Moonlight Denial: Shades of Moonlight Book One

Nicoli’s sneakers squeaked as he tip-toed along the wall of locker’s. When he got to the corner he carefully peeked around the edge and surveyed the school halls. He tried to ignore the stares he was getting from the students’ passing by. They weren’t his concern at the moment.

“Okay, looks like the coast is clear,” the boy muttered to himself. With the hallway secured, Nicoli quickly and cautiously made his way to his locker.

While Nicoli had been dealing with stashing a vampire and a ghost in his house, and trying to remember he was sane throughout the whole fiasco, it had totally slipped his mind that today was the day for his five “best friends” to be released from their suspension and return to school. After all the boy had been through he wasn’t about to get caught and bashed in by the lousy goons.

After looking over each shoulder Nicoli put in his combination in record time and threw the locker door open.

“Damn, I feel like a damn criminal trying to steal from a 7–11 the way I’m sneaking about,” the boy muttered as he stashed the text books he would need for his first few classes into his backpack. He hoped the boys’ would forget about the whole thing soon so he wouldn’t have to do this all school year. That would not be fun.

“Okay, phase one complete. Now just to get to the safety of my classroom and everything will be fine…for now,” Nicoli said as he gathered everything and closed the locker door.

“Hey, Nicoli.”

“Ah!!!”

Nicoli was sure he had jumped ten feet straight into the air and he held his backpack up like a shield.

“Stay back, I’m armed,” he threatened his “attacker.”

A hand forced the backpack down, leaving Nicoli staring into familiar hazel eyes.

“With a backpack?” Amelia snickered with an amused grin.

Nicoli blinked at her before letting out a tremendous sigh of relief and leaning against the wall of lockers.

“Oh, it’s you,” he muttered while running a hand through his hair. The boy noticed with a bit of distaste that his hand was shaking. After all he’d been through this shook him up that much?

“That’s all I get?” Amelia asked, sounding offended. “An “Oh, it’s you?” I’m not worth a little more recognition?” A red brow rose when she noticed Nicoli looking up and down the hallway and doing so rather nervously. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked.

“If we’re going to talk,” Nicoli said as he grabbed Amelia’s arm and forced her to walk with him, “we’re doing it on the move.”

“Seriously, what’s got you so freaked?” Amelia asked, now sounding both bewildered and concerned.

“Well, remember those guys that beat me into a pulp last week?” Nicoli questioned, keeping his voice low as he continuously searched the halls for any familiar faces.

“Only slightly,” Amelia said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. “What about them?”

“Well, even though it’s technically not a week till tomorrow, they’re being allowed to come back today. I guess when a new week starts that counts as an “entire” week,” Nicoli grumbled.

“And you’re trying to go all stealth like through the halls to avoid them?” Amelia asked.

“Well, no duh,” the boy told her as they trekked their way up the steps towards the classrooms. “I’m not really too eager to say hey to that stupid, punk leader’s fist again.”

“You mean Trevor?”

Nicoli looked at her in puzzlement.

“Trevor?”

“Yeah, that’s the “leader” you’re referring to,” she corrected him.

“Well, I wasn’t exactly trying to remember names as my face was introduced to the floor,” Nicoli murmured. “But yes, I’m trying to avoid Trevor and his little posse.”

“You know, acting terrified and trying to avoid them is only going to make them come after you more. Believe me, I’ve known Trevor since Kindergarten, he feeds off fear.”

“Doesn’t every bully?” Nicoli asked. “But I’m never one for confrontations and try to avoid them as much as possible.”

“This coming from the guy that freely badmouths anything he thinks is moronic?” Amelia countered.

“Okay, let me rephrase. I usually create and get myself into messes that, I admit, I really shouldn’t get myself into, but I’m used to having my friends bail me out and clean up after me. I’m a bit pampered that way, but now that they’re not here I’m a bit out of my element,” Nicoli explained and quickly ducked into a doorway when he thought he saw one of his bullies, but turned out to be a teacher talking to a couple student’s.

“And by “Out of your element” you mean trying to clean up your own mess?” Amelia asked.

“Exactly.”

“Man, your friends must have had a blast babysitting you,” the girl chuckled as she waved to the teacher and students’ as they passed by.

“Let’s just say they had their work cut out for them,” Nicoli said with a cheeky grin before continuing on his mission.

“So, are you going to run from them all school year?” Amelia questioned as she trotted after him.

“If I have to,” Nicoli replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’d really rather not, but, like they say, “Those who fight and runaway live to fight another day”,” the boy quoted with a wag of his finger.

“You’re not even fighting though. You’re just skipping right to the running away part,” the girl pointed out.

“So? I already fought once and lost miserably. No need to repeat it. There’s no way I’m going to be able to beat five guys on my own, so why try?” Nicoli rebuked.

“You are the very definition of a manly man,” Amelia snickered teasingly.

Nicoli pursed his lips and glared at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Hey, just because I don’t act like a barbaric gorilla, beating my chest and thrashing on those weaker than me, doesn’t make me any less of a man,” the boy said, making Amelia giggle when he actually beat on his chest in imitation.

“I was just kidding, but I do believe that continuously running away won’t solve your problems,” she told him honestly.

The two finally reached Nicoli’s destination and stopped outside of the doorway. A feeling of relief filled the boy with no bullies in sight and being just a step away from safety. He just hoped he could keep it up.

“Well, when you have a better idea, I’ll be more than willing to hear it,” Nicoli told her. “And don’t say sitting them down and talking it out, ‘cause I doubt that’s going to happen.”

“Heaven’s no, that never works,” Amelia agreed, waving her hand dismissively. “I’m sure if we work together we can think of some…” the girl trailed off and a peculiar look crossed her face as she stared at Nicoli.

“Uh…Amelia?” Nicoli said, his spine starting to tingle from the look. “What’s up? Do I have something on my face?” he asked. He gave a start when Amelia took his chin between her fingers and turned his head slightly to look at him better.

“No, it’s what’s not on your face,” she told him. “What happened to your black eye?” Amelia asked him seriously.

Oooooh fuck, Nicoli thought. That was something else he had forgotten about. It was remarkably easy to play dumb and pretend the vanishing black eye was a miracle with his parent’s, but he guessed Amelia was going to be harder to convince. She was the one to instantly deduce that Ethan was a vampire after all.

“Yeah, about that,” Nicoli said, deciding to keep up with his playing dumb routine. It was all he had. “It was the weirdest thing. I just woke up yesterday and it wasn’t there,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Aaaaaand you didn’t find that weird?” Amelia asked incredulously with a raised brow.

“Of course I found it weird,” Nicoli retorted. “It’s not everyday a black eye just disappears, but that’s what happened. My dad said boys are just resilient and heal faster,” he told her, which was true, both of his parents’ told him that.

“Pfft, that’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard,” Amelia snickered, finding it amusing.

“Don’t look at me, not my words, but if you have a better idea on where this thing went then be my guest and share,” Nicoli challenged as he pointed at his restored eye. He watched with a bit of unease as Amelia began studying him. She moved around the boy, as if observing every inch of his person.

“I got it!” Amelia suddenly exclaimed with a snap of her fingers.

“Really?” Nicoli asked, an uncomfortable knot starting to form in his stomach. What if she guessed right?

“It must have been the fairies!” she announced and ignored Nicoli when he gawked at her. “Some types of fairies are known for their great healing capabilities and, even though you disrespected them at first, they must have thought you were cute or something,” Amelia teased and pinched the boy’s cheeks.

“Ow! Quit that!” Nicoli demanded as he slapped the girl’s hands away.

“It also makes sense since you live right along Twilight Forest. They’d have easy access to you,” she explained.

Nicoli stared at her as he rubbed his cheeks. On the one hand he was thankful that she was way off, but on the other it made him wonder: Were fairies real too? Throughout Ethan’s stay Nicoli hadn’t thought about other mythical and/or made up creatures actually existing, so that made him curious.

“And you say what my dad says is the biggest load of bullshit you’ve ever heard?” Nicoli snapped. “I wish you could hear yourself sometimes. Its borderline hysterical.” No matter how curious he was he had to keep up appearances, at least for awhile. Later he could pretend to let Amelia ease him into the idea of the supernatural, but not now.

Amelia’s eyes narrowed and she planted her hands on her hips.

“And you’re a borderline asshole,” she said. “You asked me for my opinion and I gave it to you.”

“Yeah, I kinda wanted an opinion that was remotely sensible,” Nicoli told her, matching her stare and crossing his arms.

“What’s sensible about a black eye just suddenly disappearing?” Amelia retorted.

Nicoli opened his mouth, but ended up closing it, not knowing how to rebuke the statement. Who had heard of a black eye disappearing?

“Ha, can’t think of a comeback?” the girl asked with a smirk.

“Shut it. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation,” Nicoli grumbled.

“Sorry, Spock, but it looks like I win this time,” Amelia gloated triumphantly. “Something must have healed your eye and I’m saying it was the fairies,” she said, sticking out her tongue playfully.

“And I say you’re crazy,” Nicoli muttered, but was secretly smug knowing that she was wrong.

“Wouldn’t be the first time someone said that and certainly won’t be the last,” Amelia said with a proud grin, making Nicoli wonder why anyone would be happy about that.

“Fine, you just have your delusional little ideas and I’ll have mine,” Nicoli finally said, just wanting the discussion to be over with. He was sure that if Amelia kept clutching at straws that she might grab the right one.

“You’re no fun to bicker with. You always fold like a bad poker hand,” Amelia sighed dejectedly. “At least see it through to the end.”

“Wha – You want us to keep fighting?” Nicoli asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, it’s fun and besides it could help you,” the girl told him.

A dark eyebrow rose as Nicoli stared at Amelia curiously.

“Help me how?”

“Help you finish confrontations that you start without relying on others,” Amelia said with a smirk.

Before Nicoli could decide whether to be offended or not a shrill bell rang through the halls, signaling the start of school. Off in the distance Nicoli could hear the sound of numerous footsteps and decided to make himself scarce in case he was spotted.

“I suppose we’ll have to work on my “confrontation” skills later,” he told Amelia. “I’ll see you in English.” With that, the boy went into the classroom just as other students’ appeared to find their classrooms.

“Yeah, later,” Amelia murmured. With Nicoli gone a perturbed look crossed her features and she began chewing on her thumb nail. “I don’t like this. He’s hiding something,” Amelia mumbled through her teeth. Black eyes couldn’t disappear on their own and she had a sneaking suspicion Nicoli wasn’t as naïve as he was acting. She hoped her fairy theory was correct, or her new friend could be in a big deal of trouble.

“Very curious…I’ll have to keep an eye on him. A close eye.”

Amelia stopped worrying her nail and composed herself before turning from the door and heading towards her own class. She really hoped she was right.

************************

Nicoli sighed as he rested his head in his folded arms. His History teacher’s voice was like an annoying buzz in his ear and made him wish he had a fly swatter. The only reason Nicoli had been looking forward to this class was so he could turn in his essay. After reading it over a good few times the boy couldn’t believe how good it was. He had never, in his life, written anything so well constructed and so detailed, while keeping a smooth flow to the words.

Nicoli supposed he really had to hand it to Felix. The ghost was a damn writing prodigy and had even been happy at the prospect of helping the boy with any other school work. It made Nicoli laugh thinking of Felix as a regular school nerd. Maybe he was so happy to help because he couldn’t really do that kind of work anymore: Writing essays, reading assignments, math problems. They didn’t really allow ghosts to attend school.

It made Nicoli wonder, once more, what had happened to Felix. How had he died? Why did he become a ghost? Coming in contact with a real ghost made him wonder what the afterlife was really like. If Felix was a ghost, was there a Heaven or Hell? Not that Nicoli was religious, but it did make him curious.

Nicoli sighed as he sat up and leaned his cheek in his hand. In fact he had been curious about both Felix and Ethan. He hadn’t been able to get the two out of his mind. Nicoli had been hoping that once they were gone he’d simply forget them and pretend the whole thing never happened, but it was easier said than done. No one could experience that and go right back to the way things were. Nicoli’s whole perception of the world had been changed in a day. He felt he was going to be looking over his shoulder for ghosts, vampires, psycho vampire hunters and every other such thing for the rest of his life.

I need to stop this, Nicoli thought as he rubbed his temple with his fingers. So I met an actual ghost and a vampire, so what? It doesn’t have to change my whole life. I’m just aware those things are out there now, that’s all…I wonder what Ethan and Felix are doing right now? Gah! No, it doesn’t matter what they’re doing, the boy chided himself, hitting his forehead with the heel of his hand. They’re gone. They’re off doing God knows what and that’s that. I’m never going to see them again, so as soon as I realize that the sooner I can get on with my nice, normal life. No muss no fuss. They’re just…gone.

“Psst, Nicoli.”

“Ahh!!!” Nicoli screeched and jolted right out of his chair and onto the floor. The boy covered his ear and looked around frantically, but there was no one. Someone had just whispered in his ear, he was sure of it and, what was worse, he recognized the voice.

“Mr. Vurkeshaun…are you all right?”

Nicoli turned to see the teacher and every pair of eyes in the room staring at him. His face grew hot as a couple people snickered.

“Uh, y – yeah, I’m fine,” Nicoli muttered as he climbed to his feet. “A bug just – uh – flew past my ear and surprised me.” He lowered his head in embarrassment when the snickering turned into laughter.

“All right, that’s enough class,” Mr. Turnic said, though he was fighting his own smile. “Now, if you’re quite all right, Mr. Vurkeshaun, please take your seat so we can continue.”

“Yes, sir,” Nicoli muttered as he sat down, wanting to bang his head against the desk as a few more snickers sounded before Mr. Turnic shushed them.

Class resumed as normal, everyone ignoring the fact Nicoli was practically having a heart attack. His fingers were in his hair, massaging his scalp. His eyes were shut tight and his teeth were working on worrying a hole right through his lip.

Down, Nicoli, down boy, Nicoli cooed to himself mentally. That was just your imagination. Nothing to get worked up over. You did not just hear a voice in your ear. You did not hear that stupid, annoying, little –

“Jeeze, Nicoli. Just cause a scene, why don’t you?”

Nicoli’s eyes snapped open as his blood turned to ice. No. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t. The boy tentatively looked from side to side, but all the students’ were either paying attention to the teacher or off in their own worlds and he was in the back so no one was behind him. No one was near enough to whisper in his ear. No one.

“Will you stop freaking out? It’s me,” the voice whispered again.

Nicoli slumped down in his chair, in a daze. He couldn’t believe it.

Felix…

The boy looked around again, but he couldn’t see the ghost anywhere. This was not happening to him. The ghost had followed him to school!

“You’re not going to see me,” Felix told him. “I’m kinda invisible at the moment. Don’t say a word,” the ghost warned when the boy opened his mouth. “You’ll only embarrass yourself again if you try, so just listen up.”

Nicoli rubbed his ears, this was just too weird. No wonder Ethan kept waving his hand near his ear when they talked. Having a ghost talk to you in this way was beyond freaky. The boy then shook his head. He didn’t want to hear anything the ghost had to say.

Nicoli picked up his pencil and began scribbling on the handout Mr. Turnic had passed out at the beginning of class.

No, go away. Get away from me! Right now!!!

Nicoli wrote and underlined “right now”. He may have been entertaining the idea of what happened to his “friends” but that didn’t mean he wanted them coming back. He wanted the normal life back. The normal life!

There was silence in his ear and Nicoli sighed in relief, thinking the ghost was gone.

“Yeeeeah, listen, I would really love to go, really, I would,” Felix said, making Nicoli want to cry out in frustration, “but Ethan sent me and if I leave without delivering his message then I’ll never, ever, ever, ever hear the end of it. So, here I am.”

Nicoli raised an eyebrow and began scribbling again.

Message? What the hell does he want now?

“Lot’s of things, but from you specifically he wants you to meet him after school gets out,” Felix told him.

Why?

Nicoli had to hold his pencil firmly to keep his hand from shaking. He had a bad, bad feeling about this.

“Because, Ethan wants to talk to you about you helping us get…It.”

Nicoli’s eyes widened and a cold chill ran up his spine. Ethan’s haunting words whistled through his mind.

“Interesting…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Is that what he meant? He’d keep in mind whether to tell Nicoli about It or not? As much as the boy was curious, he was as equally suspicious.

Why does he want to talk to me about It? Nicoli wrote. What’s the catch?

“Because he’s an enormous idiot, but that’s just my opinion,” Felix replied. “But, he’s being insistent on the matter so it just shows he’s a stubborn, enormous idiot.”

Nicoli sighed gruffly and jabbed his pencil at the scribbled “What’s the catch?” The ghost was being less than clear.

An irritated sigh met his ear and Nicoli had to stop himself from flinching from the sudden cold breath.

“Well, on one hand if you say no, you’ll be missing out on something no human in their entire lifetime would be able to see or experience, which, believe me, is something to really brag about. Ooooon the other hand, however, if you say yes and actually get involved with It, there will be some ramifications I’m sure you’ll come to regret,” Felix explained coyly.

Nicoli’s brows knitted and he glanced back at the place he thought Felix was. He then put his pencil to the paper again.

What kind of ramifications? He wrote, almost dreading the answer.

“Danger, being exposed to some horrifying, scarring things, and possibly a slight loss of sanity. The usual,” the ghost answered and the living boy could practically feel the smirk next to his ear.

Nicoli’s throat tightened and he swallowed. Danger? Scarring things? Loss of sanity? Those didn’t sound too appealing. If the run-in with Omen was any indication, Nicoli could get himself into something far bigger than he could handle. The boy pressed the pencil tip to the paper, about to write a very strong “No” but he stopped.

There was a very small, tiny part of his brain that told him to think about this. He was being offered to do something that, apparently, no other human had done or ever would do. That in itself was rather appealing. Would it be like an adventure for this It? Every childhood fantasy came to life in Nicoli’s mind. Fighting bad guys and dragons, saving the world, getting the damsel – in – distress. What wasn’t tempting about that?

Nicoli shook his head, clearing away the thoughts. This was real life. He wasn’t a valiant knight, he was a normal teenager, what could he do?

Why does Ethan want me for this? Nicoli wrote, finding it to be a decent question. Isn’t there someone better?

“That’s exactly what I asked him,” Felix said, sounding exasperated. “But he has it in his head that you’re the one to help us with It. He says he needs you, though why is far beyond my…”

Felix’s voice went mute to Nicoli. The boy’s eyes were wide and his breathing became shallow. Every beat of his heart resonated through him and made his entire being pulse.

Ethan needs me? Nicoli thought, the world around him dimming. He needs me?

A sharp inhale was drawn in through clenched teeth and the pencil fell from Nicoli’s fingertips as his hands reached up to clutch at the right side of his face. A sharp pain in his right eye had drawn him back to the present and his whole body tensed as he waited for the throbbing pain to go away.

The hell…? Damn it, why the hell is it hurting now? It’s been so good lately. Stop it, bad eye, bad, Nicoli chided his eye. He didn’t have any of his painkillers on him and he really didn’t want to deal with it at the moment. Thankfully they weren’t needed as the pain subsided after a few moments and Nicoli rubbed his eye, sighing in relief.

“…what the hell was that all about?” Felix muttered, sounding slightly perturbed.

Nicoli scrambled to grab his pencil that had fallen to the floor and wrote back to the ghost.

It was nothing. It does that from time to time. The boy assured the other, rubbing at his eye one last time. So, Ethan actually needs me to get this It? He wrote, almost excitedly.

Another sigh made him shiver.

“Didn’t you hear a word I said? Yes, he thinks he needs you, but really I think he’s just wasting his time and yours. There’s probably nothing you could do that hundreds of other’s haven’t already tried, no offense,” Felix muttered dryly. “So, ya gonna meet up with Ethan or should I tell him you said to fuck off? Personally I’d go with door number two.”

Nicoli sat there for awhile, his mind buzzing and crackling with thoughts. As much as his common sense told him to take Felix’s advice and go with door number two his curiosity about this It was too great. Curiosity killed the cat his common sense hissed at him.

Tell him that I’ll. Nicoli’s hand paused. Tension mounted and his heart thudded as he came to his final decision. Meet him and talk to him, but that’s it. I’m not agreeing to anymore than just talking.

The distraught groan in Nicoli’s ear was hard to miss and he gulped when it was loud enough to make the person sitting next to him glance over.

“You can’t be serious,” Felix whispered, followed by a spew of unintelligible words. “Fine, if that’s your decision then whatever, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’re going to see soon enough just what you got yourself into,” the ghost hissed. “Meet us outside the school once classes are over. We’ll be waiting…”

A shiver wracked through Nicoli as a sudden cold wind washed over him. Somehow he knew he was alone again. Felix was gone. The boy began to worry his lip again as dread trickled into his stomach. What had he gotten himself into now?

*********************

“Well, look at that. It’s the end of the day and you still seem to be in one piece,” Amelia said to Nicoli as the boy joined her at her locker.

“Yeah, thankfully,” Nicoli sighed as he leaned against the wall of lockers next to the red head. “But I don’t know if I can keep this up. I’ll be bald from stress by the end of the semester,” he grumbled.

Amelia gave his shoulder a sympathetic pat.

“I know what you mean. I may be in shape, but that doesn’t mean I want to be running from Trevor every lunch period,” she said as she began putting in the combination to her lock.

“Why did you run anyways?” Nicoli asked curiously, crossing his arms. “They were after me not you.”

“Cause, what was I gonna do without my lunch buddy?” Amelia asked with a cheeky grin. “Besides, I was feeling left out throughout this whole high school angst scene. I refuse to be cast as a minor character whose only role is to comfort and advise the Star,” she said matter-of-factly. Her lips pursed when she pulled on her locker but it didn’t open. She set on reentering her combo.

“Oh, so now we’re in a cheesy after–school play?” Nicoli asked with a raised brow.

“Life is a cheesy after–school play, so I’m going to say yes,” Amelia replied and frowned when her locker wouldn’t open for a second time. “So, I would ask if you’d like to hang out today, but I got some stuff I have to do at home so that would be a no go,” she told the boy as she tried for a third time.

“That’s fine. I got some of my own stuff to do,” Nicoli told her as he watched the last few students trickle out of the hallway. His stomach gave an odd flutter when he remembered his secret conversation with Felix. “Maybe we can try for tomorrow or…something – do you need help?” he asked when Amelia began tugging on the locker handle relentlessly and banging on the door with her fist.

“No, I’m fine,” Amelia grunted as she placed her foot on the locker below hers and used it as leverage to pull. “This stupid thing gets stuck a lot. I got it.”

“It doesn’t look like you got it,” Nicoli pointed out as he was trying not to snicker at the display. “Here let me try,” he offered.

Amelia huffed and blew her hair out of her face as she stepped back.

“Fine, knock yourself out, Strongman,” she said.

Nicoli laced his fingers together and cracked them as he stepped up to the temperamental locker. He took hold of the handle and raised it, but it refused to budge when he pulled it. He began tugging and pulling as hard as he could, but the locker wasn’t affected in the least.

“Come on, you stupid thing,” Nicoli grumbled as he began hitting the door with his fist and pulling in sequence. “Are you sure you put the combo in right?” he asked as his feet slid across the floor when he tried to use his bodyweight to force it open.

“Don’t insult my intelligence,” Amelia grumbled as she leaned against the locker wall. “I’ve had this locker since my first year of high school. I know the combination better than my social security number.”

Nicoli stopped the futile tug-of-war and stared at her.

“This locker is faulty and you use it every year anyway?” he asked.

“It’s for sentimental reasons,” Amelia told him as she pushed Nicoli out of the way and began to fiddle with the locker again. “Though it’s usually not this bad. It must be extremely grumpy today.” The red head side glanced at the boy then leaned back, looking past him. “Hey, there’s the janitor. Can you go grab him? He usually knows how to get this thing open.”

Nicoli turned and looked around the hallway, but he didn’t see anyone.

“What are you talking about? Where?” he asked as he scratched his head. Nicoli jumped when there was suddenly a crash of metal behind him and he whirled around. The boy blinked when he saw the locker was open and Amelia was riffling through it for her stuff. “Uh – wait – what?” he stuttered in confusion.

“Got it,” Amelia said with a wide smile. “It just needed some tough love,” she told him as she pulled a few books out and put them into her side bag.

“Uh yeah, I suppose so,” Nicoli mumbled, still not sure how she was able to muscle the stubborn locker open. The boy then checked his watch and gave a start. Ethan was probably waiting for him by now. “Look, I gotta go. I’ll catch you later,” he said with a wave before turning on his heel and sprinting down the hall.

“Uh, yeah, later!” Amelia called after him as she closed her bag and adjusted the single strap over her shoulder. “I wonder what he’s got to do that’s so important,” she muttered as she stared at her locker with a tilt of her head. “And you better be nicer tomorrow or else I’m ripping you off the hinges,” she threatened as she lifted her hand and twirled her finger.

The locker door squeaked as it swung closed. The lock spun to reset itself as the red head left the opposite way the boy had gone.

Meanwhile, Nicoli was rocking on the balls of his feet as he stood outside the front of the school. He continuously looked from side to side seeing if he could spot the vampire, but no such luck. That flutter was increasing in his gut and he was wondering what he was getting himself into. Not long ago he was thrilled to get back to his normal life and here he was willingly going to go talk to Ethan about the mysterious It. One that Felix made clear would have some negative affects on his life. His list of “Stupidest Things He’d Ever Done” was growing more and more each day. He just wasn’t going to learn.

Nicoli jumped when a hand was suddenly on his shoulder. He turned and cowered when he saw who the hand belonged to.

“Hey, Nic-Nic, how’s it goin’, Buddy?” Trevor asked with a smug grin, the usual hyena’s cackling and pacing behind him.

“Trevor, hey. It’s going well, how about yourself?” Nicoli asked back with a sheepish smile. Where was Ethan when he needed him?

“Oh, I’m well, very well. Though I’ve been a little confused on why you seem to be avoiding us all day. Every time we see you, you’d turn tail and bolt the opposite direction,” he said and his grip tightened on Nicoli’s shoulder. “Now why would that be?” he asked.

“Don’t know what you mean,” Nicoli said innocently. “It must have been your imagination like it must have just been my imagination when I thought you guys were chasing me with intent to do harm. Just a simple misunderstanding I bet,” he said while forcing a fake smile.

“I think you’re right,” Trevor agreed.

Nicoli squeaked when the hand released him and he was drawn to Trevor’s side. The arm then anchored around his shoulders, holding him there.

“Why don’t we go and talk out all these “misunderstandings” shall we?” the taller boy asked and Nicoli didn’t miss the increase in cackling coming from the pack.

Nicoli firmly planted his feet in the sidewalk when Trevor tried to lead him away. He smiled nervously when the leader of the pack looked at him questioningly.

“I’d love to, but I have a prior engagement to attend to and I really can’t be late for –“ Nicoli was cut off as a car horn blared and all of them turned to watch an old, beat up blue car pulled up beside them.

A big, relieved smile spread across Nicoli’s face when he saw the driver with his familiar smirk and crop of golden hair.

“Speaking of prior engagements, there it is, so see ya!” Nicoli said as he twisted out of Trevor’s grip and bolted to the car. He scrambled into the passenger side and stuck out his tongue at the pack when the door was safely shut.

The car revved and rolled away from the school, pulling out into the semi busy street. Nicoli sighed in relief and leaned his head back against the seat, saved by the vampire once again.

“Well, looks like your fans are still biding for your attention,” rumbled the amused voice of Ethan.

Nicoli cracked open an eye and glanced at him. The vampire wasn’t in his normal attire, though that was understandable since it had been destroyed. Ethan looked very distinguished in a brown blazer with a cream colored turtleneck underneath and the black slacks that hugged his legs seemed to pull everything together.

“Yeah, you can say that again. You have the best timing I’ve ever seen,” the boy said as he sat up and looked back at the school through the window.

“Or you’re just incredibly lucky to keep getting your hide saved time and time again,” Felix said as he appeared in the backseat.

“Maybe it’s a little of both,” Ethan suggested with a chuckle. “So, Felix tells me you’ve agreed to my little offer,” he then said, to bring the conversation to the matters at hand.

“I didn’t agree to anything. I just said I’d hear you out,” Nicoli corrected him. “I’m not going to get myself into anything that I don’t fully understand.”

“Too late,” Felix muttered, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head.

“Be nice, Felix,” Ethan said warningly. “That’s perfectly logical to want to know exactly what’s going on,” he then said to Nicoli. “But you’ll have to do without knowing just a few things.”

“What kind of things?” Nicoli asked.

“Things that I’m not going to trust into your care until I know you’re with us one hundred percent,” Ethan replied.

Nicoli stared at the vampire for a few moments before leaning back against his seat. From the way things were sounding it was reminding him of every spy movie he’d ever seen. He was already regretting his decision to just listen to what the vampire had to say, but was also a little excited.

“So…where are we going?” Nicoli asked, noticing that Ethan seemed to have some sort of destination in mind.

“To a quaint little café a few blocks away. It’ll be a good place to talk,” Ethan answered.

“Oh…won’t there be a chance we’ll be overheard?” the boy asked.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that. It’ll be fine, trust me.”

Nicoli ‘hmphed’ as he stared out to the scenery of the passing buildings. After a few moments he was getting uncomfortable with the silence so decided to make small talk.

“Hey, Felix, I turned in the essay today so we should know how we did on it in a few days,” the boy said, turning in his seat a little to look back at the ghost.

“Really?” Felix asked, looking interested. “You didn’t tell him you got a little “help” on it, did you?” he asked with a grin.

“And not have it count? Of course not, but you have my full gratitude,” Nicoli said with a cheeky smile.

“Oh yeah, I’m so gonna do something with that,” the ghost said with a roll of his eyes. “Speaking of your History class, what was with that whole thing with you clutching at your head? I thought you were going to have a seizer or something,” Felix asked.

“Oh, that?” Nicoli said and noticed how Ethan’s gaze shifted to him for a moment. “It was nothing. I had an accident a few years back and as a result I screwed something up in my eye, so it goes screwy every once in awhile,” the boy explained casually. “It doesn’t hinder me or anything. It just hurts briefly at random times.”

“What kind of accident can do that?” Felix asked with a raised brow.

“Nothing you need to know about,” Nicoli said and stuck out his tongue.

“Here we are,” Ethan announced before a fight could brew.

Both boys’ looked forward as the car was parked along the sidewalk. They had come to a stop in front of a building called “Raven Café” and an image of two black birds was on either side of the sign.

“Huh I think I heard my mom mention this place before,” Nicoli muttered to himself.

“I hear it has coffee cake that’s to die for,” Ethan said, earning himself an odd look from the boy. The vampire then turned in his seat to look back at his ghostly companion. “All right, Felix, it’s time to make yourself scarce,” he said.

Felix sighed as he crossed his arms.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” he grumbled before disappearing entirely. “Some day I’m just gonna go out the way I am. Let people scream and piss themselves,” Felix’s disembodied voice told them.

“Well, until then it’s best for you to just be our little voice in our heads,” Ethan said with a smile as he exited the car.

Nicoli stared a little more at the place Felix had been then followed suit.

The two, plus their invisible specter, entered the charming little café and Ethan ushered Nicoli to a table all the way in the back. It was rather secluded from the other occupant’s, perfect for secret discussions. As soon as they sat down a perky little waitress was at their table.

“Hello! Welcome to the Raven Café,” she said, a giant, bright smile taking up most of her face. “What can I get you gentlemen this fine afternoon?” she asked.

Ethan looked over to Nicoli, prodding him to answer first.

“Nothing for me, thanks,” the boy muttered and noticed how the woman’s smile faltered slightly.

“Oh don’t mind him,” Ethan chuckled. “He’s just shy. He’ll like a cup of hot chocolate and a piece of your wonderful coffee cake and I’ll just have a cup of coffee,” he ordered. The vampire placed his foot over Nicoli’s warningly when it looked like the boy was going to argue. At the slight pressure and promise of pain Nicoli shut his mouth.

“Splendid! I’ll have that for right away,” the waitress said happily before going to the counter to give the other workers the order.

“Don’t order for me,” Nicoli hissed once he was sure she was gone. “And you can’t drink coffee.”

“It’s called keeping up appearances, Kid,” Ethan retorted as he lifted his sunglasses to rest on top of his head. “If we just come in here and talk without ordering anything then that’ll immediately make them suspicious.” The vampire then leaned closer and lowered his voice. “And they don’t know that I can’t drink coffee.”

“I’m tellin’ ya, he’s not a good choice for this,” Felix’s voice whispered.

“That’s my decision, not yours,” Ethan told him before sitting back.

“Speaking of being a good choice, exactly what are you choosing me for?” Nicoli asked, resting his crossed arms on the table. “Why do you need me to help you get this It and what is It anyway?” he questioned.

Ethan raised his hand to silence the boy as the waitress returned with their ordered items. She set the cups down in front of them and placed a plate with a square of coffee cake on it in front of Nicoli.

“There you boys’ go. If you need anything else don’t bother to ask,” she told them.

“Thank you, Sweetie,” Ethan said with a charming smile that made the girl blush and giggle before moving onto her other customers.

“Ugh she is way too cheery,” Nicoli muttered in distaste before turning his attention back to the vampire. “So, spill.”

“So impatient,” Ethan chuckled as he wrapped his hand around the coffee mug and relished the warmth it radiated. “What I’m going to tell you is the basic, basic information of what we’re after. Something tat is common knowledge among all my kind. You’ll only be given the full scoop once I know you’re on my side,” the vampire explained.

“…Okay. Sounds reasonable,” the boy said, taking his own cup in his hands. He admitted it smelled really good.

“What we’re after isn’t so much an It it’s more of a Them,” Ethan started, he paused when the boy blinked at him.

“Them? As in more than one?” Nicoli asked curiously.

“Exactly, the It you keep hearing about is only one of the Them,” the vampire explained.

“Oookay, so what are Them, They…whatever,” Nicoli questioned. “Are They really so important?”

“Oh, yes, more than you could fully comprehend,” Ethan said and shifted in his chair to lean forward again. “Amongst the vampires they are called the Crystal Hearts and are amongst the most powerful items in the world,” he said softly and waited to gauge the boy’s reaction.

Nicoli stared back at Ethan and his head tilted to the side. He was expecting something a lot more…impressive sounding.

“So, the It is one of these Crystal Hearts?” Nicoli asked.

“Yes, one that I have been tracking for awhile now, but there are three total,” Ethan explained, lifting three of his fingers. “And if I can get my hands on the first the other two should be easier to find.”

“All right…what’s so special about these Hearts that make them so powerful?” the boy asked as he lifted his cup and took a sip of the chocolaty substance. He was a bit indifferent to all this since he wasn’t grasping the wonder and awe of these so called “All powerful items.”

“No one is sure when they came into existence, but it was back when the first vampires were born and began walking the Earth. The Hearts came from three very powerful vampires, some even say from the first few vampires to ever live,” Ethan told him, his gears shifting into story-teller mode.

Nicoli lowered his mug and stared at the vampire with a raised brow.

“Wait, you’re telling me these are real hearts? Like they came from people?” he asked, his hand going to his own chest.

“Got that right, Buddy. Real, fleshy hearts,” Felix snickered in his ear, making Nicoli shrink away in surprise.

“That’s gross and disgusting,” the boy said, making a face.

“That may be so, but that doesn’t make them any less powerful, it probably adds to it,” Ethan retorted.

“What makes them so powerful?” Nicoli then asked.

“The three vampires were said to be the most powerful the world has ever known. None today hold the amount of power even one of the three had. When the three vampires became bored with life and felt they had lived as long as needed they took their own lives, but something unexpected had. Because they held so much energy in their bodies the very essence of that energy enveloped their hearts and hardened, taking an almost crystal like appearance. Hence why they are called the Crystal Hearts,” Ethan explained. He smiled when he noted Nicoli’s eyes were wide and he was leaning forward, listening very closely with his utmost attention.

“Okay, a little weird, but I get it,” Nicoli murmured, finding the whole tale odd, but interesting. “So, are people trying to get these Hearts because they think they can get that power or something?” he asked curiously.

“Yes, that’s exactly why vampires have been seeking the Hearts for centuries. It’s said that if one possesses all three Hearts that he would become the most powerful being on Earth, rivaling that of God himself. Life and Death would be nothing to them and the very matter of space and time could be warped to their will,” Ethan said, the blood quickening in his own veins at just the thought.

Nicoli leaned back in his chair, cradling his mug of hot cocoa. He mulled over what the vampire had told him. Be as powerful or even greater than God, the idea was far too fantastical to be possible. He looked at Ethan with a skeptical look.

“That sounds all very well and good, but by the way you’re telling me this it sounds as if it’s just a legend. How do you know this is even true?” Nicoli asked before sipping his drink.

“Smart question. That was the very first thing I asked,” Felix’s disembodied voice said, loud enough for only the boy and the vampire to hear.

“Oh, it’s true, I assure you,” Ethan told him.

“How do you know?” Nicoli asked again.

“That would fall under the category of “Things I can’t tell you until you agree,” sorry,” Ethan said with a half smile. “If I give you some important information and you decide to not help then what I told you could be used against me,” he explained.

“Okay, fine,” Nicoli grumbled. “So that comes to my next question. What the hell am I supposed to do to help? I’m just a human that can’t even get a few bullies off his back. What could I do that could be of any use to you?” the boy questioned. This was what had been on his mind the most.

“That’s it right there, being human,” Ethan told him and elaborated when he got a bewildered look. “Some people have been talking about how the Hearts can be acquired. Each Heart is hidden in a secret location and there have been stories of vampires who have found the Hearts, but – uh – the second they touch them they die instantly,” he said with a sheepish laugh.

“Aaaaaand I’m supposed to do what to prevent this?” Nicoli asked, turned off by that little tid bit.

“All the ones that have found the Hearts were vampires, but there’s been some talk floating around that a human is what can take the Hearts without harm because humans were the ones that sealed the Hearts away in the first place,” Ethan explained.

“So the reason you want me to help you is because I might be able to take the Hearts from wherever they are without bodily harm coming to me?” Nicoli asked.

“Right.”

“But you don’t know that for sure, do you?” the boy questioned, sitting up a little straighter. “That’s just something you heard, you don’t know that I won’t die instantly if I touch them.”

A snicker reached the boy’s and the vampire’s ears and Ethan gave a dirty look to the air around them.

“You’re right, I don’t know for sure if you’ll be fine or not,” he answered honestly. “It’s only because of speculation that I’m making such a radical offer.”

Nicoli stared at the vampire with narrowed eyes.

“That’s a rather bastard thing to do,” he spat. “You want me to risk my neck so you can reap all the benefits? What do you want the Hearts for anyway? You want to become more powerful than God?” the boy asked as he lifted his mug to drink from it again.

“No, I want to destroy them.”

Eyes were drawn to the table as Nicoli choked on his hot chocolate and began to cough uncontrollably.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” the waitress asked, at the table in the blink of an eye.

“He’s fine, he’s fine,” Ethan assured her as he reached over and began patting the boy’s back, trying to help clear his windpipe. “Got a little too enthusiastic and tried guzzling his drink.”

“…oh, you sure you’re okay?” the waitress asked Nicoli again.

The boy nodded as his coughing lessened.

“Y – yeah just went down – ghak – the wrong tube,” Nicoli said, getting the last few coughs out.

“Okay…well, just call if you need anything,” the woman said, not sure on what else to do. She then left the table and, once it was clear nothing exciting was going on, the other customers went back to their business.

“Jeeze, you’re so dramatic today,” Felix’s voice chuckled, amused by the whole scene.

Nicoli glared in the direction the voice came from before turning his attention back to the vampire.

“Destroy them? What do you mean you want to destroy them?” he demanded, making sure to keep his voice low.

“What destroy usually means: Demolish; ruin; annihilate –”

“I know what destroy means,” Nicoli cut him off with a hiss. “What I want to know is why would you want to destroy the supposedly three most powerful items in the world?”

The boy watched, eerily fascinated, as Ethan’s features became sad and dismal.

“Listen, Nicoli, you may not believe me, but I could hardly care about rising to any sort of power. No one should be in control of that amount of power, no one.” Ethan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he sat back. “I’ve seen people do some horrible things to each other over the Crystal Hearts. Families being torn apart, betrayal, death…some good, close friends of mine have lost their lives because of these stupid Hearts,” he told the boy, averting his gaze and shaking his head.

Nicoli found it hard not to glance in Felix’s direction. Was that what happened? Did Felix’s death have something to do with the Hearts?

“My only wish, my only desire is to see that the Crystal Hearts are destroyed, before anyone else is hurt, but in order to do that I need to find them and get them without getting killed. That’s why I need your help, Nicoli. Not because I want power, but because I want to make sure no one else gets that power and does something stupid with it.”

The two stared at each other, teal eyes boring into blue. As if Ethan could tell Nicoli just how much he meant what he said through his eyes.

Nicoli swallowed thickly, a lump suddenly in his throat. What was he supposed to do? He had no doubt Ethan was telling the truth, something about the man just screamed sincerity, but really, what was he supposed to do? Nicoli never felt so small and useless in his life. He was just a human, a kid, a child. Not to mention the fact that if Ethan was wrong he’d be dead the second he touched the all powerful Hearts.

To cover up how feeble Nicoli felt at that moment he dug up the first question he could think of.

“Uh, and you know where this first Heart is?” he asked, clearing his throat when he realized how meek his voice sounded.

“Yes, I do,” Ethan said with a small smile.

“No, he doesn’t,” Felix contradicted him. “He only has an idea of where It is.”

“Thank you, Felix,” Ethan growled.

“And where exactly do you think It is?” Nicoli asked curiously.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Ethan chided, wagging his finger at the boy. “I can’t tell you anything of the sort until I know you’re with me on this. When I know you’re in this completely then I’ll let you know everything of importance.”

Nicoli’s brows knitted and he frowned.

“How am I supposed to decide something like this? More importantly how am I going to keep it from my parent’s? If I’m off searching for these things with you they’re bound to notice something is up and what about school? How am I supposed to help you, keep it a secret from my parent’s and anyone else for that matter, and keep up with schoolwork!? Is that even possi –”

“Nicoli, calm down,” Ethan said soothingly. “I’m not asking you to drop everything to help me with this. In fact I probably won’t really need you till I zero in on the Heart completely, so it won’t interfere with your life that drastically,” he told him encouragingly.

Nicoli stared down at the table, his hands clenched into fists on the tabletop. The same thing kept running through his mind. What was he supposed to do? It was too big of a decision for him to make.

“I – I don’t know,” Nicoli murmured. “It sounds like you’re doing it for a good reason, but…” Nicoli trailed off, not knowing what he wanted to say. On one hand he felt Ethan was being selfish for asking him to put his life on the line for a less than reliable rumor, but on the other hand was he being selfish for wanting to protect himself and refusing to help?

“Nicoli.”

The boy jumped when his hand was suddenly covered by another. He looked up at Ethan and a shiver passed through him at the kind smile he received. The vampire gripped Nicoli’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The boy noticed that Ethan wasn’t wearing his gloves and that his hand felt warm. Instead of having the undead chill like before.

“W – What?” Nicoli muttered, embarrassed when he felt his face heating up.

“I know this is a hard decision for you and I don’t expect you to make it right away,” Ethan said as he reached into his pocket with his other hand. “Think it over. Carefully. If by Sunday you decide you want to help me come here.” The vampire slipped something into Nicoli’s hand and the boy guessed it was a slip of paper from the feel of it. “This is an address of where I’m staying. If you decide you don’t want anything to do with me or the Crystal Hearts then tear this up and don’t come and I’ll never bother you again. You have my word.”

Nicoli stared down at his hand that was now holding a piece of paper and was still being held by Ethan’s hand. They were two choices that were hard to think about at the moment.

“O – Okay, I’ll think it over,” Nicoli told him softly, not sure on what else to say. The smile Ethan gave him was endearing, but did little to calm his quaking insides. The voice that whispered in his ear helped even less.

“Yes, make sure you think about this very carefully. The choice could change your life forever and change isn’t always good,” Felix hissed warningly.

“I’m glad you’re going to have an open-mind about this. You’re a gem, Kid,” Ethan said brightly, giving Nicoli the impression he hadn’t heard Felix.

All thoughts of the ghost’s warning fled out Nicoli’s mind when the vampire lifted his hand and pressed his lips to it. The boy’s face flushed crimson as he wrenched his hand from Ethan’s grasp.

“Ew, okay, now you’re just pushing it,” he snapped as he wiped his hand on his shirt before stuffing the piece of paper into his pants pocket. “After what happened before I thought you’d learn to keep your hands to yourself,” Nicoli grumbled.

“Sorry, just showing my gratitude,” Ethan chuckled as he stood. “Well, that’s all I needed to tell you so we’ll leave it at that until Sunday. I’ll go pay for our bill, get a doggy bag for your cake, which you haven’t touched by the way, then I’ll give you a lift home.”

“Uh – you don’t need to do that. I can walk,” Nicoli said, wanting to be alone with his thoughts.

“Nonsense. It’s the least I can do,” Ethan insisted with a big grin. “Now sit tight and I’ll be right back,” the vampire said as he scooped up the coffee cake and made his way to the counter.

Nicoli stared after him, his thoughts racing at a hundred miles per hour. Why was he not able to drag himself out of this mess? He kept digging himself in further and further to the point of ridiculousness.

“Felix?” he called out softly.

“Yeah?” the ghost’s voice said next to him.

“…I’m going to make the worst mistake of my life, aren’t I?”

There was a deafening silence before a sigh caressed the boy’s ear.

“Yeah, you probably are.”

Nicoli groaned as he crossed his arms on the table and rested his head in them. He could already kiss his “normal life” goodbye as it flew out the proverbial window.

============================Ch.9 End