Read Online Claire De Lune by Christine Johnson - Free Book Online Page A

probably come in real handy in the winter. Except that it might make it pretty awkward to be with, you know,
people
, I guess. Man, I just can’t
wait
to find out what other superfabulous things are going to happen to me next.” Tears brimmed in her eyes, making the food in front of her seem to waver. She knew she’d get in trouble for talking to her mother that way, but right then she couldn’t have cared less.
How could things get any worse, anyway? What’s she going to do, ground me?
    A look of surprise crossed her mother’s face. “It is very unusual that you should transform like that. Most who are as new as you don’t have the ability to change on their own. They need the strength of the full moon to do it.”
    “So I’m strange even for a monster? Great.”
    “You are not a monster, Claire. Stand still.” Marie put a firm hand on Claire’s shoulder. “We
must
transform at the full moon. The Goddess, the One who created us, makes our true natures so strong on that one night that we must reveal them. But once a werewolf matures into her powers, she is able to change at any time.”
    Under her mother’s grip, Claire’s skin felt tightened, pulled, and her senses dulled.
    “There. Returned to your human form,” her mother said.
    Claire could still smell her mother’s surprise. She could hear the filament buzzing in the lightbulb above the sink.
    “If I’m human, how come I can still smell and hear so much?”
    “Because you are truly a werewolf, Claire. This skin is just a disguise. You have passed the first moon of your transformation and from now on, your senses, your strength—theywill always be more sensitive and intense than a human’s. Even when you look the same as everyone else. I understand that this is new, and that it is not easy, but you must try to be patient.”
    “Patient! You left me on my own, looking like Grizzly Adams. Was I just supposed to hang out looking like that until you got home? I didn’t know how to get rid of it! What if Lisbeth had seen me?”
    “It is not like regular hair. It is a mark of the Goddess, and no human invention can permanently remove it. Not even a razor.” A trace of amusement laced her mother’s words.
    “How did you know?” Claire crossed her arms.
    “I didn’t imagine you had transformed back into a human on your own this afternoon. And,” she admitted, “I could smell your embarrassment and also shaving foam. It
is
a gift, Claire. What we are. And as soon as your transformation is complete, you will learn all you need to know—how to do everything we are able to do. In the meantime, there is no need to panic. What happened today is unlikely to happen again. It was probably because we were still so close to the full moon.”
    “Oh, yeah, don’t panic. No problem. I’ll just keep some Nair in my purse,” Claire sniped. “Is there anything else I should be carrying around? A file for my claws? A dog brush?”
    “That is enough,” Marie said sharply. “I have told you that you will learn what you need to, and at the proper time. Wehave been training New Ones for many generations. Our traditions, our methods, are not without reason.”
    Claire scowled.
    Her mother watched her evenly. “I know it is difficult for you right now.”
    “Really? Because you’re sure not acting like it.”
    “Claire, stop. I think you should go to bed now. When you are fully transformed, you will be better prepared to learn. Until then, you must be patient, and watchful. That is the best way to keep yourself—to keep all of us—safe.” Her mother moved noiselessly across the kitchen toward the stairs. “It will get easier, Claire. You must trust me.”
    Without even saying good night, her mother glided up the stairs, leaving Claire alone in the kitchen.
    Claire shoved the plate of leftovers back into the fridge, her appetite gone. She stared across the lawn, her gaze traveling over the brick wall at the edge of the property. The thick woods beyond