Nova stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at the reflection that had become increasingly unfamiliar over the past few months. Her eyes were growing darker, and looked like they had strange sparks in them at times. Her muscles were becoming more defined, and her senses felt like they were all turned up on high. She wore headphones to block everything out, which helped most of the time, and provided her with a little solitude.

  Until it didn't.

  Her mother was extremely controlling and hated Nova having any kind of personal space. She forced activities on her constantly. Even at eighteen years old her mother was still trying to manipulate her. At least the years of play dates, cute outfits, pink teddies, and dinner parties were over. She loathed being her mother's little display board. She was just a trophy that they paraded around to their friends.

  She looked back in the mirror.

  Today she had woken to these reddish patches all over her skin. They were warm to the touch, and almost looked like they were alive, if that were possible. She traced the marks with her fingers, pressing down to see if anything would change.

  Nothing. What the hell she wondered. There were a lot of things that she could pretend were fine, and a lot of things that she could hide, but she didn't think that this was either.

  Nova was used to hiding just about everything.

  She had once asked her mother and father where her “real” parents were. Neither of her parents looked anything like her. Her mother had no outstanding features. She was plain, homely, and had straight, sandy brown hair, and no chin. Her father was blond, and frail looking, with a slightly balding head, and crooked nose. What a pair they were, she mused. They would make good characters in a horror movie.

  She had been met with so much grief however, that she decided rather than deal with any more drama, she would just keep to herself. At least the mirror didn’t lie to her though. It always showed her exactly who she was. Today it told her that her eyes appeared had a faint flickering glow.It reminded her of fire. She tore them away, and looked down at the redness on her arms.

  She dampened a washcloth and started vigorously scrubbing away at the spots to no avail. Perhaps I can hide them with a sweatshirt, she thought.

  Her stomach suddenly rumbled.

  Nova grimaced at the noise. She had been constantly hungry lately. Her parents were vegans. She had never considered eating meat before, but these days when they passed by the butcher shop her mouth watered. Of course she had tried asking her mother if they could go in, but her mother acted like she had suggested they go murder somebody.

  Nova pressed her palms against the cool surface of the sink, trying to steady herself, trying to ignore the hunger, and whatever it was her body was doing this time. Her reflection seemed to mock her, the faint glow in her eyes growing brighter as her emotions surged.

  This was just another abnormality to add to the growing list that was her life. Nova noticed the red patches pulsing once again. Yes, she thought, this was probably going to end like one of those horror movies where monsters from your stomach, and everyone dies.

  "Nova, what’s taking so long?" Her mother’s voice called from the other side of the bathroom door, breaking her out of her trance.

  She sighed, and cracked the door open to see her adoptive mother standing there, wearing a faded robe, hair tied up in a messy bun. Her eyes widened when she saw Nova, and she shoved her way inside. She frowned as she leaned closer, her fingers brushing over the reddish patches blooming along Nova’s collarbone and creeping up her neck.

  "Probably just rosacea," she said, her tone dismissive. "That can happen to anyone." She scuttled back out, and barely paid Nova another glance. They were used to making excuses for the odd things that happened to her and nothing really seemed to faze them anymore.

  "Are you feeling ok?" she said, asking more out of duty than concern.

  Nova hesitated for a moment, then stepped away from her towards her room. "Yea," she lied, her voice barely above a whisper, avoiding eye contact.

  Her mother shooed her away and closed the bathroom door in her face.

  Love you too, Nova whispered, insincerely.

  She scooted down the hall to her room, and quietly shut the door, then walked over to her bed and threw herself down on it. Nova lay staring at the ceiling. Whatever was wrong, she would not be sharing it. Their annual “family trip” up to the mountains was this weekend, and it had been booked for months. Neither of her parents really wanted to go, but if she were the reason it got cancelled, they’d probably make things hell for her for weeks. No, nothing good could come of disrupting their plans to escape the chaos and pretend to be a family.

  __________________

  The next morning Nova climbed into the minivan for another exciting family vacation. Her parents had been taking this trip as long as she could remember. The drive was about two hours long, and used to be filled with corny old music and laughter, and an occasional I Spy game. These days, it was the quiet hum of tires on windy roads, her mother snoring in the passenger seat, or an occasional chirp that would filter through the cracked windows. Whatever had triggered the change, she was sure, had to do with herself.

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  Nova sat in the backseat, chin propped on her hand, watching as the road stretched endlessly ahead. Today instead of silence, her parents’ chatter buzzed in the background, but she wasn’t really listening. The tension between them had been simmering since they left home. When they finally pulled up to the cabin by the lake, the sun hovered just above the treetops, glinting off the water's surface. The place was remote, tucked deep into the woods, with only the sounds of nature to remind them the world hadn’t stopped spinning.

  Her father killed the engine with a sigh, stepping out and stretching like he’d just crossed the country. “Well, here we are,” he muttered, not bothering to hide the fatigue in his voice. “Let’s get this over with.” Nova rolled her eyes but slid out of the car, her boots crunching on the gravel. She loved it out here, even if it was just an obligatory trip. She doubted they’d even go anymore after she graduated and moved out. At least by then she could go alone.

  Her mother was already fussing with the bags in the trunk. “Come on, Nova. Don’t just stand there. Help with the supplies,” she called over her shoulder, her tone clipped, like this trip was some chore Nova had personally forced on them. She grabbed a bag, slinging it over her shoulder without a word. The cabin wasn’t much, just a small, weathered building that looked like it had seen better days. But the view of the lake was stunning, the water reflecting the sun’s golden light like molten glass. It would’ve been peaceful if her parents' presence didn’t feel so suffocating.

  They unpacked in silence, the occasional grunt or sharp comment breaking the stillness.Her parents barely seemed to notice her discomfort, brushing off her quiet mood as typical teenage angst. By the time they were settled inside, the sun was dipping low, casting long shadows that crept along the walls of the cabin. “Let’s build a fire,” her father announced, clapping his hands together like it was some grand idea. “Might as well enjoy the night before it gets too cold.” Her mother was already gathering kindling from a pile near the cabin, like she was on some sort of weird wavelength with him. Nova followed them, the cool evening air prickling against her skin as they made their way to the fire pit by the edge of the lake. At least her parents knew how to use a blowtorch.

  “You’ve been quiet all day,” her mother commented, poking at the fire with a stick. “What’s wrong now?” Nova sat on a log, staring into the flames as they danced and flickered. “I just don’t feel well,” she absentmindedly said. The warmth should’ve been comforting, but there was a heaviness in her chest. She felt on edge. These people didn’t even want to be here with her. At what point were they going to stop pretending they cared about her at all. Her anger flared.

  “Honestly, Nova,” her mother muttered, arms crossed tightly over her chest. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting?” Her father didn’t even look up from his phone as he said, “You’re fine. Stop being dramatic and keep quiet.” She opened her mouth to protest, suddenly furious at their dismissal, but the words died in her throat as pain erupted from within, stealing her breath. She staggered to a stop, a strangled gasp escaping her lips as her knees buckled.

  “Nova?” Her mother’s voice was sharp now, but not with concern. Annoyance bled into her tone as she huffed and turned back. “What is it now?” Both parents moved toward her, her mother’s hands gripping her shoulders aggressively, like she was trying to shake her out of whatever fit they thought she was having. Her father finally pulled his gaze from his phone, irritation flickering across his face. “Enough, Nova. Get up,” he muttered, but his words trailed off as he saw her eyes, wide, wild, and glowing faintly in the moonlight.

  The pain was explosive. Heat surged through her veins, her body trembled violently, and then there was fire. She was enshrouded in flames, She tried to warn them, to scream for them to run, but the words twisted into something feral sounding. Her bones shattered, reforming with brutal force. Her spine arched, fur ripping through her skin in a suffocating wave. Everything turned red, and her parents' voices became distant echoes, their faces frozen in horror.

  Her father barely had time to react before her claws sank deep into his chest. He gasped, a strangled wet sound, before crumpling. Her mother’s panicked scream echoed in the night, but it was cut short as Nova’s claws slashed through the air. Blood splattered across the ground, red, warm and metallic, making Nova’s head spin.

  The body fell.

  Silence.

  Nova stood there, panting, her ears ringing.

  Blood dripped from her, soaking into the dirt beneath her paws. Her breath came in ragged, erratic gasps. Her stomach twisted. She had hated her parents. They resented and criticized her, and constantly berated her. Nothing she did was ever good enough for them. She had wanted them to pay, or care, or regret their treatment of her some day...but she hadn't wanted this.

  She stared at the bodies.

  Her father’s eyes were still open.

  They weren’t yelling anymore. They weren’t anything anymore.

  And it hit her.

  She had done this. She had killed them.

  The realization slammed into her with the force of a tidal wave, knocking the breath from her lungs. She staggered back, pawing at her own chest like she could claw the truth out of herself.

  A pained whimper escaped her throat.

  No. No no no.

  She tried to step closer, tried to force herself to do something, anything...

  Before the horror could fully sink in, something shifted in the shadows beyond the firelight. Unseen eyes watched from the treeline, sharp and unblinking. A wolf stood there, his form half-hidden among the trees, his golden gaze fixed on the monstrous figure before him. He had stayed hidden, observing them from afar. Something had drawn him here. Whatever it was, it called to him.

  When he’d arrived however, all he found was this family, and so he’d watched. He watched them bicker, and squabble, and act like most humans. He watched them mistreat the girl with them, which he could tell was not human. Then finally, he watched as she burst into flames and transformed into the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen.

  And then she ran.

  He waited until the forest swallowed her whole before stepping out of the shadows. His eyes lingered on the bloodstained ground, the scent of death thick in the air. He knew he couldn’t let her go. He would find her…and when he did, the real story would begin.