Hi all. I originally had this posted @ werewolf.com, but their writing section sort of died, there were some rude people, anyway here I am. Hope you like it. Comments are always appreciated.


A lonely car lolled through the sleepy New England town. Its tires, sliding against the slick, wet streets, sent a spray of water and a shushing sound through the air. The rain fell in a fine curtain. Paired with the humidity and the persistent scarcity of sunshine, the weather cast a lethargic haze over everything it touched.

A young woman walked down the quiet street. She was tall and statuesque, and her long, lean legs moved in a graceful, loping stride. She was beautiful. Her sepia-toned skin was flawless and glowing. Her dark hair gently rolled down towards her shoulders. Her dark eyes glistened with life despite the look of disdainful malaise that captured her face. She walked alone. Never mind the fact that she was with three other people. Never mind the fact that one of them had his arm around her waist. She was alone.
The four of them took cover from the rain, quickly ducking inside a café. They sat down at a table, each of them brushing raindrops from their hair or faces. Sitting with the disenchanted girl were two young men and another young woman. The first man was tall and handsome, broad-shouldered and muscular. His short black hair fell across his forehead and rose in erratic whorls, creating a scruffy look. Next to him was the other young woman. Her brunette locks fell straight, dramatically swiping in front of her eyes. She and the young man had the same tawny skin, and there was a clear resemblance between them and their reluctant companion. The last in their group, a blonde man, still had himself wrapped around the girl next to him. His hair was clean cut and neat, and his clothes, though simple, screamed of how much effort had gone into their choosing. He was the first to speak: “So, this is your place, Emma?�

The girl next to him shrugged, “I guess you could put it that way.�

“You’re the reason they revamped this place and turned it into a café.�

“I just needed someplace to get a decent coffee,� the girl said.

“I honestly can’t tell whether you’re being modest or if you just don’t care.�

“I just needed something to do.�

The man across the table smiled, “Anything except studying, huh? Adrian,� he said to the blonde man, “the thing you have to realize about my sister is that she is one of the great blasé. Emmanuelle is les misérable.�
Emmanuelle glared at him, “Gavin, of all people you should know not to call me that. It’s Emma.�

“Whatever. Your constant ennui is bringing us down.�

“Je m’en fous,� Emmanuelle countered.

Gavin raised his eyebrows and clucked his tongue. “You shouldn’t disgrace your mother tongue with such language.�

Emmanuelle turned to the other young woman in their group, “You want to come to my defense here Natalie?�

Natalie shook her head. “I’m just as curious about your sudden hatred for all that is Cambridge.�

“Trust me, it’s not sudden. I’m sick of living in the barrel of the gun,� Emmanuelle sighed. “Cambridge has become so urbanized. I hate it. There are hardly any trees.�

“Poor baby,� Natalie jeered.

“Hey, I didn’t grow up in Massachusetts. I am not a city person. It makes me itchy,� she said.

“Itchy?� Adrian repeated.

“Yes. It makes me anxious and antsy. I just want to find a patch of forest and go for a good run.�

Gavin smiled, “Is it really necessary to use this asinine alliteration while you’re anxious and antsy?�

“Get out,� Emmanuelle said, cutting her eyes at him. “If you’re going to be an asshole you can leave.�

“Come on, Emmy,� he said donning a sweet tone, “I’ll be nice.�

Emmanuelle glanced at her watch. “Seriously, you guys should go. I have my tête-à-tête with the paper in a few minutes.�

As Emmanuelle’s friends waved and said their goodbyes, she rose, gliding to the counter to order herself a drink. She watched the baristas as they bustled back and forth, frothing milk here, fidgeting with the blender there, quickly producing various coffees. Suddenly, something snapped Emmanuelle out of her bored daze.

The atmosphere had come alive. There seemed to be electricity in the air. It tingled in her skin. The feeling became more intense with each passing second, coming closer. She wanted to run, to yell at the top of her lungs. For her, it was the only way to properly express just how exciting this feeling was. Her excitement doubled as the bell affixed to the café door jingled. Emmanuelle had known what was coming, but her heart thudded and her breathing faltered nonetheless. Glancing around from the entrance was a tall woman. Her wavy hair, a deep red, glowed and blazed in the natural light streaming from the windows. As she folded her thin frame into a booth, Emmanuelle noticed her setting out a notebook and tape recorder. The reporter, she realized. Emmanuelle grabbed her coffee, absentmindedly taking a long swig. She quickly remembered how recently it had been poured as the steaming liquid burned not only her mouth and tongue, but her throat. “Ah!� she gasped as she dropped the cup of coffee. “gently caress!�

Emmanuelle reddened as everyone in the café, including the reporter, turned to stare at her. One of the baristas pushed a replacement drink towards Emmanuelle. “Careful,� he said, smirking, “it’s hot.�

Emmanuelle glowered at him, relieved only by the fact that he was stepping out to clean up her mess. She took her coffee and headed towards the red-head. “Are you from the paper?� she asked.

The red-head nodded, standing to shake Emmanuelle’s hand. “Lena Corven. And you’re Emmanuelle, right?�

“No,� Emmanuelle said. She sighed, surprised that she was having to make this correction twice in one day. “It’s Emma.�

“Emma, got it,� Lena said, not missing the annoyance Emmanuelle’s proper name caused. As she gazed on, she also noticed a fleeting look of awkward discomfort pass over Emmanuelle’s face.

“Lena,� she started, “could I have my hand back?�

Lena looked down in embarrassment. She was still shaking Emmanuelle’s hand. With a blush of embarrassment she smiled and released her hand.
As they sat down, Emmanuelle could not keep from staring. Lena’s porcelain skin, still flushed with red, glowed beautifully in the light. Emmanuelle unconsciously quirked her head sideways as her brow knitted. Again, it did not escape Lena’s watchful gaze. “What?� she asked.

“Sorry, I’m staring,� Emmanuelle said. “You seem… very familiar.�

“We actually have a class together. Folklore and Mythology.�

Emmanuelle nodded. “That must be it,� she lied. As Gavin had pointed out, she paid little attention to anything academic. Lena’s face was not at all familiar, but there was something within her Emmanuelle could swear she knew.

Lena got down to business and started the interview. Emmanuelle was vaguely aware of questions being asked, and of her mouth responding, but her mind was elsewhere. Lena’s very essence had Emmanuelle captivated. She was fairly certain that her own demeanor was having a similar affect on Lena. Whenever her brilliant blue eyes met Emmanuelle’s deep brown ones, she would flush and lose track of what she was saying. “So, how much of this are you responsible for?� Lena asked.

“Everything that’s on the menu and all the things that add to the atmosphere. That is to say the décor, the music, the uniforms, even the bell over the door.�

Lena glanced back, “The bell?�

“Mhmm, it reminds me of shops in small towns, like the one I grew up in. It feels quaint.�

“Where did you grow up?�

Emmanuelle continued talking as if she had not heard the question. Lena’s voice was quiet, she thought, it was feasible. “You know they say you can tell a lot about a person by their drink of choice.�

Lena nodded, taking the hint. “What if you have someone like me who gets something different every time?�

“That denotes a person who loves to try new things. Even so, there’s generally a favorite. Only dabblers and dilettantes lack that much.�

Lena laughed, “You know, that wasn’t very smart. What if I really didn’t have a favorite? I might be really insulted by that.�

“But you’re not,� Emmanuelle smiled. She was actually enjoying Lena’s teasing. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with being a dilettante or a dabbler. At some point in our lives we’re all one or the other. Sometimes both,� Emmanuelle paused. “What’s your favorite?�

“Definitely the Costa Rican.�

“Hmm,� Emmanuelle said thoughtfully, “The Costa Rican is snappy, with a…� Emmanuelle hesitated, flustered, “with a great body. It’s very complex.�

Lena smiled, “What’s your favorite?�

“The Sumatran. It’s got a great, full body, but it’s much heavier.� For a moment Lena thought Emmanuelle’s voice had grown sad on her last point.
“It’s bold, spicy, and robust. Just a little exotic. Essentially, it’s the coffee for the brooding and esoteric.�

Lena laughed wholeheartedly as Emmanuelle mocked herself. “It’s the best coffee I’ve had in a long time.�

“It’s great isn’t it?�

They shared another laugh before Lena checked her watch. “Sorry, I’ve got to get going,� she said reluctantly.

Emmanuelle nodded, “See you in class.�

Lena gathered her things, smiling at Emmanuelle as she left. Emmanuelle watched through the window until Lena disappeared around the corner. She let out a long sigh and dramatically threw her head to the table.

**********************

The bright sunlight flooded the street. The moist, hazy warmth was penetrating as the fledgling summer took hold. Emmanuelle strolled through the campus of Cambridge University with Gavin trailing by her side. She walked with her eyes closed, absorbed in thought, but she never veered. She walked much like a model on the runway, one foot falling directly in front of the other, but with infinitely more grace as her feet marked an impossibly straight line. With her eyes closed Emmanuelle could almost imagine that she was walking through a vast forest. The freshly clipped grass still wet from another rainy day, and with the hot sun bearing down on it, the cool, clean scent of fresh greenery rose into the air.
Unfortunately, the harsh feel of pavement beneath her feet brought Emmanuelle crashing back to Cambridge. She thought of Lena again and her eyes snapped open.

“Gavin?�

“Yeah?� he answered absentmindedly.

“Have you ever felt an instant attraction to someone?�

Gavin smiled, “Only every woman I’ve ever run into.�

“That’s not what I meant. I’m talking about something that goes deeper than physical attraction. I’m talking about a really strong connection that hits you out of nowhere and makes you feel as if you’ve known this person for years.�

“We aren’t speaking hypothetically are we?� Gavin ventured.

“No,� Emmanuelle said. “I met this girl. The reporter, actually. What’s strange is that I felt her coming. My skin tingled, and the hair on the back of my neck went crazy. I was excited, more excited than I have been in a long time. It was like watching a blue moon on a clear night.�

Gavin smiled, “Mom used to say ‘When time stands still, and the hair on your neck stands up, pay attention because your life is about to change.�

Emmanuelle gave a faint smile, but her voice was sullen, “Great. Dating advice from beyond the grave.�

Gavin wrapped his arm around his sister and quickly changed the subject, “What’s she look like?�

“Tall, red hair, fair skin. She looks like the heroine of some great Renaissance painting.�

“You date girls?� Gavin asked offhandedly. Emmanuelle only shrugged in response as Gavin let out a snort of a laugh. “Whatever,� he said.

“I humiliated myself, you know.�

“Really?� Gavin said with a little too much interest in his voice. “How so?�

Emmanuelle took a breath through her gritted teeth, releasing it begrudgingly, “I, uh… swallowed a mouthful of boiling hot coffee before I dropped
the entire cup on the floor.�

Gavin let out a roar of laughter, “That’ll do it.�

*********************************************

The lecture hall filled with students. They shuffled drowsily to their chairs, shaking raindrops and muggy dew from their jackets and umbrellas as they went. Lena made her way toward her usual seat in one of the last tiers high in the back of the room. A fellow student slammed into her in their rush, knocking her books from her hands. As she reached down to collect her things, she bumped into another of her classmates. She quietly excused herself and looked up to find a raven-haired woman handing her books back. “The Cambridge Chronicle, I didn’t know anyone actually read the school paper,� Emmanuelle laughed.

“Only if you write for it.�

Emmanuelle’s cinnamon skin flushed as she looked up to find herself giving the books back to Lena, “Well, now you have a story: Coed fits entire foot into mouth. Sorry… it’s Lena, right?�

Emmanuelle wanted to kick herself for pretending to barely remember Lena. It had been a week, and her thoughts were still drifting back to her interview with the red-head.

“Yeah,� she smiled shrewdly as she took a closer glance at the woman before her. “Yeah, and you’re Emmanuelle. Sorry… Emma. Right, I interviewed you about the student center revival. You did a great job helping it get turned into a café.�

Emmanuelle smiled. Things were much easier with Lena feigning ignorance as well. “Thanks. They showed their appreciation by offering let me sling coffee for minimum wage,� she laughed. “Oh, got to go, Grumble’s in.�

Lena turned to see their professor settling at his desk. She turned back to see Emmanuelle nestle herself into a seat in the room’s empty uppermost tier.

“Good morning class. Welcome once again to Grumman’s wide world of folklore and mythology.â€�  The man spoke in a gruff sort of mumble. His dull voice paired with his last name had earned him his less than affectionate moniker. “I trust you all read up on your Greco-roman myths, because we are moving on. Today we will be focusing on those things that go bump in the night, all the monstrous beasties that fill our horror movies. Werewolves, vampires, zombies, et cetera.â€�

Professor Grumman droned on about supernatural beings as Lena tuned in and out. Occasionally, she snuck a glance at Emmanuelle. Every time she did, she saw Emmanuelle twiddling a pencil between her fingers, drawing in a sketchbook, or dozing lightly in her chair. Once, Emmanuelle caught her staring and quickly straightened up, suddenly self-conscious. After a while something caught Emmanuelle’s attention. She sat up immediately and crossed her arms, leaning forward keenly. Grumman had moved on to werewolves.

“Now, feared by many is the infamous werewolf. Every culture, from the ancient Greeks to the medieval French, nearly every culture seems to have a version of the werewolf legend. Can anyone tell me about some specific legends?�
Emmanuelle’s hand shot up first. Grumman scanned his roster, “Yes, Miss Grenier?� He pronounced it horridly as Greneer, apparently unfamiliar with calling her name.

“It’s pronounced Grenyay,� she corrected. “Well, the Greek have King Lycaon and lycanthropes; the Navajo, skinwalkers; but the legend that comes closest seems to be the French with the Loup-garou.�

“Interesting, Miss Grenier. What do you mean it comes closest? Closest to what?�

“Closest to common sense, closest to what may be the original legend.�

Grumman nodded, “Again, that’s interesting. Now, werewolves are seen as cursed, blood thirsty beasts with nothing left but the urge to kill.

“But, see, that’s just it: In the Loup-garou legend they’re not cursed. They’re blessed. They are the best of man and beast, fully in control of themselves.�

“So, how do you explain the flipside of that legend?� Grumman challenged.

“Religion. When Christianity was introduced all these cultures had two choices: they could either abandon these legends they’d had for so long, or they could adapt them to comply with their new beliefs. So, the only way such stories could coexist with religion was to make them out to be these evil, demonic beasts.�

Before she could continue Grumman interrupted, “Thank you, Miss Grenier for opening up such a lively discussion. I hope you’ll pick it up next class, but for today we are out of time.�

Lena quickly collected her things as everyone rushed out of the room. She started up to where Emmanuelle had been sitting, only to find an empty seat. She stopped to think for a moment before heading out.


Lena rushed down the crowded street towards the reformed student center. She scanned the tables, briefly, looking for Emmanuelle. It only took a moment before Lena spied her slouched behind a book at a table in the corner of the café. She walked over and sat down across from Emmanuelle. Lena smiled at her, bemused. “You come to this class twice a week. You never bring the book, never bring a notebook. You sit in the back and draw the whole period. You never say a word until Grumble brings up werewolves, and then you’re like this expert. What is that?�

Emmanuelle smiled. “Let me let you in on a little secret,� she pulled out the book she’d been drawing in earlier, opened it, and handed it to Lena. “I know my shite.�

Lena thumbed through the pages. Each one had drawings of wolves, wolf packs, and wolves half transformed between man and animal. “So, you’re a closet werewolf buff?�

“I guess,� Emmanuelle laughed. “I’m not exactly hurting for good grades. I know all the material. In pretty much all my classes, actually. I’m just not much of a studier.�

“A natural student, aren’t you lucky. I have to study my ass off,� Lena continued looking through the sketch book with immense fascination. “Well, Miss Expert, so I can get grades like yours, how ’bout you tell me more about the Loup-garou.�

“Ah, geez, Lena, how much time you got?�

“Plenty.�

“Well, forget what you know about werewolves. All those other legends got it all wrong. The Loup-garou aren’t cursed, they’re blessed. They walk the line between human and animal.�

“So, no flesh eating monsters?�

“That’s entirely a matter of choice. Just like a human they have free will, they’re sentient. Hunting and killing is fine, but killing a human is a different matter. Even for them murder is something you can’t come back from.�

“What about the full moon? What does the legend say about that?�

“With the exception of the first transformation, they can change at will. The moon just makes it…� Emmanuelle paused searching for the words. “I guess it makes it more enticing to change.�

“Wait, you said their first change isn’t voluntary.�

“Yeah, it’s funny. Think of it like puberty. At a certain age it kicks in and you’ve got a werewolf. After the first change they get the hang of it.�

“Is the whole silver bullet thing bogus too?�

“No, but it doesn’t have to be a bullet. Silver only has to be introduced to the bloodstream. After that it acts like a toxin or something. But, I mean, they’re not indestructible. They’re stronger, but anything that would kill a human would kill them.�

“Oh, sure, you just have to track them down, get them to stop biting and clawing at you while you stab them a few dozen times.� Lena laughed while Emmanuelle nodded and did the same. “So, Emma, what about werewolf bites? Is that how you become one?�

“You’ve actually got me on that one. It’s not clear exactly. The Loup-garou are born what they are, but it isn’t clear if they can make others.�

Emmanuelle glanced at her watch. She was surprised to see that she had been talking to Lena much longer than she would have guessed. “Listen, I’ve got to get going.�

Lena nodded and stood up, “No problem, it was so great talking to you. I’ll see you in class next week.�

Just as she had begun to walk away Emmanuelle trotted after her. “Hey, there’s a party at my place tomorrow night. You should come.�

“Okay, sure, what time?�

“Let’s say eight-ish? It’s on the corner of Kingston Ave., off of Main, 424.�

“Okay, see you then Emma.�