Road to Beacon Hills, dusk...
A dark blue Chevrolet Vectra, already with a few years on the road, cut through the highway while a fine rain began to fall, streaking the windshield in irregular lines. The wipers moved in a slow and steady rhythm against the drizzle, accompanying the muffled sound of the radio playing some melody at low volume.
In the driver's seat, Ana, a beautiful woman with fair skin, long black hair cascading down her back and sapphire blue eyes that seemed to capture the weak light from the dashboard, drove attentively, humming softly "Hmmmhmmm~" without diverting her focus from the wet road ahead.
In the back seat, Adam, a boy with white skin, short and messy black hair, and sapphire blue eyes inherited from his mother, was hunched over his Nintendo DS Lite, headphones in his ears, completely immersed in the pixelated world.
Next to him, Davyd, a guy with tanned skin, sprawled out on the seat, sleeping with his head leaning against the cold window. His wild black hair, shoulder-length, fell over his face, but didn't hide the tension there: furrowed brow, pursed lips. Even so, the striking features, inherited from his mother's beauty and his father's strong build, gave him an undeniable aura, as if even in sleep he took up more space than necessary.
Suddenly, the car hit a pothole, a violent jolt shaking everything.
BAM!
Davyd's head banged against the side glass, yanking him from sleep with a harsh gasp, as if he were drowning. His sapphire blue eyes opened abruptly, still hazy from the remnants of the dream, while cold sweat beaded on his tanned skin and his fingers instinctively dug into the front seat, his nails almost transforming into claws before he controlled them, forcing his breathing to calm down.
Ana's "Hmmmhmmm~" stopped abruptly.
'Shit, that dream again,' thought Davyd, running his hand over his damp face and tensing his muscles to impose a calm he didn't feel. He breathed deeply, once, twice, while the familiar interior of the car came back into focus: Adam next to him, the DS now closed on his lap, staring at him with those always worried eyes; Ana in the front seat, watching through the rearview mirror with a mix of affection and irony.
"Nightmare again?" Adam's voice was low, almost a whisper.
Davyd forced a yawn, stretching with an audible crack in the confined space, trying to sound casual despite the roughness in his throat. "Just a stupid dream, relax."
"I'm sure it was," commented Ana from the front seat, her gaze meeting his in the mirror, the dry irony like dust in her voice. "You're sweating like a pig going to the slaughterhouse."
Davyd rolled his eyes, responding with a light tone that masked the residue of tension. "Your exaggeration, mom. I'm fine."
A tense silence filled the car, mixing with the sound of the rain and the radio. They knew he was lying, he knew they knew, and no one pushed the issue, typical of the family, letting things hover like clouds before the storm.
Davyd shifted in the seat, feeling the muscles in his back protest against the uncomfortable position, while the remnants of the nightmare dissipated, giving way to familiar boredom. Leaning forward, he rested his arms on the passenger seat headrest. "How much longer?"
Ana gave a small smile, her eyes still fixed on the slippery road. "Just a few more... six gym badges in your little game there," she retorted, nodding toward Adam, the amused tone cutting through the humid air.
Davyd threw himself back into the seat with an exaggerated sigh, his body relaxing little by little. "That's not funny at all. Driving for days on end should be considered torture by the UN."
"Think on the bright side," Ana shot back, her humor flowing naturally as she adjusted the wiper. "At least the scenery changes every... what? Twelve hours?"
Another eye roll from Davyd, who gave up arguing and turned to his brother, poking his arm. "Let me guess, nerd... still hunting the little critters?"
Adam didn't even blink, his fingers dancing over the DS buttons, the screen light illuminating his concentrated face. "It's not 'hunting'," he corrected without taking his eyes off the screen, his voice patient as always. "It's completing the Unova Pokédex."
"Ah, sure. Totally different."
Adam paused the game for the first time, turning to his brother with that serious expression that contrasted with his young and reserved appearance. "It's very different. Hunting is random. Completing the Pokédex requires strategy, patience and-"
"Lack of social life?"
"Shut up," said Adam, feigning irritation while a traitorous smile appeared on his lips, his blue eyes shining with a mix of amusement and complicity.
Davyd looked at the screen, seeing dozens of Pokémon icons filling the digital pages. "Wait. Didn't you beat White last month?"
"I did."
"And now you're playing Black?"
"Yes."
"From the beginning?"
"Yes."
Davyd blinked, confused, leaning closer. "Why?"
Adam shrugged, as if the answer was obvious, adjusting the headphones in his ears. "Because in White I caught Reshiram. In Black I'm going to catch Zekrom. Different legendaries, different experience."
"They're literally the same game."
"They're not. There are different exclusive Pokémon in each version, specific areas, NPCs-"
"You're a psychopath," interrupted Davyd, shaking his head with a low laugh. "A complete psychopath."
"I'm a completionist," Adam shot back, returning to the game, his quick fingers contrasting with his relaxed posture. "It's different."
"It's not."
"It is."
"It's not."
"It is."
"YOU TWO WANT TO STOP THAT?", shouted Ana from the front, her tone mixing exasperation and affection as she turned up the radio volume to drown out the banter.
Davyd and Adam looked at each other, identical smiles appearing on their faces.
"He started it," they said together, echoing in the car like a familiar ritual.
Ana just huffed, but a subtle smile curved her lips as she focused on the road.
Davyd laughed softly, amused by his brother's stubbornness, leaning back and drumming his fingers on his knee to the rhythm of the music. Looking out the window at the dull landscape passing blurred by the rain, he leaned forward again. "Mom, when are we going to meet this friend of yours, Natalie?"
Ana looked at him through the rearview mirror, a small smile warming her expression. "Probably tomorrow, dear. She's super excited to see us. And she said she has a daughter Adam's age, sixteen."
Adam lifted his gaze from the DS for a moment, one eyebrow slightly raised on his fair forehead, but said nothing, his fingers pausing briefly on the buttons.
"Her name is Lydia," continued Ana, her tone casual as she swerved around a puddle. "Very smart, pretty... Who knows, maybe you two will hit it off?"
Davyd elbowed Adam's arm, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "Whoa! Did you hear that, Adam? Barely done with Ashley and already a new candidate in the area?" He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper:
"Tsk, tsk... And mom told you so much not to follow my womanizer footsteps, and look at you..."
Adam rolled his eyes, pushing Davyd's arm away with contained irritation. "First: shut up. Second: I broke up with Ashley months ago. And third: stop being an idiot."
After that, he turned his attention back to the game, but his fingers gripped the console a little harder, his face blushing slightly in the dim light.
"Boys," intervened Ana, the amused tone fading a bit as she looked seriously at Adam through the rearview mirror. "First, Lydia has a boyfriend. Second, don't follow your brother's footsteps in that department. Seriously, Adam. It's not worth it."
"Hey!", protested Davyd from the back seat, feigning offense. "My love advice is top-notch."
"Your love advice almost got you a one-way ticket to the morgue," Ana retorted dryly, her gaze returning to the road. "Or have you already forgotten about Brenda?"
Adam let out a muffled chuckle, pausing the game to enjoy it. Davyd made a face, his body shifting in the seat.
"That was a misunderstanding," Davyd argued. "And it wasn't even that bad."
"It wasn't that bad?", Ana shot back, almost turning in her seat, incredulous. "Davyd, she stabbed you in the stomach with a kitchen knife because she saw you talking to another girl after you two had broken up! If it weren't for your healing factor, you'd be dead!"
"Details, details," Davyd murmured, trying to seem bored, but a slight shiver ran through him as he remembered. Brenda was really crazy.
'But her boobs... were really impressive.' thought Davyd with a perverted smile on his face. He even suspected if that woman wasn't secretly a succubus.
Ana narrowed her eyes, focusing on him through the rearview mirror. "By the way, I still don't understand. How the hell did you let Brenda get close enough to stab you?"
"..." Davyd quickly turned his face to the window and started whistling an off-key melody. He was clearly invoking his right to remain silent.
Ana narrowed her eyes even more. "With your werewolf reflexes, she never should have been able to-"
"WOOOOOOOSH!" Davyd whistled louder.
Adam was now laughing openly, the DS forgotten on his lap. "Dude, your face when you got home and said 'I think I need a band-aid'... was priceless."
"See? At least it made a good story," said Davyd, trying to save face, knowing he'd never tell the details to his mom, she'd use any opening to tease him.
Ana huffed, but a small smile appeared on her lips, knowing she wouldn't get the story now. "Details, details," she imitated his tone, before turning her attention back to the road. "The point is: you have terrible taste in women and end of discussion. And Adam, don't be like him."
"Yes, ma'am," Adam replied, still smiling, before going back to his game, his fingers resuming the rhythm.
Davyd just huffed, a small contrary smile on his lips, looking out the window again while watching the dense forest pass by, the rain running like tears on the glass.
===
Hours later, the rain finally stopped...
The monotony of the dark road was almost hypnotic, with the constant hum of the tires on the wet asphalt. Davyd now at the wheel, one hand relaxed on the steering wheel, the other resting on the open window, letting the cold and clean night air enter and sweep away the stale smell of the car, humming low to the rhythm of the radio while his attentive eyes followed the beam of light from the headlights cutting through the darkness flanked by dense trees.
In the passenger seat, Ana slept deeply, her head leaning against the side, a thin blanket covering her up to her shoulders, her serene face contrasting with the daily tension. In the back seat, the only light came from Adam's DS screen, still immersed in the game despite the late hour, his focused eyes reflecting quiet dedication.
Ana's blanket slipped a little with the car's movement, exposing her shoulder to the cold air, Davyd glanced away from the road for a moment, stretching his arm to pull the blanket back into place, adjusting it with a quick and unexpectedly gentle touch.
Ana mumbled something in her sleep, and a rare amused smile appeared on Davyd's lips before he turned his attention 100% back to the road.
His eyes met Adam's in the rearview mirror, the screen light reflecting on his brother's concentrated face.
"Seriously, Adam? Your thumbs are going to fall off that way," Davyd teased, his voice low so as not to wake Ana.
Adam shrugged, without taking his eyes off the game. "I'm almost there. Just a few more... thirty."
"Thirty Pokémons?"
"Twenty-nine now. I just caught a Deerling."
"You haven't slept at all?", Davyd arched an eyebrow, his tone mixing concern and amusement.
"Sleep is for the weak," Adam shot back, his voice equally low, but with a touch of challenge, his fingers not stopping.
Davyd laughed softly. "You're impossible."
"Someone has to have priorities," Adam murmured, but Davyd saw a small smile in the reflection before his brother dove back into the game.
The conversation died naturally while Davyd focused on the road, a few more kilometers of darkness, trees and silence... until a sign appeared in the headlights' light:
WELCOME TO BEACON HILLS
Population: 30,000
Davyd let out the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding, a long and relieved sigh. Finally, the wheeled torture was over.
But in the next instant, the relief evaporated, the air becoming denser, charged. His Alpha instincts screamed a silent alert, a deep resonance that he felt in his blood.
Davyd's eyes narrowed, scanning the darkness beyond the sign while subtly sniffing the air. There, under the scent of pine and wet earth, a non-human smell, strong, wild, with an ancient touch.
And it was an Alpha.
How did he know? It was more than the odor; a pressure in the essence, perhaps from the lineage, sensing another Alpha without seeing the eyes. His own eyes changed in the dark of the car, the sapphire blue giving way to a deep and pulsing golden-ruby, the black sclera crossed by crimson veins that glowed on their own.
In the passenger seat, Ana shifted uncomfortably, furrowing her brow in sleep as if a bad smell bothered her.
In the back seat, the sound of the game stopped. "Davyd...?", Adam's voice tense, sensing it too.
Davyd didn't respond immediately; he felt a presence watching them from the darkness.
Then a slow smile, what Ana called the "Joker smile," appeared on his lips, gaining predatory intensity. His adapted eyes probed the night.
'So soon?', he thought, a shiver of excitement running through him.
Welcome to Beacon Hills.
•••
Until the next chapter...🫡