Wolfskin (A Werewolf Novel) - ON HOLD

zero | brielle

zero
b r i e l l e

Everyone has secrets. It's the one thing that unites us as human beings. Some are small, like the fact you secretly hate your best-friend's platinum hair and actually you do know what happened to your mother's antique bracelet (turns out wearing it to a birthday party aged nine wasn't the brightest idea I'd ever had). They're the teeny-tiny white lies that we spin to protect feelings and keep our image perfect.

But when do harmless little secrets become big ones?

I'll tell you: When they are spun together into a dainty web, each thread precariously balanced and relying on another. All it takes is one prang, one tangle, and before you know it the spider is trapped and the more she struggles, the more secrets come tumbling down around her.

It was a boiling afternoon in early August when my mother's web finally unravelled. After a summer of working every hour I could, it had been a welcome relief to spend the day floating in the pond's at the Heath. Slightly sunburned with tan lines that wouldn't fade all summer, my friends and I leant against the elevator mirror as we made our way up to my first floor flat.

Lulu sighed dramatically as she scrolled through her phone. "God, talk about desperate."

Jen peered over her shoulder. "Is that her bra?"

I leant in for a look at the selfie of another girl in our year who did indeed have rather a lot of cleavage on display. "Nothing on you, Lu. Don't sweat it."

"Oh, I know," Lulu said, flicking her dyed-platinum hair over her shoulder with a confidence I could only dream of. "But she should still get some self respect."

The summer holidays so far had been an endless loop: work, sleep, repeat. But not today. We'd come back to the apartment to change ready for the party of the summer. After grabbing some cold drinks and making a fuss of my dog, Zeus, we were about to make our way to my room when there was a pounding at the door.

I'd thrown them both a quick 'what the hell' look before scrambling to open the door, grabbing hold of Zeus. Two police officers stood rigidly.

After a nervous glance at the dog, the woman spoke. "I'm Detective Jones. This is Detective Mines. We're looking for Sophia Musgrove?"

The fear turned to confusion. "Oh, that's my Mum. Want me to see if she's here?"

She nodded. "That would be best."

"Right..." I awkwardly pushed the door half shut, handed Zeus to Jen then rushed through the apartment, calling Mum as I went. What on earth could they be here for? Had something happened to my Dad? To my brother?

"Darling?" Mum's soft lilt drifted from her bedroom and after a moment she was in the doorway. "Why are you shouting?"

"There's police at the door. They want to speak to you?"

An emotion flickered across her face—too quick for me to catch—before she covered it up with a forced smile. "Do they know I'm here?"

I frowned. "Uh, no, I told them I'd check..."

She nodded. "Did you offer them tea?"

I shook my head, perplexed at the question.

"Brielle!" Mum's scold was half-hearted as she pulled me into a hug. "Go and invite them in. Tell them I'll be there shortly." I struggled in her hold and protested about being sweaty, but that only made her hold on tighter as she murmured into my hair, "I love you, sweetheart. So much."

I frowned and pushed her away. "Love you too, Mum. Why—"

"Tea," She ordered, releasing her hold. "Now."