Nash was dreamy and it was hard not to fall under the spell of his good looks, but I was in love with Brandon. I had to resist.
“For the other night,” he began. “I’m really grateful for what you did.” His words were as sincere as if he’d been waiting a lifetime to tell me.
“You remember?” I asked. He’d seemed to gain his consciousness that night but I wanted to make sure his memory lasted.
“Everything.” He drew in a breath as if he was breathing me in, too.
I nodded, relieved. This meant that the plan Brandon and I made had worked. Nash was now aware that he had been a werewolf. Having him remember was the only way to control how he acted when he transformed. If he knew what was happening, and what he was, it would give him reason to curtail any violent behavior before it was too late.
He gently placed his hand on my shoulder. “That kiss. It meant a lot to me.”
“It was the only way—” I said. I didn’t want him to think I wanted us to reconnect.
But then his demeanor changed. “I remember transforming,” he said in a worried whisper. “Running through the woods. Destroying the baseball shack.” Then he grew even more concerned. “Terrorizing you at the lake—and at the Moonlight Dance.” His voice began to waver.
Nash was referring to his first transformation, when he chased me through Willow Park, and another when he burst through the doors of our spring dance and almost attacked me.
I hated that he had to go through such an unearthly transformation. Even though we weren’t together anymore, I certainly wouldn’t wish for him to have to deal with such an unusual issue.
“It’s okay.” I tried to comfort him. “You were a…”
“I didn’t mean to do those things,” he continued. “Especially to you, of all people.”
“Of course you didn’t,” I assured him.
“But at the time, I wasn’t myself. Not like I am now.”
“I understand.” I tried to convince him. He was under a considerable amount of stress and turmoil—the effects of remembering his actions.
Nash looked at me intently again, this time his eyes full of sorrow. “I’m not sure you do. I’d never dream of hurting you. I hate the thought of making you afraid of me.”
“I know.”
“But those nights, I was different, Celeste. Everything changed. I changed, my whole world changed. I felt like an animal.”
“Well, you kind of were,” I said with a slight laugh.
He didn’t smile. “But the kiss,” he continued. “That was one thing that was the same. You and me, like old times. It meant everything to me that you did that. I’ll never forget it.”
“I wanted you to remember, to be aware while you were transformed, and that was the only way I knew how to help you. That’s all it was. It was like breaking a spell.”
“But I was a werewolf!” he whispered vehemently. Then he paused as a few students passed by, clearly out of earshot. He drew in closer. “And you stood there, shaking, and kissed me anyway. You were so brave—even though I’ve never seen you so frightened.”
“I had to. It was the only way to help you,” I said again. I couldn’t seem to make him understand my motivations. Nash spent his nights in lycan form as if in a dream, without control or awareness of his behavior. Two lives and memories separated by the full moon; now they all were one. Maybe it was harder for him to deal with it now than before he understood.
“And Brandon. I know it just about killed him to see us together,” he said, almost gloating.
This time I didn’t respond. Then the bell rang. “I should get to class now.”
“I don’t want you to fear me,” he said. “Not under a full moon. Not then—or ever.”
What is he going to do now? I wondered. But I didn’t have time to find out.
“Celeste? Hurry up!” Ivy called from down the hallway.
“I’ve got to go—” I started off, but Nash blocked my way.
“One last thing…”
“Yes?” I asked quickly.
“I have to fight this. There has to be some way to cure this horrible condition. This can’t keep happening to me every full moon. I have games, school…. I have a life.”
“What can I do?” I asked.
“You are the only one who knows, besides Brandon. But you are the only one I can confide in.”
I didn’t know what to say. I felt flattered that Nash still felt that I was his one true friend. But was I supposed to take on his issues as well as my own and Brandon’s? I thought I’d solved that with the moonlight kiss. Of course I wanted to help my friend, but at the moment, I didn’t know how to help him any more than I did Brandon.
“Do you think there is some way to fix this?”
“I’m sure there will be.” I tried to reassure him, even though I didn’t know if there was. I didn’t have time to go into Brandon’s possible cure. And how could I when there was only enough for one and I didn’t even know if it worked?
“You are the only one I can talk to about this….” he lamented. “Am I supposed to tell my parents? Would they even believe me? I’ve been pranking people for so long, no one will take me seriously. I need to find a remedy. I only have a few weeks until this awful thing will happen again.”
“We can talk later,” I said.
“This can’t wait. I have to speak with Brandon,” he said urgently.
“About what? There’s enough tension between the two of you already.” Now that Nash remembered our kiss, I feared he’d want to confront Brandon about our relationship.
“It’s not about you and me,” he said. “This is about Brandon and me. I have to do something before anything bad happens, Celeste. I already demolished the shack and threatened you. But we have to find a cure.”
Just then the second bell rang.
Ivy and Abby called me again as they slipped into class. “I have to go,” I said. “I’ll be late.”
As I turned away, he stopped me once again. “You are my lifeline,” he said genuinely. “Thanks to you, now I remember everything, Celeste. Everything.”
I gave him a quick nod, then broke away and hurried off to class to find solace in the company of my friends and a lecture that I was only hoping I could get lost in. I thought I’d remedied our problems with him with the moonlight kiss. But with him wanting me to ensure that he found a cure, it seemed like Brandon and I had to find a cure for all the werewolves in Legend’s Run. It was a lot to ask—but maybe I could help. Maybe on the next full moon Brandon and I really needed to test the antidote his father had sent to make sure it worked.
TWO
lycan lunch
After third bell, I caught up to Brandon at his locker. He was grabbing a textbook, and when he spotted me a huge smile came over his face. For a moment I thought he was going to kiss me. But the crowd of students prevented him from displaying his affection and instead he brushed his hand against mine.
“Hey, Celeste,” he said.
I knew I had a worried look on my face. I could feel it, my brow wrinkled and my lips tense. I held my notebooks tightly against me as if they were a shield.
“What’s wrong?” he said.
“Nash…” I said privately. “He wants me to help him find a cure.”
I knew it had taken a lot for Brandon to stand by while I kissed another guy—especially when that guy was interested in me—all for the sake of making him deal with being a werewolf. Brandon’s selflessness was so dear to me—I cherished it, but I knew that deep down, that act still pained him, as it would me if I were in his situation.
“He feels like I’m the only one he can trust. Who else can he tell? Dylan? Jake? I know it must be lonely for him,” I said sympathetically.
“He’s going to use this to try to get back with you,” he said.
“I don’t think so,” I said firmly. “I really think he just wants to find a solution. I’d tell you if it were any other way.”
Brandon shook his head. “To
think your major problem could have been dating a guy from the wrong side of town. Now you have as many headaches as both Nash and I do.”
It was so gracious of Brandon to think of what I was going through when he was the one who really had to deal with a life-altering situation. It was only my issue vicariously. “And I think that Nash feels like you two are kindred spirits now, I guess,” I said.
“Did you tell him about my father and the serum he sent me?”
“No. I didn’t think it was the time, nor my news, to share. Anyway, since you haven’t taken it, we don’t even know if it works. I didn’t want to get his hopes up. Especially since you only have one dose. Should I have told him?”
“No, not yet. I agree, we need to know if it works first. You did the right thing.” Brandon embraced me.
We got a few stares, but I didn’t care. The insider with the outsider, the Eastsider with the Westsider, the human with the werewolf—none of it mattered. I felt so warm in his arms and comforted by him. It was heaven to be with him, and it was as if just being in his presence—let alone wrapped in his embrace—took all my worries away.
“It’s time for lunch,” Brandon said, pulling back.
“Who can eat?” I asked wearily. But I knew Brandon must be starving. Since he’d become a werewolf, his appetite had grown to the size of a sumo wrestler’s. The smell from the cafeteria wafted through the hallways, and I heard his stomach begin to growl.
Lunch bell should be a happy time, a break to relax, eat, and hang out with my friends and new boyfriend. But I knew we’d be seeing Nash in the cafeteria, and I wasn’t sure how he was going to react or what he was going to say after our talk an hour ago. With Brandon by my side, I wasn’t sure if it would bring out more of the animal in Nash even in the daylight hours. After all, Brandon was hungrier than normal and could communicate with canines all the time now. I wasn’t sure how Nash would behave with me and Brandon sharing a simple lunch at our normal table.
However, as Brandon took my hand and we began to walk through school, I lost track of all things except being in his company. I was in heaven, our fingers entwined and our arms touching as we passed empty classrooms and students milling in the hallways. I’d never felt so alive and at peace at the same time. I’d always been happy, but something had been missing deep down inside my soul—until I met Brandon. I saw how Abby and Ivy lit up when their boyfriends were around and how they planned their futures together. And now that I’d met Brandon and fallen in love with him, the inner turmoil I’d once felt about my romantic life was replaced with warmth and joy. I couldn’t have been happier—except that I now had to deal with the consequences of my boyfriend being a werewolf.
And this was the first time I was taking Brandon to eat lunch with me at our group’s table. Before, I’d eaten at his table or by myself, but this time I wanted him to be part of my group, which he should have been long ago. However, I was having second thoughts and wasn’t sure if I wanted to take this on after my conversation with Nash. What if he brought it up again somehow? Or tried to make Brandon jealous by saying he needs me, too?
“Should we just eat alone today?” I asked Brandon as we reached the cafeteria. “We could eat near the library instead.”
“I’m not afraid of sitting at Nash’s table. Are you?”
“No,” I said with a sigh. But I was afraid of the awkwardness, of the secrets that I was still keeping from my friends, and that Nash might very well slip and reveal his and Nash’s condition.
And who knew? Maybe Nash was so focused on finding a cure—perhaps instead, he was searching for answers in the library—that he wouldn’t be eating with us anyway, and I wouldn’t have to deal with it today at all.
I squeezed Brandon’s hand as we walked through the cafeteria and outside to the patio. My friends were already at our table, and Abby waved us over while Ivy smiled. I loved the outdoors and was happy to have lunch in the open air. The sounds of birds played in my ears and the fresh spring breeze blew through my hair. I would have loved my classes to be outside, too, but I knew that would never happen. This was my time to feel the freedom and invigoration that nature offered.
I walked to our table with Brandon. Ivy and Abby and Jake and Dylan were already eating, but by their polite gestures I knew they were accepting of us. I was just hoping this wasn’t a mistake, bringing Brandon here to be taunted by Nash, who watched us as we approached.
I didn’t make eye contact with Nash at first as we stood at our empty seats.
“Hi, guys,” Abby said. “Sit down. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Nash gave me a quick glare. Then his face brightened. “Yes, we have.” My former boyfriend didn’t protest.
I’d given him the gift of remembering his lycan nights. Why couldn’t that be enough for him?
“Hey, Brandon, why don’t you sit over here?” Nash said, scooting over.
We all looked at him oddly. Was it a prank? Was there a tack on the bench or something worse?
But Brandon didn’t seem too bothered and sat down next to Nash.
Ivy gasped and Abby giggled under her breath.
“Seems like you have a new friend,” Abby said to my former beau.
“Yes,” Nash said. “We’re going to be great friends. We have so much in common now, right, Brandon?”
It appeared to the others that he was talking about me, but I knew Nash was really referring to fixing their werewolf problem.
Brandon didn’t respond and instead squeezed my leg underneath the table.
The two guys opened their bagged lunches. Brandon had five sandwiches, and Nash had four, plus three protein shakes.
“Dude—football tryouts aren’t until late summer,” Dylan said, surprised at their lunches.
“Gross. How can you eat all that?” Ivy asked.
“It’s the spring air—” Nash said. “Makes me feel like an animal. Do you feel like an animal, too, Brandon?”
“What is he talking about?” Ivy whispered to me.
“Oh, nothing. Just a joke between friends,” Nash said.
“So, boys, are you excited for the Werewolf Festival?” Abby asked. “It’s only a few weeks away!”
“Oh, yeah,” Dylan said. “We’ll have to get tickets soon.”
“The girls and I have already made our plans to dress up for the festival,” Abby said proudly. “Will you guys? There’s a hundred-dollar prize for the best-looking werewolf.”
“That could be me,” Nash said.
The girls giggled, but I knew what he was really referring to.
“What about you, Brandon?” Abby asked. “Are you going to dress up?”
Ivy and Abby treated Brandon so nicely, I regretted taking so long to tell them the truth about my love for him. I should have known they would include him, and I still felt guilty for misjudging them. However, their support made our friendship even stronger.
“I guess, if Celeste is.”
Brandon appeared pleased with his new set of friends. I knew eating alone at that table for so many months had to have been so lonely. It killed me that he ever had to be there in the first place.
“What are you going to wear?” Nash asked him. “A costume?”
I nudged Brandon’s leg under the table.
“He can be the brave huntsman that saves me,” I said. “I’m going to come as Red Riding Hood. I still have the costume I wore for Halloween. It will be perfect.”
“Or maybe he can be the Big Bad Wolf,” Nash said.
“In that case, he might not need a…”
I shot Nash a look as if to say, Stop talking now.
But he was delighted with his inside jokes. The sad part was that my hero might look more like a werewolf than the attendees wearing their costumes.
THREE
field trip
Legend’s Run was a small town spotted with sprawling communities, high-end and strip malls, and tons of chain restaurants. However, to get to more cultural activities, one would have to drive
to the big city, which was less than an hour ride from our cozier town. Our neighboring city had sports stadiums, an accredited art museum, and a renowned zoo.
Every year the junior class went on a spring field trip to the zoo. There was a special feeling in the air on Thursday when students at school knew that we would soon embark on a fabulous field trip. With a school outing came freedom—a day clear of pop quizzes, long lectures, and sitting all day indoors. It would be an educational and relaxing time for all of us. And boy, did I need it. It would be great for Brandon and me to walk around the zoo and hang out with our friends.
I was stoked, waiting in line next to Brandon and Ivy to board the buses. Even though I enjoyed school, it was just as much fun to be taken away from it as to be driven to it.
Nash eyed me as I got on the bus with Brandon.
Brandon watched as I slipped into an empty seat, and he sat down next to me and slid his hand over mine. I looked back at our school, where the lower classmen were having a day like any other. I breathed in and sighed, releasing the tension, as if I were a yoga instructor.
As we pulled away from campus, there was a lot of hooting and hollering from the back of the bus, and Nash and some of his jock friends had to be scolded by the bus driver.
I breathed easier as we made our way out of Legend’s Run High and onto the country roads. The open windows blew the breeze through my hair, and the warm sun seemed to kiss my cheeks. We passed fields of wheat and corn, grazing cattle and beautiful horses, spring flowers and trees in bloom. Yards were decorated with colorful tulips, daffodils, and potted plants and adorned with American flags and plastic geese. Birds were singing, and I felt exhilarated. I glanced over to my friends to see how they were enjoying our outing only to find them listening to their MP3 players and playing with their phones. Most students weren’t even looking out the window. I felt sad, as they were missing out on the very things we were supposed to be enjoying and experiencing by being on a field trip.
I glanced at Brandon from time to time, and he seemed just as pleased as I was to get a break from school and take in the fresh air and sounds and sights of nature. However, our bus soon passed a strip mall and then turned onto the highway. It was exciting to get the chance to travel with Brandon on a field trip, and we intertwined our fingers as we passed corporate offices, car dealerships, and chain restaurants.