Chapter 20: Friendly Ties
Jenny couldn't even begin to understand how all these kids in this one small entrance room, shared her curse. She still questioned everything that Harold had told her and her father, about the Wolf-Man and that he existed. The kids that were there already, just stared at their feet; kicking dust around on the floor. One kid in particular, a tall overweight kid with snow white hair was looking at her. It was strange; the feeling that was now pounding through Jenny's veins. She felt a small attraction to this boy. She hadn't even noticed the fact that they were still looking at each other. The boy smiled, making Jenny's heart leap and she returned the smile.
He started to walk over to her, Oh God! Don't panic Jenny; whatever you do, do NOT panic! She kept thinking, while staring at the floor. "Hello! My name's George Sky, what's yours?" he asked in such a ow, booming voice. Jenny was taken aback by how low his tone was; however, she giggled and stuttered when she talked. "M-my name's J-Jennifer Warburton, but my Dad calls me Jenny." "I love that name, it's just so cool." George replied. He stuck his right hand out, which was as big around as a large skillet. She put her small right hand into his, and surprisingly he shook hers gingerly.
"So, what brings you to this school?" he asked. The way he said school felt out of place for Jenny. "Mr. Hadden brought me here, saying that he wanted to help me with my problems." "Problems? What problems? Do you mean lycanthropy?" He asked, staring into her face. Her cheeks burned hot but she continued to not look at him and talk. "Well yes that, but also other problems." Jenny was just kicking more dust around with her left foot, and tracing things into it. Both of her hands were behind her back now, and her head hung with shyness.
George reached over, and lifted her head up so he could get a better look at her. "You've got the most amazing eyes I've ever seen!" he told her. Jenny's heart raced now, trying to keep blood flowing through her. That's when she finally averted her eyes to look into his face. His steel grey irises could make any girl melt from the inside out. "Your eyes are very unique George, where'd you inherit them?" He retracted his hand, and coughed a little. "They... they're my father's eyes...." he turned around, and sniffed hard; rubbing his face. "Oh I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you sad." Jenny consoled him.
She reached over to grab his arm and when she did, he looked back at her. "It's nothing really, I was just really close to my dad you know? It's a touchy subject and I don't want to talk about it right now." "O-Okay." Jenny backed off, letting George recollect himself. As he did, another kid walked up to her; a girl this time. Her bright red hair amazed Jenny, making her feel at awe. "Hello! My name's, Erika Stein; what's yours?" "Jennifer Warburton, you can call me Jenny though." Erika grinned, "Well then, Jenny, what's your story?" Just as Jenny was about to speak, Harold cleared his throat. "Can I have everyone's attention please? Look over here now, I need to say something. Thank you!" He cleared his throat one more time and then spoke on. "I know that you are all wondering what you're doing here specifically and why I brought you here. The answer is, our kind has been ridiculed and taunted for over a century now. We go as far back as the early 1900's when our forefather, Larry Tolbus, was first infected with lycanthropy. He soon realized how to embrace this beast and also that it made him a better person entirely."
"So you never told me, what is your story?" Erika whispered in Jenny's ear. "I was infected by bloodline, not by bight. My father; well my former father, was infected by a bight and when I was born the infection spread off into me and now I have it." Erika sighed. "What's up with your belly though? Why are you pregnant?" Jenny's heart sank, and she could feel her father kicking wildly inside her. "It's a very; very long story..." Erika held onto Jenny's shoulders. "Tell me later?" she asked. "Yeah, I guess; You seem like a very nice person." she replied. "Well thanks for that! I don't normally get complimented that often by anyone." Jenny turned around, watching as Erika's sky blue eyes darted around frantically.
"Why's that?" she asked. Erika saw the confusion on Jenny's face and just shook her head. "It's something that I can't explain now. Perhaps later we can share our stories. I really like you Jenny, and I'm sure we'll be best friends soon!" Erika smiled, making Jenny feel warm inside. They nodded and then returned their attention to Harold. "Therefore, our main purpose in this school is to spread this helpful disease, not curse, but disease; which in turn will make the human race much more healthy and better off. Lycanthropy has many healing properties as well as perks for the human body. More of this will be explained during your lessons, which there are only two. Number one is the properties of Lycanthropy and number two, taming the beast that dwells within. For now however, I'd like to usher you all up to your rooms so that you can be acquainted with each other. The three girls can go to the bedroom to the right upstairs, and the two guys can have the bedroom to the left. Goodnight everybody; your first lesson is tomorrow."
With that being said, Harold left the room back to the dining room; letting them all stand in somewhat silence. "Shall we go then?" Erika asked. "Yes let's!" They both walked over to the old stairs, and climbed them. Every other stair would creak so loud that it whipped through the air. The walls looked so old, some bits even had green mold growing on them. The higher they climbed, the older the house appeared. All of the wallpaper had been ripped or worn away, but what could be made out about them was the fact that they were once red. There was a faint smell of rotting when they finally got to the top step.
The smell was like an animal had died and decomposed over a decade or so. Jenny's stomach was lurching from the horrific stench, making her fight back the urge to throw up. "Good GOD, it smells like crap up here!" Erika said. They continued walking down the sunken floor hallway, passing this huge cobweb that took up the entire ceiling. When they got to their room at the end of the hall, a loud click sounded. Followed by buzzing as electricity flew throughout the house. Light bulbs began to fill with a small white then quickly burned hot, illuminating the rooms slightly. So much dust covered them that they barely gave anything off. Their room was as dark and dirty as the rest of the house, if not; more so. The room itself was around ten feet wide by nine feet wide. The wallpaper in here was painted a dark green, but worn and ripped like the rest of the house. A low hanging chandelier was what lit this room up, hanging from the ceiling with a small, rusty, grime covered gold chain.
There was one king sized bed, which surprisingly was the cleanest thing in the room. In fact, it almost appeared brand new. Sitting next to this bed was one twin sized bed, for a single person to sleep on. All of the sheets and blankets on both beds were dark red, with black trim. And sewed into the blankets were the letters: SL. "What's that stand for?" Jenny asked. The floor creaked behind them, making both of the girls stop dead in their tracks. Jenny kept her focus on the two open windows that faced the trees behind the school. A kind voice broke their trance, "It stands for, the School of Lycanthropy."
Jenny and Erika both turned around at the same time, only to be greeted with a warm face. It was a black haired girl with dark skin and purple eyes. "Hello! My name's Hazel Fringe, what's yours?" she asked Jenny. "Oh, I'm Jennifer Warburton, but you can call me Jenny." "Nice to meet you!" Hazel replied, shaking her hand. "And yours is?" she asked Erika. "I'm Erika Stein, pleased to meet you." "Likewise." Hazel replied, shaking her hand as well. She sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "So, are you girls excited about this place? It kinda smells if you ask me." Jenny nodded, folding her arms.
"So tell me Hazel, what's your story? Where did you get your curse?" Hazel seemed confused about the question. "I-I haven't actually had the curse yet. I w-was bitten last full moon." "Oh God, well you're in for one hell of a time then." Jenny said. Erika smiled as did Hazel. "I'm sorry; all joking aside, it's pretty painful but once the transformation is done; it's quite exhilarating!" Jenny told her. Hazel's eyes were murky, shining with tears. Jenny reached over, pulling her into a hug. She stroked her hair, "It's alright, I promise you that it will soon be over before you know it. As for me; I've already transformed my first time at the last full moon."
"What did you do?" Hazel asked, as Jenny let go of her. Jenny tried to ignore her for a bit, while pondering on what to say. "I honestly can't remember what happened that night. All that I remember is being on a four lane highway and running over this bum that was laying on the sidewalk. My foot was so heavy that it crushed him a bit, but not enough to kill him. So I went back and just ate his heart or something; I don't honestly know." Hazel backed up, clapping her hands to her mouth. Erika just looked at her, but Jenny could see the excitement in her eyes.
"What about you Erika? When did you start the curse?" Jenny asked her. Erika stopped looking in her direction, and instead was very focused on the peeling wallpaper. She then walked over to the door, and closed it; locking it after it clicked into the doorframe. When she turned back around, fear was etched onto her face. "I too was bitten only a while ago. Not the last full moon but the one prior to that. Last full moon, I can remember fully. When I transformed I was in a church doing a scheduled chorus practice and I saw the full moon blazing through the stained glass windows. Before I knew it, my hands were already doubling in size and my feet tore through the shoes that bound them." She was silent for a moment.
Hazel placed her right hand on Erika's shoulder, and Jenny did the same with her left. Outside the door, the guys were already getting on each other's nerves. George was yelling at the other kid, telling him he had to learn how to treat women right. "What's he going on about out there?" Jenny asked. Erika rolled her eyes, as they stung with sadness. "He's my boyfriend, the one the other guy's yelling at. My boyfriend's name is Troy Cot; the one with the gorilla looking face." "Why is George yelling at him? He's going on about women's rights; what the hell's that all about?" Jenny replied.
"He's not the best guy in the world okay? He mistreats me so many times. He calls me names like: fatty, weirdo, ginger, wanna be. He's hit me on a few occasions and he also constantly yells at me right into my face." Erika said. She walked over to the king sized bed and sat at the very edge of it, burying it into her arms. Jenny nodded towards her, telling Hazel to sit down with her. Hazel nodded back, and the two walked over to sit next to Erika. Jenny squatted down onto her knees, grabbing a hold of Erika's hands. She looked up at her; her entire face carved with depression.
"We're here for you now Erika! I know we've just met but I like you and I'm sure Hazel feels the same way." Jenny lifted her head up to look at Hazel. "Yes, absolutely I am! Whenever you need the help, just come find us; please!" Hazel consoled her. "Thanks you girls, I'm just so tired of being treated like this. I've given Troy nothing but unconditional love, and I've never questioned where he was when it was late. He'd come home at like, twelve thirty a.m. and then has the nerve to call me out and accuse me of cheating on him!" "He sounds like a royal idiot to me, I'm just saying." Hazel said.
"I agree with you. Troy's just that way, he believes that women belong in the kitchen, cooking for the men who work all day long. He believes that since he's a male werewolf that I have to be locked up in the basement; which is an idea he brought up to me this morning before I came here." Jenny patted her knee, while Hazel stroked her hair. That's when it hit Jenny, "How'd you learn about this place anyway?" she asked. Hazel seemed interested as well, because she gave her full attention to Jenny. Erika was put on the spot; "I-I saw these weird advertisements stapled throughout this part of Philadelphia. Once I grabbed a hold of one of them, I got this insatiable urge to come up to this place."
"I was the same way Jenny! I found an advertisement taped to the front door of my parents' apartment and the second my fingers came in contact with the paper; I headed up here." Jenny stood up, pacing the room a bit, as thoughts started to ransack her mind. This house is oddly familiar to those visions I've been having. The dean of this "school" knows so much about the history of our curse. These weird ads made these kids come to the school and I'm sure there's still plenty more out there. God... this place just gets more confusing by the second. "Are you alright Jenny?" Hazel asked. Jenny jumped a bit; forgetting that the other two were there completely. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just; just thinking about some things, it's pretty complicated." She continued to go back and forth across the room, thinking.
Someone has had to of made those signs. And there's no way people would just touch it and want to come up here; there's gotta be a catch somewhere. "Um, we probably should go meet up with the guys and see how they're doing, maybe?" Hazel suggested. Jenny stopped, then turned towards her. "No, it's best that we leave them alone..." Suddenly pain erupted deep inside Jenny's belly, causing her to fall to her knees, clenching it. Her father was moving around so fast that she could see her skin bubbling where he hit it. The sign that was burnt onto her seemed to burn, white hot, as if someone was branding it onto her and pushing harder.
She fell onto her side, covering the symbol as it started to form more firmly into her abdomen. "My God! Are you okay Jenny?!" Erika yelled. She tried to pick her up but Jenny shook her off. "Please, j-just leave me alone for a bit..." Jenny cried out. "I'm sorry, I just want to help." Jenny waved her hand toward Erika. "It's alright, I just need some space." She began to sit up, still holding her left hand over the belly button.
It felt like her stomach had grown even more, because it was now exposed on the bottom; where it was covered previously. "Yeah, I'll be fine! Just; just give me room to breathe." Her breathing was rapid at the moment, as she tried hard to get air. When she stood up, the room was spinning fast; she stumbled over to the big bed and fell onto it. Just like that, she fell asleep; forgetting about the two other girls in her room as well.