Chapter 7 ~ Embers (Part 1/3)

~ A M E L I A ~

Flopping my body on my bed, I released a massive sigh, ‘What a day,’ I said to my ceiling.

My phone thunders a vibration. Rolling over to lay on my stomach, I answered the video call request, ‘Hi Mum!’

‘Darling! How was your first day?’ Mum smiled. Her eyes were slightly red, it looked like she’d been crying.

I let out an exaggerated sigh, ‘It was intense, but a good start I think! Have you been crying again?’

‘No!’ She responded almost instantly, pulling out a tissue and dabbing the inner corners of her eyes.

Rolling my eyes, I laughed, ‘Mum, please, I’ll be coming back once I find out the truth about my birth parents and learn how to control my wolf abilities better. I’ve already learnt so much about being a wolf in one day—maybe more than I want to know—but it’s still more than before!’

Mum sighed, ‘I know, sweetie, but I just wish your dad and I could’ve come there with you, but with his work and mine—‘

‘I know, Mum, it’s OK. You raised me to be independent and taught me how to take care of myself. Besides, I don’t know if I would feel comfortable with you guys here. Two humans living in a pack full of werewolves? I imagine that’s asking for trouble, and I can’t risk you both getting hurt because of me.’

Mum nodded, agreeing, ‘But you know I’d do anything for you, sweetheart.’

My heart aches to do this to her and Dad. I could only imagine the worry she felt on a daily basis. The love a parent has for their child, the very concept of it sounded supernatural in itself. The things they would do to protect them, they would move heaven and earth if they could.

Changing the subject would be best, so I didn’t upset Mum anymore, but she beat me to it, ‘Have you made any friends yet?’

I beamed, ‘I think one so far, her name is Sammy, she actually invited me to a small gathering later tonight.’

Mum furrowed her brows, ‘A party on a school night?’

‘Muuuuum!’

She chortled. Finally, some joy in her there. I loved it when she laughed, ‘Just don’t be out too late, darling, and be safe.’

Letting out a titter, I nodded, ‘I promise. Give Dad a hug from me when he’s back from work, tell him I love him, and I love you, Mum.’

Gosh, she looked like she was going to cry again, ‘I love you too, sweetheart.’

We ended the conversation and I pulled myself together, rubbing the inner corners of my eyes with my ring fingers to avoid any more tears escaping. No more tears.

Stay focused, Amelia. Remember why you’re here.

Deciding it was probably best to change into something nicer for a party, I rummaged through my boxes (which I seriously needed to unpack). Finalising my decision to wear some high-waist jean shorts and a mocha jumper, pairing that with my brown boots that meet midway between my ankle and knees.

One thing I had recently noticed in my transition to becoming a werewolf was that the cold didn’t affect me. It was hard to properly test it as it was spring, so the days were pretty warm, but the evenings got pretty cold, and it was then that I noticed it didn’t bother me at all, to the point of not feeling the requirement of having a jacket.

My own body temperature did seem higher too, so that would make sense; my body was always warm but not uncomfortable for me. I could only imagine how much I’d be able to withstand when having full access to my abilities.

Releasing my hair out of the ponytail I had all day, I scratched my head and shook my hair to loosen it and fall into place. My usual loose curls were more subtle waves at the moment but looked good enough that I didn’t need to do anything to them. I refreshed my makeup with a top-up of blusher and a neutral-tinted lip balm and finished with a soft spray of perfume to really feel refreshed.

~ ~ ~

Sammy said the party was being hosted in the woods, but I’d clearly forgotten that this whole village was in and surrounded by all things woodsy. Trees and foliage everywhere, and I did mean everywhere. It was utterly fitting for the location of a werewolf pack. It made total sense for them to be with as much of nature as possible.

Luckily, her description of how to find the party was surprisingly detailed. She even went as far as to send photos and draw arrows on them for extra guidance.

Finally, I found the location of the party, following the sound of the music. The sky was twinged with the last hues of orange, ready to turn into night at any moment. In the centre of the party, there was a fire pit keeping the party lit. Surrounded by it were multiple large logs, carved into them for more comfortable seating.

A group of guys were hanging out together a bit further in the distance, shouting and laughing whilst chugging drinks. I couldn’t make out exactly who they were, but I knew barely anyone yet, so it didn’t really matter. A few girls were near the boys, it appeared that they were giggling and whispering to one another. Sammy and a few others were seated by the fire pit, chatting away and having a great time.

I felt a lump in my throat slowly forming. There were a lot of people here. People I didn’t know. People I wasn’t sure whether I could allow myself to get to know, or allow them to get to know me.

Maybe I shouldn’t have come.

‘Amelia, over here!’ Sammy called, waving at me.

Too late to back out now. I made my way over and smiled, ‘Hey! Thanks again for the invitation.’

‘Of course! I’ll introduce you to the host when he’s back. You look gorgeous, by the way. Come sit, sit!’

Laughing, I sat next to Sammy on the same log she was sitting on. She had so much enthusiasm in her, it was sort of overwhelming in a way, but also refreshing to see someone openly energetic about life.

She poured a drink and handed it over to me, ‘Here, do you like beer?’

Smiling awkwardly, ‘It’s not my favourite, but I’ll have one, thanks,’ I took the cup and had a swig. The taste was bitter, making my nose wrinkle, but then a subtle twist of citrus lingered in the aftertaste, making it a little more enjoyable.

The fire in the pit drew my attention. I watched as the embers broke from the body, dancing and flickering away into the air. Seeming to be nothing in comparison to the grandness of the main flame, but equally just as important in reality. Like each of the branches of a tree or each ripple of a wave. All have their own purpose. All have their own story in this game we call life.

There had always been a strange discomfort I had around fire. As much as I fought the sprouting fear, trying to justify to myself that I had no reason to feel such uneasiness around it, but the warmth and peace it had could also bring danger and destruction.

‘So, Amelia,’ a girl I didn’t yet know spoke, breaking my gaze at the pit, ‘What’s your story?’

I raised my brows, ‘My story?’

‘Yeah, like where do you come from? Who are your parents? Did you come from a different pack? Or did you not even know you were a werewolf to begin with?’ She looked at me in a way like the last question would be a wildly far-fetched thing to even ask. When, in actuality, for me, it was a totally accurate question to be asking.

Sammy sighed with some attitude, ‘For goddess sake, Vicky. We all know you’re asking these questions so you can gossip about her tomorrow at school.’

Vicky flicked her blonde hair, rolling her eyes, ‘I’m just trying to get to know the new girl. It’s truly a blue moon having a new werewolf moving into the pack.’

‘Why don’t you just go flirt with the Shaw brothers? We all know that’s the real reason you’re even here.’

Vicky pulled a disgusted face at Sammy, then relaxed when looking at me, ‘It’s OK if you’re scared to answer these questions, I know I can be intimidating,’ she flicked her hair again. I got the feeling she did that a lot.

Another girl ran over to us and squealed, ‘Vicky!’

‘What now, Kornelia?’ She said in a harsh tone with a vexed look on her face. ‘Can’t you see I’m in the middle of a conversation?’

‘Guess who just took his jacket off, and you can see all his abs poking through his T-shirt!’

Her face dropped, ‘No way. Where?’ she jumped up and rushed after Kornelia as she ran off.

These girls were seriously going that crazy, over a guy?

I looked over to Sammy, who shrugged and rolled her eyes before laughing and shaking her head, ‘Don’t even ask,’ she said.

‘I don’t think I even want to know.’

We both laughed.

Chugging the rest of her drink, then dramatically jumping to a stand, ‘I hate to say I agree with Vicky, but… I am curious about you too!’ Sammy said, pointing at me.

I giggled, ‘You are? Also, how much have you had to drink?’

‘That’s beside the point!’ She waved her hand in front of her face. It was clear that she had a lot. She swayed a little dance and continued, ‘So far I’ve learnt nothing but your name; in fact, only your first name! Surely there’s something you can share?’

Shaking my head and tittering, ‘OK… My name is Amelia Higgins. I’m seventeen, but I’ll be eighteen in July. I’m pretty active in different sports, but I also like gardening, baking and reading…’ I trailed off with a smile, hoping that’d be enough to satisfy her for now.

She sat back down and eagerly looked at me, ‘What else?’

Swallowing thickly, I tried to piece together something else to say, ‘Well—’

‘SAMMY LOOK OUT!’ A male voice shouted in the distance.

The world around me became sedated in time. I could hear my heartbeat drumming in my ears. My body was frozen, but my head turned enough to see an arrow coming from the distance and going in the direction of where Sammy sat. Based on its current velocity, as it passed my face, the arrow was set to hit her right between the eyes.