July 29, 17

Hope you enjoy!

:)


REM Sleep

"A kind of sleep that occurs at intervals during the night and is characterized by rapid eye movements, more dreaming and bodily movement, and faster pulse and breathing..."

-I also googled this


No One's Perspective-

All was quiet in Tori's bedroom, Jade staring down at the dark, purple bedcovers in thought. The room - as she had noted - smelled strongly of the singer just in front of her, leaning against the wooden desk. Though she didn't find herself surprised at all, especially when the scent practically radiated off of the bed. Moonlight shone from the window, lighting the right side - her left - of Tori's relaxed features in a pale glow. No fear sparked dark eyes anymore, hands gripping her biceps casually. Jade darted her gaze back to the ground in thought, recalling clearly - though it seemed like days ago - how the singer constantly made sure to steer away from the moon. She cleared her throat quietly, glancing back up towards Tori. "So...I suppose there's a lot to cover?" she mumbled, the half-Latina nodding.

"Just ask I guess," came a shrugged answer.

Jade furrowed her brow, searching through all of the questions that sloshed about in her mind. So many plagued her thoughts, bundling up just as wires below a box-of-a-computer would do. With a long exhale, she began. "Why the fuck does your sister have the same birthmark as you on your ass?"

Doe eyes blinked, Tori stunned by the blunt, rash question. "Uh," she chuckled out, tilting her head to the side, "I don't think that has anything to do with being a werewolf..." The goth shrugged, bringing her eyes down in preparation to ask one actual question that pestered at her brain. Though, the questions and debates on what to start with festered uncomfortably.

With a deep breath, she mumbled, "So, is there more of this out there? Like, like vampires, witches, warlocks...more of that type of thing?"

The half-Latina nodded, her strides meeting the edge of her bed, seating down beside Jade. "Yes- and then no. The creatures that are out there are ones that have appeared throughout history... So none of what our modern culture has as myths."

"So no zombies?"

"Kind of," Tori answered, "Not how you would think of them. Hell, if you wanted a fairly accurate description of our kinds, then you would have to look at languages that have long since died or stories that are taught in mythological courses. And even then it's...not entirely telling."

"Okay," Jade sighed. So far - as she supposed - it wasn't a hard idea to grasp. "So magic then, that's real as witches are, right?"

Taking in a deep breath, dark eyes switched to Jade, Tori twisting around, crossing her legs. "Again, not the way you would think. The only magical component with everything 'supernatural,' I guess, is with those who are able to manipulate things using their minds and soul. But that's it, they manipulate." Pale eyes remained on the singer curiously, turning around, mirroring her posture. Her elbows rested on her knees, holding her head while she gazed at the werewolf. "Now with us," Tori continued, gesturing to her chest, "It's the same type of thing. Everything's instinctual really, all up in our heads."

"Wait. So was that why Trina was prancing around in the moon and not you?" she tilted her head to the side.

The half-Latina swayed, grimacing at the several different words coming to mind. "Yes and no... So, okay, so... God how do I explain this..." she groaned, huffing irritably. "You know what REM sleep is, right?" After the thespian nodded, she continued, "Well, with humans, we go more into REM sleep during full moons since there is more light out. It's in our wiring to be more alert because predators during the night could attack much easier. Now, nowadays it's changed a bit but we still work like the people way back. My dad," she chuckled softly, "tells all these stories of the strangest crimes during the full moon. They aren't worse, they're just strange. He's had several lunatics, a person who's basically being an idiot during the full moon, try and break in places naked... I know, weird."

Jade grimaced, images flashing through her mind. She has heard of encounters alike, always laughing at them gleefully. "Anyway, so people just act strangely during full moon and if you look closely it'll be more obvious. You also sleep less or a bit more restless too... Werewolves are still human, very, very human, with some wolf-ish instincts that have morphed or adapted to fit our own. But we turn based on instinct to protect ourselves from predators... So that way, we would be sleeping while our bodies would be doing whatever to keep anything at bay. Over time, though, we've been able to develop a consciousness during our turn so we won't cause trouble and become what people fear during these times. We can turn whenever we want, whether or not as a wolf or a werewolf-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the goth held up her hand, "You mean we can turn to both?"

Tori merely giggled, nodding. "Why do you think some movies have them turn to huge wolves and others into creatures? Yeah, we do both... Studies have been going in recently about it but nobody really knows for sure why we can. My doctor has tried experimenting with it but he focuses more on blood and mental things... Anyway, yeah," she sighed, going back into the point. Jade shifted in her seat, sitting straighter. "Yeah, so we've developed a consciousness and it's a learned thing. A natural one but we have to learn it as a kid like learning how to talk while turned... I'll explain why you're special in a moment Jade," she held up a finger.

"So I've been told..." she grouched, earning an eye roll.

Nevertheless, the thespian remained quiet after her mumble, giving Tori her attention. "But up until the fifties or so, our turns were a lot more painful because our bodies were freaking out about the moon and shifting on its own. It's not entirely painful when you do it yourself since you want to and you've already mentally prepared yourself... But in the fifties, vaccinations were developed so that we never had to turn from instinct. Trina's had hers done so she's able to do whatever."

"What are the vaccines?"

"Modified sleeping pills," Tori shrugged. "We have to take them once a year but, well...I haven't had mine done for years."

Jade furrowed her brows, her head cocked to the side. "Why don't you-"

"My body won't take it," she explained sourly, "It's part of the reason why I turned tonight..." As the goth nodded slowly, taking in the information given to her, the half-Latina sighed. Once pale eyes shifted back, Tori continued with a glance. "But you don't have to actually. You were talking tonight as well so you're pretty much set."

"Is it because I'm a 'Lycan' or whatever your dad called me?" Tori bowed her head, Jade raising a brow. "Why the hell is that so special?"

The singer chuckled softly. "'Lycan' is rarely used with mortals, if you would call them that... We call them mortals but so are we... Anyway, 'Lycan' can be used to describe all werewolves but when we use it; it's basically you're a pureblood."

Jade blinked rapidly, studded eyebrow raised. "Uh...what? Wha- you...what did you say? I heard: mortals, Lycan, kill me, junk."

Tori rolled her eyes, shaking her head lightly with a soft smile. "Okay. Mortals call all werewolves 'Lycan' sometimes since, technically, all of us are Lycans. We are all mortals aside from a few species... Got it?"

"Are vampires immortal?"

"No but they age ridiculously slowly," Tori answered, "Like I think every three years they age a day to a normal mortal."

"Shit..."

The half-Latina nodded, mumbling, "And for werewolves we usually live up to three hundred to four hundred years." The thespian gawked, pale eyes lingering over the other in shock.

"You're saying you expanded my life by two to three hundred more years?"

Her shoulders hugged her neck, arms awkwardly pinned to the side. "You're welcome..." Tori grinned as white teeth flashed before her, Jade chuckling softly. Once they had died out after a few moments, the singer still smiling, the explanations were continued. "So Lycans are, when we use it, another term for pureblood. Lycaon was the first werewolf so his name stuck around."

"Kinda cool," Jade murmured, teasing the loose string along the hem of her pants.

"Yeah," the half-Latina mumbled weakly, "But he was a bit of a baddie though."

Folding her arms, pale eyes furrowed. "How come?" she asked quietly.

With a small smirk, Tori shook her head. "I really shouldn't be laughing, it's horrible..." A studded eyebrow raised, asking for more which encouraged a reply. "He's found in Greek mythology actually. He, uh, led a cult and he was a very, very strange person. Basically, he tried to feed Zeus his son just to see if Zeus was really a god and would accept any offerings and know it was his son before eating it... Well, newsflash, Zeus wasn't a god but a really powerful, temperamental, warlock, manwhore so...he was cursed to be a wolf. Sucks for Zeus though, since he was planning for Lycaon to be a wolf and actually stay, but Lycaon could already turn into a wolf... So there you have it, you're a descendent to someone who was an idiot and tried to feed people people."

The thespian blinked rapidly, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Uh...is there any good part about that?"

"He was a king too," Tori shrugged.

"I don't...I don't think that helps," Jade growled, her eyes narrowing at the singer who merely shrugged. "Anyway," she continued, "Besides me being a pureblood or whatever, why is it a surprise that I can talk and shit?"

"Well, like I said, it's a learned thing generally," came the explanation, the goth nodding along, "We first have to learn how to control our consciousness and not let human slash wolf instincts take over when we are in our turned and wolf forms. Then we can talk in our turned form because the mouth is actually a lot like human mouths, except it's longer with more teeth. Lycans are able to do that, which nobody knows exactly why... My doctor has said some theories about it, something about their blood but we haven't been researching until the past decade or so. Anyway, you can easily spot a Lycan actually. They all have lighter colored eyes like you, and most have black fur. If not, then it's all strange coloring. Some will be orange like a cat, you know? Yeah...and others will be like a blue...like a cat. Just think of cat markings and that's how Lycans can be. I've seen one once with a full grey coat, not like a wolf but a flat out grey and it was weird...

"But other than the coat and consciousness," she continued, Jade growing more fascinated, "Lycans are much more powerful. They aren't necessarily faster, though you might be looking at how long your legs were in the basement... But they are a lot stronger and bigger than most werewolves. And for your case, I think part of it too is that you're a female alpha so you're the rough eight feet that you are."

"Wait...so what does being a freaking alpha mean?"

Tori merely chuckled, waving her giggles away. "Okay, so you know alpha male and the alpha wolf right?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," the half-Latina nodded, "So it's a bit different from that...mortals don't really quite understand what was meant behind 'alpha.' It's not necessarily whoever can be the leader or not, but a lot of alphas do end up being the leaders. It's a bit hard to explain but basically, alphas are just extremely sensitive to other people with their senses and have a legitimate need urge to be the one to protect them. So, not necessarily to lead them but you can see how that would come about."

"Yeah, I can see that," Jade nodded. "But what do you mean by 'extremely sensitive?'"

The werewolf inhaled slowly, biting her bottom lip, searching for the proper words. "So they're - like - the first to know about, er, stuff. Like, I don't know. We're more driven by our wolf-sense or whatever, so it's very hard to shake our instincts, and our sense of smell is really good and we can tell more things that people can't. For instance, I know when someone's lying because they're hands are getting sweaty and they just smell like a liar. And, yeah... Alphas are basically the werewolves who are more connected to their turned and wolf self naturally. Normally guys are alphas if there are any but sometimes, very rarely, there's female alphas...so it's actually weird having two in the same room together."

"So, wait, could a person turn into an alpha if they connect with their 'wolf self' over time?" the Lycan furrowed her brows.

Shaking her head, Tori muttered, "No. Now people can do that but they are referred to as 'omegas,' which are usually girls. Like I said, we define those words differently... Alphas, well, you have to be born one. Omegas can be whatever with their personality, so there are really territorial ones, but alphas are just naturally territorial, a bit more aggressive or possessive, has more testosterone and yeah. Omegas can gain the ability to have a heightened sense of smell when they're better connected, though they can't physically ever gain the impulses that come with them." The thespian tilted her head to the side, eyes asking for more words. "So, if an omega senses that a girl is in heat, they won't really be attracted but an alpha will be."

"Heat..." Jade unfolded her arms, leaning back, "That's our periods right?"

"We have two parts to our menstruation cycle since, again, we've evolved over time. Normally we would have our first cycle, which is our period," she replied, her cheeks warming, "And then, uh, like immediately after we have the...we go in heat...and have, er, urges. Very strong urges." A smirk grew across Jade's lips, eyebrow raising while dark eyes darted towards the ground. 'I really need to clean my room,' she thought, focusing on the abandoned shirt from the night before. "So, uh...alphas basically can sense when a werewolf goes in heat, right, and uh, they become interested...but if the human part of them is too then it can be a bit harder to control the, er..." her eyes widened at the realization, her thumbs rimming the fabric around her knees, "urges...yup."

The room dipped into a silence, pale eyes lingering along the walls in thought. Tori's bedroom was almost the exact same as before, the temporary items months back gone and the new things back along her desk. Her brows furrowed, vaguely recalling an orange canister on the nightstand. At this point she almost slapped herself on her forehead; it was very obvious that Tori was a werewolf. Trina not so much - though it was apparent that she is indeed one too - but Tori... "Why do you have medication?" she blurted out, the half-Latina almost jumping as her body nearly settled in the quiet atmosphere.

"Oh, uh...yeah," she mumbled, "It- uh, it helps some..."

"You're not supposed to have horns are you?" Jade drawled gently.

Slowly, the singer shook her head, fumbling nervously with the blanket scrunched against her leg. "No, I'm not... It's the same reason why I have white eyes when I turn without the medication running completely in my system, and why I'm so big. I'm honestly only supposed to be a tad bit bigger than Trina... And my markings too..."

Pale eyes narrowed slowly, dark eyes keeping to themselves timidly. "So you aren't a normal werewolf then, are you?" she murmured quietly.

This time, Tori nodded, continuing. "There's not a lot like me around, actually... Well, in the world. They're kind of common around here though...kind of. I'm, I'm a sick wolf. I," she explained, her voice cracking, "I'm what they call a 'Rabid,' or a 'White-eye'...meaning I can't control myself during my transformation and I act just...rabid. It is our version of rabies since we're immune to that. My-" she cut across Jade's question, knowing what it would ask, "my grandma got it and...and right before she died I, I ended up...getting it."

Jade watched as hands gripped her sheets tightly, knuckles growing as pale as the moon shining along them. "And so you take the medication to control it?"

"Yes," she nodded, "But there's one huge catch with it. Every single time I take it, I don't turn unless I want to and then I just act how I want to act. But when I don't have it, I turn and... With each time I take the medication, it becomes stronger, more aggressive. So when I don't have it the next cycle, it is more aggressive and powerful. I grow more and just- I don't know why you didn't die tonight Jade." The goth froze under Tori's gaze, dark eyes surveying her curiously. She had never seen the singer so serious and so close to tears before tonight. "Werewolves when running on instinct usually hunt to kill. Though nowadays we rarely do it because we have evolved enough human instinct to not feel the need to. But, sometimes they'll bite, and for a werewolf to bite they have to be exact and go to the nerves at the first contact, then sink to the bone marrow. It has to be exact Jade... I don't know why you're not dead, honestly, with how much I have taken the medication. Jade, I needed three pills in order for it to work tonight. The only reason you're not dead, I swear to God, is because it only attacked to bite... But you did nearly died didn't you?"

Saying that the question sent chills down Jade's spine was an understatement; it felt like that line of bone was dropped in a frozen lake. Her skin prickled against her clothing as she recalled white, pearly eyes gazing down at her, almost glowing. It leaned in, the foam of the mouth ceasing to bubble, teeth sinking in. Her hands had fumbled, digging into its chest. 'So it wasn't Tori attacking...' her thoughts hammered, recalling how the sharp edges sunk further, not tearing anything. It was careful, it was precise until she felt it move, something shredding. Only then did she scream, and only then did Tori let go.

Taking the silence as an answer, Tori slinked back towards her pillows, shifting under the covers uncomfortably. "Is there anything else about werewolves then?" Jade twisted around, following the singer.

Slowly, the youngest Vega nodded, sniffing lightly. "Yeah. Just some general stuff, really. I mean there's so much more but these are a few things you'll need to know. We may live for a long time but our blood is really sensitive," she started, the goth slipping underneath the covers. It felt nice to have the warmth of the blankets hug her tightly, the bed having been made the in the morning, Jade assuming after Holly had told Tori to do it. "That's why our wounds heal up so quickly, so we don't get infections. Basically, just keep anything that penetrates the skin out. Doesn't matter if it's clean or not, it won't heal until it is out unless the skin will try to heal over it. By then whatever bacteria is on it will filter through," she took a soft breath, recalling all of what her doctor had said, "Though we have a strong enough immune system to pull it out immediately."

"So, unlike what people say, we can just pull out whatever is stabbed into us?"

"Just because we heal correctly, yes... Though I wouldn't advise having a broken bone, that is one of the worst injuries for a werewolf," Tori commented.

"Because we heal so quickly..." Jade mumbled, receiving a short nod. She frowned, glancing up at the singer. "What about silver?"

Tori grinned, noting, "You sounded so scared."

"Because my more expensive scissors are made of silver! What-is-it! Quit laughing!" she demanded between her teeth.

The werewolf shook her head gently, a smile still across her features. "No, we're not allergic to silver. We're allergic to iron rust," she explained, Jade raising a brow.

"How the hell did Hollywood get silver from rust?"

"There's actually a ligament story for that..." Tori muttered, "So...okay, so when werewolves were hunted, this was the time when we were gradually controlling ourselves by the way, a lot of people used various weapons and went on group hunts. Well, this guy named Timothy Grey decided to join one of the 'elite' forces. This group only used the best of the best; silver. The same material which our skin is actually very good at blocking." The goth snorted, resting her head on the pillow with eyes focused on the half-Latina. "But here's the thing...he didn't tell them that he was poor and only had an iron dagger. Well, one time on this trip, he left it out in the rain and it got all rusted and all that stuff. So, on the next hunting trip, he tried his best to avoid using it, since he didn't clean it for whatever reason; he was an idiot."

"Okay," Jade chuckled lightly, bringing a smile to Tori's lips, heart fluttering.

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Well, one of the werewolves on lookout went and ended up in a brawl. He ended up getting a really bad cut and, Timothy being behind him, went and drove his dagger into the cut. Of course, the werewolf nearly died on the spot but he managed to bite Timothy... And, Of course, Timothy went and turned and then was mauled by the other werewolves for killing their main alpha. And so, people then abandoned all iron tools and went straight to silver since it was the only thing that 'killed' a werewolf... So it turned out great for us."

Jade chortled quietly, grimacing as her shoulder brushed against the pillow. "God," she hissed, slinking back up, hand gently caressing the scar that now was bared on her shoulder. The half-Latina winced as well, guilt flooding her eyes once again. "Hey, why did you keep pressing on this anyway?" pale eyes went towards the other.

"To calm you down," Tori mumbled, "You are dominant on your right hand, right?" As a nodded answer came, she breathed out. "So on a werewolf, at the point which the neck and shoulders meet is like a weak spot. If you press down on it, it has a similar effect like scruffing a cat. It usually won't hurt at all, but it will kind of just calm them if their panicking."

"Then," Jade growled, "Why does it hurt for me?"

The singer shrunk a bit under the irritated glare, thumbing along her sheets. "When you're bitten by a werewolf...they have to be exact, right? So the first contact is with the nerves and when the saliva coats them, they kind of- no, they are the first things that turn. But because there is often build up with it, they scar and the nerves and tissue become really sensitive... That's how my dad described it anyway, he was bitten when he was a boy on his calf." Jade nodded gingerly, settling down as Tori whined quietly. "I'm sorry Jade... I- I didn-"

"No..." the goth mumbled meekly, "It's fine, you didn't, you didn't mean to bite me." The Vega nodded solemnly, shifting to her pillow somewhat uncomfortably. "I'm going to go to sleep," Jade growled, her eyes shifting towards the alarm, reading '10:54.'

"Yeah, yeah, that would be...good," Tori murmured, watching as Jade shifted to her left side, her right exposed to the ceiling. She breathed deeply, settling to her other side as well. "So, uh...goodnight Jade..."

"Sure Vega."

The two words hung in the air above them, minds still buzzing rapidly, unable to have the two sleep. Jade remained fixated on the moon shining through the sliver between the curtains, posing no threat to either. Not like how it was merely a few hours ago. Her brows furrowed at the thought; in a way, the moon was a threat to Tori because she would become one herself. She shuddered briefly at the thought, knowing it was true. The goth reflected back on how the half-Latina never wished inflicted pain on anybody else.

Curiously, Jade twisted quietly, watching the back of the other rise softly, though she doubted that Tori was actually sleeping. Questions rose throughout her skull, though one bled through the most. 'Has she hurt people before?' they hummed quietly. Perhaps - as she grudgingly admitted - though she never wanted to pay mind to what possibilities could've happened, what scenarios may have been played before. The question on whether or not she could've died that night sent a pang against her mind as well. Jade supposed, though, it would've been an easy thing to do, especially with the jaws attempting to tear at her neck.

Shivering, she groaned quietly, rolling to the side of the bed. Her eyes closed softly, dreams venturing to thick forests bathed in the blinding moonlight, screams of the pain striking through bones and whimpers of those who weren't so fortunate in the mouth of the beasts. White, glowing eyes settled in her thoughts, forming a frown along her features. Cold air surrounded her at one moment, and then the beast's - 'it,' as Tori referred to her other side - hot breath washing down her neck.

Morning would've come all too soon if it had been a normal day - if she hadn't been thrown in this new world the previous night - though, for the first time in years, she welcomed the sun hitting her face warmly, pale eyes blinking irritably. Jade's body propped her up for her, narrowed eyes glaring straight at the desk a foot or two from the bed. She found herself alone once again, besides the alarm clock along the edge of the nightstand. The numbers, '6:21,' loomed about her thoughts dully, her skull feeling too small for her head.

"Fuck," she hissed, slapping her palm to her forehead, wanting to release some of the sudden pains. Scents and noises whacked her repeatedly; there was an obnoxious tatter within the walls - perhaps the laundry rolling - and the room. "God..." her nose scrunched. In all honesty, she couldn't say they were bad smells - most quite pleasant - though for them to hit her all at once was unfortunate. After all, a mob compared to a generous gathering were still two crowds, neither of which Jade was willing to stand with.

With her joints creaking softly, pale eyes wondered over towards the edge of the bed, sighing at the half-Latina's persistence of kindness. The thespian thumbed over the extra clothing, blinking at the towel set beside it. She scoffed quietly, snatching the black shirt and loose, grey sweatpants and oddly a bra - which she found to be about a good size - before shouldering the towel. The distant memory of her clothes shredding off of her as fur replaced them popped back in, her steps beside the shower, the door closed. The headache had seeped away by the time she'd stepped into the shower, the warm water rinsing her pale skin. Perhaps she could just pinch herself and be back in the Black Box Theatre, glancing up at Tori who wore a terrifying mask with horns, getting back for the whole "draining blood to get the main lead" incident.

'But you do get a chance to live to be four hundred years old,' her thoughts reminded her.

That, as she decided, was a plus.

Soon she was lathered with some off-brand soaps, her brows furrowing. Perhaps - she concluded - they weren't off-brand but something meant for werewolves. Jade scrunched her nose, sniffing the scent; peaches and some sort of flower not making a terrible combination reached her nose. Glaring down at it, she bit the bottom of her lip in thought. It was the same bottle that she had found when snooping through the house.

Blinking towards the tiled wall, amazement struck her as she recalled rolling her eyes, smelling nothing the last time. Of course, she wasn't bitten nor was she aware of the Vega's little secret. 'A little eight foot secret,' her thoughts hammered, Tori's turned form flickering through her skull.

Within minutes, the water was shut off, the thespian stepping out and shifting into the clothes once dry. She glanced at the mirror, grimacing at the sight of her hair almost straight, dyed strands almost melted into raven. Though, once looking at the small timer at the side of the sink - though the time wasn't told very well - she decided that there wasn't going to be any preparation for school. She would just have to go in sweats with nothing else.

Her shirt was ripped after all.

She had liked those boots.

And the pants.

"God fucking dammit," she swore heavily, folding her arms. Jade really liked that shirt.

Shaking her head, the goth strode from the bathroom, the steam following her for a few feet. Setting the towel in the hamper, pale eyes glanced along the room briefly, finding nothing to take with her. Shrugging, Jade simply padded her way towards the stairs.

At the top of them, however, she frowned, blinking at the floor once hearing strained voices. It surprised her - even when remembering the events from the night prior - that her senses were so heightened with just a night's sleep. Concentrating her attention, the Lycan was able to pick up the conversation.

"-uch did you lose?" David's whisper asked quietly, worry tainting his vocal chords.

"I don't know... I only have about one moon cycle left," Tori croaked wearily, shifting in her seat. "So, so will we get more from Dr. Retter or..."

As her voiced died off, Jade mentally noted the name before her mother answered. "I'm not sure, sweetie. You know how the medicine situation has been doing, right David?"

"God forsaken elves," he snapped cruelly, "No little pup, I don't think that'll happen. Lothur mentioned something about his recent shipments being hijacked... We won't be able to get more for a long while, not until the Occult minister gets his panicked head out of his ass and quits acting like a lunatic and catch them."

"David," Holly hissed, "That's no way to talk about him like that. He's been trying his best with this."

A growl replied his wife before her murmured, "I know, I know. But he's looking into it in Canada and Oregon. We've had these, these Witiko Hunters for nearly a decade so why can't they just get their asses over here? The Occult Elite isn't enough to fucking take care of this! We don't know where the freaking elves are or-"

"Calm down sweetie," the other hushed quietly, mentally regretting her input once her husband was riled up. "We'll just see what we can do for now."

"But we haven't had any leads for months! They're like two steps ahead of us and-"

"David," she repeated sternly, "Enough. Tori doesn't want anything to do with it."

As Jade furrowed her brows to the ground, shuffling along the couch, the police officer muttered, "I'm sorry kiddo, didn't mean to go into a tangent."

"It's fine... I know," she whispered softly. Jade blinked softly, shaking her head at the realization that the conversation was dropped, allowing her to move down the stairs. Once she had met the bottom of the stairs, Tori turned sheepishly, glancing at the torn clothing laying on the couch. "So, uh, we'll go to school and, erm... We'll have to replace your clothes tomorrow," she muttered, making her way towards the counter.

With brows furrowed, Jade twisted towards the half-Latina. "How exactly?"

"TORI! YOU LEFT YOUR FUR CLEANSER ON MY SIDE OF THE SINK AGAIN!" Trina shouted down the stairs, jerking the two girls. Dark eyes glared at the stairs, a low growl admitting from the singer's throat while cheeks flushed violently.

"I'll tell you later..." she promised lowly, turning her attention towards the fridge, adamant about getting her breakfast.

-(:)-

She shook her head grimly, pastel knuckles gripping the steering wheel tightly while the singer situated herself in the seat beside her. Jade momentarily flicked her gaze towards the back, grimacing at the long, torn leather seats, white fluff spilling out in groups. "I don't about you," she began quietly, "But I'm not sure how Beck's going to handle his shit once finding out about his car."

"Well, yeah..." Tori sighed, buckling her seatbelt, "It's lucky that Trina only managed to scrape the sides, dent the front and mess up the tires. I honestly thought she would do more running into the freaking tree like that." Jade merely nodded softly, turning the corner with a sense of unease; she recalled the several conversations from her ex about how excited he was to have finally paid off the last parts to his car.

"So about the replacement systems, how does that all work?" she asked curiously, slowing the car gently at the end of the street, gaze switching to both sides.

Breathing in carefully, the half-Latina blinked in the sunlight, lowering the shade. "It only covers werewolves and anybody a descendent up to a second generation. Basically the Occult community has to blend into the mortal world, right, so they'll provide with all of the torn clothes, the cars and such. They also give out some sweats and some shelters for the homeless werewolves as well as vaccines, and some other stuff. The foundation's a really good one for us; it's a safe haven really... They also find homes near woods and such and kinda reserve them for werewolves."

"Cool," Jade commented, furrowing her brows. "What's the name again?"

"Wolff Security," Tori gave a soft snort, canines flashing.

"What?" the thespian furrowed her brows. "Tell me, what is it?"

Shaking her head, the half-Latina muttered, "Nothing. It's just ironic with modern depictions of this sort of thing. Martyr Wolff was the founder."

"Okay..."

"He's a vampire," Tori chuckled, a small grin forming across Jade's features.

The goth halted abruptly, obscenities flying from her mouth at the "jackass" who continued to drive off after not looking about the intersection. "Had the fucking right-a-way you cunt," she spat, Tori rolling her eyes whilst Jade calmed down. "So, wait, that a really nice vampire or what?"

"No actually, he's really cynical from what my doctor said. But vampires aren't against werewolves, they're actually our closest ally, as a matter of fact," Tori murmured. "No, mortals confuse vampires with elves. Now elves are the worst... Lycaon was originally an elf, actually, and then he was bitten by a vampire. Before Lycaon, elves were actually really peaceful, and they still are. But there are quite a few who follow Lycaonism and, as I said, Lycaon was a leader of a cult. Because he told the other elves who followed him that he was a god, they worshipped him like one, not realizing he was a vampire."

"Jesus Christ," Jade hissed, grimacing before turning the corner, heading for school. "So how are they against werewolves then?"

"It's only the Lycaon extremists," the half-Latina murmured, "The rest are fine. But, uh, when Lycaon was turned into a werewolf, he basically became what the elves were against. Lycaonism was all about the mind, seeing how you can manipulate it and turn the best of humans to the darkest of things and use them. They abuse mentality, finding different ways to become stronger. Werewolves, even though Lycans are associated with mental strength, are seen to use more physical strength and animalistic behavior."

Jade scoffed as Tori nodded, growling, "That's stupid."

"It is," the singer agreed, "But it has led to really dangerous wars and experiments. Though, like I said, not all of them are bad. The Lycaon extremists are actually a minority. The janitor's one, actually." Before Jade could reply, Tori gasped suddenly, the other startled. "Oh God! I just remembered something."

"What? Did you eat a deer a couple of months ago?"

Narrowing her eyes, Tori growled, "It was a bull, thank you very much and no, that's not it. We're gonna have to get you registered for the Occult community actually. Probably tomorrow though."

"What? Why do I-"

"It's just for identification. What, do you really think that we don't have an actual government?" dark eyes glinted with an arched brow. "It's important to know, anyway, so they can see how many of one species they have." The thespian nodded, finding sense in the reasoning before pulling into the school parking lot. The engine purred as it was shut off, Tori sliding out of the car, checking her phone.

"Is Beck here or what?" Jade snapped, the other nodding.

She hummed before tearing her gaze towards the school doors, giving a small wave. "Yeah. He said Andre got him so he's been here," Tori began, the Lycan striding over. "See, look. I- what's he holding?" The two narrowed their sights, the Canadian jogging with his arm wrapped around clothing, dark eyes meeting his car.

"Hey," he greeted, slowing his pace as dark eyes ventured along the sides. "Uh...what happened to my car?" Both girls glanced wearily at each other, mentally cursing Trina for avoiding the inevitable conversation.

"Look," Tori murmured, "We'll get it covered, alright? We had a bit of a run in with a few bushes and, er, other cars but hey, still works."

Nodding slowly, Beck bit his bottom lip while eyes flicked along the car. "It doesn't look that bad... Anyway," he shook his head, holding out a torn combat boot, rings and a leather jacket that was relatively unharmed. "So, uh, I'm assuming these are yours," he handed the clothing over towards Jade who took it gingerly. "The janitor found them in the bathroom... Are you sure it was just a stomach thing or-"

"It was," Tori cut across, saving the goth from the explanation, "She was getting a bit hot so, yeah... That, and she somehow lost the boot but we didn't bother to get it."

"Alright, well... Well you two look better," he muttered, glancing at the girls skeptically. "Anyway, you wanna head in? It's kinda getting a bit warm out here with the sun."

Rolling her eyes, Jade snapped, "It's only October," earning a shrug. As the actor turned away, she turned towards Tori. "How did you..." she started to whisper, the half-Latina stepping to the side.

"It's easy to cover things up when you've been doing it your whole life," she muttered.

With no comment to continue forth, Jade held the heavy door open, grimacing at the amount of scents reaching her nostrils. Noises plugged her ears repeatedly, the goth's already fuming hatred for shoes scuffing against the floor strengthening. Though, once glancing at Tori's neutral expression - which she now verified that it wasn't, just her unease with the same amount of senses coming after the two - she realized that this would have to be a reality getting used to.

The three departed, Beck following his ex to her locker while Tori over towards her own. "So," he began as Jade shouldered her bag, thankful that she had left it in her locker, "So are you ready for the play?"

"I guess," she answered blandly. With her locker shutting close, Jade's strides flowed across the hall, eyes constantly blinking once teens hollered back and forth. It rang in her ears unpleasantly. She jolted once Cat had giggled, crushing Tori in a rather tight hug, grinning cheekily.

"Hi Jade! Hi Tori!" she smiled, "Do you two feel better?"

"Yes," both muttered in unison, not wishing to give any details. Before anymore was said, however, Jade hissed, her right hand pressing against her ear once the bell shrieked, seemingly right beside her ear.

"Are you sure you're alright there?" Beck furrowed his brows in concern.

"It's fine Sir Knight-in-shining-armor," she snapped, "Just a head ache."

Nodding swiftly, the actor turned to the side, giving a quick farewell until Sikowitz' class. Once Cat had jogged away, needing to be at the Black Box Theatre for her class in time, Tori made it to Jade's side quickly. "Don't worry about it," she murmured quietly, "You'll never really not hear anything to this extreme but you'll just get used to it. It's like anything; give it time and it won't be that hard."

"So you hear the fucking two freshmen making out in the corner too?" she snapped sourly, the half-Latina nodding with a scowl.

"I didn't say being a werewolf was easy. Remember, you have hundreds of years to deal with this... Later!"

Pale eyes widened frantically as the other tore away, dispersing among the crowd. "God dammit!" Jade swore, "Vega! Yo- Vega! You can't just leave me like that!"

"Miss West," a cool voice drawled, tearing her gaze towards the opened door. His grey eyes stared at her with his slick black hair combed evenly, thin lips pursing impatiently. "If you don't get into class in the next minute I will mark you absent," he threatened, gesturing towards the class.

"Alright Mr. Vals," she grumbled slugging in without interest. She glanced at the whiteboard with a sneer, reading his name bolded in marker. It was her luck - she mentally cursed - how the one substitute she couldn't stand was in her first period while she had everything going on in her mind at once. To her, it was a pleasant fact to know that the savage bee keeper was now going to interrupt her process of getting used to having a bee hive as a brain.

Just as she planted her bag to the ground, seating herself in her chair, Mr. Vals began the lesson with a monotone voice and a blank expression. "Class, today Mr. Fletcher has an assignment due at the end of class. This one is independent though will require class participation. Got it?"

"Yes Mr. Vals," the class droned at once, the paper handed out one by one from a "volunteer."

"Alright, as you see on the slip of paper," he began, Jade mouthing 'thank-you' once her own was passed, "We are to write down what we hear from the speaker, that would be me, and then observe how much a person is able to hear. Got it?" Everybody chanted what he had wanted to hear, earning a quiet smile. "Alright. First off, set the papers down on the desk," he slammed his pal to the surface, startling the few around it. The girl sighed, heading back to her seat once the job was done.

The Lycan glanced over the paper, sighing softly as the sub gave verbal directions for the class to read the paragraph and then write a brief summary of what it spoke about.

She furrowed her brows, grasping her forehead as her mind stirred, the creaks in the walls - which had shared the very bathroom from the night prior, the elf janitor finally fixing the light - echoing through her skull.

"Humans don't have the eyes of a wild mountain lion, the ears of a hunting wolf, or the sensitivity of a horse. However, a human's brain is very special in that it can assume data which would in turn make up for the disadvantages. For instance, optical illusions are ways for humans to find their brains working hard to collect information and assume in order to gain an understanding-"

Rolling her eyes, Jade skipped the rest, knowing where the details were going. She jotted down her summary briefly, dropping her pencil along with a few others who had appeared to have done the same. As the minute ticked away, Mr. Vals cleared his throat, eyes rummaging across the room for any last pencils scrawling against the papers. "Alright," he grumbled, "Now you will listen to me say words through this mask here -" he gestured to what looked like a muzzle with foam "- and you write down what you hear. Got it?"

"Yes Mr. Vals."

"Good..." he murmured, strapping the muzzle over his mouth. He situated himself on the stool facing the class, eyes down to the paper in his hands. With furrowed brows, Jade put her pencil tip to the paper, ready for him to call out the word. "Predicament," his muffled voice rang out. Once the Lycan had written the word down, she shifted her gaze up, her stern expression not leaving once she saw the majority glancing at each other with raised brows; the couldn't hear him clearly, as her thoughts mused similarly.

"Cure," came the next, most writing it down easily, including Jade. A minute strolled by, words flowing out from the muzzle. "Watchful, warning, death, mindless, obscenities, instinct, freedom, mentality, savage," and then finally, "moonlight."

The last of the pencils were down once Mr. Vals stripped the muzzle from his jaw, grey eyes surveying the class. "Andrew, read what you wrote," he barked.

"I go-"

"Stand up in this class!" the sub hissed, the student freezing, blinking as he had forgotten one of the rules.

With the chair pushed back, the student clearing his throat, his list began. "I got...uh, I got: Prejudice, cure, watchful, waning, path, matches, instinct, mob parties, kingdom, mortality, seven, moonlight." Somewhat pleased, the student looked up expectantly, Mr. Vals nodding.

"Yes, that is what most would get," the man nodded, "Very good. That would be the best, actually. Jade, go."

She stood straight, eyes down at her paper, closing her eyes briefly as her head swam, a few students shouting down the hall. Shaking her head, she muttered, "Predicament, care, watchful, warning, death, mindless, obscenities, instinct, freedom, mentality, savage and then moonlight."

Eyes switched towards the teacher calmly, brows narrowing at his own frown. "I said to not cheat Miss West-"

"I didn't cheat!" she snapped, "That's what I heard!"

"No human can hear that wall Miss West," he barked, "You will take a zero for the assignment."

"But I didn-"

"I will make a zero for you're homework too," he snarled, folding his arms.

"But I didn't cheat," she growled, flinching as her tongue ran along her canines.

Mr. Vals shook his head, his voice rattling, "Sit down and don't speak." Obediently, with a firm glare, Jade sat down, her grip strengthening at the corner of the desk. Shaking his head, he twisted towards the papers, writing a quick note for Mr. Fletcher. She winced, as the wood snipped before she whined, staggering from her desk.

"Fuck!" she yelped, clutching her wrist as her hand trembled, the skin underneath her palm sewing itself back together.

"That's it!" the sub swiveled around, "Detention on Saturday! I do not tolerate behavior such as that from you, especially when you come to school looking like that!"

"The hell do you mean by that?" she lost her temper, slamming a fist down at the desk as her mind buzzed repeatedly.

"Detention! Saturday!" he barked, pointing towards the door, "And don't think about coming back this class hour with that attitude!"

"Fine!" she snapped, snatching her bag before storming out the door, nodding once at the one teen who had held the door for her, worried she would snap more wood. Jade rolled her eyes as he dove into a rant about how unprofessional and inconsiderate she was; like she would care about a person who had lost to her father in court after attempting to sue. With her steps back out to the main hall, she leaned against her locker, glare set on the opposite end of the hall. Quickly, she whipped out her phone, having nothing else to do.

Jade- Can I bite someone's head off?

The response came moments later, the singer obviously not needing to keep her phone in her bag.

Tori- that's kinda illegal Jade.

Tori- why?

Furiously, Jade punched in the answer, using very descriptive language to her imagination.

Tori- well, he's not a nice person but I wouldn't call him that.

Tori- besides, you just need to calm down.

Jade- Why the hell should I calm down? He pissed me off.

Tori- yeah, but you're agitated from turning still. you just need to relax a bit.

The Lycan scowled firmly, shoving the phone back into her pocket. She would have to deal with this for many years, as she reminded herself.

That wasn't a plus, she had mentally figured.

-(:)-

She grimaced through her cough, her hand rubbing along her neck firmly. The thespian glanced down at her half-written essay, the words scrawled along the page. None of it had made any sense, really. Growling, she shoved the binder from her lap, closing her eyes once the pages fluttered to the ground only to be folded by the plastic weight. Fingers rubbed her temple before pinching the bridge of her nose, pale eyes glowering towards the alarm clock resting beside her bed. '8:23,' it had read.

Sighing, she turned her gaze towards the window, the antique lamp sitting beside it glowing a light orange in contrast to the pale moon. Jade felt her temptations flutter once again, attempting to draw her closer and closer and closer. Abruptly she shook her head, eyes trained on the opened bag laying at the foot of her bed. Books and papers spilled out from it, demanding for the work to be done. Work which was due days to weeks later, seeing as Jade was one to always get her work done quickly.

However, disinterest in the newly plotted story remaining unwritten in her bag ebbed at her chest, eyes lingering at the full moon coaxing her. Biting her lip, drawing her attention back at the foot of her bed, Jade folded her arms in thought. On one hand - she supposed - there would be study hall the next day and the detention she received on Saturday. On the other hand - her thoughts reminded her - the goth might as well stay in the room and do her work, having more free time later. Back and forth she leaned, back brushing against the pillow as she swayed like a grandfather clock. She could...but she shouldn't. She wanted to, though it wasn't wise.

"Fuck it," she growled, a small smirk tugging along her lips. With a surge of agility Jade leapt from the bed, tearing her shirt off, tossing it towards the pillows. Within moments the rest of the clothes were dropped, pale eyes glancing at the mirror. "Okay...so how do I do this?" she mumbled to herself, folding her arms across her bare chest. The goth then proceeded to focus her thoughts on racing through the grass and disappearing into the trees - and perhaps darting down silent roads - in an effort to turn. She grunted, however, once nothing was done.

'This is a freaking mental thing, isn't it?' her thoughts snapped impatiently. Heaving a long breath, pale eyes flicked towards the moon as it waved at her through the clouds.

A funny thing, really, the moon. As a small child, Jade had always sought a window in the dead of the night just to catch a glimpse of it, at the very least. It didn't drive her urges as coffee had, or allowed her to express her impulses alike scissors, or even present her psychological - distorted or moral - thoughts when writing did. The moon always calmed her, just shining the light it stole from the sun down on her. It was a criminal of nature in that regard, and yet the most seemingly timid of them all. Sure it still pulled and tugged at the earth's waters, though it provided the necessary light which humans wanted in the dark.

Jade furrowed her brows, slicing her slow thoughts.

The moon, at the same time, struck fear with its strings attached to the earth. A puppet master - as Jade mentally described it - which tugged at the high tides that drowned lives. It blanketed its white light across the land, exposing humans and their terrors. It morphed many into monsters due to their own fear...wrapping them around its clutches ruthlessly. Technology was produced to avoid that very thing, she knew. Though, with a heavy heart, Jade recalled that few slipped between the cracks, Tori being one of them. The sun blinds those who are ignorant enough to watch it, though it provides safety from the dark and other mental challenges. The moon basks in the glory of all who watch it. At the same time, it unleashes the even more beasts in the night, humans dwelling in their thoughts, unable to sleep as soundly.

She grunted, stepping back from her thoughts, knees meeting the ground. Her mind flicked past the observations of the moon and its quirks, bringing a warming heat through her bones. She hissed as her nails scratched at the ground, body morphing. With her breath ragged, pale eyes blinked towards the mirror, her head having to dip down for her to see her own muzzle. Large black hands gripped the wood below her, claws coming from them. Her fur shone in the moon's light, her tail swishing; 'That wasn't so...bad,' her thoughts hummed, joints and muscles only baring a dull, hot pain, 'All I had to do was think about the moon too much.'

She tossed her head, knowing that she would have to find a more suitable way to change, and one that didn't take ten minutes. Pale eyes flickered towards the alarm clock which beamed its numbers, earning a distasteful groan from the Lycan.

Picking herself up on her great, hind paws, Jade teetered towards the side, her head smacking right against the fan. Growling softly, her hand caught the fan, halting it in its motions. The thespian grimaced at the small crack along the light, knowing that she would have to look into it at a later time.

Though that time wasn't then.

With a sort of laugh which was drowned by a guttural growl, she crawled along the floor, the wood boards creaking. Pale eyes glanced down at it, narrowing at the blasting, horrid music. "They don't care," her voice came out sickly, sending a few shivers down her spine. Jade figured she would have to get used to that. Shaking her thoughts away, she blinked out at the window, gently prodding it open. It swung slowly - a bit too slowly for her taste - though it didn't shatter against the sloped roof as planned. Once again her eyes narrowed, her thoughts noting just how she was a) going to get down without breaking a hole through the roof and b) if she was going to fit through the window properly.

Sizing her furry body with the rectangle, the Lycan nodded; she would be able to shimmy out. Jade then glowered at the desk right in front, papers scattered while her lamp sat innocently. Debating between two options, the thespian then decided to put the lamp down carefully on the floor, seeing as it was roughly a hundred dollars. Not her money, exactly, though she quite liked the lamp. It didn't shine the room with too much light.

As for the papers, her arm swooped suddenly, all falling in a cluttered pile, one that she was sure to clean later. "Now how do I..." she grumbled, teetering as her leg reached over the desk with ease, claws feeling at the window. Tori wasn't wrong; her legs were long. She crept over the wooden desk quietly, cringing at the groan of the roof below her feet. Large hands gripped the window wearily, pale eyes looming down towards the ground. She concluded that she should have thought of this more thoroughly.

Like a spring, Jade hurled herself off of the roof in one large jump, eyes widening as the grass came at her quickly. The grass, and a smudge of grey with birds flinging themselves from it. With a yelp she crashed through the bird bath, rolling along the grass until halting. Her eyes crossed, glancing at the powder lingering at the tip of her nose. She snorted - highly irritated - watching the specks fall to the grass.

Her ears perked as a soft 'tick' echoed through it, head twisting abruptly. A light had flashed on from the kitchen, steps marching their way towards the door. Hurriedly Jade raced towards the lining of trees leading towards the wooded area for some of Los Angeles' parks. Turning around, she found a brunette teen glancing out sourly, calling, "Hey! Who's out here?" His dull eyes shifted towards the bird bath, his reaction a mere shrug.

'Of course,' Jade's thoughts growled, 'Not like the kid ever cared for our house...'

Another teen, one with darker brown hair, stepped out from the side, sighing wearily at the destruction. A soft pang wrenched through Jade's gut; her brother had always liked the bird bath and the different species of birds flying in. As she mentally noted to replace it at a later time, she distinctly heard, "Who did that?"

"I don't know, your sister? She's always doing stuff," the first teen suggested, the second shaking his head.

"No," he grumbled confidently, "She wouldn't break anything of mine like that."

"Jake, are you sure about that?" the other snapped, "She's a bitch and you know it, I don't blame anybody wanting to jump her along an alley."

Jake rolled his eyes, defending his estranged - which he did admit to - sister. "Come on dude, she's not that bad -" the Lycan nodded slowly, appreciating the gesture "- just don't say stuff like that..." A soft growl rattled through Jade's throat once the two boys flowed back inside, her respect growing. Nostrils flaring, her head turned towards the drive way, tail swishing in anticipation. Slowly, she crept along the trees, ears constantly pointing towards the wilderness, beckoning her to move away from Simon's - or something like that - car. Eyes darted down towards her sharp claws and then to the passenger's side of the red Camaro.

In one swing, five blades came hurtling at the car, metal tearing echoing in her skull. Jade staggered back, ears pinned down; she concluded that she hated that sound, though her tail wagged pleasantly at the torn car. Padding against floorboards then sounded, sending her to wildly hurl herself towards the small patch of woods in the nick of time. The door opened behind her, a angry yell coming from it.

"My fucking car dude!" he screamed, another set of footsteps coming towards the car. Jake only laughed violently, earning a pleased buzz at Jade's chest. "Dude! What the fuck is your problem? Someone just seriously keyed my car!"

"Maybe it's karma for calling Jade a bitch, Sam," Jake chuckled, finding the situation humorous. The thespian, meanwhile, took note at the other's real name, merely shrugging when she found she didn't care.

With a harsh huff, Sam snapped, "That's it. I'm not driving you to school anymore so you better get your fucking ass there."

"Oh don't be like that... Sam, Sam," Jake scoffed, "Come on! How am I going to get over there? I don't get my license for- God damn it." Jade snorted as the red car pulled out from the driveway, his hand giving a nice gesture to her brother before skirting off down the road. Jake shook his head, giving out a quick few words, his feet shuffling back inside the house. Sighing, Jade strolled back towards the trees, mentally noting to give him a few rides.

Nails sunk in the damp earth, nose to the ground, inhaling. With a flick of her tail, Jade raised her head, eyes glimmering towards the trees. Standing on her hind paws, hands shaking some of the loose dirt, Jade stepped towards the shadowed bark slowly. Claws reached over her head, gripping the wood before abruptly slicing down the side. Thumbing the underside of her nails, her eyes narrowed at the tree, long scars venturing towards the bottom; her skin was almost oily. Elongating her neck, she sniffed the bark, finding her scent within the tree.

"Alright...that's kinda cool," her baritone, grueling voice rasped, eyes flicking towards the several large oaks surrounding her yard. In quick steps she darted towards each of them, marking each and every one of them as her own. Nails eventually clacked against the road, attention veering towards the tree at the front yard. Her large hands and paws brushed against the longer strands of grass - their yard still neglected once her dear mother fired the last gardener - until her nails easily sliced against the bark.

She cooed softly at her handy work, twisting around the long, narrow street. Tossing her head, Jade decided not to go down that path, two glowing orbs shining even brighter as the seconds passed. She launched herself back towards the trees, turning once the car passed.

Snorting, the goth went back to her meandering path, ears swiveling to every noise made. She mentally marked her trail, finding unique rocks and a few trees to mark. After a mile or two, she decided to quit with the tree and just stroll about once catching sight of another marked tree. Cocking her head to the side, Jade froze once twigs and small branches snapped. Her attention locked onto the little critter as it scurried about, fluffy tail to its back as it didn't notice the large, looming black figure staring at it.

Crouching down, Jade narrowed her eyes before hopping, pouncing on the sodden ground with no luck. Swearing, she twisted around, the fat squirrel staring at her from the tree side. As it scurried back up towards the branches, the thespian stomped impatiently, cursing her large hands. "How the fuck do you turn to a wolf?" she twirled, eyes glaring at her tail coming from large hindquarters. Stumped, she collapsed to the ground, ears down as she pouted, arms crossed.

Growling, Jade shook her head, briefly checking her hands. They still very much resembled hands.

"Dammit. Tori, you need to teach me better."

Closing her eyes, she pictured herself hunting every fat squirrel she would find, the muscle tearing at her jaws just like they often pictured in movies such as The Scissoring. One eye peeked out to her front limbs, still finding hands. Forcing it shut once again, Jade imagined the whole scene in more detail, silently thinking of all the movies she had watched beforehand.

With a quick yelp she tensed, growling violently as her bones warmed intensely, cracking and popping. Though, moments later, she glanced down at paws, finding the pain not quite as bad the night before; it was dull, really, just as it was an hour prior.

As the goal of hunting slipped from her mind, the goth joyfully pounced on every little twig that flipped form the breeze, tail wagging. Rational thought soon escaped as well, unusual thoughts coming in to play. She pranced along the trees, darting back and forth excitedly, venturing off towards the road. Eyes followed the blinking stars, birds fluttering passed. The Lycan jumped, startled by the glowing orbs flashing at her. With her tail wagging, she watched as the car streamed passed, lighthearted howls coming from the windows.

"Dude!" a head poked out from the car as it paused on the side of the road, Jade jogging towards the street, "Look at the size of that thing!"

"Fuck bro! Get the camera!" the driver chuckled, the other darting in for his phone.

With his green pear-phone in his hands, the blonde grinned. "Smile for the camera wolfy!" he chuckled, giving another howl which Jade returned joyfully. "Go Derek! Let's see if he'll follow!" he turned towards the driver who nodded gleefully. The wheels rolled at the boy's haste to post a good laugh, the goth following with her tail swishing about. As their speed increased, her paws clicked against the ground, the boys laughing heartily at their antics. "Look at the legs of it! Let's see how fast it can go!" the blonde turned to the driver who shrugged, the car gaining a mile or two.

Jade easily followed, ears perked forward as her strides grew, the cool night breeze sifting through her fur. "Hey," Derek called from the driver's seat, "Go see if it can catch that bag of chips."

"What?" the blonde furrowed his brows.

"Just do it! I wanna see it catch stuff!" he ordered, his friend rolling his eyes. Shuffling around the seat, Jade tilted her head before a red bag rustled in his grip.

"One! Two! Three!" he laughed, the bag launching in the air. With a great burst of speed, Jade lunged forward, jaws gently snapping around the bag, halting once it landed in her mouth. Her attention drew to her street, glancing back at the slowing car. "You're the amazing wolf!" the blonde chortled out, the car turning to the right as the thespian wagged her tail. Claws clacked against the road hurriedly, anxiousness creeping up her spine once Jade realized that the time wasn't early.

Sprinting down the sidewalk, she found herself soon back at her house, groaning once she turned back to her largest form. The Lycan lumbered her way towards the back door, jiggling the knob in an effort to not break another relatively important item. With a creak the screened door opened, allowing her inside the kitchen. The floorboards creaked as she strode calmly through the rooms, the bag of chips in her claws.

Once at the stairs, Jade halted, narrowing her gaze at the top of the hall. She turned her gaze towards the couch, the television flashing its light as dark blue eyes widened at her. "I'll drive you tomorrow."

He blinked rapidly at the offer, swallowing the sudden lump that formed upon seeing an eight foot wolf-thing just lumber into his house. "J-Jade?" he croaked, "Wh-why are you covered in hair?"

"Fur you dipshit," she snarled, noting how his skin prickled, "And don't talk about it. I'm driving you to school tomorrow."

"Are you a werewolf?"

"What did I just say?"

The brother remained silent as the show behind him turned to garble, eyes focused on his estranged sister - who apparently grew a tail - in wonder. "So... Did you wreck Sam's car?" he asked quietly, frowning once she began climbing the stairs.

"We leave at seven!"

Turning his gaze back towards the screen, pausing the show with a growl, he gave a soft smirk. Perhaps this would be a dream and he would wake up the next morning, realizing that - once again - he'd stayed up far too late watching horror films. Though, as he stared at the screen, the infamous turn scene from An American Werewolf in London, he knew he wouldn't be able to make this shit up.

Creating intense thrillers was his sister's talent anyhow.


Heh, heh... Surprise? Just a little treat for ya; not many tricks to come. Anyway, the conversation was actually really hard to write for some reason... Dunno why.

But, other than that, the next chapter will be out by the 3rd of October, just so you know. Then I'll go every other day after that. Cool? Cool...

Hope you enjoyed!

:)

PS- If you haven't noticed...this story's gonna be long. Thirteen chapter sure (since it's Halloween and all) but yeah. Hope you enjoy that aspect!