Saturday

The wound was finally healed. Garyl realized that Adras had been kind to her; it could have been a lot worse. Luckily, these scars could be hidden under clothing. 

Her first bite marks were on her left arm and ran from her elbow till her fingers. You'd say that that wasn't a problem, but it was. It was spring time and really warm, so whenever she was outside, wearing a T-shirt, most people stared at the long, white, bit messy scars. Dog bite, she always said and then they dropped the topic. Some boys did quite like it though, which Garyl didn't understand at all, but she let them be.

However, her scars weren't the problem. At least, not today. No, she was just working on her homework. She had an assignment to write about her family. There wasn't much to write about. At young age she and Adras learned to take care of their selves. Their father was always away for work, or with other woman -she later found out- and mommy wasn’t much better. She worked as a librarian and when she wasn’t there she was working on her game addiction.

Since Adras was older, he was always protective over her, but that changed about four years ago. He was seventeen back then and on summer camp. When he came back, everything was different. He got mad quickly and more and more he left her alone. Garyl, one and a half year younger, didn’t understand at all at that time, but now she did. On that camp he was bitten.

There was just one problem with writing this assignment. She wasn’t quite sure that Adras was her brother. Both her parents had dark hair and eyes, and so had she, but Adras was blonde and had light blue eyes. Who was he, really? And why did he bite her? Is was like he had known she wouldn’t change…

Garyl sighed and walked around a bit, perhaps then the inspiration would come. She stopped in front of the mirror and stared at herself. It was like she could see the wolf in her glancing back. Quickly she walked back at her desk to write a bunch of lies.

“Adras?” She walked to a couple of boys sitting by a fire. That was one of the downsides of living here; at night there were fires everywhere.

“Garyl! Sis, where’s the beer?”

“In your stomach, I believe,” she said.

He smiled and stood up. “Coming already.”

Together they walked away.

“Adras, you have to tell me something,” seriously she looked him in the eyes. He was in his human form again, meaning that the days he was a wolf 24/7 were over.

“Sure, shoot.”

“Are we really brother and sister? And why did you bite me? I mean… It’s like you knew I wouldn’t change…”

“I hoped, I didn’t knew. It was hard for me, not to tell anyone, Garyl. And you and I… Well, we’ve always been together.”

Garyl made a ‘hmpf’sound. “No, we haven’t. I was on my own, the last four years, so don’t you dare say that! And why don’t you just answer my question?”

“Alright then…” Adras sighed and they walked a bit further, where they were really alone. There they sat, Garyl in tension and Adras with reluctance.

“No, we aren’t brother and sister, although we are some sort of family because I bit you, but you can forget about that. My mother placed me in your family for your sake.”

“For my sake?”

“Yeah. I come from a long line of werewolves, it was just a matter of time before I would change, but you… you were meant to be one, and you weren’t. We had to bond and I was supposed to make you one of ours as soon as I changed. But when I did…” Adras looked away. “I don’t know, I didn’t want it, although we could do more things together again, then. Later I saw how strong you had become, and..”

“You thought I was ready…”

“Indeed.”

“So, why did you hope that I wouldn’t change?”

He smiled sadly. “You don’t understand what it is to be a partly wolf, Garyl.”

“Yes, I do! I can feel it inside! I want it to come out, but it’s just.. hiding somehow.”

“Garyl! Don’t talk like that! Trust me, you don’t know anything!”

“Well you weren’t there to tell me, either!” she yelled back and pushed him in her anger. Adras fell on his back, but calmly came back up.

“That’s fair.” His voice was a soft whisper and Garyl looked at him. Something was different at him. The way he looked at her… there was something in his eyes she didn’t know.

“But if I was meant to be, why…”

“I don’t know, Garyl.”