'Mads, what's going on? Really?'

Shannon and Maddy were alone in the changing room. Miss Graham had patched Maddy up and had left the girls alone to go and see that the P.E. equipment was collected up properly. All the while that their teacher had been there, Shannon hadn't spoken; but when they were alone, she began to approach the situation a lot more calmly and reasonably than Tom had.

'What do you mean?' replied Maddy, not meeting Shannon's eyes.

'You know what I mean.' Shannon's face was cold and serious, yet it showed the compassion which she felt for her friend; Shannon was just protective of her and wanted what's best. 'Me and Tom don't see you for one weekend and everything changes!' Shannon sighed. ' When did he come back?'

'A couple of nights ago. But, he didn't mean to Shan! It's like he said! He was only supposed to check up!' Maddy was in a rush to get things out, before Shannon took off. Shannon would be wondering as to why she hadn't been told about Rhydian's return when he came back nights ago, they were best friends after all, who told each other everything, didn't they? 'I'm sorry I didn't call and tell you, but things have been so hectic, I've barely had time to catch my breath!' Maddy looked at her friend, pleadingly, wishing her to understand.

'How have you not had time? Over two days!' Shannon 's voice had become slightly raised, but it was nothing compared to how Tom reacted.

'Because Shan! You know that last night was the full moon! You know how strict my Mam is and how prepared she likes to be! And frankly, you've seen my chest! The whole class has! Did you think that that didn't hurt or something? Or that I just got up, brushed myself off, and carried on!?' Maddy was on her feet now, reeling at her friend's thoughtlessness.

'What? But that on your chest is a scar! They're scars! How can they have happened this weekend! How can they have healed! Already! What!' Shannon was confused; she was not used to the feeling, nor enjoying it.

'Shannon I'm a Wolfblood! The full moon can cure almost anything that's up with us! But we still get left with scars, no matter how fast we heal!' Maddy whispered all of this with a vicious edge to her friend. She was sick of the questions today.

'But, how?...' Shannon sounded shier now, she felt slightly stupid to forget about her friend's extraordinary anatomy.

'Rhydian's Mam!' Shannon's face changed in her understanding when Maddy said this. 'She followed him and lashed out at me.'

'So Tom was right, it was Rhydian's fault! Even if he didn't actually do it himself! He caused it!' Shannon too was on her feet; she no longer cared about shouting and drawing attention.

'Shannon! Don't say that! Don't you ever say that! He didn't plan it! He didn't want it! And if it wasn't for him I'd probably be dead!'

'What!?' Shannon was confused again.

'You think that Ceri would stop at a scratch? She hates me Shan! She blames me! She blames me for everything that's wrong, in her eyes, with Rhydian!' Tears filled Maddy's eyes now; she'd never cried in her entire life as much as she had over the last few days, that she could remember.

'He saved you.' Shannon felt even worse at this realisation.

'Yes, he saved me,' Maddy sat back down, it was so much to take in; she was only just realising the severity of what had happened, 'in more ways than one.'

Shannon would have questioned what Maddy meant by this, but the changing room doors flew open as their peers came to get dressed back into their uniforms. Maddy turned away from her friend and packed her bag; she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, Maddy wanted to get away from the real world. Maddy wanted Rhydian.