The Howling

Unbelievable, Undeniable Truth

Seven:

Charlotte sat at the dinner table, her laptop opened in front of her, her homework half done, and a can of Diet Mountain Dew. Sighing, she completed her essay, and scribbled down the last couple of answers she skipped. Bob sat next to her and held a Christmas cookie in his hand.

"What're you working on?" He asked curiously.

"The Scarlet Letter," Charlotte saved the file and closed her laptop. Rubbing her eyes she remembered she had a math assignment to do.

"Good book." Bob nodded, he stared at his cookie and Charlotte knew he was thinking about something important. Looking around, she noticed Jeremy and Cory were both gone.

"What's bugging you dad?" Charlotte furrowed her brows and took a drink of her soda. Bob sighed a couple times and opened his mouth like he was going to say something, and then shut it right away almost as if he was afraid to say it.

"Okay, before I start, you need to keep an open mind and not say a word." He looked at her, his blue eyes bore into hers and she nodded slowly. "Your birthmark isn't just...a birthmark. It's a, uh, trademark type of thing..." 

"I'm trademarked?" Charlotte stared at him incrediously and gripped her can.

"No talking." He reminded her. Charlotte leaned back and folded her arms across her chest. "Yes, a trademark. You're one of a kind, literally, Charlie. Now don't let your mind wander, you're not some shape-shifter. You have one duty and it's not the easiest to fulfill." Bob ran his calloused hand over his head and stared out the window. "You're more-so a protecter of the 'normal' humans. You obtain your own pack of wolves on your graduation, and begin training in within a week of the new year."

"Hold on, pops." Charlotte held up her and and shook her head. "You're telling me, I have a pack of wolves under my control, I have to protect humans, and that I have to start training? For what? What am I?"

"You're a Huntress. There's mythical beings out there that you haven't been trained to see, yet. Shifters are the most powerful of the beings and they've agreed to help the Hunters to extinguish the 'bad' ones. It's like picking weeds out of a garden." Bob shrugged and looked at her. Charlotte's mouth hung open and she stared at him wide-eyed.

"What about Jeremy? Doesn't he have this nifty little trait?" Charlotte's mind boggled and she hoped someone else would share her pain.

"No. Cory and his father don't have the trademark, so-to-say. Your mother and I both do, but your mother decided to not take part in the Hunters. I swore my loyalty and to this day I still get orders from Gorgan." Bob licked his lips, his cookie now in crumbs in front of him.

Charlotte was silent for a while. She was a Huntress? That's what the birthmark meant, and now she had to train to kill mythical beings. Shaking her head, Charlotte stood and grabbed her school stuff. "I think you forgot to take your crazy pills, pops. I'm going to bed now..."

Not saying a word, Bob nodded and folded his hands in his lap. His head hung low and Charlotte knew he was embarrassed, her heart ached for him, but her mind told her he was crazy and that she should go to bed. Setting everything on her bed, Charlotte opened her laptop and opened the internet browser.

For hours, she sat in front of her laptop, going bug-eyed from going so long without blinking, and writing down everything she could find. She filled two pages of notes by the time she gave up, and re-read them. All the information she needed about Hunters was right there.

Hunters- men and women born with the wolfs' marking. Born to keep the supernatural and the natural world seperate. Training - Extensive training takes place once the year of their graduation begins. Each has a pack of Shifters assigned to them that will remain theirs for the rest of their service. (Service= life) Hunters will train discretely, if they have jobs the House will pay them for hours lost.

Charlotte had written more, but she already knew what it said. The House was what the Hunters called their 'safe house.' It's where they went when wounded, it's where Gorgan lived, and where she would be going for her spring break. Charlotte blew a raspberry and ran her hands through her hair, she was now under the control of someone she never knew, but knew her well. Gorgan was the one that led the Hunters. He trained them personally, and had files on them from his little spies that had watched his Hunters grow up.

Walking out to the living room, Charlotte saw her dad sitting in the Lazy Boy watching a movie. Standing in front of the TV, Charlotte put her hands on her hips and looked at him.

"I don't have a choice to do this, but if I did, I would choose not to." Charlotte started. Bob looked at her suprised. "Technically I do have a choice, but then I'd be forever banned and at high risk. I know that I have to start training soon. I don't know how to notify whoever to let them know that I'm ready, but I'm sure you do. I also know that for Spring Break I'm going down to Louisiana for the most hardcore training of my life." Charlotte took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I'm so proud of you," Bob stood and quickly made his way to Charlotte. He hugged her tightly and for a rather long time before letting go and kissing her birthmark. "I'll send the notice tomorrow. By Friday you should have your training schedule and equipment."

Charlotte nodded and started to make her escape, "Hey dad," She turned around quickly. "Please tell me this is real, not some stupid joke. I don't want to go through this and then spend my life searching and never finding what I was trained for. Not to mention I'd like to see my wolves shift to know it's for real." Charlotte showed a weak spot and it felt strange. Bob smiled reassuringly.

"I promise, honey, it's all real."

Charlotte nodded and headed back to her room to put everything away and sleep.

That didn't work so well. During the night Charlotte tossed and turned, her dreams were swallowed into blackness and her mind buzzed with the news of what she was. Laying wide awake in the middle of her bed she stared at the ceiling. The full moon shone through her open window and the crisp air drifted around her warm body.

Sighing she sat up, put on her sweat pants and grabbed her boots. She quietly made her way down the hall and through the living room, careful not to step on the places that creaked. Charlotte slipped her jacket on and left the house as soundlessly as she could. The winter air nipped at her face as she quickly slipped into her boots and made her way to the wide open field behind her house. Standing in the middle of it she scanned the woods and saw a flash of white amongst the dark trees.

Ducking her head down, she forged through and took shelter from the wind in the trees. Standing in front of her was the infamous white wolf. "Hey," She breathed. The wolf snorted.

Charlotte dug her toes in the snow and searched for a fallen tree to sit on. Brushing off a large rock instead, she sat down and shivered. "I don't know why I came out here really, but it'd be nice to talk to someone." The wolf came closer and sat down in front of her. "I don't know if you're a Shifter, but... I'm a Huntress." The words felt so strange rolling off her tongue."I know, I sound crazy but I don't know who else to talk to. It's not like I'm the most popular kid in school..." She leaned foreword and burried her hands in her palms.

"Charlie," A voice that's haunted her dreams for weeks made her look up in suprise. Sitting in the exact spot the wolf was in was Ryan.

"Oh my god! No, no, no, no. You are not a Shifter, you're just a random wolf who lives here in these woods..." Charlotte thought it over and gave up her argument. "Hi."

"I know that you're a Huntress. I've known since the first time I saw you in these woods." Ryan looked down at the snow in his palm. "I just didn't want to believe it, you know? I've known that my pack will be handed over to a Hunter, but I wanted us to be the rare pack that had their Hunter say no."

"I'm sorry," Charlotte could feel guilt sieze her heart as she looked at Ryan's gorgeous face. His full lips were turned down slightly, his eyes were diconected, and his posture showed defeat.

"No, don't be sorry. I'm glad that you're our Huntress." Looking up at her, Ryan half smiled and something in his eye caught Charlotte off balance. They wandered through the woods and talked for hours until the sun started to peak over the trees.

Charlotte wandered home and reached her room before her alarm went off. Smiling the whole morning, she went through her routine and felt like she belonged somewhere. For once in her life.