The rest of the week went smoothly as the three of them continued to figure things out. There was definitely some awkwardness every now and then, particularly when all three had to be together. It was fine when they were just hanging out, or even cuddling, but anything more intimate always left someone out. Andrew only had so much attention to give at once. No one seemed to be complaining yet, but it left Andrew frustrated. He didn't want to leave anyone out. Unfortunately, unless he could figure out some way to split himself in two, there wasn't any solution. All he could do was focus on one or the other and hope they understood.
Other than the relationship issues, the three had looked at all the logistics organizations and applied to three: Supply and Demand, Gravy Train, and Cornucopia. They just had to wait to hear back, which wouldn't take more than one or two weeks. All three had quota requirements instead of time requirements, which would allow them to work around their school schedule once it started up again. They had a lower base salary than the ones that had shifts, but if they did extra work, they could get bonuses, so it evened out. Plus, they all gave storage rings, which could adjust size to fit anything from humans to large Beasts, so that was nice. The only form he couldn't keep it on was the ant, though he could still carry it.
The rest was just hunting and ability testing, mostly Andrew playing around with his new Human ability. None of the Beasts in the area were particularly powerful, so he never got a huge power boost, but it was fun playing with the different abilities. He figured out that as long as he kept his ability connected, he not only got the ability, but he also slowly learned how to use the ability from the Beast. The longer he stayed connected, the better he got, until he was just as good at using the ability as the Beast he got it from. Even more reason why Long was feared. A few years of dedicated training, and he'd be an expert in using practically any ability!
At the end of the week, the three gathered in the portal square, ready to head home for the weekend. "So, we'll see you in a few days, right?" Andrew asked Li Jing, squeezing her hand slightly.
Li Jing nodded with a smile. "It's just a short break."
Andrew sighed. "Until it isn't. We're hardly even going to see each other once school starts!"
Li Jing grinned. "Are you sure about that?"
Andrew froze, giving her a weird look. "What do you mean?"
Li Jing flushed. "Remember when I said I had a surprise for you?" Andrew nodded. "I'm coming to America. As an exchange student. I worked everything out with the Elders last week. We're going to school together."
Andrew was stunned. "Are- are you serious? That's- that's amazing!" He laughed, pulling her into a hug, holding her tight, picking her up slightly in his joy. He felt a bit of… something come from Cathryn, before it was quickly covered up with genuine happiness that Li Jing was coming to America. They could all be together! It was amazing! "Shit. I wish you were coming now." Andrew sighed as he pulled away.
Li Jing pinched him. "Don't be selfish. Be good to Cathryn while I'm gone. We'll see each other soon." She then turned to Cathryn, pulling her into a hug. "You watch him, alright? Make sure he behaves."
"I will." Cathryn smiled. "Plus, he's better behaved than he seems."
"I'm a good boy." Andrew grinned.
Li Jing giggled. "You're a dork." She pulled away, picking up her bags. "I have to go. I'll see you guys soon."
"We'll see you." Andrew nodded, waving as she left.
"We'll miss you!" Cathryn waved energetically.
Li Jing waved as she left, heading to her own portal home, while Andrew and Cathryn picked up their own bags and headed to theirs. "Time to get back to it." Andrew sighed as the two of them walked through, back to America.
The weekend passed without incident, and soon the three were back together, life slowly falling into a routine. Halfway through the next week, they joined Supply and Demand, beginning their work. Andrew and Li Mei hunted for meat, while Cathryn and Li Jing helped supervise the mortals hired to process the various goods brought in by the Beasts. They learned how to check books, keep ledgers, and everything else involved in managing a large logistics network. Every day they grew, Andrew and Li Mei increasing their power as they continued to absorb crystals. Li Mei finally got the Deer mutation, gaining the ability to condense her water jets into beams, as well as to shoot them from any part of her body. Not only did it make her hunting more efficient, increasing their income, but it gave Li Jing some power to actually defend herself, beyond just getting people wet, which Andrew was very much in support of. Summoning your Beast was a decent form of protection, but being able to blast them yourself was even better.
He also did some experimenting with his abilities, specifically his Human ability. He managed to easily snag Arose's ability when he went home, which gave him something that was both powerful and familiar to start, but he immediately noticed a few issues. First, if the person he got the ability from was smart enough, they immediately noticed what he'd done. Second, when he cut the connection, due to aforementioned noticing, the ability strength got tanked. His stolen ability was only strong as long as he was still connected to the person he'd stolen it from, so unless he wanted to constantly hunt only a few miles away from the base camp, his Human ability wouldn't do him much good.
That led to the only real issue he'd run into: hunting around the base camps was… sparse. Well, not sparse. The Beasts were there, but they were all weak. Ability level ten, maybe twenty or thirty tops. Even with Andrew's perfect compatibility, that would only increase his ability level by three, max. Hunting on his own, would get him a bunch of tens, a few twenties, and maybe a thirty in a day. Half of that was turned into credits, while Andrew focused on crystals compatible with one of his three stable abilities, giving the rest to Li Mei. He didn't focus on his Human ability because as much as it was powerful, he didn't want to neglect his other abilities for it. He didn't want to just be a second Long. Besides, it grew fast enough just using the leftovers from the crystals his other abilities absorbed. All told, he probably increased his actual power by about forty or fifty a week.
He knew he shouldn't complain. Li Mei only increased hers by about twenty, and that was with Andrew feeding her any compatible crystal he could find. The average Bonded could only swing an increase of ten or so a week. For the average Beast, even a good hunter would only hit two or three a week. It just felt wrong to go around killing such weak Beasts so easily. It felt like slaughter, more than hunting. Like he was some sort of monster. He missed the days when Beasts were a threat he could face.
"Maybe I should go to the Arena." Andrew muttered.
"Why haven't you gone to the Arena?" Li Jing raised an eyebrow at him.
"It's a little late, isn't it?" Cathryn frowned. "We start school next week."
"I didn't think it'd be worth it." Andrew answered Li Jing first. "I'm not strong enough to get very high in the Rankings, and I'm not skilled enough to get far in the tournaments." He then turned to Cathryn. "And school won't exactly change our schedule, will it? We'll still be busy most of the day, free on weekends and evenings."
"I think you might do better in tournaments than you might think." Li Jing commented.
"What do you mean?" Andrew asked, frowning slightly.
"Have you ever seen yourself fight?" Li Jing asked. "You're like a machine."
Cathryn blinked. "He is?"
Li Jing nodded. "All those years of controlling his strength, I think."
"I guess? But that doesn't mean I'll be good right? I mean, some of these people have been fighting for centuries. How am I supposed to beat that?" Andrew retorted.
Li Jing shrugged. "You may need to train a little, but I think you're closer than you might think."
Andrew paused, before shrugging. "I guess I could give it a shot. Mostly I just want a fucking challenge again! I'm starting to feel lazy."
"Oh, you're one of those." Li Jing gave him a weird look. "Thrill seeker."
"I wouldn't say I'm seeking thrills. I just want to feel like I'm actually doing something, instead of just… stagnating." Andrew sighed.
"Just because it's easy, doesn't mean you're stagnating. Progress is progress, no matter how small." Li Jing retorted.
"Yeah, I know. I'm not going to do anything crazy. I just think the Arena might help." Andrew shrugged. "I'll join the Rankings and… I'll think about the tournament."
"After school starts." Cathryn interjected. "I want to make sure we actually have time for this before you go committing to anything."
Andrew shrugged. "Fair."
*
That weekend, they all helped Li Jing move to America. It wasn't all that difficult. They had portals, storage rings, and a fake family to host her, full of Support Staff, a few houses away from Andrew. "This is ridiculously easy." Cathryn frowned, helping Li Jing organize her room.
"Isn't it?" Andrew grinned. "No moving van, just a ring… and a portal to another world."
"Less talk, more work." Li Jing chastised them.
Andrew rolled his eyes, grinning as he went back to hanging pictures, pushing nails into the wall. He stared at one of the pictures, a scenic panorama of some landscape. "What's up with these? Why all the landscapes?"
"I like landscapes." Li Jing retorted defensively.
Andrew shrugged. "Fair enough."
"So… school tomorrow. You guys ready?" Cathryn asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Andrew groaned. "Ugh, I'm going to be surrounded by people again."
"What's wrong with people?" Li Jing frowned.
Andrew grimaced. "Nothing in particular, just… everything I have to do to fit in, and all the things I don't do. The games people make of life, when all they have to do is just get along… high school is like the worst example of it all, too."
Li Jing blinked, before turning to Cathryn. "He- he's not wrong. But people do try! They just kind of get caught up in it all and… it's hard to go against the tide when you're all caught up in the midst of it." Cathryn explained.
Li Jing turned back to Andrew. "She's right, but it's still annoying." Andrew shrugged.
Li Jing nodded. "I'll deal with it. I want to know people."
"Then you might want to keep some distance from me." Andrew sighed. "I'm not popular. If you want to make friends, my presence would be a major barrier."
"No." Li Jing stated firmly. "I want friends, but I'm not giving up on you to make them."
The room fell quiet for a moment. "What- what are we going to do? About us?" Cathryn asked. "We- if we act like- like we are… there will be questions."
Andrew snorted. "What are they going to do? Avoid me more?" He paused. "But yeah, for you two, this might be an issue…"
Li Jing frowned. "I don't want to pretend…"
"I'm not suggesting we do, but… maybe we just don't do anything too overt while we're at school? We don't need to pretend, but we also don't need to throw it in people's faces, right?" Cathryn replied tentatively.
"Define overt?" Andrew asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
"Like making out in the middle of the hallway or something." Cathryn explained. "I'm not saying we can't be together, or even hold hands and stuff, but there's no need to ramp up the intimacy in public."
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Andrew paused, before glancing at Li Jing. "That seems fair, right? I mean, people will still know, obviously, but as she said, no need to be crude about it. Though… again, this might hurt your chances of making friends."
Li Jing shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I would rather be me and alone, than someone else and adored."
Andrew grinned, pulling her close. "This is why I love you." He replied, leaning in to give her a kiss. Cathryn smiled at the two, before turning to continue with the decorating. It was good to see them getting along. She just wished Li Jing would be ready to step up their relationship soon.
*
"I'll drive!" Andrew announced, pulling out the keys to his new car as they left the house to head to school.
"No you will not!" Cathryn immediately shot him down, stealing the keys. "I'm driving."
Andrew huffed. "I have gotten better, you know."
"You said that last time. I'm driving." Cathryn didn't budge, shooing him off to the passenger side.
Andrew rolled his eyes, unable to keep the grin off his face as he got in, while Li Jing smirked as she slid into the back seat. Cathryn drove them all to the school at a sedate pace, the very letter of safety. "I think a turtle just passed us." Andrew grumbled.
"Hardy har har." Cathryn retorted sarcastically. "It isn't a race!"
"We'd lose." Li Jing commented dryly.
Cathryn just tightened her grip on the steering wheel, focusing on the road as her lips flattened into a line. When they finally reached the parking lot, she and Li Jing began to get out, while Andrew just sat there. "Well, are you coming?" She asked, a bit more angrily than she intended.
Andrew started. "Oh, we stopped moving? I couldn't tell."
Cathryn narrowed her eyes at him. "Watch it, mister. You're pushing it."
Andrew snickered. "Sorry, I couldn't help it." He grabbed his bag, jumping out of the car, and the three of them began to walk in.
"There you are, you fucking cunt!" A voice roared from behind them as Cathryn froze. Andrew's expression hardened as he felt the fear pour out of Cathryn, turning to see a greasy, angry looking man stomping towards them from the street. "Who the fuck do you think you are?!? Abandoning your family! Moving into that hoity toity mansion with your rich little sugar daddy! Hiding behind gates to keep me from seeing you! Well, what are you gonna do now!?! No gates here, bitch! No guards to throw me out! You're coming home with me, now!"
He went to grab Cathryn, when Andrew stepped forward, putting a hand on the man's chest. "Back off." He demanded, glaring at Cathryn's father, resisting the urge to end him right here, right now.
"Don't you fucking touch me!" He pushed Andrew away. "Stay the fuck out of this!" He continued, putting a finger in Andrew's face that Andrew only kept himself from biting off by imagining how bad it would taste. "This is between me and my whore of a daughter!"
Andrew took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down before he put a hole in this man's chest while Cathryn both hid behind him and did everything she could to hold him back. Li Jing stepped in. "Sir, I am not aware of what happened between you and Cathryn, but she has made her decisions and you have no right to call her these sorts of names. Please leave and let us be on our way."
"Who the fuck are you?!?" Cathryn's father eyed her, before roughly pushing her to the side. "Get the fu-ack!" He began to choke.
Andrew wasn't even sure when he moved but he was suddenly holding Cathryn's father a good six inches off the ground, by the throat. He wasn't even sure when he'd released his aura. "Give me one good reason why you shouldn't be dead right now!" Andrew snarled, glaring at the man, terror beginning to well up inside him as he struggled against Andrew's steel-like grip.
"Andrew please, please, don't do this! He's not worth it!" Cathryn pleaded, pulling at him with little to no effect. Li Jing put a hand on his shoulder as well, shaking her head.
Andrew looked between the two, before sighing and turning back to Cathryn's father as he slowly began to turn purple, his gaze hardening again. "I never want to see you again, understand? You see me? You run. You see Cathryn? You run. You see Jing? You run. If you try to pull something like this again? No one will hold me back." He dropped him, the man gasping for air as he clutched his throat. "Get the fuck out of here."
As Cathryn's father scrambled away, Andrew looked around at the dead silent parking lot, all eyes on him, all of them wide, with no one knowing how to react. He saw his little sister having just gotten off the bus, her eyes wide as well. "That. Was. Awesome!" Kate yelled excitedly, breaking the silence as people began to cheer.
"Fuck that guy!" Someone yelled, spitting in the direction of Cathryn's father.
Andrew shifted awkwardly under the attention, picking up his bag from where it had fallen. "We should get inside." He muttered.
Cathryn was looking a little dazed over what just happened, but a slight nudge from Andrew knocked her out of it. She immediately flushed, starting towards the school, before pausing and turning back to Andrew, giving him a sudden, quick hug. "Thank you." She whispered before letting go, wiping her eyes.
Andrew smiled and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. "Any time." He then turned to Li Jing. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"
Li Jing smiled. "You had him before he could do more than touch me. I am fine."
Andrew sighed in relief. "Good. Good." He paused. "Also, why are you British?"
Li Jing shrugged. "It is how I was taught. My English tutor was British."
"I can't believe you didn't tell us you could speak English sooner." Cathryn grumbled. "We could have been speaking English this entire time!"
"You needed practice." Li Jing replied with a grin, poking her. Cathryn snorted, but she grabbed Li Jing's hand as well, giving it a squeeze, obviously grateful that she'd been there to help.
The three barely even noticed they were all walking hand in hand, until Cathryn began to notice some strange looks and dropped the other two's hands with a flush. Andrew and Li Jing shared amused looks, but they weren't going to push Cathryn right now. She had more than enough to deal with at the moment.
Someone rushed up as they walked in. "Cathryn, there you a-" Benjamin cut off with a yelp as he noticed Andrew come in after her, taking a wide eyed step back, falling silent.
Cathryn frowned as she noticed the blatant fear and nervousness coming off Benjamin, as well as Andrew's darkening mood as he felt it too, a mix of pain and anger simmering within him. "Knock it off, Benjamin! What do you think he's going to do, eat you?" She scolded him, a thread of anger weaving into her tone. Andrew was not some monster to be feared!
Benjamin flinched, another spike of fear shooting through him as if he thought Andrew might do just that. "Let's just go." Andrew snorted bitterly, pushing past Benjamin, Li Jing quickly following after giving Benjamin a curious glance.
Cathryn stayed behind, crossing her arms and glaring at Benjamin. "Are you really that scared of him?"
"Cathryn, he's dangerous!" Benjamin hissed, glancing after Andrew nervously. "You have to stay away from him! Whatever he's involved in… whatever he is, it's too dangerous for normal people like us!"
Cathryn froze for a moment, narrowing her eyes. "What are you talking about?"
Benjamin fidgetted nervously for a moment, looking around. "You- you're going to think I'm crazy, but- it- it needs to be said. I- I don't think-" He paused leaning in closer to whisper. "I don't think Andrew is human. I think- I think he's something else… like a vampire!"
Cathryn froze, eyes widening. "Wh-what?" Benjamin knew- well, he didn't know, but he suspected Andrew was… different?
"I've gone over it a million times!" Benjamin continued nervously. "The way his parents never seem to age, unnatural feats of strength, weird connection with animals… it's all there!"
"Unnatural feats of strength?" Cathryn asked hesitantly.
Benjamin nodded seriously. "What happened with Eric was the big one, but there have been other things, stuff I dismissed at the time. Things that he should have struggled with, but just didn't. Bags of chips torn apart, soda cans crushed into thin disks, jaw breakers chewed… I-I know it doesn't sound like much, but it all adds up!"
Cathryn gave him a complicated look, before shaking her head. "Even if that's true, so what? He's still Andrew. He was your friend! Why are you acting like he's suddenly going to snap and murder us all?"
"Because he could! If he wanted to, he could kill any of us! All of us! He'd probably get away with it too, using the vampire Illuminati!" Benjamin retorted.
"And anyone else could just bring a gun to school and do the same thing." Cathryn countered. "Look, I don't know why you think Andrew is some kind of- of- whatever, but even if he is, he's a good one! He's never done anything to any of us, even if he could!"
"What about Eric?" Benjamin replied.
Cathryn paused. "Eric- Eric was a special case. He wasn't trying to kill him."
"But he did!" Benjamin continued. "That's the problem! He doesn't even have to try to kill us! A little slip of the hand, and boom, we're dead! It's like making friends with a bear or a tiger! They play nice, most of the time, but all it takes is one slip up and you're done!"
"Those are animals! This is Andrew! He can control himself!" Cathryn protested.
"But what if he doesn't?!?" Benjamin retorted.
"It doesn't matter! He does! You can't treat someone like a monster just because of something they might do! Andrew is a human being! He deserves the benefit of the doubt!" Cathryn exclaimed. She finally shook her head. "I'm done with this. Believe what you want. I have class." She turned and left.
Benjamin watched her go with a helpless expression. This was why he'd never said anything! He knew she'd just call him crazy and- and- Benjamin froze. She hadn't called him crazy. She'd barely even argued about it! She'd been more focused on the fact that it didn't matter… did- did she know something? Did she know what Andrew was? But then, why did she defend him? Benjamin's eyes widened in a sudden realization. Had Andrew turned Cathryn into his thrall?!? This was bad. This was very bad! If- If she told, then… Benjamin gulped. What would Andrew do to him once he knew he knew? Benjamin nervously glanced at the doors of the school, debating whether he should run, before shaking his head. They were vampires! They'd track him down in an instant! He- he needed insurance. Something- something that would force them to keep him alive! Benjamin froze. He had no idea what that could even be! He gulped nervously. He was in trouble.
*
"Fuck Benjamin!" Cathryn growled, throwing herself into the seat next to Andrew.
"Wow, he got you to curse? He must have really pissed you off." Andrew chuckled, slightly enjoying the feeling of someone else dealing with the little prick.
"He's just- he has the right idea and he's going in the completely wrong direction with it!" Cathryn complained. She then focused on Andrew. "You apparently gave him too many hints, and now he thinks you're a monster."
Andrew blinked a few times. "That's his issue?!? Seriously?!?"
Cathryn sighed, nodding. "He thinks somehow you're going to slip up and kill us all."
Andrew paused. "Well, that's fair I suppose."
"No it isn't!" Cathryn retorted vehemently. "You've never given anyone any reason to think you'd do something like that!"
"Except Eric." Andrew replied.
"Eric doesn't count!" Cathryn exclaimed. "He was a bully who tortured you for years! That isn't playing with a wild animal and getting hurt accidentally, that's poking a wild animal and being surprised when it bites! The first doesn't count because you know what hurts people, and you won't, while the second is the natural response to torture, and not your fault!" She finished, seething.
"Cathryn, it's okay." Andrew reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.
"No it's not! You aren't some monster and you don't deserve to be treated like one!" Cathryn protested, her angry tone turning to frustrated sorrow. "I've seen monsters, and you are the furthest thing possible from something like that." She choked, tears beginning to fall. Li Jing slipped out of her chair to give Cathryn a hug from behind, while Andrew went to his knees in front of her, keeping a comforting grip on her shoulder and grabbing one of her hands. "I-I'm sorry. It's- I'm sorry." She apologized.
"Cathryn, it's okay. It's been a lot all at once. I get it." Andrew assured her. "Do you want to get out of here? We can go somewhere quiet for a bit. It's just the first day, nothing important."
Cathryn shook her head. "No. No. It's fine. I'll- I'll be fine." She muttered with a sniff. "I-I'm sorry. All my crap seems to be coming up today."
Andrew smiled lightly. "It happens. Life happens. You just make sure to tell us what you need, and we'll take care of it, alright?"
Cathryn nodded. "I just- I just need a distraction. I can't- I don't want to deal with this right now." Li Jing paused, before leaning in to whisper something in her ear. Cathryn froze before flushing. "Oh, that's very distracting."
Andrew frowned as he looked between the two of them. "What? What-" *What'd she say?* Andrew asked Cathryn.
"Secret." Li Jing stated firmly.
*It's a secret.* Cathryn agreed, her flush deepening.
Andrew almost dug into Cathryn's mind for the secret, but held himself back, firming up the walls between them instead. Andrew and Cathryn had gotten a lot better at managing their connection over the summer, learning how to keep stray thoughts from leaking through involuntarily. They even learned how to completely block each other out, but they rarely did, not only because they enjoyed feeling each other through the Bond, but because it could be dangerous if something happened. Still, despite all that, Andrew still got a little hint as Cathryn began to wonder what she was going to wear tonight.