CHAPTER TWELVE:
My eyes, their color had changed, my eyes were now yellowish, I could see it but I couldn't believe it, "Lunar! Hey Lunar, wait" he called out chasing after me; I steadied myself and tried to understand what was going on, what was happening to me, but now wasn't the time for that. Things were crazy enough as they were, I couldn't let Vincent or anyone see me like this, I took off again running as fast as my legs could carry me, fast, faster than I'd ever moved before, Vincent tried to keep up with me unsuccessfully as he tripped and fell, every nerve in my body instructed me to turn back and help him but the dreadful ache in my body and his deafening shouts resounding in my ears so loud that it was ear-piercing reminded me to keep running, I needed to be as far away from him as possible, I couldn't let him see me like this. It wasn't just his shouts but everything else in the world just seemed to become louder, so much louder, I raised my hands to cover my ears hoping to drown out all the sound, everything else seemed to be earsplitting loud, the cars, the dogs, the footsteps, the voices, the people, their heartbeats, everything seemed to echo blaringly. There was so much confusion in my mind, I closed my eyes as I ran, my senses, my instincts, they all guided me to the edge of the woods, I grabbed my chest and my sides, it all hurt so much. I kept running, I could see, smell and hear it all, everything around me seemed to reverberate and exist on a different level; it all seemed more real, the light of the full moon shone so brightly, I stood at the center of the clearing and watched as the clouds flowed revealing full moon. The ache in my body returned ten times worse than before, I sunk down to my knees and cried, tears streamed down my cheeks, "aaaaaarrrrgggghhhhh" I felt like I couldn't scream loud enough, the pain intensified with each passing second. My teeth, I felt them grow into fangs, I watched as my fingers grow into claws, my bones and muscles, I could feel them all writhing, stretching, reconstructing, my entire body was changing and I was living through every dreadful second of it. The pain and ache passed and I was free, I'd never felt so free, so alive, every part of me, every fiber of my being felt whole, for the first time in my life I felt like I'd found peace.
The alarm clock blared in my ear again, breaking my slumber as it always did at six thirty every morning, I felt healthy, strong, better than ever as I tried to recount the events of the previous night, it all feels so unreal, it all felt like a dream, it was probably just another one of my crazy dreams, there was no way I'd turned into a giant dog like beast, it was all just too crazy and too weird, definitely impossible. I flung back my sheets and like a sign from hell, I found myself stark naked, I'd hoped it was all just a really bad dream but my present lack of clothes and my totally filthy state was all the proof that I needed to know that whatever it was that had happened last night, had really happened, but really what was it that'd happened, what was I last night? What am I? Am I even human? That thing, whatever it was, where had it come from? Was I the result of some freaky science project? It couldn't be, it just couldn't, there's no way it's possible, I can't be a werewolf, werewolves don't exist but I'd lost every rational explanation, I couldn't ask my parents for help, there were only two options with asking them for help, either they think I'm completely insane and have me thrown in the loony bin or they do believe me and I end up as a science project, a lab rat for the rest of my life.
My thoughts wandered this way and that as the warm water ran through my skin, it felt good and I felt tired, I still had no idea how I got home or ended up in my bed, my clothes, my phone not to mention, my memories from last night were still a jumble, I didn't know what was what and Vincent, I'd just left him there, my life was just such a huge mess and I just realized that it was going to take a lot more than one date to make it all fade away, it was just so obvious, I'm a freak of nature, how did I become this, this thing, I was losing it, I felt like I was going insane.
My sketch was going better than I'd hoped, drawing always helped me calm down, I get the chance to just empty my mind out on the blank page, it was so calming to know that at least I could control the outcome of that drawing, "hey lunar", I turned around as Leah unplugged my earphones, she sat beside me, "what happened, I you weren't on campus yesterday", "yeah something came up, so I couldn't make it". Something was different about her, everyone else reeked of cologne or body odor, and most importantly, their hearts beat steadily but her heart beat in gaps, slower than other people almost like she was steadily dying and she reeked of blood. "What are you?" I blurted out; I couldn't believe I actually just said those words, she seemed shocked, "what do you mean" she asked obviously stunned, "I don't know but I know you aren't like everyone else, your heart doesn't beat like everyone else, you constantly smell like blood but obviously you can't the sight of it and you're so cold", "stop", her voice sounded deep and dark, I could feel the hostility in her tone, she looked so cold. She got up to leave but I grabbed her arm, "look it would be best if you just dropped it", her reaction stunned me but some part of me felt like I could genuinely trust her and I chose to give in. "look Leah, I didn't mean to pry but I need your help, I don't know what's happening to me, please", she seemed to calm down, "fine, we'll talk, just not here, meet me at this address, she said scribbling something down on my sketch pad. She bent down and whispered in my ear, "don't trust anyone".