"I don't believe you." I spat into the phone causing everyone in the room to tense up, Derek more so than the others.
"Fine, then you can call him but he was in mood when he called me a minute ago. He wants to make sure if you need to, you can blow some guys head off. That doesn't really sound like Charlie, him being a cop in all, but certain situations can lead a man to do crazy things. Oh and by the way I heard you died. Now how did that exactly work since even I saw your dead body but then when I went to show Charlie there was a wolf in the morgue? Makes me wonder what kind of people you have been hanging out with."
"What are you getting at?" The phone was gripped tightly in my hand and I needed to make sure Nick was talking about Derek before I said anything stupid.
"Don't be stupid you know what I'm talking about, Derek and the rest of his retched family. Poor innocent Lauren was charmed by the big bad wolf and the demon condemned the maiden turning her with his lust and power till she too obeyed the full moon. My father told me that story when I was little and swore on his life that the human who changes into the beast is the key to everything."
"So what do you want?"
"I know you will protect your precious Derek so I have a proposition. I won't mess with your friends, or should I say pack, on one condition."
"What's the condition?"
"You come to the gun range everyday so that I can study you and she what exactly you unlock. There has never been anything like you before and I can sense that you are different from the normal beasts. Oh and just some quick advice telling Derek won't be a good idea because he won't let you go and then I'll have to kill him and just take you. Be smart Lauren and chose the easy way, you have one hour to get over here or I'm coming for you and your precious wolves." Nick hung up the phone leaving me shocked and confused. Derek had been too far away for him to have heard Nick.
"I forgot that I had to help Katy with a project at school, I need to go to school. I'll see you guys later." I quickly ran out of the house with my keys in hand before anyone could say anything. I pulled out of the driveway quickly and drove off before Derek could stop me. I pulled into the gun range and it felt like I was staring at my own personal hell, but I had to protect Derek and my friends. As soon as I got out of my truck Nick opened the door to the large rectangular building he called home.
"Smart girl; now follow me to a... training room." He didn't say anything else and just walked away. I took a deep breath and followed after him. My heart pounded in my chest as I followed Nick downstairs and through a maze of halls. We came to a large door and Nick took out keys to unlock it. "My dad had this room built when he first heard about you; well he didn't know it was going to be you, but what you did. He had everything set up for when he found you. Now I just have to complete the task of going through everything with you."
When the door opened I saw a room that would give anyone chills. In the middle was a medal chair with large steel restraints attached to it. Chains decorated the back wall and one big light hung over the horrid chair. Hospital equipment dotted the area around the chair. Knives and other objects used for cutting were laid out on a table. Strange liquids were in bottles on the counters and I couldn't even fathom what lay in the cabinets.
"Please sit in the chair and be still." I did as he said pushing past the fear that was consuming me. I had to do this if I wanted the ones I loved to stay safe. Nick locked my hands and feet in the restraints. "It's just a precaution since I have no idea how you will react to anything." He took one of the medical machines and hooked it up to my head and chest. "This will monitor your brain and heart responses to a stimulus I supply, first up the smell of wolf's bane."
He went to the counter and retrieved a small bottle with a purple powder in it. When my eyes spotted the purple powder my heart rate increased and the machine monitoring my brain started going off. I didn't understand what was going on and I didn't even know what wolf's bane really did. "The subject has had a response at the sight of wolf's bane assuring that her instincts are strong." I saw a tape recorder in his hand and then I noticed the cameras that were place around the room. Nick pulls up a chair and sits before opening up the bottle. I feel my vision shift as the fumes from the bottle enter my nostrils. It makes my head hurt causing the machine to start beeping. "The scent causes a mild shift, eyes change and it appears nothing else. Subject has received an increase in brain activity indicating distress and possibly a headache."
Then without warning Nick pours out the wolf's bane onto my skin. The powder feels like acid against my skin and I hear it hissing and sizzling. I scream out and pull at the restraints. "Subject shows a heightened sensitivity to wolf's bane compared to normal wolves. It appears to have burnt the skin and a sizzling noise was produced from direct contact with the powder."
Nick continued to place the wolf's bane on my skin, each time receiving the same reaction. He left the wolf's bane on for as long as possible without it breaking into my bloodstream. He recorded everything including my screams. He talked about the pitch of them as they grew louder when he inflicted more pain. At one point the screams stopped and my body was so exhausted no response came from his final time placing the poisonous powder on my skin.
Nick put away his supplies and turned off all the equipment. He released me from the restraints but I didn't move. I didn't want to move. My head felt like it had exploded and almost every part of my skin felt like it was on fire. I had burns up and down my arms. Nick had, at one point, cut off my shirt leaving only my sports bra for upper coverage. I was wearing jeans so he had left my legs alone. The burns covered all over my chest and stomach but nick made sure that if the wounds didn't heal they would be easy to cover up. He placed a black hoodie over me and then turned to the door. "Make sure you have shorts and a sports bra on tomorrow. I will test you in them every time you come. You may also want to put your hair up because I will test you physically as well."
I sat up in the chair and slid on the hoodie with painful difficulty. I got up and went to the car without saying anything else. I drove home as pain radiated up and down my body. My skin tried to heal but it was burnt back off causing a constant cycle of burning flesh. I tried to think about something, anything else but the pain was killing me. I pulled into my driveway and realized I was home about an hour earlier than when I get out of school. I sat outside in the driveway for an hour. I didn't even have the strength to worry about anyone seeing me outside. I felt like I was dying, my body didn't know how to respond. Every time it healed it would be damaged again.
By the time it hit three o'clock I couldn't think. I stumbled out of my truck and slammed the door shut. My body was physically exhausted from constantly re-healing my skin. I opened the door and took in a deep breath. Desiret was the first person to see me. She could tell there was something wrong, but couldn't see my open wounds. "Lauren are you okay, you look like you're sick or something?"
"It was just a long day, I'm fine. I'm going to take a shower and come back down in a little bit." I walked through the house and avoided making eye contact with Derek. He couldn't know, not now, not ever. I had to protect him. The water ran over my skin making me want to scream, but I held back. I had to be strong now, for myself and the ones I cared about. I put on a sweatshirt and some shorts and headed out of my room. Derek was standing outside my room when I opened the door. I gave a forced smile for it was all I could do.
"What's wrong?" He spoke softly and gently. I wish I could tell him because I knew he would know my lies and become angry. I felt like one of those stupid characters in a story that lies to the ones they cared about. I guess you can't judge a situation till you're in it.
"Today's my friends last day here and I need to spend time with them." I went to walk past him but Derek grabbed my arm causing me to wince. Derek looked at me in confusion.
"We will talk about this later." I nodded knowing I wasn't really going to talk. I went down the stairs at an incredibly slow pace. I wanted this day to be over so I could just go sleep.
"Hey, how was your day?" Miles asked enthusiastically. I just smiled at him. "That bad, huh, well I have some new that might cheer you up. Desiret and I decided to stay the rest of the week. We already called our parents and they said it was alright. But we totally get it if you need to go to school. We don't expect you to miss it for us."
"That's great but schools kind of been kicking my butt so I'll take the week off. I might show up for one class because Katy needs me to help her, but then I'll just leave."
"You're really going to miss school, Miss Perfect Attendance? When we were home you would never miss school even if you were sick." Desiret chimed in.
"I've already missed a day or two anyway so it's no big deal. Since you guys are staying do you mind if I go to bed, I'm just really tired." My friends had no problem with it and Derek acted like he left. By the time I made it up the stairs Derek was already waiting for me.
"So are you going to tell me what's wrong? And before you think about it, I know you were sitting in your truck for a good hour or so." I flopped onto to my bed forgetting about my burns. As soon as my back bounced the bed I winced in pain. The vibration had shot through my body as if tiny fire ants had just been sent in a swarm across me. "What's wrong?" Derek started pulling up my sweater and I tried to stop him, but I hurt too much for my arms to move fast enough. Derek's eye widened at the sight of my skin. "Lauren, tell me right now what happened. You should have healed. You're a werewolf this shouldn't have happened."
"Katy and I were doing a science experiment and it went wrong. I don't know what was in it, but the glass containing the chemicals shattered and got all over me. It burnt my arms and torso. They tried to send me to a hospital, but I assured them I was fine and I would just go home. I left before my teacher could say anymore and I stayed in my truck for an hour because I was too tired to get out of it." Derek gave me a look and I knew he doubted my story, but I had said it so fast and left no pauses for thinking he half believed me. "Can we just go to sleep, I'm really tired and it's been a long day."
"I don't believe you and I will find out why you are lying to me." Oh great, why couldn't he be stupid or just oblivious like Miles. Derek reached gently over me and turned off the light. He didn't say a word and part of me was more scared of that than him being angry.