After the werewolf fiasco was over, I almost closed my eyes when Nick barked at me to stop driving and pull over to the curb near this posh neighborhood.

Confused, I slam the brakes. I peer at the passenger window to see what the fuck is going on when Nick tells me he sees his little sister.

"Wait, you do?" I ask hopefully. "Where's Kenzie? Is she okay?"

Instead of answering my question, Nick unbuckles his seatbelt and abandons the Volkswagen Beetle, much to my surprise. The cold air hits his face as Nick hurries to the sidewalk, where he sees a young Hispanic girl storming away from an angry, dark-haired boy who looks a couple of years older than me.

His skin is as pale as the moon, but there are a couple of acne scars on his forehead and chin. He wears this red letterman's jacket, a dark blue button-up shirt, and khakis. Freckles sprinkle his broad nose.

"MACKENZIE!" Nick shouts from the top of his lungs.

The little girl turns around and swears under her breath as Nick boldly approaches her. Her older friend, on the other hand, stares at Nick as if he had survived a zombie apocalypse.

What's funny about it is that I can't blame the guy.

Even though I rolled down all the windows and sprayed every type of perfume I had in my bag, it didn't get rid of the stench of blood very quickly. All it does is give me and Casper a runny nose. The odor from my blood-stained clothes stung my eyes until the night breeze shoos it away.

Turning around, I notice Casper shaking his head at the stains on his Hawaiian shirt and pants.

"Christ," he grunts. "See, this is why I stopped being a monster hunter. My clothes are always ruined."

I stare at him in surprise. "You quit being a monster hunter?"

Releasing the collar of his Hawaiian t-shirt, Casper leans against his seat and scratches behind his left ear.

"Yeah," he confesses sadly. "Don't get me wrong, I love the adventure, but it doesn't pay me enough to rent my place. So, I got a cashier job at Seven-Eleven and I'm helping my mom at the boarding house."

"Oh," I say quietly. "Did you renew your license, though?"

"Yep, every once a year," Casper beams. "My mom wants me to get rid of it and focus on helping out with the boarding house, but I don't know, it feels like a badge of honor."

Smirking from ear to ear, I stroke my stiff hair and then tell him that I feel the same way about my license sometimes. That I felt like I accomplished something better than winning some shitty diploma.

"So, what did you do after I left St. Hawthorne?" I ask Casper.

"Well, I did what Benji told me to do," said Casper.

"Learn how to take math seriously?" I tease.

"Haha, fuck you." Casper scoffs. "No, I tried applying for art colleges in California."

A warm smile spreads across my face. "Did any of them accept you?"

Casper gives me a look.

"Yeah, I just got accepted to one of the most amazing art colleges at Burbank," he tells me. "Of course, I didn't get into any of those schools. Do you think the admissions give two shits about a juvenile delinquent like me?"

I instantly stop smiling. "I'm sorry. That must've sucked."

"Yeah, but it's not your fault," Casper confesses. "I guess it's God telling me that I'm better off as a homeless beggar."

"No, you're not." I insist.

"Come on, Teddy. You know it's true." he says. "With my record, I can't seem to do anything other than work minimum wage jobs. Fuck, tonight, I'm supposed to get a raise, but my shitty boss won't give me a check because of 'budget cuts'."

"What an asshole," I grunt.

"Yeah," Casper grumbles, crossing his arms. "Life's gotten by so slow I don't know what to do with myself anymore."

"Well," I begin. "A great friend once told me that when life gets you down, Hakuna Matata is the best medicine."

"Yeah, and also pizza," Casper declares with a pout.

"Why?" I ask curiously. "It's just food."

Casper gasps as if I just dissed his mom.

"Pizza's not just food, Teddy," he scoffs. "It's a cure for depression. If Bill Nye were here, he'd agree with me."

"Right," I chuckle.

Casper smirks a little until he turns to the glass. "Say, you heard about Benji's disappearance, right?"

I hesitate for a moment, then nod slowly. "I saw his missing poster at Doc Win's Cajun Shack."

"He was looking up something about the kids who came to your high school," Casper answers. "I can't remember their names, but I'm sure Lea has his second notebook."

"She did?" I repeat. "Where did-"

"Benji gave it to Lea before he disappeared," Casper answers. "Said that if he went missing or died, he made sure we'd pick up the pieces."

That's right, back in St. Hawthorne, Benji would write everything down in two separate notebooks. At first, I thought it was weird, but now that he disappeared, I yearn nothing more than to read whatever the fuck he wrote - so that I can figure out what kind of monster would hurt sweet little Benji.

Suddenly, I hear a boy laugh.

"Kenzie, who the fuck is this freak?" he roars.

Feeling curious, I cock my head to the side to see Nick's little sister rolling her eyes and turning her back to her horrified older brother.

Kenzie's dark brown hair drapes over her soft brown shoulders. She wears a zebra-striped tank top and a short red skirt that exposes her slender legs.

Nick's jaw plunges at her black Steve Madden sandals then groans, "Jesus Christ, please tell me you have a jacket with you."

"Fuck you, Nick!" Kenzie shrieks. "It's like eighty degrees outside!"

"It's sixty-two!" Nick corrects. "But, of course, you don't know that because you haven't watched the weather channel!"

"Leave me alone!" cried Kenzie. "Why the fuck do you care about what I do?"

"Joey's all alone in that house because of you! You're damn lucky Abuela is asleep because. . ."

Watching Nick and Kenzie going at it, Casper shakes his head some more, then shapeshifts into a police officer with a thick mustache.

"Uh, what the fuck are you doing?" I ask quizzically.

"I'm going to drag these fucking idiots into this car," Casper answers in a deep voice. "Stay here, alright?"

After he slams the door, Casper stops to adjust his belt and walks towards the disgruntled kids.

Meanwhile, I reach the glove compartment, grab some weed and an unused strip of brown rolling paper, and make my blunt. A part of me wants to step in and help Nick sort whatever shit he has with his sister, but the other side of me wants to smoke, take a long shower, and pray to God Ichabod doesn't vomit hairballs on my new bed.

Call me selfish, but I like the second part better.

"I am sorry, but who the fuck is this guy?" I hear the guy joke, interrupting the siblings' squabble. "And why the hell is he covered in blood?"

Nick doesn't answer. He grabs Kenzie by the arm and instructs her to get in the car until Kenzie's friend steps in front of Nick.

"Haven't you got the message, weirdo?" the guy snaps angrily. "Kenzie doesn't want to come with you."

Nick says nothing to the older boy. He avoids Kenzie's friend and approaches his younger sister.

"Come on, Kenzie," he urges. "Joey and Abuela are worried about you-"

He is immediately interrupted by Kenzie's older friend, who grabs Nick by the arm. His brown eyes glare at the monster hunter's stoic face.

"Are you Kenzie's secret boyfriend?" he inquires, a sneering grin stretching across his face. "Or are you just some fucking queer?"

"Hey!" Kenzie growls. "Nick's my older brother! So don't call him that!"

The guy's face drops. "Your older brother, huh?"

Nick glares at him. "Yeah. She's my sister, and I am taking her home."

Shoving past Kenzie's friend again, Nick was about to take Kenzie to the car when the asshole stepped right in front of him.

"You? Taking Kenzie home?" he scoffs in disbelief. "Is that a joke?"

"What are you talking about?"

"According to Kenzie, you're a shitty brother. You dropped her and Joseph on your granny's lap and took off without saying goodbye-"

"Shut up, Zack!" Kenzie snaps.

"Hey! What the hell is going on here?" Casper barks.

Nick, Kenzie, and Zack turn around to see the shapeshifter approaching them. He gives his black mustache a good scratch. His uniform matches the night sky. His walkie-talkie and equipment are tucked away in his belt. The second Zack sees Casper's golden badge, he hightails out of there, whereas Kenzie nervously takes a step back.

"Hi, officer," she greets sheepishly.

"Hey," Casper greets casually. "Come on, let's go home."

Nick silently nods his head while his sister scoffs at this.

"Really?" Kenzie cries. "You're not going to run after Zack, or take Nick to the hospital?"

"Not really, no."

"Why?"

"Because I'm sick and tired of waiting in Teddy's car."

Nick drops his jaw. "Casper? Is that you?"

Casper rolls his eyes, pushes the siblings towards the Volkswagen Beetle, and opens the car door. Nick sits in the passenger seat, whereas Kenzie reluctantly climbs. The cop makes sure everyone is settled in before stepping inside the car.

Kenzie cocks her head to the side. Her lips twist into a shocked frown. She didn't understand why the cop was sitting in the car with them until he transforms back to Casper.

"What the fuck?" Kenzie screeches. "Who the fuck are you?"

The boy removes his beanie and scratches his upper lip before glaring at her.

"My name is Casper De La Cruz," he introduces impatiently. "I'm Nick's best friend and the reason you're not in prison right now."

He jerks his thumb at me, lighting a rolled blunt.

"The girl sitting behind the wheel is Teddy Crowe, who, like me, wants to go to bed," Casper adds. "Do you have any other stupid questions you'd like to ask me, or can we get a fucking move on?"

*******
On the way home, I play "Ode to My Family" by the Cranberries. I concentrate on the odometer while Nick takes a quick nap in his passenger seat.

Sitting behind them are Casper and Kenzie, avoiding eye contact. Casper listens to some music on his Walkman until he sleeps near the window, while Kenzie remains on edge. She inches towards the door to escape when I snap my fingers twice, compelling the doors to lock themselves.

"What the hell?" Kenzie cries. "Let me out of here!"

"Sure," I responded coldly. "Unless you feel comfortable waking up in a hospital."

Nick's little sister rolls her eyes to the ceiling and slumps in her seat.

"This isn't fair," she growls. "Nick gets to do whatever he wants, and no one cares, but when I do it, it's wrong."

"Of course, it's wrong," I snap. "Nick didn't sneak out of the house to attend a party without his grandmother's permission."

"Who are you, one of Nick's dyke friends?" snapped Kenzie.

Now I can see why Lea hates her.

"Hey!" Nick barks. "Shut the fuck up, Kenzie! Don't talk about Lea that way!"

"What? Isn't that the reason why her parents kicked Lea out?"

I tighten my hands on the steering wheel. "Nick, if she keeps giving me a migraine, I'm throwing her out of this fucking car - with or without magic."

Kenzie's eyes widen as I adjust my rearview mirror and stare directly at the road. I swish my blunt in my mouth, then light the end with my finger, stunning the fifteen-year-old girl.

Blowing a cloud of smoke out of the window, I hand the blunt to Nick, but he shakes his head in response.

"I'm not in the mood," he says. "But I could take over the car for a bit and help you get your sleep."

Yawning, I toss the blunt out of the window. I then pull over to the curb beside some fancy house, unbuckle my seatbelt, and swap seats with Nick.

After strapping in his seat, Nick adjusts the rearview mirror while I sit in the passenger seat. My head rests above the door handle. Dark hair covers a fraction of my birthmark as I stare at the window.

When Nick starts the car, Kenzie asks, "So, what can you guys do?"

"Well, I wield a sword," Nick sighs. "Teddy's a witch, and Casper can turn into people and animals. Anyway, let's talk about why you left Joseph alone."

"For the love of God, Nick! He can take care of himself!"

"Joey's thirteen, Mac! What if the neighbors decide to pop in and-"

"Oh, NOW you care about us?"

"Of course I do! I'm your fucking brother."

"Then why don't you come to our birthday parties or see us during the holidays?"

Nick sighs and massages his eyelids with his fingers.

"It's complicated, alright?" he grunts.

The siblings are silent until Kenzie looks at his red backpack, revealing books, supplies, and a sword sprinkled with blood and dirt.

"Jesus, are you still monster hunting again?" Kenzie cries with exhaustion.

When Nick doesn't respond, she scowls, "You said you were going to quit. That you are getting a job at B. Dalton's."

"I am," Nick argues. "I am still waiting for my check to come around."

Kenzie shakes her head. "That's a load of shit."

"So's getting high with some fucking assclown."

"Fuck you."

After he sees the traffic lights turn green, Nick starts the car and drives straight down. The Cranberries continues playing on the radio, but he turns it off, much to Kenzie's appreciation.

Neon lights burn Nick's eyes as he searches for his grandmother's house. His heart still races from the hellhound incident, but Nick remains calm and focused. The last thing he wants is to get into a car accident.

Covering his mouth with his hand, Nick looks at his snoring companion, Casper, and then back at Kenzie, gliding her fingers through her brown hair.

Clearing his throat, Nick adjusts the rearview mirror again and asks, "How was school today? How are Joe and Grandma?"

"If you worry about her and Wren so much, visit them," Kenzie insists, cutting him off.

"I know-" said Nick.

"Grandma misses you." Kenzie goes on. "Joe looks up to you. He even tells his friends that you are the best monster hunter in Queens."

Nick hangs his head in sadness but says nothing.

"Come on, ever since that school shut down," Kenzie murmurs. "You became a different person. You never spend time with us; you barely look Grandma in the eye, and you stop going to college."

Unbeknownst to the siblings, I slightly open my eyes and turn to the window. My arms remain folded, but my ears listen to every conversation detail.

Nudging Casper close to his window, Kenzie stares at Nick's reflection in the rear-view mirror and tries to pressure her brother into telling him what happened on the day St. Bernadette got shut down.

Nick takes a deep breath before turning back to the road.

"Sorry, I can't tell you," Nick sighs. "I know we're supposed to talk about these things, but I can't right now."

"Why not?" asked Kenzie.

Hanging his head, Nick says nothing. He merely focuses on the road until he reaches the pastel blue house on Merrick Boulevard. Next, Nick unlocks Kenzie's car door and advises his sister to crawl through the back window if their grandmother is downstairs watching her "stories." Finally, after giving her a sad smile, Nick promises Kenzie that he will change for the better.

Kenzie crosses her arms. "You're starting to sound like Dad."

"I know," Nick admits. "But unlike him, I'm going to be here with you, Wren, and Grandma every step of the way."

His younger sister sighs at this but unbuckles her seatbelt, kisses her brother on the cheek, and takes off into the night without a word. Nick waits until Kenzie enters the house before starting the car and driving him and his friends back home.
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