Chapter 11 – Aniya’s plan

Frank waited while Aniya was copying the folder, and as she delivered it to him when it was finished, he asked, “Are you sure you want to infiltrate the Hunter’s group to find out more? We always thought they disappeared long ago because we heard nothing about them or other Werewolves besides Lisa and her great-great-grandmother, but if they are still active and if they are an organised and secret group like you said, things can become very dangerous for you.”

“My father always said that we must know everything about our enemies. He was talking about his business rivals, but he was still right. I want to know everything about the Hunters. Their methods, meeting locations, who they are, and how many of them there are. I want to go on field missions to learn as much as I can. Who knows, maybe someday all that knowledge will come in handy for the Werewolves. I already told Nick that if I find a person who enjoys killing people a bit too much, I will deliver that person to the Hunters with no regrets whatsoever. One thing is one knowing that he can’t control his beast and locks himself up to protect others. Another thing completely different is liking to become an irrational beast just because he likes to see the dead bodies next to him, in the morning.”

Frank McCarty faced Lisa with a worried expression, “That’s why we always feared what Lisa could do during a full moon and the two nights after. She started learning to play the drums, so that we had an excuse to soundproof her bedroom. On full moons, she ties herself to her bed with the chains and handcuffs that are hidden in her safe, so that she can howl as much as she wants, with no one hearing her.”

Lisa held her father’s hand with tears in her eyes and said, “I am sorry for making you and mother suffer so much, but as Aniya said, it’s not my fault, and more people suffer from this weird blood mutation.”

Aniya tapped her index finger on her chin, something she normally did when she was lost in deep thought. “You know, I am not that sure if it’s just a weird blood mutation. It could very well be our next step in evolution, considering that despite all the Hunter’s efforts, they never eradicated the bloodlines that had the mutation. Nick also said that many families that have never had a Werewolf in their family can suddenly have a kid that has it. If his theory is right, it makes the Hunters far worse than they already are.”

Lisa grinned while facing her friend. “So, when can I meet that gorgeous Nick? And does he have a brother or a friend that looks a bit like him? We could go on a double date to talk more about our experiences as crazy beasts!”

“I don’t really know, but I got the impression he is somewhat of a loner, considering that he has been running and hiding from the Hunters since he was seventeen when the Hunters went after his parents. I guess Werewolves in their Human form are more vulnerable, even if they are faster and stronger than normal Humans, and with their senses sharper, like my father told me. I think Hunters have an advantage with the wolf’s bane because they make a person lose it if that person is a Werewolf.”

Lisa nodded with narrowed eyes and said, “You can be right on that. We need to try if you can use that strange ability of yours to make more Werewolves able to endure the smell of the wolf’s bane like you did to me. The Hunters would lose that advantage for sure.”

“What ability? I don’t have any!”

Lisa tapped her friend’s hand, “Aniya, Aniya… You didn’t even notice? You were glowing when you ordered me to grab that flower! Your voice was so enticing that I felt like I was in a dream! It calmed me and made me able to grab that scary flower that for years, I knew was dangerous for me.”

“I… was glowing? I noticed a faint yellow light surrounded us when Nick kissed me in my office, but I didn’t know I could glow on my own… That’s dangerous! Imagine if I glow near my parents?”

Lisa shrugged. “I think that won’t happen. You probably only glow near other Werewolves, or if you order them like you did to me. Maybe that’s some ability you have because you never changed. Oh! I just thought of something! Imagine if we could change at will with no need for a full moon! That would be awesome!”

“Yeah, right, mindless beasts appearing in broad daylight in the middle of the city. How long do you think it would take for the army or police to come and kill them? Not to mention that would give an excuse for the Hunters to appear in full glory as the saviours of Humanity.”

Lisa stopped smiling as she spoke, “Yeah… You are right… It would be cool if we didn’t lose our minds with the change. Society might accept us, and…”

Aniya interrupted by raising her open right hand, “Let me stop you right there, Lisa. People fear what they don’t understand, and you have never seen how you look when you change, right? Werewolves are scary. The change is horrible, but the beast? It’s a terrifying, repulsive creature. Especially since the beast eats the human flesh left behind after the transformation! Do you honestly believe people wouldn’t scream for all Werewolves to be killed? Because last week, I would scream and shoot the first Werewolf I saw straight in his head, feeling no remorse whatsoever!”

“Yeah… It was a cool thought, though. What about now? Do you still want to shoot me in the head?”

“Go crazy on me again like you did outside, and you will see what happens! If you change and you get rid of your restraints and go after me, I will probably cut you into pieces, so it’s probably a good idea if you make sure those chains of yours are strong enough.”

Lisa made a slight frown and stared at Aniya. “You can beat me easily when I am like this, but I doubt you can take me if I go wolfy!”

Aniya turned to face her friend, and as she glowed, her low voice caused Lisa to curl into her chair and look at the ground. “Don’t push me, Lisa! If you even try, as a joke or not, I will break both your arms, take your claws out one by one, and punch your snout so many times that you will lose all those sharp teeth!”

Lisa slowly nodded, unable to face the angry look on Aniya’s face or the glow. Lisa’s parents gulped at the sight, and they only breathed again when the glow disappeared. Frank McCarty was the first to interrupt the awkward silence that followed Aniya’s words. “What about if we went to have some tea? I think we will need to relax a bit after all these findings.”

Aniya slowly nodded while still staring at Lisa, who was looking at the ground, feeling ashamed. “I wouldn’t mind some tea, but I can’t stay for long. I have to go meet Nick in my safe hideout to be sure he arrived there safely. The Hunters were probably looking for him, so I told him to hide. I have a panic room there, and he can lock himself in tonight before he changes.”

As they were going to the door, Sharon McCarty asked, “You have a safe hideout? Do your parents know about it?”

“Of course not, or I wouldn’t call it a hideout, right? I bought that house in secrecy after that stalker tried to kill me in my home that last time so that if by chance I am in danger again, I can hide where no one could find me.”

Sharon McCarty made a slight smile and placed her arm over Aniya’s shoulders, and felt her trembling. Even if she looked strong and unbothered most of the time, the trauma of that event was still there.

As they were walking along the corridor towards the dining room, Frank asked, “Aniya, how will you get to your place? Your driver knows where it is?”

“No, he can’t know. I was hoping you could tell someone to send him home and maybe get me a ride halfway. I will then call an Uber because I must be sure my place remains secret.”
…

After the tea and changing clothes to some that Lisa lent her, they thought about an excuse for her parents. Aniya left, reassured by Lisa that she was going to call her parents and say that Aniya would sleepover at her house.
Aniya went to the outskirts of the City, driven by a taxi that Frank McCarty called. An Uber car was already parked in a nearby corner, and as soon as the taxi left, Aniya rushed to it.
After a bit over thirty minutes, they arrived at a narrow path near the entrance of a farm, and Aniya told the driver to follow it. After ten more minutes, at the end of that narrow path, Aniya’s hideout awaited them. A forest on the left side and at the back, an open green field on the left with a barbed-wire fence because it was the pasture of that farm at the beginning of the narrow path.
As the car left, Aniya walked to the entrance. The key was in the vase, and the dirt was a bit messy.
Aniya felt calmer because it meant Nick had arrived there safe and sound.
As she entered, she called for him in a low voice, and he answered from the kitchen. She closed the door behind her and went in search of him, finding him leisurely cooking something on the stove.

“Take a seat. I may not be like those fancy chefs that you are used to, but I can make something out that won’t make you throw up.”

Aniya sat on a chair at the table, frowning at the smiling green-eyed man. “Shouldn’t you be already locked up? What are you still doing here? And did you just hum a tune?”

“I always hum a tune when I am cooking, or cleaning, or taking care of house chores. I learned that with my mother. She was always humming some songs. To answer your question, it’s still early, and the moon will take two hours to appear. There is plenty of time for us to have a pleasant dinner. Five minutes before I go through the change, I get sick and feel about throwing up, and it serves as a warning to lock myself.”

Aniya tapped her fingernails on the table, thinking about how she would tell him what she did to Lisa. When she was about to speak, he placed a plate of pasta and bolognese in front of her, together with tableware and a glass of wine.

As he sat in front of her and smelled his plate, he asked, “Not too shabby, right? Be careful because it’s hot. Try not to ruin that white sweater of yours with the sauce. Where did you get that sweater and those ragged jeans? Not that you don’t look cool, but you look rather different from the last time I saw you.”

“My friend Lisa lent me this. My dress got dirty after we fought in her back garden. I found out she was a Werewolf and I made her smell a wolf’s bane to making her get used to it.”

Aniya immediately explained when she noticed the frowning over those gorgeous green-eyes in front of her, “I had to, okay? My father showed me a list of suspects that the Hunters are after, and her name was there! No way I was going to stand still if I had a slim shot of helping her!”