Twice Bitten

Legend always says, “Be careful during the full moon, stay away from the forest, do not let the werewolves turn you into one of them.” Or was it a vampire? What happens if a person gets bitten by both of them? Are they a werewolf that lives off blood? Or a vampire that turns into a wolf during a full moon? Is there even a difference?

“Ah.....” Clarice sounds out. They clicked the pen twice and tapped it on the side of the table. Nothing happened. Clarice frowned and smacked the plastic casing against the wooden table with a snap of their wrist. Black ink erupted from the pen’s tip and splattered all over its immediate surroundings. Clarice grimaced and quickly wrapped the pen up before tossing the leaking pen into the bin. They quickly cleaned and surveyed the damage before sighing, “Guess I’ll have to rewrite that part... Again.” They had crushed the manuscript and used it to wrap the leaking pen before tossing it into the bin beside the table. That draft manuscript can no longer be saved.

Clarice kicked the ground and the chair rolled away from the table. They raised a hand and grabbed the far end of the bookshelf to guide the chair to its destination after reaching inertia. Clarice fetched a new pen and blank paper from the built-in drawers, before tossing it ontothe study table.

“GOOD MORNING MR WEATHERLAND!” The voice of a young child could be heard shouting from the outside. Clarice rolled their eyes and made their way to the door. The little girl had a bubbly smile as she greeted Clarice once more when the door opened. Behind her, a little boy nervously looked over his shoulder, seemingly unaware of the other’s presence.

“Good morning to you too Kafi, Silas.” Clarice greeted back. The boy jumped at the voice and quickly cowered behind his sister. Yet, he still peeked out and gave a shy smile. Clarice stood awkwardly before finally remembering about social etiquette and their new job. With an exasperated sigh, Clarice closed the door behind them and led the two siblings to a classroom.

Just two months ago, Clarice was what society called a successful scientist. Focusing on renewable energy, they published multiple breakthrough articles on its practical use. However, Clarice did not stop there. Despite several warnings from their teacher and peers, they conducted multiple studies and debunked tech companies that claimed to be using environmentally friendly technologies.

This led to much hate and slander from the public towards Clarice. The public, spurred on by the big companies, brought it to social media and shamed Clarice for inciting hate and labelled them a “hater of technology advancement”. Despite having much research work that greatly advanced the production and effective usage of renewable energy, Clarice was ultimately shunned by the industry. But this wasn’t a setback for Clarice. They had never considered another’s opinion. With nowhere else to go and no place willing to accept him, Clarice took the chance to move far into the countryside and landed a job as a science teacher in a small town. And right now, he has two bright and wonderful students.

“Alright, class dismissed.” Clarice declared and snapped their notebook shut. It was 1 pm on the dot and Clarice was starving. The “school” is more of a community club, with remodelled rooms with a whiteboard and several rows of tables and chairs resembling a classroom. The teacher pushed the door open but the siblings remained seated at their table, looking at each other uncomfortably. Clarice sighed and decided to do something out of character, “What’s wrong?”

The sibling looked at Clarice worriedly. It was Kafi who decided to speak up first. “Can we stay with you for a little longer?” Clarice had a pretty surprised look stretched across their face. This was not the arrangement they had with the kids’ parent. Although they only conversed with the parents for a short moment, they could tell that the sibling’s parents were not the irresponsible kind. Clarice sighed and motioned for their students to follow him, “Alright, let’s go.“. Kafi and Silas smiled at each other and quickly followed behind Clarice.

Wolfie’s, a burger place advertised to have ridiculously large portions at pretty affordable prices. Clarice usually buys their food from a different, cheaper place, but they figured that this might be better since they’re bringing the siblings out for lunch. After all, what kind of kid doesn’t like burgers and fries? They three of them looked for an empty seat near the window and Clarice fished for the menu underneath the table. The kids looked at the menu excitedly, debating with each other on which meal they should order.

“Silas? Kafi? How come you’re here by yourself?” A concerned waiter came over the moment he spotted them. The waiter was young and tall, with messy dark brown hair and piercing green eyes. There was a look of worry etched on his face.

“Good afternoon, I’m Clarice, Kafi and Silas’ science teacher. I decided to take care of them for a while as their parents appear to be... busy today.” Clarice introduced themself smoothly. The waiter took a look at Clarice and his eyes widened in recognition. He quickly gave Clarice a bow, “Thank you so much for taking care of Kafi and Silas. There has been some trouble and their parents are doing their best to settle it right now. Please, treat this like it’s your home, we really appreciate you taking responsibility for the children despite unforeseen circumstances. I will come to take your order shortly.”

The waiter quickly scampered off to the back. Confused, Clarice sat back down at one of the family tables. A short moment later, the waiter came out with a slight smile on his face, “As thanks for taking care of the children, today’s meal will be on the house.”

“Oh, I can’t do that. It was my idea to bring them here, I have no problem paying for the meal.” Clarice tried to refuse but the waiter was having none of it.

“The kids’ parents are close friends of the owner. Please let us show our thanks by treating you to a meal. We will, of course, charge you the next time you visit our establishment.” The waiter said with a smile, but Clarice could detect a slight threat behind his words. This waiter will do whatever it takes to make sure that Clarice gets a free meal. Even if it is against Clarice’s will. You can see the determination in his eyes. Clarice sighed in defeat and allowed the waiter to do as he pleased. The three of them repeated their orders to the waiter, who happily skipped to the kitchen to convey the order.

As advertised, the burgers were humongous and the sides were plentiful. The siblings wolfed down their meals while Clarice struggled to finish even just the burger. Clarice thought to themself, ‘This isn’t made for humans’. Kafi and Silas were already done with their meal and were eagerly staring at their teacher’s onion rings and fries. Clarice waved their hands, permitting them to help finish his meal.

Occasionally, Clarice looks up at the waiter. If this were a romance novel, one would think that Clarice is interested in the waiter. But this isn’t a romance novel. Clarice’s gaze wasn’t one of love or anything remotely romantic. It was doubt and suspicion. Although without any evidence, Clarice felt that the waiter had deliberately left out some information when he mentioned there being some “trouble”. Troubles that kept parents away from their children would have been a pretty serious issue. Despite the seriousness, the waiter’s attitude was not representative of such seriousness. Instead, he looks convinced that nothing would happen to their parents. Yet, being new to this town, Clarice decided that there may be things that they was unaware of and just left it at that. In their experience, the waiter didn’t show that he had any ulterior motives, so there shouldn’t be anything to be worried about as of yet.

As though the gods were playing a cruel trick on Clarice, Silas and Kafi’s parents came barging into the establishment, publically denouncing Clarice’s suspicion of the waiter. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Clarice stood up and briskly walked towards the two adults, frantically looking around the burger joint.

“Mr. Candle, Mrs. Candle. I apologise for bringing Kafi and Silas here without consulting you.” Clarice gave a deep bow. Mrs Candle quickly put her hands on Clarice’s shoulder and encouraged them to lift my head up. “No need to apologise, lift up your head. We are grateful to you for taking care of our children.”

After polishing off Clarice’s plate, Kafi and Silas ran towards their parents and hugged them tight. They talked excessively about their day as Mrs. Candle led them to their truck parked outside. Mr. Candle waited for his wife and kids to leave the establishment before turning to me: “Mr. Weatherland, I really appreciate your willingness to give up your time to take care of my children for me. As thanks, I would like to give you some advice.Do not come out tonight, lock the window and door, tonight is not a safe night.”

Clarice stood there dumbfounded. Mr Candle turned and left immediately after his speech. They seemed extremely serious, but rather than a piece of advice, it felt as if he was commanding. Other than a slight tingle, all they felt was confusion and annoyance. Clarice shrugged off the feeling and decided to head back to the school.