• "Jute....Jute....," a distant voice called.
    Jute spun around to see his parents reaching out to him. At least what he remembered of them.
    "Mom? Dad?" Jute called, panicking. They were getting farther and farther away....

    "BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The alarm clock screamed monotonously. Jute started out of bed and tumbled in his sheets to the floor. THUD! Jute sat up and rubbed his head where it had just hit the floor. He yawned and detangled himself from the sheets, carelessly tossing them on the bed.
    "YO, Jute!!!!We're gonna be late again!!!!" Chinlume hollered from the kitchen.
    "That depends on whether you got some real food to eat for breakfast!!!"Jute replied.
    He got up and stretched, then headed to the kitchen. When he walked through the door Chinlume immediatley turned around.
    "Dude, put some pants on!! Nobody but nobody wants to see your boxers..." Chinlume snickered.
    "Put a sock in it or I'll put mayo in your shoes like I did last week..."
    "Someone woke up on the-"
    " DON'T YOU EVEN DARE THINK OF FINISHING THAT SENTENCE SHIN......."Jute growled.
    Shin looked at him, hands up in surrender.Jute poured out some stale Kix and munched in distaste. Shin watched him as if intrigued.
    "Ya know, I think you get moodier with every bowl of that crap you're eating."
    Jute threw the now empty milk jug at him. It nailed him upside the head and tumbled to the floor.

    Showered, fed, clothed and not in the best of moods, Jute got on his bike and pedaled off through the empty back roads to school.
    "That dream is really freaking me out...The same dream over and over again..."Jute thought. He pulled out to go into the school lot and narrowly avoided getting hit by a passing truck. He held tight to the handle bars but hit the curb, plunging off his bike and onto the gravel and rolling into the grass. Jute stared, shaken at his bike, tipped over in the gutter.
    "Shoot!" He cried, jumping up to grab his bike.
    "If Shin were here, he'd have kept me focused and this never would have happened,"he thought furiously.
    He stumbled in through the front doors of the school and frantically rushed to his first class. The teacher gave him a nasty glare as he shuffled into the room, winded from running all the way there, and continued to lecture. Jute sat down and gave a sheepish smile to some of the students looking at him.

    The rest of the day wasn't much better until lunch rolled around. Jute was in the bathroom, washing the rest of the "exploded" glue bottle from his hair. When he caught the kid who poured it onto his head, there'd be hell to pay.
    "Hey Jute, Trouble again?" A voice from behind him said. Jute rolled his eyes.
    "So you decide to show up before lunch but after all the crappy classes? Way to go Shin!!"He scoffed sarcastically at Chinlume.
    " Hey maybe if you skipped every now and again, you wouldn't be in such a foul mood all the time," Chinlume chided, smirking at him.
    Jute sighed and batted Shin upside the head.
    "Puny minds don't go far...."He spoke, leaving.
    Jut ewalked to the lunchroom, Chinlume trailing behind him.
    he grabbed a slice of pizza and a soda.
    "Hey Jute, there's that girl from art. The one that smiles all the time," Shin said after they sat down.Jute looked up, mid-chew to see who he was talking about. He nearly choked and spun back to face Shin, who was trying to stifle his laughter behind his sleeve. Jute grabbed him and yanked him into a huddle.
    " I'm going to KILL you Shin....." He muttered. Shin just burst into a fit of laughter and shook his head.
    "Man you SO have the hots for her and YOU KNOW IT!!!!" He teased.
    Jute punched him in the arm and got up to leave.

    The bell rang just as Jute stepped into his Biology class.
    "I'm here!" He murmered sarcastically. Apparently the teacher heard him because she looked at him and then down at her substitute attendance clipboard.
    "So glad to see you-.....Jutt?" Said the obviously confused Substitute.
    "No. Jute. Get it right.....looney...." He said, the last part barely audible. A few students snickered. The sub handed a tray to each student with a dead frog on it. Jute looked across the room just in time to see a freshman crash to the floor. Smirking he poked the dead frog with one of teh tools. He heard a slight coughing noise from beside him. Looking up expecting to see Chinlume but instead seeing the most beautiful face he'd ever seen. Smiling. At him. He choked on the breath he had been about to take and started to cough. She smacked him square on teh back and he caught his breath.
    "You! From, uh, You're, uh, uhm....."He stammered, blushing.
    "I'm what? I'm your lab partner? Yes," She replied.
    "I gotta go!" He said quickly, getting up and rushing past her.
    Shin stared after him and jumped and pulled away as his partner, a face brace freshman grabbed his arm, making him stab the frog, splattering its innards everywhere. Several more kids fainted and he raced after Jute.

    Jute stood in the bathroom staring into the mirror, hair and face dripping water.
    "I'm such an IDIOT!!!!!" He spat, punching the mirror. It cracked and spiderwebbed outwards.
    "Dude we already have enough debt. Why add to it?" a voice said from behind him.
    " What do you WANT Shin?....." He snapped.
    " Jute. I'm your friend.....I'm not here to bring you down," Shin assured.
    Jute took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, turning around.
    "Ya know, I think she likes you more now that you're rebellious," Shin spoke messing with his belt-loops.
    Jute blushed, smiling, and punched him in the chest making him gasp for air.
    "I can't go back there....." He sighed.
    Shin shrugged and stretched.
    "Wanna go to the mall junction?" He suggested.
    Jute smiled, shrugged, and nodded.

    However illegal it may have been, Jute and Shin borrowed a friend's car and leaving school, went to the mall junction.
    "Hey Jute, Why don't you wise up and just ask her out?" Shin said through a mouthful of ice cream.
    "SHut up SHin...You know I can't talk to girls...." He muttered, playing with his spoon in his ice cream. Jute stood up and stretched. Turning around, he was knocked aback by a tall, dark figure, rushing past.
    " HEY! Watch where you're freakin' going!!!!!" He yelled. The person turned around and gave them both a menacing glare and stalked off.
    "What crawled up his butt and died? Grouch much?" Shin spat. Jute just stared after him. Something about the long hair and orange eyes struck him as eerily familiar.
    "HELLO?! Don't take his crap! Go after him Jute!!" Shin said getting up.
    "NO SHIN......" He commanded.
    "Woah intense....Sorry dude...." Shin spoke quietly. Jute shook his head and apologized.

    Jute sat behind the house and threw rocks into the small creek that ran threw the grove. What was that dude' problem? He acted as though he knew me and hated me....
    "Hey Jute!! I finally got groceries!!!!!!!" Shin yelled from teh kitchen window.
    "Let's hope they last this time!!!" He replied.
    Jute got up to go inside and noticed someone walking among the trees. He strained his eyes to see but the person seemed to vanish. He shook his head and left. He went through the front door and saw Shin in the kitchen swaying to the music blaring in his earbuds and putting away the last few groceries.
    "Shin are we ordering in tonight or are we cooking?" Shin stopped took an earbud out and shrugged.
    " I can make some of that stovetop stuff but you'll probably want to eat with caution!" He spoke noncholantly.
    Jute punched him playfully and grabbed a pot from teh cupboard.
    "I'll cook; You know your cooking peels the wallpaper!" He joked.
    Chinlume grabbed his throat and staggered around, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, pretending to choke.
    "Very funny smartalec."
    Shin smirked and went past him to play the Xbox.

    At dinner, Shin scorfed down the hamburger helper and asked for more immediatly. Jute forked more onto his plate, smirking as he did.
    "See, my cooking isn't that rank now is it?"
    Shin shook his head and shoved a forkful into his mouth.
    "You know mom's old cookbooks? I made a cake using one of her recipes so there's homemade dessert," Jute spoke. SHin stopped eating and looked at him.
    "You miss them don't you?....."Shin mumbled.
    Jute nodded and jerked back as a tear dripped of the end of his nose. He wiped his face hastily. He hadn't cried since he was 12....Why now?
    "I'll clean up..." Shin spoke, patting his friend on the back. Jute nodded and left to his room, leaving Shin and the remembered memories behind.

    "Jute.....Help us, Jute...."
    Jute woke up and yelled loudly, scaring even himself. A dog started to bark nextdoor. He sat straight up in bed, trembling.
    "WHAT HAPPENED!?!?!?JUTE!! I'll save you!!!!!!!" Shin yelled as he burst through the door. SHin was a sight; Smiley boxers, hair awry,pistol in hand, fighting position.
    Jute took one look at him and burst into a fit of laughter.
    " What the HELL is going on!?!?!?! First you scream, then you laugh....WHAT NEXT?!?!?! CRYING!?!" SHin hollered angrily, clearly not amused at having to wake up at 3 in the morning. Jute silenced.
    "Sorry Shin....It was that dream again. THis time they called for help...." Jute muttered.
    "Oh man... You scared the living crap out of me. Don't worry pal. It'll be okay..."Shin spoke starting foreward to give him a hug.
    "I do NOT need you to hug me in your boxers, Shin...." Jute spoke. Chinlume blushed and apologized, just realizing he had no pants on.
    Jute smirked as he left and called out a goodnight. Shin must have already closed his door. He looked at his clock. 3:14 a.m. The red numbers blurred as he slipped off into sumber.

    A stereo blared next door and the radio was cranked in the kitchen to a song that sounded like guitars wailing in pain. Jute groaned and buried his face. Saturday, that meant Sheero had come to visit.
    That and the gawdawful, headache making, too-early-in-the-morning kind of music on the radio. He half crawled, half walked out of bed, pulled on some sweats and went into the kitchen.
    "GOOD MORNING Jute box!!!!!!!!!!" Sheero yelled, Squeezing Jute with a vampire strength hug.SHin waved from the table, munching on a piece of unburnt toast. Sheero must have cooked.
    " So how's my favorite dork? Good, bad, so-so?" He chimed.
    "SHEERO!!!!!!!!!!!!Too.....EARLY....."Jute snapped.
    "Someone's ugly this morning. Yo, fresh cherries in the fridge," Sheero said. Jute grabbed a bowl and the rice krispies for a bowl of cereal. He looked up as he poured the milk and saw someone with a gun, just outside the window. He jumped and yelled, splattering milk everywhere and scarign the crap out of his two friends who were deep in discussion about a video game he'd never heard of.
    " WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?!?! Dude you are REALLY weirding me out!!!One more panic attack like that and I'll be tempted to send you to the looney bin!!!!!!!!"Shin cried out.
    Sheero just glared at the window and went to kneel in front of Jute who was now on the floor, Staring at the window in horror.
    "What did you see, Jute?" Sheero spoke calmly.
    Jute didn't say anything.
    "Jute..." He repeated.
    "It was the same guy who slammed into me at the mall...."
    Shin stared at teh window in disbelief.
    "That loser who gave you the nasy glare? I'll freakin' kill him!!!!!!!!!!!
    "NO SHIN," both Sheero and Jute spoke at the same time. They looked at eachother and apologized.
    "That was kind of weird...." Shin spoke.
    "Shin, I am NOT kidding around. AT ALL. This is serious." Sheero snapped.
    "Alright!!!I have no idea what this is all about, OKAY?!? I'm TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT BUT I CAN'T, OKAY!?! Apparently I'm too STUPID!!!!!!!!" SHin shouted. Shin jumped up and stormed out of the kitchen. The front door slammed. Jute let out a sigh of exsasperation and got up.
    "Want me to go after him?" Sheero asked. Jute shook his head.
    "Jute, I know it's all confusing but I will bring this guy back to you if I find him. Dead or alive...."He spoke in a grave tone.
    A gunshot rang out through the quiet of the morning.
    "SHIN!!" Jute jumped up and was at the door and out it in almost the same moment.
    Shin was sitting on the lawn almost hypnotized it seemed.Jute raced to his side, Sheero on his tail.
    "He...Just...He...He came and told me to stay out of the way.....And....Am I dead? He fired the gun....I don't....Jute I think he's serious."Shin stuttered, snapping back into reality. It was clear that Shin was shaken to the core. Sheero uttered a silent curse and stomped off, disappearing down the sidewalk, muttering the whole way. Shin looked after him and then proceeded to convince Jute that he was truly alright. Jute looked after Sheero as well.
    What are you planning Sheero?.....

    Jute awoke the next morning to a car screeching to a halt and the door slamming.
    "JUTE!SHIN!!!GET OUT OF BED AND IN THE KITCHEN, NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sheero yelled, rattling the whole house. Sheero meant business when his voice got this loud. Jute shot out of bed and got Shin. They came into the kitchen and were instantly worried. Sheero had such a serious look on his face it seemed as though he were about to kill them both.
    "That dude you saw, his name is Damin and, don't scream, he's a transfer from a few towns over. That means he'll be a classmate."
    Jute breathed in sharply and looked down.
    "No freakin way......That means I'll be screwed if I ever go to school again. You too, Jute." Shin panicked, backing up. Jute grabbed his shirt.
    "Shin it's me he's after. He would have shot you yesterday if it was you he was after." Jute spoke to Shin. Sheero nodded in agreement and looked back to the papers he had brought with him.
    "Sheero did you....You hacked into the school system didn't you? I'm surprised you haven't been arrested yet!" Jute spoke.
    "Yah yah yah yah....We're not here to discuss my juvie record! JUTE.I'll do more research tonight so you two be careful. Promise!"Sheero snapped. Jute and Shin nodded obediently. Sheero got up and left.
    " Well at least we know his name..." Shin spoke.
    "Huh....I used to have a brother named Damin.....We were separated when we were kids....It's been so long I don't even remember what he looks like...." Jute spoke.
    "If this guy is any realtionship to you I'm gonna flip. Don't say things like that! I'm going back to bed...." Shin spat leaving the room.
    Jute couldn't get the almost scared look on Sheero's face out of his head.

    Jute raced through the halls frantically looking for Shin the next day. He absolutley needed to find him because he heard a group of girls say he had Math first. In the exact same class that Jute had.
    He found Shin in the Biology lab, apologizing to the teacher for Friday's mess.
    " Shin!!!! I have my first class with Damin!!!!!!I'm so screwed!!!!!!" Jute ushered. Shin started to panic and pace.
    "We're both screwed if we tick this guy off anymore than he seems to already be!" Shin spoke. The bell rang and they exchanged horrified looks. Jute reluctantly headed to his next class.

    As soon as Jute entered his math classroom, he felt an ominous aura that nearly knocked him aback. He looked across the room and nearly vomited out of panic. He started to back up but was shoved foreward by a gaggle of freshman, rushing to beat the next bell.
    Damin noticed his and started to get up but the bell rang and he cursed and sat back down. Jute tried his best to sit as far away as possible from him.
    " Alright class. We have ourselves a new student today. This is Damin." said the teacher, guesturing for him to stand up. Damin stayed put. The teacher coughed nervously and apologized. Damin glared coldly at him and started to jot down notes in his book. Jute shrank as far down in his seat as he possibly could and tried to focus on the words in front of him. All he could think of was what Damin would do to him if he got a hold of him. He could feel Damin's glare on his back and it sent shivers down it. The bell finally rang and he was getting up to leave as fast as possible but a sharp tug on the back of his shirt made him cry out and lash out with his fists as he turned around.
    "HEY HEY!!!!!It's me Jute!!!!!!! HOLD IT!!!!" One of his Study friends cried out. She was holding her arms out in protection.
    "Jute what has gotten into you!!!!You're really jumpy today!!!"She barked.
    "I'm sorry, Lynn... I've got alot on my mind today..." He spoke looking around. She patted him on the back and apologized. Jute left as quickly as possible, leaving Lynn as confused as ever.

    Jute kept his head down as he rushed towards the front doors. He gasped as he ran into something as hard as a brick wall. At first he thought Sheero might have found something out and come to tell him but started to think different when he heard the voice that matched the person.
    "What's with you? Afraid of the new kid? I don't bite except on occasion you know...." He spoke gruffly. Jute panicked but summed up the courage to speak.
    "A-Afraid? Why? I'm just not used to new kids, especially one's who GLARE at me an entire class period..."He snapped looking up at him.
    " It seems like I'm not getting off to a good start here..." He sneered, grabbing the front of Jute's shirt. He struggled to get him to let go but he couldn't break Damins grasp.
    "Damin, let me GO!!!!DAMIN LET GO!!!"He growled.
    Damin threw him to the ground, tearing his shirt and cutting his chin on the rough floor.
    "Don't mess with me, you sorry excuse of a vampire..." Damin spoke. With that he left. The few students who had gathered to watch crushed themselves against the wall to avoid Damin as he walked by. Jute stared in disbelief at his back and instantly hated him.
    Shin burst through the crowded hall and rushed to assist his friend.
    "Yo Jute!!! I just heard, did he hurt-....." He stopped as he noticed Jute's bleeding chin. Shin glared in Damin's general direction.
    "Man that kid is nuts in the head. He looks way too old for school anyway so why is he here? He needs a hobby...One that doesn't involve stalking you!" Shin snarled. Jute got up and brushed himself off. Shin walked off grumbling about what a whacko Damin was and Jute followed him.

    At the end of the day Jute was seriously thinking of calling Sheero and asking him to escort him home. He was terrified to the core. He was sick with fear and utterly depressed and miserable. Jute exited the front doors and began to walk down the front steps and was grabbed by the back of the neck. Jute screamed as he was thrown to the ground and had his arm twisted around to his back.
    "I told you that you were worthless...You don't deserve to live anymore so therfore, DIE." Jute panicked and managed to wrench himslef around and kick Damin off. He jumped up with a pounding heart, ready to murder him. Damin had a look of surprise on his face that vanished when Jute got up. He held a knife in his hand that had been concealed until this very moment.
    "It's pathetic when you get thrills from murdering those who you don't like. Tell me this at least, Why are you trying to kill me when you've only just met me?" Jute implied, trying to stall him.
    "Because scum like you shouldn't putrify the earth!!" Damin bellowed, now enraged. He lunged at Jute and caught him in teh ribs with a swipe of the blade. Jute landed a blow on the side of his head. He winced and held onto his ribs. His once glamoured wings were now visible and the leathery skin rippled with rage. He couldn't last long in this state.
    "So not only are you a vampire but a worthless dog to boot! I really should have killed you while I had a chance earlier!" Damin spoke, smiling.
    "YOU'RE SICK!!!!!!!" Jute roared. He launched himself at Damin, blindly grabbing the blade and tearing it from his hand. Jute landed blow after blow after blow in an enraged, uncontrollable fury. He never ciesed even as he felt the body beneath him go limp. Jute suddenly felt hands yanking him from behind and he whirled around, landing a blow on a rock hard torso. Sheero grabbed his hands and made him cry out in pain as blood from his gashed hand spilt onto the pavement.
    " JUTE!!!!!You better calm teh freak down or I WILL hurt you!!!"Sheero yelled.
    Jute stared at his friend, eyes tearing up as the pain in his hands was slowly intensifying.
    "Jute! No more. He's unconscious and maybe dead...." Sheero yelled again. He released his grip on Jute's wrists and blood instantly started to fill Jute's palm.
    Damin's body lay limp on the pavement, bruises already forming on his chest face and arms, His broken glasses laying beside him. Jute suddenly felt entirely guilty as he remembered when he and his brother used to fight. Jute almost always won. A flash of the one time his brother had actually won came to mind. The very last time he had seen his brother. His brother had been so happy he had won and had flaunted it hoping Jute might acknoledge him and Jute had just blown him off.. He sorely regretted that day with all his heart. He looked over just as Damin was getting up. This time he looked almost innocent.
    "J-Jute?" He stuttered.
    "What do you want? To spit in my face and stab me?" Jute spat.
    Damin looked hurt.
    "You don't remember me, do you brother?" He whimpered. Jute snapped to attention.
    "Damin? No way you're my brother.... I haven't seen my brother since I was 11,"He spoke, bitterly. Damin's face screwed up in thought.
    "When you were ten, I had to get the ladder from Auntie's shed and get you down from a tree you had climbed to rescue your cat, Paws." He said with an earnest face.
    Jute stared in disbelief.
    "You are my brother.....Aren't you? WHY THE HELL DID YOU JUST TRY KILLING ME THEN!?!?!?!" He yelled.
    "I think I was being controlled...By a demon...." He whimpered.
    Jute walked up to him with caution. Damin looked up at him with a face that could melt an iceburg. He looked so miserable.
    "Damin, if you are my brother, then where is tattoo I secretly got when I was 12?" He quizzed.
    "Under your right arm, fourth rib down."
    Jute let his jaw drop in disbelief and grabbed his brother, yanking him close.

    "OKAY! I AM NOW THOROUGHLY CONFUSED!!!" Sheero spoke.
    "Sheero, this is my brother!!!!We were separated and now he's back!! He's back! He's really back!!" He ushered excitedly.
    Damin smiled sheepishly at him and half waved at him. Jute helped Damin up.
    "Jute, I'm sorry I hurt you, I couldn't control any of my movements and it was like I was in a haze...."
    "It's alright, I won didn't I? And I'm not dead, so all's well! Do you have a place to stay?"
    Damin shook his head. Jute smiled excitedly.
    "You'll stay with my buddy and I then! Shin left earlier so be careful, He might try to shoot or stab you when you walk in the door.

    Jute walked in the door and into the kitchen.
    "I'm home!! I brought a study buddy so get out here and meet him!!!!" Jute hollered. Damin sat down at the table and took out his notebook. Shin came in, his nose in a gameboy.
    "Hey, Shin," Damin spoke, smirking.
    "Hey,uh, Study buddy..." He replied, not paying any mind. He went to the fridge, not once looking up, to grab a sode. As he turned around, the color drained from his face as he realized who the "study buddy" was.
    "YOU!!!JUTE RUN, HE'S GONNA KILL YOU!!!!!!!" He screamed, jumping onto the counter. Jute was on the floor, laughing uncontrollably and Damin was snickering. Shin got a loo of complete dumbfoundedness on his face.
    "What's going on?!" He spoke, getting angry.
    "Shin, turns out, Damin had his memory wiped and me beating the crap out of him restored it!!!" Jute said, breathlessly chuckling.
    Shin glared at both of them.
    " You're a phsycho!!!" he said pointing at Damin, then Jute," And YOU'RE a jerk!!!"
    Jute apologized and explained what Sheero and Shin had missed.
    In the end it all turned out okay. Jute hoped thta none of it would ever change. Damin ended up becoming one of the video game store clerks and helped on the night shift guard duty at the mall. Jute finished up the school year and graduated at the top of his class AND ended up getting the girl. Shin, Well he's still the same old Shin! A great friend with spotty attendance at school.