Ngong High School…
Edward walked down the hallway, lost in thought. His hands gripped the straps of his backpack tightly, his eyes shifting from side to side, barely registering the faces around him.
Students bustled through the corridor—some walking past him, others lingering by their lockers or chatting in groups. The noise felt distant, like a muffled echo. A blur.
His mind spiraled with the same tormenting questions:
Which of my parents had powers? Was it both? Or… was I adopted?
He tried shaking the thoughts off, but they clung to him like wet clothes. They had haunted him since the night before, ever since the realization while at the shower.
Edward hadn't been the same since. At dinner, both Renee and his mother had noticed his shift. He barely spoke. When they asked, he lied—"I'm fine. Perfectly fine." He hadn't gathered the courage to confront his mother. "What if she thinks I'm crazy?" he had wondered. "She's been normal all my life. There's no way she's a… No. No way."
Turning the corner, he spotted Anita and Mdachi at their usual spot in the hallway. Their voices floated toward him, animated, caught in conversation.
He approached, a blank expression on his face, still deep in his own storm of thoughts.
"Hey, guys," he greeted, his voice low but steady.
Both of them flinched, startled.
"What's wrong?" Edward asked, his brow furrowing.
"Nothing—you just spooked us," Anita said, trying to sound casual.
Mdachi shot her a warning look. Edward noticed and glanced between the two, suspicious.
Anita exhaled, guilt washing over her. "I'm sorry, Edward. We weren't sure whether to tell you but…"
Edward leaned forward slightly. "But what?" he asked, growing impatient.
Mdachi broke the tension. "Something happened, Edward. Something bad. Anita found out that… Mr. Hallington's been murdered."
Edward froze. His eyes widened. His body trembled for a second, then went eerily still.
Mr. Hallington.
He was one of the kindest people Edward had known. He lived in House 10 of their estate—far from Edward's place—but had always made time for him. Their bond wasn't frequent, but it was real. He had know the man ever since he was a toddler, though he didn't remember how or when they'd first met. All he knew was that Hallington had been a friend.
"...W-What?" he whispered. Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill.
The hallway spun. He staggered to the wall and leaned on it for support, sobbing softly.
"No. No, it can't be… But why?"
Anita turned sharply to Mdachi. "Couldn't you have said it in a softer way? He was his friend."
"I'm sorry, Anita, really. But I don't think we have time to sugarcoat this," Mdachi replied, voice low with guilt. "Edward… I think the murder is somehow connected to you."
Edward's tearful eyes flicked up. "What do you mean?"
Mdachi hesitated, then said, "His body was found with deep claw marks across the chest. Huge ones. They think he was attacked by some kind of beast… on Friday night. A creature with claws. Doesn't that sound familiar?"
The memory surged through Edward like a lightning bolt.
The wolf.
"It has to be…" he muttered.
"What do you mean?" Anita asked, intrigued by the certainty in his voice.
Edward looked at them both. "Remember those eerie flashes I told you about yesterday?"
Both nodded.
"Yeah," said Anita. "You were just starting to explain when Natasha stepped out of the principal's office."
"Exactly," Edward replied. "In those flashes… I see viciously red lupine eyes. Bloodied canines. A forest—dark, haunted. A full moon above. At first, I thought it was something from a movie I'd seen. But now… I think they're fragments of my memory that didn't get erased."
Anita and Mdachi exchanged glances, eyes wide.
"I saw a wolf. That wolf," Edward continued. "It's the same one from the flashes."
"Did you say… its canines were drenched in blood?" Mdachi asked, a mix of horror and fascination in his voice.
"Yes," Edward nodded gravely. "They were."
Anita took a breath, as if putting the pieces together. "That means—"
Mdachi jumped in, finishing her sentence. "The beast killed Mr. Hallington."
Anita gave him a sharp side-eye and sighed, "Ugh."
"But why would it go after Hallington?" Edward asked, tears threatening again. "He didn't deserve that…"
Anita stepped closer, wrapping an arm around him. She rubbed his back gently as Edward sniffled.
"We're going to figure this out," Mdachi said, his voice warm with sincerity. "You're not alone in this."
"Thanks," Edward replied softly. "I don't know what I'd do without you guys."
"We know this is heavy," Anita added. "You've barely had time to process what you just discovered about yourself —and now this? But we're not going to let you face it alone. You're stuck with us."
"Yeah," Mdachi smiled faintly. "From the dawn of time till its dusk."
The three hugged briefly.
Edward wiped his eyes. "Actually, speaking of me... I've been thinking. I need your mom's help, Anita. There's something I need to understand. Something to do with my parents."
Before anyone could respond, the school bell rang sharply.
"I'll tell you more on the way home," Edward said quickly. "But I need to get something from my locker first. See you soon!"
As he dashed off, Mdachi called out, "I can't come with you guys today!"
Edward slowed. "Why not?"
"I've got a Science Club meeting."
Edward nodded. "Okay. I'll just go with Anita then. Catch you later!"
Once Edward disappeared down the corridor, Anita turned to Mdachi, her expression shifting—concern carved into her face.
"What?" Mdachi asked nervously. "I know I was blunt with the news, but—"
"It's not that," Anita said. Her voice dropped. "Mdachi... I need to tell you something."
He grew serious. "Go ahead."
"I don't think… I don't think you should get involved in all this supernatural stuff."
Mdachi looked stunned. "What? Why?"
"Because it's dangerous. Really dangerous," she said. "This isn't some cool movie mystery. It's real. And it's vicious. Mr. Hallington is proof of that. You're… you're normal, Mdachi. I don't want you getting hurt."
"Normal," he repeated, sounding offended.
"Yes. And I mean that in the best way. But you're my friend—our friend. I care about you. I just don't want to see you get caught in the middle of this."
Mdachi took a deep breath, then spoke, steady and determined. "Look… You guys are my best friends. I meant what I said earlier—from the dawn of time till its dusk. And, I just discovered something I never even imagined was real. I want to be involved. I want to know more. So no—I'm not sitting this one out. This is part of our lives now. And I'm not walking away."
"Mdachi, you don't understand—"
"Maybe not now," he interrupted. "But I will. I've made up my mind, Anita. And I'll see you later."
With that, he turned and walked away.
He knew if he stayed, it would only turn into an argument. And there was no changing his mind.
Not now.
----
After acquiring his English books, Edward hurried to class, afraid of being late. That would be trouble — Madam Beatrice, the English teacher, would have breathed fire on him.
As Edward sat in the disorderly classroom, he lost himself in thought.
Why did he have to be the one to end up a warlock? How come his parents were normal, yet he was the freak? Was he adopted? And then there was the memory erasure. Who would do that to him — and why? How was he supposed to help himself? Were his parents' memories erased too? How could he help them if they were? Then, there was the wolf.
He hated it. Loathed it with every bone in his body. It had killed his friend. That goddamn creature had killed Hallington! But why? It didn't matter. He would uncover everything, page by page — and he would make that mongrel pay. Really pay.
Ever since Edward had left Anita's place the previous day, his mind had been clogged with endless thoughts. At first, it hadn't fully registered. His mind tried to dismiss it — maybe it was just a dream or a fantasy. Nothing made sense. But the more he tried to discard the idea, the more it sank into him as his reality.
He had been living a lie.
Edward had finally found some peace and forgotten everything when he arrived home — only to be surprised by Renee's presence. But it was like the universe was against it. As he was showering, it shoved a more tormenting thought back into his head.
The thought replayed in an endless loop, devastating him.
Now that he thought about it, he bet he must've looked like a zombie when he came out of the bathroom. He'd really shocked his aunt and mom. "How can someone's mood just flip suddenly?" they must have wondered.
After dinner, Edward lay silently on his bed, tucked under his soft, warm duvet. With his hands beneath his head, he stared at the ceiling, thinking. An idea popped into his head. He focused on the ceiling, squinting at it, trying to make it disappear with his mind.
He later realized he didn't even know how to use his powers. He couldn't feel them. The only confirmation he had was Anita's mom's statement — which he was still skeptical about. He had expected to feel powerful… though he didn't even know what that was supposed to feel like. He couldn't tell if he did or didn't. All he knew was that he felt terribly confused and shocked.
Edward lay there like that for a long time. He heard his mom and aunt go to bed. His father didn't come home. Maybe he was on the night shift. Perhaps there had been an emergency at the hospital, and being one of the highly qualified and most referred doctors, he couldn't leave. He was needed.
Too bad he didn't get to eat Aunt Renee's cooking. It was divine — just like Mom's. Edward hadn't even truly savored it. He'd been too stressed to enjoy anything.
A dazzling, enchanting beauty suddenly walked past Edward and sat two seats to his left. Instantly, like a super magnet, she pulled him out of his thoughts.
It was Marissa. Ahhh, Marissa.
Edward tilted his head toward her, propping it on one hand with his elbow resting on the desk. He looked. No — gawked at her. He didn't care if anyone noticed.
Marissa had middle-length African hair. Her beguiling eyes trapped Edward with just a slight glance. Her entire face looked like the embodiment of a beauty goddess. Ohhh, and her skin — that glowing, soft brown skin that caught the morning sunlight and made her look divine.
She was awesome. And her dress sense never missed. Not exaggerated, but modern and exquisite.
Marissa could slay a whole army of men with just a smile. That's how much power she had over Edward — yet she never knew. No one did. At least, Edward hoped no one did. But that's what he liked most about her: her humility. She was a down-to-earth kind of girl, full of compassion and care.
Edward kept staring as she chatted with Ruby — her best friend, he supposed. He wasn't really sure.
Suddenly, an opaque object blocked Edward's view. Still lost in thought, he tilted his head to the right — but the object moved with him.
Wait a minute. It was a person. A boy. A bully.
Frederick.
And Jasper was standing nearby.
Oh, great. Edward had completely forgotten that he shared a class with the two dimwits.
"What are you looking at, punk?" Frederick snorted.
"None of your fucking business, loser. Now get out of my way," Edward snapped and pushed him aside.
Jasper stepped forward, but Frederick held him back. "I got this."
Frederick grabbed Edward by the shirt.
"Now listen, and listen good," he began, trying to intimidate. "Just because you got the upper hand yesterday doesn't mean you're some hero. I might just give you an uppercut today. Talk to me like that again and you'll find yourself admitted to the hospital."
Edward looked him straight in the eye — completely unfazed. He almost pitied the guy's futile attempt. He didn't know why, but he wasn't afraid anymore. Not even slightly. He used to fear their presence. Now? He felt like laughing just thinking about it.
Something had changed inside him… and he liked it. He liked the courage that came with it.
Just as Edward was about to respond, he heard a voice from behind.
"Hey, buddy. Let him go," the voice said, casual and calm.
They turned. A cool-looking boy stood behind Edward.
"Fuck off," Jasper warned.
"I will — once you let him go," the boy replied calmly.
Then it clicked. He must be new. That British accent. That calm, ballsy attitude against the meanest bullies in school. That crisp fashion.
Jasper lunged at him, but Frederick stopped him.
"Hey, man," Frederick said, trying to sound cool. "I can tell you're new. You probably don't know who we are, but I assure you, you don't wanna cross us. Why don't you just crawl back to your corner and let us handle this? We really don't want to hurt you on your first day."
The boy pocketed his hands, looked at them calmly, and gave a small smile. "I think you're mistaken. This situation is the other way around. So why don't you take your own advice, huh?"
Without another word, Jasper swung a punch.
The boy dodged easily.
Jasper, thrown off balance, stumbled forward. The boy swiftly kicked him in the back, propelling him even further. Though the kick looked light, it packed great force. Jasper crashed into a row of desks before collapsing with them to the ground.
He groaned in pain. He didn't get up.
The class fell silent.
Wow. Just like that? The boy had won? Edward was stunned. The guy didn't even break a sweat — didn't even look like he tried.
Then the boy turned to Frederick, who was now wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Do you wanna go too? I might actually try this time. Maybe we can test our punching skills in a quick spar?"
Frederick swallowed hard. "Nah, man. You win, okay? Just… let me be."
He turned and bolted.
The fight was over. The class resumed its business.
"Thanks," Edward told the boy.
"Welcome," he said as he took the seat to Edward's right.
"My name's Edric," he said, extending his hand.
"I'm Edward," edward replied, shaking it.
"Nice to finally meet you, Edward," Edric added.