Chapter 8

CALLIE squealed and rocked on her bed, disgusted with herself. She still couldn't believe what she and Clyde did that day.

(Flashback)

For some unknown reason, Callie was unable to break free from Clyde's kiss. Instead of pushing him away, she turned a blind eye and kissed him back. She went back to her senses when she felt the smile on his lips.

She immediately drew back and stared at him, stunned.

"Hey, are you all right?" Clyde asked her worriedly. He took another step closer to her, but she didn't let him get near and dashed to her house.

(End of flashback)

"Get a grip on yourself, Callie!" she mumbled to herself as she felt her cheeks burn.

She fixed her gaze on the ceiling. She hadn't realized she was already biting her lower lip while thinking about Clyde.

"It wasn't supposed to feel like this."

*****

Clyde's smile remained on his lips until he returned home. The moment he and Callie kissed was still fresh in his imagination.

"Did you get into another fight?!" his Papa Herman anticipated angrily. He was in their living room, watching the news.

As he stares at his father, his smile vanishes. "I didn't get into a fight. I just had an accident."

His Papa Herman averted his gaze and sighed.

They both turned to face the stairs when they heard loud, fast footsteps. Geraldine, her mother, was hurrying downstairs and ran over to him as she heard his arrival.

"What happened?" she inquired, concerned. When she saw the plaster on his head, she roared even louder. "Clyde, where did you get that?!"

Clyde scratched his jawline and smiled. "You won't believe what I just did, Ma," he whispered into his mother's ear, "I just saved someone."

"Another girl again!" exclaimed his Mama Geraldine.

He was taken aback by her reaction. "Mama, it was a kid!"

He overheard his father abruptly swearing. "You stupid boy! So you have planned to flirt with a kid this time?!"

Clyde glared at his father before laughing and shaking his head. "Is that how crazy you think of me, Papa? Can't you see? I am a good boy now!" he exclaimed proudly.

There was a brief silence after that.

His Papa Herman appeared to be deep in thought. He approached him after a minute with an envelope containing a letter.

As his father handed it to him, he frowned.

"It came from your Uncle Lando," his father stated sternly.

His Uncle Lando was his mother's eldest brother. He was one of the captains of the WW Force, the organization of soldiers hunting werewolves.

He looked confused at his Mama Geraldine because he couldn't understand why his Uncle had written to him, especially since he wasn't close to him.

He ripped open the envelope in search of answers to his questions. It was a formal invitation.

"Your Uncle wants you to train in their camp after you graduate," his father stated flatly.

"What?! But why?" he exclaimed as he walked around in front of his parents, reading the invitation letter.

"He wants you to join the WW Force," his father said, sighing. "He also said that he won't take no for an answer."

*****

CLYDE traveled his gaze around the library. He's been there for nearly an hour and a half and still can't see Callie. Another source of concern for him is that she is no longer responding to his chats and phone calls.

They hadn't seen each other in two days, and the last time he saw her was the night he kissed her. He believes she is avoiding him because of that incident.

"Hey!"

Spencer appeared from behind him, which startled him. He was astounded by his new hairstyle. His shoulder-length hair has vanished. His hair is now short and neat, like that of a soldier.

"What happened to your hair?" he frowned at Spencer.

Spencer sighed and scowled before taking a seat next to him. "It's a complicated story."

"Stop beating around the bush."

Spencer leaned back in his chair and gave him a serious look. "I'm joining the WW Force."

"What?" he quipped, almost standing up.

"I know this is a big joke, but what can I do? Dad threatened to sell all of my motorbikes if I won't obey him."

A thought flashed through his mind. Why do they seem to be compelled to join the WW Force?

He, too, leaned back in his chair and exhaled a deep sigh. "What about your studies?"

Spencer laughed coldly. "Do you think they're concerned about that? My academic performance isn't going well, Clyde, so Dad said I should just join the WW Force and become someone he can be proud of."

He shook his head and scoffed. "That WW Force is nonsense. The werewolves aren't real in the first place. What they should do is find the true perpetrator of those massacres."

*****

CALLIE was busy stuffing her belongings into her bag when her Mama Mercy peered out the door of her room.

"Do you need anything, Mama?" she inquired.

Her mother smiled as she entered the room and sat next to her on the bed.

"Would you like to tell me something, dear?" she asked.

She chuckled slightly. "No, I don't have anything to say, why?"

"Are you sure?"

She turned to face her, perplexed by her strange actions. "What do you mean, Mama?"

Her mother gave her a meaningful smile and gently pinched her cheek. "Because I've noticed you've become more beautiful recently, why is that?"

She laughed at what her mother said.

"Perhaps it's because of the beauty products you got me."

Her Mama Mercy crossed arms and gazed at the red roses Clyde had given her. They had already been placed in the vase on top of her study table. "Are you already in a relationship, dear?"

Her mother's words made her immediately blush. "No, Mom!"

Her mother laughed and pinched her cheek once more. "My daughter has finally become a lady!"

"I don't really have a boyfriend, Mama," she claimed.

"Have you noticed that you're smiling more frequently lately? Your smiles these days look similar to the kind of smile you did back then in that hospital; that was also the first time I saw you smile, so I'll never forget that."

She recalls the day her Mama Mercy mentioned. Clyde was also the source of that smile at the time.

Her mother held her hand. "If you want to start dating, Callie, your Papa, and I are fine with it as long as that guy won't hurt you."

She gave a wistful smile as she fixed her gaze on the ground. "The truth is, I don't want to take the risk of entering into that kind of relationship. Not everyone is like you and Papa Simeon, who can accept me for who I am."

Her mother's smile quickly faded and stared at her with pity. Sighing, she caressed her cheek.

"Callie, you don't have to tell them you're a werewolf. It's been five years and you've survived that long like a normal person; you've hidden your true identity for a long time, so I'm sure you can do it for a longer period."

She forced a smile as she reflected on what her mother had just said. Can she really pull it off?

*****

"CALLIE!"

Callie sped up down the hallway when she heard Clyde's voice. She had been avoiding him for a few days.

She came to a halt when he stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Are you avoiding me?" Clyde gasped for breath as he chased after her.

"Yes, so please stop bothering me," she replied coldly. She was about to walk again when he interrupted her again.

"Why? Are you mad because I kissed you?"

She withdrew her arm from Clyde's grip. "Why would I get upset at something so petty? It was just a stupid kiss!"

"W-what? Stupid kiss? Callie, you kissed me back."

"And you were affected by that? Clyde, that was just part of the game!" she laughed, raising an eyebrow at him.

"G-game? You see this as a game?" Clyde asked, disappointed.

"Yes!"

Clyde moved in closer and took her in both arms. To keep their gazes level, he bowed. His expressions on her were tense. "Stop this act, I know this isn't you, Callie. Tell me, why are you doing this?"

Her heart was racing faster than usual. It seemed to want to escape from her chest.

"I heard you," she said as stiffly as she could. She didn't want to appear weak in Clyde's eyes, and she especially didn't want to reveal to him that his presence had already affected her.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"I know you made a bet with your friends on me."

Clyde was taken aback by what she revealed.

She moved away from him slowly as he loosened his grip on her.

"All I did was go along with your scheme," she clarified.

Clyde closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry, Callie. That wasn't my intention. I only told them that out of pride, but I swear even before that bet I already liked you. Everything I've shown you is true," he explained.

She shook her head and let out a fake laugh. "Too bad, Clyde. You see, everything I did was just a show."