Willow Springs

Chapter 2

    My parents spent the following days with me, but it wasn't until two days after the day at Aurora's that they brought up our werewolf part of our life. I didn't mind though, I was just happy to spend time with them. It seemed to bring me closer to my parents, even though I was close to my parents when I saw them. It wasn't until the day before the full moon that they brought it up again. They sat me down and explained to me what would happen, and I have to admit it scared me. They explained what I already found out with Aurora, that I should expect a nightmare. I didn't have it in me to tell them I had already had them. I was surprised they couldn't tell that I hadn't had much sleep, I was sure at the time my eyes were red and baggy. If they noticed though they never said anything. The worst nightmare I had I never forgot, I even think I have had it more since that day, though it never scared me as much as it did that night. I was in a dark street, which was cobbled and dirty. The buildings towered high above me each side of me, with only dim street lamps lighting the narrow street. I think it was in the Victorian times because the lamps were old fashioned and weren't bulbs but flames. I seemed to be the only one in the street and I think it was late. My footsteps echoed loudly on the cobbles as I walked slowly down the street. My eyes darted from side to side but I could see very little. A rat ran across my path and took one look at me, before darting off back into the dark. My eyes looked up to the sky and I watched as the clouds parted and the moon bright and full shone through. I could just see it between the gaps in the buildings, but I could still see it was full. I laughed aloud, and it bounced off all the buildings to sound much louder than it should of. It wasn't a laugh of amusement, but one you would consider pure evil. All of a sudden though the laugh changed to a howl of an animal, the howl of a werewolf.

My eyes darted down and my nails were long and sharp, I turned my hands over to stare at my palms and then back to the back of my hands. I noticed straight away my eyes were working better too. Not only could I see as clear as day but I could see further than before. I turned and looked around me, I could see down the narrow street but still, nothing was to be seen. Unlike before though it was no longer silent. I could hear the rats scuttle around in the street, I could hear the water in the sewer below me. Walking as light as a dog I slowly walked towards the end of the path, my footsteps now almost non-audible. At the end of the path the street opened up and the road was wide, wide enough for two carts to go down but still there were no people. Alone I stepped out onto the road and kept walking until I heard a noise and froze. My eyes darted in all directions, scanning the streets for the reason for the sound but I could see nothing. Then I heard it again, it was coming from an alley about thirty feet in front of me. Sneaking forward I stared into the darkness and thanks to my werewolf vision I could see into the darkness. They're walking away from me was a couple and seeing them I broke cover, but before I got to the couple I would wake up. That dream haunted me for years and still does sometimes, but it has never scared me as much as it did that first time. It wasn't until years later I found out the reason for the nightmare. It was a famous killing of a young couple around the time of the Jack the Ripper murders in Whitechapel, London. For a while, it was thought that it was a Ripper murder gone wrong but after asking my parents I found out it was a genetic memory passed down through my blood from my great, great grandfather. It's a strange ability but it's an ability that is only known to werewolves. In a way, it is an amazing ability to have, but most of the time it isn't. The memories we don't have control of and can come through at any time. For me, the worst come through as nightmares.

It was the day before my first change which was the most important time of my life, other than my first change was when my father called me into the family room. He sat on one of the brown leather sofas with my mother sat next to him, he said nothing at first and just signalled for me to sit on the free sofa.