Chapter 5

When the bell rang, it was time to leave, but I didn't leave until 6:00 since I had to see the principal about how poor my math grades were. I am walking home today since my dad went out in his car.

I take a shortcut through the woods and begin walking. The wood is peaceful. A few minutes later, I heard a scream. "Help me, someone help me." I ran towards where the sound was coming from. The scream gets louder. I stop when I see a figure biting her intestines and flesh. On instinct, I yell. "Hey, get off of her," I say bravely as I throw a stone at it.

When I saw his face, I was in shock. He finally stands up and growls. He is huge and he looks at me. I saw the blood and got tempted to feed, but I didn't want to be a monster. I'm not a monster, I remind myself. I start breathing fast as I move back step by step, swallowing hard. I turned and started running. I run without looking back to see if the beast is chasing after me or not.

"Mom," I scream as I run into the house and shut the door behind me. I use all the locks in front of the door to secure it even more. "Mom-I-I saw a beast." I stutter. "I think it followed me from the shadow world," I say, panicking.

"Calm down, baby." She places her hands on my face and hugs me. "That's not possible; the Silas brothers can't pass through the barrier."

I release myself from her grip. "What are the Scilas brothers?" I look at her, confused.

"It's a who, not a what." Dad interrupts.

"They are the psychic bloodsuckers, and they can sense prey the moment they feel you are insightful." Mom continues.

"You, as an immortal, can also sense them and see them, but humans can't unless you give them the vision to." Arden cuts in. "So, since you are not dead, Yet... they are not here." He adds.

"But mama, I saw the beast rip the woman apart and was eating her flesh and intestines: everything!!!" I became serious, but they still didn't believe me. "I saw the blood mom and I couldn't control myself. I wanted to go to it and also feed, plus my fangs were forcing their way out. I ran as fast as I could to avoid both the blood and the beast." I opened my teeth for them to see the fangs, but my teeth were already normal.

Mom looks at Dad, and then Dad looks at me. "Sit dear." He says this as Arden turns on the TV.

"See, there is no news, so I don't think you saw a beast," Arden says. Immediately after he leaves, the news comes up, and we all focus on the screen. The NYPD is tying tape around the scene, and the photographers are taking pictures. "What type of animal would have done this?" a police officer says.

"We don't know, sir, but whatever you did, this is not normal." Another police officer replied.

I look at my parents. "You see, I'm not going mad."

"Okay, how about we leave the job to the NYPD to do." Dad implies.

I started to laugh the moment I heard my dad say that. "We all know the NYPD won't survive and they will die if they go after that thing."

"True and more will be back if we don't stop them now." Mom agrees, then looks at me. "Let's visit the council." She adds.

I stood up. "You all can go. I have homework to do."

"Homework?" dad asks.

"You told me to try blending with human dad."

"Okay, you can stay and we will be back before midnight — lock the door," Mom says as they all leave the house. I hear the car drive off, I lock the door, and I walk up to my room.

A few minutes later, I heard something hard hit my window. Who could that be? I walk to open my curtains and the window. I brought my head out to see who it was and I saw Chase Parker waving at me. In shock, I close the curtains and open them back after a few seconds.

"Let me in," he says as he climbs the ladder and enters through the window after I left it there for him to pass.

"What are you doing here?" I ask as I sigh. "How did you even know my house?"

"I followed you here and now your house is..."

"Not like other houses... a little lonely and hidden inside the bush."I completed

"Kinda off." He places his hand on his head.

"Okay, wait, did you see the beast?" I need to ask him since mom says humans can't see them.

"What beast?" he asks as he walks to my bed.

"Never mind"

"I only saw a few police cars in the woods." He adds as he picks up my homework.

"You need to leave," I say as I look at him. "My parents will be here any minute." I lied.

"Chill, I just came here to help you out with your math homework. My aunt said you have problems with that and your grades are really bad in today's class."

"Aunty: who is your aunty?" I ask, confusingly.

"You don't know who my aunty is?"

"No, I don't."

"Well, principal Elise is my aunty."

"I'm not surprised," I reply. Well, I was surprised. "And, yes, I need help," I say.

"I figured." He gives a small smile.

"Okay." I hand him my pen and he frowns.

"What are you doing?" he asks as he collects the pen from me.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't do your homework for you." He says, then closes the book.

"Then why are you here?" I ask again.

"I am here to help you."

"Exactly!" I say.

"You are getting it all wrong; I am here to help you know it, not help you do it. There is a difference."

I frown and place my hands on my hips.

"Sit." He says. "Let me teach you the formulas, then you can do the rest yourself." He opens the book again. After hours of studying, we hear a knock on the door.

"Are you expecting someone?" Chase asks.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you, but here you are," I say silently.

"Did you say something?" he asked as he fixed his gaze on me.

"Nothing"

I walk to the living room and open the door. I see two men in uniform. They bring out their badges and show them to me.

"NYPD?" I ask. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Where are your parents?" The first one asks.

"They are not home. Why?"

"I can't talk to a child. We will come back to see them."

"I am 18 and not a child."

"We will be back." The second one is assured as they leave.

I turned to look at Chase, who was on the stairs.When the bell rang, it was time to leave, but I didn't leave until 6:00 since I had to see the principal about how poor my math grades were. I am walking home today since my dad went out in his car.

I take a shortcut through the woods and begin walking. The wood is peaceful. A few minutes later, I heard a scream. "Help me, someone help me." I ran towards where the sound was coming from. The scream gets louder. I stop when I see a figure biting her intestines and flesh. On instinct, I yell. "Hey, get off of her," I say bravely as I throw a stone at it.

When I saw his face, I was in shock. He finally stands up and growls. He is huge and he looks at me. I saw the blood and got tempted to feed, but I didn't want to be a monster. I'm not a monster, I remind myself. I start breathing fast as I move back step by step, swallowing hard. I turned and started running. I run without looking back to see if the beast is chasing after me or not.

"Mom," I scream as I run into the house and shut the door behind me. I use all the locks in front of the door to secure it even more. "Mom-I-I saw a beast." I stutter. "I think it followed me from the shadow world," I say, panicking.

"Calm down, baby." She places her hands on my face and hugs me. "That's not possible; the Silas brothers can't pass through the barrier."

I release myself from her grip. "What are the Scilas brothers?" I look at her, confused.

"It's a who, not a what." Dad interrupts.

"They are the psychic bloodsuckers, and they can sense prey the moment they feel you are insightful." Mom continues.

"You, as an immortal, can also sense them and see them, but humans can't unless you give them the vision to." Arden cuts in. "So, since you are not dead, Yet... they are not here." He adds.

"But mama, I saw the beast rip the woman apart and was eating her flesh and intestines: everything!!!" I became serious, but they still didn't believe me. "I saw the blood mom and I couldn't control myself. I wanted to go to it and also feed, plus my fangs were forcing their way out. I ran as fast as I could to avoid both the blood and the beast." I opened my teeth for them to see the fangs, but my teeth were already normal.

Mom looks at Dad, and then Dad looks at me. "Sit dear." He says this as Arden turns on the TV.

"See, there is no news, so I don't think you saw a beast," Arden says. Immediately after he leaves, the news comes up, and we all focus on the screen. The NYPD is tying tape around the scene, and the photographers are taking pictures. "What type of animal would have done this?" a police officer says.

"We don't know, sir, but whatever you did, this is not normal." Another police officer replied.

I look at my parents. "You see, I'm not going mad."

"Okay, how about we leave the job to the NYPD to do." Dad implies.

I started to laugh the moment I heard my dad say that. "We all know the NYPD won't survive and they will die if they go after that thing."

"True and more will be back if we don't stop them now." Mom agrees, then looks at me. "Let's visit the council." She adds.

I stood up. "You all can go. I have homework to do."

"Homework?" dad asks.

"You told me to try blending with human dad."

"Okay, you can stay and we will be back before midnight — lock the door," Mom says as they all leave the house. I hear the car drive off, I lock the door, and I walk up to my room.

A few minutes later, I heard something hard hit my window. Who could that be? I walk to open my curtains and the window. I brought my head out to see who it was and I saw Chase Parker waving at me. In shock, I close the curtains and open them back after a few seconds.

"Let me in," he says as he climbs the ladder and enters through the window after I left it there for him to pass.

"What are you doing here?" I ask as I sigh. "How did you even know my house?"

"I followed you here and now your house is..."

"Not like other houses... a little lonely and hidden inside the bush."I completed

"Kinda off." He places his hand on his head.

"Okay, wait, did you see the beast?" I need to ask him since mom says humans can't see them.

"What beast?" he asks as he walks to my bed.

"Never mind"

"I only saw a few police cars in the woods." He adds as he picks up my homework.

"You need to leave," I say as I look at him. "My parents will be here any minute." I lied.

"Chill, I just came here to help you out with your math homework. My aunt said you have problems with that and your grades are really bad in today's class."

"Aunty: who is your aunty?" I ask, confusingly.

"You don't know who my aunty is?"

"No, I don't."

"Well, principal Elise is my aunty."

"I'm not surprised," I reply. Well, I was surprised. "And, yes, I need help," I say.

"I figured." He gives a small smile.

"Okay." I hand him my pen and he frowns.

"What are you doing?" he asks as he collects the pen from me.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't do your homework for you." He says, then closes the book.

"Then why are you here?" I ask again.

"I am here to help you."

"Exactly!" I say.

"You are getting it all wrong; I am here to help you know it, not help you do it. There is a difference."

I frown and place my hands on my hips.

"Sit." He says. "Let me teach you the formulas, then you can do the rest yourself." He opens the book again. After hours of studying, we hear a knock on the door.

"Are you expecting someone?" Chase asks.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you, but here you are," I say silently.

"Did you say something?" he asked as he fixed his gaze on me.

"Nothing"

I walk to the living room and open the door. I see two men in uniform. They bring out their badges and show them to me.

"NYPD?" I ask. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Where are your parents?" The first one asks.

"They are not home. Why?"

"I can't talk to a child. We will come back to see them."

"I am 18 and not a child."

"We will be back." The second one is assured as they leave.

I turned to look at Chase, who was on the stairs.