In a modest home, a black-haired boy with silver eyes sat on the floor, flicking his fingers in a repeated pattern.
"C'mon, you little bastard… come out," Iván muttered, eyes narrowed in focus as he tried—again—to force his claws to grow.
"What are you doing?" Daniela asked, sitting beside her son in the living room.
"Trying to get my claws to come out," he grumbled. "Every time I try, nothing happens. My fingernails itch like crazy, but they just won't grow!"
"Calm down," she said, gently. "Unlike bitten werewolves, who change faster after the bite, your body's moving at its own pace. At least, that's what Alan said."
"What else do you feel?" she asked.
"My teeth are bothering me too," Iván sighed, frustrated.
Then, without thinking, he flicked his fingers again—and this time, his claws shot out.
"Oh, shit!" Iván shouted, eyes wide with joy. "I did it!"
"Brother!" came a voice from the stairs.
"Oh, crap!" Iván quickly shoved his clawed hands between the sofa cushions, trying to hide them.
Iván heard his sister's footsteps pounding down the stairs, and a moment later she came into view—fully dressed like she was heading out.
"Brother, what are you doing?" she said, looking at him with an unimpressed expression. "You're not even ready!"
Iván blinked, realizing he was still in shorts and a plain t-shirt.
"Wait, what?" he said—then it hit him. He'd promised to take her to the movies.
"Don't worry about me, I don't get cold," he tried to play it off.
"Yeah, right. It's freezing outside," she huffed.
"Okay, okay! I'll throw on some pants. Just wait for me in the car," he said, standing up.
"Fine, but hurry!" she called, dashing out the front door.
Iván pulled his hands out from under the couch cushion and sighed in relief. His claws had retracted. Back to normal.
"Be careful out there," his mom said.
"Oh, you're coming too," Iván added with a grin. "Today's family time."
"Really? Well, lucky for you I'm already dressed. Unlike you, young man." She smirked.
Iván scrambled to throw on a pair of pants, then caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. For a split second, his eyes glowed gold.
"A lot of crazy stuff going on lately…" he muttered, rubbing his face. "But today—today's gonna be normal. Knock on wood."
He turned to leave, then paused, chuckling to himself.
"Huh. I just realized—I don't wear glasses anymore. Isn't that something?"
With a small smile, Iván headed out the door and quickly hopped into the car. As they drove off, his mom glanced at him with a grin.
"So, Iván… any girls you like at school?" she asked playfully.
"Honestly, I've been too caught up with school and everything to really think about girls," he said, his tone hinting there was more behind the words.
His mom nodded. "Well, just remember—when you do like someone, make sure she's the right one. Because someday, you'll have to tell her the truth."
"Truth about what?" Sofia asked from the back seat.
"His anime girl collection," their mom said with a sly grin.
"Ooooooh, I'm definitely telling," Sofia said, giggling.
The girl he'd eventually fall for, huh? Iván thought. There were probably plenty of people curious about that.
He grinned, gazing out the window.
But who said she had to be human?"
Their car slowly pulled into the parking lot and came to a complete stop.
One by one, they stepped out, the evening air buzzing with excitement.
The movie they were about to watch? Kung Fu Panda 2, of course.
Iván had wanted to see Captain America, but he knew his sister wouldn't enjoy it as much—so this was the better choice.
Iván quickly grabbed the tickets, and the three of them went to buy popcorn and soda before heading to their screening. They soon found their seats and settled in to enjoy the movie.
About halfway through, Iván felt the urge to use the restroom. He quietly slipped out of his seat, muttering an excuse, and shuffled past people in the row.
Relieving himself at the urinal, he let out a satisfied sigh as the soda finally left his system.
Then a thought hit him—Do I even get cavities anymore?
And what if his teeth fell out—would new ones grow back?
Do I even age slower?
He'd never really tested his healing factor.
Man, I should've asked about the important stuff.
He could picture it now: no more sick days, no sore throats, no worrying about catching a cold.
Honestly… why did he ever complain about being a werewolf?
It was kind of awesome.
Finished, he flicked his little brother, zipped up, and quickly washed his hands. But then—the lights flickered.
He looked up into the mirror.
The water ran from the faucet in a steady stream… but his reflection wasn't alone.
Someone—something—stood behind him.
"What the hell?" Iván spun around.
A pale figure loomed inches from his face, skin almost translucent, veins dark and bulging beneath the surface. Its lips curled into a grin, revealing long, jagged fangs.
"I'm hungry," it hissed.
Before Iván could react, the creature lunged. Fangs sank into his neck, the cold bite sending a jolt of agony through his body. But then. His necklace glowed white against his chest—and something awakened inside him.
Iván's eyes flared gold. With a roar, he grabbed the vampire and hurled it across the restroom. It slammed into the tiled wall with a sickening crunch.
Blood trickled down his neck, but the pain was drowned out by something deeper… primal. Iván roared again. The mirror shattered. The walls trembled.
Fangs grew. Claws sprouted from his fingers. His ears sharpened. He wasn't in control anymore.
Snarling like a beast, Iván launched at the vampire, crashing through the wall and out into the alley behind the movie theater.
The vampire tried to crawl away—but Iván was already on him.
A sickening crack echoed as Iván's foot crushed the creature's skull. It twitched once, then went still.
He panted, chest heaving, before the moon pendant pulsed again—this time cooling him, reversing the transformation. The claws and fangs receded. His vision cleared.
He looked down.
Blood. The mangled corpse. His own hands.
Then his stomach twisted. He fell to his knees and vomited.
But before he could fully grasp what he'd done… the body ignited in flames and crumbled to ash.
Gone. As if it was never there.