Chapter 4

ASHLEY 

I came running into the garden clearing as the sun began to rise, my heart pounding with worry. When I saw Abby lying on the ground, I gasped in horror. Her body was covered in fur, and her hands had transformed into large, furry paws with sharp claws.

"Abby, what happened? Are you okay?" I asked, my voice trembling with fear.

She tried to speak, but all that came out was a low growl. It was then that I realized the truth - Abby had fully shifted into a wolf.

"Oh my god," I whispered, my mind reeling. "You're a werewolf."

As Abby let out a mournful howl, I knew that everything had changed. We had always been close, but now there was something fundamentally different about my sister. Something dangerous.

Abby's howls grew quieter, and her body began to calm down. Slowly, she started to shift back to her human form.

It was a strange and surreal experience to watch her change back. Her fur receded, and her claws retracted as her limbs and body reshaped themselves back into her human form. 

As Abby shifted back into human form before my very eyes, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was like something out of a supernatural movie - but this was real life, and my sister was at the center of it all.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Abby lay on the ground, her eyes closed, her breathing heavy.

I rushed over to her, checking to make sure she was okay.

I helped Abby up, and we slowly made our way back to the house. As we walked, she leaned heavily on me, and I could feel the weight of her exhaustion and pain.

"How did you do that?" I asked her, still in shock.

Abby shrugged, looking just as bewildered as I felt. "I don't know. It just... happened."

I watched her carefully as we made our way back to the house, trying to gauge her mood. I could sense that she was processing everything that had happened, just as I was.

As we entered the kitchen, I noticed that Abby seemed hesitant, as if she was unsure of what to do next. It was a strange feeling, seeing my sister so vulnerable and unsure of herself.

Abby and I started our research on human wolves, determined to figure out what was happening to her. We spent hours scouring the internet, reading books, and looking for any information that could shed light on this mysterious condition.

As we read more and more about human wolves, it became clear that this wasn't something that could just be explained away. It was a real phenomenon, and it seemed like there was so much we didn't know about it.

"Maybe it runs in our family," I suggested, scrolling through a page on my laptop. "I mean, it seems like there has to be some kind of genetic component to this."

Abby nodded, looking deep in thought. "It's possible," she said. "Maybe there's someone in our family who was a werewolf and we just didn't know it."

We continued our research, digging deeper and deeper into the history and science of human wolves. But no matter how much we read, we still couldn't find any concrete answers.

As we sat for dinner that evening, I was dying to bring it up with our parents. But as we started passing around plates of food, I noticed Abby giving me a subtle shake of her head. I knew immediately what she meant: we shouldn't bring up the topic of human wolves at dinner.

I nodded in agreement and turned my attention to the food in front of me, but I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. I was itching to talk about what we had discovered and see if anyone in our family had any insight, but I knew that Abby was right. We needed to be careful with how we approached this topic.

As the meal continued, I watched as Abby interacted with our parents and younger sister, laughing and joking as if nothing was amiss. I admired her ability to put on a brave face and act like everything was normal, even though we both knew that things were anything but.

When dinner was over and we had cleared the table, Abby motioned for me to follow her into the living room. "We can't talk about this with Mom and Dad yet," she said in a low voice.

She was right. It would make them paranoid and all tensed up. I followed her into the living room and as we sat on the couch, we tried to lighten the mood with some silly conversation.

"You know, I always thought I was the black sheep of the family," Abby said with a grin. "But now I guess I might be the furry one instead."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think that's how it works, Abby. Being a werewolf doesn't make you a sheep."

Abby shrugged. "Well, it certainly makes me different from the rest of the family."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but maybe being different is a good thing. I mean, who wants to be boring and normal all the time?"

Abby smirked. "Speak for yourself, Ash. I think being normal sounds pretty nice right about now."

We both laughed, and for a moment, it felt like the weight of our worries had lifted.

"You know what we need?" Abby said suddenly. "A catchy werewolf-themed song. Something like 'Howl at the Moon' or 'Fur-tastic Nights.'"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help laughing at her enthusiasm. "I think we should focus on finding out more about this condition before we start writing jingles, Abby."

Abby nodded, still grinning. "Yeah, you're probably right. But you have to admit, 'Fur-tastic Nights' has a nice ring to it."

We both dissolved into laughter, and for a moment, it felt like everything would be okay. Even though we were facing something that felt big and scary, we had each other to lean on.

****

As I walked down the hallway in school with my clique, I couldn't help but notice a commotion. A group of students were huddled together, and I could hear someone crying. As I approached, I saw that it was Cara and her cohorts bullying Anna, the nerdy student. They were making fun of her and pushing her around.

I felt a surge of anger rise within me. No one should be treated that way. I tried to control myself, but Abby had already taken matters into her own hands. 

“Hey, leave her alone!" Abby spoke up, trying to sound confident.

Cara turned around, smirking. "What's it to you, Abby? You gonna try to stop us?"

Abby clenched her fists in anger. "Just leave her alone. You don't have to be so mean to her."

Cara laughed. "Oh, I see. You're sticking up for your little loser friend. How cute."

Abby took a step closer, her eyes narrowing. "I'm serious. Leave her alone."

Cara stepped forward, getting in Abby's face. "What are you gonna do about it, huh? You gonna fight me?”

“I'll do whatever it takes to protect her," she said, her voice low and steady.

Cara smirked again. "Oh really? And what are you gonna do, Abby? Cry at us?"

Suddenly, her eyes began to glow with a strange golden light, and her pupils elongated into slits.

Cara and her cohorts stepped back in shock.

The other students who had been watching the altercation between Cara and Abby were frozen. Some of them gasped in shock, while others whispered among themselves.

Omg!

Was Abby trying to transform into a wolf here in school?

I hope not.

I silently prayed for her to control herself and her wolf instinct. The school was the last place for her to transform completely.