by Celeste Raye
He was thankful she said that because he had been questioning everything, but at the same time, he still wasn’t sure if that was the right move or not. It felt like it, but he had been wrong before. Scott had a feeling that as soon as they saw the testing on his son, there was no way that they couldn’t use him.
“What if something goes wrong?
“It most likely will, but we’ll be able to handle it. I am just nervous about all of it. I just want it to be over.”
Scott felt the same way. His son had not come back whole; he had come back different, and Scott was still trying to get over the fact that his son had changed so much. He felt like he still needed revenge for it all as well. This wasn't going to be over until he knew what the hell they had done to his son and how to make it better.
They thought for a moment, and then they started to kiss. Before long, the night was over, and they were waking up the next day. Scott looked over at Vanessa and tried to figure out how it was all going to work. It wasn't bad enough that he had to take Shane, but he had to take her as well. She wasn't like Shane, though. She didn't have any powers and would be in more danger than anybody else there.
“You're doing it again.”
“I didn't think you were up.”
“It's hard to sleep when you're staring at me like that.”
Scott looked away and she giggled. He was still trying to get used to the fact that he had fallen for her so quickly. After a couple of years of not thinking about that sort of thing at all, it was still hard to get it through his head.
“Today is the day, Scott. It’s going to be a good day.”
He agreed, and that was part of the reason that he was so quiet. There was a lot to do today, and when he got downstairs, Shane was waiting for him. He knew what today was too.
“You want me to show you what I can do today, don't you, Dad?”
Scott agreed and poured some milk into his son’s cereal bowl. “Are you ready for that?”
Shane agreed. “I would rather help you guys than help the witches. Maybe then they'll leave me alone.”
Sadly, Scott had to agree. That's what he was hoping for anyway. As much as he wanted to believe that his son was safe, that just was not the truth. His son was a commodity, and the witches wanted him. Whatever the Franklin Organization was going to do with him was not going to be good.
He was hesitant to introduce Shane to the situation. It was hard to imagine that his ten-year-old son could have such an integral part in the takedown one of the biggest anti-shifter groups he’d ever come across.
His son grabbed his hand, and they walked to the small building. It was like he knew that he needed that little bit of extra strength.
“You're a lot braver than I remember, Shane.”
“Sometimes you have to be. This is one of those times.”
Scott got a little emotional. This was his kid talking to him after all, and it just was hard to comprehend. What had his son seen to make him this way?
“I think it is, Shane. I think that I am going to need some of that strength going forward.”
He grinned, and Scott sighed. He was so nervous; it was hard for him to imagine what came next. He didn’t want to see his son as a weapon. Worse still, he didn’t want to have to use him. But Scott knew that he needed to.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Everyone had started to gather together. Even though Scott had hoped that it would be a much smaller affair, it was easy to see why everybody would want to be there. He worried that it wouldn't be what everybody expected. And then again, he was worried even more that it would be. What if Vanessa had described it accurately? Scott didn't think that she had lied about anything, but he did worry that she had been caught up in the moment and it had exaggerated itself in her thinking.
He looked down at his son, and Shane seemed to be calmer than he was. That's the way it had been lately. The ten-year-old was far calmer than the father. It was like Shane already knew this was going to happen and Scott was hard-pressed to fight the urge to ask him what all he knew.
“It's going to be okay, Dad.”
“Of course, I'm… Of course.”
Scott wasn't sure, but he didn't even try to seem like he was. He was beyond trying to comprehend what was going on. All he could do was go with it and hope that it all turned out for the best.
Jack walked up to him and shook his hand, ruffled Shane’s dark hair, and asked him if he was ready.
Shane let go of Scott's hand, and Scott immediately felt the loss. He had waited years to feel that, and now it was gone again. Why did he feel like he was losing his son all over again?
Jack talked to the boy for a moment, and Scott stood back. He was looking around for Vanessa, needing her presence next to him to feel better. He always was calmer when she was around, and he certainly needed this at the moment. He was so nervous that everything was going to be destroyed.
When Jack walked away, Shane was standing there by himself. There was a little bit of a crowd, but they gave him a wide berth. Scott wasn't even sure what he was going to see.
About that time, Jack shifted and ran towards Shane, snarling like he was going to attack. Vanessa moved next to him and grabbed his hand.
It was exactly what he needed. His son, his baby boy that had left him when he was only eight years old, turned into the beast. He was far too young at ten, not near close enough to a man, but here he was. And quickly, he was bigger, but then something strange happened to Jack as well.
At first, all the eyes were on the little boy that was twice as big as a grown man. It was unheard of at the very least, but then the grown man started to grow. He grew to twice his size, and everybody was staring at the largest shifter they had ever seen in their lives. A booster indeed.
Shane was not able to maintain it very long though. He started to shift back, not able to hold himself as his true form, because he just wasn't ready. Whatever the witches had done to him only lasted while he felt like he was in danger. Or pain. Scott hated the thought that ran through his mind. His son had told him that he had sustained it for hours, and he only had to imagine how that was possible.
The crowd was silent for a while, and Scott looked at all of the faces. They were in awe, but afraid as well. It was magic, and they didn't know what to say to that. Of course, they used magic themselves, but they didn't see it that way. It wasn’t a spell or a trick; it was just something that they were born with. It was an inherent part of them. They didn't have to do anything, say anything; all they had to do was be, and they were magical.
Suddenly, the whole place broke out in whoops and hollers and claps. It may have taken a moment to get all of the shock out of the way, but then it was clear to everyone. They could actually win this. That was the first time that anybody had thought it was possible. All the planning, all the bullshit, was nothing compared to what they had just seen.
Jack was smiling ear to ear, and Scott got a very bad feeling. His worst nightmare was coming true at the same time that his whole shifter clan could be saved. It was hard to deal with both of them simultaneously. Was he supposed to be happy? Or was he supposed to be sad that his child was going to have to do just one more thing that he wasn’t equipped to do?
Everyone started to quiet down after Jack put his hands up. It was clear that he wanted attention, and Scott wanted to hear what his new friend had to say.
“Well, we have all seen it with our own eyes. I was a little skeptical, as most of you probably were as well, but you have all seen it here. This young boy was taken captive and held by the witches for over two years. Now you can see how they were trying to turn him into a weapon. But little did they know that we were going to turn their weapon against them!”
Scott could understand why everything was being seen the way it was. He could understand the implications, but at the same time, he was even more worried about his son. Shane was not a weapon, for the witches, or for the shifters. He was a little boy, and Scott wished for nothing more,
than to switch places with him.
Scott didn’t want it all on Shane’s shoulders. He was too young to have all of those responsibilities. He felt himself spiraling out of control, but then he felt a small pressure on his hand.
He looked over at Vanessa and smiled. Scott didn’t know how he would go on without her. She was his angel and helped him to get through the rest of it. His son changed several times, and each time, he boosted more and more people.
“It’s going to be okay, Scott. He’s strong.”
Scott knew that she’d had her reservations as well, but the more he saw that his son could do, the more he knew this all happened for a reason. He had to believe that. It was the only way that he was going to be able to deal with the new reality he found himself in.
He kissed her briefly, waiting for everyone to stop fawning over Shane. He saw the smile on his face and knew that if nothing else, his son was back to normal, even if it was because of his abnormality. The rest of the pack left slowly, hope and excitement on their faces. Everything had changed.
Jack walked towards him. “You got one hell of a kid there, Scott.”
Scott agreed. “Yes, I do.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Vanessa watched with amazement while the demonstration was going on. Nobody could take their eyes away from the young boy. It was easy to see why the witches would try so hard to get him back. She knew that they would never stop until they had him. He was the ultimate weapon, and they had to somehow figure out a way to make sure that he wasn't used to kill his own people.
The one thing that everybody was worried about was that they would get their hands on Shane. Not just for Shane’s wellbeing, but for everybody else around him. It was clear to see or imagine, what he would be able to do if instead of making them stronger and bigger, he was able to do the same thing to the witches.
Vanessa was starting to realize that the world she had put herself in was a very dangerous one, far more dangerous than she ever would have imagined. It was also the best time that she had ever had. Being with Scott and Shane, feeling like they were family, had been better than anything that she had experienced. As much as Vanessa wanted to get back to a normal life, she knew at the same time, that she never really would go back. How could she go back to normal now?
“You’ve been pretty quiet.”
They were on their way to meet some witches, and they were following Jack in a truck ahead of them. Vanessa had no idea the outcome of this meeting, and she was nervous. Shane had taken a nap, exhausted from all of the shifting.
“This is just a lot. I hope the witches can stop whatever is helping them track us.”
Vanessa was paranoid that the witches would be at every corner. They certainly had made it clear that they had the power to be anywhere, anytime. If they didn't get how to stop that from happening, there was no telling what would happen next.
“I hope so too. We just have to have a little faith, right?”
He was using her words against her, and Vanessa didn't like it. She had been there to tell Scott that everything was going to be okay, but it was hard for her to feel the same way.
“Do you think everything's going to be alright?”
“I do, and you're the one that showed me that it could all work out.”
“I guess it's harder to convince myself. I really get uncomfortable around witches.”
He chuckled a little bit and nodded his head. “I would imagine that you have a pretty damn good reason, Vanessa. They haven't been the best to you.”
Vanessa felt like that was an extreme understatement. She had been almost killed several times now because of witches.
“Well, don't worry about it too much, Vanessa. Jack has faith in them, so I think we should as well. They spent a lot of time trying to find a coven to help, and this was the best one that they could come up with.”
She was trying not to be more complicated. He was doing the best he could and most likely just as nervous as she was. His son’s life was on the line after all. Vanessa tried to pull herself together.
Instead of saying anything else, she leaned against his shoulder and sighed a little bit. No matter what was going on, she always felt better when she was next to him.
“I agree with Shane. I can't wait till this is all over.”
“I know, Vanessa. We will be there soon, and then we can see what this is all about.”
Vanessa agreed, but she wasn’t convinced. She was trying her best to think positive, but it was rather hard to. Nothing had gone their way yet.
“Wake up, Vanessa.”
Vanessa looked out the window and saw that they had stopped. When she looked around, all she could see was woods around her in a small cottage. It just felt like the place that a witch would live, and she immediately started getting nervous. Vanessa was hoping that the sickening feeling in her stomach was baseless. It was just because of what she had heard and what the other witches had done.
“We're here.”
Shane’s voice was excited from the back seat, and she turned to smile at him.
Vanessa would have thought that he wouldn't want to be around witches after his ordeal, but it was becoming clear to her, and everyone else, that Shane bounced back easily.
“Are you ready for this, Shane?”
He agreed, and she could tell that he was ready. It looked like he wasn't bothered by anything, and Vanessa wished more than once that she could be as calm and collected as he was. Obviously, this kid knew something that they didn't know.
They got out of the car and met up with Jack and his brother. They talked for a few minutes while everyone else looked at the house looming in front of them. It was the kind of place that a person would avoid if they came close enough to see it. It just felt creepy, and Vanessa had to rub her shoulders a couple of times because of the chill in the air.
It wasn't the temperature though. The temperature was fine, and she knew it. It was the house. Or rather, it was the people in the house.
Shane seemed excited to go in and meet the witches. He was convinced that it was going to stop the other ones from finding him, Vanessa wasn't so sure, but she played along to make him feel better. The last thing she wanted was for him to be upset or scared.
The five people went towards the house and knocked on the door. An elderly woman answered and smiled back at Vanessa. Vanessa felt like she knew immediately that she was human and was singling her out.
“I didn't realize you were bringing one of them with you.”
Vanessa was worried for a moment, but then Scott pulled her to his side and said that obviously that was the case. She was worried that there would be a problem, but Scott wasn’t going to let that happen, and she was able to relax.
“Well then. Let's get inside. I don't need people to see you here.”
This was supposed to be the person that was going to help them, and she had to wonder if that were the case or not. She didn't feel like she was going to be helped by the woman. She felt like she was being instantly judged.
It didn't matter what Vanessa felt, though. She knew that they were there for something far bigger than her feelings. She asked the witch if she would like her to stay outside. “I don't mind.”
“Of course not. You are welcome here, just like everyone else.”
Vanessa wasn't so sure, but she knew that she didn’t want to raise a fuss. Scott was there, and he would keep her safe. All she had to do was keep to herself and see what happened.
Vanessa moved into the house with the rest of them, and she immediately was inundated with a smell. It was a mixture of mothballs and age. The house was decrepit, just like the witches that she could see sitting on various little chairs. Vanessa was quickly introduced to them, and just as quickly forgot their names. Greta. That was only witch that she was going to remember: the one that made it clear she didn't want the human in her house.
Greta was obviously the leader or the loudmouth of the witches. She was the one that was asking and
answering all the questions. She wanted to get a look at Shane, and she smiled to herself for a moment. “I can already feel this one’s strength coming to me.”
“It usually doesn't work unless he shifts.”
“No, it's not actually the way it works. In witches, we feel it immediately. Just being around him, I can already feel my old bones warming up.”
There was a look that came over her face that made every member of the party nervous. It was palpable, the power in the air. Vanessa had seen the same look before when Shane had started to turn the first time. It was the same crackling in the air as well. She was glad that someone else was seeing it and not just her. It was different than how Shane had looked when they were testing him.
“He said you could help him.”
“Yes, I can definitely help him now. I feel so powerful. You are a very special little boy, Shane.”
“There seems to be some kind of tracking spell on him. Some way that the witches keep finding us. I don't want them to find us again. They want my son, and I won’t let that happen.”
“No, I would think not. The one that is after him is someone that no one wants to be found by. I wouldn’t want to deal with Serena either.”
“Then why are you helping us?”
“She is not good. Serena has never been good for anyone. Right now, she is against shifters and vampires, but soon enough, she will be against witches as well.”
“I thought she was a witch.”
“She is, but she was not born a witch. She was made a witch in a laboratory, just like your son was made to be what he is. He boosts magic. It wasn’t something that he was born with but made into. He didn’t have a choice. Just like she didn’t have a choice.”
“So, she didn’t want it?”
“As the story goes, no. She was made that way, and some people say that she never got over it. The life of witches is a hard one, especially if you don't choose it or have the family support to explain it all to you. There's a lot to learn and she didn't have that. She was used and discarded, left to deal with the powers that she had. As you can tell, she hasn’t dealt well with them, though she has made a way to find power that no one else was able to tap into yet. Many think she made a deal with the devil, but you know how rumors are.”
