"Mel, are you okay?" Trisha's voice calls behind me, I turn around on my heels. My face feels hot. Actually, everything feels hot. Fever maybe?
"Am I 'okay'? What the hell type of stupid freaking question is that? Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be? Well?" By the time I'm done talking my voice is a loud yell that shatters the constant silence of La Push Middle Schools library.
My hands start shaking, I look down at them. I'm … vibrating? What the hell?
"Mel…?" Trisha's voice is softer now, her face scrunched up like I physically hurt her.
"Sorry." I try to make the word sound like I mean it but it comes out as an enraged growl.
I shake my head back and forth over and over as I stomp past her, my shoulder bumping into hers.
Have the hall ways always been so long? I'm pretty much sprinting down them but I just can't seem to get to the damn doors. The heat in me is growing hotter. A strange red hue covers all I can see.
Suddenly, without warning, I'm off the ground. Someone's arm wrapped around my waist and is carrying me down the hall. What the hell?
I thrash around wildly. My nails scratch against the mans russet skin but they leave no mark. I punch him as hard as I can and I'm pretty sure I heard a crack in my hand. I shove the pain to the back of my mind and keep hitting him.
My arms and legs are getting sore; I can feel the bruises already starting to form.
Before I can do anything I'm dropped on a bed. What the hell? I look around me, oh, it's my bed. My bedroom too.
My glare meats the dark brown eyes of Embry Call.
"So, your moms at work right?" He asks awkwardly. Down the hall I can hear others coming in. And then my room is full of giant, over-sized, men. I recognize them all. Sam comes and stands next to me, his eyes full of sadness.
That's when I blacked out, the pain and heat covering my body and mind.
Last thing I hear was the deep voice of Sam telling someone, "Get Leah over here, now."
Gradually the heat seemed to wane, slowly dimming down to nothing. I at least stopped shaking after awhile. The pain though … that lasted longer than anything. It felt like my entire body was being morphed, stretched, or changed. I didn't completely realize just how changed I was till it all ended.
In the weeks that the heat and pain and shaking were the only things I knew I heard voices. I couldn't force my eyes open to see who spoke, every movement caused another spasm of torture.
The one I heard most came from a woman, her voice was smooth and comforting but at the time it felt as if nothing could comfort me.
"It won't last forever," was one of the most repeated sentences I heard coming from various voices. This one did bring me some relief; but still, if it doesn't last forever than exactly how long will it last?
"Screaming won't make it any better," was another verse I heard a lot. I hadn't noticed I'd been screaming. It was a miracle that I could even comprehend the people speaking.
There were other things said but I barely understood them. I barely cared actually.
But then it ended, not abruptly like I had been hoping but like a fire slowly dying out. I was finally able to open my eyes.
The trees were the first things I saw and they looked … different. It was like everything was much clearer; my eye sight seemed almost enhanced. I could count the veins in the leaves in fact.
"Melody?" A female's voice asked. I recognized the clear soprano easily, not by name but by the sound. It was the same voice that'd been speaking to me through each and every second of my agony.
I was scared to move more than my eyes and the gentle up and down movement of chest from my breathing so I didn't look up to see the person.
After a while I did cautiously move my lips to form the word, "Yes?"
"Melody, I'm Leah Clearwater." The woman's voice sounded again. I raised my head and then slowly lifted myself so that I was sitting up on my elbows.
"Hi." The word came out as a question.
Leah Clearwater, I recognize her … yes, she used to go to La Push High. She used to date Sam Uley too I think. I also know her by her beautiful face. Seriously, the girl is definitely model perfect, in an exotic princess kinda way. Her hair used to be longer though now it's a short bob that falls just below her earlobes. It looks good on her, gives her a more edgy look.
"Hey, um, I know this is all incredibly … confusing right now and I honestly don't think I'm the best person to do this but … Melody … you're a werewolf. Well, shape-shifter to be exact." Leah looked around us nervously. I followed her gaze, oh, we aren't alone then.
Since La Push is an extremely small reservation I recognized all the faces pretty easily. Sam Uley, Jacob Black, Embry Call, Seth Clearwater, Quil Attiera, Paul Byrd, Jared Crow, Brady Leaf, Collin Phero, Troy Nembu, Bobby Dice and Cody Dice.
My eyes stuck on Collin and Brady, they were in my class. We used to be best friends, but then they missed some school went through some major growth spurt and started following Sam around like he was a god or something. They don't look much like they used to, they've grown like crazy and got all their black hair chopped off. We are all in 7th grade still; they started acting like brainwashed jerks around the beginning of the year. Even now they won't look me in the eye.
"Hey," I mutter more to them than anyone else.
"'Sup?" Brady murmurs his eyes on the damp ground.
"Nothing much. Just went through hell and back but other than that, you know, it's all good." I shrug and a small forced smirk plays on my lips.
Collin gives a broken chuckle, his eyes on the tree behind me. Brady smiles a sad little grin.
Leah's words before were completely forgotten by the time Sam cleared his throat.
"Melody, we're very sorry for what you just went through. You're a shape-shifter now. All that before was you going through the change, the fever…" Sam went on talking about how I'm the second ever she-wolf. And how I have to choose a pack to belong to. There's Jacob Black's pack consisting of Embry Call, Quil Attiera, and Seth Clearwater, and Leah Clearwater. And Sam's pack of Jared Crow, Paul Byrd, Collin, Brady, Troy Nembu, and Bobby and Cody Dice.
My heart stuttered slightly when he said that Collin and Brady were in his pack.
But then the weirdest thing happened, I said the words, "I wanna be in Jacob's pack," which is certainly not the pack Collin and Brady belong to. Now, why would I say that? Because I'm one of those people who love to self-sabotage just because I seem to unconsciously want my life to suck. Ugh!
I saw in my peripherals Collin and Brady both started shaking like leafs in the wind.
"Um, I don't think that's the best idea kid. I mean, your only 13. You need to stay near La Push for school and stuff." Jacob said in a deep voice, he sounded apologetic. I felt my eyes narrow and an all too familiar heat start to set in.
Jake raises his hands in front of him- a sign of surrender?
Collin runs off into the woods out of my view and a strange ripple in the air distracts me.
"That's the feeling you get when someone phases." Jake informs me.
Oh.
I nod once staring in the direction Collin ran off to, wishing I could go to him.
"So, uh, I'm a … shape-shifter?" I can't move my eyes from where Collin went.
"Yeah, we should probably make you phase. And, look I think you should stay in Sam's pack 'cause you're only in the 7th grade shorty. You need to go to school. I mean, just as long as it's okay with Sam." Jacob said.
"Sure it's fine with me. Welcome to the pack Mel." Sam smiled kindly at me; I noticed all this just from my peripherals. I still couldn't stop looking after Collin. Where'd he go?
The heat in me grows, racking through my body, shaking my entire frame. Before I know it, I'm running through the woods after Collin but it seems … different.
I glance down at myself and … HOLY CRAP!
I'm running on four white furry legs. The trees zipping past me as I narrowly avoid collision. I could smell everything, and I mean everything even the rain getting ready to come down.
Mel, hold on! A voice that's definitely not my own yells in my head.
Wow! Uh … what? I ask, trying to make sense of it all. Oh God, please tell me I'm not going crazy here. I really don't wanna have to explain all this crap to mom.
You're not crazy girlie just slow down! Damn you're fast for a newbie.
Who the hell are you? What the hell is going on?
It's me, Paul.
Yeah I'm Jared.
I'm Troy, remember me from school? Oh yeah, Troy's in 8th grade with Bobby and Cody.
Yeah hey Troy.
Alright all of you quiet, Sam ordered, Melody you need to relax. And stop running before you make it to Canada.
Wow, Canada? Really? This is awesome! I push my legs harder loving the feeling of using these new foreign muscles.
Mel! I said stop running! There's a vampire in the area and we aren't on our territory Mel. Did he just say what I think he just said?
Vampire? Really? Do you mean- OH! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? The worst stench ever set my nose aflame. It was sweet but too sweet and icy too I think.
The smell got worse as I ran and I finally skidded to a stop missing a big oak by a hair line.
Then before me was three pale horrible smelling people; a short dark man, a blond woman, and a tiny little red head girl. They all had crimson red eyes and deathly pale faces. My reaction was not something of my control.
Melody! My name was called out by all of my new pack brothers at once but I didn't hear them.
I lunged at the people without a thought. My teeth were just about to connect with the man's shoulder when something hard and freezing knocked me back 10 feet. Then the large woman was wrestling with me, my movements were strange. I didn't know what I was doing. The man came over then I pulled me off the woman when I had her pinned, my teeth inches from her gorgeous face. Then I was in the air, it blew through my fur, and I crashed through two trees. I pretended not to notice the pain in my back and circled the three.
I saw my chance as clear as day and I took it. The tall man and fat woman had left me an opening to the tiny little red head. I lunged at her, my teeth grateful to meet her icy … skin? No way this is flesh! It's like a rock or something!
I used my front leg to push from her as I tore her left arm off. Her scream rang loud and clear through my ears.
I could hear the approach of my pack brothers coming but I kept going and before the man could kick me a good 15 feet away I ripped the head of the petite red head off, a lovely metallic screeching noise echoing off the trees and rocks. The body if the redhead collapsed and I spit her head out of my mouth, or snout I guess I should say.
A huge russet wolf and black wolf crashed through the woods, taking down a few trees with them, and joined me in the fight. Didn't get to do much after all the others arrived.
When the man and woman were nothing but tiny pieces on the ground they gathered them up and someone came up with a lighter. They were on fire immediately, a thick purple smoke rising from the earth.
Damn Melody!
First day and you already killed your first leech!
Nice job newbie!
Holy shit girl, that was awesome!
Dude you totally owned that stupid blood-sucker!
Man that was so cool!
I had trouble making sense of all the voices in my head, and even more trouble figuring out who they belonged to.
I saw myself through their minds, not sure exactly which mind I was looking though. I was the smallest of all them, which in truth bugged me a little, and my fur was snow white through and through.
Good job Melody. Sam's voice, and his thoughts, was sincere.
I smiled to myself, well here's something I'm good at. Slaughtering vampires.