by Brent Miller
“Is everything okay?” she finally asked.
“Yes! Yes. Hayden, do you want to do something?”
“What?” she laughed. He wasn’t sure if she was requesting details on his plan or just expressing confusion, so he did his best to clarify.
“I don’t know. We could do something. Something convenient for you. Do you like eating? You don’t look like you like eating, but I mean, you have to. Like to survive.”
“I eat,” she said, her expression changing to something more skeptical. He was losing her, and fast, but there wasn’t a single suave cell in his body. How was he supposed to act like he was the kind of person she’d date?
“Yeah,” he said. “I mean, I know. But do you want to do it with me? Eat, I mean?”
“Garrick Elliott, are you asking me on a date?” she asked.
“Yes,” he responded inquisitively. A part of him was looking to her for affirmation, as if he were unable to confirm his own intentions, but another part was just scared of the direction of the conversation. Suddenly, he realized that since it was already out there, there was no going back. A bit of the tension faded away, and he was able to force a bit more confidence into his voice. “Yes, I am. I’ve liked you since the moment I saw you, and I’ve spent two months building up the courage to walk up to your door and ask you to be my girlfriend. So there it is.”
“I’d love to eat with you,” she laughed.
“Really?”
“Obviously,” she said. “I was just starting to get worried you’d never ask.”
Present
17 days until the full moon
“Garrick,” Chase spoke quietly and almost hesitantly. For the first time all week he’d approached Garrick and Tyler in the lunchroom, and it was apparent his mind was struggling in search of the right words to say.
“Can we talk?” was all he was able to choke out.
In the brief silence that followed, Tyler looked at Garrick inquisitively. Garrick just shrugged, but nodded to him, assuring him that everything was fine. Tyler looked back at Chase skeptically. Between the three of them, it was rare that something was said in private – at least as far as Tyler knew. Conversations about their shared curse were typically something Garrick and Chase concealed a little better.
“I’ll see you after school,” Tyler told Garrick, shrugging as he tried to pretend he wasn’t offended at being left out of a conversation with his friends.
“You’re crazy, Garrick, you know that?” Chase whispered harshly as he sat across from Garrick and leaned in close in an attempt to avoid being overheard.
“What?” Garrick froze for a minute, genuinely shocked by the sudden shift in tone.
“Look, it’s been two weeks since your fight with Aldric. We all expected you to be back by now. You can’t keep doing this.”
“I can’t go back now,” Garrick responded forcefully. His conviction wiped away the confusion that had gripped him only moments before.
“I know it’s hard. Trust me; I hate feeling like a monster. I hate what I did. But we don’t have another choice.”
“I’ll find one,” Garrick tried to appear nonchalant, but he knew the odds were stacked against him. He was alone.
“You know what,” Chase conceded, softening his voice a bit. He spoke slowly, selecting his words more carefully. “If you do, maybe we can start our own pack. Until then, please come back. You’ll get killed out here. And maybe you’ll take a few people down with you.”
Chase stood, cutting the conversation short. He knew Garrick well enough to know that he wouldn’t get an answer in that moment – Garrick would have to be left to ponder. As Chase walked away, Garrick took a deep breath, finding himself wondering if Chase was right. But how was he going to go back around them, especially after what happened with Hayden? She still looked away whenever he came into view. She still refused to say a word to him. There was no way the two of them could be near each other.
No, he’d have to find a way to handle the change himself. But he’d have to do that later. He had other things on his mind. He tried to calm himself down as he rubbed his eyes. Confident he’d contained himself enough, he walked out of the lunchroom, heading to his next class. As he crossed the threshold of the doors, Tyler stepped from the side and startled him. Garrick caught Tyler’s wrist and locked it, spinning around and pinning his friend to the wall – adrenaline coursing through his veins.
“Don’t startle me like that,” Garrick muttered as his pulse slowly faded back to normal. He dropped Tyler’s wrist and stepped back. Tyler shook his hand, trying to force away the pain, as he looked at Garrick disconcertedly.
“Well, that was unexpected,” he finally admitted, raising his eyebrows as he spoke. His usual lightheartedness was ever-present. “So, are you prepared for this evening?” Tyler asked.
“Not in the slightest.”
“You’re going to be fine. I will prevent you from making too much of a fool of yourself.”
“Thanks,” Garrick said with a laugh. “Just don’t forget the pie.”
At five o’clock, his doorbell rang. Tyler was early. He’d asked his friend to get there before Samantha did in hopes the awkwardness would be somewhat appeased, but Garrick hadn’t expected him to take it to heart so much. That meant he was going to have to spend extra time with Kayla too. There wasn’t much of an opportunity for him to win in that situation.
He opened the door to see Samantha standing in front of him, beaming with two full bags of groceries in her hands. He quickly pasted a fake smile on, but he knew she’d already caught sight of his perpetual frown that he’d worn over the past few weeks.
“Everything alright?” she asked. Her smile died down as quickly as his had appeared.
“Yeah,” he responded, shrugging off the question. It almost sounded convincing. “Come on in.” As an afterthought, he added, “here, let me help you with those.”
He took the bags and led her inside. As he placed the bags on the counter, his mom, having heard the door, came out from her room. She was in uniform already, and her badge caught a glint of the dim kitchen light. She was on night shifts recently, so she had to go in at six. He’d hoped no one would arrive until well after her departure, simply to save him a lot of awkward conversation.
“Hello,” she greeted, shooing Garrick a questioning and jokingly suspicious look.
“Ms. Elliott, I assume?” Samantha asked.
“Yes,” she responded, still retaining her suspicious gaze. She had become skilled in the art of feigning emotions through her countless interrogations, so even Garrick was starting to wonder if she was serious.
“I’m Samantha. You can call me Sammi if you want.”
“Well alright Sammi,” his mom responded with a quiet chuckle, breaking character. Garrick was so thankful for his mother. She wasn’t a parent who would intentionally make an already awkward situation worse for him – at least not until after Samantha was gone.
A lot of moms would ask who she was, since he never mentioned her. Or say something to Garrick about how soon it was after Hayden. He would have agreed with that, of course, but he didn’t want to explain all of that to her.
Instead, she just made a joke. “Went shopping for us?” she asked with a smile.
“Sorry,” Samantha replied. “I just had to pick up a few things for dinner. Are you going to eat with us?” It sounded like an invitation – there wasn’t a hint of concern that his mother would say yes. She was a genuinely nice person. He’d said his mom wouldn’t be there, but Samantha didn’t seem off-put or bothered at all by her presence.
“I can’t,” his mom replied. “I have to get to work as soon as Garrick here gives me the keys to the car.”
Garrick didn’t say anything. He just retreated to his room and strained his hearing, hoping they weren’t discussing anything that could make his night go downhill. His hearing was slightly better than average thanks to the wolf senses, but those barely helped so far from the moon. All he could
hear was some indistinct conversation and laughing. He sifted through everything in his room, desperately trying to remember where he’d left the keys. The more quickly he found them, the faster he could get back out there and perform the imminently necessary damage control.
“Silly me,” his mom said from the doorway, startling him out of his trance. Somehow, he hadn’t noticed the cessation of the conversation, or her make her way back toward him. She was dangling the keys in her hand, leaning against his door frame and smiling at him.
“You did that on purpose,” Garrick muttered, exasperated.
“You know me,” she smirked. Her expression changed quickly, fading from playful to concerned. “You alright, Garrick?”
“It’s a long story,” he said.
“Well I expect to hear it when I get home. And find you here. Sleeping. And no one else.” She said it jokingly, but in a tone that let him know she was completely serious.
“I know, mother.”
“Good. Well, she’s cute.”
“Yeah,” Garrick said. His mom was heading back down the hall and out the door. She waved at him as she left to work. He turned his gaze to Samantha, who had already started laying ingredients for spaghetti out across the counter. He was so happy she’d chosen something so simple. At least he didn’t have to deal with trying to pretend to like some overly fancy food. She was wearing a white tank top and shorts and had her hair tied back in a ponytail, probably to keep it out of her face as she cooked.
“Yeah, I guess she is.”
Garrick had texted her earlier in the week asking if it was okay to invite Tyler and Kayla over as well. He had specifically avoided using the term ‘double date’ but it seemed to him that any way he phrased the question made it incredibly obvious. She was surprisingly okay with it, so he thought maybe she was nervous for their date as well. Though they most likely had very different reasons, it made him feel better to know that he wasn’t the only one.
“Your friends better get here soon,” she told him as she leaned over the oven, stirring the sauce which rested on the back burner. “It’s almost done.”
“He will,” Garrick responded, careful about his word choice. Maybe it was petty, but he wasn’t willing to call Kayla a friend. He left it at that for a few seconds, allowing the silence to hang in the air. “Thanks for this,” he finally added.
“Of course,” she told him. She stopped stirring and stepped back from the oven. She checked on the garlic bread and switched off the oven. Hesitantly, she moved toward him a bit – and he just felt dread. He recognized this moment, and he definitely wasn’t as interested as she was. In a bold move, she threw her arms over his shoulders, pulling him into an embrace. Their faces hovered a few inches apart. Garrick awkwardly moved his head to the side and hugged her, careful not to hold on too tightly. No matter how long he’d been with Hayden, he always felt butterflies when they touched. Here, he felt nothing. It started to feel like the hug was dragging on a bit too long when the doorbell ringing gave him a valid excuse to pull away.
Garrick had to remind himself to walk normally – to avoid letting her see how excited he was to get a buffer. Trying not to bound toward the door, he cautiously meandered toward it and placed a hand on the knob. When he opened it, Tyler and Kayla stood in front of him. Tyler, holding a store-bought apple pie, beamed and silently bounded inside. As Kayla followed him, Garrick realized the day had finally come that he was actually happy to see her.
“Thanks for coming,” he said to Kayla. She smiled and hugged him as she greeted him.
“Hi Tyler,” Garrick called after his friend.
“I’m on a mission, Garrick Elliott,” Tyler called back, continuing his trek to the kitchen. Garrick laughed as he closed the door and led Kayla to the kitchen. He introduced everyone as he caught up to Tyler, who placed the apple pie he’d brought on the counter in a rather exaggerated motion.
“I have procured a pie,” he declared.
“He is very excited about that pie,” Kayla whispered to Garrick. Her tone confused Garrick, as he wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be a joke or a complaint. Either way, he overheard and didn’t seem too offended.
“I am indeed!” he exclaimed. He reached out for her hand, and when she took it, he pulled her close and kissed her lightly.
When they weren’t arguing, they both seemed so completely happy. It was as if they completed each other, and they wanted to spend every waking minute of their lives together. It reminded Garrick of what he had with Hayden. The problem was that the time they spent happy seemed to be significantly overshadowed by the amount of time dedicated to bitter arguments.
“It looks like a wonderful pie,” Samantha laughed. “Thank you.”
“I am glad to know someone is appreciative of this magnificent pie,” Tyler said. Garrick was starting to get the impression that he wasn’t kidding. Tyler was apparently just really looking forward to that pie. “You are most certainly welcome. I hope you enjoy watching as I consume it in its entirety.”
Kayla smiled, seemingly perceiving that as the cutest thing she’d ever heard. Garrick was happy for Tyler. He and Kayla had been together for three months consecutively this time, and he had a small amount of hope that maybe things would actually work out for them. As much as he didn’t think Kayla was the best choice, he was happy to see Tyler smile.
They all chatted for a while, talking about everything from school to their favorite movies. Garrick and Samantha shared a lot more in common than he would have expected.
After about ten minutes, Samantha turned off the burners and began plating meals for everyone. She insisted that they sit at the table as she brought them their food, although Garrick offered to help her.
The four of them sat and ate together. Everyone laughed and talked, and Garrick started to forget that he had thought the night was going to be a complete disaster.
Garrick shoveled one more bite of spaghetti into his mouth. It was possibly the best thing he’d ever eaten.
“What do you all think?” Samantha asked as they ate.
“It’s delicious,” Garrick said, trying to swallow his food before he spoke. “Thank you. I had no idea you could cook like this.” The other two just nodded as they ate. They thanked her through full mouths.
“Thanks,” she said, blushing a bit. “It’s a family recipe, so I was a little nervous you wouldn’t like it.”
“Well, then I am grateful to your entire family,” Garrick said with a smile.
After another few minutes, Garrick started to feel odd. His stomach churned, and his throat started to swell up. He’d eaten a lot, but he’d had a bigger appetite since his first transformation, and he couldn’t imagine he’d managed to overeat. Especially with how careful he always tried to be. He wondered if he was allergic to something she had used, or if that was even possible. He started quietly gasping for breath, trying to avoid allowing anyone to see that he was having that reaction. He took a drink from his water, but it didn’t help. Panic started to set in and breathing became near impossible before he felt an intense pain rise in his stomach. One that he recognized far too well.
“Excuse me,” he choked out, pushing his chair out from the table. He walked to the bathroom, struggling to keep his balance. His vision started to blur, and the world shook around him as he bit back agony. As soon as he was out of their field of vision, Garrick leaned against the wall for support. He got to the bathroom and closed the door, splashing water in his face. His vision cleared up slightly, but the pain only continued to worsen. This could not be happening. It was impossible.
The next minute felt like it went by in slow motion. He heard the others talking from across the house.
“Is it time for pie?” Samantha asked.
“Absolutely!” Tyler replied enthusiastically. Garrick heard as a chair scraped across the floor, being pushed away from the table. He heard Tyler’s footsteps. “I’m going to ask Garrick Elliott if he wants a piece before I decide how large to cut them.”
Garrick stared at his reflection. He watched as a few shreds of blue cut through his eyes. He held tightly to the edge of the counter, trying to dig deep enough into his hands to cause him enough pain to hold the beast back. It was futile, though. The blue specs in his eyes spread like a plague until there was no other color left in his iris.
Panting with the intensified pain, he felt his canine teeth begin to grow. He watched as the nails on his hands began to change, and the hair on his arms grew in front of his eyes.
Time moved at a crawl – every second felt like an hour. Each footstep brought Tyler that much closer, and Garrick didn’t have the words to stop him.
There was a knock on the door.
“Just a minute,” Garrick growled.
“Would you like a slice of pie?” Tyler asked through the closed door.
“I’m good.”
“You sure?”
“Yes!” Garrick barked, a little too loudly.
“Well, sorry,” Tyler responded, playfully sarcastic. Garrick heard as he turned to leave, and he breathed a sigh of relief. His solace had been premature, though, because Tyler stopped only a step away. Garrick lurched forward and bit his tongue to hide a scream. When the wave of pain subsided, he spat blood into the sink.
“Are you alright?” Tyler asked.
“Yes!”
“Okay.” He wasn’t convinced. Garrick couldn’t hold back the pain anymore as he felt his shoulder break, only to start to change shape. He grunted too loudly as he dropped to his knees, unable to support himself with the sink any longer.
“Garrick Elliott?”
He couldn’t respond this time. What was happening? It wasn’t late enough to turn, even if the moon was full. Was there an eclipse he didn’t know about?
“Okay, my concern for your safety has overpowered my desire for your privacy. Cover yourself.” Tyler opened the door. How had Garrick not locked it? He had other things on his mind but locking the door should have been a pretty simple idea when it came to protecting his friend from himself.
