In the Shadows

If anyone ever asked, Meira Hayes would say that the most interesting thing about her was her dedication to both her studies and her family. Of course, people typically asked her this question during interviews or college applications. She had to give this answer, her grades and relationship with her family were enough to prove her answer. This was not the most interesting thing about Meira Hayes. Not by far. There were few people in the world that knew the truth about the Hayes family. From the outside, they were a happy and close family. But the truth of the Hayes was much darker and much more terrifying. Their secret held the truth to the most interesting characteristic of Meira Hayes, a truth that she rarely wanted to admit, especially aloud. There were exactly two ways for someone to become a werewolf. The first was probably the more well-known. If someone was bit on the night of a full moon by a werewolf, they would be cursed to live as a half-wolf, half-human creature for the rest of their days. The other way was a lot less painful and, honestly, a lot more common. These werewolves were born into the right, the strength, the honor of turning into a wolf every full-moon. The latter described Meira’s life. She was born with the inevitable truth that she was a werewolf. It was an aspect of her that she never wanted. It was a destiny, a fate that she did not want. She desperately wanted something different, something better in her life. This is why she believed the most interesting thing about her was her dedication to school and her family. She could never express the truth of her life to anyone outside of her family. It was a secret that could not be spread around should she and her family wish to continue to live in peace. Meira thought it was a cruel joke that the full moon landed on the first week of her senior year of high school. She had wanted to start the year off right, but that idea went out the window when she noticed the next date for the full moon. If Meira had one wish, she would ask to be a normal person. She stood at her own locker, placing her books meticulously away in an order that would be easiest to grab the following Monday. Even with the majority of her textbooks in her locker, her bag weighed down on her shoulder, demanding that she begin the massive pile of work she needed to complete. The loud crashing of slamming locker doors echoed around her. The incessant chatter of high school students filled the halls. Everyone of her peers were chattering about the massive party they were going to attend that evening. It was rare for everyone to be this excited for a party. The first weekend of school always marked the Back-to-School party, a party that everyone in the high school was invited to attend and was always held at one of the senior’s house. It was a long time honored tradition of the school that set a tone for the entire school year. And this was a party that Meira simply could not attend. It killed her inside. Tommy Harrison strode over to her. Tommy was a rare person, he had the spirit of a puppy but was mistakenly raised by humans. He had been a good friend to Meira for many years, ever since her family had moved to the mountainous Silver Hill, Colorado. He was wearing, that day, the black baseball hat that seemed to be permanently attached to his head. Meira knew the story behind that hat, she had been there for it after all. When they were thirteen, Tommy invited Meira to go with him and his family to a Colorado Rockies baseball game. Even now, she could recall the smell of roasting, over-priced hots dogs, the cacophony of the fans rooting for their favorite team. Meira had never been to a baseball game before that night. It had been her idea to enter the contest. She had wanted to experience every bit of the joy of attending a major league baseball game. The winner of the contest would win, of all things, a hat. A hat that had been signed by the starring pitcher. Meira did not care for the hat, she just wanted to enter the contest. She certainly did not think that she would win. And what was she to do with the hat? She knew little about baseball, could not even pronounce the pitcher’s name. So, she gave it to her friend, the person that had invited her and who clearly wanted the hat for himself. He had worn it nearly everyday since. “Meira,” he called to her, a grin spreading across his face, excitement dancing in his puppy-dog brown eyes. He was not terribly taller than her, only having a few inches on her 5’5” stature. “Are you coming to the party tonight?” His look was expectant, like he did not fully believe he needed to ask the question. She had been to every Back-to-School palooza since their freshman year. Of course she wasn’t going to miss their last one together, especially as, this year, it was being held in Tommy’s house. “I can’t,” she answered, trying to keep the disdain for her situation out of her voice. The excitement and joy in his face broke. “Y-you can’t?” he questioned in surprise. “Why not?” “I have a family thing I have to go to,” she stated. “Believe me, I am not happy about it.” “You can’t get out of it?” She shook her head. Tommy’s shoulders slumped. “It’s the last one,” he muttered. Meira shrugged her shoulders, closed the door to her locker, and started to make her way towards the parking lot. She needed to be in her house before the sun began to set if she was ever going to make it through the night. Or, more accurately, if anyone else was going to make it through the night. Tommy walked with her, the weight of her words, pressing down on his shoulders. Why did he want her to go so badly anyway? It was not as if they were close friends, they were good friends, but not the best of them. Perhaps, he just wanted the Student Council President at his party. It was a large responsibility, after all. He probably wanted his party to go well, be remembered with fondness over the next few months. As it was, the vast majority of the student body would be there. It could not be a fluke. “I’m sorry, Tommy,” Meira told him gently. “I’m sure everyone will have a great time.” “Yeah, sure,” he mumbled in reply. He gave her a gentle smile and a “see you” before scampering off to his own vehicle. Meira climbed into her car, twisting the key to turn on the car, emitting the cool breeze of the air conditioning into the atmosphere. Meira, like her siblings, always seemed to be too warm. During the summer, the A.C. in her house cranked up as high as it could go. Her father claimed that intense warmth that surrounded them came from the fact that they were part wolf. Really, it was the only logical explanation. Meira tapped on the steering wheel while she waited for her brother to emerge from the abyss that was high school. She had never been known for her patience, and the longer he made her wait, the more ansty she became. She wanted to be inside their house long before the sunset. She pulled down her visor, glancing at her own reflection. Meira Hayes knew she was not beautiful. She did not find herself particularly unattractive either. She was, by every definition, plain. Unlike most people her age, she did not say this because she wanted her friends to reaffirm her beauty. No, she saw it as simple fact that she was not beautiful. Unfortunately for her, she lived in a world that only wanted models. Her long, coffee brown hair had been inherited from her father. Her dark tan skin had been a birthday present from her mother. She had high cheekbones and an approachability about her. And her eyes were an endless sea of toffee. No. She was not beautiful. She was ordinary and plain. There were certainly much prettier girls at her high school alone. The passenger side door swung open. Luke threw his backpack onto the back seat of Meira’s car, falling onto the seat beside her with a huff and disgruntled noise. The moment he closed the door behind him, Meira’s car sprang to life, throwing itself forward, leaving the school parking lot far behind her. “Took you long enough,” Meira murmured, sarcasm dripping from her words. “Mr. Mosley wanted to talk to me,” Luke replied. “You seriously need to make friends, Luke.” “Mr. Mosely is my friend.” “No, Mr. Mosely is your teacher. You should have friends outside of your teachers.” “Yes, and you should drive the speed limit, but it appears that’s not going to happen any time soon.” Meira took her foot off of the accelerator, hating that her brother was so correct about her. She rarely stayed within the speed limit. She just liked driving, she just liked going places quickly. It wasn’t like she was really breaking the law, anyway. She had never been caught, so it was okay. “And anyway,” she continued, “you should not have stayed that late. We still have to go pick up Sage and get home before–” “You always do this,” Luke bit in, “you always assume that we’re going to be out later than we need to be, that we’re going to be stuck outside on the full moon. We have hours before the sunsets. You need to learn to relax.” “I’m sorry if I don’t want people in town to be attacked by cruel and vicious, man-eating creatures.” Luke rolled his eyes. Meira pulled her car up to the middle school, unlocking doors so that Sage, her younger sister, could climb into the back seat. Meira knew, without any doubt in her mind, that Sage was a thousand times prettier than she was. Sage, at the ripe age of fourteen, had everything to her that all women wanted. She was skinny, her hair never flopped around annoyingly, her smile was the definition of perfection, and she had Angelina Jolie lips without having any surgery for it. She was naturally beautiful and the girl knew it too. “What took you so long?” Sage wanted to know. The moment she sat down, she drew her phone from her pocket. Meira slammed on the accelerator, ready to return to the comfort of her home. “I was hoping we could go see a movie before the full moon tonight.” Meira shook her head. How could her siblings not see the danger that they were? Being out, even before the sunset, was dangerous. Meira knew what these nights entailed for her and her siblings. Their level of self-control would slowly disappear and when they turned into wolves, they would go after anyone who crossed their path. It was safer and better for them to be in their home as soon as possible. They arrived at their house fifteen minutes later. The house itself was located on the edge of a forest, and hidden by the tall pine trees that surrounded it. Their house was very similar to the other houses in the small town, accompanied by acres of land that belonged only to them. Tommy Harrison was their closest neighbor, their land bordering his. Yes, in every respect Meira’s home resembled every other home in the town, in every way except for one. Meira’s home had a large cellar built far beneath the house, a cellar that was used once a month to house seven werewolves, ensuring that they would not harm anyone during the full moon. The moment they entered the house, Meira raced up to her room, throwing her books and bag onto her desk. She threw herself down on her bed, sprawling out in her comfortable bed. She closed her eyes, relaxing into her place there. At exactly 7:30, she crept out of her room, down the numerous stairs to the cellar. Her father and mother were already there, placing the cuffs around their hands. Sage and Luke entered after Meira, heading for their usual spots on the far wall. Meira strode over to the spot that she had claimed for herself ages ago. She linked the cuffs around her hands and feet, like her family, ensuring that she would not be able to leave the room when she turned into a wolf in only a few minutes’ time. She glanced down, once more at her watch, it would be happening any moment now. She could already feel the weight of the full moon shift inside of her. Her father, the only one not chained to the wall, strode over to the door and closed it, locking them inside. “Wait,” Meira called. “Where are Noah and Zane?” “They’re too late,” her father replied, walking back to his place and chaining himself in. “They’re on their own.” The wolf part of Meira tore inside of her as the moon began to rise. It was not Zane and Noah she was afraid for. It was anyone near them when the full moon rose. With that terrifying thought, Meira succumbed to the wolf.