Sweet Charity

Charity: Chapter 1; Coming of Age

I sit at my vanity table and stare at myself. I know I should leave for school in a few minutes. It's my first day as a freshman in high school and I am scared. More nervous than scared, but the feeling is the same. There's a knot in the pit of my stomach and my palms are sweaty.

My parents moved from our old home to another state since I left eighth grade. I don't know anyone here so I have to start completely new with making friends, making grades, and basically my whole life. Even going to school with people I have known would be nerve-racking enough. To start fresh, however, feels downright damning.

I don't feel beautiful in a traditional sense. Not like one would see in magazines. I have natural platinum blonde hair that falls to my waist. There's a streak of amber down the left side and a streak of color so dark it's nearly purple down the right. The two streaks frame my face; they only go as far as the bottom of my jawline and never grow past it. I can't hide them in the rest of my hair because each streak is about three inches wide. The color has always been there, too. My mom showed me baby pictures where it was evident.

My hair is not the only unusual thing about my face. My eyes are green like August's birthstone Peridot with a deep grey color surrounding the iris. My mom would always tell me my eyes looked like a storm was taking over a gentle field. And when I was upset, the grey was more apparent than the green.

I shake my head to clear the thoughts I am having and stand up. I've already dressed before I was staring at myself. I think I am ready to face the newness of this day. The knot it still in my stomach. I swallow a lump in my throat as I grab my bag and cell phone. I text my parents that I am leaving for school. They both text back the usual 'Have a good day, sweetie. Love you.' I smile at their responses.

I take in the appearances of people around me as I walk the two blocks to school. I've never felt like I fit in. My appearance is unique; so different from everyone around me. I am rather tall for being a fourteen-year-old girl. The doctor told me I was around six foot tall at my last visit. My dad is five foot ten and my mom is five foot two. They both have dark brown hair and brown eyes. I've never questioned them as why I look different than they do because I didn't want to know. It never bothered me until now.

"What could happen?" I think to myself as I arrive at the school and take a deep breath. I get this sudden 'I don't belong here' feeling and I want to turn around and go home. I push the door open and step into the bright hallway in my new school. "I'm here now so I may as well suck it up and get it over with," I mumble to myself. It's only two days until the weekend.

The first two days of school are chaotic to say the least. I feel rushed from place to place, introduced to so many new names and faces, and I sit my butt in different seats. I feel like everything has passed by in a blur and I am someone else just watching from the stands.

My phone goes off in my pocket as I get home from school Friday afternoon. 'Order pizza. $$$ in kitchen. Be home late.' Of course, my parents aren't home again. For some reason, they both work two jobs. This is another thing I've never really questioned. I'm used to being alone. I find the money and order the pizza like the text says.

I take a quick shower and get into my comfy clothes; a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I am finished just in time to greet the doorbell and the pizza delivery. I figure that instead of reading as I normally do, I will watch a DVD. I grab a slice of pizza as I am perusing the DVD collection.

I try to settle myself on the couch to watch my chosen movie when the knot in my stomach intensifies and I curl up in a ball on the floor. I feel like my body is on fire. The pain is intense and excruciating. I hear a bone make a noise I never heard before and have only read about. My eyes widen as I realize two things are happening; first, it's my fifteenth birthday and second, my body is not my body anymore.

I start to feel around as new sensations are occuring. I feel my ears shifting positions and growing to points near the top of my head. My backside feels ripped apart and I look behind me to see the end of a tail. Everything hurts so much. I howl in pain as I knock over the coffee table and the couch. "Why is this happening?" I think as my body doubles in size. For a moment, I black out completely.

I wake up less than a minute after I black out. I can see my reflection in the TV. I am huge compared to the living room. I easily take up half the space. My new fur is pale white like a full moon with a streak of amber taking up my left side from shoulder to flank and a matching black streak taking up my right side.

I'm a freaking werewolf! That's why I am different than my parents! I try to look at myself in the reflection on the TV, but the living room isn't allowing me much room to move since I invade half its area. I'm trying to make a second turn when I spot the most beautiful creature I've ever seen.

She stands between my body and the TV. Her height is similar to mine as she can look me directly in the eye. She has flowing blonde hair and silver eyes. There's an ethereal glow about her.

"Layla, calm yourself," she says, placing her hands on my muzzle. My body instantly relaxes at her touch. "I need to tell you some truths." She opens the sliding door and motions for me to follow her outside. I lope outside awkwardly. I've never walked on four legs before.