Creatures of Habit - First Blood [ON HOLD]

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

After a couple moments of standing there contemplating who-knows-what, I went to go find Meredith while Noel dragged Shawn around camp shouting something about "Doggies and magic tents!"

I found Meredith talking to some guy outside one of the tents.
"There you are. Good. This is Reeth, my second in command and his guardian, Alpha," she said motioning to the guy she was speaking to. He looks about the same age as Meredith. He has an African American complexion and dark brown hair cut in a short army type style in the front and a little longer at the back. I notice small details like the two piercings in his right ear and a leather belt threaded through his worn jeans with detailed patterns engraved in it and... a wolf tooth as a clip? His hazel eyes size me up, his face twisted into a scowl. His guardian is just as fierce looking with the same colour hair and eyes and the same bulging muscles. So all in all... I'm a little intimidated.
"Hi," I say trying and failing to sound confident. He doesn't reply with words, just I nod before he turns around and walks off, his wolf at his side.
"Don't mind him... He's had it rough... Perhaps the worst out of all of us," comes a British accented voice from behind me that I realise is Meredith.
I turn to face her, "What happened to him?"
"That's his story to tell, not mine," she says firmly. "Now come on, I have much to tell you."

She led me into the tent and sat me down on the cushioned floor and for the first time it occurred to me that I hadn't seen any of the teenagers carrying backpacks so where had they gotten the tents from? Let alone cushions! What's going on here...
"Jessica..." Meredith says, snapping me back to reality, "I presume you already know, don't you?"
"Know what?"
"About your previous life," she says so quietly even I have to strain my ears to hear her
"Why are you whispering?"
"The others have exceptional hearing and I don't want anyone eavesdropping on us. Answer the question."
"Oh... ok. Yeah, I mean... kinda. See, I only remember small pieces from when I was younger. Everything else is just... blurry..." I say as softly as I can.
"But you know you have lived before?"
"Yeah. Why was my childhood different though?"
Meredith remains quiet for a few agonizing moments as if considering how best to explain. Finally she sighs then looks me straight in the eyes, a serious expression plastered onto her face. "Alright pup, listen carefully 'cause I don't want to have to repeat this. You know you're special, only black wolf in a century and if you die, the last one ever and all that? Yeah well last time... things went wrong in the war. We messed up. Big time. And you paid for it with your life. We weren't meant to let that happen."
"Not that I'm complaining or anything but... why not?"
"Let's just say it would be very very bad if you died. Anyways, we couldn't have you dead so... I undid it and altered your reality. Hopefully this time we get a better outcome," she said fiddling with a bracelet I never noticed before. it was a charm bracelet with teeth as charms, wolf teeth, like Reeth's belt...
"What do you mean you 'undid it'?! How is that even possible-" Meredith cut me off by covering my mouth with her hand and placing a finger to her lips. "Some of us manage to unlock greater skills than just talking to animals," she says softly, removing her hand, "And if you're going to survive this time around you'll need to find a way to unlock your own."
"And how do I do that?"
"You need to find what triggers your power and embrace it, everyone has different triggers and some... some are harder to embrace than others."
I just sit there staring at the floor. It's just so much to take in... a couple days ago I was just a weird high school freak with a foster family and bully problems, now they're telling me I have lived and died before and in order to survive this time, which is apparently essential, I have to find what triggers my strength in order to unlock 'special skills' that will help keep me alive?...
"This is extremely important Jessica. I'll give you some time to let it sink in but remember, not a single word to anyone, ok? They must not know of any of this."
"But... Shawn knows..."
"Yes... he... he's a very different case... he's not like us Jessica. He's hiding something. Something huge."
Was it just me or did she sound nervous when she said that? What could he possibly be hiding?
"Go now, your training will start tomorrow."