Heroes and Wolves [book 1]

Chapter sixty-seven

Layla

Maylock offers his hand for me to grab but I discard it and go to stand up without support. However, when I rise, I lose all my balance and fall forward – right into Maylock. I hit him with force but he stands strong. His hands wrap around me to aide me further and I'm swept up in his gaze and warmth, only for his hands to leave me when I'm stable on my feet. I find myself wishing for it back as the oncoming cold of the night nips at my skin. 

My blanket has fallen. Maylock picks it up and offers to put it round my shoulders which he does, even when I pull away from him. He entraps me in the heat of the blanket and leads me to the stairs up to Miscellania. 

     "Maylock, remember you are on scout duty tonight" Baymin's announces as we head up. 

     "Yeah, I know" he replies astute. 

We reach the wide wooden door. Maylock opens it and holds it for me until I go inside. Maylock strides up the wide stairs and heads into the medical room, leaving me alone with Baymin but I don't want to be anywhere near him so I head for the stairs that lead down to the bedrooms. 

     "You aren't alone in this" his claim makes me stop as it's a motto I cannot believe. 

     "Yeah, sure I'm not alone as you have told me so much to make me welcome and knowledgeable. Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe, just maybe if you told me that werewolves existed then none of this would have happened?" 

     "We thought it best-" 

     "Well you thought wrong" I snap. "I'm done" shaking my head in dismay, I walk down the stairs and into the bedroom. 

Throwing the blanket on the bed, the solemn atmosphere and diminishing light within the room cools me. It shivers me to the bone in fact because of my lacking attire. Opening the wardrobe and skirting my fingers across the many clothes on hangers, I'm looking for something to wear in bed. Nothing too hot and stuffy but nothing to thin and short. I pick out a long-sleeved white top and black leggings from the squared shelves below. It might be similar to what I would wear on a daily basis, but this change of clothes for the purposeful reason of sleeping in them is a welcome change as I never had this luxury at my shack. 

I carry these 'pyjamas' with me as I head into the bathroom. My word. I'm a wreck. Mud and grit dusts my palms and etch within my fingernails. My loose and torn clothing allows sight to the three lined scratch scar on my shoulder. I touch it, feeling the soft raised bumps caused by the monster. I frown and stop, now avoiding my reflection to halt any thoughts or anger spiking as I look for a hair tie inside the drawers of the countertop to distract myself. 

Passing a hair dryer, combs and brushes that I realise have now been put in but these are not what I'm looking for. I open the cabinet behind and I'm met with exactly what I need; a bundle of black bands. Nabbing one from the small bottom shelve, I rake my hair in some sort of bun and then take my clothes off which is an easy feat. My top practically falls off me as soon as I touch it and my bottoms come away at the seams. 

I step into the shower. The warm water runs down me, soothing and calm but my will to stop any thoughts falters. Peace and quietness comes with an inevitable result and my mind fills the void. Now the Guardians know. They know that I am a werewolf yet they didn't let me know anything. This all could have been avoided had I been told the truth from the onset, hell my first day. When Maylock found me at my shack he should have come clean right there and then. It would have made the past weeks much better if I knew the truth. 

Chunks of mud and what remains of the grit from the monster occurrence float down the stream of water and into the drain. Now all clean, I grab a towel from the rack on the wall and dry myself. I change into the makeshift pyjamas and sit at the end of the bed, considering all that's been revealed to me and the frustration from it builds into one big huff I expel. 

My second exasperation is interrupted by a knock at the door. 

     "Layla?" Maylock whispers and I creep to the door and open it. 

Maylock is stood in a complete change of clothes. His black jacket complements his blue denim jeans and patterned t-shirt. 

     "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be scouting about?" I whirl my finger around. 

     "I will be" he crosses his arms. "With you" he whispers. 

Me? 

     "I have a promise to carry out don't I?" his quiet voice continues but his face lines with a smirk and it's a boyish grin that makes his blue eyes sparkle with eagerness. "We don't have long. Follow me" I slowly close the door so it doesn't thud loudly. 

Maylock lunges up the stairs and I follow after him, taking the steps one at a time instead. Making silent movements on a hard wooden floor is a hard task but I plant my feet softly and slowly with each step I take. Using this tactic, I hardly make a sound, I'm a blip, a whisper and phantom within this building, while some of Maylock's footsteps could be heard a mile off. 

We leave Miscellania and bolt down the stairs, the sound of our escape is heightened by the quiet and darkening night surrounding the woods. It's eerie and I don't like it. 

     "Where are we going?" 

     "To the city. We won't be flying." he indicates to the right of me and Jordan comes from the side of the stairs and towards us. 

     "Blimey Maylock, I thought you weren't coming. Hi Layla" his green eyes lighten as he smiles. 

     "Do you have it?" Maylock asks. 

     "Yeah, Abbey distracted Baymin while Zack took the parts. He duplicated it so Baymin is none the wiser" I'm curious and quite intrigued as Abbey actually worked as a team and thought of anyone but herself for that one moment. 

     "Great stuff Jordan" Maylock praises as Jordan reveals a small blue disc. 

     "What is that?" 

     "Portal spawner" he answers as he hands over the disc to Maylock. 

     "Zack calibrated this one to just outside the Folklore woods but Baymin won't be happy about you sneaking off" Jordan warns. "You're going against what we stand for" 

     "Stood for" Maylock rephrases. "Frankly, I don't give a damn. We never should have lied or avoided telling the truth to Layla to start with" 

     "I did question the practicality of it sometimes" 

     "I know you did" his eyes soften in disappointment. 

     "Did you Jordan?" I wonder. 

     "Yeah. I was told everything about the monster when I joined. Finding out werewolves were real was shocking and it scared me. I won't lie. Then I realised that you weren't being told things and I found it bizarre" 

     "Bizarre is one word but one hundred percent insane doesn't even cut it either" 

     "We know that." Maylock fiddles with the blue disc in his hand. "But it will all become clear. Keep Baymin busy. I'll see you when you get back" Maylock nods and I wave as Jordan walks up the stairs to Miscellania.