Apprentices: Full Moon

The Harsh Truth

I don’t know for how long I walk around, trying to spot a familiar head, but no such luck. I finally take out my phone, realizing that everyone’s been calling me. Oops. I could use a new brain sometimes. I call the first number, which happens to be Katie’s.

I can barely hear her over the music, but I can make out that they’re trying to find me. Well, same here, girl. She gives me directions and I soon spot the mermaid statue she’s talking about. I push through the crowd, getting a few violent elbow blows on the way, but it’s all good. I know it’s a party.

The first face I see is Jake’s. He rushes to me the moment he sees me, pressing me against him in a tight embrace. “f**k, I was going crazy. Are you okay? How did you get away from that man?” he floods me with questions.

I pull away with a small smile. “It’s okay, I’m fine. That man took me to see my father … And I left after I told him what I had to say,” I explain. The mention of my dad makes him stiffen, his face turning into stone.

“What the hell did he want?” he asks, his voice taking on a venomous sound. Not just that, his eyes start shooting around in a killer way, trying to find the man that took me away. I press my hand against his chest, making him look back down at me. There’s no way I’m telling him that my dad isn’t exactly happy about me hanging out with werewolves.

“He tried to buy me again. But I told him he can’t keep doing that. Seriously, you don’t have to do anything, I dealt with him myself, put him in his place,” I try to assure him, but he looks conflicted. He covers my hands with his, squeezing it.

“You have no idea what went through my head as I saw you get dragged away. And I was even joking about it beforehand,” he tells me, shaking his head at himself. Sighing, I send him a stern look.

“It’s New Years Eve. We’re not going to let a bloodsucker ruin it for us,” I joke, finally making the corners of his mouth rise. That’s right. Let’s just forget about this. My dad isn’t something to worry about right now. It’s the one night when we can all enjoy ourselves.

“I knew there was a reason why I liked you,” he remarks, making me chuckle. “You’re right, we shouldn’t worry about your dad. This night is the only time of the year when we can truly relax,” he then continues, taking me aback as I realize he used almost the same words as I have. Huh. Okay. A weird coincidence. Jake can’t read minds.

Suddenly, he steps away, taking me back to where our friends are. But they’re not the only ones there. I notice Jake’s parents beside them, talking to a man and a woman, who seem like they could be Marcus’s parents. Damn. They all turn around at once, looking straight at me.

To my surprise, Jake’s mother extends her hand in greeting, and I have no other choice but to shake it reluctantly. Then, I have to repeat the same with Jake’s dad and then even with Marcus’s parents. Ah, this is too much adulting for me. Especially afterwards, when I have to make some small talk with them.

In the meantime, my friends seem to disappear somewhere, leaving me all alone with these senior werewolves. Suddenly, Marcus’s parents decide to go dancing, so it’s suddenly just me and Jake’s parents. I hope this isn’t going to turn into an interrogation.

“So, I heard that you’re quite good in martial arts,” his dad begins, making me smile at him. Great. More small talk. I hate this so much.

“Yeah, you could say that.” If I was even more modest than Katie. I kick ass in martial arts, everyone knows that. I just hope didn’t talk to them about the rare element I specialized for. I really don’t want to answer questions about blood magic today.

“Are you thinking about joining the warrior witches?” his mother suddenly wants to know, taking me aback. Seriously, why are these two so interested in my life? Shouldn’t they be hating on me for messing with their son’s head, right before he’s turning eighteen?

“Actually … I am. How did you know?” I wonder, surprised that she guessed so correctly. I hope she doesn’t read minds. Ugh, Evelyn, pull yourself together, werewolves can’t read minds.

Jake’s mother smiles, sharing a look with her husband that I can’t read. “A lucky guess, I suppose,” she remarks, but I notice a weird twinkle in her eyes. Alright. She doesn’t have to give away all her secrets. “So, have you specialized in fire?” she wants to know, her curiosity scaring me.

“Oh, no, I haven’t specialized yet. But I hope it’s going to be fire,” I respond quickly, hoping that it doesn’t seem too suspicious. She smiles, nodding slowly.

“Of course, you do. Most warrior witches specialize in fire,” his father remarks proudly, making me glance between the two of them for a few moments. Finally, I can’t take the tension anymore. The tension that maybe only exists in my head, but I know I have to release it.

“I’m sorry if this is going to come off as rude. I don’t want that. But I really have to ask something … Why aren’t you against me being with Jake?” I speak up, trying not to feel instant regret about even saying anything. I have a right to know, don’t I? I mean, the matter concerns me, too.

They are clearly taken aback by my question, but I know they won’t be mad. They seem like reasonable people. I glance between them, finally getting some kind of reaction from his mother. She chuckles, leaving me speechless.

Oh, okay, I see. This is funny now? Their son, the future alpha, is dating a girl before coming of age and finding a mate. And she’s laughing at my question why she’s not bothered by it. Am I missing something here?

“Sweet girl,” she speaks up, still having that smile on her face. The smile that I don’t like one bit, because I know that it forecasts words that might hurt. “Why would we judge him for having a fling? You’re not hurting anyone with it, especially not us,” she provides me with an answer. I stare at her for a moment, not sure if I’m understanding this in the right way.

“So … You’re not mad that we’re together, because … you think it won’t last?” I check, realizing how cautious my voice sounds. My heart is beating so fast that I feel like it’s going to jump out soon enough and go its own way.

Jake’s mother sends me a sympathetic gaze. “Of course, it’s not going to last. Jake is turning eighteen next month. He’s going to find his mate. This can’t last. I hope you realize that he won’t be choosing between her, and you when that happens. The mate bond is sacred. He can’t be alpha without a mate,” she explains as gently as she can, but the damage is already done.

I open my mouth to react in some way, then close it. In the next moment, I offer her a polite smile through the tears I’m holding back. “You’ll have to excuse me, my apologies,” I tell them in the same polite voice that makes me want to strangle myself. As I turn around to leave, I bump into someone tall and muscular. Jake.

I don’t even look up as I brush past him, not wanting him to see that I’m about to cry. I rush through the crowd as fast as I can, biting my lower lip all the time to keep myself grounded. If there’s a fog of tears blurring my vision, I can’t exactly run away from here.

The moment I hear someone calling after me, I push through even harder, maybe being a little too rough with some people, but I can’t help it. I need to get out of here as soon as possible. I’m not going to sob in front of all these people.

I’m not mad. I can’t be. I asked a question and wanted an honest answer in return. I can’t be angry because she provided me with exactly what I asked for. No one said she’s going to tell me what I wanted to hear.

I finally manage to get out of there, blindly running through the hallways in search of some private corner, where I can bawl my eyes out. Finally, the only such place that I find, is the girls’ bathroom. It’s almost as crowded as the hall. But I manage to push between the girls and women, finding an empty stall.

I lock myself in and let the tears fall. I’m not even afraid of anyone hearing me, because it’s so loud in here. I listen to gossiping, trash-talking and whatever they’re all saying, while trying not to start howling like I lost my mind.

No matter what I was expecting to hear, I should’ve known the answer would be something like that. And f**k, she’s right. This can’t last, can it? Jake’s birthday is literally in ten days. Ten days. Now, the only question is, do I pretend like everything’s fine until then and just go with the flow once he turns eighteen? Or do I talk this out with him and hope for the best on his birthday?

I groan at myself, wiping the tears away. Jake doesn’t have to know what his parents said to me. I don’t want him to fight with them because of me. He has no idea what it’s like to have no parents to argue with at all.

Well, I have them now. I can argue with them all I want. But when one of them is a deadly criminal and the other is a stubborn immortal vampire, who do I pick, when I need someone to talk to? Exactly, neither.

When did things get so complicated? I used to be parentless, with an absent aunt, who raised me from a whole continent away. Period. Now I’m the child of a Strigon and a crazy mind witch, a girlfriend of a future alpha, who’s about to find his mate and oh, I just had to specialize in blood magic.

I’m just waiting for the day when I go nuts and decide to torture half the school with my magic. I shake my head, not knowing where this invasive thought came from. I don’t like it one bit. I sound like … No, I’m nothing like my mother.

Drawing in a sharp breath, I decide to stop thinking about my parents. Who they are doesn’t define me. What defines me is what I decide to do with myself. My actions. My emotions. Those speak louder than my blood and family.

Somebody save me from this torment. Rip the band-aid off. Something. Anything. I’ll lose my mind. “… seen her running away. I wonder where she is,” a very familiar voice suddenly floats to my ears, making me stiffen. Oh, come on. Not this b***h. And I’m a hundred percent sure she’s talking about me. I can feel it in my gut.

“Maybe she came here! Where do you all go when you’re crying? I always go to the bathroom,” another voice speaks up. A very annoying, nasal voice. Of course. Sheila and her clique. I’m not going to give them the satisfaction of seeing me like this.

I pull out my phone, checking my reflection in the camera. Ugh. Time for some magic. I use some air and water spells to clean my face and dry it off in the most unnoticing way that I can. I don’t quit until my face looks perfect. No. It’s only perfect as I put the brightest smile on, perfect for wiping the smirk off Sheila’s face.

I put the phone away and flush the toilet like I just used it, then unlock the door to get out of the stall. As I walk out with a completely neutral expression, I can hear a lot of the noise dying. In fact, most of the conversation just disappears and I realize there’s only a few women, who are still talking.

As I look at the girls beside me, who’ve grown incredibly quiet the moment they spotted me, I put on the smile that I just rehearsed. It grows even wider as my eyes land on Sheila. “Oh, look who’s here. Needed a refreshment? Rightfully so. Not everyone can look as flawless as I do without giving it any effort,” I speak up cockily, throwing my luscious curls over my shoulder.

I notice them checking out my lipstick, while trying their best not to compare it to Sheila’s shade. She’s still trying to sport my signature lipstick, but I’m not playing those childish games anymore. I changed it up a little today, so my signature cherry red turned into crimson red. It’s even darker and a little more royal, just like my soul.

“Enjoy the rest of the year, girls!” I wish them, laughing at myself as I walk out of the door. None of them utters a single word. Great. This means that the shock factor worked well enough. The moment I hear the door closing, I grow serious again. I know that I’ll have to pretend like everything’s fine now … But I’m not sure if I’ll be fooling anyone. Especially not Jake.

My thoughts suddenly get interrupted by a silent ding from inside my purse. Hm. Okay. Maybe it’s Jake, trying to find me. But as I pull the phone out and check the screen, I realize this is not the case.

Frantically unlocking the screen to see the full message, I tap on it, feeling like my blood just froze in my veins. It’s mommy dearest. And she’s here to play.

Twinkle, twinkle, what is that?

There’s a secret, not well kept.

Soon enough it will get out,

Punish that big lying mouth.

Twinkle, twinkle, little witch,

Can’t you see that I’m a snitch?