Neither Wolf Nor Man

FIFTEEN YEARS LATER;

There were books scattered around the ground, and a carton of half-eaten pizza was adjacent to the books. Clothes were hung around the chairs and doors of a black wardrobe. The trash bin by the wall was filled to the brim. There were several picture frames around the room.

There were quite a number of trophies and gold medals; they had been won in various sports, and they were poorly arranged on a long brown shelf. Adjacent to the shelf was a scattered bed with numerous clothes resting on it.

Sleeping atop the bed was a two-hundred centimeter-tall boy with darkish brown hair. His body was perfect, with no sign of scars or wounds. He had bulging muscles and fine-toned skin that gave him the look of a fitness model.

"Gol! Gol! Gol!" A masculine voice reverberated around the room. "Are you up now? The school bus will be here in twenty minutes."

"Sh*t," the boy sheepishly said, stretching himself on the bed. He rolled on the bed until he dropped to the ground.

Weakly, he opened his eyes. They were emerald green, and they blended perfectly with his lustrous hair and fine-toned skin. He was more handsome than a Greek god.

"Goliath! Don't tell me you are still in bed. You better be dressed up by the time I come up."

Goliath lazily struggled to his feet. He listened intently. He could hear the footsteps of the person who was coming to meet him. He was ascending the staircase.

The green color in his eyes glimmered brightly. The hair on his skin stood straight. Everything appeared slow; a second felt like a minute to him.

There was an evil grin on his face. As fast as he could, he began arranging his room. He neatly folded all his clothes and arranged them in his wardrobe. He tossed the dirty wrappers and soda cans inside the bin, but he realized they were full.

He dashed towards the refuse bin, opened the door, went past the man who was climbing the stairs, and ran to the backyard. He dumped the refuse from the bin inside the trash can. He sprinted back inside and dashed to his bathroom. He took a speedy bath, making sure to scrub his body diligently. He took his time brushing his teeth. While he was done, he placed the toothbrush back in its position.

He dashed back to his room and put on his blue jeans and a black hoodie. He quickly laid his bed down and got rid of the creases that were surfacing on it. Dashed to the scattered books on the floor. He speedily read all of them when he was done reading them. He neatly placed them on the table.

He grinned to himself as he packed the necessary books in his bag. "First day in high school. I am ready," he grinned to himself. The color in his eyes dimmed. Everything returned to normal. Two seconds later, an old man entered his room. He had short gray hair. He supported himself with a walking cane. There were wrinkles spread across his face, and he wore thick glasses.

"Gramps!" Goliath grinned at him. "I am excited for my first day."

"You used your superspeed, didn't you?"

"Come on!" Goliath grinned. "Don't you trust me?"

"When I was coming into your room, Your door was closed, and then a second later, it was open. It means you dashed past me to empty your trash can. You did it after you heard me coming."

"Your senses don't dwindle with your age, Gramps."

"Stop calling me Gramps; I am just twenty years older than you."

"I think you forgot to add a zero at the back of that value."

"I prepared a giant breakfast for you."

"I know. I ate it all," Goliath ended as he grabbed a half-eaten sandwich from his bag. After I took care of my room, you still hadn't come. I took the logical option by going downstairs and helping myself to eat what you did. You made me my favorite. Pancakes and syrup. You even packed my favorite sandwich."

"You know why I did that." There was a loving smile on his face. "Happy birthday, Goliath."

Beams of smiles lit Goliath's face; he loved his guardian very much. "Thanks, man." Goliath grinned at him. "But don't jinx it. Today is my first day in high school. I don't want to be known as the birthday boy; it's going to ruin my reputation. I want things to go the way they were in middle and elementary school. You know what I mean."

"Do you ever think about your parents?"

"Every day," Goliath collapsed to the bed. His vibrant smile had vanished, and his face was burrowed with a saddened look. "You told me you found me by the road on a rainy night. I don't know why my parents would abandon me by the road. It's almost like they didn't want me at all. I know I am not supposed to complain. I got these gifts that make me..."

"...like Superman," The guardian had a kind smile on his face as he sat beside him.

"Don't sell me short." Goliath grinned at him. "Superman wishes he was me. There's just this terrible shy feeling you get when you are rejected by the people you feel should accept you."

"I can't relate; my parents didn't abandon me as a child." The old man ended with a wicked grin.

"You insensitive jerk," Goliath playfully punched him on the shoulder. The punch was so strong that the old man dropped to the ground.

"Sh*t! I am sorry about that." Goliath bent to help the old man from the ground.

"Don't mind me." There was a kinder smile on his face. "I deserved that for what I said."

"There is still no excuse for what I did."

"What do you intend to do?"

"If I am being honest, I intended to go on a journey to find my parents, but I don't want to get rejected twice. I think the best thing to do is to go along with the flow."

"I wasn't talking about that," he said as he sat on the bed. He could feel his bones creaking. Goliath's punch packed quite the force. "Your powers kept waxing stronger from the moment I saw you. What do you intend to do with it?"

"To be honest," Goliath said, turning away from him. "I haven't thought much about it. All through middle and elementary school. I used my powers for myself, but I think it's time I took it up a notch. I want to help people and make sure I look pretty darn good while doing it."

"You are such a narcissistic kid."

"I learned from the best." Goliath dashed towards the old man. There was a sober look on his face. "Reeves, I thank you for taking me in. I don't know how I would have turned out without you. Every child needs his parents to become capable leaders of tomorrow. You taught me that, but somehow, even without parents, I turned out well. I have you to thank for that. You are not the parent that bores me, but you were the parent I needed. I am going to make you proud, I swear it."

"What have I told you about cuss words?"

"Come on, you're going to let all my speech go to waste just because I said swear."

"I have strict rules in my house, young man. If you can't follow them, there's a nice bench in the streets that would be comfy to sleep on."

"Jeez, man," Goliath said, turning away from him. "If I don't go now, I am going to be late for school."

"Have a nice day at school!" Reeves smiled at him. "When you come back, you will have the grandest party ever!"

"Sure, gramps," Goliath grinned at him. The glow in his eyes returned in the blink of an eye. He disappeared from the room.

There was a solemn look on Reeves' face. He removed a round golden badge from his left pocket. The radius of the badge was ten centimeters, and there was a picture of a wolf on the face of the badge. It was complemented by two spears drawn against its face.

"I have failed in my business. I know what I have to do, but I can't bring myself to it." A trickle of tears fell from his left eye.

Goliath dashed away from his house and looked at his wristwatch. He still had three minutes before the bus came to his street. He dashed towards the bus stop. He remembered what he promised Reeves. 'I am going to make you proud.'

"Hey!" He heard a childish voice calling behind him. He turned in the direction of the voice. It was a Caucasian boy who was about 5'1 tall. He had a ruddy appearance; he wore a plain t-shirt and black trousers. He wore a brown leather bag that was hitched to his shoulders. "I am sorry. I think you mistook your bus for mine. This bus belongs to high school students."

"High school students, I am guessing it's a place where students go to get high," There was a jovial smile on Goliath's face as he said that.

"Not really," the boy said, looking at the ground. He was extremely shy; he wasn't feeling comfortable with the conversation.

"I know, man." Goliath laughed cheerfully. "I am just f*ck*ng with you. I am also a high school student."

"Really?" He suddenly looked up; there was an amazed look on his face. "You are approximately six feet seven inches tall. How old are you? I am sorry for asking that question; my mom told me not to ask that." He turned towards the ground; he was drawing rings on the ground with his left leg. Muttering to himself, he was almost inaudible. "This is going to be like middle school all over again. I am never going to make any friends."

"I am fifteen, by the way," Goliath grinned as he hit him slightly. "And you are?"

"Trevor," he answered.

"Today is my first day in high school. I heard it would be cool to have friends. Can we be friends?"

"Sure," A cheery smile lit up his face, but his face dropped to the ground. "You are saying that now, but when we get to the school, You'll be one of the cool kids. Our friendship will end before it even begins."

"Come on, I ain't that type of person. Friendship is a two-way street; it's a bond that must be honored no matter what," Goliath ended with his friendliest smile.

"You are different."

"You have no idea."

A long yellow bus suddenly pulled over. The door sprang open. The bus driver was looking in their direction; there was a serious look on his face. Trevor and Goliath entered the bus, careful to avoid his mean stare. Goliath was too tall; he had to bend his head to enter the bus. When he entered the bus, every child stopped what they were doing and turned towards him. There were looks of obvious amazement on their faces. Goliath had to bend to be able to fit in the bus.

There were giggles from several girls; they admired Goliath. Trevor noticed the attention his newfound friend was getting; he was bummed out.

Goliath didn't mind the attention; he was used to it, but he turned towards a dark-haired girl sitting on the left side of the bus. She was holding a wrapped package. His demeanor fell when he saw that. Quickly, he whispered in Trevor's ear. "There's a seat at the back. Let's go there."

Trevor and Goliath made their way to the seat at the back. Within moments, the bus sped away from the area. Goliath struggled not to show the displeasure he felt. He was in pain; he had lived his entire life alone.

In elementary school, he ended up injuring most of the kids around him due to his fearsome strength. Reeves had advised him not to get attached to anyone or make friends because he was different. It was painful, but there was nothing he could do.

"Today is your birthday, isn't it?" Trevor began.

Goliath was astonished; he turned at Trevor. "I didn't know there was a psychic link friends share."

"No!" Trevor burst into a peal of laughter, but the straightforwardness on Goliath's face showed him Goliath wasn't making a joke. "He probably has never had friends before," he thought to himself.

"How did you know today was my birthday?" Goliath pestered.

"It was obvious," Trevor answered. "You noticed everyone was admiring you when we entered the bus. You were unfazed; I am guessing it's not a first for you, but when you turned at Alicia You looked sad when you saw her birthday gift. The only thing that could make you unhappy when seeing that gift is if today was also your birthday and you had no one to celebrate it with."

"Not bad at all." Goliath sighed. "Today is my birthday. My old man can't help much; he got laid off from his last job. His boss wanted him to do something, but he said he couldn't do it. He never told me what it was."

"What about Mom?"

Goliath's face wore a saddened look; veins were popping on his face, but he struggled to keep himself in check.

"I am sorry for saying that. You must have lost your mom."

"Something like that," Goliath struggled to say.

Trevor bit his lower lip; he was angry with himself.

"What have I done?" He thought to himself. "Sh*t, I s*ck at these," he muttered to himself.

"You don't s*ck at anything."

There was an astonished look on Trevor's face. He then remembered what happened before he entered the bus. When he had muttered about how he feared he'd never have any friends. Goliath was able to hear; that was supposed to be impossible. Trevor studied Goliath closely; he remembered when he had spoken. Goliath didn't have fangs in his mouth, so that ruled out the possibility of him being a vampire.

"Are you a werewolf?" He asked.

Goliath was astounded, and he turned in his direction. "How the hell did you know?"

"You were able to hear me mutter; that's supposed to be impossible. Our lips were about twenty inches from each other. The sound intensity of my words was lower than 8 decibels; the ear can't capture the vibrations going through the air molecules with such poor intensity. You had to be beyond human capability to perceive that sort of thing. You aren't a vampire; you were able to walk comfortably in the sunlight. There was no discomfort shown on your face, which means the rays of the sun didn't irritate you one bit. You can't be a hybrid. Hybrids also have vampiric fangs; you didn't have any; the only logical explanation was that you'd be a werewolf."

"Sh*t!" Goliath bit his lower lip. "You can't tell anyone. My dad would kill me if he figured out I let anyone know my secret."

"Your secret is safe with me." There was a cheerful smile on Trevor's face. He had found a way to distract Goliath's face from what he was originally thinking. "It's what friends do."

"I have to admit." There was a relieved look on Goliath's face. "It's nice to let things like this go to another person. I was always uncomfortable; I had to bottle up stuff like this. It's so good when you share things about yourself with others."

"I agree," Trevor answered.

Just as he had spoken, the bus came to a stop.

"What are your class schedules?" Goliath asked. "I said friendship is a two-way street. I would also like to know more about you. I want you to feel this relief I feel."

"I am sure we have completely different schedules. My dad is a perfectionist. He is making me take the classes of students in a year higher than us because of one schedule he has planned."

"Is that even legal?"

"When your father is the principal of the school, He determines what is legal within the confines of the school."

"How are we going to see then?"

"During lunch or when we are walking back from school. Choose your pick."

"Alright, man," Goliath grinned at him. Many students were highlighting from the bus. Goliath and Trevor were among the last to leave.

The bus driver looked in the mirror; his face was impossible to read. Alicia was still sitting at the edge of her seat, her focus on Goliath.

"Do you suppose he is one of us?" The bus driver asked.

"Even better," Alicia answered with an indifferent look. "He's the fulfillment of the prophecy. He's my mate."

The students were rowdy and disorganized. There were excited looks on the majority of their faces. They poured themselves into the assembly hall the way liquor was distributed amongst drunkards. The assembly was extremely long and boring. Goliath had not slept the day before; he had run around town and visited several bars and clubs. He drank a lot of alcohol, and the taste of the alcohol was bitter. Because of the uniqueness and formation of his cells, he couldn't get intoxicated, but he couldn't stop. The other men around enjoyed what they were doing, so Goliath had forced himself to be as merry as the rest of them.

Trevor couldn't help but be excited. His heart was bubbling. "I don't believe it," he kept thinking to himself. "I found myself a werewolf. I thought those things were creatures of legend. If there's a werewolf beside me, it means there could be other supernatural creatures. Who knows? There could be a multiverse. That would, in turn, lead to an everlasting inflation system where each choice would create another possibility, which would birth an entirely separate universe." These were thoughts that kept ringing in his head until he heard a voice behind him.

"You look like a smart dumbass," The voice was deep and gruff. "Who's the guy beside you? Your brother?"

"My parents told me not to talk to strangers."

"Michael, catch a load of this kid." Those words were followed by a snigger.

"The idiot thinks he's still in middle school where he can get his parents to show up when he needs them."

Trevor could feel his body trembling; he knew it wasn't going to end well for him. He turned to Goliath, who was sleeping beside him.

"What do you suppose we do?"

"He's a loser. Let's show him his place." With that, Trevor felt the hands of a person pulling his hair. Before he could scream, a knife was pulled from his throat. The person yanked his head backward. Another of the guys who sat beside him whispered in his ear.

"You don't want to piss me off. I got an idea of who you are; you are the principal's kid. Remember what happened to the last principal? In case Daddy didn't tell you, let me fill you in. We had him mutilated, and we had some fun with his daughter."

Trevor's heart began beating even faster; he was scared shitless.

"Your heart is beating even faster." There was a wicked smile on his face.

"With no fangs in your mouth, you must be a werewolf."

"I was right about you; you are indeed a smart dumbass. You must be well informed about what happens to a human that crosses a werewolf; I don't think you'd want a personal experience." Michael slid two notebooks into Trevor's lap. Trevor couldn't see the books that were passed to him. He wished someone would call the attention of the teachers to what was happening, but no one did. Why would they? He was a short nerd.

Some were focused on what the principal was talking about; others were absorbed in themselves.

"There's a rumor you are taking the same courses with us. You'd do well to do our assignments; it's nothing you can't handle. Just a bit of arithmetic and geography."

Trevor didn't know what to say. He wished he was more than a scrawny kid. He wished he wasn't so weak. 'I swear,' Trevor thought to himself. 'I am going to get stronger. I will research these creatures. I will find their weaknesses and eliminate every single one of them. I won't let anyone make me feel inferior ever again. All those who thought they could pick on me, I will make sure they pay for it.'

"Your heart is pumping blood faster," the person continued. "It's rushing quickly." It's causing the temperature of your body to increase drastically. You are sad, but you are slowly converting it to anger. Don't be a fool; your friend might be a werewolf, but even he will fall if he crosses a whole pack. I need the solution to the papers I gave you in a few hours. If you don't deliver back my papers, I'll send you some and a tape recorder. The papers would be pictures of your sister without clothes, and the tape recorder would be how she sounds when seven dicks are thrust forcefully inside her virgin hole."

The bell rang, which signaled the end of the assembly. The students left the hall in a disorganized manner, and most teachers stayed behind. They were discussing with one another, and some of the teachers tried to leave the hall alongside the children.

Trevor tried his best to keep himself together. The words of the bullies behind him kept ringing in his head. They threatened to kill his father and rape his sister.

Goliath woke up sluggishly and stretched himself to his fullest limit. He looked at Trevor; there was a stack of books on his lap that weren't there before. Before Trevor could say anything, Goliath grabbed the stack of books from his lap.

"Hey!" Trevor called after him. "That's mine."

"Not really," Goliath answered without turning in his direction. He was flipping through the pages of the books he was holding. "Before I came to school today, I scanned through the textbooks; I knew what we'd be taug