shallow tides → QUIL ATEARA ✓

𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓
— 𝓉𝑜𝑜 𝒻𝒶𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 —

𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐓 breathe; the air is too thin, her lungs are restricted from running for such a time, and her body does not seem to work any longer. The thunderstorm fails to cease, bringing down rapid rainfall and blinding Oakley Torine in the process. Perhaps she will run forever, never fully feeling safe or never quite feeling far enough away from Quil Ateara. Though he had been honest with her, and it was the smallest relief that he had not been humiliating her, the Quileute boy was dangerous. He is dangerous and maybe he always will be. The claws on his alterative form were as long as Oakley's fingers, tail the size of her arm, and she could only imagine the damage that his canine teeth could ensue. Her head aches at the thought — he had transformed into a werewolf, a creature that should not exist, let alone be a part of her lover's ancestry and lifestyle. And now she will be forever alone. All of her hopes of telling Quil her true feelings, of dedicating her life to him, have now fallen away like the cracking petals of a decaying rose.

The ghost of her brother runs alongside of her, speaking softly in her ear despite the weather, "Everything will be okay," His voice follows effortlessly, haunting her with what she is already aware of. What she once shared with Quil will become a distant memory — her feelings will dissipate into nothing, and perhaps she will never recover from it. But Graham still foresees a future for the two; one where she can overlook his ability, just as he did hers. Will she ever find peace within her heart and accept the side of Quil that he cannot control? For now, it seems nearly impossible.

Mud is thick beneath her shoes, though it only encourages her to run faster. If the boy had decided to chase her, how long would it take him to close the distance between them? It feels like hours before the Torine twins reach their home, pushing past the entrance door quickly and slamming it behind them. Oakley makes tedious work with the locks that will surely keep any supernatural beings out of her home, and her brother watches. His clothes are dry, his physical state untouched from the storm and the endless jog back. If he could still feel his heart, he knows that it would be heavy. His sister has lost the very thing she had begun to depend on. How will she let Graham go now that Quil is gone?

A weighed gasp falls from her lips, as if she replays those moments over and over within her head. Had she seen correctly? Or is she as mentally unstable as her father insists?

"He became a wolf," her voice, soft but broken, murmurs into the space between them. The rainfall patters against the roof more kindly now, as if to console her for the damage that has been done. It feels as she does, disappointed and overcome with grief. Perhaps the clouds, the wind — all of it — wished that she had stayed. "I - I know what I saw, Graham. But it seems absurd, how would I tell someone that I've seen a werewolf? What would everyone think of me then?" A cry falls from her lips this time and she covers her mouth when new tears begin to fall. "No one would believe me, I would sound like even more of a lunatic. Everything I do is so hopeless, no one takes me seriously."