Bad Moon Rising

[Teagan]

Students flew down the halls of Washington State University, their shrieks of excitement echoing down the long, bare hallways of the dorm. On the second floor, five rooms in, Teagan bit her lip, deep in concentration. Behind her, the small room was clearly divided down an invisible line. The right half of the room, the roommate she had yet to meet had a myriad of boy band posters tacked to the wall and preppy looking pink pillows decorating the bed and desk. Not having the luxury of a summer spent preparing for the move, Teagan’s half was fresh out of the local wal-mart décor. Not that she complained, in reality, the mocha tones provided a sense of calm she hadn’t experience since-oh, well, to be honest, since she had ditched science camp.

While she appreciated the normal atmosphere, hints of her summer occupation slipped into the room as well. She had tucked a faint line of salt in the crease of the window, thin enough that her roommate wouldn’t notice, a vial of holy water was stashed in the back of her mini-fridge, and she was currently working on sketching a pentagram on the floorboards underneath the carpet. Nothing was getting in as long as she was around. Had she copied the symbols right? Teagan glanced down at the book in her left hand. Close enough, she thought as she quickly returned the carpet to the original position.

Taking a deep breath of air, she tossed the pen back on her desk before throwing herself on her bed with a smile. Finally. It felt like home. Or, as close to home as it could feel in ten feet of space.

Home. A pang of homesickness washed over her, and Teagan rolled over to look at the picture of her parents she had tacked on the wall. She missed them: their smiles, encouragement and humor. When did she last talk to them? Two months? A small knot of worry appeared in her stomach. They hadn’t returned any of the calls she had made to them during the two days she had stayed in Seattle. It was freaky; her mother was a nut over safety and making Teagan check in with her to make sure everything was okay. While that often proved bothersome, the teen longed to hear her mother’s reassuring voice, if only for a moment.

After all, Teagan would start college the next day. How many other events did parents really care about to the point of tears? She had watched the other parents dropping off their now adult children. Countless tissue boxes were stacked at the overcrowded trash cans. It was a big step in life.

One she had always planned on taking, even if fate’s plans said otherwise.

But that was a different future. Now Teagan had the opportunity to change the course of history just by attending school and avoiding supernatural creatures. No problem. Maybe she could eventually forget the whole thing too. Then the nightmares would go away, and she could dispose of the sleeping pills tucked away in her toiletries bag. Teagan never liked the thought of taking drugs to sleep, but no way would her roommate ever hear the aftermath of summer camp.

Speaking of sleep…Teagan yawned, the activity of the past few days finally catching up with her. Traveling to the future, using credit card scams to pay for all of her supplies and furniture and finally settling into the dorms alone had taken its toll. Wasn’t college supposed to be about making friends that could help in times like this?

Whatever. Teagan could make new ones, and rather quickly at that. Her personality allowed her to click with most, even if that trait hadn’t made an appearance around Aiden or Yuki. Most specifically….Yuki. But that was part of the past she wouldn’t be revisiting, so she erased the mental history of the conversation.

Down the hall, the screams stopped and hushed whispers drifted through the corridor. Teagan listened closely, curious as to what event had managed to quiet the banshee-like dormers. She was greeted with a heavy set of footsteps. Ah, yeah, that would do it. A guy waltzing down the girl’s hall would start a year’s worth of gossip about whatever poor (or maybe not?) girl’s door he stopped at.

She had a sinking feeling when the sound grew closer and closer…

Teagan’s eyes flew open as someone knocked loudly on her door. She hesitantly made her way over to the far side of the room and turned the cool, metal knob. Please don’t let this be Aiden. she crossed her fingers. The last thing he needed was an ego boost like staring girls…and then last thing she needed was to explain face to face why she had run the opposite direction.

A tall figure leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets. Teagan instantly brightened in recognition. "Lucas?”

[Lucas]

One shtriga down and some more hunters noted, Lucas had surely had an interesting summer, to say the least. Unfortunately, that shtriga had set him back on his quest to find out who this Casey guy was, and after Teagan had gone back to Portland (her hunter friends had shown up after all, make a ruckus, and killed the thing, but had taken her back). Still, that meant he was free to plan his next few moves while no one was around to realize that he was a demon. He was a little surprised that the one hunter, Aiden, hadn’t caught on while they were at camp.

He himself was at the school a few days before Teagan, the one who seemed the easiest target to get information about Casey from. The other two were too hard, not to mention one was a hot head, and the other could probably kill him with her stare. He was lucky enough to get his own room, through the expense of his host, of course. The only real reason he was wasting time at the school was that he would be alone with Teagan, her friends a state over. After all, if he wanted a current college education, he would just take a host with one, it was rather easy. But Teagan, she was unsuspecting, too trusting. This would be easy.

Leaving his own room, he went to the administration building and requested the room number for Teagan. Ingraining it to his memory, he began his steady, calm walk to her room, ignoring the stares from the girls outside the building. The hushed whispers and squeals and screams were ignored as well, and finally, after making his way up the stairs one flight, and walking slowly down the hall looking for her dorm number, he found it. A few raps on the door, and he leaned against the wall, waiting for her answer.

“Hey stranger, where’ve you been? Haven’t talked to you since you left camp,” he said, looking her over, and into her room where the clear divide was almost blinding. “Nice room,” he teased, bearing a grin. “How are you doing, what have you been up to?” Simple questions with much more meaning behind them, though she wouldn’t think that, of course.

[Teagan]

"I'm..." Teagan mentally paused, remembering how they had parted. Back at the camp, Lucas had been the one waiting by her bedside when she had finally woken up. In retrospect, she probably treated him a little harsher than she should have. The fact that he was here, clearly happy to see her meant that he didn't hold it against her. After all, she had just been "kidnapped and tortured" by another counselor. "...I'm doing better," she shrugged. "Ready for a new start."

One that involved normal, sane people. Like Lucas.

"Come on in," Teagan opened the door wider. "You have to tell me about the rest of your summer. And how on earth did you find me in here? It's a zoo." She flashed a glare at the girls in the hall peeking out their doors, trying to catch a piece of the conversation. They took the hint and instantly disappeared.

[Lucas]

She was doing better, that was a good thing only because he would rather her be in a better mental state than one where she would zone out, or be distracted by what happened at camp. It'd been two months, at least he could thank the other two for helping the girl out. Still, though, it was time to keep up his friendly appearances, though that wasn't too hard to do because Teagan was a nice and friendly person in general, and while he did have ulterior motives, he did enjoy her company...to an extent. Hunters still, and always would, had issues.

He nodded before throwing a look over his shoulder, sending a light glare at the girls right behind him. Taking a step forward, he had to keep his face straight when it felt like he kicked his foot into a wall. The briefest of moments and his eyes were back on Teagan. Salting the door? So the girl had learned a thing or two from camp. That was good for her, but not for him. Playing it off, he glanced down the hall, and then back at Teagan. "Why don't we head to the caf and get some food or something? I know moving in can make a person starve," he asked. He certainly couldn't get into her room, and explaining why he couldn't, well...that would probably result in something bad.

[Teagan]

Her stomach growled at the thought of food. When was the last time she had eaten? ...probably the night before, seeing as the day was pretty much a blur for the teen.

"Um, sure," Teagan shrugged. "That sounds fine. I haven't explored that part of the campus yet." She quickly reached for her wallet and shoved it into her back pocket. "Let's go!"

Teagan locked the door behind her, and then followed Lucas back down the hall. A slight skip in her step indicated her excitement from seeing her friend. Maybe she wasn't as alone on the campus as she had thought. Yeah, she and Lucas would have some fun. Especially if they collaberated on pranks. This time though, she would have to screen any other friends she made. No need to end up with another supernatural creature as a buddy.

She welcomed the chilly air outside of the dorm, noting the change from the heat of summer. A welcomed change, at that. Teagan, for the first time in two months, genuinely looked forward to whatever the future held.

[Lucas]

Potential crisis averted, as Teagan agreed to run and get some food. She really did lack some sense if she was supposed to be a hunter, because he was sure that any SANE hunter would have noticed that split second in which it looked like he ran into the barrier. But then again, that made it easier for him, he could blend easier, though if she had other traps around, that'd get annoying. And he'd have to do something about that salt line above the door...maybe he could get in touch with her roommate and work a deal, or the maintenance people and say that there was something that needed to be cleaned in the room. Maybe.

Stepping outside, he felt the cool wind wash over them. People around them were absorbed in getting to know the campus, parting from their parents, and as Lucas walked, he watched more carefully for signs of supernatural creatures. After all, he would be more attuned to finding out said monsters. Falling in step beside Teagan, he glanced over and decided to try his first prodding of the day.

"So how was the rest of your vacation? Pull any pranks on that Aiden guy? Dude has a temper issue, too, I found that out when he came looking for you."

[Teagan]

Lucas knew Aiden? ...oh-right. They had met back at the camp. It was...unnerving, hearing anything related to hunting coming out of a mouth that had nothing to do with that world. She shook it off and grinned to her friend, "Yeah, he's kinda bi-polar like that. Don't take it personally. You should've seen my cousin's reaction to this time when I put itching powder on his bed. I only wish I had brought a camera. You would've busted up."

They approached the cafeteria and Teagan's senses heightened as the wind teased her with promises of hot, spicy dishes. "Man, that smells good. Come on, slowpoke!" With a playful nudge, she burst through the door.

[Casey]

“Oye! Where’s the fire?” came a male voice. He looked down at the girl with black hair that burst through the door, “Give a brother warning young miss.”

He chuckled and stepped out the pair’s way. To the girl he gave a small nod and smile. For the boy he met his eyes and held it. Hopefully he’d get the message. Whatever that message was, was up for him to decide.

“Well,” he finally gave another crooked grin, “Best be heading out before I get ran over by more students. Be seeing you.”

[Lucas]

Yeah, cousin, right. Hunters were really daft when it came to their disguises, because not one person aside from the kids at the camp had bought the 'cousin' card. He remained silent, of course, he wasn't going to call her out on her faulty disguise. And Lucas had seen Aiden's mood changes, from angry to thoughtful to calm and calculative with Kisa. "Yeah, I'm sure it was hilarious," he said, trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice, and he thought he was quite successful. Really? Itching powder? Nothing more than an annoyance compared to what he could do to someone.

Lucas stared at the guy in the doorway too, not really thinking much of the sack of walking organs that gave him a look. He was probably some pretentious upperclassman or something, nothing to worry about. He'd done his research, there were no hunters here at the school, well, aside from Teagan. And if he missed one, well, they were usually easy to rid of. He moved through the door, and eyed the salt-loaded foods. Great. "Looks good. What should we get?" He asked her, contenting himself for salad. The salt even smelled overbearing.

[Teagan]

Blaming excitement for her lack of awareness, an apology stumbled out of Teagan's mouth after she nearly ran into a man on the other side of the door. "Excuse me, sorry."

She felt pleasantly surprised when a thick Irish accent assured her everything was ok. How often did she hear one of those? Well...Washington wasn't anywhere close to Ireland, so chances were likely it was the first one face to face. Teagan returned the smile before continuing forward.

Her eyes drifted up to the menu, unsure of what to pick. She had plenty of time, of course, to try everything. Could probably get it done in a month if she took her time. Mentally she thanked Aiden for introducing her to credit card scams. Otherwise she would have never been able to afford anything. Not having a job kinda left one broke.

"Cheeseburger," Teagan finally decided. She quickly paid, and followed Lucas to a booth in the back. The tray in her hand held the most appetizing thing she had smelled that day, assuring her she had made the right decision.

For a good hour and a half, Teagan conversed with Lucas, conversations ranging from the latest movies to class schedules. She was thrilled to discover they had two gen ed classes together every other day. Studying would be that much easier with a companion.

Eventually she felt her eyes growing heavy, and after a dozen yawns, Lucas insisted she return to her room. Teagan agreed, mostly because she wasn't sure how much longer she could stay awake. Upon returning to her room, she noticed the lights were off and another figure asleep on the opposing bed. My roommate, Teagan realized. As she changed into a more suitable attire for the night, her thoughts drifted back to Portland. What were Aiden and Yuki up to at the moment? Aiden's probably trying to avoid Yuki's version of dessert.

Her eyes flickered out the window, noting the bright light of the moon outside. They were out there, somewhere for sure. Saving lives and ridding the world of evil or other strange things of someone's twisted imagination. A tiny part of Teagan briefly wished she could join them again. Sometimes they really did need her help. Or so she'd like to think.

No. She couldn't. The future needed to be changed, and she was doing her part to make sure that happened. And if it meant leaving and staying away, then so be. She climbed into her bed, forcing her mind to forget the supernatural. She started college in the morning. It was time to rest.

[Yuki]

College was finally underway, and already, it felt like she had been there for far too long. It had been a long day, packed with boring classes and a long soccer practice to top it off. She had been so lazy during the summer. School was definitely going to take some getting used to. Sarai sighed as she readjusted the duffle bag across her right shoulder, and stared blankly at the sky as she walked. It was late. She knew it wasn't safe to be walking alone this late at night. Emails and texts were sent every so often about the latest creeper that was stalking chicks around campus. It wasn't her fault for being out at this hour, though. It's not like she wanted to be there. She had let one of her teammates borrow a spare pair of shoes and the girl left her duffle bag on the bleachers back at the stadium where they practiced. Sarai hadn't noticed her missing bag until she was well on her way to the dorms, and had reluctantly turned back around to get it. A part of her wanted to leave the bag there, but another part told her that if she did, it wouldn't stay there the next day. Why did she let that girl borrow her shoes, anyway? Sarai grunted to herself.

And so, duffle bag in hand this time, she resumed her journey back to the dorms. Suppressing a yawn, she blinked tiredly. She needed sleep. She needed to be in her bed. She needed...to not be so cold. Sarai shivered as a chill breeze drifted around her. She was still in her soccer uniform, and it didn't exactly provide the best warmth for a late September night in the state of Washington. Being honest, the whole trip, including the weather, gave her the creeps. She just wanted to go to bed. She didn't want to feel that tiny bit of paranoia that she felt at that moment. But seriously, what could happen? Besides, she was in soccer, if any guy tried to jump her, she could probably kick the breath out of him before he got a chance to try anything.

Walking past a fountain, she felt the air around her lower a considerable amount of degrees. During the day, the temperature around there felt good because it was warmer and the water from the fountain felt cool. But in the night, the water only made the air frigid. Oh the things she would do for a sweater. Walking quickly, she passed the fountain, but then she heard a noise--a noise from behind her. She turned quickly, but saw no one there. Shaking her head, she continued forward. It was all paranoia. That was it.

But then, as she kept walking, she heard it again--heavy footsteps. That of a man? But when she turned, no one was in sight. Sarai could hear her heart pound from within her ears. "Who's there?!" she demanded. ...No answer. She breathed and walked even faster. The quicker she got to the dorms, the better. She didn't really want to find out what, if anything, was following her. But she couldn't shake the feeling like she was being watched. And then she heard the crackle of a twig. Whirling around, she stared behind her. "I know you're there! Whoever you are, you'd better leave before I call the cops on you!" she yelled into the night. But no one revealed themselves.

Heavily breathing, she turned around, and then--she was there. It was there. glowering at her, looking hungry. With a blood curtling scream, Sarai dropped her duffle bag to the ground.

[Teagan]

Having searched for the past ten minutes for the elusive room number 546, Teagan gripped the handle of the door and tiredly pulled it open. A dozen heads turned at the sound of the squeaky hinges, but they quickly returned to whatever task they had preoccupied themselves with before the disturbance. She wasn't the teacher, so the other students didn't care.

Teagan's eyes scanned the classroom. Really? Blatantly white walls? How boring. The only other decoration (if it could be referred to as such) was the long, green chalkboard in the front of the room. Rubbing her eyes, Teagan took a seat in the back row where Lucas sat patiently waiting.

"Good morning," she sniffed and reached into her backpack for a tissue. "I think I'm getting a cold. My roommate must have thought the room last night was too warm or something, because she opened the window." Teagan rolled her eyes. "Great way to start the day."

She noticed a stray strand of hair that had slid in front of her eyes and, with a small degree of annoyance, she tucked it behind her ear.

[Lucas]

Seeing Teagan again, and in great shape (as compared to emaciated and a wreck thanks to that damn shtriga) was refreshing for Lucas, although there was still the fact that she was a hunter, associated herself with a group of hunters, and that his mission would be long in the making. He had barely even started, the information about Casey was so far out of sight that it hurt. He had to get the girl to completely trust him first, and that might take the whole damn term. He stabbed his salad with his fork at the thought, and me made a mental note to see Teagan as much as he could while still maintaining the guise of a studious college student.

After the meal they bade a temporary farewell, for they would see each other the next morning in class. He returned to his room, and once he was behind the door he fumed. He was no where near getting what he wanted, and her happiness was slightly irritating. Would she even tell him about her experiences with the other hunters, or would she forget that it ever happened? It was hard to ignore, Lucas had faced many hunters in the past, and it was a life that you couldn't really escape...then again, he did have a tendency of killing hunters.

The sleep was nice, his host body felt replenished. When he awoke, his phone vibrated a few minutes later. Two messages, one from the night before, and another sent ten minutes earlier, from the school. There had been an attack on a female student, they were advised to report suspicious activity and figures, and make use of the security terminals, as well as travel in pairs or groups. Not like he was in danger, so he snapped the phone shut, and got out of bed to go get ready for the day. After all, he was supposed to start college. What a frickin' waste of time.

Teagan wasn't there when Lucas walked in, so he took a seat in the back of the room, saving one beside him for her. "That sounds like it's going to be a fun year, then," he said playfully, glancing around the room. Humans, the disgusting lot of them. This was going to be a long day, he could feel it.

[Teagan]

"With this definition of fun? I hope not," Teagan replied. If she had left one life for that of an annoying other...well, she would do everything she could to find another way to change the future. One that didn't involve the common cold. Boxes of tissue did not lighten the load she carried around.

As she started taking out her notebook, a conversation across the room caught her attention.

"She never made it back to her car," one of the girls whispered.

Her friend shook her head,"Poor Sarai. They said it was some crazy guy, right?"

"That's what they say," the first girl confirmed."But I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Did you notice that no one is allowed near the fountain, where the attack happened? There's caution tape all over the place." Teagan raised an eyebrow. No attack would get that kind of special treatment from the police. Oh please no, she thought as the girl continued. "So I snuck while one of the cops was taking a break. Sydney, there was blood a fur, like, everywhere! It was the most disgusting thing I'd ever seen! Creepy stalkers wouldn't do that."

"An animal, maybe?"

Some animal, Teagan scoffed. What kind of species would the police try to hide from the public? Only a handful of animals in the area would have the nerve to attack humans, and the police had never hidden any of them in the past. Was there some local legend about the campus she hadn't heard of? Some sort of witch taking possession of animals and controlling them to-

No!

Teagan shook her head, clearing the thoughts from her mind. She slammed her notebooks on her desk in determination. She was in school, not Portland. She would learn, not hunt. Whatever her classmate had seen was probably just speculation.

[Lucas]

Lucas clenched his pencil in his hand, occupying himself by trying to drill it into the desk. Nowhere in history had a demon willingly sat through an educational lecture, and certainly not with a plethora of other -much more- important things to be done. Still, he was prepared to do whatever it took to accomplish those more important things -like finding Lilith- and if sitting in a dumb lecture hall wasting away was necessary, he would do it.

But that didn't mean he had to enjoy it.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Teagan pause when a group of girls across the room gossiped about the attack from the previous night. His eyes narrowed at the information, knowing he hunter girl probably shared his train of thought regarding this new development. No way in Hell that was a normal attack.

Of course, one of the perks of being a demon was that this sort of thing? Yeah, not quite his problem. He didn't care if humans dropped dead like flies around him-as long as nothing interfered with his plans, Lucas didn't give a crap about what happened. Teagan slammed her notebook shut beside him, a determined look crossing over her face.

"You cool over there?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. Her thoughts probably drifted back to summer and the things she had learned, but what took place that would cause that particular reaction? Humans-he would never really understand them.