I lived in that forest for 10 years, before I dared to go near any civilization. I hunted and drank the blood of animals, then buried them as a sign of my respect. It was bad enough that I was killing them, they didn’t need to lay there and rot too.
No human came near the forest now. I guess the boy told his family. That was good; I was free to walk in the forest as I pleased. But I still felt despair. I missed my home, my family, and I knew that I couldn’t return to them now.
In a nearby pond, I watched everyday as my eyes turned back from bloody red to the calm blue I had always known. But it wasn’t enough. My skin was too white, too smooth. All of the imperfections that had made me how I was were gone. The nose I had broken three times in my childhood was perfectly straight. The scars from a dog attack on my chest were gone. My body was perfect…and I hated it.
It was in a cold day in December when I left the forest and headed into a nearby town. I had stolen some clothes from a clothesline in the summer, preparing for this. I needed to know where I was, and how to get home. I knew that my family couldn’t see me, but I saw no problem with watched them from afar.
I could stand the smell of human now, but walking among them…I knew I had to control myself. Many people stared, and several young women swooned. I sighed. I was starting to see why my body had changed. It was to attract prey.
Turns out I was in England. I charmed a map off the sales woman who had told me where I was and ran back the forest before I could loose control and bite someone. Gently I spread the map out on a dry rock and planned out my way home. If I found my way to the ocean, I could swim across the North Atlantic Ocean to Canada. From there, I’d make my way across the country to the United States. The Washington. To my home.
The journey took me around five months, but no one saw me, and I only hunted at night, and only when I was very thirsty. When I passed by a town, I held my breath. I’d learned long ago that this new body of mine could take a lot of hardships and never break. I learned to control my strength, too. Soon, to my delight, I arrived back at the house I had called my home. It was a little house tucked into the woods about a mile from the road.
The house’s siding was painted a pale blue, with white windowsills and a door. I stood by the tall oak tree in the front yard and smiled. Home at last. Then I frowned. Something was wrong. Where was my mother’s clothesline, hanging the laundry out do dry? And my father, at this time of day, he would be in his shed, building something. There was nothing but silence.
Carefully, I walk to one of the windows and looked in. The furniture was gone….the house was dusty. Had my parents left? But why? And where were they now?
Before I could figure it out, I heard a car pull onto the driveway. I ran back to the woods and watched as a strange red car stopped in the driveway. A young man hopped out and ran to the other side, opening the door and helping a red-haired woman out. She was blindfolded, and laughing. “John! Where are we? Can I take the blindfold off now?”
The man, John, laughed too. “Hold on.” He took her hand and lead her to the front of the house. “Ok, here.” He removed the blindfold, and she squealed. “John! No! You’re kidding!” He laughed and kissed her temple. “No Lila, I’m not. This is our house. I bought it a week ago.”
“Oh my goodness! It’s beautiful! Oh, John!” Lila threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “We need to clean it up, but I think it’s a good house to start our new life together.”
I watched them, sad. My parents were gone…. I sighed. I continued to watch them all that month, as them moved in furniture and laughed. They cleaned the house from top to bottom. I knew that I should leave, and try to find my parents, but this couple, this happy couple….I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Has they moved into my home….I made a vow. I was going to use this new body, this new life….to protect their happiness.
