Ricky left Chris to charge up while he was at school the next day. As usual, he waited until dinner was being made before disconnecting him.

And as expected, as the four of them sat down for dinner, all was well. Just the way it should have been. Those voices inside Chris' head hadn't bothered him all day, due to the fact that he wasn't mentally active at all while he was "charging," and they weren't bothering him at all now as he sat at the kitchen table.

Of course, though, that wasn't going to last.

Ricky and Chris headed upstairs once everyone was finished eating, leaving Ricky's dad to take care of the dishes for the night, and his mom to just take a relaxing break. That was how their evenings stereotypically went: get together to eat, then go their separate ways for the rest of the night.

As Chris and Ricky reached the top of the stairs, the sun was starting to set. The two of them often liked to watch the sunset together, whether it was just from the window of Ricky's bedroom, or from that little secluded pond they had gone to previously. They were starting to make it their own little tradition to watch the sunset together every evening.

They both took a seat on the bed once they entered Ricky's bedroom, Ricky leaning against the taller boy as they stared out the window together. A sigh of content left Ricky's lips as the sun began to slowly set, lower and lower in the sky. Everything was just the way it should have been.

That is, until the sun was entirely down.

That night, when the moon took its place in the sky, it appeared as if there was no moon at all. A new moon. Just like the night at the restaurant.

Suddenly, Ricky felt Chris' body stiffen against him. He sat up quickly, looking up at the taller boy, whose eyes were still stuck on the window. He then stood up from the bed, trying to get a better look at what exactly was happening to Chris. Something had made him tense up, and Ricky wanted to understand what it was.

"Chris? Are... Are you okay?" Ricky asked him.

Chris didn't reply, exactly; he only turned his head to look at the smaller boy. The one thing Ricky took notice of, though, was the look he had in his eyes. They looked almost menacing, eyeing Ricky like he was his prey.

A smirk grew on the taller boy's face, as he, too, stood up from the bed, his eyes still locked on Ricky. He began slowly moving towards the smaller boy, who in turn, backed away with each step Chris took.

"C-Chris?" Ricky spoke, just barely above a whisper.

Again, he gave Ricky no actual response. Instead, he tried to swing at Ricky, attempting to grab him by the throat. Ricky was quick enough to dodge him, though, which just made the taller boy more angry. He went for another tough grab, but again, Ricky was quick enough to get away. The only thing Chris successfully hit was a glass vase that was kept on one of Ricky's shelves, which hit the floor, and broke into several pieces.

Before Chris could try to grab him again, Ricky made a bold move, and went after him instead. Appearing in front of the taller boy again, Ricky quickly grabbed him by the shoulders, shoving him into the nearest wall with as much strength as he could muster.

Chris closed his eyes, letting out a small groan as he came in contact with the wall. He opened his eyes again, recognizing that someone was holding him against the wall, then tried to push the smaller boy off of him, grunting angrily as he did so. Ricky wasn't planning on giving up, though. He kept one of his hands on Chris' shoulder, then moved the other to his face, holding him by the jaw.

"Look at me, Chris," Ricky said to him, doing his best to mask the fear that he wished he didn't feel. He didn't want to be afraid of Chris at all, but when things like this happened, he had no other choice but to be scared.

Chris looked into Ricky's eyes as he was told, his eyes still keeping hold of the fury within him that he couldn't control, and his breathing still heavy and ragged.

"Chris... Listen to me," Ricky spoke softly. "This isn't you, okay? This is not you. Take control of yourself. Keep your eyes on me."

Chris tried to push Ricky off of him again, but Ricky wasn't letting it happen. The smaller boy kept Chris' face in his hand, making sure their eyes stayed locked.

Soon enough, Chris' breathing began to regulate once more, and the fire in his eyes began to fade. He released a breath he was unaware that he was even holding, letting his head fall for a few moments, trying to catch his bearings. He then looked back up at Ricky, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"Chris, what was that about?" Ricky asked him. "What happened?"

"I-I don't kn-know," Chris replied shakily.

"We need to go talk to Ryan-Ashley," Ricky sighed. "Fast."

-------------------------------------------

"He attacked you?" Ryan-Ashley asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, he tried to," Ricky replied. "But, I don't know why."

"Did anybody insult him or anything today? Treat him like shit?" She inquired.

"Nobody could have," Ricky answered. "He was inside the house all day, getting charged up. He was the only one there."

"And, he did something like this before, too, right?" She questioned. "At that restaurant?"

"Yeah," Ricky nodded. "But everybody there gave him a lot of shit, which probably helped set him off. Tonight, though, that wasn't the case. We were just sitting, watching the sunset together like we always do. But, once the moon started coming up, he just tried grabbing me by the throat all of a sudden."

"Well... Um, let's see... Do you, by any chance, remember what phase the moon was in that night at the restaurant?" Ryan-Ashley asked nervously.

"It... It was, uh... Oh, it was a new moon that night," Ricky responded.

"And... It's also a new moon tonight," she exhaled.

"What are you getting at?" Ricky questioned.

"Ricky... I think the phase of the moon affects his behavior," she sighed. "It's not just the mean comments and the bad treatment. It's also the absence of the moon in the night sky."

"But how does that even make sense?" Ricky asked.

"You didn't read all the side effects that were listed in those books you checked out, did you?" Ryan-Ashley breathed out.

"Maybe not all of them," Ricky chuckled nervously.

"Sometimes, those who are brought back from the dead are, well, affected negatively during the nights where the moon is in the same phase as it was when they died," she explained. "So if Chris here acted up during two different nights with a new moon, he most likely died on a night with a new moon. The effects, of course, vary from person to person, but apparently it makes Chris very hostile."

"So this is, like, some werewolf-esque shit, then?" Ricky responded.

"If that's what you want to call it, sure," Ryan-Ashley laughed.

"So, he'll be fine every other night, but whenever it's a new moon, he'll basically turn into an attack dog of sorts?" Ricky said.

"That's the general concept, yeah," she nodded.

"Well... Is there any way to prevent that from happening?" Ricky asked hopefully.

"Unless you want to let him die, no," she replied. "Just... I would keep him in one place on these nights, and keep the door and windows closed and the shades down. That might help a little bit."

"Alright," Ricky exhaled. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem," she smiled.

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(A/N: believe it or not guys, this story is almost over. There are only three chapters and an epilogue left, I believe. Just thought I would give you all the heads up!!1!)