“Umma? Appa?” SinB called out to her parents as she closed the door of the house. “Is anyone home?”

All she heard was her voice reverberate off the walls adorned with framed photographs of her growing up.

SinB’s first day of school had been one heck of a day. Not only was she coming off from Winter break, but it's only been a few days since she returned from studying abroad.

Loosening the tie of her school uniform, she trudged into the kitchen only to find a note and some cash on the counter. SinB picked up the letter and quickly read her mother’s neat handwriting.

Eunbi-ah,

Your father and I are meeting with our lawyers today to settle on some very important matters. Depending on how stubbornly indecisive your father is behaving, we probably won’t return back home by dinner time. We left you some money for takeout if you don't want to eat last night’s kimchi stew.

-With much love,

Umma

P.S. I'm really happy that you decided to finish school here. This house has been quite lonesome without you.

SinB sighed before settling the note back on the marbled counter. She glanced at the money, shook her head in disfavor, and decided to climb up stairs and retreat to her room.

Once in her fortress of solitude, SinB shut the door before removing her heavy backpack and plunging into her cold bed. Lying on her back, she stared at the ceiling as her mind wandered from one thought to the next.

Five months ago, SinB was certain she could predict the future. She knew that her parents were going to file for a divorce. She knew that Yuju, her competitive foe and sworn rival since elementary, would become the school’s most valuable track and field star. And, she knew that if her best friend, Yerin, looked at her with that heart-palpitating eye smile one more time, she would have no choice but to throw friendship out the window and kiss her.

And, that's why SinB decided to partake in her school’s ‘Study Abroad’ program for the first semester of her Senior year. She needed to break away from predictability. She needed to be far away to avoid witnessing the manifestations of her predictions.

As she expected, two out of three of her predictions came true. SinB would have never known if her last prediction held any substance. After all, she ran to her flight gate before Yerin had the chance to say anything more than a meek “Goodbye.”

Was she a coward for running away from her problems instead of facing them head on? SinB dare not admit it out loud, but her restless nights of tossing and turning certainly indicated her harrowing guilt.

But, things seemed to be going well during the first couple of months as an international student in the United States. SinB was situated with a nice Korean-American family. She attended a nice American high school and made several nice American friends.

After learning of SinB’s previous success as a high school track athlete in Korea, her temporary family encouraged her to continue her sports career. SinB obliged, and she soon proved herself to be quite the contender, earning respect among her peers.

For once, SinB felt important. Like she was actually doing something with her life other than dealing with family drama or wallowing in unrequited love. Life in America seemed like the end-all-be-all to the point where SinB seriously considered spending the rest of her Senior year and graduating there.

But, of course, life also comes with its own baggage of unprecedented events. And, on the eve of a school camping trip when everyone was in a deep slumber, SinB woke up, got out from her tent, and ventured into the forbidden zone of the woods. She didn't know why, but she felt a hypnotizing force calling out to her. In a blink of an eye, she was brutally attacked by a monstrous wolf-like creature.

The fatal beast turned SinB into a werewolf.

That was something she could never predict happening to her in a million years.

But even that hapless turn of events didn’t prepare SinB for what she discovered when she returned back to Korea.

Yerin, her best friend in the entire universe, developed a romantic relationship with Yuju, the so-called poster child of perfection.

That was something SinB couldn't predict or even imagine ever happening in a billion years.

Letting out a huff, SinB grabbed her blanket and covered herself with the worn out fabric, blocking out the afternoon sun. It was far too bright and cheery for her taste. Her mind was going through a hurricane of moods with the thought of the one girl who made her feel emotions she didn’t want to feel.

Jung Yerin.

SinB doesn't remember the exact time when she caught herself falling in love with Yerin. Was it in their Sophomore year when she realized her eyes were drawn to her best friend’s developing body for much longer than acceptable? Was it in their Junior year when SinB spent the night over at Yerin’s house and became so enticed with the older girl’s lips while she slept?

Whatever the case was, it was too late now.

SinB didn’t mind Yerin dating. In fact, she would often times best friend about the on-again-off-again relationship she had with Park Sooyoung back in Junior High.

But, out of all the people in their entire school, in the entire planet, SinB couldn’t fathom how Yerin could consider Yuju as a potential partner.

As much as SinB wanted to deny their blossoming romance, it was apparent how awfully close Yerin and Yuju had become during her absence. The way Yuju held Yerin’s hand as she walked her to class. The way Yerin would kiss Yuju on the cheek, bidding adieu before she entered the classroom. The way Yuju would reciprocate the gesture with a kiss on Yerin’s lips.

SinB could feel her heart thudding furiously. Withdrawing the blanket, she quickly sat up in her bed and immediately gasped at the abnormal sight of her hands. Veins protruded from her skin as her nails shaped into pointy claws.

SinB knew what was happening to her.

She was shifting.

“No, no, no, no, no.”

Luckily, she had devised a tactic to calm down and prevent the inner beast within from appearing.

Jumping off her bed and onto the floor, SinB snatched her backpack and hurriedly scavenged for her cellphone. Once found, she clumsily untangled the earphones that were wrapped around it and placed the buds into her ears. Turning on her phone, SinB tapped on the music app and pressed play on the first song that came up, increasing the volume to the loudest it could go.

Can't move, can't breathe, it's getting dark

The beast has come to steal your heart

So you better practice your scream

Because you may not like your dream

Striding to the full-sized mirror which hung on her door, SinB checked her reflection. The blaring, rock music proved to be of no avail when she saw the deep crimson of red take the place of her brown eyes.

“No!” SinB seethed.

Scampering to her bed, she snatched a pillow and held it up to her face. She began to suffocate herself, hoping that it would subdue her werewolf counterpart.

Just when she thought she regained self-control, something from within flung SinB down to the ground, causing her to get on all fours. She stared at her hands and could tell that they were getting less and less human.

SinB in a breath before briskly removing her school uniform. She didn’t want to risk ripping and destroying them during the transformation process. Heaven knows how many shredded articles of clothing she had to throw out due to all of her previous mishaps.

Upon the removal of her socks, SinB crouched to the floor once again and could feel her joints, bones, and skin reconfiguring and shaping into the anatomy of a great wolf. Despite the numerous times she went through it, the process still felt like a rollercoaster ride of agony.

Keeping her head down until she knew her body had fully taken shape, SinB looked up towards the direction of the mirror.

There she was. Teeth, sharp as razors. Fur, a mixture of gray and silver. Eyes, a devilish red. She was transformed into a monster, into a creature that could induce nightmares.

Surrendering to the nature of a wolf, SinB jumped on her bed, rose her head up to the ceiling, and howled.

Song lyrics used: “The Wreckoning” by Boomkat