Monday September 7th, 1981

After working tirelessly through the night to restore power across the shoreline, Marvadel was ready to begin the day as phone lines and alarm clocks rang out across town and every soul with even a single trouble knew what it meant. Monday had arrived. For some, that meant tangling with corporate greed and menagerie. For others, it meant venturing into the lion's den and tackling a new frontier filled with horrors better left undescribed.

Eve Payne was one such soul and her battle against destiny would force her to endure one of the greatest challenges adolescence had to offer. The first day of School...

<O> Payne Residence: 6:22 AM <O>

Visions and dreams from the night before, so vivid and emotional were shattered and Eve woke with a stir to a cold and wet sensation on her hand. She sat up groggily and could feel the touch of skin rubbing against her wrist and thankfully the girl’s reflexes hadn’t fully awoke as Eve turned her head and frowned at who she saw.

“What are you doing?” She asked Yuva, her little brother and the greatest pain in the world with the best accusatory tone her dry throat could produce. 

“Nothing.” He shrugged with a sly grin, still in his PJs. “I was just getting you some water.”

Eve looked down at Yuva’s hand holding hers inside a white plastic cup and immediately knew what he was trying to do. 

“You’re supposed to use warm water to make someone wet the bed.” Eve yanked her hand away and sighed. Is this really how the day was going to start? A prank? She shook under the idea this was a bad omen and sat up fully, pushing Yuva out of the way as she stood and clutched her aching stomach.

As Eve struggled with her nausea the night before came to mind. She could tell Ms. Troy wasn’t a bad person but her cooking skills…needed some work. The same could be said for her parents though, at least when it came to American dishes. 

Why would they even make macaroni and cheese? Or better yet; why would they make macaroni and cheese days in advance and try to reheat it minutes before dinner? Was this how all adults act? It made her never want to grow up, but she couldn’t think like that. Not her. Not again. 

SPLASH!!

Eve spun around too late as a dark spot soiled her bedsheets and Yuva dashed out of the room like the little gremlin he was. 

“Mom!” He shouted through the house with impish glee. “Eve wet the bed!”

A fire lit in Eve’s belly. She could feel her ears turning red as she chased after him. “He’s lying! He’s still holding the cup!”

<O> Marvadel Central High: 8:44 am <O>

Aaron pulled his brown leather jacket over his body as he stepped out of the classroom and into the bustling corridor. He needed to remember to punch the counselor for giving him math first thing in the morning. 

The long tiled hallway stretched to the other side of the building with two stairwells on either side farther down and a pair of double doors at both ends.

The lockers matched the blue and white tiled floor and the hallway itself was wide to compensate for the high traffic but that didn’t help much. Getting from class to class was like navigating stormy oceans and after a while, Aaron stopped stressing himself over it. 

Even with teachers and staff filing through the crowd, you could get away with a lot in the hallway. For example, Devon Thompson had already stuffed his third victim of the day into a locker and slammed it shut before anyone took notice. With all the loud conversations and lockers opening and closing there was no way for anyone to tell. Even the poor kid’s screaming was drowned out.

Aaron arrived at his locker and twisted in the combination before the door popped open and he tossed his tan messenger bag inside, the cloth heavily worn. He scratched his head trying to remember what period he had next and groaned internally at the revelation.

“Fucking chemistry…” Aaron decided how much effort he felt like putting in on a Monday before he felt a large burly hand clap him on the shoulder. He turned around, happy to take his mind off his impending doom.

The hand belonged to a large and imposing figure easily standing at around 6’5. He wore a blue letterman jacket with black leather sleeves and the red school insignia embroidered over his heart. He had on Khakis and the largest silver Nike high tops Aaron had ever seen. 

Most notable about his appearance however was his hair. Or fur more like it. His large hand turned out to be a paw and was covered in his brown fur which spilled out his sleeves, collar, and the rest of his clothing. A mane braided into long thick dreadlocks surrounded his face with some of the strands decorated by various red, green, and yellow beads. His mouth was whiskered and jut out slightly like a snout and his eyes were obscured by a pair of dark sunglasses. 

Twin furry ears poked through a baseball cap on his head with holes torn into the top to compensate. It was…a lion. But also a man. His smell was wild but not musty.

<!> Blake Turner: One of the few Nephilim left in the world, Blake is beloved for his laid-back attitude and his…stock <!>

“Scuse me bud. Let me squeeze by you real quick..” Blake gently moved Aaron by the hand on his shoulder and twisted the combination to his locker. 

Aaron silently mouthed expletives and gave Blake some space. With his size, Aaron wasn’t getting to his locker anyhow. Blake’s fingers were much too large for the dial so instead he turned it with his claws until the door opened after several tries. What was he? How is he just at school? Are his parents lions too? Aaron wanted to ask but his better judgment warned him against it.

Out of curiosity, Aaron peeked inside Blake’s locker and was surprised to see it decorated with pink hearts, sparkles, and other girly things you wouldn’t expect from someone so imposing. 

Aaron watched as Blake reached inside, pulled out a roll of cash, and stuffed it inside his pocket. He opened his jacket where he produced a small bag of green herbs and left the spice inside the locker with a small grin.

“That’s not your locker is it?” Aaron quickly put two and two together. The multiple failed tries, the cash, and the bag of ‘seasoning.’ It didn’t take a detective to deduce what was happening.

“And it's not your business is it?” Blake closed the locker with a cheeky grin. 

“Fair enough.” Aaron shrugged and walked off. And with that encounter went the last of his daily effort. His chemistry book was going to collect more dust it seems. 

“Hold on. Didn’t you need to get something?” Blake cleared both lockers.

“Nah it’s cool.” Aaron waved him off. “See you around.” 

“Wait up.” Blake’s heavy footfalls hit the floor and whether it was instincts or otherwise, people made room for the Nephilim. He quickly caught Aaron and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, pulling him into a neck hug that felt more like a headlock. “You know…I don’t charge much. You get what I mean? It’s fresh and-”

“I’m good.” Aaron raised his elbow and pushed Blake’s arm off. In his haste, the motion was harsher than he intended. “If I ever want someone to break into my locker I’ll be sure to call you.”

Blake sucked his teeth. “Man fuck you.” 

“Oh no, are you gonna shed some more on me?” Aaron flicked a long and curly strand of lion hair off his shoulder. 

“Aight brodie. Just watch out.” Blake pulled Aaron back and walked past him, somehow getting lost in the crowd despite his height.

As much as Aaron wanted to replay that encounter in his head the student body forced him forward and he made progress toward chemistry, the ninth ring of hell. 

“That was… weird. And not just the normal brand of bizarre either. I feel like I should be more disturbed but I’m not. He said ‘Watch out’ but to be honest I don’t expect to see him ever again.”

Aaron stepped into the classroom, the smell of vinegar sour in his nostrils. He’d arrived a bit late, the rest of the class had already seated and there was only one chair left at the center table in the back of the room. Of course, Blake was on one side because he just had to be, but who sat on the other was arguably much worse…