Midnight Wolf

Chapter 3

"Will you please go to school?" Mum cried in exasperation. I shrugged and reached for my slushie with a bandaged arm. The pure white cloth wrapped around my hand and thumb, travelling up to my elbow just because it could.

"It's been three weeks! I know your hand hurts, but you can't miss this much of school."

"I feel different." I muttered truthfully. I felt as if the world had been full of fog, deadening sounds and sights and scents, but it had cleared. It wasn't a bad feeling, but I didn't want to go to school. Mum sighed.

"Fine, take today off. But you're going to school tomorrow, got it?" She snapped. I grin innocently and swung around to lie back on the couch. Mum made a growling noise and stomped out of the room to cook.

The couch was sinking under me. It made my heart feel strange and I leaped to my feet. The TV was droning on and on and the walls seemed to close in. My knees suddenly felt weak and adrenaline surged through me like fire.

"Mum! I'm going to school!" I shouted. Mum barely had time to reply, "what?" Before I was charging into my room and throwing on some clothes.

The rush to move, the impulse to run, quietened as I started the lengthy jog to school. But before long it started to grow again, needy and desperate. I trembled furiously and kept walking.

It hit me in a wave that made no sense. I could hear nothing, see nothing, smell nothing out of the usual. But my bitten hand prickled with unease. I shouldered my bag and picked up speed slowly.

Something draped over my head and darkness slammed over my vision. I could tell that it was an old potato sack. Someone was forcing it over me, trying to kidnap me.

A monster exploded in me.

With a ferocious snarl, I kicked backwards. Someone failed to bite back a moan of pain as my foot connected with their shin. The sack loosened and I tore it off me with such force that the person staggered.

It was a girl not much older than me, twenty at the most. She had short white hair and piercing blue eyes. On the very edge of her ear hung a blue feather suspended in a metal clasp.

"Think you could take me, could ya?" I snarled. There was a new fire clawing in my stomach, burning and telling me to kill. I repressed it with difficulty, but curled my hands into fists at my sides. The girl held up her hands in surrender.

"Please, Victoria, come with me. It's for the safety of everyone-"

"You know my name." I whispered softly, my words carrying a threat. "What is this about?"

The girl shakily got to her feet and licked her lips, studying me. Finally, she spoke.

"My name's Charity. I can see why Venus chose you, you look like a good member."

"Get away from me, Charity. Touch me again and I'll kill you." I spat. Surprise threatened to overwhelm me, I wasn't usually this angry with anything. The pale girl looked at me pityingly, and I almost wanted to yell at her.

Turning on my heel, I flounced away and left Charity in my wake. I heard her call after me cheerily, "See you next full moon, Victoria!"

I snuck a glance over my shoulder to see Charity talking to a younger girl. They seemed to be arguing, and both of them looked in my direction. I looked away quickly and kept walking.

The third bell was ringing by the time I loped up the stairs and into the school office. Miss Lavenge, the secretary, was sitting at the desk and shuffling papers. She glared at me through red glasses, silver hair falling around her face.

"Hi!" I beamed. She scowled.

"Miss Victoria Powers, of class 9C, you are late because.....?" Lavenge growled. I rocked on my heels, not even slightly nervous. I had my answer nice and ready.

"Well you see miss, I was the victim of an attempted kidnapping." I said smoothly. Lavenge gave a start and stared at me. I lifted my chin and stared straight back.

"As you have no proof of that, I'll- I'll be calling your mother." she sniffed. "Now go to class."

I grinned innocently at her and walked out of the room. My French class was right next door, so I only had to run up some stairs to get there. I could hear Mr Glen yelling at the class.

"Comment çava?! Borf! Çava!"

I figured it was about time to put an end to the class's suffering. I quietly opened the door and stood there like a creepy doll, silhouetted against the sunlight.

Twenty four pairs of eyeballs pointed my way. Sasha and Coda leaped to their feet so fast the tables knocked over. Glen started screaming at everyone to sit down as they all stood and ran towards me.

I had to suppress the bizarre urge to snarl as four girls I didn't know well, Bella, Honey, Dawna and Lucy, started stroking my bandaged arm. They were quickly shoved aside by Jason and Jodie, the twins of doom.

"Tori! How are you, are you alright?" They asked at the same time. "Sasha said you were attacked by a wolf!"

I eyeballed them both and grabbed my jeans, afraid of what my hands would do if they were free. Suddenly a hand clapped over my shoulder and relief flowed through me like a warm river.

"You look well." Coda grunted. "Sasha made out to the class that you were a mass of blood and gore."

"Ew gross, stop." I shuddered. He grinned, pleased to have succeeded in disgusting me.

"Will you all sit down?!" Glen shouted. The class stopped poking my hand and looked at him. All was silent for five seconds as the staring match went on, and then the bell for break went.

Glen looked absolutely furious as the class cheered and started running for the door to get out in the open. Sasha and Coda trailed behind with me, as the grounds started filling up.

"For your information, there wasn't even any blood." I told Coda. He just smiled again and drifted away to buy some food. Sasha shrugged and linked arms with me.

"Come on, the forest's empty." she complained, tugging on my arm. "Its a good spot to sit."

I laughed and punched her in the arm before glancing at the line of trees we called the forest. The huge, spreading oaks provided darkness and shadow. Eyes flashed from the darkness and I stopped walking to squint.

A man with long red hair was standing half behind a tree. His face was scarred incredibly and as I watched, he walked away and seemed to vanish into the darkness. Sasha tugged on my arm and I followed her reluctantly into the trees.