GODS AND MONSTERS ↝ P. LAHOTE

[5]

Lark was finishing applying her lip gloss when the shrill sound of a car honking came from outside her bedroom window. She peeked through the blinds to see the familiar red Jeep that belonged to Leonora parked in the driveway, and smiled softly to herself as she grabbed her jean jacket and purse before heading out the door.

"Be safe!" her mother called after her as she made her way through the house to the front door.

"Always!" Lark called back. "Love you!"

Lark hurried down the driveway and opened the back door to see Alicia sitting in the middle and Paul on the other side, with Leo driving and Jared sitting in the passenger seat. She climbed in the empty seat behind the driver and slammed the door, instantly greeted by shouts of glee from her new friends.

"Who's ready to party?" Leo exclaimed as she backed out of the driveway.

"So tell me again where this party's at?" Lark asked as they drove through the winding roads out of town, the moon and the Jeep's headlights illuminating the dark forests surrounding them.

"It's at the Cullens' house." Alicia explained.

"Like Cullen as in Edward Cullen?" she asked. "Bella's boyfriend from the other night?" Alicia nodded, and Paul snorted in an attempt to suppress his laughter. "I thought you guys hated the Cullens."

"We don't like them, but Bella's our friend." Alicia said. "And she's also my cousin, let's not forget that."

"Plus they have a huge house and this party's supposed to be awesome." Jared chimed in.

"Which is why Jared is taking over as designated driver." Leo reminded the boy sitting next to her, and he sighed before nodding slowly.

As they drove, Lark couldn't help but watch out the window at the full moon hanging high in the sky, almost like a beacon guiding them forward. Her mind wandered to the old legends of werewolves that turned at every full moon, due to the disease of lycanthropy that came with the bite of another. Though Paul had assured her that day on the beach that the legends were only stories, she couldn't help but wonder if someone, somewhere, was being affected by the full moon at that very moment.

"Here we are," Leo murmured as they continued to drive further through the thick forest, the house suddenly emerging from its hiding place among the evergreens.

Lark's eyes widened as the house came into view. It was absolutely massive, with the upper floor consisting of huge windows that took up most of the wall, giving a view of the forest beyond. Through the windows, she could tell that it was dark inside, with multicolored lights flashing as the loud music drifted outside into the yard, and she could see other high school-aged kids laughing and dancing.

"Let's do this." Alicia said with a smile as Lark opened the door, and the rest of the group followed suit as they got out of the car. "Lark, in a few months, you'll know some of these people. Most of them graduated this year, but the others aren't too far behind, and they'll be your classmates next year."

As soon as Lark opened the door, she was met by cheers of the partygoers, who ran from one room of the house to the next. She instantly noticed Bella hanging out near the stairs, along with one boy she recognized as Edward, and two others that she'd never seen before. The girl at her side was tiny and had a short pixie hair cut, and the boy on her other side had a head of golden curls. Both seemed to be about Lark's age, though, like Edward, they all had the same pale skin and golden eyes as they took in the newcomers.

"Lark!" Bella exclaimed, stepping forward and pulling the girl into a hug. "So glad you could make it!"

"Thanks for the invite!" Lark said with a smile. "And congratulations!"