INTRODUCTION

PROLOGUE

“Your fur is blood red” the girl named Susan gasped reaching out to touch him.

He looked at her solemnly bringing himself closer for her to touch.

“You are glittering, the prophesy must be true. You are indeed the chosen one, purest Alpha bloodline in a thousand years, you are going to cleanse us of this curse.” She said again her green eyes glowing in delight.

Karl had no idea if he considered being a werewolf a curse or a blessing but he was sure of one thing, he truly was the one prophesied in the holy scriptures of the wolves. The one they said would cry wolf and bring all to their knees

EPISODE ONE

Karl Matthew, a boy of sixteen trudged the dusty street oblivious to the danger that was following closely behind him. He was in his own universe, headphones covering his ears and glasses perched on his nose. The man observed him following closely behind, scoffing at the situation and how he was asked to follow his tiny child who could hardly tie his shoe laces in a proper knot but he could hardly question the boss and so he followed, making sure not to be noticed all though he wondered if the boy would even notice an earthquake with the way he had buffed himself up with so many devices.

Introductions are in order, Karl Matthew, only son of Abraham Matthew and Laura Davids. Mother dead and father remarried. Karl is a dark, five foot five inches tall boy who had seen more of life than it had to offer, he was intuitive and very quiet. He knew right before his mother died that she was going to die so he wasn’t surprised when his father had come back that night to announce her death, he merely nodded and went back to bed. Many might think he was depressed but he alone knew what was going on with him, he alone knew he wasn’t depressed and most of the time he dreamt events before they even happened.

Karl walked past his favorite candy shop and sighted some of his school mates in it, he tried waving to them but could hardly get their attention. It had been like that since they discovered Karl was African, Nigerian precisely. Well half but they did not seem to care and to top it all off he has always been weird so they blamed that on his heritage as an African. Karl had no problems about his lineage or being Nigerian except the fact that his father never mentions anything about his country or where they were from, the only thing Karl knew was that he was a Yoruba person and it was a tribe in Nigeria. Anytime he tried to ask his father questions about where they came from, he was always shut off and immediately redirected. According to his old man

“your place is here, you have no business with that place or even going back there so can you stop asking me questions I won’t ever answer.”

“There is nothing wrong in wanting to know my heritage dad, you have to tell me, you owe me that”

“Karl Matthew, I owe you nothing except the food you eat, the roof over your head and the clothes on your back, stop pestering me this instant.”

Karl had read books and more history journals about the place called Nigeria but it did no justice to it, he was always intrigued and even tried learning some Yoruba words on the internet but flopped woefully.

He was sixteen now and sometimes he felt some part of him was waiting for something but he did not know what it was, he was hungry and that hunger was threatening to devour him. As Karl walked, he listened to music and thought.

……..

“What took you so long Karl, we need to go over to your mother’s place to visit her parents.” His father said immediately Karl entered the house.

“I am too tired to go Dad, raincheck?”

“You know you do this every year and I have said no to you Every time, I don’t know why you insist on doing it knowing I will still say No” his father had replied him.

“Well it’s not too bad to try, maybe one day you will see that my mother’s family detests you and you will finally take your L and stop going to visit them.”

“You think I don’t know or I haven’t noticed the side looks I get anytime we go there. I am only going to honor the memory of your mother, bless her heart.”

“And I am sure she appreciates that, wherever she is right now. Don’t you think it is time you lived a little? You are remarried and I still don’t see you happy.”

“Well now Karl, aren’t you the therapist? Go freshen up and get dressed, I don’t want to be late and give them another reason to talk.”

“Late or not father, they will talk.” Karl muttered and climbed the stairs wearily.

He knew his mother’s family had never liked his father and he always assumed it was because his dad was an African and his mom a white but most times he wondered if it was something more than that, he was literally the only thread joining them all together. They adored him and it pained him to see how little attention they paid his father.

He went up to his room and began arranging it, he had left it in disarray this morning as he was dressing up for school and according to his dad, he would always meet his room however he left it. I guess he could thank God his father wasn’t a nosy person and his privacy was intact. Karl gathered up his batman comic books and those of wonder woman who he only read so he could fantasize about how sleek her body is and how she would look naked, it is a cartoon character but that did not stop him from wanting to marry her when he makes enough money.

Karl carefully counted all sixteen episodes of his comic books and stuffed them into their case, they were one of the things he did not mess with.

He undressed and jumped into the shower then let out a Yelp of pain, he noticed a mark he had never seen before on his arm, red and throbbing, it was in the shape of an eagle. Karl was super perplexed but decided to ignore it as he washed careful to avoid upsetting that particular place it was, he made a mental note to ask his father what it was and how it came out just now.

……..

It was time to go, they were going to sleep over and then come back the following morning to prepare for church, his father was an avid member of a Presbyterian church in their area and he insisted on taking Karl to the church every time. Karl decided at a very young age that he was hardly a believer of the gospel and all it entailed but that did not stop him from accompanying his father to church and watching the sermons on television, you could say he was intrigued at how well the preachers could weave words.

His father’s phone rang immediately they were about to leave and he excused himself to get the call while Karl grabbed a seat watching the clock and quite happy they were going to be extra late for the family’s gathering which he hated to attend. His father came back few minutes later with a very worried look on his face.

“What is the matter Dad?” Karl asked.

“I don’t think we can go for the gathering today, Erica is in the hospital”

“What happened to her? I thought she was going over to her parent’s place for the weekend.” Karl asked wondering why his step mother was in the hospital.

“Yes she was, I don’t know exactly what happened, I am going over to the hospital right now, we could get that raincheck you have been so desperately craving.”

“Well it doesn’t matter Dad, I can go on my own for the gathering and they wouldn’t even want you there anyways”

“I thought you didn’t want to go” his father asked confused.

“I would not be doing anything here so it’s better I go represent us at the gathering. I can handle it Dad, I am sixteen years old”

“And still my little boy” his father said ruffling his hair while Karl shrugged helplessly.

“Okay, you can take the bus straight there while I take the car alright, see you tomorrow son and please take good care of yourself.”

“I will Dad, don’t worry about me.”

“Remember what I have always told you..”

“Yes Dad, no fighting, control your anger and always be silent” Karl recited rolling his eyes.

“That’s very good Karl, take those things seriously and maybe…” his father’s voice trailed away, his eyes clouding with regret.

“Maybe what Dad?” Karl asked noticing the change in his mood.

“Nothing important my son, now run along and make sure to phone me immediately you get there.”

“I will father, take care of yourself too”

They both parted ways with Karl headed to his mother’s family house and his Dad headed to the hospital on Greenland Avenue.

 Karl got to his mother’s family house and was welcomed with hugs and kisses, only one person asked about his father and Karl told him about the accident and how his father had rushed to the hospital to be with his wife, Karl did not fail to also integrate in the person’s head that he was the one that decided to come alone so even when he decides to spread rumors, he would include that as well. Karl tried calling his father throughout the day but could not reach him, it worried him that his father had not deemed it fit to try contacting him to ask if he got to the place safely and wondered if the accident his step mother Erica got into was that serious.

Karl thoroughly enjoyed himself and he wondered if it was because his father was not with him that they all showered him with double the love, he looked over at his grandmother who presided over the house with her non smiling face and was glad his mother was never like this. Once or twice he heard her mutter to herself and then shake her head after staring at him for too long, apparently his coloring bothered her too.

The next day Karl could still not reach his father and this had him very worried, he bid his family goodbye and jumped into an early morning bus, there was no way everything was fine and his father had still not contacted him.

Karl met the most eerie silence when he got to his home and felt goosebumps coat his arms and shivers travelling up his spine.

“Dad?” he said uncertainly as he climbed into the house. It was dark, somebody had drawn the blinds and curtains shut and he was pretty sure his father would never do that, the only sound he could hear was the rolling of the ceiling fan to indicate the presence of electricity.

“Dad, why is it so dark? Are you here?” he shouted and cringed as his voice bounced off the walls. He began feeling his way around the house heading to the direction he was sure the switch was before his leg encountered something on the floor. He bent down and felt around, his hands touching something slippery. Karl stiffened and immediately stood up, searching frantically for his phone so he could turn on the light.

The sight that met him when he performed that singular act was one he would never forget in a hurry because there his father lay on the ground, a knife plunged deep into his belly. The slippery stuff he had felt on the floor was a pool of his father’s blood. Karl screamed at the sight of his fathers dead body because at the back of his mind he knew the sight was familiar, he had dreamt of it a couple of days back.