Black as Night (Completed)

Part Four:Chapter 25

Julie

Ryan turns around. He mumbles softly, “Good-bye Julie.” He takes a step forward. I'm about to say something, but someone appears in front of Ryan. It's that girl. “I'm so sorry Ryan! I didn't know that you had a girlfriend!” The girl that kissed Ryan cries out. I scowl. “Can we just forget it ever happened?” “No,” Matthew says sternly. He looks at the girl. “Ryan just broke up with Julie. So, you can have Ryan all to yourself.” Matt smirks. The girl studies me closely. “I know you,” She says. “Probably because I showed you a drawing of her. Now, can you leave? I have to work out some problems,” Ryan answers. “No, no, no. That's not all.” She walks up to me. 

“What village are you from?” She questions. What does Ryan see in this girl? He must not realize what she's like. It has only been three days. “Caraway. What's it to you?” I tell with a snarl. “You look different from how he described you.” “Excuse me?” I ask  incredulously. “You're more...filled out. He described you as slim and innocent. Obviously he was wrong. You're not that innocent...or slim,” She says with a smirk. “Lorelei, please,” Ryan begs. 

“Who is he?” I ask with finger quotes around he.  “Josh, of course. The second eldest of the children.” What?!? “That's impossible. You're supposed to be dead.” “Supposed to are the key words here. Yes, I am the eldest of the children in my family. Yes, I am Josh's older sister.” 

So many unanswered questions fill my mind. How is she alive? How does she know about me? Does she know Josh is dead? Why do her parents think she died of a...werewolf attack?

“Are you just going to stand there with your mouth hanging open or do you want me to answer the questions you so desperately want to know?” Lorelei says this with an irritated tone and mockingly at once. I self-consciously shut my mouth closed, then I nod.

“As you may know, Josh is a werewolf, though my parents do not know. He spilled his secret to me, and only to me. We knew we couldn't let anyone else know. Josh would've been hanged. So, we devised a plan. It was simple enough, sort of.” She stands up straighter as if she needs to act strong so as not to get eaten by we coyotes. “For you to understand our plan you need to know something. Something really, really big.” Matthew's eyes narrow, Ryan cocks his head to the side and looks thoughtful.

In just a few seconds, Lorelei's features change. Her breasts, hips, and butt diminish in size. Her hair becomes shorter and changes to black and frizzy. Her skin pales and freckles dance across her nose. Lorelei's waist slims and she grows taller, only an inch or two shorter than Ryan. 

Lorelei finally speaks. “I am a shape-shifter.” Ryan and Matthew stand with their mouths opened slightly. I stand silently, uncomfortable, and terrified. “My actual name is Erin.” That little bitch. I look Erin straight in the eyes. I muster up some courage to speak. 

“Who cares?” I ask. Her eyes narrow. She continues. “On the full moon I lured Lorelei out of her home.” Erin's face darkens and her voice gets low.

“Josh had yet to taste human blood. Anyways, I had her come outside. Then, Josh came out of hiding, in his wolf form. Before she could even scream Josh pounced on her and...ripped her to pieces. There was so much blood and she was blubbering and screaming and...and,” Erin wipes tears from her cheeks. 

“We hid her body in the woods and I changed my form to look like Lorelei's. Josh told my parents a werewolf had killed me, only after he destroyed the village, and many families. They moved to Caraway and didn't look back. Every night Josh would visit me. He would tell me everything that was happening in his life. That's how I found out about you Julie.” She smiles sadly. “Josh hasn't visited me lately. Have you seen him? How is he?” I tear my eyes away from her face. 

“Oh. Of course you wouldn't know, you've been with this...this asshole for who knows how long,” Josh's sister says spitefully toward Matt. 

“No, that's not true,” Ryan says protectively. “The truth is, Josh is dead. I killed him.”