Caged In

" Lucy Wild ?” The professor called me to the front to hand me back my lab report that she had graded over the weekend.

When she handed me the paper, she grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes as she smiled,” Nice job, it was the most thorough yet concise report in the class.”

I flipped it over to see a 97% in red ink. I flashed the teacher a smile in reply before returning to my seat in the front of the lecture hall to retrieve my things. The class had ended and she was just using extra time to hand back papers and graded coursework. I was normally called last because my last name began with a ‘W’.

" What a kiss ass.” I hear some boy, likely a frat boy, whisper to his seat neighbor.

I almost took it as a compliment as I made it a point to spare their graded papers a disinterested glance, in a motion where they can obviously tell I saw their grades, and scoff as I exited the lecture hall with my A and my dignity.

I honestly hated chemistry, but that didn’t mean that if I studied I wasn’t good at it. The professor was urging me to intern with her for her research lab over the summer, they were working with voles and the effects of certain morning sickness drugs on their behaviors and kidney functions. I would have considered completing the application when I got home if today wasn’t the night of a full moon.

My brother was visiting me today to ‘check up’ on me, and that meant that I would have no extra time scheduled for anything outside of homework and studying. I could save the internship applications for the weekend. I take my bus to my apartment building and I quickly step into the elevator which took me to my apartment. Once I’m inside I have two minutes to collapse onto my stuff couch before I hear a knock at my door, and I run to answer it.

I look through the peep-hole to see my brother Logan’s messy blond hair. I hear the angry birds music and realize he is fully engaged with playing that infernal game on his phone. I still have no idea how he managed to get a woman as wonderful as his wife to marry him at 29 when this is what he does with his life. He suddenly snaps his blue eyes towards the peep hole and smiles,” I know you’re on the other side of the door, just open it before I look like a stalker.”

I inhale sharply,” Ohhh, sorry but it’s a bit late for that.” I say,” Maybe if you didn’t wear a trench coat . . . ”

" Let me in Lucy.” He growled,” Everything is heightened today. I can both hear and smell your neighbors having intercourse right now.”

I shudder,” So that’s what the thuds were, I thought there was a construction site nearby, by golly they’re loud. I wonder what position they’re in, can you see that with your X-Ray vision, Superman ?” I sarcastically quip as I open the door.

He sneezes as he walks in,“I passed by a pure-blood on my way here, and because of that my senses have a mind of their own, the fact that they’re heightened doesn’t make it better. All I smell right now is what’s going on in the next room over, goddamn snobby pure bloods, they think it’s okay to mess with us just because we’re halfers.”

" Did you catch her face ?” I ask.

" The pure blood was a male, because otherwise the scent wouldn’t have been so strong.” He mutters.

I laugh,” Well, he saw you as enough of a threat to assert his dominance.”

Let me clarify the halfers and pure blood talk. Halfers are the 99% of the werewolf population that have an ancestor that was bitten and turned by a pure blood, they only turn into mutated versions of humanoid wolves on the full moon, and they can’t turn normal humans into werewolves. They also have a prolonged lifespan of about 200 years, which slows down their aging process, making them look way younger when they’re actually old farts. But it doesn’t start to slow down until after you’re 21, typically. The unlucky ones have their aging slow down before they look like they’re above the drinking age.

Pure bloods are the other 1% that come from a lineage of wolves who were born werewolves and they do not have an ancestor who was bitten because their entire family was born with the curse. They also turn into wolves whenever they want, and they have the ability to turn humans. They’re pretty much immortal with a pretty much infinite lifespan, their aging typically begins to slow down when they’re 21, like halfers. Of course, there are some things that kill them, but I never took the time to look those up. There’s also the fact that they’re stronger in pretty much every aspect, and their scent tends to be more dominant, not that I can smell much of anything anyway.

If halfers were a car, they would be a Volkswagen, and pure bloods would be the Lamborghini of werewolves.

I’ve never liked fancy cars. They’re flashy expensive pieces of metal that don’t have enough space for the driver and their ego to both fit in at the same time.

Pure bloods also get something called a mate, which is the person most compatible with them, it’s short for soul mate. Halfers very very very rarely get so lucky, although if you ask me, having someone picked for you by some goddess doesn’t exactly sound fun. Especially if you have to look or wait for them for decades.

" Anyway, you know the drill, have you been feeling off lately. Is anything out of the ordinary ? Any aches, migraines, sensory overloads ?”

I laugh,” No, everything seems to be normal, just like last month. I don’t think I’ll be coming back any time soon.”

He grabs me into a hug,” You know we all miss you, the pack just can’t -”

I interrupt him,” No. I understand, if they didn’t miss or care about me, they wouldn’t send you every month. The rest of the pack just has trust issues.”

Logan glares at me.

I’m so glad I don’t have to be there. I hate training. Back when I was still a part of the pack, I had to get up at 6:30 to work out, who in their right mind does that ?

" How about this, to make you feel better, let’s go out for a bit.”

" You can’t, the full moon is almost out, and I don’t want you shifting at the club or something.” I say.

He cocks an eyebrow,” Clubs ? You’re 20 years old, what would you be doing there, you wouldn’t happen to be drinking under age, would you ?”

I don’t drink, I just like to procrastinate and look at sweaty attractive people who can’t glare back at me in the dark.

" Never. You know me, I’m a rule follower. It’s genetic you know, so that means I’m not lying because my father’s stick has been properly shoved up his ass long ago, and I take after him.”

He smiles and ruffles my hair,” Yeah, sure, whatever you say.” He opens the door, but before he leaves he says,” And if you go out alone, watch out. It’s faint, but even if you haven’t shifted yet, you still smell like a wolf.”

Lie.

I just nod and smile as he closes the door.

Yeah, right, I smell like a wolf.

I quickly lift up my arms and smell myself just to make sure what he said was false. I smell like flowers, not wet dog, so I think I’m good.

I slip on the red dress I had picked out, and I grab my purse, which has pepper spray in it. You can never be too sure.

I then grab my room key, shove it in my purse along with my wallet, and I leave my dorm. As I close the door, I hear the thuds coming from my neighbors, so I knock on the door,” Unless you’re fixing something, keep it down. If you do it like Catholic rabbits all the time, everyone will hear.” I say before running to the elevator and clicking on the button that had the letter G on it.

I step out into the lobby and leave the dorm building to begin walking on the sidewalk. I hear my heels click as I take more steps forward, and once I see the neon sign, I get excited. I love the club because I get to watch others making stupid, life changing decisions, it’s like live reality television.

1531 words