Chris

I never believed in the whole fate bullshit until it happened to me. I was fated to get into a fight with my older brother that day. I was fated to be forced to go hunting that night. I was fated for so many good and horrible things to happen to me. My amazing, but terribly cruel fate.

I guess the first part was my fault. I was the one who wanted to impress Charlie when I could've just stayed in my room the whole day and avoid being dragged into this whole mess. But, no. I had to prove myself to him. I'm so stupid.

I woke up late as usual. The clock on my wall said it was about two in the afternoon. Surprisingly, that wasn't the latest I've ever slept. I threw on a black tank top with some jeans as I left my room, not even bothering to make my bed. I never got the point of wasting time to make a bed when I'm just going to mess it up later when I go back to sleep. It makes no sense.

When I stepped outside, I was grateful that I decided to wear a tank because it was sweltering outside. I went for a walk, not wanting to go anywhere in particular. It was mostly just to keep me from my impending boredom. Usually, I would hang out with some of my friends but they were all busy. Mary was probably cloud watching at the park while Drew and Dakota were off doing who knows what.

I didn't really expect to hang out with them much anyway. They've been spending a lot of time together leaving Mary and I out. It's been just her and me lately. I can't be bitter, though. I've spent my fair share of time without them so I'm equally guilty. Plus, they're the only friends I have besides Mary, I really can't afford to be bitter towards them.

Out of everyone in our town, the four of us were the only ones who never went to school. It never taught any of us anything worth knowing. All it did was teach us how to hunt, stalk prey, etc. We weren't interested in hunting, we enjoyed learning more important things on our own. But most importantly, we loved sword fighting. Everyone here was experienced in sword fighting but my friends and I took it one step further. We wanted to be the best in the town which we currently are, with me being at the very top of course.

Too bad that neither Charlie nor my father approved. Thankfully, my father doesn't know that I don't attend school. If he found out, he'd go crazy. He's the leader of the town so he wants Charlie and me to be perfect little role models for everyone else. Give me a break.

Of course, Charlie is better at being the perfect son than I am. He did so well at the training school that now he teaches some of the classes even though he's not even old enough to be a teacher. The worst part is that my dad wants me to be just like him. I'd rather stab myself with my own sword.

The only reason he doesn't know about me skipping school is because he's been sick for months now. Because of his old age, the doctors highly doubt that he'll recover. When he finally does die, Charlie will take over our father's role as the town's leader. Even if he doesn't die anytime soon, Charlie will officially be in power when he turns twenty- so only a few months from now. In all honesty, I probably won't be the most emotional when my father dies. He treats Charlie as if he's the most important person in the world while he acts as if I'm just something that he found on the bottom of his shoe.

At least Charlie treats me with some decency. Not much, but some. He believes that I should go to school and hunt with him and the others in the forest. He finally agreed not to tell our father about skipping school just as long as I stop talking about.... Something. It's not important. At least, not at the moment it isn't.

Anyway, lately Charlie and I have been getting along well, which is a miracle considering past history. These past few weeks with him have been somewhat bearable, definitely a lot better than usual. He actually listens to me sometimes, unlike dad, but we still get into arguments over school and sword fighting. Charlie believes that for us, hunting should be our main priority while sword fighting is a backup skill. That's just one of the many things that we disagree on.

I turned the corner to find Charlie and his friend about twenty feet away from me. That was where I screwed everything up, but of course, at the time I thought it'd be a great idea. I just had to prove my worth to him.

I thought it was my chance to do what I've never been able to do before- scare Charlie. He's a very observant guy, nothing ever gets past him. With his back turned to me, maybe, just maybe I could actually scare him and prove myself to him.

I had my ring on as usual- a habit that I never dared to break since what happened seven years ago. I touched the flat, silvery surface of it with my finger. Almost instantly I had four legs and a tail.

Did I forget to mention that part before? Oh...uh...surprise? Like everyone living here in the Grove, I'm a werewolf. I wonder how I forgot to mention that, it is a pretty big part after all.

I started sprinting towards Charlie, hoping that my plan would actually work. I was halfway to him when his friend looked up and spotted me. I almost stopped right there expecting him to tell Charlie, but he quickly moved his gaze away from me and back to my brother, acting like he didn't see anything. He was going to help me!

I was five feet away from him when I jumped, giving his friend enough time to move out of the way when I landed on Charlie, knocking the both of us to the ground. He looked furious at first until he realized that I was the one who tackled him. He looked shocked that I was able to surprise him, but soon enough a smile spread across his face. I touched my ring, allowing me to transform back into my normal body. I got off of him and helped him to his feet.

"Very well done, Chris," he told me. "I did not even hear you coming."

"I've been practicing," I shrugged care-free while in my head I was excited that Charlie actually complimented me on something I did. That was a first. I couldn't show how happy I was about it, though. I didn't want him or his friend knowing.

"Ah, I see. Great hunting skills. Speaking of which, we seem to have a shortage of hunters for tonight."

"So?" I knew exactly where he was going with this, but I desperately hoped I was wrong.

"So, I wanted to know if you would like to join tonight's hunt?"

No. Absolutely not. Hunting was the most dangerous job here in the Grove. There have been several occasions where the hunters never returned. I was terrified, but it's not like I can just so easily admit that to Charlie, he's not one to take pity. On the other hand, I'm not one to accept pity either.

"I'd rather sleep. Besides, I promised Mary I would go stargazing with her tonight." Lie. It was pointless lying, he could tell when I was. All werewolves know when someone is lying.

"Then allow me to rephrase that. You will take part in the hunt tonight," he said calmly, not caring about my opinion whatsoever.

"No, I won't," I argued back. "You can't make me."

That was the second mistake I made that day. He shoved me hard, causing me to hit my back on the nearest wall. His friend backed away, realizing that it was his time to leave. Angry Charlie means hell for the people around him. Trust me, I would know.

"Oh, really? What do you suppose would happen if father learned of the classes that you failed to show up for? He'd probably drop dead of anger before he had the chance to utter a single word."

I hesitated. Charlie never bluffed, he would tell our father if I didn't go hunting tonight. What do I have better chances surviving? Hunting, or my angry father? Definitely hunting.

"Fine. I'll do it," I muttered, angry that Charlie always found a way to get what he wants. He smiled, pleased that he got his way once again.

"I knew I could count on you," he said. I couldn't stand being around him any longer- if I didn't leave soon another argument would be sure to happen. I turned around and began to walk back to the house, but Charlie stopped me before I could get far.

"Remember," he said. "You start at two. Don't be late or I'll assume that you changed your mind."

"Now why would I ever do that?" I said a little too sarcastically before walking away again.

It wasn't long before I got back to the safety of my room. When I was, I collapsed on my bed and thought about what would happen tonight. I always assumed that when people never came back from hunting that it was because of the vampires. Charlie and I used to debate over that when we were younger. He didn't think it was the vampires, he thought it was something worse. I was never able to wrap my head around that idea. What could possibly be worse than vampires? After all, they were the ones who took her away from me....

Anyway, one day when Charlie came back from his hunt, he was acting differently than normal. He had gone hunting with one of his friends but only Charlie made it back. He ignored all my questions and went into father's room and talked with him for a couple of hours before finally leaving. I was waiting right outside hoping that Charlie would finally tell me what happened. All he said was that I was right, that it really was the vampires who kept killing the werewolves. He was lying, I could easily tell. But I knew he didn't want to talk about it anymore so I dropped the subject, hoping that he would tell me one day. He never did.

My head was starting to hurt from thinking about all of this. I sat up and checked the clock which read ten past three. I groaned, realizing that I was supposed to meet Mary in the park at three sharp. I'm just glad that she was used to me being late.

I arrived at the park at around 3:17. Mary wasn't by the front of the park like most people stayed, she enjoyed sitting in the back where it was quieter. Hardly anyone sat at the back of the park so it was the perfect place for her. We always go to the same spot where.... Let's just say where a very traumatic experience happened to me. I probably shouldn't visit that spot so often for my own sake, but for some reason, it somehow calms me. It's almost as if I imagine that I'll see her again.

I finally saw Mary lying down on the ground, looking up at the sky above. Her dark brown hair was strewn everywhere, the wind blew her bangs back and forth. I walked over to her and silently laid beside her, not wanting to disturb her. She turned her head to look at me and smiled. It was a rare moment when you saw her without a smile, it was almost as if it was permanently glued to her face.

"You're here," she said happily.

"Yeah. Sorry I was late," I apologized. Apologizing isn't something I do often. I honestly don't care when I'm around strangers or people I dislike, it's a different story when I'm around my friends. Their opinions are the only ones that matter to me. Charlie's the only exception.

After staring at the sky for a few minutes, I quickly began to grow bored. I don't know how Mary's able to look at the sky all day, it's pretty damn boring and pointless for me. I guess it's just a girl thing.

I felt something light land on my chest. I sat up to see that it was a white flower. I held it tightly in my hand, all the memories from that night flooding back. It took all my strength to hold my tears back. Friend or not, I don't like crying in front of anyone.

"It's okay, Chris," Mary said, putting her hand on my shoulder. I didn't even notice her sit up, I was too focussed on the memories.

"Remind me why we always choose to sit in this spot?" I asked her, my gaze locked on the crumpled flower in my hand.

"We sit here because even though it's the spot of a horrible memory, it's also where you've had so many great memories with Caroline."

I nodded, trying to take my mind away from all of the bad memories and to focus on the good ones. I stood up, dropping the flower onto the floor and looked over at Mary.

"I think I've had enough of this spot for today. Are you in the mood to sword fight by any chance?" I asked her hopefully.

"Of course," she replied, her usual smile appearing on her face again as she stood up.

"Race you there?"

"You're on. Just don't be too upset when I beat you," she teased.

"We'll just have to see about that," I smirked. Together, we touched our rings and bounded out of the park.

Don't easily believe Mary's sweet attitude. Sure, she's a nice and caring person, but she can be quite frightening when sword fighting. Though, I still won as usual. I earned my title as the best sword fighter here and I'm not giving it up easily, not even to a friend.

We had been sword fighting for hours, even after the sun set we didn't lose our energy. It was only when it started to draw closer to two in the morning did we stop since I was being forced to go hunting. We said our goodbyes and I made my way back home, dreading the moment Charlie would make me leave.

I sat on my bed waiting for Charlie to arrive. He was twenty minutes late and I had gotten bored long ago. He wanted me to go hunting yet all he accomplished was wasting my time. I stood up, ready to leave the room when he suddenly walked in.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"Nowhere now," I mumbled and sat back down with my arms crossed. If only I had left just a few minutes sooner.

"Good. You will not be hunting in a party, tonight will be by yourself to see how well you perform. Because of that, you'll be heading west to do hunting."

That last part confused me. All the hunting parties go east because the vampires are located in the west. I already knew he hated me, but enough so that he was trying to get me killed?

"Why not east?" I asked.

"Because I said so," he answered. I gritted my teeth. He knew I hated that answer more than anything in the world. He's only a few years older than me yet he always tries to flaunt his imaginary power over me like this. He's just so damn irritating.

"Give me a better reason."

"There are.... Certain dangers over on the east," he answered cautiously.

"Dangers? Can't be any worse than the vampires. You know, the vampires that live in the west which is exactly where you want me to go. Whatever's in the east I can handle it."

"No, you can't," he answered quickly.

"You just told me earlier that I'm getting better! Stop doubting me all the time and let me prove myself-"

"Enough!" he screamed. "You are not going east. Understand me?" I knew I overstepped the boundaries so I nodded in reply. He walked me over to one of the Grove's many trails in the woods to see me off. I was about to leave when he stopped me.

"Chris?" he asked warily.

"What?" I said, slightly annoyed. I just wanted to get this over with.

"Please promise me that you'll be careful."

I stared at him shocked. Charlie never seemed concerned for my welfare before. I guess this was the first time where he ever needed to. It was still a surprise for me. I guess after all the years she's been gone, I just wasn't used to having a family that really cared for me.

"I promise," I said. He nodded, pleased by my answer.

He watched me enter the forest, probably just making sure that I would listen to him and head west. As soon as I was far enough where he couldn't see me, I quickly went off the trail and started heading east. There was a reason why Charlie didn't want me going east. If Charlie was scared of something, it must be bad. Taking out whatever threat resided in the east was bound to be the best way to prove myself to him.

I touched my ring, wanting to be in my wolf body so I could blend in with my surroundings better. Each ring is made specifically for a single werewolf since our blood is forged inside of it. The ring only reacts to the werewolf who shares the same blood as in the ring. Because of this, it's rumored that family members can share rings because of the whole family share blood thing. I've never heard a true story of that happening, I guess that's why it's only a rumor.

I looked around, hoping to see any signs of life in here. What I did find made all those horrible memories come back. The white flower was laying on the ground a few feet in front of me, following me everywhere almost as if it was mocking me. Mocking me because I wasn't strong enough to save her....

Seven years ago, my younger sister, Caroline, was taken from me. She meant the world to me and the pain from that night never left me.

We were both sitting in the park together in the middle of the night. It was dangerous being out that late at night, but she dragged me out with her because she heard there would be a meteor shower. She was only six years old so she was still naive to all the dangers that existed outside the Grove. Even if I was only ten at the time, I should've known better than to let her be out.

We sat on the top of the biggest hill in the park, waiting for the meteor shower to start. She was playing with the flowers that could be found all over the park as I just stared up at the sky. That's what I still hate myself for. I should've been keeping watch but instead, I let myself get distracted. Why do I always have to be so stupid?

She ended up finding a white flower that she loved the most out of them all. I helped her put it in her oddly colored hair. Most werewolves have dark colored hair to allow them to blend in with their surroundings. Instead, she had the most beautiful red, curly hair. The small white flower was lost in the sea of curls that we called her hair. She loved it nonetheless.

The happiness didn't last long. It was only at the last moment did I hear the noises coming from the forest that was close by to us.

"Run!" I shouted at her right before the vampires appeared. They came so quickly, I hardly had any time to react. One went after her while the three others attacked me. Even at her young age, she knew how to fight.

She transformed into a wolf as I did the same. I lunged at the three vampires, prepared to do anything if it meant protecting my sister. I was able to do quite a lot of damage to them before one vampire was able to pin me down. I tried desperately to get up and protect Caroline, but the vampire wouldn't budge.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. I was terrified that more vampires would be arriving. Suddenly, the weight on my chest was lifted. The vampire that was once pinning me down lay dead with another werewolf standing over it. Charlie.

I quickly stood up and after making sure that Caroline was unharmed, I helped Charlie fight the rest of the vampires off. We changed back into our normal forms once the vampires were all gone. I looked over to Caroline, but she wasn't where I last left her. The white flower that was once in her hair laid in her spot.

"They took her," I said, shocked. It was only when that sunk it did my emotions come out. Tears started pouring down my face as I looked at Charlie desperately, hoping that he would know what to do.

He stayed silent, a look of surprise on his face as well. After I realized he didn't know what to do either, I bolted towards where the vampires left the Grove, hoping to get Caroline back from them. Charlie grabbed me before I could even make it into the woods.

"You are not going there," he said sternly. Even when he was only thirteen he believed he had the authority over me.

"They took her! I'm not going to just sit here and do nothing, I'm going to get my sister back!" I screamed, trying to run even though Charlie had his arms wrapped tightly around me.

"Think with your head for once," he said angrily. "You know how fast vampires are, they're probably already back to their own place by now. I am not losing you too."

We stood there for a couple minutes taking in what happened. I bawled my eyes out as Charlie hugged me. He was just as upset as I was yet he didn't cry once. Charlie has never cried no matter the circumstance.

We waited for months for the vampires to send some kind of ransom for Caroline, but it never happened. For some reason, Charlie didn't seem surprised by that.

That day has scarred me. There's not a day that goes by where I don't think about Caroline. I swore to myself that I would never again watch as someone I care about get hurt.

I was so distracted by my thoughts that I didn't even realize that I had nearly walked into view of three people. Two guys and one girl. The guys were definitely identical twins, sharing the same shaggy blond hair and bright blue eyes, except one of them had hair that was more distinguishably messier than the other. The girl had long, light brown hair and odd, yet beautiful gray eyes.

They obviously weren't werewolves or vampires. They were human. I never actually met a human before. I guess we were pretty similar despite the fact that they can't transform into a wolf.

I touched my ring so I looked like a human. I really didn't need to have a run in with them so I backed up slowly, cringing when branches snapped underneath me. The three humans stood up quickly, obviously hearing the noises I was making. I meant to swear under my breath but I guess it was louder than I thought since they were able to hear that as well.

"Show yourself," the girl said, trying to sound confident though I could tell she was scared due to her shaking hands.

I didn't want to cause any trouble so I slowly stepped out of the foliage, allowing them to see me. The guys took a step back but the girl stepped toward me. She was staring at me so incredulously, almost as if I was a mythical creature. Well, I guess to them I technically am one. But the others didn't look as surprised by me as she did. She looked at me as if she knew me but I knew that wasn't possible. I hadn't seen her a day in my life. Even so, I was going to ask her that when she said, "Who are you?"