I Eat My Steak Rare

I like my fairies pink. Have you ever tried to eat an overcooked fairy? It is absolutely disgusting. They taste like rubber, and they have the texture of brittle iron. That's why I always go to the most upscale restaurants when I'm in the mood to have fairy for dinner.
Undercooked fairy is a different story. It's okay, but it's a little disturbing to eta it when it's so undercooked, you can still see the thing's face. I mean, I know they only kill evil, havoc-reaping fairies, but they're still kind of cute. And I can't eat it if it still looks cute.
So I bring this all up because I decided to order fairy from the Werewolf Cafe that was just down the street from me. They deliver, so I figured, why shouldn't I just have a lazy night at home alone in front of new computer. So I ordered fairy, because the wolf-man that answered the phone told me that they had just gotten in fresh fairies that had been terrorizing the downtown area. I specifically said that I wanted the thing to be pink on the inside. What do I get? A gray lump of meat that is supposed to pass for well-cooked fairy. I ate it though, because I was starved.
I ate my depressing little meal while scrolling through my messages on-line. Mostly a load of junk mail and a few from friends, but nothing really interesting. I sighed and looked out my window at the huge oak tree that was in the front yard of the apartment complex. Sometimes nice would dance in the trees during the full moon, and once a group of them had held their harvest festival there. It was amazing to watch. My stomach felt sick from the overdone fairy I had just consumed.
Another reason I eat my fairies pink; I'm turning into a werewolf. I shouldn't be, considering I was born a human with an immunity to werewolf bites, but I guess all the bites caught up to me. All of my friends as a small child had been werewolves and vampires. We never all played together in front of our parents, but sometimes, at night, we would sneak away and all play in this massive group. The little wolf pups couldn't help but bite me sometimes- that's how they show affection. And it always surprised me that I didn't change.
I was never afraid of the dark because I played with the rulers of the night, the vampires, who never had the urge to bite me. I think it was because the wolves got to me first. But we all had loads of fun at the full moon, and even the vampire kids tried to howl.
I had always considered myself lucky yo be able to play with vampires and werewolves, and never have to risk the change to either. I had always heard horror stories about the pain of the werewolf change and the depression that came with the vampire change. But, of course, I had to worry now. I had to think of where I would stay when I felt the change upon me. I knew I would have to find one of my old werewolf friends and stay there until the change was complete.
I only hoped that I lived through it. Some humans didn't, mostly those with immunities like mine who suddenly started to change. Their bodies attacked themselves, and eventually they died from the inside. I cringed at the thought of a slow death.
To clear my head, I called my vampire friend, Serkan. He answered on the third ring.
"Hello, Serkan speaking."
"Serkan, it's me, Anabella."
"Anabella, it's so good to hear from you. I haven't seen you in years! Can we meet soon? Oh, silly me, I'm sure there is a reason for your call. Go, say what you need to say, and then we can arrange to meet."
"I'm glad you are so understanding, Serkan. I actually need to speak with you of my upcoming change."
"So the wolves' bites finally got to you. It is sad to hear. I would prefer if you became one of our own, but I would not curse you to an eternity of darkness. But why do you wish to speak with me of this? Wouldn't it be best to speak with a werewolf about it?"
"It would be, but you are the most knowledgeable of all of my friends, so I must know this from you. What are my chances of surviving this change, given my past...immunity?"
Serkan was silent for some time, and I started to wonder if he would ever answer me.
"Forty percent," he said. I cringed, though it was about five percent higher than I had estimated.
"Thank you for being truthful."
"I'm sorry that took so long. I had to calculate it three times to make sure."
"I'm glad you did. And thank you again, Serkan. You have been much help."
"How much longer do you have until the change?" The question was sudden and unexpected, and he sounded desperate.
"I'd say...six months, max."
"Then let's meet at the end of the month. Let's say... at the new moon. Under the oak tree in front of your apartment."
"That sounds fine to me. I must go now. I have other appointments to make with people."
"I will see you soon, Anabella."
"And I you, Serkan."
I hung up the phone and sighed. Talking to vampires was always slightly difficult. They tend to be more formal than other creatures. I looked at my phone and decided to call Lovatt, a werewolf friend that I had known for as long as I could remember. I dialed his number and he picked up on the second ring.
"Lovatt here."
"Anabella over here." I smiled at the informality.
"Hey, Anabella! I miss you! What's new with you?"
"I was wondering if we could meet, say next month, before the full moon?"
"Why not this month?"
"I have an appointment for the new moon this month."
"But the difference between me and those...vampires is that we can see each other during daylight hours. Who are you seeing. Do I trust him?"
"How do you even know it's a he?"
"Because about ninety percent of your friends are male, Anabella."
"It's Serkan."
"Well, he's the most trustworthy one of their lot that I know, so I don't object. Bt when shall we meet? The third?"
"That's fine with me."
"Why are you in such a hurry to meet Anabella?"
"Because I am going to be changing... into one of your kind. And I only have about forty percent chance of living through it."
"...I see. I will arranged with my family for you to stay with us during the change. With proper care, we can probably raise that to a fifty percent chance of survival."
"Thank you, Lovatt."
"You are already like one of us, Anabella. We extend our family love to you."
"I need to go now and sleep, Lovatt."
"Good night, little wolf."
"Good night, Lovatt." I hung up and placed the phone on its charger, then headed to my room and quickly got ready for bed. I was asleep as soon and my head hit the pillow.
I awoke to someone knocking on my door. I grumbled, then got up and wrenched the door open. Lovatt stood there, smiling like an idiot.
"Rise and shine!" he shouted.
"Why did the chicken cross the road?" I asked through clenched teeth.
"Why?"
"Because he was being chased by a very angry werewolf changeling." I glared at him as he broke into hysterical laughter. "That wasn't supposed to be funny."
"I know! That makes it even funner!" I slammed the door in his face and walked to my shower. The water woke me up and I continued to get ready for the day as Lovatt continued to knock on the door. I noticed that he stopped while I was putting on make up.
I went out to the front room and found him sitting on my couch. He held up the extra key that I kept hidden before I could even ask how he had gotten in.
"Impatient, aren't you?"
"Yep. But did you honestly expect that you could keep this key hidden from a werewolf?" I glared and snatched the key from him.
"So what did you wake me up for?"
"Anabella, I know that you think you have six months left. I talked to Serkan after we got off of the phone. You actually only have about two months left, if you're lucky. So I arranged for Serkan to come here tonight, and tomorrow I will take you to my family's house. Even as a werewolf, it would take us two days to get there, so about four to seven at your pace." I could only stare at him in shock. After a few minutes i pulled myself together.
"I must get ready to meet Serkan then. He would be appalled to see me in anything but a dress."
"Yes. Vampires and their...formality. Ick."
I laughed at Lovatt's disgust as I walked back towards my room. I put on a casual dress that only came down to mid-thigh. It was summer, and anything more would be too warm, even at night. I curled the ends of my hair and fixed my make up, then stood back and looked at myself. I thought I looked presentable, even to a vampire. I slipped into black flats, then walked back out to the front room. Lovatt gave me a funny look when he saw me.
"What?" I asked, slightly irritated.
"It's nothing. I'm just not used to seeing you in a dress."
"Well, you're going to have all day to get used to it. Come on, I need to get some food for dinner. What do you feed a vampire?"
"Blood. What else?"
"Good point." I picked up my keys and we left through the front door. I locked it, but didn't leave an extra key. We walked down to the corner market.
"What kind of blood do you think he prefers?" I asked Lovatt while looking at all of the different kinds in the little bags and boxes.
"How should I know? Get two or three little bags and make sure they're all different. That's the best solution. I'm going to go and find some good meat. I hope they have deer..." He wandered off towards the meat section. I picked three bags of blood and put them in my little basket, then walked over to Lovatt. He was holding three big deer legs.
"Which looks best to you?"
"Get the biggest and the smallest." He nodded and put one back with the others, and carried the other two to the check out with me. The only other thing I had bought was a huge jug of water for me and Lovatt.
After paying, we went straight back to my apartment and put the food in the fridge so that it wouldn't spoil.
"Lovatt, do you want your meta cooked at all?"
"Just crisp on the outside, red on the inside."
"So what do we do until dark?" I asked, more to myself than to Lovatt. He walked over to my couch, plopped down, found the T.V. remote, turned it on and was content. I sighed and sat down next to him. I fell asleep after a couple of hours, and woke up at sunset.
"I should start cooking my food," I said as I got up. I looked at Lovatt and realized that he was sound asleep. I threw a pillow at him, then walked into my small kitchen. i pulled out the smaller deer leg and put it in the oven as it heated. When my food was almost done, I put in Lovatt's food for a few minutes. I took both of the legs out and put them on the small table in the front room that I usually ate at, and then went outside to meet Serkan under the oak tree. He was just arriving as I reached the tree.
"You look lovely,Anabella." He flashed his fangs as he smiled.
"Please, come in to my apartment, Serkan."
"Thank you, Anabella." We both walked back to my apartment. When we entered, Lovatt was sitting at the small table, waiting for us to join him. I told Serkan to take a seat, then went and grabbed the blood from the refrigerator. I put it down in front of Serkan, then took my seat. We all finished eating before we held a conversation. I cleared the two plates and threw away the empty bags before taking a seat on the couch with my friends.
Much of our talk consisted of reminiscing about our childhood and filling each other in about what we had been doing since we had last met. When we reached the subject of my change, their was an unpleasant silence. Then Serkan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small necklace that looked like it was made of silver.
"This is platinum, a metal that does no harm to neither species, and highly valued by humans. Take this as a symbol of my hope that you will live through this change." With that, he placed the chain around my neck. I looked closely at the pendant.
"Is this...blood?"
"My blood."
"Thank you, Serkan." My eyes were tearing up. I knew what it meant for a vampire to give their blood to someone. I knew that he cared for me then he would ever say. But he had shown me with this beautiful, rare gift.
Lovatt took from his pocket something much more simple, but just as meaningful.
"This is one of my puppy teeth. It is said that the tooth of a werewolf pup brings good luck and protection to those who wear them on chords around their necks. I hope this helps you." He placed the simple necklace around my neck as well, and the tooth fell just above the vial of blood.
"Thank you, Lovatt." I hugged them both. "Thank you, both of you."
We were silent for a little while.
"I should be leaving, so that I can reach my home before the sun rises."
"Good bye the, Serkan, and thank you for your friendship, and your gift." He kissed me on the cheek, then left.
"Sleep, Anabella. We have a long way to travel."
"Good night, Lovatt. You can stay and sleep on the couch, or you can go and sleep under the oak tree."
"Good night, Anabella." I went to my room and changed into pajamas before falling asleep.
Lovatt woke me up a few hours later by knocking on my bedroom door. "I'm up!" I yelled at the door, then got showered and dressed in traveling clothes. I packed a small bag, then went out into the front room.
"Ready?"
"I need to inform the owner that I won't be staying and leave my last payment."
"I already did that. Come on." We left, and Lovatt gave me a slice of deer from last night so that I wouldn't starve. We headed north.
The journey took five days with no complications. Our country is a peaceful one, with little crime. We stopped in front of a house actually built into the mountainside.
"This is the Rezso family home," Lovatt said as he opened the door and we walked in.
"Lovatt? Is that you? Did you bring Anabella?" A little old lady came into the room.
"Yes, grandma. I brought Anabella. Have the preparations been made?"
"Yes. Your mother is finishing making the bed in Anabella's room."
"Good. I fear we have less time than I expected. The werewolf blood is already fighting the human blood. Her immune system is putting up a good fight, which scares me. I think she should stay in bed from now on. The change could happen any day now."
I looked at him, startled by the shortness of time and at how he knew this information.
"I can smell your blood. When a human is changing into a werewolf, their blood takes on a very strong scent, and the closer to the change, the stronger the smell. Your scent is at its height."
I could feel my self starting to cry as Lovatt's mother entered the room.
"Oh, Anabella, don't cry. You will be fine. We shall make sure of it," she said with a smile.
"Thank you,"I choked out as she led me to the bedroom they had set aside for me. She gave me some food and a large glass of water, then left me to sleep.
I awoke in gripping pain, like I was being ripped apart from the inside out. I tried to scream, but my jaw was locked shut. I tried to move, but my limbs felt too heavy to move. I looked around me and saw the blurry images of people. I began to fade out of consciousness as the pain became too much for me.
I faded in and out of consciousness as the pain lessened, and then spiked. I finally awoke with the pain ebbing away and able to move and speak.
"Is it...done?"
"Yes. You are a werewolf, and it was one of the quickest changes we have ever seen. It must have come from being bitten so many times as a child," said Lovatt's mother. Lovatt burst into the room.
"Anabella! You're alive! You look like you haven't slept in days."
"Shut up!" Lovatt smiled at me and hugged me.
"Welcome to the life of a werewolf."