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I'm brilliant at wasting time
So I'm supposed to be doing my GP essay outline, (and perhaps literature p4 essay and history tutorial outline too, but that's another can of worms that I don't want to unleash to the world.) but as usual, got sidetracked. >.> Loooow efficiency. I'm so glad that Friday is a public holiday... can finally catch up on my sleep... but until then, I still need to endure two more days of school..
title: one
universe: glass
type: chapter
pairing: none, as sort yet
notes: eh... this story is supposed to be a spinoff from Sanguine... set in the same universe, with overlapping characters. But the giant epicness of Sanguine means that it's not done yet. So. I'm not that sure how the overlapping characters can be properly explained without messing up the flow. Also, this is written in 1st POV, so there will be things that aren't 'properly explained' because they are not subject to the narrator's knowledge, instead, it follows strictly to the narrator's thought streams, which means that a lot of my own personal voice would come through... heh.
“Why are we here?” this age old question was sighed out by the constant bane of my life. And normally, I would have at least three witty replies to this rhetorical question, which included the appearances of our parents, storks and spaceships. But somehow I found my voice stuck in my throat, unable to formulate sarcastic remarks to answer my sister adequately.
I swallowed reflexively, almost wanting to answer her when my father spoke up, his pale blue eyes glancing into the car mirror to look back at us, focusing more on her. “I told you, Juliet, my company decided to transfer me over to the New Hampshire branch officially since their workers are obviously too incompetent. Stop complaining about the move already.”
I could see that she wanted to say more in reply to this answer, most likely words that would make my father’s ears turn red, but a warning glance from my mother made her purse up her lips as she turned to stare out of the window at the passing scenery. Oh well. Explosions within a tiny car are never advisable. Especially when they come from the driver which I believe doubles the lethality.
The real reason for our little road trip across America was due to me, even though my parents routinely refused to acknowledge this fact. Of course, in the hierarchy of superiority, I was ultimately at the bottom, being the youngest and generally, this meant that I have little say in the major decisions in the house. Yes, my family doesn’t even pretend to act as a democracy. It is unashamedly a dictatorship. But although we have a dictatorship system, power fluctuates; from my stoic father who rules with a set of flexible rules until he is pushed to his limits, my hot tempered mother who is quick to anger and quick to forgive and my darling twin sister who never fails to boss her way through. And me? I am never in power, being too mild mannered to handle being in charge, I guess. Or maybe it’s the fact that I’m the youngest? Yes, I don’t see the justice either.
But still, the shift this time was triggered by me. Most particularly, my... disease. No matter how much they may deny it, it doesn’t change the fact that I turn furry at least once a month. Just like a woman’s period. Only more dangerous because I literally become an animal, and am highly contagious. I may also become more violent than my usual docile self. But then again, some women are frightening when suffering the trials of femininity, like one very dear female that occupies a very intimate position in my heart. I think it was the therapy. It worked so well on her that she channelled all her inner rage and fear right into her physical environment. Which usually meant me since we do live in close proximity within each other.
So why were running away from Seattle? Well, mainly because I was generally sick of being bullied to death and hence decided to stand up for myself. But the bastards picked an unfortunate day. It was before the full moon, and I was mostly taken over by the sway of the wolf, and therefore nearly committed the faux pas of trying to eat a jock. I would wish that I succeeded at the attempt, except that having a bad stomach ache is a wonderful deterrent for me. Unfortunately, this attempt was apparently videoed by one of the jocks’ equally brainless lackeys and they nearly uploaded this video onto YouTube which would have catapulted me into instant celebrity-dom. But they didn’t because I managed to break the stupid cell phone. But still, it was obvious that my savage attack managed to catch the attention of the people around me. A group of research scientists from Washington found me to be an interesting specimen and had attempted to capture me. I’m like some... magnet for weirdoes. Hence, the easiest solution would be to run. Run as far away as possible from those creepy bastards. Don’t they have anything better to do than to hound after innocent citizens?
It was raining outside. A light, misty drizzle, with tiny raindrops pelting constantly against the window panes of the car, lulling me into a sense of security. I like rainy days. I’m used to them, back in Seattle, before we made the move to this strange new land. Oh brave new world! Not.
“Shall we head off to our new house first, or do we visit the doctor?” Mother asked, her voice dropping to a whisper as she consulted her husband. They seemed to have forgotten that I have keener senses than the average human being, and hence can hear every single word that they exchange. It would be much politer if they spoke at a normal volume, so that I don’t feel so goddamn guilty for eavesdropping when I’m not really doing so on purpose. I just can’t help overhearing what they don’t want me to hear. Honestly, I would like to think that I was raised with better manners than that. Juliet still stared away, her eyes never leaving the fascinating scenery of trees, trees and more trees. Of course, if I was leaving behind my friends, my hard earned -role as Beatrice in the school play, and my soon-to-be-ex boyfriend all because of my stupid twin’s condition, I believe that I’m allowed the space to be pissed off at... say, the world in general? For dealing me with such a bad hand?
The parents continued with their whispered conversation, and the final verdict seemed to be stopping by our new place first, to drop off the random boxes and see whether we needed to pick anything up when we go to the city centre.
Upon hearing that, I relaxed immediately, as somehow, without even me knowing, I had tensed up during the conversation. I have never really seen the doctor in question, but he is apparently an expert in werewolves having been raised in a pack since young. He is supposedly a friend of Aidan Vanhavo who is my saviour. It sounds weird, but... I’m pretty sure my situation is weird enough.
“Shit, kid, where are you hurt?” I heard a voice muttered as cold hands picked me up easily. I groaned, my entire body was so stifling hot, it was as if someone had dumped me to bake in a microwave set on high. My pale skin doesn’t exactly suntan well. “Hey, hey, stay awake! Shit, where’s that stupid demon when you need him?”
I didn’t notice myself drifting off until he slapped me unceremoniously as he paused for a moment before increasing his gait. I blinked, feeling extremely lightheaded, did he say ‘demon’? Like, a demon for real, something out of Faust? Or were my ears just playing tricks on me?
My thoughts began to drift off in a tangent as I slowly, but steadily, blacked out from the strange, numbing pain on my shoulder. Weird... I don’t recall injuring my shoulder, only that I had bumped into a large man. Maybe that was why my shoulder now hurts?
I woke up with a start, and immediately regretted the movement as my jarred shoulder started to burn, aching with a slow steady fire. I whimpered, never too good at bearing pain. That’s why the jocks back at school like to pick on me, being too easy to crush.
“Julien.” an unfamiliar voice called from the right.
It was the same voice from before I blanked out. I blinked, trying to concentrate as my whole body complained of its various aches. I felt as if I was hit by a truck several times for good measure.
“Who... who are you?” I mumbled, as my mouth felt too cottony to speak properly. I most likely have bad breath too; it’s just that kind of day.
“My name is Aidan, but that’s not important. Do you know what happened just now?” he spoke quickly, as if rushing to get his words out.
I shook my head gingerly, “Does it concern why I’m aching over all?”
“Look, your life... has just become a hell lot more complicated,” he started, “There will be some changes, and if you want to live out the rest of your life in peace, you got to learn how to adapt.”
“What?” I stared at him, not comprehending what the hell he was trying to get at. And besides, I don’t even know him! He could be a kidnapper for all I know! But he didn’t seem like the type. He had pale blond hair, cut in a choppy manner as if he couldn’t really be bothered, and dark brown eyes framed by long dark eyelashes that most girls could kill for. Granted, my own were as long, or even longer. And he was only a little taller than me and just as skinny. There was no way he could be a kidnapper. Probably because he looked like a kid too. And anyway, my family isn’t well off enough to warrant a kidnapping.
“... You were... you were bitten by a werewolf.” Aidan answered seriously, leaving no room for doubt despite the sentence. It was so... urgh, Star Wars, at least to me – too ‘Luke, I’m your father’-ish.
I gaped dumbly at him, was he serious? “I’m sorry, did I just hear you say werewolf? As in those half man half wolf thing? What? How? Why? And who the hell are you then? Do you know who bit me? Wait, are you the one who bit me?” Questions poured out from me like dark clouds releasing torrents of raindrops.
“Yes, I just said werewolf, they turn into wolves during full moons but generally don’t walk around as a man-wolf hybrid. I found you bitten on the shoulder, left for dead by the werewolf responsible. I was going to go apprehend it when you grabbed hold of my coat and wouldn’t let go. That’s basically my job nowadays, to keep the supernatural community away from human interference. Okay, maybe just the Seattle community. Gods know that the world is too large for just me to handle.” All this were said to me slowly, as if I was a particularly dumb kid too slow to comprehend faster speeches. Which I guess was true since I found myself completely lost.
I would have liked to bury my head in my hands and have a good, long cry, you know, you release my pent up emotions, but my body wasn’t up to such a demanding task. Very embarrassingly, I must say, I whimpered and fainted. Again.
When I next regained consciousness, I was already back in my own bed, finding my mother all teary-eyed as she gently brushed my hair back from my forehead. She didn’t seem to notice my awareness, for she was still crooning a soft song to me, something that she would never admit to doing.
“Mom?” I asked, wondering if everything that just transpired was merely a bad dream, perhaps fuelled by a fever, which would explain away the awful heat that I was feeling. And maybe also the aches that were reintroducing themselves to me.
She pulled back slightly, “How are you feeling? Mr Vanhavo told us everything, about your... ah, situation. Don’t worry, we’ll do all we can to cure you,” she smiled at me shakily, as someone knocked on the door. “Come in.”
The door opened, giving my mother time to dry her eyes. She hated to appear weak in front of anyone, and the news about my... metamorphosis has made her vulnerable before me.
Aidan walked in quietly, his footsteps so light that I could have sworn that his feet barely made contact with the ground as he moved forward.
“Are you up to having visitors? We need a long good talk. I know this doctor who deals primarily with werewolves and he says that it would be a miracle if Julien manages to survive his first full moon.” As usual, the slender man was the harbinger of doom. I wanted so badly to hate him, but I couldn’t, not after he saved my life. It wouldn’t have been right. Maybe I could just bite him?
Stunned by this new revelation about my sudden mortality, I could do little but nod. My mother was equally taken aback by his proclamation for she exclaimed angrily almost immediately, “And how is this good doctor qualified? He hasn’t even been here to see Julien!”
Aidan winced, mostly at her loud shriek than her scathing tone. “I would explain, Mrs Wyrdd. Would you like to gather the rest of the family? I believe that this would not be a delightful speech to repeat, so just once would be enough for the sake of all of us.”
We moved down to the living room, with me being carried by Aidan, since my body was still not up for such simple activities apparently. My knees had buckled most spectacularly as I tried to get up from my bed. How on earth can I be a werewolf when I’m so freaking weak? Aren’t they supposed to be large, fearsome beasts?
The atmosphere in the living room was extremely tense, like the thick fog that clogs the early mornings of Seattle. We settled in the living room, our faces all looking particularly harried and completely lost.
And with a brief glance around the room, Aidan began his explanation.
“Dr. Kipling has been raised in a werewolf pack and he has seen many firsthand cases of unsuccessful Turning. In order to handle the stress on the human mind from gaining a new consciousness which is the lupine mind, he has found that it would be best if the subject is below the age of ten after much research. As the minds of children are not fully formed yet, they will not react negatively to the intrusion of another mind, and instead will learn to adapt and grow with it, making the lupine mind an integral part of them. This will ensure that their bodies will still continue to develop at a natural pace instead of accelerated growth or a reduction in development.” Aidan elaborated on his previous declaration.
A sob broke the fragile silence in the room after Aidan’s words. It was from Juliet who had clung onto me tightly, having flung her arms around my waist and burying her face against my shoulders, “But we’re fifteen this year already! That’s over the age limit! I don’t want ‘Lien to die!”
I hugged her back as fiercely, no, I am not suicidal, the idea of dying so early in my life frightened me greatly. Especially when I just received my life back.
“Well, the good thing is that we have one full moon to prepare Julien’s mind for the lupine so all hope may not be lost. For now, I suggest that we let the overwhelmed kids rest while I shall ask Dr. Kipling for help.” Aidan stood up fluidly, his movements too graceful for even a human.
“Hey... you’re not human, right? What exactly are you?” I asked, unable to stop my curiosity as I blushed at my own forwardness.
Juliet looked up too, taking her head away from my shoulder. The uninjured one. Or else I would have pushed her away long ago. She too, seemed to be equally curious at this random stranger that had dropped into her life so suddenly to deliver a bombshell.
He grinned furtively, his warm brown eyes twinkling slightly, “Wouldn’t you like to know? Maybe I’ll tell you after the next full moon. So you can’t go dying on me, kid.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, “Who will die that easily? I’m not afraid!” Of course, my pride wouldn’t allow me to show my outright fear and false bravado was somehow easy to maintain, with my family by my side, showing their support.
“Oi!” an elbow jabbed against my side none too gently. I scowled at my sister for her immature action, it didn’t really hurt, of course. “Stop glowering at me, you idiot. We’re here already. Honestly, you got to stop daydreaming so much before you lose track of the world around you.”
“Well, sorry for having a lot on my mind currently. Too bad there’s insufficient space between your ears to contain knowledge for you to ponder over.” I answered back, as I got out of the car.
She snorted, “You’re just embarrassed that you think so slowly. After all, being born 10 minutes later meant that you had lesser oxygen going to your brain which has effectively stunted your thinking process. Some of us who are more fortunate can think faster apparently.”
I hated it when she brought up the 10 minutes issue. Just because she is older than me by a mere 10 minutes, she proceeds to lord it over me. I rued the day when we finally got mother to spill the beans on our birth order. We were better off thinking that we were born at the same time. At least it was impossible to form any sort of sibling rivalries like that then.
Juliet flashed a triumphant grin my way as she savoured the victory of our argument. Irritated, I stomped away from her and into the house which was still locked as our parents held the keys.
“Don’t pout so, little brother,” she drawled as she strolled towards me.
“Oh shut up,” I retorted, “You old hag.”
As Juliet spluttered in annoyance, I mentally adjusted the scoreboard in my mind, Julien: 1 Juliet: 1. I smiled thinly. Small victories.
title: one
universe: glass
type: chapter
pairing: none, as sort yet
notes: eh... this story is supposed to be a spinoff from Sanguine... set in the same universe, with overlapping characters. But the giant epicness of Sanguine means that it's not done yet. So. I'm not that sure how the overlapping characters can be properly explained without messing up the flow. Also, this is written in 1st POV, so there will be things that aren't 'properly explained' because they are not subject to the narrator's knowledge, instead, it follows strictly to the narrator's thought streams, which means that a lot of my own personal voice would come through... heh.
“Why are we here?” this age old question was sighed out by the constant bane of my life. And normally, I would have at least three witty replies to this rhetorical question, which included the appearances of our parents, storks and spaceships. But somehow I found my voice stuck in my throat, unable to formulate sarcastic remarks to answer my sister adequately.I swallowed reflexively, almost wanting to answer her when my father spoke up, his pale blue eyes glancing into the car mirror to look back at us, focusing more on her. “I told you, Juliet, my company decided to transfer me over to the New Hampshire branch officially since their workers are obviously too incompetent. Stop complaining about the move already.”
I could see that she wanted to say more in reply to this answer, most likely words that would make my father’s ears turn red, but a warning glance from my mother made her purse up her lips as she turned to stare out of the window at the passing scenery. Oh well. Explosions within a tiny car are never advisable. Especially when they come from the driver which I believe doubles the lethality.
The real reason for our little road trip across America was due to me, even though my parents routinely refused to acknowledge this fact. Of course, in the hierarchy of superiority, I was ultimately at the bottom, being the youngest and generally, this meant that I have little say in the major decisions in the house. Yes, my family doesn’t even pretend to act as a democracy. It is unashamedly a dictatorship. But although we have a dictatorship system, power fluctuates; from my stoic father who rules with a set of flexible rules until he is pushed to his limits, my hot tempered mother who is quick to anger and quick to forgive and my darling twin sister who never fails to boss her way through. And me? I am never in power, being too mild mannered to handle being in charge, I guess. Or maybe it’s the fact that I’m the youngest? Yes, I don’t see the justice either.
But still, the shift this time was triggered by me. Most particularly, my... disease. No matter how much they may deny it, it doesn’t change the fact that I turn furry at least once a month. Just like a woman’s period. Only more dangerous because I literally become an animal, and am highly contagious. I may also become more violent than my usual docile self. But then again, some women are frightening when suffering the trials of femininity, like one very dear female that occupies a very intimate position in my heart. I think it was the therapy. It worked so well on her that she channelled all her inner rage and fear right into her physical environment. Which usually meant me since we do live in close proximity within each other.
So why were running away from Seattle? Well, mainly because I was generally sick of being bullied to death and hence decided to stand up for myself. But the bastards picked an unfortunate day. It was before the full moon, and I was mostly taken over by the sway of the wolf, and therefore nearly committed the faux pas of trying to eat a jock. I would wish that I succeeded at the attempt, except that having a bad stomach ache is a wonderful deterrent for me. Unfortunately, this attempt was apparently videoed by one of the jocks’ equally brainless lackeys and they nearly uploaded this video onto YouTube which would have catapulted me into instant celebrity-dom. But they didn’t because I managed to break the stupid cell phone. But still, it was obvious that my savage attack managed to catch the attention of the people around me. A group of research scientists from Washington found me to be an interesting specimen and had attempted to capture me. I’m like some... magnet for weirdoes. Hence, the easiest solution would be to run. Run as far away as possible from those creepy bastards. Don’t they have anything better to do than to hound after innocent citizens?
It was raining outside. A light, misty drizzle, with tiny raindrops pelting constantly against the window panes of the car, lulling me into a sense of security. I like rainy days. I’m used to them, back in Seattle, before we made the move to this strange new land. Oh brave new world! Not.
“Shall we head off to our new house first, or do we visit the doctor?” Mother asked, her voice dropping to a whisper as she consulted her husband. They seemed to have forgotten that I have keener senses than the average human being, and hence can hear every single word that they exchange. It would be much politer if they spoke at a normal volume, so that I don’t feel so goddamn guilty for eavesdropping when I’m not really doing so on purpose. I just can’t help overhearing what they don’t want me to hear. Honestly, I would like to think that I was raised with better manners than that. Juliet still stared away, her eyes never leaving the fascinating scenery of trees, trees and more trees. Of course, if I was leaving behind my friends, my hard earned -role as Beatrice in the school play, and my soon-to-be-ex boyfriend all because of my stupid twin’s condition, I believe that I’m allowed the space to be pissed off at... say, the world in general? For dealing me with such a bad hand?
The parents continued with their whispered conversation, and the final verdict seemed to be stopping by our new place first, to drop off the random boxes and see whether we needed to pick anything up when we go to the city centre.
Upon hearing that, I relaxed immediately, as somehow, without even me knowing, I had tensed up during the conversation. I have never really seen the doctor in question, but he is apparently an expert in werewolves having been raised in a pack since young. He is supposedly a friend of Aidan Vanhavo who is my saviour. It sounds weird, but... I’m pretty sure my situation is weird enough.
“Shit, kid, where are you hurt?” I heard a voice muttered as cold hands picked me up easily. I groaned, my entire body was so stifling hot, it was as if someone had dumped me to bake in a microwave set on high. My pale skin doesn’t exactly suntan well. “Hey, hey, stay awake! Shit, where’s that stupid demon when you need him?”
I didn’t notice myself drifting off until he slapped me unceremoniously as he paused for a moment before increasing his gait. I blinked, feeling extremely lightheaded, did he say ‘demon’? Like, a demon for real, something out of Faust? Or were my ears just playing tricks on me?
My thoughts began to drift off in a tangent as I slowly, but steadily, blacked out from the strange, numbing pain on my shoulder. Weird... I don’t recall injuring my shoulder, only that I had bumped into a large man. Maybe that was why my shoulder now hurts?
I woke up with a start, and immediately regretted the movement as my jarred shoulder started to burn, aching with a slow steady fire. I whimpered, never too good at bearing pain. That’s why the jocks back at school like to pick on me, being too easy to crush.
“Julien.” an unfamiliar voice called from the right.
It was the same voice from before I blanked out. I blinked, trying to concentrate as my whole body complained of its various aches. I felt as if I was hit by a truck several times for good measure.
“Who... who are you?” I mumbled, as my mouth felt too cottony to speak properly. I most likely have bad breath too; it’s just that kind of day.
“My name is Aidan, but that’s not important. Do you know what happened just now?” he spoke quickly, as if rushing to get his words out.
I shook my head gingerly, “Does it concern why I’m aching over all?”
“Look, your life... has just become a hell lot more complicated,” he started, “There will be some changes, and if you want to live out the rest of your life in peace, you got to learn how to adapt.”
“What?” I stared at him, not comprehending what the hell he was trying to get at. And besides, I don’t even know him! He could be a kidnapper for all I know! But he didn’t seem like the type. He had pale blond hair, cut in a choppy manner as if he couldn’t really be bothered, and dark brown eyes framed by long dark eyelashes that most girls could kill for. Granted, my own were as long, or even longer. And he was only a little taller than me and just as skinny. There was no way he could be a kidnapper. Probably because he looked like a kid too. And anyway, my family isn’t well off enough to warrant a kidnapping.
“... You were... you were bitten by a werewolf.” Aidan answered seriously, leaving no room for doubt despite the sentence. It was so... urgh, Star Wars, at least to me – too ‘Luke, I’m your father’-ish.
I gaped dumbly at him, was he serious? “I’m sorry, did I just hear you say werewolf? As in those half man half wolf thing? What? How? Why? And who the hell are you then? Do you know who bit me? Wait, are you the one who bit me?” Questions poured out from me like dark clouds releasing torrents of raindrops.
“Yes, I just said werewolf, they turn into wolves during full moons but generally don’t walk around as a man-wolf hybrid. I found you bitten on the shoulder, left for dead by the werewolf responsible. I was going to go apprehend it when you grabbed hold of my coat and wouldn’t let go. That’s basically my job nowadays, to keep the supernatural community away from human interference. Okay, maybe just the Seattle community. Gods know that the world is too large for just me to handle.” All this were said to me slowly, as if I was a particularly dumb kid too slow to comprehend faster speeches. Which I guess was true since I found myself completely lost.
I would have liked to bury my head in my hands and have a good, long cry, you know, you release my pent up emotions, but my body wasn’t up to such a demanding task. Very embarrassingly, I must say, I whimpered and fainted. Again.
When I next regained consciousness, I was already back in my own bed, finding my mother all teary-eyed as she gently brushed my hair back from my forehead. She didn’t seem to notice my awareness, for she was still crooning a soft song to me, something that she would never admit to doing.
“Mom?” I asked, wondering if everything that just transpired was merely a bad dream, perhaps fuelled by a fever, which would explain away the awful heat that I was feeling. And maybe also the aches that were reintroducing themselves to me.
She pulled back slightly, “How are you feeling? Mr Vanhavo told us everything, about your... ah, situation. Don’t worry, we’ll do all we can to cure you,” she smiled at me shakily, as someone knocked on the door. “Come in.”
The door opened, giving my mother time to dry her eyes. She hated to appear weak in front of anyone, and the news about my... metamorphosis has made her vulnerable before me.
Aidan walked in quietly, his footsteps so light that I could have sworn that his feet barely made contact with the ground as he moved forward.
“Are you up to having visitors? We need a long good talk. I know this doctor who deals primarily with werewolves and he says that it would be a miracle if Julien manages to survive his first full moon.” As usual, the slender man was the harbinger of doom. I wanted so badly to hate him, but I couldn’t, not after he saved my life. It wouldn’t have been right. Maybe I could just bite him?
Stunned by this new revelation about my sudden mortality, I could do little but nod. My mother was equally taken aback by his proclamation for she exclaimed angrily almost immediately, “And how is this good doctor qualified? He hasn’t even been here to see Julien!”
Aidan winced, mostly at her loud shriek than her scathing tone. “I would explain, Mrs Wyrdd. Would you like to gather the rest of the family? I believe that this would not be a delightful speech to repeat, so just once would be enough for the sake of all of us.”
We moved down to the living room, with me being carried by Aidan, since my body was still not up for such simple activities apparently. My knees had buckled most spectacularly as I tried to get up from my bed. How on earth can I be a werewolf when I’m so freaking weak? Aren’t they supposed to be large, fearsome beasts?
The atmosphere in the living room was extremely tense, like the thick fog that clogs the early mornings of Seattle. We settled in the living room, our faces all looking particularly harried and completely lost.
And with a brief glance around the room, Aidan began his explanation.
“Dr. Kipling has been raised in a werewolf pack and he has seen many firsthand cases of unsuccessful Turning. In order to handle the stress on the human mind from gaining a new consciousness which is the lupine mind, he has found that it would be best if the subject is below the age of ten after much research. As the minds of children are not fully formed yet, they will not react negatively to the intrusion of another mind, and instead will learn to adapt and grow with it, making the lupine mind an integral part of them. This will ensure that their bodies will still continue to develop at a natural pace instead of accelerated growth or a reduction in development.” Aidan elaborated on his previous declaration.
A sob broke the fragile silence in the room after Aidan’s words. It was from Juliet who had clung onto me tightly, having flung her arms around my waist and burying her face against my shoulders, “But we’re fifteen this year already! That’s over the age limit! I don’t want ‘Lien to die!”
I hugged her back as fiercely, no, I am not suicidal, the idea of dying so early in my life frightened me greatly. Especially when I just received my life back.
“Well, the good thing is that we have one full moon to prepare Julien’s mind for the lupine so all hope may not be lost. For now, I suggest that we let the overwhelmed kids rest while I shall ask Dr. Kipling for help.” Aidan stood up fluidly, his movements too graceful for even a human.
“Hey... you’re not human, right? What exactly are you?” I asked, unable to stop my curiosity as I blushed at my own forwardness.
Juliet looked up too, taking her head away from my shoulder. The uninjured one. Or else I would have pushed her away long ago. She too, seemed to be equally curious at this random stranger that had dropped into her life so suddenly to deliver a bombshell.
He grinned furtively, his warm brown eyes twinkling slightly, “Wouldn’t you like to know? Maybe I’ll tell you after the next full moon. So you can’t go dying on me, kid.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, “Who will die that easily? I’m not afraid!” Of course, my pride wouldn’t allow me to show my outright fear and false bravado was somehow easy to maintain, with my family by my side, showing their support.
“Oi!” an elbow jabbed against my side none too gently. I scowled at my sister for her immature action, it didn’t really hurt, of course. “Stop glowering at me, you idiot. We’re here already. Honestly, you got to stop daydreaming so much before you lose track of the world around you.”
“Well, sorry for having a lot on my mind currently. Too bad there’s insufficient space between your ears to contain knowledge for you to ponder over.” I answered back, as I got out of the car.
She snorted, “You’re just embarrassed that you think so slowly. After all, being born 10 minutes later meant that you had lesser oxygen going to your brain which has effectively stunted your thinking process. Some of us who are more fortunate can think faster apparently.”
I hated it when she brought up the 10 minutes issue. Just because she is older than me by a mere 10 minutes, she proceeds to lord it over me. I rued the day when we finally got mother to spill the beans on our birth order. We were better off thinking that we were born at the same time. At least it was impossible to form any sort of sibling rivalries like that then.
Juliet flashed a triumphant grin my way as she savoured the victory of our argument. Irritated, I stomped away from her and into the house which was still locked as our parents held the keys.
“Don’t pout so, little brother,” she drawled as she strolled towards me.
“Oh shut up,” I retorted, “You old hag.”
As Juliet spluttered in annoyance, I mentally adjusted the scoreboard in my mind, Julien: 1 Juliet: 1. I smiled thinly. Small victories.