"What's wrong with her?" James asked, his voice sounding alarmingly loud, as though he were shouting the words directly into my ears. I instinctively clapped my hands over my ears."Too loud," I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut. "Don't scream.""I'm not screaming," James replied, attempting to lower his tone. "I'm talking normally, Shana."My heart pounded as if it were trying to escape my chest. My trembling hands were a stark reminder that something was terribly amiss. I couldn't fathom what was happening to me. Was this some kind of panic attack? Anxiety?"What's going on, Shana?" Lucas asked, his arm wrapped around me, pulling me close to him for support.My heart seemed to double its pace, and I forced my eyes open. The world was no longer a blurry chaos, but my trembling hands refused to stop shaking.I held my quivering hands out in front of me, bewildered and frightened. What was happening to me?"Look over there! Shana's acting weird again," a voice exclaimed from somewhere n
"I didn't want to tell you this to worry you," Lucas began, his voice laced with concern. "But there's more to the story."James leaned forward, his curiosity intensifying as he absorbed the new information. "Tell us, Lucas. What happened to the boy when he turned into a... monster? And what does that even mean? What kind of monster are we talking about here?"Lucas sighed, grappling with how to articulate the bizarre tale. "I'm not too sure, guys. But from the way Professor Black was explaining it, it sounded as if the boy transformed into something otherworldly—something completely beyond our comprehension."James sought further details, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "How long ago did this happen?"Lucas scratched his head, struggling to recall the specifics of the story. "I'm not sure. I didn't have much time to speak with Professor Black. He gave me the basics details, and then I had to rush to make it to hockey practice."With a hint of trepidation, I ventured, "The wol
My conversation with Lucas and James stayed on my mind for the rest of the week.I couldn't get any of it out of my head, and I felt bad for acting strange around Lucas when he tried to hold my hand or keep me close to him.A part of me just felt like he wasn't telling me the whole story with what the Professor had revealed to him. The timing around everything didn't seem right.It had all happened so fast, and I could only ask myself why that was.The one question that kept making its way into my mind was: Did Lucas only confess his feelings to me because he realized that my being wolfless meant that it would shorten our time together?The thought made me tear up as I waited to watch the Dragons at hockey practice. Most of the boys were in the locker room, getting ready as I sat on the bleachers."Shana, hey!" I heard a voice call me.I turned to see James approaching. I tried to blink away my sadness and gave him a tight, bright smile."Hey!"But James could see right through my fak
Agonizing screams tore through the air, coming from deep within my chest.I had never experienced pain like this before.The pain was relentless, sharp, and unforgiving, a sensation that felt like I was being torn apart from the inside.With every move I made, it felt like I was being tortured.I struggled to make sense of the sensations that took over me. I had no idea what was happening.Amid the chaos and confusion, I could hear Lucas's voice reach my ears, but the words made no sense. It was a bundle of incoherent meanings, almost as if I had gone deaf.As I felt this sudden shift within me, my perception of reality underwent a profound, severe transformation. My ears rang with a piercing high-pitched tone, drowning out all other sounds. I squinted my eyes, trying to steal myself from the agony.When that didn't help, I opened my eyes in a panic. My vision shifted dramatically, transforming the world around me into a surreal strange world of vivid colors and intoxicating scents. E
After Grandma Jo gave me a clean pair of clothes, I went inside to put them on.My body still trembled with the aftermath of the unexpected shift as I made my way into the living room.Grandma Jo and Lucas sat on the couch, their heads huddled together. Their voices lowered to hushed whispers when they saw me finally approaching.The sight of them sharing such a serious conversation about me sent a shiver down my spine. I didn't know what they were both thinking and quite frankly, I was still terrified by what had just occurred.I couldn't help but ask aloud, my voice carrying a mix of curiosity and concern, "What's wrong?"Grandma Jo exchanged a meaningful glance with Lucas before she began to speak. Her eyes, usually warm and comforting, now held a hint of apprehension."Shana, have you ever heard of the legend of the white wolf?"The legend of the white wolf?I furrowed my brow, racking my brain for any recollection of the tales I might have heard in my childhood.And then it hit m
Grandma Jo excused herself to go to bed, claiming that she felt like she needed to lie down. I wanted to share those same feelings with her. I desperately needed to lie down and close my eyes to take a break from reality. But I was afraid I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing what I did now. Also, Lucas had asked to speak with me in his bedroom privately. I supposed that whatever he wanted to say, Grandma Jo didn't need to hear. I settled down on Lucas's soft bed as he closed the door behind him. His eyes bore into mine, a mixture of awe, confusion, and disbelief. It was as if he still couldn't fully fathom the reality of what had just transpired in the past hour. To be honest, I couldn't blame him— I felt like a stranger in my own skin. Outwardly, I was trying to appear as if everything was fine and normal. But on the inside, it felt as if something foreign had fundamentally altered the very essence of my biology. I didn't even feel like myself anymore. Lucas kept st
Lucas POVShana encouraged me to text Professor Black as soon as possible. I knew it was midnight, and Shana had just shifted, but I texted him anyway.Immediately after I had sent the message to him, I anxiously awaited his response. Fortunately, he didn't make us wait long.I was surprised he was up at this hour, but he wrote back saying that he would clear his schedule, recognizing the urgency in my words. He invited Shana and me to his office tomorrow morning on the community campus.I told Shana to try to get a good night's sleep because we had a big day ahead of us tomorrow."Honestly, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight," Shana confessed, keeping herself planted on my bed."You say that now, but I don't think you realize how exhausted you truly are." I studied her. "Do you feel sore?"She nodded. "All over.""Once you lay your head down on your pillow, sleep will take over. You need to rest."She groaned and sighed at the same time, rising from my bed. "I guess you're
"Who is it?" I asked Lucas who was staring down at his buzzing phone.His head snapped over toward me as if he had remembered that I was sitting there with him. He hid his phone from me on his lap."It's nobody."But the phone continued its persistent buzz as someone called Lucas's phone. Each vibration was a reminder of the person's growing impatience.I thought of the only person on this planet who would bother Lucas this much without a care in the world.Kendrick."Is it your dad?" I asked Lucas again carefully.When he didn't answer, I flicked my eyes over in his direction.He looked at me with a straight expression, trying to conceal his true feelings."Aren't you going to answer that?" I questioned.I couldn't help but wonder what had prompted this sudden interest. Why was Kendrick calling Lucas?"No, I'm too busy to talk to him right now," Lucas said plainly. "He can wait."I wanted to ask him more questions, but I could tell that he was growing annoyed. I didn't press him any