How Not To Be A Werewolf (Editing)

Happy Bloody Birthday

I ran over to the window at full pelt and looked down at the pavement below, expecting to see a crumpled bloody heap lying on the driveway, but Kian was nowhere to be seen. The street below was empty and quiet.

"Damn vampire," I said under my breath in amazement, "Probably turned into a bat or..."

"Who are you talking to?"

"Shit!"

I swore loudly and turned to see my little brother Dylan dressed in his pj's and dressing gown, obviously having just woken.

"Dylan, you shouldn't sneak up on people like that!" I said snapped, still half wanting to look out of the window in case Kian was there.

"I wasn't sneaking," he replied, walking further into my room and frowning at me.

From his point of view, he had just witnessed me talking to myself, so I guess he had a reason to look at me like that. After the scars on my shoulder, I wasn't entirely certain of my sanity either.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked him annoyed, "You are not stealing my earphones again..."

It was unusual, to say the least. Dylan generally made sure to keep a safe distance from me. If he wanted something from my room, he tended to wait until I was out.

"It's my birthday doofus," he replied simply, "Where's my present?"

I sighed heavily. Of course. It was Halloween. Dylan's birthday. You might be thinking I was the worst big brother ever for forgetting about it. I hadn't entirely forgotten, but with the morning's events, it did slip my mind for a moment.

Turning to look at my bed, I noticed just a moment too late that my bloody and ripped t-shirt was still laying where Kian had left it. I knew Dylan had seen it, just as I had. Shit. Contemplating several means of getting out of the situation, I came up with nothing, and felt my hands start to shake again.

Oh, crap... oh, crap...

"Is that t-shirt covered in blood?" I heard Dylan ask.

His voice sounded so faint, it was as if he were standing in another room altogether. My eyesight started to get misted, and I could feel myself beginning to lose control. Somehow, I knew that it wasn't going to end well for either of us if I did.

I imagined my arms sprouting long, thick, black claws that I then used to rip into Dylan's soft stomach. As I did, he looked up at me with confusion and tears in his eyes. I felt sick.

What the fuck was happening to me?

"I love it!" Dylan shouted, breaking the vision, running past me towards the bed and picking up the t-shirt, "It's perfect!"

He took his dressing gown off, pulled the t-shirt on over his head, and stood covered in my crusty, dried up blood like it was the most normal thing in the world.

My eyesight almost returned to normal, my hands had stopped their uncontrollable shaking and I smiled at him standing there. The t-shirt was too big for him, hanging down way below his knees and he had a stupid big grin on his face that showed off the gap between his two front teeth. I couldn't help but be relieved at how happy he was, especially after that weird daydream.

"Glad you like it," I finally croaked out, my mouth feeling unusually dry. I didn't want to think about what could have happened if I had let my urges take over.

"It's great!" he replied, "At least I have a new costume to go out in now. You just didn't have time to wrap it up..."

Crap. I had no idea how I'd got this far, but there was no choice other than to carry it on now that Dylan had found and claimed the t-shirt as his own.

"Yeah, but you can't let mum see it," I said to him seriously. "Not until tonight when she takes you out trick or treating."

Dylan would think that it was fake blood on the t-shirt, but I knew my parents would know better. I did not want to have a conversation with my dad about knife safety. Having the sex talk with him had been torture enough. In the dark, they wouldn't be able to tell if it was real blood or fake. I hoped.

"Sure," he said pulling the t-shirt off and putting his dressing gown back on, "I'll keep it safe in my room."

He then ran and grabbed me round the middle, pulling me into a hug. I smiled to myself and mussed up his hair. My brother might be a dork, but I loved him for it.

"Thank you," he said before breaking the hug and running out of my room, my t-shirt still tucked under his arm.

"Happy bloody birthday, Dylan." I said, shaking my head at the now empty room.

Now I knew what Kian meant, and he was right, but trying not to let my emotions get the better of me until he came back was going to be difficult. There was no way I could live with myself if any of my family got hurt because of me. Talking to Dylan had almost sent me over the edge. I shuddered at the thought. Tomorrow suddenly seemed a long time to wait.

Walking over to my bed, I reached underneath it, feeling around until I found what I was looking for. Dylan's present.

The unassuming rectangle parcel covered up the book I had picked out for him the week before; the latest in a series of cheesy vampire books that he loved. I had wrapped it in green paper dotted with a comedy vampire motif, just to emphasize the point. The vampire had oversized pointy white teeth, slick dark hair and a black cape.

As I looked at the image, I found my mind unwittingly travelling back to Kian. I pictured him in his dark leather trousers and coat. His tight red t-shirt. The long, almost white hair that matched the pale white tone of his skin, sharp deadly fangs and those deep red eyes.

Just at the point where I was wondering if he sparkled in the sunlight like the Twilight vampires did, my mum's voice called up to me from downstairs.

"Alec, you're going to be late!"

Shit...

Throwing Dylan's present back under the bed, I grabbed a mostly clean t-shirt from a pile on the floor, pulled on a battered pair of white trainers and ran across the room before heading out into the hallway.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I landed by the front door in a sort of free-fall and picked up my old school bag, which was now just full of loose pieces of paper containing songs and lyrics for my band. As I went to leave, I heard soft footsteps behind me.

Mum.

Her dark hair was tied back in a rough ponytail. The pink fluffy dressing gown and bunny slippers did nothing to calm the livid look on her face.

Oh, I was in some really deep shit...

"What time did you get in last night?" she asked, barely keeping the anger from her voice.

"I don't know exactly," I replied tentatively, knowing I would be in trouble whatever answer I gave.

"The door didn't go when you came in," she said, "It's only Dylan told me you were in your room this morning. I thought that you were still out lying in a gutter somewhere!" She grabbed me - bag and all - and pulled me into a crushing hug, "Never do that to me again, Alec!"

"I'm okay," I assured her pulling myself free from her grasp. "Promise. Look, I've got to get to Will's. He'll be expecting me for band practice, and I don't want to be late."

"Okay, well, be safe," Mum said, kissing me on the cheek, "And, don't forget to text me to let me know where you are!"

Opening the door, I walked out with one thought left playing through my mind.

It's not me who needs to keep safe from other people, they need to be kept safe from me. I'm the dangerous one...