The Veiled Moon

That evening, dressed in dark blue jeans and a red halter top, I was walking to The Silver Moon, the club for under eighteens. “How dumb do you think I am? It's my birthday and we're 'just going to a club for fun'. Of course it's a party.”

Jason looked hurt at my cruelty but didn't say anything.

“I'm kidding!” I felt bad for being mean, now. I continued, smiling, hoping to relieve some tension. “I'm not mad. But honestly, you must have known I'd figure it out. Anne and Nicole organized it, didn't they?”

“Yeah.” He looked down at his feet.

Things had been weird ever since that morning. Yet there I was, trying my best to keep things light. Friendly. It felt awkward. Not knowing what to say, I kept quiet. Five minutes later the tall, black double doors were in front of us. I looked up at the large silver moon hanging above him. It looked a lot like the necklace I now had in my left front pocket. I'd thought about wearing it, but I knew my mother, and everyone else, would have asked questions.

Jason, out of courtesy rather than friendship, opened the door for me. Inside, there were about four dozen people, most of them people from school I rarely spoke to. All of them shouted “Happy birthday!”

I rolled my eyes and smiled. Immediately, Taylor, someone I often ran with, came towards me. “Hey, Katrina! Happy birthday!” She pulled me to a table, where two wrapped gifts sat. “Everyone here and your mother, Mrs Brooks and Jason, all chipped in to buy you those presents.”

I tore the presents open and my mouth fell open. I snapped it shut. “A new iPod and a laptop? That's so expensive!”

“Well it's your sixteenth, you deserve it. And your mother said you didn't really want a car anyway.”

I looked at Jason; he hadn't moved. I turned back to face Taylor and the rest of the people. “Thank you everyone!” I hugged Taylor, then let her pull me to the dance-floor. Music and people sucked me into a peaceful oblivion. I let the deep, strong beat of the music fill my ears and the throng of people remove all thought from my mind.

Four or five songs later ― Jason had joined in the dancing ― I headed to a table to rest. Taylor proposed we cut the cake and I let her take control. I didn't want to think. I just wanted peace. Everyone sang, even though I slightly protested. She told me to blow the candles and I did. She gave me a slice and I sat down with it on a burgundy couch. Once everyone had their slice, and I was alone, I began eating. I was almost finished, when I saw Liam come over to me.

He'd been at school with me since I could remember, yet we'd never really gotten to know about each other. All I knew was that he was half-Irish, which meant he had an Irish accent. Which I loved. So did all the other girls at school.

“Good to see that not all girls worry about their figures. You've got a great one, by the way.” He smiled flirtatiously.

I smiled back, feeling yet more stress ebb away. This was easy, fun. And his accent was soothing. “Liam,” I said. “Sit down next to me.” I patted the place next to me.

“What do you think of the party so far?” he asked, handing me a can of Coca-Cola before sitting down and adding, “I suppose you won't ask for diet?”

I shook my head, smiling and accepting the can. “The party's great.” I opened the can and took a large gulp. Taking the last bite of cake, I closed my eyes and listened to the music.

“So, how do keep that great body of yours in shape?” he asked me. I opened my eyes and found his tawny eyes staring into mine. I was surprised he wasn't looking at my body.

“I run, a lot. It's a hobby, I guess you could say.”

“Where do you run?”

I took a sip of Cola before answering. “On the beach.”

He nodded. “I'm surprised I haven't seen you, on the beach that is. I spend a lot of time there. Drawing. My hobby.”

“Well I usually run really early in the morning.”

“I draw late at night, really late. It worries my mother. But I love the nighttime. The stars, the moon, the clouds, I find it all amazingly beautiful.”

I set my can down, “You wanna dance?”

“Sure.” He looked a little surprised and I assumed he'd wanted to ask me to dance. I took his hand and he followed me to the packed dance-floor.

As we danced, I noticed Jason dancing with a girl. I frowned; she was new. And the way they were dancing, so close, so sensual. It bothered me; I wasn't jealous, though. But something was weird... The girl had long, wild brown hair. She was much shorter than Jason, but appeared to be the same age. Her face was round, doll-like and I flinched when I saw Jason's hand on her feminine curves. He wasn't like that. He wasn't that kind of guy.

“You okay?” Liam asked me.

“Uh? Um, yeah. Just got...distracted.” I smiled, but then I saw Jason leaving. With her. “I'm sorry, but I have to go.”

I left as quickly as I could, but by the time I was outside, Jason was gone. I started walking, then running towards the woods. That was where he'd been last night, maybe he'd be there tonight. Slightly out of breath for having run so fast without warming up, I stopped. The trees were right in front of me. The sky was clear, only the full moon and sparkling stars were present.

I heard a faint noise, someone shouting. It sounded like they were in agony. Worried, I ran. I shivered in shock at the sight that greeted me. Jason was convulsing, and that curious girl was watching him. “What's going―” I started asking, but an agony of mine own started, small in my stomach and then rippling through me and becoming bigger. I shuddered, just like Jason had, as my bones popped out of their joints. My whole body ached, everything changing.

I looked at my hands and would have asked someone why there was fur if I hadn't felt more pain. I screamed as my tailbone stretched, turning into what I imagined would later be a tail. I wanted to twist and see if I was right, but my skin suddenly stretched, as if to accommodate a body bigger than my own. My jaw began lengthening, then my teeth, sharper and longer, my tongue, bigger. Everything about me was growing.

Stress and pain overwhelming me, I howled. I howled? I fell to my four legs and ― four legs? What the fuck was happening to me? I clenched my teeth, deal with the pain in silence; my teeth slipped and drew blood. I closed my eyes, let my muscles become lax and fall onto the soft, warm sand. Soothing. One final shudder washed over me and it was over. The pain left me breathless.

“You have just transformed into a werewolf,” the curious girl said.

I understood her; weird. I opened my mouth then shut it. Damn. How could I ask her questions in this state of being! I growled, narrowed my eyes to a slit and took a step forward. My back arched and my ears stood up along with my fur.

“I know this must be stressful, not fully understanding the situation and not being able to talk, but I assure you, I can help. I'm also a werewolf. You are one because either your mother or your father is one, too. Jason is one because his mother is one.” She finally stopped talking to breathe.

I blinked as her words reached my brain. Anne? Motherly, sweet Anne a werewolf? In one way it made sense, there was that je ne sais quoi about her. A certain strength, never shown but you just know it's there. But in another way it just didn't seem possible. I'd know her for twelve years, how could that have been kept a secret? Surely someone keeping a secret like that one would have slipped up?

I tensed, feeling Jason nudge me. I hadn't heard him move. I turned to face him, and it became too much. Werewolves? I felt sick, my stomach ached with revolt. I could turn into an animal? I started running back home, I'd get into bed, fall asleep and wake up. It'll turn out this was a dream, that I had a nap, that the party hadn't even started. Jason was faster. He stopped me.

Let me go the fuck home! I bared my teeth and growled, I felt my claws dig into the sand. Get outta my way if you want to live, Jason. I know you understand me.

Jason had the nerve to place his paws on my shoulders and push me away. My jaw dropped. How dare he!

“My name's Accalia.” I looked up at her as she stepped between us. “Let's go into the woods so no one sees us. Then I can tell you more about werewolves.” Hips swaying, she walked off, deep into the depths of the trees. I rolled my eyes and followed her. Show off.

Jason and I found her sitting on a fallen log. The way she sat, dainty and feminine, legs crossed delicately, leaning on the wood with her hands, it angered me. Looking so innocent and perfect. I shook my head of all mean thoughts and lay down, waited patiently for Accalia to speak. God, what a name...

“You have possibly noticed that you look exactly like a regular wolf. It's very practical and means we don't get noticed easily by humans.” She wasn't looking at me, politely, no. She was looking at Jason, and she didn't care if I saw.

Anger barely contained, I waited for her to keep yakking. Sorry. Talking. She talked about our origins, the history of werewolves and ancient rules to be obeyed.

**

What felt like hours later, Accalia finished talking and suggested she transform, show us the ropes, so to speak. The three of us, as wolves, ran through the trees. She showed us how to avoid crashing into trees when running fast, how to hunt small mammals and how to use our senses. Finally, she stopped and became human again.

Anger I'd just been able to suppress rose again, fast. Jason had his eyes on her, on her naked human body. Her clothes were far from where we were, but she didn't mind. Jason didn't either. He transformed back into a human, and didn't even notice me slip away, run away. I found my clothes, not as shredded as I thought they'd be, on the beach. Human, I hurriedly put them on and ran home.

I put my rage into running, and a thought came to me: Why did I care if he lusted after her? I didn't love him in that sense. I'm sure of it. Could it be that my werewolf side wants him? If so, and I hoped it wasn't so, then this would just make things even more complicated. Especially if my human side― Since when was I referring to my human and werewolf sides?

Head suddenly aching with exhaustion, hunger, leftover anger, confusion and God knows what else, I quickly got home. Inside the confines of my cozy, warm house, I was quiet as I made myself a sandwich and drank a glass of water. Then I slipped into my soft pyjamas and sank into my bed.

**

The next morning I woke up my head pounding and feeling like I'd had a nightmare. But it was all very vague, fuzzy. The more I tried to remember the vaguer it felt. Eventually, I gave up trying to remember.

Once out of bed I heard my mother's footsteps. The sound got louder until she opened my door. “Katie?” she said, calling me what she used to call me, when I was younger. “When did you get home? Where did you go last night? People at the party said you just vanished, some say they saw you left with some guy... Liam I think they said his name was. Isn't he half-Irish?”

“Yes, Liam. And no, I only danced with him. I left to...” I paused. She didn't need to know. “Look, I've got a headache, could I just get an aspirin and have some water to drink. Maybe eat.”

“A headache? Did you get drunk?” She didn't look angry, just a bit disapproving. She didn't mind me drinking, but getting drunk on my sixteenth birthday after unexpectedly leaving the party she organized was something she wouldn't tolerate.

“No, I just had trouble sleeping.” It came out in short bursts, since I wasn't even sure what had happened. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples, then sighed and went out my room, past my mom and down. She didn't follow me downstairs immediately.

**

I needed an answer. But Jason somehow found ways to avoid me. Buying food. On the phone. At a friend's place. Once, around five-ish, I caught him. All I could ask was “What happened last―” And he was gone again. Like water through my fingers. Or sand.

I was desperate to remember anything, but I couldn't. It felt like there was some sort of wall, blocking my own memories from me. And for exactly a week following my birthday, he evaded me, time and time again. He distanced himself from me, in every sense of the word.

It felt like everything was slipping away from me: family, my mother either working or out God knows where; friends, Jason, Taylor, Liam (I knew Jason's reasons, what were theirs?); memories, the ones of my birthday night.