"Whoa! This is where you live?!"
I laughed at Paul's statement and went to the front door. I unlocked it and opened the door, gesturing for them to come in.
"Yep. Come on in."
Zane let out a small whistle as he went inside with the others right behind. I entered last, closing the door behind me. I walked past them and into the living room. I smiled over at them.
"Have a seat. Let's get all the introductions out of the way, shall we?"
They each slowly came over and took a seat while still looking around at everything. I stayed standing in front of them, clearing my throat to get their attention.
"Now I know you all must be very confused, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Marlow Bridges and I welcome you all to my home. And in case you're wondering, I'm 19. Now I want each of you to introduce yourselves to the group."
It grew quiet as they all glanced between one another. I watched them in silence until Jasper let out a sigh.
"My name is Jasper Cross. I'm also 19."
Paul grinned and leaned back on the couch comfortably. "I'm Paul. Paul Archer. I happen to be 20."
I noticed Zane roll his eyes before finally speaking. "Zane Rivers. 20."
In the next moment, we all looked over at Oliver, who instantly shrunk back in his seat upon noticing everyone watching him. I smiled slightly and went over to him, leaning down to meet his gaze.
"Well aren't you just adorable. This here's Oliver Reed. He's 18, making him the youngest."
He gave me a small smile as I gently ruffled his hair before standing up straight. "Alright then. It's time I fill you all in. You four are no longer human. You're powerful creatures just like me. The five of us are a team, a pack that takes care of one another."
All eyes were on me as I stood in front of them, explaining everything. "I'm sorry for attacking all of you that night."
"So that was you?" Zane asked me.
I sighed, nodding my head as I turned my gaze to the floor. "Yes. I'm truly sorry for doing this to all of you. That was before I could control myself. I hope that you can forgive me."
"It's no big deal. We forgive you, Marlow," Paul said while waving a hand dismissively. "We all make mistakes. Besides, I think this is all really cool."
I looked up, seeing the others nodding in agreement with Paul. I smiled at them.
"Thank you. To make up for it, I'm willing to take you in, give you everything you want, and teach you how to use your powers. Basically, you have two options. You can either stay here with me, or return to your original families and probably get put in jail or back in the asylum. The choice is yours."
It was quiet, but only for a moment as Zane broke the silence. "Tch, like hell I'm going back. My dad works so much that he barely even notices I'm there. I'd much rather stay here. Besides, I owe you, Marlow."
His sudden grin caused me to smile. Paul propped his feet up on the coffee table and smiled.
"Eh, I was paying too much for my apartment anyway. At least here I get a free place and I don't have to get a job. Plus, I'm up for anything fun and exciting."
"I'd like to stay as well." I looked at Jasper upon hearing his monotone voice. "My parents thought I belonged in an asylum years ago. You're the first person who's been so nice to me."
A small smile spread across his lips as he gazed up at me. All of us then looked over at Oliver, who nervously stared down at his lap.
"My mom always tried to make me perfect," he said in a quiet voice. "Perfect grades, perfect manners, perfect everything. But I'm tired of being picked on by everyone. After being in the hospital, my mom thought I was crazy when I tried to tell her about what happened. I'm just a disappointment in her eyes. I don't want to go back. I'd like to stay here."
He lifted his head to smile at me, which I eagerly returned. "That settles it then. Welcome to your new home and your new family. I'm happy to have all of you here."
"Wait," Zane's voice cut in, causing me to look at him. "What about you, Marlow? What happened to your family?"
My eyes widened slightly and a frown formed on my lips. The others all turned their gaze to me, awaiting my answer.
I simply replied, "That's not something I like talking about. I'm sorry."
Zane gave a small, understanding nod. I then turned my frown into a smile.
"Come on, why don't we go clothes shopping. You can pick out whatever you want. Then when we get back, we can eat."
They all seemed to smile at that and began following me as I left the mansion and walked down to a clothing store. I let them all look around and pick whatever they wanted. After picking out all the clothes they wanted, I paid and led them back home.
Once we were back home, I told them, "I'm sorry to say that I don't really have any extra bedrooms. So you guys can sleep on the couches or the floor or whatever, I don't really care."
They placed their bags of clothes on the couches in the living room. "Oh, and then there's the kitchen which also leads to the cellar. There's a bathroom down the hall and one upstairs near my room. There's also a game room upstairs along with an old study full of books and other junk. You guys can explore later, but for now, it's time for your next lesson."
I took them all through the kitchen and out the back door. Seeing that the moon was out, I knew it was the perfect time to take them out hunting.
"So what was it you said about food earlier? Because I'm getting really hungry," Paul said while listening to his stomach growl.
I giggled and turned to face them. "Don't worry, Paul. You're going to hunt down your own meal. While we can change our appearances, we can also take the form of a beast. I call it the Nightstalker, based around that old local legend. It works the same way too, focus on what you want to look like, then transform. Watch me."
I focused on becoming a Nightstalker and my body quickly changed into it. Now towering over the four boys, they stared up at me in awe. Zane was the first to try it. He closed his eyes and I watched his body change into a small, black skinned, golden eyed Nightstalker.
Strange that he's like half my size. Maybe because I am meant to be the leader, like the big, strong alpha of the pack. Despite being smaller than me, Zane was still almost as tall as a person. Once he opened his eyes, he circled around, looking at himself in surprise.
Paul soon followed his lead, changing form with Jasper and Oliver not far behind. Soon enough, they had all successfully turned into their Nightstalker form. I jumped up in happiness and spoke to them.
"Very good, all of you! Now come, it's time for you to hunt."
They followed me into the woods where I explained, "Now I want you boys to understand, your senses are now heightened, do not be overwhelmed by them. Use your new sight, smell, and hearing to track down your prey. Your hunting instincts should kick in on there own. Now lead the way."
They all watched me for a moment as if not quite understanding what to do. Then suddenly, Zane began sniffing the air. I caught the same scent in the air and inwardly grinned.
Yes, that's it. Zane suddenly took off running with the others quickly following while sniffing at the air. I followed behind them, letting them take the lead.
Zane soon stopped and crouched among some bushes. The rest of us stopped and crouched down upon seeing a couple of deer ahead of us. I watched closely as Zane's lips peeled back to reveal pink gums and black fangs.
I can already tell that he's probably going to be the best hunter of the group. I noticed him glance at Paul and Oliver and give a slight nod to the right. Ah, I see what he's doing. Paul and Oliver split off and quietly circled around to the right, while Zane and Jasper circled to the left.
I stayed back, hiding and watching from my spot. In an instant, Zane leapt from his spot and tore into one of the deer. The other one began running right toward where Paul was. He quickly jumped up and caught the deer by the neck and brought it down.
Jasper and Oliver came out from their hiding spots to join in the newly caught meal. I came out of my spot and congratulated them.
"Perfect! Very well done! You're fast learners. And I love the way you worked together like a real pack. That was a successful first hu-"
I cut off my own sentence when I heard something approaching. I turned my head and growled as the Rake appeared. Ugh, not this scavenger again. I will not let it bother my pack.
It hissed at me as I approached it. I snarled and snapped at it to try and scare it off, but when it didn't move, I quickly bit at its arm, letting go before it could claw me. It hissed at its bleeding wound before backing away and running.
"What the hell was that? I thought we were the only monsters out here."
I turned toward the others. "Far from it, Zane. That was the Rake. It's the only other thing I've seen, but I have a feeling it's not the only creature that lurks in these woods. Always be on alert, understand?"
They all nodded as they finished picking every bit of meat off the deer until bones were all that remained. They licked their lips in satisfaction.
"Alright," I said, "now that your bellies are full, let's head home."