1x1 with x_fire

Nick rolled his eyes. "You worry about everything." He murmured. "And you're right, you shouldn't." He added, bumping her shoulder with his gently. "But I'm always here for you, and I always will be." He said, smiling at her. He could hear that she didn't want to talk about it anymore and he nodded gently, standing up from the bed. It was late, and despite being vampires and all, they should probably try and sleep.
"Alright Sis. If you're still bugging out then come find me if you want." Nick said , giving her once last smile and leaving her room.

-----------------

"Just be extra careful on the stairs." Kristen said. "They can be tricky with crutches." She added, smiling since she knew from experience.
"Movie it is." Kristen said, sitting forward to reach the case of movies.
"Yep, three in the morning." Kristen murmured as she browsed through the family's vast collection of DVD's and Blu-ray discs.
"Hmm...something funny maybe?" Kristen asked curiously. "Something we haven't watched in a while...how about Shrek?"

Serena offered her brother a wry grin.
"Alright, thanks Nick" She murmured, waiting him to vacate the room before she tossed off her robe and crawled into bed. Yawning, she snuggled down into her blankets, her mind still in turmoil, though she didn't try to make sense of any of it at that time. She was tired, grumpy and she was worried and anxious but she was going to go to sleep. Screwing her eyes shut, she took a deep, unnecessary breath and tried to relax. She could hear the house relax, her parents were asleep, as much as vampires could be, and Nick was well on his way to sleep, or at least he was well on his way to sleep. Why couldn't she be that way? So bloody carefree, everyone in her family was that way, relaxed, happy, not stressed, and then there was her. She just couldn't seem to relax. She hadn't been able to just move on and let things go since she and Nick were kidnapped all those years ago. She had never told anyone, not even Nick that she still had nightmares about that, was still scared to drink blood due to irrational fears of it being drugged, scared to be alone in the house, though she suspected her brother knew all those things. She was just really screwed up.

----

"I'll be careful" He murmured. "And Shrek sounds good" He enjoyed the movie and something funny would probably lull him to sleep whereas as Action would keep him up and probably slightly hyper.
"Thanks Mom" He added, snuggling down into his blankets, wincing slightly as he did so. Shoving down his desire to shift, he forced himself to focus on the movie, his head resting on Kristen's shoulder, eyes half lidded as he stared at the screen, a small smile tugged on his lips as he watched the first scenes of the movie.

((Should we skip ahead? Maybe to like first day of school? Or did you have something else in mind?))

OOC: Skipping his fine with me =]
I may have Zach accidently shifting though, since that would be funny. Also, I'm off to bed, I'll respond tomorrow!

((Alrighty then, I'll just start with the kids getting to school ))


Maddie found herself staring up at the front doors of the high school. Her bag was slung over her shoulder, full of texts and notebooks she'd need for the day. Something caught her though, and she was stuck to the spot. The thought of this being her last first day of highschool was a weird thought. Most kids her age were just getting into there first or maybe second year of highschool. Maddie was a senior thank's to the professor's bumping her up three years when she'd been in elementary school. Maddie would deny that it was difficult. The school work hadn't been the challenge...being excepted into the class had been the real task.

She knew this year was going to be different. She had pretty much ignored her "friends" all summer long, knowing that she needed to crack down and do better this year. All A's could be achievable for her, and it would look great come college time. Not to mention that her skating lessons started at the end of this week. That was going to be interesting to say the least.

"Maddie?"
Turning at the sound of her name, Maddie found herself grinning as she recognized the guy walking towards her. He was a head taller than her, with dark brown, hair that was tinted a bit red. Freckles dotted his nose and under green eyes that smiled at her.
"You're back!" Maddie said, hugging her friend around the neck tightly.
"Yep. Madrid was great though." Gerry said, smiling lightly. "I think you grew since the last time I saw you." He said, tapping her head gently.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Maddie said and Gerry laughed.
"Let me see your class schedule." Gerry said and Maddie handed over her paper. "Hmm...you've got quite the work load." He mused.
"I'm trying to keep myself busy." Maddie admitted.
"Well we have first period together." Gerry said. "And you need to catch me up on what's happened while I was studying abroad for a year." He said, tossing an arm over Maddie's shoulder and leading her up into the school.


Nick yawned as he stepped out of the car. He muttered a good bye to his mom who waved as she drove off after dropping them off. The past week and a half of summer had pretty much flew by for Nick, and all of a sudden they were back at school.
"Meh." Nick said as he glanced up at the school. "I was excepting like those little clicks everywhere...ya know, like in the cheesy movies?" He said, glancing at his sister with a small smirk.

Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed deeply as he glanced around the school. They still had a few minutes before the first bell rang for class and kids were milling about, finding friends and such.
"Nick?" Someone called behind him. Nick glanced over his shoulder to see Allison stepping out of her car. He gave her a light smile and waved. "Wow....I almost didn't recognize you. Hey Serena." Allison added, seeing the girl as she walked closer.
"How was the rest of your summer?" She asked, though Nick had a feeling that was geared more towards Serena than him. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Nick sighed softly. He nodded to his sister before turning and heading up towards the school.

"Nicolas Draq! Is that you!"
Nick groaned as he heard a familiar voice call out to him. He was so close to the doors...maybe he should just walk inside and ignore his ex. But she already had a hand on his shoulder and was turning to face him.
"Wow! You've grown!" Katie said, flashing her cat-green eyes at him.
"So glad you've noticed." Nick muttered sarcastically. "If you'll excuse me..." He said, trying to step past him.
"Look, I feel real awful about how things ended...let's get lunch today." Katie said, rubbing Nick's shoulder gently. He snapped his arm away from her and took a deep breath to get his anger in check.
"No thanks. School lunches don't exactly sit well with me."
"Well, aren't we touchy." Katie said, though she laughed like it wasn't an insult. "Come on Nick, for old-time's sack." She said.
Nick suppressed the growl in his throat. Katie was getting on his nerves more than usual today, and Nick wasn't sure how much he could take of it. "Katie, I ended things with you for a reason." Nick said, glaring at her with all he had, a smirk of sanctification coming to his face as her expression changed entirely. "I don't want anything to do with you. Period. End of discussion."
He brushed past her then and to start wandering into the school.
"I guess what they say about vampires are true!" Katie yelled back, her anger getting the best of her. "You're just a cold heartless-bastard."
Nick stopped for a half a second. He thought about answering her as his grip on his backpack strap tightened. He took a deep breath and shook his head, ignoring her instead and walking into the building.

Zach shifted uncomfortably on his crutches as he hobbled along side one of his friends towards the lockers. Thankfully a quick meeting with the coach of all the teams Zach was involved in had gone well and Zach had no lost his place on any of the teams, even if he was temporarily benched.
"So glad to be back?" Tom asked, the tall werewolf was striding slowly alongside his friend, making sure no one bowled the shape-shifter hybrid over.
"Yes and No" Zach responded, sighing in relief as they finally reached their small cluster of lockers. Balancing percariously, he managed to get the locker open and dump his uneeded things inside. Tom offered him a questioning look and Zach grinned before launching into an explanation.
"Yes as in I'm happy I'm back and get to see all my friends again and get back into a routine. No because well, I'm crippled right now and hobbling around school really frigging sucks" He grumbled. "Never realized how big this place was until I got hurt, its hard enough getting around my house on crutches, this place is like a billion times bigger" He moaned. Tom chuckled, "I dunno, you have a pretty big house" He teased. Both boys chuckled and headed down the hallway towards their shared history class.

---

Serena nodded in agreement, "Guess that'll happen midway through the year" She grinned. "When the new students join cliques and stuff" She smiled as Allison approached her and Nick.
"It was alright, sort of boring actually" Serena responded, watching Nick leave with a small frown on her face.
"Guess we should find our lockers huh? And maybe our classes, I have no idea where I'm going" She admitted to her friend with a shrug.

Serena paused near the steps when she saw Katie approach Nick, a scowl making its way onto her face. She wasn't quite close enough to hear the conversation over the noise of all the students milling about on the steps, but she could tell it wasn't going well. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw Katie snap at Nick and her twin whirl around and disappear inside. Whatever the girl had said had really pissed him off or upset him.
"What a bitch" Serena muttered, narrowing her eyes at the other girl, if she could bring herself to kill or hurt anyone, it would be Katie.
You okay? Serena asked Nick in their private twin speak, she was worried about him. A meeting with Katie, clearly a bad one, wasn't the best way for him to start the new school year. Not to mention Serena tended to worry about her twin, just like he did her.

Sitting in class next to Gerry was almost a relief. Although the boy had three years on Maddie, he was the closet thing she had to a best friend. He was an empath, similar to Maddie, so she figured her understood her more than anyone else.
"How's skating? You didn't give that up did you?" Gerry asked as he tapped his pen against his notebook.
"Actually I did...my parents yanked me for a year but I'm back at it again." Maddie said and Gerry nodded.
"Great. Do you need rides to the rink and stuff?" He asked.
"You have a car?" She asked in curiosity and Gerry grinned.
"I was working in Madrid too. So I managed to save up enough to get a small car. I'm pickin it up this weekend."
"Awesome!" Maddie said. "I'm will working on my liscence...I have to take the driving test."
"You'll do fine. You haven't failed a test yet." Gerry said just as th teacher walked in and class started.

-------------

Allison nodded in agreement. "Yea no kidding." She agreed, walking with Serena into he school. "We'll my brother went here last year so I kinda know where everything is." She said. "The freshman lockers should be down this hallway." She added pointing to the right.

Im fine. Nick answered quickly, hearing his sisters thoughts ring clearly in his mind. He was a bit angry but he would cool down after class and then he'd be just fine. Part of him hated that Katie could get under his skin so effortlessly. I was like he let her bother him. That upset him more than anything else.

Finding his locker, Nick fished out his class schedule which had the combination for his locker on it. Opening I after a second try, Nick tossed in a few thugs just to lighten the load and he closed it shut. He saw Serena an Allison headig down the hallway and he gave them a quick smile before dashing off to find his first period class.

Finally Zach and Tom were settled in their first period history class, waiting for other students to arrive.
"Aren't you glad we aren't freshmen anymore?" Tom asked as he fiddled with his pencil.
"Yea, at least we know where everything is now" Zach sighed, digging for a pencil of his own in his bag. "Remember getting lost last year? What a frigging mess that was" He chuckled as the other boy nodded. Slowly people began to filter in, Zach knew almost all of them, having been in class with everyone at one point or another. It helped that he was fairly popular, being a jock and what not, and soon his cast was covered in signatures and well wishes from friends and fans alike.
"Hey, isn't your sister graduating this year?" Tom asked Zach curiously once everyone settled into their seats.
"Yupp, three years early or something insane like that" The dark haired teen pulled a face. "Good thing I'm athletic or my parents would be all over me about my grades. Maddie's like a prodigy or something" He grumbled.
"My sister's smart like that too, you gotta excel in something or else your parents are all over you" Tom said sagely, "We're just lucky we're good in sports, or else we'd have to be good in school" Zach chuckled. Wasn't that the truth.

----

"Good, lead the way" Serena said with a grin, frowning at Nick's short reply. She sighed, no sense pushing him, he'd just get more irritated. Finding her locker, she carefully opened it and deposited her things inside.
"I have Math" She murmured, "What about you?" She glanced up, smiling as she saw Nick before he disappeared, off to hunt down the room for whatever class she was in.

Walking down the hallway, she found her classroom after what felt like an eternity, though thankfully she wasn't late. Slipping inside, she settled in a desk, arranging her things in front of her, trying to ignore her nerves. God she hated the first day of school, especially in a new school. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she casually glanced around at the few other people in the room, she knew a few of them, though not well, but at least she wasn't totally alone.

Allison found her locker just a few spaces down from Serena's and she opened it so she could put some of her notebooks into the empty locker. She would have to put some things in here to make it more homey....it was so plain.
"I have Literature." Allison said, glancing at her schedule. "But I'll catch you later." Allison said before she disappeared entirely from where she had been standing a moment ago.

-----

Classes seemed to be going great so far. Maddie had about two classes each day with Gerry as they compared schedules in the hallway.
"This'll be a great last year." Maddie said, grinning as she wandered to her locker. Someone bumped into her shoulder, which throbbed instantly. Maddie grasped her arm as she was thrown off balance.
"Watch it Bitch!" The girl barked who had bumped into Maddie.
"Watch it yourself!" Maddie barked back. "I'm not the one who can't see where they're walking."
"Look who's talking small-fry. Can you even see over everyone else?" The girl snapped back.
"Whoa, back off Chassy." Gerry said, stepping in when he saw Maddie's eyes sharpen.
"Not until this wreck apologizes."
"I would love to see you make me!" Maddie said, going to step forward. Gerry's hand pressed against her sore shoulder and she winced slightly.
"And who are you supposed to be?" Chassy asked. "Her boyfriend?! Gross, that makes you like a pedophile."
"I'm not a child you dumb bitch!" Maddie barked again.
"Maddie." Gerry muttered. "Enough. Maddie didn't do anything wrong. Look, just get to class. The late bell is going to ring soon." After saying that, Gerry put is other hand on Maddie's shoulder and steered her back down the hallway.
"I could have haddled it." Maddie muttered.
"I'm taking that as a thank you."
"She bumped into me!" Maddie defended.
"It doesn't matter." Gerry said, stepping to stand in front of Maddie. "You're too quick to snap Maddie, you always have been and you know it. Get to class, and try not to get into any more fights." He said. Maddie rolled her eyes and turned to leave before she was late to class.

Serena sighed, letting out a relieved sigh as math finally ended. She wasn't bad at math, she was just a bit bored and lonely in the class. Standing, she gathered her notebooks to her chest and headed out into the hall, glad her locker was nearby since she wanted to dump her mathbook in it and grab her notebook for science. She had no idea what classes her brotehr was in, but she hoped she had at least one with him, it would suck going the whole school year without really seeing her twin. Flicking her hair out of her eyes, she opened her locker, digging around inside before the warning bell rang.
"Hey" A voice sounded behind her. Frowning, Serena turned, eyes going slightly wide as she noticed Mike and a group of his friends standing behind her.
"You look good Serena" The arrogant boy grinned, stepping forward a bit.
"And you look like a jackass. Get away from me" Serena snapped, shutting her locker audibly and stepping away from the group, intent on getting to class before something bad happened.
"Awe Serena" Mike pouted, reaching out to grab her arm.
"What part of get away from me don't you understand Mike. Get out of here before I talk to my brother or my father. You know you're on their hit list" She snapped, jerking her arm away from the boy, shuddering as his fingers grazed her bare skin. Resisting the urge to gag, she turned and walked away, ignoring the catcalls and lewd comments that followed her. This year was going to suck.

----

Zach sighed as he watched his friends run laps in gym. He was parked on the bleachers, he was supposed to be doing homework, but since he had none assigned yet, he was just watching. The urge to shift was still insanely strong and it was getting worse as he felt his inner wolf twitching and snarling just under the surface. His mother had told him that if shifters didn't shift regularly, their inner beasts got more and more agitated, and when they did finally come out, it was often with the animal instincts at the forefront of their minds, the human pushed aside. He shuddered, feeling his skin rippled as he fought the urge. It had been way to long, his mother should have noticed, hell Maddie should have noticed, but they were so focused on his injury and the part vampireism that they (himself included) often forgot about what else he was. Giving a pained shout that drew the attention of the teacher and the entire class, his body finally gave in and loud ripping was heard as Zach's clothes tore, his cast broke and a large, angry black wolf was left standing where Zach had been. The crutches clattered to the floor as the injured wolf snarled and growled at anyone who was near, his body shuddering as he tried to back away, protect himself from the dangers around.
"Someone go get Maddie" The teacher called out, already having sent students to go to the office to get ahold of Kristen or Demitri.

Gerry sighed in relief as she managed to get Maddie to turn around to head to class. He was just about to turn and leave when she ran back to him. Suddenly, she was handing him her bag and her books.
"Maddie what the hell?" Gerry stuttered, nearly dropping everything he was holding.
"Zach's in trouble." Maddie explained. "I have to get to the gym fast." She took off her jacket as well before turning and shifting as she ran down the hallway. The feeling had hit her so hard in the gut that Maddie was two steps from panic mode. She had no idea what had happened to her brother. She just knew it was bad. She barked loudly to get everyone out of the way as she high-tailed it across campus towards the gym. She heard people yelling and screaming, leaving the gym and Maddie whined her way through them to get inside.

When she saw her brother, in full wolf mode, her husky whined softly. This was going to suck. Shifting back, Maddie snapped her fingers to get Zach's attention.
"Hey!" She said, whistling for good measure. "Zach?" Maddie said. "Can you hear me?" she asked, chewing her lip gently for good measure.

-----------

Nick was turning the corner towards his locker when he sensed that something was wrong. Two seconds later, he heard a cat-whistle and then Serena barred right into him.
He frowned, taking her arm so that she wouldn't fall over.
"What happened?" Nick asked, then he saw Mike and he band of idiots walking up the hallway.

Sucking in a breath to quell his anger, Nick took Serena and pushed her behind him. He didn't say anything but he glared at Mike. At the last second, Nick smirked, his eyes growing sharp.
"Hey Mike...how's that shoulder?" Nick asked, tossing his bag over his shoulder and wrapping an arm around Serena and leading her back down the hallway.

"What class do you have next?" Nick asked. "I've got history."

Zach whined, still backed into a corner while the teacher tried to get people to clear off and back away.
He heaved a sigh of relief as he saw Maddie come barreling inside.
"He's totally gone" The man whispered to the girl, "Your mother is on her way, someone is trying to get in touch with your father" He added, wincing as the wolf snarled again. "When was the last time he shifted properly?" As a teacher at a supernatural school and a shapeshifter himself, the teacher knew exactly what was going on. The only problem with this situation is they had one very angry, injured wolf on their hands. Normally when a kid didn't shift for awhile and the change was forced on them, things worked out fine. They just secured the animal and waited until the human mind was back in control. However, since Zach was hurt, probably rather badly now, the wolf wasn't about to let anyone close, nor were human instincts going to take back over anytime soon. It would take, at the very least, hours before Zach regained control, and even then it wasn't advisable for him to shift back, not with a broken leg. He'd only cause more damage.

The wolf glanced at Maddie, whining softly as a spark of recognition entered his eyes, before he backed away once again, snarling and snapping until he was pressed up against the gym wall. Carefully the animal curled in on himself, licking his injured leg once or twice before growling a warning at anyone still in the gym.
"Can we sedate him?" Another teacher suggested, having been called into help.
"No idea" The gym teacher murmured, "Might not be the best idea, we don't know what sort of pain meds he has in his system"

----

Serena sighed, composing herself as soon as she realized it had been Zach that she ran into.
"I have science" She murmured, biting her lip. "Are we going to get any classes together?" She grumbled playfully, trying to quell the small feeling of panic inside her. She smiled at Nick, trying to reassure him she was alright. Sure Mike was a creep and scared the bejesus out of her, but she could handle it. She was fine. She glanced down at her notebook, looking at the room number for her science class.
"I'm down here, I'll meet you by the lockers during lunch?" She asked curiously.

"I don't know..." Maddie said, walking over to the man and stepping a bit closer to Zach. He honestly didn't scare her in his wolf form. She was used to it, and if he tried to lash at her, she could fight him off. "Maybe a few weeks? Not since he broke his leg. Mom said he couldn't. She can't shift when she's broken something, neither can I...so we never thought Zach would." Maddie explained, watching her brother intently.

"You don't need to sedate him." Maddie said, looking at the man who suggested that. "He's not dangerous. Just hurt." She said, seeing the small flash of recognition that passed her brother's face.
"It's alright Zach...I'm here. These men aren't going to hurt you, and neither am I." Maddie said, hoping that if she kept talking to him he would calm down and come back to his sense.
"Mom's on her way..." Maddie added. "She's gonna be here soon...Come on Zach, I need you to come back and get a grip." Maddie said gently, though when she caught the wolf's eyes, she made her's flash the color of her husky; maybe that would jog Zach back into control.

---------

Nick shrugged gently. "We'll find out at lunch if we have any classes together." Nick promised with a small nod as Serena left. His classroom was just a few rooms down. Getting in he sat down with a sigh. Kids in the classroom were chit-chatting, and someone mentioned something about a wolf in the gym.
Nick frowned and turned around.
"Did you just say there's a wolf in the gym?" Nick asked.
The girl who had been talking, nodded her head. "Yea. All of a sudden there was this black wolf! Barking and snarling at everyone...it was crazy."
"Ah hell." Nick muttered, vaguely wondering if that was Zach. He was about to get up and skip class, but then the teacher walked in and closed the door. "Shit." Nick whispered, sitting back down and tapping his pencil restlessly.

Zach stared at Maddie intently, he whined again before lying down, bringing his leg closer to his body and licking it once again. He wasn't fully in a human mind set, but he felt safe around Maddie, and as long as she was around he would be calm, as calm as he could be. Resting his head on his paws, he flicked an ear about, growling softly whenever someone ventured to close to him.

"It might be the vampire in him" The gym teacher said softly. "Sometimes a shifter has to shift, especially young ones, its a lot like losing control for them. Zach only showed his shifter genes in the last few years, his control is tentative at best" The man explained. "The barely there control mixed with the need to shift probably forced a change on him" He said, glancing up as someone entered the gym.

Zach whined again, pulling his body tighter against the wall. His tail thumped against the grown and he snarled again. The more people in the room the less comfortable he felt. His eyes flashed lightly, his lips curling back to reveal his fangs. He felt extremely vulnerable and threatened all at once and he very much wanted everyone to go away. Except the nice girl, she could stay.

----

Serena sighed as she sat in her desk, fiddling with her pencil. Suddenly the conversation around her began to get interesting and she heard something about a black wolf. Frowning, she turned in her seat, looking at the girls discussing it. Some sounded scared, others just worried about whoever it was.
Nick! Is Zach in the gym? In his wolf form? She asked her brother, wishing the teacher hadn't just walked in so she could go help Zach. Damn that wasn't good, she'd seen Zach lose control a few times, and it was never a pretty picture, especially with him being hurt and what not.

Maddie frowned, noticing that Zach calmed down. She nodded gently to him before turning to look up at the teacher again.
"Look, you guys seriously need to back up. And get the rest of the kids out of here. If he feel's crowded he'll lash out. I can keep him at bay until our mother gets here." She said before looking back at her brother.

"Oh stop whining." Maddie said. "I know it hurts. You weren't supposed to shift in the first place." She told him, sighing softly as she sat down on the floor. She was far enough away that the wolf wouldn't mind, and close enough that she could stop anyone from pestering him.
"Seriously, get everyone else out of here." Maddie half barked as she glanced over her shoulder when Zach snarled again.

Two minutes later, Maddie shivered and glanced over to see her mother walking into the gym. She looked a bit distraught and when she caught Maddie's eye she stopped running, calmly walking over and easing her way into Zach's line of vision.
"Damn." Kristen muttered when she saw her son. "Have you gotten through to him yet?"
Maddie shook her head. "No..but he keeps licking his wounded leg. Even if I did get through to him, he can't shift back."
"One step at a time Maddie."Kristen said, sitting down next to her daughter. "Zachery hun....Zach listen, you need to get control over your wolf...even though he's a part of you, you're a part of him. He'll listen to you."

---------

Nick winced as Serena's voice jolted through his mind.
I don't know... Nick answered back. But I only know of one black wolf. he added, tapping his pencil. I'm gonna find out.
"Excuse me, may I use the restroom?" Nick called, holding his hand up. When the teacher nodded, Nick bolted out of the room.

The gym teacher nodded and he and the other teacher, began hurrying kids from the room.
Both looked relieved when Kristen finally arrived and the two men were able to bow out, not having to worry about the teen-wolf anymore (hehehehe)

Zach growled lowly when someone else entered the room, though the scent, like Maddie's told him it was safe. He cocked his head to the side, ears twitching as Kristen spoke. Something she said resonated deep inside him and slowly the feral look left his eyes and recognition entered. Whining softly, Zach lay his head on his paws, panting slightly. He still felt ill at ease, but at least he had the wolf under some sembelance of control now. He hurt so bad, his leg was even worse then before and he was still twitching from the abruptness of his shift, the complete and utter lack of control. How embaressing, he was supposed to be fifteen, able to control this stuff. Instead the minute it gets difficult he reverts back to his seven year old self, loses control and is now stuck as a wolf till god knows when. He whined again, glancing up as Demitri came rushing into the gym, looking haggered and worried.

"They paged me in my meeting" The vampire said as way of explanation.
"What happened?" He asked, looking at where his wife and daughter were sitting and his son curled up in the corner. Why was Zach a wolf? What the hell was going on?

---

Serena absentmindedly nodded.
Lemme know whats up She responded, scribbling notes on lab safety absenmindedly into her notebook. They weren't doing anything interesting in classes today, just the basic first day of school stuff. She hoped everything was alright with Zach, if it was Zach. But Nick had a good point, how many black wolf shape-shifters did they know? Sighing, she bent over her book, trying to pay attention to the 'very important rules' of the lab.

Maddie watched in silent amazement as Kristen talked and then Zach was suddenly back. Maddie sighed in relief and she reach forward to run her fingers through his hair.
"Hey...it's alright." She murmured, sensing his discomfort. "It's ok." She told him as Demitri arrived. She glanced up at her father with a small smile. Kristen stood up to talk to Demitri and fill him in on what happened.

"Zach lost control during the day." Kristen murmured. "It happens in young shifters...they can't control when they shift or for how long. It takes them about a year or so to get it under control, but the itch never goes away. Zach told me the itch was getting worse, but honestly, with a broken leg he shouldn't have been able to shift at all." Kristen said, glancing back at her children.
"One of the teachers say it might be tied to him being a vampire. His body can withstand the shift because he's half indestructible." Maddie said when Kristen looked over again.

"I hadn't thought of that..." Kristen murmured. "Let's get him home... he might not be able to shift...or if he does it'll stress the break."

----------

Nick managed to get to the gym, but by then, most of the doors had been closed and there were people standing outside, not letting anyone in. Nick growled and tried to get in from a different door. But he was met with the same problem. They had all the exits closed off and guarded?!
"Damnit." Nick murmured. He wasn't going to be able to focus at all for the rest of the day. Was Zach alright? What had happened? So many questions plagued his mind as he was forced to walk back to his classroom.

Demitri nodded in understanding.
"He probably shouldn't shift again, not till the leg is healed or he's just going to continue to stress the break" He murmured, carefully approaching his son and scooping him into his arms. Zach whined lightly but soon went limp in Demitri's arms, his eyes darting around for a moment before he sighed contently.

"Maddie you can go back to class now" Demitri murmrued to his daughter, "Kristen can take Zach in the SUV and I should get back to work" He added, looking curiously at his wife. Disaster averted, now they could all continue on with their day, there was no sense in Maddie missing any school over this, or for him to not retunr to work. Kristen could handle Zach, especially since he'd probably lounge around, eat and sleep moreso then anything else.

Zach yipped once in agreement with his Father before Demitri carried him outside, skirting around the guarded doors while Kristen told the teachers everything was under control. Soon he had his son loaded in the backseat of his wife's SUV.
"See you later buddy, try and take it easy" He commanded playfully, rubbing Zach behind the ear. One would think it was odd, having a wolf for a son (at least at the moment), but for Demitri it was normal, really, really normal.

---

Serena sighed, nibbling the end of her pencil in worry now. Nick hadn't contacted her and she really had no idea what was going on. She hoped Zach was okay because, honestly, she knew it was Zach. Who else would get into trouble on the first day of school? She glanced at the wall, it would be lunch and she was sure she'd figure out what was going on then.

Maddie blew her hair from her face and sighed. "Fine. See you guys later." She murmured, turning and shifting to hurry back to class. She would just be in time to make it to AP Chem with Gerry.

Kristen rubbed her forehead, going to talk with the teachers briefly, explaining pretty much that she was taking Zach home. She followed Demitri back to the suv, which Kristen realized was terribly parked, and gave her husband a soft smile.
"Just another day in paradise." She chuckled, kissing him quickly before getting into the car and starting it up to head back to the house.

Maddie shifted back just as the late bell rang, and she slipped into the classroom before it ended. She sighed in relief as she wandered over to Gerry, who couldn't decide if he wanted to glare at her.
"What happened?" Gerry asked.
"Not now." Maddie muttered, and Gerry shoved her things back to her across the table.

---------------

Lunch couldn't have taken longer. As soon as the bell rang, Nick gathered his things and dashed as fast as he could to the lockers. He had to wait for Serena, but as soon as she came down the hallway, he shook his head.
"They weren't letting anyone into the gym. They had all the doors blocked. We'll have to find Maddie and ask her." Nick explained.

"What classes do you have after lunch?" Nick asked then, fishing his schedule out of his pocket. "I've got music theory, then math then Literature." Nick said, handing over the paper so that his sister could read and compare if she wanted to.

Demitri grinned.
"Its always amusing with our kids around at least" He said with a wry smile.
"I'll see you later love" He added, rubbing Zach's ears one last time before heading over to his car, which like Kristen's, was horribly parked.

Zach yawned, letting the gentle movement of the car lull him to sleep. It was a nice feeling, he was tired, the sudden shift and subsequent gripping fear had wore him out. Digging his nose under his paws, he kept one ear trained on Kristen as he slept, just in case. He was still adjusting to this whole shifter thing, learning how to cope with it and sometimes it got the best of him.

----

Serena sighed, nodding in agreement to Nick's statement about finding Maddie.
"I have literature with you" Serena murmured, "I have dance in place of music theory, since I have no desire to take that class" She grinned, "Looks like at least one shared class this semester. Hopefully we have a few together next term" She added as they walked side by side down the hallway towards the lunch room. She wasn't sure what her and Nick would be eating, since the school did provide food for vampires. Her parents had complained about school lunches, Uncle Demitri especially had vivid memories about school food as a vampire. Said it was usually animal blood, which, in his opinion, tasted awful. Neither she or Nick had ever had animal blood before, so it would be a new experience for the pair.

Kristen nodded in agreement as she watched Demitri head to his car and she followed after her until she took the road leading towards the house. She took a deep breath as she drove to calm her nerves. It had been a panicked phone call she had gotten, and Kristen's mind had plagued her with horrible thoughts.
She was almost relieved when she saw that Zach had merely shifted; it was something she could easily handle. She glanced at the review view mirror to see Zach, almost asleep in the back seat. He would have a few rough days until his leg healed.

At the house, Kristen turned off the car and wandered to the back, opening the door and stroking Zach's fur gently.
"Come on bud." Kristen said, lifting him as easily as if he were a pup, not a nearly-full grown wolf.
Setting him down on his bed, Kristen gave him a light smile. "You should get some rest. Do you want me to stay?" Kristen asked, scratching behind Zach's ears gently.

----------

"Sweet." Nick said, taking his schedule back. "Oh dance. Delightful." He teased as they walked towards the cafeteria. Nick rickled his nose and growled before sneezing at the different mix of scents and smells.
"Ew." Nick groaned, shaking his head gently. "None of this smells appealing...they have blood for vampires right?" Nick murmured, since there had to be more vampire teens...or at least adults who looked like teens at school here...

Zach made a noise of agreement, resting his head in Kristen's lap so she didn't leave. He huffed softly, inhaling the comforting, familiar scent that was his mother. He wasn't at all fazed by how easily she had moved him, he knew she was really strong thanks to her vampireness and, in all honesty, he was glad she was. He had no desire to try and hobble around the house just yet, though he knew he would need to eventually. It was even harder to stay still in his wolf form then it had been in his human form. Already he wanted to go explore all the different, strange smells in the house, find a good hiding place, just in case, and check the perimeter. All wolf instincts, though for now he shoved them aside and let his mother comfort him.

---

Serena rolled her eyes.
"I like dance" She murmured, "Its fun" She wrinkled her nose at the smells inside the cafeteria.
"Its worse then Aunt Kristen's kitchen" She mumbled, glancing around. "Dad said they're would be blood for us here, the school has more then us as vampire students" She murmured, nodding to a small group of students drinking from familiar looking water bottles.
"Come on, looks like we just get in line and then they'll give us what we need" She said, heading for the relatively short lunch line. As soon as the lunch lady saw her, she smiled.
"Species?" She asked curiously.
"Er..vampires" Serena offered, sighing in relief as she was handed a bottle of blood. Nick was handed one as well. As soon as they were given the blood, they were waved out of line, since their lunch fees were already paid for that year thanks to Alexi thinking ahead.

Kristen smiled lightly as Zach moved so that his head was in her lap.
"Alright. I'll stay. But I would like to get a bit more comfortable." Kristen said, lifting Zach carefully so that she could rest her back against his headboard, and she placed Zach on her side, so that his head was still resting against her.
"There." She said with a content sigh. "You know....it's ok what happened today." She murmured softly. "Don't go beating yourself up about it. Everyone has bad days..." She told him as she ran her fingers through his hair comfortingly.
"And you're still getting the hang of shifting, which is ok." Kristen added. "It's not easy to begin with...because it's sometimes hard to understand that you don't just change into an animal like everyone thinks you do. You become the animal. It is part of you...and yet you're a part of it....it's senses are your senses...your feelings are it's feelings. That was why your wolf didn't lash out against Maddie when she tried to calm you down. That was why I could come up to you...your wolf understood that you cared about us, and he cares for us too. Which is great because he is so cute." Kristen added, chuckling lightly.
"You'll get through his Zach," Kristen murmured. "You're as strong as your father...and as stubborn as your mother." She added, grinning and kissing the top of his head.

------------------

"Yea...just about." Nick murmured, agreeing with how awful the place swelled. As he was handed the blood, Nick sighed.
"Let's go outside." Nick said, nudging his sister before walking towards a door that lead to the outside patio where there were more picnic tables to sit at.
Popping the top, Nick took a small swig and tried not to make a face. Ever since he had gone hunting with his father, bottle blood had been a thorn in his side. This wasn't even human blood. It tasted different. Almost worse, but he didn't want to give Serena that impression.
"Eh. It's not horrible." Nick said, shrugging lightly as he found a table and sat down with a small huff. "Does Maddie even have the same lunch period as us?" He wondered, looking around curiously for his cousin.

Zach listened to his mother, a soft sigh escaping him. She argued a good point, but it didn't really ease how he felt. He still felt like an ass about this whole thing. Sighing again, he snuggled against her, wishing he could chuckle at her comment about how similar to his parents he was. Wagging his tail lightly, he nudged Kristen's hand, demanding attention much like a puppy. He knew he as cute, which was sometimes a bit of a thorn in his side since he wanted to be all tough and scary looking, but he could handle it. Plus being cute had its benefits, especially if he was hungry. Puppy dog eyes made sure he got some of the best meat ever when he was in this form.

----

Serena shrugged.
"I have no idea" She murmured, sitting at the table and opening the bottle warily. Taking a sip she pulled a face, though the blood wasn't nearly as bad as she had thought it would be.
"Well that's different" She drawled, "Maybe we should bring our own? Are we even allowed to do that?" She mused. She knew Nick wasn't allowed to hunt on campus, but that made sense since there were a few more mortal students here who might appeal to a vampire, even if they weren't human.
She wasn't sure if they could bring their own blood though, the school might have rules about something like that. She'd have to ask their Mum at the end of the day.

Kristen couldn't help but laugh as Zach nudged her hand with his head. She happily abliged, petting him gently and giving him all the attention that he wanted.
"I think you're wolf is still part pup." Kristen teased gently. "You sure love attention when you're in this form." She added as an explanation. She sighed, leaning back against the bed as she closed her eyes for a few minutes. Even though it was like in the middle of the day, part of her was tired. Kristen chuckled then; part of her was always tired, especially if Demitri was working, which he had been doing more often.
"So aside from shifting...was your day going good?" Kristen asked curiously, since Zach could shake or nod his head to answer her question.

--------

"It's kinda gross." Nick said laughing softly. "Maybe we can say it's a doctor thing...have Uncle Sven write up a note saying that we need to bring our own blood and stuff." Nick murmured, since he wasn't about to drink this junk for the rest of his high school years.
It wasn't long before the bell rang again. Nick sighed. "We should go. At least we can both walk over to the art-side of the school." He said with a small grin.