CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE ANAEMIC LUNA

CHAPTER ELEVEN THI

TANNER'S P.O.V

"Holla, Tan. Wassup?" I heard a voice call out i me, and I realised it was Alice, the official clown of the class.

I knew this conversation wasn't going to go down well, because there's a reason Alice had gotten serious speaking with me only, and that was because of Leo.

"So err," she began, her gaze on the ground, her hands crossed, intertwining her fingers shyly. "Have you… have you spoken with Leo?" she giggled.

My back was still turned to her,band I rolled my eyes I'm frustration before turning to face her, a pretentious smile decorating my face.

"Speak to Leo?" I asked, my voice imitating her gullible tone.

She nods her head in response, smiling sheepishly.

"About what exactly, Alice?"

"Come on, Tanner. You can't act oblivious to this now, can you?" she said, her lips morphing a babyish pout.

"Come on, Alice. I speak to Leo about so many things. What exactly did you tell me to discuss with him?" I asked, and I could I've sworn I exploded with laughter—from the inside.

"Tanner! I told you to…" she trailed off, smiling uncontrollably once more. "That I like him." she covered her face with her hands in embarrassment, not wanting to stare at me.

I tried to control the laughter that begged to eruot from my chest, and I let out a pretentious expression of surprise and reminiscence.

"Oh, I remember now. I'm so sorry, Alice. I will definitely speak to him about it today." I said, watching her remove her palms from her face.

"Okay…" she shrieked and rushed out of class, leaving the empty classroom and I to roar with laughter.

My phone will choose to interrupt me afterwards when I noticed a new text notification had just come in.

"That probably might be Casey," I wondered, unlocking my phone to confirm my suspicion.

It turned out to be a text from mother instead.

-FROM MOM

Meet me at the hospital for the home keys, baby. I forgot to drop 'em with you before leaving.

I groaned in frustration, remembering what had happened earlier today. I kept getting signals from my subconscious that I was forgetting something. My mind refused to think about the me, because I was used to having my Mom put that in my school bag before leaving home.

"Fine!" I muttered, cussing under my breath as I figured out I now had to go to the hospital instead—a place that I have been avoiding for the past few months.

*******

“Thanks, man.” I waved at the guy who had dropped me by the hospital. If I wasn’t mistaken, he was around my age bracket. I was compelled to ask him why he was a taxi driver.

“I can bet you’re somewhere around 20. Am I correct, fella?”

He smiled, responding with a grin, “You are correct.”

I retraced the words I foresee myself blurting out in the next few seconds, trying to be sure that I wasn’t going to be saying anything that might piss the guy off. I mean, I don’t wanna get abandoned on the highway.

“So err, tell me man. Where do you school?” I asked rather nervously.

He laughed in response, propping his hands in the steering wheel.

“I’m a drop out, man. I don’t school anywhere.”

“Wait. Was that by choice, or…”

“If it were by choice, fella, I wouldn’t be sitting in this taxi, riding all around the city of New York ,” he grinned. “I would rather be aiming for something bigger.”

“Really? What would that be?”

“I’d rather be aspiring to become a musical artist. A star,” he said, raising his hands to demonstrate.

I didn’t know why, but this made me smile.

“But the reality of life reduces the dreams we aspire to achieve, doesn’t it?”
In
“Err…” I trailed off, unsure of what to say next. “I guess it does.” I blurted, hoping that was the correct response to whatever he had said earlier on.

I adjusted my butt in the leather seat, peering out through the car’s window, taking in the beautiful scenery embedded in New York.

“Why did you ask that question, mannie? If you aspire to be an artist, why are you here being a taxi driver? It’s your life and choice to make, isn’t it? So why aren’t you treading the path to your dreams?” I asked, hoping to hear his story.

He sighed, and the silence that streamed afterwards almost made me believe that he chose to ignore me. I pressed my lips into a firm line, trying to perhaps understand that there are some things humans never feel free to talk about.

“The only family I have got is a single mother, he started, reducing the volume of the stereo so he could me more audible. I quickly took my gaze off the asphalt tarred roads and focused on his facial expressions through the fore mirror.

“And ever since I was conscious enough to know my name and pronounce it, she’s the only human that has ever revolved round my world.” he added, and I saw a smile escape his lips.

“Growing up, I got to discover about my late father, who does whilst working in a beer brewing factory. According to the factory’s policies, the family of a deceased worker is paid a certain amount for months. That was my mother’s last hope at that period, but at the end, she got nothing.” he paused, taking a bend that opens the road to a fork. He swerved towards the right side and continued.

“Disappointed and broken, my mother resorted to working as a cleaner for a restaurant close to our block. She once tried to reach out to her family and that of my father’s, but due to the basis of the rejection by both families to unite her and my father in marriage, they all turned their backs on her.”

I intended to show a sign of sympathy, but I was too gobsmacked to make a comment.

“It wasn’t that much of a big pay working at the restaurant, and it was only a matter of days before we were evicted from our home. A colleague from her place of work was the one who took her in, and that’s the woman I refer to as Aunt till date. Life was pretty fair on us, but not fair enough to make me further my education.” he took another long pause, and I couldn’t help but feel the tears stinging the corners of my eyes.

“Months ago, my mother had passed out and had blood oozing down her nostrils. After a series of tests at the hospital, my mother was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma—cancer of the bones.” he paused, and I tell from his reflection on the fore mirror that he was trying so hard to sound mundane narrating his story.

“In summary, my mother has been bedridden ever since, and despite the huge efforts made my Aunt to support us, it just wasn’t enough.”

“You’re trying to help your mother by being a taxi driver.” I muttered, realising why all of these resorted to him becoming who he is today.

Even when our stories seemed not in any way similar, I couldn’t help but think back to my early teenage years.

I was a hybrid werewolf, trying to survive in a hostile pack with just my mother as my only family. I had no other one to call my father, brother or sisters. As at then, the only thing I was geared for having added my mother were my friends. Certain anomalies had occurred.
Being a hybrid werewolf wasn’t something any member of the pack discussed, because they never imagine a pack member stepping out of the wolf world to interact with the humans.

At 15, the community leaders gathered the young werewolves who were exactly my age and oriented us about mating. Unlike other packs who makes it a strict rule to begin the mating rituals when they clock 18, it wasn’t the same for us. Our pack depicted a collaboration of rebels, so we didn’t stick to the norms of the Moon Goddess.

Asides getting to understand we were eligible to begin mating at age 16, I got to understand the society’s definition of a hybrid werewolf. Hybrids are created whenever a werewolf mates with a creature other than a fellow werewolf. And when hybrids are morphed, they begin to possess extra abilities. What our pack called these abilities? Anomalies.

Anomalies were regarded as an abomination to be welcomed into the pack, and this traces back to the days of Andria, a hybrid werewolf who turned his back on our pack after realising that he was a hybrid. He immense attack he launched with his mystic powers almost brought the pack to complete extinction, but the legendary Astold defended the pack and brought about the end of the great Andria.

It was made known to us that if any hybrid weee caught roaming our lands, such a werewolf risks being killed or banished.

In utmost confusion, I remembered returning to my mother, asking her why she had always referred to me as a hybrid. After several attempts of trying to dismiss me, my fifteen-year-old persistent nature forced my mother to admit to the lessons we were taught at the orientation.

She explained to me how she met my father at the border that separated the wolf world from that of the humans—the forest. She had wandered around for a ‘game’, but didn’t find any. She first perceived him to be a roaming Kraek—a large lizard-like creature, but after a failed attempt, she resorted to squaring off against my father. Easily, my father deflected all of her attacks, and she couldn’t help but get more furious.

When the fire died down, the two calmed their steam off. She later got to realise my father was a dragon and couldn’t help but be in awe about meeting a creature that was rumoured to be extinct.

The days of the winter were spent eighths night of them treading the paths of the forbidden forest, and sometimes, venturing into the human world. They eventually courted, and immediately after that, my father vanished, leaving my mother to cater for me in this lonely world filled with hostile werewolves.

That night ended with my mother forcing me to hide my identity as a hybrid werewolf to myself, as we might end up risking our stay in the world of werewolves.

But hey, walls have ears, don’t they?

Somehow, someway, the truth about my identity got revealed to the pack. My Luther was subjected to ridicule, and I couldn’t help but come to her defense. For the first time in the whole seventeen years I had spent living in the world of werewolves, I took form.

That was when I met my ‘Wolf’ in my subconscious, it’s presence intimidating and fierce. I couldn’t even fathom the powers I exuded, but it was effortless warding off the werewolves that had surrounded my mother.
After realizing my visions were clouded by a somewhat murky ruby hue, I realized I was a true Alpha.

The trial my mother and I were forces into places the royals in awe. It is only recognized under the house of royals to birth werewolves who become true Alphas. Asides the royal household, no member of the pack was able to reproduce an Alpha. It is believed the royal household are direct descendants of Astold, the first true Alpha.

My mother was questioned if she had a baby for any royal, but she denied blatantly. Unable to fathom a reasonable judgement, we were both banished from the world of werewolves.

Fresh tears stung my eyes as I waved at the taxi driver once more. I wiped my face immediately, staring at the hospital I had been dreading not to return to ever since that very night.

“Tanner!” a familiar voice called out to me, and I turned back to realize it was the long-mouthed receptionist.

“Shoot!” I cussed silently, reminiscing the last time I stepped foot into the hospital.

The last thing I wish for at the moment was to get trapped in the blathers of the receptionist. I turned to face her, a pretentious smile creeping up my lips.

“Hi.” I responded rather slowly, immediately regretting doing so.

I realized it would have been better to act like I never heard her calling out to me and walk away instead.

“How’re you doing, Tan?” she asked, her vibrancy reflecting in her tone.

“I’m great, thank you. Erm, I just need to…”

“Come on, Tan. You aren’t in a hurry, are you?” she cut me off, realizing I was trying to avoid her conversations.

“You should be focusing on taking down the walk-in’s and walk-out’s of the hospital, don’t think?” I heard my mothers voice boom behind me, and I heaves a sigh of relief.

Someone came to save me. Finally.

The nurse shook her head, immediately reaching for the logbook, pretending to be taking down records. My mother and I giggled, and she beckoned on me to follow her to her office.

We went up the second floor, and I took a glance of the ward that was responsible for my resisting taking another visit to the City Hospital—Ward 123. The ward that kept in care the girl who has been plaguing my mind, the one whom my ‘Wolf’ has referred to as my spouse.

Even when I chose to resist, I wanted to know if she was still in coma. And if I wanted to, one person could help me out—my mother.

I cleared my throat, wandering whether to question my mother about her or not.

“Mom?”

She craned her neck sideways, still walking.

“What is it, Tanner?”

For a moment, I retraced my decision, and decided to change the tides.

“How’s work today?” I asked, immediately regretting not being courageous enough to ask my mother about the comatose girl.

We finally got to the doorway to my mother’s office. Up the wall held a wooden placard that boldly had her name carved on it. I smiled, immediately forgetting that I was still standing outside the door.

“Tan?” my mother’s voice jolts me back to reality, and I stepped into the office with her.

It was quite spacious, unlike the previous one at the locals. I decided to spend a few seconds taking in the scenery brushing my hands past a shelf that held hospital records. I settled for the the chair that was opposite the side of the desk my mother’s seat was placed.

My mother seemed to have been watching me observing how her office was set up.

“Looks great, doesn’t it?” she asked.

I smiled, nodding my head. “It is beautiful, Mom.” I acknowledged.

“It wasn’t like you tried to come see it the day I told you to.” my mother said, plucking a file from the desk’s drawer.

“Come on, Mom! I told you I wasn’t feeling too well.” I retorted, chuckling.

My mother seemed to have figured it out that day. Only if she knew the major reason why I’m choosing to avoid visiting the hospital…