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31st October 2005
It was a moonlit night. It was Halloween. And Ryland Grace was ready to party.
He had finished all his outstanding assignments, was actually ahead for once on his research practicals, and had even caught up on some outstanding emails to prospective graduate programmes. As much as he hated to admit it, taking those new meds might actually be helping.
Ryland had been pre-gaming for a while now and was already buzzing, which is why he was now staring at himself in the mirror and debating whether or not to wipe off the whiskers he had allowed Colt to draw on him with an eyeliner of dubious origin. Colt had also coloured a black spot on the tip of his nose and stuck a headband with a pair of fox ears on top of his head. Ryland was trying to decide whether he looked stupid or possibly cute enough to catch someone’s eye. Or maybe several someones if he got lucky.
“Stop admiring yourself and help me pick out a shirt," Colt said, scruffing up his hair as he passed on his way from their shared bathroom to the closet.
"I look ridiculous," Ryland complained to Colt’s back.
"It’s Halloween; looking ridiculous is the point, Ry," Colt said, pulling out two seemingly identical black shirts and holding them out. “What do you think?"
"About what?"
"About the stock market, what do you think, dipshit? Which shirt should I wear?!"
"They’re identical?"
"I don’t know why I bother asking you anything." Colt eyed him up and down. “You’re not seriously planning to wear that, are you?"
"What’s wrong with this?" Ryland asked, spinning back to the mirror to look at himself. He was wearing jeans and an old faded t-shirt with a science pun on it. He thought it seemed perfectly acceptable.
"You’re supposed to be a fox. Here, put these on." Colt threw him a pair of orange pants and a white tee shirt.
“Why do you even own orange pants?" Ryland asked, catching them and holding them out like they’d insulted his late mother.
"Just shut up and put them on; we were supposed to be there like 15 minutes ago."
Ryland muttered something Colt was sure he would never have said in front of their dad but disappeared into the bathroom while Colt pulled on one of the shirts and then the other one, then went back to the first, tucking it into his tight black pants.
“Seriously?" Ryland said, emerging from the bathroom in the pants and the tee which was so skin-tight Colt was impressed that he’d even managed to get it on.
"Foxy," he grinned, moving to straighten the fox ears. Ryland slapped him half-heartedly.
“What are you supposed to be?"
"I am a vampire," Colt replied in a terrible mockery of an Eastern European accent while pulling on the cheap polyester cloak he’d left lying on the back of a chair. “I am here to suck your blood!"
Ryland rolled his eyes.
“Don’t you think we’ve had enough of vampires already?"
***
Five hours, nine shots, and one mystery pill Ryland hoped was a Molly later, he was sprawled on a couch underneath a very handsome guy he knew he would never see again, allowing said unnamed guy to plant an enormous hickey on his neck purely so he could wind Colt up by pointing out that his fox had seen more sucking action than Colt’s vampire.
The party had started out well. Colt had been telling anyone who’d listen about Ryland’s amazing score on his latest biology exam.
"He acts all humble, but he got the highest score anyone has ever received here. It’s like, scary good; he can get into any grad school programme he wants!"
Ryland hadn’t wanted to talk about his schoolwork tonight, but a few people had looked impressed so he’d allowed himself to preen a little until someone piped up and asked if his parents would be impressed.
He and Colt had shared the look they always gave one another when their family was brought up and Ryland had mumbled something about not keeping their dad informed about his academic achievements.
"We’re not exactly the Brady’s," he’d said by way of an explanation as to why not, and when someone had interrupted to ask if he wanted another shot, he’d jumped on the opportunity to get out of both the conversation and his own head.
He’d lost track of Colt about an hour ago, and the party petered out fast and became pretty dull, but at least the music had been good. He’d already made out with a cute girl dressed as a nurse who played with his fox ears while they kissed in the kitchen, and then with an even cuter guy with devil horns who’d ground against him on the dance floor and whispered in his ear that he wished he had a tail too. Ryland knew he had a reputation, but he also didn’t care. There were always people willing to fool around with him regardless, which is why he was now at partner number three in as many hours.
His head was swimming pleasantly from the effects of the mystery pill, copious booze, and the endorphins swirling through his bloodstream courtesy of the handsome guy on top of him. He closed his eyes and let the feelings carry him away until, an undetermined amount of time later, he realised someone was saying his name.
"Ryland, dude, come on."
Ryland forced his eyes open and saw his reflection looking down at him.
"What?" He slurred and his reflection grinned, showing off a pair of plastic vampire fangs.
"You passed out. Again. Come on." He felt himself being dragged up to standing. “Home time."
He staggered against his brother, who slung an arm around his waist and guided him out of the door.
"Wha would I do w’out you?" Ryland asked drunkenly.
"Crash and burn," Colt replied, sounding far too sober for his own good.
The two of them slowly made their way across the campus, Ryland needing to make multiple stops to vomit into flowerbeds and once to pee in a bush, all the while Colt shook his head and made comments about being the responsible one and what their dad would say if he could see Ryland right now. The walk and the fresh air gradually helped to sober him up, and by the time they reached the pokey little dorm room they called home, he was feeling much more himself.
***
An hour or so later, Ryland woke up in the dark convinced he’d heard something. He lay perfectly still in his bed, looking over to see the vague shape of Colt lying in his own bed across the room. Colt snored loudly, and Ryland relaxed, figuring that was probably what had woken him. Colt always snored like a chainsaw after he’d been drinking.
But then he heard the sound again. Wood sliding against wood. Ryland flicked his gaze up and saw the window moving; someone was trying to get inside. He froze. The knife dad always insisted he carry was packed away in his closet on the other side of the room and might as well be a trillion miles away, and Colt was still snoring, oblivious to the intruder who was now climbing through the window. Ryland watched the shadow straighten up and turn to face his brother.
No. No one was hurting Colt on his watch.
Ryland launched out of bed despite his lingering intoxication and tackled the guy who crumpled to the ground with a grunt, Ryland on top of him. He went to throw a punch in the guy’s face but froze as he heard Colt awaken with a start and the shadowy stranger held his hands up in surrender.
"Easy, tiger!" The shadowy figure laughed, and Ryland’s heart skipped a beat.
"Court?"
Ryland scrambled off his older brother, whom he could now clearly see sitting on his dorm room floor. He realised his head was pounding.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Colt asked groggily from his bed.
Court shuffled on the floor so he could look at both his younger brothers at the same time.
"We need to talk."
"Normal people use the phone, Court," Colt said. “They don't sneak into people’s dorm rooms in the middle of the night."
"Would you have answered?" Court replied, and both his brothers stayed silent.
"Yeah. That’s what I figured."
“Seriously Court, what could be so important that you show up here at ass o'clock in the morning and scare us both to death?" Ryland demanded.
Court turned and looked him square in the face, then sighed.
"Dad’s on a hunting trip, and he hasn’t been home in a few days."