I couldn't sleep, I stared at the walls and ceiling and occasionally looked out my window, maybe one of the werewolves followed me home – I thought. I continued this routine and before I knew it the sun was coming up. I kept replaying my encounter with the masked man and how I was almost mauled by werewolves.
"Fred, Are you up?" My mum yelled.
"Yes I'm up"
"Get ready for school, your Dad is leaving early today"
"Alright Mum" I responded.
I got out of my bed and got ready, I had already worn a short sleeve shirt before I realized my Mum would interrogate me on how I got the bruise on my forearm. I quickly changed into a long sleeve shirt and came down.
"You look terrible" My Dad said to me as I sat on the dining table. "Didn't you get enough sleep last night?"
I froze for a moment thinking of what to say "I did, but obviously not enough"
"Alright. Are you going to be okay? I can call your school and tell them you're sick" My Dad said.
"I'm okay Dad, I'm just tired"
"If you say so" My Mum patted me on the head. "Eat your breakfast dear"
When I got to school Chris was waiting eagerly at the entrance to the hallway to hear all about last night.
"How did it go?" he asked.
"It was definitely an experience"
"Did the guy know what's happening to you?"
It was then I realized that even with all I had been through last night I still didn't have the answers that nearly cost me my life "Where's Karen?"
"I don't know, I haven't seen her yet. Dude I've been anxious all night, tell me something"
"I don't have the answers" I said "He said something about a prophecy but I had to leave before the full moon, he said he would tell Karen what he knew"
"A prophecy?" Chris asked with a face full of doubt.
"That was my initial reaction, but that didn't come close to the crazy that almost killed me last night"
Chris drew me to a corner where we could talk more comfortably "Stop giving me partial details and tell me everything that happened last night"
"Someone chased me with a rifle"
Chris' eyes widened "You're kidding, who?"
"Some weirdo in an ugly serial killer looking mask"
"Fred" Karen called out as she approached us. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine and alive thanks to you"
"Thankfully no member of my pack was hurt" Karen sighed in relief. "Last night was insane!"
"Wait, was the guy in the mask a werewolf?" Chris asked.
"No" Karen answered.
"I'm lost" Chris said. "Let's try this again, can someone tell me every….."
"Look" Karen cut in. "A lot happened last night, no free period or lunch break is going to be enough to talk about this. We'll talk about this after school"
"Alright" Chris agreed reluctantly.
"One more thing, he told you the prophecy right?" I asked.
"The half of it" Karen clarified. "Yes he did"
When the bell rang for the end of the school day I could see an impatient Chris stuffing his belongings into his backpack, I could see he was very eager to know the full story. As usual we all gathered outside in front of Chris' car.
"Joe's diner?" Chris asked.
Karen opened the car door "Yeah"
We got to the diner and located an empty booth and ordered some food before we sat down.
"Okay, the full story from the beginning" Chris said.
Then we told him everything, how I met the custodian, how I ran into a terrifying masked man and how I was almost eaten by werewolves.
"That's one freaking horror movie!" Chris exclaimed.
I turned to Karen "That gas seemed to hurt you guys, what was that?"
"Wolf's bane" she answered. "Whoever that was managed to convert it to a gaseous state. It's no surprise if he is who our custodian thinks he is"
"Who does he think he is?" Chris asked.
"An Alchemist" Karen answered.
"What is an alchemist doing in Stowe?" I asked.
"From past knowledge alchemists came in different types, there are those who capture and experiment on supernatural creatures and then there are those who use their skills to help when they can, but in recent times they mostly hunt rogue creatures. They are humans either interested or obsessed with the supernatural, and they go wherever the supernatural go. If an Alchemist is in town then something unique is in town"
"So what unique creature drew this Alchemist to town?" Chris asked.
Karen sighed "I think it might be Fred"
"It can't be me" I responded. "Noone else knew about me, not until last night"
"If an Alchemist is in town it means something new is in town, and the only thing new I know about is staring me in the face" Karen said.
"Last night when I blasted him with my lightning he didn't seem to know about me" I responded. "He asked what I was"
"The alchemist might not have been here for you originally but I'm guessing your encounter must have definitely peaked his interest" Chris said.
Karen took a sip from her smoothie "The custodian didn't say anything about you which is a good thing, the bad news is the wolves are looking for you and this Alchemist, I advise not doing anything that will draw attention"
"Copy that. The Prophecy or at least half of it, what does it say?" I asked.
Karen brought out a notebook from her bag, opened a page and slid it over to Chris "I wrote it down so I won't forget anything"
Chris started to read "Born of men, yet marked by what lies beyond, three shall rise beneath shadow and storm. One shall command the fire of the skies, One shall see what time would keep hidden, One shall move as the tempest, and none shall halt its course. Yet the Three shall not stand alone, a Wolf strong-willed and a mortal steadfast as Stone shall walk beside them, their fates bound by words that are written. Then shall Olympus cast its judgment, the gods shall name them traitors, Men shall name them monsters and all the world shall hunt what it cannot understand"
"Olympus, Really?" I scoffed.
"There was once a time if I had told you I was a werewolf you would've laughed" Karen stated.
I took the book from Chris "Three shall rise, last I checked I'm the only one with these abilities"
"There could be others like you" Karen said.
"Think about it" Chris said. "The prophecy says a wolf and a human will be their allies, which must be me and Karen"
"One shall command the fire of the skies" I read from the book. "Seriously? I don't know guys, I was hoping for something more profound than a drunk man's prophecy"
"We have to keep an open mind, doesn't mean we've stopped considering that something else might be behind your powers" Karen responded.
"I agree" Chris said.
I was silent for a brief moment before speaking again "Guess time will tell if this prophecy is the real deal"
"Hey guys" Susan waved as she approached us.
"Hi" I answered. "If we'd known you were coming here, we would've given you a lift"
"Its fine, I went home. My Dad just brought me here to grab something to eat"
Chris casually looked around "Is he here?"
"He's parking the car" Susan answered as she sat in our booth.
"Feels good not being the only girl in the group" Karen said.
"Yeah right" Chris said sarcastically.
"You should hang with us more" Karen said, ignoring Chris' statement.
"Sure, I'd love to" Susan responded.
Karen's face brightened "Great! We're hanging at my house this weekend. We'll watch a movie, the boys will play videogames and you can console me on the dilemma of being a teenage girl with fangs"
"I actually think it's cool, sort of like you have a gift, it makes you stand out plus I've never had a supernatural friend before" Susan responded.
Karen smiled "Well you have one now"
"We have werewolves in Waterbury, the town I moved from but they kept to themselves mostly. Are they any other supernatural creatures in town?" Susan asked.
"The werewolves have the numbers here, once in a while some vampires come into town. We also have the witches or warlocks, whichever you choose to call them. Last year a centaur passed through town and according to the AMU they are fairies living in the woods but we haven't seen any" I answered.
"I keep wondering what it's like in the big cities where supernaturals are an integral part of the community" Chris said.
"It can be chaotic" Susan answered. "I spent a summer in New York and it was just rowdy and crowded. Here in Stowe you only see AMU soldiers when it's a full moon or if there's an incident but over there they are constantly patrolling the streets and there are multiple incidents everyday"
"City life must be something" Chris said.
A man stopped in front of our booth. "Hey Strangers" he greeted.
I looked at the man and my heart must have skipped a beat because I went numb instantly. I recognized him, he had a thick beard and a bandage on the side of his forehead, and I saw his face when his mask came off in the woods last night. He is the Alchemist. Susan got up to introduce this stranger to us.
"This is my Dad, Doctor Jerald Adler" She said.
"Hi" Karen and Chris said in unison.
"Nice to meet you sir" Karen added.
"Please call me Jerald" he said.
It was like I was paralyzed, the only thoughts in my mind were the bullet, the running and that awful mask.
Susan placed her hand on my shoulder "Fred, you okay?"
The rush I normally feel when I'm using my powers had already begun, It was then I pulled myself together the best I could. "Yeah. Why?" I responded.
"You didn't say hi to my Dad"
"Sorry, just distracted today. Nice to meet you sir" I said.
He put out his hand for a handshake "Please I insist, call me Jerald"
I shook his hand, gulping down saliva and trying my best to stay calm.
"Alright guys, we'll get something to eat now. See you guys in school tomorrow" Susan said.
They started walking away when Jerald voiced "Wait!"
He walked back to our table and look right at me, I thought for sure he recognized me. I had the hoodie over my head last night, he didn't see my face – I tried convincing myself.
"Where are my manners" Jerald said. "I'm meeting my daughter's friends for the first time, let me pay for your food"
He signaled the waiter and told him to add our fee to his.
"Thanks" We all responded.
"You're all welcome"
Susan smiled at us and waved goodbye as they walked to another booth.
"Nice Guy" Chris said.
"We need to go now" I said.
"Relax, I'm not done eating" Karen responded.
I looked over to Susan's booth, she was chatting and smiling with her Dad, as I looked at him I kept seeing flashes of his bleeding face in the woods. I couldn't take it anymore, I got up and started to walk out of the diner.
"Fred" Chris called after me.
"Where are you going?" Karen voiced.
I didn't respond to either of them, I made my way to Chris' car. Not long they both came out to meet me.
"Is it your powers? Is something wrong?" Chris asked.
"It's him" I responded.
"Who's him" Karen asked.
"The Alchemist, its Susan's Dad"
I could see the expression on both their faces change. Chris turned around to look at him through the Diner windows.
"It was pretty dark last night. Are you sure?" Karen asked.
"His mask came off last night and the moonlight was bright enough, I saw his face" I responded.
Chris opened the Driver's door "Let's continue this conversation on the road"
We all got in and started driving.
"He does have an injury on his forehead to match Fred's story" Chris said.
"He's a doctor, he doesn't seem like a mad scientist who experiments on supernaturals" Karen said.
"Alchemists are practically doctors Karen, it's the perfect cover" I snapped.
Karen sighed "I'm just saying you could be wrong. You might be accusing a man of something he had no involvement"
"Guys cut it out" Chris said.
I was quiet for a while before saying "I'm sure it's no secret how I feel about Susan, why would I say her father is the Alchemist if I'm not sure?"
Chris immediately parked the car by the side of the road. "Why are you guys arguing about this?"
I turned to Karen "Why are you defending him?"
"I'm not, what I am doing is being cautious. If we do something stupid and it turns out you're wrong then we could end up in a lot of trouble plus Susan will probably never speak to us ever again" Karen answered.
Chris looked at me "Karen is right, we need to make sure he is the Alchemist before doing anything"
"Fine, but I saw his face and I know it's him" I responded.
"If Dr. Jerald is in fact the Alchemist, Is Susan involved?" Chris asked, we all looked at him, realizing that our new friend might be a supernatural hunter.