Okay, before you kill me for having been alive all this time and not updating, let me explain.
I wrote this chapter about a year ago, but never posted it because I like to stay a chapter ahead and was still only midway through writing the one after this. Then I got a (small) part in a musical. Then I started my Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award. Then I went on an amazing trip to Thailand and Cambodia. Then I had a messy break up with a sort-of boyfriend. Then I got a real part in a very time-consuming play. Then I had my yearly exams. Then I had school camp. Then I finished my Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award. Then it was Christmas. Then I went on a troad-trip with my family through the Snowy Mountains. Then school started again. Then I started my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. Then my so-called friend signed me up for another musical.
So it's not like I haven't been busy.
But, this morning I was posting another oneshot and looked through all my stories, and realised how many reviews I'd gotten for this. Then I read the reviews. Reading all them made me realise how much people ahd liked this story and how you all looked forward so much to it beign updated. It made me remember how proud I'd been of writing a good-quality almost-original story. So, I went and dug up this chapter and did a quick read-through and decided to post it. It's not a promise that I'll be updating again at any recognisable rate. This is just me saying thank you to anyone who sticks around to read it. If there are any fans of this story left, then I'll do my best to finish it off properly. If not, then I can leave it and be glad that no one is any worse off because of that.
I thought our love would be so beautiful
Somehow we'd make the whole world bright
I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong
All they'd leave us were these whispers in the night
If I Never Knew You – Pocahontas soundtrack
Jason
It was Edward's idea for us to go out and buy me a tux. Alice, of course, was all for it, and because Alice was going, Jasper thought he'd tag along too. Plus, he'd said, I was going to need babysitting. I couldn't be bothered to mention the fact that Edward and Alice would be there, and that it wouldn't take more than two of them to stop me killing innocent humans. I wasn't totally ruthless.
Six hours and exactly thirty-four shops later, I had my tuxedo. It was black. And, as far as I could see, exactly like every other tux that we'd looked at. But apparently it was one of the best and, according to Alice, looked great on me. It was dark by the time we got home, and I had to transform into a cheetah to catch up with Bell and Jacob, already out on their hunting trip.
Rounding a corner and leaping over a fallen tree, I stoped suddenly as I reached the small clearing they'd stopped in. Two small deer were lying dead and drained on the ground, and Jacob was partway through a larger buck.
I grimaced at the bitter smell of the meal. "Not much to choose from?" I asked, shifting back to human.
Bella shrugged. "Jake decided it'd be fun to scare the herd when we were still half a mile away."
"You couldn't catch up?"
She frowned. "You know I'm not as fast as you guys."
"And I guess Jake was holding you back."
He growled through a mouthful of meat in response.
"Exactly."
I laughed lightly, feeling, as usual, rather uncomfortable in Bella's presence. It wasn't that I didn't like her; I just always got the feeling that she didn't really see me as a part of the family. Her life had already been perfectly complete before I'd come, and I was just an extra little extrusion to her. Like a wayward twig sticking out of the perfectly smooth bark of sapling. I wasn't a problem to the family – just an unfortunate ugliness.
"Do you know how far away the herd went?" I asked, hoping for a reason to leave the awkward gathering.
Jake cocked an ear north, listening hard, and then barked twice before turning back to his meal.
"Two miles?" He bobbed his head – a nod. "I can do that. See you guys later." And with that, I shifted back to cheetah and sprinted into the bushes.
"Is he showing off?" Bella asked as I disappeared from sight. Jake chuckled in his wolf-ish tenor.
Layla
It's surprising just how fast important events can sneak up on you. The dance had suddenly gone from being ages away to being tomorrow. I was living in blissful oblivion to this fact until, at lunch, one of the Adam's friends said, "So, have you got a suit yet?" and Adam replied, "Yeah, picked it up last night."
"Suit? Why do you need a suit?" I'd asked, oh-so-ignorantly.
His friends all turned to gape at me.
"Your dance is on tomorrow night."
Then I laughed, which wasn't the smartest thing, before counting off the days in my head. 24th, 25th, 26th… "Oh my God!"
Adam smiled bemusedly. "You have got a dress at least, haven't you?"
I hit him on the arm, annoyed that he was amused at my forgetfulness. "Yes I have a dress! You were there when I bought it!"
"Isn't it bad luck to see the dress before the dance?" One of his smart-arse friends asked.
"That's for weddings, doofus," another shot back.
Adam wisely ignored them. "I was with you when you bought the dress?"
"Yes! We were with Mel and you tried to ask me out but Mel bailed me… remember?"
He screwed up his face, trying to look deep in thought and failing miserably. "Is it blue?"
I rolled my eyes exaggeratedly, and stood up from the table, swinging my legs over the seat and dodging out of the path of a half-eaten hot dog that went sailing through the air just behind me.
"No. It isn't blue."
Adam looked disappointed. "Oh…"
His smart-arse friend grinned. "I don't think him having seen the dress will be problem."
I rolled my eyes again, and contented myself with a patronizing glare in his direction. Then I turned back to my boyfriend, who was clearly holding back a smile at my aggravation. "I'm gong to go practice guitar. Good luck with remembering what my dress looks like." Bending down to plant a quick kiss on his forehead, I walked briskly out of the cafeteria, hoping to beat the half-lunch rush. Someone called my name as I pushed through the double-doors but, assuming it was one of Adam's friends attempting to trick me into standing still for long enough to throw an item of food at me (and probably miss anyway) I continued out the door.
It wasn't until I was halfway across the yard to the music centre that I heard someone call me again.
"Layla! Layla! Quit ignoring me, I need to talk to you!"
I spun around to see Mel, her expression blank, jogging to keep up with my fast walk. I was so stunned that I stopped where I was, wondering whether or not my eyes were deceiving me as my ex-best friend hurried over.
"Layla, thanks for stopping," she said, slowing down as she neared me. My brow furrowed in confusion. Wasn't she angry with me?
"Aren't you angry with me?" The words came out before I could stop them, but I made no effort to take them back. I was curious.
Mel smiled haltingly, as if wondering if I was joking. "No, of course I'm not angry. Not anymore."
My confusion increased. "Why aren't you still angry?"
"Because you broke up with him!" Happiness gleamed in her eyes, and I was for a second tempted to just agree with whatever she was going on about, as long as it meant that I got my old best friend back.
"Wait – what?"
Her expression fell. "Adam. You broke up with him. Didn't you?"
"What?" I repeated.
"That's what they told me…"
"Who?" I briefly wondered if a joke about single-word sentences was appropriate.
Mel frowned. "Your friends. Those Cullen girls, Alice and Nessie, I think."
"Alice and Nessie Cullen?"
She nodded slowly, her eyes loosing their sparkle. "Is that not true?"
"No!" And before I could control myself, or even consider just who I was talking to, I was off on a mindless rant.
"Why does everyone keep telling me that I should be breaking up with Adam? He's never done anything but respect me and like me and be nice to me when everyone else decides that they can't stand that sight of me! Can none of you people understand that I'm old enough and experienced enough and good enough to make my own decisions about who I date? First Kari tells me to go for it, then you act like I'm breaking some sort of law by even going near him! And then Delia goes on and on about how much all this stuff is hurting you! What about me? You don't think it hurts me when my best friend stops talking to me! You don't think it hurts me when-"
"Shut up!"
I stopped in shock.
"Pardon?"
Mel's expression was fierce. "You love to complain don't you? Even when everything in your life is going for you, you still have to complain about something. My brother's in love with you – oh no! You have friends who help you get through problems – disaster! People try to warn you about making dumb decisions – it's a travesty! Well, you know what, I'm done helping you! I don't care anymore! Make your own mistakes, and don't expect me to be there and clean them up for you!"
With that, she left, stalking off back towards the cafeteria. I bit my lip, resisting shouting back some cheap, easy insult. I had far more class than that. Lifting my chin and turning back towards the music centre, I continued on my way.
My face was flushed red with anger, and it felt like all my blood was boiling. My limbs were trembling. A gust of cold wind blew in my direction, carrying with it the sour, ice-cold scent that I'd detected on Alice Cullen. For a moment it felt like a pool of heat was embracing my flesh, coming from the inside out, just begging to be released in the heat of my anger. Biting my lip harder, I forced the heat back, into the depths of my stomach until it faded away completely.
I gasped as my teeth cut through the soft flesh of lower lip, a small stream of blood flowing into my mouth. From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a movement in the shadow of the building to my left. Squinting, I could just make out the shape of a tall boy with a thin build. His golden eyes shone out of the darkness, his auburn hair clear against the brown bricks of the wall.
Another gust of wind came, blowing his scent towards me. The ice burned my throat again. I growled harshly.
Jason
The sound of her growl made the hairs on the back of neck stand on end. Every cell in my body told me to fear that sound, to react to that sound. I resisted. Instead I kept my gaze on her, watching as she disappeared inside the building. I wondered if she knew just how close she'd gotten to killing her best friend. I also wondered when I'd next have an opportunity to murder Alice and Nessie.
*
"I can't believe you told her."
Nessie held her head high, completely unashamed.
"What were you trying to do? She almost phased right there in front of her friend, in the middle of school! What would you have done if she hadn't been able to stop it? How could you have stopped her from killing her best friend?"
"Ex-best friend," she corrected idly, still looking confidently aloof.
"Nessie! She isn't just some doll for you to mess with. She isn't just some random person whose life you can meddle with. She's a werewolf! She's dangerous! And even more so because she doesn't know it yet!"
Nessie stayed silent.
Carlisle, sitting on the couch, the only other occupant of the room, sighed. "I know what you were thinking Nessie. I know that you just wanted to help Jason, but this isn't the way to do it. Trying to change someone else's life isn't fair – it isn't right. You can't meddle and not expect consequences."
Still, she said nothing.
I stared at her, trying my best to calm down. I knew that she must've had a good reason for doing what she did. She wasn't a bad person, at least not in the sense that she's needlessly hurt someone.
"Why did you do it?" I asked, my tone blank.
Nessie turned to look at me, her deep brown eyes sad. "I'm sorry," she said, her tone sincere. "I wanted to help."
I groaned, torn between frustration and sorrow. "Nessie…"
"It's just that, she's always there, being with her boyfriend and adoring him and talking him up and sacrificing stuff for him, and she has no idea that every time she turns her back he's cheating on her."
A ball of anger made itself known in my gut, thrashing angrily, begging for me to give in. I closed my eyes for a moment to quash it.
"I know that."
Nessie looked away, pulling in a deep shaky breath. "I just… I feel like I already know her. Like she's already my friend. And I don't like seeing him hurt her like that."
I took a step closer to her, putting my arm on her shoulder. Unconsciously she turned into me, burying her head in my shoulder. At the back of my mind, I wondered what it would look like to Jacob if he walked in on this. Would he be mad? Would he think that Nessie and I were…?
In my peripheral vision, I saw Carlisle stand and edge out of the room. It was like, all of a sudden, this didn't concern the rest of my family anymore. My girl, Layla, was Nessie's and my problem. And strangely enough, I was sort of glad. It was nice not to be the only one who cared about a person.
I started when something dripped through my shirt and onto my skin. "Nessie?" I asked, pushing her away to see if she knew what had happened. Her eyes were swollen and her face blotchy. She was crying.
"I know you'll end up with her, Jason," she was saying, babbling through her tears. "But I just want it to be soon... because I hardly even know her and she's already my friend… The others don't see it yet… but you're going to end up with her… and one day she'll be a part of our family too…"
I smiled, and pulled her in for another hug.
"Thanks for the faith Nessie. And if – when – it finally does happen, you'll be the first to know."
It was nice having family.
Layla
I stepped out into the living room, staring hard at my feet as Mum saw my dress for the first time. I knew it didn't look horrific. I mean, it was the right size and length and covered everything necessary, but it was just really… pink.
Mum was silent for a few seconds, looking me up and down. "I like it," she decided, smiling. "It looks good on you."
I scowled, pushing my painfully done up hair over my shoulder. "I look like a meringue. A huge, pink, puffy meringue."
It was obvious that Mum was trying not to laugh. "But a very beautiful meringue."
Her comment shouldn't have cheered me up, but it did. After all, if nothing else, it was nice to finally have a Mum who cared. I grinned. "Thanks for the sentiment." She nodded, and moved forward to hug me, holding me tight in her arms.
The sound of footsteps alerted us to Kari's presence, and Mum pulled away before we caught in a family moment.
"Doesn't Layla look great?" Kari asked, excitement ringing in her tone.
Mum just smiled, biting her lip to stay silent. I rolled my eyes at her and moved to Kari's side, tussling her hair and muttering a goodbye.
"See you, Layla!" Kari called. "And don't be back too late. And don't mess up your hair, it took me ages!"
Laughing, I opened the front door and stepped out into the cool night air, wishing I had a jacket that matched my dress. Out the front, Adam was looking great in a light blue open-necked shirt. A black suit jacket hung over his arm, and I wondered if it'd be rude to ask if I could borrow it. He was standing next to a black Mazda, looking quite proud at having found a decent car to borrow.
He smiled as I took a shortcut across the front lawn, and offered his hand when I was closer. I placed my palm in his, letting him pull me in for a kiss. We kissed for quite a lot longer than strictly necessary, but when his hand began fiddling with the thin shoulder straps on my dress I pulled away, raising my eyebrows at him.
"Not the time?" he asked in mock-innocence.
Rolling my eyes, I opened the passenger door for myself and slid in, closing it again before he could try anything else. Oddly enough, I was looking forward to tonight. It felt as if it didn't matter that I had no best friend, a boyfriend who I had a very depressing history with and was about to go to a dance in the school gym. It felt like I was going out with friends. I was wearing nice clothes, I'd be with good company, and be eating food that at least abided by health standards. Maybe Mel was right – maybe I really shouldn't have been complaining.
It didn't take long to get to the school. Adam might have been speeding. If he was, I didn't mind. We found a spot in the already crowded car park, and held hands as we walked up to the gym. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much as I handed a girl our tickets and she opened the door.
Despite the dance committee's extensive planning, the gym didn't look particularly great. Balloons and crepe paper hid most of the brick walls, and the only visible bit of brick was behind a table laden with bottles of soft drink. Pulling Adam towards there, I decided to grab a Sprite before someone decided to spike it.
Maybe it was the acoustics, but the music didn't seem too great. A few people were shifting nervously in the middle of the basketball court marked on the floor, but no one was dancing.
"You should go show them a few moves," Adam whispered in my ear.
I turned to look at him. "I cannot dance. I play music, but I don't sing or dance to it."
He frowned. "You're a great singer, too!"
"When have you ever heard me sing?" The song changed to a slightly louder one, and I had to yell the end of my question to be heard.
"Just the other day. We were hanging out in my room, and I was playing some music and you were singing. You were great!"
"Huh?" I glanced up at someone called my name, and waved to Delia (who'd just come through the doors) "I've definitely never sung in your room. When was this?"
Adam shook his head stubbornly, sure that he was right. "A couple of days ago, I swear! Mel was all pissed at me, and told me to go into my room, so you came with me. She had friends over or something."
"Huh?" I honestly had no idea what he was on about. "Two things, Adam: One – Mel would never tell you to take me into your room. Two – Mel's friends are my friends, I have been with them!"
His forehead creased as he thought hard. Then, just as Delia arrived at my side, "Oh, yeah! I guess I was thinking of someone else. Or some other time. I don't know." He smiled, and I rolled my eyes at him, turning to hug Delia.
"You look great!" I said, nodding at her dress.
"You look good too," she said. "Although a bit more pink than I ever expected to see you in."
"I didn't choose it," I insisted, wondering how many more people would be so uncomplimentary to my dress. "Mel did, as a joke, I think. But I had no alternative. I think I left my shopping until a bit to late."
Delia laughed, "Yeah, just a little."
*
The rest of the night went by in a similar fashion. A few good songs came on, and Delia and Adam forced me to dance to one of them, but wisely chose to leave me be for the rest. About an hour after Adam and I had arrived, Mel sauntered through the door, a tall guy who I'd never met before on her arm. I couldn't help but smirk, wondering where she'd found a random at the last minute to accompany her.
At 8:30, the music was turned down and we were all told to go outside for dinner. My eyes widened as I stepped outside, and the full extent of the dance committee's budget became apparent. On the oval, about a hundred small square tables had been set up, complete with silverware, ornate glasses and serviettes. Fairy lights were strung around the outside of the collection of tables, matching the candles that flickered in their centres.
"Wow," I breathed. Beside me, Adam squeezed my hand.
I let Adam lead me to a table at the edge of the cluster, a little excluded from everyone else. He sat down, and I took the seat opposite him.
"This is a lot better than my dance," he said, looking around.
I sighed. "I should congratulate Mel. This is amazing."
Adam raised his eyebrows questioningly. "A peaceful conversation between you and Mel? I'd like to see that happen."
"I know. We haven't exactly been on the best terms lately. Maybe now would be a good time to forgive her." I looked around at the lights again. "It is beautiful."
"So are you," Adam said, his expression sincere.
Despite the cheesiness of his words, I blushed, pushing a stray bit of hair behind my ear. "Not the time," I muttered, indicating the poshly dressed waiters who were now coming in among the tables, dispersing food.
Dinner went by smoothly, and soon everyone was standing up again, staying outside to dance as the speakers were brought to the doors, blasting it across the crowd on the oval. Adam's and my table was surrounded by empty ones, when a person appeared through the bunch, weaving their way towards us carefully. The light from one of the few remaining candles reflected off the person's face, and I took a deep breath when I recognised Mel.
Close-up, she looked fantastic, and I couldn't help feeling more than a little guilty about my smugness as she'd entered. Clearly, she'd gone to a lot of effort tonight, with flawless make up and her hair straightened to perfection. Searching for Adam's hand across the table, I stood, nodding slightly in greeting as Mel stopped.
"Hi," I said politely. "You look good."
"Thanks, you too," she said, just as stiffly. "I like your shoes." I looked down at my feet. I was wearing the only pair of nice shoes that I had – white hells with rhinestones in the strap across my toes. "It's good that you found something to match the dress."
"Thanks for the dress, by the way," Adam said from behind me, peering around to meet his sister's eyes. "She looks great."
I smiled shyly. Mel merely narrowed her eyes.
"Layla," she began, "Can I talk to you?"
"Sure."
"In private?"
I glanced back at Adam, who eyes were narrowed too. For a moment I could see the resemblance between the siblings. He shook his head slowly, anger clear on his face.
"Um…" I delayed, wondering whom I trusted more. It wasn't hard to decide. "No, I don't think so. Actually, we were just about to go dance-"
Even as I invented the excuse, Adam stood and wrapped his arm around my waist, beginning to turn me towards the crowd of dancing people.
Mel's eyes narrowed further, and she grabbed my arm, her fingers digging into my skin. "I really need to talk to you," she insisted, looking straight at me.
Again, I glimpsed at Adam, who was shaking his head more obviously now. "Whatever you have to say, I'm sure Layla doesn't want to hear it."
Mel still wouldn't let go. "It's not about what she wants to hear, it's about what she deserves to hear."
It was hard to miss the emphasis in her words, and despite myself I was curious. "Adam, maybe I could meet you there…" I offered.
"No."
Ever so slightly, Mel pulled me away from Adam. "She said she wanted to hear. Don't stop her."
"She's my girlfriend. You stopped being friends with her just because you weren't getting enough attention. Which one of us do you think she trusts more?"
Even I thought that was a pretty low shot. I'd be jealous if one of my friends started spending more time with Kari than with me.
"Adam-" I reprimanded, pushing his hand off from around my waist.
His hand wouldn't budge, and as I turned to glare at him I realised his expression was fierce. It was then that I figured out the rather awkward situation that I was stuck in. Neither Mel nor Adam seemed to be willing to let go of me, and honestly, my curiosity about whatever Mel had to say didn't stretch this far.
"You know what," I said, trying to make peace. "I'll just go with Adam. He's right. I don't really want to hear whatever you have to say."
Either in shock or surrender, Mel loosened her grip on my arm, and Adam took the chance to tug me out of her reach. Forcefully, he began guiding me away from the tables, intending to go around the edge of them to where everyone else was.
"Fine!" Mel shouted from behind us. "I'll just tell her like this."
In roughly three seconds, a number of things happened. Adam whipped around to face his sister, his expression livid. Mel's eyes flashed with victory. And, behind her, unnoticed by everyone but me, a tall, lanky, auburn-haired boy started running towards us.
"Adam is cheating on you!" Mel yelled, loud enough to turn the heads of the people dancing.
Jason
We'd organised our arrival perfectly. Obviously, if we hadn't been eating at the dinner, people would've noticed, so it was common sense to only let Nessie and Jake go to the dance before then. Straight after the first person finished chewing on their steak, Edward and Bella, Alice and Jasper, and I, alone, sidled inconspicuously into the crowd.
In any other situation I never would've come but, as Alice had said, I had a tux, and, as Carlisle had said, no one would do a better job at watching my girl than me. We all knew that tonight could be the turning point for her. She'd been teetering on the edge of a very high cliff all week, and it seemed as if the smallest thing could push her over.
As she finished eating her dinner, I watched. As she blushed and held hands with her boyfriend, I watched. As she stood to greet her ex-best friend, I watched attentively.
Because the others were all with their partners, they hadn't chosen to sit around with me, waiting for my girl who may have or may not have done anything. As Bella had so wisely suggested, if anything happened, they'd hear, and could come running faster than the speed of light. Almost. It would have been a flawless plan. If only we'd thought to remember my werewolf's boyfriend's little secret.
Her friend talked. So did her boyfriend. My girl stood in the middle, confident not to let a fight break out. How could she have known that she was the cause of their arguing?
It was when Edward's eyes met mine through the crowd of dancers that I decided to do something. His expression was worried, and his eyes flicked quickly towards the trio still arguing on the other side of the oval. I knew humans, and I knew that if they were thinking of spilling secrets, it was very rare for them to decide not to. Alarmed, I stood.
By now, the argument had grown loud enough for me to hear clearly.
"Fine!" Shouted the ex-best friend. I could see Layla's confused expression as she turned to face her.
"I'll just tell her like this!"
From the volume of the girl's voice, I knew that if the dancers listened hard enough they'd be able to hear.
I started moving towards them; fully aware from the way my girl's eyes were fixed on me that I couldn't go at any faster than human pace. Already, I knew I wouldn't make it.
"Adam is cheating on you!"
My steps faltered in astonishment. There was no way that I had expected the secret to come out so quickly. Even from what little faith I had in humans, I'd thought they were smarter than that.
Pain flickered through my girl's gentle blue eyes, and I could see that her mind was reeling in shock. No longer caring about who was looking, or what I revealed, I ran.
Layla
I froze. Beside me, Adam was muttering curses at his sister. He wasn't even trying to deny it. It felt like the eyes of the whole world were fixed on me, waiting for my reaction. But I couldn't react. I didn't feel anything. All there was inside me was shock. Confusion. Sadness. And bubbling beneath the surface, like a ball of heat – fury.
"What?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Suddenly I was aware that Mel was by my side. I didn't know where Adam had gone. I didn't care. Her tone was quieter, more regretful "He's cheating on you."
"With who?"
"Some lady. She has short blonde hair. She drives a black Mazda."
In the back of my mind, I knew that this meant something, but for right now I just wanted the basic facts.
"How long?"
"Since before you were going out."
"Why?"
Mel's arm wrapped around my shoulders. "I don't know."
I gasped as I was pulled away from her. Hands grasped my shoulders, forcing me to meet the eyes pf the person who'd grabbed me.
"You don't seriously believe her, do you?" It was Adam.
My lip trembled as the first few tears feel from my eyes. "Why shouldn't I?"
"Because she's lying!" He was speaking quickly, rushing to tell me everything. "She's jealous of us – you know that. She's never been in a serious relationship before. She just wants to put us in the same pain that she's in every time she sees us."
I was confused. "Why would she do that?"
"She doesn't know what it's like to have what we have. She doesn't know what it's like to be in love."
From somewhere nearby, Mel's voice came, "That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard! You know full well that I-" But it faded out as the heat of my fury began to boil again. Because I knew he was lying this time.
"We're not in love." I said, my tone surprisingly calm considering the storm inside. "We never have been in love, and we're not now. We both know that."
"No, Layla, this is it – this is love." He insisted. As if he was so sure that I was wrong.
"No, Adam," I mimicked him, knowing that the anger was about to come out. Getting ready to embrace the heat that was swiftly spreading through my body. "This-" a growl came from deep in my throat, guttural and wild. "-is not love."
And with that, I let the heat overwhelm me.
It sunk deep into my bones, spreading through every part of my body. The pain of it made me cry out as I felt it burn through my veins, mercilessly charring my muscles and flesh. The heat built and built, until it felt as if my body should explode from the pressure inside. With one last, final howl of agony, I embraced that final bit of heat, and felt something shift inside of me, so permanent and deep, that I knew it would never move back.
Suddenly, I was no longer myself. I wasn't even human. I could feel it, in my mind and in my soul. I was a wolf.
I know it's not fair to end on that cliff-hanger, but I figure if no one's reading this anymore then it doesn't really matter where I leave it. Prove me wrong by reviewing.
