2Damn, he's so hot. The young girl thought. "What's so important?"
"Aww, come on Brittany. You know everybody goes to the Vacant Lot sometime or another." He said.
"Now you're being lame.I don't want to get in trouble. Besides, I think my family has something to do tonight anyways." Brittany said shutting her locker. Her track medals clanked around inside.
"Sneak out. This is important to me, Brit." He whined a little.
She rolled her blue eyes. "We've already had this discussion. Both of us are virgins. I don't want to even try to experiment. I don't want to be pregnant like every other loser in this school. I don't care if you're "prepared" or anything. I don't want to do that Tommy!"
"Shh.I'm not talking anything about that, Brit. You're too paranoid around men. I'm surprised that we lasted this long. I just want to go there and be with you. I respect your body and you." He wrapped his arms loosely around her. (DC57: Too bad all men aren't like sweet ol' Tommy, eh?)
"You're so sweet. I'll try to get out. Dad said there's something important that he needed to tell me though." Brittany said leaning in to him. I love his cologne.
"So, let's meet two blocks away from your on Berryman Street." He said. "I have practice this afternoon, sweetie...I'll see you tonight." He kissed her dark brown hair and walked away.
That afternoon she came in her home dreamily.
"Got any plans for tonight Brit?" Her father said.
"Ummm.I kinda have a date with Tommy. Is that okay?"
"Normally, I'd say 'yes' but tonight is an important one for you. I need you to stay here. Call him and cancel, please."
"Alright." Brittany pouted and headed for her room. She shut the door and didn't pick up the phone. She instead grabbed her walkman and her journal out from underneath her bed and began writing.
Later, she looked at her clock. It was 5:45pm. Time for her to get ready. She grabbed jeans and a button-down shirt and changed. She opened her window and hopped on the roof. She climbed down the old tree that grew by her window and ran the opposite direction of the living room window. She saw Tommy's headlights and he pulled up to her.
"Let's go." He squealed his tires and they were off.
The scenery whizzed by. They chased the setting sun all the way there.
"It's beautiful." Brittany commented on the setting sun.
"So are you." Tommy sweetly said. (DC57: When haven't we heard that? I'll try to stop interrupting but sometimes it's hard to resist.)
The top of the sun faded on the horizon just as Tommy pulled Brittany close. They wrapped their arms around each other. Their lips met tightly. Tommy hands moved down Brit's figure and stopped at the small of her back. Brittany's eyes opened slightly at his action. The hand snuck under her blouse and started rubbing her skin. Her eyes grew wider and she tried to pull away. He only held tighter.
The motion stopped and Brittany felt a new sensation. What is he doing? He wasn't moving. His eyes were open and staring back at her. The hand moved slightly and the weird sensation came again. A prickling feeling ran down Brittany's back. He pushed away.
"What's going on, Brit?" He said. She saw fear in his eyes.
"What do you mean? What's wrong?" She asked.
Her hands felt hot. And her fingertips felt like each one would explode. She looked down. Her fingernails were black and growing. They grew into a little curve. Brittany became fearful and made a noise that resembled a canine's whimper. The prickling sensation spread across her body and it felt like someone was tugging her ears. Tommy's eyes grew wide with terror and he leaned against the car, never taking his eyes off of her.
"I-I need to go." Brittany ran. Her cross-country speed kicked in and so did her changing muscles. She cut through the woods. More of the awkward sensation spread throughout her body. She didn't look at herself. Brittany was blinded by her tears and the various branches hitting her.
A friendly light from the kitchen window was her focus. She burst through the door and slammed it behind her.
Brittany leaned her back against in and slid down to the floor. Everything ached. She moaned and it sounded weird. Her face was changing. She looked down at her clawed hands. A layer of dark red-brown fur had covered her arms and legs. She made her whine noise again.
Her mother, father and younger brother had all heard the commotion and ran to see what was going on.
"What !" Her mother cried.
"It's alright. We knew it would happen." Her father said trying to keep his wife calm. "Adam, please, go to your room until it's over."
"I want to see what happens!" The 14 year-old whined.
"Go!" He yelled. He turned back to Brittany. "Relax. It'll all be over soon, Brittany."
"What's happening to me?" Her muffled response came.
Her face grew out into a muzzle. Her lengthening canines protruded from her lips. The fur spread over her body. Her hands cracked. Her hair fell out of her ponytail. A dark brown spot of fur that pointed between her eyes spread down her back.. Her brown pointed ears moved upwards at the sound of tearing seams. She saw her shoes bulging and her feet feeling cramped. Her clawed feet tore through the material. The brown fur spread down there and there were black pads on the ball of her foot and each of her four toes. Pads formed on the palms of her hands and her fingertips. A golden-sand colored layer of fur started at her neck. She grabbed at Tommy's golden ring that she wore on a golden chain. The fur poked through her button down shirt. Her arm and leg muscles bulged. They broke the material. She whimpered again.
"It's almost over." Her father whispered. Her mother looked at their daughter in shock.
Brittany released an unhuman (DC57: I don't think that's a word but I like it.) growl. She doubled over as her muscles contorted around her limbs. Tears spilled over here wild green eyes. They dripped off her muzzle that was in a fixed snarl. Her muscles bunched up again. Her legs ripped the seams up to her knees. Her shirt became sleeveless. Her back stretched the fabric and it finally broke. She brought one human-paw up to cover herself with the remaining material. Brittany's back muscles slithered and rippled downward. A brown bushy tail burst from her pants and ripped her jeans completely.
Brittany heaved and vomited her lunch. She struggled to breathe and rasped heavily. She reopened her strange eyes. She rested on her one arm holding herself up. Her kitchen was spinning. Everything was blurry and her hearing didn't function. Her mother approached her with soundless footsteps and her father mouthed some meaningless words.
A steady rhythm of panting started in her chest. She was so hot. Her body ached. Brittany was so light-headed. She stared at her parents blankly. She couldn't hear them. Her father placed a hand on her furry shoulder. She looked at him tiredly and slid down on to the cool kitchen floor. She put her hand-paws out in front of her and rested her head on her arms. Brittany sighed and closed her eyes. Two different hands rubbed the top of her head in between her relaxing, pointed ears. She fell into a deep sleep.
"She's lived through it. She is a strong young woman." Her father rubbed her head gently.
"We have to tell her now..That neither she or us ourselves are human. Adam knew before her. Did we let her endure this pain by herself? Was she tormented by something neither she or we could control?" Her mother contemplated.
"She would have said something. This just approached her like a hunting animal. Silently and suddenly."
* * * * *
Brittany cringed. She groaned, turned over and yanked the bed sheets over her body. She opened her eyes to click at the digital clock. It read ten thirty AM. She groaned and pulled herself out of bed. I'm so late for didn't Mom get me up? She went into her bathroom and looked into the mirror. Brittany yelped.
"Brittany? Are you alright?" Her mother opened the bathroom door and poked her head inside.
Brittany was holding her bleeding hand-paw. Tears streaked down her fur. Her jaws were clenched tightly together. Little bits of the mirror were everywhere. They were embedded in her exposed flesh. Others hung loosely to other bits of fur and some laid on the carpet. A crash sounded another large chunk of mirror that landed on the sink below it.
"What's wrong?" Her mother asked.
"Look at me!" Brittany blurted out. "I'm a freak. A monster! Don't tell me you didn't notice the fur covering my body or the tail! How can you ask me that?" Her dark brown hackles rose.
"This is natural for you, sweetie." Her mother soothingly said. She knelt down to Brittany.
"Natural of what? This isn't human!" Brittany pulled back from her mother.
" , Brit, your father and I have something to tell you. You're not exactly 'll explain it to you, but let me look at your hand first." She gently pulled Brittany's paw towards her. She massaged it gently and began chanting something in a whisper. Brittany couldn't understand what her mother was saying or doing.
Her mother brought the wounded hand up to her face. Her eyes remained closed and she blew air onto the hand. The air that exited her mother was blue and wispy. It swirled around the still bleeding tissues and entered them. The flesh slowly began to close and the silver mirror shards were pushed out of where they didn't belong.
It stung. Brittany shut her eyes again and cringed. Fresh tears began to pour from her eyes. A faint canine whine escaped her mouth again. Her mother shushed her.
Brittany opened her eyes again to look at her hand. It was fine on the outside. There was a diminishing tingling sensation at the back of her hand. The hands that held her paw were blue. The blue skin was iridescent and changed color slightly under the bathroom light. Brittany's gaze followed the arm upwards. The blue skin stopped at her mother's elbow and it was a normal flesh color from there.
Brittany looked straight at her mother's face. Her mother's large orange- black eyes met her gaze. She smiled at her daughter, revealing perfect white teeth in between blue lips. Her mother's ears had lengthened and pointed to the side. They were blue too.
"No one in this house is human, Brittany." Her mother said. "We'll explain it to you." She blinked her eyes tightly together and they were their normal color of sky blue. The blue skin dissipated back to its normal color.
Her mother stood up and pulled at jeans to straighten them out. "C'mon. Let's go talk with your father."
Brittany followed her out of the bathroom at a distance. Her mother sat down in the Buddha's seat at one end of Brittany's room. Her father came in and stood by his wife. Brittany sat down on her bed and brought her knees up to her chest. Her tail curled around her ankles and her ears laid low like she was getting punished. Brittany looked from her mother to her father who seemed especially uneasy about the whole subject.
"Brit, we human." Her father started.
Duh.I think that I know that by now. She thought to herself.
"I am. .a warlock." He stuttered. He began to rub the back of his neck. He always did that when he was nervous. "Here.I'll show you." Her father stood up straight and waved his hand over one of Brittany's stuffed animals. He said something in a different foreign language and it began to levitate and dance about. He waved his hand again and it dropped lifelessly on the floor. Her father's hand went back to rubbing his neck and he looked down at the floor and then to his wife.
Brittany's mother looked up at him and then looked at Brittany. "Brittany, I know you saw some of what I truly look like. I'm a blue nymph.I have magic too, just over nature. Do you understand?"
"Yeah.I guess.I mean how did this happen though? Why am I like this?" Brittany asked.
"Well, we are obviously two different species. When we produce sometimes gets mixed up." Her mother tried to explain.
"Then why." Brittany started.
"Well, it's kind of see, a warlock is a being with magic that grows over time. The same goes for witches, wizards, mages and sages. They, if they are powerful enough, have the power to make magical beings, like me. The magic bends to their will and it is usually controllable. Are you following me, Brit?" Her mother asked her.
" .Made you?" Brittany asked still confused.
"No. I meant back then. My kind was created by magic users, but we reproduce regularly. Species like mine, elves, nymphs, faeries, mermaids and other such human-related species were created by using magic. Mainly humans a long time ago that experimented in the magic values of nature had accidentally changed themselves into the parents of species of Nature. We are a mix between humans and nature combined. That's why we can retain a human-like appearance sometimes. Do you understand now?" She asked Brittany.
Brittany nodded.
"Now, there are evil-related things that cruel magicians created too. Vampires, imps and other such monstrosities were created also by manipulating humans. They too walk amongst us. Humans and other beings are about equal in population. It is just lesser known to the humans. I hope you are understanding this okay."
"I think I understand, but am I one of those monstrosities you were talking about?" Brittany asked worriedly.
Her mother sighed. "I don't know, and neither does your father. Your case is a rare one indeed. You see, magic users and magical beings are hardly coupled. Even then, offspring are either one or the sometimes just turn out to be human. When I was giving birth to you, Brittany, you were born on a full moon with a halo around it. A friend of ours was the doctor and he spoke of the legend that lycanthropes are always born on a full moon with a halo. We didn't believe it because it is a natural occurrence and it happens often."
"So then, how did you know?" Brittany asked.
Her mother sighed again. "You were too young to test your blood after you were born..So do you remember your most recent trip to the doctor where he took blood? That was the same doctor that helped give birth to you. He had some scientific research on lycans, but just enough to tell us whether or not you were one. They may run in packs, but the lycans are very secretive. We even tried to contact a few to help us, but they never returned our letters, phone calls, or e-mails. He can back to us about a week ago with the results that you were indeed a lycan. We didn't want to tell you then because you were involved with Tom, and we didn't want you behaving strangely around him. He said eighteen-year-old and some seventeen-year-old lycans. We knew your first change would happen soon. He also warned us that eighteen and seventeen-year-old lycans are the most killed because they go rabid and escape and are most likely shot or hit. We didn't want any of that to happened and that's why we tried to keep you home. Apparently, that didn't happen." Her mother finished sternly.
Brittany winced and her tail definitely went between her legs then.
"How far did it go with Tom anyways?" Her father asked.
Brittany shrugged. "He just took me to see the sunset at the Vacant Lot. He kissed me after it was over, and that's when the fur started. I ran all the way here. He felt it though so he knows there's something going on." Brittany looked away. "I'm sorry."
"We should have said something more to you about , it's over now. Now we just have to figure out what to do about it now." Her father said.
Brittany nodded. She then doubled over and fell off the end of her bed holding her stomach in obvious pain. She heard her bones cracking again. The pain in her hand returned. She strained to see what was happening. Patches of her human skin began peek through. The fur was dissipating back into her body.
The de-transformation was more a feeling of relief than pain. It did have its discomforts, though. Her tail shrank and her spine shortened back. Her ears moved to the sides of her head and her muzzle pushed back into her face.
Brittany opened her eyes fully after it was over. "Well, that was weird." She stretched her human muscles and looked her body over. Aside from the obvious hole in her pants, everything was in order.
Her parents looked at her. "How do you feel?" Her mother asked.
"Fine really. Normal I guess. Does this mean I can still go to school tomorrow?" Brittany asked.
"I , it's straight home afterwards for a while. Until you can get a grasp upon yourself. It would be safer for you." Her father reasoned.
"Alright." Brittany agreed. "I'm going to get into the shower and change my clothes if you guys don't mind. Then I'll come down for breakfast. I'm starving." Her father made a thinking noise when she made this statement. Brittany's mother pushed him out the door. "We'll see you downstairs, Brit."
* * * * *
Brittany went to school the following morning. She wasn't sure whether or not to avoid her boyfriend or to search him out. She also noticed her senses were heightened. Smells and noises her a lot sharper and distinguished.
Brittany made it through half of the day successfully without running into her boyfriend. She was mildly happy.
Her Literature class was a different story. (DC57: I HATE my Literature class so that's why this is in here. :-P) She got situated at her desk after the bell rang. A pounding headache raged in her temples. Her vision blurred again. Sweat beaded at her forehead. The teacher asked if she was all right. Brittany responded, "Fine." A second later, she stumbled out of her desk and ran for the bathroom. She was grateful it was vacant.
The vomiting feeling returned in the pit of her stomach. She groped about for the porcelain pot. The room swirled about her. A crack in her spine signaled that she was changing again. .Her body bunched up like an accordion. Her face was being pulled out again and her fangs were bared in a snarl. Brittany's pointed ears heard the telltale squeak of the door hinges being opened. The plodding of clunky shoes echoed.
Brittany was frozen in place. She couldn't get her changing muscles to work the way she wanted them.
"Hello? Is anybody in here?" The voice asked.
Brittany tried to tell the other girl to leave. Get me alone! All that sounded was a snarl with some human qualities.
"Brittany? That you?" The figure knelt over Brittany's monstrous body. Her vision could only pick out that the girl wore black and was very pale. The other girl jumped back as Brittany's tail revealed itself.
The change was almost over. Brittany felt it. She could still hear and see unlike last time. She tried to lift up her huge body and stand. The remnants of another pair of shoes hung loosely about her dog-feet. Brittany stood and stumbled from the lack of coordination. She sat back down on her haunches. Her pink tongue hung out and panted. Her sight lolled about. She ran across shreds of clothing and then to her own body. This pair of jeans still clung to her thighs and around her waist. The shirt was made into a tank top. Her vision cleared a little. She looked up into the face of her visitor.
The other girl hadn't left. She just sat there on the floor gawking at Brittany. She was so pale. The black eyeliner made her amber eyes stand out. She looked familiar to Brittany. She couldn't place her name. Brittany locked her green eyes on her. The other girl's expression softened and she smiled. Two prominent fangs glinted in the girl's mouth.