Choices, Love, and Magic (Complete)

chapter 32

Hey, freak-a-zoids! I AM BACK! Now, on to the story...

I'd lived at home for a couple weeks. The others from the Empowered Dimension had tried to bring me back, but I basically, and bluntly, refused outright. Clarissa and Jessica showed up once in a while, and they kept me updated on the progress of everyone else.

Apparently, they all went to war against the Shadow World, and it wasn't going great. They'd been blindsided a couple times by betrayal from certain Empowered Ones in guardhouses, evacuation teams, and other important positions. Even a couple generals had 'gone to the dark side,' as Jessica put it. The Empowered Ones had to evacuate several towns and even a couple cities. They were basically being incredibly stupid. Why? Because they weren't even trying to formulate a truce.

Meanwhile, things were pretty good here in the human dimension, despite the 'random natural disasters' that might have been an automatic effect of the war between the Empowered and the Shadow World. The old group was pretty much complete. Vic, Jenna, and Evan had accepted Haley, Megan, and I back happily, even though none of us would tell them where we went. The first problem, though, came on the full moon. Allow me to explain...

Haley and Megan had come to my house so that they could get to the fields easily and I could join them. As the moon began to rise, everything was fine. Haley and Megan heard the moon's call, and they started to turn. That was where everything fell apart. Haley and Megan were supposed to turn like normal, but instead, they were screaming.

As they wailed in pain, I shouted desperately,"What the hell is going on?!" I didn't receive an answer, but I could tell that something was terribly wrong. For one, my friends didn't have the normal light that shrouded a werewolf when they turn. For two, they weren't... Forming right.

I backed away slowly as the werewolves' shrieks became growls. Then the sounds of pain stopped, and what was in front of me was not what I thought was supposed to be there.

A normal werewolf turns into a normal wolf, albeit a bit bigger. The monsters in front of me were the werewolves you see in horror movies. Half human, half wolf, all terrifying.

Another problem was that they were advancing on me like I was their prey.

"Crap," I muttered. Then I shifted to my own wolf, surprising them. I took advantage of that surprise and ran.

And, with a howl, the werewolves followed.

This went on through the night, with me terrified, horrified, sprinting, and fearing for my life while the monsters that replaced my friends hunted me mercilessly. I was terrified, because I knew that these things would not hesitate to kill me. I grew more scared every time they caught me, and I was forced to fight my way out, though I was careful not to hurt them.

When the sun finally rose and the beasts turned back into my friends, I flopped to the ground, exhausted, and barely managed to shift back.

"Kath?" I heard Megan call my name, and I tried to answer, but I was just too tired from running for however many hours straight.

After what could've been an eternity or a single moment, I heard a worried Haley cry out my name. She spotted me, then. A moment later, I felt myself being lifted up, and a person was supporting me under each arm.

With my friends' help, I stumbled home, and when we reached it I would've cried in relief if I had the energy. Haley and Megan guided me inside and I dropped onto the living room couch.

Megan gently sat herself beside me and helped get a drink of water into me while Haley ran off into the house, calling for my mom. My friend dragged Mom into the living room just under a minute later, and I heard my mother gasp, for what reason I didn't know, and Mom ordered Haley to go get peroxide and as many bandages as she could find. Haley ran off, and Mom told Megan to go to the phone and call 911. Megan immediately went to do as she was told, and Haley came back just as she was hurrying out of the room.