22 Jun 2024, 09:15
A Taste of Fate
Back dating to Summer 2023
It has nearly been one month since the bite and Colby could feel her heart racing in panic. Her parents, both intelligent people, had done all they could to figure out how to help their daughter during her first transformation. Her father, an Auror at the Ministry, had connected with coworkers and other people who either are werewolves or are parents of those who have become one. Her mother, a Healer at St. Mungos, had discussed different approaches from a medical standpoint. No matter how many conversations they had with others or the information they received, it all became clear that it was not going to be a swift ride for Colby.
Colby's father had made a quick turnaround in their basement. What once was a playroom for Colby and her younger brother, was now an empty room with shackles that were strongly connected to the wall. The walls were still a light blue and the flooring was of a light brown tone of hardwood floors. A horizontal elongated window is at the top of one of the walls, bringing in natural light to the room. When it was cleared out and prepped for Colby, she had walked downstairs only to feel an emptiness inside her. All her toys were gone, packed up and never to be seen again. She looked at her parents who had gone down with her and she saw the look on their faces-- a crease between their eyebrows with sad eyes and not a smile to be found. They knew. She knew. This was going to be a night to remember.
One week prior to an upcoming full moon, Colby was given a special drink by her mother. Colby took it and before chugging the drink down, she examined it. Blue smoke was coming out of the cup. She was unable to place the smell but could guess that it wasn't going to be delicious. Her mother urged her to drink it fast. Colby looked up to her taking a deep breath and quickly chugged as much as she could of the drink. For every big sip that she took, it had hit the tastebuds on her tongue before being swallowed. The taste was so grotesque that it was beyond natural. When she was finished, she had wanted to vomit. The worst part to all of this was that she had to take it every night for one week prior to the full moon. And each time, she hoped for the taste to get better.
"Isn't there something we can add to it to make it taste better?" Colby would complain before drinking the potion. At first her mother would explain to her that it was a potion that could not be tampered with. However, as the days progressed, she was quick to ignore Colby's protest. Leaving Colby defeated.
Finally, it was the day of the full moon. Colby woke up in the morning, her body to the side and her head on her pillow. Her green eyes staring at the window, watching the morning blue sky. She had no idea what tonight was going to be like. Her parents had explained to her what others have shared in their experience, but Colby felt like it wasn't the same. No matter how many times they told her what to expect, it wasn't enough for Colby. From the details of transformation to even the reason for the Wolfsbane Potion. Nothing seemed to help.
Colby laid there for what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes. Her mind was racing fast with uncertainty and regret. Finally, she sat up in bed, her feet dangling at the edge of her bed. Colby slightly leaned back with her hands holding her up at her sides on the bed. This was a lot to take in for a ten year old. Too many emotions were swirling in her mind that she was unable to keep up.
She pushed herself off the bed, her toes touching the softness of the white carpet. She was in a purple butterfly patterned pants and shirt pajamas as she slowly left her room. She looked back at her bed knowing that tonight she was not going to be resting comfortably. As she continued to leave the room, she made her way to the kitchen where her parents and brother were already sitting down. They were eating mid-way into their meal. Colby guessed that they had let her sleep in knowing what was to come.
Her brother, not entirely in the know of what is going on smiled at his big sister. "Want to play hide and seek after breakfast?" he asked her. Colby wished she was just as excited as him. As she was sitting onto a chair next to him, she shook her head. "No." Her brother's smile disappeared and she made sure not to give him any eye contact. Colby scooped some eggs from the serving bowl and placed them on her plate. She then grabbed the container of milk and unscrewed the top. Instantly, she was able to smell the milk and placed it back down on the table, her nose scrunching up. "Ugh, this milk smells gross. Has it expired?" she asked, giving it to her mom who found the expiration on the carton. "It doesn't expire until next week," she said and quickly gave a sniff of the milk herself. "It smells fine." Colby continued to argue. "It doesn't. It's spoiled." Her mother gave a shrug. "Then you don't have to have any milk," she said, and she screwed the cap back on before putting it back into the fridge. When she came back, she had another cup with blue smoke coming out of it coming towards Colby. Colby couldn't help but to frown. She looked at her father and then back at the cup. Can't someone save her from this nightmare?
The day had passed slowly, and it was about an hour before the sun would set. Colby could feel herself becoming antsy. She was scared. This was going to be the first time to ever experience a transformation, and word has it... It wasn't all rainbows and butterflies.
Her parents had sent her brother to their grandparents house for the night as to not frighten him of what is to happen. It was decided to be a monthly "Sleepover with Nana" for the time being until he was old enough to understand what was really happening. But even more so, both her parents did not want their son hurt from any complications that may occur.
Colby was led downstairs by her parents. The room felt cold, and it had nothing to do with the temperature. On the floor, next to the shackles that were bolted on the wall, was a large pillow. If all had gone according to plan, Colby would transform and remain calm throughout the night without becoming a dangerous beast.
Her father put confined her daughter to the chained that were heavily bolted against the wall. There was enough slack of chain to allow her to lay down on the large pillow as well as give space to transform. Once her father finished, her mother walked up to her and cupped Colby's cheek in her hand. She gave her a kiss on her forehead and what looked like a sad smile. "I love you," she said, and Colby said it back. "Colby, you are brave. You can do this," she added, and Colby repeated the words of affirmation back. For a moment, she did feel brave.
The minute both of her parents climbed up the stairs and closed the door behind them, hearing multiple different locks being locked in the process, Colby's bravery diminished. The sun was nearly being swallowed and dusk was taking over the sky. Colby started to shake from fear and began to cry. "MOMMY! DADDY!" she screamed with fright, but they didn't come. "MOMMY! DADDY!" she tried again, but once more, there was no movement of locks unlocking upstairs. It was silent. Colby began to bawl, not wanting for this to happen. She wished that she would have stayed in the tent and not gone out when her parents said to stay inside. This was a lesson she would have to live with every day of her life.
"MOMMY! DA--" Colby paused and began to scream. It was starting. She looked at the horizontally elongated window at the top of the wall to see that the sun had completely vanished. The night was dark, and it she could see a small part of the full moon peering at the edge of the window.
Her heart began to race as she could feel her skin crawl. Colby's body was moving unpredictably in different directions without her consent. She felt and heard bones crack and couldn't help but to scream from the pain. She got on all fours and pressed her fingers against the hardwood floors. Colby closed her teary eyes feeling every bone and joint in her body shift and break. When she opened her eyes for a split second, she saw that her arms were not her usual self. It was covered in light brown fur with lightened tips. Claws were taking the place of her fingernails and toenails, scratching the floors in the process. Colby could feel it... It was then her face starting to morph. She stood on her hind legs and looked up at the ceiling, her eye catching more of the full moon from the window. She began to scream even louder as her face changed from the young, innocent little girl to a furry unstable beast. Her button nose had been replaced with a small snout. Her teeth sharp and her eyes changed from the delicate green to a piercing yellow. Within a handful of minutes, Colby had completely transformed into a beast of the full moon night.
Thanks to the Wolfsbane, she was still able to be Colby and not just a predator. She still had her feelings and while the physical pain had subsided, her emotions had not. Instead of crying like a human, she was howling up to the ceiling. Her sadness for a split second turned to anger and she didn't hesitate to scratch the floors and walls next to her. She had then grew tired and weary, where she began to crawl to the pillow where she curled up with herself, taking deep breaths. Her body was facing the window where she could see the full moon as a whole. Seeing the moon made her emotions run wild. Colby got up and curled up again, facing away from the sky's orb. She dozed off to sleep, hoping for the morning to come sooner than later.
To think that this would be happening for the rest of her life... Colby now had a taste of fate.