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Our first place Middle School category winner was written by Saugonian Raquel Manley, a eighth grade student at the Belmonte Middle School. |
Why do people and animals enjoy power? Is it just the nature of us? And once we get even the smallest taste of power we crave more and more of it. People, animals, and beasts, like werewolves, crave power. I want to tell you a little tale of what the craving of power did to one werewolf. This is a personal story of how the Great Moon Clan of Salem came to be.
It was three weeks until Halloween. John was bouncing off the wall at his mother for the billionth time. "Come on Mum, I'm not going egging. I just want to go into Salem with Liam and Abby. You know, do some haunted houses, get food, people watch." Being sixteen and Mr. Independent, John was going to convince his mother that, even though he dressed in all black in ninety degree heat and listened to the heavy metal music, he was not weird and Salem was not dangerous. His mother replied in such an exasperated voice that many would feel sorry for her, "Ok fine, you can go, but on two conditions. One keep your head on, don't do anything that could get you hurt or dragged home by the police. Two, watch Liam. You know I don't trust him. He's irresponsible and all this wolf talk he raves on about. I don't like it."
Even John had to agree, Liam was a strange kid. First of all he practiced Wicca, not that John had a problem with it. It was just that, in this small town, Sunday Mass was a good way to see the entire population. It made him a bit of an outsider. The werewolf talking even freaked John out sometimes. An over active imagination, John had decided, but it was so in-depth.
Two weeks to Halloween and the full moon. Liam whispered to his mother, "Ma, can I go hunting with you this moon, I want to try?" Liam was sitting at the table doing his twenty pounds of homework he had put off. "Shush" his mother hissed, "You know I do not want you to hunt, you've never done it, it's a horrible habit. And your stepfather is here so quiet." Then his stepfather Stephen called from the den down the hall, "Did I hear hunting, son, sure I'll take you out this weekend."
Both of them groaned, Great another useless bonding trip , Liam thought. Stephen was not a werewolf. His mum was planning to bite him soon and place him in the head position of her late husband. Liam naturally hated Stephen, he thought to himself, Yeah, I'll go hunting, I'll hunt you! His mother glared at him from the comer of her eye. Liam loved being a werewolf. The mind reading thing was a cool ability. Most of all he liked the power of the Northeast pack. It was his place, head dog, not Stephen's. All Liam wanted to do was hunt and in two weeks when he turned seventeen he could hunt without his mother. He had a plan to make his power and ability perfect, which was amazing for his age. He would make a small pack of his own, so what if he had to start the horrible and addictive hunting. It was only the two most important kills that he would make on this wonderful Halloween.
One week to Halloween, the full moon, and the start of the clan. Abby was pacing her room, waiting for Liam's call to see if they were going. Her parents weren't going to be home they never were and didn't pay much attention to Abby. Liam was the one who cared most about her. No one was like him, other than John. Liam and John were her family. Brrring - brrrring the savior phone call and Abby practically lunged across the room for the phone in eagerness. "Hello, oh good, we're all going? Ok six-thirty. Yes my birthday boy I'll be there. Bye Liam." She hung up the phone and did a happy dance around the room. Then she wrapped up the black skull cap and silver chain she bought him. On top she placed a blood red rose and thought to herself. This will be the best birthday he's ever had.
"Hurry up Johnny, don't make Abby wait." Liam hollered at him from the junk-yard-piece- of-metal-turned-car that Liam babied almost as much as Abby. Once John had wrestled away from his mother, which took forever because his mother was trying to stick another ID on him in case anything happened to him, and they were off. "Dude, tonight is going to be awesome. I mean really the sun is already setting and the full Hunters moon is rising. Don't you think that it's cool that it's a Hunters moon of all months it's in the month of my birthday?" "Uh right the moon, ok Lupin, what are you gonna do, turn into a werewolf?" replied John. Sounds like a good idea Johnny , Liam thought to himself. They pulled up and Abby was sitting out front. She was absolutely stunning. She had a knee length skirt that looked as though it was simply a black canvas for spiders to spin their inspiring webs on. Her top was simple and elegant and red. The contrast of her jet black flowing hair made her look like a princess of the darkness and moon.
It took Liam a fall thirty seconds to realize this too, and perhaps longer if John hadn't pushed him out of the car. "Go get her, she's waving to you to come in the house. Move idiot." Liam got out of the car and the hair stood up on the back of his neck. He couldn't tell if it was because of the slowly rising, radiant moon or the fact of actually biting someone so beautiful. "Back in a minute John, I just need to get something." said Abby. Liam thought, This is the start of the clan, finally!
Liam followed Abby into the house and down the never ending hall way to her room. On her bed sat a paper bag wrapped package with “Happy Birthday Liam!” written on top. Even stranger was the blood red rose next to the happy birthday message. He sat down on the bed and opened the present. His heart was pounding the whole time. Smiling she sat next to him and told him softly, "I love you Liam." She prepared to kiss him, God of all times, he thought, Tempting kiss or bite?
It was a smooth bite, on the side of the neck. "What... What was that?!" she exclaimed in a scared voice after he backed off. Her blood had tasted so sweet. He was afraid she wouldn't respond to the bite well, but he had seen many people been bitten before. Abby was flipping out. This is like something out of a horror movie! she thought. Liam smiled as he read her thoughts. "I bit you," Liam said rather bluntly "you are now a werewolf, instinct will kick in in a minute. It's best if you sit down." He tried to comfort her, but she still stood staring at him in utter confusion "Relax and sit," he whispered as calmly as he could "when my father bit me everything I needed to know and all the desires of the biter were transmitted through the bite."
Abby sat down painstakingly slowly only because instinct told her to trust Liam. She looked down at the tan carpet on the floor, she could see everything and smell everything too. Turning her head she looked up and saw the moon. Her body twitched violently all over. The feeling of all that hair and the painful snap of the spine then ecstacy a werewolf feels is totally undescribable. All of a sudden Abby felt this and started to accept what was going on. Oh my God, what wh ..., I'm a werewolf! played over in her mind about thirty times. I've got a tail! She exclaimed to herself and Liam decided they should get going. He shut the blind and she quickly transformed back. "Shall we go?" he asked timidly, most werewolves didn't take it this well. "Yes" she replied to Liam's relief, "You are really part of my family now. We're the head of the clan, right?'
Back to the car they strode, Abby with a slightly nervous but altogether happy expression on her face. Her teeth hadn't fully receded and she was still absorbing all the new information. Liam hopped in the drivers seat with a grin that was a little too broad for a simple birthday present. John raised his eyebrows at him. "What Johnny, come on lets get outta here!"
"Come and look at these fairy books John, the pictures are wicked cool." Abby said in glee, but John could tell through the glee she was worried about something. All three of them were in their glory turning over the old used paperbacks from the musty book store. The street was decorated from the ground up with spider webs, black cats and anything else that would scare the pants off someone. Tourists bustled along the main drag in witch hats and every thing else that vendors sold. "Amateurs." John remarked to Liam, "These people are so preppy by day." "Yeah I know. Hey will you come over here with me I think there's something wrong with Abby." Liam whispered. Abby had been acting a bit strange but John didn't think any thing earth shattering had happened in the house.
"What's up?' John asked in a now worried voice. Liam's canine teeth seemed longer than usual. Trick of the light , John tried to tell himself. Liam was getting impatient, he knew killing was addictive but not this bad. They were in the back of a cramped book store and the incense was overwhelming. "You're my best man right Johnny?" He said in a quiet voice, "Well what if all this werewolf talk wasn't just talk, and my teeth are really that long?" He was much to close, and was talking nonsense. "Nice trick Liam, but you can stop now." John was really not comfortable, maybe his mum was right, Liam wasn't a normal kid. "Oh no Johnny this is the treat.''
Liam jumped him, pinned him down, grabbed his arm and looked him in the eyes. John stared up at him in unimaginable fear. The scream was stuck inside him somewhere but it couldn't find it's way out. John's eyes were as wide as a cats in the pitch darkness. Liam's on the other hand had turned from their radiant green to blood red. He couldn't take it any more, this was his first real changed kill. Snap , he felt the skin break and the warm blood trickle down his throat. John blacked out.
That was the last thing John remembered, but when he came to, he understood and loved it. All he wanted to do was bite these people that he saw at the end of the alley. Liam had dragged him out the back door of the store and into an alley where he met up with Abby. "How are ya feeling Johnny?" Liam asked in a horse barking voice. "I'm ready, let's hunt."
What happened that night is unspeakable, but I do wish to put a point across. It is very hard to control the craving for power. Especially when you're a werewolf and it's bred into you to dominate. Liam wanted it and eventually it led him to the murder and over throwing of his step- father. Liam got about a dozen followers that night, including myself. Some consider being a werewolf a worse fate than death. So remember the Northeast clan and the Moon clan of Salem still haunt the area today. Just be careful on those cold, moonlit nights. The werewolves are out and hungry for the warm sweet human blood.
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