Teats dropped from my eyes in torrents, and I made no move to clean it off. I was still so distraught and heartbroken. Spadeville was looking more like a nightmare, than a heaven. In just a day, my hope of being myself, and living my best life has been quashed under foot, and going back to my home wasn’t looking like a great idea.
The worst was that I didn’t know who to trust. I was going crazy wondering why all these were happening to me. It’s so beyond awful what was going one. Why me? In the thousands of people that gathered around the camp fire, the rogue had chosen me. It didn’t make sense. Or, maybe it did. I shouldn’t have gone deep into the woods that night. It was madness.
I let me head rest on the bed-post. This family were claiming a hell lot, and I need to be sure that they were correct. And, how did they know that it was a were-wolf and not a wolf. Their explanations were not adding up.
The door creaked open, and Mike came it with fruits, and tea. Behind him, his parents flanked him like a web. I swallowed hard as I watched them move in sync. Mike dropped the items he held on a fruit table, then walked over to me.
“I know, we should probably leave you alone, but that’s a bit hard to do. You haven’t eaten anything since I got you here, so I believe a piece of fruit would be right for you,” he said calmly.
I just looked at him. There was no smile on his face, but he wasn’t hostile either. But, no matter what I couldn’t let my guard down. Something was up.
He dragged the stool over to me, and then stood upright. I made no move to take the piece of fruit.
“Don’t be hesitant. Eat up,” he encouraged flatly.
“I have no appetite,” I stated.
He looked at his parents, and I somehow felt they were talking through the eyes. It was a weird feeling, but I stuck to it. He turned back to me, and smiled slightly, his eyes still hard. I didn’t return the smile, anxious about it all.
He stooped to my length, and then grabbed a banana, peeling in three successive moves. He placed it close to my lip. I blinked a bit as my mind shifted to Ian. It was strange to think of someone I hardly knew at this delicate point, and that annoyed me. I grabbed the banana from him, but did not eat it.
“You…”
“I…”
Our words came out simultaneously. He sighed as he shot back to his feet. I turned my attentions to his parents. They were looking at me like I were a form of labra.
“I know that you’ve said a lot when you came her previously, but I’m still very much confused. Tell me, how do you know those creatures were werewolves when you weren’t there, and don’t give me that cock and bull story because I know you are lying. I want the truth,” I said quietly.
“You’re a smart girl,” the woman said as she stepped forward.
I stared at the banana that was begging me to eat, and wasn’t sure if she was indeed correct.
“Maybe,” I said evenly.
She grabbed a piece of banana. And then she chewed it so easily without peeling the back. I tried not to throw up. It seemed like some elastic band in her mouth. Totally awful.
“Your face showed it all. I’m not human, Maya. No-one in this house is human,” she said easily.
I tossed the bananas on the tray, and made a move to stand, but I fell down on my ass. She was just telling me how no-one in this house wasn’t human like it was a joke.
“What do you mean?” I snapped.
Mike placed his hands on my shoulder blade, pulling me back down. “Relax,” he mumbled.
I shrugged his hands off my shoulders, panic eating at me. How could I relax? How was that even possible?
“Everyone in this house is a werewolf. It’s our secret, and that makes the core of us. There is nothing more beautiful than it, and I wanted to reveal this to you, because… “ she went quiet.
“Because?” I was practically shouting by now.
“Because…” she looked at her husband, and her son. “You may actually be a part of us,” she explained.
My mouth fell forward, and my breath caught in my throat. What dis she mean? No, that can’t be. I was not a part of anything. I’m human…
“You’re confused!” I screamed. This time I jumped to my feet without a hitch. The pain in my legs wasn’t there so I couldn’t feel anything at all. All I felt was emptiness. I was not a werewolf. I could never be one.
“Calm down,” the man said.
I turned to him. “She is lying, right? This is some sort of sick joke. I don’t believe you,” I cried.
“Nothing has been proven yet,” Mike said.
His features were hard as I looked at him. I felt like my heart would combust in pain, but I was strangely calm and that made me feel less better.
“Then, why did you tell me that?” I snapped at the woman.
She looked at me levelly. “It’s a possibly, but that doesn’t mean it’s true. The rogue’s saliva may have mixed with your blood and set things to motion. This is why you need to stay here for just one day, so we can figure out what you truly are,” she said firmly.
Tears clouded my vision. I’ve never felt so weak in my entire life. If I was a werewolf, what will become of me. I wiped my tears fiercely as I looked at the woman.
“Tell me why your kind does this?”
She sighed. “The rogues aren’t in any pack. They are unpredictable, and have been attacking the human for quite some time. This is why the humans are now trying to hunt each and every one of us down, then wipe us off the face of the earth. They do no believe in us,” she explained.
I gulped loudly, as I sat down on the bed.
“I shall take your leave. Let us observe you for a day, do not leave,” she said firmly.
She and her husband left the room, leaving I and Mike in the room. I could feel his heated gaze on me as I looked at the floor. I didn’t look up. There was no need. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, and it hurt so much.
His footsteps slowly retreated from the room, and then the door closed behind him, leaving me alone. I cried so hard at the pain that surrounded my heart. Once more, I rose my feet closer to my face to take a better look at it. There was no injury, or mark. It was almost as if I hadn’t been beaten last night which was so strange.
≠
The sun-rays seeping into the cotton pulled me awake. The time on the clock showed that it was 7:15 am in the morning. I had to leave. I got up quickly, and made a dash for the door, but the odour that accompanied me, made me change my mind. I need a shower first.
After a quick bath, I changed into a new pair of outfits that had materialised from nowhere on the bed. It was just perfect, as it sat above my knee-length.
The door sprang open, and the woman, Mike’s mother stepped in. She was smiling today.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” I responded back.
She looked at me for a while, and nodded. “I see you’re ready to go,” she pointed out.
I swallowed. “Well, that’s after knowing if what you said last night is true. I want to know if anything has changed in my body,” I informed her.
She walked over to the cottons, and opened it wildly, making floods of light to penetrate into the room. I shielded my eyes slightly, to protect my eyes a bit.
“You are free to go.”
“Does that mean I’m not… a werewolf?” I queried.
She nodded. I swallowed hard, not quite believing it. I wouldn’t have healed so quickly if I was just human, right? That didn’t make sense.
“You should go now,” she said firmly.
“Ok,” I said, unsure as I stepped out.
That was so strange. The woman didn’t turn to look at me once. Maybe, she was afraid that I might blow their cover, but she shouldn’t have bothered. I was the least of their worries now.
Outside of the small house, I could make out Mike as he played with a goat. He looked so pretty, and his skin seemed to glow in the light. I found myself wondering if my skin would do the same too. I didn’t believe I was back to being a human.
The walk to the hostel was faster than was normal. I shelved it as my eagerness to see the normal world once more. It seemed like it has been weeks since I lost consciousness. And, that was a bit alarming. At the hostel, I only met a handful of people and they were all wearing dark glasses. It seemed as if the whole school had turned up for that campfire, and not just the freshers. I lowered my head down as I moved. I don’t know why, but I didn’t want them to see my face. I honestly believed that I’ve changed. It was the craziest feeling because I was still wearing the same clothes, but it was as real as breathing for me. The door to our room was closed, and I had to knock because I had no idea where my spare key was. There was no sound from the room, and I wondered if Chloe was actually in there at all. A couple of girls slid past, also wearing the absurd glasses. They looked at me like I didn’t quite fit into the whole things. Well, I didn’t. But, it bothered me that I didn’t. I
Monday! It was Monday! This meant that it was actually my first day of knowing what being an undergraduate at Spadeville college meant. I had a deep feeling it wasn’t all merry-go-lucky. Chloe had gone to school an hour ago. She had claimed she couldn’t afford to be late on her first day, which didn’t make much sense because her class wasn’t starting till 9 am. Well, some people were punctual freaks. I checked the time, and I noted I had only 30 minutes more. It was just 6:30 in the morning, Strangely, there was no hint of dusk around the corner. Everywhere was still pitch black. I threw books in my backpack, and then hung it at my back. I was about to leave when a growl sounded. I frowned. Was the animal near me again? I retreated back into the room, and grabbed my pocket knife, stuffing it in my pocket. I was about to lock the door, when a conscious part of me, noted that the sound came from me. I gasped in horror. This was slowly getting out of hand. “Did you hear that?” On
Ian smile was calm, and breathtaking as it centred at me, and somehow I wish I didn’t meet him. He didn’t deserve to meet a human, who had the intense potential of turning into a werewolf, but I couldn’t also leave because that was rude. Ian had been nothing, but accommodating with me. I tried to put on a smile which didn’t look at all like me in the least, and then walked over to him. It was quite evident he was a bit known because a few of the girls were looking at us curiously. “Maya, come on.” He called out. I stopped in front of the desk. “Thanks, but I think…” “I think you should eat. I saved you some burgers and a healthy coke. You would need something in that stomach of yours. This is Spadeville dear. If you don’t eat, you can’t function here,” he pointed out smartly. I sighed as I sat down on the table with him. The smell of junk food made my lip salivate. Ian was right. I was so beyond hungry right now. I tentatively unwrapped the burger, and dug into it as classy as I
Days has gone by, but there are somethings that was slowly taking shape. I was becoming stronger, and my growls has intensified, with my eyes changing colours at unruly hours. I decided to get a couple of sunglasses to mask the most vivid defect. They came in various colours to go with my outfit. Chloe had questioned this sudden sunglass fetish, and I’d lied through my teeth, saying it was a phase I was going through. Though, for the life of me, I was getting a bit annoyed with the questions she threw my way at-times. I knew it was all to make me feel as comfortable as possible, but I didn’t like it. I didn’t ask her where she went so late at night, so she shouldn’t ask me to. Ugh! I grabbed my psychology practical workbook from my lecturer’s hands in annoyance. Everything annoyed me of late. It was like I was a ticking time bomb. I didn’t know who I should meet to help me with my newly found attributes. Mike had been the only option, but he didn’t want to hear me out at all. I
I raced through the dark night, trying to escape the dark, and the creature that I had seen moments ago. Then slowly, I went full circle on a tree, it’s shoots sapped into my skin. I was about to scream for all it was worth, when the wolf that attacked me stood in front of me, staring right at me. I waited for it to leap at me, and tear me into pieces, but it never did. Its creepiness got into my skin, and that was all it took to scream back to consciousness. My eyes fluttered open, and my skin was damp with matted sweat. I pushed the makeshift door as I peered into the dark, hoping I hadn’t disturbed Chloe. But, she wasn’t in her bed. And, from my newly acquired night vision. It was evident that she hadn’t even slept in at all. Where did she go every night? I stilled myself from asking. I was getting angry with her series of questioning, and now, I was taking the same route. If you talk about, practice what you preach, I will shove bad influence is rubbing off on you up your arse
Mike… The caller ID almost blinded me with rage. What did the bastard want? His name and face was so annoying, and I wanted nothing more, but to erase him from my life. In rage, I swiped the answer button, placing the phone close to my ears. “What?” I snapped. There was a minute silence. “I need you to listen to me. You need to…” “Who are you to tell me what I need to do?” She snapped in rage. Chloe urned her attention over to me. I smiled at her stiffly in a bid to show everything was alright. Then, I walked over to the other side of the room. It wasn’t that it might help, but it gave a fake sense of privacy. Though, I need to be careful what I spat out. “Maya, I get it. You can’t stand me. But, the grievances you labour over me have to be shelved somewhere now. There are more intense things to worry about?” Mike said stiffly. “Like, what?” I snapped. There was a huff. “You told me you knew that your body is gradually changing into a werewolf. It’s no secret. What we need to d
I tried to control my erratic breathing, seeing Mike at the clearing. I thought about the ominous feeling of being watched, and I pinned it as Mike following me like a creep. It was mildly unsettling. “Quit glaring,” he snapped at me. I pushed forward, and soon a foot from him. “I will do so when you stop being a creep,” I shot back. He gave me one of his icy looks. Apparently, he thought I was being slightly ridiculous about this, or maybe childish and it annoyed me. “How so?” He asked calmly, stepping away from me, and looking into the deep of the forest. I gritted my teeth together, as I followed hot after him. “You literally just sprang up from me out of nowhere. I think that’s a solid reason to call you a creep,” I shouted at him. He said nothing. He lowered himself to the ground, and then broke a harmless twig. He put it close to his face like he was running some sort of science experiment on it, and that annoyed me so much for some reason. “I don’t even know why you bro
The terrain called out to me, and I answered its call. I could feel Mike beside me, watching me, and trying to see how well I would adapt to this situation. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to tell him how much of a fighter I was, but I kept mum. I shouldn’t blow my own trumpet. “Focus,” he snapped at me. I swallowed, and looked forward. There goes my on top of the world tendency out of the window. Ok, I really need to focus. I spread my legs a foot apart from the other, my back ramrod straight. It was mostly out of nervousness, and not the thirst of being prepared. “Run,” Mike said fiercely, in a way that made it seem like we were in danger. My adrenaline shot out in response, and I pushed forward. I was aware that Mike was right beside me, but that didn’t stop me from running like my life depended on it. The earth moved with me, and it was almost like it were a living thing. I gasped at how quick I had gained momentum, running wildly through the forest. No human right now
MIKE There was one thing for sure, I don’t have the courage to do anything I want, and that wasn’t right. I wished I could just go over to Maya’s place, but the truth was that I couldn’t face her. After all the wild talks in my head, I had not been able to get the courage to do anything. “Mike, why are you sitting here by yourself?” I looked up and noted that James was staring at me like he knew all of my secrets, but the truth was that he knew nothing. I should be the one looking at him that way, because he had become a shell of himself, and it was not really because the pack had failed to accept him. There was something else that was going on, and I had no idea what that was. I just knew I couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong this time. “What? Say something?” James said softly. I sighed as I looked away from him, towards the pack members. They were busy doing their things, and I saw Ginny, she was looking restless. I had a feeling that trapping her wolf inside her fo
I stood there in the cavern, my heart racing and my mind struggling to comprehend what was happening. I had no idea where I was or how I had ended up in this strange, otherworldly place. All around me, the walls of the cavern rose up high, towering over me like the jaws of some great beast. As I took in my surroundings, I realized that this was no ordinary cave. The air was thick and heavy, with a strange energy that seemed to pulse through the rocks themselves. The walls were covered in strange, glowing moss that cast an eerie blue light over everything. I looked down at the ground and gasped in amazement. It was as if I had been transported to another planet entirely. The soil was a deep shade of purple, and strange plants grew up out of the ground like twisted, alien versions of earth flora. The air was filled with the sounds of strange creatures, their calls echoing off the cavern walls. I took a step forward, feeling the weight of my fear bearing down on me with each passin
MAYA'S POV. I found myself in a strange room, completely disoriented and confused. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. The room was small and cramped, with peeling paint and dusty corners. It looked like it hadn't been used in years. The only light came from a small window high up on the wall, casting an eerie glow across the space. I tried to remember how I got here, but everything was a blur. I couldn't recall any details, just a sense of unease that had been growing inside me for some time. As I looked around, I noticed that there was only one way out - a heavy wooden door that looked like it had been there for centuries. I approached it tentatively, feeling a sense of foreboding in the pit of my stomach. As I reached for the handle, the door suddenly shut with a loud thud. I jumped back in fright, my heart racing even faster now. I tried to open it again, but it wouldn't budge. I pushed and pulled with all my might, but it seemed to be l
MIKE I was seated at the back of the meeting room with the elders as we planned how we were going to get food supplies. The last time had not being favourable for us. It still made me so angry how everything had turned on its head. I didn’t like it one bit, but there was nothing I could do to change the dynamics. “This issue has been persistent. We are werewolves, and our strengths grows with food. Think about what would happen if we don’t have foodstuffs in the coming week. We would be too weak to go to battle and our enemies would have a greater hand over us. I don’t think that any of us wants that at this point,” one of the elders pointed out. We all agreed to that. Despite my earlier resolve, I was thinking of a way out. The strongest of us could get the food items instead of all of sending the weak links. It won’t be nice if we endangered more of our members just to satisfy out cravings. “Elder,” Adams said. “I think the best thing is do is laying low for some time. The w
THE BEAST Its big disgusting foot moved through the wild as it sought to take a creature into its worm-infested mouth. It was as thorough as ever owing to the many things that had come out of it loins. The animals and insects fled as he came around because it was a gruesome sight to behold. There was no-one who could have been there to understand what all these meant. It was an inexcusable thing, disgusting to say the least. His hands like big bloated wounds brushed the trees as he was in search of just one person: James. It was the only reason that the beast had come to Spadeville. He wanted nothing more than for James to be his snack. The beast could not stand to be in the same space with James. And, he was going to completely destroy him till the end of time. There was no way that James would escape this predator. The beast moved like he owned the place, and then with two of its fingers, it grabbed a baby goat, and that was enough to destroy it all. It was as brutal as br
MAYA My hands slowly touched the bucket handle as I pulled it into the room. There was a ting of nervousness as she stepped into the room. I sniffed in a cobweb, and in response, I coughed continuously and sneezed. I felt like I was in a bubble though I wasn’t really in one. Yet, the feeling was quite intense, and sporadic. My hands flickered upwards as I slowly cleaned the spot till it was enough for me to move forward. Dropping the bucket down, she stepped further into the room. It looked like a room reserved for queens. It was so beautiful and amazing.Yet, caked in dust. The cobweb was like a mask around it, but it didn’t completely dampen the beauty of the whole room. Instead, it made everything seem like it was worth so much. It looked completely beautiful and intense at that very moment. I stepped in further into the room, and took in the spaces. Everything was so nice and hectic at the same time. It was so crazy how much beauty was stored in the midst of dust, and I cou
Maya nervously approached the front door of her small apartment building, knowing that Ian was likely waiting for her on the other side. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, immediately spotting Ian standing in the entryway, arms crossed and a stern look etched onto his face. Maya's stomach twisted with fear at the sight of him, and she paused uncertainly, unsure of how to approach him. Ian's eyes bore into her, and Maya felt like a mouse caught in a trap. She could see the disappointment and anger in his expression, and it only made her feel more guilty for having snuck out of the apartment. She swallowed hard and tried to muster up the courage to speak, but no words came out. "Where have you been?" Ian asked, his voice low and dangerous. The stern look on his face intensified, making Maya feel even more intimidated. She tried to think of something to say, some excuse that would make him go easier on her, but her mind drew a blank. "I just wanted to take a walk," Ma
IAN I have been watching them for so long, and they didn’t seem to be heading anywhere. When would these idiots go in, so I can find out the truth about all these? I hated all these, and I hated Maya and Mike the most. They had the guts to keep playing me and I wouldn’t let it slide. I was going to make sure that they got the tip of their medicine. I would make sure that nothing good comes out of their lives. My fingers slowly encircled the tree branch in rage. I watched as Mike spat some words and pushed Maya to the ground. It was shocking, but I didn’t care. It should all be an act. They were both trying to stay safe. With great pains Maya and Mike mumbled some words, but he angrily worked out to the chair, and sat down painfully. I felt the pain and sadness all at once. I felt like everything was really going down on him, and there was no way out for him. It was the worst thing that could ever happen to someone, but I honestly didn’t feel bad, but relieve at it all. Maya wa
MAYA I pulled him towards me to face me squarely. He glared at me, and despite how intimidating he looked, I wanted to kiss him so bad. I wanted him to see how much he affected me till my roots. I wanted him to understand the feelings that I had inside of me. “I want you to try to put everything that you may be feeling right now at the back of you, and please listen to me,” I said softly. He scoffed. I placed my hands on either side of his cheeks as I tried to make him face me. There was this fear in my heart that I was trying to pull down, and I was failing to do so. How could this keep happening? There is no way I would make this keep happening. I’m going to do all I could to make him see reason. He needed to see my love for him, and how much I cared for him. He needed to see that I didn’t wish him any evil, and I was so in love with him. This would be my hope, for him to see the truth and understand where my heart was. I just wanted everything to be ok, and that no evil was