by Willow Rose
My grandmother looked at my mother as she served her some extra mint hummus on her plate. "You're kidding me, right?"
"No,” my mom said. "It's healthy. Keeps us looking young."
"I look young," she said. "Still, I don't eat this crap."
"Mom!"
She clasped her mouth. "Excuse me. I don't eat this kind of food." She leaned toward me, then whispered, "If you can call it food."
I chuckled but ate what was on my plate since I didn't want to hurt my mother. I was getting along very well with her these days and didn't want to ruin that.
"So, Grandma, I was wondering if I could do a story about you for the TV station?" I asked and wiped my mouth on my napkin.
My mother turned her head. "Why on earth would you want to do that? That sounds like an awful idea. Terrible!"
"The TV station wants to do a feature on how circus life is in the world we live in today. Is it like in the old days or how has it changed, and will circus life be extinct within the coming years? Stuff like that."
"Really?" my mom said. "You'd think they’d have something better to report about. Like the killing of the young people."
"They weren't all young, Mom," Adrian said. "Mrs. Sharpe was old. And why do you care? They're all hum…I mean, you usually don't care about stuff like this?"
My mom looked concerned. "Maybe, but I think they need to catch whoever is doing this. They should be doing more than what they're doing, I believe. Kids around here aren't safe. I don't like it. What if Robyn is attacked before she turns…eighteen?"
I looked at my mother, realizing she was actually worried about me.
"They are talking about that too," I said. "But sometimes they need a little more than just crime stuff. People like to see something they know nothing about, like how life is when you travel with a circus."
"I still think it's a horrible idea," my mom said. "No one would want to watch that. And I am sure your grandmother has better things to do."
"I think it sounds like fun," my grandmother said. She put an arm around my shoulder.
My mom exhaled, annoyed, and rolled her eyes.
"Really?"
"Yes, and it'll give me some time to hang with my favorite granddaughter. Not a bad deal, if you ask me."
Chapter Fifteen
"How was work?"
Jazmine looked at her mother who had just come home. She was still in her uniform.
"What's that?"
"How's your new job?"
"Oh, that. It's fu-un."
"Really?" Jazmine asked, surprised.
Working at the inn was fun?
"Yes, lots of fun."
Her mother walked past her into the kitchen and pulled out ingredients for making a meatloaf. Then she rushed upstairs and changed. It had been a slow day for Jazmine. Summer break had so far been slightly on the boring side.
"What did you do today?" her mother asked when she came back down into the kitchen.
Jazmine shrugged. She had spent most of the day hanging out with the many birds in their attic, but she didn't want to tell her mother that.
"Did Adrian come over?" she asked.
"For a few hours," Jazmine said. "He and his cousins then went to play a game of paintball."
"He didn't invite you?"
"It's not exactly my idea of fun. You know I hate anything involving weapons."
Her mother smiled. "I just want you to have fun this summer. And not sit inside and mope all day long."
"I'll be fine," Jazmine said.
Her mother tilted her head. "Are you…fine? I know it is tough what you're going through, losing your dad and everything, but at some point, you have to move on, Jazzy."
Jazzy? She had never called her that before. It was mostly her friends who called her that.
Jazmine shook her head. Maybe she was wrong. Her mother called her all sorts of names, constantly making up new ones.
You've got to stop being paranoid.
"So, what's new with you, Mom?" Jazmine asked.
"What do you mean?" she said and put the meatloaf in the oven. She started to chop broccoli. Jazmine thought the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board was a little more aggressive than usual.
"I…" she was about to let her know that she had seen her leave at night, but something made her stop. There was a reason why her mother was keeping this a secret from her, whatever it—or whoever he—was.
"I was just wondering, is all," she said. "You seem so happy."
Have you met someone? Am I going to get a new dad?
Her mother came closer, her eyes scrutinizing Jazmine. Then she scoffed. "You've seen me leave at night, haven't you?"
Jazmine's eyes grew wide. "No…no…I…"
And that was when Jazmine saw something in her mother's eyes that she had never seen before. A fire, a spitting rage.
"Whatever I do and when I do it is no business of yours, little missy. Do you read me?" she hissed as she spoke, pointing the knife in her direction. "It's none of your darn beeswax. Now, SCRAM!"
Jazmine almost fell off her chair as she hurried out of the kitchen. She turned around and ran for the stairs. Once in her room, she locked the door for the first time ever.
Chapter Sixteen
Amy wanted to give up. She had tried and tried to learn how to fly, but somehow, she couldn't. It wasn't that her wings didn't work or that she wasn't capable of flying; everything seemed to be perfect in order, but she just simply didn't believe that she was capable of soaring into the air. Her mother had practiced with her tonight again, taking her to the mountains, but just like the night before, they had returned disappointed. Amy hated to disappoint her mother more than anything, and that made things even worse. It made her so nervous when trying; she couldn't focus properly.
Meanwhile, she had been flying on her mother's back, and that was pretty darn amazing. Flying over town and watching their neighborhood from above was truly spectacular. She was amazed at how silently her mother could move in the darkness.
Her mother was such a gorgeous dragon. Not clumsy and goofy like Amy was. Her mother said the dragon would change as she grew older, just like you changed and grew as a human, but Amy had a feeling she was never going to be as beautiful as her mother. Just like she wouldn't be as a human either.
"More ice cream, sweetie?"
Amy looked up at her mother, who was standing in front of her with the mint-chocolate ice-cream bucket in her hand. Amy had finished her bowl. She shook her head and looked at Melanie sitting next to her.
"I could do with another scoop," she said and held out her bowl. "The hunting at night makes me hungry."
"Don't you hunt for animals and eat all night?" Amy asked.
"Sure," Melanie said with a shrug.
Amy's mother gave her two extra scoops, then winked. She looked at Amy. "Are you sure you don't want some more?"
Her dad came in. He was doing a lot better and almost back to his own self again since the incident. Amy hadn't seen his dragon yet and couldn't wait till he was well enough to go with them at night.
"That's not like my Amy to say no to ice cream. What's wrong, hon?" he asked.
"Not now, Jim," her mother said with a low voice.
He nodded. "I see. She still can't…"
Her mother shook her head.
"Not even lift off the ground?"
Her mother shook her head again. He nodded and looked at Amy, who could have crawled inside of a mouse hole had there been one close by. She felt so embarrassed.
"It'll come," he said. "I was a late flyer too."
He smiled at Amy and grabbed the bucket of ice cream, then ate from it with a spoon. "Don't worry about it, kiddo."
She forced a smile to make him think she wasn't worried. But how could she not worry?
"It's not like your cousin, John," Amy's dad said, mouth filled with ice cream.
"Jim!"
"What?" Amy asked. "What's wrong with Cousin John?"
"It's nothing
like that," Amy's mom said and took the bucket from her dad's hands. "Nothing like that at all."
"What's wrong with Cousin John?" Amy asked.
They exchanged a look. Her mother spoke:
"Cousin John is my cousin. He never learned to fly," she said. "But you're nothing like him, Amy."
"Why? Why didn't he ever learn how to fly?" Amy asked, feeling terrified. "Why, Mom?"
"He…he was too…heavy, they said."
Amy's dad put air in his cheeks and gestured a fat belly. Amy blushed. Was she too fat too? Was that why she kept falling?
"But, honey, you're nothing like him," her mother said. "Cousin John was…is really big. You’re not. You just…need a little more practice. That's all. We'll try again tomorrow night."
Amy pushed her bowl away.
Melanie let out a gurgling sound and almost choked on her ice cream.
"Argh, already?" she said and lifted her hands in the air where claws were growing out.
Amy looked at the clock on the wall. It was approaching midnight. Amy's parents had told them that werewolves usually turned at midnight, but some could also call out their wolf at other times during the day, especially if they were angry. But it demanded practice and, so far, Melanie hadn't been able to control when she turned and when she didn't.
Melanie gulped down the last of her ice cream while her face grew hairy and her fangs kept hitting the edge of the bowl. Seconds later, she was a full-blown wolf. She wiped her mouth on her fur, then turned around with a deep growl and ran out the back door into the yard and jumped over the fence, then disappeared.
Amy's mother closed the door behind her, then looked at her watch too.
"We should get some sleep. You're still not well enough to be awake at night." She touched Amy's dad's cheek gently.
"I'll stay up a little longer," Amy said. "Watch some Netflix."
"Okay, sweetie. See you tomorrow."
Chapter Seventeen
I heard the door slam shut, then the usual screaming bats when they soared from the backyard as my vampire family flew out into the night, hopefully hunting nothing but animals.
I shivered as I watched them go, then hurried down the stairs to go visit Jayden. I glanced toward Mr. Aran's house as I walked into the cul-de-sac and spotted him in the window looking out, his skinny arms holding the curtain aside. I knew that he knew what my family was, but I had no idea if he also knew about Jayden’s and Jazmine's. I was pretty sure he knew nothing about Amy since they were very good at hiding what they were. Why was he just standing there, watching? I had overheard him talking to my mom and knew he had told her that he would take her down if she was seen by humans. Was he just waiting for one of them to mess up?
I stared at his house so intently that I didn't even notice Jazmine's mom as she rushed out of her house and bumped right into me underneath a streetlamp.
"Oh, God. I am so sorry," I said.
"Watch where you're going," she hissed.
I frowned. Jazmine's mom hissed at me? She was usually so sweet?
"I am sorry," I repeated.
"What are you doing out here anyway?" she asked, her eyes examining me. "Aren't you supposed to be in your bed, along with all the other humans?"
"Well, yes, but…I was just…"
She looked at Jayden's house, then smiled. "Ah…I see. I’m not sure your mom will be too thrilled to hear about that."
My heart stopped. "Please, don't tell her," I said.
"You want me to lie to your mother?"
I swallowed. This wasn't good. "Well, no but…I…" I stopped and stared at her forehead. Something was crawling on it.
"What? What are you looking at?"
"You have a fly…" I said and pointed at the edge of her hair.
Jazmine's mother waved. "Stupid fly. It’s been bothering me all night. Go away."
The fly lifted off, but only for a few seconds. It returned and sat on the top of her hair.
"Now it's…" I said and pointed. "Up there."
"Argh, stupid fly," she said and waved at it again. The fly lifted off, then returned and sat on her collar. I decided not to tell her.
"Now, I’m late," she growled. "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome?" I said and watched as she threw her broom up in front of her. It stayed floating in the air till she jumped it. She took off giggling, sounding just like witches from my childhood imagination or in the old movies.
I stared after her, then rushed to Jayden's house, wondering if this would be the last nightly visit I would be able to make. Would Jazmine's mom tell on us? If so, then we were done.
Chapter Eighteen
Being a fly was tough. Boy, was it hard work, Jazmine thought to herself as she clung onto her mother's collar while flying through the breezy and clear night.
People were constantly swirling their hands at you, trying to get you away or to kill you.
She had used a spell from her mother's book to turn herself into one. She was sick of having to guess what her mother was doing and who she went to see. Now, she wanted to see for herself what was going on with her and, hopefully, without her mother knowing she was there.
It had taken three tries in her bedroom to finally become a real fly. It was probably the pronunciation that had screwed it up the first two times. It was hard when she didn't have anyone to teach her the words properly, so Jazmine had to guess how they were pronounced. The first time, she had become half a moth and half an elephant, which had been quite the sight. She had to wait for the spell to wear off, then try again. That was when she became a fly, but with one horse leg. It was close but not quite there yet. Third time had worked like a charm.
She held onto the collar with her small sticky feet, while watching everything through her many eyes. It felt extremely confusing, and everything was so enormous.
The spell would only last for an hour, then she would change back, but she thought that would give her enough time to spy on her mother, to figure out what she was up to.
First, they had bumped into Robyn who had almost blown it all. Then they shot through the air when her mother suddenly stopped and hovered above something for a few seconds before finally descending. Jazmine closed her eyes and held on tight as the ground approached, fast, when suddenly the movement stopped. She opened her many eyes and blinked a few times when she realized her mother was standing in a parking lot, the one on the hill overlooking Shadow Hills down in the valley. It was a very popular make-out spot. A car was parked there, the front facing the city beneath it. The car was moving slightly from side to side and Jazmine could hear someone giggling inside of it.
She watched as her mother approached it and could hear a low snarl emerge from her throat, making her entire body vibrate. The sound caused a tremble of fear to rush through Jazmine's tiny fly-body.
What is she doing? These people are making out! Why is she walking to the car?
Her mother continued walking with determined steps, growling. Jazmine felt her heart race in her chest, fear rushing through her veins. She didn't understand. She thought her mother had a boyfriend? She thought she was hiding some guy that she was seeing. What was this?
What is she going to do?
Chapter Nineteen
Kimmie giggled as Jack pulled off her shirt and touched her breasts. It was getting hot and muggy inside the car, and the windows were getting foggy. He pulled her down over him and kissed her, sticking his tongue far down her throat.
Kimmie was supposed to have been home long ago. Her parents never let her stay out after midnight, but she had lost track of time. Or maybe she didn't care. Jack had taken her to watch A Wrinkle in Time—the movie she had chosen—and then they had pizza afterward and then he had told her he would take her to Make-out Mountain, as they called the place. No one had ever taken Kimmie to Make-out Mountain before, and she was very excited that Jack was going to be the one. Her phone kept vibrating in her purse on the back seat, but she didn't care. She would have to face her pare
nts later. Now, it was all about her and Jack and her finally losing her virginity. It was about time, her friend, Alyssa would say. She couldn't wait to tell her in the morning that it had finally happened. Alyssa had hers taken two years ago when they were fifteen.
"Do you have some…protection?" she asked Jack just like Alyssa had instructed her to.
"Mmm," he mumbled while kissing her breast and fumbling with her panties.
"I’m serious, Jack," she said, letting out another giggle.
"I am very serious too," he said and climbed on top of her, his hands touching her everywhere.
That was when they heard a knock on the window.
Jack jumped in surprise, then lifted his head. "What the…heck…is that a woman standing out there?"
Kimmie stopped giggling and looked up. Then she gasped, startled, and grabbed her shirt to cover herself up.
"Oh, God, Jack. I hope it's not the cops or something. I don't wanna go to jail, Jack!"
He looked again, wiping the fog off the windows, then shook his head. "It's not. It's just some woman."
"What are you doing? Jack? Don't roll the window down. What if she's some serial killer?"
He laughed. "That sweet woman out there? She's probably just lost."
"There have been killings, Jack; you know that. What about Blake from the school? And Natalie?"
He sighed, annoyed. "That was a wolf, Kimmie. Do you really think a wolf is going to walk up to our car and knock on the window? I swear, sometimes you're just so…"
He continued to roll down the window, and Kimmie put on her shirt.
"Yes?" he asked. "Can we help you with anything?"
The sound of low growling made Kimmie lift her head and look just as a hand with very long nails reached in through the window and ripped Jack's chest open. Kimmie let out a scream when the woman poked her head inside the car, her blazing red eyes staring at Kimmie, then lifted her hand with the bloody claw-like nails once again and swung it at her. Kimmie felt the claws as they pierced through her flesh and then she never felt anything again.
