Wolf
CHAPTER 1
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
“What is the most common thing people mistake for werewolves?” asked Mr. Gardiner, but not to me.
Mr. Gardiner was our history teacher. He was the kind of teacher you never wanted to disappoint. Not because you would get in trouble, but because he was always so nice and understanding that you never wanted to see him sad.
“Come on, guys. No one wants to take a stab at it?” Everyone awkwardly pulled their fingers through their hair or pretended like they hadn’t heard the question. As if not even thinking, I blurted out, “The moon.” Mr. Gardiner, along with the whole class, turned to look at me. Oh, crap! Why did I open my big mouth?
“Could you please repeat that a little louder for the class, Mr. Johnson?” said Mr. Gardiner.
My mouth turned dry and I tried to swallow, but it felt like the more I swallowed, the dryer my mouth would be. I could feel my hands becoming sweaty, as I rubbed them together under the table.
“Um, uh. People mistake werewolves to only change during the full moon,” I rambled on. “But werewolves can change any time they want. Well, a grown werewolf can. Young werewolves change when their blood rises, like if they are angry or scared.”
By the end of my little speech, I was practically shaking. Even my blood was rising. My insides felt like someone had stuck their hand in and mucked up my bowels. Most of the class had turned back in their seats and resumed whatever the hell they were doing.
“How did you know all that? Mr. Johnson, have you been reading ahead?” said Mr. Gardiner, with a cheeky look in his eyes. I hadn’t even picked up the book. I smiled and waved my hand in a casual manner.
“Sure, ‘cause I have nothing better to do in my time,” I said, sarcastically of course. The girl next to me giggled and I smiled up at Mr. Gardiner. He walked over to the edge of his table and leaned back on it.
“Nonetheless, you are correct. However, the moon does make a werewolf much more powerful. But much more vulnerable.” Mr. Gardiner hid a pained expression from the class. Only I seemed to have noticed it. His eyes quickly flashed back to his usual happy-go-lucky self.
“How so?” asked a girl from the back.
“When a werewolf is changed during a full moon, they are powerful amongst their own kind. But weak to those who hunt them down. They become faster, stronger, and tougher.” Mr. Gardiner smiled and chuckled at something that must have been an inside joke.
“But how does that make them vulnerable? Wouldn’t they be much more powerful?” asked Darcy, a good friend of mine. Darcy was in pretty much all of my classes. He was usually the quiet type. But, lately, he has been speaking up louder and is a lot more comfortable around other people. He looked focused and seemed to be enjoying this subject a little too much. The grin on his face was wide, but he was still concentrating.
“The moon is so powerful that is controls the werewolf. So, in a way, they are puppets. I have read stories where a hunter has blocked out the moon and the werewolf was unable to see. Thus, making it easy pray,” Mr. Gardiner concluded.
“Who are the hunters?” I asked. Mr. Gardiner turned and looked me straight in the eye.
“Shape shifters. They can turn into one animal and one animal alone. The most dangerous: the panther. Just remember though, the human cannot turn into the werewolf. But the werewolf can turn into the human,” said Mr. Gardiner.
“These are just all myths, though. You don’t actually believe, do you?” asked Darcy.
“I don’t. But do you?” said Mr. Gardiner. He turned to give me a hard look. It was as if he was directly asking me the question, not just the whole class.
Mr. Gardiner turned to sit at his desk. I surveyed the room and noticed quite a lot of people glancing around. Some were scared, even terrified. Mr. Gardiner was definitely trying to scare us. The thing was, it was working.
Q1. How are werewolves different from regular wolves?
Q2. What is the only way to kill a werewolf during a full moon?
Q3. What is the Latin name for ‘werewolf’?
I wonder how many werewolves I could kill with a single silver bullet. Probably only one. I do have terrible aim. But I bet Leo, my best friend, could kill about seven with his bare hands. He’s a tough guy, but he isn’t bulky like the rest of the jocks at our school. But he’s definitely strong. Not even the biggest jock could go up against him. And he has these awesome purple eyes that do wonders to his shaggy brown hair. Oh god! I’m sounding all girly now. I don’t know what it is about Leo, though, that makes people think he’s weird. Just because he has dyslexia, doesn’t mean he’s any different from the rest of the guys in this shit hole. But he’s got courage, and plenty of it.
I looked around and saw a few people had answered the first question and were moving on to the next. I absentmindedly started scribbling on my page. Mr. Gardiner was staring at something on the wall. I looked to the place he was staring at and saw nothing interesting. It was only when I looked back at him, I realised he was thinking.
I slowly raised myself from my seat, bringing my blank sheet with me. When I reached the front desk, Mr. Gardiner had been released from his trance and gave me a warm smile.
“Are you finished, Mr. Johnson?” he asked kindly. I shook my head and his face screwed up in confusion.
“I don’t really understand how this is beneficial to our education, sir. And I’m not sure I understand the topic either,” I said, staring ahead at the blackboard. Mr. Gardiner turned in his chair to look where I was staring at. Déjà vu. He turned back with a sceptical look. Then, his face broke into a smile and he laughed. It was then my turn to be confused.
“But, Mr. Johnson, you have answered every question on the sheet. And correctly, I see.” He smiled and turned to correct my answers.
“Wait!” I said, snatching the sheet out of his hands. I looked down at the thin paper between my fingertips.
Q1. How are werewolves different from regular wolves?
Werewolves can turn into humans. Regular wolves cannot
Q2. What is the only way to kill a werewolf during a full moon?
Shot with a silver bullet
Q3. What is the Latin name for ‘werewolf’?
Lupus
