THIRDS Beyond the Books Volume 1 Page 3

“Yes,” Dex grumbled. He unfastened his seat belt, got out, and slammed the car door behind him. He stomped over to Tony and followed him into the building. Dex didn’t like it. It was cold and big with scary-looking Therians and Humans. His dad told the lady they had an appointment. She spoke to Tony, and they left to take the elevator up.

  “You’re not going to talk to me now?”

  Dex shook his head.

  “Then at least talk to your brother so he won’t get scared.”

  With a sigh, Dex took hold of Cael’s hand. His little brother stared at the glowing buttons on the elevator wall with his big gray eyes. “Dack! Dack!” He pointed to the buttons and bounced in Tony’s arms.

  “Buttons,” Dex said. He pointed to the buttons on Cael’s overalls. “Buttons.”

  Cael wrinkled his nose. “Buns.”

  “Buttons,” Dex repeated.

  Cael leaned forward and pointed to the elevator buttons. “Buns!”

  “You’re silly,” Dex laughed. The doors opened, and they stepped out into a big white hall. A colorful sign with lots of names was next to one of the white doors. Inside it was really big. There were parents talking and kids playing with the toys in the big play area.

  “Make a right, go to the end of the hall, and it’s the third door on the left.”

  “Thank you.” Tony turned and took hold of Dex’s hand.

  “We don’t have to wait?” Dex asked, his heart beating fast. He thought they’d be able to wait before going in. He didn’t want to go in. “Dad….”

  “Dadda?” Cael looked around, a frown on his little face.

  “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.” Tony kissed the top of Cael’s head as they walked down a long white hall. Dex thought he heard a baby crying, and he tried to cover his ears, but Tony was holding on to his hand. They walked into a room painted in bright colors, with baby animals on the walls. A big Therian in a long white coat smiled at them.

  “And who’s this brave boy?” the doctor said, holding his hand out to Cael. With a moan, Cael turned and hid his face against Tony’s neck.

  “He’s very shy,” Tony said. “I really wish we didn’t have to do this, Doc.”

  The doctor sighed. “Don’t we all, Mr. Maddock. Please put him in the chair.”

  Tony sat Cael in a small, light-blue chair with a fluffy pillow, and Dex’s eyes widened. He tugged on Tony’s shirt. “Why does the chair have straps?”

  “And you must be big brother.”

  The doctor smiled at Dex, and Dex glared at him.

  “Why does the chair have straps?” Dex asked angrily.

  “Cael won’t understand what’s happening. That’s so he doesn’t hurt himself during the procedure. You don’t want him to hurt himself, do you?”

  “No, I don’t want you to hurt him.”

  “Dex,” Tony scolded. “I’m sorry. He’s very outspoken.”

  “Most children are,” the doctor said with a chuckle.

  Dex watched everything the doctor did. He watched the Therian fasten the straps around Cael, who sat like a good boy because Cael was always good. He looked up at Tony with big eyes, then at Dex. He was scared.

  “Don’t be scared,” Dex said, moving so he could see everything the doctor did. The man swiped a pad on Cael’s neck and took a metal pen thingy in his hand. He pressed a button on the machine next to the chair, and it made whirring noises. Cael’s bottom lip trembled.

  “Dack.” Cael’s voice was wobbly, which meant he was going to start crying.

  Dex opened his mouth when the doctor started. Cael shrieked.

  “You’re hurting him!”

  Dex stepped forward, but Tony held him back. Tears streamed down Cael’s red cheeks as he screamed and screamed.

  “Stop it! Stop hurting him!”

  “Dex, please,” Tony said, his voice cracking. “Please.”

  “No! Why won’t you do something? He’s hurting Cael!”

  Dex pushed Tony as the doctor moved the pen away from Cael’s neck to look at Dex. Angry and afraid, Dex punched the doctor in the face.

  The doctor gave a start and pulled away, covering his nose.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. He’s very protective of his brother, and he thinks you’re hurting him.”

  “He is hurting him!” Dex cried.

  “It’s all right. I understand. Why don’t you wait outside with him, and I’ll get the nurses to help me finish. We’ll let you know when we’re done.”

  Tony nodded and dragged Dex, kicking and screaming, outside of the office.

  “I can’t leave him alone. He’s scared!” Dex struggled, stopping when Tony got on his knee in front of him, tears in his eyes.

  “Hey.”

  Dex wiped the tears from his cheeks and hiccupped. He had his arms crossed tight over his chest and hunched his shoulders when Tony pulled him close.

  “I’m so sorry, kiddo.” He put their heads together and sighed. “It hurts me too. You know it does.”

  Dex had never seen his dad cry before. “Don’t cry. I’m sorry for being bad.”

  “No. Nope. You’re a good boy, Dex. You love your little brother very much, and I know you’ll always look after him. I’m sorry about all this. What can I do to make it up to you?”

  Dex knew Tony was worried about him, that he felt bad. Tony was the bestest dad ever. “Can we get ice cream?”

  “You got it.” Tony smiled and sat down on the floor, pulling Dex onto his lap. They snuggled close. “We’ll get ice cream for you and your brother, and then you can take a nap on my bed with all your stuffed toys. How about that?”

  “All of them?” Dex asked.

  “All of them,” Tony promised.

  “Okay.”

  The door opened and a nurse appeared, holding Cael. “All done, Mr. Maddock.”

  Tony helped Dex to his feet before getting up. Cael was still crying, but his voice was rough, like he had no more sound. He hiccupped and rubbed his eyes. Dex stayed close to Tony. He didn’t like the black letters on Cael’s neck. He didn’t know what the letters meant except for the C, which stood for “Cheetah.”

  Cael let out a squawk that sounded like Dex’s name, so Dex took hold of his hand. While Tony talked to the lady, Dex told Cael they were going to get ice cream and he could have whatever ice cream he wanted. Soon they were heading for the car again. Tony was very quiet the whole time.

  At the ice cream shop, Dex picked his favorite, a Therian-sized mint chocolate chip sundae with whipped cream, nuts, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, and extra cherries. Tony had a small sundae, and Cael was getting more chocolate ice cream on his face than in his mouth.

  “Dadda!” Cael said, his voice still rough. He held a spoon of ice cream out to Tony.

  “For me?” Tony smiled and opened his mouth. Cael missed, and Tony laughed, helping guide his hand to get the spoon in his mouth. “Mm, that’s good.”

  Dex wanted to see his dad smile again. He didn’t like it when Tony was sad. “Dad?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I don’t think we should have all the stuffed toys. That way there’s room for you.”

  Tony blinked at him. “You want me to nap with you boys?”

  “Yeah! Like when I was smaller and used to get bad dreams. You’d stay with me, and all the bad dreams went away.” He got up and went around to Tony to give him a big hug. “I love you, Dad.”

  “Allabu!” Cael said and threw his hands out to Tony. They all hugged, and Tony squeezed them close. He kissed the top of Dex’s head.

  “I love you too, kiddo.” He turned and kissed Cael’s head with a chuckle. “Allabu too.”

  Dex let his head rest against Tony’s big shoulders. He would always look after Cael, but he knew Tony would always look after him and his little brother. He always had and he always would.

  Prompt #5: I’d like to see Cael’s first shift and the aftermath with Dex being the awesome brother we all know he is.

  DEX WAS so excited. It was the first weekend of
summer vacation. Every year his dad took Dex and Cael somewhere special. Dex had no idea where they were going this year, but his dad had taken some time off work, and he was currently down in the basement rummaging. Dex had spotted some suitcases and stuff they tended to use when they were going out of state tucked under the stairs. Wherever they were going, it was going to be fun. They always had fun together.

  Cael sat next to him at the kitchen table, kicking his legs back and forth as they ate their Lucky Charms. They were allowed it as a treat once a week. Dad didn’t like it when they had too much sugar, especially since it made Cael really hyper.

  “Where do you think Daddy’s gonna take us?” Cael asked as he tried to poke all the marshmallows onto his spoon with his finger so he could eat them first.

  “I don’t know, but it’s out of state for sure. He was getting out the big suitcases.”

  “Do you think Aunt Danelle would tell us?” Cael asked, stuffing a big spoonful of marshmallows in his mouth. Uh-oh, he was going to be bouncing off the walls soon.

  “No way.” Dex shook his head. “You know Aunt Danelle is even sneakier than Dad. She’d never tell a secret.” Tony was always telling his sister that she could have been a detective because she was so good at finding out other people’s secrets without revealing any of her own.

  “Are you nervous?” Cael asked, his eyes widening.

  “About what?” Dex finished up his cereal and took his bowl to the sink to wash up.

  “High school. You’re going to be the youngest freshman there.”

  Dex let out a snort. “No. Why would I be nervous?” He was totally nervous. Actually, he was trying not to freak out about it. Because his birthday was in August, he’d be turning fourteen just before starting high school.

  “Boys!” Tony came running upstairs, a big smile on his face. “Pack your bags. We’re going to Disney World!”

  Dex’s jaw dropped.

  Cael’s exaggerated gasp filled the silent kitchen. He jumped out of his chair, his hands clasped together. “Really?” His voice was whispered, like it might all just be a dream.

  Tony nodded. “Yep.”

  Cael squealed and ran to Tony, throwing himself into his open arms. Dex joined the hugfest, jumping excitedly. Their dad had taken them to Six Flags and local fairs plenty of times over the years, but this was the first time they’d be going to Disney World. With a chuckle, Tony put Cael down. Cael was so excited he was trembling. His face turned bright red, and Dex laughed.

  “Take it easy. You look like you’re going to pop.”

  Cael groaned and clutched at his chest. Something was wrong. The smile fell off Dex’s face, and Tony was immediately on his knees in front of Cael.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?”

  “My insides hurt,” Cael said. He sounded winded, and he started blinking a lot. “Everything looks funny.”

  “Okay. Have you eaten anything different this morning? Did you hurt yourself playing?”

  Cael shook his head, tears welling up in his big gray eyes. “It’s getting worse.”

  Cael held on to his stomach and doubled over. He let out a scream that shook Dex all over. He’d never heard his brother scream like that.

  “Daddy, it hurts!” Cael cried, tears streaming down his reddened cheeks. “It hurts so bad!”

  He bared his teeth, and Dex saw pointed fangs growing.

  His dad frantically searched through the cabinets. “It’s okay, baby. Just hold on.”

  Dex took a step back as Cael continued to scream, the noise unlike anything he’d ever heard. “Dad? What’s happening?”

  “It’s his first shift. Fuck. Oh Shit.” Tony threw open cabinet doors and drawers. “Where’s the First Shift Response Kit?”

  Oh God, their dad was cursing. This was bad. “Um….” Dex stood frozen to the spot, his stunned gaze on his little brother, whose fangs were grown out, claws piercing through his fingers, and Dex could have sworn he saw hair growing on his brother’s face. Dex’s mind went blank, and suddenly everything he’d learned from the mandatory classes provided by Families with Therian Youth flew out the window.

  “Dex, take his clothes off!” Tony ordered.

  “What?”

  “His clothes! He’ll hurt himself. Now!”

  Dex stared at Cael, his heart pounding fiercely in his chest. His eyes dropped to Cael’s sharp claws. “I can’t.”

  Tony didn’t ask twice. He rushed over to Cael and undressed him swiftly while Cael continued to scream and change before their eyes. Dex had never seen a Therian change in front of him. Cael’s screams sent chills up his spine. Within minutes his little brother was gone, and in his place was a feral cheetah Therian with sharp fangs and teeth. Cael backed up against the chair so fast he knocked it over. In a matter of seconds, there was chaos in the kitchen.

  Cael chirped and freaked out. His fur bristled and his ears flattened as he ran around the kitchen on his new cheetah Therian legs. He bumped and swatted at furniture, hissed and jumped. Chairs toppled over, and he hit the table with such force the cereal and milk went soaring, spilling all over the floor.

  Their dad was still desperately searching for the First Shift Response Kit when Cael chirped and leaped at Dex. With a scream, Dex ran away from Cael. He hadn’t meant to, but he was scared. He knew it was his little brother in there, but he was having trouble getting past the sharp claws and fangs as Cael chirped and chased him.

  “Dad!” Dex ran around the table, slipping on some spilled milk, but not before Cael swiped at his leg. Dex hit the floor with a cry, his leg stinging. He grabbed his leg, and when he moved one of his hands away, it was covered in blood. His eyes widened at the blood smeared all over the floor. Cael chirped as he got closer, and Dex kicked away from him. “Stop!”

  Tony grabbed Cael by the scruff of his neck and injected him with a sedative from the response kit, all the while trying to soothe Cael. Tears ran down Dex’s cheeks even though he was trying his best to be brave.

  Cael hissed and tried to shake himself free, but Tony wouldn’t let go. As soon as Cael started shifting back, he laid Cael on the floor and grabbed the kit. Quickly he cleaned up Dex’s leg, applied liquid stitches, and bandaged the scratches. He kissed Dex’s head.

  “It’s okay, kiddo. It looks worse than it is.” He wiped Dex’s hands with Therian-strength sterilization pads.

  “Daddy,” Cael said, his voice groggy and shaky.

  He lay on the floor, his eyes looking sleepy but open. Tony cleaned him up and dressed him before pulling him into his arms, petting his head.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, baby. It’s not your fault.”

  Dex hesitated but reminded himself this was his little brother. Cael hadn’t meant to hurt him. He sat close to Tony and reached out to pet Cael’s head. “It’s okay, Cael.”

  “I’m sorry, Dex.” Cael’s bottom lip trembled, and he burst into tears. He buried his head against Tony’s shirt. Tony held him close and rocked him gently, running a hand through his hair. Dex could tell their dad had been shaken by the whole thing, but he was trying not to show it. Dex bit down on his bottom lip. He was thirteen. His family needed him to be a brave boy. But it was hard. He’d been scared. His little brother’s first shift and instead of helping, he’d panicked.

  “I’m so sorry, Dad.” Dex sniffed and wiped at his face, but the tears kept coming.

  “Don’t worry, kiddo. Come here.” Tony wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close. “Now listen up. I know today was scary, but that’s just because it took us all by surprise. Cael, look at me.”

  Cael pulled back and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

  “We all know you didn’t mean to hurt your brother. It was an accident. Dex knows that, okay? It’ll take time for you to get used to shifting. But it’s perfectly normal. You’re a good boy.”

  Cael turned his big eyes on Dex.

  Dex nodded. “It was an accident. I know you didn’t mean to.” Tears welled in his eyes again
. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to run away. I was just surprised. That’s all.”

  “Really?”

  Dex opened his arms, and Cael climbed onto his lap. “I promise.” He gave Cael a squeeze. “It’ll be okay. You’ll see.”

  Tony hugged them both. “We’ll get through this together. We’ll be okay. I’ll make a few calls, we’ll get Cael his Therian prescription, and next thing you know, we’ll be eating cotton candy and riding the Teacups.”

  “We can still go?” Cael asked hopefully.

  “Of course we can. We’ll get everything sorted out and then take our trip. We’ll have a great time, and you’ll eat far more sugar than you should, but it’s a special treat so it’s okay. When don’t we have fun together?”

  Dex smiled widely. He turned his attention back to Cael and beamed at him. “We’ll have so much fun! What do you want to ride first?”

  “Everything!” Cael said excitedly before snuggling up to Dex.

  Soon he’d fallen asleep, and Dex figured it was the sedatives still doing their thing. He closed his eyes and leaned on his dad, a smile on his face. He rubbed his cheek against Tony’s sleeve.

  “I love you, Dad.”

  “Love you too, kiddo.” Tony held Dex as he closed his eyes and snuggled against him. Today had been scary, but Tony was always there with them to make sure it would all be okay. Everything would be okay.

  Prompt #6: Tony’s sex ed class for Dex or Cael.

  DEX SLAMMED his math book shut with a grunt. He glared at it with all the loathing a fourteen-year-old boy could muster in the hopes he might develop mutant powers and light the thing on fire with his mind. When no superhuman powers presented themselves, he resigned himself to simply glaring at it some more.

  “I hate you so much.” Stupid algebra. “Math shouldn’t have letters! Or shapes!” When would he need to know how many degrees an angle was? Now if math taught him something useful, like whether he could eat his weight in nachos and survive, then maybe he might actually manage something higher than a C. At least Tony understood his struggle with algebra.

  No matter how hard he tried, Dex just didn’t get a lot of it. Like his brain wouldn’t accept what it was being told. They’d tried different types of tutoring, extra classes, exercises, but nothing helped. Tony had even taken him to a special doctor. Either Dex would get it in time or his brain just wasn’t wired for math.