Moonlit Awakening

Chapter 16

Alice

Alice is laying in bed, with Ember sitting next to her. Margaret comes into the room, carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and a few crackers. "Here, Ember," she says, "try and get her to eat something. She'll feel better if she eats."

"Alice," Ember coaxes her sister, "will you eat some soup and crackers for me?"

"N...noo," Alice grumbles, delirious from her fever.

"Margaret made it for you."

"M...Margaret?"

"Yes, she made it just for you."

"I eat..."

Ember helps her sit up before carefully feeding her the soup. She stops once the soup and the crackers are gone. "Did you like it?"

"Y...yes, sleep now?"

"Yes, Alice, you can sleep." Alice drifts off to sleep again rather quickly.

Liam

Liam suddenly bursts into the room. "Ember!" he exclaims softly, "I found her mother's medical records!"

"What?" she responds.

He sits down on the bed, carefully so as to not wake Alice up. "Her mother's name was Cassia Sinclair, she suffered from IgA deficiency."

"What the hell is that?"

"It's a genetic disorder that prevents the body from producing enough antibodies to fight off infections."

She sighs. "That would make sense. I suppose Alice inherited that from her mother."

"Yes...the thing is that's not all that I found out."

"What do you mean?"

"Alice, she has a special heritage, it carries both human and non-human elements."

"Human and non-human elements? What do you mean by non-human? Are you implying my sister isn't completely human?"

"Yes, that's right."

"That doesn't make any sense! Of course she's human! What else would she..." Her sentence trails off as she notices his expression. "You...you mean...humans aren't the only humanoid creature in existence?"

"Yes, that would be correct."

She pales. "W...what exactly do you mean by non-human?"

"Do you know about the creatures in myths and legends?"

"Like werewolves and vampires and that sort of thing?" He nods. "You mean to tell me that my sister is a vampire?"

"No, not a vampire. She's a hybrid."

"A hybrid between what?"

"A fairy and a human."

"You mean to tell me that her mother was a fairy?"

"Hybrid. She was a fairy-human hybrid."

"How do you know about this...." Her eyes widen as the realization that he isn't human dawns on her. "You...you aren't human either, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Then what are you?"

"I'm a werewolf."

"N...no! That doesn't make sense! Werewolves are beasts! They...they..."

"That's right, I'm able to transform into a beast."