The Call of the Moon

Chapter Six- Changes

“Everyone has parents. Some of them are still together while others have been happily divorced for decades. There are even some whose parents’ identities are kept from them due to the court system and adoption process. And with these parents, are stories on how you got here. These range from one night stands where you were a happy accident to couples who planned for years before finally being able to have a baby. But with my parents, it was always weird when they spoke of one another, it was clear they still cared for each other-but they were so very different. It is hard to imagine they used to love each other so passionately at one time and now they could be so far apart-in every sense of the word.”

“What were you doing on the back of a motorcycle?!” Aurora’s mom scolded her as she shut the front door and followed her daughter through the house. “And am I to be expecting you coming and going at all hours of the night now?” She commented while her daughter turned to face her in the living room-having to cross this room in order to get to the stairs to her own room.

“He was just giving me a ride home.”

“I’m sure…”

“Mom!”

“Boys on bikes are just a recipe for being a statistic...they are alluring now...sure...but how about when you are seven months pregnant and needing an ultrasound and he is nowhere to be found so you have to do it alone?” She spoke in reference to Aurora’s father. Whenever she spoke of him, a deep pain set in her eyes while the same pain was felt by Aurora-even though it was not romantic, it was still a lack of love that she felt.

“I had went to see Noelle for a few minutes and got tired, he offered to take me home.”

“And will you tell me you were with Noelle last night? Because her dad just told me that she went off to New York for the weekend….”

“Mom...I was just catching up with some people after graduation.”

“Like Troy?” The very mention of his name sent Aurora’s skin to crawl-along with her literal claws begging to emerge. She was able to easily repress them, however, as she knew what would be at stake if she were to show her mom what she was capable of. “I saw his father at the club today...he said that Troy got attacked the other night...by a wolf! He said you were there…”

Aurora nodded, trying to hide the feeling of happiness that came in knowing Troy was not only in pain but embarrassed from being attacked.

“I swear we should have this entire town eradicated of wolves...pay people to catch them.”

“Not all of them are bad.” Aurora defended.

“Those things are monsters...tearing at people...better us than them.” Aurora realized she couldn’t speak against her mother without drawing attention to her or Sawyer so she carefully turned from her mother and climbed up the steps before moving to her room. Luckily, her mother stayed on the first floor while Aurora was left to think of the events of the last week. To think that seventy-two days ago, she was placing on her cap and gown to graduate and was now thinking of when she could turn again in order to feel the rush of a free run.

But while she sat on her bed with her eyes focused out the skylight that was placed directly over her bed, Aurora felt her skin begin to tingle. She felt as though her skin was becoming too tight upon her body as she could sense something was wrong. Aurora immediately moved to the mirror to see if something was physically happening, but only saw the amaranthine shimmer that Sawyer spoke of that all werewolves possess. She could feel as though she wanted to literally shed the skin she was in as she felt everything in her room-including the clothes in the closet in front of her were making her physically ill.

Her usual style had been that which consisted of pink or purple colored tops and skirts decorated in floral patterns, ruffles, or polka dots. The style she felt was more like her had now pulled her towards darker colors such as grays and blacks. She felt that anything that had been frilly and girly was now repulsing her. Due to this, she pulled nearly all of her clothes from her closet and stuffed them into large garbage bags before carrying them to the curb of the garbage. She then took her purse and car keys and headed to the mall, where she was on the lookout for an entirely new wardrobe. The stores that would be visited by her arm and arm with Noelle had been completely evaded this time as she felt more pulled towards Hot Topic than she did to Aeropostale.

The minute she walked in, she began to throw shirts and pants over her arm until having circled the entire store. When she had the correct amount of items, she moved to the dressing room and began trying on the dark clothes. With each item she placed on, she would position herself in the mirror and spin around to see how she felt-eventually emerging with her desired items back over her arm. She moved directly to the counter where she found a completely devoted emo-eque guy with large gages in his ears, tattoos on his arms and up his neck-while looking to her as if she was insane. However, he rang up all of her purchases before reading her total nervously.

Without a second thought, she pulled out her credit card and swiped it in the machine before being given her purchases in company bags. When given her receipt, she set it into her purse and then moved back towards her car before running to Noelle who was on her way inside the mall.

“Oh my gosh! Is it Halloween?” She asked upon seeing the large Hot Topic bags hanging from her wrists.

“I felt that I needed some new clothes.”

Noelle and the friend she was standing with looked to Aurora with complete disbelief before scoffing.

“Are you going through like a crisis or something? Did you get EVERYTHING in black?” Noelle commented upon seeing fabric poking out the top of the bags.

“Maybe…”

“Goth much…” She blew her friend off as Aurora felt annoyed by Noelle. She hated how it was her only “friend” as she was always seemingly in competition with her. Whenever Aurora would cut her hair, Noelle would show up that next day with something eerily similar. This was done with everything in their lives-but as they grew up together and were apart of the same clique in school, it was difficult to see just how different they were. But due to Aurora’s lycan transition, she began to see everything more clearly.

As she slid in her car and started the engine, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Pulling it to view, she saw how Noelle had posted a status on social media.

“SO sad when you see a good friend going down a dark path. #HotTopicHo #PrayersForAurora #GuiltyByAssociation #FashionVictim” This would usually make Aurora call up her friend and beg her to take down the post, but she became agitated with Noelle as she continued to see just how different they were.

While driving home, Aurora passed by a hair salon and pulled in front of it as she saw a sign that said “walk-ins welcome”. When she turned the ignition off, she pulled the rearview mirror in her direction and pulled her long blonde hair in front of her as it sat just over her chest. She was always annoyed at the fact that it took so long to do her hair and not only that, but how she would have to get it highlighted every month and how it was always a headache to fit in with the “crowd”. With her transition, she felt this was something she had to change and so she entered the salon with an image in mind and moved to fulfill it.

She emerged a few hours later after needing to place her credit card back in her purse as she spent close to a hundred dollars for her new hairdo. Her once long dark blonde hair was dyed dark brown and cut just past her shoulders. It was a drastic change, but one she felt she desperately needed as she felt like a completely different person. Just before she went back to her car, she went to move to the other side of her car before catching sight of a tattoo parlor across the street. She was always terrified of needles, but today was a day of change and pushing limits. Due to this, she crossed the street and made an appointment to get something she had always wanted done-even though she never felt brave enough to do it. After filling out paperwork and choosing a piece of jewelry for it, Aurora emerged from the tattoo parlor with a nose stud placed on the right side of her nose-the opposite of her bangs.

When she got back into her car this next time, she felt as though she finally looked as she felt. It was the makeover she needed as it embodied every change she felt internally. With a large smile, she made her way back home-only to find her mother waiting for her on the porch. When she saw her daughter emerge with the dark hair-now cut, a piercing, and bags from a known emo-esque store, her mouth dropped open.

“What have I done to make you want to hurt me so much?” She asked as Aurora moved to the front door before rolling her eyes. “First I get a call from your bank telling me that you spent almost one thousand dollars today and then you show up looking like a rejected member of a teen angst band?!”

Aurora tried to ignore her mother’s incessant need to control her life, but found it impossible as she was standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. “First your father and now you are taking right after him…”

There was never anything good to come out when Aurora’s mom spoke of her father and her ex-husband. So many fights between Aurora and her mom started this way, but now-it was dangerous as Aurora was stronger and more brave with her tongue. But she loved her mother too much to say anything hurtful.

“I just want to sleep, mom…”

“It’s not even two in the afternoon...oh my God...are you doing drugs now too? Or drinking?!” She asked without any proof to back her suspicion.

“I just graduated and am trying to get some rest before going off to college in a few weeks.” Aurora confessed, leaving out the fact of her transition while trying to stay as close as she could to the truth.

“I’m sorry sweetheart...you have just gotten me so worried since this morning...you show up on the back of some guy’s motorcycle, you come back home after leaving without a single word with over one thousand dollars in dark clothing and a piercing...I just...I don’t want you making bad decisions.”

“I know, mom...I just feel different and I wanted a makeover...so I gave myself one.”

“I’m just glad you didn’t get a face tattoo or a pitch black hair-because then I would have had you committed.” She attempted to joke as everything appeared to be smoothed over between mother and daughter. However, just before she could fully make her way inside, she heard steps approaching behind her and from her enhanced hearing, turned to see a male figure.

“Troy!” Aurora’s mother exclaimed as she always wanted her daughter to be with the most popular guy in school, just as she had been. “I’ll leave you two kids to it…” Her mother turned and entered the house before Aurora was given the chance to persuade her mother to stay with her.

“We need to talk…” He spoke while pulling her from the house and towards the back where a small section of woods overtook most of their backyard. It was the ideal place for another attack to occur, but also a good place to transition without many witnesses if need be. Regardless of the situation, Aurora was prepared for either.

“You can talk to me without putting your hands on me.” She spoke as she pulled her arm free from his grasp.

“What the hell is going on with you? Are you like...gay or something?”

“So because I didn’t spread open my legs for you...you think I’m a lesbian?”

“Or something…”

“You are so full of yourself…” She shook her head as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“You used to be so sweet and kind...now you’re...different.” He spoke the last word of the sentence as if the words was bitter in his mouth.

“You didn’t notice me for twelve years...then on the last day you needed to put that last notch on your belt...But you didn’t-”

“I could if I wanted to.” Troy spoke as he moved closer towards her. She noticed in that moment that he had been wearing a specific kind of cologne that made her feel sick as her throat became scratchy and her eyes began to itch. Due to her being distracted, this gave Troy the upper hand to push her against the tree. “I just have to have you once.” He said as he unbuckled his belt as she felt her throat begin to close in on itself. She tried to gasp for breath while Troy tried one more time in order to achieve his s****l hit list.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” A deep voice spoke as both Troy and Aurora looked up to see Sawyer standing with a clenched jaw and matching bunched fists-prepared to kill if necessary.