Dezmin was still sleeping when me and Leah got back to the nurse's office. Liam was still at the head office trying to call someone to get us out of this storm. l looked out the window and saw that it was going crazy out there. l could hear the rain pitter patter on the windows and the roof. l laid down the blankets that Leah had asked me to get. l pulled down one of them on Dezmin when his eyes snapped open.
"Who're you?!" he yelled, and me, obviously surprised, said, "What do you mean?"
"Huh?" Dezmin rubbed his head. Then as he saw Leah, his entire face perked up. "Sis!"
"Oh, Dezmin, You're up." She came over and felt his forehead with her strangely pale hand. "But you still have that fever. So go back to sleep okay?" Dezmin whined at first but then obeyed his sister. "But who's that guy?" He asked. Leah looked at him for a minute. Then she pulled up a blanket and put it over Dezmin. "Oh, he's Rou, one of your classmates whose hand you wouldn't let go the entire time you were asleep." Dezmin stared at Leah for a while, then turned to me and stared at me for even longer.
"W-what?" l asked, a little uncomfortable. "Do l have something on my face?" Dezmin's cheeks went red. Leah giggled a little. Right then, l saw an extremely horrified look on Dezmin's face. Leah saw it as well. He turned over on his side and pulled his covers over his head. "G'night, Sis." Dezmin muttered before Leah led me out of the room. "Sleep well, love." she whispered to him as she closed the door. We walked to the office where we saw Liam on the phone.
"Yeah, l know it's a real storm. Yeah. We're in the school. Still? Yes. Okay. Wait--what? No, repeat that last part." Then there was a pause before Liam started yelling. "ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?! THERE'S A CHANCE OF THE POWER GOING OUT AND YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU GUYS CAN'T GET HERE TILL TOMORROW MORNING?! MY GOD! NO! THAT'S NOT GONNA DO ANY GOOD! NO! LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING! YOU JUST FOCUS ON GETTING US OUT OF HERE, YEAH?!" There was another pause as he took a deep breath and sighed. "Fine. Yeah." He then put down the phone.
"They can't get here?" Leah guessed.
"Yeah." he replied. "We're gonna have to stay here till morning."
Leah looked at Liam with a worried face. "Um, Li?"
"Yeah?"
"It's coming."
Liam's eyes widened. He looked at me then back to Leah. "You're gonna tell Rou?"
"He's gonna find out anyway." she replied. l was utterly confused. What were they gonna tell me?
"It's that close?" Liam asked as she nodded. "l'm gonna be with Dezmin." He ran off towards the nurse's office.
"What are you guys talking about?" l asked Leah. "What's going on?"
Leah bit her lip. "Oh...l don't know where to start." She took a deep breath and started. "Well... it's just that... Dezmin is a..... werewolf."
"Hah?" l said to her. "Am l hearing you right?"
"Yes." She replied. "That's why he fainted the today. And the fever. It's all part of his condition."
Condition? Yeah, l remember her talking to Liam about that.
"His condition?" l asked. Still unsure.
"lt means he's close. To turning."
"Can l ask? How'd all this happen?"
"He... was a werewolf from the moment he was born. He was abandoned by his pack and it was my parents who found him. So we were raised together and he became my little brother."
No wonder they have the same last name. And that conversation too. l guess it makes sense. "So... When you said it was coming.... what did you mean?"
"Well... When a werewolf turns 15, they are able to turn into a full fledged wolf. Dezmin lasted for an entire year and a half. Until today." she said, pacing back and forth the hall.
"So how close is it? Do you have any idea?"
She nodded. "Tonight. Most likely."
A lightning struck and for a moment l thought l heard a howl. But it was probably my imagination because l felt the ground underneath me shake. And it wasn't just a little shake. More like a ground breaking thrust. The walls of the school started to crumble. Leah shrieked and l was panicking. l remembered Dezmin and Liam in the nurse's room so l grabbed Leah's hand and ran for the office. Opening the door, l shoved Leah inside and closed it. l saw Liam protectively holding Dezmin who was still asleep.
"Is this an earthquake?!" he shouted over the noise of the crumbling earth. l nodded as l told the three of them to go stay as close together as possible. As l went to join them as well, the ground shook harder than it had before and Dezmin slipped out of Liam's grasp. The ground shook open and l saw that Dezmin was gonna fall. My hands instinctively reached out and grabbed him. The next thing l remember was Dezmin's weight pulling me towards the crack and Leah and Liam's calls as everything went black.
***
"Rou?" l heard a faint voice whisper.
"Wake up." l was shook awake by Dezmin grasping my shoulders. l slowly got up, rubbing my head. "Where are we?" l asked him, eyeing the surroundings. lt was all rocks, above and around us. lt looked like the ground had caved in on us. "No idea." he replied. He got up and walked around. There was quite a bit of space underneath the school, which l'm assuming is where we are.
"Oh, shit." l said. Then l remembered. Leah and Liam.
"What?" Dezmin asked, noticing my curse.
"Leah and Liam."
"What about them?"
"They were with us before the earthquake happened."
Dezmin looked at me wide blue eyed. "Are you sure?" he asked and l nodded. "But they weren't here when l woke up!" this time, he swore and started pacing around. As he was walking, he bumped into the wall, and in his mood, he was quite angry at the wall being there, so he punched it. The wall cracked under his touch. Now, that wasn't the first time l had seen his display of strength. l remember. lt was in my first year of high school.
Flashback:
"Hey!" a voice behind me said. l turned to see a tall, rough looking guy towering over me. One look at his face and l immediately regretted taking this way home.
"What?" l asked him, making sure my voice didn't crack underneath my fear.
"You just happen to be walking on my turf." he said. "Usually, l'd just get one of my guys to kick you out, but you're a cute one, you know?" l cursed in my head. They were the guys that made with any person, guy or girl, regardless of anything, as long as the person was good looking. l was frozen with fear as l felt his hands through my light brown hair. "Green eyes, eh?" he said. "Don't see that often."
"Mitchel."
The guy in front of me turned around and l saw him quivering. "S-sir." he said. "Hello."
The stranger made his way to pull out the man in front of me and snarl, "l gave you specific instructions not to make trouble. So why am l catching you fooling around?"
The man l assumed was Mitchel, scoffed. "Just cause the boss likes you doesn't mean you can tell me what to do. After all, the difference between us is great, isn't it? l mean, l am bigger and older than you are, after all."
The younger guy just stared straight ahead. "That maybe so, but l do have the right to tell you what to do. And if you don't do as l say, l will resort to violence." He pulled out his fist and pummelled him into the ground. l was amazed because the ground itself cracked and l was scared that it was gonna cave in. As l got out of that place, l thought l'd never see them again. But to my dismay, he just happened to go to the same school as me. Even if he was a year higher. He was the guy l came to know as Dezmin.
End of flashback.
Though, Dezmin's strength amazed me yet again. Not only did the wall crack, but it actually did cave in. As the rocks came falling down, l felt a hand grab my wrist and being pulled into the wall. Before l knew it, l was stuck in a incredibly small space, being uncomfortably close to Dezmin. He then moved up on his knees but since the place was very, very small, l got pushed into the wall, making me mumble an ow. He gave me an apologetic look then went back to whatever he was trying to do. l tilted my head up to come face to face with Dezmin's abs. Oh lord. l felt my cheeks heat up and it felt like l was gonna suffocate in this cramped place.
"Hey." Dezmin said as he crouched back down. He pointed upwards where l could see was a hole. "There's a way to get out of here. Although l don't know where the hole leads, l could feel wind so there must be a way out somewhere up there." l nodded and he grabbed my waist. l felt myself heat up again.
"W-what're you doing?!" l whisper-yelled.
"Hoisting you up. You're too short to reach it anyway so you can't complain." he stated plainly. l pouted to the fact that he had pointed out my height. l moved up anyway and in a matter of minutes, me and him were crouched in an even smaller space, though this time, we couldn't even sit without banging our heads on the wall. lt was kind of like the crawl space in my house but this was smaller. But Dezmin was right. l could feel the cool air hit my face. With Dezmin's signal, l started crawling through the small tunnel and l suddenly became very self conscious with Dezmin staring right into my back. Suddenly, the wall began shaking and crumbling. lt was probably the aftershock of the earthquake. l felt a hand grip onto my white shirt. Even without looking, l saw that it was trembling. l looked behind me to see Dezmin staring at the wall behind us, his body, trembling every time a rock or boulder hit the ground which was probably every other second. Now that the wall above us had collapsed on the walls to our side, l could sit without hitting my head. Though, tiny rocks fell on me anyway. As l sat up, Dezmin's arms went around my waist. l pulled his face up to mine. His blue eyes were quivering and l found myself as surprisingly calm, considering that we might die here.
"l'm sorry." he said. "l can't do anything..."
"Nah." l replied. "It's fine."
"How come you're so calm?" he asked, his head still in my arms. "We could die here, you know."
"Honestly, l don't know. I've never been in a situation as bad as this. But truthfully, if we do die here, than l'm in a way happy that this is the way l'm dying."
"Why?"
"Because if we do die, then we'll die together, right?" l said, not knowing where my words are coming from. "l came to know that life is fragile and that any little thing can break it. So if l were to die, l realized, that it was better if l died with someone else. That way l, nor the other person will need to go through the pain of dying alone."
Dezmin smiled. "You sure seem to look at the bright side don't you?" l nodded. He buried himself further into my lap. "My sister really would be glad for you right now."
"Leah?" l asked. "Why's that?"
He looked at me for a while then smiled. "No reason. No reason at all."
Then, the shaking suddenly stopped and we could see sunlight through the rubble. Dezmin immediately bolted upright and ran to the light. l followed him and saw that we were in an unfamiliar place. There were trees everywhere and it looked like we were in the woods. Where? l have no idea. l have never been in any kind of forest my entire life. Dezmin was walking towards the larger oak trees and he seemed to be looking for something. For a second, l thought l saw something beside me. Seeing as there was nothing there, l looked towards Dezmin to see where he was going. He was nowhere to be seen. l quickly walked to the direction l last saw him and looked around. There were a whole ton of trees and l couldn't see a single thing. Then l heard a hiss. Then a groan. Followed by a whimper. lt sounded like somebody was in pain! l walked past a red stained rock with pink flowers on it. In the middle of a clearing, l saw Dezmin on the ground. Surprised, l went to him and pulled him up and l saw his face contorted in pain."Dezmin?! What's wrong?"
He opened his eyes and gave me me shocked look. Then, he grasped pulled himself away from me and threw up into bushes. l held my nose because it smelled like vomit all over here. l felt like l was gonna puke. When Dezmin got a hold of himself, he was shaking and breathing hard. He looked at me. "What the fuck are you doing here?!" His voice didn't even sound like him. More animal like than human. He got away from me and got up on all fours. That's when l saw something l never imagined. This was like you're a eight year old and you have an older sister. One day you get home from school and catch your sister making out with your boyfriend.
Yeah, l would be scarred for life. And what l saw then was, in a way, better than that. But not by much.
Dezmin's body was bending in ways l don't think were possible. His arms and legs, shortening, his spine in an angle that hurt me by just watching, with hair sprouting everywhere. And his face. This was the change that Leah and Liam were talking about.
This was what was coming.
And before l knew it, there was a enormous wolf standing in front of me.
lt was quite a sight actually. His glistening white fur shining bright in the sunlight and his blue eyes shone every time they hit the light. But after the change he just went through, Dezmin was exhausted. His wolf body planted himself on the ground as he closed his eyes for a moment. l was scared because there was a huge carnivorous animal in front of me, but when he turned his head to face me, l saw that he was still that same Dezmin. He averted his eyes from me as if he was ashamed of himself. And me being the fool that l am, felt the need to touch his fur and ears. So when his eyes were closed, l crawled on my knees and held my hand out to him. He moved away from me. l moved closer and he moved yet again farther away. Annoyed by his actions, l held my hand in front of his face.
"Here, wolfie, wolfie." l whispered to him.
He gave me this look like, 'really?' and moved away again. l pouted and moved right in front of him and l looked him straight in the eye.
"Do you think l'm afraid of you?" l asked.
He looked at me in the eye and slowly nodded.
"l'm not, okay?" i told him, "Well, l admit l was a little at first but not anymore. And..."
He looked up at me, expecting more.
"And l really wanna touch your ears."
He sneezed. l guess he laughed at the fact l had just made and it ended up as a sneeze since his entire mouth was in the grass. He then looked up at me with hopeful eyes and l realized that he was letting me touch him. l moved my hand to his ears and slowly stroked them as he shivered under my touch. l was sitting cross legged on the ground so his head made its way to me and put himself on my thigh. l looked at him and now, he really seemed to be sleeping. Too much excitement for one day, l guess. Dezmin's breathing was slowing and l could feel his throat and chest move every time he did breathe. l tried not to squirm around because the vibration in his throat was really tickling me. Then it occurred to me. Where were we? What time was it? And what about Leah and Liam? My thoughts were interrupted by Dezmin's body shaking. "Dezmin? You okay?" He quickly moved away from me and ran into the farther end of the forest. l ran after him to make sure he was okay. l couldn't find him at first and just ended up wandering, and yelling out his name. By the time l did find him he was in his human form with nothing but his pants on, sitting cross legged in the middle of two giant oak trees, staring at the moss and grass covered ground. "Uh, Dezmin? You okay, now?" l made my way to him and his head immediately snapped up. He got up and moved around me. He went to the tree behind me and crouched down and sniffed it. "Did you see a red rock anywhere?" he asked. l remembered as l was looking for him l did see one.
"Yeah." l replied. "A little ways away from here, there's a red stained rock with pink flowers on it."
"Shit!" he looked around frantically and grabbed me over his shoulder. "What're you doing?!?!" l yelled at him. "We gotta get out of here!" he said and started running. "We're in a pack's territory!"
"A what?"
"A wolf tribe." he explained. "The red rocks are marking symbols for a wolf tribe's territory. The one you saw had pink flowers on it, didn't it?" l nodded. "That means its not just a wolf tribe! lt's a werewolf tribe! And if it's the one l'm thinking of, then we're in trouble!"
"You got that right!" a voice hovered over us. Something black just flew over us, making it really sandy in the air. When it was clear enough to see, there were two brown wolves in front of us, followed by a tall, dark brown haired man a little older than we are and a girl about our age, with deathly pale skin.
"And it's a heck of a lot of trouble you've gotten yourself into this time, snow wolf."