Becoming

Happy Birthday to Me

It had been weeks of torture. The wolfsbane they were constantly injecting me with was keeping me from healing and I had bruising over every inch of my body. "Why won't you just kill me already?" I pleaded with Eve after one of our sessions. "I can't kill you Charlee not until you've officially shifted, but trust me I've been saving the best for last. I had no idea what she meant by that, but I was afraid. This lady was certifiably insane. I had thought that the electrocution was the worst I didn't think anything could compare to that, but I have a feeling even I won't live much longer after what she has planned for me.

They told me that today was my birthday and that tomorrow will be the first full moon. It will be my first shift. They said that in honor of my birthday they were going to give me a day off from torture and they brought me a cake to celebrate. I could barely eat anything because my jaw had been broken from one of Victor's sessions. He was in an extremely bad mood that day, but I had never learned why. Eve put a fingertip of frosting in my mouth and I immediately started dry heaving at the sickly sweet taste. I had been living on a diet of water, stale bread, and the taste of blood for weeks. Paired with the constant torture I couldn't keep anything down. They just laughed at me and smeared the cake into the infected; open wound on my face. When they had locked the door into place I cried tears that wouldn't spill. My body shook with sobs. I gave up after the first week thinking Easton or my family was looking for me.

The next day was the day my first shift was going to take place. Eve came in alone today. Normally she's accompanied by Daniel or Victor as if she always needs someone to applaud her performance. I was ready for this to be over. "Hello Charlee, are you ready for the grand finale?" I couldn't even bring myself to look at her. Her face made me sick. "What's the matter darling cat got your tongue? Well, no bother I have Victor and Daniel setting up your shift site. It won't work very well in here so let's go meet them shall we?" She uncuffs my feet from the loop so I can walk but I am so weak I can barely stand. "You are a pathetic sight not fit to rule the packs. It's a good thing I'm taking over. You're too weak you will make a mockery of us all!" She spits at me with such hatred. She is definitely sick.

Eve roughly grabs me by my arm that has been dislocated, and basically drags me out of the room and down the corridor. No need for blindfolds now I guess. We exit the facility I was being held in, and I can't possibly imagine what it was ever built for. It's almost like a small military barracks but in the middle of a dense forest. Maybe they do some kind of training out here. We walk deeper into the forest until we come to a clearing that is currently exposing 4 chains staked to the ground. Daniel and Victor work quickly to chain me to the ground, but I am too weak to even lift my hands let alone escape. "These chains are made out of silver so when you begin to shift the silver will touch your skin and refrain you from doing so. However, because of the full moon you can't resist the shift and so for the remainder of the night you will be constantly enduring the pain of a first shift." Eve describes with a wicked glee to her voice. I was too weak from the walk out here and blackness takes over.

I am awakened by the crack of one of my ribs being broken. I can't even breath enough to scream. "Shifting with broken bones makes it so much more fun." Victor says laughing. "Are you ready darling? Because the moon is coming up." I look up to the sky to weak to even shake with the fear I am feeling and as the moon starts to rise in the sky I can feel my body tingling all over. As soon as the tingling starts it is quickly replaced by the heat of a thousand fires incinerating me from the inside out. My teeth feel as if they are being ripped out only to be replaced by the feeling of every bone in my body bending and breaking. White hair starts to sprout from all over my skin, and then I feel the painful blisters being caused by the silver and my body painfully shifts back again. I hear the sound of someone screaming and I can't seem to place who it is when I realize the screaming is coming from me. I lay there unable to catch my breath my body aching all over when I bring to feel the tingling again.

Eve was right, this is by far the worst torture they have put me through. It has gone on for hours. Each time I end up screaming after. And my wardens have started taking bets on how many shifts I can go through before my body shuts down completely. Victor thought I would have already been dead by now, Eve thinks I can still hold on for another hour or so, but surprisingly Daniel has stayed pretty quiet throughout the whole ordeal. As the tingling starts up again I hear a gurgling noise coming from one of the spectators. I can no longer see from excruciating pain I am in but I swear I can hear Easton in the distance telling me it will all be ok. As my bones are breaking and the white hair is growing on my skin I can no longer feel the blistering heat of the silver. A guttural growl comes from deep within and all I can think is to find Eve. She is still sitting in the chair looking at me in shock. I have no other thoughts after I spot her but to attack. With Eve locked in my sights I slowly begin to stalk her with a predatory gait. I can hear her heart hammering, I can smell the fear coming off her in waves. As I am about to make my move I am brought to a sudden halt by a midnight black wolf and eyes that put the bluest waters to shame. Easton has finally found me.