FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 3.

John groaned as he woke up, bones snapping as he twisted his back while he was stretching. He felt well rested; after all, he'd just slept in the best damn bed he'd ever slept in. As much as he wanted to go back to sleep, he couldn't for some reason. He rubbed his eyes and looked to his left, where there was an auburn coloured nightstand with a digital clock. It was seven thirty. That explained why he couldn't go back to sleep, he had trained himself to wake up no later than eight. He chuckled softly, here he had a chance to sleep as much as he could, but his daily schedule was in the way. He tried once more, but found it too difficult, so he gave up.

Looking at himself, he noticed he'd slept in his clothes that were supposed to last him a couple of days. Grabbing his sweater, he drew a long slow sniff to see if it stank, but then he remembered that it was washed yesterday. 'Yesterday' he thought to himself. Slowly, the events of last night replayed in his head. He put his hand on his head, 'I just made everything complicated now.' He didn't understand, this is exactly what he wanted. A place to call home. Except this wasn't his home, hell... he barely knew the people living here! He felt like he was intruding and invading someone's safe haven; corrupting it with his own problems. He groaned in frustration, realizing he just fucked up two people's lives.

Then, he also realized what today was. It was his birthday, sixteen years old. He got off the bed and walked over to the window, which was allowing the early, orange bright sun to light up the whole room. Grabbing the window, he pulled it up to allow the cold, crisp dawn air to pour in, sending shivers through his body even though he was completely clothed. He closed his eyes and took a long breath through his nose, enjoying the sunlight warming his face and the slight breeze going through his black, short hair.

He never really enjoyed his birthday. He couldn't remember the ones he had with his parents, and at the orphanage they either ignored him or didn't bother with him. Remembering all those years when he would sit in a corner, crying, wishing that his parents were alive, hugging him and comforting him. He opened his eyes, trying to force the unwanted memories out.

He turned around and looked around the room. He slowly gazed at everything within it, stopping when his eyes got to the guitar. He walked over to it and got down to his knees. Getting closer, he got to see more details on the instrument. It had been used before, that's for sure. It didn't have any special designs, it was just basic black. Slowly, he brought out his hand and gripped the neck. He stood up, carrying the guitar with him, and walked over to the bed. He sat down with his back facing the entrance to the room, with his feet hanging off the bed, setting the guitar on his lap. 'Okay...let's see...it's been a while.'

He hadn't actually played a whole song since the orphanage, so he closed his eyes to help him remember. 'What songs do I know...ahh!' He began strumming, just to get the hang of it again. Then, when he got more comfortable, he closed his eyes to remember the right notes and lyrics. He cleared his throat, and began the song.

"Do you realize? That you have the most beautiful face? Do you realize? We're floating in space." He felt the familiar warmth he got whenever he played a song, "Do you realize? That happiness makes you cry? Do you realize that everyone you know someday will die?"

Memories of his parents flooded into his head, making him form a knot in his throat. He remembered how happy they were, going against everyone who gave them disapproving glances because of their human child. He may have been only three years old, but he still remembered their warm smiles.

Then, out of nowhere, an image of Michael smiling and holding out his hand, popped into his head. Shaking his head in confusion, he continued the song, "And instead of saying all of your good byes, let them know you realize that life goes fast, it's hard to make the good things last. You realize the sun doesn't go down, it's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round." By now, he was bobbing his head to the small tempo, slowly getting into it, his rough hands hitting the notes expertly.

He wasn't looking at the door, but he knew someone was watching him. He didn't care though, this was his favourite song and he wasn't going to let a raised eyebrow stop him from singing it. He sang in a slightly higher octave, "Do you realize? Oh oh ohhhh. Do you realize that everyone you know someday will die? And instead of saying all of your good byes..." he stopped playing, for this was a silent part of the song. "Let them know you realize that life goes fast, it's hard to make the good things last, you realize the sun doesn't go down, it's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round." He began strumming again, "Do you realize that you have the most beautiful face? Do you realize?"

And that was the end. He put the guitar down, and slowly opened his eyes. He picked up his head and spoke, "I already know you're watching me, you might as well come out." He heard some slight shuffling.

"How'd you know I was watching you?"

It was Marcus, he could tell because it wasn't Michael's voice, so who else could it be? Johnny turned around and faced him. He was wearing cargo shorts, with a white shirt and a grey, opened hoodie over it.

"I could smell you. I mean, I may not have a super sensitive nose like you guys, but there's this smell that you guys give off that I immediately picked up."

Marcus stared at him, "Why were you singing that song?"

John looked towards the window, "It's my favourite song; it's what kept me going when I lost all hope while I was on the streets. Plus it's my birthday, and I wanted to sing it."

Marcus twitched, and John turned around, "What is it?"

Marcus walked up to him, "Is today really your birthday?"

John nodded, "Yeah...why?"

Marcus sighed, "Today is the day when my mother died, 8 years ago."

John stood and walked over to the window. "I'm sorry, you have my condolences."

Marcus snarled, "Yeah?....well your condolences isn't gonna bring her back. She's still dead, and now she's gone forever."

John stayed facing the window, "No...you're wrong."

Marcus took a step closer, "What did you say?! Don't you dare talk about my mother!"

John, unfazed by the sudden anger, continued, "I said you're wrong. I truly am sorry you lost her. I know what it feels like t-"

Marcus shouted, "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE!!! YOU'RE PARENTS PROBABLY DIDN'T EVEN LOVE YOU BECAUSE OF THE FREAK YOU ARE!!!" Marcus was shaking, full of rage and irritation.

John cringed at the word, but still continued. "I know what it feels like to lose your parent, or parent's in my case. But, they're never really gone. Sure, they may be gone in the physical world, but they're never 'really' gone." He turned around and faced Marcus, "They are, and will always be with you in spirit, constantly watching over you. But...it's up to you to keep their spirit alive."

Most of Marcus's anger subsided, "What the hell...and how am I supposed to do that? How do I keep them alive, huh? As a matter of fact, WHERE do I keep them alive?"

John stepped closer, and placed his right hand on Marcus's chest, over his heart. As soon as his hand came in contact with the furry, he felt him tense...but he didn't pull away. "THIS is where you keep them alive...THIS is where they stay for when you need them. They watch over you Marcus...and they always will be. But...there's a catch. They can't do it alone. They need your help Marcus to keep them alive inside there. Because if you stop believing that they're with you, then they really will be gone." He removed his hand from Marcus's chest, and turned to look back out the window. "We're born, we live, then we die Marcus, it's just the way things are."

Marcus sighed, "Look, I'm sorry I blew up at you. But I didn't come in here so we can have a touchy conversation." John could tell he wanted to change the subject. "Even though I'm COMPLETLY against the idea of you staying with us, I have to respect my dad's choices."

John turned around to face him, "Yeah, well this isn't exactly the most comfortable position I'm in. In fact, as soon as this God damn injury heals up, I'm leaving."

Marcus took a step forward, "No, you're not leaving."

John raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And why's that?"

Marcus stared directly into John's eyes, the green and purple finally making one hundred percent contact, "Because my dad made me swear and promise on my mother's grave, to keep you from going back to the streets. To let you stay here until you get a stable life, and I intend to keep that promise."

John looked to the ground and sighed, 'Shit!...just fucking shit!...I guess I'm stuck here. The last thing I wanna do is insult his deceased mother.' "Alright...fine. So if you didn't come in here to talk, what do you want?"

Marcus turned and headed for the door, "My dad wants me to take you to get your stuff. He also wants me to get you the new clothes he ordered at the mall. Oh! And here...take this." He turned and threw John a bandage wrap, which had a sticky note on top of it.

He caught it and read the note,

"Here are some new bandages. With them on you can move around more without re-opening your wound. Get to know Marcus a little better, I know you guys are like oil and water right now, but I want you to get along better since you're going to be living with us. I'll be back from work around 7pm, get comfortable. MD"

John crumpled the note and put it in his jeans pocket. He lifted his sweater and shirt and grabbed the bandages there, and began to slowly remove them. Sure enough, under them was a sutured laceration. He crumpled up the old one and threw it in a trash bin that was next to the computer desk. As he was wrapping the new fresh bandages around his body, he swore on his life (which he thought wasn't worth much), that if he saw the wolf staring at his exposed torso. He shook his head, and pulled back down his shirt and hoodie.

Marcus spoke up, "So-Where's your stuff at? My car's working now, so I can drive us."

John, still facing the window, turned his head to the side, "Good, I'll show you the way from here."

Marcus turned and walked to the door, "Alright, let's go."

John nodded, "Okay...hey, your car is in the black one in the drive way right?" He asked.

Marcus turned, "Yeah, why? Is it go- HEY WHAT'RE YA DOING?!?!"

But John didn't hear him; he'd already leapt out of the window. He still had his gloves on, so it made it easy to grab the many ledges on the house as he was heading towards the ground. When he hit the ground, he somersaulted to loosen the impact. He stood and lifted his hoodie and shirt with one hand and checked the bandages. They were still there, still intact and unmoved from all the flipping around he just did. 'Wow...he really meant it when he said I could move around more.'

He walked over to the car and stood by the passenger side and waited. Sure enough, Marcus came running out of the front door, a look of fear and shock on his face. Of course, it went away as soon as he saw John standing by the car.

Marcus was panting, "What...*pant*...the hell were you...*pant*...thinking?!?"

John looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean? All I did was take the shortest way to the car."

Marcus stared at him, frustration and anger replacing the fear and shock, "I thought you fucking fell out of the window!" He held up his index finger and thumb, "I was this close to calling 911!!!"

Now John raised an eyebrow, "You were gonna call the ambulance for me? And besides, I do that a lot. It's my way for quick transportation."

Marcus stared at him in disbelief, "Uh YEAH I was gonna call the ambulance, I thought you were hurt!"

John stared at him, confused. 'He...he was going to call help? What the hell is going on with these people? What's with all the caring? They've never shown it before....' Marcus sighed, "Okay, at least you're fine. Let's go."

John nodded and got in, Marcus started the car and he could feel the engines rumble through out it, a sign that it was in great shape. The drive was pretty awkward. First of all, it had been a LONG time since John was in an actual car. He'd would either take the bus, or walk to his destination. Neither of them spoke to each other; the only communication they had was when John pointed left or right.

When they finally arrived, John felt wrenches in his stomach. Partly because he hadn't eaten anything for more than 24 hours; and partly because no one has ever entered any of his hide outs. He felt embarrassed that someone was going to see where he slept every night. He got out of the car first with Marcus following suit. They slowly proceeded towards the old wooden shack, memories filling John's head from all the years he'd stayed here.

When they got to the front door, Marcus grabbed him by the shoulder, "Is this where you really stay?"

"Yeah..." John muttered, "This is it." He opened the door, and was greeted with the old, disgusting mildew smell that he had grown accustomed to.

But as soon as the putrid odour hit Marcus's super sensitive canine nose, he covered it with a look of disgust on his face. "Jesus Christ! It stinks in here!"

John kept on walking, "Yeah, I know...just keep walking, you'll get used to it."

Pacing around the old shack, John began collecting his things which weren't much. He grabbed his books, his extra pair of gloves, an old gold watch (which was the only thing he knew of that belonged to his parents) and last but not least, his journal, which contained all his entries since the day he left the orphanage. He also grabbed his tooth brush, and cussed at himself, he hadn't had chance to brush his teeth yet. He walked to the back and used the water pump to do so.

Meanwhile, Marcus was exploring the old wooden 'home' himself. He walked around, staring at everything, but what caught most of his attention was the giant map on the wall. Throughout the U S map were multiple red dots, connecting and spreading across the country in a huge circle, "Hey, what are these dots?" he asked curiously.

John turned off the pump and returned inside to see what the wolf was talking about, "Oh... those are my other hide outs."

Marcus got wide eyed, "You have more than one!?"

John looked down, "Yeah...I never stay in one place for long. I always move around, building a cycle so that I keep on repeating it."

Marcus walked over to John, "That sounds difficult; I'd never be able to live like that."

John looked up, "Believe me, it is. Well...this is all I have."

Marcus looked at the items in his hand, "That's it?"

John began walking to the door, "Yeah, this is it."

Marcus got closer and peeked over his shoulder, "Hey...what's that watch?"

John stopped in his tracks; he had to think for a minute. "It's the most important thing in my life, it belonged to my parents...It's the only thing I have that belongs to them. I've had it since the second day I arrived at the orphanage."

He saw Marcus's tail twitch, "Oh...what happened to your parents?"

John flinched, but then straightened himself. "I don't want to talk about it...can we just get out of here?... I want to leave this place."

Marcus nodded, "Um, yeah...we've gotta pick up the clothes dad ordered you anyways."

They walked out the front door and strode towards the car, John turning around to see the old place one last time. 'So this is it huh? I'm finally leaving this kind of life behind. It's funny though... I thought it'd feel better than this.'

They got in the car and drove down the old dirt road which he'd walked on for so many years. As they were driving away, he looked at his side mirror, watching the old shack get smaller and smaller, until it disappeared completely from his view.

~~~~

"What do you mean the clothes he ordered for me?" They had already been on the road for about ten minutes already, and the question had barely hit John.

Marcus was still focused on the road, "When you were unconscious, dad measured you before he performed surgery. So when he woke me up this morning, he told me he'd ordered you some new clothes at a store in downtown. Since they are already paid for, we just have to go in, grab and go."

John nodded, "And where is this at?"

Marcus was still completely focused on the road, "It's at the mall in a small store, you just have to pick it up."

John turned to him with a little bit of uneasiness in his eyes, "Why do I have to go?"

Marcus broke his line of focus and looked at John, "Well...it's under your name. I can't go and pick it up because they won't let me. Hey...are you nervous or something?"

John turned away_, 'Wow, it's that obvious isn't it?'_ "No," he lied, "It's just that it's going to be really awkward . I mean, I've never shown myself completely to a heavily populated area."

Marcus grunted, "Well, you're gonna have to endure it if you want those clothes."

John closed his eyes. 'Yeah, I know.'

About ten minutes later they approached a gargantuan building with a huge parking lot. Marcus parked the car by the entrance, and they both got out. "The pick-up place is right next to a jewellery store. I've got to get something there, so I'll drop you off okay?" John nodded and they proceeded towards the entrance.

Out of habit, John grabbed his hoodie and pulled it over his head, but halfway there a paw came out of nowhere and grabbed his arm, "What're ya doing? You don't need to wear a hood inside."

John slowly pulled his hoodie back, "Sorry...bad habit."

As soon as they entered the building, John tensed up his whole body. The place was PACKED; there wasn't even a foot of space between all the furs! He quickly followed Marcus to wherever they were going, convinced that every single pair of eyes were set on him. Soon, he heard them start whispering, and they even began to slowly create a path for him. He almost came close to touching a female cougar, who shrieked in fright and stumbled backwards. He snickered, 'Okay that was pretty funny. Who knows? Maybe I can turn this into a humorous thing.'

As he was following Marcus, he began to slowly drift to the right, which caused all the people there to jump back, one dude even tripped over his own foot. Seeing this, John smiled on the inside. 'Yup...this could be fun.'

Soon, they approached a red and white store. John looked up at the board, "Kyle's Clothing Centre."

Marcus turned around, "Alright, this is the place. Just go inside and you'll see a sign that says 'pick up area.' Just go there and tell them your full name and they'll give you your order. I'll be next door." And with that, he turned around and went into a brown and blue store with several cases around it, displaying several necklaces and rings in each one.

John drew a deep sigh, and turned into the clothing store. Since it was a store in the mall, it wasn't that big. Just like the on the outside, the colours were red and white, a checkerboard style on the floor. To the right were several racks of clothes. There wasn't that much, but it looked like the best clothing he'd ever seen. Nothing but named brands, no cheap knock offs. To the left was three rows, two were checking lines, with the cash register and all. The last row had a huge sign above it. "Pick up area"... 'That's the one I guess.'

Oddly, the store was completely empty. As he proceeded towards the line, he still didn't see anyone and it began to make him nervous. He approached the counter, and leaned over to look across it, "Um...excuse me? Hello...Is anyone there?"

He saw a small silver bell sitting on the other edge of the counter. He reached over and hit it three times, the harmonic sound echoing through the deserted store. Suddenly he heard a voice, "Hang on!....*grunt*... I'm coming!"

An otter appeared through a door on the other side of the counter, struggling with a huge stack of boxes, each one a tremendous size. The stack was so high all you could see was his arms, thick tail and muscular legs. Just by looking at him, John could tell he was struggling. He'd heard that otters have super strong legs, but these boxes must be pretty damn heavy, because this otter's legs were shaking from the excess weight. The otter began staggering side to side, "Ungh...*grunt*...uh...oh...oh shit!" The otter began tripping forward.

Thinking fast, John jumped across the counter and landed in front of the otter grabbing the boxes from the bottom, saving the poor creature from a painful fall. "*sigh*...whoa...thanks man, that was a close one."

John nodded, "Sure no problem. Where are we putting this?"

The otter grunted, "Let's just set them on the counter."

When they got to it, they both lifted their arms and placed the boxes on the red coloured counter. As soon as the otter let go, he staggered forward. John caught him in his arms, the otter's side of his head leaning against John's chest. "Hey! You okay?"

The otter sighed, "Yeah...I'm fine, just really tired. Thanks for helping me...uh...what's your name?" Still in John's arms, the otter slowly looked up. But as soon as he saw John's face, he let go as if he was melting hot. "Whoa! You're...uh...how...wait..." the otter cleared his throat, "You're a human?!?"

John got to look at his figure for the first time. The otter was well built, not the overly muscular kind, but just enough that you could tell he had muscle. His fur colour was a dark brown, with a brighter milk chocolate colour around his muzzle which was covered in whiskers. He was wearing khaki pants with a buttoned down red coloured collar shirt that was tucked in his pants. He had bright, electric blue eyes, and by the way the ends of his lips were curled upward slightly, he could tell that this otter smiled a lot.

John sighed, "Yeah...um...I'm just gonna go."

He began to turn, but the otter grabbed his shoulder, "Hey! Wait! Look...I'm sorry I acted like that. But you gotta understand, a human hasn't been seen for six decades!" The otter sighed, "Please, forgive me...really."

John slowly turned back around, "Hey, it's alright."

A look of relief came over the otters face, "Ok...so...what's your name?"

John held out his hand, "It's Johnny, Johnny Trevino. But just call me John."

The otter grabbed his hand and shook it, "I'm Kujo, Kujo Samasaki."

A small smile appeared on John's face. Something about this otter made him wanna smile. Maybe it was the huge amount of positive energy that was emanating from him. "It's a pleasure to meet you Kujo." John looked around, "Um, are you here by yourself?"

Kujo groaned, "Yeah...since I'm new here they take as much advantage of me as they can. I'm guessing you're here to pick up something?"

John nodded, "Yeah, I've got an order already paid for, or something like that."

Kujo's eyes widened, "Oh! Hold on, it's ready, just let me go get it real quick." Kujo turned and disappeared through the door, a minute passing before he returned with a paper wrapped package about half as big and thick as John was. "Here it is!"

John grabbed the package with both hands, "Thanks Kujo."

Kujo nodded, "Sure, no prob...So you must be new in town huh?"

John had to think for a minute, "Uh...yeah!" he lied, "Just moved in from California."

Kujo nodded once more, "Ah California, a state of sunshine and celebrities."

John smiled slightly, "Yeah..."

Kujo held out his paw, "Well John, it was a pleasure to meet you. Maybe I'll see you around the city."

John shook his paw; it was full of energy and friendliness. "Likewise, Kujo," he turned and began walking back out the store, turning to wave a quick good-bye to the otter before he exited. He stopped in the middle of the main walkway, a couple of people stopping to stare at him, but he already got used to the menacing glares.'Alright, I guess I'll wait for Marcus to come out.'

He began pacing up and down the hall, slowly thinking about his situation and how he should handle it. 'Okay...so what the hell is it with all the nice people coming out of nowhere? So far it's Michael and Kujo. I'm not so sure about Marcus though, it's like he helps me because it's in his nature, but with all the dirty looks he gives me...it's like he wants to hate me...' He stopped walking, 'What's up with that?'

Suddenly, gruff voice broke through his mind, "Hey freak! What the hell are you doing in my town?" The voice came from behind him.

John rolled his eyes, 'Aw fuck...this is what I was afraid of. Still though...I'm not just gonna let some guy talk shit to me.' John turned around, "Well...last time I checked, Seattle was a city, not a town, dumbass."

The gruff voice belonged to a pit, a huge, muscular and just downright gargantuan pit who was easily two feet taller than him. He wore blue jeans and a wife beater, and had his arms crossed over his chest, making him look even bulkier than what he already was. "What did you say to me you fucking sack of skin?!?"

John stood there, standing his ground, "You heard me ya big brute."

The pit snarled, "Why you fucking...let's see if you've got that much balls in a fight!"

John scoffed, "Sorry but I don't fight pointless fights. I only fight for those who are in need, and to stand my ground. Right now, you're not even considered a threat to me; you're more like an immature meathead who has no shame and thinks he owns everything. Plus, I'd kick your ass real quick." With that said, John turned and began walking away, trying to avoid a problem. However with the pit bulls short temper, he roared in anger and charged towards John.

John, who was still walking away, stopped in his tracks and sighed, 'Guess I've got no choice.' He put down his package and listened closely to the pit bulls footsteps, then, with precise accuracy, he jumped and lifted his right foot straight up in the air, spun around, and delivered a deadly heel drop down upon the pits head. The brutal blow knocked the pit straight to the floor, containing so much force that when he hit the ground, the pits upper body bounced back up about two and a half feet. Everyone gasped, shocked at how fast the human was.

John landed with both hands on the floor in a crouching position. He got back up and walked towards the pit and stood over him, he crouched down so that he was face to face to the groaning furry. "You brought this upon yourself. I didn't want any trouble, in fact, I hate fighting in general. The fact that I'm hurting someone makes me feel like a monster, which people already think I am." He stood and stepped to the side of the pit, and held out his hand.

The confused canine stared at him, bewildered. Hesitantly, he brought out his paw and grabbed John's hand. John pulled him up to his feet and held on to his paw, and shook it in a formal way. He looked the pit straight in the eyes, "I'm not a monster."

The pit nodded slowly, "I...I'm sorry," he admitted ruefully.

And with that, John turned and grabbed his clothes and headed back towards the exit, "I'll just wait for him by his car," he muttered to himself.

After about thirty more minutes of waiting outside, he saw Marcus running towards him. The multi-coloured wolf looked really pissed. "Where the hell were you? I thought I told you to stay outside the store! I spent about half an hour looking like a dumbass trying to find you!"

John glanced to the side, "There was a complication, are we done here?"

Marcus sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Yeah, we've got one more stop."

John looked back at him, "And what's that?"

Marcus walked towards the driver's side and opened the door, his eyes looking at the ground. "The cemetery."

~~~~

John had never been in a cemetery before. He was too young to know where his parents were buried at the time; otherwise, he'd be visiting them constantly. The bastards at the orphanage didn't even take him to his own parent's funeral. They were somewhere in the middle of the forest of tombstones. Some were the regular semi oval tombstones, and some were statues of angels or on some of them, there was just a gold plaque. Almost every tombstone had a beautiful bouquet of flowers, which contained many different types.

Marcus stood there, hands in his pockets, staring down at the beautiful masterpiece of cement in front of them. It was a statue of a female fox, sitting on a rock, smiling with her hands clasped together. Her elbows were propped on her knees, and in front of her feet was a silver plaque with some words embedded into it. John began to read the writing. "Christine Maria Don Carlo. Born May 12th 1979 Died July 29, 2002. A beautiful wife, an excellent friend and a wonderful mother. We all miss you, RIP."

John looked towards Marcus, "She was only twenty three? What a young age for someone to die."

Marcus sighed deeply, "Yeah, I know."

John shifted his feet slightly, "So- how did she..."

Marcus cut him off, "Car accident. We were on a highway bridge, and an eighteen wheeler knocked us off the edge. I was in the car with her. Before we hit the ground, she unbuckled her belt and grabbed me to use her body as a shield to protect me as much as possible from the impact. She died from internal bleeding, her pelvis and femur shattered from the massive trauma. I only got a couple of bruises and cuts." Marcus looked at John, and he noticed there was something in the wolf's eyes. Regret. His fists were closed tight, slightly shaking, "She died protecting me...if I hadn't been there...if I hadn't begged her to let me go with her to wherever we were going...she'd possibly still be alive."

John looked towards the ground, the funny thing is, his parents died protecting him as well. He glanced back at Marcus, "Both my parents died protecting me. My mom was a black wolf, and my dad was a German Shepard. I don't really remember anything about my mom, except her species. I never saw much of her, but my dad...I saw plenty of him. I may have only been three, but I remember exactly what He looked like. He was always smiling; he cared so much for me despite what I was." John chuckled softly, "In fact, one of his ears was half torn off; I used to play with it all the time. I've got his eyes too; they may be a bit brighter, but still his..."

Marcus broke in, deeply interested on the conversation, "Wait...how did they die, and how do you remember so well?"

Anger came upon John's face, now it was his turn for his fists to start shaking. He looked at Marcus, focusing on his purple/violet eyes, "They were murdered." John closed his eyes, dark memories filling his head. "I don't know what they were after, but I was in the living room with my dad when it happened. My mother answered the door; we heard a loud bang and saw her body fly back. I guess my dad already knew she was dead as soon as she hit the ground, so he grabbed me and ran upstairs to his and my mom's room. He held onto me tight, and then took me to a small room that I guessed was hidden since I've never seen before. Then, he put me down and slid on the gold watch that belonged to my mother and him. He hugged me real tight and whispered something in my ear." John opened his eyes, and drew a deep sigh. "I still don't understand what he meant when he told me...it just doesn't make any sense."

Marcus leaned in, all of his attention on John, "What did he say?"

John looked at him, "Promise me J. Promise me...you won't get involved." John sighed, frustrated that he still couldn't figure out what the hell his dad meant. Focusing back on the ground, he continued, "To make the rest short, he shut the door. I heard another loud bang and I never saw him again...next thing I know the police opened the door, and three days later, I'm in an orphanage. I don't know how I remember all that, I just do."

Marcus was still focused on him, "J?"

John chuckled, "Yeah that was my nickname."

Marcus looked back towards his mother's grave, trying to cram all the new information he'd just heard on this human's past inside his head.

John shifted his feet, the previous conversation made him uncomfortable. "Hey...I'm gonna go wait by the car." Marcus nodded and watched the human walk back to his vehicle. 'Damn... his life is just sounding harder and harder, I wonder how in the hell did he last this long? He's gotta be a pretty tough guy.' Marcus knelt down, preformed a cross on his body with his right hand and bid his mother farewell. Realizing what time it was, he quickly made his way back to his car, and they left the cemetery to go home.

As soon as John entered the house, the welcoming aroma of a home cooked meal hit his nostrils. He groaned and gripped his stomach, barely realizing that he hadn't eaten all day.

Michael came in through the kitchen door, walking towards the boys and giving them both a hug, "Ah, you're finally home! I was wondering when you guys were coming back. Oh! Marcus, did you remember to visit your mother? I already did this morning when I left for work."

Marcus nodded, "Yeah dad, we just came back from there."

Michael smiled, "Good, John go put up your things and wash up for dinner, you too Marcus."

Marcus nodded and ran up the stairs, leaving John behind. Michael spoke, "So did you get your package?"

John nodded, "Yup, it was already ready when I got there."

"Good...well you'd better head on upstairs and get ready for dinner."

John nodded and headed up the stairs. He entered his new room and was about to set the package on his bed, when he noticed something. Sitting in the middle of the bed, was a small white box. He picked it up and looked on all the sides, but there was nothing, no writing or anything of the sort. He grabbed the lid and opened it. Inside, was a necklace. It was a rope with several beads on it with symbols that he couldn't understand, but that's not what caught most of his attention. At the end of the rope was a beautiful emerald stone. It was cut, looking like a diamond shaped shard. Under it was a note, "Happy birthday."

He held on to the necklace and put the box down on the bed, and put the necklace on. The stone was the exact same colour of his eyes, shining in the evening sunlight that poured in through the open window. 'I wonder who got me this...' But then he remembered when Marcus disappeared in that store in the mall...a jewellery store. 'No way...' He shook his head and removed his hoodie and went back downstairs. Dinner consisted of a delicious meatloaf with homemade mashed potatoes and macaroni. There wasn't that much conversation; everyone was too focused on eating. He did steal a couple of glances at Marcus though; the thought of the wolf getting the necklace for him was still in his mind. After the meal, Marcus got up and took the plates to the kitchen.

John stood, "Thank you Michael that was by far the best meal I've ever had."

Michael smiled, "No problem John, but can you wait for a couple of minutes before you go back upstairs? I want to talk to you."

John sat back down in his chair, "Sure, what's up?"

Michael chuckled softly, obviously nervous about what he was going to say. "Well...um, since you're staying with us, there's one condition that you have to fulfil." Michael sighed deeply, "John, I registered you to go to high school. You'll be going to the same one that Marcus goes to and you start tomorrow."

John was completely blown away; he only had enough sense to speak two words. "Oh...fuck!"

Edit performed on 24/12/2011 as a gift by RuthofPern, at Madfire's request.