What do you think about this 'Black Mountain' appointment? And yay! Vance got caught. Finally.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE: Ally~ Vance was officially expelled. Sean was suspended. So, good news all around I guess? I guess. Something still sat in the pit of my stomach, but there was no way of knowing what it was exactly. At least not yet, not at my ability level. I still knew I needed to find Kyle. Back at home after school, I tried to focus on school work until my mom came home. She insisted on being here when I tried this. My grandma and I decided I should try a different strategy - guided dreaming. With any luck I could reach Kyle or at least feel where he was. Since he hadn’t been coming to me in my dreams, I worried about why that could be. My grandma wasn’t sure, but there was plenty out there that she hadn’t been familiar with in life. She had been moderately gifted in a small coven that had disbanded after a few years, so what she was able to share now was more what she guessed at during her later stages in life. Once I knew what she knew I would need to go looking for so
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR: Rachel~ I was sitting with my mom when a petite woman with long dark hair bounced into the office. I hadn’t seen her before but I could guess who she was. She had to be Vance’s mom. Today started off with a meeting with my mom about what had happened, and I was told that while Vance wasn’t a student here anymore, his mom would be coming in at some point. I guess she had something she wanted to say to me or my mom - I guess we would find out. She floated right towards Ms. Arnhem and the two nodded at us before closing the door to her office. My mom sat there fuming. She likely knew who this woman was too, and we were both thinking the same thing. Though my mom was likely thinking about her on different lines. She was straight pissed and probably wanted to punch this lady in the face for raising such a creep. Me on the other hand, I felt both sorry for her and fascinated in a disturbing way. Did she know what he was? Was she like him? They had to be something
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE: Nick~ Goddess help me. Please. I’ve been on the phone now for over six hours. Calling between all these packs that still insist on doing things like they were done in the 90s - or the 80s in some cases. I’m scouring for information from the packs other packs have heard of at this point. Anything about black magic covens. Unfortunately werewolves are not very unified and there’s no sort of directory. In our defense, this is partly due to keeping our existence on the down low. But still. “Hello?” a husky older voice asked on the other side. “Hi yes, Gamma Wilmer, thank you for taking a moment to speak with me,” I started, “Has your Alpha explained what I am calling about?” I exhaled. I have had this conversation with other werewolves all across the nation by this point. My eyes are roaming my page of notes, figuring out who else to call next. No one has been able to help so far. I’ve called over 100 numbers. I may just plunge my head into a tree at this
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX: Jake~ My eyes open to the moon. A bigger, fuller moon than seems real. Sitting up I realize, it’s not real. Well, not in my world. “Oh Jake, we really weren’t supposed to talk again so soon,” the Moon Goddess’ voice floats over to me from her place a few paces away. I stood up to meet her halfway. “I’m here again? I remember getting news about Rachel - and then pain everywhere… Rachel!” I whirl to face the Goddess. She looks back with a look of compassion and nods sadly. “I know,” she says, her voice sincere. “She had to go through that, I’m sorry.” My eyes squinted in irritation. “What is that supposed to mean?!” I demanded. The Goddess just blinked, not taking a step. Then she exhaled. “I’m sorry Jake, like I said, you weren’t supposed to be here yet. I was going to explain this to the both of you,” she went on. “Just know it was important, otherwise things… well they wouldn’t be headed in this same direction. But then you started to shift,
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN: Sean~ Today was the day. Last day of the semester. I couldn’t see her everyday like I had been. With the mutt out there somewhere, I needed to lock her down further. Before he tries anything. I’m expecting him to. I need to lock her down before then. Today will be the first step. The next, when she returns. “Hey there Sunshine,” I greet Rachel as she walks over to me. For being December, the area is chilly, but we’re babies out here in California compared to the winters other areas of the world have. “Let’s get going,” I rush over to the passenger side of the car and help her in. I can’t read the look on her face. Suspicion? Unsurity? I can’t pinpoint it. She’s silent as we drive, and I put on some music, keeping it low. I may just sweat so much from nerves that I’ll slide down the seat of my car. “You’re awfully quiet today,” I prod. She looks over at me, and back to the window, before breathing out and looking at me inquisitively. “I’m okay
CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT: Evan~ “Ev!” Nick yelled from around the corner. We were in the gym keeping an eye on Jake, pretending to be doing our own training. I pulled my focus away from the dark-eyed beast who was currently punching a hole through the wall and over to Nick. He showed me his phone, it was a message from Elise, the tracker from Black Mountain. At first I expected to possibly read an inappropriately flirty text but I caught the word ‘Jake’ and focused. > “Holy-” I started to say. “Jake! We’ve got a lead!” Nick bounded over to Jake who had now pounded a Kool-Aid Guy-sized hole in the wall. Nick better remember to call someone about that. I know I’ll forget. Jake threw something into the earth outside and I swear I felt the ground shake for a second as I made my way over. A few moments
CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE: Ally~ The longer Kyle stayed around us, he seemed to get both better and worse. His body looked healthier. Color was returning to his skin, his deep dark circles under his eyes were lightening. He seemed a little rested. Not nearly like the skeleton version of himself I had found stumbling outside. But while he appeared healthier that way, his mind… it seemed like it was getting worse. The first night he tried sleeping alone in our guest room, but my mom and I woke up to his cries and now we both camp out in sleeping bags on the floor of my mom’s room, since it was the biggest. It’s been hard trying to gage what to push him on and what to just let be. My mom has been on the ‘let it be’ train. She’s been filling him up with all kinds of meals and desserts. She’s encouraged him to take long baths and set up these amazing spa-level bubble baths for him. Lavender candles, fizzy stuff, bubbles all over. She wants him to relax, but she hasn’t dared ask him any qu
CHAPTER EIGHTY: Jake~ It’s the night. The last day of the semester was today, and rather than partying with the other wolves, I’m sulking. I’m trying to get to bed early. I’m so over today. Waiting. Waiting for news about my parents. Waiting for the pack to decide who would be temporary Alpha. Waiting for my first shift. Waiting for whatever the Goddess has in store. It was driving me crazy. There’s only so much destruction of our gym and surrounding forest I can do before becoming a real nuisance. I close my eyes and am about to give into the dark when I feel it. Panic, fear. It’s not my own. A growl burns in my chest and I stumble out of bed. I know my eyes are swirling. Aamon is trying to push through. Rachel is in trouble. I feel him forcing a shift again and I hold my fists at my temples, trying to hold in screams from the pain. I clutch my chest and my eyes take me somewhere else. I’m outside. No, inside. I’m in a garage. A thin evil-eyed man is coming for me. My hands