Chapter Five- "She-Who-Runs-With-Wolves?" How About "She-Who-Runs-AWAY"?

I meet them in the hospital lobby, and the next thing I know they're practically picking me up and dragging me out of the place. I don't know what I did exactly that set them off in full-out panic mode. Maybe they think I'm some kind of loon and they plan on shipping me off to some "nice place" where they'll "take care of me." That wouldn't fly well with scholarship sponsors. I don't think that's their intentions, though. They've only known me for a few hours, and not under the best circumstances to question my sanity.

They nearly throw me into the back seat, while I wonder where the hell that charming small town hospitality is supposed to be, and they're driving seventy miles an hour back to the Reservation. Embry puts the car in neutral when we stop at Billy's house and Quil helps Billy into his chair and up the ramp. Before I even have time to ask where were going, Quil jumps in and we're off again.

Embry goes off road and parks in front of a forest that looks more like a storybook picture than an actual place. Embry comes around and opens the door for me, I hop down, and I feel shivers down my spine.

You wanted to find out the truth, didn't you? My mind mocks against my better judgment, which is to get out of here. Now.

"Wait…we're going in there?" I ask skeptically, as they start making their way into the darkness of the woods.

"Yeah…" Quil responds, as if he's trying to come up with some reason this is all just perfectly fine.

"Are you crazy? What if something…like…eats us?" I've never been the outdoorsy type, living in a city my entire life, but I don't think it's very reassuring when they start laughing at me.

By now, I'm fed up with all the cryptic crap. "What's so funny?" I scorn and Quil shakes his head at me, trying to suppress a smile.

"Don't worry about it," Quil replies, "That's not gonna happen. C'mon. It's no big deal."

"Then what is the deal? Why are we here? What's going on?"

"Relax. We'll show you."

They start walking forward and, though all the nerve in my body is telling me to run, I follow. I jump at everything, a squirrel darting across the forest floor, an owl's hoot in the distance, a bird flapping it's wings above us, and when I hear a wolf's howl, I nearly faint where I'm standing. How on Earth do people do this for fun?

Eventually, we go so far out, I'm not sure I'd be able to find my way out if I tried, and my Westridge kid instincts begin to kick in. I'm in the dark with two giant, teenage boys where no one could hear my cries for help.

Oh, God! What have I gotten myself into!

When I see my cousin and four more overly-muscular young men coming out of the shadows, surrounding me, I feel my adrenaline pumping. One of the bigger ones steps forward and I see a way to escape. If I could only make my way around the man approaching me, I'd be free.

Instead of speaking to me, he addresses Quil, his face hard and almost irritated. "What is the meaning of this, Quil?" I can barely hear him with my heart hammering in my ears.

"Well…there are a couple of things actually…" he begins his voice unsure. "We're not exactly sure but the bloodsucker at the hospital s-"

"Why should we believe anything he says?" an angry voice, that I recognized as Paul, exclaimed.

Bloodsucker? What is that supposed to mean? Were they talking about the doctor?

"Because we don't think he's lying, Sam," Embry replies, rushing to Quil's defense. "Nobody just walks away from an accident like that."

"She didn't. She passed out in my living room!" Jake growls threateningly to my right. I don't know where they're going with this, but I don't care to stick around and find out.

"That's exactly what we're talking about!" I throw my leg back. "There wasn't a scratch on her! It was because-" Embry stops midsentence.

A pained sound erupts from Sam's throat and he hunches over. I maneuver around him and make a blind sprint through the woods. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm so hyped up I'm not thinking. I just have to find my way back to town, magically find a cab, and get my ass back where I belong. What was I thinking? I should never have come here. This whole plan was nuts to begin with!

"Wait! Stop!" one of them hollers after me. They're chasing me now, coming up close, but not close enough. I speed up with no difficulty, dodging every tree with miraculous ease. When I begin to hear cars zooming down the highway, I wonder how fast I've been running, but I don't have long.

I hear the sound of something very heavy hitting the earth and a monstrous growl. I look back for one second to see an enormous gray wolf reaching up to me with its giant strides, and my jaw goes slack. A bizarre, calm part of my mind remembers what Quil had said about something eating me, and I fight back a hysterical wave of laughter.

Still running for my life, I stare into the monster's eyes and they seem almost…worried. Like they're human. I've seen those eyes before.

All the pieces come crashing down on me, which makes me stumble as I dash closer to the highway. The legends we're true. Embry is a wolf and that means…

This is the last chance to save myself, and that's all I allow myself to think about. What triggered it the last time? It was something about my mom. I was angry with her. I have to get mad, and I have to do it fast. If I don't, I'm never going to make it to the road.

I know exactly what gets my blood boiling, and I've pushed it so far back into my head over the years, it gives me exactly the kind of edge I need. My anger builds over the fear that's choking me, and I feel myself trembling as I run. My heart's pounding faster and faster. I lose my footing as my body struggles to hold itself together, but there is no pain this time when I transform.

A menacing growl escapes my throat as I come nearly nose to nose with Embry. I'm smaller than him, but I'm still much bigger than I would've been otherwise. I feel my claws scraping against the dirt and the bristles on the back standing up. My teeth are bared at him, and it seems to have the effect I want. He steps down.

What the hell! Paul's voice echoes through my mind. I hear a whimper escape my teeth.

Where had that come from!

We were trying to tell you! Quil's voice retorts, almost smug with himself.

Who is she? Another voice demands.

This is impossible! Someone shouts.

She's a girl! A voice that sounds like Jacob adds.

Lay off, you guys! Embry's voice interrupts. Can't you see your scaring her!

I try to keep myself tensed for an attack, but I feel myself rolling my eyes in resignation.

Great, I think to myself. I've officially lost my mind.

You're not crazy, Embry relies.

Says the voice inside my head, I counter back, and I earn a few snickers among the others.

No. Look, Embry insists, and I see. I see him last winter. I see him having a fight with his mother about forgetting to clean his room. I see him tremble, smash a vase, and slam the door violently behind him. I see Paul and someone else drag him out into the woods, and watch him transform into a giant wolf. I feel his confusion and his fear. I hear Sam tell him the secret of the tribe, the protectors of the village. I hear about how vampires really exist, and the pack's job to destroy any trespassers on their land. I hear Sam's order to tell no one, even his mom and best friends. I see the dangers of being around humans, and the price Sam paid.

Everyone throws their own stories into the mix, and when it's over, I'm not so freaked anymore. Don't get me wrong. I'm still in shock from the whole "I'm a werewolf" thing, but at least I know the truth now, and how can I not believe it. They're literally handing me their firsthand memories, whether they want to or not.

As the first traces of sunlight lighten the night sky, I begin to feel the exhaustion I'd been feeling at the hospital. I feel my human hands against the muddy earth and smile when I grasp that I'm my old fur-free self again. Then I remember I'm surrounded by seven boys, and I'm butt naked.