Chapter Two

     I stood there frozen to the spot. There was something about her that changed. Her eyes didn't spark with friendliness anymore, rather they looked hard and stern. Her voice wasn't the soft confident voice but was strict and unfriendly.

 

     I wondered why she took an offence in me looking at her tattoo. A tatoo which I thought was really cool. "Nothing." I uttered.

 

      "You are a terrible liar, Hillary, and trust me you don't want to know what I do to humans who dare lie to me." She took a step closer to me and I simultaneously took a step backward. "Let the dumb cat out of the bag, Hillary." 

 

 

    The fact that she used the word 'humans' to address me made me more frightened. What did she mean by that? If she isn't human, then what is she, some kind of Godzilla? Whatever she was, I wasn't taking any chances, although my life was crap, I still wanted it.

  I cleared my throat and happily let out the cat. "Well, I saw a tattoo of a..."

 

     "Shut up!" She barked at me, making me jump in fright. "That's right shut up, Hillary. Now listen carefully, you didn't see anything like that, okay? You saw nothing."

 

      I nodded my head frantically. "Yes, I swear i didn't see anything."

 

        "That's better." She straightened her top and walked towards the door. She stopped at the door and turned around. "Hillary, if you ever say anything to anyone about me and the tattoo, YOU'RE DEAD."

 

      That was the last thing she said before she walked away from the room. 

 

     I once again collapsed on the bed. For a brief moment, I had believed that we could have been friends, but again my mother's rule proved correct. The more pretty and better dressed girls, always turn out to be the worst bullying bitches.

 

     I couldn't belief that she had threatened to kill me, the only people who have ever threatened me to such extent was my family. 

 

 

      I laid there on the bed with my eyes open until the party died down. From the wide beautiful window of my parents room, the sun slowly vanished and left the world dark. I was so interested with watching the light of the sun give in to darkness. I hated watching the sun set but i was still interested in watching it. I had this stupid idea in my head, which made me think that the sun setting to night is just like light surrendering to darkness, and like good surrendering to evil. 

 

      For like an hour and a half, I watched nature display its wonders, until I felt the creepy feeling of darkness around me. The monsters from my nightmares were already out and searching for me. 

 

      I stood up and reached out for the lamp switch and I flicked it on, the sight of light bringing me back from my delusions. My mind was still pondering on nature when I heard the landline phone ring loudly. I hurried out of the room and down the long spiral steps to the lounge where the phone was placed. I picked the call and asked who was on the line. 

 

       It was my mother. Her voice was quivering and it was obvious that she had been crying. She told me that they were close, and that she hoped I had made dinner because both she and Steve were starving. It was then it came to my mind that everywhere was a mess. I replied with a couple of yeses and okays before I dropped the phone. 

 

       My heart was in my mouth, as I knew that I'll be dead in less than an hour if Steve found out about the party. 

 

     Fortunately, I had prepared dinner—or something edible at least. In our family, dinner, breakfast and lunch had no difference, as long as they were edible, we were fine with it.

 

       I knew that panic wouldn't lead me anywhere so I took in several deep breaths and began working like a Trojan. 

 

       To my own surprise, in less than five minutes I was done with the inside of the house, so I hurried outside. As I opened the front door, I was pushed back by the wind. It was going to rain really hard, might even turn out to be a storm. 

 

        The wind really helped in blowing away most of the trash outside, and lucky enough, most of the alcohols were in cans, which made it easier for the wild wind to blow away.

 

      As I picked up some trash which couldn't be blown away, I heard a loud roar...more like a howl. It felt so close... almost like it was in the woods close to my house. I attempted running back into the house but I slipped on the wet grass, instantly dislocating my knee. I yelled in pain, as I couldn't move and was helplessly waiting for the beast in the woods to come and find me. 

 

       For the first time in my life, I wished for my parents to come back quickly, at least if they were around they could get the guns inside and if not kill the beast, they could at least scare it away. 

 

        But that wasn't the case, they weren't around the one and only time I needed them in my life. They just happened to be late. 

 

       The sounds of the beast became clearer and louder, until I saw something incredible before my eyes. It was a giant white wolf, with beautiful blue eyes. 

 

      But how could there be a wolf in the woods? I had grown up there my whole life and I hadn't seen any wild animals.

 

  I slowly retreated, wincing in pain as the wolf came closer to me. I had an awkward feeling about the wolf... it was almost like I knew it. I had seen it before, so many times, I had experienced this moment before but I just couldn't remember. I was in this same stupid blue jacket and black pants and I had broken my knee, it was also raining, so I was able to  anticipate every clap of thunder. This was a familiar experience which I had witnessed before...but when? Or rather, where?

 

      It was a couple feet away from me, it's legs pounding on the short trimmed grasses.

 

      It was now so close to me, that I could feel it's breathing on me. Both I and the wolf stayed like that for a few minutes which felt like a whole lifetime to me. 

 

       My quivering hands raised itself without me thinking about it and softly brushed the mane of the wolf. 

 

      Then, I experienced the impossible. My body was glowing and so was the wolf. The light which emanated from both our bodies became brighter but not hurtful to our eyes. I lost vision of everything except myself and the glowing wolf. Then, the light became brighter and brighter and so did our glow. I felt so excited like alI the adrenaline in my body were being pumped, i got more and more excited, and...I BLACKED OUT.

 

 

                  

 

    

I struggled to open my eyes as  bright headlights were beaming on me. It was still raining so my eyelashes were soaked with rain. 

 

     I heard a vehicle door open and I heard footsteps. Lo and behold, it was my stepfather, Steve. He stood right above me and watched me on the ground for a while before he said with his calm but wicked voice."So what are you doing outside, Hillary? Playing in the rain at your age?"

 

     He bent and reached out to the collar of my jacket and violently raised me up to my feet. "Answer me, scumbag."

 

     I tried to wriggle my way out of his tight hold but he was too strong for me. I finally gave in to tears, and cried out. "It's not what you think, something else happened?"

 

      "You better have some good and believable story to tell me, if not, you're toast." He released his grip and pushed me down to the wet grass.

 

     My mum hurried from the car and picked me up from the grass. She had some new bruises on her face and no one needed to tell me how she had gotten them. "Are you alright, honey?"

 

       "Yes."

 

     "Perfect. After your explanation to your father..."

 

    "You mean Steve." I backfired. I never referred to Steve as my father. Although I didn't know who my real father was, i always imagined him as some superhero who must have loved and cherished me—unlike my mum and Steve.

 

     "Whatever, Hill. I have some good news to break out to you." 

 

     She smiled and guided me back to the house. I wondered on how she could still manage to smile despite the level of suffering amd pain she received and rendered.

 

      My mother wasn't as nice as she displayed herself to be. She was a cold-hearted demented person who had a crazy view of life, that was one reason why i never pitied her whenever she got beaten by Steve. She was just like him, an insane person. 

 

 

    The warmth of the house made me feel a lot better. Steve was in the dinning with a bottle of rum in his hand. My mum dragged me to the dinning, pulled out a seat and forcefully pushed me down to sit.

 

     He turned around and gave me a deadly look with his eyes glaring. "What is your explanation, Hillary?"

 

    I cleared my throat loudly and fabricated a lie. "After i had received mum's phonecall, i... I went to...my room to shut the windows because of the rain. As I was shutting it, my wrist watch got hooked by the window and as I attempted to free it, it fell off outside. So, I went outside with a torch to search for it."

 

    "Okay, that makes sense, but... how does that explain why you were sleeping on the grass while it was raining."

   

     I thought of how to continue my lies but nothing came into my mind. I knew that for Steve to believe me I had to tell him some part of the truth. Because if he found out about the party, I'm was sure that I wouldn't  see another sunrise. "While I was still searching for the watch, I heard a howl in the woods, very close to me. I ran for the house but I dislocated my knee, so I couldn't walk...."

    Wait, what! But how on earth was I able to walk back inside the house. I reached out to my left knee and to my surprise there was no dislocation or pain. I looked at them but it was obvious that they hadn't noticed that error in my story.

 

       Steve looked at my mum then back to me. "Did the wolf get you?"

 

     "Did it see you?" My mum said with her voice quivering.

 

    The sudden fear in their faces was striking. "Yes, it saw me."

 

     "What happened?" They both asked simultaneously.

 

     "Nothing." I lied.

 

    "What do you mean by nothing, did it just see you and leave you alone." Steve asked with frustration and fear written all over him.

 

     "I don't know. I blacked out, and the next thing I saw was your vehicle headlights."

 

     He stared at me for a long while and then turned around, went to the small cabinet which held many of our pictures then he angrily wiped them off the table. "Impossible, this can't be happening." He walked up the stairs, yelling curse words on no one in particular.

 

       

    My mum was shaking and mumbling inaudible words. 

 

    "Mum, what's wrong?"

 

     She didn't respond.

 

"Is everything alright?" I asked again but still got no response. "Mum, please talk to me, I..."

 

      "Shut the fuck up!" She yelled. "You have no idea, do you?"

 

    "No idea of what? Is it the wolf?"

 

     She held her head with her two hands. "Too many questions, you ask way too many questions, Hill. Questions which I'll never answer, even if you put my neck on a goddamn blade."

 

      I didn't get it, why were they behaving like this. "Mum.."

 

     "Don't call me!! You are the one who called them, you want revenge, don't you?"

   

   I didn't know what was she was talking about, what revenge was she talking about? For sure, i knew i couldn't tell them about what happened between the wolf and i, the strong connection we had, the fact that I had witnessed it before. They'll go gaga, if they ever found out.  

 

    "Did you see only one wolf or was it a pack?" My mum asked with fright in her voice.

 

      "Just one."

 

     "Did you...feel connected to it?" Steve said from the stair case with a shot gun in his hands.