Chapter 1
A normal day for an orphan who is as normal as me. That's what everyone thinks anyway. They don't know what I really am. They're all "normal" humans, whereas, I am something else entirely. Most people, or rather all of the people in my neighborhood, don't believe in the existence of werewolves.
They just think that they only exist in fairy tales and in movies. They didn't stop to think that one is already in their midst.
Oh well, they won't be harmed anyway. I'm the only one here who is a werewolf.
I know you might think that most werewolves are supposed to be in a pack for all kinds of support and stuff. The thing is, when my parents were still alive, they fled their pack for some reason that is unknown to me up until they died a few months back, so yeah, I guess I am one of those people would call "lone wolf", literally.
That doesn't bother me in anyway, and thankfully, I wasn't picked up by the Social Services when they died, the reason is that it was my 17th birthday when they passed away.
They were involved in a road accident. I found out the next day that they didn't make it and were cremated afterwards. That's the tradition in our city, once you die, you get cremated.
I kept their ashes in an altar inside the house. They never told me the name of the pack they fled from. They kept it a secret from me, don’t know why though. They seem to think that it would be dangerous for me.
But wait… Why do I get the sudden feeling that I forgot something important? What is it that I forgot? I have to remember it.
*ding... dong...
That took me by surprise. Who would be at my doorstep this early on a Sunday morning? I walked to the door and used the peephole to look at who the person is. Mira? What is she doing here?
*door creaks…
"Yow! What's up?"
"Have you forgotten? We were supposed to meet up at the town center 30 minutes ago! Where's your head?"
"Oh, sh*t! I totally forgot. I'm really sorry Mira. I'll go get changed immediately."
After changing, we went to Mira's car and went to the only mall in town. It's a big one though, and our favorite hangout.
"So, where do we go first? Boutiques? Bazaars? Or... The ice cream shop?"
"Let's go to the ice cream shop first, Sera. I'm craving for some. Wonder if there's a new flavor?"
We went to the ice cream shop and looked at the available flavors on the stalls. It is always fun watching Mira decide. Whether it is food or clothes, she always has this sort of crumpled face. It's like a life or death situation for her. She's doing it right now.
"Sera, I can't decide. What do you think is better, triple chocolate banana or mint cookies and cream?"
"The triple chocolate. Chocolate always hits the spot. You want that one?"
"Yeah, let’s have that one."
With Mira, she does everything with so much enthusiasm that you just can't get enough of her. So I bought the two of us the flavor of the day and we strolled around the mall while eating the ice cream we bought. While I and Mira were deep in conversation, Solana picked up several different scents. Scents of werewolves.
'That's unusual. I thought we are the only ones of our kind in this area?'
'I know. Something is not right. What do you think we should do?'
'We should observe for now.'
'Okay, good thing I sprayed some of the concoction that mom said we should use when we're out in public. You never who will harm us.'
‘We need to investigate later. After you guys hang out. Is that going to be okay with you?’
‘Sounds like a plan to me.’
We finished eating the ice cream and started going to different bazaars and boutiques, trying on different clothes and buying them when we liked the looks of them.
Time flies so fast when you are having a good time. The day ended when Mira took me home and said good-bye for the day. I’m getting anxious of the coming investigation.
"Bye, Sera! Today was fun, even though you totally forgot that we were hanging out today. See you in school."
"Bye, Mira! See you."
I waited until she was well away from the house when I shifted and investigated who those wolves were. I had Solana memorize their scents. She picked up two scents, a male and a female.
‘Let’s go. I just picked up their scent not too far from here.’
‘Does that mean they know I’m a werewolf?’
‘They probably do. What we need to know is, will they use this information for good or bad?’
‘You’re right. Let’s go.’
We started tracing their scent from Solana said she picked up the scent. After nearly three hours of following their scent, we got nothing. It seems that whoever they were, they know how to throw off their pursuers.
Solana got confused when we were near the border of the local pack territory. We stopped at that point because we don’t want to be mistaken as rogues and get ambushed by their pack members. We went back home with more questions than answers. Who were those wolves and what did they want from me?
‘There’s no point in wondering. They’re long gone, Sera. It’s time to get some rest. We’ll figure it out, eventually.’
‘Why is that you are always on point with your advice? Am I really that stupid?’
‘No, you’re just more of an animal than me.’
‘Be thankful that I can’t kick you, Solana.’
Solana stuck her tongue and went to take a rest.
I, on the other hand, cooked and ate dinner, washed the dishes and went upstairs to do my nightly routine. I still couldn’t shake the feeling that someone actually knew that I was a werewolf.
I went to bed, and surprisingly, sleep claimed me immediately.
I woke up with a start. I had a dream, but I can’t seem to recall what it was about. Something’s going to happen today, and it is something that I will not like. Even Solana is pacing back and forth in my head. It’s giving me a headache.
I started my morning ritual of showering and changing into something comfortable. It will the only thing good today since I did not have any time for breakfast. I grabbed two granola bars and ran like wind to school. This is not going to be good.