John Wolfstone-The Book

Time Passes, house rebuilt, promotion, dates

A few months later, John was standing in front of his newly rebuilt house.

“You know,” Howard said, slightly swinging his lizard tail back and forth. “I don’t understand how everything but that one room was totally destroyed.”

“Let’s just say you have my stepdaughter, Julia, to thank for that,” John said.

“Well, the next time you don’t like the place, let me know beforehand, that way we can get everything out and demolish the place ourselves,” Howard said, with a slight smile.

He and every other construction worker that had been there had seen John demolish his house in his giant-werewolf form.

“Well, at least I had plenty of houses to use," John said. "Until you were done fixing the place up.”

“Yes, at least you have that," Howard said. "Your average landlord wouldn’t bother testing out the houses he rents out.”

“Well, here is what I would have to say about that," John said, as he looked at the lizard man. "If I’m not happy with the place, I doubt anyone would be. After all, anyone could be someone who rents one of these places.”

“Well I know this much," Howard said, as he gave John a friendly slap on the back. "With all these new workers I got, the rate of construction has picked up and now, I’m more than ten months ahead of schedule. At this rate, that school-like building of yours will be done by next year at the earliest, with everything else being done two years after that.”

“So, here’s a question," John said. "What will you do then?”

“Hell, I might rent one of these places out myself. I took a look at the price for renting a place like this out on the internet, and their prices, just for rent, were sky high," the man said, with a slight huff. "Hell, I can deal with the rule you have about not eating others, especially to live in a place like one of these.”

“You really would do that?” John asked.

“Well, I’d have to bring my wife up first," the man said, with a sheepish smile. "You know how some women can get if a place isn’t just right.”

“Oh I understand that," John said, with an understanding smile. "If my father and brothers didn’t have the old place just so, my mother and sisters would complain until the sun set, the next day.”

“Well, I best get back to work," Howard said. "You don’t pay me to talk to you all day and those houses are not going to build themselves.”

With that, Howard turned around and started walking, towards where some humans were slacking off, and shouting, “If you three don’t get back to work, I have a cousin who works at a meat processing company, and their looking for some new products.”

This caused John to chuckle, as he opened the door to his house.

As he opened the door, something rushed at him, and caused him to lose his breath.

“Can I just get a normal hello like everyone else?” he said, picking up the thing that had rushed into him, Julia.

Julia smiled and said, “But not everyone else is you, dad.”

John then gave her a hug and said, “Yah, I guess so. So, how was school today?”

“Oh it was okay," the girl said. "Though I don’t know why you can’t be both a philosophy teacher and a Vice-Principal.”

“Oh, cause then I might be tempted to always give you good grades," John said, as he kissed his recently adopted daughter. "And that wouldn’t be fair to the other students, like Tawna and Justian.”

“Well, why weren’t you able to take me home today?" Julia asked. "Janelle had to walk me home.”

“Well, let’s just say that it was one meeting after another with the parents of the students enrolling at the school," John said, with a sigh. "Some of them were not pleased with some of our new rules at the school.”

“Which ones would those be?” Julia asked, with a knowing smile.

“Oh, first, there is the one forbidding students from eating other students, whether it was on or off school grounds. I got into a fight with over a dozen people over that," John said, with a slight smile. "Of course, I won, and now the janitor is pleased to have a dozen assistants helping him out.”

“Well, what was the other rule that parents were unhappy about?” Julia asked, knowing what the answer would be.

At this, John smiled and said, “Let’s just say that it was about a rule named after you.”

“What do you mean?” Julia asked, knowing what it was anyways.

“The Julia Rule,” said John, knowing that Julia knew already, as he had ran it by her. “According to it, the moment that someone, which is of schooling age, is brought onto the school grounds, they are considered a student of the school. Basically, if anyone and I mean anyone, brings someone of schooling age, if that person tries to eat that kid, well, if that person was a teacher, they just got fired, a student, expelled, someone else, kicked out and banned from entering the premises. As for the kid that was brought in, they become a student.”

“So, the situation that caused me to meet you won’t happen again?” Julia asked, with hope in her eyes.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that," John said, as he kissed the girl again. "There will always be someone breaking the rules. However, if someone tries to eat someone like you, well, even giants would be overcome by the shear weight of the entire student body taking them on. That is because of another rule, it is the student’s responsibility that the other students of the school are safe. So, the moment that a student sees another student in danger, on or off the school grounds, it is their responsibility to try and protect that student from harm.”

“Something tells me that the parents were not happy about that,” Julia said, as she tilted her head, and lifted an eyebrow.

“I know," John said, with a chuckle. "I had to take on every other non-human parent because of it.”

“Were you okay?" Julia asked, slightly worried about ther man who had save her life. "Were you hurt?”

“Oh, only a few bruises on my chest, nothing too serious," John said, with another chuckle. "Them, well, it was a good thing that the hospital was next door.”

At this, the two chuckled, as they both knew that there was no one person who could take John on. Only by working together could someone hope to take him down.

Then John asked, “So, besides you and me, who else is here?”

“Well, Uncle James and Aunt Clara showed up," Julia said. "They said something about that thanks to their one assistant, that their new and improved invulnerability potion was a success.”

“Well, that’s nice to know," John said. "Now, all they have to do is find the right people that would find it useful, like the fire department. Seriously, there are some people who should be watched when they start using abilities related to starting and causing fires. I mean, on my way home, I put out at least three of them. Of course, I’m talking about small things I could stomp out.”

Then an older female voice said, “Well, you must have had a bit of an interesting day, getting into a fight with over one hundred non-humans, fighting fires, and who knows what else.”

At this, John smiled and said, “Why, hello Janus. I didn’t expect you to show up.”

“Well, that’s what I came to see you," she said.

But then, she gave a slight sigh, and said, "You know how my husband has been battling that cancer of his for the last five years?”

“Don’t tell me he died,” John said, as he looked at his old teacher.

“No, he hasn’t yet," Janus said. "However, it could be anytime now.”

“So, what do you want me to do for him?" John asked. "Give him a big old funeral, complete with paid mourners?”

“No, he wants a small one, with just family and friends," Janus said, as a tear fell from her eyes. "Although, I think he would appreciate it if you did show up. However, he would like to visit this place, before he goes. He wants to see what the future could be like.”

“In that case," John said. "I’ll go over to the Highmans, so they can help you out.”

“Thank you John," Janus said, as she gave him a kiss. "You have no idea about what this will mean to him.”

“Well tell him that when he crosses the pearly gates, to say hello to my mother and father,” John said, with a chuckle.

“Oh, he’d do that anyways," Janus said. "It is because of them that he still has me you know, in a round about way that is, because you saved my life.”

“Well, give that son and daughter of yours my regards,” John said, as he looked at the woman.

“Will do John," the woman said. "Will do.”

With that, Janus walked outside and took off.

Julia then looked at John and asked, “Is her husband going to die? I like him, he’s a nice guy. He shouldn’t have to die.”

“I know,” said John. “However, when you’re called up, you’re called up.”

“Are you going to die?” Julia asked, with worry in her eyes. “I don’t want to lose you.”

At this, John smiled and said, “I don’t plan on dying anytime soon. However, as my father always said, there are four things to be certain in life, people are born, paying taxes, dying, and of course, salesmen and priests that don’t take no for an answer. So Julia, the answer to your question is this, yes, I will die. However, I hope that I won’t, not until I have seen you grow up, get married, have children, see them grow up, and start having children of their own. Then, and only then, will I let death take me.”

At this, John kissed Julia on the cheeks and said, “Now, what homework do you have? I want to know about your day as well you know.”