I began to stir, my consciousness returning as the murmur of voices wafted over me. As I attempted to sit up, a groan escaped my lips, and my eyelids fluttered open. I took in my surroundings, a sterile hospital room that was both foreign and unnerving. My familiar sweatshirt had been removed, leaving me in just my sweats and sports bra, an attire hardly suitable for my current situation.
Hazel sat nearby on a chair, her head buried in her hands, a picture of worry and concern. A few feet away, I noticed Allison engaged in a conversation with a doctor. It took me a moment to recognize the doctor as Elena, the aunt of Josie and Lizzie.
"Allie?" I called out to her, my voice shaky, reflecting my unsettled state following the recent disconcerting events.
At the sound of her name, Allison's head snapped in my direction. She broke away from her conversation with Elena, and with a light jog, closed the distance between us. As she leaned in, her eyes filled with concern, her proximity was a comforting presence in the otherwise cold room.
"Hey, I'm here," she reassured me. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" She was quick to ask, her worry for my condition overriding any other concerns. It was one of the many things I cherished about her.
"My side is just a little sore, but nothing significant," I assured her, trying to alleviate her worry. "Can you sit with me, please?" I requested, craving her comforting presence.
Without a moment's hesitation, Allison nodded. With care, she climbed into the bed next to me. As she settled in, I nestled my face into her shoulder, finding solace in her warmth.
"I was so scared," I confessed, my voice barely more than a whisper, faltering under the weight of my emotions.
Allison didn't respond verbally. Instead, she simply tightened her arms around me, pulling me into a comforting hug. It was her silent promise of protection, her unspoken reassurance that I wasn't alone.
Elena, now finished with her medical instructions, addressed us, "She's free to go if you would like, just make sure to change the bandage every morning and night for a few days."
Seeing Hazel's silence, I regarded her with concern. She was quiet, and it worried me. "Hey, Hazel, are you okay?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"Me? Are you okay?" she retorted with a dry laugh, her attempt at humor failing to mask the worry in her eyes. She quickly reassured me, "But yes, I'm okay. Thanks for asking."
I gave her a small, comforting smile and then turned my attention back to my sister. "Can we go home now?" I asked. The sterile hospital room felt foreign and unnerving, and I longed for the familiarity and comfort of our own home.
Suddenly, I felt a draft hit my bare skin and I looked down to realize I was still in my sports bra. "Wait," I stammered, "I don't have a shirt." The sudden realization made me feel even more exposed in the stark hospital room.
Without a word, Allison, ever so considerate, slipped off her hoodie and handed it to me. The fabric was warm and inviting, smelling faintly of her perfume. But instead of allowing me to slip it on myself, she went a step further. She scooped me up in her arms, intending to carry me.
"Allie, I can walk, you know," I protested, a light laugh escaping my lips despite the situation.
She simply shrugged, her eyes dancing with amusement. "I don't care, I'm carrying you anyways," she smiled, her determination evident.
...
Allison, Hazel, and I were huddled in the living room, engrossed in a movie. The tension was palpable, the room was filled with an unusual, eerie silence that was only broken by the occasional flicker of the television screen. I decided to break this silence, so I reached out and hit the pause button on the remote.
"What happened back there? At the school, I mean," I started, turning my gaze towards Hazel. "You were armed with a gun, and the creature, whatever it was, fled at your sight. You can't brush this off saying it was nothing, because I know deep down, it's far from 'nothing'," I demanded, my voice filled with a mix of curiosity and fear.
Allison and Hazel shared a knowing glance, a silent conversation passing between them. Hazel, with a resigned sigh, decided to break the news.
"Let's not beat around the bush," she began, her voice steady and serious. "The supernatural world is more real than you think."
"Hazel!" Allison's voice echoed in the room, her surprise evident.
My response, however, was entirely different. "Really?! That's so cool and scary!" I exclaimed, my eyes wide with excitement and disbelief.
Allison looked at me, her face a picture of shock. She then turned her gaze back to Hazel, "Well, that went unexpectedly... well. Not the response I was bracing myself for."
What could I say? The idea of supernatural beings had always intrigued me, and to uncover the truth that they existed was both frightening and thrilling. Yes, the encounter with the creature at the school had left me terrified, but the revelation was just too fascinating to ignore.
"Anyway," Hazel started again, drawing my attention back to her. "That creature at the school was a werewolf, the alpha of its pack. I've been trying to challenge its position for a long time now, and once, I even came close to succeeding. However, it managed to escape. Since then, it's been living in fear of me," she explained, her tone matter-of-fact.
"You're a werewolf?!" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Hazel nodded in response, confirming my suspicions and unveiling a world of supernatural that I was just beginning to understand.
"Wait a second... Do you have the fangs, claws, and those glowing eyes?" I questioned, my mind reeling from the reality that was unfolding before me.
In response, Hazel's eyes began to glow, a fierce, captivating luminescence that I had previously only seen in movies and at the school. Her fangs and claws emerged, a terrifying testament to her supernatural nature. But to my surprise, she didn't look as horrifying as stories and media portray such creatures to be.
"You're not that scary, honestly. You look more like a puppy trying to puff up and look big and scary," I blurted out, nervous laughter bubbling up within me. The words slipped out before I could catch them, and I immediately clamped my hand over my mouth, regretting my word choice.
That was not supposed to come out. Hazel's growl reverberated through the room, and she began to rise from her spot, her movements graceful yet menacing.
"Oh shit," I muttered under my breath, my heart pounding in my chest. I was about to scramble up, but my sister intervened. She wrapped her hand around my waist with careful firmness and turned her glowing eyes towards Hazel.
Wait just a minute.
"Allison! You're a werewolf too?" I asked, my voice filled with shock and disbelief. The revelation was like a punch to the gut, leaving me breathless.
"Yeah... I haven't been truthful about where I've been going. All those times I said I was heading to my boyfriend's, I was lying. I don't even have a boyfriend. I was sneaking off to the woods, away from prying eyes, to shift," she confessed.
The room seemed to spin around me, the reality of the situation sinking in slowly. "Woah," I managed to gasp out, exhaling a shaky breath. I sank back onto the couch, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. The world as I knew it had just been turned upside down, replaced by a reality that was far more fascinating and terrifying than I could have ever imagined.
YOU ARE READING
Red Revenge
FanficHope's sister, Allison, took Hope away from their old household. Their parents were supernatural and weren't the best people in the world. They were aggressive at home and even more violent in the world, all while keeping it a secret from Hope. Now...
