About another day passes by and Mac is still sleeping as he recovers his stamina after that sparring session he had with Alpha, but for Alpha he doesn't waste any of this time and continues to learn more about his host.
"Hmm….seems like Chandler wasn't lying when he said that he hates being in the spotlight.", said Alpha while reviewing Mac's memories of his early teen years as it leads into the present.
"Huh? Why are there so many girls chasing him? This is something that I'm going to have to ask him.", said Alpha as he continues to make these mental journals for himself.
For Alpha, this world that he has woken up into is completely new to him so he has a lot to learn just like how Mac has a lot to learn about his powers, so Alpha hopes that they'll be helping each other out.
Then while reviewing a few more recent memories, he sees Lucky for the very first time but without knowing who it was in the first place….
"Hmm….whose this fine young lady that is with Chandler and James?", questions Alpha wondering if it's someone important to Mac….then in another memory, Alpha notices how there was another person that seemed to be following him from the shadows and begins to wonder….
"Wait, could this be how the Order found out about my existence?", questioned Alpha as he continued to review the memory but then notices how Mac senses the presence of this person who is following him but doesn't react.
"Okay….Chandler knows that he's being followed but why isn't he doing something about it? This will be a priority to ask him the next time we talk alone.", said Alpha, then darkness….
The weekend had arrived again but Mac was still asleep as Alpha could only assume that he either really drained his stamina completely during the sparring session or he wasn't fully recovered after waking up from his coma.
Luis had volunteered to keep an eye on Mac and Alpha while Crispin and Samantha got some well needed rest after worrying about their son over the last two weeks, so Luis is just sitting at the table and reading a book when Crispin walks in with two cups of coffee in hand and gives one to Luis….
"Oh Crispin, I hope that I didn't wake you but thank you.", said Luis, then takes a sip of coffee but notices how Crispin is just staring at him….
"Uh….everything okay Crispin?", questioned Luis as he starts to become a little bit uncomfortable with how Crispin is just staring at him, but then he snaps out of it….
"Oh I'm sorry Luis, I didn't mean to stare for so long but I just remembered back to when we first met and realized how you still look the same even after 18 years.", said Crispin which takes Luis by surprise.
"Jeez….like father, like son.", said Luis with some irritation in his voice.
"Chandler is always trying to find out how old I am but you should know this by now that I cannot age.", said Luis as he reveals that he is some sort of immortal.
"Well sure knowing is one thing but living to see it is a whole other story.", said Crispin.
"But just refresh my memory if you don't mind….it's because of your skills in alchemy?", asked Crispin which doesn't go without Luis giving him a stern look.
"Yes Crispin.", said Luis but then he makes a revelation of his own….
"You know, now I realize where Chandler gets his excitement from….", Luis began to say which intrigues Crispin.
"….just how Chandler becomes excited about his training, you become excited when it comes to knowing that magic exists in our world and you want to either prove or disprove it with science.", said Luis which Crispin makes this realization as well even though he doesn't do it on purpose.
"Look Luis, while I'm inclined to agree with you….you can't deny the fact that knowing about the existence of magic will interest people in the field of science and medicine.", said Crispin.
"Crispin, I know where this conversation is going and my answer is still no.", said Luis as he shut down any hope that Crispin had about revealing the existence of magic to the world.
"Also don't try to use Chandler and have him change my mind because it won't work.", said Luis with a serious tone in his voice.
"Alright; alright….I get it, but let me ask you this….", Crispin began to say….
"….what if Chandler makes that decision on his own in the future after he's mastered the use of magic?", asked Crispin which made Luis think about it for a moment.
"I mean this group that you and Alpha keep bringing up….uh, The Order….you can't expect them to follow your rules about magic, right?", asked Crispin as he tried to get his point across to Luis.
"Hmm….while you have a point when it comes to the Order, Chandler on the other hand….I'll let him decide what to do because he's a smart kid and always thinks logically.", said Luis as Crispin finds his answer to be satisfactory.
"Speaking of The Order, what do you know about them anyways?", asked Crispin as he interested in learning more about this malicious group who will probably be looking for Mac sooner or later.
"Well all I know is that they have a really big following in the underground and they control The Darkness which allows them to summon creatures to do their bidding.", explained Luis.
"But beyond that, I have no clue as to who leads them or if there is any kind of command structure that they follow.", said Luis as he best explained who or what The Order is.
"But you shouldn't worry about Chandler's safety, with Alpha there to help him and my training….we'll have no issue with hiding him and his presence for the time being.", said Luis but those last few words didn't calm Crispin's nerves at all.
"What do you mean "for the time being"?", asked Crispin.
"Well as he continues to train and improve his magic power, enhancements and his knowledge into the world of alchemy….then his presence might become more well known to The Order, but that shouldn't happen for at least another 2 years or so.", said Luis as he tried his best to calm Crispin's nerves.
"Well….I trust you Luis, and so does my son….so I don't doubt that you can protect him.", said Crispin while his nerves eventually did calm down, then they both notice that Mac begins to move on the bed as he started to wake up.
"It seems that Chandler is waking up….we'll continue this conversation another time so go ahead and get Samantha.", said Luis, then Crispin left the room to wake up Samantha and Luis remained in the room just to make sure Mac would wake up normally.
Mac took his time waking up as he slowly opened his eyes and remembered where he was as he sat up and looked around the room until he noticed Luis who was sitting at the table….
"Hey Mr. Lou….where are my folks at?", asked Mac but right on cue, Crispin and Samantha walked into the room and sat down next to Mac as he slide back on the bed to lean against the headboard.
"Chandler, how are you feeling son?", asked Crispin as he started to check his vitals while Samantha just sat there to make sure her son was doing well.
"Well I feel rested but just a bit sore….how long was I asleep?", asked Mac.
"Almost two days, after your sparring session with Alpha inside your subconscious he thought that you might've completely drained your stamina or just needed the extra rest.", said Samantha, shortly after Crispin was done checking Mac's vitals, he gave a thumbs up.
"Damn, two days….let me get up and walk around for a bit.", said Mac, then he got up on his feet only to quickly lose his balance and fall back on the bed.
"Easy Chandler, take it one step at a time….even though Alpha has been keeping your body in check, you yourself haven't walked in two weeks so you might need to get used to it again.", said Crispin as he helped Mac back on his feet and had him lean on his shoulder and slowly walked around the room.
It didn't take long for Mac to finally walk on his own again as he began to speed up his pace until he was finally comfortable with walking at his normal speed, then without hesitation….Mac started doing his normal stretch routine until he was back to his normal self.
"Alright, I'm finally feeling good again.", said Mac, although Crispin and Samantha were impressed with his quick recovery, they were still a little worried at how fast it took him.
"Listen Chandler, there's something I need to tell you….", Samantha began to say which got Mac's attention as he was still pacing around the room.
"….James knows about Alpha.", said Samantha which stopped Mac in place, wondering if he should be worried or not.
"Hmm, okay….Hey Alpha!", said Mac seeing that he had something important to ask Alpha.
"I heard Mac….I'm guessing you want to ask me something?", said Alpha which still creeped Mac out a bit as he was still not used to having Alpha inside his mind and listen to his conversations.
"That's still going to take some getting used to, but yes….how important is it to keep you a secret from anyone else?", asked Mac just so that he can understand the seriousness of the situation that he will be in along with JR.
"Well there's no easy way to put this but….if The Order is truly hunting for me then they'll kill anyone for information about me or where to find me.", said Alpha which shocked Mac although he still had to make sure by what Alpha meant….
"So with JR knowing about you, he'll be in danger if The Order finds out about him?", asked Mac hoping what he heard next wasn't what he was thinking, then Alpha gave a heavy sigh….
"Unfortunately….yes, he is.", said Alpha, then Mac's attitude changed as he now knew that he would need to protect JR if it comes to that but he'll need to talk to him first, then Mac turns back to his mother….
"What about Lucky?", asked Mac as he was worried for her too.
"No she doesn't, James made sure of that but please understand son….your father and I told James to keep Alpha's existence a secret and we know that he's good at keeping secrets, right?", said Samantha which at first Mac was relieved to know that Lucky didn't know about Alpha but also became less worried because his mother was right, JR is good at keeping secrets.
"Yes he is, and I couldn't be happier about that.", said Mac who knew that he could put his trust in JR when it comes to Alpha, but then another idea came to mind….
"Hey Alpha, The Order….how far are they willing to go?", asked Mac.
"I think you should ask Luis because he's more familiar with them than I am.", said Alpha as he only knows about The Order from stories that Luis has told him in the past.
"Uh Mr. Lou….Alpha says I should ask you about how far The Order will go to get information on him?", asked Mac very nervously wondering why Luis would know that kind of information, but without hesitation….
"They'll go as far as murder and can get away with it very easily.", said Luis which disturbed Mac quite a bit.
That response from Luis had Mac thinking for quite some time while he continued to pace around the room as everyone there was waiting to hear what was on his mind.
"Okay….with JR knowing about Alpha he's going to need to be protected but he'll need some convincing, so the next time I see him I'll talk to him about it.", said Mac as he thought to himself of a way to convince JR about his plan.
"Mr. Lou, who else knows about Alpha?", asked Mac as he became serious about this current topic.
"Besides everyone in this room and James, no one else is aware of Alpha.", said Luis which Mac was glad to hear, then he came up with another decision….
"So as for Lucky, she will have to stay in the dark for her own safely….at least for now.", said Mac as he didn't want to involve Lucky in any kind of life or death situation.
But just as the serious tension was becoming thicker in the room, it was cut through by a very loud growling noise that came from Mac's stomach….which everyone then looked at him and began to laugh.
"Looks like my baby boy is hungry, let me go whip up some breakfast for you.", said Samantha in her motherly voice, then she exited the room.
"I guess being in a coma for two weeks can make anyone hungry, right?", said Mac as his seriousness changed to enjoyment and began to laugh nervously.
The rest of the morning went by smoothly as Mac continued to do some light stretches to get used to moving again, then he went to go and have breakfast with everyone which his mother made another one of his favorite spicy dishes knowing very well how much he liked his spicy foods.
Then the afternoon had arrived and Mac got cleaned up by taking a shower, then it hit him as he began to wonder if Alpha had showered for him while Mac was in his coma.
"Hey Alpha.", said Mac as curiosity got the better of him.
"Yes Mac, how can I help?", asked Alpha, unaware of what Mac was about to ask.
"So you've said that this world is still new to you which probably includes a lot of many modern things?", asked Mac just so he could lead into the real question that he had waiting for Alpha.
"Well yes, all I can say is that I've never really explored the world after my creation until now.", said Alpha as he began to wonder why Mac was asking him these questions.
"Huh….okay, so then my next question is….", Mac began to say which Alpha started to worry for a bit.
"….how was your very first experience using a shower?", asked Mac which brought back unsettling memories back to when Luis first showed Alpha what a shower was and how to use it, which brought shivers to his orb-like shape that Mac also managed to feel.
"I'd rather not talk about that but I'll say that it was an interesting experience.", said Alpha hoping that he doesn't have to do that ever again which Mac found slightly funny and let out a slight chuckle.
"Hey no need to laugh at my pain, there's still a lot of things that I need to learn and I'm hoping that you'll be the one to teach me.", said Alpha which Mac found interesting that Alpha still needed to learn things.
"Hmm, okay….that shouldn't be a problem but be warned that there are a lot of things in today's world that you might find odd or uninteresting.", said Mac as it intrigued Alpha by what he meant.
Mac quickly takes his shower then heads back to the room that he was staying in to get dressed, then he began to gather his things when his parents walked in to talk with him.
"Chandler….where are you going?", asked Samantha as she noticed along with Crispin that he was packing a bag with his dirty clothes and other items.
"Oh….I was gonna head back to my apartment and relax before returning to school on Monday.", said Mac just as he finished packing his bag although his mother was still very worried about him.
"Chandler are you sure? You know that you can stay here until Monday and we can get someone to bring your uniform here.", said Crispin even though he knew his son all too well as he expected what he was going to say next.
"Yeah I'm sure….I appreciate that y'all watched over me these last two weeks but I need to start getting used to this new life with Alpha in my head.", said Mac which Alpha also heard but didn't say anything because he knew what Mac was talking about.
"But don't worry, I'll call you everyday and let y'all know if I have any issues.", said Mac only to reassure his parents that he's both in good hands and good health.
Crispin and Samantha knew that they could trust their own son, so without hesitation Crispin called Mark and had him get a car ready to take Mac back to his apartment.
Mark was just as oblivious to JR's cover story about Mac just like Lucky was but he was still unsure about a few things even though Crispin told him two weeks ago about what happened since Mark didn't remember anything from what happened that evening.
Crispin told Mac that Mark will be driving him back but also advised him that he doesn't know anything about Alpha or the events that took place that night so Mac would need to play cool around Mark.
After Mac had finished packing his things, he said his goodbyes to his parents with the only difference now that Alpha had asked him to give his farewell to them as well, which still continued to creep Mac out that he had to play messenger.
Shortly after, Mac went down to the garage to meet up with Mark who was waiting for him already, so then Mac entered the car and greeted Mark after not seeing him for the last two weeks….
"Hey Mark, how have you been doing?", asked Mac hoping that things wouldn't get awkward between them since the last time they spoke was after Mark had dropped him off at his apartment with JR two weeks ago.
"I'm doing good Chandler, how about you? Finally kicked the flu, huh?", asked Mark which momentarily confused Mac but then he remembers that Mark was told something different.
"Yep, it was a doozy but thankfully my parents are doctors and they were prepared for it….but two weeks was still a long time and now I've got some catching up to do.", said Mac as he was referring to his school work, then he began to wonder where the idea of the flu came about.
"Uh Mac, what is the "flu"?", asked Alpha but Mac had to ignore him since he was with Mark and he didn't know anything about Alpha.
"Not now Alpha.", said Mac while giving a fake cough just so Mark wouldn't hear him.
"Oh right, sorry.", said Alpha as he remembered that no one but Mac can hear him.
"Did you say something Chandler?", questioned Mark.
"Oh no, just a little cough….my parents said that the cough will stick around for a while.", said Mac as to not look suspicious, hoping that Mark will buy into his excuse.
"Yeah I can concur, I hate that the cough sticks around even long after recovering from a cold or flu.", said Mark which relieved Mac to know that he believed his excuse.
Then shortly after they took off and were heading to Mac's apartment, but during the drive something came up that Mac wanted to ask and find out….
"Hey Mark, how's JR been doing lately?", asked Mac since he was there that night and was worried about him.
"He's been doing good, just keeping busy with school but of course worried about you.", said Mark
"Right I figured….is he at the house right now?", asked Mac even though he wasn't ready to confront him about what happened.
"Yeah he is, you want me to stop by and pick him up?", asked Mark but Mac didn't hesitate with giving him a quick response.
"Actually no, I just want to relax for now and probably clean up my apartment since I haven't been there for the last two weeks.", said Mac because he still isn't sure how JR is going to react when they see each other again.
"But when you do see him, please let him know that I'm doing good and that I'll be seeing him at school on Monday.", requested Mac hoping that JR doesn't come by wanting to talk.
"Sure thing, I'll let him know.", said Mark only to worry about Mac for a bit.
"Thanks Mark.", said Mac.
The rest of the drive was in silence but it didn't take much longer until they arrived at Mac's apartment, then once the car stopped Mac got out and said his goodbyes to Mark and walked into his apartment then Mark departed as he headed back to the office.
Once Mac was inside his apartment, he couldn't help but notice how dusty it had become so without waiting a single minute, he dropped his bag off in his room and got to cleaning his entire apartment.
Alpha didn't want to disturb Mac as he saw how focused he was with all the cleaning so he just watch along as Mac went all around his apartment and cleaned everything, which took about a good 3 hours to do and by the time Mac was done….he was exhausted, so he went to sit down in the living room and relax.
"Whew….that wore me out completely, but I'm not too tired at all.", said Mac as he forgot that he was no longer alone to speak his mind…
"Well that's probably because of your increased stamina.", said Alpha which startled Mac for a moment.
"Jeez Alpha, I forgot that you were there!", exclaimed Mac.
"Sorry but I didn't want to bother you while you were busy doing whatever it was that you were doing.", said Alpha as he had no concept of what cleaning was.
"Oh you mean when I was cleaning up my place?", asked Mac as he remembered that there are somethings Alpha doesn't know about.
"Cleaning….so is that what you were doing?", asked Alpha as it somewhat peeked his curiosity.
"Yeah, its when something becomes dirty and….", Mac began to say but was quickly interrupted by Alpha.
"Yes; yes I know what it means but I just never seen it in action.", said Alpha very sarcastically which annoyed Mac as he thought that he had no idea of basic concepts like cleaning.
"I may not know everything from modern times but I was given a sort of mental dictionary that tells me the basic things that humans do, like cleaning.", explained Alpha which caught Mac's attention.
"Hmm, okay….so you know most of the basic but just don't know how they're done, right?", asked Mac just to make sure he understood by what Alpha meant of a "mental dictionary".
"Yes that's correct.", said Alpha.
"Well I guess you do have a lot to learn but its going to take time, that's for sure.", said Mac as he wondered what was all in this mental dictionary of his and hoped that he didn't have to show things that were probably weird.
"By the way, I need to ask you something Mac.", said Alpha as something he learned earlier had been bugging him for quite some time now.
"Yeah what's up?", said Mac.
"In one of your memories, there was a girl following you from the shadows even though you noticed her….so why didn't you confront her?", asked Alpha but the next response he got from Mac wasn't what he was expecting.
"Hold on, wait a minute….what do you mean "in my memories"? Are you able to see all of my memories from my entire life?", asked Mac as he is confused and slightly irritated.
Alpha gave a slight groan which was then followed by a heavy sigh….
"Yes Mac, that's what it means to be inside your mind….I can see everything that you see and also relive your memories.", said Alpha but Mac wasn't happy to learn this about Alpha.
"Jeez, talk about invasion of privacy.", said Mac which confused Alpha.
"What do you mean, is invading someone's privacy supposed to be bad?", asked Alpha, then Mac gave a heavy sigh….
"Look Alpha, I get that you have a lot to learn but just because you're inside my mind doesn't mean your allowed to relive my memories at your own will.", said Mac as he explained certain morals that exist in today's times.
"But seeing as this is going to be a normal thing nowadays, I'll let it slide but next time you're unsure about something then ask me first, okay.", stated Mac as he began to set some ground rules.
"I apologize Mac, but I had to learn about you one way or another and since you were in a coma….the best way was going through your memories.", explained Alpha which Mac ultimately understood and forgave him for going off on him.
"Anyways, about that girl you were asking….yes I did notice her but she wasn't bothering anybody, plus she's a student at my school.", said Mac in response to Alpha's question from earlier.
"Hmm….if you say so, I just hope she wasn't a spy for The Order.", said Alpha but Mac quickly gave a retort.
"Ha, yeah no….the reason she was following me like that was because she has some sort of crush on me but is also a very popular person at school and just doesn't want to tarnish her image.", said Mac sarcastically but then he didn't hear anything from Alpha for about a minute or so….
"Okay, what part did I confuse you with?", asked Mac as he figured that there was something he said that Alpha wasn't aware of.
"Uh, yeah….what do you mean by "crush"? Because I don't think you mean being crushed by like a big rock or something, right?", asked Alpha with actual confusion coming from his voice.
"Ah yes, that's one thing you'll need to learn….while almost every word has multiple meanings, those same words will have a slang term as well.", Mac began to explain….
"And in this case, the word "crush" is used as a slang term meaning that she has feelings for me and would like to be in a relationship….which I hope you know what that means.", said Mac which helped to clear the confusion that Alpha was having.
"Yes those I know but now I understand, words can have a slang meaning and mean something else completely.", said Alpha just to understand the explanation that Mac gave him.
"Now that we're done with the study session, you don't need to worry about it but I'll still be keeping my eye on her either way.", said Mac as to reassure Alpha that nothing suspicious was going on.
"Oh one more thing, there was another girl that I've seen with both you and JR….who is that?", asked Alpha.
"Oh you must be talking about Lucky, she's another close friend of mine but unlike JR….she doesn't know about you and of course we'll have to keep it that way.", said Mac which Alpha agreed and understood.
"But before you continue asking questions about me and my life, there are some ground rules that we need to set.", said Mac as he became serious with Alpha since he'll be living in his mind from now on.
"Okay, what are these rules?", questioned Alpha.
"So first like I said earlier, if you're unsure of anything then ask me first before doing it….that applies when inside my mind and also whenever you happened to be in control of my body.", stated Mac but continued to list more rules….
"Next, since you're able to see and hear everything at the same time as I do….then leave all questions and comments to yourself until we're alone because remember that no one else can hear you and I don't want to look like a fool by talking to myself.", stated Mac which Alpha completely understood and agreed to that rule.
"Lastly, during times where you have control of my body….do not, and I repeat, do not do anything weird that could possibly get me into trouble.", said Mac but Alpha became slightly confused by that last rule.
"Define "weird"?", asked Alpha sarcastically which Mac notices and doesn't sit well with him as he gives a heavy groan.
"This is going to take some getting used to.", said Mac, then he gave a heavy sigh.
The rest of the weekend was uneventful for both Mac and Alpha as they just continued to adjust to this new life and new world, respectively….then soon enough, Monday had arrived and it was time for Mac to head back to school.
To Be Continued....