In the Shadows of the Moon

(Izobel’s POV)

Ethan leaned in closer to Anastacia, gazing into her eyes with ardent awe. He bent his head, molded his lips into hers, and kissed her fiercely. She entwined her hands around his neck, arching her body to him, begging and pleading for more from him. As if Ethan’s body knew her needs, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him and touching her skin. She started moaning, whispering his name when his hands moved under her shirt. He parted her mouth, gliding her nose to her neck, and then his lips curved into a playful smile and looked at me.  

My eyes flickered, and for a second, I thought our eyes met. That was creepy!

Although I am the creepy one...

My forehead furrowed, but that could be just my imagination. No human would ever know I was watching them from afar. I released a heavy sigh as I continued to watch my neighbor making out with his girlfriend.

I propped my elbows on top of my empty study table, which faced the window, and rested my chin on my palm. It was only after seven in the morning, and when I came back from our run in the woods, their hushed fights caught my attention. A few moments ago, they argued about something, but now they were making out already. I breathed slowly, shaking my head. I could not believe my body was reacting to what I was seeing.

My fingernails were becoming long and pointy. Angry, I tightened my fists in a futile attempt to stop them from growing into claws, but I could not do so. They became dangerously sharp that they cut the skin of my palm until I felt the trickle of blood fall to the skin of my thigh.

“Peeping tom?” Amber, my twin sister, went to my bedroom and sat in the middle of my bed, leaning her back on the steel headboard and rearranging my pillows.

I hissed and rolled my eyes at the same time.

“It’s not my fault I had this clear vision and hearing.” I sneered, turning at her. I looked at my twin sister and wondered whether we were really twins. A sister, maybe... but Amber is precisely the opposite of my personality and physique. We both have pale skin, something we got from our father, but she mostly inherited her looks from our mother. They could pass as identical twins with the same golden-brown eyes that men get attracted to. They both have straight and silky long hair as beautiful as midnight.

She clucked her tongue. “I can hear you, you know. Stop comparing yourself to me, Izobel,” She said, glancing at the couple still making out in his room.

“How can we be twins when we’re different?” I raised my brows as I questioned her.

She squinted her eyes. “Aside from the fact that I can hear your thoughts clearly?” She laid down on my bed, her head hanging off the edge, looking at me. “We’re both beautiful, Izobel!” She answered. “I sometimes envy your hair. You should have been ‘Amber,’ not me. You don’t need to style it, unlike mine,”

Maybe our parents got confused when we were born, naming me Izobel instead of Amber. She was telling the truth, my hair, sandy brown, and golden orangie shades matched my golden yellow eyes. The color of my eyes is the reason why I had to hide behind eyeglasses, although I have a sense of sight like a hawk. That was why I could see my neighbor very well, like I was in the same room with them. We have supernatural senses, which allowed me to hear them, even their heartbeat.

“Let switch rooms, Amber,” I suggested, feeling irked when Anastacia moaned as she reached her orgasm.

Amber grinned, rolled down, and lay with her stomach on the bed. She rested her head on her arms, amused at me. “No way!” She fluttered her eyelashes. “Besides, there’s an interesting guy over there. He’s really a cutie... He might be the one,” she said dreamily.   

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, he could be my first bite, my first human blood,” I joked bitterly and blushed as I remembered his godly-like face, and his girlfriend was my proof that he was gorgeous because Anastacia kept saying adoring words to him.

“You’re just a late bloomer, Izobel,” I heard those words from my family many times.

I scoffed but did not say anything. Our eldest sibling, Connor, could shapeshift, and Amber successfully did hers fifty years ago. All I could do was stay away from people, afraid that I inherited much from my father’s vampiric side.

Our family had a long history of running away like fugitives. We are the smallest coven, the smallest pack that should never be known. We could not even tell the world we existed because our parents’ relationship, a vampire falling in love with a werewolf, was forbidden. For many years that we asked, they would explain the long years of rivalry between the two groups, which I sometimes do not understand because they were both children of the moon. How come hybrids like me, and my siblings were in danger if they found out about us? With that, we never stayed long in one area for a long time.

Our mother had miscarriages, but in their tenth year of being together, they successfully had Connor, and then a few years later, they had us. For unknown reasons, my father’s blood made her immortal like him, and in our case, we grew up like normal children but stopped aging when we reached eighteen. For many years, our parents studied our blood, our growth, everything, making us their test subjects, in which we willingly cooperate.

“Ready for school?” Amber inquired as she climbed out of bed and glanced from the window again. “Are your cuts okay?” She referred to the wounds I had from clenching my hands into fists. We enroll in school like regular students under different names when things get boring, but we decided to use our real names this year. Despite the terrifying myths and folklores about Springville Town, which was never proven, Dad promised us that we would be safe here. We could stay here for at least five years. 

“They left already,” I shared with her as I looked at my palms which were completely healed. Although we possessed the same supernatural senses, mine’s stronger. Our parents had this hypothesis that the moment I developed my werewolf side, I would be stronger than they expected, something my parents were more afraid of.

“So?” She asked again, raising her brows and looking at the drops of blood on my t-shirt.

“I’ll just change. I’ll follow you downstairs,” I watched Amber leave my bedroom before getting up. I opened my closet and pulled a new white top and overalls while thinking of many reasons why I should stay home with mom and dad. I glanced again at the window, thinking about my hot neighbor before going down.  

Connor wolf-whistled, not at me for sure, when he saw Amber. “You sure you’re going to school, Amber, and not clubbing?” He asked, picking up his third pancake.

My nose wrinkled, guessing the pastry she would prepare for dinner just based on the ingredients she placed on the countertop. Being hybrid, we consumed food like humans. I looked at Connor, getting another pancake, his fourth. Well, we eat like humans, thanks to our wolf mom, but with an enormous amount, I guess. Dad, on the other hand, is very careful with his diet. He has never hunted nor hurt anyone since he met Mom and makes sure we have enough stocks at home. Connor and Amber had tasted blood before, saying it was sweet and much better than any other fine wine in the world. In my case, I did not dare to try, not even a sip.    

I went to the table to eat with them, and only when I sat down did I have the chance to see what my twin sister was wearing. She paired her red sleeveless crop top with baggy, ripped high-waisted jeans. Her long hair flowed smoothly in her back and sways when she walked. Her light makeup also made her attractive, and yes, Connor is right. With her red lipstick, hoop earrings, and red stiletto shoes making a clanking sound on our marble floor, I would like to agree with my brother. She just brought a loose pink sweater with her just in case the principal would get her attention. I smirked, concluding my twin is a real hottie.

“And you, little sister, will you be replacing the school librarian?” He teased, laughing at my geeky or nerdy look, whichever! “Take that bun and eyeglasses away. You looked like my twin instead of hers.” He guffawed at his joke.

I sneered at him, pouting my lips as I touched my hair pulled back from my face. He always loved to bully me.  

“That’s enough,” Zena, our mother, hushed both of us. “Connor, make sure to drop your sisters in school before going to your school,” She reminded him. They already told us last night my dad couldn’t drive Amber and me for two reasons: They were both busy, and second, they haven’t bought a new car yet.

“They could reach the school faster, mom. It’s fine!” He joked again, but he could not laugh because Amber had already smacked him on the head. “Hey!” He snarled at her. “What’s that for?”

“That’s for making fun of Izobel,” She growled at him. One thing about us, our bond is strong that not only could we link our minds, but she could also feel my emotions if I let her. I blocked her most of the time to give her peace of mind of not hearing my thoughts, especially my feelings.

Connor growled back. I watched them with fascination, intrigued at how my siblings would fight this time. Twenty years ago, Amber got impatient with him for bullying her boyfriend. The two changed into their wolf form and grappled until everything in our house was completely destroyed. Even mom and dad could not stop them. The fight was somehow good and bad for our parents. Well, it was pretty obvious what was the bad part there, we had to rebuild the house and buy new appliances. The good part was my parents discovered my siblings were more potent than them. They could not stop them, not even after Mom lunged into her wolf form.  

“If these two pups don’t stop, would you mind biting them for me, Izobel?” Mom smiled at me gently, giving me my share of pancakes before Connor finished up everything.

I chuckled, remembering that the only reason they stopped last time was that I was so mad that  I bit them, which amazed my parents more because they discovered how dangerous my venom was. Amber and Connor were sick for days after that. Hearing my mom, they both calm down.