Seven Devils

<3

Fillan loved people. Always friendly, always well-meaning, and a person who genuinely took joy from being responsible for someone else's smile, it would be slightly inaccurate to say that Fillan was entirely a novice when it came to matters of the heart; he just cared that much about other people. But was new to him was the strange twist of nerves that seemed to tie his stomach in knots whenever Allegra talked to him. He didn't even know what that was about.

He'd also never read text messages outloud to himself to make sure they sounded okay before he sent them before, and he didn't know what that was about either. (But he was starting to have suspicions.)

Fillan got one of his father's old work duffle bags out from the closet, searched it for hidden vials of Holy Water and collapsable crossbow bolts, and then started to pack it up with a variety of snacks lifted from his pantry: from a massive bag of almonds and some rogue unopened Pringles cans to boxes of Pop Tarts and those weird fruit 'leather' strips that Harvey always insisted in taking on long trips.

As he packed, he tried to reason with himself about his friendship with Allegra. Since he was old enough to chase his own tail, his Dad had instilled in him the importance of keeping the truth of his nature a secret from other people. In this place, where residents seemed more aware of the Van Helsing family history and the presence of the supernatural, that secrecy felt less important, of course, but Harvey's insistant advice lingered all the same.

Still, Fillan thought as he dumped a box of unpopped microwaved popcorn packages into his duffle, Allegra seemed to speak to his instincts in a way that, while he couldn't explain it, he trusted almost implicitly. He'd never really explored the full extent of what being a werewolf meant, besides how much he wanted to chew on things and chase frisbees on the beach, but for some reason, Al seemed to pique the interest of that side of himself he barely understood. He didn't really know why that was, he didn't know enough about himself to understand it.

Duffle slung over his shoulder he elected to walk from his house down to Allegra's store. He wondered, as kicked up dust, how she might respond to the fact he was a werewolf. He didn't know if the fact she seemed excited to fight shadow monsters was a point for or against him. After all, his was a family of monster hunters and they absolutely considered werewolves to be monsters. He didn't know if she would feel that way too, and he was scared to find out.

The way he smiled the instant he saw Al as he shoulder-shoved the record store door open just made him all the more nervous.