Two weeks later. That's how long it's been. I've been missing five days. I told the detectives, Ethan and my family I needed some time alone. I met a friend and we spend a few days at her beach house. It wasn't as easy convincing mum. You know mothers have those built-in bullshit detectors. Eventually, she dropped it. But we both knew I lied.

Ethan and I took a break. He wasn't too happy about it. I felt bad for worrying him and breaking up. But I felt like shit every time I kissed him, or he touched me, my kidnapper would pop into my head like a damn plague. I don't even know his name for crying out loud. He kidnapped me and yet my skin is begging to be caressed by more than the cool breeze.

I pulled into the driveway and got out the car," I'm home!" I yelled out and hung my keys up.

"In here!" mum yelled from the living room.

"Breaking news. More animal attacks being reported around North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. The county Sheriff's Office and Parks & Wildlife request that residents stay indoors and out of the forest and parks at night. No one knows what's provoking these brutal attacks-"

"This again," I change the channel and drop the remote on the sofa.

"This is serious Luna, "Mum picks up the remote, "People are being slaughtered by wild animals."

"So far they found over a dozen of people mutilated by wolves." dad added.

"The hunters probably provoking the poor creatures," I rolled my eyes and ran up the stairs to my room. Those ghostly feral red eyes and deadly canines made my body shiver. They still haunt my dreams.

I flick the light on and toss my bag on my bed. That's strange. I didn't remember leaving the window open. No wonder I'm freezing my titty meats off. I shiver and padded over to the window. Is that blood on the windowsill? I touch the crimson liquid and rubbed it between my fingers examining it.

"Blood," I mumble to myself. Why is there blood-

"Avaluna,"

I squeal and jump four feet in the air "Bloody hell. Zuri? I think I pee a little."

"Didn't mean to scare you," I gasp as she came closer.

She looked horrible. Bruises cover her face, neck and arms. I'm sure there is more all over her body. Her lip cut and swollen, look almost blue. Her face ghostly pale with dry blood in her hair and side of her face. Clothes covered in blood and dirt. Was she in a fight?

"Luna!? Is everything alright!?" My mum shouts from downstairs.

"Please. I won't hurt you." she croaks out with a desperate plea in her eyes. She was scared. Her hand pressed into her stomach and blood seeping out between her fingers from her open wound.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just stumped my pinkie!" I shout back," I hate to see the other guy." I teased.

"Me too," she cringed and lean against the wall breathing heavily.

"W-what are doing here?"

"I need help."

"No shit," I mumbled. She rolled her eyes. She heard me?

"I got shot."

"Shot?! We need to get you to the hospital!" I rush over for my phone.

"No!" she growls in a deep animalistic voice. Her eyes glowed a dark cobalt blue in an inhuman way. In a blur, she snatches my phone away. Moving at lighten speed.

I flinch back "W-What are you?" I yelp with my heart racing like a racehorse on steroids.

"Please don't be afraid." she held her hands up in surrounded mode. "I won't hurt you." she set my phone on my bed and treads away slowly not to frighten me. Too late mate. Her eyes back to their normal human dark ocean green. "I don't have anywhere else to go. Please."

"H-how did y-you find me?"

"I got your name from your bus ticket that fell out in the trunk and googled you." Ahh, technology. she dropped her arms down to her side when she realizes I wasn't going to go ape shit on her ass. "You know there are three Avaluna Chesmore in Seattle?"

"That's not creepy." I mumble under my breath, but why do I have a feeling she heard me." So what? You broke into all of their bedrooms?"

"Your scent. I can smell you from outside."

"You sniff me out?" I knitted my brows baffle. Scooby doo?

"Sort...of... I'll answer any other questions you have later. But first, I need to heal." she slowly rolled up her shirt revealing a gory gunshot wound spurting black and purple veins up her stomach. I almost vomit on my new rug.

"Bloody hell, what happened?" I gasp with my hands over my mouth.

"Told you. I got shot." she walked into the bathroom and turn on the water, filling up the bathtub.

"With what? Something from harry potter?"

"You're funny. It's a silver aconite bullet." she took off her muddy shoes.

"That sounds more like lord of the ring."

"I'm dying Avaluna!" she raised her voice and it trembles at the end. She's terrified.

"Bollocks. Sorry, what can I do?"

"I got the bullet out but the toxins already in my veins. I've less than an hour. I can't feel my limbs or my face. Soon my heart, lung, and organs will start to fail." she grabs my notebook and began jotting down something.

"Why didn't you go to a bloody hospital!" I exasperate.

"Because I don't plan on spending the rest of my life in some lab." She shot back and ripped the page out. "Here. I need everything on this list."

"I can't even pronounce some of this. How am I supposed to find it?"

"A florist." swinging her legs in the tub and gently lower herself in the cold water. "Hurry, please." She shudders.

" Ok, stay there." I cringe at my stupidity." Right, you can't go anywhere. I'll be right back." I grab my phone and sprint down the stairs.

"Where're you rushing off too?" Mum asks from the living room watching Tv with dad on the sofa.

"Ahh, the store. Brb." I grab my keys and sprint to my car whilst googling the nearest florist. Ten minutes away. Oh, yea!

I ran a stoplight, double-parked and vamoose into the shop like a crazy woman. The florist was a short chubby mid-age woman in her fifties. In her pink poke a dot apron, garden gloves and shears trimming her flowers.

"Excuse me hi hi hi I'm looking for a few particular flowers can you help me?"

"Sure, dear. What kind are-"

I cut her off and read the names on the page, "Belladonna, Calendula, Echinacea and Jasmin."

She nods, tapping her chin. Come on this isn't brain surgery lady! My friend is dying!" Oh yes," she announced with her finger in the air. Took you long enough! I mentally rolled my eyes." I have Jasmin, Echinacea and calendula but not Belladonna."

"I'll take it all."

"Would you like me to wrap them or-"

"No, just a bag is fine. You know where I can find the Belladonna?" I hand her my credit card.

"Hmm let me think. Check Mr Pots." she swipes my card. Can she move any slower? Come on! " If anybody has it. It's him." Sign here dear," she smiles.

"Where is he?"

"Oh, down the block on the right-hand side across from the pharmacy. Would you like your rec-"

"No thank you." I grab my flowers and sprint out of the store.

"You forgot your bag!" she shouts back.

I jumped into my car race down the road. It was a small herbalist shop. I push the open door with a bell signalling I assume the old man at the counter. "Hi, uh I'm looking for Belladonna?"

" Oh," he began searching through his bottles of herbs stocked neatly on shelves behind the counter. "Seems like I'm out. I can order-"

"Please. Can you check again? I'll appreciate it. It's important."

He sighs, "Let me check in the back." I pace back and forth worried if I'll find a dead Zuri in my bathtub by the time I return. She's not like a dead goldfish I can't just flush down the toilet.

"What do you plan on doing with it?" he walks up to his register with a bottle in his hand.

"Make tea." I hand him my card and grin.

"I see." he glanced to the door and back at me suspiciously.

He swipes my card and hands it back to me. I reach for it, "Be. Careful. With your. Tea." he enunciated carefully before letting go of the card. Glancing over discretely to the door once more. Creepy old man.

"Thanks?" I grab the bottle and briskly walk out the door.

I tossed it in the back seat and cross the road to the pharmacy. Grabbing a few gauze rolls and pads, sterilize gloves, adhesive tape, Advil and aspirin. I quickly self-checkout when I notice a black car park right across the street from Mr Pots. Is that his car? I bag my items and ran back to my car. Pulled out and speed down the street. Buggar! I slap my hand down on the steering wheel. Mad that I got caught by a three minutes stoplight.

I glance in the rearview mirror and did a double-take. That black car. So it's not Mr.Pots. I decided to take a short cut and glance back up at the rearview mirror. The car was still there. Coincidence? I decided to take another turn. The car did too. I took another turn and drove past my house. The black car still behind me. It's safe to say the assface is following me. Think Luna! Think! I turn a block up from me and park at David's hardware General store. I grab all my stuff and walk casually into the store and out the back door. The black car was still parked watching my car. Sucker!!!

I sprint home as fast as I could. Making sure I wasn't followed.

"Sweetie is that you?"

"Ahh yeah, mum," I shout back closing the door and bolting to my room.

"W-What took you so long?" mumbled a trembling Zuri. She's getting worse.

"I had to lose the morons that were following me."

"What? Oh god, Avaluna. Are you alright?"

"Scared shitless, but let's take care of you first." I empty the bag with the items on the countertop. "What do I do now?"

"That one and that one. Use some of the leaves for a tea. And mix the rest into a paste."

"Ok. I got this," I nod to myself.

I grab a pestle and mortar from the cupboard and put the kettle on. I mash the rest into a paste with a little water and made a thick paste and ran back upstairs.

"Can you stand?"

I help her out the tub and strip out of the wet shirt. She sat on the toilet and I dried the wound. The blood and dirt all wash away but the black and purple veins were branching off across her stomach faster. Almost to her heart. I applied the paste and wrapped her wound and taped it. Then hand her the tea, "Drink"

"Thank you Avaluna." she sips her tea. Her fingers dirty, pruny and trembling.

"Just Luna is fine. I'll get you some dry clothes." I grab a pair of sweats and hoodie with some clean underwear.

"Here. The underwear is new," I hand it to her.

She took it and stood."Thank you Ava- I mean Luna. I don't know how I can thank you."

"You can start by explaining to me why the men in black are after you. I'll wait for you inside." I nod to the bedroom and left.

I had a million questions. I change into a short and tank top. Closed the curtains and window before sneaking a peek outside for the black car. Who was that? And why was he following me?

"What would you like to know," Zuri sat down on the corner of my bed with the tea in her hand. She looks a little better.

"What are you? Why did your eyes glow blue? How did you move that fast? Who shot you? Why? Who are those guys following me? What do they want?" I blurted out all in one breath.

"Did you write that down? What I am about to tell you might be a little hard to swallow. It's the truth. I owe you that much for saving my life. But you need to promise me you won't tell anyone. It's forbidden for humans to learn of our existence."

Martians are real? "Ok. I promise."

"Do you believe in werewolf?"

"Like twilight? Or underworld?" I crinkled my brows.

"Yeah... Let's go with that. I'm a werewolf."