The Werewolf Stages by S.C. Taufa (top ten books to read txt) 📖

1

I woke with a start and nearly screamed “No!!” all because of a fantasy that could never be true; or could it? I had never had a nightmare this bad before, it is number one on my list of nightmares which all have me running from or running with someone I know. But this one is the most shocking of all of them. It starts off as me walking in the forest, staying on the track like an obedient little red riding hood, thinking of nothing in particular and not paying attention to my surroundings. I don’t know what made it change from peaceful to downright spooky; it might have been the story my Dad had told me before going to bed. Anyway, the forest changed from bright and mesmerising to dark and spooky making me stop in my tracks; the even spookier thing is that I was watching me getting frightened out of my wits. The snapping of a stick made me spin around to look straight into the hazel eyes of Mr Burke, my maths teacher, I relaxed, took a step towards him about to say how grateful I was to see him when a fast moving, pale thing rapped its arms around Mr Burkes’ waist and sunk its teeth into his neck. For some reason I don’t know I moved faster than I had ever moved before towards the pale creature, grabbed it around the head, one hand was under its jaw and the other hand was on its forehead, and tore its head off with inhuman strength. I threw the cold head away then dragged the rest of the body away and knelt down on my knees next to Mr Burke. Putting my arms around his limp body I lifted him partially off the ground but two sets of hands came out of no-where to pry me apart from Mr Burkes’ body then I realised that the hands that had hold of me were actually the paws of a wolf but my only concern was Mr Burke who was being dragged away by the other set of hands; that’s what nearly made me scream “No!!” but I think I woke up too soon. I didn’t want to have that dream two times in a row so I hopped out of bed, went to the toilet, had a drink of water on the way back to my room and then went back to sleep to wake up early to the sound of the kettle being boiled, it was around six in the morning. I’m not an early bird so it surprised Mum when I came out of my room to sit on the lounge rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as I went. “What woke you up so early, darling?” My Mum asked still half asleep herself. “I had a nightmare last night so I have been sleeping lightly ever since, any noise would wake me.” I yawned wanting to fall asleep but I didn’t want to have the nightmare again. Mum didn’t ask what my dream was about, which is a relief, but knew half of it without knowing what the dream was about. “Your farther had better stop telling stories before you go to bed he should know from personal experience what the dreams do to you.” Mum kept on grumbling but I tuned her out like I always do when she starts grumbling about things Dad shouldn’t do, which I shouldn’t tune her out. Mum said something that caught my attention again. “Can you repeat that please Mum.” I said in a quiet voice and Mum smiled at me. “Sure. I said that even though the stories are true Harold shouldn’t be telling you the stories before you go to sleep. It could be very bad for you if you woke up with pain coursing through your body with the sound of crunching bones making you think you’re being attacked by a vampire when you’re actually going through the first stage of changing into a werewolf. Michelle you have to stay at home tonight, okay. Harold and I’ll be out so for your own safety please stay inside; we don’t want to do something we will regret.” Whoa Mum had never said that much to me about being a werewolf and now they wanted to keep me inside when they were going out, this is so frustrating when you’re told only half of what you want to know. “Mum can you please tell me more about being a werewolf and please don’t tell me I’m not old enough, I’m fifteen!” I could tell that she was going to say that before she knew she would, I have a special ability that enables me to here the thoughts of every one, human and werewolf alike. It gives my parents the creeps and my friends are also uncomfortable about it as well. “Mum I’m so tired that I’ll most likely fall asleep in class. So can I stay home? I’m also feeling a little sick today as well.” And I wasn’t lying either and Mum suddenly went all concerned which was a big warning bell. She never got concerned unless something big was going to happen.

2

After Mum had made sure I was alright about staying home alone tonight and making sure I was feeling alright they went out to frolic in the forest which was not a good picture in my mind. It’s the 3rd of March, Mum and Dad’s marriage/mating anniversary. They’ve been together for 39 years now and it’s also my birthday. We had a party earlier in the day with all the family including the undead part of the family, the good undead part of the family. The Muller’s are vampires that don’t kill humans they live of animal blood which gives them the beautiful golden eyes that I love so much. I have golden eyes which no one can explain because I’m not a vampire; I’m a young not-there-yet werewolf who has vampires as extended family. Any werewolf other than my parents would be disgusted with my family for associating with vampires and not killing them after they trusted us completely. It’s just that they are not accepted by the other werewolves because they are vampires even if they feed on animal blood they are still not accepted which would get us killed if any werewolf found out about our relationship with the Muller’s.

Speaking of the Muller’s I can smell one of them, wait . . . smell them? That’s not a good sign at all; not without my parents here. The smell is like, like, that deodorant that Will wears, what’s it called? Lynx chocolate or something like that but it has another smell with it. . .

Human blood.

I could hear this rumbling and feel it as well; suddenly it stopped as I looked around me trying to find the source of the noise. When I settled down again and started getting comfortable I heard the creak of a floor board on the veranda and went still as a statue. The rumbling started up again as I moved from my spot on the lounge towards the sound and when I heard the hastily retreating footsteps the rumbling got even louder. That’s when I realised that the rumbling was coming from me.

I walked in a daze back to the lounge where the TV was still going on low volume. Another of the signs that I heard Dad talking about to Vince and Molly preparing them for IT when it happened just in case it happened while I was with them or out in the woods hunting with them. Mum and Dad thought that with me growing up around the vampires I had already gone through the first stage of being a werewolf. You see they have been around before I was even born, I mean they have been friends with Mum and Dad before I was born, so I pretty much was raised with two sets of parents. When Mum and Dad had to go somewhere the Muller’s would take care of me and my brother which back then was very often because they still worked for the pack back then but after a while both Mum and Dad got replaced so they could spend more time with us. Usually Mum and Dad would have sent me to the Muller’s on their anniversary but ever since the two new members of the family have come here my parents are being very suspicious by not sending my brother and me over there. But I wouldn’t go over there unless I knew that Will wasn’t there first even though he lives there now. The Muller’s had built a cottage for him and his brother which seemed to me to be a sign saying that they don’t entirely want them in the house with them especially when my brother and I were there.

I sat there staring blankly at the TV thinking of the rumbling that had been coming from . . . me. I pretty much thought myself into a scared frame of mind and impulsively decided to ring Vince. With my mind set I purposefully walked toward the phone that was charging on the counter in the kitchen. I saw a movement from the corner of my eye as I reached to grab the phone. My heart started to hammer. I knew not to look because then whatever it was would freeze and not move again. How did I know that? The feeling I was having felt like an instinctual reaction to the adrenalin that had pumped through my body at the sight of the movement. I admit I’m becoming paranoid. With what Dad was telling me about vampires and with Mum being all frantic and concerned that I wasn’t feeling well, who could blame me? Enough thinking, start dialling! I listened to the voice and started dialling the number.

It was answered on the first ring. “Michelle is everything alright?” Vince asked without asking who was at the other end of the line. It made me smile.

“Vince, I’m scared. Someone was outside earlier and I started . . . I started to . . . to-to growl. And then when I went to pick up the phone there was a movement outside the kitchen window.” I whimpered as a saw another movement through the lounge room window, which I have never done before. “Vince, could you please come over here or could I come to your place? I don’t feel safe Vince. Please help.” There was a weird noise coming from the phone. It sounded like wind rushing by. I listened to the noise as I couched in front of the lounge and tried to keep my breathing even.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The knocking at the door sounded so loud in the quite house. “Who is it?” I called from my position in the lounge room. I heard the answer both through the phone and from outside.

“It’s