Robert Ipswich's Story

---

---

The desolate streets just outside of Easton were barren, free of any wandering traveler with little to no wildlife to be seen. It was a tense quiet, the dense trees shrouded in an eerie fog as if to shield the small town filled of supernatural beings from unworthy visitors. The power lines bracketing the asphalt road were the only indication of potential life, leading to some unknown civilization the likes of which most people have never heard of. A lone crow was heard from somewhere far off, its ominous caw echoing in the distance. Every day the scenery rarely changed about the perimeter of this small settlement, an unspoken occurrence that its tenants merely became ignorant to after years of experience. Suddenly a deep thrumming interrupted the sinister tranquility, a distant roar of an engine approaching at intense speeds. Music blared through the oncoming vehicle's speakers, rattling the very trees with the oppressive intrusion. It quickly came more apparent what song was playing as the car itself uncloaked itself from the layers of mist. Ain't No Rest For The Wicked by Cage the Elephant shook the very ground as the Porsche drove past at breakneck speeds. Inside the driver's seat, a beast in sheep's clothing sat rolling a toothpick between his teeth.

His name was Joshua Lee, or at least it had been for the last decade or so. Do not let the young man's appearance fool you. Just peel back the layers of this creature's vessel and you'll see the real horror within. For you see, residing inside this seemingly normal man was something not even God could tolerate. He was part of a species that was banished, thrown into a specifically designed cage just for them. Somehow, this one got out, and he was having more fun than he's had in years. The evidence of his crusade stained his t-shirt, bits of human flesh tucked between mundane teeth. As Joshua picked the clumps of skin and swallowed them whole, he smirked at the reminder of how 'that blonde bitch' tasted. Yes, he ate her. And not in a sexy way. Josh had traveled all the way from Boston after his little snack, approaching Easton simply by chance. Or so it would seem...

Just as he crossed the border into the shady little town, his engine began to rattle, his radio flickering in and out of reception range. Josh checked the temperature gauge on the dash, surprise to see the tip of the needle well into the red. The car began to slow, going from one hundred to fifty in under three seconds. Eventually it came to a complete stop and Joshua was enraged. "Are you fucking kidding?" he asked in muffled fury. He got out, activating the emergency brake before popping the hood but alas—in all his infinite knowledge—he knew nothing about cars. All he knew for certain was that billowing white steam spewing out of some valve or whatever was not good. He stifled a groan, throwing down the hood with almost more force than necessary. Joshua put the car in neutral and took off the emergency brake before moving to the back of the vehicle to start pushing. Surely there had to be a garage in this god forsaken place-...wherever it was. Being the creature that he was, pushing a vehicle didn't come as much of a struggle to him. It was a human's equivalent to pushing a toddler on a swing set. He just found it tedious and Josh hated tedious. He could be driving right now, halfway through this nameless town and on his way to bigger and better things. He didn't even have music to accompany him, which bugged the living shit out of him. He'd prefer musical accompaniment. No question. Most things in life are, in fact, better with music playing in the background.

So Josh resorted to humming, musing to his favorite songs as he jogged forward, keeping an eye out for any spectators. He was two minutes into 99 Problems by Hugo when buildings emerged out of the fog. He pantomimed a pushing the car, faking his struggle and yet keeping a watchful eye on the town as it swallowed him whole. The fog was like a barrier, a thick perimeter framing the town—as if it was some kind of spell to keep out being that weren't supernatural. That was Josh's only explanation, seeing as that he was one. He continued forward, going down a few blocks with the same faux apprehension as before. He took his coat off to feign sweating as he threw his head back, squinting his eyes in exasperation to really sell it. It was then that he finally encountered another living life form. "Hey! Hold on!" He heard the man's voice before he sensed him, which was strange considering Josh's amazing sense of smell. He threw his head in the direction in the voice, his jaw dropping at the sight of the young man jogging towards him. The man was gorgeous! In all seriousness Joshua had probably only seen a handful of people as delectable as this man in his entire lifetime. He'd stopped completely in his tracks, gazing at the olive skinned young man with stark black hair and even darker eyes as if he was dumbfounded—car completely forgotten. The younger man was at the back of the car now, standing right next to Josh, inquiring a friendly, "Would you like a hand with that?" all the while sporting a smile that was so charming Josh's own was all but abolished.

He blanked for a moment, replying with a monotone, "Uhh-..." before the young man was at the back fender, ready to push.

"You go up to the front and turn the wheel, my garage is right over there. Just steer and we'll park it in there." The young man commanded politely and Josh returned his instruction with a curt nod. Oh I'll park my car in your garage, alright, Joshua mused. He did as he was instructed, pushing the car by the door frame just enough to ensure that the young man didn't have to struggle for his benefit. Apparently the young man had put a lot of effort into it because once the car was seated in the garage and Josh had emerged from having activated the emergency brake, the young man let out a breathy, "You're a lot stronger than you look" before requesting that he pop the hood. Josh smirked mischievously, popping the hood before moving over to stand beside the young—mechanic, it would seem—taking in his scent. He shut his eyes, repressing a moan at how utterly delicious the man smelled, holding himself back from just leaned over and taking a bite. That'd have to wait until his car was fixed.

---

---

---

---

---

Robert splashed his face with water, hauled up in the grungy bathroom of the garage where he worked. He'd washed all of the motor grease and grime off of him, running his calloused hands through his choppy onyx locks to cool himself off. No matter how tepid the weather was outside, it was always scorching in the garage. Perhaps it was because of the constant work load he forced on himself, or the fact that the place had no air conditioning. Either way, you'll never hear Robby complain about it. The sweat was apart of the work. It just meant he had to shower when he got home otherwise his mother would absolutely lose her shit. He dried off with the towel hanging on the rack nailed to the wall, tossing it on the rim of the metal basin before walking out and heading for the garage doors. He was locking up early, seeing as he was invited to that lake house party Summer was throwing. Seeing as August—who has been his best friend since he can remember—couldn't stand his own sister but never missed a party, Robby was obliged to go. Even if his purpose was merely making sure Summer didn't fuck up August's buzz. The corner of his mouth pulled up into a smirk at the thought of his friend's bitter sibling rivalry, almost completely engrossed in the thought as he grabbed the chain to lower the garage door. However, he wasn't too out of it to see a man struggling to push a Porsche through town.

He moved before his mind could fully process it, offering the man he'd never seen before help before he could think to stop himself. Though, why would he? Newcomers were rare in Easton. And it wasn't like Robby wouldn't offer to help anyone in need. He helped maneuver the car into the garage, slightly caught of guard by how easy it was compared to all of the other times he'd ever pushed a vehicle. Either the guy was really strong with one hell of an endurance threshold or he hadn't been pushing that long. In truth, Robert didn't necessarily mind helping this guy out. He'll just have to text August and let him know to meet him at his house or something because by the look of it he was going to be late. Upon further inspection, there wasn't much he could do in one night. This thing had be driven within an inch of its life. From the look of the engine it's seen a lot of miles with little to no upkeep. It finally just tapped out.

"I've never seen a Porsche neglected this badly." He mused aloud, immediately regretting his outburst. He looked to the other man to apologize but only saw a smirk on that pallid face. His gaze was narrowed but not out of annoyance, more out of calculation. It was as if he was choosing his own words careful.

The man shrugged and leered down at him, his hands shoved into the pockets of his dark-washed jeans. "It's expendable." He stated. Robby felt a chill run down his spine at the deep resonance of his voice, a tone laden with natural witticism and the finesse of a conman. Much unlike the demeanor the mysterious man had displayed earlier. "I can always get a new one when this one wears out."

Robby stood, offering an amused scoff, "Well it looks like today's the day you order a new one because this baby is damn near shot." He chuckled, shutting the hood and leaning up against it, crossing his arms over his chest. "Unfortunately we don't have a car dealership here in Easton."

"Are you saying I'm stuck here?" The man asked with a pert brow.

"Ahh-...." Robert replied, "Lucky for you I can salvage it. I can fix it up enough to get it in working order. It should be able to take you to the next big city where you can rent a room at a motel and get yourself a new car."

The man kept his brow cocked, leering at Robby with a cool facade. "How long is it going to take?"

"Now that much I don't know." Robby stated, running his hand idly through his hair in thought, oblivious to the way steely grey eyes watched his every move. "That much I don't know. If I have all the parts here I can get it done within the week but if I have to order anything it could take months."

"Well is there a motel or something I can stay in until you get it finished?"

Robby bit his bottom lip, avoiding the man's gaze as he delivered the bad news. "Unfortunately no"

The man looked down at him incredulously, "Come again?"

"We don't really have a motel in Easton." Robert reiterated, "We don't get many newcomers in town so we didn't see it as necessary." He sprang up from the hood as enlightenment struck him, "If it's alright with you, you could stay at my home until I get your car fixed. I'll have to charge you a little extra for room and board, of course. You'll have your own bedroom with an attached bathroom. I assume you've got luggage."

Now the man just seemed amused, "You're willing to let a completely stranger into your home." It wasn't a question, more like a surprised statement. Robert just shrugged.

"It's my parent's estate." His parents probably wouldn't be all for the idea right away but seeing as this guy had nowhere to go, Robert was just going to have to insist. He wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing this guy was stranded without a a proper roof over his head when he couldn't done something about it. "It's pretty big so we've got the space for an extra guest. Seeing as that you are a stranger, you'll be sleeping in the guest room closest to mine. I have a little sister, you see, so I'll be keeping an eye on you. For safety precautions, that's all."

The man chuckled, "I completely understand. Though I can assure you that your sister is safe while I'm under your roof. You have my word." Robert smiled at the man's sincerity, glancing down as he held out his hand in reassurance of the oath. Robby took it gladly, their hands clasping tightly to shake thrice before they returned their hands to their sides. "My name is Joshua, by the way. Joshua Lee."

"Robert Ipswich." He introduced himself, "But call me Robby, everyone does. I'll take you to my home so you can make yourself comfortable. Let me help you with your bags."

The man named Joshua thanked him, following Robert out to his car with the luggage in his hand. He told Joshua to wait in the car while he closed up the shop, texting August all the while to tell him to come over to Ipswich Manor. They'd be a little late, seeing as that he had to get Joshua settled into the guest room. Then, just as he got behind the wheel of his Impala, it hit him. He turned to Joshua who looked at him with mild amusement in curiosity, an expression Robert couldn't help but smile at in return. "My friend's holding a party at her lake house, it's just a bunch of the people from town mingling with a few beers. Would you want to tag along with me and him? It'll be better than hanging around the house with my parents, that's for sure."

Joshua laughed, "Yeah, I'll tag along."

"Cool." Robert's smiled slowly waned as he backed out of the driveway of the garage. They rode in silence as they drove across town into the deepest part of the surrounding woods. Ipswich Manor was just on the adjacent border of the town, holding the appeal of a haunted mansion from a cheesy black and white horror movie. He wasn't sure if Jules left or not for the party. All Robert had on his mind was how he was going to convince his father to let Joshua stay.

Jaxon had heard his alarm going off, and reached for it only to realize that there were no alarm clocks in his room. The alarm he was hearing was going off in his mind, a little trick he picked up from his mother to make deadlines and wake up early without fault. Jax groaned slightly to himself as his slowly moved his arm to block the light coming in from the windows. As his body to look the other way, flesh made contact with his own as he turned back to the random lady laying in his bed. If memory served Jaxon right, last night he left his poker game with the winnings and partied at some random club, and she was the product of last night. Jaxon had to smile at what he had gained, but then again, how natural was this for him anyway?

Still thinking of last night, Jaxon quickly did a mental check for a clock, grabbing his watch off of the dresser to see the time: 2:27 pm. A smirk came to his face as he rolled over to the stranger in his bed and then proceeded to wander with his hands to wake her up. A flutter of the eye lids, and a smile greeted him before he spoke to her. "Well, we can refuse to say goodbye to last night, or we can greet the morning. What do ya say, darling?" She looked so willing to go at it again - it was Saturday after all - before buzzing went off from her pants, which were near the washroom. Getting up, the lady - which Jax finally sorted through the list of names to get Veronica - sleepily read a text naked, and then looked at him. "Gotta run hun." Jax raised his eyebrows, not out of annoyance but out of mere thoughtlessness. He cared not if she had left or if she had stayed, in the end she would leave to continue her own life, leaving only a bit of her with Jax.

Fast forward a bit, and the stranger was gone and Jaxon was alone once again, silently figuring out his plans for the day as he went through the motions: get shower, brush teeth, grab beer and breakfast. He was reminded that later on he would be meeting up with the rest of his 'family' for a party tonight, and a smile came to him as he speed read the paper. While Jax was the oldest of his pure witch family, he had always stayed connected with them, regardless that the age gap was quite a bit larger than before. The guys were his bros, doing random shit together was their thing. Jax also always looked out for them as well, since that was just how he worked. Witches and Warlocks were of a special breed, so they might as well stick together.

Jax finished off his breakfast and beer before grabbing much more casual attire than normal: after all, he would be bringing in the big guns of booze tonight, and he really didn't need to ruin his good blazer. A few minutes later, Jax found himself in a black muscle shirt and jeans, an older blazer of his nestled on his shoulders. There were still some errands he had to run in town before tonight and he certainly didn't want to be late.

Flash forward, and Jaxon was sort of lateish. He had finally gotten the rest of his beer and other essentials onto his own ATV before heading out with roughly 5 other guys - most of them were younger than him, but he knew them all and was decent friends with most of them. His driving wasn't as 'edgy' as normal, cautiously making sure nothing fell. As he finally heard the sounds of the party life - oh how he loved to hear it - he sent out a message telepathically to Summer as he neared the cabins. You'd better be ready, cuz I'm bringing in the fucking cavalry! Not a few minutes later, his gang busted through the tree line to the party, to which a cheer went out from the masses as he stopped and got off, smiling like the devil's advocate.

"Your refills have arrived!" He announced not too loudly to ruin all of the fun, but loud enough for people to hear him and have more cheers go out. The smile never left his face as he gave out booze, laughing and joking with everybody as he did. Some were questioning how he could afford it, but Jaxon never gave a straight answer: how would you tell the masses that the booze was funded by gambling with drug dealers?

Leonidas Davian Andover - or just Leo, if you didn't like 300 quotes - leaned back on a branch near the top of a tree just a few paces out from the lakeshore party, eyes closed and listening to the music as the bass pounded through the ground and the tree roots, into his bones. Okay, said like that it sounded majorly creepy, but it felt awesome. He fully intended to return to the party of course (how could he not?) but he may have had just a tiny bit too much to drink and was now waiting on a lot of water he'd washed it down with to finish sobering him up. Not his idea, but hell, he was in too good a mood to argue. Besides, there was something soothing about the night sky above and the vibrating wood below.

And then the soothing atmosphere was shattered by the arrival of a car and the annoucement of refills. Yes! Beer run accomplished! Okay, enough napping, time to get wasted again! With that happy thought in mind Leo slid down from branch to branch, dropped out of the tree and landed on the soft earth below. And he didn't even need a cushion of air to soften the fall, which was good because it might have been noticed. He was occasionally accused of being reckless with the secret, but he never pulled anything he thought would get caught while there were people around. Almost never. Certainly not around sober people.

Leo popped his headout from the forest where it met the lakeshore, grinning broadly. "Did someone say refills?" He asked, certain that at least some of them would insist he'd had too much already. Pff, yeah right, he could hold his liquour. He just maybe shouldn't have gotten in the drinking contest with that guy twice his size. He'd be more careful this time. Honest. At least that was his planned speech for the argument. As for the question of whether sixteen was too young to be drinking himself stupid, well, so was nineteen, legally. But who cared about those details?

Probably the decision would be with Jaxon. If he decided to be the fun, relaxed older brother, then tonight was definitely gonna be a good night. If he decided to be the responsible, reasonable older brother, then he was gonna have to take the rest of the evening on only a mild buzz. Unless, of course, Leo waited to really ask until Jax was drunk too? Dishonest, but on the other hand, there was beer and a party... He'd figure it out if and when he had to.

Summer found herself giggling madly as she was hoisted up onto the shoulders of one the linebackers, being carted on to the deck. She caught sight of her friends Ari and Robert, giving the cousins a wave and a bright smile as she struggled to keep herself from squirming too much in the arms of the drunken and strapping young man. As soon as she hit the water her thoughts were invaded by a familiar voice that made her shake her head as she returned the thought to the intruder. “Hey! Amanda, Rowan, and I are staying at the Trinity Cabin for the weekend. Witches only — Interested?” Her thoughts ended abruptly as she kicked her legs, her head breaking the surface quickly only for her to see a number of others following her into the lake with loud and drunken cries of euphoria. She swam away from them, submerging herself once again to dive deeper. Her eyes opened in the murky waters, bubbles escaping from her nose as she attempt to hold back a giggle, spotting a boy struggling to keep the others from pantsing him. She resurfaced and swam further away from the others, enjoying some time alone to listen to the music, floating on her back and watching as fireworks exploded in the sky. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a woman she hadn't seen before but who still looked familiar. The blonde woman was quite gorgeous, leading two young men out of the lake and into the forest with an impish smile on her lips. Summer watched them for a while, not noticing that her name had been called.

She had a bad feeling about it...

---

MONDAY - JULY 9, 2012
9:42am

The weekend had been an excellent one and now it was time to begin the week anew. Summer rose before the sun did, glancing to see most of the friends that had been invited to stay in the big cabin all sprawled out with junk food and beer in their hands and around their bodies. Gross. She snapped her fingers and focused her will, watching as the potted plants in the room began to grow, extending their stems and leaves to curl around the trash and dropping them into the trash bin before retracting back to normal. Giving a side of satisfaction, Summer began to get dressed for her morning exercise routine. She didn't take long and was soon out the door, sprinting towards a large pine tree. Agile and flexible, the young woman jumped at the tree, gripping the trunk tightly with her nails and feet before scaling it quickly to the center where she found a sturdy branch and crawled across it before leaping onto the next branch in the tree nearby. Summer was excellent when it came to traveling through woodlands whether by tree, land, or water. Her instincts and senses were heightened to almost animalistic in nature when she put herself in the mindset, letting herself become primal. She was like Catwoman, replacing the skyscrapers and rooftops with trees and terra firma.

She didn't seem to notice the various scratches she got from the branches and thorns, her thoughts centered only on stretching her limbs and basking in the nature around her. She dropped from the trees, landing in a crouched position on the ground with a feral growl. Her clothes fell away from her body and the air around her gave a light shimmer as she shrank down and was replaced by a black fox. She ran around for another hour before pausing to sit atop a hill, greeting the sun with yoga and her naked form. As the sun came to a high point in the sky just before noon, she shifted back into a fox to seek out her clothes, redressing herself and jogging back to the cabin. By the time she returned to the cabin everyone was gone. Either for work or just to get back home. Even her animal companions seemed to have returned home. She shook her head with a smile as she made her way out to the stable and pulled out one of the horses. She would just put stallion up in the stables at home. Saddling up Nigel, she was soon on her way home, riding on the side of the road to make sure that he stayed in the grass whenever they could. He didn't like the concrete on this hooves. She got a few strange looks as people saw her talking to him as though carrying out conversation with a human being. Though maybe the looks were because he would whinny and nicker back at her.

Almost home, a car slowed down beside her and a woman rolled down the window, leaning over to talk to her. “Summer, dear. You haven't seen Matthew and Jensen have you? I can't find them. I haven't heard from them since yesterday.” She pulled over and put her hazard lights on, concern riddling her face and voice. “No, I haven't. I saw them Saturday at the lake party but I didn't get the chance to speak with them. I'll ask everyone else to keep an eye out and you'll know as soon as we find them.” She offered a comforting smile as she thought back to the two brothers walking into the forest with the blonde stranger. She made a mental note to seek the woman out later and see what she could find out from her. Gloria Hanover gave Summer a faint smile before turning off her hazard lights and going on about her way. Summer continued on her way where she sought out her father, knowing her mother was already at work. “Papa, I don't suppose you've seen anyone new around town have you?” She picked up an apple and tossed it up before catching it and taking a bite from the juicy and rather delicious Granny Smith, its sour tang delighting her. Her father turned around, wiping his hands on his apron, his face taking on a thoughtful expression. “I do recall a new shop opening up. Hot Buns. Great pies.”

“Blonde hair, probably blue eyes and really fit? Really modelesque?” She raised a brow before polishing off her apple. Her father nodded and leaned in towards her over the marble island. “Yeah...Something on your mind, n'nitschaan?” Her father's deeply accented voice was filled with concern and curiosity as he looked her in the eyes and she quickly shook her head. “Nothing, really. I just saw her at the party on Saturday and was wondering who she was....And the Hanover boys are missing since yesterday.” She quickly averted her gaze from his. Her parents were of the few people she found it difficult to lie too. They did that thing that parents do, staring at you with that look that pierces your soul until you cough up what you're hiding. It freaked her out. She quickly excused herself and disappeared upstairs, leaving her father puzzled. Chief Salem rubbed his chin before deciding to don his uniform and pay the Hanover home a visit. Summer, however, was busy pulling out her books. Three in particular. She opened up the three books, one to a map of Easton, another to a map of Massachusetts, and another to a world map just in case. Setting them down on her desk, she pulled out an uncut emerald on a string from one of her drawers and closed her eyes. Focusing her will and thoughts on Matthew Hanover, she held it inches above the books and slowly let it rotate. This went on for five minutes before it simply fell to the desk. She tried again, this time with Jensen on her mind. Again, she got nothing and began to worry. Fearing the worst, she pulled out her phone and texted everyone in her contact list and even threw up a post on Facebook. Anyone seen the Hanover boys today? She then sent a more exclusive text to the more...witchy of her friends. Huge problem guys. We need to find Mat and Jensen right now.