Ben spent the next few days walking around, holding mistletoe over his head. He liked the innocent kisses the three of us gave him to the point Billy’s threatening glares didn’t scare him anymore. He was happy and no one was going to ruin that for him.
Then one day out of the blue, while Ann and I were sited on the couch, Ben staggered into the room and squeezed between us, placing his head on my laps. He took my hands and placed them on his head. He had a terrible fever.
“Ben, are you sick?” I asked feeling alarmed.
“My head hurts,” he groaned. “Would you massage it please?”
“Okay.” I rubbed his head, but it felt like with every minute that passed he was getting hotter. It felt like I was cradling hot coal on my laps. “Maria, Joe could you come here for a minute?”
“What’s wrong?” Joe asked strolling out of the kitchen holding Maria’s hand.
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Ben gave me a tight, embarrassed smile before he rushed off and sat in between the twins. “So he can only survive on human blood?” I prayed the answer to that question was no.“He can feed on animals. He did the first time we went hunting together.”Ben nodded, “Dears taste better than cows.”“Good to know,” I said, “So what was the problem?”“With all the training and phasing he was losing more blood than what he was taking in.”Maria huffed, wiping the baby food off her sweater, “So why human blood?”Ash pulled me to the couch and hugged me against him, “I wasn’t taking any chances just in case the damage we did was too extent for self-healing.”“You heal faster with human blood.” I utter absently. My eyes were still on Ben. He looked like his old childish self, staring and laughing at the twins. It was like him go
He flipped another page and began reading, “This is my first month as this...”My hand flew over it. I wasn’t ready for that yet either. “Let me leave first.”“He didn’t write this just for himself Lee, so let’s finally read it, together.” He pulled my hand away and hugged it to his chest.***I never thought I’d ever write in a diary but I have no other choice. I feel the real me slip away slowly, and I can’t talk to these people, they’ve been werewolves for too long to remember what it felt like to be normal... to be human.So Mr. Diary, you’ll remind me every day of the man I used to be and keep me sane.Here goes...This is my first month as this creature. The transition was painful but bearable. It’s another kind of pain that I can’t bear...I wish he’d let me die! I would be with Martha r
I sat outside engulfed by the thoughts of my dad’s diary. We stopped reading after week forty-two. Ben thought I needed a break, and I couldn’t blame him. After my dad’s confession I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack. I read a few more pages on my own and then I just couldn’t read anymore.My dad killed someone. Correction, he ate a defenseless girl, and then he tried to kill himself.And the freaky part is they both happened a few days apart from the twins’ birthday. The torment my dad must have been going through reliving what he had done every day. Did he ever regret trying to kill himself? If he had succeeded I would have never had those few months with him.I didn’t know what to feel but the one thing I knew is that I was pissed off!He had tried to kill himself. He had waited for the day he would die with much anticipation as he had waiting to see me again. How much of a fight did he put up to stay ali
“He was a suffering man. Death was an inviting relief.” He half yelled. “When I turned, I wanted to go home and bring my wife so that Ash could turn her too. And once our son was of age, he would turn too. We would be together forever. I would never have to face the risk of them dying.”Confused, “But you told Ash you didn’t have a family.”He arched his eyebrow at me. “What would you have said to a werewolf offering you eternal life, only if you were alone in the world?”I nodded, taking a sip of the Vodka.“Two years later, when I got home, Catherine was dead.” He clenched his jaw and then took a huge gulp of the alcohol, probably hoping to push down his exposed emotions but it didn’t work. It was like watching his heart beat.“She was a casualty of war. Hungry deserters killed her in our farm for a few potatoes. When she didn’t go back home, the neighbor we
I sat on my bed, staring at the diary for the second week, wondering what I would have done in Dave’s place. I’d finished reading it, and it was just filled with memories of everyone else except me. Even my grandparents made the cut, except my mom’s mom, Lena. Her part was like a cliffhanger in a novel.“Do you think she was like me? It would explain why we both didn’t make the cut?”The twins just stared blankly at me in response.I smiled, “This is why I like talking to the two of you. You don’t offer any stupid opinions.”“Maybe because they are babies and they have no idea what you are talking about,” Ash laid on the bed next to me.I cut my eyes at him, “I know they understand me.” I brushed the hair off his forehead. “Ash, do you know anything about my grandma Lena?”He shrugged, “How would I?”I pulled my hand away, too tempted
Ash let out a long breath and then turned to face forward. He stayed quiet for a long while, making me very uneasy.“Tell me about your tattoo?” I asked, hoping the light topic will change his mood.“What tattoo?” He asked drily.I touched his left shoulder, “the one you have here.”He looked at my hand on his shoulder, “it’s a tribal mark. I got it after the initiation.”“Is it supposed to show that you are a man? Was the bear not enough to attest to your manhood?” I joked.He smiled then looked at me, “I prefer that humor.” He took my hand and kissed it, “It’s also a symbol of where I come from, my tribe, my family and my earth name.”“Water?”“River.”“Will AJ have to get one of those?” I asked with much reservation. The more I asked about his family, the more I found out things I didn&rs
I sat on the floor facing the main door, my knees hugged to my chest. This was the tenth day since Ash disappeared and with each passing day I felt like I was losing my mind.“This is my fault, I shouldn’t have trusted him.”Maria put her hands around me. “Everything is going to be okay Lee.”Tears flowed freely down my cheeks, “I can’t lose him Maria. I just can’t.”“It’s been too long. We should have heard from him. At least you guys should have.” Ann lamented.Billy made a frustrated noise. “We’ve searched everywhere and there is no trace of him.”“I’d feel better if we could hear him or sense him. But there’s nothing, just silence.” Joe said.My head shot up, “What are you saying?”Maria tightened her hug. “He doesn’t mean anything by that.”“That mutt led him to
Ben knelt in front of me, his hands squeezing my knees. “I’m sorry Lee. I really wanted to tell you but Ash wouldn’t let me. He said he didn’t want to frighten you.”Billy walked to the door impatiently, “We’ll deal with that another time. Ben, take me to the last place you picked up Ash’s scent.”“Lee...” Ben wept.I looked up at him, “Go. We’ll take about this later.”“Lee.... he might already be dead.”I shot a livid look at him. “For your sake, you better pray he’s not!”He nodded and rushed out the door Billy behind him.Maria went to Joe. “Aren’t you going with them?”He held her tight in his arms. “They are just going for recon and then they’ll come back. We need too plan our attack carefully.”“Lee, are you okay?” Ann asked stroking my arm.No, I