I sat in History, tapping my pencil on the metal binding of my notebook. It was the last day of school, and there were only five minutes left of class. I looked around the room and saw that everyone was shifting in their seats, anxious to be let out.
The bell finally rang. I grabbed my stuff and walked out into the hallway, hoping to catch a friend on the way to my locker. Who was I kidding. The only friends I had were online. I started walking and kept my head down. If I didn't notice them, they wouldn't notice me.
This is how I spent most of my days. Ignoring everyone around me, hoping to be unseen. It was easier than having all the attention, which was not something I craved on a daily basis.I rushed to my locker and entered the combo. After quickly shoving everything in my bag I made my way to the main doors of the school. I didn't drive, or take the bus home, I walked. And I have been for years. So it was no surprise when it started raining. I've walked through it plenty of times before. I pulled my hood up and started walking down the path I'd known since fifth grade.
I knew that as soon as I got home I would have to change. Not only out of my wet clothes, but out of my human form. I had gotten used to living life as a werewolf. Ever since the day I got turned. I was only six years old when it happened. I was at home playing with the family dog in the living room when he bit me. It wasn't just a normal dog bite either. It went deeper into my skin than anything ever had. As soon as it happened I felt something change inside me. I knew something was wrong. I never told my parents about it, thinking that's what happened to everybody after a vicious dog bite. You can probably guess what happened to old Pickles after that incident. To this day, they still don't know I'm a werewolf.
I realized what I was the day I turned fifteen. No symptoms had ever occurred before that, none in the nine years since I first got bit. It was the middle of the night. I woke up with a sick feeling in my stomach. My bones hurt and my back itched. I got up and looked in the mirror. My eyes were yellow. The itch on my back got worse, and as I stuck my hand down the back of my shirt, my fingers grabbed a handful of hair. I freaked out and googled the cause of this. Every result was the same. I was a werewolf.
It started out as once every few months, then every month. It eventually progressed to every week, and now every day. Something was definitely happening, I just didn't know what.
It was normal for me to need change after a long day at school. Except today felt a bit different. I couldn't exactly put my finger on it, but I knew something was off.
The hair stood up on my neck.
Oh no. I thought. My fingers started to shake. Why now?! I panicked and ducked behind a nearby building. I threw my backpack down and sat on top of it to keep my jeans dry.
"This cannot be happening right now." I said out loud. I started sweating, one of the usual symptoms of a change. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and picked up my bag again. I peeked my head around the corner and looked down the street. I still had another ten minutes of walking. I would never make it home in time. I moved farther back behind the building and sat behind a large dumpster.
After I was sure nobody could see me, I closed my eyes and wished for the change to go away. If I could only hold it off for another fifteen minutes everything would be fine.
I could usually feel a change coming on about ten to twenty minutes before it happened. Never had it come without warning. Not until today anyways. And why now? I have been noticing that my senses have become stronger lately. I've been running faster, lifting more weight than I otherwise would have been able to lift. It's not like I work out, unless you count Netflix as a sport. I mean there are Netflix marathons.
I shook my head and focused on the problem in front of me. I was about to change into a werewolf in public. Something I had never done before. I pulled out my waterbottle and put it to my lips. In my weakest moment, I could barely even lift it. I took a sip and closed my eyes, hugging my knees to my chest, willing the change to go away.
I heard footsteps. My eyes shot open and I grabbed my bag, ready to run at a moment's notice. They were approaching fast. I scooted farther behind the dumpster, hoping whoever it was would pass me by. The footsteps slowed to a stop on the other side of the dumpster.
"Hey, are you okay back there?" It was a boy's voice. He sounded about my age but I wasn't ready to trust my instincts yet.
I thought of a lie that would make him go away before he saw me. I was completely out of sight but my face blushed anyway.
"Yeah. I'm just...resting." I mentally kicked myself for saying that I was "resting" behind a dumpster, in an alley, in the rain.
"I'm coming over there." He took one step before I jumped up and made eye contact.
"No, it's totally fine. I just needed to sit down for a second." I shoved my hand in my pockets hoping he wouldn't see how bad they were shaking.
"You're shaking." He looked concerned. He walked around the dumpster before stopping right in front of me. I was finally able to get a good look at him.
He had beautiful golden hair that was a few shades lighter than bronze. He reached up and swooped a part across his forehead. Behind his thick black glasses, his eyes were a unique bluish-green. He was wearing a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over his head to block the rain. His skinny jeans were tucked into black boots. I felt a few butterflies start to gather in my stomach. He was cute, no doubt about it. My cheeks blushed again when I realized I was staring.
"No, I'm just...cold. That's all." I took my hands out and rubbed them together. I gave a weak smile in hopes that he'd think I was fine. Instead, he stepped closer.
"Here, have my jacket!" He pulled off his hoodie to reveal a band t-shirt underneath. He held out his jacket to me and I reluctantly took it. How was I going to tell him that I wasn't cold at all? In fact, I was sweating up a storm under my own sweatshirt. The change was getting closer. I was running out of time.
"Thanks. And nice shirt, I love Twenty One Pilots." I usually didn't talk to people about the things I liked in person. I found it was easier to have a conversation online than it was face to face. I took a risk hoping I could possibly make a new friend. One that lived closer than a few states away.
"Really? Cool!" He smiled and my heart melted. I looked down and tried to hide my own smile.
"Well, we should probably get going befo-" a loud clap of thunder interrupted his words. "Before that happens." We both giggled. I questioned if I should walk with him or not. I only had about five minutes before I finally began to change.
"Um, I don't know if that's a good idea." His expression looked a bit hurt.
"Oh! Yeah sorry this whole thing might've been a little creepy. Let's try this again." He held out his hand for me to shake. "Hi, my name's Patrick. And you are?"
It took all my strength not to laugh. He thought I wouldn't walk with him because of the whole stranger danger thing everyone's parents tought them at such a young age. But that was entirely not the case. In fact, I trusted him with my life. I don't know why, but he made me feel safe, which was usually not what happened when meeting someone new. I just didn't want to wolf out in front of him, and ruin my only chance of having a friend in real life.
I took his hand and shook. "I'm Bree."
He smiled and grabbed my bag. I panicked thinking he was going to steal it and run. I worried that his niceness was a show to get to my stuff. I blew out a sigh of relief when he just handed it to me instead.
"If you're comfortable with it, I can drive you home. My car is parked right over there." He pointed to the street where I saw a black car parked on the curb. I debated whether to go with him, and then finally came to a conclusion. Riding in a car would be a lot faster than walking, which meant that I could get home in time to change without Patrick noticing.
"Sure, yeah. If it's not too far out of your way." I told him my address and his eyebrows shot up.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"That's right next to the place where I just moved in." I pictured my neighborhood, trying to remember if there were any homes for sale.
"You mean the Jefferson's old place?" The Jeffersons had been our neighbors for ten years. Mrs. Jefferson recently got a new job and their whole family moved to Texas. Which was a long way from Ilinois.
"Yeah, the blue one with the white fence?" I nodded.
"Cool, looks like we'll be neighbors now."
"Yeah, looks like it." I smiled as we walked back to his car, trying to move fast enough to avoid the most of the rain. Behind the dumpster, we were at least sheltered from most of it due to the roof that hung over the side of the building. Now we were out in the open. He unlocked the door on his key remote and opened the door for me.
"Thanks." I said as I slid in. I set my backpack on my knees and buckled myself in.
He slid into the driver's seat not long after and started the car. We managed to talk the whole way home. Making conversation had never been this easy before. I found out that Patrick was also seventeen, and that his last name was Stumph. (The "h" is silent) He was also really into playing instruments. I told him a lot about myself too. Turns out, we had a lot of things in common. This could be the start of a great friendship.
I had almost forgot about the change until my toes started to hurt. Like REALLY hurt. I clenched my teeth and willed it to stop. I knew what was going to happen next. My toes and fingers were going to slowly shift into paws. My nails would turn into claws, and my nose would get a few inches linger as it morphed into a snout. I once filmed the whole process to see what it looked like. It was not a pretty sight.
"Patrick, could you drive any faster? I'm not feeling good." I squished my toes against my shoes to try to silence the bone cracking that woud come next. It didn't work.
"Um sure, are you alright? What was that noise?" He glanced over at me as I was sticking my hands in my backpack to hide the claws that were starting to form. I felt the car pick up speed.
"Nothing! I just need to uh, crack my fingers." Sure, the movements were fake, but the sound sure wasn't. My fingers and feet started to crack more thatn before. I winced as I felt my snout start to take shape.
"Bree do you need me to pull over?" He sounded extremely worried. But who wouldn't be when the girl next to you just shoved her entire head into her backpack? "Woah! Are you throwing up?!"
"No! I just..need some uh...I might actually." The stretching sound of my skin pulling over the new bones in my nose always made me feel sick to my stomach. "Patrick, I need to get home now or something terrible is going to happen."
He stepped on the gas and we propelled forward. "We're almost home just hang on." I felt the hair on my back start to get thicker.
As soon as he pulled into the driveway I jumped out of the car and ran inside.
"Wait!" He yelled and opened his door. "Will you be okay?"
I didn't have time to answer as the fangs started taking up all the room in my mouth. Luckily, both my parents were still at work so as I unlocked the door I threw my backpack down and ran up to my room. I ripped off all my clothes, shut the door and locked it. I layed on the ground, waiting for my spine to start cracking. Sure enough, it did. I looked into the mirror and saw that my eyes had turned yellow and fur had started to grow all over my face. I closed my eyes and powered through the pain. This is what I have to deal with almost every day.
When it was over, I looked in the mirror again. Human form as usual. Even after all these years, I still have never fully transformed into a wolf. This time I got closer than ever before. With aching muscles I threw my clothes into the laundry basket and stepped into the shower. It felt good to wash away the sweat and invisible fur that was hiding underneath my skin.
I thought about how worried Patrick must be. I put him through something super stressful, and I've only known him for less than half an hour! I made a mental note to walk over to his house later and explain that I was okay. I also wanted to do some research on why my changes are becoming faster and more advanced.
I changed into some dry clothes and grabbed my phone. I felt butterflies again as I thought about seeing Patrick. I was happy that he lived so close. I unlocked my door and bounced down the steps. I saw my parents in the living room and checked the time on my phone. 5:00, they were home from work. But who were they talking to? leaned over the railing and looked in the chair in the corner of the room.
"Patrick?"
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