by E.A. Weston
By ten PM we walk out back into the woods behind my house, the moon shines like a stage spotlight casting a silvery glow all around us.
“Don’t scream please, it looks awful and scary but I will know you so don’t mind Rusty if she snarls at you I’ll bitch slap her.” Teegan smiles at me, she kicks off her shoes and strips off her clothes, I turn away allowing her some privacy, “you ready?” she asks again.
“Yep, nope, go for it,” I say starting to shake a little.
She laughs at little before I hear a popping sound, like bones crunching and it makes me gag. Turning around I see her body contort in ways no human body should ever bend or stretch, where her hands were now stand two huge paws, her back arches and pops.
Gasping I cover my mouth as I watch the horror show in front of me, her face elongates into a snout and a tail swishes from the back. With one final pop and a shake of her head my cousin is gone, standing before me with teeth snarling is a massive rust colored wolf.
My heart pounds as I look at her, we are almost eye-to-eye “Teegan” I whisper. The wolf moves forward sniffing my face then I feel a wet tongue lick my cheek.
“Yuck Teegan” I scold, wiping my face with my sleeve. The wolf wags her tail and head buts me kind of like the way a cat does when they want a scratch. Reaching out, I rub behind her ear earning a whimper from her.
“Wow you look amazing,” I whisper running my hand down her back. She turns to me pressing her snout into my hand then looks up at the sky.
“Oh you need to go?” I ask, she wines again rubbing her head off my shoulder “Okay I’ll be here at five,” I tell her and watch as she bounds off into the trees. My mind is still in shock.
Walking back into the house I spend about an hour staring out of my window into the dark night, wondering where she is and what she is doing, hoping that she will be okay. My eyes grow heavy but I refuse to sleep, I want to stay awake just incase Teegan needs me. The alarm on my phone startles me awake, grabbing it I fall off my bed onto the floor, groaning as I do.
“Crap” I fell asleep; pulling on a sweater I rush down to the kitchen, and open the back door making my way into the dense woods.
“Teegan,” I whisper shout setting down her shoes and clothes, checking the time I am only five minutes late. I hope she hasn’t gotten lost out there, making myself comfortable against a tree I wait. By the time the sun rises I am panicking, and start walking through the woods shouting her name.
“Teegan!” I yell at the top of my lungs, scrambling through the brambles, which nick and cut my legs and arms. I walk on still calling, checking the time on my phone every few minutes, not looking where I am going I walk into a low branch cutting my cheek.
“Shit! Fuck!” I cry out pressing my hand to it. My heart is in my throat and I can’t find her anywhere. “Teegan” I shout again turning to go back the way I came and get out of this mess. By the time I reach the clearing again I am cut to pieces, my skin stings and my face really hurts. Sneaking back into the house I check her room incase she got back while I was out but the bed is still made and hasn’t been slept in.
Rushing into my own room I change out of my pajamas and sweater, throwing on, shorts, a t-shirt, and my boots. I find my dad sitting in the kitchen looking hung over.
“Rough night dad?” I ask grabbing water from the fridge.
“Yeah we got a little carried away playing poker,” he groans.
“Well I hoped you learned your lesson,” I tease snatching his car keys from the table.
“Where are you going this hour” he calls then clutches his head, laughing I yell back “out” making him wince. Climbing into the car I pull out onto the sleeping street and crawl around the neighborhood keeping my eyes peeled for a very naked girl or a rather larger rust colored wolf, lets hope the neighbors will think it’s a great Dane or something.
My crawl through town get’s me nowhere fast, I fill up the tank, and wonder how far she would have gotten. I don’t know how far or fast she could run but I bet it’s more than I thought. I drive to the coffee shop in town ordering a large coffee and pulling my cell phone out of my pocket I dial my mom. I listen to it ring then go to voicemail.
“Hi mom, call me back ASAP it’s about Teegan.”
I say hanging up sliding the phone into my back pocket. Reaching for my coffee I step outside into the already hot sun.
“Morning,” turning I notice Ty sitting in one of the wrought iron chairs.
“Oh hey Ty how are you?” I ask out of politeness nothing else.
“Good, you’re up early” He smiles.
“So are you,” I retort.
“Touché” he nods pointing to the chair opposite him, “please have a seat.”
Walking over I sit down resting my back against the window of the coffee shop, my eyes scanning the street for Teegan in either form.
“Are you looking for someone?” Ty asks watching me, his body relaxed in his white polo shirt and tan shorts. His hand on the table is playing with something small and shiny turning my gaze to him I smile.
“No, just admiring the neighborhood,” I reply taking a sip of my coffee sneaking another look around.
“You are kind of strange” he smiles at me. My eyes narrow at his comment but I just shrug my shoulder because I don’t really care if he finds me strange. We sit there in silence and I feel a little uncomfortable.
“So where have been for that last year?” I ask, although I knew of him in school I didn’t actually know him.
“Oh you know here, and there just traveling around, how about you?”
“I have been here with Ash same as always” I smile, his body tenses at the mention of Asher but he quickly relaxes again.
“Is he your boyfriend Emery?” my heart skips a beat as I contemplate the answer.
“It’s complicated,” that’s the best I can do, because it is. Being in love with your best friend when he isn’t, is way more complicated than I’d like.
“Yeah? How about you and I go to the movies tonight, I hear he is out of town” Ty gives a snort at the end of the sentence. For some reason I don’t trust him, not because he tried to drown me but because he seems to be hiding something.
“I have to get back my cousin is waiting.”
Standing I walk away without answering his question. Driving home my mind is on Teegan hoping she made it back, walking into the house I find a note from dad on the counter telling me he is gone back to bed. I check her room but still she hasn’t returned, my nerves are frayed, worrying about her. Walking back out to the woods I call her again, but get no answer. I make myself comfortable on the ground and check my phone again, my mom hasn’t gotten back either. Finishing my coffee I pick the cup apart thinking about the summer Teegan spent here.
She hasn’t really changed much, except for the whole ‘I’m a werewolf thing.’ We had fun that year, even though I missed Asher like crazy, he went to some swim camp that year, and it showed. When he came home he was ripped his, muscles were bigger and he looked different too, I think I noticed every change in him over the years.
Like when he first got facial hair we stood in his bathroom razors in hand both looking at each other. I told him I would shave my legs in solidarity, so if he cut himself we could have scars together. Wow, I doubt any other fourteen year old would have offered that to her best friend, all while she was sinking deeper into the pit of love and ultimately heart ache.
Bite me