Series 4 Episode 3
"Memories"
Another year beginning. Jono was prepared for his sophomore year of high school, but that didn’t mean he was looking forward to it. School was a lot of unnecessary effort. He knew he wanted to be a journalist, why did he need to learn about plant cells in biology? It felt silly. He was almost seventeen, he should have been able to make decisions for himself.
Nevertheless, he found himself in biology first thing on the first day of term. Much to his relief, Josh was sat to his left and Freddie to his right. At least his best friends would help him through. Mrs. Harding opened the door, just before Mrs. Johnson could start class.
“Class, this is Dylan Drummond. He’s starting at Crystalshaw High today. Please make him feel welcome,” she introduced.
Jono watched Dylan walk into the classroom He looked anxious, his body language turning inwards, as if he lacked self-confidence. However, Jono found him pretty cute. He probably wasn’t interested in guys – that was always the luck that Jono had – but there was no harm in a little extra eye candy. His luscious, dark locks, looking messy yet perfect for running his hands through. Jono could fantasise all day.
Dylan went to the spare seat near the back, next to Yasmin. Jono didn’t really speak to Yasmin, but he was friendly with just about everybody. Maybe, just maybe, Dylan could be a cool addition to his little friendship group.
Nevertheless, he found himself in biology first thing on the first day of term. Much to his relief, Josh was sat to his left and Freddie to his right. At least his best friends would help him through. Mrs. Harding opened the door, just before Mrs. Johnson could start class.
“Class, this is Dylan Drummond. He’s starting at Crystalshaw High today. Please make him feel welcome,” she introduced.
Jono watched Dylan walk into the classroom He looked anxious, his body language turning inwards, as if he lacked self-confidence. However, Jono found him pretty cute. He probably wasn’t interested in guys – that was always the luck that Jono had – but there was no harm in a little extra eye candy. His luscious, dark locks, looking messy yet perfect for running his hands through. Jono could fantasise all day.
Dylan went to the spare seat near the back, next to Yasmin. Jono didn’t really speak to Yasmin, but he was friendly with just about everybody. Maybe, just maybe, Dylan could be a cool addition to his little friendship group.
Jono was gobsmacked. He felt like he had been punched in the stomach by a championship boxer. Something had gone very wrong with Dylan, and he was way more worried than ever before. Worryingly, Dylan seemed to have no idea who he was. How could he have forgotten his own boyfriend?
“Dylan, you’re worrying me, please stop joking,” Jono clung on to every last bit of hope inside him. He was praying this was some twisted joke, even though it wasn’t Dylan’s style. Maybe Freddie had put him up to it? That would make sense.
“Who are you? Get out of my room,” Dylan yelled, distressed.
“I’m Jono, your boyfriend. Something has happened to you, Dyl, and I promise I’m going to figure it out,” Jono reassured.
Dylan threw his pillows at Jono, obviously very scared. Jono quickly darted out of the room and shut the door behind him. He wanted to run home and cry, but that would solve nothing.
Jono tried to retain his composure. He needed to check on Josh. Running down the corridor, Jono ignored all formalities and rushed into Josh’s bedroom. He yanked the curtains open and shook him vigorously to wake him up.
“What the fuck, dude? Where’s the fire?” Josh groaned.
“It’s an emergency, get up,” Jono commanded.
“What’s happened?” Josh queried, still hazy but now getting dressed.
“Something’s happened to Dylan. He can’t remember who I am. I’m scared, Josh,” Jono opened up.
“It’s okay, let me go talk to him,” Josh offered. Jono had never felt more concerned. He had to trust that Josh would be able to fix matters.
Carefully pushing Dylan’s bedroom door open, Josh wasn’t sure what to expect. Jono sounded very concerned, and shaken in a way he had never seen before. He always worried about Dylan – he was his boyfriend, it was par for the course – but this seemed like way more.
“Dylan?” Josh gently called. He saw Dylan lying flat on his bed. It looked like he had gone back to sleep at first, but he looked up at the sound of his name. Josh spoke again, “Everything okay?”
Dylan shot him a look. One of confusion and terror. Josh had never seen that before. He had the kindest eyes normally, but this was a far cry from the Dylan he knew.
“Do I know you?” Dylan worriedly asked.
“It’s Josh,” Josh reminded, still speaking kindly and gently, “Your brother.”
“I don’t have a brother,” Dylan simply said. It was put so coldly and heartlessly. Like he truly believed it. Josh simply left the room. He felt awful. Jono was next to him, listening in.
“What the hell do we do?” Jono queried desperately.
“I don’t know,” Josh sighed. He was truly out of ideas, and his brain was struggling to think sensibly and logically.
Lying in bed wide awake, Yasmin hadn’t slept very much. She had stayed over at Freddie’s, but she was still contemplating their future. Were they really right for each other? She still hadn’t decided.
Additionally, she couldn’t stop thinking about Dylan’s bedroom. Something was going to happen there, but what? She had no idea when, either. It scared her.
Yasmin checked the time: half seven. Time to get up. She prodded Freddie, bringing him round slowly.
“Morning,” he smiled, looking directly at Yasmin.
“Hey,” she smiled back, though she felt less enthusiastic than Freddie.
“That time again, huh?” he realised.
“Afraid so,” Yasmin replied. She kept her responses short and snappy. There wasn’t anything else she felt like saying. An awkward silence ensued.
“Is everything okay?” Freddie wondered, breaking the silence. He seemed to pick up on her technique.
“I’m gonna make a cup of tea,” Yasmin excused herself, dodging the question. She was aware it wasn’t going to solve anything, but Freddie wasn’t stupid. He would be able to tell that something wasn’t right. Now she had to play it cool. Above all else, Freddie was still her friend. Hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do.
What a morning. Dylan didn’t have any idea what was happening, but some people he’d never met before had obviously decided to play some sort of prank on him. Entering his house and pretending they were his boyfriend and brother? What a stupid game. Perhaps he’d have to report them to the police.
Now though, he was walking to school. He had to try and keep some sort of normality. He couldn’t afford to let his grades slip as a result. As he walked into the confines of the school gates, he saw those same people again. Not only were they at his school, but they were sat outside on one of the benches. The bench he always sat at.
“Are you stalking me?” Dylan confronted. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. He was a werewolf, he knew how to defend himself.
“This is our bench,” one of them replied. Josh, he said his name was.
“No, it’s mine,” Dylan reiterated, “But you knew that, right?”
“Like he said,” the other one, Jono, butted in, “Our bench. Yours too.”
“You’re sick. Making up all of this crap about me,” Dylan was getting annoyed. How could anyone do this to him?
“Dylan, what’s going on?” a girl joined them at the bench. She looked a little older than the two lads.
“Leave me alone, all of you,” Dylan was getting more and more frustrated, “You’re another one of them, aren’t you?”
“This is Lily, she’s my sister and your friend,” Jono informed.
“What the hell is going on?” Lily wondered.
“Dylan,” finally, he heard a familiar voice behind him. Turning around, Dylan was thrilled to see Drew approaching.
“Thank god you’re here,” Dylan greeted, “I don’t know who these people are, but they’re harassing me.”
“They’re your friends, Dylan?” Drew looked baffled.
“What? I’ve never seen them before,” Dylan insisted. What had gotten into Drew?
“Alright, let’s get you to class,” Drew suggested. Thank goodness. At last, somebody he knew and could trust.
Parking herself at the bench, Lily had no idea what she had just witnessed. She’d made the decision to brave school again after a day at home, and she wasn’t sure how it would go down, but George was watching over Noah for the day instead.
Bafflingly though, she had just seen Dylan acting exceptionally weird. Totally unlike his usual self. The strangest part of it was that she only saw him the night before, and he was totally normal. He had saved her life, in fact.
“Tell me everything,” Lily instructed. Freddie and Yasmin joined them at the bench too, totally oblivious to what had just happened.
“I wish I knew,” Jono sighed.
“Wish you knew what?” Freddie enquired.
“You just missed Dylan going batshit crazy and forgetting everyone except Drew,” Lily informed.
“Say what?” Yasmin was taken aback.
“It’s true,” Jono sighed again. He looked so deflated. Dylan kept him on such a high. Now he was on the craziest comedown.
“He was fine last night,” Josh informed, “Then had no idea who we were this morning.”
“Sounds like some sort of sick joke,” Freddie commented.
“That’s not Dylan,” Yasmin interjected, “He wouldn’t do that. He hasn’t got it in him.”
“You didn’t see the look on his face either,” Jono recalled, “He was horrified when he saw me in his bed. Like he was seeing a complete stranger.”
“In his bedroom?” Yasmin queried.
“Yeah, why is that relevant?” Jono responded. Yasmin’s face went pale.
“We were there yesterday,” Josh realised, “One of Yasmin’s premonitions led us there.”
“And you didn’t think to warn us?” Jono reacted impulsively.
“We didn’t know what it was about. I tried, I promise,” Yasmin felt down, obviously kicking herself.
“What could any of us have done? We don’t know anything about what’s going on,” Lily reasoned. Then she remembered. Everything that happened the night before, “The wolf last night.”
“Of course,” Jono realised, as if a lightbulb had sparked above his head, “The scratch on his neck.”
“The what?” Yasmin was confused.
“I was looking after Noah yesterday, and this wolf-like thing attacked us,” Lily recalled, “Dylan fought it off but it scratched him.”
“Why are we here then?” Freddie decided, “We need the Bestiary.”
“I can’t miss class, and neither can you,” Jono irritatingly yet sensibly said while looking at Lily, “Mom will kill us. Besides, I want to be near Dylan in case his situation changes.” Lily hated to admit it, but he was right.
“I can go. George will understand,” Freddie volunteered.
“Me too,” Yasmin said right after.
“I’m gonna speak to Ed. I think he needs to know,” Josh decided.
Lily loved how they all had a part in the plan, but she wished it hadn’t come to this in the first place.
Concerned for Dylan, Drew wasn’t actually taking him to class. What he had just witnessed at the bench was not Dylan. He needed to piece the details together, and quickly. Especially as it seemed like he was the only one that Dylan still knew and trusted.
Drew led him to the library, sitting at the central desk. The place Dylan defeated Josh less than a year ago, back when he was the enemy. Perhaps it would jog a memory or two. Wishful thinking, Drew assumed.
“I don’t know what’s happening today. Something’s up, I’m sure of it,” Dylan explained.
“You’ve got no idea who those people were?” Drew clarified.
“No, should I?” Dylan wondered. Drew was unsure how to tackle this sensitively. Too much information dumped on Dylan could prove problematic.
“It’s complicated,” Drew replied, “But don’t push people away. Nobody’s gonna hurt you, Dylan.”
“I had a scratch on my neck,” Dylan recalled, “A wolf gave it to me last night. I don’t know what it was, but it was coming for me.”
“Where did it go?” Drew wondered. He was already trying to decode what the wolf might have been.
“I don’t know. It scratched me and scarpered,” Dylan thought, “But I don’t know where I was. All I know is that I was protecting someone, but I don’t remember who.”
“You always protect your friends, Dylan,” Drew subtly hinted. He wasn’t used to the sensitive approach, but he was the one Dylan was relying on. He had to be more comforting. It was like he had to be the whole pack at the same time. Lily’s tact, Jono’s gut feeling and Yasmin’s intelligence rolled into one.
Drew then noticed Dylan gazing behind him. Drew spun around to see Diego, a kid who started at their school a couple of weeks back. Drew knew that kind of gaze, too. It worried him a lot. Dylan didn’t know who Jono was any more. The field was wide open. This could get messy.
“Oi, Romeo, stop gushing,” Drew put a stop to it, “Come on, I need a hand.” He dug out the address that Mrs. Johnson wrote down from his pocket. It could be a welcome distraction for them both, but first, Drew had to send a text to Jono. He needed to know Dylan was safe.
Moving from history to English, Jono wasn’t getting much out of school that day. There was no way he would have been able to concentrate when worrying so much about Dylan. He didn’t turn up to history at all, which was concerning, but Drew didn’t either.
Jono didn’t understand why Dylan’s brain only seemed to remember Drew, and his mind was doing overtime to figure out why. Did he subconsciously trust Drew more? Is Drew somehow immune? It was a slippery slope. Jono had to trust Drew, though. He had no reason not to, after all, and certainly no alternative.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. Jono ducked into the boys’ toilets to read the text without the phone being confiscated. It was from Drew. Maybe a ray of hope?
“Dylan with me. Don’t panic.”
How irritatingly vague. “Don’t panic,”? How was Jono supposed to not panic? That said, Jono shouldn’t have been surprised. Drew wasn’t a man of many words, after all.
“Everything alright?” Jono heard a voice behind him querying. It was Diego, who was due to be in the same English class.
“Yeah,” Jono put on a brave face. He couldn’t begin to explain if he wanted to.
“Look, I wasn’t sure whether to mention it, but I think you need to know,” Diego began speaking. Jono didn’t care for whatever he was about to say. He hardly knew the kid, and he had way bigger priorities, “I know about werewolves.”
Jono looked up suddenly. He started to care.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jono lied. He didn’t want to inadvertently inform a stranger about everything. That said, the rumour had passed around school already thanks to Chase. Thankfully, it had mostly been debunked but Jono knew there would be some doubters.
“I saw Josh change, you don’t need to hide anything,” Diego continued, before flaring his eyes. They were bright yellow, just like Freddie’s. He was a werewolf too.
“Why are you telling me right now?” Jono wondered.
“You looked like you needed some help,” Diego smiled, “Fancy a chat?” Jono couldn’t resist. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have an impartial confidante.
Freddie didn’t think much of Drew’s bunker. He was far from the tidiest person in the world; his bedroom was all over the place, and George wasn’t much better. However, the bunker looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years. It was dimly lit, the corridor outside was damp, and the atmosphere made Freddie feel grotty and uncomfortable.
Despite that, he was determined to dig out the Bestiary. Additionally, it gave he and Yasmin the chance to talk. He wasn’t going to let her avoid his questions this time.
“Do you know where to look?” Freddie queried.
“I think so,” Yasmin said, heading to the right-hand side shelving unit.
“I think we need to talk,” Freddie began, checking the left unit just in case.
“Sure, what about?” Yasmin replied jovially. Freddie knew she was hoping to dodge the chat again. She couldn’t crawl out of this so easily.
“Us,” Freddie simply stated. Silence followed.
“I can’t find it,” Yasmin tried diverting the conversation.
“We’re not doing this. Avoiding conversation. We’ve got to talk because I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” Freddie put his foot down.
“Okay. Let’s talk,” Yasmin gave in.
“What’s the deal? Something’s not right between us and it hasn’t been since you got back,” Freddie started the chat off.
“We spent three months apart, Freddie. That’s long enough for any couple,” Yasmin reasoned.
“And in those three months, you didn’t find one moment to tell your mom about me?” Freddie mentioned.
Yasmin fell silent. She moved back round to the middle of the bunker, pulling up a couple of the uncomfortable chairs Drew kept there. Freddie went and sat opposite.
“I barely know my mom,” Yasmin owned up, “What if she’s like my dad? I want to protect you.”
“That’s why you’ve not told her?” Freddie connected the dots.
“Maybe,” Yasmin vaguely replied, “To be honest, I don’t know what to think any more. We’ve drifted, and maybe it’s my fault.”
“We’ll always be friends, right?” Freddie felt himself welling up. He knew what was coming. It broke his heart, but he knew it was for the best.
“Always. Just friends, then?” Yasmin suggested.
Freddie nodded. He noticed she was crying, too, and his first instinct was still to comfort her. Freddie wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. No matter what happened, she still understood him in ways very few people did. Now she could do that without the added emotional baggage.
“Alright,” Freddie tried to raise a smile as he broke up the hug, “Where’s this stupid book?”
Figuring out exactly what he was going to say in his mind, Josh didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news. He was waiting for Ed to finish in his office, but every second felt like a minute. Time was passing exceptionally slowly. There were only so many times he could scroll through his Instagram feed and still be entertained.
A selfie of Dylan’s popped up as he opened the app once again, taken the day before. It was a cute shot of him and Jono together. He couldn’t believe how fast things had changed.
It wasn’t going to be easy to tell Ed either, but he needed to be in the loop. Ed would be facing Dylan at home too, and he had to be prepared.
The office door opened. A middle-aged lady left the room, the sound of Ed’s charming voice wishing her a good day.
“Alright trouble, what’s up?” Ed queried, turning to Josh, “No sign of your partner in crime?” Josh simply walked into the office, shutting the door behind him.
“Something’s happened to Dylan,” Josh explained.
“Like what? Is he safe?” Ed immediately questioned.
“He’s safe, but he doesn’t remember any of us,” Josh regretfully informed.
“Nobody? How could that happen?” Ed was confused.
“Nobody except Drew. We’re figuring it all out, but I needed to tell you. I couldn’t keep it bottled up,” Josh admitted.
“Does Caroline know?” Ed queried.
“No, I don’t know if she should. It would break her heart,” Josh considered.
“Maybe she should decide for herself,” Ed suggested. Almost on cue, the door opened, Caroline casually strutting through.
“I brought you some lunch as you left it behind this morning,” Caroline put the bag down on the desk, “Who should decide what for herself?”
Drat. She heard it. Josh stared worriedly at Ed. He wasn’t going to be the one to let her know.
“You should decide…” Ed paused, “If you want to join us for a takeaway tonight.”
He’d chickened out. Josh’s heart was beating loudly. Caroline didn’t need to know yet, but he was holding out hope that she wouldn’t ever need to.
Stepping out of Drew’s immaculately clean car, Dylan found himself in front of a shop down town. It was old-fashioned, with the sign above simply reading “Edwina’s Herbal Remedies,” in a stylish, cursive font. Quite why Drew had been sent there as a fix for his werewolf problem wasn’t yet clear, but if it offered a solution, Dylan didn’t care.
Drew led the way into the shop, a bell sounding as the door opened. Immediately, Dylan noticed all of the jars cluttering up the shelves. All of them had some sort of spice or liquid in. Dylan had no idea where to start looking; it was, he assumed, organised chaos. The owner, Edwina, probably knew exactly where everything was, but to the naked eye, it was nothing short of a mess.
“What are we looking for?” Dylan hopefully asked Drew.
“No idea, Mrs. Johnson didn’t tell me anything more,” Drew replied.
“Mrs. Johnson? Our biology teacher? What does she have to do with anything?” Dylan queried.
Before he could get an answer, they were interrupted from the direction of the till.
“Good afternoon boys,” came the voice of a female. Dylan spun around, startled, “Sorry to scare you.”
“We need your help, Miss…” Drew politely began.
“Edwina. I’m the owner. How can I be of assistance?” Edwina replied. She seemed kind, her eyes shining through from her well lived-in skin.
“I’ve been told to come here,” Drew started to explain.
“You’ve lost something,” Edwina interrupted. Drew looked baffled. She seemed to know exactly what the problem was. Dylan was already in awe of her. She had a sense of brilliance about her, a worldly intelligence.
“How did you know?” Drew asked.
“It’s clear. You want to become a werewolf again,” Edwina confirmed.
“Yes,” Drew confidently answered.
“It’s a big ask,” Edwina replied.
“But can you do it?” Drew keenly interrogated.
“I think so. You’ll need to come back later, in maybe a few hours. I can make no guarantees,” Edwina explained. She seemed keen to help, but Dylan was worried about her lack of certainty.
“Thank you,” Drew raised a little smile. He seemed up for it, whatever it was.
“And what about you? You’ve lost something too,” Edwina turned to Dylan. Huh? What had he lost?
“I’m fine, thanks,” Dylan replied, keeping his cool.
“You might not realise it yet, my boy, but you seem vacant. Not whole,” Edwina said, before heading back behind the counter.
“What the fuck was that about?” Dylan whispered to Drew.
“I think we need a chat,” Drew ominously stated. Ugh. Dylan’s least favourite phrase in the world.
Sat in the newsroom, Jono knew this was the best place for a private chat. Nobody was allowed into the newsroom without his or Dylan’s permission, and he had shut the blinds across the door. Total privacy.
He had already told Diego everything about Dylan’s condition. He wouldn’t usually tell an outsider about his private live, certainly as far as werewolves go, but he felt he was justified this time.
“Dude, I’m sorry,” Diego raised a kind, comforting smile, “I can’t imagine how that feels.”
“Maybe I could cope with him forgetting me. He could learn to love me again, but he totally hates me. It’s a non-starter,” Jono admitted. It made him feel like shit.
“Maybe you need to try,” Diego suggested.
“You think it’s worthwhile?” Jono needed convincing. Of course, Dylan was always worth his time, and he would do everything he could to win him back. However, he couldn’t take much more heartache.
“If it keeps you fighting, yes,” Diego encouraged. Jono nodded. This gave him a goal. An end game in his mind.
“What about you?” Jono queried, “What brought you here?”
“I came to escape,” Diego revealed, “I was born a werewolf, both of my parents are so I inherited it. We were targeted by this giant wolf. It came for me.”
“It’s here now,” Jono responded, alarmed by the description.
“You’ve seen it?” Diego seemed startled, “So it’s found me.”
“It scratched Dylan, I think that’s what’s caused his memory loss,” Jono replied. Things were beginning to make sense all of a sudden.
“That’s bad news. Do you know anything about it?” Diego wondered.
“We’re trying our best,” Jono answered. He checked his phone. Not a word from anyone.
“I can help, I know a little,” Diego revealed. Finally, some hope. Finding out what the wolf was brought them one step closer to defeating it. He had to call a meeting.
Meeting at the treehouse after school, Jono had assembled as much of the pack as he could. George was still looking after Noah, and Jono hadn’t even attempted to contact Drew – he had enough on his plate with Dylan. That said, he still had Lily, Freddie, Josh, Yasmin and now Diego with him. Together, they were a dream team.
“No sign of it?” Jono was shocked.
“Nada,” Freddie replied. They were talking about the Bestiary. Surprisingly, it hadn’t shown up in Drew’s bunker. He never let it leave that room.
“Do you think Drew’s taken it himself?” Lily suggested, “He’s normally one step ahead of us.”
“Nah, he’s been in town all day,” Josh answered.
“Wait, how do you know?” Jono perked up. Had Josh seen Dylan? He was still very worried, and it wasn’t likely to die down.
“Snapchat. He left his location on,” Josh confessed, “I got bored.”
“So we’ve totally lost it. Great,” Yasmin sighed.
“We’re not out of hope. Diego’s seen the wolf,” Jono brought up. He knew they could all do with a glimmer of the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I’m sorry, I think I brought it here,” Diego opened up, “It’s called a Fenrir. It’s a crazily strong wolf, and very rare too.”
“I’ve heard about a Fenrir, although the myths and legends only normally tell half the story,” Yasmin mentioned, “How rare?”
“It only happens when two alphas bite the same beta,” Diego explained, “Two wolves inside become one, and it’s power hungry.”
“Noah,” Lily instantly remembered. Suddenly, his rabid behaviour made sense.
“Noah’s a…?” Josh tried to recall the name.
“Fenrir,” Diego helped out.
“What he said,” Josh added.
“He must be,” Yasmin answered, “There are two wolves inside of him battling for power. When they merge, we’re all in trouble.”
“Wait, so the Fenrir took Dylan’s memories,” Jono realised. He was piecing everything together in his mind, but one thing still made no sense, “Why? What does it gain from splitting Dylan up from us?”
“It gains an alpha, all to itself,” Freddie thought.
“But if it’s strong, stronger than any werewolf, it doesn’t need an alpha,” Lily considered.
“Oh god,” Yasmin had a moment of realisation, and her tone of voice sent a shiver of dread through Jono’s body, “It wants us.” Silence fell among the group. Jono couldn’t deny, it made perfect sense.
“What does it get from you guys?” Diego wondered.
“A pack that’s loyal ‘til the end,” Jono answered, “But it obviously doesn’t know us very well.”
“Dylan, you’re worrying me, please stop joking,” Jono clung on to every last bit of hope inside him. He was praying this was some twisted joke, even though it wasn’t Dylan’s style. Maybe Freddie had put him up to it? That would make sense.
“Who are you? Get out of my room,” Dylan yelled, distressed.
“I’m Jono, your boyfriend. Something has happened to you, Dyl, and I promise I’m going to figure it out,” Jono reassured.
Dylan threw his pillows at Jono, obviously very scared. Jono quickly darted out of the room and shut the door behind him. He wanted to run home and cry, but that would solve nothing.
Jono tried to retain his composure. He needed to check on Josh. Running down the corridor, Jono ignored all formalities and rushed into Josh’s bedroom. He yanked the curtains open and shook him vigorously to wake him up.
“What the fuck, dude? Where’s the fire?” Josh groaned.
“It’s an emergency, get up,” Jono commanded.
“What’s happened?” Josh queried, still hazy but now getting dressed.
“Something’s happened to Dylan. He can’t remember who I am. I’m scared, Josh,” Jono opened up.
“It’s okay, let me go talk to him,” Josh offered. Jono had never felt more concerned. He had to trust that Josh would be able to fix matters.
Carefully pushing Dylan’s bedroom door open, Josh wasn’t sure what to expect. Jono sounded very concerned, and shaken in a way he had never seen before. He always worried about Dylan – he was his boyfriend, it was par for the course – but this seemed like way more.
“Dylan?” Josh gently called. He saw Dylan lying flat on his bed. It looked like he had gone back to sleep at first, but he looked up at the sound of his name. Josh spoke again, “Everything okay?”
Dylan shot him a look. One of confusion and terror. Josh had never seen that before. He had the kindest eyes normally, but this was a far cry from the Dylan he knew.
“Do I know you?” Dylan worriedly asked.
“It’s Josh,” Josh reminded, still speaking kindly and gently, “Your brother.”
“I don’t have a brother,” Dylan simply said. It was put so coldly and heartlessly. Like he truly believed it. Josh simply left the room. He felt awful. Jono was next to him, listening in.
“What the hell do we do?” Jono queried desperately.
“I don’t know,” Josh sighed. He was truly out of ideas, and his brain was struggling to think sensibly and logically.
Lying in bed wide awake, Yasmin hadn’t slept very much. She had stayed over at Freddie’s, but she was still contemplating their future. Were they really right for each other? She still hadn’t decided.
Additionally, she couldn’t stop thinking about Dylan’s bedroom. Something was going to happen there, but what? She had no idea when, either. It scared her.
Yasmin checked the time: half seven. Time to get up. She prodded Freddie, bringing him round slowly.
“Morning,” he smiled, looking directly at Yasmin.
“Hey,” she smiled back, though she felt less enthusiastic than Freddie.
“That time again, huh?” he realised.
“Afraid so,” Yasmin replied. She kept her responses short and snappy. There wasn’t anything else she felt like saying. An awkward silence ensued.
“Is everything okay?” Freddie wondered, breaking the silence. He seemed to pick up on her technique.
“I’m gonna make a cup of tea,” Yasmin excused herself, dodging the question. She was aware it wasn’t going to solve anything, but Freddie wasn’t stupid. He would be able to tell that something wasn’t right. Now she had to play it cool. Above all else, Freddie was still her friend. Hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do.
What a morning. Dylan didn’t have any idea what was happening, but some people he’d never met before had obviously decided to play some sort of prank on him. Entering his house and pretending they were his boyfriend and brother? What a stupid game. Perhaps he’d have to report them to the police.
Now though, he was walking to school. He had to try and keep some sort of normality. He couldn’t afford to let his grades slip as a result. As he walked into the confines of the school gates, he saw those same people again. Not only were they at his school, but they were sat outside on one of the benches. The bench he always sat at.
“Are you stalking me?” Dylan confronted. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. He was a werewolf, he knew how to defend himself.
“This is our bench,” one of them replied. Josh, he said his name was.
“No, it’s mine,” Dylan reiterated, “But you knew that, right?”
“Like he said,” the other one, Jono, butted in, “Our bench. Yours too.”
“You’re sick. Making up all of this crap about me,” Dylan was getting annoyed. How could anyone do this to him?
“Dylan, what’s going on?” a girl joined them at the bench. She looked a little older than the two lads.
“Leave me alone, all of you,” Dylan was getting more and more frustrated, “You’re another one of them, aren’t you?”
“This is Lily, she’s my sister and your friend,” Jono informed.
“What the hell is going on?” Lily wondered.
“Dylan,” finally, he heard a familiar voice behind him. Turning around, Dylan was thrilled to see Drew approaching.
“Thank god you’re here,” Dylan greeted, “I don’t know who these people are, but they’re harassing me.”
“They’re your friends, Dylan?” Drew looked baffled.
“What? I’ve never seen them before,” Dylan insisted. What had gotten into Drew?
“Alright, let’s get you to class,” Drew suggested. Thank goodness. At last, somebody he knew and could trust.
Parking herself at the bench, Lily had no idea what she had just witnessed. She’d made the decision to brave school again after a day at home, and she wasn’t sure how it would go down, but George was watching over Noah for the day instead.
Bafflingly though, she had just seen Dylan acting exceptionally weird. Totally unlike his usual self. The strangest part of it was that she only saw him the night before, and he was totally normal. He had saved her life, in fact.
“Tell me everything,” Lily instructed. Freddie and Yasmin joined them at the bench too, totally oblivious to what had just happened.
“I wish I knew,” Jono sighed.
“Wish you knew what?” Freddie enquired.
“You just missed Dylan going batshit crazy and forgetting everyone except Drew,” Lily informed.
“Say what?” Yasmin was taken aback.
“It’s true,” Jono sighed again. He looked so deflated. Dylan kept him on such a high. Now he was on the craziest comedown.
“He was fine last night,” Josh informed, “Then had no idea who we were this morning.”
“Sounds like some sort of sick joke,” Freddie commented.
“That’s not Dylan,” Yasmin interjected, “He wouldn’t do that. He hasn’t got it in him.”
“You didn’t see the look on his face either,” Jono recalled, “He was horrified when he saw me in his bed. Like he was seeing a complete stranger.”
“In his bedroom?” Yasmin queried.
“Yeah, why is that relevant?” Jono responded. Yasmin’s face went pale.
“We were there yesterday,” Josh realised, “One of Yasmin’s premonitions led us there.”
“And you didn’t think to warn us?” Jono reacted impulsively.
“We didn’t know what it was about. I tried, I promise,” Yasmin felt down, obviously kicking herself.
“What could any of us have done? We don’t know anything about what’s going on,” Lily reasoned. Then she remembered. Everything that happened the night before, “The wolf last night.”
“Of course,” Jono realised, as if a lightbulb had sparked above his head, “The scratch on his neck.”
“The what?” Yasmin was confused.
“I was looking after Noah yesterday, and this wolf-like thing attacked us,” Lily recalled, “Dylan fought it off but it scratched him.”
“Why are we here then?” Freddie decided, “We need the Bestiary.”
“I can’t miss class, and neither can you,” Jono irritatingly yet sensibly said while looking at Lily, “Mom will kill us. Besides, I want to be near Dylan in case his situation changes.” Lily hated to admit it, but he was right.
“I can go. George will understand,” Freddie volunteered.
“Me too,” Yasmin said right after.
“I’m gonna speak to Ed. I think he needs to know,” Josh decided.
Lily loved how they all had a part in the plan, but she wished it hadn’t come to this in the first place.
Concerned for Dylan, Drew wasn’t actually taking him to class. What he had just witnessed at the bench was not Dylan. He needed to piece the details together, and quickly. Especially as it seemed like he was the only one that Dylan still knew and trusted.
Drew led him to the library, sitting at the central desk. The place Dylan defeated Josh less than a year ago, back when he was the enemy. Perhaps it would jog a memory or two. Wishful thinking, Drew assumed.
“I don’t know what’s happening today. Something’s up, I’m sure of it,” Dylan explained.
“You’ve got no idea who those people were?” Drew clarified.
“No, should I?” Dylan wondered. Drew was unsure how to tackle this sensitively. Too much information dumped on Dylan could prove problematic.
“It’s complicated,” Drew replied, “But don’t push people away. Nobody’s gonna hurt you, Dylan.”
“I had a scratch on my neck,” Dylan recalled, “A wolf gave it to me last night. I don’t know what it was, but it was coming for me.”
“Where did it go?” Drew wondered. He was already trying to decode what the wolf might have been.
“I don’t know. It scratched me and scarpered,” Dylan thought, “But I don’t know where I was. All I know is that I was protecting someone, but I don’t remember who.”
“You always protect your friends, Dylan,” Drew subtly hinted. He wasn’t used to the sensitive approach, but he was the one Dylan was relying on. He had to be more comforting. It was like he had to be the whole pack at the same time. Lily’s tact, Jono’s gut feeling and Yasmin’s intelligence rolled into one.
Drew then noticed Dylan gazing behind him. Drew spun around to see Diego, a kid who started at their school a couple of weeks back. Drew knew that kind of gaze, too. It worried him a lot. Dylan didn’t know who Jono was any more. The field was wide open. This could get messy.
“Oi, Romeo, stop gushing,” Drew put a stop to it, “Come on, I need a hand.” He dug out the address that Mrs. Johnson wrote down from his pocket. It could be a welcome distraction for them both, but first, Drew had to send a text to Jono. He needed to know Dylan was safe.
Moving from history to English, Jono wasn’t getting much out of school that day. There was no way he would have been able to concentrate when worrying so much about Dylan. He didn’t turn up to history at all, which was concerning, but Drew didn’t either.
Jono didn’t understand why Dylan’s brain only seemed to remember Drew, and his mind was doing overtime to figure out why. Did he subconsciously trust Drew more? Is Drew somehow immune? It was a slippery slope. Jono had to trust Drew, though. He had no reason not to, after all, and certainly no alternative.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. Jono ducked into the boys’ toilets to read the text without the phone being confiscated. It was from Drew. Maybe a ray of hope?
“Dylan with me. Don’t panic.”
How irritatingly vague. “Don’t panic,”? How was Jono supposed to not panic? That said, Jono shouldn’t have been surprised. Drew wasn’t a man of many words, after all.
“Everything alright?” Jono heard a voice behind him querying. It was Diego, who was due to be in the same English class.
“Yeah,” Jono put on a brave face. He couldn’t begin to explain if he wanted to.
“Look, I wasn’t sure whether to mention it, but I think you need to know,” Diego began speaking. Jono didn’t care for whatever he was about to say. He hardly knew the kid, and he had way bigger priorities, “I know about werewolves.”
Jono looked up suddenly. He started to care.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jono lied. He didn’t want to inadvertently inform a stranger about everything. That said, the rumour had passed around school already thanks to Chase. Thankfully, it had mostly been debunked but Jono knew there would be some doubters.
“I saw Josh change, you don’t need to hide anything,” Diego continued, before flaring his eyes. They were bright yellow, just like Freddie’s. He was a werewolf too.
“Why are you telling me right now?” Jono wondered.
“You looked like you needed some help,” Diego smiled, “Fancy a chat?” Jono couldn’t resist. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have an impartial confidante.
Freddie didn’t think much of Drew’s bunker. He was far from the tidiest person in the world; his bedroom was all over the place, and George wasn’t much better. However, the bunker looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years. It was dimly lit, the corridor outside was damp, and the atmosphere made Freddie feel grotty and uncomfortable.
Despite that, he was determined to dig out the Bestiary. Additionally, it gave he and Yasmin the chance to talk. He wasn’t going to let her avoid his questions this time.
“Do you know where to look?” Freddie queried.
“I think so,” Yasmin said, heading to the right-hand side shelving unit.
“I think we need to talk,” Freddie began, checking the left unit just in case.
“Sure, what about?” Yasmin replied jovially. Freddie knew she was hoping to dodge the chat again. She couldn’t crawl out of this so easily.
“Us,” Freddie simply stated. Silence followed.
“I can’t find it,” Yasmin tried diverting the conversation.
“We’re not doing this. Avoiding conversation. We’ve got to talk because I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” Freddie put his foot down.
“Okay. Let’s talk,” Yasmin gave in.
“What’s the deal? Something’s not right between us and it hasn’t been since you got back,” Freddie started the chat off.
“We spent three months apart, Freddie. That’s long enough for any couple,” Yasmin reasoned.
“And in those three months, you didn’t find one moment to tell your mom about me?” Freddie mentioned.
Yasmin fell silent. She moved back round to the middle of the bunker, pulling up a couple of the uncomfortable chairs Drew kept there. Freddie went and sat opposite.
“I barely know my mom,” Yasmin owned up, “What if she’s like my dad? I want to protect you.”
“That’s why you’ve not told her?” Freddie connected the dots.
“Maybe,” Yasmin vaguely replied, “To be honest, I don’t know what to think any more. We’ve drifted, and maybe it’s my fault.”
“We’ll always be friends, right?” Freddie felt himself welling up. He knew what was coming. It broke his heart, but he knew it was for the best.
“Always. Just friends, then?” Yasmin suggested.
Freddie nodded. He noticed she was crying, too, and his first instinct was still to comfort her. Freddie wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. No matter what happened, she still understood him in ways very few people did. Now she could do that without the added emotional baggage.
“Alright,” Freddie tried to raise a smile as he broke up the hug, “Where’s this stupid book?”
Figuring out exactly what he was going to say in his mind, Josh didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news. He was waiting for Ed to finish in his office, but every second felt like a minute. Time was passing exceptionally slowly. There were only so many times he could scroll through his Instagram feed and still be entertained.
A selfie of Dylan’s popped up as he opened the app once again, taken the day before. It was a cute shot of him and Jono together. He couldn’t believe how fast things had changed.
It wasn’t going to be easy to tell Ed either, but he needed to be in the loop. Ed would be facing Dylan at home too, and he had to be prepared.
The office door opened. A middle-aged lady left the room, the sound of Ed’s charming voice wishing her a good day.
“Alright trouble, what’s up?” Ed queried, turning to Josh, “No sign of your partner in crime?” Josh simply walked into the office, shutting the door behind him.
“Something’s happened to Dylan,” Josh explained.
“Like what? Is he safe?” Ed immediately questioned.
“He’s safe, but he doesn’t remember any of us,” Josh regretfully informed.
“Nobody? How could that happen?” Ed was confused.
“Nobody except Drew. We’re figuring it all out, but I needed to tell you. I couldn’t keep it bottled up,” Josh admitted.
“Does Caroline know?” Ed queried.
“No, I don’t know if she should. It would break her heart,” Josh considered.
“Maybe she should decide for herself,” Ed suggested. Almost on cue, the door opened, Caroline casually strutting through.
“I brought you some lunch as you left it behind this morning,” Caroline put the bag down on the desk, “Who should decide what for herself?”
Drat. She heard it. Josh stared worriedly at Ed. He wasn’t going to be the one to let her know.
“You should decide…” Ed paused, “If you want to join us for a takeaway tonight.”
He’d chickened out. Josh’s heart was beating loudly. Caroline didn’t need to know yet, but he was holding out hope that she wouldn’t ever need to.
Stepping out of Drew’s immaculately clean car, Dylan found himself in front of a shop down town. It was old-fashioned, with the sign above simply reading “Edwina’s Herbal Remedies,” in a stylish, cursive font. Quite why Drew had been sent there as a fix for his werewolf problem wasn’t yet clear, but if it offered a solution, Dylan didn’t care.
Drew led the way into the shop, a bell sounding as the door opened. Immediately, Dylan noticed all of the jars cluttering up the shelves. All of them had some sort of spice or liquid in. Dylan had no idea where to start looking; it was, he assumed, organised chaos. The owner, Edwina, probably knew exactly where everything was, but to the naked eye, it was nothing short of a mess.
“What are we looking for?” Dylan hopefully asked Drew.
“No idea, Mrs. Johnson didn’t tell me anything more,” Drew replied.
“Mrs. Johnson? Our biology teacher? What does she have to do with anything?” Dylan queried.
Before he could get an answer, they were interrupted from the direction of the till.
“Good afternoon boys,” came the voice of a female. Dylan spun around, startled, “Sorry to scare you.”
“We need your help, Miss…” Drew politely began.
“Edwina. I’m the owner. How can I be of assistance?” Edwina replied. She seemed kind, her eyes shining through from her well lived-in skin.
“I’ve been told to come here,” Drew started to explain.
“You’ve lost something,” Edwina interrupted. Drew looked baffled. She seemed to know exactly what the problem was. Dylan was already in awe of her. She had a sense of brilliance about her, a worldly intelligence.
“How did you know?” Drew asked.
“It’s clear. You want to become a werewolf again,” Edwina confirmed.
“Yes,” Drew confidently answered.
“It’s a big ask,” Edwina replied.
“But can you do it?” Drew keenly interrogated.
“I think so. You’ll need to come back later, in maybe a few hours. I can make no guarantees,” Edwina explained. She seemed keen to help, but Dylan was worried about her lack of certainty.
“Thank you,” Drew raised a little smile. He seemed up for it, whatever it was.
“And what about you? You’ve lost something too,” Edwina turned to Dylan. Huh? What had he lost?
“I’m fine, thanks,” Dylan replied, keeping his cool.
“You might not realise it yet, my boy, but you seem vacant. Not whole,” Edwina said, before heading back behind the counter.
“What the fuck was that about?” Dylan whispered to Drew.
“I think we need a chat,” Drew ominously stated. Ugh. Dylan’s least favourite phrase in the world.
Sat in the newsroom, Jono knew this was the best place for a private chat. Nobody was allowed into the newsroom without his or Dylan’s permission, and he had shut the blinds across the door. Total privacy.
He had already told Diego everything about Dylan’s condition. He wouldn’t usually tell an outsider about his private live, certainly as far as werewolves go, but he felt he was justified this time.
“Dude, I’m sorry,” Diego raised a kind, comforting smile, “I can’t imagine how that feels.”
“Maybe I could cope with him forgetting me. He could learn to love me again, but he totally hates me. It’s a non-starter,” Jono admitted. It made him feel like shit.
“Maybe you need to try,” Diego suggested.
“You think it’s worthwhile?” Jono needed convincing. Of course, Dylan was always worth his time, and he would do everything he could to win him back. However, he couldn’t take much more heartache.
“If it keeps you fighting, yes,” Diego encouraged. Jono nodded. This gave him a goal. An end game in his mind.
“What about you?” Jono queried, “What brought you here?”
“I came to escape,” Diego revealed, “I was born a werewolf, both of my parents are so I inherited it. We were targeted by this giant wolf. It came for me.”
“It’s here now,” Jono responded, alarmed by the description.
“You’ve seen it?” Diego seemed startled, “So it’s found me.”
“It scratched Dylan, I think that’s what’s caused his memory loss,” Jono replied. Things were beginning to make sense all of a sudden.
“That’s bad news. Do you know anything about it?” Diego wondered.
“We’re trying our best,” Jono answered. He checked his phone. Not a word from anyone.
“I can help, I know a little,” Diego revealed. Finally, some hope. Finding out what the wolf was brought them one step closer to defeating it. He had to call a meeting.
Meeting at the treehouse after school, Jono had assembled as much of the pack as he could. George was still looking after Noah, and Jono hadn’t even attempted to contact Drew – he had enough on his plate with Dylan. That said, he still had Lily, Freddie, Josh, Yasmin and now Diego with him. Together, they were a dream team.
“No sign of it?” Jono was shocked.
“Nada,” Freddie replied. They were talking about the Bestiary. Surprisingly, it hadn’t shown up in Drew’s bunker. He never let it leave that room.
“Do you think Drew’s taken it himself?” Lily suggested, “He’s normally one step ahead of us.”
“Nah, he’s been in town all day,” Josh answered.
“Wait, how do you know?” Jono perked up. Had Josh seen Dylan? He was still very worried, and it wasn’t likely to die down.
“Snapchat. He left his location on,” Josh confessed, “I got bored.”
“So we’ve totally lost it. Great,” Yasmin sighed.
“We’re not out of hope. Diego’s seen the wolf,” Jono brought up. He knew they could all do with a glimmer of the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I’m sorry, I think I brought it here,” Diego opened up, “It’s called a Fenrir. It’s a crazily strong wolf, and very rare too.”
“I’ve heard about a Fenrir, although the myths and legends only normally tell half the story,” Yasmin mentioned, “How rare?”
“It only happens when two alphas bite the same beta,” Diego explained, “Two wolves inside become one, and it’s power hungry.”
“Noah,” Lily instantly remembered. Suddenly, his rabid behaviour made sense.
“Noah’s a…?” Josh tried to recall the name.
“Fenrir,” Diego helped out.
“What he said,” Josh added.
“He must be,” Yasmin answered, “There are two wolves inside of him battling for power. When they merge, we’re all in trouble.”
“Wait, so the Fenrir took Dylan’s memories,” Jono realised. He was piecing everything together in his mind, but one thing still made no sense, “Why? What does it gain from splitting Dylan up from us?”
“It gains an alpha, all to itself,” Freddie thought.
“But if it’s strong, stronger than any werewolf, it doesn’t need an alpha,” Lily considered.
“Oh god,” Yasmin had a moment of realisation, and her tone of voice sent a shiver of dread through Jono’s body, “It wants us.” Silence fell among the group. Jono couldn’t deny, it made perfect sense.
“What does it get from you guys?” Diego wondered.
“A pack that’s loyal ‘til the end,” Jono answered, “But it obviously doesn’t know us very well.”