Half Bitten

Turns out, the paint store was the hardware store. Setting foot into the massive shop, I tried to block out the pungent smell of rusting metal.
“So, what color were you planning on buying?” The paint maker stood behind the counter, hands crossed together.
My dad turned after three seconds of my un-responding voice deafening the air.
“Can she make her own? I think she needs a little fun pumped into her day.”
I glowered.
The paint maker smiled, undoing a latch at the side of the counter.
“We’ll start with a basic.” He said, leading me further into the paint area of the store. The paint maker pointed to a table with samples of various colored cube-like shapes plastered on.
“Pick a color.”
My eyes immediately fell to the aqua blue painted at the top of the collection.
He smiled, pressing a button near the top of his head. Loud buzzing emerged from the machine next to him as he loaded an empty paint can into the platform. The can started to turn, blue oozing out from above it. My eyes watched intently.
“It’s too dark.”
The machine paused as he pressed another button. Snow-white paint churned into the dark blue ooze. I was so worried about him. I hoped that nothing would happen—and if something did, my bedroom walls would be a bitter reminder.
I shook my head, “Nope. I change my mind. I want purple.”
“Purple?” the paint makers eyes glared.
“Not a static purple. A soft violet.”
The machine turned once again as he loaded a fresh paint can.
Blue would be a bitter reminder. I a bitter reminder of sweet memories.
“Stop!”
The paint maker jumped.
“I want blue. Blue is good.”

30 minutes later I walked back to my dad’s pickup with two cans of each color.
“Honey,” My dad’s voice was caring. “You’re room isn’t that big.”
I lugged the cans to the cargo area.
“So, I’ll just paint my bathroom.”
My dad waited for me to place myself into the passenger seat before finishing his objection. “Then you wont have enough paint for your room.”
I shrugged, ”then my room will just have to suffice.”
He hesitated before starting the car.
“When do you need to get to the bookstore, dad?”
The car was slowly inched to motion. His eyes widened in shock, “Uh. In an hour or two. I’m on my own for the next couple of days because Bird had to go visit some old family members.”
I glowered bitterly. Two more days.
“Then, I’ll help you today.”
I wasn’t just going to sit around the house and sulk until Thanksgiving Day.

In the bookstore all kinds of people seemed to have come in. By the time of two in the afternoon, I was a whiz. My dad even trusted me enough to leave the store under my watch as he ran out to get food.
What he was doing before he left, however, was a different story. He received a phone call on his cell minutes before he decided to walk out the door.
“Hey, uh,” he turned, the phone still to his ear. “How about I go get us something to eat?”
I raised a brow, “dinner, already?”
He laughed, whether it was to my remark, or what the person on the phone had mumbled to him. “I’ll go get you soda. Cola right?”
I swallowed hard, “Yes. Cola’s fine.”
One blink and he was down the street laughing and holding another conversation with the person on the phone. In that instant, the tables were turned. He was the adolescent, and I was senile.
Curling up on the mini-recliner near the window of the bookstore, I counted the minutes he was gone. After a rush of bookworms had come in and attacked the fantasy section of the store, no one else seemed to enter.
“Hey, Jackie.” My dad trailed in, “sorry I’m late.”
I didn’t want to hear his apology. “Who is she?”
He blinked aimlessly, “Who—what—I was just out getting you food. I didn’t meet anyone.”
I looked down at his bare hands, “so, where’s my soda?”
He looked down as well, “Uh—it spilled in the car. Before I knew it was already here and there was no time to drive back. I didn’t want you to have to close shop all by yourself.”
I placed myself upright. Crossing my arms over my chest, I read his face with skeptical eyes. “Who is she?”
He squinted, “no one. Care to tell me why you haven’t been staying away from Cole during school hours?”
My hands started to shake with the sudden phobia of Lowlii being harmed creeping up my spine.
“Just take me home dad. It’s getting late.”
My dad’s eyes saddened with concern. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
I nodded, “I know.”
He sighed, “Let me make it up to you. How about a movie tomorrow night?”
Tomorrow night would be the last night. The last night of the new moon phase.
“Yeah, okay. That sounds good.”
Coming home that night didn’t help the situation. I couldn’t sleep without him. So, as any teenage girl starts her day, I dozed off in front of my laptop.
After a while of my mind stubbornly denying the werewolf theory, it slowly started to cave in. questions were dying to be answered, dying to be asked. I couldn’t wait till he was safe enough to be around again.
As the sun started to set the next day, my dad and I hopped into the truck and drove 30 miles away to the closest movie theatre.
“There’s this one movie all teenagers are crazy about.”
I snickered, as I angled myself out of the car. “ And how did you come across those results?”
He rolled his eyes, “I heard a couple of teenagers in the fantasy section talking about it this morning.”
This time, my snicker turned into an adoring chuckle. “Thanks dad.”
Soon, my father paid for the tickets. No matter how early we were, we made it our obligation to find our seats.
“I’ll wake you up when the movie starts.” My dad’s voice whispered in my ear, my head rested on his shoulder for comfort. As soon as my body hit the chair my eyes failed to stay open.
I could hear the voices around me; people laughing, kissing, and yelling at their restless youngsters.
“No! Don’t kill her!” a young five year old’s voice screamed to the screen.
“Shush!” another, more mature voice corrected.
My eyes opened slowly, looking for my dad. His empty soda cup seemed to be the only thing to wave back.
“I love you!” The petite actress on the screen exclaimed to the running boy.
“Stay away!” the boy growled back.
Despite his words, the girl in the white dress ran. Chasing him over rocks and dead branches, as her white dressed fought against the grip of unforgiving branches.
The boy fell down to the ground, screaming in pure pain and agony. His body started to convulse, shake with rage and ache.
“Stay away!” he growled for the second time. His eyes started to turn into a deep red. The boy’s body caved in as he screamed another sharp shriek. In an instant his skin erupted away from his skeleton, replaced by a thick fur coat. His button nose elongated, turning dark.
At an instant, the boy had turned into the one thing I was tying to forget.
A werewolf.
The girl in the white dress caught up to him. “ I don’t care what you are. I still love you!” she grabbed onto him and planted a kiss.
I cursed loud enough that everyone around me turned. I stalked out of the movie theatre and stopped in the parking lot. Stomping my feet, I muffled a yell.
Why did he do this to me? Act like he would always be there and then just walk out of my life like nothing mattered.
The tears started running down my face.
I should’ve listened to everyone. I should’ve stayed away from him. What pained me the most was that Lowlii was the only guy I knew that seemed to live in the moment. He never cared about tomorrow, or the day before. All that mattered was the present, this moment in time.
Well, this moment sucked. It sucked so bad that it started to blow. Blow a hole straight through my heart.
“Honey? What happened?” my dad wrapped his arms around me as I sobbed harder. “I’m here for you. I’ll never leave.”
The car ride home was anguish. My dad tried to comfort me with intentions of hurting anyone that ripped my heart out. I denied everything, telling him that I wasn’t upset. As soon as I entered my room I locked my door.
I needed to talk to Lowlii. Werewolf or not—I needed to know what he really was. I changed into my pajamas and a light tank. Watching my cell phone clock turn two minutes to twelve, I darted my body towards the window. Letting the warm summer air engulf my room once more, I sat at the foot of my bed and stared.

Warm fingers brushed the side of my cheek gently. The heat in my stomach started to materialize. I pushed myself up off the mattress, staring back towards the headboard of my bed. Fighting myself from mania, I tried to breathe. Lowlii sat, staring back at me with concerned pale eyes.
Silver eyes.
“You’re here.” My voice whispered.
He nodded slowly, inching towards me. In panic, I pushed myself away. Lowlii stopped after seeing my action.
“What’s wrong, Jackie?”
I stared back, my eyes trailed along his body. Lowlii’s shirt seemed to be missing, revealing his toned arms and steal abs. I could just imagine the steam that would come off my finger if I dared to touch.
His eyes seemed to study my face. Like a predator would watch his prey. “You should be sleeping. It’s late.”
I looked down, trying not to let the moisture of my eyes overflow. “Is it true?”
Lowlii titled his head to the side with thoughtful eyes, “I want you to sleep.”
He extended his arms towards me, pulling his body closer. I tensed as his alluring silver eyes looked into mine.
“Please, go to sleep.” Even his warm breath seemed to alert my heart. I leaned back, trying to distance myself. Lowlii moved with me, allowing his body to cautiously hover over mine so that we didn’t touch.
“Everyone said to stay away from you.”
His forehead creased with regret, eyes saddening. Reaching his hand towards my face, he hesitated to rest it on my cheek.
“They thought I would hurt you.” Lowlii’s eyes seemed to concentrate as his warmth of his fingers grazed over my cheek. “You thought I would hurt you, didn’t you?”
I bit my lip, the tears slowly flowing down the side of my face.
“Jackie,” his voice whispered. “I would never hurt you. I have no reason to hurt you. You know that right?”
I couldn’t bring myself to answer. Lowlii’s body was so close to mine that the heat coming off his skin sent chills down my spine, yet we still weren’t touching. It drove me mad.
Gradually he moved his face closer, allowing only millimeters between our foreheads.
My breathing grew heavy. Lowlii clenched his jaw, squinted his eyes shut sternly. He seemed to be fighting off the same strong urge I had. My hand wearily raised itself with intentions of quenching my thirst of his flawless skin.
“Don’t.” His smooth voice stopped my hand’s motion. “You won’t be able to...”
I let out a sharp gasp. At my action Lowlii’s eyebrows arched down with longing as he held his face perfectly still in front of mine. My head tilted up, letting my lips closer to his.
“Don’t.” he demanded. “Not yet.”
I exhaled out of pain—out of burning desire.
“I’ve missed you so much,” our mouths both uttered.
Lowlii finally let his hand down onto my face, angling his forehead to meet mine.
His skin made the blood boil through my veins, my heart skip a beat. Lowlii let his weary breath graze my lips as his warm fingers tightened around the back of my neck.