It's been a week now—seven days of suffocation and helplessness for Ace.
His desperate need to transform is killing him, but there's nothing he can do except flip through Gerry's collection of comic books in this so-called his room.
•
"Honey, are you sure you're ready to go back to school today?" Elena asks, her worry obvious as she watches him.
She hasn't left his side for the entire week, constantly fussing over him. Ace feels like he's suffocating under her attention, the overwhelming care of someone he can barely tolerate.
Her presence grates on his nerves, and sometimes, frustration bubbles over into sharp, rude remarks. Afterward, he hears them talking about him from downstairs.
"He's so different lately," Elena would say worried, and Jonathan would respond with an equally concerned tone.
From his room, Ace listens to it all. Thanks to his perfectly functioning werewolf senses, he catches every word. What he can't understand is why his body refuses to transform, no matter how hard he tries.
He's losing his patience, feeling trapped and helpless. The constant boredom and endless noise in his head make it impossible to stay still any longer.
He had to get out, even if it's just to distract himself from the headache of his thoughts.
Jonathan hasn't been home much. He's been busy with his investigation, trying to figure out the current whereabouts of the werewolves— and the attack that shattered his sense of security and reignited old fears.
"Call us immediately if you feel uncomfortable. I'll come pick you up," Jonathan says, handing Ace a small tin. "Here, keep this with you. It's wolf's bane. It weakens those creatures. Use it if you need to."
Ace stares at the tin in his hands. Jonathan had gone to great lengths to get this. But Ace isn't worried; the tin is tightly sealed, and he knows it won't affect him unless it's opened.
He had already convinced them to remove the ash barrier at the gate. Claiming allergies and even faking a near collapse, he had pushed them to pour it away. It had worked, but now Jonathan is being extra cautious.
Elena interrupts, holding out money. "Honey, here's some lunch money."
Ace takes it silently and starts walking away without so much as a thank you.
From behind him, he hears Elena's voice, soft and worried. "Hun, I'm really worried about him. Do you think he's okay? He didn't even ask for a kiss on the forehead before leaving. That's something he used to cry about if I ever forgot."
Jonathan sighs. "I noticed. He didn't even thank us for the money. That's unlike him. He's always been polite, even overly so. You think he's still shaken up?"
"Maybe," Elena murmurs. "It's been only a week. We just need to give him time."
Ace's sharp ears catch every word, and he scoffs under his breath. "A kiss on the forehead? What the heck is that even for? And why should I thank them for giving me money? Isn't that their responsibility as parents?"
He's still grumbling internally when a voice cuts through his thoughts in the crowded hallway at school.
"Hey, fatty! Surprised to see you alive."
Ace turns toward the voice and sees a lanky boy leaning against a locker, smirking. His friends laugh behind him. Ace instantly recognizes the look: a predator taunting prey.
Gerry would've cowered, maybe even run to the bathroom to cry. But Ace isn't Gerry.
"What did you just call me?" Ace asks, his voice calm but carrying an unmistakable edge.
The boy sneers. "You heard me. Baby Fatty. Did your mom have to breastfeed you back to health?"
Before he finishes, Ace grabs the front of his shirt and slams him into the lockers. The metal rattles loudly, and gasps echo down the hallway. The bully's friends take a step back, wide-eyed.
"You think you're tough huh?" Ace growls, leaning in close. His voice drops to a dangerous whisper. "Try me again, and we'll see who's laughing. Got it, butt face?"
The hallway erupts in laughter at the nickname, and the bully—Danny, as Ace overhears someone call him—slides to the floor, clutching his shirt.
Ace smirks and walks away, leaving a stunned silence in his wake. He strides aimlessly, unsure which class he's supposed to be in or what lesson is happening. The whispers of astonished students follow him.
He wonders why none of Gerry's so-called friends are rushing to help him like a normal high schooler's would.
"Hey!" he calls out to a boy walking in the opposite direction. The boy freezes, nervous after witnessing the earlier confrontation. "Do you know me?" Ace asks.
"Yes," the boy stammers, clearly unsure of how to handle the "new" Gerry.
"Good. Then tell me—what class am I in?"
"I—I don't know," the boy replies hesitantly.
"Then why did you say you know me?" Ace snaps. "Find out. You've got two minutes."
The boy takes off, leaving Ace waiting impatiently. When no one returns, he remembers Gerry's bag. Digging through it, he finds a schedule and heads to the right classroom.
He walks in without knocking, interrupting the history teacher mid-lecture.
"You're late, young man," the teacher says sternly. "You'll be staying for detention."
Ignoring the scolding, Ace addresses the question written on the board. "The answer is the Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919. It effectively ended World War I and imposed harsh penalties on Germany."
The teacher stares, stunned. Gerry had always been terrible at history—or so everyone thought.
Throughout the class he keeps answering questions impressing the teacher until he cancels his detention.
Ace has lived long to know much about history and that is why he is shining.
Throughout the day, Ace continues to surprise everyone. His sharp wit and newfound confidence leave both teachers and students in awe. By lunch, the school is buzzing about "Gerry's transformation."
Ace doesn't care.
For the first time since waking up in this body, he feels a spark of satisfaction.
As he carries his tray through the cafeteria, ignoring invitations to sit with newfound admirers, he spots the boy he sent on an errand earlier.
"There you are, sunshine," Ace says, smirking as he approaches. "Did you really think I wouldn't find you after you ran off?"
He gestures for the other kids at the table to leave. "Hey, didn't you hear me? Get lost."
The students scramble away, but the smaller boy stays, trembling slightly.
"What's your name?" Ace asks.
"Barry," the boy replies, and Ace freezes at the sound of that name. His heart skips a beat before he forces himself to stay composed.
"Alright, Sunshine," he says, leaning back with a grin. "You're my new best friend."
Earlier he had called him sunshine because he didn't know his name , but now he called him sunshine because he doesn't want to mention it.
The boy looks like he wants to protest, but Ace doesn't give him the chance.
As he leans in to eat , a group of students surround him, led by Danny. "Hey fatty, did you really think you scared me?!"
"Ugh! Not this again," out of annoyance , Ace fights them like they want, leaving all of them bruised and landing himself in the principal's office and getting a suspension.
•○•
Back home, Elena and Jonathan confront Ace over his suspension, but he brushes them off.
Later, alone in his room, he hears a news report, all the way from the living room: another attack on police officers.
His stomach twists. There's no doubt—it's Barry. He knows the hatred he has for the police.
He wonders why Barry hasn't come for the Hunters' yet.
"Just what are you planning on?" Ace whispers, gripping the windowsill.
The same thought that he keeps pushing away comes back to him___What if this new body means he's truly alone?
All he wants is transform and go back to Barry in that form, or just gain his strength and do what is needed of his to the Hunters' before he leaves.