Interrogations

What have I done?

It’s just me and my brothers sitting around the fire with smorz. The party is still going, but I think people are clocking in for the night. It’s cold and the trip here at noon to midnight has basically killed everyone. We still have a weekend to do fun things, but tonight, I know that Gracie is preparing my gift.

   Ashton chuckles. Orlando and I look up. “Are you nervous?” he asks me, referring to my gift.

            “Sort of.” I sigh. “I’ve never done this before.”

            “You’ll do fine.”

   We eat our smorz. I dismiss myself.

   I walk back inside the warm cabin where I see a couple people are drinking hot cocoa and watching Austin Powers. I notice Emery sitting on the stairs writing something in a composition book. I sit next to her, who doesn’t notice me. I nudge her lightly. She looks up and smiles. I smile back.

   She scowls. “What’s wrong?”

   I could tell her about Gracie’s plan to satisfy me in the best way possible, but we’re not that close. “I’m wondering what you could be possibly writing.”

   She chuckles. “I’m going to make a scrapbook and publish it along with this journal. I decided that many people like to be in other peoples’ lives, so I’m writing an autobiography that explains the scrapbook.”

            “When will you make the scrapbook?”

            “Next semester.”

   I nod. Emery is very creative and independent. “Well, I wish the best on your project.” I rise from my seat. “Goodnight.”

   I walk to the suite. I silently walk into the bedroom. I spot Gracie standing in front the mirror, her eyes glues to my reflection. I close the door behind me, locking it. I swallow my fear and I walk towards her.

   I place my arms around her waist. I brush her hair to the side, exposing her smooth shoulders and back. Slowly, I kiss one shoulder over.

            “Turn around, Gracielyn,” I softly whisper.

   She does. Her hand touches my shirt. She grabs the rim of my shirt and pulls it over my head. Her hands touch my chest, traces the eight squares on my torso.  The warmth of her touch sends shivers through my body.

   We walk over to the bed and she lays down, my body now hovering over her. I gaze down on her as she unbuckles my pants. I kick them off. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asks.

   I lean down a little, capturing them with mine. I will bite the bullet and endure torturous pain for a pleasure like this. I have never been surer in my life about anything. “I’m ready to see our love shine at the dawn of a brand new feeling.” I answer. She smiles.

…

            Kieron!  something barks in my head. My eyes burst open. I look at the ceiling. Come to me, boy. the voice barks.

   I sit up quickly. A sharp pain grips my stomach making me groan. I fall to the floor, creating a loud thump that startles Gracielyn from her sleep. She runs over to me, calling my name. Push her away!  the dominant voice commands. And I cannot disobey. I swipe her hand away as I stagger to my feet, running out the cabin. She chases after me.

   I can feel the sweat on my body drying up in the cool air outside. I fall in the snow, grunting in pain. Something grips my nerves and I shout in pain. But my ears deceive me; the painful whimper of a dog escapes my throat. I sit up and I see Gracielyn dashing for me in her pajamas.

   I growl at her. She stops for a moment. That gives me a chance to pounce to my feet and spring from her. a couple yards away from the cabin, I drop to my knees. The same pain grips my nervous system again. I howl in pain. I roll on my back, arching up from the ground. Gracie drops to my side. I can see her talking, but I cannot hear her.

   I begin to tremble. KILL HER! something roars at me. I catch my breath, rolling on my stomach. I spit a couple of times as she rubs my back for comfort. Her touch isn’t enough to calm this director over me.

   Suddenly, something takes over inside of me and I black out…

SAPPHIRE…

I can feel my body grow numb in the snow that’s constantly building up. My eyes are straining and get dry; I haven’t blinked since it happened. I can smell sweat and blood, the salt of my tears slowly drying on my face. I can hear the barking of rushing dogs and the sound of men calling my name. Somewhere off to the west of me, I can hear sirens on the road.

   All I can see is her limp body in my destructive hands. Her skin I can barely let touch the soft snow. Her skin is growing pale and those succulent lips are growing purple from death. Her blood is a trail from a nearby tree to me, bending down on my knees with Gracie in my hands.

   I search my mind for what could’ve happened. All the bite marks and claw

marks decorate her body, her blood drying on her skin, her hair…my hands. I look up slowly towards the moon, wondering why it had to be her. Why did it have to be me to kill her?

   I can feel hot tears rush to my eyes and slowly drop to her skin. I open my mouth, but not a sound escapes my throat. I lean into her body as I pull her closer to my chest, rocking her. “Gracie, come back,” I whine. I shake her. “Come back to me!”

   I begin to cry, louder and harder with each rock. I scream in the air. The dogs get closer and I can see the flashlight beaming on us. I hear the cocking of guns and a worried woman shriek a plea to not shoot.

            “Kieron,” I hear a familiar voice. I can’t look up…all I can see is her beautiful face. I caress her cold skin, I smile. Kieron!  the voice barks in my head. I drop Gracie, holding my hands to my ears. I shrivel in pain, screaming as my body hits the snow.

   It’s a command. I am fighting the urge to disobey, to get back to my love…but instinct is telling me obey. I feel several hands throw me on my stomach and pull my hands behind my back. I feel cold steel cuff my wrist. I am unable to escape. I can’t. it isn’t what she would want. I am dragged to my feet, my body complying with my master. My eyes glue on Gracie’s body as several other bodies in black pants and white collared shirts gather around her.

   They are blocking my sight of her. I jerk as I am dragged farther from her. Easy, my son. the familiar voice pacifies. I look around, my mind coming back to my senses. I notice everybody from the cabin; close family friends, my family…her parents. My eyes glue to her parents as her mother cries in her father’s chest.

   I feel ashamed. I killed her…NO! I bark at myself. Before I know it, I am placed in the back of a police car, flashing lights all in my face. I can feel the eyes of everybody at the crime scene glue to me.

…I blackout again…

A hand strikes me and my face jerks to the right, a little of my blood hitting the cement floor. “Kieron,” the investigator shouts. “did you kill Gracie Allenos?” I slowly turn back to the cop. I wipe my mouth. I am out of the cold and in a warm interrogation room. Why can’t my mind seem to comprehend how I get to places; I don’t remember ending up outside and I don’t remember the ride to the police station. I just know that I am here.

            “For the last goddamn time, no!” I shout. My voice fades as my emotions take over. “I don’t remember anything. The only thing I remember was making sweet love to her and then waking up outside with her in my hands…DEAD!”

That’s a good boy. Keep lying; make them believe it…I have the answers you need. Just get out of this and all of your questions will be answered, my son.

            “Kieron,” the investigator says, sitting on the desk in front of me.

   I cannot look him in the eyes. He grabs my jaws and pulls my face towards him. Comply with him, son. “Look at me!” he growls. My eyes, fighting his words and trying to obey the words in my head, my command. I give in the fight and I look at the man. “Kieron, you have a reputation in this town and so far, many people believe that you killed that girl, your own girlfriend. You were the last one seen with her.”

            “Yeah, I was the last one seen with her. everybody at the cabin saw me and her head upstairs to our master suite. There are no windows in that room and the only way out is the door.” I spit. “You do the math.” He’s spitting that lie at me? Please!

I begin to tremble with anger. I want to rip his head open for accusing me of trying to kill my girlfriend. Why would I do such a thing? She and I were newly engaged…I love Gracie.

   The investigator releases my face. He places his hands on his hips and shakes his head. He turns to his partner. “He’s telling the truth; he didn’t kill her. we can let him go.” he whispers.

            “Ronald, this is our number suspect and you want to throw him away because this kid has a reputation?” his partner asks.

            “No, I am letting him go because I know he didn’t do it!” he shouts. He turns back to me as his partner walks out, cursing under his breath. I stand up. “He’ll get your release papers and then you’re free to go.”

   I am free to get some answers. I heavily sigh. Ronald walks out, slamming the door behind him. I stare at the glass table in front of me. I close my eyes and hang my head.

“Sapphire,” Gracie whispers to me. I open my eyes and I see her reflection in the table. I jump up from my chair and quickly turn around to see her standing right by the door. She’s wearing the same thing she wore tonight; a dark blue silk gown; the very same one I torn to pieces when we made love.

           

“Gracie, everything is going to be fine. They’re going to release me and then we’re going home.”

   She doesn’t say a word. She stops in front me with a smile. I nearly stumble. She grabs my large head and searches my sapphire eyes. This touch melts me. She touches my heart. Her eyes look at my taut torso. She smiles. She kisses my forehead. “My sapphire,” she whispers in an angelic voice.

   Something sharp barks in my ear. I press my hands to my ears, looking away from her. I squint and then the pain evaporates. I look back up and she’s in my arms, dead. But her blue eyes glare at me, sparkling. She reaches up and touches my face with her pale, fragile hands.

            “My sapphire.” she whispers. And it starts to come back to me; her last words to me before I heard her heart thump one last time. I watch her as she dissolves and flies away as if a breeze in this room is carrying her away.

I stand back up just in time; Ronald is back with my release form. My mother burst into the room after him. Vincent takes the papers and signs them. He shakes Ronald’s hand. I my mother rams into my and I squeeze her just as tight as she’s squeezing me. I can feel her tears damp the loose shirt I was given.

   Vincent watches as Ronald leaves the room. I look over my mother’s shoulder at him, scolding him. His voice was the unassailable intonation I heard. He was commanding me to stay calm and lie. He turns his head to look at me. my eyes open and he smiles.

   Iris releases me and holds my hand. I continue to stare at Vincent and his smirk. My mother pulls me out the room, but my eyes cannot look away from my father. We walk into the waiting room. Sitting outside are some of my friends and Gracie’s.

   They spot me and jump up. They all hug me, some crying and some trying to hold back their tears. I try to hug them all. Then, I am pulled away to Vincent’s car, his black Range Rover. I lie down in the backseat as we pull off. I close my eyes, a feeling of security befalling me, like a hurt child being taken in his mother’s arms.

   Before long, I can feel us turn on the bumpy road leading up to our house. I sit up and notice all the lights are on in every room of the glass house. I see my car and my brother’s car.

   Vincent parks and we all get out. Robyn is the first out of the house. She runs into my chest and hugs me. I kiss her forehead. I look up and I see Vincent standing next to my older brother, Ashton. I snicker. They are so much alike, even Ashton denies it.

   The same evil glare when something bad happens, the same stance when they know authority will be needed. It’s sickening.

“Not as sickening as losing a girlfriend?” Ashton smiles.  I can feel Robyn growling in my arms. She starts to violently tremble and I release her, backing away. In a blink of an eye, a horse-size wolf stands before me, growling at Ashton as if challenging him. Ashton rolls his eyes. He walks out towards her and turns into a bigger wolf, growling just as violently as her.

            “Orlando, take these two out for a walk.” Iris commands. My little brother nods and walks pass them and turns into a smaller wolf than Robyn. He walks ups to my siblings, who are rubbing noses. He walks between them, separating them. He barks and they run off.

   I stare after them. Even far out, I am still able to see them. I blink rapidly, trying to adjust vision. I hear Vincent chuckle. I turn to him. I point after them. “They turned into wolves.” I try to gather the meaning of those words in my mind.

            “Yes, they did. We all do.” he smiles. I get the meaning of that. I point to my chest. He nods.

            “No,” I shake my head with an implausible smile. “I’m no wolf. I’m not…” I try to gather my words, trying to convince my mind that I am not.

            “Convince your mind all you want; your inner wolf is in your heart. Your heart believes it, which is going to make it exceptionally hard to believe that you’re not a werewolf.” Iris barks.

   I scowl. I stumble backwards. “So, I am a monster?”

   Vincent and Iris laugh, obviously hiding their anger. “A monster, hardly.” she says. “A young, powerful, and immortal werewolf.”

            “Immortal?” I ask, chocking on the word. Vincent nods.

   I bend down, catching my breath. I start coughing, falling to my hands and knees. I shake my head, spitting afterwards. I look up at them. “Impossible!”

            “Why do you insist on trying to prove us wrong?” Ashton asks from behind me. I turn to him, sitting up.

            “Because I refuse to believe that some fantasy is the new reality.” I growl. I can feel the rocky rumble come from deep in my diaphragm. That ticks Ashton and he rushes up to me, forcing me back down to the ground. He holds my collar, his heated breath rising as a fog in the cold.

            “Believe little brother!” he barks. He punches me. I can feel something rippling inside me. I hear Vincent cheering. Ashton punches me again.

            “NO!” I shout.

            “YOU WILL!” he roars.

            “NO!” I push him away from me. He hits a tree and I fall down to my back. I can feel my skin tearing as if some fuzzy substance is pushing its way through my pores. I look down at my hands curling back. I black fur obscures them, long, sharp nails growing instantly. I watch the black fur crawl up my arms and up on my face. I close my eyes. Everything hurts. And before I could feel the extreme pain, it all fades.

   I open my eyes. I see nothing but blur, which causes me to stumble. I shake my head back and forth before blinking again. I open my eyes and I see two wolves standing before me. I can tell Iris is the russet colored one because she’s smaller and more framed. Vincent is the tall, muscular dark grey wolf.

   He walks up to me. I can see a smile in his eyes. He walks pass me and my eyes follow him. Iris bumps into me, nuzzling me. Then, she catches up to Vincent. He stops and looks back at me, his tail wagging.

            Aren’t you coming? I tilt my head to the side. He’s in my head. It’s a little exciting. Ashton morphs and runs off. I take a step and I wobble to the ground. I roll on my paws and I try again. I have more balance this time.

   I catch up to them, wagging my tail. How are you in my head?

            A pack that is strongly bonded can eventually hear each other’s thoughts, no matter how far away they are. And if you want, you can shut us out and we can shut you out. It is a discomforting feeling though. Iris barks. She runs ahead of me.

   Coming up behind us, I can hear Robyn and Orlando. Robyn barks. I bark back, understanding her yelping as if it were human words. I bark back at her expression of joy. She’s glad that my heart finally made the shift. She trots next to me. Orlando pounces on my back and we both fall to the ground, rolling and growling at each other. I jump to my feet and I dash forward. He chases after me.

   I can barely notice him behind me. I am mesmerized by the way my eyes see even the smallest critter in the snow. Orlando stops chasing me. I pick up my speed, my eyes looking ahead. My paws swiftly dodge the roots that have grown through the snow. I dash every tree that I think that I’d run into.

   My tongue falls out my mouth, slapping my face as I pick up more speed. My nails dig deep into the snow to get a grip and a sense of balance. I can feel my muscle pumping, my lungs barely getting worn and my heart is keeping up with my pace.

   Then, Vincent barks and my body stops. Don’t go too far; you’ll run out the state. he laughs. This is good progress.

            Progress my a*s. Ashton growls.

            Ashton, what’s your problem?  I growl.

   He doesn’t say a word. I hear some paws running up to me from behind. I turn around and I see Ashton diving for me. I quickly move out the way as he slides into some trees. He falls to his stomach. I growl, getting into a defensive posture. He chuckles.

            I can stop treating you like a baby, now, little brother. he snarls at me, crouching lower than me. I can’t get in his head. I do get what Iris means by discomforting. Then, Ashton tackles me and starts licking my face. We both bark with laughter.

            Get off. I push him away and I lie on my stomach. Why won’t you challenge me?

            Have you seen yourself in a mirror lately? You’re too big to fight!  I sense a little jealousy. But he shows me…me.

   I am taller than Vincent, more toned and taut. I am covered in black fur and sapphire eyes that glow as bright as the moon. And Vincent is the alpha; he should be bigger than anyone else in the pack.

   The family joins us. They nuzzle me, but I push away from them. It’s still so much to take in tonight. I have so many questions.

   Vincent returns t flesh and gazes at me with a smile. “Like what?”

   Where do I begin? How is all of this possible? I mean, how are we werewolves? And how long have you’ve kept this secret from me?

            “Anything is possible, Kieron. But, that’s a question you’ll have to ask your grandfather.” he explains. “We were trying to tell you, allowing your senses to pick up our message, but you had Gracie…”

   Gracie…I return to flesh, looking down on my hands. An apparition of her appears in my hands. She lays on her back, bridal style in my arms. I smile with her as she touches my face. I close my eyes, rubbing my hand up her arm. She feels so real. I push her hand to my face.

            “Sapphire…” she whispers before disappearing. I drop to my knees, holding my hands out to her. But she doesn’t come back. Robyn’s wet nose touches my shoulder.

            That’s just your imagination. But it’s just as real for me as it is for you. she assures.

            “I killed her, didn’t I?” I inquire. Vincent nods.

            “But it isn’t your fault; you had no control over what you did. Only if you would’ve phased earlier, you wouldn’t have…” Iris stops him. Robyn curls up behind me, whimpering. I lean in her soft, hazel fur.

Author's Note

this chapter i had fun writing.