“Michael Hogs,” The wrestling coach walked in front of Mike.

It was just after practice and Mike was still in his new wrestling gear. His chest was puffing up and down as he struggled to catch his breath and sweat dripped from his forehead.

“Yes sir?”

“You made this team on good word from Monroe, do you have any idea as to why he hasn’t come to a single practice?”

“No sir, he hasn’t been coming to school either, maybe he’s sick.” Mike shrugged.

The coach pursed his lips and the muscles in his neck tensed up.

“Maybe you could pay him a home call for me, and tell him if he doesn’t get his ass to a single practice this week then he’s off the team.”

“Okay.” Mike nodded quickly.

“And Michael,”

“Sir?”

“Good work out there today.”

“Really? I mean, uh thank you. Oh and you can call me Mike, if you want, but you don’t have to. Michael is fine. I mean it is my name.”

“Mike.”

“Yeah?”

“Go home.”

“Right, okay, yeah.” He nodded.

The coach sighed before walking off.

Mike hit the showers and changed before he texted Jaden to meet him at the school. He waited outside as the sun was low in the sky, he shivered and rubbed his hands together. He could see his breath in the air. Jaden walked over to him after Mike had been waiting for a couple of minutes.

“What’s up?”

“You are going to come with me to Monroe’s house.”

“What! I don’t even know the guy.”

“Well neither do I, I mean he was like sort of nice to me, but I never got his number and now our coach has ordered me to go check on him. I don’t want to go alone.”

Jaden sighed.

“Come on man, look this could be like our little adventure. Joan and Bex get to go on an adventure and check on Darci and you and I get a mission to check on Monroe.”

“Fine, I brought my bike.” Jaden indicated to his bike resting against the curb.

The boys walked over to the bike, Jaden sat down and Mike stood on the back pegs. With a grunt, Jaden pedaled forward and they were off to visit Monroe.

Joan and Bex pulled up to Darci’s house, Bex sighed once she saw the coast was clear and Darci’s mom’s car was not in the driveway.

“Come on,” Bex said.

“Nice necklace,” Joan smirked at Bex’s new necklace.

It was a chain with a mini silver sword pendant attached to it.

“Don’t start, Lyssa is making me. I hate it.” Bex pouted.

“I think it’s a good idea.” Joan shrugged.

“Yeah until I try and kiss Lyssa and accidentally burn her!”

“I stand by what I said.”

“Ugh!”

“So exactly how did Lyssa get her claws on an enchanted sword made to kill vampires when she is a vampire?”

“I don’t know she didn’t tell me. I sort of freaked out when it shrunk down and turned into a necklace. After that I demanded to go home, we are sort of fighting now.”

“I’ve noticed. Today was the first day the two of you ate lunch with us in months.”

Bex sighed before knocking on the door.

“Any chance you two might break up?” Joan asked.

Bex glared at her.

“Okay, just checking.” Joan held up her hands in surrender.

“Just drop it, I’m still fuming. I have to think about this a little longer and I don’t need you being devil’s advocate.”

“If anything, I am the angel on the shoulder and Lyssa is the devil.”

“Joan,” Bex warned.

Just the door unlocked and opened up.

“Bex?” Darci eyed them in confusion.

“Hey! We haven’t hung out in forever, so I just thought maybe we should hang out.” Bex plastered a smile on her face.

Darci raised a skeptic brow and turned to look at Joan.

Joan forced a smile.

Darci sighed and let them in.

“Fine, my mom’s out of town anyways.” She said.

“How’s that going?” Bex asked as they walked in.

“It’s going.” Darci clipped her words.

“Yeah? You know if you ever want to talk about something, you can tell us.” Bex sat on the couch.

Joan plopped down next to her.

“I knew it.” Darci sighed and sat across from them.

“What?” Joan tried to play dumb.

“You two are trying to intermission me.” Darci declared.

“What! No, psh, of course not.” Bex waved her had in the air as if waving off the accusation.

Darci raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, you caught us.” Joan sighed.

“Joan!” Bex complained.

“Bex, really, you are trying to intermission me?” Darci pouted.

“Sorry, I just, we are worried about you. Friends have the right to be worried and throw intermissions.” Bex defended herself.

“What is this about?” Darci eyed them.

“Well for starters you told us you were happy with Aron and then at lunch you look all uncomfortable around him and make him go away. What’s up with that?” Joan asked.

Darci sighed and avoided their gaze, picking at her pants.

“Darci, you are happy with him right?” Bex pushed.

“I mean, yeah, sometimes.” She mumbled.

“Sometimes?” Joan crossed her arms.

Darci grabbed a blond curl in her hands and twirled it around her finger.

“Darci what’s going on?” Bex got up and sat next to her.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” she turned away.

“Well, we aren’t leaving here until you do,” Joan stated.

“You guys wouldn’t understand.” Darci snapped at them.

“Hey, we aren’t judging, we are just worried. It’s okay. You can tell me, I know not every relationship is perfect, heck me and Lyssa are sort of fighting right now. It’s okay to tell me.” Bex placed her hand on Darci’s arm.

“You wouldn’t… I can’t tell you. You wouldn’t understand.” Darci said quietly.

“You’d be surprised.” Bex forced a laugh to lighten the mood.

“Oh yeah right, you and Lyssa are so perfect. There is nothing weird or unusual about you guys. Just a perfectly normal couple.”

Bex couldn’t help but laugh, Darci turned to look at her.

“Try the opposite. Do you know how I met Lyssa? I ran into her and cut my hand, she licked it! What a freak right? I was so freaked out. Yesterday Lyssa spent an hour trying to explain to me what the difference is between a long sword and just a regular sword. Lyssa is allergic to almost all food, so when I eat she can’t eat with me. We are total freaks together, nothing is perfect or normal between us, trust me. If it was I wouldn’t be mad at her right now for trying to get me a sword as a present.”

Darci giggled.

Bex smiled at her.

“See, not normal. Lyssa is something else, trust me. So you can talk to me because trust me when I tell you that is not even scratching the surface of how weird Lyssa and I are.”

“Okay, fine, but you guys can’t tell Aron I told you. He would freak out. He’s… He isn’t normal. He has a very weird religion he practices.”

“How so?” Joan leaned forward in her seat.

“Well, he does like these rituals with his family. It creeps me out. He always makes me go and watch, but I don’t like it. He’s just, weird. I mean he is sweet and loving but when he gets to talking about that stuff, I just get uncomfortable.”

“Rituals?” Bex asked.

“Okay, so his grandpa is Rupert, the weird Christmas tree guy. When they do these rituals it’s like super creepy and unexplainable. I know it sounds silly, but I think he’s doing magic.”

Joan’s eyes went wide and Bex made an o-face.

“See! I told you, it’s weird isn’t it.” Darci looked away from them again.

“No! I believe you. When Joan and I went to buy a Christmas tree the oil made weird things happen to me.” Bex assured her.

“Really, like what? Are you okay?” Darci asked.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine, it was just uh weird.”

“So wait, Aron is like a warlock?” Joan asked.

Darci nodded.

“Wow, what are the odds?” Joan shook her head.

“What do you mean?” Darci asked.

Joan looked at Bex and Bex quickly shook her head no and bugged her eyes out at Joan.

“Nothing.” Joan sighed.

“What? What is it? What was that? What are you two hiding from me? Jaden told me you two were hiding something.” Darci crossed her arms.

“Nothing, we aren’t hiding anything.” Bex forced a smile.

“Bex, I tell you everything, you can’t do the same for me?” Darci asked.

“No, I uh, I mean it’s not like that. It’s complicated.” Bex said.

Darci furrowed her brow and looked ticked off.

Bex sighed and looked at Joan. Joan shrugged and gave an indifferent look. Bex sighed again.

“Well?” Darci looked at Bex.

“Darci, I can’t…” Bex looked down.

“Just tell her,” Joan said.

“I can’t, Lyssa will kill me!” Bex said.

“Lyssa, what does this have to do with Lyssa?” Darci asked.

“Just tell her!” Joan said.

“Fine!” Bex pouted.

“What? What’s going on?” Darci looked back and forth between the two.

“Darci, the reason Lyssa and I aren’t normal or perfect is that… okay, brace yourself. Lyssa is a vampire.” Bex said.

There was a long moment of silence.

“You’re serious?” Darci asked.

“Yes, Lyssa is a vampire. Like an actual vampire. I am bonded with her through a blood bond. Joan is a vampire slayer.”

“What!?” Darci turned to Joan.

“It’s true.” Joan shrugged.

“Wait, wait, wait, your girlfriend is a vampire and your best friend is a vampire slayer?” Darci said.

“Talk about the odds right?” Bex laughed.

“Wait and Jaden already knows about this?” Darci said.

“Him and Mike, they sort of caught me trying to slay Lyssa.” Joan rubbed the back of her neck.

“What! You tried to kill Lyssa?”

“Yes, but we are past that now and the two have made and maintained peace.” Bex pointed out.

“Wow and I thought I was weird.” Darci shook her head.

“You don’t know the half, I guess we should start at the beginning,” Bex said.

“Wait, I need some snacks for this.” Darci shook her head and got up.

Bex sighed and Joan got up to get some snacks too.

Meanwhile Mike and Jaden rolled up to Monroe’s big extravagant house. Monroe’s car was in the driveway as were his parent’s cars. They hopped off the bike and laid it on the lawn before walking up to the door and ringing the doorbell.

“We aren’t even his friends.” Jaden points out.

“Well, coach is counting on me,” Mike said determinedly.

Jaden sighed and rang the doorbell again.

“Do you think they are going to tell Darci?” Mike asked Jaden.

“I hope so, but I’m not holding my breath.” He knocked on the door.

The two stood there for about a minute, Mike glanced at the parked cars before knocking again.

“Maybe no one is home?” Jaden suggested.

Mike once again glanced at the cars; Jaden followed his gaze. Both boys gave confused looks at the door.

Mike tried the handle and the door opened. They gave wary looks to each other before walking in.

“Hello? Monroe?” Mike walked in.

“Sorry to barge in,” Jaden called.

There was not a single sound in the house. They looked around and all the lights were off and it looked as if no one was home.

“Monroe?” Mike called again.

The boys walked up the stairs in search of someone. That’s when they saw the mess in the hallway. A smashed table and broken vase. Blood splatter, dried on the floor. Jaden froze in place.

Mike gulped but kept walking to Monroe’s room, they could tell it was his by the basketball jersey tacked to the door. The door was cracked open just slightly and a bloody handprint was on the door handle.

“Wait, man, maybe we should call the cops.” Jaden’s voice shook.

Mike pushed the door open and it made a loud creak noise. The window was open and the wind blew in. The room was trashed. The tv on the floor and smashed. The bedsheets all over the place. Blood splattered on every surface. Monroe lay dead on the floor. Two holes in his neck.

Mike covered his mouth, his eyes watering.

Outside of Monroe’s window and dead on the floor below in the backyard where his parents. It was obvious that they had been like that for a couple of days. Jaden walked into the room and saw the scene.

He screamed.