Chapter 1

"Mom, I'm home!" Jenna's voice rang through the hallway.

I was just coming back from school and all I cared for was just food to soothe the rumbling noise in my stomach.

"mom…c'mon mom, I'm hungry" I stretched and yawned as I got to the door that led to the kitchen.

The whole house was quiet which I found very strange because my Dad is supposed to be watching TV and my mom in the kitchen preparing lunch. Strolling into the kitchen, I found an even stranger sight. Plates were scattered all over the kitchen sink and I could notice how the pots were placed in a haphazard manner. It was as if some kind of struggle occured in the kitchen during my absence.

At the sight of the disarranged dishes, I knew instantly that something was wrong. My mom would never let her kitchen be this disheveled. My mom has an Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder and that trait has been the key factor that makes our house to be neatly arranged at all times. 

My mom would always give me an earful whenever I do not keep things in appropriate order as she wants it. On one occasion, I got the beating of my life just because I mixed up the spoons and forks in one place instead of keeping them separate and orderly.

My mom's obsession with cleanliness and orderliness sometimes got me and my Dad pissed off, but then we both loved the woman unconditionally so we had to learn how to adapt. 

Staring at the scattered plates in the sink, I knew something definitely went wrong in my absence. My instincts kicked in and I rushed to the staircase– skipping as many stairs as I could manage.

"Mom! Dad!" I screamed as fear rocked the pit of my stomach. What could have happened while I was away? 

As my sweaty palms came in contact with the cold steel of the doorknob, I flung the door to my parent's room open. The room was perfectly arranged and there was no sign of my mom in the room. 

I ran towards my room and on opening the door to my room, I saw the same sight—the spotlessly arranged room and yet no sight of my mom. I picked up my phone which sat on the reading table and dialed my dad's number.

It rang but there was no reply. No, something is definitely wrong because my dad always picks up my call on the third ring. 

"What's happening" I kept muttering to myself as I walked down the stairs with shaky legs. I searched all the rooms in the house yet there was no trace of my mom. I ran to the garage with hopes that she might be doing some cleaning on my dad's car.

I scrambled my way through the garage, checking even underneath the cars but I found nothing. I was scared of what could have possibly happened to my parents. I dragged myself back into the house amidst dialing my mom and dad's line with high hopes that one of them would pick up and soothe my fear but neither of them did.

I started ransacking the corners of the house amidst yells of my mom and dad's name. This is getting scary and tears were already brimming at the corners of my eyes and I could feel a lump in my throat, it was getting kinda hard to breathe properly.

I walked into my parent's bedroom with shaky legs. Everything was still in its place. The king-sized bed, covered in a sparkling white bedsheet and a white duvet cover to match it, my mom's huge dressing table that sat right opposite the bed, and on the other side was my dad's working table that housed his MacBook Pro, his favorite ball pen and his sticky notes– my dad loved making notes in order to remember things faster.

The room was simple and plain. Long, white curtains hung down the walls and the chandelier sat right in the middle of the ceiling, casting beautiful lights all over the room. My mom and dad shared a walk-in closet and sometimes they'd get lovey-dovey inside the closet and forget that I even exist—

Wait. The walk-in closet. I haven't searched there yet!

Adrenaline pumped right into every part of my body as I ran towards my parent's closet. I was met with a familiar sight– my parent's clothes arranged in the most perfect manner I've ever seen. My mom made sure that all my dad's clothes were arranged according to the colors of each shirt, ranging from lighter shades down to dark shades of black and blue.

My dad was a lover of accessories which made a large show glass to be dedicated to the closet. Looking inside the show-glass, you could clearly see different designs and sizes of wristwatches, cufflinks, and of course necklaces and earrings for my mom.

Everything was in order just as it has always been. If everything is so much in order, then where is my mom and dad? Why are they not picking up my calls?

I could feel tears rolling down my face. The air was becoming suffocating and I couldn't feel my breath anymore. I need to go to the bathroom and splash some water on my face so I don't pass out.

The moment my palm came in contact with the cold door knob, I felt goosebumps but who cares anyway. I've been scared and confused for the past ten minutes since I came back home.

I left the door slightly open and walked towards the bathroom sink and just as I stepped into the bathroom, I met the goriest sight I've ever seen!

There in the bathtub laid my parents in a pool of their own blood. There was no sign of struggle since everything in the bathroom was still intact.

I stood transfixed and numb. Tears rolled down my face effortlessly. My whole body shook at the bloody sight before me. This can't be real, I reassured myself as I started to walk towards the bathroom sink.

And just as if someone wanted to prove to me that my parents are really dead, I saw a writing on the bathroom mirror which says "watch your back…carefully."

The handwriting was so neat and organized as if the writer took his or her time to carefully inscribe those words and let the information sink into the heart of whoever sees the writing.

My brain kicked back into action as I ran back towards the bathtub. I hoped this was a big joke but when I came back again and saw my parent's bodies lying lifeless in the bathtub, I knew it was real.

I let out a scream.

"Mom! Dad!" I screamed at the top of my lungs hoping that my voice would jerk them back to life.

"Mummy, please don't do this to me…" my voice trailed off as I began to cry and sweat profusely.

"Daddy… Daddy, wake up" I cried, shaking my parent's bodies vigorously.

Staring at the ceiling, I screamed.

"Nooooooo!……."

*****

"Jenna! Jenna wake up!" I could hear the faint voice of my best friend and roommate, Diane.

"Jenna, it's just a nightmare. You need to wake up" 

I jerked awake at the sound of Diane's voice. I was sweating profusely and I was visibly shaken.

It was a nightmare again. More like a flashback of what happened nine years ago. 

I rarely had those dreams but recently, it has been becoming frequent and it disturbed me greatly.

"Jenna, are you okay?" My roommate's voice pulled me out of my thoughts and into reality.

"Yeah, I'm fine… uhmm, I just need to take a run," I said, looking at her in the most pitiful manner.

Diane and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. She knew I was a werewolf even though I tried so hard to hide that part of me from everyone.

My primal instincts were kicking in and I desperately needed to take a run in a nearby forest to at least ease the tension I felt in the pit of my stomach.

As the full moon rose high in the sky, I could feel the familiar pull of the transformation taking hold of my body. I have been a werewolf for as long as I could remember, and every month I struggled to contain the beast within me.

I paced nervously in the room, trying to calm myself as the transformation was completed. I could feel my senses sharpening, my nails and teeth lengthening, and a primal instinct taking over.

I knew I had to get out of the house before I lost control completely. I grabbed my backpack and stuffed it with essentials: a change of clothes, and a flask of water.

I ran out into the night, my feet pounding against the pavement as I searched for a place to run free. I found myself on the outskirts of the city, in a dense forest where I could let my werewolf roam without fear of being seen.

As I ran, the beast within me took over completely. I reveled in the freedom of the chase, the thrill of the hunt, and the power of my werewolf form.

But as the night wore on, I knew I couldn't stay in my werewolf form forever. I had to find a way to control the beast and coexist with it, or risk losing myself completely.

I made my way back to the city, exhausted but determined to find a way to live with my werewolf curse and find out the person that killed my parents. 

As I walked towards the block where my apartment was located, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was being followed. I walked slowly, with hopes that it'll turn out to be someone who's just passing by but I knew it wasn't just a passerby. I could feel this person watching me. His eyes washing over my body.

Wait, did I just say "his?"

I don't even have a fucking clue of who it is that's hiding in the dark!

The whole street was dead quiet. For god's sake it's barely 4am and I bet most people are still in bed. But then I saw a shadowy figure move very swiftly right behind me. I could feel goosebumps over my skin as I increased my pace.

"God please let this just be a figment of my imagination", I muttered under my breath.

I could hear the footsteps approaching me even faster, leaving behind the crunchy sound of dried leaves which made me realize that it wasn't my imagination.

I couldn't take it anymore, my legs were getting weak. I broke into a run and ran as fast as my legs could carry me but it seemed as if the "stalker" wasn't determined to let me be.

The more I ran, the faster the stalker ran. It was as though we were in some kind of marathon and he seemed to be winning the race and catching up with me. 

I was still lost in my world of thoughts when I hit my leg on a stone and tripped. I landed on my face with a heavy thud. I could swear that I was seeing stars. Impulsively, I turned on my back to see the figure who had been following me but I didn't see anyone. It seemed like whoever is following me has disappeared. I could feel goosebumps crawl over my skin. My heart was racing.

I stood up and dusted my body. 

"Phew! A Lot has happened in just one night" I thought out loud.

Turning around to continue my journey back home, I came face to face with a built masculine figure. His face was hidden in the dark but I could still make out his features. He is way taller than me. His breath came in short rasps.

I am dead scared right now but I still felt tingles of warmth in the pit of my stomach.

Who could this person be...