Ryder POV

    Life and death. Two different halves of the same coin. One thought of to be beautiful, and the other tattered and distasteful. But be aware. Someone's view on the two subjects can be changed just as quickly as nature can flip the coin of fate. One can find a sense of peace in death that has been so mercilessly stripped away or merely never given to a person during this short passing through we call life. No matter what your perspective on them is, you can be sure of this. This game we call life always ends with death. And in that death, we begin a new cycle of life far different than this one.

    The process of this cycle can be altered, paused, or even stopped. What truly matters is that we look at these interruptions and proceed with caution until we safely pass or until we at least find shelter in the middle of the storm. Friends and family are a crucial part of this journey because they serve as your support as you aid them as theirs. The proper support is also essential. Having friends or family that are questionable may weaken your support. But in its own way, having too much backing and no opposition is detrimental.

    Life can suck, and so can death. But because we know that they work in this cycle, we keep living. We strive for greater heights and better opportunities.  We overcome obstacles that we deem impossible. That is what it means to be alive. That is what it means to be a Lycusian.

    For me, death is pretty ugly. I go to the back of the school and wait for Thomas to break his word. But when I get there, he is leaning on the wall by himself. I inch closer to him, slowly, cautiously. As if reading my mind, he yells, " Come out, guys." I stop and get into a fighting stance. But then he starts cackling. No, not a 'haha hahaha' or a 'hehe hehe' not even a spray bottle or wheezing. A full-on 'mwah-ha-ha' erupts from his throat. I am still standing there, like an idiot, waiting to get jumped. "Nobody's here but us, Ryu. We are not playin' Fighter Street. We are just going to talk." He morphs from Camo to Origin. "Or more like I'm gonna talk, and you're gonna listen."

    He is way taller in Origin than in Camo, so much that I am ordinarily at his eye level, but know I have to look up. He continues speaking. "I don't know what or who you think you are. I had some of my people look into you and your family since you moved here. It doesn't make any sense how your father could be a werewolf, your mother a shapeshifter, and your siblings are an apparent mix of the two. So how are you human? Only Defects are born like that, and they only live to be 3. And if one parent is a human, then the child will have Origin and Camo for a while. But they eventually lose the ability to shift stages. So either your doctor messed up on your record, your an extremely late bloomer, or you were adopted. The last one is not probable because the school has to take a piece of DNA and compare it with your parents'. So that leaves the other two." I shift unevenly on my feet. "So what are you trying to say, Thomas. Are you threatening me? And my family?" I ask. "No," he says. "I want to make sure you know that I am watching you. And if you screw up, I will make sure everyone knows." And as soon as I thought he couldn't get any closer, he breathes in my face. "Is that clear?" 

    "Crystal," I huff. He backs up and shifts back. "Good." He glances at me once more before leaving.