Julia slowly opened her window to let her boyfriend, Wyatt Lykensen, into her room to help her fall asleep tonight. She had to be absolutely silent or else her parents would hear what she was doing. That would be the worst thing to ever happen to her because her parents didn't actually know that she was dating Wyatt. The reason? Because he was a werewolf. Her parents hated every creature that was not what they were: human. They hated when the zombies started coming to Seabrook a year or so ago. Now, it was the werewolves' turn to go to school with everyone else, and that was like the end of the world to her parents. If they found out that their second daughter was dating a werewolf, it would mean the end of her world, for sure. 

She leaned against the windowsill and felt the cool breeze against her bare arms and shoulders. The night was perfect for stargazing because there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. All the stars and the moon shone down upon Seabrook like a beacon, calling for some other creature to come out of the distance and claim their residence in her little town that wasn't so perfect and harmonious anymore. Hatred had wormed its way into the hearts of many of the residents, including her parents. 

"Hey, there, beautiful," Wyatt said, suddenly appearing in front of her out of the darkness. He had a grin on his face as she let out a yelp in surprise, showing his fangs off to her. "Fancy seeing you here."

She smiled to him, but it felt weighed down because of the exhaustion hanging on her body like a deadly disease. Julia hadn't been sleeping well lately because of keeping this large secret from her family, and she desperately needed some relief by any means necessary. And that meant that Wyatt needed to come to her house and help her fall asleep by holding her in his arms. That always seemed to work when she went over to the Wolf Den, so it had to work tonight. 

Julia backed up until her legs hit the edge of her bed to let Wyatt jump into her room using his werewolf strength. Thankfully, he landed in her room with a soft thud. Wyatt stood up and took a quick glance around her room, grinning at all the little love notes he had written her hanging up on the walls. She had disguised those as notes from her friend, Addison, and her sister, Bree. It wasn't like her parents went into her room much, but she needed to come up with all these stories to keep her parents away from the truth that their daughter was dating a werewolf. 

His hands traveled up her arms as he stepped even closer to her, a small smile on his face. She was trapped between him and her bed, and there was a certain light in his eyes that made her go a little warm. He always looked at her like she was the most beautiful person in the entire world; it was quite possibly the best thing he could do for her. 

"I can't sleep," she whispered to him as she stared up into his chocolate eyes. "Again."

He touched the area directly underneath her eyes where dark bags had started to form. "I can tell," he whispered back to her. "Do you think it's time to tell them about us? Julia, they already know that Bree is dating Bonzo, who's obviously a zombie. They shouldn't be too worried about you dating a werewolf."

"They've gotten more used to the idea of zombies as compared to werewolves. I assure you that they would lock you up the minute they saw you with me."

Wyatt's eyes flickered between anger and disappointment. She wished she could tell her parents that she was the happiest that she had ever been in her entire life. Julia was finally becoming the person she had always envisioned she would be. She had grown up a lot in the past few years by accepting the zombies and werewolves who had come to her school and trying to help them through the hatred and discrimination. She had become an advocate for the voiceless who fought for rights for all instead of just humans. That fire in her heart hadn't been quenched since she broke away from her parents' ideas of hate.

"Can you just help me go to sleep just this once?" she asked him softly. "That's all I ask tonight."

"Of course. Anything for you."

Julia smiled up at him and pressed her lips against his for a soft and gentle kiss. That was when everything went wrong. Just as his arms pulled her body against his, her door flew open, hitting the wall hard. There were two simultaneous gasps that finally pulled Julia away from Wyatt. Her heart fell all the way to the ground when she saw her parents standing in her doorway, both with angry looks on their faces. 

"We knew you were sneaking around, Julia," her mom said as Wyatt dropped his arms away from her body. She was left exposed to the hatred coming from her very own flesh and blood standing in front of her. "We thought that you just didn't want us to find out that you had a secret human boyfriend. We should have known that you would like this." Her mom motioned toward Wyatt, setting the fire ablaze in her heart. 

"Don't you dare talk about him like that!" she said angrily. Julia stepped forward, putting herself in between Wyatt and her parents. She glanced between the two of them, wondering when they would finally open their eyes to see that humans weren't the only ones on this planet. "You don't even know him, Mom! You don't know how he helps me when I'm stressed. You don't know that he makes me laugh so much."

"He's a werewolf!" her father yelled, his eyes blazing. Julia took her step backward, walking into Wyatt's chest. He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her the strength to stand up to her parents. "He's a dangerous creature."

Julia felt Wyatt flinch behind her. "He is not dangerous," Julia snapped. She saw Bree standing behind her parents, obviously woken up by the yelling between everyone. "You two are the dangerous ones because you have allowed hate to live in your hearts."

Her parents were looking at her like they didn't even recognize her anymore. That was fine with her because she would much rather distance herself from her parents than let them see who she truly was. That was the only way to keep herself safe from them and their harm that always loomed over her and Bree. 

Julia's mother marched over to her and pulled her away from Wyatt with the strength of a thousand werewolves. She was no match for her mother, and she was helplessly torn away from him, who didn't even try to hold onto her in case her mother was going to attack him. In the light from the stars, he looked like a terrified pup who was trapped without anywhere to go. 

This night couldn't get any worse, but the universe proved Julia wrong. Just as her mother pulled her to the doorway, officers from the Z-Patrol Containment Unit barged their way around her and her parents to take Wyatt away from her. One of her parents must have called them to come pick Wyatt up, but for what? He wasn't doing anything against the law. He wasn't dangerous. He was just a boy trying to help a girl. That was it. But her parents couldn't understand that. They never would understand it.

---

Julia couldn't get out of bed for the life of her. She didn't go to school today. She didn't eat. She didn't even go to the bathroom. All she did was stay in her bed, wishing she could have done something to save Wyatt from her parents and the officers from the Containment Unit. Wyatt hadn't done anything wrong, and yet, he was taken away from her for nothing, and she couldn't do anything to save him. She was a worthless girlfriend.

There was a soft knock on Julia's bedroom door, but she didn't bother getting up to open it. Instead, she stayed under her covers, pulling them higher over her head so she wouldn't see whoever it was at the door. She heard the door squeak open, and someone pattered into her room, sitting down on the edge of her bed. 

"Julia?" Bree's voice broke through the sad silence that surrounded Julia. She grunted in response, not wanting to speak at all. Her throat was raw from all of the crying she had done all day, and she had a terrible headache. "How are you doing, honey?"

"Awful."

"How would you feel if I said that our friends have a way to get Wyatt out?"

Julia should have felt excited for the opportunity, but she didn't. She didn't even want to try to get him out because she knew it was going to go wrong somehow, just like last night did. There was no way she would ever find hope again now that Wyatt was gone for who knew how long. Hatred had finally won against acceptance.

Her covers were pulled down from her face, revealing Bree and Addison standing above her, each with determined looks on their faces. Surprisingly, it was dark outside again. Had she really stayed in bed nearly twenty-four hours? Apparently because the sun wasn't out anymore, and shadows covered her walls. 

"Get up," Addison said firmly. She took Julia by the hands and nearly dragged her out of bed. Bree had to catch her before she fell down on her face. "We're going to save Wyatt, whether you like it or not."

"Who's the we? I only see you and Bree."

"Willa and Wynter will meet us at the containment zone while Zed and Eliza and Bonzo are waiting outside for us," Bree explained to her quickly just as her and Addison pushed against her back. Julia stumbled toward her window, frowning at her older sister. "Don't worry. They'll catch you."

"Excuse me?"

Addison and Bree shared a grin before shoving Julia once more. She suddenly found herself flying through her open window, heading straight toward the ground. Her stomach found its way into her throat as she let out a scream. In the dim light from the streetlamp, she saw Bonzo, Eliza, and Zed standing around. Time seemed to slow down as she neared the ground. 

And then someone caught her. She looked up at the person who caught her and saw a surprised Zed. "Well, hello there," he said, setting her on the ground. "Addie said that Bree had a plan, but I didn't think it was this."

"Why are you guys here?" Julia asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She glared at the three of them, not caring about her appearance since she probably looked like a crazy person. "I doubt we're able to get Wyatt out of that prison."

"We need to try," Eliza said, shaking her head. She reached out and placed a comforting hand on Julia's shoulder, who brushed her off. "You can't hide out in your room. We have a game plan, and you are the key part of it, Julia."

Bonzo said something in the Zombie language along the lines of, "You love him."

Sighing, she closed her eyes for a second. Yeah, she did love Wyatt, probably more than she had loved anyone else in this wretched world. But love couldn't help getting him out of a jail cell. It wasn't concrete; it didn't have hands to pull him through the bars and get him to safety. Love was not the answer to this problem.

"Is everyone ready?" Addison asked once her and Bree made it outside. She looked around at the group they had gathered to save Wyatt, her eyes resting on Julia. "We can't do this without you, Julia. We need your help to get him out of there safely."

"I don't think there's anything I can do."

Julia turned on her heel to head back inside and crawl back into her bed, but she didn't get very far when she heard Addison say, "Zed, grab her."

She let out a small squeal when Zed lifted her off the ground and slung her body over his shoulder. The ground seemed so much farther away than it did when she was falling out of the window because Zed was the tallest zombie she had ever known. Julia slammed her fists into his back as he started walking, but that didn't deter him in the slightest.

"You better put me down before I murder you," Julia hissed at him.

"You're so funny."

She hated that he was laughing at her when she was in such a vulnerable place. The reason she didn't want to get out of bed at all today and didn't want to go rescue him was because she was terrified. She was terrified that he was going to rot in that jail cell because of the corruptness of the Seabrook government. She was terrified that they actually wouldn't be able to rescue him, that they were going to get caught and arrested, too. She was terrified of losing him forever, and by doing nothing, that was exactly what she was doing. But it was better doing that instead of getting her hopes up for nothing and still end up losing him.

Julia didn't want to think about what they were going to do to him if they tried to rescue him. Would they hurt him more than they already had? Would they accidentally kill him? Those were the fears spreading through her chest the closer they got to the containment units. It felt like she was going to die on Zed's shoulder; she couldn't catch her breath, nor could her eyes focus on the ground below them.

Zed finally set her down on the ground in front of a large dumpster, where Willa and Wynter were waiting for them. The smell of it permeated through her nose, making her feel more tethered to the world around her. Her eyes could focus easier on her friends as they whispered to each other about the plan together on how to rescue Wyatt from the containment unit. Her breath was coming back to her, filling her lungs with the not-so-fresh yet crisp night air.

Though she was terrified, she was gaining the bravery to rescue her boyfriend from oppression and hate.

It took some time, but the inside group -- Julia, Zed, Addison, and Willa -- finally made it into the containment unit without setting off any alarms or encountering any guards. The outside group -- Bonzo, Eliza, Bree, and Wynter -- helped them get through the maze of the building by talking them through each passageway that Addison somehow managed to find in her mother's office. Now it was just a matter of time before they found Wyatt and got him out with the keys Willa snatched from one of the guards that stood in front of the entrance they came through.

"We have no idea which cell he's in," Wynter said through the headphones that Julia had in her left ear. "The only thing we know is that you're in the correct wing. This is where they keep the werewolves who are thought to be a threat to society."

The inside group split up to cover as much ground as possible to find Wyatt before they got caught. Julia headed down one corridor and glanced into each cell only to find most of them empty. Some of them held werewolves that looked like they were slowly decaying in their cells, like they hadn't seen the light of day since they ended up in this place. It broke her heart seeing these people like this. Was this what Wyatt was going to look like? She hoped not.

As Julia rounded a corner, she glanced to her right and gasped in surprise. "Guys, I found him."

Julia wrapped her hands around the bars, and Wyatt's wrapped around her own. With that little touch, she knew that she had to get him out of there. There were dark bags underneath his eyes, like he hadn't slept at all since he got there. She could see pain written in his eyes. She wished she could take it all away from him and make everything better. Hopefully she would be able to once they got him out of there.

"What are you doing here, Julia?" he whispered to her.

"I'm your knight in shining armor."

He cracked a smile at her. "Thank you."

Julia backed up from the bars to let Addison unlock the cell as the rest of her friends found her. She twisted the first key on the ring in the lock, and Julia could hear a small click. The cell door swung open. Wyatt was officially free. Now it was a matter of getting him out of the building without getting caught.

"Nice job, Addie," Zed said proudly. He fist-bumped her with a grin on his face. "First try."

"I am that good."

Wyatt rushed out of the jail cell and wrapped Julia up in the tightest hug ever. She buried her head in his neck as the tears spilled out of her eyes. She knew they didn't have a lot of time right now, but she needed to remain in his arms for just a little bit longer. All day, she didn't think she would be able to be held by him again. But now that she was, she didn't want him to let go of her ever again.

"I knew she would come here and try to rescue him."

Julia's heart dropped in her chest. She knew that voice. It was her mother's voice. She pulled out of Wyatt's embrace just as her parents, Addison's parents, and two burly looking guards rounded the corner. They were so close getting him out. Why couldn't they do it successfully?

"Do not lock him up again," Addison said to them. Her, Zed, and Willa stood in front of Julia and Wyatt, each holding hands to create a barrier from the guards. "He is innocent. He's not a danger to anyone."

"He's a monster," Julia's father snarled, baring his teeth at them. Right in that moment, he looked more like a monster than Wyatt did. "We found him in our daughter's room in the middle of the night, probably about to assault her."

"Wyatt is not a monster," Julia said, her voice cracking. A few tears spilled down her cheeks as she glanced at him. "He's my boyfriend. He's the love of my life. He has been there for me when no one else has, especially not you two. He has made me happier than I ever have been in my life because of him. Why would he want to hurt me if he feels the same way?"

"Monsters don't have feelings," her mother said like that was the truth.

"Oh, so Zed doesn't have feelings?" Julia asked her. "What about Bonzo? You allow Bree to date him when he's a zombie, but I can't date Wyatt because he's a werewolf? How is that even fair?"

"I would never hurt your daughter," Wyatt said to them, pleading with them. "She's been the best thing to ever happen to me."

"As mayor of Seabrook, I declare Wyatt Lykensen as free," Addison's mom said, much to everyone's surprise. "He was arrested without plausible cause. Seabrook is trying to become more accepting of the other beings that live here, and this was a step backward in our program. I assure you that this will not happen again."

Julia couldn't help but pull Wyatt into another tight hug. Her parents were trying to argue with Addison's parents, but she honestly didn't care about them. They may have been her parents, but they would never be part of her family again. If they wouldn't accept her boyfriend, they would end up losing their daughter. Was she fine with that? Right now, yes, she was. She knew it would be a hard road to walk down, but she knew she would have Wyatt by her side through it all.