Nightly Howls

by Madeline Blake

  Lightning lights up the forest, golden whips of energy igniting the air. Thunder soon follows, its wail crackling through the air and hurting my ears.

  "Let's go." I look into the sky, marveling at its horrendous temper tantrum. "Asher and Nico, let us get on your backs so we can go there quickly."

  Without a word in complaint, they oblige. Asher gets to me first, smiling brightly. "My lady?" he bows, and I laugh at his weird fake accent. Nico, slightly dismayed, lets Danae clamor onto his back.

  Asher shoots me an encouraging smile, then charges through the forest. It takes a second for my mind to adjust to the speed, but then I am fully alert, looking around. There's a fast food station only a mile away from here? Is it right in the middle of the forest? So far we have been traveling for almost fifty miles and I still haven't seen anything.

  I cast a quick glance at Nico, which soon grows into a lengthy stare. I admire his muscles, which are bulging as he exerts them. His sparkling blue hair glistens as crystal droplets dance down each strand.

  But what bugs me the most is Danae. She is clutching at his back, her youthful features matching his in beauty and gracefulness. For some reason, the way she is hanging on him annoys me. She really needs to get off of him.

  I shake my head, trying to rid myself of these thoughts. I can't be jealous. I will not allow it.

  I hug Asher's chest, attempting to delve myself into someone else. To try and see if just anyone really is all I need. However, there is no spark. The warmth is missing from him, and as I pull him close, all I experience is bitter cold. I don't feel excited, passion not arising between us. Even when I place my head on his back, I cannot hear the thump of his heart. It almost feels like I am riding a horse instead of a hot werewolf.

  Light appears in the distance, finally flooding the forest. When I see it, my heart jumps in my chest. Deliverance, it seems, is finally here. We will finally see buildings instead of endless green. I wish I will never see another tree again. Maybe it is a wish that will never be fulfilled, but it is still one of my deepest desires at this point.

  We are soon swallowed by the light, standing in an old and worn parking lot. It is strewn with gravel, few cars in sight. It seems to be the opposite side of town, on the very outskirts.

  I slide off Asher, shaking the dust off my clothes and smoothing my hair. Danae follows suit, sweeping her black hair into a loose bun. I can see the wrinkles already creeping onto her face, multiplying at an alarming speed. At first, it seems alarming, but now I just look at her with interest.

  "Hey," she glances at her skin with wide eyes, "I'm completely dry!" I look at my own body to find that I am dry too, and that the rain has been reduced to a light patter, fizzling away by the second. The dark thunderclouds are retreating, traveling to wreak havoc on another unlucky town.

  "Wow," I say with incredulity, "If I had known this would happen, I would have asked for you guys to carry us much earlier!" The freezing cold has escaped me also, traveling behind the flock of clouds as they hurry to their destination. I hug myself with my jacket, delight filling me as warmth enters my body.

  "Let's hurry to the fast food place," Asher says warningly, "we are still running away, you know." He seems to be the most worried out of all of us, tapping his feet hesitantly against the gravel. I briefly wonder why he is acting this way, when he is usually so laid back and relaxed. Creases are in his face, worry afflicting his brow.

  Nico takes one glance at me, and then turns to follow Asher. Danae and I follow them both, still slightly weary from the lengthy run.

  "Is this the adventure you wanted, Danae?" I ask her softly, not without a little giggle. She looks at me and shoots me a smirk.

  "Maybe a little more exhausting then I thought," she admits, "but for the most part, it is exactly what I wanted." Her bright smile enchants me, and I admire her ability to hold her head high when she was almost reduced to tears in the forest. If I had not stopped us, Danae would have fainted within a few minutes. That would have caused endless embarrassment for her.

  We reach the end of the parking lot, staring at the small brick building just beyond it. I can smell the food, lingering just beyond my grasp, beckoning me urgently. It intoxicates me, begs me to taste it. We spend a second staring at the posters of mouthwatering food and drink, and then I bend to my desires.

  I snatch the credit card out of Asher's hand, almost running to my highly anticipated destination. I slide through the doors quickly, and then focus on the huge menu hanging above the cash register. On it is yummy displays of hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken fingers—all that greasy food that I love.

  I edge in line behind three portly men, Nico and the rest of our group following me. "Do I need to order for you guys or do you want to order on your own?" I ask them, my voice tinged with excitement. I have not been to a fast food restaurant in over ten years, so every action is an exciting adventure to me. It is almost like I am at Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon, my eyes open wide as I survey my surroundings.

  Nico looks at my expression and laughs. "It's okay," he says, "we can order on our own. If we order together, he might get confused."

  We are now second in line, and my stomach starts to get butterflies. How do I order my food? Is there some sort of special protocol for something like this? The cash register is a pretty cute teenage boy, who looks incredibly bored and tired. Everyone behind him, in the kitchen, is acting the same way. I don't want to look like an idiot in front of them.

  I lean my head towards Danae and whisper, "you go first. I want to see how to order."

  She glances at me, and then lets a tiny giggle escape her. "Okay, Ella," she agrees, then daintily steps in front of me. Nico and Asher both shoot me an inquisitive glance, but I ignore them, focusing on my teacher as she steps up to the cash register.

  We gave her some heels before she left, but even now she can barely reach the countertop. The boy has to look down at her, and is soon surprised by her beautiful, adult face. His eyes widen slightly, and then quickly readjust.

  "What do you want?" he asks, back into his bored trance.

  "I would like a kids meal with fresh fruit and a hamburger," she says quickly, her words polite and fluid. As she speaks, the items she is requesting appears on a small, electronic screen beside the cash register. His hands move in a blur as he plugs in her order with a practiced hand.

  "Anything to drink?" he questions, looking at the cash register with a dreary expression.

  “A bottled water," she smiles slightly, then reaches into her pack. Quickly she pulls out a ten dollar bill, handing it to the boy. He quickly gives her the change and then her order disappears from the screen. I walk up to the desk, nervousness pumping through my blood.

  "What do you want?" he asks, not looking up. He seems to be playing with a broken key on the cash register, pressing it multiple times.

  I stare at the menu once again, trying to make up my mind. "Is the hotdog or the cheeseburger better?" I ask him, staring at the plethora of pictures. He ignores me, just pressing the key over and over again.

  Anger surges through me. "Is the hotdog or the cheeseburger better?" I ask in a slightly louder voice. He finally looks up, and his expression morphs into surprise once more. He scans me as I stand there, crawling over my face and body.

  "I think the cheeseburger is better, honestly," he says after he recovers, shrugging. He doesn't look back at the cash register, but keeps his eyes on me.

  "Well... then I want the number five super combo." I continue to look at the menu, my brows furrowed in concentration. "And I also want a full-size house salad and a lemon pie," I conclude.

  His eyebrow rises. "A whole lemon pie or one slice?" he asks suspiciously.

  I check my stomach… yup, still grumbling. "Yes, a whole lemon pie," I confirm.

  "Is this just for you?" he asks wonderingly. I smile at him, and the whole kitchen pauses for a mere second, their attention caught. I can't believe this new appearance of mine can spellbind peopl
e so quickly, when my old skin did just the opposite.

  "I eat a lot," I laugh, merry pearls of amusement reverberating around the old building.

  He pauses for a minute, then smiles back, unable to resist. "What soda would you like with your combo?" he asks, finally looking back at the cash register.

  Soda?

  "Um, what do you have?" I ask, trying to buy some time. I haven't had a soda in my whole life! What do they taste like?

  "The flavors are right here." He gestures to a black machine with colorful labels dancing across it. "We have coke, sprite, mellow yellow, fanta, and root beer."

  I peer at each label, utterly confused on what I want. What if I don't like the flavor I get? Anticipation races through me.

  I give up after a few seconds of contemplation. "Can I just have a milkshake?" I inquire.

  "For an extra price, yes." He nods slightly. He has such pretty eyes, a crystal blue that looks like the sky. I feel myself being drawn into them, marveling at its depth and beauty.

  "I want vanilla." I shake myself out of my trance. He notices that I have been looking at him, and he smirks. He opens his mouth to say another word, but then I quickly swipe Asher's card. I don't want him to hit on me... especially in front of Nico. Who knows how terrible that would be.

  He shuts his mouth, then opens it again. "Do you want any condiments?" he asks, opening a small drawer. I know that's not what he was going to say only a few seconds ago.

  I have no idea what condiments are. Not again...

  I cast a quick glance at Asher and Nico behind me, sending them my distressed signal. Asher comes up behind me and whispers, "that's a fancy word for ketchup and mustard." His hot breath tickles my ear.

  The boy stares at Asher as he comes closer to me, and then shifts slightly to the side to see Nico. Envy radiates from him as he asks, "Are you with them?" I can tell he is jealous of their stunning looks more than the fact that I am probably the girlfriend of one of them.

  "Yes," I answer him, and then I quickly move away. The pounding of my heart slows down as soon as I am away from that cash register, steadiness now entering me. I never knew ordering could be so scary.

  "You did well," Danae smiles at me, magically appearing by my side. I grin briefly, turning to look at her small form. "I could tell you were nervous though," she winks, and I blush.

  "Well..." I lean against the wall, looking around the fast food station. Dingy tables and worn out chairs are scattered around the area, the floor dirty and made of old fashioned tile. The walls seem fragile, as if they may crumble to ashes in a few seconds, and the few booths they have are torn and stained. "It is just that I haven't been to places like this before," I confess, "I have spent almost my entire life, or what I can remember of it, in the orphanage. Everything outside of it is completely new to me. For me, it is like I have entered a completely different world."

  I wait a little while, watching the way the boy is drooling over Nico and Asher. His face is full of admiration, studying them intently. Nico and Asher, however, don't seem to care, completely ignoring him.

  They finish ordering and walk over to us, all attention gravitating to them as the light amplifies their perfect features. Girls that are scattered across the room turn their bodies so they can get an eyeful of pretty boy hotness. It seems as if everywhere we go they attract way more eyes than they should... it is a little annoying, honestly. Everyone seems to stare at them as if they are aliens–they really do possess an ethereal beauty that is almost unnatural. They all notice, I can tell, that Asher and Nico are different from everyone else.

  "Once we get our food, we need to eat it quickly," Nico cautions, being careful not to look me in the eye, "we can't wait for the council to find us."

  "How would they know where to look?" I ask wonderingly.

  "All of the council members tend to have excellent senses of smell," Asher says, "if they get one item that has our aroma on it, then they can track us like a pack of bloodhounds. Of course, they cannot do that if we are several miles away."

  "Oh," my eyes grow wide, "but then surely they will be able to find something! Especially if they take the mansion... my smell must be on everything I have touched!"

  Asher looks at me, then surveys our surroundings. "It isn't safe here," he turns back to us, whispering softly, "we must find another place to finish our conversation."

  Nico follows suit, examining the premises. "But where can we go that is completely private?" he expresses his concern.

  But I am distracted by something much less serious. A delightful fragrance creeps to my senses as our food is placed on the counter. "Food!" I squeal with delight, nearly skipping to its location. My tray is huge, stacked with a full sized pie, salad, and super combo filled with fries. Nico and Asher's trays are even bigger because they both ordered two super-sized combos. I lift the huge stack of food, laughing at how easy it is to do so. Before my transformation, I probably would have struggled to carry it.

  Danae craftily smiles at us, holding her small meal. "I think I have an idea," she winks. Gray hairs are already covering her head, her eyes bright and adventurous.

  The eyes follow us as we exit the station, all of us wondering just what Danae has in mind. She leads the way over to the road, navigating around the line of cars waiting to go to the drive through. Cars whiz by us as we stand right before the highway, eyeing the gleaming shine that radiates off each one.

  I lick my fingers, wanting to savor even the tiniest flavor of greasy fries. Everyone's attention gravitates to me, Asher immediately laughing.

  "You ate all those fries?" he chuckles, staring pointedly at the gigantic, now empty box in my hand. I smile, my teeth shining brightly.

  "It was so good," I laugh also, "I love greasy food."

  "Hey," Danae advocates, "I ate all of mine too!" We all swivel our heads to Danae's small, empty kids meal bag. I notice, suddenly, that the bag is decorated with fairies and pixies. It seems to suit her, the more I think about it. One of the black haired fairies on it looks almost identical to her.

  We simultaneously roll our eyes at her miniature bag. "As if that’s a big feat," Asher says dryly, causing me to laugh. Nico just looks at the ground, looking more out-of-it than anything.

  "Well anyway," Danae directs us back to the situation at hand, "what we need to get is a car. Look, just across the highway!"

  True enough, a gigantic car dealership is less than a mile away. "Wow," I comment softly, "that's a good idea. Why didn't we drive a car in the first place?"

  "Because the council would immediately know we were gone and soon catch up to us with their super speed," Nico finally answers, shaking his head, "I don't know if this is a good plan."

  "But this way we can confuse them!" Danae fiercely defends her idea, "AND we are right here next to the highway. We can go pretty much as fast as we want when we drive it."

  "Let's try it," Asher takes our side, "I think all of us are pretty tired from running." Obviously he is just speaking about both Danae and I, but nevertheless, it is a semi-valid complaint.

  "But... how are we going to cross the highway when cars are going so fast?" I ask, looking at the frightening buzz of the usual traffic. Danae's eyes crease–I can tell she didn't notice this problem until now.

  "Asher! Nico!" She whirls around and nearly barks their name. "Can you take us across the highway on your backs?"

  "I don't know," Nico answers, "we can definitely go through the traffic unscathed if we were traveling with the general flow of movement. But just zipping across the highway like this? I have no idea. A car might be able to hit us, especially since there are so many of them passing at one time."

  "But what else can we do?" Danae asks fiercely, "are we going to go back into the forest where they can find us?"

  I look around the highway, hoping to find some other way we can avoid this problem. However, nothing comes to my mind. For as far as I can see, the highway extends in both directions.

  "It's just what
we have to do," I firmly say, "we have to take the risk if we are to escape the council. We can't wait any longer, because we don't have the time to waste." I can tell they all realize this too by the way they stare at me, then at the road; all with a fierce look.

  "Jump on," Asher directs me, bending down into a crouch. I hastily obey, sneaking a glance at Nico along the way. He is frowning, Danae sitting on his back peacefully. I can tell he is a little bothered that Asher, once again, gets to carry me.

  We stand along the highway, looking for some sort of entrance, a break in the endless line of speeding cars. Danae and Nico are in front of us, and we are lingering close behind.

  Anxiety pounds through my blood like the beating of a steel drum, heartbeats threaded with fear. The initial excitement from doing the unknown has faded into cold-blooded terror. For some reason, it feels as if I am racing to meet my death rather than escaping from it.

  "Hey," Asher notices my nervousness, and smiles. "Why did the werewolves cross the road?"

  "I don't know. You tell me," I respond, rather irritated. This is not the time for jokes.

  "To get to the other side." He winks, and after one strained moment, I laugh genially. He is smiling as if he just told me the joke of the year, and I can't help but humor the handsome werewolf.

  The laughter seems to loosen up my insides, to make me feel more relaxed and at ease. I don't honestly know what to think of Asher anymore. At the very beginning, he was mean and rude, but as time goes on, he seems to be much more pleasant. Even now, in the face of danger, he tries to cheer me up, noticing my frightened demeanor. He has done many bad things, but for some reason, a small part of me believes him to be a genuinely good guy. Maybe even one I can honestly call my friend.

  If only he could get along with Nico.

  Suddenly a break occurs, the line parting for a split second. This is the moment.

  There is a sudden whoosh of air, and everything around me blurs into a mix of colors, splashing like paints on a canvas. My mind grows dizzy, my head frequently thrust back by the violent wind. All I can hear, over and over again, is Nico's voice. He is whispering in my ear, the words too soft to make out.