Yuppers, I got to 15k a few days ago, and I didn't tell you! Yeah, that's right. Deal with it, shorty/tally/medium-heighty. I really like this novel. I do, I do, I do. Now I'm just trying to fill up space in this post so it's not as short as you think it is. I'll post two chapters for you to fill it up.
~CHAPTER FIVE~
The months had grown shorter—I barely noticed they were
gone. I’d done nothing, just lied in bed and drowned my sorrow with sleep,
where I saw my parents. Where I could touch them, talk to them, stare at them.
Where I could just be with them.
Aunt Lyd
had tried to get me to come out of my room. To do something active. I ignored
her a lot now. She’d grown so desperate she’d even sent Cam, who was now back
at school. I’d only talked to him a few times... and he hadn’t been rude, per
say, but he hadn’t been the Cam I needed to lean on either.
The only
thing that had actually kept me going at all, the only thing to keep me waking
up instead of drifting off to my parents forever, was Andro. I’d thought about
going to see him, but I couldn’t. When I tried, my body fell weak, my head
lightened too much, my muscles ached, and I wanted to sleep—to go back to my
parents again.
I’d also
started having odd dreams, involving the white wolf from outside the kitchen
window, and the statues from the Statue Garden. In my dreams, they moved, like
the marble and cement they were made out of was cloth, easy to move, even
making irritating sounds when they rubbed together. The statues all stood around
in me in my dreams, the wolves crying, their tears streaking their cement
bodies, whilst the Guardian stared at me, as if sizing me up—she probably
thought I was nothing, a tiny vessel dirtying her sacred land. I never moved,
though, just stared back at her, daring her to say something rude, or make a
move at me. She never did. And after a time of watching each other, the white
wolf came in, from behind me, to sit down at me side, resting his head against
my jeans-covered thigh. Then it all started to fade when I woke.
My eyes slowly opened at the sound of
a knock on the door. Aunt Lyd, probably.
“Hello?”
came her muffled voice through the wood. “Zelda, are you awake?”
“Yes.” It’s
been weeks since I’ve spoken and my voice sounded hoarse and unnatural.
“Will you
eat?”
“Yes.” I
was starving. If I didn’t eat, I’d die. And if I died, I wouldn’t see Andro, I
wouldn’t be able to help Cam—the only reason I hadn’t gone with my parents. So,
I guess he kind of saved my life. Damn it.
The door
opened and Aunt Lyd came in. She was much better, not sick anymore. She carried
a bed tray that held a plate with two sliced of buttered toast and a glass of
orange juice. Setting it down beside me, she asked, “Are you feeling any
better?”
“I guess.”
I looked at her and saw how puffy her eyes were, the redness of her face. “I’m
going to go out today.” I knew she would smile at this, and she did. It made
her happy.
“That’s
great. Really. It’s good you’re getting out. I was worried, Zel… you missed
their funeral.” That struck me, took the breath from my lungs and nearly threw
me back to wallowing in my bed. I hadn’t even realized that my parents were
going to be buried, put deep in the ground where their bodies would rot into
nothingness.
I turned my
head away and looked out the window to the faintest ray of sunlight before
speaking. “Yeah, well…” I didn’t say anything else, I just waited until Aunt
Lyd got up and left. Then I got up and went for a shower. I was still upset...
depressed, really, but it was about time I stopped lying around in bed. My
parents would be ashamed to see me like that...
The water
ran down my skin, leaving red marks for a second, before they disappeared. I
washed myself and jumped out, towel wrapped tightly around my body. After
drying and dressing, I went downstairs where Aunt Lyd was buttering toast
whilst humming ‘Humpty Dumpty’.
“Here,” she
said, smiling. She held out the toast and I gratefully took it, smiling back. I
took a bite and melted with the deliciousness. “So, where are you going today?”
I knew
exactly where I was going, but whether Aunt Lyd needed to know was something
else... so I lied. “Um, just around. Maybe the library.” And suddenly I
remembered book, the one Andro had gotten for me. I dropped what was left of my
toast and ran up the stairs, nearly breaking down the door of my bedroom. Why
was in such a rush to get the book, anyway?
Because I
knew it held something. Something that would maybe clear up all these weird
happenings—the wolf, the statue, the missing pages from the book downstairs,
the fall from the window... maybe even my weird dreams. Maybe.
My head
swivelled from left to right and back again. There, under the bed, a corner of
it peeking out from under one of my hoodies. I ran over and grabbed it, nearly
tearing the cover off as I pulled it open. Reading the contents, I didn’t have
a clue what I was looking for. Maybe wolves, or free-falling?
I slid my
finger along the page as I searched, stopping when I found it. Wolves of
Rossbane, page fifty-four. The pages smelled old and worn as I flicked through
them until I came to chapter seven. I started to read aloud.
“Rossbane
has always had wolves, though many think it untrue. The truth, though, is that
Rossbane was founded in a forest where wolves ruled. Though not always seen,
the wolves were still there, watching the humans destroying their land. They
revolted, attacking the town, until the people of Rossbane fought back using
all at their disposal. The people won, sending what was left of the wolves back
into hiding.
“But with
the wolves, went people. Not all, but some. The people went with the wolves
because they were the wolves—one of
the same being. It is said that the humans became the animals, and the animals
became humans. Werewolves, as they say. The werewolves, in human form, hid
their secret when they returned to town. No one suspected anything, no one
recognized the people who had fled. They blended in with society, only changing
form when needed.
“But with
the privileges of being normal cam the consequences of hiding themselves. They
let off a strong scent that signalled other unnatural beings. The beings
ransacked the town, their forms different—some were bears, some were humans,
some were horses. All different beasts. The wolves of Rossbane gave themselves
up to protect the people of the town, only to be saved by a beautiful woman
with a deadly sword. Some referred to her as the Guardian, others said she was
a god. No one really knows who she was, because once she had defeated the
town’s enemies she went into the woods with the wolves, never to be seen
again.”
I stared at
the pages, not actually able to understand the words that lay on them. Werewolves?
The Guardian being real? Weird people-bears and people-horses… was that even
physically possible? And why had Cam told me to read this? I mean, he’d already
told me kinda when I asked about
werewolves, but I hadn’t expected it to be true… but then again, maybe it
wasn’t. Maybe, like Cam had said, it was a fable. But I felt, deep down, that
it was true, or some twist of the truth, at least. That something supernatural
was in Rossbane, and that I owed it to myself, because of all these freaky
happenings, to find out what it was.
I shut the
book and laid it on the bed beside me, the silky sheets soft on my fingers,
slipping between them. This place was so strange… and it was my home now, too.
I had nowhere else to go. Only here. I couldn’t go back to my friends, I’d have
to make new ones.
“Zelda,
honey, are you okay?” Aunt Lyd called from downstairs. Probably wondering why
I’d bolted up here.
“Yeah…
yeah, just fine!” I called back. I grabbed the book and stuff it into my back
pack that had various items inside—for various emergencies. I slung the back
pack over my shoulder before rushing downstairs. Pulling open the front door, I
shouted to Aunt Lyd, “Going to the library, be back soon!” Then I took off,
heading for the distant forest.
It wasn’t
long before I got there, after running through the yard, over the hedge that
bordered Aunt Lyd’s property, and jumping over a tiny stream. The trees
dominated the crisp-blue sky, shadowing the land around them, their branches
thick and their leaves falling. Brown. Yellow. Green. Red. Orange. The colours
that surrounded me. The smell of the forest wafted through me, pulling my body
towards it. I obeyed.
Inside, it
was dark, only patches lit by tiny rays of sun. The rain from a while ago still
lingered everywhere, like teardrops on the trees. I could smell something else…
something familiar. Wet dog? Yes. That was it.
I guess
dogs could live in here. I mean, why not? It was a refuge for wild animals. And there was definitely plenty of
them, some I could hear nearby, probably wondering why I was her. Some I could
hear singing high above me, and some stood near me. Squirrels. I’d only ever
seen a squirrel once in Ireland, and that had only been a glimpse before it ran
up a tree. These squirrels were bright-brown, their tails bushy and wet. Their
eyes lingered on my own as I looked at them, before they took off up a tree. Oh
well.
I pushed
forward, going deeper and deeper into the forest. I knew what I was looking
for… well, I didn’t, but I had an idea. And I hoped that one would be nearby,
to cure me of my insanity, to make me realize that what I was actually believing
for some forsaken reason was true. That book had done nothing but make me more
curious, bring to light what I had thought was already there. Maybe what I
might find in this forest would help even more.
I didn’t
know how long I’d been walking—a half hour, maybe—when I heard a twig crack to
my left. My head shot to the spot where I’d heard it, catching a blur of white.
Had I found what I’d been looking for? I waited, frozen like ice. There, again,
another crack. I didn’t move my head this time, for fear it would run away. I
wanted to lure it out, make it come to me. And it did, after a long pause. I
felt its cold breath against my skin before I felt its nostrils flare. I could
hear, its tongue wet and lolling out of its mouth. Was it being playful?
Slowly, I
turned, looking down to see it. Pure-white, the wolf from the window. It was
beautiful, its eyes shining like the sun of a summer’s day, illuminating the
space before it which was my hand. It looked up at me, curious. I moved my hand
towards it, but it backed away. I stopped. I didn’t want it to go. Nodding, as
if understanding human qualities, the wolf came forward again, sniffing at my
hand, before gently biting. Not penetrating my skin, but a soft gnaw. A
greeting, perhaps?
With my
other hand, I pushed through his soft fur, relishing at the touch. The stray
strands were reminds why I came here—like the strands, I shouldn’t have strayed
from my mission. I looked down at the wolf.
“Change,” I
said. “Show me yourself.”
It barked,
backing away.
“Don’t be
afraid. I just want to know the truth. I won’t tell anybody.” I reached back
out, and it came forward, pushing its head beneath my fingers, closing its eyes
at my touch. I stroked him, ever so softly.
“Can you
understand me?” I asked.
The wolf nodded.
“Are you
human?” I asked.
The wolf
nodded.
“Do you
live in Rossbane?” I asked.
The wolf
nodded.
“Do I know
you?” I asked.
The wolf
nodded.
Suddenly, I
felt the connection. Something snapped in my mind, sending images and thoughts
and voices through my brain. I fell backwards, disoriented, then whispered,
“No.”
For they
all whispered one thing, and one thing only: Cam.
~CHAPTER SIX~
“No,” I whispered again and again and
again. It couldn’t be. I’d accepted the fact that werewolves could exist—it
hadn’t really fazed me—but that Cam was one… it just didn’t feel right. I felt
protective of him, even now when he was a wolf.
He
came up to me, his nose brushing my face. I rubbed his head and he whined.
“Can
you change back?” I asked.
Cam
looked at me, into my eyes. I looked into his, slightly squinting at the
bright-yellow. He whimpered, stating an obvious No, I can’t, Zelda.
“Not right now, but later?”
He
lolled his tongue out and nodded. At least there was that—he wouldn’t be stuck
like this forever. Only a while longer till I would be able to really talk to
him—to get all this straight.
A
thought occurred to me. “Are there others like you?”
Cam
nodded, his ears pricking at a sound near us. Probably an animal. I wondered if
Cam ate the animals in this wood, like a normal wolf would do. I wondered if he
did wolfy stuff, like run away if a human came close. I wondered how this had
happened to him.
I
wrapped my arms around Cam, his white fur soft against my skin. We huddled
together for what seemed like days, though when he finally did change it was
barely dark.
His
fur fell to the ground, disappearing in puffs that floated up into the air,
revealing skin underneath—human skin. His ears retracted, becoming round
instead of pointed. His eyes returned to normal, but all those things didn’t
bother me. What bothered me was when he yelped in pain as his legs began to
break and his tail cracked and his neck twisted, his teeth pulled up into his
gums, causing blood. He looked at me, a tear running down his face, asking for
help. But I couldn’t do anything… I was useless.
“Cam,”
I whispered. But he turned away and fell, not getting up until his body had
returned to normal. “Oh,” I said. I ripped off my jacket and passed it to him.
He tied it around his waist, blushing slightly. “It’s okay, don’t be
embarrassed.”
I
hadn’t realized until then just how strong Cam was. He had muscles! The ones you saw on TV with the American jocks. He was not
my Cam. And I was not my Zelda anymore.
“I’m
not embarrassed.” He winked slyly. Ew. “So… um, yeah.”
“You’re
a werewolf,” I said.
“Shifter,
actually,” he corrected.
“The
difference being?”
“The
difference being there’s whole other groups of Shifters out there. They don’t
just take the form of a wolf. It’s what they chose.”
“Why’d
you choose a wolf?”
“I
didn’t. The First did. The First was the first Shifter in Rossbane. He chose
the form of the wolf then passed it down through his genes.” That made sense,
considering wolves practically showed up on everything here.
“Wait
a second!” I gasped, having a thought, “Does that mean the Guardian of the
Shifters was real?”
“To
be honest, I’m not quite sure. The pack only knows so much about what we are
through some diaries that were badly burnt. And all we found out there was that
the pack before us—which was about one hundred years ago—had to be protected
for some reason.”
“What
do you mean ‘about one hundred years ago’?”
“The
last pack, that’s when it was. It’s kinda confusing but the only time the
Shifter gene comes out is in puberty, and when there’s another Shifter group
nearby. That’s why we changed—we found out there’s another group a town over.
We haven’t had direct contact, but we can feel their presence.”
“That’s
so cool” I squealed. “The presence-feeling bit. I don’t like hearing your bones
break and seeing you shed—it’s weird. Wait, so you dissed school to break your
bones?” I raised an eyebrow accusingly.
“No.
I’m sixteen; still a teen. That means my body’s still “changing”,” he said,
creating air-quotes around changing, “so I change whenever my body feels like
it. I don’t get a say in the matter, until I’m older. But, even though I’d love
to never feel the pain of shifting again, we have to change at least once a
month or our body will do it for us, whether we’re in plain sight of everyone
in town or not.”
We
sat in silence for a minute, then I asked, “Who else is one of you?”
“The
people dub them Misfits.”
“Oh. Now it makes sense—the group of
people causing all the trouble and smoking are obviously not bad people at all.
Nope, no way would they be that. I mean, I bet it’s the wolf inside that needs
a smoke now and again, not them,” I said, my words drowning in sarcasm.
“Zel…,”
Cam started. He stopped and looked down at the ground, reminding me of the shy boy
I used to be inseparable from. And I felt bad, so I moved forward and hugged
him; not too tight, but not too soft either because I wanted it to last—I
wanted have one of our old hugs. He smelled of sweat, and of wet dog—so it had
been him I smelled when I’d entered the forest—and of Cam. Cam always smelled
of rain. Always.
“Is
this why you’ve been a jerk? You didn’t want me to find out?” I asked as he
broke our huh.
“Yeah.
I’m sorry Zel, really, I am. It’s just, the pack doesn’t want anyone knowing, and
I agree with them wholeheartedly because if people found out what we were we
probably be burnt at the stake. But, now that you know, you know—end of the
secret.”
“I’m
hardly going to tell the whole town,” I said, feeling like he’d just personally
attacked me. Did he think I was a gossip? Even if I was, who would believe me
if I told them the misfits were actually Shifters who turned into wolves at
random times because they were going through puberty? No one.
“I
know that. I’m just saying...”
“Saying
what, Cam? Huh?” I glared at him, waiting for his answer.
“I’m
just saying that once someone finds out about something, everyone else does
too.” His eyes had hardened, gone a deep shade of brown.
I
stood up and held out a hand. “You coming?” I asked.
Cam
smiled and replied, “Of course, Zeldar.” Use of the nickname he had for me? Was
I finally going to get him back? I smiled back and he took my hand.
When
we got back to the house Cam threw on some clothes happily and snuck over to my
room.
“Can’t
let Mom see me. She doesn’t know about me, or about school, so I’m gonna hide
in here with you.”
“I
don’t want to be convicted for the abiding of a crime!” I exclaimed
dramatically.
“Oh,
but you’re already part of it now,” Cam whispered. “You saw me change. That
means you’re going to have to get involved with our activities. Can’t leave you
up here on your own while we run around the forest. And plus, I know you want
to see us all together as a pack.”
Cam’s
words wafted through my brain before dissipating. I’d been thinking about
something else. “Cam,” I said, “do you know what happened that night? When we
fell from the window?”
Cam
looked into my eyes, letting me know he was telling the truth. “No.”
“But
it has to be something to do with you, right? Because you’re a Shifter.” I
still couldn’t believe it didn’t faze me that he was a shape-shifter. But I
guess I had known in some aspect the whole time.
“I
don’t think so... I didn’t feel anything, like adrenalin or power. Maybe it was
you!” he said, wagging a finger.
“How
could it be me? I’m not magic or whatever you call it, I’m just human. I’m
normal.”
“Well
maybe normal’s not what it used to be.” Cam stuck his tongue out and I whacked
him with a pillow, making him fall off the bed.
“That’s
what you get for being a jerk for so long!” I teased. He stared at me, his eyes
ice-cold, before he suddenly leaped at me and brought me down on the bed. We
laughed for a while before sitting up again. And then Came asked me about
something I wished he hadn’t.
“So,
Zel, how’re you feeling about... your parents?” He said it so slowly that it
stung with even more zing!
“Can
we... can we just not talk...” I wanted to finish the sentence, but I saw Mom
and Dad in my head, their eyes staring blankly at the walls, their bodies red
with flesh and black from being charred. The sight made me retch before tears
gushed from my eyes. I hadn’t even noticed Cam had wrapped his arms around me
and let my head lie on his chest until I’d stopped crying.
“Shh,”
he was saying. “It’s gonna be alright. I’m sorry. Shh. I’m here. I’m not going
anywhere. Don’t worry, hon.” That’s when I saw his mother in him. Right there,
when he said hon. I smiled.
“You’re
so like your mom,” I whispered, letting my head rest on him. This was what I
needed—a best friend. “I hadn’t noticed till now.” Even the way he smiled
reminded me of Aunt Lyd, and the way he hugged, too. One arm near the neck, one
on the middle of the back; comforting.
He
laughed. “I know. I hate seeing her so upset, but it’s better to have her like
that than have her know what I am. She’d be put in all sorts of danger.”
“The
other Shifters,” I said with sudden realization. “But why do they want to hurt
you? And why can’t you just be nice to your mom?”
“They
don’t want to hurt us, per say, but they want our land. We’re animals when we
Shift, and animals claim land, mark their territory. The other Shifters want as
much land as they can get. But we’re wolves and wolves don’t really want land,
they want to run, to explore. But we have to be careful not to stray too far,
otherwise we might cross over the Boundary, and then there’d be a massive fight
between us and the Shifters in the next town.”
“The
Boundary? Like, a line drawn?”
“Exactly.”
“But
what if they’re, like, rhinos? They’d be able to crush you...”
“Shifters
can only take the form of quadrupeds. And even then they have to be ones on
land. I dunno, it’s really complicated. But anyway, we’re stronger than most
animals. It’s our wolf-strength and human-strength combined, along with hearing
and all the other senses. So that’s where the myth of that came about.”
“Can
other Shifters be wolves, too?”
“Probably.
Don’t want to meet them to find out, though.” He chuckled and our conversation
ended. I wiped my sleeve under my eyes to get rid of any remaining tears. It
was soft and I liked the feel of it on my skin—just another reminder of my mom,
when she hugged me she would wrap her scarf around my neck in a loose loop.
I
forced myself to not shed any tears and I laid back on the bed, closing my eyes
as the rain started up outside again.
***
A gentle touch to my shoulder was what
woke me. I opened my eyes. The room was dark—really dark—which made me wonder
how long I’d been asleep. I guess the day’s surprise took more out of me than I
had thought it would.
Another
tap to my shoulder reminded me why I was awake at all. I looked over, nearly
falling out of my bed at the sight.
“What
are you doing here? How did you even get in?” My voice came out harsh even
though I hadn’t meant it to be.
“I
was really worried. I mean, I haven’t seen you in months! Oh, and I used the
window,” Andro said, eyebrow raised as if it were the most obvious thing in the
world.
“A,
this is the second floor! How could you get up here? B, you came in my window?!
What kind of pervy stalker are you?” I turned my eyes into daggers, glaring at
him. He fidgeted in my gaze.
“Sorry,”
he said, his eyes showing genuine softness, melting me, “it’s just, I felt
something on our date, and I was just hoping you did too.” Actually, this was
quite creepy, wasn’t it?” He gestured to the window and I nodded, but I
couldn’t help but smile. Andro smiled back. He must really like me if he found
out where I lived, climbed up to the second floor and shook me awake. Or else
he was just a nut job, but I went with hopeless, wall-climbing, romantic and
grabbed a tuft of his shirt around his chest. I could feel his skin, hot
against my knuckles. We both looked into one another’s eyes before I pulled him
in and kissed him.
He
kissed back. We moved in a flow, like we’d done it a million times before. I
pulled him in closer and my arms wrapped around his neck. I realized his hands
were on my hips, his fingers brushing against the exposed bit of skin between
top and pants. But then it was over. My eyes were closed, my head was tilted
slightly up, and I wanted more. I waited. And waited. When I finally did open
my eyes Andro was gone.
“What
the hell,” I whispered to myself. Who does that?! What a dick. And I’d actually
melted for him.
