𝙷𝚎𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 [𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝]

Chapter 4

Leslie's POV

One year later...

The last year has been absolutely awesome. I've been living with dad for a year now. Yes, I call him dad now because well, that's exactly what he is to me. Honestly, the first time I called him dad it was an accident. I thought he was gonna cry. He smiled, and I watched a tear roll down his face. Since then, I've called him dad.

Everyone in the precinct had the same reaction he did when they first heard he call him dad. I heard Catherine pull him to the side and say, "Oh my word. You're officially 'dad.'" I guess I never thought how much that title meant. I've never had the title of "daughter" until I got adopted. To some people, they're just titles, but to us they're so much more.

In the year since I saw the body in the morgue I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. The scratches looked like they were from claws. But I mean, an animal attack in New York? That doesn't seem likely. My claws make me even more suspicious of what happened.

Even though I have a home now, I still have some old habits. They drive dad insane. I still get out by way of the fire escape and roam. Dad still doesn't know how I do it. He tried to stop it for about four months and then... he finally gave up. He knows about the little group I was with and trusts that I'm safe. He doesn't like it, but he's failed at every attempt to stop it. He says that I'm "a little more rough and tumble" than he originally thought.

I've gone exploring with one of my friends, and we've forgotten exactly what time it is. We start to remember the time when we realize how dark it's getting. We're also in the middle of nowhere a pretty good distance from home.

We're walking home, and I pick up on the sound of footsteps. Before I can do anything, someone grabs us from behind. My screams are muffled by a hand over my mouth. I'm so scared that I don't think of how to fight back.

Suddenly, I fall to the ground, thinking that my attacked has dropped me. While this is true, he's on the ground as well. The other man is knocked out and my friend is running away. I hear what sounds like a growl in the distance. I start to hear footsteps moving away. I look up to see a pair of YELLOW EYES.

Wait, yellow eyes...

Before I can ask this man who he is... he starts to run away. I hop to my feet and run after him. He seems shocked when he realizes that I'm keeping up with him. I follow him to an old chemical plant before he stops.

He turns around and faces me. His yellow eyes look from my face to my hands. He tilts his head sideways as he surveys me. I look down at my hand to see...

Oh darn. My claws...

I know now that I've transformed. I would be concerned at someone seeing me like this, but based on his state, I would say this isn't entirely new.

"Who are you?" He asks in a low, rough voice.

"I'm Leslie," I say in a way more confident tone than I feel. Fake it til you make it. "Who are you?"

"How did you do that?" He asks me. His voice is returning to what I would assume is normal. His claws are beginning to retract.

"I don't know exactly," I tell him. "I've been able to do it since I was young, but you didn't answer me. Who are you?"

"Follow me," he says, his voice a little smoother. "Let me explain."

I really want to go with him. I want to know, but I also know my dad is probably freaking out. I'm typically home about thirty minutes before this at the latest.

"You look conflicted," he states.

"My dad," I say.

"What about him?" He questions.

"He's probably freaking out," I tell him. "I'm never this late, and he's waiting on me."

"Fine," he says. "Go home, but meet me here tomorrow."

I don't say anything else. I just run home as fast as I can, which is fairly fast. Dad embraces me when he opens to door. I think he may squeeze the life out of me.

"Oh my gosh!" He exclaims. "I didn't know what had happened. I didn't know where you were. I didn't know if you were ok or someone had taken you from me."

He's shaking. His voice sounds like he could cry. He was scared to death.

"I'm sorry, daddy," I tell him as I hug him. I promise him that I won't do it again. He doesn't even say anything. He says he is just glad to have me back. He says he doesn't know what he would do if he lost me.

Vincent's POV

"J.T.," I say to my friend. "I can't tell if we have a problem or some possible new answers."

He turns around to face me with a confused look on his face. He just stares at me for a moment before speaking.

"And that is..." he asks.

"A kid," I explain.

"What kid?" J.T. nearly jumps out of his skin.

"A kid followed me," I tell him. "Let me explain before you panic. She was attacked, and I helped her. She followed me back. She was easily able to keep up with me, and I found out why when I stopped. She had yellow eyes, animal-like teeth and claws just like mine. I'm thinking Muirfield did a few more experiments. The only thing is... she doesn't remember any experimentation."

J.T. just sits there staring at me in shock. He tries to open his mouth to speak, but no words are said. He finally pulls himself together enough to speak.

"Ok..." he says unsure. "So this kid looks like a Muirfield experiment. Where is she exactly?"

"She ran home," I say. "Her dad apparently was freaking out."

"How old is this girl?"

"Seven or so."

"SEVEN?! Oh my word..."

"Yeah," I tell him. "I know. She's really young."

J.T. doesn't say anything else. I feel like he has an idea about her, but he's not telling me. Right now, I'm not going to prod him about it.

"She's coming back here tomorrow," I say. "We're hopefully gonna figure out a little more."

J.T.'s POV

Oh boy...

Sometimes, I really hate my theories. Sadly, the theory I have now is backed by some pretty substantial evidence. Her age fits, and her features that Vincent explained fit into my hypothesis perfectly.

I'm gonna have to majorly study this kid tomorrow. I need to know where she comes from and who she is. I also need to run some DNA tests at the university. This could get very complicated if I am right.

I never honestly thought our lives could get any crazier. Clearly this little girl proves me wrong. One thing is certain, if I'm right, this kid is in serious danger. I already will have to make sure no one else has followed Vincent, but I'm also gonna have to make sure this kid is not on Muirfield's radar.

The DNA tests and questions for her will be the easy part of proving my hypothesis. To make sure I'm right... I'm gonna have to talk to Alex. If I'm right, I have a feeling this won't be easy...