This is it

"Are you coming tonight?" my friend Stacey asked me over the phone, I could hear a lot of people in the background. I knew she was going to a party tonight and I wasn't very interested in going out, not tonight, not on a full moon just after my 18th Birthday. It wasn't a smart idea, I could feel my anger outburst getting worse as the nights got closer to the full moon. If I made one wrong move and made the biggest mistake in my life, tonight would be it. "Hey Stacey no I'm not coming, I'm not feeling well." I hoped that she wouldn't be able to tell it was a lie and let me get off the hook. "Oh come on Raven, I know you feel fine and it isn't even a school night so come on come out and party with meeee pleeeeasssseeeee!" I heard her whining. "Finnneee" I replied there was no way she would let me get out of this one, I would just have to be extra cautious. "Yay! your the best. you know the place where we are? near the old water hole we use to go to as kids. The party is there. See you soon bestie" Stacey said as she hung up.

What have I gotten myself into? I asked myself as I pulled up in the car park near the old water hole. I got out of the car and started to walk towards the lights and the noise. Ok I can do this, I can do this I said to myself as I walked closer to the party, just remember to breath and not get angry. 

“Raven!” Stacey screamed as she ran towards me, her blonde hair flowing behind her like a beautiful tail “I’m so glad that you came! This isn’t a party without my bestie” she said as she gave me a hug. “It’s ok, but you owe me” I said while laughing as I wrapped my arms around her skinny body. 

“Hey there good looking” I knew that voice I thought to myself as I turned around and looked up. It was Joe, one of the biggest, dark, good looking jerks but one of my best friends. “What are you doing out here on a full moon after your 18th, you know this isn’t a good idea” Joe said. “I know but you know Stacey she wouldn’t let me stay at home and get off the phone to me, especially when she has been drinking” I replied. “I know Raven, but… just be careful tonight. One of us is more then enough” he said give me a knowing smile. 

That was thing about Joe and I, our families were descendants from the great wolf pack. The wolf pack that lives up to its name. We, well mainly him, (as long as I can get through till my next birthday just 13 full moons including this one,) are werewolves. He triggered his werewolf blood line by getting into a fight with a guy and accidentally got him killed. 

I went and sat near the campfire that was about to be lit. “Hey, I’ve been put on firewood duty, could you help me collect some?” I turned to see who asked me, it was the new guy that recently moved into town. He was tall, with dark hair and blue eyes. I hadn’t gotten his name yet but rumours say that he transferred to our school because he got into too many fights. “Ah yeah, sure no problem” I said as I got up. We started to walk into the woods to find wood when he spoke “I didn’t ask to get the fire wood, some drunk jock asked me to go get it and I honestly thought it wasn’t a good idea for him to go get it himself” he said. “Im not complaining” I said as I kept walking towards where some of the best wood to burn usually is. “Ah, yea. I knew that” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. I huffed knowing that if I did introduce myself first he was just going to continue to be awkward. “My name is Raven by the way” I said not bothering to look back. “Cool name. I’m Lucas.” He said as he picked up his pace and walked past me. 

We continued the rest of the walk in complete silence. Thankfully it wasn’t awkward silence and it wasn’t too much further to the good wood. “Here” I said, as I started to pick up wood. Lucas stared at me as I bent down and picked up the wood. “Are you going to help me pick this up? Or are you just going to stand there and do nothing?” I asked. “Who said I wasn’t doing anything?” Lucas said, I stood up and looked at him I could see that he had a smirk on his face “what is it?” I asked. “Just looking at you, thinking how much of a good wolf girl you are, helping me another wolf to collect fire wood” he chuckled. I looked at him astonished “I don’t know what you are talking about” I said. “Oh come on, I could smell it from a mile away, you and your “friend” are both wolves” he said using his hand to emphasise the word friend. “Firstly Joe is my best mate, no attraction there, and two I still don’t know what you are talking about” I said trying to get him to drop the conversation by playing dumb. “You don’t think I heard your little conversation with your friend Jake” he started to say but I interrupted him to correct him by saying my mates name was Joe. “I don’t really care, either way, it is the first full moon after your 18th birthday and you are at a party where it is dangerous for you, if you don’t want to become one of us” Lucas said. I finally admitted to him “fine yes, but I will be careful, I don’t want to turn, but there was no way I was going to get out of this” I said putting my hands on my slender hips. “You are surrounded by drunk people who can easily fall over and hurt themselves and probably die if you bump into them and your going to be careful” Lucas let out a laugh. “Look I’m not discussing this with you anymore. Now are you going to help me or not?” I said roughly, hoping he would stop talking as I was getting annoyed and the last thing I wanted to do was get into a fight, if I did and I killed him it would be game over for me. “Fine. I’m sorry” he said as he bent down and started to pick up wood. 

The rest of the time with Lucas was quiet. He didn’t say a word until we got back to the party “Thanks for the help and good luck wolfie” he said with a smirk. If he wasn’t in public or had a pretty face I think I would of slapped him I thought to myself. “Raven!” Stacey yelled as she ran over to me “where did you go? I missed you” she said as she threw her arms around me. I could smell how drunk she was, I didn’t even need to look at her, I could also tell that she had been smoking and doing other things, well this is helpful I thought to myself, all my senses were kicking up because it was getting closer to the moon being in the right spot for a wolf to turn. “I just went to get fire wood” I said as I let go. I looked up at the moon and thought to myself, if I am to turn in another year I can master the turning of a wolf and use it to my advantage, I won’t be a slave to the moon, just like Joe and probably Lucas. 

“Lets go swimming!” One of the jocks yelled out over the noise and he ran and jumped into the water. “Yea let’s go” Stacey said while slurring her words. “Stacey, I don’t think that’s a good idea” I said “Come one it will be so much fun!” She said as she went towards the water. “Stacey, please no don’t do this” I said as I went to grab her arm but she started to run and I wasn’t fast enough to grab her. “I’m gonna jump off the big rock!” She yelled back at me. “Stacey No!” I yelled as I ran after her. 

I chased her all the way to the big rock and as she was about to jump I caught her arm. Instead of being able to pull her back towards me, she pulled me into the water with her. I surfaced before her, “Stacey” I screamed, but no one surfaced after me. “Stacey” I screamed again. Still nothing. Still no one. I duck dived under the water, it was pitch black but I was able to see, but I couldn’t see Stacey, I surfaced and yelled again, nothing, no one. “Raven, what’s wrong” Joe yelled as he ran to the top of the rock where Stacey had jumped in and pulled me in with her. “I can’t find her Joe. Stacey, I can’t find Stacey, she jumped and I went to stop her, but she pulled me in and now I can’t find her” I yelled back “Stacey!” I yelled again. Joe jumped into the water “I’ll help you find her, we still have time” he said as he went under the water. I followed him and we looked, we both went as deep as we could, I was just about to surface as I looked at Joe, he found her. We surfaced the water. “Stacey” I screamed as I swam over to them. “She’s unconscious, we need to get her back to shore” Joe said as he swam her to shore. 

We got to the shore and Joe put Stacey down. I started CPR as there was no response, no vital signs that I could find at all. No breathing, no heart beat, nothing. I continued CPR until Joe had to drag me away, “no, let me keep going, I can save her” I said as I tried to get back to Stacey. “Raven, stop! She’s gone. Theres nothing you can do” he said “you need to run, you need to get as far away from the party as possible. You are going to turn and we don’t need humans to see. Run Raven now” he said. I knew he was right, so I got up, took one more look at my best friend who laid unconscious and with tears streaming down my face, I ran. I ran as fast and as far as I could. 

As I ran, I started to feel my heart beat beat faster then it normally does when I ran. I started to get pains all through my body. I almost collapsed because of the pain, but I forced myself to keep running. I heard a howl and then saw a majestic black wolf running after me, I kept running as I knew this wasn’t Joe. 

I ran faster and faster then I had ever run before. The black wolf stuck by me and matched my pace. all of a sudden I head and felt a massive crack, with the pain I fell, I couldn’t keep going and even though I tried to get up, the pain was too much that I curled myself into a tight ball. I tried not to scream. The black wolf obviously could sense my pain and stayed by me to protect me. The pain went throughout my whole body. I looked up at the moon and thought to myself. This. Is. It.