Chapter 42 - Time After Time

WARNING: This chapter contains strong language.

Linley was curled up in her bedroom chair, replaying the events of the past few months over and over in her mind. It was like a bad record with a stuck needle.

Her parents were blatantly disappointed with her, and she couldn’t say that she blamed them. Still, she was being very reliant on the blood she consumed. It was becoming like her drug. In fact, in some ways, she was an alcoholic. Or a bloodaholic.

She could hear her parents’ muffled voices in the den below her room. They were saying something about her finding another way to vent her frustrations. She had no idea what to do. Besides, she was a hybrid. What was so wrong with living like one? Even the vampires of Duskwood lived like “real” vampires, and of course the werewolves did as well before they’d been driven out. She had the best of both worlds, so why shouldn’t she embrace it?

She’d wanted a normal life, but she finally realized that her life was far from normal. She couldn’t live a human life, because she wasn’t a human. For a normal human, this was the time where she’d be preparing for college and moving out. That wasn’t how it worked in her world. And no amount of persuasion from her parents would change that.

********************

Five months later…

Allanna looked into the mirror at her frazzled face. She had so much to fret about, what with Linley and her fear of losing everyone she loved.

Xavier had explained how the aging process of vampires worked. If one was born a vampire, they’d age normally until they were 20, and then they’d take around three times as long as a human. However, if one was turned into a vampire after birth, they’d live forever at the age they were when they transitioned, or until they were killed.

Allanna was the only member of her family who wouldn’t age and die in time. She’d live for eternity, and someday, she’d lose her husband and children. Linley would age like a normal human, so she’d be the first to go. But in some ways, Allanna felt like she’d already lost her daughter.

“It’ll be all right,” Xavier consoled her when she brought this up to him. “I’d rather die knowing you were in my life than live an eternity without ever having known you.”

“Isn’t there some way to make it so that you and our kids can live forever like me?” she asked pleadingly. “I don’t want to have to ever lose you, even if it won’t happen for a long time.”

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do about that. But we should spend the time savoring each other’s company, not dreading the inevitable.”

“I just can’t imagine…”

“Then don’t. Besides, right now, we have to make sure we haven’t already lost Linley, which is just what you were thinking. I don’t know how much longer we can keep her under control."

********************

Linley’s appetite for blood didn’t cease. If anything, it became more prominent. Every time she bit into a human’s neck and drained them of their blood, it was like a release of the pent-up hostility inside her. She’d embraced being a hybrid before, but in the back of her mind, the reality of the situation was always present. She was the only one of her kind in existence, and she hated it. She hated that she’d never be normal, and though she’d fooled her friends for several years, the one she cared about the most had found out the harsh truth.

Time and time again, she found herself straying away from Morningside and finding victims in adjacent towns, despite her trying to come up with another way to kill the pain. Usually her victims were men she'd manage to seduce, which made her wonder if she was also part succubus (which wouldn't be that big of a surprise considering the existence of supernatural creatures already). The body count was piling up, and before long, there was a breaking news report on all the TV stations. That was when her parents lost it.

“Are you fucking insane?!” Xavier demanded after he saw the report. “You’re gonna get caught! This is ridiculous! Your mother and I have tried to be patient and helpful, but that’s gotten us nowhere. No more playing nice and no more trying to support you. This has to stop!”

Linley stared back at her father with the same fury in her eyes. “You said yourself a few months ago,” she retorted, “that I’m 18 now and I’m not a little girl anymore. I can do what I want!”

“As long as you’re living under our roof, you live by our rules!”

“Then maybe I won’t live under your roof anymore! Maybe I’ll live by my own rules!”

“You won’t be able to do that, because to live on your own you need an income. And I’m not going to give you any of our money to support your asinine habit. And the job market isn’t exactly friendly to a high school graduate with no college education who’s been spending all her time sneaking in and out of her house after going on a bloody rampage.”

“Fuck off!”

Linley didn’t bother retreating to her bedroom this time. Instead, she ran outside and threw her clothes off before transforming into a wolf. She was tired of hearing this, so she thought she’d try running again to ease her frustrations.

She ran as fast and as hard as she could to try to clear her head, not even paying attention to where she was going. She stayed within the trees, their leaves forming a protective canopy overhead. The moonlight broke through the branches in bright beams, giving the woods a somewhat mystical appearance.

As she ran, Linley tried to think of some other way to vent her anguish about Craig breaking up with her. She’d heard her parents talking one night, and they’d mentioned how they considered letting her drink his blood just to get some closure. Unbeknownst to them, she’d already done that. Craig’s betrayal was unforgivable; she’d told him her deepest secrets, given her virginity to him, and she and her family had risked their lives to save him (without receiving so much as a thank you).

But like the coward he was, he’d thrown it all away and ran off with his tail between his legs. He'd told her he loved her. Was that just an attempt all along to get into her pants? When thinking of that, Linley realized that she didn't trust him. And now, she no longer trusted anyone.

She was also bitterly reminded of the day Craig had driven a stake through her body in a misguided attempt to kill her. She never should have forgiven him after that. She no longer trusted him and didn’t want to risk him exposing her family to the public. She was already in enough trouble with her parents for confiding in him anyway. Even if she was living as a monster, her family didn’t want to, and she wasn’t going to let Craig break another promise. He’d sealed his fate the moment he broke her heart. His blood had tasted worse than she remembered from all the times she had fed from him during her guilty pleasures, and killing him didn't ease her pain like she'd hoped it would, but at least it would keep him quiet. His corpse would never be found as long as it deteriorated at the bottom of the river.

Linley realized that running helped her clear her head easier than drinking blood. Sure, fresh blood from an open wound helped quench her thirst, but she didn’t want to risk getting caught. She wanted to hold on to at least one shred of her humanity and not, as her father seemed to think she was doing, lose control of herself.

With that in mind, she spied another type of prey – an innocent rabbit hopping along through the bushes. She caught up to it quickly and pounced it, sinking her fangs into its fur. Its blood didn’t taste as appeasing as a human’s, but it was something at least.

When she’d finished her meal, Linley ran some more before finally stopping at a stream. She leaned down toward the water and saw her reflection gazing back at her.

All those girls from the vampire romance stories she loved so much never fled at the first sign of danger, and they got their fairy tale endings. Of course, in Blood and Chocolate, the guy ran from the girl in fear, just like Craig did to her. And Edward had left Bella in New Moon for her safety, not because he was scared.

Why was it that real life was never like in the movies or books? Why couldn’t Linley have a fairy tale ending too? All the supernatural creatures she read about did something important, something valuable on top of having a great, understanding human mate. Why couldn’t she do something like that?

Then a thought came to her. It was true that she was the only hybrid in existence, but instead of looking at it from a lonely perspective, she should have been looking at it in an empowered perspective. Being a hybrid had its advantages, because a hybrid was stronger than a vampire and werewolf on their own. A hybrid couldn’t be killed like a vampire or werewolf and no one else knew how to do so. And even Mortius himself feared her existence, and that was back when she’d been a toddler.

That accounted for something, right? Linley was a hybrid, a creature stronger than the two warring species of Duskwood. Duskwood, which had been her mother’s and father’s home until they’d had to flee like criminals for simply falling in love. Her mother had lost several of her family and friends in the bloody war brought on by Gloria, who was also afraid of hybrids. She’d seen that fear in her eyes before she’d bit her throat out.

That was the answer. Duskwood. That was the rightful home for her parents, and had there not been a war going on, it would have been hers as well. Linley hadn’t met any of her Duskwood relatives, undoubtedly because they’d disowned her parents for falling in love with each other and then breeding.

But Linley was about to rectify that. Her parents had explained to her that Duskwood had held an invisible barrier separating the vampires from the werewolves, and there’d always been disputes over territory. But now, the barrier could be lifted and she’d have some leverage to restore peace to the town. It might not end the war of vampires and werewolves all over the world, but it probably would restore the balance in Duskwood.

Linley stood up and ran back to her house. She was going to do what should have been done years ago. Her parents had only moved to Morningside because they’d had nowhere else to go after Bridgeport. They’d been unable to return home to Duskwood because of the war. Now, she was going to take it back.

Chapter 41 - The Monster Inside

WARNING: This chapter contains strong language and sexual content.

Three weeks later…

Graduation approached quickly. Linley returned to school so her parents didn’t get suspicious, because until she was 18, she couldn’t legally leave. Not that she cared about the human laws, but she did have enough dignity not to let her parents get in trouble for not sending their daughter to school.

When the big day arrived, Linley sat through the long ceremony and the boring speeches (all of which thankfully took place indoors so her parents and brothers were able to participate) until finally everyone threw their hats in the air and said their goodbyes. Linley didn’t feel like saying goodbye to Craig twice, but she did wish Chelcie and Sky the best of luck.

When her eighteenth birthday finally rolled around, Xavier and Allanna were surprised that Linley didn’t want to have a birthday party. But she kept insisting that she was over parties, as she was grown up now and parties were for kids.

But she had her own plan on how to celebrate turning 18.

Her parents had finally caved in and gotten her a car to celebrate her birthday and graduation. Linley christened it by driving it to Las Vegas. She wasn’t old enough to get into bars, but that didn’t stop her from using a fake ID. Showing a little flesh didn’t hurt with bribing the bouncer, either.

Music pounded from the loudspeakers and scantily clad girls sashayed their bodies to the beat. Guys with Mohawks and leather jackets congregated at the bar, and Linley sidled right up to them and took a seat.

“I’ll have a Bloody Mary,” she told the bartender. He set the drink down in front of her (after falling for her fake ID) and she took a long swig. The burly guy next to her stood dangerously close to her, conspicuously ogling her.

Linley saw the guy out of her peripheral vision. She lowered her glass and flashed him a seductive smile. He grinned back and she said, “Hey.”

“Hey, baby.”

Great. She was being hit on. Her plan was working. She moved a little bit to jiggle her breasts in her low-cut top that she’d changed into after she’d left the house. As she expected, the guy’s eyes darted down toward her ample cleavage.

“Like what you see?” she asked him as she wiggled her eyebrows.

“Damn right,” he replied as he got closer. “I ain’t seen you in here before. You got a name?”

“Linley. You?”

“They call me Butch.”

“Butch, huh? That’s a unique name.”

“So’s yours.”

“I didn’t say it was bad. I like unique. And I like butch guys.”

“Why don’t you just let me show you how butch I am?”

Linley set her glass down and pulled the guy’s mouth toward hers. She mashed her lips against his and got a taste of whiskey mixed with the pungent odor of cigarette smoke.

Their tongues collided and wrestled as they engaged in tonsil hockey before Linley shoved Butch back. “Let’s go somewhere more private,” she suggested. Butch happily agreed.

The two stepped out the back door of the bar so they were in an alley in between two buildings. The pulsating music from each could be heard through the walls, but Linley didn’t care about that. She had one purpose in this alley, and dancing wasn’t one of them.

Butch didn’t waste any time. He grabbed Linley by the waist and pressed her against the brick wall in a possessive manner. He continued kissing her and Linley felt his eager erection brushing against her exposed thigh.

But unfortunately for Butch, this wasn’t the kind of action she wanted.

“I better tell you something about me,” she whispered in Butch’s ear.

“What’s that, baby?”

“You’ve heard of vampires and werewolves, right?”

“Sure. Don’t tell me you’re one of those crazy chicks obsessed with that Twilight shit.”

“No, I’m telling you that I happen to be both a werewolf and a vampire.”

“Role-playing, huh? I dig that. That’s hot.”

“No, I’m not playing. It’s true. I’m a hybrid. I’ve got vampire and werewolf blood in me.”

“Okay, whatever you say, baby.”

“Yeah, and you know something else? I’m still thirsty. That Bloody Mary was hardly a drink.”

“I got something for you to drink.”

“Oh, I know you do. And I’m ready for it.”

Butch used the wall as leverage for Linley as he unzipped his fly. But the joke was on him. Linley wanted a different kind of fluid. She elongated her fangs behind his neck and stated, “Like I said, I’m a hybrid. And I’m thirsty.”

With that, she pulled her head back and plunged her incisors into Butch’s flesh. Blood filled her mouth as she indulged in every last drop that didn't spray onto her face in little droplets.

Butch’s eyes were wide as he tried to break free, but he wasn’t strong enough. He ended up on the ground, unable to hold onto Linley any longer, but she just hovered over him and continued to drink his sweet, succulent blood. His pulse eventually stilled and his breathing ceased. Only when she got the last droplet out of his neck did she raise her head from his corpse, hovering over him like a wolf claiming its prey.

Blood trickled down her chin and she eagerly lapped at it with her tongue. She was living her life as what she was – a deadly creature that hunted in the night. A vampire that lived on human blood, a werewolf that danced under the full moon. She was embracing the monster inside her heart, and though at one point she might have been hesitant to admit it, she was thoroughly enjoying it.

Still, she didn’t feel like her thirst was completely quenched. Her appetite had become insatiable and she was practically rabid. But she didn’t care. What was the point of holding back? This is what she was, so why not embrace it?

********************

Linley’s thirst for blood didn’t cease. For weeks, she ravenously and mercilessly drained the blood of innocent people, though sometimes she didn’t quite feel satisfied.

Her parents never caught on to her activities. At least, not at first. But one night, she was sneaking in at three in the morning and they were waiting for her in the foyer. They gestured to the den, and Linley wordlessly entered it. She sat in one of the far chairs while her parents sat on the couch. She couldn't bear to even look at them, and instead faced the wall.

“I think it’s time we had a talk,” her father began. “Where do you go every time you sneak out of the house?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb with us. We know something’s going on. You’re 18 now, so you’re capable of making your own decisions. But your mother and I are worried about you. You’ve been sneaking in and out, and we’ve detected the smell of blood on your clothes after you put them in the laundry room. And I can smell it now. What have you been up to?”

“Fine, you want to know the truth? I’ve been living as a hybrid. That’s what I am. I get blood cravings, and I always have but I was able to control them. But thanks to this fucked up life of mine, I lost Craig and all my friends. There’s no point in trying to live like a normal person anymore. I’m gonna live like the monster that I am.”

Allanna inhaled sharply and her father squinted his eyes. “You’ve been killing innocent people all this time? Drinking their blood as a means to work off frustration about a teenage boy who broke your heart? My God Linley, do you have any idea the danger you’re putting yourself and the rest of us in?”

“I don’t really care. I’m being careful, but I don’t give a shit if I get caught or not. I’m a hybrid and no one has any idea how to kill me. The only one that did know is Gloria, and she’s dead. I don’t care anymore.”

“That’s enough! If you have to work out your frustrations that’s fine, but you’re not going to do it by killing people!”

“What are you gonna do about it? You wouldn’t kill your own daughter, would you?”

“Linley,” her mother pleaded, “can’t you think of something else to do? Why not go for runs at night like you used to?”

“Because I can’t run fast enough to stop being pissed.”

“There isn’t enough blood in the world to keep you from being pissed either,” Xavier snapped. “Believe me, I know. You have no idea the kinds of things I’ve had to endure in my life, and I thought blood would heal that too. But it didn’t help. It only made things worse. And I guarantee the same thing is going to happen to you. You’re going to lose yourself and all touches of reality.”

“Reality? Dad, in reality, I wouldn’t exist, and neither would you. So fuck reality.”

Linley stood up and stormed upstairs, slamming the door to her bedroom. Her parents remained seated in the den until at last Allanna burst into a tirade of tears.

“She’s losing control,” she sobbed into her husband’s arms. “I can’t believe she’d do this, and over some stupid teenage boy. I’ve got half the mind to let her drink his blood. Maybe then she’d have some closure.”

“Allanna, you know that won’t solve anything. I’ll admit I’ve considered it too, but that won’t be helping Linley.”

“What could possibly help her? She’s lost, too far gone. I can’t believe she’s doing this.”

“Allanna, she isn’t too far gone. She still knows who she is, and she always comes back home. That should atone for something. We’ll figure something out.”

“I just wish she’d find some other way to take out her frustrations. Sometimes I wish…”

“What?”

“I shouldn’t, but sometimes I wish I could just go back in time to before I even met you. When I was working a shitty dead-end job in Duskwood and living with Cynthia, supposed to be married to another werewolf. Mortius and Gloria took more from me than my pack’s territory. They took my state of mind. I don’t regret what happened with us, but things just seemed so much easier back then.”

Xavier grabbed Allanna’s hand and pulled it toward his lips where he planted a kiss on it. “I know,” he said softly. “Sometimes I imagine what it would have been like if I never would have gone along with Mortius’s plan. But then I realize, I’d probably still be alone fighting off Gloria’s slutty advances, swearing I’d never love anyone ever again.”

“Yeah, and I’d probably be stuck giving birth to a litter of puppies with Ace. Who’d still be alive, for that matter.”

“Allanna, the right path isn’t always the easiest one. But I think we chose correctly when we chose each other.”

Allanna stood up and walked over to the window, gazing out into the darkness. Xavier wrapped his arms around her and she placed her hands over his.

“I think we did too,” she replied. “I just wish we could help Linley find the right path.”

“We will if we try hard enough.”

Xavier edged his face around toward his wife’s and the two touched their lips together.

“I think we will, too,” Allanna said when their lips parted. “She’s our daughter, and she’s the only one of her kind in the world. She feels very alone. We can’t turn our backs on her.”

“No, we can’t. And we won’t.”

Chapter 40 - Fare Thee Well

WARNING: This chapter contains sexual content and references.

Because it would look suspicious buying a returning plane ticket the same day of their arrival, Xavier drove slightly past Vegas and booked a three-bedroom hotel suite for the night. He and Allanna would share a room, Linley and Cynthia would share another, and Craig would have the third.

Along the way, after getting a new outfit (Linley remained crouched down as a wolf in the car, unwilling to let anyone see her naked, so her parents stopped at a thrift shop and got a cheap outfit for her to wear for the time being), Linley thought about what Gloria had said. The only way to kill her, or one of her kind, was to either rip her heart from her chest or cut off her head. Both scenarios were gruesome to think about, and Linley couldn’t help heaving a shudder as she replayed the events of that afternoon over and over in her head. Gloria had intended to do just that to her, and she was very fortunate to be alive.

Craig was equally fortunate, but he didn’t realize it until after he’d been placed in his respective bedroom in the hotel suite. Linley stayed by his side, willing him to wake up, and when he did at last, still in his prom tux with his hair all tousled, it was all she could do to keep from hyperbolically jumping on him.

“Where am I?” Craig asked as he looked around, a look of bewilderment plastered on his face.

“You’re in a hotel,” Linley said softly, afraid to even get close to him. What must he think of her now? And what must he think of the supernatural world that shouldn’t exist to him?

She’d soon have her answer.

Craig sat up and felt his head swimming. He had no idea what Gloria had hit him with, but it was powerful enough to leave him with a throbbing migraine.

“Where’s Gloria?” he asked as he finally looked at Linley.

“She’s gone,” Linley replied truthfully. She could see the pain behind Craig’s eyes. “Did you want some pain killers?”

“No, but I want to talk to you.”

Linley curled a leg under her body and bit her lip. She tried not to be so ostensive about her nervousness, but she could only imagine what Craig wanted to discuss with her.

“How did you find me?” was his first question. And a silly one at that. Gloria had told Linley where to meet her with her parents.

She reminded Craig of this fact, who nodded, seemingly still recovering from his initial shock from being at the hands of a psycho daddy’s girl vampire. He then asked, “What about your parents? How’d you talk them into coming for me?”

“It wasn’t that hard. They know you’re important to me, and they want to see me happy. Plus, they didn’t want Gloria around anymore. They’ve known her for a long time, and she’s always been a problem. They hoped they’d never see her again, but then she showed up here after 17 years and I guess that gave them enough reason to go after her. They didn't want her to kill anyone else.”

“So…she’s dead?”

“Yeah.”

“And uh…where are we exactly?”

“We’re just outside Vegas. We’re going home tomorrow. Dad’s looking at getting us a flight back to Morningside.”

Craig finally stood up off the bed, prompting Linley to rise as well. Craig sauntered over to her and looked her in the eyes.

“Linley,” he said, “I don’t know how long I was knocked out, and I don’t know when she did it, but before she did, that Gloria chick told me all kinds of things. Like how to become a vampire, and she told me the history of the whole vampire and werewolf war, and then she even went on about how she’d drink all my blood if you and your parents didn’t show up. I can’t believe I’m even gonna say this, but I was scared. I didn’t know what the hell was gonna happen to me or if you and your parents would even show up. And then she read my mind and found out I know all about you and your family, and she said I shouldn’t know because I’m a human, so she said she’d either turn me into a vampire or kill me. But it got me thinking…maybe she’s right.”

Linley’s heart skipped a beat. “What could she have been right about?”

But just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Linley?” her mother’s voiced asked. “Is Craig awake?”

“Yeah,” Linley answered in what she hoped was a calm demeanor.

“Good. Listen, Cynthia will take care of him. Your dad and I want to talk to you.”

Linley knew what that meant. They wanted to discuss how Linley had lost her virginity to Craig in a public park on prom night. She’d hoped they’d at least wait until they returned to Morningside, but there was no point in procrastinating.

Reluctantly, Linley excused herself and followed her mother to the suite’s master bedroom. Her father was already there, straddling the desk next to one of the two chairs. Allanna sat in the closest chair, leaving Linley to sit in the one right in the middle of her parents. How appropriate; she’d always felt like she was caught in between her family and the balance of nature.

“Let’s not beat around the bush,” her father began. “I think you know why we want to talk to you.”

“I think I do, but why don’t you tell me just in case I’m wrong?”

“Well I hope there’s nothing else to discuss. We’ve got two serious situations here, both of which are your doing.”

“Two? What…?”

“Obviously, you and Craig had a real good time in the park on prom night, and that’s bad enough because you’re only 17. But I’m guessing he didn’t force himself on you, considering how easily you’d be able to fight back.”

“Dad, I was in on it as much as he was. And I’m sorry, okay? But we love each other, and we told each other that…”

“What?” Allanna interjected. “Linley, you’re only 17 years old and you’ve only had one boyfriend. You seriously think you’re in love? I’m sorry, I just don’t buy it. And didn’t I tell you that guys will say they love you just to have sex?”

“Craig’s not like that! He was my first, and I was his! If I didn’t trust him, there was no way I would have let him screw me!”

“You don’t need to be so crude,” Xavier said dryly. “You said you used protection. Did you, or are you just saying that to humor us?”

“I swear to God we used protection. We’ve had this planned for a while. We wanted it to be special and safe.”

“You were planning on having sex this whole time and you never talked to us about it?” Allanna demanded. “Linley, I know discussing that subject isn’t the most appealing to a teenager, but don’t you trust us?”

“When it comes to Craig, it’s hard to. I mean, for crying out loud, you barely wanted me to be friends with him when we were 13. I could only imagine what you’d say if you knew we were planning to have sex.”

"Well, maybe you should have listened to us. What was Gloria talking about? He tried to kill you once? And you just forgave him?! What if you hadn't been a hybrid? You would be dead! Is that bastard really worth it?!"

"Don't say that! He didn't know what I was! He figured it out by himself and when I didn't die from the stake, he..."

"It doesn't matter. I can't believe you were so...stupid!"

“All right,” Xavier said as he put his hand up before Linley could scream in retaliation. “We trust that you were safe having sex, and that’s very important. But we do have a more serious issue at hand. It seems you broke your word to us, Linley.”

Linley's fingers tensed up as she gaped at her father, perplexed. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you remember that your mother and I asked you not to reveal our existence to Craig? Now he knows about you, and about us. He knows there are vampires, werewolves, and hybrids in this world, and that’s not for a human to know.”

“That was an accident.”

“You accidentally told him about yourself?”

“No, not exactly. I told you, he figured it out himself when I didn't die from the stake. And besides, he kept the secret. He never told anyone.”

“That you know of.”

“Damn it Dad, he wouldn’t do that! I wish you’d just trust me! You don’t trust me so of course you don’t trust him!”

“Don’t raise your voice to me, Linley. And no, I don’t trust him right now, because he deflowered my daughter, tried to kill her, and knows all about us. Not to mention the pickle he just had us in with Gloria.”

Linley stood up, fuming. “That wasn’t his fault, it was Gloria’s! The bitch showed up out of nowhere because of something you did, and took him! He was innocent!”

“Stop shouting,” Allanna commanded as she also stood erect. “He’ll hear you.”

“I doubt it. He’s just a human, he doesn’t have our super healing skills. All I ever wanted in life was to be normal! If I wasn’t some freak of nature, I could have had that! Why’s that so hard to ask? And you guys are fine ones to talk about using protection! You didn’t use protection when you got knocked up with me, Mom. I know, because you had no idea what the hell you’d give birth to because hybrids had been extinct for so long. Gloria told me all about it, and you know what, even though she was a bitch, she was right about a lot of things.”

“Linley, that’s enough!”

Linley just held up her hand defiantly. “No, I don’t want to talk about it anymore! Just leave me alone!”

Storming out of the room, Linley’s first instinct was to go back to Craig. But she was afraid of what he’d wanted to say to her before, and she couldn’t handle any more bad news tonight. She finally dashed into her own bedroom and slammed the door, though she couldn’t lock it without incurring further wrath from her parents since Cynthia had to share the room with her.

Curling up on the bed, Linley thought about the wish she’d made on her thirteenth birthday. She’d wished for nothing more than happiness, and it had seemed to be going so well for her. Now, in one night, everything had spiraled out of control. Prom night was meant to be a night to remember. But for Linley, a lot of it was a night to forget.

********************

Linley didn’t know when she fell asleep, but when she opened her eyes again, it was morning. She’d slept in her clothes all night, and Cynthia was breathing evenly next to her in the bed. Sitting up and yawning, Linley staggered to the bathroom to perform her morning ablutions. She didn't even bother changing her clothes. It wouldn't have done her any good regardless, considering she'd only purchased one new set.

After washing her face off and brushing her hair, Linley walked into the main room of the suite and saw her father sitting on the couch. He looked at her with hurt and betrayal in his eyes, but Linley said nothing. She didn’t have any regrets when it came to Craig, and she opened her mind so that her father knew that.

After a quick breakfast, the party of five piled back into the car and Xavier headed for the airport. The car ride there, and the plane trip back to Morningside, were both long, quiet rides filled with tension and trepidation. When they returned to Morningside at last, Craig asked if Linley could come over to his house for a while so that they could talk.

Obviously reading his mind about what he wanted to discuss, Linley’s parents obliged and dropped them both off at Craig’s doorstep (much to Linley's surprise considering they didn't even trust him). Craig wordlessly led Linley inside to the kitchen, his parents both at work, where at last he turned to face her. She was surprised he didn't hasten to remove his tux first, but something in his eyes made her not bring it up.

“Linley,” he began tentatively, “I tried to tell you something last night, but your mom came in, and then you didn’t come back to the room.”

“Yeah, we had a bit of a falling out, so I just went straight to bed. I’m sorry.”

“Well, listen. What I said before…I said I loved you, remember? I want you to know that I meant it. I really did, and I’ll always love you. But…”

“But what?”

Craig looked down and muttered to the floor, “But I think Gloria was right about one thing. I don’t belong in your world. I’ve never been so scared in my life and I never want to go through that again. We’re too different, and I think it would be best if maybe we just…stayed friends.”

Linley couldn’t say that she was particularly surprised. She was devastated of course, for she’d hoped that this wouldn’t happen, but alas, some things couldn’t withstand certain hardships. Linley couldn’t say that she blamed Craig one bit.

There wasn’t much else left to say (apart from Linley threatening Craig's life if he ever told anyone about her, which caused genuine fear to flash in his eyes). The two said their farewells and Linley exited the house, preparing to return to her own house. She didn’t want to, knowing that her parents would be there waiting to chastise her some more. She could turn into a wolf, but for the first time in her life, she didn’t feel like running through the forest with no particular destination. Running for pure pleasure didn’t seem to appeal to her anymore.

She tried to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over, and that made her mouth feel dry. She caught her reflection in one of the windows and saw her eerie yellow eyes glowing back at her. She allowed her fangs to emerge and immediately regretted it. She’d hated being a hybrid her whole life, and Gloria had referred to her as a half-breed. That was one other thing she’d been right about. Linley felt like she didn’t belong anywhere – not with humans, not with vampires, and not with werewolves. She was the only one of her kind, and she felt more desolate now than she ever had in the past.

Her mouth even more dry, she decided that, because Craig didn’t want to be in her world of monsters anymore, she might as well start living as what she was – a monster, a killing machine feared by humans who were unfortunate enough to know that such creatures existed.

She had something else to occupy her time now. It wouldn’t be pretty, and it would be frowned upon, but it was better than wallowing in self-pity. Craig was gone, and with him, so were her hopes that her wish might come true. She wouldn’t know true happiness, so why quibble over it? It was time to give in to her animal instincts.