16 The After-Effects

POV - William Riley

My eyes opened with a slight bit of tension, like they were caked in something.

I felt my body shivering. Not from the cold but from the aftershocks of the pain I'd just been through. Flashes of images came into my head and I felt lost in my own head for a few seconds. Like the images were creating an ocean that was currently drowning me.

But before I could even begin to make sense of that, my eyes opened fully and I found myself looking into the partially eaten corpse of a big ass moose.

Out of shock, I threw myself back and away from the corpse. Behind it were a few more corpses but these ones had been picked clean and only skeletons were left over with a few scrapes of organ.

Flashes of images that showed me chowing down on the animals caused me to bring a hand to my mouth, only to see that the hand was caked in blood and fur. The smell was intoxicating to me, which further confused me. I instantly felt sick as I realized I'd been eating raw meat during whatever happened.

I began to realize why I was here - I'd looked up at the moon and I'd began to change.

Into what, I had no idea. But I'd definitely changed.

At that point, I realized something far more important, "Edythe...!" I gave a harsh whisper as I stood up, looking around. I found nothing. Before I could even begin to worry, another flash of what I presumed to be a memory passed through my mind.

I was on my knees, eating my own flesh--gorging myself on it.

Regardless of the blood and fur on my hands, I covered my mouth, trying to stop the bile from coming out of my mouth. But I was too late. I bent over, coughing up bloody chunks of flesh. Whether they were mine or animal meat was unknown to me. I kept on heaving even after there was nothing left to throw up, leaving a relatively small pile of bloody flesh in front of me.

I'd eaten part of myself. I'd cannibalized myself. Just the very thought of it made me queasy again and I dry heaved once more.

After doing that, I collapsed onto my knees and looked down at my hands.

...What am I?

That was the only thought going through my head. Flooding through it. Every image or memory of last night that I deciphered only lead to me asking what I was even more. I had absolutely no clue what I was now or what happened last night.

I heard a step to the left of me and in my hyper-tense state, my head snapped in that direction, only to see Edythe looking at me blankly, before her face melted into one of pure worry.

She flashed to the door for the glass slider between me and her, and she quickly unlocked it and pulled it aside. Oddly enough...I could see her running. It was still quick, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't as blurry as before. But that didn't mean as soon as she opened the door, she threw herself onto me, hugging me so tight that I thought I'd pop.

But I didn't. I felt...sturdier.

"Oh, William!" Edythe said with a relieved voice, "The sun came up an hour ago yet you didn't change back. I began to worry so much," she whispered while kissing the top of my head and forehead, seemingly unaffected by the bloodied appearance.

...Which I guess makes sense because she's a Vampire.

Looking at the bronze-haired Vampire showing me affection I'd otherwise be greatly happy with, I couldn't feel anything other than lost still.

"...W-what happened, Edythe? When...when I saw the moon, everything just got so p-painful," I spoke, my words being cut up and stuttered at times because of my jaw and tongue feeling incredibly stiff. But Edythe got what I meant and she pulled back, her beautiful face twisted in a sad expression. I wanted to wipe that sad expression away but knowing that it had something to do with what happened to me last night...well, it told me that it wasn't that simple to get rid of.

"Let's get you upstairs and into the shower first, okay? Then we can go and speak to Carlisle. He's been wanting to speak to you since last night," she trailed off, her voice calm yet also tense. I didn't like where this was going. Or that tense tone.

But I nodded anyway and helped her get me to my feet.

Despite feeling so sturdy and...different, my body felt like it was made of lead or rubber. Or both, somehow. I felt drains of all energy.

Luckily I still had enough to walk but that didn't mean every step didn't take everything I had while also paining me. My joints felt out of place and they rubbed against each other heavily. It felt both odd and excruciating. Like I had sand paper between every joint in my body, grinding away and filing down the bone and cartilage. Not to mention how my brain felt like it was being squeezed for juice like an orange.

Yet Edythe had me. She supported me all the way up the stairs and toward the bathroom. She turned the shower on and gave me some privacy.

Not that I needed any. I was already naked and she'd practically seen everything I had to offer.

"Whatever..." I mumbled to myself before stepping into the shower and beginning to scrub at the blood on my...well, on my everything. Thinking about it, I hope the Cullens have some effective drain cleaner because after this shower, that drain is never gonna be the same again.

. . .

It had really taken some time to get all that blood and fur off of me but that had allowed me a good time to sift through the images/memories I had of last night. It started off with small things but eventually I started beginning to remember last night with more and more clarity.

I...chuffed, last night. Like a tiger. I'd seen it on a documentary once. Tigers, just like other big cats, couldn't purr. They traded out that ability for the ability to roar. I also remember my fur in that form. It was orange with black stripes and the inside of my arms, legs and my abdomen were white. Which left me with one possible outcome.

I was a Tiger Shapeshifter--well, actually no, I was a Tiger something.

...And seeing as I turned after I saw a full-moon, I'd be more likely to assume I was a Weretiger, honestly.

But the first part about that shower? Whenever I washed away the blood and fur...there was somehow still more. Hidden away in the cracks and then hidden away in the cracks of the cracks. In the small nooks and crannies. My armpits were especially hard to get it all out of. For some reason.

I'd tried to stay away from questioning myself about what I was. Edythe seemed to know something about it, which meant her family and more specifically, Carlisle, would know as well. I just had to wait.

However, it was an agonizing wait. Questions just pop into your mind during a shower. And the questions I needed to know...were very hard to forget.

Anyway, as I finally got out of the shower, I saw some spare clothes Edythe had no doubt got me:

A blank white shirt and some black sweatpants. They fit just fine and I opened the bathroom door, to see a pacing Edythe.

"Hey there," I tiredly said with a small grin. Edythe's expression softened as she walked toward me and hugged me out of nowhere. I wasn't about to say no to a hug from Edythe, so I just hugged her back but I still asked, "What did I do to deserve such a great greeting?" I said as I stroked Edythe's back, the Vampire practically purring in reply.

For a second I thought of making a joke about me being the cat, so why is she purring, but I didn't want to ruin the moment, honestly. Nor did I want her to not answer my question by distracting her.

Edythe pulled back and looked up at me, an ice-cold hand coming up and stroking my cheek, "I'm just glad you're back...I was sure to have lost you, my dear William," she cooed softly.

But I felt even more confused, "You...you're speaking about this like you know what happened to me, Edythe. Why? If you know, just tell me," I said with a slightly forceful voice. My feelings for Edythe tried to reprimand me but my confusion and the lost feelings I was currently undergoing right now were too fresh in my mind for me to not to bring it up.

She looked at me for a few seconds before nodding, "I knew of people who were like you. But you're nothing like those frenzied mutts...you're still you, William, and I'll stick with you to the very end," she said placing her ear to my chest, listening to the steady thumps of my heart, "Carlisle will explain it to you better than I can. Please do not think I'm hiding things from you because I am not and nor will I ever," she said and I felt instantly at ease.

She wasn't lying. I could somewhat tell when others were lying but ever since I found out what Edythe was, I'd discovered how to tell if she was lying or not.

And she wasn't lying right now.

So I felt somewhat more at ease. The confusion wasn't gone but it wasn't raging about at the front of my mind anymore.

Leaning down, I kissed the top of her head, taking in her scent before I spoke into her hair, "Let's go and speak to Carlisle then. I'm dying to know what happened last night," I said and Edythe shook a little before she nodded her head and led me on my way.

I couldn't shake off that there was more to that shake than I knew at the moment and that thought scared me somewhat.

. . .

Now, I was sitting opposite Carlisle in his study. He sat behind a desk, organizing some papers before he politely smiled at me, "How are you feeling, William? That transformation was quite...stressful-looking," he said and I winced at the memory.

"...Yeah, it was pretty bad," I started before looking down at my hands before back up at Carlisle, "But other than some subtle weakness and nausea, I feel fine...ish," I added with a wry smile.

Carlisle gave me an understanding smile before he began to speak, "I know you have questions, William. Anyone would. But I need to tell you to keep your calm before I even begin to speak, okay?" he said and despite feeling unsure, I still gave a nod in reply. "Good," he said before he carried on, "You're not just a Shapeshifter, William. The blood and tissue samples I took showed me that and your transformation last night further confirmed it."

His words rang in my head and I felt slightly like I was being torn and dragged around. A few weeks ago I had been told that I was a Shapeshifter and not even a month later I'm told I'm something else as well?

...Like, seriously, give me a break dammit...

Taking my silence as me not really having anything to say or ask, Carlisle continued, "You're part Shapeshifter, William. The other part...is where everything gets a bit complicated. It's a race of people called Children of the Moon or to put it simply, they're Werewolves. You're a hybrid between both species. From what I can gather, your Shapeshifter genes were awakened by the awakening of your Werewolf genes not by the introduction of being near Vampires. It's really quite fascinating--" he was cut off by Edythe who looked quite annoyed.

"Carlisle, get to the point. I'm sure William doesn't have the state of mind to listen to this kind of talk," she partially hissed at Carlisle who just looked at her before nodding and giving me an apologetic look.

"I must apologize, William, I got slightly carried away toward the end," he lowered his head somewhat before continuing, "But what I mean to say is that your Shapeshifter genes allowed for the full-moon to begin that transformation in you. If you had finished the changes* every Shapeshifter is going through before the full-moon, you wouldn't have underwent that transformation which finalized your Hybrid status," he said before sighing and looking at me with so much pity I found it actually beginning to worry me, "I can only say that I feel immensely sorry for your bad luck, William," he said accompanied with another sigh.

(*A/N - As a Vampire, he doesn't know what Phasing is. But he is aware that Shapeshifters go through a change before they can shift into their Animal forms. Hence why he refers to it as a 'change'.)

"What do you mean I have bad luck?!" I found myself outraged a little as I stood up and looked down at Carlisle who barely moved or flinched from my actions, "I'm fine! Nothing bad has happened to me, so stop saying it like something has!" I shouted, continuing with my charade to fool myself.

Carlisle smiled sadly and I felt Edythe grabbed my hand, gripping it tightly with her own, "William, Children of the Moon are on the opposite side from Vampires in this world. You could even say they're our rivals," he began before sighing as he continued, "They're our rivals because..." he trailed off, obviously finding something difficult to say to me.

Parts of information were coming together in my mind but I tried to continue to deny the possibility of what he was saying by acting ignorant, "What? Just say it, Carlisle!" I spat out, my frustration and confusion reaching an all-time high.

Carlisle looked to me before closing his eyes and massaging the bridge of his nose. He did this for a few more seconds before he opened his eyes, dropped his hand from his nose and leaned forward toward me, "They're our rivals because they share the same food source as us. Given by the behavior you showed last night during your transformation, William, you...you share the same dietary needs as other Children of the Moon."

His words shattered through me, blowing away any ignorance I was willfully trying to hold onto.

I fell back into my chair.

The devoured animal corpses. The memories of eating my own flesh that was strewn about the floor. The bloodied chunks in my vomit that proved it wasn't all a dream.

I needed to eat raw flesh and blood.

The worst part of all was that I felt hungry right now. The very thought that I needed to eat...'that' made me want to throw up again. Even when I tried to pull the wool over my eyes again, the hunger didn't go away. It just burned hotter.

I pulled my hand from Edythe's and barreled out of the room.

I needed air. I felt sick.

But as soon as I got into the main hall for the Cullen's House...I smelt something so delicious I found myself frozen.

I tried to turn around or to at least ask for help. But something weaseled it's way into my head. The thought that...maybe it wasn't a human I was smelling. That it wasn't a human who made my stomach burn with hunger. That it wasn't a human who gave off such a tasty-smelling scent...that it wasn't a human who smelt so mouth-wateringly tantalizing.

My hunger blinded me and the ignorance I was just struggling to pull back over my eyes was easily yanked into place by my hunger. It was boundless.

I blasted out of the house, the heavy oak door bursting into pieces as I shot through it, barely even feeling any resistance. All the while, my hunger kept tricking me. It could've been an especially tasty Bear. Or one of those big Moose. Maybe even a few wolves sticking around together.

I sprinted through the woods, the dirt below my feet blasting away like mini-explosions were being set off under it. My shoulders barely scraped trees and yet the trees had the bark and the wood inside it blown off merely by being touched my my shoulder and the momentum of my body. I heard something from behind me and before I knew it, I was on the ground, two people holding me down.

I recognized the scents. Edythe and Edward*.

(A/N - These are the only two who could probably catch up to him this easily.)

"Get off of me!" I roared, thrashing however I could. But their superior position on me and the fact there was two of them, made it near impossible for me to escape. "I'm just hungry!" I indignantly roared again.

"William! Use your ears you idiot! Listen to what you were about to run at and kill!" Edward harshly whispered to me.

I wanted to refute him but a small, tenacious part of me didn't see the harm in trying what he asked. I'd only hear an animal, after all.

So I did what he asked and focused my senses.

For about a kilometre in front of us, there was nothing but birds and insects. Then I realized what was in front of us and passed the forest we were in.

Forks.

I was running to Forks with the intention to eat someone there.

I just rested my head against the ground. Confusion and disgust flying around in my head. Only one major thought accompanied those feelings and it wouldn't stop appearing at the forefront of my mind:

What the fuck was I just doing?