“What’s up?” My best friend Kimia Graycort nudged my shoulder as she sat down next to me on the bus bench. Her long brown hair was pulled out of her face in a partial ponytail. She was wearing a pair of high waisted denim shorts with a baggy led zeplin t-shirt tied in a knot on the side. She crossed her long tan legs and looked over my shoulder at my phone.“Nothing really,” I responded. “Just reading a web novel while waiting for the two of you.”“Ugh. Not another werewolf drama.” Kimia’s twin brother, Kamran, moaned as he sat on my other side. He had the same brown hair as Kimia, but stylishly cut so it barely brushed his eyebrows. He had on a pair of black basketball shorts and a white t-shirt.
Friday came too slowly for my taste. I loved spending time at the Braedon’s house, and it had nothing to do with Rose. Nope. I do not have a huge crush on her. Okay, so I’m in love with her. When we were younger, Kimi and I would both sleep in her room, but then puberty hit. Suddenly I was relegated to the couch, and I felt lonely. Still, I get to chill with Rose all weekend, provided the demon M&Ms don’t interfere with their torture devices and clown paint again.Mom was going over last minute details with Kimi, Mina, and I as we were all packing. Sarina was planning on going to the same university as Rayan, and wanted to get familiar with the campus. Gayl University is a small school in Northern Wisconsin that caters to our unique community.“Now, you two need to keep a close eye on Mina,” Mom was
We always have the same arguments when the Graycorts sleepover. We almost always end up with Mel Brooks movies on the first night with renting new releases on the other nights. Then there’s what to have on the pizzas. I like veggie pizzas, but all the Graycorts insist on having a meat lover’s supreme. We usually get both with a Hawaian for Mallory and Dad. The five of us were in the living room watching Young Frankenstein when Mina began to look a little uncomfortable. Almost at the same time, Kamron and Kimea inhaled and looked at her. “You okay, Mina?” Kimia asked. “Mmhum,” Mina nodded. Mallory started to notice her friend’s discomfort. Kamron stood up and held his hand out to his little sister. “May
Shit. I ran my hands down my face. My parents were going to kill us. Humans weren’t supposed to know about our kind. I don’t know how the hell we managed to keep it a secret for this long from our best friends, but now it’s all blown up! All because Kimi and I couldn’t keep Rose’s nose out of our business. Granted, she’s my dream girl, and if I had it my way she’d have found out before our wedding, but, still! Shit!“Yes, we are,” Kimi stated, “and we’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone. Kam, go get a blanket for Mina. I’ll need to talk her through changing back, and I don’t think you want to see your baby sister naked.”“She streaks around the house after she bathes,” I grumbled, but did what Kimi suggested. I gr
Wait, what? Kill me? Kimia started giggling. “Kam’s being stupid. We wouldn’t kill you, you idiot.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Humans taste disgusting.”“Kimi!” I stomped my foot as Kimia and Mina walked past me giggling. I followed behind them still a little bit in shock.My best friends are werewolves. My best friends are werewolves! How awesome is that? I tried to contain my excitement as we snuck back inside to get Mina’s pyjamas. I volunteered as tribute to distract my sister while the wolves snuck into her room.Mallory glanced at me when I plopped down in my favorite chair. “Everything okay?” she asked.“Yeah,
The weekend practically flew by, and Sunday came all too soon along with Rina and my parents. Since it was a school night, Mr. and Mrs. Braedon all but shoved us out the door and back home. I guess they were sick of their house swarming with teenagers. Besides, I knew my parents wanted a full update on their youngest pup in person. Mina had called them on Saturday to let them know she had shifted, but nothing beats my mother’s live reactions.“I can’t believe my baby is a young woman!” my mother exclaimed during Sunday dinner.“She did really well, for her first shift,” Kimi smiled at Mina.I smirked at my baby sister. “She only called for you once, Mom.”“
It’s a relief to go to school after a night around my unfiltered mom. Rose, Kimi, and I ride to school with Rina, but take the city bus home while Rina drives to her after school job. Of course, Rina, being Rina, thinks it’s funny to threaten Rose once she’s in the car.“I’ll eat you if you spill to anyone.”“I’ll just slather myself in Bath and Body Works lotion. Kimi says it tastes disgusting. Besides, what’s the point of broadcasting that you like to turn into a hairy beast and shit in the woods? Nobody would believe that someone as prissy as you would do that.” My Rose has guts, I’ll give her that.“I do not shit in the woods. I’m not like Ray or Kam. Besides, you have one thing right. I wouldn
“Whoah,” Kamron stopped in his tracks.“I smell it too,” Kimia said also stalled.“What? What do you smell?” I asked, wondering if it was me, but dismissing it almost immediately because they would have said something in the car.“I think there’s a new student, and that student is like us,” Kamron said with wide eyes.I almost couldn’t contain my excitement. More werewolves at my school! I could just squeal! “You can tell just by the smell?”“Yeah,” Kimia responded, “and he’s not related to us.”&l
“Fuck,” I swore as Ray kicked my ass at Mario Kart. Ray chuckled with both hands in the air. “Suck it, pup! I finally won for the first time since you were ten!”I tossed the controller and ran my hands over my face. Game nights at the frat house and losing to my brother were the least of my worries. Rose had been officially charged with manslaughter, and bailed out until her trial in a few weeks. At the advice of her lawyer, Rose and her mom signed a temporary lease at another apartment complex. Something about not sleeping with the victim’s family.“You are off your game, bro,” one of my frat brother’s slurred. “Nobody beats Kamron the Machine.”Ray bumped my shoulder. “He’s right. You’re stressing more than usual.”“Maybe because Rose has been avoiding me,” I sighed. Garrett, a sophomore, shook his head. “You must be reading too much into it. That girl is head over heels for you. She’s probably just overwhelmed with her trial and shit.”I shook my head. “I’ve known her my whole l
“Come on back, and we’ll have you give us a urine sample, then Rina will draw some blood samples to make sure your baby is okay,” Deb’s voice filtered through the office to my station. It’d been a little busier this month, but that was to be expected a few weeks after Spring Break. Lots of little surprises.“R-rina?” a familiar voice stammered. “Rina works here?” Elli and Deb rounded the corner to my space, and I had the sample cup ready with the alcohol wipes.“I sure do, Ellie,” I replied. “Congratulations. The bathroom is right through that door, and I’ll be here ready to draw your samples when you’re done.” I pointed to the door of the restroom where our expecting mothers give their samples every time they come in.Deb looked between us. “You two know each other?” I shrugged. “Small school, and we spent Spring Break together in Mexico.”Elli was pale and shaking a little as she grabbed the cup she was supposed to pee into, then made a b-line for the bathroom. Deb leaned over to m
“Now, Kimi,” Dr. Mayfeld started on our bi-monthly telesessino, “have you and Nate talked about finding a couples therapist to help the two of you transition into parenthood?”I shook my head. “Not yet. We will, but between school and my cousin’s demise, we haven’t exactly made it a priority.”“I understand,” she nodded. “I hate to say it, but you and your friends have gone through one hell of a year. Are you sure you aren’t cursed?”I laughed. “If I believed in curses, I might think that too. I mean, it is possible that Kirsten cursed us when she went to prison.”“Seriously,” she calmed down, but still smiled, &ldq
My parents knocked on our apartment door a few hours after we’d come home from the station. I really appreciated Kimi telling off Kam for me. It was the weirdest feeling. I was almost out of my body for most of the afternoon. It was a little surreal. I also both wanted to be hugged and cuddled, but I also wanted to be left alone.I kept thinking that it was my fault a person was dead. Yes, Matty was a horrible person who attacked me, but I didn’t want him dead! Call me optimistic, but I hoped for him to pay for his crimes, then come out a better person who had learned to respect others.I’d spent most of my time in my room, and barely registered when my mom walked in and sat on my bed. “Oh, my sweet Rose,” she sighed and pushed my curls out of my face. “I am so sorry you have to go thro
“Shit hit the fan, and I’m at my sister’s for a few days,” I explained to Elli over the phone.“I can’t believe all that has happened,” Elli replied. “Is Rose okay?”I sunk into my sister’s couch and sighed. “I honestly don’t know. They hadn’t returned by the time I cleared out. I hope her parents don’t find my room disgusting.”“Why wouldn’t they just get a hotel?” Elli asked.The question confused me. “I’m sure they could, but their daughter just killed a guy in self defense. She kinda needs all her family around her now.” Then a thought occurred to me. “Were you thinking about
“I want to see my fiance. I need to know she’s okay,” I shouted at the officer at the front desk of the police station.Kimi put a hand on my shoulder. “Kam, calm down. They have to go through the hoops. Besides, Officer West sounded like someone who is fair.”I spun to face my sister. “My fiance and your best friend is back there by herself, probably scared to death, and the only people available to her are people in our uncle’s pocket. I’m not going to calm down until I know she’s safe!”“Kam, you making a scene isn’t going to get her out here faster,” Nate tried to reason. He turned to the officer. “Is there someone who can come out and tell us what happened?”
Blake finally managed to push the door to the men’s room open. He broke the lock in the process, but the screaming he heard terrified him. He regretted not being faster when he observed the scene.A man was lying under a broken urinal with eye wide open, and unfocused. His jaw was slack, and a shocking amount of blood was pooled under his head. He looked back out into the hall, and grabbed a random student. “Call 911, and get someone here, now!”The student glanced into the bathroom. “Holy shit!”Blake carefully walked around the body to the woman shuddering in a ball against the wall of the open stall. “Hey,” he said gently. “Are you okay?” He reached a hand to her shoulder, and she flinched.
“Welcome back, everyone,” Professor Anderson greeted the class when she walked into the room. “I hope everyone had a fun, safe spring break? I see we’re still missing a few people. Hopefully they return before the next class. In the meantime, please go to the class webpage.”I already had it up, so I just scanned the page looking for what I expected her to click. I found it under the assessments tab. “I would hope you all are intelligent enough to find what I’d like you to do today, but in case you’re hung over, or not up to your best mental state, find the assessments tab, and click on the test titled, ‘Post Spring Break Quiz.’“The password is capital ‘I’ underscore, paid, underscore, too, with two ‘o’s, underscore, much, underscor
The apartment in Gayl was becoming more and more like home to me. Walking through the apartment door Sunday before school started felt like a weight was lifting off my shoulders. Granted, Kimi and I still needed to finish the nursery for our little girl, and we still had school, but we were happiest here. At least I was, anyway.I guess Kimi wasn’t as happy. She waddled into our room, and fell onto the bed on her back. “Ugh,” she grunted, “would you be offended if I said I miss the bed in Boston?”I chuckled. “Not at all. It was a damn comfortable bed..”“Much bigger than this full size one,” she said and rolled over so she could sit up. “I swear if this little girl gets much bigger, we’ll need a bigger bed.&r