I got up early the next morning to have a walk and gather my thoughts.
I’d read stories about werewolves at full moon. Was that night a full moon?
Get a hold of yourself, Violet! This is crazy talk. If anyone ever heard your theories, they’d think you were losing the plot.
“Violet?” someone from behind me said. I jumped at the sound of his voice, startled.
“Don’t you know not to sneak up on people?” I snapped, seeing that it was Siya himself. Speak of the devil.
“I’m sorry,” Siya said. “That wasn’t my intention.”
“I saw you yesterday,” I blurted, deciding to bite the bullet. “You had a bandage.”
“Oh, yeah, that,” he stumbled, touching his arm. “It’s nothing. Just got scraped by a branch.”
“I don’t think you’re being truthful,” I told him. “Siya, was it you I saw the other day in the woods?”
“Violet,” he said sharply. “What were you doing in the woods? It’s dangerous, especially late at night—”
“Hold on,” I said. “How did you know that I went at night? I never told you what time it was.”
“I…I assumed because during the day you’re at activities…”
“No,” I yelled. “It was you. You are the wolf!”
“You’re out of your mind!” he exclaimed.
“I’m not,” I defended. “I know what I saw. I wonder if the other campers would believe me if I told them…”
“Wait!” he shouted. “I’ll tell you the truth but don’t tell anyone else about what you saw.”
I stared at Siya, trying to work out if he would be honest with me.
“You can ask me one question,” he said. “I swear to you I won’t lie.”
“Are you a werewolf?” There, I said it. This was the moment of truth.
Siya blinked a few times before answering. “Yes. Yes, I am.”
“You — you actually told me the truth,” I said, flabbergasted.
He laughed. “Would you rather I lied?”
“No!” I answered excitedly. “So, how does it work? Is it only when it’s full moon? Is Kasper one too? How did you—”
“Whoa, hold on,” he held up both his hands. “I’ve said too much already.”
“This is fantastic! You’ve got to tell me everything. I promise I won’t tell anyone,” I told him, meaning every word.
“OK,” he conceded. “But not here. Meet me tonight after the hike at dinner.”
That would give him enough time to make up some fake story. Siya turned to leave.
“How will I know if you’re lying?”
“You won’t,” he called over his shoulder. Within moments, he had disappeared behind a lush patch of trees. I found my way back to breakfast, mind swirling like crazy, thinking of a thousand different ways that this story could go. What if Siya were joking and the rumours were all a stunt to get more campers? But what if…what if he really were a werewolf?
***
The day dragged and when dusk came I rushed to find Siya.
We both sat on logs that were supposed to be chairs and he lit a small fire between us.
“Start from the top,” I said eagerly. “Is it voluntarily? Is it caused by the moon?”
“Yes and no,” he said, poking the flame with a stick, making it crackle. “I can turn into one whenever I want to, but on a full moon, we have no choice.”
“So, then Kasper…”
“He’s one, too. Our parents were werewolves. They died a few years ago.”
“I’m so sorry,” I comforted him.
“I miss them. But we still feel their presence in the air.”
I felt a cool soft breeze and wondered if that was the type of presence he was talking about.
“We’ve lived here all our lives,” he continued. “Our parents ran the camp before us.”
“What other creatures are out there? Isn’t it dangerous, right?”
He was silent.
“Dude, that’s so not funny.”
Siya laughed. “You think we’d accept students if it wasn’t safe?”
“I guess not.” I felt silly for asking.
“Although…” he started. “The other night when you helped me, I was escaping a hunter. Kasper and I are trying to be extra vigilant, keeping our eyes peeled for anything suspicious. A wolf hunter is relentless. They won’t stop until they’ve caught their wolf.”
“I wish I could help you,” I told him.
“Maybe you can. Kasper and I spoke about this earlier. At first, he was angry at me for telling you the truth, and then he had an idea. The first sign of a new hunter cropped up around the time the new batch of campers came in. Now, it could be a coincidence, or an important clue.”
“You don’t think…that one of us is the hunter?”
“At this point, we can’t rule out that possibility.”
I thought about my fellow campers. Sure, some of them were irritating, but to be a hunter? They were just teenagers like me.
“You’re the only one who knows our secret,” Siya said. “We never planned on putting you in this position, but you figured it out on your own and the opportunity presented itself.”
“Tell me what to do and I’ll do it,” I said, wanting to help.
“Just watch everyone carefully and report to us if you see anything out of the ordinary. But please, Violet. Be wary. This person is lethal.”
“I can take care of myself,” I said proudly.
“I know,” he chuckled. “Violet, there’s one more thing. We need to find this person within the next week.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a full moon. And we won’t be able to turn back into our normal forms until the sun comes up the next morning, which puts us at a disadvantage. We will be unable to protect the students without revealing our secret. The hunter must know this, and we believe this is the time they will strike us again.”
“Why can’t he attack you guys now?”
“Hunters live by a code. They don’t harm us in our human form, it goes against their morals. So, they have to wait until we turn.”
“That’s horrible.”
“That’s the life we lead…”
I could tell Siya was worried.
“Siya? How come you don’t think I’m the hunter?”
He seemed nonplussed. “Because you wouldn’t have saved me that day in the woods. You’re certifiable, but I know you’re a good person.”
I beamed. Maybe there’s hope for me yet.
I ambled back to my cabin, mind reeling with all this new information. There were about 20 of us here, all between the ages of 16 to 18. Wasn’t that too young to be an assassin or a hunter?
I realised I didn’t know my fellow campers well enough, not at all. Some serious research was needed if I wanted to find out who the hunter was.
Tell us: Did you think Siya could turn out to be the wolf? Who do you think the hunter is?