“You can’t leave.”Dad screams, sending spittle flying. His face is red with rage as he waves her bag in front of her.“You need me. You won’t survive without me.”
“I deserve better,”Mom says.“And so do our girls.”
“They deserve to know their father,”he shouts, flinging the bag past her. It hits the wall with a dull thud, sounding like a body.“You can’t steal them from me.”
He takes a menacing step toward her.
I rush into the room, trying to grab hold of his arm, but my hands pass right through him like wisps of smoke. I’m just as helpless to stop this as I was back then. All I can do is watch as he backhands Mom. But he doesn’t just hit her. Claws come out, leaving long slices across her cheek, splitting skin.
As her blood wells, I start to hyperventilate.
It’s just like what I did to Jason.
“Asshole,”she mutters, her eyes flashing as she wipes her face with the back of her hand.“You don’t deserve shit.”
A low, guttural growl rises from Dad.
I leap in front of Mom, desperate to protect her.
He charges toward us—toward me.
But Dad passes right through me and grabs her.“You think anyone else will want to take on this burden? You and two children? As if anyone else could love you?”
“This isn’t love,”Mom snarls.
She rips her arm free with a sudden burst of strength.
“What do you think you’re doing?”he asks.
“Leaving,”she says, grabbing the bag off the floor.“Like I should have a long time ago.”
Dad blocks the door.“You’re not going anywhere.”
“Get out of my way,”Mom says, struggling to push past him.“Or I’ll call the cops.”
“Don’t you dare threaten me.”He knocks her aside, sending her slamming into the dresser. Her head smacks on the corner, tearing a gash in her forehead. Blood covers half her face like a curtain.
They both stand there, stunned.
“Look what you’ve done,”Dad says, his forehead creasing in concern.“Are you okay?”His voice turns soft. Gentle. He gets close, trying to inspect her injury.
Mom lashes out at him.
Only this time, she, too, has long claws that cut.
She stares at her hands in shocked disbelief—just like I am.
Dad bares his teeth.“You bitch.”
Short, dark claws break free of his fingertips. The hair on his arms and face grows thicker, covering more and more of his skin, until he’s coated in fur. There’s the awful sound of snapping bone as his body ripples and reshapes itself. But his transformation isn’t complete. He’s part wolf, part man, all monster.
Mom runs past him, but he catches her. Throws her on the ground.
He lands on top of her.
“Get off me!”she screams.
She makes a keening sound, tears and spit streaking her face. She throws Dad off and curls up in the corner of the room, a protective position. Her whole body trembles with the force of her sobs. She covers the back of her head, her light-colored claws gleaming.
