Arrival

Daily Quest: Run 10 Miles - Completed]

[Congratulations, Alexander!]

[You've completed all the quests for today!]

'That's a relief!' Alex wiped his brow as he slowed to a walking pace.

'Now I don't have to worry about random T-Rex-ification tonight. I don't think her parents would approve of the mess that would make.' Hopping over the curb, he finally reached his yard and strode toward the house.

[Speaking of Vikki]

[Are you ready to admit it yet?]

'Yes, Vikki is probably a vampire. I don't see the big deal. I love her!' He thought back to how he felt holding her in his arms before he ran home.

'It's not like she knows about me anyway!' Opening the door and stepping inside, he was greeted by a familiar sight.

"Congratulations, Alex!" Jimmy had been standing near the front door waiting for Alex to return from his graduation ceremony ever since that morning; he didn't appear to age a day in the last six years.

He would have attended the ceremony itself, if it wasn't for the large crowd.

"You know I could have picked you up from the school, right?" He wasn't sure if he upset the young man. They hadn't always seen eye to eye.

"Yeah, but I wanted to get my daily routine out of the way." Covered in sweat, Alex kicked his shoes off and headed for the refrigerator.

"It helps keep the beast under control." He gave Jimmy a knowing glance before continuing.

"Have you made up your mind? Are you coming to the party?" Alexander switched the subject as he took out a water bottle and cracked it open.

"Do you even have to ask? I've told you that family is likely a bunch of vampires! You shouldn't even be going to that party, let alone talking to that girl!" Jimmy dropped his shoulders and sighed. This wasn't the first time they had had this conversation, and he knew how it would end.

"Yeah, but it's my party!" Alex smiled as he took a drink.

"How could I not show up?" he kicked the fridge door shut and finished his water. "I guess I'll hit the showers and head out then."

Throwing his empty bottle into the recycling bin, Alex turned to move down the hallway toward his room.

"Wait, there's something I wanted to give you!" Jimmy rummaged through his pocket, seemingly in search of something.

"I'm not kicking you out," he clearly stated before revealing the item to Alex.

"But, if you're going to be searching for the herd…" Sighing inwardly, he knew he couldn't keep the young man from danger any longer.

"Maybe you should have a place of your own to crash." Jimmy slowly opened his hand, revealing an old tarnished key.

"Is this..." Alex stared, with his mouth open wide, unable to finish his thought.

He gently removed the key from the open palm as if it would be destroyed at the slightest touch.

"Yes! It's the key to your parent's house." Jimmy's voice broke as he mentioned Kain and Carol for the first time in years. They had always lived with their death looming over them, and neither had truly faced the tragedy.

"I've been maintaining it for you. It's always been yours." Jimmy opened his arms and pulled Alex closer for a hug, ignoring the sweat and body odor that still lingered from his earlier exercise.

"Thank you." The young man could barely mutter the words as tears began pouring down his cheeks. He couldn't have asked for a better father figure than Jimmy.

He would be eternally grateful.

After an emotional moment, Alex finally broke free and retreated to the bathroom. He didn't want to face his emotions when he was supposed to be getting ready for a party!

Removing his T-shirt and shorts, he stared at himself in the mirror. Yellow eyes pierced his soul as he remembered the first time he saw his reflection after his transformation. He had grown, ending up about 5'10", which was average, but he still maintained his near-perfect body. He weighed about 160lbs and merely looked toned, even if he was stronger than someone twice his size.

His shaggy brown hair had a natural curl to it that allowed him to grow it out nicely, stopping just above his brow and curling upward. He maintained a decent tan in order to prevent the gray secret from exposing itself through pale skin but didn't allow himself to get too dark.

Alex stopped admiring himself and jumped into the shower to prepare for his night. He wasn't sure how extravagant it would be, but he planned on enjoying it!

Being fashionably late would only prevent that.

Falling to his daily habit of checking his status in the shower, he called up the now familiar menu:

[Status]

[Name: Alexander Jackson]

[Race: Were-Rex]

[Strength:12]

[Dexterity: 7]

[Stamina:10]

[Charisma: 7]

[Intelligence: 6]

'Hmm, it seems now that school is over, I can't stop learning!' He looked at his statistics and tried to determine a plan for his future growth. Intelligence was still lagging behind and he didn't want it to be forgotten.

[That's right!]

[That was probably your easiest opportunity to raise your intelligence.]

[I'm afraid you're only slightly above average now.]

Unfortunately, Alexander found it extremely difficult to raise his stats. Over six years, he was only able to raise 14 points, with 8 of them belonging to [Stamina] and [Charisma].

He happened to raise these numbers when he was with Vikki, making them the most enjoyable.

Not dwelling on his shortcomings, he made a promise to himself to enroll in at least a couple of college classes while he searched for the herd. He knew that it would be more difficult than High School, but it should also have the highest potential for growth.

Stepping out of the shower, Alex reached for the clothes that he had planned on wearing tonight. He had worn similar clothing so often that it was almost his signature look at this point, making it easy to select his outfit.

Sliding on the tight-fitting light green polo and comfortable dark blue jeans, Alex appreciated his look one last time before committing to it. He expected to be out late, so he grabbed a black zip-up hoodie to fight the chill and called a taxi.

Vikki would tease him for putting so much thought into his clothes, only to grab a pair of white sneakers.

The taxi arrived at the house shortly after receiving the call, "Jimmy, I'm headed out! This is your last chance!"

"..."

After receiving no response, Alex opened the door and ran to the cab.

When he arrived at the familiar mansion, he was blown away by the lavishness!

He hadn't helped with the planning, but the girls really transformed the estate! The first thing he noticed was the sizable front gate that had intimidated him so many times in his past. Rather than being a lone steel gate, there were armed guards placed to escort guests to the party!

"Alex!" Two beautiful women greeted him as soon as he stepped out of the car.

"Girls, you've outdone yourself!" He noticed that Layla was still wearing the appealing skirt and blouse combination from his graduation, but Vikki seemed to have changed her clothes.

She was now in a more comfortable outfit, wearing black shorts that allowed her thighs to be on display, as well as a tight black tank top that accented her petite figure perfectly.

'It seems Layla may have gotten to her,' Alex chuckled quietly.

[I don't know how you trust these girls.]

[They fight over such petty things.]

'Hey! I'm not a petty thing!' Alex scolded his system.

"Alex, would you mind carrying me?" Vikki ran up to Alex and jumped on his back, not giving him much of an option.

"My shoes don't work well for climbing hills!" Vikki pointed to her flip-flops with one hand and stuck her tongue out at Layla.

He had no problem carrying the petite women as they climbed the driveway. In fact, he kind of enjoyed it. She helped point out the manicured yard and hedge sculptures that were freshly maintained for his party tonight.

He couldn't help but feel jealous of her wealth.

The large mansion slowly came into view as they trekked toward it. Distracted by the decorations, Alex didn't notice the faces the girls were making toward each other.

The home was bathed in colorful lights and surrounded by hundreds of people. He even noticed a small stage that was built recently, with a live band preparing! Guests seemed to be broken into groups and involved in their own conversations, ignoring the three young people nearing.

"Vik, isn't this too much?" He couldn't help but feel nervous; if he had an incident, the casualties would be immense!

"Does anyone here even know me?" He expected his friends from school to attend, not hundreds, maybe even thousands, of strangers!

"Relax, my parents think highly of you. When we throw a party, everyone wants to be invited." She motioned toward an actor that he recognized from a recent action film.

"After tonight, there isn't a person that won't know who Alexander Jackson is!" Vikki was proud of her boyfriend and squeezed him tight with both her legs and arms, causing him to stumble slightly.

"We even brought on a public relations team to talk to people you don't have time to meet!" Layla joined Vikki in her glee as she squealed in delight.

'Great, so much for laying low.' Negative thoughts flooded his mind as his familiar nightmare returned to the forefront of his mind.

Alex lost himself in his thoughts, nearly releasing his grip on Vikki when suddenly,

"Hey man, we only had one fight. How's it fair to still be sleeping with my sister for revenge? You win!" The tall silver-haired Killian stepped out from the doorway, wearing a red vest and black collared shirt.

"Killian! Man, it's good to see you again!" He lowered his lover to the ground so that he could meet his friend, extending his hand out to greet him. "Seriously, I might need your help to survive tonight!"

They may have been strange allies, but the two seemed to grow closer after their scuffle.

"As long as you behave, we shouldn't have a problem." Killian seemed to be talking to Alex, but his glance toward Layla hinted otherwise.