2/24/16
Chapter 4
Maddy finally understood why Ms. Dupree never carried a single pen with her. Ink from pens will burst like a volcano erupting when snapped into two. Maddy sat toward the back of the bus and carefully watched Ms. Dupree like prey does when a predator looms. The Tall Skies Lady Moose lost their third game since Maddy joined the team. Snap! Ms. Dupree looked inside the pencil box, disappointed she had broken the last one. She dragged her hand down her face and exhaled. The girls were silent, the bus's axles creaking obnoxiously as they passed over another pothole.
Ms. Dupree continued to glare at her team, the ones she thought would lead her the Championship game. She was dressed nicely too; she fashioned a new red velour gym suit that actually showed her curves. The bus slowly came to a stop; the driver quietly informed her of such. Even he was afraid of the wrath that was bubbling inside the svelte woman. None of the girls moved. They gathered their things, and remained seated. "Get out of my sight," their coach said coolly.
Maddy and Veronica happened to be the last off the bus and perhaps they should have been first. Maddy hopped off, slinging her sports bag over her one shoulder and trying to sling her rucksack on the other. Adjusting the bags to be more evenly balanced, she could see Veronica doing nearly the same thing next to her. They both stepped on the curb, when the slightest ting-a-ling from Ms. Dupree's whistle banging against the zipper of her gym suit could be heard behind them. "Don't move, you two."
Maddy didn't find many people worth worrying about. However, Ms. Dupree was a different story. Both girls turned haltingly around, mud decorating their uniforms and faces, and looked at their coach. Their hair was plastered to their face, secured by sweat and shame. Maddy had learned from one of her teammates that the opposing team they played that night was to be considered an "easy win." In her defense, Ms. Dupree considered them the team to beat and so every team they were paired with should have been an "easy win."
"You two . . ." she started, her finger pointed at them. "You two should have crushed them." Crack. The remaining end of a pencil splintered into smaller pieces under the unbearable fury contained in her balled up fist. "I am not losing another game because you two cannot communicate. On the field, there is nothing going on in your uncivilized teenage heads but winning."
Veronica went to object, but Ms. Dupree cut her off. "I don't care. I don't care. And just in case you didn't hear me, I don't care if you want to kill each other. Get your shit together!"
Maddy could hear her own breathing speed up as Ms. Dupree was less than two feet from both of them. She wasn't wrong, Maddy and Veronica messed up plays because they refused to work together. "Now," Ms. Dupree continued a little more calmly. "I scheduled a team building retreat at Elk Ridge in a last stitch effort to make this work."
"Elk Ridge?!" Maddy repeated. She had been forbidden to return by her parents. The wild Wolfbloods would kill her for sure. She needed to create an excuse for not being able to go, but her mind was so entranced by the Cruella DeVille expression adorned on her coach's face, she couldn't think straight.
"You have a problem, Smith?" Ms. Dupree leaned in more, and Maddy shuffled back a half step, trying to maintain some control and space.
"I'm – I'm allergic to the woods . . . trees, specifically." Maddy itched her nose, as if it would bring more validation to her words. She considered fake sneezing, but rescinded the idea, believing it would be overkill.
"I didn't see any allergies listed in your medical records. Was that some blatant oversight by both your parents and physician or are you lying to me?" Ms. Dupree raised an eyebrow and inched closer. Maddy adjusted her bag and shot Veronica a quick look. Like she had pictured, Veronica just stared back. She wasn't going to help Maddy from being vaporized by Ms. Dupree's laser vision.
"I don't think I could go . . . I have a big project due in Mr. Nevalle's class and Ling's out with the chicken pox . . . and I so I have to do both our parts . . ." Maddy trailed off. Ms. Dupree straightened up and tapped her pursed lips with the eraser piece of the broken pencil. If Maddy had known she would be standing outside for so long, she would have put on the sweatpants she was given as part of joining the team. Maddy wasn't the type of teen to be a walking billboard for school spirit. So the ostentatious red, white, and black sweatpants with their school logo running down the sides was a little too much for her.
"Pack your things and be ready Friday night. The bus will be here waiting." It wasn't a question. It was a command. Maddy nodded, though she didn't believe it was worth her time as she wouldn't be able to go.
"Coach, I actually have a da – " Veronica stopped as Ms. Dupree shot her a look of death. Maddy took the distraction as an opportunity to start walking home, and quickly scurried down the walkway that led around to the front of the school building.
-Wolfblood-
Of course she didn't have far to walk as a large black SUV pulled alongside her. The window in the backseat rolled down and inside was Robert. "What happened? I saw everyone from your team leave like fifteen minutes ago. I almost believed that you were trying to give me the slip. Are you seriously wearing just shorts?" Maddy allowed the Escalade to come to a stop and handed her things to the driver to place in the trunk. Robert moved across the bench seat, allowing Maddy to more easily hop into the warm vehicle. She relaxed into the seat next to him and closed her eyes. "That bad, huh?" Robert asked. Maddy laughed at his questions because he knew exactly how bad they lost. He was also at the game.
"I'm just glad she took her aggravation out on the pencils rather than us. If you're ever wondering why there is such a supply crisis going on, you know where to look. She's gone through six boxes since I started playing. Why doesn't she just admit that my joining the team was a bad idea. You can't make cats and dogs be friends." She turned her head to see Robert look back at her sympathetically.
He patted her hand and smiled devilishly. "She knows how good you are and she is frustrated because you both are being completely immature about it."Maddy's jaw dropped at his words. He laughed at her reaction. "You know I'm right, everyone sees you both just need to give up whatever is driving this stupid war. You both are the reason the plays are being botched up."
Maddy looked at Robert, her eyes following the soft curve of his cheek bones that partially shielded his penetrating ocean blue eyes. Her attention was guided over his definitive jaw line, which dropped down until it reached the smooth curve of his chin where just the lightest five o'clock shadow was developing, the perfect landscape for his pale lips to rest. Unless Robert somehow moved schools – which Maddy wouldn't want – her issues with Veronica would never disappear. "I don't see that happening," she responded, suddenly cognizant of the awkward pause that was taking up space in the SUV. Maddy turned her arm over to see the underside scratched from when she collided with another player and her lacrosse stick. The netting grazed her skin causing the blood to prickle to the surface. It burned, but she would have to clean her wounds later. "She put together some stupid team retreat this weekend at Elk Ridge. There's no way I can go when I have that project in Mr. Nevalle's class due."
Robert grinned mischievously and then shook his head. "Didn't they play sports at your school in England?" he queried. Maddy narrowed her eyes and frowned at her friend. It vexed Maddy when people acted like her being from another country made her some type of invalid to society norms. She was from England not Mars. "Don't you know how it works?"
Maddy tilted her head to one side, unclear at what Robert was alluding to. However, she didn't have an opportunity to press for further information as the door was opened for her by the driver. They were outside the drugstore. Maddy could see in the second story window her parents' shadows as they came and went, like puppets performing a show. She stepped out of the vehicle, wincing as cool air tickled her face.
"You'll see," Robert called from inside the car. He rolled the window up and and let the driver move on. Maddy managed to work her way up the narrow hall to their apartment. As she opened the door, she found the living room area empty, but heard voices coming from the kitchen area.
She meandered into the kitchen space and watched her parents hunched over a large map that covered their petite, oval dining table. "What are you doing?" she asked. Her parents were so engrossed with the map, they didn't seem to hear her, so she walked over and looked herself. It was an exploded view of the area. "Um . . ."
"Oh, hey kiddo." Dan rubbed his daughter's back and then quickly pointed to a spot in the opposite direction of Elk Ridge. "What do you think about this, Em?"
Emma 'hmm' at his suggestion. Maddy looked closer at the spot her father had his finger pressed. "Grizzly Peak?" Maddy read. "What's going on?"
Her parents stood fully, taking a momentary break. Dan deftly dodged the low hanging overhead lamp that hung precariously over the dining table. He grunted, trying to stretch his lower back, stiff from bending over the table for such a long time. "We're trying to find new changing grounds," Emma informed, walking to the stove and opening the door to check on dinner. Maddy pulled away some of the hair stuck to her face, grossed out by how stiff it had been turned. She was looking at the map when her mother's voice pulled her attention away. "You did not just walk through the house with those muddy cleats?"
Maddy looked down and paled when it became clear that she did just that. So consumed by the conversation with Robert, she forgot to take them off. "Sorry," she apologized to her mother. Emma pulled a dish rag from a small draw and a spray bottle from a shelf underneath the sink and handed it to her. Maddy accepted the items begrudgingly. She started to make her way back, but stopped and removed her cleats. No need to make twice the work.
Maddy quickly cleaned the mess, a little more challenging than she anticipated as she found flecks of dried mud falling off her uniform like dirty snow. She returned the items to her mother and noticed Daniel had made the table for dinner. Her father had some time after coming home from work to apparently shower and change as she didn't see any grease marks or shadows of dirt on him. He looked comfortable, which fueled her wishes to skip supper and take a shower.
They soon all sat down, ready to finally eat dinner. Maddy tapped her fork on the rim of her plate thinking of how to broach the subject of Elk Ridge to her parents. While concocting the perfect lead-in, she took extra care to notice the smoke-laden wallpaper that bordered the ceiling. The side that the stove was settled in styled jerry curls of wall paper born from a combination age and humidity. The back splash was relevant about forty years ago, and the cream colored floor tiles to complement the brown-copper 1960's vibe of the kitchen appliances was not fashion forward or present by any means. Swallowing the small piece of steak she was chewing, she cleared her throat. "So . . . we lost," she began. The bait could have been given better flare, but the Wolfblood was exhausted from the beating she was forced to experience.
"Aw, that's all right, kiddo. You'll get them next time." Her dad always tried to find the silver lining when it came to her and the lacrosse team.
"That Veronica girl still giving you trouble?" Maddy was still impressed with her mother's ability to cut to the chase; to see through all the fog high school drama seemed to churn.
Maddy looked down at her plate, understanding that the steak was finished and she only had the vegetables to eat. She hated brussel sprouts."Um . . . yeah. To help fix it . . . my coach is sending us to a retreat this weekend." Maddy watched warily for her parents' reactions.
"Sounds like fun," Daniel responded. He stabbed at a piece of meat and shoved it in his mouth. "It's covered by the school?" he questioned through the food rolling in his mouth.
"Dan!" Emma chastised. "Swallow." She looked back at her daughter, "Where's the retreat? And what about that project you have due?" Emma pulled at her navy cow neck sweater and waited for Maddy to answer. Maddy didn't dare try to adjust her mud covered uniform. She dribbled some brussel sprouts through the remnants of the gravy still on her plate and then back to the untouched vegetables. "Maddy . . ." Emma pressed.
"Elk Ridge."
"Elk Ridge?!" Emma and Dan yelled in unison. Maddy flinched, even though it was the response she expected. It hadn't been but a few weeks ago that Maddy nearly gotten them all killed.
The overhead lamp flickered, as if shuddering in fear. "No, Maddy. No way." Dan rose to rinse his dish in the sink. Turning on the faucet, he continued, "It's too dangerous. How can the school even afford it?"
"Robert's parents own the resort, so I'm sure they worked special pricing through them . . ." Maddy sighed, and looked at her mom as she started to open her mouth to further her husband's point. "And, Ms. Dupree made it mandatory. I don't know." Maddy slouched in her seat a little, she had conversations like these before and she never won.
"What about school? That project? You have been able to finally achieve some type of good standing, I am not risking your grades for a sport," Emma said firmly. "Your grades are your future. It's too important." Maddy still hadn't told them about what really happened or her almost transforming on a Dark Moon. Something inside told her to keep that a secret for now.
"I don't know. I will work it out." Maddy straightened up and then decided to stand up. She carefully walked to the kitchen trash and unloaded her vegetables. She was less than hungry now. "Look, they are having this to bring us together as a team. You want me to make friends and do well, so I kind of need to go, you know? I won't go anywhere near the woods. So, I doubt I'll have any issues if I stay inside the whole time. They won't risk it." Yet, Maddy knew that to be untrue. She thought about the two times Alric risked everything to get Rhydian. The Wolfblood could hear the screams of her classmates as Alric chased Rhydian and her through the crowded halls of her former school. Maddy handed her plate to her father and then gathered her things to bring in her room. She stopped at the archway that led to the hall and looked at her parents expectantly.
Dan returned from the kitchen sink and stood behind Emma, placing his left hand on her shoulder. They looked at each other for a brief moment and finally relented. "Please be careful, Maddy. We won't be around, and . . . I . . . those wild Wolfbloods will not see you as a cub. They will have no mercy." Emma's head fell in her hands as the horrible possibilities mounted in her mind.
She brought her hands forward as if praying. "Please be careful and stay inside the resort at all times, Maddy. I am okay with you going, but only if your school work doesn't suffer."
Maddy nodded, and continued down the hall to her bedroom. She would pack her things, but she knew that Mr. Nevalle wouldn't accept a sporting event as an excuse. So, it was a complete waste of time.
-Wolfblood-
"I understand that Ling falling ill is unfortunate, but surely you understand that I had assigned the project prior to her getting sick and so you should have already started it? This is a result of poor planning not unfortunate circumstances." Mr. Nevalle folded his hands over his rotund belly and leaned back in his chair, pleased with the unhappy faces of the girls standing on the other side of his desk. Maddy had pled her case, hoping that bringing Ling, who had just returned to school, would help. It didn't. Mr. Nevalle didn't like Maddy and so any possible approval of an extension went right out the window. He actually seemed to like her less since she joined the team.
Maddy and Ling shuffled out of the classroom. The halls were still rather empty, buses wouldn't arrive for another fifteen minutes or so. "Sorry," Ling apologized. She was wearing a tailored light blue shirt and jet black skirt with black low heels. This was the most casual outfit Maddy saw Ling wear since they met. It was refreshing. Maddy was dressed comfortably: sweatpants and layered tank and t-shirt combo. She continued with the magenta streaks, but left the nose and eyebrow jewelry home. She told people that she didn't feel like losing it, so she just didn't wear it. Maddy had her hair up in a messy bun, blowing some of the loose strands out of her face.
"It's not your fault. I told Ms. Dupree I wouldn't be able to go." Maddy looked down the hall, spotting the elderly janitor pushing a mop and bucket down the hall.
"What's that Smith?" Both girls jumped; Ling's shrill scream cut through the barren hallways. Maddy uncovered her ears and looked over at a winded Ling. Ling's placed her hand over her heart, feeling it race. Ms. Dupree continued to stand there, waiting for Maddy to respond, her foot tapping impatiently.
"Um, Mr. Nevalle said he wouldn't give me an extension so I have to finish the project this weekend. I can't go."Maddy shrugged while Ling nodded quickly. Ms. Dupree scrunched up her face and then quickly relaxed. Something was brewing in her vindictive mind. Maddy was sure of it.
"Stay." She pushed through the girls and walked into Mr. Nevalle's room, closing the door behind her.
Ling and Maddy watched the door for a few moments before turning to each other. Maddy thought of eavesdropping, but she couldn't concentrate on the conversation happening inside the room and Ling's questions at the same time. "What do you think she is going to do?" the Asian girl repeated a little more urgently, having been ignored the first time.
Maddy quickly glanced back at the closed room. "Kill him," she retorted. She flashed Ling a sideways look and then continued to focus on the classroom door. The glass was textured and clouded, preventing an outsider from seeing in. "Robert said that I wouldn't have to worry about it. What do you think he meant?"
"Oh? . . . So, you've been hanging out with him a lot." Ling adjusted her glasses and smirked.
Maddy slowly turned and glowered at her friend. "Shut it." Robert and she were friends, and that was all.
Ling laughed. "I believe Robert was suggesting that your being an athlete provides you "perks" that would not be available to others." Ling paused to see Maddy cock her head to one side like Ling was growing a second head. "You are the "chosen one" that is to help Ms. Dupree bring home the title State Champion. This makes you special . . . untouchable."
"I hate that word," Maddy muttered.
"Which one?" Ling volleyed back.
"Both. Special means trouble and untouchable is just another way of saying ignorant. No one is untouchable." Dr. Whitewood proved that statement all too true for Maddy.
"I rather enjoy it. Since you rose to the stature of teacher's favorite. That teacher being Ms. Dupree. I, by association, am not expected to apply myself so vigorously at physical education class." Ling smiled broadly, her glasses rising slightly. "Thank you." She bowed slightly, fixing her flaxen black hair as she stood upright again.
Maddy was about to respond when the door opened with a bang. Ms. Dupree walked directly to Maddy, ignoring Ling completely. "You have until next Thursday to complete that project. Be at the bus pick up zone on time, Smith. Not a minute later." As quickly as she arrived she was gone, marching down the hall.
Maddy and Ling looked at each other before slowly approaching the entrance to Mr. Nevalle's room and peering inside. Mr. Nevalle was still sitting at his desk, reviewing paperwork. But as he picked up his coffee mug, Maddy could see the man's hand violently shake. Some coffee splashed onto the pristine white papers splayed out. The girls moved away quietly and headed to Maddy's locker to hang out until the bell rang. The school started to fill with more students and so they didn't pick up their conversation until they reached her locker. Once they arrived at their destination, Maddy leaned against her locker and huffed. "I almost feel bad for that man." She smiled wryly. "But I'm sure I'll get over."
Ling 'tsk-tsk' Maddy's insensitivity; yet, she still smiled at the comment. "He never stood a chance. Ms. Dupree is a ferocious monster disguised as a human." Ling narrowed her eyes in concentration as she pictured her gym teacher turning into some malicious animal-beast.
"You don't really believe in monsters and stuff?" Maddy asked, closing her eyes in hopes of it being a big fat 'no'. 'Please, not her too!'
"No way! You would need to be mentally unstable to entertain the idea of monsters being real. You need to stop watching those juvenile horror movies, Maddy." Ling casually flipped open her agenda and started reviewing her to-do list for the day. "Werewolves, zombies, and vampires. They are all imaginary creatures constructed solely to support society's moral teachings." Ling closed the notebook and tucked it between two other notebooks.
Maddy smiled nervously. 'She has no idea. Maybe that's for the better. Ignorance is bliss, right?'
-Wolfblood-
"Yo, girlie!" shouted one of her teammates, Miranda. The Polynesian saddled up next to Maddy, dropping her things beside her. Miranda plopped herself on the duffle bags, settling into them like a makeshift recliner. Maddy was also sitting on her things, tired of standing. "I heard that Ms. Dupree turned Mr. Nevalle into a shaking Chihuahua." Miranda was a senior that had been playing on the team all four years. She was rather good, in Maddy's opinion, but the Wolfblood was confident Miranda would never leave the small town of Tall Skies to pursue anything past high school playing. Her family had settled in the tall northern part of Canada and never left, even when her great-grandfather's business venture went south. Maddy envied the girl slightly.
Miranda pulled some chips from her bag and offered some to Maddy. Miranda was always snacking. She said it was due to her racing metabolism, but Maddy knew it was an excuse. The girl was most definitely considered "big boned". Miranda kind of looked like a living teddy-bear. Her skin was tanned, her hair dark, flowing in waves down to her elbows. Her face reminded Maddy of a noble indigenous person, with old soulful eyes. And Miranda seemed effortlessly and eternally happy.
"It wasn't my fault . . . he could have just given me the extension when I asked for it," Maddy grumbled, picking up a twig and peeling it apart.
"Yeah, except he hates you." Miranda laughed so hard she started to choke on the cheese curl she had just popped into her mouth.
"Hey," greeted Robert. He stopped in front of Maddy and looked down at her with a lopsided smile. She could tell he was nervous as his hands pulled his backpacks straps. He jerked his head at the buses. "You have a game?"
Maddy stood and checked about the area. Whenever Robert showed, Veronica would appear. However, Veronica was too busy talking to her friends on the team and was too engrossed in a self-indulgent diatribe to notice.
"No, the retreat, remember? We're headed out to Elk Ridge." Maddy sighed, like the idea of staying at a four star resort was pure torture.
"Right! Hey, you and I could sneak out and hang later." Maddy furrowed her eyebrows, not clear on how they could do that when Robert lived in town and not at the resort. "My dad and I are going up to hunt. We own a ton of land up there. Even more than what people think," he filled in, clasping his hands together and rubbing them to keep warm.
"I didn't know you hunted . . . you kill anything?" Maddy somehow felt disturbed that he was a proponent of hunting. She was technically a hunter too, but hers felt more natural.
"No," he responded with a half smile. "Just text me, okay?" He nudged Maddy and the Wolfblood nodded in agreement. She playfully pushed him back and the two laughed at each other. Maddy looked passed Robert and saw Miranda making kissy faces at the two other girls on her team and pointing in Maddy's direction. Maddy glared and turned red, gritting her teeth. "What are you loo– " Before Robert could turn around, Maddy grabbed his arm and forced his attention back to her.
"I'll call – text, I mean, definitely. It would be good for me to have an escape." She smiled cheekily, hoping it was enough to dissuade Robert from turning around. As Robert moved passed her to his awaiting driver, Maddy tore off her fingerless black gloves with the skull and cross bones and threw them at Miranda with all her might. Miranda tried to block, but her hands full of different snacks, made it a fruitless endeavor.
Jogging over to the trio, Maddy growled, "You guys are real jerks." The twins, Cheryl and Beverly Browne, giggled. They both were pale – the type of pale that if they stood under a strong enough lamp they may burn. They had straight strawberry blonde hair that reached just below their waist. While most twins begin to distant themselves from the clone-look, it apparently never occurred to the sisters as they dressed similarly. If each one didn't have a distinctive scent, Maddy may never know which one was which.
Cheryl had her arm slung around Beverly, both laughing as Miranda began to sing, "Maddy and Robert sitting in a tree . . . k-i-s-s –" The song was cut short as Maddy shoved Miranda off her bag. "Hey, careful. You almost made me fall on my snacks."
The girls were beginning to board the bus with the snow just starting to fall. The team fell in line like they belonged in the Armed Forces; Maddy and Miranda carried the end. After Ms. Dupree completed roll call, Maddy said over her shoulder to Miranda, "We're not going out. You realize that? Robert and I are just friends."
Miranda popped a few Pringles into her mouth just as they always instructed in their commercials. "Hm," she muttered between crunching. "And yet," she swallowed, "You're the only one still talking about it." Miranda hummed as she clamored up the bus steps, ignoring Ms. Dupree's comment about eating too much junk food. They made their way down the small aisle, Maddy not seeing Veronica's foot extending out into the lane, tripped suddenly. Luckily, she caught herself before she could completely fall. The Wolfblood whipped around to seek retribution, but stopped as she watched Ms. Dupree ascend the last step to fully enter the bus. Veronica also noticed and cackled when she determined Maddy was out of options to do anything. Miranda pushed Maddy forward. "Come on, just keep moving."
Maddy huffed and moved to the back of the bus and sat in front of the twins and next to Miranda. "How do you stand her?" Maddy asked, all while glaring at Veronica.
"I don't." Miranda answered simply. Maddy looked befuddled. "I am the go-with-the-flow kind of girl. I ride the waves, you know." She made a motion with her arm to signify a wave. "I stay clear of Veronica. If I keep under her radar, we don't have issues. I choose to stay clear of those waters called Hurricane Veronica." Maddy looked down at her Converse sneakers with the grey scuff marks smeared across the white toe part. Something deep within told her that she couldn't do that.
-Wolfblood-
Perhaps it was over ambitious to believe that removing the girls from the school setting and lacrosse field would somehow solve everything. It had started out with the best potential, except that Ms. Dupree insisted that Maddy and Veronica be on the same team. Maddy and Veronica were not the only group to fail the activity, though. The girls had been split into seven groups of two, and five of them were unsuccessful. The task was to drop an egg while standing on a chair. The egg was to be protected by some type of encasing made of different materials: shoe boxes, paper towels roll, egg carton, and the like. The teams were tasked with building an enclosure that would keep the egg intact during its travels back to the ground. Maddy was surprised the hotel allowed Ms. Dupree to do this type of activity, but then the Wolfblood remembered what happened to Mr. Nevalle when he stood his ground. 'Never mind," thought Maddy. The difference between her group and her teammates' groups was Veronica's swift judgment call. Veronica quickly snapped at Maddy, pointing at her for being the cause of their failure, which resulted in Maddy "tossing" an egg to her partner. As imagined, it soon escalated from there. Now, they were both an eggy mess.
Ms. Dupree ordered a cease fire and instructed everyone take a twenty minute break. This provided the two girls time to return to their rooms and change.
Returning to the ballroom, Ms. Dupree had settled down the team and successfully completed three activities without recourse in Maddy and Veronica's absence. Maddy and Veronica both had their arms crossed as they stood in the small area designated to them.
Ms. Dupree chewed the inside of her cheek and closed her eyes. The girls had never seen the coach so apprehensive. "I am probably going to regret this, but we are going to do a trust exercise. The objective is going to be for one person to catch the other. The trust comes from the falling person to believe their partner will catch them." This explanation was clearly delivered in Maddy and Veronica's direction as she never once broke eye contact with them. "For the love God, please do not be a disappointment as you have been with uninterrupted success so far." Maddy and Veronica exchanged sideways glances at their coach's words.
Before the exercise could continue, a desk clerk popped his head into the expansive ballroom and alerted Ms. Dupree that dinner was ready. Ms. Dupree weighed the situation and begrudgingly let the girls leave for dinner. The dining room was filled with the teenagers' ever-flowing chatter, and once over they were dismissed to their rooms with a promise that drills would continue bright and early the next day.
Maddy was bunking with Miranda and the twins. The room was rather basic: a black desk that was partnered with a flat screen TV perched on a matching TV stand. Two queen beds were placed opposing the TV and desk. One bed was closest to the French doors that led to the small balcony and the other closest to the bathroom. This was the predicament the girls found themselves in right then. The twins were trying to determine which side of the bed they wanted: to face the French doors, or to face the nightstand that was squeezed between the beds. Miranda and Maddy were stretched out on the other bed. Miranda was channel surfing while Maddy laid with her hands behind her head, eyes closed, music drowning out the twin's argument.
"Hey! Will you two shut up?!" Miranda hollered. "I can't hear the TV." She rolled her eyes, propping herself on one elbow to better see the Irish freckled girls.
"Hey," Maddy joined in before the twins could retaliate. "We'll be here for two nights. One gets the side facing the balcony tonight, and the other gets it tomorrow. Miranda . . ." Maddy leaned over the side of the bed and searched for loose change in her bag. She quickly located a quarter and tossed it to Miranda. "Flip for who gets the window side tonight. You assign the sides, Miranda. We can all relax then." Miranda flipped the coin, watching as it somersaulted in the air and landed in her awaiting palm. Miranda presented the findings, and remarkably, the twins fell into line and took the terms as dictated. Cheryl would have the balcony side tonight and Beverly would have it tomorrow.
"Damn girl, you got skill. No wonder Veronica hates you . .." the rest of her words were muddled as Miranda compressed two handfuls of popcorn into her mouth. She faced the TV, finally settling on some type of reality show.
Maddy eyed the girl wearily, wanting to understand what she missed in between the popcorn kernels. "What?"
"Come on . . . I know you're just messin'. Maddy, you took the girl's guy and are a better leader than she is. It's like your born with the talent. People just follow ya wherever ya point." Miranda gestured to the twins who were reading magazines and listening to music, completely in their own worlds. "You run the teams better than she does. It's like you just got this skill that says 'I know what I'm doing and you need to listen.'"
Maddy shifted a little. This was getting uncomfortable. She wasn't an alpha anymore. But, was that something you could really turn off like a light switch?
"Speaking of tall, dark and sexy. Where is your beau?" Miranda inquired.
"For the last time, he's not my beau, my man, my boyfriend, my whatever you think he is. . . and his dad decided to leave early tomorrow so . . . I'll hang with him tomorrow night." Maddy sighed. "You'll cover for me, right?"
"No worries, I got you back, girl. You do your thing with your squeeze," she assured, making her eyebrows jump to emphasize exactly what she was alluding to. Maddy grimaced and pulled the pillow from behind her back and chucked it at Miranda. This caught the twins' attention and a pillow fight ensued. It was stopped minutes later when a rogue pillow knocked over a lamp that had been watching the spectacle from the nightstand. The next thirty minutes were spent piecing the lamp back together and using the nail glue from Beverly's cosmetic bag to hold the jagged lamp pieces in place. When they finished the puzzle, Beverly colored the blatant white outlines of the different fissures the best she could with one of the plethora of sharpie markers she hoarded in her knapsack. The lamp was a mauve color and the sharpie was undeniably a magenta color. "We're doomed," Cheryl lamented, the saddest puppy-dog face followed by her words. "Who places an expensive lamp in a guest room?"
"They can't blame us if they can't find it." Maddy had this wicked smile on her face as she zipped up her grey hoodie that advertised her school mascot on the back.
-Wolfblood-
Creeping along the taupe colored walls, Maddy watched Beverly curl her fingers around the door frame of the small side room that functioned as a snack room, lounge, and garbage area for large items. Each girl examined the different details of the space. Resting their attention on the three tubs the resort placed in one neat row in the corner, the team members turned to their ring leader. Maddy approached the first corner receptacle and looked inside.
The bins must have been recently attended to by a cleaning crew as the only thing inside was the clear plastic liner. "Now what?" Beverly asked the group, focusing on Maddy.
"We need it to not look so obvious," Maddy commented. She had been the one entrusted with transporting the item in question. Tucked under her arm was the pieced-together lamp.
"We need to break the lamp into smaller pieces again," Cheryl insisted. The twin had her hair loosely braided on one side. The girls had changed and were outfitted in their different lounge wear or pajamas.
"Wait, how are we going to break it? We need to be as quiet as possible," Beverly questioned her sister. The supposedly younger sister by three minutes had her hair braided on the opposing side. Each girl was dressed in a coordinated flannel pajama set that Maddy wanted to believe a grandparent had purchased as a gift one Christmas.
"Take off your shirts. Quick!" Cheryl instructed. She was already starting to pull hers off as she waited for her idea to sink into her teammates' heads.
"Have you been sniffing the markers Bev brought?!" Miranda retorted, getting the girls to 'shhh' her. Miranda had been fashioning a very similar outfit to Maddy, an old t-shirt and sweatpants combo.
"No, she's right. I remembering learning about it on a forensic science program. The shirts will muffle the sound of one of us breaking the lamp. It will also protect us from cutting ourselves on any sharp pieces as a result of smashing it into smithereens." Beverly began unbuttoning her top instead of struggling to remove it over her head like her other half was doing.
"You've got to be kidding me." Maddy rolled her eyes and sighed. She had been inclined to point out that two tops were plenty to muffle the sounds, but she didn't want the twins to feel uncomfortable. It then dawned on her that she could use the hoodie she was wearing. "Hold on, you two." She gestured to her jacket and unzipped it. She pealed it off, all of sudden aware of how cold it was and threw it in the bin with the lamp.
The twins desisted with removing their tops, and stood transfixed on the bin that contained the hoodie and lamp. It was clear that the two girls lacked common sense, sadly. "Will you put your dam shirts back on?" Miranda chastised, running her hand down her face in exasperation. Both girls did as they were told and watched as Maddy sorted her sweater over the lamp to completely cover it. "Let's get this done, so I can go back to watching my show."
"Okay, well, Miranda get in and jump on in," instructed Cheryl, pointing to the bin.
"What?! Hell no! I'll cut myself. Why me?" Miranda crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at Cheryl.
"Forget, I'll do it." Maddy knew if she did cut herself, she would heal faster. Plus, she knew Cheryl wouldn't have the guts to answer Miranda's questions straight. Miranda weighed the most, but Maddy was the strongest; it worked out about even. As Maddy climbed in, a shuffling of steps caught all the girls' attention.
In walked Mercy, an average height Latina girl that was one of Veronica's "best girlfriends". She was in fuzzy pink slippers and matching pink tank top and short-short outfit. It always seemed impractical to Maddy to dress up and wear makeup when you were about to go to sleep. There was no one here to impress. Mercy stopped abruptly when she caught sight of the group. Moments passed, and she continued to stand there, still holding the pizza box and half-empty liter of soda. Apparently they had ordered more food after everyone was assigned to go to bed. They were far from sleeping.
"What is – are you doing?" Here were four of them standing around a garbage bin in the floor's common area. Mercy stepped through the wall the twins and Miranda created and peered inside the bin. "You broke a lamp. Stupido." She looked directly at Maddy, who was starting to worry that their plan was foiled. "Why are . . . what?"
"The hoodie will muffle the noise of breaking the lamp so it fits better in the bin. No lamp . . . no blame," Bev explained.
Mercy looked at Maddy. "You're insane. They are going to know you guys broke it. Doesn't matter you tossed the evidence away."
Maddy scanned the room and tried to evaluate the other's reactions. Could Mercy be trusted? The Wolfblood placed her hands on the bin, suspended herself up and then jumped hard and broke the lamp. She carefully stomped a few more times until the lamp was well beyond broken. Shoes would have been smarter than using her bare feet; when finished, she noticed a small scrape up the side of her ankle as she leapt out of the bin, but it wasn't serious. She pulled the hoodie out of the garbage and discovered the holes from where the broken shards had pierced it.
"Hoodie is trashed. I hope Mr. Larson never asks about it." The hoodie had been a gift from him when he learned she had joined the team. "Not to mention, we need something to cover the evidence." The girls looked in and realized the predicament the shattered lamp presented if left uncovered.
"Fantastic," muttered Bev, hitting her twin roughly. "Now what?"
"You'll never get away with it, though . . . it would be pretty cool if you did." Mercy gave the former alpha a slanted smile. "A little wager?"
"Maddy," Cheryl whispered. "Don't. Deal with the devil. Bad idea." Maddy spotted Bev bobbing her head at her sister's advice.
"What's the bet?" Maddy's interest was piqued; it was too late for common sense to win. What could it hurt to hear her out?
Mercy discarded the pizza box and soda bottle in the adjacent garbage bin and then turned to Maddy. "You get caught . . . a hundred bucks. I need the money for concert tickets, and with your lovely contribution, I won't have to work the overtime at my parents restaurant." Mercy proudly placed her manicured nails on her exposed hips.
"Okay, if I win, you . . ." Maddy paused, she couldn't think of anything she wanted from Mercy. She had never been good at this type of thing.
"I'll go along with your next bid for a play. That one you wanted to do last game but Veronica stopped you. You can finish it with me."
"You really don't think I'll pull this off? No ratting me out to coach, right?" Mercy nodded to the terms. Maddy slipped on her jacket that looked like it had been a chew toy for an ornery alligator. "Deal." Maddy smirked, shaking her hand with Mercy's.
-Wolfblood-
"Are you crazy?" Bev said as soon as Mercy had left and could be heard closing her room door down the hall.
"Girl, you got something churnin' in that evil genius brain, don't you?" Miranda shook her head, simultaneously evaluating some of the tiny tears in Maddy's hooded sweater.
Maddy extracted the pizza box and shook it, confirming the rattling she heard as Mercy had entered the room. Inside the box were several used paper plates, half-moon shaped pieces of pizza crust, blobs of cheese, napkins, and cups. Maddy emptied the contents of pizza box on top of the lamp. She placed the box slanted to look like it was carelessly tossed inside, but undoubtedly covered the lamp. Topping it off, she had Miranda hand her the half-empty soda and poured the rest on top and tossed the empty bottle in.
"No cleaning personnel is going to dig through the trash for one dumb lamp. And this make it look like just another trash bin. And by tomorrow, after other people have dumped trash inside . . . We're good, trust me." Maddy winked and then guided the girls back to their room.
They were making their way back when Miranda fell in step with the Wolfblood, the twins were leading the way. It was after midnight, and Maddy wasn't all that worried about being caught. She would smell someone – like Coach – long before the twins saw her.
"You know you got suckered, right?" Miranda started, nudging the brunette.
"What?" Maddy responded sharply, watching as Beverly and Cheryl fumbled with using the key card.
"For Mercy, it's a win – win." Miranda huffed. "Do I have to explain everything to you? She gets her tickets if you lose. You win, she gets an out. Girl's not an idiot, Maddy. She knows when the food is drying up and it is time to move to better lands. Better grass for that cow to live on."
"What's with you and all these damn nature analogies? What better lands?" Maddy pressed, scrunching her face up in aggravation.
"You!" Miranda responded in a harsh whisper. "You're the better lands. She is looking to get in favor with you." The twins were standing in the door waving for the two that had floundered behind to hurry up. Maddy sniffed and smelled an all too familiar scent coming from the opposite direction. Ms. Dupree! She had to be doing rounds. 'That woman is unbelievable!' Maddy pushed Miranda in and closed the door. The girls quickly turned the lights off and tiptoed to their beds. "I'm just glad to be on your side already," Miranda finished as she crawled into the bed.
'Mercy isn't playing to my favor. Why would she? Veronica is in charge. Not me.'
-Wolfblood-
Maddy was finishing her breakfast when a slender shadow loomed over her. "Coach?" Maddy brought her lips to her juice, but never enjoyed the citrus beverage as Ms. Dupree pulled Maddy from her teammates and led her to the connecting hallway.
They walked until they were out of ear shot. "The manager just informed me the lamp on your room's nights is missing. Interesting that yours went missing." Ms. Dupree paused, but Maddy didn't dare interrupt. "Veronica told me she heard screaming like a group of girls horsing around."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Maddy swayed back and forth on the tips of her toes. "What's really interesting is how Veronica supposedly heard us when she was rooming four doors down, don't you think? Sure it wasn't another group of girls."
"Hm, you make a valid point. I'll have to follow up with Veronica on that later. Of course, since there is no way of verifying if your room had a lamp in it, how would we really be able to confirm the truth?"
"Right," Maddy answered. "So, we're done?" She started to move back to the eating area when Ms. Dupree called her back. Ms. Dupree was dressed in fitted black pants with black winter trail boots and a puffy brown winter coat. Maddy had a bad feeling about how Ms. Dupree was dressed.
"No." Ms. Dupree exhaled, but in a way that almost sounded content. "I like you . . . like a pyromaniac likes a good cigarette lighter." Maddy stayed quiet, not sure if that was really a compliment or not. "You think on your toes and will do anything for your friends, to stay out of trouble . . . get your way. So, you can take this as satisfaction and hopefully reason to back off. . ." Ms. Dupree got quiet and quickly glanced at her team sitting oblivious in the other room. "You're to be team captain next season. I'm demoting Veronica."
"I – " Maddy was cut off by Ms. Dupree.
"No need to thank me. I don't know what you did or how you did it, but you didn't do it alone, which means those girls trust you and are willing to follow you . . . No matter the consequences. I want a team like that . . to win at all cost."
Maddy looked at her stunned. Her mouth hung slack. She didn't want to be captain. She didn't want Miranda to be right. She didn't want to play next season. She looked at Veronica, who was talking in the same non-stop way the girl only knew how to do. Maddy wanted to put her in her place – bring her down a peg, but did she want to completely shut her down. What was Veronica without her status? A part of Maddy was jumping with elation and joy. Her wolf. The side she wasn't sure she had control over anymore. Her mind wandered to that Dark Moon day and the feeling of her wolf side filling her veins and taking over her senses. She had become the alpha of this pack, whether she wanted or not.
Ms. Dupree was smiling like she had won the lottery. She fondly patted Maddy on the shoulder and walked away. "So, you can calm down on the poor girl, got it?" The lacrosse coach was already gone as Maddy nodded dumbly.
Maddy slowly walked back to her seat and plopped in her chair. "Let's go. Eat up," Miranda informed her, as she continued to stash food in her coat pockets. "Ms. Dupree said we were going outside for our next exercise. "What did she want? She find out?!"
Maddy went through the motions of grabbing her coat and sliding her arms through the sleeves. She shook her head. "No, we're safe. It was about something else . . . She made me captain next season."
"Sweet, girl! I can't wait to tell Mercy, Bev and Cheryl. All hail my girl, Maddy. Shame I won't be on the team to play under ya." She gripped Maddy's shoulders and shook her in the excitement. "They are going to freak." Miranda jogged to catch up with other girls. It was the fastest the Wolfblood had ever seen the girl move. Maddy ran her hands through her hair and exhaled in an exaggerated manner. She zipped up her coat and pulled her skull cap further down, slightly hiding her eyes. She grabbed a lone banana from the table and followed out behind the other girls. Could this get any worse?
-Wolfblood-
Retreats sucked.
Maddy skidded to a halt, bracing herself against a thin, frail dogwood tree. She was panting, begging for air to fill her lungs. The spot that was harboring the abrasion from last night's lamp breaking ceremony was chaffing inside her boot and started to bleed. The fresh wound began to saturate the interior of her boot. 'Damn . . .' she thought, looking down. She had no time to adjust the her footwear. Seconds later, Veronica slid into Maddy. The petite, frightened team captain clutched onto Maddy's shoulder, trying to hold herself up; her legs shaking violently in fear. They had been running the last twenty minutes and the wolves were not giving up.
"Girls, I have provided each team a map and compass. This is a scavenger hunt. Solving the clues provided with your map and compass, you will collect the items on your list and guide yourselves back. The first group down wins a special prize. And if I find out any of you cheated by working together, I will punish you all." The girls knew what that meant . . . running until they puked. It was simple enough. Until it all went downhill. Ms. Dupree watched the teams commence, coordinating with their partner their plans for winning. Ms. Dupree pulled her helmet on her head, mounted the snow mobile that had been reserved for her, and started down one of the trails.
"We need to get back to camp." They had lost them climbing up a rocky ravine, but the Wolfbloods were resourceful and had soon found a way around. They were making up for lost time. Fast!
"No shit, Sherlock! But, you dropped our compass a long time ago!" Veronica shrieked, her voice failing at the end, her last words became coarse. She was coughing, propping herself on Maddy.
'I should just leave you to fend for yourself.' Maddy heavily considered sacrificing Veronica. "Listen, this is your fault for insisting that you lead. I told you over and over that we were going the wrong way." Maddy spotted the wolves bounding over the hill, racing toward them. The silver backs of the leading wolves glimmered in the rare sun's shining rays. "We need to go." Maddy grabbed Veronica's hand and pulled her down the slope further. The Wolfblood was able to intermittently receive flashes of different scents. In a moment of frustration, Veronica pulled her backpack body spray and shot the overpowering mist directly at Maddy. The overwhelming power of the citrus blended perfume clogged Maddy's sense of smell and she hadn't been able to rely on it since then.
"Where to now?" Veronica sobbed. She had fallen, ripping the sleeves of her black North Face fitted coat. Maddy could pick up layers of food being cooked and hoped it was the resort's kitchen and not a wayward camper.
"We need to head west." The precipitation from the snow collected on their clothes and hair like dew on an early spring morning.
"If we had the compass –" Maddy wouldn't let her finish. The compass was useless. The old style navigation tool had been compromised by Veronica's metal bracelet.
"Forget the compass. I'm telling you west!" Maddy helped the girl to her feet, just to notice Veronica couldn't place her full weight on her right ankle." It was sprained. "Shit!" Maddy cursed.
"I wish my cell worked, I would . . ." the rest of her sentence became drowned out by her crying. Veronica had completely surrendered to her fear. She was dead weight, but Maddy couldn't leave her to fend for herself. No matter how much she wanted to at that moment. The wolves slowed as they came upon the two girls. The one male snarled, barking relentlessly at them. Maddy understood that she was being called out. She also concluded the pack only wanted her.
Maddy swallowed and closed her eyes. She had little in the way of options. "Here, step on my hands." Veronica followed Maddy's instructions, shakily placing her left foot in Maddy's cupped hands. Veronica grunted through the pain as she used her right foot to push herself up the tree further. Turning herself around to sit in the branch side saddle, she extended her hand. "Start yelling for help," Maddy called up.
"What are you going to do?" she asked, yelling back. The girl looked as if she was dressed for a high-end tribal ceremony, all her expensive make up streaking down her face and her lavish jacket dirty and ripped.
"I'm going to distract them." Maddy turned back to see the wolves, who stood prone to attack; yet, they hadn't. They were waiting for Maddy to call the next move. Fight or flight.
"What?! That makes no sense!" Veronica screamed. She curled and uncurled her fingers, trying to encourage the Wolfblood to take her offered hand. 'Well, it's nice to know that she wouldn't let me die, but I need to get her to safety and this is the best solution,' thought Maddy. Maddy ignored Veronica, and shuffled her feet for a beat before surging farther down the hill in the opposite direction.
Maddy looked back and confirmed the wolves were following her. She also made sure that she had cleared Veronica's line of sight. As she made a final turn, she changed into her wolf form. She cut through the fresh snow, pushing herself to her max. She could maneuver more quickly as a wolf than a person. It was awkward and used too much energy to balance and push forward as a human. Maddy's heartbeat was thumped loudly; it was all she could hear. She had been in one-on-one fights with other Wolfbloods by not a pack of them. And as much as she didn't like Veronica, this wasn't her fault. Hopefully, Veronica would be able to reach someone.
She could feel the other Wolfbloods following, growling, grunting, and snarling. One long howl pushed passed her, a wolf's battle cry. Maddy was panting, her tongue dragging in the wind. She stopped and considered her next direction. A misstep on her part, the young Wolfblood licked at some snow, hoping to rehydrate a little. The timing was poor. Maddy was blindsided by the same Wolfblood that had knocked her over last time. His mixed tone fur, of different blacks hues spackled into the thick nutmeg undercoat made him appear broader than he was. Clouds of heat wafted to the heavens as he panted. Maddy exhaled, trying to steady her breath. She slowly stood, the discomfort of the bleeding leg wound surfacing to further compound the situation. Another reason for her to hate Tall Skies, the snow only accentuated the challenge of blending into her environment. Her reddish fur with waves of black made for an easy target. "You dare to come back. To align yourself with the humans. To bring our genocide!" As he spat the last words, the others trotted to a stop behind him. Maddy didn't understand what he was referring to. She knew trying to explain herself would be pointless. She tucked her head in and charged at him. The older wolf sidestepped, but not enough as Maddy bit hard into his hindquarter. Maddy was knocked from the other side by a younger Wolfblood. The small female, close in size to Maddy, had similar fur to the leader of the group. The one noted exception was hers had more hues of tan and blood orange woven in. Maddy's legs wobbled as she rose, unmistakably having jumped from the frying pan right into the fire. Seven pairs of eyes stared back at her; some were mismatched having one blue pupil and one green.
A whimper slipped through her teeth. She turned in small defensive circles, convinced there had to be a weak link. Two smaller sized males stood side by side. Their svelte grey bodies left an opportunity for Maddy to barrel through.
"You have nowhere to go," the large adult male bellowed. Maddy eyed the leader of the pack and then charged at the two Wolfbloods she had her sights on moments ago. The overeager cub to the left jumped at Maddy, missing by a long shot. In fear, the second of the set turned his shoulder into Maddy, who hadn't anticipated him standing still. Maddy was rolled by the fearful grey wolf and the two tumbled down the hill several yards.
The young Wolfblood shook his head, trying to bring himself around. Maddy had cracked her head against a hidden rock, slicing a long gash from her forehead to the end of her right ear. Maddy swayed a little as she stood, seeing the other Wolfbloods gaining on them. Different yelps sprang from the group as a few were caught off guard by how steep the snow covered mountain was at times. Maddy was losing ground as she tried to out-maneuver them. In a series of unfortunate events, the head injury was bringing forth a bout of double vision and soon the Wolfblod tripped over her own two front legs. Two more Wolfbloods collided into her, inadvertently pushing her into a tree. The two mud colored wolves stood, nipping at each other for causing the haphazard collision. A Wolfblood with a chocolate brown mane and milk chocolate body and distinctive tarnish colored underside nipped Maddy in her side to keep her from running. Backed against an exposed rock face, Maddy unsteadily moved closer to the rock formation behind her. The youngest Smith coughed violently as she tried to breathe through the snow that covered her snout and half her face. The large silverback Wolfblood rushed in and clamped down with his fangs into Maddy's front right shoulder. She screamed in pain; forced to support herself on just three legs now. She had never suffered an injury like that; the wound looked as nasty as it felt, oozing blood down her leg and pooling into the snow. She managed to sloppily claw into the face of the lead Wolfblood. He snarled as blood trickled down his muzzle and then quickly retaliated, digging his nails into her muzzle as she had done to him. Maddy forgone trying to make any further attacks; they had her surrounded. However, as she surveyed the Wolfbloods around her, she noticed only six. Maddy fell into an awkward sitting position, her injured back paw finally succumbing from the physical demands of trying to escape.
She was defeated.
"You bring the demons. I watch you. You are a disgrace to our kind," he spat, shaking his thick static colored fur. The snow and water that collected on his body fell away in sheets.
Maddy breathed, but no matter how much air she sucked in, it was never enough.
Then the circle opened up. The seventh wolf, the smaller of the grey set, was standing next to another Wolfblood, his fur as dark as night. He had the deepest green eyes and behind them were nearly a dozen and half more. The wolf stood proudly, his chest pushed out as he took in everything. Though he carried a slender, small frame, something about his stance and long muzzle spoke of regality and importance. He was the Alpha. The Wolfbloods reverted to their human form and awaited for commands from their true leader. Standing in front of her was a tan man with rich caramel colored skin. He seemed to be some type of Native American. At the creases of his face, lips, and fingers, his skin became ashen-looking from weather and wear.
Maddy grabbed at her shoulder, trying to put pressure on it to stop the bleeding. The sharp pain arising from her shoulder gave the impression it also may be dislocated. Blood spread from the gash on her hip, creating a circular muddy red stain on her brown ski pants. "I didn't . . ." she spat. Her lip cut open, blood dotted the snow. "This was a school event. The human you were chasing entered your territory without knowing. Let her go."
The first wolf was a gruff looking male. He fashioned a grizzly, stringy grey beard. The younger female Wolfblood, who was clearly his daughter, stared at Maddy. Maddy dropped to the ground on one knee. Her hip felt as if someone had lit a match and her hip was the matchbook. "Please . . . I didn't mean to cross in your territory, I swear. I . . ." Maddy had never felt this terrified. Her parents were miles away, Rhydian in a separate country, and Veronica may or may not be alive. Maddy wiped away the blood she felt tickling her chin as it made paths to the ground.
It fell quiet and Maddy swallowed, nearly throwing up at the taste of her own blood sliding down her throat. "Segolia will not . . ." the threat died on her lips. They didn't care about Segolia.
"Let's kill her. Bring an end to the enemy's pursuit. It was summoned by the arrival of this one." Maddy watched the bearded man snarl and point at her.
"No, Merrick." The Alpha stated flatly. He turned to Maddy, who was growing paler with each passing minute. "You have resurrected them. They search for you. It is not safe for us . . . and you."
"I . . . I . . ." Maddy closed her eyes and concentrated, she was starting to lose control over her thoughts. "I have no clue . . . what you're talking about. I didn't . . . bring anyone to you. I told you. . . the girl . . . she doesn't . . . doesn't get it. She's innocent." Maddy hadn't the faintest idea what they were talking about.
"Mahkah, let's remove the threat. They will kill us all. For one Wolfblood," Merrick pled, taking a step closer.
Mahkah didn't' respond, just raised his hand to show Merrick should not act on his desires. "That is unfortunate." He crossed the distance and cusped Maddy's face in his calloused hands. "So soon birthed. So naïve." The Alpha was talking in riddles and while that would typically frustrate Maddy, she was just praying he would spare her. Maddy could see that the dark coated Wolfblood was different from the others; somehow he was going to be her saving grace.
"Humans!" the young man standing next to the Alpha hollered, pointing in the distance, some ways down the hill.
"The vile creatures ride in their ranks," Merrick seethed. "She brings them. I told you!" Maddy turned to better understand what they were worried about, but the loss of blood and pain were a little too much and she fell on her side. Maddy rolled to her back, the cold easing some of the pain.
Mahkah placed his thin, bony hand on her shoulder and whispered, "It will be okay, little one." He then changed and followed his pack as they fled. The onyx colored leader was last to leave, nodding at Maddy before disappearing into the dense forest.
Seconds later, a familiar face hovered over the wounded Wolfblood. Robert traced the large cut that moved along her eyebrow and down the side of her face. "Maddy," he whispered. "It's going to be all right. Medics are on their way." He had a cross bow in his one hand. He placed it beside her and helped her to a sitting position. Maddy would normally shrug this type of intimacy, but she reveled in his body heat and the safety he brought.
A dark figured crossed in front of Maddy's waning vision. The figure was tall with broad shoulders and dark hair. She strained to learn more, but her body finally threw up a white flag. Maddy rested her head against Robert's shoulder and gave into entering the world of the unconscious.
-Wolfblood-
Maddy slowly woke to a blonde woman taking her vitals. She had Maddy's arm raised and was removing something that had been Velcro to her. It looked like an antiquated tool to measure someone's blood pressure. "Where am I?" Maddy raised her left hand and groaned in pain at the apprehensive complaisance.
"Careful, sweetie. You're in the infirmary." The woman's voice was very soothing and Maddy surmised it was well practiced as she was a nurse. She had to be calm and warm if she was going to care for sick people.
"You are extraordinarily brave. Sacrificing yourself so your teammate had some chance of finding help." The voice was broadcasted from a tall man sitting in a chair across the room. She soon realized it was the figure that she had seen earlier. He was taller than Robert by a few inches, his arms just seaming to hang from his body. Maddy had suspicions who he was, but didn't interrupt to ask questions. He was dressed sharply, a beard that outlined his jaw and mouth; it was perfectly lined, as if sketched on or traced with a stencil. "Veronica said the wolves immediately pursued you, which surprised me. She was the sitting duck with the lame leg."
"I was the better catch." Maddy coughed, opening the cut on her lip. Blood quickly trickled patterns down her chin, in which the nurse immediately started to spot away. Getting it all under control, the nurse dabbed some type of ointment on it that prevented the cut from continuing to bleed.
"I'm elated to see you're already awake. I was deeply concerned for your well being." The middle-aged man stopped and smiled, his eyes fading behind his high cheek bones. "I apologize, you must be confused as to who I am. I am Mr. Abernathy, Robert's father. You're very lucky we heard your friend screaming." Mr. Abernathy started to walk toward Maddy when Robert burst into the room.
"Hey, you're up!" he darted across his father's path and sat at the edge of her bed. He gently took her hand, and smiled warmly. Maddy couldn't be sure, but his eyes looked watery as if he had been crying. "The ambulance will soon be here to drive you to the local hospital."
"No!" Maddy grabbed her hip, the sudden movement blistering new waves of pain. Still, she forced down the pain and moved to a sitting a position.
"You need to be seen by a doctor. Those wild animals . . . they may have rabies. Despite our best efforts we couldn't catch a single one of those wolves," Robert lamented. "Plus, these wounds are serious and need to be treated by a real physician." The nurse huffed, turning her nose up at Robert's comment. She promptly left, making sure to close the door firmly behind her.
"I'll be fine." Her reassurance would have been more convincing, if Maddy's face wasn't twisted in agony, and her voice was not strained.
Robert looked at her astounded and then quickly glanced as his father who chuckled. "I'm chalking up that stupid response to the pain killers." Robert leaned in closer, lightly patting her hand that he still held.
She couldn't' go to the hospital. She needed to find an excuse to bury the idea. "I . . . my parents . . . they don't make enough . . . the hospital –"
"You insult me, Madeline. Your health is important." Mr. Abernathy sauntered over, standing behind his son. "I will pay for it. I feel responsible for what happened to you. Not to mention, your relationship with my son," he reaffirmed, winking at the young Wolfblood. Maddy wanted to question him on the last part, but lost the chance as Mr. Abernathy continued along. "You look flush. I know hospitals can be intimidating, but you need to see a proper physician."
"I'll go along with you and we can meet your parents there," Robert comforted, giving her hand a little squeeze. Robert said good-bye and left to check on the arrival time of the ambulance.
Robert's father hung in the room, looming over the girl. "I promise, it will be okay." Maddy smiled back. She knew the truth. It was far from okay.
-End Chapter 4
*Thank you for reading. Please leave feedback.*
Side note: thanks to everyone who reviewed and added my story to their favorites/watch list. Not everyone has an account, so unfortunately, I cannot thank you personally. I did want to address some questions left by reviews from last chapter. Please see below.
A - You bring aboard many good points. Please keep in mind that Series 3 is happening parallel to this story, so to speak. Maddy couldn't know about what is going on in Stonybridge as she is forbidden to speak to anyone from her old life. Plus, given this is fanfiction, I haven't decided how much of Series 3 will play out in my story. Maddy joining the lacrosse team will most definitely open new doors for her. Though, I reserve the right not to disclose what types of doors.
Enarmonios - Thank you for pointing out the oversight to call out details of the Wolfbloods' coats. That was pivotal for writing this chapter.
luckyduck22 - The events of the Dark Moon will resurface in upcoming chapters. And yes, the decision to tell her parents will also be brought back into frame. What happened to Maddy is not a fluke.
Next time: Things seem dark for the Wolfblood family, as Maddy is admitted to the hospital and tests are run. It will be up to Maddy's clever thinking and help from a friend to get her out of this one.