I woke up as usual in panic, struggling to breathe, unfocused. The room was foreign, although I had lived in my room for at least seven years. Slipping out of the sweaty bed, I fell onto the ground as I looked at the area. Standing up, I began my workout before dawn. I had done this, as I had to be ready. The world could end at any moment, but I knew the thing that would end it. And I alone can stop that from happening.

These thoughts plagued me as I ran. It was my workout sneaking out at three in the morning. I copied my workout from training stuff I copied through my printer. Taking a deep breath of the chilly morning air, I ran. It helped deal with the craziness I saw and the tiredness. Stopping at the park, I did my thirty-five squats in silence.

It hurt like hell, but I struggled through with a bitter scowl. Without a moment, no rest I continued to work through the grueling workout for at least three miles. Finally, once I reached the end mark of a farm that sat out in the middle of nowhere, I kneeled, racing with the data I had collected.

Their house seemed to bend physics, the forms they took were far too large to fit in the average home, and then there was the fact more police were around. Usually, they would just keep a look coming once a month, but now it was at least three times a week. Thankfully, it gave a way to time at least.

The oldest daughter was a cheerleader who fit in too well. The second daughter was in my class and was at the top of the class, despite her never even being awake. Super intelligences ?

No, the brother was a loner even more than me and sat at the bottom of the class. He somehow paid attention to his sister. Was it a case of not caring? Or the class being so beneath him it didn’t matter.

I rarely saw the mother but when I did it hurt. Like a hammer to the face, worse, she seemed to be a stay-at-home mother. Whenever I saw her, I got a nosebleed and dreamt of evil food trying to eat me. Not even the cameras could give me a clear picture just a strange unfocused silhouette.

The father was much more observable. He left for work at exactly 8 heading back exactly 8. His eyes were always closed with that weird smile that looked closer to a snake than a human. His black suit and suitcase were imported from the fifties, along with a black car that always seemed to move at a brisk but not fast pace.

I then headed back ready for the day ahead. I will need a helping hand, energy drinks coffee, and a clip for the oncoming day. My mind began the brutal calculus for the day. I knew I would have four at least until noon a quick nap at lunch and sugar for coming home. I would have to do my observation and documentation and maybe if I could muster the strength to do my homework.

The school was torturous. Every time the teachers spoke was like a bullet to my drug-addled brain, and even worst I wasn’t even able to understand what the fuck was going on. Plodding along like a mindless drone I simply kept going. The math teacher chewed me out and annoyed the English teacher. I nearly lost my arm too and fell asleep by the buzz saw but Mr. Jones the woodwork teacher knocked me away from it. Those were the ones I could remember.

I sat outside the class nodding off as a thud echoed through the hall. That woke me up, and I sputtered around to see the new English teacher Mr Reco standing in front of me. It was weird, and I was fast becoming an expert on weirdness. He was a clean-shaven man with a plastic smile on his face. He was always neat, polite, and kind to the students, and he seemed to not cause problems, so everyone seemed to like him. But he would only follow the book, and struggle to bite down his actual emotion for a polite mask. None thought it was that weird, but I found it funny. I called him Hyde for the book and the original meaning. I liked to think I was smart like that.

“Mr Jones, you're sleeping again. What happened? Mr Toolsmith never let students out unless they made a mistake?” He asked in a honey-drowned tone.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Yeah, I nearly lost my arm. Was watching the Smiths, and it took up my time.” I admitted with a yawn.

Almost immediately I regretted it. That put my entire operation at risk and made me look like a creep. I looked at Mr Reco and that was even more worrying. He stared back at me with a thousand-yard stare, his mouth a cold scowl.

“What have you done ?” He said with murder in his voice.

Gulping I reached into my bag for my monster energy. I would need the pick-me-up. Something weird was going to happen I could feel it. He grabbed my collar looking me dead in drained eyes. His calm demeanor shattered as fury poured into his mask shatter and under it I saw a glowie, his eyes alight with fear and fury. Then he tossed me back into my chair, slicking back his hair.

“You idiot you have a month of detention. How dare you try to piss on my leg! I will see you at four,” He screamed for everyone to hear. With a huff, he slipped a piece of paper into my shirt pocket.

Then he went off to his class with that fake smile. I however, was unnerved at the peek behind the mask, and more so by what exactly would make him react like that. Without a word, taking a drink from my monster drink, I tried to think, only to blank out.

I awoke to the bell ring and a scene from a comic book. Three bullies picked on one kid who seemed to be the outcast. Unfortunately for the rest of the world, the target was my neighbor, especially the son who was an introvert and seemed only to want to just show up for class. He also had a funny accent between French, Spanish, and Posh English. That and he was a monster that could end the world. It was a group of rabbits annoying a T. Rex and they were going to get us all killed.

The idiots pushed him by the locker and I saw a horn appear on the loner's head and a fur blot appear behind him. The fools had enclosed the loner. They didn’t even notice, but I did. The first bully pushed him again against the locker and I shuddered. I saw the loner raise his hand, a bit of his hand slipping from his long jacket, sending a shiver down my spine. It was both reptilian and furry, with a puff of gray fur that seemed to shimmer in the light. His fingers had long black claws the size of rulers and looked sharp enough to cut through everyone in the school with ease.

I knew the trio would die, but I needed to ensure the others at school weren't slaughtered as collateral damage. It would murder whatever remained of my reputation but it was necessary.

I leaped up from my chair and tossed another can of my energy drink at the first idiot landing square in his head. Then I yelled like a coke-out addict then leapt forward, body slamming the third. We hit the ground hard, my head bouncing off the ground. I didn’t even have time to acknowledge that fact as I got kicked in the face by the third. Then the second followed, kicking me in the back, as the first instigator got up. Then they tag-teamed me using the classic stomp. Thus my ass got kicked for at least two minutes. At least I had learned the taste of boots. That is a sweet, disgusting favor, and how it feels to have a nosebleed. That would have stopped the average villain, but I found no mercy today. They just kept going.

The boots were disgusting but I could take it if it met no one else would be hurt. No, I hate this bastard, as I tasted my blood in my mouth. One solid kick flipped me on my back and started up the loner. The humanish eyes sparked with a dark light. The bullies had their fill and the other teachers were streaming in to get a grip of what had happened. It should have ended there, but it didn’t.

This foreign energy entered my body like pure caffeine, launching me up. My ribs ached as I stood up, the pain dancing around my body. My pain turned into a pleasure. This was odd and unlike myself, but I couldn’t help it. A sour laughter sprung from my body, and it grew despite the agony despite the shame.

I wanted to hurt them; I was going to hurt them. As one bully turned to face me, I leaped forward with an unearthly strength. My face slammed into his dumb face with a solid crack. It was funny, so much so that I shared the joke with his friends. My left hand whipped out punching the other into the lockers. The first that instigating bastard had raised his hands. I stomped on his foot only to hit him with a flurry of punches I never could before. One to the face, three to the gut, four to hand, and five went wild slamming into the locker. Every hit was beautiful I loved it.

It was symphonic, and I was glad to be part of it at least. What gave me this opportunity was worthy of worship. It was truly divine. But it had to be enough. Prudence was also a virtue. So, as my last move, I broke the bastard's hand. His screams were glorious and the trumpets for my glee. This high was not natural and deep in my mind, I knew it. I screamed inside the glee laughing as I did a whirl, taking a bow in front of the loner. Thus, for the first time, I saw him truly saw him.

He was a beast, a large-bodied humanoid covered in a mix of fur, scales, and feathers. His hands were smooth white marble talons tipped with magnificent ivory claws. I could not look at his face in such glory my mind could not describe. His feet were also white marble, that seemed too good for the ground. I basked as the loner, his dark wings bent upwards like his tail. For him, I would.. “what I am thinking “?

My mind screamed as I wrestled back control. As the teachers came closer to me, I slipped, falling to the ground and vomiting. I could not handle it. It was too much I couldn’t deal with. Damn it all, I failed. The only words I heard were a silent voice that seemed too gentle to be real.

“Victor ?”