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 Six
"I don't get it," I said. "She's dumped him three times for three different guys. Why does he keep letting her come back?"
I crossed my arms and propped my feet up on the coffee table, staring at the TV. Beside me, Mom was eating rocky road ice cream right out of the container. I held a spoon too, but it still clean. We were playing one of our favorite movies, a chick flick starring a man and woman who were both too good looking to be taken seriously. The appeal, I'd noticed, had diminished a lot for me since the last time I'd watched it.
"It's true love," Mom said, dreamily. "It doesn't matter how many times she hurts him, because he'll always love her anyway."
"Why, though?" I asked. "There are plenty of other women out there who wouldn't hurt him every time they see another handsome guy. Like her best friend. She's obviously had a crush on him the whole time, and she's way nicer than the other girl. Why doesn't he choose her?"
"Because he doesn't love her," Mom said plainly before putting another gob of ice cream into her mouth. She held the bucket out to me in offering, but I declined. Ice cream just didn't appeal to me like it used to. If she had thought to fry up some bacon, she probably wouldn't have had a chance to have any herself.
"But that's stupid!" I insisted. "He's a good looking guy. Why settle for a woman who treats him like trash?"
But, of course, the actors ignored my completely reasonable advice and began kissing in front of the sunset as the credits started to roll. I rolled my eyes just as the kitchen timer began to go off.
"Oh, the cookies are done!" Mom exclaimed and jumped up, leaving her ice cream forgotten on the coffee table. The sweet chocolaty smell wafted into the living room. I stood up and went to join her.
"This is wonderful, isn't it?" she asked with a big smile as she took the cookies out of the oven and placed them on the counter. "It's been so long since we've got to spend time together!"
"Yeah," I agreed, forcing a smile onto my face as well. In truth, I was less than enthralled, and I couldn't figure out why. This was what I'd wanted ever since I got bit six months ago. Why wasn't I enjoying it like I should have?
"Mmm," Mom groaned in appreciation as she put one of the piping hot cookies into her mouth. "Want one?"
"No thanks," I said.
"Oh, come on!" she persisted, holding one out to me. "It's my secret recipe, just the way you've always liked it!"
I hesitated, and then reached out and took the cookie from her. It had stunned me just as much as it had her when I'd suddenly lost my taste for junk food when I became a werewolf. I'd never had the heart to tell her that chocolate made me feel sick to my stomach now. Probably had something to do with being a great big dog. I waited until she'd turned back to the oven and then flung the cookie into the trash can.
