“Hey,” Alex said the moment Levi stepped into their dorm, and he tossed his phone at him. “Do you know what Clara’s talking ‘bout? She said to ask you.” He’d been racking his brain for a while, trying to figure out what starfish had to do with horses but he’d come up with nothing. Knowing Clara, it was probably something rude, however, he still wanted to know.

Alex turned his attention back to his textbook whilst Levi read through all of the text messages he’d been sending to Clara that day, and so he missed his best friend mutter “I cannot believe you’re so blind” underneath his breath. He shook his head, and tossed Alex’s phone back to him.

"Man, why do you never read the urban dictionary posts I send you? Starfishing is when a girl ain't involved when you're laying it down. You know like..." Levi said, and he started to demonstrate but Alex immediately looked away, his face flushed bright red. Why had Clara even said that? They were just going to ride a horse, not do anything like that. Levi’s explanation of Clara’s words made him imagine him and Clara in that position for just a split second, but Alex quickly pushed the image out of his mind, just like the few dreams he’d had about her. It was way too weird, and it just felt wrong. He liked Tess, not Clara.

"But my real question here, and now I'm just sayin' this as your best friend, is why the hell would you let Tess enter you in a bull riding contest? You used to see a bull and be like... 'AH MOMMA' so you know agreeing to this is bull. No pun intended,” Levi said.

Alex looked up at his best friend, and simply shrugged. He knew Levi was right. He didn’t have a good reason for letting Tess go ahead with it other than how could he possibly say no to her. There was no excuse. He was terrified about it, and he really didn’t want to do it. But, Alex didn’t want to let Tess down. He wanted to impress her, and she’d been so happy when she’d told him about it. “It’s for a good cause, and I don’t wanna disappoint Tess,” Alex finally said. “She’s real excited ‘bout it.”

"You know what she gon' be real excited about? When she gets to live out her fantasy of being your nurse when the bull bucks you off and you break every bone in your body,” Levi said.

Alex paled at Levi’s description of what could happen. What would probably happen. Horse riding he could do, and he’d been forced to have a go at mutton busting once as a kid. But bull riding? That was a no go area for Alex. He was okay around them now, but not okay enough to want to climb onto one and hold on for dear life. He knew it was dangerous, and his momma would probably yell at him for even thinking about doing it. But, he had no choice. He had to do it. “I’ll be fine. Nothing bad’s gonna happen,” Alex said, desperately trying to convince himself. “You’re gonna come, right?”

"Man, I'm your best friend. Of course I'll be there. Besides, you think if given the opportunity I'd miss your funeral? Nah. I want to see it all unfold." Levi tossed his dance bag to the floor, and headed into the bathroom, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts once again.

The sun had barely set beyond the horizon when Grace began to feel the effects of the change. It was happening earlier than on a regular full moon; and she knew why- lunar eclipses always messed with the normal cycle of the moon. It started just like every other month, with a headache that slowly progressed more and more into what felt like a splitting migraine. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the light; it only made the pain worse. But it was no use. If one thing didn't bother her, it was something else. As she stumbled her way down the hall, she prayed she wouldn't run into anyone that might delay her escape to the woods. The woods were the only place she could go where she knew she wouldn't hurt anybody. It was the only place she felt safe.

Once she was outside, Grace gazed up at the sky. The moon was now visible against the black of the night. It shone brighter than normal, giving off a reddish ring of light, left over from the eclipse. She made her way towards the forest; the trees starting to block out the moonlight overhead. A scream escaped her lips as she fell to the ground, the pain becoming too much to handle. Breathing through the pain, she made her way to her knees, crawling over to a nearby tree and leaning up against it, panting as she felt more and more of the change taking place. She had lost all control of her claws and couldn't make them go back. And now she could feel her teeth changing, her canines turning into their coyote fangs.