Chapter 16

There was a bright light shining in her eyes and making her squint. Jamie batted her hand at it automatically, as if she could make it go away. This didn't work and she hadn't really expected it to. Oh well, at least it was golden and warm. Jamie felt the beam dapple along her form, lulling her into a contented state.

Suddenly, memories were coming back to her. She started, still seeing nothing but the streaming light. Am I in heaven? She immediately discarded the idea as she felt the mass of tangled hair bunching up at the back of her head.

"Amber!" A voice whispered. "Close the curtain! You're disturbing her."

Jamie squinted to her right. The voice came along with long dark hair and a biker jacket that smelled faintly of cigarette smoke. She was surrounded by an aura of irritation splotches and a little bit of excitement. The name Leigh Bennett entered Jamie's mind.

Oh, yeah. She remembered them now. She didn't mind Leigh's company, but she didn't particularly care for Amber's. There was someone else in the room too, lounging in a chair to the side. Jamie blinked at him, rubbing at her bleary vision. Sleepy dust came away with her fingers.

It was Alec Hindley. Jamie couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

"Where's Porter?" Her voice croaked as if she hadn't spoken in a million years. The thought million years, resounded in mind again. "What day is it?" she said frantically. "Is Bella okay?"

"Slow down, girl," Leigh mentioned, putting a hand to Jamie's shoulder. "It's Thursday. The ransom date is Saturday night. And Porter's catching a wink. He was in here all night. We practically had to chase him out."

Jamie smiled involuntarily, placing a hand over her eyes to keep out the bright sunlight. There was an audible sigh and the curtains were closed halfway. That was better. Now she could see the blonde girl who was standing by the curtains.

"Am I…?" Jamie couldn't finish her sentence. Instead, she pulled the tee part way up to take a look at her flat, unblemished stomach. She dropped it down again quickly, remembering that there was a boy in the room.

She was wearing one of Amber's shirts again. This one was tight and yellow with the picture of a duckling on front. It must have been one of Amber's pajama shirts.

"Take a look for yourself," Amber replied, handing her a pocket mirror. There was none of her usual malice.

Jamie lifted the mirror up to her face. She looked the same as she normally did. She still had a smattering of freckles across her cheeks and a smoothly sculpted nose. Her hair ran down her back, straight and reddish-brown, just like usual. The only difference was her eyes. She couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine. Her eyes held uncanny silver light. They were mostly the brown they had always been. Only now, their rims had a tiny silver ring, giving her eyes more of a hazel tinge.

Jamie dropped the mirror into her lap.

Alec got up from his seat in the far corner. "I'm going to get myself some hot chocolate." He said. "You girl's want some?"

Jamie was surprised to find she did. She thought that once she had become a werewolf, everything else would become vapid and tasteless. Perhaps that wasn't the case after all. The memory of the taste on her tongue made her nod with relief. It would be great to get this dry feeling out of the back of her throat.

The other girls said yes as well. As soon as Alec had left the room, Leigh and Amber turn to each other with knowing looks.

"This could be a good thing," Leigh told Amber. "He hasn't been acting rudely to Porter at all."

Amber was nodding excitedly.

Jamie's brow furrowed. "What?"

"There's always tension between Alec and Porter," Leigh mentioned. "Just because Porter's been here longer and we all dated him when we were kids."

"I dated Porter for like a week in third grade!" Amber complained. "I don't see why he has to be so jealous about it. He knows I love him."

"Two weeks," Leigh amended.

"Whatever," Amber replied with a wave of long manicured nails. "I mean, Porter's a good friend and all, but he's too much of a brainiac."

Jamie didn't see how having a brain was a bad thing. She liked that about Porter.

"But now that you and Porter are an item," Leigh added, "Things are turning out nicely."

Jamie felt her cheeks turn a little pink. She didn't know how the news had gotten around so fast. She didn't really want to talk about it. She almost felt as though by talking she would lose the magic of the moments. That was silly, of course. Wasn't it?

The two girls were grinning at her. It was especially weird to see a grin on Amber's face when it was tuned in her direction. Jamie gave her an odd look and the smile on Amber's face faltered a little.

"I suppose," the blonde girl said slowly and seriously, "that you have to be rather insane to get yourself shot by your own guys. You'd have to be stark raving mad."

Jamie smiled slightly. She supposed that was as close to an apology as she was going to get from the other girl. It was enough. At least Amber wasn't going to be hounding her for the rest of the time she lived in Lampton Hill—especially if Mrs. Carlyle insisted upon having Jamie move in with the family.

"I'm sorry too," Jamie said.

Alec came back carrying a tray of steaming cups. It suited him rather nicely. Jamie was so used to seeing him as a stuck up jerk exploding with testosterone that she had completely disregarded the idea that there might be another side to him. This side of him was actually pretty nice.

"Thanks," she said when he handed her a mug. She blew on the hot chocolate before taking a sip.

"We should go on a shopping spree!" Amber suggested suddenly.

Jamie sent her a reluctant glance. She was much stronger and faster than she had been as a human. She could feel the iron-like strength running through her body, but she was also recovering from a bullet wound she'd received just the night before. Her muscles in her side felt a little stretched and sore. Besides, she had never been much of the shopping type.

"Come on," Amber urged. "Besides, we need to get you some contacts. If you dad or brother see you, it might be best if they don't know you're one of us. And Leigh's dad is an optometrist so we'll be able to get some free."

"Okay," Jamie finally agreed.

Jamie looked at herself slowly in the mirror. She looked like her old self again, from before she was a werewolf. The only thing that could possibly give her away was that her walk was a little smoother, her step lighter. The contacts stung her eyes—especially with the heightened 'wolf senses. Her eyes were watering furiously.

"They look perfect on you," Amber commented.

"They don't feel perfect," Jamie replied.

"You'll get used to them."

Jamie nodded. She knew she would eventually. It was necessary and she would get used to them out of necessity. As much as her brother loved her, she knew he wouldn't think twice before shooting a wolf. Even his sister.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

"Yeah, yeah, beautiful," Leigh said impatiently as Amber place a pair of sunglasses with pink shades atop her nose. Apparently she wasn't much of a shopper either. "Let's just pay for these and go."

Amber placed the sunglasses back on the rack with a sigh. "I don't know why I shop with you guys. That's what I have my other friends for."

By other friends she meant human friends, Jamie interpreted. Amber didn't mention the term aloud with the attendant standing on, waiting for their decision. The blonde lady gave them a chirpy smile. Leigh had said the woman was a nosy busybody and her father would have hired someone new if he could find someone who could sell half as well. Apparently she had gone through some of Mr. Bennett's things and Leigh's father had been very careful with what he kept lying around ever since. She also had a very white neck.

"Yeah," Jamie muttered, still blinking furiously. "I'll get these ones."

"Great," Leigh said, rubbing her hands together. "Let's go now."

"Okay," Amber said, "but my mother wanted me to buy some chicken on the way home."

Leigh groaned. "Okay. Let's just get moving, all right?"

They all jumped into Amber's bright yellow Saturn that her parent's had bought her for Christmas last year and headed off to the grocery store.

"I'll only take a minute!" Amber said, hopping out of the car.

Leigh turned back to smile on her. "So It's not so bad, is it? Being a werewolf?"

Jamie shook her head, staring across the parking lot at a man standing beside a dark van. "No," she replied while she watched his familiar stance. For some reason she thought she recognized the guy. "Although I had the strangest urge to bite the attendant's neck at your father's store."

"You're getting hungry."

Jamie nodded again. Greying moustache and a firm jaw. Thick muscular arms and a quick walk as he headed into the grocery store. He gripped a shopping cart and the realization hit Jamie. She slowly slid down in her seat below the window. It was a good thing Mr. Rollson hadn't looked in her direction yet. Well, Mr. Rollson was his real name. Most people just knew him as the Slayer. He was as good as the Colonel in his glory days.

Jamie swallowed hard. She doubted Mr. Rollson was the only slayer in town. She bet the Colonel had called in a large group. This wasn't good. It wasn't good at all.

"Jamie?" Leigh asked with a strange look.

"Don't look at me!" Jamie hissed. "Just act natural!"

Jamie let out a sigh of relief as Leigh did so. "You see that guy out there?" she said quietly. "He's got quite a record. I think he might have killed more of your kind than my dad."

"You're forgetting something," Leigh answered, managing to speak without moving her lips. "You are one of us now."