Waxing Darkness Read online

  Chapter Six: Chelsea

  Nothing ever stays.

  Her attachment was unwise,

  for it now must end.

  On this cool October night, Luna was wishing to not attend school the coming morning. In fact, she honestly didn’t feel like doing anything. She knew that something like this was going to happen, but she didn’t wish for it to happen so soon. This kind of stuff always seemed to happen to her whenever she was happy; disaster had to strike, tearing apart her paradise.

  But, what else could she possibly do? It wasn’t like her father was asking her to do a favor that she could easily say “no” to. This was a flat out order. The words kept playing though her mind, as if it were a scene in a horror movie.

  “I don’t give a damn about how you feel about him! He’s a distraction to what’s important right now. Look at the newspapers, Luna! People are disappearing, one by one. You have to know what that means. They will use him against you if they get the chance. You have to get that stupid boy off of your mind for good.”

  Luna wished that she could protest against her father, or that her mother would try to see thing from her point of view. She had seen the newspaper headlines, and she knew exactly what was going on. She wasn’t some little girl who needed to be told what to do for every small thing. Aren’t I allowed to make some decisions for myself; Luna asked herself as tears flowed down her cheeks.

  She didn’t wish to leave Luis, for a great number of reasons. For one thing, he was probably the nicest person that she had ever met. He never judge her for anything she did, his view on her had never changed. Luis was also someone who could easily make her laugh about almost anything. Everything about him seemed to bring out only the best in her. It was foolish, but she knew that she was really starting to fall in love with him. Even though it would never would have worked out, she liked to pretend that the two of them had the possibility to be happy together.

  That’s why she was running like crazy, trying to avoid everything else in the real world. Tonight, she was alone. The feeling she once cherished was now something she never wanted to feel again. It was foolish of her to think that there was someone out there in the world that she could permanently call hers. A dark void was building in her heart.

  Tonight was just another routine watch around the city, but she had her own mission. She knew that it would probably not change her father’s mind in anyway, but it was also very suicidal. Luna had decided that she wanted to find out exactly where the vampire’s hiding place was. None of the Estrella family knew where the vampire’s hid from the sun during the day; it was a secret that everyone was surprised that they could hide for so long. Before she could do any of that, Luna had to make a little side trip. All of this sneaking around behind her parent’s back excited her. No one was there to stop her, but that also meant no one was here to save her.

  On the outskirts of downtown El Paso, Luna did her best to blend herself in with the shadows. The last thing that she wanted to do was have someone see her and call animal control. She carefully moved around until she reached the place she was looking for. It was a very small apartment complex; one that only ascended three floors. She didn’t need to climb though; her target had a single room apartment that was on the first floor. Luna scratched her paw on the door until she heard someone rustle through the room.

  Opening the door was a very tall, and very tired black-haired woman. She was only wearing a nightgown and normally wore glasses. It took her a few seconds to find out that there was a large wolf at her front door.

  “Luna,” The young woman said in a groggy voice, “what the hell are you doing here? You realize that it’s past midnight, right?”

  The young woman allowed Luna through the doorway and into the small apartment. She immediately ran onto the bed and under the covers. Luna was very shy when it came to transforming back into her human form, even if she was standing in front of another girl. As she changed back into her human form, she wrapped the comforter around her body. It was soft and warm, causing Luna to wish that she could go to sleep, even for a little while. The idea was quickly expelled from her mind when she remembered that she was on a mission. She looked over at the woman who lived in the apartment, Luna’s face looking desperate

  “I’m sorry, Chelsea,” Luna said in a weak voice, “I should have called you in advance, but I really need your help.”

  Chelsea Marquez was a very unconventional kind of person. Much like Luna, Chelsea was a mix of werewolf blood and witch blood. Chelsea was two years older than Luna, but they had been friends ever since the two of them had met a decade ago. Chelsea was an only child who grew up with a single parent, her mother, who was only a witch. Her mother actually had an affair with Victor, and caused her to become pregnant. The two of them never saw themselves as half-sisters, only friends. They both believed that being best friends was a much closer bond than being forced together by blood.

  “What’s wrong, Luna,” Chelsea said, walking towards her closet, grabbing a set of clothes for Luna to quickly put on.

  “I…um, need some help with something,” Luna said, her voice becoming uneven. “I need some information.”

  Chelsea was an expert on almost everything about everything supernatural. Although she had the book smarts about everything, that didn’t mean that she was able to put it all into practice. Chelsea wasn’t as strong as any of the Estrellas, and she didn’t go into her werewolf form as often as them either. Victor had disowned her since her birth, and he still does, believing that she isn’t a suitable werewolf to carry down his lineage. Those two hadn’t seen each other ever since Chelsea was three years old. Although, the whole situation seemed to motivated her in a very different way; while the power of a werewolf was mostly physical, having book smarts in being a witch was just as good as being a very powerful spell caster. She very much understood the importance of how logic plays into it; she compared it to the Law of Conservation of Mass that she had learned in her science classes all those years ago.

  “What is it that you need to know,” Chelsea asked.

  “Well, do you know much about vampires,” Luna asked, hoping for the best.

  Chelsea stared off into space, appearing deep in thought.

  “Well, I know a lot about what they have to do with werewolves, how they used to be on edge with each other. Now, we’re all just trying to co-exist with the normal people. And, werewolves are really the only creatures who can defeat a vampire in a fair fight. Besides the whole, not coming out in the sunlight stuff, I can’t think of anything else on the top of my head.”

  “Wait,” Luna interrupted as Chelsea got up to retrieve her books, “why exactly can’t vampires go out into the sunlight? They can handle regular lights just fine; what’s wrong with them coming out in the daylight?”

  “Well, it’s not really the light that bugs them too much,” Chelsea began to explain, grabbing a number of books out. “Werewolves and vampires both get most of their energy from the same source, the moon. However, werewolves aren’t affected by the sun because, we are still partially human. Vampires, medically and scientifically speaking, are dead beings. The power from the sun’s rays, mixed with the supernatural elements of their bodies, causes them to burn. If they are exposed to enough sunlight, they will burst into flames on the spot.”

  “Interesting,” Luna commented just to fill the awkward empty space. “Do you know if they have any other weaknesses?”

  “I believe just one other,” Chelsea responded, trying to remember all the facts. “This may just be a part of regular legends, but it hasn’t been disproven. I think that pure water is something that hurts them. It cancels out all of their powers and, if I remember correctly, causes a significant amount of damage to them.” Chelsea stopped herself for only a moment. “Why are you asking so many questions about killing a vampire?”

  “Just curious, but that’s not really the reason why I came here,” Luna answered; trying to avoid the question she was being asked. “I need
to know something else, about werewolves.”

  “I don’t like them either, but I hope you’re not planning on killing your family.” Chelsea joked.

  The two of them shared a few seconds of laughter. Chelsea enjoyed having a good relationship with Luna. She was the only one of the Estrellas who had any kind of contact with her. She was also the one who taught Luna a lot about magic when her own mother was too busy handling other things. If it wasn’t for Chelsea, she probably wouldn’t have been as much of a talented half-witch as she was now. There were times where Chelsea would join Luna on her midnight adventures as wolves. Her coat was as dark as the night, and she was easily able to keep up with Luna. Magic would always be her first love though. Intelligence was something she took pride in, jumping ahead of everybody, as she went to college much earlier than most people her age and is currently in her last year of schooling. Somewhere in Luna’s big heart, she wished that her father would for once accept how great his first daughter really is.

  “So, what is it exactly that you need to know,” Chelsea asked, crossing her legs.

  Chelsea didn’t need her books for anything that had to do with this subject.

  “Well, I was thinking,” Luna began stuttering, “do werewolves…that is, is it possible for a regular human being to be turned into a werewolf, just like they can a vampire?”

  Chelsea paused for a few seconds. Her eyes seemed absolutely vacant. In almost an instant, she knew the answer to Luna’s question. Answering it though; would it be wise if she did? She opened her mouth, only to close it again. There was no way of telling Luna without first knowing what her intentions were. Luna caught signs of Chelsea’s body language and began to smile.

  “There is!” Luna cheered, throwing the blanket over her head, exposing her naked body.

  She blushed; remember that Chelsea had laid out fresh cloths for her only a few minutes ago. The blanket still around her, she rushed to the bathroom with the clothes in her hands. This at least bought Chelsea a few minutes of thinking of how to respond to Luna. She had never lied to Luna before, and had never planned to before this very moment. What is she thinking, Chelsea pondered to herself. Slightly embarrassed, Luna tiptoed out of the bathroom and back onto the bed, the blanket still covering her.

  “Luna,” Chelsea began slowly, “I need to know why you are asking me this?”

  “I have my reasons,” Luna muttered, “but, it’s for a good reason, I promise. I know that you know that there’s a way to do it. Tell me.”

  “I can’t,” Chelsea said; her voice as firm as her stance.

  “What do you mean ‘you can’t’?” Luna demanded out of Chelsea.

  “I’m not going to tell you about this until you tell me exactly why you’re asking me this.” Chelsea tried her best to keep her voice as even as possible. Chelsea knew that Luna could probably over power her if she decided to. Still, she knew that standing up to her was right.

  “I’m just curious.” Luna lied, avoiding eye contact with her friend.

  “Don’t give me that load of crap,” Chelsea shot back. “This isn’t the kind of stuff that you ask someone about on a whim, just because you’re curious. There’s a reason why you want to know this, and I want to know why. Wait; is this about just some guy?”

  “You sound exactly like dad.”

  Luna didn’t think before she spoke, and as soon as she was halfway through her statement, she wished that she could close her mouth and take it all back. She couldn’t dare look at Chelsea in the eye; there was no way that she could avoid Chelsea’s reaction. Whatever happened to her, Luna wouldn’t protest against it, because she knew that she deserved it. Seconds passed, and Luna was waiting in anticipation. She heard a little bit of crying, but nothing else. Two minutes passed by, and nothing seemed to happen.

  Luna picked up her head a little, to see her friend’s face. Her face was red and tears were streaming down her face. She wasn’t expressionless, and it didn’t seem to tell Luna that she needed to leave. Every time Luna felt the urge to head for the door, Chelsea’s eyes caught her. They were screaming for her to not leave her alone; not now. Luna reached in, to hold her friend, her very sister, in her arms. Chelsea clutched tightly onto her.

  “I’m sorry.”

  There was nothing more that Luna was willing to say. She wasn’t going to beg Chelsea for forgiveness, she didn’t deserve it. She absolutely hated herself for what she said, so why should she even both wanting to be forgiven. It took a while for Chelsea to calm down, and everything seemed alright. Luna wasn’t there to cause Chelsea anymore scarring. She began to remove her clothing, to transform back into her wolf form, when Chelsea looked at her with a questionable look.

  “You’re leaving,” Chelsea asked.

  “I... I’m really sorry about what I said. I think it’s best if I don’t bother you again for a while.” Luna did her best to hide her face.

  “Don’t go,” Chelsea protested. Luna looked at her, absolutely dumbfounded. “I said I wouldn’t help you if you didn’t tell me what was going on. I’m not asking for specifics; I just want to help you make the right choice.”

  Luna placed back on her top and took back her seat on Chelsea’s bed. Chelsea was well prepared to listen in on Luna’s explanation. Luna felt that this is all she could do to prove how sorry she was to Chelsea. She wasn’t only going to be truthful to Chelsea, but she was finally going to be honest with herself. For a while, she’s wanted to hide her feelings that she’d had towards Luis.

  Everything was laid out on the table, starting exactly where it all began, on the day that the two of them had met in the library. Luna spoke about how kind the young man was to her, and how they enjoyed laughing and having fun over the smallest things. Chelsea had become fully engaged in Luna’s story, not interrupting her for anything. Chelsea was so glad that Luna had found someone that she was happy with. She could tell how her explanation was going to end well before they reached the conclusion of her story.

  “I guess I love him,” Luna began to conclude, taking in a deep breath. “I know that the two of us have only been together for about two months, but I finally understand that I do love Luis. I’m afraid to tell him though, not just that I love him, but about what we really are. That nightmare the vampire girl gave me really shocked me. What if he really doesn’t accept me for what I am; what if I am a monster in his eyes, you know?”

  “Right,” Chelsea commented to prove she was really paying attention to what Luna was saying.

  “But, there’s something else that’s going on,” Luna continued, trying her best not to cry. “I got in a huge fight with my family before I left tonight. You know about all of the disappearances that have been happening around us lately right; people just suddenly go missing.”

  “Yeah,” Chelsea answered.

  “Well, everyone seems to be jumping the gun and blaming it on the drug cartel, which really isn’t a bad cover for everything, but we can easily tell that it’s something else. It’s the vampires. Dad – err, Victor suspects that it’s a new group of vampires that have entered town. He doesn’t want to do anything that’ll start a war between all of us; he wants a peaceful resolution. But if we do have to end up fighting, he’s not too sure if the vampires that have already been living here will fight with us. The last thing that anyone here wants is a war.

  “The reason we fought was because of Luis. It was very lucky of me to allow them to let me date him in the first place. In Victor’s eyes, I should be going out with other werewolves, so we can have a strong litter.” Luna scoffed at the notion. “I don’t want to be forced into some kind of fake marriage just to make him happy; he’s already done enough for me to make me want to leave this place as soon as I graduate. But, that’s not why he got me so upset. Like I told you, he’s worried that we’re going to get involved with some war with the vampires.”

  “Just get to the point, Luna!” Chelsea exclaimed. She didn’t want to make herself seem crass, but she hated when Luna just ta
lked in circles for no reason.

  “He told me I had to break up with Luis,” Luna spoke. There was no feeling inside her words; that’s all they were, words. “He thinks that if they find out about Luis, that they can use him as some kind of hostage. He doesn’t want to take any kind of risks, and he thinks I’m going to be weak simply because I’m a girl. I hate this! I don’t want to break up with Luis. The last thing that I want to do is hurt him!”

  Luna was crying into the blanket. There was nothing more than her wishing that she could just tell Luis everything. He’s a good guy, a great guy; he didn’t deserve to be hurt by anybody.

  “So, you want to turn him into a werewolf so you don’t have to break up with him,” Chelsea asked. “I don’t want to sound inconsiderate, but doesn’t turning him into one of us put him in even more danger?”

  “I know, but I don’t care,” Luna answered. “I know that we can make this work if we try hard enough. He’ll understand, I know it; and he’ll be a really strong werewolf with some training. So will you help me? I don’t care if Victor doesn’t accept you; Luis and I could live here with you if we had to.”

  There was a capricious change in the air as Luna was speaking. She changed from a sorrow filled girl to someone who seemed hopeful. Chelsea couldn’t tell if Luna was just joking around with what she was saying or if she was being serious. Still, the two of them were smiling at that point, and Chelsea really wanted to help Luna in any way that she could. She wanted to see Luna’s relationship with Luis blossom into something good, and rubbing something into Victor’s face wasn’t a bad perk either.

  “Luna, are you sure that this is what you want,” Chelsea said in a very stern voice. “This doesn’t only affect your life, but it greatly affects his. Do you really care for him this much that you will stand by this decision for the rest of your lives?”

  Both of them knew the answer to Chelsea’s question well before she finished it.

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Luna answered.

  Chelsea glanced outside the window. “Well, I guess I have no choice but to help the both of you. But, it’s going to take a little while. For one thing, he’s not going to be able to transform until a few weeks. This reminds me, happy Halloween, Luna.”