《Blessing Avenue》


 Chapter 1

    Sometimes I get philosophical when I''m dealing with the jocks, especially when I''m holding one of them by the ankles, suspending them over a toilet. This is what my dad calls a "swirly", but seeing as how he''s old I can''t hold it against him for knowing such a corny name. Anyway, the reason for my getting all Socrates-like is this: a bully is someone who preys on those who are weaker, right? Well seeing as how I''m preying on the bullies who think they can pick on my friends, does that make me a bully? I don''t think so, and neither do my friends. Maybe I''ll take a class on it when I go to college because questions like that make me think.


    As I started to lower the jock to apply the famous swirly to his hair, he had the gall to put his hands on the rim of the toilet. "You better let me go, Kevinson!" the jock said, which led me to wonder why in hell people think using someone''s last name is more effective than their first. Whatever. I moved one hand from his ankle to his head, pushing it down under the water. He put up a pretty good struggle, no surprise there, and I had to grab both his ankles so he wouldn''t boot me on the head. He was thrashing around pretty good, so I kept him under for a few more seconds before I flushed the toilet. The sputtering sounds that came from his lips were music to my ears and gave me a serious case of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    I lowered his legs about halfway down towards the floor then just released them, and I took a step back to enjoy the ballet of awkward flailing of feet as he struggled to regain his footing. It was hard to believe this clumsy waterlogged Neanderthal was our so-called star quarterback. Then again, I guess I could believe it since I turned down the coach''s offer to join the team. Wouldn''t have been fair anyway, since I have advantages no one else has in our school.


    When Manny¡ªthe star quarterback¡ªfinally stood up to face me, bangs dripping over his hate-filled eyes, I calmly leaned up against the bathroom sink, arms folded across my chest. I knew Manny wanted to kick my ass, but I also knew he wasn''t about to try. Manny, like all bullies in Trinity High School, was scared of me. If he''d known I was there when he was picking on my Algebra tutor, he''d have left him alone. But Manny didn''t know, and that''s why he had a soaked head.


    "You''re gonna pay for that, Kevinson," Manny said. It was an empty threat, and we both knew it. He was a big guy¡ªsix feet and two hundred pounds worth of broad shouldered, barrel-chested muscle. He was the type of guy I''m into, if you know what I''m talking about. Compared to me, though, he wasn''t anything special. I was three inches taller than him and fifty pounds heavier. I had that kind of body that could one day win a Mister Universe competition if I gave a damn, but I only cared about two things. One was protecting my turf.


    "I''m not going to pay for anything," I said. "Now piss off or I''ll use a toilet that hasn''t been flushed for awhile." As a matter of fact, there was one the next stall over. So we stood there, staring each other down, waiting to see who would blink first. I was getting all geared up to humiliate him some more when he looked away and stormed out of the bathroom. Mission accomplished, I gave Manny two seconds to get the hell out of there and checked on my long mane of red hair, then left the bathroom as well. Naturally, Manny was nowhere in sight.


    "You shouldn''t have stepped in like that, Izzy," my tutor said as soon as I entered the hallway. Remember how I said there were two things I cared about? Joshua was the second one. And here he was, complaining about my rescue. That''s gratitude for you.


    I shrugged. "He shouldn''t pick on you." I said, stating the obvious.


    "I can defend myself," he said, picking up his book bag by the shoulder strap.


    I tried my best to suppress a smirk as I looked him over. Best friend or not, Joshua was close to five-seven, probably a hundred pounds lighter than me¡ªhell, my forearms had more size to them than his biceps¡ªand he dressed head to toe in black. Today''s outfit was a long sleeved turtleneck, a black jacket, and black jeans that flared out at the hem, covering up his boots. Personally, I thought he was overdoing it with the Goth look, but at least he wasn''t wearing the eyeshadow today, though he was still pale as a skeleton. Would it kill him to get some sun?


    "Okay, how can you defend yourself?" I couldn''t help the sarcasm in my voice, as I just had to hear this one.


    "I can avoid making eye contact with him and keep my head ducked down," he said, looking down at his black shoes. To anyone else it would''ve looked like a demonstration.


    "I''ll still keep watching out for you," I said as I started to walk down the empty hall, casually drumming my fingers against the lockers as I moved past them.


    "Why?" Joshua asked as he followed alongside me, looking up at me with a frown. I smiled as I noticed a trail of water droplets on the floor tile, the thought of a drenched Manny distracting me from having to answer Joshua''s question the first time. Unfortunately for me, my best friend was a persistent little guy, so he asked "Why?" again.


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    "Why not?" I asked in reply, knowing full well that answering a question with a question pushed his buttons something fierce, but I couldn''t help it. Joshua was my best friend, but there were times I just had to tease him. Most of the time I did it to get him out of his mousy attitude, but other times I did it because of his mousy attitude.


    "That''s not an answer, Izzy." My answer made his frown grow more...well, frowny. I thought it was completely adorable, which was another reason why I loved pushing his buttons.


    "Yeah, I know," I said as we reached our destination: Fourth Period Study Hall. I ignored the stares of hormone-filled girls who would love nothing more than to convert me, and Joshua was being ignored by the same crowd of girls. They thought he was weird and creepy, but maybe if they actually tried to get to know him...or maybe if he weren''t so damned anti-social...well, they''d find out he was an okay kind of guy.


    Ah, who am I trying to fool? Joshua was weird, but he belonged to the other end of the spectrum of guys I''m into, so I was able to see through the anti-social tendencies and fall for the real guy underneath. There was just one big roadblock to the path of my healthy young teenage lust: He was only into girls. They made his body react to them in the same way guys caused my body to react, the only difference being he did his best to cover up those reactions and I did my best to act on those reactions. It was a sucky situation for me, seeing as how I was in love with him, but what could I do? I''m not the kind of guy to pull the "If you haven''t experimented, then how do you know you''re not gay?" crap, because you either know your sexual preference, or you''re in denial. And unfortunately for me, I knew Joshua was not in denial.


    Speaking of situations, the one in Study Hall was always my personal favorite next to lunchtime. The room was the bandroom, which was large and soundproofed by these panels stuck to the wall. I didn''t know what they were made of, but it seems there were always new pockmarks on the surface from the pencils people threw like darts. Some people have no respect for public property. Anyway, the soundproofing made it difficult to listen in on other people''s conversations, but not impossible. Especially when they were talking about Joshua or yours truly; I always did pay extra attention to those conversations. Today was an exception¡ªno one was talking about either of us¡ªand I was almost disappointed. I enjoy a good ego stroking as much as the next guy, so I did the next best thing to eavesdropping on conversations¡ªI started one with Joshua, who was writing something down in one of his multiple series of notebooks, glancing every so often at a musty smelling old book with fragile-looking pages that were discolored yellow from age. The whole thing looked ready to fall apart, and the way Joshua handled the pages, I don''t think I was far off from being right. "What''re you doing, Joshua?" I asked, casually propping up my feet on one of the tables up against the wall.


    "Writing stuff in my notebook," he said, not even looking up. He was always like that, so focused on what he was doing that I could have run around the room naked and he wouldn''t have noticed. Maybe one day I''ll try that.


    "What kind of stuff?" Like I said, I couldn''t help but poke at his mousiness. It¡¯s practically a hobby of mine nowadays. Hey, I saved him from a bully. The least he could do was let me interrogate him.


    "Stuff you wouldn''t be interested in, Izzy." I have to admit, his patience with me is why we''ve been friends for so long.


    "Tell me, I might surprise you and be interested." Stranger things happen in my life all the time.


    Joshua paused in his writing, and I could hear the barest whisper of a sigh. "Are you interested in the history of Witchcraft?"


    I gave it some thought, and then shrugged. "Guess you were right. Now, if it were about the history of Tantric magic, I''d be all over it."


    "Told you so." He went right back to writing in his notebook.


    What a smartass. It was another reason why we''ve been friends for so long. Sometimes he manages to tone down the ol'' Izzy Ego.


    The rest of Study Hall was boring. Joshua was being less talkative than usual, so when the end bell rang I was ready to get out of there. The only reason I restrained myself was for¡ªyup, you guessed it¡ªJoshua. He never failed to be the last one to leave a class, and I never failed to stick by him.


    "What''re you doing after school?" Joshua asked, his eyes darting around, taking in everything in sight¡ªso much for ducking his head down to avoid predators. It was yet another reminder of how he would be a mouse in his next life. I know it sounds cruel, but dammit I hated how he was so skittish. You''d think having a best friend watching his back would give him some confidence. What more could I do?


    "Not much, why? Do you need a ride somewhere?"


    Joshua gave me a nod of his head. "To Candleworks."


    Another wave of d¨¦j¨¤ vu hit me even though I''d never heard of the place, and when Joshua explained to me what kind of place it was I unconsciously rolled my eyes, but he failed to see it since his eyes were darting over to a blind corner in the hallway. Did he think there was going to be something lurking around it? Probably. "What''s over there?"


    He shrugged, not making eye contact with me. "I just want to see what they have in stock," he said. "I might find something useful."


    So after school was done for the day I drove him to that Candleworks place. What are friends for?

 Chapter 2

    Turns out it was at the strip mall right next to Maximum Effort, my favorite health food store. Serendipity! I was going to make a trip there anyway. "I''ll be in there," I said. "When you''re ready to go just come and get me." I didn''t think all the vitamins and supplements would cause Joshua to spontaneously combust, but the fake suntan sprays might.


    "Okay." Joshua slid out of the Jeep, and I watched him enter Candleworks before going over to Maximum Effort. I was immediately struck by three things. One was that the inside of the store was empty. As in ¡°went out of business¡± empty! The second was the sign on the door which told me what I''d already figured out. Now I was going to have to break in a new place to fit my needs. Dammit! The third? Not as important, but I had another hit of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Must be a day for it, but I was too pissed to really give two fucks about it.


    I growled deep in my throat as I stalked my way to Candleworks. If I was going to sulk, I was going to sulk with Joshua as he shopped. I don''t waste my bad moods all alone. From the outside, Candleworks had curtains which obscured the doors and windows from window shoppers, and when I went in I was struck by the subtle scents of incense and a familiar brand of cologne¡ªthick and overpowering. At first I couldn''t believe it, but sure enough, I could see Keith at the counter ringing up a purchase. I took a moment to watch him in action, enjoying the play of his lean, muscular arms, baked by the sun to a nice golden brown. So what if he was liable to get skin cancer in ten years or less? He looked good now. Yeah, it was a shallow attitude to have, but I''ve learned in my young seventeen years that life was hard. It was best to live every day as if it were your last, because you really don''t know when you''re going to go.


    "Hey there, big guy," Keith said as he finished up with the customer, who was some skinny kid I''d never seen before. I watched him as he passed me by to the exit. The kid had bleached blond hair, a shallow chest, and pipe cleaners for arms. I could feel the increase of heat on his cheeks as he took in the sight of me, but he kept his eyes on me when I caught him scoping me out. He might''ve had nothing in the body department, but he made up for it in guts. I gave him a brief nod before making my way towards Keith.


    "What the hell happened to Maximum Effort?" He was in college, and if I were legal, I think I could easily seduce him regardless of his claims to be straight. Denial. Population of Keith.


    "Ah, yeah. They closed us down this week, Israel. Sorry about that." I have no clue why Keith didn''t use my nickname. Maybe he felt like calling me by my full name gave him some kind of superiority over me. Well, until he was able to bench press more than I could, that wasn''t going to fly with me.


    I scratched my shoulder. Had a sudden itch. Maybe I was allergic to all the New Age crap in this place. "I was there last Saturday. Why didn''t anyone tell me?"


    "We didn''t know until Monday. Corporate closed us down and gave us three days to move all the inventory to the warehouse."


    "God dammit." Great, now my whole body was tingling. I must''ve been more pissed about the health store situation than I thought.


    "I know, but I lucked out and managed to get a job here the next day."


    I had to change the subject or else I was liable to bite Keith''s head off, and that wouldn''t have been polite. It wasn''t his fault the place shut down. "Still studying to be a physical therapy trainer?" I thought Keith was cute in his attempts to be an "alpha dog", but if he only knew the truth about me...


    "Yup, so if you ever get hurt working out, I can help you get back to your best." He flashed me a big grin, and I just had to shake my head at that. He was so into me, and he didn''t realize it. Maybe he didn''t want to be thought of as a chicken hawk, looking for young chicks. I really can''t wait to hit the age of consent in a few months.


    "The old personal touch, huh?" I leaned forward, folding my arms across the counter. I pretended not to notice his eyes move towards my biceps. I was wearing a tank top today¡ªI absolutely will not call it a wife beater, what a stupid name¡ªso my arms were in view for anyone to admire, especially college boys named Keith.


    "Y-yeah," he said, taking a big swallow as if his mouth had suddenly run dry. I would''ve gone on like this for a while, but I was interrupted with the sudden arrival of Joshua, who had a small container that reeked of strawberries, whatever was in it; it was just like Keith''s cologne¡ªoverpowering.


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    "That was fast," I said, turning away from Keith and folding my arms across my chest. I heard Keith sigh behind me, and I suppressed another smirk. Yeah, my next birthday was going to be interesting. "I thought you just wanted to see what they had in stock?"


    Joshua''s eyes flicked towards Keith as he made his purchase, then back to me. "They had something I wanted."


    I looked over at Keith, giving him a wink. "That''s my cue to get out of here, Keith. Take care." We left the place, and I drove Joshua over to his house.


    The driveway was empty, which meant he was going to be all alone in that big Tudor-style house of his. I still couldn''t believe Joshua''s parents left him all that money in the trust fund, but it''s not like they chose to die in that car wreck. The social services check up on him once a week and they''re always amazed with how well he takes care of himself. Me, I can''t believe they didn''t ship him off to a foster home, but in the end it''s none of my business. Even if I wished it could be my business. "Are you still coming over for dinner tomorrow?" I asked as Joshua was about to get out of my Jeep.


    "I guess so, if your parents don''t mind."


    "My mom loves it when you come over," I said. "She thinks you''re a good influence on me." The truth is she thinks it''s good that I''m protecting what she considers my territory. My dad couldn''t care less, since it doesn''t concern him at all and he''s a lazy bastard anyway.


    "I guess I''ll come," Joshua said, slowly closing the door as if afraid it''d break.


    "All right, I''ll see you tomorrow." I drove off, looking at Joshua''s receding image in the rear view mirror. He was already entering his big, lonely house, and I felt a pang of envy for some reason. I wasn''t sure why, but by the time I arrived at my house I had pushed it away from my mind. Even my itch was gone.


    The place I lived in was formerly a compound, now converted to a palatial estate. My folks owned a vineyard, and they bought the compound at a nice price. I wasn''t born at the time, but my older sister tells me it took three years to build the mansion we live in now. Dad says the place is the finest in Victorian architecture¡ªthe best money can buy. Not that you could see the place, as the entire front yard is covered with apple trees, fir trees, more apple trees, and the backyard has acres of thick forest. You''d think my family would have plenty of privacy, but they still put up a brick wall that surrounds the entire property. I punched in the code that made the automated gates slowly part, and I drove my jeep into my personal garage. Yes, my own personal garage¡ªfurther proof they''re doing their best to spoil me. Too bad for them it doesn''t work, as I couldn''t care less about my family''s wealth.


    I took the back entrance of the house, and the moment I stepped through the door I could smell dinner cooking, which meant Mom and Dad had another fight. Mom only cooked if she was royally pissed off, which was most of the time now. I walked into the kitchen to see what she was cooking, and was greeted by the sight of her petite figure working a squid half her size on the cutting board. Her platinum blond hair was tied up in a bun, and the dark lines of the hairnet couldn''t keep a few wild strands from escaping down her forehead. "Hi, Mom, what''s cooking tonight?"


    "Spaghettini with squid," she said, pulling the tentacles away from the hood, the intestines following behind them, "in black ink." She started to remove the tentacles by cutting under the eyes with a wicked sharp knife. Leave it to Mom to look intimidating just by preparing food.


    "That''s... going to be interesting." I had to come up with a quick excuse, and fast. No way was I going to eat anything that had a sauce found in pens. "Wish I could be home to have some of it." I winced as she dug her fingers under the beak, popping it out like a zit. By the time she yanked out a transparent quill, my survival instinct was screaming at me to get out of the kitchen because I sure as hell couldn''t take the heat of my Mom''s anger.


    "And just where do you think you''re going, young man? It''s a school night." She started cutting up the squid into thin slices, and I fought the urge to tell her the truth, that she was making me feel like I was three years old and afraid of the monsters in my closet. Mom and knives were not a good combination, not when she was angry.


    "I''m going on patrol tonight; there''s been a situation at the school." I prayed she wouldn''t call me out on my lie, because even under normal situations it was hard enough to deal with my parents. When they were pissed at each other one or both tried to maneuver me over to their side. It''s a wonder I''m not screwed up in the head.


    Fortunately, I must''ve said the magic incantation, because Mom''s face brightened into a sunny smile. "It''s good that you''re taking charge of the territory," she said, going back to slicing up the squid, which was starting to look unrecognizable by now.


    "I try my best, Mom," I said, unwilling to make eye contact with the unblinking squid eye. "I just need to get dressed for it, and I''ll be on my way."


    "Go talk to your father first." The way she said it sounded more like she was using the other "F" word. "He wants to give you some more of his fatherly wisdom." Sarcastic much, Mom?


    I shook my head, resigned to my fate. Dad was in the living room¡ªor the "den" as he called it. It was a large room filled with books he never read and a fireplace we didn''t need. There was a bear in the far corner, standing upright and ready to swipe at its victim, only the bear was stuffed and mounted. Dad claims he killed it when he was my age, but I think that''s more of his "good old day" stories, which belonged in the same category as when he had to walk to school every day. Uphill. Uh huh. Sure, Dad.

 Chapter 3

    "Israel," my Dad said, his back turned to me. He was looking at that stuffed bear, no doubt remembering his "good old days" or fuming over whatever he and Mom were fighting about. It was hard to tell, and when he turned around to face me, the placid look on his plain features didn''t tell me squat.


    "What''s up, Dad?" I wanted to get this over with fast, like yesterday kind of fast. The longer I stuck around here, the greater my chances were of getting caught up in their fight. I had enough to worry about¡ªI might be failing Algebra II, for all the good it does me.


    "I''ve noticed an increase in your nocturnal activities." Leave it to my Dad and his fancy talk to make going out at night sound like a criminal activity.


    "I''ve been doing a lot of patrolling, yeah. So?"


    "Don''t get uppity with me, Israel. It isn''t your place to patrol. That''s for your mother and sister to do."


    Good old traditionalist Dad; always indulging in the stereotypes. I''m surprised he didn''t name me after him. I would have been Nick Kevinson the second and I''d have hated my life forever.


    "Is that why you and Mom are fighting, because I''m doing women''s work?"


    Dad''s placid look warmed up a few degrees into a frown. I could see the lines creasing in his forehead. "What did she tell you?"


    "She didn''t. I just know these things." I wanted to add that if he actually got his head out of his butt, he''d notice too. But I didn''t. I wanted to really badly, but he was still my Dad, and my disrespect has limits towards my family. Besides, the more sass I gave him, the longer he''d lecture.


    "You''re meant for better things than the grunt work, son. You''re growing up to be a man, and the men have certain obligations in this family. It is our duty to keep the lineage intact; to keep it strong."


    It''s times like these I wish I could just confess my sexuality to my family. Just to see my Dad lose it, but it''s like I said, my disrespect towards my family has limits. So I kept my preferences hidden. The bodybuilding magazines were for the exercises, not to fuel my wet dreams. The videos of Arnold and Jet Li were because I liked their acting ability. Even I wouldn''t believe that one, but my folks are masters of living in their own little world, and one of their own being gay does not fit in said world. I hated to keep my sexuality from them, but it was necessary until I moved out. If they let me, that is. My sis lives in one corner of the compound, and my big bro lives in another. They''ve been given cushy jobs in the winery, and I would bet money Dad had the same plans for me. Chalk it up to the nature of our family. I''d even bet they already have my college and marriage planned out. Hell, they''ve probably scheduled my mid-life crisis!


    "So all I''m good for is to give you a granddaughter? Is that why you keep on introducing me to your investor''s kids? You hoping I''m going to sneak off and do the nasty with one of them?"


    "You''ll keep a civil tongue in your mouth, boy. You''re not man enough to take the mantle of head of this family."


    He had a point. I was big, but Dad was a lot bigger and could break me in half. Even my older brother wouldn''t take him on. Only part of the reason was that we''re family, and we were supposed to love each other.


    "Dad, I just want to live my own life. I don''t want to be a..." No way was I about to blurt the next two words out. No way. But Dad in his oversensitive hearing wasn''t about to let the matter drop.


    "You don''t want to be a what, son? Go on, you''ve stepped in it already, go ahead and say it." His voice was glacial. Good thing I had that thick, wavy hair on my head. Too bad I couldn''t use it to gag myself.


    "Fine, whatever¡ªI don''t want to be like you and be a house husband, content to let others do the work that you''re physically capable of doing." Now I said it. Now I was in for it. I''d be lucky if I were only grounded for life and the next one.


    His frown was smoothed away, the placid look in his eyes back in style. "I''ll have you know I have provided for this family, and have given you everything you could ever have hoped for. You don''t know hardships, boy. Don''t even pretend like you do."


    "I don''t pretend, Dad. I know my life is easy, and it could be a lot worse, but you''re in denial. You''re living in a lie, trying to be what you''re not."


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    "And what lie is that?"


    "I''m done talking, Dad. I''m going to go out on patrol, so forget any dates you might be having for me; I don''t want any part of it." I turned away from Dad, halfway expecting him to grab my shoulder, but that never happened. I walked out of the Den, followed only by his voice, which wasn''t glacial anymore. No, it was like a grenade.


    "You come back here, Israel! You come back here now!" He kept on repeating himself, and I could still hear it even after I drove away from the house. I was going to be in some serious trouble when I got back home, but that''s the price of being a rebel.


    It was starting to get dark by the time I got back to the school grounds. I parked my jeep next to the football field, and made my way towards the chain link fence that kept the unsavory types from squatting there for shelter. I got over the fence in no time at all, and walked over to the building behind the bleachers. It served as a locker room and gym for the football players, and I liked to work out there at night. I might have muscles most adults don''t have, but I had to hit the weights to keep them, and I had to hit them hard if I ever wanted to get bigger. I wasn''t worried about getting caught. I could con my way out of any trouble or just intimidate whoever found me there. It happened one time with one of the football players, one of Manny''s friends, and after a few words from me he was guaranteed never to rat me out. It''s a wonder our football team ever won a game in their life, the way the players were so timid.


    Tonight was upper body night, so I pulled off my tank top, taking a moment to look down at my chest, admiring the way my muscles bulged when I bounced them one after the other. Yeah, I''m a prideful bastard, but when you have to work on looking pumped, I think I''m entitled for the occasional ego boost. It''s not like I show off in public, that''s not my style, but in private it''s a different story.


    While I was doing some barbell curls, keeping my eyes focused on my mirror image from across the room, I had to wonder why I thought things were so bad for me that I had to be rebellious. I was living the easy life, even if I was about to fail Algebra II. I got what I wanted if I wanted anything, and I was destined to have a cushy life. So why was I bucking the system? Because I could do so much more, not just for me but for the people who lived in my territory. I had an obligation to them, even if they didn''t know it. The teachers thought I was a Good Samaritan, but if they knew the truth...


    The sound of something hitting the fence reached my ears¡ªit was loud, like something bulky collided with it, the rattle of impact lingering even after whatever hit it landed over the fence. I ignored the feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu and I kept on doing my reps; I wasn''t afraid of getting caught since people who were supposed to be there wouldn''t have jumped the fence like me and whoever else that followed. When the door broke away from its hinges and splintered into two big hunks of wood, that''s when I started paying attention to things outside of my workout.


    Manny stood inside the doorway, chest heaving like he''d run ten miles non-stop. His teeth were clenched so strongly I was surprised he hadn''t broken them. I could tell by the way he was dressed and the hairstyle that it was him, but his face was almost unrecognizable. The skin around his forehead and cheeks was dark red, redder than he should be, even if he was overexerted. And the smell, like he had some week-old body odor, only laced with some rotten eggs underneath along with some other scent. Something sweet, but the origin was escaping my nose. His eyes were the thing that put me on my guard, though. There wasn''t anyone resembling Manny in those eyes, only something really crazy behind those wide-eyed bloodshot peepers.


    Still, I could''ve been wrong, so I tried to have a conversation with him first. "Manny? What the hell are you doing here? You want to add more humiliation to your day or something?" So I''m not good at diplomacy. I didn''t care. He was interrupting my workout, and I was in a mood to kick some ass after my fatherly confrontation.


    "I''m going to get you, Kevinson. Get you and rip your skin off and eat it." There was something really wrong with his voice, like it wasn''t fitting inside of his throat. And then there was that horrible mental image he conjured, but that was the least of my worries.


    He leaped across the room, which he shouldn''t have been able to do physically, and slammed into the bench I was using. I was long gone, having jumped away the moment his feet left the floor. I threw my barbell at him, hoping it would hit him on his thick skull and knock him out, but he knocked it out of the air with an angry swipe of his arm. Not good. That thing weighed a hundred pounds and he flicked it away easier than he would a paper airplane. "I¡¯m going to kill you, rip off your skin and eat it."


    He didn''t give me time for a proper comeback that would have castrated him mentally. Nope, he leaped at me with that same unreal strength, and I barely had time to roll out of the way. Was I just getting the post workout slowness, or was he getting faster?


    I sprung up to my feet, hopping in place and keeping my body relaxed so I could move at a moment''s notice. He slammed his fists on my chest and sent me flying. I hit one of the sets of mirrors that lined the wall, feeling the shards cut into my back. He was getting faster, and a lot uglier. The redness was covering up his face, and amplifying his ugly face into something I''d call demonic. I was able to see it all clearly since he''d charged me again, pushing me up against the wall, his hand wrapped around my throat and keeping me from breathing. He held me up with one arm, and my feet were actually dangling off the floor. He shouldn''t have been able to manhandle me like that; whatever was making him faster was also making him a lot stronger.


    Black dots were starting to fill up my vision, and I couldn''t pry his grip off of my neck, no matter how much I flexed it or tried to break his fingers. I was going to pass out and my skin was going to wind up in his gut if I didn''t do something drastic.


    So I did something drastic.

 Chapter 4

    My skin melted off my body, the tawny fur forcing its way to the surface, the mop of my hair blossoming out into a full blown lion''s mane. My bones stretched out, breaking and reknitting themselves to new shapes that didn''t exist in the human body. I stumbled as my center of gravity had to readjust itself to the sudden gain of twice my bodyweight in muscle. I barely felt the punch across my chest through the burning pain that tore through my body. If I''d had the luxury of a slow transformation, the pain would''ve been negligible. Rushing it always hurts like hell.


    The pain finally receded, and I crouched on all fours. The tattered remains of my sneakers pooled around my wide paws, and I dug my claws into the carpet. I was in full blown werelion mode¡ªmy senses were sharper than my claws, my eyes showed me the world in full-blown high definition mode, my ears could hear a mouse fart.


    So why couldn''t I find Manny? The way he had been screaming and stinking up the place with that weird-ass rotten egg smell, I should''ve been able to track him down no matter where he was hiding. There wasn''t any cover in the weight room, and the doors leading to the lockers and bathroom were still closed. So why couldn''t I find him? It was like I was in a freaking monster movie, and for once I wasn''t the monster.


    I crept forward on all fours, because although I could (and preferred to) move on my two legs, I could track easier the closer to the ground I got. So I was really frustrated when I sniffed the air around me and found zilch. Not even a faint whiff of him. Ditto with the listening¡ªno matter how much I''d swivel my ears around, I couldn''t hear anything but the soft, quiet slaps of my paw pads to the floor. How did he pull that one off? What the hell happened to him? When did he become a poster child for red-faced anger management?


    Then it hit me, and I realized what was going on. I smelled him just perfectly, but he was doing some kind of voodoo to keep the signals from reaching my brain. Of course, I figured it out way too late¡ªwhen I said it hit me, I was talking literally. The punch to my ribs sent me flying across the room again, but I had a better reaction time when I was in lion mode, so I landed against the wall hindpaws first, then launched myself like a furry bullet to where I hoped Manny was still lurking. I couldn''t see him, but I sure as hell hit something. I reacted on pure instinct, raking my claws down what I thought was his back, my legs wrapping around his invisible body. When I chomped down on what felt like an arm, my nostrils got a sudden flood of that God-awful stink and I got an earful of his profanity-laden voice. I had his shoulder, all right, because he was screaming those obscenities down my ear canal. It''s times like that when I really hate having sensitive hearing, but I ignored the pain and kept a grip on his body and shoulder, slicing my claws down his back for another bloody round.


    "Killyouripyoutoshreds!" I was really wishing he''d do the tune out bit again¡ªthat screaming was both hurting my ears and pissing me off¡ªsince now I had a death grip on him and no way was I going to let him go. His arms were pinned, but I could feel those biceps straining to break free. I could feel the heat radiating from him in waves, each one increasing in heat. I wasn''t exactly a cool cat myself, but at the rate he was putting out the heat he was going to boil his brain inside that thick skull of his. I didn''t want Manny dead, but I did want him out of commission. Problem was, the more heated I got, the worse my chances of me ending this without him winding up deceased. Being a werelion was awesome, but sometimes the bestial instincts would take over. Then things would get really bloody real quick.


    He lost his footing, and we both crashed to the ground. I managed to keep my grip on him, but he managed to get an arm free and started punching my head. I tried to maneuver myself so that he couldn''t fling that fist against my skull too well¡ªif it weren''t for my thick mane, I''d have been stunned with that first punch¡ªbut he kept on connecting his fist to my noggin. So I finally managed to grab his wrist, and headbutted him. By the way he shrieked, it hurt him more than it hurt me, and I thought I might''ve broken his nose, but all that red on his face made it hard to tell if he was bleeding. I could smell it, though, and it was like the best candy to my senses. The predator inside me uncurled from the dark part of my brain, the part that wanted meat. I pinned his arms to the ground with my legs and started punching him over and over again. I didn''t notice he had stopped struggling a while back as that inner predator in the back of my skull had taken the driver''s seat, and I had to fight my way back.


    Manny now had a face that nobody would love¡ªor recognize. I turned those chiseled looks of his into a bloody pile of broken bone and meat. I looked away from it, not because it was sick, but because the predator in me was wanting to consume the kill. Dammit. I didn''t want him dead, but what''s done was done. I''d feel worse if I had actually liked him as a human being. I crawled away from him, shaking off the scent of rotten eggs and strawberries.


    I stopped dead in my tracks when my brain finally clicked onto the origin of that unknown scent. It was the same scent I smelled in Joshua''s bag. What the hell was Manny''s corpse doing with it on his body? It couldn''t possibly be a coincidence, and in the mood I was in, Joshua had better be able to give me a good reason for what was happening to my night.


    I took the time to revert back to human form, and was grateful for the fact I was wearing workout pants that could stretch to fit my lion form. There were still some bad stretch marks on the fabric, but at least I wouldn''t have to go home for some new clothes. I gathered up the remains of my shoes¡ªthe less evidence, the better, and I got out of the school yard like it was the final class of the day. Only faster.


    The drive helped calm me down a bit¡ªsure, I was feeling angry, but I didn''t know who to direct that anger towards. The lights were on at Joshua''s place, so at least I wouldn''t have to break in. I walked right up to the door and knocked on it, praying that I wouldn''t have to direct my anger at Joshua. Someone was dead, and I was the one responsible.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Joshua answered the door, wearing the same outfit I had seen him in when I took him home. "Izzy? What are you¡ª"


    "Joshua, something really weird happened to me, so shut up and listen, okay?" I stepped inside, Joshua moving out of my way instinctively. I was in full blown asshole mode, and if he had stayed in my way I would''ve treated him like a punching bag. "I was at the school gym, and guess who paid me a visit? Manny. Only there was something wrong with him. He was all red faced and getting redder, and he wanted to rip my skin off and eat it."


    Joshua''s eyes widened only slightly; I swear that kid has an icicle for a spine. "He wanted to eat you?"


    I turned to face him, looming over him as he seemed to shrink into himself. I was giving off angry vibes, and he was picking up on them. He tried to look away from me but I grabbed his chin and forced him to keep his eyes on mine. "No, he wanted to eat my skin, Joshua. Then he tried to attack me. Tossed me around like a rag doll." I let the words sink in, then repeated them. "Tossed me around like a rag doll, Joshua. He wasn''t himself, and if I hadn''t killed him¡ª"


    Joshua''s icicle finally melted back into his spine, and his eyes grew wide. "You killed him?"


    "It was either him or me, Joshua, and I''m partial to myself." I waited for the information to sink into his skull, then continued: "Now what I want to know is what you did to make all that shit come down on me."


    "I¡­ I don''t know what you''re talking about." It was a lie, and a pretty bad one. Joshua was a terrible liar, at least when he was trying to lie to me. His heartbeat was fluttering hummingbird style, and he was sweating rivers.


    "Bullshit you don''t. I smelled the stuff you got from Candleworks. What did you summon, Joshua? How long have you been doing magic?" There it was, I told him what I knew, and I still kept him in the dark about what I was. I hated to keep him ignorant, but the less he knew about the secret world that shadowed the normal world, the longer he''d live.


    "I...I was trying to teach Manny a lesson. I thought it was a spell that would make him impotent. He''s always bragging about the girls he has sex with; I thought that would be ironic justice. I...don''t know what went wrong."


    I did, though. I had a hunch that Joshua made Manny impotent, but it was in the form of a rage with nowhere to go. So Manny tried to find a place for it to go, and lucky me had humiliated him that morning. "How long have you been practicing magic?" I asked again, my mood darkening by the second. I knew how this was going to end, but it wasn''t to my liking.


    "A couple of months now," Joshua answered, his features twisted up with confusion and regret. "The spell was translated perfectly, I don''t know what I did wrong."


    "Magic is dangerous, Joshua. If I knew you had the aptitude for it, I would''ve had to..." Did I want to cross the line? Did I want to let him in on my family secret? "...to stop you." No wonder I itched so much at the magic shop. It was from all the magic energy in there. I would have to deal with the Candleworks place as well, except that one was a lot easier. I wouldn''t be killing anything except for someone''s livelihood. A quiet word to Mom about the place, and she''d make sure the place was bought out or razed to the ground.


    Joshua grew quiet, the silence stretching out until it was uncomfortable for us both to be staring at each other. He seemed so far away, both physically and emotionally. I guess he felt the same way about me. I was showing a side of myself I kept hidden, but fair''s fair. He was hiding something from me, but in plain sight. I saw the hints, but I didn''t think that damned hobby of his, that study of magic, was anything to worry about. I was wrong, and I was paying for it, and the currency was going to be in blood.


    I finally broke the silence; I had to, it was painful to watch him standing there, all quiet and distant. "I''m not going to hurt you, Joshua."


    "How do I know you''re telling me the truth?"


    "Because I''ve been your best friend for a couple of years. Have I ever hurt you?"


    "There''s always a first."


    He had me there, but if I lapsed back into silence I might hurt him worse than physically. Bones and flesh can heal; the mind is harder to put back together if the damage is intense enough. "If I was going to hurt you I wouldn''t have confronted you like this. I was angry when I got here, sure, but I''m calm now. Calm enough to trust you."


    "So now what? Are you still going to try and stop me?" He had his eyes locked onto mine, and I had to suppress my instincts. It wasn''t a good idea to lock eyes with a lion, much less the were-version.


    "Yes. Maybe. Oh, hell, I don''t know. If I told you to be more careful and responsible with the voodoo, would you promise me that?" I was grasping at straws, but the only other choice was the golden rule of Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Witch to Live, and it wasn''t a choice for me at all.


    Joshua dipped his head, breaking the dangerous eye contact with me, and I felt myself relaxing muscles I didn''t know were tensed up. "I think I''ve got a long way to go before I can cast some more of those advanced spells. I''ll be more careful." He then looked up, and shocked the hell out of me. "So how long have you been one of them?"


    "One of¡­ them?" He knew. He knew my secret. Dammit, it''s one thing for him to know magic exists, it''s also another to be able to have the gift to use magic, but to know I was a werelion? Humans are best to live in ignorance, and if too many of them know we exist...that''s just bad news for everyone.


    Joshua nodded, his eyes once again meeting mine. "A werewolf."


    I was so stunned, I didn''t feel anything. Joshua''s misconception of me numbed me solid. But then I started laughing¡ªit started off as silent chuckles, then gradually exploded into full blown laughter. "A werewolf? You think I''m one of those dorks?" Werewolves were the low tier on the totem pole of the were-family, but don''t tell them that. They don''t like to be reminded of their hierarchy.


    "But...your aura. It matches the ones I''ve seen out in the woods. I saw them change. If you''re not a werewolf, then what are you and your family?"


    That''s when I decided enough with the secrets. Joshua was the love of my life, even if he didn''t feel the same way about me. As I stripped off my shirt, I said "You might want to sit down," and began the slow, gradual change, both physical and social¡ªI''d be less alone now, which was fine by me.

 Chapter 5

    I woke up the next day and got ready for school. The events of last night seemed like a distant dream, but I knew I¡¯d have to face the music when I saw Mom downstairs. She was not happy when I told her about the attack, and was even less happy when I told her about Candleworks.


    I neglected to tell her about Joshua having some serious mojo with spellcasting and him knowing we weren¡¯t a human family. I figured I¡¯d save that bit of news tonight. I had dropped enough bombshells to last her for a week.


    I showered for a lot longer than usual so as to delay the inevitable discussion with Mom, but eventually I did get out of the shower though I took a really long time drying off my hair. Once I got dressed I took the slow walk downstairs and into the kitchen.


    Mom was sitting in the breakfast nook, reading the paper as she drank her coffee. ¡°Israel,¡± she said warmly without looking up.


    That was¡­ encouraging. She didn¡¯t sound upset, which from experience I knew how she could hold onto that anger even after a night¡¯s sleep. ¡°Hey, Mom. Everything all right?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t looked at the stock market yet, but so far, so good.¡± She looked up at me and smiled, which set off every warning bell in my head. Was she trying to catch me off guard? I dismissed that paranoid thought the second it popped into my head. It wasn¡¯t her style. If she was pissed at me, she wouldn¡¯t hide it.


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± I said. Maybe she took it better than I thought last night, and I decided right then and there to not bring up the subject. Not before she read the finance section of the paper, and not after. I was not going to take my good fortune for granted. Nope. Not ever.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be late for school,¡± she said as she returned her attention to the paper. ¡°Try to clean up the blender if you¡¯re going to make your usual breakfast shake.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Mom, but I think I¡¯m just going to use my shaker bottle.¡±


    She made a face. ¡°Really, Israel, would it hurt you to actually eat real food for breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Mom, you know how I hate sausage patties and toast.¡±


    I saw a flash of amusement on her lips. ¡°There is such a thing as bacon, dear.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of it,¡± I said as I grabbed a gallon of milk from the fridge. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll try it one day.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should.¡±


    I said my goodbyes as I left the kitchen and entered my private garage, slumping against the door after I¡¯d closed it. One crisis expertly avoided only because the old Israel Luck held out. Why did I even worry that Mount Saint Mom would erupt? She loved the fact I was patrolling. Hell, I was probably her favorite son. I could tell her I was dating the Devil himself and she¡¯d probably just shrug.


    It wasn¡¯t until I got in my jeep that I noticed my outfit. Huh. I put on the same tank top as yesterday. I didn¡¯t really have time to trek back to my room to change so I just decided to go for it. I didn¡¯t really care who might try and judge me for my fashion faux pas because I made wearing the same thing twice in a row look good. Or at least that¡¯s what my ego made me believe, and it was very good at what it did.


    I made it to school in plenty of time. I glanced at the clock on my dash and noticed I got there five minutes before the first bell rang. Ha, just like yesterday, go me! I got out and sauntered into the school where I would have first period gym class with Joshua. I wondered what Coach Greenst would force his lowly subjects to endure. As for me, I wasn¡¯t worried, but I had the advantage of being a supernatural critter. Even in human form, I had way more endurance and strength than my classmates.


    Everyone else was already dressed in white t-shirts and gray shorts and waiting on the basketball court except for Joshua. He always waited to get changed when everyone else was done. I found him in the locker room putting on his t-shirt.


    ¡°Hey Izzy,¡± he said once he saw me.


    ¡°Hey, how¡¯re you holding up from our talk last night?¡± He seemed to take my transformation pretty well, but I just had to make sure he was okay with knowing my secret.


    ¡°Our talk?¡± He looked at me as if I just asked him to reveal the mysteries of the universe. Okay, fair enough. He probably didn¡¯t want to act like he knew what I meant just in case people not in the know might show up and learn what I really was. Dumb ol¡¯ me didn¡¯t consider that because a small part of me really didn¡¯t care. That part of me is probably a fatalist and doesn¡¯t deserve any attention.


    ¡°Yeah, never mind. We really should get ready for gym class. My bad.¡± I hurried up and changed in record time and walked back out to the court before the coach showed up.


    As if on cue, the first bell rang, followed closely thereafter by the second. Coach Greenst came out of his office and approached us. ¡°Alright, men,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s time for everyone¡¯s favorite event, dodgeball!¡±


    Dodgeball again? We did that yesterday, but sometimes Coach did enjoy tormenting the weaker, less agile kids in the group by making us do the same game twice in a row. So we got divided up into two teams. One team surrounded the other in a circle. Yup, this was going to be the classic ¡®circle dodgeball¡¯ played in so many elementary schools. I looked it up on Wikipedia. If Coach Greenst ever got us to play real dodgeball I think I would die of shock.


    Needless to say, I was in the circle but I didn¡¯t mind. I was the last one standing yesterday and I didn¡¯t plan on breaking my winning streak today. When Coach blew the whistle, the game was on. The red dodgeball of doom was a blur as the stronger kids in gym class tagged the smaller, weaker ones, but if they tried to tag me, that blur was slow as molasses and I sidestepped every time. There was one time I did have to high jump out of a telling throw, but it was mainly to show off. Don¡¯t worry, it was still within the realm of human possibility. I wasn¡¯t that careless, but it still impressed people, including Coach Greenst.


    Joshua had a pretty good showing of himself, just like yesterday. He managed to stay in the game until it was him, me and some other kid whose name I can never remember. Unfortunately, Joshua got tagged out, followed by the kid, which left me the winner.


    Huh. Just like yesterday. History repeats itself.


    ¡°All right, hit the showers!¡± Coach Greenst said, then pointed at me. ¡°Izzy, my office. Now.¡±


    He was going to try to recruit me to play football again, I could just feel it with every fiber of my body. As I followed him to his office I caught myself wondering what he¡¯d try to offer in order to sway me to the jock side of school. It couldn¡¯t be money because he knew I was a rich kid. A scholarship? I could have a job in the family business which would pay me more money than most would dream of.


    So when he offered me a seat I took it. I was interested in what he was going to try. Yesterday there was a speech about how my physical prowess could get them all the way to the state finals, which worked about as well as one might expect.


    ¡°We could use you for the basketball team,¡± he said.


    Wait, that was new. ¡°Basketball? Not football?¡±


    ¡°As much as it pains me to admit, it¡¯s too late for that. Basketball season is starting eventually and I think with a little practice you¡¯d be a natural. He gestured at me. ¡°You¡¯re almost six and a half feet tall. Granted, you¡¯re heavy for your height¡­¡±


    ¡°Muscle weighs more than fat,¡± I said as if explaining this fact to a newbie.


    ¡°I can pull a few strings and get you to pass a drug test, you know.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°You think I wouldn¡¯t pass a drug test?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Izzy,¡± Coach said as he spread his hands out. ¡°There is no way you¡¯re that big naturally. You¡¯re only seventeen and with bigger biceps than some bodybuilders I know.¡±


    ¡°Teenage gains, Coach. My testosterone is reaching its peak.¡± Not to mention my supernatural side causing me to grow like a literal beast, but I wasn¡¯t going to tell him that particular detail.


    Coach shook his head, chuckling. ¡°All right, you just keep on denying it, but I can still make sure you pass a drug test.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Coach, but I¡¯m not interested. I¡¯m sure your team will do fine without me.¡±


    ¡°Why are you denying us your God given athletic abilities, Izzy?¡±


    Because I knew my abilities weren¡¯t given to me by God. It was a lineage he wouldn¡¯t ever believe. ¡°I¡¯m just not interested in sports, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I think you just like the attention.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Not really, Coach. I¡¯d rather it stop because I¡¯m never going to join any sports team.¡±


    ¡°But why, son?¡±


    I grinned. ¡°Because I¡¯d make it too easy for any team I¡¯m on to win, and where¡¯s the fun in having no competition?¡±


    Coach actually laughed at that. ¡°You¡¯re something else, kid.¡±


    I¡¯ll say this for Coach. Sometimes he¡¯s a good sport when I tell him no. Today was one of those days. ¡°Thanks, Coach. Can I go now before I¡¯m late for my next class?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll write you a note explaining why you¡¯re late if you need it. Thanks for at least listening to my offer.¡±


    I take it back, Coach was a great sport today. ¡°Thanks, Coach. Now I can take a shower so I don¡¯t stink up the classroom.¡±


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    ¡°All that testosterone doesn¡¯t smell nice, it¡¯s true.¡± He then waved me away after writing a note as promised. ¡°Now get out of here so I can cry goodbye to my future state wins.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Coach,¡± I said as I stood up.


    ¡°No you¡¯re not, kid, but you have to live your own life I guess.¡±


    I wish my Dad felt that way about me.


    I did a quick shower, not really bothering to get my hair wet, just enough to soap up underneath the armpits so I didn¡¯t stink up my next class and managed to get dressed in record time. I even made it to my seat before the bell rang.


    Ah, second period. Algebra. I was failing that class, but Joshua still felt he could salvage my descent into failure and halt it at a good, solid D-minus. D-plus if I studied hard enough. I was going to settle for the former since patrolling left me with little time to earn the latter.


    ¡°Hello, class,¡± Miss Jarnigan said as she entered the room.


    ¡°Hello, Miss Jarnigan,¡± we all replied. Yes, including me. I liked this teacher. She had a great poker face and kept her cool. Almost supernaturally so, but I knew for a fact she was human. I couldn¡¯t smell anything out of the ordinary from her scent, but she did have a tendency to use a little too much perfume.


    ¡°How is everyone today? Fine? Well rested? I hope so because it¡¯s time to put away your books and take a pop quiz.¡±


    I groaned inwardly. We just had a pop quiz yesterday and she¡¯s springing another one on us? As she handed out the tests to everyone, I then noticed what she was wearing. It was a simple red blouse with black slacks. Exactly what she wore yesterday. Huh, I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one who wore the same outfit two days in a row this week.


    As I looked at the test, I found it grabbed my attention more than any test should. While I don¡¯t have the greatest memory, I recognized this was the exact test from yesterday. I gave a quick glance up at the teacher, and she gave me a warm smile.


    Was she giving us a do-over? I know I bombed the test, but maybe the others did too. Why she wasn¡¯t telling us this fact, I don¡¯t know, but I wasn¡¯t about to say no to a second chance. I even took my time to show my work and double check my answers to make sure I got them right. Fortunately I knew how to solve these problems thanks to the fact she told us the answers and how to reach them after yesterday¡¯s pop quiz.


    It took me the better part of twenty minutes, but I answered the last question and felt a feeling of satisfaction in my chest. I¡¯d never had a teacher let us retake a pop quiz. Unorthodox teaching for the win!


    Sure enough, once everyone was done Miss Jarnigan went over the answers and while I messed up one or two of the problems, I didn¡¯t do too bad. I wound up with a B-plus thanks to the retake.


    Once the bell rang, Miss Jarnigan called out to me. ¡°Izzy, I¡¯m very impressed at how well you did on the quiz.¡±


    ¡°I had a good tutor and a great teacher.¡±


    Her lips thinned into something resembling a grin and a smirk. ¡°I haven¡¯t been feeling like a great teacher with your past test scores.¡±


    I felt sheepish at her remark. ¡°It¡¯s not you, Miss Jarnigan, it¡¯s totally me. I¡¯m not the smartest guy, but I¡¯m going to try not to flunk this class.¡±


    ¡°If you need any help, let me know.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Thanks. See you tomorrow.¡±


    Second period down, third period to go which was Home Ec. This week we had a substitute teacher, so the faculty gave us the option of going there or ditching it in favor of a bonus study hall in the library. One guess which option I was going to choose again?


    So once I entered the library I went to one of the racks and grabbed yesterday¡¯s newspaper. I liked to keep up with local current events, but since it was too early to get today¡¯s, I figured a nice little refresher would be in order. Sometimes what seemed like a missing person''s case was something supernatural. It wasn¡¯t always that but once in a while I struck gold. Sometimes I could even save the victim. Other times I had to avenge them.


    I really hated having to avenge someone. It meant I failed them. Maybe it wasn¡¯t really true but in my mind I totally failed them and there wasn¡¯t anyone who could convince me otherwise.


    Unfortunately I could only find the newspaper from the day before, and  I had to fight back a growl of annoyance. Someone else must¡¯ve had yesterday¡¯s paper. Okay, fair enough. I was too slow to grab it. I decided to grab a book on urban myths and legends. I mean, a few of them are true. I even encountered a couple. Most were damn mean and dangerous, but one or two were decent.


    Just don¡¯t ever piss off a chupacabra. They bite. They bite hard.


    I was so into reading the chapter about incubi that I was startled by the next bell. Whoops, lost track of time. I put the book on the cart dedicated to books taken off the shelves. The library didn¡¯t like us putting books back on the shelves because they didn¡¯t trust us to properly replace them. I guess they weren¡¯t wrong, but still.


    I hurried over to fourth period study hall when I stopped in my tracks. Someone had just knocked Joshua¡¯s books out of his hands right in front of me. Someone must not have heard what I did to a certain now-deceased quarterback yesterday, but it didn¡¯t excuse them from the bullying.


    Someone was going to get a swirly and I was just the guy to deliver it. No postage needed. Just doing my job protecting my turf and my favorite human pal.


    I cracked my knuckles and approached the two. The bully raised his hand as if to grab Joshua but I grabbed it and then marched my way into the bathroom, pushing open the door and only vaguely aware of the bully¡¯s struggles. I almost felt sorry for the dude. I had a grip of iron and no human was about to break it.


    ¡°Let me go, Kevinson!¡± said the bully behind me, which did something I never would have expected. It froze me in my tracks and I whirled around to look at the source. It couldn¡¯t be who I thought it was.


    Manny glared back at me, trying to break free of my grip. Manny, who had his face pulped in last night. Manny, who could not have survived that kind of treatment. Manny, who not only was not dead but was still trying to bully Joshua?


    Was I going batshit insane? What the hell was going on?


    ¡°Let me go, asshole!¡± Manny finally jerked away from my grip while I just stood there, dumbfounded.


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± I said, finally finding my voice. ¡°How are you here?¡±


    Manny hesitated, his face screwing up in confusion. ¡°What do you mean? You dragged me in here.¡±


    Was surviving his brains getting bashed into mush a side effect of being possessed by a rage demon? Did it regenerate him so he could survive that gruesome beating? If so, did that mean the demon was still free to roam and possess more innocent victims? Well, maybe not innocent since Manny was nowhere near innocent.


    I regained my composure, remembering what Manny was trying to do to Joshua. ¡°You leave my friend alone, pipsqueak. I¡¯m going to let you go with a warning.¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯re so tough don¡¯t you, Kevinson?¡±


    Manny obviously didn¡¯t remember the events of last night. Which was a relief because it meant my secret was safe from him. I wouldn¡¯t want to know what he would do if he knew. ¡°Manny, buddy, I don¡¯t need to think about it. I know I¡¯m tough.¡± It was time to use diplomacy, Izzy style. I patted my stomach. ¡°You get one shot. Go on, punch me in the gut as hard as you can, and don¡¯t even try to hit me anywhere else, or I¡¯ll get mad.¡±


    Even though I saw it coming, Manny did move pretty fast for a human. Still, he telegraphed his punch and might as well have been moving in slow motion thanks to my werelion reflexes. While not as great in human form, I still had time to tighten my stomach muscles to cushion the blow to the gut. I barely felt it and flashed him a grin. ¡°My turn,¡± I said, and felt a thrill as his eyes widened when I raised my fist.


    ¡°A-all right, you take your best shot at me,¡± he said.


    ¡°Maybe I won¡¯t,¡± I said, still idly wondering just what the hell was going on. Something about him was bothering me, aside from the usual bullying of my pal. Something I hadn¡¯t quite caught on to yet. ¡°I don¡¯t think you could take my best shot, Manny.¡±


    I still socked him right in the gut, forcing him to stagger backwards as he clutched his stomach. He struggled to catch his breath, so I moved over to him and helped him stay upright. ¡°Bend over,¡± I said. ¡°Deep breaths. You¡¯ll get your wind back.¡± While I still didn¡¯t like this guy, I was glad I didn¡¯t kill him. Killing doesn¡¯t suit me, and I only do it if there¡¯s no other choice.


    ¡°One of these days I¡¯m gonna kick the crap out of you.¡±


    ¡°Manny, you really need to choose your enemies more carefully,¡± I said. ¡°I admire your bravery going up against me, but I will always kick your ass if you push me too far.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± he said, though it came out as more of a wheeze than venomous.


    ¡°Think this over,¡± I said. ¡°If you keep on bullying Joshua, I¡¯m going to join the football team and be the star quarterback.¡±


    His head snapped up to look at me in terror. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare!¡±


    I had no intention of doing that, but he didn¡¯t need to know the truth. He just needed to not call my bluff. ¡°I would. And you know I¡¯d be leagues better than you. Imagine how bad I¡¯d break all your records if I really tried.¡±


    He trembled for a second and I briefly thought he was going to take a swing at me. Then his shoulders slumped and he only stayed upright because of me holding on to him. ¡°Okay, you win. Dammit, you win.¡±


    ¡°Stop bullying Joshua, Manny. I don¡¯t even know why you started it, but it ends today.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Yeah. Okay.¡±


    ¡°Are you good at standing on your own?¡± I said, easing my grip on him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    I released him, and while he stumbled a bit, he managed to keep his footing eventually. He then left without another word. Problem solved! Like yesterday, I gave Manny two seconds to get the hell out of there and checked on my long mane of red hair, then left the bathroom as well. Again like yesterday, Manny was nowhere in sight.


    "You shouldn''t have stepped in like that, Izzy," Joshua said, and the d¨¦j¨¤ vu from those words made me flinch. He was complaining about my rescue¡­ just like yesterday.


    I looked at him for a moment. He didn¡¯t seem weirded out over the fact that Manny was still with us. "He shouldn''t be alive." I said, stating the obvious.


    Joshua flashed me a confused look before picking up his book bag by the shoulder strap. "What do you mean?"


    ¡°Do you not remember our talk last night?¡± I asked in a hushed tone. I didn¡¯t want to talk about this in the hallway, but Joshua¡¯s weird attitude was getting to me.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t talk last night,¡± he said.


    Okay, I got the message. He was still playing dumb in case someone overheard us. It was the smart thing to do, I guess, and since he was smarter than me I decided to play along. ¡°Gotcha. Okay.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± he said,  ¡°I can defend myself."


    I was sure I was now looking at him in utter confusion. "Okay, how can you defend yourself?" Today there was zero sarcasm in my voice, because I was afraid of the answer I knew he was going to give.


    "I can avoid making eye contact with him and keep my head ducked down," he said, looking down at his black shoes. To anyone else it would''ve looked like a demonstration. To me it was a severe case of that ongoing d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Was he wearing the same outfit as yesterday?


    "I¡¯ll still keep watching out for you," I said as I started to walk down the empty hall, studying my best friend once he caught up with me.


    "Why?" Joshua asked as he followed alongside me, looking up at me with a frown.


    I didn¡¯t immediately answer because I was taking in the sight of his outfit: a long sleeved turtleneck, a black jacket, and black jeans that flared out at the hem, covering up his boots. In other words, the exact same outfit as yesterday.


    Come to think of it, wasn¡¯t Manny wearing the same clothing he wore yesterday?


    ¡°Why?¡± Joshua asked again, triggering another wave of d¨¦j¨¤ vu so hard it made me feel nauseous.


    ¡°Because something weird is going on today,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve been acting¡­ off today. Are you feeling alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I said as we reached our destination: Fourth Period Study Hall. Instead of ignoring the stares of hormone-filled girls who would love nothing more than to convert me, I stared back at them. Then I swept my gaze at everyone in the room. I wasn¡¯t sure, but I think everyone there was wearing the same clothes they wore yesterday.


    I wasn¡¯t the smartest werelion, but I could start putting two and two together and coming up with the answer. Even if it wasn¡¯t possible. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and for the first time today I checked the date.


    When I saw the date, a cold chill rushed down my spine.


    ¡°Joshua, what day is today?¡± I asked, hoping my phone was somehow glitched.


    ¡°Wednesday,¡± he said.


    Both my phone and Joshua gave me the same answer.


    Except Wednesday was yesterday.

 Chapter 6

    ¡°Izzy, you don¡¯t look so good,¡± Joshua said. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the ¡®what¡¯ that¡¯s wrong,¡± I muttered under my breath.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Nothing I can¡¯t handle, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you like this,¡± Joshua said, and it pained me to see the concern in his eyes. He did love me, just not in the way I wanted.


    ¡°Like I told you, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± How was I living through this day again? Was this a weird supernatural thing that could happen to anyone, or was this done to me?


    ¡°Can¡¯t help it,¡± he said, and for a second I wanted to tell him everything. I resisted the impulse. If this was done to me by something or someone I needed to play it safe.


    ¡°Maybe you should write in your notebook like you always do,¡± I said with a forced smile, propping up my feet on the table up against the wall. Maybe if I went with the flow, things would go back to normal.


    Of course normal meant Manny would be dead. Was that why I was reliving today? To prevent his death?


    Joshua pulled out that musty smelling old book with the fragile-looking discolored yellow pages. I briefly wondered if that was the book with the demon summoning spell, but how could I ask him without it sounding odd?


    Hell with it, I went for the usual blunt approach. ¡°So what¡¯s in that old book anyway?¡±


    "Stuff you wouldn''t be interested in, Izzy."


    Damn, hearing him say it again was like listening to a recording. "Tell me, I might surprise you and be interested."


    Joshua paused in his writing, and I could hear the barest whisper of a sigh. "Are you interested in the history of Witchcraft?"


    ¡°Any other day, I¡¯d say you were right, but right now? I am totally interested.¡±


    ¡°Wait, since when?¡± He looked up at me, a word halfway written down in his notebook. I¡¯d have normally been smug and made a smarmy remark about this, but I had more important things to do.


    A thought struck me. I¡¯d had d¨¦j¨¤ vu the first time I went through this day. Was it possible I had been repeating today, only I was now aware of it? If so, why?


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m ready to broaden my horizons. I mean, you¡¯re my best friend. What kind of best friend doesn¡¯t show an interest in his pal¡¯s hobbies?¡±


    Joshua blushed, then went back to writing. ¡°"What''re you doing after school?" he asked.


    The question came early this time, but I already had my answer prepared. "Not much, why? Do you need a ride somewhere?"


    Joshua gave me a nod of his head. "To Candleworks."


    The last time Joshua explained to me what kind of place it was I unconsciously rolled my eyes. This time I kept them on him, but he failed to see it since his eyes were darting over to a corner in the room. Did he see something I couldn¡¯t? "What''s over there?" I asked, already knowing the answer.


    He shrugged, not making eye contact with me. "I just want to see what they have in stock," he said. "I might find something you¡¯d be interested in seeing."


    Oh, I was definitely sure of that.


    After school was done I drove Joshua and myself to the strip mall where I looked longingly at Maximum Effort. I¡¯d have to find another store for my supps, though to be honest I didn¡¯t really need them thanks to my supernatural nature. I just felt if I used them I¡¯d get even bigger. Bigger is better after all.


    We got out of the jeep and made our way towards Candleworks. It still had the curtains which obscured the doors and windows from outside passersby, and when I went in I took in the subtle scents of incense and Kevin¡¯s familiar brand of cologne¡ªstill as thick and overpowering as I remembered the last time I smelled it.


    It was weird seeing Keith ringing up the skinny guy again. Weirder still to watch the kid check me out. Instead of a nod today I gave him a wink, which made him blush even harder and move a little faster out the door.


    ¡°Hey there, big guy,¡± Keith said.


    ¡°"What happened to Maximum Effort?" I said, keeping up the replay act.


    "Ah, yeah. They closed us down this week, Israel. Sorry about that."


    I scratched the itch on my shoulder. This place had legit magic, or at least enough to aggravate me. I wondered if I could get Joshua¡¯s help once we got to the point where I confronted him about his potential for spell casting?


    "I was there last Saturday. Why didn''t anyone tell me?"


    "We didn''t know until Monday. Corporate closed us down and gave us three days to move all the inventory to the warehouse."


    "God dammit." The swearing felt forced now. Maybe I could tone it down. By now my entire body was tingling. Yeah, this place had serious mojo. Dangerous mojo in the hands of neophytes like Joshua.


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    "I know, but I lucked out and managed to get a job here the next day."


    The last time I had this conversation I was irritated but today Kevin was safe from my biting remarks. "Still studying to be a physical therapy trainer?" I asked, grinning at him.


    "Yup, so if you ever get hurt working out, I can help you get back to your best." He flashed me a big grin, and I just had to shake my head at that. When I hit the age of consent I was going to ask him out. He was, admittedly, my type. Even if he thought he was an alpha dog.


    "The old personal touch, huh?" I leaned forward, folding my arms across the counter. I watched his eyes move towards my biceps, then gave him a knowing grin when our eyes met.


    "Y-yeah," he said, taking a big swallow as if his mouth had suddenly run dry. I would''ve gone on like this for a while, but I knew I was about to be interrupted with the sudden arrival of Joshua, who had the small container that reeked of strawberries as overpowering as Keith¡¯s cologne


    "That was fast," I said, turning away from Keith and folding my arms across my chest. I heard Keith sigh behind me, and I didn¡¯t smirk this time. I just smiled at Joshua. There were some advantages to reliving today. Tormenting Keith in a playful way was one of them. "I thought you just wanted to see what they had in stock?"


    Joshua''s eyes flicked towards Keith as he made his purchase, then back to me. "They had something I wanted."


    I looked over at Keith, giving him a wink. "That''s my cue to get out of here, Keith. Take care." We left the place, and I drove Joshua over to his house.


    ¡°So what¡¯s that stuff you bought?¡± I asked, trying my best to be subtle. Whatever he had in that bag helped summon that demon which had possessed¡­ will possess¡­ Manny. ¡°Smells nice.¡±


    ¡°You can smell it?¡±


    Uh oh. Was the scent subtle? Dammit, I had to think up a quick fib to keep Joshua from getting too suspicious. ¡°It¡¯s really faint, but I caught a whiff of it when we got out of the store and away from Keith¡¯s cologne.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah, he really put on too much didn¡¯t he?¡±


    Whew. He bought the fib. Though I think he already thought he knew what I was, but I didn¡¯t need him to know that I knew he knew¡­ gah, it was so hard to keep track of everything. ¡°So yeah, what¡¯s the stuff?¡±


    ¡°Just some special herbs.¡±


    ¡°For your research into the History of Witchcraft?¡±


    He grew quiet, and I would bet money he was trying to come up with a plausible lie. ¡°Yeah, I wanted to see if Candleworks carried it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it used for?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to keep my enemies from doing harm to me.¡±


    ¡°Since when do you have enemies?¡±


    ¡°I guess more like bullies.¡±


    Like Manny, though I just grew quiet for a second or two. ¡°Are you going to put it in his drink or something?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just hoping¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not going to bully you anymore, Joshua.¡±


    ¡°How do you know? Because he told you?¡± he said with so much venom I reflexively gave him a quick glance before reverting my attention to the road.


    I wasn¡¯t expecting so much anger from him. I should have tried to stop the bullying a long time ago. How long had it gone on? ¡°Yes,¡± I finally said. ¡°Because he promised me.¡±


    ¡°And people always keep their promises, huh?¡±


    I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. ¡°If he breaks his promise, I¡¯m going to make him regret it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you protecting me, Izzy.¡±


    ¡°I know, Joshua, but I can¡¯t stand bullies. Especially when they target my friends.¡±


    We got quiet as I pulled up to the empty driveway. "Are you still coming over for dinner tomorrow?" I asked as Joshua was about to get out of my Jeep, once again knowing the answer.


    "I guess so, if your parents don''t mind."


    "My mom loves it when you come over," I said. "She thinks you''re a good influence on me."


    "I guess I''ll come," Joshua said, slowly closing the door as if afraid it''d break.


    "All right, I''ll see you tomorrow." I drove off, looking at Joshua''s receding image in the rear view mirror. So I had to figure out when he was going to do whatever he was going to do. Maybe I could make up an excuse to go visit him in an hour or so.


    I then remembered what was coming up in my future and a grin crept up on my face. I was going to have that argument with my Dad, and I would want to turn to my best friend so I could vent about how unfair my parents could be to poor lil¡¯ ol¡¯ me.


    I took the back entrance of the house again and prepared myself with the sight of Mom cooking. Yup, they had the fight already. I walked into the kitchen to see her petite figure working that squid half her size on the cutting board. Just as I remembered her platinum blond hair was tied up in a bun, and the dark lines of the hairnet couldn''t keep a few wild strands from escaping down her forehead.


    Time to repeat the dialogue from yesterday. "Hi, Mom, what''s cooking tonight?"


    "Spaghettini with squid," she said, pulling the tentacles away from the hood, the intestines following behind them, "in black ink." She started to remove the tentacles by cutting under the eyes with a wicked sharp knife. Even though I should have been used to the sight of Mom preparing food, it was still damned intimidating.


    "That''s¡­ going to be interesting." I was kind of surprised at how easy the words came out. If I just went with the flow I didn¡¯t need to remember what I said. They just flowed out of my mouth. "Wish I could be home to have some of it." I watched as she dug her fingers under the beak, popping it out like a zit again. By the time she yanked out a transparent quill, my survival instinct was screaming at me to get out of the kitchen because I still wasn¡¯t willing to take the heat of my Mom''s anger.


    "And just where do you think you''re going, young man? It''s a school night." She started cutting up the squid into thin slices, and I fought the urge to tell her the truth, that I was reliving today and I had no idea how to get out of this loop. Maybe this was a one time thing, but the d¨¦j¨¤ vu I had already experienced put that into question. And besides, Mom and knives were scary as Hell.


    "I''m going on patrol tonight; there''s been a situation at the school." I prayed she wouldn''t call me out on my lie, because even under normal situations it was hard enough to deal with my parents. Repeating the same day over and over is definitely not under any circumstances normal situations.


    Fortunately I knew what to say, because Mom''s face brightened into a sunny smile. "It''s good that you''re taking charge of the territory," she said, going back to slicing up the squid, which I knew was starting to look unrecognizable by now.


    "I try my best, Mom," I said, trying my damned hardest to avoid looking at the unblinking squid eye. "I just need to get dressed for it, and I''ll be on my way."


    "Go talk to your father first. He wants to give you some more of his fatherly wisdom."


    ¡°Sure thing, Mom. I¡¯ll do that right now.¡±


    It was time to face my Dad, only this time I was ready for what he had to say. I put on my best disgruntled face and entered the den.


    It was time to act like a teenaged rebellious son. Something I was very good at. I¡¯d even go so far as to say it was a part I was born to play.

 Chapter 7

    "Israel," my Dad said, his back turned to me just like last time. He was looking at that stuffed and mounted bear, and part of me really wanted to know what he was thinking about. Was it really his "good old days" or fuming over whatever he and Mom were fighting about? It was hard to tell, and when he turned around to face me, the placid look on his plain features still didn''t tell me anything.


    "What''s up, Dad?" I needed to get this over with fast. The longer I stuck around here, the greater my chances were of failing to prevent Joshua from casting his spell. Hell, for all I knew it was already too late, but I had to try.


    "I''ve noticed an increase in your nocturnal activities."


    Alright, time to go with the flow. "I''ve been doing a lot of patrolling, yeah. So?"


    "Don''t get uppity with me, Israel. It isn''t your place to patrol. That''s for your mother and sister to do."


    It was time to go in for a cheap shot. "Is that why you and Mom are fighting, because I''m doing women''s work?"


    Dad''s placid look warmed up into the familiar frown as the lines creased in his forehead. "What did she tell you?"


    "She didn''t. I just know these things." It also helped that I lived through this argument and already knew how it was going to end.


    "You''re meant for better things than the grunt work, son. You''re growing up to be a man, and the men have certain obligations in this family. It is our duty to keep the lineage intact; to keep it strong."


    "So all I''m good for is to give you a granddaughter? Is that why you keep on introducing me to your investor''s kids? You''re hoping I''m going to sneak off and get one of them pregnant?"


    "You''ll keep a civil tongue in your mouth, boy. You''re not man enough to take the mantle of head of this family."


    "Dad, I just want to live my own life. I don¡¯t want this to turn into an argument.¡± I didn¡¯t even realize I was going to go off script until I did. I guess part of me didn¡¯t want to stir the pot. Of course, I was also on the clock. I had to get to Joshua before it was too late.


    His frown was smoothed away, the placid look in his eyes making a comeback. "I admit, I¡¯m surprised it hasn¡¯t already.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m learning when to rebel and when to not push my luck. I don¡¯t know any hardships, and that¡¯s why I patrol.¡±


    Dad broke the glacial look with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Meaning?¡±


    ¡°There are normal people out there who have no clue what¡¯s lurking in the dark. I do. I have these amazing gifts and I feel like I need to use them to help others.¡± How much time did I have? I needed to go, and I needed to go now. ¡°I know this isn¡¯t over, but I have to go. I promise you, we¡¯ll finish this talk.¡±


    ¡°Where did my rebellious son go, and who is this young, respectful man who¡¯s taken his place?¡±


    ¡°I have no clue, Dad,¡± I said as I started to leave the den. ¡°But hey, maybe he¡¯ll be back tomorrow.¡± If I didn¡¯t relive today, that is.


    I had a terrible feeling going off the script was liable to cause me some major trouble but I couldn¡¯t help it. He was my Dad, and I didn¡¯t want this constant bickering between us. Especially if I had to relive this day again.


    I drove back to Joshua¡¯s house trying to think of an excuse to see him. I didn¡¯t want to lie to him about a nonexistent fight with my Dad. What if he had the mojo to sense lies in a person¡¯s aura now? I knew he could tell I wasn¡¯t human, but kudos to him for keeping it secret until I practically forced him to talk.


    It wasn¡¯t until I walked up to his front door when the reason hit me. It was so obvious, I¡¯m surprised I didn¡¯t think about it first. I knocked on the door and waited. Nothing. Then I rang the doorbell, forgetting his house was almost as big as mine. Still nothing. Was he casting the spell now? Was it too late?


    I briefly contemplated breaking down the door when Joshua finally answered the door on the third ring. ¡°Izzy? What are you doing here?¡± He was still wearing his outfit from today, so at least he didn¡¯t get into the ritualistic robes. Thank God because I had zero faith he could pull off the look.


    ¡°Hey, I felt like sharing some good news with you,¡± I said, grinning down at him. ¡°Mind if I come in?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the good news?¡± Joshua asked as he stepped aside to let me in. I didn¡¯t feel any itch, so maybe that was a good sign. Maybe the spell hadn¡¯t happened yet.


    ¡°Dad wanted to talk to me,¡± I said as I flopped on a couch. ¡°And for once I didn¡¯t escalate things into an argument.¡±


    ¡°Who are you and what have you done to Izzy?¡± Joshua asked as he sat down across from me.


    ¡°Very funny,¡± I said. ¡°Was I interrupting anything?¡±


    Joshua looked up the stairs towards his room. ¡°No, I was just studying.¡± He then looked back at me. ¡°So why didn¡¯t you just text me like you usually do?¡±


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    Uh oh. Crap. That was what I¡¯d usually do, huh? ¡°I just felt like getting out of the house because Mom was also making some weird dish with squid and ink.¡± There, not really a lie as there was no way I wanted to eat that stuff.


    ¡°Huh, that does sound weird but I like your Mom¡¯s cooking.¡±


    I flashed him a grin. ¡°Then you can try the leftovers tomorrow while I have steak.¡±


    Joshua¡¯s face scrunched up in disgust. ¡°I think I¡¯d rather have the leftovers.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at him. ¡°You¡¯re not going vegan on me, are you?¡±


    Joshua frowned. ¡°I¡¯m a vegetarian, thank you.¡±


    I waved a dismissive hand ¡°Whatever. Is that where you don¡¯t eat anything that casts a shadow?¡±


    This time Joshua rolled his eyes at me. ¡°You stole that line from Drag Race.¡±


    I shrugged at him with a grin. ¡°Steal from the best, I always say.¡± I then glanced up at his room. ¡°So what¡¯re you studying? Stuff from that book? Finding out a way to use what you bought at Candleworks?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ was just doing some research, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Uh oh. He was being cagey. Did he actually have time to cast it? ¡°You didn¡¯t actually use the stuff before I got here, did you?¡±


    ¡°I might have tried out something, but it didn¡¯t work. I guess magic isn¡¯t real.¡±


    Wow, if I hadn¡¯t known magic was, for a fact, real, I might have believed him. Maybe he honestly thought the spell didn¡¯t work, but he knew damn well magic existed. It kind of hurt me that my best friend could lie to me like he did.


    Even worse, he already cast the spell which meant I was in danger and I might have brought the danger to him. ¡°Sorry it didn¡¯t work out,¡± I said, rising to my feet. ¡°But now it¡¯s time for me to go do my daily workout. Wanna hang out afterwards? I feel kind of bad for popping in then splitting almost as fast.¡± Not really a lie as I did feel bad. I¡¯d feel worse if Manny found me here, though.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be home.¡±


    ¡°Great, see you when I¡¯m done.¡±


    Once I was outside I bolted for the jeep but did my best to drive casually away from his place. When I felt I was a good distance away I immediately had a lead foot on the gas pedal and drove like the devil was after me to the high school.


    Which for all I knew, a devil was after me. How did Manny get there? Did he drive? I don¡¯t remember seeing his car when I left the last time this happened. Maybe he had it hidden?


    Night had fallen by the time I got back to the school grounds. I parked my jeep next to the football field like last time and ran towards the chain link fence, getting over it easily again, and continued my run to the building behind the bleachers. Once inside, I watched the door, waiting for Manny to show.


    And waited.


    And waited some more.


    I checked my phone and it was well past time for him to show. Where the Hell was he? Why wasn¡¯t he here? I waited another half hour until I finally decided to go back to my jeep. What was going on? Did Joshua really screw up the spell?


    As soon as I got behind the driver¡¯s wheel my phone rang. It was a call from Joshua, which was weird because he always texted unless it was an emergency. ¡°Hey,¡± I said, trying to ignore the creeping dread in my gut. ¡°I was just about to go back to your place.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen the news?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, I was working out. Why?¡±


    ¡°Manny¡¯s dead.¡±


    The dread filled up my gut and I couldn¡¯t ignore it anymore. ¡°What? What do you mean he¡¯s dead? How do you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s on the news. The report says he killed his father and tried to attack the police called to the scene. They shot him dead, but not before he critically injured an officer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on my way over right now,¡± I said before hanging up and once again driving like the Devil was after me. Only he wasn¡¯t after me because I was going after the one who summoned him. To be fair, if I was right everything was going to reset anyway, but I had to at least try to figure out where I went wrong with this scene. Why did Manny change his target from me to his dad? What happened between the time I stopped him from bullying Joshua to being filled with murderous rage?


    This time Joshua answered the door without me having to ring the doorbell. ¡°How did the spell go wrong, Joshua?¡± I said as I entered the house.


    He took a step back, his eyes wide as saucers. ¡°W-what do you mean?¡±


    I pointed a finger at him. ¡°I know you can do magic, Joshua. Let¡¯s not lie to each other. Not right now. Manny is dead because of you.¡±


    Joshua hung his head, going right into his self-defense mode. "I¡­ I was trying to teach Manny a lesson. I thought it was a spell that would make him impotent. He''s always bragging about the girls he has sex with; I thought that would be ironic justice. I¡­ don''t know what went wrong."


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for blaming you for Manny¡¯s death, dude. If he hadn¡¯t bullied you, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t stop him sooner.¡±


    Joshua looked up at me. ¡°How did you know I could use magic?¡±


    ¡°Magic makes me itch. I¡¯m really sensitive to it because of what I am. Still can¡¯t figure out if it¡¯s a perk or a disadvantage. I guess a really powerful source of magic could incapacitate me from having to scratch all the itching.¡±


    ¡°You said what you are. Meaning you¡¯re not human.¡± Joshua stared at me for an uncomfortable amount of time, and I almost answered his question before he asked. ¡°When did you become a werewolf?¡±


    ¡°Never, because I¡¯m not a werewolf.¡± Hell, I was so far off the script I didn¡¯t know what was going to happen next, so figured I needed to steer the conversation back to some semblance of familiarity.


    Joshua blinked, then shook his head. "But¡­ your aura. It matches the ones I''ve seen out in the woods. I saw them change. If you''re not a werewolf, then what are you and your family?"


    Time for me to put on a show again. As I stripped off my shirt and took off my shoes and socks, I said "You might want to sit down," and began the slow, gradual change into my werelion form. Since it was slow, the pain was almost nonexistent as my mane blossomed out along with the tawny fur. I had plenty of time to adjust to my new center of gravity as I grew in height and bulk. When I was finished, I winked down at Joshua. ¡°Does this look like a werewolf to you?¡± I said, trying to keep my voice and body language as non threatening as possible.


    Joshua swallowed audibly but didn¡¯t bolt, so I guess I did okay. ¡°I think I need to sit down,¡± he said, backing up to the sofa and falling down onto it, never taking his eyes off me.


    As reactions go, he handled the news well, but a couple of questions in my head remained unanswered: what did I do to make Manny go off script and was I bound to repeat this day again? Hell, why was I going through this again?


    I immediately checked my phone when I woke up the next day only to find out it was Wednesday. Again.


    Dammit.

 Chapter 8

    Okay. New plan. Joshua had already cast the spell when I was home, so all I had to do was keep him from doing it, right? Easy enough, right? Except how was I going to do it without arousing suspicion? I don¡¯t think he¡¯d believe me if I told him I was reliving today. Hell, I doubt anyone would believe me. I wouldn¡¯t believe me either.


    I had to think of a plan. Only I didn¡¯t know enough to make a plan. Sure, I had the advantage of this reset, but I didn¡¯t know when it would end, or how I could make it end. All I could do was wing it and pray I could get enough chances to figure this out.


    As I was taking a shower a seed of an idea took root in my brain. It was so simple, yet it might work. Overthinking the problem could have been part of the problem. I hurried to dry off and get dressed. I didn¡¯t bother drying my mane of hair as I went downstairs to the kitchen.


    Mom was sitting in the breakfast nook, reading the paper as she drank her coffee. ¡°Israel,¡± she said warmly without looking up. Exactly like the last time.


    ¡°Hey, Mom, can Joshua come over for dinner tonight?¡± It was time to see how much going off the script was going to impact today. I figured if Joshua was here, he couldn¡¯t cast the spell, and Manny wouldn¡¯t attack anyone. No one would die, and if I figured it out I could move on with my life and stop this loop before I went through it too many times. Was it possible I would go insane from reliving this day too much?


    Mom looked up at me and arched an eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. I¡¯m planning on a special surprise for dinner tonight anyway.¡±


    Of course I knew exactly what the special was, but I acted dumb, of course. ¡°Oh yeah? Can¡¯t wait to try it. I bet Joshua will love it.¡±


    Mom smiled. ¡°He usually does, doesn¡¯t he? Quite an adventurous palate, unlike a certain son of mine.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Mom. I¡¯m basic that way.¡±


    She sipped her coffee. ¡°You must get it from your father.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to let Joshua know he¡¯s invited. Thanks, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Any reason why you wanted him to come over tonight instead of tomorrow?¡±


    Crap. I forgot about that. ¡°He¡¯s going to help me with my algebra homework,¡± I said. Not exactly a lie, because until the loop started I was bound to fail that pop quiz.


    ¡°You always did have problems with math,¡± Mom said, returning her attention to her paper.


    That was my cue to scoot. ¡°Yeah, and I better go before I¡¯m late for school. See you tonight.¡±


    As I got into my jeep I had a good feeling this plan was going to work. All I had to do was stop Joshua from casting the spell and I could get out of the loop and back into the normal flow of things.


    All I had to do was talk Joshua into changing his social calendar. Piece of cake, since he¡¯s antisocial and has only one friend, Yours Truly.


    Joshua, no surprise, was in the locker room getting dressed for gym. ¡°Hey Joshua,¡± I said as I stripped off my tank top. I saw no reason to change that part of the script. Besides, it was my favorite tank top.


    ¡°Hey Izzy,¡± Joshua said as he tied his shoes.


    ¡°Want to come over tonight for dinner? Mom¡¯s making something, which means it¡¯s bound to be weird. So you¡¯ll love it.¡±


    Joshua looked up at me, his face scrunched in confusion. ¡°Tonight? I thought I was coming over tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I have an ulterior motive,¡± I said. ¡°I could use some extra tutoring in Algebra II this week.¡± A lie of omission was a lie, but I did need that tutoring. Acing the pop quiz today wasn¡¯t going to save my failing grade, so any help I could get was welcome.


    Joshua looked down at his shoes as if afraid to look at me. Did he see the lie in my aura? I¡¯d have to ask him once I got out of this loop. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said. ¡°I might have plans.¡±


    ¡°Aw, come on,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s a school night. What kind of plans could you have?¡±


    He shot me a glare, but hey at least he stopped staring at his shoes. ¡°I have a life, Izzy.¡±


    I held up my hands in a pacifying gesture. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to insult you. I do need the help, though.¡±


    Joshua¡¯s glare eased into a gentle smile. ¡°You must be in trouble with algebra if you¡¯re asking for an extra session.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea about the trouble I¡¯m in.¡± And if my plan worked he would need to find out. Of course knowing me I¡¯d tell him after I got out of the loop.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Joshua said as he stood up. ¡°Now I have to have Coach wreck me in whatever sadistic torture he¡¯s come up with today.¡±


    ¡°I bet it''s dodgeball,¡± I said as I followed him out to the basketball court. I didn¡¯t need to see the look he gave me when Coach Greenst announced the torture of the day, but I still smiled. Might as well try to have some fun while trapped in this loop.


    Needless to say, I won. It helped that I knew how the game was going to pan out. Of course I have unfair advantages even when I don¡¯t know, right?


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    ¡°All right, hit the showers!¡± Coach Greenst said, then pointed at me. ¡°Izzy, my office. Now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Coach, the answer is no. I¡¯m not interested in playing basketball.¡±


    He looked at me as if I revealed to him his wife was cheating on him. ¡°How did you know I was going to offer you a spot?¡±


    ¡°Because football season is almost over, and I¡¯m almost six and a half feet tall. I can do the math.¡±


    He glared at some of the stragglers who stuck around to listen in on our chat and they took off. ¡°What will it take for you to say yes? A free pass in Algebra II?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m starting to do better in that class.¡± Or at least with one pop quiz.


    He smirked at me. ¡°Oh? That¡¯s not what I hear.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Coach. I¡¯m going to ace the next pop quiz I take. I know I look like I''m all muscles and no brains, but I¡¯ve been applying myself. The brain¡¯s a muscle too, you know.¡±


    Coach¡¯s smirk widened. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not a muscle, Izzy. It¡¯s an organ.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I shook my head with a chuckle. ¡°I guess I should study my biology as much as I¡¯ve been studying algebra.¡±


    ¡°One day I¡¯m going to find out what you want, Izzy, and then you¡¯ll be joining at least one sport.¡±


    ¡°I hear I¡¯m good at dodgeball, Coach. Maybe you should convince the school to get an official team.¡±


    Coach looked at me thoughtfully. ¡°There¡¯s an idea.¡± He jerked a thumb at the showers. ¡°Now get showered up before you¡¯re late for class.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± I said and did as told.


    I almost didn''t make it to Algebra II before the bell rang. I was lucky, though, and made it in time to welcome Miss Jarnigan along with the rest of the class. I gotta admit, acting surprised at the pop quiz could have used some work. Because I didn¡¯t react at all, and I thought I saw Miss Jarnigan flash me an arched eyebrow. Oops.


    Since I don¡¯t have a photographic memory, I flubbed some of the test questions. For the most part I did well but I still took my time because I didn¡¯t want anyone to think I was cheating. I''m a lot of things, but cheating is only for cheat meals. I cheat on my diet all the time.


    Like last time Miss Jarnigan went over the answers when everyone had finished the quiz. Again, I didn¡¯t do too bad but I came too close to an A-minus. As in, two points shy of it. I¡¯d have to be careful if I went through the loop again.


    God, I hope I didn¡¯t have to go through it again. As far as I knew, this was my second time, but could I have been unaware? Could I have suffered memory loss before? What if I¡¯d been going through this, going through the motions on repeat without realizing it?


    Christ, what if I¡¯d gone temporarily insane?


    The class bell cut short my spiraling descent into a black depression. Before I could leave the classroom Miss Jarnigan called out to me. ¡°Izzy, can I have a word?¡±


    ¡°Sure, ma¡¯am,¡± I said. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Usually your groans are the loudest when I announce a pop quiz, but today you didn¡¯t react at all,¡± she said. ¡°It was almost as if you knew.¡±


    Uh oh. She did notice. I needed to up my acting game next time. ¡°My horoscope today told me I¡¯d be facing an unpleasant surprise,¡± I said. ¡°So when you announced that quiz, I guess I accepted my fate.¡±


    ¡°And yet you passed with a B-plus.¡±


    ¡°I have a good tutor and a great teacher.¡±


    She smiled at that. ¡°I haven¡¯t been feeling like a great teacher with your past test scores.¡±


    ¡°It took some time for the lessons to finally sink in.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you ever need any help don¡¯t hesitate to ask me.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Miss Jarnigan. I¡¯ll do my best to not let you down.¡± I still planned to flub a couple more questions on purpose so nobody would accuse me of cheating. I¡¯d rather repeat this loop a hundred times than have her think I was cheating in her class.


    During the next period I went to the library and looked up a couple of books on magic. If having Joshua over for dinner didn¡¯t work I¡¯d have to have a backup plan. Of course, since this was me, I''d even need a backup plan for the backup plan. Unfortunately the books I found were stage magic. None of them had anything to do with real magic, which I guess made sense. Guess a public school frowned on real occult books in their stacks.


    Oh well, I guess I¡¯d have to go right to the source. Said source being my best friend. After I dealt with Manny, that is.


    I moved around a corner in time to see Manny approaching Joshua. His back was to me so I grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around. ¡°Hey, Manny,¡± I said, then pushed him into the boy¡¯s bathroom like he weighed nothing.


    ¡°Izzy, what are you doing?¡± Joshua said, eyes widening at my casual display of strength.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Joshua,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m going to deal with Manny. Be right back.¡±


    Manny was still on the ground and looking around the bathroom as if he didn¡¯t know where he was. I kind of pushed him through the door pretty hard, so chances were he was recovering from that. A teacher might come to investigate the noise so I had to make this quick.


    ¡°Manny, the bullying stops now,¡± I said, crouching in front of him. ¡°If you understand what I said, nod your head.¡±


    Manny gave me a spacey look. ¡°How strong are you?¡±


    ¡°Stronger than you, Manny. Now focus,¡± I said, snapping my fingers. ¡°The bullying stops now. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, I understand. Hell, you hit harder than my Dad.¡±


    I stood up and reached a hand out to help him before the words sunk into my thick head. ¡°Wait, how do you know I hit harder than your dad?¡±


    He shot me a horrified look. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone, Izzy. Please, if he finds out I told someone he¡¯ll take it out on Mom.¡±


    Dammit, was Manny¡¯s own father abusing him? It might explain why he killed him during the last loop. Instead of taking his rage out on me, he took out his other rage on his Dad. ¡°Dude, if your Dad¡¯s beating you, you have to tell someone. Come on, we can talk to Miss Jarnigan.¡± I reached out my hand again, and for a second Manny stared at it. I was afraid he was going to reject the offer, but then he surprised me by grabbing my hand.


    I helped him up and we stood there staring at each other. I had issues with my Dad, but he never laid a hand on me. I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. What could I say?


    ¡°I don¡¯t want him to hit Mom,¡± Manny said.


    ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± I said.


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Because I won¡¯t let him.¡±


    Manny snorted, regaining some of his bully swagger. I resisted the urge to clock him across the head. ¡°What can you do, Kevinson? Sure, you might be strong, but Dad¡¯s an ex-Marine. He''ll cripple you if you try to lay a hand on him.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll call the cops when he¡¯s alone and your Mom¡¯s safe, simple as that.¡± Or I¡¯d visit him when I was furrier. Either way worked for me. ¡°But first let¡¯s go talk to Miss Jarnigan. She might have a better idea on how to handle this situation.¡±


    I poked my head out the door and didn¡¯t see Joshua anywhere. I hoped he was in Study Hall. As I escorted Manny to Miss Jarnigan¡¯s classroom I wondered if this was going to break the loop. Was I going through this to save Manny from what might have been a long cycle of abuse? I didn¡¯t know, but I was going to try at the very least.


    Even a bully deserves a chance to do better.

 Chapter 9

    I¡¯m not sure what my Algebra teacher could do, but it involved the principal. I saw Manny and Miss Jarnigan go towards his office, so I hoped for the best. It was out of my hands if everything worked out. An ex-Marine could put up a pretty good fight. They trained to be that way. Me? I¡¯m learning by doing, but sometimes I¡¯m tempted to get real training. It could mean the difference between winning and losing my life. I¡¯m particular about keeping myself alive.


    Joshua wasn¡¯t in Study Hall. Crap. I walked over to one of the girls who was always staring at me. I couldn''t remember her name. Was it Kristen or something like that? She had blond hair and looked like a Kristen.


    I asked her ¡°Hey, did Joshua come in here?¡±


    She stared at my biceps for way too long. I snapped my fingers in front of her face, making her flinch and look up at me. ¡°Yeah, I got big biceps. No, you can¡¯t touch them. Focus, please.¡± Since when did I become Mister Polite? ¡°Did you see Joshua? You know, the kid who always wears a black jacket even when it¡¯s a hundred degrees out?¡±


    She looked back at my arms, but a warning growl from me forced her eyes back up. They were wide eyed, as if she couldn¡¯t believe I did that. ¡°N-no. I haven¡¯t seen him.¡± She turned to her friend, who looked at me wide-eyed. ¡°Did you, Cheryl?¡± When she shook her head I muttered a thanks and stormed off.


    Joshua wasn¡¯t at Study Hall. Everything was off script and I was starting to regret it. Where did he go? I wished I could call him but I was certain he was going to let it go to voicemail. Why wasn¡¯t he in Study Hall?


    Then I remember the look in his eyes when I gave a hint at how strong I was. Stronger than Manny. Stronger than a teenager had the right to be. If he suspected I wasn¡¯t a human, he might¡­


    Dammit, he already knew I wasn¡¯t human, didn¡¯t he? I lost track of that info and my display of strength had sent him straight into flight mode. So where could he have gone? Where would Josh go?


    Wait, the script might have gone off the rails, but what if it accelerated certain events? The question made me walk at a rapid pace until I got outside. Then I ran as fast my legs could move me to my Jeep. I hoped no one saw me move at that speed. Any potential witnesses would wish I¡¯d try out for football or, God forbid, baseball.


    I had a hunch he was going to Candleworks. Hell, my hunch was screaming this. I don¡¯t know how he was getting there. An Uber? Lyft? He might¡¯ve been hitchhiking or flying on a Goddamned broom for all I knew. I was certain he was going to be at Candleworks to get the ingredients for that spell, though.


    Only this time I had a strong suspicion he was going to target me with it.


    I got to Candleworks without getting pulled over even though I was speeding like a demon. I didn¡¯t even lock the door of my Jeep and I wasn¡¯t even sure I closed it. I was on autopilot. I entered the store and marched right up to the counter, prompting Keith to look at me.


    "Hey there, big guy," Keith said as he finished up with the usual customer. I didn¡¯t have time to flirt with him so I didn¡¯t even spare the kid a second glance. It gave me a weird feeling, was it because I felt bad to dismiss him? It wasn''t important. I¡¯d worry about it later.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Joshua?¡± I said, slamming my hands on the countertop. Did I hear it crack under the impact? I don¡¯t know. The itching under my skin was worse now. Something was up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but man, calm down. Don¡¯t break my countertop. They¡¯ll take it out of my paycheck.¡±


    Telling someone to calm down usually failed to do that. Unfortunately Keith was right there to take my growing anger. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me to calm down, Keith. Where is Joshua?¡±


    To Keith¡¯s credit or stupidity he didn¡¯t back down but at least he remained calm. ¡°Man, I told you I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t seen him. What¡¯s wrong? Is he okay?¡±


    Since I couldn¡¯t get a reaction out of him my anger had nowhere to go. It packed its bags and got the hell out of my system. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Keith. I¡¯m¡­ I''m afraid Joshua is going to do something drastic and I¡¯m trying to find him.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could help you, Israel. Tell you what, if he shows up I¡¯ll give you a text on the sly. Gimmie your number in case he shows up.¡±


    I didn¡¯t even give him any sass about using my number for unscrupulous purposes. I fired out my number and he put it in his phone. ¡°You be sure to text me if he shows up.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, big guy. I hope things work out.¡±


    I grunted another apology and hurried out of the store. The itching subsided as I got further away from the damned store. Was Joshua going to show up? Was he walking to the store? I couldn¡¯t track down all the routes from the school to here, so I got in my Jeep and headed to his place. This time I struggled to keep within the speed limit. A residential neighborhood would definitely get me pulled over if I was driving like a bat out of Hell. Getting pulled over would waste a lot of time, especially if I was right about what was going to happen.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    As I pulled into Joshua¡¯s driveway I stopped the car and waited a second. No texts from Keith. No texts from anyone. It then occurred to me that I could have freaking texted Joshua in case he wasn¡¯t scared shitless over what I did.


    Hey, I texted him. What¡¯s up? You¡¯re not in Study Hall.


    I waited five minutes with no response. Either he wasn¡¯t checking his phone or he was ignoring me. Well, good thing I knew where he hid the spare door key to his house. If he was hiding in there I was going to find him.


    He hid the key under the doormat. I¡¯m not sure how nobody robbed his house yet, but so far he¡¯d stayed free of theft. I unlocked the door and peeked inside. ¡°Joshua? It¡¯s me, Izzy? Are you home?¡± When I didn¡¯t get a response I checked my phone. No messages.


    I slipped inside and closed the door behind me with a silent click. While I was stronger than a human my senses were only a smidge better than theirs. I would have to change to pick up Joshua¡¯s scent, but what if he was home and saw a giant werelion? He would panic and could hurt himself or someone else, like me. I had no idea if today would reset and I did not want his death on my conscience or my death on his.


    I decided to risk it, but not before warning him. ¡°Joshua, if you''re home you¡¯re going to see something totally freaky,¡± I called out. Then I took off my shoes, socks and tank top. The workout pants would stretch enough to survive. Who knew I''d be grateful to Dad for investing in clothing that only weres would ever access?


    I took my time to let the change take over. The fur covered my skin, size and height increased until I was my towering, handsome werelion self. It didn¡¯t feel right, transforming so early but at least Manny wasn¡¯t going to be a target.


    I crept on all fours down the marble tiled foyer, glancing up at the stairs leading to the balcony/hallway combo. He could be in any of those second floor rooms and I was coming up with old scents which were hours old. It was the same when I went upstairs. Joshua wasn¡¯t home, not since this morning.


    Dammit. Where did he go? What was he doing?


    I thudded my way downstairs, not caring how much noise my footsteps were making. I grabbed my tank top as I reverted back to my human form, putting it on once I was completely non furry.


    ¡°I wish I could find Joshua,¡± I muttered as I sat on the ground then put on my socks and shoes. Another wave of d¨¦j¨¤ vu washed over me, this time a lot stronger. I blinked in confusion as everything seemed to grow dark and cold. When I looked around everything was warm and bright, or at least as bright as a darkened house can get. What the heck was going on with me? Was it connected to the loop?


    Every instinct told me yes but it was a damned shame my thinking brain couldn¡¯t pull the answer out of my head. I hoped the answer would pop up later because I didn¡¯t have time for it. I had to find Joshua.


    Only¡­ did I? The day would most likely reset and I could always fix what I did, right?


    The doubt lingered in my mind as I drove away from Joshua¡¯s house. What if I was blowing things out of proportion? Joshua had been my friend for years. I was always there for him. Why was I so paranoid he was going to turn on me because of one event?


    Because everything was going crazy for me. I was stuck in a weird as hell time loop. I should be taking advantage of it and becoming the best werelion at everything. Instead I was worrying about how to fix everything. Now I wished I¡¯d seen that stupid movie with the groundhog. What the hell was it called?


    I found myself pulling into the driveway of the family home. I was out of ideas, doubt was buzzing around in my head and I didn¡¯t know what to do. I took the back entrance of the house, shoulders slumped. I was admitting defeat. I could smell dinner cooking, which meant Mom and Dad had the fight. At least some things hadn¡¯t changed today.


    I walked into the kitchen and once again saw her working a squid half her size on the cutting board. Her platinum blond hair was still tied up in a bun. The dark lines of the hairnet as usual couldn''t keep a few wild strands from escaping down her forehead.


    "Hi, Mom, what''s cooking tonight?"


    "Spaghettini with squid in black ink," she said as she pulled the tentacles away from the hood. She started to remove the tentacles by cutting under the eyes with a wicked sharp knife. Yup, it was still intimidating. It would never not be anything but.


    ¡°Joshua would like that,¡± I said, going off script for the hell of it.


    ¡°I know. He said he couldn¡¯t wait to try it.¡±


    It took me a good five seconds to find my voice. ¡°Have you talked to Joshua?¡± I asked, refusing to acknowledge the stirring of hope in my prairie-wide chest.


    ¡°He¡¯s in your room waiting for you. You said you wanted him to help with your algebra homework, remember?¡±


    He was in my room. He came here. He wasn¡¯t going to target me with magic. Which means he wasn¡¯t going to target Manny with any magic either. I smiled at Mom. ¡°After the day I had, I completely forgot.¡±


    ¡°He said as much himself. Don¡¯t let him Uber home, Israel. Those fees are highway robbery.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± I started to make my way out of the kitchen then paused, expecting her to tell me Dad wanted to talk to me.


    ¡°Is something wrong, Israel?¡±


    I turned to face her. ¡°Uhm, no. I thought I left my keys in the Jeep.¡± I lied, dangling the keyring in front of me. So Dad wasn¡¯t on the warpath tonight? Was it because Joshua was here?


    Huh. I guess I¡¯d find out later. For now, I had to keep Joshua from doing dangerous magic. Piece of cake, right?

 Chapter 10

    I entered my bedroom and found Joshua sitting at my desk. ¡°Hey,¡± he said.


    ¡°Hey yourself,¡± I said as I sat on the bed. ¡°So why weren¡¯t you at Study Hall?¡±


    He looked away from me for a second before meeting my eyes. ¡°I was afraid you were going to kill Manny.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t kill Manny. Why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re a werewolf.¡± He held up a hand before I could respond, then frowned as I burst out into laughter. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°It never gets any less funny hearing you accuse me of being one of those mutts,¡± I said with a grin.


    ¡°What are you talking about? This is the first time I¡¯ve told you I know what you are.¡±


    ¡°Okay, lemme explain first why you¡¯re wrong. I know you can do magic, but you really have to work on your aura reading.¡±


    Joshua tilted his head. "But¡­ your aura matches the ones I''ve seen out in the woods. I saw them change. If you''re not a werewolf, then what are you and your family?"


    "Something awesome," I said as it was time for me to put on a show yet again. I took off my shoes and socks then my shirt as I stood up. The slow, gradual change into my werelion form. I was really enjoying the look on his face as my mane blossomed out along with the tawny fur and grew in height and bulk.


    When I was fully transformed, I winked down at Joshua. ¡°Does this look like a werewolf to you?¡± I said, trying to keep my voice and body language as non threatening as possible.


    Joshua could have caught a dozen flies in his slack jawed mouth. ¡°Werelions are real?¡±


    ¡°Yup. There¡¯s a lot of weres that aren¡¯t wolves. They aren¡¯t as great as us lions, but they¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°So what did you mean by it never gets any less funny hearing me accuse you, though?¡±


    I gotta hand it to Joshua, he recovered pretty quickly after learning his best friend is a werelion. Maybe it helped him knowing magic existed and that he could manipulate it. ¡°This might be harder to believe.¡±


    ¡°Harder to believe my best friend is a werelion?¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe this is happening to me, so here goes. I¡¯ve been reliving this day at least three times.¡±


    ¡°What? Like that movie Groundhog¡¯s Day?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the movie is called! Thanks, it was driving me crazy trying to remember it. Yeah, the first time I was aware of it I was having major d¨¦j¨¤ vu, and then after I went to bed I woke up and eventually figured out I was stuck in a loop.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s causing it?¡± He then shook his head. ¡°No, because if you did you probably wouldn¡¯t be reliving today.¡±


    An idea suddenly popped into my head. ¡°Yup. I have no idea, but maybe you can help.¡±


    ¡°You want me to try and use magic?¡±


    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re smart.¡±


    He looked away. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Izzy. I¡¯m still new to all this. That sounds like advanced magic.¡±


    ¡°The worst thing that happens is I wake up and it¡¯s Wednesday all over again.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°The worst thing that can happen to you is you die and you stay dead.¡±


    Okay, he had a point. So far I haven''t died yet in these loops. What if I did die and stayed dead? Yeah, that would suck. I¡¯m still a teenager and got a lot to live for¡­


    I must¡¯ve spaced out for way too long because Joshua asked ¡°You all right, Izzy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was thinking about what you said and how dying would suck if I stayed dead. Because, you know, I¡¯m still young and got too much to live for. You want to know the weird part, though?¡±


    Joshua shrugged. ¡°Sure, what is it?¡±


    ¡°It felt wrong thinking that. Like ¡®kicking puppies¡¯ wrong.¡±


    Joshua tilted his head at me as if it would help him think clearer. ¡°Do you think dying would¡­ get you out of the loop?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Man, I hope not. That¡¯s kind of a final solution to what I¡¯m hoping is a temporary problem. How about we file that in a ¡®Last Resort¡¯ folder and keep it that way.¡±


    ¡°I agree. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have it in me to kill you or anyone.¡±


    D¨¦j¨¤ vu again. Only this time I thought I caught a whiff of¡­ burnt grass?


    ¡°You¡¯re spacing out again, Izzy.¡±


    My eyes went to his hands. Why did they go there? What happened to his hands? Why did I think something happened to his hands?


    I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to get back into focus. ¡°Did you smell something weird? Like burnt grass?¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Joshua shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever smelled it.¡±


    ¡°Up until now, I would¡¯ve said the same thing.¡± The d¨¦j¨¤ vu was bad enough but now I was getting phantom smells and weird daydreams of Joshua¡¯s hands.


    Then Mom called us to dinner, so we both got up. ¡°Should we tell your parents?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± I said as we went downstairs. I then whispered ¡°Because if I wake up and it¡¯s Wednesday, I¡¯m going to have to start on square one. We¡¯ll talk after dinner.¡±


    Dinner was uneventful but I have to admit the spaghettini with squid was pretty decent and my parents weren¡¯t giving each other the cold shoulders. Maybe going off script wasn¡¯t always bad. We did the whole how was your day and Joshua and I gave them generic answers. Well, Joshua gave them answers which contained a lot more syllables than I gave them. Whatever. The answers we supplied told them nothing about the day.


    When we got back into our room we went out to the balcony. Yes, my room has a balcony. The view was boring, though. All I saw was the front of the compound we lived in and I barely saw Blessing Avenue stretch out towards the town.


    I always thought it conceited to build the compound at the end of the avenue, but it has been like this since before I was born. They couldn¡¯t have asked me for my opinion and they wouldn¡¯t have cared anyway.


    ¡°So any ideas while we were having dinner?¡± I asked, lounging on one of the deck chairs.


    ¡°I might have, but it¡¯ll mean a lot of work for you.¡±


    ¡°Lay it on me.¡±


    ¡°What if you did the research yourself? You said you were trapped in a loop, why not use that to your advantage?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a magic user, though.¡±


    ¡°But if you knew what magic I could use, it might help.¡±


    That sounded utterly ridiculous. I didn¡¯t have the talent to cast spells and I doubted I had the patience to teach advanced magic.


    What if the magic wasn¡¯t advanced? What if I found a spell Joshua could use and it was basic? I didn¡¯t have anything to lose.


    ¡°Heck, I got all the time in the world right now. Where¡¯s the harm in learning something new, huh?¡±


    ¡°How many times did you say you¡¯ve been repeating today? Because you would never admit you want to learn anything.¡±


    ¡°I guess even a werelion can change his spots.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how the quote goes, and you don¡¯t even have spots.¡±


    I shrugged and flashed him a cocky grin. ¡°If I did, they''d be awesome spots. Just like the rest of me.¡±


    Joshua rolled his eyes at me. ¡°When today resets, ask to borrow my book ¡°The Fundamentals of Magic, it might have something which can help you figure out what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Because if I read it, I might connect the dots due to living through this, huh?¡±


    ¡°This loop¡¯s already making you smarter.¡±


    I shot him a mock frown. ¡°This loop¡¯s making you sassier. I almost miss the mousy Joshua.¡±


    He shot me a real frown. ¡°I¡¯m not mousy.¡±


    ¡°Sure, okay. Keep on believing that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll wish you were nicer when I have to save you from a bad werecreature.¡± He paused, then asked ¡°So what other kinds are there?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s a werebear living here, but I¡¯ve never met him.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Werebears exist?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dating a werebull, though rumor has it if you call him that he¡¯ll stomp you into the ground. Likes to be called a minotaur. He says it sounds less dumb, and I¡¯m inclined to agree with him.¡±


    ¡°Do other werecats exist? Like werecheetahs or weretigers?¡±


    At the mention of weretigers, a flash of d¨¦j¨¤ vu hit me hard, but I shook it off. ¡°No, there hasn¡¯t been a weretiger here in over a century.¡±


    ¡°You spaced out again. Not as long, but I saw it.¡±


    ¡°I got a weird feeling again.¡±


    ¡°Like ¡®kicking puppies wrong¡¯ feeling?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, like d¨¦j¨¤ vu once you mentioned weretigers. Been getting those a lot, but most of the time it was because I was reliving today. I haven¡¯t met a weretiger today during any of the repeats.¡±


    Joshua looked concerned. ¡°What do you think it means?¡±


    ¡°I have no clue. It¡¯s like I¡¯m forgetting something.¡±


    ¡°Forgetting what, though?¡±


    I smirked at him. ¡°Gee, I wish I knew. I might be suffering from short term memory loss, but I just can¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I might have deserved that.¡±


    ¡°Might have?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to help. Maybe my dumb questions can help you put two and two together.¡±


    I had to admit he was right. There are no stupid questions, only stupid people. ¡°Sorry, Joshua. Guess I¡¯m letting the stress of the situation get to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Izzy. We¡¯re going to figure this out. Too bad you have to waste time explaining things to me when this day resets.¡±


    Inspiration then struck me. ¡°I got an idea which might speed things along.¡±


    Joshua gave me a curious look. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Tell me a secret that only you know. Doesn¡¯t have to be embarrassing. Just something that might help you believe me faster.¡±


    ¡°I actually like the movie Spiceworld.¡±


    ¡°I said it didn¡¯t have to be embarrassing,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m going to use that against you so many times when things get back to normal.¡± I then froze and looked at him in disbelief. ¡°Wait a damn minute, you said you hated that movie.¡±


    ¡°I lied.¡±


    ¡°Damn, Joshua. You know how to lie?¡±


    ¡°Only when it means you¡¯ll tease me relentlessly if I tell the truth.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Okay, fair point.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean I like to do it, even to you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have to lie to you and pretend to be something I¡¯m not.¡± A pause, then: ¡°So when did you find out you can do magic?¡±


    ¡°I was really frustrated with an online troll and wished really hard he¡¯d dox himself by accident, and an hour later he did.¡±


    I flinched as if a bright light flashed before my eyes. ¡°And you didn¡¯t believe you did it?¡±


    ¡°I felt something when I made that wish. Like a rush of energy went through me and into the air.¡±


    Another flinch. What the heck was going on with today?


    ¡°Are you having spasms, Izzy?¡±


    ¡°No, but something you¡¯re saying is making me twinge. Like I¡¯m fighting back against something.¡±


    ¡°Fighting back? Fighting back what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I hissed, trying to keep my temper. It was so stupid. I was on the verge of¡­ I don¡¯t know what, but I couldn¡¯t grab it. It was slipping through my fingers. ¡°It¡¯s almost like when you¡¯re trying to recall someone¡¯s name and you¡¯re blanking out.¡±


    ¡°I did learn a spell to help with memory. It¡¯s pretty harmless, unless you remember something embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°What the Hell, maybe it¡¯ll help me remember everything I was going to study for, what¡¯ve I got to lose?¡± I made a ¡®come here¡¯ gesture. ¡°Lay it on me.¡±


    He placed his index finger on the center of my forehead and my eyes grew wide when his own turned pitch black.


    ¡°REMEMBER EVERYTHING,¡± his voice echoed in my head.


    I lurched out of bed with a gasp. I frantically searched for my phone.


    It was Wednesday morning. Again.


    What the Hell did I remember?

 Chapter 11

    I got out of the shower and dressed for the day, my head spinning with all the thoughts running around inside. I¡¯m not the greatest thinker, that¡¯s for damn sure, but there had to be a connection with what happened last night and the time loop. What it was, I couldn¡¯t remember, and when I did remember via Joshua¡¯s spell, it did¡­ well, I dunno what it did. Kill me, maybe? I don¡¯t remember and I¡¯m okay with that.


    I went downstairs to go off script again. I walked into the breakfast nook where once again Mom was reading the paper as she drank her coffee. ¡°Israel,¡± she said warmly without looking up.


    ¡°Hey, Mom, can Joshua come over for dinner tonight?¡±


    Of course she said yes. I already lived through this. Now it was time to go way off script.


    I texted Joshua to see if he¡¯d like a ride to school. Told him I was running early and could easily swing on by.


    Sure. I¡¯ll be ready in a few, came the reply.


    Score. We were about to skip ahead to the revelation of what I was, and what Joshua could do. I drove over to his house and let myself in. ¡°Hey Joshua, I¡¯m here.¡±


    Joshua came down, eyebrows raised in curiosity. ¡°You could¡¯ve waited in your Jeep.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I gotta talk to you about something important.¡±


    Joshua¡¯s eyebrows raised even higher. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I know you can do magic and I know you think I¡¯m a werewolf.¡±


    I was getting used to how wide his eyes could get. ¡°W-what makes you think I can do magic?¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re denying you think I¡¯m a werewolf, huh?¡±


    Joshua took a step back. ¡°I -I don¡¯t think that.¡±


    ¡°Relax, Joshua. I¡¯m not a werewolf, and I¡¯m not going to hurt you. I need your help, and your magic might be exactly the tool to use.¡±


    Joshua steadied himself, gesturing for me to continue.


    So I did. I did the usual striptease, but this time Joshua held up a hand. ¡°Izzy! I know you think you can seduce me, but we¡¯re going to be late for school.¡±


    ¡°School can wait,¡± I said as I slowly transformed into my feline self.


    Joshua stared at me slack-jawed. ¡°You¡¯re a--¡±


    ¡®Werelion. Yup.¡± I then changed back to human and put my shirt back on. ¡°You won¡¯t believe me, but this isn¡¯t the first time we¡¯ve done this.¡± I then explained how I was reliving today with no clue how or why.


    Joshua gave me a funny look. ¡°Izzy, are you sure you¡¯re feeling well?¡±


    I sighed. I didn¡¯t want to do this, but he forced my hand. ¡°Fine. I have proof I¡¯m reliving today. The last time we had this discussion I asked you to tell me a secret. So why didn¡¯t you tell me the truth about your love of the Spiceworld movie?¡±


    Joshua staggered back as if I¡¯d hit him. ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    ¡°Time loop. It¡¯s how I also know you do magic. Because the first time almost killed me.¡± I then explained the circumstances of the botched spell he placed on Manny followed by the last spell which did something to me, probably fatally.


    Joshua listened quietly as I talked. When I finished he asked ¡°And you have no idea what¡¯s causing this¡­ Groundhog¡¯s Day effect?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Not a clue, but I have a feeling you can maybe fix that. After I ask you for a favor.¡±


    Joshua tilted his head like a curious puppy. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s play hooky today. I want to see what happens when we avoid going to school, avoid all the confrontations with Manny, and just do nothing. Worst thing that happens is everything resets and I have to do this all over again. Best thing that happens? I¡¯m out of the Groundhog¡¯s Day effect.¡±


    Joshua shrugged. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do that. I need to go to Candleworks anyway.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it after lunch.¡±


    Joshua then frowned. ¡°Do you think the school will call your parents if you¡¯re not there?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Nah, they never do. Not that I¡¯d ever skip school.¡±


    Joshua smirked at me. ¡°You do it all the time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, I only do it once a month.¡±


    Joshua gave me a look. ¡°That¡¯s still a lot.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll survive.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why you¡¯re going through this. Because it¡¯s a punishment for all the times you skip class.¡±


    ¡°I skip school so you should say classes.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Joshua rolled his eyes and started going towards his room. ¡°If we¡¯re going to skip school, we might as well make the most of it by doing research.¡±


    Well, that was something I hadn¡¯t considered. I thought I could just goof off and play games on my phone. Leave it to Joshua to make skipping school incredibly dull.


    I followed him to his room where he was already typing away on his computer. I took one look at where he was and chuckled. ¡°Really? Maguspedia?¡±


    ¡°If you hide it in plain sight no one will believe it. Besides, you have to have the aptitude for magic, otherwise it doesn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Heaven help us if an unscrupulous type has the aptitude.¡±


    ¡°Usually the magic handles that on its own.¡±


    I looked at him. ¡°You make it sound like it¡¯s intelligent.¡±


    Joshua shrugged as he kept his attention on the screen. ¡°Who¡¯s to say it isn¡¯t? I was joking about you being punished, but what if you are? What if karmic justice is real?¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s forcing me to relive a school day? That makes too much sense and I hate it.¡± I looked at the list of articles on the magic wikipedia. ¡°Any luck?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Nothing, but we just started. Maybe I¡¯ll find something, and if you help me keep track of what we find we can skip all of this if there¡¯s a next time.¡±


    ¡°I still find it hard to believe you¡¯re accepting all of this.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re a werelion. Magic is real. A phenomenon where you¡¯re reliving today doesn¡¯t seem that far-fetched.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m lucky you¡¯re my best friend,¡± I said.


    Joshua grinned at me. ¡°You definitely are. I¡¯ll be lucky after lunch when we go to Candleworks.¡±


    ¡°How are we going to explain why we¡¯re not at school?¡± I asked. I hadn¡¯t thought of that and I was already thinking of excuses to use.¡±


    ¡°Just be yourself and Keith will be too flustered to ask us why we¡¯re not there.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°You know exactly what it means.¡±


    ¡°I mean, yeah, I do but I like to hear you admit it.¡±


    Joshua let out a dramatic sigh. ¡°He either wants you or wishes he had your muscles.¡± He then looked down at my body, focusing on the arms, then locked eyes with me. ¡°How much of your size is because you¡¯re a werelion?¡±


    I felt an embarrassed heat warm my cheeks. ¡°Hey, I work hard at being this big.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not denying that, but because you¡¯re a werelion is why you get accused of taking steroids at school isn¡¯t it?¡±


    For once I broke eye contact with Joshua. With Joshua of all people. ¡°Yeah, probably since I don¡¯t juice. Don¡¯t need to, either.¡±


    ¡°Would it even work if you did?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to get drunk, and aspirin doesn¡¯t seem to work unless I take way more than I should.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve tried getting drunk?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°All part of the rebellious teen phase.¡±


    ¡°What did your Dad say when you got caught?¡±


    My smile vanished in the blink of an eye. ¡°Who said I got caught?¡±


    Joshua raised an eyebrow. ¡°So did you get caught?¡±


    ¡°The one and only time I tried, yeah. Dammit, Joshua, how are you so damned insightful? Is it the aura reading ability? Which, by the way, still needs work if you thought I was a werewolf.¡±


    ¡°Your auras are the same. How was I supposed to know other types of weres existed?¡±


    I smirked. ¡°It¡¯s true that we werelions are way better of covering up our existence, unlike a werewolf.¡±


    Joshua shook his head. ¡°Why do you dislike werewolves so much?¡±


    ¡°Who says I dislike them?¡±


    ¡°Any chance you get you¡¯ve been proclaiming how superior werelions are to them.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Prolly dogs versus cats things. You know how they don¡¯t get along.¡±


    ¡°But they can get along. Your comparison doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°Well, if they were werewolves and werecats they wouldn¡¯t get along.¡±


    ¡°Because they¡¯re part human, and humans are notoriously mean and spiteful?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not mean.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you were, but the werelion doth protest too much, methinks.¡± Now it was Joshua¡¯s turn to smirk. I didn¡¯t like this look. I preferred him to be shy and unassuming.


    ¡°Shakespeare you ain¡¯t.¡±


    Joshua¡¯s smirk faded away to reveal a surprised look. ¡°I¡¯m impressed you recognized the quote.¡±


    ¡°I butcher it all the time, but give me some credit.¡± I waved a hand before he could respond. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re getting distracted and while I might currently have all the time in the world, I have to spend some of it showing you my real nature every time, and that¡¯s time which could be better used.¡±


    Joshua turned back to his research on the computer. ¡°Look at you, all focused and determined.¡±


    I hovered over him, watching him do his thing. ¡°I know, it¡¯s weird. Usually I¡¯m the one who¡¯s willing and ready to goof off.¡±


    We spent another half hour searching various websites and coming up empty. Heck, at one point we got desperate and looked at YouTube for help.


    ¡°Nothing is coming up,¡± Joshua said.


    ¡°I dunno, at least I learned about the SCP Foundation.¡±


    Joshua turned to look at me. ¡°Do they really exist?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, but the Federal Bureau of Magic does. So you might wanna learn about them.¡±


    "So the government knows the supernatural exists?"


    I hesitated a bit. I wasn''t too clued in on that stuff. Did all of the government know about us or was the FBM one of those secrets kept from humanity? After all, the secrecy not only protected them but it also protected us. Humans outnumbered the supernatural. I don''t care how powerful you were because humans would find a way to end a threat. Humans are very good at this. History proves it.


    So I fessed up. "I dunno but I''m sure it''s on a need to know basis."


    ¡°I think I need to know,¡± Joshua said, his lips turned into a grimace.


    I didn¡¯t like that. I think I upset him with this knowledge, but in my defense he should¡¯ve known magic comes with a price. I don¡¯t think he expected it to be red tape. Lots of it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I said, hoping I came across as reassuring and not condescending. ¡°You aren¡¯t the type they¡¯ll worry about. As long as you don¡¯t plan on ritual sacrifice of human beings or plot to bring about Armageddon you should be okay.¡±


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Joshua said, rubbing his chin in thought. ¡°I did have plans to awaken Cthulhu next week.¡±


    Okay, good. Humor was good. It meant I wasn¡¯t condescending to him. ¡°Summoning Elder Gods or Great Old Ones is frowned upon by the community, just so you know.¡±


    ¡°Darn, there goes my plans.¡± He stretched out and rubbed his eyes. ¡°So the Internet¡¯s no good. Unless you know a few websites for supernaturals I think it¡¯s time for lunch then maybe a visit to Candleworks.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not the right werelion to ask about those places. I don¡¯t even have Snapchat.¡±


    Joshua waved off my admission. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Snapchat is awful.¡±


    I felt a sense of validation with his remark. Not that I needed it, but since I loved him in a way he wouldn¡¯t love me, it still felt really good. ¡°Okay, so whatcha got to eat around this place?¡±

 Chapter 12

    We went to Candleworks after lunch. I gave a glance at where Maximum Effort used to be and felt a twinge in my heart. I hadn¡¯t had time to think about where I would go to get my supplements. Not that I really needed them, but still.


    ¡°So what¡¯re we looking for?¡± I asked as we got out of the jeep and made our way to the store.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to check the books,¡± Joshua said. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll find something which can help our search.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯ll I get to do?¡±


    Joshua stared off into the distance, a sign he was giving the question some serious thought. ¡°Follow your instincts. Use those better than human senses. Even your ¡®allergy¡¯ to magic might help us.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha. I¡¯ll let you know if I get really itchy.¡±


    Joshua chuckled. ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    "Hey there, big guy," Keith said as he finished up with the customer, who was the skinny kid I''d seen every time we came here. I went with the flow of my usual action and watched him as he passed me by to the exit. I felt the increase of heat on his cheeks again as he took in the sight of me, but he still kept his eyes on me when I caught him scoping me out. I gave him a brief nod before making my way towards Keith.


    Time to keep on following the script.


    ¡°So what happened to Maximum Effort?¡± All right, maybe I didn¡¯t follow it exactly. I didn¡¯t want to fake any anger. It would be a waste of energy.


    "Ah, yeah. They closed us down this week, Israel. Sorry about that."


    I scratched the itch on my shoulder. "I was there last Saturday. Why didn''t anyone tell me?"


    "We didn''t know until Monday. Corporate closed us down and gave us three days to move all the inventory to the warehouse."


    "Damn, that sucks.¡±


    "I know, but I lucked out and managed to get a job here the next day."


    Then it hit me. What did Keith know about the metaphysical stuff? Wouldn¡¯t whoever owned the place want someone with at least some knowledge of it?


    ¡°Israel? You okay?¡±


    Dammit, I¡¯ve gotta stop spacing out when I get into deep thought. ¡°Sorry, guy. I was lost in those gorgeous eyes of yours.¡±


    That distracted Keith big time. ¡°Hey, now. I¡¯m not going to give you a discount,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re not eighteen yet.¡±


    I leaned forward, folding my arms across the counter. I didn¡¯t pretend not to notice his eyes move towards my biceps this time. ¡°When I am, though, I¡¯ll make sure to have you eating out of the palm of my hand.¡±


    Keith¡¯s smile wavered a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll be patient, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I turn eighteen in a few months. You won¡¯t have to wait long.¡± I then stood up as I saw Joshua approach the counter. "That was fast," I said, turning away from Keith and folding my arms across my chest. I heard Keith sigh behind me, and I smiled. ¡°Any luck?"


    Joshua''s eyes flicked towards Keith as he made his purchase, then back to me. "They had something we wanted."


    I smelled¡­ something I didn¡¯t recognize mixed with sandalwood. ¡°Alright then. Are we good to go?¡±


    Joshua nodded his head and I flashed Keith a wink. ¡°See you in a couple of months, right?¡±


    Keith nodded. ¡°Patience is a virtue.¡±


    ¡°Good guy,¡± I said and the second we left the store I decided to voice my thoughts on the situation. ¡°How did someone who¡¯s studying to be a physical therapy trainer wind up in a store for metaphysical stuff?¡±


    ¡°Who? The guy at the counter?¡±


    I smacked my forehead. ¡°Oh yeah, you wouldn¡¯t know him. It¡¯s your first time meeting the guy.¡± I explained how he used to work at the supplement store and how he got the job at Candleworks the next day after the former closed.


    Joshua frowned. ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me.¡±


    Joshua looked up at me. ¡°Maybe the owner is desperate for people?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a fast food job.¡±


    ¡°Something to keep an eye on, then.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯d you get?¡±


    Joshua held up the bag. ¡°Some incense. We¡¯re going to go back to my place and help jog your memory.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Fear pinched at my heart a little bit. ¡°Uhm, you remember what I told you, right? We tried that already and the outcome was probably not good.¡±


    Joshua nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t forget but I¡¯ve been thinking about how I went about doing it. I think it was making you remember everything which was the problem. We¡¯re going to make you remember a select memory.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I said as we drove out of the parking lot and towards his place. ¡°Which memory?¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling there¡¯s something we¡¯re missing, and I¡¯m going to keep the spell as simple and easy as possible. If we¡¯re lucky it might put us on the right path. If we¡¯re really lucky it¡¯ll tell us exactly what we need to do.¡±


    ¡°And if we¡¯re not lucky?¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯re back to square one.¡±


    My pessimistic side took complete control over me. ¡°And if we¡¯re really not lucky?¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re back to square one.¡±


    Meaning it¡¯d be Wednesday morning again. Oh well, I¡¯d get away with skipping school again with zero consequences. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll take those odds.¡±


    We drove in silence the rest of the way to Joshua¡¯s, and I didn¡¯t say a word as we walked in and marched right up to his room. He got busy setting up five red candles which I bet if I drew a line to connect them I could form a pentagram.


    ¡°Okay, Izzy,¡± Joshua said, pointing at the center, ¡°sit down and we¡¯ll proceed.¡±


    I did as he asked and watched him light the candles with a grill lighter, the kind you use for when you want to grill some burgers. He then lit a stick of incense and the scent eventually filled the room. Again, I couldn¡¯t place the unknown scent. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rosemary. I found out it¡¯s good for memory, so I decided to get some. It couldn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    I shivered a bit. I was nervous, I admit it. It felt we were on to something, but what if I was setting myself up for disappointment? ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Joshua crouched down in front of me, outside of the candles which surrounded me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Izzy. The spell is going to be very specific. I¡¯ll cancel it if I think it¡¯s hurting you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Joshua. Heh, for once you¡¯re my bodyguard.¡±


    Joshua smiled. ¡°I might grow to like this.¡±


    Not if I have anything to say about it. ¡°All right, do your magic.¡±


    His eyes turned black but this time he didn¡¯t touch me. ¡°REMEMBER WHAT YOU¡¯RE MISSING.¡±


    It was starting to get dark by the time I got back to the school grounds. I parked my Jeep next to the football field, and squeezed out of it. My poor vehicle had started to be unable to handle my size thanks to those late growth spurts that had really hit me hard, and my Jeep was the casualty next to my wardrobe.


    It was a cool night but all I needed was my sleeveless hoodie and jogging pants to keep me warm. I ran hot all the time, so this kind of weather was a godsend. I made my way towards the chain link fence that kept the unsavory types from squatting there for shelter. I hopped over the fence as easily as an Olympic athlete doing a high jump, and walked over to the building behind the bleachers. It served as a locker room and gym for the football players, and I used to work out there at night. I wasn''t worried about getting caught. I could con my way out of any trouble or just intimidate whoever found me there. It happened one time with one of the football players, one of Manny''s friends, and after a few words from me he was guaranteed never to rat me out. It''s a wonder our football team ever won a game in their life, the way the players were so timid.


    I stared at the gym and remembered that time Manny had attacked me. He had been the target of Joshua¡¯s magic which filled him with an impotent rage with no release. So he went after the one person he hated more than anyone, me. If I had been human, I¡¯d have been dead. Fortunately I wasn¡¯t, but it was kill or be killed, so I was forced to kill Manny.


    After all these years it was the one kill I regretted. I don¡¯t know if I could have done it another way. I would never know and sometimes it preyed on my thoughts. Sometimes I¡¯d dream Manny was still alive and still consumed with rage. Just before he¡¯d attack me I¡¯d wake up sweating bullets. These dreams rarely came up but it gutted me every time.


    Did Joshua have the same dreams fueled by guilt? I never talked about what happened to Manny after I revealed to him I was a werelion. I don¡¯t know why. Maybe it was a macho thing but I always had a tendency to do whatever the hell I wanted to, macho or no. I liked to think I redefined being macho, but what if I was just too scared to confess how I was haunted by guilt?


    Maybe it was time to talk about this to someone in the know, but what were the statute of limitations on this? It was self defense, but I still killed someone. I would bet easy money they¡¯d have taken one look at me and tried me as an adult.


    No. I wouldn¡¯t talk about this. I¡¯d just revisit this place every time and beg forgiveness to the ghost that may or may not haunt this place. I really hoped he was in a better place than haunting this old school, though.


    ¡°Sorry, Manny,¡± I said quietly. ¡°I wish I could relive that moment to handle it better.¡±


    ¡°Wish granted.¡±


    I gasped for air and flailed a bit, knocking the candles all over the place. I didn¡¯t notice if they were unlit or not because I was too busy scrambling backwards until my back hit the wall. I couldn¡¯t control my breathing. It felt like I¡¯d run a marathon. Two marathons, even.


    ¡°Izzy!¡± Joshua crouched a safe distance from me, hand outstretched. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯re okay!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t okay, though. I looked around wildly, hoping to find something to get rid of the utter terror in my heart. Of course I couldn¡¯t find anything. I was a panicked idiot grasping at straws.


    ¡°Izzy, you¡¯re scaring me,¡± Joshua said, on his hands and knees now. ¡°Please, breathe. Deep breaths. It¡¯ll help you. I promise.¡±


    I tried to follow his instructions. I really did. But my breathing turned shallow and started to hitch a lot. I could feel my nerves breaking down, my mind awhirl with the realization.


    Joshua crept closer to me. ¡°Izzy, tell me what¡¯s wrong. What did you remember?¡±


    ¡°Y-you wouldn¡¯t b-believe me.¡± I hated myself for stuttering like a crying baby, but I couldn¡¯t help it. I was on a one way trip to a total mental meltdown.


    He placed a hand on my shoulder and to my credit, I didn¡¯t flinch or brush it away. ¡°I¡¯ll believe you, I promise,¡± he said. ¡°I believed you when you said you¡¯re reliving today, remember?¡±


    I stared into his eyes and somehow it calmed me down. Was he using magic to do this? My skin wasn¡¯t itching so I doubt he was. A new realization was trying to get into my conscious brain but it was overwhelmed with the ones already stuck there.


    ¡°I know why this is happening, Joshua, but it¡¯s worse than I expected.¡±


    Joshua¡¯s face scrunched up in confusion. ¡°How is it worse?¡±


    ¡°I remember being an adult and wishing I could relive this moment and fix things,¡± I said. ¡°This is all my fault.¡±