The Wolf in Me

Chapter 1: Challenge Accepted

"Hey, Ethan! Come over here!" his friend Jerry called for him. Ethan walked up to Jerry to see what was up with him this time. Though he was cautious and took small steps towards him, he could very easily smell trouble. There he found his friends John and Cody as well, smiling stupidly like he had something drawn in his face.

"What's up?!" Ethan asked.

"Look there!" said Jerry pointing towards an old abandoned barn by the border of the town. "Only if you dare, I bet you'll wet your pants before even stepping in."

"What should I do?" asked Ethan.

"Oh, Eth, don't act so stupid. What I'm saying is that we four will spent the whole night in that barn, that is if you're not scared already."

Though Ethan was provoked, he thought well before thinking of what to say. He remembered that his sister had told him stories of giant direwolves which wandered the forests in those parts and sometimes came to the town's outskirts. He was also afraid of the dark, and he didn't want to risk it. The barn looked so scary even at day, that he couldn't imagine how scary it would look at night. Ethan's heart beat faster and eyes got larger at the thought of that.

"You know, mates. I'd like to but my mom's told me to not stay out for too long."

"Aw, such a cute little baby... do you want some milk?" John teased Ethan for being a coward, this got Ethan a bit angry. The others started to laugh at him, and Ethan seeing so began to frown and get angry.

"Told you he won't, he's a baby!" Jerry teased him.

"I'll go!" Ethan shouted in Jerry's face. "I'm accepting your challenge, I'll come to the barn, just tell me when."

"All right! Tonight 9 PM. Don't be late or else the consequence will be severe," Jerry said.

"I won't be," said Ethan, "but you don't be late."

"Hey!" said Jerry, "I'm not the wimp here, you are. I swear, if you don't come, then we will tease you for the whole week... not only in school, but everywhere."

Suddenly the school bell rang and the break was over. They all returned to their classes. "You better come," Jerry snarled at him. The entire day was a bit uneasy for him. Throughout the remaining classes he got dirty looks from Jerry and Cody and John, he could hardly concentrate on the book. After the school was over however, they were stopped from giving their dirty looks by Ethan's best friend George. Ethan told him whatever they've been doing to him, but George didn't seem to mind their challenge.

"Why do you act like a wimp always?" George asked him, "there's no ghosts there, and I have no problem from the challenge. I'll not be with you always."

"I can't help it," said Ethan. "You're so tall and strong being much taller than an average 13 year old, while I'm only 12 and still smaller than a 10 year old. I can't help it, its my genes. I bet you weren't 4'8 when you were 12."

"Anyways, I'll come to your house in the evening," said George, "I have some work of my own to do, and so I'll be going now."

"Okay, goodbye."

Ethan slowly walked the path back home, he had to walk for a mile through a lonely road. He walked slowly and not paying attention to his surrounding. Suddenly he crashed into something very large and fell down. He looked up to see two large muscular bodies with jet black hair, they were both 6'2 and over 220 lbs. They were James and Tim, the school's bullies.

"Hey Lightman, where ya going?" James said.

"Home" Ethan said getting up. "Sorry for having done that, I'll be out of your way."

"Oh really? Do ya think we'll let you get away like this?" Tim asked blocking his way.

"Why?" Ethan asked with tears in his eyes, he stepped back and wanted to run away, but he knew that these two boys were much faster and stronger than him. He had tried to run away before, but they were much faster than him. And so Ethan stood there without moving, he was very scared seeing them.

"Oh yes, come with us!" James forcibly dragged Ethan into an alleyway and threw him towards the wall.

"Please let me go, I don't have any money." Ethan started to cry.

"Do you think we'll just let you go in this way?" Tim asked again pinning him to the wall with a punch ready. With his other hand he pulled Ethan's wavy light brown hair and stared down into his blue eyes with his brown ones.

"What are you carrying?" James asked and took off Ethan's bag and threw down all that was in it on the ground. There was not much in it but a few books and a notebook and a fidget spinner.

"Where's the money?!" James growled at him.

"I already told you, I don't have any." Ethan said.

"Oh! Do ya expect us to believe you you little piece of crap?!" James said.

"I think he's hiding the money in his underwear," Tim said to James. "Now help me take em off of him."

"No!!" Ethan shouted and put his hands down covering his little body. But how can a little skinny thing as him fight two athletes like them? James and Tim were not about to stop, they pulled Ethan's little shirt almost taking them off but Ethan was resisting. He threw his legs and kicked Tim in his belly.

Tim was in no way injured but instead very angry, he knocked Ethan to the ground. "Why you little shit?"

"Please don't hurt me," Ethan said crying.

Tim and James got on him, he began to hope for the worst as he tried to cover his little body. Tim put his knee on his chest and pinned him on the ground.

The two of them laughed in an evil manner, but suddenly a voice came from behind. "Hey!"

James and Tim looked behind themselves to see a strange person with angry eyes. Ethan looked up to see a strange boy in black clothes with long blond hair, he looked really weird and angry.

"Damn it," they said in unison.

"Let's go," James said as the two of them got up and left Ethan.

And so the two of them escaped from there leaving Ethan alone on the ground. He laid there motionless and he could hear fast footsteps on the ground. The strange boy came towards him and put his hand forth for Ethan to grab and get up. He said something in a strange language which definitely wasn't English. Ethan grabbed his hand to feel that they were very smooth and pale.

"Are you all right?" the strange boy asked in his sweet voice.

"Um... yeah, I think," Ethan replied. The boy pulled him up with a light smile, he rubbed off the dust from Ethan's shoulders. The boy was much taller than him, about 5'9 or 10, and he had something strange about him. At first Ethan looked into his almond shaped eyes which were purple, like the sky at sunrise. His face was girl-like and his hair was as long as his shoulders, but still he could not be mistaken for a girl.

"I'm glad," he said with a smile and holding Ethan's chin. "Be careful, there are many treats nearby, run back home and be cautious."

"Thanks, man," said Ethan. The boy smiled very deeply.

"I'll take my leave then," the boy said and left Ethan. He moved away from him and waved his hand as Ethan looked at him. The very moment Ethan turned back and looked again, he was gone.

"Who was he?" Ethan wondered, but still he didn't stay there for long and he ran back home. This was a normal day for him.