"'And the great Edward shone His light over the meadow, and said, be gone, O dark one," the pastor droned. "And Jacob fled from the sparkling light into his shadowy lair.' What we learn from this…"
I looked toward the stained window of the church. I couldn't see much through most of the colourful panels, but through some of the paler panes which represented the Virgin Esme's skin, I could see that it had started to rain again. I sighed.
Ever since moving to this small and gloomy town, I had started to question many things. The thing I was questioning the most at this point was whether I really believed in the stuff the pastor was busy spewing at us.
I had been happy back in my old home town. It was bigger and more exciting, and most importantly, warm. I had friends and I was comfortable there. Then my mom had decided to move to another country with a new boyfriend and had sent me here to live with my dad.
This town was wet and cold. I had no friends, and the fact that my story was similar to the beginning of the Twible was just something else for the kids here to mock me about.
I sighed again. My dad tapped my elbow and gave me a stern look. I rolled my eyes and looked back to the window. For a moment, I could have sworn that I saw a face looking at me from the other side, but before I could be sure, it was gone.
I heard shuffling as everyone stood up. It was almost over! People began to sing a hymn (one of the many about Edward's heavenly light) and I, just for my dad's sake, mumbled along.
We didn't speak as we left the church. My dad drove us through the tree-lined streets to his house while the rain spattered lazily onto the car. I looked up at the dreary grey sky. I longed for the sun.
As we pulled into the driveway, my dad spoke up. "Um, Liz, I wanted to speak to you about the way you've been acting in church."
I was about to reply when I saw a shadow flit between the trees behind our house. I was certain that someone was there.
"I'll come inside in a minute," I said, getting out of the car and slamming the door. As I walked towards the woods, I put my hand on the hunting knife I carried, just in case.
I saw the shadow again, moving so fast between the trees that it was almost impossible that it was human. It could almost have been a…
No! I shook my head. I didn't really believe in vampires, did I? I certainly didn't think that they'd walk among us if they did exist.
I spun around. I thought there had been someone behind me, but, of course, there wasn't. Had I eaten breakfast before going to church? Perhaps I was hallucinating from hunger. I felt fine, though.
I heard a growl. I turned around once again, and this time there was someone behind me or at least, something.
A huge white wolf stood before me, as tall as myself. Its fur gleamed in the dappled sunlight and its eyes shone with intelligence.
It only seemed logical that if I didn't believe in vampires, I didn't believe in werewolves either. Yet one was standing in front of me. Was this real?
Suddenly, it started to run. I chased it. Deeper into the forest we went. I'd heard stories about this. Youngsters spirited away by the wolves. There were even some kids from school that allegedly worshipped the wolves. People looked down on that. I was a little wary of those kids, admittedly.
Yet here I was, running through the forest after this majestic creature. I'd heard stories about the wolves tempting people. This one hadn't even said or done anything – I had started chasing it simply because I was curious.
It came to a stop in a small bushy area. I stood across from it. There was a bush between us which hid the creature's nakedness as it transformed right before my eyes from wolf into man.
The being that I now saw was a tall and muscular male like none I had ever seen before. His skin was a deep tan colour and his hair was long and black. He looked like the man we had all been taught about but never expected to see, the man who would tempt us into darkness and take our souls.
"J-Jacob," I uttered. My body refused to move. I could hardly breathe.
When the man spoke, his voice was like velvet. "What makes you think that the Prince himself would come for you?"
I didn't understand his question, nor would I have been able to answer if I had.
"He has, however, called for you," the man went on. "He would like your… assistance."
"Please don't kidnap me," I said. It was all I could think of saying. All those years in Sunday school had never taught us what to do if the wolves actually captured us. I suppose no one ever thought it would happen.
"I would never do that," the man with the coffee-coloured skin said. "If you were to come with me, it would be your choice. I am merely here to offer you the chance."
I thought about it for a second. Although it was the wrong team I would be choosing, I had the chance to meet this divine being, and perhaps would meet more. Opportunities like this didn't present themselves to just anyone. As far as I knew, they didn't present themselves at all.
I took a step towards the man, making my decision. He reached his hand towards mine and I grasped it.
He transformed back into a wolf and I climbed onto his back. He rode up into the mountains and then into some caves which seemed to lead down into the mountain itself. I was grateful for my jacket at first, because it was cold in the caves. As we went deeper into the darkness, however, the temperature started to rise.
We rode for what felt like hours. I was sweating. It was even hotter than my old home town down here. I wanted to take my jacket off but feared that if I let go of the wolf's fur I would fall off.
Eventually, we stopped in front of a door that was several stories high. It seemed to be made of stone and had detailed carvings all over it, mostly of wolves and men battling. The wolf stood there for a while so I got off of his back. The floor beneath my feet was incredibly warm. I took my jacket off but hardly felt any relief from the heat.
After a few moments, the doors opened themselves and we walked through them. The sight beyond them was truly something to behold. The stories had all been true, after all.
I stood at on a cliff that looked down over a wide river, over which was a vast land, scattered with tall, dark buildings that glowed orange and red in some places. The wolves were said to love darkness, fire and heat, and their kingdom had always been said to represent that.
"Come," the wolf said, leading me towards a narrow bridge that curled down and away from us.
I bit my lip and drew in a deep breath, following the wolf down the pathway and into Hell.