"Do you have to show off?"
"Yes, It's my job."
I rolled my eyes at Lucas after panting for breath and trying to avoid collapsing. We had just raced from the diner to the hill and there was no stopping him from leaving me in the dust behind him.
"So, you wanna challenge me to anything else?" he asked.
"No. The big, bad alpha's the fastest, now leave me to die here." I said, flopping down on the grass.
"Melodramatic," he commented before sitting down. "you know your friend is loud."
"I know Allie is," I yawned. "But she can be dealt with"
Conversation between us dropped after that and I was enjoying the silence, The heat from the sun beating down on me, the freshly cut green grass that surrounded the whole place, and the absence of wind was nice. It wasn't until I felt something a bit off before I sat up.
"What's wrong? Jumpy?" asked Lucas, raising an eyebrow.
"Just, thought I heard something." I lied, looking around.
Three . . . two . . .
"Lilly!"
I jumped a but when I heard Roy yelling for me, and then realized why I felt what I did before. The demon could sense when people were near. I got the feeling that it would be more of a nuisance then something helpful as I stood up.
"Gotta go. You know, you aren't the obnoxious jerk I thought you were." I told him before taking off. This time running felt more like flying as everything around me went by in a blur. When I got to Roy, he had an exasperated look on his face. Crap.
"Can I trust you not to mutilate her?"
"What happened?"
He explained how Alec tried talking to her, and how she refused to listen, then when Alec punched the wall and started cussing she got scared and ran off. Biting the inside of my cheek, I tried to think of where she would go but didn't come up with anything.
"She's not stupid enough to go run around and get herself in trouble." I said, my voice betraying me.
"Yeah, she is." he jabbed.
"Fine, she's a magnet for all sorts of trouble and could end up raped and nearly dead in the gutter. I'll go find her, you go do something before you lose it." I said.
"Goodbye." he said, walking away.
Dammit. Allie had to be an emotional little girl and run off just because someone got mean and instead of trying to face it, she ran and hid. Now I had to find her because she's too much of a wuss to man up and deal with these things. I figured to check home first, since she would more than likely be there, Running home and bursting through the door showed that my mom wasn't home, strange enough, and Allie wasn't in her room. Where was she then?
Mom didn't work today, she called in sick because she was too lazy to go in. She never left the house when she called in, and Allie wasn't here. I ran through every possible scenario, and one made my blood run cold. The one that I feared the most would have to be the worst. I rushed into the kitchen and yanked open the drawers and let out a sigh of relief when I found what I was looking for.
The weapons she gave us the night before he was arrested were still there. If he had broken out, he would have known they were here and grabbed the gun and knife. So my worst fear about them didn't happen. That was slightly reassuring but it didn't take care of my other worries. I tried calling them both, but Allie's phone was dead and my mom wouldn't pick up.
I don't want to sit here, I thought. But there's not much I can do. They don't have any hiding spots and calling the cops isn't the right thing right now. Guess I don't have any other choice.
Though I was still pissed that I couldn't do anything, I decided to try to watch TV to try to calm myself down, but after some action scenes I realized it was pointless. Every little thing reminded me about how Allie stormed off or how I couldn't get a hold of mom, and the trouble they could be in. Eventually when it was late in the night, they walked in through the door.
"Lilly, I was wondering when you'd be home," said mom.
"Where were you two? I tried calling but there was no answer and - "
"Allie came home and wanted to talk, and I thought we could go out and I could listen to her." she cut me off. That was like a big slap in the face. So now she was playing the therapy game? "You two fighting?"
I glared at my red head 'sister;, wondering if the demon would show.
"Boy issues. On the date she got mad because I was talking to her date more." I lied, trying not to show any emotion,
"Oh, if it's something that silly then it can be talked out."
If only you knew. "Tried it. She won't listen to anything I have to say."
"Hey, you two can work it out. You always do. Lilly, you want me to make you dinner?" asked my mom.
"I already ate," I mumbled, going upstairs.
"She's jealous," I heard Allie whisper.
CRACK!
My hand didn't register the pain from punching a hole in the wall, or the slivers of wood that went flying. All I knew was the game of who could be the bigger bitch, she was getting closer and closer to her funeral. I felt something change as the demon spoke up.
If you hater her, all it takes is an 'accidental' swipe for it to be over, he taunted.
Shut up and go away. She's being a snob and looking at a few years of therapy after I'm done with her.
That's it, give in.
Before I could focus on what he was saying, I ran upstairs, slammed my door shut and locked it before sitting at the computer, feeling searing rage as I thought about what happened over the last few days. Just because the basics of me getting the short end of the stick is gone over, she could be a bitch about it.
We transformed and had fun until l lost control of and let the demon take over, hurting Roy in the process. We went at it and hurt each other, and when father tried to help us, she got pissy and wouldn't listen to it being explained in a more simple way. All her fault.
A sudden wave of exhausted washed over me and I decided to go to bed, even though I was afraid of seeing the demon again. I didn't put too much thought into it as I covered up and starred at the darkness of my room until I was sound asleep.
~ ~ ~
At school, Allie and I wouldn't talk at all, even if Alec and Roy showed up. Things with Chelsea got worse too. She got the idea that picking on us one at a time and spreading rumours about how we pushed her Friday night was a good idea. Of course most people believed her, and we kept getting nasty looks from everyone in the halls. If only I could hurt her without regret.
Over the next few days, the routine was go to school, do the work and go to the park after school for a while before heading home. The four of us would be around each other, but I wouldn't speak to Allie, and all she could do was give me dirty looks as if too say, 'you traitor' and ignored me. Mom noticed but didn't get involved, knowing it would be bad if she did.
Lucas and I raced each other daily for fun, and because I wanted to get faster. Everyone else from the pack began to show up daily, and it seemed that they all instantly payed attention to Allie. She liked the attention and seemed to think she could get back at all of us.
Enjoy the attention you whore.
Everyone ignored me, and for once I was grateful for it. I didn't care for everyone else, but Katrina was the one I wanted to meet. She never showed up though, and no one could answer why. Figuring it was something important, I dismissed it and tried to focus on other things, like how me and Allie would talk to each other.
"Looks like someone's pissed." came a voice.
"Looks like someone's bored," I retorted. I turned around and saw Roy, a playful expression on his face. "What?"
"I'm bored and Alec won't quit trying to talk to fu - her." he said. "Wanna go outside?"
"Sure." I agreed. "What were you going to call her?"
"What do you think?" he asked, mouthing it.
I couldn't hide the giggles from escaping and had to start walking before I made that my new name for her. He followed me and looking at all the wooden doors again made me curious. Stopping a few steps behind him in the hall, I spoke up.
"What are the rooms for?" I asked, looking at the symbols.
"They're rooms. For the pack members who don't have anywhere to go, and then one of them is like the hospital type room." he explained, looking up and down the hall. "The symbols mark who's room. The one with cheese is Alec's."
"I thought he stayed with his parents."
"They aren't exactly supportive of him acting weird. They think he's involved with a gang or something bad and threw him out. The rich snobs. They only send him two hundred dollars or support."
So he was like Allie, but Alec had some contact with his parents. Despite it he was always upbeat and happy. I had to give him credit for it.
"So, you gotta room here?"
He looked down for a moment, and then back up at me, seeming to hesitate. "Well, yeah. but you're not going to find it."
"Wanna bet?" I asked, smirking. "What's your story?" I saw him gulp with a pained look on his face and decided to not ask again, seeing as it was a touchy subject for him."Sorry I asked."
"It's hard to talk about, that's all." he said, almost sadly."Come on, let's go run."
"What is with werewolves and running?" I asked myself.
"It's the wolf side, and it helps." he answered. He looked amused by the shocked look on my face before turning around. Feeling playful, I ran to him and jumped on his back, wrapping my arms around him and laughing like a maniac.
"Payback!" I yelled.
"This is awkward," he said. "But not as awkward as this."
Before I could ask what he meant, he jerked forward and flung me off him and onto the stone floor, looking at me with a superior smirk on his face that matched his eyes. I blew my wispy brown hair off my face and looked at him looking down at me, a mix of anger and embarrassment clear on my face.
"Don't mess with someone who has more experience than you."
"Don't be so cheap and pull a move like that."
We locked eyes, determined not to look away. Then something different happened. I fetl myself blush and he actually looked kind of . . . cute, with his onyx black hair falling over one of his deep amber eyes. He looked so cute, and - get a hold of yourself stupid! Don't get distracted.
"You're blushing."
"No I'm not."
Just then before he could accuse me of anything else, Alec knocked on one of the doors and looked at us, wanting to say something but didn't. We both turned to look at him, trying to ignore our contest.
"Before you two have a make out session," he said loudly. "Father wants to see us, all of us."
I looked at Roy, who was now inches from my face. "What the hell?"
"I didn't do anything." he said too quickly.
"Move it you two, now!"
"Sheesh," I said, getting up."He's got to be really mad at us."
"No kidding."
Alec went back into the main room and had to drag Allie away from everyone, even though she started screaming how he shouldn't touch her, that stopped when I looked like I was going to strangle her. She gulped and followed us silently into the Chamber and when we entered, there was someone meditating in the corner, deep in focus. She wore a trench coat and army boots, and kept mouthing something barely audible. The room was still lit by candles and had electric blue lights shining on the floor like last time, except the circle was gone.
That's Katrina you idiot.
Screw off.
"Ah, the four of you have returned," greeted Father. He wasn't there when we walked in, was he? "Line up single file, facing forward."
We listened, with Allie at one end next to Alec, with me at the other end next to Roy. To say it felt odd was an understatement. It felt like we were under strict inspection by something.
Katrina opened her eyes in an eerie sort of way, and turned her head to look at us. Standing up, she walked over to us and looked us over one at a time, as if trying to figure out our weakness. Her eyes were dark, almost a black color but I couldn't tell from the lighting, and her hair was dark and straight. She was pretty.
"Alright, I'm done. Allie, you're problem is you're too arrogant and shallow. Alec, you're problem is you can care a bit too much. Roy, you're problem is you aren't straightforward enough with your feelings. Lilly, you're problem is your too stubborn sometimes." she explained, looking at us expectantly.
"I am not shallow!" protested Allie, stepping forward.
"Then tell me why you haven't admitted you're wrong in this whole fight and you can understand?"
"Well - because - leave me alone!" she yelled. "Who are you anyway?"
"Katrina is my apprentice and here to help." interjected Father. There was a hint of annoyance in his grandfatherly face, something that was rare. Did Allie piss him off?
"Alec. Try to ease up with caring. It's understandable that you want to help your friends, but there is a thing called caring too much." she said.
"So, ease up and don't get too involved?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.
"Exactly. Roy, quit being so hesitant on your feelings. You never know until you ask."
He didn't anything but mumbled something that sounded like, "It's not easy," before taking a deep breathe and looking at Katrina. She patted his cheek like he was a baby and moved in front of me. Seeing him being treated like a child was hilarious, mainly because of his face being scrunched up. Alec let out a chuckle before shutting up, probably for his safety.
"And finally Lilly. Quit being so stubborn on everything. It can be bad in some situations and get you killed."
"I'm not trying to be mean, but what's the point of this?" I asked.
"Father told me you all seem to be having issues and you and Roy need help, so I came." she said, hands on her hips.
"OK then."
"Now! Does anyone have anything to say?" she asked, clapping her hands.
Alec turned to look at Allie, a look of boredom mixed with irritation clear on his face.
"I'm not helping you anymore. Either man up or leave." he said coldly.
"I'm not in this group anymore if you won't see the wrong in it." she said.
You fucking hypocrite.
I didn't know if that was me or the demon, but I didn't care at the moment.
"Try to think though." said Roy angrily. "Alec didn't leave me when I found out I had it. He was understanding and stood by me the entire time, like a true friend. If you leave now that just shows how cold you are, and you aren't a true friend, you're just afraid of getting that ugly little face messed up."
I felt a new respect for Roy forming inside. He had the guts to say what I've wanted to say for so long, and he had the emotion in his voice to back it up. I wanted to hug him for it.
"Just and FYI for your stupid ass, guys love my face." She flipped her hair.
"To think I liked you," Alec muttered under his breathe.
"What was that?"
"He said he hates you and wants to play with your entrails." said Roy, louder than necessary. I couldn't stop the smile on my face from that, and the look on her face. It was priceless.
She looked pissed before making a fist and aiming at his face, but I couldn't remember how I jumped in front of him and caught her fist. All I could remember was the cool calm that was taking over in haze and the calm look I had on my face,
"Oh, so now you're getting involved you hooker."
"You're taking after Chelsea, and I'm protecting my friends, something true friends do." I spat.
She made another fist and aimed at my face, but I grabbed that one and felt some sort of heat in my hands. It was bearable at first, but then it quickly got hotter and hotter until I had to do something. On impulse, I pushed forward and felt the heat drift away from my hands, and Allie went flying back a few feet. She let out a scream, but she wasn't hurt, just scared.
"What was that?" I asked, looking at my hands in awe.
"That," Roy said, putting his arm around me. "was early super strength. The demon must have something to do with it."
I felt butterflies in my stomach and my face flush a deep shade of red and looked at him. Instead of the usual bored expression he had, it was a smile with a brightness that wasn't forced, but genuine. It was nice to see him happy for once.
"You hurt me!" she yelled.
"No, but nice try." I said. "Isn't there usually a protocol to prevent these kind of things?"
"There is, but we only follow them if someone gets hurt. Allie didn't, I would have heard something move if it did." explained Katrina. "And you were protecting your friends so it isn't grounds for an intervention."
"Oh, OK." I said. "Is there any other reason we're supposed to be here, or can we go?"
"You can go, but I'm helping you with the sessions now. Wednesdays and Thursdays when you two get here." she said.
She seems nice enough, maybe a bit strict and kick ass, I thought.
She's the one who's been able to deal with her demon. I don't like her.
I don't care.
The three of us left the Chamber while Allie was still on the floor. Alec decided to take off and go do something, leaving us alone, and when I looked at the time, my stomach dropped.
"Oh, crap. I gotta go," I said.
"Or is that an excuse to get away from Allie?" he asked.
"It's both." I said, looked at him. Tan face, deep amber eyes - stop! "Bye."
"Wait - would your mom mind if I came along?" he asked, a mischievous smirk on his face.
"She thinks we're together." I pointed out.
"Then we'll keep up the act."
"This is the last time we put on the dating show." I said angrily. A small part of me wanted it to be real, the other was screaming for me to get a hold of myself to see if it was only an infatuation.
"Deal." he said.
Remind me why I do this?
Because you like the boy, snickered the demon.
Says the thing that said love was conveyed to full a void, I snarled.
Love will always be the downfall of everyone.
For some reason I couldn't explain, that scared me a bit.