Martin and Melissa’s stroll was a meandering affair throughout the shopping district in downtown Moon Lake; stopping at various stores in no particular order. With a bag of rock candy and fudge from Candied Chaos, a bag of lingerie from Awareness and each sipping on fruit smoothies from café Luna were they stopped for a bagel sandwich; they decide to walk back to their car and head home.
“I wonder how Julie is doing;” Melissa comments.
“I’m sure she is fine,” Martin finishing his smoothie and tossing the cup in a nearby trash can.
“You don’t think she is up to no good,” Melissa responding.
“She is under house arrest,” Martin stating; “her internet usage is being monitored and she has no functioning cell phone because I broke the sim card.” Martin unlocking the doors to his car, “what possible trouble can she get into?”
*****
Julie Stovall was stuck at home; under house arrest for her assault of Eric Anderson and Frieda Knight last Tuesday during freshman lunch at Moon Lake High. That act also earned her an automatic suspension from school pending her upcoming trial; a trial that won’t officially begin until after she appears in front of a judge to enter a plea.
After making herself a sandwich, she goes back to her room. While she did reactivate the keylogger monitor on her father’s computer earlier; she just set it back to default settings. This allowed her to remove the program on her computer without damaging the operating system. Safe in the knowledge that her actions will no longer be monitored; she begins in earnest of a plan that came to her while eating a grilled cheese with a can of cherry cola.
Creating several dummy accounts on social media, she uses them to friend Frieda, Eric and Spencer. Determined to know what they have managed to block her from seeing, she sets that plan of information gathering aside and focuses on Brian Walker; while she knows it was him who sent the worm on her computer, she was unable to prove it.
Julie wasn’t as well versed as her mother in terms of computer skills or programming; yet she did have a few tricks of her own. Remembering from past dalliances from Brian; she did hear from him about his dead beat father George Walker. Thinking it would be a hoot to mess with him; she creates a fake email address and uses it to pretend she is Brian’s father. Not knowing that Brian just declared the man dead a little while ago, she hits send. Grinning she is about to grab her special toy when her parents arrive back home.
*****
Lance Knight arrived at Frances Twist’s residence after handing his brother Benton a scroll from the elder council. In it, it detailed that the council knows of his condition and are concerned that he could, through ignoring treatment create a scene in which he goes feral and expose the secret of weres to the whole world. While Benton has started taking the medication that was prescribed to him; the elder council ordered him to remain in Moon Lake for a period of at least thirty days. To ensure he poses no risk to himself or others as his medication begins to take effect.
Lance’s mission was to give France’s her scroll and to talk to her. Knocking on the door, he is greeted by a bare chested sixteen year old boy. With his were sense of smell; Lance was able to tell that the teenager in front of him was a werewolf. Unsure if this is France’s son or a relative Lance begins to talk.
“Sorry to call, by I’m Lance Knight and I am looking for Doctor Frances Twist. Is she here?”
Ben who heard from his moms what Benton Knight tried to them gave this person a cold look, “My mother isn’t here.”
Lance sensing that this teenager may have already gotten a bad vibe from him begins to explain; “Look I know what my brother tried to do with your mother and her life partner. But believe me; I’m not like him; in fact most of the time Benton is trying to find novel ways to get rid of me in some fashion or another.”
“Then why are you here,” Ben still unsure why a Knight is at his moms house.
“I’m here on Elder Council business,” Lance producing a scroll bearing the council’s sigil on a red wax seal.
Ben saw one of these scrolls a while back; when his mother caught him trying to read it, it was one of the few times she was truly angry at him and grounded him for a whole month; “I can make sure she receives this when she gets back,” Ben stating.
“Unfortunately,” Lance recalling a rule he read in the council handbook; “the recipient of a missive from the elder council must receive it in person from the council representative themselves. As the were-panther representative, I am duty bound to give this scroll to France Twist and only to her.”
“I thought Benton was the were-panther rep of the elder council,” Ben still eyeing Lance suspiciously.
“He was up until last Thursday,” Lance stating; “I’m sure you heard by now that my brother attacked several security guards at Tachibana’s head office after his hostile takeover bid failed.”
Ben laughs, “yeah everyone has heard of that.”
“Do you know when you mother will be back,” Lance asking; “It is important that I discuss few matters to her as well. Also elder council business.”
“Another hour or so, I think;” Ben shrugging his shoulders; “you can wait for her if you like; as long as you don’t mind the sound of a vacuum machine going over carpets.”