the girl who cried wolf|Wattys 2015

the girl who cried wolf: twelve

twelve: got a secret, can you keep it?

"What do you mean, my parents are here?" Any sudden movement made my head swim and so I tried my hardest not to move.

"Exactly what I said. Stay here." Mason stated for the door but I was already climbing out of bed. Did he seriously expect me to sit here while he and his family lied to my parents? They wouldn't leave without me and I couldn't allow this lying to go on any further. Sneaking around wouldn't help any of us. And a part of me just wanted to see Marcus, to assess his feelings and get the reasoning behind why he bought my parents here. Surely it wasn't for their benefit, or my own.

"I'm coming with," I said as I pulled the cover off. I could already hear my father's voice. I'd never heard him raise his voice at me or Mom, so to hear the sound of his voice fill the home was enough to make me worried.

"All we want is our daughter."

Mason's hand was at my elbow, holding me tight and secure to keep me from falling. I'd realized that I wasn't in my own clothes but a set of pajamas.

"My clothes?" Mason's cheeks were red and he looked everywhere but in my eyes.

"You were naked when you came here." Right. Those made me feel so much better, knowing that Mason saw me naked.

"Analise brought you in." He quickly said as though reading my mind. Using Mason for support, I walked alongside him out of the room and into the front. I'd begun sweating furiously at the thought of facing my parents. I didn't know what to say, I had no time to figure out how to confront them o the issue that I was currently suffering from. How did one explain that they were slowly turning into a beast and that there was no way to stop it? except killing the one curser which inevitably would mean killing the cursed.

One minute I was at Mason's side and the next I was swept up into my parents' arms, swallowed by my mother's bosom. The feelings that ran through my body were of relief and uneasiness.

"Are you alright hunny?" Mom asked me as I pulled away, her hands pressed against my cheeks and wiping away the tears that she left.

"I'm fine," I mumbled. I could feel the eyes, all sixteen pairs stabbing into me. Around the corner of my mother's side, I could see Marcus, trying to look past me and yet failing. "Then again I'm not."

"What? Have they hurt you?" My father asked.

"No - why would you think that?"

"Well, Lucy, this is the second time you have gone missing and you've turned up with these people."

"These people are my friends." I didn't mean for the words to come out with such force and yet I found myself stumbling back and away from the embrace of my parents. "They're helping me." I whispered.

"With what?" Mom asked. So, Marcus hadn't blabbered to them. I was suddenly concerned as to why he was here. Maybe for understanding and the urge to know that what he saw wasn't a figment of his imagination.

"There's something about me."

I looked to Mason and the others for backup. I could see the fear in their eyes.

"I don't know how to say this without sounding silly or crazy but - I'm not the little girl that you raised any longer. I'm changing quickly by the day and I can't say that I will be just a normal human girl much longer."

"Lucy what are you talking about?" Dad asked. I could feel the words in the back of my throat, wanting to come out and yet I didn't know how to get them out without them sounding silly.

"She's a monster," Marcus finally said and while I was somewhat excited to hear him speak, there was nothing attractive about the words that came out of his mouth.

"Excuse you." Mom was shocked, a bit astonished really and both her and Dad held bemused expressions on their face.

"I didn't know what I was seeing. I'd thought maybe I was just going mad, delusional from fear because of that wolf. But I knew exactly what I was seeing. You daughter turned into a wolf - this beast in front of my eyes."

Mom started to laugh. "That's just silly talk. Really. I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure that this is all just a result of -"

"No." I swallowed deeply. 'He's right. When I was bitten, when I was ten and bitten by that wolf he released something inside of me. something that changed me. I am a werewolf."

"Lucy stop being silly," Dad said.

"I'm not-"

"Lucy. Stop it. it isn't true. I won't allow this to be true."Mom had become erratic and I could hear her throat choking with tears.

"Well it is! Mason, Analise! tell them." I felt alone, so alone and not able to control the situation.

"Show them." Marcus was speaking up again and it was anything but helpful. I could recall what Analise had mentioned about shifting. It was dangerous and volatile. I couldn't put my parents through that risk and danger.

"You aren't helping!" Mason snapped. "So why are you here?"

"Because I can't help what I saw." He answered.

"This is all preposterous. Everyone should calm down."

"Show us." Marcus said again. It was now that I actually took the time to listen to Marcus. He was pleading, hoping he wasn't going insane and it was now that I realized there was something in him hurting. I was something else, something confusing and maybe he was trying to figure that all out.

"Okay." I found myself saying.

"Lucy." I looked over my shoulder to find Analise's look of disapproval. "This isn't a good idea." She said to me.

"They have to know. They have to believe me." If this was the only way, then so be it.