Hybrid

~Chapter 7~ "This is the new me..."

Camille walks slowly through the forest just outside the high school, her tail swaying with every step. A calm breeze rustles the trees above her. She's talking on her cellphone with someone,
"Hey Dad it's me..."
"Camille!" her father anxiously speaks with a gruff sounding voice, "We just got a call saying school's been evacuated. What the hell happened? Are you okay!?"
"I'm fine Dad... Nobody got hurt..." Camille replies thinking back.
"But what happened then?" He asks puzzled.
Camille hesitates to answer,
"I-It's hard to explain..."
"Do you need to be picked up? I can get there in a few minutes---"
"I'm almost home actually," Camille cuts him off, "I decided to walk home..."
Her Dad is confused, but doesn't question it any further,
"Alrighty then, but please stay safe out there for me Cam, you got that?" Her Dad asks her lovingly.
"I will Dad... I'll be home soon, Bye Dad"
"Bye Cam"
Camille hangs up, and her thoughts start to race,
"How the hell am I going to tell them? How can I just come home looking like this...?" She looks at her tail swaying behind her, and feels her ears with her hands.
"What will they think of me now... what will everyone think of me...?" Camille thinks back to just an hour prior, when Nadia and Allison started berating her,
"When are you going to get the hint? No matter how much try to deny it you're not one of us, you're just a poser. Why do you think no guy has ever approached you? Because you're a loser that doesn't know her place. You act like you're such hot shit when you flake out of parties, when you're actually just a scared little bitch.
"Look at her clothes! She's been wearing that same thing for months! Can't mommy and daddy get you some real clothes? Oh that's right, why would they waste money on someone so worthless!"
"You're not on any teams, and your grades are unremarkable, what the hell do you even do with yourself other than parade around like an idiot. You're a nobody, just like all the other rejects."
"Yeah, why don't you go play with that mutt Jade drags with her everywhere! I'm sure Jade would love to have someone else to become her dog. Being a dog is all you're good for anyways, when you're not trying to act all cool you're always at our beck and call following orders. Here's an order for ya! Get lost! Hahaha---"
"Shut up!!!" Camille yells to herself. Camille looks down to herself, the words of what she thought were her friends cutting right through her.

As Camille approaches her house, she quickly thinks to hide her tail underneath her coat and covers her ears with one of her hands,
"I'm not ready for them to see me like this..."
She becomes more nervous the closer she reaches the front door. She takes a big breath before she enters. Inside she sees her mom and dad sitting in the living room just past the kitchen in front of the front door. Camille's Dad sees her enter and goes up to her,
"Cam! There you are!" Camille's Dad is somewhat rotund, with a thick brown beard sprouting from his face. He wears a checkered flannel with a white undershirt, and blue denim for pants. He notices Camille's distressed look with her hand holding her head,
"What's wrong Cam? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine Dad" Camille tries to convince him.
Camille's Mom gets up and approaches her,
"Are you sure? Why are you holding your head like that?" She asks, displaying concern. Her voice comes across as posh sounding, heavily contrasting her husband's. She has light brown hair that she has tied into a bun, and she has white rimmed glasses. She also wears a white dress shirt and black pants.
Camille shakes her head, "I'm fine Mom it's just..." Camille tries to come up with an excuse, "My head really hurts right now. I think I need to lay down..." Camille tries to go towards her bedroom, before she's stopped by her Dad,
"Hold up Cam, you really don't look good... Come here and lay on the couch" He can tell something's happened, especially with her breathing so heavily.
"Uh... alright..." Camille listens to him, more worried about hiding her ears than anything else. She goes to lay down on the living room couch, and as she's sitting down she feels a sharp pain shoot throughout her spine and body.
"Ow! Shit!" She cries, realizing she just accidentally sat on her own tail.
"Are you sure you're alright? You're starting to worry me..."
"I'm fine! Really I am!" Camille tries to convince him otherwise. She starts to feel even more uncomfortable as her tail still between her back and her coat, with no room for it to move.
"Something's not right here, what's wrong Cam?" Camille becomes even more anxious as her parents grow more suspicious of her. She starts to trip over her own words,
"N-n-nothings wrong! I-it's just... uh..."
"Camille please!" Her Mom pleads, "Tell us if you're hurt. Should I call an ambulance? You're really shaking..."
Camille tries to come up with some sort of excuse, but realizes that one way or another they're going to find out. She takes a deep sigh,
"Alright, I'll show you..."
Camille winces as she moves her arm, unveiling her wolf-like ears.
Her Mom takes a step away surprised,
"What...?"
Camille keeps her eyes closed as she sits up in the couch, and lifts up her coat. Her light brown tail whips out from underneath her coat, finally able to move freely. Camille opens her eyes to her mom and dad both looking at her in silence. Neither of them are quite able to comprehend what they are seeing. They see Camille's ears fold backwards as she feels embarrassed, and they see her tail slowly sway next to her. Her Dad scratches his head dumbfounded,
"What... What happened to you?"
Camille's Mom looks at her curiously, occasionally tilting her head left and right. Awkward tension permeates the room, before Camille eventually breaks the silence,
"I was possessed by a monster... and it took over my body... But then some students snapped me out of it, and the monster tried to kill me. The other students then killed the monster with their powers... One of them could shoot lighting from their hands, and the other had this sword she fought it with. But then, I felt something burning in my chest, and my body started to change... and... well..."
Her parents look at her even more puzzled.
"Hold on" Her mom pauses, "You were possessed by a monster... Said monster was then killed by students with powers, and then... this... Correct?" she interrogates.
"Yeah... that's correct..." Camille awkwardly confirms.
"Hmm..." her mother ponders attentively, "What do you mean by a monster?"
"I mean, it was this big and hairy thing, and it had these red teeth and claws. I was told that people have been turning into these monsters, and the one that possessed me was trying to turn me into one too..."
Camille's dad lights up,
"A werewolf! That's it! I told you Char and you wouldn't believe me! I knew something was up when the cops started enforcing that curfew just right after someone turned up dead!" he says excitedly. Charlotte shakes her head disapprovingly,
"This again Alain? There is no such thing as..." Charlotte pauses looking again at her daughter. She rests her head in her hand, realizing the confusing reality of the situation.
"But even if that is the case, I have never heard of a werewolf of any kind, fiction or otherwise, possessing people's minds."
"But if it ain't a werewolf then what the hell is it then? Sounds werewolf enough to me."
Charlotte sighs, and then grins at him,
"Alright Alain... I'll let you win this time. Besides, there are more important things to discuss. Camille, please tell me more about these students you have mentioned."