Lycanthropy: Beauty Is A Beast

Chapter Three: An Angel By The Name Of Morning

My house is the last stop for the bus. It's always been that way, any bus I ride. I'm used to it. I usually finish all of my homework thanks to that. And today is no different. Within the first five minutes, my homework is done for the evening. So, I lean back and enjoy the breeze from my open window. I get a seat to myself. Always.

            Then it happens.

            Sharp pain shoots through my head. “Sh-shit!” I yelp and put my hand on my forehead. My brain pulses painfully and my eyes burn. I squeeze them shut in an effort to cool them off. It doesn’t help.

What the hell is going on?!

Eyes watering, I stand up in the aisle while the bus is still moving. Bad idea. I instantly trip and fall on my face. I stumble to lift myself up. I open my eyes to make sure I’m okay, despite the pain.

And guess what?                      

They don’t hurt anymore. My eyes aren’t even wet. People on the bus stare at me like I’m utterly insane. Like people used to stare at my Uncle Max. I know that look perfectly well. Embarrassed, I quickly scoot back to my seat.

As I dust myself off, I notice from the corner of my eyes, a boy. He’s the only one that wasn’t/isn’t staring at me. He’s uninterested, face in a book.  He seems to be caressed in shadows.

Then, all of a sudden, the sunlight hits him. And, oh my god.

His golden hair gets caught in the rays and his dark brown eyes seem to grow brighter. Maybe they do. He’s gorgeous.

Is it weird to call a boy gorgeous?

I take a quick look at him again.

Nope. Not strange at all.

I tear my eyes away from the kid, hoping he didn’t notice me.

“Like the view? I sure do” I hear his smooth voice. I cringe and give a look of mock confusion. He just chuckles and shuts his book.

“I said I like the view from here. The layers in your black hair catch perfectly with the light to where it has a bluish tint” he smiles and my heart skips a beat.

“Uh…thanks…” I turn red as he makes room for me next to him. I grab my crap and take the offer.

“Um…do I know you?” the world-wide question slips out my mouth and I instantly feel stupid…er. Of course I should know him. He’s on my school bus and he looks about my age. StupidStupidStupidStu-

“I don’t know, do you?” Good question, Buddy.

I think back. Come to think of it, where have I seen him before? He’s familiar somehow. Maybe-

“Homeroom, doll. You’re…Madalyn?” Holy crap, this is the kid that takes attendance everyday in HR. Duh, Maddie, keep it togeth-Wait. Doll?

My mind all jumbled, I turn a flustered pink as he just laughs. Oh, goodness, that laugh. It makes me smile.

“I’m Morning”

Morning?

Seeing my confusion, he explains. “My name. My mother was a hippie when I was born. Not that she did drugs while pregnant or anything”

I giggle. “I like it. It fits you well. Um…I mean…” He chuckles again as I go red again.

The bus slows to a stop for the fifth time and I look away. “Uh…please tell me you didn’t see me fall on my face” He laughs a little.

“I wish I could, but, yes, I saw” My stomach flops. Dammit, he saw that.

“You know, we should hang out sometime”

Did he really just say that? Jackpot~

“Uh, yeah, we should” I smile and calm down a little.

“Over Spring Break, there’s a little fair going on at Toronto National Park. It’s for the whole week. Would you like to go with me for a few days?” My heart skips.

“Of course!” Great, that sounded too enthusiastic. “I mean, it depends. I’m prolly gonna see my Uncle Max, if he’s allowed to see people” Yeah, that’s better.

“Allowed to see people?” He asks, obviously confused. I nod.

“My Uncle Max is in an insane asylum. He was admitted a few months ago for spewing crap about werewolves. He should be able to see people within the week” I explain, remembering all the stories my uncle used to tell me.

He’s an old coot, my Uncle Max. I can recall how violent he got when they came to take him away. For a man of 70, he was strong. His white hair was strewn all over the place on his small head. Screaming about a family curse called…something with an “L”…I can’t…remember…

Pain in my head again.

I cringe and Morning gently grasps my shoulder. “Is this the same thing that happened earlier? Are you okay?” he sounds worried. Awe.

The pain soon goes away and I give a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. That usually doesn’t happen. It just started today” He visibly relaxes. But I don’t. What the hell is going on with me?

“Hey, my stop is coming up. Get out your phone” he leans his head against the back of the seat in front of us and waits patiently. I scrabble through my messenger bag for my iPhone. When I find it, I hold it out expectantly. He looks surprised.

“You have an iPhone too? Here, I’ll just bump you my number” he takes his out and does so.

“Bu-but I don’t ever text people first. That’s why I don’t have a texting bill…”

He shakes his head, chuckling. “Then give me yours. I’ll text you later” I nod and bump him my number. He smiles and locks his phone. I do the same.

The bus stops and he stands. I follow suit and let him out of the seat. As I sit back down, I notice the book he was reading: Rise Of The Ogre.

No way.

“Hey!” I call as he walks away. He looks back expectantly. “You’re a Gorillaz fan?” He smiles.

“They’re genius”

I nearly die inside. He’s perfect.

I nod in agreement. “Totally”

When he’s off, the bus starts moving again. I search through my iPhone for a ringtone for Morning. Or, Morn, as I saved it in my phone. Then, it popped up.

Where’s My Angel by Metro Station.