The lunch bell rang and Emmeline and I hurried out of the classroom. I am starving. I overslept this morning which resulted in me missing breakfast. We dropped our books off at the lockers and went to the cafeteria. Mom had packed me lunch and Emmeline went to buy something. I went to the usual table, the members of the pack always sat together. Calian, Aiden, Aaron and Alexander had already graduated so for now it was me, Emmeline, Benjamin Ateara, Theo Uley, Jalen Call and Kasa Uley who remained in high school. Emmeline, Benjamin, Theo and I were the same age while Jalen and Kasa were two years younger. Theo, Jalen and now Kasa had phased, Benjamin hadn't but everyone expected him to. I wasn't overly close with any of them except for Emmeline. But it was never a choice to sit anywhere else. The pack remained together. Even though we often had different classes I could often sense Benjamins, Theos and Jalens eyes on me in the halls.
The lunch was loud as always. I gagged at the lunch Em had bought
"What even is that?" Theo takes the spoon out of Em´s hand and tastes it,
"It tastes weird"
"Euw eat from your own spoon" Emmeline squeals and tries to push him over. He doesn't move at all. But Emmeline accidentally knocks Kasa´s soda over and Kasa got it all in her lap. She stands up and starts to shake immediately. Jalen and Theo quickly stand up and whispers to her, but the shakings does not subside so they take her in each arm and leaves the cafeteria.
"Suprise suprise, never a meal without one angry werewolf" Emmeline says and gestures with her hands dramatically.
The next morning I am surprised to see the Uley car pull up in front of our house. I usually ride with Aaron and Emmeline. I get a bad feeling in my stomach.
"What´s up?" Theo says and opens the passenger door. I step in and see Benjamin, Jalen and Kasa in the back seat.
"Where is Aaron and Emmeline?" I ask.
"Emmeline is not feeling well" Theo replies.
"What do you mean with not feeling well?" I ask worriedly, I have experienced this before. This is how it always started, one of the boys, or last time, Kasa, missed school because they were sick. I didn't see them for a couple of days and the next time I saw them they had the tattoo, shorter hair, bigger muscles and had become considerably taller. This could not happen to Emmeline.
"Apparently the Camerons ate something bad last night, Aiden is sick as well". I study Theo, he doesn't look worried, I breathe out.
"Did you think Em was turning into a wolf?" Jalen laughs like it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.
"What is so funny with a girl turning?" Kasa gives him a sour look.
"No, but Em, could you honestly see her as a wolf`? I for sure couldn´t". I agree, Em did not like the woods, she always wears impractical clothes and have no interest whatsoever in the wolves business.
After school I am standing outside with Benjamin and Jalen. We are waiting for someone to come pick us up. Theo and Kasa had left early for patrol.
"I should have a car" I say impatiently
"Or at least a drivers licence" Benjamin says smirking. Theo bursts out laughing and I can't help from smiling either. I had failed my driving test three times and declared to everyone that I would never ever drive a car again. A car honks, I recognize the car and see Calian in the drivers seat
"What´s up, you guys hungry?".
A couple minutes later the four of us is sitting at the Diner. The boys are ogling the menus when the waiter comes up to us. It is Jason Wattson, he is a senior just like me. Jason is captain of the soccer team and very popular in school. Jason, his friends, Emmeline and I used to hang out in school before but then Em got imprinted on and we spent more time with the pack. We orders the food, and I feel Jason's eyes linger on me. When we get the food Jason pauses, puts his hand lightly on my shoulder and looks only at me,
"Are you sure that there is nothing else I could get you?"
"Yes, she's sure" Calian snaps and looks hard at Jason, he looks at me one last time and then leave.
"Why did you snap at him? You are embarrassing me" I sigh and look annoyingly at Calian
"I didn't like the way he was looking at you" He mutters.
"Then you should see the boys at school" Benjamin says quietly. I almost choke on my milkshake. What was that about? I know that I have matured, both mentally and physically, and I put a lot of effort in trying to look decent but I am in no means the prettiest girl in school. The atmosphere was tense only for a couple of minutes but then we all started eating and laughing like nothing had happened.
The day after, dad drove me to Camerons house. I wanted to drop off some homework and check on Emmeline. I knock on the door and her mom, Kim, opens. She looks happy to see me and gives me a hug. I ask how they are doing.
"Oh Aiden is feeling much better but Em is getting worse, she got a fever this morning, probably Aidens superhealing working to his advantage" She smiles. I ask if I could come in.
"Yeah that should be fine, but don't go too close to her so you don't catch whatever stomach bug she got''. I climb the stairs and knocks on Emmelines door before I open. She looks miserably.
Em is laying on her bed with a thin blanket. Her hair is up in a messy bun and she looks both pale and warm at the same time.
"Josephine!" She turns to me. I smile
"You look like shit"
"Wow, thank you, you come to my death bed and insult me". Em is a dramatic woman.
"What happened?" I ask
"Urghh I don't know. The salmon must have been bad. I was up all night puking my guts out. I feel so weird J, like every muscle fiber in my body is hurting". I nod, when I had the flu last year I felt the same.
"Are you going to the bonfire tonight?" Emmeline suddenly asks. I nod. There was always a bonfire at the beach when someone new had joined the pack, tonight we are celebrating Kasa.
"I don't want to miss it! You know I love bonfires and Aaron will be there, and I haven't seen him for two days! He tried to come in here but I refuse him to see me like this. I look like hell". Em covers her face in her hands and makes a sound that shocks me. Was she crying? Emmeline rarely, rarely cry.
"Are you crying?" I come closer.
"NO! Or I don't know. I just, I don't know I feel so weird." She sounds angry now, which is more like her. I take her hand and almost flinch, she is burning up.
"Em…" I start.
"Don't touch me1" She takes her hand away and that's when I see it, tiny tremors. I cant breathe. It was happening. She is phasing. She stands up and walks back and forward in her room and then she looks straight at me.
"Is this what I think it is?" I dont reply. She screams and tears are running down her face, but she doesnt look sad, she looks angry and now her whole body is shaking.
"Aiden!" I scream and I hear heavy feet running up the stairs, Aiden bursts into the room and Jared came not long after. I didn't need to tell them what is going on, by the looks of their faces they know.