SAMANTHA:
*The morning after the party*
The moon dipped low enough that it streamed through Samantha's window, illuminating her room dimly. A chilled, gentle breeze fluttered the curtains and jostled her curls to tickle her face. Her hand shot up to push away the strands. Then it fell back limply next to her face. Right on the damp spot from where she had drooled.
A low-sounding alarm startled the still air, before being accompanied by a deep drum base.
"Mmmmm." Samantha groaned as she shielded her eyes from the shining moon, shifting her position on the couch. The noise grew louder from across the room until it sang out. "Live fast, die young. Bad girls do it well. Live fast, die young. Bad girls -" Samantha raced across the room to her phone, quickly answering it.
"Ugh. Why did you have to make THAT my ringtone?"
Rachel laughed on the other end of the line. "It can't be anything too bad if you are able to chastise me this early in the morning. By the way. You know you love that song." Rachel winked even though she knew Samantha wouldn't see it.
"That doesn't mean I want it screeching at me to wake up. What time is it anyway?"
Samantha groaned and pulled the phone away from her face to check the time. 4:30 am. Samantha gasped as the events of the day ran through her head.
"Shoot! Rache I'm so sorry! I should have called I-"
"Don't worry about it. We're talking now."
"I'm sorry. I still should of-"
"Stop. You know I hate it when you apologize. Own your stuff. I don't need it. Anyway, where are you?"
Samantha stood in the dark room attempting to collect her thoughts. She twirled one of her curls between her fingers.
"I- I don't know how to explain it."
"That's fine. I'll be a junior detective. You have your phone. I'm guessing you aren't locked up. That's good. You would normally come straight home. And If you couldn't you would've called. The only way you wouldn't have done either... Hmm... Wait, did you hook up last night?"
Rachel screeched into the phone. "It's about time!"
Samantha rolled her eyes, of course Rachel's brain would go there first.
"No. Rache. I did not hook up last night."
Rachel sighed in defeat. "Well, you should have. You are long overdue."
Samantha sighed. "Hey, I really don't want to have that conversation again."
"Fine. fine. Have it your way. So then why haven't you returned home? Did you get a hotel?"
"No. I'm still at the house the company catered at."
She didn't know how to say it differently, so she hoped that made sense. Rachel stilled. It made Samantha worry. She'd rarely heard Rachel be silent. "Hello?"
Rachel took a sharp intake of breath.
"Are you OK? Are you actually locked up?!"
Samantha couldn't fathom why Rachel thought she would be in prison. She floundered for words, not just because the situation was so weird. But because she wasn't sure how much of this, she could tell Rachel. If someone had told her a few days ago that werewolves were real, she probably would have thought they were joking or crazy.
"But why would you have your phone? Did they? Did they force you to stay because you're a rogue?"
Rachel sounded close to tears. Worry seeped through every word. But a deep chill fell over Samantha.
"You knew?"
How could Rachel have known that she was a wolf, a rogue at that? Wait. Rachel was the one who was supposed to be at this party of werewolves, serving drinks. Was Rachel a wolf, too? She knew that if she was wrong, she would sound crazy, but she had to know.
"Are. you. a wolf?"
"What are you talking about? Of course, I'm a wolf. What did I know?" Rachel racked her brain, but she had forgotten what she had said that could make Samantha ask such odd questions.
Samantha blinked in shock. She had gotten so caught up in the conversation that she didn't notice the surrounding room anymore. But now she noticed the breeze coming through the window, and how dark it was, even with the shining moonlight. She suddenly felt suffocated by the dark. She turned the light on before slumping down on the couch and repeated her friend's answer.
"You. are. a wolf."
The chill was too much for her. She had to warm up. Samantha reached above her and closed the open window, hoping that would warm her.
"Yes. I'm a wolf. What else would I be?"
"I didn't know." Samantha confided. She was unsure whether she should be angry with her friend. "I didn't know I was a wolf."
"You WHAT?! How did you not know?"
Samantha was still too cold. She scanned the room for a blanket and grabbed one off the bed. She threw it around her, sat back on the couch, and brought her knees up to her chest.
"I'm adopted. They didn't know I was a wolf. I didn't know. I found out last night when I shifted."
"Oh, my gosh! Sam, I am so sorry!! I didn't know you didn't know. I would have told you!"
A small tear trailed down Samantha's face. She wiped it away and refused to let any more fall.
"It. is what it is, I guess. Nothing I can do about it."
"Sam..." The word fell from Rachel's lips before allowing it to dip into silence. The grief her friend felt for her palpable. Both allowed silence to fill the space, unsure of how to deal with the gravity of the situation.
"What are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to train. Learn about what I am and then come home. I just hope I'll still have a job when I come back. It'll be a few weeks."
"If there is anything you don't understand, you can come to me. I can help you. You can come home if you want to, I can ... "
Rachel cut herself off. She would love to train Samantha, but she didn't have the resources. Or the space. They lived in the city. Samantha would have to learn somewhere more remote before she could come back.
"It's ok, Rache. I know. The city is no place for an untrained wolf."
Samantha laughed, feeling slightly more light-hearted.
"Hey, I should probably let you go. I was told training starts at six. I should get ready."
"... Alright. Just. Call me. And. It's ok to be upset. This is a lot to take in. Don't just bottle it up, ok?"
"Ok."
Samantha hung up the phone with a sigh and looked around the room.
She sat on a plush dark blue sofa. The wooden frame of the bed across from her reached to the ceiling with intricate carvings. The bedspread matched the sofa color. The style was old-fashioned, but it was luxurious. She had never stayed somewhere so fancy before.
Her change of clothes sat on the desk next to where her phone had been, near the door. The manager dropped off her belongings and someone had brought them to her last night. She looked down at the grey sweater. She hadn't changed out of his clothes yet, instead, she brought her arm up to her nose and smelled where he had held her arm. It still smelled like him. A deep comforting musk. It reminded her of going camping with her family. It had a crisp light smell like falling rain or morning dew or fresh apples, but also a deep musky smell like a campfire only not so smokey. And undertones of hot peppers, salt, and something sweet and acidic similar to grilled pineapple or lime. It made her think of home and it reminded her of all of her best memories. Samantha smiled.