Charcoal was unsure whether to trust Curtis; he was still a spectacle of Curtis. Watson confirmed to Charcoal that Curtis was a friend from high school and middle school. Charcoal took this information with a grain of salt but decided to trust Watson. Maybe Curtis has no idea he's a vampire, just like Charcoal has no idea he's a werewolf. Charcoal wanted to tell his friend but couldn't because of the Code of 101 that all supernatural beings must follow around humans, no matter what species they are.

But that's a story for another day. Right now, they were playing video games and eating popcorn. They also had chips and soda. Charcoal noticed that Curtis was eating the popcorn, which was a good indication that he knew how to blend in with humans. However, his cape and his emo-looking book were not helping him. Curtis looked like a vampire with ginger hair, though humans wouldn’t notice. Charcoal thought humans were generally oblivious, especially Watson. Maybe the rest aren't, but Watson is unaware and not very observant of his surroundings. He is so unobservant that he often gets clumsy and falls over on pebbles or trips over his own feet on sidewalks.

It's surprising that Watson hasn't been taken advantage of by any supernatural being, no matter how many they have encountered over the years. Charcoal and Watson have been friends since middle school and remained close throughout high school. They somewhat got separated but reconnected during their senior year when other schools collaborated for the year-end graduation. Charcoal remembered the days when they played with sticks, and he chased after them when Watson threw them during elementary and middle school. Although it's hard to say how long ago that was, Charcoal had always worried his werewolf side would show, though thankfully, it never did.

There were many close calls where Watson almost figured it out. One time, Watson asked why Charcoal was so secretive and if there was something he needed to talk about. Of course, Charcoal wanted to tell him, but he decided against it, despite trusting his best friend. Another close call happened during a full moon on Halloween night. It was really hard for Charcoal to hide his ears and tail, but when Watson walked into his room, excited about a Halloween party, he didn’t suspect anything. Watson assumed Charcoal was just dressed up as a furry or a cosplayer, which helped hide his werewolf nature.

They partied all night with drinks and spiked punch. It was a wonderful night. Charcoal was starting to learn more about werewolf culture from a group called Arch, which he still associates with. He also discovered the existence of other creatures besides werewolves and vampires, some of which he had never encountered before. There were a few harpies at the party, and he continued to encounter them frequently afterward. He also saw a few mages, who were also known as witches. Charcoal learned about elves living in the Forest of Evergreen, although he hadn’t met any because they were isolated from humans. He also learned that there were multiple types of elves.

So far, Charcoal hadn’t encountered any vampires. Werewolves had no sworn enemies until recently. Curtis didn’t seem like a bad person. To be honest, none of the other species seemed bad either, whether supernatural or not. Most werewolves believed other species were bad, just as other species viewed werewolves and others with suspicion. There was a general consensus that everyone outside one's own kind was considered evil. Most agreed to dislike humans, although some had different views. Typically, there were 3 to 7 different tribes within each supernatural race. In many ways, supernatural beings had a lot in common with humans. While some had wings, tails, or ears, they all struggled to get along, much like humans. The key similarity between humans and non-humans was that not everyone got along. At least, that was Charcoal’s view. Charcoal thought it might not be his place to judge Curtis, but he decided to stay cautious because he didn’t know Curtis well. This wasn't just because Curtis was a vampire. Despite the tales Charcoal had heard as a wolf pup about vampires drinking blood for sport, those stories might not even be true.

"Hey, do you have any strawberries in the fridge?" Watson’s voice snapped Charcoal out of his thoughts. Why strawberries? Was Curtis trying to pretend he ate human food? "Sure, I have some in the fridge. I know you’ve liked strawberries since high school. I usually use them for smoothies, but we’re out of yogurt, so no smoothies today."

Charcoal was baffled. There was no way Curtis was actually trying to eat human food. Curtis opened the fridge, grabbed the strawberries, and started eating them one by one. Watson asked if Curtis wanted them cut up with some sugar, but Curtis declined, saying they were fine as they were.

As they continued playing video games, Charcoal had to watch since there were only two controllers. He kept an eye on Curtis, who slowly ate the strawberries one by one until they were all gone. They finished the game quickly. What shocked Charcoal was the realization that maybe vampires didn’t even drink blood. It made Charcoal question how much of the stories about vampires were true and how much was simply made up.