November 27th-30th : Honeymoon Bliss

I woke up in my bed; I wasn’t sure how I got there. I wasn’t sure what day it was. I wasn’t sure what was really real. The bed was all I knew was real, and that felt not good enough. I sat up, using almost all my strength. I screamed out of shock when I spotted Lysander sleeping in my old baby rocking chair. He woke up because of the scream and fell out of the rocking chair.

“Jesus, Eve.” Lysander picked himself off the floor and walked over to me. He sat on my bed and brushed the hair out of my face. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t what I wanted to happen. I did but I wish I could take it back. Though, it’s nice to say his name in front of you again. Liam is your maker’s name. Who is downstairs by the way.”

“He called you Pappou. I know that word. What’s mean?” I asked. Lysander laughed to himself then a sigh. 

“You know he hadn’t called me that in decades. It means Grandfather. He uses that phrase when he’s mad at me.”  I looked at Lysander confused. He smiled at me. I was born in the year 776 BC. It was the first year of the Olympic Games. I married when I was sixteen. This was very odd; normally a man waits until he was out of the military and in his thirties. When I asked my father to arrange the marriage he was thrilled. My father only wanted my happiness. I wanted to marry before the military in case, I should die. I wanted to have a family beforehand because I was an only child. My mother died during my birth and my father never married after that.”

“So Liam? Is your grandson? Liam isn’t even Greek name?” I said honestly still confused.

“No, it isn’t Greek. After I was turned I kept track of my family. Liam is my great great great great great great however many more greats, grandson. He was ill, all the time. When he made it to the age of seventeen that’s when I came to him. Talked to him about how he could live with me. How he could live as a werewolf. He agreed to what I told him I would. Ever since he and I have lived together.”

“Okay. So you two are related? But you two are completely different.” Lysander shrugged at the question. 

“My guess is over a thousand years of 

There was a knock at my door. Liam peeked his head into my room. Lysander waved his arm and Liam came over to the bed. I thought about how every rule was being broken right now. I was alone in my room with not one, but two attractive guys. One of which I was married too, but still. If my parents came home I can’t imagine what they would say. 

“You hungry? I made food.” Liam looked at Lysander who walked downstairs, his head hung low with his hands in his pockets. Liam leaned agents the wall and looked at me. He was conflicted and it showed on his deep thinking face. “You know I am no alpha. I can’t command even you. I spoke with all the authority I could muster and yet you still found a way around them. He likes you.”

“He’s not interested in me like that. I don’t even know you.” I said suddenly. “You where at the party and then you bit me at your guy’s log cabin. Then I see you once at school. Why did my scar hurt until you touched me?” 

“Your body’s way of telling you something. A long time ago, before I was turned there used to be a wolf, a woman. She tried to claim every newborn as her own. She wanted to create an army. Make a new world order, as she claimed. She tried to convince me of her ownership of me. She is the only Alpha woman, I’ve ever heard off. Lysander made my trigger her name. So when she introduced herself I would remember and not fall for her promises. As tempting as her words where. Lysander’s words to me about her were this “You meet her ones, you love her. You meet her twice, she’ll kill you.” Lysander was told to kill her.”

“Who?” All this vague talk was irritating. Liam made me mad; I wanted Lysander to come back.

“His wife. His wife Sibel, my however many greats grandmother.” He sat on the ground by my bed and looked up at me. “He couldn’t kill her. Or wouldn’t, I don’t know. He had her cornered. She was on the ground bleeding under him. He held the knife. He dropped it and walked away. She jumped up grabbing the knife and stabbed him in the back. A good symbolism for their whole marriage him getting stabbed in the back by her. She believes herself a profit or a god.” Liam pushed himself up then sat on my bed.

“You left me without a clue. Why?” I asked him point blank and Liam looked like he expected nothing less.

“I foolishly expected you to want your last week of being normal to be normal. I knew. I sat on the edge of my bed thinking of nothing else. I ignored my friends and family thinking of nothing else. I regret it now. They are all dead now and I can’t do much about it.” 

He wanted to touch me. Not in a weird way, but I didn’t want him too and I hoped he didn’t. I thought about the time I had spent trying to figure out what had happened to me. All the moments I could have spent doing something else. I thought hard about what Liam had said. I decided to go to school on Monday spend my last normal day being normal. I saw Liam’s hand start to move towards me, I rolled out of bed on the opposite side almost falling. Liam hands steadied me. He was on the other side of the bed before my foot touched the floor. I almost laughed at myself. Liam helped me walk down the stairs and into the kitchen then he placed me in a seat facing Lysander who was already eating a large plate of food.

“Why do I feel so weak?” 

“Your body remembered that night. The bite fixed your body from the crash but it also attacked all the tiny DNA bits that made you human. Your body is going through a PTSD werewolf edition.” He shoved more food into his mouth. “Eat some food and relax, you’ll feel better.” 

Liam brought out two large plates of food. He placed one in front of me and the other in front of himself when he sat down. It was twice the size of a normal portion from any restaurant. I started to eat, it felt good. I didn’t realize that I was hungry until I started to eat. One it wasn’t even the taste of the food it was the emptiness inside of me which was almost growing instead of shrinking with all the food I was eating. I finished and my plate was taken from me before asking. Liam took all the plates into the kitchen. I looked at Lysander who now looked serious.

“Your parents leaving gave us some wiggle room. We should pack you up and move you out.” Lysander waited for me to answer him, I didn’t. “You can’t live here with them, you could hurt them. If they mad you angry or sad, you could turn. Kill them, bite them. You’re too young. I’ve talked to Liam. You can pack. Or we can.”

“I’ll do it. When?” 

“We’ll let you have tonight and the morning. Tomorrow afternoon we’ll move you in.” He looked at my face which was filled with defeat. “If you want I could stay and help?”  

This made a small smile appear on my face and Lysander saw it. Liam walked back into the room. For the first time I truly looked at Liam, last time I saw his he was wearing baggy clothing, now he was wearing nicely fitting jeans and a tight fitting white t-shirt. His hair gelled back so it wouldn’t get in his face. Liam picked up a brown leather jacket and put it on. Lysander still had the suit on from last night I still had my dress on. Lysander watched me for a moment then stood up. They then left, Liam kissed my hand where the scar was before leaving and it tickled. 

I waited till I saw the Hummer drive away before I did anything. Then I started to think about what I would pack. Tears started to stream down my face that I couldn’t stop. It took me over an hour of crying to control it enough to leave the house to get boxes. I had to change into something more causal, jeans and a t-shirt covered that. 

The day was cloudy and rainy; I tossed on my favorite black jacket before I left the house. I quickly jumped into the car and left for the grocery market. They gave me enough boxes to move my room with. I bought myself a large combo meal after that from a burger place and ate it all and still felt hungry. I decided ageist eating more though and left back home. 

I packed things first. My movies, TV, video games. I figured the guys might like it too. Then personal things, like pictures, my favorite necklace that I never took off, my guitar that my dad gave to me before he stopped caring and my books. I had a one box full of books I couldn’t dream about not having with me, most of them where fiction books. Lastly my clothing, I took most of it, leaving only baby stuff that my mom would want to have. I shoved all of it into my car and drove to the log cabin. I thought about waiting for the guys tomorrow, but I couldn’t, if I was left alone to my thoughts I would cry again. I didn’t want to, if this was my life now, if I was too dangers to live with my family then I leave. 

I wasn’t sure how to drive to the place; I could run there in minuets but driving, road names I couldn’t remember. I drove in the general direction of the cabin. I hit five dead ends and two cross roads that I turned wrong on. Finally I stopped at a gas station because my gas tank and stomach where running on empty. I paid for the gas and asked about nearby cabins. The man knew about the cabin I was talking about and asked why I was asking about it. I thought about all the lies or truths I could give the man. I’m Lysander’s wife? I’m a relative? I’m a stocker? I a werewolf in training? I threw him off by running out the door and into my car after throwing down a twenty which paid my bill. 

I finally got to the house in the very late afternoon. I got out of my car and walked past the Hummer. I noticed for the first time the spot where I punched it and left a large indent had disappeared. Normally I didn’t look at the Hummer but the driver of the Hummer. I knocked on the door. Liam opened the door.

“What are you doing here?” Liam looked at my car filled with boxes. “We were coming to pick you up tomorrow.”

“I didn’t want to wait.” I was holding the heaver box with the books in it. “Can I come in?” 

“Umm, I guess.” Liam took the box away from me and held it with one arm. I followed him, he when up the steps and turned at the last door on the right upstairs. It wasn’t as big as my last room but it was enough. There was a twin sized bed with plain sheets on it. Liam put the box down and saw the label on it. “If you want I could build you some book shelves.” 

“That would be nice.” Liam smiled then turned around and went back to the car. I followed him and we both grabbed my boxes. It only took four trips to get all my boxes. Liam was pretty quite. It was nice not to have to make small talk with him. It felt like there was nothing awkward between us so there weren’t any awkward pauses in conversation just pauses. After all the boxes where in my room Liam stalled at the doorway.

“Did you need any more help? Ahh, ha-ha,we haven’t had a girl living with us in a while. I don’t know what you’d want from me.” Liam was very venerable in that moment. “If you want I could make you something to eat or I could start building those book shelves?” 

“You don’t need to right now. You can relax around me.” I said calmly.

“Please I really like to be busy. I can’t sit still easily during things like this, now days people would call me ADD. I can control it but I’d rather focus on something.” 

“You ever play Halo?” I asked. Liam shook his head and I smiled. After we hooked up everything I got a werewolf to play Halo. This made me laugh and Liam laughed to. We both were having fun when Lysander walked into the living room. The way Lysander looked at the two of us it look like he walked in on us naked playing Twister. I paused the game. Lysander ushered for Liam to walk outside. I turned off the game and waited. Somehow I felt like a kid who is waiting to get yelled at by the school principle. 

Lysander and Liam didn’t make any noise. I wasn’t sure where they went but I waited in the house for a half hour before they came in. Liam didn’t look upset he looked like a rebelling teenager, the look on him was comical. Lysander wiped his face off before speaking. 

“It’s Sunday. We need you to not be here.” Lysander took long pauses, like he was trying to be gentle with the words he was using. “It would be safe for you tonight. Tomorrow you’ll be one hundred percent like us. Tomorrow you can live here. But not tonight.”

I didn’t expect that. I was kicked out of the cabin. Lysander offered to give me a ride home but I declined. I had my car and I wanted to get away from him. Liam followed out of the house. Lysander ran upstairs in a slight huff when I declined.

“You want company?” Liam asked softly. I wasn’t shore when he asked. I leaned on the roof of my car and thought on it. I nodded my head and he almost skipped into my car. Liam rolled down the window and leaned towards it letting the wind blow in his face. It reminded me of a dog sticking his head out of a window. 

“He doesn’t want to kick you out. It’s just tonight we are going out. And well you won’t be able to change till tomorrow. He’s just protecting you, I tried to do that. It just made you not like me.” 

“I didn’t not like you. I just didn’t know you. I still don’t.” This made Liam smile. “So tell me about yourself.”

Liam’s face lit up. He smiled and turned his whole body towards me. 

“Okay. I was born during the first world war.” Liam paused. “I’m German and Greek.” 

“You’re a lot younger then Lysander.” I said lamely. I looked at Liam who was waiting for me to say something. “What?”

“No Nazi questions?” I focused on driving in that moment. I hadn’t thought of Nazi and Liam in the same sentence but now a shiver went down my spine.

“Okay well my family was of the none Nazi. My mother was Jewish. I’m not sure but I think I’m the only Jewish Greek werewolf in the entire world.  I was already a werewolf when that happened. I’m only ninety five years old. Lysander’s is two thousand seven hundred and eighty five. Compared to him everybody’s young. I think I’ve only met ten maybe twenty Weres older than him.” He saw a water bottle on the floor and took a took a sip. I thought for a moment, I married a married two thousand seven hundred eighty five year old. I guess I do go for older guys. He finished the bottled and started talking again. “It’s nice to be able to talk openly about this sort of thing. Lysander and I live mostly alone. I only just convinced him to let me re do high school and college without the internet. He’ll probably want to not have us in school for awhile.”

“I’m finishing school with my classmates. Serena and Bramm and the rest off of them.” My argument sounded weak, I was going to have to work on it for Lysander. “Are there vampires? Or elves or anything else?” 

“Ah, I’m old enough to say anything’s possible but I don’t know. I’ve run into a few other things. Ah let’s see, Lysander and I lived on a large boat for about a month. It was the size of a cruise ship but enough room to run. We thought that if we could contain ourselves it would be easier to protect people. Didn’t work we ended up jumping off the side of the ship we ran into a mermaid. Not like the little red headed one. Evil things, they just want to eat human flesh, took a bite out of me see.” Liam lifted his shirt up to his abdomen; besides spotting his perfectly crafted abs she saw a large scratch mark down the side. “Yeah got me good, I was surprised normally we don’t scar but the poison in her hand tentacle things made this nice little thing happen. I think it turned out to be a hot looking scar though. Don’t tell Lysander I said that. He was real worried about me when it happened. I was sick for over a week. Weres don’t get sick. He reminds me of my dad.” 

That took me a second to recover from. I’ll admit I still thought the Lysander was perfect in every way but seeing him as a father was odd for me. Though, that had to have happen, him having a child with Sibel because he had kept track of his human family. I needed to talk to Lysander when we were alone.

“You know the first time I saw you I thought you could be like us.” Liam blushed a little. “You were completely intoxicated but you showed no fear when I approached you.”

“Hate to break it to you but, you’re not that scary.” Liam and I both started to laugh. There was a long pause after that were I though Liam would try and kiss me. I didn’t want that. I saw him like a good guy friend, a least that’s how I felt now. I drove around; I didn’t know where I was driving to. I didn’t have anywhere I wanted to be and I didn’t know what Liam would want to do. Well I knew something he wanted to do but I wouldn’t want to go down that path. “So where am I driving too?”

“Well you need to go back to your parent’s home for the night.” He was careful to not call it my home. He was trying to be kind. I think he when threw what I did and it scared him.

“Did you have a wife? Why did he turn you? How did it all happen?” I didn’t think when I blurted out that question, I saw his eyes sadden.

“No, I was very much a bachelor when it all happened. Lysander wouldn’t have bitten me if I had a wife. He knew I would have been tempted to turn her. Like he had. I was bit five days before my birthday. So I’m technically seventeen, but I was so close to being eighteen that I think I can say I am. I was turned in the year 1931.” He paused and his face harden. “Germany was in a downward spiral. No jobs, my dad luckily kept his job at the local factory. My father converted to Judaism when he married my mother, everything was okay until I got sick. I had Polio. Unfortunately a vaccine wasn’t invented or made public until 1955. They went to a synagogue on the Jewish New Year September twelve. Nazi gangs in Kurfuerstendam, where we lived, they attacked my parents along with a lot of others.” 

“Oh my god, Liam.” His eyes looked far away. He suddenly aged years in front of me. “I’m sorry.”

“I begged not to go and told them they could. I felt so ill I was nauseated and in constant pain. My dad was killed, internal bleeding. My mother lived, but a she wasn’t the same. She ended up moving in with my sister and her husband after I disappeared. They moved to the states and Lysander and I followed. I think my mom thought the Nazi’s got me.” He laughed in an odd way. “I’m alright it’s just memories play vividly for me. It was my choice to let her think I died.”

We didn’t speech for a long time, no music, just the roar of the engine. Liam had issues that were way beyond me, both of them did. I pulled over to the side of the road. Liam got out of the car and stuck his head in threw the rolled down window.

“I think this is my stop. Look, I told you what I told you because there are a lot of secrets in the world I forced you into. I wasn’t trying for a sympathy vote or anything, it’s just I wanted you to know as much about me as you wanted. I better get back. Sander will probably want to go chasing something. Nights almost approaching.”

“Why not tonight?” I asked quickly before he ran off. Liam paused and realized what I meant.

“Why won’t you change tonight? Well it will be your first full moon. Tacky right? There’s something in the air during a full moon. Especially for a new were. You’ll understand what I mean.” The was setting behind him a beautiful pink and orange gave Liam oara. Liam looked down at his shirt and sighed. “Hey could you keep an eye on this shirt for me? It’s my favorite and it looks like I may not get back in time to change out of this stuff.”

Liam didn’t wait for a reply and quickly took off the shirt then ran into the forest. I stayed where I was for a long while before moving. Everything was off about this whole thing. Like some weird dream that I should and would wake up from at any moment. I turned the car back on and drove around some more ending up driving around the whole town all night. I stopped only twice, once to fill up my tank again and another at six in the morning for breakfast. 

I sat alone in a local dinner. I sat near a window and watched the sunrise while eating the largest stack of pancakes I’ve ever seen. I felt empty, emotional drained. Everything felt like it was going so fast and so slow. Like when you’re a kid during Christmas Eve. It feels like that night takes forever then the morning comes and you rip threw all your presents. Suddenly the whole day passes and you’re sitting there thinking only another three hundred and sixty four days till that happens again. I looked at my cell phone and saw the time. If I felt like it I could go to school today. Maybe be the last time I’m allowed to go until I’m ninety five like Liam. I paid my bill and left to school. 

I drove slowly, my bag was in the car I had never taken it out from the last time I had got to school. I got there and the school was still pretty empty. I walked the halls, the few kids that where in the halls where sitting on the floor. One of them was Bramm. Bramm was surrounded by a small group of his gallery and was playing guitar for them. He was no longer in a wheel chair but he had a set of crutches next to him. He was playing his favorite Green Day song Holiday. The girls where one step away from become those girls at concerts who rip their shirt off because the band walked on stage. 

“Eve!” Bramm saw me and nearly jumped off the floor. He stumbled up, one of the girls tried helping him but he shoved her hands away. Bramm got his crutches and wobbled towards me. The girls started to follow him. “Ladies, could you pack up my stuff for me?” 

I smiled at the sight of the girls fumbling over cleaning up Bramm’s mess. Bramm started to run down the hallway with the crutches and I followed. He dragged me outside to the football stadium. He sat down on the cold metal bleachers and set his crutches down before speaking, he ran out of breath going up the stadium steps.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“Would you believe me if I told you they’ve been following me for over a week. I never knew wheelchairs and crutches where such big turn ons.” He laughed at his own joke. The air was cold enough now where I could see his breath. “How are you not freezing right now?”

“I don’t know, just not I guess.” I looked and saw I was only wearing, jeans, a shirt, and my black jacket that wasn’t zipped up. Bramm touched my face and tucked some of my hair behind my ear.

“You’re on fire. What’s the jacket made out of?” Bramm was always in his element when it came to talking to girls, including me. Though I didn’t answer the question and he didn’t push it. “I wanted to talk to you that night. Before all this happened. I really want to now, but I heard something.”

“What did you hear?” I was interest in knowing what was being said about me. I was gone for a while, over a week. I hadn’t even logged on to the internet since then, so I was out of the gossip loop.

“You’re married. You’re leaving school. You’re pregnant. Umm, a lot of things. Is any of it true?” Bramm looked like if I gave the wrong answer his whole day would be ruined. Sad part was I didn’t know ether. I didn’t know if I was telling the whole school I was married, or if that was a lie only meant to be heard by close family and friends. I didn’t know if I was leaving or staying. If I would be asked to drop out or if I could stay. Bramm looked like a lot like the guy I thought he was when we first met. The one that I fell for, the one I kept telling myself was a lie and didn’t really exists in Bramm. But there it was, that guy who I wanted to tell everything too. This was the guy I waited for, for almost a year, during which I saw Bramm the player and Bramm the complete a*s. Now I only saw Bramm, but I was too smart to let myself truly fall for this act. The trust I once gave him was broken, up until this moment I never thought he’d care to fix that. 

“A lot of things are happening right now to me, but I’m still a virgin. Does that sound like I’m married?” Lying to him was easy because I felt no guilt. He’d done it so often to me. “Same goes for the pregnancy thing, unless I’m the next Marry. As far as I know I’m still going to this school.” 

“Okay then.” Bramm seemed to be thinking over every word I had said. It seemed that I had finally did to him what he did to me so many times. “Well you wanna hang out some time since you’re not married.” 

“We could hang out even if I were.” Wow this was really fun playing with words. Not really lying but not telling the whole truth. I understand now why he played this game. 

“I mean hang out romantically.” Bramm said with his usual cocky air. 

“Where do you get off? I asked this very question and you ignored me for months. You made me feel like a moron for even thinking.” I wanted to hit him but I knew that I was stronger than I was before and I could really hurt him, besides he was already had crutches. I rubbed my face viciously, trying to think quickly. I felt like maybe I had made a mistake coming back to the school.

“I was stupid. I wasn’t interested in you because I had five other girls who wanted to date me. Without commitment. I wanted to have sex and you wanted monogamy. It wasn’t right for me at the time and I regret ignoring you but I’m stupid sometime. Look I had to do what I had to do.”

“Okay spoken like the a*s you are. I poured my heart to you. You did nothing. In fact when I asked you about it you said and I quote “I didn’t want to bring up something that was never going to happen.” I am not some toy that you can place on a shelf so when never comes around you can dust me off and play with me. You can go to Hell if that’s what you think Bramm.” I stood up and started to walk away. I felt for once I had gotten an epic walk way. 

“Whoa! Hold up! Wait!” Bramm wobbled down the steps after me. I turned around as he fell on top of me. Luckily I landed on the grass below so my landing didn’t hurt as much as it could have. Bramm was on top of and looked like he didn’t have plans to get off. “Are you alright?”

“You’re on top off me. Could you get off?” I finally get a good exit line and he ruins it. Figures.

“While I have your undivided attention. Look, I made a lot of mistakes. That crash woke me up. You and I are alive and you’re healthy and I’m getting back to healthy. I think it was a sign. You got away uninjured and I was battered around like a rag doll. I deserved that pain, for hurting you, Serena, all the others. You didn’t do anything wrong that’s why you’re not hurt. Except for what I did. That hurt you.” 

“You’re still on top of me, Bramm.” It was starting be a tad awkward. Bramm leaned his head down with his eyes closed and lips puckered. “Bramm what do you think you are…”

He kissed me, Bramm Rett kissed me. I used to daydream about this very moment in my life. What it would be like, where, when, and what that kiss would lead to. On the grass near in front of the stadium bleachers on a cold morning after I told him to go to Hell. He pulled his head away from mine. I wanted to say something but couldn’t. It figures this sort of thing would happen in the middle of my changing into a wolf. I was angry, sad, happy, and a mixture of a lot of other emotions. Bramm pushed himself off of me. He sat up and so did I. He looked at me, he wanted me to saw something. I tried, God help me, and I tried to say anything.

“Werewolf.” That wasn’t what I wanted to say and I wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“I don’t even know what that means.” Bramm looked hurt. One of his Galleries finally found us. She ran down grabbing his crutches then to Bramm. She took Bramm away and he didn’t fight her off. I stayed sitting on that little spot of grass until I heard the bell ring. I finally pushed myself up and walked to Math. At least there there’s supposed to be an answer to every question in Math. Too bad I sucked at Math and Bramm was in that class. Maybe it could have been a distraction otherwise.

The whole class I stared at Bramm. I’ll admit I’ve done that before though this time it was for a whole new reason. I was confused about everything now. I didn’t even know if I was going to be human after tonight. I thought about telling Bramm this and it didn’t work out to well. Bramm and I had every class together expect PE which was an all girls PE and I had AP English while he had normal English. Two class where I would get a break. 

Bramm looked angry, he never took rejection well, if at all. On the rare occasions that someone or thing would reject him he brushed it off as if they were jealous of him instead of rejecting him. Or he’d do what most guys do, get mad. He was going down the mad path very quickly going straight to pissed off. 

“Eve what is the answer?” Mr. Cohen was looking at me. He never liked me. I always joked about him not liking me because of my thick long hair because he was going bald in a hurry. “Were you not lessening? Maybe the back of Bramm’s head is more interesting.” 

“The answer is…” I looked at the board behind Mr. Cohen. Then at the notes of the girl right in front of me. “Four.” 

“Okay then thank you, please keep your head up front.” 

Bramm and I looked at each other. He and I spoke without using words. Bramm wasn’t happy with me but he knew I needed time. After the class I bolted out of the room so Bramm couldn’t talk to me anymore. Nearly running for my History class. I slid into my seat and looked round me. I screamed at the top of my lungs, Liam was right next to me. 

“Hello to you too.” Liam said to me as I sat trying to catch my breath. “So how was your night. Do you still have my shirt?”

People heard his last sentence and I knew I would have to deal with that latter. Liam seemed at ease with the world. I looked at my text book the whole time until Liam tossed a note to me in the middle of class. 

So the plan is to leave after lunch. Lysander is going to drive the Hummer until we get to Crater Lake. Lysander and I choice this spot and we’ll explain why when we’re on our way there. Don’t worry everything is going to be fine. 

I scribbled back a response on the same piece of paper then passed it back to him. 

Thanks for the heads up but it’s not like I have a choice, right? I’ll meet you at the front of the school at lunch. Can I pretend to be normal until then?

I tried to pay attention to pay attention and I did for the rest of the class. The bell rand and that’s when he passed me another note. He didn’t wait until I read it to leave for his next class. I read the note before getting up.

Yes, as long as you don’t go kissing anymore guys. Lysander might not like it. But hey it’s you last day, who am I to judge. 

Who was he to say this? I didn’t do anything but this pissed me off. When the students filed in for the next class I finally jumped up and ran out the door to Spanish. I saw this class as pointless as ever. I reached the door where Bramm was standing. The bell rang, we were now both late.

“Take a walk with me.” Bramm didn’t ask. I followed him out the black, white, and orange hallways of the high school outside to the now warming sunlight. Bramm and I walked down the sidewalk to the Theater. We snuck into the prop room then found the roof access door. I knew he wanted to talk on the roof. This was the spot we found together, it wasn’t technically off limits because the students didn’t know of the access door and therefore no sign was made or lock put on to block it.

“What?” I waited for the door to be closed and him to look at me before speaking. 

“Liam? Is that why?” Bramm was passing on the roof. He looked confused.

“Oh my god, are you jealous of Liam? This can’t be happening! You had your shot… How in the world are you walking?”

“Pain killers. I took an extra one; there are crutches in the prop room if it wears off.” Bramm sat down on an air vent. “You like me. You kissed me back! I think your hiding something. Liam was the one who said you had gotten married. To his brother? Sander?

“Yeah, it’s sort of hard to explain. Wait, don’t leave!” Bramm got up and walked to the door. He paused before leaning against the doorway. “I…I…”

“You’re legally married?” I nodded. “You lied to me then. You’re not a virgin.”

I didn’t know what to say. Maybe another truth or half truth or lie I couldn’t decide. He looked at me in a way I had never seen him look at anyone. I dropped to the floor, it was a little dramatic but he rushed over to me. 

“I’m technically married. I said I do. Sander did too but we never… I never… I didn’t lie to you about that.” I didn’t, I still was and well it looked like it would stay that way for a while. “We were talking about doing the marriage thing and then it all happened so fast. I didn’t really think it was going to happen and I think… I can’t… I said I do.” 

“But you didn’t do it. You’re not technically married.” Bramm was thinking fast, I could see it in his face. “If you didn’t contaminate the marriage then you’re not really married, you could get it annulled.” 

“Annulled?” I hadn’t thought of that. I mean it’s a valid point what was I going to say. The marriage thing was a necessity for me to be able to leave the house. This way they couldn’t pull anything to make me come back home. Bramm helped me up. I walked to lean against the wall while he continued to make his point.

“Yes. You could get it so it never happened.” Bramm stood less than six inches in front of me, there was a wall behind me. I was cornered. Bramm was going to kiss me again. I could feel it. “This could happen.”

He kissed me. It wasn’t like the last kiss this morning in the grass. It was more like I pictured it before. The only thing missing from this moment was a cheesy love song. I wanted this moment not to end and it didn’t until a thought bounced through my head.

“Stop.” Bramm thought I was kidding. “No, Bramm stop.”

“Why?” He was kissing my neck now and the thought went away. I started to kiss back again, then that same thought bounced back into my head and it wouldn’t leave. I stopped kissing and Bramm felt it, he pulled away a little. “I know you feel this.”

“Yes, but I’m married.” I looked away from Bramm. This just figures this would happen to me. 

“Where’s the ring?” He grabbed my right hand and pointed out the ring finger.

“Right here.” I lifted up my left hand and the ring sparkled slightly in the sunlight. I knew the phase I need to say to make Bramm understand and leave me alone. The same phrase that would me him hate me, because that phrase meant he lost. “I love him.”

“But, you kissed me.” He looked away from me he hated me. Suddenly he snapped up and stared me down. “What did you mean when you said werewolf?”

That caught me off guard but then again this was probably the last time he would speak to me and I would want to the answer to that question. I mean if I kissed a boy and all he said after word was Zombies I would like to know why.

“I watched an American Werewolf in Paris last night. That kiss on the grass reminded me of the scene when the French girl jumps on top of the guy and takes off her shirt when she tells him he was bit. It was a icebreaker. Something to soften the blow.” It sounded semi reasonable to me. I did like that movie, but as I was thinking about it I hopped beyond else that I didn’t look like that when I changed. “I’m sorry Bramm. Why couldn’t you have done this before the crash?” 

Now I was angry. If he could have gotten his act together then this could have happened. Now I’m a married teenage werewolf and he’s a normal single teenage human. He didn’t even understand why this was hard for me and I couldn’t even tell him why. I hated this moment. Bramm looked at me, his face was turning red and my eyes started to tear up. Everything is wrong. 

“Don’t cry.” Bramm slumped to the floor. I wanted to just leave. “Can you go? I just need to be alone. This is the only place I can do that without getting pummeled on by people.”

I left without another word. He needed space and I need to go. I looked at my cell and saw that lunch started over twenty minutes ago and I was late to meet the Hummer. I dashed through the school and spotted the Hummer and pulled open the front door. Liam was sitting in the front seat. I gently closed it and hopped into the back seat. Lysander turned the engine on and pulled away from the school. It was fifteen minutes before the spoke to me.

“Why where you late?” Lysander asked.

“I had to talk to Bramm about us, husband.” I said it icily. I hated him for the moment. They were the reason that kissing moment on the roof couldn’t last. “I had to tell Bramm we couldn’t date because I’m married.”

That shut the both of them up, I could tell Liam wanted to chime in and say something to put me back into the wrong but I knew I had won this round. I hadn’t asked to be saved, Liam made that choice for me. I was a monster because he bit me and Lysander told him how to do it. That memory feels like a twisted horror film that runs every few hours in my mind, my body felt shadow pains from just thinking of it now.  I knew I would be the one to break the silence. I wasn’t planning to break it for a while. I knew they felt guilty and I wanted them to focus on that guilt for just a little while longer. The Hummer pulled off to the side of the road. 

“Where are we?” I asked. I got out of the Hummer and saw we were at the cabin. “Why?”

Lysander walked into the house without speaking. Liam on the other hand started to get undressed. He tossed the clothing casually into the Hummer. He didn’t stop at his boxers, I quickly turned around so I wouldn’t see his area.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” I covered my eyes and stood facing the Hummer.

“Getting ready. You should too.” He said. All I could think was this is a prank. I felt something soft land on my head. It was a huge black white t-shirt.

“Put that on over yourself.” Lysander said. “It’s your first run so I thought ahead.” 

I ran into the house. I tossed off all everything then threw on the shirt, it went down to my knees. You couldn’t see threw it made me feel a little better but not by much. Something inside of me told me I should wear nothing but I shoved that thought deep deep down. I walk outside with my eyes shut. 

“Liam and I will be naked every time this happens so you might want to get used to it.” Lysander’s voice wasn’t mean it was factual. I opened my eyes but forced myself not to look down. Both the guys laughed.

“Was I this bad?” Liam asked.

“No, but you didn’t have body issues. Though I’m pretty sure you though I was going to rape you.” Lysander said as a joke, Liam laughed at the joke as I tugged at the shirt.

“I do not have body issues. I am perfectly...” I stopped; I had done enough lying for one day. You couldn’t pay me to take off this shirt and be completely naked in front of them. “Oh whatever. So we’re running to Crater Lake?” 

Both boys nodded then started running. I followed them. I couldn’t help but thinking what if someone saw. Somebody I knew even. How would that go over? I ran fast though, every step felt like fire. It felt like nothing in the world could stop me, they gained speed and so did I. If they turned I turned. After a while, I stopped thinking about the naked part and all I could think about was running. I used to hate running all the sweat and heat. Now it was nothing, I didn’t care about anything. I felt invincible the boys suddenly stopped at the edge of Crater Lake. They both jumped in. I paused for a moment, and then followed. The water was ice cold, but it felt nice. I swam hard and kept up with them, we got out when we reached Wizards Island.