Gray Valley

s i x

"A GRAY WOLF, ACTUALLY." His voice was full of amusement. "I am one, too."

"So that's why you teach..." I trailed off.

"Smarter than I thought you were," he commented lazily, closing his eyelids. "At a matter of fact..." My mind registered his tone and within seconds, I was filled with rage.

"YOU THINK THAT THIS IS FUNNY?!" I screamed. His eyes snapped open at the volume of my voice, as the school bell rang in the distance.

"Whoa, Wes," he said. "I think you should calm down."

"I don't care what you think. Don't tell me what to do," I snapped and spun around towards the door. "And my name is not Wes," I added, walking out if the room.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted him staring at me, drop-jawed.

I stormed down the corridor, confused as to why all the rooms were empty. Grabbing my timetable, I checked what lesson I had. Of course. It was lunch.

And then a sharp blow exploded at my temple, weakening my stance. I sunk to my knees squeezing the sides of my head. Luna, please save me.

I couldn't bare it anymore... It was getting worse by the second.

I just wanted it all to end.

Heaving myself off the floor, I staggered forward. My vision blurred and the world spun around me. I felt my legs weaken and fell forward.

I braced myself, awaiting the impact of crashing to the ground.

Only, it never came.

"We have got to stop meeting like this," a voice, Liam's, said. I was suddenly aware that his arms were around my waist.

"Err..." A jolt of electricity seemed to buzz through my veins, flooding my entire body. He smiled ever so slightly and scooped me up effortlessly.

"What's wrong, Weslyn?"

"I... dizzy... can't see," I murmured incoherently.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No... I..."

"That explains it."

"Explains, what?"

"Why you are dazed," he replied. "I'll take you to the cafeteria. Come on." Without thinking, he curled his fingers around my wrist and lead me to the corridor.

The moment I stepped into the cafeteria after Liam, a loud voice echoed through the area.

"Will!" a guy yelled. I scanned the room, searching for the owner of the voice. I soon found him, a dark-skinned guy racing in my direction. Within seconds, he was with Liam suffocating in his embrace. "William Moonstone, I have missed you so much." Liam laughed in response and pulled away from him. As I caught sight of his face, I knew there was something unusual about his appearance. I just couldn't quite place it.

"So have I, Martyn." His face flushed slightly, as everyone was staring at us. "But I'm not making a scene am I?"

"Of course not, you're Will," the guy, Martyn stated. "Will Moonstone does not like drawing attention to himself.

"Umm... Yeah," Liam dismissed and then looked at me. "So, Weslyn, this is my best friend Martyn Grant. Marty, this is Weslyn."

"Weslyn Grayson?"

"I'm under the impression that people know me better than I do."

"Its famous around here, your name-last name is," he responded. "Are you sitting with us today, Weslyn?" I gave Liam a dazed look and nodded slightly.

"Yeah, why not?" I answered.

"I'll get your food for you," Liam told me.

"You don't have to-"

"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "You're practically going to pass out. Go sit down with Martyn and rest."

I followed Martyn to a small dull table and sat down.

I glanced at him and at once realised what was so unusual about his features. Although his skin was deep brown and hair black like every other African boy, his eyes were gray in colour. Beautiful, metallic gray.

"Aww... thanks, Weslyn. Though, I must admit, I've gotten that a lot."

"You heard that?" I questioned with disbelief. "About your eyes?"

"Of course I did," he grinned. "How are you finding Gray Valley?"

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked. He shrugged in response and watched me expectantly. "What are the local legends?"

"There are a lot of myths in Gray Valley and it has been told for almost a millennium, passed down through many generations..." he trailed off. "A lot of them are about Werewolves, which is why Lycanthropy is a mandatory lesson at our school; it makes up our history. It is said that Gray Valley was entirely inhabited by Werewolves for centuries before human settlement. The Werewolves were supposedly descended from the full-moon goddess, Luna, who was cursed by the wolf guardian and became the very first lycanthrope in the world."

"Why Werewolves, though? The myths could as easily have been about any other supernatural creature. It could have been Vampires-"

"Vampires don't exist, Weslyn," Martyn chuckled.

"Obviously, they don't. But neither do Werewolves," I rolled my eyes.

"Not according to every other citizen of Gray Valley."

"By Luna... You're kidding me, right?" I demanded. The expression on his face showed that he was serious. "Wait, so you believe in Werewolves?

"Yeah, I do." His answer was so abrupt, I didn't know how to reply

"But-"

"When you grow up with frequently unexplained animal attacks and howling noises every full moon, you can't help but believe in it." Animal attacks? Howling? Full moon? My uncertainty dissolved, as my mind began to consider the possibility of the existence of Werewolves.

And then it occurred to me...

If West Grayson wasn't lying when he said that Werewolves existed, there was a minor chance that maybe he was being truthful when he told me of Gray Wolves. Could there be a chance that everything he said was real?

Was there a possibility that I was the beast I saw in my memories?