POUND POUND POUND

As Julie slowly came into consciousness, her body felt like it was cased in cement and it took a few minutes to get her bearings.

POUND POUND POUND

"Julie! Wake up! You're gonna be late if you don't get up now!" Ray called from the other side of the door. The other side of my door. I'm home. How did I get home? "Jules?"

"Alright! I'm up! I'll see you at school," She called to her older brother. She went to roll over onto the right side to get out of bed when she nearly screamed at the pain radiating through her body. The black hoodie that she pulled on last night was stuck to her body. Now that she actually looked down at herself, she realized that she was in the same dirty clothes she left in last night. How did I get home? Scott must've found me.

She blindly searched her pockets and around the bed for her iPhone so she could text him. When she came up empty-handed, she started to panic. Dad is most definitely going to kill me.

Defy parent by sneaking out, check.

Evade capture by the police, check.

Lose my brand new iPhone, check.

Run into a mutant wolf creature and get half of my face scraped off, as well as a giant bite to the shoulder, and check.

Becoming curious, she pulled the sweatshirt to the side of her left shoulder, but was not prepared for it to be attached to her skin via dried blood. She shoved her fist between her teeth to stop screaming. Her breathing was heavy from the pain. Getting up, she wobbled her way to my bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like Satan took a sixteen-wheeler and drove it over her, reversed, and drove right back over her. Her normally almost black, straight hair looked like a bird had made a nest of it. Her makeup was smeared to high heaven. Shit. The right side of her face had large, angry red scrapes going from my temple to about an inch from the bottom of my jaw. Dad is going to kill me. She slowly peeled the sweatshirt off and took a look at the bite on her left shoulder.

"Oh my god," She could see where every tooth pierced through her fair skin. I'm lucky it didn't take a chunk with it. Or the whole arm. She went about cleaning it before she took a quick shower. When she got out she covered the bite in gauze and medical tape so it didn't bleed through her clothes.

Queens of the Stone Age blasted from the speakers of the black 2011 VW Beetle as it flew into the parking lot and into a parking space at school. "Robots, robots, brainwashed babies, blood from a leech, spoken rabies. Spastic, plastic, battery acid. Yank on the leash, draggin you backwards. Oh my, Closed eyes, never see it coming." Julie shut the car off and grabbed her leather bag from the passenger seat. She took a moment to breathe and collect herself before she took a final look at her face through the rear-view mirror. There was no way to even attempt to cover those giant scrapes up. Time to bite the bullet.

Julie tried to ignore the stares that she got while she walked to her locker. It's the first day of the year and it is off to a horrendous start. She kept her head down and finally made it to the locker. There was a guy at the locker next to it on the right. I can't remember his name, but he's been in quite a few of my classes. She thought to herself. He usually kept to himself. She ignored him as she put the combination in and shoved her bag in, along with the books she didn't need until later in the day, in. The feeling of someone looking at her seared into her, and when she finally turned to look, the guy next to her did a piss poor job of looking away in time.

"Can I help you?" She snapped at him, not really meaning to, but not correcting herself. She stared up at him. He was tall, taller than her by a good six or so inches, she was sure of it.

"Uh-uh, I-" He stuttered out. She raised a sculpted eyebrow and went back to searching for something in her bag when Scott and Stiles pretty much yanked her away from her locker to face them, effectively cutting off…whatever his name is.

"Julie! You're alive! Why haven't you answered my calls?" Scott asked, relieved to see her, much to her confusion.

"Oh my god, your face," She glared hotly at Stiles.

"Yeah, my face! This is all your fault, Stiles! I told you I didn't want to go and look at what happened!" She pointed to the scratches. She was seeing red just looking at him. "I lost my phone last night, which reminds me. Why are you surprised that I'm okay? Didn't you bring me home last night?"

"What?" He asked dumbly.

"I woke up in my bed." She stated plainly. Scott shook his head in confusion.

"Jules, I couldn't find you last night. I heard you scream and you were gone." His eyes had a shine to them.

"Wait, so if you didn't bring me home, then who did?" Scott and Julie just stared at each other, the question hanging between them. Stiles cleared his throat and looked like he was going to say something when she cut him off.

"And you," Julie sneered while pointing her stiletto-nailed finger a centimeter from his face, making him go cross-eyed, "If you ever pull something like that again, I will kill you with my bare hands. And they won't have to worry about finding half of your body, because itty bitty pieces of it will be strewn across the forrest!" She shouted at him, causing people to look in their direction. Scott put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down, and his hand squeezed the bite wound. She gasped.

"Ow, ow, ow," Julie screeched at him, pulling away, cradling her shoulder. She noticed her locker neighbor's icy blue eyes staring in shock at all three of them.

"Seriously," She looked at him. "Can I help you? Is there something you need help with?" She snapped at him again. He just stood there, mouth gaping like a fish.

"Uh, are-are you okay?" He asked timidly. She just stared at him, the steam building up inside of her.

"No!" I screeched before slamming my locker shut and storming off to her first period, pushing people out of her way as she went. The boys looked at each other.

"So…is she mad at me or…"

"Shut up, Stiles."

"Shutting up."

Julie sat at the last bench in the back of the chemistry lab. Of course I'd have this class first thing in the morning. With Harris. She sat on the stool with her elbows on the bench and her head in her hands. The bell rang as students were milling in, Harris among them.

"Ms. Roth, class started," He looked at his watch, "26 seconds ago and you've already called it quits. I think that may be a new personal record," Mr. Harris spoke with a smirk. She didn't even need to lift her head to know that. "Alright, everyone, don't get comfortable. I'll be partnering you up. The person you're with will be your lab partner for the remainder of this course. No besties. No switchies. No complaining," Everyone let out consecutive groans. "Really, your misery is music to my ears," Harris went down his list and Julie didn't pay attention until her name came up.

"Ms. Roth…you're with Isaac Lahey," She looked up and saw who he was pointing to on the opposite side of the room and connected with icy blue eyes. She felt like a bolt of lightning went straight through her brain. Isaac. Isaac Lahey. Oh Jesus Christ. Is this because I asked you to not kill me last night? Is this my punishment? She picked up her books and slowly trudged over to where he was sitting. "Today, Ms. Roth." She glared over to Harris.

"I'm going," She snapped with a scowl. She threw herself onto the stool with a groan and loudly dropped the books onto the bench. She laid her head on the textbooks while Harris was still pairing people up.

"Am I that awful to be around?" She opened my eyes and turned towards the voice to her right. She blinked at her partner.

"What?"

"D-did I do something to piss you off?" Now I actually feel bad for snapping at him earlier. She sighed heavily and picked herself up to a sitting position, facing him.

"I've had a very, very rough past 24 hours. I was abandoned in the woods and mauled by a wolf. Thanks to that brain-dead knucklehead I call my friend. My face is messed up, I have a bite the size of a dinner plate on my shoulder, and I've lost my phone. So, unless you happened to be a mutant wolf or Stiles Stilinski, then no. You didn't do anything."

The day was passing by in a blur. I think I may have hit my head pretty hard last night. Sounds were becoming alarmingly louder. A migraine started to worm its way into Julie's head. She rubbed her temple as she headed to her locker to drop off some stuff before she went to the cafeteria to meet up with the guys.

As she turned the corner, she saw Isaac standing at his locker, lost in thought. Julie weaved her way through the remaining students in the hallway and got to her locker. She put the combination in and started to put her things in it. She kept glancing over to him, noticing him doing the same to her. She decided to just bite the bullet and man up. Woman up. Whatever.

"Isaac," She turned to face him. He had a startled expression on his face, ready for her to tear him a new one. "I'm sorry," She spit out. "I've been very pissy today, in case you didn't happen to notice," She chuckled nervously, making a small smile grace his lips, but just barely, "and you got caught in the crossfire that was meant exclusively for Stilinski. I was a dick in Chemistry. I'm actually a dick all the time, but you get what I'm saying." This actually brought a smile to his face. "So yeah, I'm sorry." She looked down at her booted feet in awkwardness. THUMP, THUMP. THUMP, THUMP. THUMP, THUMP. It sounded like blood was rushing to her ears. She narrowed her eyes, looking around the now empty hallway. Julie. Julie.

"Julie," She looked back up to Isaac, alarmed.

"What," The thumping continued.

"Are you alright?"

"Shh," She held a finger up. "Don't you hear that?" His eyes moved around, surveying the area.

"Hear wha-?" She shushed him again, moving closer to him. His body froze as she leaned her ear closer to his chest. "What are you doing?" He asked, completely thrown off by what she was doing.

"Shh," She shushed more forcefully. It was his chest. His heart was making the noise. How couldn't he hear that? She realized just what she was doing, leaning about an inch away from his pounding chest, which only pounded harder and faster as she got closer. Julie could practically feel the heat radiating off of him, she was so close. She rolled her eyes up to look at his startled face looking down at her. She gave him an awkward smile and back away, slamming her locker shut.

"I'm just…I-I'm just gonna go. This way," She pointed in the opposite direction that she clearly wasn't going in, while backing away from him. "I'll uh…I'll see you around. You know, school. Places. Things. Bye." And with that, she took off like a bat out of Hell.

"Scott and I are going to look for his inhaler after practice. Wanna go?" Stiles came up to Julie's locker after school let out.

"Go back into the woods with you two? I'd rather saw off my arm. Which, if it isn't already infected, I might need to." She snarked back to him. He held his hands up in surrender.

"Wait, what happened to your arm?" The concern that clouded his face was startling.

"I was attacked by the wolf spawn of Satan!" She hastily grabbed her bag out of the locker and slammed it shut, turning and walking towards the doors that led to the parking lot.

"Wait!" He jumped in her way, "A wolf bit you?"

"That's what I said." She made to move around him, but he cut her off once more.

"A wolf bit you." He stated, more than asked, with a blank face.

"Yes." She growled, once more trying to go around him.

"Scott was bitten by a wolf last night too, but I told him it was impossible since wolves haven't been in California for like, sixty years."

"That thing bit Scott?" He nodded. Julie sighed, giving in.

"I'll meet you guys at the preserve after practice." She let that end the conversation and walked around Stiles. The second she opened the door though, it was like all of her senses were on overload. The colors were too bright. The sounds were too loud. The smells were too pungent. Something is seriously wrong with me. She ran as fast as she could to her car. Lydia Martin called her name as she ran past, but Julie didn't say a thing as she booked it to the beetle. The parking lot was adjacent to the lacrosse field, and she could see the team getting ready for practice from where she was parked. The sound of heels clicking on pavement were like nails on a chalkboard; birds chirped as they flew through the sky, sounding more like kamikaze planes; cars drove miles away, but sounded like they were all around her; the grunting of the players as they ran across the field echoed in her ears. She could hear everything. A sudden pain in her chest made her clench her chest with one and and hold onto the steering wheel until her knuckles were completely white.. It felt like the entire top part of her chest was about to cave in. Am I having a heart attack? Can I have a heart attack? Can a 16 year old have a heart attack?

Breathe in. And out. And in. And out. She clutched the steering wheel with both hands, trying to keep myself steeled onto the earth. A knock on her window startled her out of the trance she was in. Stiles waved at her like a goof. She looked to the clock on the dashboard; 5:00. School just got out. How is it 5:00 already? She rolled down her window.

"I thought you were going to meet us there?" Scott walked up to the window next, both of them trying to squeeze in to talk.

"I was. I guess I kind of zoned out." She mumbled and rubbed her forehead.

"Okay…well, we're going. You meeting us still?" Stiles asked.

"Uh, you know what, I think I'm gonna sit this one out. I'm not feeling too well," They both looked disappointed, but sent her on her way with well wishes.

When Julie got home, the house was empty, which wasn't unusual. Her father usually came home from his law firm at around nine, while Ray came home whenever he pleased. Since Ray was a senior at Beacon Hills High, he usually did his own thing. And since he was the oldest, and a boy, his leash had a lot more slack on it than Julie's did. Total B.S., but she took what she could get. Her parents split when she was ten, her father taking total custody when her mother decided that she'd rather spend 90% of her year in Bora Bora with whatever new boyfriend she had than seeing her kids. It didn't bother Julie all that much. She couldn't remember her mother ever actually being a mom when she was around, and her father took some of the blame for that. He gave her mother everything she could ever ask for, and then some. He spoiled her and she acquired a taste for the finer things in life, and left her family in the dust when she realized that they would need to be put before her lavish lifestyle.

Julie came from a wealthy family. They weren't rolling in money, but they did live comfortably thanks to her father's successful law firm. He was one of, if not the best lawyer in the tri-county area. She lived a few streets away from Lydia Martin, who was notorious for having a loaded family, in a very large house, too large for a family of three, but it was theirs and it felt like home.

Her relationship with her father was somewhat strained, with the long hours that he worked, and the fact that he raised a teenage girl on his own, he was still clueless. Aside from being a lawyer, he was a relatively easy-going man. She enjoyed spending time with him whenever they got the rare only time they ever clashed heads was when she got caught doing something stupid with Stiles and Scott, so she really couldn't complain. He did things a normal parent should do, like make sure she was doing well in school, helped her make plans for her future, as well as her brother's. Considering he did it alone, he was a damn good father. He was a firm believer in enjoying the lifestyle they were fortunate enough to have, but didn't let his kids rely on it. While she wore designer clothes and drove a nice car, she was grateful for what she had.

She set her bag down in the foyer and grabbed a water from the kitchen before heading up to her room. As she opened the door, the sound of a mister vibrated through the room. She walked over to the mesh cage that was almost as tall as she was. If she wanted to, she could totally fit inside.

"Hello, Doris," She greeted the veiled chameleon that was housed inside amongst the branches, plants and vines. She opened the large cage door, getting ready to feed the critter when the normally friendly reptile puffed up and let out a violent hiss towards its owner. Startled, Julie jumped back. Never, in the four years that she's had the chameleon, has she ever been hissed at. "You okay, girl?" She reached out her hand for the lizard to climb on, but the creature pulled its alien-like hand back towards its chest, opened her mouth and hissed once more at the girl. Deciding to just let her be, Julie opened the cricket house at the bottom of the cage and shook off about a dozen crickets that were hanging onto a piece of egg crate, letting them roam around the cage so Doris could go on the hunt, then shut the door to the cage.

While dealing with the animal, she didn't notice her window open, nor did she notice the figure standing in the room with her. She also didn't notice the figure approach her until her world went black, the sound of a cell phone ringing as she faded into unconsciousness.

The animals are gathering to hunt me down,
To take revenge for kidnapping your gentle sound.
Down to the river, in the current you start to shiver.
Return to the river, with the howling of all the animals that needed you.

An uprising, impossible to fail.
The creatures come from land, and sea, and air.
The forest alive, with leaves, and bone, and hair, give the animals their whale.