Chapter 1 Elle's Special Day

20 years later

Elle’s POV

Elle woke up before her alarm, immediately alert. She was a typical teenager who hated getting up early. But it was her 18th birthday, and she was excited about her plans for the weekend. She just had to make it through one more day of school.

She sat at her bedroom mirror and brushed her straight blonde hair. It had grown so long. It took a while to take care of her hair, but she was dedicated to caring for it before bed and in the morning. After brushing her hair, she moved away from the mirror to examine her crop top and skinny jeans.

She was a mere 5’ and barely weighed 120 lbs. She checked her push-up bra, silently wishing they were bigger. Then Jimmy would definitely notice her. Oh well, he would have to settle for her slim waist and curvy hips. Her crop top would draw enough of his attention anyway. 

She moved in closer to the mirror to examine her heart-shaped face. After applying a small amount of blush to her pale cheeks, she added a  little bit of red eyeshadow to make her green almond eyes pop. Then she applied a little watermelon chapstick and put it in her jean’s pocket. It was easier to keep up with during the day than lipstick.

Elle quietly wished that her mother had bought her the happy birthday sash and tiara that she had asked for. She would gladly sport that all day throughout school! But her mother had said no. Oh well, the day was going to be amazing anyway!

She hummed to herself as she headed downstairs to the kitchen. Her parents whispered in hushed, urgent tones. She expected to see her mom’s usual cheerful smile as she made pancakes for her birthday.

Her mom handed her a box of Elle’s favorite cereal and said, “eat up. We don’t want to be late for school.” Elle looked at it confusedly for a moment. 

Where were her pancakes? She pensively looked at her mother again and sensed how worried she was. She didn’t have time to argue.

Elle went to the cabinet and ripped a bowl out. She dropped it noisily on the table and glanced at her mom, expecting to be scolded for her attitude. But her mom only looked scared.

Elle sat next to her sister, munching on her cereal. Tabitha was 10. She and Elle were not best friends, but they tolerated each other. Tabitha smiled at her but didn’t say anything.

Mom and Dad hovered behind her. While she could feel their eyes on her back, they did not speak. Well, if they weren't going to wish her a happy birthday, she would remind them what day it was. “I will only be coming home for a little while before my party tonight.”

Mom said, “Mhmm darling,” before walking out of the room, wringing her hands. Dad followed closely behind her. She could hear them mumbling in the other room, but she couldn’t make out their words. 

“Mom’s really worried about something. Dad is trying to calm her down, but I can tell he is anxious too.” Tabitha told her.

“What is she worried about?” Elle wondered nervously, staring at the door they had walked out.

“I don’t know. Maybe it's because you're one year closer to death.” Tabitha exaggerated the last word. It was the closest anyone had come to acknowledging her birthday today.

“You're so weird,” Elle said, indicating her obsession with death. But Tabitha was too busy pretending to be hanged.

Mom and Dad came back to the room. The car ride to school was unusually quiet, as tension hung in the air in place of conversation. Elle stood outside the school watching her mother drive away; she felt weird. 

Why were mom and dad acting like that? How come her mother hadn’t made pancakes for her birthday breakfast like normal? They hadn’t even given her birthday wishes. 

Last year, her parents had done something similar before surprising her with a party. But they had remained their usual happy selves. This morning they seemed miserable. Elle felt cheated, which left her feeling forlorn and angry.

Her gaze drifted over the parking lot, taking in all the cars and the other kids. Across the street from the school, half-hidden behind a fence, there was an extremely large white wolf. Its beautiful coat shone brightly in the sunlight while its golden eyes pierced through her like a dagger.

The wolf stood out like a sore thumb. What was a creature like that doing in the middle of town? Yet, no one else seemed to notice it.

“Hey, bonehead!” Tara exclaimed as she pulled Elle into a hug, surprising her out of her thoughts. “Happy birthday, girl!” 

When she glanced across the street, the wolf was gone. Had she imagined it? “Thanks,” Elle said distractedly as she allowed Tara to lead her into the school. 

“What's going on?” Tara asked, eyeing her.

“Mom and dad are acting weird this morning. It is the first birthday I can remember where mom did not make pancakes for us.” Elle complained. It was great to have someone she could talk to. 

“Maybe they were busy?” Tara tried to explain in an attempt to make Elle feel better.

“They didn’t even say ‘happy birthday.’ Tabitha said they were stressing over something, but no one knows what!”’ Elle threw her hands in the air exasperatedly. “Maybe they are still mad that I almost killed us the other day in that car accident?”

“Well, we can figure it out later. Homeroom is about to start!”

The school day dragged on as Elle attended class after class. She wondered if she should have skipped class. She and her friends could have gone to the local hangout in the woods. But it was too late now. This was the last class of the day and then she could party with her friends!

The teacher was giving a lecture on ‘heroes throughout the centuries’. It was about some of the most famous literary pieces and what all the heroes had in common. When her teacher mentioned Michael Corvin from Underworld, it reminded her of her childhood.

It was movies like Underworld that had inspired her to play heroine. She dreamed about saving the world and falling in love. But that wasn’t reality. 

Reality was college after high school. She shook off the nostalgia as she remembered her excitement at being accepted into Parsons New School for Design in New York. She was off to a very prestigious start. 

She just had to finish the school year. Although, there wasn’t much left. Attendance and finals were all that she had to worry about.

It was incredibly awesome because NYU gave Jimmy a sport’s scholarship. So, they wouldn’t be far from each other. They could even share an apartment! 

She had not seen him all day and assumed it was because they were in different classes. So when the bell rang, she waited outside. But Elle grew disappointed as she waited for him. He had not yet shown up when Tara smacked her on the back. “Let’s go get ready for day 1 of partying!” 

Elle followed Tara to her car quietly. She knew that Tara would just remind her that Jimmy would be at her party. They could hook up there. But something was off about today and Jimmy would know how to get her out of this funk.

As Tara drove out of the school parking lot, Elle saw the same wolf sitting behind that fence again. Closer up now, she could see scars from previous battles.

“Do you see that?” She asked.

But by the time Tara asked, “Huh? What? Where?” the wolf had disappeared from sight again.

“Nothing. Never mind.” Elle shook her head. 

Tara gave her a sideways glance. “You are acting so weird today.” She teased.

Elle shrugged. “I feel weird today.”

When they got to Elle’s house, she ran inside. “Mom! Dad! Tara and I are going to get ready for the party and head over.” There was no response. 

Normally, her parents were in the kitchen when she got home from school. They cooked dinner together. It was really romantic. Jimmy had a lot to live up to. But a quick search of the house revealed that no one was home.

It added to the apprehension that something was off today, but she didn’t know what. She hated this feeling. Scrunching her nose, Elle decided to forget about it and went to get Tara.

“Where are your parents?” Tara asked as she entered the front door. Elle shrugged before pulling her friend to her bedroom.

“I don’t know, but let’s get going, shall we?”