Status: School just started, and I intend to keep up my 4.2 GPA from last year, and I'm still playing field hockey, so I'm sorry to say that updates will be "far and in between". I do have at least 6 or so more chapters already written for this, though. Fear not readers, fear not.
Dark Side of a Full Moon
Chapter 1: More Than Blood
A sharp pain in my back woke me up. I freaked out thinking I was going to be late for school and fell off my bed before I remembered it was the first day of Spring break. There was no use getting back in bed now that I was already up. I sleepily stumbled downstairs while rubbing my back gingerly. My whole body hurt. Why was I in so much pain? My fingers traced across raised ridges, like scars. Puzzled, I lifted up my t-shirt in the back and looked in the mirror. The bright red scratches disappeared right before my eyes. I blinked. What the hell? Shrugging it off as a trick of my sleep-deprived brain, I meandered into the living room. I noticed the answering machine’s light blinking and pressed the button.
“Cory? It’s Melanie. Where were you last night? I thought you said you were coming to my house for the party. Simon said he saw you going into the woods, but I think he’s just being a dumbass. You are so lucky you don’t have a brother. Did you get the math test back yesterday? I got a 56, but she absolutely hates my guts…” Melanie then launched into a rant about how Mrs.Larken was pure evil and married to the devil, before the answering machine clicked and cut her off mid-word.
I pressed delete and was just about to pour myself some cereal, when the doorbell rang. Two guys stood on my front porch. The semi-badass looking one I knew was Max Loch. I didn’t know who the other guy was. He was pretty short and had curly brown hair. Square glasses were perched on his nose.
“Um hey Max, and, uh…other guy,” I said. Max’s eyes narrowed.
“Maximilian,” he corrected. ‘Maximilian’ looked me up and down. The other guy’s eyes followed more slowly, much to my discomfort. “You had that on yesterday, minus the leaf litter. Where did you go last night?”
I looked down at my own clothes. I was still wearing my jeans and t-shirt from yesterday at school, except that they were muddy and the jeans were ripped up now. I frowned. These were my favorite pair of skinny jeans. I ran my fingers through my hair and plucked out a twig. “Well I was supposed to go to Melanie’s party –”
“I didn’t see you there. So where’d you go?” Max abruptly pushed the front door open and walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Other Guy followed, giving me a quick nod.
“Sure, just come on in,” I muttered under my breath as I locked the door. No, Hi, haven’t seen you since we broke up how have you been. He just comes into my house with some strange guy, walks right into my kitchen, and eats my breakfast I just poured. Max was sitting at the table drinking lemonade from the fridge and looking perfectly at home. His friend at least had the decency to not act like he owns the house.
“Cory,” Max said real seriously, “were you in the woods last night?”
“I – I guess so. I don’t remember. Melanie left me a message, and her brother said I went in the woods. I mean –” I looked down at my clothes. “– I must have been. Why is it so important?” They were both leaning in towards me awkwardly. I pushed myself back from the table. They exchanged a brief look.
“Did you…” Other Guy began. “This may sound like a weird question, but did you wake up this morning with scratches on your back?”
“How’d you –?”
“I think,” Max said, “you should come with us today.”
“Uh, sure…” It’s not like I had anything to do today, but Max was also my ex-boyfriend. A whole day hanging out with him? Awkward. Maybe if I just took forever getting ready, he would get the hint and leave. “But I sorta have to shower and stuff, so, uh…” I made a move to go upstairs.
Max nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll wait for you.” Other Guy stood up.
“I better get back,” he said, addressing Max. “Should I say anything…?”
“Nah, I’ll do that myself.”
“Alright, see you later,” he said, and went out the side door. I slipped upstairs. Max remained seated at the table with a triumphant grin on his face.
**********
Thirty minutes later I was clipping a necklace around my neck. The silver felt weird against my skin. Max knocked on the door.
“Come in,” I said. He opened the door and sat on my bed, slowly looking around the room. I moved the necklace around a bit. It left a bright red mark on my neck. I sighed and pulled it off.
“Proves my point,” he said.
“And what point would that be?”
He hesitated and said, “Let’s go for a walk.”
I complied. I knew Max. On gaining his cooperation, the only way was his way. And if his way was walking somewhere, that’s the way I was going. We walked outside and down the front lawn, across the street, and into a field. The short dry stalks rustled against my ankles. They poked through an inch of snow that would melt by the afternoon. Max stared intently at the ground and made almost no sound as he walked. “Cory…you’re not normal.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“What I mean is… The car crash. Your blood… my blood. Well I gave you more than just blood…”
“Do I have AIDS now or something??!”
“No! It’s not a disease or anything bad like that… well it depends on how you look at it if it’s bad or not—”
“You honestly suck at bringing bad news,” I said.
“—It’s not that bad of a thing for me to deal with…”
“Max. Get on with it. What disease do I have?” My heart hammered in my chest.
He took a deep breath and said, “I’m so sorry. Cory, you’re a werewolf.”
“Cory? It’s Melanie. Where were you last night? I thought you said you were coming to my house for the party. Simon said he saw you going into the woods, but I think he’s just being a dumbass. You are so lucky you don’t have a brother. Did you get the math test back yesterday? I got a 56, but she absolutely hates my guts…” Melanie then launched into a rant about how Mrs.Larken was pure evil and married to the devil, before the answering machine clicked and cut her off mid-word.
I pressed delete and was just about to pour myself some cereal, when the doorbell rang. Two guys stood on my front porch. The semi-badass looking one I knew was Max Loch. I didn’t know who the other guy was. He was pretty short and had curly brown hair. Square glasses were perched on his nose.
“Um hey Max, and, uh…other guy,” I said. Max’s eyes narrowed.
“Maximilian,” he corrected. ‘Maximilian’ looked me up and down. The other guy’s eyes followed more slowly, much to my discomfort. “You had that on yesterday, minus the leaf litter. Where did you go last night?”
I looked down at my own clothes. I was still wearing my jeans and t-shirt from yesterday at school, except that they were muddy and the jeans were ripped up now. I frowned. These were my favorite pair of skinny jeans. I ran my fingers through my hair and plucked out a twig. “Well I was supposed to go to Melanie’s party –”
“I didn’t see you there. So where’d you go?” Max abruptly pushed the front door open and walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Other Guy followed, giving me a quick nod.
“Sure, just come on in,” I muttered under my breath as I locked the door. No, Hi, haven’t seen you since we broke up how have you been. He just comes into my house with some strange guy, walks right into my kitchen, and eats my breakfast I just poured. Max was sitting at the table drinking lemonade from the fridge and looking perfectly at home. His friend at least had the decency to not act like he owns the house.
“Cory,” Max said real seriously, “were you in the woods last night?”
“I – I guess so. I don’t remember. Melanie left me a message, and her brother said I went in the woods. I mean –” I looked down at my clothes. “– I must have been. Why is it so important?” They were both leaning in towards me awkwardly. I pushed myself back from the table. They exchanged a brief look.
“Did you…” Other Guy began. “This may sound like a weird question, but did you wake up this morning with scratches on your back?”
“How’d you –?”
“I think,” Max said, “you should come with us today.”
“Uh, sure…” It’s not like I had anything to do today, but Max was also my ex-boyfriend. A whole day hanging out with him? Awkward. Maybe if I just took forever getting ready, he would get the hint and leave. “But I sorta have to shower and stuff, so, uh…” I made a move to go upstairs.
Max nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll wait for you.” Other Guy stood up.
“I better get back,” he said, addressing Max. “Should I say anything…?”
“Nah, I’ll do that myself.”
“Alright, see you later,” he said, and went out the side door. I slipped upstairs. Max remained seated at the table with a triumphant grin on his face.
**********
Thirty minutes later I was clipping a necklace around my neck. The silver felt weird against my skin. Max knocked on the door.
“Come in,” I said. He opened the door and sat on my bed, slowly looking around the room. I moved the necklace around a bit. It left a bright red mark on my neck. I sighed and pulled it off.
“Proves my point,” he said.
“And what point would that be?”
He hesitated and said, “Let’s go for a walk.”
I complied. I knew Max. On gaining his cooperation, the only way was his way. And if his way was walking somewhere, that’s the way I was going. We walked outside and down the front lawn, across the street, and into a field. The short dry stalks rustled against my ankles. They poked through an inch of snow that would melt by the afternoon. Max stared intently at the ground and made almost no sound as he walked. “Cory…you’re not normal.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“What I mean is… The car crash. Your blood… my blood. Well I gave you more than just blood…”
“Do I have AIDS now or something??!”
“No! It’s not a disease or anything bad like that… well it depends on how you look at it if it’s bad or not—”
“You honestly suck at bringing bad news,” I said.
“—It’s not that bad of a thing for me to deal with…”
“Max. Get on with it. What disease do I have?” My heart hammered in my chest.
He took a deep breath and said, “I’m so sorry. Cory, you’re a werewolf.”
♠ ♠ ♠
This chapter's song is Spies by Coldplay.