Chapter Eleven

After Jeremy's statement, we didn't talk. No one knew what to say. I'm sure the thought running through everyone's mind was that it was my fault there was something out there. Which honestly, it probably was.

While everyone sat there absorbed in their own thoughts, I quietly slipped out (though I knew everyone knew I left) and headed upstairs to clean my stuff up. It didn't take long to shove everything in my duffel bag and head downstairs. When I peeked into the den, no one was there. I heard voices in the back yard, so I followed them, but didn't go outside. Instead, I stood up against the sliding glass door with my ear pressed to the glass. My body was shielded by the curtain and I knew no one could see me from outside.

Jeremy stood on the back porch with a .22 caliber pistol in his hand. He aimed at a distant target and fired. From where I was standing, I couldn't see if he hit the target, but Jeremy didn't seem like a man that would miss.

Kat and Logan stood in the yard beside and behind Jeremy. They were circling each other like they were preparing for a fight. When they pounced it would have looked like they had really been trying to hurt each other, except for the fact that each of them had a wide grin plastered to their faces.

And Elena and Clay, the remaining two Pack members sat on a piece of patio furniture that resembled a couch. Each of them sat with their back against the arm of the couch and leaned toward each other. They looked like they were in deep discussion. As their voices rose, I started to hear their conversation.

Elena said, "Clay! It's not her fault! She had no idea that someone was watching her! Shit, she didn't even know she was a fucking werewolf!"

"I don't care! She still brought them here, no matter what she knew or didn't! She's endangering our family and the Pack as a whole," Clay bellowed.

"And what do you propose we do? Kill her? Run her out? In case you forgot, that lilac thing followed me too! He could just as well be after me as Kaine!"

Kill me? Oh God. They can't kill me!

Clayton looked outraged, "I wouldn't kill her! She's just a kid! But we could give her some money and make her family leave. I just don't want her to be around our family and bringing danger to us."

"And if they are after her? Are we just going to send her away so she could get killed? Or worse? We know better than anyone what sick things people want female werewolves for. Do you want to be responsible for that? You know how you felt when I was kidnapped, and that one time with Katherine. Kaine has a family too, one that loves her just as much as you love us." Elena stood up, "I'm not kicking her out. Period. If I have to pull the Alpha card I'll do it."

Clay reached up to pull Elena back down, "Darlin', calm down. She can stay. I didn't think about it like that." Clay still looked a little uneasy with that decision.

Throughout this exchange, Jeremy had been silent, just shooting a few different guns. Now he turned to exactly where I was hiding, "Kaine, you can come out now."

Clay and Elena looked at Jeremy like they didn't know what he was talking about. Then as I slid open the door and stepped out onto the shady porch they understood. Clay looked angry, Elena looked amused.

I felt a blush work its way up to my face. I mumbled a sorry, and stood there awkwardly for a few minutes.

Elena stood up again, "Obviously you heard our decision, you're more than welcome to leave any time you want though. However, I don't advise it until we figure out what's following us." She paused to let that sink in for a minute. "Why don't you go over with Katherine and Logan and start loosening up, then we can start training."

I knew I was dismissed, I walked down the couple steps, but Elena's voice stopped me, "By the way Kaine, it's impolite to eavesdrop."

I grinned without turning around and continued across the lawn to where Kat and Logan were still sparing. They broke apart when they saw me.

"Hey," Kat said.

"Hi."

"You know our dad wouldn't really kill you right?" I thought it was rhetorical, but Kat looked at me like she really expected an answer.

"You heard that?" I had thought they were too busy fighting to hear their parents.

Logan looked at me in surprise, "He actually said it? I didn't know that. It's just that whenever there's a new mutt that's the first thought that crosses his mind. I didn't think he'd actually tell you that."

"He didn't tell me, I was eavesdropping." Something else they said sunk in, "Wait, there have been other mutts?"

Kat answered, "Karl, Noah, Reece, Morgan, and Alex. They all joined sometime in our life, but for Karl, Noah, and Reece we were too young to know what was going on. Morgan joined about eight years ago, and Alex was six years ago. Dad was the last person to accept them into the Pack, he fought against Mom and Jeremy until Mom went Alpha on him. That's the only way he let them stay. He finally treats everyone with as much respect as he'll ever give."

"Alex?" I had seen everyone else at the Pack Meet.

This time Logan responded, "He was also kidnapped by the men who took Kat." Out of the corner of my eye I caught Kat shuddering and then she left us to go sit on the porch with her parents, "Considering these men where all well into their sixties, although they only looked thirty or so, they thought they'd have a better chance of convincing Kat to, uhhh," Logan looked around awkwardly and coughed, "mate if they had someone younger. They forced Alex to lure Kat into their hideout and pretend he was on the same side. Long story short, between the Pack and Alex, since he really was on our side, we got Kat out. Kat wouldn't leave though until we got Alex too. This brought on a big fight between Dad and everyone else. Finally he accepted the idea of Alex in the Pack."

I couldn't imagine going through what Kat and apparently Elena had. Being kidnapped only to be forced to mate with some creep? "So where's Alex now?"

Logan shrugged, "Somewhere in Africa with his doctor uncle. His uncle's one of us too."

"Logan, Kaine, I don't see you guys doing anything but standing there! Get working!" Elena yelled at us.

"What are we supposed to be doing?" I asked Logan.

"Sparing?"

"Sure."

Logan crouched and started to circle me, I followed suite. We got through about five rotations before he lunged to my right and I stepped back and to my left. But it was only a feint and while I was still off balance Logan used his leg to sweep my feet form under me. I fell and rolled to my right then leaped up and caught Logan off guard with my punch to his stomach. Then we backed up and returned to our original circling.

It felt so good not having to hold anything back from my opponent. I could hit and kick with everything I had and me and Logan would probably still be equally matched.

This time I attacked first. I didn't feint and I think that knocked Logan off more than feinting would have. I kicked out hard with my left foot and hit him in the solar plexus and his center of gravity. He stumbled back and tripped over his own feet. I wasn't sure rather I was supposed to wait for him to get back up or not, but whatever the choice was I waited too long to make it because Logan was up in a flash and this time he came straight at me too. He launched out his fist and it collided with my nose. My head snapped back and once again I fell to the ground. I barely had a chance to roll before Logan attacked the place I had been seconds before.

I pushed myself up from the ground and tried to ignore the fact that my nose was broken and gushing blood. I stood up right behind Logan, but I must have made to mush noise because he was up and facing me before I had time to think about what to do.

We didn't go back to our circling this time and instead just threw ourselves at one another repeatedly. We punched and kicked and blocked and dodged. It was so much fun. We didn't hold anything back and gave our mock fight everything we had. I can't say that either of us had the upper hand for long, and certainly neither of us won. But we were prepared to go all day to see who would have won (or dropped of exhaustion) and I really do think things would have gotten very messy if the adults and Kat wouldn't have intervened.

"Before you kill yourselves you two need to stop." Elena said in a motherly way. I never thought I would be able to apply that word to her.

Kat spoke up too, "Geesh Logan, I don't think anyone's ever beat you besides Dad and Uncle Antonio."

I grinned and resisted the urge to make a face at Logan.

Logan on the other hand scowled at me, "She didn't beat me."

Do I sense a sore looser?

I could tell Clay was resisting the urge to grin too, "No she didn't win, but she certainly didn't loose either."

Jeremy walked over to me and lifted his hands to my nose, "It's definitely broke," he stated, and then before I had time to blink he snapped it back into place so it would heal straight. "There," then he dropped his hand back to his side.

Ouch, that didn't feel too good. My eyes welled up with involuntary tears. I quickly wiped them away before anyone saw.

Next Jeremy walked over to Logan and prodded his left hand. Faintly, I recalled hearing a snap after one of his punches landed on my jaw.

Jeremy confirmed my suspicion when he said, "You're thumb and first finger are broke, and I think you're wrist is sprained. It shouldn't take long to heal. Neither should you're nose, Kaine."

"Are you a doctor?" I asked.

"No. I read all the books and know what to do, but I never went to school."

"So why'd you study it?"

Jeremy gave a pointed look at Clay, "Because it was too dangerous to have to take the Pack to a doctor every time one of them was hurt."

"Oh"

It was getting dark out even though it was only six o'clock, but then again it was late October in the Northern Hemisphere.

Elena broke the short silence and turned to me, "I was thinking we should go on a run. That way you can start learning to control your Changes."

"Okay," I said slowly. I was still nervous about willingly allowing myself to go through all that pain.

Elena nodded, "Then Jeremy can coach you through it. That used to be his job."

"Okay," I repeated. Everyone started heading towards the woods, so I followed them.

When we got far enough in, everyone started stripping except for Jeremy who stood of to the side with a thoughtful look on his face. I just stood there very awkwardly and tried to avert my eyes anywhere there wasn't semi-naked people.

Finally, someone noticed my discomfort, it was Elena. "Oh, right," she chuckled, and everyone mercifully stopped stripping, "You can go over there in that clump of bushes."

I quickly vacated the clearing and ran into the bushes. After I made sure I was far enough in that no one could see me, I started to undress. After I was done I put my clothes under a bush and got on my knees as I remembered doing the first time with Logan.

"Now what?" I called out.

"Take deep breaths," Jeremy said from right behind me, completely scaring the shit out of me. I twisted around to see him sitting with his back turned towards me at the edge of the bushes. He was shirtless, but thankfully he still had pants on.

I did as I was told.

"Now think about the Change."

I did. Nothing happened. I thought harder, and my stomach started to feel queasy.

"Keep thinking about the Change, but keep your head clear," Jeremy said soothingly.

I don't know what that was supposed to mean, but I tried none the less. Soon enough, I started to feel something happening to me. I felt everything shift, nothing too major, just as if everything in my body was moved a half an inch or so in different directions. Then the more I thought about Changing, the more things started to feel different. Pretty soon, I knew that my bones would break and my organs would shrink or expand, and then my skin would sprout hair and so on.

"Keep your mind focused, that's all you have to do, then just let everything else happen as it would," Jeremy reminded me.

I just kept thinking about how once this was over I'd get to run around all over the forest and do things I'd never dreamed of. So I kept thinking about Changing and letting my body do what it needed to do.

Then it all started to happen at once. My hands started to break and Change into paws, and then everything else Changed too. I think I puked, and I know I screamed a couple times. I heard Jeremy tell me to relax and just let it happen. Half way through, I just wanted to go back, I wanted everything to go back to normal. I knew that wasn't likely to happen anytime soon though, so I tried to plow on. I think I failed.

Eventually though, it stopped. I put my furry head on my paws and lay there panting. I heard Jeremy leave and figured he was probably Changing too.

I don't know how long I lay there, but eventually I heard a snuffling sound and the bushes started to rustle. Then two blonde wolves stuck there heads in. I sniffed the air and figured out that they were Kat and Logan. The far one with the silver muzzle and raccoon looking mask was Logan. The solid blonde, slightly smaller one was Kat.

They came over to me and started to nudge me in an attempt I assumed was to get me up. I felt rested enough to get up and I started to stretch. Then I sat back on my haunches and tilted my head in a 'what now' manner.

Logan stared at me and Kat trotted ahead and came back to us. I knew that meant I should follow her so I did, and Logan trailed behind me. Kat began to pick up pace and so did I. Soon we were going full speed racing across the forest floor.

I smelled things I'd never thought had any smell. There were small rodents and deer and dew and rotting leaves and even flower smells although it was almost November. I was tempted to follow the scents of the animals, but the running felt too good to pass up.

It was amazing. I've said that a lot lately, but it's true. I could finally be myself. And running in wolf form was no exception. I was born to do this. I thought it felt good to stretch my legs running when I was human, but this was so much better.

Eventually though, Kat started to slow down and Logan and I did too. We stopped at a little pond and all took drinks. Logan, sitting beside me, nudged me and pointed to the pond with his muzzle. At first I didn't understand, and then I realized that he wanted me to look at my reflection.

Since I was curious to know what I looked like, I looked down. It felt weird that I still thought like a human (there were a few twinges in my thought process, but not many) but I looked like a wolf. My eyes were still a bright green, and my fur was the same deep black my hair had been when I was human. But the blue highlight in my human hair was much more pronounced in my wolf form. It started above my left eye and streaked over the top of my head, behind my ear, and to my shoulder blade and was about two inches thick. I don't know rather it looked more ridiculous or cute.

All our heads snapped up when a howl went up to our right. Apparently, Kat and Logan recognized it because they sprinted off and left me to follow. Once again, we raced through the darkening forest.

A minute or two later we arrived in a little clearing where everyone was gathered. It was so weird that you could tell who everyone was even though they were wolves. Jeremy was the black one who was a little bigger than everyone but one other wolf. This wolf was Clay, and he looked scarily identical to Kat except his eyes were a darker, brighter blue and he towered over Kat. Elena was the same silver as Logan's muzzle and she was beautiful even as a wolf.

The three adults stopped what they were doing when I entered the clearing. Their heads were cocked to the side. Then Clay and Elena looked at each other than back at me. Elena wolf grinned and then Clay lunged at me and snapped at my ankles. I danced back and skipped to the side. Clay lunged at me again and when I dodged that he snarled at me.

Was he seriously trying to hurt me? I knew that Clay didn't like me much, but I didn't think he'd really try to kill me.

Then I saw Clay grinning and I knew it wasn't for real. I hope. Just as I thought I'd have to do a repeat of my fight with Logan only as a wolf, the smell of deer wafted across the clearing and everything stopped.

It was stronger than what I had smelled earlier, and it made my mouth water. I've never wanted to hunt before. In fact, I'm strongly opposed to it. I target shoot, but would never dream of killing anything. But to my surprise, I wanted to kill that deer. It was just instincts right? It was the cycle of life. But do werewolves belong in that cycle? We could go to the store and buy food; we don't have to kill an innocent animal. Yes, it's wrong for me to want to kill that deer. Even though I really wanted to.

Apparently, the rest of them didn't think the same way I did. As soon as the smell left the clearing they all started whining and signaling how they were going to take it down. After they had everything arranged, Logan nudged my legs and gestured, as well as he could, that I was supposed to follow him. I shook my head and sat down. After a few failed attempts to get me to move, he gave up and ran off, pausing once to look back at me to make sure I wasn't moving.

I wasn't. There was no way I was hunting that deer.

I waited in the clearing for a while, I just sniffed around and listened to the chase I was missing. There was some crashing in the undergrowth along with howling, barking, and growling. I wondered how long I would have to wait before they were done.

Eventually, Logan came back and motioned for me to follow him. I did, although carefully because I was unsure where he was taking me. It didn't take long before we made it to our destination. It was a smaller clearing than the last one and another difference was that this clearing had a deer carcass in the middle of it.

The smell was both mouthwatering and revolting. I didn't know why Logan brought me here when I so obviously didn't want to participate in the hunt. That is until he nudged me with his nose again, telling me to go up and take a hunk of meat. Again I shook my head and sat down. If I wasn't going to kill it I wasn't going to eat it.

Logan gave up and went up himself to take a bloody leg of the doe. He came back over to my side of the clearing and sat down about five feet from me. As he gnawed on the leg, I looked around the clearing. Jeremy sat a little apart from everyone and also chewed on a leg. Elena and Clay sat facing each other ripping apart a slab of meat. Then there was Kat to the left of Logan who was licking her paws after eating some of the deer too.

I was getting inpatient sitting there looking at a doe carcass so I started to pace. After a few growls from various wolves I just aimlessly ran around the forest, careful to make sure I knew where the clearing or the house was.

I had no purpose to my run, I just wanted to move. I flew over the ground and jumped over any obstacles. I inhaled and if I found an interesting scent I followed it then chased after another one when it caught my interest. I continued like this for maybe half an hour before I caught something that stopped me dead in my tracks.

The smell of lilacs.

What should I do? I thought to myself. I didn't know rather I should follow it or go tell the others. What if it was a trap? From what we found, this thing didn't leave a trail unless it wanted to. While I was thinking, I started to move around so if they were watching they wouldn't know I found the scent.

Since I'm not one of those dumb heroines you always yell at not to go into the forest or building at night, I shouldn't follow the trail. Even though I was extremely curious, I would not follow that trail because most likely it would be very, very bad to follow it.

Reluctantly, I started to run back to the clearing where I'd left the Pack. Halfway there I heard a whizzing sound and then a black arrow was hurling at my head. Just as it would have impacted, I ducked. I ran in zigzag patterns at uneven intervals as more whizzing sounds filled the air.

My heartbeat raced and my steps quickened. I was being hunted like an animal. Technically at this moment I was an animal, but that made no difference to me.

An arrow snagged itself in my fur on my back and I stumbled long enough for another arrow to be launched and narrowly miss my leg. I howled and made a last ditch effort for the clearing.

A few more arrows zinged past me, but they didn't catch like the one on my back which was still connected to my fur and a little skin. As if knowing I arrived at backup, the archer stopped shooting as I burst into the clearing and stumbled over a root.

Every head whipped in my direction and seeing the arrow, everyone but Kat turned to the outside of the clearing and started looking for potential threats. Kat came over to me and ripped the arrow out with her teeth once she saw it wasn't deep. It still hurt a little when it tore through skin, but compared to the bigger threat, it was nothing.

The other werewolves had apparently found nothing because they turned their attention and formed a circle around me as we ran toward the place we first Changed.

We got there in two minutes flat and started Changing back. I had absolutely no idea how to do that but I went into the bushes and tried nonetheless.

It didn't go so well. I don't know how long I stood there waiting for something to happen before Jeremy spoke to me, "Kaine, are you okay?"

I barked in a yes sort of way.

"Good. Now you need to think about going back to human form. Like you did to go wolf, only this time it should be easier. Breath and think, that's all you do," Jeremy spoke calmly, how that man does it I will never know. If it was me I'd be freaking out that there's some person on my property shooting at things. Although at this point I am freaking out because the thing getting shot at was me.

I tried to calm down, and I think it worked for the most part. After five deep breaths I started to feel my bones break again and everything go back to human form. It still hurt like a SOB, but it wasn't quiet as bad as Changing to a wolf.

Once again after my Change I lay panting on the ground and only moved to get my clothes back on. On the bright side, my nose felt better.

"Are you dressed Kaine?" Jeremy's voice once again was directed at me.

"Yes," I responded, and I was surprised at how weak my voice was.

Jeremy pushed his way into the bushes and inspected me. "That arrow didn't go in deep did it?"

"No, just a little skin and fur."

"Good. And you're nose?"

I felt it and was amazed at how it was straight with no crack in it even though it has been broke not three hours ago. "Healed."

"Let's go in the house then and talk," Jeremy turned around and walked out of the forest.

I saw that no one was still at the spot where everyone but me had Changed. However, there were various bits of clothing left, like a bra, t-shirt and pair of pants. I really hoped everyone was decent when I got inside.

I caught up to Jeremy and we walked into the house together.

"It'll get easier every time you do it," he spoke up suddenly from my side as we walked down the hall into the den.

"What will?"

"Changing. It hardly bothers most of us now."

"Oh."

As we passed through the kitchen, I looked at the clock above the stove and saw it was almost nine o'clock. I really had to get home. Curious, I checked my phone which sat at the kitchen table and saw that I had 36 texts, 25 missed calls, and 19 voice mails from my parents or Willy. A couple texts were from my friends Nolan and Emery.

I took my cell with me to the den and prepared to answer questions. I wasn't disappointed.

"Why the hell were people shooting arrows at you?" Clay started the questioning.

Because I ate their dog, "I don't know! I smelled the lilacs and decided not to follow the trail because that's what always gets you killed. I started to come back and get one of you guys but then I was getting shot at."

"So they've been here." Elena murmured.

I thought, or still are here.

Clay seemed to realize this too and he stepped towards the doorway.

Elena grabbed his arm, "How are you going to find them if they don't leave a trail? Obviously, they're after Kaine, so as long as we're all inside they aren't going to try to hurt any of us. They singled her out because they're afraid of us all together."

Her reasoning must have gotten through to him because he growled out "They should be afraid," and sat down, but not before giving me a glare telling me that this was my entire fault, not that I needed reminded.

"I need to go home. My parents have been calling for hours." I stood up and was about to say goodbye when Logan spoke up.

"I should go with her, I could scout around her house. I have the best nose after mom anyways. And if we're right then Kaine shouldn't be alone anyway, and this person won't try to hurt me. I'll ride with her and then run home after I Change."

I looked at him weird. He didn't meet my gaze.

Elena sighed and her eyes flicked towards me before resting on her son, "Logan, I don't think that's the best idea. We don't know a lot about this person, if we're wrong about what they want, they could try to kill you too. Even if all they want is to get you out of the way."

She had a good point.

Logan also had a nice rebuttal as if he knew his mom would say that, "Well then I'll ride home with her, scout a little bit, then you can send Kat or someone to pick me up. How does that sound?"

Elena's eyes narrowed, "Better. I do think you have a point that her house should be checked, I just don't feel right about sending you alone."

"I'll go too." Kat volunteered from the floor where she sat sprawled.

"Fine. I think that would be okay. I need you to call me when you get there and when you leave. Deal?"

"Okay. Come on, let's go." Kat clapped her hands and stood up from the floor.

I grabbed my duffel bag from where it sat beside the front door. As I opened the door, I couldn't help but stumble as a burst of wind slammed into me. It seemed that in the fifteen minutes we had spent inside the sky had decided to open up and release a downpour that made visibility near impossible.

By the time we wrestled our way to my truck though, the storm had started to abate and we decided we could probably make it to my house.

"Logan!" Kat had to yell to be heard over the wind, "I'll take the Jeep. You ride with Kaine incase something happens!"

What could possibly happen in a tornado strength storm that Logan would have any control over? I wasn't sure I wanted the answer to that question after the events of today.

Once we got into the truck, it was so much easier to hear what was going on. I turned up the heater a little bit and cranked up the Paramore CD in my player.

"You listen to this stuff?" Logan sounded a little insulted.

"Yes, yes I do. Any problem with that?" I turned it up a little more.

He scowled, "Nope."

"Good."

A few minutes of silence followed, and then Logan spoke, "Why didn't you help hunt or eat that deer?"

I kept my eyes focused on the road and tried to see through the downpour. "I don't believe in killing another living thing that did nothing to me."

Logan snorted, "Really?" He said disbelievingly.

"Really. Is that hard to believe?"

"Incredibly," He paused, "You're not vegetarian are you?"

"Definitely not," I tried it once and the first time we had bacon I was done for.

"That's good to hear. I once dated a girl who was, I could never do it again," He chuckled, and then he stopped abruptly.

I swerved. What the hell was the part about again?

This time the silence was awkward, very awkward.

My phone buzzed in the cup holder between the seats.

"Answer that for me please," I asked Logan.

"Safe driver?"

"Yup," I was still trying to concentrate on the road ahead.

He pushed the talk button on the phone, "Hello?"

My mom's voice came across panicked and wary at the same time, "Who is this?"

"It's Logan, Kaine's friend. We met yesterday."

Calling him a friend was a bit of a stretch.

"Where is she?"

"We are in the truck driving to your house now," Logan responded.

"Why are you coming? Is Kaine okay?" My mother really needed to calm down.

Before Logan could respond I whispered the first excuse that came to my mind, "Tell her you, Kat, and I are studying. Don't tell her about what happened. It'll only get her upset."

He nodded, looked at the dashboard clock, raised an eyebrow, and then relayed my message.

"At nine o'clock at night?" That's what the problem was, "Put Kaine on the phone now please."

"She's driving, ma'am," I could tell Logan was getting annoyed with my mom.

"Fine then," I heard the little beep that meant someone hung up.

Logan opened his mouth, but before he could say it I did, "Yes, I know she's ill-mannered and a pain in the ass. You don't need to say it."

Logan grunted and started to play with my phone.

"What are you doing?" I hated people messing with my personal stuff.

"Who's Emery?" He sounded funny.

"A friend. Now please give that back." I reached across the consol in the middle of the seat and tried to blindly grab it.

Logan held it out of my reach, "Well at 6:49 today he texted you to say he was coming to visit Friday."

I lost focus on getting my phone back, "Really? Did he say anything about Valerie and Nolan?" We have been trying to get together ever since I moved but one of us is always busy.

Logan scrolled some more on my cell, "Nothing about a Valerie, just him and Nolan."

"Oh," Why wouldn't she come?

I didn't really have time to think about that because we had gotten to the part of town my house was at and I was trying to find my house through the almost horizontal sheets of rain.

"Are they friends from your old school?" Logan asked.

"Mmm-hmm," I found it and turned into the driveway and pulled to the side so Kat could pull in, "I met them at the gym."

"Oh."

We got out and ran to the front door with Kat. My dad pulled open the door before I had time to knock.

We got in and shook off some of the rain.

"Logan," Kat said, "We should go scout."

I winced and shot Kat a glare, too late though, because my mom pounced.

"Scout? What does that mean? What's going on?"

"Mom!" I snapped, "Calm down. They're just going to go and look around the yard for any trails."

She looked indignant, "Why would they have to do that?"

"Don't freak out." I commanded, "There was an incident today in the woods at their place." She looked purple. I braced myself for the worst part, "And there may be someone following me."

"What? What do you mean there might be someone following you? What happened? I knew letting you go was a mistake!"

"Mom calm down! I got shot by an arrow, nothing major whatsoever! And letting me go over there is what my real parents wanted, and it's probably the only reason I'm alive at this moment in time!"

Willy- who sat on the couch-, Kat and Logan all watched the exchange silently. Dad, on the other hand didn't like it when we fought, "Both of you quit your yelling! Donna, she's right, and there's nothing we could have done anyway. Kaine, you need to stop yelling at your mother."

I glared at my mom and didn't say a word. She fidgeted and eventually left the room and headed towards the kitchen.

I could feel Logan's eyes burning the side of my head.

"Logan," Kat said again, "We should go scout before the storm gets worse."

"Do you need me to come?" I didn't know rather I'd just get in the way or not.

"Why don't you stay here, just in case they're out there." Kat told me then opened the door and left, Logan followed.

I went to my room and got changed for bed in nice warm clothes. I put on my fuzzy pajamas that were in my duffel bag from the Danvers'. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," I responded.

Willy pulled open the door and stepped in, "Hi."

"Hey."

"Are you okay? I mean the arrow thing." He sat down on the foot of the bed and studied me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It barely even hit me. And I heal supper fast. I broke my nose today, and you can't even tell."

His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning at the thought of something totally knew and secretive in the science community. "Really? No way! That's impossible."

I grabbed the pocket knife I kept on my nightstand and opened it, Willy's eyes widened, but he remained silent as I sliced open a cut on my upper arm. It started to drip blood. William opened his mouth to probably yell at me for hurting myself and lying. I held up a hand to stop him and held my arm out more. I could feel my skin knitting itself back together, and within a minute the cut was gone and all that remained was a small pool of blood and a scar.

Willy reached his hand out to touch the healed cut but I jerked my arm back. "Don't touch! You can get turned if my blood or saliva gets into your body."

He looked alarmed and pulled his hand back. He looked up into my eyes and mercifully I saw no fear, only intrigue. "Hmmm," His eyes got far away and then refocused, "Well anyway, I came to tell you that there's a tornado watch and flood warning until six o'clock tomorrow morning. I thought you might want to get your friends from outside."

He got up and pulled the door closed behind him. I looked out my window and saw that Kat and Logan were indeed still outside.

I slipped out the kitchen door and ran over to where they were sniffing, thank god it was night out or I would have some serious neighbor issues for the rest of my time here in Bear Valley.

"You guys should come inside!" I yelled over the increasing wind, "There's a tornado watch and I doubt they'd be out here in this weather anyway!"

They nodded and followed me back inside. I got them towels to dry off with, "Did you find anything?"

They shook their heads no and Logan elaborated, "It's really hard to find anything out there. I could barely even smell Kat." That comment would have been offensive in any other context but this, "By the time the storm is over, there won't be any trace left though. So basically we have no idea if he's been here."

I sighed, "Great."

I pushed aside the curtain and peered out. "I don't think you guys are going anywhere," It was horrible outside. There was a tree down across the road and the wind had been so loud that we hadn't even heard it crash. Then a few power lines were flailing in the wind. And there was no visibility at all after a few inches in front of your eyes.

They crowded around me and looked out too. Logan swore under his breath and Kat groaned.

Kat tried her phone, but apparently cell towers were down too because she said, "Mom and Dad are going to be shitting themselves if they don't hear from us."

"Damn, does your phone work?" He looked at me.

I checked, "No. And there's no way your driving in that tonight, you'll never make it."

Logan turned to Kat, "You called when we got here right?" She nodded, "Then they'll know we weren't stupid enough to drive home. We'll have to call in the morning." He then turned to me and grinned, his voice raising an octave at an unsuccessful attempt to mimic a girl's voice, "Looks like we're having a slumber party!"

Oh dear God.