Her body strained to become something else. Tortured flesh screamed. Fright and hurt mingled as she begged her father one last time for help. “Please.”
Martin Costa, instead, whipped open the door and fled. Tamyra’s eyes blurred with tears as her muzzle surged forward and her lupine teeth rammed out her human ones. As her teeth washed away in a torrent of drool, she heard a car brake hard and her father’s yell of; “I’m OK” and knew she never would be again.
Somehow the wind kicked the door shut and the bang of it startled her so badly the wolf retreated. There was no other explanation. It just retreated. Fur retracted along with her snout. For the most part there was little pain, aside from new human teeth pushing out the lupine ones. The change swept back from her so rapidly she hardly realized she spat out more loose teeth.
Once she was sure she completely reverted, she risked peering into the rearview. She looked no different. Somehow she should look different. She recalled peeling back her lips to reveal her chipped front tooth had been replaced with a perfect new one, but that was it. Even her heart had slowed almost to normal. A handful of human and wolf teeth, along with her abandonment were all that remained.
Not a single word from him since that night. She ground her teeth and tried to cry for the loss of her Dad. Still no waterworks would fall.
Shiver Cove. Maybe she wasn’t just losing Toronto and leaving all of her friends. Her mother hadn’t been much help with the change regardless of how hard she tried. Her aunt had dealt with her own werewolf affliction since before Tamyra had been born and she had all that property. Real forest surrounding her house. Tamyra drew air in deeply. Shiver Cove.
Chapter 4
Tamyra tipped her head back against the headrest. Her puffy hair didn’t let her head lean fully back. She closed her eyes and let the warm air caress her face. She wanted to stop thinking, still nagged by the uncertainty of her decision.
Mom quit her job, sold the house and sent their stuff ahead. Too late now for second thoughts.
“Mom, I…”
Even with her eyes closed, she could sense her mother looking at her. Tamyra opened her eyelids, confirming her mom watched from of the corner of her eye.
“I’ve seen that look cross your face a hundred times these last two months. You made the right decision.”
“What if I don’t make friends?”
“Then you’ve still got me and aunt Kiki. You won’t be alone.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m glad I’ve got you two, don’t get me wrong. I can’t imagine going through all this alone, but…”
“But we aren’t teenagers.”
“Well, yeah.”
“You’re bound to make friends. This won’t be like Toronto. Country kids’ll be different, nicer. Not like that fat rotten blonde and her friends.”
“Thanks for reminding me. Vicki and her ghouls are one of the few things I’m grateful to leave behind.”
“See? It’s not all bad. I think we’ll both like it here.”
Her mom pointed out the windshield to a green highway sign announcing ‘Welcome to: Shiver Cove and Shiver Hills, Population: 20,000’.
“Twenty thousand people. How many do you think are in high school?”
“I’m not sure baby. I know there’s only one high school in town.”
“Really?”
“Hey, if you see any cute boys you won’t be wondering what school they go to. Oh this is our exit. I’m excited to see our new home, aren’t you?”
She thought about her mom bending over backwards to make this move happen and forced a smile.
“Sure, mom.”
Her mom guided the car down the off ramp and her smile became genuine. She spied the first building, the mall. A large sign out front proclaimed ‘Shiverton Mall’.
“Planning to spend my hard earned money?”
“You promised I could get some new clothes for my new school.”
“Oh look, your new school is almost right across the street from the mall.”
“Maybe this town won’t be so bad after all.”
“Now you’re getting into the spirit of things.”
“What kind of town did you bring me to mom? There’s a daycare attached to the high school!”
“Oh, you’re terrible! It’s not for the high school kids to drop their kids off! Funny girl! I read the booklet for your elective course choices and the high school kids get credits for helping out at the daycare.”
“It was worth a try to get you going.”
Karen Costa braked at a stop sign and fished a piece of paper out of her purse. She turned the paper over and mumbled to herself as she read. Tamyra took the opportunity to look around a little.
A coffee shop and a bank sat on the corner. A tattoo parlor decorated the corner across the street. She turned her neck and looked back up the road; the high school was still visible. A coffee shop in walking distance from her new school. Right on.
“My chicken scratch says we go left here and then right when the road ends at the cemetery.”
She thought about pointing out the tattoo parlor within walking distance of the school and then thought better of it. Mom pulled the car ahead and turned left. To the right lay a couple of apartment buildings, but not much else to see.
“Yay, Cemetery!”
“There’s a phrase you don’t hear everyday.”
“Smarty-pants.”
Their vehicle slowed to a rolling stop and turned right. Tamyra caught sight of a church. The end of the church’s parking lot met a dark pine forest. In sync, she and her mother drew in a deep breath.
“Too bad about those apartment buildings over there.” Her mom wrinkled her nose.
“I kind of like it, the contrast between country and city. It’s neat and it’s not so different than home.”
“Well baby, I think we’re home now.”
The car crawled as they entered a dirt driveway and stopped. Directly ahead of them leered one of the creepiest, run down mansions she ever laid eyes on. Her stomach shrunk into a tight little ball as her eyes roamed the derelict house. It couldn’t be aunt Kiki’s place, it just couldn’t.
Some time ago the house had been painted white or cream. The elements had since worn away much of the paint and tainted what remained. Gray and brown stains covered parts of the exterior. A dead tree leaned against the siding on the right side. Dead and blackened veins of what could have been ivy clung to the structure.
The sound of crinkling paper made her shiver. For some reason her mind drew an image of an evil face over the house. A smashed window on the ground floor made her think of a missing tooth. Tamyra pressed further into her seat. She knew she wouldn’t last one night in the haunted looking dump.
Mom interrupted her thoughts. “OK, so we should be looking for a hidden driveway. It’s somewhere on our left.”
“You mean that isn’t aunt Kiki’s?” the air whooshed out of her in relief.
“Oh heavens no! No wonder you look like you’ve seen a ghost, you thought we were staying THERE?”
“You did say you thought we were home.”
She looked out the back window to hide her embarrassment.
“Oh look. We passed right by your hidden driveway. See it beyond the trunk.”
Her mom reversed, passed the laneway and then pulled forward into it.
“It’s OUR hidden driveway. Don’t look so worried baby. Your aunt Kiki told me her place is wonderful.”
Trees loomed tall on both sides of them. Tamyra ogled as the house came into view.
Huge and beautiful, a plantation styled home. Large white columns ran down from a balcony spanning the whole upper floor. A massive porch seemed to wrap around the entire house. The gray stone outside of the house appeared very old but well maintained.
If Tamyra didn’t know the house had been built a couple of years ago, she wouldn’t have believed it. A grassy area surrounded the house and at its edge the forest began. Totally hidden away from the res
t of town.
“We can get our things later. Come on.”
She got out of the car and followed her mom up a couple of steps and onto the porch. From her elevated spot she noticed the private beach and lake. This would be an amazing place to live. Not forgetting her werewolf troubles, but not wanting to spoil the moment she focused on the other positive things; fresh pine-scented air, their own beach, no neighbors, no screaming sirens at night. She smiled when Aunt Kiki emerged from the house.
“I’m so glad to see you like the place. Come here, give Auntie a hug!”
Tamyra felt relieved when her mom stepped into her aunts waiting arms. She hadn’t seen her in such a long time, it would be strange to hug her.
“Kiki, you look fantastic and your home is amazing.”
“You haven’t even had the tour yet.”
The sisters broke apart from their embrace. Tamyra sized them up as they stood next to each other. A remarkable resemblance between the sisters.
Although Kiki stood a few inches taller, they both had the same voluptuous build. Hourglass figure is what her mom always said. Tamyra knew she already sported the beginnings of the same build. Kiki’s skin looked lighter than her mom’s, closer to the caramel color of her own skin.
Their clothing really set them apart though. Mom in her conservative walking shorts and blouse, Kiki in a wild lime green dress.
“Well come on ladies! Let me take you on a tour of your new home!”
Chapter 5
The sun warmed Tamyra’s skin. Life couldn’t be much better than having a week to lounge on the beach before school started. She rolled over onto her stomach and sipped some water. The sun had leeched the cold from it. Good thing she hadn’t chosen to bring cola.
She brought a lunch size cooler down to the beach with her, and the remaining water inside would be refreshing and cold. Except, she dropped the cooler in the shade, about ten feet away and felt too lazy to get up.
She picked her book up, from its place on the blanket next to her, and thumbed open to her bookmark. A romance novel she read near half of. She picked it up yesterday knowing she wouldn’t have to concentrate too hard to follow along.
With only a week to go until she started her new school, Tamyra struggled with focusing on any one thing for long. Anxiety was her constant companion. She knew in her heart it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she didn’t make any friends, but she fretted constantly she would spend her senior year alone.
Her mind started running scenarios once again of first conversations and trying to talk to strangers. Her chest tightened and breathing felt unnatural. She hated her shyness. Kiki seemed to have no problem talking to anyone about anything. Tamyra wished she could be that way too.
A splashing sound drew her attention to the lake. She lowered her book slightly and peeked over it. A person, paddling on some type of surfboard, headed her way. With the sun reflecting off the surface, she couldn’t tell much about the person.
She could see the board better. A dark patch appeared between the board and rider. A sail, maybe? Definitely a sail. The downed sail looked folded up, but part of it trailed behind the board in the water.
As the person swung a leg over and slipped off the side of the board, male attributes became obvious. The water came just below his armpits and she believed his feet touched bottom. He splashed toward the beach and kept moving closer as he towed the board along behind him.
All too conscious of her bikini, she pretended to scratch an itch on her shoulder, blocking his view of her figure. The intrusion at her family’s private beach annoyed her.
“Hi there!” he said with a wave.
“Hi.” She squeaked.
Submerged only to his knees and not slowing down. He shouldn’t have been there. She tried to calm herself, figuring she could make it to the house if he tried anything funny.
“How are you?” he asked, as he stepped out of the water.
“OK.”
Her belly flopped. He stopped at the water’s edge and she prayed he wouldn’t come any closer. She felt naked in her skimpy bathing suit.
She watched as liquid ran from his shorts onto the sand. With the sun at his back, she found it hard to really tell what he looked like. Lean and muscular, like a pro basketball player. She couldn’t tell how tall from her angle. She swept her eyes up his frame and settled where shaggy hair dusted his shoulders.
“I’m Salem, actually just Sal. You must be Tamara, right?”
She relaxed a little when he spoke her name. She liked the sound of his voice. Manly and soft.
“Tamyra.” She corrected.
“Sorry, I knew that. Unusual name. Nice though.”
“Thanks.” The word escaped her in barely more than a whisper.
She watched as Sal dragged his board on shore. Catching glimpses of his profile, she decided they were about the same age. She tried to think of something to say. Her mind drew blanks on her. She hated how she always got nervous around new people and clammed up.
Relieved of the board, he slowly walked a bit closer to her and peered at her hands.
“Good book?”
“Yeah.”
She now had a clear view of Sal. He looked like a stereotypical California surfer dude. Shoulder length dark blonde hair, a deep tan and blue eyes. His thin nose seemed a tad long for his face but overall he looked hot.
“Sorry if I’m bothering you. Kiki always lets me use her beach when I go out windsurfing. You, uh, ever been windsurfing?”
“No.”
“I was planning to tan for a bit before I packed it in and called it a day. Do you mind?”
She bit her lip and shook her head. She couldn’t manage words. A cute guy wanted to tan on her beach.
“Wow. Now I’m wondering if I really am bothering you.”
He gave her a sly unsure smile, apparently waiting for her to say he wasn’t really bothering her.
“You’re not.”
As soon as the words left her lips, she felt stupid she hadn’t said more. She knew one word answers closed conversations, but her nerves wouldn’t allow for more.
“Not much of a talker, are you, huh?”
She felt heat in her cheeks and wondered if he could tell she blushed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Your aunt warned me you’re painfully shy and here I am making you uncomfortable. I have a habit of saying really dumb things, especially around pretty girls. I’m sorry. I’ll leave.”
Pretty girls? He thinks I’m pretty? Oh no, I’ve scared him off.
“Don’t go.” As the words tumbled out of her mouth she almost wondered if someone else had spoken them.
“You don’t have to feel bad, it’s OK. Besides, I’m really thirsty. I should head home.”
He turned his attention back to his windsurfing equipment. He disconnected the sail and strapped it onto the board. In her head she groaned. She’d blown it. Leaving because she acted weird and cold. If she kept this up she would spend her senior year with no friends.
“I have some water over there.”
“Huh?”
“I brought water.”
She ground her teeth. The words sounded lame. She wondered why she couldn’t have said something cooler. Instead of looking at her like she had two heads, he grinned. Her face muscles pulled her lips up, infected by his smile. She nodded and pointed at the cooler.
He took his eyes off her and followed the imaginary trail from her finger. Spotting the cooler, he strolled over to it. He flipped open the lid and pulled out a plastic bottle.
“Thanks.”
He cracked the top and drained half the bottle in one gulp, then stopped his guzzling and gave her a guilt filled look.
“I guess I should’ve offered to get you one, huh? Um, want one?”
“Please.”
“You’re gonna have to do better than that if you want me to get you one.”
“Sorry?”
“If you want me to get
you a water and stick around for a bit, you’re gonna have to give me more than one word answers.”
She felt creases forming on her forehead and knew she must look terrified. Sal smirked, then turned to grab another bottle. She tried to run through some things to talk to this boy about, but as always, words abandoned her.
“I’m not so bad you know. You got a scared look on your face right now. The kinda look that someone gets right before they have to give a speech at school. Sorry if I freaked you out. How about I do most of the talking and you try your best not to give me one word answers?”
“OK.”
Awkward laughter bubbled from Tamyra as he walked towards her. She felt weird lying down with him coming near, so she rolled over and sat up. She considered sitting cross-legged for a second, but figured it wouldn’t be a good idea in her suit. Instead she kept her legs together and pushed them out in front of her.
“We’re off to a great start, aren’t we? The less you give, the more I’m babbling.”
Sal stretched out his hand with the bottle in it. Her mouth felt dry. She doubted thirst had anything to do with it. She took it from him with a shy smile.
“Thank-you.”
“Look, I appreciate the water and again I’m sorry for crashing in on you. I’m just gonna get going.”
She had to say something or lose him. Without allowing herself a chance to think, she said; “Don’t go. I’m not trying to be a snob. I get really nervous around new people and can’t talk.”
Her face burned and she looked down at her light blue toenails.
“Sorry. I didn’t…”
“How about you stop saying sorry and I’ll try saying something.”
She still couldn’t look at him, yet she patted the blanket next to her. Seconds agonized by in what felt like an eternity. She detected the faint coconut odor of his suntan lotion and then she felt him sit down next to her.
Chapter 6
Tamyra's heart bumped like the beats in a heavy rap song when she glanced at Sal waiting for her. He looked like a model when he smiled, not a hair out of place and perfect white teeth. She gave a lame wave and gapped the distance between them.
"You ready for this? First day at big bad S.C. High could be pretty scary."
Sal must have registered the look of terror on her face as he quickly recovered with; "Sorry. That was dumb. You'll be fine. I'll intro you to all my friends and they'll lo..." the ‘ve’ dangled, unspoken, in the air before he mumbled; "like you as much as I do."