Full Moon 2

Chapter One

‘One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi’, I bite down on my tongue as the shock is delivered.

Withstanding the shock while in water is one of the many feats, The Center rewards it. Extra meals and extra sleep.

So, every three seconds, I bite down and handle the pain. I swear, I feel my heart stop for a second every time.

But who’s to care about a hybrid girl? No one, that’s who.

The only person who cares for me, is me; but I’m starting to question that.

“Alright!” the man in the all white uniform calls, “bring her out!”

I gasp for air when they bring me out, my lungs were burning! “God!” I scream.

“Shut up, girl!” I stare at the man who works for The Center, hate burns behind my eyes.

The man running the lift, what brought me out of the water, laughs, “Girlie, girlie! I’d bite your tongue if you want that extra food and sleep.”

I do, bite my tongue, because there are kids back where they keep us who need it more than I do.

Biting my tongue, literally, keeps my anger in check. Because God knows if I get angry, the man jabs me in the side with a stick.

“Hey, come on! Climb out of the lift already, we don’t have all day here!” the man waits impatiently.

Climbing out of the net scrapes my sides, but I keep moving. Once I’ve untangles myself, I jump down, landing perfectly on my toes.

“Over here!” the observing white suited man shouts. I trudge over and hold out my hands.

He slaps the cuffs on, and I growl as he pinches my skin. “Watch it, buddy!” I snap.

He chuckles, “I’m not the one who needs to watch it, 23!” he jokes.

23 is not my name, it’s my number, the number in which I was produced. I was the twenty-third prototype for the new lycanthrope, I’ve heard the slang term, werewolf.

The new lycanthrope isn’t like the other, the strong, simple-minded, brutal lycanthrope. We are agile, intelligent, fast, and we have photo-graphic memories.

Our brains are like computer chips, we’ve been uploaded with all we need to know. I have the wisdom of a person who’s lived their whole life.

Wisdom-the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.

I’m not sure if I know what is true or false yet. I’m not sure if Mr. Gilbert’s hair is real, I’m not sure if there’s a reason we’re doing this, I’m not really sure if what they are doing here is true or false.

But wise is what the staff informed me I was, so that’s what I am. I stumble through the hallways of The Center, the man behind me keeps his hand clamped on my neck.

I laugh, as if that will keep me here!

“Where are you taking me?” I ask quickly, realizing I’m not headed down my familiar hallway, to my familiar prison.

“It is not of your concern,” he tells me.

I lose my cool, “It is of my concern!” rage fills my head, my mind, my soul, but because I am what I am, I still think clearly.

It’s not best for me to change here, so I bite my tongue until blood pools in my mouth.

“Decide to listen, 23?” he sneers.

I glare, “No, I decided to ignore,” is all I say. What I say must annoy him because the grip on the back of my neck gets tighter.

He shoves me into a glass room with an operating table. No!

Closing my eyes, images of the knife piercing my skin, blood, pain, darkness, cloud my thoughts.

“Sit!” a woman snaps. A woman? There aren’t any women staff?

“Who are you,” I ask.

Her long red hair trails down over one shoulder, her black skirt-suit hugs her curvy body. I snarl at her.

She laughs, and her navy heels stab the cement floor as she approaches, “Sit on the table, dear. Or I’ll have to make you.”

Her pale skin looks translucent in the flickering florescent lights. “You’ll make me?!” I scoff.

She smiles, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “Do you really want me to show you what I can do, dear? I don’t think you do,” she says in a sing-songy voice.

“Try me,” I give her a fierce look.

Her smile disappears, and she stalks forward, she’s right in my face. Her hand flashes forward, and she lifts me by my neck, slamming me on the table.

She cocks her head to the side, she’s smiling again, “You’re strong, dear. But you’re messing with Mama Bear.”

Mama Bear? I spit in her face, the wad hits her eye, her composure falters, her eyes flash from green to a deep deep red.

She closes here eyes for a moment, deeply breathing. When they open, they’re green. She clips the restraints around my arms and legs.

“We’re going to try a few little tests on you, okay?” she pulls out a needle with a green liquid in it. “This will escalate your anger, I want you to get very, very angry. Well,” she smiles, “you don’t really have a choice. And then, I want you to stop yourself from changing like I just did,” she pats my cheek. “Good luck, dear!” the superficiality drips off the end of her tongue.

She shoots me with up with the green liquid, my vision blurs. Anger, fury, rage all shoot through me, I feel my skin start to split, but I bite the inside of my cheek.

I scream at the pain of the reversal, I’ve never experienced so much pain with a change. One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi.

I open my eyes, and I know they’re brown not the yellow I hate so much.

With a successful grin on my face, I turn to the red-haired woman. “What’s next,” I challenge.

 

The woman, who I found out is called Raven, injects me with green toxins three more times, and each time I pull through unchanged. By the end I feel little pain.

“Very good, dear,” she tells me. She pulls out a clipboard. “So here’s what I know, you’re eighteen years of age, your number is 23, your friends in Prison Five call you ‘Brim’,” she says the name like an insult, “and you are one of the five people who have completed the water shock!” she says this with surprise.

“How do you do it?” she asks like she’s actually interested.

I sigh, “I bite my tongue.” Raven giggles like I’m joking.

“Good girl, good girl!” she picks up another syringe. “Night night,” she smiles wickedly as she put the clear liquid into my arm.

 

I wake up with a start, but I don’t waste anytime coming to my senses. Quickly, I’m up on the balls of my feet. Bright lights flash into my eyes.

Above an intercom explodes, Raven’s voice cutting through the silence, “Hello, we have taken one person from each of our eight prisons for this challenge. We only need two of you though, so have fun because if you don’t find the message, you die. Have fun!”

Raven clicks off, and I look around. I don’t see any other people; all is see is a thick, heavy fog settling in the room. Across the area a person hollers, “Hello! Anybody there? Is this anybody here?!”

If there is anyone else here, they stay silent. I do what I do best, I get angry.

This time I don’t bite my tongue, my skin rips and my eyes are yellow, I see them brightly reflect in the floor.

Now, I can see straight through the fog. What I see is six human forms wandering around and one other wolf form. Here we go.

I speed around the area, searching for any clue. The only thing in the room is a locked door with a yellow warning sign for possible falling lights, and arrow points up,

Skidding to a stop, I stare into the yellow eyes of another wolf. The wolf glances at the door with the sign on it.

It hits me, I look up at the same time as the other wolf. You could only see it if you were a wolf, and if you took the time to look up.

WE ARE MOITORING YOUR MIND, THINK THE COLOR RED AND WE WILL SET YOU FREE, the message read.

I let the color red fill my head, the thought swells and bursts, splattering my brain with the color red.

Suddenly, I’m falling, my anger from earlier turns to worry, and as we fall I change back, naked.

Letting the anger come back, it floods my memories, I change again. The rapid changing is hard on my body, and I howl in pain. My joints, muscles, and bones ache.

We hit hard. The other wolf whimpers and limps off the mat we landed on.

I look up, and standing before us is Raven, Mr. Gilbert, and a man I haven’t seen before. Raven speaks, “23, please go left, into the room. You will find clothing and shoes.” She turns to the other wolf, “5, please go right, into the room. You will find clothing and shoes. Thank you, and congratulations!”

5? I thought the first five prototypes for the new lycanthropes died. I watch the wolf closely.

I follow her directions warily, stepping into the room, I calm my emotions.

Staring at the solid wood door help, the floor is cement, and the walls are white, what a surprise. Changing back, again causing me to wince in pain, each pop, snap, or click makes me cringe.

The door across the space opens, I wait for the girl to talk.

“You couldn’t have put a thicker mat?!” the man cries. Man? Why was I expecting a girl?

I quickly change into the given clothes, a white T-shirt, jeans, and black combat boots. “Ouch!” I curse when I crack my nail opening the door.

Of course, I enter with a bang. “Hey,” I say blandly. Giving our superiors a look of disgust, “When are you going to tell us why we’re here?”

Mr. Gilbert smiles, and I swear I see his hair move, “Shortly, 23. But first we must condition you before we let you in on our secrets,” he marks something on a clipboard.

“Conditioning? What was that we just went through, fun?!” I’m fuming, and my eyes snap yellow. Quickly, I close them, breathe deeply, they go back to brown and I bite my cheek again.

It’s starting to form a callus I bite it so much. “Wow, that was pretty fast,” the guy mutters.

I whip around and stare him down. He’s tall, really tall, but most of the men are. I’d guess six feet four inches. The boys muscle is lean, but you can tell he’s strong. His blonde hair is disheveled and his green eyes are smiling. “What’s so funny!” I shout.

“Nothing,” he chuckles, “just you, Brim.”

My mouth falls open before I quickly shut it, “How do you know my name?”

“23 is your name, but if you’re wondering how I know your nickname that’s another story. But I suppose it really isn’t a story, it’s more like everyone knows your name.”

I laugh, “Yea right! Not everyone…” Raven stops me.

“Stop it, both of you! This here is Mr. Harvey, he’s the man who keeps this place going. He’s also the expert on our targets.” Raven puts a hand on his chest. I gag on the inside.

“Mr. Harvey, is also my lover,” 5 whispers so that only I can hear.

I roll my eyes, “We don’t care about any of that crap! Can we just start our conditioning?!”

Mr. Harvey nods, “Of course, Brim. But you know, you wouldn’t have a callus on your cheek if you weren’t so angry all the time.”

I snarl at him, “That’s none of your business whether I’m angry or not!”

“Actually, it’s all my business since I own you.” Mr. Harvey points to both of us.

“Brim and Dev, will you please follow me,” I look away and spit at the ground, Dev smiles wickedly. Mr. Harvey turns to Mr. Gilbert and Raven, “Will the two of you please relax yourselves? I’ll see you momentarily.”

We follow Mr. Harvey, and he starts talking to us, “Those two don’t want to have any fun. Poor Ms. Raven has such a hard time dealing with that inner bear. You know what I mean,” he winks at us. “But, the thing is I’m excited to tell you about your targets.

“You see, they’re lycanthropes that are not under our protection at the moment, and that makes them highly dangerous. There are three are old originals, two are offspring, one is a new lycanthrope, and one is offspring.

“The new lycanthrope is number 1,” he looks at me.

“What’s this got to do with us? Why can’t you just catch them yourselves?” I ask.

Dev finally says something serious, “Why can’t they just stay out of our way if they’ve done fine this whole time? And how do you even know where they’re at?”

“I know where they’re at as of yesterday, they were in Hood River, Oregon. I posed as an ice cream parlor owner that they stopped by every once in a while. I heard some things, taped some things. I even know where they were staying, but the problem is we can’t take them. There’s too many of them, and two of the girls aren’t allergic to our poisons and toxins because we designed them like that, same as you, Brim.” The things he says as we follow him have me confused.

Ice cream parlor owner, not enough forces to take them on? “What do you want us to do exactly?” Dev asks.

“We want you to track them, and bring us the two girls, there names are Gwen and Alice Greene. Alice Greene is the parent and Gwen Greene the offspring. Also, if you can, try and bring Fynn Holloway, he may be going by a different name though. We injected him when he was an infant, I want to find out why he didn’t change right away.

“The others,” I wince knowing what he’s going to say, “can die.”

“Okay, Sir,” Dev simply says.

Wait, wait, wait! “Wait,” I interject, “are any of them innocent?”

“It’s unknown whether the mother is innocent, she is not a lycanthrope at the time, but that could change very soon,” he smiles savagely. “Why, Brim, are you having a conscious at this moment?”

I glance away, avoiding eye contact, “It’s not important. I was just wondering.”

“Good, we can continue with conditioning which should be pretty simple for the two of you. First, you must be able to stop yourself from changing. Second, you must be able to change whenever you need to. Third, you must be able to change efficiently. Fourth, under no circumstances are you allowed to join their group for real. You may, if the situation comes up, pretend to be one of them, but never for real. We will be installing automatic death chips, which, as they sound, will kill you automatically.

“Fifth, no relationships between the two of you, ever! Sixth, if one of the ones we want is killed, Alice or Gwen Green, you will be killed also. Seventh, keeping in contact with us will be impossible from your end. We will find you, you do not find us. Eight, if you disclose any of our information, we will kill you, and the person you disclosed it to, got it? Ninth, you have three months to find them. When that time is up, if you’ve found them we will meet you at a certain location. If not, you will be killed when we find you, you meet us, or we kill you from a distance with the chip. Finally, tenth, have fun!”

Dev and I give him a look, “Seriously, have fun?”

“Whatever do you mean, it sounds like loads of fun!” Dev’s uncanny happiness drives me crazy.

“What’s the conditioning, exactly?” I ask.

“Basically,” Mr. Harvey starts, “we are going to inject you with a bunch of newly tested serums, these serums will give you new attributes.

“We aren’t exactly sure how they will affect you Dev, since you are the first successful lycanthrope-jaguar hybrid,” Mr. Harvey tells Dev.

“A what?! A lycanthrope-jaguar hybrid?! That’s cat and dog, I don’t understand!” my voice is quickly escalating.

Dev explains this one, “They wanted to see if two totally different animals could survive when made into a hybrid with a human. I was lucky number five apparently. So when I change, I can choose between a jaguar and a wolf. I usually choose wolf because I feel a little more masculine. Plus, how many jaguars do you see in the United States?” Dev’s nonchalant attitude is disturing.

“Okay, but?” I still don’t understand.

“We just need to start you on conditioning. That will take three days on a constant IV drip. The new serum will be slowly added to your genetic make-up. It might take a while, but it will be worth it!”

We finally stop in front of a huge metal door with caution tape stuck all across it. “This looks safe,” Dev mutters.

“Come on, it’s perfectly fine!” says the man who owned an ice cream parlor.

I swallow hard, and enter the room. The walls, floor, tables, and equipment are all steel. “This is nice,” I say.

“Thank you, not very many people say that,” Mr. Harvey claps his hands together. He is a very odd man. “Come on, lie down. The tables will be just a little cold.”

We lay down, and I jump a little at the freezing metal. “Okay give me your right arm, dear.” He says to me first, I swing it out to him.

Before he put the needles in, Dev speaks up, “Can you do it to me first?”

Mr. Harvey shrugs, “Okay, it doesn’t much matter.”

“No,” I snap. I feel like I’m being treated like the weak one, “I’ll go first, ladies first!” I growl at Dev.

“That would require you to be a lady first, 23,” he laughs. “Shoot me up, Harv!”

Mr. Harvey inject the first batch of fluids into him, he inserts the IV drip. After he’s inserted three IVs into Dev, he turns to me. “Now, it’s your turn.”
They all go in like fire, they toxins rush through my bloods. “Won’t our bodies reject this?”

“No, no, no. This works with your genes and DNA, and the other works against it. It’s a very complex process,” Mr. Harvey cleans off his utensils.

“Bye, Harv!” Dev shouts as he opens the door to exit.

Mr. Harvey just mumbles, the door shuts.

“Okay,” Dev turns to me, “I have a idea.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Two

Dev picks up a scalpel, I close my eyes seeing the blood sprout out of the wound. “Hey!” he gets my attention again.

“What do you think of all this?” his eyes motion to underneath our tables. I lean over and look, two audio devices. Bugs.

“It’s okay, I guess. Being picked for this and all; I’m not nervous at all,” the confidence should make sure I don’t get kicked out.

He nods, and breaks his with the scalpel, removing the little red wire. Dev closes it back up. “My turn?” he asks.

“Yea,” I say as he starts babbling. I follow the steps that he took, and remove the red wire. Closing the bug up, it looks like it’s never been touched.

“Okay,” he let’s out a heavy breath.

“There aren’t any cameras?” he shakes his head no.

Brushes his hair off his face, he begins to talk, “No, too obvious. They like to catch people cheating or lying in the act. It’s more fun that way.”

“Why were you acting like a charming, funny, nice guy?” my voice is snarky.

He raises his eyebrows, “Acting? I wasn’t acting, dear,” he mocks me by using Raven’s pet name.

“You better shut it, idiot! I don’t have the time or patience for this. All I want is to find these people, get them, and collect my reward! Is that so bad?” I rest on the steel surface.

He shrugs, “I guess not, but I’ve always wanted to do more. And I want to get out of this place anyways.”

His talk his dangerous, so I tell him so, “You talk about some dangerous stuff, Dev. I can’t follow through with that. You can run and frolic about after we find these guys, but I’m coming back here. I can’t just up and leave these guys.”

“That’s the thing!” he shouts too loudly, “I want to get together an army of us, I want to,” he looks away from me, “never mind. It’s not worth telling you if you already denied everything anyways,” he drops back down on the steel bed, just like I am.

I sigh, I’ve trained myself to not ask questions, although most of the time it doesn’t work. So instead, I just fall asleep because life is much easier when your eyes are closed.

 

I wake up, quickly, breathing heavy. Looking around frantically, I’m scared.

But when I come to my senses I don’t remember what my dream was. I have no idea why I’m breathing heavy, scared, or the least but jumpy.

I look at Dev, but he too was sleeping. The door rattles, and he wakes up. We both stare at the door. “Hello,” Raven says sweetly as she enters the room. “Such a pretty young thing,” she whispers as she drags her finger up Dev’s leg, over his thigh, through his chest, and finally stopping on his lips. “The two of you are going to get your pictures taken, okay? We’re making you IDs, passports, and credit cards. We’re also informing you about your lives and personas.”

“What about our IV drips?” I ask her.

She waves them off, “We’ve just kept you in here to see what you say, but apparently the two of you don’t talk. The minutes the serums touched your blood stream they were activated.”

“What?!” I shout.

Raven smiles, “Calm down, dear, life is good again. Up and at them!” she tears out our IVs and she tears my skin, “Oops!”

Together, she drags us out of the room and into another small office. “There are my stars!” Mr. Harvey yells and walks up to us with open arms. “Let’s make you new people!”

I moan as Raven drags me over to a desk with a mirror, “What are you doing,” I snap as she brings out scissors.

“I’m cutting off your hair, it’s too long,” I look in the mirror at my hair the almost reaches my butt. “It’ll look good trust me!” Raven fake attitude really grates on my nerves.

When she turns the chair around, I look at my new hair. My deep chestnut waves, now, stop right below the shoulder. The deep brown eyes and hair contrast with my pale skin.

I’m made of more thick muscle since my frame is shorter than most other werewolves, reaching the maximum height of five foot six inches.

“Let’s go get your picture taken,” Raven hands me something to wipe the dirt of my face. I do,

“One, two, three!” Mr. Harvey shouts as he clicks and takes Dev’s picture.

“You’re next,” Raven shoves my in front of the white wall.

“One, two, three!” Mr. Harvey takes the picture,

He looks at Raven, and she speaks, “Okay, you,” she points to Dev, “are Alexander Roosevelt, you’re twenty-two and have been married to,” he flashes me a smiles, “Lilly Roosevelt, whose twenty-one, for two years.”

“Lilly?! Do I look like a Lilly to you?” I look at ‘Alexander’, Dev.

He shakes his head no, “I could see you as a,” he scratches his nose, “Jaime.”

Jamie, “Well, it’s better than Lilly.”

Raven rolls her eyes, “Would you rather be Jamie?”

I bob my head up and down, answering yes to her obvious question, “When do we leave, and how are we getting there?” Dev asks what I am thinking.

“You’ll be leaving in three hours, after we complete all your necessary identification procedures. We’ll drop you off, blindfolded, in the town where they last were. We don’t want you knowing where The Center is located,” he makes a tsk tsk sound, and keeps working on our IDs.

Raven speaks up, “The two of you will be going back to the room for now, when we are done we’ll come get you.” She smiles and ushers us back into the steel room.

“Well, I hate to think they’re going to knock us out,” Dev mutters harshly.

Confusion crosses across my face, “What? They said they’re going to blindfold us!”

“Yea right, read they’re expressions, Brim. They’re almost laughing at us, in there. Besides, I’d rather be unconscious in the back of the truck than conscious. I doubt they’d take the time to drive carefully,” he rubs his temple and closes his eyes.

I laugh at him, “What, happy Dev isn’t so happy anymore?”

He glares at me, “No, I’m not. We just need to get to the Holloways and Greenes. It should be easy, we’ll be able to sniff them out from a mile away.”

“A mile? Really, we can only travel by night, which you have to factor in, and we have to make sure we’re stocked with supplies and money. Where are we supposed to hold out IDs and crap?” he looks at me.

“I’m sure The Center will supply us with a vehicle, we’ll be able to keep them there,” I shrug and lay back down.

Two hours later, Mr. Harvey and Raven come in with syringes. “We’ve decided against blindfolds,” she says with pleasure, “we’re going to give you a sleeping agent.”

“It will be painless,” Raven steps up to me and Mr. Harvey to Dev. “See you when we wake up,” I say aloud as rave injects me.

 

I wake up too soon, I know this because it’s dark, we’re bumping around, and Dev is asleep next to me.

Fortunately, Dev is not asleep for long. “What?” he looks at me and nods his head, slowly coming back to it.

“We’re going to have to act asleep,” I tell him.

“Duh,” I don’t see them, but I know his eyes are rolling. “Just follow my lead, okay?”

I mutter under my breath, “Whatever, I don’t really care as long as the person I’m following is smart.”

Suddenly, the truck stops and I’m thrown forward onto Dev. I look up from his lap, and he’s smiling at me.

Thank God for the darkness, as I push myself off of him, I blush. “Okay, act asleep.”

I give him the okay, and lie back down. The sun bursts into the back of the truck, and a Staff speaks, “You go get the kill chip injector. We’ll do it while they’re sleep.”

The one staff man stalks off, and the other removes something from the trailer. “Come on you sleeping babies. Time to give you your shot,” he snickers as he grabs my foot.

I go limp, so as not to give myself away. But, unexpectedly, Dev jumps up and kicks the guy in the gut. “Ooff!” he shouts as he flies backwards.

Opening my eyes, I get on to my feet. The staff must be injected with something because he gets back up, and punches Dev across the face.

“Brim!” Dev shouts at me. “Get our IDs, passports, and credit cards!” I nod, disoriented, and run around them to the cab of the truck. The other staff is picking up the radio.

Before I know what I’m doing, I’m giving him a roundhouse kick to the jaw, and a right hook to the temple.

He growls at me, and leaps. I dodge and avoid almost every hit, except for this one.

His bulking fist connects with my jaw, I stumble backwards. Screaming with rage, I feel my eyes snap yellow. “No! No! No!” I scream; the man snicker.

Trying to bite my cheek works only temporarily, and I change. I stare up at him through my new wolf eyes, and he looks terrified.

“George! George! We got to get out of here!” he shouts and runs to the back of the truck.

I chase after him leisurely, I can go much faster, and Dev is standing over the man. Instinct tells me to bite down on the man’s leg, he hits me over and over again with a crow bar.

So, I do. Biting down on his leg, he screams. Dev rips the kill chip inserter from the man’s hands as I chomp down on his leg.

Dev presses the inserter into both men’s arms, and breaks it against the truck. Right outside the truck, what the men unloaded, are two motorcycles. “We’ll take these.” He rips the T-shirt and sweatpants of the smaller guy. “Here, run into the woods and change. I’ll meet you back here.”

Taking off into the woods, I change behind a huge clump of fallen trees. I run back to the truck. “What were you thinking?!” I shout at him.

“It was the perfect opportunity, they hadn’t put the kill chips in us, and now they’re in those guys. We can track the Holloways and Greenes, maybe they’ll let us join them?” he starts grabbing the things I was supposed to.

Angry, I walk up to him, “You are a complete idiot!” I yell at him.

“Well, you obviously didn’t think it was that idiotic because you helped me!” he tossed me my ID card and passport. “Here, be my guest! Go do this thing on your own!” he hops on the bike and starts it up.

“Dev,” I say normally.

“What?!” his anger pulses through him and his eyes turn neon green. Jaguar.

I sigh, “I think we’re supposed to start here, why else would they take us out in front of a house.

For the first time, Dev really looks at the little house tucked away in the back of the woods. “Oh,” is all he says.

Dev turns the motorcycle off, and heads toward the house. I follow closely behind, jogging to keep pace. He knocks. No one answers.

Before he has a chance to open the door, my foot flies out from behind and I kick the door down. “Was that necessary?” he asks me.

“Probably not, but that wasn’t going to stop me from doing that,” he shrugs and enters the house.

The house is clean, there really isn’t much out of place. It’s dark and eerie in here, and I look up the staircase across the room. There’s a light on.

I motion up the staircase to Dev, but he’s paying attention to something else. A coffeepot that is still on, “I climb the stairs, quietly as possible, each step makes a different sound. One pops, while the other snaps, the next one I step on moans.

When I reach the top, and turn to the left, the door to a room is slightly ajar, and I step in.

The light is on, but no one is in here. I check every corner and even under the single bed. Not one picture or calendar is hanging on the wall.

I open the closet, and see that there are seven shirts, seven pants, and one pair of shoes. Does this guy not change?

Backing away from the closet, I shake my head confused. But almost instantly, rough hand covers my mouth and I’m pressed against the warm, tall body of a man.

“Make one sound and I break your neck,” he snarls.

I nod my head vigorously. He removes his hand, he walks over to the door and shuts it, he turns the light off. I scream.

Quicker than I thought, he’s over to me with his strong hands on my neck. “I told you not to make a sound,” he growls in my ear, and he positions his hands on my neck, he’s going to break my neck!

Instead of crying like a baby, I do the only thing I know how to do; fight. Ramming my foot back into his groin, he buckles. It’s that easy.

When he’s back up, I’m ready in a fighting stance. My small frame compared to his huge one gives me the ability to dodge his punches.

I kick his foot out from underneath him, and the door flies open. “Brim!” Dev shouts.

Whipping around to face Dev, the man gets the upper hand. His hand reach around my neck again, and he holds me up against the wall.

“Wait!” Dev shouts. I claw at his hands, I can’t breathe. “Let her go, don’t hurt her. She’s innocent I swear, we both are!”

He laughs menacingly; “Yea right, everyone from The Lab is evil!” his grip on my neck becomes stronger.

“I’m Dev and this is Brim. We were sent here to follow you guys and tack you. But, obviously, we beat up the delivery guys outside and we were trying to find you. We need your help getting away from The Center.”

The man glares at Dev, “The Center? You mean The Lab?”

Dev nods, “Sure. Just let her down!” his voice comes out a little sharp, and my vision is going fuzzy.

The man releases his clasp on my neck, and I feel myself slam into the floor. I cough and breathe in the sweet, sweet air. Dev runs to my side, and the man lurches forward. “I’m just helping her,” Dev explains.

“Whatever, I want you both up!” Dev stands and offers his hand to me, I ignore it.

“We’re not here to hurt you, idiot. Next time, here us out before you go psychotic!” I yell at him.

His lip twitches, but quickly returns to it’s normal scowl, “Why are you here?”

“Are you a Holloway?” I ask ignoring his question. “Or are you a friend of the Holloways? Although I’m guessing the first one because that was a,” I debate what word I want to use, “incredibly strong grip.”

He rolls his eyes at me, “It doesn’t matter, tell me why you’re here.”

Dev almost answers, but I stop him, “No, are you a Holloway?”

He growls at me, getting angry, “Yes! I’m a Holloway! Why are you here!” his angry radiates off of him in waves.

“We’re here because we were sent, I explained that to you. We’re looking for an Alice and Gwen Greene along with Fynn Holloway. Is that you? We were directed to kill the rest.” I flinch at the word kill.

He chuckles, oddly enough, “You can have the three of them!” his smiles disappears again, you would have never known it was there.

“So you’re not Fynn Holloway?” he shakes his head no.

“We just want help, we don’t want to kill any of you,” Dev defends our case.

I point outside, “Come.” I walk out of the room, and he two boys follow me, one more wearily than the other. “There are the two guys we beat the crap out of, you’re willing to raid the truck or what ever mumbo gumbo you want to do!”

“Okay, I see that you punched them. But what is this is all part of some huge scam to trick me?” I shrug.

“You’re going to have to trust us,” the Holloway boy glares.

“I don’t even trust some of my family, what makes you think I’m going to trust you?”

I roll my eyes dramatically, “We’re either going to find your family with or without you, so you basically have the choice whether or not you want to come. Because I’m not sure what you’re waiting for here?”

“You. I was waiting for the government or The Lab to show up.” He mumbles this next part, “It was part of our plan, this wasn’t.”

I sit on one of the bikes, I’m not exactly sure how to drive one of these things, but it can’t be hard. “I don’t care what the old plan was, but are you making a new plan?” Dev asks the most stupid questions.

“Shut it!” he growls at Dev.

Dev laughs, and sits on the other bike. “Well,” we’re sort of in a hurry to get away from here.

“No, I’m not going with you,” Dev puts his head in his hands.
But I know better than to show defeat, “Okay, suit yourself. See you when we see you!” Dev starts his bike, but I’m not exactly sure what to do.

They both stare at me, “Are you coming?” Dev asks.

I nod, “Here!” the Holloway boy spits. He turns the bike on, and points to the handle, “Turn it to give it more gas, there’s the break. Don’t crash,” I look him in the eyes and give him a curt nod, a silent thank you.

Pulling out of the long driveway was difficult, but once I got onto the main road, driving wasn’t that hard. It’s obvious that Dev is really disappointed about not getting the man to join us, but I don’t much care.

He wasn’t that important to our mission, sure, he could’ve helped a bit. But we’ll be fine, I assure myself.

We’ll be just fine.

Chapter Three

“Okay, we’ll sleep here tonight, and then we’ll find a way to get some money since we can’t use the credit cards. They’ll be able to track where we’re at,” I nod, and lay down on the grass.

It’s not very comfortable, but I turn on my side and look at Dev anyway. “We’re going to be fine, aren’t we?”

He shrugs, “I’m sure we’ll be fine. But, first we need to concentrate on what we need to do, which is find the Holloways and Greenes.

Mentioning the Holloways makes me think of the man back at the house. He was odd, strange but something about him didn’t make him seem so hard.

Granted, he did try to kill me, so that’s definitely minus one point.

I feel a rain drop hit my nose, great! But I don’t complain out loud because I know Dev feels bad about getting me into this unwanted situation.

But, it’s hard not to complain when it’s steadily pouring rain. Before I know it I’m soaked to the bone. Everything on me is wet, wet, wet.

To my surprise though, I fall asleep.

 

I do not wake up, I awakened by the thunder and lightening. When the lightening strikes again, I see the form of a person standing a few feet away.

When the person realizes that I’ve notice them they step forward, it’s the Holloway boy. “What do you want?!” I yell over the intense wind.

Water drips of the end of his black hair into his blue eyes. That’s strange, I could have sworn his eyes were brown.

“Cal Holloway,” he says.

I nod, “It’s nice to meet you.” Again, he lips start smile, but he quickly hides it.

“What do you say we wake Sleeping Beauty up and get her on her bike?” I laugh at his joke.

I punch Dev in the arm, “Dev! Get up!” he moans.

“Quit spitting on me, Brim!”

“In your dreams, pretty boy, get up. We’re on the move. Holloway came back!” That gets Dev moving.

“He’s back?! Really where’s he at?” I point at Cal, and Dev smiles knowingly.

He stands and tries to brush the mud off his clothes, “I knew you’d come back!”

Cal reaches his hand out to help me up, but I flinch back, remembering it around my neck. So I get up on my own. Cal just ignores the fact that I didn’t take his help.

“Where are we on the move to?” Dev shouts, rain pours into his mouth.

Cal points to the road, “We’re going south. Way south.”

Dev grins wildly, “Shall we then,” he points to the spot where are bikes are hidden.

“Do we have to drive in the rain?” I ask.

He shouts, “Yea, I’m assuming The Lab is already on your trail since their two goons didn’t come back yet. In the rain no one will be able to say they saw us.”

“Okay, let’s ride!” I yell.

The three of us get on our bikes, Cal’s is a lot nicer than ours, and he decides he’ll take the lead. At least he has some sort of windshield.

“Do you want my helmet?” he asks holding out a helmet that would cover my entire face.

I shake my head no, “I don’t need any favors!” even though I really want the helmet, I just can’t take it.

Dev starts his bike, then Cal, and finally me. We take off down the long road ahead; each rain drop like a needle on my face.

 

The sun has risen, and Cal finally pulls over after three hours of riding though the rain. “We should stop and get something to eat.”

Dev answers, “That sounds like a good idea, I’m starved!”
I shrug, “it doesn’t matter,” but my stomach growls, giving me away, and we drive into a Waffle Shack.

“We should eat as quickly as possible,” Dev says. “That way they might not remember us three days from now.”
“Good idea, Dev,” I say.

We walk in, looking like idiots; we’re soaked through and muddy. We also have muscles like body builders.

Taking a seat at the back corner table, the waitress walks up and smiles at Dev and Cal, “What can I get for you, folks?!”

“All you can eat pancakes, for all of us,” I say quickly so she leaves. “Cokes!” I shout at her, she scurries away.

Dev stares at me, “What if I wanted Waffles?”

“They all taste the same,” Cal and I say at the exact same time.

He smiles, “That was weird, boy am I glad we’re somewhere warm, that was some chilly rain.”

Dev’s endless chatter drives me insane, I almost jump for joy when the only thing that will shut him up arrives, pancakes.

“Thank you,” Dev says, while Cal and I start chowing down. “Is it good?” Dev asks sarcastically.

But soon, he too digs in; when she comes back I order another plate for all of us.

We eat and eat, I order at least six refills. “Wow!” the waitress exclaims when we’re finally done, but still not completely full. “The three of you just beat the record here! You all get your picture on the wall!”

Call slaps a fifty on the table, “We’re good.” We hurry out of the restaurant, avoiding the picture because we can’t leave any trail.

“How much longer do we have to ride?” I ask Cal as he put the helmet away, the rain stopped.

“We’re probably going to have to ride another five hours today. We should be in northern California by then. Once we get there we’ll drive to LA. We should be able to lose them there,” Cal maps out the route for us.

“Once we get there, can’t we just get a flight out of California to where we’re headed to track them?”

Cal shrugs, “I guess, but we’d have to make a stop along the way the middle of our trip. The guy that does all our passports and IDs is there. I’ll have him make us all new ID and credit cards.”

Dev listens intently, “Will The Center really go through all this just to find us, and a couple of rogue lycanthropes?”

“It’s highly possible to absolutely yes, Dev. They don’t like being beat, which is why I said we shouldn’t have escaped!” which is the wrong this to say in front of Cal.

His eyes bore into mine, rage, “What?!” he looks at Dev, “She could compromise everything! What were you thinking?!”

Dev looks nervous, when Cal starts yelling at him, but I talk anyways, “Don’t get your panties in a twist. I’m not going to sell you out to anybody. I’m not like that,” Cal turns around, and starts his bike.

He peals out of the parking lot followed by Dev. I have such a hard time getting this bike to turn, but once I get it on, I’m only four or five cars behind them.

Driving by myself doesn’t make me worry, it makes me more comfortable, actually.

I concentrate on the rising sun, and the wind the make my hair whip all around. I’ve always wanted to go to California. It was one of the thoughts put into my head when they created me.

There we all fifty states and facts about each, but California always sounded the best. The ocean, the palm trees, the celebrities (whoever they were), and a huge sign that says HOLLYWOOD; even though states like Texas, New York, and Florida sounded enjoyable, I’ve just wanted to see California.

A car behind me honks loudly, and passing me. She sticks her middle finger up, but I’m not exactly sure what that means. I’ve seen a couple of the staff at The Center or The Lab, whichever, use it behind Raven and Mr. Gilbert’s back.

After the car passes, I speed up. I must have been going too slow, my speed increases; faster and faster.

Behind me lights flash and a siren wails, those are police; I think remembering the information stuffed into my brain. What am I supposed to do when there are police?

I pull over, hoping Cal and Dev notice. The police car comes to a stop behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I see a younger man, in his mid to late twenties, step out of the car.

Resting my feet on the road so the bike doesn’t tip, I wait for him to approach. “Hello, police! What can I help you with?” I address him with respect and dignity.

“Are you mocking me?” I shake my head no. “Because it sure sounds like you’re mocking me. Can I see your license?”

I reach in the pocket of my sweatpants, I scrape around, it’s not there. I smile nervously, and look in my other pocket. There, on the bottom is my ID card. Thank god!

“Here you go, Sir,” I hand him the card, and he scans it.

“Mrs. Jamie Roosevelt? You’re twenty-one. You do realize that you were driving 100 mph on the road, when the limit is 60 mph. Are you in a hurry?” he glares at me.

I laugh innocently, “As a matter fact, I am! My husband and his friend are farther ahead. I don’t ride my bike very much, so I was starting to get scared,” lie, “so I was trying to find them.” I bat my eyelashes for good measure.

“Do they know you’re back here, maam?” his expression went from stern to worried.

“I’m afraid not, would you mind chasing them down, and bringing the, back? There both real tall fellas with some pretty mighty muscles,” I find myself acting petty. “They’re both on bikes just like this, one is a little nicer than the other,” I smile sweetly and he nods.

The police sighs, “Okay, I guess I could. But only for you miss,” he tips his hat, and I see the car speed don the highway after the guys who ditched me.

I wait around holding my bike up, when a car pulls up in front of me. A tall, bald man with tattoos down his arms and neck smiles at me with three teeth missing, “Hey, darling, need some help there?”

“No,” I growl at him.

He laughs, “Come on, I’ll give you a ride. You can come with me now, and I’ll pick up your bike later,” he purrs. The man steps closer to me, and covers my hand with his.

Slowly, I put the kickstand down on my bike. “Sir, can you getaway from me! I have a police officer coming back here very soon,” he gets closer to my face, so I punch him.

I winces a little, “Wow, girlie, you pack a punch.” He chuckles, “I like that.”

This time he comes even closer, I swing off of my bike, and kick him in the temple. He starts to sway, but catches himself.

Cars driving slow down to watch, but no one stops. “Get away from me, you creep!” I yell at him. Again, kick him in the head, he falls, and hold him down with my foot.

The boot smashes down on his neck. The police and the guys pull up, “What is going on here, little lady?” I step away and cover my face.

“Oh, thank God you’re back police! This man just assaulted me, I hit him and he just fell. I must have hit a pressure point!” I smiles sweetly.

Dev laughs behind the officer, but Cal just stares at the creeper on the pavement.

“Well,” he turns to Cal, “keep your wife in check here, you don’t want to lose her again. This was a close one,” Dev almost speaks up.

I stop him because it doesn’t really matter, “Thank you, police. You really saved my life!” he tips his hat.

“No problem, maam. Just stay close to the others now,” the police walks back to his car, and waves good-bye as he drives off.

Dev claps, “Brilliant acting! Although, I give you four and a half stars because you called him police.”

“Isn’t that his name?” I ask, confused.

Cal shakes his head no, “How did you pin that guy so quickly? He’s huge. I could’ve done it, but you’re so,” he looks me up and down, “small.”

“Thanks,” I mutter. “I’m fast and agile. I just dodge and take my shots. After hitting him in the temple he fell over,” I shrug like it’s no big deal.

“Oh,” from this point on, I think Cal has a little more respect for me.

We drive off down the highway, again, except this time as group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Four

We keep driving the five hours, when we enter California. A large sign on a fancy board says ‘THE GOLDEN STATE’.

I smile to myself, and look at the setting sun. What a boring day, the drive was on;y interesting when we drove through towns. We ate at a little shack with crab and shrimp.

Dev threw it up later. Apparently, he doesn’t stomach sea food that well.

Cal motions in the air to pull over to the side of the road, “What?” I ask when we’re pulled over,

“First hotel we see, we’re getting a room. I cannot stand sitting on this bike any longer!”

I ask the dreaded question, “How much money do you have?”

“Around $5000 dollars, but I can’t use our credit cards because they all say Sherwood on them. They could easily track that, don’t they know the name?” he asks Dev.

Dev shakes his head yes, “Yea, they know. Before we left they told us that Sherwood was the old name you were going by.”

“Yea, just like we thought,” he mutters.

I gesture back to the road, “Should we be going then? My legs hurt,” this is the first time I’ve complained out loud the whole trip.

“Uh, yeah,” Cal starts his bike, and Dev takes the rear this time.

As we drive through northern California, I start to see large field full of wine grapes. Little cottages with tables and chairs sit high up on the hill; wineries.

Dev speeds ahead, next to Cal. How could they possibly be talking on a highway?!
I speed up also, trying to interfere. They don’t notice me, I just look like a idiot.

Other people on the road around us, stare at the two huge guys and puny girl riding the motorcycles. Cal sees a Bed and Breakfast house to our left, he tells us to turn by pointing.

We park the bikes, “Really? A bed and breakfast?”

He shrugs, “I said the first hotel I saw, so here you go!”

“Okay, can we sleep? I feel like I could sleep for years!” Dev heads towards the doors.

Cal and I follow, “So,” I say.

“So?” he says back. Well, this is a great conversation.

I start again, “Why’d you choose to stay back?”

Cal shrugs nonchalantly, “Well, I was the obvious option, I guess.”

“Why is that?” I furrow my eyebrows.

“Because everyone thinks I hate them,” he says with a chuckle.

Staring at him, “Do you?” I ask.

He looks at me intently, I shy away from his gaze, “Not really, it’s more of a general annoyance.”

I laugh at his attempt at a joke, I feel bad, “Boy, am I glad you did stay though. The others might not have taken us in,” I smile, but he frown.

“Yea,” he mutters, “but the others wouldn’t have almost choked you to death.”

“Hey,” I try to console him, “it’s not really that big of a…” he cuts me off.

“It’s a huge deal! I almost killed you! I feel awful,” Cal whispers the last part.

I sigh, “It hurt a lot, and I was pretty angry, but I’m over it. I probably would have done the same thing,” Cal holds the door open for me, “is I was in your situation. Being in that house by myself, being hunted none the less! I know I’d be terrified, but you’re older than me aren’t you?”

“I’m twenty.”

“Well, I’m eighteen, so not too far apart,” I find my self rattling off random stuff, trying to make him feel better.

I’m still talking when they open the door to our room. “Wow, I’ve been talking a lot haven’t I?”

“Yes!” Dev cries to me as he flops down on the bed. “But it’s okay, I still love you honey!” he plays the fact that we are ‘married’.

Cal shrugs, “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”
Dev rolls around on his bed, he’s singing a song about being happy. Cal flops down on the second bed.

“I’ve got the floor, don’t worry about me!” I shout as I sit on the floor.

Dev offers first, but not what I expected, “You can share with me, dear!” He laughs, “We are a couple you know.”

I awkwardly sit on the very corner of the bed. Dev comes up behind me and hugs me, “I won’t snuggle, I promise.”

Even though he says that, he still wraps his arms around me and lays down. I’m ram rod straight.

And for the first time, Cal gives a real hearty laugh, not the little fake one or the menacing one; but a sweet deep laugh.

“You think this is funny!” I cry. I elbow Dev in the gut, and sit on top of him.

He closes his eyes, “You’re not very heavy, you know. It’s like a little kitten sitting on my stomach”

“A kitten, huh?” I punch him in the chest.

He catches his breath, “Uph! Like a baby,” he smiles weakly. I move off of his stomach.

“Okay, I’m going to sleep now, wake me up when you’re ready to leave. And if you don’t, I will punch you for real!”

I lie down, and fall asleep easily. The conversations that I had this evening were easy and fun. I haven’t had a conversation like that in, well, ever.

 

The sun wakes me up, not the boys. When I come to my senses, I see the room is empty. Leaping up to my feet, I search around the room. Nothing.

I fling open the door, and run smack into Cal. “Morning,” he says gruffly.

Punching him in the chest, I yell at him, “I told you to wake me up when you were ready to go!”

“I just went to the store to get these,” Cal holds up a bag. I take it from him.

Inside are a blue T-shirt, black jeans, a gray sweatshirt, underwear (embarrassing) and puma running shoes. “Oh, thanks.”

He nods, “No problem,” Cal looks back over his shoulder.

“You didn’t need to spend so much money on these clothes, though,” Cal smiles sweetly.

“It was nothing, I can’t have you looking like a homeless person, can I?” I laugh, he does too.

Dev walks up behind Cal, and Cal’s expression is immediately stony. Why can’t he be happy? I wonder.

“Ready?” I ask them both.

“Yea!” Dev cheers and heads down the stairs.

I tap Cal’s shoulder, “How long is it going to take to make the documents”

“Probably three days or so, it’s definitely a longer process than I wish.”

We mount our bikes; I start mine up first and turn it around. “Getting better, kitten!” Dev calls.

I growl at the nickname ‘kitten’ and, oddly, so does Cal. But I ignore it and tear out of the parking lot. I’m leading the group this time, and it feels great.

Cars surround me, but don’t make me nervous. A blue car, full of boys, drives up next to my bike and rolls the windows down.

They cheer and whistle; I ignore them. I hear one of the bikes from behind my speed up, the roar of the engine distinctive. The second bike comes up too.

Both bikes, Dev in front, zoom past the blue car, and ride in front of it. They slow their motorcycles down, the car does the same.

I laugh, and speed ahead, I keep going and going. Again, the roar of the engines come up behind me and they both ride on either side of me. “Great move!” I yell into the wind.

Cal takes the lead, since he knows where we’re going; we keep driving and driving. By the time we’re pulling into some sort of town it’s 4:30, and I am sore.

Cal leads us down a back road that winds and winds. “Where are we going?” I ask since we are going relatively slow.

“To my family’s friend, their house back up to the ocean, it’s pretty sweet,” I nod, but how often do you hear Cal say ‘sweet’.

We pull up to a house that is two stories, and faces the beach. The siding is light pink, and had cream shutters. “Wow!” Dev says. “It’s a girls dream home, huh, Brim?”

“No, not all girls want a pink house,” I mutter.

The three of us park our bikes, and head up to the front door, Cal knocks.

“Hello?” says an older woman’s voice. “Who’s there.”

“Ms. Perkins, it’s Cal Holloway, is your daughter home?” Ms. Perkins opens the door, and stares at us.

She sighs, “Yes, she’s, um, upstairs. Where are your brothers and parents son?”

“They’re away,” he simply says.

She smiles at Cal, “Well, come give me a hug anyways.”

Cal blushes, and shrugs, giving the older woman a hug. “Go ahead on up, just knock.”

We follow Cal up the wooden staircase, and down a hallway. He taps on her door, a girl about thirteen years old opens the door. She screams with excitement, “What’s up, buddy?” she give Cal a hug.

Cuz? Dev and I awkwardly shuffle our feet. “Oh,” the girl turns to us, “who are you two?”

She glares at me, and turns to Dev, smiling, “I’m Br,” Cal stops me short.

“We need new identities, Samantha,” she rolls her eyes dramatically.

Samantha sighs, “Alright! But, first, you’re taking me to dinner, and a date!” she smiles up at Cal, fluttering her eyelashes.

“How old are you?” my voice is snarky, I don’t mean for it to sound, well, so mean!

Samantha glowers at me, “I’m fifteen, idiot. Why? Jealous?” she smirks as my cheeks flare red.

“No! I was just asking,” Samantha shrugs.

“How old are you?”

Dev answers for me, why, I have no idea, “She’s whatever age she tells you she’s going to be, which is…”

I roll my eyes, “Make me….” I act like it’s a hard decision, “twenty-two.”

She nods, “So you’re really eighteen,” I open and close my mouth like a fish.

“How’d you know that?!”

Samantha just laughs at me, “First, you just confirmed it. Second, every one always starts with twenty one. If they’re seventeen they stay at twenty-one, if eighteen twenty-two, if nineteen twenty-three, and so on,” she waves her hand like it’s common sense.

“So, date?” Cal moans.

“Fine, want to come with us?” Cal pleads us with his eyes.

Dev grins, and starts to shake his head, “No,” I smile evilly, “you two kids have fun!” Cal glares at me.

“Jerks,” he coughs as he passes us, holding Samantha’s hand.

Dev looks at me and frowns, “Really? You just had to give up our restaurant dinner and movie!”

“They’ll be more of those if we’re staying here four days. Plus, it’s not helping that Cal is parading around town.”

He picks up one of her picture, “I don’t think it much matters. The name of this town isn’t even on the map; I checked. So I’m sure we’ll be fine for four days, Brim.”

I stare at the picture of her and another girl. Both girls have freckles, but Samantha’s hair is blonde whereas the other girl’s hair is red. Samantha’s about my size, but definitely thinks she’s six foot. “I wonder how the Holloways found her?”

“I don’t think it matter’s much. What I’m wondering is how she makes these documents?! There isn’t even a printer or super-high-tech computer!” Dev starts pressing on the walls.

I touch his shoulder, “I’m sure it’ll be fine. They’ve worked for them,” I use logic, and Dev shakes his head up and down.

“I can’t believe he’d just leave us like that, though. We don’t even know these people!” I complain out loud. Second time I’ve complained out loud.

Dev looks at me, “Well, I guess we should introduce ourselves if we’re going to be staying here four days.”

“I guess,” I say unsurely.

The two of us head down the wooden steps, the woman who answered the door is in the kitchen.

Dev is a little more conversational than I am, so he starts, “Hello, Mrs…?”

“Mrs. Lambert.”

“Well, hello Mrs. Lambert. It’s very nice to meet you. I’m so glad you’re letting us stay in your home. It really is a…” Mrs. Lambert looks at me.

“Dear, will you come with me?” I look at Dev, his eyes signal for me to follow.

“Okay,” I follow her down a blue painted hallway with lots of picture of Samantha. “Where are we going?”

“The restroom.”

My voice has an accusing undertone, “Why?”

“Because you look like a hobo, and no one looking like a hobo stays in my home,” her voice is curt, and her words sting.

I ask, “A hobo? Really? You think I care,” I really do care a little bit, “I look like a hobo all the time where I come from. We don’t really have a choice!” I defend my looks, I make excuses.

“Okay, but wherever you come from, is not here,” she gestures to the bathroom.

The bathroom is pink, god awful, and so is everything in it. The tub is the only thing that looks relatively enjoyable. It’s large, a Jacuzzi Tub, the education, not my own, tells me.

Mrs. Lambert turns the tub on, and she fills it to the top; a layer of steam sits above the water. She drops two little cubes into the water.

“Undress! Are you planning on taking a bath in your clothes?!” I stare at her.

“Are you going to leave?” she shakes her head no.

I still don’t undress, she eventually turns around. Good as I’m going to get, I guess. Quickly undressing, I hop into the tub.

The water stings at first, but my body adjusts and I relax. “Wow, this is amazing,” I murmur.

“I’m glad. Take as long as you like, and please, call me when you’re done,” she stands and looks back at me. “To ensure you do,” she takes the towels out of the bathroom, and leaves.

“Sheesh!”

Enjoying the bath is not hard, I don’t even realize how long I’ve been in here until a sharp knock snaps me out of it. “Huh?”

“Are you dead?!” Samantha yells, “Because Mom says I should check on you to ensure so.” Samantha uses a proper tone, and leaves.

“Are you done?”

“Yea, can you hand me the towel?” Mrs. Lambert’s hand extends into the bathroom, I grab the towel.

Drying my self off, I see that my fingers and toes are pruned. Oh well.

“Mrs. Lambert?” I question tentatively.

She answers, “Yes?”

“Do you have any clothes, or can I have the ones I’m wearing?” Mrs. Lambert laughs.

She opens the door, “Sit,” she points to a chair.

“Why? Can’t I have clothes?!” I ask as she pulls and yanks my hair.

“Because I’m doing your hair, and you’ll get your clothes when you are ready!”

I moan, and crinkle my nose in disgust. “Fine!” I cross my arms over my chest and pout.

When she stops the tugging, I look up. “I French Braided it, this way it won’t be in your face all the time,” she smiles at me, she’s happy.

A French Braid? I run my fingers over the intricate patter, Mrs. Lambert hand me a mirror. I take a look, it’s so pretty. I smile a little, I look pretty.

“Thanks,” I whisper.

She grins, it spreads across her entire face, “Well, we’re almost done here. So don’t worry a moment. “Just close your eyes.”

“Why?!” I stand up, on my toes.

Mrs. Lambert points to the chair, “Sit or I may have to make you sit. It’s alright for a girl to be pampered, Ms. It won’t take too long,” she starts pulling things out of drawers. “Besides Cal and Samantha are out, and you friend in there is eating me out of house!”

Closing my eyes, I feel her smear gooey, cold, odd smelling stuff on my eyelids. “What is that?!”
“Shut it!” I smile, she yells at me for that too. I think I may be starting to like this woman.

Mrs. Lambert continues touching my face gently until she pats my head. “You can look now.”

“Oh!” I sit up, and look at he girl in the mirror

My dark brown hair is pulled back in the French Braid and the stuff she was putting on my eyelids is colored green. My eyelashes have mascara on them, and they are darker.

“What do I do with this?” I ask her, surprised.

Mrs. Lambert shrugs, “It’s just to wear. I thought you might like to try it since I figured you’ve never worn any before.”

“You figured right,” I chuckle. “Thanks, again. I don’t mind this look. If only I could do this little braid thing!” Mrs. Lambert beams.

“Anytime, sugar! Come on, let’s get you something to wear, and then you can eat.”

She hands me a pair of jeans that are tight fitting, hard to fight in, and a black T-shirt.

I get dressed.

 

Mrs. Lambert and I enter the kitchen where Dev is eating, well, everything. “Hey! Save some for the rest of us, idiot!” I joke.

Dev looks up and doesn’t say anything, “What’s that?!” he points at my face.

“Hey!” I growl, “You better watch it,” he just laughs.

“It looks good, Brim. I mean,” he looks at Mrs. Lambert, she acts like she hasn’t heard a thing. “The point is I like your hair,” he says.

I take a seat next to him, “Thanks! Now give me some of that food, I’m starved!”

“I imagine! You were in there forever! Cal and Sam got back forty-five minutes ago. I told him what you were doing, he says she does the same thing to Lydia,” I nod and shove food in my mouth.

Samantha shouts as she comes down the stairs, “Mom! Where are my new Louis Baton heels?!”

“I imagine, they’re in your closet, dear,” Louis Baton? I wonder who that is, or why a fifteen year old needs to wear heels?

Mrs. Lambert chuckles as she washes dishes, “Samantha bought them with her own money. She adores them! But, personally,” she whispers, “I think six hundred dollars it way too much for shoes of any kind!”

“Six hundred dollars!” I shout.

Mrs. Lambert nods, “I know what my daughter does, I’m not stupid. She makes quite a chunk of money doing it too. I just can’t stop her because,” Mrs. Lambert stops talking.

Dev and I eat in silence, someone tromps down the stairs, “Is she done yet?! It’s taking forever…” I turn around as Cal takes the last step. “Oh.”

I go to push my hair behind my ear, as a nervous tick, but realize it’s already back. “Sorry, I took so long.”

Dev stares at each of us, “That’s okay,” Cal says.

“Okay, what’d you need,” I shake of the sill school girl attitude. He shrugs, “I’m not sure. I kind of forgot, but you guys can come upstairs if you want?” his eyes bore into Dev’s.

“Cal!” Samantha calls, “where’d you go?! I found my shoes, I can model now!”

Samantha walks down the staircase in four inch blue paten leather heels. “Wow!” I say.

“You like, Cal?” she ignores me. Samantha, even though she’s fifteen she acts younger.

I sigh, looking at Cal’s desperate face, “I’ll come! I want to see all your clothes, I bet they’re awesome!”

She curls her lip, “Yea, I guess so, since you’re wearing them,” she turns to Mrs. Lambert. “Mom! Why is she in those clothes? Those are mine!”
“Honey, be nice!” she snaps.

Cal speaks, “Come on, Brim. Let’s go,” Samantha smiles evilly.

“Brim?! What kind of stupid name is that?” she laughs hysterically and my face turns red.

It’s not my name, I think. My name is 23, but I bet that sounds more stupid. “Okay,” I say, and glare at the little brat.

Samantha runs up the stairs, “She’s kind of a brat!” I say loud enough so that she can here.

“Yea, but she’s very helpful,” he whispers this.

Samantha turns a radio on to some pop station. It beats through the entire house. I cover my ears, the noise is ten times louder when you’re a lycanthrope! “Ahhhh!” I yell.

Cal covers his ears, and winces. We walk into her room, where she’s dancing.

Downstairs we hear Dev scream for us to turn it off. Cal pull the radio by the handle, and out of the wall. “God!” I scream when it’s off, and broken.

“What the heck!” she yells at Cal. “You just broke my radio!” Samantha turn to me, “It’s your fault, it would have been fine if you weren’t here!” she spits.

I glare at her, “Give it a break! What is your problem!”

She laughs, “You’re just a nobody, so don’t come in here trying to ruin everything. You have no family, no friends, no life, and you don’t even have your own childhood memories, do you! I know all about The Center,” Samantha says. “I’m not stupid, I can hack into things the government can’t get into. I know all about you too, number 23!”

My body is shaking with anger, “Well, Samantha, if you knew more. You’d know that I am lethal, and that it’s not in your best interest to make me angry!”

Samantha smirks, “You’re no more lethal than a kitten!” she taunts.

My eyes snap yellow, and her laughing face turns serious. “Oh, God, Sam!” Cal says.

He stands in front of her, and my skin tears. Samantha screams, “Why is she doing that?!”

“Samantha! That was by far the stupidest thing you’ve ever done!” Cal shouts at her.

She rolls her eyes, even in the moment of distress, “She won’t actually hurt us, will she?!”

“I don’t think so,” he explains.

I complete my changing, and I lick my lips, staring at her. This’ll be fun, I think. She has absolutely no idea that I still have my wits.

Circling her, she starts to shiver, I growl, a low rumble in my chest.

“Samantha, you should go downstairs,” Cal warns. He actually thinks I have no idea what’s going on.

Cal and Samantha scoot toward the door, oh well. They both exit and shut the door. Samantha screams for her mother, Mrs. Lambert.

Quickly, with little pain, I change back. I did through Samantha’s closet, looking for sweatpants and a T-shirt. I stare into her mirror after I’m dressed.

The French Braid is gone and so is the green cream, oh well. Taking the steps two at a time I walk into the living room.

Samantha and Mrs. Lambert are on the couch, Samantha is crying. Cal and Dev are on the opposite couch. Mrs. Lambert looks up lips pursed, my smile is gone, “I’m afraid you can’t stay here, Brim.” She looks to the boys, “You’re welcome here, but Brim, you’ll have to find somewhere else to stay since you can’t control yourself.”

My jaw hits the floor, “Can’t control myself! You don’t think I knew what I was doing up there? Well, you have it wrong. I remember everything from when I change, I knew what I was doing!” Mrs. Lambert shakes her head.

“All the more reason for you to leave, how could you lunge at my daughter?! You knew you were scaring her, Brim. She’s only fifteen, for goodness sakes.”
“But I didn’t lunge at her, I just growled!” I turn to Cal looking for his support.

He just shrugs, “Please, leave our home, Brim.”

I glare at all of them, especially Samantha, who smiles. I fly out the door, and hop on my bike. Dev follows me, “Where are you going?!”

“Out of their home!” I call back as I tear out of the driveway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Five

I keep driving for a while, and what sucks, I’m not sure how to get back.

Not that I really want to go back, but that’s beside the point. I was outsmarted by a fifteen year old girl. Fifteen!

Guess I was wrong when I though Mrs. Lambert was a completely sane woman who was just like me. If I was her, I would have been begging someone to teach my snotty daughter a lesson. Oh well.

Another bad thing, I have no money. So even if I was hungry, tired, or bored I couldn’t do anything.

And on top of everything else, I left my license with Samantha, therefore if I’m pulled over, I’m screwed.

The fact that I was kicked out of the house, puts unsettling feeling in my stomach. I push it aside, and keep riding.

Before I know it, I pitch black and I can’t find the switch for the headlights. I pull over to find it. Once I find it, I try to turn the bike back on. It won’t start.

I keep trying and trying to start the motorcycle, but it sputters every time I try. “God dang it!” I yell.

This time by full choice, I let myself turn. It’s painful, the anger doesn’t help mask the pain this time, but I make it through while biting my cheek.

Running of the road, I romp through the nearby field, feeling the joy of being utterly free.

 

By the time the realization hits me on the situation, I’m too far gone.

Maybe I could just be a wolf all the time, I wouldn’t have to be human, they’d never find me, ever.

I still can see the motorcycle by the side of the road, someone will eventually take it, masking the fact that I was even here.

Still the stars look pretty, my thoughts aren’t ever going to be completely wolf, I’ll always be Brim, I guess.

So, to this thought I fall asleep in the field of wheat, it’s soft and cozy. I’m glad I’ve made my decision.

 

During the middle of the night, a noise wakes me up. It’s a different noise than all the other vehicles because it’s a motorcycle. Except the person on this motorcycle is pulled up next to mine yelling my old name, “Brim! Brim! Please answer, Brim!”

That must be Cal, what is he doing here? He didn’t even defend me at all! I hate Cal! Are my thoughts getting simpler? I guess it’s in my head! Or not?

Cal continues to call from the side of the road until he actually walks into the wheat field. And then he does something I’ve never seen him do. He switches.

I see the wheat moving as he runs, and I know he’ll find me eventually. He can smell, right?

So, gradually, I speed up; pulling away from Cal. My paws hit the ground, once twice three times. The adrenalin rush I’m experiencing is extreme; the chase.

Behind me, I know he’s catching up, Cal runs. Should I let him catch me? No! I’m free, I’m free, I’m …….!
Now, on top of me, Cal stares into my wolf eyes. He’s holding me down with his body weight, which is a lot. We can’t talk, but his yellowish eyes bore into mine.

I wriggle, trying to get away from him. Snarling at him doesn’t do the trick either. Instead, he keeps sitting until I give in.

I follow him back to the motorcycles. When we get there, two men are staring at the nice bikes. “You think anybody will know it was us who took them?” the one asks the other as they load my bike into the back of their truck.

“Naw, we live in South Carolina. A million days away from here. Just help me load the last one in!” Cal lowers and stalks forward.

My bike! I follow behind him. When the two truckers see us they freeze. “Woah there!”

I almost snigger, but I keep it real with a growl. They run back to the truck, quickly, and hit the gas.

Cal sniffs the back pocket of his motorcycle, I see clothing peeking out of the bag, well, I if I have to go back. I snarl at the leaving truck, my bike in the back.

Taking the clothing in my teeth, I walk further into the wheat field. I drop the clothes and change back. I take the clothes and quickly dress again.

Walking back up to the motorcycles, Cal is leaning against his. “Ready?”

“I can’t show my face there again, Cal. Thanks to you! They all think I’m a wild beast not knowing what I’m doing! Why didn’t you defend me?
I reprimand him.

Cal just stares at me, “Because, I was ready to be out of there and this was an easy way out. Dev drove the other way. In three hours we’re supposed to meet at the Holiday Inn Express. We don’t have any other way to get a hold of each other.”

“Well, you’re lucky you found me now. I would have been gone by morning,” I say stiffly as Cal gets on his bike. “Where am I going to go?”
“On the back,” he tells me. “Unless you plan on walking?”

I grumble, “Fine!” I slide onto the back of his motorcycle, and keep a good two inches between us. I look for anything to hold, but his waist.

“Hold on!” he shouts as he pulls out on to the highway. It’s late at night and no one is on the road, and, apparently, that means ‘go as fast as possible’!

Cal driving is jerking, and, to no avail, I end up closing the gap between us and flinging my hands around his waist.

He’s really warm, god! “How far away is the Holiday Inn?” I shout.

“Not to far, ten more minutes maybe?” so for ten more minutes I get to keep my hands around his waist.

And, boy, am I thankful that I didn’t stay a wolf forever!

When we do pull into the parking lot of the Holiday Inn, Cal waits for me to get off his bike, “Oh, Sorry!” I mutter as I slip off.

Together we walk in, “Can we have a room?” Cal asks the older man at the counter.

“I just want to let you kids know something! You don’t have to do this, girlie. There’s like a 5% chance you’ll marry him,” I blush.

Cal speaks first, “We’re married.”

Okay? That’s a little strange. “Oh,” he says, “you don’t looks a day over sixteen, girlie,” now he looks to Cal. “You look like you’re twenty-five!”
I laugh, “Can we please have a room?”

“Yea, here you go,” the old man hands us a key, and I look at Cal strangely.

“Married? Really?”

He avoids eye contact, “It was quicker that way, you know?”

I nod, “Okay.”

Opening the door to our room, the cold air hits us. “Boy, that’s a strong A/C!”

“Yup,” he says, but he’s not cold.

I hop onto one of the beds, and climb under the blankets. “How are you going to get our documents?” I feel bad for getting kicked out now, not mad.

“Samantha’s still going to let me come and pick them up, it’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.” He pauses before speaking again, “But I have a question for you?”

“Okay, spill it.”

He asks, “What did you mean I’d gotten there at the right time?”

“Oh, I had decided I was,” I look away embarrassed at my thoughts, “going to stay a wolf forever,” I whisper the last part.

He smiles, “Really? I tried to talk to Aaron about it, but he laughed. He said it was the stupidest thing he’s ever heard,” Cal stares up at the ceiling.

“That’s why I was embarrassed to tell you. It just makes so much sense to me, you know? To be free, no worries, and I think, eventually, you’d forget everything else and absorb the wolf.”

I hear him chuckle, I feel like an idiot, “It’s funny how you’re saying exactly what I’ve been thinking.” He waits a moment before talking again, “That’s the reason I stayed back.”

“What? You told me it was to wait for The Center or the government!” I stare at him questioningly.

“I know,” he turns on his side and looks me in the eyes, “but I lied. My family would just think I’d been taken by The Lab. My father wouldn’t let them come after me, at least that’s what I’ve been betting on.

“And then, I could just run. Absolutely free! The day you guys came, I was getting ready to leave. But you asked me for my help, and I said no.

“The plan was to still run, to still be a wolf, but I couldn’t get you out of my head. I started thinking about my family, especially, about my mother. She’s break, I couldn’t handle that,” Cal continues to look at me.

“I understand, sort of,” I whisper. “But my choice was easier than yours. I mean, what’s a girl named 23 got to with her life. I’m worthless, The Center wouldn’t be able to find me, and I could handle everything so much better when…when I wasn’t me! I’m a nothing, and that’s the truth. I just doesn’t make much sense to me anymore, to be, well, me.” Saying the truth, how I really feel, out loud makes a tear push its way out of my eye.

I close my eyes, and wipe it away. I hear Cal get off his bed, and I feel the weight of him on mine. “Hey, you’re not nothing! How could you even say that? Your name is Brim, not 23. Don’t think you’re not wanted anywhere. Because you are,” he swallows hard, “wanted by someone.”

Sitting up, my face moves closer to Cal’s, “Thank you,” I whisper.

He nods slowly, as I’m about to lean down it happens. Cal leans forward and kisses me, long and slow.

I’ve never been kissed! My brain goes into overdrive, and I pull away. Cal smiles sweetly, but this time he doesn’t replace it with the scowl.

So I to give him my smile, and just like him, I keep smiling.

 

After the kiss, Cal and I keep talking. Something, obviously, passed between us. It definitely changes our relationship, but we’re still open to talking.

When Dev runs into the room, Cal is sitting on my bed laughing out loud, and I’m huddled in the blankets like caterpillar in a cocoon.

“What? I’ve been searching?!” Cal stops smiling, and laughing, but I have a hard time doing the same.

Cal tells Dev, “We agreed to meet here in three hours, I found her and we came back here.”

“So you could flirt with her?!” Dev shouts obviously angry. When I really look at him I see why.

I stand up and waddle up to him, “What happened to you?!” I ask.

Dev’s face is cut up and scratched, he has a few teeth marks in his shoulder, and the shirt he’s wearing smells like he got it off a homeless person. “I saw a wolf, smaller, and I chased after it. Turns out, it’s not you, so it attacks me. But I’m a great friend so I keep looking while Cal here makes his move,” Dev glares at Cal.

“Come on,” I say. “I’m really sorry, Dev.”

He looks back at me, momentarily stopping his glaring contest with Cal, “It’s not completely your fault.”

I start the shower in the hotel bathroom, and bring in the soap from the little basket. “Here, take as long a shower you need. I’ll find you some clothes.”

I close the door, and walk back into the room, “I’ll be back. I’ve got to find some clothes,” Cal nods, angrily.

“Whatever,” he says.

Heading down the stairs, I walk up to a little gift shop. “Here you are,” I mutter.

Before I step in, two sets of hand grab me from behind, and stick a rag over my mouth. Before I can kick anyone, I’m unconscious and all I see is black.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Six

I wake up in the back of a truck, tied to the wall. I scream, but a rag covers my mouth. I try to break free, but they’re chain or silver.

I find myself slipping back under, and, once again, blackness swallows the world.

 

“Get her out of there!” someone yells.

I feel myself being tossed roughly, and pushed in some sort of cart. My eyelids flutter open, but I shut the again because the florescent lights burn.

“What’s going on?!” I shout with my eyes closed.

The next thing I hear irks me, and I feel bile rising in my throat, “Hello, 23. Did you have a nice trip?” Mr. Harvey says, laughter rises to his lips, and I cringe.

“Why am I back here? What happened?” I play stupid and confused.

Raven speaks, “Be quiet, 23! You didn’t think you could run from us forever, dear, did you?”

I ignore her, “Where’s Dev,” I don’t mention Cal.

“Cal Holloway and 5 are more of a game for us, you see, dear.” Raven explains, “See, when you have to boys who are absolutely in love with a girl, they’ll do anything to save her when she’s gone. Now, fill in the blanks,” she pauses, “dear.”

“You evil, woman!” I scream. “Why can’t you just leave everyone alone? Besides they’ll just think I left because I was scared. Cal will think I left to be a wolf.”

Mr. Harvey talks this time, “Yea, we made sure that wouldn’t happen. We bought the clothes for, Dev, and put a pretty little note on top. It said: Good-bye - The Center (aka The Lab).”

“Creative, isn’t it,” Raven says.

I snarl, “Oh so very!”

Mr. Harvey shouts some numbers to staff, and I’m pushed out of the room. In my blurry vision I see the large tub of water. The pain. “No, you can’t just torture me until they come!”

“You see,” Mr. Gilbert joins us, “we can. You violated so many rules the Mr. Harvey explained to you. That is why we have every right to torture you.”

I recreate my stony expression, and await the electrical shock. They start grabbing my arms to force me in, but I take away the pleasure by walking over and doing a cannonball in. Mr. Gilbert, Mr. Harvey, and Raven frown while most of the staff laughs.

My eyes shut, and I blow the air slowly out of my nose. They lower a breathing tube, thanks! I think stupidly. I take breaths of the air slowly, and lock my teeth around the clear tube.

“Ready!” Someone above me shouts.

It’s then, that I feel the first shock, it racks through my body, and I scream underwater, but I hold on. I will not pass out!

So, stupidly, I decide to give everyone two thumbs up, which they respond to wildly, with clapping. I’m sure the three stooges were a little bit more mad about it though.

I continue to take shock after shock, the water is filled with electricity. The next shock I receive is different than the others, it’s stronger. When I receive it, I’m unprepared and my eyes fly open under water.

Standing by the control panel is Raven, she smiles as she pushes the button again.

And this time, I pass out.

 

“Morning sunshine!” Mr. Harvey sings as he inserts an IV into my arm.

I moan, “What are you doing?”

“Well, this form of torture is brand new, Brim It’s really interesting, see, because it goes right to your little mind and makes you hallucinate!” he clams his hands.

“Well, good luck trying, but I don’t think you could scare me anymore than what I’ve seen in my nightmares,” Mr. Harvey laughs.

He throws his arms in the air like a mad man, “Wait! I haven’t even told you the fun part yet! I get to,” he creates a drum roll on my steel table, “create the hallucinations I want you to have! How about that?” he waggles his eyebrows.

“You’re a sick, sick man,” I spit.

Mr. Harvey turns to leave, “And don’t you forget it, 23.”

I lie down, and stare at the ceiling. Three things happen at once: Mr. Harvey calls out “Now!”, the lights fade out, and a pink gas is released into the room.

I’m running through a corn field, “Hey, wait up!” I call out. I continue pursuing what ever it is I’m chasing.

“Catch me if you can!” it sings. My legs pump faster and faster, until I feel them lift from the ground.

And then, I’m changing. I find myself falling down, down, down. The pain is unbearable and I scream out, I body racks in pain.

Through the darkness anyone could see my yellow eyes. I feel myself biting my tongue, but my blunt molars turn into pointy canines.

Claws force themselves through my fingertips, and my face elongates.

My breath hitches in my throat, I know this, I think. It’s the first time I changed, but this place is different.

Next thing, I know is that I’m running through the corn field, except this time as a wolf. I see what I’ve been pursuing.

It’s a little girl; she’s small, maybe five or six. Her hair is the same color as mine, and so are her eyes.

She turns around laughing, but the little laughs turn to shrill cries. But, I scream at myself to stop. Of course, I don’t listen.

My legs propel me forward, and I’m on her. My paws land on her tiny chest, and she cries. “Please, Sissy! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me Penny!”

I lunge at her throat. Her cries are gone.

 

My eyes flash open, “Penny?”

Mr. Harvey walks in smiling, “Thought you’d like to see some of your past. Some of your family,” his lip curls back.

“Why? Why would you inject me!” I scream.

Mr. Harvey clicks his tongue, “You’re the one we had fun with, 23. You’re the one we took. You’re the one who has real memories hidden somewhere in that fried brain of yours.”

My body shakes and I glare at him, “What made me special, Doc? Why did you choose me?!” my voice is stony cold.

“Oh, dear, I suppose I’m just a crazy man! A crazy man who want to give only the best to his daughter,” I choke on his words before he throws me back into another hallucination.

“Penny?! Penny, dear!” calls a woman.

I see myself, younger, maybe, fifteen or sixteen? “Yes, Mom?” the girl rolls her eyes.

“You need to show your sister some attention. She’s in her room crying about it. Your father with be home from the lab later, so make it right. He doesn’t like to deal with all this.”

“Fine,” I pout, and drag my feet up the stairs.

I open a wooden door with finger paintings on it, “Hello? Pamela? Hello?” I find myself saying.

“Penelope? What do you want?” she sits on her bed twiddling her thumbs.

I sigh, “I’m sorry,” for what I have no idea.

“Well, you should be. I wasn’t doing anything wrong.” The little girl names Pamela looks at me hard.

“I know, it really is my fault. I’ll play tag with you in the corn field. How about that?” she nods vigorously.

She skips out of her room, I grab her hand, “Not it!” she screams as the girl chases her into the corn field.

 

I come out of the hallucination again, and I’m breathing heavy. “When did you give me the serum?” I ask with a growl in my voice.

Mr. Harvey chuckles, “I never gave you the serum. I gave myself the serum. It was the very first batch I made,” he smiles, reminiscing about ‘the good ole days’, “I stabbed myself with the serum right before you were conceived. I gave you my DNA, and here you are.

“Now, there is 70% chance that the child with be lycanthrope, and unfortunately, the 30% included your sister, Pamela.”

I swallow a sob, “You really are a monster than. Pamela? You had me kill Pamela?!”

“No, no dear. You killed Pamela. I’m not sure why you didn’t change before you were fifteen, but you didn’t. At first, I thought you didn’t get your daddy’s genes,” I cringe when he says ‘daddy’, “so we had another child.

“But who knew! Fifteen was your lucky number, and you were so special to me. Penny? Don’t you want to help your father? Help your father find the family that’s ruining him?”

I growl, “I’d rather no have a father, Mr. Harvey. I’d rather live my life thinking I was a nobody,” I sob, “now I have to live with the guilt!”

Mr. Harvey laughs, “Pamela was never really my daughter like you were! You are my real daughter, the one I waited for!”

“I think you are crazy, Sir. Why don’t you try the test you put your so called daughter through?” my voice is hoarse.

Mr. Harvey sighs, “You’re still not listening, looks like you need another memory!”

The pink gas fills the room, and I slip back into the dream world.

“No! No! My baby” The woman called my mother screams at the girl.

My hands shake, “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what happened!”

“You know what happened! I told you to make nice and apologize, not kill her,” he voice fades out in sobs.

“Mommy?” I cry. My mother’s thick, brown, wavy hair is a mess; it’s filled with tears. Her eyes are the same liquid chocolate color as mine.

She glares at me, “You are not my daughter! You’re his!” she shouts. “You were always his beautiful little creation! I’m so glad Pamela wasn’t his!” she shouts.

From behind the woman called mother comes Mr. Harvey, my father, “Pamela’s not mine?!” he yells at mother.

“Oh, shut up, Franklin! Pamela would never have been yours, and you couldn’t stand it! So now she’s nobody’s.”

Franklin Harvey looks at me with surprise, “Did you change, my dear?”

“What?” my voice shakes.

He smiles, “You are my daughter. You’re the one I’ve always wanted.”

Franklin’s face and body belt into that of a wolf, and I scream as I wittiness my mother’s murder.

 

He killed her. “You’re awful!” I shout into the empty room. You’re worse that dirt!” I cry and cry.

I’m a murderer. I killed the only family I’ve ever had! I bang my head against the steel table.

“No!” I shout to the still air. “No, please just kill me now.”

As I beg, a different colored gas fills the room. It’s blue, I smile. I’m going to die, I think. The man’s finally doing what I want.

I breathe it in deeply, and calmly fall into a, hopefully, everlasting sleep.

 

“Are you ready?!” a voice screams through an intercom.

I wake up, I’m in a dim back room. “Where am I?!” I shout to the empty air.

“Let’s here a huge round of applause for,” he drags out the word, “67!” the roar then envelopes the air outside is so loud that I cover my sensitive ears.

The intercom man quiets them down, “But let’s not forget our beloved, 23!” Another chorus of hollers takes control of the arena.

Now flooded with sunlight, the room I’m in is opened to a dusty, barren arena. People from every where sit in bleachers around the space.

“On my count of three we fight!” he shouts. “One! Two!” the crowd counts with him, “Three!”

Across the area, I see a person running at me full speed. Crap! I dart out of the room and start running away from the boy.

“What’s going on here?” he shouts. “Is our much loved 23 running?”

I stop and turn around, “What is this?” I shout at him.

“Your death!” he screams as he propels himself in the air to land on me.

To fight back, I slide underneath him as he jumps. I swing my leg around and my foot hits him in the temple. “Ouch!” he sways, but doesn’t fall.

He comes at me. I notice he’s bulky and doesn’t think it through; this shouldn’t be too hard. I dodge ever shot until he gets tired.

I go for the kill. I cringe at the word kill. “Ahh!” I yell as my foot collides with his stomach.

My fist connects with his left eye, and then right eye; over and over again.

He spreads his legs apart to gain his balance, I slide in between them, and kick him in the back.

The boy falls to his knees, and I put my foot on his neck, “Next time you declare it’s the day I die. You might actually want to get that far.”

He groans, and the crowd shouts my number, not my name. What is my name now? Brim or Penny?

“23 stand in the center of the arena for us! Let’s see that pretty little smile!” I shuffle over to the center, and glance around. “Smile! Smile! Smile!” he starts shouting to get the crowd riled up.

But I don’t, I start to cry, but stop myself. I can’t show that weakness to thousands of people. “How do you feel right now?”

I choke on my own words, “I’m going to be sick.”

“Your going to be sick?” he says confusingly.

So, like I promised, I throw up. The contents of my stomach, which isn’t much, I splattered all over the dirt. “Well,” I say, “I told you so.”

Everyone laughs nervously, “Why don’t we get 23 some help over here, men!” two guys walk up to me, and grab my arms.

I yank free, “I can walk myself, idiots!”

The two men take me back, another group stands next to them, “We’ll take her form here. Mr. Harvey wants to see her.”

“That’s okay, we’ve got it. Raven told us she had a very special treatment ready for her,” they nod, knowing that they don’t want that special treatment.

“Just kill me please,” I tell them as we walk out, “I don’t deserve to live. I kill everyone, I’m a murderer. My father’s a nut job! Just kill me!” I plea.

“Oh shut up, Brim! You’ve always been way too dramatic for my taste,” says one of the men.

I gasp, “Dev? Cal? Is that you guys?”
“No, it’s the pizza men,” Cal mutters.

My sad tears turn into happy tears, “Oh thank God, you’re going to get me out of here! You’re going to….”

“Halt!” a woman screams behind us.

The three of us turn around, and Raven is standing there will a gun in her perfectly manicured hands. “Didn’t you want to stay for the after party, dear?” her voice is sharp.

Raven yells at her three men to arrest us, “Follow me,” she growls. “I can get the information out of them quicker than you can cry ‘Mommy’.

The men hold us back, Cal and Dev try to fight, but it results in tasers to their sides. “Hook her up! Hands and feet,” Raven instructs them.

I strapped up, hanging from the wall. “What do you want from us?!” I shout.

“Strap them,” Cal and Dev, “to the chairs over there. We’ll see how long this takes,” both boys hands are shaking, Cal’s eyes snap yellow, but he screams aloud instead.

She points at a long stick, “Give!” Raven shouts to the men. Once Raven has her hand around the fire poker, she does exactly what we know she’s going to do; she dips it in the fire.

“Okay,” she lifts my shirt up my back and ties it off. “First one to squeal wins!”

I breathe quickly, my breaths are shallow. “Please don’t do this!” I beg.

“Ah, ah, ah! Only your boyfriends can talk!” she snaps. The fire poker connects with my skin, and I hold back a scream.

But I do bit into my lip, drawing blood. “Anyone? Anyone want to give up any information?” I shake my head no to them.

Dev looks at his lap, ignoring the situation all together, he’s silently rocking back, and forth.

Cal, on the other hand, is staring directly into my eyes; he waiting to see how long I can go; he trying to come up with a plan.

“No?” Raven says. “Okay!” The fire poker is laid upon my back again, and I can’t help it this time, I scream.

But something odd, I scream, “Pamela!” I scream for the baby sister I killed. I killed! And I decide I deserve the pain. I deserve ever scar that will be left.

“Going one, going twice, gone!” Raven teases. She takes the poker, drawing a large ‘R’ into the skin of my back. “Woo hoo!” she shouts.

Cal speaks up, “Stop!”

“What? You have something to say?” tears roll down my cheeks.

I try to stop Cal, “Cal, please, don’t tell her. Please!” I cry out to him. “You don’t want to save someone like me,” my voice softens. “I’m not what or who you think I am. I’m a monster, Cal. It’s true,” I smile sweetly through the pain, “no one really ever wanted me.”

“Brim, listen to me. You’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine,” he tells me. Cal turns to Raven, “If I tell you the information you want, what happens to us?”

Raven whistles, “Good question, Sir! I would say, she,” Raven points at me, “goes back to Daddy. We’ll kill you, and 5 we’ll teach a lesson to.”

“So we all go straight back to where we came from, except for me,” he whispers. “Why can’t we have a better deal?”

“Because you broke the rules. Therefore, only good little boys and girls get good deals!” she says perkily.

I see Cal’s hand twitch, the rope is loose. Don’t do it Cal! I plead in my head. But he does.

Cal whips around and knocks the two staff out. He undoes the rope on Dev’s hands. “You should have brought more back up, Raven,” Cal informs her.

She snarls, “You don’t really want to mess with me, do you?” Dev and Cal step back into stances.

Raven smirks, her eyes instantly turn a deep red. “She’s changing!” I shout at them.

Dev rolls his eyes, “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” he mutters.

Raven, for the first time I’ve seen, changes. Her smaller frame grows larger and larger until she’s exactly what she said she was, Mama Bear.

Her eyes are red, and she roars loudly. Cal changes into a wolf, whereas Dev rushes over to me. “Hey, beautiful,” he jokes.

“Dev, shut up! Get me down from here,” I urge him to hurry. When I drop to the floor and my T-shirt falls over my back, I wince.

“Ouch!” I scream as Dev jumps into his jaguar form. Dev and Cal circle Raven.

I stay in my human form; I might be more help this way. I join the boys, and help circle Raven.

Raven lifts her massive body onto her back legs, she roars so loud I’m afraid the whole complex will come rushing to her rescue, but they don’t.

Dev and Cal jump on top of her, she rakes her claws down their backs, I wince. I run over to the fire, and lying next to it, is the fire poker.

Speedily, I heat it till it glows in the fire, and I pull it out burning hotter than ever before.

Dev latches onto her back thigh, and Cal snaps at her muzzle. I take my clear shot. Running as fast as I can, I stab the fire poker into Raven’s left side.

I feel my arms push the poker all the way through her, the handle sticks out the back where I shoved it in at. Raven collapses forward.

The bear she is roars, but it falls down face first, and she changed back. “Is she dead?” I say even though I know neither of them can answer.

Cal starts trotting towards the door, we need to leave. So I change, the burns on my back bleed, but I run after Dev and Cal.

We run and run. Dev leads us around The Center to the loading department. The garage is opening slowly to release one of the many cargo trucks. This is our chance.

We all glance at each other, and take the run full speed; out the door and into the approaching night.

Shots are fired, but we just keep running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Seven

What state are we in? How’d they find me? Where are we headed? I finally get to ask these questions when we find a woman throwing out a bag of old clothes.

I change first into the best thing she had; kaki shorts, a Tinker Bell T-shirt (whoever that is), and a pair of too big black flip flops.

After the boys change into something nearly awful, I start asking questions, “How’d you find me?!”

Cal answers, “Samantha. Remember when she told us she hacked into The Lab’s network; she wasn’t lying. She found where they are located and everything. We also had her rush our order on documents. Mrs. Lambert wasn’t very happy that we made her stay up all night.”

“How long was I gone?”
Dev answers this, “Roughly three days, why?”

“Because it was all a blur, the things, the hallucinations,” my voice is soft, but I’m terrified. “What state are we in?”

“We’re in South Carolina. We need to get to Florida, that’s where my family is going to be,” Cal tells us.

I sigh, “We need to get rides,” I say simply.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Cal says, “there is a Harley Davison dealership up there. We can take a few, we’ll pay them back later,” I stop Cal.

“How about we take the two that are right there?” I point to two bikes parked across the street. Both men are standing a few feet away with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths.

Dev frowns, “They’re right there! We can’t just walk up, and offer them nothing for their bikes.”

“I’ll do it, just meet me a couple miles down,” I start to walk away, but Cal grabs my wrist.

“I don’t think you should go over there, Brim. It’s too dangerous,” his eyes are worried.

“I’ll be just fine, Cal.” I say. I start to walk away, but turn around. I kiss Dev on the cheek and then Cal. “Thank you so much.”

The two motorcycle men, are laughing now. I start swinging my hips a little more. It’s just acting, I tell myself, “Hey boys!” I wave at them and smile. “Do either of you want to give a pretty lady a ride one of these manly bikes?” I twirl my hair and sit on one of the bikes trying to be sexy.

I’m not so sure it’s working, I feel stupid doing it, until they both smile, “Sure, anything for you darling.” The man whose bike I’m riding is the bigger man.

“Yea!” I clap my hands and put my arms around his waist. Ick!

He revs the engine, and him and his buddy both pull out onto the road.

I put my hands in there air making them believe every little piece of my lie. When we get to a field a couple miles down I ask him to pull over, “Hey, Sir, could you pull over here. I’ve got to show you something!”

He smiles, his first four teeth missing. He signals to his friend that he’s pulling over. In the field I see two wolves running towards us.

“Thanks!” I walk up to the bigger guys and stand on my tippy toes. When he’s close enough I head butt him so hard I see stars.

“Ouch!” he wails. He tries to grab my arms, but I dodge him, and slide up underneath his jaw, probably causing him to bite his tongue.

The other man walks up to me, “Do you honestly think that you’re going to be us up, girlie?” he laughs heartily and I roundhouse kick him in the nose, followed by a punch to the groin.

I know my boys are behind me if I need any help, but they can’t really come out in their wolf forms. I hit them both in the groins again, and they fall over.

Quickly, I kick them both in the temple causing them each to go unconscious. “Yea, I thought I was going to be the crap out of you!” I shout at their limp bodies.

Once I drag them in the field, I wait by the bikes. Cal and Dev steal the bikers’ shirts and jeans along with their boots.

I see they also decided to keep the leather jackets. “Nice leather jackets,” I mutter to Cal.

“That was A+ butt kicking, Brim!” Dev hollers.

Cal gets on his bike, and I slide on behind him, not worrying so much about the two inches anymore.

Brim? Is that really my name? Penelope? Penny? 23? Once the adrenalin rush is gone from beating the two bikers up, my back starts to throb, “Cal?” I wait to see if he hears me.

“Uh huh?”

I sigh, “Never mind.” I lay my cheek against his back. He smells like cigarette smoke, but I really don’t care because it’s a lot better than the smell of burning flesh, blood, or the pink hallucination gas.

I must’ve fallen asleep because the bike’s are off, and I being carried. “What’s going on!” I shout, and jump down to my own feet.

“You fell asleep,” Cal grabs my hand.

I stare at our hands uncomfortably, what happened while I was asleep?

“We’re staying at a Motel 8 for a few hours until we can get back on the road, is that fine?” I shrug.

He really looks at me, “What you said at The Lab, Brim, isn’t true. You are wanted, I promise. Whatever they said or did to you there is a lie, it always is. That’s why my father got out.”

My head snaps up, “You’re father’s evil too?” my voice begs it to be true, so I don’t feel so alone.

Cal shakes his head no, “My father was part of that before I was born, but he stepped out before it got so huge. But they still hunted him down, and injected his three living children.”

“Oh,” I sigh.

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t talk to me, Brim. I’ll listen and I promise I won’t judge you at all,” I stare into Cal’s eyes, yea right. The first thing he did when we met is judge.

Somehow I just don’t believe it. “It’s nothing important enough to mention.”

He nods, “Okay.”

And that’s that. We buy a room, sleep, and wake up before the sun even rises.

 

“Why are we up so early?!” I complain out loud. The third time.

Dev laughs, “What you don’t find this exhilarating?” he breathes deeply.

“It smells like skunk, not anticipation or fun,” I say blandly.

He smiles at me, “Woah there Debby Downer, calm down!” Dev gets onto his bike, and waits for Cal.

“Sorry, the clerk was asleep in the back room,” I laugh nervously, but climb on after Cal.

“We’re four hours away from reaching Florida. From there we’ll start tracking and searching for them,” I nod.

After I get situated on the bike, he starts it up, “I do know that we’ll eventually have to ditch these bikes. Those bikers should be waking up soon, and we can’t get caught for something stupid like that.”

“Oh!” Cal shouts. “That remind me, here you are,” he hands me a license with the name Pamela Smith.

And so, like any reasonable person, I ball. And I just can’t get myself to stop crying, Dev even offers to switch licenses with me.

“I’m sorry!” I shout and throw my arms in the air. “What’s wrong with me? Am I go crazy?” I look straight at Cal. “Come on, give me a real answer.”
“No, Brim. You are not crazy, although I do think you’re having a mental breakdown,” Cal sighs. “What happened in there, Brim?

“Nothing!” I wipe the tears out from under my eyes. “Can we just drive already?!” They both nod, and we start our four hour trip.

 

About half-way through, I do something that surprises even me. I lean forward closer to Cal’s ear, and I tell him exactly what happened.

 

Once I’m finished, he pulls his bike over, and sits quietly. “Are you sure he’s not lying?”

“No, but I’m pretty positive, Cal, like, 98% positive,” I look at my hands.

I hear Dev’s bike pull up behind us, “Listen to me, Brim. You’re not Penny or Penelope or your father. You’re Brim. That’s who you are now,” he licks his lips, “that’s what’s important. Not your past because you’ve changed. And,” he rubs his forehead, “I love you either way.”

Tears roll down my cheeks, and I step off the bike. I walk around and put my hands on his cheeks. “Thank you so much, Cal,” I lean in and kiss him.

I don’t think about Dev right behind us, not about Penny, or Mr. Harvey, or Pamela, not The Center, and not Florida. I just kiss Cal, and he kisses me back.

Dev breaks us apart, “If you two can quit sucking on each other’s faces for long enough can we please get back on the road?!” He’s hurt, it probably wasn’t the best way for me to do things, but it happened this way and I can’t take it back.

“Dev, I…” I’m going to tell him the ‘friends speech’, but he stops me.

“Come on!” he revs his bike, and takes of.

Getting back in the bike with Cal, he takes off down the road after Dev.

What a lovely couple of days it’s been, I think with a sigh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Eight

We enter Florida, and, immediately, Cal drives to the first restaurant he sees. “I’ll be back.” Cal runs in, and I wait, holding the bike up.

“So,” I say to Dev.

He repeats it back to me like a recorder, “So.”

“Well, um,” I try again.

He laughs, “Well, um.”

“Are we really playing this game?”

Dev smiles, “Are we really playing this game?”

“We are, aren’t we?!” I cry.

He shrugs, “We are, aren’t we?!”

“Okay, enough!” my voice is a little angry, “We have to talk, Dev, it’s not healthy!” he ignores my comment.

Cal walks out with a large grin, “They were here! This mean we’re on the right road,” he’s smiling, but when Dev starts glaring at him, he stops.

“Okay, that’s good. Let’s keep going down this route. This is a dinner place, no breakfast is served. Which means they had to stay at a hotel somewhere around here,” it’s logical in my head.

Cal nods, “That’s a good idea. I think we should try that, checking the next few hotels down the strip.”

Dev speaks up, “Sure, let’s do that! We’re not being chased or anything!”

We ignore Dev’s snotty personality, and continue with the plan.

 

After the first five hotels, Cal gets discouraged. “Hey! Chin up, we have to remember they were being chased…”

“Like us!” shouts Dev.

“So,” I continue, “they may have stayed somewhere les conspicuous,” Cal looks at me.

“You know you’re only giving me false hope, Brim, it’s pointless. We’ll never find them, and their sent is too far gone!” Cal throws his arms up in defeat.

Dev smiles, “Let’s use backwards logic! Okay, so what makes the most sense? Where would they most likely head to?”

I ponder it, “Southern Florida!”

“Good. Now where’s the opposite?”

“Northern,” Cal says blandly.

Dev’s grin spread wider, “Now, where do you think they are?”

“Not in Florida.” Cal tries, and fails.

I think, “Central Florida, in the most populated city!”

“Ding! Ding! Ding!” Dev sings. “We have a winner, and a loser,” he glances at Cal. “So we got to…”

“Oh my God! Spit it out with your backwards logic!” Cal shouts.

Dev mumbles many names, “Fine!” he snaps, “we’re going to Orlando!!!”

“Wait?!” I say.

“Yeah?” Dev answers back.

I mulled this over in my head, “If your backwards logic really works, then wouldn’t they technically be in the Midwest?”

Dev frowns and pats my shoulder, “Don’t over think it, okay? Your brain isn’t quite that developed,” I roll my eyes, and Cal turns the motorcycle back on.

“Stupid backwards logic,” he complains to me once Dev is driving off.

I laugh at him, “You’ll just be mad if it actually works!”

He frowns, but he tries to smile for me. It’s still more of a grimace though. “Sorry, I’m pretty bitter about this. I thought we’d find them by now.”

“We’ll be just fine, Cal. They give you some sort of sign, maybe,” I try to think, “they’re going to hang a flag out the window of their apartment!”

He shakes his head, “If only it were that easy,” he sighs.

So we drive all the way to Orlando, which leaves us getting there at nine o’ clock, and sore thighs.

“Can we please find somewhere to sleep? My butt and thighs hurt, so bad!” Complaint number four.

We point to a motel, and Dev pulls in after us. “Yea, I’m so tired I could sleep the rest of the year.”

“We need to get rid of these bikes,” I repeat as I stare at them.

Cal sighs and Dev nods, “Yea, but we need to find my family first.”

“I know, I was just saying.”

We stare at each other, not saying anything more. We keep driving, and continue checking motels, hotels, and bed and breakfasts.

“Can someone else go in this time?” Cal moans.

I sigh, “Okay, but I have absolutely not idea what they looks like?”
“It doesn’t matter, they weren’t here anyway,” he complains.

I roll my eyes, he’s so dramatic, and walk into the hotel. “Hello, Sir?” I say seeing the man behind the counter.

“What?” he looks around, confused. “Do you need a room?”
I shake my head, “I’m looking to see if a group of people, maybe six or seven people, stayed here about a week or so ago. They’re real tall, huge!” I’m about to keep going, but he stops me.

“Oh yea, the bog fellers!” he chuckles, “they asked for our cheapest room, and then one lower than that. So I told them they could sleep on the lawn chairs by the pool!” the older man is laughing so hard tears come out of his eyes, “So they did, sleep by the pool, and they slept there all night, and were gone by morning!”

I smile, and shake his hand, “You have no idea how much you’ve helped me!”

“Bye bye!” he calls as I run out the door. When I see Cal and Dev, I start jumping up and down.

I laugh at Cal, “I go in there one time, and I found out they were here. They slept in lawn chairs!”

“Lawn chairs?” Dev asks.

I giggle, “Lawn chairs, I know right!” Cal stares at me. So they stayed in Orlando, but they must’ve bought a house by now? Where are they living?”

“What name do you think they would go by?”

He sighs, “I have absolutely no idea. We should just try to dive through the city.” Cal drops his head into his hands, “It’s near impossible.”

“Yea, we should just get out!” Dev whines, “I’m agreeing with Cal, it’s almost impossible.”

“You guys should find us somewhere to eat on this street; I’m going to borrow the bike,” I say matter-of-factly.

Their heads snap up, “No!”
“Well,” I shove Cal off his bike, but he still remains where he his, “you’re going to have to let me go because I never ask for anything. I’ll be very careful.”

“There are still people on our tail, you can’t just be careful. You have to be invisible!” Dev warns.

I roll my eyes, “You two are so dramatic! I promise I won’t go further than a mile or two,” Cal steps off of his bike.

So, I take the chance to hop on, “Be back soon! If I’m not back in half an hour, you can freak out. Deal?”

“I don’t know…?”

Pealing out of the hotel parking lot, I wave behind me. I push the bike to go faster. I flash past hotel and hotel, each different and special in their own way.

Cars start to pile up at the traffic light, and I glance around. To my right, a road leads to a gate. There are quite a few gated communities around here, I think to myself.

Labeling the road is a green and white street sign; Wolf Road. I smile to myself and race forward as the light shifts to green.

I find myself returning to the hotel ten minutes early. And I see the motorcycle down a bit, it’s parked in Denny’s parking lot.

Once I pull up and walk in, Cal and Dev’s shoulders relax and the grin at me. “You’re back early,” Cal says.

“Just went for a drive. Did you get us a room to stay in for tonight?” they both look away guiltily.

The waitress walks up towards us, “Can I get you anything to drink?” Her pretty blonde hair frames her face, and her brown eyes stare at Dev.

Jealousy, that’s what I feel, but I have absolutely no right to be jealous. “I’d like a Coke.” I interrupt their intense staring contest.

“Alrighty!” she takes everyone else’s order and skips back to the kitchen/

Cal raises his eyebrows at Dev, “What?” he asks innocently.

“You’re dopes,” I mutter.

They just laugh, and Cal slips his arm around my waist; I freeze up. It brings me back to the kiss on the motorcycle, which brings me back to The Center.

The Center brings me back to the scary realization that Mr. Harvey is my father, and that I murdered my sister. “Hello! Brim!” Dev shouts.

“What? Did I miss something?” I pull myself free of the thought.

Dev gives me the ‘duh’ look, “Yea. We asked whether or not you saw anything while you were driving?”

“No,” I shrug, “I saw this awesome road though. It’s called Wolf Road. It’s at the intersection up there.” I wave my hand, pointing in a general direction.

“Wait,” Cal says loudly, “say that again.”

I look at him like he’s crazy, “I saw this awesome road though. It’s called Wolf Road. It’s at the intersection up…” Cal covers my mouth with hand.

“That’s it, isn’t it? Wolf Road. Wolf Road!” He turns to me, “You need to show us where that road is right now.”

Our waitress exits the kitchen with our drinks, “Awww,” Dev whines, “do we have to go right now?”
“Yea!” Cal shouts.

I look as another waitress set food down on the table next to us, “Really, Cal? I’m awful hungry.”

He gives us a look like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. “Fine! We’ll get our food first if that really what you want to do.”

Cal crosses his arms over his chest and pouts. We order our food and wait; Cal taps his foot impatiently.

I put my hand on his shoulder, “You need to make sure your not getting yourself all hyped up for something that may not be, okay? It will be a huge letdown.”

“Thanks for the upbeat news, Brim,” he murmurs.

When the waitress brings our food, and stops to make googly eyes at Dev, Cal shovels it in his mouth. “Done!” he says two minutes later. “Ready to leave?”

“No!” Dev and I yell at the same time, mouths full of food.

Cal stands, “I’ll go get the bikes ready.” With that he steps away from the table, and leaves the restaurant for the bikes.

As I finish chewing my bite of food, Dev speaks, “He’s got the money, you know.”

“I know.”

We both laugh, and I step out to get the money from Cal so we can pay. “Ready?” he asks as soon as my foot exits the door.

“We need to pay, dope.”

“Oh,” he hands me the wallet. “And Brim?”

I turn around, looking back at him; that crooked smile on his face. The smile that he gives only me, “Yea?” I say sweetly.

“Can you hurry up?”

My eyes close to slits and I give him a fierce glare, “God! Shut up, we’ll be out when we’re done. Your family will still be there when we get there. I promise,” I stomp back to the counter to pay.

Once I pay, I glance at Dev. He’s still flirting, and I whistle at him. “We have to go before we’re left here.”
“Oh, I’m coming.” Dev laughs once more with the waitress, and comes towards me.

“Let’s go!” the two of us run into the parking lot, and Cal is already on his bike.

Slipping onto the back of Cal’s, we leave. I point them down the roads I took to get to Wolf Road. “I’m not sure your parents are here, if they’re not, it’s not my fault, okay?”

“Duh!” he shouts as Dev and Cal pull onto the road.

“How are we going to know which house they would be staying in?” I ask.

Right before he can say anything, he stops in front of a house with four motorcycles out front. “Like that.”

Together, we walk towards the house. Cal grabs my hand, “What if this is a trick, Brim?”

“You mean what if The Center knew we would find this street, and bought four motorcycles just in case?”
He shakes his head, “You’re right, that was a stupid question.”

But I swallow hard, worried that he may be right.

Cal raises a shaky hand to knock on the door, and Dev stands behind up. His grip tightens on my hand as the door knob turns.

 

 

 

 

Chapter Nine

A tall woman with dark hair, and tan skin open the door. She stares at our linked hands. “Cal?” her voice is confused.

“Lydia! Thank God I found you,” Cal pushes past the girl, still holding my hand therefore dragging me behind.

In the smaller living room are seven people. Three tall men, a short woman, two blonde haired girls, and the girl who answered the door; the short woman stands up, and flings her arms around Cal.

Yet for some reason, he doesn’t drop my hand. So by the time everyone is smiling, and laughing they’re also noticing our entwined hands.

“Hi,” a girl from behind says.

I turn around, and one of the blonde girls is standing there. She’s the taller of the two, and she’s holding hands with one of Cal’s brothers, “Hi,” I say nervously.

“My name’s Gwen and this is Fynn.”
I stutter for a moment before spitting out my name, “Penny!” I choke on the name that just flew out of my mouth. “But call me Brim please?” the statement comes out like an odd question.

“Okay, Brim,” she laughs. Gwen is obviously younger than I am, but she’s taller by a few inches.

This time the boy names Fynn talks, “Why are you holding hands with Cal?” his voice is disgusted. Gwen punches Fynn’s arm, and mumbles about being rude.

“Oh,” my voice is dumb. But, quickly, my attitude flares up, “was it reserved for you?” a smirk crawls across my face. “Here, take it.” I hold his hand out to Fynn, and Cal looks at me.

“Oh,” Fynn says, “I see. They both hate the world,” he’s bitter about something.

“Did you need something, Brim?” Cal pulls my hand closer, and again, I’m pulled towards him.

My tongue feels heavy in my mouth, “No.”

“Okay, but I was hoping you’d say yes,” his eyes are intense, and I feel like he’s seeing everything I’ve ever tried to hide.

I lick my lips, “Why would that be?”

“Because,” he says quietly, “I was hoping you’d ask for a kiss, so I wouldn’t have to.” Cal leans forward, as his family is distracted and loud, and he kisses me for the third time.

Cal’s kiss is cute and sweet, but not anything too icky in front of his family.

When he pulls away he smiles his precious smile, but, unsuccessfully, tries to hide it from his family.

“Wow,” Lydia says, “I never though Cal would come back, much less with a girlfriend!” everyone except Cal and I laugh.

Dev even laughs nervously now, Cal’s father was talking to him about The Center.

My cheeks bloom red at the embarrassingly loud statement, Cal chuckles.

“I must be pretty weird if you’re bringing me back here. Apparently, it wasn’t expected,” I joke.

Cal’s face stays straight as he comments on my thought, “No.” He pauses and smiles a little, “You’re pretty special for me to be bringing you back here.”

 

After everyone was over the shock of Cal liking me, we got down to business. Paul, Cal’s father, and Jennifer, Cal’s mother, both explain their entire story to me.

So, therefore, I feel obligated to tell mine. And I start from the beginning, what Mr. Harvey, my father, showed me.

“From what I know, I’m was the original werewolf gene that was passed down through birth. There’s a 70% chance that the child will inherit the gene, and a 30% chance that they won’t; and that’s if one parent carries the gene.

“My sister, Pamela, was killed.” My voice quiets down, and Cal grabs my hand, rubbing the back of it softly, “She was killed by me, her own sister, and,” I continue to choke on the words, “she was part of that 30%, and I just killed her.

“And then my father, the man who started The Center, killed my mother. From there I was labeled 23, and kept a secret. I was built, I realize now at least, to be the best.”

I explain how I was caught, and how we escaped. I tried to tell them as much as I could.

The room is quiet, and the first to speak is Lydia, “How do we know you’re not working with your father, Mr. Harvey?”

I purse my lips, and Cal yells at her, “How could you even ask that?! She helped get us here, and she found this road!”

“But think about it, Cal,” the girl counters, “you’re a puppy dog in love, and you’re not realizing that everything adds up! She was caught, right? What happened when she was caught? You two came to her rescue, and almost were captured.

“We’re not even sure that all that stuff happened to her. She most likely knew all along!”

This time my mouth drops open, and I stand up, “Listen here, Lydia,” I say her name like a disease, “I’ve been through hell and back, so don’t you start with me. How would you like you like to find out that you killed your sister, and that your father killed your mother?

“Do you even think about what you’re saying? I’ve always wanted a mother,” my voice softens a bit, “why on Earth would I support the father that took her away from me?” my knees buckle slightly, and Cal grabs my arm; he helps me lower to the couch.

Lydia speaks up, “I can tell we aren’t going to get along.” She walks out of the room, and down a hallway; she slams the door.

“Well,” Aaron, Cal’s youngest brother, says, “I don’t think Lydia like Brim very much, I mean, since she took away her brooding buddy, and all!” Gwen, Fynn, and Alice, Gwen’s sister, laugh.

“What? Brooding buddy?” I’m confused; coming out of that embarrassing emotional state.

Aaron explains, “Cal was captain of the Debby Downer ship, and Lydia was first mate.”

I nod, Aaron is too funny all the time; it’s getting on my nerves.

Cal addresses what Aaron says, “It’s just that Aaron always tried to make things funny, and it gives me a headache more than anything!”

I laugh.

Alice and Gwen stand, a few minutes earlier they had given each other some sort of signal, and leave the room.

“So,” Cal starts again, “did anything happen, out of the ordinary, while I was gone?”

“Well?” Fynn begins.

“Hey!” a voice shouts from down the hallway. “Can we use our inside voice, please? I’m about ready to punch every single one of you in the face,” his Irish accent is unbelievable strong.

“Who is that?” Cal asks, a growl in his voice.

I stare at the very tall, lean, strong, perfect, red-haired, freckled Irish man I’d ever seen. “Wow,” I mumble, Cal glares at me.

“This is Eric, he’s the problem that we’ve been meaning to tell you about,” Paul says.

Cal snarls, “Problem? Yea, I’d say this is a huge problem! How did this even happen? Why is he here?!” Cal shouts, livid.

Fynn rolls his eyes, “Come down, buddy. He’s just the one that got changed,” Fynn says it like it’s no big deal.

Cal flies out of his seat, and tackles Fynn to the ground. I stand up, “Cal, stop it!” I tell him, “you look like a complete idiot,” Cal stops punching Fynn for a moment to stare at me.

Cal looks back at Fynn, and grunts. He shoves his face into the floor instead, and stands next to me. “I look like a wimp now, but I can’t just say no,” he complains to me.

“Well, you looked like a bigger idiot beating the crap out of him,” I inform him.

“Wow, hot babe in the house!” Eric calls.

This time I don’t stop Cal from punching someone, but I only let him pop him in the nose twice. “Who changed you?”

“Alice?” he looks to Aaron to make sure he’s right.

Cal’s draw drops, “What?! She has complete recollection of what she does!”
Aaron speaks, “It was an accident apparently,” he says quietly.

Eric laughs, “Yea, chick started making out with me, and bam!” he claps his hands together, “she bites my shoulder,” Eric continues to laugh as if it were a joke.

Aaron clenches his fists, and stomps out of the room. “What’s Aaron’s problem?” I whisper to Cal.

“He’s got a crush.”

“On Eric?!” my voice goes really high.

The stress and weight of Eric lift from his face, “No, Alice,” he chuckles at me, and wraps an arm around me. “This has been an extremely long day!”

“Yea,” I lay my head on his chest. “It has, and I’m ready for it all to be over, but it can’t end until The Center is gone.”

“I know,” Cal says.

Eric ruins out moment, he flips the switch on the TV, and MTV blares through the house. “God!” I say to Cal, “I might murder this kid before anything else.”
“Ha! I’d like to see you get a punch in, shorty!” I punch Cal in the stomach, and he goes to ‘hit’ me back.

I dodge, slide, pass, and wiggle away from every attempt. By the end he’s actually fighting for real, and I’m laughing as he misses me by a millisecond.

“Okay, truce! You might be able to get a punch in,” I roll my eyes.

“Hey,” Eric yells, “quiet down. Oh,” he looks at me, “get me a soda. If we’re out you can take one of the bikes to the store.”

“What?”

Eric gives Cal a look, like she’s an idiot, “You and the other dude, with the blonde hair, are the only two who don’t switch. That means you have to do stuff for the people who do have powers.”

“Powers?” I say.

“Yea,” Eric keeps staring at the TV.

I step around, and block his view of the TV, and he stares at me with loathing.

“Move!”

Crack! My fist connects with his face. “You listen here, scum!” I yell, as he clutches his bleeding nose. “I will not put up with that kind of crap! I could take you down faster than you can yell move. So, unless you want to find your face in the mud, I suggest you tread lightly!”

I stalk away, Cal follows me down the hallway. “Nice one, Brim. I was cheering you on the whole way,” he kisses my forehead, and I laugh.

“You know, I never understood why this,” I point at the two of us, “worked until just now.’

“It’s odd isn’t it?” he says.

“No,” I whisper, “it’s special.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Ten

Cal let me have his bed, he took the floor. Cal quickly settled into sleep; snoring.

Tossing a turning, I eventually give up on the idea of sleep, and hop out of the bed.
I head down the hallway, and stop in front of the only room with a light on. I press my ear to the door, listening to the voices.

“Her and the blonde boy, Dev, they’re bad news. How can nobody else see that?! She’s corrupting Cal and the others,” the Lydia girl yells.

Someone laughs, “Lydia, you’re overreacting. She’s not trying to take us down.”

“Gwen’s right, Lydia, Brim’s sweet, plus Cal likes her a lot. Shouldn’t that mean anything?”

“You two are just children,” Lydia growls, “I’m talking to a seventeen and a fourteen year old!” Lydia shouts.

Alice snaps at Lydia, “I’m fifteen!”
“Yea, and clearly still with the brain of a twelve year old. We let two new people into our pack, and one of them bites somebody. So now with another two, and Cal will defend the creature until the end!” I hear her defend.

The other two girls laugh, “The Creature? Really, Lydia, you are acting like a creature,” Gwen teases.

I snigger, and knock down a little miniature statue. “Crap,” I whisper.

“What was that?!” Lydia flings open the door, and I have the statue in my hands, and I’m looking awful suspicious.

Gwen and Alice poke their heads around the corner, “ Oh, it’s just Brim. Come on in,” Gwen says cheerfully.

“What?!” Lydia shouts. “The two of you are awful!” Lydia stomps down the hallway, leaving Alice, Gwen, and I.

Alice pipes up first, “Couldn’t sleep?”
“No,” I avoid eye contact.

“Don’t listen to her,” Gwen says softly, “she’s bitter. Like Aaron said, they were Brooding Buddies. So now she kind of feels left out. But, it’s not really you she’s mad at….” I sigh.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, “Yea, it is. She hates me, and she thinks I’m leaking your information.”

“Not necessarily on purpose. Lydia thinks they may have put a tracker in your arm, one that you don’t know about,” Alice says.

I shake my head no, “They would have been you already. We were being followed for a while, but I’m pretty sure we lost them.”

“I sure hope so,” Gwen says.

Trying to smile, I turn back to Gwen, “So, let’s try to make things happier! Anybody have anything to say?”

Alice rolls her eyes, “Nice try, but there story of my life sucks. I was turned into a werewolf at fourteen, I’ll never be able to see my family again, I turned some poor innocent Irish boy into a werewolf,” Gwen and I crinkle our nose at ‘poor innocent Irish boy’, “and, finally, everyone here hates me except for Gwen and Aaron.”
“Well, at least Lydia can stand to talk to you,” I try,

“No,” Alice sighs, “she can stand to argue with me.”

Alice’s older sister speaks up, “Fynn doesn’t hate you!”

She chuckles, “Fynn’s a good actor, but he’s angry Gwen. You are right, he doesn’t hate me, but he strongly dislikes me.” Alice turns to me, “What? No, ‘Cal doesn’t hate you’?”

“No, I’m pretty sure he hates you, but I like you,” they both smile at me. “But really?! The Irish boy had got to go, he’s awful!”

“I tried to tell you, Alice, he’s unbearable! I almost punched him myself!” we all laugh together, and something tells me, I might have made two new friends.

 

Early in the morning, I creep back into the room, and Cal is still snoring on the floor.

This time I fall asleep, happy to know I’m not hated by everyone.

When I do wake up, the sun fills the room, and I hear commotion coming from the kitchen, so I shuffle toward the bustle.

When I come in, I rub the sleep from my eyes, and stare at the scene before me.

Mrs. Holloway is laying out a buffet of food, and every one of them is laughing at something. No one seems to be hating each other.

Dev is laughing with Fynn, and Lydia and Alice are making smoothies together.

Cal comes up behind me, “Morning, Brim. Want some breakfast?”
I raise my eyebrows, and nod, “Okay, but I don’t want to intrude or anything…”
“Intrude? Did you really just say that, Brim?” Cal laughs. “You aren’t intruding, I’m offering you some breakfast.”

“Okay, in that case I’ll have some of everything,” I say with a smile.

Cal gives me ‘one of everything’ while shoving Aaron out of the way to get to the last of the bacon. “Here you go, maam!” he hands me the plate, and I smack him on the head.

“That’s way to corny!” Cal and I sit next to each other.

“So,” Eric speaks up, “last night when you all were shouting, you were talking about your past,” Eric looks to me. “My question is so you liked to be called Penny or Brim?”

I stare him down, not saying anything. The room is oddly quiet. “Also,” he won’t shut up, “is your last name Harvey than? I’m just curious?” Eric shoves more and more food into his mouth.

Still, the room stays quiet. People sneak looks at me. Cal speaks first, “Brim, will you pass the salt?”

I nod, “Here.”

“Okay, so it’s Brim,” Eric talks again, “that’s good to know. I’m no bugging you, am I?”

I’m about to say no, but i say something else instead, “Yes. You’re driving me insane, and I’m a little sad somebody didn’t snap your neck,” I stand up, and step out of the room.

Why does he drive me insane?! Nobody ever pushes me over the edge like that!

“Brim?” Cal calls down the hallway

I turn around, “Yea?”

“That was really rude.”

My mouth falls open, “What?! He’s the one that started it, and it’s not my…!” Cal shakes his head no.

“I mean it was rude for you to handle it that way in front of my mother after she just made everyone breakfast. I could care less about Eric, he was being rude too. But I don’t expect him to apologize.”
“You want me to apologize?” I complain. “You see it’s not really my forte…” he pushes out into the kitchen again. It goes silent.

I’m about ready to speak, I take a deep breath, “I’m sorry Mrs. Holloway. I’m a little on edge this morning.”

“It’s quite alright dear, have a seat,” she still frowns.

Cal clears his throat, “I’ve been thinking, and talking with Dev,” Dev waves dorkily, “and we have an idea.”

“An idea for what?” Fynn asks.

“I was getting there!” he composes himself. “We obviously need to take down the center, but we can’t do it right now because we’re not a large enough group.

“But if we help more escape, and or make more….” I cut him off.

“Wait! You want to bite random people for our benefit?! Are you crazy, that awful!” I think how I didn’t really have a choice when Mr. Harvey injected himself.

Cal stares at me like he can’t believe I disagreed with him, “What do you mean? It one of the choices we have to consider.”

Alice speaks up, “I’m not sure about that, Cal. I really didn’t have a choice. And don’t get me wrong I love all of you,” she looks at Lydia with a frown and continues speaking, “but if I had the choice I would have rather stayed with my family. That way Gwen wouldn’t even be a werewolf.”

“Being a lycanthrope is not something you should force on people. I think we should break people out,” Gwen, Alice, Dev, Aaron raise their hand showing they side with me.

Fynn, Paul, Jennifer, Eric, Lydia, and Cal stare at us. “I don’t know, I think we have you out numbered, and besides, Dev, agreed with me last night,” Cal shouts.

“I did,” Dev shakes his head, “but these ladies made me realize that the plan we came up with is wrong. I’d rather rescue people.”

“But that leaves a larger chance of getting killed!” Lydia cries.

We all stare at each other, and Cal gives me an evil look. I glare right back.

“We are going to change people, Brim, it’s quicker. It’s also a lot safer,” he snarls.

“We are not going to change people, Cal, it’s stupid. It’s also a lot crueler,” I growl.

Eric speaks, “Just saying, most people don’t want to be werewolves, but then again, you have people that do.”

“Your point mud brain!” I shout.

“My point,” he scoffs, “is you need to find the fanatics, and convince them that they should change.”

I roll my eyes, “All those people in The Center don’t have a choice! They’re all stuck there, and I’m positive that Prison 5 would love to join our group!”
“Prison 5?” Cal says softer. “They kept you in prisons?”
“What did you think it was? A five star resort?” I mock.

“I’m with both of you,” Lydia says. “I think we should find the fanatics, and try and rescue a few people.”

Dev sighs, “You do have to be very carful though. There are still those who would kill you or turn you in.”
“We know, Dev, but the problem is getting in. I’m almost positive we can get out,” I mutter.

Cal speaks up again, “Brim is right, those people don’t have a choice. I think we should try to rescue those in the,” he stops for only a moment, “prisons. If we just leave them in there The Lab will surely use them against up. But if it doesn’t work out…”

Lydia shouts at Cal, “You stay behind and go soft on us because some girl comes through and kisses you. Oh please!” she says sarcastically, “you don’t think she’s actually into you, do you? I mean, who’s her father Cal?”

My eyes narrow as Lydia brings up my worst fear, “Hit below the belt when things don’t slide your way, don’t you Lydia?”

She growls and makes a grab for my upper arm, I pull away, “Don’t play with me, Brim. You come from there, and that worries me. Besides I think Cal was just the most convenient victim.”

I push back from the table we’re sitting at, and stalk out of the room fuming. My senses start to go haywire, and I feel my skin pull tight. Closing my eyes, I regain composure.

‘Do not cry,’ I chant to myself, ‘don’t being weak, don’t feel sorry for yourself.’

Opening the back door to the porch, I take a seat on an old deck chair. ‘Get over yourself!’

The reality of the situation pushes on my shoulders, and threatens to push tears out of my eyes. I hold strong.

Who was I to think they’d all be fine with my father being Mr. Harvey, and Dev and I waltzing in from The Center. I was an idiot.

I hear the door behind my slide open, and Cal’s shoes enter my vision as I stare at the wooden floor. “You okay?”

“What do you think?” I mutter harshly.

He takes a seat across from me, “I imagine you feel awful, but I also think that you should get over what Lydia said.”
I look up, my eyes watering. Chanting the chant, I speak, “I should.”

“Yes, because, obviously, no one was listening to her besides you,” Cal crosses his arms over his chest, and leans back; the chair cracks.

I sigh, “You’re going to break the chair.”

“Come here.” Rolling my eyes, I shake my head no. He rolls his eyes, and grabs my arm.

Next thing I know I’m sitting on his lap, “I feel like an idiot, Cal. Can I please go back to my own chair while we have whatever conversation you’re planning on having?”

“No.”

“And why not?” I tease.

Cal smiles and holds my hand, “Because I like you sitting on my lap, and I don’t want you to sit all the way over there.”

Butterflies take off in my stomach, and I quickly look away as my cheeks flush bright red, “Okay, let’s talk,” I murmur.

“You do know that we’ve only known each other a short time, and everyone here thinks the only reason I like you is because I was ‘sheltered’.”

“I’m not quite sure how this is helping?” I reply drily.

He shakes his head, “Be quiet, Brim,” he says playfully. “But, anyways, they’re wrong and I know this because when I saw an,” he moves his head from side to side, gauging, “attractive woman,” I cut him off.

“Still not helping.”

“Be quiet, Brim. Anyways, when I saw and attractive woman,” his lips quirk into a smile, “I thought they were decently pretty, but I only thought one woman was beautiful. I found myself comparing them all to you. Even when your hair was so knotty that I thought I might have to sheer it off. Even when your face had so much dirt on it that I thought it might take five showers to get it off. You were always more beautiful than any one could ever be.”

My ears go red along with my cheeks, “You’re just saying that. Besides,” he raises his eyebrows.

“What?”

“Nothing, but,” I pause sucking in a breath, “why me? Why did you find yourself warming up to me?”

Cal laughs, “That I can’t tell you, it’s a secret, but I’ll you something else in exchange.”

The chair creaks, “And what would that be?”

“I love you.”

Finally, the chair gives, and Cal’s grip tightens around be as we fall to the ground. As if nothing happed at all, Cal kisses me.

I find myself falling deeper into the kiss, and falling deeper in love with Cal.

My hands tangle in his black hair, and I feel completely and utterly safe.

“What the heck was that noise!” shouts Aaron. I hear him stop in front of the sliding door.

He laughs out loud, and I pull away. “Oooo! Cal, what would your brooding buddy say with that kind of smile on your face?”

“She’d say shove off, Aaron!” Cal says jokingly.

Aaron chuckles, “Brim, you might want to fix your hair before you come inside. And Cal, get the grin off your face before somebody else notices.”

Cal purses his lips as Aaron walks away, “Keep the grin,” I whisper as I lean in for another kiss, “I like it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Eleven

We decided that we’d try rescuing first.

It wasn’t easy to convince everybody, but Cal had a pretty good handle on threatening people. I didn’t exactly stop him from doing so either.

Eric continued to blab his mouth continuously, and I decided that I might as well shut him up for a while since he didn’t really have a real say in the matter.

I punched him.

After the matter was settled, I figured we should all go to bed. Cal started leading me toward the room I would share with Dev; talk about extremely awkward.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep on the couch?” Cal says at her glares at Dev’s sleeping form.

I take his hand, “Don’t worry, we’ll only snuggle a lot.”

Cal squeezes my hand, “Seriously, Brim. You should take the couch.”

“Yeah,” I scoff, “right across from Eric. It doesn’t really sound much better.”

“Oh, why isn’t he staying in here with Dev, and you get the couch?” Cal tries to solve the ‘problem’.

“Cal, it’s not that big of a deal. Your parents have a room, Lydia, Gwen, and Alice have a room, and you, Fynn, and Aaron share. Eric will sleep on the couch, and Dev and I can squeeze into here,” I start walking in.

He doesn’t immediately let go of my hand, “Cal,” I whine, “I’m tired, come on.”

“Sorry,” he drops my hand and starts to head toward his room across the hall.”

I feel guilty, “Gosh,” I say under my breath. “Do you want to talk for a bit?”

“Not if you’re tired,” he says with a smile.

“Not one bit.” Cal turns around, and sits on the end on my bed. “Just lay down. I really could care less, but if I fall asleep you leave. Got it?”
He rolls his eyes, “Yea, I got it.”

“So,” I say with a yawn as a lay down next to him, “what are we talking about?”
“I don’t know, let’s see?” his voice trails off as I curl up, and fall asleep.

 

I’m running through the cornfield again, and my little sister screams in front of me. “Penny! Penny! Oh no, Penny please don’t hurt me!”

My paws slam against the soft, tilled dirt, and I howl.

My eyes search in the full moon’s light.

My teeth tear into my sister’s flesh, and I enjoy it.

When the moon fades away into the sun, I come back to my senses in the cornfield.

Rocking in a ball, I scream aloud into the open space, and I sob into my blood red palms.

 

I awake. I snap up out of bed, and I’m sweating. “No. No. No. No.” I say over and over.

“Brim?” Dev whispers from across the room. “Are you alright?”

Feeling the skin on my face, I nod. “Yea, I’m fine. I just had a nightmare, that’s all.”

“Okay, than,” he says suspiciously, and I hear him roll back over in bed.

The next morning, I wake up and shuffle into the kitchen, where I hear the others making food, talking, and arguing. “Lydia, please stop complaining about everything,” Aaron says.

“Shut up!”

Shielding my eyes to the light, I enter the room. “Morning, Sunshine!” Aaron greets.

“Rough night?” Gwen asks as she pours coffee.

“Huh?”
Gwen blushes, “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean, I only meant that your scream last night. I hope it was nothing.”

I rub the back of my neck, “Oh.”

Cal, who was moments before shoving buttered toast into this mouth, stops and looks up at me, “You were screaming?” there’s a general look of concern on his face.

“No, it was a scream. There’s a difference, and I was only a petty nightmare.”

Eric snorts, “What, boyfriend, how’d you miss the girlfriend’s scream?! I pretty sure that means you’re failing at your job.”

“Yea, Cal?” Lydia snarls, “where did you go last night that would have caused you to not hear the scream?”
Fynn and Cal glance at each other; worried expression cross their face, Gwen glares.

She stalks up to Fynn and points a finger at his chest, “You better start talking or I swear I won’t talk to you for a week!”

Her threat must have been empty because Fynn grabbed the hand that was waving in his face and kissed it with a smile. “Just like you wouldn’t talk to me last time? Because I pretty sure that lasted five minutes.”

Gwen’s look is fierce, “Don’t play with me. I told you it was too dangerous to go out by yourself, especially with The Lab on our butts.”

“By my self. I went with Cal,” Cal snarls at Fynn for ratting him out.

“You can’t just go on your evening runs anymore, not when they’re searching for us!” she lowers her voice. “What would I do if you were taken?”

Fynn looks at his feet, and doesn’t meet her eyes, “Sorry,” I says so quietly that only the people nearest to him can hear (myself, Aaron, and Cal).

“Pukefest!” Aaron shouts, “Did I just hear Fynn apologize?!”

I ignore is sixteen year old boy banter and look at Cal with a raised eyebrow. He gets up from his stool and comes over, “I’m real sorry,” he whispers it lightly.

“You better be because next time you go and you don’t take me I will leave you with a bald spot!” I put my hands on my hips, and everyone looks at me.

Fynn chuckles, “Wow Cal, looks like I’ve been replaced; no one’s going to stop you from going,” he gives a side glance to Gwen.

“Yes there is,” says Jennifer. “Cal you’re not to go, and if you do I will strap you to your bed at night. How embarrassing that would be!”

Cal tosses his plate in the trash, “Mom, I’m fine. Besides I’m a bit too old to be told what to do.”

“You think so?” she taunts.

Gwen, Alice, and I snicker as she chastises all three of her boys about never outgrowing their mother’s rules.

I sigh, happy, but still disgruntled about last night’s nightmare. I smile as Cal looks over at me with his beautiful eyes.

I’ll do whatever they need me to do, I think, I’ll do it for Cal, I’ll do it for those at The Center still trapped, but most importantly, I’ll do it for me.

 

 

 

80

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Texte: Elaina
Lektorat: Elaina
Übersetzung: none
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 21.09.2013

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Widmung:
To Lia, as always, because you're who I write my books for! I love you!