golden eyes | irwin [HIATUS]

eight - lycanthropes

Ariel

It's the next night and I have faith that Ashton will come.

I faked being ill so I didn't have to go to school today. I made sure to pass the information by Mali so she was prepared. I, of course, felt bad for ditching on her again, but I explained why I can't show my face. Kylie would bring me down just by seeing hers. I don't think she wants to see me, anyway. I fucked up, and all three of us know it's true.

I should at least tell her why I said what I said, but would she listen?

At this point, probably not.

It's crazy how badly our friendship has dropped to rock bottom in only a few days. It makes my heart wither like a dying flower. I don't know how long I can function without Kylie. She's such a big part of my life.

I need to fix us, but it'll have to wait.

I'm lying in my bed, staring at the wall opposite to me, when I hear a few subtle taps on my closed window. I know that I closed it this morning due to the cold air making itself at home in my room, but I didn't know I locked it. So, I check to make sure it's Ashton - he smiles at me when I move the curtains aside - and pull the locks open.

He effortlessly lifts the opening for him to come in, greeting me with a quiet hey.

"Hey," I reply, humming. It's the first time I've talked today, which is bizarre. Usually my mom visits me regularly when I'm sick, but I remind myself it's Wednesday and the middle of the week; she has work.

"I'm sorry about last night." He says, his golden eyes sad and a little guilty.

I nod, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, where were you?"

Ashton sighs and lets out a humorless laugh, taking me off guard. "Well," he starts, sitting on the edge of my bed. I move so he has more space. We both ignore the squeak of my mattress. "I can explain to you everything. Just...it's a lot to take in. There's so much you can learn, but keep in mind that this is big, and not to mention a secret that I would like you to keep."

I nod. "I can keep it, Ashton. I can handle it."

Ashton takes a breath and glances at me, the intensity of his golden eyes staring into my brown ones making my cheeks flush with color. "Have you heard the term lycanthrope before?"

Lycanthrope. Sounds familiar.

I don't speak, yet Ashton bobs his head as if I replied.

"It means werewolf, just another way of saying it really," Ashton explains. "Werewolves, or if you prefer lycanthrope, have a lot of- I wouldn't call them powers. Maybe abilities?" He purses his lips and I chuckle at him, causing him to smile before continuing. "Anyway, we can do lots of things. For example..." he stops and I'm confused for a few moments.

We can read minds, his voice enters my head and I gasp, wide eyes watching him. Suddenly all of those random remarks make sense. And communicate with each other as well as humans through thoughts.

I open my mouth to ask him something, but stop. The idea finding its way into my brain seems ridiculous, even to me, because I'm not sure if a normal human like me can speak to a werewolf like him through thoughts, but it's worth a try. Rather than using my voice, I focus all of my energy on sending a message to the boy next to me, unbeknown to if he'll receive it or not.

How does this thought thing work exactly?

Ashton seems shocked when I look at him.

What? I tilt my head.