The silence of night wasn't comforting- it was suffocating.
Elias Thorn sat on the edge of his, hands clasped together, elbows digging into his knees, eyes fixed on the wall like it held all the answers he didn't have.But indifferent, and cold.
His reflection in the darkened window showed someone who didn't look like him anymore. Pale, with heavy bags under his eyes, and yet... there was something sharp about his features now.His jawline seemed more defined. His shoulders broader. The hollowness left behind by his months of chemotherapy was being replaced by something alien, something hungry.
"What the hell am I supposed to do"? Elias thought
The memory of the bite flashed behind his eyes again claws, fangs, the burning agony ripping through his flesh like fire given form. His heart clenched just thinking about it. The worst part wasn't the pain. It was how he felt afterward. Stronger. Faster. His body was healing. The cancer now like a nightmare fading in the morning light.
But at what cost?
He rubbed the back of his neck, where phantom pain still lingered from the wound.His breath came short and uneven. The full moon was coming. He could feel it like a claw scraping against the inside of his skull.
His body was changing. His instincts whispered dangerous promises.
And Jaylen...
Should I tell him? The thought hit him like a punch to the guy. How could he? How could he drop something like this on his best friend the only person who stuck by him through everything? Would Jaylen even believe him?
He has to, Elias told himself. If anyone would believe me, it's jay.
But fear clawed at his throat. What if telling Jaylen changed everything ? What if it made him afraid?
Elias stayed awake until the first light of dawn pointed the sky in pale blues and gold.
The next morning
The sharp chill of dawn clawed thought the blinds if Elias Thorn's room, slicing across his skin like icy fingers. The cool morntsir bit against Elias's skin as he stumbled out the front door, exhausted weighing on him like lead. Jaylen's black jeep rumbled up to the curb, freshly washed but still carrying that worn in, reliable feel like the two of them had built a history inside that car.
Jaylen leaned out of the window, sunglasses on his eyes, but his smirk said everything. " You look like shit. Rough night?"
Elias tried to laugh but it came out hoarse."Yeah... something like that."
Jaylen unlocked the doors with a clock, and Elias slid into the passenger seat, slamming the door behind him. The familiar scent of worn leather and deep air fresheners was oddly comforting.
Jaylen glanced over as he pulled away from the curb." You look good,man? You've been off since the party, or is it the girl you've been hawking at like Joe Goldberg"
"The fuck NO dude what's wrong with you"Elias replied.
"Just saying, if you wanna bag that you gonna have to start locking in like yuji" Jaylen said with a teasing yet deep voice.
Elias stared ahead,swallowing hard. His palms were slick with sweat, even though the air was cold.Now or never
"Jay"Elias storted,voice lowered and strained." I need to tell you something.And... it's gonna sound insane, but I need you to believe me."
The smirk on Jaylen's face vanished. His hand tightened around the wheel as he turned the down." Ok but you're starting to freak me out,dude. What's going on?"
Elias inhaled sharply." look after I went for a walk in the woods I encounter something... I was bitten by it and it wasn't human.
Silenced filled the car like thick smoke.
Jaylen shouted" what well are you ok"
"Yeah... kinda"Elias replies
"kinda,what does kinda mean,what even bit you a dog or something?, A coyote?
Elias shook his head,his voice to a whisper." No.It wasn't any animal.Jay. It was something else.I don't know what the hell it was,but...ever since it happene,I've been changing.I feel stronger,I heal faster, and ..." He hesitated, the words sticking in his throat like a barbed wire." The full moon is coming,Jay. I think I'm going to turn into something else"
The jeep screeched to a sudden halt at a stop sign. Jaylen stared at him, silent, processing every word like it was a punch to the chest.
Jay chuckles " are you serious right now? perhaps you need to go the hospital or a clinic."
"No, don't, I was going to but the wound suddenly healed, and I wouldn't make this up. I swear,l...l don't know what to do.I need your help Jay" Elias say's with his burning with raw honesty.
Jaylen sat there for a long moment,jaw clenched.His eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, finally softened.
"Okay", Jaylen said, exhaling sharply." If this is real- and you're not just losing it I'll help you through it.I don't care what's happening to you, but If it's what I think it is then I might know how ok, you're my brother, Elias. We'll figure this out together."
Elias let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding.
"Thanks,man."
Jaylen cracked a small, shaky grin." But if you try to eat me during the full moon, I'm driving this Jeep straight into a tree. Just saying."
A weak laugh escaped Elias,but the fear didn't leave him.
Elias looked at the palms of his hands and thought to himself " what the hell am I becoming?"
Later that day At school
The school hallways were alive with the noise- the chaos of teenage drama,slamming lockers and the faint buzz of cheap fluorescent lights.But none of that mattered to Elias.His thoughts were drowning him.
And then she walked in.
Aria Voss new to town,yet already carrying the effortless gravity of someone who didn't need attention but commanded it anyway. She was late,rushing in with her bag sling lazily over one shoulder. Heads turned, eyes trailing her like moths drawn to flame.
But it wasn't the way others looked at her that caught Elias attention. It was the brief, unexpected moment when her eyes met his sharp,curious, and strangely familiar.
Elias felt his heart lurch violently in his chest. Why does it feel like she sees through me?
Jaylen leaned over, whispering just loud enough."You're staring,dude."
Elias tore his gaze away."I wasn't -"
"You totally were"
"Shut up."
But his thoughts were already tangled- between the bite,the full moon creeping closer,and Aria unexpected attention,the weight of everything was starting to crush him.
And somewhere deep inside,the beast stirred.