• Chp 1 Leaving
    Today I leave New York City for Oban, Scotland. And why am I going on such a long journey? To go live with my Dad, James. My mom, Adele, separated from him a few years ago. He never got over it. Still it’s much better than moving every few months. My step-dad works for a major company who want him everywhere at once. So far I’ve been in Florida, Alabama, Kansas, South Dakota and North Dakota. So I am going to live with my Dad. Going to catch up a few years because he missed out on a lot. My first swim, meeting my best friend… So I hope the sun follows me, I love the sun. But in Scotland the sun never shines under all the clouds. James… I wonder what he looks like now? I can‘t remember him that well…all I know is that he had dark black, thick hair like mine. My own hair was misbehaving, sticking up everywhere. I look in the mirror. My cheeks were red from the last minute packing and my light green eyes out shone my plain face. My freckled face grinned back at me. My teeth glinted in the artificial light of the bathroom. Peter, my step-dad, ushered me out of the old house and into the car. I’ll miss that house. The rickety steps to the patio, the garnish flower pots(bright red and ochre), the cracked plaster board from one too many “helicopter rides” and of course my mother. Adele, so sensitive and caring and harebrained and, at the moment, sad. Tears streamed down her face. I could read her mind, “My Claudie, my baby”. Then Peter drove off. Fast as the old sedan would go. I wanted him to stop, go back to mom, but he carried on through the green trees. Not a forest but the park. My park. The one with the pond, playground and plants. James took me there. He fell in the pond. He just laughed and pretended to be my frog and I’m the princess who had to kiss the frog. I loved that game. As night fell, I fell asleep. Peter woke me up to board the plane. A many hour flight. God I hate planes…

    My dad, James , met me at the airport. “ Hey Claudia.” That’s all he said until we got to his place. “Here’s your old room, Claudie…I’ll let you get settled.” A good thing about James is that he understands privacy.

    So no friends in a too cold place beside the sea… what is a girl to do? Go to the harbor, look around? I really need
    a car. There is no way I am using the old “head banger”. And it’s called that for a reason. The dreaded homemade seatbelts. Oh dear. And he’s still got them.

    I need to go shopping. My shirts have disappeared. I defiantly packed them. I know because I looked forever for them. Anyway, caught the bus down to the harbor and looked around. Nothing great. Just a dinner, a grocery store and a few weird shops like Spartan selling jeans that no one wants. A market takes place every Saturday, James told me. Hope there’s more variety there. James ordered a pizza for us to share. Pepperoni, my favourite. When I went to bed I swear I heard something in the room.

    I begged James to take me to the reserve the following day. “Claudia, nature?” James and nature don’t get along. “Dad please. I won’t fall into the lake. Please?”
    “Ok but be careful, I’ll pick you up at four.”

    I walk around the reserve a few times but got tired. I stopped to rest and three foxes stared at me through the bushes, a small one and two big ones. The small one skulked away while one of the others moved forwards. Suddenly a fury of red. The small one tore into my back while the big ones leaped in front of me. One of the big ones yanked the small one off me. Then I just fell to my knees, thinking I’m dead.
    All I saw was red. My head stung like crazy. My heart was pounding until it stopped and someone pounded my chest.
    Too hard. I was winded. Then, much gentler, someone’s lips touched mine. After that nothing.

    Chp 2 Realization
    “Oh my God! Is she hurt? My instincts just took over. I…”
    “Violet! Just calm down, OK?”
    “Jasper….Elliot….”
    “Violet, just go now. She’s waking up. Let’s go Elliot.”
    I could hear Violet and Jasper running as fast as the light speed of light seriously (whoever they are) but not Elliot.
    “Who are you? Where did the foxes go?”
    “I am Elliot Corrigan. And foxes?”
    “Yeah, the ones that attacked me”
    “Um Claudia I think you saw things and should go home now…”
    “Why?” I opened my eyes. God he was handsome.
    His reddish- brown hair fell perfectly over his face, his voice was like silk and those eyes…so blue it was impossible not to look. He laughed. His voice echoed in the woods. “Because you lost a lot of blood and may have permanent brain damage.”
    “Oh my God.” I sat up quickly. He laughed again. I realized that I had been really stupid.
    “I will see you, Claudia.” he shouted as he ran after Violet and Jasper. I had just found some worth staying in Oban for.

    I started school at Jordan High School on Monday. It was middle of the term. I would be her, the freak. I walked because no car. I am getting a car/anything on wheels for my 18th in August. It was mid May. A bit of a wait so my bus pass would be well used. As I walked into school, I saw him again. He was too beautiful for words. I saw Violet and Jasper and two other people, a guy and a girl. They were all extremely pretty. Violet waved excitedly at me. Elliot smiled. The other girl looked at me as if I was a ugly wart.
    The bell rang and everyone bustled inside.

    “Hey there! I’m Arabella! What’s your name?”
    Arabella Smith and Elise Daniels were my new best friends. I met Arabella in Math and Elise in English.
    “Who are you looking for? Anyone cute?”
    “Bella, you are completely boy mad.”
    “And don’t you forget it!” she laughed.
    “So who is it?”
    “Elliot Corrigan”
    “Elliot Corrigan? Really?”
    “I met him at the reserve.”
    “Wow. Did he…speak?”
    “Yeah…Who is with him?”
    “The darkest, tall, black hair guy is Tobias. The other one is Jasper. The short dark haired girl is Violet, she is with Jasper. The last one, the blonde, is Loretta. She is with Tobias. She is a total snob. They are Felix and Camille’s adopted kids. They are both hot. Felix… Prowr! And Camille looks like a model.”
    “Bella, he is 35 and you just turned 17.” Elise looked mock concerned. She look over her tiny glasses.
    Bella laughed. Not like Elliot, too full of herself.

    I carried on to class ( Trig) where Elliot was sitting on his own. Mr. Lister put me beside him. He held a cloth in front of his face as if I smelt bad. I got really self- conscious. Did I have a B.O problem? He stood up quickly, annoyingly scraped his chair across the lino, and glided gracefully out the door. I sat still, feeling tears well up in my eyes, looking really stupid, chewing my lip. The bell went and I sprinted out of class, not caring about holding back tears, and went in the bathroom.
    “Claudia? It’s Violet. Look Elliot was a jerk but he wants you safe and being friends with us isn’t safe so we’re going to leave you alone now… Please stop crying.”
    I sighed. Elliot not safe? He saved my life. No matter what I’ll still love him.
    “Violet…He saved my life. Him and Jasper. No matter what, I’ll stick with him. Even if he doesn’t want me.”
    “Ok, I’ll tell him…He won’t be happy…”
    I heard muttering and raised voices. It seems the whole of the Corrigans were there.
    Violet and Loretta came in.
    “Loretta, just do it.”
    Loretta’s eyes were very beautiful… and so big. It made me sleepy…
    “NO! Stop hypnotizing me!”
    “She isn’t as stupid as she looks” Loretta shot me killer looks.
    “Claudia…” Violet looked tired and looked at Loretta.
    “ I want Elliot!”
    “Shut up, you sulking brat. Let me hypnotize you and go away. You could mess this completely for us. So…let’s try again…”
    Loretta grabbed my face, level to hers. Her eyes worked overtime.
    “NO! Elliot! Help me!” I screamed.
    Elliot burst through the door. Loretta dropped me. Elliot looked close to tears. I think he likes me. A lot.
    “Loretta, stop now. She wouldn’t let you do it. Here let me.”
    Elliot lifted me and held me towards Loretta. Her eyes zapped me quickly but I had some resistance.
    “You are in my control, Claudia. You will forget about Elliot and the day at the reserve, wouldn’t you?” Loretta sang.
    “No.”
    “No? Elliot kiss her and make her drowsy.” Loretta ordered.
    Elliot looked so sorry as he kissed my cold lips. I see, I thought, Elliot has a drowsy kiss and a venomous bite. I pulled away.
    “No, NO, NO!!! STOP IT NOW, LORETTA!”
    “I’ll crush your face in, you…”
    “NOOOOOO!!” A white hand shot up and protected me. “Not in this lifetime, Loretta.”
    He turned back to me. “Claudie, now I know you love me and I love you from the moment I saw you but I might hurt you.”
    “But you saved me…”
    “No, I nearly killed you. I’m a shapeshifter. I can become animals. I was one of the foxes.”
    “No…you…you can’t be. What about the small one and the other one and…”
    “Violet and Jasper. And our instincts kick in when we’re animals and you looked like a big meal to us. I am attracted to your flesh. It smells too good to avoid. It is extremely hard not to turn into a wolf and eat your flesh right now.”
    “Then just do it. I have nothing to live for anyway.” Elliot looked in pain as if he was trying so hard not to eat me.
    Then he kissed me. I felt amazing. I wrapped my arms around him and he stroked my hair.
    “I have waited too long for that.” He laughed.