The shifting
(Isabella pov)
13 years later
"Happy birthday to you… happy birthday to you… happy birthday to you!"
I watched my mom sing, feeling overwhelmed by the depth of her love. A single candle flickered on the small cake she'd struggled to buy.Despite our struggles, she had managed to throw me a party,a small one, as she called it but to me, it was huge. I had never celebrated my birthday before and today, on my eighteenth, I finally did.
"Happy birthday, Isabella. My mom said. Thank you, Mom," I whispered.
She looked at me with a mix of pride and melancholy. "Isabella, no words could ever measure how much I love you," " she said. "I know mom," I replied smiling.
Just know… no matter who you are, no matter what you become, you'll always be my daughter, and I'll always love you, okay?" Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
I frowned. "Mom… what are you saying?"
A single tear slipped down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away, forcing a smile. But I sensed something was wrong. "Mom… are you okay?" I asked again.
"Yeah… I'm fine, Ella," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "It's just… tears of joy you know. Seeing you grow into such a beautiful young woman… I can't help but feel emotional."
I smiled, finally relieved. Maybe she's just like this because it's my first birthday celebration, I thought.
"Oh, my sweet mother… I love you," I said,giving her a soft peck on her cheek.
She pulled me into a tight embrace, her tears dampening my back. I still wondered why she was so emotional, but I pushed the thought aside. Maybe she's just scared men will come for me soon… take me away. I laughed quietly at my own silly thought and hugged her even tighter.
"Don't worry, Mother. I'll make you proud," I said.
She nodded, holding me close, and in that embrace, I felt her love surround me completely.
In the evening, I sat on my bed unwrapping the gifts I had received, admiring them one by one. I didn't even notice when night fell, until I reached for my jotter to write down the memories of my birthday.
In it, I wrote "Oh Xander, I finally had my birthday celebration for the first time,my 18th birthday and I wish you were here to celebrate it with me. It was so much fun and I received so many gifts as well." I then gazed out the window and whispered "I hope you're fine Xander and I hope you're still keeping our promise." When all of a sudden the window curtain billowed and a cool breeze swept inside, carrying the scent of rain.
I went to the window and gazed at the scene outside and there I saw the full moon. But its color appeared strange to me, almost blood red. I shrugged the thought away, pulled up a chair and sat admiring the moon, as I always did. I had always felt a special connection to it and I loved that feeling anyway.All of a sudden, a strange sensation crawled through my body, followed by a searing pain, as though my chest was tearing apart and burning from the inside. My heartbeat thundered so loud it felt like it shook the whole room, and I dropped to my knees, powerless to resist.
My fingers curled against my will, nails lengthening and blackening into claws as sharp cracks echoed from my bones. My arms bent and reshaped, every sound a painful reminder of what was happening to me. My gaze snapped upward, drawn to the silver moon,only now it bled red and in its glow, I felt my own eyes burn and glow in response.
"Mom… help!" I managed to call out, but my voice twisted, deep and broken, more of a growl than a plea.
My teeth sharpened into fangs, my skin rippled as fur pushed through, white mixed with silver spreading across my body. I fought to hold it back, but the change devoured me, and before I could stop it, a howl ripped from my throat, raw and unwilling, echoing into the night.And then I finally transformed into an animal,a wolf.
I looked at the creature I had become. I stood there, confused, not knowing what to do. My mom was knocking asking if she could come in, but at that moment, I felt like attacking her, tearing into her flesh. Instead, I leapt through the window and into the nearest woods.
There in the woods, I sat staring at the monster I had become, my mind consumed by thoughts of the people I was bound to hurt. My face was downcast. Then hunger struck me but not for my usual food. This time, I longed to eat raw animals, eew. Yet I rose, searching and soon I spotted a rabbit. My instincts urged me to chase it and I was shocked at my own speed.
I ran like lightning, the energy within me surging like a storm. Within seconds, I caught the rabbit and devoured it as if my life depended on it. But when I was done, I felt strangely satisfied and guilty at the same time. I felt bad for the innocent creature knowing this wasn't truly me but the beast within, forcing me to eat raw flesh.
Then again, I started sniffing the air. My sense of smell was unusually strong and instantly, the sharp scent of a deer reached me. Soon I spotted it and tried to resist, not wanting to repeat that disgusting thing again. But before I realized it, I appeared like a flash before the deer and sank my teeth into it, my mouth dripping with warm blood as I devoured it just like I did with the rabbit.
I sighed heavily with regret and wandered through the woods. After a while, dizziness began to creep over me, swi
rling in my head until everything went black.