The Bitten Wolf

Chapter 16: Snow Angel

   Green eyes met mine as the boy took my hand and helped me to my feet. He smiled and I couldn't help but smile back. Besides, I felt like I knew him already.

   "Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," he apologized while leaning down to help me pick up my books. He handed my stack back to me, "I'm Will, by the way."

   "Hazel. Hazel Redwood." I replied. He seemed so familiar, yet...

   "Have we met before?" we both asked at the same time, then burst out laughing. Other students walking down the hallway stared at us, but I barely registered the curious stares.

   "Actually, I'm new here," Will said, glancing at a timetable in his hand, "I have social studies next and I'm kind of lost."

   "I have social next too!" I exclaimed, already turning in the direction of the classroom.

   We sat together in social, quickly becoming friends, though our chatter earned us a few dirty looks from our teacher.

   At the end of the school day Will met me at my locker. He looked nervous and his eyes kept flicking all over the hallway.

   "What are you looking for?" I asked him jokingly.

   "Nothing," he smiled, "I was just... thinking."

   I raised an eyebrow and he continued, "Listen, I know we just met, but I was wondering if you would like to... go out with me?"

   "Of course!" I replied without hesitation. He smiled and planted a kiss on my cheek, then disappeared. I couldn't get that smile out of my head all day.

*

   I walked through the thick snow slowly, looking over my shoulder every so often to check if Will was making any progress. He had almost disappeared, but I could just barely make him out lying in the snow.

   I back-tracked, plopping down into the snow beside him.

   "Why hello there, snow angel," Will greeted me, "You decided to come back for me."

   "Well, I couldn't leave without saying goodbye," I replied, making a snow angel beside him.

   "I won't be gone forever you know," he sighed, "Just for the holidays."

   "That is forever!" I rolled closer to him, shivering, "It's cold. Why are we lying on the snow like this?"

   "Because I knew you'd get cold and snuggle closer to me," Will said with a grin. I punched him in the shoulder playfully, then sprang up and ran away before he could retaliate.

   I didn't get far - he was a lot faster than me and soon caught up, wrapping his arms around my waist and picking me up.

   "Put me down Will!" I shrieked and, after nearly four months with him, already knew what the answer would be.

   "Only if I get a kiss." He set me down carefully and I turned quickly, giving him a peck on the lips before running off again.

*

   Christmas is over, I thought gloomily as I trudged through the snow, But Will's coming back soon!

   That thought put a smile on my face instantly and I moved faster, eager to get home. The sky was growing dark and I still had to walk through part of the forest. The trail would lead me right through it and I would be home in no time.

   I was halfway through the forest when I heard the crunch of snow. I froze, listening. The footsteps continued, approaching me from behind.

   I whipped around, but before I could see who it was, I was thrown to the ground. The back of my head was throbbing from where it had hit the ground. That was the least of my worries. I felt something sharp sink into my collarbone, narrowly missing my throat.

   My scream of pain could probably be heard for miles around. Whatever was sinking its teeth into me sprang away, startled by the sound. It looked at me one more time before disappearing into the forest.

   In the distance, I could see a bobbing light- someone with a flashlight, coming to see what all the commotion had been. Everything disappeared as I fell into unconsciousness.

*

   "Did you make her do it?" I whispered, unable to meet Will's eyes.

   Will got up and began pacing up and down the length of the room, muttering something under his breath. I couldn't decide whether he was thinking up lies to tell me or simply reviewing what had actually happened.

   "She did it because I was miserable," he finally answered, "Both of my sisters and I knew that you and I were soul mates. The thing was that I couldn't tell you that I was a werewolf - that was against pack law. So Penny took matters into her own hands. She was probably tired of me moping around and bit you so that you would become a wolf too. Then, we could finally be together. She just wanted me to be happy, Hazel."

   I stared at him in astonishment. I had rolled the idea of why she had bitten me over and over in my head and had come up with many different scenarios. This was not one of them.

   "She wanted you to be happy, so she RUINED MY LIFE?!" I screamed, "That's kind of a high price to pay, don't you think?"

   "Hazel, she was just ten. She didn't know!" His words were meant to calm me, but I was beyond being pacified.

   "I had a family!" I screeched, pounding my fists against Will's chest, "My little brother needed me. I had a whole future planned for me AND YOU RUINED IT?!"

   Will studied me, gaze cold, "Where's the snow angel that couldn't wait for me to get back?"

   "You never came back," I hissed, "You left. You couldn't face me when I was..." I gestured at my body, "This. This monster that your sister made me."

   "There's nothing you can do about it Hazel, I'm sorry." Will's voice was dreadfully calm, but I could tell that he was close to snapping.

   "No?" I smiled menacingly, "Aiden gave me a job to do. If I don't complete it, I die. Can you guess what that job is?"

   I was bluffing, too angry to avoid saying something that might make him hate me. Even though I knew it was an empty threat, I enjoyed seeing Will's face pale.

   "Y-you wouldn't," he stammered, grabbing my arms, "You wouldn't k-kill her! Hazel p-please don't. I'll do anything. Kill me instead!"

   Seeing the panic in his eyes, the sick pleasure I had felt at seeing him like this disappeared. With it came the realization of what I had just done.

   Will's grip was strong but, with the newfound hatred of my miserable existence, I somehow had the strength to pull away from him. I ran out of the room, practically flew down the stairs, and flung myself into the backyard, already in wolf form.

   I was over the fence and in the forest in a matter of seconds. In my head the decision had been made: I wouldn't kill Penny. I couldn't.

   Matthew had been right. Power does this to people. I hated myself for being so weak, hated myself for threatening to kill a little girl.

   I deserved to die.

   And I would. I refused to finish this job.