Ariella
“Happy birthday, Sweetheart,” mom says, gently waking me. “You have to get up now.”
“I don't want to,” I snap, rolling over and squeezing my eyes closed. That was the best sleep I’ve had in ages.
“If you don't get up now, you'll have a real bad wake-up call in about forty-five minutes or so,” she says, sounding amused.
“Why?”
“Because it's almost nine AM?”
I open my eyes. I slept for six hours?
Aura…
“Dad's making breakfast. Do you want a shower?”
“No,” I say, finally rolling over. “I'll just put a robe on.”
Mom smiles at me. She looks beautiful, as always. I can’t wait to wake up and look as beautiful as she does, naturally.
“I just can't believe you’re twenty,” she gushes with sudden tears in her eyes. “I’m so proud of you, Ariella Sarenity James, and I feel so honoured that you are my daughter.”
I hold her hand, feeling a tightness in my chest. “Mom...”
“Your father and I have dreamed of this day for so long. We prayed for it; prayed over you. Your father wanted children for centuries before you arrived. This day is so important to him, to both of us. I know things aren't how you may have wanted them to be, but your father and me will always always be here for you. No matter what.”
“Oh, mom,” I gush and reach over her bump to hug her. “I love you so much, and dad. You are the best parents and will be to my baby brother or sister in there, too,” I say as I pull back and rub her belly through her floral maxi-dress.
She rests a hand over mine. “Thank you, sweetheart. Come on, you should eat before your change. Dad made your favourite to go with your steak.”
“Peanut butter waffles?”
“Yep. He even went out early to get extra syrup.”
Dad...
***
Dad's already plated up our food and is sitting at the island waiting for us. He gets up to hug me when I reach. “Happy birthday, princess,” he says as he squeezes me.
“Hey, too hard,” I protest against his chest. “I ain’t changed yet, remember?”
“Sorry,” he says and releases me. “I'm excited.”
I can’t help but smile at him. “I can see that.”
He kisses my forehead and then sits back down. “I wanted to wake you hours ago, but mom wouldn’t let me. I could barely sleep all night.”
I smile. “You two are so cute.”
He recoils. “Cute?”
I leave him to his horror and sit down to tuck into my waffles after drowning them, and my barely cooked steak, in syrup. I moan at how good they taste. “These are amazing, dad, thank you.”
“You're welcome, baby.”
I eat quickly, not because of the time, but more because I feel like I'm starving. I even get second helpings of everything.
Dad suddenly pushes a small red box across the island to me. “Happy twentieth,” him and mom say together.
I shake my head. “I thought I said no more jewellery?”
“This one is different,” mom says.
I’m instantly intrigued. I push my plate away so I can open the box. Oh, God… “Mom, Dad,” I whisper.
They’ve got me a platinum and diamond necklace like mom’s, but with my initials, ASJ. It might not seem special, but it is because the chain stretches. I used to play with mom’s when I was a child. I remember sitting on her lap and pulling on it for hours on end, and it never once broke.
I always said I would love one of these, but I had no need for it because I wasn’t a ware yet and didn’t need jewellery that stretched. But I do now.
“I love it so much. Thank you, both.”
“You’re welcome,” they say together
“Are you gonna wear it?” Mom asks.
“Yes!” I take it out of the box and put it on. It rests about level with my breasts and twinkles in the light when I move. “It’s beautiful and means a lot.”
Dad holds mom’s hand on the island. “We got you something else but it ain’t gonna be ready until after you wake up.”
“Really? What is it?”
“Nice try,” dad says, shaking his head.
“I’m just jokin’. I can’t wait to see what it is.”
God, my parents are so amazing. I think about whether to tell them about the magic… Even if they’re shocked, I know they’ll be supportive…
Butterflies suddenly swarm my stomach. I’m gonna tell them… I don’t wanna carry the weight on my own anymore. “I have something to tell you,” I say nervously, looking at the time. I’ve only got fifteen minutes.
“What?” Mom asks, already panicking.
I take a deep breath. “My change isn't gonna be a normal one.”
“What do you mean,” dad asks ominously. Mom’s giving me the naughty kid look, too.
“Um, well, I'm kinda gonna be getting magic, too.”
“What!” they shout.
“Uh, yeah. Aura says I'm gonna be an elder.”
“What!” they shout even louder.
I reach over the island to hold their hands. “Yeah. Don't worry, though, mom. She told me when I was born. When she held me?”
I can see her remembering. “You stopped crying when she held you. She said you called for her.”
“Please don’t worry. I’m okay with it. Aura said she'll come for my change, so now that you know, she doesn't have to hide. Aura?” I smell her beside me before I look up at her.
She smiles. “You have decided to tell your parents.”
“We need to talk, Aura,” mom says. “I have... concerns.”
“Of course you do. We will discuss your concerns while Ariella sleeps. For now, it is time.”
I look at the clock again. Five minutes!
Shit. This is actually gonna happen.
Mom holds my hand tighter. “Time to go outside.” She gives me a reassuring smile but I can see she’s dwelling on what I’ve told her.
I don’t have time to console her now.
“It’s okay, mom. Let's do this.”
We all go outside and I stand in the clearing between the swing bench and the memory garden. Mom and dad both come to kiss and hug me. “We love you, so much,” they tell me.
“And I love you, both.” Excitement and fear are racing through me now. This is happening. Like, really happening.
“I can take the pain away from you,” Aura says as she stands a few feet away from me, next to my parents.
I quickly shake my head. “No. It's okay. I want to experience this properly. No matter how much it hurts, or even if I beg you, don’t take the pain away from me.”
She nods. “So be it. Have you made the decision over your magic?”
“I have. I want you to delay it. Just until I’ve learnt how to control my ware.”
She nods her head but gives nothing away regarding her thoughts on the matter. “As you wish, Ariella.”
I take off my robe and then throw it at dad. He catches it and I’m sure I can see sympathy in his gold eyes. I look down at my feet; I’m freezing in just my shorts and tank, but the adrenaline surging through me quickly warms me back up. My heart is thumping like crazy now, but it also feels as if it’s slowing down... “You better practice your training skills, dad. You're gonna need them.”
He chuckles at that. “I was ready to train you the day you were born, princess,” he says proudly.
“And now it's twenty years lat—AHHHHHHHHH!”
“Oh, God!” Mom screams and steps closer, but I fall to my knees and hold my stomach. Pain. Pain. PAIN! Everywhere!
Everywhere!
“Baby!” I hear dad.
“Dad! AHHHHH!” I scream again. “Mom…” I sob before gasping again.
I feel them beside me as I stare at the ground. “We’re here, sweetheart. We’re right here.” I feel their hands on my back, but a sweep of pain makes me fall forward. I only just manage to reach my hands out in time to hold myself up on all fours.
My arms tremble from the pain. They feel like they’re breaking under my skin. My elbows lock and I grip the grass between my fingers. Oh, God… I never expected it to hurt this much…
Another rush of pain strikes me in the back. I gasp because it feels like I can't breathe. I gasp and gasp, and gasp again, but no air comes.
I’m suffocating!
“I know it hurts, baby girl,” Dad sympathises. “But you need to calm down and breathe.”
“Can't...” I cry out and feel the hot tears running down my face. “Can't...” I hear my clothes tear from my body. I look at my hands and they’ve grown. Oh, God, its starting! I'm actually changing...
I feel Mom and dad move back a little. “Focus,” dad says as I start to grow. “Look at what you can see. Don’t think about how much it hurts.”
I feel my skin burning in random places all over my body, tearing on my arms and legs, on my back... I close my eyes and try to breathe, but I can only manage short pants. I’m dying… The pain… Something is wrong with my heart!
“Your hair is coming through now,” mom says, sounding excited. “Not much longer now, sweetheart. Open your eyes. Your vision, Ariella. What can you see?”
I open my eyes and startle. I can see so much clearer; everything is more defined; the ridges on the blades of grass, the tiniest of hairs on my hands... Oh, God, it’s spreading all up my arms, and I have claws!
I gasp when I realise that the hair coming through is dark brown and white.
White!
I can finally take a deep breath and my chest stops burning. I have a snout! I can smell the trees in the woods, the scent of the maple trees… Aura’s smell is stronger, too, but I can smell my parents the most and their individual scents.
I can smell the ware in them, and mom’s pregnancy on her. I can hear them breathing, I can hear their heartbeats, the music in the sunroom, the sound of the wind through the trees, the rush of the icy breeze finding its way through the fur on my body…
And I don’t feel the cold anymore.
I hear a car approaching. Someone’s coming…
My body starts shaking uncontrollably, and then I smell him—really smell him.
Oh.
My.
Lorrrrrd.
I can’t believe he came back here after what I said. “Mom, dad… DavAHHHHH!” I try to say his name but it comes out as a half whine, half growl.
“We know, princess,” dad soothes. “Don't worry about him now. It will all be okay. It's almost over.”
I suddenly realise that the ground is so much further away from my face and I know I’m at my full size. God, I’m so big!
“Oh, sweetheart, you are beautiful, just as I knew you'd be,” mom says, her voice full of pride.
I hear banging on the front door and then running footsteps.
Aura steps closer to me. “It is time, Ariella. It is time for me to give you the gift that I promised.”
Blue light blinds my eyes, surrounding me in stars in a dark universe. But then my neck is snapped back with a loud crack, and I'm forced to howl; it’s as if it’s being pulled out of my throat. It's so loud that it hurts my ears.
“You did it,” I hear dad adoringly. “I'm so proud of you.” He sounds like he’s crying.
Oh, Dad!
I see the past in vivid colour; Ariya, Clantius, Pires, Luaruss. I see the kratius, all their seven kingdoms, and all that inhabit them. I see the world before werewolves, and then I see each of my family members being born, right up until now. I see everything, the beginning of life, all the wars of this world, the creation of Aura’s magic...
And then I see Davonyé, standing there, staring at me as if it were only the two of us that existed in the entire world.
It's just us in a silent darkness. I smell his scent so strongly, hear his heart racing, feel his torment caused by seeing me like this.
“I'm sorry,” he says, but I don't know if he's said it out loud or if I've heard his thoughts.
My howl slips away from me and the pain in my body leaves with it. The blue light returns and hurts my eyes.
‘Go now, Ariella,’ I hear Aura. ‘You have much to see and learn.’
I suddenly feel weak, so tired... I try my hardest to keep my eyes open but feel myself falling as I return to my human form.
Falling...
“Oh, sweetheart, I've seen you,” I hear mom’s faint voice. “I've finally seen you, and you are…”
I try to hold on to consciousness to listen to her, but as soon as I feel myself in dad's arms, everything I see, hear, and feel slips away.