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Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Moon Phase - Last Quarter

When Alex was asked if the terms of the deal were fair, how relieved he was made answering far easier. "Yeah, that's perfect."

"Good to know." Shane's father said. "Just have the money ready at least a week before the full moon."

"And if you don't wake up early enough, have a ride ready." Shane said.

"How early? Two?"

"On the 12th of next month." Shane continued as Alex reached for his phone. "Just trust me. That's the date."

"Alright. I'll be ready." The room went silent after that, but a glance at Shane showed no hint of a reason. When Alex's thoughts fell back on his parents, the idea of telling them about the arrangement felt less nerve-wracking than he expected. His friends however...

"Something bothering you?" Shane's mother asked.

Alex glanced at her, then shook his head. "Not really." When Shane's expression twitched, as though he was watching for something he could comment on, Alex continued. "Thank you for the offer."

"Is it your parents, or your friends?" Shane asked after his parents accepted the thanks; he continued when Alex didn't answer fast enough. "If you have to, just tell them it's your choice. Otherwise, don't say anything."

"Even though one of them figured out what happened before I said anything?"

Shane shrugged. "Like I said, but do what you want."

As Alex's gaze drifted to Shane's parents, his father spoke. "Was that all they figured out?"

Alex shook his head in response.

"Then am I correct to assume everyone you know knows about the hunger?"

"Yeah."

Shane's father hummed at first. "If Shane's idea sounds too blunt, you could tell them you found a supplier, and simply leave out any further details."

Alex mulled over the suggestion for a bit; a 'supplier' sounded reasonable, though he couldn't see Nathan leaving it at that. If he spoke up, anyway. "I'll think about it." He said, to which Shane's father nodded.

"In the meantime, did you have anything you wanted to ask us?"

Alex's eyebrows rose at that question; as his head did the same and Shane's parents came back into his view, a few things did come to mind.

How long had they lived here?

What had prompted Shane to go after Angela, or suddenly start killing animals when they had the meat to live off of?

Was there something he still didn't know about his lycanthropy?

With Shane so close, Alex tucked away anything he thought of concerning him; before he could settle on a subject, Shane's mother continued. "You can ask us later if you're still nervous."

As the thought of willingly returning to the house for reasons beyond paying Shane's father entered his head, Alex stayed quiet and still until Nathan's third text came. After a few seconds, he checked it.

Nathan T.: Question: You still have that Vampire rulebook?

Alex S.: Mage, you mean.

Nathan T.: Oh, right. Never mind.

"I'll bet he wants to know about us more than anything." Shane said as Alex set his phone aside, drawing his attention.

"If so..." Shane's father began before stopping himself. "Well, let's leave that up to him."

Shane shrugged. "Alright."

For a moment after Shane spoke, Alex wanted to say he was ready to leave; if the questions were now up to him, he had to have sat through everything they'd wanted of him. At the same time, he wanted to redirect the subject, take some impact away from Shane's statement.

After a lengthy, muffled sigh, and with on hand massaging his forehead, he pushed the tension from being center of attention aside as best he could. "I aware of it all?" He soon asked after slurring one word.

"What?" Shane asked.

"Being a werewolf. What don't I know?"

Shane glanced back at his father, the two of them matching gazes for a second. "I'm not sure." His father said. "You've changed at least twice...does something not make sense?"

Alex threw out the first answer he could think of. "Timeframe."

"Timeframe...you mean when you'll change?" He continued after Alex nodded. "Oh, that's simple to remember. It's every 29 days, minus about five hours and a few minutes. You changed around 3:30 p.m. the first time, right?" Alex nodded again. "And then it happened about 10:40 a.m. the next time. See how it goes?"

"Expect it around 5:50 a.m. next time." Shane said. Alex made a mental note in turn.

"The timeframe threw me off at first too, but it'll feel like a routine at some point. Even the 36 hours that you stay changed."

When things went quiet again, Alex noticed Shane squint a bit. "If you're still fretting about 'the hunger', don't. Just eat when you feel it. Done. No stress."

The shit did that come from? Alex tucked his potential remark aside, though something else about Shane's response began to stand out within a second: When you feel it.

"I can't pre-empt that?"

Shane's father shook his head in response. "I've tried."

Alex returned his attention to Shane. "Then, what were you doing following me that night?"

"You had the same idea as me, just like I said."

"Somehow, I don't believe that."

"Then you don't have to."

Alex snuck a glance at Shane's father after that; he didn't seem agitated, though Alex felt the urge to leave returning. "May I?" he asked after a bit of silence, and after a glance to his right.

"Yes, if you're ready." Shane's father said.

"Thank you for coming by and speaking with us." His mother added as Shane stood up and headed for the entryway; Alex only stood up after returning the thanks and saying he'd have the money soon, a measure of warmth seeping into his skin when he felt out of their sight.

Shane waited until they were outside and the door was closed to speak. "Remember what I said: Just keep it to yourself."

"We'll see how long that lasts." Alex said before slipping his helmet back on.

"So long as you don't give them reason to worry about you, it won't be an issue."

"Doing my best not to." Deciding not to remark further, Alex gave Shane a glance before walking off towards his motorcycle. As soon as he was home, he called Bailey over to enjoy his company; the foreign scents on his clothing held his pet's attention for a while before then.

Although bringing the visit up with his folks that night was simple to avoid, Nathan resumed texting him just before they came home.

Nathan T.: So, what happened?

Alex S.: It was like he said. His folks just wanted to talk.

Nathan T.: Learn anything from them, or...?

Alex S.: A couple things. Won't have to guess when I'll shift anymore.

Nathan T.: Good to hear.

Alex S.: Nice work with those texts before, man. Thanks.

Nathan T.: You're welcome.

The texts stopped for a minute.

Nathan T.: Question: Had any more ideas about...you know.

For a moment, Alex felt his resolve about keeping the deal hidden weaken.

Alex S.: Looking into a few. I'll let you know.

He got no response, and figured his friend was satisfied.

Friday, October 21th, 2011

Moon Phase - Waning Crescent

As Thursday passed with no questioning from either his parents or his friends, even with Marcus working with him throughout his shift that day, Alex grew more hopeful that, at best, he'd have to use the 'supplier' line. At least with his friends; his parents would see right through it.

With the arrival of Friday, he was again left unquestioned by Nathan, both before and after class; his mindset then was more on when the next Mage session could take place, to which Alex expressed hope that next week would work.

That evening, as his father was getting ready for his shift, Alex heard him enter his room. After turning to face him, he was asked what he had figured his folks were curious about. "Have you heard anything from Shane?"

Alex shook his head.

"You think he'll still try and approach you?"

"Maybe, but if he does, he'll have nothing to stand behind."

His father kept quiet for a second. "What about this coming full moon? Any ideas yet?"

Although leaning towards saying 'No', Alex couldn't help thinking back on the 'supplier' fib Shane's father had brought up. And then something clicked. "One." He got no answer, and continued. "Maybe a meat supplier?"

His father hummed. "That makes sense..." His tone was just what Alex wanted, relaxing his tightened gut. "I'll see what my officers can tell me about such a thing."

"I'll see if I can find a company that'll do that, for a good price anyway."

"Let your mother and I know if and when you do." Alex then nodded and stood up to give his father a hug.

Saturday October 22nd, 2011

Moon Phase - Waning Crescent

With a seven-hour shift at Blue Moon the next day, Alex kept sneaking listens to the session Trevor had going on in the back room. The four players were investigating the source of an undead scourge, something that got Marcus to remark with 'It always comes from the graveyard.'

"Or some witch's hut, or a secret necromancer." Alex replied. "You going to join once you're off?"

"Maybe. Fourth edition's not my bag."

"Mine either, but..."

"Give it a few weeks. Trevor'll change the system." After Alex replied that he hoped it was to World of Darkness, Marcus changed the subject. "On that, since I'm leaving in an hour, you want your break now?"

"Sure, why not?" Alex returned a few minutes later with a meatball sub and a cup of soda, deciding after one bite that a bit of game time would be more enjoyable than just eating; the sole remaining character sheet, a sorcerer this time, was his as soon as Trevor gave him to go-ahead to join. "I've got the gist of the gameplay but, where are we?"

"Searching a nearby graveyard." said the player to his left, to which Alex smiled to himself.

"No sign of anything?"

"Nothing visible, but..."

Alex nodded. "Then, I start looking around, seeing if anything magical grabs me."

"Which direction?" Trevor asked.

"Towards the biggest structure nearby, I guess."

"That would be a mausoleum on the north-east side."

"Then, I head that way, in search of magical corruption or the like."

The front door bell chimed as Trevor spoke, taking Alex's attention away briefly. "As you approach, you feel something akin to disgust run up your arms, something that feels immune to being washed away."

"That's it." Said one of the players.

"Let's hope. I call out to all of you."

Between the players saying they were getting into position, Alex heard the register open, followed by rustling that he knew from trading card package foil. Must've had a big sale. It was a few seconds later when an uncomfortable feeling washed over him. The register wasn't being closed; Marcus was fast with that.

"On second thought, excuse me a second." Alex didn't wait for a response before slipping out of the room. Although hoping it was nothing, as soon as he had a view of the front, and of the register, his attention was locked on the hoodied thief holding up his friend, and the solid black pistol in his hand.