Before getting any sleep, I decided that wearing my dead teacher's face wasn't something I should keep doing. Standing in front of the mirror, I used her appearance as a base but made some changes. I shifted my hair color to black, my eyes to light green, and adjusted my face to look like I was in my early thirties. I kept my original height—six feet—but added some muscle. Not the bulk of a bodybuilder, but enough that people would see strength, like an Amazonian.
This would be my new persona. The one I'd use when going to Selene's clinic and dealing with the supernatural part of my life. My everyday human life would stay separate.
The next morning, I went to work as usual. After finishing up, I headed to Damien's diner like I often did. Selene was already waiting for me.
"New look, I see," she said with a smile. "You look stronger too."
A laugh came from the side. My sister, Danielle, was sitting beside Damien.
"At first I didn't realize it was you," she said. "But after a while your scent felt familiar, and I figured it out. So, Daniel… what's with the different look?"
I answered her honestly. "I want to separate my normal everyday life from my… night life, or you could say my werewolf identity. When I look like this, I want to be known as Donna. Or Belladonna."
Danielle raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know the meaning of that name?"
I shrugged. "Not really. I just like the sound of it, and it still starts with a D—like my real name."
Damien, who had been listening quietly, leaned forward. "So this is your extra ability? To change your appearance?"
I met his eyes. "Yes. But I don't want you telling anyone. Other than the people sitting here, the fewer who know, the better."
He gave a small smile. "So it's a secret between the four of us. I understand. Abilities are personal. Most people keep them hidden. By sharing yours, you're saying you trust me."
I nodded, then steered the conversation elsewhere. "What about the kidnappers we caught a few days ago? Any new information?"
Damien shook his head. "Nothing useful. We did learn how loyal they are to their group. They'd rather be tortured or die than reveal anything."
Danielle chimed in. "That kind of loyalty means one of two things. Either they're cultists, or the group behind them is bigger than we realize."
I thought about that, then asked, "What if they're some kind of vampire-hunter group?"
Danielle gave me a long look. "Technically, we police our own community. Humans can't fight werewolves or vampires—not effectively. Those who tried in the past never survived long enough to be remembered. But…" She sighed. "There are gatherings of humans that keep popping up. Most of them are victims—people who lost someone they loved to a vampire or a werewolf. They call themselves 'pure humans' and see us as abominations that should be wiped out. Those groups usually don't last long, but…"
She paused, her tone heavier now. "It's true that one of those groups went quiet a few months back. And now we have kidnappings of supernatural beings. I can't prove it's connected, but I can't say it's coincidence either."
We ate in silence after that, each of us lost in thought.
I couldn't help thinking how complicated things had become since I was turned. Just a week ago, I didn't even know werewolves were real. Now I was one, caught up in a mess of kidnappers, cultists, and secrets.
Still… for the moment, life was calm enough that I could sleep at night.