Zoya’s P.O.V
“No! No! Stay away from me! Please…please don’t hurt me!” I cowered away from Sam, a man I no longer knew.
Who was he? What was he? I didn’t know any longer. I didn’t even want to know.
I just wanted all this to end. I just wanted to wake up from whatever this nightmare was, and when I did, I would realize that all this had been a bad dream and that I hadn't just witnessed a woman turn into a very large wolf, and Sam acting like he didn’t even care.
“Zoya, Zoya!” His last word was almost a roar of a sound that seemed to echo throughout the house, chilling me to the bone.
With my heart thrashing wildly inside my chest, and fear oozing out of every pore in my body, I turned to face him, my entire form trembling as I succumbed to the fear within me.
“I am not going to hurt you!” He spelled out each word, each syllable, as if he was talking to a misbehaving five year old. “But you need to listen to me! You need to understand what I’m trying to tell you! If you don’t listen, you’ll forever be in this state of panic, trying to distinguish between dream and reality and forever be scared of your own shadow!”
With every word he spoke, reality hit me like a punch to the solar plexus. I was alone in a house, in the middle of the woods, with a possible supernatural creature, who may or may not be a murderer. And I had absolutely no one I could call for help.
Suddenly, an unnatural kind of calmness descended upon me. The kind where a person accepts its fate at the face of eminent danger and waits for their end because there is nothing else to do; nowhere left to run.
Sam noticed it too, probably even noticed the reason why I was acting the way I did. Which is probably why he let out a soft sigh as he took a seat on the floor beside the door, as if he knew I had surrendered to my fate.
“Maybe this will help you understand better.” He finally told me. “How about we just listen to a little story? About the origin of magic and wonders? Nothing to worry about, right? Just a story.”
I nodded as if I was in a trance. I was no longer shivering. I was calm…my mind and my body, both were unnaturally calm.
Taking that as a sign, Sam began to narrate a story, spinning the wheels of an intricate world of wonder that sounded like the kind of story a mother told her child before bedtime. Except…this story was different…this story was very, very real.
*
The world used to be different, full of magic and wonder. The supernatural creatures lived side by side with humans, and there was a certain harmony to their coexistence. It had been the way of the world, the truth of life itself at its very core. Before dogs were domesticated for companionship, the supernatural was once man's best friend.
In a time long forgotten, humans and the supernatural had once lived peacefully, their lives intertwined like the roots of a tree. Humans and supernatural creatures worked together to create a better world, using their unique abilities to build beautiful structures and solve complex problems. The two groups lived in harmony, with each recognizing and respecting the other's differences.
On the streets of bustling towns and civilizations, humans and supernatural beings walked side by side, sharing laughs and exchanging ideas. Vampires and werewolves ran successful trades, while witches and wizards used their magic to create wondrous inventions that revolutionized the world. Fairies and sprites flitted through the air, spreading joy and wonder wherever they went.
The coexistence of humans and supernatural creatures was a beautiful thing, but it wasn't without its challenges. Prejudice and misunderstanding still existed, but they were minor issues that were easily overcome. The humans and supernatural creatures worked together to build a world where everyone was accepted, regardless of their differences.
Sadly, this time of peace and understanding didn't last. As human civilization progressed, they began to feel increasingly insecure about their lack of powers. As time went on, humans started to fear the unknown and the unexplainable. They started to create weapons designed to kill the supernatural beings, seeing them as a threat rather than valuable members of society.
As times changed, they began to build weapons and hunt the supernatural, driven by their own insecurities and a need for power. Greed and hubris, after all, were man's fatal flaws.
The supernatural creatures tried to reason with the humans, tried to show them that they weren't a threat, but it was no use. The humans continued to hunt and kill, and the supernatural were forced to retreat into the shadows. The supernatural creatures realized that they could no longer coexist with humans without risking their own lives. They hid themselves away, becoming nothing more than myths and legends in the eyes of the humans.
The humans soon forgot about the supernatural beings, and they now only existed as stories and tales to scare their kids into going to bed.
It was a sad time, a painful transition, for the supernatural creatures, who were forced to abandon their homes and live in hiding. They had to watch as their way of life was destroyed by the humans' fear and aggression. They had to leave their homes and their way of life, and it left them with a sense of deep loss. But they knew it was necessary for their survival. And so, the peaceful coexistence of humans and supernatural creatures became a distant memory, fading further into the past with each passing year.
But even as they retreated into the background, the supernatural couldn't help but wonder what would happen to them in the long run. Would they be able to survive in a world where humans no longer believed in them? Would they be able to stay hidden forever?
And that’s why, we began to wonder the earth once again, beside the humans just like our ancestors used to. However, this time, we kept our identities hidden. The man you watch selling steam buns down the street, the CEO of a large company, or even the man selling flowers, we are everywhere around you. But the only reason for that is to survive in this changing times. To blend in and to provide for our families as well.
—
I listened intently, not knowing what to think. It sounded like something that came straight out of a badly-written fictional novel. Werewolves? Vampires? Witches? Please, that wasn't scientifically possible!
But I couldn't deny that already, a part of me was convinced that this was true, that a part of me readily believed everything that Sam told me, because it was convenient and aligned with everything that I saw today.
There was so much I wanted to ask him. So many questioned that raced through my mind…but only one kept on lingering in my mind until it was a hum in my blood, until I was already uttering the words before I could stop myself.
“What are you?”
“I’m a werewolf.” His answer was instant and final, and a sense of knowing settled in the pit of my stomach at his words.