rope.
Something ached inside of her. Rylie knew she should have been sad, but she felt too numb to feel anything now.
Her dad would never jog again, or walk a dog, or play jump rope. Just like that, he was gone.
Jessica brought her a black dress and shoes. “I know you don’t have anything for... you know,” she said, laying them across Rylie’s mattress. “I hope you like this dress. Your aunt helped me pick it out.”
“Is he really dead?” Rylie asked.
“Oh, honey.” Jessica reached out like she was going to hug Rylie, but she stepped out of the way before her mom could touch her.
“I just need to hear it from you. I need to know it’s real.”
Her mom covered her mouth with a trembling hand, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She shook her head once and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Rylie stared after her. It felt like a giant hole had been carved out of her chest.
She tried on her dress in front of the full-length mirror. It was modest, like everything her mom bought. The hem hit at the knee and the sleeves were short. The scoop neck was just wide enough to show off her silvery claw scars. Rylie wondered, distantly, what Seth would think of the dress.
It felt like a long time since she had really looked at herself. Her reflection had changed over the course of three moons. Her fine blonde hair reached her elbows now, as though the transformations made it grow faster. Her gangly, knobby arms and legs had fleshed out with muscle. Her skin had a healthy copper tan.
Strangest of all, the gold veins in her eyes were spreading. She looked more and more like the wolf as time went on, and less like Rylie.
She kind of liked it. She looked strong and healthy. Like she could take anything on.
Even her dad’s funeral.
Her phone chimed and buzzed. Rylie turned it on to find twelve new text messages and several missed calls. They were all from the guys she hung out with at school. She hadn’t told anyone she was being sent to camp for the summer, so they had been trying to meet up with her for weeks.
The most recent one was from her friend Tyler. Rylie called him back.
“Hey, what’s up?” she asked.
“Rylie? Wow! I thought you were dead!”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re not too far off. I saw your text message.”
“Yeah! You want to see Black Death at The South Den tonight? You’re the only one I know who likes them but me.”
"The South Den is in a really bad part of town," Rylie said.
"Yeah, but it's Black Death unplugged! They only sent out a hundred invitations to this thing. I got passes because my cousin’s a barista there. Come on, Rylie. You can't miss it."
She bit her lower lip, staring at her reflection across the room. Rylie looked grave and dark in the mirror. She didn’t think it was a good idea to go out and have fun when she was only in town for her father’s funeral.
But what else could she do? Sit at home with her mom?
“Sure,” Rylie said. “I’ll be there.”
Jessica knew better than to ask Rylie where she was going. She wore a loose skirt and her favorite pair of Converse so she could walk to the train station. The three blocks to the station had seemed like a long distance last time she visited, but after weeks of hiking, Rylie found herself passing the stop instead of boarding the train. The South Den was only a few miles away. She felt restless and wanted to move.
The art district became darker and dirtier as she moved south. Shops had bars over their windows and half of the street lamps didn’t work. Rylie ignored the people begging for money and walked on.
The South Den was a coffee shop in an alley behind a condemned bank. They rented out the old money vault, and the only way inside was to take a road underneath the building and pass through metal doors. Rylie had to wait outside for Tyler, since she didn’t have passes, and
Something ached inside of her. Rylie knew she should have been sad, but she felt too numb to feel anything now.
Her dad would never jog again, or walk a dog, or play jump rope. Just like that, he was gone.
Jessica brought her a black dress and shoes. “I know you don’t have anything for... you know,” she said, laying them across Rylie’s mattress. “I hope you like this dress. Your aunt helped me pick it out.”
“Is he really dead?” Rylie asked.
“Oh, honey.” Jessica reached out like she was going to hug Rylie, but she stepped out of the way before her mom could touch her.
“I just need to hear it from you. I need to know it’s real.”
Her mom covered her mouth with a trembling hand, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She shook her head once and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Rylie stared after her. It felt like a giant hole had been carved out of her chest.
She tried on her dress in front of the full-length mirror. It was modest, like everything her mom bought. The hem hit at the knee and the sleeves were short. The scoop neck was just wide enough to show off her silvery claw scars. Rylie wondered, distantly, what Seth would think of the dress.
It felt like a long time since she had really looked at herself. Her reflection had changed over the course of three moons. Her fine blonde hair reached her elbows now, as though the transformations made it grow faster. Her gangly, knobby arms and legs had fleshed out with muscle. Her skin had a healthy copper tan.
Strangest of all, the gold veins in her eyes were spreading. She looked more and more like the wolf as time went on, and less like Rylie.
She kind of liked it. She looked strong and healthy. Like she could take anything on.
Even her dad’s funeral.
Her phone chimed and buzzed. Rylie turned it on to find twelve new text messages and several missed calls. They were all from the guys she hung out with at school. She hadn’t told anyone she was being sent to camp for the summer, so they had been trying to meet up with her for weeks.
The most recent one was from her friend Tyler. Rylie called him back.
“Hey, what’s up?” she asked.
“Rylie? Wow! I thought you were dead!”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re not too far off. I saw your text message.”
“Yeah! You want to see Black Death at The South Den tonight? You’re the only one I know who likes them but me.”
"The South Den is in a really bad part of town," Rylie said.
"Yeah, but it's Black Death unplugged! They only sent out a hundred invitations to this thing. I got passes because my cousin’s a barista there. Come on, Rylie. You can't miss it."
She bit her lower lip, staring at her reflection across the room. Rylie looked grave and dark in the mirror. She didn’t think it was a good idea to go out and have fun when she was only in town for her father’s funeral.
But what else could she do? Sit at home with her mom?
“Sure,” Rylie said. “I’ll be there.”
Jessica knew better than to ask Rylie where she was going. She wore a loose skirt and her favorite pair of Converse so she could walk to the train station. The three blocks to the station had seemed like a long distance last time she visited, but after weeks of hiking, Rylie found herself passing the stop instead of boarding the train. The South Den was only a few miles away. She felt restless and wanted to move.
The art district became darker and dirtier as she moved south. Shops had bars over their windows and half of the street lamps didn’t work. Rylie ignored the people begging for money and walked on.
The South Den was a coffee shop in an alley behind a condemned bank. They rented out the old money vault, and the only way inside was to take a road underneath the building and pass through metal doors. Rylie had to wait outside for Tyler, since she didn’t have passes, and
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