Chapter 1: Christmas Eve Leftovers Taste Bad The Following Day When Eaten
It was a cold and blistering night at the Arcane town. Christmas Eve is expected to have this kind of atmosphere. It's that time of the year again where every families celebrate the holiday inside their warm households. This was not the case though for everyone though.
A young boy in a poor-state was walking along the road. He was struggling to make through the heavy snows brought upon by the winter season. Having a small ounce of strength left in his tiny body, he made a last effort push before completely collapsing. He fell down in front of somebody's home.
Inside the same house was the Garnett Family. Just like everybody else, they were celebrating the Christmas Eve. The table was filled with variety of dishes. It was truly a feast. Zaqiel, the only child of the family, was playing with his toys as his mother was preparing.
"Zaqiel honey it's time to eat now" Mrs. Sylvia, Zaqiel's mother said loudly.
"Okay Mom" Zaqiel replied and he went immediately to the dining room.
His father was sitting on the other side of the table, reading a newspaper when he got there. Zaqiel sat down and soon, his mother did the same. Thus they start the thanksgiving prayer. After the prayer ended, a seemingly confused Zaqiel looked at his mom.
"Mom why do we still need to do the thanksgiving ritual thing? Can't we just directly eat immediately next time? I'm already starving awhile ago..." Zaqiel asked in an innocent and curious tone.
"That can't do dear. It is always a tradition to give thanks for the blessings that we receive such as these foods. Christmas Eve shouldn't be an exception" Mrs. Sylvia explained.
"Besides, not everyone is capable and blessed to eat these meal. Let alone eating, there are some people who would kill for this kind of thing. It is only rightful to show appreciation" Mr. Gulden added.
Having Zaqiel's question answered, the family started to eat. Zaqiel took his time in trying out all of what was given to him.
"It's the least I could do for those poor people" Zaqiel thought.
After they ate, Mrs. Sylvia told Zaqiel to take out the leftover trash outside.
"But it's cold outside mom.." Zaqiel insisted.
"C'mon honey" Mrs. Sylvia plead to which in the end, Zaqiel obeyed for what he is told to do.
Outside, Zaqiel began putting the leftovers in the garbage can. As he was doing this, he noticed something in front of their gate. He went for a closer look and it was a black "thing". Not satisfied yet, Zaqiel went closer and closer until he could fully see what was it. It was moving. He realized it wasn't a thing, rather it was a person. It was lying in the cold snowy road.
"Mom, Dad there's someone lying in front of our gate" Zaqiel shouted as he was running towards to the dining room where his parents are resting.
Mr. Gulden and Mrs. Sylvia quickly got out of their seat in order to take a look. The family was in unison going in front of their gate. What they saw was far more horrible than what they had imagined.
"Oh my.." Mrs. Sylvia said in a shocked and sad tone.
Mr. Gulden went and grab the person to his arms in order to get a closer inspection.
"He's just a kid" Mr. Gulden said with a worried face.
He checked the kid's pulse. They were in great relief when they found out the kid was still alive.
Zaqiel noticed something and told his parents about it.
"Why is he covered in scars?"
Mr. Gulden then checked the kid's body in order to confirm if Zaqiel's observation was true.
"You're right, he sustained a lot of damage" Mr. Gulden answered.
"How could this happen, the poor kid.." Mrs. Sylvia added.
"At any rate, let's take the kid inside" Mr. Gulden said as he began carrying the kid.
He locked the gate and tried to take a look at the streets to see if there's someone out there watching. There was none. The family then went with the kid to the living room of their home.
Mr. Gulden dropped the kid to the sofa for him to lay and rest there. Mrs. Sylvia then went to the kitchen to heat up some water. After about half an hour, the kid regained his consciousness and opened his eyes.
"WAAAHHHHHH" the kid screamed at the top of his lungs with obvious signs of being frightened as soon as he saw the family.
He quickly jumped out of the sofa and went to the corner of the room. Mr. Gulden and Mrs. Sylvia tried comforting him.
"Hey hey, it's going to be alright. We're not going to hurt you. Take a deep breathe and relax" Mr. Gulden said calmly while slowly walking towards the kid.
While all this commotion was happening, Zaqiel was just standing there staring at the frightened kid. He would then move towards directly to the kid and offered him a hand. After being reluctant for a while, the kid would then accept Zaqiel's hand. He completely calmed down and began speaking.
"I uh.. can't remember anything" as soon as he said this, he began breaking down.
Mrs. Sylvia comforted him and told him it's okay.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Mr. Gulden asked Mrs. Sylvia.
"Let's take care of it tomorrow morning at the welfare center" Mrs. Sylvia replied.
While the parents were discussing further more on their next step, Zaqiel was looking outside the window.
"Mom look, the night sky is clear now. I could see the moon" Zaqiel said while pointing out the bright full moon outside.
All of a sudden, the kid began holding his stomach as if he's in deep pain.
"Are you alright kid?" Mr. Gulden asked.
The kid didn't answered as he was immensely struggling for an unknown reason. Then the next thing that happened would shock them even further than all of the crazy happenings that evening. The kid turned himself into a vicious werewolf.
Before he could wreck havoc inside the Garnett's household, Mr. Gulden quickly made his move. He went close and dialed up the chest of the kid as if he's trying to make a call in a telephone.
"What did you do father?" Zaqiel asked.
"To stop him momentarily from transforming" Mr. Gulden answered.
He was holding the kid who's slowly regaining his human form.
"Honey get the bracelet in the altar immediately" Mr. Gulden ordered his wife.
Mrs. Sylvia gave the bracelet to Mr. Gulden and he wore it to the right hand of the kid.
"I never actually thought this day would come where I'll use this bracelet" he said.
Zaqiel was puzzled throughout the situation. He was scratching his head off and was wondering what just happened. Why is did the kid turned into a werewolf? What exactly did his dad do? What's up with the bracelet? Before he could even say a word, his dad started to explain everything.
"For many generations, the Garnett family were tasked to maintain peace and order in the mystical side of life. The bracelet was passed on to us by our ancestors as a support item in case we encounter such creatures like him. It serves as a seal to the ones who were cursed..."
"It's been almost a century since the seal was last used. It never crossed my mind that in my lifetime, I'll come face to face with someone like him. As a kid, I thought it was just a silly tradition that had no use in life. I'm glad that I listened to my father's teachings cause it definitely saved our asses..."
"Judging by what just happened, the kid is probably a member of the Rupus clan and he has the Wolfgang genes in him. It is a curse that turns its host into a werewolf during a visible full moon. I thought they already figured out there how to solve the problem. What in the world just happened then?"
After explaining everything, the kid regained his consciousness again. The family gathered closely to the kid as they watch him trying to open his mouth.
"Payne. Payne is my name, I remember" he said softly.
"Well Payne, starting from this day, this will be your new home" Mr. Gulden said.
"Thank you..." Payne replied with a tiny smile in his face.
Zaqiel began conversing with Payne like how normal kids would do. Payne wasn't normal though yet they accepted him in their household. The clock hits 12 a.m. meaning it was already Christmas. It truly was a unique Christmas Eve for the Garnett family.
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