Hello, people! Ok, so there is a pretty long chapter ahead. I hope you enjoy!
Also, I can't believe how many people are starting to read this. I was browsing Wattpad's 'Up and Coming' stories today and saw mine on there and just had a HUGE freak out. It was a happy moment.
The picture for the chapter is the one and only James. Don't we just love him?
Don't forget to comment and vote if you like this!
-mquistey
***
The walk back to my house was quick. We hadn't gotten as far as I thought, and I was fuming. But, I was mostly angry at myself. If I would have just sucked up the cold and dark night, maybe I would have made it home on my own. Then, I wouldn't have to deal with what was sure to come.
We were both standing at the edge of the woods, staring back at my house. Samuel was waiting for me to make the first move. But, I couldn't. The only thing I could think about was what was going to happen when I crawled back in through my window.
Samuel was growing impatient, but he was trying not to let it show. He wasn't pacing, but he raised and lowered his paws countless times whilst flicking his tail.
"I'm going to need you to hang back for just a minute." I half glanced at Samuel, rushing to finish my sentence when he froze. "Just until I can get back inside. Then, you're welcome to stay all night. Promise." I knew there was no getting rid of him.
When Samuel still didn't move, I tried another tactic. "You know, it might be better - for me - if you weren't - if you didn't - well, I mean, if you could-" I gestured to his wolf body, hoping Samuel caught what I was trying to say. When he looked at me with confused eyes, I didn't spare kind words. I was growing impatient, too.
"James won't be as pissed or threatened if he doesn't see another werewolf trying to sneak into his house. We don't want James mad, because if he is then he will take it out on my mom. He's not stupid enough to do anything to me if he sees you, so he'll do the next best thing. Please, if you want to make this easier just please go back to being human." I finished my desperate ramblings, out of breath. I prayed that Samuel would listen to me. If he didn't, I was sure there would be an equivalent of a blood bath in my bedroom.
Samuel suddenly stood up and moved back into the trees. I stood still, listening for the signs of what he was doing. Silent minutes passed by and just as I was about to give up on him, Samuel's voice met my ears.
"I need clothes."
I stammered something unintelligible as I searched for something to hand him. I scanned my body trying to decide if I could spare an article of clothing. However, I was only in a t-shirt and shorts.
"I don't exactly have anything," I stuttered.
I heard him sigh heavily. "Look, I'm trying here. Really trying to let you play this out. But, this is a bad idea. I don't even know why I'm listening to you, to be honest."
I ignored him. "Where are your clothes from before?"
"Torn. Gone. I wasn't exactly planning on turning tonight so I didn't bring any extra with me." I noticed his voice was growing tired.
I eyed my house again, debating my options. "I can go and get you something from my house?"
He didn't dismiss my suggestion but huffed in annoyance. "Like I said, this is a bad idea. If either of us were smart, we'd be halfway to my house by now."
I scowled slightly, noting he couldn't see my expression. "I'm going to get you clothes from my room." I started to walk forward, but I heard frantic shuffling behind me. I didn't dare turn around when he spoke, noticing his voice was closer than before. I wasn't in the mood to face a naked man.
"No," He hesitated. "You know what, this was a mistake. We're done. Let's go." I felt him close the distance between us, but I quickly jumped forward.
"No!" I hissed in his direction. "Look, here is what we will do. Let's just walk to my house and I will climb in the window and get you some pants. You can just follow behind me."
I heard Samuel groan and call my name, but I was already walking. I didn't have to listen for his footsteps to know he was coming after me. Whether to follow my plan or take me back, I didn't yet know. And I wasn't going to sit still to find out.
By the time I reached my window, my heart was pounding. I shuffled silently through the bushes, placing my hands on the ledge to lift myself up. Before I did though, I peered into my room. The white walls and carpet seemed untouched, the only thing out of place was a yellow pillow on the ground. Everything seemed to be the same from when I left earlier. I let a glimmer of hope fill my chest. Maybe James had been too drunk to notice my absence.
It wasn't easy lifting myself back up into my room. At least, it wasn't easy to do quietly. I couldn't help the thud that sounded when I fell onto my floor. At the noise, I held my breath and fixed my gaze on my bedroom door. There was no commotion beyond it though, so I chanced standing. I knew Samuel was waiting by my window, no doubt growing impatient.
I quickly ran to my closet, fishing out the biggest pair of pants I owned. In the end, I found gray sweats that belonged to my brother. I hesitated when I picked them up, not wanting Samuel to ruin a memory. However, movement outside my bedroom door quickly threw my hesitations away. I dashed to the window and threw the pants out just before my door was opened.
My mother peeked her head inside, brown hair falling through the door frame. "Samantha?"
I let out a sigh of relief. "Ya, it's me," I mimicked her whispers.
She smiled and came into my room, walking carefully. Floors were known to creak around here. She walked slowly to my bed and sat down, motioning for me to sit next to her. "Where were you? I had to keep James distracted all night."
As I sat next to her, I bowed my head in guilt. I knew how she kept him occupied. "I'm so sorry, mom. Are you alright?" I studied her small frame. There weren't any fresh bruises lining her freckles, nor any blood falling from her limbs. However, her clothing was torn in various places, pale skin showing through the fabric.
She smiled weakly. "Of course. But, you didn't answer me. Where were you?"
I fidgeted with my hands, forgetting the broken bone in my wrist. I tried not to let it show when the pain shot up my arm. "Well, I-" I realized I couldn't answer her question. My eyes darted to the window where I knew Samuel was listening. Any minute and he would probably come barging into the room. At that thought, I quickly came up with a response. "I just went for a walk."
My mother's eyes narrowed and it was my turn to smile weakly. What I said hadn't been a lie, but it wasn't the full truth. She knew that.
"Samantha, you know what would've happened if he found you weren't here."
I sighed. "I know. I'm sorry." I let my hair fall over my face as I glared towards my window.
"The doctors called today." My mother's voice quieted considerably.
The sentence sent me into shock. I forgot my anger and looked towards my mother, panicked. She noticed my expression and quickly continued.
"Don't worry, Will is fine." Something in her voice made me question if that was actually true.
"But?" I prodded, worried for my brother.
"Well, they talked to James so I didn't get everything. But from what I gathered, they need to do another surgery."
"I thought the last one fixed everything?"My voice heightened.
"I guess not. I can try and get the details from James tomorrow, but that's all I know."
Silence fell between us. Panic was now coursing through my veins. My brain nagged and reminded me that Samuel was still outside, listening, but I didn't care. I hesitated before asking my next question, opening and closing my mouth countless times. But, I had to know. My mom noticed my unease and put her hand on mine. I looked down to hide the hurt from my wrist, the gasp of pain becoming my question.
"How are we going to afford this one?"
Her eyes darkened. Since humans were no longer in charge, things were done differently. If you were in a pack, a doctor was always provided and it was completely free. If you had no werewolf ties, you brought food and supplies to whoever helped you as a recompense for their work. My mother had told me we used to use money, but it was gone now. Useless, the wolves told us.
Since we fell into neither of those categories, we had to get creative. We still paid the doctors and the hospital, but we had to do more. Most people wouldn't even look at you if you were exiled, so we had to pay extra for any care. We'd been doing this for months with my brother, and it was beginning to wear on us. We weren't wealthy in the first place, and by now we were practically run dry.
"I don't know, hon. I can ask James-"
"No," I cut her off quickly. He didn't like to 'sacrifice' for us, and he'd make sure we paid him back how he saw fit. "No. You know what, you can have this. It should be enough."
I got off the bed and walked once again to my closet. I lifted a sack out of the corner where it laid, hidden. My mother saw the sack, knowing what it was before I could tell her.
"Honey, no. You need that." I looked back to see her shaking her head vigorously.
I sighed, pulling out the heavy sack with my good hand. It held countless items to live off of for a few weeks. Clothes, toiletries, nonperishable food, even some sweets my boss had rewarded me with a few weeks back. I'd been saving this sack, building up my supplies, until I could finally leave.
Ignoring her protests, I pulled the items into the middle of my floor, handing her the strings. She stared, dumbfounded, at everything I had acquired. She had no idea I'd saved so much. For fear of having to lie to James, she never asked me about my plans of escape.
"If this can help Will, then there's no question in using it. I will find another way." As I spoke, I again sat next to her on my bed. At this point, her dark blue eyes were bright with tears. I wrapped my arm around her waist and snuggled into her side, trying to provide comfort. However, it was short lived.
We both suddenly heard a noise sound just beyond my door. Broken and stuttered words met our ears, clearly the drunken language of James.
"Oh, I thought he was out for the night. I'm sorry honey." My mother quickly rose from my bed and half jogged out of my room. She didn't spare a glance back at me, knowing that she had a limited amount of time to get to James before he became conscious again.
I was listening to her sweet voice coo over James when a creak at my window brought me back to reality. I watched, slightly amused, as Samuel tried to gracefully pull himself through the opening. Though he didn't fall inside like I had, his legs were bent at weird angles to support his body. Before I could catch his eye, he was staring at the sack beneath my feet.
"You're not supposed to hoard supplies, Samantha."
I stared at him, appalled. With every sentence, he reaffirmed my hatred for his kind. "That's what you gathered from that conversation?"
"Well, no," He stuttered over his words.
"Forget it," I snapped.
I stood up, picking up the sack as I did so. I dragged it back to its place inside my closet, shutting the door with a satisfying thud. My good hand was resting on the handle, taking a breather before I had to face Samuel again.
"Who's Will?" He asked me. I was grateful he'd whispered, but I wasn't in the mood to speak to him.
I rested my forehead on the wood above my hand. "My brother."
Before he could respond I turned away from my closet, and him, and walked to my small nightstand. It was white and yellow, decorated with various pink and purple butterflies. I'd had the thing since I was a little girl. The wood was starting to deteriorate from years of use, but it held up pretty nicely.
Absentmindedly, I dug through the various drawers until I pulled out a brace for my wrist. I'd used it often. James loved to drag me around the house.
Once I had it slipped over my skin, I slowly turned to face Samuel. He was still standing by the window, clearly not knowing what to do with himself. I studied his features, getting a good look at him for the first time.
His skin was tan and dark, much darker than mine. He had black hair that was cut short but left longer in the front. His face was broad, much like his body, and his nose was wide set. Scruff lined his jaw, accentuating the square features. I couldn't help but realize how handsome he was. Maybe not in the model way, but in the raw and human way.
Not that he was anywhere close to human.
Before he could notice me staring, I turned away. "So what are you going to do now?" I sat on my bed, studying the carpet intently.
Samuel was thrown off by my question, but he tried not to show it. He sat down on my window seat, staring at me. "Well, a shirt would be nice."
"I don't exactly have anything that would fit you."
"Fair enough," he mused. "Then how about some questions?"
"Questions?" I grimaced. I just wanted to sleep.
"Questions. For instance, why are you hoarding all that stuff?" He stood up and made a move to come and sit next to me. When he reached the bed, however, I moved to the floor and leaned against my wall. He sighed, but still sat on the mattress. I noted how he made my twin bed look like it belonged to a toddler.
I considered my answer. I could tell him my plan, but it was obvious he'd only stop me from going. I knew I couldn't lie to him, so I did the next best thing.
"I don't want to answer that question."
Samuel sighed. I knew he was tired, too. "Ok, fine. What happened to your brother?"
"Not answering that either." I was being impudent and childish, but I didn't care.
"Why not?" Samuel practically growled.
"Because I just met you and I'm not going to tell you my life story."
Tension settled in the room like a wave crashing onto land. But, it wasn't relaxing, calm, or beautiful. This wave was loud, wild, and dangerous.
"You know, you're extremely stubborn." Samuel spat at me.
"So I've been told."
He suddenly sprung up from his position on my bed and began to pace my small room. It took him barely two strides to cross the room entirely. As I was watching him, my eyes fell onto my alarm clock that sat on my nightstand. It was late. Much too late. I sighed in defeat. This was a battle that could be fought when I didn't have to wake up early to work.
"Look, it's late. I need to sleep."
Samuel stopped pacing, watching me. "Fine."
I stood up at went to my bed, pulling off a spare blanket before laying it out on the floor. I didn't particularly care if he was comfortable, but I wanted to make it clear he wasn't sleeping in my bed. As I was slipping off my socks, I heard cracking behind me. I turned around just in time to see Samuel disappear and a wolf emerge from his body. It was a harrowing sight, to say the least. I stood in shock for a few moments before I could pull myself together. In the light of my room, I could see the full details of his wolf form. His coloring was a light blonde, almost white. Spots of caramel dance along his back and up to his head. Bot of his ears had the caramel color as well.
"Great. He's a wolf again," I spoke to myself, turning away. As I did so I noticed the gray sweats he'd been wearing had been folded and were now sitting on the windowsill. Smiling slightly, I turned off the light and crawled into bed.
Samuel was curled up on the blanket I'd laid out for him, clearly content. As I settled into my bed I listened to his foreign breathing, knowing it was going to be a long night