Monster | Phan

Dan 07: Party

"It's Halloween tomorrow!!" I yelled as I rushed down the stairs, jumping over the banister to get to the family room quicker. "Halloween! Halloween!" I chanted as I made my way into the kitchen part of our little house.
"What was that darling?" My mother's ears perked up as she turned to look at me.
"It's Halloween eve. It's Halloweve!"
"Are you excited?" My mother laughed as I bounced around her.
"My tail isn't wagging for the hell of it," I laughed back. I took the good mood and decided now was as good of a time as any to push my luck. "Can I go out early?"
"How early?"
"...Tonight?" I asked carefully, my ears resting right back on the top of my head in anticipation. I saw her frown and continued quickly. "I'll be careful and no one will even question why I'm in 'costume'," I made air quotations, "because I could be going to a party or something you know and I'll be back tonight and go out again during the night tomorrow and I'll-"
"-No," she cut me off.
"But why?"
"We told you Halloween night. If I let you out a day early then next year it'll be two days earlier and the more you go out, the more at risk you are of revealing yourself."

I knew she was right. I was lucky to be allowed out in the first place and I didn't want to mess up that little bit of freedom I had just for one extra day. One day. What would even be different? Every year it's the same - I see people, I walk around the streets and into various parties only to come back home and end up feeling lonelier for the rest of the year. But, that one day is worth it. The city air smells different to that of the woods. It smells of people and buzz and excitement. The colours are more vivid and everything shines. It's like I step out of my house and into a whole new world. Something fantastic and new and a place where I'm not hiding away. I still have to be cautious, I suppose that'll never change when I'm born this way. But it's different because at least if people do see me they won't think I'm a freak, I'm just another person in costume. I'm just a human as far as they know.

"I won't! I'll be so careful. It's Saturday night so most people will be drunk or whatever and won't even notice me," I told her.
She looked at me like I was a silly kid but I've been thinking about this for over a year. I was going to do it last year but couldn't find the courage to ask. I'm prepared for this, I can do it.
"What did your dad say?" She asked me and I saw her frown lessen, the wrinkles smoothing themselves out.
"He told me to ask you," I said which wasn't completely true but also not a total lie. I had mentioned it to my dad when he was busy trying to get leaves out of his fur but he was too busy to talk so he said to bring it up later. Well, it was later. I just wasn't bringing it back up to him, I was asking a different parental figure.
My mother sighed and crinkled up her nose.
"Okay, fine," she told me and paused.
She looked like she wanted to say something else but I hugged her before she could. Not intentionally to shut her up but because I was really excited to be going out! I wanted to breathe the human air in the city. I loved the fresh air in the forest but it just wasn't the same. I wrapped my arms tightly around my mother and thanked her, my tail hitting the cupboards as it swept from side to side.
She looked me in the eyes and swept a piece of hair off my forehead. She smiled a little but I could see the worry in her eyes.
"Only for this year and only as a treat because you've been so good and it's a little unfair to keep you locked up here."
"Not that I don't love it here but-" I trailed off with a shrug.
"I get it." She raised a hand up to stop me from talking. "As a wolf, you want freedom and to run as far as you can. It's basic nature but you're still my son so I have to hold the lead somewhere down the line and not let you run completely free. So you go out when it gets dark and have to be back by midnight otherwise forget about tomorrow."
"Okay!" I nodded quickly in agreement, it sounded fair. "Thank you so much."

That night I was excitedly getting ready. I was throwing clothes out of my closet to find my Halloween costumes. Well, I was my own Halloween costume but I don't wear the same clothes. I wear slightly tattered ones with claw marks down the middle and red splattered paint across it to look like blood. I guess that's the only good thing about being a Were, I have a quick and easy Halloween costume at the ready. I slid the shirt on and went on the hunt for my ripped skinny jeans to match. That was when I heard my mum put the radio on. It was an old crackly radio that hurt your ears, she always put it on as she thought I couldn't hear what she was saying over the noise but I've gotten used to listening past the sharp tunes.
"-an- going out - ight," I heard my mum say.
I placed my ear against the floorboards so I could zone in on the conversation easier.
"Good for him. He seemed excited when he asked me earlier," dad replied with."What?" My mum was obviously glaring at him.
"It's not good for him... well yeah okay good for him but not for us," she said with a sigh.
"I know you're worried about the hunters-"
"-because they're dangerous and if Dan gets caught-" she choked at the end and was either too quiet for me to hear or she had stopped herself from saying the rest.
"He won't," my dad stated.
"How do you know that?"
"Because he's Dan. He's our son and he's smart and fast and safe. If he senses danger he'll know not to follow it by now. You're acting like it's his first time."
"It's his first time since-"
"Don't even think about that. He'll be fine."
"I hope you're right."

By the time I'd come back to reality the radio had been turned off and I was resting against my dresser drawer staring into space. What did she mean? Since what? I'd had no news of something that would elicit a 'since...' scenario. Were the hunters close to finding us? Were there more hunters now!? I shook my head. My mum was just worrying about me, she was always like this... it's just slightly worse this year because I'm going a day earlier, that's it.
I'll be fine. Like I have been all the other years, nothing will change.
As Dad said, I'll run away from danger. I'm smarter and faster than the hunters.
I'll be just fine. 

AN: 
AHhh I'll be moving into Uni on the 9th of next month and tomorrow I'm going shopping in the city there!! I'm so nervous but excited '^^ - Ray x