The Days Before 16

Chapter 7 Continued Part 2

Sorry guys for not posting yesterday, no internet!!! But all good now :)
Happy New Year!! I hope 2015 is a great year for all of you and brings you everything you desire!!
Thursday, 1 January 2015

It was a quiet ride home. When we were at home I spilled everything to Todd. Everything from waking up to when he picked me up. I asked him why he said nothing and he said it was nothing. It wasn't nothing. I walked back to my room and over to my bookcase. I placed the new books on the bottom shelf where all the new books go. I showered, got dressed and went to the kitchen to find dinner. I wasn't that hungry so the best snack food I could come up with was two minute noodles, chicken flavoured. I went into the living room and turned on the TV. There was nothing on, only crappy shows so I picked the best one and ate my dinner. I finished quickly and went to bed. I was still so tried.

I was seeing myself doing everything that I did that day. But I was seeing it like I was outside of my body- like I was seeing myself through someone else's eyes. It was weird and creepy and cool. I've always wanted to see myself from someone else's eyes, like everyone else but this wasn't what I meant. I felt like a stalker even though I was watching myself. Is that even possible? If only I could see the face of who I was 'in' then I would know. What if this person was the one leaving the letters? Oh no. They were getting closer to me. The way they were looking at me it was like they... loved me. I came to the conclusion that the person was a guy. We walked past a mirror and I forced the persons head to turn toward it. It was harder than one might think. In the mirror there was no reflection. He was in arms distance of me; if he reached out he would touch my shoulder. He reached out... I screamed and screamed.

Suddenly I was being shaken awake by Todd. How had I not noticed this today at the shops?
"Willow! Willow wake up! You're having a nightmare!" he yelled. I woke up and then there was silence in the room. I tried to look at Todd but there were too many tears in the way. I could see better after I wiped them away. Todd's eyes were full of concern like a parent's. In a way he was my parent. He was my brother but he acted like my parent. That's it. That's the feeling I've been feeling when I'm around him.
"What's wrong Willow?" Todd asked. "What happened in the dream?"
"I was at the shops and I saw myself but I was seeing myself outside of my body. I was a guy though; it felt like I was in this guy. I think he's the one leaving the letters and watching me all the time. Todd... " I said and looked at him. "I think he loves me, which is really weird but when I was 'in' him it felt as if he was longing for me. I looked in a mirror but I saw no reflection staring back at me." I said. Todd had grown very quiet as I said the last part. Why? What was so important about no reflection? After what felt like years, he finally answered. "Did you say no reflection?" he asked not looking at me. He knew something. But what though?
"Yes. Why?" I asked. Then it hit me. Well maybe. "Vampires don't have reflections, do they?" I whispered and Todd shook his head. A vampire was following me. Doesn't he know what I am?
"He mustn't know Todd. He mustn't know." I said a little smile on my face. He looked at me with confusion all over his face. I saw the information turning in his mind; I practically saw the light bulb switch on on top of his head, like in cartoons.
"He mustn't know you're a werewolf." he muttered more to himself then me. He muttered it to himself a few more times. He put a hand on my face.
"What happens now?" I asked. He looked at me with an expression that screamed: How am I supposed to know! But he's older; he should know what to do. There was a question annoying me. It had been annoying me ever since he told me he was a werewolf: how did he become a werewolf?
"Todd, can I ask you something?"
"Yeah?"
"How'd you become a werewolf anyway?" I wasn't looking at him. He sighed and that's when I looked at him.
"I was wondering when you would ask that."- Another sigh- "I did it for you." My eyes widen.
"What? Why? What happened? How could you? Why would you?" I said, rushed. I was so close to crying. A tear escaped from the corner of my eye at the thought of hurting him.
"Do you remember when we went on that picnic? In the woods when you were eleven and I was thirteen?" When I nodded my confirmation he continued. "And you got lost and that man came up to you? The man who looked like he was going to hurt you? Really hurt you?" he took some deep breaths and continued, "Then I found you and the man had your hand, going to lead you away? Do you remember?" He was crying. I had completely forgotten all about it. How could I forget something like that? But I nodded. "Then he told me to leave but I didn't, and he got mad and let go of you. And you ran over to me and I said 'Run! Run that way! I'm right behind you'. You ran and so was I but that guy caught me. He told me that I'd made my choice- your safety for my life." As he said it, his face was a mask of horror and pain. "He bit me on the wrist and said 'This person is willing to replace me. Take him and set me free!' And whatever it was, it did. You remember how I was acting for the next three days? I figured it out then and I knew what I had to do. This voice told me what I had to do when I faced a vampire. I caught on fast though. But it kept saying 'Soon you'll have help with this job.' I was confused. Then it answered my question- 'your sister will help you when she's near or over sixteen.' I was so angry I yelled that I'd make sure that you never changed and never knew. That was the day the voice left. I promised myself that I'd keep that promise, even if it meant dying." He said. And I knew that with the expression on his face that he was serious. He looked into my eyes which I could hardly see out of and through my blurry eyes I could see him struggling too.
"It's all my fault" I sobbed, "I'm a monster."
"It's not your fault. A monster? You could never be one." he said in a sweet voice.
"Oh yeah? I made you become this-this-this werewolf at thirteen!" There was a second of silence as I realised the facts of what I'd just said. "Oh my God! You're eighteen! That means you've been doing this for four years. And now I'm in this as well. I should have been in this all along!" I was crying and sobbing freely. I looked at the bedside table and then at the clock on top of it. It was one-thirty in the morning. Todd got up and sat next to me on the bed. I leaned into him and his arms went around me as I cried an ocean, just like him.