Free Silver Moon by Rebecca A. Rogers

“—what we are. How many of us exist? There are so many things…” I trail off.
    Beth purses her lips and gives her next words consideration. A nervous laugh escapes her and she says, “First of all, we want you to keep your distance from the Conways , if possible. They’re a dangerous bunch. They don’t consort well with others. We need you to stay safe.”
    “But—” I begin to protest.
    “Please, let me finish. Once I’m through, then you can ask as many questions as your heart desires.”
    I bite my tongue so hard I can taste the sickening metallic flavor, and my hands are clenched so tightly I’m afraid they might snap under pressure. My silence is taken as affirmation for her to continue.
    “The Conways came to live here many, many years ago. One hundred and twelve, to be exact. They were very pleasant people, at first. We knew what they were. They said they wanted to start fresh, never giving details about their past. We learned their true nature not long after.
    “They’re Hunters. Vicious, controlling creatures. Unlike us, they were out for blood. Banned from their last residence. When humans in this area came up missing or dead, we knew who it was. But the rest of us weren’t powerful enough to stop them. Over the years, factions have formed. Either you’re on their side, or you’re not. There’s only two.”
    Images of innocent people dying, being slain by the hands of monsters, flash repeatedly across my mind.
    I gulp, but my saliva seems to hitch itself in my throat. “And what happens if you’re not on their side?”
    Beth smoothes her skirt with her hands and glances up at the ceiling, exhaling a tiny sigh. “They’ve done horrible things to people who know , yet don’t pick a side. Humans who are aware of the Conways —what they are—don’t get away so easily, and have to choose a side. If they don’t comply, well, they’re never heard from again.” Her eyes are distant, looking at the ugly brown carpet.
    I shake my head. I don’t know what to say, what to tell her. My mind whirls with questions—mainly if everything is going to be all right.
    “That’s…so…awful.” I manage to speak.
    Beth finally glances my way. “Yes.”
    “It’s either our side or theirs,” I murmur to myself.
    Randy and Beth watch me intently.  
    Beth speaks again. “We’re among the few who stood up against them. A war brews, Candra—one that’s gone on for generations between our family and theirs.”
    “So, that’s why they hate me?”
    “You have Lowell blood. They’ll never like anybody with that name.”
    “But Ben—” I start.
    “Do not be deceived. Remember that he’s on their side, not ours.”
    “He’s so nice to me, though. He apologizes for the way Cameron and Ethan treat me. I think he’s just scared of his parents.” I silently wonder why I’m sticking up for him. It’s not like we’re dating.
    “Could be true,” Beth says, bobbing her head back and forth, weighing the options, “but I’d still be leery. He might have an ulterior motive.”
    I shake my head. There’s no way.
    “Principal Garrison…he…” I don’t know how to finish. Is he a werewolf too?
    “He’s good friends with Randy and me, and he got you out of loads of trouble that you might otherwise be in if he was anybody else.”
    “So, others know what I am?”
    “They acquire the sense of heightened smell once they transform on their eighteenth birthday. I imagine that word has spread quickly among the werewolf community about your arrival.”
    “Ben knows,” I whisper.
    “Hmm?”
    “If all of these people know, why hasn’t anyone said anything?”
    “Maybe, in so many words, they have and you weren’t listening.”
    I ignore her. “My having Lowell blood shouldn’t be enough reason for them to hate me. There’s something I’m missing, isn’t there?”
    Beth watches me intently for a moment before saying, “You will receive powers on your eighteenth birthday. They are