Struggles, Searches and Scents
Rhydian struggled to keep his eyes open during the third assembly of the week. It turns out that things go mental if a school loses one of its students, especially if they are scared that the parents will sue - although, Emma and Dan quite obviously wouldn't.
Maddy had been missing a week. Rhydian had been joining the search parties every night after school with Shannon and Tom as well as heading out on his own each night after dark. He had hoped that he would have more luck at night but even then, Rhydian had found nothing.
There was one night, about three days ago, when he caught a scent but before he could even begin to search for it, th smell was gone.
Throughout the week, policemen had become a regular sight around school. They had questioned almost everyone, teachers and students alike, but found - as far as Shannon knew from the bug she'd placed in their temporary office - nothing.
Not that they expected they would have.
Finally the assembly came to an end and Rhydian had just enough time to slip a few hurried words of conversation to Shannon and Tom.
"Any news?" they asked him immediately.
Rhydian shook him head.
"Have you spoken to her parents?"
Rhydian shook his head.
Shannon sighed. "Have you kissed Kay yet?"
Rhydian began to shake his head but stopped when the question registered. "Wait! What?"
"So you are listening," Shannon observed. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I understand that you're upset but...Maddy will be fine. She isn't just you're average teenage girl."
"Because she's a wolfblood," he nodded.
"No, because she's Maddy."
"Rhydian! Rhydian!" Jefferies shouted down the corridors as he ran towards him, ignoring the sniggers from seeing their teacher's attempt at exercise. "Rhydian," he said when he had finally caught up. "Can we talk?"
"Is that a request or a demand?" Rhydian grinned sarcastically, following him into a nearby, empty classroom. He took a seat at one of the desks in the front row.
Jefferies leaned against the desk and allowed his most patronising smile to take over his face. "How are you doing, Rhydian?"
Rhydian looked quizzical. "What do you mean, Sir?"
"Well, after what happened last week, with Maddy, I was wondering if everything have taken its toll on you?" There was a pause as Rhydian considered this before he looked back strangely. "I wanted to see if you were alright."
Rhydian nodded. "I'm fine."
"I can understand that things are hard for you at the moment. You have only just settled back into life here in Stoneybridge after your...escapade; you've got school, friends, girls, maybe?" he asked. Rhydian cringed. "Anyway, I understand that things are hard for you but you must stay focused Rhydian."
"I promise, Sir. May I go now?" Rhydian grabbed his stuff and began to get up.
"You must also remember, Rhydian, that Maddy needs to stay focused too. Now, I have no idea what has been going on between the two of you. First you were cousins, then everyone thought you were together and that was why she was so upset when you left. Maddy finally moves on, be it by breaking almost every school rule, and dates Dean when you come back and suddenly you're back together and now..." Jefferies paused.
Rhydian gritted his teeth and tried to take a deep breath. A stream of black slithered the veins in his wrist. He closed his eyes and inhaled.
"Listen," said Jefferies, "Every moment that Maddy is away, she is destroying her education, her chance to fulfil her potential. If you know anything, you need to tell someone, be it me, or the police or-"
"So that's what this is about?" snapped Rhydian, jumping out of his seat. "You're worried that you may loose your job over this so you'll do anything to give the police a lead. Why don't you interrogate Dean? Or anyone else at the camp that day?"
Marching towards the door, Rhydian rolled his eyes and glanced down at his hands. He found them tingling slightly as more wolf-blood pumped through him. The door swung back on its hinges as he pulled it and let it crash into the wall.
"And you know what," Rhydian added before he stormed out, "You don't need to worry: I'm going to find Maddy, whatever it takes."
Maddy rubbed her eyes as she woke up from the longest sleep she'd had in a week: two hours. As she stretched, the pile of leaves shuffled beneath her. The loud rustling noise disrupted a couple of birds in the nearby trees which flew away in a terrified flurry.
She groaned and sniffed the air.
No scent. That was good, although she couldn't risk going back to sleep, just in case Ceri snuck up on her. However, she decided it would be beneficial to relax for a while.
Ever since she had left camp a week ago, Maddy had been running almost constantly. For the first time in her life, her legs were aching and her eyes were getting heavier each time she blinked.
Her stomach rumbled. Having left without any supplies, Maddy had survived by foraging berries and mushrooms and hunting the odd squirrel or rabbit.
Sometimes, being a wolfblood was the most important thing for her survival - if she weren't, she would probably be incapable of hunting and would have to make a fire to cook the meat. Even Maddy knew that was a bad idea if she wanted to avoid being captured.
There was a noise. Her head pricked up and she was silent for a second.
A small white rabbit hopped out from behind a tree.
Maddy smiled. "If only you had a waistcoat and a pocket-watch, maybe you could whisk me away to wonderland."
She watched as it went about it's day-to-day business, springing around, stopping every so often to shuffle through the leaves to find a mushroom or shoot of some kind. Finally it made its way over to a tree on Maddy's far left where it dived into it's hole.
Into it's home.
Maddy wished more than anything that she could go home. But she couldn't, not without endangering everyone: her parents, Tom, Shannon, Dean. Maybe even Rhydian. If any of them got in the way, even Rhydian, there was no doubt that Ceri would get rid of them.
She dropped her head into her hands and allowed a single tear to fall into them. She inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled it again.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Ex-
Wait! Maddy inhaled again, this time paying closer attention to the scent. It surrounded her from every edge of the forest, as if it were attached to every tree.
Ceri.
She was everywhere.
Quickly gathering her stuff - the coat which she had been wearing when she'd left camp and the packet of Polos which had been in her pockets - Maddy leapt to her feet and took a few steps around the tree, smelling the air as she did.
Everywhere. The scent really was everywhere, coming from every direction.
Of course, Ceri couldn't be everywhere. She had only been laying the trail to disorientate Maddy. Although she could attempt to run in any direction, Maddy might run in the opposite way or straight towards Ceri.
There had to be a way out, a way to work out where Ceri was. Maddy did a few more laps of the tree, slower this time so that she could fully analyse the fragrance.
Eureka! Maddy found her best shot. Although it was everywhere, the smell was weaker in one area: the direction of the town.
Now that she thought about it, it made sense. Ceri wouldn't want to go near the town, not if she didn't have to. Therefore, it wasn't a stupid assumption to say that she wouldn't be over there.
For the first time, Maddy considered where she was: only about a ten minute walk from the centre of Stoneybridge, and that was for a human. As a wolfblood, she could make it in a minute or two.
There was one problem. There was something between the main town and her. The school. And in the school was Tom and Shannon and Dean and Rhydian. If she went near them, wouldn't she be putting them in danger?
There was another noise. Ceri was getting closer.
Maddy took a final sniff of the air and decided. She would have to make a run for it.
One.
Maddy stretched her legs.
Two.
She took a deep breath.
Three.
She growled and bolted.
I hoped you like my New Years update. Sadly, I am almost at the end of While You Were Gone but I do have plans for another story in one of the following categories:
Primeval
Harry Potter
Once Upon A Time
All of them feature around an OC but I have another OUAT idea without. It would be most helpful if I had your advice on which story to write so cast your vote in a review.
Thank you for all the help. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Indigofrog :)
