After his encounter with his family, Frank’s night was long, sweet and blissful. He had no dream of the pack or the creepy yellow eyes anymore, and everything was clear in his mind now. Instead, he dreamt about Ruby and him having a beautiful picnic. He wished the moments would last forever because the air tasted like prepared food.

It had been a while since Frank had dreamt about wolves or the two legged, yellow eyed creature. The bids chirped in the tree, and he adored the colourful sky. He had a glittering smile, thinking of how eager he was to show Ruby how much he loved her. He jumped from his bed, then worry settled on him when he recalled what had happened the night before.

‘Ruby knows I’m a wolf,’ he thought to himself.

The thought screamed in his head as he put his finger on his lip. He then sat on the bed while looking out the window, thinking of the previous night’s incident.

“That man said he’s my father, and I agree with him,” he thought to himself.

While he was looking out the window, Frank thought about what his adoptive father had told him. The yellow eyed creature had appeared when he was still young. He wondered if it had done so because it was checking up on him or protecting him. He never understood why it had left him there, or why they couldn’t raise him. His thoughts were buzzing, and he got interrupted by a knock. When he heard the knock, he wondered who it was because his father was already sleeping. He dragged himself out of bed and opened the door, and his jaw dropped when he saw who it was. It was Ruby, and she was standing at the door with a backpack on and her face looking at the ground.

“Ruby,” Frank muttered

Instead of responding, Ruby entered without uttering a word. “We have exams, and I thought we can study together,” she said with a sigh, then she entered the room while avoiding his eyes. She seemed to be in deep thought.

After Ruby got into the house, Frank closed the door behind him and walked behind her. He was both confused and embarrassed, but he didn’t know what he was embarrassed about. He thought he should fear what Ruby would do with the information that she knew.

“OK. But we need to talk,” Frank finally said, then turned to her. He had to uproot her from her distant thoughts.

Before responding, Ruby sat on the chair, rummaged through her backpack, and put some books on the table. She then stared at Frank in confusion, avoiding the topic. “Let study,” she said, but he interrupted her before she could finish.

“I’m a werewolf. I didn’t know … that man and … those people you saw, are my family,” Frank said while taking breaths gently between words. He didn’t know how to explain everything.

Before responding, Ruby took a deep breath and flipped through the pages of a book while thinking. She then sighed and turned to him. “I accept you as you are. I know you would never harm me because I saw the way you protected me. I won’t tell anyone about you. Look, Frank, I researched the whole werewolf thing last night, and I got all the information I need. You’re harmless, I know. So let’s just study, we have a test in the afternoon,” Ruby said calmly and sincerely.

After Ruby’s response, Frank smiled with his mouth open in shock because he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Are you are serious?” he asked anxiously.

Ruby nodded in response, then he hugged her. They then kissed and embraced for a while.

“Thank you,” Frank said, whispering in her ears.

After a while, Rudy released herself from his arms, “Let’s study,” she said.

Frank wondered if Ruby meant every word she said, but he soon forgot about it when they focused their minds on studying. After a while, he went down to prepare breakfast, then he served it to her secretively in his bedroom. Of course, if his father saw what he was doing, he wouldn’t allow it. He was worried why he hasn’t seen him in a while, but he was sure he would look for him after the exams.

**********

On the day of the exam, the exam seemed easy for the whole class, and they muttered among themselves after handing their exam sheets to the invigilator.

“This was the easiest exam I’ve ever taken,” Frank said.

“Did you see that what we studied for was there in the exam?” Rudy asked.

“We’re gonna pass,” Frank responded.

“For sure, let’s prepare for the next one,” Rudy said.

After leaving the class, Ruby and Frank held their hands like two inseparable, loving twins. They smiled at each other while walking back home. School kids were racing home, chattering like naughty monkeys. The sun was scorching hot, so they wore their matching caps. They always carried them in their backpacks for such weather, but they never carried umbrellas because they believed that rain was a blessing.

“Will I see you later?” Ruby asked while standing in front of the gate at home.

Frank panicked, it was going to be a full moon that day. She was not supposed to be near him or tail him again because it could be dangerous for her. What if he bit her? He knew he had had to avoid something like that from happening.

“I have to meet the pack,” Frank said, finding no reasons to lie to her.

On hearing Frank’s answer, Ruby rolled her eyes and pushed his hand away.

“Babe, please don’t follow me. What if they turn you into a wolf?” Frank gushed calmly, then pulled her hand.

“I want to be one,” Ruby responded gently and jumped playfully.

On hearing Ruby’s response, worry deepened in Frank’s soul. “That’s not a good choice. What if one day we separate?” he said, panicking.

Ruby was deeply saddened by Frank’s response. “So, you’re going to find someone?” she asked, smacking Frank’s chest and frowning.

“No babe. Look, I don’t know my fate, but I want you in my life. I can’t live without you. I thought I’d lose you. It’s just that I don’t know what will happen to us,” Frank said with a serious look.

“Okay, it’s fine,” Ruby said softly with a smile, then she kissed his lips and headed to the gate.

Frank blew kisses to her when she looked back, and he hoped she would listen to him for once, or something bad would happen.

***

Tell us: Do you think Frank should let Ruby become a werewolf like him so they can be together forever?