It started five months ago. I’d been sitting on the back step of my moderate suburb home. The rough rock shards dug into my palms as I gripped the edge of the step. Through my numbness, I felt the blood seeping between my fingers.
My phone buzzed loudly from inside the pocket of my black jeans. Reflexively, I picked up the small black cell phone and slid it open. “New message from Arrakis Cael”. I opened it.
Raven calm down keep ur head on straight
I replied quickly, my fingers sliding across the keyboard from the blood.
I’m fine I swear. I’ll get over it I guess. I don’t deserve this
shit though. They can’t kick me out like this.
u dont deserve it ur right. just stay calm. go stay @ a friends
house or somethin
I sighed. I guess he was right, but my body just refused to move. I finally forced myself to grab my sweatshirt and stand up.
ur right. I’ll go to Schiffy’s or something.
K. just keep talking to me. its late but ill stay up with u.
I looked at my phone. Jeez, it was almost eleven o’clock.
U don’t have 2. I’ll b ok
I didn’t want him worrying so much. Slowly, I made my way across the back yard and out the gate onto the church’s property. My phone vibrated.
alright babe. let me know when u get somewhere safe. i love u.
night.
I love you too. Night.
I slid my phone closed and stored it back in my pocket. Focusing my eyes straight ahead, I kept walking, but my mind stayed with Arrakis. He lived almost 250 miles away. I hadn’t seen him in over a month now.
While I was distracted, I hadn’t noticed the incessant itch that had formed all across my forearms. I’d been scratching them constantly, and I’d finally looked at them.
I thought I might pass out. Darkness kept sweeping in and out of sight, but my arms still seemed clear as day; the hair still growing and thickening, almost like fur.
Suddenly, I was knocked on my back. My ribcage screamed in agony, but only a high pitched whine escaped my lips. I felt the skin stretching and the bones expanding all across my chest. My shirt ripped and I started feeling my spine lengthening, pulling at the skin at the base and forming outward. My pants tore and the fur spread all over my body. Painfully, my thumbs retracted and my fingers closed together, skin and fur forming paws in their place.
Out of nowhere, the searing pain spread to my face. I felt my mouth and nose pulling and stretching, my ears moving up and compressing, and my eyes narrowing and slanting. My black hair grew, falling all the way to the small of my back. Finally, the pain passed, but my mind shut down; a deep blackness suppressing my mind.
