The 7 Bad Habits of Slightly Troubled Monsters Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Mailing List

  Coming Soon

  Acknowlegements

  About the Author

  Also Available

  Copyright

  THE 7 BAD HABITS OF SLIGHTLY TROUBLED MONSTERS

  Devin Harnois

  To my niece Aurora. Uncle Devin hopes you grow up to be a reader.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Snow turned the world white, except where it was a dirty gray along the road. The plants were all asleep, and Aiden imagined he could feel them waiting under the earth. Or could he actually sense them with his powers?

  Toby and Tina waved to him from the corner.

  “What classes did you get?” Toby asked.

  It was the start of a new semester, and Aiden was nervous all over again. His good mood faded at the reminder. “I got moved into the intermediate class for Major Magical Control.”

  “Oh, wow.” Toby’s eyes widened. “With the sophomores?”

  Aiden nodded.

  “You must be really good,” Tina said.

  “Normally I’d be excited to get advanced placement, but this is the one class I don’t want it in.” He was also worried about Minor Magical Control. The shift in classes might mean he wouldn’t have it with Maggie anymore, and he didn’t know what he’d do without her help.

  “You’ll do fine,” Toby said.

  The bus pulled up and they got on. Toby slid in beside him.

  “Lemme see your list.” Toby pulled out his, which was crumpled from being shoved in his pocket.

  Aiden took his from where he’d tucked it carefully in the front pouch of his backpack.

  “Oh! We have homeroom together.” Toby smiled, then stuck out his tongue. “Yuck. Math first thing in the morning.”

  “I like math. Numbers always make sense.” Not like magic. Not like the weird life he’d been sucked into.

  Toby leaned his head back. “Math is borrrring.”

  Aiden laughed and shook his head.

  “Do you have any classes with Dylan?” Tina asked.

  “Major Magical Control.” Aiden’s stomach jittered. He’d forgiven Dylan for burning him, but he wasn’t eager to see his friend throwing flames around. “And bio.” They’d compared classes the day the schedules arrived in the mail.

  Tina smiled. “If you got moved to the intermediate class, of course he did. And bio, that’s nice. You know who your lab partner will be.”

  “Yeah.” At least he was starting out the semester along with everyone else, not late like at the beginning of the school year. If he worked hard, he might earn advance placement in one or two classes for next year. English, probably, and maybe math.

  The first two hours were a blur of syllabi, books being passed out, grading systems, and class expectations. Then Aiden walked across the snowy school yard to the annex building. Dylan was already waiting in the locker room, tying his shoes.

  “Hey,” he said with a slight smile. Today’s T-shirt had a grinning skull with the words Five Finger Death Punch written across it. Considering all his other shirts had been music related, Aiden assumed that was a band name. How charming.

  “Hi.” Aiden forced a smile.

  “God, I can’t wait.” Dylan finished tying his shoes and rubbed his hands together. “Matches with the sophomores.”

  Aiden went to his locker. “Oh, goody.”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll do fine.” Dylan slapped him on the back and left.

  When he was gone, Aiden leaned his head against the cool metal. He’d never been afraid of Dylan before. Well, Dylan had never hurt him before.

  He took as long as he could, risking being late. Walking into the gym, he saw Dylan standing in the middle of the floor just like usual, and he felt a little better. Among the unfamiliar faces on the bench, he spotted the fox sisters, and that made him feel better too.

  That all ended when Ms. Yang walked over with her clipboard and said, “Welcome to a new semester. We have a few ninth graders joining us who are exceptionally skilled. Dylan and Aiden, why don’t you start us off?”

  Aiden’s stomach dropped. A match with Dylan? That was the last thing he wanted. “Um… I don’t…”

  Dylan smiled. “C’mon. Let’s give ’em a show.” Fire flared around his clenched fists.

  Sweat broke out over Aiden’s body and he got dizzy. “I don’t feel so good.” He swayed and stumbled toward the bench. His chest tingled where he’d been burned.

  Ms. Yang hurried to help him sit. “Okay, just relax. Are you sick?” She looked closely at his face. “You do look really pale. Sit here for a few minutes, and I’ll have someone take you down to the nurse.”

  “I’ll do it.” Dylan appeared beside him, frowning with concern. The fire was gone.

  Dylan was the reason he was so afraid. It would be better if he went away, but… his worry was real, and he was Aiden’s best friend. So Aiden didn’t protest when Ms. Yang said, “Okay. Thank you, Dylan.”

  Dylan sat next to him on the bench. “What happened?”

  “I just didn’t feel good all of a sudden.” The lie made him feel worse. But if he said anything, it would just make Dylan feel guilty. It had been an accident.

  “Let me know when you think you can walk. I’m not carrying your ass.” Dylan gave him a slight smile.

  After a few minutes, Aiden took a deep breath. “I think I’m okay.” He felt a little weak, but not dizzy anymore.

  “All right. Come on.” Dylan stood and offered a hand.

  They stopped in the locker room for Aiden’s coat and then walked across to the main building. Dylan was missing out on his favorite class, the only class he cared about. Aiden’s chest squeezed with guilt, and he shivered as the sweat cooled on his skin.

  When they got to the nurse’s office, Dylan waited outside while the nurse checked Aiden over. The nurse found nothing wrong, just like Aiden suspected, and let him go with instructions to come straight back if he had another dizzy spell.

  By the time they got back, class was almost over, so they changed out of their gym clothes and headed to lunch.

  “Is something wrong?” Dylan asked. “I mean, do you know what happened with you?”

  “No.” Aiden kept his eyes on the floor as they ent
ered the lunchroom.

  “Okay. Just… you know, be careful.” Dylan grabbed a tray

  He won’t hurt me. He never meant to. It was an accident. Things will be better tomorrow.

  After a few minutes, Hanna joined them at the table, shaking Aiden out of his worried thoughts. “Hi,” she said, smiling at both of them.

  Dylan gave a grunt that was almost a word.

  “How are your classes so far?” she asked. “I wish I could have classes with you guys.” Hanna was a year older.

  “Fine,” Aiden said.

  Dylan gave him a questioning look, then shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, fine.”

  “What about you?” Aiden asked.

  “Well, on the bad side I have Senses first thing in the morning, but on the good side, it’s not with Conner’s pack. On the other bad side, that means I’m stuck with the ghouls.” She wrinkled her nose.

  Dylan’s eyes lit with interest. “Let me know if he gives you any trouble.”

  “I will.” Hanna cut into her pork chop and scooted a few inches over until she brushed shoulders with Aiden. The contact sent a little tingle through him. “I’m not scared with you two protecting me.”

  Aiden’s face warmed. “Thanks.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  The bell rang and Dylan let out a sigh. Freedom. “Hey, you wanna go to the pit?” he asked Aiden. He hadn’t been able to blow off any steam in gym class, and he hadn’t skipped any classes. Well, gym, but he’d been helping Aiden, not actually skipping. He was trying to keep his word about trying harder so they could graduate together. Dylan wondered if they’d let him out even if he graduated and got certified.

  Aiden held his bio book against his chest. “No, sorry. I told my parents I’d be home.”

  “You could call them and ask. Or you could go home and then meet me at the pit.”

  Aiden’s eyes scrunched. “Maybe some other time.”

  They walked out into the hall. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been weird since gym.”

  “I’m fine, really.” Aiden put on a smile that didn’t look convincing.

  A heavy coldness pooled in Dylan’s stomach. “Is it about… the thing that happened?”

  “No! I forgave you for that. I know it was an accident,” Aiden said.

  That hadn’t exactly been what Dylan meant. He leaned close so others wouldn’t hear him. “Did that whole thing make you afraid of magic again?” Aiden had been afraid of his power when he first came to school. Honestly, Dylan was afraid of his own power now, and he didn’t want to see a fear of magic reflected in Aiden. It would make the whole thing worse.

  Aiden sighed. “I don’t know. I think I just need some time. It’s not like I can talk to anyone about this.” Aiden had promised to stay quiet about Morgan’s escape— for Dylan’s sake.

  Dylan had never been comfortable talking with others, but… “You can talk to me.”

  Something crossed Aiden’s face, and then he plastered on the smile again. “I know.”

  * * *

  Dylan woke with a gasp, yanking off the blankets to make sure there was no fire. Taking deep breaths, he looked around his room. A dream, just a dream. Sunlight filtered through his curtains. A glance at the clock showed it was just past noon.

  It had been three weeks since he burned Aiden. The dreams didn’t come every night, but they came often enough. The look on his friend’s face when fire slammed into him, the panicked feeling, wondering how bad he’d hurt him. It happened in different ways in the dreams, but it always came down to Dylan losing control of his power and hurting Aiden.

  Sometimes he dreamed about Morgan cheering him on as he did so. Sometimes Morgan hurt Aiden instead, but it was always Dylan’s fault.

  Dylan ran a hand through his sweaty hair and stared at the wall. Aiden might have forgiven him, but Dylan hadn’t forgiven himself. He’d been willing to do anything to be free, right up until the moment he burned Aiden.

  He could have killed him. His only friend, the one person who hadn’t been afraid of him even when he found out what Dylan was. Over the few short months they’d known each other, Dylan had gotten used to having Aiden around. They’d made up after that fight, after Dylan had released Morgan from the fae realm. But there was a distance between them now.

  Dylan didn’t like it at all and wondered if they could ever go back to the way things were.

  Getting up, he walked to the window and pulled back the curtain. Bright sunlight bounced off the snow and he blinked, squinting at the yard. It had happened out there, deep in the woods.

  His stomach felt like he’d swallowed a ball of lead. God, he’d been so stupid. The worst of it was that part of him still wanted it. His dragon side ached for freedom, to stretch his wings. To watch the world burn.

  Dylan rested his head on the cold glass.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Much to Aiden’s relief, Ms. Yang didn’t call on him to face off against Dylan. Instead, she called up one of the sophomores. Dylan’s face lit up like someone had given him a present. As they took their places, Aiden wondered what the older boy was.

  “Go!”

  A sharp crackle rose and the older boy shot a blue bolt of lightning at Dylan. For just a second, his friend looked surprised, then he brought up his hands, blocking with fire.

  Aiden’s stomach lurched, the spot on his chest aching, and he had to look away. He remembered just how much it hurt. It can’t get through the wards. It’s just like watching TV. Harmless. Aiden took long, slow breaths. Farther down the bench, his classmates gasped and cheered as the match went on. Aiden glanced up a few times, but he couldn’t watch for long.

  It’ll get better. It’s just too soon.

  Ms. Yang called for an end to the match, and a moment later Dylan joined him. “Did you see that?” he panted. “He’s as good as the fox sisters.”

  “Great match,” Aiden agreed. He spent the rest of the class nervously awaiting his turn.

  Ms. Yang called him to face off against a girl with chin-length black hair, two bright pink streaks framing her face. He remembered seeing her in the lunchroom a few times. The streaks had been purple at the beginning of the year.

  “The changeling boy. I’ve heard about you.” She gave him a wicked grin. “Let’s see what you got.”

  At the start of the match, she didn’t lift her hands but left them clenched at her sides. The grin became a smirk. The air between them shimmered with a faint hint of blue, and then Aiden was knocked off his feet. He hit the floor with a grunt, the air rushing out of his lungs.

  “Give him a chance to get up,” Ms. Yang warned.

  “It would suck for the match to be over so soon,” the girl said.

  “Kick her ass, Aiden!” Dylan yelled from the bench.

  Gasping, he scrambled up and summoned a shield. He’d gotten pretty good at it and could make one even when he was scared. Although he hadn’t been able to block when Dylan attacked him… His stomach tightened and his heart pounded in his ears.

  The girl shifted her feet slightly. Another blue shimmer filled the air, and something slammed into his shield. He held it, barely. Breathing fast, he tried to think of a way to counterattack, but he didn’t even know what she was using against him.

  What he wanted to do was run. If he did, everyone would wonder what was wrong. They’d question him, maybe call his parents. Eventually he’d crack and tell someone he was afraid of magic, and what if they kept pressing? Would he tell them what happened with Dylan?

  He couldn’t tell, he could never tell anyone, or they might put Dylan in jail. They might kill him.

  For several minutes, Aiden stood with the shield up while the girl hurled magic at him.

  Ms. Yang blew the whistle. “All right, that’s enough.”

  Aiden made it back to the bench on shaky legs.

  “Hey, you all right?” Dylan asked.

  “I’m okay,” he lied, telling himself to relax because it was over. At least for today. But what about tomorrow a
nd every day after that? If Aiden failed Major Magical Control, he wouldn’t graduate, and that meant he wouldn’t get certified. He’d be stuck in Shadow Valley forever.

  “I guess I let it get to my head that they’re a year ahead.” Aiden flinched on the inside. Lies on top of lies.

  Dylan clapped him on the back. “Don’t think like that. You’re just as good as any of them. We can practice if it’ll make you feel better.”

  Practice, meaning going out to the pit and watching Dylan throw his fire around. “No, I’ll be fine.” Even if he told Dylan the truth, his friend couldn’t do anything about it. It would just make Dylan feel bad.

  * * *

  Hanna pressed close to Aiden at lunch again. It made him almost as nervous as gym class, but for a very different reason. Should he say something?

  She’d been chattering away about the book she had to read for English. After taking a few bites of her chicken sandwich, she fell silent, frowning. Hanna cast a guilty look at Dylan. “Conner’s saying you stole me from him.”

  “Oh really?” he snorted.

  “I guess it sounds better than me leaving him. People saw that fight you had with him and the pack, so the story fits.” Faint pink colored her cheeks.

  Something tightened in Aiden’s chest. But Hanna was sitting next to him, not Dylan.

  “So people think I’m your boyfriend?” Dylan laughed and took a swig of his pop.

  “Um, I guess.” The blush deepened and the tightness in Aiden’s chest grew worse.

  “Is that what you want them to think?” Aiden asked.

  “No. Maybe. I don’t know.” She glanced at him, then dropped her gaze. “I just want to be safe.”

  He laid a hand on her arm. “You are safe.”

  She took a deep breath, shoulders rising and falling. “I don’t know if you can understand. You’re not werewolves. I need a pack. I need to belong.” Another quick look. “I know it’s a bad idea, but sometimes I think about going back to him so I have a place where I fit.”