December 20 | Friday #9
“No. Not for me. The sensation during the change varies from person to person. For me, it feels… strange, but the end result is liberating.”
“So you could change right now?”
“Yes.”
Will pictured himself standing across from Liam in his furry form (though he had no idea what that actually looked like) and felt uneasy.
“And… after you change… are you in complete control?”
“Yes. In a way. I don’t think the same way I do in this form. My instincts take over. But I’m conscious.”
“So if you did change, you wouldn’t eat me alive?”
Liam tilted his head, studying Will intently.
“Depends,” he finally replied after a deeply unsettling silence.
“On what?”
Liam leaned in, and with a wide grin, he asked, “Are you tasty?”
Will smiled back. He thought he was starting to get Liam’s sense of humor.
“So… alphas, betas, all that stuff…” he began, and Liam snorted with laughter. “Come on! I’ve seen a few movies, and I wanted to know if it’s true.”
“That kind of division doesn’t exist in nature.
That’s behavior wolves exhibit in captivity.
They fight for dominance, try to control the others.
Under normal circumstances, wolves prefer teamwork.
They live in packs, take care of their family, and value loyalty.
It’s similar with werewolves. Or it was.
The world is different now. There’s no need to stick to small groups. ”
“Judging by your friendship with Blake, I’m guessing the whole vampire-werewolf conflict is bullshit too?”
“It’s a bit complicated. There’s no real conflict, but both werewolves and vampires like to blame each other for mistakes of the past. I don’t give a shit about any of that.”
“So no alphas, no anti-vampire movements, and no uncontrolled transformations,” Will summarized, pleased with all these findings.
“That last one isn’t entirely true,” Liam corrected him, once again filling Will with unease.
“I told you I can change when I want to and that I’m conscious when I do, but there are exceptions.
Some try to reject their own nature. Live like normal people and never change.
That has zero chance of success. The transformation will happen on its own sooner or later, and usually at the worst possible moment.
That’s when the animal nature becomes so strong it eclipses consciousness.
It’s similar in situations where we’re driven by strong emotions. ”
“So you transform when you get angry?”
Liam chuckled.
“I haven’t had an uncontrolled transformation since I was about thirteen.
But the answer is: in a way, yes. But your idea of anger is getting an F in math.
I’m talking about more overwhelming feelings.
Something that’s hard to cope with. Other than cases like that, we can feel the beast inside us stirring and we know how to suppress it.
It’s the same with Blake, by the way. And Norma.
And you. The only difference is my beast is literal, and yours…
Well, yours is the magic you still haven’t mastered. ”
“How do you know I haven’t mastered them?” Will asked defensively.
Liam gestured with his phone.
“Because about five minutes ago, you completely drained my battery, and it was almost full.”
“Oh my God,” Will said, horrified. “I’m so sorry. I have no idea how that happened.”
“It’s fine.” Liam didn’t seem to hold it against him. “You’ll get a handle on it sooner or later.”
“I hope it’s sooner, because my roommate has given up on logical explanations and is starting to think our place is haunted.”
Liam started laughing, but the mention of Danny made Will feel bad all over again. He really should have handled that better.
“Should we head in?” Liam suggested.
“Sure.”
A moment later, they were inside Norma’s house, and Will was hit by a shock. There were so many people around, he could barely get his bearings. Were they all…?
“Hey, Will,” he heard a familiar voice say, and he spotted Oscar smiling at him.
“H-Hey,” Will replied weakly.
He glanced around nervously, and spotting Norma in the crowd, he quickly pushed his way through to pull her aside.
“What’s up, Will?” she asked casually.
“Who exactly is Oscar?” Will blurted out, glancing over at Oscar, who seemed confused by his sudden departure.
“Our classmate?” Norma replied with a condescending lift of her eyebrow.
“I know that. I’m asking… what is he?”
Norma blinked.
“The answer’s still the same.”
“So he’s not a vampire or…?”
Norma started laughing.
“So you invited normal people, too?”
“What, you thought I organized a party for freaks? Seriously? I invite everyone I like to my parties. And Oscar’s cool. And I think he has a thing for you, so have fun. Ciao!”
Before Will could ask anything else, Norma snagged some guy and was dancing in his arms a moment later.
Will let out a heavy sigh. If he’d known this was what it would be like, he would have brought Danny. He didn’t need to lie.
Not quite sure what to do with himself, he walked over to one of the tables to pour himself some punch.
That’s when he saw Blake, who was shooing away some girl, looking exceptionally irritated.
Was he dressed as… a vampire? He was wearing a black cape with a high collar.
And he had fake blood smeared on his face and neck.
At least, Will hoped it was fake.
“Very… creative costume,” he remarked as Blake walked past him.
Alden gave him a look full of disdain and, without a word, kept walking, only to be promptly accosted by another unfortunate victim of his vampiric charm.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Will flinched, then turned his gaze to Oscar, who was standing beside him.
“I didn’t expect to see you, either.”
“Hm?”
“It’s nothing,” Will muttered evasively, feeling increasingly disappointed. He had imagined this evening differently.
“I was talking to Dan today. He said something weird.”
Oh no…
“Like we were supposed to hang out or something. Did he mean this party?”
“I think he got mixed up,” Will answered evasively, not looking at him.
“Ah. I see.”
God. He was so sick of lying.
“Honestly, Norma invited me. I thought Danny was going to be busy tonight, so I agreed to come, but something fell through and he ended up staying home. When I told him I had plans, he… sort of… assumed I’d be with you, so…
” Will cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks burn with embarrassment. “I just kind of confirmed it.”
“Oh. I had no idea.”
“Yeah. I know.”
Awkward. So damn awkward.
“I didn’t want to lie to him.”
“So maybe we should actually hang out.”
Will looked at him, shocked.
“Make up for tonight,” Oscar explained with a smile. “Then it’ll turn out you didn’t lie.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works.”
“Then you only lied a little. How about a movie?”
Will couldn’t suppress the smile creeping onto his lips.
“Sure,” he replied happily. “I’d love to.”
“I love this song,” Oscar said as the next track started playing.
It sounded vaguely familiar. “What was the title…? I have a terrible memory for these things. Ah! Nocturne!” he announced suddenly, and Will let out a quiet groan.
Right. He recognized that unbearable racket now. “That’s your favorite, isn’t it?”
“Uh… Sure,” Will said slowly, deciding there was no point in getting Oscar up to speed on his controversial opinion of the song.
“Want to dance?”
“Definitely.”
And so they danced. Not just for one song, but for so many that at some point Will lost count.
The distance between them quickly shrank to zero, and Will stopped regretting his decision to come.
Oscar was so close… Hot, sexy, with that beautiful, charming smile of his…
Will wished Oscar’s hands, resting on his hips, would dare to wander elsewhere…
Oscar seemed to be thinking the same thing, because as people gradually started to leave, he made it clear he wanted to leave with Will.
But that’s when Norma pulled a daydreaming Will aside and whispered in his ear that he should stay longer.
So he stayed—in the end, in the company of Norma, Liam, and Blake.
“Abby didn’t come?” Will asked. He hadn’t noticed earlier.
“She doesn’t like parties. She doesn’t like much of anything, really,” Norma stated with a shrug.
“Get to the point,” Blake said coldly, looking impatient.
“Right. Here’s the deal. Our newbie here…” Norma put an arm around Will. “…really has no one to turn to. So we need to show him some support, okay?”
“Cool,” Liam replied, and for him, the topic was clearly closed.
“Is that why you told me to come here? You said it was important,” Blake scoffed. “You must have lost your mind.”
“I didn’t tell you to do anything, Blake, I just invited you,” Norma reminded him condescendingly. “But if you like being ordered around, I can think of something,” she added suggestively, and Blake sent her a scandalized look. “Be nice, okay? Will needs someone he can talk to.”
“I have no intention of talking to him,” Blake fumed. “I’m busy.”
“Yes, yes, horribly busy being an unavailable asshole, I know, Blake, I know.” Norma was using the tone one might use with a toddler. Alden’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “But since you’re both here… Will wants to ask a few questions.”
This was apparently his cue to speak, because they were all looking at him expectantly.
“Liam told me about werewolves,” Will said timidly. “And witches seem pretty straightforward, so… I’d like to know something about vampires.”
“Something about vampires,” Blake repeated sourly. “What an eloquent specimen.”
“Don’t worry, he won’t bite you,” Norma reassured Will with a grin.
“Don’t even disgust me with the thought!” Alden snapped.
“Since Blake is being as helpful as ever, I’ll explain,” Norma offered. “Vampires feed on blood, yes. Not exclusively, but mostly. Over the centuries, they’ve built a reputation as predators, but in most civilized countries, they haven’t hunted humans for a long time. They drink synthetic blood.”
Synthetic blood… Will’s attention momentarily focused on Alden’s costume. Surely they weren’t talking about that?