#nr2

Kade winched as something exploded.  He pulled back slightly.  The noise from the exercise slowly started to become too much for him.   With the bright lights around, his vision did not want clear properly.  

It almost felt like his head was stuffed with cotton.  As if he was floating.  It was slowly getting worse and worse.  He felt like he was standing in the middle of a very busy street.  There were explosions and sounds and flashing lights all around him.  

It was getting too loud and too bright.

His breath got caught in his throat.  Groaning, he pressed his hand against his head.  It was too loud...  he couldn't filter it out any more.  

He could make out everyone moving around him.  Swallowing he shut his eyes tightly, pressing his hands over his ears.  He wanted to move away, go to someplace more quiet, not so bright.  

Only his legs did not want to move, panic was caught in his chest.  He couldn't move.  All he could do was try to breathe.  his chest hurt.  

A shadow fell over him.  He stumbled back, feeling of balance.  Everything shifted.  Pain shot through his arm, like someone was stabbing his arm with burning needles.  

He could feel his clothes scratching against his skin.  

More sounds surrounded him.  He couldn't make out what was going on.  Immediately he tried to move away, but he bumped into something behind him.  It made him freeze where he was.  

Each breath ripped through his chest.  

***

Riley leaned with his hands on his knees.  

They've been running around, fighting every now and then.  It was like a gym class turned to the max.  

He looked around, noticing Kade standing frozen in one spot.  There was a strange look on his face.  It looked like he was trembling.  An explosion sounded on the other side of the training grounds, making Kade flinch.  

The shadows moved slightly, it didn't look Kade was completely aware of what was going on anymore.

"Oh that's not good..." Riley said, quickly turning to where Lycan was supervising the class, and ran over.  "SIR!"

Lycan looked over at Riley.  "Martyr?" he asked "What's wrong?"

Riley tried to catch his breath.  "It's...  NightShade..." he gasped "There's something wrong....  He's not alright..."

Lycan frowned, looking up, eyes searching for where Kade stood.  When he found Kade, a frown formed on his face.  "Go get Bella and Killian" he said, as he started making his way towards the shadow user.  

A group of students made their way to where Kade stood.  They were focused on their exercises.  One of them shouted something and Kade stumbled back, bumping into one of the others.  

"Hey... what's your problem!" the guy called out.

Lycan cussed.  "You group!" he yelled at them, as the shadows started to twist "Get out of here"

When they noticed Lycan they nodded and quickly left the area.  

"NightShade?" Lycan said as he walked over.  The shadow user was trembling, his face pale as he pressed his hands over his ears, eyes shut tightly.  

Kade didn't react.  

"No good..." Lycan said.

"SIR!" Killian and Bella called as they came over. 

"One of you go to the classroom, draw the blinds and make sure there's no one in there" Lycan said "I don't want anyone in the class.  Bella can you block the sounds from the outside?"

Bella nodded, looking at Kade with a worried expression.  

"Go" Lycan said as he turned his attention back to Kade "Kaden...  can you hear me?"

No answer.

Lycan nodded to himself.  "Let's get you out of the sun and out of all this noise...." he said.  

Carefully he took Kade's arm.  Immediately Kade tried to pull away, but it was like he did not have enough strength.  

"Easy now, kid..." Lycan said as he let go of Kade's arm.  He took off his hat, since it had a wide brim, it should help to block out some of the light.  Carefully he put the hat on Kade's head, before shrugging his jacket off.  

"I'm going to hold this over you, Kid..." he said, carefully nudging Kade, so he'll start walking.  Carefully he just guided Kade, carefully guiding him with his arm as he held his jacket over the teen.

Kade stumbled, barely managing to put one foot in front of the other.  

"Just a little bit more..." Lycan said softly as they moved. 

When they got to the classroom, Lycan threw his jacket to the side, before helping Kade to sit down.  

Killian and Bella came over but he motioned for them, not to get too close.  

"Kid... you need to calm your breathing.." Lycan said.  The room was dark, and as soon as Bella stepped into the room, all the sounds from outside disappeared. 

Lycan leaned over Kade.  The teen has gone completely motionless, his arms limp at his side, eyes staring emptily at nothing. 

"Kaden," Lycan said quietly.  

Kade flinched slightly, slowly looking over Lycan.  He was trembling slightly.  

"There we go..." Lycan said, careful not to touch Kade again "How are you feeling?"

Kade stared at him as he nodded slightly.  

Lycan breathed out as he pulled back.  "Alright...  You are going back to the dorms right now" he said "Get something to eat and rest... got that?"

Again Kade just nodded.  

"...wolf man..." he mumbled as he sat on the floor.  With one hand he gripped his arm where the seal tattoo was.  

"That's right, kid" Lycan said, before looking over at Bella and Killian "You two make sure he gets to his room... eat and drink something before getting some rest"

The two nodded as they came over.  

Lycan got to his feet.  "Alright...  You can stay here until you're ready to go to the dorms" he said.  

"We'll make sure he's alright," Killian said.  

Bella went to sit next to Kade.  Gently she took his hand from his arm, so he wouldn't hurt himself.  She could see his shadows flickering every now and then.

"Kay..." Bella said softly "Do you want to sit here for a bit?"

Kade nodded.  He did not have the energy to get up.  Everything hurt.  Even Bella's soft voice almost felt too loud.  

Lycan made sure that they were alright, before leaving to make sure that the rest of the class was still fine.  

After a few more minutes, Kade's shoulders started to relax slightly.  Even his shadows calmed down.  

"Kay..." Bella said softly "Do you want to go to the dorms?"

Kade nodded.

Killian knelt next to him.  "Can I help you?" he asked, holding out a hand. 

"I..." Kade started before he nodded.  

Killian and Bella helped Kade to his feet.  He swayed on his feet for a moment, before Killian steadied him.  

Bella pulled out a pair of sunglasses handing it to Kade.  "here...  for when we go outside" she said softly.  

Slowly the three made their way back to the dorms.  

Kade flinched every time there was a loud sound.  He barely lifted his head, just keeping his eyes on the ground.  

Bella got some water and a few salty crackers before going back to Kade's room.  

***

Riley looked at the cookies on the table.  

"So we don't get to eat them now?" he asked looking at Beck.

"No, you stupid anemic moron" Beck snapped as he put down the mixer "Kill go get Kay... He needs to get out of his room a bit"

Killian sighed.  "I'll see if he'll come," he said as he left the kitchen.  

"Is Bella still with him?" Beck asked and Riley nodded.

"He had a bad breakdown..." Riley said before hesitating "More like he had a sensory overload"

Beck sighed.  "We should not have brought him to the exercise," he said.

Riley shook his head.  "I know... but Kill was right, if he missed more class, they would have held him back from graduating"

After a few more minutes, Killian came back into the kitchen.  Behind him was Bella and Kade.  Bella was gently holding Kade's arms.  His face was pale, he was wearing the same hoodie as before, but also had the hood pulled over his face.  

"Yo, Kay" Riley said "Come sit here...  We're making cookies"

Kade lifted his head slightly, looking at the grinning Riley.  "...what..." he started, but didn't continue.  

"Come on..." Killian said, letting his friend sit down.  

Kade sat down at the table, just watching the cookies on the table.  Beck placed some icing bags on the table in front of him.  

With one hand he reached out, wiping a little bit of icing from the table and licking it off.  

"...royal icing..." he mumbled.  

"Yeah... exactly" Riley said with a grin "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to make that stuff?"

Kade nodded, but didn't say anything else.  

Bella closed the kitchen door, before turning on soft music and walking back to the table.  She sat down next to Kade.  

"Come on..." she said softly, pushing some of the cookies over to Kade "Show us that brilliant art skills of yours"

A slight smile pulled on Kade's face.  The other three also sat down around the table.  They pulled some cookies over with some of the icing.  Slowly Kade picked up one of the piping bags with icing.  

"Don't eat all of it" Beck jokes "We don't want you on a sugar rush"

Kade shrugged slightly as he slowly started decorating the first cookie.  At first he was just doing it because the others said he had to.  

After a while Riley made them some hot chocolate, putting the mugs down next to everyone.  Beck pulled out some chips, throwing it in a bowl, putting it in the middle of the table.  

Everyone chatted as they worked.  

Kade slowly felt himself relax slightly.  His hands weren't trembling so much anymore.  So he could now at least make the cookies not look like a kid just dunked it in the icing.  

Killian chuckled at one of Kade's cookies.  

Riley looked over.  "Damn dude....  that looks terrible" he said as he started laughing.  

Kade looked at Riley's stack of cookies.  "... yours... doesn't look much better..." he muttered, licking the icing from his fingers.  

Bella laughed, reaching over and wiping some icing from Kade's cheek.  "I have no idea how you manage to get icing on your face..." she said.

Kade shrugged.  "That's... what happens when you decorate cookies," he said with a slight smile.  

"Yeah..  Most likely" Bella said "Just don't eat too much of it... I don't want to run after you today"

"Promise..." Kade said with a slight smile.  

Tyler looked up at the giant house that stood in front of him.  He was so tired and it looked like it was still a long walk to the front door.  

Biting his lip, he started moving again.  

It went slowly up the road.  He paused at the door, trying to catch his breath.  When he finally got his breath back, he knocked on the door.  

The sound echoed, like the building was empty.  

Hopefully he didn’t have the wrong place.  That would be very awkward if he got to wrong building.  Although he knew the he read the map correctly.  

He jumped when the door opened.  

An old man stood in the door, head tilted as he looked down at the scrawny boy that stood in front of him, arms crossed, face bloody and eyes narrowed.

“Yes?” 

“The crazy guy asked me to give this to you” the boy said holding out the envelope “He tried to fight a shadow while he couldn’t really move”

The old man slowly took the envelope, glanced down at him with a frown.  

“So Michael finally died” the old man said quietly “So you are the one that he choose?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, old man” the boy said “Your friend just handed me this, to make sure that you get this”

The old man watched him with a raised eyebrow before he stepped back and opened the door.  “Step inside, child” he said, bowing his head slightly.  

Tyler hesitated.  “Why?” he asked, glaring at the old man.  

“Because Michael wouldn’t hand this to anyone but his successor” the old man said “Now please step inside, young man”

Tyler nodded and slowly stepped into the mansion, eyes searching everywhere, for anything that might be a threat to him.  

“Who are you?” the boy asked.  

The old man nodded, folding his hands behind his back.  “I am Arthur Massion, keeper of the Tarath Mansion” he said and paused for a moment “I’m also the caretaker of the NightAngel”

Tyler stumbled as he stepped forward and spun around.  “You knew about that?” he asked, eyes going wide.  

The corner of the old man’s mouth pulled into a slight smile.  “Some one need to take care of the NightAngel” he said “Michael would have told you that they don’t last very long.  Someone needs to keep the NightAngel from dying from his own stupidity”

Tyler snorted, rubbing the back of his head.  His stomach growled and he looked down at the ground, clenching his jaw.  The world around him blurred and tilted.  

Hands caught him, carefully picking him up and carried him somewhere.  

“It’s alright now, Child” the voice said.

Tyler’s eyes flickered opened and he quickly sat up, only to weakly fall back against the pillows.  

A hand slowly took the back of his head and lifted him up, holding something to his lips.  “Don’t drink to fast, Child” a voice said “Only a few sips”

Tyler tried his best to do what the voice said and still he choked on the water. After that he blinked a few times and his eyes focused on the old man, Arthur.  The old man smiled slightly, brushing his hair back.  “Get some rest now” he said softly and the Tyler closed his eyes, finally giving in to the sleep.  

***

Arthur kept and eye on the boy.  The moment he saw the boy swaying on his feet, he stepped forward, catching him before he could hit the polished floor.  He looked about fourteen or fifteen years old.  It wouldn’t surprise him if the boy was a street rat, Michael did have a soft spot for them.  

With a sigh, Arthur picked the boy up again and carried him up the stairs towards one of the bedrooms.  The boy let out a moan before his head rolled back.  He muttered softly about a shadow and a monsters.  

Carefully he placed the boy on the bed, hesitated for a moment before he left the room, when he returned he brought a bottle and a plate with a few piece of toast.  The boy were moving slightly on the bed, muttering softly to himself.  

The old man frowned and placed a hand on the boy’s forehead.  “You are not just another street rat, are you child?” he asked softly, as he felt the heat emanating from the boy.   The child looked so pale and skinny.  He looked fragile and small.  Not like any of the other NightAngels when they started.  

And he was much, much younger than any other of the NightAngels.  

With a sigh he walked over to the bathroom, gather a cloth and a small washing bowl before returning to the boy.  

“It’s alright now, Child” Arthur said as he placed the cold cloth on the boy’s forehead.

The boy groaned and his eyes flickered open for a moment and quickly sat up.  Colour drained from his face and he just fell back against the pillows.

Arthur took the bottle and carefully slipped a hand behind the boy’s neck, helping him to sit up slightly, holding the bottle to the boy’s lips.  

“Don’t drink to fast, Child” he said “Only a few sips”

He squeezed the bottle slightly, allowing some of the water to drip into the boy’s mouth.  When the boy started cough, Arthur stopped, placing the bottle on the nightstand and lowered the boy back against the pillows.  

The boy’s blue eyes focused on him for a moment and he smiled slightly, brushing the boy’s black hair back.  

“Get some rest now, Child” he said.

The boy watched him for a moment longer before his eyes flickered closed.  

Arthur slowly got to his feet and replaced the cloth on the boy’s forehead.  He would have to keep an eye on the boy through the night.  The boy was fast asleep. 

Looks like he hadn’t slept in a while, neither ate anything or had anything to drink.  That might be the cause of the fever.  

All through the night, Arthur kept and eye on the boy, giving him something to drink when he wakes up, giving him a something to eat when it looked like he was awake enough to be able to chew.  

He was so small.

When the sun started rising, Tyler blinked a few times, startled and shot up.  “Don’t move to fast, boy” a voice said.  His head snapped towards the sound of the voice.  

“The hell?” Tyler asked, blinking as he looked around “What happened?”

The old man sat on a chair, next to the bed, watching him with a raised eyebrow.  “You fainted” he said.  

Tyler stared at the old man.  “Your name is Arthur, right?” he said, glancing at the nightstand, licking his lips when he saw the toast.  

“You can eat” Arthur said “If you’re hungry”

Tyler kept eye contact with Arthur as he reached over and snatched up the remaining toast, quickly stuffing it into his mouth.  “Thank you...” he muttered with a full mouth.

The old man nodded.  “Now what is your name, Kid?”

“My real name, street name or the man your guy gave me?” the boy asked between bites.  

“It doesn’t matter” 

“I don’t have a real name” the boy said “My friends called me Skyler, but your man called me Tyler”

“Which do you prefer?”

The boy shrugged.  “Tyler” he said “It sounds more normal”

Arthur smiled slightly and nodded.  “Alright, Tyler” he said “Since you are the new NightAngel.  This is your home”

Tyler just blinked at the old man as he got to his feet.

“Welcome home, Master Tyler”