The Wolf

Ch. 30: Festive Troubles

~Alex~

"Alex, where do you think this should go?" A beta wolf inquires, holding up a long string of Christmas lights.

"You should ask Kayla, she's the director. She'll know exactly where they go." I say, pointing in the direction of Kayla, who is busy walking around with her clipboard.

"OK, thanks." The young wolf says, heading toward Kayla.

All the teen wolves and kids are helping to set up the Christmas decoration. Some teens just stand around and stare at their cell phones, while the kids make more trouble than they help. Overall, this whole situation is uncomfortable. I'm not really the decorating kind. I appreciate them, but I hate doing the work of it myself. Maybe if I was working with Kayla herself, then it would be more fun. But alas, she's busy being in charge.

Blake passes by, a big box of ornaments in his hands. Even he was roped into helping too. I know Dom is in the kitchen somewhere, cooking up gingerbread for the kids to decorate. A bunch of couples are sticking together and having a blast as they celebrate the festive season together. My eyes scan the crowd by themselves, searching for a certain raven-haired boy. But they come up empty. Maybe he's feeling too emo to help out. Just thinking of him irritates me.

As I'm aggressively throwing tinsel onto the Christmas tree in the center of the mess hall, Blake approaches me, his hands now free. "Hey," He says, looking around the room, "did you give Nico a ride home from school today?"

I raise a brow, unimpressed with Nico's behavior. "No, I didn't, I thought you did."

"Nah, I waited for him, but he didn't show up afterward. I thought he might have hitched a ride with someone else." Blake cracks his neck, looking weary all of a sudden. I guess worrying about Nico is taking its toll on all of us.

"Who knows, maybe he went to stay with Kyle or maybe he went back to his old house," I say dismissively. I doubt that he was kidnapped again in such a short span.

Blake sighs, picking up some tinsel out of a bag and helping me apply it to the tree. "Maybe you're right. I just hate how he always disappears without a word like that. I'm surprised you're not more worried. Last time you were in a frenzy when he went missing."

"Well, Nico and I aren't on good terms right now," I say curtly, hoping he'd drop it.

But Blake being Blake, doesn't get the hint and keeps on going. "How come? You two fight over something? Was it Kayla? Because Nico was really upset when he found out you and Kayla were dating. Like, he was crying into Dom's arms. And recently he's been acting all shady, disappearing during the day and returning late at night. He barely eats. And there's barely a moment when he doesn't look like he's in pain. He hasn't been the same since he's been awake."

Everything Blake says to me is news. I didn't know Nico was suffering like that. I thought he was the same, considering his temper and attitude and all. "Maybe he just needs some time, is all." I say, "Like you said, he did just wake up not too long ago. He was probably just out of it is all."

"You're probably right," Blake says, "I just hope he's OK."

In the end, that's all that we can hope for with Nico. Blake disappears into the thinning crowd, and I return to decorating.

~*~*~*~

After an hour of forced festivity, I'm grateful when Kayla says that we can go home. We walk together to the door, putting on our winter gear as we head outside. The sky is a dark shade of blue in the dying light. It's only six o'clock, but it feels later than that. The winter night is brisk but refreshing. Kayla and I intertwine our fingers together. Her cold hands are so small in mine.