Moonlight Denial: Shades of Moonlight Book One

In Nicoli’s room a heavy silence had descended and the air was thick with tension. The boy sat at his desk and looked to be in deep thought as he stared at the screen of his laptop. His fingers were curled around his chin as his elbow rested on the desk surface and one finger repeatedly tapped his cheek.

After several minutes went by Nicoli roused himself from his stillness and placed his finger on the touch pad of the machine that served as his mouse. The white, digital arrow moved over a black and white checkered board littered with black and red checker chips. The arrow grabbed onto a black piece and moved it diagonally to the right. When the move was complete Nicoli sat back with his arms crossed and had a wide grin on his face.

“All right, I’m sure I’m safe now. Do your worse,” he sneered at the screen.

A sigh from the machine followed his statement. A window was beside the online board and contained the image of Brittany, who shook her head.

“You’ll just never learn, Nic,” was all she said.

Nicoli watched in horror as, without hesitation, one of Brittany’s red checker pieces mercilessly jumped over not one, not two, but three of his pieces and made them disappear.

“Gah! What the hell!?” Nicoli cried out in alarm. He hadn’t seen that move coming at all. “Man, this blows. This is why I never play games with you that require strategy. You always kick my ass,” he grumbled as he ran his hand through his hair. It simply wasn’t fair.

Brittany giggled and simply grinned at him.

“What can I say? It’s not my fault I can stay ten steps ahead of you, and remember, you were the one that suggested we play Checkers. I was fine with playing Uno, but nooooo.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t rub it in,” Nicoli growled and leaned his cheek in his hand. “We don’t have to finish the game, do we? I think I’ve been humiliated enough.”

“I guess not,” Brittany said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t want to wound your manly pride more,” she teased and laughed more when the boy stuck his tongue out at her. When her laughter died down it turned into a more serious expression. “Can I ask you something though, Nic?” she requested.

“Sure, you know I can’t say no to you,” Nicoli replied as he picked a piece of lint from his shirt with his free hand.

“Is something on your mind?”

Nicoli stopped in mid flick and his eyes roamed over to the worried expression of his friend on the screen. He sat up and tilted his head curiously at her.

“On my mind?” he repeated.

“Yes, I know I always whip you at Checkers, or any other game for that matter, but today it was a lot easier than normal,” Brittany said. “It’s as if you’re off somewhere else. Like you’re mind is preoccupied and not down on earth with me. So, I’m going to ask this and I’m expecting more than the usual reply of, “Nothing.” Is something wrong?” she asked.

Nicoli stared at the screen for a moment.

He knew exactly why he seemed so preoccupied. How could he not be? The events of last night were still fresh in his mind and what he had to do in just a few hours was even fresher. It almost made him sick to his stomach, even though what he had to do seemed so simple, which was to take down the talismans and barriers around Deloris Mary-Weather’s house, but what made Nicoli sick is that the man he never wanted to see again could be there. Omen.

It sent a shiver down Nicoli’s spine just to think his name. Coupled with the thought that he could face the man once more, it was no wonder he was feeling such anxiety. Even so, he couldn’t tell any of that to Brittany. The last thing he wanted was to get his friends involved in the mess he had found himself in. It wouldn’t be fair to them, and besides, it wouldn’t change anything except for the fact he’d have more anxiety that his friends would do something stupid. Like try and help him.

Luckily, Nicoli had a story in mind to feed to Brittany just in case she had picked up on his troubled thoughts. She was always very perceptive so the boy had learned early on to be prepared.

“It’s nothing much,” Nicoli said coyly, just to watch Brittany’s eyes narrow a bit. “I guess yesterday just kind of…depressed me.”

Brittany’s eyebrows rose in surprise at that.

“Depressed you? But you told me you had fun. Are you saying you lied to me?” she demanded.

“No, no, I didn’t lie. I did have fun.” Nicoli laughed and waved his hand dismissively. “It’s just, think about it, it was the first holiday in twelve or thirteen years we didn’t spend together. I think that’s just a smidge depressing, don’t you?” he asked.

Of course that wasn’t the main issue on Nicoli’s mind, but it had found a nice spot somewhere in the back. After everything was said and done last night, and he had had a chance to calm down and think things through, he had realized that it was the first big event he’d spent without his two best friends. It also made him feel horrible in a way.

With all of his dealings with Ethan, Felix, and the Hearts, he didn’t have much time to think of his friends and truly miss them. It was as if he’d already put his old life behind him and didn’t have the decency to give it a second thought…he was a terrible person.

It didn’t help when Brittany’s expression saddened and she averted her eyes somewhere off screen.

“Yeah, it’s as depressing as you can get,” she murmured. “Not having you here is so…forget it, I don’t even have words for it. After all the years the three of us have been together I never actually thought, you know, we’d be torn apart.” She looked so sad and miserable Nicoli immediately regretted his choice for a cover story.

“Awe, come on, Brit, I didn’t mean to make you sad,” he said, trying desperately to ease his mistake. “It’s only temporary, we both know that. I mean, as soon as I graduate from this lame ass school I’m moving back to San Francisco, with or without my parents. Then all three of us will go to college, together. Just like we…promised…”

Brittany’s eyebrows furrowed when it took Nicoli longer than necessary to utter his last word and the stunned look that passed over his face worried her.

“Nic, Nicoli, what’s wrong?” she asked.

The promise. Nicoli couldn’t believe it. He had forgotten their promise. The promise all three of them made the day that he moved: The promise to return to the city and reunite with his friends so they could all move on with their lives…together.

A dark part of his mind wondered if that was possible now. He had made a commitment to Ethan, one that he knew was incredibly idiotic on his part, but, nevertheless, one he was going to keep. He never gave much thought on how long it could possibly take to collect all the Hearts. Vampires had been searching for decades, for centuries. What made him think that Ethan and he would be able to find them before he graduated high school? The chances of that were slim to none…so what did that mean for his promise to Zack and Brittany?

“Uh, sorry, Brit,” Nicoli apologized, snapping out of it when the girl called his name again. “A sudden thought hit me and I guess I got lost in it for a moment.”

“Jeeze, don’t scare me like that,” Brittany scolded him. “I thought you were about to have a seizure or something from the way you looked.” She let herself have a sigh of relief before looking questioningly at her friend. “So, what were you thinking about?” she asked.

“Nothing much,” Nicoli was quick to say. “At least nothing that’s really worth mentioning.” It was as if a nail was driven into his chest to utter those words. His future with his friends, “Not worth mentioning.” God, he really was a horrible person.

Brittany pursed her lips, a clear sign she didn’t believe him. Before she could say so the creak of Nicoli’s door caught both teens attention.

“What was that?” Brittany asked and watched as Nicoli’s curious look turned into a big grin and he patted the desk top.

“Hey, boy, come here. Whatcha, doin’, big guy?” he asked whatever it was and a second later Beethoven came into the girl’s camera view as the canine stood on his hind legs and rested his front paws on the desk.

“Awe, Beethoven!” Brittany exclaimed excitedly, forgetting her previous suspicions. “I haven’t seen him in ages. How are you, Beevy?” she asked and the dog barked at the sound of her voice.

“Jeeze, you’re happier to see him than you were to see me. I see how it is,” Nicoli said and mock pouted. He then laughed when the girl stuck her tongue out at him. “But, yeah, I think he misses you guys, too. He doesn’t have anyone to play with but me, and Dad when he’s up to it,” the boy said as he scratched at the dog’s neck.

“Awe, the poor baby. You need to get out there and get him some doggy friends then,” Brittany told him and only succeded in getting her an incredulous look from Nicoli.

“Uh-huh. Yeah, I’ll put that on my list of “Things to Do,” he said sarcastically, but before he could appreciate the glare Brittany gave him something else caught his attention. He turned his head to look at his big ball of fur and spotted what had caused him to be distracted. “What the heck?”

“What?” Brittany asked.

Nicoli didn’t answer her right away. Instead he began fiddling with a piece of string attached to Beethoven’s collar and its purpose seemed to be keeping a piece of paper tied to the collar. When he finally untied the string and acquired the paper he held it up for Brittany to see.

“This was on his collar,” he told her as he examined the carefully folded piece of paper.

“What the heck is it?” she asked.

Nicoli simply shrugged and decided to open the paper to find out. He slowly unfolded the piece of paper until it returned to its original shape. He raised an eyebrow when he saw words were written on it. After reading the message his mouth fell open and he gawked at it.

“Nicoli?” Brittany said questioningly after seeing his expression.

“Oh my God, you’ve gotta be kidding me. Does the woman have nothing better to do during the day?” he muttered to himself. Written in perfect cursive were five simple words.

“Time for dinner
-Love Mom”

“What is it?” Brittany asked impatiently.

“My mother being very bored, that’s what,” Nicoli replied and held the paper up to the camera for the girl to see. The laughter that followed was more than expected.

“Good old, Laura. I miss your mother’s since of humor.”

“Yeah, well, you’re the only one,” Nicoli said as he crumbled up the paper and tossed it into his trash can. “Well, I suppose that’s my cue to go, so, I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yeah, I have some homework I need to get to anyways. This time try and contact me sooner dang it,” Brittany told him, making the boy chuckle.

“All right, all right, I’ll try. Bye.”

After the girl said her goodbyes Nicoli shut down his computer and closed it. He sat back in his seat and sighed before turning to Beethoven.

“Well, I guess I better go answer my mother’s summons, right?” he asked and the dog barked again before getting down from the desk. Nicoli scooted out his chair before getting up to follow his canine. As he left his room his feelings of guilt for his friends were overshadowed by the increase of dread.

Just a few more hours until go time…shit, I’m a dead man.

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

Nicoli froze and gritted his teeth when the step beneath his foot squeaked. He stood there for several minutes with his heart hammering in his ears, until he was sure there was no movement from above.

“God damn stairs,” he muttered and sighed in relief before continuing up the stairs.

He never made it a habit to wander around the house at night, in the dark, but he felt it was necessary tonight. His parents had gone to bed about an hour before he felt comfortable enough to go collect a few items he thought he’d need for his “Outing”.

When Nicoli reached the landing he found himself heading for his parents’ room instead of his own. Luckily they always kept their door open just a crack so he was able to take a peek inside. He let out another reassured sigh when he saw the familiar lumps on the bed covered by blankets. As far as he was able to tell they were both sound asleep. Perfect.

As quietly as possible Nicoli hurried back to his room, wincing when the floor creaked, but he didn’t stop this time. When he made it to his lit sanctuary he closed the door…which also creaked.

“God damn it,” Nicoli hissed through clenched teeth, but he left the door where it was. He couldn’t chance opening it to make sure the coast was clear just to have creak again. Instead he simply patted the dent in the wood with a sigh and walked over to his bed.

Beethoven lifted his head and his tail began beating against the bed as Nicoli approached. He tried to lick his owners hand when the boy pet him and received a kiss on his head for it.

“Now you’re going to be a good boy while I’m gone, right? No barking or doing anything else that could wake up Mom and Dad, right?” Nicoli asked him and his response was the canine tilting his head at the boy and perking his ears a little. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he chuckled and patted Beethoven’s head again.

He then put two items he had in his other hand down on the bed. One was a high powered flashlight and the other was hammer. Nicoli wasn’t exactly sure what to bring with him, Ethan hadn’t been very clear on that point when the boy had mind spoken with him earlier that day, so he was winging it.

Nicoli then plopped down on the bed beside Beethoven and ran his fingers through his hair. His eyes glanced at his alarm clock and he couldn’t help but gulp. It was almost midnight, the time Ethan said he’d show up. Wonderful. Nicoli felt so jittery he was surprised he wasn’t vibrating across the bed like some kind of wind up toy.

To take his mind off it he stood up and went over to his closet.

“Well, I guess I have to get dressed, right, Beethoven? I can’t go breaking and entering into houses in my pajamas, now can I?” he asked, though he received no reply and the dog simply laid his head down on his paws.

Nicoli opened his closet door and began riffling through it, trying to find anything discreet he could wear, though he really wasn’t sure on what would be appropriate.

“No, no, no, God, do I still have this? Definitely going in the trash later. No, no, no, no,” Nicoli kept this up as he went through almost every article of clothing he owned. “Aha! Here we go.”

When Nicoli emerged from his closet he was wearing a pair of black jeans held up by a belt and an old black turtleneck sweatshirt. The last time he had worn the shirt had been quite a few years ago and he had grown in that period of time so it clung to his form like a second skin, which resulted in him being strangled more than usual by the collar.

“Gah! I remember why I stopped wearing this stupid thing. This is why I hate getting clothes for Christmas,” Nicoli grumbled as he pulled at the fabric to try and help him breathe.

When he stopped fiddling with the shirt he went and stood near the bed in front of the Beethoven.

“So, how do I look, Beethoven? Sneaky enough?” he asked and posed for the canine.

Beethoven lifted his head and gave a gruff snort at the boy.

“You’re right, I should probably put my hair up,” Nicoli murmured as he ran his fingers through the dark locks and took hold of one strand to look at it. “It’s more likely to get in the way if I leave it down.”

With that Nicoli went over to his nightstand and pulled open the drawer. He rifled through it for a moment until he pulled out a hair tie. In no time flat his hair was up and only his bangs remand hanging to frame his face.

“I wonder if that’s all I need to do,” he said when he was done. He looked around his room, hoping something would jump out at him, but nothing did. He sat down on the bed and looked around once more.

“I guess I’m ready then. All I have to do now…is wait,” Nicoli said and laid back on the bed to do just that.

It was easier said then done. Since he wasn’t moving around his mind began to focus solely on what was going to happen soon and that didn’t help his nerves any.

The minutes ticked by, agonizingly slow, and Nicoli was just contemplating suicide in order to get out of his situation when Beethoven’s head jolted up.

“Beethoven?” Nicoli said and he watched with a raised eyebrow as the dog got up and jumped down from the bed. The boy leaned up on his elbow and had to twist his neck around to see Beethoven go to the window.

“What is it, boy?” Nicoli asked as he finally sat up and turned his body to look at the dog better. He tilted his head and stared in confusion as Beethoven then sat in front of the window and he whined as his tail began to wag.

Nicoli’s heart stopped and his throat tightened when the glass pane of his window began to slowly open. It rose inch by inch and Nicoli was transfixed by the sight. He wanted to call out, to make sure it was Ethan, but his voice wouldn’t work. Just when he thought he was able to say something, a loud, sneering voice spoke in his ear,

“Hey, Meatbag.”

“Ahhhhhhhh!!!”

Nicoli tumbled right off the bed and onto the floor with a thud. His wide eyes instantly narrowed as he stared up at a devilish grin that could only belong to one person.

“God, damn it, Felix!” Nicoli yelled, then instantly covered his mouth with his hand. With all that noise he prayed to everything almighty that his parents’ hadn’t woken up. If they did he’d kill the ghost…as much as one can kill a ghost.

“Felix, I told you not to do that.”

Nicoli tilted his head back and he blinked up at an upside down Ethan that stood over him. From the boy’s position he was able to see that Ethan was dressed in, what looked like, the same blue jeans that were part of his costume and a tight, short sleeved black shirt. Similar to the one he wore the first day Nicoli met him.

“What? I couldn’t help myself. He’s just way too easy,” Felix said innocently with a shrug.

Ethan rolled his eyes then bent down and took hold of Nicoli’s arms.

“Sorry for that,” he apologized for the ghost as he hefted the boy up to his feet.

“Only be sorry if he woke up my parents’,” Nicoli snarled as he dusted himself off and pulled down his shirt that had inched up his sides. He then turned his glare on the mentioned boy. “I haven’t seen you in almost two weeks and you already managed to piss me off.”

“I’m making up for lost time,” he replied with a cheeky smirk.

“I hate you,” Nicoli muttered before he turned to Ethan and ignored the ghost. “And you should have told me you were here. You almost gave me a freaking heart attack with the stupid window.”

Ethan chuckled, obviously not sorry in the least, as he kneeled down to pet Beethoven, who had been pawing at his pant leg.

“I thought I’d make sure you were wide awake,” he told the boy.

“You’re both assholes,” Nicoli said to them both. “Can we just get this over with? I’d like to not feel physically ill for much longer.”

“Awe, what? Is the widdle human scared of the big, bad house?” Felix asked him in a severely mocking childish voice.

“Felix, really,” Ethan said disapprovingly, standing up and shaking his head at the ghost.

“What? I said I was making up for lost time,” the ghost replied, as if he couldn’t believe Ethan would scold him for it. “Oh, and love the whole, I’m-going-to-be-stealthy-and sneaky attire you’ve got goin’ on there, Nicoli,” he then said with a smirk, gesturing at the living boy’s choice in wardrobe.

“What?” Nicoli asked, looking down at his clothes. “We’re doing something that’s technically illegal, so I’m not about to go out there in my brightest colors, thank you very much,” he huffed at the ghost.

“Illegal is such a strong word,” Ethan said, rubbing the back of his head.

“It is what it is,” Nicoli retorted, not budging in his opinion on the matter. “Now, you weren’t very clear on what I should bring,” the boy then said, addressing another issue. “So will these be enough?” he asked, picking up the flashlight and the hammer in each hand.

“Okay, wait, the flashlight I understand, but what’s with the hammer?” Felix asked before Ethan could open his mouth.

“Well, he did say I should bring something that I could use to destroy the talismans and tear up the barriers and I don’t plan on using my bare hands, so, next best thing,” Nicoli explained with a grin and flipped the hammer in his hand.

“Good enough substitute,” Ethan agreed and easily caught the hammer when Nicoli fumbled his next toss and the tool slipped from his hands. “Well, if that’s everything you think you need we should be off,” he then said as he handed the hammer back to the teenager, who took it with a sheepish smile.

“Yeah, I guess I’m ready to…shit,” Nicoli murmured as he noticed something.

“What wrong?” Ethan asked curiously.

“I forgot to get gloves while I was downstairs, plus I have to make sure my parents’ are still sleeping. Wait here, I’ll be right back,” the boy said as he pushed the flashlight and hammer into Ethan’s hands then made his way to the door.

“Why the hell do you need gloves?” Felix asked before he could leave.

Nicoli stopped to look back at the ghost.

“Fingerprints,” he said simply and lifted his hand to wiggle his fingers. “Goes back to the whole illegal thing. I don’t want to be seen going into that house and I don’t want to leave any of my fingerprints in it either.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Felix said in disbelief. “Do you know how many people go in and out of that house in a single day? Do you really think that if anyone just happens to find a couple of yours that it’ll make any difference?”

Nicoli simply shrugged. Not fazed by the spirits words.

“And? It’s better to be safe than sorry, in my opinion. So you can keep your smarmy little comments to yourself,” he shot back and made to leave again.

“Pansy,” Felix called after him.

“Hate you,” Nicoli retorted.

“Love you, too.”

Felix snickered as a disgruntled groan sounded before the door closed with a creak and a snap. His amusement, however, was cut short when he glanced at Ethan and saw the man was staring at him with an incredulous look.

“What?” Felix asked, ever the innocent one.

“Are you going to keep this up all night?” Ethan asked and exasperation laced his words.

“Don’t make me repeat myself a third time,” Felix said. The ghost crossed his arms and matched Ethan’s disapproving stare with a scowl of his own. “I’ll keep this up till we get the Hearts and he’s out of our hair.”

“I thought we agreed that you weren’t going to bitch about Nicoli being involved anymore,” the vampire reminded the spirit as he set down the flashlight and the hammer on the nightstand.

“I’m not bitching about it,” Felix corrected him. The ghost did a flip in the air and lowered himself down onto the teenager’s bed. “I’m just telling you that I’m going to act how I please while he’s in on this and that means ragging on him about any little thing I see fit, so there,” the ghost explained then stuck his tongue out at the man.

“Speaking about telling people things,” Felix went on, ignoring the way Ethan rolled his eyes at him. “I noticed you haven’t mentioned a word to the Meatbag about what happened last night.”

“And what particular event from last night am I not talking about?” Ethan asked coyly.

Felix scowled at him. He hated it when the vampire played dumb. It always caused more stress than he needed.

“You know very well what. About that friend of his. The girl you told me confronted you,” Felix said, refreshing the vampire’s memory. “Aren’t you going to tell Nicoli that his little friend is actually a witch?”

“No,” Ethan said simply and without any hesitance. “And I suggest you keep your mouth shut about that as well.”

“What? Why?” Felix questioned. “It’d be the least she deserved for her audacity. Are you really going to let her get away with threatening you like that?” He sat up and stared at the vampire with a look of pure perplexity.

Ethan’s lips quirked up into a smile. Felix was rather cute when he was looking out for the man’s honor.

“To simply put, I’m not going to punish the girl since she was only sticking up for her friend. She’s worried about him and it’s understandable. Heck, if I was still human I’d fear for any friend of mine that was dealing with a vampire,” Ethan explained. “As long as she doesn’t cross any lines or step on any toes then I see no need to reveal her secret to Nicoli. That’s her skeleton in the closet to deal with, not mine. Besides,” the vampire continued with a shrug. “That’d go against the code of people like us.”

“Code?” Felix repeated in confusion. “What code? Since when do you have a code?”

“Okay, it’s not so much a code as it is a courtesy,” Ethan admitted. “What right do I have to reveal to anyone of what that Amelia girl is? None. That’s what, so I won’t. It’s not like I’d want her telling every person I’ve ever come in contact with that I’m a vampire,” he explained. “You know it well. While you were alive each of us expected you to do your part and keep secret what we are, right?”

Felix pursed his mouth in thought as he crossed his legs and rested his hands in his lap.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he finally murmured. “But I still think that girl is a threat. From what you told me she doesn’t seem like the type to stay down when scolded. How do you know she won’t do something stupid like try and make sure you stop associating with Nicoli?” the ghost asked.

“I don’t,” Ethan admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I suppose we’ll just cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Felix was about to make a comment about how utterly absurd it would be to do nothing and let Amelia continue to be a hazardous wildcard, but the vampire put a finger to his lips, signing for silence.

A moment later the door creaked and Nicoli slipped back into the room and closed the door behind him.

“Shit, I really need to oil this stupid thing,” he muttered as he glared at the squeaky hinges. He shook his head then moved away from the door to stand by the other occupants. “Okay, got my gloves,” he told them and lifted up his now gloved hands to show them. Unfortunately all he could find were a pair of his mother’s dark green gardening gloves, but it was better than nothing.

“Let’s get going,” Nicoli told Ethan and Felix. His brows furrowed when he realized the two were staring at him rather oddly. “What?”

“Um, Nicoli–”

“What the hell happened to your shirt?” Felix finished for Ethan and pointed at the boy’s neck.

Where the turtleneck part of the shirt used to be now only showed the bare skin of Nicoli’s throat and the fabric of the new collar had bits of thread sticking out.

“Eh, it was starting to irritate the hell out of me,” Nicoli said as he rubbed his neck. “So I just took a pair of scissors to it while I was downstairs.”

“Very…resourceful,” Ethan said, trying not to laugh at the hack job.

Nicoli glared at the man.

“You can laugh later, let’s just go. If we stall anymore we’re going to run out of time,” he informed the vampire.

That seemed to set Ethan’s gears straight. His smile faded and he nodded.

“Right. Let’s go find us some clues.”

“Anything you say, Scooby-Doo,” Felix said with a salute.

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

All the houses in Whixton were dark as their occupants slept soundly and peacefully. With such serenity it was easy for the civilians to overlook the three shady figures that crept from house to house under the cover of night. They stopped behind one particular house and looked out to a building that was oddly secluded from the rest and certainly looked like it didn’t belong.

“Damn, talk about old,” Nicoli whispered as he stared at Deloris Mary-Weather’s house. The best way he could think to describe it was a giant, two story wooden box with a sloped roof and holes for doors and windows.

“Well, she was alive a good few hundred years ago,” Ethan pointed out.

“Can we stop oogling the house and get started all ready?” Felix asked impatiently. It wasn’t his idea of a good time to be playing peek-a-boo with houses all night.

“All right, all right, keep your translucent shirt on,” the vampire told him before turning to Nicoli. “This is going to be the easy part for you. I already know where each talisman and barrier is on the outside, so I’ll be able to guide you to each one easily,” he explained to the teen.

“Okay, sounds simple enough. And then I just destroy them anyway I see fit, right?” Nicoli asked.

“Exactly, after you get them all then we’ll move on to the inside, which will be just a bit harder because I’m not sure where they are. I’m sure they won’t be too easy to spot because Omen would most likely not want them to be seen by civilians who are just visiting the house,” Ethan said.

“Don’t forget the fact that after you do that we have to look for a clue that proves Deloris was the Guardian. A clue that we have no idea of what it could be,” Felix chimed in.

“Oi, that’s wonderful to know,” Nicoli grumbled. He then sighed and stood up from his crouched position, his knees giving irritable pops at the movement. “All right, no time like the present. Let’s get this started.”

“Good luck,” Ethan said and he watched the boy slip out from their hiding spot. He then did what Ethan could only describe as creep across the street and up the slight hill toward the house.

“So,” Felix spoke up when Nicoli was out of ear shot. “What are the chances you think that Omen is in the house?” he asked.

Ethan sighed and his expression became troubled.

“About ninety percent. Maybe higher,” he answered.

“…we’re just in for a fun night, aren’t we?”

“Yep.”

“At least you aren’t being a dumb ass and actually fed beforehand this time.”

“Oh shut up.”

The whole conversation didn’t reach Nicoli as he approached the house. It was eerily quiet and he looked around multiple times because he could swear he felt eyes on him. He soon concluded the feeling was only due to his nerves and hoped beyond anything he was just being paranoid. When he reached the house property he quickly pressed himself against the side of the large house. He then looked around once more, just to feed his paranoia, before reaching out his mind to his mind link companion.

“Okay, made it. Now make like a conductor and direct me,” Nicoli thought to the vampire. A chuckle came and the boy shivered as the feeling of feather light, invisible touches stroked the inside of his skull. It always felt so undeniably odd at first. The feeling of someone else being in his head and him being in someone else’s couldn’t be called anything but odd.

“Nice analogy,” Ethan’s voice said and the sound of his words echoed a bit in Nicoli’s mind. The bell effect he had described to Felix was not an exaggeration. “Well, the first barrier should be easy enough, because it’s right above your head.”

“Above my…head?” Nicoli couldn’t help but repeat and he craned his head upward. “…Oh.”

Just a few inches above Nicoli’s head was what looked like a piece of normal white paper plastered to the wall of the house. The teen turned his body to face it and tilted his head curiously. He turned on his flashlight to get a better view of it. In the corner of the paper was a small symbol of a cross and writing littered the rest of the page. Only it was in such heavy cursive he could hardly read anything on it.

“You’re kidding me,” Nicoli thought to the vampire. “This is what’s keeping you from the house? This little piece of paper?”

“Don’t underestimate that, “Little piece of paper.” It has a whole lot of power in it and hurts. Badly,” Ethan told him.

Nicoli stared skeptically at the paper. It just didn’t seem all that threatening to him, though, he guessed it wasn’t supposed to be since he was human. He lifted his hand and started poking at the barrier. It did nothing when he touched it and felt just like normal paper.

“So, what is it exactly about barriers and talismans that repel people like you and Felix?” he asked curiously.

“Well, barriers are more Holy items than talismans are, and as you know vampires and anything Holy just don’t mix. Actually, some barriers are created from pages of the Bible, and those ones pack twice the punch of normal ones for obvious reasons,” Ethan explained. “Talismans, on the other hand, are more magic oriented. They’re filled with magical energy and can be…programmed, in a sense, to ward off a particular kind of creature or being. That’s why there are both talismans and barriers there. The barriers are to keep me away and Omen had the talismans made to keep out spirits, meaning Felix.”

Nicoli was silent for a moment as he studied the seemingly harmless piece of paper. Who knew something so…ordinary looking could be so lethal and effective?

“Damn, I’ll give Omen his props for being extremely thorough. He has all of his bases covered. You know, Ethan, with so much effort he’s put into keeping you out, it’s making me start to think that there really is something in the house. I mean, would anyone go to this much trouble to protect nothing?”

“My thoughts exactly,” Ethan said, and sounded pleased Nicoli had the same idea. A sigh then came from the vampire, making the boy arch a brow curiously and look across the street in Ethan’s direction. “Felix wants you to stop standing there like a moron and actually get to work. His words, not mine.”

Nicoli hmphed. What he wouldn’t give to be able to smack the ghost upside the head a good few times.

“Fine, so as not to anger the mighty spirit anymore, what exactly do I do to make it, you know, not work anymore?” Nicoli asked.

“The barriers are much easier since they’re just paper. So, just rip it,” Ethan told him.

“Rip it? That’s it?” the boy questioned doubtfully. He couldn’t believe it could be that simple.

“Yep, just rip it.”

With the beam of light from the flashlight trained on the barrier, Nicoli stared at it a little longer. Then he reached up his free hand toward the paper and his fingers hesitated over it. After collecting his resolve he picked at the upper left corner until it peeled and he could grab hold of it. Then, with a mighty tug, he tore it completely in half diagonally.

Nicoli blinked in awe as the remnants of the paper on the wall shimmered a faint, eerie blue. The light died down soon after and the boy was surprised to see it was now blank. The undistinguishable writing was gone.

“Whoa…I’m guessing it worked…right?” Nicoli asked uncertainly through the mind link. It sure seemed like it worked, but one never knew.

“Yes, exactly right. It is now neutralized and useless,” Ethan replied happily.

“Well, I guess that really isn’t too hard,” Nicoli said and smiled in spite of himself. Maybe the night wouldn’t be so awful after all.

“See? You had nothing to worry about.”

“Whoa, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, now,” Nicoli said as he dropped the piece of the barrier he had in his hand. “We’re not even in the house, after all. I’m sure I have plenty to worry about. So, where’s the next thing I get to destroy?” he then asked.

“Getting into it now, are we?” Ethan asked teasingly.

“What can I say? You awaken the destructive child within yourself you must feed it,” Nicoli replied.

“Fair enough. The next one that’s closest to you is a talisman,” the vampire informed him.

“A talisman, huh? Well, at least I’ll be able to see what those look like.” Nicoli turned from the house and began running the beam of light around the dark property, seeing if he could spot it before the vampire told him where it was. “All right, I give up, where is it?” he asked after failing to locate it.

“You were close. Just point your flashlight upward.”

Nicoli refrained from giving another doubtful reply and instead did what he was told. The light trailed up from the ground and the boy quirked a brow when the bark of a tree filled the circle of light.

“Um, you mind clarifying?” Nicoli asked as he stared at the tree curiously and drew closer to it.

“There are two talismans and one barrier up in the branches of the tree you’re currently standing under,” Ethan informed him.

Nicoli’s mouth fell open as the light swept through the branches of the old tree.

“You have got to be kidding me. Please, do not tell me that’s true,” Nicoli begged. He then groaned when his miniature spotlight found what he was looking for. “Shit.”

From the branch of the tree was what looked to be a piece of wood hanging on by a piece of thread. It was very out of place in the tree and, even though he didn’t know what a talisman looked like, he was pretty sure he had just found one.

“Yep, that’s exactly what you’re looking for,” Ethan’s voiced confirmed Nicoli’s dread.

“Great, just great. It had to be up in a tree of all things!” the human grumbled in irritation. The night just got worse.

“…what’s wrong with trees?” the vampire asked, finding the boy’s reaction to be uncalled for.

“Oh, nothing. Just the simple fact I haven’t climbed a tree since I was like…ten!”

“Is that all? Come on, it’s like riding a bicycle. You never forget. So, just hop up there and get that talisman,” Ethan said as encouragingly as he could.

Nicoli scoffed to himself. Even if Ethan was an all powerful creature of the night, he was a lousy pep talker.

“Why don’t you go do your cheerleading in someone else’s direction?” Nicoli told him as he approached the base of the tree. He ignored the offended reply he received from the vampire as he studied how best he could shimmy his way up the massive woodwork.

“Might as well lighten my load to make this easier,” Nicoli muttered to himself. In doing so he realized how odd it was to hear his own voice out loud instead of in his head. Mind speaking played some funny games with ones noggin.

Nicoli put the flashlight on the ground and tilted it against the trunk so it pointed upward and lighted his way just enough.

“And I don’t think I need to take this up there,” he said and pulled the hammer from his belt. The belt had made a good holder so he didn’t have to juggle both the hammer and the flashlight. He set the tool beside the flashlight then stood up.

“All right, here goes nothing.”

Nicoli rocked back and forth on his feet in little “pre-jumps” until he crouched down low and leapt at his target. It was then the teen was extremely thankful he had thought to bring gloves. The purpose he had intended for them may have just been to cover his fingerprints, but as he dug his fingers and feet into the bark to find purchase he saw how useful they were to keep his hands from becoming pincushions for splinters.

Strained grunts issued from his throat as slowly but surely Nicoli began inching his way up the tree. He didn’t remember climbing trees being so hard as a child. He could already feel his muscles start to burn from the excursion and he vowed, then and there, to start working out more.

Nicoli was more than half-way to his destination when he felt a familiar tingle dance across his mind. Ethan was once again trying to make contact with him. The peculiar feeling made the human stop briefly to shake his head, but what the vampire said next almost made him fall out of the tree completely,

“Go Nicoli, he’s our man, he’s our man, if he can’t do it, no one can. Goooo Nicoli!”

Nicoli had to stop himself from gawking in Ethan’s direction. No self respecting vampire would really stoop that low, would they?

“Oh, my freaking, God. What the hell is the matter with you?” the boy demanded.

“What?” Ethan’s voice asked innocently, but Nicoli could practically hear the smirk behind it. “You said I had been cheerleading, so I thought I’d give you a real cheer.”

Nicoli could hear the smugness in the vampire’s tone and he growled low in his throat before continuing his trek up the tree.

“You give vampires a bad name, you know that? And there is no way you’re over eighty! Do you realize how immature you are? You’re giving old people a bad name too with the way you act, I mean, my God!”

The laughter that came after his words only increased Nicoli’s agitation. Ethan could go to hell. The next barrier the human found he was going to take it down in one piece and go shove it down the vampire’s throat.

Nicoli’s irritation was soon quelled somewhat as he reached the branch with the first talisman on it.

“Oi, finally,” he said in relief as he clambered onto the branch and rested there for a few minutes. “Now to get that stupid thing.”

The talisman was hanging on a small twig that split out from the branch and was a good distance away from the boy, almost to the part of the branch that didn’t look sturdy enough to hold a person’s weight.

“Okay, Nicoli, you can do this,” he muttered, trying to give himself his own pep talk.

“Be careful,” Ethan told him and his tone no longer held the amusement from before, but sounded worried.

Nicoli only grunted through the mind link in acknowledgement, but was partially grateful for the concern. He maneuvered himself so he was lying down on his belly and he used his arms and legs to inch himself towards the talisman.

Sweat began to prickle his brow as Nicoli felt the branch begin to dip the further out he moved. When he was a couple feet away from the talisman he stopped and, while one arm was wrapped tightly around the branch, he reached out with his other arm towards the wanted item. He grunted through clenched teeth when his fingers brushed against the talisman, but he wasn’t close enough to grab hold of it.

The branch dipped a bit more from strain as Nicoli inched forward as much as he dared. He reached out again and, after a few seconds of fumbling, he was able to grasp the talisman by its thread. His arm was stretched further than was comfortable as he then had to slip it from the twig that was holding it up.

“Aha! Got it!” Nicoli cried out in victory and drew his prize to him once it was free from its perch.

A second later it turned into a yelp as he accidentally loosened his tight grip on the branch and he lost his balance and the world spun. For a split second Nicoli found himself hanging upside down from the branch and then the next he was hurtling toward the ground.

A sharp cry punctuated his fall followed closely by a thud as the ground caught him ever so delicately.

“Ooooowwww,” Nicoli groaned and he was momentarily distracted by little stars that circled around his eyes.

“Are you okay!?” Ethan’s voice asked in alarm, bringing the boy back to reality.

“Why do you keep asking stupid questions?” Nicoli snapped. “Of course I’m not fucking okay. I just fell from a tree!”

“Ah fuck,” Nicoli groaned and clutched the back of his head as he forced himself to sit up. He shook his head before looking up to where he had been a second ago. “Damn, I’m lucky I didn’t break anything.”

“You didn’t crack your head open or anything, did you?” Ethan persisted.

Nicoli sighed and rolled his eyes.

“No, I just got the wind knocked out of me and will most likely have a bump on the back of my head the size of Jupiter, but other than that I’m fine. So, calm down already.”

“Well, excuse me for caring,” Ethan’s voice said.

“You’re excused,” was Nicoli’s snide remark. His head then snapped in the direction where the other two were hiding and his lip curled into a snarl. “And tell Felix to put a cork in it!”

From where he sat Nicoli could hear the distinct sound of laughter. The ghost must have been tickled pink by the human’s display of grace. With all the noise the human was making, and with Felix now practically rolling in the air laughing, it was a wonder to the boy how they hadn’t woken up the neighborhood.

Ethan must have put an end to it, however, as the laughter abruptly stopped. Nicoli sighed in relief and shook his head once more, though it did little to help the subtle throb radiating off the back of his skull. Nicoli then lifted his other hand to look at his prize that had been the cause of his fall.

“Thank God I grabbed this before I fell, or else I’d be really pissed,” the boy murmured as he looked the talisman over. At a glance it looked like a warped, knotted piece of driftwood, but closer inspection showed that it had many designs and details carved into it in peculiar shapes Nicoli couldn’t recognize to save his life. It looked like someone went on a whittling spree and took it out on the poor piece of wood.

The feel of the talisman confused Nicoli somewhat. It looked like wood, but felt smooth and strangely rock solid, not to mention it was heavy, as if he were holding a stone.

“What the heck is this thing actually made out of? It’s really…not right,” Nicoli said. “Are all talismans like this?”

“No, talisman’s can be made from almost any kind of inanimate object, which makes them harder to locate than the barriers,” Ethan replied. “It’s not the talisman itself that is the threat, it’s the magic inside, and magic is quite…compatible, I suppose would be the word, which is why most anything can be made into a talisman.”

After Ethan was through with his explanation Nicoli stared at the little stone like wood piece in his hands. How had Omen been able to get his hands on such things? Were they a trick of the trade? Did all Vampire Hunters have access to these sorts of items? For some reason it just didn’t sit right with the boy.

“Okay, I may be reading too much into this, especially since I don’t really know the guy, or want to know him, but is it just me, or does using something like this seem…out of place?” Nicoli asked.

“Out of place?” Ethan replied curiously.

“Yeah, I’m not really sure how to go about saying this, but…it just doesn’t seem like his style. I mean, he seemed perfectly at home just using brute strength and his own skill against both you and me. Barriers, I can kind of see since they deal strictly with vampires, but magic imbued talismans? I can see the sense behind it, but it still doesn’t seem like…him. Am I just being paranoid and overly analyzing this?” Nicoli asked and turned his head to look in the vampire’s direction.

“…no, actually, I’ve had my own misgivings behind the motives of Omen going to these lengths. You’re right, it’s not his style, even though contact with him myself has been minimal, I’ve never know for him to ever resort to using barriers, let alone talismans,” Ethan said, and his voice sounded solemn.

Nicoli’s grip tightened on the talisman. A bad feeling swelled in his chest. Why would Omen change his tactics? The boy wasn’t familiar with the man’s tactics, but with Ethan’s confirmation of his suspicions, well, the night just went back to horribly unpleasant.

“Should we be worried?” he finally asked after a short silence.

“I won’t lie, maybe we should be. Once in the house we’ll have to be on our guard, make that triple on our guard. But first you need to destroy the talisman in order to do that.”

Nicoli’s eyebrows rose. Right, he was there to destroy the talisman, not stare at it and fret. With one last rub to the back of his head with his free hand, the boy then crawled back to the base of the tree. He repositioned the flashlight so it laid flat on the ground and he set the talisman right in line with its line so it was clearly visible.

“All right, so I just bash this thing to smithereens, right?” he asked as he picked up the hammer and spun it in his hand a couple of times.

“That’s right. Smash it to your hearts content,” Ethan answered.

Nicoli grinned at that. With so much worry and doubt twirling about in his head a dose of semi-mindless destruction was just what he needed. The human lifted the hammer above his head and brought it down with a great deal of force.

The sound of the talisman shattering filled the air as the head of the hammer smashed it mercilessly. Nicoli lifted the tool and looked down at the remains of the defenseless item. It looked like it had broken a piece of glass. The talisman lay in shards, scattered amongst the grass and reflected the beam from the flashlight. The human marveled when small specks of what looked like light rose from the talisman and collected into a larger, shimmering ball. Nicoli fell back in surprise when the ball of light then erupted in a puff of smoke.

Nicoli stayed on the ground for a moment as he stared at the spot where the light had been.

“What the hell was that?” Nicoli asked when all of the wispy, white smoke disappeared into the night air.

“It was the collective energy of the magic dissipating,” Ethan answered. “Quite interesting. I’ve never actually seen that happen before myself.”

“Yeah, so the magic just…disappears once the talisman is destroyed?” the boy asked as he sat up and looked up into the sky.

“I’m not quite sure. I’m not the most knowledgeable when it comes to the properties of magic. Who knows what happened to it.”

“Weird,” Nicoli muttered to himself. He tapped the hammer against the ground before he hefted himself up to his feet. After the teen dusted off his clothes he picked up the flashlight from the ground and pointed the beam back up into the tree. “Well, two down and a lot more to go.”

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

As Nicoli worked outside, the house of Deloris Mary-Weather stood silent and deaf to the disturbances, but up in the most unused part of the house, someone would find much interest in those disturbances.

The attic was as carefully preserved as the rest of the house. Not a speck of dust or lint tarnished the unused furniture that was being stored there. The only thing out of place in the room were the numerous talismans that were strung up on the walls and ceiling. Exact replicas of the ones Nicoli was currently destroying.

On one side of the room a man had his feet propped up on a priceless, seventeenth century oak desk and was tilted back in a matching oak chair that was just as precious. A worn, wide-rimmed hat was tilted over the man’s face and light snoring sounded every so often.

It was when the sound of cracking filled the room that a grunt issued from the sleeping man. A miniscule explosion then wrenched him fully from his sleep so abruptly that the chair tipped back all the way and he was sent rolling back onto the floor with a surprised cry.

Omen blinked repeatedly up at the ceiling as he tried to get his bearings and remember exactly where he was. A tight frown stretched his lips and he blew a strand of hair out of his face when events settled back into place in his head. In one swift movement he reached his hands above his head so his palms touched the floor and he kicked against the ground with his foot. The desired effect was achieved as his entire body flipped over gracefully and he landed on his feet in a crouch.

“Now just what the hell woke me up?” he grumbled irritably as he snatched up his hat that lay beside him on the floor and he tucked it back on top of his head.

Omen stood and carefully swept his eyes around the room. He, “Hmmmed” deep in his throat and his brows knotted when something that wasn’t right caught his eye. His heavy boots thunked against the floorboards as he walked over to a talisman that was hanging on the far right wall.

He carefully examined the charm, or at least what was left of it. Mismatched eyes looked downward and Omen prodded the shattered pieces of the talisman with his foot.

“Interesting,” he muttered as he crunched the fragments under his boot.

Omen’s head whipped around when the cracking sound came again and he looked just in time to see another talisman become riddled with cracks before it burst into pieces.

“Could it be?”

Footsteps echoed throughout the room as Omen hurried to the window that looked out onto the property. His brow arched when he saw a light pointing upward from a near by tree, the one he had hidden the talismans in that were now destroyed. His attention was caught as a figure then climbed down the tree to the ground.

The moonlight was not strong enough that night to tear through the darkness and reveal who the intruder was. As the shady figure walked across the lawn toward another hidden location of talisman’s and barriers the man focused his sight through his left eye. The golden iris gleamed and the darkness and shadows that clouded Omen’s vision were transformed into clarity. Omen was then able to get a clear view of the person as they stopped to look off somewhere behind them.

“Well, well, well, I’ll be damned. He’s alive,” Omen said as he recognized the youthful face of the prowler. A wide, sinister smirk stretched across his face as the boy down below continued on his previous trek.

A bark of laughter left the man and he gave the sill of the window a good hit with his fist before he turned his back to the sights outside.

“Finally, I was beginning to think Ethan had given up,” Omen said as he strode back to the desk. “I guess all the time I’ve put into camping out in this tinderbox won’t go to waste after all.”

He grabbed his crossbow holster from the desktop and slung it over his shoulder. Once in place the man made his way to the stairs that would lead him down to the lower level of the house.

“Let the games begin,” Omen said as he slipped easily through the trapdoor to go greet his long awaited “guests.”

==============================================Ch. 17 End