A/N: I try to avoid these as much as possible. But, I know it has been a long time since I last updated. I have been continuously working on these updates, but they are just taking longer than I anticipated. I am committed to finishing the story, and it will be wrapping up soon enough. In the remaining chapters, readers will find out the culprit to Ms. Dupree's death, Maddy's poisoning and her stint in the pokey, will all be revealed. I hope you all will stay along for the ride, and thank you again for reading.
1/13/18
Chapter 12
Her ears rang as the oil barrels behind her ignited, the offshoot of flames consuming her. Propelled forward from the force of the explosion, she slide across the deck, weightless. Screams sliced through the unforgivable boom of something detonating inside as the fire spread throughout the vessel without mercy. Darkness flooded her senses; her sight, her hearing, her awareness. Then someone pulls the blackness of confusion away and she sees the grey, familiar sky of her new hometown, and to her right is a port hole to the lower levels of a ship. Her mirror-self looking back at her in panic for a split second before the reflection is gone. And then . . . bam. She hits the coldest of waters.
Maddy sits straight up in a sweat. Her muscles twitch from the remnants of being submerged into freezing water. She coughs as if she can't breathe right. The Wolfblood pulls her smoky-colored comforter closer to her, trying to chase away the chills consuming her body. She pulls on a sweater she had discard on the floor near her. She finds a quilt bunched at the bottom of her bed and drapes it over her comforter. Maddy sat in silence, the small clock on her nightstand reminding her of the seconds passing by. Soon seconds turned to minutes. Confident nothing was going to happen and her body giving way to tiredness, she turned on her side and closed her eyes, succumbing to sleep.
-Wolfblood-
The crisp morning nipping at her nose, the quiet streets, the cluster of shoppes considered town, were all a welcomed sight. Maddy raced through the narrow streets, passed the school, through the park, and into the development that Ling lived in. She slowed to a stop as she came upon the modest home of the Xu family. The neatly manicured lawn, the low maintenance shrubs surviving the morning's frosted dew. Maddy jogged up to the door and rang the doorbell. She could hear the shuffle of people inside. She waited for a minute and then rang the doorbell again. She didn't want to appear impatient or rude, but was perplexed how no one inside could hear not the chime of the doorbell. Maddy spotted eyes peaking back at her from behind the curtain of the adjacent window, and felt a sense of relief that someone would soon be at the door to greet her. All the Wolfblood wanted was to see her best friend without a bunch of guards staring. Maddy excitedly bounced on her toes as she waited. But nothing happened. Maddy quickly sent a text message to Ling. She could smell breakfast being made. Maddy started to look around, she felt foolish just standing outside. Still hoping it was a mistake, the young Smith backed up slowly, but as she touched the curb to the street, she gave up.
Maddy's luck didn't change when she stopped at the Abernathy's luxurious estate. Though, at least she wasn't left guessing. Their butler briskly instructed her to leave, her presence wasn't wanted.
Maddy flopped herself onto a lonely park bench, unsure what to do with herself. With the ankle monitor restricting her to a certain radius from her home, Maddy resigned to returning home. Miranda lived in the outskirts of town on a lone hill top outside Maddy's permitted zone. Truthfully, she wasn't sure she wanted to even go. She sent a half-hearted text, expecting radio silence.
MS: Not wanted at Xu's or Abernathy's. Your family crossed me off too?
Maddy pushed herself up and started heading home, when her phone buzzed.
MF: If they did, they would be giant hypocrites. Both my brother and my uncle have visited the crowbar .
-Wolfblood-
Maddy hopped into Miranda's grumbling truck pulled into one of the empty park's parking spots.
"How's it feel to be free?" Miranda asked, after Maddy's second attempt to close the door. Maddy would later learn that Miranda's "baby" had an accident with a parking meter and now the door didn't close properly. Maddy wasn't entirely sure how the truck ever made it out of the driveway.
"Good. I guess. Feels about as lonely." Maddy stared at the brick-red carpeting in the truck. There were two circular areas where the carpeting fibers were gone, which Maddy surmised was where people had commonly rested their feet.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, Mads. Robert's and Ling's parents have them on house arrest," Miranda paused, "Ling said her parents went as far as blocking your number from her phone when they found out she was making trips to visit you in the juvie." Maddy huffed and then slumped further into the seat.
"Well, at least I can see them at school." It was a weak silver lining, but at least it was one.
Miranda hissed in contradiction. "Um, they were removed from any shared classes and with the amount of money and title they have . . . I just wouldn't count on it Alpha."
Maddy curled her lip at the last word. "You can't be the Alpha of a pack of two. Just . . . don't."
Miranda clearly was taken back, but didn't say anything. The two girls just sat there quietly, the noise of Miranda's truck trying to survive the stagnation the only sound. Looking over at the dislocated Hawaiian, something inside told her that the hammer had not quite dropped and there worse things that were being withheld. "Don't do that. You're my friend. I hate secrets. What aren't you telling me?"
Miranda tapped her steering wheel for a moment, blankly staring out the front window at the deserted park. She sighed and looked at her friend. "Maddy," Miranda said quietly, "Robert is being sent to boarding school and Ling is being shipped off to relatives in the US to live. Come the summer, they'll be gone."
Maddy choked on the news, coughing. "What? Why?"
"Girl, come on. Do I really need to spell it out? I mean, you were charged for murder. We know you're innocent, but . . . people like them . . . they can't taint their reputation, or their kids' future. All that bogus, upper-class, bull shit."
While her father was a dentist, he had settled in a small rural area with prominently low income families. Responsible for carrying the family, both old and young, Miranda was not living the "high life". Maddy groaned in frustration at her naive thinking. "No, you're right. It makes sense."
"I'm sorry, girl." Miranda said, placing a sympathetic hand on the Wolfblood's shoulders. "But you got me, right? Want to get a burger at the diner? I don't know about you, but I could go for something totally greasy." Maddy chuckled and agreed. She may not have her pack, but she had her freedom and Miranda.
-Wolfblood-
Maddy stared at the tracker clasped around her rear hind leg. She looked out at the strong mountainside wondering what her parents were doing this full moon. Dan, Emma, and Maddy had engaged in a heated debate earlier, which the youngest Smith won. Dan and Emma argued that Maddy should not have to endure a full moon on her own, which she had never done. Yet, Maddy argued having three wolves roaming the park would increase their risk of being seen by park officials or wondering locals. Maddy wasn't enthused about being on her own as it went against her Wolfblood nature, but it was the most logical approach to their current situation. The tracker would send a message to her attorney and parole officer if she went beyond a certain radius from her home. Changing in the forest felt like changing in public. Looking for something to keep her mind occupied, she skulked behind a small rabbit that was returning home from a late night of carousing. She had no intention of killing it, but another Wolfblood did. A mixed color tan and black Wolfblood rush passed Maddy, and swooped up the small critter. Her ears perked up as she looked around for more as Wolfbloods often hunted in packs. But, it was only him. Maddy gently sniff the air and realized it had been the young man she had seen at the Wild Wolfblood's campsite earlier.
Maddy trotted up behind him, careful not to startle the Wild Wolfblood. She cringed at the at the sound of the small bones of the deceased animal cracking. She had always eaten prepared meat, so seeing something even as small rabid be killed in front of her made her feel queazy. He was starving for some form of nourishment as he savagely devoured the prey he caught.
As he finished pulling off the tender, lean meat from the carcass he turned and snorted at the youngest Smith. He looked over his shoulder at her, ready to leave in search of more food. Maddy wanted to follow, she was intrigued by the Wild Wolfblood, but she recognized the small boulder beside him as one of the markers to the invisible border she was not allowed to cross. Small swirls of heat left his body with each pant. Understanding she wasn't coming, he sprinted away.
Maddy watched as his form became one with the darkness of the woods. In search of other things to do, Maddy headed to another part of the woods, every-so-often peaking up at the dim glow of full moon.
-Wolfblood-
Maddy laid on her bed, never had a full moon left her so empty and unsatisfied. She thought about the young man and his sullen form as it faded into the stillness of the night. Today was an inservice day for the teachers, so students had no school. While she would normally be excited for the interrupted week of learning, without her friends to pal-around with, there wasn't much to be excited about. Maddy slid open her nightstand and pushed aside her treasured drawings Rhydian had given her to find a dark blue booklet. She closed the draw before opening the passport book given to her by Segolia. She studied the picture of herself used buy Segolia as if seeing it for the first time. It feels like years ago, she thought. She paged through the small book, taking special note of all the different pictures printed on each page, and wondered if she would ever leave Tall Skies. On the last page, glinted the Segolia emblem that only a Wolfblood's careful eye could distinguish. She sighed thinking about all she was missing back in England. She half-heartedly tossed the small passport book to the far end of her bed, done with reminiscing. After reaching out to Segolia, her parents were surprised to find no reciprocating mail or call from the secret Wolfblood agency. They were growing fearful they had been black-listed, forsaken by the organization whose purpose was to protect Wolfblood's like them. Perhaps the Smith's had been deemed too reckless and they decided to cut ties.
Maddy told her parents she was going for a walk, leaving the house with a purpose. It took more than an hour, but she finally found him eating some berries. He arched his eye brows in surprise, but the rest of him seemed unimpressed by her arrival.
"Hey," she greeted, cautiously coming beside him. "I'm Maddy." She held her hand out for him to take, when he continued to stare at the proffered hand, she quickly curled her fingers in and brought her hand by her side. "I saw you at the grounds. What are you doing out here? Why out here all alone? This is seriously outside your territory."
"You should not be here. You should not be talking to me." He turned away and continued to look for plump berries.
"Why?"
"You as inquisitive as a cub and as naive," he lamented, shaking his head. He delicately pulled some berries from a hardened branch and popped them into his mouth.
"I'm not a cub!" She stopped her foot in protest as she contested his words.
For the first time, the mysterious young man cracked a smile. "The pack is not allowed to talk to an Omega." He examined the few berries in his fingerless-gloved hand, then shoved them into his mouth. The juice from the berries stained his teeth, misleading someone to believe he had just feasted on some helpless creature. The berries must have been plump as some juice dribbled from his mouth. Feeling it cool quickly on his skin, he sloppily wiped his chin.
"Why? What's an Omega?" Maddy inquired, cutting off his berry hunt. He huffed and waited for her to move. After a few moments of waiting, he growled lowly in contempt as he realized she wasn't going to move.
"Omegas are Wolfbloods ban from the pack. If the leader is generous enough, they will allow you to live within the pack territory, but you may not eat or gain any help from them outside the protection of a claimed territory," he explained with a pained look on his face.
"What? Why? Wolfbloods don't just turn on those in their pack. They're . . . They're a pack. We look-"
Maddy quieted down, stepping back under his intense stare. "It's a punishment that I deserve. Leave it alone," he told her.
She had never heard of this type of Wolfblood. She felt sorry for him. She knew the loneliness of such a life; though, she had her parents at least. Yet, Wild Wolfblood's priorities were to the majority: their safety, longevity, and strength. He brushed passed her in his quest for more food.
With nothing better to do, and not willing to quit, Maddy trotted up next to him. "I still didn't get your name." As if she expected him to pick up on the subtle hint, she waited a moment for him to respond. "I'm not a Wild Wolfblood or in your pack. So, you an talk to me." She spotted him look at her finally from the corner of his eye. "It has to be lonely . . . trust me, I know what it feels like to feel part of a pack but not part of one all at the same time. I do it all the time as a Tame. I play and work . . . and live among the Naturals all while hiding who I really am." Just as the youngest Smith was about to lose hope, the young man extended his hand.
"It's Gahmin," he said with a chortle.
She followed him in silence for a long while, walking beside him as he scavenge for berries and looking for rabbits. "Well, since you operate on the outside of the pack? Can you tell me what a True Wolf is? Because it's like some type of huge secret."
Gahmin stopped digging in a bush that looked promising and turned his full attention to Maddy. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time, as he continued to study her. "So, you are the one that has everyone on edge." Maddy grimaced, uncomfortable with news that she was being perceived as a threat - having done nothing wrong.
-Wolfblood-
Maddy reached for the strong trunk of a tall pine. Leaning on it for support, she took some strangled breaths. She felt like someone had punched her in the gut. "They were killed. . . by humans and Wolfbloods alike," Maddy repeated. Gahmin had given her the long, tragic story of True Wolfblood as he had learned it from the elders as a young cub. "I'm some type of target - a prey for everyone? I thought they helped humans and Wolfbloods work together . . . win wars. Br-bring peace?" Maddy slid down the sturdy tree trunk, sitting on her heels, her eyes concentrating on nothing.
A look of regret on his face, Gahim sat down beside her. "Wolfbloods of their kind were both regarded and feared . . . and fear eventually won out. And that is when Wolfbloods went into hiding, Hunters were born, and the True Wolves' reign came to an end. Knowledge of Wolfbloods forever hidden from Naturals," Gahmin elaborated, coming next to her and placing a hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eyes with his piercing, green ones. "Are you feeling good?"
Maddy shot him a quick look, understanding his English wasn't the best, but felt some type of comfort at his attempt. ". . . No, not at all," she muttered.
-Wolfblood-
They sat there quietly, just staring out into the stillness of the forest. True Wolves' acts may have been worth aspiring to, but it was less appealing knowing they had been nearly wiped out of existence by both humans and Wolfbloods alike. Gahmin quickly stood, startling Maddy out of her reverie. He looked off into the distance and then dashed off into the opposite direction. Maddy stood, afraid she couldn't escape whatever was coming her way. Maddy braced herself as the noise of the oncoming person increased. From out of the bushes, Davin came upon the scene. Her face lite up when her eyes found Maddy. "I want your help," she said, as more a command than a request.
"Mine?"
"Yes, I believe I have tracked a floating island that is the source of our missing pack."
"Our pack?" Maddy thought maybe she had fallen asleep and was dreaming. Davin never considered them of the same species, let alone same pack.
"Yes, we spoke about this when you were trapped by the Naturals. How did you get free?" Maddy cocked her head at Davin like a confused puppy.
"I didn't escape. I was let go. What are you talking about?"
"Dumb, Tame. How can you not remember?" Maddy rolled her eyes. This sounded more like the Davin she knew.
"There have been disappearances of young and old from our pack for weeks." Both girls jumped, They spun around quickly to find who had chimed in. Davin snarled at the shadowy figure as Maddy's hair stood on her neck. Seconds later, Mahkah came into the light from the bright sun. "I see you have been freed." Maddy sighed then glared at Davin for having a big mouth. "At first, we believed it was our cubs leaving to find their own paths, while uncommon, it happens. When it was an elder that left, we mourned them as we thought they had left to pass on or were killed while hunting . . . yet, the happenings increased without provocation. Davin, with some of our Betas, have tracked the latest -"
"My father!" Davin interrupted.
"Yes, Davin's father, one of our strongest Beta's has been taken. He was the most recent victim. He has managed to leave clues for us to follow."
"They are being held in a large floating cage," Davin interjected.
Maddy looked between Davin and Mahkah, afraid where this conversation was going. She looked at the Alpha in front of her. "What do you want me to do?"
"I need you to lead a group to find them and kill the ones responsible," Mahkah instructed.
Maddy gulped and shook her head emphatically. She had just been released from prison for the very thing she was now being asked to do. Maddy wasn't a murderer. She couldn't end someone's life. "I . . . I can't. I won't do it."
"They are taking our pack - your pack!" Davin snarled, showing her teeth.
Things were not as black and white as the Wild Wolfblood's believed. Maddy knew that batter than anyone. "No, Maddy is right. She has not been trained as a hunter or fighter, but certainly you can help us to safety to take care of the rest. You understand the human world the best." Mahkah looked at her expectantly.
Maddy wrung her hands. She couldn't lead a large hunting group to possibly slain innocent people. "Let me take a look into this more with my friends -"
"What friends?" Davin spat. Maddy couldn't tell if she was genuinely asking or knew that Maddy had been deserted by her own pack. "I am not trusting our pack's well being to Naturals." Maddy couldn't read if Mahkah agreed or not as he stared pensively at the ground between them.
Feeling pressured to help and yet keep the general public from being mauled by some angry Wolfbloods, Maddy blurted, "I'll take two of your pack with me, but we are not killing or harming anyone. It is just to confirm if that is where they are being held," Maddy said firmly, looking directly at Davin.
Mahkah nodded, "Who are your two, True Wolf?"
Maddy cringed at the name. The name to her was not the honor they believed. Not the way she had been told by Gahmin. Maddy hadn't really befriended the members of the pack, nor spent enough time to understand their strengths. While she could ask Davin for her opinion, she didn't trust her enough to believe it unbiased. "I will take Davin." This was a no-brainer. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. While Davin wasn't quite an enemy, she certainly didn't qualify as a friend. "And I will take Gahmin." Mahkah made a noise of objection from his throat and Davin began growling again in venomous objection. Maddy understood she was pushing her luck by asking them to rebuke their own tradition and laws, but she felt in her gut he was trustworthy. "My mission, my team, and I need his help." Mahkah's tan, leathered skin crinkled as at the corners of his eyes as he narrowed his stare on Maddy. For once, in a long while, Maddy felt strong and confident, something said she was right. It was an indescribable feeling of clarity. Gahmin was an ally, not an adversary. To Davin's shock, Mahkah nodded and quietly walked away. "Get your group together and go. We must stop this once and for all."
Maddy couldn't hamper the broad smile of victory and it only grew as Davin's frustrations did. The red-head brushed passed her roughly, heading back to camp, probably to eat and prepare for the trip. Mahkah looked down at Maddy solemnly. "You have not been around lately; know we had nothing to do with that woman's death. We live here, in the wild, but we are not monsters." Her shoulders slumped in shame for believing they might have been involved somehow.
She nodded, "I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have . . ." He rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled, walking passed her in Davin's direction, back to their camp.
Maddy didn't waste time, as she took off in search of Gahmin; all the while trying to understand how she was going to bypass the issue with her tracker. If floating island meant what she thought, the abducted Wolfbloods were being taken to the shipyard just outside town. It was one of the town's main sources of economic income. It was also outside her approved zone by the judge.
-Wolfblood-
"You are foolish!" he yelled angrily. It wasn't the response she had been anticipating. His features softened after seeing the hurt look on Maddy's face. "You will be looked upon badly by the pack for including an Omega in your plans."
"But, wasn't it you who said that a True Wolf brings all Wolfbloods and humans together?"
"You invited Naturals?" He reproached.
"What? No. I mean, this is your chance for redemption." Maddy moved so Gahmin had no choice but to look at her with his vibrant green eyes.
"A scouting mission will not earn me an invitation back," he said, resigning to the idea as if it were fact.
"How can it not? What could you have done?" Maddy pursed her lips and squared herself in a sign of dominance and command."You're not going to be a Beta, but at least you can come back."
"I allowed my mate to die because I was a coward and ran! There is no forgiveness for that! I will never forgive myself for Rahea's death!" Gahmin slunk away further and Maddy was sure she had lost him. Soon he was submerged into the dense forest completely out of her sight. She considered following, but it would only make the situation worse, she was sure of it. Maddy stood alone in the woods wondering who Rahea was and what she would do if Gahmin didn't show.
-Wolfblood-
Maddy waited for nearly an hour for Davin to show. As Davin trotted to stop in front of the True Wolf, a second figure emerged from her right. From behind some trees, Gahmin cautiously made his way to the awaiting Smith.
Davin looked horrified to see that he had actually come. Coming up beside the girls, he nodded. "You have the highest honor and rank, I am sorry for my behavior earlier." He bowed and then stood, carefully keeping Davin in his sights.
"Just like an Omega to dishonor a True Wolf, our trad-" Davin spat.
"Enough!" Maddy cut in firmly. "We're here to confirm the missing Wolfbloods' location," she said pointedly. The two Wild Wolfbloods nodded not losing sight of each other, and with a knot in her stomach, Maddy led them toward the docks.
-Wolfblood-
Maddy looked down at her ankle monitor as she crouched behind some oil barrels with Gahmin and Davin. Before leaving her home, she researched ideas online for disarming an ankle monitor. Some website suggested saturating it in water, others suggested wrapping it in aluminum foil. She was skeptical, and felt ridiculous with tin foil wrapped around her tracker, but she was desperate.
The shipyard was wet, cold, and scarcely filled with people. Third shift was never fully staffed and given it was the wee hours of the morning, the workers were probably starting to grow tired. Maddy sniffed the air and then scurried passed the guard post. She climbed the fence with ease and volleyed over the barbed wire meant to keep out intruders. Gahmin and Davin followed Maddy's example and soon all three Wolfbloods were racing toward docks. With their heightened senses, it was rather easy to determine when a Natural was uncomfortably close.
As they closed in, a handful of workers were seen unloading some crates, it appeared to be a shipment of fruit. This was the third freighter they had brushed by in an effort to catch the scent of their pack. But, unfortunately, all they smelled was fish and fruit. It was a disgusting combination.
"We need to get on board," Davin insisted. She rose to look better at options for sneaking onto the vessel.
"First off, each vessel carries a crew that would not understand why three kids were sneaking onto their ship. Second, this one is clearly active, meaning more people to risk seeing us." Maddy placed a firm hand on Davin's shoulder and lowered her back behind the crate they were hiding behind. Maddy looked both ways, with so many of the dock workers hustling about the area to unload the cargo, Maddy was unsure about safely weaving their way through the labyrinth of crates to pass the workers. Maddy tugged Gahim with her as she moved closer, keeping to the shadows. She jerked her head for Davin to follow. Begrudgingly, Davin scurried to Maddy's side. Able to stand up behind the taller crate, Maddy leaned against one of them and sighed. She hadn't thought about the outcome of exposing Gahmin to the human world. So much noise, smells, and sights, it was overwhelming for the Omega.
"We need to move to a higher ground," she said pointing up. Maddy began scaling the large crate until she was perched, a gargoyle in the night, watching high over the workers below. Soon Gahmin and Davin joined the True Wolf and the trio deftly leapt from crate to crate. The salt water had seeped into the wood of the crates creating a slippery surface. Using the momentum built from the first two jumps, Maddy landed with too much force from her third jump and couldn't stop herself. Sliding to the edge, just feet away from plummeting over the edge, she extended her nails ,digging them into the soft wood. She could hear the squeaking of her sneaks as they desperately rubbed against the surface for traction. Now able to look over the edge, mere moments from falling and giving away their position, she felt two hands grabbed her arms and stop her hydroplaning. Davin and Gahmin were breathing heavily, having scrambled to catch up to their leader. All three of them sat quietly as they regained their composure. Maddy didn't need to speak her gratitude, their knowing smiles said enough. Creeping to the other side, Maddy, Davin, and Gahmin peered over the edge. The thick anchor's cable idly awaited to be pulled up into the large spool, signaling for the ship's voyage to commence.
It was the second to last one, and while Maddy could sense nothing, Davin was already leaning forward ever-so slightly, readying to herself to get closer. "Wait," Maddy commanded, pointing to the forklift crossing. "We'll move on my count." Maddy waited, taking into account the activity going on from the men working, drenched in sweat, sea slime, and salt as they quickly worked so they could go home to their families. With the attention on the stern of the ship, Maddy backed up to the far side of the wall of crates and then raced forward with all her might.
If the crates, the equipment, the workers, and the cobblestone piers were all slick, why did she believe the anchor's cable would be dry and primed for climbing? As soon as her hands clasped the cable, she slipped. To say the water was cold, was an understatement. It felt like minutes, but it was only seconds until her senses kicked in and she started kicking her feet and clawing at the water as if scaling a mountain. Breaching the water's surface and looking up, she found Gahmin with his hand extended.
There was a clear ten-foot distance to reach Gahmin's hands. If she had a solid platform to jump from, Maddy could easily make it, but wadding in the low-temp waters was another story. While her situation was dire, Maddy was more concerned about Davin's whereabouts.
"Where's Davin?" she whispered-shouted. Gahmin looked confused, whimpering when he couldn't find an alternative way to close the gap and reach his leader. "Where's Davin? Did she desert you to find a way onto the ship?" Maddy's lips began to chatter, and her legs were starting to cramp. If she didn't get out of the water soon, she was going to suffer from hypothermia. From around one of the crates appeared Davin with rope. Maddy gratefully accepted it and waited as the others pulled her up. As she steadied herself on all fours, she moved into a sitting position, clutching her sides for warmth. "Where did you go?" the True Wolf inquired. Davin huffed indignantly, and gestured to the rope that laid in all sorts of loops on the dock.
"We need to get to the last ship. I don't smell them, but . . ." Maddy knew what Davin was going to say. She wanted onboard, and perhaps that was the only way to know for sure. With the pungent smells of fish, fruit, sweat, and motor oil, identifying a Wolfblood would only be possible if they boarded the carriers. Maddy sighed, feeling as if all her work had been for nothing. She stood, but then dropped back down immediately. She was shaking all over, making it hard steady herself, let along stand. Feeling her pride on the line, she was determined to get to the next vessel. It was the last one in the port. I can do this, she willed herself to believe.
"We can't go on," Gahmin lamented, giving Maddy an outer layer of his clothing to wrap around herself.
"We have to!" Davin insisted, standing in objection.
"Sh-sh-she's right." Maddy wasn't entirely confident she could, though.
Before their arguing escalated any further, deep bellowing voices could be heard coming closer. "Hey, I heard a splash this way, like something or someone fell into the water."
"Damn it all! Mitch better not have fallen in the water again. That good for nothing, punk kid. I told the boss that hiring his nephew was a bad idea. You don't mix business and family," the voice was loud, but clearly not too far from where the Wolfbloods were.
"We have to go. Now!" Maddy ordered. Davin moved toward the last ship in the port. "We'll come back. I promise, Davin. You have my word." Maddy turned her hand over, her fingers unmoving, were curled and shaking violently. While she wasn't a doctor, she had a bad feeling that in a last stitch effort to recover herself and not fall into the cold water, she sprained her wrist. "Go, run. I'll stay behind." Fears of going back to prison flashed through her head, but changing into her wolf-form only gave her three legs to work with, not enough to escape angry workers. And while finding a soaking, drenched, shaking teenager didn't prove ideal either; she at least could give the others a chance to escape. Davin and Gahmin looked between themselves waiting for some type of consensus. "Go, I said. I'll stall them." Maddy growled in pain as she held her injured wrist close to her, her lips tinted in a frosted blue shade. Maddy watched the two Wild Wolfblooods change and scamper off. She slide against large box nearest her and waited to be found.
"Hey!" a gravely voice called. Maddy opened one eye, but no one was there. "Are those wolves? I bet they smelled those damn steaks we just unloaded. Get them!" Scuffling of feet were heard pitter-pattering away. Maddy was somewhat nervous about their safety, but Davin and Gahmin were quick and cunning Wolfbloods, agile and deceptive in their moves. As the quiet took hold, Maddy stared at the last, lonely ship bobbing in the waters. Maddy pushed herself up and leaned against the box. The ship was only a few hundred feet away, if she could just get close enough . . . but she was so tired. In the dim light given off from one of the lamps used to guide the night workers along the main corridor, Maddy could see the letters to the name of the ship, but couldn't make out the actually name. She inched closer on her hands and knees, straining to better see, but all she could make out was a pretzel-like twist running through the name.
-Wolfblood
Leaning against the crates, she slowly made it out of the ship yard and back to the chainlink fence. While Gahmin and Davin were able to provide a distraction, this left the workers to cluster near the entrance of the guard house as they chased the Wild Wollfbloods away. Maddy groaned, starting to panic that she would be caught. A gust blew through, causing Maddy to clutch herself even tighter. As the wind howled in mocking jest at the soaked Wolfblood, the titter of metal rustling could be heard. Turning to her right, away from the commotion going on at the guard house, she found a slit in the fence from teens breaking in to tag the metal containers. Maneuvering through the tight gap, careful not to cut herself on the exposed, rusted metal, Maddy caught sight of a payphone across the street, near the bus stop. She couldn't have been more relieved of Tall Skies' inability to keep up with the times.
-Wolfblood-
Miranda fanned herself as she drove through the dark two lane highway. Maddy was curled in a ball on the remaining part of the bench seat, her teeth still chattering. She wiggled her toes, her left hand stretched out toward the vents that blew heat into the little truck cabin. "Girl, I feel like I'm in the God damn Bahamas. What the hell were you thinking going for a damn midnight swim? What were you trying to do? D'is is not what they mean by 'Polar Bear Swim'." Maddy was so tired, she didn't care to argue with her or point out that Miranda was from Hawaii where it was always hot. Slowly her eyes closed, Maddy could feel the heaviness of sleep taking hold when . . . Wham! Maddy coughed as Miranda slapped her friend hard in the stomach. "You need to stay awake!" It was the most angry she had ever seen Miranda.
". . . okay," Maddy murmured. Using her left hand, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Maddy looked down at her right hand, which she kept close to her body. The pain emanating from the injured wrist was a keen reminder of the danger she had put herself in that night. Maddy attempted to click the seat belt into it's clip, only to find it didn't latch and snapped back. "How does this truck pass inspection?" she asked with a laugh.
"Shut up." Miranda snapped, then softened, chuckling at the question.
"Where are you going? I can't go to the hospital," she asked, her other hand covering her wrist subconsciously.
"I'm heading to my house, it's not too much farther."
-Wolfblood-
Miranda lived in the back of a long, "quadruple" wide trailer. It didn't sound right to the Wolflood, but she wasn't going to say something to delay feeling the warmth of a well-heated home. Miranda returned with some hot chocolate in her hands. The Wolfblood was wrapped in blankets sitting on the part of the couch that was farthest from the open fire. "You know, it works better if you sit by the fire not on the exact opposite side. You take stupid pills this morning?"
"Wolfbloods don't like fire, it's like their kryptonite, Miranda." Maddy snapped her head in the direction of the voice. There stood Ling, her friend that she hadn't seen in weeks but from a distance. Maddy would have jumped up and run to her, like they do in movies, but Miranda believed the tighter the blankets were wrapped the better the heat absorption, thus she was trapped inside a fleece-wool blanket cocoon.
"What are you doing here?"
"I had to call someone to look at your arm," Miranda replied, as if it should have been obvious.
"Yeah, but your parents . . ." Maddy responded, returning her attention back to Ling.
"They have this unsupported belief that teenagers won't sneak out after midnight. It's some weird misgiving, but it works for me," Ling filled in.
Maddy wriggled her arm free, wincing once in awhile. She gently showed Ling the injured appendage. "It's so awesome to have you here."
"Oh, I see how it is. I'm just whale blubber, huh?" Miranda joked, feigning the feeling of being insulted. The girls' soft laughter was interrupted by a pinging on the window.
Robert waited as Miranda opened the front door, putting her pointer finger to her lips, gesturing for him to be quiet. Her parents were sound asleep on the other side of the house, completely ignorant that Miranda was hosting a small get together.
"How are you?" he asked as he got closer to the Wolfblood.
"How do you think?" she responded, lifting her arm that was now wrapped with gauze, a series of wood skewers lined within the white, soft layers. "How are you here?"
"I snuck out . . . sort of. I paid our butler $150 bucks to say I was in my room, not feeling well." He shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing to just shell out that much hush money.
"So, what happened?" Ling asked Maddy once Robert settled at the other end of the couch Maddy was resting on. Maddy explained as much as she could remember from the time she was arrested to the when Miranda picked her up. The trio listened intently and as the story unraveled, each grew more and more uneasy. "Do you think they'll come after you and your family?" Ling questioned.
"I-I don't think so. It seems to be somewhat targeted." The words loss their conviction as they left her mouth; the looks of uncertainty staring back at the Wolfblood confirmed it. Maddy looked at the splint Ling created and was grateful she had such good friends, and perhaps together they could figure out who was taking the Wolfbloods and how to stop them. She felt safe . . . and strong with them by her side.
The small mantle clock chimed four o'clock, it saddened Maddy that Ling and Robert would need to leave soon if they wanted to keep their ruse going. Ling gave her a tight hug, promising they would find a way to see each other again. Miranda followed Ling to the front door, thanking her for coming over.
Robert peered over his shoulder toward the doorway the girls had exited, then back at Maddy. "Okay, so I had pictured something more over the top and elaborate, but I don't know if I'll get another opportunity anytime soon to do this. But, uh, will you go with me to prom?" Maddy stared dumbfounded by the proposition. "I know we haven't talked or really seen each other since the whole incident with the cops, and we haven't really talked about the kiss, but I really would like you to be my date. As a friend . . . or more . . . that's up to you. No pressure." He was wearing the same skull cap she had remembered him wearing when they first met, and he had this innocence about him that made her heart skip a beat. But, realistically, in the back of her mind, Maddy felt something pacing. It was her wolf, and it was trying to tell her something. With the sharp crackle of the fire to bring her back, she had realized an uncomfortable amount of silence had passed. The dejected look of the youngest Abernathy understood her silence as rejection. "I'm sorry," he said, lips pressed in an half-hearted smile. He slowly rose and left, leaving Maddy suddenly feeling more pain in her heart than in her hand.
-End Chapter 12
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