Dear Tyler

Chapter 7- Dear Moon...

River lead me down a hallway I hadn't seen before now. It was dimly lit and mysterious, only adding to the immense anxiety and stress I had at the moment. River relieved some of it by telling the story of how they hit a hockey puck into every single light in the hall, and never got caught because of how clever Damien was. It was a strangle tale, only one River could've construed to make me calmer.

As they walked, they seemed to have a strange confidence lurking around them, as if the name "Omega" meant nothing to them. They seemed to notice me staring, and turned to look back at me briefly. "Any questions about us doggos?" They asked, a hint of laughter laced in their voice, "Yeah um..." I began, but I bit my lip in fear I'd offend them. "Go on," they said, continuing to walk into a brighter part of the house, a large library was behind two propped open large doors, and we walked in together into the bright light.

"What does Omega mean?" I asked shyly, of course I knew what it might've meant, but everyone had their own definition. "In our pack," they began in a fake announcer voice, as if this was a joke to them, "Rouge wolves, ones without packs, usually try to find a home in a pack or wreak havoc on anyone they can find. That's most of werewolf culture, however, some Rouges are allowed to actually join packs, only as low-ranking members who aren't fully accepted. They're called Omegas. Other kinds of wolves, typically weak ones or ones from other packs who transferred over on their own accord, are deemed Omegas, and the weaker class.

"Personally, I was chosen as the alpha's son's Omega, his servant, because we met one day and instantly had a connection to one another. Like destiny, of sorts. So when the time came about when Damien 'needed' an Omega, he chose me because we were already best friends, and he wanted me beside him, and to have a better life." A faint smile pressed onto their lips, and their eyes gleamed with a kind of happiness I hadn't seen in anyone before, "So an Omega is basically a low ranking member. Typically higher-ranking pack members look down on them, and we usually have secluded homes away from the rest of the pack. Crappier homes too,"

They gasped for air after saying this, and I could tell it had been a mouth-full to speak. "What else?" They asked, after their momentary relapse of drama. "Are werewolves the only kind of supernatural creatures? Are there vampires..? Zombies..? Witches..?!" River scoffed slightly at this, but answered me nonetheless, "I don't know that there's any other kind of shifter, only wolves I believe. Witches, however, are extremely real and really fucking annoying if you get on their bad side. Zombies don't exist, sadly, and I don't believe I've ever heard of a vampire before, except in lore and fiction."

"Isn't it weird to have fiction written about you? Is it inaccurate?"
"What is this? And interview?"
An awkward chuckle escaped me, but River continued to answer me,
"Fiction, personally, isn't really off-putting. It's usually a meme amongst most packs, hearing over exaggerated stories of werewolves is always interesting. I know some people were offended by being called werewolves, but we mostly grew out of that phase and adopted the term for ourselves.

"I know that some stuff is accurate about fiction, because sometimes it's based on truth." They turned to wink at me, before stopping in front of a plain white door. They pulled out a set of keys from their pocket, fiddling with it for a moment before picking the correct key and unlocking the door.

It lead into a dark room, lit by a few lights which rested in a pattern on the roof. The walls and ceiling were painted black, and only one window rested on a very far wall from where the entrance was, covered by a black-out curtain. Several reclining chairs rested towards the opposite wall of where I had entered, and several bean-bag chairs in front of them. A large white, faux fur rug covered most of the dark brown floor, and a small bar rested to the side of the door. The bar was lined with alcohol and sodas, and the lingering scent of Doritos and Mountain Dew Baja blast lingered amongst the room.

River made their way over to the bar, taking down whiskey and pouring it into a bottle that was entirely black. "Want anything?"
"We're both underage."
"Oh humans,"

I looked around the room, ignoring River's comment. A projector screen rested on the same wall as the door, and a projector sat overhead. I assumed this was a movie room, probably where Damien and River spent most of their time. Several pillows were scattered around, some were the size of me and some as small as my upper body, and they varied as references to TV shows, video games, and even some anime ones too. I noticed some blankets strewn about the room, one was the agender flag, knitted by someone's grandma, I presumed, and I believed it was River's Another was a rainbow, which was thick and probably the size of a queen bed, but I couldn't place who might've used it. Another one was neon blue and cyan, probably belonging to Damien.

Shoved into one of the corners behind a large recliner chair sat a humongous pile of stuffed animals, ranging from Japanese style cats to large elephants with bloody eyes. My heart filled with love as I saw them, and I vowed to myself to kidnap the one that looked like a Shiba Inu.

River cleared their throat, "This is possibly the safest room in the house. Nobody has a key except me. It's Damien and I's game room," they motioned to their blanket, wrapping it around themself, "Damien wanted you to be safe, so here we are. You're welcome to sit anywhere, and steal whatever blanket you desire. There's a fine selection of pillows and stuffed animals, as well as a mini fridge underneath the bar you're welcome to indulge in. We have a variety of movies and video games, as well as a life-time Netflix, Hulu and Fullscreen subscription." A giggle escaped me, and I picked up the neon blue blanket and a large white pillow, setting them down in the front and center of the room. For some reason the blanket appealed to me, it seemed inviting and friendly, and it smelt just like the hoodie I was wearing. Familiar- yet distant.

I shuffled over to the plush pile and pulled out a stuffed Shiba Inu, placing it gently beside where I planned to sit on the floor. I then walked over to the bar, grabbing some snacks and sitting down, River paused for a moment. "That's exactly what Damien likes," River said, "Same dog toy too, and the food." I blushed furiously, "Oh? I guess I'll have to fight him for my baby," I said, squeezing the Shiba and laying back into the pillow.

River laughed loudly, but I could tell they only laughed to break the awkwardness between us, and they flicked on the projector quickly before I could say anything more.

--

I couldn't help but feel the strange sensation of tingles running up and down my arms. The hairs on the back of my neck stood as I watched a movie with River, and I was actually frightened in the moment. The ominous dimly lit room gave off a strange vibe, one I couldn't place, and I was frightened by it. The lingering feeling that something was awry ticked in my head every moment, and anxiety filled my chest every few moments when I'd hear the slight freak of floor boards or tick of the glass moving as wind pushed it forwards.

I silently moved myself deep into the cyan colored blanket I was laying under, pressing myself deep into the comfy material and snuggling beneath it. It felt inviting, and the slight scent of the forest lingered on the blanket. A picture flashed in my brain, and I felt get colder as it whizzed into my brain and out the other ear.

A silver wisp dances in the pale moonlight. It glows and floats distantly, always out of reach as I leap towards it. My feet are moving at incredible speeds, yet I'm always so far away from it. I extend my hand out towards it, grasping the trail ends of it as I race onwards. I trip as I do so, and fall down a dark hole, and before I know it everything is black.