Silverside Academy

Dwelling in the Daytime

“Moon Fury?” Eilidh looked down at her father’s words. Under her annoyance, an air of intrigued spark.

There are wolves who will hate you for it. But there are even more who’ll kiss your ass for it. You have to be wary of boys. And don’t believe just anybody.

Your bloodline — that’s something most packs would kill for. Have killed for. If they’re not above murder, they’re not above trickery and lying, either. Keep that in mind.

He didn’t sign off with anything fancy, the letter simply ended.

Eilidh’s sour mood only worsened with her father’s non-existent explanation.

For someone who always spoke his mind, he sure left cryptic letters.

She thumbed through the stack, hoping to find something more direct. Instead, she ended up opening one after the other and reading them hungrily. Little bits here and there stuck out to her more than others.

One that made her laugh out loud offered advice about school.

‘School rivalries can be tough. But things are going to be hard at Silverside until you find your footing. Werewolves are fiercely loyal, and make decisions as a pack. Until you prove yourself, you’ll be on your own.’

She’d been the outsider at plenty of schools by this point. But given Jared had stated multiple times throughout his letters that he hoped she’d never read them, it made sense. He expected her to stay in the same school until she graduated.

Another that stuck out was like a nostalgic slap in the face.

‘Today you’re sad because you didn’t make the track team. I had a talk with you about keeping your chin up. Do you remember it? It’s real important to always keep your chin up. If you aren’t rooting for yourself, no one else will, either. Whatever it is you’re fretting about today, know that you got it. The sun will rise tomorrow like it always does.’

“I remember,” she whispered to the memory of his voice.

It had only been a few weeks before her father passed away. She’d tried out for track — and failed abysmally. She’d been in the lead until she turned to wave at her parents. Her feet got tangled, and she fell flat onto the rubber track.

It hurt, and the fact that it’d been heated by the sun didn’t help.

She’d gotten up and finished the race, but her embarrassment and frustration had lingered all through the rest of the day.

“You pulled me aside after dinner. You told me the same thing. ‘Keep your chin up. The sun will rise tomorrow like it always does.’ I argued with you, and…” She laughed as more tears slipped down her cheeks.

Jared had picked her up and spun her around. “Failing is never fun. But you tried, and that’s what’s important. And just because you didn’t get into track this time doesn’t mean you won’t next time. Or that you can’t have a good time now.”

In her mind’s eye, she tried to picture having a conversation with her father about this.

“How can you expect me to just take this and keep walking? How do I root myself out of you and Mom lying to me for so long? How can I expect the sun to keep rising when I’m not even human?”

She pictured the way her Dad would shake his head. Of course, he would smile. She watched the mental image of her father give her a hug.

“Eilidh, I know you’re probably mad. Ya got every right to be. I’m sorry I lied to you, but I was doing what I could to keep you safe, ‘n I wouldn’t change a thing.”

She shrugged. “I am mad. You could’ve told me about my real mom. You didn’t have to be so secretive. You could’ve prepared me.”

The memory of her father sat on her bed with her and tapped the stack of letters.

“I did. You might not see it, yet. But I did.”

She opened her eyes and saw her room and the way the warm early morning rays were creeping into her window.

“I guess the sun does keep rising.” It wasn’t exactly a happy feeling, but the normalcy made her feel more grounded.

Her stomach let out a ferocious roar. So far, she had refused to eat the food her mother had left for her.

If I eat any of it, even just a bite, she’ll think I forgave her.

A part of her knew that was stupid. Janet hadn’t killed her mother. And she hadn’t made the choice to keep her secret alone. But the other part…

I thought we were in this together. Just the two of us. Why would she continue to keep that from me? Did she think I’d hate her? Doesn’t she trust me?

She heard the unmistakable sounds of her mother getting ready for work.

Anger roared in her ears. How can she pretend like this is just another day? She thought that she might at least stay home so they could talk. Seems like work is more important. Probably because I’m not even her kid.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she regretted it. It was like a fire extinguisher to her anger. It coated it, killing the flames instantly.

From the ashes of her anger rose sadness so deep it was akin to grief.

Janet’s footsteps warned Eilidh that she was coming. She quickly threw the blanket over herself and feigned sleep. She listened intently as Janet made her way over. The whole time, she willed her breathing to settle down.

Janet paused in front of her bedroom door. Eilidh could practically hear her debating whether or not to check in on her.

Eilidh told herself that she was relieved when Janet chose to walk away, despite the disappointment that settled like a rock in her stomach.

She hadn’t been aware she’d actually gone back to sleep until the happy screams of little kids playing woke her up. Usually she didn’t mind, but she had the start of a major migraine, too little sleep, and an empty stomach to contend with.

She headed downstairs.

Janet had left another plate of goodies for her in the kitchen. Fresh muffins that were cold to the touch and a fruit salad in the fridge.

She took a muffin and chewed it moodily.

It seemed off. Rather than the usual love and joy she could taste, it was flat.

A migraine started in her temples. She’d never had issues with them before, but the last 24 hours had been unbelievably stressful.

Seems like they’re going to stay that way, too. She took another bite, and looked around the empty kitchen. The house was eerily quiet.

Mom, where are you? And how could you just leave me here to deal with all this crap on my own?

She slammed the muffin down, sending crumbs skittering across her plate.

This isn’t fair. Do you really expect me to just sift through a few papers and come out the other side of this bullshit a new, better person?

Her bitter thoughts left her feeling ill.

She stood up, suddenly not feeling hungry at all.

“Damn it, why’d you have to keep everything a secret?” This time, she wasn’t thinking of Janet, but her father. It hurt to be angry at a dead man, especially one she loved so much.

She gazed at the portrait of her and her parents. They kept it in the dining room so they always felt like he was there eating with them.

Usually it brought her comfort. But she couldn’t help but feel anger.

She voiced the problem that had been plaguing her since the night before. “If you told me the truth, even just a little, at least I could face it without feeling betrayed on top of it.”

At least it’s summer. It was a sardonic thought, but one she acted on.

She headed outside, letting the sunny rays mock her pain. This is such a mess. But it doesn’t have to be…

The streets were busy. Kids of all ages zipped by on bikes or sat in the shade playing games. I could just leave. No one would even notice. I could blend in with the crowd.

She didn’t have anywhere to go. Her friends had abandoned her over a misunderstanding, and the only person she really had by her side was her mother.

But Janet wasn’t there.

Everyone always thinks I’m older. I could do it. I could say I’m 15, get a job, move.

Just then, a car slowed to a stop in front of her house. She didn’t recognize it, but the voice that called out was familiar.

“Eilidh, can we talk?”