Cursed

Every day that Kieran and I talked, we got closer and closer and the more I was convinced that Kieran maybe did like me. As much as I wanted to believe we could be together, I knew we couldn’t. I made up my mind to savor this falsehood. I’d enjoy being this close to him while I could.

And I swear I’ll keep him safe, no matter what. Which meant that I had to talk to my uncle. Why would Uncle Markus even come all the way here to talk to Kieran? I couldn’t shake the weird feeling that what Kieran told me gave me.

I didn’t think my uncle would hurt anyone, but it was definitely weird that he’d talk to one of my friends out of the blue.

I couldn’t exactly drive forty miles away without the money for gas and at the moment my parents couldn’t afford it so I obviously just called up my uncle.

“Hello?” He answered on the first ring.

“Did you speak to Kieran?” I asked, getting straight to the point.

“Why, yes, I did,” he told me.

“Why?”

“Finn, you certainly don’t mess around when you’re looking for answers,” he said. “I was just able to smell his scent all around you and your room and thought I would say hello while I was in town.”

“Without saying hi to your brother?” I questioned.

“I did say hi to Casey, you were gone, however, I think you were at school,” he explained.

“Don’t talk to Kieran again,” I warned. I don’t care how innocent my uncle thought it was, but Kieran was obviously stirred by it and I didn’t want to see him scared or anything like that. This is part of protecting him.

“Why can’t I? I just like to see how your life is. Since Skylar died and we had no kids together, you’re the closest thing I have to a son.”

“…” I was quiet after that. I felt like he was playing at something or not being entirely truthful.

“It’s true. I know I never really lived near your family, but now I live close enough to visit more often so I hope I can be a part of your family’s life a bit more.”

“I’ll be sure to tell Dad that. But don’t talk to Kieran without me there again, okay? You kind of scared him,” I said.

“Okay then,” he agreed. “Was there anything else?”

“No, that’s all, bye,” I said before quickly hanging up.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After I went to sleep, I was rudely woken up by noises outside the house. Ready to defend myself and my house, I readied my claws and fangs. Not completely transforming, but just enough to have an advantage.

I peeked out my window for a second just to see Kieran, shivering and walking towards my house. He looked obviously scared.

Quickly, I put away my claws and fangs and opened the backdoor to the yard. “W-What are you doing here?”

Kieran said nothing but just collapsed into my arms, cold from the fall air. I could’ve gotten in so much trouble for this, but I disregarded it. Protecting Kieran came before what could happen to me. So I let my arms wrap around him, desperately trying to warm him up with my arms.

“You’re freezing,” I said, dropping my voice so my parents wouldn’t hear. Y’know, if they didn’t hear Kieran walking around outside already.

Either way, I led Kieran back to my room. I just hoped that Shailey didn’t find out about this.

“What’s wrong Kieran?” I asked after I wrapped him in one of my blankets.

“I was just hearing strange noises outside of my house and neither of my parents are home. I was just kind of freaked out so I came here,” he told me.

“You heard weird noises outside of your house so you went outside and walked to mine?” I asked.

“Yes! Don’t question me! But seriously, I was scared,” he whimpered.

“So you came to me?” I asked, dumbfounded. Shailey’s house would probably be the safest for him, why didn’t he go there?

“I told you Finn, I feel safe with you,” he repeated.

“You should probably go to Shailey’s,” I told him without saying anything about his comment.

“Just let me stay here Finn, please,” he begged, looking at me with puppy eyes and his lip quivering.

I didn’t know how to say no to him at all. I couldn’t.

“Okay, just, let’s get some sleep okay?” I said. At the moment, I didn’t care how much trouble I got in, just as long as I could be with him and make him feel safe again.

I took the side closest to the wall and he lay down next to me. Just before I drifted off to sleep, I felt his arms clutch around my body. I tensed up and my breathing ceased as I was taken aback by his sudden movements. But I knew that the greater part of me enjoyed it and let him continue to do so.

“Finn,” he called out. “Why won’t you tell me anything about yourself?”

Because you wouldn’t believe me, because you would be scared, you would hate me, you would feel betrayed. I couldn’t do that to him.

“I have,” I lied.

“But you and Shailey are hiding something from me and… keeping secrets from your friend is mean.”

“…It’s better that I keep this secret a secret,” I told him.

“You can trust me a little bit, you know,” he whispered.

I turned to face him, to see his expression. He looked a bit saddened by what I’d said. I didn’t mean to make him look that way, but… I absolutely couldn’t let him know this one thing.

“I’m sorry. I do trust you, but this secret… I know you would have every right to freak out,” I told him. “And that scares me.”

“You know what scares me?” He asked. I just looked at him and barely shook my head. “Rejection.”

And then he did it. He leaned over and brushed his lips against mine. I fought a losing battle against myself to push away from him and, instead, pressed my lips against his actively responding to him.

After I got just enough to fulfill me for perhaps a lifetime, I pulled away and shakily said, “N-no, I-I can’t.”

All I wanted to say at the moment, truthfully, was how much I liked him and how I would do anything for him and whisper sweet nothings to him. That’s what I could’ve done… had I been human, had I been normal. Instead, I just said, “Go to Shailey’s, please.”