The Housemates

Mysteries and Magic

Chapter Three

Mysteries and Magic

Her ears were going to start bleeding. It was four o’clock in the morning and Elli was pretty sure that one of her housemates was dying, based on the high pitched shriek reverberating through the walls. She bolted out of bed.

Running towards the scream to check on the housemate probably would have been a good idea, but she just needed to get away from it. Her sensitive ears couldn’t handle the sound. Every fiber of her being was telling her to escape it. The window was the nearest exit. It was rusted shut, but she pried it open with super human strength. An awning covered the wrap around porch, so the drop wasn’t too far. She clambered onto the covering and leapt out into the warm August night.

Wolf instinct took over from there and she was running, doing her best not to shift. She hopped the fence, sailing over the dangerous spikes of iron, the scream still loud and clear behind her.

Move, move, move, her instinct told her. Beyond the backyard fence was woods. With any luck, the trees would block the travel of the sound after a short while. She couldn’t even think straight with her ears ringing like that.

Eventually, the screaming quieted and the woods were interrupted by a road. Elli began following it, heading towards the scent of civilization. Her head was pounding after that awful noise. What the hell even caused it? Hopefully nothing too terrible, though it couldn’t be anything pleasant after a shriek like that.

The road led her to the main street of the town, where an…interesting scene was unfolding. In the parking lot of the store where Adeline worked, two police cars and an ambulance were attracting quite some attention. Eliza approached to see what the commotion was all about.

A middle-aged woman’s body sprawled on the pavement. Her blue eyes were wide open, a creepy sight. It gave Elli chills, despite the warm temperature outside. Blood pooled around the body; the woman appeared to have been stabbed. A rare occurrence in this sleepy town, judging from the whispers of the crowd. She decided it was time to head to the house. This crime scene was a dangerous place for her to be right now. Her nose was telling her that it wasn’t really a stabbing. She smelled a vampire. A lone wolf didn’t stand much chance against a vampire. Suddenly, she felt very vulnerable.

The walk to Old Oak Lane felt much longer than her flight from it. She stuck to the road this time, too shaken to cut through the woods. Her instinct to be in a pack had never felt stronger. Safety and security came with a pack. Constant fear resulted from being without one. Good Gods, she missed her brother.

The front door was, of course, locked, forcing her to return the way she’d left. Going out the window turned out to be much easier than going in it, but she managed. She collapsed on her bed, making a mental note to a) buy pajamas, jeans were not comfy to sleep in a bed in and b) not to go out alone during the night. The latter was decidedly more important, but both occurred to her at the same time. That was a good example of just how tired she felt. She was shortly out cold.

…

She was up at nine am, reminded that she still needed curtains, along with pajamas and sheets. The sun lit up the room in a highly irritating manner. Damn it. Well, she supposed she might as well start running on a human schedule. She had no reason to continue her nocturnal routine, if she wasn’t shifting anymore. These days, she only let the wolf loose when there was no other choice, like on the full moon.

She took a shower, changed her clothes, and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Desmond was frying some eggs. The remaining housemates had already left for the college.