Thank you for the followings, reviews, and favorites. Here is a new chapter for the weekend. Enjoy.

Chapter 17

Melanie shot up, sweating heavily. Catching her breath, she leaned back on her arms and stared up at the ceiling, her hair dangling behind her, tickling her arms. Her chest heaved up and down. She couldn't remember what she dreamt about. All she could remember was blackness, that and water and pain. There had been a lot of that. The head of a dog—no a wolf, sprang up at the end of the bed, its ears perked. Curious golden eyes stared at her.

"I'm okay," she told it. The furry animal cocked its head to the side, not believing her. "Really. I'm fine."

It let out a sigh. Melanie looked around. She was in her room. It was half messy and organized just how she liked it. Organized chaos she called it and so did everyone else. Some things were allowed to be messy while others not so much. A messy desk was okay as was a messy bed. The floor? No, absolutely not.

She was wearing navy shorts and an old grey t-shirt. She didn't recognize the shirt let alone remember when she put it on. It was for some high school team or something. Was it hers? She shrugged her eyebrows and slid out of bed. It was hot. Her skin crawled with beads of sweat that tickled her skin light olive skin. The wolf leaped off the bed and followed her out of the room and to Isaac's room. Did he crank the heat?

She knocked on his door.

"Isaac? Hey, did you turn up the heat again?" she asked. She waited for an answer, but one never came. She knocked again.

When he didn't answer she grabbed the doorknob. The wolf on her heels whined.

"Don't whine. He's not answering." She turned the door knob and cracked the door open. "Please don't be naked."

He'd brought Allison over a few times and that was fine, but the walls were thin. She peeked her head in through the small opening. His bed was empty. It looked like his bed hadn't been made for days. Then again, it was Isaac. He wasn't much of a housekeeper when it came to his room, like ever.

She closed the door and made her way downstairs through the dark, flipping on lights as she went. He wasn't anywhere downstairs either. She looked at the thermostat. It was at seventy degrees like always. Everything was in its usual place.

"Do you know where he is," Melanie directed at the canine as she plopped down on the couch. It hopped up beside her and laid down, laying its head on her lap. Its body took up the rest of the couch space. It looked up at her with sappy eyes. "No, I guess not."

She sighed heavily and scratched behind the wolf's ear. Everyone must've had plans. The wolf leaned into the soothing scratching. Melanie giggled at how its eyes were closing from it. Lap dog wannabe, she thought.

"You're completely useless aren't you," she said with a chuckle. The wolf yipped and whined offended.

Its eyes glowed the most beautiful color of pinkish-purple that she'd ever seen. She remained mesmerized until it faded.

"What beautiful eyes you have," she said in awe. Her words were barely louder than a whisper or air. It seemed unnatural that a wolf's eyes would turn that color. Blue or red, yes. She'd never seen eyes like this though.

"Where did you get eyes like that?" she asked, rubbing its cheeks.

It sighed and put the full weight of its head into her hands. A knock at the door made both of them jump. The wolf growled as the knocks continued. Melanie felt the animal's body tense up, ready to protect and attack.

"Stop!" Melanie hissed.

She got up and answered the door, her hand shaking some as she did. It was probably Danny anyway.

"Thank god!" Stiles exclaimed, walking in past her. He breathed hard as if he'd just ran the mile. "Scott keeps talking and talking, and he won't shut up!"

"Usually it's you who has issues not shutting up," Melanie said, forgetting that he just walked in uninvited.

"I just can't take it anymore! Do you have any milk? I'm really thirsty," he said. His head jerked around, looking at everything.

"Check the fridge," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. Man, he's needy, she thought. The wolf jumped off the couch and trotted to her side.

Melanie looked down at the animal then out the front door. It was nearly pitch black out there. Fireflies floated around aimlessly. Their tails lit up dimly. They were so pretty. She wanted to go out and catch one like she did when she was younger. She'd put them in a jar and poke holes in the top.

"It's not safe though," she said aloud.

She walked out onto the porch, hoping to get a better look. The light the fireflies provided wasn't enough to show her what was out there. A chill from the light breeze covered her legs in goosebumps. Something was out there. She could feel it.

A rattling came from the kitchen. She looked back into the house. It seemed so far away now. Melanie shook her head, laughing lightly. Stiles must not have found the milk yet. He'll find it eventually. He just needs to search the back of the fridge.

She stepped off the porch, leaving Stiles in the house with his mission. The wolf followed closely beside Melanie. The glow of its eyes was constant just like the fireflies that were surrounding them. It was protecting her or at least that's what she thought. She felt safe with the strange animal. It certainly wasn't leaving her side.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness as the light from the porch faded. Instantly, she realized that she wasn't in her front yard. She was in a cemetery. Hundreds of gravestones surrounded her from all directions. Fog nipped at her ankles.

"It doesn't matter anymore,"

Melanie spun around, grabbing her chest. Her heart raced achingly from the fright. She tilted her head to the side. Somebody sat on a tombstone nearby. The shadowed figure spoke again.

"I can't do my homework. I don't even know how."

Melanie took a step closer. The hunched over silhouette was familiar.

"Derek?"

His head shot up, but he looked straight ahead in a dead stare. It was him. His posture was always terrible. She couldn't read his expression, but she could see his glowing red eyes. There was nothing ominous about them like she'd seen before. No, these eyes were soft, defeated, giving up and losing hope. She'd never seen him so depressed before.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked. Maybe he came to visit Laura. He was pretty far off from her grave to be visiting her if he was.

He didn't reply. She crept closer to him. Her stomach twisted the way it did when she knew something wasn't right and something definitely wasn't right. Three or so feet away from him, the wolf started to growl, bearing its teeth. Melanie took another step, swatting away a firefly that flew close to her head. The ground sucked her foot up to her knee where she was suddenly. Screaming, she reached out for Derek as the ground continued to pull under like quicksand. She pressed against the pull, but it was no use.

"Derek!" she screamed.

The alpha looked back over his shoulder, but didn't move otherwise.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he repeated unfazed. He turned back around and kept staring out at the darkness.

The wolf who'd stuck by her side growled at Derek and snapped its teeth at him. Turning to Melanie, it circled around her helplessly. She'd sunk up to her thighs.

"Help me," she pleaded, her eyes watering.

The wolf whined in response, its tail tucked between its legs, wishing to do anything. She grabbed at patches of grass, but they ripped from her grasp. She'd sunk up to her waist.

Suddenly a loud yelp resounded through the cemetery.

"No!" Melanie screamed, seeing the wolf being pulled into the ground too. She reached out for the animal.

Dirt sprayed as hands shot up from beneath the ground and grabbed the animal. The wolf disappeared beneath the earth. More limbs shot up around her and grabbed her arms and shoulders. Screams echoed over and over again across the land of death. The dirty, bug eaten hands were so much stronger than her and continued to drag her down. Melanie clenched her eyes shut as dirt seeped its way into the entryways of her face as she unwillingly became another grave in the cemetery. Her body itched from creepy crawlies over her skin.

"It's simple really! Just look here!"

Melanie's eyes shot open then shut from the sudden bright burst of yellow sun in her eyes. She blinked a few times, her eyebrows pinching together as she adjusted to the light. Finstock sat on his desk Indian style. Ethan and Aiden stood at the chalkboard. Numbers, letters, words, and symbols that Melanie didn't recognize were scrawled all over it.

"I'm confused," Aiden admitted. His shoulders slumped with defeat. Ethan stared at the board, his eyes squinting in concentration, unwilling to give up.

"We're all stuck down here," Cora said, scratching behind her ear in the desk beside her.

Melanie looked around the classroom. What was going on? A hushed woof caught Melanie's ear and she looked at the doorway. She smiled at seeing her companion. She thought she'd lost him for sure. Her instinct kept telling her it was a he, but she wasn't completely sure.

She looked back at the twins who stood on either side of Finstock. He still sat crossed legged. He pointed at various spots on the board. Whatever test they were taking, she hoped she didn't have to take it too.

"You two work better together," Finstock sighed. He laid his forehead in his hand. "This shouldn't be so hard. Are you always this stupid?"

Aiden and Ethan looked at one another pouting, but remained quiet and kept working on the board. The pieces of chalk in their hands were down to tiny bits.

Melanie got up from the desk. Cora still scratched behind her ear. I hope she doesn't have a flea problem, Melanie thought. Derek would be pissed if she did. Watching her scratch made Melanie itch. She scratched her arm and walked towards the door.

Looking down at herself, there was no dirt on her skin or under her fingernails. She wasn't wearing her shorts and oversized t-shirt anymore either. She wore dark blue skinny jeans and a vibrant orange top that had a hood instead. The front scooped low. She wore a black tank top underneath. She was still barefoot though. She wiggled her toes. The Aqua toenail polish shimmered in the late afternoon sunlight.

She walked out of the classroom then stopped suddenly faced with strangeness. Scott was leaning against the lockers. He pulled the strings of his hoodie back and forth, entertained like a child. He grinned like a fool, his tongue sticking out a little.

"That's the most fun he's had in a long time."

Melanie turned. Danny leaned on the lockers across from him. He wore his P.E clothes. He wasn't angry at her like she figured he'd be. Like any other day, he was laid back. Melanie smiled.

"I don't think any of us have had that much fun in a long time," he said. "Aren't teenagers supposed to have fun? Maybe we just forgot."

The wolf stared up at him curiously, sniffing at the air.

"You've gained a new friend," Danny continued. He stared down at the animal. "It seems like the sky only falls when we're hungry."

"Are you hungry?" Melanie asked, her eyebrows knitted together. Strange question, but her stomach growled.

"No, not right now. I should go help Ethan though. Have you seen him?"

"He's trying to solve a physics problem," Melanie answered, pointing blindly to the class she left.

"Thanks. I don't think he'll ever figure out the answer. That problem is hard. It took me seven years to find the answer."

"Oh," Melanie said, with a slow nod.

He disappeared into the classroom. Scott still didn't notice her there and continued play with the strings of his hoodie. Melanie looked down at her furry companion.

"He's so weird," she whispered.

The wolf trotted down the hall. Melanie followed after him. There wasn't much else to do. She wasn't going back to class. There was nothing there for her and watching Scott play with his hoodie was pathetic.

They wandered down hallway after hallway. The clocks were all stopped at 4:15, so she wasn't sure what time it was. The sun never moved making the daylight never ending.

"Little protégé."

Melanie froze mid-step at those cold, yet wise sounding words that belonged to no other but an alpha. The hairs on her arms rose. The wolf spun and growled at Deucalion threateningly. Melanie met the wolf's eyes. They wouldn't win this fight. She knew right then what the wolf was thinking and gave him a nod. It was as if they shared the same thoughts and ideas.

Turning, she ran. The wolf was hot on her heels, following her. She didn't know how she knew what he was thinking. She just felt it in her bones and muscles.

"You won't escape!" Deucalion yelled. A roar followed his words.

Melanie ran faster, trying not to slip on the linoleum. She turned four corners before finding a dead end with a door. The janitor's closet. Her hair whipped around her throat as she looked back over her shoulder. The alpha wasn't behind them. She flung the door open and went inside. The room was six feet by six feet with shelves against each wall. A dirty sink stuck out to her left, so the room actually seemed like five by five feet.

At her feet, the wolf pawed at the floor near the shelves, whining. His whines grew and grew until they were howls of panic.

"Calm down!" Melanie exclaimed, kneeling beside the canine. "They'll find us!"

She reached out and grabbed him in an attempt to stop his frantic panic. Her fingers sunk into his soft black and silver fur. He snarled and snapped at her, his teeth white a sharp.

"Stop!" she screamed, not letting go.

He wrestled in her arms more and more, howling, trying to get free. He clawed her skin, tearing it open. Her arm bled out onto the floor around them, but she still held on. He'd protected her and now it was her turn to protect him.

"It's okay," she told him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He bit down into her shoulder, sending sharp pains down through her side. She threw her head back, letting out a sharp cry. The piercing sound made the animal jump and release its jaws. Her hold loosened around him. Blood from the bite covered his lips. He stopped struggling, a guilt ridden whine coming from deep within then began to lick her shoulder some before laying his head on her shoulder. Melanie hissed as his fur prickled the bite.

"It's okay," she said, running her fingers through the wolf's fur.

Her arm tickled as the blood trickled down and soaked through the shoulder of her top. Small holes from his teeth were left in the nice top.

"We're okay," she said.

Her heart pounded with adrenaline in her chest. After letting go of the wolf, she put her ear to the door. There wasn't a sound on the other side. She grabbed the door knob shakily and twisted it, pushing the door open. The wolf leaped out first and put his nose to the air.

Melanie crawled out of the closet and into the kitchen of her house.

"Well?" she asked.

The wolf turned and sneezed then blankly stared at her. Melanie huffed, rolling her eyes, and crawled out of the closet then stood up. There was nobody around.

"Who are you anyway?" Melanie said, following the animal into the living room. He didn't reply. Fine, be the silent type, she thought annoyed.

A quart of milk, mostly empty, sat on the counter. Stiles found the milk. There was no cup. He must've drunk it straight from the carton. Melanie wrinkled her nose. I'll have to buy more in the morning, she thought.

"I'm exhausted," Melanie yawned. "I'm going to go to sleep."

She went upstairs and went straight down the hall. Yawning again, she took off her orange shirt, leaving her in the black tank top then crawled into bed. She'd never been so comfortable. The wolf jumped up onto the bed and settled at her feet. She opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. This wasn't her room. It was messy everywhere and smelled funky like stale chips kind of, but oh well. Turning over, she closed her eyes. The pillow she nestled into smelled good; sweet and of a boy. Her shoulder ached dully, but her exhaustion was stronger. Her body got heavier and heavier until she fell asleep.

Her bones ached when she stirred. Her breathing grew ragged and her back surged with unbearable stinging sensations that lanced through her. She blinked with groggy eyes. There was only greyness. She could slowly make out a few shapes, but they weren't completely clear. It was everybody. They were here, wherever here was. Everybody, but Derek and Cora…and Scott.

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