CHPT 50: You’ve always been a monster

Claude stood at the front of the room hesitating. He didn't want to be anywhere near this woman, he looked at her silver clawed fingers while they lightly tapped and scrapped the chair and realized he didn't have much of a choice. This was an interrogation after all.

"Ahhh. Fuck it." He said as he walked over to her and hesitantly sat in the chair.

"So Claude, I missed you at the infirmary a couple days ago. Is there any reason you were in such a hurry?" Det. Cyrene asked.

"[Family]" Arne said quickly.

Claude internally recoiled at the word, suddenly panicking as nothing came to mind.

"....Family." He said in a defeated tone.

Det. Cyrene seemed to sense something behind his lack of further explanation. She side eyed the back of his head before asking, "Tell me about them. Who did you have to rush back for, Claude?"

Claude felt the mental shackles on his control being pulled and strained by Det. Cyrene. She seemed to have a superhuman grip on them within his psyche. Everything about her made him want to completely lose it.

He closed his eyes and began breathing slow heavy breaths. Suddenly, he had an answer to her question. "My brother....Frosty. I had to check on him while my fathers at work."

"[Nicely done.]"

Det. Cyrene circled back to face Claude. "Frosty? You had all that time to come up with a lie, and that's the name you got?" She asked confidentially thinking she caught him.

"No. I'm not lying. It's his nickname, his hair....has white tips in some spots.." Claude said.

Det. Cyrene exhaled and gave up on the topic deciding to lead with a new question.

"So, Do you know exactly why you're here speaking to me?"

"Uhhh..no" Claude said even though he knew exactly why.

"Well you see, you've been accused of something pretty severe, by some pretty powerful people."

Claude stayed silent and tried to retain his calm and listen for any new information.

She began to walk around his chair. She stopped in front of him before saying, "You've been suspected of being a Werewolf. To be honest, the story is pretty convincing as well..." she said while studying Claude. She looked for any changes in his facial expression or the way he sat. He remained calm...too calm, like he was prepared for this. This pissed her off so she pressed on.

"Hmm. Claude, why don't you tell me what your class is." She asked as she began to circle him again.

"Beast Tamer."

"Mmmm. That doesn't help your case very much, Clllaude." She said, dragging out his name as she whispered it into his ear.

"[She's trying to rattle you. Stay calm and ask a question— turn the focus onto her.]" Arne advised.

"What's your class? Detective." He said while turning to meet her eyes, he suddenly felt his control loosen again and quickly looked away.

"Wrong question, kiddo." Det. Cyrene responded.

Claude was momentarily shocked— he heard the word over and over in his mind. "Kiddo." Jack used to say that.

Claude swallowed hard and regained his composure.

"Why does being a Beast Tamer not help my case?" He asked.

"There ya go." She said from behind him before walking around and continuing.

"Well, you see. I wouldn't be so crazy to think, maybe you're incredibly strong as a Beast Tamer....I mean look at you... how are you 15?" She asked before continuing.

"What if your so strong that you can control Werewolves, as if they're just regular puny little normal wolves?" Det. Cyrene said.

"I have never heard of a Beast Tamer being strong enough to do that. I don't even think that's possible, Det." Claude said.

"True, statistically speaking, it's a weak class." She said while running her silver claws against the back of Claudes chair.

Claude clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

Fwoo!

Det. Cyrene lunged at him and grabbed ahold of his wrist. She placed a cold thumb against the underside of his wrist.

"Tell me Claude, why is your heart rate so high?" She asked while her left hand reached for the blade she had hidden in her black cloak. "This is it! He's losing it. Come on show me what you are!" She thought while pressing her thumb against his bulging veins.

"[.....]" Arne was at a loss for words.

Claude tried his best to hold in a snarl as he replied. "rrr....attractive women make me nervousss."

Det. Cyrene tossed his hand to the side and turned around angrily as she gracefully rose to her full height. With her back facing him she continued the interrogation.

"That's fair....what you said about Beast Tamers I mean. About how they're probably not able to control Werewolves—impossible even. I mean they are all filthy animals, but Beast Tamers just don't get that strong." She said in an attempt to anger him again. She turned and looked at him for a moment, his clothes were damaged and his long dark black hair was damp like he'd been living outside...living like an animal.

She'd reveal the monster that waited impatiently beneath his inhuman skin with her next question, she was sure of it— she knew about his true family.

She crouched low to see his eyes and spoke confidently...knowingly.

"Yea ok.....maybe you didn't control them. But your still connected to them aren't you?"

"No."

Det. Cyrene ignored him and pushed on. "I think it has something to do with your hesitation to expand on your little...family." She said as she dragged her clawed nails along his neck.

He jolted forward at the cold and sharp touch of the silver.

"What does your father do for work, Claude?"

Claudes head rose for the first time. Her voice actively pulled away his newly made superficial layers of control, piece by piece. He felt the saliva building up in his mouth and his senses increased with the slowly oncoming transformation. He began to smell the blood that wasn't all the way cleaned from the wooden floors...Prof. Galen's blood.

"[Claude, if you lose control here it's all over for us. For some reason she's not looking to incriminate you...she wants you to reveal yourself.]" Arne said hauntingly.

Claude suddenly realized she indeed didn't act like she planned on taking him to prison. He tried his best to regain his control and ignore the smell of old coppery blood that now rose from under him.

He let his head hang again, finding comfort in hiding under his black locks of hair.

Det. Cyrene continued her verbal assault and violation of Claude.

"So....what does he do? Hm?"

"..." Claude couldn't think of a lie fast enough and felt that if he told her the truth it would only make it all worse.

"I think I know exactly what he does. It's a demanding job, one that requires patience at times.... and a complete lack of it at others. That's how it works when your hunting and mercilessly ripping into children as a monst—!"

Before she could finish, Claude shot up from his seat and backed her against the wall. He moved so fast that even though she meant to evade, he stayed right in front of her. She pushed herself up against the cool metal wall near the door breathing heavily, not from fear, but excitement.

"He's an incredibly strong Werewolf if he has this much control.....wheheheheh... show me your eyes, you animal." She thought.

Claude held her maddening gaze while he shook silently. She didn't see it but his clawed hand was inches from her gut. He felt his body betraying him and transforming slowly but surely— his gums and forearms itched with the heat of the oncoming unwanted change. He shut his eyes as they began to glow green. Suddenly, he began to hear a voice behind the sound of his heartbeat in his ears.

"[Claude!.....]"

"[Claude!.....]"

"[Claude! It's her eyes. It took me a minute to understand, but her eyes...all of her is coaxing you to transform, her eyes, her voice, even her smell. It's a skill! Get away from her and shut your eyes!]" Arne said urgently.

Det. Cyrene was convinced he would lose control any moment, but instead he quickly jumped back so he was against the opposite wall and shut his eyes. He then brought his hand up and covered his nose.

"What! How does he know??!" She thought angrily. She started to walk towards him with the intentions of doing whatever it took to force him to change. She was stopped mid stride, after hearing his voice. It was different— there was an added element to it, he no longer sounded tense and nervous. Those previous emotions that tainted his voice were erased and replaced by plain and poisonous hatred.

"You seem to enjoy tip toeing the line between life and death. You didn't bring me here to incriminate me or help me plead my case...no....you came here in search of a reason to kill me. What was your plan? Make me think you didn't care about your own safety so when you struck a nerve i'd attack and....you'd kill me?? What the hell kind of Detective are you?.." Claude asked, he was met with silence so he continued.

"Let me tell you something right now while your still silent. If you bring up my father ever again and accuse him of being a....monster... I'll make you wish you stepped over that line you like to play on so carelessly— I'll make you wish you fell into the deep nothingness of death!" Claude said. By the time he finished his eyes were wide opened, they glowed faintly as he met her eyes, showing that his control was better than her ability to make him lose it at this very moment.

Det. Cyrene stood silently against the wall in shock. She didn't have the sense of a Lupine. But she could feel the room being clouded and filled with his overwhelming negativity....Rage....Disgust...Loathing...Hate. They all swirled around her and held her against the wall, intoxicating her completely.

"What the hell are you?." She asked

"I'm not a Werewolf." Claude said.

Now Det. Cyrene's head hung low and her hands shook. "Werewolf or not, your still a monster!!" She said as she pulled out a black handle that a shining silver blade shot out from. She held the silver blade shakily and prepared to attack, a deep and brutal red energy shrouded the shimmering blade as she channeled her Aura.

Claude crouched low and placed his hand on the floor, readying his body to blast from its current position.

Creaak

"What the hell? Is everything alright in here?" The man asked as he entered the room. He looked at the Detective as she held her blade with a fearful look in her eyes. He then looked at the tall and rugged looking man at the opposite side of the room— he looked oddly familiar.

"God dammit, I said is everything alright!?" The man repeated.

Det. Cyrene put away her blade and straightened herself out. She turned to the man and said, "yes, everything's fine now." Her voice shook lightly while she spoke.

She turned back to Claude and walked towards him. She stood a couple inches in front of him and whispered, "My Predator Seeking system doesn't fail, you hear me? I'll find you again— even if I don't get paid for it. I'll hunt you down and kill you, just like you've done countless times to plenty of others." She turned and headed out of the room quickly.

Claude let out a relaxing breath once she left. The man that recently entered the room took a few steps toward Claude. "You sure everything's alright?"

"Yea..." Claude said as he looked at the man. It felt like he hadn't seen him in forever, it also kind of stung to think that the man didn't recognize him.

"Alright, well I'm Prof. Raizen. I'm pretty sure this is my room."