CRASH
The cell phone on the night stand vibrated violently against the wood of the table. The clock next to it read six o'clock pm. A dark headed girl lay in the bed next to the table, reading the book she had bought earlier in the day. She picked up the phone, with a sigh. Not recognizing the number she rolled her eyes and flipped open the phone.
"Hello?" she asked, her voice a little annoyed at the interruption.
"Arian Hawke?" the person on the line asked.
"Yes, can I help you?" Arian asked. Setting the book down.
"Miss. Hawke, your step father, Shane Hawke. He's been in an accident.." the voice continued. She was no longer listening. Shane was hurt, was he okay? What happened.
"Miss Hawke?" the voice asked. She didn't respond. The person on the other line repeated her name two other times before she joined reality again.
"Umm…yes? Which hospital?" she asked, standing up and grabbing a pen and a post it from her desk to jot down the information.
"I'm sorry, Miss Hawke. He didn't make it." the voice said softly. The pen the piece of paper and the phone clattered to the floor. Shane was dead. The voice on the phone was frantically saying her name over and over. Her body began to shake as she began to cry. The voice on the phone was silent now, and a few moments later the door to her house opened followed by her neighbor, Mrs. Andrews.
Arian's body shook in sobs, her provider, her protector, her Shane was gone. Shane had been there for everything. He's given her everything she needed, the perfect father for a fatherless child. Her mother had done nothing but give him hell, until the day she disappeared from their lives. Now he was gone. Gone. Shane was gone.
Mrs. Andrews had held Arian until she fell asleep from crying. She had called her husband on the way over to the Hawke's. Linda had watched Arian grow up. They'd lived next door to the Hawke's for over ten years now. Arian was such a beautiful girl with so much potential if she'd just let someone in.
The nurse from the hospital had told her that Shane had been driving home from work, and been side swiped by an eighteen wheeler. He'd been decapitated, and pronounced dead on site. Linda stood up slowly not to wake Arian. She put a throw blanket over the girl, and left the room silently, closing the door behind her. Linda's husband Frank had come over shortly after getting home and was now in the Hawke's living room. Frank had never handled traumatic events well.
"She's asleep," Linda said softly, sliding herself next to her husband, who wrapped his arms around his wife.
"That's good." Frank replied, returning to the news that was now on the television. The volume was turned down low so as not to wake Arian. "I went to the morgue on the way home, saved her the trauma to identify his body." he said, kissing the top of Linda's head.
"Thank you, Frank," Linda sighed, "I don't think she has any family around her. I thought I heard Shane say something about an aunt in Washington. I'll have to look into that" Linda thought aloud.
"She can stay with us for the time being." Frank said. He pressed the power button on the remote and stood up. "Let's take her over to our house, it's a little creepy being here"
Linda smiled and stood up with him.
Linda returned to Arian's room. Grabbing a bag out of the closet she packed the essentials and a few things she knew were sentimental to Arian. She'd packed enough clothes for Arian to be okay for two weeks and pulled the bag over her shoulder. Frank gently lifted Arian from the bed, cradling the teenager to his chest. Linda made sure all the lights were off and locked up behind Frank.
Linda had Frank take Arian to one of the guest bedrooms. He placed her in the middle of the queen size bed, and left quietly while his wife placed the girl's things in the room with her. They both knew this was going to be a very hard transition. Shane had been her sun and moon. Arian never woke up for the rest of the night. Frank had asked his wife several times if it was okay, Linda always replied, "it's just her mind protecting itself" Several hours later, the two finally found their way to bed.
They had spoken with Shane's parents earlier. They had made funeral arrangements. And had also refused to take Arian. She wasn't their burden to bear and their son shouldn't have had to either. Their philosophy was ridiculous Linda had fought but lost to the Hawke's.
It had been three days since Shane's death. Arian had been awake, but very quite. She wasn't sure what to really do. She'd tried to return to school, but had called Linda before second period was even half way over begging her to come get her.
Today was the funeral. Arian had been invited to live with the Linda and Frank until they could sort out the mess. Arian had agreed. She was comfortable with them and it beat being with Grandpa and Grandma Hawke.
Linda and Frank waited patiently for Arian to come down the stairs so they could go the funeral together. After fifteen minutes, Arian appeared. She wore her hair up in a French bun and a simple black sheath dress, simple yet elegant. Linda smiled at her and ushered her into their Maxima.
The funeral was as good as any other sad event could possibly be. Arian held herself well until the casket was lowered into the ground. The funeral had been closed because of the decapitation. Linda held Arian as her body racked with sobs once more. The pastor said a few words about the life of Shane Hawke and his beloved daughter. Arian stood and dropped a single white rose into the grave, and walked back toward the car, Linda and Frank following.
After returning home, Linda made the three of them dinner. She wanted to make sure Arian ate before going to bed. She called both Frank and Arian to the table after she finished with the vegetables, and sat them on the table. Frank took his place at the head of the table and Linda and Arian across from one another. Arian thanked Linda for the dinner, and began to cut the baked chicken with her knife. For the past few days she'd looked like she was constantly on the verge of tears.
"Arian, sweetheart, you can stay with us until we find you a safe home," Linda said. Arian looked up and smiled for the first time since Shane's death.
"Thank you, Linda," she replied softly, taking a bite of her vegetables, and a sip of water.
The three of them ate in an uncomfortable silent. Frank sighed and put his knife and fork in the center of his plate then finishing his beer. "Arian," he began. His eyes darted to his wife, who gave him a warning look. "We want you to be as comfortable as possible, but the way you and Shane were living, no rules and what not, that will not be tolerated here." Arian's eyes met his. They were a steel blue color, the color shocked him against her copper skin. Her eyes were basically the window to the soul they told anyone anything they wanted to know about her. She was angry.
Arian had never had to live with rules. Shane had always been lineate with her. He'd always let her do whatever she wanted when she wanted. It was an unspoken trust between them. She'd never gotten into real trouble, other than the occasional school issue. But damn this man for insinuating she was a trouble maker. Hell she knew that his own children had been tyrants. Her entire body began to shake as the anger surged through her. "Frank…" she began, she could no longer control the shaking. "Excuse me," she basically growled as she walked out of the back door of the house and into the nearby woods.
Arian's body was shaking so violently that her teeth were clattering. Suddenly the pain began, the most painful thing she'd ever felt in her entire seventeen years. She screamed out in pain and clasped to the ground. Her body began to change. Her mind was only on the pain, not the fur and claws, her face elongated. Then it stopped. She tried to talk but a yelp came out. 'oh god.." she thought, 'what the hell is going on' She could smell everything around her, hear everything, feel everything. She stood up and looked around, she was covered in fur. 'I'm a dog! A fucking dog!' she screamed, but nothing came out of her mouth only in her thoughts. She sat back on her haunches and looked up, a full moon, 'I'm a werewolf' she thought 'wait, don't werewolves have to be changed or something, I'm pretty sure that I was never scratched or bitten by some rabid animal' Suddenly she threw her head back and let out a gut wrenching howl, fueled with pain, sorrow, and grief.
