PASSION IMPOSSIBLE

It was a rainy Saturday evening, thunder claps and lightening strikes characterized the entire evening as it looked like the sky would fall. I was in my room by the window watching how empty the streets were when my father called out to me 'Travis don't tell me your chothes for tomorrow isn't ready.'

I almost asked what's going down tomorrow when I realised tomorrow is actually Sunday. Yes, being the Parish priest of St Anthony Anglican church Scarville, my father ensured that attending services and 'worshiping the Lord' isn't negotiable in the Kent house. I wasn't always happy doing the things I did but I had to, not with everyone looking at me with high hopes and expectations, regularly telling me what to and what not to do. I understand being my father isn't easy but at least he made his choice which is the one thing I was never given the chance to. As early as the age of 12 I was made to play the piano in our parish, no one cared to know what I wanted, not with everyone feeling they know what's right for you. All I ever wanted was to be a normal teenager, score high grades, score some goals and find love when the time is right. I in no way hate my father but the fact that he isn't letting me decide my life made me miserable. All I wanted was to be normal.

My mother Josephine Kent was quite the opposite of my father, she considers emotion above expectations. She believes in allowing us live our lives to the best of our ability, trusting us to make the right decisions when the need arises. This confilct of ideologies often times led to misunderstandings between her and my father. My mother often told me I was a twin and my twin sister Tamara was mauled by a wolf during a family picnic when we were still toddlers. According to her, the day of the incident remains the saddest and the scariest day of her life. She explained how we were both so opposite in behaviour but yet had an identical birthmark behind our neck, a vertical zigzag looking pattern more like a lightening bolt. Although I had a younger sister Valerie, i still imagined what life would have looked like if my twin sister were to be alive.

Valerie was born when I was four. My father had wanted to name her Tamara in rememberance of his lost daughter but my mother refused fearing it will be a constant reminder of some unpleasant memories. Valerie is a sweet little girl, she cried a lot growing up and gave everyone a hard time only to grow up to be so sweet and simple, only that she was asthmatic and needed special care and attention. I find it really hard to be far away from her for a long time after an incident that happened when she was twelve. She had carelessly misplaced her inhaler having had no use for it for a long time. I was in my room sleeping when I heard someone push my door forcefully as if trying to push down the door. I had thought it was my dad trying to shout at me for something I probably did only for me to open the door and find Valarie on the floor with her right hand on the door. She was having an attack, she had lost so much strength and was gasping for breath. I quickly picked her up and placed her on my bed, she was so frail that I couldn't ask her any questions. I immediately went to my wardrobe and brought out the inhaler I had always kept there for emergencies just like this.

After about an hour, she raised her head and asked "how did you know?" "'know what?'' I inquired, "that something like this would happen" she replied

I smiled as i answered her "You are my responsibility, being a step ahead of you Is how I can truly care for you." She was all smiles as she went back to her room. The next day she narrated the whole incident to our parents according to her she thought she would die all she wanted was for someone to at least see her die. Before we left for school that my father made us recite Psalms 23 and Psalms 91 as he feared an "evil presence" is trying to plague our family.

Looking back, I now understand why he made this statement. My father knows more than he is telling us.

"We had just moved into Scarville when we had you two, our joy knew no bounds. We vowed to do anything within our powers to ensure that we gave you guys the best possible life. But then on your second birthday, we went to the green fields close to the woods for a family picnic alongside aunt Rebecca. We were there all morning and afternoon under the shades until night fall, it was a thrilling experience watching you two play around all day until the unexpected happened.

Your father had dismantled the tent and had gone to put it in the trunk. it was windy and i was trying to get rid of a perk in your eye when I heard Rebecca scream. I turned to see a huge grey looking wolf with eyes so red with evil, It stood over aunt Rebecca who was frozen to death with Tamara in her arms. At once I dropped you and ran to see if I could scare it off, before I could get to it, it picked Tamara with it's jaws and ran into the woods. Your father pursued after it but instead of rescuing her he came back the next morning with multiple scars and injuries, he was lucky to escape with his life.

Your father lost so much blood and was hospitalised but he miraculously recovered in less than a day. I guess this was what made him devot his life to priesthood. Although we lost your sister, we took solace in the miraculous survival of your father."

After hearing these words from my mother I became even more curious to visit the woods, I needed answers, wolves are said to be extinct in the whole southern county including Scarville, what then killed my sister? My parents were so certain it was a wolf? Could they be mistaken out of terror? Even if they were, the doctors report read that the teeth markings on my father's neck were the fangs of a wolf. After my sister's death authorities were said to have combed the woods for a week without finding a single wolf. Could the mythology of the werewolf be true? I made up my mind to ask Julian in class the next day, I have seen him drawing something similar before.

Julian was my childhood friend and we grew up together. We were both grade twelve students of Scarville High school. Unlike me Julian wasn't born in Scarville but in Pentatown. His mother migrated to Scarville with him after her separation from his dad, eversince we've been really close. Julian has a unique taste for art, he is the fastest sketcher I have seen. He could sketch things out of an imagination or even a dream.

It was a Monday morning, I had asked Julian about his sketch book, he was initially surprised because most often I tend to jokingly down play his artistic prowess before him. I opened the book and the first sketch I saw was that of a Centaur, the next page showed bit by bit sketches of how the horse and the human evolved and merged to become one. The next diagram was a mermaid, he also tried explaining the evolution of a fish and a human into a mermaid. I was wondering where Julian gets his ideas from when I flipped onto the next page to see a werewolf. Julian was so detailed in his drawing that I tried asking him how he came about the idea when Mr. Copeland our mathematics teacher walked in with a student. ''Ladies and gentlemen, it pleases me to introduce to you the newest member of your class, Cassidy Williams. Ensure you do your best to make her feel welcomed....''

Wow! Cassidy?, I use to believe that the idea of love at first sight was a fairlytale until I saw Cassidy. I just couldn't explain what I felt in that very moment. Her eyes were so bright, her skin flawless, the way she smiled as she waved at the class made it even harder to concerntrate, she was simply a beauty to behold. She made her way into the class and took the vacant seat beside me. I was so nervous, it felt like I was going to have a panic attack, what's wrong with me? I was still trying to get myself together when I heard a still soft voice whisper ''Nice drawings'' it was Cassidy, there is no way I'm telling her I didn't sketch those, so I played it smooth. "Thanks, I'm Travis by the way" "nice to meet you Travis" she said with another reassuring smile which made my heart pound even faster.

Mr.Copeland has commenced with his class and the whole new girl euphoria was quite over but yet I still don't feel like myself. My head was banging, each bang made my eyes dizzy and my vision blurry, at once I knew something's not right, I feel sick. I placed my head on my desk and closed my eyes all I could see was the werewolf in Julian's drawing, I quickly raised my head only to see Mr Copeland and half of the class gone. Julian was gone as well as Cassidy. Caleb and Cynthia were the ones closest to me so I called their attention to know what happened and why everyone left the class. "Dude!, crazy things was goin' on y'all and you were just so calm and relaxed, you are a case study for real" Caleb said as he laughed and walked off. I definitely wasn't asleep? I needed answers so I went on to ask Cynthia, Cynthia doesn't joke in the least, always serious and straight to the point. If you really want to know the truth about yourself, Cynthia is that person, the only problem is sometimes she can be overly pessimistic.

She saw me approaching and probably knew I was coming to ask her the same question I asked Caleb. Without even letting me speak she looked me straight in the eye and responded, "the new girl is dead."

I've been having falling dreams, a kind of dream where I fall from a really great height until I wake up. The fall is seemingly endless and leaves me all sweaty and drained with a banging head when I awaken. The strange thing is I am usually unable to wake myself up until I am distracted from the sleep by physical elements such as a loud sounds or touch. I also wake up if I am able to land the fall, I usually land in the same spot each time; on a sycamore tree in the woods. It's so surreal that I feel every impact of the landing when I awaken.

I was in the falling dream again, an endless fall. The sky spun rapidly, I could hear the wind violently blowing past my ear and my heart pounding really fast as I continued to fall and then I felt a tap. it was Valerie "Your phone has been ringing, and why are you soaked?" She asked as she handed me my phone. It was Julian calling "oh boy! Am I safe?" I had dialed Julian seven times over before I slept off "Sorry bro, about Cassidy, how did it happen?" I asked "how did what happen? Wait a sec, was that why you called Nine times Trav? You barely know this girl" "I know, just that she's dead and I really need know how it happened" "She ain't dead bro, who's gonna kill her? You? Trav, sure you okay?" "I sure am; Cynthia literally scared the hell outta me, she exaggerated the whole and told me Cassie is dead" "No one's dying today bro, she only fainted, and besides, how did you manage to sleep althrough the whole incident?" "Julian, let's talk about that when I get to yours, you home right?" "Yeah bro whatever".

It was a huge relive for me hearing Cassidy didn't die, just like Julian said, I barely know her yet I feel so much concern for her. As I headed towards Julian's I was trying to figure out how missed out on everything that occurred while sitting right to her, I could swear I wasn't sleeping.

Julian was on his game when I arrived, his mother had gone for her night shift at the Scarville Central Hospital. Aside drawing, video games were another thing Julian was really good at as he believes he has a reputation to defend online. He handed me a game pad but I wasn't in for that, I needed answers to his drawings. Just then his alarm system sounded "oh my God it's time! He exclaimed in excitement" " time for what" I asked " are you even alive? Today is the cup final " At that point I remembered we had agreed to go see the game together. It's yeah final game between the Scarville football team and Delacoast football team. Kasper Brown was the player everyone feared in the tournament, he is well built, skillful and very decisive in front of goal he scored in every game that led to the final against Scarville. Everyone just wants to see K.B play.

Julian and I took a train down to the stadium. The game was 15 minutes gone by the time we arrived, however no goals yet. The stadium was sold out, the game was intense from start to finish. Scarville had more of the ball but created few clear chances meanwhile Delacoast were attack minded from start to finish. Our defence managed to tame K.B and his antics until the 80th minute when he was taken down by the Scarville captain Tello O'Brien. O'Brien was sent off by the umpire and a spot kick awarded to Delacoast from a very promising position. K.B had to be subbed off with an injury, he was replaced by his younger brother Tim Brown. Tim took the spotkick and scored with his first touch of the game, dashing our hopes of winning the game or even getting to the finals again, It was our first final ever. The final ended 0-1 in favour of the visitors.

There was anarchy in the stadium everyone felt the referee was biased in awarding the spot kick. The violence appeared to have died down until we got to the central park to board a bus back home as the train services were closed for the day. We saw vehicles on fire, apparently a group of mob had taken over the highway to register their displeasure over the game. We knew we had to get home somehow, with the highway way blocked off, the quickest route on foot was to take the woods. My father was already calling, I'm way past my curfew.

Without really weighing the risks Julian and I dashed into the woods, it was the night of the full moon so we could see to an extent. We ran all through, taking turns that appears quicker and closer to home. We coul used hear the Creek waterfalls from where we were and we knew we were close. Then I saw the sycamore tree I had always seen in my dreams just the way it was in my dream. I was ahead of Julian but staring at the sycamore tree slowed me down thus making Julian overtake me. He had barely taken up to 15 steps when he tripped and fell. In that same moment we heard a wolf howl, the sound shook the entire forest, we are definitely doomed I thought. I tried helping Julian back to his feet but he had sprained his ankle he couldn't stand properly. Just then he looked at me with his eyes really wide open, I asked what the problem was and he replied "Behind you". I turned to look there was this wolf with red eyes gazing right back at me, it was snarling and fixed on me as if waiting for me to make a move. I was frozen to the spot, I had no idea what to do, just then my phone began to ring again. As soon as it heard the phone ring it pounced on me and bit me by my ribs, crushing three of my ribs with one bite from it's strong jaws.

In my struggles with the wolf my phone fell out of my jacket, it was about going after Julian when it looked right into my phone which was still ringing at the time. He looked at me then at the phone again before it took off into the woods. I picked up the phone and looked who was calling, it was my father, I had saved his contact with his face displaying whenever he calls.

Why then did the wolf run off on seeing my father's face?