Hello again! I hope I didn't lose you guys with my previous mini-chapter. We are now back in Paige's POV. I thought it'd be nice to write from a couple of different POVs throughout the story, just because I've never done it before. Once again, thanks for the reviews/faves/follows and please review! I'd love to know what you guys think :)
Point of No Return
Chapter 3
When Paige awoke the next day, it was mid-evening. Exhausted from the encounters, the young wolf didn't even bother hunting last night. Having caught the sound of running water, she headed towards a small stream and decided to sleep under the trees nearby. She was glad that the thick canopy blocked the sunlight from waking her up sooner. She stood up and walked to the stream, drinking deeply before she threw her clothes off. Seconds later she bounded away as a wolf, eagerly seeking dinner. She knew better to wait so long to eat.
After a while she returned, her belly full and ready to move. She changed quickly and threw her clothes back on, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. Pausing to fill her water bottle, and to drink again from the stream, she decided to start walking. For a brief moment she considered heading back to the lake she had found last night. A part of her wanted to take the chance of "accidentally" bumping into Emily. She was conflicted, not only by Alison's warning, but by Paige's own emotions. She felt wrong in liking Emily, in wanting to pursue her in that way. But then again, she didn't. Who cares what Alison thinks? And since when did she call the shots? Tightening her grip on her bag, Paige stubbornly set her jaw and marched towards the lake. Liking Emily wasn't wrong. But even as she thought that, an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach making her anxious.
The weather was perfect. The sun was slowly setting, its rays warming Paige's skin as she walked. She tilted her head up, loving the way the sun warmed up her face. She was watered and fed and she never felt better (well physically, at least). It didn't take long for her to find the lake and Paige was certain that she would never have trouble finding it again. She walked over to the shore where she had seen Emily appear and sat down. Gazing down at the water, Paige wondered what Emily had been contemplating the other night to the point that she barely registered the world around her. Replaying last night's events in her mind, Paige recalled that Alison seemed to be taunting her about…a girl? Emily likes girls? Paige caught sight of her gaping reflection in the water and quickly snapped her mouth shut. But no, Emily loved someone. Or still loves someone. Having been hung up in the sheer disbelief of the moment, Paige had forgotten that Alison seemed to be dangling someone in front of Emily and the way Emily had talked last night, apparently that someone had at one time been Alison herself. It made sense, Paige thought, that Alison jumped on her so much about liking Emily. Even when Paige hadn't even realized to what extent she liked Emily—or even what it meant—Alison had twisted it into something distasteful. All that talk about staying away from her things. But Alison, Emily had said, didn't love her like that…
Great job. You're doing a real great job not thinking about Emily. Paige snorted. How quick her mind was ready to betray her. She inhaled deeply, hoping to ground herself. This was stupid. Yes, it was weird that she ran into the last two people she'd ever thought she'd run into. Yes, it was weird that they had run into each other so far from their hometown. Yes, it was weird that Paige was thinking about a girl she had a crush on three years ago. On the other hand…
What kind of small world was Paige really living in? Was it stupid to write off what happened last night as a random happening of events, just an eerie coincidence?
Taking another big breath, Paige caught a new scent. She recognized the sickly, sweet odor she had smelled from Alison and nearly gagged as she breathed it in. But when she turned her head to the left, her sharp nose caught a different smell. It was still sweet, but it didn't make Paige want to retch. It was more subtle, like powdered sugar as opposed to a thick, heavy syrup. Emily. Paige recognized that she was sitting at a sort of cross roads. To the left was where Emily had walked off to last night; to the right Alison; in front of Paige, beyond the lake was where she had come from; Behind her lay an expanse of woods she had not yet trekked, beyond the stream she had slept by last night. Paige stood up and dusted herself off.
To hell with Alison, she thought as she turned to her left and began to walk.
After she had been walking for some time, Paige shifted her thoughts (reluctantly) from Emily to the "secret" that Alison told her last night.
"You're not a werewolf."
So apparently Alison had become an expert in the supernatural, during her absence? Even Paige was unsure as to what to call herself, although she had to admit that was her first guess. And subsequently, what she had decided to refer to herself as (in her head, at least). What other creature turned into a wolf during the full moon? Paige hadn't been one for sci-fi, as most of her information came from movies or whatever was in for Halloween that year. Zombies, werewolves, vampires…
Vampires…Paige paused, in both her walking and thinking. She mentally pulled up the image of Alison and Emily, remembering how they looked so different. Alison still looked like an 8th grader whereas Emily looked to be a junior or senior in high school. But Paige shook her head. Did she really just consider that Alison could be a vampire? Paige knew there were a lot of things in the world she didn't understand but she was by no means a conspiracy-theorist. Shrugging her shoulders, and deciding that the world was crazy (and that certain people were crazier), she started to walk again. Off in the distance she spotted what looked like the corner of a house, or more likely a cabin. Still about a hundred yards away, Paige was in no hurry as she followed the trail of the sweet scent. The sun was still making its way down as she made her way over.
At the angle she was coming in at, it looked as if the cabin was abandoned the way it was set behind the tree line. However, as Paige circumvented the area she saw that it had a gated access, the front having been cleared enough to provide a path free of the surrounding shrubbery. Paige walked up to the closed gate, curious as to the cabin's occupants. Her nose was assaulted by a variety of smells, although she could still pick up on Emily's. She saw a figure sitting on the steps, a girl with large sunglasses who seemed to be looking straight ahead. She was as still as the cabin and Paige would've ridden her off as a statue if she hadn't looked too closely. Paige could see that she was breathing, at least.
"Who's there?"
Paige cocked her head to the side, not sure if she should answer. The girl continued to stare in her direction.
"Just passing by," she finally replied. She watched as the stranger's eyebrows came together for a brief moment, before returning to its original state.
"You're new," the dark haired girl said. "I know everyone who comes around here. I've never heard you before."
Considering her choice of words, Paige guessed that the girl was blind which would account for the sunglasses so late in the evening.
"So people come to your place often?" Paige asked. She didn't have a reason not to strike up a conversation with the girl and she very rarely had the chance to talk to many people. Not that it really mattered to her, but she did enjoy a human interaction every now and then. Plus, it wasn't like she had anywhere else to be.
The other girl smiled. "This isn't my cabin. But people make it a point to come here."
"It's true. Anyone who's anyone comes to party here," another voice added. From around the cabin, a dark-haired, slightly tanned guy walked over joining the girl on the steps. He nodded at Paige, receiving a nod in turn.
"If you found you're way over here, maybe you're anyone," he added, looking Paige right in her eyes. His words carried the weight of a double meaning; something Paige had more than enough experience in dealing with—what with all of Alison's hints to her true nature recently, for one. She met the dark-haired guy's gaze unblinkingly.
"You should invite her over tonight, Noel," the dark haired girl said as she turned to him, putting her hand on his arm. He glanced at her hand, then up to her eyes. Paige knew a silent conversation when she saw one, but she was intrigued as to how exactly they were doing that if the sunglasses-clad girl was indeed blind.
"Tonight is something like my 'welcome back' party," the girl continued, now addressing Paige. "It'll start as soon as the sun goes down. Won't you join us….I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"It's because I never threw it out. Neither did you."
The dark-haired girl chuckled. Paige noticed the guy, Noel, narrow his eyes slightly at Paige's reply. She didn't miss how the girl's hand gave his arm a small squeeze.
"My apologies. My name is Jenna. This is Noel and this cabin belongs to him." Noel smiled, showing his teeth. Paige knew that it was supposed to be a friendly gesture but the wolf-part of her recognized it as something more. It was then that she noticed how the lingering rays of the setting sun seemed to catch his eyes, much like how light reflected off of the eyes of a cat…
"I'm Paige," the wolf replied.
"Well then, Paige, won't you stay for the party? It'll start here soon," Jenna said, turning towards the fading light. This girl is something else, Paige thought. Was she really blind? If so, she was incredibly attuned with her surroundings. "If you need to, you can leave your stuff in one of the spare rooms. Right, Noel?" she added, turning towards him.
"Of course," he affirmed, nodding. "You're welcome to come inside, feel the place out if you want. Chill until the guests start arriving." Whatever trace of animosity Noel might've shown before was gone, as he easily transitioned into the perfect host. Paige could see that these parties were an important aspect of his ego to the point that he was unable to refuse hospitality to anyone. And he probably would never consider refusing Jenna anything, either. Before she could say anything, Jenna spoke again.
"I know you're new around here, so think of tonight as a good place to start networking. Making acquaintances, forging alliances," at this, both her and Noel smiled knowingly, sharing some kind of private moment, "You never know, maybe you'll run into someone you know. Or maybe someone you'd enjoy knowing." At this point, Jenna was still smiling while Noel's had formed into a smirk. Paige wasn't sure why Jenna had stressed those words the way she did, but immediately her thoughts turned to Emily. Could she know…?
"Yeah, ok. Sounds like a real treat." Paige wasn't sure what kind of game these two were playing, but she was tired of running. She could sense that something was different here—different in a way that both intrigued her and yet kept all of her senses on edge. Having nowhere to go, and with nothing holding her back, she had no reason to not stay. Besides, I can always leave.
"Wonderful. Please come in."
Paige obliged, the gate creaking slightly as she opened it. As she walked over to the pair, Noel stood up. The wolf could feel that the air around Noel was different, like he was exuding some kind of other energy. Paige sniffed discreetly around him, finding that his scent differed from Jenna's in an unfamiliar way. Different even from Alison's last night.
"Here, let me show you to one of the spare rooms," he said, extending an arm towards the cabin. "Feel free to use whatever you need," he added, as he opened the door for her.
"Now you two play nice," Jenna said from her seat. Paige paused, turning towards the girl before following Noel inside.
"It's never in good taste to fight like cats and dogs. Especially before the guests arrive."
Thanks for reading!
