Jason's head jerked up to look at his mother. Had he made a wrong calculation? What was he to do? After that terrible night in Olive, his father had suddenly had an interest in studying the stars. What was he to do?
"Are you alright, Jason?" His mother stopped when she noticed his face.
"I'm alright, mum." Jason faked a smile.
As soon as she left, he walked towards his book shelf looking for something. Where had he placed it?
Then, he found it. A diary of his. He flipped through the pages and found the date. His mother was wrong, he sighed knowing fully well that the moon wouldn't be full that night.
*******
Mr Hills returned home before dinner, kissed his wife on the cheek as he rushed up to his room to shower.
"You're quite late today, Jared." His wife said after him.
"Sorry about that honey, I was playing golf with Idris." He answered, looking back at her.
Jared was quite tall about 7 feet tall. His sons inherited his height from him. He had blonde hair like Hanson, browned eyes like Jason. But Hanson took his striking resemblance.
"Idris?" Her eyes bulged as she turned to look at him. "The man from the East?"
"Yes," he nodded.
"I didn't know he is into golf." She beamed.
Jared laughed. "You need to see him play, Rachael. He's so good. I'd underestimated his skills." He took a step up the stairs.
"I didn't know young Idris play golf." She smiled again, stunned by his words. Young Idris was a new man in the Hill's club, a club meant for sports and relaxation. Rachael remembered being introduced to him by her husband. Idris had casual, normal, as one that barely knew his left from right.
"Where are the boys?" Jared turned, glancing around.
"Hanson just returned from basketball practice. Jason is up with arts as usual."
"Drawing those supernatural scenes in his head." Jared finished up with a laugh.
"I'm telling you. I find it funny though that he wouldn't care to indulge me in those thoughts in his head. He hardly opens up, Jared. And I find it frightening." Rachael stepped closer.
"We have talked about this a million times, Rachael. You have nothing to worry about. He's just a kid." He shrugged.
"Jason is not who we once know, Jared."
Jared sighed, pulling his face cap to his other hand. "I know that, Rachael. But he'll get over it."
"I'm sorry to stall you for a while. You need to wash up and join us for dinner. I'll set the table." She said.
He nodded, climbing up the stairs.
*****
At dinner, Jared wouldn't stop talking about the moon and the stars that it irked Jason. He was quiet while they all rambled on about wild creatures which had infiltrated the lower regions of Greenville.
"Why are you picking on your food, Jason?" Rachael looked at him from the opposite side of the table.
"I'm good mum. I...just ... I think I've lost my appetite." Jason said.
"What's with you and having a real talk with your family?" Hanson was irritated at his attitude.
Jason turned to look at him. "There's nothing wrong with me."
"There is. You need to check yourself again, you are always a loner. And you never was." Hanson said.
"Maybe everyone deserves a change." Jason told him.
"Boys, that's enough. We are at the table. I don't understand why you are always at each other's neck." Jared called out.
"We are not fighting dad. I want him to be the same old Jason I once know him to be. He was always so vibrant, outgoing going, social and never this." Hanson looked back at his brother.
"Hanson," Rachael called out. "Your brother is going through a lot of things, you yourself should know this by now."
"We are all trying, mother. He's the one making things difficult for us." Hanson rambled on.
"Hanson! That's enough." Jared called out. The table went still for a while. "I made mention about the full moon. What do you think of it, Hanson?"
Hanson looked surprised. He wiped his almost full mouth with an handkerchief. "Dad, you know I don't know anything about it. Mum do share in your joy of astrology."
Jared laughed at that, looking back at his sweet wife. "I do bore you boys with my tale." He said.
"You don't bore me." Rachael smiled at him, raising her glass of water to her lips.
"I need to be excused, please. I'm quite full." Jason pushed back his chair, flipped his black hair to the side while the rest of his family watched him going up the stairs.
*******
At around ten minutes past twelve, Jason felt a burning sensation. He felt he needed to throw up. He rushed to his bathroom, and tried to barf into the toilet closet. His abdomen tightened, the sensation persisted. What was happening? He stood before the mirror watching his reflection. This was the exact way he had felt back in Olive.
Was it happening?
He rushed out to the window and checked the moon. It was a half moon, why was he feeling this this.... His head began to bang furiously that he clammed his hand against it. He looked back at the sky and to his amazement, he watched as part of the clouds drifted away to welcome the full moon.
His eyes bulged out of his sockets! His diary had fooled him. Another bang hit him that he cried out. No, not here. Not while he was in the house. Everyone would know. He pushed himself up and opened the window to look down.
He would jump down, he had no other choice. After all it was just a one storey building, it wouldn't hurt. His fangs began to pull out, the pain shot through his body like an electrocution.
He cried out, groaning in pain.
He must leave at all cause. He couldn't control his transition, and he could become brutal at any minute. His body began to take a change, slowly and painfully that he fell down to his knees.
"Jason? Is that you?"
He smelt her presence. No, not his mother! She mustn't see him. He managed to pick himself up. But he couldn't pick himself up. The pain was tearing him up into pieces. Thick phelgm was coming out from his nose and mouth, he was trying his best not to scream out. Yet, the pain was intense. His fingers plunged out like claws of vultures, the furs came like sheep's skin then multiplied in volume. The pyjamas he wore began to tear off from his body.....
"Jason? You in there? I can hear you. I'm coming in."
Why was his mother this inquisitive? Why was his mother this curious? Why did she perster around his room? Did she actually believe she might see him in his transformation?
Jason picked himself up, the last of his will might go out from him. He knew he would hurt his mother if she walked in through the door. The door was open and she could come in to see the dreadful sight.
Finally, he roared into the night. Jumped down from the window if his room. The last shreds of his clothes peeled off his body as he jumped down.
His mother walked into the room and felt the awkwardness of the room. She heard the roar. She knew something was wrong.
"Jason?" She called. "Jason, where are you?" She pushed back the covers if his blankets but he wasn't in bed.
Something is wrong! Her thoughts screamed at her. She rushed out the room to find Jason. Maybe he was with his brother, maybe, he was with his dad up the room studying the moon as well.
But she knew instinctively that Jason was never one interested in the moon.