"Ok, what is it?" Nicole asked when they came outside. They both sat down on the steps.
"Well, I just have a few questions that I need to ask. I'm just a little curious... if you don't mind. " He paused to check her reaction. She nodded, and he went on. "Well, first of all, this," he said, waving a hand at her stomach. "Being pregnant. How'd it happen?"
She smiled somewhat slyly. "Mike, that's not the sort of thing you tell your big brother about," she said, and laughed. He grinned but sobered again quickly. "It's a long story, and it's somethin' I'll regret for the rest of my life," she said. "I really rather not go into details." He nodded, still confused but accepting her need for silence.
"Second of all, how did you, well, become a werewolf?" he asked. He wasn't sure of how to ask such questions, but decided not to beat around the bush, and get right to the point.
"That's another long story," she said, smiling. "The night before I came here, I was here." He looked confused, and she laughed. "I know, it sounds weird. But I was comin' to see you and you weren't here. I came up to the house and knocked on the door, but nobody answered and the door was locked and all the lights were out." She paused to see if he was following, and he nodded. "So I decided to go look for a hotel. Only as I was comin' down from the walk I was...surprised by this...wolf. It didn't attack me, really, just kinda jumped on me as if he was a giant puppy. Then he ran off. I didn't notice it until later that night that he'd scratched me, on my arm." She pointed to the approximate spot where she'd been scratched. "I put a bandage on it and went to sleep, and didn't think any more about it. But the next day I woke up and it was gone.
"Seriously disappeared. I went to put a new bandage on it, and there was nothing there." She stopped, looking at him. He had a faraway look in his eyes, and was lost in thought. "Mike?" she asked. He looked at the ground, out to the sea, and then finally back at her.
"I think it was me," he said.
"You?" she asked, not understanding.
"I think that...it's my fault. That it was me who...made you this way," he said.
"Pregnant?" she asked.
"No!" he said. "I mean, makin' you a werewolf," he added.
"Oh, I see," she said, unsure of what else to say.
"I'm really sorry," he began.
"It's alright Mike," she replied. "I don't know if you can understand this, but I like being this way. I really do." Mike looked at her skeptically. "Honestly," she said. "There's a few advantages. I mean, I feel stronger, and healthier, and it's a whole new experience for me."
"What about the pain, though?" he asked.
"It's a worthwhile sacrifice," she said. He nodded.
"I understand," he said.
(the night of the full moon)
We all gathered in the kitchen for dinner. Nicole had made some really good soup and some steak, and we were all sitting down to begin eating. Almost all of us.
"Where's Micky? And Fiona?" Mike asked.
"Still in the basement," Nicole responded.
"I'll go tell them," I volunteered. I got up and headed to the basement. It was dusty down there, and dark, and for that reason we hardly ever went down there. Micky did though. A while back, he'd been discouraged and bored, and as an outlet for his growing curiosity, he'd set up a makeshift laboratory in the basement. The rest of us were used to Micky's chemistry experiments showing up in therefrigerator and accidentally ingesting a few inedible substances, but we didn't go down there unless absolutely necessary.
"Micky?" I called, reaching the bottom of the stairs. 'Geez, does this place have a light?' I wondered. "Fiona? You guys down here?"
"Over here, Davy," called a voice from the other end of the basement.
"Over where?" I asked. "I can't see a thing." A light switched on and as my eyes got used to the dark, I saw two figures hunched over a very large book. I identified them as Micky and Fiona after a few seconds of squinting. Still rubbing my eyes, I went over to them.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Checking something out," Fiona said. "I don't think that the cure worked on Mike and Peter."
"What? Why?" I asked.
"Because of the pain they felt," Micky put in. "You're not supposed to feel any pain or anything." I blinked.
"And if you do, that means that your system has rejected it and it won't work on you," Fiona explained.
"How do you know it's not just a side affect?" I asked. Just then, we were interrupted by a crash.
"Because of that," Micky said. I turned to head up the stairs. "Don't go up there, Davy," he warned.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because the change has already begun, and it isn't safe for us up there," Fiona said. Then she looked back at her book.
"So we're going to stay down here until morning?" I asked.
"Yep," Micky said.
"But why? They never hurt us before," I said.
"True," Fiona pointed out. "But when the transformation has occurred you aren't totally in control and emotions can take over. It wouldn't be wise to go up there as we are."
"Yeah, like you did," Micky said. I nodded. "It wasn't your fault, but your emotions took over."
"But there is another dangerous side affect to this thing," Fiona said.
