How Not To Be A Werewolf (Editing)

I Underestimate A Geek

I headed deeper into the undergrowth surrounding the park, not looking where I was going, just walking. My brain was in overdrive, going over the thought of Kian being my Guide. He would be the one to keep me in line, and teach me about the paranormal side of Moonstone.

I didn't envy him that job...

Keeping to the gravel path that led to the main road was difficult enough once you could find it, even without the nettles stinging my legs as I pushed through. Still, I made my way, not really caring if I got stung by the weeds or not. The pain was a pretty trivial issue when compared to my biggest problem.

How the hell do I keep all this hidden from my family?

Looking up, I sighed in relief as the entrance to the village appeared just ahead of me. It couldn't be more than two hundred yards. Perfect. Home was just around the corner. I made a push to cover the final distance, but stopped in my tracks as a series of loud rustling noises suddenly came from the bushes to my right.

Shit.

Several voices were talking loudly as I stood frozen to the spot. This was a problem. The tenseness of the situation caused my limbs to stiffen with fear.

I recognized some of those voices...

Three guys, all my age made their way out of the shelter of the bushes. I knew two of the three by name, the other just by sight. The group's leader, Toby Martin, was dark-haired, muscular and oozed confidence. A baseball cap sat backwards on his head. Then came Jimmy Nail, he was taller than the Toby, with long messy blonde curls. The last boy, whose name I didn't know, was short and almost seemed out of place. His too-large glasses, weedy frame and dark, gelled up hair made him look more likely to be in the back of a library than wandering around the forest with Toby and Jimmy.

They all stopped when they saw me and Toby called out.

"Oi!" He made his way towards me, leading the others through the thick undergrowth "Lookie what we have here boys...”

I stayed still, hoping they wouldn't be provoked too easily. Fighting them in my current condition would be a bad idea. My intention had been to follow Kian's advice and keep a lid on my emotions until I could learn to control myself in situations like this. Life seemed to have other ideas...

"Alec Colby, what are you doing out here all by yourself?" Toby asked as he stopped in front of me. The others stood either side of him like two horribly mismatched bodyguards.

"I'm just walking." I replied, "Same as you are."

"Oh, he thinks he's a comedian," Toby said, turning to look at Jimmy, "I don't find him very funny, do you?”

Jimmy shook his head. Fuck. As it turned out, they would be provoked easily. Toby's two goons started to make their way around him, and I knew I was stuck. There was no way I would be able to make it past them, let alone get to the path leading out of the forest.

Standing my ground is the only option...

I would have no chance going against them normally; one scrawny guy against three mostly well-built hard nuts. I might have been able to take the one whose name I didn't know, he seemed to be the weak link. The other two, well, they were a different kettle of fish altogether. I balled my shaking hands into fists.

Should I risk letting my anger take over?

This was completely different to Dylan sneaking into my bedroom. Toby wanted to cause me harm. He hated everything about me. Well, I had made him look like a complete ass in front of the entire class when he messed up a quote from MacBeth.

Fair is foul... and foul is fair.

We stood looking at each other in a standoff, like a real-life Western. Nobody blinked, and nobody was moving. That was until Jimmy suddenly lunged towards me with a deep roar like a wild animal. Luckily, the thick weeds slowed his advance just enough for me to move out of the way of his advancing form. I felt the force of Jimmy's rush to get me as he zoomed past, not having registered the fact I had moved.

Ha! What a fucking idiot.

My head turned with him, watching until he eventually tripped and fell hard onto the ground. I smiled at my victory all too briefly before a hard force smacked into my face, knocking me to my knees. Dazed, I looked up and saw the geek whose name I didn't know standing over me with a wide grin and my blood on his knuckles.

God, that guy had one hell of a right hook...

I had totally underestimated him.

Toby and Jimmy soon joined their friend, the three of them standing over me. I stayed kneeling on the ground feeling the nettles stinging through my jeans. It was fucking painful, but, it helped me to focus my mind away from the incredible heat that now coursed through my body.

Bending down so we were both face to face, Toby took off his cap and held it loosely in his hands. I kept my eyes glued to his, trying to maintain focus.

"You're going to regret that." He said slowly, "I'm going to make sure you remember this day for the rest of your life." As he talked he threw his cap down.

“Still sour about MacBeth?” I asked, wiping the line of blood that ran from my mouth, "Maybe you should read more. You might learn something."

A look of pure hatred crossed Toby's face at my words.

"There’s only one thing I’m going to read,” he said pulling a long, thin knife from his jacket pocket, "And that's the word 'prick' when I carve it into your face."

Shit. Why did I open my big bloody mouth?

I had heard of people's lives flashing before their eyes in situations like this, but I was too busy trying to control the anger and fear threatening to split my skull wide open.

"Just go." I said through gritted teeth as the pain in my head reach it's peak "Please. I don't want to hurt you."

Toby laughed at my feeble attempt to warn them of the danger they would be in if I snapped. He indicated to the other two, making them huddle closer. I forced my eyes to stay open, keeping them trained on the knife so there was something else to focus on. The more I looked at the three idiots trying to intimidate me, the faster my blood seemed to boil inside my veins.

"You might not want to hurt us..." Toby said slowly as he held the knife up to my face, "But, trust me you fucking faggot, we really want to hurt you..."

What came next happened in a short and colourful blur. Even thinking back on it now, I have no idea what happened. Not a bloody clue. I remember losing control of my body, almost like when people say they've had an out of body experience. That's the best way I can describe it.

Lunging forwards, I wrestled with Toby for control of the knife, and somehow managed to pull it from his grasp. I just managed to throw the knife away into the undergrowth, before the other two began to close in on me. A low growl seemed to vibrate from somewhere deep inside my chest.

Then I blacked out.