Chapter 11
Gabriella wasn't in school the next day either, but I hadn't expected her to be. Troy had basketball practice during free period, so I headed to the library again.
This time I Googled 'werewolf'.
I clicked the image link first, and found an array of pictures ranging from heroic, to gory, to sexual.
I clicked back and started looking over the websites.
There wasn't much useful information, or rather there was too much. What one website claimed as truth, two other websites denied, and each of them was proven wrong by two more.
The only thing most (but not all of them) agreed on was that werewolves were humans who could change into wolves (or part wolves), had some connection to the moon, and weren't fond of silver.
Yeah, that was a real useful free period.
I turned then, and saw Kelsi's hair vanish behind a bookcase again.
Okay, she was spying on me. What the Hell?
I stood and proceeded down an adjacent aisle, cutting her off.
She walked right into me.
"Hey, Kelsi"
She looked up at me. "Oh, hey, Ryan. What are you doing here?"
"I was just about to ask you the same question. You're following me."
"Uh, no I'm not."
I stepped forward, forcing her back against the book case. "Yes, you are."
She looked up at me then. Defiance filled her eyes. She hadn't even looked like this when she told Sharpay off at the Twinkle Town callbacks.
She pushed me back. She was strong for such a small girl.
"I just wouldn't want anything… bad," The way she said the word caused me to take a half step back, forcing my own back against the stacks, "to happen to you."
She bolted down the aisle then. I heard the library doors swing shut an instant later.
I told Troy about the odd encounter on our way to lunch.
"You don't think Kelsi could be?"
"Well, she's always quiet. And they say it's always the quiet ones."
"We have to find out for sure. Can't you like, sniff her in drama or something?"
I shook my head. "I tried some experimenting last period. Nothing. I don't think I can do it while the sun is up."
"Maybe I could?"
I shrugged. "Maybe, but you don't seem to have the best control over it."
He laughed. "Yeah. You need to hook me up with some more yoga lessons."
His eyes brightened. I knew the look, a thought had occurred to him. "Could you do it, without changing all the way?"
"Maybe, I think."
"I've got an idea."
We walked into the cafeteria, and took a seat at our normal table. Troy sat down right next to Jason.
Kelsi looked at me as though nothing had happened. The girl should consider taking up acting, well, if she survived the government dissection.
"Hey Jason, what do you say we take these two beautiful people out on a date tonight?"
Jason just looked at him and glanced at Kelsi.
Troy turned up the charm. "Come on, we can go out on a double date after rehearsals tonight. See a movie. I haven't spent anywhere near enough time with the playmaker here." He flashed his best grin at Kelsi.
Jason's brain caught up. He looked at Kelsi's smiling face and turned back to Troy. "Yeah. That sounds like fun."
I drove. I noticed that for some reason Troy had brought his backpack, he wore it into the theater.
At the theater Troy managed to convince Jason to buy tickets for Saw IV.
I tried to draw up the wolf, but it wasn't having any of it. I couldn't even see the moon from where we were.
I nudged my boyfriend. "Don't you think that's a little… inappropriate, all things considered?"
He smiled back at me. "I thought maybe we'd be able to tell something from Kelsi's reaction."
"Where did you get that idea?"
"Hamlet."
"You're actually applying literature in a real world setting?"
He smiled and laughed.
The whole situation was surreal, and coming from a werewolf, that's saying something. Here we were laughing and joking, while on a double date with someone who might be a serial killer. Still, what's the saying, 'laugh to keep from crying'? Something like that.
The movie was, disgusting. I hadn't seen the first three, and I don't think I missed anything. I kept glancing at Kelsi; she had her head buried in Jason's shoulder for most of the movie.
As we exited the theater, she cuffed the back of his head.
"Ow. What?"
"You are never picking the movie again. Ever, do you hear me?"
Troy laughed. "So, what now guys?'
Kelsi piped up. "Let's go for a walk, it's a beautiful night."
"That sounds like a great idea." I smiled. A walk would be perfect, somewhere deserted where I could get a good sniff.
They lead the way, while Troy and I followed.
I caught sight of the moon as we walked. I focused on it, and felt the tingling build in the base of my spine.
I drew the wolf up. I allowed the pressure to build in my nose, and released it a little. I sniffed the air and felt the sleeping wolf mind awaken.
Kelsi and Jason had stopped ahead of us, and were looking down an alley.
"Hey, what's that?" Jason pointed.
Troy stepped next to him and looked down the dark corridor. "What? I don't see anything but trash?"
"It looks like someone lying next to that bin. We should help them." Jason stepped into the alley.
Troy followed him.
I took a deep breath. I smelled the two wolves from the park, and there was most definitely no one in that alley.
I stepped forward to warn Troy, but Kelsi's hand closed over my mouth and she dragged me into the alley.
I saw Troy pinned against the wall. Jason was clutching his throat and holding him there with one arm. Jason looked somehow bigger; the seams of his clothing straining to hold his increased bulk.
I elbowed Kelsi, trying to make her release her hold, but it only grew stronger. "I'm sorry, Ryan, but you can't cover for him forever. It's better this way."
Wait. What? She was speaking nonsense.
Jason spoke, his voice gravely and deep. "I'm sorry Troy, but we can't let you keep doing this. You're drawing too much attention."
Troy gasped, trying to talk.
Jason reached into his back pocket and pulled out a knife then. The blade reflected a sickening silvery sheen in the moonlight.
Jason sighed as he looked at the knife. "I'm sorry you made us do this."
My vision went red. Oh Hell no, these two murdering fuckheads were not going to take my man from me. The wolf mind sprang to full alertness all traces of grogginess gone; someone not of the pack was threatening my mate. It wasn't having any of it either. My mind filled with the exotic, heroic images I'd seen on Google. In the distance I heard my clothes rip, and felt myself shake off Kelsi's grip.
I dropped my shoulder and bull rushed Jason. His grips on both Troy and the knife failed as I drove him into the wall.
I heard Troy grasp for breath and fall to the ground. I spared him a glance just long enough to see his hand close around the hilt of the silver knife.
A blow landed on the side of my head then, and I turned to see Jason expanding out of his clothes, his fist pulling back for another strike.
I ducked it and without thinking thrust my clawed fingers into his belly.
He grunted in pain. I threw him to the ground and sat on him.
It knocked the wind out of him, and then Troy was there, holding the blade to Jason's neck.
"Hold it Kelsi, not one more step."
I turned my head to look at her, while my hand dug deeper into Jason, grabbing hold of some intestines. Kelsi had grown a foot, and her clothes were bursting.
She took a look at Jason, and took a step back.
"Here's what's going to happen Kelsi. You're going to turn around and walk away. Then Ryan and I are going to knock Jason out and call the police. I just hope to God they catch you for what you did to Gabi."
She shrank down, she looked confused. "That's low, Troy; framing us for your crimes."
"My crimes? You two are the murderers."
Kelsi blinked at Troy. "What?"
"You two killed Gabi's boyfriend, and that other kid before that, and you tried to kill Ryan before that."
Kelsi stammered. "But, I thought you bit Ryan. I thought he was just covering for you…"
It was Troy's turn to blink. "No, one of you two bit him."
"We did not. You think we go around indiscriminately turning people?"
"No, I think you go around killing them. Ryan was lucky I was there."
Kelsi turned to look me in the eye. "Troy didn't bite you."
I shook my head.
Kelsi looked like she was about to hyperventilate. "Okay, so you're not the killer?"
"No."
"Troy, we haven't killed anybody either. We thought you were the killer."
Troy stood up, removing the knife from Jason's throat. Jason didn't try to move, he just looked from Troy to Kelsi.
"So what was this?"
"We, we thought we had to stop you."
"Why not call the police?"
"We couldn't let them catch you. There'd be questions, experiments…"
I released his intestines and pulled my hand out of Jason's belly. The wound sealed shut almost as soon as my fingers emerged. He grunted in pain.
Troy took a step towards Kelsi, folding the knife shut as he did so. "Why would you think it was me? Why would I have done any of it?"
"Jealousy. First you bite Ryan to make him yours. Then you kill the gay kid that sat next to him in first period, and then Gabriella's new boyfriend because you're angry that she moved on so fast."
Troy started to laugh; there was a manic edge to it. "Do you even know me?"
"I thought I did. But it's not like there's a broad pool of wolves in town."
Troy looked from Kelsi to me. "Wait. You thought I bit Ryan. But wouldn't I have had to be a werewolf before that?"
Kelsi looked even more confused, which I hadn't thought possible. "You weren't?"
"No, he turned me."
"But your parents…"
Troy's eyes bulged and we pivoted to stare at Kelsi. "What?"
Kelsi took a step back. "You didn't know?"
"Do I look like I knew?"
He turned back to me. "Ryan, get off Jason. We need to go talk with my parents."
I stood up. My joints popping back into a normal configuration as I did so. Content that there was no immediate threat the wolf mind passed back into slumber.
Kelsi rushed to Jason's side and held him down as he tried to sit up. He'd returned to ordinary size, but his clothes had been destroyed.
I looked down and snapped my hands over my crotch. My clothes hadn't weathered the transformation well either. I sighed, being a werewolf was starting to get expensive.
Troy grabbed his backpack from the ground and opened it. He pulled out a change of clothes and tossed them to me. "Always be prepared."
They were his clothes, so they were a little too big, but a vast improvement over the expensive rags I had on.
"Shoes?"
He pulled out some flip flops, and smiled.
We walked out of the alley.
Jason grunted in the darkness behind us. "Sorry about trying to kill you."
We walked back to my car, hand in hand.
He jumped when I pushed the button to unlock the doors.
As soon as he shut his door he broke down.
I leaned over the center console, and hugged him.
He sobbed into my shoulder as Without Love from the original cast recording of Hairspray played on my speakers.
"Oh God, I thought… I thought I was going to die."
I held him, and let my hands rub gentle circles on his back.
"I don't want to leave you Ry, not now, not now, not ever."
"Shhh… I know."
I pulled his head up, and looked into his tear filled eyes.
I leaned in and kissed him.
He threw his arms around me and kissed me back. His embrace was tight, almost painful, but I didn't say anything. He was holding on to me like his life depended on it.
After what felt like hours he released me and pulled back, his eyes still fixed on my own.
"I love you."
He almost smiled; almost. "I love you, too."
I took a deep breath. I could have spent the rest of my life in that moment, staring into his perfect eyes, but there were things we needed to do.
"So now what?"
"What did Kelsi mean about my parents?"
I shook my head.
"I think I… I mean I think we need to talk to them."
"Do you think that's a good idea?"
He attempted a laugh, but it came out halfway between a laugh and a sob. "Probably not, they'll probably call the men in the white coats for us."
"Ya know, that might not be so bad. I could use a vacation right about now."
This time he succeeded in giving a half-hearted laugh.
