BECOMING

8

8

ISLA

After

     EVERYTHING WAS DARK. Isla could see absolutely nothing, not even her own body below her. She didn't know where she was, or on what she standing. Cold drops of sweat rolled down her neck, then her back. Her heartbeat was fast, her breath ragged.

     She only knew two things for certain. First, she had been running from something. Her whole body was tired, her legs were about to give up, and she was sweating hard. Her heart was beating hard in her chest, and she felt bile riding on her throat. Second, she felt fear. She didn't know why, but she was completely, utterly scared. The kind of scared that consumes your every though, that makes you go crazy.

     Isla swallowed hard.

     Something growled behind her, sending shivers down her spine. Every muscle in her body paralyzed, and for a moment, she forgot how to breathe. "You cannot run from me." A deep, rich voice said. The voice made her skin tingle. She turned around slowly, knowing that she had been running from that voice.

     In between the thick darkness, all she could see were two small, shinning, deep-blue eyes far away. She was hypnotized by them.

     Then there were footsteps. Heavy, slow, torturing footsteps. The eyes were coming closer. She realized from the sound that whatever creature was approaching her, it definitely wasn't human. Then what was it? An animal? A monster? A beast?

The eyes came closer,

closer,

closer.

     Until they were right in front of her.

     She wanted to escape, but she was too tired, and she had nowhere to go. Her legs finally gave up, and she fell on her knees. She was eye-to-eye with the blue eyes. She felt the presence of the animal, or the monster, or the beast in front of her, her heart beating louder, and louder.

     There was another growl, and she saw a glimpse of sharp, white teeth. The beast had canines. "I will look for you everywhere." It said with the same, strong voice. "I will find you."

     Isla swallowed hard. Although she was still completely scared, the presence and the voice of the creature in front of her made her calm down a little. "What are you?" She asked, her voice trembling.

     The beast growled once again, louder this time. So loud, the ground beneath them shook. The beast came closer, its teeth grazing Isla's neck. Then, slowly, softly, it whispered in her ear.

     "A werewolf."

     Isla opened her eyes. She was hot and sweaty. Her breathing was uneven. "It was just a dream." She whispered to herself. "It was just a dream."

     Still, she had a sour taste in her sandy mouth. She changed to a sitting position, expecting to see the now familiar purple walls of her new room, but instead she only saw white walls. She looked around, not knowing where she was.

     What happened? Why was she there? She got out of the huge bed she was laying on, and walked towards the big windows of the room. It was snowing, and a thin layer of ice was covering the edges of the glass.

     A door opened behind her, and she turned around violently. A big man with rich, dark skin was standing there, a serious look on his face.

     "Bao." Isla thought. "Bao."