The Masks We Wear

Ch. 7

I was walking back home after working out some more. It was so quiet as a nice cool breeze blew as I walked down the sidewalk. "You know this place is pretty cool," and just like that, the silence was gone.

"I never knew the outside world was so cool."

"You sound like you've never been outside before."

William laughed a little before his response. "Well, I sorta haven't," I stopped and turned to him after he said that, "I was made in a lab or at least I think I was. It's not like I have any memories from before the experiments. By the time they came and got us out there were only five of us left," he seemed pained by that truth, "but hey at least we survived."

I sighed as I heard that. Not that long ago the cops teamed up with the superhero group of Kitsun, Lil' Witch, and Dagger, along with the solo hero, Paris, and a few others to handle a lab facility of a terrorist organization that was conducting illegal experiments. William was probably a human before he was taken there. He had most likely lost his memories due to the experiments. It wasn't uncommon for people who were transformed into anything by illegal science to lose their memories. I never thought that one of the survivors would attend my school.

"Well anyway," William said, "that's enough about me. What about you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well I was wondering how you became a werewo-"

"Do I really seem like the type to do any of those to get these abilities. I don't even like having them."

"Oh um well ..."

"What are you gonna ask me if I'm in a gang or if I howl?"

"Wait ... you don't howl?" William sounded genuinely confused and all I could do give him a look of annoyance.

"I'm leaving, I need to get home before the full moon and, no, I don't lose control and transform, that's just my curfew," I said in a matter of fact tone. It hadn't even been a day and I already regretted agreeing to train with him.

Later the night, I was eating dinner and watching Netflix with my mom. My dad was still at work.

"So how was your day," my Mom asked.

"Good."

"Did anything interesting happen today?"

"No just some new powered kid showed up today."

My mom looked at me horrified. "I can't believe they let someone in with powers. What were they thinking?"

My mom sighed as her phone started ringing. "I'm going to my room to talk to your grandmother. You can watch what you want as long as it's not inappropriate," she said before walking down the hall to her room. I just immediately went to Netflix.

Later, I paused the show I was watching to hear my mom talking to my grandmother. "I wish we could just get rid of all this craziness and go back to how things where."

"I know right, I'm scared to even let Caleb go out by himself, plus we have to worry about these gangs that started popping up."

I decided to get up and go downstairs to put my plate in the trash. I was used to them talking about how much they hated people who performed magic or witchcraft. They felt as though the people with powers naturally were born with something wrong. These abilities were given to us by the devil and people like me where demons. To make matters worse multiple gangs now are formed by werewolves. I knew if they found out I was a wolf I'd become the embarrassment of my family. Nobody I knew would want anything to do with me. To make matters worse if they found out I'd probably end up like the others we got at church. Exorcised.

-Why does it have to be me?- I thought as my throat got tight and breathing became harder and harder, fear seemed to rise from within me from someplace unknown as I grabbed my throat focusing on breathing. As I calmed down my head then started pounding. My heart began racing as I quickly put on my headphones and started to play music until I calmed down. This happened every so often but I knew exactly what type of music to listen to in order to make the pounding to stop.

Later that night I was lying in bed when I heard something hit my window. I decided to ignore it then it happened again and I decided no matter what happened I would ignore it.

The next day I was walking out to go to school when I heard it. "Yo Caleb!" I turned to see William dressed in our school uniform.

"W-what are you doing here?"

"I live in an apartment next to your house. Speaking of which did you hear the pebbles I threw at your window last night?" Instantly, my world fell apart as I realized the greatest threat and variable in my life ... was right outside my window.