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Chosen Season 1 Episode 3 "Bad Math"

The entire weekend passed with minimal paranormal activity. We cleared out a few shadow nest, but other than that there was nothing new. AJ and BayBay were getting better with the whole combat situation. Joseph had proved he could hold his own too. I was feeling much better about my stress. It helped to know that they could pick up my slack if I couldn't be there for some reason. Some reason like soccer practice.

I was the lead striker, ironic huh? That means that mostly all I do is score the goals. The coach said I showed a lot of potential, but the hardest part was winning over my teammates. They didn't really care for a new member replacing their old one, especially in such a powerful position. Specifically, the now second striker, Jaden Kindle.

"That was a pretty good kick, Nick. Not as good as mine though," he taunted. Jaden was a black and white tiger. He was much more muscular than me with bulgy biceps and pecks that could kill. He also towered a good foot and a half over me. He played football, basketball, and soccer. Talented kid, I know. He was wearing the same outfit as me. A royal blue jersey with a "Timberwolves" written in shiny silver script on the front. Our last name and number was on the back. The shorts were the same color with silver stripes down the sides.

"Got the goal, didn't I?" I retorted as I shoved my pads into my blue bag. I knew he was just messing with my head. That didn't mean I had to play along.

"Well, if that's all it was about we'd all be lead strikers, wouldn't we?" He cocked his head at the question for emphasis.

"Look dude, I'm sorry I stole your position or whatever. I'm just doing what the coach asked me to do." I threw the bag over my shoulder and stood to face Jaden. He was a somewhat intimidating tiger. No match for the Chosen One though.

"Really? Well then, all is well... oh wait, no, it's not. I'm supposed to be the quarterback, the point guard, and the striker. Basically, I'm the star athlete at this school and you're fucking that up." I could see the resentment in his eyes. Out of all the people that hated me, he struggled to stay at the top of the list.

"You know, I always heard the running back was the most important football player... hmm, maybe I was wrong," I said with a smirk.

"If you want to play it like that, go ahead, but something tells me you wont be on the team long."

"Pantsing me isn't really that intimidating, buddy. I wear boxers," I shot the tiger a grin before pushing past him to leave. I could feel his anger pulsating at my back. Scary cat, but I'd never admit that.

"I have a lot more tricks up my sleeve, buddy," he mocked. I ignored him and continued out of the locker room with a few glares from other players. Not all of them were angry though, some were just indifferent. The kids on the silver steel benches didn't even glance at me, but any fur beside a tall green locker shot daggers at me. I was ready to be at the warehouse.

I took a deep breath once I was out of the locker room. The locker room had a distinct boyish musky smell to it. Outside air tasted like heaven. I slowly made my way through the shiny blue and silver halls to find the exit. I passed pictures of graduating classes protected in thick black frames and tall wooden cases with various trophies acquired from various teams. I wondered if I'd ever have a trophy inside the lit cases. I don't think they made those for the Chosen One.

It didn't take long to get to the warehouse. I pushed the heavy, corroded, steel door open and found Joseph, AJ, and BayBay taking turns fighting against the magic dummy. None of them were as good as me, but they were getting better. The dummy had different difficulty levels. I was on expert, they were on beginner. Well, I think Joseph was playing on medium now, but my point remains. I did have the unfair advantage though.

AJ was sword fighting the figure intensely inside of a large circle of golden powder spread across the bland grey floor. BayBay and Joseph sat at the large wooden table in the back of the room. I watched AJ back the dummy into one of the several tall grey pillars that supported the crumbling roof. I worried that this place could fall apart at anytime. Joseph kept very nice things in here though. Like that super expensive couch. Surely, he had some type of insurance, mental or financial.

"How was practice?" BayBay asked looking up from the old text she was reading. She twisted a lock of her hair in her fingers out of boredom, I think.

"It was... well, no one really likes me." I plopped down next to her with a big sigh.

"Why not!?" she sounded offended. She was using her voice a lot more since she'd lost it.

"I kind of pissed off Jaden Kindle."

"Oh," her expression changed, "I see. He is a pretty bad enemy to have. AJ hates him."

"He's picked on me since second grade! I have a right!" He exclaimed while blocking the dummies slow attacks. Slow to me anyways.

"Did you score the goal?" Joseph asked in his thick eastern European accent. I called him English once and he'd since corrected me. He fumbled his paws nervously as if being incorrect was a crime.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I'm sorry. I'm not acquainted with the proper terminology for your soccer games."

"You can just ask if I scored and I would know," I nodded with correction. Joseph was learning a lot about the American English by hanging out with teenagers constantly. Probably, not the best substitution for Rosetta Stone, but I liked the results when he tripped over older words to use more recent ones. I think we might be causing him a slight stuttering problem.

"Ah, I see. We could use your help studying, unless you'd like to train with the dummy, that is." He gestured towards the ring AJ was still occupying.

"I'm really sore, so I'm going to go with the studying."

"You can help me!" Bay exclaimed, "I'm studying spells and their various effects. It's super interesting. I've come up with a scientific explanation for every one. Well, except the luck spells, but I'm beginning to think those are all based on the user's mentality." BayBay had an explanation for almost everything supernatural. Joseph was getting hard pressed to defend his own knowledge of the paranormal with her bulletproof theories.

"I told her she's going to turn into Dark Willow," AJ laughed before the dummy tackled him. I rolled my eyes as he yelped for help. No one acknowledged him. The dummy can't kill you on easy. That would make it hard.

"He doesn't understand that I can't just cast a spell. I have to be in touch with the magic first. There are a few simple ones that I'm considering, but any real power would take a real witch." Bay adjusted her glasses and straightened her posture even more than it had been before. Can you break your spine from too much good posture?

"Witches are real?" I asked.

"They're really just normal furs with small amounts of demon blood in them. It also depends on the types of demon blood."

"I'm not ready to deal with witches yet. I think I'll keep researching shadows." I had ulterior motives, of course.

"Nick, I believe you've already read ever piece of material we have on them. There isn't much more you can learn." Joseph interjected. He was technically right. I had read every passage I could find on the creatures since my first encounter.

"I know, but it seems like... the most relevant." I didn't bother to mention that I'd been dreaming about them. Vivid dreams. To be honest, the mystery behind the shadows was kind of a turn on. I kept dreaming about sleeping with one that didn't want to kill me. Fat chance, though. It doesn't mean I can't fantasize. I grabbed the closest book and scanned the table of contents for the word "shadows." I flipped to the marked passages as quickly and subtly as I could. I must have stared at the pictures and texts for hours. After a minute or two, I could've recited the passages from memory.

"Nick, I think you should go home before it gets too late," Joseph commented. I glanced around and noticed AJ and BayBay were gone. I rubbed my eyes with my paw, not realizing how late it was or how tired I was. How long was I reading?

"Right, same time tomorrow?" I closed the book and grabbed my soccer bag. Joseph gave me an odd stare, but I saw him push whatever thoughts he had out of his mind.

"Yes." I waved to Joseph before leaving the warehouse. I felt his eyes locked on me until the heavy door latched behind me and the cool night air rushed through my fur.

All I could think about were the shadows. It was kind of strange. I mean, sex with a shadow would be impossible, right? Theoretically, anyways. All shadows wanted me dead and it was my job to make sure that didn't happen. Still, a part of me longed and ached to connect to a shadow. To reveal some of that mystery and revel in the ambience of something dark and evil.

I sighed with discontent before opening the white wooden door to my house and crossing the threshold to the dark foyer. Dad was asleep on the couch snoring loudly. If it was past eight, I could guarantee he'd be passed out in a drunken haze. I didn't waste anytime in getting to bed. I took a quick shower and collapsed on my bed. I tried to worry about my soccer problems or something more relevant, but the idea of getting with a shadow completely dominated my mind. As my eyelids got heavier and my brain started to slow everything down, I found the same vivid dreams that I'd had for weeks. Yeah, you know what kind of dreams.

"Nick, get up and put some clothes on!" My dad yelled. I forgot to lock the door. Of course he would come in on the best part, too. I rolled off the bed lazily as he slammed the door shut. I slowly slid on a pair of blue boxers and a pair of ripped jeans. Add a brown t-shirt and I was ready to go. Emotionally, anyways. I sulked out of the room drearily and stumbled down the stairs. "Sweet dreams, I guess?" Dad laughed not looking up from his newspaper as I entered the bright modern kitchen. Dad liked to cook, but breakfast was his only kitchen talent. Of course, that didn't stop him from owning every piece of stainless steel equipment he could find. White tiled counters matched the floor and walls. It wasn't a very entertaining room, but for some reason most of our conversations took place around the small island in the center of the room.

"Don't act like its never happened to you. Did you make me any breakfast?"

"Well, I always sleep with a blanket on and yeah, there's cinnamon rolls in the oven. New girlfriend?" he taunted. Dad liked to push the boundaries of what kind of questions he could ask me.

"Um, not really," I shrugged.

"Just a pretty girl then? It's not a boy, is it?"

"Dad..."

"I know, I'm just teasing you." And it's comments like that that make me think twice about telling him the truth about my sexuality. "So other than having really nice dreams, what have you been doing after school? You haven't been home in the afternoons."

"Well, I just made some new friends and they're pretty fun to hang out with. Plus, I made the soccer team."

"No drugs, right?" The soccer part obviously flew right over his head.

"Not yet." He shot me a look of annoyance. "I'm just teasing you." I stuck my tongue out in a childish manner.

"Haha, so funny. Nick Stetson, porn star slash comedian."

"You know, if I actually become a porn star, I'm bringing you back to this moment so you can see that you did this to me and made me into a porn star."

"Uh huh. Have you given any thought to what you want to do? After high school, I mean." This conversation came up every now and then. It wasn't my personal favorite because I never gave the right answer. I knew we were heading for a fight.

"I, uh, I don't really know. I thought about forensics or maybe trying to be an actor." I really did like acting. I'd never done it before, but I was good at creating characters in my head. I had the looks too. Ok, now I'm bragging.

"An actor? Nick, come on, be realistic." Dad dropped the paper in exaggerated disappointment. See? Here comes the fight part.

"What's wrong with that? We live in California. We're like thirty minutes from L.A. Why not give it a try?"

"Because there is so much competition, you'll never make it there. Don't you see all of those washed up stars and the struggling wanna-bes?"

"Nice to know I have your support, Dad."

"I just want something better for you. Be a lawyer, like me." That was the right answer, obviously. He wanted me to be a miniature him. I had someone else in mind though. Someone that would lead me to a victory in this particular argument.

"Or be your secretary, like mom." There was a long awkward silence before he broke it.

"Your mother didn't have much time to pursue her own career. She had a lot going on."

"Like what?" I already knew, but I wanted to see if he did. Or really if he would tell me what he knew. I could feel the tension of a hundred unspoken words between us and I knew he felt it too. The dodging glances revealed everything he didn't want me to know.

"She worked a night shift at the hospital, because she liked to help people." He was lying and he knew that I knew that. Maybe not about the helping people part, but definitely about the hospital.

"I thought mom was afraid of hospitals."

"She was trying to work past that."

"What about the bruises she came home with every other night?"

"Nick, stop it."

"I want to know! I deserve to know!" I growled across the counter. My paws dug into the edge of the counter with enough strength to crack anything that wasn't real marble. Fortunately, it was real.

"When she worked in the mental ward, some of her patients would get violent and hit her." Wow. He had really worked on this. Or she had, before she died. I eased my grip on the counter and backed off mentally. How could I deny that kind of excuse? "Can we get to the cinnamon rolls now?" I nodded and ate in silence with my dad. When I was finished, I grabbed my bag and started towards the door. He couldn't lie to me forever though, but I couldn't expect the truth until I told him what I knew. "Hey kiddo, when's the first game?" My eyes shot open in shock. I guess he did pick up on the soccer thing. I kind of felt guilty about the argument now.

"Um, Friday night? I think."

"I'll be there. Be safe, I love you." He bent down and planted a kiss on my forehead. I felt my tail wag slightly at the idea of his appearance at one of my games, but then I remembered that he'd never showed up before. Neither did mom. What was his excuse, though?

"Love you too." I turned and left for school. I wondered if he'd ever tell me on his own or if I would end up telling him first. He might be a little too trusting of me, but he wasn't stupid. I knew soon enough he'd put two and two together and find out what I was. Who I was.

The argument and emotions I had with my father faded as the school day passed uneventfully. I was actually excited for my last class of the day, Geometry. At which, I sucked. "So here we have pi or 3.14 for short. And we want to get the circumference so we need to..." I zoned out while he was speaking and ended up daydreaming about shadows. Not good for a middle of class scenario. "Nick!" I shot out of my daydream. "What's the answer?" he asked. He was Mr. Glass. A tall slim lion with a blond mane wearing a grey suit. Three piece suit, maybe. I say maybe because I don't really know what the three pieces are. He didn't like me that much. Or maybe I was misreading his looks. He would stare at me while the other kids worked and it was starting to creep me out. There was just an odd feeling between us. I knew he didn't like me very much. Well, I assumed anyways.

"I, uh, I don't really know it." I tried to hide while the other kids chuckled.

"Ok, well stand up and tell me what number we use to represent pi." Oh crap. I could not stand up right now. Due to complications downstairs.

"Um, I don't know that either." He looked annoyed and gestured for me to stand. I sighed and tried to fix my pants so it wouldn't show. I slyly stood and placed my paws over my crotch nonchalantly so no one could see it. "I don't know the answer."

"Pay attention or you'll be standing for the rest of class." I nodded and sat back in my chair quickly.

"I'll help you this afternoon," Bay whispered over my shoulder.

"With the math problems or pants problems?" Jaden chuckled.

"Shut up, Jaden," Bay defended. I sighed and put my face in my paws. Now that Jaden knew, I'd never live this down. I struggled to pay attention until the bell rang. As soon as it did, I rushed out of the class with the rest of the students. I followed the halls to the locker room trying to force the ideas of shadows out of my head. I stripped down to my boxers and suddenly, I cried out as I was shoved against the lockers.

"Ready for practice, buddy?" Jaden's voice hissed in my ear. I thought about using my strength to push back, but with so many people around it might look suspicious. Jaden was much bigger than me after all. I winced as his claws grinded my head against the cold steel.

"Get off!" I barked. Jaden chuckled quietly and applied more pressure. Anger was starting to boil.

"You like stuff like this, don't you? You were pretty happy in math class."

"Shut up and get the fuck off of me!"

"Make me! I talked to the coach and today it's all about me and you." He shoved me against the locker one more time before walking off to his own. I pretended to ignore him while I put all of clothes and pads in their proper place. Truthfully, I was hurting a lot on the inside. No one likes to be bullied and the fact that I couldn't defend myself added to that insecurity. I kept a few paces behind the team to the field. I actually considered quitting soccer because I had no friends and plenty of enemies. I hated feeling powerless, but I wasn't going to just quit.

"Alright, everyone set up play seven, Nick has the ball, everyone else, stop him." The coach threw me the ball and I glanced at Jaden before taking my place on the field. The tiger sported a malicious grin. I dropped the ball at my feet and dribbled the ball up the field, keeping an eye on the other players. I dodged the first few easily and continued up the field at a quick pace. Of course, as I passed players it became more difficult to dodge them. Soon the goal was in my sights. I moved one foot to kick the ball, but as I did I saw Jaden in the corner of my vision. He slid into the leg I had planted and I lost my balance. I smashed into the ground hard and struggled to regain my breath. Jaden jumped to his feet and laughed with a few of his friends. I heard the stop whistle and started to get back to my feet.

"What the fuck, Jaden?" I yelled in anger. I knew he was planning something mean, but in a real game that would've been a total foul. He wasn't even aiming for the ball. I couldn't decide if I was angry out of the pain or angry out of the embarrassment and jealousy I felt. I wouldn't be as upset if the entire team wasn't laughing at me.

"It was just a good play," he defended with a wink. The coach crossed the field over to me and placed a paw on my shoulder. I glanced at him to see if he was upset with Jaden, but I was disappointed when I noticed he was struggling to control his laughter.

"Nick, Mr. Glass needs you in his class. Says it's important," Coach laughed. Now, I was getting pissed. I didn't even have an adult's support. Plus, the fall I took hurt a lot more than I realized. My head was jarred from the impact and my lungs were still struggling to keep up. I cursed under my weak breath as I crossed the field back to my locker room. I was struggling to keep my eyes from tearing up. The way my chest hurt from the emotional pain was worse than any of the physical. Why should I even care what they think? Honestly, I just wanted to fit in and instead of just not fitting in, I was being targeted. I reached Mr. Glass' classroom faster than I intended, but I supposed the angry walk was slightly faster than the normal one. The lion was sitting on top of a student's desk with a green grading book in front of him.

"Mr. Stetson, have a seat." He pointed to the desk he was sitting on top of without looking up. I took the seat awkwardly. This didn't feel like a typical teacher-student thing. "You do realize soccer is a privilege, not a right?"

"Yes, sir," I replied. The tone in his voice was arrogant and pompous.

"And to keep this privilege, you have to maintain a C-average in all of your classes, including mine?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, now that we're on the same page, you currently have a high C in my class, a miracle due to Ms. Williams, I've no doubt, but assuming that your grades here continue to fall, your soccer practices will cease to exist."

"I'm trying sir, but-"

"No, you're not! You spend all of your time in my class daydreaming about some diluted sexual fantasy! How am I suppose to cut you any slack?" Whoa, now things were getting super awkward. I felt kind of violated, but I tried to keep a level head.

"I didn't mean to offend you or anything. I couldn't really control it."

"Being a teenager doesn't serve as an excuse for perversion. There are many other male students that can listen to my class and not daydream."

"Perversion? I'm not... it's not like that!" Something didn't feel right. He was really stressing the sex thing. It's not like I'm the first kid to get a hard on in class. I stood up to leave, but one of his paws pushed me back down into the desk and the other grabbed my wrist with unnatural strength. I started to feel a little edgy and Chosen-y. Not good for the lion in front of me.

"Tomorrow, instead of going to soccer practice, you will spend your time here catching up on your work." His voice was more of a growl and his expression was very cold. Any thoughts I had about him not liking me were suddenly confirmed.

"What!? They need me! The game is tomorrow night!" I argued. I couldn't miss the first game. If for nothing other than the pride factor.

"I'm still leaving you time to play the game, if that's a problem I can hold you here even later. I have permission from the school board." I took in everything he was saying. It was a bit much for one moment and his paws weren't moving away. Things just kept rolling downhill. Snowball effect, I think.

"Fine," I sighed. His paws released their grip and he flashed a creepy smile at me. I stood and left before he could say anything else. There was something very strange about him. I vote demon. I didn't bother to change clothes or anything. After that encounter and all the torment from Jaden, I was ready to be around people that liked me. I left for the warehouse and jogged most of the way there. I needed my official, unofficial soccer practice anyways.

I found my three friends waiting around the table. AJ and BayBay were playing some game on a piece of paper as Joseph turned to greet me. My mood changed instantly. I love a friendly atmosphere.

"Nick, you're early," Joseph exclaimed.

"I think my math teacher is a demon," I declared. It wasn't a serious accusation, but I needed to vent it. I mean, I wouldn't have ruled it out yet, but the more I thought about it the more likely it seemed.

"Mr. Glass?" Bay asked, "He's such a nice guy." AJ snuck a x into one of the boxes while BayBay wasn't looking. Tic-tac-toe. I thought we were teenagers.

"Really? Well, he just pulled me out of soccer practice to bitch about my problems during his class." Bay looked back at the paper shamefully. She was the only one that really knew what I was talking about. I saw her expression change when she noticed AJ's cheat. She scribbled out the game and drew a new board.

"Um, well, he does seem quite determined... but that's hardly grounds to call him a demon. We can't just pick people at random and kill them," Joseph explained. He fumbled to clean the lens of his glasses as he spoke. He always kept a straight and proper posture. I could see BayBay becoming a less boring version of Joseph.

"No, he's been doing this for weeks, but I didn't put any weight into it until today. He's been giving me weird looks and everyone likes him except for me and he likes to humiliate me publicly."

"Again, we cannot be sure just because of a few strange coincidences. What was he commenting on exactly?" Uh-oh. I couldn't have Joseph laughing at me too.

"Well, it was mostly just my grades and sometimes I fall asleep in there." Lies are my best friend.

"To be honest, he sounds like a concerned teacher," Joseph continued with a shrug of doubt. I slummed into the chair next to him and took a deep breath. I wished Mr. Glass was a demon. Then I'd have some revenge. Good guy revenge though. The kind that the good guy is supposed to hate, but since he's young he doesn't quite grasp that concept. Yeah, that sounds like me.

"Well, how can you prove if someone is or isn't a demon?" Not that I cared at this point, but why not enter into a new conversation.

"You'd have to know the race of the demon, first. There is no real way of knowing unless they want you to know."

"Right..." I folded my arms and used them as a pillow. As my eyes got heavier, I could hear the team laughing at me again. It started to make me nervous about the next day of school. I hated feeling that way. Terrorized. Of course, in my dreams, my shadow protected me from that and we had a little fun...

"I was about to leave, dude. It's almost nine. Are you staying here or what?" AJ shook me roughly and I slowly opened my eyes. Bay and Joseph were gone. I must've been out longer than I'd realized. I was so confused. Sex, sleep, pain... everything was melding together and making one huge mess that I had no control over. It's bad when you can't control when you fall asleep... because you sleep constantly.

"No, I should go home," I said groggily. I slowly stood and stretched out.

"Uh, Nick..."

"Huh?"

"Your downstairs is, um showing..." I glanced down. Of course with the silky athletic shorts, everything was visible. I prepped myself for more laughter and a lie, but AJ wasn't acting weird or anything.

"Oh, um, it's from the stretching..." AJ just nodded. I think that makes him true friend material. I led the way out and started the walk to my house. "Later, bro."

"Later," he called. I liked AJ a lot more than I first thought. Even if we never dated or anything, I'd still want him to be my best friend. He's the only one I had really, besides Bay, but every now and then you just need a guy friend to talk to.

When I got home, Dad was still up and totally not drunk. "Dad, what's up?" I was a little shocked. This could be good or bad. I wasn't entirely sure on the circumstances yet. His expression said bad, though.

"I got a call from your geometry teacher. He mentioned everything that happened at school today. Nick, I don't know what's wrong, but this has got to stop." Oh, now I see. Of course, that demented teacher wouldn't stop at humiliating me at school...

"Dad, I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Well, you do need to show more self control!" Says the guy that's afraid to search my computer for porn because the last time he did, I caught him. Compromising position though, don't spread that one.

"It happens to everybody, I don't see the big deal," I said rolling my eyes and crossing my arms in front of my chest. Dad scratched the back of his head searching for some excuse, but I think he knew I was right.

"If it's interfering with your school work, it's a big deal." Fuck this.

"Can I please go to bed?" There were a few awkward seconds where the older husky tried to think of something else to say, but he felt just as awkward about this as I did.

"I guess." I didn't wait for anything else. I bounded up the stairs and stripped off my clothes. I curled up in my bed and drifted off to sleep. Like I even have to tell you what I was dreaming about. For some reason, even though I'd been embarrassed, made fun of, and bitched at, I still wanted to dream about shadows. A lot of things weren't feeling very normal at the moment, but I should've dreamt about something other than them.

The next morning, dad woke me up again. I was snuggled in the covers this time so it wasn't as awkward. He sat next to me on the bed quietly for a moment and brushed my face with his paw. "Listen, I might have been a little rough last night, I'm sorry." He rubbed my stomach with his other paw like he used to do when I was little.

"It's ok," I said, "I do need to pay more attention." I didn't really think that, but I didn't feel like doing the whole apology argument thing.

"Yes, but I could've brought it up a little... well, differently. Do you feel like going to school today?" Wow, that was almost never asked. Dad was one of those guys that think being sick is more of an excuse not to do something you're supposed to, than a problem with your body. And he certainly didn't care about emotional problems. I like this Dad. Where was he the other 364 days of the year?

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I mean, I know it can be... embarrassing and if you'd rather just take a day off I could make an exception, just this once." Oh.

"I'd love to, but I have to go today or I can't play the game tonight. Plus, I have detention with Mr. Glass and he'd be pissed if I didn't make it." I saw Dad look at his watch. I knew he was thinking of an excuse not to come to the game, but he didn't tell me if there was.

"If you say so. Hop out the bed, look in the mirror, and turn your swag on." The older husky winked at me from above.

"Dad, you're so lame," I laughed.

"Hey, I get points for trying, right?"

"I guess." I waited for him to leave before I... well, I hopped out the bed and turned my swag on. Skipped the mirror part. Another pair of brand name jeans and a light blue t-shirt made up my swagger for the day. I made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen. I was kind of nervous to go to school today. All the kids would be laughing and Mr. Glass would be... doing whatever it is he does that creeps me out so much.

"Hey, Nick, I have a question."

"What?" He sounded worried, which means 'Nick, I can't make it to the game because I have a meeting with the senior partners and blah blah blah.'

"Do you get mad because our house isn't as big or our stuff isn't as nice as it used to be?" Ok, so I was wrong. Sometimes I'm wrong. It's rare, but it happens.

"No, of course not. Why?" That didn't even seem relevant to anything.

"I was just making sure. I want to get you more stuff, but you never ask."

"Everything is fine, dad." I already had everything any kid could want.

"I just get worried. Your mom always knew what you wanted even if you didn't say it." He was right about that. Mom always knew the perfect toy to go with all the other ones even if I didn't even know they existed.

"I'm fine. I mean, I miss her and all the little things that went with her, but I still have you. I'm pretty happy."

"You're the best kid anyone could have, you know that, right?" I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him. He returned the hug just as tightly. Beyond all the problems between us and all the unspoken feelings, I loved my dad. He tried to do his best and I could see it.

"Yeah, as long as you know you're the best dad anyone could have."

"Ok, you better get to school, kiddo. Love you."

"Uh huh, love you too." I allowed his typical forehead kiss before leaving for school.

School, by the way, was a total drag. I hated it. Today was especially slow and people don't celebrate soccer like they do football so the only mention of our game was over the intercom. Kind of a double standard, right? Who says football is more important than soccer? They did that at my old school, too.

Finally, after the end of Mr. Glass' class, it was time to go... well, for everyone else. I, along with Jaden, was stuck with Mr. Glass. The lion forced Jaden to sit next to me and gave us a thick stack of worksheets to work on. I'd rather be stuck here alone, honestly. "Mr. Kindle, why do you insist on talking in my class?" Mr. Glass rolled a pen between his fingers as he spoke.

"I'm not sure, sir," Jaden replied. I pretended not to listen and work on the worksheets instead. Internally, I'm cackling madly.

"Do you know, Mr. Stetson?" I glanced at Jaden before shaking my head. "Oh, come on, everyone here knows you two aren't very fond of one another." Mr. Glass laughed and placed the pencil in his desk drawer. He had a very strange demeanor. Much more evil than normal.

"I don't really know either," I said plainly. I moved my legs uncomfortable under Jaden's glare.

"Well, does Jaden know why Nick would rather daydream about sex than learn about the importance of pi?" Jaden chuckled quietly. At least, I had the respect not to laugh at him. I think teacher bullying is illegal. If it's not it should be. I wished I would have said something to Dad or Joseph.

"Maybe it's just something he does in his free time, cause he's obviously not getting laid." Ok, now I was mad.

"Oh, maybe Jaden can't shut up because he doesn't have the intelligence to know when to be quiet."

"Hey! I'm way more smarter than you!"

"More smarter, huh?"

"You know what I mean," Jaden growled. "You're just mad cause you're gay."

"What? How am I gay?" I was bi... I think. Not relevant. Kids use gay as an insult now, like stupid. I think Jaden was making a real accusation though.

"Because it's so obvious. You like me and you're sleeping with AJ and that's like the gayest thing you could do."

"AJ's not gay!"

"I said you were gay!"

"I'm not-" I was interrupted by the door slamming shut. Mr. Glass slowly made his way between us. I noticed Jaden felt the same dark presence I did. Jaden tried to move out of his vision, but he was limited to his desk.

"Well, it seems as though we've reached a disagreement. Jaden thinks Nick is gay and Nick can't accept it," he announced. Not that being gay bothered me, but using it as an insult really made my blood boil. I could barely think.

"I'm not!"

"How do you know?" Mr. Glass bent down between us. He looked at Jaden first. "You should show Nick he's gay." This was retarded. "He needs you, Jaden." Jaden's expression was suddenly blank and he nodded in agreement. Wait, something was wrong. Suddenly, Mr. Glass turned to me. The lion's eyes were pitch black now. It was like the pupils had fully dilated and took over every other color in his eyes. I struggled not to look into them. I couldn't. He was controlling me. "And you need to ask Jaden for help. You need Jaden's help."

I needed Jaden's help. I nodded in agreement. Wait, no I didn't! I don't need Jaden. I need to... I need... The tiger stood and walked over to me. I faced him as he knelt beside me. I had to do something, but my body was frozen. Jaden leaned in close to me and I could see the resistance in his eyes as well. Soon, his muzzle was touching mine and our tongues began to fight for dominance. It was one of the best kisses I'd ever had. We hated each other and the kiss felt like a kiss of hate. Despite the repulsion and the hypnotism, I actually enjoyed the kiss.

Our eyes stayed locked on each other's begging the other one to stop. I whimpered as Jaden's paw squeezed my thigh tightly. My paws began to trace the tiger's chest and abs. His paw worked it's way up to my crotch and rubbed it daftly. His eyes looked terrified and I'm sure mine weren't any better. I was scared. I didn't want to lose my virginity to someone that didn't like me. Or someone who didn't want to take it. My heart started racing and I forced all of my thoughts on stopping my paws, but there was nothing I could do.

My paws stripped the shirt off of the tiger and started to play with the bold muscles underneath. I could feel Jaden moaning, but crying at the same time. I think he was a virgin, too. Jaden's paws unbuttoned my pants and played with the soft silky boxers underneath. I moaned in pleasure as Jaden broke the kiss. His strong paws felt amazing on my hard member. "Nick, help me stop," he whispered.

"I can't..." My paws felt to his pants and groped at the long thick member beneath the denim. Jaden's paws worked my pants completely off and I was left in my boxers as his mouth kissed down my stomach. My paws gripped his head and led him to my groin. I moaned as his tongue flicked at the thin material between him and my erection.

"Stop," Mr. Glass said with a chuckle. Suddenly, we froze with Jaden's head between my legs. "It looks to me like you both enjoy a good guy. Tell me something, Nick. How exactly are you going to carry on the bloodline of the Chosen if you are too busy sleeping with boys?" How did he... Demon! He was a demon! I knew it! "Well, as much as I have enjoyed the show, I think it's time for you to die." I kept my eyes on him as he walked over to me and his form began to change. The mane receded into his fur which also started to sink back into the skin beneath. His muzzle shrunk and eventually fell flat. The black button nose faded away and the peach skin started to grow darker.

He wasn't a lion anymore. He was a thin, dark blue-skinned creature with tiny spikes covering his body. His eyes were still big and black, but his mouth was round like a circle. He used Jaden's head as a chair and locked his mouth around my muzzle. Fear forced my heart into overdrive and I tried to scream, but something inside his mouth was forcing it's way down my throat. I wasn't sure what was in his mouth, but the slick intruders slid up my nostrils and down my muzzle forcing me to gag. I tried to move away, but his claws dug into my shoulder. Maybe this was the end. I couldn't move and his tongues or whatever they were, were pushing deeper inside of me and filling my organs. I felt a tongue moving deep inside my intestines. I was not going to die here. Not like this. Not with some evil sex demon's tongue slithering around on my insides. I opened my muzzle wide and slammed it shut on the demon's tongue. He shrieked in pain. I shivered and gagged as the tongue quickly retracted from inside me. I regained control of my body and knocked the demon off of Jaden. I took a few deep breaths and tried to shake the feeling of the tongue out of me. The nasty slime coated my entire insides. I'd never felt more disgusted in my life. "What the fuck is that?" Jaden screamed. I was still coughing as he got to his feet.

"MINE!" Suddenly, the demon jumped on top of a desk and shrieked at me. He crossed the desks with incredible speed and threw a fist into my muzzle. I fell back over Jaden and my head slammed into the hard tiles. "YOU ARE MINE!" The demons voice was high and shrill. He used a the long pink tongue as a whip against Jaden. Jaden slammed against a desk as the demon jumped on top of me and I grabbed his arms to stop him. He opened his mouth and several tongues spiraled out to attack my face. I turned my face away to dodge him, but the tongues entered through my ear. I winced in disgust before smashing my fist into the demons face.

"Jaden, do something!" I screamed. I wrestled with the demon for freedom, but he was much stronger. Another tongue found my muzzle and forced it wide open. I screamed until he reached my throat again. Suddenly, the demon rolled off of me with a shriek. I saw Jaden standing over me with a desk. "Thanks," I whimpered as he helped me to my feet. Jaden placed a paw on my shoulder comfortingly. I'd never expect that from him. He was more of the run-away-from-the-scary-demon type.

"You owe me," he growled. I looked around for a potential weapon.

"I need something sharp," I whispered.

"Um, pencils? Or... oh, those pointy things we use to draw circles!"

"Yeah, get me one of those!" The demon was back on his feet as Jaden ran to the closets in the back. I took a defensive stance and watched the demon lunge forward. I spun and kicked the demon away again as Jaden threw the protractor to me. I opened it up as the demon attacked again. I blocked it's punch and stabbed the metal into his skull. He staggered back and shrieked. I capitalized on the opportunity to snap the demons neck with my paws. The demon fell face first on the tile and suddenly melted into a disgusting liquid.

"Is it dead?" Jaden asked. He approached the puddle just as cautiously as I did.

"I, uh, I think so." I glanced at Jaden. He was terrified, but I noticed the adrenaline in his expression as well.

"Ok, good, now... what the fuck is going on?"

"It's kind of a long story."

"Well, fill me in on the way to the game." He threw me my clothes and started putting his own clothes back on. "By the way, this never leaves this room."

"What?" I was hoping he wouldn't tell anyone about what happened.

"The whole us kissing and stuff..." Oh, of course Jaden would be more concerned with the fact that he'd kissed me rather than the fact that he almost died.

"Oh yeah, of course. Um, you won't mention the stuff I'm going to tell you either, right?"

"If you keep this a secret, I'll take whatever you tell me to the grave."

"Ok, thanks. I'm sorry about the stuff I said." I didn't want to be the first one to apologized, but if I didn't, it would never happen. Jocks aren't big on admitting when their wrong.

"I am too. I, uh, you're pretty cool. Maybe I started off kind of mean."

"So, we're friends now?"

"Well, I have to keep up appearances so no, but I won't be as harsh."

"Good enough for me." Once we were both dressed, we left the room and headed for the soccer field. On the way, I told Jaden everything. I told him how I was the Chosen One because my mom died and I fought various demons to keep the balance between good and evil. I told him about shadows and all the scary things that go bump in the night. I didn't bother to mention how sexy the shadows were though. Some things are just for me to know.

"Wow, that's uh, that's a lot to take in," he said when I was finally done explaining it. We were almost to the field by the point.

"Tell me about it. I didn't believe it when I first heard, but after I thought of it as more of a superhero gig, it was a lot easier to accept."

"Yeah, hey, I'm really sorry about your mom, dude. I wish I would've known about that a long time ago. I can't imagine my mom not being there, you know?" Jaden looked sincere enough. I mean, what else can you expect after you're like 'oh, and my mom's dead, don't you feel like crap about being mean to me?' I should use that one more often.

"It's fine. It just makes things a little harder."

"Yeah, but still, I'm really sorry."

"Got it. Ready to win a soccer game?"

"I just killed a demon. These bitches don't stand a chance."

"Um, I killed the demon."

"Yeah, but you'd be dead if I wasn't there."

"Fair enough." We rushed onto the field with the rest of our team. AJ, BayBay, and Joseph were in the stands, but I couldn't see my dad anywhere. Why would he be? That killed my mood for a second, but Jaden gave the team a quick pep talk before the first play and I was ready to win. The game wasn't even challenging and of course, now that Jaden and I were working together, we killed the other team. Not literally. That'd be illegal. Fourteen to two. Timberwolves. I earned a lot of cheers and compliments from teammates. It felt better to have their support. I shot Jaden a quick grin before finding my friends.

"Hey, I told you Mr. Glass was a demon!" I giggled. Joseph looked shocked at the new information and glanced around before replying. Sometimes I forgot this was a secret thing. How stupid can people be though? Weird stuff happens in Terinsville on an hourly basis.

"Oh my Lord, are you alright?" Joseph asked in genuine concern. His accent was hilarious to me.

"Yeah, he's dead. I killed him with Jaden's help."

"Jaden!?" AJ and BayBay said in unison. I probably should've eased that part in there better.

"Yeah, it attacked us so he kind of had to find out about it."

"What type of demon was it?' Joseph asked.

"Um, I don't know, but it had a bunch of tongues that like went inside me and stuff and some kind of mind control. It was super disgusting."

"My Lord, you fought a Lustrious Demon?! How did you break it's control? That hasn't been done in centuries."

"Um, I think when it did the thing with the tongue, I got control back and kicked its ass."

"Oh, yes, of course, physical contact should break the hold, but you should have been paralyzed."

"Chosen strength, maybe?'

"Perhaps. Perhaps with this Jaden character it lost focus and couldn't maintain it's abilities. In any event, you're extremely lucky. Most people-"

"Hey, champ!" I spun around and instantly recognized the voice. Dad, Daddy, whatever you want to call him. I felt... complete. I didn't even care about anything else. One of my only dreams just came true. He picked me up off the ground and spun me for a second. "That was an awesome game! You were so good!"

"Thanks, dad. I'm glad you made it," Understatement. "These are my friends, AJ and Bailey and my teacher Dr. Carter."

"Hey, pleasure to meet you," Dad said shaking Joseph's hand and nodding toward the other two. Total lawyer talent.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Stetson. Your son is a remarkably talented individual." Thanks, Joseph. That made me smile.

"Thank you. Do you show up to all of the games or just Nick's?"

"Oh, I came to show my support for Nick. He is one of my best students and an excellent member of the mythology club."

"Nick, you never told me you were in a club. Is that what the whole demon thing was about?" Oh, shit.

"Yeah, we learned about demons today. Next week, it's Roman gods. I really like it." I lied. I did like some mythology, but only the ones where... well, I don't really know any mythology. Who's that bitch with the snake hair?

"Yeah, your mom did too." I could tell he was worried about something, but it was too soon to say for sure what it was. I wasn't going for that argument now. I was too bubbly.

"Yes, I'm very sorry for your lost, Mr. Stetson. Nick informed me earlier."

"Thank you. What class do you teach? Other than mythology, I mean."

"Advanced Biology, for tenth graders and Advanced Literatures for seniors."

"Advanced Lit. Oh, that was one of my favorite classes," Dad swooned. Yep, I'd lived to see my dad swooning. Never again, please.

"How fortunate? What was your favorite work?"

"Um, it's actually a tie between All's Well That Ends Well and Macbeth. I'm a huge Shakespeare fan."

"I do believe you are the most intelligent person I've ever met. Children these days have no idea how important the literature of Shakespeare was and is today. Do you care for Plato?" They continued to babble. I tune out the second I hear actual intelligence.

"Dude, I think Joseph and your dad might get married," AJ whispered.

"No. Best friends maybe, which can't hurt because I have no idea how much he heard." If Dad did hear more, he wasn't acting strange, but surely mom had a Guide, too. Dad had to wonder why I was hanging out with an older german shepherd.

"You didn't tell him?"

"Why would I? I think he already knows anyways."

"He should. With your mom and all."

"Yeah."

"So you trust Jaden now?" That was a loaded question.

"Well, I kind of have him cornered."

"Oh, you have to tell me what happened! Did he cry!?" AJ gawked excitedly and Bay rolled her eyes. I did consider telling AJ how scared Jaden looked, but I resolved that if trusted me, I could at least be true to that.

"Um, no and no."

"Oh, come on!"

"AJ-"

"Nick, you ready to go?" Dad asked.

"Saved by the dad," I laughed before leaving with him to go home. I wondered what demons tomorrow held. Hopefully, some that didn't stick their tongues in strange places. That still makes me sick.

Ok, so after some really good comments, this is my new attempt to revive the series... midseason. Hahahah. But I knew the series moved a little fast and I was too worried about keeping every episode the same length that I completely ignored some very important things. This would've been released earlier, but I revised it and hopefully it reads better than the first two. Please comment and tell me if it needs more tweaking, if it's better or worse? Just let me know! :)).