of us, including Perdita. It was clear to me
how much he had changed. Byron looked as though he could barely
contain himself, but he said and did nothing. A part of me
shriveled up inside, because I didn’t recognise my grandfather anymore. I had hoped Byron would fix things
and make everything go back to normal, but perhaps that wasn’t
possible.
Byron kept quiet, even as Opa acted
like a stranger and insulted people. Only Nathan spoke up, which
got us kicked out of the not so happy reunion. We didn’t learn
anything except the fact that Jeremy had been in Turkey. Oh, and
Opa had somehow had his body possessed. At least I hoped that was
the reason he was acting so coldly toward us.
The cause of Nathan’s bad mood
soon revealed itself. He’d gotten into his head that Jeremy was
some kind of cradle-snatching pervert who had set his heart on
Perdita. Jeremy laughed it off, but he had been staring at Perdita. I knew why, and
the reason was not because he wanted her for himself. No, everyone
wanted to see the one who had stepped up and taken action in the
face of danger. She was the heroine of the piece, the one who
hadn’t fallen apart at the seams.
So when he made fun of her, I laughed.
And I wasn’t ashamed. I wanted someone else to know how it felt to
be seen as the helpless little girl for a change.
The conversation bored me, or so I
pretended. I couldn’t bear listening to Nathan and Jeremy go on and
on about how freaking awesome it was to be a werewolf. Up until
recently, becoming a werewolf was that one thing out of my grasp
that I’d desperately wanted, but not anymore, not since I saw
firsthand what werewolves were capable of doing. I wasn’t part of
the gang, so I dragged Perdita away, though the others seemed to
barely notice.
I tried to make conversation with her,
but she was so on edge that her nerves played on mine, until I had
to hang out with her family to calm down.
“ Hey, Mrs. Rivers. Oh, wait,
that’s wrong. Isn’t it?”
Perdita’s grandmother grinned at me.
“It’s Mrs. Devlin, actually. But you can call me Ruth.”
“ Can I get you a drink or
food or anything?”
“ No, but thank you. This has
been a really lovely day, Amelia. I’m sure your grandmother would
be very proud of the way you’ve handled yourself today. She
certainly made sure you were brought up well.”
Her words were meaningless platitudes,
but I had to look away to wipe the tear from my eye. I felt relaxed
being around people who had no idea werewolves existed. Perdita was
paranoid all of the time, and then there was the guilt. How I
wished she would get over the whole murder issue. I was frustrated
watching her suffer at her own hands. After all, she took down the
bad guy. Wasn’t that how the story was supposed to end? Weren’t we
supposed to get some kind of happy ever after?
Um, no.
Maybe the lies hadn’t ended. I glared
at my grandfather who spoke to Perdita. How did I know they were
keeping me up to date on what was going on? I was Amelia, the
afterthought or the kid who had to be wrapped up in cotton wool.
Take your pick. I wanted to feel something other than regret or
loneliness. I wanted to know if I should be afraid or not. Byron
kept reassuring me, but I was aware that he never left me alone. My
entire world had changed, and I didn’t know how to move on from
that. Apparently, neither did Perdita.
I watched her from afar as she fidgeted
at her bracelet and twisted her hair, her eyes darting from side to
side as if an attack would come at any second. The girl was a
nervous wreck, which made her almost impossible to be
around.
Not that I could talk. I was as angry
as Nathan. A growing aggression snaked around my body, suffocated
me with its intensity, and squeezed the happiness from me. I wanted
to scream, and make someone listen so I could demand answers. I was
the kid nobody was paying attention to, and I could only hear
answers they felt I should hear. That sucked.
Ruth tensed next to me.
how much he had changed. Byron looked as though he could barely
contain himself, but he said and did nothing. A part of me
shriveled up inside, because I didn’t recognise my grandfather anymore. I had hoped Byron would fix things
and make everything go back to normal, but perhaps that wasn’t
possible.
Byron kept quiet, even as Opa acted
like a stranger and insulted people. Only Nathan spoke up, which
got us kicked out of the not so happy reunion. We didn’t learn
anything except the fact that Jeremy had been in Turkey. Oh, and
Opa had somehow had his body possessed. At least I hoped that was
the reason he was acting so coldly toward us.
The cause of Nathan’s bad mood
soon revealed itself. He’d gotten into his head that Jeremy was
some kind of cradle-snatching pervert who had set his heart on
Perdita. Jeremy laughed it off, but he had been staring at Perdita. I knew why, and
the reason was not because he wanted her for himself. No, everyone
wanted to see the one who had stepped up and taken action in the
face of danger. She was the heroine of the piece, the one who
hadn’t fallen apart at the seams.
So when he made fun of her, I laughed.
And I wasn’t ashamed. I wanted someone else to know how it felt to
be seen as the helpless little girl for a change.
The conversation bored me, or so I
pretended. I couldn’t bear listening to Nathan and Jeremy go on and
on about how freaking awesome it was to be a werewolf. Up until
recently, becoming a werewolf was that one thing out of my grasp
that I’d desperately wanted, but not anymore, not since I saw
firsthand what werewolves were capable of doing. I wasn’t part of
the gang, so I dragged Perdita away, though the others seemed to
barely notice.
I tried to make conversation with her,
but she was so on edge that her nerves played on mine, until I had
to hang out with her family to calm down.
“ Hey, Mrs. Rivers. Oh, wait,
that’s wrong. Isn’t it?”
Perdita’s grandmother grinned at me.
“It’s Mrs. Devlin, actually. But you can call me Ruth.”
“ Can I get you a drink or
food or anything?”
“ No, but thank you. This has
been a really lovely day, Amelia. I’m sure your grandmother would
be very proud of the way you’ve handled yourself today. She
certainly made sure you were brought up well.”
Her words were meaningless platitudes,
but I had to look away to wipe the tear from my eye. I felt relaxed
being around people who had no idea werewolves existed. Perdita was
paranoid all of the time, and then there was the guilt. How I
wished she would get over the whole murder issue. I was frustrated
watching her suffer at her own hands. After all, she took down the
bad guy. Wasn’t that how the story was supposed to end? Weren’t we
supposed to get some kind of happy ever after?
Um, no.
Maybe the lies hadn’t ended. I glared
at my grandfather who spoke to Perdita. How did I know they were
keeping me up to date on what was going on? I was Amelia, the
afterthought or the kid who had to be wrapped up in cotton wool.
Take your pick. I wanted to feel something other than regret or
loneliness. I wanted to know if I should be afraid or not. Byron
kept reassuring me, but I was aware that he never left me alone. My
entire world had changed, and I didn’t know how to move on from
that. Apparently, neither did Perdita.
I watched her from afar as she fidgeted
at her bracelet and twisted her hair, her eyes darting from side to
side as if an attack would come at any second. The girl was a
nervous wreck, which made her almost impossible to be
around.
Not that I could talk. I was as angry
as Nathan. A growing aggression snaked around my body, suffocated
me with its intensity, and squeezed the happiness from me. I wanted
to scream, and make someone listen so I could demand answers. I was
the kid nobody was paying attention to, and I could only hear
answers they felt I should hear. That sucked.
Ruth tensed next to me.
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