Darkness | ~Danny Gonzalez~

Chapter One

Danny sat in his office, setting up his equipment for his next video. 

Once the camera was in place, he examined his appearance on the monitor screen.

He combed his fingers through his thick chestnut hair to make it appear somewhat less disheveled. It caused him more trouble than desired. One particular strand of hair looked out of place no matter which way he brushed it.

When he was finally satisfied enough, he gathered himself, took a deep breath, and pressed record.

"What's up Greg," he greeted gleefully, with an energetic smile and a cheerful wave. "Welcome back to another episode of Me Babysitting Some Animals."

He motioned back to where his dog sat, beside his nutcracker.

"That's my dog Peanut, and I'm also watching Drew's cat Bim Bim. But I'm not sure where she went... She hates me. For those of you who are new to my channel, Drew is one of my closest friends. I'll put a link to his channel in the description." 

He and Drew were the best of friends. Their interests and personalities were almost identical, but they both brought something unique to the table in their friendship. Drew had to go out of town, but really needed someone to watch his cat. Danny reluctantly agreed.

"When he gets back from his trip, we might make a video together, so keep your eyes out for that-"

Suddenly Danny heard a knock at the door.

"Uh, hold on, I've gotta go see who that is. I'll edit this out later."

He held a finger up to the camera and went downstairs so he could check the door. 

To his surprise, when he swung the door open, Drew was the one standing behind it.

"Drew!" he greeted. "I thought you weren't coming back 'til Wednesday."

"Yeah. Changed my mind," shrugged Drew.

"Come on in. Bim Bim's around here somewhere. I was actually just starting my new video, so..."

Danny paused mid-sentence, because he noticed something seemed different about Drew. 

It took him a while to place it, but he soon realized it was Drew's eyes! They were purple.

"Brooo, you got contacts? Those are dope!" 

"Yeah, I needed a change."

Something else was off about Drew, though. He seemed more brooding than normal. He wasn't responding to Danny how he normally would. Not holding the same level of energy and attentiveness he normally would hold.

Danny's voice turned softer and concerned. "Drew. Are you okay, man?"

"Yeah," Drew nodded. "Better than okay."

"You tired? Guest bedroom's all yours if you want a nap-"

"No, really. I'm good."

"Then, what's... what's going on? Something's off about you."

"The eyes? I just thought I could use a change. It might be a little drastic, but-"

"No. I like the purple, it's just... I don't know, you seem off."

"...Well, if you must know, my vacation did allow me the chance to reflect and transform. I decided I'm gonna start taking charge. Making some changes."

"That's great! ...You're not like, going vegan or anything, right?"

"No, no, nothing like that. More like... changes in my influence."