End of Last Chapter:


"Go ahead, but don't blame me if the man laughs at you like everyone else. Kurt, please explain to my sister you're not a werewolf."

Tina limped over to where a laptop and phone sat on a desk. She grinned to herself as she saw Kurt stand up and unbutton his shirt.

Andy gasped as Kurt began to sprout long white hair all over the visible parts of his body. "Whoa, dude, what are you doing?"

"Making a believer out of you."


The Story Continues:


"Awesome," Andy said. His face showed emotion ranging from scared half to death to outright admiration.

Tina turned her attention to the computer, suppressing a chuckle at her brother's expense. It was about time someone besides her got a shock.

After searching the internet for a few minutes, Tina found Emory Settler's website. She located his contact information and tapped out the numbers on her parents' old-fashioned landline . She had worked so hard for this moment... the moment when she would get help for her friends... the moment when she would be believed.

For a few agonizing seconds, there was no sound on the line, and then... click... a connection.

"Hello, this is Emory Settler..."

"Hi, I'm Tina Alice..."

"... I'm away from my phone right now, but if you would please stay on the line for a list of options, I'll get back to you as soon as possible. If you're a fellow police officer, press one. If you're a friend press two. If you're a Daredevil Girl or guy, press three. If you're a telemarketer, hang up I don't want to talk to you."

"Are you kidding me?" Tina quickly pressed 3, and left her number on the recording.

Not a full minute later, the phone rang in her hand. She jumped, bumping her sore ankle against the chair leg.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Emory Settler. You called?"

Tina took a deep mind-focusing breath and let it out. "Yes, Sir, my name is Tina Alice. I know you don't know me, but I'm a new Daredevil Girl, as of, like, four hours ago. Bruce Rogers asked me to call you about a dangerous situation at my school."

"Would that be Milton Middle School?"

"Yeah, you've already heard?"

"I got a tweet earlier from one of my sources, but it was vague. Can you give me more details?"

"Yes, Sir."

Tina proceeded to tell Emory all that had transpired, her fears, her worries, and any fact she remembered. This time, there was no disbelief.

"Where's everyone now?" he asked.

"I assume they're still in the school. The witches say they're safe, but I don't believe it."

"No, I don't either. You said Kurt Kirkpatrick saw you safely home. Is he still with you?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Would you put him on the phone, please?"

"Sure. Hey, Kurt, if you're through scaring the crap out of my brother, can you come talk to Officer Settler?"

Kurt nodded, changed back to human form, and took the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, Kurt, this is Emory Settler. Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, Sir. You're the face of law enforcement for supernatural beings. It's rumored you're a tough, but fair man. My father always spoke highly of you, though I suspect the witches I work for would like to roast you slowly over a pit."

"I'm not their greatest fan, either."

"I understand. Do you know my father, Dirk?"

"Of course I do. He's a good friend and ally."

"He doesn't approve of my working for the witches."

"No, I don't expect he does, do you?"

"Not really, but werewolves can't get ahead in life without becoming affiliated with them. Lone wolves don't survive in the wild, Officer Settler, and good doesn't always conquer evil."

"You're right, sometimes the bad guys do win, but they don't have to this time. The witches are in charge because good people let them get that way."

"Do you mean me and my men?"

"In part, but you weren't the only ones."

"What else could we have done?"

"I think you know the answer to that question, son, but it is often true that good people can find themselves caught up in a complicated situation... one they'd like to get out of if given the option."

"You're right on that one. This whole thing has blown way out of control. Can you offer us that option?"

"We wouldn't be having this conversation if I couldn't, or if I thought you didn't want to take it."

"I'm willing to listen."

"I appreciate that, and I'll be as direct with you as possible. I know that's the way of your people."

"Yeah, werewolves are known for bluntness, so what do you want of me?"

"To start with, you need to pick a side. The time for straddling the fence passed when your bosses breached Tina's school."

Kurt looked at his young friend. Her ankle was wrapped in a hasty bandage, a bag of ice providing limited relief. She looked at him with trust. Andy stood beside her, earlier disbelief erased from his young face and replaced with admiration. In their collective eyes, he was a friend and protector. They accepted him knowing who and what he was.

He closed his eyes and grasped the phone in powerful hands. He saw his mother's face, lovely as an angel, yet creased with disappointment, when he told her how he planned to get money to pay for medical school. He could hear her voice as though she was in the room.

"Kurt, your father and I can pay your way. Stay here and help out on the farm... help your father at the clinic... do anything besides work for the witches. They enslave our kind."

"I won't kill anyone," he'd said. "I can stay pure if I don't spill innocent blood."

"You can't dance with the devil, Sweetheart. Your father has made it fine all these years without their help. He's a respected physician and leader in the Shadow Wolf community. You're a good person, but you won't be for long. The witches will turn you into a beast."

"I'm a werewolf, Mom; I'm already a beast."

Kurt opened his eyes and looked at his new friends, again. Tina nodded and winked as though aware of his internal conflict.

"Kurt," Emory said. "What do you think? Have you picked your side?"

"Yes, Sir. What can my men and I do to help you fight your war?"