarding this town from things like you and now I find out I was hanging out with one. You could have sucked the blood out of innocent people right under my nose!"
"Axl please just calm down. I didn't hurt anyone innocent okay. Just a few bad guys that deserved it."
"Are you kidding me right now? Deserved it? Their human! Humans have their own justice system to deal with bad guys. No human should have to die by the hands of a vampire. Just admit that you were just thirsty."
Axl was furious. He was looking at Thea with disgust.
"Think whatever you want Axl. You know what, just leave since your so disgusted by everything that isn't your own kind!"
"No, I'm staying because Ann is on her way and she's human. It's my job to protect her from things like YOU!"
How could he say these things to me? I have done nothing wrong! I wish I could make Cody feel safe. He's so scared.
Then they heard Ann yelling for Thea and Cody. Axl and Thea go outside. Ann couldn't get through protection barrier. Thea closed her eyes, waved her hand and Ann was now able to walk through the barrier. Ann was confused and scared. Thea leads her into the house as Axl follows them. Ann runs straight to Cody who was crying in the corner.
"What's wrong honey?"
Ann asked with fear.
"Ann, I need you hear me out. I need you to be honest with me."
"Honest about what? What's going on?"
"Today at the park Cody released his powers which indicts that he's a witch. It was believed that the witches were eliminated by vampires about ten years ago, but today it's proven that there's one left and that's Cody."
"Witches? Vampires? Is this some kind of joke because this isn't funny Thea!"
Ann said furious.
"It's not a joke Ann. Vampires can detect when witches use their powers, that's how they killed them all before. I need you guys to stay here so I can keep you guys safe."
"Why do they want to kill my son? He never has hurt anyone!"
"Vampires live by a code. They have remained in their old ways. They see witches as threats because they have great power and they see werewolves as the enemy because they are stronger than them. They believe vampires should be the most powerful beings and anything that might pose as a threat should be eliminated. Anything that's different. Now I don't understand how Cody is a witch. Your clearly his mom but are not a witch. I need to know more about his dad."
"I told you everything I can remember. Now tell me Thea, how do you fit into all of this?"
"I'm half vampire and half werewolf, but don't worry, I will never harm Cody, I just want to protect him. I have been running away and staying hidden for 204 years. I'm different than the others, and I have a great amount of power. More power than any vampire that has ever existed, and they see that as a threat. They have heard stories about me, but never could find me."
"So, your telling me your 204 years old, vampires and werewolves exist, and my son is going to be hunted by vampires who fear of his existence even though he's just a kid?"
"Yes."
"I don't understand any of this."
"I know it's a lot to take in, but I'm going to protect him I promise. I just need to know more about his dad to know where he comes from, so I know what kind of power Cody is capable of. I'm going to put my hands on your head and look into your memory if that's okay Ann?"
"Yes of course, whatever is going to help."
Axl stood closely to Ann as Ann closed her eyes and Thea put her hands on Ann's head.
Come on, please work. Let me see his face. Crap, it's blurry. Come on. Is that? It can't be. It's him! I can't believe it. It all makes sense now.
Cody saw Thea's worried face and put his hand on her shoulder. As soon as Cody's hand touched her shoulder, Thea got a vision of an army of vampires coming for Cody. The sky had dark grey clouds that covered the sky.
"Is everything okay?"
Cody asked concerned.
"What did you see?"
Ann asked.
"Everything was a blur. I'm sorry."
"Please Axl tell me your just as human as I am."
"I'm a werewolf."
Ann looked confused.
"If you're a werewolf then why are you hanging out with a vampire? None of this makes sense. I just want answers that I understand."
Ann said as she was holding Cody close to her. They were both so frightened.
"I don't know why I've been around her either. I didn't know what she was until today. My job is to protect humans. I don't think she's going to harm you so I'm going to go and tell my pack that vampires might be coming. We have to prepare to protect this town."
Ann looked confused.
"Wait, there's more of you? Protect this town? What about Cody? Can't your pack come and protect him?"
"I'm sorry, but we just protect humans and Cody's a witch."
Thea looked at Axl with so much hatred.
"Leave! Go on and protect your humans. Just because someone or something is different from you, you look the other way, or see it as a threat. Your no better than the vampires!"
Thea stormed out the front door and climbed onto the roof to calm down. She watched as Axl drove away.
An hour went by, and Thea was still on the roof trying to control her anger. She then hears Axl's car approaching her house. He got out of his car and looked up at Thea. She closed her eyes and waved her arm to allow him to enter the barrier. Axl then climbed onto the roof and sat next to her.
"What are you doing back here? I don't want you here. We don't need you."
Thea said with anger.
"I thought about what you said. About being different. I'm sorry. It's just that I was raised by the wolves. I grew up on hatred for vampires and my protection for humans. That's all I know. Every vampire that has passed through here came to feed. To kill innocent people. I have killed so many vampires. That's all I know how to do with your kind. I just see evil in them. But you're not evil and I judged you based on what you are and not by who you are on the inside."
"I'm also a werewolf you know. You didn't even consider that."
"I know. I'm an asshole and you have every right to hate me."
"I don't hate you, I just thought you would have reacted differently when you found out what I am."
Thea and Axl sat in silence.
"I lied about my football injury. My wolf gene activated when I was 9 and I was just getting stronger as I got older. I had to do something to make it look like I couldn't play football anymore. So, I decided to fake an injury out of all the other things I could have done or said. I didn't want to chance being noticed and putting my pack in danger."
Thea still stayed quiet.
"So, your 204 years old? Why do you look so young? You probably have seen the world."
"I stopped aging at 17, but yeah I have seen the world, but I didn't get to enjoy it. I would always lose control and have to run away before I would get noticed."
"What do you mean lose control?"
"I'm not just a regular vampire. Like you said, I have many powers unlike the others who are only gifted with one. I get new powers that just pop up out of nowhere. Sometimes days between, months, years. I don't know how to control them. I try and hold them within me, but they just want to burst out. The more blood I drink, the more powerful my powers become. I end up doing something stupid and have to run before I get hunted down. I really do try and control myself from my thirst and powers. I studied what I could from witches I would encounter before the witches became extinct, but I still don't understand my powers."
"What about your wolf side?"
"I'm the biggest, strongest and most powerful wolf but I ......"
Thea looked away from Axl ashamed.
"You can tell me."
"As a wolf I'm viscous. I kill everything and anything that's in my way. I have destroyed small towns, killing innocent people, just for sport. At least when I'm a vampire I kill to feed. It took me years to be able to control my wolf side. To transform when I want to transform. Not like before when my wolf side controlled me."
"And your parents? I'm guessing your grandma and house story are false too."
"There's no grandma, and I built this wooden house by myself. You know with my powers, strength and all. My parents did die when I was young. At least that part of my story was true. I was about five years old. My mother was a vampire and my father a werewolf. Typical love story. They fell in love, betrayed their own kind, ran away together, had me. They finally stopped running and settled down when I was born. They were being hunted, so it was a risk to stay in one place, but they wanted me to have as much of a normal life as possible. We lived in a small town among the humans. It obviously wasn't easy for my mom because she could never leave the house during the day. People got suspicious, but they never asked any questions. It was hard for her, but that town was a good cover to stay hidden. We fed on travelers who would pass by the town. Then one day dark storm clouds covered the sky in the early afternoon, so we went out in the town for once during the day. The vampires who were hunting my parents finally had found them. My parents begged for their lives, but they didn't care. The law is the law and it was forbidden for a vampire to be involved with a werewolf. I was with our family human friend Cindy hiding behind a big bush. Cindy knew about my parents' story. They trusted her. The vampires then killed my parents and everyone in the town. We got lucky they never found us behind that bush. After that, we packed our bags and moved around a lot. Six years later, Cindy died, and I wasn't there to protect her."
"What happened to her, if you don't mind me asking?"
"On that day, I was thirsty, so I went hunting for humans away from our home, and when I got back Cindy was laying on our kitchen floor, her blood almost sucked dry. She fought hard to stay alive so she can see me one last time. She told me the same vampires that killed my parents came looking for me. They knew I existed. She wouldn't tell them where I was, so they drank from her. They knew that I would come back and turn her into a vampire, which meant they would hunt her forever until they find me. They knew how to track her now, but not me. I was so careless with my killings and my messes. I was so stupid then. That's how they found us. She made me promise to let her die, and she made me promise to run and never look back. Sometimes I want to say screw it and find those vampires and kill them, but I know if I attack alone, I'll be outnumbered. If I died that would mean Cindy and my parents died for nothing."
"Thea, I want to help you protect Cody."
"Axl I owe Cody my life. I'm the reason his father died. I don't want you getting hurt for my mistakes."
Wait I thought you couldn't see his father's face?"
"I lied. I did see and I know who he was. I connected with him when he was teaching me how to control my magic. That's why I am connected to Ann and never have the urge to drink from her. Cody is part of his mom and dad. It all makes sense now."
"Well I'm still confused."
"Ten years ago, I had powers evolving within days of each other and I couldn't control them. I searched for a witch, but the vampires were wiping them out so fast, then I found out about Cody's dad, Mark. He was the last of his kind. I asked around and tracked him to Pennsylvania. I finally saw him and wrote him a note that I put in his coat pocket while he was in line at a coffee shop. On the note I told him to meet me at the abandon warehouse to help me learn how to control my powers before sundown. He showed up late. I knew it was risky. The vampires could attack him once the sun goes down. I ended up training with him anyways. He showed me different ways to control my powers by demonstrating his tactics using his magic. For one of his demonstrations I had to hold his hand and he did some kind of spell to allow me to make a connection with him, to feel his power, mind and soul. It's hard to explain, but as he was demonstrating it to me, we saw the vampires heading our way. They sensed Mark using magic, and the sun was just about down. I remember him letting go of my hand, and then
he started doing some sort of erasing spell, but now it all makes sense. He did the spell on Ann so she and Cody could be safe from the vampires by erasing her memory of him. When he was done with the spell, he told me to run. I ran and left him to fight alone. I should have stayed. I hid at the top of a hill and watched as they killed him. It was all my fault."
"It's not your fault Thea."
"I knew the risks of him helping me, but I didn't care. I was just thinking about myself. I owe it to him to fight for Cody. Something I should have done for Mark."
"Cody's a good kid. No matter what he is, he deserves to live his life. You're the one that taught me that it's okay to be different. Being different is what makes you special. You and Cody are special and deserve to be fought for."
Thea smiled.
"So, what's the plan T?"
"I been thinking, and we need wolves. A pack that's fast, a pack that's wise, and a pack that's strong. We all know that each pack has one of these as its greatest strengths. We have to find the packs that belong to each of these categories. I saw a vision when Cody touched my shoulder and there's an army of vampires coming. We don't know their powers. We need to be prepared for anything."
"When are they coming?"
"In the vision I had there were dark grey storm clouds covering the sky as if it was about to rain."
Axl pulled out his phone and searched for the weather for the upcoming weeks.
"It will rain the day after my winter dance at school. We have 7 days."
"Okay, so we have 6 days to find our packs to help fight. We need to be ready to fight on the 7th day. I don't even know where we should start."
"I do. My dad knows about all the legends of every pack around the world. He doesn't have the wolf gene, it skipped him and got passed down to me. Everyone respects my dad as the most knowledgeable of our pack. He knows the laws, the do's and don'ts. We should go talk to him first thing in the morning."
"Okay we will do that."
Axl hugged Thea as they sat in the roof. Thea wrapped both of her arms around Axl.
I haven't felt safe in someone's arms like this in 35 years.
She held onto him tightly.
"Hey are you okay?"
Axl said while putting his hand on Thea's cheek, looking into her eyes.
"It's just that I haven't...... it's been 35 years since.... "
They looked into each other eyes while Axl put his fingers through Thea's hair and tucked it behind her ear. They leaned closer to one another about to kiss, then Thea pulled back.
"I'm sorry I can't."
"Why?"
"The last friend I had......"
Thea paused because she hasn't thought about this friend in years.
"It happened 35 years ago; I don't want to talk about it. We need to check on Cody and Ann and tell them our plan."
Axl gave Thea a nod and watched Thea jump down onto the ground. Axl then followed behind her. They entered the house and saw Ann and Cody sitting at the kitchen table. Thea told her the plan.
"So, Cody and I just stay here and just wait?"
"Yes, you will be safe here. The power will always remain on since I won't be here to turn it off. It's a mind power thing."
"Are you sure Cody will be safe after this?"
Ann said will a concerning voice.
"Yes, he will. I will tell all the packs that we encounter what a great kid you are and how lucky I am to have you as a friend Cody."
Cody smiles and stood up to hug Axl.
"It's getting late, you guys can sleep in my room and I'll leave Kai here to keep you company while I'm away. Okay Cody?"
"Yes! Thank you!"
Cody let go of Axl and ran toward Kai. Kai jumped up on Cody to lick him in his face.
"Thank you for everything."
Ann told Axl and Thea. Then Cody, Ann and Kai walked in the bedroom.
"Are you ever going to tell them about a mark?"
"When the time is right, but not now. You should get going. We have a long journey ahead of us starting tomorrow."
"I'm going to stay, no point in driving all the way home and coming right back, but don't worry I'll sleep in my car."
"Are you sure you're okay with that?"
"Yes, just meet me at my car at dawn and we will drive to my dad's. Are you okay with going into wolf territory?"
"Yes, I'll be fine. Goodnight."
"Goodnight Thea."
Axl walked out the front door. Thea then got a blanket and pillow from the hallway closet to make a bed on the couch. She tried to sleep, but she tossed and turned at night.
Can I really stay in control of myself for the upcoming days on the road with Axl and not turn into a killing machine?
Morning came. Thea got into the shower quietly, then got out and got dressed. She packed a backpack with clothes and supplies for her trip. She then went over to Kai at the edge of the bed.
"Kai protect them. I'll be back."
Kai looked up at her like as if he knew exactly what she was talking about, and then laid his head back down on the bed. As she walked outside, she saw that Axl was already awake standing against the side of his car waiting for her.
"Wow I didn't even have to wake you up."
"I'm always up early. I usually go on a wolf run, nothing like the morning mist and the smell of the ocean to start your day, but we have work to do."
Axl then opened the passenger door for Thea and she got in. The drive was quiet. They had the windows down to feel the morning ocean breeze as it went through the town. Axl's dad lived a couple miles past the town into what seemed like a woodsy area. There were small houses as they passed. They then pulled up to a small brick house.
"Here we are."
Axl said nervously. He didn't know what his dad would think of Thea. If he would be frightened of her or have hatred toward her because she's half vampire. His dad knew the hate vampires had for werewolves and he would be furious if he knew his son was around one. All he has ever wanted for his son was to be safe. Thea grabs her backpack, then her and Axl get out of the car and start walking toward the front door.
"I'll stay behind you just in case I get an urge when I smell your dads' blood, you can hold me back. I'll stand beside you once I know I'm okay with being around him."
"Okay."
Then the front door opens. It was Axl's dad.
"Axl your home! I was worried about you. You haven't called and your phones off. I was about to go driving looking around for you. Where have you been?"
He couldn't see Thea because she was behind Axl.
"Sorry dad I was with a friend and ....."
As Axl was talking, Thea could smell Axl's dad's blood and it had a familiar smell. So, she moved to the side to get a good look at his dad, and then Axl's dad's eyes met with Thea's.
"Thea?"
"David?"
David said with tears in his eyes. Thea ran and jumped up into David's arms. They wrapped their arms around each other so tight.
"I have missed you so much."
David said.
"I have missed you too."
"You look exactly the same."
David said as he put his hands against both of her cheeks.
"How is that possible?"
"We have a lot to talk about."
Thea said.
"What the hell is going on? How do you know each other?"
Axl said with a confusing voice.
"We were friends 35 years ago. Come inside son, we will tell you all about it."
Thea could read David's mind. He was scared and nervous to tell Axl their story because he never told Axl the truth about his past.
"Yeah please do tell me, because none of this makes sense."
Axl said in an angry voice and walked in between his dad and Thea toward the front door.
I wish I knew what Axl was thinking.
Thea and David follow behind him. Thea sat across the kitchen table from Axl who looked extremely mad.
"I'll warm up some water for some black tea with a drop of honey and two sugars, right Thea?"
"You remembered!"
Thea said smiling.
"Do you want some son?"
David asked at Axl.
"I just want answers pops because I don't understand how you and the elders raised me to hate vampires, especially because of grandfather's death, but you used to be friends with one."
Thea had a nervous look on her face. She never told David she was a vampire.
"What are you talking about? Are you referring to Thea? That's impossible, I saw her turn into a werewolf."
David looked at Thea.
"So, you never told my dad?"
Axl said with a confused voice.
"It's complicated Axl. You will understand everything after we tell you about us."
David gave Thea her cup of tea and sat down next to her.
"I'm really confused on what's going on here, but I know you, and everything you do has a purpose so just explain."
David said while putting his hand on top of Thea's. Thea then looked at Axl.
"35 years ago, I came to this town because I was hunting. While I was on a hunt, I saw your dad, he was 17 at the time. He was carrying a bunch of groceries walking down a dark street."
"I went grocery shopping for your grandma because she just picked up another shift at the diner. Your grandfather passed away a couple years before this."
David told Axl.
"There was something about your dad that made me not want to hurt him, even though his blood did smell good. So, I turned around and started walking away. Then I heard a yell, like a painful yell. I went back to where your dad was and saw that he had gotten stabbed with a knife in his chest. Two guys attacked him just for his wallet. Your dad fell to the floor, and his attackers started to run away, but of course I caught up to them and killed them. I went back to your dad, and he was dying. He looked at me and with all this strength, he asked me to help him. There was blood everywhere. I didn't think I could handle being around that much blood without hurting your dad even more, but I didn't have an urge to drink from him, I just wanted to help him. I was going to turn him into a vampire, but no one deserves that kind of life. So, I put my hands on top of his wound to stop the bleeding. Suddenly, I felt all my energy getting drained from me. It was painful, and some sort of light blue golden color was now coming down from my forearms and into your dads wound. I was getting weak, it felt as if my life was getting pulled from me and put into him, but I just didn't want to stop helping your dad. Then he took a big gasp of air. I took my hands from his chest and his wound healed. I healed him, but I didn't feel right. I was so weak and tired. I fell to the ground."
"I saw her laying there barely breathing. I told her I was going to call an ambulance, but she begged me not too. She told me it wasn't safe. Then she blacked out. I trusted her so I carried her back to my house and laid her on my bed. It was like she was dying. She could barely breathe. She saved my life by giving hers. Morning came and I stayed by her the whole time until she finally woke up."
"I woke up, but I was still so weak. I never knew I could heal someone. I saw your dad and he told me what happened after I blacked out. I thanked him and told him I had to leave. I tried to walk, but I fell. He helped me up and told me not to be frightened and that I was safe there from whatever I was running from. He made me tea and asked what I was because he knew I saved his life with magic. I couldn't tell him. So, I just said for him to be safe he can never know and to just trust me."
"I trusted her, so I never asked again."
"We talked all day. Mostly about your dad because my stories aren't meant to be told. We laughed a lot and I had my first friend since I was a little girl."
"Where was grandma?"
Axl asked.
"She would come home in the mornings and go straight to bed from working an all nighter. She slept during the day and worked at night. She saw Thea here and there, but just thought she was a friend from my school."
"Your grandma was the sweetest. Anyways a couple of days later I was feeling better, but a part of me felt safe and didn't want to leave. Your dad said I could stay with him and your grandma for as long as I like. A place to finally call home. It was like he knew what I was thinking, and he told me that he didn't care about my past or what I was, that I can stay forever. We sat on the roof top talking all night and fell asleep up there. We woke up in the morning and went to the beach before anyone got there. I was living a normal life for once. As weeks went by, I was avoiding blood and eating whatever I could to distract me from my thirst. I didn't use any of my powers because I didn't want to cause any attention. I wanted to belong to a family, I wanted to be normal. I was happy. I had a best friend. I had laughter in my life. But one night something strange was happening to my body. It felt as if my powers wanted to be released. I felt my body wanting to turn into a werewolf. I ran out of the house and straight to the beach. As far away as possible I could get from your dad to keep him safe, but he followed me."
"I heard the door open and saw that she had left, I ran after her. I saw her screaming in pain."
"I avoided my powers, my thirst, and avoided turning into a wolf for so long that my body decided to do it for me. As I was turning your dad came behind me to help me, but I was already turning, and I threw him across the beach with my claws. I went into full transformation and ran to him. His leg was impaled with a huge pipe that was sticking out in-between rocks. I could never imagine how you must have felt. You were in so much physical pain and then to see this monster approach you."
"I didn't see a monster; I saw my best friend."
David smiled at Thea.
"Anyways son, people nearby heard her howl and I saw flashlights coming. I told her to run so she could be safe, so then she ran. The people who found me took me to the hospital and I went into surgery. After surgery my leg caught an infection, so they had to amputate. I waited every day for you to come back Thea. Every morning for years I would go to the same spot where I last saw you, hoping you would show up. You never did. I finally gave up."
"How could I come back knowing I could hurt you?"
Thea said while standing up from her chair.
"Look what I did to you! You had dreams of playing football for college! I took that all away from you!"
"Thea please sit down. Don't put the blame on yourself. It wasn't your fault!"
David said.
"Your leg is gone David. I'm a monster."
David got up from his chair and grabbed Thea to calm her down.
"Hey! If I never had lost my leg, I would have never met Axl's mom. She was an intern at my rehabilitation center. She then became my wife and gave me my son. So, thank you."
David looked in Thea's eyes and wiped a tear from her cheek. Thea put her head on David's chest, and he put his chin on top of her head. Axl then got up from his chair and walked outside.
"He's hurt."
David said.
"Why?"
Because I lied to him. I lied about how I lost my leg. I lied about how I found out about werewolves. I lied about my first love."
"What? Your first love?"
"When I would tell Axl stories about his mom I would tell him she was my first and only love. But we both know that was a lie. I never thought you would come back. I told him I lost my leg by falling on a pipe playing football on the beach. I told him the first werewolf I ever saw was one of the elders. My son probably thinks his whole life is based on lies."
David said with sadness in his voice.
"He loves you David. This is my fault. Let me talk to him."
"No, I need to talk to him. He's my son."
Thea understood and David walked outside to Axl.
"Son?"
David said with uncertainty.
"I just want to be a wolf and run for miles. I just......"
Axl was hurt and couldn't get out what he wanted to say.
"Son I'm sorry, but Thea's story wasn't mine to tell."
David didn't know what else to say.
"I understand why you didn't tell me. You love her and wanted to keep her safe. I just can't help but think I grew up on lies. Your leg? Mom?"
"Son I love your mother! She was my world and still is. No, she wasn't my first love, but she was my last. No one could ever compare to your mother. She has my heart and always will."
David walked up to Axl and hugged him.
"Look dad I want to be mad at you for all these years of keeping these secrets from me, but there's a kid who is scared and needs our help. That's why we came to you."
"Of course son, we will talk inside."
They both went inside the house and stood around the kitchen table while Thea sat down on a chair. Axl couldn't even look at Thea knowing her past with his father.
"This boy, his name is Cody and he's the last witch that's alive. He just discovered his powers yesterday. Thea has him and his mom in her house to keep them safe. Thea saw the future of an army of vampires coming ready for a war. Ready to kill Cody for what he is. We have seven days to build an army to fight this war. We need an army of werewolves. We need a pack that's the fastest, wisest, and strongest. I thought you would know where we can find these packs."
"Yes, let me go get my book of notes that I wrote about the different packs I have found from my research. I'll have to find whichever packs are the closest to here to fit the time frame you have."
David stood up and went to open a box that contained a big book. He then sat down and opened it.
"How do you know so much about werewolves? I don't remember you telling me you knew about them."
"After our incident at the beach, my mother came to the hospital and saw the claw marks."
David pulled up his shirt exposing his chest showing his scars of Thea's claw marks.
"That explains why you always wear a shirt."
Axl said.
"I remember my mom sitting down and grabbing my hand, telling me about my father who was a werewolf and how he was killed by vampires. Which was a big shocker since I thought he died from a heart attack. When I left the hospital, she introduced me to the elders. Which are the oldest of my father's pack. The elders told me if I had the werewolf gene, I would have started transforming between nine and fifteen years old, but I was already seventeen, so the gene didn't get passed down to me. I still asked questions, hoping to get answers about you. Every wolf pack they described didn't even come close to you. No werewolf had powers. So, I did my own research, trying to understand you and maybe find you, but nothing. It's a good thing I did all this research because I was able to help many young wolves who needed help when they turned. I was even able help my own son. The elders welcomed me into their pack even though I didn't have the gene."
David then opened the book, and on a piece of paper wrote down the locations of the kind of packs they were looking for.
"I knew our pack had to be the fastest."
Axl said with a confident voice as he read the paper.
"Next on the list is a pack from Tennessee that's supposed to be the wisest, and then a pack from Florida that is the strongest."
Axl continued.
"If these alpha's refuse to help, I will just challenge them as alpha. Then their pack will have no choice but to follow me. We have no time to go look for other packs."
Thea said.
"Wait, what do you mean YOU will challenge them? I'll be our best choice for that situation. You can't use your powers when you challenge an alpha. The wolves won't trust you."
Axl said.
"I can do it without using my powers Axl."
"I'll do it Thea, I'm the best choice."
David looked at Thea then at Axl.
"Son, Thea is the best choice. I'm guessing you have never seen her as a wolf?"
David said with a promising voice.
"No, but as a wolf I'm one of the biggest out of the pack, so I'm sure I'll be able to handle it.
Axl said looking at Thea. Thea started giggling.
"Well I challenge you now so I can prove to you that I'm the best choice."
Axl said.
"What! No way. I don't want to hurt you!"
Thea shouted.
"Ha! Hurt me? In your dreams."
Axl said with full confidence.
"Son you really don't know what you're getting yourself into."
"Have you ever not used your powers while you were a wolf?"
Axl asked.
"Well......not that much."
"Exactly."
"Axl has a point Thea."
"Fine. Let's just get this over with."
Thea said irritated.
All three of them walked outside. David sat in a chair on the porch, while Axl went to one side of the front yard and Thea on the other side. They both took off their shoes, Thea took off her jacket, and Axl took off his shirt.
"Are you ready?!"
Axl shouted.
"Yup!"
Thea yelled.
Don't get worked up. I'm much stronger than him. I don't want to hurt him.
Axl started running toward Thea, Thea then ran toward Axl. Axl transformed first, beautiful brown coat with black spots. He was huge, just like Thea imagined. As they got closer, Thea transformed last minute, jumping on top of Axl. She was definitely bigger than him and stronger. She had a silver coat with black paws. Axl landed on his back but managed to stand up and bite Thea on the neck. Thea shook him off and they attacked again trying to bite each other. Thea bit down on top of his shoulders and tossed him across the yard like a rag doll. Axl bumped into a tree and fell to the floor not moving.
"Axl!"
David yelled from the porch. Thea ran to Axl and used her paw to try and make him move. Axl finally started to get up slowly, shaking his head to wake himself from the daze. Thea put her body against the side of his to make sure he didn't fall. As soon as Axl got his balance back, Thea walked away and laid down on the ground, she was so disappointed in herself for hurting him. Axl knew she felt bad, but it wasn't her fault. She warned him, but he didn't listen. He ran over to her and used his paw to push against her shoulder. She looked up at him and then he ran off. Thea stood up and ran after him. They were running through the woods. The faster they ran, the harder the ocean breeze hit their faces.
This feels so amazing.
Axl lead her to the ocean. Thea walked slowly into the water, with her nose up in the air to smell all the wonderful ocean smells. Small waves were hitting against her coat. Axl was looking at her from a distance, admiring her beauty. She then got out of the water and walked toward Axl. Once she reached him, they started to run back to the house. When they arrived, Thea ran to the side of the house and transformed back into her normal state. She grabbed a shirt hanging on the clothesline and put it on. She then walked into the house grabbing her backpack. Axl transformed after she closed the door behind her. David gave Axl a towel to cover himself.
"I warned you son. She is bigger and stronger. She did well, the other alphas will follow her. Is everything okay with you son?
Axl looked like he was still in a daze.
"Yeah I'm fine."
Axl sat on the porch with his dad.
"Before you guys leave, you want to BBQ some chicken so you guys can eat? I bought way too much. I actually kind of need you guys to eat some."
David laughed.
"Seriously dad? You know I'm always the one that shops because then you end up buying way too much food and it spoils. Gosh old man. What would you do without me?"
Axl said sarcastically. Then Axl stood up and moved the BBQ to the middle of the front yard. David went into the kitchen and grabbed the meat, BBQ sauce and a plate to put the finished chicken on. Axl then went inside the house to shower. Thea was in Axl's room getting dressed. While she was getting dressed, she noticed trophies and medals, pictures of Axl and his dad, pictures of Axl with his friends from school, and an opened folder with schoolwork in it.
Wow, he has such a happy and normal life as a wolf. No wolf can really do that. I know I couldn't do it. My anger will take over me. He must have so much control. He's special. He deserves a normal life.
Thea walked out of the room and looked out the kitchen window. She saw Axl, who was fresh out the shower putting his shirt on, talking to his father, BBQing and laughing.
I wish I knew what it was like to have a family. I wish I remembered my mother and father. I wish I can stay here forever. So many wishes but none of them will come true. I will always be hunted. If anything were to happen to Axl or David because of me, I will never forgive myself.
She then walked out the door and saw that David put her shoes and jacket on the porch for her.
"We need music for this BBQ."
Thea said and saw a stereo on top of the trash can outside, probably broken, but she used her powers to turn it on. Her favorite song was playing on the radio. She raised the volume all the way up. She ran to Axl and grabbed his hands and started dancing with him, then she grabbed David's hands and made him dance. All three were laughing because David couldn't dance very well. The chicken was done so David put the chicken on the plate and Thea started to walk inside.
"What we had was in the past son. She makes you happy, I can see that."
"Dad it's not like that... it's"
Axl didn't know what else to say.
"Son it's okay."
David said and smiled at Axl. They both walked inside the house and sat down at the table with Thea and started to eat.
"You know Axl couldn't eat with his front teeth for months when he was 6 because he lost 5 of his top front teeth within a week! He looked like a sea lion swallowing it's food!"
Thea started laughing.
"Seriously dad!"
Axl said embarrassed.
"As a matter of fact, I have pictures of him at that age."
David stood up to go find the pictures.
"Oh my god."
Axl said with his hands covering his face. He was really embarrassed. David found the book with the pictures and sat down at the table.
"Dad don't show her those embarrassing pictures. She doesn't want to see those."
"I'm pretty sure I do."
Thea said laughing.
"Son I been waiting to share these with the first girl you brought home."
Axl was even more embarrassed now and covered his face with his hands again.
"Wow first girl huh? I won't laugh too much at the pictures. Don't worry."
Thea said with a huge smile on her face.
"This is him when he was two and eating worms outside in the mud. This one is when he was almost four and still in a diaper because he refused to go poo poo in the potty."
Thea laughed.
"Dad!"
Axl was getting frustrated.
"Fine, I'll skip to when you were fully potty trained. Here is the picture of him with no front teeth. This is when he was nine and with his best friend....."
Axl closed the book and took the book from his father.
"No more pictures of me, my turn. On my 12th birthday I had a party at the local pizza place. My dad was bringing out the soda when he slipped and fell, smashing the cake with his face. And the pic is right .......here!"
"Ha! That's the best!"
Thea couldn't stop laughing.
"I forgot about that picture!"
David said embarrassed. Axl put the book back where it belonged. They finished eating and put their plates in the sink.
"Well we should get going. The pack should all be at the wolf house by now."
Axl said to David. David gave Axl a big hug and Axl walked out the door.
"David I'm so sorry....I..... "
"Thea, we had our time. Everything happens for a reason. It took me a long time to understand that, but I truly believe it. Take care of my son."
David grabbed Thea and hugged her so tight.
"I promise I'll protect him. You will always have a place in my heart David."
Thea whispered in David's ear then walked out the door. Axl was already in the car waiting for her. Thea opened the car door, threw her backpack in the backseat and sat down.
"Are you ready?"
Axl asked. Thea nods her head, and then he started to drive.