Note// so I know that youre all like 'tatoos omg that's so stephanie meyer' and I agree. Im a vamp girl btdubs, but there was something about the tattoos that I liked when it came to the wolves in twilight. I don't know, it just signifies being tied together and like brotherhood and its such a cool way to represent being a part of something, so I decided to use that as well ^^ I just wanted to mention it so people didn't like tell me in comments or anything. Anyhoot, enjoy <33

five: getting answers

When Nurse Ida informed me that my mom was on her way I exhaled a sigh I hadn't been aware I kept in. My head was hurting from both the bump and what Mason had said, or maybe what Mason had left unsaid. What was the big deal about the wolf and it biting me. Did it infect me with rabies that lay dormant in my body until now? Was I going to become so sickly child who died because of some bite? Complete. That made me snort, I'd have to wait for the disease to completely take over my system before things would make sense, maybe.

Whatever the issue was, there was no doubt that my birthday was just made of a series of truly unfortunate events that could rival the Baudelaire children.

"Lucy, your mother's outside." With a sigh I gathered my coat and bag and headed out of the nurse's office. My mother looked spooked which was strange because rarely did she have a hair out of place. But there was something behind her light grey eyes and the way her blonde hair recklessly fell from her usually swept back bun. Seeing me only added to the sullen expression that lied on her face.

"Oh dear, what happened?" I felt better with my head against my mother's chest. She always had the same scent of cherry blossoms; it was sweet and yet spicy at the same time. Usually it was subtle, like the last remains of perfume sprayed in the air. Today it was especially strong, as if I were surrounded by a field f the beautiful flowers.

"I fell," I said, "and hit my head against the desk. It's not bad, but my head has been hurting. I don't think I can make it through the day."

"You sure this isn't some trick to find out what your gift is?" Mom teased as she gently an her hand over the bandage.

"Promise. I wouldn't go through all this trouble." I cracked a small smile, thankful that Mom was making this easier to bear with. Together we headed out of the warm office. I braced myself for the cold.

"Well, you're going to love this one we think." By the time we reached Mom's Toyota I was becoming hot beneath the coat and jumper I wore and began to take it off once inside the car. "The day isn't over yet. It'll get better."

I'd decided to take a nap when I got home. Mom gave an aspirin and said she would check up on me every now and then. She said I needed rest and I couldn't have agreed more with her.

Once inside my bedroom, I kicked off my boots and climbed under the white sheets, closing my eyes tightly. With the slight thrumming in my head acting as lullaby I eventually fell asleep.

I was in the forest again, moonlight washing over me. I wasn't alone. Staring into the darkness I was aware of a figure that hunched between the clusters of trees. Slowly the figure came from the shadows. Mason looked disheveled. There were leaves in his hair and his body glistened with sweat. Id only noticed then that he was naked and while in the real world I would be a fit of nerves and trying to cover my eyes; I was more than comfortable with his nudity. He was fit and muscular, his body well toned. On his upper arm was a tattoo. It was three rings, maybe an inch wide that encompassed each other, little lines that looked like words in a different language were written inside the circles in white ink. In the center of the circles was a crescent moon.

I hadn't seen Mason when move and yet suddenly he was there in front of me.

"What?" My voice echoed some, and it sounded louder than normal. I'd realized then that I hadn't spoken aloud but in my head. Mason smiled at me, his hand reaching to wrap around my arm again. The action brought me closer to him and I could feel his body heat, welcoming me in closer to him. I felt connected to him, as if he held the answers to questions I never knew I had.

In the distance there was the sound of a howl, but this time the howl was different. It was throatier, as though paired with a growl.

I knew that this meant trouble and the way that Mason's body stiffened proved this true.

"It's time," he said. Instantly my body began to tremor and shake. I could feel a burning heat spouting from my chest and coursing over my body, wrapping around my limbs. I screamed out as I could feel my limbs rearranging. My body hunched over and my hands clawed into the earth. The howling was coming closer. Within me a growl erupted as my hands, now paws dug into the earth. I was no longer a human, but a wolf. My face elongated and now had the features of a wolf. I could feel the fu pushing from beneath my skin and shooting out into thick white strands.

The shift couldn't have been more than ten seconds and yet within those seconds I was able to record every single thing that happened to my body. Suddenly I was standing next to Mason and from the shadows emerged a few other wolves. There was another howl and the sound of paws thudding against the snow covered ground. Shooting like bullets through the forest were half a dozen of wolves, in different shades of brown and grey. There was only one that stood out, leading them and he was black with a piece of ear missing and startling silver eyes.

It was the wolf that bit me. I knew it.

There was nothing friendly about this meeting. This was a battle between packs. A battle I knew nothing about but knew I had everything to do with. The sound of anguish and anger reverberated within me. In seconds I felt myself slicing through the air, mouth open and teeth waiting to set in.

Gasping for air, I sat up in bed, my chest rising and falling as I tied to regulate my breathing. My hair was plastered against my face from sweat as was my shirt. Pushing the covers off, I pulled my wrist in front of me, my eyes staring down at the mark. It'd been normal as a scar could be; I had never thought anything of it. but now it was filling in. something was happening to me, something that Mason knew about and while it was crazy, I knew this all tied into the wolf that bit me.

"Lucy!" Mom's voice made me jump. She'd peeked her head into my bedroom door. "Are you alight? Ive been calling you, dinner is ready." I could see her concern and motherly instincts kicking in as she came over. Her hand was cool against my cheek. "You're burning up. maybe I should take you to the hospital."

"No!" I said immediately, surprising her and myself at the authority. I knew that going to the doctor would raise suspicion. What if I had that weird disease I joked about? I didn't want to become some kind of attraction. "I just was bundled too tight in the covers. I just need a shower and ill be fine. That wasn't a complete lie, my head wasn't hurting much anymore.

"No no, your father is on his way, you should go."

"Mom," I said, putting all the cheer I could into my voice, "I'm fine. Really. I just need to shower and eat something. It's my birthday and I really don't want to spend it in the E.R." I pleaded to her with my eyes, pouting some. I watched as her shoulders sagged.

"Alright," she said in acquiesce. "But the minute I notice something is wrong, we are getting in the car and going to the hospital."

"Okay." I said. When she didn't move I offered her another smile. "Go. I'll be down after my shower."

"Alright alright" Mom kissed my forehead and walked away, giving me one last look before closing my door. I took a few deep breaths before attempting to get out of bed. My body felt funny, a bit off balanced. Maybe it was the nerves from the dream. All I could imagine was the sensation of shifting. Using my dresser as a stabilizer I made gathered some clothes and headed to go take my shower.

Surprisingly after my shower and eating I felt much better and stronger. Despite not eating lunch, I was shocked at how much I ate and even Mom and Dad were surprised, though not complaining. Full, I was tired and ready to sleep, though a bit apprehensive about what would come.

"We know that usually we get you small gifts together, but we decided to splurge on one big gift. It is you birthday after all." We were sitting at the dinner table, and the chocolate cake had been pushed aside to make room for the large package wrapped in royal blue paper.

Last year my parents got me ice skates and before that it was things like jewelry and books and journals. I couldn't imagine anything big. I began to unwrap it, surprised at the unveiling of a laptop. I'd asked for one a few Christmases ago but hadn't actually thought my parents would get me one since they were so worried about the little things that could happen to me. Adding potential predators to the list was shocking.

"This must be some great end to your bad day huh kiddo?" Dad asked as I finished unwrapping it.

"It really is," I said, dumbfounded.

"We've got the wifi hooked up and everything. This is yours, you personal computer."

"Thank you," I said speechless. I stood to kiss Mom and Dad on the cheek.

"Of course, but don't worry. Just remember to be safe and don't share any information."

"I promise. I'll be smart."

"Good," Dad said as he stood up and stretched. "Go on and try it out, your Mom and I will clean things up."

I didn't need to think about what I'd use the laptop for. I wanted answers and had access to hundreds of answers at my fingertips. If Mason wouldn't tell me anything, maybe the web would.

After setting up the necessities and ignoring personalizing my computer, I fired up the internet, typing into the search bar keywords that I hoped would lead me somewhere. After a bit tweaking and looking though pages and pages, I came across a website that featured all of my words: wolf, bite, dreams, shifting.

I was surprised by the information I read along the dark page. There wee terms about shifting and wolves and moon phases and people all sharing their stories, stories that sounded similar to mine. But one girl stood out.

Help, a few years ago I was bitten by a wolf. Now, sixteen I am experiencing strange symptoms. I'm constantly hot, I have headaches and hunger cravings. My body is in constant need of movement or it gets tired and I keep having dreams of wolves and faces I recognize but don't know. I believe I might be a werewolf. I'm drawn to the woods and hear voices, others calling me to join them. I don't know what to do.

Signed stargirl1296

I could connect with it all, though it mentioned nothing about my scar filling in. but every symptom matched mine perfectly. Even as I sat at my desk, I could feel my muscles cramping in lack of comfort. This was something for books, a simple tale that'd been spun by writers like Stephanie Meyer and Annette Klause.I knew it was crazy and I knew it was highly improbable, but until I found any other answer as to why my body was reacting the way it was, I could only come to agree with the sudden fact.

The sudden realization that I was in fact becoming a werewolf.