13 comments/ 12866 views/ 16 favorites Dusk Before Dawn Ch. 01 By: Justenoughtime *Hi all. New to this but have always enjoyed writing so thought I'd give it a shot. I know the werewolf/ supernatural theme has been done again and again but it's my favorite kinds of stories. Hope you enjoy. Comments and suggestions welcome.* *** The alarm went at 7:00 but Billy made no move to turn it off. He had been awake for sometime already, lost in thought and anxiety and did not realize at first that a blaring car horn was echoing around his room. Coming out of his reverie he switched off the alarm and lay there for a few more minutes before swinging his legs off the bed and heading for the bathroom. Luckily he was the first up so he locked the door, switched the shower on, took a piss, and brushed his teeth before hopping into the warm water. He looked up and let the warmth cascade onto his face for a moment. As he washed he thought about the day ahead. A lot was new in his life. New house, new school, new country! Until a year ago he had been living in an English house going to an English school in England. He had been a well balanced teenager about to go into the final year of his education. He had friends, a boyfriend and plans for a bright future. That was before his father had disappeared. After that his mother had uprooted the family and flown them across the Atlantic to New Hampshire, her birthplace, to be nearer to her side of the family. He had been sad to leave his friends his home everything he knew. Mark had been distraught at first when Billy had broke the news to him. Together they had decided to end things. Going from seeing each other everyday to not seeing each other at all wasn't an idea that they relished. At first Mark had wanted to try making their relationship work long distance but Billy had decided that it wouldn't be fair on either of them. So they had parted ways promising to Skype each other at least once a month. Billy sighed as he thought of everything he had left behind. Things were now so uncertain and unfocused. And today he started his first year of American high school. He just hoped it wasn't like it was portrayed in the movies. A sharp rap on the door broke him from his trail of thought. "What the hell is taking you so long. I've been out here for nearly 10 minutes!!" Billy smiled. "Fuck off Johnny I've only been in here 5 minutes. Go play that stupid game on your iPod for a bit." "It's called Temple Run and its not stupid it's an amazing game and more than half of apple product users agree with me. So your outnumbered asshole. Now hurry up!!" "Oh no you don't I'm going in first" another disembodied voice emulated from outside the door. "Oh hell know. Civilization invented queueing for a reason you over grown troll!!" The sound of scuffling was heard amongst grunts and sassy protests. Chuckling to himself Billy turned off the flow of water rapped a towel around his waste and headed towards his bedroom, carefully stepping over the tangle of limbs that was his two younger brothers. Upon entering his room he got dressed slipping into his favorite jeans, put on a wife beater with a cosmic print on it, threw a maroon leather jacket over the top and laced up his boots. He then began the laborious process of styling his hair. Brush, gum, back brush, wax, hair spray. He looked himself over in the mirror and then chose two small gold hoops which he slid through his ears. Sometimes less was more. He wanted to make a good impression on as many people as possible. He knew it was shallow but if you looked good then people who didn't know you personally would treat you better. Once he had decided that he indeed was looking good he grabbed his shoulder bag and headed down stairs. Having beaten Johnny to the shower Fred was already at the table eating breakfast. His mother was making a note of something on the counter. Upon entering the kitchen Clem looked up and smiled at him "Well look at you handsome. Coffee?" "Please" he replied. Kissing her on the cheek he sat down next to Fred. As he poured himself some cereal a loud noise of discontent from the hallway alerted them to the arrival of the youngest. Upon seeing Johnny they both collapsed into fits of laughter. "What?" Said Johnny indignantly. "You are going to catch hell for wearing no clothes on your first day of school" Fred jibed still laughing at the sight. "Like I give a fuck. They can either like it or eat shit." came Johnny's retort "Enough of the language young man. Sit down and eat your breakfast. Nicky will be hear soon to pick you up." As Clem said this she walked over to place Billy's coffee down on the table. She then put her arms around her youngest and kissed the top of his head saying "I think you look great honey." Johnny squirmed out of his mothers embrace. "Stop it your messing up my hair" but he smiled at the same time taking comfort in her words. "Mum he looks like a street walker. You really gonna let your son go to his first day of school looking like anyone could rent him out for a dollar?" Fred said this with a smirk crawling across his face. Johnny was about to launch into an angry, and probably obscene, tirade before he caught his mothers eye and sulkily got on with his cereal. Billy chuckle and continued to drink his coffee. Upon finishing his breakfast Fred turned to Billy. "Are you nervous?" He asked "A little, yeah." Billy admitted. "It's alright for you." Johnny scowled. "you've got Nicky to to help you along. And Fred's got her sister. All I've got is that creep Daniel who lives up the road." Billy smiled. Johnny was right. Nicky was sure to make things easier for him. When they had first moved a couple of months ago. Nicky's family their neighbors had invited them over for dinner as way of welcoming them into their new lives. He and Nicky had hit it off immediately and spent the best part of the time up in her room looking at style blogs and magazines and having heated debates over whether George Clooney was still fuckable even in his age. Having cemented a strong relationship over the holidays they now treated each other like siblings constantly going over to the others house to chat and occasionally share a joint. Nicky's little sister Jenna was in the same year as Fred and Nicky and Billy had been trying to push them together the entire summer. But like Fred Jenna was a lot more quiet and shy when it came to people she didn't know. Billy was more worried about Fred than he was about himself or Johnny. Johnny he knew would strut into school not giving a fuck and quickly have everyone eating out of his hand. In many ways he was like his eldest brother if a little more sassy. But Fred was quiet and inwardly reflective most of the time. As Johnny continued to complain about "creepy Daniel" to the rest of the families amusement Billy reflected on the events that had recently befell their family. When their father had disappeared things had been difficult but they had all banded together to support each other through it. The police could find no trace of him at all. It was like he had vanished off the face of the earth. No letter, no phone calls, no evidence that he was even still alive. The strangest thing about the entire affair was his mother. Billy had always noticed things that others often did not and it appeared to him that from the moment his father had disappeared his mother had resigned herself. To what Billy could not say but although she played the part of a distraught wife billy could tell that a lot of it was for show. Not that he thought that his mother didn't love his father. He came, he thought, from one of the most stable family backgrounds he knew where they all supported one another no matter what. It was almost as if Clem had been expecting what had happened to happen and had prepared for it in advance. Instead of continuing the investigation into her husbands whereabouts she had decided on a spur of the moment to move back to her homeland so that her mother and two sisters that lived there could "help her cope with it all". Billy did not distrust his mother or think that she had any cruel intentions. But he had a niggling suspicions at the back of his mind that there was more to his fathers disappearance than met the eye. Johnny was still moaning when the doorbell rang. "Come on boys" Clem said " time to go". They jumped up grabbed their bags and headed to the door. Billy paused to kiss his mum on the cheek. "See you later" She smiled at him sadly "have a good day honey" "Hurry up boy or we'll be late!" The sound if Nicky's voice had billy hurrying out the door pausing to close it behind him blowing his mum a kiss. Nicky was standing outside arms folded leaning against her car. She was every bit the stereotype that Billy had pictured of a good looking American high school girl. Blond hair, a heart shaped face, an amazing body and of course wearing her cheer leading uniform. His brothers had already slid into the back of the car in which Jenna had already been sitting. "Get in loser. I'm not starting this year with a late to my first class because your getting cold feet." she teased. "I'm not getting cold feet. Give me all you've got if this thing you call high school." Billy replied smiling. "Oh believe me girl I will give you that and more. Now get your sexy butt in the car. We can't keep those horn dogs at school waiting now can we?" Billy hopped into the front and turned to greet Jenna. She smiled at him her eyes quickly darting to Fred sitting on the other side of Johnny before going back to the window. Billy and Nicky exchanged a smile before she turned back. "All right Brits. Buckle up and prepare for your first day of high school!" *** Clem watched the car with her children in pull out and speed along the road out if sight. She sighed. It was like reliving the first time she had left Billy at school all over again. She felt a tug at her heart. They would be ok. Christopher and her had raised them well. They were all unique and all interesting. The fact that they got on so well was always a heartwarming fact. Standing at the window her mind drifted to her husband. A year of not having him by her side meant that the loss was still raw. But soon she hoped that would be over. She would find her husband even if it meant going through hell and back again. She blinked back tears and sighed. Everything had settled. She reached out with her mind. "Mum, Amy, Christine. The kids have gone." A moment later three women walked through the door each carrying a selection of odd items. Clem's mother though almost 90 was still fighting fit. She had an air of calming wisdom about her that relaxed everyone in her company but also had a wicked sense of humour that could have an entire room rocking with laughter. Her sisters were 5 years younger than Clem's 45 and identical down to the beauty spot just above their lips. They also shared a wild personality which meant that neither of them had ever settled down, constantly off with different men and the occasional woman. The fact that they were both so beautiful meant that their options for partners did not decrease as their age increased. Clem greeted them all by hugging them and kissing them on the cheek. "You brought everything?" She asked. "All the ingredients, specific runes and the necessary grimores." Her mother said. "Now all we need is the object of significance." The twins said together. Clem looked down at her hand and slid the wedding band off her finger. It was inscribed with symbols of love and protection on the inside. Her husband had given it to her so that if she ever needed him he would know. It hadn't worked of course and recently it had served no purposes other than reminding Clem of what she had lost. She handed the ring to her mother. "You ready for this?" the wizened woman asked. Clem took a deep breath "Yes I'm ready." The kids had gone to start their new lives. To search for their place in the world. The time had come for here to begin a search of her own. *** They pulled into the schools parking lot and got out. So far everything was living up to Billy's expectations. The school itself looked like the kind of thing you saw in the Simpsons or Family Guy. People were milling around the outside area sitting on the walls or benches chatting and catching up after a summer apart. Billy turned to his siblings. "Meet you guys back hear at 4 ok?" "Ok" they both replied. Fred and Jenna walked towards the school together. Johnny was about to follow them when a voice from behind called, "Hey Johnny! Over here!" "Oh brilliant." Johnny lifted his eyes to the sky and the fixed his best fake smile upon his face. "Hi Daniel" he gushed walking towards the other boy. Billy and Nicky chuckled then Nicky took his hand and looked at him. "You ready?" She asked. "As I'll ever be." *** He knew something was up. There was a change in the air. The usual atmosphere of the school had shifted to accommodate a new and powerful presence. A presence that had an intoxicating smell. A smell that wound its way up through his nostrils and clawed at his brain, demanding attention. It got slowly stronger, making his head spin. He had to find out what it was that smelt so good. He followed his nose through the corridors of people, each one of their scents over powered by this one undeniable smell. The scent got stronger and stronger until he came to the entrance. There outside he saw him. An absolutely drop dead gorgeous boy walking beside Nicky. It was from this mysterious sexy new comer that the smell emanated. He breathed in deeply enjoying the intensity of it as the boy drew nearer to the entrance. A noise distracted them and they turned from the entrance to walk across to a group of people. He growled his frustration and walked out the door. Leaning casually against the wall outside so as to get a better look at the new kid. God he smelt so fucking good. He looked him up and down. Nice tight toned butt. Lean figure, slightly shorter than him. Pale white skin in opposition to his own olive tan. His crotch began to ache. He licked his lips. He had to get a taste of that. If not now then soon. Really soon. *** "Nicky! Over here!" They were waved over by a tall girl in a cheer leading uniform matching Nicky's own. Nicky smiled and headed toward her with Billy in tow. "Hi Justine." They hugged. "Justine this is Billy the one that I told you about." The girl Justine turned to him smiling warmly. Billy liked her instantly. He held out his hand for her to shake. "Pleasure to meet you." he said She took his hand giggling. "Your right" she addressed Nicky, "he's so British" Billy rolled his eyes. "Please don't ask me to say anything. I'm not a performing monkey" he had gotten enough of that already from Nicky herself. Justine laughed. "Why not? The accent makes you even hotter." Billy blushed. This girl obviously had no inhibitions about speaking her mind. "Justine you'll scare him away if you talk like that" Nicky laughed. The two girls then proceeded to introduce him to the group in front of them. Billy didn't know if his preconception of high school was warping reality slightly but what he saw in front of him seemed to be the epitome of the popular group. Most of the girls there were cheerleaders and the majority of the guys there were...what was the word? Jocks! However they all seemed perfectly friendly. Max he was drawn to in particular. Not because be was especially attractive but because it was obvious that he was the clown of the group who knew how to make people laugh. He smiled as be shook Billy's hand. "Quite a move for you then? How are you finding things so far?" They were all listening to the conversation and suddenly Billy felt a little self conscious. "Um it's fine. The sun is around much more here than it is in England. Most of our summer was spent moving in though so I haven't had a chance to check out town or anything." "We'll take you there after school if you like" Max offered. He turned to the rest of the group. "How about we all meet at Starbucks after school." There was a murmur of consent around the group. Billy smiled "Thats kind of you but my two younger brothers just started here as well. I kinda want to make sure they've got on ok after their first day." "Fair enough but you come along with us sometime soon. We'll be happy to show you around." Max replied. The conversation in the group turned to the events of the holidays. A number of them including Max asked Billy a bit more about himself. As he was standing there talking he felt a prickle at the back of his neck and a wave of uneasiness swept over him. He looked around and noticed a figure staring at him near the school entrance. Following his eyes Max looked over at the figure and smiled. "Hi Brick! Come over we got us a newbie." The man shifted from where he'd been leaning against the wall and made his way over to the group. Billy breathed in taking in full the Adonis that was walking toward him. He was well over 6 foot with tanned skin and a middle eastern look about him. His shoulders were broad narrowing into a trimmed torso and snake hips. His hair was cut short and stood up straight from his scalp. He was dressed in figure hugging jeans and a black jacket. As he approached Billy suddenly remembered that to live he had to exhale. Brick drew level with the group his eyes focused on Billy. Everyone greeted him and the girls all flicked their hair and pushed their chests out slightly including Nicky. "Brick this is Billy. He's just starting here. Moved from England!" Max made his introduction. Billy nervously stuck out his hand which he suddenly realized had turned clammy. "Nice to me you Brick" Brick didn't say anything. Nor did he take Billy's hand. He just kept staring at him. Billy looked back into his beautiful, deep...yellow eyes? He blinked and they were now a deep brown. He must of imagined it. He was suddenly aware that his hand was still stuck out but Brick had made no move to take it. He lowered his hand blushing slightly but still held Brick's gaze. Everyone around them shifted slightly, feeling uncomfortable. "Don't make him feel awkward or anything Brick." laughed Max nervously. Brick slowly extended his hand and Billy gingerly took it shaking it slowly. "Good to meet you Billy" he said quietly. He kept ahold of Billy's hand when he tried to withdraw it. The tension intensified. "Brring brring" Saved by the bell. Everyone picked up their bags and headed for the main hall. By this point Brick had let go of Billy's hand but was still staring at him. One of the guys Aaron clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on Brick. We've got PE and we still need to get changed." Brick turned slowly on his heel and walked away with Aaron and Max. Billy was left standing there completely bewildered. A tap on his shoulder brought him back. "You ok?" Nicky asked. "I'm fine but what the fuck was that all about." "What with Brick? He's just a bit weird sometimes. He's a nice guy though. You ought to feel flattered, he never gives that kind if attention to anyone. Come on. We're going to be late. What's you first class again?" *** Billy entered his English literature class. Being the new student he obviously attracted the attention of everyone. They watched him place his bag down by his desk and walk over to the teacher to hand in his information slip. "Mrs Pickering?" the woman looked up. She had huge round spectacles on and a bright face with intelligent eyes that seemed to dance with amusement. Her hair was slightly disarrayed, big and curly. He guessed her to be around the age of 60 or so. She was the kind of woman that you would see at market stalls selling crystals and whale music. Dusk Before Dawn Ch. 01 "My names Billy Robinson. I'm the new transfer student." She smiled at him. "Ah your Helena's grandson correct?" Billy was surprised, "Yeah, you know gran gran?" "Very well. She taught me everything I know." Billy frowned. "I didn't know gran gran was ever an English teacher." He said. She smiled again. "She wasn't." Mrs. Pickering returned to her notes. Billy went back to his desk slightly confused and sat down next to a girl who had been in the group he had met. He remembered her name was Frankie. He smiled at her and turned to the board just as Mrs. Pickering stood up. She revealed to the class that they were going to be studying the Romantic poets of the 19th century. Billy smiled. He loved the Romantics. "Can anyone give me an example of a romantic?" Mrs. Pickering addressed the class. Tumbleweed... Billy tentatively raised his hand. "The most famous ones are Wordsworth, Coleridge, Blake, Shelley and Byron." "Correct. Now the first poem we are studying is by Shelley. If you open your text books at page 23 you will see Ozymandias. And so the lesson continued. After having read it through to the class Mrs Pickering asked, "Can anyone tell me what the central ideas are behind this poem?" Tumbleweed again Again Billy raised his hand. "It's about the decline and fall of empires and their leaders. No matter how great they think they are, in the face of time everyone is equal." He realized that the class was staring at him. He blushed slightly and looked at Mrs Pickering. She was smiling. "Correct again." Billy kept his head down for the rest of the lesson. When the bell went he packed up his books and left the classroom with Frankie. "You are going to be my best friend now!" She laughed "most of this stuff goes directly over my head" Billy smiled. So far things were going ok. He asked Frankie for directions to the art department and after saying good bye started towards his next lesson. He thought about what had happened with Mrs. Pickering and wondered what she had meant by what she said. Had gran-gran given her sewing lessons or something. Her choice of words puzzled him. Deep in thought he rounded the corner of the corridor heading to Art and smacked straight into someone's chest. Someone's sweaty chest cover by a T-shirt that showed every line of muscle he had. Billy's books spilled out of his hands onto the floor. He bent to pick them up and cast his eyes at the crotch of his assailant. They widened taking in the obvious gigantic bulge that was pushing against the short material. Blushing furiously he raised his own eyes to the deep brown ones that he somehow knew would be there. "Sorry Brick" he muttered bashfully. Brick didn't say anything. He just stared at Billy who, becoming aware that they were only centimeters apart from each other, took a step back. "Are you hurt?" Brick finally asked still staring. "No I'm fine. I wasn't concentrating sorry." Billy desperately wanted to get away as his jeans were fast becoming uncomfortable. He quickly sidestepped Brick and ran off along the corridor shouting bye over his shoulder. Brick continued to stare after him. *** Arriving late to the art room Billy apologized to to the teacher who he already knew as Mr. Macelvin and was told that today and for the next few weeks they would would be focusing on life drawing and portraiture. He was thankful when he finally got to his easel and started drawing the model that they had. He had always been good at drawing and couldn't wait until they got onto oils. For now those he did sketches. Outlining shading detailing. The process allowed him to forget what had happened with Brick in the corridor. The end came to soon and they Mr. Macelvin told them to tack their work on the wall and leave their easels up. Wanting to find his brother Billy quickly tacked his work up and left not noticing that a small crowd was starting to gather around his drawings. *** As Billy walked into the cafeteria he was greeted by someone shouting. "Over here Brit." It was Nicky. She was sitting with Justine but that was the only person he recognized. He hadn't met the others yet. They reminded him more of the kind of people he used to hang out with in England. "This is Billy the Brit." Nicky made introductions and Billy sat down. He quickly stuck up a convocation with one of them about the recent success of imagine dragons and whether or not Lana Del Rey was a good musician in her own right. Nicky cut in to ask how things were going. He gave an overview but didn't mention what had happened with Brick in the corridor. But he did need to find out what Bricks deal was. There was no physically possible way that the monster he'd seen in Bricks shorts had been flaccid. Unless he was hung like a horse. Had he gotten it from bumping into Billy? And what was with the creepy staring. Billy wasn't sure if he liked the attention that Brick was giving him. "Billy Robinson right?" He turned around and looked up at the questioner. He was tall and slim with tanned skin. His hair was curly and a honey brown colour. His eyes were deep blue. In short the questioner was a very good looking guy. Billy smiled, "Who's asking?" "I'm Nate. I'm in your Art class. Not that you would have noticed, you were in a world of your own. I just wanted to say that I loved your drawings. Everyone did for that matter." "Really? I left to quickly to look at the other work." "You should come back to the Art room after school" Nate smiled, "the models staying behind so a few of us can continue. I'd love to see more of your work." "Oh...thanks" Billy was a little flustered. This guy was very hot. "But I'm afraid I'm heading home right after school." "All the same I'd like it if you came along at some point. Promise you will?" Nate smiled and Billy's heart fluttered slightly. "Ok I promise." "Sweet. See you around Billy." Nate turned on his heel and walked back to his table. "Oh hell yeah" Nicky aired punched. "The Brits got an admirer!" "He's hot Billy you should get on that." Justine agreed. Billy looked down at his food blushing and smiling to himself. First day and already people had taken an interest. Not bad going. *** The rest of the day went quickly and before long Billy found himself again with Nicky walking towards her car. Fred was already standing there with Jenna. "Everything ok?" Billy asked. "Yeah it was fine. I've been asked to try out for the junior football team." Billy was about to express his delight when a wall of noise had them all turning towards the entrance. A swarm of girls was gathered around outside taking loudly to Johnny and giggling. "Yes ok honey I will ask for you. But first you should get your yeast infection sorted out!" Laughing he broke from the group waving and blowing kisses. He strutted up to the car smiling smugly. "What was all that about?" Asked Billy. "Oh nothing. They just wanted Fred's phone number." Johnny smirked. Fred blushed and Jenna looked slightly put out. "Ok guys lets go." Said Nicky swinging into the car. They all got in. As Billy opened the door on his side a sudden impulse had him looking back towards the school. There at the entrance stood that weird Brick guy. That weird and fuckin HOT Brick guy that was looking straight at him. Billy shivered slightly and got into the car. *** He watched as the car drove away. As the scent became slightly fainter the tension in his body slackened. He walked towards his truck where his friends were waiting. Max and Aaron were play fighting next to the car but immediately stopped and lowered their heads upon seeing him. Wordlessly he got into the drivers seat and they followed suite. They pulled out onto the main road and started driving out of town. He was silent and scowling. "What's up man?" Max asked, "your all dark and moody" "It's nothing" he replied. Max snorted. "The same way I suppose that weird episode with you and the new guy was "nothing". What gives man. Don't you like him?" He was silent. He stared ahead and tried to get the picture of Billy's ass out if his head. He subconsciously licked his lips. Max and Aaron exchanged a look. Aaron mouthed "leave it" and they drove in silence. The collection of houses were tucked away from the main road and looked out onto the forest that surrounded town. A sign saying Raven Hill showed the little turning which passers by would otherwise have missed completely. Pulling into the shared parking lot he got out, shut the door and stalked towards his house. "Well bye then" Max shouted. He ignored him. Upon entering his house he walked thought the main entrance, through the kitchen where his parents were and out the back door. "How was school honey?" His mother asked. "Going running" he grunted ignoring her question. Once out the back he slipped out of his clothes and began running into the woods. He needed to clear his mind. He needed to focus his mind again. He needed to try and get that boy out of his damn head. He ran and ran crashing through the undergrowth sending the small woodland animals running for cover. He wasn't interested in them thought. He just wanted to outrun his thoughts. After a while he realized this was not going to be possible. He slumped down on the ground in the middle of a clearing. What was going on? On the eve of his 18th birthday just before the start of school he had vowed to stop being snooty about humans and get as much action as possible from what was available to him. And then in a flash his vow had been squashed by the arrival of some boy. He had been in his head all day distracting and frustrating him. WHY?!?!? One half of him already knew the answer of course. The half that acted upon instinct and had no understanding of consequence or reasons. But the other half wasn't ready to accept it yet. He needed to let that half figure itself out before he did anything. He growled angrily. That fucking asshole Nate had been flirting with Billy. Practically asked him on a date. He had heard it all from his table. It had taken all his self restraint not to get up and throw that shit head across the room. He caught the sent of a doe about a mile off and getting up tore though the woods leaving wisps of fur wear he had lain. *** It was dark by the time he arrived back at his house. He picked his clothes up off the floor and headed straight to the shower. Once under the stream of water he began to wash off all the dirt that he had picked up from his run. Even in doing this simple action he was distracted. Billy's hips swayed hypnotically in front of him. He remembered the feel of his body as he had smacked into him on his way to the changeling rooms. He had beat of once already because of that in the changing room showers but despite this his dick started to swell. Closing his hand around it he began slowly pumping himself imagining that it was Billy's hand rather that his own. He wondered if Billy's hands were was soft as he imagined. He imagined Billy naked, smiling sexily at him. His stokes sped up, his release cresting. He imagined Billy kneeling down between his legs. He groaned loudly as he shot his load against the wall splattering it and his hand with white. He shuddered for a minute recovering from the ordeal. He had had a lot of sex in his life and been with a lot of partners male and female. So why the did jacking himself off to the mere thought of a human feel better than all those other sexual encounters? He turned the shower off, dried himself and went to his room. He pulled the cover off the bed and threw himself naked onto it too hot to be bothered. He fell asleep dreaming of Billy's face. Dusk Before Dawn Ch. 02 *thanks for the positive reviews. And a special thank you to the anon who took the time to give some feedback (I see you). Advice read, duly noted and appreciated. I wrote this chapter before I read the comments so you may find some of the same things you picked up on here as well. For the next chapter I intend to employ you advice. Thanks again all* *** Clem sensed their presence drawing nearer and sighed. "Their back. Time to pack up. Thanks for all your help Ma." "I know you feel frustrated" said her mother, "but you must be patient. These things take time. Don't worry we'll find him eventually. I'm sure if it." They cleared what was on the table back into their respective bags. Most of the Grimores went into her mothers bag and the other instruments and ingredients into the twins. Just as everything was packed away there was a knock at the door. Her mother went to answer it. "Hi Gran-gran." Billy smiled and kissed her on the cheek then left her to greet the other two. He walked into the kitchen where his mum was brewing coffee and the twins were sitting at the table. "Hi ladies!" He said. He went to hug his mother who handed him a pot of coffee. He set it down on the table and sat next to Amy. Or was it Christine. "How did it all go then" Gran-Gran asked walking in with the others. "Ok actually. I think I'll be fine there." All three of them began to chat about their day. Everything seemed to have gone ok for the others as well. Fred told them all of the request to play for the junior team to their delight. Johnny talked about the people he'd met and the opportunity to join the drama group in his year. "Most of the people there are fine. Being British seems to afford you a lot of special treatment." They all laughed at the truth of the this. "I can't resist the English" remarked Amy. "Not another word. I don't need the kids hearing about all your exploits." "But mum I've heard them all already. We compare notes!" Billy jumped in. "Don't want to know. In my mind your still sweet and innocent." Laughed Clem. "Speaking of which" Christine leaned in, "I bet you drew some eyes on your first day didn't you?" Her question was directed at Billy. "Hey what the fuck are Fred and I then? Chopped liver!?!" Johnny exploded. They all laughed but everyone, including Johnny wanted to know. Billy looked down suddenly embarrassed. "Maybe" he muttered. "OH MY GOD TELL ME EVERYTHING!!" Johnny screamed. "Pipe down he is not gonna tell you anything. You have the worst case of blabber mouth out of everyone I know." Laughed Fred. Billy smiled. "Well there's this guy called Nate in my Art class and he kind of asked me to draw with him." Christine and Amy both chuckled. "Meaning I suppose that he wants to draw you?" "Don't!" Billy giggled. Clem stood up suddenly. "Right enough of that." she said. Gran-Gran and the twins also stood and started to head out. "See you later dears" said Gran-Gran with the twins blowing kisses as they left. *** A few hours later Billy found himself in Fred's room going over the events of the day. "Everything was ok then?" "Yes! I've said a hundred times already. Why are you so paranoid Billy. You know I would tell you if there was a problem." "I know. I guess my day was just a bit weird. I'm on edge." Fred gave billy a look. "Your not telling me something" it wasn't a question or an accusation. It was just a statement of fact. Fred could always tell when Billy was lying. Billy sighed. "This guy in my year Brick. He was all sorts of weird today. Staring at me and stuff. Acting all passive aggressive. I don't know what his problem is. I ran straight into him before art and he...he." "Go on" said Fred. Well...he had a boner. Like a huge one. And I'm not assuming that he got it from bumping into me but it looked like that. And after school when we were getting in the car he was watching me from the entrance. It's just got me a bit fuzzed is all." Fred thought for a moment. "Brick. As in Brick Heckmatt?" "That's him." "You do realize he's captain of the football team." "I didn't but he could do ballet for all I care. I just want to know what the fuck his problem is!" Fred thought for a moment again then said, "why don't you ask Nicky about it? She'll know something more and maybe you can get a better idea. Then confront him and ask what his deal is." *** "And just how did you know that he had a boner. Are you one of those guys that looks everything up and down. And for that matter how did you know that he didn't have one before?" "No, I had to pick my books up and I happened to glance at his crotch and there it was. And I didn't say that I was the reason I just said maybe." Thinking about the size of it made Billy shiver. A part of him had wanted to look at it longer. They were sitting on Nicky's bed. It was almost 8 o'clock. A text had just come from mum saying "dinner". "I gotta go but what do you think?" Nicky started curling a strand of her hair round her finger. "Bricks a weird one for sure. I mean he's been at the school for three years now and he's not like done anything with anyone. Boys and girls alike have thrown themselves at him but he never seems to want it. We hear about him sleeping around from his friends but he seems to only do it with people from Raven Hill." "Back up a second. What in the world in raven hill?" Billy asked. "It's like a collection of houses a few miles out of town. A commune of sorts lives there of which Aaron Max and Brick are all a part of. Aaron and Max have always lived there but Brick arrived three years ago. Not like a weird commune thing or anything. Their all just really close cos they live together in a secluded area. Like a mini village." "And he fucks people in this commune?" "Yeah their not the only guys their age there. I mean Aaron and Max have slept with loads of people here as well but Brick nu-uh." Billy processed this. It seemed really really strange. Brick, his attitude, where he lived. And Billy didn't want to admit it but a part of him he knew wanted Brick Heckmatt to bend him over and fuck him until he couldn't see straight. "Ok then what should I do?" "I'd leave it Billy. You've already got Nate and he so obviously has the hots for you. Focus on that for a bit. Maybe the Brick situation if there is one will sort itself out." Another text buzzed through. This time from Johnny. "Hurry up u selfish art whore. Or u can eat ur food off the floor." "I gotta go. Thanks for the advice bubba." "No problem you big old drama queen" Billy flipped her off then heading downstairs and out the door calling good bye and thanks to Nicky's parents. *** Brick hadn't come down yet and his parents knew something was up. He always lazed about in bed when there was a problem. "Brick?" His mother called. "Your going to be late for school honey." A few bumping noises later and Brick was downstairs fully dressed but rubbing sleep from his eyes still. His mum handed him his books then pushed him out the front door. She'd try and talk to him when he got back. *** "Still being a surly cunt today then." Max observed as they drove to school. Brick ignored him. He was still trying to figure out what he was going to do about his situation. First he'd have to stop Billy hanging out with Nate somehow. Wait had he really just think that in his head. He didn't even know Billy, had barely spoken to him but he still felt a protective and territorial urge hit him when he thought of Billy with someone else. What was he supposed to say to him? 'Don't go out with Nate because if you do I'll beat the shit out of him. Go out with me instead.' Like that would work. Billy would run a mile. He was also worried because it was obvious that Billy was not naturally submissive in the same way his other partners had been. Sexually maybe but in all other ways not. Brick was defiantly dominant and had already been given an important position at Raven Hill. Some even thought that he may some day become the leader. He had the potential to be one. But he knew that Billy would not submit to him naturally. He didn't think like someone from Raven Hill did. He wouldn't understand the rules. This would prove a problem he knew. Brick shook himself. He was already planning out his relationship and he had spoken about two sentences to the boy. Ridiculous. The other thing that was niggling at the back of his mind was the fact that there was obviously more to Billy than what met the eye. When Brick had first smelt Billy his scent had overpowered the other humans but more obvious than that was the presence that he had. Brick had thought it had come from the connection he had with the boy but the more he thought about it the only solution seemed to be that Billy wasn't totally human. He wasn't a werewolf. That was obvious. But his presence suggested something more. This mystery of who he was had been one of the many thoughts whirring in Bricks mind for the past 24 hours since he'd become aware of his presence. It was so much more obvious and...powerful. If he was going to get to the bottom of this he'd have to find out more about Billy. Brick knew there were other 'super-natural' beings in the world and they all had a presence but Billy's was different. It felt like a witches presence which would make sense as a small Coven lived in the area. But it wasn't just that. It was something else. Something that felt dangerous. Could he be... *** "And so, the demonic imagery used in Kubla Kahn could be viewed as a message of sexual liberation and a desire for decadence." Mrs Pickering concluded. The bell went. Billy packed up his notes and walked out chatting with Frankie. The second day had been good. He had been able to ignore Brick for the most part and he'd found a note in his locker. 'Meet me in the art room after school. Nate. X' Billy fully intended to do so. But first he had to let Nicky know what was going on. He found her outside the main entrance. Luckily it was just her and Jenna although it would be painfully obvious to his brothers what was going on. "I'm staying for a bit. You go on with out me I'll get home fine." "You don't have to be coy with me you know!" Nicky laughed. "Have fun!" "I will don't you worry." *** Once he'd heard this he turned to Aaron. "Coach wants me to stay behind" he said chucking the keys. "I'll see you later." He turned on his heel and headed towards the art rooms. He saw Billy enter them and followed to the door peering in through the small window embedded in it. He was right. It was fucking Nate. He wouldn't be able to see too well from where he was. Looking around he saw a door that led outside where the windows to the art room looked out onto the playing fields. *** "Hi" It seemed the best way to start things off. Nate had set up two easels and simple still life of fruit and vases. He looked damn sexy as well dressed in paint spattered sweatpants and shirt. He was already working on his drawing. He smiled and beckoned Billy to come and join. Dropping his bag Billy made his way over to the easel next to Nate's. He then grabbed some charcoal from the drawers and began. For a while they drew in silence occasionally glancing at each others work. Billy slowly relaxed into it enjoying the company and the quiet . There was no need for conversation. When he felt satisfied with what he had done Billy stepped back and turned his attention to Nate's drawing. It was very good but he couldn't resist. "Would you be annoyed if I offered some advice?" Nate turned around and smiled at him. "Not at all." "Your worrying to much about the outline. The basic shape is important but without close attention to shading the picture ends up a looking slightly flat. Try drawing without an outline and just shading." Nate smiled again "Show me." Billy picked up his charcoal and got a new piece of paper. "You need to be aware of what the light is doing. For instance that apple. The side facing the window is lit up and reflecting light but the other side receives no lit at all. The important thing is to perfect the transfer from dark to light. Like so." He drew and Nate watched. "Now you try." He handed the charcoal to Nate who moved closer. He began, repeating the process that Billy had done. "Press a little harder on the end." Billy took Nate's handed and guided it through the drawing. The contact made them more aware of each other. Nate turned his head to Billy who was still guiding his hand. "There...so you see...the light..." Billy trailed off and looked at Nate. They both dropped the charcoal and Nate's arm slid round Billy's waist. They drew closer. Billy closed his eyes. Just before the moment of contact Billy heard a sharp tap. He paused opening his eyes. Nate also hesitated. "You hear something?" "Yeah...anyway." They drew close again. Again Billy closed his eyes. And again just before their lips met another sharp tap echoed around the art room. Billy paused again. "What the hell is mmmph!!!" Nate had fastened his mouth over Billy's cutting him off mid sentence. Billy closed his eyes and allowed Nate's tongue to explore his mouth. Nate's hand snaked down and cupped his ass making him moan into the kiss. CRASH!!! They broke apart whirling round towards the window. One of the panes was completely shattered and a large stone had come to a rest just next to the table that the still life had been placed on. "Fucking hell!" Nate shouted. Glass lay glittering all over the floor and a breeze blew in from outside making the paper on their easels rustle. They stood there in stunned silence for a moment. "Someone must have seen us through the window. One of the younger kids maybe." Said Nate. "Yeah" said Billy, "maybe." But inside he was quaking with anger. For out of the corner of his eye he had seen a familiar figure slip out from the bushes that were below the window and make a hasty departure from their sight. Or so he thought. 'Right' thought Billy 'that is fucking it!' *** "Are you sure it was him?" Despite Billy's insistence Nicky was still sounding skeptical. She was sitting on his bed while Billy paced the length of his room agitatedly. "I'm telling you Nicky he threw a rock through the fucking window. He smashed a window to pieces just as me and Nate had started making out! Doesn't that seem the slightest bit weird to you?" "Pity that he didn't throw a brick. That would have made it a perfect story." Billy whirled around angrily. "You don't believe me do you?" "Calm down hun. It's not that I don't believe you. I just think that your jumping to a conclusion based on something that your not entirely sure about." "But I am sure about it!!" Billy exploded. "I know but think about it. From the back Brick could be any other member of the football team. Not just the football team. He's not the only guy in the school who's over six foot and tanned. And some people are homophobic you know. And it might now even be that. It might just be a prank that went a bit far. From the sounds of it it didn't sound like they were trying to hurt you or Nate. There are a myriad of other possibilities. If I was you I'd leave it. Don't make any accusations. Even if it was Brick he'll deny it and you'll look like and idiot." Billy deflated slightly. She was right. Nicky may look like your average blond cheer leading bimbo but she was not stupid by any degree. She smiled at him. "Don't get all hyped up. You got to make out with a seriously hot guy. Half the girls at school were in tears when Nate came out. And until the disruption it sounded like you were having a nice time. Has he texted you at all?" Billy relaxed slightly. "Yeah he sent me message saying he'd had a nice time and sorry about the window thing. He wants to do something again soon." "Well there you go then. It wasn't a complete disaster." He sat down on the bed and hugged her. "Thanks bubba." "Just doing my job hun." *** Throw a stone through the window?!?! What the fuck had he been thinking. He hadn't been of course, he had acted on impulse. He couldn't stand that Nate had touched Billy and the image of it was burned into his mind fueling his irrational side with anger. Why had he thought it would be a good idea to follow Billy in the first place? What had intended to do to start with? Up in his room he continued to berate himself. He had been an idiot and vandalized the school. He had just been rude to his mum who had tried to have a talk with him. What had he achieved exactly? Nothing. What he had done wasn't going to stop Billy from seeing Nate again he knew that. He wasn't going to stop trying though. He couldn't stop trying. He needed to get out. He snuck down the stairs and out the back door so as to avoid a confrontation with his parents. Once out on the veranda he removed his clothes and started running into the wood. Green and brown flashed by as he ran gathering speed. He leapt over a fallen trunk and into a clearing. Suddenly a blurry copper shape tackled him to the ground. It was Max. He growled and snapped angrily up at the wolf who had him pinned. Max leapt away with a yelp. He just wanted to play. Max tried to tackle him again but he snapped and barked at him making Max flinch. Max whimpered and tried to nudge his friend but was greeted by more snaps and growls. The copper shape turned and fled. After calming down he felt stupid. "Great" he thought, "now I've upset him." He turned and started trotting dejectedly back to his house. *** Nicky had just left and Billy was in his room rereading the poem they had done today that they had to write an essay for. He loved Kubla Kahn. The imagery was beautiful and the utopian picture that it painted seemed so expansive and free. Even his love of the poem couldn't distract his whirring mind though. Typical. No ones heads prioritize things above sex and romance. He was sure that Brick was crushing on him. In a weird and possibly psychotic way but it was still crushing. Until he had smashed the window, and Billy was still convinced that it had indeed been him, he had almost enjoyed the attention he was getting. Now he was just irritated. Two days at his new school and he was already locked in some kind of weird dance with a crazy guy. A crazy guy who he had barely spoken to. A crazy guy who he had barely spoken to who was also very hot. Why did his head always have to add that in? Suddenly his computer lit up. A Skype call was coming through. It was Mark. "Hey man how's it going." Mark's big smiling face flashed onto the screen. "I meant to call yesterday to see how the first day went but I was busy. Tell me everything." Billy recounted the events of the last two days. He was glad Mark had called. Talking to him was always so easy. He mentioned Nate and Mark smiled. "Already pulling some action then. Not bad doing considering you've been there less than 48 hours." Billy smiled. They had agreed that they were allowed to see other people so Mark was chilled. He had gone on a slut rampage since Billy had left tearing up Soho and earning a reputation. Billy often wondered if it was because he was lonely. He knew Mark and his coping mechanisms and sex was definitely one of them. He continued describing Brick, creepy behavior and all, and the window smashing. Mark whistled. "Jesus this guy sounds all kinds of psycho. Trust you to start drama on your first few days." "Shut up I'm not enjoying this. It's so stressful." Dusk Before Dawn Ch. 02 "Your accent is getting a twang as well. Better watch that." "I'll hang up I swear to God!" Mark laughed. "Chill out man. It sounds like you've been through quite a bit to be honest. And considering what's happened to you in the past year you really don't need it. How are you feeling?" Billy sighed. The uprooting had served as a distraction from his fathers disappearance but he knew that he and his family still had a lot to deal with. Financially they were fine as his mum and dad had a joint bank account. But that didn't matter. There was a void left by his fathers disappearance and despite it being over a year since it had happened he still felt it keenly from time to time. Mark knew this and acted accordingly. "I guess I'm just stressed and confused. We were all hoping to find stability and peace here but to be honest I don't think we're going to find it. I still don't know why the hell mum moved us out here. Or why she didn't at least let me stay another year to finish my education. I mean it hasn't be bad adjusting to how they do things here but it's only a year. Plus I don't know what the hell to do afterwards. And now this whole thing at school has happened and I just...I just. His voice broke and he choked back angry tears. "It's alright babe let it out." Mark said. Tears slowly spilled down Billy's face. He grabbed a pillow and started to sob into it. Why the fuck had it happened?!? Why to them?!? Why had his mother moved them out here when they were obviously so much happier in England?!? These familiar thoughts circled around his head again and again as he cried. After what felt like an hour he shuddered to a stop. The whole time Mark had been murmuring words of comfort. Billy peeked above the pillow to see Mark smiling sadly at him. "I feel fucking useless like this. I want to give you a hug. It's so annoying." Billy laughed sniffing and wiping his eyes. "Sorry about that." "Don't apologize. It's not like you don't have a good reason." "I guess I'm still working through some things." "You should talk to someone there you know. Get some actual physical comfort. Why don't you talk to you mum about seeing a councilor or something?" "That's probably a good idea actually. For all of us." Mark smiled. "I need to go but listen. I'll call you again soon. But if you need to talk or you feel like you can't cope drop me a message and I'll come running." Billy sighed. "Thanks Mark. I appreciate that really." "Not a problem. Love you gorgeous." "Love you too." Billy closed the chat window and sighed. He got up and went to his desk. Opening his draw he pulled out a baggy of dope. A few minutes later he lay in bed letting it take effect. He slowly hazed out and fell into a relaxed coma then after a while into a dreamless sleep.