Chapter 5. dark tidings.

Eighteen-years later. 

Eighteen-year-old Gavin Johnson was stressed out. Exams were kicking his butt this week. His small social circle were all off doing their own studying. Gavin was forced to try cramming all of these study guides into his memory solo. He was doing everything he could to get passing grades because the one school he wanted to go to, was strict on admissions. He was desperate to get into the Magical Academy of Allario. The most renowned institution for those seeking a future with magic. He would make sure he got into that academy no matter what. 

"Hey Gavin, how's the studying going?" A soft feminine voice came from behind the door as it opened slowly. The soft voice, though unexpected, never failed to place a smile on his face. 

Gavin turned, a smile on his face. It was Erza, his oldest and best friend. She was three years older than him, and liked reminding him when she bossed him around. They met when she became his babysitter when he was only ten years old. The two of them quickly developed a friendship that has lasted through the years. Erza isn't like most girls her age. She was a werecat. She was able to shift to a feline form at will. She stood in the doorway, a dark blue band t-shirt and black jeans on. Her hand was on her hip as she looked at him, hunched over his desk with a mountain of books in front of him. 

"Maaaan, I'm getting hammered this week. Any chance you want to take these tests for me this year?" Gavin asked. He hung his head, wishfully thinking. If only it were that easy, he thought to himself. 

A soft melodic laughter filled the room and lightened his heart. "You know I can't, dude. I barely passed my own at the time and it has now been three years. "You really think I'd do any better now?" She responded, as she stepped into the room and set a can of cola on the desk for him. "Here is some sugar for your grind," she said as she looked over his current paper work laid out on the desk. He had half a dozen books open on his desk, and various different study guides next to them. The chaos on his desk was driving her insane. 

Gavin smiled softly, popped the top, and took a swig before he sat the can down, "Yeah I know. These tests just blow," he said before he turned his chair around to look at the mountain of textbooks and study guides on his desk. "I'm pretty sure that I almost failed the math final yesterday. And I'm sure the science final tomorrow is going to kick my butt." The two subjects he sucked the most at, math and science. He wasn't surprised that he was having problems with the finals. 

Erza leaned over and looked at the study guide he had opened in front of him. She brushed a stray piece of hair back from her eyes and rubbed his back soothingly. "Hey, I'll tell you what, if you pass your finals tomorrow, I'll take you out to a movie or dinner to ur favorite restaurant, my treat," she said, as she tried to encourage him to study hard. She knew how hard he had been studying. He has spent three weeks cramming everything he can into that thick head of his to the point she'd barely been able to see him. 

Gavin perked up immediately. A movie and dinner with Erza? This would be a huge win for him. "Oh seriously? Bet! It's a date. I'm going to crush these tests, then we are gonna have the best date night ever!" he said energetically, not thinking about his word usage at first. He just wanted to spend time with his best friend. It had been too long since they had a night to themselves to just relax and have fun. 

"Oh, a date, huh?" Erza asked with a hint of mischief in her voice. "Why, Gavin, I didn't know you felt that way about me," she laughed at the beet-red expression on his face. She suspected how he felt about her, it was pretty obvious all this time after all, but she didn't want to risk their friendship. It meant everything, and he really was like her best friend all these years. Her solid rock. Her safe harbor when life came at her hard and unyielding. How many times had she gone to his house, and drowned her sorrows over a guy eating tubs of ice cream together and laughing at some innocuous movie on t.v.? 

"That's not what I meant," he stammered, as he quickly turned his back to her. His ears were burning at her teasing comments. "Leave me alone. I have studying to do," he said as he focused his attention back on his books. But deep inside, even though she was teasing him, he really hoped it might just turn into a date. 

 She smiled widely as she leaned back. Should she continue to tease him and lighten his mood, or just leave and give him the peace to study and focus? She sighed, giving up tormenting him for now and stood up. She ruffled his hair affectionately, her fingers tangling in his long black curls before she walked out of the room. Before she left, she glanced back and saw his broad back bent over his desk and he moved papers around, searched for answers to the guides and made notes in his notebooks. She smiled to herself as she had every confidence he would pass his exams the following day. 

Erza walked down the hallway and said goodbye to Lucian and Evelyn Johnson, his parents. "Oh you're leaving already, dear? " Mrs Johnson, a short, sweet human woman asked. She barely reached five feet but yet had the biggest, kindest heart that Erza had ever met. 

"Yeah, Mrs Johnson, he's studying hard, and I guess he forgot our plans to hang out after school tonight, so I'm going to let him study in peace", she responded, and waved a hand. She didn't want to interrupt him. 

"Don't you want to stay for dinner?" Mr Johnson asked, his deep voice a soft rumble in the kitchen. She smiled as she looked between the Johnson's. They always had treated her as family through all these years. They were really like a second set of parents to her. 

"No, thank you, Aria and Lyla need my help for a music video project, so I have to go save the day" she said with a laugh. Her best friends were always getting in over their heads on these business projects. 

"Alright, be safe" Mrs Johnson said as she grabbed the plate and silverware for Erza from the table and walked over to put them back in the cupboards. 

As the front door shut, Mrs. Johnson looked at her husband and smiled sweetly. "Dear, when will those two finally get together?" She asked him in a hushed voice. They had been tight as thieves ever since she started coming over to watch Gavin. 

Mr. Johnson laughed good-naturedly. "Darling, I don't know. They've been thick as thieves ever since she first came to babysit for us and have been inseparable ever since," Mr. Johnson took a glass out of the cupboard and poured him some coffee before continuing. "I'd been waiting for it for a long time. But he just can't seem to get the courage to confess he likes her. He'll probably say something once he graduates and finals are done," he said as he took his seat at the table. He had no doubt that Gavin would eventually say something to Erza. The only question on most people's minds was when? 

"But those extremists," Mrs Johnson commented worriedly. She recalled the day they found Gavin. The bodies. The smell of burned flesh. "What if they find out about them and go after either one of them?"

"I'm sure things will be fine." Mr. Johnson said as he took a deep, satisfying drink of the cold coffee. "As far as they were concerned, all their targets were dispatched and they left no survivors." He said in a hushed response. He still had nightmares from the images they saw and the screams they heard that day. "We need to tell Gavin the truth, and soon," Mr. Johnson's deep voice filled her ears. 

"No. He's far too young to know yet", Mrs Johnson refused to acknowledge their secret that they'd kept hidden all these years from her precious son. "I don't think he'd ever forgive us for not telling him sooner", she whispered mournfully at the thought of his anger over finding out. What would his reaction be, after discovering his entire birth family was slaughtered and he was the sole survivor of a group that they had no idea of finding any information out on. 

"Let's cross that road when we get to it, dear," Mr Johnson said peacefully as he glanced upstairs to where Gavin was most assuredly studying his backside off, he prayed that his son didn't choose this moment to come downstairs for dinner. 

"For now, let's let the boy worry about passing his finals," he proclaimed as he set his cup on the table as a breaking news story came on the TV. 

This is just in. In Kuerien city, officials found the disposed bodies of several shifters and their believed partners beaten and hung under a bridge. The perpetrators are still at large and unknown at this time. Anyone with information should call the authorities. A reward is being offered currently for information leading to the arrest and sentencing of people responsible.

As quickly as it came, it left and both the Johnsons felt a twinge of fear settle in their hearts, thinking of the two they wanted to get together. Their son and the girl he longed for.