Tory Brennan:
I was sitting on the beach with my three best friends Hiram, Shelton, and Ben. I lay legs stretched in front of me, tanning my poor pale skin, in shorts and a Bikini top. The sand was hot and the breeze was a nice relief from the sweltering sun. The spray from the tide hit my skin and gave me that cool feeling.
Hiram dove next to me, covering me in sand.
Blech! I spat sand from my mouth. "Hiram! Come on man!" I said getting up and wiping the sand from my face and my arms. Hiram wore his normal cargo shorts and obnoxious Hawaiian shirts. Being a little more heavier set, he didn't care what he wore or looked like.
"Sorry, Tor!" Hi got up and posed for a pounce. He was looking straight into the eyes of the wolf. A gray ball of fur, with a butt stuck up in the air, tail stuck straight up. My wolfdog was starring right back, taking Hi as a challenger. Hi got low and danced back and forth, pretending to size up the wolfdog. Cooper watched him with a trained eye, he was only playing but I could feel the wolf instincts inside pulling inside him. It surprised me a little.
But not for every long.
Ever since three months after I came here to live here in South Carolina.
About a year ago, we were exposed to something dangerous. Something that changed our DNA forever.
My father works on LIRI on Loggerhead island as the senior facility manager. He picked up that title after a man named Karsten "disappeared" and didn't seem to be coming back. He was actually murdered after creating a new disease that was a cross between canine parvovirus and human parvovirus. Karsten injected this new breed of danger in to my wolfdog, Cooper.
We rescued him, and we ended up with the virus. It gave us the new senses. Senses of Canines. Stronger hearing stronger noses, stronger sight, and new strength. We had canine DNA laced into our double helix. With it was a terrible week of blackouts, vomiting and aches and pains like you wouldn't believe. But you have to understand, that's what happened when you're DNA changes. Whatever. For what happened to us, the pain was worth.
We called them "flares". They were when our senses when ballistic. They became hypersensitive. Shelton could hear pins drop in a crowd. At a rock concert. Hi could see like a telephoto lens that zoomed up to 200 miles. Ben had superhuman strength like superman and I had the nose. I could smell peoples' emotions. Weird. I know. But sometimes it was fun.
A blur of grey rushed past me as I sat back down in the sand. Coop skidded with a wave of sand, which layered me in another layer of sand. I spat the sand from my lips and mouth.
"Alright, I'm done with the sand." I said standing up, dusting the sand from my jean shorts and watched Ben out in the tide. He was just standing there, looking at the bottom.
Ben wore just black swim trunks. He recently cut his ear-tucking black hair and was keeping it short, thank god for it because he looked even better then before. Ben was tall and tan due to his Native American ties. He was built and his skin seemed to be stretched across the muscle to emphasizing them even more. Fine I'll admit it. He was attractive. He was sixteen and two years older than me.
I took my jean shorts off, revealing my matching bikini bottoms and I waded out to Ben. I watched him as I fought the tide. He was entranced by the bottom of the ocean. He didn't notice me as I wade out to him. I knew Ben. He was moody sometimes and he was often unpredictable. I slowed and became cautious. "Ben? You okay?" I said stopping. Well stopping the best I could with the strong tide.
"Huh? Yeah. I'm okay. You're going to love this. Look at this!" He said smiling, something rare for Ben. He leaning over and grabbing my hand and pulling me in front of him. My heart skipped a beat.
What the frick?
Ben leaned his head over my shoulder and pointed down into the water. "There's a mini reef here. Look."
I looked down; there was a little set of coral, and a sea anemone. Shells and starfish clung around it. I was amazed. The water was warm but I have never seen coral this close to the shore. I saw why he was in a trance. We watched the little colored fish swim in and out of the coral, like there was nothing better to do.
We just sat and watched the fish and the sea anemone float with the current. And for a long time we stood there and watched.
The current was strong and almost pulled me in, it called to me swim and explore the deep dark depths. Ben grabbed me by the hips to steady me. I didn't really notice until heard Hiram snickering to Shelton. I looked up and made a face. They abruptly stopped. Coop danced the water line watching us. Ben didn't even look up. He seemed to be content just watching the fish.
I slipped in the sand again and Ben caught me around the waist and tensed.
"Uh, thank you" I said awkwardly. My heart skipped another beat. My god, really? What is wrong with me?
"Welcome." He said shortly. I took one more look at the little fish.
Everything from my upper thigh down was cool but every else was sweltering and a thin sheen of sweat covered my skin. My sweat glands were working overtime but also failing. Thank you deodorant
"Alright, that's it." I said sighing. The water was to cool around my thighs that my personal integrity broke. I gave up.
"What? What's wrong?" Ben almost looked worried. I didn't answer. "Tory, what's wrong?" He grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. I was building up the courage. "Victoria! What is wrong?" He sounded panicked. I noticed he wasn't wet; he hadn't gone under the waterline yet. I smiled at him. In that one second he was confused, I took that confusion to shoved him under the water and dove over him.
The water hit my skin like a breath of fresh air. I wanted to lay in the water until I got hypothermia.
Not really but it felt good.
I came up for air and my red hair plastered itself against my shoulders. I smiled to myself as I wiped the seawater from my eyes. I shook the water from my ears and looked around. Where was Ben? Hi and Sheldon were wading out toward me smirking like fools. I looked around, I knew something was up.
All of a sudden I was lifted up in the air and I let out a shrill scream. I was thrust underwater. I struggled against the strong arms holding me by my midsection. Ben. I was pulled out of the water and I gasped for air.
"Oh my God!" I yelled laughing. "Ben! Stop!" he held on, laughing.
"Tory!" a voice called from shore. "You have a letter."
I looked around, my father, Kit was standing on shore. I laughed and pulled Ben off me. "Alright, coming!" I swam in and he handed me a towel and the letter.
"Don't make any plans for dinner, Whitney is coming for dinner." He said.
Blargh. The plastic Barbie was my father's poor excuse for a women.
"Fine." I sighed.
"Be home by six o'clock." Kit said turning.
"Yea." I mummled.
"Oh Tory! Ready for a rematch?" Ben said getting out of the water, smiling.
"Nah, I'm good." I said handing him the towel.
"Coward." Shelton said teasingly. He was wiping the water from his dark skin.
"Are you really calling me that?" I said turning, eyebrow raised.
He looked like he made a mistake. "Yea, I didn't think about that one."
I wiped the water from my hands on the towel I gave Ben and ripped open the letter. There wasn't a return address on the envelope at all anywhere. Whatever. I pulled the paper out and opened it up.
Terror ran through me. My heartbeat picked up and adrenaline rushed through my veins. I screamed.
The letter was written in blood.