Meet Amber, a teenage girl struggling with the death of her father, an overstressed mother- and lycanthropy. All she wants is for her life to go back to normal, but a magical corporation has lost a valuable test subject and they believe Amber will b...
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Chapter Five
"Mom?" I called softly as I stepped out of my room. I was on two feet again, and dressed in my softest, most comforting, set pajamas and fuzzy slippers.
"In here," she called back.
I followed her voice and found her lounging on the living room couch, watching a soap opera. She'd left me alone after I turned back, giving me the time I needed to think about things.
"Hey," I said quietly, having trouble meeting her eyes.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, standing up.
"Pretty hungry," I admitted, and my stomach gave a growl of confirmation.
"We have some turkey in the refrigerator," she said, bustling towards the kitchen. "I'll make you a sandwich."
I followed eagerly. Right now, a sandwich sounded awesome. Or maybe several sandwiches.
Mom prepared the food in silence, and then delivered it to me at the table with a glass of iced tea. I immediately grabbed one of the sandwiches and began cramming it into my mouth. Mom sat down across from me, still not saying anything. After swallowing the last bite, I quickly downed half of the glass of tea. I was reaching for the second sandwich when my mom finally spoke up.
"So," she said tentatively, "what happened today?"
My hand froze, and I looked at her.
"And don't lie to me," she added sternly. "You came running home four hours before school was supposed to get out, and in your..." She paused, the words still unfamiliar to her.
"In my wolf form," I finished.
"Right," she nodded. "I want to know what happened."
I broke my gaze, staring intently at my plate of food, "Nothing happened."
Mom slapped the table in frustration, "Amber..."
"I don't remember much of what happened," I lied, cutting her off. "It just did."
She chewed on her lip for a moment, staring at me in uncertainty. Finally, she asked, "Did anybody see you?"
I shook my head, lying again, "No, nobody saw me."
I felt my heart sink into my stomach, leaving me feeling dirty inside. I hated lying to her like this. Before she could ask any more questions, I began to eat the second sandwich. Mom stood up and took my plate to the sink to wash it off.
I really should tell her, I thought. I was being chased by a bunch of crazy people with magic wands. Crazy guys who could make my wolf side flip out for reasons I didn't understand. And then there was the Octopus, and whoever it was he was working for. It'd be dangerous to not tell her what was going on, even if it'd be hard to believe. Not to mention extremely selfish on my part. Then again, she'd taken my becoming a werewolf in stride. Maybe she'd react to this better than I expected too.
