“So I’m strange even for a monster? Great.”
“You are not a monster, Claire. Stand still.” Marie put a firm hand on Claire’s shoulder. “We must transform at the full moon. The Goddess, the One who created us, makes our true natures so strong on that one night that we must reveal them. But once a werewolf matures into her powers, she is able to change at any time.”
Under her mother’s grip, Claire’s skin felt tightened, pulled, and her senses dulled.
“There. Returned to your human form,” her mother said.
Claire could still smell her mother’s surprise. She could hear the filament buzzing in the lightbulb above the sink.
“If I’m human, how come I can still smell and hear so much?”
“Because you are truly a werewolf, Claire. This skin is just a disguise. You have passed the first moon of your transformation and from now on, your senses, your strength—they will always be more sensitive and intense than a human’s. Even when you look the same as everyone else. I understand that this is new, and that it is not easy, but you must try to be patient.”
“Patient! You left me on my own, looking like Grizzly Adams. Was I just supposed to hang out looking like that until you got home? I didn’t know how to get rid of it! What if Lisbeth had seen me?”
“It is not like regular hair. It is a mark of the Goddess, and no human invention can permanently remove it. Not even a razor.” A trace of amusement laced her mother’s words.
“How did you know?” Claire crossed her arms.
“I didn’t imagine you had transformed back into a human on your own this afternoon. And,” she admitted, “I could smell your embarrassment and also shaving foam. It is a gift, Claire. What we are. And as soon as your transformation is complete, you will learn all you need to know—how to do everything we are able to do. In the meantime, there is no need to panic. What happened today is unlikely to happen again. It was probably because we were still so close to the full moon.”
“Oh, yeah, don’t panic. No problem. I’ll just keep some Nair in my purse,” Claire sniped. “Is there anything else I should be carrying around? A file for my claws? A dog brush?”
“That is enough,” Marie said sharply. “I have told you that you will learn what you need to, and at the proper time. We have been training New Ones for many generations. Our traditions, our methods, are not without reason.”
Claire scowled.
Her mother watched her evenly. “I know it is difficult for you right now.”
“Really? Because you’re sure not acting like it.”
“Claire, stop. I think you should go to bed now. When you are fully transformed, you will be better prepared to learn. Until then, you must be patient, and watchful. That is the best way to keep yourself—to keep all of us—safe.” Her mother moved noiselessly across the kitchen toward the stairs. “It will get easier, Claire. You must trust me.”
Without even saying good night, her mother glided up the stairs, leaving Claire alone in the kitchen.
Claire shoved the plate of leftovers back into the fridge, her appetite gone. She stared across the lawn, her gaze traveling over the brick wall at the edge of the property. The thick woods beyond the wall twitched in the night breeze.
If her mother wasn’t going to teach her anything, then maybe she would just go figure things out for herself. After all, no one had said she shouldn’t do anything, just that they wouldn’t show her how yet. She leaned against the counter, thinking. It sure as hell hadn’t felt like it was the moon that made her change today. When the fur had come, she’d been thinking hard about being a werewolf. That could have been what triggered the change. Maybe her mom wasn’t giving her enough credit. Maybe she could transform on her own, if she had a chance to try.
Well, there’s no time like the present to start.
She just needed somewhere to practice where her mom or Lisbeth wouldn’t walk in on her. Somewhere big, and private.
Somewhere like the woods.
Outside, the humidity pressed against Claire’s face like a wet handkerchief. A film of sweat popped out on the back of her neck. She turned to look up at her house. The windows were all dark.
A warm breath of air tickled her ear and she spun away from it, dropping down into a crouch on pure instinct. The space where Claire had been only a moment before was empty. She blinked at the vacant yard, surprised at how fast she’d moved.
From inside the pool house, she could hear the faint, chirrupy whisper of the ceiling fan. Crap. She’d left it on again. If Lisbeth saw it, she would freak about how much energy Claire had wasted. She hurried over to the little building, and then stopped short. A squeak escaped her mouth before she could stop it.
Oh my God, I could hear that all the way from the back of the house?
She’d known her hearing was better than it had been, but this was crazy.