The Frenzy by Francesca Lia Block

told me to kill my mother,” I said. “How do I know you won’t do that?” I looked around at the eyes glowing in the darkness. “She’s my mother!”
    “Sometimes Sasha gets carried away,” Victor said softly. “We don’t want to hurt your mother. We couldn’t anyway. She’s safe from us.”
    “Safe!” I could feel my fear turning to anger. The hairs prickled up on my arms. “I’m not safe from you! There areseven men in my bedroom!”
    Victor motioned for Sebastian to come forward. He stood behind his brother as Sebastian spoke. “Not seven men, sister. Seven unarmed wolves. And your daddy sleeps with a shotgun under the bed. And your mother never takes off her silver cross.”
    I closed my eyes again, put my hands over my ears and shook my head from side to side to make the dream go away. But it wasn’t a dream. They were all still there when I opened my eyes.
    Scoot finally heard them. He was scratching at my door, whining and barking.
    Victor was staring at me. He made a gesture with his head for me to follow him, went to the window and disappeared. One by one each brother did the same.
    I sat frozen in my bed. What the hell had just happened? I realized I was holding my breath and I gasped for air. Then I went to the window and peeked out. They were huddled on the grass looking up at me, except for Victor who had turned away, facing the woods. I could run with my brothers; my legs were already tingling with the sensation of freedom.
    I could smell the night, feed on it. It would course through me; I would be a part of it. I would run and play and feast on flesh, get drunk on blood all night with seven beautiful young men.
    But Corey? He would look into my eyes the next time I saw him and sense that I had moved further away, become even less like him.
    Yes, Corey. I’m a werewolf. I thirst after human blood and I run all night with a pack of seven males. I could kill you if I wanted. Rage lives inside of me, waiting to come out in the shape of a monster.
    I could betray Corey and be true to a part of my nature or I could choose not to. Corey was right, though I chose to ignore it; we were different. I was much wilder.
    I shivered, got back in bed, pulled the covers over my head and began to scribble furiously in my diary.
    “Liv,” called the night, “Liv.”
    I ignored her.

July
    A fter that night I tried to shut out everything except for Corey. I figured if I stayed focused on him and the joy we could give to each other nothing else could hurt me. If I were careful I wouldn’t have to deal with my father’s anger or my mother’s fear. I wouldn’t have to think about Sasha and what she wanted me to do and what she wanted to do herself but couldn’t. I could just go to work serving ice cream, perform for Nieberding in therapy once a week and spend all my free time, that month of July, with Corey.
    I wanted to feel our lovemaking more and I decided that the more sex we had, the safer I was from the frenzy. I had thought that making love would trigger it but instead being with a boy who loved me and whom I loved had seemed to calm me. So I stopped taking my meds. I felt more when Corey was inside of me and I always cried. But it was a good cry, a release.
    “Are you okay?” he asked over and over, kissing my face.
    “Yes. It feels good to feel,” I would tell him. I needed to cry as much as I needed to feel pleasure.
    “Well, I guess my music mixes are finally working on you, baby,” he said.
    Maybe I should tell him , I thought. But I could never bring myself to do it.
    I liked to pretend that I was cured; maybe love had cured me.
    We stopped going to the woods. I was afraid that Sasha or the boys might find me so we went out into the cornfields instead.
    I missed the woods. I longed for them, actually, theway you want to taste certain delicious foods you’re deathly allergic to, or the way you touch someone you love when it has been too long. I dreamed about the woods at night and it