Rise Of The Wolves: The Beast Within

Preparation

Joshua's laughter didn't die down for another few minutes until he caught eye contact with Marcus, who cut him a look that told him that what was said, was no joke. He felt bad for laughing the second he knew it was serious.

"Oh.....wait.....you're serious about this aren't you?" Joshua said with the shocking realisation that this was real. He wasn't quite sure how to respond. They had dealt with many situations in the past but this wasn't one of them.

"C'mon...I wouldn't lie or joke about something like this would I bro, I'm serious." Marcus replied, faintly catching sight of Julianna wrapped in a cream coloured towel, after getting out the shower.

He tried his hardest to look away and not take another glance through the door that was left ajar. Although not looking did not stop him from fantasizing. He really needed to stop before he got too excited, and before Joshua noticed. Just as he was about to slip into a day dream, his best friend pulled him back to reality.

"But....how?" He asked Marcus who was still trying to focus on the conversation with Joshua and not the girl of his dreams.

"I don't know. I didn't ask in between finding out, throwing up and needing to get out of the house. One thing's for sure, I'm not asking my parents. They lied to me, it's unacceptable. I guess I'll figure it out myself." Marcus explained, unable to stop the bitter tone from creeping into his voice at the mention of his parents and the word lied. He just couldn't help but feel a little resentment towards them, especially his father. The one person who was supposed to protect him had let him down.

"That doesn't sound like such a good idea. Look....I know you're pissed at them but they're the only one's with the answers that you need." Joshua reminded him. Although he wasn't the best at giving advice, he did know that he would kill to be able to confide in his parents, sometimes he thought that Marcus didn't realise how lucky he was to have a well put together family. It was the one thing that he had been denied of his whole life, and one of his pet peeves was people who took their families for granted.

"No way. Otherwise I'll just be giving them what they want." Marcus objected. He couldn't stand his parents right now.

"Okay bro, I'm not saying this to be harsh or to make you feel bad but for once could you be grateful that you have parents that you can talk to and not take that privilege for granted." He half snapped. He didn't want to be rude, but he wouldn't stand for his own friend acting like a spoiled brat.

With what Joshua had said, Marcus hit a huge realisation. His best friend was right. He was lucky to have both parents around, and he was lucky that he had the option to talk to them, and he was behaving a little, if not a lot, like a privileged, spoiled brat. He knew he had to do better, otherwise he would lose the respect of his best friend and that was something he definitely wouldn't survive. Not now. Not ever. Their friendship meant too much to him.

Unlike Marcus, Joshua never had it easy. Everything had seemed so perfect in his home life, that was until his tenth birthday. What happened that day had scarred him for life, he hadn't even enjoyed any of his birthdays since, as it was just a reminder of that awful night.

It all started when Joshua woke up around eleven pm, his mouth was dry and so he had crept downstairs to get a glass of water. Wandering into the kitchen, still very sleepy, he grabbed a glass and poured some water into it.

Going to head back upstairs, he came back to the hallway just as his dad came barging through the door, clutching his mum by her arm in an air tight grip. The meanest look Joshua had ever seen was written upon his face.

It looked as though they were arguing as his mum's face was covered in wet smudged mascara and other make up products that he was too young to identify. His dad was yelling at his mum, and when Joshua got noticed by his dad, he became enraged, yelling at his son.

His ten year old self became so full of fright that the glass dropped from his hand and it shattered into a million pieces on the wooden floor. Not only that but he had a little accident, and a wet patch began to form at the front of his galaxy pyjamas and that was the straw that broke the camels back.

Joshua began to visibly shake in fear as his dad flew towards him in a fit of rage. He tried to turn and run up the stairs but it was just too late. One hit turned into two, which turned into a punch, followed by the belt. By the time his mum had called the police and they had arrived, the blonde boy was covered head to toe, in cuts and bruises.

It was something that Joshua had kept long buried, or at least tried to, but the scars on his chest were a daily reminder of that night. He was haunted by the memories and often had nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks. Since his father was imprisoned, his mother couldn't cope with the four of them alone and turned to drink as her remedy. His tragic past had made him become envious whenever he saw someone with the perfect life, taking it for granted. The difference with Marcus was that he could actually correct him and put him on the right path.

Marcus knew this. Which is why he decided to never take his seemingly perfect family for granted, ever again. With the conversation coming to an end, he rose to his feet, bid Joshua fairwell and left.

He was now going to at least try and smooth things over by talking to his parents and learning more about this long kept secret. At least then he wouldn't be able to relax, even if only a little.

Desperate to get home, his walk turned into a run and he ended up racing along the streets until he reached his door. Much to his surprise the three blocks he had run did not leave him breathless as it used to. Instead he was still energetic, even despite all the drama and stress.

Going to open the door, he realised something was wrong. Very wrong. The door wasn't closed properly, and furthermore, his new, enhanced sense of smell, picked up the scent of blood. Cautiously pushing the door open, and going inside, the scene he was about to experience.....would haunt him forever.

He certainly wasn't expecting what he would be confronted with on the inside.