CHAPTER ONE
"This is bullshit," Zora said, a low grumble of a belch exiting her mouth after a final chug of beer.
Leah burped after her. "You say that every day."
"It's my duty to constantly remind you." Not that she needed it, Zora thought, watching the blank expression on her friend's face, waiting for any sign of sadness she knew was lingering within.
The two were sitting on Leah's front porch, eyeing passerby with the meanest looks they could muster – for fun. The sun was dipping below the trees, a watercolor mix of deep blue and orange in the sky. And the moon, a faint little crescent slowly gathering its brightness, rose higher and higher.
They would have to start patrolling soon.
Sam was kind enough—Leah would say this with extreme sarcasm—to pair the two girls while they wandered through the woods, looking out for any sign of danger in the form of shimmering vampire. Sometimes, he grouped them with Seth or one of the other guys, Zora (falsely) believing he harbored some sexist ideals about hers and Leah's abilities - or rather, power.
Most of the time, though, it was just Zora and Leah, the only girls of the pack brought together by similar circumstances.
The month before Zora's first phase had been absolute hell.
Out of nowhere, her normal, every day life had been upended by horrible, random bouts of sickness - intense migraines, body aches, nausea, and a fever that left her shivering and drenched in sweat at the same time. If that wasn't bad enough - and trust that it was nearly unbearable - her body started to change. Puberty had already come and gone, so she was both confused and alarmed at her abrupt increase in muscle mass, physical strength, and height. With parents of average stature, it made no sense that she would suddenly stand at over six feet tall (six foot two, to be exact).
Her unexplained illness and growth spurt also triggered other changes: her appetite and her temperament. On several occasions, she woke up in the middle of the night feeling as though she hadn't eaten in days, the deep hunger gnawing at her stomach unabating until she consumed most of the food in the fridge. And with the snap of a finger, her mood could shift from happy to angry at anyone who so much as looked at her to overcome with despair.
In truth, she thought she was transforming into some sort of buff monster - and hardly anyone noticed. Her mother, Autumn, was a nurse at the hospital in Forks and worked long, tiring shifts, at work by the time Zora woke up and left for school, and returning home long after Zora went to bed. Her father, Russell, lived in Oregon with his longtime girlfriend and their two dogs, and though he called periodically to catch up with her, she rarely saw him.
It was almost comical how alone she was. The friendships she had didn't extend beyond her shared lunch table, contributing to conversation here and there, complimenting a haircut or a new pair of shoes when necessary. As sad as it sounded, she didn't mind that things were this way because she wanted to leave La Push one day. She wanted her future to stretch beyond the Rez, and packing up and moving on would be painless if she didn't have anyone to leave behind.
But then those damn sparkling vampires fucked up everything.
(Revised 1/2/2021)
