Wulven [A Different Wolf Novel]

Chapter 10 | Earth to Liza

Confusion and uncertainty has soured Liez's mood for the rest of the day. The note is burning a hole through her pocket as she makes her way to the dining hall for her usual afternoon chore.

She grabs her mop and beelines over to the dining table where Valerie has been wiping dry the newly washed dishes.

Valerie raises an eyebrow, implying that she's a bit upset with her.

The kitchen door suddenly swings open as Archer, Valerie's crush, brings another batch of dishes for her. It's his chore for the day.

Liez winks at Valerie conspiratorially, making her blush.

"Where have you been, Liez? You went straight out after the class without me...", glares Valerie.

Just then, Ginny enters the room with her friends. Her eyes widen at the sight of Liez and hurries over to the opposite side of the hall. Liez pretends not to see them and clears her throat,

"I'm sorry, erm, nature called?"

She forces a smile and quickly changes the subject.

"So, I heard you're with the third batch that will be sent to the Higher Learning Institute weeks from now. What are your plans?"

"Y'know what? That's actually a good question..."

Just like that, all lapses are forgotten. The girls talk a mile per minute and Liez tunes Valerie out, nodding every time she looks.

Truth is, Liez's mind is wandering. Her thoughts still linger on what's written on the note in her pocket.

Willow Creek.

2:00 AM tomorrow.

She's not sure what's going to happen by then.

Anxiety is slowly taking over.

She startles as Valerie's voice slowly drifts back towards her,

"... and I was wondering Liez, if I should offer myself up as a sacrifice for the bearded wolf cult, what d'ya think?"

Archer's shoulders shake with laughter as he goes back to his dishwashing chore in the kitchen.

"Earth to Liza, hello? Are you even listening?", Valerie looks at her with amusement.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Val...", Liez smiles out of embarrassment.

Valerie changes the topic this time around,

"Hey, remember when we were little, there was this big bully, Logan, who was constantly bugging me at the playground...", says Valerie as she takes a plate to wipe it.

"Oh yeah! He is much older than us so he's no longer here. He was your number one 'fan'!", chuckles Liez as she holds the mop handle close to her.

"Right. He was always there to make my life miserable. Until you finally had enough of him picking on me. You grabbed your tiny school bag and slammed it right on his face!", exclaims Valerie, swinging the plate in the air.

"I did?"

"Yes, Liez! You were pretty strong for your size and age then, y'know. He actually lost a couple of teeth! He didn't dare bully me ever since.", Valerie chuckles.

"I guess so, but I didn't mean to hurt him that much, tho..."

"I stuck with you since that day 'cause there's something extraordinary about you. You have this resilience and strength inside that I don't think you are even aware of."

Liez looks down and smiles.

"So whatever trouble you are in lately, I know it's no match for you. Just as Logan was."

Speechless, Liez's eyes ‌well up. She breathes in deep and sighs,

Alright then, back to work! We don't want Miss Ruth finding us slacking", she chuckles.

"Right...", smiles Valerie as continues with her chore.

Liez moves over to her side of the room with her mop and quickly wipes her tears.

It's just good to know that somebody actually appreciates her.

As soon as she's done cleaning, she waves at Valerie and makes her way out of the Dining Hall. She goes past the sleeping quarter, up the Attic staircase and all the way to her favorite windowsill.

She pulls the letter out of her pocket. Holding it in her hand, she feels her stomach turning.

She hates feeling like this. The helplessness of not knowing what's ahead is horrible. But she will have to ultimately face it whatever it is.

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