By The Moon - 2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

The yelling was very loud and the man next to the painting, whom I figured was Gray, started walking towards me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the back door. The inside of the house was cool. The walls were nice dark shade of color. I’m still not sure what color it is exactly because it seemed to change depending on who was in there. As soon a Gray walked in it turned a dark purple. Like the night sky. But when I walked in it turned bright red. The color of freshly drawn blood. Gray quickly glanced back at me and looked at the air around me. Jordan did say the Gray wasn’t all the way there. So I didn’t really pay much mind to it. He turned around as a whole new round of yelling began, accompanied by smashing and some loud thuds. He ran quickly up the stairs near the back of the house. He stopped and gestured for me to follow. I ran up right after him. The shouting sounded like it belonged to two guys. One was Jordan’s voice while the other sounded equally masculine but also younger. Gray and I opened the door together. Jordan was able to get one insult in before they both turned to me faces smoothed over like they in a slight dream. This lasted a second before they shook out of it.

“What was that!?” The smaller, ashy blond man said. His emerald green eyes shining. His gaze was still on me. Jordan on the other hand looked confused. Gray simply shrugged and walked away, leaving me and Jordan and the young man. He looked older than me by like a year but looked younger than Jordan by like three years. His face was angelic. Unlike Jordan whose face was the perfect representation of ruggedness. Now that I thought of it all the men here were handsome. Gray was serene and beautiful. His disconnection from life made him all that more interesting. But the man in front of me held my attention. I stuck out my hand.

“I’m Mark.” His face was immediately relaxed. He took my hand in his and shook. He was strong but not all that much more than me.

“I’m Chase.” His eyes seemed to glitter. Jordan seemed kind of out of it still, from whatever happened when I walked into the room. I could hear a TV turn on. From the sound of it some documentary. Jordan looks at us dazed. He walked out of the room leaving me with Chase.

We looked at each other awkwardly and we headed downstairs. When we came down we saw both of the guys sitting on the couch watching a documentary on wolves. The irony. Jordan looked up at me with a smile on his face, while Gray was intent on watching the program. Chase was looking at me. His eyes locked on my face. I blushed and walked over to the couch quickly. I heard a faint laughter, I turned around and he shut up. I glared at him for about a second when my expression softened. I smiled again. He sat down on a chair next to the couch and offered the chair next to him. I sat down. All I could think of was the fact that they were so welcoming. They seemed to want me here. And a voice in the back of my head told me that I should stay. As soon as the documentary was over Jordan got up.

“Come on Mark. Time to give you a tour.” He lead me to the front part of the house. The front hallway was decorated “differently.” There was a closet for the jackets and boots to go. They didn’t mind the fact that wore my shoes around inside. But on the walls were pictures of the most weird things. Things like axes and swords. But in the dining room the pictures became paintings. Most looked realistic but when I looked carefully at them I noticed the fact that they had differences in them. In one the people weren’t really people, but more like creatures dancing around a bonfire. Some were wearing clothes while others simply didn’t need to. The painting wasn’t like one of those old woodprints with grotesque monsters everywhere. They looked beautiful and modern. They had t-shirts with cool pictures on them. They had cars in the background and some even held cans of beer. They looked like college kids. And also some teenagers. Another one was of fire. Blue fire to be exact. It was enchanting. I swore I could see the fire waver out in some places and move around. I jumped when someone started to talk to me.

“I see you’ve found my paintings.” I looked up. My face flushed from the embarrassment of being watched. “I’m Gray.” He held out his hand and shook mine gently. In his other hand was a canvas. When he let go he placed the canvas on the wall. The picture was of the garden outside. But like the others, things didn’t quite look right. The flowers looked like they were dying. Wilting right under my gaze. In the background he had painted me. I looked slightly intimidating. My dark hair falling over my face. And my shirt lose and black. But he had painted me way more beautiful than I was in real life. Around me was a haze, like a heat haze or something. And much like the other paintings it looked like it was moving. I could swear that I saw the flowers wilt even more and the haze around me moving, wrapping it’s presence around the flowers, suffocating them. I tore my eyes away from the image long enough to see him snap his fingers. He let go of the painting and I expected it to fall. But it didn’t. It stayed even though it didn’t have anyway to stick to the wall. No nails or anything. His explanation was simple. “Magick.” He said without even looking at me. He grabbed my arm. “Now lets go see the other rooms.” He pulled me gently along.

The rest of the rooms were equally interesting. I couldn’t say that I didn’t expect something like this to be where they lived. Jordan and the rest of them took turns showing me around. They had two open rooms. One on the second floor and one in the attic. The second floor room was right next to Jordan’s, while Gray’s room was only ten steps from the attic room. Chase had the basement to himself. I decided to take the room next to Jordan‘s. It already had a bed and some furniture. They looked on as I looked at me. “I’ll stay.” They laughed and celebrated. They were amazing partiers. Even though the party was going to my house and picking up some of my stuff.

When I walked into my room with Gray, Chase, and Jordan it seemed simple get my stuff and leave. But then again my life is never that simple.

On my bed was Derek. The clock next to him read 8:47. I hadn’t realized that I was gone all that long. Derek seemed kind of angry.

“Marcus! Where have you been?!” He yelled at me.

“When did you become Dad?” I asked nonchalantly as I pulled him into a hug. He softened out.

“I just didn’t know whether you got hurt r something. I almost lost you once, I won’t let it happen again.” He was always protective of me. To him I was his younger brother. Even though we’re twins.

“Who are they?” He whispered into my ear. He was looking at Gray, Chase and Jordan. They were standing at the doorway to my room with cardboard boxes.

I pulled away from the hug. “Derek, they’re the people I moving in with. Mom was the one who set it up. It’s the only way things are going to get better.” He looked torn apart and also angry. I responded to the torn part of him. “If I don’t get out now something could happen again. The Pack doesn’t want me here. And I’m going away till the whole thing can blow over.” My words had a calming effect on him.

“Since you put it that way… the least I can do is to help.” He tried to smile but it can out more forced than anything else. Gray handed him a box.

By the time we had packed everything into the back of Jordan’s van it was about 10:00. I gave Derek one last hug and told him to go get some sleep. I would be back in no time. When he left we all piled up inside of the now crowded van. I practically had to lay down on top of Chase because Gray took passenger side and Jordan was driving. Chase was talking to me nonstop. I had to urge to tell him to be quiet but I kept silent. Gray was fast asleep up front, or so I thought. Until he turned back us.

“Chase, he wants you to shut up.” He turned to me. “Don’t you?” Jordan laughed and looked at the two of us in the rear view mirror. I was cuddled up in Chase’s side. When I realized this I slowly moved away. Jordan smiled at me.

“Don’t worry, I really don’t care.” Chase stopped arguing with Gray and looked at his brother.

“What are you talking about?” Chase didn’t even know that I was laying into him. I blushed bright red, good thing that it was really dark out or they all would be able to see it.

The ride was silent until when we reached the house again. I unpacked as fast as I could. My room was very soon complete. Gray went to lay down while Chase and Jordan said they felt more awake at night and that they didn’t need as much sleep as others. I sat on my bed and tried to think. So much happened to day. First I come to visit and check out the house and then I move in with them. I also had to deal with my brother, and I think I was going insane. Paintings didn’t move and Chase didn’t like me like that. I told myself this like a mantra. Nothing helped me get to sleep except to turn on my music. The calming nature of piano music was the perfect lullaby. Soon the dreams were upon me, like dogs in the Wild Hunt.