"No, no, no-" Jay kicked his bike as the engine sputtered, the brakes locking and slowing to a halt. "Dammit!" Groaning, he pulled his bike over to the side of the road, eyeing his surroundings. The sun was slowly rising, almost teasing him. Good thing I always carry around a tiny bottle of sunscreen. That is, if a tiny bottle would be able to last him for a day.

He walked his bike up to a small gathering of ancient-looking buildings, grateful that the bike didn't burn out back when he was in the desert. Squinting, he could barely make out a sign that read "Ignacia". He pulled out his phone and sighed in relief at the strong reception. He wasn't completely stranded.

Scrolling through the maps, he let out another sigh of relief at this little town's amenities. A gas station and repair shop was about a mile away. He squinted at the other places of interest and nearly laughed out loud; a blacksmith shop? What is this, the Middle Ages?

He wheeled his bike near the gas station and locked it up, deciding he would wait the hour until it opened at the nearby 24-hour coffee shop.

Opening the door, a small bell jingled above his head. An old woman in a straw hat was smacking the machine, which was probably as ancient as she was, until thick coffee practically sputtered out of it.

Yikes. Maybe he'd get a bagel instead. He had to spread the blood onto something.

The only other person inside was a small girl with raven hair, fashioned into a sharp bob. She was scrolling through her phone and cradling a cup of tea. From behind the chair, Jay noticed she was wearing a mechanic's coveralls.

He placed an order for a bagel, then approached the girl with a smile. "Uh, hey. Good morning."

She glanced up at him, her dark almond eyes wide in surprise. Jay swallowed, almost blown away by her beauty, so simple and yet so... magical. What kind of town did he stumble upon?

After a second of stunned silence, she shook her head and laughed. "I'm sorry. It's early, usually I'm the only one in here. Good- Good morning to you too." She smiled and nodded at the chair in front of her, moving her stuff back. "It's not taken- if you, you know, wanted to sit."

"Oh, thanks." Jay nodded and took the seat, his heart pounding slightly. Get it together, get it together... "I don't think I caught your name."

"Nya." She tapped on a name badge pinned to her top. "It's with a 'y'. In case you, uh, wanted to know."

"I like it." He gave her a small smile. "Mine's Jay. Pretty simple, I guess."

"Hey, simple's fine with me." Nya shrugged and took a sip from the tea cup. "You passing through?"

"Yeah." Jay exhaled slowly. "My bike broke down a few minutes ago. Waiting for that shop across the street to open."

"What a coincidence! I open there." Nya took out a set of keys, grinning. "If you'd like, I could get you fixed up right now."

"You sure?" Jay stood up to take his bagel from the barista, who was eyeing them suspiciously. "I mean, I'm sure you've got like, a line of customers with reservations."

"That's rich." She laughed, patting his hand. "This town has a population of twenty. The only customers we get are lucky folks like you that wind up here with bad luck. Even that's a rarity." Nya's eyes seemed to sparkle. "I'd love to help you out, Jay."

Jay's face grew warm. "Alright then. I guess we should head out." He stuffed his bagel into the paper bag his father gave him, tucking it away into his jacket pocket.

As they got up to leave, the old woman pointed at Nya, hissing to Jay, "She's a demon! A hideous freak! She hides her true, ugly form under that pretty face!"

Nya visibly flinched, opening the door. "Have a good day, ma'am." She mumbled, waving Jay outside. "Thanks for the tea."

After the strange scene, Nya seemed to dismiss everything that had happened. She led the way, opening up the front office, then the garage. She whistled as Jay wheeled in his bike.

"That's impressive. I've never seen anything like it."

Jay blushed a little, hanging his jacket over the handles. "Thanks. It's a unique model. My dad and I have been working on it since I was a little kid."

"You built this from scratch? That's incredible!" She knelt down next to it, examining it from all angles. "Well, you're definitely out of juice here. Brakes need to be oiled too, they're pretty jammed. Give me a moment to really look this through, and I'll let you know what's up." She glanced up at him. "You aren't in a rush, are you?"

"Oh, no." Jay shook his head. "I'm headed to the city, but I don't have a deadline or anything. Just trying to get out of the desert."

"I know how you feel." Nya sighed, opening up a toolbox. "I'm stuck here with my older brother until he decides to let go of the past and move out of this place."

"Why? Do you have family here?" Jay asked, suddenly feeling the need to squat down next to her and assist her with anything.

"Kind of." She drew a long breath, loosening up a bolt on the bike. "Our parents left when we were little. We don't know what happened to them, but my brother's been..." She paused, as if she were choosing the right words. "We've been trying to find out what happened to them. Nothing's worked, and I just want to move on, but he can't let go."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Jay spoke quietly. "I'm sure it'll all work out."

"It's nothing." She waved her hand dismissively. "What's your story?"

"I found out I was adopted." He smiled softly, remembering he couldn't tell her about the vampire part. "I wasn't mad at my folks for not telling me or anything, but I really wanted to find out who my birth parents were. So I just kinda ran off after they gave me an address."

"That's crazy." Nya laughed a little. "I mean, I admire you. It takes guts to just... run away."

"Yeah." Jay shrugged. "They were fine with it, though. Mostly. They've sheltered me all of my life though, so it was kind of hard for us to separate. I guess they were just trying to protect me."

"From what?" Nya asked, sitting up.

Jay bit his lip. Me and my big mouth... "You know, just... the world, I guess." He tried his best to blow it off.

Nya lowered her eyes, almost... disappointed. "Oh. I get it."

Jay's stomach rumbled, and he suddenly remembered he hadn't eaten since last night's dinner. I can't drink blood in front of her, though. Maybe the bagel will do. "Hey Nya, could you hand me the bagel in that paper bag? It's in the jacket."

"Oh, sure." Nya grabbed the bag and looked inside, her eyebrows furrowing. "What's in here?" She asked, rummaging around inside.

Jay was about to ask if she had never seen a bagel before, when he suddenly remembered the blood bags. "No, no- Give that to me!" He reached for the bag, just as Nya took out the packages of blood.

"... This is blood-"

"No it isn't!" Jay spoke quickly, grabbing for it. "I don't need it! I'm not a vampire or anything, if that's what you're thinking!"

"Jay..." Nya gestured to her mouth. "You have fangs."

Jay licked his teeth, cursing. He never had to hide them before. "Okay, I just have sharp incisors. So what?"

"Okay, but... you're burning in the sunlight. Like, actually burning."

Jay noticed his arms were burning and squealed, quickly reaching for his tiny bottle of sunscreen and reapplying. Once that was done, he huffed and slumped onto the sidewalk. "Okay, fine. You got me." He rose a brow at her. "Why aren't you freaking out?"

"First of all, vampires are pretty cool." Nya tossed him the paper bag and smirked. "Second, you are not alone in this world. Why don't we have a little chat at my place?"
-
Cole hopped off the bus that departed in the city, staring at the sky. The full moon had passed, but he was still anxious about what could happen to him, now that he was alone in a much larger environment. People filled the streets, already pushing past him. He followed the flow of the crowd, a little eager to see what was in store for him.

He stopped at a bakery, licking his lips. He usually woke up hungry after transformations, and after his father kicked him out, Cole didn't exactly have a chance to grab breakfast. The passengers on the bus should have felt lucky that he didn't go into a starved rampage.

Cole winced. Just having those thoughts made him sick.

He ordered a large coffee and a couple of pastries, eyeing everything hungrily. He probably could've eaten everything in the store, but for now he had to save his money. Recording what money he had left, he sat down at a booth, waiting for his order to arrive.

Across his table sat a tall skinny guy around his age, stacks of paperwork surrounding him. Cole felt bad for the kid, realizing that soon he'd be in college too, taking refuge in coffee shops and studying for midterms.

That is, if the whole werewolf thing didn't get in the way.

The guy stopped writing for a moment and looked up, making direct eye contact with Cole. Feeling awkward, Cole did a little wave and mouthed a good morning.

His icy, almost inhuman blue eyes stared deeply into Cole's, and his head cocked slowly. Without another minute to spare, he quickly jotted down more notes, occasionally glancing at Cole over and over.

Cole swallowed and tried to look away, but couldn't help but feel as if the guy was... studying him. As if he knew what he really was. Nervous, he approached the guy's table once his order was called, tapping on the desk.

"Hey."

"Hello." He answered, his unnatural eyes staring right through him again. "My name is Zane."

"Uh..." Cole introduced himself as well, not expecting a name. "Hey, uh, listen. You've been staring at me for a while now."

"Oh, I am sorry." Zane showed him his notes. "I was merely recording any supernatural activity in the city. It is in my line of work. I apologize if this had caused you any discomfort."

Cole noticed the word "Lycanthrope" written neatly on the page. "So you... know what I am? How?" He raised the collar of his hoodie to his nose. "Do I... smell or something?"

Zane laughed softly. "Oh, no. I can't tell. I'm dead." He stated casually. "I've been provided with a meter that tracks these sorts of things. Yours was simply the strongest in here."

"Dead? So you're like, a ghost?" Cole decided it was best to sit down, because he felt like he was about to faint. "I can't believe all of this stuff is real."

"Yes, I am a ghost. Now, Cole, how long have you been in this form?" Zane asked him. "I can tell you were recently turned."

"Not that recent." Cole scratched the back of his head. "The same night my mom died. About four months ago."

"I am sorry to hear that." Zane touched his hand. "I am sure she had a peaceful passing. She was with the ones she loved."

"Yeah." Cole swallowed and nodded. "Do you think you could... contact her?"

Zane frowned. "It's a rare case when I can find another ghost. Most have a fulfilling life, or they have completed the tasks they need to fulfill in this realm in order to pass on."

"You haven't?"

"No." Zane smiled softly. "It has been too long for me to remember anything. I only found out I was a ghost about a decade ago. Alas, I am fully satisfied with this line of work, and grateful for the opportunity."

"That is crazy." Cole let out a slow breath, devouring his pastries. "Oh shoot. Sorry if eating offends you, or something."

Zane smiled. "I was a chef at multiple restaurants. If anything, it brings me great satisfaction to see people enjoy a meal."

"Well shoot, maybe I should hire you to be my personal chef." Cole laughed. He sighed and remembered the lack of money he had. "That is, if I had enough dough..."

"There's no need to worry about that." Zane handed him a card. "Garmadon Industries." He spoke in a low voice. "We assist those that are less than human."

Cole turned over the card, swallowing. It was risky, but he really had nowhere else to turn to. Worth a shot. "Yeah, alright. It sounds fun."

"It is much more than that." Zane chuckled. "It's a home."