Beast

Autumn Leaves

     I hear the screech of a driver side brake turning on a corner even though the car is a mile away. When it turns onto our driveway a minute later, I hear the continuous crunching of gravel under the tires. When the engine shuts off, I hear someone open the car door. I am surprised to hear the passenger door closing too, and a deep chuckle coming from the driver. 

      I leap across my bed and slide over to the window in hopes of getting a view of the visitor. I listen to someone fumbling with their car keys, trying to lock the vehicle. My fingers reach up to the blinds and pull them slightly apart, just enough for me to see out. 

      There is a man here, and my mom. Damien, I'm guessing. 

"Is Cody here?" He asks her. 

"Yeah, she should be upstairs." My mom replies. The look on Damien's face says he's disappointed. Eww.

     Damien turns his head and looks toward my window, making eye contact with me just before I quickly draw the curtains shut.

      I slide down the wall next to the window until I'm sitting, and listen. My mom is obviously happy to have a man in her life again after all these years. She smells of perfume, a fruity and flowery scent. They must have been on a date.

     These werewolf senses are hard to get used to. It's been a week since Tristan told me what I am, a full wolf as he says, and it still is pretty hard for me to believe. I have done some research, but couldn't find much. Nothing but the usual werewolf myths.  

     I told Tristan everything, about my dream, the burning, everything. He told me that it probably wasn't a dream, but I was more in a hypnotic state. The man that I saw, a member of Tristan's pack, is called Alex. Tristan said it actually wasn't Alex, but someone else disguised as him.

Of course, all of this makes little sense. Why turn me into a werewolf? 

Because you are something. 

The voice in the back of my head whispers to me. I still have yet to figure that one out... 

I'm sorry, you never told me who you are.

Oh, of course. The voice chuckles. It is female, and has a bit of an accent that I have never heard. I am your wolf. Your inner self, now. 

My wolf?

      The sound of feet padding up the porch steps pulls me out of my internal conversation. I peek out the window again to see my mom and Damien making their way to the front door. 

I really hope Damien doesn't come in...

"Damien, would you like to come inside?" My mom asks sweetly. 

"Um, no, thanks. I actually have somewhere to be." The ways his voice wavers a bit tells me that he's lying, but my mom doesn't seem to notice. 

"Okay, well I'll go see what Cody's up to."

     I can just barely see them standing on the porch below me. Damien pulls my mom in for a hug, and then a kiss. 

     I swear, though, when he kisses her, his eyes are not closed. They are not looking at my mom, either, though. They are intently glaring at me, as if telling me to back off. 

                                                                                    ***

"So," I say to Logan, putting a tortilla chip smothered in salsa into my mouth. "My mom and your step dad..."