Chapter 6
I was dreaming of it again but like all the other times I’ve been powerless to wake until the end.
I watched as the champagne colored wolf paced back and forth while the other wolves stood their ground. Their long tongues were dripping and their eyes were on fire. Connor cocked his rifle and stood near the champagne colored wolf. The pack began circling and their growls were low and angry. Some trotted back and forth eagerly. They were waiting...
The menacing brown wolf deliberately crept forward. Champagne growled low in return and bared her teeth. Connor stepped back, secured his footing, and aimed but didn’t fire. He didn’t have time to. The brown wolf charged and Champagne tackled her adversary in the air. Connor cried out, trying to get the brown wolf in his line of sight. He couldn’t risk firing so he stood by helplessly. The brown wolf bit into Champagne’s neck, temporarily rendering her powerless. She let out a yelp but twisted and broke free. Her white and gold fur was caked in blood and her eyes were wide. She limped back to Connor, bracing herself in front of him. Connor took the opportunity to aim at the brown wolf but he blended into the darkness unseen. One by one the other wolves advanced. Out of the tree line a rogue wolf charged, colliding with another and viciously breaking his neck. Connor took advantage of the interruption to take aim at another, being brought to a sudden stop by Champagne who leaped in front of him to protect him from a wolf that had stalked them from their flank. She courageously held her own but her wound was too great and she was outnumbered, even with the assistance of the rogue wolf.
Connor shouted and threw himself on top of Champagne. With one arm he cradled her while his fingers curled into her thick, soft fur. With his other arm he pointed towards the remaining wolves. One by one they disappeared into the tree line, leaving their dead. The rogue wolf remained, guarding him, but Connor didn’t notice him. All he saw were the blue eyes that were fixated on his own. Tears rolled down his face and he caressed Champagne. Her heartbeat slowed, her panting dwindled and her movements began to cease but she never stopped looking into his face. He stroked her cheek, trying to comfort her. An incandescent haze began to form around her, the temperature increased, and in mere moments she was lying in his arms, her uncovered body bloodied but whole. With that last transformation she let out a sigh and became still. Connor wailed and embraced her form with his, never letting go. The rogue wolf howled into the night and I woke up, as I always did at the moment of her death, but I didn’t have time to mull. I had to get ready for school.
I opened the closet to choose an outfit. I settled on a pair of jeans, a white blouse and a pair of sketchers. I didn’t have any jewelry except my necklace with a small cross pendant. It was on my tenth birthday that my dad had given me the necklace and it was something I never took off.
My dad and I were believers but we never went to church. My dad had said that the relationship with God was more important than the religion and he felt closest to God when he was in the great outdoors. Still, he thought faith was important and he often prayed over me.
After showering I brushed my long dark hair and secured my black headband in place. I dusted my face with a little mineral veil, dabbed on some mint scented lip gloss and brushed my eye brows into place. I was ready, or so I hoped. I was also nervous. This was my first time changing schools and I was coming in late, the tail end of September.
Anne was already gone but she left me a note in her broken cursive and signed it with a smiley face. Next to the note was some money for lunch. She also set out some cereal. I was touched by her thoughtfulness. I knew she wasn’t used to having anyone else around.
After letting Pandora out and giving her some fresh food and water, I walked the three blocks that it took me to get to school. Anne had explained that everything was taken care of and that they were expecting me. After checking in with the secretary and counselor, they summoned a girl to show me around. As she approached me her tight, black ringlets pulled into a high pony tail bounced with each step she took. Her skin was flawlessly dark and she was wearing gold hoops that offset her caramel colored eyes; she was exotic, probably well off from her attire.
“Hey,” she greeted, extending her hand. “I’m Tavia.” She looked me up and down without being rude about it. “Tavia Moore.”
I flashed a smile. “Willow Scott; it’s nice to meet you.”
“That’s a pretty name.” She glanced at my schedule and motioned for me to follow her. “Where did you move from?”
“Woodland Park,” I offered. “It’s where I grew up.”
She nodded casually. “I know that place. It’s near Colorado Springs.”
She stopped in front of a room and opened the door. “Social Studies is my first class, too.”
Before I had a chance to reply the teacher welcomed me and pointed out some empty seats. I could feel the curious glances from other students and I blushed. I ended up choosing a desk closer to the back of the room.
Tavia followed and leaned against the desk to my right. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
I shook my head. “No, I moved here to be with my aunt. It’s just the two of us.” I didn’t want to elaborate. Tavia seemed to take the hint because all she did was nod.
More students trickled in and I felt less alone thanks to Tavia but I still felt out of place. I always felt out of place.
The day passed by uneventfully and some of the students were commonly nice but I gathered it was their natural curiosity towards the new girl in school. Most kept to themselves and their own inner circles. Consistently reserved I really didn’t notice anyone unless they introduced themselves or I had to ask for assistance.
At lunch I walked into the cafeteria and immediately stood in line behind a group of laughing teenagers. When it was my turn I chose a sub sandwich and milk and while holding my tray, began to scan the lunch room. I felt a nervous knot in my stomach but I tried to look more confident than I felt. I didn’t have to wait long until I saw Tavia waving at me from the middle of the room. I smiled in relief. A young man was sitting across from her. He was the standard jock from what I could tell. He had straight brown hair that fell across his forehead and he was grinning as he watched me walk towards them. I imagined he must be really outgoing and he didn’t disappoint.
“Who do we have here?” His eyes twinkled as he gave me the once-over.
I didn’t know what to say but I didn’t have to say anything because Tavia pulled me down and was eager to introduce me.
After some small talk I looked up and saw that the boy was still looking at me, assessing me with his green eyes. His name was Reece Anderson, a senior. He was also a cheerleader. That surprised me.
The girl on the other side of Tavia was Amber Kennedy. I recognized the tiny brunette because she was the one who had assisted me at the chocolate factory. Her straight hair fell just below the shoulder and although Amber was average in appearance, her friendliness overshadowed that, making her seem lovelier than most.
“I know you!” she exclaimed. “You left so quickly the other day…You didn’t even have a chance to meet Haven.” She was leaning forward and offered me some of her chips. I politely shook my head and she turned to Reece, who took a handful.
Amber went on, “In fact, I think you left him speechless.”
The others immediately knew who Amber was referring to and began asking questions. I zoned them out as she explained our brief encounter. Tavia giggled at the mention of him paying for my gummi bears.
“How embarrassing but how sweet,” she exclaimed. No one had to remind me and I fully intended on paying him back should I ever cross paths with him again.
“He’s not around all that often but he lives with a girl that goes to school here. He might be her guardian.” Was that Reece passing along that tidbit of info? I looked at him as he was biting into a sandwich.
“Or her lover,” Tavia added.
“I don’t know anything about him,” I murmured.
“The girl,” Reece started before pausing to wipe his mouth. “Her name is Lacey Hohl. She only takes a couple of classes. I think she does most of her schooling at home.” He shrugged. “Haven will drop her off and pick her up. No one knows anything about them. I think they are pretty new here but they are hard to miss.”
Hard to miss...that usually means that someone is either fascinating or freaky. It wasn’t often that I noticed other people. My dad said I was too much of an introvert and he often feared I was lonely. He would encourage me to open up and talk to people but I was far more comfortable with silence; silence wasn’t intimidating, nor was it phony. When I felt forced to make conversation it felt less than genuine.
The bell sounded so we gathered our things and headed for the doors. As we walked out I instinctively looked to my right. Resting against the wall was Haven.
Of course.
He was watching me, silent and unsmiling, but there was a glimmer of recognition in his eye. I quickly looked down. It was as if there were no other people in the hall, just the two of us. I looked up one more time and saw no change in his expression. My lips parted slightly. Should I pay him back? I lacked the confidence to approach him because he didn’t look the least bit amicable.
Seconds later, Reece touched my arm. “I was wondering, Willow…” he looked unsure of himself. “Do you have plans for Friday night?” He was walking with me. I wanted to look behind me to see if Haven was watching but I somehow knew he was and it made me self-conscious. What was it about him that intrigued me? Could it be his mysterious silence? I know silence, I live with silence. Perhaps it’s that shared quality that makes me want to know more about him. I shook my head. I was over-analyzing.
“Willow?” Reece was waiting for an answer.
“No, I don’t. Is something going on?”
He looked happy. “I have a game but I was hoping that after the game you might want to go out for pizza? A group of us usually meets at the Pizzeria.”
Oh great, a group event. Something I’ve never been good at.
“I appreciate the invitation Reece, it sounds like fun.”
The invite was nice, but the real reason I was going was to do something for my dad. He had wanted me to come out of my shell and I had to make the effort. I could still picture his arm around me and I could hear his urging. It was like he knew he wouldn’t be around and didn’t want me to be alone.
After I gave Reece my number I watched as he jogged over to his friends. He looked happy. Why couldn’t I be? I stood there for a moment and casually looked to my left. He was still there and he was talking with a blonde but his eyes lifted to meet mine. I looked from his piercing blue-green eyes to peek at her. Her hair was so blonde it was nearly white. She had separated her hair into sections, twisted them and piled them on top of her head. It was as if she knew I was looking because she turned to glance in my direction. Her eyes were unnaturally dark. Was it the eyeliner? She had it on thick but her rosy cheeks balanced the severity of it. She was devastating in appearance or maybe I thought so because everything about her was extreme. They both stared at me and I flushed with embarrassment. What if he thought I was attracted to him? And why do our eyes keep meeting? This was getting ridiculous. I turned and walked to my locker but I realized I was walking in the wrong direction. I had no choice but to turn and my cheeks began to burn. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw him smirk. I walked even faster.