“So, you have a /sister/?” I demanded of Ren the next day after classes. He jumped, spooked. I’d walked up behind him, hoping to startle him. “W-what?” he asked, still shaken. “I said, /you have a sister/?” I reiterated, leaning against a tree. He tilted his head. “Yes, I do. How did you find out?” I described yesterday’s… /adventure/ to him quickly. He nodded. “Alright. I’d almost forgotten about that.” “Is Gloria, like, here? Is that what you meant by both a monster acquaintance and an actual acquaintance? Were you going to stay with her if you didn’t go back?” He held up his hands like he was surrendering. “Jeez, stop with the assault of questions. Yes to all of those. She is currently living in the woods, I knew her both as the monster and as me, and I was going to stay with her. Now if you have more questions, please ask them one at a time.” “If she left, how did you find her again? And how did she survive living in the same house as you when you had the monster?” I asked, completely ignoring his one question at a time request. He sighed. “I might as well start from the beginning, shouldn’t I.” I nodded. He took a deep breath and began his tale. “I was bitten when I was really young. I don’t remember it, thankfully. Gloria was around 2 years old. Cozbi came up from the woods and attacked us. He bit me, I survived but from what Gloria told me it looked painful. Cozbi also bit our parents, but they… weren’t so fortunate. Gloria would have been bitten as well, but she scared Cozbi off before he could. “Now it was just me and Gloria, and the monster came into the picture right about then. At first, I just was really angry when the monster emerged. I was a little kid, there was nothing I could really do to hurt anything. But over time the mood swings escalated. I would tear up everything I could when the monster took over, sometimes even turning into a wolf midday. “It took a while, but Gloria eventually came to recognize when I’d have me days or monster days. She’d barricade me in my room when I was the monster. Sometimes when the monster backed down, I’d come to in a wrecked room with no recollection of how it happened. “The scene you and Naomi went to was the last time I remember seeing Gloria before around now. A few weeks earlier, Gloria would have to go as far as staying outside the whole day, sometimes more, to avoid getting hurt from the monster’s lash. It was getting worse and we both knew it. You saw our parting. I was terrified that I would hurt her if we stayed here together any longer. “The monster transition did work. I think it’s the only reason I managed to retain a bit of control over the monster. After the monster took hold that day, I didn’t see Gloria again until last school year. At least, I don’t remember seeing her.” He paused for breath. “So that’s my sister and I. Any questions?” “Only one. How did a two or three year old girl scare off a werewolf monster?” “That two or three year old girl was wielding a dagger like she’d known how her whole life. Any others?” I shook my head. “Do you mind if I tell Naomi?” He shrugged. “Guess I can’t stop you. You can tell the others, too.” I nodded. “Thanks for sharing.” He nodded and turned away. “Don’t expect any more.” Before I could say anything else, he disappeared into the shadows. I thought I saw a flash of electricity, but it could have been my eyes playing tricks on me. I sighed and turned away, heading back towards the school.
Notes/Credits: If you're reading this, you probably know I wrote The Wolf Boy. Well, here's the sequel: The Monster's Curse. This is Chapter 10. Previous Chapter(s): Chapter 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/652476202/ Chapter 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/652950608/ Chapter 3: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655177024/ Chapter 4: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655177565/ Chapter 5: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655621072/ Chapter 6: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/656955201/ Chapter 7: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657580423/ Chapter 8: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657583863/ Chapter 9: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657586191/ Credits: Me, for being the author Shannon Messenger, JK Rowling, Eoin Colfer, and many other authors for inspo @aqua_di_angelo, @AL600AWESOME, @Lanze_cupcake_face11, and @Yayabinks for inspo and supporting the story! QOTC: Do you think Gloria did the right thing by dealing with Ren's monster the way she did?
