Morgan stayed over at Matt's place for the next two months, for every three nights of the full moon. There is still some pain he needs to endure, but he is getting control of it little by little. Morgan is even able to remember some stuff that happened the night before, when he was in werewolf form. Matt even notes that he is able to understand some of the things they were talking about and that he is able to nod to answer a simple yes or no. He rarely snarls at Matt anymore, and they are expecting to no longer need the protection circle in a few more months. He should be lucid in werewolf at some point, according to Doc.
Things are only getting weirder as the school year goes on. Just when they think the weirdest of the weird has happened, something else comes along to top the last one. First, Sara gets murdered, although with the number of people that girl used to aggravate, it was a long time coming. Then, Matt got accused and taken in for questioning about Sara's murder. But those are just on the mundane side of things. He himself turned into a werewolf. Matt's family is revealed to be a family of witches, and he is still salty that he isn't one. Then, Kira, Janina, and Cedric turned out to be witches as well. And now, the strangest of the strange that has happened so far is that they all hang out during breaks and lunch.
Matt has this constipated look every day when their lonely loser table became the popular kids table as soon as the three started sitting with them to eat. Matt has this ridiculous idea that when they entered the school through the gates of the cemetery that night, the last weekend before school began, they actually entered a portal that led them to a different dimension.
“It’s not as weird as you make it out to be," Morgan said. He pulled the sheet closer, enveloping himself in a cocoon. Last night was the third night of this month’s full moon, and he has gotten through it quite well. There was no incessant howling last night, according to Matt, and he was mostly able to keep himself in a more human, less werewolf form.
The morning sun, along with a peaceful sky, greeted them through the greenhouse windows, and it was a comforting sight to see. The ambient noises of the whistling leaves of all the plant life surrounding them give Morgan a sense of security. They rarely enter the greenhouse, which is a shame because it is a relaxing place to be.
“You’re just happy you get to spend more time with Kira," Matt said behind a pile of books and boxes that he brought into the Greenhouse using a wheel barrow. Doc has given him permission to enter the basement, which was apparently magically locked for years, and reading through book after book about magic is his new hobby. Doc is still uptight when it comes to the M-word and still hopes that Matt will lose interest at some point, but at the rate Matt is going, he just might change his dream of studying medicine in favor of magic.
Morgan groaned. “I wish. It’s weird. Some days she's so quiet and aloof, and then some days she will be all over me, asking if I'm okay. Especially during the nights of the full moon. And I don’t see you complaining when Janina showed you how her powers work.”
“I still don’t like her. Don’t get me wrong. But when you can switch the places of two items with just a hand wave, that’s cool in my book.”
"Yeah, it is. It all makes sense now with Cedric too. No wonder he’s strong when he needs to be, when he can double his own strength. Hey, did I eat fish last night? My breath smells like it, and my mouth is kinda dry, and there are crunchy bits. What did you feed me?”
“Nothing. I promise I did not feed you dog food pellets last night. Or cat food.” Matt raised his palm in a swear and then crossed his finger over his heart. “You’re probably just overthinking things. Especially with Kira. Just play it cool, man. If she’s really avoiding you, she wouldn’t have dropped by last night to check in on how you were doing. I asked her to bring Whiskas next time she visits.”
Morgan sprang up from the sheets, his eyes glimmering. “Really? Are you sure? Wait, what’s wrong with your eyes?" Matt's eyes were swollen red, and it does not even seem like he is blinking at all. "It’s eight in the morning; did you even sleep at all?”
“With all these books Doc rolled out for me?” Matt grinned. Bottles of his venom drink were scattered on his side.
"Still looking for the spell?" Morgan crawled over to reach for one of the books Matt had opened. There was a lot of magical gibberish on it, and it is too early for his brain to start processing it.
"It should be here somewhere." Matt has his zombie-like face buried in three of the books he has in front of him. It is difficult to tell how his brain is even functioning if he has not slept at all. "I remember it. Lola used to talk about it before, and I know it is in one of her books. I used to sneak into that basement when I was little. You know, just tinkering with some artifacts, which in retrospect was a really bad idea 'cause most of them are cursed. But I just... I know it's there."
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"You're obsessing," Morgan yawned, pulling a pillow under his head. Looking up at the peaceful, clear blue sky on a lazy Saturday morning is all that he needs right now. "We'll need to wean you off your energy drinks. I'll talk to Doc about this and maybe we can wean him off coffee too."
“Ugh yeah. Don’t wean him off coffee. It might push him back to alcohol, and that’s a lot worse. It almost cost him his license.” Matt seemed distracted by a box he had yet to open. "Hey Morgy, look at this." There were no magical books or strange artifacts inside, but it was a dump full of old notebooks and high school textbooks. “Look at these. This one’s my dad’s chemistry book. Boy Chemistry did not like him." The amount of red marks across the pages is staggering. "Hey, look at this.” Morgan found an old photo album. It’s rare to see one these days since most albums are now posted online.
There is no shortage of old pictures and portraits in the house of family members, but this feels different. Most old pictures look stiff and staged, with everyone looking straight into a camera like it was for a class picture. The pictures in this album were candid shots of their high school days. Plus, he rarely gets to see any of his father’s or Doc’s friends in the family albums.
“Kira looked so much like her mom," Matt said.
“That’s her mom? They all knew each other from high school?”
Matt nodded. “Mom and dad are also here," he said, pointing to a couple who had their arms wrapped around each other. The boy looked exactly like Matt, minus the crazy swollen eyes of exhaustion.
“Isn’t this Kira’s uncle with Doc? Who’s the other kid?”
“I think that’s Doc's best friend from high school. Heard he moved out of town and they lost contact. I think his name was Lucas.”
“Doc’s best friend is named Lucas?” Morgan said. It sounded more sarcastic than he intended. “Uncle Luke and his best friend Lucas.”
Matt stared at him for a moment. “When the other kids don’t refer to us as the children of the grave, they call us M&M.”
“Ooh..." Morgan said, catching himself. "Do you think they’ll stop calling us that if we stop hanging out by the cemetery?”
“I think the name will stick with us to the grave.” They both laughed and dove more into the album.
“How about this one? Do you know her?” Morgan handed over a picture of a beautiful young woman. It was hard to tell because the photo was in black and white, but the girl must have had brownish hair and sun-kissed skin. It was a stolen shot since the girl was standing among a crowd, looking far off, unaware that her photo was being taken.
“I don’t remember Uncle Luke mentioning her to me,” said Matt. “Probably an old crush, or maybe an ex.”
“Are you guys not coming out for breakfast or what?!” Doc’s voice came from outside. He slammed the door and his loud footsteps can be heard. Soon, Doc stood above them, holding a spatula and wearing a kiss the cook apron. He looked so much like the gangly kid in one of the photographs earlier, only older and bigger.
“You actually cooked something?” Matt said, trembling.
“I was trying to cook sinigang, but I guess it is adobo now," said Doc which prompted a shared look of horror with Matt. “So come on, before it gets cold.” He invited them with a perfect smile while holding the spatula high in the air. He means well.
They stood up, following Doc out of the greenhouse and leaving the mess behind them, already dreading the meal waiting for them inside the house. Doc has never been a good cook. In fact his dishes have always been... weird.
“I’ll give you a hundred if you act rabid like it’s a full moon and turn the dining table over, knocking the food off the table, and force us to get takeout,” Matt whispered. “I don’t want to spend the rest of the weekend in the toilet again like the last time.”
“Hey Doc,” Morgan handed him the photos, ignoring Matt. “Saw these. I think they’re yours.”
Doc’s eyes narrowed upon receiving the old photos. The smile he wore was something Matt had never seen from him before. He looked happy. Very happy. But you can still trace the sadness in his eyes too.
“I remember this one,” he began. He was looking at a photo of a group of about nine or ten friends. “We had so much fun that day. Keiron made cupcakes. We had a party on the school’s rooftop. That’s also the day your mom and dad got together. It didn’t come easy for the two of them. If it weren’t for Lucas smacking some sense into them.”
“Kira’s uncle knows how to bake cupcakes?” Matt chided. “Dig deep. Find something weird.” He nudged Morgan.
“Sweet. Rooftop’s off limits these days,” Morgan added. “So who’s the girl in the second photo?”
Doc took some time staring at the photo. Matt thought it was a chance for them to escape breakfast. “She is Lucas’ soul mate.” They thought it was meant as a joke, but Doc’s blank face filled with lost nostalgia told them that he was not joking. He broke away from his daydream and said, “Let’s eat.”
“Flip the table, flip the table,” Matt murmured under his breath while walking behind Morgan. “Come on. You have basketball practice, and I need to sleep before we meet up with the Supernatural Breakfast Club. Flip the freaking table.”
“You know, my mom almost named me Lucas," Morgan said.
Doc’s eyes widened upon hearing the name.
“Then my dad said the syllabication sounded off. It made my name too long, so my mom decided to go with Lee instead. Morgan Lee Angeles.”
Doc smiled, and although his eyes were on Morgan, he seemed to be staring at someone else. “Glad they didn’t.”