Eighteen

Serena's POV

I had just finished my touch up makeup when my phone buzzed with a new message, lighting up the screen with a familiar name. Jess, my best friend, had texted, “Hey girl, we're right outside. Come out when you're ready!”

I couldn't suppress a giggle, I felt so excited. Today, I'm finally Eighteen and an adult. Tonight will be filled with freedom, fun, and a break from my overprotective parents. I quickly typed a response, “Be there in a sec!”

I grabbed my jacket, my keys jingling in my pocket, and headed towards the door. But as I reached for the doorknob, a stern voice froze me in place.

“Serena, we need to talk,” my mom said, her tone was filled with the all too familiar anxiety that instantly made my stomach drop. My dad stood next to her, his expression stern.

“Please, sweetheart, don't go out tonight,” She begged. I rolled my eyes at their drama again. “You've got to be kidding me,” I replied.

“It's my eighteenth birthday today, and you two didn't even let me have a party. You owe me this, and we agreed, it's not fair to just go back on your words.” My friends had planned the perfect slumber party for me, and there was no way I was going to miss it because of their baseless worries.

“Serena, you don't understand,” my mom pleaded, she seemed to be extra anxious tonight and I could sense fear too. “It's not safe for you tonight.”

I scoffed. “What's that supposed to mean? I'm not a kid anymore, mom. I can take care of myself, besides, I won't be alone.” My dad stepped forward, and I swallowed as I knew I could never convince him. “Now Serena, you're forbidden to leave the house tonight.”

I felt anger bubbling inside me and for the first time, I decided to snap back at him. “Forbidden? Seriously? What century are we living in?” I snapped back.

He had a surprised look on his face as I walked past both of them and stormed upstairs back to my room. I tried my best to hold back the tears of rage as I slammed my bedroom door behind me, throwing myself onto my bed. I stayed in that position crying for a while, they always did this to me.

I'm not allowed to make friends until I'm eighteen. I'm not allowed to bring a friend over to the house until I'm eighteen. I'm not allowed to attend parties until I'm eighteen. Well, I'm eighteen tonight, and they are still treating me like some fragile glass that could easily shatter. It's just not fair.

My phone buzzed again, and I snatched it up, knowing it had to be from Jess. She's literally the only one soul that I could easily rely on to change my mood, and she's more like family. But the text from Jess only fueled my anger this time.

“Serena, your parents came out and scared us off. What's going on?”

“What the hell!” I couldn't take it anymore, I slammed my phone down on the bed, a curse escaping my lips. It was my freaking birthday, and here I was, trapped in my house, as if I were some sort of prisoner. I was unable to stand the thought of my friends out there, thinking I'd let them down, while I was stuck here, suffocating under my parents' ridiculous rules.

Why couldn't they understand? Why couldn't they see how much this meant to me? All I wanted was one night to be like any other teenager, to laugh and gossip and make memories that would last a lifetime. But no, to them, I was just a little girl, their little girl, who needed to be kept safe and sound, locked away from everyone else.

My phone suddenly rang, and I glanced at the screen; it was Jess. She must be mad at me now, they had made many preparations for me, I wanted to ghost her, but that would be even more unfair. She deserved an explanation, and with that, I swiped to answer.

“Serena, don't be mad, but look out your window,” Jess said as soon as I answered the phone. I reluctantly peeled myself off the bed and went to the window, not sure what to expect. Pulling back the curtain, I saw them, Jess, Vicky, and Eli waving up at me like lunatics.

“Are you guys crazy?” I whispered into the phone, trying to keep my voice down. If my parents found out they came to my window, then we'd be all dead. “Only about getting you out of there. We're headed to a bar, we'll have fun and then return before your parents even notice,” Jess chuckled. “Are you coming?”

I wanted to refuse, knowing that my parents would file a police report if I went missing for even 10 seconds. But then I realized that I couldn't keep being their good little daughter forever, how do I grow up to defend myself when I'm not allowed to leave the house?

I glanced back at the door to make sure it was still closed, then back out the window. “Give me a minute.”

I quickly changed into a simpler outfit, a cute top and jeans combo I'd been saving for a special occasion. I opened the window, my heart pounding hard against its rib cage. It was only 6:30 PM; I could make it back before my curfew at 9 PM, no problem. I hope.

I managed to slip out of the window without making a sound. The girls ran over to the car and I followed them. The moment I got in, they all yelled, “Happy Birthday!”

I looked around me and saw Jacob and Timmy were also there, and tears immediately welled up in my eyes. “You guys are the best,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “Seriously, thank you.”

We drove off to a small bar downtown. We came here last year, but I wasn't allowed in because I was underage. But now, I smirked as I gave the guard my I D, and he let me through. Soon, it was all laughter and dancing. I usually never even thought of consuming alcohol, but tonight was different. Tonight, I am eighteen years old, and I'll make it my sole purpose to defy every rule I'd lived by, thanks to my parents.

I began feeling a bit woozy but blamed it on the alcohol. I had heard that once you get intoxicated, then you feel dizzy and puke ish. But it wasn't just the dizziness that disturbed me; something else was happening. I started to feel hot, unbearably hot, and my throat itched and burned like I'd swallowed sand.

“Are you okay, Serena?” Vicky asked, eyeing me with concern.

“I'm just, I don't know, it's hot in here,” I managed to say, fanning myself.

A man suddenly approached us, and Vicky gave me a wink before excusing us. The man called out to me with a mischievous smile, which irritated me the most. “Hey, baby girl. Can I buy you a”

But then I couldn't hear his voice anymore, there was something else. It sounded so loud and so intense, like a thunderous heartbeat. Then there was another, and another, until it was like I could listen to everyone's heartbeats at the same time.

“What the?” I murmured, as my hands found their way to my ears, trying my best to shut it tight. Then I turned away from the man and caught a glimpse of my reflection in a shiny liquor bottle. My heart nearly stopped beating. My eyes, they were glowing a deep reddish color. I suddenly fell into panic. This wasn't normal; this isn't supposed to be normal, right? Is it the alcohol? Am I hallucinating?

“Serena, your eyes," Vicky gasped, her own eyes wide with shock. I backed away from her and ran towards the bathroom, bumping into a few people on the way there.

I got to the bathroom and got into one of the cubicles. Locking myself in, I tried to calm myself down as a thirst suddenly erupted within me. The thirst made my incisors itch tremendously.

All my senses felt heightened, and that's when I realized I could hear everyone's voice's from the bar clearly. The glass clinking, laughter and even girly screams Jess, Vicky, and Eli made. I could hear it all.

I could also smell more intensively, and I could see through the keyhole of the cubicle as though using a magnifying glass. “What's happening to me?” I whispered to myself.

Just when I thought the worst was over, I felt a sting on my shoulder and looked at it to find that it was the moonlight touching the spot in which burnt. But how's that even explainable? As I pondered on this, there was a sudden pain in my chest. I gasped, clutching at my chest, as my bones began bending in the wrong ways.

I could hear my bones snap and reshape over and over again, it was painful, so painful that it felt like my soul was being ripped out of my chest. I opened my eyes as I felt a rush of blood on my arms. I looked at it to find my muscles bulged and twisted, stretching my skin to its limits. Then there was the most marveling thing, Hair.

I suddenly had fur growing all over my skin. “No, this is not happening to me.” I cried.

My face also began hurting now, I could feel my jaw extending and my teeth itched even more as it grew. Tears streamed down my face, mingling with sweat as I held on to the ground, praying for whenever this misery would be over.

The pain was unbearable, like nothing I'd ever felt before. Even menstrual cramps could never measure up to this. It was as if I were being torn apart from the inside out, and I couldn't stop the cries that escaped my lips.

It finally stopped, and I couldn't help but breathe heavily. That's when I realized that I was unable to feel my body. The cubicle I was in had been torn apart by me while I was in pain. I looked up at the mirror and a pair of red eyes caught mine. My skin was filled with white fur, and I was now a wolf?

And my eyes, They were the reddest red, like blood, like fire.

I could hear it growling at me, exposing it's set of white teeth and elongated fangs. So this is what I've become? From a normal human girl to a wolf? A werewolf?

“I'm hungry,” the creature snarled, and I could understand it, even though all it did was growl. I could sense its hunger and feel it too.

“No, please, what are you hungry for?” I tried to scream, but all that came out was a growl. I couldn't control my body at all, the wolf I had suddenly become was fully in charge of my body. And the scariest to me was the fact that I had no idea what it planned to do.

Just as I was about to ask it questions, the creature burst open the bathroom door and made its way to the party. Every single person who had seen it screamed and ran for their dear lives.

Suddenly, I noticed it was searching through the crowd for something. Suddenly, my eyes locked onto Jess and a fierce hunger erupted from within me. I realized that I was looking at her like she was a tasty meal. She stood frozen in place upon seeing me.

“NO! Don't you dare touch her!” I screamed from inside the beast, throwing all my will against the creature's hunger. But it wasn't willing to listen to me and with a powerful leap, it lunged at Jess. I shouted even louder, crying at the top of my voice as my wolf stretched out its claws to kill her.