1. Moving to Woodhidge

EVELYN

 

It was the first time I felt a little positive that everything was going to be alright. The first time in a very long time. It wasn't like I didn't have many things to make me crazily sad but I just felt that things would be better for me and my son, Lucas, in Woodhidge. There was no reason for my sudden optimism rather than the fact that I felt Woodhidge would just turn out good for me and my boy. Perhaps, I could say it was a hunch, though it felt more like a mere tingle in my stomach telling me everything was going to be alright. Did I have a doubt that the community would not be supportive? Yes. Did I think all of my friends I grew up with will either be mad that I had deliberately cut them off or would be too 'judgy' or just complete snobs? Yes. Did I think Lucas would find it a little hard to mingle with other Supernaturals, as he had been trained to do otherwise since he was a kid? Yes, yes, yes..., even in my shockingly calm mood, I couldn't deny that there were MANY things that could go terribly wrong, especially in our early days in Woodhidge. Regardless, I had a huge smile on my face as I sang a piece of old country music, driving ten above the limit. It was a good day. 

 

Everything seemed okay. 

 

Woodhidge, the town we were headed to in my yellow sedan, was not your ordinary town. It was a town where most of its inhabitants were Supernaturals. Humans took no more than five per cent of the town total population. That indicated that roughly ninety-five percent of Woodhidge's inhabitants were not humans. Unknown to the humans there, werewolves, vampires, witches, wizards, shapeshifters, mindreaders, and seers were also proud residents of Woodhidge. However, more than half of Woodhidge's population as a whole were werewolves. The werewolf preponderance made it look like there weren't any other beings living there aside from the werewolves. 

 

I didn't want to believe that my happiness was a result of coming back to Woodhidge. It kind of felt like that was part of the reason but anytime I recalled myself yelling at my parents in anger as I left Woodhidge and vowed never to return, I doubted if that was truly the reason. But my parents were no more, and the only family I had in Woodhidge was my Aunt, who was a lively seventy-year-old widow. I couldn't see why I was happy but I decided to attribute it to being happy that Lucas and I would be more relaxed, if not totally safer and happier in Woodhidge, which was the most supernatural friendly place on the planet. 

 

“Okay, for the eleventh million time, I ask, do you think...this change would be good for us in any way at all?“ Lucas asked, taking his ear pods from his ear and staring into my face. 

 

"And for the eleventh million time, I say yes, I'm not saying it is going to be all milk and honey for us, but we stand a better chance as a family here." I made a turn around the roundabout and from there, Woodhidge was barely a thirty minutes drive. 

 

Lucas had many questions and some were quite unanswerable, at least for the moment I wouldn't. 

 

"I see you are quite excited about our moving to Woodhinge."

 

"Yes, I think it is going to be very good for us, this might be it and...uh, don't ruin the town's cute name, it is Woodhidge, not Woodhinge."

 

“Whatever, Mum. I still have so many questions."

 

“By all means, shoot.” I said, immediately regretting offering Lucas a chance to ask questions. Lucas had a very curious mind, and though he was going to ask me anyway, I felt there was no need to encourage him. 

 

"Cool, for starters, why have I never heard of this town, like ever?“

 

“It is a big country, I don't think anyone knows half the towns in this country.”

 

”Well then, if you are so excited about moving to Wood-whatever, why didn't take us there all this while? All those years of constant moving, why hadn't you brought us here?"

 

I took in a deep breath and did my best to keep my eyes on the road. "Uhm, I guess I just remembered how wonderful Woodhidge was, and I assure you that you would love it and meet people like us.“

 

“I am not disputing that, but why now?“

 

"I'm always absolutely transparent with you and I have given you an honest response, I'm always giving you answers, even when you don't ask.“

 

“You call that an answer, have you always been this way? You probably got this attitude of yours since you had me."

 

“I won't take rudeness from you, not today."

 

”Classic Mum, turn it all on me...same way you always change the subject whenever I ask about my father.”

 

I took in a deep breath and realised that little crystals of perspiration had begun to mould on my face. It was always that way when I was anxious, since my childhood I was known to begin sweating whenever I was tensed. 

 

In my most calm voice, I said, ”If you think I'm hiding things from you...look, it is never that easy and I will be plain with you and truthfully answer all your questions in due time." I stepped hard on the brake and vehicle's tyres screeched on the ground as the car came to a sharp stop. “Not today, Lucas, everything will be clear and you would understand why I'm a little reluctant with sharing certain information with you."

 

"It is what you always say."

 

I stared right into his face and then cupped his jaw in my left hand. “I mean it this time, I really do."

 

I hesitated for a while, suddenly realising that I, myself, had many hidden fears about moving to Woodhidge. But none of it mattered anymore, this was a fresh start and this time, it had to be. No more torturing myself for a relationship that had long ended. No more thinking about Declan. Not anymore. If he had stolen my heart, I had found ways to live without one.

 

Firing the car into life, I continued driving. Woodhidge was just minutes ahead. 

 

 

 

DAMON

 

I hugged my mother and she happily went into my embrace. My mother and I had always been very close. Without a doubt, our closeness was huge because of my father's death. I had lost my father three days after my seventh birthday, and it was the most difficult moment of my life. While it didn't affect us financially at all, as Dad had been filthy rich, it had almost broken my mother. And, of course, my seven years old self. 

 

Growing without a father, or a father figure at all, was very difficult. As expected of most widows, my mom had to perform the responsibilities of both a mother and father. It wasn't easy for any of us at all. However, my father's death had brought about a special friendship between me and my mother. This was because we knew that we were all we had and that thinking didn't only bring us closer, but made us very, very close friends.

 

“You know, I will never understand why the younger generation, of guys, in particular, put so much interest in torturing themselves in the name of working out." Mrs Calderon, my mother, said as she released herself from my embrace. 

 

"Well, guys work out to keep fit, stay flexible, stay healthy, and also increase our sexiness level." I laughed, realising how weird the last part of my statement sounded. 

 

My mother also laughed. “I am hugging my own son and it feels like I'm hugging a goddamn rock, how in the world is that sexy?"

 

"Oh, ask all the ladies that would lick me over just because of my abs."

 

“Bless my poor ears, are the young ladies in this generation nothing more than sluts?"

 

I made a funny face at her. “Besides, working out makes men stronger."

 

"Why the hell would you want to be stronger? You are a werewolf, that's strong enough in my book."

 

Mason, my best friend, walked into our home and began to chat with me and my mother. Mason had been friends with me since I was very little and took my mother as a second mother, and his mother was equally close to me. 

 

“Do you have plans for tonight? We could hit the club." Mason said, poking me on the arm. 

 

My mother spoke before I could reply Mason. "Yes, great idea...who knows if you would meet someone nice."

 

“You want me to start seeing someone, I met my last two girlfriends at the club, and for some reason, you saw them as nothing but sluts." I teased my mother. 

 

“Oh, honey, you know they were."

 

"They definitely were." Mason supported. "I guess girls find you kinda hot, explains why only the bad girls come for you."

 

I feigned a frown. ”Okay, I have nothing planned for tonight, besides, I could use the distraction.”

 

"New DJ every week bro, it is going to be lit...wait, have you told your Mom?“

 

I exhaled deeply and every bit of excitement in me flushed away. " No, I haven't."

 

"What haven't you told me? Is everything alright?” My mother shot, worry written all over her face. 

 

I smiled widely. " Seriously, Mom, you get anxious easily, it is nothing serious."

 

"Well, if it isn't then tell me."

 

Mason shook his head slowly. "You are always lost in your own thoughts, so you are moving out tomorrow, and you haven't told you, Mom?"

 

"You are moving out? Why? Where? Since when?" My mother yelled. 

 

Slowly, I told my reasons for wanting to live somewhere else. I was a writer and sometimes, I needed quiet moments and solitude. Also, I just felt I wanted to be alone for a while at least. I spent over thirty minutes explaining to my mother and I didn't know whether it was because I told her the house I would live in was only ten minutes away from our house, or because she would miss me. 

 

"So what do you think, Mom?” I asked, as my Mom was quiet—and that rarely ever happened. 

 

Finally, my Mom spoke. “I think it is a stupid idea to waste money on renting a house when you have a lovely home nearby, but it's alright you are stupid...and unfortunately, you got all your stupidity from me, your late father was a genius."

 

Clearly bored with all he heard, Mason stood and said, “Yo, it is barely four, we still have hours to drink before we go clubbing."

 

"Cool by me...okay, Mum, I'm out, don't wait up, I will be late," I said as Mason and I headed out of the house. 

 

"One question, if you both are going to drink, then why go to the club later?" My mother shouted though she got no reply as we had already left.