(FREE TO READ) Bad Moon

chapter 64; good people

He'd never thought to ask how many wolves existed here. Not patrols or sentinels, but simple wolves. People like him, going to school, working a part-time job—living their lives like normal people. How had that thought become so foreign to him? A normal life, being what he was.

Maybe that was why he refused to call. Because Quentin was synonymous with the abnormal. Because if he pretended none of this had ever happened, his life would go back to normal. If he never hit that call button, he'd live a happy, normal life.

"Jay, you hear what I said?" Matt gave his seat a kick and Jaylin felt himself spin on his swivel chair until he was staring into those freckles and the hazel flecks in his molasses eyes.

"What?"

"Ravens, man. Sometimes they live with wolves—piggyback off' them for the scraps they leave behind."

Jaylin wiped his hands up his face, his eyes stinging from hours of staring into textbooks and computer screens. He was thankful that once again they'd allowed him his job back, but Jaylin was so tired of staring at words. Between studying and work, text had become assaulting to his bleary eyes, and all he wanted was a day in the forest, a long walk through the trees. He'd been yearning for the smell of the wild for weeks.

"Matt, I don't know what you're trying to—"

"I just think it's fascinating. Ravens. It's like they know they're nothin' to those wolves. They don't have enough meat on their bones to feed a pack, so the wolves don't bother. And the ravens, they know. They're smart as hell dude. Did you know they can talk?"

Jaylin dropped his heavy head into his arms. "Matt, I haven't slept in like three days and we're closing soon. I'm going to throw up if you keep narrating your animal planet documentaries out loud. Don't you have work?"

"Nah, not today," Matt said, clicking out of the article. "I promised Tis she could come over tonight to use our practice targets anyways." He bounced from his chair and slung his bag over his shoulder, tussling his fingers through Jaylin's hair as he brushed past. "Have fun with mommy."

Jaylin swatted his hand away and surveyed the room for eavesdroppers. Dinner with his mother had become a biweekly event. Every paycheck, he'd take her out to the buffet. They'd eat their fill and stash the extras in Tupperware dishes that she'd snuck inside her oversized purse. At the end of each meal, they'd leave with enough food to get them through the week.

It was mostly for the thrill that they went. To his mother, it was a rush-like shoplifting for the first time. For him, it was time with his mother. A time where the only thing in the world that mattered was the food in front of them and betting on how many rolls they could fit in their jacket pockets. She was the master at it, won every time.

Jaylin looked across the library to the dark lounge chairs by the comics section. Sadie had been sitting there with Alex hours ago, digging through books about different energy crystals. Learning things about chakra and meditation. Jaylin didn't understand what any of it had to do with witchcraft, but witnessing the two of them grow closer was like watching flowers grow from cement. They were a strange duo, Sadie and Alex; two completely different types of people.

But regardless, the bond between them lit the place like a candle—it had to of because that corner felt so cold and dark since they'd left it. And it was only then that Jaylin noticed how empty the library was. There was only a single person remaining, nestled beneath the study lights in the back. A girl with long chestnut hair and thick lashes that cast spidery shadows over her cheeks.

His eyes swept to the seats where Quentin sat all those days he'd been trying to warn Jaylin. All the days he hung around to protect him from the scouts. That desk—this whole place—felt so empty.