How was it possible? I kept asking myself countless time at that moment. I took another step towards the red-eyed Jamie. She gave me an animal-like growl.

            “Jamie,” I said slowly.

            She continued to growl but the growl was a little human-like, showing her teeth at me as she took several steps back.

            “Jamie, do you remember me? I’m Sophia.”

            Her red eyes disappeared, her brown beautiful eyes returned. It was like she was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Her old self was back. “Sophia? Did I hurt you?” She reached out to me then she drew back her hands, realizing it was a bad idea because I might kill her anytime.

            I didn’t have the strength to kill Jamie. I hovered to the side of her bed. She quickly walked to the window, away from me.

            “I don’t want to hurt you like what I did to the man.” She winced at that memory. She killed humans. How was she able to be tolerant after having human as food?

            It wasn’t just because of that. I remembered information obtained from the school library once. Wolves sensed danger. I took out my gun and left it on the table.

            “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you,” I assured her.

            She stared at my gun. “Where did you get it from?”

            I sighed. “It’s a long story. Come here.” I patted at the space next to me. She hesitated.

            Jamie sat next to me. Suddenly she stood up and walked away again. Her hands were tightly gripping her hair as she crunched down to her knees. Her face paled and her body was changing. She let out a cry.

            “Jamie!” I screamed. Jamie wasn’t there anymore. A white wolf was in her place.

            The bedroom door slammed open, revealing Sam and his friends entering the room in chaos. Sam tied Jamie’s muzzle tightly with his belt so she couldn’t try to bite me. Jamie’s brown eyes were terrified but she didn’t attempt to escape.

            He looked at me quickly. “Did she bite you?”

            “No, Sam, she’s not going to kill me.”

            “How sure are you?”

            “Sam, she’s my friend. I knew her.” Jamie was human when I said that to Sam. She looked exhausted and hungry.

            I wanted to give her some food then I remembered that Jamie was a werewolf. She didn’t need human food anymore. She could have me instead. I jumped away from her at that thought.

            “Sophia,” she mumbled in a low voice.

            Sam gave her a cold stare. I could see that his teeth were forming into fangs. “Listen to me, wolf. If you bite Sophia, I swear to God I’ll rip you into pieces. Do you understand that language, mongrel?”

            Jamie wasn’t surprised with his voice like that. She was too tired to flinch. Sam took her silence as a yes.

            Sam looked at me, the fury in his eyes were nowhere to be seen. He held my hands in his warm ones. “Do you want to be alone with her?”

            I nodded. His friends left the room. Sam was the last to leave. I took out the belt from Jamie. I helped her settled on the bed.

            “You should have killed me,” Jamie said in a weak voice, eyeing my gun that was still on the table. “I killed many people and tried to do my best so I could join the pack. Without the pack, I’ll be alone.”

            She was wrong about everything. The pack was not her only hope. I leaned over to her. “Listen to me, Jamie. The pack is not a solution to everything.”

            “Yes, it is. Rick said that.”

            “Who is Rick?”

            “The leader of the pack. He told me that we’re stronger as a pack.”

            “The black wolf,” I whispered. I felt cold when I remembered the way he looked at me this evening. He could have killed me if it wasn’t for Jamie. I owed Jamie my life.

            “Yes, he’s the black wolf. What’s wrong, Sophia? Are you okay? You look sick.”

            “He is trying to kill me like Gran. He nearly killed Valerie last year.”

            “I’m sorry, Sophia. Rick said that we’re the good wolves. The tigers are a threat to wolves, he told us. He didn’t mention you or Valerie. Anyway, what are you doing in the forest? It’s too dangerous.”

            I avoided her question and asked for the main event. There were many other things to worry about. “I just want to ask you one question then I will leave.”

            She looked at me, waiting for my question.

            “Why did you stop the black . . . I mean, Rick from killing me? I owe you my life because of that. Tell me why.”

            “Because you’re my friend. I don’t know why he wanted you so badly.”

            She answered my question and I promised I would leave after she answers. I turned to leave when she stopped me, “Wait! Don’t go. Please. I don’t know anyone around here.”

            I sighed but I stayed anyway. I had a lot of questions to ask her. I missed her so badly.

            “Are you able to change yourself into a wolf?” I asked a stupid question but I was honestly curious.

            “I changed just now because your smell is so strong and sweet.” She paused for a moment and shook her head at the reminder of my scent. “Sometimes, yes, I changed because I wanted to. Aren’t you going to freak out like other humans when they saw me?”

            I sighed. It looked like I have to tell her what happened to me. I told her by the time I arrived at Australia, I became a Hunter and hunted her species. Solstice was coming. So Jamie didn’t have to join the pack. She was convinced by the fact that the pack was some kind of government. Jamie realized the pack wasn’t everything. She had almost forgotten her old human life. Then I went on about Sam and the group.

            “So werewolves exist after all,” Jamie said. “I have to admit that you really look like Little Red Riding Hood but the future version.” I grinned at her. When I came closer, her eyes turned red. She swallowed and apologized, “I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since I hunted.”

            I didn’t want her to hunt humans. If she did, Sam had no choice but to kill her. Then I remembered the Bermudan Wolves. They are wolves that kill animals instead of humans like Sam and the sabre-toothed tigers.

            “You can eat animals after all,” I told her. She became confused of what I said. “I’ll be right back.”

            I ran to the living room, leaving Jamie in her room. I found Sam sitting on a chair in the kitchen with Daniel. His eyes darted to me.

            “Can I talk to you for a second?” I told Sam. He nodded at Daniel and followed me outside of the house. “Is it possible for Jamie to hunt animals?”

            “Who is Jamie?”

            “The wolf. Maybe she can hunt animals like the Bermudan Wolves.”

            Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. The Bermudan Wolves has been having animals since they were bitten. It is possible but she might kill humans without us knowing. If you have faith with her, then I supposed we can teach her to eat animals instead.”

            “And is she able to join us? I mean join your group and hunt other wolves like the Bermudan Wolves?”

            “If she is able to control herself then yes, we can accept her. Are her eyes turning red?”

            “Yes, she must hunt . . . immediately.”

            “I think so too.”

            “You need to hunt with her. Your eyes are still red.”

He closed his eyes in concentration and then opened them to reveal his blue eyes.

            Sam entered the house and I stalked him. He went to Jamie’s room. Jamie was curling on the bed. When she heard the door opened, she got up from bed and sat at the edge.

            “Do you think you can hunt animals?” Sam’s voice was serious.

            “I’ll try,” Jamie replied, looking at me. She wanted to know what was going on.

            “Come on.” He left the room. Jamie followed him as she passed by me. I stood by the door for awhile and went downstairs. Sam and Jamie weren’t there anymore. They must have left already for the forest already. 

            I settled in the kitchen while Daniel joined me.

            He offered me a glass of water. I accepted the glass. “Sam told me about making new tigers. He’ll agree if you agree. I won’t judge your decision if you don’t let us because I know you have been very tired of all this. This year is the weirdest year I’ve been through.”

            I sipped some water. “Sure, but only three tigers at most. I don’t want too many. Make sure they are willing to join us.”

            Daniel nodded. I looked at the clock in the kitchen. It’s already half past twelve in the morning.

            “I better go. Val will wonder where I am,” I muttered.

            As I stood up and walked to the door, Daniel followed me. “Since Alice is sick, I want to ask you whether I can bring Valerie out tomorrow. We won’t take long and I want to show her something,” Daniel said.

            I didn’t need to take a long time to think about it. I trusted Daniel as I trusted Sam. “Sure, she needs to get out of the house sometimes. But don’t leave the country.”

            He laughed. “Tell her tomorrow at nine in the morning. Can she skip school tomorrow?”

            “Ask her yourself. I’m not her mother.” I went to my bike and kicked my bike to life. Val was asleep in front of the TV by the time I got back. So was Alice. I tried to wake Val up by shaking her.

            Her eyes refused to open but I managed to carry her to bed. When I was about to close the door, I looked at Val who was sleeping peacefully. She could have been my sister, but one brother was enough disaster. I switched off all the lights in the living room and headed for my room.

            I couldn’t sleep so I read Gran’s diary. She didn’t write anything about the Bermudan Wolves which I think she didn’t know their existence. She drew plans. Plans for Solstice every year. It was simple because wolves don’t use their brain that was a size of a peanut. The black wolf was one of a kind. It was able to figure out our strategies. We need to create a new plan so the wolves couldn’t outsmart the plan . . .

            I heard something hit the window. I jumped out of bed and opened the window to see what was outside. At first, I saw a pair of red eyes. Thinking it was the black wolf; I took a gun and shot at it. Somehow, the bullet seemed to miss the wolf. The red eyes were replaced by a pair of brown eyes.

            “Sophia.” I recognized Jamie’s voice. I put away the gun.

            “Jamie, can’t you please stop scaring me. Wait there, I’ll be right down.”

            I ran down the staircase to meet Jamie. When she appeared at the front door, she didn’t look sick like I saw her earlier. She looked healthier and stronger. She was given new clothes.

            “Do you mind if I stay here for awhile? It’s okay if I can’t because I totally understand that . . .”

            She stared at something behind me. I looked back and saw Val. She was holding a gun, pointed at Jamie’s heart.

            “Is it me or is she a wolf?” Val asked herself under her breath.

            “Val, she’s a wolf and she doesn’t hurt humans like Sam and his friends,” I assured her as I took a step towards her.

            “That’s just a theory, Sophia. We don’t know whether they have humans quietly,” Val hissed.

            “You don’t have to kill her. Val, please. She’s my friend.”

            “Yeah, I saw her on BBC a few weeks ago. She’s supposed to be dead. Like Gran! Gran died because of her. Gran could have survived.”

            I looked into her eyes. I could see that she was trying to make no eye contact and I was forcing her to look into my eyes. “Valerie Rhys-Deaux, trust me on this, please. I’m begging you.”

            “Because of her, we have to risk our lives every stinking day to hunt every wolf so they won’t take over the world. I don’t want to die because of her, Sophia. I want to live just like any other human. Do you have any idea how long I hunted wolves? One year is enough pain for me to deal. Her species made Gran died. Her species will ruin mankind. Her species can get us killed anytime. I hate this! But I have no choice. I am who I am. So was Gran. So were you. We all have no choice. If we’re dead, are you able to be responsible for our deaths? You’re a Dreamer. You have a better chance of surviving!” Val furiously said. Finally, she cried and lowered her gun. I rushed over to her and hugged her.

            I felt pity for Val. She was right. Was I able to take responsibilities for her death? I couldn’t. But I trusted Jamie with my life.

            Jamie entered the house slowly. I carried Val to her room. I told Jamie to go to my room. She didn’t need the way to go to my room because she followed my scent.

            “I’m sorry, Val. I’m really sorry for everything I done to you,” I kept apologizing to her. “Tell you what. Take the day off tomorrow. I almost forgot. Daniel wants to bring you somewhere tomorrow at nine in the morning. When you get back, I promise I’ll bring you somewhere. From now onwards, don’t hunt alone. You need to hunt only when I’m around. Did you get that?”

            “Okay,” she said and closed her eyes. I tucked her in bed and kissed her forehead.

            When I went into my room, Jamie was sitting on my bed.

            “Are you sure your aunt will let?” she asked me.

            I yawned and then lay down on the bed. She sat on the chair next to the bed. She switched off the lamp. “Alice had gone out of her mind about two weeks ago. So now I’m in charge since I’m a Dreamer,” I answered her earlier question.

            “What is a Dreamer?”

            “My type exists once in every century. We daydream and find wolves easier than other Hunter. Val is not a Dreamer.”

            “Oh. You have school tomorrow. I don’t have to go there anymore.” Jamie sighed sadly. “What happened after I was believed to be dead?”

            I told her that she was in the headlines on BBC and CNN. They found her remains near the forest. I attended her funeral and her parents were crying non stop. Exhaustion drifted me away and soon I was asleep.

            I had no nightmare tonight but it was a replay of the day’s event, which was weird. I had never dreamed about a day’s event before. What terrified me the most was Val’s argument about Jamie.

            I was awake by the brightness of the sun that shone directly into my eyes. Jamie was still sitting on the chair and awake. She was reading Gran’s diary. 

            “Good morning,” she greeted. She was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. “I’m sorry but I couldn’t sleep so I noticed the diary under your pillow. You don’t mind, don’t you?”

            “No, that’s okay.”

            “Your family is like a mixed fairytale. Robin Hood, Little Red Riding Hood and . . . It’s very interesting.”

            I stretched and jumped out of bed. Oh crap. It’s ten in the morning. It was the first time I overslept. I quickly brushed my teeth and took a shower. I dressed into a simple white blouse and shorts. The temperature was starting to drop. I was glad so I don’t have to sweat.

            “It looks like I have to stay at home and take care of Alice. Val must have left with Daniel this morning. She must have taken Pierre for a walk. What do you want to do today?” I asked Jamie.

            “Anything you want,” Jamie answered.

            “Can you remember how did Rick bite you? The police said that they found your remains but how are you still alive? They even found the clothes you were wearing.”

            “Robert sent me home after our date. For your information, he is so not my type. I have never seen Rick in his human form so he bit me in my room as a wolf. He tossed me down from my window. My brain felt like exploding. When I looked at my hands, it was changing. I wasn’t able to stand up. When I was a wolf fully, Rick explained to me . . .” She looked outside the window. I listened carefully. After a while the howling from the forest seemed gradually to grow and then to die away, till all was dead silence.

            I remembered the time Sam told me how tigers and wolves communicate.

            “What did they say to you?” I asked Jamie.

            “They called me a traitor, for siding you and the tigers against them.”

            I sat closer to her. “I’m sorry.”

            She snorted and then laughed. “Why are you sorry? I’m glad I’m not with them anymore. I realized they bossed me around. They kill too many innocent lives. So back to the story, Rick taught me how to hunt and everything I needed to be a wolf. Sometimes, it’s just instincts that told me what to do. When I saw you in the forest, I didn’t recognize you at first. Rick wanted to bite you so badly that he told us to protect him if the tigers are coming. You looked at me, out of nowhere, I remembered who you are. I had to stop him or else you will end up like me. I saw your eyes turned red. I thought I was late and he already bit you but you didn’t shift, you ran away.”

            “I’m sorry, I should have stayed there and fight with you. I didn’t know it was you until I went to Sam’s house.”

            “You have to live. I forgive you. I understand. Now what am I going to do other than live?”

            “You don’t have to worry about that. I talked to Sam about it. Have you heard of Solstice?” I asked as I checked my iPhone for messages. There were many ‘Happy Birthday’ texts from my family and friends back in London. I replied the texts ‘Thanks’ one by one.

            “I think so. Rick told me about it but they hadn’t planned for it yet. All I know that it’s going to be nasty.”

            “Okay, so we’re on the same page. You can help us defeat the pack on Solstice. What do you say?” I waited for her answer. Her answer didn’t take long.

            “Let’s kick some wolves’ butt,” Jamie agreed. I grinned at her.

            My stomach was empty and it made sounds. Jamie laughed.

            “Hey, everyone needs to eat,” I defended my empty stomach. We went to the kitchen. Jamie was looking at the portraits and old guns hung everywhere in the living room. Alice was still asleep on the couch. I made toast bread and coffee for myself.

            “You know, coffee taste like medicine,” Jamie said in a disgusted voice, eyeing the coffee. Ever since I heard about Solstice, coffee helped me a lot to think. Coffee was quite bitter to me when I first drank it. The more I drink, the lesser the taste of how horrible it was.

            “No, it doesn’t. If only you’re human so I can force you to drink coffee until you take back your words,” I sighed sadly.

            She snorted. I took a huge bite of my toast before I heard someone was at the door. Jamie froze in the living room. I was sure she knew who the person who knocked the door was.

            I opened the door to greet Sam. He smiled at me.

            He smiled at me. “Hello, little red riding hood. I’m just here to check you out,” he said.

            I grinned back. “Hello, Mr. Know-It-All. I’m fine. I heard the howlings in the morning.”

            “The group is after them now. Daniel left with Val this morning. I have to help the others now. I’ll be back later. Are you going to be alright?”

            He flashed Jamie a deadly glare. It looked like he still didn’t trust Jamie. Time, I suppose, will convince him. “I’ll be fine. See you later.”

            Just before he left, he hugged and kissed me in the cheeks. My arms were around his neck.

            I closed the door after he disappeared. Jamie was looking at me awkwardly.

            “What?” I muttered.

            “You and Sam are quite close, huh?”

            “So?”

            “I’m just saying. No offence.”

            I ignored her and finished the last bit of my breakfast. By twelve noon, Val returned with Pierre. Pierre ran to my room and licked my face. When it saw Jamie, it growled and showed its teeth at her. I quickly carried the puppy outside and closed the door shut.

            “Don’t eat my dog,” I warned Jamie. She grinned.

            I told Jamie about her death, how the cops thought that she was dead. “Police thought someone killed you before burning the body near the forest. They found the clothes that you wore before you were kidnapped. I wondered how you did it . . .”

            She suddenly looked embarrassed. “You don’t have to wonder anymore. Rick thought of that idea. He said it was our safety that you and the tigers have to believe that I’m dead. We killed a girl around my age and burned her with my clothes. I knew it was wrong but we can’t disobey our leader or you will be banished from the pack.”

            I showed a weird face. “You have rules in your pack? I never knew that before.”

            “Rick explained the rules on day one. He was like my guide to this life. Now he’s the biggest idiot I ever met.”

            Then I wanted an answer to this question that I asked her: “How did you manage to survive? I thought you are supposed to be dead. My grandmother died after she was bitten by the black . . . I mean, Rick. Sam’s mother died after she was bitten by a tiger.”

            “I don’t know. When I realized I was the only female in the pack, I asked Rick why. He told me I was the only female wolf in history. He didn’t know how or why. It looks like that was the truth,” Jamie answered.

            I hugged her tightly. “I missed you. The day I saw you on BBC stating that you’re dead, Bibiana, Maryanne and I couldn’t stop crying. I hadn’t seen Rick ever since your death. It looks like he was training you all this time.”

            I didn’t know why I was so tired today; I lay down next to Jamie. I tried my best to stay awake but failed. Familiar images began to appear. Familiar but scary images. Nightmares. Gran was running past me. I screamed her name, trying to run to her but I couldn’t move a muscle. She stopped and it wasn’t because of my warnings; a pack of wolves surround her in a blink of an eye. The black wolf, Rick grinned at her. Gran was old for her age. She was slow enough to take out a knife to take out a knife from her knife. She was too late. The black wolf had laid his teeth in her neck. She instantly died. I screamed for her. A small white wolf was there after the pack left. She cast a glance at me before sniffing Gran’s body. She growled at me. She whipped her head back to my direction and came closer. No, Jamie. It’s me, Sophia. She threw back her head and let out a long eerie howl that might be picked up by other wolves nearby. She leaped on to me and sank her teeth into my neck.

            I screamed as loud as I possibly could and touched my neck that was still in one piece. Jamie jumped out of the chair and assured me that it was just a dream. I finally cried.

            When I calmed down, I asked Jamie. “Do you think you will try to kill me one day?”

            She rolled her eyes. “So your dream was related to me? I have no doubt. No, for whatever reasons I will never kill or even try to kill you. Aren’t you afraid to end up like your grandmother?”

            “Sam is never going to grow. So do you. I’m the only one who has to grow old and die? Oh man! I hate this. Why is the world so unfair? Where is the justice?”

            She forced me to sit on the bed. “Calm down, Sophia.”

            “No,” I said stubbornly. “I can’t calm down. You two are immortal.”

            Her voice was calm and low. “Sophia, look at the bright side, you are able to know how heaven look like. You are able to have babies one day. You are human. I’m a monster who kills. Let’s not talk about this now, okay. We need you for Solstice. Val will be alone. Think about her. Come out of the house. You need some fresh air. Go out and hunt.”

            I sighed but I almost did what she said. Crap. I had almost forgotten that I promised Val to go out today. Now was the perfect time to bring her out. I called Sam. Luckily, he picked up on the second ring.

            “Hello?”

            “Sam, where are you?”

            “I’m hunting. Is there something wrong? Is it about the wolf?”

            I hurriedly answered him after he brought up the topic. “No. Nothing is wrong. I’m bringing Val out today so can she stays at your place for awhile?”

            “Sure. Now?”

            “Yes, please. Sorry for interrupting you.”

            “That’s okay. I have to go. Bye.” He hung up. I thought that Sam had to baby sit Jamie whenever I had to go. I laughed softly and exited my room.