Who Do You Think You Are

Prologue

*Edited*

Prologue

"Life is a flame that is always burning itself out, but it catches fire again every time a child is born." - George Bernard Shaw

Ever since I was a child, I've understood the world. Even as young as two, I was wise and mature. I never threw tantrums no matter how much I wanted something nor did I cry. I was strong but my parents never cared for me due to their busy work schedules. I was responsible, I took care of my messes (not that I made any), and I was curt and polite. The nannies and maids my parents hired to care for me had been astounded with my attitude and they never had a need to take care of me. I took my own baths, got my own food, I was perfectly potty trained, and I went to bed on my own at a set time for myself. They never had the need to care for me but stuck around and acted like they did their jobs for the vast amount of money my mother and father paid them. The cook was nice though.

I was also intelligent. I learned to read and write on my own. By the age of five I had been reading novels that not many teenagers had been interested in such as: "The Odyssey", "Romeo and Juliet", "Treasure Island", and "Hamlet". The stories had always interested me and the plots and dialect were easy to understand. My vocabulary was far more advanced than a college professor's yet I rarely ever spoke. In the eyes of strangers and my parents I was a child. To my nannies and the maids, an adult. But to children my own age, an outcast. A few had offered for me to play with them but I always smiled and refused as gently as I could. After awhile of my constant refusal; they gave up. Instead, I observed. I took note of body language and tiny movements to hint at actions. Once, a four-year-old had wanted to climb up a tree, a twitch of the leg hinted that they were about to fall. I sprinted at the speed of a horse and was there to catch him before he could fall.

By the age of five, I knew that something was different about me. I was wary, cautious, yet intelligent. I was faster and stronger than most. My eyesight and hearing was much more advanced than average. And by my sixth birthday, I understood why.

There was a large forest that had practically been my backyard and I wanted to go for a walk. It was a beautiful day with a gentle breeze blowing against the barren branches and the ground was layered with a fine sheet of snow. I had changed into a red and green dress for the Christmas day with black leggings on underneath and Ugg boots. One of the nicer maids had turned me into a dress up doll and braided my hair into a French braid.

The small woodland animals were hibernating and it was silent. The sun setting was the only source of warmth to counter the chill of the winter day. The trees blackened from the moist air and I smiled at the serenity. My aura was radiating with happiness.

There was a small black watch fastened around my right wrist which had been a birthday as well as a Christmas present from my parents that had been set to an alarm to 11:59 in the evening. I was born a minute before Christmas ended. Basically, I was born on Christmas. Yay.

I didn't ask for anything from my parents and they just gave me expensive things to make up for their absence. It never bothered me much but it would be nice to have my parents around considering they were the people who brought me into this world.

The trees cast shadows over my small form as I walked deeper into the forest. My boots crunched on recently fallen twigs and the crisp snow. As I walked, time passed but it seemed to have no effect on me. The sun had long set and the once orange sky had turned into a deep sapphire.

Up ahead were two trees whose branches made an intricate arch. Flowers and vines were entwined into the branches and the trees itself were vibrant and full of life. I was awed and my eyes widened as I realized that the arch opened into a clearing. An array of trees surrounded the perimeter of the clearing and flowers were softly falling from the vine canopy above. Twinkling stars cast light onto the white snow, making it sparkle. It seemed as if this clearing was almost completely unaffected by the winter season other than the floor.

My heart thumped faster and I could hear it pounding in my ears like a soundtrack to this moment. The snow looked fresh and untouched and I almost didn't want to step on the snow and ruin it's beauty. The snow here was different; it was softer. I stepped into the middle of the large space and as softly as I could, lowered myself to the ground until my bottom was firmly placed on the snow. The cold of the ice was nonexistent through my dress and leggings and acted more as a cushion.

Through the canopy, stars twinkled brightly and the full moon shone proudly as if it was a mother proud of her children. I wondered about the nannies and if they were wondering where I was but right now, I honestly couldn't care less. It hurt to think of leaving.

I laid the rest of my body down onto the snow and just stared up into the sky.

A sudden beeping came out of nowhere, and startled me. It took me a second to realize that it was my watch that ruined the silence. I reached to stop the irritating beep and not a millisecond after my finger pressed the button, a burning tingle ran from my toes and fingers and slowly began to spread.

At first it began with the pads of my fingers, to my knuckles which had been white to my clenched fist, then to my wrist. I had not a clue on what was happening but something deep inside my soul told me to not panic. I wanted to scream as the burn intensified to a blazing fire running through my veins but held it in. My toes curled in my boots as the fire engulfed my limbs.

My back arched and rose as it spread to claim my chest and it felt as if I was being cremated alive. The base of my spine had now been engulfed and faster than a burning tree, it climbed my vertebrae. I scrunched my eyes shut and I wanted to die in this very moment.

The excruciating pain was too much for my little six year old body to handle. Black spots began to spot my vision even amongst the dark of my closed eyes. There was a tug from a rope in the back of my mind, drawing me closer to a slumber. I welcomed it as a relief to the pain and I could've cried. A smile spread on my lips as I lost myself in the indescribable darkness.

~*~

I struggled to open my eyes and it pained me to know that I was so weak and vulnerable that what should have been an easy task was made difficult by my current state. I blinked and looked around. It was stunning. My eyesight was much more enhanced than before and everywhere I looked sunlight was scattered and one stream of light sent a golden glow in the space around me. Each individual blade of grass shone and the honey-like dew drops were like gems as the light entered and brightened it. I could see every detail and swirl of bark on the dark trees. Each vein on the leaves stood bright against the vibrant green around it

Wanting a closer look, I stood up. What shocked me, was that instead of growing taller, I hardly grew at all at my full height. I looked down on myself and saw a paw. A small, white paw. The paw of a wolf cub. My eyes widened and out came a yelp. It took a second for me to realize that it was me. I had no idea what happened and a whine emitted from my vocal chords. It all came to me. And I understood that I had always been this way, but something triggered it. Maybe my body was finally strong enough for this form. I grinned or at least tried to. I barked, delighted. And I started to run. Without a care, I finally acted my age and played.

I am Ariana Rose Bennett and I am a werewolf.