December 20 | Friday #8
Norma was silent for a long moment, then replied gently, “Okay.” Will raised an eyebrow.
He had expected to start a fight. Or for Norma to just blow him off.
“I get it. Like you said, everyone has to handle this stuff on their own, but you’re right, we should have handled it better.
Each of us had support during our Awakening.
My aunt is a witch. My mom was fully aware of it, so when weird things started happening to me, she knew who to call.
It was the same with Abby. Blake… well, that’s pretty obvious. ”
“Obvious,” Will repeated sarcastically.
“Oh. Right,” Norma said, as if only now realizing that nothing was obvious to Will. “Vampires have vampire parents, right? Or a parent. So Blake knew from the very beginning.”
“So he wasn’t turned?”
“No. Vampires can’t turn anyone. They’re just a different species. They’re faster and stronger than humans. And ageless. Plus, they have more sensitive senses and they release these… equivalents of pheromones or something.”
“What?”
“Well, if you think all those girls are chasing after Blake because of his killer cheekbones and silky hair, you’re in for a bit of a disappointment. Vampires have… something you could call a natural allure. It affects some people very intensely. Just an evolutionary mechanism to lure in prey.”
“So it’s a tactic to get food?” Will asked, frowning.
“It’s not a tactic; he has no control over it. Modern vampires don’t feed like their ancestors did. They don’t have to. Besides, you shouldn’t be talking to me about this.”
Will was silent for a moment, mulling over what he’d heard, then asked, “What about Liam? He wasn’t turned either?”
“Nope. He’s also a member of a different species,” Norma explained calmly.
“But while the vampire gene is dominant, with werewolves, it’s more complex.
It’s actually similar to witches. It manifests in some, but not in others.
Liam has three brothers, and only one of them likes to howl at the moon. ”
Will didn’t answer. Throughout the conversation, he tried to fight the feeling of absurdity that accompanied him whenever he thought about such topics.
“My point is, we all had support,” Norma continued. “And it sucks that you don’t. So I’m thinking… Yes,” she said suddenly, smiling broadly. “Yes, that’s a great idea.”
“What is?”
“I’ve just decided to throw a spooky party, just in time for Halloween. You in?”
“You just decided?”
“That’s what I said. I have the house to myself. It’ll be interesting.”
“But that’s in two days.”
“And?” Norma didn’t seem concerned. “It’s my party. There’ll be plenty of guests, for sure.”
They exchanged numbers. Will promised he would come, and Norma said she would text him the address and time once she figured out the details.
The rest of Will’s classes passed in relative peace, and although the conversation with Norma hadn’t changed anything in practice, he felt much better.
He got home a little after three. Danny ambushed him at the door.
“Werewolves or vampires?” he asked in a tone that suggested the fate of the universe depended on his friend’s answer.
Will turned pale.
“What?”
“For Halloween,” Danny explained. “We can either watch The Last Fang or Bloody Feast. And I need to know now because I plan to dress accordingly. You have to, as well,” he added seriously. “We might be staying in, but Halloween is Halloween, right?”
“I thought you were working.”
“Hm? Oh, that job at the haunted house? It fell through. The guy I was supposed to cover for is coming in after all. So, what’ll it be?”
Will didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to be a dick and ditch his friend for a party, but this wasn’t just any party. He had made it clear that he wanted to meet people like him. He couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this. But what was he going to tell Danny?
“Actually… I have other plans.”
“Holy shit. Did Oscar finally ask you out?”
Will hated lying. He really hated it, but in this situation, he decided it would be easier.
“Yeah,” he confirmed, managing a smile.
“Awesome!” Dan cheered. “Why didn’t you say so sooner?”
Will shrugged weakly.
“You’ve been so mysterious lately,” Danny complained. “Anyway, congrats! Though I’m warning you, when I’m finally the only single person under this roof, I think I’ll start to hate you.”
Will started to laugh.
“Oh, Danny,” he said after a moment. “About the movie…”
“Hm?”
“Go with the werewolves. Vampires are assholes.”
October 31 | Thursday
Will checked his reflection in the mirror.
After debating for a moment whether his eye makeup was uneven or if he was just imagining it, Will decided it wasn’t that important.
He brushed stray strands of hair from his face and hitched up his leather pants.
The outfit included a matching leather jacket and a T-shirt, but he couldn’t find any shoes that worked, so he had to settle on black sneakers.
He had no idea if Norma’s party was a costume party or not, so he figured this outfit was the perfect compromise.
On one hand, he looked like a very cheap version of Blade from Archangels.
On the other, he could always claim it was just his style, to get into the spirit of things. Nothing too over the top.
He went down to the living room. Danny was on the couch, watching some show.
“So? How do I look? Is it too much?”
“Great.”
Dan had been off all day. Will figured he was still mad about being left alone.
“What did you decide to watch?”
“Both. I’ll have plenty of time.”
Will bit his lip, uncertain.
“Is everything okay?” he asked after a moment of hesitation.
Dan gave him a cold look.
“You tell me.”
Will stared back, confused.
“You realize I have math with Oscar, right?” Danny said, and Will immediately understood where Dan was going with this.
And he felt awful. “So today, I thought I’d be funny and went up to him and asked about your plans together.
He was shocked. Had no idea what I was talking about. But I guess you know that.”
Will stayed silent, a wave of panic washing over him. He tried to think of something on the spot, but he really wasn’t a good liar. And lying to Danny was especially hard. Nothing like this had ever happened between them before. Dan knew practically everything about him.
“So where are you really going?” Dan asked curtly, eyeing his roommate. “Or should I not ask and just pretend you didn’t lie to my face?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like?”
“Norma’s throwing a party tonight. She invited me. It was awkward to say no and…”
“…and you decided to lie to your best friend,” Dan finished, his voice laced with hurt. “I get it. No, actually, I don’t. I can imagine a party at Norma’s is more exciting than sitting at home with boring Dan…”
“Danny…”
“…but why couldn’t you just tell me?”
“Because I felt stupid! She only invited me. I didn’t want you to feel…”
“…like you’re blowing me off for your new friends?”
“I’m telling you, it’s not like that! I said yes before you told me you’d be home. I didn’t want to back out of it later.”
“Wouldn’t have been hard. You could have just lied. You seem to enjoy doing that.”
“Danny…”
“You know what?” Dan hissed, piercing him with a resentful glare. “I don’t get you at all lately. Go to your damn party, because I really don’t want to look at you right now.”
“Danny, listen…”
“I’m serious, Will. Go.”
Will hesitated, but ultimately did as he was told.
He knew Dan, and he knew that any further discussion would have inevitably led to a fight, which he wanted to avoid.
It was better to let him cool off. Will needed a break, too.
He was wracked with guilt, but this party was important to him.
He just wished he’d found a better way to explain the situation to Dan.
*
Norma lived almost at the very edge of town, near the Black Forest. Will took the bus most of the way, but he still had a sizable walk from the stop. By the time he arrived, music was already spilling out of the house.
The first person he saw was Liam, who was standing by the gate, leaning his elbow on a fence decorated with plastic pumpkins.
He was holding a phone in one hand, probably texting.
In the other, he had a bottle of beer, from which he took a long swig without looking up from the screen.
He was in his usual getup: a gray hoodie and loose, navy blue pants.
Apparently, he wasn’t feeling the holiday spirit.
“Hey,” Will said, because he felt he should. After all, Liam wasn’t ignoring him. Unlike Blake.
“Hey,” Liam replied, glancing at him briefly.
Will started to walk on, but after a few steps, he turned back. He stopped in front of Liam and asked, “Do you think you should be drinking out here?”
“What are you, a cop?”
“No, but one could be. That’s why I’m suggesting you do it inside.”
Only then did Liam focus his full attention on him.
“The drinking age in Black Hollow is eighteen.”
“You’re not eighteen.”
“I am,” Liam assured him. Will raised an eyebrow, making it clear he didn’t quite believe him. “Want to see my ID?”
“Are you saying you were held back?”
“My… changes started when I was thirteen,” Liam explained calmly. “Let’s just say getting a handle on everything cost me a year of my life.”
Will felt stupid. He thought of Dan again—like Liam, he was already of legal age because he’d failed a year at his old school. It was no reason to poke fun.
For a moment, they stood beside each other in an exceptionally awkward silence before Will decided to blurt out, “It’s not a full moon tonight, is it?”
Liam smiled faintly.
“The phases of the moon mainly affect the flow of power. Witches and warlocks feel it the most. For us, it doesn’t have any effect.”
“So when do you change?” Will pressed, not hiding his curiosity. This newfound paranormal world terrified him, but at the same time, he wanted to know as much about it as possible.
“Whenever I want to.”
“Is it… painful?”