Mrs. Devereaux took a hair tie from her wrist and tied her hair up while MacKayla got off the phone and turned her attention to me. I was getting a big gulp of orange juice from a coffee mug.

  “So, Ericka,” Mrs. Devereaux said. “If you have nothing to do today, MacKayla and I are going to the mall. We’re going to do some shopping and get our nails done. Would you like to join us?”

  “Yeah, Ericka, come with us,” MacKayla chimed in. “It’ll be so fun with us three going. What do you say?”

  It took me a second to remember Derek and him asking me out for bowling.

  “That sounds amazing, Mrs. Devereaux. But I woke up this morning to a text message from my friend Derek asking me if I wanted to go bowling.”

  MacKayla and her mom shared a look of amusement before turning their heads to me. I immediately knew what path they were taking.

  “So, are you guys officially dating?” MacKayla asked.

  “No, no, no. Don’t get any funny ideas. We’re just friends. I specifically told him we’re just friends and that I’m not ready for a relationship with where I’m at in my life. This is nothing more than hanging out. It’s not a date, by any means necessary.”

  MacKayla responded by forming an expression on her face that I could best describe in my mind as a "Really?" type of expression.

  “I don’t believe you,” she then said.

  “I’m serious. We’re not dating!”

  “MacKayla. Don’t antagonize your friend.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Devereaux. But you’ve given me a tough choice. Should I go with you guys or Derek? I mean, I might as well go with you so MacKayla here doesn’t think I’m going on a date.”

  “Nonsense,” Mrs. Devereaux said with a slight frown on her face. “It sounds like this boy is trying to give you a good time. You should go with him. There’ll be plenty more opportunities for us girls to hang out in the future. Besides, boys and girls can hang out without it being a date.”

  MacKayla parted her lips and rolled her eyes in response to what her mother directed at her.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, Ericka,” MacKayla then said. “Sorry for teasing you earlier. But it sounds like Derek is trying to make you happy. You need that. So, mom is right. We’ll just do it another time. Go and have fun bowling and wipe the floor with him because you’re a natural at it.”

  I chuckled at my friend’s suggestion and nodded.

  “Okay. I’ll text him right now.”

  I got my phone out and shot a message to Derek.

  Ericka: Hey, Derek. It looks like we’re on for bowling. Can’t wait to wipe the floor with you.

  I immediately saw that Derek read my message and he was already typing up his reply. My phone made a small buzz and I saw his new message.

  Derek: Yes! You're so on! I can’t wait. How does 7 sound?

  Ericka: Sounds good. See you then.

  I put my phone away and finished eating breakfast. If I was going to beat another pro in a game like mine, I needed to fuel up and get my energy and game on. The grilled cheese was a bonus energy boost for my stomach, too, which I made sure to wolf down after I ate everything on the tray.

  Derek and I went to a bowling alley not far from where I lived called the Spares-N-Strikes Center. Once Derek and I stepped foot inside the place, I saw families, friends, and couples playing while others were getting ready to play and putting their shoes on. The smell of chili cheese fries, French fries, chicken tenders, and hotdogs curled inside my nose, which activated my taste buds to unleash a lake of mouth water.

  I took my mind off the food, though, seeing it as a distraction. I had to be on top of my game and focused on beating Derek. I didn’t want to underestimate my opponent, not knowing how good or bad he was. I just had to see for myself.

  “So, what do you say we play just one game?” Derek asked.

  “Whatever floats your boat. Just know that I’m going to wipe these lanes with you when I’m done.”

  Derek gave out a hearty laugh from his diaphragm and turned back to me.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  We went to a lane in the middle of the ten lanes inside the bowling center. I saw Derek put on some monster grip bowling gloves, and they looked like the same ones I had. Derek looked at me in amazement when he saw me put my gloves on.

  “So, it appears that we’re alike in so many ways,” he quipped.

  “I guess we are.”

  Derek made a small chuckle and went first. He grabbed a large, orange bowling ball and rolled it towards the pins. Derek hit all the pins and got a strike, seeing how good he was. He turned back to me with the biggest smile on his face and pumped his fist while I shook my head at his early and premature boast.

  “Your turn, my lady,” he said as he walked up to me.

  “I’ll turn that smile upside down.”

  I walked up to the bowling ball rack and grabbed a medium-sized blue ball. I rolled the ball towards the pins and managed to strike only six pins. I could imagine in my head that Derek was cheesing like a little kid at the early advantage he had, but at least I managed to get a spare in the next frame.

  The smile on Derek’s face when I turned around was pretty much as I imagined it. The corners of his lips almost reached up to his ears as I shook my head when my eyes met his.

  “It’s the beginning of the game. I’m always rusty at the beginning of the game. Give me time and I’ll beat you.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Excuses.”

  I playfully pushed Derek on his right arm as he went to take his turn. The game was dominated by us seeing how many strikes we could get and who would get the most strikes. The result was me having more strikes than Derek, and I won the game 220 to 200.

  Derek looked at me with a flabbergasted expression on his face and enjoyed the reaction to our cars.

  “Oh my gosh…you are a pro! How could I have underestimated you?”

  “Don’t know. But if it makes you feel better, you are by far the best opponent I’ve ever faced in bowling. No one has ever gotten past 150 with me, let alone 200.”

  Derek nodded and I could tell he was amazed by my skills. The expression of surprise faded away from his dimpled cheeks, and he reached his hand out to me.

  “Good game?”

  “Good game,” I said as I reached my hand out to him.

  “But no, seriously, Ericka. Thanks for letting me hang out with you. It was really fun. To be honest, it wasn’t really about the competition or beating you and you beating me. It was more about spending time with you. So, thanks for letting me see you and hang out with you. It means a lot to me. You have no idea how much you made my night and how happy you made me tonight.”

  I could feel my cheeks blushing and growing rosy by what Derek said. My insides also felt warm and fuzzy.

  “You are so sweet. It was my pleasure. We’ll do it again sometime soon. Thanks to you too, I guess. I had a good time.”

  “I’m glad, and yes, we'll do this again soon.”

  Derek and I stood at our cars, silent and looking around the parking lot with nothing to talk about. The atmosphere between us was so thick it could be sliced like a piece of pie. I could smell small whiffs of his cologne as I didn’t hear much noise from the public outside. It was like time froze just for us, so we can talk and interact more so that we couldn’t waste any more minutes standing in awkward silence.

  “So…” Derek said. “Have your parents ever taken you bowling when you were younger?”

  “A couple of times, but not as often.”

  “Really? So how did you get good at it?”

  “I would come here by myself and play to relieve stress from school and life around me. I would also practice on my best friends and I would beat them.”

  “I see. You were really good; I shouldn’t have underestimated you.”

  “Thanks for realizing that.”

  Derek nodded and smiled at me before we went back to more of the same quiet time earlier.

  “Maybe I should get going,” he said. “It was such a good night hanging out with you, Ericka. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Derek started to walk away from me when I realized I didn’t want our night to end on a pathetic, uncomfortable series of moments between us.

  “Wait!”

  He stopped walking away from me and turned around to look at me.

  “What is it?”

  “There’s something I want to say.”

  Derek took a few steps forward towards me and had a curious look on his face.

  “You have no idea how much I appreciate you being in my life at this point in it. After losing my mom and my aunt, I feel like I’m not lonely because of you. I have someone to turn to for comfort and for a shoulder to lean on. I can’t express to you enough how much you mean to me. You are so sweet and kind.”

  Derek gave a shy grin from his refined cheeks.

  “Thanks. You’re sweet and kind, too. And I’m glad I can be here for you in your time of need.”

  “Mhm. And I just want to say I’m so sorry for all the times I’ve been suspicious of you being the werewolf. You’ve trained me and taught me how to use weapons when I didn’t know who else would. I don’t know how to make it up to you to do that. All I can say is that I’m truly sorry for accusing you of being the wolf and that I’ll make it up to you for all the wonderful training sessions.”

  “You don’t need to, it’s not necessary. I was just helping you so you can fight the shapeshifter.”

  I walked closer to Derek and took his big hands in mine.

  “I want to, Derek. For you. And I feel like saying thank you and showing appreciation isn’t enough. So, I want to do something for you one day.”

  I pulled Derek gently towards me. I wrapped both of my arms around his large back and could feel all the muscles contained beneath his massive skin. He wrapped one arm around my hair and the other around my back. It was like being a baby, comforted in the warmth of a blanket woven in the fabric of love. I liked Derek’s size because I always felt my small body snug and restful in his arms. He knew how to make me feel bliss in my life every time his fingers touched my skin.

  11

  Five days came and went while I sat on eggshells waiting anxiously for the night of a new moon to arrive. I could see glimpses of it through the thick trees of the forest when I was alone, while the smell of the damp, wet earth and the rotten, decayed wood feasted on by the decomposers of the forest welcomed me when it entered my nose.

  I could hear various things in the forest that made my nerves tingle. Small twigs breaking on the ground, the leaves and branches of trees shaking and rustling from the breeze of the night, and the calls of nocturnal birds in the forest all made their way into my ear. I even saw a couple of barred owls gawking at me with their small but soulless, colorless beady eyes. It was as if they were expecting something to happen to me.

  I was alone in the forest, freaking out about every tiny thing because Derek wasn’t here with me. He told me he would meet up with me in the woods to hunt and kill the shapeshifter but so far, he’s been a no-show. Meanwhile, I was over here stewing with anger at him for leaving me alone in this God-forsaken forest, vulnerable to an ambush by the shapeshifter at any time.

  I would think he wasn’t standing me up, that instead, he was hatching some type of plan to catch the shapeshifter off guard and lure it to us so we can kill it tonight. But he should’ve at least had the decency to tell me first instead of going rogue and doing something on his own. Anyways, I wasn’t completely weak and vulnerable.

  I was equipped with daddy’s machete and I gripped it very tight in my hand. I gripped it so tight I could feel my sweat on the handle. I was nervous as hell. That shapeshifter could come out any second and finish me off. I was so nervous that I scared the hell out of myself when I stepped on a small tree branch and snapped it in half. I thought something was near me. I thought it was near me.

  If I wasn’t scared enough by the tree branch snapping, I was sure as hell frightened to death when I heard a large and loud male scream in the forest. My heart started beating at an abnormally fast pace. The scream continued and the more I listened to it, the more I began to panic. It was in the distance and no other male would be in the forest except for…

  “Derek!”

  No answer. He was in trouble and I had to run to him as fast as I could. I heard the scream again and ran in its direction. I determined it was to the north of where I stood in the forest. I ran in the direction of the scream, with every second and nanosecond hoping to the heavens that Derek wasn’t hurt.

  “Derek! I’m coming!”

  “Ericka! Help me!”

  Oh my gosh!

  “I’m coming!”

  He was really in danger. I hoped and prayed to God that he wasn’t hurt as I ran to the sound of his screaming. He let out another scream and, at that moment, I knew I was getting close. I came to a clearing and stood my ground. I waited for Derek to let me know where he was. I wanted him to scream another time so I could determine where he was. The screaming ceased, though. The forest went back to the same silence I heard when I came here.

  I started to feel emotional, and I felt like I was about to cry any second, but I didn’t. My heart was heavy as I tried to catch my breath. I felt the sweat wetting my hair after all the running I did. I couldn’t hear him anymore. What if the shapeshifter killed Derek? What if he’s dead?

  “Derek!”

  I screamed his voice multiple times, just waiting for a response. I wanted to hear his voice again so bad. I would’ve done anything to hear Derek’s voice again. I fell to my knees and tried to gather all my energy. I might have just heard my best friend’s last words. He was helpless as I tried to get to him, but I couldn’t save him. Derek was probably defenseless, without a weapon, as the shapeshifter tore his heart out and ate it in front of his bloody carcass.

  “Ericka?”

  I heard his voice. I got off the ground the second I heard his voice. I gasped when I heard Derek call my name. I turned around and looked at his face. It was him alright. The same guy I met in the cafeteria with spiky brown hair who had bright green eyes that fascinated me the first time I saw them.

  “Derek? Is that you?”

  I walked up towards Derek and saw a worried look on his face. He tried to understand what was wrong with me. It was as if I didn’t hear him screaming for help like ten minutes ago. I looked at him and saw he was completely alright. No blood, no chest cavity. He was intact and still breathing.

  “Is everything alright?”

  I stood about fifteen feet from him with rage and hatred boiling in my eyes. I couldn’t see any of the colors of the forest. Instead, I saw nothing but red.

  “No, everything is not alright! I thought you were in freakin’ danger! You screamed my name and you called for help! I thought you were dead, you asshole! I thought the shapeshifter got to you and ripped your heart out!”

  “I’m sorry but I’m fine. Look at me. I’m alive and fine.”

  “Yeah, I can see that, you moron! Why the hell did you scare me like that? I ran through this forest looking for you and I fell to my knees when I thought you were dead!”

  “I’m so sorry, Ericka. Please.”

  He started to walk towards me and reached his arms out like he was about to hug me. I started to walk backward because I wasn’t in any mood for that shit.

  “We need to find the shapeshifter. Once we find it and kill it, I hope, then we’ll discuss this prank of yours and I’ll decide if I rip your head off or spare your life.”

  Derek put his arms down at that moment and formed a wide smile on his face. It wasn’t a normal smile. I sensed that it was an evil smile of a malicious nature like he waited to do something to me.

  “What’s so damn funny?” I asked Derek with a furious tone rolling off my tongue.

  “We don’t need to find the shapeshifter.”

  I squinted my eyes at Derek, feeling very confused.

  “What? What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I’m right here, darling.”

  Derek peeled his lips back and revealed two rows of prickly teeth on the top and bottom. All the anger left my body and was replaced with horror and shock. I was lured to this clearing by the shapeshifter. It was all just a ploy. The shifter transformed to my appearance and ejected the claws out of its fingers.

  “Ready to have fun?” it said, with my voice.

  “Screw you!”

  The shifter’s smile was gone. It now had a look of anger on its face. I was ready with my machete for its imminent attack.

  “I know what you are. I’m aware of monsters in this world. Your race is one of them. Why did you kill my aunt?”

  The monster looked at my weapon and the look on its face was serious. It knew that it couldn’t mess with me or underestimate me anymore. It knew that it couldn’t mess with me anymore. The shifter shrugged as a start to my response.

  “I was just in the area and was hungry. Your aunt and her guest had these delicious, juicy hearts that I wanted to feast on so bad.”

  My blood steamed and raged as I fumed from the monster’s taunts.

  “Your aunt was so helpless. She didn’t know what she was looking at or who she was looking at, for that matter. When she saw herself in me, you should’ve seen the look on her face. It was priceless. But it wasn’t as gratifying as the look of terror on her face when I sunk my claws into her and ripped her heart out!”

  “Shut your damn mouth!”

  The shapeshifter reverted to its cynical smile and chuckled.

  “I’m going to kill you for what you did to her. I’m going to avenge Aunt Carrie’s death. One way or the other, you will die. Tonight.”

  “How, on earth, will you do that? If you have this knowledge about monsters, you know by now that there’s only one source of information on how to kill all monsters, and no one can find it. Not even us, let alone any humans. And since you know my race, let’s do a little quiz, shall we? Is it true that despite having human appearances, we have a true form of our own?”

 

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