Chapter Text
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 3:00 AM
HACKETTS QUARRY LODGE
RYAN
Ryan jolted out of their sleep, grabbing their side and jerking across the couch. Their breathing came out in heavy gasps as he looked around the dark room. It reminded him all too much of the stifling energy of the Hackett House.
Slipping from underneath the blanket, Ryan peeked over at the couple on the other side of the room. He put his hands in his head, desperately trying to regulate his breathing, to no avail. An unknown noise came from outside the room, already adding to the rising panic in their chest.
Max shifted and peeked a tired eye at him, motioning for Ryan to come over. Usually it went like this, Max always seemed to “sense” when Ryan or Laura were upset. Even asleep, he noticed the nightmares and always tried to help.
Humming a quiet thanks, Ryan quickly pulled himself onto the couch they shared. It was a tight fit and Laura grumbled but she was quickly appeased by a small, affectionate kiss to her temple.
Warmth settled around the chill in his bones and any remaining tension seeped out of him. Max gave them a small smile before burying their face in Laura's hair. Sighing, Ryan let themself be pulled back into a deep sleep.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 8:09 AM
HACKETTS QUARRY LODGE
DYLAN
Dylan threw a ball up into the air, sighing with boredom. It was still quite early and the only ones who seemed to be awake were Nick, who was cooking in the kitchen, and himself. Kaitlyn should be waking up soon but he was practically radiating with energy.
It was easy to tell Dylan was a morning person. The daily announcements at 7:15 every day during camp only solidified it. However, it did have its cons when he was the only one awake for an hour. Boredom was killing him.
Currently he sat in the middle of the lodge, bored out of his mind with absolutely no entertainment. Unfortunately, that was his fault as he forgot to charge his phone the night before. Irritation welled in his gut as he thought about it and it being the day of the full moon only amplified it.
He was jolted out of his thoughts to the sound of Kaitlyn and Jacob making their way down the stairs closest to him. Dylan let out a sigh of relief, he could not be alone with his thoughts right now.
Kaitlyn pushed her way into the seat next to him, Jacob taking his spot across the two of them. It was their typical set up, especially since everyone seemed to be avoiding Jacob. Understandably somewhat, but that meant they were avoiding them too. Since Kaitlyn refused to leave Jacob alone and in turn, Dylan refusing to leave Kaitlyn. Plus Jacob wasn’t all that bad, he was a nice person when he was actually thinking. Which that sounds mean, but it’s true enough.
“Hey loser,” Kaitlyn knocked into him affectionately, her strength was clearly amplified and it only made him grimace.
“That hurt man, I’m fragile,” he moaned, tossing the ball in whatever direction. Jacob groaned and face planted onto the table, looking to sleep a bit longer, “What’s up with you?”
“Jakey apparently didn't get enough sleep.” Kaitlyn teased.
“Those couches are sooooooo uncomfortable..” he moaned, his voice muffled by the table.
Dylan laughed, poking Jacob’s arm laid on the table, “Dude the cabin beds were worse and you slept like a baby.”
“Well that’s different, at least I could fit,” Jacob grumbled and lifted his head from the table. He did look a bit worse for wear, dark eyebags prominent on his face. It was clear he had trouble sleeping, but not for the reason he seemed to be upset about.
Kaitlyn smiled with sympathy and patted him on the shoulder, “You’ll be okay big guy.”
In the corner of his vision, Nick exited the kitchen and headed straight towards them. He awkwardly stood close by for a second before motioning to Kaitlyn, “The food is practically done and Mr. H wanted everyone to gather soon. Can you go wake the others?”
She nodded and moved to stand up, Dylan copying her, willing to go help, “Yeah of course, I’ll probably wake-”
Emma and Abi appeared at the top of the stairs, quiet and clearly exhausted. Almost like zombies they descended and sat down together two tables down from them. Nick shrugged and motioned to a hallway to the left of them, “Ryan, Laura and Max should be somewhere down there.”
Without any preamble, he turned away from the three, disappearing into the kitchen. Kaitlyn looked to Dylan with a shrug before patting Jacob on the shoulder. “We’ll be back, Jacob.”
Dylan smiled and led the way to the hallway, checking the empty rooms before getting to the end of the hallway. Kaitlyn grumbled to herself before pushing it open slowly, a pinched look appearing on her face.
Confused, Dylan peeked in, noticing why she had that look on her face. Ryan was curled into Laura and her arms were wrapped around him, almost protective. Lying next to them was Max who had his hair buried into the blondes face.
“What the hell?” Kaitlyn whispered and turned to Dylan, “She’s already got one boyfriend, save some for the rest of us.”
Dylan grinned, jealousy rising in his gut. On a normal day, Dylan would only be a bit upset and he’d keep it to himself. Ryan never actually made any moves to signify he wanted a relationship so he shouldn't have expected anything different. But it was upsetting, he tried all summer to get Ryan to even look at him but this unknown girl can do it in a day? Less than a month? On a normal day, Dylan would understand he was being a bit unreasonable but today wasn’t a normal day. The full moon channeled into the negativity, only making those feelings and irrational thoughts stronger.
“What with the way she was flirting back at the pool house? What do you expect?” he muttered a little meanly, bitterness in his voice.
Kaitlyn rolled her eyes, a harsh joke coming to mind, “This is the greed they talk about in the bible.”
Dylan giggled, covering his mouth to muffle the noise. Kaitlyn broke out into quiet giggles herself, beaming with pride and turned back to the three, still sleeping.
Footsteps came down the hallway revealing a slightly irritated Nick. Looking at the two of them, he raised an eyebrow, “What’s going on?”
Kaitlyn pointed into the room, the door now wide open. Nick peeked in before looking back to the two, still confused. He huffed in irritation and moved into the room, going to wake them himself before pausing. Dylan watches as Nick pulls his phone out and snaps a picture before beginning to wake the trio. Shrugging Kaitlyn pulls Dylan away, not needing to stay any longer.
Dylan looks at her as they walk away, sharing a look before breaking out into small giggles.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 8:44 AM
HACKETTS QUARRY LODGE
RYAN
Ryan made his way down the hallway to the lodge followed closely by Laura and Max. It was strangely quiet, the other counselors sitting quietly in their groups. The full moon was approaching, slowly but surely, but it made everyone dread the night to come.
Emma and Abi sat close together as usual, however Abi looked horrible to say the least. She had her arms wrapped around herself tightly and she was staring dead at the floor. Emma whispered into her ear, trying to calm her down. It didn’t seem to be working.
Dylan was in his usual spot, sitting with Kaitlyn and Jacob. Jacob had his head on the table in front of them, and Kaitlyn tensed up slightly as Ryan entered their shared space. Dylan glanced at the three and Ryan lifted a hand to wave, not fast enough it seemed because he just looked away.
Laura stepped around Ryan, nudging him affectionately as he realized he paused in the middle of the room. Sheepishly he let her lead the way to their designated table, only a table down from Abi and Emma. Max gave them a small smile, to which they returned.
Max sat down, pulling Ryan down next to him as Laura sat across from them. Ryan glanced at him, noticing the tired way he held himself. The air was heavy with emotion, and the silence of the lodge only added to the rising negative emotions clogging the room.
It was suffocating, making it hard to breathe. The acrid smell of fear, worry, anxiety clogged Ryan’s senses, causing the room to spin. Distantly Ryan could smell worry more vividly, the scent pungent and sour.
“Ryan!” Max squeezed their hand and Ryan blinked their eyes open. Sucking in large gulps of air, they looked up from the table, “Breathe man, breathe.”
Laura looked at him with concern and Max rhythmically squeezed their hand, gentle and caring, “What’s wrong?”
They slowly regulated their breathing, the acrid smell still in their air but more bearable, “You can’t smell that?”
Max nodded and Laura looked between the two with confusion, “Smell what?”
Ryan shrugged, not knowing what to call it. They just knew it wasn't anything good, “It smells horrible. I can’t take a breath without breathing it in.”
“It’s emotions I think,” Max shrugs and glances over to Abi’s table, “I smell it whenever someone gets upset. I smelt it on you when you had that nightmare last night.”
Laura's eyes widen and she leans in over the table, “Really? I don’t smell it.”
“It’s the most prominent smell in the room, how can you not?” Ryan wondered. Even with the smell of food taking over the lodge, the horrible scent clung to everyone there. Some more than others. Laura's scent was by far the best, the unpleasant smell clung to her but it was noticeably overshadowed by something. Almost woodsy and plantlike.
She tilts her head at that, a million different reasons coming to mind, “Maybe we all have different heightened senses. I think we should talk to everyone about it, write down anything that stands out.”
Max grins, eager to find out what else has changed, and what has stayed the same, “You got it!”
Ryan nods, slumping slightly into Max. Heat radiated off the other boy and an idea came to mind. He shifts in his seat and turns to Abi, “Emma, Abi, come sit with us.”
Emma smiles and whispers to Abi, asking if she’d want to move. Abi gave a small nod and the girls made their way over. Together they sat down next to Laura and Emma raised an eyebrow at Ryan, “What’s up?”
“I was wondering something. Can I try something?” they sat up, pulling their hand out of Max’s and reaching over. Shrugging, Emma reached her hand over, “You too Abi.”
Abi blinked and slowly reached her hand over, Ryan taking the both of theirs. Emma's was warm, almost as warm as Max's. It radiated heat, soft and comforting. Abi’s hand was different. It was colder than theirs, colder than his. Almost numbing, but still soft. His eyebrows raised to the top of his forehead at that and he pulled away, letting them pull back.
“What was that for?” Abi softly asks, wrapping her arms back around herself.
Laura looks between the two, noticing Ryan's small confusion, “Abi are you cold?”
She shakes her head silently and Ryan nodded, “Emma you're really warm compared to me and Laura. But Abi your hands are borderline freezing.”
Emma looks between the two of them, concern etched onto her face, “Is that a bad thing?”
Max shakes his head, “I don’t think so. I think it has to do with the infection. If you aren't feeling sick Abi, I think you just might be colder than the average person.”
Abi frowns and leans into Emma, “I hope so.”
Ryan laid his head on Max’s shoulder, the other boy immediately wrapping an arm around him. At that moment, the Hackett's enter the lodge and the room's atmosphere immediately plummets. The bitter smell rose, especially coming from Laura and it made him wrinkle his nose in disgust. Ryan frowned and looked away, not wanting to give them any more attention than they deserved.
In the corner of his vision Chris muttered something to Travis before heading to the kitchen. Ryan assumed he went to help Nick and it only made his gut twist. Kaylee, Caleb and Travis proceeded to move to a table on the far side of the room, possibly noticing the glares Laura seemed to be throwing their way.
As soon as they were out of earshot Laura turned back to them, shaking her head, “I wish we could get through these full moons without any sight of them.”
Ryan scoffs and crosses his arms, “You and me both.”
Max rubs his arms consolingly, “Maybe we could go harass T-Money.”
“T-Money? That’s hilarious and it's mine now,” Emma giggles, trying to lighten up the mood.
Abi gives a small smile, noticing her attempt. Unfortunately the longer Chris was out of sight with Nick, the more an acidic smell came from Ryan. Scoffing Ryan made to stand when Nick exited the kitchen with plates of warm breakfast, followed by Chris.
Max smiles and pulls Ryan back down, muttering something indecipherable. Nick notices the look from Ryan and gives him a small smile, instantly calming him to a reasonable level.
Chris signed to the left of them and gestured to Kaitlyn's group, “Come closer here guys, it’d be better to talk to you all after breakfast.”
Behind him he hears muttering from Jacob and the telltale sound of the group moving up to them. They sat down at the table next to them and Abi waved to them. Kaitlyn waves back and Dylan grins before pestering Jacob into moving. Settling down Chris and Nick handed out plates before sitting down at their respective tables. Nick next to Ryan and Chris a few tables over with his family who moved up in that short amount of time.
Breakfast was a quiet affair, the infection amping up their hunger and they practically demolished the food. Chris paced around in front of them for a good while before Laura and Emma got tired of it quickly, groaning and hurrying him up. Chris’ scent was thick with worry and irritation and Ryan scowled immediately. Travis walked up at that, setting a hand on his shoulder before taking over.
“Look, we all know what day it is. Let’s just get through this smoothly. I recommended changing into something you don’t care for as you’re going to be changing out of it anyway. I’ll be back to get you all an hour and a half before sundown, just to be safe.”
Irritation blooms on Max's face and he scoffs, “Yeah you know all about safeness don’t you T-Money.”
Travis scowls and turns to him, “Now is not the time for that.”
Laura flashed a glare at him, jumping to his defense, “Yeah and whose fault is that?”
Guilt flashes across his features before he schools his face into a blank expression. He looks at them boredly before turning away, “Are we clear?”
“She asked you something Dickwad,” Ryan growls, aggravation rising with the situation. His chest rumbles quietly before growing into a growl. Max grabs their hand once again and most anger is quickly snuffed out. The growling stops and Ryan flushes in embarrassment, looking away. Nick sets a comforting hand on their arm, giving them a small smile before turning back to the cop.
Travis lets out a long suffering sigh, looking to get past whatever this is. He crosses his arms, sweeping his eyes over the group, “Are we clear or not?”
Kaitlyn nods and punches Dylan in the shoulder to which he nods rapidly. Nodding, Travis sighs again before turning back to his family, wishing the day would end faster.
Emma immediately turned to Ryan, her eyes wide, “Okay what was that?”
Laura bristles, still peeved from the interaction and jumps to his defense, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Emma cringes, “I didn't mean it like that- I was talking about his eyes.”
“Um, what about my eyes?” Ryan sits up, staring intently at Emma.
Abi answers for her, speaking up with a tired voice, “Your eyes, they were like black? The pupils were like a void.”
Laura's eyebrows jump and she looks at Abi, “Wait seriously?”
Max nods, having noticed them, “Yeah it was kind of freaky.”
“My eyes were black? I thought they only glow yellow..” Ryan frowns, now feeling worried.
Nick speaks up for the first time that morning, shaking his head, “Your eyes weren’t just black. They were purple too.”
“I didn’t see purple..” Emma purses her lips and motions to Max and Abi, “Did you?”
They both shake their heads and turn to Nick questioningly. Nick shrugs, “It was black but around the pupil was like a purple hue? And there were.. like purple highlights. I know what I saw mate.”
Laura hums, pulling out her phone and opening up the notes app, “I’m going to write this down, we should keep track of this stuff.”
Ryan frowns, looking down at the table. These new revelations were getting worrying. Could they just not have enough knowledge about werewolves or was something wrong with them? It’s not like they could ask anyone about it. The Hackett's didn’t seem to know any more than they did. But if they did, they were keeping it from them.
They glanced over to the family in question, confusion in their eyes. They were quietly sitting together, not talking at all whatsoever. It was depressing and Ryan quickly turned away. Looking at them still made his heart ache and his already sunken mood sunk further. Sensing his worry, Nick nudged him in the side and gave him a comforting smile.
Ryan took a deep breath and shook those thoughts from his mind. They’d have to worry about that later. Now didn’t seem to be the time.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 12:21 PM
HACKETTS QUARRY LODGE
RYAN
The day seemed to drag on very slowly, as if the universe was punishing them. The lodge was quiet, only the sounds of the crackling fireplace and creaking floorboards were audible. The Hackett's had left shortly after breakfast, muttering about setting up the cages. Dylan mentioned wanting to get some more rest, to which no one believed. Kaitlyn dragged Jacob off somewhere after Emma had snapped one too many times at him. Understandable, being around him was aggravating. But Ryan might be biased.
It was clear everyone was irritated and overwhelmed. The full moon was amplifying their senses to the highest and it was making Ryan extremely overstimulated. After one too many incidents Ryan's eyes had glowed once again, proving Nick right. Oddly enough, Ryan wasn't the only one with differently colored eyes.
Laura's were a bright gold, completely encompassing her pupil with specks of purple and red. Abi's were a bright red with an orange hue around the pupil. After finding that out she separated from the group easily. It was hard to tell what she was thinking, but they couldn't imagine it was anything good. Max almost matched Laura's, a bright gold shine with pale yellow highlights and orange specks.
Emma’s was similar to Laura's, only it wasn’t gold, more a pale yellow. Orange streaks were scattered through it and a red hue was around the pupil. Jacobs were a dull yellow, with specks of a brighter yellow. Dylan's eyes were also yellow however it was more bold than the others, almost electrifying. He didn’t seem to take well to hearing that.
Kaitlyn's were a bit different, completely a deep orange with red scattered throughout it and a hint of a bright yellow. Sort of like a storm. Nick’s eyes were completely different. His glowed a deep red, shining like fresh blood with a black hue around the pupil. Almost like the opposite of Ryan's but with red instead of purple. If Ryan had to say any of them were his favorite, it’d definitely be Nicks.
Ryan hummed to himself, blinking as he remembered each of the group snapping at each other one by one. Him more than others, Laura and Emma being a close second. Their chest tightened thinking about it. Emma has snapped at Jacob which caused Jacob to snap back. And Abi, having been caught in the middle of it, snapped at the both of them which inevitably revealed her eye color. She immediately ran off, guilt eating at her. Everyone else pretty much separated at that, Emma having run off after her.
Left in the lodge was themself, who he just realized was staring at the floor, and Nick. Nick was humming to himself, looking at something on his phone. Ryan glanced over to the boy, tilting his head.
Nick was different, it was obvious. Not that he was the only one, it was clear everyone had changed in different ways, some more subtle than others. But Nick confused him the most. After everything he would have expected him to go back to being Jacob’s best friend but he hadn't. He wasn’t even talking to Dylan much and they seemed close over the summer. Or maybe Ryan was just reading it wrong, it wouldn’t be the first time.
Thinking about the summer confused him. It was clear Emma and Abi got along easily, especially with the way Emma practically claimed the other girl the first day of camp. Nick was quiet but was close enough to Jacob and Dylan and Kaitlyn clicked instantly. Ryan was the only outlier but that was the norm. During the summer he would say he got closer to Abi and by extension - Emma, but still nothing concrete. He could admit Nick was the person he spoke to the least, Jacob not taking that title because of how frequent they got into fights. Verbal fights of course.
It was just easy to get upset with him, he wasn't the most responsible and sure he was nice with the kids but that seemed to be it. And because Nick seemed to follow Jacob around like a puppy, Ryan steered clear. They were still nice enough to each other, so that should've been enough.
Nick glanced at him, raising an eyebrow before turning back to his phone. Ryan would’ve looked away, especially with having been caught staring but.. Nick was focused on his phone, distracted enough. And he didn’t say anything to stop him.
Anyway, thinking about camp and the memories were slightly dimmed because of what happened. Greatly overshadowed by the last day. Still, he missed those days. It was nice getting to know the others, beyond their surface personalities. They could admit they didn't know much and they wish they could learn more but with everything that happened, and having to be in close proximity every month, they still had a chance.
Nick was the most interesting as of right now. Ryan admittedly does regret not getting to know him more. He wasn’t exactly what he expected. And Ryan did have a problem with assuming the worst. It’s only been a day and Nick was becoming more and more interesting. He was quiet in a way that Ryan craved, but loud in the way that mattered. If that makes any sense.
And it was weird. Nick was taking up his thoughts, always in the back of his-
“You’re staring,” Nick turned to them, a smirk tugging at his face.
Ryan flushed and looked away causing Nick to let out a quiet laugh, “Sorry, i was thinking.”
“I can tell,’ he hummed, pocketing his phone, “What about?”
They bite their lip, not sure how to answer. Sighing he let their head fall backwards onto the tree beam or whatever it was they were sitting against. Nick hummed and moved over to them, sitting next to them and mimicking their stance. Shrugging Ryan glances at him, “I was thinking about camp.”
“Mm?” he hums in question, curious.
“I wish I talked to you more,” they admit and look to the ground, stretching out their legs.
Nick radiates warmth, not as much as Max but still comforting, “Why didn’t you?”
Ryan frowns, fidgeting, “You were around Jacob so much. And he was unbearable. I thought you were just like him.”
“Oh,” Nick mutters, a small frown on his face. Thinking about it, he nods slightly, “You did butt heads a lot.”
“Yeah.”
“Jacob isn’t all bad. He can be a dick sometimes but he’s not.. Y'know,” he trails off a little lamely.
Ryan cringes, casting a glance at the other boy. It was hard to tell what he was thinking and he desperately wanted to know.
“I know. We just clash I guess.”
Nick nods with sympathy, “I get it. It’s hard being around him right now. Especially after everything.”
Ryan scoffs, a scowl on his face, “Maybe we could’ve been friends before but just seeing him pisses me off.”
“Yeah I can tell, your heart does this jump when you get around him and the Hackett's. And your scent gets this sickly smell,” Nick supplies, a small grin on his face.
“Am I that obvious?” They huff and look away.
Nick nods and places a hand on his arm, “Emma’s does the same thing. It’s only easier for me to tell with you because your heart jumps a lot.”
Ryan frowns and turns to look at the other boy, “I don’t see Jacob that much?”
Nick flushes and looks away, red tinting his ears, “It’s not that. I just mean your heart jumps in different ways for different things.”
“Really? Does everyone else do that?” they tilt their head, saving this information for later.
Nick flushes harder and mumbles, too low for Ryan to decipher. Confusedly Ryan nudges him, wondering what's up. He sighs and looks back to them, shrugging, “I think so. I just haven’t been able to decipher them all.”
“But you’ve gotten down how mine sounds…?”
“It’s interesting to listen to,” Nick mutters, sounding embarrassed. Ryan's lips form to shape a small “Oh” as he realizes.
Ryan flushes and looks down, their heart beats in their chest and suddenly their hands feel clammy, “You’ve been paying extra close attention to me huh?”
“Mhm,” he nods, glancing at Ryan.
“Cool,” he mumbles lamely, a small smile coming onto their face.
The boy notices the smile and in turn a small smile comes onto his face as well. Nick knocks into the other affectionately, beginning to hum quietly. Ryan glanced at him before looking away again, the air comfortably settling around them.
Ryan felt a small burst of excitement as he sensed Nick seemed to reciprocate the shared interest in each other. It was different, bigger in ways he didn't know yet. He felt a small thread connecting the two, settled in his chest and steadily growing into something more.