Awakened: Reckoning of the Moon & Sun

Deleting Darvin McCloud/Miss Being The Human Kid?

    Standing there in the distance, across the street from Luxeville High, Jeriko watched closely as every kid leaving the school dispersed, either hopping on a school bus to head home or getting in their cars to take the ride themselves.

    He had sensed that his friend had made a stop at this establishment not too long ago; unfortunately, he could not establish an exact date and time. The only thing that he did know was the scent he was tracking led him to this place.

     Since he’d arrived around the time that classes let out for the day and heard of no incidents, he was in no hurry to rush into the school to make a big spectacle of looking for Darvin. Besides, in the slim chance that Darvin was still around, he did not want to provoke him by showing up and trying to reason with him. Freshly transitioned inhumans could be especially volatile given the wrong circumstances. 

    Still, Jeriko would have been lying had he not admitted that his reluctance in part had been due to the fact that it hadn’t been too long back that he found himself as one of those kids walking out of the door of that school. It was almost nostalgia being back there-both memories good and bad.

     Jeriko had been through this game of charade for well over a century of his life; playing kid student, or some other character. However, this time...this time it hit him a little differently than the hundreds-maybe thousands of times before. This time around, his need to be accepted by the human race nearly cost him what family he had left, and he had to live with that guilt for the rest of his eternity.

    "Yes," His beast, Apollo spoke gutturally in the back of his mind. "We have a lot of atonement to make up for."

    To this, Jeriko simply gestured in agreement. "We certainly do, Apollo," He muttered under his breath while continuously watching the teenagers file out and on to their respective places. “Where are you, buddy?” He whispered under his breath, staring distantly at the side door that Darvin regularly come out of when school was over.

    “Why do you think he’d be here, Rik? When Aurora first turned me I couldn’t stand to be near one with a fresh pumping vein without wanting a taste. This place...would be dangerous for Darvin, right?” Marlo asked as he stood next to his friend. “I...don’t know how this whole transition thing works but I assume since you were a wolf when you bit him that he’d be well...a wolf,” He looked at Jeriko quizzically. “I’d think he’d have a hard time with all of this food hovering around,” Marlo remarked as his gaze shifted forward again. “I know I do.” 

    Marlo, after finding out what happened with Darvin insisted that he’d accompany Jeriko on this journey to find their missing best friend. Naturally, at first, Jeriko declined, asserting that since this was his fault, he, alone, should be the one tasked to find Darvin. However, when Marlo pushed aside Jeriko’s excuses of why he should go at it alone, the multi-bred arctic wolf was silently glad to have the company. Especially, with his twin as well as his daughter, and even his mother going down their own paths of life. Besides, after much reasoning, Marlo made Jeriko see that it would probably have been better for Jeriko if he was around in the first place.

    “I don’t doubt that it’d be hard for him to abstain but...somehow I trust that Darvin will not bring but so much attention to himself. He’d leave before hurting anyone if not provoked.”

    Marlo nodded, agreeing on his mutual friend’s good character. “Good old, Vin-always the saint,” He chuckled half-heartedly. “Complete opposite of me.”

    Jeriko, once hearing the subtle drop in his friend’s tone, stared at him, watching him closely. There was a longing in his eyes and somehow...somehow he knew that it had nothing to do with the pulsing veins that stepped out of that large building one by one. 

    “You have a question on the tip of your tongue,” Marlo snickered. “You going to ask me or stare at my beautiful chiseled features for the remainder of our stalking endeavor?” He jived.

    “You miss it don’t you?” Jeriko suddenly asked. “Your life...as a human?” 

    Marlo’s light-hearted smirk suddenly turned into a bitter smile. “Miss this? Why would I miss chasing after cheerleaders? Playing football with my friends...seeing my mom...or...being a normal kid?” His tone turned downbeat. Jeriko immediately knew that he was being sardonic.

    Jeriko watched his friend in silence. This had no doubt been on Marlo's mind for a while. He suddenly felt the guilt that he had when Marlo was originally bitten and then found in a pool of his stepfather’s blood that day at his house. Jeriko started to part his lips to beg forgiveness for his friend’s plight.

    “Or the days of coming home to a beating...just for existing...not being able to protect my mother from his anger...his punches...kicks. Time and...time again begging her to just...leave...hoping that...somehow I could convince her to start over,” Marlo clenched his jaw, tears misting his eyes. “And time and time again, she’d swear that he would change...that the love that they shared,” He scoffed. “Was too...special to just let go,” He shook his head.

    “Marlo, I…” In all honesty, Jeriko didn’t even know how to counter his friend’s sad memories outside of apologizing for him having to even go through all of this.

    “Hm,” Marlo stared at Jeriko and shrugged. “Life wasn’t all that great as a human, Rik.” He returned his gaze toward the school, shaking his head. “The path that was laying out for me as a human kid was only leading me on a narrow road headed for more turmoil. Aurora’s bite...saved me in a sense...and my mom. Whether she knows it or not.”

    “Have you thought about going to see her?”

    With a dry chuckle, Marlo shook his head. “I don’t think I can, Rik,” He shrugged. “How do I tell her...that her son is...well...me?” He said with a smirk, displaying his pure white incisors. When Jeriko didn’t respond right away, Marlo looked at him, seeming to need an answer deep down.

    Jeriko sighed. “I don’t think she’d care...just as long as her boy was alive and well,” He said honestly.

    They stared at each other a moment, Marlo seeming to be in silent thought before he returned his attention to the emptying school. “Maybe,” He finally said. There was a silent finality to his words, both knowing that for the time being, at least, they’d lay the subject to rest. “He’s not here, Rik. If we think about it, him being newly transitioned, he wouldn’t have been able to stay here for too long without losing his cool. Especially, if he hasn’t fed yet.”

    In agreeance, Jeriko nodded his head. “You’re right. Darvin can’t be here.”

    “So what next?” He asked.

    “Well, first, I think we’d better make sure that  Darvin’s absence isn’t missed,” He said to Marlo. When he felt Marlo’s gaze switch to him, Jeriko met his stare. “At least for the time being.”

    “Yea. I imagine that wouldn't be good for either party.” 

    "Not at all," Jeriko replied, as he thought about the past when he and Aurora did not carefully cover Aurora's tracks when she lost the fight against her bloodlust.

    They stepped off of the curb and headed toward the school to handle the business of deleting the idea of Darvin McCloud from Luxeville High and the full town of Luxeville next.