“I hate what we’re doing and why we have to do it.” The female scientist said to her partner, worry lines etched in her forehead “All those children-”
“I hate how trapped we are sometimes. Watching the doctor do these terrible things to people, turning them to animals…” the other scientist, a short bespectacled man said.
“And what he’d do to us, to our families if we try to make a run for it.” The female scientist shuddered. “I mean, look at Katherine all those years ago. That man-” She looked around the corridor where they were standing, and after making sure they were alone, whispered “He’s a freak.”
“Some people even say Katherine is still in his prison, after all these years. How he destroyed her family, her-her little baby daughter.” The man shook his head sadly “Sometimes I wish I had the bravery that Beth Norman had, to just run and leave this freak and his creepy laboratory behind.”
“We’re stuck here, Floyd.” The woman murmured. “There’s no getting out, unless we die.”
After a few seconds of silence, the woman spoke up again “You know that policeman, Mike Sommers, that we Turned a few years ago?”
“Yeah?”
“I heard that his daughter is a werewolf too. Apparently he bit his daughter on the night he Changed for the first time, and the doctor never knew till today. Our-his spy, informed him earlier today.”
“How sad.” The man muttered “The doctor completely ruined that family, didn’t he?”
They walked on, nodding to a few passing scientists as they continued to discuss. The door before which they were standing opened and Axel walked out with a shocked expression on his face. He’d heard everything.
☆
Lauren waited patiently in front of the school after school was out, hoping Eric would come out and meet her. He’d completely pretended not to notice her for the rest of the day, and despite the hope she tried to keep alive in her heart, she knew that he would continue to ignore her until she gave him a cogent explanation for everything. And yet she knew she couldn’t. How would she explain Aidan without mentioning his lycanthropy, or how she too, was a werewolf? She swallowed past the lump of sadness in her throat just as someone behind her called her name.
She wheeled around, half hoping it was Eric. But Beth stood there, in a plaid shirt and Jeans, her flaming red hair bound up in a ponytail. She smiled as Lauren walked up to her. She was startled when the younger female attacked her with a tight hug, then returned the hug and rubbed her back soothingly.
“How long have you been standing there?” Lauren asked as she let go of Beth.
“Not long.” Beth said looking into Lauren’s eyes worriedly “I came to pick you up.”
“Thanks. I was worried I’d have to take the bus alone today.”
They walked to Beth’s truck and Lauren opened the door and hopped into it, sighing tiredly as she fastened the seatbelt.
“I brought you some coffee.” Beth gestured towards the styrofoam cup on the dashboard but she waved it away.
“I hate that stuff. It tastes like wet socks.”
At that Beth smiled. “How would you know what wet socks taste like?” She asked, but Lauren said nothing, just stared at the windscreen mutely.
“You look ready to drop dead.” Beth said, feeling Lauren’s head. “How do you feel?”
Like my life is coming apart at the edges, Lauren thought. But instead she said with a dismissive wave of the hand “Classes were extra stressful today.”
Beth started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot of Lauren’s school. “That’s the face of someone who is going through more than just stressful classes.” She said. “Come on, what’s up?”
They had pulled out onto the highway before Lauren spoke. “Eric won’t talk to me.” she confessed. “So basically, I’ve kind of screwed everything up. I remember you saying that growing up happens when you start having to make compromises and hard decisions. I guess that means I’ve grown up now. It’s just that-that I-” She stopped and looked at Beth sadly.
“Whatever happened with Eric isn’t your fault. Remember you’re trying to protect him by keeping the truth away from him.”
She heard the words, but they seemed to bounce off her as if she was in a hamster ball.
“Did you hear me, Lauren?”
“It’s a nice thing to say, but of course it was my fault. Everything is my fault.” Lauren muttered, feeling tears starting to well in her eyes.
“Because you decided to make new friends? Lauren, remember that Aidan is a werewolf too. He’s one of your kind. He’s even more or less like your pack member now. Your loyalty to him comes first before anything. Believe it or not, the both of you share something, a connection that you could never have with Eric, no matter how hard you wish it. I still don’t trust that Aidan boy, but a friendship with him would do the werewolf part of you better than telling Eric the truth.” Beth said.
They were almost home now, turning into the street where they lived. Lauren slumped in her seat, sinking her hands into the pocket of her hoodie. “A connection with that insufferable boy? You’re not making me feel better, Beth.”
Beth parked the truck in front of their house and sighed, turning to Lauren and holding her hand “Remember when you first met Eric in middle school? Remember how he stood up to your bullies, even tried to punch one of them on your behalf?”
Lauren chuckled as she remembered, still slumped in her seat “He got his front tooth knocked out in a fight that day. They called him Eric McToothless for the rest of the year.”
“And yet, he followed you around like a service dog, even till this day.” Beth said “Determination like that is hard to see in a twelve-year old. He was like a stubborn old goat.”
“If stubborn old goats wore glasses and were obsessed with Twilight.” Lauren muttered.
“You can’t put a price on that loyalty.” Beth said, more seriously.
“I know, Beth. Don’t make me feel even worse.”
“What I’m saying is, he made his own decision to be unnecessarily mad at you. What you’re blaming yourself for is being what you are, and that’s no one’s fault and nothing you can change. You’re choosing to not tell him about what you are because you’re trying to protect him, and you shouldn’t feel bad about that.”
Lauren groaned “Now I’m even more confused than before I told you anything.”
Beth chuckled “Yes, that’s why I’m here. To drive you nuts.”
Lauren opened her mouth to say something, then stopped abruptly, glancing in alarm at their house. She’d heard a noise, like a human cry. It was small and almost easy to miss, and miss it she might have if her hearing wasn’t as impeccable as it was.
“What is it?” Beth whispered “Did you hear something?”
“Yes. Listen.” Lauren said. There was a scuffle and a tiny crash, like silverware hitting the ground, then a muffled cry.
“I don’t hear anything.” Beth said, unfastening her seatbelt “Let’s check.”
Lauren crouched and led the way into the house, her ears pointed and laid back against her skull. Her teeth was pulled back in a growl and she crouched at the front door, waiting silently, Beth at her back. Slowly she counted backward from five, then kicked the door open and scanned the living room.
A tall, bearded man was standing in the middle of the living room, his arms around Axel and a kitchen knife at his throat. His eyes were golden and glowing, slitted like a cat’s and his fangs were out, inches from Axel’s neck. He snarled as they entered and tightened his grip on his victim.
“If you make another move, I’ll slit his throat.” The man growled “Where’s-my-daughter?”