Moonlit Night

Moonlit Night

Preface I was running. I didn’t know where. All I knew was that I had to get away. My bare feet made an audible slap, as I raced across the pavement of the empty street. I heard the loud screams, as my family fought for their lives. I was such a coward! But I didn’t stop running to my unknown destination. My face stung as the cold wind lapped at my cheeks. The snow underneath me slowed me down, as my feet numbed. I got to the end of the street, and that’s when I heard their approach. They were coming after me now. I tried to run, but the cold air stung my throat as I breathed. They were getting closer now. Just as I got to the next street, my legs buckled from underneath me, and I collapsed into the icy, white snow. I just layed there. I closed my eyes. But all of a sudden, I felt something warm. So I opened my eyes, and looked up. Standing there, right in front of me, was a tall, gray wolf. It had deep blue, intelligent eyes. We just stared at each other. But suddenly, the gray wolf wasn’t alone. Eight other wolves flanked the big, grey one. A sudden noise made me shift my gaze from the pack of wolves, and to the oncoming enemies. My breath caught, as I got another look at them. They had blood smeared all over their mouths, and their hungry eyes locked on me. I froze there. I knew that I should have ran, but they would have caught me anyway. But out of no where, the Vampyres stopped running towards me, and stared hard at the pack of wolves on my other side. Surprisingly, the big, grey wolf, walked over, and stood protectively in front of me. He was so close, that I could feel the heat illuminating off of him. I knew that I should have been afraid. But I wasn’t. The other wolves followed suit, and surrounded me protectively. The Vampyres started backing away, slowly. They were fleeing! As soon as they were out of sight, weariness, and cold suddenly stole me over. I fell backwards. Hands started lifting me up. I reopened my eyes, to see the deep blue, eyes locked on mine. But it was the face of a man, and not a wolf. He said nothing, but kept gazing at me with those deep blue eyes, as if gazing into my soul. “Wake up.” He commanded, in a deep, velvet voice. Chapter 1 I was walking outside, in the bright sun, and blaring my iPod to Decode, by Paramore. I was in one of those moods when I wanted to block everything out. I had my eyes closed as I walked down the busy sidewalk, and towards the public library, dodging people as I went. I turned my iPod off as I entered. This was my favorite place to be alone. I quickly walked over to the Teens section, and started looking at books. But something else caught my attention. I glanced over, to a large group of eight. There were 5 guys, and 3 girls. And they were all laughing about something. One of the guys caught my glance, and winked. That caught the attention of another guy in the group. He had dark red hair, and dark eyes. “Seems we have an eavesdropper.” He announced to the whole group, looking at me. That got everyone’s attention. The whole group turned to me, with curious eyes. “I bet that you came here to escape from your family.” The red haired guy continued. “You’re sick of them always butting into your life.” I glanced at him. How did he know? “Oh, I know lots of things.” He said, answering the question that I didn’t speak aloud. I looked at him with wide eyes. “I know that you hate your little sister. You think that she is a demon, and you secretly wish that she were dead. Stop me when I get something wrong.” He continued. “You feel that you are different from everyone else. Isn’t that right, Sophie? You feel like you don’t-”

“Enough!” Said a mans voice, shutting up the red haired guy. I looked towards who spoke, as did everyone else. He was sitting only a few feet from me. How did he get there? I hadn’t noticed him before. He had deep blue eyes, and longish blond hair. He was wearing all black. “Just telling the girl what-” “I said enough, Brandon.” The blonde said, in a threatening tone. And no one made a noise. The blonde then looked at me, his eyes hard and threatening. “You’d better leave.” He said to me. I took his advice, and walked away. What was all of that about? How did that Brandon guy know all of that? “Grant-” I heard Brandon say. And I guessed that he was speaking to the blonde. “I don’t want to hear it. You know better than that Brandon.” He said. And that was all that I heard. I reached the door, and walked out. The sudden brightness was blinding for a moment. I pulled my iPod back out, and blared my music again, and started walking. I didn’t know where I was going, but I was headed somewhere. As I walked past the giant window in the library, I saw the group watching me as I walked away. But Grant caught my attention. Something about him seemed familiar. He looked at me, but then got up, and walked away from the window. The rest of the group stared at me with open curiosity, and amusement. My hands were randomly shaking in my jacket pocket. I turned away from them and kept walking. Later on, when it was dark, I was walking back home. It was almost pitch black outside, but I could see fine. I was almost home, when I spotted that group again. They were sitting on a picnic table, across the street. They didn’t see me, which was good. All nine of them were there, talking in hushed tones. I was almost past them, when my cell phone rang. It was loud in the surrounding stillness. That made the whole group turn to me. Grant locked eyes with me, and his mouth was set into a hard line. I answered my phone. “Hello” I said. “Sophie, Honey!” My moms voice said. “You have to stay away from the house! There is someone here, and they have weapons.” “What?!” I said, as I disobeyed my mother, and started walking faster towards my house. “Sophie! You have to run!” I heard my moms voice again. “Mommy, what is goin’ on?” I heard my little sister say in the background. I glanced to the side, and saw the group, staring at me anxiously now. Grant looked worried. “I’m on my way.” I said. “No!” My mothers voice said. But it was too late, I slammed my phone shut, with an audible click. I started running towards my house with a speed that I didn’t know that I had. I saw the white, front door of my house, glowing in the night like a beacon. I ran faster towards it. I slammed open the door, and was greeted by abrupt silence. “Mom? Dad? Heidi?” I whispered. I suddenly heard banging upstairs. I ran up the steps two at a time. When I got up there, I saw blood smeared all over the walls. My breath caught, and there was a stinging in my eyes. I stopped in front of my parents empty bedroom. I walked in, and it was completely dark. Suddenly. Something hit me from behind. I yelped, and fell to the ground. The breath was knocked out of me. I felt myself being slammed into a wall. I gasped. “Get off of me!” I screamed. I was shaking, and I guessed that it was from fear. But all that I could feel right now was anger. “She’s one of them!” I heard a voice from the darkness. Then I was suddenly flying. There was a loud crash as I flew out of the second story window of my parents bedroom. I hit the ground outside with a thump. Everything was black for a minute, and I heard voices shouting. I felt someone pick me up. I opened my eyes, and saw Grant’s eyes staring back at mine.

“Are you alright?” He asked in an urgent tone. “Mmm.” I mumbled. My head was pounding. I looked back at him with unfocused eyes, “Hold on.” He said. Then everything went black. Chapter 2 I awoke to a pitch dark room. It felt like I was laying on a couch. I tried to move, but that made pain shoot up my spine. Every part of me was sore. I strained my eyes against the dark, to try and make out my surroundings. I was on a couch in the far corner of the room. There was another couch on the other side of the room, and a T.V. in front of it. Next to that was an entrance to somewhere. On the right of the other couch, there was a long hallway, that led to a staircase. I suddenly heard footsteps coming down the stairs at the end of the hallway, so I quickly closed my eyes, and pretended to sleep. “You’re going to have to tell her sometime, Grant. You can’t keep trying to protect her.” A girls voice said. “She has to know.” The footsteps got closer, and Grant didn’t respond for a moment. “I know.” He finally said, and sighed. “But I don’t want to drag her into this.” “But she is in danger if you don’t.” Said the girl. “And she will eventually phase, or die in the long run.” Grant sighed again. I suddenly felt someone put their hand on my forehead. “It won’t be long.” Said the girl. “She is burning up.” Then I felt another hand touch my cheek. “Yeah.” Grant said. “It really won’t be long.” “How do you think that she will react?” “I’m not really sure.” “I don’t think that she will react too badly.” The girl said, slowly. “I hope that you’re right.” Grant sighed. It was quiet for a few minutes. “Annabelle?” Grant whispered. “Yes?” The girl said. “How do you think that she’ll react..to, you know, me?” Grant asked. Annabelle thought for a moment. “Well.” She pondered. “Maybe if-” “Annie!” I heard a guy call. Then I heard footsteps approaching. “I have to show you something!” “Alright.” Annabelle said. “I’ll be back.” And then I heard footsteps retreating back towards the long hallway. When the footsteps retreated, I heard Grant sit down beside the couch, on the floor. I still pretended that I was asleep. I felt him grab my hand and hold it. “I really hope that you take this all well.” He whispered to himself. “I promise to still protect you, no matter what you decide.” Then I felt his lips press against my hand. “I will always love you.” He whispered, barely audible. He sat there for a few minutes, and then let go of my hand, and stood up. I felt his lips gently press against my forehead. “Sweet dreams.” He whispered. Then I heard his footsteps retreat to the staircase. I felt myself blush in the darkness. Did he really love me? I was completely confused. What were they talking about? And, did I love him back? I yawned then. Surely, I’m not getting any sleep with these thoughts buzzing around in my head, and with my heart pounding like this. I thought to myself. I drifted off to sleep. I awoke with a groggy feeling. I could hear people whispering, and I could hear the TV on. This is it, I thought to myself. Mind as well get it over with. I tried to move my hand-the one that Grant held- and found that I could move, but it was still painful, and I felt like I was on fire. “Is she waking up?” I heard a guys voice say. The same voice from last night. “Oh, thank god she’s finally up!” I heard Annabelle voice say. I heard Grant sigh in relief. Then I heard footsteps approach me. “Open your eyes.” I heard Grant say. I obeyed and opened my eyes. The room was

flooded with light. Annabelle got up from the couch and walked over to me, and put her hand on my forehead. “How are you feeling?” She asked. I realized that everyone in the group was in the living room, all looking at me with anxious eyes. Except for Brandon, who was still watching TV in the other room. “I’m fine.” I said, my voice came out as a whisper. I looked into Grant’s eyes and tried to read his expression. He was standing at the end of the couch, by my feet. “Are you in pain?” Annabelle asked. I looked at Annabelle’s face for the first time. She had long, wavy, honey colored hair, a soft face, and deep green eyes. I nodded. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Grant’s pained eyes. He looked like he wanted to move closer, but he kept his feet planted on the ground. “How should we start this?” Asked one of the guys- he was the same one from last night. He had short, black hair, and dark eyes. He was looking at Grant. Everyone was looking at Grant, waiting for his answer. He sat on the arm of the couch, by my feet. He looked at me, and then said, “Do you believe in Werewolves?” He asked slowly, scrutinizing my expression. I thought of my dream, and how the wolf had turned into Grant. Did that mean that he- that they were Werewolves? “She’s smart!” Brandon said, laughing as he got up from the couch, and walked over to everyone. “She’s figured it out.” He announced as he plopped down into the big, navy blue armchair, across from me. Grant raised an eyebrow, as he looked at me. “Really?” Annabelle, asked, sounding hopeful. “Yeah.” I said, looking around the big room. I studied the other peopleWerewolves in the room. There were 5 guys, and 3 other girls. But Grant caught my eye, and held my gaze. I saw his deep blue eyes melt into an emotion that I couldn’t name. “So do you know what you are, then?” Anna asked, forcing me to tare my eyes, unwillingly, away from Grant, and to her. “A Werewolf?” I asked. Her face broke into a smile, as she nodded. “That was easier than I expected.” Grant muttered. A sudden realization hit me. “What happened to my family..” I asked. Anna’s face fell, and everyone looked away. “Oh…” I said, looking down. Anna put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry.” She said, looking at me sincerely. Brandon suddenly jumped up. “That would be for me.” He said, walking past the other couch, and into the entryway. He opened a door, and talked to someone. “Brandon can read minds.” Anna said, shaking her head, trying to change the subject. “Creeps us out.” That explained a lot of things. “Yeah.” Said the black haired guy. “Kid is weird.” “So are you, Nick.” Said Brandon, walking back with a medium-sized brown package. He plopped back down in the armchair. Anna sat on the floor beside him. “What is it?” She asked. “What I’ve been waiting for all month.” Brandon responded, starting to tear open the package. I stole a glance at Grant. He was looking at Brandon. Now that I got a good look at Grant, I realized that he was really attractive. I pictured myself kissing him. What his lips would feel like on mine.. Brandon suddenly stopped un-wrapping the package midway, and looked up at me, amused. He grinned. Anna followed his gaze. Everyone else was engrossed in other conversations. Grant looked at me too, then he looked back and forth between Brandon and me, confused. I shot Brandon a pleading look. Brandon looked smug, and he opened his mouth to speak. “Sophie was just thinking about how-” He suddenly got interrupted by an audible

popping noise. “Ow!” I yelped. I was shaking, and pain erupted from every part of my body. It felt like I was on fire. Everyone abruptly stopped talking, and looked at me with wide eyes. “Everyone out!” Anna yelled. And then hurried to my side. Everyone filed out of the room, except for Grant and Anna. Grant hurried, and kneeled by my side. He grabbed my hand. I grasped his hand tightly, and he didn’t even flinch. “The pain will go away soon.” He said, squeezing my hand. My heart beat faster, despite the pain. He was right. The pain was already receding, as was the shaking. “Better?” He asked, when I stopped shaking. I nodded, and he smiled. He looked amazing when he smiled, his eyes sparkled. Even though the pain was gone, I didn’t let go of his hand. Anna was standing a few feet away, giving us room, and smiling approvingly. I looked back into Grant’s eyes, and the same emotion that had been there earlier had come back. It looked like- love. He suddenly leaned forward, like he was about to kiss me, but then he stopped abruptly, like he just remembered something, and leaned back. He looked at Anna, and she nodded. Then, at my confused face, she said, “C’mon, I’ll show you to your room.” She smiled. Grant let go of my hand, and walked down the long hallway, and into one of the doors. Anna helped he to stand up. Then she walked down the long hallway, and to the big staircase. She led the way, and we walked up the wooden stairs. When we got upstairs, there were two hallways. One went straight, and one branched off to the right. We walked down the straight hallway. She walked to the fourth door, on the right, and opened the wooden door. The room was medium sized. It had a four poster bed in the right, back corner, against the wall. There was a window next to it, with blue colored drapes. There was a huge dresser the left of the door, and a big mirror hung on the left wall. The walls were painted deep blue- the color of Grant’s eyes. “The bathroom is right across the hall.” Anna said. “And I’ll be three doors down if you need me.” She smiled, and then walked off, leaving me alone. I walked into the room- my room, and let the door close behind me. I sat on the bed, with that had a huge, blue comforter. I thought about what had all happened today. I was a Werewolf, Grant was in love with me, I lived here now, and my family was dead. I pictured the blood all over the walls of my house. I shuddered, and curled up in a ball. I didn’t know I was crying until I felt a wet drop on my arm. I suddenly heard a tapping at my door. I quickly wiped away the tears. “Come in.” I said. Then the door opened, and Grant was standing in the doorway. “Are you okay?” He asked, sounding concerned. I nodded, but a few tears escaped. I quickly wiped them away, but Grant noticed. He walked over, and sat down beside me. He put his arm around me, and pulled me close to him. I put my head against his chest and let the tears fall. When the sobs turned into hiccups, I pulled away and looked at him. His eyes looked tortured. He hugged me tightly for a second, and then released me. “It will get better.” He promised, and then got up and walked out of the room, closing the door silently behind him. Chapter 3 Everyone was sitting in the living room, talking and eating breakfast. I was sitting on the couch in the middle of Grant, and a girl named Julie. She had really long, dark hair that looked dark blue, and she had violet eyes and a soft, smiling face. “I’m telling you guys.” Nick said. “That girl thought that I was hot.” That made everyone laugh. “What?” Nick said. “She did.” Everyone stared at him in disbelief. “Yeah.” Said a guy named Zack. He had blonde hair, and dark green eyes. “You could

tell by her expression.” “The girl looked deathly frightened!” Annabelle said, giggling. “Definitely.” Julie replied, laughing. “She looked like she was about to bolt for the door, if she wasn’t in the middle of paying for her clothes.” “You guys are just jealous.” Nick said, taking a bite of eggs. “She definitely thought that I was hot. Right, Gram?” Gram opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. “I’ll get it.” Grant said, as he rose. He walked into the entryway, and opened the door. There was a sudden gun shot. “Grant!!” Annabelle shrieked. Grant fell to the floor. “Hunters.” I heard Nick, Zack, and Brandon hiss at the same time. My eyes snapped open, as I sat upright in bed. I looked out the window, it was still dark outside. What a horrible dream, I thought, as I got up. I needed a drink of water, and there was no way that I could sleep after that. So I quietly emerged from my room, and slipped silently down the stairs. I stopped at the bottom, when I saw that someone was already in the living room. There was a desk lamp on, and the light illuminated the honey colored hair, making it look like she had a halo. I sighed in relief at the thought that it wasn’t Brandon. Annabelle turned at the sound of my approach, and smiled. I walked over to where she was sitting on the couch, and sat down next to her. She had a book in her lap. “You’re up late.” She commented, turning a page. “What book are you reading?” I asked, and nodded at her book. “Blood And Chocolate.” She said, flashing a smile. “Book about Werewolves?” I asked, and smiled at the irony. It was easier to talk to her-like I’ve known her before. She nodded, and turned another page. “Something is troubling you.” She stated, without looking up from her book. “I had a bad dream.” I confessed, feeling like a little child again. “What are hunters?” She abruptly looked up from her book, looking startled. “Hunters are humans who hunt Werewolf’s, and Vampyres, and other creatures. They base their lives on hunting and killing our kind, thinking that we are ‘evil’. Why do you ask?” I explained my dream to her. “Oh.” She said, when I finished explaining, and shut her book. “That is quite odd.” She pondered. I nodded. “Maybe it was a precognition.” “A what?” I asked. “A dream vision.” She said. The her eyes got wide, and her expression turned worried. “I hope not.” “Me too.” I couldn’t help but shudder at the thought. “Don’t worry.” She said. “Grant is the Alpha, so he should be fine.” She smiled. Grant was the Alpha? “I hope that he will.” I said. She studied my expression. “You love him.” She said easily, with a smile. I felt my cheeks getting warm. She giggled. “You should get some rest. We can talk in the morning.” She said. I nodded, glad for the option to leave. I got up from the couch and started walking towards the stair case. “Night.” I called over my shoulder. “Goodnight.” I heard the noise of a page turning as I ascended the stairs. This time, I awoke to the smell of eggs and bacon. I hurriedly got dressed, and walked down the stairs. The food smelled wonderful to empty stomach. Everyone greeted me as I walked down the stairs. Julie brought a plate of bacon and eggs out to me, and sat down beside me, so that I was in the middle of her and Grant. Something felt familiar about this.. “I’m telling you guys.” Nick said, picking up a conversation from before I walked

in. “That girl thought that I was hot.” That made everyone laugh. Something was familiar about this..but what? “What?” Nick said. “She did.” Everyone looked at him in disbelief. “Yeah.” Zack said, grinning. “You could tell by her expression. “The girl looked terrified!” Annabelle proclaimed, giggling. “Definitely.” Julie agreed, laughing. “She looked like she was about to bolt for the door, if she wasn’t in the middle of buying clothes. “You guys are just jealous.” Nick said. “She thought that I was hot, right Grant?” I glanced over at Grant, he met my eyes. He had been really quiet this morning. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. “I’ll get it.” Grant said, rising, and walking over to the entryway. A sudden realization hit me like a rocket. I realized why this was so familiar. I glanced at a wide eyed Anna, and then bolted for Grant. I tackled him before he reached the door. We hit the floor with an audible thud. “Sophie?” Grant said, looking bewildered. We were sprawled out on the kitchen floor, and I was laying on top of his chest. “Don’t open it!” I whispered, and glanced back at the door. “Why?” He asked. I met his confused gaze. “Hunters.” I whispered. As soon as I said that, everyone jumped up, looking ready for a fight. “Are you sure?” Grant asked. “She’s right.” I heard Brandon say, looking deep in concentration. “They have guns, and are surrounding the house. There isn’t any escape.” Grant jumped up, and pulled me with him. “What now?” Zack asked, looking anxiously at Grant. Everyone waited for Grant to speak. An idea suddenly sprung into my head. “Sophie has a pretty good idea.” Brandon said, looking at me. The others turned to me, expectantly, and anxious. “Well.” I started off slowly. I already knew that Grant wouldn’t approve of my plan. Brandon nodded. I sighed, and said, “These hunters have been hunting you for a while, right?” There were nods around the group. There was another knock on the door this time impatiently. “But they don’t know me yet, so I could try to lead them away.” I finished fast, so that my words blurred together. Realization finally shone in Grant’s eyes. He put his arms around me in a tight hug. “No.” He hissed, pulling me closer. I couldn’t help it, I wrapped my arms around him, and buried my face in his chest. “But-” I began, but he cut me off. “No.” He said, softer, into my hair. “There’s no other way.” Brandon said. “I do not approve either.” Anna said. “But I’ll be fine.” I reassured them. “It’s the only way that they will leave.” There was another knock on the door as if to back up my statement. Everyone hesitated. This time, there was a really loud banging on the door. After a few moments, Grant released me. I looked at him, and smiled. The corners of his mouth twitched in a smile. The others started up the stairs. Anna hesitated. ‘Be careful,’ she mouthed, and then ascended the stairs. Only Grant and I remained. “Be careful.” He whispered, and kissed the top of my head, then started up the stairs. As soon as their footsteps turned silent, I walked over to the door. I put my hand on the doorknob, and slowly twisted it. The door opened to two men in black clothes. “Hello.” I said. Chapter 4 “Hello.” I said, innocently. I looked at- or rather looked up at the two men in black. They

were very tall. One had dark hair, and the other had brown. I pretended not to notice the gun holsters at their waists. They looked down at me. “Where is Grant?” The dark haired one asked, not bothering with small talk. “And the rest?” Finished the brown haired one. I blinked, and tried to look confused. “Who?” I asked. “Don’t play games with us.” The dark haired one responded. He suddenly pulled out a pistol, and pointed it directly at me. I started to panic. “I don’t know who-“ I stopped talking, as the dark haired guy put his finger on the trigger of the pistol. I was frozen in panic, but then instinct suddenly took over. I grabbed the gun, and twisted it away from me. There was a loud bang. The gun shot just almost missed its target. The bullet grazed my left arm, but only so that it made a huge gash. It flew into the house, and broke something. But I snatched the gun, and quickly, without thinking, I shot the brown haired one, as he lifted his gun to me. He crumpled to the ground. I’ve never killed anyone before. I stood on the front porch, frozen, with the gun in my hand. So the black haired man took his chance. He swiped a knife at my head. I nearly dodged it. There was a sharp, sudden pain in my forehead. Blood started to drip into my eyes. But just then, I heard the noise of footsteps running down the stairs. The dark haired man suddenly flew off of the porch, as someone tackled him. I didn’t get to see the rest. I suddenly felt arms around my waist. I looked up into Grant’s angry eyes, which were already softening. “You’re hurt.” He whispered, whipping blood from my forehead. It didn’t feel like There was a cut there anymore. Like it had already healed. But the cut on my arm stung. “Don’t worry.” I said, reassuringly. “I’m fine.” Grant looked like he was about to Say something, but got interrupted. “We have to get away from here.” Brandon said, looking around. ‘Now.” Everyone was suddenly running towards a tiny opening between two large houses, and into a forest. I’ve lived in New Jersey for 17 years, and I haven’t ever noticed this forest. We Walked in a maze through the trees, only stopping to listen for footsteps. No one made a noise. I bet that if I wasn’t there, then everyone would have phased. As we were walking through the soundless forest, I started to feel dizzy. I looked at the others, but They seemed fine. I had a weird urge to run. But I kept pace with the others. But suddenly, my vision clouded over, and I felt myself falling. Juliana caught me before I could hit the ground. “Are you okay?” Juliana asked, when I could stand up. “Yeah.” I said. And everyone continued to walk, but kept casting worried glances my way. The sun was almost gone by the time that we all broke through out of the trees, And into a big clearing. We all sat in a small circle in the middle of the clearing. “At least that is over.” Annabelle said. She was sitting on my left. “I could’ve taken them with my eyes closed, if we would have stayed.” Nick said, throwing punches into the air from across the tiny circle. That made me laugh. “Yeah right.” Zack said. “I could have taken them all with my hands behind my back.” That made everyone start boasting, and showing off. But their conversations all Started to blur together. The pain in my left arm receded, as reality started to drift off. “Sophie?” I heard Annabelle say. “Sophie!”

I suddenly felt myself falling again. I felt someone catch me, but I couldn’t see who. “Shit! She’s burning up.” I heard a voice close to me call. “Grant!” I heard Annabelle screech worriedly. “She’s dying.” Someone else whispered. “She needs to phase. When are we going to do this, Grant?” I heard Nick say. I didn’t get to hear the replay, because darkness suddenly clouded over me. * * * * * I felt myself being carried. I tried to recall what had happened, but everything Seemed blurry. My chest barely moved, as I took short, shallow breaths. I opened my eyes, and immediately regretted it. Fatigue instantly swallowed me, as I stared up at the bright, full moon. “Go back to sleep.” I heard Grant say softly. I suddenly realized who was carrying me. His deep blue, worried eyes bore into mine. “What happened?” I asked, my voice barely audible. He shook his head. “Save your energy.” Grant said. “But-“ I tried to argue, but Grant interjected. “I am Alpha, and I said to go back to sleep. So sleep.” He looked at me as if daring me to protest. I decided that I would not be able to win, so I just settled with sticking my tongue out at him, like a little kid. The corners of his mouth pulled up into a half smile. “Sleep.” He said, looking up again, as if that ended things. I didn’t have the energy to argue, so I rested my head against his warm chest. The rhythmic beating of his heart was calming. I drifted off into darkness again, but peacefully this time. Chapter 5 It was a chilly, silent night. I was running in a forest, the trees blurring together as I sped past them. My long black hair whipped at my face as I rushed to my destination. This was the forest from my childhood. I would always escape to here. I ran swiftly, and silently to the center of the forest, and to the great big lake that sat there. I ran up to the edge, sat down, and dangled my bare, dirty feet into the icy cold water. The water’s reflection of the full moon rippled as I kicked my feet, making little droplets of water sprinkle around me. I leaned my head back, in just enough time to see a shadow standing a few feet from me. I gasped and jumped up, whirling to look at the shadowy creature. The shadow stepped closer into the moonlight. My heart stopped as I saw who it was. Jacob. The shadow loomed closer to me, as silent as a ghost. “J-Jake..” I stuttered. The shadow didn’t answer, and floated closer. It stopped about two feet from me. The figure was wearing a hood, so I couldn’t see his face. “Jake.” I said, as I walked up to him, clearing the distance between us. I carefully lifted my hands up, and lifted the hood off of the figure’s head. I looked into the dark brown eyes of my older brother. He smiled. But his face suddenly changed into one of those red eyed Vampyres, and his smile turned menacing. “Sophie” It hissed. “We’re coming for you.” It stepped closer to me as I backed away. I closed my eyes, and when I reopened them, the figure was gone. I sighed in relief, and turned back towards the lake. But I could hear it’s mocking laugh echoing through the forest. I suddenly felt a painful stinging in my neck. I screamed as loud as I possibly could.

I awoke with a start to my own screaming voice. I sat upright in bed, shaking. That was a terrible nightmare. I took deep breaths, as I tried to calm down. It was only a moment later when my door burst open to Grant standing in my hallway, looking tense. But he relaxed when he saw that I wasn’t in any danger. “Are you okay?” He asked, walking over to me. “Yeah.” I replied, shakily. “Bad dream?” He asked. I nodded. “Tell me about it.” He said, sitting on the bed and pulling my into his arms. I rested my head on his chest. It all felt natural. “It usually helps.” So I told him about my nightmare. “You have a brother?” He asked, confused. I shook my head. “No. I had a brother once but that was a long time ago.” “What happened?” He asked gently. I recalled my memory of what happened seven years ago. “He disappeared… He ran away.” I whispered. I remembered the memory clearly. “My parents had left me and Jacob home alone for a few hours on a dark night, so that they could go out for their anniversary. He had been 15 then. And Jacob kept trying to tell me that something bad was going to happen. But I kept ignoring him, until he wouldn’t leave me alone about hiding somewhere. I got annoyed, and ended up running to my favorite hiding spot in the woods, by the lake. But it started thundering and pouring down rain by the time that I had gotten there, and I didn’t have a jacket, so I turned around, and went home. “But when I had gotten to the front door, I could feel that something was off. So I snook inside, and it was pitch black in the whole house, because the power had been knocked out. I could hear something coming from upstairs, so I went up there to check it out. And I found a light coming from my brother’s room. But when I walked in, I didn’t see him. His room was trashed, and the window was broken. I figured that he was playing a joke on me, but my brother wouldn’t do something as dramatic as trash his own room. So I stayed up all night, looking for him all throughout the house, and around the neighborhood. But I couldn’t find him anywhere. And when I got back to the house, my parents were scared, and had already called the police. “But they couldn’t find him. They searched for months, but didn’t even find a trace. So they eventually gave up.” I sobbed, and Grant held me tighter. “And it was all my fault, if I would have just stayed with him...” Grant started murmuring that it was all okay, and it was then that I realized that I had been crying. After a while, I stopped crying, and just rested my head on Grant’s shoulder. Just then, a knock sounded on the door. “Come in.” Grant said, rocking me back and forth, like I was a child again. Annabelle walked in, but she stopped when she saw us. I could see a smile slowly spreading across her face. “Yes?” Grant asked. Annabelle grinned now. “Sorry to interrupt, Big Bro, but I think that we should help Sophie to phase now. It seems like the appropriate time.” She said, and then she turned and walked downstairs to the living room. I looked at Grant, with an eyebrow raised. “Anna is your sister?” I asked. “Yep.” He smiled at me. “And now I think that we should go downstairs, before she comes back up here.” I laughed as he picked me up, and carried me downstairs. The worst part was over for now, but everything was about to change. Chapter 6 I was laying on the couch, with my head rested on Grant’s lap. He was absentmindedly stroking my hair. The rest of the pack were sitting around us in the living room.

“Now.” Annabelle said, from her position in the Navy blue armchair. “It will feel weird when you first phase, and maybe a little painful.” I nodded, but my thoughts were on something else. After my dream I had a feeling that my brother was still alive somewhere. “But try not to think about the pain.” Annabelle continued. “Try and think of something else. None of us will be there with you, because you must phase for the first time by yourself, so you have to be careful.” I nodded again, and she continued. “You must stay in our woods, the one that we were in last night..” Anna trailed off, as Grant shot her a look. I was confused, I don’t remember ever being in woods last night. I glanced at the rest of the pack, and they all seemed to be agreeing on something. “I’ll show you where it is.” Juliana said. “Okay.” I said, still confused. “When am I going to..?” Annabelle glanced out of the window in the living room. It was still dark outside. “Now would probably be best. It is still dark, so no one can see you.” She said, as she stood up. She walked over to me, took my hand, and pulled me towards the door. Juliana got up, and followed. All of the guys waved, as we walked out of the door. The night’s fresh, cool breeze, lifted my hair into my face, as we walked to a tiny place between two houses. There was no moon in the sky, so we had to be guided by the stars, and the fact that we could see in the dark. We kept walking until we got to a clearing, in the middle of the woods. There was something nagging at the back of my mind. Something felt familiar about this place, but I shook it off. We walked into the center of the clearing. “Now.” Annabelle begun. “When you change, it will either be easy, or difficult for you. It differs with different people.” I nodded. “What do I do?” I asked. “Relax first.” Juliana instructed. And I did as she said. “Now, stay relaxed, and try and collect the power within you, and concentrate it throughout your whole body.” I was confused, but I closed my eyes, and concentrated. I could feel something strange flowing weirdly in my stomach. So I pushed that weird feeling, and tried to get it to got through out my whole body. I didn’t open my eyes, until my whole body tingled. “Good.” Annabelle said, grinning. “It should be easy for you from now. Just picture yourself changing into a wolf.” I closed my eyes again, and did as she said, and felt myself changing. When I next opened my eyes, I had to look up to see Anna, and Juliana. When I looked at them, they were both grinning. “Beautiful.” Juliana whispered. I looked down on myself, and saw white fur glowing in the darkness. I felt my eyes go wide. Was this me? “We must go now.” Annabelle said. I looked up at her, panicking. I couldn’t do this by myself! Annabelle saw my look, and smiled. “You will be fine, trust yourself. Now, only stay in these woods. Do not go anywhere else.” She waited until I nodded to continue. “When you are ready to come back, just follow our scents.” “Good luck!” They both said at the same time, and then they went back the way that we came. I looked around me, and felt a sudden urge to run. So I picked a spot at random, and begun to run. I was surprised by how well and smoothly that my muscles worked. I was racing at lightning speed, with the forest blurring past me. I was enjoying this. I let myself get used to running on all fours, before going faster. I was just a white blur by now, dodging trees as I zipped by. I didn’t return to the house until the sun started coming up. It wasn’t hard to find my way back. The whole house was quiet as I entered. I snook into the living room, and saw that Nick was collapsed on the couch, snoring loudly. So I quietly started up the stairs, still feeling exhilarated from my run. But as soon as I opened my door to my room, I practically collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.

But I walked over to the mirror instead. My long, curly black hair was tangled, and my bangs were falling into my shining bright green eyes, that I had inherited from my mother. I grinned at nothing in particular, as I fell onto my bed. I let out a big breath of air, as I relaxed. I started to think about my brother, and wondered where he was. He had to be out there somewhere. I decided that I was going to go looking for him, the next time that I went for a run alone. I closed my eyes, and a sudden picture popped into my mind. It was my brother’s face, and short dark hair, but he had glowing red eyes, and gleaming fangs. I quickly shook the image out of my head. My brother couldn’t be a Vampyre. Could he? Nah, he wouldn’t run away to become a Vampyre…unless he was taken. I suddenly shot upright in bed. My brother couldn’t be a Vampyre, he just couldn’t! I had to find him. I jumped out of my bed, and silently crept down the stairs. I slipped silently outside, and into the cold morning. I ran into our woods, phasing as I did, and running into the sunlight. Chapter 7 I’ve been running, and following a strange scent for a while, and the sun had already set, and it was starting to get dark. I was out of breath, so I phased back. I walked over to a tree, and sunk down, with my back against it. It had been a hot day, and I was in jeans, and a T-shirt, and I had yet to find any clues leading to my brother. I was about to start running back to my shared house, but something stopped me. I heard the snap of a branch to my left. I jumped up. It felt like something was pulling me towards the direction that the branch had snapped. I slowly started to walk in that direction. It seemed to be leading closer into the shade. I kept walking, and it seemed as if the woods were getting darker. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, as I crept closer. I suddenly saw a shadow, looming in front of me. I stopped dead. “Jake?” I whispered. The shadow didn’t make any move to run away, or come towards me. We just stood like that, facing each other. When finally, the shadow said, “Get away from here, Sophie. And stay far away from me.” The shadow said, in a deep voice. Jake started walking silently away. I wouldn’t let him get away, after I came so far to find him. “Jake! Wait!” I shouted after him. But he made no move to stop walking. So I ran after him. “Jake! Stop! Wait!” Jake suddenly disappeared. But when I sensed something behind me, I whirled around. He was standing a few feet away from me, waiting. “Are you…did you..” I couldn’t figure out how to get the words out. “Am I what?” He asked, sounding annoyed. “A Vampyre?” I nodded slowly. “That’s not for you to know. Besides, why should you care? You’re a Wolf now. We’re immortal enemies.” “Jake.” I whispered. “It doesn’t have to be like that.” He laughed, but it sounded humorless. “It’s been like this for years. Don’t think that you can change that,” I just stared. Why was he acting so weird? “Because I’m not human anymore, Soph.” He said, in a softer tone. “But that doesn’t change anything! You’re still my brother.” I said. Jake said nothing, but slowly pulled his hood down. He was exactly like I had pictured. He looked older, but his dark hair still spilled into his eyes, but they were gleaming red instead of brown “I’m not your brother anymore.” He said softly. “Jake! Yes you are-” I tried to say, but he cut me off. “I’m not. You don’t know me like you used to. I was only 15 then. I’m a hunter now- a killer. So stay away from me. And don’t come looking for me either.” He said, and started to walk away again. I ran up to him, and grabbed the sleeve of his black cloak. “Jake.” I said. He looked up, but not at me, he was looking over my shoulder. He

ripped his sleeve from my grasp. “Don’t look for me.” Was all that he said, as he turned and walked into the shadows. “Jake!” I yelled. “Jake! Come back here!” But he had already vanished. I heard a sudden noise behind me, and I whipped around, ready to tackle my brother. But instead of seeing Jake, I saw Nick. “Found her!” He called, as he walked up to me. “Are you alright?” He asked. I nodded. Just then, Grant and the rest of the pack burst out of the trees. Relief was on everyone’s faces. Grant walked up to me, and swept me up in a hug. But he pulled away when I didn’t hug back. “Are you alright?” He asked, clearly concerned now. I snapped out of it. I nodded, but my thoughts were somewhere else. I saw Brandon give me a surprised look. But Grant scooped me up into his arms before I could say anything. I suddenly felt really tired. I rested my head on Grant’s shoulder, and closed my eyes. “We were worried about you.” He murmured. “Sorry.” I whispered. “I had to…do something.” I felt him nod. And I drifted off into a light sleep. * * * * I awoke to hearing whispering voices. I had a weird urge to pretend that I was still asleep, so I listened with out opening my eyes. “What happened?” I heard Grant whisper. “She went looking for someone.” I heard Brandon hesitate. “She looked for her brother.” “Oh.” I heard Annabelle say. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with that.” “Yeah.” I heard Brandon mutter. I was surprised that he had kept my secret, that my brother was a Vampyre. ‘Thanks,’ I thought in my head. “Yeah, yeah.” I heard him say allowed. I could tell that everyone was staring at him. I felt tired again, so I closed my eyes and fell asleep for the second time. Chapter 8 I was in one of those dreams where you kept running, but you weren’t going anywhere. I kept moving my legs, but as much as I tried, I was running in the same space over and over again. It was a chilly night, and there was no moon. I felt like something was following me, but I couldn’t glance over my shoulder to check. I just kept running, and never getting anywhere. I felt as if I was protecting something, but I couldn’t quite remember much, except for the fact that my neck had felt like it was on fire. Someone finally jumped in front of me, and grabbed my arms, stopping me from my useless running. I glanced up to try and make out their face in the dark, but it was masked by a dark hood. “I told you not to come looking for me.” A deep, hungering voice came from the figure restraining me. I gasped. It wasI abruptly got pulled from my dream. I sat upright, rubbing my forehead. I had a massive headache for some reason. So I got up, grabbed some clothes from my dresser, and walked into the bathroom for a quick shower. After my shower, I trudged down the stairs, but only to find it empty of anyone from the pack. I glanced around, but I was just greeted by silence. So I nearly had a heart-attack, when I turned around to see Grant standing on the last stair on the staircase, watching me intently. I screamed a little bit, and that made him chuckle. I rolled my eyes at him, but smiled. I realized that we were both alone in the house together. “Where is everyone?” I asked, glancing around.

“They went for a run.” Grant said, shrugging. He walked over to the entranceway, and over to the door. “Going for a run?” I asked, plopping down into the Navy blue armchair that everyone loved. Grant threw a grin over his shoulder. “Nope.” He said, reaching the door now. He turned around and grinned at me now. “Want to come?” I shrugged as I stood up. “Okay.” I said, walking out of the door with Grant. * * * * I was walking beside Grant was we entered some kind of park. I could see little kids running around and going down slides. It was like feeding time at the zoo. I smiled to myself as we passed a little kid chasing his friend. Grant looked at me, with one eyebrow raised. I realized that I was grinning at nothing, so I quickly asked where we were going. Grant waited until we were out of earshot of the little kids and their parents. “We’re going to and Alpha meeting.” he said. I gave him a confusing look. “Alpha meeting?” I asked. “Yeah.” He said. “It’s when Alpha’s from different Pack’s meet and discuss the territory boundary lines, and new laws and stuff.” “Oh. But aren’t only Alpha’s allowed to go?” I asked confused. Grant glanced at me, and then glanced away. “Well…yes.” He said, sounding awkward and embarrassed. “But you’re an exception.” Exception? I didn’t get to ask Grant what he meant, because we had reached a group of three guys and one girl standing under an oak tree, waiting. “Grant.” Said the girl -who looked about 18-, smiling, and walking up to Grant to give him a quick hug. “Hey Melanie.” Grant said when she pulled back. “Grant.” One of the guys who looked 17- with shoulder long dark curly, skater ish hair, and dark eyes- nodded at Grant. “Rubin.” Grant nodded back at Rubin. The another of the guys stepped up to shake Grant’s hand. “Hi.” He said. He had short ish dirty blonde hair, looked to be about 16, with baby blue eyes. “I’m Nat Lucas. I’m Rubin’s Beta.” “Grant Callahan.” Grant said, shaking Nat’s hand. Callahan? I noticed that I never knew his last name. But it seemed to fit him well, and I liked it. Grant looked to the other guy. “Zack.” He said, nodding at the guy with the short black hair, and dark eyes( he looked to be about 19)- who had a strong air about him. “Hello Grant.” Zack said, and then grinned. “It’s been forever!” “Yeah, it definitely has.” Grant said, chuckling now. “What have you been up to?” “Same old- same old.” Zack said, and then turned to me. “And who is this?” He asked with an eyebrow raised, and a slight smile on his lips. “Guys, this is Sophie.” He said, smiling at me. Everyone turned to me, and smiled warmly. “Um, Hello.” I said, a little shyly, while giving a small wave. For some weird reason, these people- well, wolves made me feel shy. And whenever I looked at Zack, I felt like I was on the brink of remembering something. “Is she-” Rubin tried to say, but stopped mid sentence when Grant shot him a look. “What?” I asked curiously. “Um..ah..nothing.” Rubin said, looking uncomfortable. I just raised an eyebrow at him. “Anyway.” Zack said, trying to change the subject quickly. “On to other matters.” Everyone nodded, and sat down. I sat down next to Grant, as I kept getting surprised glances from Nat. What was going on?

“As usual.” Zack began. I could tell that he was usually the leaders of the group. (And the oldest.) “We’ve come to set the boundary lines.” There were nods around the small gathering. “So we’re going to move the lines back to how they originally were.” The rest of the meeting had gone like this. I didn’t understand a thing, but everyone else seemed to be paying close attention. I zoned out in the middle of Zack’s talking. I let my mind wander. I was suddenly in a deep forest. I was pacing back in forth in my wolf form. It was a new moon, so the forest was very dark. Then a black wolf came out of the woods- to my right- trailed by ten other wolves. The all walked in front of me, and sat on their haunches. I looked at all of them, and continued to pace back and forth. But I stopped as a howl came from the distance to my right. The rest of the wolves got up, and followed me as I blew into the forest, and towards to howl. The wolves were right behind me as we broke put of the bushes and into a small clearing. I saw another dozen or so wolves there, looking tense. I walked in front of them, and looked at all of them in their eyes. Then I turned as I heard a hissing noise coming from behind me. I crouched down, and as a hooded figure emerged, I pounced. “Sophie? Soph?” Grant’s voice snapped me out of my vivid and weird daydream. I blinked a few times, and then looked into his deep blue eyes. “Are you alright?” Rubin asked. I looked over to him, and smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” I said, suppressing a yawn. “You’re lectures bore the poor girl.” Melanie said, elbowing Zack playfully in the ribs. I laughed and then she joined in. I saw Grant give Zack a strange glance. “We’d better get back.” Rubin said to Nat. “Us too.” Grant said, grabbing my hand and lifting me to my feet. “See you guys.” “See you.” The all said in unison. Grant and I walked back through the park, and he was still holding my hand, to the point where my whole arm tingled from his touch. It was everything I could do to stop myself from kissing him. I stopped in my tracks. Kiss him? Would I? Should I? I mean..he did say that he loved me, but would he want to kiss me? Grant stopped walking, and looked at me. “Are you okay?” He asked, squeezing my hand, and sending butterflies to my stomach. I smiled at him. “Yeah. Just a little tired.” I lied. He smiled at me, and then lead me to a bench in the now almost deserted park. It was getting dark outside now. We sat down, and Grant let go of my hand- much to my dismay. I looked at the park, to see a couple walking together. I turned to Grant, and he had his eyes closed. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. The butterflies in my stomach got stronger, as I slowly leaned towards Grant. My eyes fluttered closed as I kissed him full on the mouth.