Wolf Heart

Chapter 15

"Ava! Ranier! Hey!"

Ava grabbed his jacket when he came close and stopped the Starcross goalie short. "Go check the washstations for Meryn. He's not thinking straight and I haven't seen him since homeroom."

"Where's James—?"

"Just help me find him, Jon."

Jon relaxed and took off on the new hunt for Meryn Matthey.

Another voice caught her attention when she moved into the courtyard. Rayan and James left their alcove. "Where have you been?" James demanded.

"In the council room," Ava said. "Have you seen Meryn?"

Rayan rubbed his back with a wince. "Haven't seen him since class."

Ava continued on without waiting for thoughts or another dead end. Ava led the two around the school and closer to the refurbished warehouse where they held spooky halls. He wouldn't spend his lunch there, would he? I mean, I suppose if he wanted to get out of the rain...

"Meryn!" she called.

"Did he go back home?" Rayan questioned.

Ava ignored him. "Meryn!"

James grabbed her shoulder. "Ava, I don't think he's going to answer."

"It's not as if he's answering anything else." Her heart skipped several beats with nothing left but to search the older parts of the collegiate grounds, all the way past the Starcross field. Her last place to check, the old storage house for Starcross equipment. Ava went to rush forward, but grunted when Rayan and James grabbed her to pull her around the bleachers and out of sight.

James edged around the bleacher with a frown, while Rayan twisted around him with widening eyes.

Ava stopped when she investigated, and everything in space fell into the abyss.

Meryn had his back to the storage shed with his hands clasped against his chest while two boys from another class imposed over him. He spoke quick words to them, but refused to meet their gazes while fear and torment dripped through his features.

"Ava, what happened?" Dad asked while she stood in their living room, clothes caked with mud while she clenched her fists. "Why was I called to the principal's office about a fight? Tell me everything."

Ava took a step out of the shadows while Rayan and James disappeared with the vision of a distant tunnel. "They were being mean. They were being mean to James!" she cried out her woes, though James never showed his own. "I couldn't stand there and let them do that! It hurt! Those things they were saying to him..."

"I know, but in the end, all it'll be is words," Dad reminded her. "But, if there is ever a moment — a moment you can't ignore, won't ignore — when they go too far and they take the first physical action, I want you to remember something for me."

Ava sniffed in her past. "What?"

Dad looked so much younger back then. He glowed with happiness without a cigar, until his work drained him of all he was.

"You are my daughter, but remember this." He smiled and raised a finger to his lips. "There will be times where in those moments, you will act without thought. Where you can't stand by while something drags the innocent into the abyss. If outside forces wish to drag you down, always remember this."

A blur of colour rushed past her, with golden fire in their eyes which blazed an edevic blue.

"Some people act without thought, and won't stand by, but neither should you. You have the right to defend yourself, and those you care for. And those with a strong sense of justice will move into action without ever needing a thought."

It is never in question.

Her back cracked into action when one boy shoved Meryn into the shed, and Rayan was already on top of them with a phase of colour. Ava ran for him as he pushed the boy out of Meryn's reach.

James rushed to the scene to push Rayan off of the other boy. "Wait! You're going to—"

Her heart fell when targets switched, and a crack rocked through her ears when they punched James in the jaw.

In those moments, people move without thinking.

Fire lit up her fingertips, though Rayan acted first, coming closer to the other boy with a deepening scowl and with instinctive movement. James stumbled back onto his feet to grab Rayan around the middle. "Stop! Don't get yourself into trouble, Ray." He breathed deep into Rayan, who vibrated, prevented from taking action by the wall that was her brother, who dug his heels in when Rayan tried to get to the boy who punched James.

Too late.

Ava blocked the other boy from Meryn.

Jon leaped into the brawl and grabbed the other student to wrestle them. "Ain't so fun when it's someone your own size, is it?" he snapped. "On my Starcross field, Aton? Bad. Fucking. Idea. You don't learn, do you?"

Bystanders rushed forward while James held Rayan back, who thrashed, zoned in on the bullies. Ava kept her thoughts focused and clear while she stood on the other one. Excitement dripped through the air at a break in the normality of their school.

Ava lifted her head when an older voice boomed, "What in the Celestials is going on?"

Coach Jora rushed over from the gym with a couple other teachers to join in and shoved through the crowd as Rayan broke himself free from James, who landed on his ass while he helped Jon wrestle Aton. Ava got off her own assailant when a teacher shooed her off him, while Coach Jora tugged Jon and Rayan as they fought to act.

On the ground, James rubbed his jaw.

Ava moved for Meryn, who slid on the shed wall with wide-eyed disbelief.

"Office. Now," Mr. Yukon growled. "All of you."

"But they were—" Jon complained.

"We'll talk in my office."

Rayan sniffed, then scowled with a soft scoff.

"Mr. Falae."

Ava hung back while both perpetrators got dragged out of the fight zone by teachers, along with Jon and Rayan. James moved for her, stumbling into a hug while Miss. Wuolon waved away the audience. "Enough. Go back to class. Lunch block is over."

"Wait, Miss Wuolon!" Ava gasped and handed James over to Meryn. "It's not their fault! Rayan didn't start it—"

Unheard, Miss Wuolon gathered the rest of the students and walked away like a shepherd to sheep.

And here I am... a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Avie, don't..." James begged. "I already tried to stop him."

"Stop him from what?" she snapped, causing him to recoil. "He was trying to do the right thing, and he might get in trouble for it! They were the ones who..." Her voice faltered when Meryn stared at her, and hadn't said a word.

I know Dad would agree... he's the one who taught me that. I'm not going to let Rayan take the fall... just for doing what he believed was right, in the face of unfairness.