CHAPTER 55-When Up Is Down

Jackie scrambled up the slope, pausing to wait for her little sister. The wind whipped her dirty russet hair into tatters across her face, and she swatted the strands away in annoyance. Alexa slowly came into view, moodily kicking the pebbles away with her bare feet.

"I'm hungry," she whined. Jackie pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Well, what do you want me to do? It's not like we can just waltz into a restaurant."

Her stomach growled, and she was beginning to feel the sharp pains of hunger jabbing through her ribs. Of course, they could always go dumpster diving, but usually they got caught by restaurant owners who disliked the idea of kids rummaging through their trash.

"Hey!" Harry shouted from a little distance away, waving his arms above his head. The tousled mop of reddish hair nearly covered his eyes. "Guys, look what I found!" He was crouched over a bush.

Dragging Alexa along with her, Jackie quickly jogged over to him.

"Look," he breathed, as he parted the leaves. Jackie jerked back in surprise, while Alexa gazed on with curious eyes.

A little girl was curled up underneath it, her eyes closed and her breathing fast and shallow. A stream of matted, dirty black hair fell at shoulder-length behind her neck. Various nasty scratches and bruises were scattered all over her scrawny body, leaving not one inch of skin unmarked, and a particularly impressive scar snaked all the way from the bottom of her neck down to her side. Her lips were dry and severely chapped, and from the looks of her red, puffy cheeks, it seemed that she had been recently crying.

She looked about fourteen years old, the same age as Jackie and Harry.

Alexa shuffled a few hesitant steps forward. "Is she alive?" she asked nervously.

Harry nodded grimly. "Yeah, she's breathing." He straightened up and stretched, wincing at the sight of her scar. "Whelp, we'd better fix her up and show her to Brandon."

He crouched down again and awkwardly lifted her up, carefully in case she had any broken limbs. He gently threw her over one shoulder and firmly carried her so that she wouldn't fall. He was surprised at how light she was, yet he could see small muscles outlined under her skin. She was far thinner than an average person, but that was normal, considering where they were.

The three of them ambled back to the encampment, hidden away from the spying eyes of the bustling city.

Pale embers glowed in the pile of ash that had been a campfire the night before. Torn up blankets were scattered around it, the threads on the edges in great need of mending. An opened can of ravioli lay on its side on the ground. Alexa eagerly picked it up, frowning when she realized that it was empty.

A young sixteen-year old boy was crouching in front of the heap of ashes, his gaze intent on a battered, dog-eared book, his arms long and gangly and his red shirt hugging his thin frame. He immediately glanced up in alarm when the others approached him, but his hazel eyes quickly softened when he realized who it was.

Brushing his overgrown brown hair behind his ears, he set the book aside and stared in mild interest as Harry gently set the girl down in front of hm.

Jackie crossed her arms and shrugged, "We just found her in some bushes. What do you think we should do with her?"

Alexa's eyes were wide. "Is she going to stay with us?" the kid piped.

Harry said uncertainly, "Do you think she's with Heath's gang? You know what he would do if he finds out..."

Brandon remained quiet, studying her intently. He traced the scar with his fingers, but then recoiled as if he had been struck.

Turning away abruptly, he picked up the paperback book. "Treat her wounds," he muttered simply. "Then we'll deal with the rest later."

Jackie and Harry casted sideways glances at each other helplessly, but followed their orders. They carried the limp girl onto one of the blankets and set her down quietly. Alexa produced a banged up first aid kit that Brandon had managed to steal a few weeks back, and they got busy treating the countless scratches running up and down the girl's battered body.

Alexa asked quietly, "Who did this to her?"

Harry shrugged. "A wild animal, by the looks of it." Seeing the scared look on the little girl's face, he quickly added, "Don't worry. The animal's probably far away by now, and if it wanders back, we'll be able to fight it off."

Brandon was seated in his usual place, the yellowed pages flapping like bird wings in the breeze. Usually he would be too busy reading to notice anything happening around him, but now, he peered out over the covers at the stranger, wondering where she had come from and what troubles she would bring.

OoOooOooOoOoOoooOOooOOOOoOoOoOoO

I woke up sharply with a gasp as my eyes flew open. I was lying on my back and staring up at the sky, feeling too weak to move. Every part of my body ached. My mind felt like it had been crushed, my brains turned into jelly. It hurt to even think.

I never knew that the sky could look so blue, so brilliantly azure that it pounded the back of my eyes as I stared up at it in a daze. Gradually, my mind cleared and I was aware of three beings seated next to me. Leaping to all fours, I bared my teeth and hissed.

"Woah there, Nelly! What's gotten into you?" one of them shouted, and I felt rough hands restraining me. I snarled, my eyes wide and scared. I swatted them away, but leaned down to sink my teeth into a hand. Immediately, a sharp screech sounded and I let go, backing away, my eyes flitting from one to the next.

Three humans. Two of them were about my age: a tall, thin girl with russet hair tied up in a messy ponytail, a shorter boy with a thick mess of reddish hair and pale, light freckles scattered across his face. There was another one, a little girl who couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old, with slightly curly brown hair that was in terrible need of a haircut.

They were all staring at me with wide eyes, rooted to the spot, looking like prey that was about to be run over by a monster. The little girl backed away and peered out at me from behind the older girl. However, even though I could see the fear clearly etched on her face, a little glimmer of interest twinkled in her blue eyes.

I crouched, preparing myself to attack in case they tried anything.

After a moment of awkward silence, the taller girl nudged the boy with her arm, her gaze never leaving mine.

"Hey," she whispered, slowly and quietly so she wouldn't scare me. "It's as if she acts like an animal. How long do you think she was living in the wild?"

The boy gulped and shook his head slowly, warning her to be quiet.

They were standing too close for comfort. I looked around desperately, my heart sinking when I realized that I was nowhere near the Lake. I didn't even recognize this forest. Beyond in the distance, I spotted a metal fence gleaming brightly in the sun, running all the way from one side to the other. Beyond the fence stood rows and rows of houses and buildings.

I had to go back. Ignoring the shouts and protests from the others, I heaved myself onto my feet and almost landed flat on my face. My knees were weak from exhaustion, and it felt so weird to stand on two feet.

The older girl grabbed my arm. "Come on. You have to rest," she began, but I shook her off and hissed.

Whirling around to face them, I slowly backed away, my gaze flickering from one face to the other.

Humans. Something told me that they weren't threats, but I couldn't help but feel anxious and insecure around them. Glancing down at my arms, I saw that they were wrapped in bandages, along with other parts of my body.

I flinched when the boy waved his arms in the air and shouted, "Hey, Brandon! What took you so long?"

Spinning around, I saw a tall, gangly boy with untidy russet hair coming toward us. He was holding a box of something in each arm, and from the label, I could tell that it was food. Involuntarily, my stomach grumbled.

The girl raised an eyebrow, but she eyed the boxes hungrily. "Does it really take you that long to shoplift?" Nonetheless, she took the boxes from him and pried it open eagerly. The smell of food wafted toward me.

Shaking my head furiously, I sprinted away and stumbled, catching myself right before I fell. I couldn't get distracted! I had to go back!

I could hear the others gaining on me, so I rounded on them, snarling, crouching on the grass.

"Brandon, what's wrong with her?" the shorter boy asked, staring at me.

The older kid, Brandon, walked over to me until he stood right in front of me. I shrank back, eyeing him warily.

He reached out his arm slowly. At first, I thought that he was going to touch me, but I noticed that he held a piece of cracker in his hand.

I sniffed it hesitantly.

He asked, "Hungry?" and tossed it in front of me. I retracted a little bit, but my stomach grumbled again, empty. Keeping watch of him the whole time, I slowly extended my arm and quickly picked it up, and inhaled it in a few gulps. It tasted salty on my tongue.

He gradually shifted his arm and gently reached for my wrist, turning it over to examine the bandaged cuts. His hazel eyes were soft and quiet but stern, the pupils looking over everything and leaving not one detail untouched. Those were the kind of eyes that you felt you had known a long, long time ago. Ancient, even, but still somehow retaining that spark of curiosity that only the youth had.

Those eyes stared into mine, calming me, quieting me.

"You act just like a cat," he said, a glint of amusement in his voice. He wasn't talking to the others. He was talking directly to me.

Turning to his friends, he murmured, "She's fine. Just give her some time." With that, he abruptly strode away and I watched him busy himself in unwrapping the packages of food. He seemed like a person who kept to himself, who didn't talk much and didn't really prefer the company of other people.

My wounds began to ache again. I shuddered and wrapped my arms around me. If only I still had fur...

I blinked, tears slowly welling up in the corners of my eyes. What did Yellowfang mean, that Fang had won? Didn't she believe that I could defeat him? What if...what if I could never go back? What if I was a human for good? And Snowstorm...oh Snowstorm...

I buried my face in my arms and clenched my teeth, trying desperately not to cry and failing.

I shied away as warm arms folded over me.

The shorter boy with the reddish hair and freckles. "Shh," he whispered soothingly, "It's alright. You're safe with us."

But I don't want to be here. I want to go back.

I felt the tall girl drape a raggedy blanket over me.

"Just rest," he murmured.

I closed my eyes and felt tears slide down my cheeks. Was my life with the warriors over already? I didn't even get to say goodbye to Dewstep and Ember.

My mind drifted further and further away from unconsciousness, and I let the drowsy waves of sleep wash over me, taking me far away from here.