CHAPTER 8

monday, october 30 garden shed-tyler the creator (ft. estelle)

Across town, another family was enjoying dinner in their home. It was a large house, much like the one once inhabited by the Nasheim family, with the exception that murderers, not victims, dwelled here. In the dining room, the family ate dinner in comfortable silence. Silverware clinked against porcelain plates. “Laila, pass me the salt, please,” the father asked. The mother exhaled indignantly. “Badru, you’re going to get diabetes eating all that sodium,” she chided. “It can’t be healthy.” Her husband disregarded her statement and held his palm open, signaling his daughter to pass him the small jar. Laila looked between her parents for a second and slowly placed the salt shaker in her father’s hand. She then stuffed a bite of food in her mouth. After a few more minutes of silence, the three heard a metallic sound in the front door lock. They tensed on impulse before remembering that a family member was staying with them, and they had given her a key. She opened the door, brushed her feet on the welcome mat, and stepped inside. Laila smiled at her aunt warmly. “Adhama,” the mother admonished, not looking up from her meal, “you’re late for dinner.” Adhama laughed and hung up her coat. “I had some . . . business to attend to,” she explained, eyeing her niece. “Mmm, dinner smells good.” Badru stood to prepare a plate for his sister. “Sit down, I’ve got it,” she said. “The plates are in the top cabinet, right?” Her sister-in-law, Jahaira, nodded. Adhama walked into the kitchen. “So, Laila,” she asked as she returned to the dining room with her food, “how was your day at school?” Laila shrugged. “Nothing, really, just normal, everyday stuff.” “Well, I heard that you were at a party when I arrived on Friday. Sorry that your parents made you come home, by the way. Tell me about it.” Adhama leaned forward, hoping to glean some juicy tidbits from her niece’s life. Her brother and sister-in-law looked on in amusement. They knew their shy daughter wouldn’t have anything interesting to report. Laila blushed, remembering the guy she had met at the party. Elias. “Nothing,” she responded. “It was a nice, normal party.” Adhama, ever observant, noticed her falter. “Ah, come on, you can tell me. What happened?” she asked in a sing-songy tone. “Did you make any friends? Meet any boys?” Laila smiled but shook her head. Her aunt leaned back. “Okay, I get it. You don’t have to tell me. I was young once; I know what it’s like to keep secrets from your family.” “You’re twenty-two, Adhama,” Jahaira interjected. “You’re hardly an old maid.” Adhama chuckled, but she spoke with a bite in her voice. “Just making a joke, Jai. I didn’t know you had such a dry sense of humor.” Jahaira eyed her sister-in-law testily. Adhama stared back. To avoid prolonging the burgeoning awkwardness, Badru changed the subject. “So, what kept you out so long, Adhama?” She glanced at her niece and then back at her brother. Jahaira cleared her throat. “Laila, honey, why don’t you get started on your homework?” Laila opened her mouth to protest, as she hadn’t finished her dinner. On second thought, going upstairs will give me a chance to read some more of that weird book I found last week. “Yes, ma’am,” she responded. She headed to the kitchen to refrigerate her leftover food and then bounded up the stairs, buzzing with excitement at the prospect of finding out more about the book. Her mother, father, and aunt followed her with their eyes. “I’ve never seen someone so excited to solve quadratic equations,” Adhama commented before gulping down a forkful of meat. She turned back to her older brother and sister-in-law. “Well,” she started, a smile playing at her lips, “I suppose you’ll want to know what I was doing.” Jahaira and Badru stared at her expectantly. “I went to the teahouse where Even works, and I found out some very . . . interesting information.” Adhama was beaming now. She leaned back in her chair. She was almost unwilling to impart such vital information upon them. She enjoyed holding something that they wanted-no, needed-to know in the forefront of her mind. “As it turns out, he wasn’t as much of a coward as I judged him to be. He turned someone.” Jahaira and Badru couldn’t disguise the shock on their faces. They were just as surprised as Adhama had been when she found out. “Hmm,” Badru grunted. “I didn’t think he was the type.” Jahaira recovered more quickly. “Well, that just proves what we’ve always known: no matter how hard they try, werewolves are completely at the will of their violent, primal urges.” Adhama and Badru firmly nodded in agreement. “And anyway,” Jahaira continued, “I thought you were supposed to be trying to talk him out of that! Your role in this family-in this assignment-is to eliminate the werewolf population in Beacon Hills, not enable their proliferation.” Badru nodded again in alliance with his wife. Adhama paused to consider her response. That’s what they think I want; let’s keep it that way. “Of course, Jahaira. I’ll try and do better. It’s my fault that I didn’t stop Even from turning someone. I’m so sorry,” she conceded, attempting to inject her words with a semblance of sincerity. After feigning a moment of guilty reflection, a smile reappeared on Adhama’s face. “So, what’s our next move?” she asked eagerly. She was grinning gleefully at the thought of having a new shapeshifter to hunt. I’ve never seen someone so wholly infatuated with the concept of taking a life, albeit a nonhuman one, Jahaira noted mentally. It’s . . . strange. She pushed the thought aside, intending to address it with her husband when they were alone. She can’t be emotionally involved in this. It’s dangerous. “Now, we do what we do best,” Jahaira declared. “We hunt.”

_

Laila sat cross-legged on her bed as she thumbed through the book. It contained large sheets of parchment and was bound with leather. Each page displayed a heading, a few paragraphs of information, and a detailed illustration. All of the drawings were eerily realistic, as if the artist had sketched them from a real-life sighting and not their imagination.Most entries had notes scribbled in the margins. Laila recognized her parents’ and grandparents’ handwriting. The book seemed to be on the subject of supernatural creatures. Every page she turned introduced her to a mysterious creature. Kanima. Wendigo. Kitsune. Chimera. All of these words were foreign to Laila. She traced her fingers over them and whispered them aloud, cementing them in her memory. Laila flipped the page. This one was titled Banshee: The Wailing Woman. Finally, something I’ve actually heard of . . .

_

“What are you reading?” Jahaira Ogutu asked her young daughter. The girl pushed her pink glasses up to keep them from falling off of her face. “It’s this super cool novel about a girl who can give people she doesn’t like bad luck by just screaming. Everyone in her school treats her really nice because they don’t want to get on her bad side. She’s a banshee.”Her eyes sparkled with the innocent pleasure of being immersed in a fantasy world. Rather than smiling and encouraging her daughter, as she usually did in instances such as these, Jahaira's eyes clouded. She stood and took her daughter in her arms. “That’s not what it’s like, kidege. That’s not what it’s like at all.”

_

This entry was longer than most. It took up three pages. Laila’s eyes flitted over the pages. She spotted phrases like always a female and scream can be weaponized and predicts/senses death. The sketch accompanying this account was especially chilling and particularly lifelike. It depicted a woman of undeterminable age. The skin under her eyes was dark and made her appear haggard, but she didn’t have wrinkles anywhere else. She clutched her face with both hands. Her nails dug into her skin and blood trickled through her fingers. Her mouth gaped wide open; she was most likely in the midst of emitting an earth-shattering scream. It was like snapshot from a twisted, hellish fairytale. In an attempt to rid her mind of the gruesome image, Laila quickly turned to the next entry. It was the last one and significantly longer than the one before, probably the longest in the book. The heading read WEREWOLF and it was circled multiple times in different colored pens. The pages were riddled with small holes that resulted from the frenzied, urgent writing covering every square centimeter of paper. The parchment was well-worn, more so than the previous entries, and suggested that this creature was the paramount concern of every person who’d ever studied this aged account. Laila scanned the words crammed on the pages. Wolf-Man is a human who has the power to become a wolf. The shift is naturally involuntary and occurs when emotions are high or during a full moon. However, with ample training, Wolf-Man can shift at will. Laila traced her fingers over black-and-white photographs pasted in the margins. They depicted people she didn’t recognize, but she knew they were her ancestors. Their high cheekbones, fierce eyes, and varying shades of brown skin were no different from her own. Her parents, aunt, and grandparents favored some of them. As on all the other pages, Laila could identify her family members’ handwriting. Why would my parents chronicle these fantasy creatures so prolifically? They’re adults; there’s no reason for them to care so much about this kind of stuff. Unless . . . Logic told her that there was no way any of this stuff was real, but her instincts whispered the opposite. Generations of people would only document something like this if if these creatures were a very real, very dangerous threat to their lives. Instead of answering her questions, the past thirty minutes had only prompted new ones. The only thing Laila knew for certain was this: The reason my mother was so wary of banshees all those years ago is a lot more dark-and a lot more real-than I thought.

notes: I'm not Kenyan and I don't speak Swahili, so I don't know if the term of endearment I used is correct. If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave kudos, comment, and bookmark this story!

CHAPTER 7

monday, october 30 antichrist-the 1975

Even hadn’t been able to concentrate since Adhama came up to the counter. Since she had returned to her seat, he’d spilled two mugs of coffee and given three people the wrong change back. Adhama observed his anxiety from her table. Her full lips were curled in a smirk. She loved how much control she still had over him. After a while, the boy he’d bitten and his friends left the teahouse. Adhama followed suit a few minutes later. Even breathed a sigh of relief, although a negative thought flitted through his mind. What if she’s following the kid? What if she’s going to attack him? I thought I’d have more time until then. It should be me. This was my war, and now I’ve dragged him into it. Waves of guilt bathed his body. I bit him. It’s my fault if-no, when-she hurts him. I’ll never be free of her, Even thought. She’ll always be standing over my shoulder. Just then, Even felt a tap on his shoulder. He whirled around, irrationally assuming that Adhama had come back to torture him some more. Instead, he was greeted with kind eyes. It was Mrs. Acar, the owner of the Green Leaf Teahouse and his employer. “Even, I need you to-” she paused, sensing his tension. “Are you alright?” He smiled feebly, trying to display some semblance of serenity. “Um, yeah, I’m just. . . tired. What do you need?” Mrs. Acar frowned. “Maybe you should take off early. We’re closing in a half-hour; one of my daughters can cover you.” “No, I’m fine, Mrs. Acar.” She nodded skeptically. “Well, just remember to count up the money in your register when you leave. We’re getting a little behind on bills.” She glanced around the room. It was almost closing time, and people were trickling out the door. “Have you seen Yousef?” Mrs. Acar asked. “I haven’t heard from him since he left for school and he hasn’t called me, and I just have a million things to do . . .” Even felt a pang of sadness, longing to once again be the source of a mother’s worry. “Um, he left about fifteen minutes ago. You just missed him.” She sighed. “Alright, I guess I’ll see him at home, then.” She pulled a notepad out of her pocket and returned to her office. _

Even hung up his apron, bid farewell to Mrs. Acar, and stepped out into the autumn dusk. It was a warm night, unlike the previous Friday. The recollection of the bitter gush of human tissue soured his taste buds. He walked briskly over the downtown cobblestone until the sidewalk ended and the landscape transitioned to wilderness. Moonlight illumined his well-worn path home. As Even walked further and further into the woods, the air grew colder. Gusts of wind wove through overhanging branches. He pulled his denim jacket around him tightly, but it did little to alleviate the chill nipping at his skin. Adhama’s words taunted his conscience. “I just feel sorry for the poor son of a bitch you turned,” she had said. “He’s got no idea what’s coming his way. And don’t relax yet. You’re not off the hook.” Even considered her threat, wondering what to make of it. He obviously needed a plan, but he had no idea what she still needed him for. Adhama and her family were still plotting against him, but why? If she was telling the truth, she won’t need me after she’s done with the kid. Immense guilt laced the next breeze. The thought of Adhama taking another person's life because of him was forming a pit in his stomach. It’s either him or me, Even tried to console himself. It’s either his life or mine. Just as the charred skeleton of his home became visible through the trees, a putrid stench filled the air. Even cautiously circled the home, scouting for the source of the smell. Brittle leaves crunched beneath his worn tennis shoes. After a while, the squelch of bloodied flesh interrupted the foliate rhythm. Even grimaced. Under his sneakered foot lay an ensanguined wolf, resting in a bed of leaves. A message from Adhama, he surmised. How . . . nice. His mother’s voice emanated from the lifeless corpse. Its mangled features contorted into a sickly grin, creating a dissonant fusion of pleasant memories and stomach-turning nightmares. “Be careful, my beautiful boy. Your life is in danger. Please don’t end up like me. You can fight them; I know you can. You are stronger than I ever was.” Even shook the phantasm from his mind. This isn’t real. It’s just a dead wolf. A dead wolf that may or may not be a werewolf, and is almost definitely a threat, but still, a dead wolf. Not my mother. It’s just my fear talking. Even removed his blood-stained shoe and hobbled to the backside of the property. Setting his shoes outside to throw away in the morning, he opened the door to a small cottage that stood about twenty feet away from the house. It was the only building on the sprawling property that didn’t succumb to the fiery blaze that Adhama’s brother set years ago. Once inside, Even showered, made his way to the single bedroom, and fell asleep.

_

Even awoke from his slumber in the middle of the night. He sat up in bed and surveyed the room, wondering what had roused him. His older brother was snoring lightly in his own bed, but that was normal. Oliver had always snored. The young boy shrugged and was about to go back to sleep when something caught his attention. Smoke. He smelled it first. The unmistakable scent crept hesitantly into his nostrils and then flooded them all at once. He threw back the bedcovers, woke his brother, and bounded into the hallway to wake his parents. Oliver lifted their youngest sister from her bed and woke their other three sisters, but Even stood frozen at the top of the staircase. The scene below was one of complete devastation. The once-grand living room was engulfed in flames. The lavish carpet was nothing more than ash. Velvet curtains had curled and singed. The blaze danced throughout the first floor. Fumes furled up the stairs; the fire followed at it’s foot. Even’s lungs seized, attempting to take in oxygen through the thick smoke. His parents and siblings dragged him to a window at the end of the hall. “The fire moving up the stairs quickly. This is our only way out,” Even’s father declared. “Maggie, you go down first, so you can catch the kids. I’ll bring up the rear,” he instructed his wife. Maggie Bech stared at her husband for a split second, reluctant to leave him. She didn’t protest but nodded instead. Everything she wanted to say, needed to say, passed between the two lovers in that single glance. She hoisted one leg up and attempted to lift it over the window sill but was unable to do so. It was as if an invisible wall was stopping her from extending her foot any further. “What’s wrong? What is it?”Anna, one of Even’s sisters, inquired in an alarmed tone. The flames were now at the top of the stairs. They would be at the end of the hall in a matter of minutes, maybe seconds. Ezra Naesheim stood in front of his children and wife, as if preparing to guard them from the inferno. Maggie thrusted her arm out of the window in response. Again, she was met with an immovable force. In milliseconds, confusion, realization, and terror crossed her face. She peered over the sill, but she didn’t have to. She knew what she would see. A ring of charcoal-colored powder was faintly discernible in the darkness. Maggie looked in both directions. The substance was meticulously sprinkled around the entire house. Oliver leaned over his mother’s shoulder. He was anxious to see what was preventing them from escaping the quickly approaching flames. “What is it?” he asked urgently. Maggie turned around slowly to face him and the rest of her family. They could tell from her fearful expression that whatever it was, it was bad. “Mountain ash.”

_

Mountain ash was gleaned from burning wood from the mountain ash tree. It was most commonly used to ward against certain supernatural creatures. It created a sort of forcefield that prevented supernaturals from entering-or leaving-an area. One of the species of supernaturals that it affected was werewolves. Ezra Naesheim and Magdalena Bech were both werewolves. The trait was genetic, and all of Even’s siblings had inherited it. Even’s parents didn’t know whether the trait had skipped him or not. If he was a werewolf, his abilities had not manifested yet, even though they had in his six year old sister. Even was distraught at the prospect of not being a werewolf like the rest of his family. They comforted him by saying that he was “just a late bloomer” and that “he would turn soon”, though they had no way of knowing for sure. As a result, mountain ash affected Even the way it did all humans. Meaning, it had no effect at all. Meaning, Even wasn’t trapped in the house like the rest of his family. Meaning, he could get out. He could leave. And he did.

notes: This chapter gave some insight into Even's character and his purpose in this story. You'll definitely be seeing Even in this story in the future. Please leave kudos, comment, and bookmark this story if you enjoyed this chapter!

CHAPTER 6

monday, october 30 sweet-brockhampton

The Green Leaf Teahouse was a small, homey cafe in downtown Beacon Hills. It was a hotspot for people of all ages. Sana, Yousef, and Elias had been going there for years because of the delicious food and drinks and friendly service. Most importantly, Yousef’s mother owned the cafe, so everything was free for them. A bell jingled cheerily overhead as Sana entered the establishment. Elias and Yousef were already seated at a booth. Yousef spotted her and waved her over enthusiastically. She shot him a brilliant smile, but it was dimmed by a mirage. Sana stood in the doorway of the teahouse as she had a hundred times before. It looked the same as it always did, with one exception. Everything was covered in blood. The walls, tables, and counters were bathed in crimson. People all around her were crying out and clutching rosy wounds. Necks and stomachs gushed repulsively. Claret burbled in their mouths. Out of the anguished mass, Sana recognized only two faces: her brother, Elias, and the wolf-man from Friday night . . . “Sana, are you alright?”, a voice asked in a worried tone. Yousef’s eldest sister, Farha, was standing directly in front of Sana. She lightly placed one hand on Sana’s shoulder and clutched a steaming coffee pot with the other. Sana cleared her throat and then her head. “Oh, um . . . yeah, Farha, I’m fine.” She shot the young woman a half-hearted smile. Farha didn’t look convinced, but she smiled anyway and went to work behind the front counter. When Sana made her way to the table where her brother and friend were sitting, they were engaged in a spirited conversation about something stupid that a new kid in their economics class had done. Sana rolled her eyes and slid into a booth alongside Yousef. “So, Elias,” Sana asked, getting straight to the point, “what was so important that we had to leave home and meet up here?” Elias raised his eyebrows. “Damn, no ‘hi, how are you?’” “I didn’t come here to chit-chat, Elias. I have an essay due tomorrow. Can you make this quick?” Elias swept his gaze across the room. “You know how that . . . thing happened Friday night?” he asked in a low voice. “And that wolf-thing bit me?” Sana and Yousef nodded. “Well, I saw him,” Elias said. He paused expectantly. Sana and Yousef exchanged looks. “You don’t mean . . .” Yousef trailed off. “I saw him. I saw the wolf," Elias said. "Or, the man that the wolf turned into," he amended. Sana gasped involuntarily. Her surprise attracted glances from nearby customers, but they quickly lost interest. “So,” Yousef asked. “What are you going to do?” Sana scoffed and turned to her brother. “You’re not going to do anything! He’s . . . he almost killed you, for crying out loud!” “What do you mean I’m not going to do anything?” Elias shot back. “I have to confront him! I have to ask him how he . . . changed like that and how the wound from the bite just disappeared like that! Most importantly, I need to figure out where I know him from!” .“Elias, keep your voice down,” Sana whispered. “People are going to hear us!” _

A few tables over, a young woman sat alone, stirring a steaming mug of tea. She had never liked tea; she had another purpose for frequenting the Green Leaf Teahouse. She had been engrossed in a social media post on her cell phone when dialogue from another booth caught her attention. “He bit me and the bruise just went away, Sana! How do you explain that?” The woman turned her phone off and began to listen intently. “And then he just turned into a human!” someone insisted. “A human that I know I saw at practice today!” “Describe him again,” another male voice inquired. “You all saw him. He was tall, blonde, blue eyes, wavy hair. Really pale,” said the original boy. “I know that I know him from somewhere.” Two other voices murmured in confirmation. That son of a bitch, the woman thought. He really did it. He really bit some poor kid. She stifled a giggle. Mr. Nice Guy finally gave in. He finally turned someone. The woman downed her tea in a single gulp and rose from the table. God, he's got no idea what he's gotten himself-and that kid-into. I almost feel sorry for him. She approached the counter, waited in line, and then came face-to-face with the reason she had come to the tea house. “What would you like?” the man asked. He was organizing money in the register. The woman was silent until he looked up. When he recognized her, his jaw tensed. “Adhama,” he addressed her tersely, “what are you still doing here?” The woman pursed her lips. “What do you mean?” she asked in a cloying tone. “I love tea. I’d like a refill, please. Earl Grey. Large.” He glowered. “You hate tea. Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Adhama dropped the act. “You know I can’t do that, baby. I can’t let you forget what you owe me.” Her seductive, lilting accent grated on his eardrums. He scanned the room and landed on a table, a booth in the back. There sat three teenagers. They were immersed in heated conversation. He couldn’t hear them, yet he knew exactly what they were talking about. He leaned in toward Adhama. “I took care of it,” he said through gritted teeth. “Now leave me alone.” Adhama grinned. She liked the feeling of knowing what he had done. She loved knowing how much shame he felt because of it. She took his face in her hand and turned his head so her mouth was millimeters away from his ear. “I just feel sorry for the poor son of a bitch you turned,” she whispered ominously. “He’s got no idea what’s coming his way. And don’t relax yet. You’re not off the hook.” The man perceived the threat behind her words. When she was sure her message was clear, she straightened her back and cleared her throat. “Now,” she spoke at a normal volume, “get my order, will you?”

_

Yousef and Elias were debating how best to handle the wolf situation. They didn’t seem to notice that Sana wasn’t saying anything. She allowed her mind to wander while stirring her drink. Another vision. This can’t be good. At this rate, I’ll never get any sleep again. “Sana,” Yousef asked, interrupting her thoughts, “what do you like we should do?” She took a slow sip of coffee. “Maybe. . .” she paused. “Maybe nothing even happened at all.” The two boys stared at her in disbelief. “Maybe it was some kind of. . . I don’t know. A shared hallucination or something,” she murmured. Elias’ eyebrows shot up. “Do you really believe that?” Sana lowered her eyes. “No,” she replied quietly. All three of them were silent. “Look,” Sana said. “I think we should just pretend it didn’t happen. I mean, there’s no logical way to explain it, so . . .” she couldn’t find the words to finish her statement. “Bullshit,” Elias shot back. Yousef and Sana were surprised at his little outburst. He often teased his sister jokingly but was almost never harsh toward her. “Listen, this happened to me,” Elias said. “I’m not just going to sit around and do nothing and wait for something else to happen, okay?” He didn’t wait for a response. “We have to do something.” After another stretch of silence, Yousef was the first to speak. “Listen, like Sana said, that . . . that wolf guy tried to kill you, right? So why don’t we go to the police?” Sana scoffed. “And tell them what, that a wolf bit Elias, didn’t leave a scar, and turned into a man? I don’t think so.” Elias nodded. “Besides, I don’t think we should be trying to lock up the only person who can give us any information about what-and how-that happened.” “Back to the drawing board then, I guess.” “I still think we should just forget it,” Sana asserted. “Whether we like it or not, there’s nothing we can do about it now except wait.” Yousef nodded reluctantly, but Elias’ concentration was elsewhere. His sight was trained on a point beyond them. He looked as if he was in a daze. “What?” Yousef asked. “What is it?” “That’s-that’s him,” Elias stuttered. “That’s the guy who bit me. That’s the guy I saw today. This is where I recognize him from.” Yousef and Sana followed Elias’ line of sight, craning their necks to see what had captured his attention. Yousef’s mother was talking to a young man behind the counter. He was tall and slender and had an apron tied around his waist. A yellowed name tag was pinned to his shirt. In the center was a four-letter name. If they squinted, they could read it. EVEN.

notes:  First, sorry for not updating this story in a while! I don't know if many people keep up with it, but I've been really busy with exams and projects in school for the last two weeks. However, I'm on a three-week break now so updates will hopefully be more frequent and consistent. Second of all, THAT ENDING!!!! AAAHH!! Please comment, reblog, and like if you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading!

CHAPTER 5

monday, october 30 DNA-kendrick lamar The last bell trilled throughout Beacon Hills High School, signifying the end of the school day. An overly cheery office secretary recited announcements over the intercom system. Elias shoved his papers and books into his bookbag and strode out of the classroom. He pushed his way through throngs of other students in the hallway and made his way to his locker. He grabbed his lacrosse bag and went to the locker room to get ready for practice. Today wasn’t the first practice of the year, but it was Elias’ first practice since the wolf bite. Since Friday, he’d barely been able to think about anything else. That night, two impossible things had happened. Two things that should’ve never been able to happen. Except they did happen. To him. Elias spotted Yousef as soon as he entered. They both wanted to talk about Friday night, but the locker room was filling up. The boys settled for a weighted look and prepared for practice in comfortable silence. Karl ambled into the locker room with his friends. They were late, as usual. His hair was mussed and his neck was dotted with crimson bruises. Karl lazily spun the combination of his locker and dressed while cracking jokes about the girl he’d presumably been making out with ten minutes ago. “She was kinda cute, but she has no tits. Like, flat as a board.” Karl’s posse laughed. Yousef grimaced, but Elias was lost in thought and didn’t hear. “...but what about that Muslim chick, though?” One of Karl’s friends yelled to him from across the room. “She’s hot.” Karl glanced at Yousef and Elias and smirked. Yousef gritted his teeth. “Yeah, man. Problem is, the bitch hates me. Won’t even give me the time of day. Not to mention, her little terrorist friends come running every time I try to talk to her.” At this, Yousef flinched. He glared at Karl. “Sana doesn’t want you, Karl,” he said tightly. “Keep your ignorant comments to yourself.” The room fell silent. Elias and Yousef were both scowling now. Karl let out a strained laugh. “Hey, man, calm down. I wasn’t talking to you. Mind your own business.” His cronies straightened up, preparing for an altercation. Yousef took a step closer to Karl. Elias was right behind him. “If you’re talking about Sana,” Yousef asserted, “it is my business.” Karl impulsively reeled back to hit him, but the wooden door swung open and the coach entered. He retracted his fist and laughed nervously. “Man, whatever,” he mumbled. _

“Alright guys, split into teams. We’re gonna wrap it up today with a practice scrimmage,” yelled Coach Whittaker. They’d spent the last hour and a half running laps and doing drills. Everyone on the team was exhausted except for Elias. He was brimming with energy. The team members parted and got into place. Elias and Karl were left standing in the center of the field, meaning they would start the game. They reluctantly faced each other and knelt to the ground. The coach reminded them of the most important plays and then blew his whistle. The two boys struggled for control of the ball. Elias prevailed and grinned cockily; Karl swore in response. Elias ran toward the goal, his gait infused with vigor. He spotted a player named Mikael and pitched the ball to him. Mikael caught it in the net of his stick and raced down the field. He angled toward the net and shot the ball, but the goaltender blocked it. The scrimmage went on for almost a half hour. Karl’s team had just made a goal, putting them one point over the top. Although it wasn’t a real game, Elias’ competitive spirit flared. Karl’s team can’t win, he thought. Not after what he said about Sana. I can’t give him even this little victory. Yousef and Jacob faced off in the center of the field. Jacob, who was on Karl’s team, gained control of the ball and passed it to another player. Eventually, Karl got it and began to aim for the opposing team’s goal. Elias rushed toward him, attempting to block his shot. Instead of trying to make the goal from afar, Karl ran closer to him. The two met in a deadlock, each vying for command of the ball. Karl shoved forward. “Come on, man, give it up. Give me the damn ball.” Elias pushed back. His eyes flashed a brilliant shade of amber. He growled, exposing long, sharp teeth. Karl froze. Fear briefly crossed his face; the expression was soon replaced by a menacing one. “What the fuck are you doing, freak?” he asked through gritted teeth. “Trying to use your terrorist voodoo to scare me off? Well, it’s not going to work.” Elias opened his mouth to shoot back a sarcastic reply, but something in the distance caught his eye. A man stood in the woods bordering one side of the field. He was partially hidden by vegetation, but Elias recognized him as the human the wolf had become on Friday night. Elias went slack. Karl jumped on the ball and pitched it to the net, scoring the winning point for his team. They huddled together on the perimeter of the green. Karl lifted his fist in victory. Elias, though, was petrified on the field. Upon closer inspection, Elias realized he was a lot younger than he’d initially through, probably only a few years older than himself. He looked vaguely familiar. I know I’ve seen him somewhere before Friday night, Elias deduced. Elias stared for what felt like forever until the man noticed him. They held eye contact for a moment, and then the young man retreated into the forest. Yousef noticed his friend standing shock-still on the green expanse. He moved to approach him, but an eerie feeling settled over him, as if warning him to keep his distance. He shrugged his shoulders and re-entered the locker room with the rest of the team.

_

Elias showered and retrieved his lacrosse bag. Rather than ride home with Yousef, Elias chose to walk home from lacrosse practice that evening. He needed the time to think. As he walked, the wolf’s howls filled his head. When he arrived home, his sister was locked in her bedroom, most likely overwhelmed with thoughts of her own. He tossed his sweaty clothes in the dryer and shuffled to his bedroom. After doing homework for a half hour (nowhere near long enough), Elias flopped down on his bed. He stared at the ceiling fan. Its low electric whine lulled him into a sense of tranquility that he was grateful for, no matter how false or fleeting. He was mesmerized by the rotation and counted hundreds of revolutions. Eventually, images of Laila and the guy he’d seen at practice somersaulted back and forth in his mind. Laila was so cool. Why did she leave so suddenly? I’ll have to ask Sana for her number. How did that wolf bite heal so quickly? Why didn’t the thing kill me? And most importantly, why did it turn into a guy that I’ve seen before? Elias had barely had time to process the events of Friday night; now everything that’d happened was flooding back into his brain. He rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t handle this. He needed to talk to someone. He fished his cell phone from his pocket and texted his best friend and his sister. elias: meet me at the green leaf at 7:00. it’s important.

notes:  i don't know if anyone has been really keeping up with this story, but if so, sorry for the super late and short update! i've had a crazy hectic week. please like, comment, and reblog if you enjoyed the chapter!

CHAPTER 4

friday, october 28 who dat boy-tyler, the creator (ft. a$ap rocky) The three teenagers piled into Yousef’s rickety Jeep and sped off. It was still fairly early, only eleven o’clock, but they were all tired and ready to go home. Elias flicked the radio to a hip-hop station. They talked and laughed for about fifteen minutes until the car started making a ticking noise and then sputtered to a stop. They groaned in unison. By now, they were used to Yousef’s perpetual car troubles. Elias instinctively fished a roll of silver duct tape from the glove compartment and he and Yousef got out. When they lifted the hood of the car, thick smoke erupted into their faces. Their lungs constricted as they coughed and fanned the air in front of them. After they’d been working for a minute or so, Sana joined them outside. “What’s the problem this time?” she asked. Yousef shook his head. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t look like duct tape is gonna fix this one.” They stood quietly. Moonlight filtered through the trees, towering evergreens that dwarfed the group. The autumn wind whistled loudly, and they pulled their jackets tighter. Crickets chirped. A howl sounded in the distance. Sana looked around at the unfamiliar dirt road. The landscape seemed eerily familiar, but she knew she’d never been there before. “Yousef, where are we?” “I-I took a shortcut,” Yousef stuttered. “We’re near Chino Hills. I think.” “Should we call our parents?” Elias asked. “No,” Sana replied. “They left for that wedding in Fresno tonight, remember? They’re probably asleep in a hotel.” She turned to Yousef. “My parents went to the same one,” Yousef said defeatedly. “They’re probably a hundred miles away by now.” Elias tapped on his phone. “Well, there’s a gas station about a mile from here. We should start walking.” They agreed that Sana would stay and guard the car (as if anyone would steal that piece of junk anyway). She climbed back inside, locked the doors, and blasted music, trying to distract herself from the creepy landscape (and the fact that her brother and his best friend were walking alone in it). Slowly, thoughts of her dream lurked back into her brain. She hadn’t thought about it for the whole night, and it had been satisfying to temporarily forget about it. As the minutes passed, paranoia subjugated her consciousness. Sana realized where she had seen this forest before. The dream had taken place in a forest like this one. What if this was the place where… she couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought. She scrolled through social media absent-mindedly, glancing out the window every few seconds to watch for danger. The rhythm oscillating through the car submerged her pessimism. Her kohl-streaked eyelids fluttered shut. _

Yousef and Elias trudged forward on the hard-packed dirt. They were chatting animatedly about something that had happened in the locker room before lacrosse practice the previous day. “Man, did you see how Julian fucking decked him? Right in the face over some crazy shit,” Elias said, laughing. “Probably over who gets more girls or whose parents donated more money to Donald Trump’s campaign,” Yousef joked. Their buoyant laughter ascended to the heavens. The boys were about a quarter of a mile from the car when they noticed a figure in the trees. They saw only its silhouette, lit from behind by the silver rays of the moon, and two icy eyes. The boys exchanged an alarmed glance but kept walking. The creature followed them along the perimeter of the road. After a few moments, it stepped into the starlight filtering through the trees. Now it was fully visible. It was about waist height. The animal had thick, slate-colored fur, with white patches under its eyes. It stood confidently and stared at them. “You see that too, right?” Yousef started. “Either that weed from the party is getting in my system or that’s…” “... a wolf,” Elias breathed. His speech made clouds in the air. At that, the wolf snarled, displaying sharp canine teeth. The boys began to turn around and walk back in the direction of the car. The wolf growled again, louder this time. “I don’t think it likes us,” Elias whispered, eyes trained anxiously on the wolf. A sense of urgency sped up their strides. This seemed to anger the wolf even more, and it followed them. Their feet were pounding the ground now. The wolf broke into a run. “I knew we should’ve just taken the normal route home,” Yousef panted. Elias rolled his eyes. “Then why didn’t you?” he responded. The animal was gaining on them rapidly. While both boys were in shape, their speed was no match for that of the wolf. _

Sana had just dozed off when frenetic knocking on the car window roused her. She rubbed her eyes and turned on the overhead light. She peered out the window and saw Yousef. Sana opened the door. “Unlock the doors, Sana! Open them, quick!” Yousef was yelling, and his eyes were bright with fear. Sana reached to the driver’s seat door and unlocked the car. “What? What’s going on?” she asked in a panicky voice. Her brow creased with worry. Yousef didn’t answer and hoisted himself into the seat next to Sana. “We were almost to the gas station,” he said, breathing heavily, “and then-and then a wolf came out of nowhere and it-it started chasing us.” “What?” Sana was scared now. “You’re telling me that we’re stranded in the woods with a car that won’t start in a part of Beacon Hills we’ve neverbeen in with parents who are in another city and a wolf is after you and Elias?” Yousef paused. "Well, when you put it that way, it seems kind of grim." Sana sighed exasperatedly. "Great," she muttered. Her eyes darted around the car, as if noticing for the first time that Elias wasn’t in it. “Where’s-” A piercing howl interrupted her. The two looked up in unison, and what they saw on the road ahead congealed the blood in their veins. The wolf stood unflinchingly, paws planted firmly on Elias. Its head was inclined to the star-spangled sky. Elias was clawing at the ground in a futile attempt to crawl from under the weight of the wolf. Tears pricked at Sana’s eyes for the second time in a week. She buried her head in Yousef’s chest, unable to watch her brother get ripped to shreds. Yousef flinched in surprise. She was so close that he could feel her pounding heartbeat through their clothes. I'm sure she doesn't realize that she's this close to me, he thought. Hmm, she smells so good. What is that, roses? Focus! Your best friend is being attacked by a wolf! Yousef tentatively placed a hand on Sana's shoulder to comfort her. “I can’t do this,” Sana said. Her words were garbled. “I can’t watch Elias die. God, this is all my fault. I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m so, so sorry.” Yousef thought to ask her why she felt like she was to blame, but the wolf howled again and relinquished its triumphant mount atop Elias’ abdomen. Elias scrambled to his feet and began walking slowly to the car. The wolf circled him. Elias and the wolf were engaged in a bizarre dance. Elias learned the steps quickly. The wolf would allow him to take a few steps forward and then would catch up with him. Elias figured that he could do this until he got to the car. After a while, the creature stopped following him. Sana and Yousef breathed a sigh of relief. Elias reached the car and crept cautiously toward the side door. He was so close. Just a few more steps, he thought, and then I’m safe. Then we can all go home. In a split second, the wolf lunged for him. It curled nimble claws around Elias’ leg and yanked him to the ground. Unmitigated terror contorted Yousef’s smile into a grimace. Sana was frozen, unable to look away. Alabaster moonlight illuminated the gruesome scene. Time progressed at a snail’s pace. Before Elias could even process what was happening, pain exploded in his left arm. A scream emitted from his lips like a siren. Sana and Yousef observed in shock. They expected the wolf to devour him on the spot. Instead, it howled again at the stars, revealing bloody incisors. It took a last look at its victim and then slunk away, as if ashamed of harming him. When Sana and Yousef were certain that it wasn’t coming back for more, they sprung out of the car and ran to Elias. By the time they were there, Elias was standing in a small pool of his own blood with a baffled expression on his face. His left arm, the arm the wolf had just sunk its teeth into, was barely bruised. He turned away from his sister and friend. The wolf was still plodding down the road. He faced the others again. Sana’s jaw dropped. “Didn’t that wolf just-” “Yeah,” Elias interrupted. “Yeah, it did.” He shook his head in disbelief. The three of them peered down the lane again. The wolf turned back to them. Right before their eyes, it began to transform. The thick fur blanketing its body was replaced with skin. Its bone structure contorted. Fangs and claws retracted into fingernails, toenails, teeth. It stood upright. Blonde hair curled gently around a masculine face. It was a man. The wolf had become a man.

notes: thank you for reading! please comment, like, and reblog if you enjoyed this chapter!

CHAPTER 3

friday, october 28 here-alessia cara That evening, Sana rummaged through her closet to find something to wear. She pulled out loose black clothes and a long black jacket. She pulled them on, wrapped a black scarf around her head, and applied dark lipstick. She went downstairs. Her parents were sitting at the table talking about the wedding they were going to that night and Elias was looking at his phone. When Sana entered the room, Elias stood up. “What are you supposed to be dressed as?” he asked quizzically. Sana rolled her eyes. “I’m a witch. Or a wizard. Or… something.” Elias chuckled. “No, you’re not,” he said. “That’s just your regular clothes. You didn’t put any effort into that whatsoever.” Sana scoffed. “Yeah, okay, says the boy wearing a t-shirt and jeans. What are you supposed to be, a straight-C student with no game?” Their parents laughed at this. “It’s not just any t-shirt, Sana,” Elias replied, brushing off her insult. “It has a werewolf on it. I’m a werewolf.” _

Sana, Yousef, and Elias arrived at Ingrid’s house at nine o’clock. By that time, the party was in full swing. The bass of the music could be heard halfway down the block. Range Rovers, BMWs, and Mercedes Benzes were parked haphazardly on the curb. People were scattered all over the front lawn. Some scantily clad sophomores were already passed out on the grass, blackout drunk after consuming copious amounts of alcohol within a short period of time. A few guys were sitting on the porch, each swigging from a four-hundred-dollar vodka bottle. The ornately carved front door was wide open. No one was guarding it, and there probably wasn’t anyone there sober enough to recognize an intruder anyway. Yousef and Elias balked at the scene before them. They weren’t exactly the coolest students at Beacon Hills High, and this was the first time they’d ever gone to a gathering like this. Sana was unfazed. She was used to the rampant debauchery of wild and glitzy parties. She’d hung out with the “popular crowd” since ninth grade, and she was used to their behavior. She made sure her phone was tucked in her pocket and made her way to the door. Elias and Yousef caught up with her when they snapped out of their awe. “So these kids are just drinking out in the open? Where are their parents?” Yousef asked. Sana shrugged. “Their parents give them money so they don’t feel guilty about ignoring them, and they're too busy with their own lives to really care.” Elias and Yousef looked at each other in disbelief. They shook their heads and followed Sana inside. When they stepped through the threshold, they were greeted with the heavy scent of alcohol. The air was hazy with marijuana smoke. Rap music pulsed from the speakers and reverberated through the house. People were practically fornicating on the leather sectional sofa. Yousef spotted a girl throwing up in a potted plant. A sloppy-drunk blonde wearing cat ears and an impossibly short miniskirt stumbled into Elias, grinned, and kissed him on the lips. Some of Karl’s friends from the lacrosse team were cheering on a guy doing a keg stand. A few people were lying on the floor. They looked unconscious, but no one seemed concerned. The frenzied, almost Saturnalian atmosphere was overwhelming for the two boys. Elias and Yousef looked around wide-eyed. Sana giggled. “You two are sweet. Come on, let’s get something to drink.” They made their way to the kitchen. Inside, they were greeted with the sight of Sara doing a striptease on top of the island. Her boyfriend of the moment was emptying a bottle of liquor into the punch bowl. Sana turned around to face her brother and his best friend. “Okay,” she said. “Looks like we’re not getting anything to drink.” Yousef and Elias laughed. They went back out to the living room and squeezed between two couples to sit on the couch. “So,” Sana asked. “How are you guys enjoying your first real high school party so far?” They paused and surveyed the room. “It’s…” Yousef trailed off. “It’s really… something,” Elias finished. Sana laughed. Yousef studied her while she did. He noticed the way the corners of her eyes crinkled. And the sound of her laugh, he thought, was lovely. She was lovely. “You look…” he paused. “You look really pretty Sana.” Sana smiled and spoke softly. “Thank you. That means… that means a lot.” They stared at each other for a while, silently. They were lost in their own world, exchanging words far beyond those they had spoken aloud. Elias cleared his throat. Yousef and Sana snapped out of their silence. Their cheeks colored. Elias looked at them suspiciously. “Hey, Yousef,” he said. “Stop flirting with my sister, man.” _

After the awkwardness with Yousef and her brother, Sana rose from the sofa and decided to walk around. It was ten o’clock, and she hadn’t even seen Laila yet. She passed the bathroom and paused before it. She contemplated going inside, locking the door, and performing her ablution as a precursor to prayer. She had done it before at parties like this, and she was sure she could find an empty room upstairs to pray in (if they weren’t all occupied by horny teenagers). As she was about to open the door, she heard a long, high-pitched moan from inside. Sana walked away quickly, grateful for an excuse not to pray, no matter how flimsy it was. A floret of guilt blossomed in her stomach. She knew she should want to pray, and she did. She just hadn’t done it in so long, she thought it might feel wrong, or different, or that she would mess it up somehow- Ingrid bumped into Sana, interrupting her train of thought. She was wearing stiletto heels as part of her slutty nurse costume and she couldn’t steady herself. She was breathing heavily, and Sana got a whiff of Jack Daniels on her breath. “Hey Sana,” Ingrid said. Her words were slurred. She grabbed Sana’s face with her hands. “You’re such a good person, Sana. You’re such a good friend. You would tell. You wouldn’t let him get away with this...” She hiccuped and trailed off, her tear-filled eyes glittering in the darkness. Sana nodded and walked away, dismissing Ingrid’s words as inebriated nonsense. She spotted a girl who looked like Laila sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. Her face was illuminated by the glow from her cell phone. It was hard to tell whether or not it was really her, as she was one of the few people that had actually put effort into their costume. The girl was wearing a pastel-colored wig and pink swirls were painted on her face. Sana stepped over a passed out lacrosse player and approached her. “Laila?” she asked. The girl looked up and broke into a smile. “Sana, hi,” she answered. “I’m so glad you’re here. This party…” she looked around the room, unsure of how to finish the sentence. “It sucks,” Sana said. “I haven’t been to one of these since last year. I’d almost forgotten how bad they were. If I had remembered, I would’ve suggested we go somewhere actually fun.” Laila laughed. “Well, I mean, it hasn’t been a complete waste. I did see two girls do body shots off of each other and then throw up in each other’s mouths.” “Ah,” Sana said, a grimace clear on her face. “How… classy.” Laila surveyed the room again. “There wasn’t anything like this where I moved here from. Or… anywhere that I’ve ever lived, for that matter.” Sana saw this as an opportunity to get to know Laila a little better. “And where you moved here from - where is that?” “Um, Bakersfield. And Chicago before that. And… so many other places.” She paused reflectively. “Too many to count.” Laila was silent for a second and then spoke. “I was born in Kenya. We moved to the United States when I was two years old. My parents and my aunt, they speak of Kenya with such fondness, but… I don’t even remember it.” She bit her lip and stopped talking again. At that moment, Elias walked up to them. Yousef followed behind. “Hey, Sana,” he said. He turned to Laila. “Hi…” he paused, waiting for her to fill in with her name. “It’s Laila,” she said, a small smile on her face. “Laila,” Elias repeated softly. He spoke gently, as if savoring the syllables on his lips. Laila smiled wider at this. No one had ever said her name like that. She liked it. “Hey,” Elias said. He was talking to all of them, but looking directly at Laila. “Do you want to get out of here?” Laila grinned even wider. Sana thought that if Elias said anything else, her lips might split. Laila was about to respond, but the trill of her ringtone stopped her. She looked down at the screen and was about to decline the call when she saw the name on the caller ID. Her eyes clouded. “I have to take this,” she said slowly. She got up and stepped away, pressing the phone to her ear. Yousef and Sana immediately faced Elias, whose eyes had followed Laila. Sana cleared her throat and looked at her brother expectantly. Elias turned back to them. “What?” he asked, his gaze darting back and forth between the two. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Sana arched an eyebrow knowingly. “Hey, we’re just… curious,” Yousef responded. “It’s not every day that Elias Bakkoush falls in love.” He said the last word in a sing-songy voice. Elias let out a breath. “What? No, no, I just met her. I didn’t even know her name until a minute ago,” he protested. “I think it’s love at first sight…” Sana and Yousef were both teasing him now. They joked and laughed until Laila came back from her phone call. Her anxious demeanor caused Sana, Elias, and Yousef to fall silent. “Um, guys, I would love to go with you, but I have to go. It’s… urgent.” Laila picked up her purse and hurriedly stuffed her phone inside. “Bye, Sana, and…” Yousef and Elias supplied their names. Before they could say anything else, she was gone. “Well,” Yousef said. “That was interesting. Let’s get out of here.”

notes:  i feel like i wrote elias and yousef sort of out of character in this chapter, with regards to how they reacted to the alcohol and behavior at the party, but i tried to do that on purpose. i'll develop their characters as the story progresses. please comment and leave kudos if you enjoyed this chapter!

CHAPTER 2

friday, october 28 ville mentality-j. cole Sana arose the next morning completely exhausted. She went through the motions of getting dressed, washing her face, and brushing her teeth. She skipped breakfast altogether. As she was about to leave, she noticed her mother watching her. “Mom, is everything alright?” Sana asked. Her mother paused. “Are you okay?” she said slowly. She studied her daughter intently. Sana smiled nervously. “Yes, Mom. I’m fine. It’s just… I have a lot of homework and college applications are due. There’s just… there’s a lot going on right now.” Sana’s mom didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t press the subject. As soon as Sana was about to leave, Elias came down the stairs. He hugged their mother and grabbed his jacket from the coat rack. “Are you riding with us, Sana? Yousef texted me and said he’ll be here in a few minutes.” Sana grimaced at the sound of Yousef’s name. Her thoughts flashed back to last night, and she shook her head. “No, I think I’ll walk,” she replied. “I need some time alone. See you later.” _

Sana walked briskly down the crowded hallway, her bookbag slung over her back. She was on her way to the library during her free period. She needed a quiet place to study. As she was about to walk inside, the double doors swung open, and out walked a red haired girl. She smiled at Sana briefly and then checked her cell phone. Sana smiled back and made her way to a study cubicle in the corner. She hefted her large Advanced Chemistry textbook out of her bag and set it on the desk. She flipped to the chapter her class was on, pulled out a notebook, and started reading and taking notes. She was about to flip the page when she overheard a conversation a few tables away. “Hey, man, what happened with you and that Muslim guy yesterday?” Sana peered over her shoulder and saw Karl and his friends lounging at a table. The library supposedly had a no-talking policy, but popular white lacrosse players could get away with anything at Beacon Hills High. She quickly turned back around before they noticed her. “Nothing really. Something could’ve happened with Sana though, if that dick hadn’t interrupted,” Karl boasted. “Who’s Sana? Is she the girl with the-” Julian, one of the guys, motioned to his head. “The scarf thing?” Karl laughed obnoxiously. “Yeah, man, that’s her. God, I bet she’s got a great ass. She just wears all those loose clothes and shit. You can’t even see anything.” Another boy, Jacob, interjected. “Aren’t Muslim chicks supposed to be like, goody-two-shoes? Like, they don’t have sex? What’s the point of even trying to talk to her?” Sana stilled. Karl laughed again. “Man, that whole good girl thing is a front. She’s a total slut. You haven’t seen the way she looks at me, like she just wants me to slam her up against the wall. I don’t know why she got so pissy when I tried to talk to her. She’s the one sending all those weird signals. She should feel grateful,” he chuckled. “I’m just trying to make her dreams come true.” Sana felt the blood rush to her face. She pressed her palm to her cheeks. They were hot. She closed her textbook and stuffed her notes inside her bag. Somehow, she managed to leave the library without Karl and his friends noticing. Sana walked quickly through the vacant hallways and into the nearest restroom. She went into a stall and slammed the door shut. Sana sat on the closed toilet set, her head cradled in her hands. How could Karl say that about her? She had never looked at him suggestively, or given him any implication that she was attracted to him. She tried to tolerate him and act civilly. There was no way that he could interpret that as desire. He was either delusional or showing off for his friends. Probably both. How can you call him delusional? a voice in Sana’s head whispered. You’re the one having visions of people predicting their own deaths. You’re the crazy one. Sana’s breathing grew heavy, and tears formed in her eyes. She sat there for a while and let herself cry. Her shoulders shuddered in rhythm with her silent sobs, rising with every breath she took and sinking with the weight of her stresses. After a while, Sana rose and shakily opened the door. She went to the sink and looked in the mirror. Her face was flushed and blotchy. Her eyes were glossy and reflected the fluorescent lights above. She splashed water on her face and tried to steady her breathing. Sana placed her hands on either side of the porcelain basin. She hadn’t applied makeup that morning, so her face was clear and it was no longer obvious that she had been crying. She whispered a short prayer and turned to leave the restroom. Just as Sana was about to walk out, a petite blonde girl shuffled through the threshold. Tears were streaming down her pale face in rivulets. She was using her hands to wipe them away, but they persisted. Sana stared at her, worry and concern clouding her eyes. The girl met her gaze for a moment, but didn’t say anything. Instead, she went into a stall and slammed the door shut. Sana paused for a second and tentatively rapped her knuckles on the door. “Are you… are you alright?” Sana mentally kicked herself for asking such a silly question. Of course she wasn’t alright, or else she wouldn’t be bawling her eyes out in a humanities hall lavatory. The girl didn’t respond. Sana debated saying something else, but a ringing tone sounded. It was the bell for fourth period. Sana plugged in her earbuds and exited into a sea of people. She felt physically and emotionally exhausted. All she had to do was push through one more class, and then she had a break. She wouldn’t have to see Karl until after lunch. At that, she breathed a sigh of relief and trudged down the hallway to her literature class. _

When the lunch bell rang, Sana strolled to the cafeteria and bought a bag of chips and a bottle of water from a vending machine. She usually made her own lunch, but she had been preoccupied with the Yousef dream yesterday and it had slipped her mind. She walked over to the table by the window where she and Laila had sat yesterday. Her usual lunch group was present that day, and they gave her a puzzled look from across the room. She ignored them and plopped her bag down on the seat next to her. Laila was reading the same book from yesterday. She quickly shoved it into her backpack when she saw Sana. Laila smiled at her. They greeted each other and chatted about work and teachers for a while. “Hey,” Sana said. “Do you want to go to a party tonight? It starts at nine.” Laila looked surprised. “Um… sure,” she replied slowly. “Who’s throwing it?” Sana glanced back at the table where her “friends” were sitting. “Oh, just this girl I know. Ingrid Theis Gaupseth. I don’t know if you know her.” “I don’t think I’ve met her,” Laila said. “Do you think it’ll be fun?” Sana pursed her lips. “Depends on your definition of fun. Anyway, it’ll be a good way for you to get to know people in Beacon Hills.” “Great! I’ll be there then.” Sana passed her cell phone to Laila. “Put your number in my phone and I’ll text you the address. Oh,” she added. “and wear a costume. It’s a Halloween party.” _

Sana caught a ride home with Yousef and Elias. She told both of them about Ingrid’s party. For the rest of the ride, she tried her best to avoid looking at Yousef. She didn’t know what might happen if she looked him in the eye. When they arrived at home, Sana was the first in the door. Her mother had a day off and was reading at the kitchen table. Elias walked in, kissed their mother on the cheek, and made his way to the refrigerator. Sana smiled half-heartedly and greeted their mom, and then asked permission to go to the Halloween party. She granted it. Sana and Elias were about to go upstairs to their bedrooms when their mother cleared her throat. “Sana,” she said gently. “Can I talk to you please?” Sana turned back and sat down next to her mother. Amina Bakkoush looked her daughter in the eyes as she gathered her thoughts. “Sana, are you okay?” she asked. “You asked me that this morning, Mama. I’m fine, I promise. It’s just stress from school.” Her mother knitted her brow. “I don’t think you are, Sana. You look exhausted and… “ she paused for a moment. “You seem… I don’t know, more than stressed. Like you’re sad or… worried.” Sana was a little surprised. She didn’t think her mother could tell when she was upset. “It’s.. it’s nothing, Mama. Nothing important. It doesn’t matter.” “Well, I suppose you don’t have to tell me about it, but have you been praying?” Sana blinked. A guilty expression flashed across her face. She had barely prayed in the last few weeks. Since the dream about Yousef, she hadn’t prayed at all. She ducked her head, not wanting to look her mom in the eye. “No,” she responded carefully, “not really…” she trailed off. “You haven’t been going to prayers recently either.” Sana was silent. Amina placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “I think you should try to pray, habibti. It’ll be good for you.” Sana lifted her head. “Should I go today? I don’t have to go to that party. It’ll probably be lame anyways-” “No, no, you go to the party,” Amina interrupted. “Enjoy yourself. You need it.” Amina reached out to embrace her daughter. At that moment, Sana realized she couldn’t remember the last time she had hugged either of her parents. They stood in the kitchen, arms wrapped around each other, for a long time. Sana felt all of her worries about Yousef and Karl and schoolwork start to melt away. When they finally parted, Sana had tears in her eyes for the second time that day. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I needed that.” Amina only smiled and kissed her daughter on the cheek. “I love you so much, my daughter. I just want you to be happy.”

notes:  i am christian, not muslim, so any references to islam in this story will be from what i know from school information, research, and my muslim friends. please let me know if anything is inaccurate and like/reblog if you enjoyed this chapter!

CHAPTER 1

notes:  at the beginning of each upload, i will include a song that i listened to while writing that fits the mood of the writing. also, @smoothyousef ‘s original character karl makes multiple appearances so i apologize for that in advance. please let me know if you enjoyed this chapter! i’ll be updating this story on here and on the ao3 account @spaceygemini every other day, so please stay tuned for more!

thursday, october 27 staying up-the neighbourhood A doe-eyed, curly-haired little girl skipped along in a wooded area, humming nursery rhymes. She stopped when she came across someone sitting cross-legged on the pine needles beneath a towering tree. It was a boy only a little older than her. The girl came closer to him and waited for him to notice her. After a moment, the boy looked up and smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He was looking past the girl, as if he didn’t see her. “Hi, Sana,” he said, his voice tinged with melancholy. “Hi,” she replied shyly. The boy used the hem of his shirt to wipe his eyes. He had been crying. “What’s wrong?” The boy sighed and repeated the lines that everyone who’d sat under that pine tree before him had said. “I’m going to die, Sana. I’m going to die, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.” _____________________

Sana awoke in a cold sweat. She felt her forehead. It was feverishly warm and damp with sweat. She was used to having dreams like that. She’d had premonitions in her sleep for the past six months or so. She had never told anyone, mostly because she had never had any reason to believe the predictions would come true. This time though, it was different. This time, she’d recognized the person under the tree, even though he was younger in her dream. They had known each other for as long as she could remember. It was Yousef Acar, her brother’s best friend. _____________________

Sana gazed into the mirror, searching for any imperfection in her appearance. Noticing that her hijab was a bit loose, she plucked a silver heart-shaped pin to secure it. When she was finished, she looked back at her reflection. Even after applying makeup, she could see the dark circles under her eyes. She hadn’t gotten much sleep recently between studying for exams and the growing intensity of her nightly phantasms, which had culminated with last night’s dream. After she’d woken up, she couldn’t go back to sleep, so instead, she had spent all night Googling those who thought they could predict death. Most of the people recorded were raving lunatics, now probably locked away in places like Eichen House. No one she found online was in any condition for her to question them about their abilities. It’s for the best, Sana thought. I don’t want to end up like them. Besides, I don’t even know if my visions are true. I shouldn’t worry too much. Yousef isn’t going to die. That’s… that’s impossible. Sana swirled a makeup brush in a powder compact and applied it under both her eyes. She blended it in before swiping on dark lipstick. She smiled at her reflection. Perfect. Just as she was getting up from her chair, she heard a voice call from the bottom of the stairs. “Sana! Hurry up!” her brother called. “If you don’t come down soon, you’ll be taking the bus!” Sana grabbed her school bag from the floor. As she was about to leave her room, something on her laptop screen caught her eye. It was the research from last night. She closed the search window and turned the laptop off, fearing her parents would see it. “I’m coming, Elias!” Sana said, rolling her eyes. Elias was so annoying sometimes. Who did he think he was, rushing her like that? Sana walked downstairs, grabbed a granola bar for breakfast, and kissed her father on the cheek. She called out a goodbye as she left the house and met Elias on the sidewalk outside. Yousef was waiting for them, his faded blue Jeep parked on the curb. Sana gasped softly when she saw him. She had never really paid much attention to Yousef, but today she felt relieved when she saw him alive and joking with Elias. “Good morning, Yousef,” Sana greeted him with a warm smile. In some weird way, she felt like she should be extra nice to him today, seeing as she had basically foreseen his death only a few hours ago. “Hi, Sana. How… how are you?” Yousef smiled at Sana radiantly, as if he could see nothing but her, but Sana didn’t seem to notice. Elias sure did, though. “I’m… I could be worse,” she said, sighing slightly. After a joking around for a few more minutes, the three were off to school. ____________________

“Alright class, get out your homework from this weekend. I’ll be checking it for a grade.” It wasn’t even lunch time, and Sana was already extremely annoyed. First of all, she was in AP Calculus, which she found easy but hated with a passion. Second, some ninth grader had spilled coffee on her Spanish textbook before second period, which she would have to pay for. Third, Karl Magnusson kept trying to find excuses to talk to her in class. And fourth, she was still thinking about her dream last night. She heard Yousef’s voice in her head over and over, repeating the same morbid sentence. “I’m going to die, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” That had thrown her concentration completely off, and she’d been scatterbrained in every class. Sana rifled through her backpack, searching from her homework from that weekend. She couldn’t find it. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she remembered where she had left it. It was right next to her laptop, and she’d forgotten to grab it before she left. The teacher was coming down the aisle, only three desks away. And to top it all off, Karl had just tapped her on the shoulder for what had to be the twentieth time in the past hour. Great, Sana thought before turning around to shoot a snarky remark at Karl. Nothing could possibly make this day any worse. _____________________

The day got worse. A whole lot worse. But that came later. When Sana got to lunch, the small group of interchangeable clones she usually hung out with was nowhere to be found. She contemplated eating in the library, but decided that was cliche, and extremely nerdy. Just as she was about to sit down with Elias and his friends, she spotted a girl sitting alone by a window. Sana had never seen her before, but she looked nice, and more interesting than the vapid look-alikes she usually talked to. Sana approached the table where the girl was and sat down. The girl was reading a huge leather bound book, and she was so engrossed in it that she didn’t even realize that Sana had sat down. Sana cleared her throat. “Hey, mind if I sit here?” Sana asked. “Oh, sure, of course,” the girl said, embarrassed. She closed the book and set it aside. Sana peeked at the title. GATONYE BESTIARY. A complex symbol was inscribed on the cover, and she caught a glimpse of some French words. The girl hadn’t said anything else, so Sana decided to introduce herself. “I’m Sana.” “I’m Laila. Nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you too. I’ve seen you in the hallway,” Laila said. “Oh, my God that sounds so creepy, sorry,” she giggled. Sana laughed too. “No, it’s okay. So what are you doing sitting all alone? You’ve got to be pretty interesting company if you’re reading a book like that,” she said, gesturing to the book on the table next to Laila. “Um, I’m new here. My family just moved here and this is my first day.” “Well, Laila,” Sana said, leaning in conspiratorially. “How would you like to be my new best friend?” Laila looked surprised. “Um, don’t you already have friends? I mean-” Sana nibbled on her bottom lip. “Not really. Just… acquaintances.” She paused meditatively and grinned. “So, is that a yes?” Laila broke into a smile. “Yeah, sure. I’d like that.” Sana smiled. “Good.” _____________________

After school, Sana was in a terrible mood. Before the last bell rang, Karl had made crude comments about her to his stupid lacrosse team cronies and she was thisclose to slapping him across his smug, misogynistic face. He’s such an asshole, Sana fumed as she shut her locker, and everyone just lets him get away with it because he’s the captain of the fucking lacrosse team. Pathetic. Sana slung her bag over her shoulder and stalked outside. She scanned the parking lot, looking for Yousef’s Jeep. She spotted it parked near the athletic fields. When she was about halfway there, someone grabbed her arm. Sana whirled around, ready to unleash a stream of curse words. It was Karl. Sana sighed, chuckling drily. “Unbelieveable. What do I have to do for you to get it: I’m not into you!” She tried to walk away, but he tightened his grip on her forearm. “Just give me a chance, Sana. One date, okay? I promise I’ll make it worth your while.” Karl wiggled his patchy eyebrows suggestively. “No!” Sana exclaimed angrily. “Let me go, or I swear I’ll kick you ass.” She felt her face get hot. She knew she should stay calm, but Karl was just so infuriating. Karl smirked. “For a girl who’s trying to convince people that Islam is peaceful, you’re pretty violent.” Sana flinched as if he had hit her. “The only thing I’m trying to convince you of is to let me go!” Sana tried to wrestle her arm free, but she was unsuccessful. Just as she was about to start screaming at him, Yousef walked up. “Hey, Karl,” he said testily. “Is there a problem here?” Karl loosened his grip a bit, but not enough for Sana to get away. “Nah, man, everything’s fine. We were just talking.” Yousef stepped closer to Karl and looked him in the eye. “And everything will stay fine if you let her go.” He spoke quietly but fiercely. Karl stared into Yousef’s eyes for a moment more and then slowly dropped his hand, releasing Sana. “Whatever, man,” he scoffed. Yousef shook his head a little and then turned to Sana. “Are you okay?” he asked. Sana exhaled sharply. “Yeah, I’m fine. Karl’s just…” She trailed off. “You shouldn’t have to put up with that,” Yousef said bitterly. “That guy is horrible. Have you reported him to the administration?” “Yeah, once,” Sana said, shrugging. “They didn’t do anything. They just said it’s a part of high school. Boys will be boys and all that.” She let out a harsh laugh. Yousef studied her intently, momentarily drowning in her chocolate eyes. “No one should have to put up with that. Especially not you.” Sana smiled a little. “Thanks, Yousef.” She paused. “You’re a good guy, you know that?” Yousef shrugged. “I try my best.” They both smiled and walked the rest of the way to the car. Elias was leaning against the car. His eyes were fixed on a pretty brown-skinned girl he’d never seen before. Sana followed his gaze and recognized Laila. She smirked and cleared her throat. “Earth to Elias! We’re here, let’s go.” Elias snapped out of his trance. He had a look on his face that Sana had never seen before. It wasn’t the usual hungry expression that he usually wore when he saw a pretty girl, but something deeper, more thoughtful. Sana smiled to herself. If that look meant what she thought it did, things were going to get interesting. _____________________

After Sana had completed all of her homework that night, she was exhausted. Her day had been so hectic, and all she really wanted was a solid night of sleep, something she hadn’t gotten in years. Sana showered and pulled on ratty pajamas, and then crawled into bed. She tossed and turned for a few minutes, and then resolved that she wasn’t going to be able to sleep when her thoughts were so tangled around her macabre dream. Sana swung her feet out of bed and turned the lights on. She sank into her desk chair and powered up her laptop. If I can’t sleep, she figured, I can at least try and make sense of this… Her thoughts trailed off. Nothing she had ever learned had even given her the knowledge to name the nightmares plaguing her subconscious mind. Sana went to Google. When she went to search something, she had no idea what to type. She stared at the screen, almost mesmerized by the cursor blinking in the search bar. She slowly started to type something. “fortune telling dreams" It was the most sane-sounding way she could explain what was happening to her. In less than a second, over two million results popped up. Sana scrolled down the page. All of the webpages seemed to be about dreams in which someone tells the future. In other words, nothing helpful. Sana tried again. “predicting the future through dreams" This time, thirty-six million results turned up. The first link was an article in the Huffington Post. Sana let out a small breath of relief. The Post was a reputable source, not the capricious ramblings of some lunatic. She skimmed the article. It was written by someone whose relative had dreamt of their deceased family members in the weeks leading to their own death. “Perhaps we should pay attention to the messages we receive through our nightly dreams, and not dismiss them as trivial, for they may be a startlingly accurate indicator of what is to come.” When Sana read this last sentence, she flinched. She had hoped the article would quell her rising concerns about her dream, but it did the opposite. Here was a professional writer published in a legitimate news source, saying that dreams affected life. Sana shut her laptop and sat there, frozen in the dark. She wondered how such an innocent article could have such a profound impact on her. She turned the lights off and slipped back into bed, but sleep never found her. Sana instead laid awake the whole night, a single thought circulating through her mind. If she went by the reasoning used in the article, Yousef’s life could be in severe danger.