Never Bend

Chapter 18 : surprise

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Annie POV
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His genuine laugh, stuns me for a second, until It gains me and I can't hold back my laughter. He looks back at me, his eyes are now dead serious.

"Who knew you were such a joker?" I put some space between us, but he chases my every move closing the gap between us.

He grabs my hand.

"It's the truth. Listen to me, this is very serious." He deeply looks at me.

The anxiety forming in the pit of my stomach is overwhelming. Is this feeling coming from him or me?

Assailed, I try to pull myself away and take refuge in the bathroom.

I laugh again nervously, understanding that I am trapped with the girls on the other side of the second door. Doubt assails me and the what if makes it's way in my mind. What if he was telling the truth? Could it be?

No, he must be joking. I can't do this. Knowing the magicians is enough. I don't want to know more. Besides, how does he know?

I spin around and try to use my body to get out of his grip. He uses his other arm to block my way and hugs me making me stall.

He doesn't say a thing. My breathing is all wrong, the heat of his body relaxing my nerves. I give away the idea of moving away from him for a second finding confort being close to him.

A hiccup comes out of my throat. He presses his arms tighter against me, long inhales and exalted follow and I match the rythme.

My shoulders subside. He lefts his embrace and takes me by the hand, leading me to the mirror and turns me slightly so that I am facing him, too.

A scream gets lost in my throat. My eyes, my nails, the world seems to freeze for an instant. My heart races throbbing between my ears. My lungs hurt, reminding me to breathe out. A ragged sound comes out like a complaint.

"I've never seen a werewolf. I've never met a werewolf. Then how.?" A high-pitched sound comes out of my mouth between my saccaded breaths.

He holds my shoulders, and my knees buckle, but I don't take my eyes off him through the reflection of the mirror.

"No, it's not like that. It's something people are born with."

I look at myself. My eyes are not the same. They used to be blue and grey, but now the grey takes over. My features are not so feminine anymore since hair is growing around my face. The worst part is the canines. I touch one with the tip of my tongue and bleed a little.

They are sharp.

I press my hands over my mouth as a dull sound escapes.

Panicking even more, my heart races making me move instinctively to the mirror. Tom pulls me back.

"Careful, we don't want to tear down the bathroom. That would be embarrassing." His calm voice hides how lethal those claws are. Yet he looks at me without an ounce of concern.

I sniffle and take a deep breath, then fix my gaze on him.
"You said I was born with it. You mean it's in my genes? I'm a freak."

Feeling my head spin, I use his chest as an anchor.

He pulls me close. I look up and see his heavy eyes across the mirror.

My eyebrows furrow for a second as the connection in my mind slowly makes itself.

His smile, which is reassuring, but it does not meet his eyes.

A hole grows in my heart. What else should I know about me? Is this the reason my mother rejected me?