I gaze down at my hands as they shake uncontrollably, looking as if too much caffeine had caused an earthquake that shook my bones and numbed my icy skin. But, I knew damn well it wasn't the coffee that had caused me to jiggle like jelly, it was rather the fear and the fifteen milligrams of Adderall I had just taken to calm my worried brain. Tram and my dad know that I have no sense of care when it comes to my medication, yet they hide it in easy to reach places. 

Sighing. I snatch my phone from my nightstand, dialling Ethan's number as I walk to the kitchen. I was sick of waiting for his call, I feel tired but I know there is no chance of me sleeping until I know what the fuck was going on and what the fuck he was and, more importantly, why he sent me the location of a house where I was then attacked. It had nearly rung to its end while I placed the Adderall pills back into the medicine cabinet, mentally putting a useless curse onto him as if I was some kind of Witch, for all I know they could be real too. Luckily, he answered on what seemed like the last ring, his voice quiet and timid as he spoke a simple 'Hi, stalker'

"Hi, bastard boy, just ringing up to ask what the fuck?" I reply in a happy and calm tone, trying to keep as many hair strands in my scalp as possible. It was slightly difficult not to scream at him, considering he's a freaking supernatural creature, the only thing holding me back from rolling up to where his location told me he was because, apparently he's a bit dumb and naive, was the fact that I'm technically a supernatural being as well, just the shit kind because instead of the ability to fly I just speak to the dead.

"I can't explain anything to you over the phone, Gracie." His calming tone just pisses me off further for no apparent reason, probably just the fact that I'm on edge because someone just tried to insert a peephole into my skull and then ran off after being hit with a door handle. There must be more to that story considering he had a gun and I was nearly crying when I bashed him over the head.

I laugh sarcastically, tossing my head back slightly as I lean against the kitchen counter "Oh right, I'll just meet you at 62 Park Street where I'm assuming you live. Let's hope I don't get murdered on the way there,"

"Fuck sake, I have my location on again, don't I?" He asked more to himself, obviously annoyed over his senior moment. "I'll just come to your place then."

"No way, freak. How am I supposed to ignore you by next week if you know where I live?" I question, voice muffled by the chunk of plain wholemeal bread I stuffed into my mouth. I have no idea why a slice of bread was always my go-to snack but sometimes I end up eating the whole damn loaf by itself. "I didn't call you to organise a fucking play date, I called because I wanna know why I was almost murdered in a school and why your eyes glow and you get shark boys teeth. Side note, I'd also love an explanation on the whole pin drop thing from last night, that would be great,"

"And I told you, I can't talk about it over the phone-"

"Then when Ethan? Because, I'd like to know before I run away and join a commune, hell, at this point, I might even get a peace sign tattooed on my ass," I cut him off, finishing my slice of bread which results in me getting even more agitated than I already was

"Can you stop being difficult for five damn minutes?"

"Well, I took a lot of Adderall so who knows? But if the line suddenly goes quiet then you should call an ambulance." I advise as I begin moving toward my room, desperate to bury myself under the covers and protect my skin from the cold.

"You shouldn't be messing around with your medication. Adderall isn't even addictive." He scolded me like he had any sort of authority over me whatsoever. I don't even verbally respond, instead, rolling my eyes dramatically.

"Whatever, if I somehow miraculously overdose on my chill pills then you can just turn me into a werewolf like you so I heal," I comment, wrapping myself up like a caterpillar in my blanket. The way his breath hitched sharply didn't go unnoticed by me, I could almost see the colour dripping from his face like wet paint on a canvas before all I hear is a muffled and static type sound, hushed voices inaudible in the background. "What? Surprised I'm not an idiot? I'm not sure how exactly werewolves work in real life but we normal people have these beautiful things called TV shows and books."

"How the hell did you figure it out?" He gasped over the phone, from the slight difference in audio I could tell I was now on loudspeaker, which told me that someone else was in the room with him, listening silently to me speak. Creepy.

"You mean apart from the fact that I physically saw you change in front of my eyes? Well, you have more hair on your head than a dog does on its entire body," I respond, feeling like I've just taken a test and actually filled out the 'explain how you got this answer' part for the first time.

"Meet me, at the docks. now."

"I'd love to but unfortunately I don't know you or how to get to these 'docks' because I just moved here, you furry." I declined his 'offer' as sarcastically rude as humanly possible. I wanted him to know how eternally grateful I am that he saved my life and I'd owe every breath I took to him, but that didn't mean I was comfortable being near him, or that I wasn't slightly terrified of what he was or wasn't. "Look, you're obviously an amazing person, and I'll forever be in your debt, but I'd prefer if you just, like, sent me a Snapchat of what the fuck I'm supposed to do then once the message is gone we can both get on with our separate lives."

"Do you not understand that both of us are in danger or do you simply not give a damn?" He snarled, the annoyance in his tone fading after a deep and long sigh left his lips over the phone. he must have taken my silence as answer enough. "I'm just trying to make sure you're safe, and to do that you need to know what you're facing."

"Why do you care so much? I'm a stranger, I don't have any significance to you whatsoever." I question him, almost desperate to know why he won't just let me die in peace and lift a burden off of his shoulders. How noble of him to care for a stranger so much.

"Who would I be if I just let you die if I had even the slightest chance at preventing it?" 

I was quiet for a moment, getting as comfy as possible underneath the covers while listening to his breathing, thinking deeply about his question before I answered, "A monster."

"Exactly." His usual rough voice had faded into a soft whisper, leaving me with questions as to why he seemed so scared to make a single mistake or take one wrong turn, what had happened to make him hellbent on saving a weird girl such as myself from an unknown danger.

"I don't know you, at all, but I know that you're far from that," I reply. "I'll meet you at the docks tomorrow, but my brother has to come along and wait for me in the car, just to make sure you don't eat me or anything."

"You'll never stop making wolf jokes, will you?" He chuckled, I could almost see his eyes squeezing together as he smiled vibrantly, a distant memory running behind my eyes quickly, but slow enough for me to remember the details of his smile. I laugh along, replying with a simple 'definitely not.' before we fell into a comfortable silence. "Goodnight, Gracie. Stay safe."

"Goodnight, Ethan."

----------

          Gazing out at the ocean, I wonder to myself why I had agreed to meet him here. The sun was setting and tourists were clearing out, the small amusement park close to the docks was now shut. My brother sat in the car just far enough away to see everything but hear nothing, scrolling through his phone out of pure boredom as we awaited the arrival of the noble werewolf. It had been an effort to even get Tram to agree to bring me here, and Ethan hadn't even bothered to show up to the meeting he desperately wanted.

Sighing, I push myself to a stand. My wet feet left a trail behind me, shoes in hand as I dragged myself towards the car. I went through all the trouble of listening to Tram get angry at Google Maps in between questioning me endlessly just to be stood up. Fantastic.

Well, I thought I was stood up until I saw the running silhouette of Ethan, his face coming into view as he stepped under a light illuminating the sea between the cracks of the dock. His facial expression was nothing more than apologetic, I noticed as he inched closer, but mine reflected annoyance. "Nice of you to finally show your unfortunate face but, I was just leaving."

"I'm so sorry, I got held up. Please just stay for a bit longer." He frantically apologised, finally stopping his fast pace as he stood an arm's length from me. In a way, I was kind of glad that he had come late, it gave me enough time to sit, my feet just dipped into the ocean as my mind finally fell silent, but that didn't mean I wasn't extremely pissed off.

"You harass me non-stop about meeting here like some horny fourteen-year-old trying to get a stranger on Omegle to flash her tits, then you show up almost an hour after we were meant to meet." I all but groan, giving him a look that said I was more confused than annoyed. I swiftly fix my bag strap over my shoulder, taking a quick glance towards Tram to make sure he was paying attention which he, of course, was not. "If you decide the time and place, then I expect you to show up."

"Again, I'm sorry but I got caught up in something really important." He repeated, holding his hands together in a praying pose, silently begging me with his eyes to just sit down and listen.

"What were you doing?" I question, lowering my head to turn around and take a seat on the edge of the dock, dipping the tips of my toes into the icy cold water. I turn back around when all I hear is silence, to see him staring intently at me. Tucking my hair behind my ears in an attempt to keep the short strands out of my eyes, I quirk up an eyebrow, "Well? That's my first question."

"I can't really tell you but I can say that it has something to do with the guy who tried to shoot you," He replied, dropping down into the spot beside me, keeping his eyes on my face even when I turned to look at the ocean, kicking my legs softly as if I was swimming in the sparkling liquid.

"Do you know who he was?" I question, fear running up my spine like dozens of spiders at just the thought of his smirk behind the cold barrel of the gun sent to end my life.

"I don't know his name, but I might have an idea of who he was working for." He practically whispered, his eyes finally moving away from the side of my face to look down at the relaxing mini waves beneath the platform we sat at. His shoes were now sitting abandoned beside mine, his feet easily reaching the ocean. He seemed to drift off into his own little world, the rolls reversing when I found myself now staring at his absent face.

"You okay?" I ask, awkwardly reaching a hand out to rest on his shoulder. I truly had no idea how to comfort anyone, I comfort myself with inappropriate jokes at the worst times or I simply punch the problem in the face and run like hell while it's regaining its posture.

"I'm great." He laughed gently, shaking his head with a smile as if he were pushing his thoughts out of his ears and letting them sink to the bottom of the ocean below us. "Surely, you have more questions."

"How much time do we have? Because I need to know if I should prioritise my many questions or shuffle them." I ask with the smallest smile, attempting to lighten the rough atmosphere even if it was only slightly.

"I have all the time in the world. You, on the other hand.." He trailed off, eyes moving towards the car my brother sat in, glaring at me and tapping his bare wrist in a 'hurry up' gesture which I flipped the bird at in return before looking back to Ethan.

"I can sit here all year, weirdo."

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