The Howling

CHAPTER ONE.

The cry of the baby echoed in the hospital's private ward. Trainor clung to her baby in tears, her clothes torn, her body badly wounded. She paced up and down the hospital ward in an effort to protect her newborn daughter from the beasts that surrounded her.

When Trainor barged in with his pistol, the Alpha of the pack laughed hysterically.

"Please leave my family out of this." Trainor humbled himself, bringing down his pistol. "Please, I promise not to disturb you again."

"Corporal Trainor!" The Alpha double hit Trainor across the face, causing him to fall. "How many of my people have you killed? How many have you kidnapped?"

"I will take you to the ones still alive." Trainor looked up at the alpha. "I never killed any of your people with intent. We only captured them and took them to the federal laboratory for examination, experiment."

"I see, Corporal!" The alpha smiled, looking at Mrs Trainor and the newborn baby.

"Please don't harm us. We are innocent," Trainor pleaded faintly. "We will do anything you want."

"Give me the boy!"

"No! Stay away from my daughter!" Trainor said, struggling up to his feet. "Leave my family out of this, take me instead."

"A girl?" The alpha questioned, walking towards Trainor. "Beautiful child, now bring her to me."

Mr Trainor tried to fight, but was nearly killed by the werewolves. He lay there almost lifeless, looking at the alpha, his family at their mercy. There was nothing he could do, he could see their deaths with his optical eyes.

"We don't have much time before the police arrive," the alpha spoke. "I forgive you, but, I'd like to give you a gift and you must accept my gift." He snatched the newborn from Mrs Trainer, and gave her bites on the neck. Trainor screamed to no avail, and only stopped when the alpha placed the newborn in her arms. She tossed the newborn, searching for wounds or marks.

"What did you do to my child?" Trainor cried out.

"She is now one of us!" The alpha smirked. "A special one at that, she will be your doom."

The room dropped dead!

"Now I'll see what you will do, will you kill your own daughter? Or turn her in to be used as an experiment, or will you live with a werewolf? A creature that you have lived all your life fighting and destroying?" The alpha straightened up. "You either destroy her or she will destroy you. Merry Christmas, Mr. And Trainor. Enjoy the holidays."

The alpha left the ward with his pack.

The room was filled with heavy, sad tears from Trainor. She clung to her baby and wept like rain.

"She can't stay," Mr Trainor managed to speak.

"Are you crazy?" Mrs Trainor crawled to Trainer, hitting him mildly. "Nothing is wrong with my child! You, them and everyone should stay away from my child." Trainor cried bitterly.

"I love her more but..."

"But what?"

"If she stays.. "

"What will happen? You want to kill my child?"

"She will turn to a beast when she grows, terrorizing the country."

"She won't. We will bring her up with so much love and prestige, nothing will go wrong, trust me, honey."

Trainor stretched his hand and rubbed the newborn's cheeks, and flashed a smile at her. "Her name is Megan!"

"Megan, I love you so much," Trainor said, looking directly into Megan's eyes.

***

"All my life I've lived your own life!" Megan screamed at her parents. "You've been building bridges with my tears, I am tired of this madness! Tell me something, how long does this have to last?"

"For as long as I am alive." Mr Trainor moved closer to Megan. "Did you hear me?"

Mrs Trainor held on to Trainor, sneezing his arm gently in a bid to control his temper. "She doesn't know what she's doing. She's only a child."

"I am not a child, I am twenty-one, I am an adult." Megan's face burned with anger, her eyes bleary red. "If you do not let me go, I will send venom to your son."

"Please don't. Josie is the only brother you've got in this world," Trainor pleaded, falling to her knees.

"Don't beg her." Even though he wasn't looking at Megan, Mr Trainor shot his words at her, then turned to face her almost immediately. "The threats of the dead do not move me."

Megan smirked. "You're all living on borrowed time. Be careful."

"Time will tell who amongst us in this house is living on borrowed time," Trainor challenged.

Josie's footsteps echoed in the living room as he walked in. "Whatsup, my favourite people?" He smiled brightly, but the smile disappeared almost immediately. He scanned their faces in bewilderment.

***

Zain was face timing with his phone when Megan walked inside the gymnasium with her shoulder bag, blowing bubbles with the gum she was chewing. Opening her bag, she brought out her Apple speaker, and began blasting pop music. Zain didn't look up or blink an eye. Both of them never saw eye to eye. Megan was not one of his favourite people, and she didn't care. She paid him dust!

Megan moved back, and with speed, jumped on the parallel bar. After a while, she fell off the parallel bar risking her left ankle. Surprised to see Jordan watching her, she stood up with a zest, pretending not to hurt.

"Hey, Jordan!" She couldn't mask the surprise in her tone. "I thought the academy suspended you?"

Megan Trainor, twenty-one years old blonde, sassy and bitter. She was hardly in the Academy's good books. Aside from being known for her arrogance and viciousness, the only good things folks said about her were her constant wins during inter-state games.

"Well, I'm back. Nice to meet you again," Jordan Sparks responded with a mocking smile.

Jordan gently climbed the parallel bar, dancing and displaying moves. Feeling a little sense of defeat, Megan turned to leave the hall.

"See you at the Olympics, Megan." Jordan made sure to scream, so it echoed in Megan's ears.

Jordan Sparks, twenty-two, with her signature green hair, knew that the Olympics this year was going to take her and her family out of the trenches. No one except her spirit gave her that assurance, not even the executives of Ocean Academy.

Jordan had always been the Academy's favourite and most well-behaved. Everyone knew she was the Academy's MVP this year.

Megan left the gymnasium. She knew what Jordan was up to. She seemed to be successful at pretending to be the good one among both of them.

Leaning on her sports car, she bent to pick up a note at the same time Coach Maleek did, and their heads bumped against each other. She gasped, as the impact of the collision ricocheted through her skull.

"Sorry, hope it doesn't hurt much?" Coach Maleek said, his cadences trimmed.

Megan frowned. "I saw Jordan training. Coach Zain was in there and didn't say anything." She didn't look away. "I thought Jordan was suspended from the Academy?"

Coach Maleek shook his head. "According to an insider and a reliable source, Dream Chasers is not playing this year. We need Jordan Sparks to represent us at the Olympics this year."

Megan wasn't one to give up easily. Obviously she wasn't convinced. "She broke one of the rules of Ocean Academy. She went to a party that we were strictly warned not to attend. If the reverse was the case, I'm certain I wouldn't be given the consideration y'all gave her." The instant the words flew out of her mouth she knew she'd made a critical mistake.

She could tell from the look on Coach Maleek's face that he had expected this reaction from her. But she hadn't meant to snap at him. Remorse filled her gut. Tears burned the back of her eyes.

This didn't seem fair to her. In the past she had always been punished for each rule of the academy she broke. Why was Jordan's different?

Coach Maleek inhaled deeply, forcing himself to look away. He put the note in his pocket and straightened up. "If you really want to pass the audition and make it to Olympics this year, then forget about Jordan and focus on training."

Megan stared at him in reticence.

"Understood?" Coach Maleek looked Megan in the eyes, expecting an instant reply.

Megan simply nodded, and with that, Coach Maleek left.

Megan needed to discover who lifted Jordan's suspension, the one who was sponsoring Jordan's excesses. She looked up at the Gymnasium, sighed then entered her sports car.

***

"Jordan!" Mrs Sparks walked leisurely into her living room, her eyes flitting between Sparks and Jordan. "Do we have a problem?"

Jordan could feel the intensity of her mother's stare as she waited for her to answer.

"We need money for dad's medication," Jordan finally answered.

"Again?" Sparks sighed. "When will this end, I take care of all the bills in this house, including our feeding, the least you and Tory can do is help out when it comes to your father's medication."

"Don't sound like I don't contribute financially in this house. And Tory? Goodness, Mom! Tory is barely sixteen!" Jordan lashed out.

Sparks studied her, obviously trying to gauge her feelings, but Jordan made sure her face showed neither happiness nor anger.

She wasn't lying anyway. She contributed in the house financially, in her own little ways. She always outdid herself. What more could she do to please her mother?

Sparks turned away and left the living room, and headed to the backyard. Her friend, Caroline, was right. Leaving was the best option.

"Don't worry, Dad, I'll buy your drugs tomorrow," Jordan softly said, reassuring her father.

For an answer, all Sparks could do was nod his head. He felt bad for his family, especially his two kids, Jordan and Tory. Oftentimes he wondered how they felt being stuck with a blind and dumb father.

A million times he'd chosen death over his current predicaments. It's been two days since he last heard Tory's voice, he wondered where he was and what he was doing.

"I'll go fix dinner, Dad," Jordan said, interrupting his thoughts.

Jordan sauntered into the kitchen, then stood still and stared at the leaking ceiling. Her thoughts were interrupted by a call. Frowning, she picked up the call reluctantly, then spoke with an air of insouciance, "Hi, Austin, what's good?... Tonight?... Didn't you read my messages? I'm sorry I can't make it tonight, my dad..."

"Just order food for your dad, I'll pay." Austin's horny voice was impatient. "Don't keep me waiting, and please put on something sexy." He dropped the call.

Jordan reached for the kitchen door and left.

Sparks froze for an instant, her mind struggling to accept what she'd heard. She had been eavesdropping on Jordan the whole time. She touched her chin lightly. Which Austin was Jordan going out with? She wondered. Austin Quavo or Austin Bernard?

***

Megan jumped into her bedroom quietly through the window. She took off her jacket and tried to settle in, but before she could reach the light switch, someone turned it on and light flooded the room. Startled, she called out, "Mom?"

"Where are you coming from?" Trainor questioned.

Megan looked into the mirrored wall, observing the tiny bruises on her face and bloodshot eyes. "I went for a walk."

"Obviously," Trainor said, using her eyes to scan Megan's body. "Why is your tracksuit stained with blood? The bruises on your face, your eyes, your rough hair..." Slowly, Mrs Trainor raised her voice. "You went to see them, didn't you?"

"They are my family."

"No," Trainor shook her head in disagreement, "we are your family."

"Mom, please not tonight."

"Megan Trainor, you belong here. Forget about those vampires, they'll only do you harm, Megan. I am your mother, I gave birth to you."

"Firstly, I am not a vampire, they are not vampires either. Secondly, I can't wait to leave here."

"Vampires, werewolves, they are all the same. The same creatures."

"Once I've completed my contract I'll be gone. And then there'll be no stopping me. No reason to keep me here, no excuses." She fell on her bed, humming melodiously.

***

Monday morning after chores, Megan and her two friends, Aria and Tanya, drove up the main highway in Megan's sports car. Their faces basked in the yellow sun.

"I swear on my life, Jordan was training yesterday at the gym. I approached Coach Maleek about it, and all he could say was that I should focus on passing the audition," Megan said, her eyes focusing on the highway. "Then that other man, Zain, was just in there pretending not to see what was happening."

Aria swallowed hard. "You've been with Ocean since kindergarten, Jordan only joined five years ago, your dad is an executive in the academy, there's no way Jordan will make it to the Olympics and you won't."

"I don't want her to make it past the audition. Everyone seems to be talking about how good she is and under the impression that she's the shooting star of Ocean. I hate to see it. I should have that spot. I mean, that has always been my spot until Jordan happened."

The more Megan thought and talked about Jordan, the sicker she felt. She knew Jordan must have traded her body to one of the executives of Ocean, in order to lift her six months suspension. She just couldn't tell who it was.

Could it be Coach Bello from the other district? Coach Bello had always been the one pushing her to limelight. No, it couldn't have been him.

Megan frowned as she remembered that Coach Bello was gay and hardly looked at women. She tried so hard not to cloud her thoughts with Zain. She hated him too much to even let herself think a second about him. Who the heck was he? Always masquerading around as an alpha male.

"Hey, I've drafted the perfect plan to end Jordan," Tanya announced excitedly, hoping to please Megan. It was expedient for her to please her.

Megan was Tanya's survival plan. Growing up in the orphanage, she had always had the desire to look for her family. Family was everything to her, life to her was incomplete without blood ties. She was incomplete and Megan was the instrument for finding the wholeness she craved.

Megan drove inside Spices Lounge and Cafeteria. She parked wrongly, blocking a black Jeep. Turning to face Tanya, she said, "Let's hear this plan of yours."

"Let's give her a scandal. A scandal she can't afford," Tanya replied, packing her braids into two.

"A scandal?" Aria wearily asked. "I don't like the sound of this, babes."

"I love it!" Megan exclaimed, her face brightened with a smile. "We just need to look for a perfect scandal, which I am suggesting should be a sex scandal."

"It will instantly get her expelled from Ocean, and no academy will accept her," Tanya added.

Megan and Tanya high-fived excitedly.

The whole plan didn't sit well with Aria. Jordan didn't deserve what they were planning. She somehow wished there was something she could do to stop them or save Jordan. Ratting out her best friends was the only option, but she knew she couldn't do that to her best friends.

Their thoughts were Interrupted by the sound of a black Jeep that bashed Megan's sports car. Megan stepped down from her car in rage, ready to tear apart whoever it was that scratched her sports car.