She Came From the Forest (James and Tera: book 1)

16

Flower kept silent on the walk home. She faced forward and didn't even look in my direction, just staring ahead of the path home. I was behind her, not daring to keep up with her.

It was like this for a few minutes until she finally spoke. "She had her first heat, didn't she?" Was the first thing that came out of her mouth.

The question confused me, and I answered very carefully but honestly. "Yes." I admitted. "But what I told you was truth. She and I didn't do anything more. Charlie was the one who stopped her."

"Tsk. 'Charlie'. That fool doesn't deserve a nickname. And to think that he would allow his daughter, the one he's supposed to raise the best he can, would allow a teenage werewolf to run wild on her first heat."

I stayed quiet, not commenting. I knew there was an even worse lecture coming. I just had to wait until I didn't expect it before she gave it to me.

She still looked ahead. "You disappointed me, boy." She said calmly. "I was only trying to protect you, but you went into the wolves' den."

"You don't understand. I wasn't in any danger." I defended myself.

She stopped and turned to look at me. "Do you know how loose werewolves are, James? Take those two, for example. You saw how close they were to changing." She looked back ahead and started to walk again. "And when they've changed, they attack whatever they have their sights on."

I shook my head knowing she didn't see it with her back to me. I looked down. "You're wrong." I said.

She stopped again and turned to me, and I felt her mad gaze on me. "Are you saying I don't know what I'm talking about?" She asked with a hint of impatience.

I looked up at her and met her gaze. "The night she and I had gotten together, she changed, right in front of my eyes."

Flower's eyes widened. "What?" She asked in astonishment. "There is no way..."

I nodded. "She changed, and approached me with care, as if she were still human and felt the same humanly feelings she had."

Flower was no longer angry. She was in awe. "As young as she is, I never imagined she could control her wolf that well." She turned and started the way back home. "All I will say is this: Keep your guard up at all times. She may have control of herself, but others will attack and kill." She sighed. "I never wanted you to enter this other world of beasts."

............

"So, when you divide the value of x with y..." our math teacher was so boring that I almost fell asleep while keeping my head up. This sucks.

Luckily the lecture ended when the bell rang, signaling that we were dismissed. I stretched my legs out from under my desk and lifted my arms above me. The stretch felt nice. I hate sitting for long periods of time.

I got up and walked out of the class with Terry. We geeked out a little on the latest episode of a series we were both keeping up with. Eventually while walking, Kai was walking beside me without me noticing. "I gotta talk to you." He whispered.

I looked over to see how serious he was. "What for?" I asked.

"You're not gonna believe this." He said more lowly.

I stopped. "What's the matter, Kai?"

"I saw a wolf." He said. "On my way home last night, I saw a big wolf."

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, so what? They're around." There were wolves around, here and there. Maybe he even got mixed up with a big coyote instead.

He shook his head. "No. You don't understand. It wasn't a normal wolf. It was huge." His eyes were wide. "It was massive, like a bear." He looked me in the eyes with such serious eyes. He only put the serious eyes on when there was something really wrong.

I felt my heart rate speed up. Could he be referring to a...

"Hey guys." Tera said, coming up behind me and wrapping her arms around my neck from behind. It startled me for a second and I jumped. She laughed at the reaction and let go. "Don't worry, I won't hold you like that. I just love your reactions."

I turned to look at her. I stared at her yellow eyes. She looked confused. "What?" She asked bewilderedly. "Is there something on my face? In my hair?"

I looked back at Kai. "What color was it?" If it was Tera, the wolf would be black. Maybe I could tell her to be more careful about it if it was her.

Kai looked dazed for a second before he started to remember. "It was dark, so I don't know for sure." He thought for a second. "My car got right up on it. I'm not sure if it was, but it looked burgundy."

Tera was so confused. "I'm so out of it right now. What the hell are you two talking about? What was burgundy?"

I looked at her and grabbed her hand. "Come with me." I started to drag her away.

"Hey! Stop it. I can walk on my own." She protested, but didn't pull away or anything. She let it happen.

I dragged her to the outside of the cafeteria door. It was time for lunch, and usually people go outside to sit and talk or get something from the vending machines. Right now, it was empty.

I finally let her go, and she looked at me with an amused smile. "Happy? Why are we out here?" She asked.

"A wolf." I said. "What color is your dad when he's a wolf?"

She raised an eyebrow. "He's sort of a dark grayish color. He blends in pretty well in the dark, but not like me."

"Tera," I said. "Is there another wolf here? In our town?"

She shook her head. "Dad would've caught scent if there was. A wolf in the small proximity of this town couldn't stay out of range of scent." She scratched her head with a finger. "Not unless they're staying on the outskirts of the town limits." She shook her head. "Just tell me what's going on."

I explained what Kai had told me. She listened to the details with full attention. When I mentioned the color of the wolf, she froze.

"Burgundy?" She asked, looking at me, but not talking to me. "He can't be here..."

"Who?" I asked. "Who can't be here?"

Her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered it. "Dad." She answered.

She waited a few seconds before responding. "I was gonna call and tell you the same thing. We do have a problem."

She sat and listened for a few more moments. Then, she responded. "One of the students here saw him in his wolf form." She informed him. "He's not sure what it was. He's still in question about it."

She listened for a few more moments before finally hanging up. She looked at me, worry on her face. She looked like she was lost and frustrated on what to do.

"What's wrong?" I asked, wanting to comfort her but not knowing how. "What's going on?"

"I've got to go." She said lowly. "Dad is getting me signed out."

She turned and started to walk back in the door. I couldn't let her leave like that. "Wait." I said. "What's going on? Who is that wolf?"

She looked back at me, and her eyes... they were light. Shiny. They looked like the wolf's eyes I saw that night. The bright ones.

She looked down. "My old lover is here." She said, walking back inside.

I stood motionless, unable to move out of the shock. Old lover?