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.
It wasn’t like I wanted to fit in, it’s more like I wasn’t hoping to be completely different from them. It was scary, and what if I had ch…
“I believe you were planning on standing there forever and not knocking on our door for the second time,” Chloe said suddenly.
I looked at her, a bit stunned at her presence. She was wearing a comfy shirt that stopped below her butt, and there were no hint of pants. This was one of the strangest things about squatting.
“Well, I…”
“Come in,” she encouraged as she stepped aside. “I love the fact you take me seriously. I was literally just joking sound with you. Did your sense of humour vanish with you last night?” She teased.
I stepped into the room, with a half-smile on my face, and then., I closed the door behind me quietly. I was going to have to et used to Chloe. She was a bubble of energy.
“Well, I think I got it back in pants,” I couldn’t help, but tease.
Chloe laughed heartily. “I know I look strange. It does set out your lesbian fantasies, right?” She teased as she flopped down on her bed.
I shook my head at her. “Nope, it doesn’t. We’re good.”
I shook out of my jacket, and then walked over to my bed, while looking around. Everything was the same way we left them, and that warmed me up.
“I find it annoying that you won’t offer some sort of explanation on how you vanished out of the party,” Chloe pointed out.
I angled my head to look at her better. She was looking at me intently, and for half a second, I wondered if she knew that I had been beaten or my body was behaving strangely. Ugh! I was literally being paranoid. She was just being a perky roommate.
“You’d have to pay me to divulge it. So, prepare to get more annoyed than it’s strictly required.” I teased softly.
She laughed at me, and then before I knew it, she threw me a bag of chip. I flopped down on the bed, as I opened the pack. I didn’t realise how hungry I was until that moment.
“I literally just bribed you now, Maya. So, you need to tell me what’s up, she said without preamble.
I popped one of the rounded chips into my mouth, and loved how spicy it was. It made me so happy, and hungrier almost at once.
“Hmm... I like how I tease you to do what I want. Tell me where do you think I’d gone to?” I asked calmly.
Chloe got up from her bed, and did a happy dance, kneeling right in front of me. “I think you were pretty badass last night, and you vanished with an extremely hot guy, having nothing short of the night of your dreams.”
I giggled at how silly she was. “Really? Is that one of the handbooks of freshers?” I teased.
She grinned right at me. “No, it’s the handbook of this fresher,” she pointed towards herself.
“So, you did the same then?” I asked quietly.
She straightened her leg, and then fell on the floor with her butt hitting it hard. She whined as she rubbed the spot, while I laughed at her misery.
“That’s totally mean, Maya,” she whined.
I grinned at her. “Totally! And, so is your assumption that I was with some man all night,” I whined.
She laughed at me. “It’s not the same thing. And, don’t look at me that way girl. I know these things.”
“You’re psychic?” I asked, amused.
She sat cross-legged, and placed her hands palm-up on her thighs, with her eyes closed. “I’m manifesting my inner psychic powers,” she said in a rush.
I shook my head at her. “God, you’re so fun. Well, you can think you may be hitting hard at the truth,” I said softly.
She rose her hand into the air like she had won at life, by getting something correct about me. While, I pretty much felt bad for lying. But, how could I tell her that I had spent the night at the werewolf den. It was a secret, and it would remain as such. Moreover, she would think I was crazy. She might have lived here all her life, but I know that some things are better left oneself.
“Tell me all about him,” she whined. I made a motion to signal closed lips. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m pushing my limits.”
“It’s ok, Chloe,” I said as I got up.
“When you get dressed in fresh clothes, because you really stink girl. We can have some girl’s day out. You know, we need to shop, and watch those nighty horror movie,” she said in a rush.
I grabbed my towel. “It’s a date then,” I agreed.
As I walked out, I thought to myself I had never seen such a life-force in my whole life. Chloe was an energy God, and she was beyond amazing at it.
≠
I got back from the bathroom after spending 15 minutes down there, and then settled on blue mini gown. Chloe was also dressed in a black jumpsuit, and ready to hit the door. I couldn’t wait to bond with my roommate, and prospective friend.
Together, we walked out, laughing, playing, and just being silly. I shoved back the part of me which was upset about the Wolf night. I had to focus on Chloe, and not my emotions.
“Holy smokes, look at that,” Chloe whined.
I followed her gaze to the steamy popcorn crackers that bobbled with intensity close to the fashion store. It was amazing, but it wasn’t worth all the hype that Chloe was giving.
“Ehh, it’s just a popcorn, I believe,” I said dryly.
She turned her gaze at me, as she looked at me like I had grown seven horns. “Those things aren’t just popcorns, they are the sweetest things you would eat in your whole life. Trust me,” she whined.
I laughed at her. She was just like a child right now, and that kept me grounded. Her hands touched mine, and she dragged me over to the popcorn stand. Electricity zapped through me, but I looked at Chloe, and she didn’t seem to notice. Maybe, I was a bit paranoid.
After getting our popcorns, and laughing at out silly jokes. We toured Spadeville. At the back of my mind, I did the calculations for all my expenses, I didn’t want to finish the whole money before we even went halfway. That would be a disaster.
We went back home at 5 in the evening, and halfway through the rerun of Stranger Thing season 4, Chloe received a call on her phone, and left the house. I sat down on the plush, letting the CD run on.
“You wouldn’t there come to my room. You know how shy you are with the girls,” someone said.
I stared at the TV, and strangely the dialogue wasn’t coming from there. I moved towards the door, and noted that a girl was on the phone. I could hear her loud and clear.
What was that smell? It smelt like daffodils and Lavender. I had gotten a whiff of it earlier, but now, it seemed to burn in my throat.What was going on? I could also scent things away from this room, like the lasagne, spaghetti and varieties of snacks the whole hostel was eating.
Oh, my God!
I ran to the bathroom, and then, to my horror, my eyes were a startling gold, with it’s irises shaped like that of a… wolf.
“Fuck!”
My hands shot forward as I tried to touch it. Only, for my hand to stop halfway through. I ran back to the bathroom, and rechecked the locks. It was locked. Chloe won’t be back anytime soon, hopefully. I moved over to the small fridge, and poured water in the glass.
No!
I broke the glass with my bare hands. I stared at my hand, hoping to feel pain and some blood gushing out. But, there was nothing.
“Oh, my God!”
Mike’s mother had been wrong. I was turning into a werewolf, and I… “No, relax!” I admonished myself. No-one would find about this. I need to know I’m not going crazy first.
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
For a second, I couldn’t breathe. Mike’s hands around me was the only guarantee I had that I was still alive, and breathing. My fingers clawed through his skin. I wanted to shrink into him in hope to disappear, but I was still there in the middle of the dark forest. “Mike?” I questioned, my tongue clammy in my mouth. His fingers slowly touched my arm, and then, I was thrust away from him. “Run,” he said with such urgency worse than the first time he had said that word. I didn’t wait. I ran. I could feel him behind me, hoarding me from any form of danger. It only made me run blindly. I was slightly weak thanks to the wolfsbane, but it didn’t stop me from pushing forward. I can’t stop now. I had an insane urge to look back, and see if there were any lurking dangers in the shadow, but I stilled myself against it. This wasn’t the time to let my emotions get the best of me. I need to run, and that is all I would do; run. At a boulder, before the big leap to the human world, I felt a h