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It was three days after Independence Day and yet the sound of fireworks was still at large as the evening sky lit up with brightly colored explosions. Children ran up and down the streets of Easton, Massachusetts with their sparklers in hand and their laughter lingering in the humid and warm summertime air. People found themselves sitting on the lawn or on the shores of the lake sharing beers and snacks as they watched the children play and the colorful detonations. Here and there were a few college kids shooting Roman Candles and Bottle Rockets at each other for sport, an alcoholic beverage in and on their free hand. It was like this every year as the residents celebrated the end of the summer and the upcoming fall. Children enjoyed their last few moments of freedom before school started in another couple of months. Everyone began to prepare for the upcoming football season, already bantering about which team would make it out of the preseason alive. It was surely a great time of the year.

Amidst the joyous happenings did three families stand out. Salem. Ipswich. Andover. Their families had founded this town 330 years ago and even to this very day, they were a mysterious family bunch. Rumors and legends surrounded each them, but those bold enough to bring up such accusations in front of them were few and far between. Legend said that they were immortal beings. Some say that they killed their parents to begin their own reign over the prosperous town. Others said that they were witches who slipped out late in the night to go in worship their pagan devil gods. But that wild and mysterious air about them let everyone know they were different despite the rumors being shot down. People didn't mess with them anymore. Most people, anyways. You still had of you brave (stupid) souls (idiots) who would dare to bring up the topic around them. There were rumors of people having nasty little accidents shortly after harassing one of them. So, most people dropped it simply talked about it behind closed doors.

Many parts of each rumors were true – Except the rumors about them being Vampires. That's just ridiculous. Everyone knows Vampires can't enter holy areas or step into the sunlight. But, yes. They were witches stemming from many generations of witches before them, not a single drop of human blood in their veins. They look like humans. They talk like humans (most of the time). Hell, they even act like humans most times. They enjoyed sports as much as the next guy. Sure, they could snap their fingers and turn on every light in their house. Sure, their food could cook itself if they were busy. Hell, they never even had car problems. Yeah, their kids vanquished demons and exorcised ghosts on their spare time. But, they were no different than anybody else. They went to college. They have jobs. They ate food and went to sporting events and cheered on their kids just like everyone else. There were no spells pinned to their refrigerators; just notes to take out the trash and their kids' good grades and artwork from when they were eight.

Something was brewing though. August. Summer. Robert. Juliana. Jaxson. Arianna. Leonidas. They all felt it in their very souls. From the strange dreams they were having to the magick increasing with each passing day, surging in the air around them. Something was coming and it was big and it was meant for them. They didn't think too much on it though. They were witches; They had weird dreams all the time. But what would happen when they would sit at the lake and one of them would laugh about the strange dream they had last night. The people they saw in it that resembled the people moving into town lately.

They would stop laughing and look at their friend. Slowly, one after the other, everyone would recount events in their dreams as if telling a circle story. They all had that exact same dream. Those exact same words echoed in their heads, the images of those people forever branded into their minds. Who would believe them though? Surely, you would think their parents would. But they couldn't tell their parents. Literally. Unseen forces forbade them, their minds going blank the moment they formed intentions to communicate this strange occurrence to their parents. It was not meant for them to know. Slowly, the subject dropped. They spoke of it no longer to one another and simply focused on what was that hand before them. When time came they would need to spring into action, they would know that time was there. It would do the mill going to sit there and drive themselves insane over it beforehand. Fate worked in mysterious ways. Four, as quickly as a dreams had come to them, they had faded away. It was a sign. To prepare themselves. They studied harder. Fought harder. Worked harder. They felt ready now. For whatever it was. Whenever it would come.

They. Were. Ready.

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–Summer Usoa Salem

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“Have a good night, Rhoda. I look forward to seeing you next week.” Summer smiled as she waved an elderly lady out of the shop. She was closing up early to meet her best friends at her house to get ready for a party down by the lake. She was enjoying her summer break from college; she had much more time to do what she pleased. She would be graduating and simply eight more months and she would be free to do what she wanted. She had been thinking about taking a few years off before putting her knowledge and degrees to work. She wanted to open up a museum in Easton. Yes, they had a children's museum, but that was it. The children's museum. Sure, her museum wouldn't be the Louvre, but she felt that it would grow to become just as great as decades passed. Maybe she would hang her own art up in the museum. Or would that be conceited of her? To put her own art in her own museum. Would that be like making a public shrine to herself? It wasn't like it would be all her art; maybe two or three paintings. She smiled at the thought, feeling a bit giddy as she locked up the shop and hopped onto her bike.


She had a car, of course. But her license had been suspended when she got caught at an illegal drag race. She hadn't been racing, dear no. She was simply there with some friends. Rather than throwing her in jail, her father suspended her license for a year. She was stuck with with her bike. She didn't really mind though. She felt that it was healthier for the environment and strengthened her legs. With football season coming up, she would need it for cheering on the Stonehill Skyhawks. She had even bought a new pair of Beats by Dre to drown out the incessant and pestiferous Gospel singing on the way there. She found it absolutely funny at times how many people complimented her on what a good Christian girl she must be to end up having been so sweet and smart. God must have endowed her with many blessings in her life. She agreed with them that she was sweet, smart, and truly blessed. But she did have to argue some on the Christian part. And a few times on the “good girl” part. She doubted there were many “good Christian girls” attending narghile parties, throwing back bottles upon bottles of good beer.

Alcohol – One of the only non-organic and non homemade things that she would ingest.

The organic muncher offered few waves on her journey home, bent on getting home quick enough to change and get to the party at a decent time. Summer was eager to show off the new bikini she had bought last week at a flea market in Salem on her annual trip to pay homage to those who died of false accusations. Her house was on the south end of Easton, not really in a neighborhood. It was simply a large manor on a larger estate, built by her family. It was an old house and she loved it, yet to move into her own apartment. She came to a halt at the large gates before punching in the code and watching the large iron gates slide open before her, closing right behind her as she biked up the driveway. Her bike was parked neatly against the steps as she sped into the house, flying past her parents who looked ready for their own night out on the town. “Don't do anything I wouldn't do!” Her father called after her with a large smile, eliciting a laugh from her. “There's almost nothing you wouldn't do at a party!” Her father was...well. The sheriff wasn't exactly tame; Off duty, anyways. John gave a hearty laugh as he escorted his reserved wife out the door.

It didn't take her long to get ready. When you were a witch, getting dressed and bathed was even less of a chore than it already was. Her friends Amanda and Rowan were already waiting for her, playing with her jewelry and clothes in her sleeping nook. They were both what Mister Otis Ipswich would call “Kitchen Witches”, which was pretty much just a nasty name for Practitioners. They were simply humans who dabbled in basic Wiccan spells and potions, hardly capable of extraordinary feats, believing that magick required religion on their part when all it required was belief and some form of intelligence. Normally she wasn't one to go associating herself with Practitioners, but they had come from out of town and were involved in Wicca long before they had met Summer. Plus she liked them. She envied them at times, really. To be able to practice in plain sight and at the most be called a weirdo. Unlike she and others who would be called upon as abominations. She hated having to hide her magick in the shadows. It didn't stop her and the others from a few harmless pranks though.

“Dovey Love, you have got to let me borrow this skirt for the first day back to Stoned Hill.” Rowan's voice called out to her as she ended her shower and brushed her teeth in a hurry. As she spit out the froth, she rolled her eyes and called back to him. “Are you trying to kill poor Dean Maya? I don't think she's gotten over your Spring Collection. FYI, you don't have the legs for pencil skirts or day dresses.” Her comment easily got a rise out of Amanda and a pout from Rowan as she strode nude into the room, having gargled and rinsed. She had long since not cared about showing off her body. Sure, she was chaste. That didn't mean that she couldn't show off what she was rockin' right? Besides, Rowan was gay and Amanda was only into women if she was filled with tequila. Sure, they'd toss around minxy remarks in good fun. “Whatevs. Anyways, have you seen Trey lately? Those damn biceps!” Rowan purred as the two girls laughed.

“You whore! What will poor Robert think knowing you're already chasing another man?” Amanda gave a theatrical gasp that made Summer double over in her white and green bikini, Rowan smacking Amanda on her exposed thigh. “Woah, bitch! We don't talk about that shit out loud. The walls around this bitch got ears.” He stood and adjusted his hair with a flair on he could pull off. “Ain't nobody got to know about nobody. As an active working girl, you should know that as a rule of thumb.” He teased, dodging a thrown pillow. It was a wonder that her brother and all the friends she hung around hadn't already destroyed what innocence she had left. “We can discuss this by the fireplace tonight. We can stay in the cabin for the weekend since apparently someone is scared of bugs and snakes crawling into her ears and nose and mouth.” Her blue and hazel eyes turned towards who Amanda who shrugged.


Summer and Rowan rolled their eyes and got ready to head out, grabbing their backpacks. It would be a weekend to remember. But, when you hung around people in Trinitatem, the weekends were always unforgettable. “Are we bringing the babies? They deserve a weekend of free roam.” Amanda cooed as she motioned towards the animals resting in Summer's study nook. “Of course we are; Babs is dying for a hunt.” The chatter went on as they loaded up, raiding the house for the proper weekend supplies before jumping into Rowan‘s old pickup truck and taking off towards the far western part of town, following a dirt road deep into the woods. There was a lot of forest around Easton, but only one lake and it was man-made. Summer and her friends would normally have to go by foot or take the horses from the cabin to the lake, but her dad recently discovered the joys of ATVs.

While there were trails that led through the forest and to the lake and a road that led to a few cabins far into the forest, that's all there was. You would find no cabins by the lake or roads wide enough for trucks or cars to make it down by the water. There was a road that led two miles into the forest and opened into a space for people to park before trekking down to the lake. “Alright, now don't go bothering the horses. Have fun.” Summer set down her three pets on the ground outside of the cabin and smiled as they slithered, scurried, and ran off to have their own fun. With the booze secured to the back of the four wheelers the three friends were soon on their merry way, giving big whoops and hollers as they rode through the forest. They drew closer and closer to the sound of music, the sky growing brighter with flashes of light. Summer was greeted upon arrival by a few cheers and calls, mostly from those of the cheerleaders with drinks in their hands – which happened to be only five of them – and a few of the football players. She and her two cohorts shimmied their way over with the drinks, setting them on the ground before launching into conversation and festive dancing with their friends.

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Aria gave a sigh as she watched the young man and woman peer in through the window. Her gaze flicked from the couple to the door and then to the clock. Five minutes. That was all that stood between Aria had temporary freedom, unless that couple chose to come in the store. Aria glanced behind her, she could see her elderly boss through the office door bent over paperwork. Her eyes went back to the door and window, groaning inwardly as she realised the couple were now gazing at the engagement rings. Why did customers have to come in just before closing time? She could already see this couple taking their time looking over the jewelery inside while Aria was forced to help them. An hour ago she would have happily assisted them, but now with three minutes until closing time Aria had little patience.
Aria's eyes snapped to the clock, the hands ticking down the seconds until freedom. The couple seemed to be glancing through the window and into the store. Aria's retail sixth sense was telling her that they were deciding whether or not to come in. Aria cast another glance behind her at her boss and then, convinced the boss wasn't paying attention, Aria muttered a few key words underneath her breath. The couple, about to enter the store, seemed to pause and hesitate. The female's hand was frozen halfway towards the doorknob and seemed to be twitching slightly as her brain tried to process Aria's spell. Wrinkling her nose Aria tried again. This time the couple seemed to jerk backwards and then, finally, they turned and left.

Two minutes later Aria locked the front door behind her, her boss would exit through the back. She set off down the street, her bag bumping against her thigh in time with her steps. She passed the young couple from before, both looking rather confused and disorientated. Aria hid a smirk and concentrated on not laughing. They would snap out of it in a moment, the spell wasn't a powerful one. Anyway Aria has much more important things to worry about, like what she was going to wear to the lake party tonight. Her wardrobe, while expansive, always seemed to Aria to have nothing in it. Towards new clothes was where most of her pay went.

Once at home Aria dumped her bag on her bed, cast off her work shoes and padded her way into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and gazed into its depths, mentally sorting through the food. She didn't have time to cook and luckily there was a left over vege burger from the night before, Aria pulled it out of the fridge, heated it quickly and then sat to eat. As soon as her meal was finished Arianna took a quick shower. Making her way through the lounge, towel wrapped firmly around her, Aria hooked her iPod up to the stereo and turned the volume dial up. With music pumping throughout the house (Aria's mother was out of the house) Aria wondered into her bedroom, dropped her towel and flung her wardrobe open. Her light blue eyes flitted across the clothes she had hung up. She put on a bikini, followed shortly after by an outfit she thought would do for the party. A car horn sounded outside, somehow making itself heard over the noise of Aria's music. Aria did a quick double check of her outfit in the mirror before turning off the music, grabbing a small bag of supplies and leaving the house.

Aria hopped into the backseat of the waiting four wheel drive, shoving her bag onto the spare seat. She leaned forward as Will started the car and drove off. Liam, seated in the passenger seat, gave an excited woop as the three headed towards the lake.
"Where are Molly and Firth?" Aria asked, referring to Liam's girlfriend Molly and Firth, the fifth member of their friendship group.
"Meeting us there." Will answered. Aria sat back, nodding along as her two friends chatted excitedly about the night ahead. Neither young man was a witch or had any connection to Wicca at all. They weren't even aware that Aria was a witch, although no doubt they had heard the rumours that surrounded her family.

They pulled up beside the collection of cars, collected their things and began to leg it into the forest. Aria was thankful to have come with her two guy friends, they had valiantly offered to carry her drinks for her and considering that the three had to walk to the party she was happy to let them. The three joked as they went and the trek to the party didn't seem to take nearly as much time as it would have if Aria had been by herself. As they drew closer the sounds of music and voices drifted through the trees. When they broke through the final few trees they were greeted with a round of loud cheers. Aria caught sight of Summer and gave her a wave before following Will and Liam to where they were placing their drinks. She pulled out one of hers and took a seat, falling into quick conversation with the girls beside her.

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The desolate streets just outside of Easton were barren, free of any wandering traveler with little to no wildlife to be seen. It was a tense quiet, the dense trees shrouded in an eerie fog as if to shield the small town filled of supernatural beings from unworthy visitors. The power lines bracketing the asphalt road were the only indication of potential life, leading to some unknown civilization the likes of which most people have never heard of. A lone crow was heard from somewhere far off, its ominous caw echoing in the distance. Every day the scenery rarely changed about the perimeter of this small settlement, an unspoken occurrence that its tenants merely became ignorant to after years of experience. Suddenly a deep thrumming interrupted the sinister tranquility, a distant roar of an engine approaching at intense speeds. Music blared through the oncoming vehicle's speakers, rattling the very trees with the oppressive intrusion. It quickly came more apparent what song was playing as the car itself uncloaked itself from the layers of mist. Ain't No Rest For The Wicked by Cage the Elephant shook the very ground as the Porsche drove past at breakneck speeds. Inside the driver's seat, a beast in sheep's clothing sat rolling a toothpick between his teeth.

His name was Joshua Lee, or at least it had been for the last decade or so. Do not let the young man's appearance fool you. Just peel back the layers of this creature's vessel and you'll see the real horror within. For you see, residing inside this seemingly normal man was something not even God could tolerate. He was part of a species that was banished, thrown into a specifically designed cage just for them. Somehow, this one got out, and he was having more fun than he's had in years. The evidence of his crusade stained his t-shirt, bits of human flesh tucked between mundane teeth. As Joshua picked the clumps of skin and swallowed them whole, he smirked at the reminder of how 'that blonde bitch' tasted. Yes, he ate her. And not in a sexy way. Josh had traveled all the way from Boston after his little snack, approaching Easton simply by chance. Or so it would seem...

Just as he crossed the border into the shady little town, his engine began to rattle, his radio flickering in and out of reception range. Josh checked the temperature gauge on the dash, surprise to see the tip of the needle well into the red. The car began to slow, going from one hundred to fifty in under three seconds. Eventually it came to a complete stop and Joshua was enraged. "Are you fucking kidding?" he asked in muffled fury. He got out, activating the emergency brake before popping the hood but alas—in all his infinite knowledge—he knew nothing about cars. All he knew for certain was that billowing white steam spewing out of some valve or whatever was not good. He stifled a groan, throwing down the hood with almost more force than necessary. Joshua put the car in neutral and took off the emergency brake before moving to the back of the vehicle to start pushing. Surely there had to be a garage in this god forsaken place-...wherever it was. Being the creature that he was, pushing a vehicle didn't come as much of a struggle to him. It was a human's equivalent to pushing a toddler on a swing set. He just found it tedious and Josh hated tedious. He could be driving right now, halfway through this nameless town and on his way to bigger and better things. He didn't even have music to accompany him, which bugged the living shit out of him. He'd prefer musical accompaniment. No question. Most things in life are, in fact, better with music playing in the background.

So Josh resorted to humming, musing to his favorite songs as he jogged forward, keeping an eye out for any spectators. He was two minutes into 99 Problems by Hugo when buildings emerged out of the fog. He pantomimed a pushing the car, faking his struggle and yet keeping a watchful eye on the town as it swallowed him whole. The fog was like a barrier, a thick perimeter framing the town—as if it was some kind of spell to keep out being that weren't supernatural. That was Josh's only explanation, seeing as that he was one. He continued forward, going down a few blocks with the same faux apprehension as before. He took his coat off to feign sweating as he threw his head back, squinting his eyes in exasperation to really sell it. It was then that he finally encountered another living life form. "Hey! Hold on!" He heard the man's voice before he sensed him, which was strange considering Josh's amazing sense of smell. He threw his head in the direction in the voice, his jaw dropping at the sight of the young man jogging towards him. The man was gorgeous! In all seriousness Joshua had probably only seen a handful of people as delectable as this man in his entire lifetime. He'd stopped completely in his tracks, gazing at the olive skinned young man with stark black hair and even darker eyes as if he was dumbfounded—car completely forgotten. The younger man was at the back of the car now, standing right next to Josh, inquiring a friendly, "Would you like a hand with that?" all the while sporting a smile that was so charming Josh's own was all but abolished.

He blanked for a moment, replying with a monotone, "Uhh-..." before the young man was at the back fender, ready to push.

"You go up to the front and turn the wheel, my garage is right over there. Just steer and we'll park it in there." The young man commanded politely and Josh returned his instruction with a curt nod. Oh I'll park my car in your garage, alright, Joshua mused. He did as he was instructed, pushing the car by the door frame just enough to ensure that the young man didn't have to struggle for his benefit. Apparently the young man had put a lot of effort into it because once the car was seated in the garage and Josh had emerged from having activated the emergency brake, the young man let out a breathy, "You're a lot stronger than you look" before requesting that he pop the hood. Josh smirked mischievously, popping the hood before moving over to stand beside the young—mechanic, it would seem—taking in his scent. He shut his eyes, repressing a moan at how utterly delicious the man smelled, holding himself back from just leaned over and taking a bite. That'd have to wait until his car was fixed.

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Robert splashed his face with water, hauled up in the grungy bathroom of the garage where he worked. He'd washed all of the motor grease and grime off of him, running his calloused hands through his choppy onyx locks to cool himself off. No matter how tepid the weather was outside, it was always scorching in the garage. Perhaps it was because of the constant work load he forced on himself, or the fact that the place had no air conditioning. Either way, you'll never hear Robby complain about it. The sweat was apart of the work. It just meant he had to shower when he got home otherwise his mother would absolutely lose her shit. He dried off with the towel hanging on the rack nailed to the wall, tossing it on the rim of the metal basin before walking out and heading for the garage doors. He was locking up early, seeing as he was invited to that lake house party Summer was throwing. Seeing as August—who has been his best friend since he can remember—couldn't stand his own sister but never missed a party, Robby was obliged to go. Even if his purpose was merely making sure Summer didn't fuck up August's buzz. The corner of his mouth pulled up into a smirk at the thought of his friend's bitter sibling rivalry, almost completely engrossed in the thought as he grabbed the chain to lower the garage door. However, he wasn't too out of it to see a man struggling to push a Porsche through town.

He moved before his mind could fully process it, offering the man he'd never seen before help before he could think to stop himself. Though, why would he? Newcomers were rare in Easton. And it wasn't like Robby wouldn't offer to help anyone in need. He helped maneuver the car into the garage, slightly caught of guard by how easy it was compared to all of the other times he'd ever pushed a vehicle. Either the guy was really strong with one hell of an endurance threshold or he hadn't been pushing that long. In truth, Robert didn't necessarily mind helping this guy out. He'll just have to text August and let him know to meet him at his house or something because by the look of it he was going to be late. Upon further inspection, there wasn't much he could do in one night. This thing had be driven within an inch of its life. From the look of the engine it's seen a lot of miles with little to no upkeep. It finally just tapped out.

"I've never seen a Porsche neglected this badly." He mused aloud, immediately regretting his outburst. He looked to the other man to apologize but only saw a smirk on that pallid face. His gaze was narrowed but not out of annoyance, more out of calculation. It was as if he was choosing his own words careful.

The man shrugged and leered down at him, his hands shoved into the pockets of his dark-washed jeans. "It's expendable." He stated. Robby felt a chill run down his spine at the deep resonance of his voice, a tone laden with natural witticism and the finesse of a conman. Much unlike the demeanor the mysterious man had displayed earlier. "I can always get a new one when this one wears out."

Robby stood, offering an amused scoff, "Well it looks like today's the day you order a new one because this baby is damn near shot." He chuckled, shutting the hood and leaning up against it, crossing his arms over his chest. "Unfortunately we don't have a car dealership here in Easton."

"Are you saying I'm stuck here?" The man asked with a pert brow.

"Ahh-...." Robert replied, "Lucky for you I can salvage it. I can fix it up enough to get it in working order. It should be able to take you to the next big city where you can rent a room at a motel and get yourself a new car."

The man kept his brow cocked, leering at Robby with a cool facade. "How long is it going to take?"

"Now that much I don't know." Robby stated, running his hand idly through his hair in thought, oblivious to the way steely grey eyes watched his every move. "That much I don't know. If I have all the parts here I can get it done within the week but if I have to order anything it could take months."

"Well is there a motel or something I can stay in until you get it finished?"

Robby bit his bottom lip, avoiding the man's gaze as he delivered the bad news. "Unfortunately no"

The man looked down at him incredulously, "Come again?"

"We don't really have a motel in Easton." Robert reiterated, "We don't get many newcomers in town so we didn't see it as necessary." He sprang up from the hood as enlightenment struck him, "If it's alright with you, you could stay at my home until I get your car fixed. I'll have to charge you a little extra for room and board, of course. You'll have your own bedroom with an attached bathroom. I assume you've got luggage."

Now the man just seemed amused, "You're willing to let a completely stranger into your home." It wasn't a question, more like a surprised statement. Robert just shrugged.

"It's my parent's estate." His parents probably wouldn't be all for the idea right away but seeing as this guy had nowhere to go, Robert was just going to have to insist. He wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing this guy was stranded without a a proper roof over his head when he couldn't done something about it. "It's pretty big so we've got the space for an extra guest. Seeing as that you are a stranger, you'll be sleeping in the guest room closest to mine. I have a little sister, you see, so I'll be keeping an eye on you. For safety precautions, that's all."

The man chuckled, "I completely understand. Though I can assure you that your sister is safe while I'm under your roof. You have my word." Robert smiled at the man's sincerity, glancing down as he held out his hand in reassurance of the oath. Robby took it gladly, their hands clasping tightly to shake thrice before they returned their hands to their sides. "My name is Joshua, by the way. Joshua Lee."

"Robert Ipswich." He introduced himself, "But call me Robby, everyone does. I'll take you to my home so you can make yourself comfortable. Let me help you with your bags."

The man named Joshua thanked him, following Robert out to his car with the luggage in his hand. He told Joshua to wait in the car while he closed up the shop, texting August all the while to tell him to come over to Ipswich Manor. They'd be a little late, seeing as that he had to get Joshua settled into the guest room. Then, just as he got behind the wheel of his Impala, it hit him. He turned to Joshua who looked at him with mild amusement in curiosity, an expression Robert couldn't help but smile at in return. "My friend's holding a party at her lake house, it's just a bunch of the people from town mingling with a few beers. Would you want to tag along with me and him? It'll be better than hanging around the house with my parents, that's for sure."

Joshua laughed, "Yeah, I'll tag along."

"Cool." Robert's smiled slowly waned as he backed out of the driveway of the garage. They rode in silence as they drove across town into the deepest part of the surrounding woods. Ipswich Manor was just on the adjacent border of the town, holding the appeal of a haunted mansion from a cheesy black and white horror movie. He wasn't sure if Jules left or not for the party. All Robert had on his mind was how he was going to convince his father to let Joshua stay.

Jaxon had heard his alarm going off, and reached for it only to realize that there were no alarm clocks in his room. The alarm he was hearing was going off in his mind, a little trick he picked up from his mother to make deadlines and wake up early without fault. Jax groaned slightly to himself as his slowly moved his arm to block the light coming in from the windows. As his body to look the other way, flesh made contact with his own as he turned back to the random lady laying in his bed. If memory served Jaxon right, last night he left his poker game with the winnings and partied at some random club, and she was the product of last night. Jaxon had to smile at what he had gained, but then again, how natural was this for him anyway?

Still thinking of last night, Jaxon quickly did a mental check for a clock, grabbing his watch off of the dresser to see the time: 2:27 pm. A smirk came to his face as he rolled over to the stranger in his bed and then proceeded to wander with his hands to wake her up. A flutter of the eye lids, and a smile greeted him before he spoke to her. "Well, we can refuse to say goodbye to last night, or we can greet the morning. What do ya say, darling?" She looked so willing to go at it again - it was Saturday after all - before buzzing went off from her pants, which were near the washroom. Getting up, the lady - which Jax finally sorted through the list of names to get Veronica - sleepily read a text naked, and then looked at him. "Gotta run hun." Jax raised his eyebrows, not out of annoyance but out of mere thoughtlessness. He cared not if she had left or if she had stayed, in the end she would leave to continue her own life, leaving only a bit of her with Jax.

Fast forward a bit, and the stranger was gone and Jaxon was alone once again, silently figuring out his plans for the day as he went through the motions: get shower, brush teeth, grab beer and breakfast. He was reminded that later on he would be meeting up with the rest of his 'family' for a party tonight, and a smile came to him as he speed read the paper. While Jax was the oldest of his pure witch family, he had always stayed connected with them, regardless that the age gap was quite a bit larger than before. The guys were his bros, doing random shit together was their thing. Jax also always looked out for them as well, since that was just how he worked. Witches and Warlocks were of a special breed, so they might as well stick together.

Jax finished off his breakfast and beer before grabbing much more casual attire than normal: after all, he would be bringing in the big guns of booze tonight, and he really didn't need to ruin his good blazer. A few minutes later, Jax found himself in a black muscle shirt and jeans, an older blazer of his nestled on his shoulders. There were still some errands he had to run in town before tonight and he certainly didn't want to be late.

Flash forward, and Jaxon was sort of lateish. He had finally gotten the rest of his beer and other essentials onto his own ATV before heading out with roughly 5 other guys - most of them were younger than him, but he knew them all and was decent friends with most of them. His driving wasn't as 'edgy' as normal, cautiously making sure nothing fell. As he finally heard the sounds of the party life - oh how he loved to hear it - he sent out a message telepathically to Summer as he neared the cabins. You'd better be ready, cuz I'm bringing in the fucking cavalry! Not a few minutes later, his gang busted through the tree line to the party, to which a cheer went out from the masses as he stopped and got off, smiling like the devil's advocate.

"Your refills have arrived!" He announced not too loudly to ruin all of the fun, but loud enough for people to hear him and have more cheers go out. The smile never left his face as he gave out booze, laughing and joking with everybody as he did. Some were questioning how he could afford it, but Jaxon never gave a straight answer: how would you tell the masses that the booze was funded by gambling with drug dealers?

Leonidas Davian Andover - or just Leo, if you didn't like 300 quotes - leaned back on a branch near the top of a tree just a few paces out from the lakeshore party, eyes closed and listening to the music as the bass pounded through the ground and the tree roots, into his bones. Okay, said like that it sounded majorly creepy, but it felt awesome. He fully intended to return to the party of course (how could he not?) but he may have had just a tiny bit too much to drink and was now waiting on a lot of water he'd washed it down with to finish sobering him up. Not his idea, but hell, he was in too good a mood to argue. Besides, there was something soothing about the night sky above and the vibrating wood below.

And then the soothing atmosphere was shattered by the arrival of a car and the annoucement of refills. Yes! Beer run accomplished! Okay, enough napping, time to get wasted again! With that happy thought in mind Leo slid down from branch to branch, dropped out of the tree and landed on the soft earth below. And he didn't even need a cushion of air to soften the fall, which was good because it might have been noticed. He was occasionally accused of being reckless with the secret, but he never pulled anything he thought would get caught while there were people around. Almost never. Certainly not around sober people.

Leo popped his headout from the forest where it met the lakeshore, grinning broadly. "Did someone say refills?" He asked, certain that at least some of them would insist he'd had too much already. Pff, yeah right, he could hold his liquour. He just maybe shouldn't have gotten in the drinking contest with that guy twice his size. He'd be more careful this time. Honest. At least that was his planned speech for the argument. As for the question of whether sixteen was too young to be drinking himself stupid, well, so was nineteen, legally. But who cared about those details?

Probably the decision would be with Jaxon. If he decided to be the fun, relaxed older brother, then tonight was definitely gonna be a good night. If he decided to be the responsible, reasonable older brother, then he was gonna have to take the rest of the evening on only a mild buzz. Unless, of course, Leo waited to really ask until Jax was drunk too? Dishonest, but on the other hand, there was beer and a party... He'd figure it out if and when he had to.

Summer found herself giggling madly as she was hoisted up onto the shoulders of one the linebackers, being carted on to the deck. She caught sight of her friends Ari and Robert, giving the cousins a wave and a bright smile as she struggled to keep herself from squirming too much in the arms of the drunken and strapping young man. As soon as she hit the water her thoughts were invaded by a familiar voice that made her shake her head as she returned the thought to the intruder. “Hey! Amanda, Rowan, and I are staying at the Trinity Cabin for the weekend. Witches only — Interested?” Her thoughts ended abruptly as she kicked her legs, her head breaking the surface quickly only for her to see a number of others following her into the lake with loud and drunken cries of euphoria. She swam away from them, submerging herself once again to dive deeper. Her eyes opened in the murky waters, bubbles escaping from her nose as she attempt to hold back a giggle, spotting a boy struggling to keep the others from pantsing him. She resurfaced and swam further away from the others, enjoying some time alone to listen to the music, floating on her back and watching as fireworks exploded in the sky. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a woman she hadn't seen before but who still looked familiar. The blonde woman was quite gorgeous, leading two young men out of the lake and into the forest with an impish smile on her lips. Summer watched them for a while, not noticing that her name had been called.

She had a bad feeling about it...

---

MONDAY - JULY 9, 2012
9:42am

The weekend had been an excellent one and now it was time to begin the week anew. Summer rose before the sun did, glancing to see most of the friends that had been invited to stay in the big cabin all sprawled out with junk food and beer in their hands and around their bodies. Gross. She snapped her fingers and focused her will, watching as the potted plants in the room began to grow, extending their stems and leaves to curl around the trash and dropping them into the trash bin before retracting back to normal. Giving a side of satisfaction, Summer began to get dressed for her morning exercise routine. She didn't take long and was soon out the door, sprinting towards a large pine tree. Agile and flexible, the young woman jumped at the tree, gripping the trunk tightly with her nails and feet before scaling it quickly to the center where she found a sturdy branch and crawled across it before leaping onto the next branch in the tree nearby. Summer was excellent when it came to traveling through woodlands whether by tree, land, or water. Her instincts and senses were heightened to almost animalistic in nature when she put herself in the mindset, letting herself become primal. She was like Catwoman, replacing the skyscrapers and rooftops with trees and terra firma.

She didn't seem to notice the various scratches she got from the branches and thorns, her thoughts centered only on stretching her limbs and basking in the nature around her. She dropped from the trees, landing in a crouched position on the ground with a feral growl. Her clothes fell away from her body and the air around her gave a light shimmer as she shrank down and was replaced by a black fox. She ran around for another hour before pausing to sit atop a hill, greeting the sun with yoga and her naked form. As the sun came to a high point in the sky just before noon, she shifted back into a fox to seek out her clothes, redressing herself and jogging back to the cabin. By the time she returned to the cabin everyone was gone. Either for work or just to get back home. Even her animal companions seemed to have returned home. She shook her head with a smile as she made her way out to the stable and pulled out one of the horses. She would just put stallion up in the stables at home. Saddling up Nigel, she was soon on her way home, riding on the side of the road to make sure that he stayed in the grass whenever they could. He didn't like the concrete on this hooves. She got a few strange looks as people saw her talking to him as though carrying out conversation with a human being. Though maybe the looks were because he would whinny and nicker back at her.

Almost home, a car slowed down beside her and a woman rolled down the window, leaning over to talk to her. “Summer, dear. You haven't seen Matthew and Jensen have you? I can't find them. I haven't heard from them since yesterday.” She pulled over and put her hazard lights on, concern riddling her face and voice. “No, I haven't. I saw them Saturday at the lake party but I didn't get the chance to speak with them. I'll ask everyone else to keep an eye out and you'll know as soon as we find them.” She offered a comforting smile as she thought back to the two brothers walking into the forest with the blonde stranger. She made a mental note to seek the woman out later and see what she could find out from her. Gloria Hanover gave Summer a faint smile before turning off her hazard lights and going on about her way. Summer continued on her way where she sought out her father, knowing her mother was already at work. “Papa, I don't suppose you've seen anyone new around town have you?” She picked up an apple and tossed it up before catching it and taking a bite from the juicy and rather delicious Granny Smith, its sour tang delighting her. Her father turned around, wiping his hands on his apron, his face taking on a thoughtful expression. “I do recall a new shop opening up. Hot Buns. Great pies.”

“Blonde hair, probably blue eyes and really fit? Really modelesque?” She raised a brow before polishing off her apple. Her father nodded and leaned in towards her over the marble island. “Yeah...Something on your mind, n'nitschaan?” Her father's deeply accented voice was filled with concern and curiosity as he looked her in the eyes and she quickly shook her head. “Nothing, really. I just saw her at the party on Saturday and was wondering who she was....And the Hanover boys are missing since yesterday.” She quickly averted her gaze from his. Her parents were of the few people she found it difficult to lie too. They did that thing that parents do, staring at you with that look that pierces your soul until you cough up what you're hiding. It freaked her out. She quickly excused herself and disappeared upstairs, leaving her father puzzled. Chief Salem rubbed his chin before deciding to don his uniform and pay the Hanover home a visit. Summer, however, was busy pulling out her books. Three in particular. She opened up the three books, one to a map of Easton, another to a map of Massachusetts, and another to a world map just in case. Setting them down on her desk, she pulled out an uncut emerald on a string from one of her drawers and closed her eyes. Focusing her will and thoughts on Matthew Hanover, she held it inches above the books and slowly let it rotate. This went on for five minutes before it simply fell to the desk. She tried again, this time with Jensen on her mind. Again, she got nothing and began to worry. Fearing the worst, she pulled out her phone and texted everyone in her contact list and even threw up a post on Facebook. Anyone seen the Hanover boys today? She then sent a more exclusive text to the more...witchy of her friends. Huge problem guys. We need to find Mat and Jensen right now.

One foot on the arm. Hup! Swing to the left. Let go for a split-second, then catch the head. Stone and metal inside, it was strong enough. Press one foot against the crook of the elbow, shift the opposite hand to the neck. Kick off the elbow and pull. And just like that, Leo was sitting on top of the biggest of the five mermaid statues that made up the fountain in Easton park. Despite water spouts everywhere, he wasn't even wet - and not a drop of magic used. Yeah, sometimes it was pretty good to be him.

His mildly egotistical musings were interrupted by a friend of his, Dean Howard, calling from the side of the fountain. "Yo, hanging out with your girlfriend, Leo?"

Leo grinned, waving down at him. "She's hot and doesn't complain when I talk about her boobs. What more could a guy want?" He laughed and Dean soon joined in, leaning on one of the smaller statues and shaking his head. "So what're you doing in the park?" Leo asked once the laughter died down. "And without a Vita in your hand? Hell, are you even Dean?" Dean was, to put it mildly, not an outdoorsy kinda guy. He preferred to be indoors pwning noobs or rescuing princesses or punching Zeus in the face. Did a bitchin' Dante cosplay, though, which is hard to do when you're black.

"It's such a nice day, I thought I'd take a walk," Dean said with a perfectly straight face. The look he got back was a lot more animated, and he cracked up again almost immediately. "Your face, man! You should see that look. Naw, Vita's in my pocket. My mom's sending me out for groceries. Hey, you seen the Hanovers?"

Leo, who had laughed too after he got over his shock, shook his head. "Mat and Jensen? Don't think so. We're not in the same year, so I usually don't. Why?"

"You didn't get the text?" Dean asked. "Summer's been sending'em around. Then people don't know and text their friends, then they text their friends- Half the school's heard by now, it's like an information network or something. I figured she'd go to you first."

Leo started to say something, then stopped. He pulled out his cellphone, which he had been completely ignoring all day, and sure enough there it was: Two texts from Summer, sent at about the same time. One just asked the question, seemed pretty normal. The other looked more urgent. Huge problem? Well, if nobody'd seen them all day it did sound like it might be kind of a problem. He sighed and shot her a quick reply: Havent seen em. Be at ur place soon. "Sorry, babe, we'll pick this up another time," He told the stone mermaid, patting her on the head, then he slid down her back to land briefly on the fin before hopping off to the edge of the fountain. "I better go see why she's asking. Thanks, man. Tell your moms I said hi."

After parting ways with Dean Leo began the walk to the Salem house. And when walking proved too boring, he climbed a nearby rooftop (this was a suburban neighborhood) and began the free run instead. Technically this wasn't illegal in Easton, but he could still get knocked for disturbing the peace, and almost had been a few times. These days he made a point of getting across a roof quickly and quietly (quiet-ish, at least) to keep that from happening. It wasn't long before he reached Summer's place and knocked on the door, calling out "Yo! It's Leo!"

“Leonidas Andover! Who the fuck you think you are bangin' on my door like you fuckin' own the place?!” John cried out in an angry tone, running to the door and yanking it open. Just over six feet tall, wider than a fridge (figuratively speaking), he towered over the athletic adopted Andover, lifting his chin some with a light snarl before slapping him on the back with a cheesy and brilliantly white smile that contrasted against his dark skin. “Bah! You know I'm just fuckin' with you. C'mon in boy! You're letting the heat out!” He pulled the boy inside and was about to call down Summer, but she already made her way downstairs and was just behind him. “C'mon!” No pleasantries were exchanged as she whisked him away with her father calling behind her. “Use a condom! Or don't! I'm kind of in the mood for grandkids!” A grin still plastered on his face, he whistled to himself as he made his way upstairs as well though taking a turn down the eastern corridor where his and Luna's bedroom happened to be. He wasted no time getting dressed and didn't bother giving Leo "the speech", as was customary for overprotective fathers to do before they allowed a young man to be alone in a home with their baby girl. It wasn't that he trusted the two — Not that he didn't trust them, because he trusted them very much. But he truly just didn't give two fucks if Leo tried to make a move. He knew his daughter better than anyone else. The last boy that tried to make a move on her too quickly ended up in the hospital after it seemed as though the insides of all of his clothing items had been rubbed down with poison oak. He taught his daughter well and she wasn't one to play games. So. Yeah. Let the boy make a move. He was eager to see what she would pull out of her proverbial hat next.

He was soon into his squad car and on his way downtown to question Miss Kolmykova. lt wouldn't hurt to grab a pie while he was there. Maybe a few dozen donuts and some cinnamon buns. He was drooling at the mere thought of the delicious sweets that would be obtained at the bakery with the rather funny and perverse pun of a name. He powered on his phone only to see it blown up with a number of text messages and voicemails and missed calls. There was no doubt in his mind that over half of these were pertaining to the Hanover boys. He could see why his daughter suspected the new woman in town — She didn't really trust newcomers. Or at least not the ones settling. A large town it may be, it was still one of those places where so very few moved in or out without family or friends being nearby. As far as he knew, Miss Kolmykova had neither in town. Still, he thought her to be a rather innocent woman. She seemed sweet enough and he hated that he might have to sully her new move by making her an immediate suspect in what could turn out to be a missing persons case. He kept his mind on the optimistic thoughts and simply put on a smile as he pushed the thought of the Hanover boys being in any danger far from his mind. They were probably suffering from a hangover and wandering around out in the woods somewhere. Nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. Adjusting his belt and making sure his gun was secure, he parked just outside of the new bakery and grabbed his wallet before walking in. He was greeted by a small ringing bell and a few waves from the patrons already inside. “Sheriff Salem! It's good to see you again! Come to get some more key lime pie?” Tatiana glanced away from a customer who had just bought a large box of cookies.

Beauty didn't even begin to describe the woman. Sex rolled off of her in waves, obvious from the way the males in the place couldn't tear their eyes away from her curves. She tucked a few blonde strands out of her face as she gave the Sheriff a coy smile to which he felt himself simply melt under. He loved his wife more than anything in the world and was crazy faithful to Luna. But there was nothing wrong with admiring another beauty, was there? “I did, actually. I also came to ask you if you know Matthew and Jensen Hanover.” He moved to the counter and leaned against it and watched as her cheeks filled with red. “Oh...Well. You see...” John gave an understanding smile before motioning towards the back. “Perhaps you'd like to take this conversation somewhere more private?” She gave a soft nod and made his way to the back with her, exiting into the alley behind the bakery where she leaned against a wall and buried her face in her hands. “They invited me to some party over the weekend and at first I wasn't really sure. But college boys are a guilty pleasure of mine. Oh, Christ! I swear, those lDs looked real!” John listened to her with a light smile, uncrossing his arms from his chest before placing his hands on hers and removing them from her face. “Hey, it's alright. They were both of age and l'm sure that they aren't complaining that a beautiful woman such as yourself decided to take a shining to them.” She cracked a small timid smile as he brushed a tear from her cheek with his index finger. “I'm only asking because you're the last person anyone saw them with and they haven't been seen since Saturday or heard from them since Sunday. I was wondering if you could tell me where they went after you saw them.” He took a step back from her as, she gave a light sniffle and a nod.

“Oh. After we finished up we headed back towards the party. They went ahead of me — I took a little bit longer for clean up.” She gave an impish grin before giving a shrug. “I didn't see them after that. I got back to the party and it looked like everyone was either passing out or clearing out, so I went ahead and left for home. I hope they're okay. Maybe they were just drunk and got lost in the woods? They could be passed out from a hangover somewhere in the woods. I could help look if you'd like. I sort of feel like it's my fault for letting them wander out alone while they were drunk.” John was having none of that. “It's alright. We're going to wait until tomorrow morning. If they don't turn up by then, we'll declare them missing persons and start looking for them. No need to trouble yourself." He gave a tip of his hat before motioning towards the door. “If there's anything else I can do for you. Anything at all.” She gave a soft smile and placed a small hand against his arm. For a moment he felt...something. A flare in his hormones as he stared into her gorgeous blue eyes. He quickly shook his head and pulled his arm back gently, resisting the sudden urge to simply ravage her in the filthy alley. “I'd actually like to come back later tonight and pick up some of those delicious organic raspberry cheesecake cookies you make. I'm sure my wife and daughter would love them.” Confusion flickered pver her expression for a nanosecond before disappearing and becoming a soft laugh. “Of course! I'll make a couple dozen. On the house.” The two bade each other farewell, though she remained behind with a dark expression taking over her visage. How dare he defy her...

Leo liked Mr. Salem. He was pretty cool for an older dude, never afraid of some ribbing. And he didn't tell horrible jokes and make (ugh) puns all the time like some parents. "That sounded like an order to me," he joked. "Don't want to disappoint him." He chuckled as he turned left on the staircase, halfway up.

Then he turned around entirely, facing the way he'd just come, and jumped forward, grabbing onto the floor above to pull himself up. He planted his feet at the base, where the bannister ended, and pushed up again, grabbing the top of the bannister at the last moment to propel himself into flipping over it. Legs tucked to avoid kicking the ceiling, then out for the landing. As he straightened up, he made a show of pulling the hem of his shirt down over his abs from his collar, where it had dropped while he was upside down. Showing off? Him? Perish the thought.

"So, I got your text," he said eventually as they walked down the hallway. That was the problem with hallways, walking was all you could do. Give him some monkey bars any day. "Both of'em, I mean. What's got you so riled? You think something happened to Matt and Jensen?" Leo didn't know either of them very well, but he did know Summer. She wouldn't get worked up over nothing. This was more than just two guys making themselves scarce, and whatever it was had her worried.