Chapter 28 – Lisa controlled change

While Aniya was in her office with her assistant, Davis was stopping the limousine in front of Lisa’s house. He opened the door for her and got a kiss the moment she jumped out.

“I hope you were not thinking about going anywhere because I want to introduce you to my parents.”

“I kind of know them already, remember?”

Lisa smiled and spoke as she was pushing him to the main door, “Not as my boyfriend! Let’s go. It will be quick because you have to go check on Nick.”

Davis made an awkward smile and followed Lisa into her mansion. She asked a maid where her father was and held her arm with a forced smile. “Come with me, I want to take this chance to thank you in front of them.”

“For what, Miss Lisa? I did my job as always for the past three years. I did nothing different.”

Lisa kept on smiling, and Davis opened the office door for them, closing it when he entered. Lisa winked at her father and explained, because he, like her mother, who was also there, wondered why she was holding the arm of the middle-aged maid. “Father, I have an amazing scoop for your newspapers! I found out that there is a secret organisation called the Hunters that searches and kills Werewolves. You know, those in scary stories? Well, it appears they exist, and this lovely lady mistook me for one and informed her niece, who works for them. If it wasn’t for Aniya, they would have come to our house and arrested me by force. They would either kill me on the same day or wait for the next full moon to see if I changed. Can you believe all this? I thought you could interview her and get a juicy story!”

The maid went into a panic and tried to go for the door, only to see her path cut off by the always serious Davis, who asked with an icy voice, “Where do you think you are going? You almost caused Lisa’s death, and now you want to run without explaining?”

She slowly turned to face Lisa’s father, who was looking at her with an inscrutable face, and she stuttered, “D-Don’t tell a-about me… They will kill me... and if you spread rumours about the Hunters, they will come after you! You have no idea of the power they have! No one can oppose them! They control the police, ministers, judges, and businessmen!”

Lisa grinned. “Well, we just came from a nice meeting with the Hunters High Council, and my friend Aniya rubbed the floor with them. They will not make a move, not after what happened. I still want to know why you thought I was a Werewolf. Did you ever hear me howl or what?”

“No, I… Two weeks ago, one maid was sick, and I did her chores. When I was cleaning your bedroom, I went to mop the floor under the bed and I saw the claw marks. My niece showed me marks like that in a picture, so I assumed, you…”

Lisa had her mouth wide open, pretending to be shocked. “No way! You saw the claw marks that my pet tiger made five years ago, and you thought it was me?”

“I… I heard some servants saying that you used to have one in your bedroom and hiding it from your parents… That’s why there were strange noises some nights... and your father took it to a zoo when he got too big… but I thought they were joking…”

“Unbelievable… Your stupidity almost got me killed!”

Frank McCarty spoke without even blinking. “You are fired. Come back tomorrow to get your things and your pay. I will only write a recommendation letter for you if tomorrow you come and tell me everything you know about the Hunters. Lisa is right, it is a juicy scoop. A secret society that hunts and kills creatures of horror that were supposed to live only in stories, but in reality, they are among us. My newspapers will have a blast with that scoop.”

“No! You can’t! They will deny or kill you! I… I won’t tell anything!”

“Then you won’t get a recommendation letter from me. Goodbye, don’t let the door hit your butt on your way out. Mister Davis, I am really sorry for asking you this, but can you make sure she leaves without making a mess?”

With a slight nod, Davis pointed at the door with his open palm, following the nervous and angry woman. In the corridor, while walking to the door, she was mumbling, “He has no idea what they are capable of! They won’t hesitate to kill him!”

Davis spoke without even looking at the woman, “Miss Aniya is a Hunter now, and she is also Lisa’s best friend. She almost killed the High Council members today, and Lisa almost sliced the head of your niece in the morning. Worry about yourself, because the High Council members weren’t thrilled about receiving false accusations about Lisa being a Werewolf. You might find yourself in a prickly situation when they come for you.”

“I… I did nothing! I just…”

“You just dug your own grave with your stupidity. Even if Lisa was one, you should have just done your job and kept your mouth shut. Goodbye.”

Davis opened the front door and waited for the now pale woman to exit. He waited in front of the open door until she entered her car, which was parked under a roof at the left of the mansion, and exited the front gate.
He shook his head and closed the door, going to Frank McCarty’s office again. Inside, a happy father greeted him with a glass of whiskey and got a hug from a crying and smiling mother.

He made an awkward smile, and Lisa explained, “Sorry, I couldn’t wait for you to return. I already told them.”

Davis cleared his throat and spoke after taking out his reflective shades. Both parents gasped when they saw his gentle smile and waited for his words. “Aham… Mr. McCarty, Mrs. McCarty… I understand if you are worried about our somewhat age gap, but I can reassure you it does not diminish my love for your daughter.”

Frank McCarty smiled and raised his glass for a cheer. “To hell with the age gap! I am also way older than my dear wife, and that never stopped me from loving her! As long as you love my daughter and make her happy, I am not worried!”

While the others quickly grabbed their glasses, Sharon McCarty spoke with a big smile. “We need to talk about the engagement party! And the marriage! When can we have one? I want a big wedding as soon as possible!”

While Lisa turned bright red, Davis answered with a smile, “What about letting us know each other a bit better before that? I think there is plenty of time to worry about such matters. Please let us enjoy ourselves for a little while longer.”

“Oh! Sorry, I may have spoken out of order, but it’s just that I am so happy! My sweet daughter grabbed herself a fine-looking man! I know she loved you for years, and I often told her to quit and search for another man, but she finally grabbed you! I am so happy that I can barely hold myself! I just want to hug you!”

“I also loved her for a very long time, but I had a duty to fulfil and I couldn’t risk it. I apologise for all the worry and pain I might have inadvertently caused, but I couldn’t be with Lisa in my circumstances.”

Sharon McCarty nodded with a slight smile. “Yes, Lisa told us you were protecting Aniya ever since she was born. I just hope that now you at least do half of that for my daughter. Maybe we can talk some more over dinner if you have nothing planned?”

“I am deeply sorry, but I need to go watch over Miss Aniya’s boyfriend. While Lisa is here with you and well protected, he is infiltrated in a very dangerous pack of Werewolves with no one to help him in case of danger. I couldn’t live with myself and I wouldn’t be able to face Lisa if anything happened to him because I failed on the mission I was tasked with. I hope you can understand.”

“I understand, and I appreciate how you honour your compromises. Maybe you should go then, but promise me you will stay for dinner with us on another occasion.”

Davis gave a slight nod with a big smile. “That, I will certainly do. I shall take my leave now. I am rather worried about what is happening with Mister Nick.”

Lisa escorted Davis out and gave him a long and tender kiss. She then looked at him and spoke with a worried look. “Be careful, okay? If you get into trouble, call me, and I will run to you as fast as I can.”

“Don’t worry, I am really good at protecting from a distance. Did you ever notice I was near Aniya and you? You didn’t, right? That’s how good I am. See you tomorrow.”

With one last peck on her lips, Davis left. Lisa closed the door, still smiling, and went to see her parents in the office. They were waiting for her, with a radiant face plastered on both of them.

Her father tapped an empty chair near them and said, “Now, young lady, tell us what you did during the day because we got the impression you were crazier than usual.”

Lisa sat and made an awkward smile, facing the grin of her parents. “I… don’t think I exaggerated. I just… acted according to the situation…”

“Yes, your mother and I are aware of how often you go overboard when you act according to the situation… Heheheh!”
…

After dinner, Lisa went to her room, and with her parents’ help, she placed a big plastic cover over her bed that went all the way to the floor, making a protective circle around the bed of nearly two metres wide, to gather all the blood and flesh of her usual changes.

After her mother closed the last handcuff, she asked, “What now, Lisa? We wait?”

“Now, you and dad can grab your guns and see what happens. I will try to force the change, and if I keep my reasoning. If I am still here inside my beast, I will signal you and you bring me the notebook and pen that is over my desk so that we can communicate. I could speak with my mind with Aniya and the others, but I am not sure if I will be able to do it with you. I am guessing I will not.”

Sharon McCarty bit her lower lip and went to her husband, who gave her the gun with silver ammunition. They did that routine every three nights per month ever since Lisa’s first change, and it still worried her.
While her mother was looking at her, Lisa took one slow, deep breath and closed her eyes. She thought about what Nick told her, to gather her anger and to think that she wanted to change without feeling afraid of the pain or what she could do because now she could control the nightmarish body. She felt pain all over her body, a little more than when she smelled the wolf’s bane, but still bearable if she focused on the will to change.
A strong itch built inside her chest, that spread to her legs and neck. She wanted to scratch so badly, but she was afraid of losing her concentration. The noise of bones cracking and shifting position reached her parents, and Lisa then felt as if her insides were twisting and moving. Unable to hold any longer, she used her hands to scratch her body, and when she felt moisture on the fingers, she opened her eyes and looked down, realising her chest was now ripped open and copper fur was already under the claw marks.
Lisa felt her head being pressured, and she opened her mouth wide, and her long Werewolf snout ripped her face in two. With a quick pull with her right clawed hand, she split her head open and looked at the enormous chunk of skull with a frown on her now furry forehead, feeling ready to puke. She curled her body and used her finger claws to scratch the rest of Human flesh from her arms, stomach, and legs, and she grabbed a Human foot with the claws on her Werewolf feet and made a low growl, disgusted by the sight. She threw it at the plastic cover on the floor while making a low growl.

Her mother was lowering the gun, and asked, “Lisa… Are you there?”