The Girl Who Never Shifted

One

Before-

The taste of the blue frosting as I lick it from my face as my friends laugh .

The lights of countless phones shines on my face as they sing Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday Celine Grace ThornWood.

They sung it until I'm sure Amaris in the next door room was scolding me. She was preparing for the ritual tomorrow. Our ritual tomorrow. The annual ritual which has provided our pack with strength, with courage, with unity. It's the one reason we have been the only pack to live in harmony for so long. We partake in rituals to suffice the moon goddess. We dedicate our lives to her.

"Amaris will surely be upset maybe even Jacy to," I giggle and wipe off the remaining blue from my lips.

My friends shut the book of the moon and put it in a drawer. This was their way of telling me to loosen up. To not dedicate my existence to our rituals. One of my friends brings out a bottle of wine and pours it into a glass messily. Some of the deep red puddles against the counter top.

"Celine this is your last day to be able to throw our pack rituals aside. Amaris can continue to read the book of the moon and Jacy well I'm sure I can find a way to make him loosen up."

Her words come out as a mouthful and she hands the glass to me. She screams in approval and downs the cup. I give her a smile and raise my glass. Everyone stops talking and the blaring music is turned down.

"To my last free fucking day!" I holler and get whoops back.

The music becomes overwhelming again. I drink the alcohol and sling my arm around some boy. He is swaying to the beat and I push my dark hair back. It gets so hot in the room that I tug him up the stairs to my much cooler room. It was my first time being so bold. My first time not giving a damn about what the book of the moon proclaimed. I was slightly drunk and my hands shook as I loosened up the button on my pants.

"Don't tell me wild Celine has never done this before," he laughs and kisses my lips.

I laugh back and don't tell him that wild Celine has never done anything of the sort. The wind outside of the window howls in a near vindictive way. The dead tree outside the window groans and slightly scratches the glass. My shirt is tossed onto the ground and the open air nips at my skin. Swallowing it whole. Tomorrow I would be 16 and would never be able to defy the book of the moon again.

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The sky was incredibly blue when my eyes managed to peek open. The boy who's face I have long forgotten is gone. My head hurts and when I stand the wooden floor creeks. Before my father can catch me in this state I quickly shower and put on my families ceremonial dress. It was old and was nothing compared to Amaris's. Amaris always romantically whispered about the stories of her families ceremonial dress. How the silk material sort of purified her mother. How when her bones were snapping and the moon was becoming one with the body Amaris's mother clutched onto the material for comfort.

"Celine?" Amaris knocks on the bathroom door and makes me jump.

I pull open the silver knob to see her standing in that dress. Amaris was lucky in getting a silk dress. Mine was plain cotton. I'm sure she senses my jealously because she begins to speak quickly.

"I hope you realize that we have a duty to this pack now," she nags "your little party's can't last Celine."
"It was my birthday celebration," I snap.
"Yeah and you didn't see me there or Jacy. I dedicated my night to praying to Deva and reading the book of the moon as my family has always done before our 16th turning."