Dedicated to granolabel for her 'how to write' book, which has been a big help for me. If you struggle with your stories yourself, I highly recommend it. (granolabel if you see this, thanks again)

"The title of 'Alpha' is commonly given to those powerful enough to earn it, they are the highest ranked beings in their respective cities. Many great cities of the world have their own Alpha." - John Pierce

Chapter V

The first thing I did when I woke up the next day is unplugging my phone from its charger and open the WhatsApp app, going to the group chat I created with Alec and Ana all those years ago. 

I am going to drop by my grandparents, catch you guys later! I texted, pressing send and placing my phone on the nightstand, getting ready for the day.

Within a record of five minutes, I stood downstairs, chewing on a pretzel while preparing Ghost's food as well.

Ghost was seated by my legs, patiently waiting for his breakfast. "Here you go, buddy," I said, kneeling down and placing the bowl of cat food in front of the grand white cat. Ghost looked at me for a while with his intelligent eyes, almost looking worried.

I scratched him behind his ears, "I am going to visit my grandparents for a while. Be a good boy and watch the house for me, okay?" I said, standing up and grabbing my small bag from the kitchen table I had put it.

I checked my phone to see if either Alec or Ana had replied yet. They have not. But knowing my lazy friends, they were still asleep, it was a Sunday morning after all.

Placing the phone in my bag once more, I walked out of my house - locking the door behind me - and hauled down a cab. "Where to miss?" The cab driver asked me when I was seated.

I told him my grandparents' address and leaned back against the seat, watching the scenery flash by, lost in thought.

Perhaps I was overacting about all this, but I needed to be sure. Or I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

There's just no way that such a small kitten could tumble down an entire fridge, and not exactly an empty and small fridge either. Even I couldn't tumble it down if I tried. So how did the kitten do it?

And why did the cat have the exact same eyes as Mr. Mysterious I encountered not that long ago? It seemed rather odd to me.

And his disappearing tricks? He did not seem like an illusionist to me. I was rather certain that not even the best illusionist in the world could pull off what he had done. Disappearing in the streets of New York like that. He was too tall to just mingle and disappear into the crowd of people.

My grandparents had raised me with the knowledge about the creatures roaming the darkness of the world.While growing up, I stopped believing in those tales they always told me, but with what recently happened, doubt was growing within my heart. So I needed to ask them myself in order to be sure.

"Ma'am?" The driver asked, breaking my train of thoughts. I blinked my eyes. "We have arrived," the driver added in amusement. A light blush crept up my cheek and I handed him some money.

"Keep the change," I said, stepping out of the car and looking up at my grandparent's home. They lived outside the busy city life in a quite – and expensive – neighborhood. In his younger years, my grandfather used to be a successful businessman and he earned a lot of money. He was making full use of it too.

They lived in a grand, rather modern house – which was surprising considering their age – made of stone and all kind of plants growing around it. My grandmother loves plants and flowers, so many kinds grow in their garden.

A slight smile found its way on my face while I walked up towards the beautifully decorated door. The stone with glass door was decorated with a rather detailed flower pattern, angel wings decorated the very top. Strange symbols carved around the edges. I pressed the doorbell and waited patiently.

After a while, the door opened and the wrinkled face of my grandmother greeted me. A warm smile found its way on her face when she recognized me. "Harlynn, dear! How good to see you!" She greeted me, engulfing me in a warm hug.

I closed my eyes and hugged the elderly woman back. "Good to see you as well, nan." 

She pulled back. "If I had known you were coming over, I would have baked those lemon cakes you love so much! I know you love my cooking," she said with a small smile.

I rolled my eyes. "It's alright, don't worry about it."

"Get in, dear," she said, realizing we still stood outside, "you might catch a cold."

We hurried inside and the warmth of their home greeted me. The nostalgic smell of apple-pie and vanilla hitting my nostrils. "Did you make apple-pie?" I asked with a grin.

"Yesterday," my grandmother said, "there still must be something left... want a piece?"

"Sure."

My grandmother disappeared around the corner. "John! Get your ass down, Harlynn is here!" I could hear her yell at my grandfather, who undoubtedly had locked himself in his 'cave', reading those folklore and mythological books of his, making sketches of malevolent and majestic beings or staring at his maps and notes for hours on end.

After having called for my grandfather, my grandmother disappeared into the kitchen, to get my promised piece of apple-pie.

Even before my grandmother appeared, my grandfather came from the basement, where he has made a Creatures Cave. How he liked to refer to it. Upon seeing me, he lazily blinked. "Harlynn?"

"Hey, pops," I grinned at him.

"What can we do for you, Harlynn?" He asked me, shuffling closer.

"Well," I started. How exactly was I going to announce I encountered a possible supernatural being? After a while of debating with myself, I decided to just go for it. "I might have encountered a creature... is it alright I look through your notes and stuff?"

The elderly man immediately grew serious, his full attention on me. "A creature?" He asked. "Do you have any idea what it could be?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "That's what I want to find out," I muttered.

John seemed to be in deep thought. "Not surprising," he muttered under his breath, but I heard him, "New York is full of them."

"It is?" I asked in surprise.

My grandfather nodded. "In Manhattan only, there are three vampire clans and numerous smaller werewolf packs," he informed me. "The Fey live under the ground and the sewers are full of ghouls, shapeshifters and other nasty things. And during the night, one can even find wendigo's and demons walking the streets, and dragons soaring the skies."

"Dragons and demons?" I asked in almost disbelief. "In Manhattan?"

"For hundreds of years, New York has been the center of all supernatural beings in America, a place to get together. A capital city of some sorts," I was told, "according to some notes I found, this all started when a powerful, ancient being took its refuge in this very city."

"What kind of being?" I asked in full on curiosity. Somehow – unexplainable to me – this powerful creature managed to grasp my attention. That, and I just loved hearing my grandfather talk. He always had a good storytelling voice.

My grandfather shrugged his shoulders, seemingly sad about not knowing the answers. "I wish I knew," he said sadly. He eyes glanced my way, "But I do know that when a creature powerful enough decides to live somewhere, lesser beings collect around them. It's the same case as with cities like London and Tokyo, but something of this magnitude?" He shook his head in disbelief.

"Is this creature really that powerful?" I asked in slight awe. So, it's like... New York's Head Creature? I guessed to myself. I walked further into the house – past my grandmother's handmade drawing of a gracefully winged lion with horns which curled around its grand head – and went towards the dining table. A few books were sprawled across the surface, when I took a closer look I noticed they were mostly about vampires and skinwalkers.

"I'm starting to believe it's some unfathomable creature none of us would be able to grasp our minds about," my grandfather muttered, shaking his head. "It's definitely the Alpha of New York."

"Alpha as in the werewolf?" I questioned, raised eyebrows. Can a werewolf even be that powerful? They could lead a pack, but to stand at the top of an entire metropolis as large as New York?

A genuine laugh escaped my grandfather's throat. "No, dear," he said with a chuckle, "The title of 'Alpha' is commonly given to those powerful enough to earn it, they are the highest ranked beings in their respective cities. Many great cities of the world have their own Alpha."

"Oh," I said sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. I read too many werewolf stories on wattpad, I told myself mentally, sitting down on one of the chairs surrounding the dining table. My eyes caught sign of the small crosses and ancient symbols engraved in the dark wood, which according to my grandmother kept malevolent creatures away.

"Enough talk about Alpha's," my grandmother said, turning around from the kitchen aisle and waggling her finger our way, "and eat some pie. I just warmed it up."

My grandfather sat down as well and my grandmother put three slices of apple-pie on silver plates on the table, together with three cups of steaming hot coffee for each of us. I took my own cup and bought it to my lips, taking a grateful sip. Milk and lots of sugar, just how I like it.

"How's your work doing?" Elizabeth – my grandmother – asked me.

"I'm in the middle of editing some horror books, right now," I told them. "They're mostly about demons and vengeful spirits."

"Nasty things," John muttered from behind his cup of coffee. We ignored him.

"How about you tell us what you know about this creature of yours?" My grandfather asked, his light blue eyes addressing me with curiosity. My grandmother glared at him. John helplessly shrugged his shoulders, "Don't give me that look, woman. I cannot contain my curiosity any longer."

"It's alright," I told my grandmother, putting the cup of coffee down. "That's why I originally came here either way."

I told them about the strange guy I encountered not too long ago; about how others avoided him, how he completely disappeared and this strange aura surrounding him. I also told them about the small black kitten I encountered in my kitchen yesterday, and how this said kitten tumbled down an entire fridge. After finishing my tale, I stared at each of my grandparents respectively, "I'm starting to believe that the two of you are right after all."

"That there are creatures out there. That they are not just stories after all."

My grandparents shared a look. "Let's go to the Creatures Cave and see what we can find about your mythical friend," John said.

"We're not friends!" I almost hissed.

My grandfather looked at me with arched eyebrows. "Either way, you seemed to have piqued the interest of this being. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bought you a visit in the form of a small cat."

"They're actually the same being?" I asked in bewilderment. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew about the possibility, but to actually hear it? "Is he a shapeshifter?" I asked, thinking of the first creature that came to mind who could change its appearance. The three of us stood up – I was smart enough to bring the apple-pie with me – and went towards the Creature Cave in the basement. I ate the apple-pie along the way.

"There's a high possibility they are one and the same; the guy and the cat," my grandmother guessed with a frown on her already wrinkled face. "But I do not think that it's a shapeshifter you're dealing with. Shapeshifters can only change their appearance, they cannot control magic that way."

So it's not a shapeshifter then, I told myself, racking my memories about other possible shape-chancing and magic-wielding creatures. The possibility of him being a werewolf – possibly the most common and renowned shifter – was immediately out ruled, for they cannot turn into cats or perform the arts of magic.

I pushed open the heavy iron door which was secured with a silver bar, the entrance to the Creatures Cave, and went inside, my grandparents following closely behind.

John closed the door behind his back and pushed the silver bar down into its lock. The light switch was turned on and the room was filled with a warm yellowish-white light; illuminating numerous bookshelves filled to the brim with books and manuscripts, many hand-scribbled notes and pieces from numerous newspapers were duct taped to the walls, a grand map of New York covered one of the walls; certain places were marked a bright red and more notes were stuck to the map.

"Before I forget," my grandfather said, walking up to one of the shelves. He picked up a small leather-bound book which was small enough to pass on for a dairy. He walked up to me. "I was meant to give this to you one day, but I never got around to it until now," he told me, handing me the book.

I took it from him and looked at it more closely. The mahogany brown leather looked old and if I looked close enough, I could see old burn or acid marks on it. The paper hinted towards yellow and I could tell it has been used a lot over the past decades, with different notes added to it over the years – some more recent than the others. It was all held together by a thin leather rope. "What kind of book is it?"

"Something which has been in the Pierce family for more than a hundred years, I have had it long enough, so I hand it to you now," my grandfather told me proudly. "It used to belong to a man named Christopher Pierce – one of our ancestors – who were among some of the first European people who arrived on the American continent by boat at the beginning of the nineteenth century. This was his notebook about the native monsters he has encountered during his life across the globe. It's yours now."

He gave me a look. "You might do well to read it, it might just save your life."

"Why give it to me?" I asked, gently holding the ancient book.

John shrugged his shoulders. "Your aunt has never been interested in mythological creatures. And your cousins did not love the tales near as much as you did as a child," he told me, "you inherited it from your mother. She loved the tales and creatures nearly as much as yourself."

"She did?" I asked. Since my mother died when I was a child, I was raised by my grandparents. They rarely bought up my mother though.

"Especially the tales about the angels," my grandmother added. "She loved the story of the archangels Gabriel and Michael the most. Just like you loved the tale of Lucifer."

I nodded my head, vaguely remembering the tale of the proud archangel who rebelled against God and fell from Heaven like a dangerous lightning strike. I'm sure I must have that book somewhere, I thought to myself. Instead of reading fairy tales to my younger self; my grandparents told me ancient folklore, mythologies, and urban legends before I went to sleep. My grandmother even made picture books of those said tales, I have always loved the drawings she made.

"Angels aren't real though," John said, putting on his reading glasses and picking up an old book, looking through it before putting it away. "And if they are real, they simply don't care about us and our little world."

Ignoring my grandfather, I sat down on one of the few chairs in the Creature Cave, putting my ancestor's notebook on my lap and opening it to the first page. On the inside of the cover, the initials 'C.J.P.' was carved into the leather by what seemed to have been a knife.

I looked through the journal, which was full of symbols, handmade drawings of all kind of monsters and it was scribbled full of handwritten notes and descriptions of different locations all across the globe. Shaking my head, I focused on looking through the journal, seeing if there were any leads to be found on the creature I encountered.

.

Closing the journal of my ancestor, I sighed; it was full of interesting things, but sadly there was nothing about a being who could both change its shape and perform teleportation spells.

The few shifters who could pull that off did not even live – nor have ever even left their Native lands – on the American continent. The Japanese Fox-Demon being among those for instance. And it wouldn't make sense for such a being to be in New York, so far away from its home.

"Have you guys found anything?" I asked my grandparents hopefully, closing the journal and laying it down on my lap.

John looked up from the thick and raffled book he was reading, shaking his head. "No, whatever it is. It's not something common," he told me. "You found anything?"

I shook my head. "The only creatures mentioned in this journal with the ability of both shapeshifting and performing magical skills, only exist outside of the American continent. Or in another universe altogether."

"Demons," my grandfather immediately said.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Could be."

"Or an angel," Elizabeth added, her green eyes twinkling.

"Angels aren't real!" John immediately replied.

My grandmother gave him a harsh glare. "Just because you do not believe in them doesn't make them any less real."

Angels and demons, eh? My subconsciousness told me with an excited grin. 

If he's actually an angel or a demon, I might get myself into some seriously deep shit, I warned myself in advance, feeling like shit was about to go down. And soon.

"How about you go back home, dear?" My grandmother offered after a glaring contest with my grandfather. "It's already somewhere in the afternoon. We will look further into this creature of yours."

"You sure?" I asked, feeling a bit unsure about letting my grandparents doing most of the work. Slowly I stood up, holding the journal tightly against my chest.

"Of course. We will be fine," John said, his nose back in the books. "You can try out this internet of yours, you might find something useful there. Or go to the library. We will call you when we find something."

I might actually find something on Google if I got past the video game and movie related sites. I thought to myself sarcastically. So the public library would be my best shot, it had countless books about mythologies from all around the world, and numerous folklore tales could be found as well. If one knew where to look.

"Alright then," I replied. "Thanks," I whispered, hugging my grandparents' goodbye.

My grandmother laughed, embracing me tightly. "Give Anastasia and Alexandru our regards when you see them again, will you?" She whispered, gently stroking my long pale hair back from my face.

"Of course," I whispered back, "watch over my foolish grandfather for me, okay?"

"Hey!" John shouted from behind his pile of books, an offended look on his wrinkled face. His light blue eyes huge behind his glasses. "I'm not that bad!"

I went towards the stairs that descended up, out of the Creatures Cave. "Harlynn!" My grandfather called after me. I glanced over my shoulder. "Make sure to look at the journal in the light of the lunar eclipse. There's more to that book than meets the eye."

My forehead wrinkled together in confusion. "What the hell does that mean?" I asked in bewilderment. Even my grandmother looked confused.

John shrugged his shoulders. "The light of the new moon reflects the truth among truths," he said. I arched my eyebrows at him. "That's what my father used to say. He was a very poetic person. When I tried it, I saw nothing, but who knows? You actually might find something."

"The next lunar eclipse is in six days I believe – around midnight," I muttered, doing the math's in my head. Talk about good timing, my subconsciousness added, seemingly nervous about how fast-paced everything was happening around us. If I had to be honest with myself, I was growing nervous as well.

"I'll take a look," I promised my grandfather, leaving the Creatures Cave and going back towards the front door. I held the journal against my chest and took my phone from my small bag – dialing a cab to bring me home.

.

"Thank you," I told the cab driver after paying him. I stepped out and looked up at the small house I called my home. Ghost could be seen staring at me from the window sill, his green eyes following me while I went up towards the front door.

I closed the door behind me and locked up, going towards my room to look closer through the journal. On my way up, I put a reminder on my phone about the upcoming lunar eclipse, fearing I might forget it otherwise.

Claws clicked on the floor behind me and without looking back, I knew that Ghost was following me. Ignoring the cat, I opened the door to my room and plopped down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.

I looked at Ghost, seeing the large white cat curl into himself on an old fluffy blanket I had once put on the grey sofa in my room, for him to sleep on. In the past I had tried to get Ghost to sleep on one of those cat beds, but he never liked any. So I let him sleep on a blanket, which he did not minded nearly as much. Stubborn cat.

"Sleep well, Ghost," I whispered to the cat, rolling over onto my stomach and placing the journal in front of me, staring at it.

"Just what are you?" I whispered to myself, my mind drifting towards the mysteriousguy who carried the hatred of centuries within his very eyes. A sigh left my lips and I sat up again. I went to sit by my bureau and took my sketchbook from the shelve where I kept it.

Bringing the image of the guy to my mind, I started drawing.

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Be happy little demons, for this chapter is longer than the average of mine (this one has roughly 4K). I was just in a creative mood, ya know? So why not treat you guys.

The song on the top is 'Fallen Angels' by Black Veil Brides! Which (btw) is the band Andy Biersack ( who is the cast for 'Mr. Mysterious') is the lead singer from ;) Truth to be told, this song here is the first I ever heard of BVB and what got me addicted in the first place. This song is also how I view fallen angels and kind of what they are like in this book... just for those who are interested in knowing.

Anyway, I hope this chapter explained a bit about Harlynn's upbringing. Like you probably already figured out yourself, it wasn't exactly what one can call ordinary XD Being raised with the knowledge about supernatural beings, she was also quick to accept the idea of 'Mr. Mysterious' being one of those said creatures. In some ways, her upbringing is similar to that of Sam and Dean from Supernatural, except the hunting part then XD

What do you think of her grandparents; John and Elizabeth, so far? And Ghost? When will they find out 'Mr. Mysterious's' species? IS he even a paranormal being to begin with or are they just cray-cray? What are the secrets lying behind the journal? Why the lunar eclipse? What are your predictions about what's gonna happen next? And perhaps the most important question of them all...

Do you enjoy this book so far?

Don't forget to vote/comment/share if you enjoyed this update!

Until next week, little demons. Hugs and knives,

- Luci

Ps. If you have any favorite monsters/mythological beings you would like for to make an appearance in this book, just let me know. I might actually add them ;)

Pps. Sorry for the long note.... add 'devils horns' in your comment if you have actually read this all