Chapter 16: Poison.

HELENA.

I hadn't heard about the Luna festival since I was a child. And I had a lot of strange memories associated with it. For starters, my parents would disappear during the entire festival, and leave me home alone. They always said something about it 'not being safe for children.' My dad was never one to hide things from me, so this particular change in events shook me.

I also found it strange that Luna had the same name as the festival, or maybe I spelt it wrong. "Yeah, have you heard about it? I heard it's done every year here. We used to celebrate it in Lunaville every year too. But after the…." Luna shot him a glance. His voice trailed off, and he started again, "And we're gonna see how you humans do it." Aaron said, worried at my expression.

"I haven't experienced the festival before though." They shot their eyebrows up at me.

"Why not?" Luna voiced.

I told them a brief rundown of how my parents would lock me up on the night before the festival, and warn me not to go on one of my nature walks. They made the Luna festival seem scary, and I had grown up believing that I had to stay away from it.

My Nana believed otherwise. She said the festival was associated with 'bad omens'. Whatever that meant. She always said I should follow them to the festival, that I'd find out sooner or later. I remember she and dad would constantly argue about it and mom would take me to her room, distracting me with fairy tales and bedside stories.

Back then, everyone in school would talk about it. I could never relate to what they said of course. I had zero interest in it to begin with. But over time, I became a little curious. Now…I might finally be able to see what they were afraid of.

Aaron and Luna exchanged glances.

"I think I know why they spoke that way." Aaron started. "Werewolves are usually let loose during the festival, and it doesn't end….well." My eyes widened in shock.

"And why the hell would they do that?!" I was practically yelling.

"The Luna festival marks when the first werewolf transformed and discovered what he was. It's basically the period that marks our creation. So yeah, we're given a little freedom. We don't do it in a lot of towns, I think it's just the ones closest to the portal between our worlds." I was mute.

"Look, werewolves don't usually hunt humans, and we've had fewer 'accidents' for as long as I can remember. The problem is, during this time the moon's energy is at its peak, and you can imagine what that does to us." He continued quietly, watching my expression.

"I usually stay indoors to prevent such things. Don't worry Helena, it's not gonna be so bad." Luna said, but there was the tiniest hint of doubt in her voice.

"You two should get going, it's almost dark." I muttered. I could think about the festival later. It's not for another five months.

"Are you sure? I really think you should-"

"Let her decide what she wants Aaron. Besides, her best friend almost got murdered." I winced at Luna's remark. She walked over and gave me a hug, her cologne wafting into my nose. How the hell she smelled so good, I might never know.

"Make sure you rest, at least." She whispered.

I waved them off and headed back into the hospital. 

AARON.

"You didn't have to lie about all that. Werewolves will kill people. You know that. Not to mention we're gonna have to deal with the demons too." Luna scolded me as we drove back to Helena's house. I planned to return for her later, which meant I had to spend around four to five hours with Mrs Boss Lady.

"The girl is already shaken. You think she can take another hit?" I rested my hand on the window sill. The cool breeze slapped my face, and I let my fur show for a brief moment.

"How do you think she'll feel later on? She's gonna know eventually."

"She won't know if you don't tell her."

"Oh well.. who am I?"

We passed by the bakery I had seen earlier and my stomach roared loudly. "Make a stop here. I'm hungry." I didn't wait for Luna to respond and got down from the car.

"Hey, get some for me too!" I moved so quickly, a sharp contrast to the weakness I felt.

Within minutes, I emerged with four paper bags, containing steaming hot loaves of bread. Luna snatched one of the bags the moment I sat down, tore off the packaging and began devouring the loaves. I ripped the wrappers with the same aggressiveness, eager to quench my hunger.

Gosh.

Savory, sweet goodness.

The crust was crisp, and it gave a satisfying crunch as I bit into it. The insides were warm and fluffy, with a subtle sweetness that complements the savory and yeasty flavor. Damn. Helena would really like some of this.

Luna snatched another bag, and I glanced at her. She'd let her human form slip, her eyes glowing bright blue, her claws extended, and her teeth so sharp I wondered if she filed them. I snatched back the bag before she could rip it.

"Let's leave some for Helena." I said calmly, even though I would've devoured the loaves as quickly as Helena did. I could probably eat 5 more of these.

Soft, flavourful, crispy…..

Nope.

I tossed them into the back seat.

We got to the house in a little less than 15 minutes.

I waltzed in, and literally passed out on the sofa.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ringringringringringring.....

I shot my eyes open, the alarm sending warning signals throughout my head.

"Wake up sleepy head. We gotta get to Helena. She just called me." Luna's voice reverberated in my ears a little distorted.

She walked over, and shook me awake.

"How long have I been asleep?" I rubbed my eyes.

"Three years. Get up and let's go." I glared at her. I was still bothered by why I slept so long…I wasn't exhausted when we left the hospital at all. Normally, I'd only crash like that after a long hunt, or, if I haven't rested for up to 3 days.

Oh well.

We got to the hospital, and I had seen that Veronica was awake, even chatting and laughing with Helena. My heart warmed up. She noticed our presence and beckoned on us, smiling. No matter how broken she looked, her smile would always light up the room. The shift in atmosphere was instantaneous, and I relaxed.

We walked over, and Veronica stared at us with a weird expression.

"Vee, this is Luna and Aaron." Helena said, gesturing at us. Luna extended her hand and she took it, skepticism still on her face

.

"Hi, Veronica." I said and also shook her hands. They were weak, soft, and felt like they'd been through a lot of manual work.

A doctor walked in, assessing her. "A nurse will join you shortly. Meanwhile, Doctor Flora would like to see you, Helena." He said abruptly.

The doctor.

I didn't like her, and neither did Luna. She had a strange energy, like a combination of good and evil, which was rare.

Helena furrowed her brows, but nodded in response to the doctor.

There was a strange tingling sensation on my fingertips, but I ignored it. Helena handed us each a glass of orange juice, which the hospital had initially brought for Veronica. She didn't like orange juice.

The tingling sensation intensified, and I couldn't grasp the glass anymore. My fingers were going numb. I slowly dropped it on the table beside Veronica's bed.

"Oh don't tell me you don't like orange juice too.." Helena said as I dropped it.

I felt a sharp pang in my head.

"No, I just ate a lot on the way here. Besides, oranges aren't really my thing." I shrugged,

What the heck?

I suddenly felt dizzy, and I sat on the bed directly opposite Veronica's. The three women engaged in small talk, which I couldn't hear anymore.

The whole room began to spin, the sharp contrasts of gray and blue smearing together like paint left in the rain. I tried to call for help, but my voice felt restrained, muffled and distant. My heart pounded erratically, panic spreading throughout my body. My inner wolf whispered, 'Danger.'

Like I didn't already know.

I tried to get up, tried to move, but my body went numb slowly. Then, my vision blurred, Luna and Helena's figures twisting into horrible forms that seemed to leer at me. I managed to get up, making signs with my hands at the two women who seemed to be so lost in their conversation.

Suddenly, I lost my footing. My heart skipped numerous beats, and it became hard to breathe.