Chapter NINE: COMPLICATED

Claire's POV

I walked in the house to grab few Capri suns, today was record hot. Well, at least it felt like it to me. I was sweating like I was in an oven.

My mom walked into the kitchen and I continued with my business, ignoring her as if she doesn't exist like I've been doing since the day she told me she was going to be marrying Henry Home-wrecker. She leaned against the counter was crossed her arms, she was waiting for me to get out of the fridge.

I fished out four Capri Suns and closed the door, then leaned against the counter facing the windows, drinking happily as if she wasn't standing there.

"Four?"

I ignored her comment. I was really thirsty.

"So this is how you're going to act? You're acting really immature, Claire Lisa Taylor. You're going to ignore me for the rest of our days, aren't you."

I wore an indifferent expression, giving her the silent answer of "hell yes."

"Claire we need to talk about this, you can't go on like this forever."

I squeezed the last out of the first pouch and crushed it in my hands with a satisfied "Ahhh", then started on the next one.

"Fine, you can ignore me all you want. But I know you're listening. You WILL hear me, Claire. I am your mother!"

That's when I couldn't take it anymore.

"What?!? Excuse you? You're my mother? Since when! A mother wouldn't lie to her child for months about being in a relationship then suddenly drop the bomb on her about her getting married, and expect her to fall over with excitement. It's unrealistic and cruel. Real mothers don't lie. Have you ever looked at it from my point of view, mom? If he's so great, then why did you have to hide him?? Ever thought about that?"

I could feel the heat spreading like wildfire through my veins and my entire body shaking, had she completely lost her mind? Did she really just say that to me? I couldn't believe it! I felt myself getting angrier by the second as her comment replayed over and over again in my mind.

By the way she was now quiet, I could tell I had really struck a nerve. Which also indicated that I was right. By this showed something else, too.

"WHAT ARE YOU HIDING, MOM?? WHAT ELSE HAVEN'T YOU TOLD ME?"

Her eyes got big and her lips formed a tight line, meaning that she was scared and dead nervous.

"SPEAK!"

The fury was just pouring out of my statement, and the acidic nature of my tone meant she needed to answer quickly. I was so sick of playing games with her, my mother was manipulative, deceitful, and vain. For the past sixteen years of my life, she's acted like a roommate. Not a mother. Ms. Emily was my mother.

She got the message.

"We'll be moving to live with him and his son in a few weeks in Boston." She said in a whisper.

I felt my blood boiling. For some sick reason, I was having violent thoughts about tearing the woman that birthed me apart limb from limb.

"MOVING? TO BOSTON?! I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!! I'M NOT LEAVING LA PUSH! YOU CAN GO WHEREVER YOU WANT TO, YOU CAN BURN IN HELL FOR ALL I CARE. BUT I'M NOT MOVING TO BOSTON TO LIVE WITH THAT BASTARD! YOU GUYS CAN PRETEND TO BE A HAPPY FUCKING FAMILY WITHOUT ME! WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME?? THE DAY BEFORE WE MOVED!! DO YOU KNOW HOW FAR BOSTON IS! I'M NOT MOVING THERE WITH HIM AND HIS…WAIT…"

That's when the entirety of her statement dawned on me.

"DID YOU..DID YOU SAY THAT HE HAD A SON?!!?"

"He's your age."

I screamed out in complete rage as this new fiery feeling took over me and my body shaking violently, scratching and tearing to escape. I tried to fight it, but it felt like my head would explode. Tremors traveled down my spine like waves and it felt like every bone in my body shattered to little pieces glass and fell into my blood stream, traveling through my veins cutting up my whole system. It was the most excruciating pain I'd ever experienced in my life. My emotions were torn between terror and anger, and anger was winning. I grabbed my head as I screamed out again, the pain compelling me to attack that woman.

Her screams only sent me even deeper into the tempest that was now my mind, they reminded me that she was the reason I was in this current predicament. All this mess was her fault. She's a liar.

I took off into the woods beside our house feeling my heart beat the fastest its ever beat before, then the strangest thing happened.

The pain exploded from inside of me, and I felt different in a flash. Everything looked different to me. It was scary. I tried to scream at this foreign experience, but it came out sounding very different. A loud howl quaked the woods around me, hurting my ears and making me cringe.

I walked over to a big puddle left from the rain and looked into it, only to see a big furry scary beast stare back at me. This sent me into a world of panic as I raced to escape that horrible image. Then something made me slow down.

"Yay! Finally! Now I won't have to avoid her anymore!"

"Oh great. Another uninvited guest to join the party."

"She must be so scared."

"Claire, stop running."

And my legs stopped running against my will, almost causing me to take a nose dive forward. I tried to continue running, but I couldn't move.

My efforts were even more forced when I heard something loud approaching, but still, no good. My legs were bolted to the ground.

Seconds later I was surrounded by 4 giant wolves, and they looked hungry.

"Dude, there's no way I would eat you. You don't even look remotely appetizing."

"Shut up Maya."

I recognized immediately that the biggest one, a pure black wolf spoke with the same voice that commanded me to stop running. It sounded familiar.

I realized what had happened now. My mother had succeeded. She finally accomplished driving me completely insane, and now my mind was just reveling in the imaginative illusions it could happily dream up. Because not only did I fear my reflection was a big hairy beast, not only did I hear voices in my head, and not only was I about to be killed by wolves.

But one of the voices I heard earlier belonged to Kim.

And that will never happened.

I fell forward, only to land with my head on my paws, and, wait--paws? I have paws??

I examined my arms and legs and body, to see that I too was a wolf. I had a coat that was brown, not exactly brown like the wolf that stood to the right of the bigger black wolf, but more of a chocolate brown. Mine was prettier.

"Hey!"

A voice shouted in my head again, making my head throb even worse.

I accepted that I had gone completely insane and sat, well, laid motionless on the ground waiting for Christmas.

"You're not insane, silly."

There it was again. Kim's voice.

I looked up to the wolf that was sandy colored and it wore an open mouth grin, wagging it's tail happily.

"Kim? Is that you? What am I? What have you guys done to me? I don't want to be a part of your stupid cult!! You already stole my best friend!"

The anger I had temporarily forgotten was slowing surfacing again.

Oh yeah, I knew who these guys were now. Samantha Uley, and her little crew of followers. The same crew that kidnapped my best friend!

"Hey we did not kidnap her! She wouldn't go home! Believe me, I've told her to."

"Maya, that's enough. No more comments from you."

Sam said this, and she spoke with that same strong voice that made me stop in my tracks. How does that happen?

"She's the alpha. Every wolf in the pack has to follow the orders of the Alpha." she answered my question. "And sorry about making your head hurt."

She was really sweet. I presumed her to be Lauren, the nicer one.

"Claire, you're a werewolf. Just like us. And since you're one of us now, you have to learn the rules. The most important one is that no one can know who we are. No one can know we exist." Sam spoke and everyone listened.

"That's cool. I can keep a secret."

"I don't think you understand the ramifications of what I'm saying. Being one of us means that you can no longer be normal, because you aren't. You can't talk to Jordan anymore. You would put her in danger."

I felt my eyes watering at this statement. I hadn't thought of that. Jordan.

"What? I can't talk to her? How come? I won't tell her, I promise. But won't just cut off my best friend." I shot a look at Kim and she instantly looked down, feeling guilty.

"Claire when we phase, it's usually triggered by anger. Jordan could say one thing to upset you and you could kill her. You can't see her anymore. I'm sorry, but this is the way things have to be."

"That's not fair!! I can't do that to her!"

"It's the only way, Claire. You have no idea how hard it was for me. I was so alone and scared. I hated myself for what I had become. But when we saw the signs in you, I knew it was simply a matter of waiting. Before long, it would be your time. And now I have you again. You can be mad at me for as long as you want, I'll still be just as happy. If it makes you feel any better, Jordan's real close to joining us too."

I growled at her, letting her know how furious I was at her. She felt horrible, I could feel what she was feeling, but I felt no pity for her. The way she did us was horrible.

"I'm sorry I had to do it to the both of you, but I didn't have a choice."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE?!!?"

I roared at Kim, crouching to ready my attack on her.

All of the sudden, the voice spoke again.

"CLAIRE, YOU ARE NO LONGER TO SEE JORDAN BLACK. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES CAN YOU SPEAK TO HER."

As I tried to fight it, it felt as if cement had been poured into all of my bones putting me in unimaginable pain. I cried out helplessly as I tried to fight the order, only to have my head feel like it was being smashed between two boulders. It was the second most excruciating pain I'd ever felt, next to phasing.

The rest of the wolves left Kim and I alone for some privacy as I cried all my frustration out.

"So that's what you meant when you said you can't." I said through my tears.

"Now you understand."