Journal Of Hope

Chapter Fourteen

Master Yates pressed on my back again and whispered, "The far booth has been reserved for us. Lazlo will be the first to approach; you are to pay attention to his eyes and his scent. Lycanthropes are most recognizable by their scent. Their eyes will give them away only when they are trying to control their inner beast, and on the three moon stages."

I gave him a confused look, I didn't know what he meant by the three moon stages. "What are they?" I asked.  

His face hardened as he grumbled in a low whisper, "They are the waxing gibbous, full moon, and the waning gibbous. On those three days, you will notice a slight change in their pupil. Tonight is the waxing gibbous, and the perfect day to note his eyes."

I focused on staying behind my wall and gave a slight nod. I had no idea what he meant by waxing, waning or gibbous for that matter. I understood full moon and new moon, and I thought those were the days of the month that a Lycanthrope changed, at least that's what I learned from the movies. I slid into the booth and took the seat closest to the window, Master Yates slid in beside me, I was sure that he'd sit across from me. I figured I'd better be honest and admit the truth, rather than try to fake it. "What do you mean about the moons? I'm sorry, but I never took a liking to astrology."

He sighed and muttered, "I keep forgetting that once you complete the first twelve years of school, education becomes a choice. This is just another fine example of why Church is good for our fledglings. We haven't the time for an astrology lesson, so I'll make this brief. It is the night before, the night of, and the night after the full moon. The new moon means nothing to a Lycanthrope." He leaned in and grumbled, "I highly suggest that you take note of everything you hear, and you take the time to study it. I have a few books in the truck that I trust you will read on your own."

I nodded. "I will," I replied in confidence. There was no way I wanted to be a fool anymore. I had noticed a couple of our neighbors, people I've seen at the powwows that Father and I have been invited to, and a few people that my father had worked with in the past.

One person in particular was a nurse that worked with my father, my mother had her babysit me when my parents went out on date night. I can still remember my parent's explaining the importance of respecting her no matter how angry she made me.

She was a nasty woman who always took my toys away from me and sent me to bed moments after my parents left. She never liked me; she made it very clear that the only reason she did this favor form my parents, was because they helped her daughter when she was away. She had no need for me or my family, and she stated that she would care for me until her debt was paid.  I asked my mother what had happened to her daughter, she said that she had taken ill when Janice was away.

Years later, after my mother had passed away, my father noticed the depression I had fallen into, and because I'm half vampire, there wasn't any type of antidepressants made for beings like me. My father explained the pain and sadness he would feel if I were to attempt suicide like Janice's daughter had. He sent me to psychotherapists and tried to show me the brighter side of things.

In a small, shallow way, I couldn't wait to hear what type of being Janice was, since she was so cruel and mean to me. I was hoping that it would help explain why she kept referring to me and my family as lesser beings.  

"It is nice to see you again sweetie, I didn't expect you until Sunday," Lazlo said, knocking me out of my train of thought.

I looked up and nodded. Normally, I always hug Lazlo, but today was a different story. I looked deep in his dark blue eyes, the only thing different was the size of his pupils. The cafe is quite bright, but his pupils were so large that you would think that he had just returned from the eye doctor or that we were in a very dark room. I wondered why I had never noticed that before.